We consider the "what ifs" on everyone's radar as election day approaches and look at Florida as a key swing state. We'll also look at Measure J, the transportation tax, and, post-storm communications conundrums, and Southern California's efforts to help recovery after superstorm Sandy. All that and more on today's AirTalk.
What happens if the election is a dead heat?
As election day approaches and the race between President Obama and Mitt Romney tightens in crucial swing states, a flurry of media attention is focused on the wild, if unlikely ways that the race might stray from the norm.
This swirl of what ifs are fueled by extremes: could if superstorm Sandy delays the election? How will people in storm-stricken areas vote? And by reflections on the past: what if the race is so close it needs a recount? What happens if there’s a tie in the Electoral College? What will happen if it ends up in the Supreme Court, like Bush v. Gore?
While it’s nearly impossible that the election would be postponed beyond November 6, the storm and recovery on the East Coast post-Sandy may still impact the race. With key electorates still inconvenienced by the weather, states like Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, and Virginia may demonstrate the storm’s influence when it comes time to vote.
In the much discussed event of a tie? Pollsters and newspapers agree that this is improbable, but it hasn’t stopped rampant speculation about the ways that a tie in the Electoral College could lead to a Romney/Biden administration, or an even more unlikely Biden presidency.
Should the election be postponed? Would you trust the House of Representatives or the Senate to choose the president? How about the Supreme Court? What should the role of the Electoral College be?
Guest:
Doyle McManus, Washington Columnist, LA Times
Richard Hasen, Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine. Author, "The Voting Wars: From Florida 2000 to the Next Election Meltdown" (Yale University Press, 2012); Blogs at electionlawblog.org/
Candidates feeling the heat in swing state of Florida
The race for the White House couldn’t be much closer and with 29 electoral votes at stake, Florida is the biggest of all of the swing states.
Both candidates are making a last minute push in the Sunshine State to get voters to the polls.Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Mitt Romney and President Obama will all be making stops up and down the state this week. The Latino vote is sure to be a determining factor in deciding Florida. But unlike other battleground states like Colorado and Nevada, Florida’s predominant groups are Cuban-American and Puerto Rican, not Mexican-American.
With the 2000 election in the not so distant past, not to mention incredibly tight polls and talk of a possible electoral college and popular vote split, all eyes are sure to be on Florida.
Guest:
Marc Caputo, political writer, Miami Herald
Measure J aims to start the engines on public transportation
In 2008, Los Angeles County voters approved Measure R, a half-cent sales tax earmarked to fund light rail transportation and scheduled to expire in 2039. Now, the proponents of Measure J want to extend that tax for another 30 years to accelerate those projects.
Business leaders and organized labor see the measure as a way accelerate jobs and the economy as well – if the measure passes, Metro officials say, wheels could hit the ground on about 15 transit projects approximately 15 years ahead of schedule. But there’s plenty of opposition: county supervisors Mike Antonovich and Don Knabe have said the continuation of the tax mortgages our future; city councilman Bernard Parks says it strains the budgets of an already struggling population.
Various neighborhood groups, from Crenshaw to Boyle Heights, object to the planned transit routes, which would impact low-income areas. And the powerful Bus Riders’ Union, which is fighting Measure J, has criticized Metro for underserving routes that carry minority riders to and from work.
Do you mind the extra half-cent you’ve been paying in sales tax? Do you support continuing the tax if it means revving up public transportation? How would extending the Gold Line, the Green Line and the Westside Subway impact your neighborhood?
Guest:
Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor
Sunyoung Yang, lead organizer for the Bus Riders' union and spokesperson for the Coalition to Defeat Measure J
Southern California power companies help restore East Coast grid after Superstorm Sandy
Americans really do pull together in times of crisis. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison will send crews to the East Coast to help with the recovery effort from Superstorm Sandy.
The L.A. City Council passed an emergency motion on Wednesday to allow LADWP workers to help restore power for the millions of residents who still have no electricity more than two days after the storm occurred. SoCal Edison is expected to send a fleet of more than 70 utility trucks and at least 120 personnel to affected areas. Crews who first responded to repair storm-ravaged power systems have been putting in 17-hour days and are in need of the additional support and resources.
Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric will also send volunteers to help with the recovery.
Guest:
Don Boland, executive director, California Utilities Emergency Association
Brian Rokos, staff writer, The Press-Enterprise
Sandy leaves cell companies with no answers and customers with no bars
Superstorm Sandy has come and gone, however, its effects are only now being calculated and studied. Dollar estimates in terms of damage are now in the tens of billions. Transportation and utility infrastructures have been ravaged leaving many stranded and in still in the dark. These difficulties are to be expected when it comes to storms and hurricanes.
One service that was decimated by the storm which no one saw coming was cell phone carriers. All three major cell phone companies had claimed to be prepared for the storm earlier in the week by topping up fuel for backup generators. Despite whatever steps the companies took, fierce winds downed power lines and flooding destroyed underground network equipment taking out twenty percent of cell tower sites in ten states. This has left millions with no cell reception in the affected areas.
With so many people who have and are dependent on their cell phones to communicate with others, this crisis has put many in the region muted. Was this whole situation avoidable? Are the equipment and infrastructure to cell phone companies that fragile and susceptible to damage? What steps can these companies take to avoid these problems in the future?
Guests:
David Cay Johnston, investigative journalist and author; winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting; distinguished visiting lecturer, Syracuse University College of Law and Whitman School of Management
Chris Guttman-McCabe, vice president, regulatory affairs for CTIA - The Wireless Association
Los Angeles moves forward on four new tax proposals
The Los Angeles City Council is one step closer to putting a half-cent sales tax proposal on the March 2013 ballot. Council President Herb Wesson is pushing the tax hike, which he says would help avoid further cuts to city services. Other proposals aimed at raising money for cash-strapped Los Angeles include raising taxes on parking, property and real estate transactions.
Wesson says his proposal will raise about $215 million a year for the general fund. That’s about how much L.A.’s budget shortfall will be for the next fiscal year. But given the blizzard of tax hike proposals facing voters in November, many of which seem doomed to fail, do Angelenos have the stomach for more tax measures? If not, are there alternatives the council members should be pursuing to address the budget shortfall?
BREAKING NEWS
AEG and opponenents to the proposed Farmers Field project have reached an agreement. The Play Fair at Farmers Field Coalition had launched a lawsuit against the project. That suit has been dismissed. The coalition says its concerns have been resolved and a settlement has been reached.
Guest:
Alice Walton, KPCC reporter
Frank Stoltze, KPCC reporter
Follow the candy: some families prefer to relocate for Halloween
For most of us as kids, Halloween meant fanning out into the nearby streets to pester our neighbors for candy. But some neighborhoods are more conducive to trick or treating than others – the houses are scarier, the streets are safer, and most importantly – the treats are better quality.
So if you’re the parent of a little ghost or goblin, what are you to do? Many parents find themselves driving to more family friendly neighborhoods to go trick or treating. And some houses choose to “go dark” rather than supply candy to kids from across town.
If you live in one of those areas, do you welcome families from other areas on your street? Do you believe in sharing the Halloween spirit, regardless of geography? Did you pack the family up last night to commute to another neighborhood?