Frank McCourt gives up his fight for the Dodgers. School reform groups “Don’t Hold Us Back” exert pressure, but how much influence do they have? The “super committee's” super deadlines. Ry Cooder finds a new voice in telling Los Angeles stories.
Frank McCourt gives up his fight for the Dodgers
After countless court hearings, an ugly divorce and two long years, the Los Angeles Dodgers will soon be free of the McCourts.
Last night, in a stunning about-face, Frank Court and Major League Baseball made a deal to move forward with selling the team. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court will have to approve the auction which is expected to include the team, Dodger Stadium, the surrounding parking lots and media rights. It could all go for a billion dollars or more; McCourt paid $421 million seven years ago.
In a joint statement from MLB and McCourt, it's said the sale will be a "court-supervised process" managed by Blackstone Group LP. Who the potential buyers are depends on the price.
Yesterday, the “Los Angeles Times” reported that Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, offered to buy the Dodgers months ago, but balked at a billion-plus dollar price tag. A spokesman for McCourt denied that ever happened, but with this new development Cuban's name is back at the top of the list of buyers.
WEIGH IN:
Who else is on the list? What is the value of the team and its assets? There were rumors several weeks ago about foreign buyers. Would MLB approve that? How long could this process take? What does this mean for players, fans and next season?
Guest:
Andrew Zimbalist, professor of economics at Smith College; his latest book is "Circling the Bases: Essays on the Challenges and Prospects of the Sports Industry"
School reform groups “Don’t Hold Us Back” exert pressure, but how much influence do they have?
There’s a movement underway in the Southland to pressure the Los Angeles Unified School District and the powerful teachers’ union, United Teachers Los Angeles, to “stop putting the interests of adults ahead of children.”
The coalition behind the push, known as Don’t Hold Us Back, is made up of civil rights, parent and community based organizations focused on education reform. They’ve been taking out full-page ads and working behind the scenes to promote changes such as giving schools more freedom to do their own hiring, making student achievement part of any teacher evaluation process, raising the bar on tenure eligibility and allowing bonuses and raises for high-performing teachers.
LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy largely supports these proposals. UTLA does not. In addition, another education advocacy group threatened yesterday to file suit against LAUSD if it doesn’t comply with a 40-year old law requiring California schools to link teacher evaluations to student performance. Known as the Stull Act, the 1971 law mandates that tracking student progress be an element of evaluations, but leaves the method of evaluation up to the district.
UTLA, which has long opposed the district over the use of student test scores in evaluations, fears that enforcement of the law could shift the power to LAUSD. After months of negotiations, yesterday was the board-established deadline for the players to come to some agreement over proposed contract reforms. Don’t Hold Us Back had also demanded the board respond to their demands for policy changes at that time.
WEIGH IN:
What – if anything – came out of yesterday’s closed-door meeting between LAUSD and UTLA? How much influence do these outside groups have? What strategies will they employ next? Could reviving the Stull Act change the game?
Guests:
Howard Blume, Education Reporter, Los Angeles Times
Elise Buik, President of United Way of Greater Los Angeles
Marqueece Harris-Dawson, President of Community Coalition
The “supercommittee's” super deadlines
While most Americans are gearing up for Thanksgiving, twelve lucky members of Congress are more concerned with November 23. That is the deadline given to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or the “super committee,” to propose $1.2 trillion of reductions to the country’s long-term deficit.
If the committee fails to make any progress or if Congress fails to vote by December 23, then automatic cuts will take place. These would be divided evenly amongst defense and non-defense sectors, although Medicaid and Social Security would not be affected.
Furthermore, Congress is required to vote on an amendment implementing a constitutionally mandated balanced budget by December 31, 2011. Yesterday, the committee listened to debt plan proposals from Senators Alan Simpson and Pete Dominici, and former Clinton White House officials Erskine Bowles and Alice Rivlin.
WEIGH IN:
What were the specifics of those plans? With all these deadlines looming, what is the general tenor of discussions? Is the committee moving forward in a bipartisan fashion, as envisioned? What is on and off the table for cuts? Beyond the “super committee,” what is happening in Congress?
Guests:
Xavier Becerra, (D – CA) Congressman for California’s 31st District. Member of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. California’s 31st includes Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, Echo Park, Glassell Park, Highland Park, Montecito Heights, Westlake/Pico Union, and South Los Angeles.
David Mark, Senior Editor, POLITICO & author of "Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning"
Ry Cooder finds a new voice in telling Los Angeles stories
Ry Cooder has been telling stories with his guitar for the past five decades. Starting in the 1960’s, his work with Captain Beefheart, Randy Newman, The Rolling Stones and others brought slide guitar into the mainstream. His solo albums have embraced the roots of folk and popular song, including blues, gospel, calypso, Latin and country music.
In the 1980’s Cooder branched out into soundtracks; his haunting, soulful slide guitar work gave voice to the themes of alienation and regret in Wim Wenders’ “Paris, Texas.” He has collaborated with traditional world musicians including Ali Farka Touré, Flaco Jiménez and Havana’s legendary Buena Vista Social Club.
Recent releases have found him delving into social commentary, with the albums Chavez Ravine, My Name is Buddy and his newest release, Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down. Now, Cooder turns to the printed page for his storytelling.
His first book, "Los Angeles Stories", offers Chandler-esque tales that take us to the darkened downtown streets, windswept neighborhoods and stuccoed apartment houses of postwar Los Angeles. With a musician’s ear for language, Cooder’s stories and the characters who people them – drifters, trolley drivers, disc jockeys, salesmen, jazz musicians and of course, cops and robbers -- take us on a journey into a Los Angeles that has long gone the way of Chavéz Ravine and the red cars. In doing so, he brings a sense of place he remembers from his childhood.
“I remember it pretty well,” Cooder says, “and things that are all gone now, or different, see?”
Guest:
Ry Cooder, author of “Los Angeles Stories,” (City Lights Publishers) guitarist, singer and composer
Ry Cooder will be in conversation with Los Angeles Times’ book critic David Ulin about his new book “Los Angeles Stories,” this Sunday, November 6th at Skylight Books. To see event page, click here.