Today on AirTalk, we discuss how COVID-19 will impact the traveling and holiday season. Also on the show, we break down the ongoing issues with polling data; KPCC film critics Wade Major, Angie Han and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases; and more.
COVID-19 Cases Are Surging Across The Country As Families Weigh Whether To Come Together For The Holidays
As COVID-19 cases rise across the state, Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a travel advisory alongside Oregon and Washington to urge visitors not to travel out-of-state or to quarantine if they do so.
California recently passed one million cases of the novel coronavirus, and numbers are rising in several counties. In Los Angeles County, officials warned that tighter restrictions could come if cases continue to rise. Photos of long lines clogging the roads to Dodger Stadium’s testing site are once again going viral as they did earlier this year, but there’s a sobering distinction this time around: the holidays are approaching.
Many families typically spend this time of year traveling to see family and friends, often across state lines. But given the sheer scale of the virus’ integration in our communities, and the risks that gatherings pose, many people are rethinking their traditions.
Today on AirTalk, we’re hearing more about how to make responsible plans this holiday season. Are you opting out of traveling, or of your traditional gathering? We want to hear from you. Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Hugo Martín, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times covering the travel industry; he tweets
Dean Blumberg, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital
Examining 2020 Election Polling And What Could Change In Future Cycles To More Accurately Reflect Americans’ Political Opinions
If you read the headlines in major news publications like the Wall Street Journal, presidential polls once again missed the mark this year. An article in the New York Times “The Upshot” section suggested that the underestimation of President Trump’s support this year might have been even worse than it was four years ago. Maybe even more glaring were the errors in forecasting the U.S. Senate and House races, where polls ahead of the election suggested Democrats would make big gains in both chambers. That didn’t happen.
After 2016, where many polls leading into the presidential election predicted a landslide victory for then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, most of us would think that pollsters and public opinion research firms would have spend the last four years figuring out what went wrong in 2016 and how they could model their surveys and polls this year to account for those Americans whose sentiments weren’t accurately modeled by national polls. It’s still early in the process, as votes continue to be counted in some states and researchers continue to evaluate data, and while some polls and pollsters may have addressed the issues that produced the inaccurate models in 2016, there may also be new issues to consider this year that weren’t a problem four years ago.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk with experts on election polling and political opinion research to find out what they think the polls got right (and wrong) in 2020 and what can be done to better model Americans’ opinions on political issues in the future.
Guests:
Mark Blumenthal, principal at MysteryPollster LLC, a consultancy that works with public opinion polling firms; he is a long-time pollster and campaign consultant and has held previous positions as head of election polling at SurveyMonkey and senior polling editor for The Huffington Post; he tweets
David Dutwin, senior vice president of strategic initiatives for the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, an objective non-partisan research institution; he is a senior fellow of the Program for Opinion Research and Election Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also serves as a lecturer, and was president of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, the professional group for the polling industry, from 2018-2019; he tweets
California Voters Narrowly Rejected Prop 15 Split Roll Tax. What Does That Mean For Funding For Schools?
The defeat of Proposition 15, which would have mandated that commercial and industrial property values be assessed not based on purchase price but rather on an assessment of their market value every three years, was a blow to advocates who hoped to see the projected $6.5 to $11.5 billion it would have generated in revenue go toward schools and school funding.
The intent was, in part, to reform California’s controversial tax law, Prop 13, which supporters of Prop 15 argue have given big corporations major property tax breaks. Following the statewide “no” vote, and with the coronavirus pandemic still going on, K-12 schools and community colleges across the country are wondering how it all will impact their bottom line in the years to come.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll take a look at the short and long term implications of Prop 15’s defeat. You can join the live conversation by calling us at 866-893-5722.
For more on this topic from KPCC and LAist reporter David Wagner, click here.
Guests:
Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a taxpayer rights group
Alex Stack, communications director for Schools & Communities First, formally known as Yes on 15; he tweets
FilmWeek: “Hillbilly Elegy,” “The Climb,” “Freaky” And More
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Wade Major, Angie Han and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
- "Hillbilly Elegy" showing at the Studio Movie Grill (Simi Valley) & select theaters in Orange County (check local listings); Netflix on Nov. 24
- "The Climb" showing at the Vineland Drive-In, AMC Orange 30, AMC DINE-IN 14 (Thousand Oaks) & Galaxy Mission Grove Luxury (Riverside)
- "Ammonite" showing at the Vineland Drive-In & select theaters in Orange County (check local listings)
- "Freaky' showing in select theaters in Orange County (check local listings)
- "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey Movie" on Netflix
- "Wolfwalkers" showing in select theaters in Orange County (check local listings) on Nov. 13-15; Apple TV+ on Dec. 11
- "Dreamland" on VOD (including Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, FandangoNOW) on Nov. 17
- "Monsoon" on Laemmle’s Virtual Cinema; VOD (including Vudu, Amazon Prime Video & Google Play)
- "Fatman" showing at the Vineland Drive-In & Regency Westminster; VOD (including FandangoNOW, Amazon Prime Video & iTunes) on Nov. 24\
- "I Am Greta" on Hulu
- "Queen of Hearts: Audrey Flack" on Laemmle's Virtual Cinema
Our FilmWeek critics have been curating personal lists of their favorite TV shows and movies to binge-watch during self-quarantine. You can see recommendations from each of the critics and where you can watch them here.
Guests:
Angie Han, film critic for KPCC and deputy entertainment editor at Mashable; she tweets
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
‘The Climb’ Filmmakers Take A Bike Ride With John Horn And Talk Bringing A Short To Feature Length
The coronavirus pandemic has turned filmmakers’ worlds upside down. The feature film “The Climb” experienced several release delays that stretched through most of last year. It’s something others in the industry are grappling with as well.
KPCC’s John Horn spoke with Director Michael Covino and Producer Kyle Marvin, who co-wrote the screenplay and starred in the film. In fact, John spoke with them twice. First, in September a year ago, when “The Climb” was playing at film festivals and hadn’t yet come out in theaters, and then again this March, when its release was postponed due to the pandemic. John joins Larry to explain what’s happened since, then we hear his interview with the filmmakers as they bike up Glendora Mountain Road.
Guest:
John Horn, host of KPCC’s arts and entertainment show “The Frame”; he tweets