AB-2731 failed earlier this year. If passed, it would have implemented a 17 percent tax hike on venture capitalists, hedge funds and private equity firms. We also discuss a CDC report that shows the decline in abortion rate in US; review this weekend’s new movie releases; and more.
Amid charges of waste and mismanagement, calls for head of state high speed rail to step down
After the release of a scathing audit report of the state’s high-speed rail project in November, a Democratic lawmaker has called for the head of the body overseeing the project to step down.
AirTalk looks at whether it’s time for California Governor-elect Gavin Newsom and the legislature’s Democratic supermajority to pull the plug on the project.
Assemblyman Jim Frazier declined our request for an interview, but provided a quote:
“After listening to testimony from State Auditor Elaine Howle and other witnesses about the High Speed Rail Authority’s continued failures, hundreds of millions in cost overruns and lack of honesty about its performance, I asked Dan Richard, chair of the HSRA Board of Directors, to resign. Richard has had every opportunity since 2012 to correct these problems and has failed. Richard owes it to California taxpayers to step aside and let new leadership take over.”
California High-Speed Rail Authority declined our request for an interview but provided this statement:
“Yesterday, Vice Chair Tom Richards and COO Joe Hedges had a productive dialogue with members of the Legislature. Our primary focus remains continuing to improve this transformative project - the biggest job creator in the Central Valley in decades – we are proud of our accomplishments, always open to constructive advice, but have no need to respond to errant and uninformed attacks.”
Guests:
Margarita Fernández, chief of public affairs and quality assurance for the California State Auditor’s office
James Moore, professor of industrial, systems and civil engineering and director of the Transportation Engineering Program at USC
Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Change and Business Program, a joint program between UCLA and UC Berkeley schools of law; he is the author of “Railtown: The Fight for the Los Angeles Metro Rail and the Future of the City” (University of California Press, 2014); he tweets
Should California implement a major tax hike on high-end money managers?
California Democrats have regained the supermajority in the state legislature – and there’s been speculation Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) might re-introduce a bill now that the Dems have more power.
AB-2731 failed earlier this year. If passed, it would have implemented a 17 percent tax hike on venture capitalists, hedge funds and private equity firms. The new money would have gone to California schools, so the bill received a lot of support from labor and teachers unions.
But an opposition-funded study into the possible economic impacts of Gipson’s bill was released earlier this month. It found that the new tax hike would make it implausible for the firms to remain in California by raising the state taxes to more than 30 percent. Combined with federal taxes of about 40 percent, high-end money managers remaining in California would be looking at 70 percent taxation – and if those businesses left, the state would lose $2 billion in tax revenue, among other negative effects. Some see it as a pre-emptive strike to ward Gipson off from re-introducing the bill.
Larry sits down with the study’s researcher and a reporter to get the latest on the bill’s chance of reintroduction, and what it could mean for California’s economy.
Guests:
Dan Morain, Sacramento-based senior editor with CALmatters; he tweets
Charles Swenson, professor of accounting at USC’s Leventhal School of Accounting; he conducted the recent Economic Impact Analysis study on AB-2731, which was released in mid-November
CDC report shows decline in abortion rate in US, a look at the reasons
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report Wednesday that shows a continued decline in the overall abortion rate in the U.S.
The report says abortion rates have dropped to their lowest level in 10 years. The CDC report summarizes abortion data for 2015 that were provided by the central health agencies. From 2006 to 2015, the number of reported abortions fell 24 percent, from 842,855 to 638,169. Women in their twenties accounted for the majority of abortions in 2015 and throughout the period of the analysis. The CDC did not give a reason for the decline, but some analysts say improved access to pregnancy resource centers and new legislation at the state level likely contributed.
We discuss how abortion is trending in the United States and the possible reasons behind the decline.
Guests:
Rachel Jones, principal research scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based research and policy organization working to advance sexual and reproductive health; her focus includes abortion
Clara Paik, clinical professor and director of obstetrics and gynecology at UC Davis Medical Center
FilmWeek: ‘Anna and the Apocalypse,’ ‘Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle,’ ‘United Skates’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Wade Major, Lael Loewenstein and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
- "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle" at iPicWestwood (streaming on Netflix starting December 7)
- "Anna and the Apocalypse" at AMC Century City & ArcLight Hollywood
- "Mirai" at Laemmle's Glendale & The Frida Cinema
- "United Skates" at Laemmle's Playhouse
- "The Possession of Hannah Grace" in wide release
- "Elliot the Littlest Reindeer" at Laemmle's Music Hall
- "Never Look Away" at Laemmle's Royal Theater
- "Invisible Hands" at Laemmle's Glendale
- "Invisible Hands" filmmaker Shraysi Tandon will participate in Q&A's following the 5:00 pm shows on Saturday, 12/1 and Sunday 12/2 at the Laemmle's Glendale.
- "Bathtubs Over Broadway" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
- "Driver X" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
- "The People's Republic of Desire" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
- "I am Paul Walker" available on demand
- "The Great Buddha+" at Arena Cinelounge Sunset
- "Song of Back and Neck" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
- "Making the Five Heartbeats" at Laemmle's NoHo
CRITICS' HITS:
Lael:"United Skates", "Invisible Hands" & "I Am Paul Walker"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QboWIYgHpw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_hvZ1xafgU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eL_cLqaMX0
Wade: "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle", "Anna and the Apocalypse", "Never Look Away" & "Bathtubs Over Broadway"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVBjPpUlQrE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfWIfwKJ7vA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCEYXnDNcrg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ7SicdfY10
Charles: "Mirai"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d-lsJZgmJs
MIXED FEELINGS:
Lael: "Driver X"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5I6SpWagHI
Wade: "The Great Buddha+" & "Making the Five Heartbeats"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttodl0-_xG0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkDF8oCX4Dc
Charles: "The People's Republic of Desire"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWdg8d18Tfs
MISSES:
Lael: "Song of Back and Neck"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdExuQbg2hA
Charles: "Elliot the Littlest Reindeer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viUFB3Oitnk
Guests:
Lael Loewenstein, KPCC film critic; she tweets
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Remembering the filmmaking careers of late directors Nic Roeg and Bernardo Bertolucci
Earlier this week, acclaimed directors Nicolas Roeg and Bernardo Bertolucci passed away.
Nicolas Roeg, acclaimed British director who climbed his way through the filmmaking ranks, has died at the age of 90 last Friday, the cause and location were not given.He was born on Aug. 15, 1928, in London and did not attend film school, but rather worked his way up in the film industry working as a camera operator and then cinematographer on films such as “Fahrenheit 451” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”. He would later go on to direct his first film “Performance” starring Mick Jagger in 1970. Roeg would continue to direct singers turned actors such as David Bowie in 1976’s “The Man Who Fell to Earth”, and Art Garfunkel in 1980’s “Bad Timing”.
Bernardo Bertolucci, the sensual and stylistic Italian director, died on Monday at his home in Rome at the age of 77. Bertolucci films were known for their revolutionary spirit, especially the way they addressed how the world had begun to socially shift. Arguably one of Bertolucci’s most successful films is 1987’s “The Last Emperor” which won all nine Academy Awards for which it was nominated, including best picture and best director. However, Bertolucci’s best-known and most controversial film was 1972’s “Last Tango in Paris”, which some praised as pushing the boundaries of sexual representation, while others denounced it as misogynistic or pornographic. Bertolucci’s career spanned more than five decades with his first film “The Grim Reaper,” which had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, released in 1962 to his last film in 2012 "Me and You", which he directed from a wheelchair due to his poor health and back problems.
Guests:
Lael Loewenstein, KPCC film critic; she tweets
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine