Today on AirTalk, we hear from you about your plans and strategies to vote this election cycle. Also on the show, we discuss how student plan to apply to colleges this year; talk to John Brennan about his new book "Undaunted"; and more.
As Ballots Start To Arrive In Mailboxes, What’s Your Voting Strategy This Year?
Among the changes many have to make this year thanks to the coronavirus pandemic will be how, when, and where we vote. California has offered mail-in ballots in general elections since 1962, but there are still thousands of voters who, at least until this year, vote in-person at their local polling location or vote center.
But this year, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order requiring the state to mail all California voters a ballot in addition to letting them know where they could still vote in person if they chose to do so. But for those who decide to vote by mail, maybe for the first time, there are some extra factors to consider when strategizing about casting their ballot this year.
Today on AirTalk, we want to hear your strategies for voting in this unusual election year. What are the factors you’re considering, and the challenges they might present? How are you deciding when to vote, and how to vote? Will you mail your ballot in, or do you prefer to drop it off in person at a polling location or a ballot dropbox? Join our live conversation at 866-893-5722, by tweeting us
, or by posting on our Facebook page.
KPCC and LAist have put together a resource guide for this year's election. It's called Voter Game Plan. From the latest on all the local races to information on how to vote by mail -- go to laist.com/elections.. You can also find more information from the Secretary of State on how to vote in this year’s general election by clicking here.
Guest:
Michael Alvarez, professor of political and computational social science at Caltech and co-director of the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project; he tweets
How Prospective Students Are Applying To College In 2020
College application season is in full swing for the high school class of 2021 and anyone else hoping to start a 4-year college next fall. But instead of SAT cram sessions, road trips to visit campuses and essay-writing workshops at the library, we have ... Zoom.
Zoom campus tours, Zoom college prep workshops, Zoom counseling sessions. Not to mention, if you're trying to beef up your extracurriculars, virtual poetry clubs, virtual student government meetings and virtual workouts with your sports team in lieu of an actual season.
To one who, admittedly, is decades past high school, it all sounds pretty awful. And it is, in some ways. But in others, college counselors and admissions officers say this pandemic moment actually has the potential to make access to higher education fairer and more equitable.
Today on AirTalk, we’re hearing more about what it’s like to apply for college during the COVID-19 pandemic. Are you a student applying to colleges, or a parent overseeing the process? Let us know your experience in the comments or by calling 866-893-5722.
With files from LAist. You can read Jill Replogle’s full piece for LAist here.
Guests:
Jill Replogle, KPCC’s College Pathways reporter who has been covering this story; she tweets
Julie Posselt, associate professor of higher education at the University of Southern California; she tweets
Sex Workers, Strippers, And Cam Girls Sustain Their Craft Through Virtual Work
Countless Americans have been forced to be thrifty or even pivot careers to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite clubs in California being closed since March, many employed under the umbrella of sex work careers have continued their work virtually.
Many clubs have not contacted their employees about any virtual or in-person work, leaving them to figure out how to pay their bills. As the L.A. Times reported, the dancers from Jumbo’s Clown Room in East Hollywood didn’t wait around for a call from their employer and decided to take matters into their own hands.
Cyber Clown Girls was created by the group in May and features current and alumni dancers from Jumbo’s, as well as other exotic dance performers. We sit down with Sin Twisted, a former Jumbo’s employee and creator of virtual strip and variety show Cyber Sinferno. Sin is a global performance artist with many talents ranging from burlesque to pole dancing and contortion. We also want to hear from listeners who work in similar industries. How have you adapted to get by during the pandemic and what’s the experience been like? Call 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Sin Twisted, global performance artist with many talents from burlesque to pole dancing and contortion
Inside The World Of American Intelligence: Former CIA Director John Brennan’s New Memoir
How did a motorbike riding son of an Irish immigrant rise through the ranks of the CIA to become the top official in American intelligence?
In his new memoir ““ Undaunted: My Fight Against America's Enemies, At Home and Abroad,” former CIA director John Brennan chronicles his rise through the agency, working under six different administrations and finally becoming one of President Obama’s top national security advisers.
We sit down with Brennan to discuss his story, as well as the history of the CIA and the inner workings of the agency during pivotal moments such as 9/11 and interference in the 2016 election.
Guest:
John Brennan, former American intelligence officer who served as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from March 2013 to January 2017; author of “Undaunted: My Fight Against America's Enemies, At Home and Abroad” (October 2020, Celadon Books); he tweets
How To Weed Out City Hall Corruption? One Proposal Is To Take Land Use Decisions Out Of The Hands Of Councilmembers
In an op-ed published yesterday by the L.A. Times, three former Los Angeles officials proposed installing a planning reform commission to minimize developers’ influence on City Council matters and modernize our city’s outdated planning and zoning systems.
Council president Nury Martinez and council member Marqueece Harris-Dawson filed a joint motion in August calling for a future planning reform ballot measure. However, the authors of the op-ed contend that reform shouldn’t be left to City Council members because their power is at the heart of the city’s land planning problems.
Instead, they advocate for a planning reform commission comprised of diverse civic leaders, including acknowledged planning experts, with appointments free of influence from real estate interests.
Today, we talk with Rick Cole, former deputy mayor of Los Angeles and city manager for Santa Monica, on the consequences of outdated zoning codes, developers’ current involvement in City Council land-use approvals, and other cities’ success in updating their codes. Has your neighborhood been impacted by lack of affordable housing and expensive new developments? Let us know your experience by calling 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Rick Cole, deputy mayor of Los Angeles (2013-2015); city manager for Santa Monica (2015-2020); he co-wrote the L.A. Times Op-Ed “Prevent future L.A. City Council scandals by fixing our planning system”
David Ambroz, member of the L.A. City Planning Commission and past president (2013-2017)
What Role Could Third-Party Candidates Play In This Year’s Election?
In close elections, it doesn’t take much for third-party candidates to play an outsize role — as Democrats learned the hard way in 2016.
President Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in Michigan by fewer than 11,000 votes that year while left-leaning Green Party candidate Jill Stein netted over 51,000 and Libertarian Gary Johnson won 172,000. In Wisconsin, Trump won by about 23,000 votes, fewer than Stein’s 32,000. And in Pennsylvania, Stein’s 49,000 votes eclipsed the margin by which Trump defeated Clinton. Victory in those three states catapulted Trump into the White House. As he seeks another term amid a pandemic and sudden Supreme Court vacancy, there are questions about whether third parties could play a similar role in this year’s high-stakes election. Today on AirTalk, we talk through the options and what’s at stake. We also want to hear from listeners. Are you considering voting for a third-party candidate or writing someone in on the ballot? Who and why? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Julian Zelizer, American political historian and professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, his latest book is “Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party” (Penguin Press, 2020); he tweets