Today on AirTalk, we talk about the Golden State residents that may have their power cut to prevent wildfires. Also on the show, we take a look at the Dodgers ahead of Game 5; discuss Metrolink's new proposal to divert funds for a high speed rail line from Burbank to Anaheim; and more.
Millions Across California Brace For More Planned Power Outages That Could Last Days As State Wildfire Risk Remains High
More than a million Golden State residents may have to deal with their power being cut on Wednesday in order to help mitigate the chance of wildfire, according to public utility officials in Northern and Southern California.
The majority of the outages are planned in Northern and Central California, but Southern California Edison says on its website that almost 174,000 customers in counties including Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, San Bernardino and Ventura could all be under the umbrella of a planned outage on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Pacific Gas and Electric has shut off power to more than half a million customers in Northern California in the biggest planned shut off in the state's history. The utility said Wednesday it will gradually turn off electricity to nearly 800,000 customers to prevent its equipment from starting wildfires during hot, windy weather. It says a second group of about 234,000 customers will lose power starting at noon. The utility says it's considering turning off power to another 42,000 customers in areas it serves near Southern California. It says it will determine a time and the specific locations later Wednesday.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll get the lay of the land from guests in Northern and Southern California to talk about the areas where customers might expect planned outages and how to prepare for a planned outage that could go on for a while.
With files from the Associated Press
If you’re a Southern California Edison customer, click here to see a list of areas that could be impacted by planned outages and to sign up for alerts that will inform you if your power might be shut off.
Guests:
Robert Laffoon-Villegas, spokesperson for Southern California Edison
Jeremy Siegel, weekend afternoon anchor and editor for KQED News who has been reporting on the planned outages by Pacific Gas & Electric in Northern California; he tweets
Reddit Group Face Backlash For Limiting Conversations To People of Color
A forum on Reddit known as “BlackPeopleTwitter” is facing backlash for restricting Reddit contributors on particularly sensitive online discussions.
According to the New York Times, moderators have asked users to submit pictures of their forearms to prove they’re people of color before they can post or comment on the subreddit.
The forums moderators defend their restrictions and continue screening users, saying it’s necessary to prove people’s identify on a typically anonymous online platform. Moderators started the screening practice out of concern that white users were pretending to be black to give their comments more credibility.
Reddit users: what do you think about BlackPeopleTwitter’s screening process? Share your thoughts by calling 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Amy Harmon, Pulitzer-winning national correspondent for the New York Times covering the intersection of race and technology, who wrote the story; she tweets
Wesley Moreno, former moderator of “Black People Twitter” on Reddit, information technology professional
Kids Are Getting A Raise: Their Average Weekly Allowance Is Now $30
American kids are making an average of $30 a week in allowance—a big jump from $17 in 2016. That’s according to a new survey of parents from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Most parents expect their children to earn money by doing chores around the house for about an hour each weekday. According to the AICPA’s data, that works out to an hourly wage of $6.11. And while adult wages have also steadily increased in the last few years, kid wages have grown much faster.
Parents say they intend for chore money to foster fiscal responsibility, most children don’t save it. Instead, they use it on toys, digital downloads, and outings with friends. If you’re a parent, let us know how much you pay your children. What sort of chores or tasks do you incentivize? Do you manage where your kid’s money goes? Call 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Tracie Miller-Nobles, certified public accountant; member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), which conducted the survey
Metrolink Proposes More SoCal Trains By Diverting Bullet Train Funds -- What Are The Trade Offs?
According to the LA Times, an internal report sent to the California High-Speed Rail Authority by MetroLink outlined that ridership between Burbank and Anaheim would increase under a new plan that would shift up to $5.5 billion in funds from the Central Valley to Southern California.
Metrolink also outlined in the report the potential economic and environmental benefits of diverting the funds, such as relieving freeway congestion and cutting down on emissions in one of the busiest metropolitan areas in the country.
The High Speed Rail Authority has over $20.5 billion in funding for the bullet train project in the Central Valley, but as construction delays, technical mishaps and problems with poor management have increased many have called for the funds to be diverted to areas that would be better served by improvements in public transportation. In their report, MetroLink projected that,if given the funds, the current number of passengers on the Burbank to Anaheim line, 1.8 million, would nearly double by 2024 due to increased schedules and faster trains.
The proposed diversion of funds has drawn criticism from those in the Central Valley, who say that a diversion of funds would leave the original Central Valley line half-completed, with cities torn apart with unfinished projects and nothing to show for the over $15 billion in funding. There’s also a huge concern among environmentalists that leaving the original Central Valley line unfinished will lead to continued use of diesel trains, which decrease the air quality and contribute to higher rates of asthma.
We reached out to the Mayors and reps of Fresno, Merced and Bakersfield, as well as Assemblymember Jim Patterson. They were unable to join us for interview.
We also reached out to the California High Speed Rail Authority, who did not get back to us in time for the interview.
And we reached out to Metrolink. They declined our request for an interview, but sent us this statement:
“Metrolink supports the state’s vision for high speed rail using a blended system to deliver projects and is appreciative of state officials keeping Metrolink’s funding needs in mind.
The California High Speed Rail Authority requested information from Metrolink in order to perform a side-by-side look at the Central Valley, the Bay Area, and Southern California. In response, Metrolink provided information regarding potential investments in Southern California that would benefit future High-Speed Rail deployment. Those investments and their present-day and future benefits are provided in the report. SCORE, along with maintenance and rehabilitation projects are included in our response.”
Guests:
Ralph Vartabedian, national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times who covers the high-speed rail project, who has been following the story; he tweets
Ara Najarian, Mayor of Glendale; a member of the Metro board and vice chair of the Metrolink board
SCOTUS Hears Arguments On Sex Discrimination And LGBTQ Rights
The Supreme Court appeared divided over whether federal civil rights law protects LGBTQ people from job discrimination.
The court heard arguments on Tuesday in two closely watched LGBTQ cases. These cases were the court’s first on LGBTQ rights since Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement and Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment.
In the first case, Chief Justice John Roberts wondered, if the court finds that sexual orientation is covered by civil rights law, whether there should be exemptions for employers with sincerely held religious beliefs. The second case examined whether transgender individuals are protected under the law.
Justice Neil Gorsuch had said there are strong arguments favoring the LGBTQ workers. But Gorsuch suggested that maybe Congress, not the courts, should change the law because of the upheaval that could ensue. “It’s a question of judicial modesty,” Gorsuch said.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Greg Stohr, Supreme Court reporter for Bloomberg News; he tweets
Dodgers Look To Avoid Postseason Blues As NLDS Culminates In Decisive Game 5 In LA
So far, the 2019 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers has been pretty comfortable.
They took over first place in the NL West in May and haven’t looked back since, cruising to a seventh consecutive division title by winning a National League-best 106 games. They finished the year a full 21 games ahead of the second place Arizona Diamondbacks. But tonight, the mood inside the Dodgers clubhouse at Chavez Ravine will be decidedly less comfortable, as the future of their season and the hopes of an entire city of baseball fans rest on the outcome of tonight’s game against the Washington Nationals at home.
The two clubs have been trading blows all series, with the Dodgers winning Games 1 and 3 and the Nats winning Games 2 and 4. Now, tied at two games apiece, the Dodgers and Nats will throw everything and the kitchen sink at winning a decisive Game 5 tonight. Game 1 starter Walker Buehler will take the mound for Los Angeles while the Nationals send Game 2 starter Stephen Strasburg to the bump. The winner will head to the National League Championship Series to take on either the Atlanta Braves or the St. Louis Cardinals, who are also tied at two games apiece in their Division Series and who also play Game 5 on Wednesday.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll reconvene KPCC’s “Triple Play” of Larry Mantle, A Martinez and Nick Roman to preview Game 5 tonight at Dodger Stadium, recap how the series got to this point and find out what they think the Dodgers need to do to reach their fourth straight NLCS.
Guests:
Nick Roman, host of “All Things Considered”; he tweets
A Martinez, host of KPCC’s “Take Two”; he tweets