U.S. pot growers are hurting Mexican drug lords, the deadline for tax shelter amnesty, plus the latest news.
Medical errors at Cedars Sinai
Last week, Cedars Sinai Medical Center revealed that 206 stroke patients were given CT scans with eight times the normal dosage of radiation. While the dosage amount is displayed on a computer screen each time a scan is performed, the problem went undetected by doctors and technicians for 18 months. What's behind the oversight, and what measures should be taken to prevent future errors?
Guests:
Alan Zarembo, Los Angeles Times reporter who covered the story
Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog
U.S. marijuana growers undercutting Mexican economy
Recent changes in state laws, allowing the cultivation of marijuana for medical usage, have given California’s pot growers an economic advantage over once-dominant Mexican drug cartels. In fact, home-grown Mary Jane, supplied by thousands of mom-and-pop pot farms, may now constitute a serious threat to the druglords’ bottom line. According to a recent Washington Post article, Mexican drug suppliers are fighting back by upgrading product, streamlining delivery, and even moving their growing operations to US public lands.
Guests:
Mark Peterson, Deputy Sheriff, Humboldt County Drug Enforcement
Tommy Lanier, Director, National Marijuana Initiative
MLB playoffs: Dodgers vs. Phillies
Tonight in LA the Dodgers face off against last year's World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. Larry Mantle gets an NLCS preview with the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin.
Guest:
Bill Shaikin, National Baseball Writer for the Los Angeles Times
Who foots the bill for crowd control?
For over a decade, the city of Los Angeles has covered all or part of the cost of staffing traffic officers for events at venues like the Hollywood Bowl or Dodger Stadium. But just over three months into the fiscal year, the transportation department has exhausted its special events overtime budget, which also is for handling marches, festivals, and parades. Now city officials are asking six venue operators to cover the full cost of providing traffic officers. Most venues plan to reduce the number of officers working, which could lead to increased congestion. Who should cover the cost of these events?
Guest:
Bill Rosendahl, LA City Councilman for District 11 and Chair of Council's Transportation Committee
Tax shelter amnesty ends
Some 7,500 wealthy tax payers have come clean about overseas bank accounts where they've sheltered funds from the Internal Revenue Service. But the deadline to disclose--without reduced penalties--is today. Did the amnesty program have its intended effect? And what else can the IRS do to crack down on money hidden in some 70 countries?
Guests:
Phil Hodgen, a Pasadena tax attorney
Asher Rubinstein, a partner with the law firm of Rubinstein & Rubinstein LLP in New York City
Dean Zerbe, special counsel for the National Whistleblowers Center, a DC-based group that advocates for stronger Whistleblower protection