As of yesterday, the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act has seen renewed life. We delve into details of the bill, which hopes to add 191,000 acres to the Santa Monica Mountains, and inquire into the potential pushback from local communities. We also explain tips for earthquake preparedness; converse with author Jessica Bruder on her latest book "Nomadland"; and more.
Adam Schiff on re-introducing the Rim of the Valley Preservation Act
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) announced Wednesday he is re-introducing the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act.
As reported by Southern California News Group, the bill would add 191,000 acres to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area, and would connect urban and natural landmarks, as well as different socio-economic communities. Schiff’s co-author on the bill is Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), which may mean a better chance of the legislation going through this time.
Schiff’s previous version of the act was introduced in 2016 with Sen. Barbara Boxer, but died soon after. Affected areas would include some parts of the Los Angeles River, the Arroyo Seco in western Pasadena and the San Rafael Hills.
Schiff speaks to Larry Mantle today to discuss the potential impact of the legislation.
Guest:
Adam Schiff, U.S. Congressman (D-Burbank) representing California’s 28th district which stretches from West Hollywood to the eastern border of Pasadena, and from Echo Park to the Angeles National Forest includes; he introduced the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act with Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
How you and your family can be ready for a quake – before it starts
With its innumerable benefits aside, living in Southern California also means living with the constant possibility that an earthquake could strike, whether it’s a smaller temblor or the dreaded "Big One."
When quakes do happen, it should come as no surprise that making preparations for your home, family, and belongings ahead of time are of utmost importance. But it may also come as no surprise that, as a survival expert told the L.A. Times, most people aren’t ready for a big quake.
In light of today’s "Great California Shakeout," a statewide drill to test preparedness for a major earthquake, here’s some news you can use by talking with emergency preparedness experts about being ready before an earthquake strikes. What do you do when it does? What preparations should you make in advance in your home and to your belongings? What do you need to have in your emergency kit? How do you prepare your family evacuation plan?
For more on preparedness, check out this interview our sister show Take Two did with a local survival preparedness expert.
Guests:
Frances Edwards, professor of political science and director of the Master of Public Administration program at San Jose State University; she is a Certified Emergency Manager and former director of emergency services for the cities of San Jose and Irvine
Mina Arnao, president and CEO of More Prepared, a company based in Hawthorne, CA specializing in emergency preparedness planning and supplies
Let’s all vote: should we crowdsource the morality of driverless cars?
If a driverless car is hurtling towards a pedestrian and has the option of swerving out of the way and killing the passenger, what should it do?
What if there are two passengers and only one pedestrian? What if the pedestrian is a child? It’s a twist on the Philosophy 101 trolley problem, but it’s a dilemma that driverless cars may one day encounter.
In an attempt at creating a moral framework for these decisions, MIT researchers set up a site called the Moral Machine, where people could decide who lives or decides in theoretical driverless car accident scenarios. In partnership with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, those MIT researchers took the subsequent data and created an artificial intelligence that could learn from these results and make similar ethical decisions.
But is crowdsourcing morality the best way to create an ethical guideline for driverless cars? Or is this an example of tyranny of the majority? How should we code the morality of driverless cars?
Want to be a part of the moral machine? Try it out here.
Guests:
Pradeep Ravikumar, associate professor in the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University; he is one of the researchers that developed a voting-based system for ethical decision making
James Grimmelman, professor of law at Cornell Tech; he studies how laws regulating software affect freedom, wealth and power
Listen, Amazon: These SoCal cities want you
The corporation that has changed many of our shopping habits is looking for a second headquarters outside of its Seattle homebase, and cities all across North America are falling over themselves to win the opportunity to be Amazon’s second home.
Southern California cities are no exception. The cities of Irvine, Santa Ana, San Diego are all expected to put in bids for the 50,000 jobs that the expansion would offer.
Another contender is the city of Pomona, which is partnering with Cal Poly Pomona and the Fairplex to submit a bid. The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation submitted a bid on behalf of L.A. County with nine distinct sites proposed. Details are sparse, but this is their statement.
The city of Los Angeles is also interested, but Mayor Eric Garcetti has yet to offer more details.
Today is the deadline for cities to submit their bids.
Guests:
Nathan Bomey, reporter for USA Today who’s been following Amazon’s search for a second headquarters
Elizabeth Chou, city hall beat reporter for the LA Daily News who’s been following cities in Southern California and their bids to win the prize
Living life on the road — and not entirely by choice: casualties of the shrinking middle class
Some Americans are trading in their traditional stationary lives for a life out on the open road.
The change — adopted mostly by single women and senior citizens — is involuntary and is the result of the 2008 Great Recession.
Award-winning journalist Jessica Bruder immerses herself in this fluid community in her most recent book, “Nomadland.” Bruder bought a van and traveled more than 15,000 miles to live amongst the nomads and hear their personal stories.
How have you dealt with economic challenges? What sacrifices have you been forced to make?
Jessica Bruder will discuss her book, “Nomadland” this Saturday, Oct. 21 at Skylight Books in Los Angeles. The event starts at 5 p.m. For info, click here.
Guest:
Jessica Bruder, journalist and author of the new book, “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century” (W. W. Norton, 2017)