Today on AirTalk, we bring you the latest on Sandy, and later delve into the storm's economic repercussions. Governor Jerry Brown stops by between stump speeches to discuss Prop. 30 with Larry, we take a look at the Endeavor exhibit on opening day, and GOP senate candidate Elizabeth Emken talks about her race against Dianne Feinstein.
At least 39 dead and millions without power in wake of superstorm Sandy
Although Hurricane Sandy slowed to become a tropical storm as it pushed inland on Tuesday, it still managed to devastate the East Coast, which suffered high winds, floods and power failures. There were at least 39 storm-related deaths in seven states.Tropical-storm-force winds extended out 485 miles from the center of the storm, which hit land near New Jersey.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “We had a storm of unprecedented proportions,” while speaking at a news conference and the Chairman of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority stated the storm was the most destructive in the 108-year history of New York’s subway system. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said his state, which received an expedited disaster designation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was hit the hardest and that the losses are “almost incalculable.” Larry checks in with New York Times reporter Michael Grynbaum and WNYC news host Richard Hake to get the latest update on Sandy’s impact.
Guests:
Michael Grynbaum, reporter for the New York Times
Kate Zernike, reporter for the New York Times in New Jersey
Richard Hake, news host ,WNYC
California Governor Jerry Brown stumps for Prop 30, but not everyone is on board
California Governor Jerry Brown is making the rounds a week before Election Day and his next stop is AirTalk. The politics of the Golden State are a complicated business and Governor Brown will give his top down appraisal of a variety of issues - from the role of organized labor in state politics and the prison realignment to this election year’s bevy of ballot initiatives, including Brown’s signature Prop 30.
RELATED: Check out our voter guide to help prepare for election day
Prop 30 is designed to help California’s struggling schools with an infusion of cash that would be raised by increasing taxes on those who make more than $250,000 a year and temporarily bumping up the state sales tax a quarter of a cent. If approved, Prop 30 would prevent $6 billion in cuts from being instituted in the middle of the current school year as well as curb steep tuition hikes for college students.Detractors feel that although California’s schools could use more funding, yet another tax hike isn’t the way to do it.
What is the best way to help California’s schools with their budget crisis? What effect would the passage of Prop 30 have on schools? On taxpayers? What are the most important issues on the ballot this year?
Guests:
Jerry Brown, Governor of California
Jon Coupal, president, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
California Science Center opens space shuttle Endeavour exhibit today
In September Southern California residents watched intently as the space shuttle Endeavour took its maiden voyage in the skies and on the streets of Los Angeles. Now we’ll be about to see the spacecraft in her permanent resting place, at the California Science Center. The Endeavour will become the center piece of the 18,000-square-foot building until a new air and space wing opens in about five years. Once that move is complete the shuttle will be displayed vertically, as though it’s ready for take-off.
WEIGH IN:
Does the new Endeavour exhibit make you want to visit the California Science Center?
Guest:
Corey Moore, KPCC reporter
Garrett Reisman, former NASA astronaut who traveled to the International Space Station on the Expedition and Discovery space shuttles
Superstorm Sandy’s economic and election impact
Superstorm Sandy is headed north, and for much of the East, the worst is over. But with extensive flooding and major damages to several big cities lining the coast, this is just the beginning of a long entanglement with the storm and the wake of destruction it left.
Power outages are affecting millions of East Coast homes and businesses, New York City subways and tunnels are flooded, underground garages have filled with water, and cities up and down the coast are littered with debris from the storm. Because cities like New York don’t see storms of this caliber often, Sandy came as a surprise, even to local hospitals, whose backup generators began failing last night, forcing evacuations. Even though the storm is passing and the sky is clearing, rescue and rehabilitation efforts are sure to take a good deal of time and money for the cities hardest hit by the storm.
What will the economic impact be for cities whose public services have been damaged by Sandy? How long will relief efforts take, and at what cost? What effect, if any, will this have on the presidential election next week?
Guest:
Jessica Levinson, Professor of Law, Loyola Law School; Research focus on election law and governance issues
Gregory Daco, U.S. Economist, IHS Global Insight
Autism activist Elizabeth Emken aims to replace Dianne Feinstein in Senate
Elizabeth Emken won a spot on the California GOP Senate ticket, beating out 22 other candidates to compete in a race against incumbent Dianne Feinstein. Emken has trailed Feinstein consistently throughout the campaign. A former businesswoman and lobbyist for autistic children, Emken’s short political career is eclipsed by Feinstein’s 20 years as a senator.
RELATED: Check out our voter guide to help prepare for election day
Emken coordinated advocacy for significant efforts to aid autistic children, including the Advancement in Pediatric Autism Research Act, and the Combating Autism Act of 2006 which authorized nearly $1 billion for autism research and intervention. Still, she has presented little challenge to Senator Feinstein thus far: Feinstein has refused to debate Emken, and Emken hasn’t been able to make up ground since Feinstein took a lead early on.
Emken is running on a standard GOP platform, unpopular in California’s liberal stronghold cities, and is down 17 points, according to a recent poll from USC Dornsife. How does Emken run an election against an opponent who won’t engage in debate? Is there hope for the underdog in elections like this one?
Guest:
Elizabeth Emken, Republican nominee for U.S. Senate running against Dianne Feinstein
Beverly Hills looks to use iPads in classrooms
Last week, the Beverly Hills Board of Education witnessed a presentation on the future of technology in the Beverly Hills Unified School District. As with other school districts all across the country, Beverly Hills is focused on the use of iPads in the classroom.
Ever since its introduction, the device has been utilized by students in a variety of ways to enhance the learning experience, and now educators and administrators predict that one day the tablet will completely revolutionize the way teachers teach and students learn. However, it’s difficult to make long-ranging plans for how to use this technology, as within five years the newest iPad today might be completely obsolete. Also, there’s no correct way to roll out the iPads, so schools have to look at the sparse examples already out there and basically use trial and error to figure out their own schema. Beyond these initial problems, though, educators are absolutely blown away by the ways in which their kids can use the technology, as well as the positive impact they’ve seen in the classroom.
How is Beverly Hills already using iPad technology in the classroom? How successful has it been thus far? What challenges does the school district face? What effects will this type of technology have on students down the line and throughout their academic careers? What will it take for iPads to be in the hands of every student in the country?
Guest:
Janet Lambert, Beverly Hills Unified Middle School History Teacher at Hawthorne School, which has been running a pilot program for the use of iPads
Brandon Martinez, assistant professor of clinical education Rossier School of Education at USC