More than 300 women working in Sacramento have signed a letter denouncing the culture of sexual harassment in state politics – AirTalk dives into the latest on the complaint, including the Senate hearings coming up next month. We also ask callers to share the most offensive Halloween costumes they’ve ever seen ahead of tonight’s festivities; should CA prisoners be allowed to vote?; and more.
It's win-or-go-home for the Dodgers tonight. Here’s what you need to know
A lot of ink has been spilled dissecting what the Dodgers should and shouldn’t have done over the last three games in the World Series.
Now, the citizens of Los Angeles turn their attention to the pivotal Game 6 of the series. Dodgers are sending pitcher Rich Hill to the mound, while Justin Verlander hopes to close out the series for the Astros tonight.
Larry talks to A Martinez on what the Dodgers need to do to stay alive, and KPCC’s resident Astros fan Rebecca Nieto.
Guests:
A Martínez, host of KPCC’s Take Two; he tweets
Rebecca Nieto, senior producer, News, Broadcast & Digital at KPCC; she tweets
Why the National Parks Service wants to hike up entrance fees during peak season
The National Parks Service says some of its parks are beginning to show their age, so to fix them up, they’re proposing a fee hike that would double the price of entrance for one vehicle during a five month period in peak season to generate more revenue that NPS can put back into park maintenance.
The public has until November 23rd to weigh in on the proposal, but some members of the public say that the fee increase goes too far, and will prevent some families from being able to afford a trip to the parks. NPS says the fee hike will generate $68 million to help offset the current repair bill of about $11.3 billion.
What do you think of the fee increase? If you’re against it, what other methods do you think NPS could employ to raise money for repairs?
Guest:
Emily Guerin, reporter at KPCC covering the environment who’s been following the story; she tweets
What’s being done to change the ‘pervasive’ culture of sexual harassment at California’s Capitol
Enough.
This is the rallying cry for more than 300 who have signed a letter denouncing the “pervasive” culture of sexual harassment that they say has gone unchecked in Sacramento politics for years.
The letter includes people like staffers and aides to current and former lawmakers who say they’ve been subject to everything from inappropriate comments and jokes to groping and unwanted/non-consensual touching. The letter goes on to say that many of those who signed felt unable to talk about the issue for fear that it could have consequences for their job or reputation.
Those who have come forward to share their stories publicly say they felt trapped because the system for reporting and investigating these kind of complaints was broken and stacked against them.
The California Senate announced last week that it has hired two outside firms to investigate the claims, and legislative leaders say they plan to hold hearings next month to review the disciplinary reporting system and talk about ways to make it more trustworthy and effective.
Guests:
Melanie Mason, reporter for the Los Angeles Times covering state government and politics in Sacramento; she tweets
Laura Friedman, Democratic California State Assemblymember for District 43, which includes Burbank, Glendale, and La Cañada Flintridge; she is one of the 147 women who signed an open letter denouncing the alleged culture of sexual misconduct at the state Capitol
Should CA prisoners be allowed to vote?
A proposal seeking to give California inmates and parolees the right to vote is hoping to qualify for the November 2018 ballot.
Secretary of State Alex Padilla gave the greenlight Monday to allow proponents of the California Right to Vote of Convicted Felons Initiative to start gathering signatures. They must get 585,407 signatures by April 25 to qualify for next year’s ballot.
According to the petition summary on Ballotpedia, the initiative “eliminates existing restrictions on pre-registering to vote, registering to vote, and voting by persons while they are in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony.”
Proponents of the measure say that prisoners are more likely to integrate back into society if they retain voting rights and that people of color are disproportionately affected these voting restrictions. Law enforcement has previously voiced criticism against similar proposals, saying that people who commit crimes lose their right to participate in the democratic process.
Do you think convicted felons should be able to vote in California?
Guests:
Taina Vargas-Edmond, co-founder and executive director of Initiate Justice, a non-profit that advocates for people impacted by incarceration; she filed the initiative; she tweets
Robert Harris, director at the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the labor union representing LAPD officers
Should the FCC rollback anti-consolidation rules on local media ownership?
In November, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on proposals that would undo anti-consolidation regulations meant to encourage diversity in local media.
The current FCC broadcast rules establish a limit on local media ownership – meaning that there can’t be overlapping ownership between a television station, radio station and newspaper in a single market. The proposed rollbacks would include eliminating the rule barring broadcast and newspaper cross-ownership, and would ease some restrictions on how many radio and television stations can be owned by the same entity. With Republicans in the majority at the FCC, these deregulations are expected to pass.
FCC chairman Ajit Pai said the original rules, many of which were created in the 70s, are outdated and don’t reflect the reality of the digital, multimedia age. Proponents say loosening the rules will allow local journalism to grow and compete with larger institutions. Critics say local media consolidation will lead to less diversity of viewpoints and less local news content.
Are the current FCC rules outdated? Will the loosening of these rules allow local media to compete with bigger, often digital, news outlets? Or will consolidation quash out the diversity of local news media?
The FCC vote on Reconsidering Broadcast Ownership Rules is slated for the Nov 16 Open Commission Meeting.
Guests:
David Chavern, president and CEO of the newspaper trade group News Media Alliance
Jessica González, deputy director of Free Press, an advocacy group that opposes media consolidation
AirTalk asks: the most tasteless, offensive Halloween costume you’ve ever seen
Oh, Halloween, the time of the year where well-meaning revelers cut loose and dress up in fun costumes – and oftentimes get in trouble for it.
News items about inappropriate, offensive, and plain tasteless costumes have become perennial this time of the year. The latest entry comes in the form of an Anne Frank costume, which instantly incurred the wrath of the internet.
What’s the most offensive, insensitive, tasteless Halloween costume you’ve seen? Call in at 866.893.5722 to let us know.
It's win-or-go-home for the Dodgers tonight. Here’s what you need to know
A lot of ink has been spilled dissecting what the Dodgers should and shouldn’t have done over the last three games in the World Series.
Now, the citizens of Los Angeles turn their attention to the pivotal Game 6 of the series. Dodgers are sending pitcher Rich Hill to the mound, while Justin Verlander hopes to close out the series for the Astros tonight.
Larry talks to A Martinez on what the Dodgers need to do to stay alive, and KPCC’s resident Astros fan Rebecca Nieto.
Guests:
A Martínez, host of KPCC’s Take Two; he tweets
Rebecca Nieto, senior producer, News, Broadcast & Digital at KPCC; she tweets
Why the National Parks Service wants to hike up entrance fees during peak season
The National Parks Service says some of its parks are beginning to show their age, so to fix them up, they’re proposing a fee hike that would double the price of entrance for one vehicle during a five month period in peak season to generate more revenue that NPS can put back into park maintenance.
The public has until November 23rd to weigh in on the proposal, but some members of the public say that the fee increase goes too far, and will prevent some families from being able to afford a trip to the parks. NPS says the fee hike will generate $68 million to help offset the current repair bill of about $11.3 billion.
What do you think of the fee increase? If you’re against it, what other methods do you think NPS could employ to raise money for repairs?
Guest:
Emily Guerin, reporter at KPCC covering the environment who’s been following the story; she tweets
What’s being done to change the ‘pervasive’ culture of sexual harassment at California’s Capitol
Enough.
This is the rallying cry for more than 300 who have signed a letter denouncing the “pervasive” culture of sexual harassment that they say has gone unchecked in Sacramento politics for years.
The letter includes people like staffers and aides to current and former lawmakers who say they’ve been subject to everything from inappropriate comments and jokes to groping and unwanted/non-consensual touching. The letter goes on to say that many of those who signed felt unable to talk about the issue for fear that it could have consequences for their job or reputation.
Those who have come forward to share their stories publicly say they felt trapped because the system for reporting and investigating these kind of complaints was broken and stacked against them.
The California Senate announced last week that it has hired two outside firms to investigate the claims, and legislative leaders say they plan to hold hearings next month to review the disciplinary reporting system and talk about ways to make it more trustworthy and effective.
Guests:
Melanie Mason, reporter for the Los Angeles Times covering state government and politics in Sacramento; she tweets
Laura Friedman, Democratic California State Assemblymember for District 43, which includes Burbank, Glendale, and La Cañada Flintridge; she is one of the 147 women who signed an open letter denouncing the alleged culture of sexual misconduct at the state Capitol
Should CA prisoners be allowed to vote?
A proposal seeking to give California inmates and parolees the right to vote is hoping to qualify for the November 2018 ballot.
Secretary of State Alex Padilla gave the greenlight Monday to allow proponents of the California Right to Vote of Convicted Felons Initiative to start gathering signatures. They must get 585,407 signatures by April 25 to qualify for next year’s ballot.
According to the petition summary on Ballotpedia, the initiative “eliminates existing restrictions on pre-registering to vote, registering to vote, and voting by persons while they are in prison or on parole for the conviction of a felony.”
Proponents of the measure say that prisoners are more likely to integrate back into society if they retain voting rights and that people of color are disproportionately affected these voting restrictions. Law enforcement has previously voiced criticism against similar proposals, saying that people who commit crimes lose their right to participate in the democratic process.
Do you think convicted felons should be able to vote in California?
Guests:
Taina Vargas-Edmond, co-founder and executive director of Initiate Justice, a non-profit that advocates for people impacted by incarceration; she filed the initiative; she tweets
Robert Harris, director at the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the labor union representing LAPD officers
Should the FCC rollback anti-consolidation rules on local media ownership?
In November, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on proposals that would undo anti-consolidation regulations meant to encourage diversity in local media.
The current FCC broadcast rules establish a limit on local media ownership – meaning that there can’t be overlapping ownership between a television station, radio station and newspaper in a single market. The proposed rollbacks would include eliminating the rule barring broadcast and newspaper cross-ownership, and would ease some restrictions on how many radio and television stations can be owned by the same entity. With Republicans in the majority at the FCC, these deregulations are expected to pass.
FCC chairman Ajit Pai said the original rules, many of which were created in the 70s, are outdated and don’t reflect the reality of the digital, multimedia age. Proponents say loosening the rules will allow local journalism to grow and compete with larger institutions. Critics say local media consolidation will lead to less diversity of viewpoints and less local news content.
Are the current FCC rules outdated? Will the loosening of these rules allow local media to compete with bigger, often digital, news outlets? Or will consolidation quash out the diversity of local news media?
The FCC vote on Reconsidering Broadcast Ownership Rules is slated for the Nov 16 Open Commission Meeting.
Guests:
David Chavern, president and CEO of the newspaper trade group News Media Alliance
Jessica González, deputy director of Free Press, an advocacy group that opposes media consolidation
AirTalk asks: the most tasteless, offensive Halloween costume you’ve ever seen
Oh, Halloween, the time of the year where well-meaning revelers cut loose and dress up in fun costumes – and oftentimes get in trouble for it.
News items about inappropriate, offensive, and plain tasteless costumes have become perennial this time of the year. The latest entry comes in the form of an Anne Frank costume, which instantly incurred the wrath of the internet.
What’s the most offensive, insensitive, tasteless Halloween costume you’ve seen? Call in at 866.893.5722 to let us know.