What do Tea Party victories mean for the GOP? LAPD and researchers at UCLA have joined forces in hot pursuit of a $3-million Justice Department grant to develop computerized models for predicting crime - will they work? Jerry Brown sues Bell officials. Then, quit revving that engine! Motorcycles get quiet or pay the price in California. And, to nap or to caffeinate, that is the question.
What do Tea Party victories mean for GOP candidates?
What do Tea Party victories mean for GOP candidates? The results are in from last night’s primaries, and Christine O’Donnell, once considered a long shot in the race for Delaware senator, has won the Republican nomination despite the party’s best efforts to defeat her. She and other candidates with Tea Party support, and in some cases endorsements from Tea Party-friendly Republicans like Sarah Palin made a strong showing Tuesday night. Are these candidates the future of the GOP, or a faction dragging the party down? And do they stand a chance against their Democratic opponents in November?
Guests:
Peter Grier, Chief Washington Editor, Christian Science Monitor
Jon Fleischman, Southern California Vice Chairman of the State GOP
Sal Russo, Chief Strategist, Tea Party Express
Predictive policing in Southern California and beyond
The Los Angeles Police Department and researchers at UCLA have joined forces in hot pursuit of a $3-million Justice Department grant to develop computerized models for predicting crime. The goal of the project is to create forecasting models that could be applied to any community or city in the U.S. and eventually, the world. Using crime data isn’t new. But it’s usually about understanding the past, not predicting the future. Can crime be stopped before it starts? How reliable – and useful – would such predictions be? Could there be unintended consequences such as racial profiling?
Guests:
Jeffrey Brantingham, Professor of Anthropology at UCLA
Michael Downing, Deputy Chief, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)
Greg Ridgeway, Director, RAND Safety and Justice Program; Director, RAND Center on Quality Policing; Professor, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Jerry Brown sues Bell city officials
California State’s Attorney General Jerry Brown Wednesday announced a lawsuit against eight top officials from the city of Bell. The suit charges include fraud, civil conspiracy and waste of public funds and demands the return of hundreds of thousands of dollars in gratuitous salaries. Brown’s lawsuit follows investigations by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Justice Department and is the first legal claim related to the city’s salary scandal. Jerry Brown joins host Larry Mantle to discuss the lawsuit.
Guest:
Jerry Brown, California Attorney General and Democratic candidate for Governor
Motorcycle noise
Perhaps nothing could be more symbolic of the California lifestyle than cruising up Pacific Coast Highway on a motorcycle. Right. Tell that to the residents of sleepy Calabasas, who are sick-and-tired of listening to groups of motorcycles roaring past, waking babies and setting off car alarms and chain-reaction dog barking. Police say officers would need to carry decibel meters to enforce existing statutes that limit noise. So State Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) has sponsored a bill that will subject bikers to fines if they don’t have EPA stickers showing their motorcycles comply with noise laws. Is this more nanny interventionism upending a popular lifestyle? Or a long overdue tool to help keep our communities quiet?
Guests:
Fran Pavley, California State Senator representing Senate District 23 - including portions of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties in the California Legislature; sponsor of Motorcycle Noise Bill
Mike Levison, President, Southern California Harley Riders Association
Nap versus coffee: sleeping and stimulating our way to greater productivity
Most people get sleepy at some point in the afternoon. That’s why we have afternoon tea or a coffee break; get some caffeine, get back to work. But is that really the right solution? In some cultures, people take a siesta—a short nap to recharge and revive. Try that in the US, and you’ll get a really long break—you’ll get fired. But cultural considerations aside, what’s better for your productivity and your health? Some sleep studies show a bit of Joe’s a good thing. Others say nap time resets the brain and helps you focus. So who’s right? And what do you do? Nap or coffee?
Guests:
Sara Mednick, assistant professor in psychiatry at UC San Diego
Jerome Siegel, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UCLA and at the Veterans Administration hospital in Los Angeles