Today on AirTalk, we discuss the arrest of KPPC reporter Josie Huang by LA County Sheriff's deputies and the shooting of two deputies over the weekend. Also on the show, we answer your COVID-19 questions; discuss California police oversight bills; and more.
2 LA County Sheriff’s Deputies Shot In Ambush Attack Over The Weekend, KPCC Reporter Arrested While Covering The Events
The Sheriff's Department has announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who shot two L.A. County deputies around 7 p.m. Saturday while sitting in a patrol car parked near the Willowbrook Metro station in Compton, according to authorities. He is described as a male between the ages of 28-30. Both deputies underwent surgery Saturday night and remained in critical condition on Sunday.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said one deputy was a 31-year-old mother of a six-year-old son. The other deputy is a 24-year-old male. The sheriff said both had been sworn into the department 14 months ago.
Villanueva said they called in the shooting themselves and were alert when taken to St. Francis Hospital in Lynwood. According to the sheriff's department, the deputies were "ambushed as they sat in their patrol vehicle." Sheriff’s deputies arrested KPCC/LAist Correspondent Josie Huang late Saturday while she was covering the latest on the shootings. Even as she was being thrown to the ground, Huang — who was wearing a lanyard with her press credential hanging from her neck — was recording the encounter. In a video that continued to film after her phone was knocked from her hand, Huang can be heard repeatedly identifying herself as a reporter and shouting “KPCC” several times. You also can hear Huang yelling "you're hurting me" and crying out in pain. The incident occurred outside St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, where the two deputies were being treated for gunshot wounds. Huang had just finished covering a 10 p.m. news conference by Villanueva and other department officials. Today on AirTalk, we get the latest details.
With files from LAist. Read more here
KPCC/LAist reporter Josie Huang posted her account of the incident on
Last night I was arrested and charged with obstructing a peace officer by @LASDHQ after videotaping their interactions with protesters in Lynwood. This is what I remember and what I have on video and audio.
We reached out to L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. LASD did not get back to us by the airing of this segment
Guests:
Claudia Peschiutta, longtime reporter for Southern-California news station KNX; she tweets
Frank Stoltze, KPCC correspondent who covers criminal justice and public safety issues; he tweets
COVID-19: LA County Numbers Fall, Does Wildfire Smoke Increase Risk Of Symptoms?
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Dean Blumberg, professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
Today’s topics include:
AstraZeneca vaccine trial resumes in UK following safety pause
LA County COVID-19 numbers falling
Does wildfire smoke increase risk?
Should the vaccine trial process be more transparent? Researchers say yes
Vaccine producer: COVID-19 vaccine won’t reach everyone until 2024
Guest:
Dean Blumberg, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital
UTLA Pushes Back Against Opening Campuses For Students With Disabilities And English Learners, Citing Safety Concerns
LAUSD didn’t kick off the school year in classrooms like they had hoped due to continuing health and safety concerns brought on by the coronavirus. Teachers, students and parents are trying to manage online instruction. But for some students with learning disabilities, online schooling has been a challenge.
Many have argued that an online learning environment poses great difficulties for students with disabilities and their parents, who have transitioned to being more hands-on in their child’s learning experience. These students don’t have access to necessary and helpful resources online as they would in a traditional classroom setting. The LAUSD Board and parents were hoping they would be able to compromise and allow some school campuses to reopen for limited in-person classes and one-on-one services for students who are disabled or are learning English. But the United Teachers Union Los Angeles (UTLA) is pushing back against the idea, expressing concerns that the September 14th goal to reopen was too rushed. They say the planned reopening date was not enough time to ensure safety for teachers and students. UTLA acknowledges that in-person classes are a more beneficial learning experience, especially to those who struggle with learning disabilities. But given the health and safety circumstances of the coronavirus, a return to classrooms is not doable.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss the challenges students with disabilities are facing with online instruction, in-person classroom safety for teachers and students, and what can be done to more can be done to help those students with higher needs. Are you a parent of a child with a learning disability? Are you a special education teacher? How have you converted to online teaching?What has helped you? Would you be in favor of small, in-person classes if the option presented itself? Are there resources you wish were more available to students with disabilities? Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Gloria Martinez, a vice president for the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), the LAUSD teacher’s union; she has been a special education teacher for 19 years
Lisa Mosko, director of special education advocacy and educational rights for Speak UP, a parent advocacy organization; she also serves on the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education at LAUSD
After George Floyd, We Dive Into CA Police Oversight Bills - Pt 1 With LA BLM Co-Founder
After the killing of George Floyd by police officers, California saw weeks and weeks of protests and calls for more stringent police oversight.
Some of those calls to actions became bills in the California state legislature. Now that legislative season has ended, which of those bills has made it to the governor’s desk and in what form?
Plus, we sit down with the co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter to hear her thoughts on whether the measures still alive are what the movement wanted, whether they go far enough and where she’d like to see policy go from here.
Guests:
Anita Chabria, Sacramento-based reporter for the L.A. Times, where she covers California state politics and policy; she tweets
Melina Abdullah, co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter and professor of Pan-African studies at Cal State LA; she tweets
After George Floyd, We Dive Into CA Police Oversight Bills - Pt 2 With LA Police Union Rep
We talk with a director of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Union about law enforcement’s take on the police oversight bills that made it to Governor Newsom’s desk.
Guest:
Robert Harris, a director of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing Los Angeles Police Department officers, and an LAPD officer
COVID-19 Has Reshaped Our Neighborhoods. What Has Yours Been Like During the Pandemic?
Since the coronavirus pandemic refigured our lives, the sounds, rhythms and sights of our neighborhoods have changed too.
In some cases, it’s a matter of noticing things we may have not been around to observe before. Residents in some neighborhoods reported more wildlife sightings in the spring; scientists pointed out, however, that the coyote trotting by every morning has likely always been there. But other residents may be getting entirely different experiences out of their neighborhood due to the pandemic. Mutual aid programs have strung up for residents to reach elderly or at-risk neighbors, and some neighborhoods have organized on social media to make sure the community’s needs are being met. All throughout Los Angeles, we can feel our city changing. What has it been like in your neighborhood?
We want to hear your experience. What kinds of changes have you observed in your neighborhood since the COVID-19 pandemic hit? Share with us in the comments or give us a call at 866-893-5722.