Angelinos have exhausted electrical capacity during the heat wave, creating a power outage affecting over 4000 residents. Also, research is showing that the number of people starting their own businesses have been in steady decline in the last three decades. Then, the Benghazi committee holds its first open hearing tomorrow in hopes of answering still-unanswered questions about the 2012 attacks on a U.S. diplomatic compound in eastern Libya.
If our power grid is giving out now, how are we preparing for the future?
Southern California residents have tried to keep cool since last week, when temperatures reached the high 90’s in Los Angeles and 100’s in the San Fernando Valley. Today, the National Weather Forecast predicts that the temperature will reach 100 degrees in various cities and will slowly decrease through the weekend. In an effort to stay cool, Angelenos have exhausted electrical capacity, creating a power outage affecting over 4000 residents.
The heat has been problematic in some schools that are not equipped to handle the record-breaking temperatures. Schools in at least four districts in Orange County do not have air conditioning, leaving administrators the task to determine whether or not the buildings can continue without cooling systems during the hottest months of the year. Other schools have shortened their instruction time, while LAUSD cancelled all outdoor events Monday.
On the other side of the state, extreme heat has led to raging wildfires. Hundreds of homes have been burned in the northern California town of Weed, and orders of evacuation have been issued for at least 1,500 of its residents.
How can Los Angeles prepare for the next round of high temperatures? Should all schools be mandated to install air conditioning systems? What are everyday things residents can do to lower their energy usage?
Guests:
Randy Howard, senior assistant general manager of the power system, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP)
Chris Ipsen, Public Information Officer of the Los Angeles Emergency Management Department
Marc Ecker, superintendent for the Fountain Valley School District, where 9 of its 10 schools are not equipped with air conditioning
Why L.A.’s rush hour construction ban is costing you money
When former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took office in 2005, he put in place a ban on construction during rush hour traffic. The move was popular, and did cut back on construction-related slow-downs during morning and evening commutes, but it came at a price: more than $20 million each year.
The logistics of the rush hour construction create a dilemma for construction workers, particularly DWP, which says the ban disrupts regular shifts, creating a strange workflow and forcing projects that could be finished in one afternoon to span days. The cost of these scheduling changes, fines and more adds up to about $91,000 per day for taxpayers. Since taking office, Mayor Eric Garcetti has begun to reevaluate the rush hour construction ban, but revoking the executive order may not be a popular decision -- many Angelenos only see benefits in cutting back on rush hour traffic.
Should L.A. allow construction during rush hour? How might things change to save money?
Guests:
Jim Newton, editor-at-large, Los Angeles Times
Randy Howard, Head of the power system, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP); he led the report that estimated the construction ban’s cost to taxpayers
Is entrepreneurship dead in the US?
Entrepreneurship has long been thought of as the engine of the American economy, but research is showing that the number of people starting their own businesses have been in steady decline in the last three decades. According to Census data, the number of new companies on the map has dropped 28% between 1977 to 2011. It is a nationwide phenomenon, and touches even the Silicon Valley, the country’s start-up Mecca.
The drop-off is most drastic among one demographic group: millennials. The Los Angeles Times, citing the Census Bureau, reports that people between the ages of 20 to 34 started close to 23% of all start-ups last year, down from nearly 35% in 1996.
What are the reasons behind this decline? Have you tried starting a business? What were the obstacles? What motivated you to start a business? What kept you from doing so?
Guests:
Ian Hathaway, founder and managing director of Ennsyte economics in San Francisco, and co-author of a recent study released by the Brookings Institution looking at the state of entrepreneurship at 360 metropolitan areas in the US.
Barry Lynn, Director of the Markets, Enterprise and Resiliency Initiative at the New America Foundation
Inside this week’s bipartisan Benghazi committee hearings and Congress's authorization for military force
L.A.-area Congressman Adam Schiff is introducing legislation today that would authorize military operations against ISIS for 18 months. House Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Pelosi both seem to think there’s no need for Congress to authorize the President’s actions in Syria and Iraq, but Rep. Schiff disagrees.
Schiff is also involved in the bipartisan select Benghazi committee, which holds its first open hearing tomorrow in hopes of answering a wide range of still-unanswered questions about the 2012 attacks on a U.S. diplomatic compound in eastern Libya that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.
The investigation was reinvigorated after details emerged from an email between a White House advisor and ambassador Susan Rice. Previous investigations grew increasingly political, with republicans accusing the Obama administration of a cover up. Despite democrats’ claims that multiple investigations, including a bipartisan Senate Intelligence committee probe, have resolved the issue, a new committee led by South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy will pick up the reins this week. This week’s hearings will focus on the extent to which the State Department has implemented post–attack recommendations made by the Accountability Review Board.
Is there authentic hope that these hearings will lead to some kind of resolve? or will these merely serve to rally partisan rancor? We’ll speak with two members of the committee on opposite sides of the aisle.
Guest:
Adam Schiff, (D-CA), a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee and member of the Select Committee on Benghazi
Jonathan Wilcox, Republican strategist and former speechwriter for Governor Pete Wilson
Reverse mortgage applicants expected to face tougher scrutiny
The federal housing department is set to change reverse-mortgage applications. To help prevent defaults on the federally-insured loans, it's expected to require applicants to undergo a detailed financial assessment.
The current default rate is 10 percent - roughly double the level of regular mortgages. With the aging baby boomer population and dwindling prospects for retirement funds, that rate could grow. When a homeowner turns 62 years of age, they become eligible for a reverse mortgage. If approved, they can withdraw equity in their homes as monthly cash, lines of credit or lump sums. When the homeowner moves or dies, the amount borrowed, plus interest, fees and insurance is due. In theory, the product is a reasonable revenue source for retirees, but the small print can be vexing.
What are your experiences with reverse mortgages? Will the new rule limit your ability to borrow against your home's equity?
Guest:
Ramsey Alwin, Vice President of Economic Security, National Council on Aging; Alwin directs NCOA’s Home Equity Initiative, which educates older homeowners on the wise use of their home equity
To contact the NCOA's Reverse Mortgage Counseling 1-855-899-3778