Los Angeles County has the highest rate of auto insurance fraud in the state. We'll talk about new measures being taken to combat staged car crashes. And when it comes to Playboy, does anyone read the articles anymore? We'll talk about the magazine gearing up for a revamp. Then, is Joe Biden planning a run for president in 2016? And residents and city leaders in the South Bay are demanding that Southern California Edison be held responsible for frequent blackouts. Should Edison be penalized for the outages? And later, we'll preview the Emmy Awards. What are your favorite shows of the year?
Los Angeles is the state capital of staged car crashes
Yes, it’s true. The County of Los Angeles has a new $6.9 million grant to rid itself of that dubious honor as the fraudulent accident capital of California.
The money will be used to clamp down on car insurance fraud rings made up of medical professors like doctors who diagnose fake injuries, and lawyers who file fake claims, middle men who find cars to crash, and fake “victims” recruited to participate in these staged crashes.
According to county officials, auto insurance fraud adds $200 to $300 more in premiums for Los Angeles drivers each year.
Here's how it usually works. Criminals target a vehicle. One car moves in front of the victim, then another car swoops in front of the accomplice vehicle and slams on its breaks. This causes the victim vehicle to slam into the person in front of them.
Sometimes the criminal enterprise will also have other accomplice vehicles near by to ask as witnesses.
In 2012, 43 percent of all fraud claims made in California came from Los Angeles, for a total of 7,700. Dave Jones, commission for the California Department of Insurance, says that about $2.3 million of the grant will target organized auto insurance fraud and the rest of the money will go toward fighting auto insurance fraud in general.
How can drivers avoid becoming victims of auto insurance fraud? What kind of staged car crashes are out there?
What to do if you get in one of these accidents?
- Take notes of EVERYTHING.
- Watch the people who are getting out of the vehicle. Sometimes criminals will falsely claim that more people were in the car than actually were.
- If the insurance is relatively new, this may be a red flag.
- Accurately describe to your insurance how the event occurred: Did the person in front of you stop short for no reason?
- Take several pictures, Make sure you get all angles of the car and get good pictures of the impact point.
If you suspect fraud, Jones recommends you file a police report, get the names and contact information for the driver, passengers and witnesses, then call the Department of Insurance at 1-800-927-4357.
Guests:
Rick Plein, Deputy Commissioner in the Enforcement Branch of the California Department of Insurance
Robert Passmore, Senior Director for Personal Lines for Property Casualty Insurers Association of America
Playboy's going back to being your daddy’s favorite magazine: one you read for the articles
Playboy magazine is turning 60 this year. But let’s be honest, it feels much older than that, doesn’t it? The power-that-be at the magazine knows it, too and to celebrate the special occasion they are embarking on a revamp to return Playboy to its former glory. Think smart, great writing by the likes of Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe, but minus the big-haired, airbrushed bunnies.
One of the goals of the redesign is to feature women who are more natural and real. "You could tell by looking at it, the carpets had gotten a little bit musty," Playboy's editorial director, Jimmy Jellinek, told the LA Times. "We made a conscious decision two years ago that we needed to make some profound changes to the aesthetic and construction of the magazine."
This new tastefulness pervades all other aspects of the new magazine, from art direction to content. Playboy, like all magazines, has been bleeding advertisers and readers, but unlike others in the industry, it also has to contend with free online porn.
Guest:
Jimmy Jellinek, editorial director of Playboy magazine
Political Roundup: Capitol Hill heats up and Biden's Iowa steak fry
Vice President Joe Biden launched two unsuccessful White House bids in 1988 and 2008. He visited to Iowa over the weekend, delivering a keynote address at Sen. Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry – a speech that many political observers say came across much like a presidential stump speech.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve walked the picket line, I don’t know how many times I’ve been with you in your hometowns as factories were being padlocked and jobs were sent overseas,” Biden told Iowans on Sunday.
Biden’s Iowa stopover has generated a lot of talk about a potential run, even though the Vice President himself has stay mum on his presidential ambitions.
What would a Biden campaign in 2016 look like? How does his fundraising chops compared to that of another long-rumored potential candidate, Hillary Clinton? As a voter, whom do you prefer: Clinton, Biden or someone else?
Guests:
Ken Rudin, Political Junkie
Beth Fouhy, Senior Editor of Politics coverage at Yahoo! News
South Bay residents want Edison held responsible for frequent blackouts
California State Senator Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles) is demanding that Southern California Edison fix the problems that left more than 100,000 South Bay residents without power this past weekend. Residents and city leaders in the South Bay say the power outages have been widespread and ongoing.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Lieu wrote a detailed letter to Edison asking the utility to detail what infrastructure improvements have been made and stating that the blackouts have hurt businesses, as well as caused disruption in people’s homes. The complaints with Edison dates back to 2008, and Lieu has said Edison fails to recognize the scope of the problem.
What can Edison do to prevent power outages? What kind of improvements does Edison need to make to its infrastructures? Is legislation needed? Should utility companies be fined or penalized for rolling blackouts?
Guests:
Ted Lieu, California State Senator, representing Senate District 28, which includes the cities of Carson, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance, as well as portions of Los Angeles and Long Beach
Steve Conroy, Director of Corporate Communications at Southern California Edison
2013 Emmys preview and predictions
The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards will be presented this Sunday night on CBS, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. For the second year in a row, commercial broadcast networks have no contenders in the Best Drama field, but the competition is fierce with “Breaking Bad” (AMC), “Downton Abbey”(PBS), “Game of Thrones” (HBO), “Homeland” (Showtime), “Mad Men” (AMC), and “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO), all making the list again – and newcomer “House of Cards” (Netflix).
In the Outstanding Comedy Series category, “Louie” (FX Networks), “Modern Family” (ABC), “Veep” (HBO), “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS), “30 Rock” (NBC) and “Girls” (HBO) are all vying to win. In the lead actress in a drama series, Vera Farmiga, Claire Danes, Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington, Michelle Dockery, Robin Wright, Connie Britton are all hoping to take the winged statuette home. As are their comedy counterparts, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Laura Dern, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Lena Dunham and Edie Falco.
As for the leading men, Damian Lewis is favored by many to win for his role in “Homeland,” but Bryan Cranston could win again for “Breaking Bad.” And it’s likely to be another big year for Louis C.K. We’ll ask a couple leading critics for their predictions and open up the phones to get yours. What are your favorite shows from this year’s lineup? What should win and what should, but probably won’t?
Guests:
Tom O'Neil, Editor, Gold Derby.com; has written books on the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys for Variety; and articles for the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, and TV Guide, among others
Mary McNamara, Television Critic, Los Angeles Times