Coverage of the Avenues gang raid, the future of transportation in Southern CA and the Mobility 21 conference, the immigrant population drops nationwide, and two Angelenos win MacArthur "genius" grants
Avenues gang raid
Hundreds of LAPD officers and federal agents descended on northeast Los Angeles early this morning in a raid targeting the Avenues street gang. Forty-three suspects are now in custody. Larry Mantle finds out more about the operation.
Guests:
Joel Rubin, reporter for the LA Times who was on the scene for the raids
Charlie Beck, LAPD Deputy Chief
Transportation summit: Mobility 21
This week transportation planners and leaders are meeting in downtown Los Angeles to discuss how goods and people will move around Southern California in the future. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other participants join Larry to talk about the conference and some of the major projects in the works for LA, including a subway extension to Santa Monica, high speed rail, a possible 710 extension, and the modernization of LAX.
Guests:
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Richard Katz, former California assemblyman, now on the Boards of MetroLink, MTA and High Speed Rail
Steve Hymon, former transportation reporter for the Los Angeles Times. He is currently working on transportation-related writing projects for the MTA and local politicians
Why are immigrants leaving California?
According to new census data, three decades of rapid growth in the country’s immigrant population came to a halt last year. In California, the number of foreign-born residents actually dropped by 1.6%, suggesting that the tough economy and high unemployment are making migration to the United States less appealing. What’s behind the decline? And where are CA’s immigrants going?
Guests:
Steven Camarota, Director of Research, Center for Immigration Studies
Angelica Salas, Executive Director, CHIRLA, the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
Two Angelenos win "Genius" grants
LA’s Mark Bradford and Elyn Saks are among this year’s 24 recipients of $500,000 “genius” grants from the MacArthur Foundation. Bradford, a mixed media artist, creates collages with found objects. Saks is a USC law professor whose own battle with schizophrenia has informed her advocacy for those suffering from mental illness. Larry finds out more about their work and how they’re going to spend all that cash.
Guests:
Dan Socolow, director of the MacArthur Fellows Program
Elyn Saks, Professor of Law and Psychiatry at USC Law School, recipient of 2009 MacArthur “Genius” Grant