Today on AirTalk, we discuss Proposition 16, a piece of legislation that would allow universities and other public entities to use affirmative action. Also on the show, we answer your COVID-19 questions; revisit the history of California City; and more.
Prop 16: Should Californians Overturn The State’s Ban On Affirmative Action?
California’s voters will decide on the fate of twelve propositions in November, and here on AirTalk we’ve been taking you through the pros and cons of each one.
Today, we take up Prop 16. If passed, it would allow the state government, public universities and other public entities in California to use affirmative action programs. Meaning they’d be able to grant preference to students and employees (or contracts with companies) on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity and national origin.
Prop 16 repeals Prop 209, which was passed by California voters back in 1996 and banned the use of affirmative action in California's public sector.
Should Californians overturn Prop 16? What would be the impact on public hiring and higher education?
With guest host John Rabe
For a deeper dive Prop 16, join KPCC’s virtual event this coming Wednesday, September 23 at 6:30pm. To find out more, click here.
Guests:
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, education correspondent at KPCC; he tweets
Vincent Pan, co-chair of the Yes on 16 campaign; Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, a community based civil rights organization
Betty Tom Chu, the honorary co-chair of Californians for Equal Rights, the No on Prop. 16 campaign; she is the founder of the first Chinese-American savings bank East West and the first Chinese-American woman in Southern California to pass the Bar exam
DOC AMA: Temperature Might Not Be A Good Litmus Test For Coronavirus, California Positivity Rate Drops Below 3% & More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, guest host John Rabe speaks with infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Dr. Kimberly Shriner.
Topics today include:
Temperature isn’t a good litmus test for coronavirus, doctors say
California’s COVID-19 positivity rate drops below 3% for the first time
In stunning reversal, LA area has thousands of available COVID-19 testing slots
Reopening colleges likely fueled COVID-19 significantly, study finds
Children will have to wait for a vaccine
CDC guidance acknowledged coronavirus can spread through the air in updated guidelines Friday, then abruptly pulled the information yesterday
With guest host John Rabe
Guest:
Kimberly Shriner, M.D., infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena
Refresher: CA City Podcast Explores The Dark Side Of The American Dream
One hundred miles north of Los Angeles, in the Mojave Desert, there is a sprawling, half-built town called California City. For over 60 years, real estate developers have sold a dream here: If you buy land now, you will get rich one day. Thousands of people believed this dream, but much of the land they bought was nearly worthless.
Today on AirTalk, we revisit the podcast from LAist Studios, which chronicles the history of California City, the people who were drawn to buy real estate there, and what ultimately happened to them, the land they bought and the city that drew them in. Host Emily Guerin discovered the story not long after she joined the reporting team at KPCC while reporting on the drought at the time, and how cities across Southern California were complying with state water usage mandates.
With files from LAist
With guest host John Rabe
Guest:
Emily Guerin, senior reporter at KPCC and host of the KPCC/LAist Studios podcast “California City”; she tweets