Today on AirTalk, we talk about Gavin Newsom's announcement to halt sales of gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Also on the show, we check in on the supermarket industry prior to its holiday rush; discuss changes to unemployment; and more.
California Moves To End Sales Of New Gas-Powered Cars. How Realistic Is The Plan?
California will halt sales of new gasoline-powered passenger cars and trucks by 2035, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday, a move he says will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35% in the nation’s most populous state. The proposed rule would not ban people from owning gas-powered cars or selling them on the used car market. But it would end the sales of all new gasoline-powered passenger cars and trucks in the state of nearly 40 million people.
“Pull away from the gas pumps,” Newsom said. “Let us no longer be victims of geopolitical dictators that manipulate global supply chains and global markets.”
California and the roughly dozen states that follow its lead on auto emissions standards make up a significant part of the U.S. auto market, giving the day’s move huge potential impact for the U.S. automobile industry as well as for long-term efforts against pollution and climate change, which is driven by fossil-fuel emissions. It also is likely to meet opposition from President Donald Trump, who wants to roll back tougher Obama-era auto emissions standards and is battling California to force it to comply.
California already has rules mandating a certain percentage of new car sales must be electric or zero-emission vehicles. This rule, if implemented, would make California the first U.S. state with a plan to phase them out completely.
With files from the Associated Press
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guests:
Colby Bermel, energy reporter for POLITICO California; he tweets
Gil Tal, director of the Plug-In, Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center at UC Davis, part of the university’s Institute for Transportation Studies
KQED Podcast ‘SOLD OUT’ Imagines A Game Plan To Address CA’s Housing Affordability Crisis
California is the epicenter of the nation’s housing affordability crisis, with homelessness rates increasing by more than 16 percent from 2018 to 2019. Rising housing costs and so many Californians unhoused are considered the primary concerns of most voters, and state leaders have grappled with how to respond.
More people are going unhoused and some residents are even leaving the state because they can’t afford to live here. The crisis continues to crystalize the extreme gaps in living situations. A new podcast from KQED called SOLD OUT imagines what housing should look like by digging into the daunting challenges California continues to face and asks, “what can we do about it?”
Today on AirTalk, guest host Kyle Stokes talks with the hosts and reporters involved in the making of the podcast and what’s to come in the episodes. Is there something you’d like them to dig into about housing in CA? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
With guest host Kyle Stokes
You can find new “Sold Out” episodes every Monday for the next five weeks.
Guests:
Erin Baldassari, co-host of the podcast “Sold Out” and reporter covering housing affordability for KQED; she tweets
Molly Solomon, co-host of the podcast “Sold Out” and reporter covering housing affordability at KQED; she tweets
Ahead Of The Holiday Rush, We Check In On Supermarket Inventory
If you think back to March and April, when shutdown orders were first being announced, you’ll recall the mad rush to stock up on everything from toilet paper to canned chili.
Almost half a year later most consumers have calmed down about the doom prepping. However, with more folks staying and eating at home, demand for groceries and other goods is still up. And that means we’re still seeing empty shelves at the grocery store.
What’s going on with supermarket inventory and why? And what does it portend for holiday shopping? We dive in.
With guest host Kyle Stokes.
Guests:
Annie Gasparro, reporter covering news and trends in the food industry at the Wall Street Journal; she tweets
Ron Fong, president and CEO of the California Grocers Association, a statewide trade group representing over 300 retailers operating more than 6,000 brick-and-mortar stores as well as a number of grocery supply companies
Hundreds Protest in LA Following Grand Jury Decision in Breonna Taylor's Killing
Several hundred people turned out to protest Wednesday in downtown L.A. in response to a Kentucky grand jury's decision not to hold any police officers criminally liable for the killing of Breonna Taylor.
The grand jury announced charges against only one of the three officers involved in Taylor's killing. Brett Hankison, who was terminated in June, was charged with "wanton endangerment" for firing into neighboring apartments. Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was killed in her home in Louisville during a botched narcotics raid in March.
At the weekly Black Lives Matter protest outside L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s office on Wednesday, a crowd of about 400 came out to denounce the grand jury’s decision. Amid chants of "Breonna Taylor," activists compared her killing to that of Dijon Kizzee, Andres Guardado, Wakiesha Wilson and others in L.A. They also unfurled a scroll of names of people killed by police in L.A. and marched through downtown to Olvera Street.
In Louisville, authorities said two officers were shot and wounded Wednesday night during the demonstrations following the grand jury decision. Interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said a suspect was in custody but didn’t offer details about whether that person was participating in the demonstrations.
With guest host Kyle Stokes
With files from LAist, NPR and AP
Guest:
, KPCC’s criminal justice and public safety correspondent, who was out in Downtown yesterday covering the protest
How Will A Major EDD Overhaul Impact Unemployment Claims? Plus Your Questions About The Process
California’s unemployment system will stop accepting new claims for the next two weeks, following the publication of a report finding the state’s Employment Development Department (EDD) in need of immediate reforms. The two-week “reset” comes after the EDD has drawn criticism for delaying payments to more than 1 million unemployed Californians, with many applicants saying they’re unable to reach the department for help fixing a claim.
The new report — published Saturday by a task force assembled by Gov. Gavin Newsom in July — found a number of issues inside EDD, including an emphasis on preventing fraud at all cost, even if that means delaying payments to many applicants. During the department’s two-week reset, the EDD plans to roll out a new identity verification tool. Staffers will also begin work to clear the backlog. But resolving all those pent-up claims could take until the end of January. The EDD plans to implement other changes, such as allowing users to upload documents from their smartphones, which could help decrease the department’s continued reliance on snail mail.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss the report’s findings, the latest challenges with the EDD and what it all means for those trying to claim jobless benefits. Plus we take your questions about the process. Give us a call, explain your situation and ask your question. Call 866-893-5722 to join the conversation.
With files from LAist
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guests:
David Wagner, KPCC business and economy reporter; he tweets
Daniela Urban, executive director of the Center for Workers' Rights in Sacramento which advocates for workplace justice, she’s also special counsel at Legal Aid at Work, a San Francisco based nonprofit law firm that assists low-income working families throughout California