Governor Jerry Brown has until Sunday to decide whether to sign or veto any legislation that remains on his desk from the most recent legislative session. We also examine President Trump's speech to the United Nations; discuss Brett Kavanaugh's interview with Fox News; and more.
The political dimension of the Kavanaugh interview
Brett and Ashley Kavanaugh went on Fox News yesterday for an exclusive interview, in which Judge Kavanaugh denied two two sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him by former classmates.
Meanwhile, Republicans have hired a female attorney to handle questioning during this week's hearing with Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. And Deborah Ramirez, the second accuser that has come forward in recent days, is asking for an FBI investigation into the incident she detailed to the New Yorker.
Larry and guests examine this fast-moving story.
Guests:
Jennifer Haberkorn, D.C.-based reporter covering Congress for the Los Angeles Times; she’s been following the story; she tweets
Sean T. Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco; he is a former adviser to California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a former White House staffer for Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush
Ed Espinoza, Democratic strategist and director of Progress Texas, a political communications firm based in Austin, TX; former Western States Director for the Democratic National Committee and a superdelegate from California in 2008; he tweets
The ever-shrinking legroom problem on planes — and what Congress wants to do about it
The Federal Aviation Administration would be required to set new minimum requirements for seats on airplanes under legislation to be considered in the House this week, possibly giving passengers a break from ever-shrinking legroom and cramped quarters.
The regulation of seat width and legroom is part of a five-year extension of federal aviation programs announced early Saturday by Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate committees that oversee the nation's air travel. Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to keep FAA programs running. The Senate will also need to take up the bill this week or both chambers will need to pass a short-term extension.
The bill would prohibit the involuntary bumping of passengers who have already boarded a plane. But in a nod to the power of the commercial airliners, lawmakers declined to include language that would have prohibited airlines from imposing fees deemed "not reasonable and proportional." Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida said lawmakers from both chambers agreed it was time to take action on "ever-shrinking seats." In July, the FAA rejected the idea of setting minimum standards for airlines seats and legroom as a safety measure. But Congress appears determined to require the FAA to do so.
The room between rows - measured from a point on one seat to the same point on the seat in the next row - has been shrinking for many years as airlines squeeze more seats onto their planes. It was once commonly 34 or 35 inches, and is now less than 30 inches on some planes. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said he expects the House and Senate to move quickly to send the bill to the president's desk. We discuss the implications.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Brian Sumers, aviation business editor for Skift, a website that covers global travel; he tweets
Chris McGinnis, analyst and travel columnist for SFGate, a website covering the Bay Area; he tweets
Charles Leocha, president and co-founder of Travelers United, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization representing travelers and working with Congress and regulators to protect consumers’ rights; author of the book, “Travel Rights: Know The Rules Of The Road (and the Air) Before You Go!” (World Leisure Corp, 2010)
President Trump to United Nations: ‘America first’ and a strong rebuke of globalism
President Trump addressed the United Nations for the second time this morning. His first speech to the UN General Assembly was made was infamous by referring to Kim Jong-Un as “rocket man.”
Today, Trump touted his accomplishments while in office, this time thanked the leader of North Korea, offered up criticism to the UN Human Rights Council and China’s trade practices, and referred to Iran as a “corrupt dictatorship.” The dominant theme of Trump’s address was an “America first” message where he asserted the U.S.’s governing sovereignty from the United Nations, promised aid only to those who “respect” the U.S., and bucked against globalism. The address was met with mixed reactions from the international community.
You can read the full 2018 transcript here.
Guest:
David Nakamura, White House reporter for the Washington Post, who is covering President Trump’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York; he tweets
Rounding up the bills Governor Brown has signed and vetoed, plus what’s left on his desk
Governor Jerry Brown has until Sunday to decide whether to sign or veto any legislation that remains on his desk from the most recent legislative session.
Some of the notable bills still waiting for a signature on the line which is dotted include a bill that would reinstate net neutrality at the state level, one that would ban smoking in state beaches and parks, and another that would prohibit businesses from forcing their employees to sign arbitration agreements.
Among the bills Governor Brown has already signed include one that legalizes street vending statewide, one that allows meals cooked in private residences to be sold, a ban on full-service restaurants handing out single-use plastic straws if one isn’t requested and, of course, the controversial bill that allows public utility companies to pass along liability incurred from wildfire damages to ratepayers. He has vetoed several bills as well, including one that would have mandated no middle or high school begin classes before 8:30 in the morning and one that would have prohibited signature-gatherers for election ballot measures from being paid per signature collected.
We’ll round up the major legislation that’s been signed and vetoed, and what’s still waiting for a John Hancock from Governor Brown.
Guests:
Jeremy B. White, co-author of POLITICO’s California Playbook; he tweets
Marisa Lagos, political reporter for KQED and co-host of Political Breakdown podcast; she tweets
No tipping was all the rage a couple years ago, but how sustainable is the trend?
Tipping hit its tipping point a few years back when some restaurants started implementing service fees and flat-rate menu prices in lieu of service gratuities.
The trend came after the head of NYC’s Union Square Hospitality Group and restaurateur, Danny Meyer, announced his “hospitality included” strategy. The policy eliminated tips and increased menu prices in an effort to ameliorate compensation imbalances between servers and kitchen workers, among other reasons Meyer cited.
Several Los Angeles restaurants quickly caught on and began adopting tip-alternatives such as all-inclusive pricing and service charges. Yet, the no-tipping model brought on challenges as restaurants saw their business decrease with inflated prices. In a study conducted by Cornell University professor Michael Lynn, researchers found that restaurants’ ratings dropped when they eliminated tipping and ratings fell even more dramatically when customers were met with a mandatory service fee.
Even so, the no-tipping ideal stands strong amid some restaurateurs, including owner of DTLA Barcito, Andrea Borgen, who’s written about her struggle maintaining the “hospitality included” model. We discuss the trials and tribulations of the no-tipping strategy. If you’re a restaurant owner, call in at 866-893-5722 and weigh in.
Guests:
Elina Shatkin, food editor at LAist; she tweets
Andrea Borgen, owner of Barcito, an all-day cafe and late-night bar in DTLA