Today on AirTalk we'll check out recent polls from swing states and check in on the GOP battle for the Senate, talk to Alan Jackson about his run for L.A. County District Attorney, figure out why Feds are cracking down on pot dispensaries here in the Southland, consider Governor Jerry Brown's approval of safety standards for driverless vehicles, and explore just how veganism has become part of mainstream culture in Los Angeles.
Election 2012: Swing state polls and the GOP battle for the Senate
Time is running out for both presidential candidates to make their case to voters before Election Day. And where are they concentrating their time, money and efforts? You guessed it, in the swing states. We’ll take a look at several polls from states such as Ohio, Florida and Virginia and see how things are shaking out for President Obama and Governor Romney.
But it’s not just about the guys at the top of the ticket. There’s also a heated battle going on for majority control of the Senate between Republicans and Democrats. With Obama’s low approval rating a few months ago, it seemed a very realistic lock for Republicans to come out on top by winning only four seats, or three if Romney won and could use Paul Ryan as a tie-breaking vote.
However, as Romney continues to falter on the national stage, it seems that Senate candidates will have to make up the lost ground on their own. Unfortunately for the GOP, some of their politicians are simply not cutting the mustard. Whether it be Todd Akin’s gaffe in Missouri allowing Claire McCaskill to regain a lead in the polls, or Elizabeth Warren’s Democratic convention speech which is propelling her ahead of Scott Brown, the Republicans could be in serious trouble.
How is the GOP addressing this apparent problem? Is there anything the Mitt Romney campaign can do to help? What would it mean for Republicans on the whole if they lose the Senate and the presidency? Karl Rove is putting out the effort to raise money for these beleaguered GOP candidates via an infamous “money bomb.” Will it work?
Guests:
Sarah Dutton, director of surveys for CBS News
Mark Barabak, national political writer, Los Angeles Times
Jonathan Collegio, Communications Director, American Crossroads, a conservative Super PAC affiliated with Karl Rove
Chris Lehane, democratic political consultant and partner in the strategic communications firm Fabiani & Lehane
District Attorney candidate Alan Jackson talks about the status of his campaign
Alan Jackson has made a real name for himself as a prosecutor for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, and now he’s looking to capitalize on that success. He is running for District Attorney against Jackie Lacey, who serves as the chief deputy to current District Attorney Steve Cooley.
Lacey is portraying herself as the candidate with the experience to lead, but it is hard to argue with Jackson’s seventeen years spent as a prosecutor, not to mention his many accomplishments and accolades. He’s twice been named Prosecutor of the Year, and he’s represented winning sides in several high profile cases in the community. In fact, he became the first attorney in 40 years to successfully convict a celebrity of murder in L.A. when he tried the Phil Spector case.
Jackson came from humble beginnings in Texas and was raised by his single mother. He later served as a mechanic in the Air Force before graduating from the University of Texas, Austin. After that he went to Law School at Pepperdine University, and he’s been in Southern California ever since.
How is Jackson’s campaign faring in the polls? Is he making a positive impression with voters? What key issues separate him from his opponent? What would a Jackson victory mean for Los Angeles?
Highlights from the interview:
On what to overcome with an overwhelming Democratic state, despite election's nonpartisan nature:
"This is an office for public safety; it's not an office for a politician."
"When [the voters are] asked who they want to sit in the top spot in the district attorney's office, I think they overwhelmingly respond that they want a prosecutor."
"I've got support of both, a bipartisan coalition of support surrounding my campaign, including some elected officials that are Republican, some that are Democrats."
On why prosecutorial background matters versus administrative background:
"At the end of the day, we try cases. That's what the district attorney is all about ... Our work is not done in a conference room, our work is done in a court room. I have the prosecutorial skills to bring that leadership to the top of the office, to lead 1000 prosecutors."
"The real leadership, the real vision comes from a modern view of what happens inside the courtroom ... I've been tethered to the courtroom for 18 years."
On how much he'll be involved with the cases:
"I think I'd be very involved. I believe that leadership from the top means that you have to take an active interest in exactly what your DAs are doing. Obviously I'm not going into the court and trying the cases ... What we do is set tones and policies that we believe reflect the leadership of the office and the administration that's running it."
"When Steve Cooley ran in 2000, he had not spent one day in executive management. Not one day. He ran as a prosecutor. You see the job that he's done in the last 12 years and I think to a person, folks would say that he's guided this office very, very well. I bring the same skill set to the office."
On what he would change if he were elected:
"My vision comes down to basically being progressive in my view of moving forward, modernizing the district's office."
"I think we have to get control over public corruption ... When you can't trust the people who are put in the position to actually protect their constituents – there has to be a zero tolerance for that."
"I think we have to control violent crime. I had breakfast not long ago with [LAPD Chief] Charlie Beck. Charlie Beck could not have agreed more when I said, 'Chief, it seems to me that we can get control of violent crime if we control gang crime in the Los Angeles area.'"
"I want to modernize the DA's office, basically pulling the DA's office into the 21st century: high-tech crime investigation, cyber crime investigation ranging from bank fraud all the way to sexual predators using the internet. Things of that nature are proliferating in the criminal justice system. The fastest growing crime in Los Angeles ... is ID theft."
"We have to stop crime before it starts ... We're not going to prosecute or handcuff our way out of the crime problem in Los Angeles. We have to address the kids; those who can be saved should be saved."
On how the DA office approaches prevention:
"We do carry the stick; our main mission is, our commission as the District Attorney office is to punish criminals, but when they can be put on probation, when they can be supervised in a more robust fashion by the courts, with our assent, they should be. When there is a possibility to rehabilitate a juvenile, to me, that's where the rubber meets the road. We will have saved someone from getting into the adult criminal life."
"We need to continue training on gang crimes and gang enhancements. When I was in Compton, I worked in the hardcore gang division and I literally wrote the manual on how to prosecute a modern gang crime."
On what role the DA's office should play in realignment:
"I think that is probably the key issue in this election, and is going to be the key issue for the next administration: What are we going to do about realignment, what are we going to do about AB 109 and prisoner release."
"Let me disabuse the idea that the only people being affected by realignment are low level offenders. Some of the offenses that are considered low level include: possession of weapons, possession of explosives, major financial crimes ranging into literally the billions of dollars ... welfare fraud cases that can range into the tens of millions, hundreds of millions in loss to the state and to the taxpayers, counterfeiting, elder abuse, health care fraud. These are all things that are considered releasable and 'low level.'"
"We need to embrace the idea of alternative sentencing with intense supervision. It's the supervision that allows us the ability to rehabilitate those who can ... Hopefully we'll get the funding to do that, but that's what has to be done. The money has got to come from somewhere, and we as a community have to get sort of a steel spine and say we're going to pay for this."
"We also can work ... to build a central rehabilitation and support services infrastructure. That Larry, in my opinion, should have been done beforehand. Before AB 109 was passed ... We simply don't have a singular facility to send parolees when they're getting out of state prison or probationers when they're getting released early.
"We have to deeply categorize the folks that are going to be released early. We're out of room at the inn; there's no more room at the local custody facilities to put more inmates in."
On his stance against Proposition 36:
"It paints with far too broad a brushstroke ... Under the new rules, there are certain crimes that would be permanently and forever more removed from the three strikes framework, and they are important crimes, crimes like attempted murder."
"Even if you had several attempted murders going back years, and aggravated assault, and assault on a police officer with a firearm, for instance, those would be accepted out of the framework of being allowed in any circumstance to seek a third strike on a current felon that's not serious or not violent."
"I started off with a simple question: 'Does this law help or hinder my ability to keep the public safe?' This law, as it's written, hinders my ability to keep the public safe."
Guest:
Alan Jackson, candidate for Los Angeles County District Attorney and currently serving as Assistant Head Deputy for the D.A.’s office
Federal authorities crack down on local pot dispensaries
As part of an ongoing effort to eliminate illegal marijuana businesses in California, Federal authorities have taken a series of actions against 70 stores in the City of Los Angeles and one store known to be operating in Huntington Park. In federal court yesterday, prosecutors filed three asset forfeiture lawsuits against properties where marijuana stores are located. Authorities executed federal search warrants at three other stores while prosecutors also sent warning letters to individuals connected with at least 68 marijuana businesses. Many of the stores are located in downtown Los Angeles and in the neighborhood of Eagle Rock.
The federal actions were carried out in cooperation with local authorities. The state Supreme Court is expected to address whether local governments can ban medical marijuana clinics, but a hearing has not been set. Additionally, Los Angeles could soon face a referendum on the most recent ban approved by the city council. Council members must decide by next week whether to call a special election for the measure, repeal it themselves or put it on next year’s ballot.
What does this latest crackdown mean for marijuana dispensaries, both legal and illegal, in Los Angeles?
Guests:
Thom Mrozek, public affairs officer for the U.S. Attorney, Central District of California
Frank Stoltze, KPCC reporter
Governor Brown paves the road for hands-free driving in California
Yesterday, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that would create safety standards for driverless cars - or “intelligent transportation” - in California.
The bill effectively legalizes autonomous driving - once the technology catches up. And it’s not far off. Tech researchers and automakers at the forefront of the movement predict that we’ll be seeing robo-cars on the road by 2015; by 2040, they say, drivers’ licenses may be obsolete.
Google already has a fleet of cars developed with Toyota that have a million miles under their collective wheels. We’ve seen the technology creeping into new vehicles little by little, from navigation systems to collision avoidance. Completely self-driven cars, experts say, are the next logical step. Proponents tout the safety advantages and increased personal autonomy for the blind, disabled or elderly. And imagine the luxury of being able to text, work or even enjoy a cocktail while being chauffeured by your Chevy.
But there are legal and societal concerns that need to be addressed before we go completely hands-free. The current legislation, critics point out, does nothing to address issues of liability or privacy. Who is responsible when two driverless cars crash? Who has access to software that tracks your speed, driving route and destination?
All that aside, are you ready to give up the wheel to your automobile? Can California drivers ever truly “leave the driving” to Google?
Guests:
Jeffrey Miller, vice president, Intelligent Transportation Society, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and associate professor of computer engineering, University of Alaska in Anchorage
Bryant Walker Smith, fellow at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School and the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford University(CARS) whose current research focuses on the law and policy of self-driving vehicles.
Vegan goes mainstream: what’s behind the seemingly exploding interest in vegan food?
Los Angeles is a city of foodies, but it is also a city full of people who tend to be more image and socially conscious than many American municipalities.
What better way to combine respect for the environment and a youthful visage than a change in diet? Once relegated to the dreadlock and Birkenstock crowd, restaurants that offer vegan menus are popping up all over Los Angeles. Food trends come and go, and although it might be said that vegan is the ‘new black’ the practice of maintaining a diet that completely excludes animal products is spreading like wildfire in the Southland and it shows no signs of slowing.
Beyond L.A.’s new reputation as a hotbed of the vegan movement, the lifestyle choice is also gaining attention on a wider scope, which in turn focuses more attention back on the city’s burgeoning vegan restaurant scene. Former president Bill Clinton became a vegan in 2010 after a series of serious heart issues and numerous members of Hollywood’s elite have swapped their steak for kale and quinoa.
Are you part of the growing movement of a plant-based diet? How is L.A. becoming ground zero for the vegan movement?
Guests:
Tony Yanow, owner of a trio of popular Los Angeles area establishments that all feature vegan menus
Joseph Shuldiner, director of the Institute for Domestic Technology, founder of the Altadena Farmer’s Market and author of “Pure Vegan” (Chronicle 2012)