As Altadena burglaries rise, what's being done to improve security support?

Following the Eaton and Palisades fires, reporting had found an increase in burglaries in both areas as many residents looked to evacuate. Over that initial time period, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, given that Altadena falls under this jurisdiction, had looked to keep the area secure from such theft. Those efforts have seemingly since dwindled, and it’s left many resident concerned about their protection from burglaries. Helping us to address these concerns and offer insights into what the sheriff’s department is doing is Ethan Marquez, acting captain of the Altadena Sheriff’s Station.

Autonomous Vehicles: California to give robo-trucks the greenlight, new crash reporting standards, and more

Take a cruise down Melrose Avenue and given enough time, a rather awkward-looking white SUV with a spinning apparatus affixed to its roof will no doubt come into view. The cars, operated by Alphabet subsidiary Waymo, use that spinning top along with sensors and computing power to drive autonomously — that is, without a human driver. The company has found success in the taxi space, with upwards of 250,000 rides being taken a week in the autonomous cars across a select few US cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Now, the state wants to open up the roads to the big brothers of these autonomous vehicles: heavy-duty autonomous trucks. The California Department of Motor Vehicles has started the regulatory process to approve these trucks for testing in the state. But will California drivers be comfortable sharing the roadways with robot drivers over long distances, and how advanced are the safety constraints of these driverless vehicles? Joining Larry to discuss all of this, and the latest in autonomous vehicle news is reporter covering Tesla, new vehicle tech and climate tech for CNBC Lora Kolodny, senior policy analyst of transportation and safety at Consumer Reports Cooper Lohr, and independent transportation researcher Noah Goodall, who works for a government agency but joins AirTalk as an independent individual,

AirTalk reached out to the California DMV for this conversation, but did not receive a response.

What’s the future of the penny as we move toward a more cashless society?

Back in February, President Donald Trump had directed the Treasury Department to stop its minting of pennies, citing that the cost of making them was worth more than the actual currency itself. Although President Trump’s attempt to stop its production is controversial, it wouldn’t be the first time a president attempted this, with President Barack Obama having attempted this during his second term in office. Although our society has moved toward a more moneyless direction, physical currency has seemed to stay alive, even if it costs more than its assigned value. So what’s kept currency like the penny alive? Today on AirTalk, we’ll dig into the case for the penny with Jay Zagorsky, associate professor of economics at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. We also want to hear from you: What are your thoughts on using pennies? Are they too much of a hassle to hold onto or do you still view them as useful in today’s society? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.

What potential cuts to Medicaid may mean for California’s Medi-Cal program

Medicaid faces a potential $880 billion cut under a new budget resolution. Under the resolution, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, has been tasked with eliminating billions of dollars over the next ten years. For Californian's this means that the state's Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, is also in jeopardy. California has the largest Medicaid enrollment out of any state due to its use of Medicaid expansion to cover more low-income residents, as well as undocumented immigrants. Today on AirTalk, we discuss what the impending cuts to Medicaid may mean for Californians under Medi-Cal and what potential new requirements may be enforced. Joining us are Rachel Bluth, California health care reporter for Politico, Lanhee Chen, public policy fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and Brandy Lipton, associate professor of health, society, and behavior at UCI.

What women want: The rise of romantasy and smutty page turners

Erotica is on the rise and it has taken the form of romantasy books, a genre driven in the last couple of years by readers so thirsty that publishers are trying to keep up. Its rise in popularity is in large part thanks to social media. The popular TikTok subculture called BookTok has helped leverage books and the genre as a whole, even creating a frenzy of excitement and expectation around new releases. At the center of all this, of course, is the books themselves – books like Fourth Wing and Onyx Storm – which center women’s sexual desires and help them remove the stigma of expressing those desires. Joining us today on AirTalk is the general manager of The Ripped Bodice, an independent bookstore in Culver City, Taylor Capizola. Are you a romance fantasy reader? What draws you to the genre? What do you look for in a book? We want to hear from you. Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.