COVID Update: A Johns Hopkins Analysis Compares California And Florida’s Response. Who Handled COVID Better?

A new analysis from Johns Hopkins University looked at the differences between California and Florida’s handling of the initial COVID-19 lockdown. Where California took a strict stay-at-home approach, Florida opted to favor the wellbeing of small businesses and the state’s overall economic health. The data analysis showed that significantly more Floridians died on a per capita basis, but that doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story once you factor in demographics. While hindsight offers many lessons in how we handled the lockdown, we still have to grapple with what lies ahead. Joining us today on AirTalk to discuss the recent analysis, plus other COVID and vaccine updates as winter months bring an uptick in illnesses is Ron Lin, Los Angeles Times reporter who’s been covering the COVID-19 pandemic and Kimberly Shriner, director of Infectious Disease and Prevention at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena.

Fruit Fly.. Don’t Bother Me – How LA County Battles Pesky Invasions

Every week, 3 to 9 million sterile male Mediterranean fruit flies are dropped over Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties as part of the California Medfly Preventative Release Program — a critical tool in stopping the spread of invasive fruit flies, which can threaten the state's agricultural industry. Once they land on yards and in fruit trees, they're hardwired to seek out female flies to copulate with. The idea being that if the state drops enough sterile flies, they’ll preoccupy fertile females that get brought in on produce, and stop them from reproducing. The flies can lay their eggs beneath the skins of various crops like pomegranates and figs. When the larvae hatch, they eat the produce, drop to the ground and pupate in the soil, before turning into adult flies. Leaving behind damaged goods. Joining to discuss how these fruit flies are raised is Jacob Margolis, LAist science reporter and host of the Big Burn podcast.

Kliph Nesteroff Talks New Book ‘Outrageous’ & The History Comedy Plays On Culture Wars

Cultural historian Kliph Nesteroff's new book "Outrageous" takes readers on a journey in the history of American comedy, documenting how politics has shaped the form of entertainment and in ways pushes back against the notion that folks nowadays are "too soft" or "take themselves seriously." Nesteroff shows how comedy will find itself within battles of political censorship, legal harassment, and propaganda campaigns; these disputes all typically stem from comedy programs that have rubbed folks the wrong way. Today on AirTalk, Larry talks to comedy and culture historian Kliph Nesteroff, about his new book "Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars."

Kliph has 3 upcoming book events:

• Thursday, November 30 at 7 PM he’ll be at the Book Soup bookstore in West Hollywood, moderated by actress & comedian Laraine Newman
• Monday, December 4 at 7:30 PM he’ll be at the Dynasty Typewriter live-comedy venue in Westlake, moderated by actor and comedian Patton Oswalt
• Thursday, December 7 at 7:30 PM he’ll be at The Ebell of Los Angeles’s lounge in Mid-Wilshire, moderated by comedian Marc Maron

How The Los Angeles County Department Of Mental Health Is Taking On The Biggest Challenges Posed By Housing The Unhoused

Homelessness is regularly near or at the top of the list of issues that Southern Californians feel need the most attention from local lawmakers and county agencies. Among those on the frontlines of dealing with this ongoing crisis, which has been declared a state of emergency in the City of Los Angeles, are Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Director Lisa Wong and Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Street Psychiatrist Dr. Shayan Rab. They join Larry to talk about how they are addressing some of the biggest challenges of housing the unhoused at both the policy level and on the streets where people need their attention and services most.

The Wild History Of Griffith Park

Griffith Park dwarfs other city parks. Its 4,300 acres make it about five times bigger than New York’s Central Park. And, unlike Central Park’s man-made rolling hills, Griffith Park is a true urban wilderness, comprised of a chunk of the Santa Monica Mountains. The park, originally Tongva-Gabrielino land, was gifted to the city by Welsh philanthropist Griffith J. Griffith in 1896, who also provided funds for the Griffith Observatory and the Greek Theatre. Griffith is a divisive figure: in 1903, he assaulted his wife with a gun and subsequently served time in prison. According to Casey Schreiner in his book Discovering Griffith Park, in its lifetime, “the park has been home to an airfield, multiple zoos, a landfill, a Civilian Conservation Corps work camp, a pre-internment camp and prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, housing for veterans, and more.” Joining us to discuss the history of the park and how Angelenos use it today are Mike Eberts, author of Griffith Park: A Centennial History and Casey Schreiner, founder of the site Modern Hiker and author of Discovering Griffith Park: A Local’s Guide.