LA City Council Places Independent Redistricting On 2024 Ballot
Last week, The L.A. City Council voted unanimously to place a measure on the November 2024 ballot that could create an independent commission to redraw voting districts that reflect population changes in the city. Right now, that responsibility rests with the City Council itself. Calls for the creation of an independent commission emerged after secretly recorded audio was released last year that captured City Council members discussing ways to preserve their political power through the redistricting process. Their conversation included racist and derogatory comments and sparked widespread protests. Under the proposal, a 16-member panel — selected through a process overseen by the city’s Ethics Commission — would be responsible for redrawing district boundaries every 10 years. Joining us to discuss is City Council President, Paul Krekorian.
With files from LAist. Read the full story here.
A Need for Speed? Drivers Admit Engaging in Risky Behaviors Behind the Wheel
Three years after COVID 19 drastically changed our daily routines, Americans are adapting to a new normal and returning to pre-pandemic behaviors. People are socializing and going out more in addition to returning to the office. That means more cars on the road. In 2021, traffic fatalities reached their highest number since 2005, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A new survey from the Automobile Club says more than half of U.S. drivers acknowledge engaging in dangerous behaviors such as speeding, texting and driving aggressively. Here to tell us more about the study’s findings is Rebecca Steinbach, senior researcher for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
How To Create More Internet Free Spaces And Truly Unplug
Truly disconnecting from the internet may feel like a fantasy at this stage in life. From work to home to church to the doctor's office, most of us are online via smartphones and even smartwatches. It's not impossible though. Chris Moody, a freelance writer and lecturer in journalism at Appalachian State University, decided with his wife to make their home and internet-less sanctuary; a place to unplug and turn attention away from the vast world of online and toward family. This, of course, isn't realistic for a lot of people, but the important question is: do you have a space to completely unplug? And how do you find it? Moody joins to discuss his piece "Life Really Is Better Without the Internet." Tell us how you manage internet use. Have you made any changes? What are the challenges? Call 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
SoCal History: How Citrus Farming Became SoCal’s Main Squeeze & What’s Happened Since
You ever wonder why Orange County is named Orange County? The answer is actually fairly simple, it’s because of that citrus fruit that was being farmed in the area and its neighboring counties; oranges, and other citrus, became a key part of Southern California’s booming economy from the late 19th Century and for most of the 20th. Although citrus orchards aren’t as plentiful nowadays, dropping in size, you’ll still find residential growers around the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, and the Inland Empire. Today on AirTalk, we offer a primer on Southern California citrus with Vince Moses, CEO of the museum/preservation consulting firm VinCate and Associates, and Benjamin Jenkins, University of La Verne associate professor of history and book author on the subject.
Small Screen, Big Players: ‘Pandora’s Box’ Details How TV Became Peak TV
The history of television over the last fifty years has been one of disruption. First, a little network called HBO planted the seeds for what became “prestige television.” Then, cable came for network stalwarts ABC, NBC and CBS. And finally, like the proverbial whale, streaming came and swallowed everything up. In his new book, Pandora's Box: How Guts, Guile, and Greed Upended TV, author Peter Biskind tells the epic story of how little old television became the juggernaut of Peak TV. Along the way, the book examines the creative and business decisions behind modern classics like The Sopranos, Mad Men and Yellowstone. It also takes a look at the future of the medium in an era when many of these platform’s futures are uncertain. Today on AirTalk, Larry talks to cultural critic Peter Biskind, whose previous books include Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and Down and Dirty Pictures.
