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LA City Councilmember Curren Price Charged With Embezzlement, Perjury
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AirTalk Tile 2024
Jun 14, 2023
Listen 1:39:18
LA City Councilmember Curren Price Charged With Embezzlement, Perjury

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the charges against La City Councilmember Curren Price. Also on the show, how colleges and universities are fairing in our growing culture war; why more and more news organizations are cutting staff; how to confront a friend about their hurtful behavior; and more.

Los Angeles Councilman Curren Price speaks before the ribbon cutting for the RISE Apartments, an affordable apartment community for homeless veterans and other people experiencing homelessness on May 12, 2021 in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Councilman Curren Price speaks before the ribbon cutting for the RISE Apartments, an affordable apartment community for homeless veterans and other people experiencing homelessness on May 12, 2021 in Los Angeles. - On Tuesday, June 13 prosecutors charged LA City Councilmember Price with several counts of embezzlement, perjury, and conflict of interest.
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LA City Councilmember Curren Price Charged With Embezzlement, Perjury

Listen 6:15
LA City Councilmember Curren Price Charged With Embezzlement, Perjury

L.A. City Councilmember Curren Price was charged with 10 counts of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest Tuesday, the latest city official charged with public corruption in recent years.

Price, 72, has been charged with five counts of grand theft, three counts of perjury and two counts of conflict of interest, according to Tiffany Blacknell, a spokesperson for District Attorney George Gascón's office. The charges stem from "a financial interest in projects that [Price] voted on and having the city pay for medical benefits for his now wife while he was still married to another woman," Gascón said in a news release. In a statement released Tuesday evening, Council President Paul Krekorian said he will introduce a motion at Wednesday's council meeting to suspend Price. Krekorian said Price has resigned as President Pro Tempore of the council, and that he has removed Price from his committee assignments at his request. Joining to discuss the latest is Frank Stoltze, LAist civics and democracy correspondent.

With files from LAist. Read the full story here.

The Media Industry Is Bleeding Jobs – What’s Behind The Trend?

Listen 12:08
The Media Industry Is Bleeding Jobs – What’s Behind The Trend?

The media industry has seen over 17,000 job cuts so far in 2023–that’s according to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., a company that helps laid off employees transition to new jobs. Here at LAist, we’re not immune. The company cut 21 jobs yesterday, more than 10% of positions. Last week, the LA Times cut 74 jobs. Why is it so rough out there? Joining us to talk about the state of the industry is Christina Bellantoni, Professor of Professional Practice and Director of USC Annenberg’s Media Center. 

Are Self-Driving Cars Really Safer To Drive? New Tesla Vehicle Accident Data Shows More Work Needs To Be Done

Listen 17:16
Are Self-Driving Cars Really Safer To Drive? New Tesla Vehicle Accident Data Shows More Work Needs To Be Done

Autonomous vehicles have been around for a while now. And Tesla, are amongst the biggest and most popular electric vehicles with the self-driving functions today. While Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, praises Tesla’s autopilot feature as safer than human drivers, a new vehicle accident analysis by the Washington Post shows otherwise. Since 2019, more than 700 accidents have been caused by Tesla’s autopilot mode as it was not able to detect the barriers in front and stop. In addition, most recent data included 17 fatalities, 11 of which only occurred within the last year. And these numbers are growing significantly. So, are current self-driving vehicles really safe? And what more needs to be done to ensure safety?

Joining us today on AirTalk is Russ Mitchell, staff writer for the La Times who reports on the auto industry and Alexandra Mueller, senior research scientist at Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, a nonprofit scientific organization that researches ways to reduce motor vehicle accidents.

How Culture Wars Are Impacting Higher Education

Listen 13:41
How Culture Wars Are Impacting Higher Education

Culture wars are making it harder to navigate the higher education landscape, particularly for professors of color who feel they’re being stifled by politics. It looks very different depending on the state you’re in. While Florida threatens the teaching of critical race theory and revises tenure laws, California has doubled down on enhancing diversity in higher education institutions. These are really tricky waters to navigate, according to professors who say newer generations in academia are entering into a different profession than they did. Today on AirTalk, we discuss the matter with two professors in similar studies in two very different states. Joining to discuss is Eduardo Gamarra, professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University, and Matt Barreto, UCLA professor of political science and chicana/o studies. We also want to hear your thoughts and experiences. Call 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.

Latest On Councilmember Curren Price Charges As City Council Respond To News

Listen 18:24
Latest On Councilmember Curren Price Charges As City Council Respond To News

The members of the Los Angeles City Council held media availability following the news that colleague Curren Price was charged with embezzlement and perjury. Joining us to discuss the latest news and the impacts this could have on those represented by Councilmember Price is LAist civic & democracy reporter Frank Stoltze and Manuel Pastor, professor of sociology and American studies & ethnicity at USC; he’s also co-author of the book “South Central Dreams.”

A Chat With The New President Of The Board Of The Institute Of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

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A Chat With The New President Of The Board Of The Institute Of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

Recently, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles named Claudia Flores the new president of its board of directors. With this appointment, Flores becomes the first Mexican woman in Los Angeles to lead a contemporary art museum. ICA was originally formed in 1988 as the Santa Monica Museum of Art and since 2017, has made its home downtown as the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Joining us to talk about her new position and her vision for the museum is Claudia Flores, president of the board of directors of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. 

Having Hard Conversations With Friends Is…Well, Hard. But Maybe It Doesn’t Have To Be.

Listen 19:20
Having Hard Conversations With Friends Is…Well, Hard. But Maybe It Doesn’t Have To Be.

Anyone who is invested in a long-term friendship has been there. That moment when you feel compelled to talk to your best buddy about something difficult. It could be about something they’re consistently doing that’s hurting you, or maybe a behavioral pattern that’s hurting themselves. Or maybe it’s just something about the relationship that isn’t working for you. Maybe you need distance or have the desire to be closer. Whatever it may be, having hard conversations with good friends is…hard. Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from you. How did you navigate a hard relationship with a friend? We’ll also talk to Irene Levine, psychologist and friendship expert and Danielle Jackson, female friendship coach and educator.

Credits
Host, AirTalk
Host, Morning Edition, AirTalk Friday, The L.A. Report Morning Edition
Senior Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Associate Producer, AirTalk & FilmWeek
Associate Producer, AirTalk
Associate Producer (On-Call), AirTalk
Apprentice News Clerk, FilmWeek