LA County votes to strip hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars from homelessness agency
L.A. County will stop sending hundreds of millions in taxpayer money each year to the troubled agency charged with serving the unhoused — a stinging admission by elected officials that the region's longstanding approach to homelessness has failed. Following a 4-0 vote on Tuesday, with one abstention, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors put in motion a plan to strip more than $300 million a year in taxpayer funding from the L.A. Homeless Services Authority — known as LAHSA — by the middle of next year. Instead, those funds will shift to the county’s direct oversight and control. The funding shift was spearheaded by supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger. Horvath said the move was needed to fix a broken system and to make it more transparent and accountable. Joining us to discuss what these developments mean for Los Angeles, on the county and city level, is LAist correspondent Nick Gerda, Los Angeles city councilmember Nithya Raman, who represents the city’s 4th district, and Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles.
With files from LAist
New bill would eliminate CEQA requirements for infill housing projects
Last week, a bipartisan group of California legislators unveiled a suite of more than 20 bills, known as the “Fast Tracking Housing Package,” that look to make housing more affordable in the state by eliminating what legislators see as some of the red tape holding back development. One bill included in that package, AB 609, introduced by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, takes direct aim at the more than 50-year-old California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Simply put, the bill says any infill housing — that is, housing built on underdeveloped or unused plots of land — will not have to go through the CEQA process. If passed, the bill could knock years off housing development projects delayed by environmental studies and lawsuits born from CEQA. Joining us today on AirTalk to talk about the new bill and the housing package it stems from is CalMatters housing reporter Ben Christopher.
LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath on LAHSA vote
The move for LA County to stop funding LAHSA was spearheaded by supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Bager. Horvath said that it was in an effort to fix systemic issues and create more transparency. Today on AirTalk, Lindsey Horvath, LA County supervisor representing the county's third district, which stretches from the Ventura County line to West Hollywood and includes parts of the San Fernando Valley, joins us to talk about the vote and what the county plans to put in LAHSA’s place.
New reporting shines a light on the impact of immigration policy fears in Central Valley communities
CalMatters recently published a piece digging into the social impact of President Donald Trump's immigration policies, including his outspoken empowerment of the country's Immigration and Customs Enforcement and how communities in California’s Central Valley feel the emotional impacts. For counties like Stanislaus and Kern, where immigrants play impactful roles in communities and their respective economies, reports of ICE raids have left some hiding in their homes to avoid law enforcement. As the CalMatters piece highlights, this has left some community organizations to notify others of ICE agents and find ways of assisting families, fearful of their potential removal from the United States. Joining us to discuss the current situation we’re seeing in the Central Valley is Nigel Duara, justice reporter for CalMatters, who’s been following this.
The Rose Bowl’s 4th of July celebration opts for the quiet hum of drones
Last week, the Rose Bowl announced it will be parting ways with its traditional 4th of July fireworks celebration, opting instead to host a drone show in its place. Jens Weiden, CEO of the Rose Bowl Stadium, said the decision comes after numerous conversations about whether the stadium should trade in fireworks for drones at city council meetings and within the company. Though mesmerizing, concerns over the years on the environmental impact fireworks have on air quality, as well as their potential fire hazard, have led some to favor drone shows over traditional fireworks. Today on AirTalk, we’d like to hear from you! How do you feel about The Rose Bowl trading in fireworks for drones? Why do you prefer one show over the other? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
American jazz pianist Emmet Cohen
Emmet Cohen is one of jazz's young stars, having played the piano since he was three. He, alongside his band the Emmet Cohen Trio, have performed with jazz staples such as Ron Carter, Benny Golson, and Tootie Heath, just to name a few. Although well-respected in the jazz scene for years, Emmet gained more widespread recognition during the pandemic with his web series "Live From Emmet's Place" that featured him and his trio performing in the intimate venue of Emmet's apartment with fellow jazz musicians. Now, Emmet is back to touring on live stages for his 2024 album "Vibe Provider," and although the spaces may be bigger, the intimacy between his music and the audience remains. Today on AirTalk, we're joined by Emmet Cohen to talk about American jazz and his career as one of jazz's most prominent pianists.
You can see Emmet Cohen and his trio perform at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica on Friday, April 4, at 7:30pm. You can get tickets here.
