LAUSD Worker Strike Begins, Shutting Down Schools For 420,000 Students

Service Employees International Local 99, the union representing 30,000 bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians and other support staff across the Los Angeles Unified School District, has started a three-day strike beginning Tuesday. The teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), has instructed its members not to cross the picket line — effectively bringing the nation's second-largest school district to a halt. LAUSD, with the help of community partnerships, is offering some child care and some meals, and has said parents should expect students to receive work packets to do at home. Here's LAist’s guide to child care and resources during the strike.

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest with Clara Harter, who covers the Los Angeles Unified School District for Los Angeles Daily News.

With files from Ryanne Mena, Mariana Dale, and LAist Staff. Read the full story here.

Governor Gavin Newsom Proposes Sweeping Mental Health Changes

Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed a sweeping measure to update California’s behavioral health system along with mental health services for the 2024 ballot. The proposal, unveiled this past Sunday in San Diego alongside Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman, outlines key steps to address the state’s current crisis by authorizing thousands of new beds in state-of-the-art mental health residential setting, providing more funding for homeless veterans and amending the Mental Health Services Act of 2004 by creating an extra $1 billion in local assistance. “People who are struggling with these issues, especially those who are on the streets or in other vulnerable conditions, will have more resources to get the help they need,” promises Governor Gavin Newsom.

Joining us today on AirTalk is Michelle Doty Cabrera, executive director of the County Behavioral Health Director Association of California and Lisa Wong, director of the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health.

We reached out to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office but they weren’t able to provide a guest in time.

Celebrating Our LAist “Backbone Staff”: Live Events

While most of you probably know LAist from the reporters and hosts you hear on the air, our station requires the contributions of so many talented, unique individuals whose names aren’t said during show credits. These are the people who truly make LAist: they keep our broadcast equipment running, they put on our pledge drives and help secure sponsorships and donations, they put together the pre-recorded spots you hear between shows, they make sure our facilities at the Mohn Broadcast Center are operating smoothly, and keep our websites humming.

This week on AirTalk, we’re highlighting some of these amazing people who work at KPCC/LAist, and whose tireless efforts are critical to what you hear and read every day. Today, we’re joined by Rebecca Stumme, producer of live programming and events, and Tony Federico, technical director for live events.

One Month After Turkey-Syria 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake, Donors Pledge $7.5 Billion In Support

The European Union and international donors on Monday pledged seven billion euros ($7.5 billion) to help Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated parts of the neighboring countries last month. The European Commission said after the fundraising conference in Brussels that 6.05 billion euros of the total pledge will be going to Turkey, in grants and loans. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Feb. 6 killed more than 52,000 people — the vast majority in Turkey. Nearly 300,000 buildings in Turkey either collapsed or were severely damaged, according to the country’s president. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the conference via videolink and described some of the reconstruction challenges, including deadly floods that hit parts of the earthquake zone last week.

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest updates on earthquake relief with Onur Erem, journalist with the BBC’s Turkish Service, and Fatma Tanis, NPR Middle East correspondent based in Gaziantep, Turkey.

With files from the Associated Press

Labor Negotiations Begin Between Hollywood Writers And Big Studios And It Could Get Tense

The Writers Guild of America and Hollywood studios have until the beginning of May to agree on a new three-year film and TV labor contract, and it’s expected to get tense. Talks kicked off Monday. Many close to the industry this year’s negotiations could lead to a strike. The union has pointed to streaming and other factors that have negatively impacted writers’ wages over the last decade. Joining us to talk about what the union wants to see and why talks are so contentious is John Horn, LAist arts and entertainment host  and host of the podcast "Retake."

Interested In Living A Long And Healthy Life, Why Not Try Marriage?

Recently, researchers at the Harvard Human Flourishing Program released a study analyzing the overall health and happiness of some 11,000 married female nurses followed over the course of 25 years. Their findings show that women who make marriage a cornerstone of their lives tend to have healthier, more satisfying lives overall. Researchers also looked at the effect of divorce on the same pool of women and found that the practice had adverse health effects on people’s lives. Here to explain their findings and talk about the state of modern marriage is Brendan Case, associate director for research at the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University.