Los Angeles Police Department Begins Probe Into Racist, Leaked Audio Of Councilmembers Martinez, Cedillo & De Leon
Los Angeles detectives are investigating whether a recording last year that captured city councilmembers’ racist remarks was made illegally, police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday. The bigoted recording’s disclosure earlier this month unleashed a growing scandal in the nation’s second-largest city just weeks before Election Day.
Today on AirTalk, we update you on the latest into this LAPD investigation with Richard Winton, investigative and crime writer for The Los Angeles Times.
With files from the Associated Press
We reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for comment on the investigation, in response we recieved a link of the LAPD Chief Michel Moore’s media availability yesterday, in which he stated the following:
“Our major crimes division is conducting [the investigation] and we will bring our results to the appropriate prosecuting agency upon completion of that investigation.
At the request of the individuals present at the meeting, they approached the department this past Friday about the illegal recording of their private conversation. And the department immediately dispatched detectives to conduct recorded interviews of the individuals.
Our investigation will continue as to the facts and circumstances of how the meeting occurred and information of the victims as to why they believe the recording was unlawful and also, understanding from them, the assertion that it was without their permission. We’ll also look as far as possible as to how this recording was made [and the person responsible]...The investigation is wide open.”
Remembering Prolific Urban Historian Mike Davis And The Influence He Had On Los Angeles
Mike Davis, Marxist urban scholar and author of the book “City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles” has passed away at the age of 76 at his home in San Diego. Davis talked extensively about his struggle with cancer in his later years. Davis’ work focused on how people understand the world they live in, and the external societal forces that impacted their understanding. An early job as a truck driver took Davis all around Los Angeles, allowing him to see “every nook and corner of L.A. County.” His critics saw him as someone unwilling to debate his anti-capitalist views, whereas his followers saw him as someone striving to create a better world. Joining Larry to discuss the life and legacy of Mike Davis is professor of political science and Chicano/Latino studies and director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University, Fernando Guerra.
A Crowded Mayoral Race In Anaheim Looks To Fill An Empty And Embattled Seat
Among the litany of elections taking place Nov. 8 is the city of Anaheim 4-candidate mayoral race. Included in the four hopefuls are former city council member Lorri Galloway, current council member Trevor O’Neil, former federal prosecutor Ashleigh Aitken and local water systems operator Dick Lopez. This race follows the resignation of former mayor Harry Sidhu in May of this year after the release of an FBI affidavit that looked into alleged illegal city business conducted through a personal email account of his; an investigation into potential corruption is ongoing but has been a topic of conversation for mayoral candidates.
We dig into the latest surrounding the Anaheim mayor’s race with Orange County Register reporter Alicia Robinson and get political analysis from Robb Korinke, political consultant at GrassrootsLab.
Prue, Great British Baking Show Judge, Has A New Live Show Coming To Los Angeles
Prue Leith, one of the judges of the iconic competition series known as “The Great British Baking Show,” is coming to Los Angeles for a live, in-person show of her own. The stage show is called “Nothing In Moderation,” and the Culver City shows will kick off a 34-date UK and Ireland theater tour in 2023. Leith will explain how she went from having no experience in the food industry to being a highly accredited restaurant owner and cookbook author. Leith joins Larry to discuss the stage show and much more.
The “Nothing In Moderation” shows are on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 at The Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Tickets are available here.
Meet The Candidates: Former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna Says He’s An Outsider Who Will Reform The LA County Sheriff’s Department
Mail-in ballots for the Nov. 8 general election have started being mailed out to registered voters, and one of the most consequential races in Los Angeles County is the race for L.A. County Sheriff. The sheriff leads the largest sheriff’s agency in the world, with more than 10,000 sworn deputies and 8,000 civilian staff. Former Long Beach Police Department chief Robert Luna beat out a crowded primary field in June to face off against incumbent Sheriff Alex Villanueva, despite being the only candidate from outside the department. Luna spent his entire 36 year law enforcement career with the Long Beach Police Department and was named chief in 2014. He retired this past December.
Today on AirTalk, Larry speaks with candidate for L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna about his plans to lead the department.
AirTalk has reached out to both candidates for the L.A. County Sheriff's office. You can hear Larry's conversation with former Long Beach police chief Robert Luna's opponent, current L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, on Monday, October 24's program.
To see a side by side Q&A with both Sheriff Villanueva and challenger Robert Luna as part of LAist’s Voter Game Plan guide, click here.
Contextualizing What’s At Stake In The Race For LA County Sheriff, Part 2
KPCC and LAist Civics and Democracy correspondent Frank Stolze joins Larry now for a debrief of Larry’s interview with L.A. County Sheriff candidate and former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, who’s challenging incumbent Alex Villanueva. Frank helps contextualize what’s at stake in the highly contentious race as we near Election Day.
How A Christian Missionary From South Dakota Became A Martyr In Modern Day Iran
Growing up in South Dakota at the turn of the 20th century, there was little doubt among Howard Baskerville’s family what he would do with his life. His father, grandfather and four brothers were all Presbyterian priests, and so too did it become Howard’s lifelong dream to join the clergy, as author and scholar of world religions Reza Aslan writes in his new biography “An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville.” After graduating from Princeton, Howard sought missionary work and was sent to the Persian city of Tabriz, which is now in the northwest of Iran, to teach history. He arrived in 1907, amidst a cultural revolution during which young Persians were pushing for a more democratic society, and ultimately ended up joining many of his students and others fighting against the shah in power at the time and the international powers like Britain and Russia that supported him. He died two years after his arrival, during a siege of Tabriz, but his death gave rise to other revolutionaries who took the mantle from him and ultimately helped topple the despotic shah and his regime and create a new constitution and parliamentary government in Tehran.
Today on AirTalk, Reza Aslan is with Larry to share the story of Howard Baskerville, why his story isn’t more well-known in America, and how his life and legacy live on in the memories of modern day Iranians.