Mayor Bass’ Budget Proposes Cuts To Unhoused Programs And More
Faced with shrinking revenue and growing labor costs in Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass presented a stark budget Monday that lowers funding for her signature homelessness initiative and reduces the authorized strength of the police force — in part because of recruiting problems. Bass also proposed eliminating more than 2,100 city jobs, most of them already vacant, including hundreds in the city’s Park and Recreation Department. The mayor’s $12.8 billion spending plan is for the fiscal year that begins July 1, and represents a 2.3% reduction from the current fiscal year’s budget of $13.1 billion. The City Council, which must approve it, will consider her proposal in the coming weeks, so this budget is by no means final. Big negotiations over that plan will happen over the next few weeks before the budget goes into effect in July. And this is your tax money being spent, after all,so you get to have a say about these spending plans. Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk with LAist Civics and Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze about the specifics of Mayor Bass’ budget proposal and what it tells us about her view of how the city should be spending money, and with LAist Civics & Democracy Engagement Producer Brianna Lee about how you can get involved with the budget process.
With files from Frank Stoltze, David Wagner and Brianna Lee at LAist.com. You can read Frank and David’s story breaking down the budget here, and Brianna’s story on how to participate in the process here.
The Bird Flu Has Spread To Mammals – Will It Jump To Humans Next?
For decades, public health experts have warned of the danger of H5N1, also known as the avian flu, crossing over to humans. That fear became a reality when earliest this month, a dairy farm worker in Texas tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza. This is the first reported cow-to-human spread of the virus. The U.S. has only ever recorded a handful of cases but there is mounting concern that mutations in the virus will allow it to spread to more mammals and possibly, more people. Are we ready for an influenza pandemic of this kind? Joining us today on AirTalk to talk about this latest outbreak and the threat it poses to humans is Jennifer Nuzzo, Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University and Maurice Pitesky, Associate Professor in Poultry Health and Food Safety Epidemiology at UC Davis.
‘Mood Of The Nation’ Poll: Plenty To Be Angry About, Little To Be Proud Of
Most Americans can identify something in the news or politics that makes them angry, but far fewer can point to something that makes them proud. That’s the topline from the new Mood of the Nation poll, which has been conducted annually since 2016 by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. Additionally, 46 percent of respondents said that whatever they identified as a source of anger makes them “extremely angry,” while less than half said that what they identified as a source of pride makes them “extremely proud.” And it seems even identifying something that made them proud was challenging for participants -- the survey found that 44 percent said “nothing” when asked to share something in the news or politics that made them proud. The poll was conducted in January, so it does not factor recent events like campus protests about the war in Gaza, but nonetheless its results paint a bleak picture of not only the depth of political division and divisiveness in America, but also a more general feeling of malaise among Americans about the state of the country in general.
Today on AirTalk, Penn State University Political Science Professor and Director of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy Eric Plutzer joins us to talk about the findings of this poll.
See the complete survey results here.
California Is Betting Big On ‘Broadband For All.’ But Will It Lower Internet Prices?
Californians spend an average of $84 per month to connect to the internet — and some of the most vulnerable groups, including older adults, veterans and people with disabilities, tend to pay even more. For those on a tight budget, it may take the place of other essentials. And those who simply can’t afford it remain disconnected from digital life. So the state is spending billions of dollars to make broadband more affordable and available under its Broadband for All plan. It’s creating a new public backbone network called the “middle-mile” across 10,000 miles of California, and offering funding for companies to build the "last mile," the final leg of the network that brings service to your home. The idea is that increased competition will force the large internet companies to drop their rates. Right now, in many neighborhoods, there are only one or two service providers to choose from. It's hoped that by using the state's new middle-mile network, new providers, like nonprofits or local governments, could enter the market and offer internet service at a competitive rate — ultimately lowering prices for everyone. But LAist has found that large internet providers are also applying for those billions of dollars of government funding, hoping to use it to expand their service territory into underserved areas. However, they largely do not plan to connect to the state’s public network. Instead, companies want to use their own already-built middle mile infrastructure, which gives them control over prices. Without that element of competition, some say internet bills would likely stay the same or even increase.
Today on AirTalk, LAist Digital Equity Reporter Nereida Moreno joins us to talk about her reporting.
Want To Carry A Gun In LA? Good Luck Getting A Permit
Several Los Angeles County residents backed by gun rights advocacy organizations are awaiting a ruling in their lawsuit against the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department over lengthy wait times for concealed carry permits. They claim long wait times and high fees, among other requirements, violate constitutional rights. Today on AirTalk, we talk about what all goes into the permit process, the various challenges and the legal arguments in the case. Joining to discuss is Alan Gottlieb, executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation, which is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, Chad Bianco, Riverside County sheriff, and Adam Winkler, professor of law at UCLA who focuses on constitutional law and gun policy. We also want to hear from you. Have you received or attempted to get a concealed carry gun license? What was your experience? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
We reached out to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, the California Attorney General’s Office, and the La Verne Police Department, which are all named in the preliminary injunction, but we did not hear back before the broadcast.
When Someone Dies And Their Body Is Unclaimed, What Happens Next?
It’s estimated that up to 148,000 of the 2.8 million people who die every year in the United States go unclaimed. According to the authors of the new book “The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels,” that number is increasing nationwide including here in Los Angeles County, where they report 3% or more of deaths go unclaimed. For the departed in this category, what becomes of their remains? Who buries them and…and where? Do they get a ritual or ceremony of any kind? The new book explores these questions and so many more and the co-authors join us today on AirTalk to discuss it. With us is UCLA sociologist Stefan Timmermans and his co-author Pamela Prickett, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Amsterdam.
