Metro Board Approves Emergency Designation To Speed Up Installment Of Enclosed Barriers On Buses
Metro is ramping up protections for bus operators in response to a series of assaults on bus drivers. Metro's board of directors approved the agency's use of emergency procurement designation to allow Metro to quickly retrofit their bus fleets to install barriers made out of shatterproof, tempered glass that will fully enclose drivers, according to Metro spokesperson Patrick Chandler. Currently, Metro’s buses have operator shields, but anyone can still reach around and make contact with the bus driver. Chandler says the emergency procurement designation will allow Metro to install these new barriers by the end of 2024 instead of over the course of three years through the normal procurement process. Metro reports that assaults on operators have increased since 2019. In 2023, there were 160 assaults on bus operators. In a report, Metro noted two recent incidents where in March, a rider hijacked a bus and held the driver at gunpoint, crashing the bus into the Ritz Carlton Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Earlier this month, a bus driver was stabbed in Willowbrook. And on Friday, a person was stabbed after an argument started on a Metro bus in University Park. Metro’s rail line has seen a spate of recent attacks as well -- a 66-year-old woman was stabbed to death on the B line last week. The Los Angeles Times reported that on Wednesday a train driver found a passenger beaten on the A line at Washington Blvd and Central Ave, and around the same time a stabbing occurred at the A line’s Florence station.
Today on AirTalk, Metro Chief Operations Officer Conan Cheung and Metro Deputy Chief Safety Officer Robert Gummer join Larry to explain what the emergency declaration means and how the agency is addressing concerns about passenger safety on buses and trains.
With files from Gillian Morán Pérez at LAist.com. Read the full story here.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Metro declared a public emergency on Thursday, when in fact the Board approved the agency's use of emergency procurement designation to allow for faster installment of the new barriers that will fully enclose drivers. We apologize for the error.
The Current State Of Retail Theft
The Los Angeles Times recently reported on a method many retailers are turning to in order to thwart theft: locking up merchandise. You've probably noticed items like razors, make up, deodorant, sometimes all the above and many more sitting behind a plexiglass cage. Shoppers have to seek out an employee to free the goods. Today on AirTalk, we examine the current state of retail theft, what measures company's are taking and how useful they are. Joining to discuss is Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association, and Magnus Lofstrom, policy director of criminal justice at the Public Policy Institute of California, where he has researched retail theft. What are your thoughts? Have you noticed changes as a shopper? Do you work in retail? What has your experience been? Call 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
New Book ‘Total Garbage’ Investigates Our Chronic Waste Problem, And Ways To Solve It
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes begins his new book Total Garbage with quite the attention-grabber. “You swallowed 285 pieces of plastic today,” the first sentence of the prologue reads. And if the idea of chowing down on a credit card’s worth of plastic every day makes your stomach churn…well, it should. We live in the most wasteful civilization in human history, Humes argues, and his new book not only shares some alarming facts and busts some myths about just how wasteful we are, but it goes beyond the stats of how much trash we produce and the size of the ever-growing Great Pacific Garbage Patch to explore the “why” behind our wasteful society. But it’s not all doom and gloom -- Humes also shares stories of individuals and communities who are taking matters into their own hands and working to fight climate change and solve our society’s waste issue, like an environmental engineer who pushed plastic food packaging into the public policy spotlight and a Los Angeles activist who started an organization to help replace grass lawns with micro-farms.
Today on AirTalk, Edward Humes joins Larry Mantle to talk about his new book, and share some tips on how we can all be more conscious about how much we waste.
With U.S. College Campuses In Turmoil, We Look Back At The History Of Student Protests
Protests against the Israel-Hamas war have rattled University settings across the U.S this month. From USC to Columbia, clashes with police led to the arrest of hundreds of demonstrators. Universities and College campuses have long served as ground zero for activism in America. Today on AirTalk, we look back at other moments in history that incited protests on campus and consider what has changed since then. Joining us to discuss is Angus Johnston, historian of student activism at Hostos Community College in New York. Were you involved in a campus protest as a student? How was your experience similar or different to today's protests? Call 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
Cold Plunging Is All The Rage – What Are The Benefits?
Cold water immersion is having a moment. Die-hards extol the virtues of frigid water–from anti-inflammatory effects, to mental health benefits, to post-exercise recovery. Some people swim in the wild, literally taking a hammer to iced-over lakes, while others have invested thousands of dollars in at-home cold plunges. So–what does the science say? How cold is too cold? Should you take to the (freezing) waters? If so, how often and for how long? Joining us to discuss are Mike Tipton, professor of physiology, and part of the team at the extreme environments laboratory at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom and Dr. Tracy Zaslow, sports medicine physician at Cedars-Sinai and a team physician for Angel City.
‘Sand Rush’ Dives Into Urban Planning Behind 20th Century LA Beach Renaissance
A great, tan man from Malibu once said “Yeah, because actually, my job... it's just ‘beach’.” For those unfamiliar, that comes from the 2023 film “Barbie,” and the quote is from Ryan Gosling’s character, Ken. A new book titled ‘Sand Rush,’ by Northumbria University professor Elsa Devienne, explains how 20th-century urban planning in Los Angeles developed the beach culture aesthetic we now see in popular culture. Today on AirTalk, we discuss how the L.A. shoreline came to be a major tourist attraction with Elsa Devienne, assistant professor of history at Northumbria University and author of the new book “Sand Rush: The Revival of the Beach in Twentieth-Century Los Angeles.”
