Newsom wants camps cleared, but where will people go?
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday again urged California cities and counties to restrict homeless encampments, a move that came as he released more than $3 billion in Proposition 1 funding for housing and treatment for the most seriously ill and unhoused in the state. Newsom issued what he called a model ordinance that would ban persistent camping in one location, prohibit encampments that block free passage on sidewalks, and require local officials to offer shelter before clearing an encampment. The added enforcement follows the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass v. Johnson decision in 2024, which allowed anti-camping laws without fear of violating the Constitution.
With a potential for more homeless encampment clearing in Southern California, it does beg the question of where unhoused Californians will go, and whether this is an effective way of addressing residents’ concerns. Joining us to help make sense of the governor’s proposal is Jeremy B. White, reporter covering California politics for POLITICO, and Marisa Lagos, correspondent for KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk.
AI Series: How AI is making its way into the courtroom
On May 1, a victim statement video was played in an Arizona courtroom during the sentencing of a man convicted of manslaughter. The video showed the victim, now deceased, expressing the power of forgiveness. The video was meant to help the judge in the case determine how harsh or lenient a sentence to serve the defendant. While the judge had no doubt heard many such victim statements before, this one was rather unique: it was created via AI. The video is potentially the first victim statement to be created using generative AI, but it is by no means the first occurrence of the law and AI intersecting. Just last month a man who chose to represent himself in a New York court attempted to use an AI avatar for a presentation and caught flak from the judges for doing so. Lawyers have also faced repercussions for leaning on AI to do their legal research, with the tools hallucinating cases that never occurred. At the same time, many in the law profession seem optimistic on the future of AI in the courtroom, with surveys from Thomson Reuters finding that 77% of respondents believing that AI will have a transformational impact on law, and 72% thinking it will be a force for good. So how will AI impact the courtroom, and how will it affect the ways we all interact with the law? Joining AirTalk today for our weeklong series looking at the impact of AI on our world is Dan Ho, Professor of Law and Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, and Lucy Thompson, Founding Principal at Livingston PLLC and co-chair of the American Bar Association’s task force on artificial intelligence and law.
The science behind pregnancy cravings
Pickles and ice cream. The ultimate pregnancy craving cliché. But it's a cliché for a reason, right? So, why do so many people crave odd food combinations while pregnant? Some theories point to the hormonal changes during pregnancy that may cause food to smell or taste differently. There could also be nutritional links for what someone is craving and the nutrients needed by the fetus. But the most prevailing theory is that pregnancy cravings are psychological, with studies showing that the country you live in heavily determines the types of food you crave while pregnant. Today on AirTalk, we delve into the science behind pregnancy cravings and how what you eat while pregnant may affect the overall health of your child. We're joined by Anna Maria Siega-Riz, Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Sciences and professor of Nutrition and Biostatistics & Epidemiology at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. We also want to hear from you! What did you crave while pregnant? Did you have food aversion instead? Tell us your experience by calling 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
The allure of the great American road trip
For some, the family road trip is a quintessential American rite of passage. And now, as many would-be travelers are opting to forgo air travel amid rising costs and economic uncertainty, the great American road trip has become an alluring prospect for families this summer. But where exactly did the cultural appeal of that classic family road trip — filled with diners and roadside attractions — stem from? And how has technology, culture, and the economy influenced the way Americans leisurely hit the road? Joining us to discuss the evolution and history of road trips is Richard Ratay, author of the book, “Don’t Make Me Pull Over: An Informal History of the Family Road Trip” (Scribner Publishing, 2018). Do you have a favorite family road trip you’ve taken? Is your family forgoing air travel to instead hit the road this summer? We want to hear from you! Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
How is remote work faring, as return-to-office mandates threaten its commonality?
New research by Gallup shares interesting insights on the lives of remote workers, with 31 percent of respondents being more engaged with their jobs, while just 26 percent of in-office correspondents felt similarly. Engagement at work told a different story, with on-site workers feeling more engaged than their remote colleagues by a 6 percent margin. Although these numbers do seem fractional, particularly compared to a hard-to-navigate job market, they serve as helpful data in understanding how American workers are faring with remote work. This research also offers more context into the productivity of remote work, as many employers have looked to mandate workers return to offices. Today on AirTalk, we’ll dig into the data and get a sense of how remote work is starting to take shape, after its peak during the pandemic. Joining us is Emma Harrington, assistant professor of economics at the University of Virginia.
LA’s culture can be a shock. What surprised you the most moving here?
LA is very much a city of transplants. The place where people come to follow their dreams and soak up the eternal sunshine. But LA's reputation may precede itself, and despite its large non-LA native population, the culture here is one all of its own. Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from our LA transplants what the biggest culture shock was for them when they arrived. Maybe it was the slang. Maybe our over-reliance on cars. Or our obsession with health foods. We want to hear from you! Share with us what you found to be the most surprising culture shift between your hometown and Los Angeles. Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com. We're also joined by Amanda Pellegrino, writer and novelist. She recently wrote a piece for Business Insider titled “I moved from New York City to Los Angeles. Drinking culture and work-life balance feel so different on the West Coast.”
