Survey Of LA Voters Shows Great Expectations For New Mayor To Address Homelessness

The findings of a new survey from Loyola Marymount University’s Center for the Study of Los Angeles make it clear: voters expect L.A.’s next mayor to lead the fight against homelessness. Over 1,300 registered voters in the city of Los Angeles were polled, and a total of 84 percent said they were “confident” the mayoral candidate they voted for would address homelessness. And 61 percent of respondents said they would support a recall effort if the next mayor failed to address homelessness within their first two years in office.

Today on AirTalk, Director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University Fernando Guerra joins Larry Mantle to talk about the results of their annual “L.A. Votes” survey, and what the findings can tell us about how voters want to see homelessness addressed by both newly-elected public officials and those incumbents who retained their seats.

What Is The Current State Of K-12 Teacher Recruiting & Retainment In Southern California?

Although the staffing of teachers was already in a tough place prior to the pandemic, the health crisis pushed many out of the field, not being prepared for the rapid switch to virtual and the eventual learning loss that came from the last couple of years. So what’s the current outlook for teacher recruitment and retention in Southern California?

Today on AirTalk, we are joined by: Debra Duardo, superintendent for the Los Angeles County Office of Education; Teri Page, assistant superintendent of human resources for Ventura County’s Office of Education; Alison Yoshimoto-Towery, California’s State Board of Education board member; and Lida Jennings, executive director for Teach For America’s Los Angeles branch.

Why The Biden Administration Granted PG&E Over $1 Billion To Keep Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Over

The Biden administration on Monday announced preliminary approval to spend up to $1.1 billion to help keep California's last operating nuclear power plant running, even as officials turned down a request for financial aid to restart a closed nuclear plant in Michigan. The Energy Department said it was creating a path forward for the Diablo Canyon Power Plant on California's central coast to remain open, with final terms to be negotiated and finalized. The plant, which had been scheduled to close by 2025, was chosen in the first round of funding for the administration's new civil nuclear credit program, intended to bail out financially distressed owners or operators of nuclear power reactors.The program is part of Biden's effort to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, compared with 2005 levels.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll speak with Los Angeles Times Energy Reporter Sammy Roth about why the Biden administration is giving PG&E this loan now, how the money will be used, and find out how nuclear power advocates and environmentalists who want to see less reliance on nuclear power plants are reacting.

With files from the Associated Press

The Youth Aren’t Listening And It’s Because They’re Losing Hearing

Unsafe listening practices may result in billions of youth suffering hearing loss according to a study published in BMJ Journal on Tuesday. Noise limits are supposed to cap off at 85 decibels in a 40-hour work week. However, young people between ages 12 and 35 using smart devices actively listened to content at 105 decibels, while the average noise level at entertainment venues averaged between 104 to 112 decibels. Scientists analyzed 33 studies from 2000 to 2021, notably those studies have not been able to conclude whether the hearing loss was temporary or permanent. A person's risk of hearing loss depends on how loud, how long and how often they are exposed to certain noises. A sign that you may have engaged in unsafe listening practices is tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.

Here to address the study’s findings and to give advice on preventing hearing loss are Arineh Khachatoorians, Senior Audiologist at UCLA Health and Seiji Shibata, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology/head & neck Surgery with Keck Medicine of USC.

World Cup 2022: US, Mexico Men’s Teams Kick Off Championship Bids, Plus What It’s Like To Be A Reporter in Qatar Covering The Tournament

The 2022 World Cup is underway in Qatar with no shortage of headlines on and off the pitch. The tournament began with the host nation getting goose-egged 2-0 against Ecuador, and on Monday the U.S. Men’s National Team appeared to be headed toward victory before defender Walker Zimmerman fouled Welsh star Gareth Bale in the 82nd minute, leading to a penalty kick that Bale converted and leaving the U.S. stuck with a 1-1 draw in its first World Cup match in over eight years. And that’s just the soccer so far -- there are also ongoing conversations about the World Cup being in Qatar in the first place because of its spotty human rights record and questions about conditions for migrant workers and others who helped build the infrastructure to host the event.
Today on AirTalk, we speak with BBC World Service Sports Presenter Delyth Lloyd and Los Angeles Times Sportswriter Kevin Baxter, both of whom are in Doha, Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. Today on AirTalk, we speak with BBC World Service Sports Presenter Delyth Lloyd and Los Angeles Times Sportswriter Kevin Baxter, both of whom are in Doha, Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.