Violence Breaks Out Overnight During Protests At UCLA
In the early hours of Wednesday, clashes broke out between pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israeli counterprotestors at UCLA. Campus officials asked for help from the LAPD and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has condemned the violence. In a statement made on X , formerly known as Twitter, shortly before 2 a.m. Bass said: "The violence unfolding this evening at UCLA is absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable." The mayor also said that LAPD had arrived on campus. Joining to talk about the latest with the protests is LAist reporter Yusra Farzan and Frank Stoltze, LAist civics and democracy correspondent.
Read Yusra’s developing story here
US May Ease Marijuana Restrictions – How Could This Affect California?
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country. The DEA’s proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use. The agency’s move clears the last significant regulatory hurdle before the agency’s biggest policy change in more than 50 years can take effect. Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It moves pot to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department. After the public comment period and a review by an administrative judge, the agency would eventually publish the final rule. What does this mean for the California Cannabis industry? Joining us to discuss is Richard Ormond, shareholder at Buchalter, a West Coast-based law firm, where he founded their cannabis law practice group, and the current receiver for MedMen Enterprises, which went into receivership last week. Also joining is Jerred Kiloh, owner of the Higher Path Collective in Sherman Oaks and chairman of the United Cannabis Business Association.
Statement from Nicole Elliot, Director of the California Department of Cannabis Control:
The Department of Cannabis Control applauds the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued leadership on federal cannabis policy. We are heartened by reports that the Administration is prepared to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. This move will acknowledge what California has known for almost thirty years: cannabis has medical value. It will enable new scientific research, so that we can better understand cannabis’s medical value—and also its potential risks. It will also help level the financial playing field for businesses that have long been burdened by inequitable federal tax laws. We would welcome these changes to federal law, which will support California’s efforts to protect consumers and the broader public.
Meet The Gen Z-er Leading California’s Colorado River Negotiations
Given its large size and population, not to mention the vast agricultural industry that calls California home, the fact that California is the single largest user of water from the Colorado River probably won’t surprise you. In fact, chances are good you may already be aware of this, even if you’re not following our state’s water use issues daily -- that’s how important the river is to California’s economy and daily life. But as climate change and overuse threaten its water supply, California is one of seven states in the West that are in the process of negotiating how to manage the river over the next 20 years. And leading those negotiations for California? 28-year-old Gen Z-er John Brooks Hamby, who goes by J.B. Today, LAist Studios popular series Imperfect Paradise launches its new round of deeply-reported series with this story by LAist Correspondent Emily Guerin that takes listeners behind the scenes of the most consequential negotiations ever over the Colorado River — negotiations that will shape the fate of many states across the West. Emily spent months following J.B. through these water negotiations, and her series peels back the layers of what can be wonky water policies and provides us with an intriguing behind the scenes look of these high stakes negotiations. Today on AirTalk, Emily joins Larry Mantle to preview the new series.
With files from Catherine Mailhouse and Emily Guerin at LAist.com.
How Climate Change Is Affecting Where Humans Are And Will Be Able To Live
Climate change is affecting nearly every aspect of human life as we know it -- how we eat, what we drive, where we get our electricity and increasingly where we’re able to live. Look no further than California’s ever-worsening wildfire seasons, which have wrought havoc on small towns and large cities alike, forcing residents to relocate. Further complicating matters is the recent decision by some insurance companies to stop writing policies in the state, leaving others with no choice but to move somewhere they can get homeowners insurance. And that’s just the tip of the slowly melting iceberg. Coastal cities are seeing more frequent flooding thanks to rising sea levels as ice sheets in places like Greenland and Antarctica fall and melt in oceans. Once fertile farmlands are ravaged by drought, forcing farmers who have tended them for generations to sell their land to developers. And as Abrahm Lustgarten explains in his recent book On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America, all of this will culminate in a massive climate migration that forces tens of millions of Americans from the places they call home. So, when the places we live are no longer inhabitable thanks to climate change, where will we go? Who will be left behind? How will we deal with the consequences?
Today on AirTalk, Abrahm Lustgarten joins Larry to talk about his recent book.
How High-Profile Crime Can Alter Our Perceptions And Behaviors
Violent and property crimes have dropped significantly since the 90s. According to the Pew Research Center, violent crime decreased by about 49% between 1993 and 2022. Still, if you ask the average American, they're likely to say crime is going up, not down. It doesn't help that there has been an uptick in violent crime in California in recent years. Today on AirTalk, we look at what the data actually says about current crime trends and how high-profile reports of crime impact attitudes, fears and behaviors. Do you feel like your fear of becoming a crime victim leads you to alter your behaviors, like walking alone at night or avoiding certain places? We want to hear from you! Call us at 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com. Joining to discuss is John Gramlich, an associate director at Pew Research Center, and Christopher Palmore, assistant professor of criminal justice Cal State East Bay.
LAist's First-Ever Tournament Of Cheeseburgers! Here's How To Get Involved
The true origin of the beloved cheeseburger is a bit murky. Ask residents of Louisville, Kentucky and they'll point you to local joint Kaelin's, which calls itself the birthplace of the cheeseburger. In Denver, Colorado, a stone plaque in front of the former location of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In proclaims it to be the spot that Louis E. Ballast invented the cheeseburger in 1935, and even goes on to allege that he was awarded the trademark for the word (though no such historic trademark for Ballast or anyone exists in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database). But the preponderance of evidence seems to point to the cheeseburger’s invention happening right here in Pasadena, where it has been well-documented by LAist, the L.A. Times and others that Lionel Sternberger first put cheese on a hamburger in 1924 while working as a fry cook at his father’s shop, The Rite Spot, on Colorado Blvd. Sternberger’s obituaries in publications like Time Magazine and the New York Times even credit him as its inventor. So if we trace its birth back to 1924 in Pasadena (and as Southern Californians, we obviously do), that means 2024 is the 100th birthday of the cheeseburger. And here at LAist, we’re celebrating this meaty, cheesy, juicy creation by announcing our first-ever Tournament of Cheeseburgers! Curated by LAist Associate Food Editor Gab Chabrán, the tournament will be a multi-platform, multi-month experience that will include an online tournament where LAist listeners and readers will help determine the Southland’s best cheeseburger and ultimately culminate in a festival-style event co-presented by LAist and Smorgasburg – the weekly open air food market in Downtown – on July 7th where we’ll showcase some of the best cheeseburgers from across SoCal.
Today on AirTalk, Gab Chabrán and LAist executive director of live programming and events Jon Cohn join Larry to officially announce the event and officially open up for submissions. So we want to hear from you – what’s the best cheeseburger in the Southland? Share your favorite by calling us at 866-893-5722 or by emailing us at atcomments@laist.com.
