What Reforms Will Come To LA City Voters’ Ballots Following Last Year’s Leaked Tape Scandal?
Large-scale changes are rare for L.A.’s local government. But now there’s more momentum than there has been in decades for three major reforms to how L.A. is governed. The proposals are the result of calls for reform after a secret recording was released last year that captured three city councilmembers and a labor official using racist, homophobic and other derogatory language while discussing ways to amass power in the city’s redistricting process. The proposed reforms would all require a revision to the City Charter, which means voters ultimately have to approve them. But before then, the details and exact proposed language for changes to the Charter have to go through the city council. Today on AirTalk, we break down the proposals with Frank Stoltze, civics & democracy correspondent for LAist, and Fernando Guerra, professor of political science and Chicano/Latino studies, director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University and emeritus member of the KPCC Board of Trustees.
With files from LAist. Read the full story here.
A New Program Makes EVs More Accessible For Lower-Income Californians
California is eliminating its popular electric car rebate program — which often runs out of money and has long waiting lists — to focus on providing subsidies only to lower-income car buyers. The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, in existence since 2010, will end when it runs out of money this year. In its place, the state will expand a program next year that provides subsidies only to low-to-middle income residents — those who have more trouble affording electric cars. Joining us today on AirTalk is Alejandro Lazo, climate policy reporter at CalMatters, and Gil Tal, Director of The Electric Vehicle Research Center, Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis.
The Challenges Of Growing Up On Social Media And Advice On How To Handle It
We are constantly connected with social media which isn't always a good thing, especially for young kids and teens. In a world where social media is almost inescapable, how do we teach kids the best practices for privacy, boundaries and digital identity? Devorah Heitner, author of the new book “Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World" (TarcherPerigee, 2023), joins to discuss.
Out With The Old And In With A New Era For India As The Government Suggests Renaming The Country
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has replaced the name India with a Sanskrit word–Bharat– in dinner invitations sent to guests attending this week’s Group of 20 summit, in a move that reflects his Hindu nationalist party’s efforts to eliminate what it sees as colonial-era names. India gained independence from the British in 1947 after 200 years of colonization. However, India’s opposition parties criticizes the move, saying it does not reflect the other religions in the country. Though Hinduism is the dominant religion in India, minority religions, like muslim, make up 20 percent of the country. While it is still unclear if this controversial change will actually go into effect, the possibilities have already stirred up questions: What's going to happen? Who's going to be affected? What does it mean for future geo-political relationships?
Joining AirTalk to speak more on the history and socio-economic implications of this decision are Bloomberg’s Swati Gupta, who has been writing about the topic, and Vinay Lal, professor of history and Asian American Studies at UCLA.
With files from the Associated Press
Couple Friends--The Other Couple You And Your Partner Always Seem To Hang Out With
It happens all of the time. You start dating someone seriously, you meet each others' parents, go on vacations together, maybe even get married. And then, you start seeing other people. Other couples that is. We're talking about couple friendships, when one romantic pair is friends with another. They may go on double dates together and typically only hang out as couples. No third wheeling or splitting off. It's nice to have another couple to be friends with. But, it can also get a little complicated. Jealousy may arise as you now have a relationship to constantly compare yours to. And you may find yourself getting caught up in the other pair's arguments. Today on AirTalk, we hear about listeners' couple friendships! The good and the bad.
