34th congressional race reflects state of CA Democrats, the impact of police reform known as consent decree in LA, avoiding the latest phone scam.
The breakdown: What the primary for Xavier Becerra's seat reveals about California Democrats
There were nearly two dozen contenders in the race for Xavier Becerra's seat in the 34th District, with Becerra having left to becoming California's attorney general. Wednesday morning, it was down to two: Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez and former city planner Robert Lee Ahn.
The two men will face off again in June. The deciding district stretches from Boyle Heights to Highland Park, Eagle Rock to Koreatown — but even people outside the district were watching closely.
Some speculated that the race could offer hints about the direction of the Democratic Party. KPCC's Take Two broke down the election with two guests:
- Mary Plummer, senior politics reporter for KPCC
- Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College
Interview highlights
Jimmy Gomez was favored to win. He had several high-level endorsements, but early on he was painted as an establishment politician. Some even thought those endorsements could be a liability in a district that voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary. Do you think the endorsements hurt him at all?
Mary Plummer: There was a lot of talk about that, but it didn't seem to play out with voters. Gomez was a frontrunner from the beginning. He really got out front early with endorsements and just kept adding them on. Becerra was among his backers, as was L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti. He also had a really big leg up with name recognition. His state assembly district already covers half of the district's boundaries.
Jack, do you think the endorsements had any impact?
Jack Pitney: They definitely helped Gomez and increased his visibility, obviously. He had some name identification from his service in the Assembly, but getting the Good Housekeeping seal of approval from a well-regarded incumbent was definitely overall an asset.
Gomez did latch onto progressive policies like single-payer health care. Was this a race where it seemed like candidates were trying to "out-progressive" each other?
Plummer: This race — at times — certainly did seem like a race to the left. Many of the 23 candidates competing for this seat listed fighting President Trump as a top priority. They agreed on a lot of issues — issues that are important to many liberal Democrats, like embracing sanctuary cities.
At a candidate forum I went to, it was clear that this is also what a lot of voters in this district were looking for.
Democratic strategist Eric Hacopian was quoted in the L.A. Times recently. He said:
"If Jimmy Gomez is too conservative for this district (and that would have been laughable just two years ago) that should tell you where the body politic is going."
What does this say to you about where Democratic politics are going in California?
Pitney: Definitely going to the left. We don't want to read too much into this single result, but if you look overall at the election of Kamala Harris to the United States Senate with results in other districts, progressives are definitely in the driver's seat in this state.
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
Bonus Audio: California Democratic Party's Daraka Larimore-Hall on the future of Democrats in the state.
AG Jeff Sessions wants a review of all consent decrees, here's how it worked for the LAPD
This week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered the Justice Department to review all police reform agreements across the United States. These agreements are known as consent decrees.
The move is seen as signifying the stance the Trump administration has to law enforcement.
The consent decree process is one the Los Angeles Police Department knows well.
In 2001, the Justice Department put the LAPD under a consent decree after the beating of motorist Rodney King and the infamous Rampart Scandal.
Major reforms were put in place, and in 2013 the consent decree was lifted.
Civil rights attorney Connie Rice worked on those reforms and talked to us about it.
(click on the blue arrow to hear the segment)
Here's how to protect yourself from those sneaky phone call scams
There’s a telephone call going around that's taking the classic phone scam to the next level. When you answer the unknown number, the voice on the other delays in responding. The woman giggles at her headset troubles and as the call progresses she asks if you can hear her.
Before you answer, you should know two things:
- That’s not a live person you’re speaking to—it’s a recording.
- You should never answer yes when calls from unknown numbers ask, ‘Can you hear me?’
As David Lazarus discovered when he wrote about this for the LA Times, affirmative answers on these calls can lead to big trouble. He joined Libby Denkmann to break it down.
The key is to inform yourself
"At this point, what they're fishing for is an affirmative answer and that's exactly what you should not give," explained Lazarus. "Under no circumstances do you want to say yes to this recording."
What does the 'yes' open the door to?
"The 'yes' is basically going to used as a validation for some sort of purchase or transaction that you don't want. In other words, they're going to take your voice saying 'yes' to something, they'll re-edit it and then they'll be able to use that to either make a transaction go through—or, in case you challenge a transaction, to then say, 'Ah, but we've got a recording of you, so good luck in court.'
And I know a lot of people right now say, 'Yeah, but I'm not going to give them my credit card number or my social security card numbers. What's the harm?'
Well, now think for a moment about all the times you might've seen some small $9.95 charge on your phone bill for some ringtone or some text service that you didn't order. What's happening there is: The phone company has a relationship with these third parties, the phone company does have your billing information—and so when a third party is able to get onto your phone bill, that's how this thing becomes problematic.
And if your phone company simply wants some sort of validation from the third party that you've given your assent, well, that's what's just happened here."
How is it legal?
"The onus should be on whoever is handing you the bill, whether it's the phone company or the cable company or whoever, but often times it's going to be the phone company. The onus should be on them to verify the legitimacy of any third parties before a charge makes it onto your bill.
And right now, the rules say they only need to step up and verify, in the event that something becomes challenged. Which means it's the customer that has to stand guard and look at the bills and challenge the bills, and then the phone company can be roused from its stupor to go out and see if it's actually dealing with scammers."
Is there anything on the horizon in terms of combatting this, or is it just an information campaign that you're trying to get out there to help people avoid it?
"Raising awareness is obviously a big deal, and there are certain things right now like Nomorobo, for example—which you can find at nomorobo.com. That is a free service, but it basically serves as a filter. You have to establish different phone numbers that are going to be filtered out from your line, but the scammers know this, and so they're going to be changing the lines frequently. So Nomorobo is not foolproof—[just a] step in the right direction.
The real thing is going to be when the phone companies actually are able to play whack-a-mole with these guys and track them as they move from line to line. They do have the technological wherewithal to do that right now, but they just really haven't done it, and that's because it's expensive."
To listen to the full segment, click the blue play button above.
Sports Roundup: the NCAA ends their ban on North Carolina
The Dodgers opened up really big against the San Diego Padres, 14 to 3 ... but then got shut out the next game, loosing 4 to zero. Is it too soon to start paying attention to the team and their record?
And the NCAA reversed a ban they had put on the state of North Carolina. The ban was over House Bill 2, commonly referred to as the Bathroom Bill, which removed protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and required trans people to use public bathrooms according to their birth gender.
Last year the league said they would not allow championship events to be held in North Carolina, but now its been partially repealed, so the NCAA backed off its ban.
Take Two's
talks about these topics, and a lot more with contributors
The Styled Side: Victoria Beckham teams up with Target
Target is adding some spice to its racks this Sunday: designs from fashion icon and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham.
"Her collections have been well received by critics and shoppers alike," says Michelle Dalton Tyree from Fashion Trends Daily.
The Victoria Beckham for Target line is modeled after Beckham's high fashion offerings where a dress will set you back about $1,000 and a pair of pants costs $700.
"But now you can get the look from this collection with pieces between $40 to $70," says Tyree.
The retailer kicked off the collaboration with a preview party in Los Angeles, the second home to Beckham and her famous soccer player husband David.
"Limbs were practically flying in the aisles as people just grabbed armfuls of the product," says Tyree. "I barely made it to this blue-and-white striped dress I had set my sights on before all the rest on the rack disappeared."
This is the latest in Target's limited partnerships with high fashion designers, starting with Isaac Mizrahi's 2003 pairing with the company.
"They're meant to introduce our guests to maybe a designer that they've never heard of and haven't had an opportunity to shop either because they can't or don't want to pay designer prices," says Target spokesman Joshua Thomas.
The store will have a number of plus-sized styles in response to a lack of supply with past designer collaborations.
But whatever's for sale is sure to be a hit.
"Target's Lily Pulitzer collection was picked clean off the shelves in the LA-area stores," says Tyree, "many within minutes."