A look at Mayor Eric Garcetti's sustainability plan for Los Angeles, the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, drifting at the Grand Prix at Long Beach.
Digging into Mayor Garcetti's 'sustainable' LA plan
Following Gov. Jerry Brown's lead, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti is getting serious about sustainability.
He unveiled his vision for an eco-friendly city on Wednesday. That 20-year outlook includes an increase in the use of electric cars, more reliance on solar power and a reduction in gas emissions.
Mark Gold, acting director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, has more on Garcetti's laundry list of environmental goals.
A look back at Robert E. Lee's surrender 150 years ago today
150 years ago today, on April 9th 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appamattox Court House, Virginia.
While other battles were fought and other surrenders followed, the day has come to mark the symbolic end of the Civil War.
It brought an end to slavery and established legal equality for former slaves. Yet looking back, many wonder how far we've truly come in terms of racial equality.
UCLA history professor Brenda Stevenson joined Take Two to discuss the significance of today's anniversary. Stevenson is author of the forthcoming book "What is Slavery?"
President Obama faces pressures at Summit of the Americas
Tonight President Obama arrives in Panama to attend the Summit of the Americas, which kicks off tomorrow, but if the last Summit was any indication, the President might receive less than a warm welcome from his fellow leaders.
Eric Hershberg, the Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University, joins A Martinez for a discussion.
Police officers and traffic stops
This week news of a fatal shooting in North Charleston, South Carolina became a huge story.
Officer Michael Slager shot and killed Walter Scott, a 50-year-old resident of the city, after a traffic stop turned into an altercation. The incident, which was caught on video, shows Slager shooting Scott from behind as he was trying to flee.
Slager, who has since been arrested and charged with murder, claimed that he was in danger. But what precipitated the event is less known – Scott was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction.
Slate staff writer Jamelle Bouie wrote about the traffic stop, and how some police departments use traffic stops as a pretext for harassment and abuse.
The Wheel Thing: The bare minimum you need to know about the motorsport known as drifting
This weekend, sections of Long Beach, California will be shrouded in enough smoke from burning rubber to trigger a smog alert. And enough noise to unhinge a complete set of teeth.
Formula Drift racing comes to the city's street-based Gran Prix track. Should the subject of this wild racing phenomenon come up in polite conversation, here are few key bullet points that could prevent you from sounding like a culturally disconnected dolt.
- Drifting got its start on Japanese mountain roads, where thrill seekers would push their cars into an oversteer condition and then slide through curves.
- It found adherents here in the US, and eventually, a pro racing circuit, Formula D, was organized. The actual rules and scoring are too complex to worry about; basically, drivers get points by maintaining crazy angles while sliding through turns.
- The vehicles are rear wheel drive sedans and coupes (usually small or mid-size) that have been beefed up with engines that produce as much as 700 horsepower. Some are equipped with nitrous tanks that can briefly boost the horsepower even more.
- LSD is a must for a drifter. That's LSD as in limited slip differential. It's considered essential for performing the slips and slides that are at the core of the driving style.
- Drifting got a big boost in popularity after the racing style was featured in the 2006 film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
If seeing is knowing, this video is worth tens of thousands of words:
Drift Racing in Long Beach, Calif
Susan Carpenter is auto and motorcycle critic for the OC Register. She joins Take Two each Thursday for The Wheel Thing.
State of Affairs: Drought, mandatory vaccines, and undocumented immigrants
On this week's State of Affairs: Gov. Jerry Brown meets with agriculture industry leaders on the drought, a bill mandating vaccines for schoolchildren gets its first public hearing, and California Democrats announce support for a package of bills directed at undocumented immigrants.
Political news from around the Golden State with USC's Sherry Bebitch Jeffe and Capital Public Radio state government reporter Katie Orr.
Author, counselor weigh on banning conversion therapy
President Barack Obama has announced support for an end to what's commonly known as conversion therapy.
This branch of psychiatric therapy is aimed at changing the sexual orientation or gender identity of gay, lesbian and transgender youth.
The president will not explicitly call for a federal law banning therapists from using such techniques. Rather, White House Officials say he'll throw his support behind the efforts to ban the practice at the state level.
Journalist Jeff Chu, author of the book "Does Jesus Really Love Me? A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America," and counselor James Guay join host Alex Cohen with more.
VA hospital wait lists show little improvement
A year after it was reported that sick veterans were waiting too long to be seen at VA hospitals around the country, and months reforms were made, government data shows the wait lists at VA facilities are not any shorter.
David Caruso with Associate Press has looked at the numbers, and talks to A Martinez about them.
California VA facilities and their wait times
Here's a look at how California VA centers fared from September to February, when facility-level data became available. Each facility is accompanied by total appointments completed during that period, care that was delayed at least 31 days and percentage delayed at least 31 days.
| Facility | Total Appointments | Delayed Appointments | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern California VA-Sacramento Valley | 133328 | 9011 | 6.76% |
| San Luis Obispo VA Clinic | 5419 | 348 | 6.42% |
| Sepulveda VA Clinic | 86373 | 4618 | 5.35% |
| Martinez VA Clinic | 73352 | 3854 | 5.25% |
| Santa Maria VA Clinic | 15854 | 829 | 5.23% |
| Mare Island VA Clinic | 10487 | 481 | 4.59% |
| Ukiah VA Clinic | 8742 | 396 | 4.53% |
| Central California VA-Fresno | 99534 | 4356 | 4.38% |
| Stockton VA Clinic | 14258 | 608 | 4.26% |
| McClellan VA Clinic | 45706 | 1907 | 4.17% |
| Gardena VA Clinic | 3704 | 151 | 4.08% |
| Greater Los Angeles VA-West Los Angeles | 167096 | 6772 | 4.05% |
| Palo Alto VA-Livermore | 34671 | 1370 | 3.95% |
| Eureka VA Clinic | 15960 | 587 | 3.68% |
| Murrieta VA Clinic | 11006 | 371 | 3.37% |
| Clearlake VA Clinic | 6428 | 214 | 3.33% |
| Los Angeles VA Clinic | 51883 | 1676 | 3.23% |
| Monterey VA Clinic | 24678 | 796 | 3.23% |
| Oceanside VA Clinic | 42464 | 1342 | 3.16% |
| Loma Linda VA | 263144 | 8302 | 3.15% |
| Palo Alto VA | 108085 | 3356 | 3.10% |
| Oxnard VA Clinic | 9482 | 283 | 2.98% |
| Modesto VA Clinic | 15654 | 453 | 2.89% |
| San Diego VA | 214232 | 6132 | 2.86% |
| Chico VA Clinic | 19956 | 522 | 2.62% |
| Victorville VA Clinic | 9226 | 241 | 2.61% |
| San Jose VA Clinic | 28295 | 705 | 2.49% |
| Sonora VA Clinic | 5411 | 121 | 2.24% |
| Fremont VA Clinic | 4885 | 97 | 1.99% |
| Merced VA Clinic | 4982 | 95 | 1.91% |
| San Francisco VA | 173272 | 3270 | 1.89% |
| Santa Rosa VA Clinic | 22303 | 398 | 1.78% |
| Redding VA Clinic | 44566 | 779 | 1.75% |
| Chula Vista VA Clinic | 13825 | 237 | 1.71% |
| Santa Ana VA Clinic | 11219 | 188 | 1.68% |
| Mission Valley VA Clinic | 64498 | 1068 | 1.66% |
| Rancho Cucamonga VA Clinic | 8559 | 139 | 1.62% |
| Oakhurst VA Clinic | 2672 | 43 | 1.61% |
| Escondido VA Clinic | 10096 | 151 | 1.50% |
| Sierra Foothills VA Clinic | 6244 | 93 | 1.49% |
| San Francisco VA Clinic | 4905 | 68 | 1.39% |
| Antelope Valley VA Clinic | 4763 | 66 | 1.39% |
| Santa Barbara VA Clinic | 6272 | 84 | 1.34% |
| Long Beach VA | 261390 | 3288 | 1.26% |
| Tulare VA Clinic | 7084 | 84 | 1.19% |
| Anaheim VA Clinic | 5713 | 66 | 1.16% |
| Laguna Hills VA Clinic | 4935 | 57 | 1.16% |
| Oakland VA Clinic | 35290 | 378 | 1.07% |
| Bakersfield VA Clinic | 20695 | 196 | 0.95% |
| Diamond View VA Clinic | 1882 | 16 | 0.85% |
| San Bruno VA Clinic | 5446 | 43 | 0.79% |
| Fairfield VA Clinic | 10679 | 82 | 0.77% |
| Santa Fe Springs VA Clinic | 3862 | 25 | 0.65% |
| Corona VA Clinic | 6161 | 29 | 0.47% |
| Imperial Valley VA Clinic | 2650 | 11 | 0.42% |
| Yuba City VA Clinic | 6603 | 24 | 0.36% |
| Palo Alto VA-Menlo Park | 16095 | 50 | 0.31% |
| Palm Desert VA Clinic | 11631 | 28 | 0.24% |
| East Los Angeles VA Clinic | 5176 | 8 | 0.15% |
| Capitola VA Clinic | 811 | 1 | 0.12% |
| Cabrillo VA Clinic | 2910 | 0 | 0.00% |
What are your favorite California poems?
The hunt is on for California's new poet laureate. Friday is the deadline to apply, or nominate a candidate.
But Take Two would also like to see some nominations -- for the best poem about California.
Share your thoughts with us on Facebook,
, or in the comments below.