Volkswagen pays up, Pew find U.S. Latinos are really young, and the passing of a legend, Prince
How the young booming Latino population could impact the US
A new study out from the Pew Research Center finds that the Latino population in the U.S. skews very young: Nearly half of U.S.-born Latinos are younger than 18.
Mark Hugo Lopez, director of Hispanic Research for Pew, joined host Alex Cohen to explain more about the potential impact this population could have on the nation.
The Wheel Thing: Volkswagen offers car buyback in settlement over emissions scandal
Volkswagen has reached "an agreement in principle" to settle claims over its diesel emissions scandal. Under the proposal, consumers would have several options:
- The company will buy back vehicles, presumably at market value
- VW will address the faulty emissions system
- Leaseholders will be allowed to cancel their lease without penalty
The deal was announced Thursday at a federal court hearing. It includes Volkswagen and other key parties, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the California Air Resources Board, and the California Attorney General.
Volkswagen will also contribute to a fund to promote green automotive technology and pay for environmental damages.
The settlement only addresses the 480,000 cars with 2-liter diesel engines. Volkswagen also sold about 80,000 3-liter engines with the emissions cheat that don’t appear to be addressed in the deal.
It’s still unclear when owners can exercise their options, but the federal judge in San Francisco overseeing the case indicated he expected a formalized agreement within 60 days. Until then, many details of the agreement will remain under wraps. The judge indicated he would accept public comments on the deal once the agreement is formalized.
Just the buy-back portion of the plan could cost Volkswagen as much $7.3 billion. Still to be determined are the cost of fines or penalties which may be assessed for wrongdoing at some future date. And the company faces a variety of other lawsuits and penalties, both in the U.S. and in other countries where it sold a total of 11 million vehicles equipped with the emission cheat.
The company used a so-called defeat device which ramped up emissions controls when vehicles were being tested but dialed them back under normal driving conditions, causing vehicles they promoted as "clean diesel" to produce as much as 40 times the maximum emissions under U.S. standards.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said he was pleased with the agreement. Attorneys for Volkswagen also appeared happy with the outcome. One attorney told the judge he’d put in 400 hours over the last four weeks working on the deal.
Take Two motor critic Susan Carpenter joined the show to provide more details. Listen to the full interview by pressing the blue play button above.
Are reversible lanes the answer to California's traffic?
No matter what sort of car you drive, there is one problem that plagues most Californians at one point or another, and sometimes multiple times in one day: Traffic.
There is so much of it, so often, throughout the state. But Assemblyman Mike Gatto, who represents California's 43 district, thinks he might have a partial fix: Reversible lanes.
He joined host Alex Cohen to tell more.
Interview Highlights
What is a reversible lane?
"A reversible lane is the concept that traffic typically flows in one direction more heavy at one time of day, and if we could somehow expand the capacity of the direction where that traffic was flowing, we could really improve the commute for Southern Californians." (Reversible lanes are already in use in San Francisco and San Diego)
What is Mike Gatto's bill proposing?
"This bill would require that whenever there is a new project or whenever a road is being resurfaced or majorly renovated, that the people who are doing it, whether it's Cal Trans or the local authorities, have to consider whether reversible lanes would be a wise decision for that road."
What things make L.A. ripe for reversible lane use?
"Southern California, I'd like to remind people, is completely unique... The city of Los Angeles alone, and this does not count the surrounding cities, the city alone is 469 square miles. We are a culture of sprawl and we are a region that was probably not planned too wisely when it first developed, and because of that we are still dealing with the after-effects. And so my position is, you know, we have these certain weaknesses that are built in, but it doesn't mean that policy makers can't think about what's the best way to do things now. And I would submit that yes, in Southern California, this is a particular problem."
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Titus Welliver on the quiet intensity of Amazon Prime's 'Bosch'
With so much streaming content out there these days, it can be easy to miss really great stuff.
If you are a fan of police procedurals and you're interested in checking out one set right here in LA, may we recommend the show BOSCH?
The Amazon Prime series is based on several books by novelist Michael Connelly about a disgruntled detective named Harry Bosch.
When we first meet him, Bosch is under investigation after fatally shooting a suspect.
It's an all-too familiar scenario that many real law enforcement and civilians alike are acutely aware of. And it's something that the team felt a responsibility to handle with respect. Titus Welliver, who plays the titular character, will explain how.
Welliver recently dropped by our studio to talk more about the second season of the show and why he has a penchant for playing more serious characters.
State of Affairs: Candidates look to CA for delegates and cash
On this week's State of Affairs, presidential candidates ramp up their California campaigns, lawmakers debate gun control measures, and the first debate for candidates running for U.S. Senate.
Joining Take Two to discuss:
- , senior editor for KQED's California Politics & Government Desk
- , POLITICO's California Playbook reporter
Medi-Cal for immigrant kids in US illegally starts in May
Starting next month, California will become the first state in the nation to make its version of Medicaid available to children in the U.S. illegally.
The state Department of Health Care Services estimates that about 170,000 kids under 19 without legal status will be eligible for Medi-Cal under a law passed last fall. Half of those expected to enroll live in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, according to experts.
The expansion will cost an estimated $40 million the first year and about $132 million annually in the future, according to Health Care Services, which oversees Medi-Cal, the state's health care program for the poor.
While Medi-Cal is the state version of the federal Medicaid program, California will cover the cost of care for unauthorized immigrant kids, since they are ineligible to receive federal funding.
Children in families earning up to 266 percent of the federal poverty limit are eligible for free or low-cost Medi-Cal; the income limit is currently about $64,000 a year for a family of four.
Officials have had some logistical difficulties enacting the law, but they expect it to go into effect May 16. Coverage will be retroactive to May 1.
Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), who authored the law, said moving low-income children without legal status to Medi-Cal will save taxpayers money.
"This is a step forward, ensuring the state cuts costs in providing comprehensive Medi-Cal for a population that ends up being treated in our emergency rooms," Lara said. "It makes financial sense and is the right thing to do."
Critics disagree. They argue it is too expensive, it could cause immigrants without legal status to put down deeper roots in the state and it could encourage more people to come here illegally.
"California is formally incorporating people who shouldn’t be in the country into our institutions," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Services, a Washington, D.C. organization that advocates for immigration restrictions. "The result of that is enormous costs."
Efforts like this and others, including California's granting of driver’s licenses, in-state tuition, financial aid and shelter from immigration enforcement are "a broader attempt to undertake a piecemeal amnesty of illegal immigration," he said.
Lara, who is behind an effort to ask the federal government to allow people in the country illegally to buy unsubsidized health insurance through Covered California, counters that many of those without legal status contribute to the economy by working and paying taxes.
About half of the kids in California who don’t have legal status are already on some kind of health program – either public or private – and the new law will help streamline care, said Daniel Zingale, a senior vice president at The California Endowment.
"A lot of money is being spent on a patchwork of emergency Medi-Cal programs and other special programs to deal with this inconsistency," Zingale said. "Now money can be directed to a program that treats all children the same."
Some kids may be on restricted Medi-Cal – which lasts for 60 days at a time – and is used primarily for emergency situations. Kids on this program will be automatically transferred to regular Medi-Cal when the law goes into effect. For that reason, experts are encouraging parents to sign their kids up for restricted Medi-Cal now.
Kids in other programs may have to submit an application to Medi-Cal or will be transferred by their plan.
Many counties offer programs that are open to those without legal status that are paid for with taxpayer dollars, foundation grants and other private funding, according to the California Coverage and Health Initiatives, which helps organize many of these programs.
Los Angeles County’s My Health L.A. program, which provides primary care coverage for people who are not eligible for insurance, has about 10,000 kids age six and up enrolled, said Amy Viste, of My Health LA.
Kaiser Permanente also offers a program, known as Kaiser Kids, that provides free or low-cost insurance for kids from low- to middle-income families who do not qualify for other insurance, according to a Kaiser spokeswoman.
When President Richard Nixon met the KIng of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley
Tomorrow the new feature film, Elvis and Nixon hits selected theaters. The movie stars Kevin Spacey as the 37th President of the United States (no, not Frank Underwood) and Michael Shannon as the King of Rock, Elvis Presley.
The film is based on a true story that took place in 1970. As the story goes, Presley was desperate to meet Nixon, so he wrote him a letter, asking for an audience.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/310005529/Elvis-s-letter-to-Richard-Nixon
With a single meeting, an awkward photo and Elvis’s desire to help the federal government, President Nixon and the rock star became acquaintances.
We speak about it with historian and author Luke Nichter.