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Podcasts Take Two
Coronavirus Long Beach Mayor, Coronavirus Latino Inequity, Circus of Books Documentary
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Apr 22, 2020
Listen • 51:20
Coronavirus Long Beach Mayor, Coronavirus Latino Inequity, Circus of Books Documentary

Long Beach triples its COVID-19 tests, uninsured Latino workers expected to be among the hardest hit by COVID-19 and the story of the "Circus of Books" store.
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"We need to ensure that we collect data, study national and local workforce trends, and most importantly ensure that the process is open and balanced," Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said.
"We need to ensure that we collect data, study national and local workforce trends, and most importantly ensure that the process is open and balanced," Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said.
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Benjamin Brayfield/KPCC
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Coronavirus Long Beach Mayor

As of this past weekend, the city of Long Beach tripled its capacity for COVID-19 tests. Expanding access to testing is among Gov. Gavin Newsom’s key steps to reopen California. We discuss the other ways the city is coping with the deadly outbreak. 

Guest: 

  • Robert Garcia, Long Beach Mayor

Coronavirus Publicly Traded PPP

The $349 billion dollar Paycheck Protection Program was supposed to help small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. And it did. But there has also been a lot of outcry over big national companies that got these loans. KPCC's Emily Guerin has been looking at some larger California companies that got loans. 

Guest:

  • Emily Guerin, KPCC's Senior Environment Reporter 

Coronavirus Latino Inequity

Now, if we’ve learned anything from the pandemic so far, it’s that the coronavirus itself can infect anyone. But it’s far from an equalizer. The spread of the outbreak appears to have widened the gap between the haves and have-nots here in Southern California, burdening those who are already on the lower end of the income ladder. And among the hardest hit: the uninsured. We discuss a new report out of UCLA looking at the intersection of the pandemic and uninsured working Latinos.

Guest:

  • Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA

Coronavirus Representative Raul Ruiz on Coachella

One area with some of the highest populations of working class Latinos is in the Coachella Valley. It and the rest of Riverside County has had close to 3,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 93 deaths. And the pandemic hasn't just taken a health toll on the area, but also an big financial one, too for a place driven by tourism and farm work. We check in on how the community is doing.

Guest:

  • Democratic U.S. Congressman Raul Ruiz 

On the Lot

What will be the new normal for Hollywood? Some of the early ideas being tossed around for reopening business. 

Guest: 

  • Rebecca Keegan, Senior Film Editor for The Hollywood Reporter 

Circus of Books Documentary

For decades, the West Hollywood store “Circus of Books” was a go-to place for adult material--books, magazines and lots of porn. The owners, Barry and Karen Mason, even became distributors of gay porn. And their hub of activity for many gay men in LA. Meanwhile the Masons kept their work a secret from their three kids and their friends. Their story and that of the store is told in a Netflix documentary out today called “Circus Of Books.” 

Guests:

  • Barry and Karen Mason, "Circus of Books" store owners 
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