Judge to rule on San Bernardino's bankruptcy eligibility; Arizona hot shot crew heads to Idaho to battle wildfires; Desert tortoise conservation center in Nevada to close; Sports Roundup: Aaron Hernandez, Lamar Odom, and more
Judge to rule on San Bernardino's bankruptcy eligibility
Today, the city of San Bernardino learns whether it's eligible for bankruptcy protection. The case has garnered nation-wide attention since it could set a precedent as the first city ever allowed to get out of its pension obligations to city employees.
That's a big issue in the far bigger bankruptcy case of Detroit.
Joining the show to explain what the outcome in San Bernardino could mean is California-based bankruptcy attorney Michael Sweet.
Arizona hot shot crew heads to Idaho to battle wildfires
This morning, a hotshot crew of firefighters will leave their home base in Arizona and head to Boise Idaho. There they'll get their next assignment, which could be fighting fires somewhere in the northern Rockies, or possibly even here in California.
Earlier this summer, another hot shot crew, the Granite Mountain Hotshots, suffered devastating losses when the Yarnell Hill fire killed 19 firefighters. Now many questions have been raised about the decision to assign this crew to the fire
John Dougherty, an investigative journalist and founder of the news blog, Investigative Media, joins the show with more.
Understanding the fight over California prisons
Imagine for a moment a city the size of Simi Valley with a population of about 120,000 people. But instead of being spread across town, those same people were crammed into just 34 overflowing buildings across the state.
That's the reality for California's prison system.
Facilities are at more than 130-percent capacity, thousands of prisoners have spent the last 52 days on a hunger strike to protest the conditions of solitary confinement. Courts have told Governor Brown to ease crowding ... or else.
Just yesterday, Brown proposed spending $315 million to lease space from county jails and private facilities, and move prisoners there. But fixing the state's prison system isn't just a matter of reducing overcrowding. It's looking at its whole history, and how it evolved to what it is today.
California's prison system has probably one of the most complicated histories in the country, and since the 1940s there have been several ideas of what counts as reform.
The birth of what we might consider California's modern prison system began in the mid-20th century when, in 1944, the state legislature passed the Prison Reformation Act.
"This is the period which we consider the Golden Age of California corrections," says Sharon Dolovich, a professor of law at UCLA who teaches about prisons and criminal justice. "This was a period when all kinds of things we now think of as very familiar parts of the system were actually developed."
For example, the concept of indeterminate sentencing was created where convicts would be sentence to a range of years and then be released when officials deemed them fit to reenter society. Programming was also designed to help rehabilitate prisoners so they would be judged safe to release.
"This was a period when people came from all over the world to study the forward thinking model of California corrections," says Dolovich.
But then starting in the 1960s, the state of crime and corrections began to dramatically change.
"There was a growing sense on the right and the left that the model of indeterminate sentencing and rehabilitation was open to abuse," says Dolovich.
Liberals and civil rights activists argued that the system was prone to racial bias, with black prisoners held in confinement for longer. Meanwhile conservatives declared a war on crime and pushed for stronger sentencing guidelines.
Then starting in the 1970s, the prisoner population started to dramatically change. Michael Montgomery from the Center for Investigative Reporting has extensively covered the state's corrections system.
"There was a great debate about what worked, what changed men. This led to this notion that nothing works," said Montgomery.
Meanwhile from 1960 to 1980, crime rates in California shot up more than 250 percent.
"People like President Nixon and others had something to point to in terms of stoking the fears," said Montgomery.
Drug and racial violence also drove up prison populations, which in turn encouraged more criminal outfits within penitentiary walls.
"In a way it was a perfect storm. What you get is an exponential increase in the population to the point in 2006 where we have 175,000 in prison in California and out of state," said Montgomery. "It doesn't mean that that's what the Department of Corrections would want in an ideal world, but it's a situation we have."
Watching that shift from the inside was Boris Jimenez. In 1988, he was convicted of 2nd degree murder and was sentence for 17 to life. He served 25 years at nine different facilities before being released on parole on May 3rd, 2012. He currently lives in L.A. and works at Homeboy Industries.
"When I first walked in I think there was more respect between inmates and officers at that time," he said. "Maybe when the 1990s arrived, everything started to change. It started to get out of control, a lot."
He also described how, through the years, more and more rehabilitation programs were being taken away.
"Being that we're there, it's part of our rehab and we have to work on ourselves," said Jimenez. "If we're going to get another opportunity as a free person, then I think it's always good to work on ourselves."
But there isn't an easy solution to the problems the correctional system current faces.
"Reducing the prison population is a key step," said Montgomery. "There are also a lot of alternatives to incarceration."
However without a broad look at issues like sentencing laws, too, California still has a long distance to go before any semblance of reform can take place.
LA Board OKs expansion of Golden Oaks Ranch film and TV facility
Mayor Eric Garcetti appeared on the Today Show yesterday, declaring a state of emergency over the state of the film business in Los Angeles. Garcetti says he hopes to bring more tax incentives to curb runaway production in Los Angeles.
A move yesterday by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors will likely help bring it back to southern California. They've approved the expansion of a major high-tech TV and film facility at the Golden Oaks Ranch in Santa Clarita.
For more on this, we're joined by Ted Johnson of Variety.
Sports Roundup: Aaron Hernandez, Lamar Odom, and more
Time for sports with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, who have covered the sports scene for the L.A. Times and ESPN.
ESPN partnered up with PBS's Frontline for a documentary about the NFL and concussions, but last week, ESPN dropped out. There's all kinds of speculation that this is because of pressure from the NFL. What do we know? Does ESPN take a hit to any reputation is has as a news organization because of this? What about "Outside the Lines," ESPN's own documentary unit. Why did they feel the need to partner with Frontline in the first place?
Rolling Stone has an upcoming profile of Aaron Hernandez that's prompting jaws to drop even further than they already did in this case. Hernandez, of course, is the former New England Patriot tight-end who's been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of semi-pro player Odin Lloyd. What do we learn from Rolling Stone?
The NFL player's union has filed a grievance on behalf of Hernandez, trying to recoup a bonus he was due under his contract. Is this just something the union had to do?
Let's turn closer to home here with a weird story tangentially out of Lakerland, Lamar Odom. Reports last week that the former Laker, now free agent, was missing and possibly dealing with a drug problem. Then no, he wasn't missing but friends had staged an intervention. Does it have any potential effect on the continuation of his career?
The Dodgers are threatening to be the best team in baseball, even though the Red Sox tried to put a crimp in that last weekend. But for a lot of folks around town Blue is the new black, at least on their blank TV screens. Time Warner Cable's dispute with CBS, which is keeping the Blue off many TV's around the city. Basically every road game, plus whatever home games were bought up by KCAL. So that has people angry, but nothing like what we'll see if this isn't fixed by the time the NFL begins, and fans lose access to one of the three broadcast Sunday games.
ESPN The Mag did a poll regarding Alex Rodriguez with some fairly surprising result
The latest in the Johnny Manziel and the NCAA pay-for-autograph scandal. Word has it they all met. What do we know about that conversation?
I have to wonder if Packers QB Aaron Rodgers owns stock in pharmaceutical statins. He has created a new limited-edition burger to be sold at Lambeau Field with the following ingredients: Bacon, Peanut Butter, Swiss, Havarti, Avocado, Pickles, Jalapeno, Crispy Fried Onion Rings, Mayo, and Ranch.
LA activist recalls March on Washington era as hopeful, turbulent
The 'March on Washington' was key moment in the civil rights movement. But it also inspired many to become active in other issues.
KPCC's Corey Moore spoke with a woman who remembers how her trip to the nation's capital inspired her to work for others.
The impact of the March on Washington and MLK's 'I Have A Dream' speech
For those looking to commemorate the March on Washington here in Southern California, there are a number of opportunities to do so. Congresswoman Janice Hahn, for one, will be hosting an "I Have a Dream" speech at Compton College this afternoon.
A special commemoration and call to action mass meeting will be held tonight at the Holman United Methodist Church in West Adams.
Of course the main event is in Washington, DC. That's where we reached Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters who represents California's 43rd District. Waters joins Take Two to talk about that significance of that day in 1963.
Re-enacting the March On Washington
The dream speech will be heard throughout the country today, including right here, in L.A. at Huntington Park High School. Today, students and staff there will re-enact scenes from the March on Washington.
History teacher Saul Lankster will be reciting Dr. King's famous speech. He joins the show with more.
Rim Fire threatens Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy reservoir
The Rim Fire is still only about 25 percent contained and has burned almost 293 square miles, making it California's 7th largest wildfire on record. Yesterday it reached the shores of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.
That's the drinking water source for much of San Francisco. For an update on the threat, we're joined by Tyrone Jue of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
App Chat: Capture your brilliant ideas with these free note-taking apps
Now it's time for App Chat, our regular segment where tech writers give you their app recommendations. This week we're joined by Devindra Hardawar, national mobile editor for Venture Beat.
On tap this week are the best note taking apps to help us capture our best, most brilliant, fleeting ideas.
Evernote
This app is free on iOS, Android, Winphone, and others. It's $45 for premium version with more uploads, better security and collaborative options. It's perfect for just about every instance, be it a quick grocery list or voice memo. Hardawar used it to record interviews, and it automatically gets uploaded from his phone and is accessible from all his PCs.
Penultimate (bought by Evernote in 2012, but currently a separate app)
This app is free on iPad. It's one of the first apps for handwritten notes on the iPad. It tries to replicate the experience of using pen and paper digitally. The technology makes your notes look better, since hand writing on glass screens can look ugly. It also syncs with Evernote.
Google Keep
Available for free on Android 4.0+ devices, this app has similar note-taking features as Evernote, but deeply integrated within Android. It can transcribe audio notes, something that Evernote (and other services) don't offer yet.
Paper
Paper is available for free on iPad, this app is good for note taking with a more visual spin, great for sketching, drawing diagrams or hand writing notes. It also supports styluses.
Sales data shows that Californians love their electric cars
Look out BMW and Mercedes. Tesla's all-electric sedan, the S model, is nipping at the heels of long-established luxury brands.
In the first half of this year, Tesla outsold Porsche, Lincoln and even Cadillac to become the third best-selling luxury car in California, according to the New Car Dealers Association of California.
As much as we're enamored with the Tesla S, Californians remain head-over-heals for the Toyota hybrid, the Prius. We bought almost 34,000 of them in the first six months of the year.
Fully a third of all battery electric vehicles sold in the United States were bought by people living in two California cities – Los Angeles and San Francisco. Considering the population, San Francisco is EV crazy. One of every five electric cars sold in this country went to a buyer from the city by the Bay.
Pure electric cars, or BEV's (battery electric vehicles), still make up a tiny sliver of overall automobile sales, but manufacturers are trimming prices to spur buyers. There are now lease deals at around $200 a month for electrics such as Nissan's Leaf, the Chevy Spark, and (if you can find one) Fiat's electric version of the 500 model.
And leasing may be the smart way to go. So far, at least, depreciation on electric cars has been much steeper than that for conventional automobiles. One study found the resale price of a Leaf falling 50 percent in a single year. Plus, auto buffs note, the technology is improving very quickly, so newer models will have longer range and more features. They say a lease might be a smart way to avoid getting left behind in the electric car evolution.
As sexy and alluring as it is, the Tesla S, with its $70,000 price tag (and that's for the base model) remains outside the realm of possibility for most California drivers. But, there is an option. A stretch maybe, but an option.
Toyota is pushing an under $300 a month lease for the electric version of its crossover SUV, the RAV-4. The company says this deal will only last until Labor Day, but here's the kicker: The RAV-4 EV features a battery pack and motor manufactured by Telsa. So, even though it doesn't have the sleek, sexy body, and even though it says Toyota on the outside, you can tell your friends it's a Tesla.
Under the hood, anyway.
Report: American west on the brink of a wild horse crisis
The American west is knowns for wide open plains where buffalo once roamed and where wild horses still run free. It sounds idyllic, but there is such a thing as too many wild horses.
Wild horses are destroying native rangelands and in many cases are more nuisance than western icon. Montana State University 's Robert Garrott co-wrote a paper outlining the dilemma of managing these wild horse populations.
Desert tortoise conservation center in Nevada to close
Mojave desert tortoises have been living in the desert southwest for millions of years. But in recent decades, the tortoises faced threats from disease and development.
Now there's more bad news. A facility set up to protect the animals is closing. The Desert Tortoise Conservation Center in Las Vegas will shut down because of budget cuts within the next year.
Carolyn Wells is the Nevada deputy state supervisor with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's statement on the status of the desert tortoises at the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center in Nevada:
Recent media reports regarding the status of desert tortoises at the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center (DTCC) have implied that the FWS is currently euthanizing desert tortoises at the facility. We want the public to know that the FWS is not euthanizing healthy tortoises.
The DTCC was established in 1990 to receive wild tortoises in harm’s way from development and has taken in unwanted pets since 1996. Over 1,000 tortoises arrived at the DTCC each year, and approximately 98 percent of those are surrendered or stray pets. Science-based protocols developed for desert tortoises brought to the DTCC have been instrumental in helping the FWS maintain a healthy population of desert tortoise in the wild. Managing to recover desert tortoise, a threatened species, is a complex task in which all options need to be considered, and all risks and benefits to the species must be assessed.
Many pet tortoises, unfortunately, are diseased or otherwise in poor health, and run the risk of spreading disease to wild tortoises. These tortoises cannot be relocated to the wild, or otherwise contribute to recovery of the desert tortoise population. Sometimes euthanasia of unhealthy pet tortoises is necessary, but only as last resort, and only after we evaluate other options. All healthy tortoises at the DTCC will be relocated to sites that will support the recovery of the species.
Progress is being made on translocating the healthy DTCC tortoise population to the wild. A Programmatic Environmental Assessment is complete, and tortoises are already being translocated by the FWS to an approved site in Trout Canyon, Nevada. Public scoping for a second translocation plan was completed Aug 22, 2013, for a proposed translocation area south of Coyote Springs, Nevada.
The Animal Foundation (TAF), Lied Animal Shelter continues to take in unwanted pet tortoises from the public. However, the fact remains that the DTCC does not currently have the capacity or the funding to accept and care for additional tortoises.
Recovery of the desert tortoise in the wild continues to be our top priority. However we are deeply concerned about the growing number of unwanted pets, and will continue to work with our partner agencies toward finding a suitable solution for tortoises that cannot be returned to the wild.
Drug-sniffing dogs may pose challenge in states with legalized pot
Drug-sniffing dogs can play a key role in police departments looking to uncover illegal stashes, but for these dogs in Colorado and Washington, the job has become a lot trickier now that marijuana is legal.
In Colorado, for example, anyone over 21 can possess up to an ounce of marijuana and use it in the privacy of his or her home. They cannot openly use marijuana in the street.
But how will dogs, trained to sniff out pot in the past, be retrained to not recognize the presence of marijuana?
"We're trying to adjust to our new law, but still we assist with federal agencies where marijuana is still illegal" said Sergeant Brian Cummings of the Colorado Springs Police Department. "There is a need for us to maintain dogs that detect the odor of marijuana."
Most of the new dogs coming to the police department are trained to only smell drugs that are currently illegal under Colorado state law.
"This is such a new law and we don't want to have any issues in the court later," said Cummings.
But, that doesn't mean dogs that do smell marijuana are going anywhere.
"Each dog is selected and they build quite a bond with the handler," said Cummings. "They serve a purpose. They're law enforcement dogs, but there is that bond. I can't see us sending a dog away to get a dog that doesn't detect marijuana."
Additionally, police still need these dogs because possessing more than an ounce of marijuana is illegal in Colorado. If a dog smells marijuana, then an officer has a right to decide whether to conduct a search, Cummings said. They also use the dogs to assist federal agencies because marijuana is still illegal under federal law.
Web article by Nuran Alteir