The Trump presidency's influence on California policy makers, New Year's Eve tips for taking a ride hail, what Georgia and Oklahoma fans think of SoCal
State of Affairs: What was CA's most significant political story of 2017?
This week on State of Affairs:
- An abrupt resignation in the Assembly now leaves three open seats in L.A. What could it all mean for Democrats in the state?
- What was California's most important political story in 2017?
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, professor of public policy at USC, says:
Trump versus California on so many policy decisions: immigration, DACA, and what is next for the Dreamers. Healthcare, environment, taxes, national monuments and on and on and on. There's been a political as well as a policy disconnect between Washington and Sacramento.
Carla Marinucci, the senior editor for Politico’s California Playbook, says:
I think one of the most impactful stories was the story which changed politics, entertainment, business, feminism and even our culture and that's the "me too" story.
Remember this is a story that began in California — that firestorm over producer Harvey Weinstein. And that has burned all the way to Washington, to Silicon Valley, to Sacramento. It's brought down not only major names in entertainment like Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K. but media, Charlie Rose. In Congress: Al Franken and John Conyers. And as we mentioned, it's already sparked the resignation of two Assemblymen and placed enormous pressure on state Senator Tony Mendoza also to resign. He's hanging on, but he's been stripped of leadership positions.
This is important because Sacramento is now under pressure to change in a big way.
LA's year in protests: What public gatherings really accomplished in 2017
2017 was a big year for protests. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets of L.A. to draw attention to their causes.
There was the Women’s March that kicked off the year the day after President Trump was sworn into office, then the Tax March and the March for Science in the Spring. There have been protests against the Trump administration's Travel Ban and the Dakota Access Pipeline. And protests supporting DACA protections and the #MeToo movement.
The list goes on. But what did the protests accomplish?
Take Two's A Martinez spoke to USC Sociology Professor Manuel Pastor, Sylmar resident and protester Martha Medrano and Valeria Espinoza, co-coordinator of the L.A. chapter of Af3irm, a grassroots organization that organized the International Women’s Day March.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
What do protesters and organizers hope to get out of these gatherings?
MANUEL PASTOR: One of the things that's been interesting this year is that the protests have translated into electoral strategies. The Alabama race where Doug Jones beat Roy Moore had a lot of grassroots organizing to try to mobilize the black vote. That election went Democrat...To me, the big thing about the year are certainly the protests on the street...but also the way in which that's translated into electoral power.
What motivated you to get involved in protests?
MARTHA MEDRANO: One of the things I experienced at the [2016 Democratic National Convention] was a strong protest of the Trans Pacific Partnership deal. It was a very clear message and we saw a direct action and effect from raising that awareness. Coming into 2017, that was the energy we were looking for...Seeing that result and being able to express our outrage. And finding others who have that same feeling and organize...taking the next step which is direction--now what? And what to do with that.
How was this year different from other years of community engagement in L.A.?
VALERIA ESPINOZA: There were a lot of heightened feelings this year in light of the [Trump] Administration. There was a lot of anger and folks looking for explanations. Even though these protests don't really give an explanation, it still gives people a sense of community. To envision a collective liberation is power in itself.
Looking forward, how do you define success?
PASTOR: Often in politics, the way you win is moving to the middle. The way you win in protests and social movements is moving the middle...to a more radical position. One of the most striking things I read this year was a Mic piece by Alicia Garza, one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter, about going to the Women's March in Washington D.C....She felt like a lot of the issues of women of color, trans women, etc. weren't coming up in the march. But she said, she needed to put her cynicism aside and welcome people into this movement and help move that forward. So I think that's been the blossoming of this kind of attitude this year.
If Hillary Clinton were president, would there have been a Women's March?
MEDRANO: A lot of people are angry that we came down to these two candidates. If Clinton was president, I don't believe we would have this type of engagement....People would have gotten comfortable. We've seen that in the Obama Presidency. We pat ourselves on the back [because] we have a black president and go back to brunch.
What did the protests accomplish this year?
MEDRANO: I have to agree, there were a lot of feelings of [the Women's March] being whitewashed and taken over, and people of color not being heard. But [also] being able to see the bigger power in that and bring people into the process.
A big criticism of protests is that they're more of an emotional action, that they don't really lead to change. What's your response to that?
ESPINOZA: If you think that protests don't really work, that idea is from a privileged lens. Have you ever had a weekend off, worked an eight-hour work day or lived in housing that has not been owned by your employers? All those things were won by protests.
*Interview has been edited for clarity
Georgia and Oklahoma fans journey to the Rose Bowl
The Rose Bowl is called the "Granddaddy of them all" in the world of college football. But this year is unusual. Not only will it help determine who advances to the National Championship, neither team is from the West Coast.
It's the Georgia Bulldogs vs. The Oklahoma Sooners, kicking off on New Year's Day.
With both teams traveling from across the country to Southern California, many of their fans decided to make the trip as well.
"It's been beautiful," said Chad McKee, from Oklahoma. He'll be covering the game for Sooner Sports TV and appreciates the change in weather. "It's 19 degrees back in Norman, so it's awesome to be 72 and sunny."
Others are still on their way to the game.
"Me and 14 friends are in a van and we're headed out. We left from Atlanta on December 22nd, and we're headed to Pasadena," said Jonathan Yarborough, a University of Georgia student.
And while they disagree about who will win Monday's game, McKee and Yarborough both think the atmosphere of the golden state will make it special.
"It's just a historic college football stadium. It's beautiful. It's in LA. It doesn't get much better than that," Yarborough said.
Tips for catching a ride on New Year's Eve
For better or worse, New Year's Eve for a lot of people is synonymous with drinking. And ride hail companies have become a great option for people to go out and get home safely. But with so many people out and about and needing rides at the same time, there are down sides.
"Given we expect there to be millions of rides globally in just this one night, it’s likely fares will be higher than usual," said Uber spokeswoman, Stephanie Sedlak, adding that Uber is working to get enough drivers on the road to meet demand.
Still, she said, "We advise riders to avoid riding between midnight and 3 a.m. local time, as that’s when fares will likely be the highest."
That being peak party time, traveling earlier or later might not be possible, though Lyft allows passengers to schedule rides up to seven days in advance, including for New Year's Eve. Getting into the right vehicle is also an issue, so Sedlak offered some tips.
To save money
- Multi-destination trips: Start or end the party early by picking up or dropping off friends en route to the party and sharing one Uber.
- Splitting the fare: When riding with friends, share the cost of the ride by splitting the fare right in the app.
- Carpooling: The app's carpooling feature, uberPool, lets riders share the cost of the trip with others leaving around the same time, and heading in the same direction, often for a fraction of the cost of uberX.
To avoid impostor drivers
- Verify you're getting into the right vehicle: Make sure the car's make, model and license plate matches what’s in the app before getting in the vehicle.
- Confirm the driver: Confirm the driver’s name and that he or she looks like the photo in the app.
- Share: Share location and trip information at any time with friends and family through the app.
Finally, a word of caution for riders who might get in a ride hail and feel sick. You will be charged if you throw up. Lyft reserves the right to charge up to $250 depending on the extent of the damage. Uber charges $40 for vomit or spills to a car's exterior and as much as $150 for vomit -- or urine or blood spills -- on the vehicle's interior.