Why San Francisco’s DA plans to wipe clean several past pot convictions, helpful tips for this year's tax filing, your February streaming binge list.
How redefining 'gravely disabled' could help LA's homeless
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved a motion this week urging state lawmakers to change its definition of "gravely disabled." And two Los Angeles area members of the California assembly followed that up Wednesday by introducing legislation to amend the state code.
The change in definition is intended to give officials more power to forcibly treat homeless people who are mentally ill. Take Two sat down with L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger to learn more about how the changes could help the homeless.
The definition of "gravely disabled"
The language right now is a condition in which a person as a result of a mental health disorder is unable to provide his or her basic personal needs for food, clothes or shelter. I want to expand that to also include medical treatment, for the lack or failure of such treatment may result in substantial physical harm or death.
Why expand or amend the definition
When I was on Skid Row working with social workers, there was a woman by the name of Debra with swollen and infected feet that refused health care. She doesn't need mental help, she needs basic healthcare. Refining the Welfare and Institution Code would give us the ability to get people like Debra the medical help they need.
Critics of expanding the definition
Those who call this approach inhuman argue the people refusing medical care have their basic civil liberties rights. We want the civil liberty representatives at the table to craft the code so it's sensitive. I argue that having someone end up in the morgue is not the way I want my legacy as LA County Supervisor to be remembered.
How it would look in practice
It's all about trust and building a relationship. This is going to affect those individuals with a direct medical need -- someone on Skid Row with sores, infections, surrounded by feces, someone who, if not treated, will die. One of the great things we are doing here in L.A. County is opening urgent care centers that are specifically for mental illness. Therefore, everyday law enforcement doesn't have to make a determination of whether a person is in need of additional medical attention. The urgent care centers will be able to link up the appropriate services.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
5 things to know about filing your 2017 taxes
The Internal Revenue Service started accepting tax returns this week, and already there's some confusion about when the new tax rules take effect. The short answer is that the tax plan Congress passed late last year won't affect how you file your 2017 taxes this spring. But to bring some clarity to the issue, TaxMama Eva Rosenberg joined Take Two's A Martinez to talk about the five things people should know before they file.
The deadline is April 17
This year, the traditional filing date of April 15 is a Sunday. And the following day is a legal holiday, so the IRS has extended this year's deadline by two days.
The medical expense threshold has been dropped to 7.5% (instead of 10%)
Medical expenses are more deductible than ever because we only reduced them by 7.5%. We were originally going to have to reduce them by 10% of adjusted gross income.
Obamacare penalties still apply
The one thing that everybody was so excited about in the State of the Union speech is that Obamacare penalties are gone. Not true. They are still in place for 2017 tax returns. You have to show insurance or pay penalties.
Alimony expenses are still deductible
People in California who pay alimony thought they couldn’t deduct alimony expenses. The good news is that has’t changed for this year. And it won’t change for people who already have existing divorce agreements. Many experts have said that as long as you have your divorce agreement in place by the end of this year, you can still deduct alimony, but to get it in place by December, you need to file divorce paperwork in court by May.
Some refunds will be delayed
For basic refunds, the IRS said they will start issuing them mid February. But for people who have earned income credit, child tax credit and American opportunity credit, the IRS will hold those for another couple weeks because there’s been so much fraud. With the Equifax breach, there’s a lot of ID theft with people filing phony tax credits. So they’re run through the IRS criminal investigation division to make sure the refunds are legitimate.
More of your tax questions answered
The new tax plan Congress passed late last year has brought a lot of changes -- and confusion. Take Two took to the streets this week to find out what questions people are having, and TaxMama Eva Rosenberg had these answers:
"Can you deduct your property tax now, or is that officially over?" -- Christophe Piallat
Yes. Rosenberg said to remember that this year nothing has changed. Next year, when the new plan kicks in, you can deduct a combination of property tax, DMV fees and either state income tax or sales taxes up to a total of $10,000.
"Under the new tax situation, am I going to still be itemizing my taxes? I'm within $200 of the new standard deductions and I'm wondering if it's really worth it to save all those receipts and do all that itemization." -- Sally Alexander
Rosenberg suggested that if you want to be safe, rather than save all that paper, you can scan your receipts and save them digitally. You never know what the year will bring for your life or the tax code.
"Can you teach me how to do my own taxes since I didn't learn how to do them in school and I would like to learn how to do it myself finally? -- Kevin Hawkins
One of the best ways to learn how to do your taxes, according to Rosenberg, is the VITA training course from the IRS. It's available on the IRS website and best of all it's free. In general, she said, many tax returns should be simple enough to use online tax software. But if you have complex issues or need help, this is a good year to work with a tax professional, preferably an Enrolled Agent or CPA. You can find Enrolled Agents at NAEA's website and CPAs are listed on the AICPA's website.
"How do write-offs work if you’re in the lowest tax bracket? I have specifically a few write-offs for various film projects and I’m not sure if I’m able to benefit from those write-offs from previous years because I’m in the lowest tax bracket." -- Patrick Ross
Rosenberg said if you are in business, you’ll file a Schedule C. Most of your deductions will take place there. However, if you just have expenses and no income, that’s one of those provisions in the Tax Extender Act that expired in 2016. So stand by; those provisions are likely to be reinstated. So put your tax return on extension.
There are actually several tax breaks that expired in 2016, like tuition and fees deductions, all the energy credits like solar and vehicle. Rosenberg suggests if you aren't in a hurry to get your return, consider putting your tax return on extension if you want these tax benefits.
"From what I understand we get fewer deductions in California than the rest of the United States just based on our higher level cost of living and the things that we usually can deduct. There’s limits now, but I think it’s changed so many times that the last iteration that did get passed, I’m not completely sure what actually went into the plan, so that’s a question I have." -- Annie Wang
Remember, whatever we can or cannot deduct on the IRS Form 1040, we still get all our usual deductions on the California tax return, Rosenberg said. The California tax return doesn't allow deductions for state income taxes, but it has no limit on deductions for property taxes, DMV or sales taxes.
Serial killers, LSD and female wrestlers, shows you should binge right now
Every month we take a look at what movies or TV shows are deserving of your binge time with
Following are his picks for February:
MINDHUNTER (Netflix)
From David Fincher, who directed everything from The Social Network to Gone Girl, this ten-episode series chronicles the early days of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit.
In the late 1970s, two FBI agents created what would become the groundbreaking Criminal Profiling Program. Only by extensively interviewing convicted killers sitting in prison did they start to realize the power in “profiling” these criminals and their behavior.
The two FBI agents are wonderfully played by Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany, but one performance that is already getting Emmy Award talk is for Cameron Britton. He plays killer Edmund Kemper, a real serial murderer who killed ten people, including his paternal grandparents and mother in the years between 1964 and 1973.
It's obviously for mature audiences only, but for fans of films like Silence of the Lambs or Zodiac, it's something they'd really enjoy.
WORMWOOD (Netflix)
Wormwood is from the legendary documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, who's seen by many as the godfather of the modern documentary with his innovative and trailblazing crime documentary The Tin Blue Line and the Fog of War.
It's the compelling yet devastating true story of the CIA’s experiments into LSD and mind control. In 1953 a military scientist named Frank Olson was unwittingly given LSD and later was found dead on a sidewalk outside a high rise hotel in New York City that was declared a “suicide” by authorities.
Using an effective mix of reenacted scenes with such top actors as Peter Sarsgaard and Tim Blake Nelson and real interviews with family members, attorneys and government officials, it packs a political and emotional punch.
GLOW (Netflix)
Set in the 1980s, GLOW is the fictionalization of the people involved in the real syndicated television show called GLOW (which stands for the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) that aired from 1986 to 1990.
One of the main characters is a struggling Los Angeles actress named Ruth, and she is brilliantly played by Alison Brie, who's a broke and desperate actor looking for any kind of work.
What really works is how this diverse group of women all come together and truly form a community, and in an odd roundabout way, it's really is about female empowerment in a male dominated landscape ... one that takes place in the world of gimmicky television wrestling.
is a writer, living in Los Angeles. If you're interested in seeing past Binge segments, click here.
Starbucks introduces new credit card
Starbucks announced a new product today. It isn't a hot drink or breakfast wrap but a little piece of plastic. Yes. It's a credit card, offered through JPMorgan Chase and Visa.
And it comes with rewards. So the more plastic you use, the more coffee and cookies you can earn through points. For better or for worse.