A new year means new laws, but how many immigrants are seizing the opportunity for a driver’s licenses or college loans? A preview of Gov. Jerry Brown's State of the State address, and talks continue to swirl over whether an NFL team will really come to L.A. PROGRAMMING NOTE: This episode of Take Two airs for one hour, instead of two, due to Gov. Brown's address.
Obama's immigration plan could hit legal fight in 2015
President Obama's executive order is set to move forward in the coming months and could potentially affect 4 to 5 million undocumented people in the US.
The largest number are right here in California.
But at the federal level, challenges are already brewing and Republican leadership in Congress has pledged to fight the president's plan.
For more, we're joined by Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, a legal advocacy group in Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Oakland.
New laws to help immigrants in California without legal status
In this new year, there's a handful of new laws designed to help immigrants in California.
Many are geared towards those who've come to the country illegally, and Southern California Public Radio has been reporting on them as they were debated and passed in the past year.
Reporter Leslie Berestein Rojas offer this round up:
The demand is pretty much what DMV officials expected. They reported that more than 17,000 people were seen the first day – Jan. 2 – to apply for licenses. Others came in on Saturday, the third, but those numbers won't be reported until Tuesday.
Among those in line were Guatemalan immigrant Carlos Barrera who showed up at 9 p.m. New Year's Day at the Granada Hills DMV to stake out a spot.
"When you driving with no license it's a risk, it's like a flip of a coin," he told SCPR. "You never know when they're going to stop you."
He said he'd had his car impounded three times in three years.
These new drivers will qualify for insurance through the California Low-Cost Auto program
This program has been around for 14 years to make insurance more affordable for people with licenses. However up to this point, immigrants without legal status haven't been able to take advantage of it. They can buy insurance elsewhere, but it's pricey and many don't bother even though it's required by law.
By opening it up to people who get licenses through AB60, the state hopes to encourage public safety. Just 12,000 people in the whole state signed-up for it last year -- so it's not hugely popular -- but the Department of Insurance expects a 30 percent uptick on their website from those looking for information.
The California Dream Loan Program will make college more affordable for immigrants
The program will let students without legal status to borrow $4,000 a year if they attend a UC and CSU campus. Unlike other states, they get in-state tuition, too, and have access to state funded grants and fee waivers.
Thousands are expected to take advantage of the program, and on UCLA's campus alone officials expect 450 students to apply.
It will initially cost $10 million to start the loan program, which can't go over well with some taxpayers, but the idea is for the program to become self-funding as students repay the initial loans and that money becomes available to new students.
The state will put in $3 million to provide legal help to unaccompanied children who arrived recently to the US. It will go towards legal nonprofits so they can hire more staff to represent these minors as their cases are heard.
The federal government's goal has been to expedite these cases, but no telling how many could be resolved by the end of 2015.
Immigrants in the country illegally can apply for professional licenses
This would be for immigrants who would qualify for licenses in legal, medical, financial and other fields. All 40 licensing boards under the Department of Consumer Affairs will have to consider applicants -- regardless of their immigration status -- by 2016.
While we might see some aspects of this law rolling out sooner, prepare to see more details and information about the process in the year ahead.
What to expect from Gov. Brown's State of the State
Jerry Brown will take the oath of office as the governor of California for a record fourth time Monday morning. After his swearing in, he'll give his annual State of the State address to the Legislature.
Take Two airs special coverage of that, courtesy of Capital Public Radio and KQED's The California Report.
For a sneak preview of what to expect from Brown, Capitol Public Radio's Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler joined Take Two. He said Californians can expect to hear Brown reiterate that the state is not yet out of the drought.
"You'll also hear him talk about climate change. He's been pretty aggressive in his wording on that," said Adler. And, "he may take a victory lap on high-speed rail."
The long-awaited - and somewhat maligned - plan to build a bullet train to run the length of the state will officially break ground Tuesday, January 6th.
At 76 years old, some speculate that this may be the last chapter of Brown's long political career. But Brown has left that question unanswered so far. "It would be surprising," said Adler. "But, then again, Jerry Brown can surprise people."
Stay tuned to Take Two for live coverage of Governor Brown's historic fourth inauguration and his annual State of the State address.
American Muslim leader Dr. Maher Hathout remembered by SoCal Muslims
This weekend, one of Southern California's most notable Muslim leaders passed away. Dr. Maher Hathout founded the Muslim Public Affairs Council. He led one of the nation's most influential mosques, the Islamic Center, for nearly three decades.
Hussam Ayloush, Executive Director of the Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, joins Take Two for more on Dr. Hathout's life and work.
On The Lot: 'The Hobbit' rules the box office... again
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" continued its domination of the box office this weekend, "The Interview" lost steam and everyone's favorite mercenary - John Rambo - is back. It's time for On The Lot - our weekly look behind the scenes of Hollywood. A Martinez is joined by John Horn of The Frame - SCPR's arts and entertainment show. He's in for our regular guest, Rebecca Keegan.
Inglewood stadium plan: Mayor, developer weigh in
The owner of the St. Louis Rams, Stan Kroenke, is joining forces with real estate investment firm Stockbridge Capital Group to build a stadium complex in Inglewood, it was announced Monday.
Stockbridge bought the 238-acre Hollywood Park property in 2005 and in 2013 The Kroenke Group bought 60 adjacent acres. Together, they'll collaborate on the so-called "City of Champions Revitalization Project," that will include an 80,000 seat stadium and a 6,000 seat concert venue.
The news has Los Angeles football fans buzzing about whether the NFL - the Rams specifically - will return to Los Angeles but so far there are no plans for that to happen.
Developers say no public funding will be used to build the complex.
Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Jr., and Chris Meany, partner with the development firm Wilson Meany, chimed in on these plans.
"As Roger Godell said, there's not going to be allowed any team movement until 2016, so who knows what will happen there," said Butts. "But what this does do is position the city and Stockbridge Capital to create and build the most magnificent 80,000-seat stadium, possibly in the world."
While Butts says the stadium could be used for other sports, like soccer, it would seem to many the intent is to bring an NFL team to Los Angeles.
"I would like to see that happen, but what I'm saying is, we're not at that point yet. The league has not said that they're ready to let teams move, so right now, we'll roll with what we have."
Butts says the stadium will mean thousands of construction jobs and thousands of full time jobs when the project is done.
"It makes us a destination city once again," Butts said. "It's going to take us from being a city on the rise to a great metropolis."
Meany says this project will come "at no cost to tax payers." So then, who is paying for it?
"It's all private capital," he said. "This is 2 miles off the 405 Freeway, a mile off the 105 Freeway, this is one of the central locations in Los Angeles. We are privately capitalizing the creation of the state-of-the-art infrastructure, and it is going to be a great deal for us and it's a great deal for the tax payers because this is where there should be a new note in Los Angeles."
What's the political fallout from US sanctions on North Korea?
The film The Interview may be losing steam at the box office, but the political drama surrounding the Sony Pictures hack continues.
Late last week, the US issued new economic sanctions against 10 senior North Korean officials and the intelligence agency it said was the source of "many of North Korea's major cyberoperations."
North Korea denied any involvement in the hacking yesterday and added any sanctions would only strengthen resolve to pursue its "military first" policy.
But the sanctions from the US may be more symbolic in a larger conflict over regional control, said David Kang, professor of international relations and business at the University of Southern California.