New housing legislation proposed this week, how far air pollution travels from LA's freeways, fast food franchises struggle when discounts get deep
State of Affairs: State houses team up to fight harassment in the Capitol
This week on State of Affairs:
- State lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly team up to fight sexual harassment in the Capitol.
- Several new bills take aim at California's housing crisis.
- New bills target the FCC's decision to rollback net neutrality regulations — but they could face an uphill battle.
Jack Pitney, Roy P. Crocker professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College on legislature's team effort to fight harassment:
This is an issue that crosses party lines, it crosses jurisdictional boundaries.
On the merits of the issue, it's very confusing to have two different sets of rules — especially because you have so many staffers that switch between the two chambers. But it would also look bad politically for one chamber to have tougher and more responsible rules than the other. That would create political problems for the chamber that didn't have the strict rules. As Marisa [Lagos] pointed out, very wisely they chose two women to lead this panel — Laura Friedman from the Assembly and Holly Mitchell from the State Senate.
Guests:
- Jack Pitney, Roy P Crocker professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College
- Marisa Lagos, political reporter for KQED
Low public support, high costs may make offshore drilling unlikely in CA
When Trump administration announced plans to expand offshore drilling in places like the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, the response from California leaders was a resounding: no.
KPCC's environment reporter Emily Guerin joined Take Two to talk about the kinds of offshore drilling that already exist in Southern California, and what motivates companies to expand drilling in the first place.
Interview highlights
Offshore drilling isn't new to Southern California. Where does it happen already?
There are 27 offshore platforms already off the coast of California. They're all in Southern California, so that's from Santa Barbara County and south.
Also you know in Long Beach Harbor those weird looking islands in the harbor? Those are also offshore drilling platforms.
They kind of look like luxury hotels: they've got the palm trees, one of them even has a waterfall. They disguise the oil rigs.
Those are all in state waters – so that's within 3 miles of the coast – and the state has jurisdiction there. There's been no drilling, more or less, in state waters since 1969. It's officially been banned since 1994.
But what we're talking about, what the announcement was about yesterday, are the oil platforms further off shore like you see off the coast of Santa Barbara.
What are the environmental risks?
When companies are trying to figure out where is a good place to drill for oil, they do what's called a seismic survey, which is kind of like an ultrasound of the ocean floor. They use sound waves to figure out what the oil and gas reservoirs are. This can be really loud and harmful to marine mammals.
Once drilling and oil production starts, there's obviously a risk of spills. Both oil spills, like we saw with the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, but also just from the other fluids that are use in oil drilling.
So the fluid you use to keep the drill running smooth, and also a lot of water that comes up with oil that's a lot saltier than regular ocean water is frequently slightly radioactive, too, and that can spill.
How do people feel about offshore drilling? I can imagine that there's not a lot of public support.
Well, not in California. Sixty-nine percent of Californians oppose offshore drilling, according to a 2017 survey by the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California.
What I think is interesting about this is support for offshore drilling actually appears to be falling pretty fast. It's down 11 percentage points just from last year's survey alone.
Are there tools communities can use to try to prevent a rig from going up?
Any sort of infrastructure that companies are building in the federal waters like a pipeline has to cross through the state waters to get onshore.
So I was talking to the spokeswoman for the state lands commission – they have jurisdiction over those state waters – she said that her agency might be able to make it difficult for companies to transport any new oil produced in the federal waters, like if they need a new pipeline or a bigger pipeline.
Emily, before you became our environment reporter, you covered the oil and gas industry in North Dakota for years. So you've talked to a lot of companies about where they decide to drill, and why. What have you learned?
When I lived in North Dakota, I'd go these public meetings and there would be these oil company guys there asking for a lower tax rate on oil and gas, or less restrictive regulations, saying you know, "This is what's going to make or break it for them in North Dakota."
But what I found was, there were two things.
It was: how good the geology was, so was there actually a lot of oil to extract? And then: what was the price of oil?
The oil industry is so price-driven that when the price is high, companies will go to these really extreme lengths and they'll put up with really high taxes, really onerous regulations to get the oil out. And when the price is low, they won't.
So with this proposal from the Department of Interior, they're just proposing to offer companies the opportunity to bid on the right to drill for oil in the year 2020 for the first time in 30 years.
That doesn't mean we'll actually see drilling off the coast. It means there's a chance, and a lot depends on the economics and if companies think they can make money doing that.
Are panic buttons the solution for harassed hotel workers?
The
movement has sparked a reckoning, exposing the harassment that many women and girls face every day. While it started in the entertainment industry, it has touched nearly every industry. Now, California wants to tackle the sexual harassment of hotel workers.
Democratic Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi from Torrance co-authored a bill that would require hotels to provide a "panic button" device.
"This bill is intended to make workplaces safer for hotel housekeepers who, more often than not, are working women who are most vulnerable to sexual harassment and sexual assault. Many of these women are working class immigrants, Latino and Asian, and they often work alone in hotel rooms, sometimes with male guests in the room at the same time, placing them at risk for sexual harassment ... so we want to make their workplace safer by requiring their employers to provide panic buttons."
The proposed legislation would also require hotels to impose a three-year ban on any guest who harasses an employee and give mandatory paid time off for employees to contact police or lawyers, if necessary.
Other cities in the U.S., such as Long Beach, have considered similar measures. The hotel industry opposes the idea and has raised questions about whether such buttons are practical, effective or needed.
Last year, the Unite Here union, which represents workers in the hospitality industry throughout the United States and Canada, released a survey of roughly 500 of its Chicago-area members. The report, titled "Hands Off, Pants On," found that 49 percent of housekeepers reported they'd had guests answer the door naked, expose themselves or flash them.
Take Two spoke to Nereyda Soto, a Long Beach hotel employee who is involved with the local chapter of the Unite Here union. She recalls being harassed by a hotel guest.
"When I first started working, a guest stalked me for over five days of his stay and at the end of his stay, he gave me his room key... When I gave him his check, and he said, 'Oh, I bet you would look really good out of your clothes,'... it was very disturbing... I was working at the restaurant, so I had a place to hide... But my co-workers that work on these floors, the hotel is 17 floors high, where are they going to go, if this man comes to them?"
Rosanna Maietta, the Senior Vice President of Communications and Public Relations at the American Hotel & Lodging Association, issued this statement:
“The hotel and lodging industry has made the safety of both employees and guests a top priority. For this reason, our properties have in place safety standards, our employees receive comprehensive and ongoing trainings, and AHLA has partnered with nationally recognized non-profits and developed tailored trainings for the industry. As headlines over recent months have shown, no industry is immune to dealing with sexual harassment. Our industry has in place procedures and protocols for employees around reporting and prevention, and these are continuously reviewed and updated. As an industry, we will continue our work, day in and day out, with a focus on ensuring America’s hotels are secure places for all those who work and visit them. We hope that the state legislature will give this matter serious thought and work together with our industry to ensure commonsense policies that empower employees, maintain the proper role of law enforcement and provide a safe working environment.”
Muratsuchi's bill has begun working its way through the California legislature.
4 ways to be more conscious of freeway pollution
California air quality regulators say homes should be built at least 500 feet away from freeways.
But some environmental experts say freeway pollution can reach homes much farther away, about 10 times as far.
And long-term exposure can increase health risks like asthma and cardiovascular disease.
Suzanne Paulson is an atmospheric chemistry professor at UCLA. She has some answers to why this pollution has such a far reach.
"We typically have a sea breeze during the day. But at night, we have a weak breeze that goes from the land to the ocean. At the same time, the atmosphere does a poor job of dispersing pollution, and that weak breeze creates a plume that creeps along the ground toward the ocean."
But there are also some common sense ways to protect ourselves. Getting a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter is one way to lower pollution concentration in your home. When driving, set your dashboard vents to circulate air from inside the car.
For runners or other outdoorsy types, Paulson says you're good to exercise outside--depending on whether you're downwind of freeway traffic.
"There's only one side of the freeway that's impacted at any given time. If you can figure out which side that is, exercising or going out on the other side is fine."
Paulson also has good news for cyclists. As L.A. builds more bike paths apart from busy roads, cyclists are also getting more pollution protection while doing their part for the environment.
But Paulson says, no matter what, any distance from pollution is a good thing.
"You don't need to be that far away to reduce exposures a lot. Even if you're just 10 feet away [from roadways] sometimes pollution can be much lower."
Labobatory's next-gen drinks are leading boba's second wave
Angelenos are no strangers to boba. The bubbly milk tea that originated in Taiwan in the 1980s had made it to Southern California by the early '90s. Nearly two decades later, the popularity of the beverage has grown — and the number of flavors has exploded.
Elton Keung, owner of the San Gabriel tea shop Labobatory, is part of boba's second-wave. From Lebanese rose tea to horchata boba, Keung's creations are inspired by the flavors and cultures of Los Angeles.
"Growing up in this taco truck culture, horchata is a part of our lives," says Keung. "It's only natural that I add boba to it."
Keung collects local ingredients, from Trader Joe's cookies to ube ice cream, a made with the purple yams that are a popular flavor in Filipino cuisine. "I was able to find the perfect ube flavor at Fosselman's Ice Cream in Alhambra," he says.
In addition to making fusion boba tea, Keung also hosts alcoholic boba pop-ups at Seven Bar & Lounge in downtown L.A. on Thursday nights, starting Jan. 18. You'll be able to try boozy boba drinks such as the SpongeBoba and the LeGindary Leia.
But it's not just about putting a shot in the milk tea. "You want the boba as a chaser, something that can smooth rather than punch," Keung says.
Some SoCal Subway franchisees frustrated by $5 footlong deal
Subway restaurants re-started a promotion on Monday for $5 sandwiches. It's a great deal for customers, but for franchise owners it may be a footlong too far.
"The price of the sandwich also includes the labor, the real estate costs, all kinds of overhead," says Nancy Luna, who covers restaurants for the OC Register.
The deal, created by the chain's headquarters, is meant to drive traffic to stores because January is traditionally a slow time of year.
But franchises say the price leaves them with a thin profit margin that doesn't help cover basic operating costs.
"Ultimately Subway can't make them participate," she says, "but the problem is that there's nothing worse than a customer scorned."
Luna reports that some Southern California outlets will choose to not honor the deal, including those owned by franchisee Bob Grewal.
“There are franchisees upset about the deal. And, they have a right to be,” he said in an interview with her.
He estimates about 90 percent of his franchise stores in Orange County and the greater Los Angeles area will sell the discounted subs.