A look at the latest battle for Uber in California, a review of the ESPYS, the Cascadia subduction zone in the Pacific Northwest.
Uber, labor law, and the state of the 'sharing economy'
A judge fined Uber's California subsidiary $7.3 million for refusing to give state regulators information about the company's business practices, including when Uber drivers refuse ride requests and how accessible vehicles are to disabled riders.
The ride-hailing service called the ruling "deeply disappointing" and said it would appeal the decision.
Wednesday's ruling by an administrative law judge at the California Public Utilities Commission addressed some of the many legal issues surrounding Uber and how it should be regulated.
Another fundamental legal issue for Uber and other businesses in the 'sharing economy,' like Lyft and errand-outsourcer TaskRabbit, is whether workers should be classified as employees or independent contractors. That distinction was addressed in guidelines issued by the U.S. Labor Department Wednesday.
For more on how the Labor Department directive and the ruling against Uber might change the state of the 'sharing economy,' Take Two spoke with Loyola Law Professor Michael Waterstone, who specializes in employment law.
Waterstone said that it's unclear how significant the ruling and directive will be, but since "there's an innovative, disruptive model for just about anything now," he thinks this is "just the tip of the iceberg."
To listen to Take Two's entire interview with Michael Waterstone, please click on the audio player above.
Why you may use a ‘scorecard’ to choose your next surgeon
A new digital scorecard from ProPublica measures how the country’s surgeons stack-up against their peers.
The database keeps tabs on nearly 17,000 doctors who perform low-risk elective surgeries. Scorecards use Medicare records to keep track of surgery-related complications like infection, blood clots or return trips to the hospital. ProPublica hopes it will bring transparency to the medical world, and lead to better patient care, but the new service could make life more difficult for the surgeons who can’t cut it.
Take Two spoke to ProPublica health reporter Marshall Allen about the service he helped create.
We also spoke to Dr. Robert Wachter, chairman of the department of medicine at UCSF a national expert in patient safety.
Press the play button above to hear more about the Surgeon Scorecard.
Caitlyn Jenner accepts ESPY award, but here's what one audience member saw
Caitlyn Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs on Wednesday night, but not without controversy.
Some argued that Jenner hasn't been a part of the sports world for years. Others sounded like Evander Holyfield who told the AP, "I just know that's Bruce Jenner and I'll leave it at that."
When Jenner took the stage, some were conscientious of how the audience would treat her.
Watching on TV, home viewers could see she got a rousing standing ovation. But
was in the audience and he saw something different.
"Most people understood that they should stand up," he said, "but as I watched her give her speech, I don't think that everyone really cared."
Davis is a former NFL defensive back and came out as a gay man after leaving the league. He also leads the You Can Play Project, which promotes LGBT athletes.
He saw people texting and talking to their neighbors during Jenner's speech.
"It definitely signaled to me that most people weren't leaning in," he said.
Davis still believes that Jenner's speech was historic and important, but acknowledged that the sports world has far to go in accepting LGBT people.
"Most athletes aren't afraid of this conversation, but they want to have it without being called homophobic or transphobic," he said. "They've never been given the platform to ask these questions because so many of them are afraid that, if they do, that they'll be vilified or shamed."
Davis credits athletes like NFL player Torrey Smith for being curious and open with his questions on Twitter.
Some folks say there is 2 people in 1....others say they are 2 different people in general...some say one was a mask....idk what is what
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR)
He firmly believes, though, that Jenner got a conversation going among athletes that they will carry back to locker rooms.
"What she will do and what she did yesterday was continue a conversation that will save lives," said Davis.
Could a predicted Seattle earthquake be the 'Big One'?
Forget San Andreas.
The Cascadia subduction zone is the scariest fault line you may have never heard of.
A recent New Yorker piece about a very big earthquake that Cascadia could cause is making its rounds of the Internet, and terrifying readers.
Host A Martinez spoke with Caltech seismologist Dr. Jen Andrews about the Cascadia subduction zone. Host Alex Cohen also talked to Ashley Gross, KPLU's business and labor reporter, about how she and other Seattleites are reacting to the New Yorker article.
Click on the blue player to listen to the interviews.
The Wheel Thing: The end of the private automobile?
"You can have my car when you pry my dead fingers from the wheel." It's a paraphrase that captures the sympathies of many Americans.
Still, futurists, city planners and some adventurous city dwellers insist that in the not-to-distant future, owning a car may be a lot like owning a horse - something you might do for pleasure, but certainly not for transportation.
Our Wheel Thing guide, OC Register auto critic Susan Carpenter tells us that changing demographics, cities that are becoming more dense, ride-hailing services, and the emergence of the autonomous vehicle may form a critical mass that leads many to cash in the keys, and find new uses for their two-car garages.
Susan Carpenter joins us each week on Thursdays for our discussion of personal transportation, The Wheel Thing.
State of Affairs: Medical marijuana, vaccine debate, and the 2016 senate race
On this week's State of Affairs, lawmakers move to regulate medical marijuana, opponents of the new CA vaccine law begin collecting signatures for a referendum, and contenders for Barbara Boxer's seat in 2016 report on their fundraising efforts.
Capital Public Radio's Ben Adler and Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, USC professor of the Practice of Public Policy Communication, join Take Two for a look at the week in California politics.
2015 Emmys: A look at the nominations with Variety's Debra Birnbaum
The nominees for this year's Emmys were announced early Thursday. HBO's hit show "Game of Thrones" received the most nominations - 24 all told.
Debra Birnbaum, executive editor for TV at Variety, joined the show with more.
Listen to the full interview by clicking the blue audio player above.
Inventor Dean Kamen turns attention to water in 'SlingShot'
The portable insulin pump, a revamped heart stent and an electric wheelchair that can travel up stairs all have one person in common: serial inventor Dean Kamen.
Kamen is now turning his attention to water. His efforts are documented in the new film, "SlingShot."
Filmmaker Paul Lazarus joined the show to tell more about the documentary.
Listen to the full interview by clicking the blue audio player above.
Filipino pop-up spot LASA makes traditional cuisine trendy
Filipinos make up the second largest Asian group in Southern California, and as anyone who has ever tried a steaming hot lumpia, or tangy, rich adobo can tell you: The cuisine from the Philippines is tasty.
But in general terms, it has NOT hit the mainstream like other Asian fare (think Chinese, Thai or Japanese). But that may be about to change.
Of course an assignment like this requires research, so host A Martinez went to check out some Filipino-inspired cuisine at a pop-up spot called LASA. Brothers Chase and Chad Valencia are behind the project. They recently dropped by KPCC's studios, along with Abby Abanes, a long-time food blogger, to tell more about LASA.
The next pop up dinner is scheduled for July 31:
Elysian
2806 Clearwater St
Los Angeles CA 90039
Reservations only
For announcements about reservations, keep an eye on LASA's Instagram and Facebook accounts, or join LASA's email list. Send an email to info@lasa-la.com, or visit www.lasa-la.com.
L Festival aims to bring together generations of Latinos
Tickets are now on sale for the first-ever L Festival, coming to Southern California in October. The event is meant to bring together several generations of Latinos through musical acts like Enrique Iglesias and Juan Gabriel, as well as art and food.
Gustavo Lopez, executive vice president and general manager of Universal Latin Music Entertainment, is the organizer behind the event. He joined the show to tell more about why it was important to bring this festival to Southern California.