We look at L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva's role in the $53 million settlement L.A. County paid for unlawful group strip searches of women inmates. Plus, UC Riverside has a new study looking at the effects of climate change on the trees at Joshua Tree National Park. And, a Census test form includes the citizenship question.

L.A. County Jails Strip Search Settlement

KPCC has learned Sheriff Villanueva was one of the lieutenants posted to the women's jail while inmates were subjected to degrading group strip searches.

Guest:

• Frank Stoltze, KPCC public safety correspondent

Ridgecrest Faul Line Check

It's been almost two weeks since two major earthquakes hit Ridgecrest, about 150 miles north of Los Angeles. Since then, the area has experienced hundreds of aftershocks, some of which are occurring near major fault lines. 

Guest:

• James Dolan, professor of earth sciences with the University of Southern California

Census Test Forms

The U.S. Census has sent test forms to homes in northern California with a question that asks about a person's citizenship. They come despite federal courts ruling that the question may not appear on the final 2020 Census forms.

Guest:

• Jonathan Stein, Asian Americans Advancing Justice

Joshua Trees and Climate Change

About three million people visit Joshua Tree National Park each year, but in half a century, there may not be that many Joshua trees for them to see. That's according to new research from the University of California at Riverside, which found that without dramatic action to reduce climate change, the trees won't survive beyond this century...which is saying something.Because Joshua trees have existed for 2-1/2 million years. We look at what's happening with the trees in one of SoCal's most beloved national parks.

Guest:

• Jules Bernstein, UC-Riverside

Lake Tahoe Water Levels

A particularly wet winter in an otherwise drought prone California should be cause for celebration. Still, the influx in melting snow has led to a swollen Lake Tahoe, meaning smaller beaches at the popular getaway in the midst of tourist season. Despite, the inconvenience, and worries over shoreline erosion, scientists see the extra full lake as a boon for the ecosystem. We talk with Aidan Anderson at Water Front Sports to get the business perspective on the ground, and Dorian Fougeres at the Tahoe Conservancy for an ecological birds eye view.

Apollo 11 and JPL's John Casani

L.A. has always looked to the skies...It started with some of the area’s biggest power players - like Harry Chandler and Harry Culver - enticing aviation companies to come to Southern California.Then came the likes of Lockheed, Douglas and Northrup and, of course, Hughes Aircraft through the 20s and 30. By the end of World War Two, two-thirds of the aerospace industry was here...and that remained the case through the height of the cold war and the space race. On the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 Mission, we want to look back at Southern California’s role in helping the U-S land on the moon. 

Guest:

• John Casani, Special Assistant to the Director at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

On the Lot

All the latest Hollywood news.

Guest:

• Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter