UCLA releases their economic forecast for California, how the Ahn campaign activated LA's Korean-American voters, E3 Conference opens doors to the public.
LA County supervisors vote today on measure H spending
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors votes today on a plan for spending the money gathered from measure H.
Voters approved the ballot initiative last March, and it hikes the county sales tax by 0.25 percent starting July 1 to fund services for the homeless.
But how that money will be divided up has been a months-long process that involved dozens of stakeholders, from former homeless people to non-profit service providers.
"They got together in a variety of meetings and they came to consensus on most elements of this spending," says KPCC's Rina Palta.
The county board will vote today on whether to approve those recommendations.
"The biggest ticket items are things like homeless prevention," says Palta, "and then there is rapid rehousing, which is basically temporary rental assistance for people."
Other main areas of spending include emergency homeless shelters and case managers to help people navigate the system.
"That said, a lot of these spending figures are pretty broad at the moment," says Palta. "It's hard to tell what they're actually itemized for."
If approved, the money will be doled out mostly to non-profit service providers.
But which of those groups will get the money is tricky.
"There's actually kind of a lack of enough organizations that are doing this kind of work," says Palta. "They're trying to go on this hiring binge right now, but there's not enough people to perform these services."
Follow @KPCC and @KPCCRina911 for the latest on today's vote. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting starts today at 9:30 a.m.
California's growth dreams deferred, economic forecast says
UCLA's Anderson School of Management released its annual forecast Tuesday.
Among its many revelations? California's economy is doing well, but perhaps not as well as it could be.
That's because at least two campaign trail promises made by now-President Trump won't come to pass — for now.
Those promises included increased spending on military equipment and infrastructure. There were no significant allotments made for either in the administration's recently released budget proposal. California would have benefitted directly from both.
You might just call it "economic dreams deferred."
Take Two talked about it more with the report's coauthor, Jerry Nickelsburg.
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
Homeless shelters are on the frontlines of fighting hepatitis C
Ahn vs. Gomez race shows Korean American political clout still a work in progress
For the first time in its 20-year history, E3 is open to the public
Gamers and game-makers from all over the country — and across the world — are here in Los Angeles this week for the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
It's an annual event that's been going on since 1995.
Industry insiders get a peek at the latest video games and the hardware that powers them.
But this year, E3, as it's known, is doing things differently: For the first time, the event will be open to the public.
Redmond Carolipio is a digital producer for KPCC and a pretty devoted gamer. He'll be at E3 all week, but he spoke with Take Two's A Martinez before he went to the event.
Video of one of the hottest new games previewed at E3, "Marvel's Spider-Man" for Playstation 4:
Why virtual reality could create a danger for actual reality
At the Electronic Entertainment Expo, consumers get to learn all about new video games and the hardware that drives them.
One hardware that's considered to be the next frontier for gaming and other media is virtual reality.
VR headsets create a new level of immersion — one that takes a user right inside an artificial world. But some say that intense experience can also create a level of danger that hasn't been fully recognized.
"The difference between virtual reality in a headset and a screen-based game is the level of embodiment that you have," expert Todd Richmond told Take Two's A Martinez.
Richmond is a director at USC's Institute for Creative Technologies, where he and his students frequently experiment with VR. He's traveled around the country giving lectures about some of the darker things that the technology can be used for.
Richmond understands that VR has been used for a lot of good. But he doesn't think that means the downfalls should be ignored.
"It can be used as a therapeutic tool in a clinical setting. But anytime you've got a capability that can give you good outcomes, you have the possibility for bad outcomes as well," Richmond said.
Why VR carries new risks when applied to gaming
People have long been skeptical of the mature content that's been included in video games. Richmond says that playing a game with a virtual reality headset brings a whole new level of concern.
"When you go into VR, you're basically ceding one or more of your senses to whatever a developer created," Richmond said. "You're basically sealed off from the outside world. It's a very different relationship that you begin to develop with the material around you. It's this sense of embodiment that you are really IN the game as opposed to playing the game."
But that sense of immersion what entices tech consumers to VR. And if they're conscious of simply wearing the headset, where does the risk come from?
Richmond says it comes from a trick that Hollywood has used for movies for decades.
"I think what happens is it's around this suspension of disbelief," Richmond said. "When you become really immersed and you start to block off your outside cues of what's real and not real, things can get weird very quickly. We know that we can use this to change people's behaviors and to alter their cognitive patterns."
The questions about VR society must confront
Richmond believes that developers should be mindful of the content that they are creating, instead of simply trying to make something that sells. Some of those questions may not be easy to confront, but Richmond says that they are necessary.
"Is it okay to rape someone in VR? People have argued that it's just a virtual character so it should be okay. Is child molestation okay in VR? Those are questions that we as a society really need to be asking and determining where our boundaries are," Richmond said.
"What we don't want to happen is 'Just let commerce have its way and let the commercial sector dictate what is acceptable.' Because the commercial sector is beholden to one person and that is the shareholder. "
To hear the full conversation, click the blue player above.
Tuesday Reviewsday: Shakira and Lila Downs
Every week, we get a preview of the best new music. This week, Take Two contributor
brings in selections. Here are his picks.
Shakira
Album: El Dorado
Shakira’s new album, El Dorado, recently made headlines when it had the biggest sales week for a Latin album in more than two years, according to Billboard. It’s also earned the songstress her seventh No. 1 on Latin Pop Albums.
Shakira has now charted 39 entries on the Hot Latin Songs chart, the second-most among female soloists in the chart’s 31 years. The album is mostly in Spanish, but it’s clearly bilingual as well.
The album has 13 tracks and we feature the songs “When a Women” and “Me Enamoré” (I Fell in Love).
Lila Downs
Album: Salón, Lágrimas y Deseo
Lila Downs continues to make the kind of music that goes deep, makes you think and it’s the kind of work that always feels fresh, thoughtful and a celebration of life.
A total of 14 songs make up the project that has a bit of retro jazz and soul with a dash of mariachi.
The album is delightful, but also empowering, optimistic and even though this is an album for her Latino fans, it’s really for everyone who just likes good music with a voice that's also powerful.