The latest on the CA wildfires burning closer to each other, SoCal's POV on the European Referendum in the UK, CatConLA and the stylish cat lovers who attend.
Decommissioning Diablo: Nuclear waste from power plant will be an ongoing concern
California's last nuclear power plant is closing down.
The Diablo Canyon nuclear facility, located in central California, has been churning out electricity for about three decades, providing enough power for around 1.7 million homes. But utility provider PG&E announced Tuesday that they will not be renewing licenses with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Instead, the company plans to focus on renewable energy sources.
The last of Diablo's permits expire in 2025.
California is no stranger to shuttering plants. The San Onofre facility, situated just south of Orange County, was permanently retired in 2013. So it should come as no surprise that decommissioning Diablo will be no small feat. One of the biggest hurdles? Storing thousands of tons of nuclear waste.
Where does it all go?
Take Two put that question to Daniel Kammen, professor of energy at UC Berkeley.
What type of nuclear waste are we looking at? What causes it?
What causes it is where we start. It’s caused by the radioactive decay of the uranium — the fuel itself. It decays over a very complex set of pathways into daughter molecules that ultimately end up with molecules that are about half the weight of the initial uranium. And that’s basically different forms of lead. But getting there takes everything from fractions of a second to tens of thousands to millions of years. That material is called the high-level waste.
Then there’s what’s called low-level waste, and that is the metals, the materials, the cooling fluids in the plant that get somewhat radioactive and are much less of a problem, but they’re also material that has to be stored in a careful way. There’s really two flavors of waste.
We throw around the word ‘radioactive’ a lot when we talk about nuclear energy, but in layman’s terms, what are we actually talking about when we say radioactive?
You’re talking about the decay products: neutrons, part of the center of atoms that come off and make metals brittle and affect tissue in various ways; also, high energy particles, both electrons from atoms and energy and light that comes off, as well. You get this mixture of different materials, largely metals, giving off radioactive particles and energy as they decay over this very long process to their final state.
How effective are our methods of storage? Do we have an effective way to keep that waste safe in the long term?
A tough question, because we have good methods to manage it, in the sense that we know what is going to come out in terms of radioactive materials, heat, corrosion of the metals, but the long-term story [is that] humans aren't good at storing things and managing things for thousands to millions of years.
The casks themselves are designed to decay, but they’re designed to be put into holes that we drill into rock, and as the casks decay, it’s the rock that provides the secure storage... It is a good storage system if all the parameters work out well — and that "if" is complicated, because the science is good, but you simply have a hard time thinking, "Can we really guarantee this for tens to hundreds of thousands of years or millions of years?"
Press the blue play button above to hear more.
(Answers have been edited for clarity.)
The latest on the CA wildfires and evacuee advice
Firefighters are making progress on the San Gabriel Complex Fire - previously called the Fish and Reservoir Fires but it's still a battle.
Forest Safety Officer Ron Ashdale with the US Forest Service spoke to Libby Denkmann about the latest updates on the twin fires burning east of Los Angeles in Duarte and Azusa.
The potential for evacuation is part of life when living in California's more wooded communities but as the rise of wildfire increases over the next few months, do you know what to do if you are asked to leave your home? The toughest question for most is - "what to take?"
To help answer some questions for those who might be forced to evacuate host A Martinez spoke with Daniel Berlant, Public Information Officer for Cal Fire.
For more info and some FAQs on what to do when you are evacuated, please click here.
The latest fire updates
What's the situation now?
"The crews got some work done last night utilizing our night flying helicopters and were able to start a containment line.
They have not merged at this point and they are two separate fires, it is, of course, possible it's just depending on the weather," Forest Safety Officer Ron Ashdale told Take Two host A Martinez.
What would be the reasons for letting it merge?
"Eventually, it could help burn itself out, that's a possibility and of course having one team managing both fires helps also."
Given all these conditions, Ron, how are firefighters doing right now?
"You know, all considered we had two minor injuries at this point. One a heat-related injury and one a bee sting and considering that there are 1400 personnel on the fire that's just very good and we're very happy with that."
Advice for evacuees
I don't think people want to live in a constant state of emergency, but when you live near these fire lines, you kind of have to, don't you?
"If you leave near a wildland area or even in a subdivision...national forest land or grassland you do need to be prepared and it's not about living in constant fear, it's about being prepared. Put all your important documents, your passports, copies of your birth certificates, your photographs, personal records...all in one location. Put it in a container- a go kit - is what we like to call it so that when you do get that evacuation notice you can grab that go kit immediately and head out. You don't need to live in constant fear but knowing that you're prepared ahead of time...will create so much more relief when you do need it.
We call it the 6 P's, the 6 P's are the things you need to think about and that includes personal documents, chargers for your phones, chargers for your personal computers, any prescriptions, any medications and of course those personal documents like birth certificates, social security cards and things like that."
To hear the full segment, click the blue play button above.
This post has been updated.
What do Brits in LA think of the Brexit vote?
British voters will consider an important question on Thursday: should they stay in the European Union, or should they go?
Momentum for both sides of the "Brexit"—or, the "British exit" from the European Union—has been building, especially in the last week after the assassination of Jo Cox, a pro-remain politician.
But what would a Brexit really mean for the UK? There are economic arguments on both sides.
The "vote leave" camp says cutting ties with the EU will free up the UK to negotiate trade with other countries around the world. But, the "vote remain" camp, including Prime Minister David Cameron, says leaving the EU would weaken the British economy. There are other concerns -- including immigration, jobs and housing.
As voters in the UK make up their minds, Take Two checked in with three British Angelenos for their thoughts on Brexit—all in favor of Britain staying in the EU.
For another view we turned to Paul J. Wright, chair of the British American Business Council, Los Angeles.
Interview highlights
On how members of the BABCLA feel about Brexit:
Well, it's a very common theme of conversations now, so it's difficult for me to gauge the respective balance of opinions. I suspect it very much mirrors the country which is about 50 percent want to stay in and 50 percent want to leave.
On any divisions stemming from different opinions:
I don't think it's really doing that in the UK at the moment but definitely not here. The Brits in Southern California is quite a large group, at least 250,000 and probably a lot more. By and large, we're a pretty cohesive group and I haven't seen any unpleasantness or disagreement over people having differing opinions.
On how LA businesses could be affected by a potential Brexit:
The L.A. businesses would be concerned particularly if they had a presence in Europe, like I was at a social get-together, and there was an individual there in the movie industry and they had also offices in Europe and he was concerned that if Britain voted to come out that it may well affect his job in that a critical component of his work was the link between the UK and Europe.
On the future of trade between the US and UK if the Brexit is approved:
There's no free trade agreement between the US and UK, but the UK is the largest single investor, country by country, in the US, and it's the same vice-versa: the US is the largest single investor in the UK, and that's without a free trade agreement. There would be no difference in coming out of the EU. We would still be in our present position, plus, in my opinion, have the ability to negotiate our own free trade agreement with the US and other countries.
On supporting Brexit despite predictions of economic uncertainty:
I don't think I'm an outsider. There's some very prominent businesspeople—one such example is James Dyson, whose company exports many products to the US. He believes that the British economy will flourish outside of the EU, and incidentally, the exchequer who was in charge of the economy under Margaret Thatcher, Lord Lawson, also believes that to be true.
The Styled Side: CatConLA and feline fashion
Crazy cat ladies step back because it's time for the cool cat owners to shine.
This weekend is the 2nd annual CatConLA, a convention for hip cat owners and cat fans.
"It's not your typical cat show," says Michelle Dalton Tyree from Fashion Trends Daily. "CatConLA is all about how being a cat fan can be fashionable."
Last year's inaugural event brought out Millennials to sample some feline fashions, toys and products (see some of last year's highlights)
"The organizers want to dispel the outdated myth of the 'spinster cat lady,'" says Tyree. "When I was there last year, I was surprised not only at how much people dressed up, but at the booths dedicated to cat style. There was even a 'cat-i-cure' station for humans to have cat decals put on their nails."
This year, organizers are upping their game.
There will be a beauty bar sponsored by Kat Von D Beauty, a Fashion Face-Off fashion contest, cat adoptions and more.
Top celebrity "cat influencers" Lil BUB, Pudge and Nala cat will also grace the convention.
"This year is expected to be a much larger event that last year's," says Tyree. "15,000 thousand people are expected to attend!"
CA ranks 36th in new report on child well-being
There are lots of factors that contribute to a child's well-being— things like access to healthcare, quality of education and a family's economic security.
A new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation takes account of all those factors and more and ranks all 50 states.
The good news is that California has moved up two spots from last year. The bad news is that the Golden State is still in 36th place.
The non-partisan child-advocacy group Children Now put together the detailed scorecard on kids' well-being in California.
Joining Take Two to discuss:
- Jessica Mindnich, director of research for Children Now
Sports Roundup: The NBA Finals
The Cleveland Cavaliers are having their victory parade after beating the Golden State Warriors, winning the NBA title and ending the city's championship drought.
Plus the NBA draft is tomorrow. The Philadelphia 76ers have the first pick, the Lakers have #2. And the Lakers introduced their new coach yesterday, former Warriors assistant Luke Walton.
All this and more with Brian and Andy Kamenetsky.
Son commemorates Bud 'The Steamer' Furillo's LA sports legacy in new book
Bud "The Steamer" Furillo was the long-time sports editor of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner.
He started his sports journalism career in L.A., before the Lakers and Dodgers ever moved here. He had seen and covered it all in his column called The Steam Room, which led to his nickname, The Steamer.
His son Andy Furillo had a front row seat for all of it. Furillo's new book about his father is called, "The Steamer: Bud Furillo and The Golden Age of L.A. Sports."
Andy Furillo joined host A Martinez to talk about the book, and his father's legacy in L.A. sports media.
Interview highlights
On how the media fit into L.A.'s small-town sports landscape of the 1940s:
"In that era, it was nothing like it is today. Sports were on a more, I would say, real scale in terms of the rest of life. You know, the country was coming off of World War II and it knew what was important, and what was trivial, and sports were a diversion. Newspapers were king, radio was very, very small at that time, television was just beginning to blink. So the newspapers were huge, and the newspapers kind of served to connect the teams and the athletes to the fans."
How and why he decided to write a book about his father:
"When I first got started, there were a number of different ways I could have gone. I could have gotten into the, 'Me and my father' type thing... you know, no, he wasn't that kind of a guy. So I was kind of like, OK, we've got to do a little bit about who my pop is, who's The Steamer, what is The Steam Room, what does it mean here. But then I thought, it had to be not so much about him, but about the era that he wrote the column The Steam Room. I could have gone further into his career into radio, but that's too much, it's too much, and probably more than people would've wanted to know about him. I think that that 15-year period, from 1959-1974 when he wrote The Steam Room column really was a remarkable period in terms of L.A. sports with the Dodgers, and USC, and UCLA, and the Rams were such a great story even though they didn't win championships. The Lakers were a great story, and they finally broke through after all the heartbreak with the Celtics and the Knicks, and the horse racing was just really colorful, the local fight scene was just spectacular. You know, Ali got his career launched here, the AFL, its birth was as much rooted in L.A. as any place. The first Super Bowl was here. I had to make choices, and the choice that I made was it's going to be about the era, and his view of that era, and using him as a lens to show the reader what it was like with this one guy, one terrific writer, columnist, newspaper man, journalist — human being, just his take on all these great things that happened."
What Andy wants people to know about his dad's story:
"In the course of doing this research on this era, pretty much anything that had been written in the last 25 years about that era only cites the LA Times as a source. The LA Times is a very good source, don't get me wrong. But there were other sources, and The Herald Examiner was a spectacular source, and my dad was a great source to get a take on what sports were like in L.A. in that period, and people needed to be reminded about that, and his legacy needed to be established, and I felt very strongly in the course of doing this that that had to be laid down. It had to be memorialized, what he did, because when you talk about somebody that really came from nowhere, came out of nowhere, came from not much, what any person can accomplish when you work hard, and you've got some smarts, and you can think on your feet, and if you follow your passion. That's one thing my dad did, he really, really followed his passion. He really wanted to be around sports, he really wanted to be the sports editor of that paper, he was very determined in what he did, he worked very hard and he came out of it a pretty accomplished guy."