Remaking Splash Mountain

While Disneyland has delayed its reopening its also rethinking its Splash Mountain Ride. The ride is currently based on characters from the old film "Song of the South", which has long been shelved due to its racist overtones. Executives are now looking to remake it as ride dedicated to "The Princess and The Frog" — featuring Disney's only black princess.

Guest:

• Mike Roe, LAist.com writer

Visit CA Travel Safely

Even though parts of California are slowly re-opening, the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting shutdown have paralyzed the state's economy. California is projected to lose over $70 billion dollars in visitor spending this year, nearly half of what the state made in tourism in all of 2019. But considering that Summer just got underway and any international travel plans you might have had went away. How about re-discovering, home? As in Visit California? The folks at the non-profit tourism organization Visit California want you to do just that... but they have a few recommendations to do it safely.

Guest:

• Caroline Beteta, Visit California president and CEO

How Coronavirus Affected One Mariachi Band

While many places in Los Angeles have reopened and people are starting to get back out again, the economy is still lagging. For many musicians and entertainers, it means they are still largely out of work, including mariachis in Los Angeles. Most will tell you they do not have a lot of gigs on the calendar right now. Carlos Samaniego is the director of Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles, a self-proclaimed LGBTQ+ mariachi band He’s been working on new opportunities for his band to play during the pandemic. But it’s been difficult. 

Utility Debt Forgiveness

Millions of Southern Californians have lost jobs during the pandemic. That can make it difficult to keep up with gas and electricity bills. For now, the big utilities are barred from disconnecting your service, but when that ends, you could face a very big bill. But some help is on the horizon — It’s called utility debt forgiveness.

Guest:

• Sharon McNary, KPCC Infrastructure Correspondent 

Homeland Sarshar

We have the next installment in a series of stories profiling influential members of Southern California's many distinctive diaspora communities. Tensions between Iran and the U.S. earlier this year left many Iranian Americans on edge. No one knows that better than Homa Sarshar. The Persian journalist has more than 50 years of experience reporting in Iran and Southern California. KPCC's Aaron Schrank has this profile. 

Parenting in the Summer of COVID

This summer, we've heard that some camps are opening with strict rules around hourly hand washing and frequent temperature checks —that’s in addition to masks and social distancing. But still, not all families feel comfortable sending their kids to camp this summer. Others are happening on Zoom. So how can kids experience “Summer” while the pandemic continues?

Guest:

• Krystina Castella, author of the book “Designing for Kids: Creating for Playing, Learning, and Growing” and she’s a professor at Art Center College of Design