Are U.S. politics synonymous with 'The Hunger Games? Then, Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis tells us about her plans now that she's back in Los Angeles Plus, Actress Tippi Hedren's big cat preserve and Roar Foundation turn 40, librarian Mara Alpert fills us in on the best bedtime books for kids, and much more.
Former governor says American politics have become the 'Hunger Games'
Here's a thought to consider: "American politics today has migrated from an NFL atmosphere to the Hunger Games." That bleak assessment came from Dirk Kempthorne at a bi-partisan conference held earlier this week at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley.
Attendees included former Republican senators like Olympia Snowe and Trent Lott as well as Democratic leaders like former Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm.
Dan Glickman, former head of the US Department of Agriculture under Bill Clinton and former chair of the Motion Picture Association of America, joins the show to tell us about what came out of the conference.
Former Sec. of Labor Hilda Solis eyes a future in LA politics
Hilda Solis is fond of telling the story of a high school guidance councilor who told her mother that she shouldn't go to college and instead become a secretary. Well, Hilda Solis did become a Secretary: The Secretary of Labor in President Obama's administration.
Now, four years after becoming the first Hispanic woman to serve in a presidential cabinet, Secretary Solis has returned to her hometown of Los Angeles. Solis joins the show to talk about her accomplishments in Obama's cabinet, her return to California politics and her work with MALDEF on the critical issues facing the Latino community from immigration reform and education to job growth.
Interview Highlights:
Why she's considering a run for LA County Board of Supervisors:
"Well, for me it's a continuance of public service, something that I'm deeply committed to. I love Los Angeles, I love Los Angeles County. I'm a product of the local area and want to continue to provide solutions to challenges and I see a lot of opportunities to come together. I'm excited about it, I think it's a new chapter for me. I've been away in Washington now almost 12 years, I served eight years in the house of representatives, representing the San Gabriel and the cities in L.A. County. I think it's a good means for me to come home and re-establish myself here. I'm excited because Los Angeles is changing, it's dynamic. People look to us for innovation for new ideas and for cutting-edge things that can be modeled and showcased around the country. I'm proud to be a part of that and I want to continue to be a part of it and seek out those interesting things that are going to be game changers for us here in Los Angeles County."
Can she confirm that she's planning to run?
"Well, I'm home right now visiting in L.A. County and home is home. It's a dynamic place to be right now. I haven't officially signed anything, but when the time comes everybody will know."
What does she think of the shortage of women in L.A. politics?:
"I think its anomaly, really. There are different trends, I see this in the legislature, I see it in the Congress, I see it in other facets of our lives. What we have to do is regroup, but we need to continually support other women to have access and opportunities to have access and opportunities to all positions across the board. What's very important here is while we're trying to set trends and get into areas where the glass ceiling has prohibited women, we've got to think about continually making those connections, networking and coalescing with those very good men that understand that it's better for all of us to integrate women more in those decision making processes and to have them at the table to be able to have all of our voices heard. Just to be a token doesn't do it, it has to be much more than that it has to be also an example that is set by top management, CEOs and by government officials across the board."
Does she think immigration reform is an issue both sides can collaborate on?:
"I believe so and I've already seen some semblance of that occurring just by the leaders of the Senate coming together…Latinos aren't the only group that would benefit from immigrationioin reform. We're talking about other people who have been here waiting to succeed and become citizens and partners here. The President has said very forcefully that he'd like to be able to retain people who come and get educated here…Also for those well-trained individuals…to be able to stay here and give them a path to citizenship or at least a green card."
What was the focus of her speech during the Latino State of the Union?:
"My effort was to focus on the economy and how Latinos have fared in the current situation in respect to the recession that we came out of, the recovery and where we are in terms of our future goals and aspirations and where we should be looking to plan ahead so that we help to restore and fortify this economy. Latinos play a significant role in the economic wellbeing of this country. Immigration reform was a big part of the discussion as well as jobs, job creation, job preparation, and educations. Civil rights, and a lot of issues that continue to affect out community."
Friday Flashback: Job numbers, unemployment rate and more
A break in the gridlock on Capitol Hill, some big economic news, and the anniversary of a cultural milestone. Time for our weekly review of the news, The Friday Flashback.
Here with us in the studio, James Rainey, political columnist for the LA Times and from Washington, Nancy Cook, economic and fiscal policy correspondent for The National Journal.
We discuss the new job numbers report, which says we've hit the lowest unemployment rate in four years and we've added 236,000 new jobs in February.
Sequestration cuts to cause turbulence at airports
Next time you're at the airport, get ready for some turbulence, and that's even before you take off.
Because of sequestration, the FAA will be furloughing 47,000 employees, including air traffic controllers, starting next month. There might also be epic waits at the security line because the TSA says cuts will reduce their staffing as well.
Meanwhile, you might expect to pay more for a ticket based on the personal data the airlines collect on you.
Barbara Peterson is the senior aviation correspondent for Conde Nast Traveler, and has an update on all things air travel.
Librarian Mara Alpert on the best bedtime books for kids
Daylight Saving Time begins this week. But those with young kids know, time changes can wreak havoc with a toddler's bedtime routine.
It's best to come armed with plenty of great bedtime stories to help lull the little ones to dreamland. To help us navigate to the best of the best bedtime books, we've called in our resident children's book expert, Mara Alpert, a librarian with the LA Public Library.
The Best Bedtime Stories: Spring 2013
I’m Not Sleepy! by Jane Chapman
PreK – Grade 1. Mo the Owlet isn’t sleepy, so Grandma suggests that he help put her to bed. It isn’t as easy as it looks.
Benny and Penny in Lights Out! A Toon Book by Geoffrey Hayes
K – Grade 3. Brother and sister mice get ready for bed… as slowly as possible, with side trips to bedtime snacks, scary stories about the Boogey Mouse, and a brief outdoor adventure.
Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue, Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
PreK - Grade 1. A little girl wearing a crown (a nod to Mr. Sendak, perhaps?) just isn't ready to go to bed. Her clever and patient parents have the perfect solution for that. A 2013 Caldecott Honor recipient.
Max & Milo Go To Sleep! By Heather Long, Illustrated by Ethan Long
K - Grade 3. The classic "Odd Couple" scenario: two brothers share a bedroom; Milo (wild and messy) can't sleep; Max (neat and exhausted) suggests various remedies, which are accomplished in the loudest, most annoying way possible. Who do you think is still awake at the end?
Bedtime is Canceled by Cece Meng, Illustrated by Aurélie Neyret.
K – Grade 3. Everyone believes it when a story about the cancellation of bedtime is published in the newspaper. Word quickly spreads, and no one goes to bed. Will Maggie and her brother figure out a way to fix what they started?
With (dis)honorable mention going to:
Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach, Illustrated by Ricardo Cortés
Grownups. The truth about what it really sounds like in most households with young, wide-awake children and tired, cranky parents.
Seriously, Just Go to Sleep by Adam Mansbach, Illustrated by Ricardo Cortés
PreK – Grade 1. The child-friendly version of last year’s subversive grownup hit.
PHOTOS: Tippi Hedren's Shambala big-cat preserve for 47 lions, tigers, leopards
Along Highway 14, in between Santa Clarita and Palmdale, you'll find Acton — a high desert city that's home to just over 7,500 people, dozens of filming locations, and 47 big cats. Actress Tippi Hedren's Shambala Preserve, Acton's 'pride' and joy, is a 80-acre parcel of land that houses and maintains lions, tigers, leopards any sort of big cat in need of a home. KPCC's Kevin Ferguson reports.
I met actress and activist Tippi Hedren on a brisk Monday just outside of her home, surrounded by almost 50 big cats.
Tippi Hedren is, among other things, the star of Alfred Hitchcock's films The Birds, mother to actress Melanie Griffith and the President of the Roar Foundation, the group that funds Shambala. The story behind Shambala goes back to 1981, when Hedren was filming a movie that featured over 100 lions, tigers, leopards and cheetahs. The film required so many big cats that Hollywood trainers couldn’t meet demand.
"So it was their suggestion that we acquire our own animals to do the movie, and it started out with one rescue and from then on, as soon as people knew that we were accepting these big cats, it just grew like Topsy," said Hedren. "We had 150 big cats here!"
By providing homes for all these rescued animals, Hedren had found a calling. In the same way you hear about animal rescues for typical house pets — German shepherds, rabbits, pit bulls — Shambala does the same thing for big cats.
Sanctuaries like Shambala save many of these animals from euthanasia. It just takes a lot more resources and permits. They take on animals when they can, but the preserve relies on donations for funding. Sometimes that's hard to come by.
Walking around the park, you'll find not just lions and tigers but leopards, servals (an African wildcat), even a few house cats — they're indoors only. Every now and then a Metrolink train passes through the park, and flying overhead are ravens. Everywhere.
"They live here! And I find it very interesting because the ravens figured very strongly in the movie I did, The Birds,' said Hedren. "We have this huge flock of ravens who live here, because they’re meat eaters and we serve between 400 and 500 pounds of meat everyday, so they’re happy. And they know which of the lions and tigers they can steal from, and which they can't."
As spacious and amazing as it all looks, Chris Galluci, the director makes it abundantly clear: Shambala isn't a zoo.
"Somebody bred these cats to put them behind a cage. Every animal here is doing a life. Now what we’re trying to do is fill in that gap," said Galluci. "We’re trying to give them a life."
The habitats here are just as big as you'd find at the L.A. or San Diego Zoos. Some cats are roommates, others live alone. What makes Shambala unique is the mission: above everything else, this is a home to the big cats. Safety for both them and the humans around them is paramount.
Wednesday, a volunteer at a sanctuary in Fresno County was killed when a 4-year-old lion attacked her. At Shambala, volunteers never work with the cats. And—after a tiger attack hospitalized a Shambala staffer in 2007—the preserve has gone entirely hands-off. They installed a complex fencing system that ensures humans and big cats are almost never in the same compound.
For visitors, the rules are even more strict. The center is open only once a month for guided tours. Once inside, you're required to stay at least four feet away from the fences. And, as Mae Ryan, our photographer learned during the tour: never crouch down to take a picture of a big cat. In the middle of our interview, a lioness named Zoe came running our way, stopping just short of the fence.
"Do not bend down. Seriously, don’t bend down that way. Because then they think that you’re play or prey—she’ll bite the fence and break her teeth!" said Galluci.
Zoe, along with brother Cyrus, both came to Shambala from a shuttered zoo in Mississippi. All of the cats here were once privately owned: some from Nevada, some from Ohio, Texas. Some owned by rich people, others by celebrities. When Michael Jackson closed his zoo at Neverland the center received both of his tigers.
A lot of the stories are the same: wealthy families buy a leopard, or a tiger, or a lion. The wealthy family can't afford it anymore, or the upkeep is too much, or too dangerous. They pass the cat onto sanctuaries like Shambala. As Tippi explains, sometimes the stories can get pretty grim.
"We have a black leopard who was purchased for $6,000, taken to Newport Beach. And as he grew, he was scratching the lady’s satin sofas and chewing her Jimmy Choo shoes. So she put him in a closet and that’s where he lived," said Hedren. "The husband would come home at night, put great big leather gauntlets up to his shoulders, take the cat out, wrestle with him—thereby saying ‘this is how you treat humans,’ and then he’d go back in the closet. And finally, they were convinced that this probably isn’t a good idea. So he came to live at Shambala, and they brought him from Newport Beach in the trunk of their car in a zippered clothes bag."
For Hedren, taking care of these big cats is only half of the mission. She says the aim of Shambala and the Roar Foundation is to put an end to the private breeding of exotic animals. Hedren's group has lobbied Congress for nearly four years now to do just that. Just over a year ago the bill was first introduced on the floor of the House of Representatives.
"Why does our government allow this? I mean, these are apex predators, top of the food chain," said Hedren. "One of the four most dangerous animals in the world, and yet they say ‘sure, breed them, sell them to whoever can give you the money for them.'"
Shambala is a symptom of bad decisions. Despite how difficult, expensive and dangerous it is, people keep buying pet lions and tigers. Some want to show off their wealth, others just want to appear rich, some people just like big cats. But when the fun comes to end — and it almost inevitably does — these cats have to go somewhere.
For now, they at least have places like Shambala to call home.
Food blogger Bill Esparza sniffs out the best street eats in Southern California
The streets of L.A. can be an assault on the senses, with the chaos of honking horns and SUV's spewing exhaust. But they can also be a treat for the taste buds, if you know where to look.
Perhaps no one knows better than Bill Esparza. He's a food blogger who goes by the handle "Street Gourmet LA," and he's an expert at sniffing out the best street eats around Southern California and even as far south as Baja.