Communities resisting the movement to build homes higher and denser, Is there a voice for Latino activists? The real reason reboots are popular.
SoCal cities buckle down to fight density
There is a housing crisis in Southern California, but many communities aren't down with one of the solutions: density.
Advocates suggest a range of alternatives, from creating more affordable apartments to increasing rent subsidies.
Many housing experts argue that it's important to embrace density so more homes are created in less space.
But battles have sprung up throughout SoCal over having neighbors living closer together:
- In Los Angeles, a proposed ballot initiative by the group Stop Manhattanwood targets zoning rules for large-scale real estate developments.
- Huntington Beach rejected a plan to build more affordable homes in several locations. If an alternative isn't found, the city would violate a state mandate to create a set number of low-income units each year.
- Activists in Santa Monica are working to put a ballot initiative up for a vote in November. It would require the public vote to approve any project taller than 32 feet.
USC housing expert Raphael Bostic joins Take Two to look at the public support for denser neighborhoods.
'Evicted' shows how evictions lead to a life of poverty
Read an excerpt of "Evicted" by clicking here
Los Angeles is one of the toughest cities in the country for renters, with tenants spending nearly half of their paychecks to cover their monthly rent – more than anywhere else in the nation.
When they fall behind, they get evicted.
But the story is more complicated than that.
Matthew Desmond tried to understand by heading to Milwaukee and spent months following renters who were hanging onto their homes by a string, if at all.
But he also shadowed the landlords who cut tenants a lot of breaks, until they finally had to cut those strings.
It's all chronicled in his new book, "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City."
Out of all the people who could qualify for housing assistance or public housing, only one-fourth are accepted, notes Desmond.
The rest are left to fend for themselves in the private rental market.
One of those people Desmond featured was Arleen, a single mother living in Milwaukee.
She often falls behind on her rent, but even when landlords cut her a break she is sometimes evicted for more than just money.
"We see Arleen evicted because her 14-year-old hits a car with a snowball, and the man jumps out and kicks her door in. The landlord said, that's property damage so you're evicted," Desmond tells Take Two. "We see her evicted because her kid gets into trouble at school and the police pay her a visit. The landlord evicts her after that."
Those evictions cascade into greater social problems, he says.
Without a stable home, it is more difficult for her children to stay in one school and concentrate on studying. With every eviction, Arleen is pushed into living in more dangerous neighborhoods where landlords are more likely to look past her spotty rental history.
Desmond also follows the other side of the story with landlords like Shereena, who Arleen once rented from before being kicked out.
While Shereena would neglect some properties and not fix a kitchen sink here or a busted window there, she would also cut people breaks that would normally get them kicked out elsewhere.
"These tenants were always behind or in some ways in violation of the lease. They would take in boarders – which is against the lease – and Shereena would remind them of that when they asked her to repair things," says Desmond. "There was kind of an agreement between tenant and landlord. The landlord let the tenants slip and the tenants let Shereena slip."
Shereena also extended a hand to some hard-on-their-luck tenants, offering a bag of groceries once they moved in or a ride home after taking them to eviction court.
"We let ourselves off the hook when we say, 'These landlords are just greedy,'" says Desmond. "There's a lot of things that go into the decision to evict someone, and often it's not just arithmetic and it's not just that, 'This person is behind and has to go.'"
Hear more of Desmond's take on America's housing crisis by clicking the blue audio player.
"Evicted," an excerpt of the new book by Matthew Desmond
Get ready for the all-new 'Powerpuff Girls' as cartoon reboots punch into high gear
Recently Cartoon Network revealed that one of their most beloved original shows, "The Powerpuff Girls," was returning to the network. It screened Monday at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
Next month, Bubbles, Blossom and Buttercup will return to the small screen. These three crimefighting kids enjoyed a nearly seven-year run starting in the late 1990s on the Cartoon Network, breaking gender stereotypes while riding the wave of Spice Girls-era "Girl Power." The show also had an absurdist sensibility that played to all ages, with the cartoon sharing some of the DNA that later led to Cartoon Network's teen- and adult-targeted Adult Swim programming.
The new show is bringing back the original heroes, alongside some new villains — and some new voice talent, with not all of the original cast returning. Many reboots look to keep the core of what makes the original show special, while also changing some character designs and adding new elements to make the show feel contemporary.
Reboots, sequels and prequels have been increasingly popular, with many who were around for the original run of a series or movie wondering why they were coming back while also being delighted.
Other kids shows to be rebooted in recent years include "My Little Pony" and the "Care Bears," and on the way there's a new "DuckTales," a Netflix resurrection of "Voltron," a return of Cartoon Network's young boys-targeted "Ben 10" and a new version of DC Comics superheroes the Justice League on "Justice League Action."
The shows offer networks a proven commodity with an established name to attract viewers along with a chance to play to both those who remember the original and young people who've never heard of it. It's less of a risk for networks, especially as increasing entertainment options make it harder to draw eyes to any one place. Still, it means there's a place for shows like these, as well as live-action nostalgic fare like Netflix's "Fuller House."
This story has been updated.
Let the madness begin: The reveal of the NCAA tournament brackets
Yesterday was "Selection Sunday", when all of the brackets in the NCAA Basketball championship tournament were officially revealed.
But even though fans are excited for the official kickoff of March Madness, the announcement was not without controversy.
For more on who's unhappy about what, Take Two's A Martinez is joined by Scott Gleeson. He's a writer for USA Today Sports who's been convering College Basketball all season.
NPR, Cokie Roberts and journalistic objectivity on the campaign trail
The 2016 presidential race has been anything but standard.
As the insults mounted, starting with the first Republican debate, and some of the unlikeliest candidates rose to the top, it has proved extra tricky for journalists to remain totally objective on the campaign's events.
But, some argue, this election is a bit like none other...so it's ok for reporters to inject their opinion as well.
Case in point - NPR commentator Cokie Roberts. She, along with her husband Steven Roberts wrote a column admonishing the GOP to stop Donald Trump's success.
NPR tried to clarify Roberts' role on the show on Monday.
Take Two host Alex Cohen also talked to the network's Senior Vice President of News and Editorial Director Michael Oreskes about it, and how NPR is advising its reporters during this topsy-turvy election season.
Should there be a #brownlivesmatter movement?
Do Latinos in the US suffer from a rage deficit? asks writer Héctor Tobar.
That is the question posed in his recent New York Times opinion piece, which also ponders whether it's time for a #brownlivesmatter movement. He put that question to college students in Los Angeles – with interesting results.
Some noted the strong tradition of civic engagement among Latinos. Others called the idea of adopting a #brownlivesmatter campaign cultural appropriation.
READ: Héctor Tobar's Latinos’ Slow-Burn Anger
LA's Police Commission considers new guidelines to decrease deadly force
This week, the L.A. Police Commission is taking a look at changes to guide how and when officers use deadly force.
One of the key concepts is called de-escalation: that's when an officer tries to use other methods to diffuse a situation in order to avoid deadly force.
"We're talking about things as simple as moving around to the other side of a car, backing out of a hallway into a more wide open space," said Matthew Johnson, president of the Los Angeles Police Commission. "It's a tool for officers to use, to take a situation that's at a 5 and to take it down to a one or a two, rather than it go up to an 8, 9 or a 10 and hopefully avoid a situation where use of force has to be used."
Along with Commissioner Robert Saltzman, Johnson is proposing the changes, which come after the 10-year review of the Department's use of force investigations, policy and training from the Commission's Inspector General Alex Bustamente.
But the proposed changes have drawn some criticism.
"Most use of force [incidents] happen in a millisecond," said Craig Lally, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents the rank-and-file officers in the LAPD. "Your training kicks in and basically there's no room for error."
Emphasizing de-escalation could prompt officers to hesitate and put them in danger, said Lally.
Commissioner Johnson said the safety of officers is a top priority.
"There are many instances where it's just not possible and if it's not possible, they're not going to be expected to de-escalate a situation," said Johnson. "But if it is possible, if there is an opportunity, then we expect them to utilize their training and try and de-escalate."
According to the Police Commission's agenda, the five-person body will decide whether to formally adopt the reforms Tuesday. President Johnson said that he was "confident" the recommendations would be adopted. According to the Commission, the expectation is then that they will be fully implemented within 30 days.
A KPCC investigation into shootings in Los Angeles County found that over a five-year period, from 2010 to 2014, one in four people shot by police were unarmed.