Today on the show we'll begin with a look at the FBI sweep of California Senator Leland Yee and Raymond 'Shrimp Boy' Chow. Then, new legislation could bring universal preschool to California. Plus, officials want to make Venice safer, but could changes kill the culture? Could medical marijuana ease PTSD symptoms? Plus much more.
Arrests of Sen. Leland Yee, Raymond 'Shrimp Boy' Chow part of FBI sweep
California has had no shortage of political scandals lately. Three Democratic state senators are currently facing criminal charges, including the latest, Leland Yee.
The San Francisco Bay Area lawmaker was arrested yesterday on charges that he conspired to traffic in firearms and traded political favor for bribes. Yee was just one of 26 defendants caught up in a five year-long FBI investigation.
That investigation also led to the arrest of a man named Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, a well-known figure in the San Francisco Chinatown scene. For the latest on this we're joined by Henry Lee of the San Francisco Chronicle.
New legislation could bring universal preschool to California
President Obama has made investment in early childhood education a priority in his second term, asking Congress to expand access across the country. But, he stopped short of calling for preschool to be a permanent fixture in all public schools.
KPCC's Deepa Fernandes reports that's exactly what some advocates want in California.
'Parentology' looks at the science of raising kids (Excerpt)
This excerpt from a New Yorker satire piece might best sum up what it's like being a mom or dad in 2014:
A recent study has shown that if American parents read one more long-form think piece about parenting they will go f***ing ape sh*t.
For example, you might learn that breastfed kids are smarter...only to find out months later that another study says the benefits of breast-feeding have been overstated.
It can be hard determining what's best for your child when new science comes out every day that seems to contradict one another. So sociologist Dalton Conley tried an experiment: deliberately try out what the research says on his own two children.
For example, Conley's son suffers from ADHD and says the school wanted to medicate him.
"I thought the evidence was pretty mixed on medication," says Conley, "but I also knew research literature that said placebos work almost as well as the actual medication for most behavioral and mental health drugs."
He then gave his son a placebo — and lied to him and his school.
"We wanted to see if it would fix the problem," says Conley. "Unfortunately, in this case, it didn't. You just realize that these abstract models can't capture the texture of each individual case, and really, each family should be its own laboratory."
Dalton Conley, author of the new book, "Parentology: Everything You Wanted to Know about the Science of Raising Children but Were Too Exhausted to Ask," joins the show with more.
EXCERPT:
"Parentology: Everything You Wanted to Know about the Science of Raising Children but Were Too Exhausted to Ask"
(Excerpt from PARENTOLOGY: Everything You Wanted to Know about the Science of Raising Children but Were Too Exhausted to Ask by Dalton Conley. Copyright © 2014 by Dalton Conley. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc, NY.)
Should college athletes be allowed to form labor unions?
Yesterday, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that a group of Northwestern University football players on scholarship are considered employees at the private institution.
Thanks to that ruling, players can now unionize and negotiate with the university for things such as financial compensation and full coverage for medical expenses related to sports injuries. For more on this, we're joined now by Ramogi Huma, a former UCLA linebacker and the founder of the College Athletes Players Association.
In addition, there are plenty of logistical questions about how a players' union at the collegiate level would work. To help us sort through them is Roger Abrams, a professor of sports and labor law at Northeastern University.
KPCC's online polls are not scientific surveys of local or national opinion. Rather, they are designed as a way for our audience members to engage with each other and share their views. Let us know what you think on our Facebook page, facebook.com/kpcc, or in the comments below.
State of Affairs: Sen. Leland Yee, LA Sheriff's race, food worker gloves and more
It's Thursday, which means it's time for State of Affairs, our look at politics and government throughout California. To help us with that we're joined in studio by KPCC political reporters Alice Walton and Frank Stoltze.
The big political news this week was the arrest yesterday of Democratic state Senator Leland Yee of San Francisco. Yee is not just an elected official, he's also a candidate for secretary of state. What has Yee been accused of and what does this mean for the Democrats in the state Senate? What's this mean for the Secretary of State race?
The FBI affidavit reads like a Hollywood script: brokering illegal arms sales in exchange for campaign contributions, money laundering, murder for hire. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg says Yee should leave now. Will he?
The Yee arrest is following on the heels of two other recent scandals for California State Senate Democrats: Montebello's Ron Calderone and Inglewood's Roderick Wright. What kind of ripple effect will this have on the Democrat's control in the State Senate?
We've got more evidence that the race to represent West L.A. and the San Fernando Valley on the powerful Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is going to be an expensive one. What are the two independent committees working on behalf of one of the candidates?
There are some other interesting campaign numbers out this week. What are they?
Fill us in on the numbers in one of the hottest races, like the one for L.A. County Sheriff.
Earlier this week, a Los Angeles judge decided L.A. City Controller Ron Galperin does have the right to audit public funds that were given to two nonprofits. These nonprofits are jointly run by the Department of Water and Power, and its union and together they've received more than $40 million over the past decade. What does Tuesday's decision mean for the city? And the DWP's union?
L.A. city labor unions introduced an interesting campaign against Wall Street this week.
The new California law that requires food workers to wear gloves is another step closer to being repealed.
There were fireworks this week over...fireworks. L.A. City Councilmen Bernard Parks and Curren Price are fighting over the annual fireworks show at the L.A. Coliseum. What is this battle really about?
Governor Jerry Brown made news this week when he appointed a journalist as the state librarian. Who is Greg Lucas and how did he get this gig?
March Madness: How are California schools faring so far?
March Madness resumes tonight with the Sweet 16, the last 16 teams competing in the NCAA college basketball tournament. Over the next couple of nights the field will be cut down to eight and by Sunday evening, the Final Four.
A trio of California schools are in the mix as Stanford, UCLA and San Diego State all play tonight.
For more on March Madness we're joined by Frank Burlison, columnist with the Orange County Register and a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame.
Officials want to make Venice safer, but could changes kill the culture?
Last summer, an Italian tourist on her honeymoon was visiting the Venice Boardwalk when a man drove his car onto the crowded boardwalk, killing her and injuring 16 others others.
The Venice Boardwalk has always been known for an eclectic mix of artists, beach goers, street vendors, tourists and a bit of a rough element. But it was the car incident that encouraged officials to begin to develop plans to help secure the area.
They've been working on a public safety assessment to identify the needs of the area, as well as a budget to figure out how to fund them.
Some of the safety measures that they're moving towards are simple, like making sure that the boardwalk is adequately lit at night. They're considering adding a PA system, and they're thinking about using things like benches and bike racks in an effort to not only close more roads, but to keep the closures visually attractive.
But according to Matt Stevens from the LA Times, changes like these are often met with resistance by Venice locals. The worry is that the changes could have an impact on vibrant bohemian scene.
What do you think? Can officials make Venice safer, but continue to "keep it weird"? Let us know in the comments below.
Awkward Family Photos exhibit comes to the California Heritage Museum
Fans of the site Awkward Family Photos, rejoice! These deliciously awkward photographs are coming to town.
If you aren't familiar with the popular website and book series, Awkward Family Photos is a collection of real life images from infant portraits to prom pictures; Images sure to make you squirm. Now you can see them in-person at the California Heritage Museum.
The exhibit runs from March 28 through July 27. Opening reception is 7 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27.
Here to tell us more is one of the co-creators of Awkward Family Photos Doug Chernack. To hear the full interview, click on "Listen Now" to the left.