Today, we'll start with a discussion of Target CEO's resignation amid the data breach scandal. Then, charities struggle with decision to keep or return donations given by Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Plus, the NHL season gets exciting in California, The Headshot Truck hopes to take the hassle out of actors' headshots, new study suggests that snobby people make better salespeople for luxury good, and much more.
Target CEO resigns 5 months after data security breach
Target's CEO and President Gregg Steinhafel resigned from the company today, just five months after a data breach ensnared millions of Americans' personal data.
While it's unclear how much that played a role in his departure, it does point out that leading a major retailer isn't just about increasing sales, anymore -- you have to make sure your company is ahead of cyber criminals.
For a look at how companies like Target are shifting their priorities to be stronger against cyber crime, we're joined by Danny Yadron, cybersecurity correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.
Charities grapple with Sterling donations: To keep or not to keep?
The Clippers open their playoff series against the Thunder tonight in Oklahoma City.
That's the sport side.
On the front office side, the NBA said Saturday it intends to appoint a chief executive officer to supervise team operations. The team owner, Donald Sterling, was fined and barred from association with the club after was heard making racist comments on tape.
Many have been quick to distance themselves from Sterling. The local chapter of the NAACP cancelled plans to give him a lifetime achievement award and its president, Leon has resigned. Sponsors have withdrawn and some non-profits either are giving money back or refusing to take it.
KPCC's Mary Plummer looks at the fallout.
In surpassing whites, Latino plurality points to California's historic trends
In California, Latinos are now the largest population group in the state. That's according to projections from experts, who say 39 percent of Californians are Latino, surpassing non-Latino whites.
Those projections still need to be borne out by hard evidence, but if they turn out to be correct, the shift will be something of a back to the future moment for California.
We're joined by Leslie Berestein Rojas, KPCC's Immigration and Emerging Communities Reporter.
RELATED: California's Latino plurality brings a sense of déjà vu
Ciudad Juarez looks to move past city's murderous past
Ciudad Juarez, Mexico has a reputation as one of the cities with the highest homicide rates in the world. But in the past two years, the city has become less violent, and as the number of murders go down, the number of people and businesses returning have gone up.
Tracy Wilkinson, the Mexico City bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, wrote about this and joins us to discuss the changing climate in Ciudad Juarez.
Limepocalypse: Lime-free cocktails, snacks you can make for Cinco de Mayo
With the great lime shortage of 2014 in full effect, knocking back a few lime margaritas this Cinco de Mayo might be difficult. Luckily, there are plenty of lime-free alternatives.
"Really, to me, the most obvious is to just drink tequila on its own," said Street Gourmet LA blogger Bill Esparza on Take Two. "We have been trying to educate people here in the United States...you don't have to shoot tequila. You should be sipping it especially if it's a quality tequila."
If you're not a big fan of tequila's flavor, you can also sip mezcal or bacanora, which are different Mexican agave-based spirits available in Los Angeles. Still, if you'd like to mix up a tasty, lime-free cocktail using tequila, you still have options.
Cocktail Alternatives:
La Paloma:
- 2 oz. tequila
- 1/2 oz. lemon or orange juice
- Pinch of salt
- Grapefruit soda
"This is basically Tequila and Squirt. Now, again, a lot of people are finishing it with lime, but in the state of Nayarit, Mexico, they use orange juice instead," said Esparza.
Tequila Sunrise:
- 1.5 oz. Tequila
- 4 oz. Orange juice
- Grenadine syrup
- Orange slice for garnish
Pour the tequila and orange juice into glass over ice. Add the grenadine, which will sink to the bottom. Do not stir. Garnish and serve.
"You can kind of go old-school, let's go back to the '80s and have a Tequila Sunrise, which doesn't have any lime at all," said Esparza.
Bill Esparza's Limeless Guacamole:
During a trip to Southern Mexico, Esparza came across a woman making limeless guacamole using the pipicha herb, which has notes undertones of lemon and anise.
"Two years ago it would've been a very rare herb, but now you can find it in the Mexican chain markets like Vallarta and North Gate," said Esparza.
Esparza Instagrammed the ingredients for limeless guac, in case you'd like to give it a try!
"Lime-less plastic bag mashed guacamole : avocado, diced radish, pipicha(herb), and sea salt from San Felipe. Recipe from market vendor in Tlaxcala..."
LA Kings, Anaheim Ducks playoff battle brings excitement to SoCal hockey
Later today, the battle between the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks goes to game two.
The freeway series so far has captured the attention of fans and novices alike, with the first game ending in a dramatic overtime win for the Kings. Dave Joseph, a reporter for ESPN LA 710 Radio and the public address announcer for the Kings, joins the show to explain what we should expect today.
On The Lot: Joel McHale, runaway film production, Kevin Spacey and more
It's Monday, which means its time for On The Lot with Rebecca Keegan of the LA Times, our weekly look at the movie business.
Far from Brentwood and Sunset Boulevard, a big event Saturday night drew a few Hollywood celebrities: The White House Correspondents Dinner, also known as Nerd Prom. It used to be a hot ticket for stars, but nowadays not so much. Why is that?
The headliner was Joel McHale, from the NBC TV show, "Community," and the consensus on his performance? Biting. He was funny, but even he joked that he was there because Jimmy Fallon declined. You have to stand up there and tell a lot of jokes that mostly offend people. How can this be good for your career as an actor?
If the big name stars weren't going to Washington this weekend, it may have been because they were in New York, instead. The Big Apple is taking a big bite out of Hollywood production. They're breaking records for film and TV projects, while Hollywood is struggling to keep the lights on here.
What has New York done to set the stage for this big comeback in production?
Producer Harvey Weinstein is well known for being headstrong with his directors, and now he's in a big spat with another one. It involves a movie about Grace Kelly, that stars Nicole Kidman, and it's turning into a real feud. At least as described in the press, Weinstein's version is rosy, and the director's cut is a lot darker. What's your best guess? Which version ends up in theaters?
There's more trouble for the already troubled film production "Midnight Rider."
The Headshot Truck aims to make actors' promo photos a breeze
There's a new mobile vendor wheeling around Los Angeles, but this one will not be competing with the likes of Kogi, Grill 'Em All and Koolhaus.
The Headshot Truck is new mobile photography studio that hopes to take the hassle — and the often hefty price — out of promotional photos for aspiring actors.
"I used to be an actor myself and I used to hate having my headshots taken, it could be a stale process and it could be an expensive one as well," said photographer Adam Hendershott, the creator of The Headshot Truck. "The food truck craze kind of came about, and I kind of put two and two together and thought, man that might be an interesting idea to turn one of these trucks into a studio."
Professional headshots can set you back anywhere from $300 to $1,000, depending on the photography studio. But for $250, a Headshot Truck client can board the truck for a photoshoot and come away with a set of headshots with two different looks.
Hendershott and his team plan to park the truck outside of Hollywood agencies, acting schools and anywhere else that's convenient. They'll even make housecalls for an extra price.
"The agents can see the photos right there on the monitor as they're getting done so it's helpful for them," said Will Harper, manager of The Headshot Truck.
One thing they won't be doing is pulling up next to any number of food trucks around the city. Getting headshots taken is a little more time-consuming and complicated than ordering a taco.
"It's not really an impromptu thing that an actor can do," said Hendershott. "You kind of have to be a little bit prepared and have your wardrobe ready and everything so it's not something that while they're getting a burger say, 'Hey, I'm going to have my headshots taken too.'"
The team raised just under $26,000 on Kickstarter (their goal was $20,000) and have dropped off the truck to get renovated with a generator, insulated interior and an expert wrap on its exterior. Expect to see the truck wheeling around town by mid-June.
Liberal donors develop strategy to revitalize the Democratic Party
The new financial strategy, which supporters believe could revitalize the Democratic Party, looks to mobilize voters and give Democrats a stronger hand in the redrawing of district lines for state legislatures and the U.S. House.
Matea Gold has been writing about the plan for the Washington Post and she joins the show with more.
Who bears the burden of liability in the event of earthquake?
If a big quake hits and your apartment is damaged or, worse, you're injured, who, if anyone, is at fault?
That question of liability is a big concern for property owners in California, and it's affecting a plan to assess the seismic risks of buildings in L.A. Here to explain is Ron Lin is earthquake safety reporter with the LA Times.
UC Berkeley students push for stronger response to sexual violence
Complaints that colleges and universities are mishandling sexual assault cases is creating a national outcry. Students, mostly women, have been speaking out about what they see as a problem that schools have been slow to address. They've caught the attention of law enforcement officials.
The California Report's Grace Rubenstein explains how UC Berkeley became one of the latest schools to come under federal investigation.
Online chat an increasingly popular suicide prevention tool
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. They're now an important part of the daily lives of many Americans. The popularity of social media has changed the way we interact with friends, and with businesses, but it doesn't stop there.
KPCC's Rebecca Plevin looks at how it's become useful to people working in mental health.
Supreme Court rules LA County liable for stormwater pollution
After going to the U.S. Supreme Court twice, it's settled.
Los Angeles County is responsible for storm water pollution which flows down the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers. This morning the Court decided to let stand a 9th circuit ruling finding that the county violated the Clean Water Act.
Here to explain what's going on is KPCC's environment correspondent Molly Peterson.
Mexican-American 'cholo' style takes off in Bangkok
Here in Los Angeles, we're pretty familiar with the "cholo" look.
Though the term has a long and complicated history, cholos as we know them today are typically Mexican-American men with a specific style: Chinos, baggy T-shirts or a starched plaid button-ups, buzzed hair, elaborate body tattoos. They're often associated with lowrider culture.
Today, that same style is being admired and copied by young men 8,200 miles away in Bangkok, Thailand.
"They've been influenced by a lot of videos they've seen on YouTube. They've been influenced by American popular culture," says Alexander Hotz, multimedia director of the news and culture site Coconuts. "They pretty much just think it looks really cool."
Small groups of these men will hang out on the streets of Bangkok, but Hotz says they're not necessarily a part of a gang that commits crime for a living. For them, being a "cholo" is all about the style.
"I don't think they understand the nuance of the culture [at] all. I'm sure most of them would not even know that Spanish is spoken in Mexico," says Hotz. "They don't, for example, understand just how violent some of the Mexican gangs can be."
There are several aspects about the style that draws them in, too. For example, Hotz says the loose-fitting clothing is great for a hot place like Thailand. Also, it's easier for these men to identify with Mexicans because of their similar skin tone.
In addition, they're drawn in by what they see as the "story" of cholos.
"They do understand, on a really fundamental level, that Mexican gangsters generally come from disadvantaged places," said Hotz. "These are people who have grown up poor who have become powerful people in their community. They really think of that as something that is really, really cool."
Adopting that style has empowered these men to be more open and daring. Despite some of them being policemen in their day job, others will create raps such as "F--k the Po-Po."
"You don't often hear Thais calling out the cops for their crazy corruption," says Hotz. "[This one guy] was using this culture — the aggressiveness of this culture — as a way to get into this social issue, which isn't addressed in popular art a lot."
But generally, the "cholo" life has allowed these men to create social bonds and friendships based around a look.
"They don't do drugs. They don't extort people. It's more of like a group for people who are interested in an aesthetic," said Hotz.