Why did the district attorneys pursue the death penalty in the grim sleeper case? A chat with California State director for the Hillary Clinton Campaign, running's popularity declines among millennials.
Why prosecutors seek the death penalty when CA executions are on hold
A Los Angeles jury convicted Lonnie Franklin Jr. yesterday of murdering nine women and a teenage girl in South L.A.
Franklin was dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" for an apparent 14 year break in the killings that spanned from 1985 to 2007.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and now it's up to the same jury that convicted Franklin to decide his fate.
But even if Franklin is sentenced to death, it's unlikely to be carried out anytime soon. That's because executions in California have been on hold since 2006.
So why do district attorneys still pursue it?
Robert Dunham, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center, says that decision is made county by county, by the district attorney.
Dunham says that most counties in the U.S., and most counties in California, are not using the death penalty.
"Two percent of the counties in the United States are responsible for more than half of the individuals who are on death row in the country." Dunham says. "And it's also the case that five of the 15 leading counties in the United States in terms of producing death sentences actually come out of California."
But with executions in the state effectively on hold, Dunham says, the death penalty in California has become a largely symbolic response.
What determines whether a death sentence will be handed down, Dunham says, comes down to local politics and local practices. And for the most part, Dunham says, that has less to do with the nature of the crime and more to do with "what the political culture is and what the political gain may be for the prosecutor."
To listen to the full interview, click the blue player above.
Hillary Clinton's East LA college visit from a student's perspective
Hillary Clinton was in town this week, attending fundraising and stopping by East LA College yesterday:
Clinton's message of unity and breaking down barriers was greeted by applause and high energy.
But just outside the gymnasium where the event was held, she was surrounded by protests on campus and nearby.
Megan Razzetti, a student at East LA College and an editor at the Campus News, attended the Hillary Clinton event on Thursday and joined the show for more.
To hear the full segment, click the blue play button above.
Clinton's California director has 'no doubt' the Democratic party can be unified
From East LA to Northern California; Hillary Clinton will cap this week at an organizing event in Oakland.
It will be her fourth stop in California this month ahead of the June primaries, which are now just a month and a day away.
For more on the Clinton strategy in California, Take Two spoke to Buffy Wicks, California State Director for the Hillary Clinton Campaign.
Press the blue play button above to hear the interview.
#FreeBritney: The law and reasoning of conservatorships
Welcome back to Take Two. I'm A Martinez. Alex Cohen is out for the day.
So... It's confession time for A Martinez:
He's a proud Britney Spears fan. Always has been. Most of her hits are some of his favorite work out anthems.
As you might remember, Britney went through some mental health and substance abuse issues many years ago.
Her father Jamie Spears and her lawyer Andrew Wallet were named Britney's co-conservators in 2008.
Because of this, she cannot make major decisions about her personal life or finances without their approval.
That has many fans worried that Britney is being taken advantage of, now that she's older and in a better state of mind. One fan started a "Free Britney" website and hashtag that's gotten some attention.
To better understand the legality behind all of this, Take Two's A Martinez spoke to Mina Sirkin.
She's a California probate attorney specializing in conservatorship cases.
To hear the full conversation, click the blue player above.
What immigration looks like for Hollywood's entertainers
Immigration has been, and will likely, remain a hot button topic leading up to the 2016 election.
But what does someone like, say, Justin Bieber, who hails from Canada, have to do to get a U.S. visa? There's a process for entertainers called the O-1B visa program, and it's being compared to a fast pass for the immigration process.
Gary Baum, senior writer at the Hollywood Reporter, has looked into this. He joined host A Martinez with more.
Interview highlights
On what the O-1B visa process is:
"It works like many programs in some fashions and unlike others in other ways. It's really an economically-oriented program, it's small but it's growing. We found that within the entertainment industry within the past four years it's grown by about 50 percent from about 2,000 applications a year to 3,000. And what's going on is it brings in what's known as 'talent with extraordinary ability,' I'm putting in air quotes because that's how it's actually defined, by the U.S. government, they're in the business of defining extraordinary talent within the artistic sphere."
Is the application process for this similar to anyone else that is trying to also get in the country?
"In some fashions it is. It can be onerous, and in some ways it's unique, particularly in terms of defining that extraordinary ability. What's unique within the O-1B category is that it is something that is almost always fast tracked, and it's almost always fast-tracked because nearly everyone that is involved with it uses something called premium processing, which costs $1,255. It basically allows an applicant to have the application processed within 15 days. And that's unique because often times with the processing, it can take months, it can be Kafka-esque. In this case, you have a special phone number, a special email address, and it's basically almost like a concierge-type service... Premium processing is available for a number of different other letter visas, in fact it's available widely. But the usage of premium processing isn't so predominant in other places. It really is something that you have to be able to afford, and often times it's somebody else that is paying for it. It's a company, paying for it, it's your agent that is paying for it, but it's those, generally, who are privileged that are able to have this expedited process handled."
Is this similar to tech visas where the person has a specialized skill and they can get fast-tracked because of that skill?
"Correct, it is. The government wanted to find ways to make life easier for those it preferred to prioritize into the country. And to be clear, the reason why it's making that a priority is for economic needs, and not just often times for that person, but for the projects that they're involved in. When I talked to the immigration attorneys that specialize in this in Hollywood, and it's a very small group, less than 10 people, we're talking about the star of a film or the director, a cinematographer, or a special effects artist who might be critical to the success of a $100 million production that has all sorts of tax incentives and also employs hundreds and hundreds of other domestic workers."
On the reaction from other people involved in immigration — maybe even those who have to wait like everyone else:
"The immigration world is somewhat compartmentalized. The area that I've been focusing on with O-1B is an incredibly cloistered, elite world. Whether you're talking about A-list stars or even voice-over actors, it's really some of the most privileged people that come through the immigration department. Most people that are immigrating are nothing like that. They're anonymous, they're less wealthy, and they're certainly less connected. And those that represent those interests are frankly very surprised because the U.S. Citizen Immigration Services Department is known for its wait times, particularly for those who are the least advantaged, for instance political refugees seeking asylum. Here in the Los Angeles office, if you made an interview request as an asylum seeker in August 2011, you're currently being called up for that interview. So that's very different than waiting a maximum of two weeks to have your request essentially processed. And so those that advocate for the least advantaged rather than the most advantaged find this pretty upsetting."
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
What are the rules when it comes to police officers and bystander videos?
There's been a lot of talk about how video can help improve the relationship between police and local communities.
Some say body cameras on police officers could help explain police actions, by showing an entire interaction instead of just the moments of conflict.
Others point to video shot by witnesses as a way to monitor police action. So, what are the rules that govern when and how bystanders can shoot video? And what happens when police officers erase those videos?
For more, Eric Markowitz Senior Writer for International Business Times, joined the show .
To hear the full segment, click the blue play button above.
Study: How to convince others to act on climate change
There's a lot of scientific evidence to support climate change. And even though most people agree with the evidence, many fall short when it comes to making their own lifestyle choices to reduce their carbon footprint.
In a recent study, UC San Diego researcher Scott Guentherset out to examine how to change that and get people to act on climate change.
Take Two's A Martinez spoke with Guenther to find out why the key to convincing others to act may mean appealing to their desire to do the most good for the public
To hear the full conversation, click the blue player above.
Rory Bosio on her scenic, exasperating 100-mile marathons
Running the pathways of Griffith Park is one of Take Two's A Martinez's favorite things to do - he breathes-in the air, takes-in the scenery and enjoys the quiet.
Could he do this for 100 miles? Probably not. And it's a safe bet that most people wouldn't be able to either.
Yet for ultra-marathon runner, Rory Bosio clocking-in runs in the triple digits is part of her everyday life.
She pounds the trails of the Sierra Mountains --- and is the winner of the North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in France in 2013 and 2014.
For more on her runner's life, Rory Bosio joined Martinez via Skype.
Are millennials killing the running trend? Maybe.
For many, there's no better feeling than running a 5 or 10K race. But if you're a millennial, chances are, the traditional running race isn't the type of thing you're interested in.
For years organized running races steadily grew in popularity, but it seems they are becoming less popular with young people.
We'll talk about it with Rachel Bachman, she wrote about it in today's Wall Street Journal.