How the French presidential election is being felt in LA, the history of the paths to the Hollywood sign, Neil deGrasse Tyson's "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry"
What Macron's victory means for the French-Los Angeles economy
The votes are in for the next president of France.
Emmanuel Macron's victory Sunday brought a sigh of relief, not just among the French but to many around the world.
Among those pleased with the outcome is French expat Patricia Gaillot. She's been living in the U.S. for five years, and thinks most French voters living in the U.S. overwhelmingly voted for Macron.
"To be totally honest, I think that the French people mostly voted against Marine Le Pen and not maybe for Emmanuel Macron," said Gaillot. "But I think that we are all OK now to be reunited and to try to follow him and to support him."
But for voice actor and tour guide Sylvain Willaume, the path to unity isn't as straightforward. He thinks Macron is in a fragile position. Much like the latter years of the Obama administration, Macron doesn't have a legislative majority to support him. Willaume echoed worries that Macron's presidency will bring more of the same.
"I am also concerned that Macron will choose some of the same members of the previous government, which would just be an extension of the old government," he said.
All opinions aside, Macron's election has, at least for the moment, put an end to fears that the European Union might collapse. Marine Le Pen had vowed to pull France from the E.U. And a withdrawal from France would have almost certainly jeopardized the survival of the 60-year-old European alliance.
A Le Pen presidency could have also made things more difficult for French citizens doing business abroad in places like L.A.
Take Two's A Martinez spoke with Samuel Loy, president of the Los Angeles French American Chamber of Commerce.
Interview highlights
What a Macron victory means:
I think it sends a strong signal that the French population is still not accepting her [Le Pen's] program as a whole. We still have a population that is disenfranchised in France that feels like the economy is not working for them. But as a whole, I think that people realize that this was not necessarily the way to go. Hopefully Macron will be able to bridge the gap – the large wealth gap – that's been created in France over the past few years.
We help French investors and French companies get sell ... and do business in the U.S. You have to understand what a Le Pen victory would have meant for those people. And also for U.S. companies and foreign companies as a whole trying to do business in France.
From a business perspective:
From a business perspective, she's very much to the left. She's for more government control. She's for higher regulations. She even talked about government control over individual assets at one point. Clearly, that means if you're a French investor or individual and you want to invest some money on the real estate market or anything else in Los Angeles, well, the French government has a say whether or not your funds will leave your bank account. And that's what we avoided.
Looking ahead:
The French economy has been very stagnant for the past few years, whether you're doing business in California or in France. Because of his past as a banker and someone who does not have much political experience, we are hopeful that he will be able to break this status quo that has been in place... And that his policies will ultimately help the economy grow again in France.
*Quotes edited for clarity*
To listen to the interview with Samuel Loy, click on the blue Media Player above.
South Korea votes: Local community watches closely
South Koreans will cast their votes for president tomorrow, and USC's David Kang says Koreans here in America are taking notice.
The country's former head of state, Park Geun-hye, was ousted from office after allegations of corruption.
At stake is a host of issues both social and economic. They range from high suicide rates to sluggish population growth. On an economic level, Kang says there are concerns over the influence that big business has on policy making.
Press the blue play button above to hear more about what's at stake for the country.
Inland Empire airports look to spread their wings
Southern California travelers usually have to look west when booking departure flights. But LAX, John Wayne, and even Burbank Bob Hope Airport are all quite a hike for air travelers from inland counties.
There is change on the horizon. More people are moving inland, drawn by affordable housing. Local airports are starting to serve more commercial travelers and are looking to expand to meet growing travel demand.
John Husing is chief economist for the Inland Empire Economic Partnership. He joined A Martinez to talk about the business of air travel in the I.E.
The LA/Ontario International Airport officially switched to local control in November. For years they'd been operated by the same group that runs LAX. How's it going now that Ontario is on its own?
"We've seen two things so far in the first quarter this year. Passenger traffic is up 6.8 percent [over last year]. Air cargo tonage is up a little over 10 percent.
"So in fact we're seeing the best growth we've looked at since the great recession and the downturn at Ontario International."
What accounts for that change? Is it just a fresh face?
"I think it's a combination of a new fresh face and the fact that the economy in the Inland Empire is one of the strongest in California. We've been adding jobs faster than any other metro area in California except L.A. in absolute terms."
There have been some changes at the Ontario airport--little things like valet services and music in the terminals. What else is being done to upgrade the facility?
"Basically it's a change in management, and management is working very close with the various airlines to try and increase the amount of service that's coming in.
"That plus it's just a fresh attitude all the way around. People in the area...I get asked constantly 'how's the airport doing?' Just as you are doing."
Is making the airport a simply more attractive place the key to getting more passengers to Ontario? Or is it something else, a little less superficial?
"The most important thing is to use the data about the catchment are of the airport, which is the Inland Empire as well as the San Gabriel Valley and Northern Orange County, and sit down with airlines and talk about the fact that we are enormously under-served, and it's crazy for people to go from here to LAX to try and get anywhere."
Moving now to San Bernardino International Airport. This is the former site of Norton Air Force Base, before it closed in 1994. How are they taking advantage of increased air travel demand in the I.E.?
"Up until almost right now there's been no [commercial] air service at the airport. It's been used for repair of aircraft and for private trips. There's a leasing office there where you can fly in a leased plane.
"However...There is about to be a Mexican airline that will connect San Bernardino to Guadalajara, so that will be the first time they have regular commercial service."
Looking big picture, what do you think the expansion of airports and commercial air travel means for the future of jobs and the economy in Riverside and San Bernardino counties? Should LAX be worried?
"LAX is going to get what it gets...it'll do quite all right. For the Inland Empire the crucial thing is that...air service almost evaporated at Ontario in particular. [That] really hurt the business community that needed to get its executives around the country or its customers coming in. The fact that the airport is now under local control and will be aggressively going after new service is extraordinarily important to this economy."
Click on the blue media player above to hear the conversation.
Hikes to the Hollywood sign have left a trail of lawsuits
The Hollywood sign was created in 1923 as a real estate ad, but it was never designed to be a hiking destination. It was a blow to tourists when one of the most accessible paths to it closed on April 18.
Before that, about 15,000 visitors every month would take pictures of the sign by walking along Beachwood Drive in Hollywood past Sunset Ranch Hollywood Stables.
But in a lawsuit against the city, the ranch argued that the flood of hikers interfered with its business. The judge in the case agreed.
Now, a gate blocks off public access to the trail.
However, last week the heirs of Griffith J. Griffith, who donated the land to Los Angeles to create Griffith Park, joined the fight. They argue that public access to the park should not be restricted.
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti weighed in, too, telling KABC that he might propose a gondola up to the sign.
KPCC's Leo Duran talked with Casey Schreiner from Modern Hiker about the history of the path, and the latest in the legal battles.
See Modern Hiker's recommended alternative paths to reach the Hollywood sign
Interview highlights
How did this path become so popular?
This trail is the shortest and the easiest of the many routes you can take to the Hollywood sign ... It got popular because it was easy and also because this is where Google Maps would send you if you were looking for the Hollywood sign.
Back through 2011, if you searched for "Hollywood sign" on Google Maps, it would basically send you to this trail head because it's the end of the road. Then there's a gate, and then you're on the fire roads inside Griffith Park to get there.
What were some of the problems the ranch and nearby neighbors had with the tourist traffic?
The streets are very narrow and there isn't a ton of parking here. This street was very often clogged with traffic and with hikers walking on the sidewalk ... Some of the residents here were very vocally upset about their neighborhoods streets being overrun by hikers, being overrun by tourists.
There were some complaints that these roads weren't designed to handle that type of traffic, which is a fair complaint.
This is a residential neighborhood. These are some of the oldest streets in L.A. so they're not really designed for modern cars in general, let alone a lot of them.
Correction: In the interview, Schreiner identified the Los Feliz Homeowners Association as one of the parties working to reopen the gate. The group is actually titled the Los Feliz Oaks Homeowners Association.
Is it by design that there is a lack of clear, defined hikes in Griffith Park to the Hollywood sign?
Griffith Park is not necessarily the most well-designed park in terms of access for pretty much anyone.
Griffith Park celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, and that's when they finally got trail signs on the trail junctions and trailheads ... It's a tremendous resource to the citizens of L.A., so people want to use it.
And when you have something as famous as the Hollywood sign, you have people who want to see it, you have people who want to hike up to it and you have people who just want to take their photo in front of it.
Is there an effort to create a place where tourists can easily reach the sign and take pictures with it?
You would hope there would be an effort like that, but it doesn't seem to be happening.
It is disappointing to see that, you know, the city isn't working harder in trying to fix this.
Basically all they're doing by shutting down this trailhead and going to other trailheads is moving that problem somewhere else.
Modern Hiker's recommended alternatives to see or reach the Hollywood sign
Easier - Berlin Forest in Griffith Park
The trail itself is a broad, open path lined with pines.
It’s one of the few hiking areas in Griffith Park that’s reliably shaded, and although the walk itself is short, it’s certainly lovely in its own way.
Tougher - Wisdom Tree and Cahuenga Park
This trail features relentless ascents and tremendous views of Griffith Park, heading to a unique lone tree and geocaching area.
The trail then traverses a ridge east toward recently saved Cahuenga Peak with an even more rugged option to continue to Mount Lee and the Hollywood Sign. One of the most fun trails in Griffith Park.
In his new book, Neil deGrasse Tyson encourages us all to stay curious
Space and the world above us are fascinating, but let's face it, sometimes concepts like quantum entanglement or binary pulsars can be a little... intimidating.
Fear not, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has you covered.
In his new book, "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry," Tyson brings the heavens down to earth by deconstructing complicated concepts for the laymen.
His only requirement for reading? Curiosity.
How do the laymen benefit from knowing about astrophysical concepts?
"This is an offering. If you are curious, this is for you. And even if you're not curious, it might make you curious, because maybe you forgot what it is to be curious. Because of the interstitial sort of mind blowing things, I'll just give you an example. This is in the last of the dozen chapters:
Do you know that there are more molecules of water in a glass of water than there are glasses of water in all the world's oceans? What that means is, that there are enough molecules in your glass to scatter into every other glass of water that could be drawn from the world's water supply.
So, if you drink that water and then it passes through your body as you would expect. Through sweat, through pee, through whatever other way, then water that is passed through your kidneys can be consumed by others and is consumed by others. And if you wait enough time, every glass of water you drink has molecules that pass through the kidneys of Abraham Lincoln, of Socrates, of Jesus.
And this is a connectivity so you learn how small we are and how big the universe is but you also learn how connected we are to this great unfolding of cosmic events."
How important is the role of 'science communicator' to you?
"I don't wake up in the morning saying, 'How can I bring the universe down to earth today?' That is a non-thought. What does happen is, I get asked. And I'm a servant of this curiosity and I say to myself in some capacity, in some ways, that if I'm good at it I would be irresponsible if I did not offer myself to the curiosity of those who express it.
The broader picture is science literacy in general, which really matters if you want an informed democracy where decisions we have to make in the 21st century, pivot on whether or not you know the science that relates to the legislation you want to vote for or put into play.
If you want an informed democracy rather than one that will unravel itself then you would want lawmakers to have sufficient science literacy so that they could make as informed decisions they can in the interest of this republic.
If we all had a better handle on science and we actually understood some of these theories, how would the world be a better place?
"It's the cosmic perspective that brings a better world. I don't mean to sound all kumbaya and hold hands and go up into space– I don't mean to come across that way, even if it sounds that way.
What I want to assert is, if you look at the source of most conflict in the world, somewhere you part the curtains there's an ego manifesting itself. It could be ego of the individual. It could be ego of family, of culture. This ego has no place in the universe. And I don't have to tell you that, it just happens that way.
You learn that Earth is not the center of all motion and neither is the sun and neither is our galaxy. So my point is, the cosmic perspective systematically dismantles your ego, on every level. And you look at earth from space and it doesn't have color-coded boundaries, where the countries were shown in your schoolroom globe in social studies class. It makes you do a double-take on all the inane conduct that humans have expressed, simply as a product of thinking they were more special than others.
To listen to the full segment, click the blue play button above.