Today on the show, we'll start with a discussion of President Obama's trip to California, during which he will tout renewable energy initiatives. Then, new NPR president Jarl Mohn talks about what's next for the network. Plus, City Council could ban new strip clubs and liquor stores in the Valley, 'Palo Alto' marks Gia Coppola's directorial debut, Attorney General Kamala Harris announces program to curb recidivism in LA, 'Documented' profiles award-winning reporter's revelation of illegal status, plus much more
Obama to promote renewable energy initiatives in California
It's day three of President Obama's trip to the Golden State.
Today, he's appearing at a Walmart in northern California to talk about advances in energy efficiency. He's expected to talk about commitments from more than 300 companies as well as local and state governments to use solar energy technology.
The president will also announce executive actions aimed at increasing energy efficiency in buildings and appliances. For more on this we turn now to James Sweeney, director of the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center at Stanford.
New NPR president Jarl Mohn talks about what's next for the network
Everyday on Take Two and Airtalk, KPCC hosts begin by saying, "from the Mohn Broadcast Center ..."
The Mohn in question is Jarl Mohn, chair of the board of trustees here at Southern California Public Radio. Over the years he has been an incredibly generous supporter of KPCC, and on Friday he was named the new president and CEO of National Public Radio.
RELATED: SCPR chairman and former E! CEO Jarl Mohn named next head of NPR
Jarl Mohn spoke with Take Two's Alex Cohen about his new post and vision for the future of NPR.
Q&A with Jarl Mohn:
You have a very long history in radio. What appealed to you most about this position at NPR?
I hold KPCC and Southern California Public Radio completely responsible for this. Getting involved with the station — I think it was something like 11 or 12 years ago — has been, of all the things I've done in my life and in my career, ... the most rewarding. I think, probably, 90-95 percent of what I know about public [radio] I've learned from you and your colleagues there, and [KPCC President] Bill Davis. This opportunity came up, and it was very exciting to me, so I'm beside myself. But I do hold you responsible.
When you experience NPR now, what stands out to you the most?
It's a combination of things for me, because I use a lot of digital media. It's seamless. I listen to most of my public radio over the air at KPCC, but I do use the KPCC iPad app, I use the NPR iPhone and iPad app, so I'm constantly switching back and forth between them all. The thing I love is the amazing access that I get when I want to know what's going on, whether it's the immediacy of local news or national and international news or one of the shows that's on. It's great to be able to access it.
What's your vision for the future of NPR?
I think the biggest opportunity for me and the thing I'm most excited about, ... Like most people that listen to public radio and NPR, ... [I] really love the programming, and I'm really passionate about it and very loyal. I think almost all the people who listen are to some degree. What I think I can do and be helpful on, hopefully, is to make sure that the organization has the resources that it needs. Budgets are tight. There have been deficits reported for NPR, and what I hope I can do is help raise money and help the organization not just survive, but really grow and thrive in a very new and competitive media landscape.
How do you plan to get the network back on track fiscally?
I don't have the answers to that yet. We have spent a lot of time in the interviewing process for the job, discussing possibilities, but because I haven't started yet, I start on July 1, one of the first things I'll be focusing on is looking at all the possible solutions to that. One of them — and I think it's the most appealing and best for the organization long term — is to raise more money. There are a lot of people who are huge fans and big supporters, and I don't think we've fully taken advantage of that yet.
One of the criticisms of NPR right now is that it can sound very East Coast-centric. How do you plan to address this concern?
There are a couple of things, and one of the things that's been very helpful to me, not only in getting my interest in this job, but also in terms of educating me and preparing me for it, is the work that I've been able to do with you folks. I think KPCC has done a remarkable job of addressing that issue of sounding like the city that it's in. KPCC does sound like Southern California. So I have a number of ideas to try to address that.
I do think over the years NPR has done a great job. They've opened NPR West. There have been a number of initiatives to address that. And I think there's been great progress made, and I'm hoping we continue on that path and use some of the really great things I've learned from you, there at KPCC, to apply it nationally.
How do you hope to overcome challenges between NPR and local stations?
Predating my involvement with KPCC, I spent 19 years in the radio business, starting out running tapes on the weekend, then being a disc jockey. I've done every job at a radio station, and I know that business reasonably well. I think, to be able to communicate with the member stations, that's what my background is, and with the 11 or 12 years I've spent working with KPCC, I think that will make the conversation much easier. I'm coming from that side of the table. I think that'll go a long way to easing some of those tensions.
Am I correct to assume that you'll be moving to Washington, and what does that mean for your future connections to KPCC?
Yes, the job is based in Washington, D.C. That's where I'll be based. I intend to keep my home in L.A., because L.A. is really a happy place for me, and I've got family there and my oldest daughter is there. But I still will have my ties and my roots to L.A., and I intend to be back visiting frequently.
Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris announces program to curb recidivism in LA
Attorney General Kamala Harris yesterday announced a new pilot program designed to cut down on the number of ex-prisoners who commit new crimes in L.A. county-- what's referred to as the "recidivism rate".
The program is called "Back on Track LA". It's the first new program to come out of the division that Harris created within her office late last year to deal with the recidivism problem in California.
Attorney General Harris joined us to explain how the new program will work.
Friday Flashback: Obama in California, Monica Lewinsky op-ed and more
It's the end of another week and time for the Friday Flashback, Take Two's look at the week in news. This morning we're joined in-studio by Los Angeles Times columnist James Rainey, and in Washington D.C., Nancy Cook of National Journal.
We start with President Obama's recent trip to California. At the top of the show we talked about Obama's proposals for increased attention on renewable energy, but the reason he was here was for the money.
He criss-crossed the state with five fundraisers, facing supporters and hecklers alike in an attempt to garner money and attention for the upcoming fall elections. How are the Democrats looking ?
Let's all bow our heads and take a moment to talk about the big Supreme Court ruling. This week the court ruled, 5 to 4, that is was not unconstitutional for local officials to open public meetings with explicitly Christian prayers. Were you surprised by the ruling? What does this say about the future direction of the court and free speech cases?
The drama over the Donald Sterling scandal continues this week, the estranged wife of Donald Sterling has come out and said that she would like to maintain ownership of the team. What is her position? Is it likely that she'll have any support from the team or executives in the front office?
Another big reveal this week was the op-ed article penned by none other than former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. She wrote a big piece for Vanity Fair in it she said that she was tired of, "tiptoeing around my past-and other people's futures..."
Slate writer Amanda Hess had a very interesting take on the whole thing, and the position that Lewinsky was put in following the affair. She says that we as a public will never let her move on, and that she'll always be the person that "almost took down the Presidency." Lewinsky really relayed what it was like for her, how she became the first person branded and shamed by the internet.
Other writers have come out and basically blasted feminists for not supporting her back then. Do they have a point?
You can't really talk about Lewinsky without mentioning Hillary Clinton. National Journal this week reported on an anti-Clinton PAC that's already gathered half-a-million dollars and has put out a "SCARY" ad in support of their effort. Is Clinton the GOP's worst nightmare?
Nancy you had an article this week that looked at the future president of the United States - be it Hillary Clinton, Rand Paul, Paul Ryan ... basically the American public doesn't really care. Can you explain?
MSNBC and Cinco de Mayo...just let that sink in for a minute. This week they proved that they can be just as classy as conservatives. For those who haven't seen it yet, on Monday staffers for the morning show, "Way Too Early" were seen talking about Cinco de Mayo while also wearing a huge sombrero, shaking a maraca and chugging from a bottle of tequila.
They quickly issued an on-air apology, but that didn't do much in terms of quieting their critics.
Hugo Balta, the president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists called it, "the worst example I have seen of a discriminatory stereotypical portrayal of any community by any media. The fact that this was done by a news organization is abominable."
What were MSNBC producers thinking?
In 'Cycle of Lies,' Juliet Macur talks new revelations in the fall of Lance Armstrong
The Tour of California begins this weekend.
It's an 8-day race that starts in Sacramento and ends in Thousand Oaks and its cycling's biggest event in the U.S. While it's already been over a year since the revelations about Armstrong's doping practices, the cycling world is still dealing with the fallout.
Take Two is joined by Juliet Macur, the author of the book "Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong."
'Palo Alto' marks Gia Coppola's directorial debut
The new film "Palo Alto" is based on a book of short stories by James Franco.
Palo Alto" looks at the lives of teenagers struggling with the challenges of adolescence in an affluent suburb of northern California. It's a suburb James Franco grew up in. He also makes an appearance in the film as a high school soccer coach who takes a special interest in one of his young students, April.
The film marks the directorial debut of Gia Coppola, the granddaughter of legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.
'Documented' profiles award-winning reporter's revelation of illegal status
Jose Antonio Vargas was in many ways the quintessential American story: a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter with the Washington Post, who also wrote for the New Yorker and commanded an influential audience in the nation's capitol.
Then, in 2011, he revealed a secret that had been chasing him for years: all along he had been living and working in the U.S. illegally, just one of the estimated 11 million undocumented people in the country. He was brought to the U.S. when he was 12 years old from the Philippines.
By the time he turned 30, he felt like he could no longer keep his secret.
"My life was superficially successful in terms of what I was doing career-wise, but I was just depressed and I couldn't face the reality of the fact that I'm here illegally," said Vargas on Take Two. "I had been lying to all of my employers...I lied to them about my immigration and I just couldn't. At some point I had to stop."
His new film, "Documented," opens Friday and chronicles his experience. KPCC's Leslie Berestein Rojas spoke with Vargas about the film.
Colorado lawmakers OK nation's first financial system for pot industry
Just yesterday, we heard a story from Washington state about the troubles those who run marijuana dispensaries face when trying to find a bank. Now, Colorado lawmakers have approved the creation of the nation's first financial system catering to the marijuana industry.
Here with more is Colorado Public Radio's Ben Markus.
Is it legal to ban drones in US national parks?
National parks are places to see roaming bison, flying eagles and...drones?
Over the last year, more and more visitors have been flying unnamed aircraft with cameras around these open spaces, buzzing visitors and wildlife alike. Big national parks like Yosemite, Zion and Grand Canyon have banned them, but some argue the bans are on shaky legal territory.
For more about the future of national parks and drones, we turn to Gregory McNeal, a law professor at Pepperdine University's School of Law.
The fight over the Santa Monica Mountain wine industry
When you hear "California wines," Napa Valley or the Central Coast might come to mind. But the Santa Monica Mountains also have a budding wine industry...for now.
KPCC's Jed Kim says it may not be compatible with a new land-use management plan being developed.
City Council could ban new strip clubs and liquor stores in the Valley
A proposed ordinance is stirring up controversy in the San Fernando Valley. Councilwoman Nury Martinez has introduced a plan to ban new strip clubs and other "adult-oriented" businesses in parts of her district.
Though she has the backing of many of her constituents, some business owners call the ordinance unfair. Councilwoman Martinez joins us to tell us more about her proposal.
Apple reportedly on verge of buying Beats for $3.2B
\What do you get when you combine Apple and Hip Hop artist Dr. Dre? A potential $3.2 billion deal between Apple and Beats Electronics, the company partially owned by Dre.
There's no deal yet, but for more on where things stand we're joined by Brian Cooley from CNET.
Jill Sobule mines her junk drawer for concept album, 'Dottie's Charms'
Musicians find inspiration in all sorts of places, like childhood memories, current events, romantic relationships.
But L.A.-based singer/songwriter Jill Sobule's latest album was fueled by something she found in her junk drawer. A vintage bracelet with little charms: a horse, the statue of liberty, an airplane.
Sobule's latest record,"Dottie's Charms," marks her first concept album. While she was in studio she also played a live version of "My Chair" off the album.
By the way, Jill is on a search to find Dottie, the original owner of the bracelet. Maybe you can help her out?