We'll check in at the polls to see how the LA mayoral election is progressing, and ask why people choose not to vote?; Has Los Angeles always had a low voter turnout problem?; LA County to weigh severing ties with troubled foster-care contractor; SoCal first responders head to tornado-stricken Oklahoma; Former IRS head Douglas Shulman faces tough questions at Senate hearing; The ongoing campaign to remake Baja's tarnished image, plus much more.
Has Los Angeles always had a problem with low voter turnout?
There's been a lot of talk about the lack of interest in the LA mayor's race, and discussion of why the turnout — perhaps only 20 percent — will be so low. KPCC's Steve Proffitt has been doing some research into the history of voting in Los Angeles.
Estimates say that only one in five registered voters in Los Angeles will vote today, but even that small percentage could be optimistic. In 2009, only 17 percent of the electorate voted to re-up Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. So a 20 percent vote would actually be an improvement.
RELATED: Charting voter turnout for mayoral elections
It hasn't always been this way, though. We're seeing record low turnout numbers here in the 21st century. Back in the day, as they say, turnouts of 50 percent were the norm in LA city elections. In 1969, participation peaked, more than three out of four registered voters cast their ballots.
That race, which ended up with Sam Yorty winning the run off, was marked by charges of racism. Turn out was also high four years later when Bradley took on Yorty again, and won. Since then, a steady decline in voter interest.
RELATED: LA Election Day FAQ: Everything you need to know to vote (map)
So how does Los Angeles compare to other cities? It's hard to make apples to apples comparisons. For one thing, LA has elections in odd-numbered years, when there are no congressional or presidential elections. As a point of fact, turnout in last year's presidential election was about 50 percent. Then there are races where a popular incumbent is running, without strong opposition.
If we look at cities that also elect mayors in off years, we're not doing so good. In Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, former chief of staff in the Obama White House, won with a 42 percent turn out. That's about the same turnout for San Francisco's hotly contested mayor's race two years ago.
Still, the majority of voters stayed home, or didn't bother to even mail in a ballot. Even if we only manage to attract about 20 percent of voters today in Los Angeles, we're not the worst when it comes to civic engagement. Burbank held municipal elections last month and didn't reach 20 percent. But the real champion in voter disinterest seems to be the city of Amarillo, Texas. It's not a huge town, only a few more than 100,000 voters. But less than 7,000 of them showed up to vote for mayor last month.
Why do people decide not to exercise their right to vote?
Why people fail to vote has been question studied for decades. One group of voting researchers even got the US Census bureau to include a question about voting in its surveys.
RELATED: Charting voter turnout for mayoral elections
Michael Alvarez is a political science professor at Cal Tech, and he's part of the CalTech/MIT Voting Technology Project. They're the group that convinced the Census Bureau to ask that voting question.
SoCal firefighters head to tornado-stricken Oklahoma
Rescuers and first responders continue to search for survivors in Oklahoma after a massive tornado that killed at least 24 people, including seven children. There is still a danger of more tornadoes coming through the area.
This morning, President Obama declared a federal disaster in five Oklahoma counties, and said that the tornado had been "one of the most destructive in history."
Firefighters from Los Angeles and Orange County are part of the emergency team being sent to the Oklahoma City area today. For more on how they're preparing to assist in the rescue and recovery effort, we're joined by Captain Jaime Moore, public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Former IRS head Douglas Shulman faces tough questions at Senate hearing
Today, legislators got their first opportunity to question the man who ran the IRS when agents were targeting Tea Party groups. Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman testified on Capitol Hill before the Senate Finance Committee which has launched an investigation into the scandal.
Shulman said he should have been notified. Meanwhile, a Tea Party group founder from California is filing a class action lawsuit against the IRS.
For more on this, we're joined by Joe Garofoli, political reporter with the San Francisco Chronicle.
Study: New York anthropologist tracks people's inner monologues
Despite all of our mass communication technologies – from smart phones to emails to smiley face emoticons — It can still be pretty hard to tell what other people are thinking. However, a new study by anthropologist Andrew Irving, attempts to bridge that gap and "gain a better understanding of the interior dialogues and imaginative lifeworlds that constitute people’s experiences of urban life."
Irving asked more than 100 New Yorkers to wear headsets and record their thoughts as they went about their day. Participants went about their daily lives while speaking their innermost thoughts aloud as they walked through the city.
Though the study does not claim to be a comprehensive approach to understanding a person's thought process, it does offer a glimpse into human thought patterns. Some of the examples Irving shares include a woman who's thoughts dart from trivial to tragic to a man engaging in an inner argument with himself.
Irving joins Take Two to explain the study and offer insight into what he learned about how we think.
Meredith in Soho:
Thomas: Manhattan Bridge
Interview Highlights:
On the human thought process:
"We start off on one trajectory of thought, and because we're not having to make it sensible in a public way, we flit from here to there. We're not in control of our own thoughts. We like to think we are, but we're not."
On how environments affect thoughts:
"Different places produce different kinds of thoughts. If you're walking down a busy street, the rhythm of your consciousness is very different. A police siren goes by, you see somebody who reminds you of your childhood friend and suddenly you start thinking about your childhood, and then you bump into somebody, and then you see an advertisement, etc... That's a very different kind of rhythm than if you're sitting a cafe, meditating, watching the world go by in a different way."
On what his study tells us about how we perceive:
"It kind of reminds us that one level, we're all film directors, because we're all continually making a movie in our heads... we use all those same techniques of filmmaking, such as long-shot, close-ups, cutting away, editing or creating a montage by turning our head left or looking right, as well as providing a voice-over commentary. What that commentary is actually about we really don't know, we just know that it's there.
What his goal for the project is:
"A lot of thought is non-linguistic in basis. What I'm asking people to do is translate something of their lived experience, which exists across all sensory modalities."
On the reality of the experiment:
"This project is doomed to fail. There is no way you can look inside people's heads, but what we do gain is a glimpse into people's inner life worlds."
California gun bills aim to hold owners more accountable
Gun control has slipped from the headlines in Washington, DC, but legislation continues to move through state capitols. For The California Report, Elaine Korry examines a couple of bills in Sacramento aimed at making gun owners more accountable.
Tuesday Reviewsday: The National, Pure X, Bibio, Scout Niblett and more
Now it's time for Tuesday Reviewsday, where we talk about what's new in music. Joining us today is Shirley Halperin, music editor at The Hollywood Reporter, and Chris Martins, senior writer for Spin magazine.
Shirley's Picks:
Artist: John Fogarty
Album: Wrote A Song For Everyone
Release Date: May 21
Songs: "Fortunate Son"
Artist: The National
Album: Trouble Will Find Me
Release Date: May 21
Songs: "Demons"
Artist: Bibio
Album: Impersonator
Release Date: May 14
Songs: "The First Daffodils"
Chris's Picks:
Artist: Pure X
Album: Crawling Up The Stairs
Release Date: May 21
Songs: "Thousand Year-Old Child"
Artist: Majical Cloudz
Album: Impersonator
Release Date: May 21
Songs: "Bugs Don't Buzz"
Artist: Scout Niblett
Album: It's Up To Emma
Release Date: May 21
Songs: "Gun," "No Scrubs"
LA County to weigh severing ties with troubled foster-care contractor
Today, the LA County Board of Supervisors will vote today on whether to sever ties with Teens Happy Homes. The foster care agency has a documented history of child abuse and misappropriating funds.
Garrett Therolf, the LA Times reporter who broke the story, joins the show with an update.
Regardless of how the board votes, has Teens Happy Homes already given foster care system in LA a black eye? With more we're joined by Dilys Garcia, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates in Los Angeles.
Afghan women law students set to return; one is chosen for commencement speech by male, Saudi classmates (Photos)
Last year, we brought you a story about two young women from Afghanistan studying law in Southern California. Their goal was to return home, become judges, and help shape the rule of law.
Today, they are set to return to Afghanistan after graduating with master's degrees.
As KPCC's Erika Aguilar reports, one woman was bestowed a special honor at the graduation ceremony, and the way she was selected gives them hope their plans might work out.
The ongoing campaign to remake Baja's tarnished image
Tourism in the Mexican border state of Baja California plummeted in recent years, the victim of bad press and drug war violence. Baja's historic reputation for sun and surf was eclipsed by the headlines. But in 2010, the state contracted with an American public relations firm to help fix its image abroad.
For the Fronteras Desk, Erin Siegal McIntyre reports on the ongoing campaign to shift public attention from homicide and crime to tacos, art, and wine.
Microsoft unveils new Xbox gaming console
Earlier this hour, Microsoft unveiled its first new game console in nearly eight years. The Xbox One enters a competitive market, not only other gaming consoles but mobile games as well.
Dan Ackerman, senior editor with CNET, joins the show with more.
John Doe of X remembers The Doors' Ray Manzarek
Ray Manzarek, one of the founding members of the Doors, died yesterday in Germany of bile duct cancer. He was 74.
Manzarek first met lead singer Jim Morrison while the two were attending film school at UCLA. Shortly after they both graduated, the two ran into each other on Venice Beach and decided to start a band. A band they'd name after Aldous Huxley's 1954 book about drugs, "The Doors of Perception."
Though Manzarek was best known for his work with the Doors, he collaborated with plenty of other musicians, including the legendary punk band from LA, X.
John Doe of X joins the show with a remembrance of his old friend, Ray.