Take Two talks to L.A. City Councilman Mitch Englander about the plan to fine home and commercial property owners for false alarms to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Plus, a California realtors association is proposing a ballot initiative for November that would let homeowners buy new places but keep their old property tax rates.
False alarms to the LA Fire Department could be fined by the end of this summer
(Starts at 1:20)
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to develop a plan that would fine home and commercial landowners for false alarms to the Fire Department. Almost half of the 25,000 alarm callouts the LAFD receives each year are false, according to a report from the City Council's Public Safety Committee. All those false alarms add up to $4 million in unnecessary expense for L.A., which plans to recoup the money once an ordinance is drafted and approved.
Guest:
- Mitchell Englander, L.A. City Councilman
https://twitter.com/Mitch_Englander/status/999009201815875585
Local newspapers are continuing to take a hit
(Starts at 6:40)
The Long Beach Press-Telegram now has one reporter left at the paper after three staffers quit their jobs on Monday. We talk to one longtime columnist, who just resigned about his years at the paper and his plans for a new hyper-local journalism project.
Guest:
- Tim Grobaty, Former Long Beach Press-Telegram columnist
https://twitter.com/TheNewsan/status/994250893284421632
Solar Panels alone won't quite cut it
(Starts at 14:30)
California is now the first state in the country to require all new houses to have solar panels, starting in 2020. The goal is to slash greenhouse gas emissions. But until we can store solar power affordable, we're still going to be relying on fossil fuels when the sun goes down.
Guest:
- Emily Guerin, KPCC environmental reporter
Ballot initiative would help California homeowners move but keep their old property tax rates
(Starts at 19:40)
Some California homeowners could take their current property taxes with them if they move to a new home elsewhere in the state. That would be the result of a ballot initiative coming this November. We hear how this idea could either help with the state's housing crisis or decimate the tax base for several counties.
PROS
- Allows homeowners 55 or older, and the disabled, to move their current property tax bill with them to wherever their new home is in the state
- The new home can be of lesser or greater value than the current home
- No limit to how many times that tax bill can transfer with every move
- It incentives older families to move out of a home too big for them, leaving it vacant for a new owner who wants a home for their growing family
CONS
- Drains a revenue stream for local cities and counties
- Without revenue, communities will struggle to pay for things like schools, roads, mental health services and more
- Several municipalities currently struggle with paying for services that their residents want because of a shrinking tax base
Guests:
- Steve White, president of the California Association of Realtors (Pro Prop 13)
- Graham Knaus, executive director of the California State Association of Counties (Against)
LA Sparks rule the WNBA, even if few people are paying attention
(Starts at 29:50)
The WNBA tipped off this past weekend and Sunday it was a rematch of the past two finals as L.A. Sparks beat the Minnesota Lynx. The Sparks have their home opener later this week. If you combine championships and attendance, the Sparks can arguably lay claim to being the most successful franchise in the WNBA. But what does that all mean if, in the grand scheme of things, not a lot of eyes are watching the product?
Guests:
- Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
"Arizona has your back."
(Starts at 40:10)
When it comes to earthquakes, we've talked about it all...how to prep, what to do, what are the odds, etc. But what if the future "big one" prompts a mass exodus? Then what? Arizona's Department of Emergency and Military Affairs is hosting an event that prepares for that very situation.
Guest:
- Wendy Smith-Reeve, Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs
https://twitter.com/AzEIN/status/999096905895362561
This post will be updated throughout the day.