Open enrollment begins, a history of South LA's demographic shifts, meet the judges for office number 84
By Take Two Staff
Published Nov 1, 2016 9:00 AM
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 18: The Covered California website is displayed during a healthcare enrollment fair at the office of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West on March 18, 2014 in San Francisco, California. With less than two weeks to go before the deadline to sign up for healthcare, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) held a free healthcare enrollment fair to help people sign up for free and low-cost health coverage through Medi-Cal or Covered California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Covered California's open enrollment kicks off today, a look at South LA's demographic shift and the launch of our new series looking at the judicial candidates.
Covered California's open enrollment kicks off today, a look at South LA's demographic shift and the launch of our new series looking at the judicial candidates.
Covered California's open enrollment kicks off today, a look at South LA's demographic shift and the launch of our new series looking at the judicial candidates.
Ask Emily: 5 ways to reduce your Covered California sticker shock
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Ask Emily: 5 ways to reduce your Covered California sticker shock
Meet the Judges: Javier Perez, candidate for LA Superior Court
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Meet the Judges: Javier Perez, candidate for LA Superior Court
This year, eight candidates are running for four spots in L.A. Superior Court. The court serves nearly 10 million people spread out across the county, and judges oversee both criminal and civil matters – everything from contract disputes to homicide trials.
Take Two spoke to all eight of the candidates running for the bench. Here are highlights from our conversation with Javier Perez, candidate for Office No. 84:
What work do you currently do and why do you do it?
I’m the Supervising District Attorney out of the West Covina D.A.’s office. I’ve been a D.A. for 26 years. I truly believe that it’s my mission to secure justice for people, for the community, for victims, for witnesses. And that’s why I do it.
What does justice mean for you?
You don’t just define it simply by incarceration or punishment of an individual. But trying to make life better for the community, hopefully for the defendant, obviously his or her victim, the victim’s family. The facts of the case, the defendant’s record, are there collateral consequences? Are there alternative treatment programs if they have mental or addiction issues to see if they’re better served in those programs as opposed to incarcerated? Because at the end of the day, we are trying to make the community better. Obviously, sometimes that’s not an alternative, because the crime and the defendant’s record is such that it requires incarceration.
What makes you the best candidate for the office you're seeking?
There are several different types of characteristics that are necessary in order for someone to be a good judge: judicial temperament, legal knowledge, leadership, decisiveness, courage, respect to the people that they appear in front of and against. I have those skills. It was demonstrated every day in my career. Six-and-a-half years ago, Steve Cooley saw those characteristics and promoted me to a supervisor of the second busiest area court in Los Angeles County. Three years after that, Jackie Lacey saw that faith that Mr. Cooley had in me was justified and transferred me to the busiest area of the court in L.A. County. Last year alone in West Covina, we prosecuted over 10,000 cases... But we reviewed thousands more where we felt there was not reasonable suspicion or probable cause, or the investigation just didn’t prove that the defendant or suspect was guilty, which required courage in telling the police officers, we’re not filing this case.
What is the most important role a judge plays?
There’s several roles a judge plays. He or she has to be impartial. They have to ensure that everyone receives a just and fair day in court. They set a tone in the courtroom of respect. Too often these days, people have a lack of respect towards each other. I think when the judge sets the tone as respectful and demands that everyone respect each other in the courtroom, the system works a lot better. I believe people trust the system to work better and if people trust the system, it will work better.
What should the public know about who you are outside the courtroom?
My parents are immigrants from Mexico. I was born and raised in Montebello. I’m one of seven children. I’m married with three children. I’m a part of the community. It’s important to me that not only have I participated in the raising of my children in terms of all their activities, I’ve also shown that I care about the community in participating in programs such as at the Hollenbeck Youth Center, where I’m on the Advisory Board. I’ve had fundraisers at my house. I’ve volunteered many, many hours there at many of the activities we have for at-risk youth in the Boyle Heights area. That’s the type of person I am.
This series is a part of our voter game plan, in which we make it easier for you to vote. To read more about the L.A. County Superior Court Judge candidates, and for a digital version of your personalized ballot, visit kpcc.org/votergameplan. (Don't see all of the judicial candidates at that link? They'll be on Take Two now through the election, so check back for more!)
Voting has begun in California. KPCC is here for you and will help you develop your Voter Game Plan. Use our election guide to find your personalized ballot.
Meet the Judges: Susan Jung Townsend, candidate for LA Superior Court
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4:11
Meet the Judges: Susan Jung Townsend, candidate for LA Superior Court
This year, eight candidates are running for four spots in L.A. Superior Court. The court serves nearly 10 million people spread out across the county, and judges oversee both criminal and civil matters – everything from contract disputes to homicide trials.
Take Two spoke to all eight of the candidates running for the bench. Here are highlights from our conversation with Susan Jung Townsend, candidate for Office No. 84.
Interview highlights
What work do you currently do and why do you do it?
I have been working in the L.A. County District Attorney's Office now for over 18 years. I am currently assigned to the Bureau of Fraud and Corruption. I'm running as a criminal fraud prosecutor. I've been in this unit for about nine years. Prior to that, however, I was assigned to downtown central trials, which is essentially the busiest hub of criminal prosecution in L.A. County.
Why did you first get into law and why did you become an attorney?
I was extremely interested from a very young age in law. My very first memory is when my parents first came to this country in the mid-1960s. I was actually born here, but as early as the age of 3 or 4, my father was involved in a lawsuit for suing a car dealership for selling him a car that didn't work well. And my first experience was going to court with my parents... I just remember as a child looking at the legal process for the first time and how this judge presided over all these parties that were present, with interpreters and jurors. It just made for such a vivid memory of the kind of legal agent I would want to be.
What makes you the best candidate for the office you're seeking?
When you really think about what a courtroom is, it is really a venue for conflict resolution and the judge is really the most important person to make sure that legal process is a fair one... I believe that with my experience with the broad range of law that I've had experience with in the last 20 years in the DA's office, it has primed me for that role. I am ready to take on a more impactful role in the legal community by presiding over these cases as well as serving the public need.
What should the public know about who you are outside the courtroom?
Something tremendous happened to me halfway through my career, which is that I started my own family. I think when you become a parent and you see what your contribution to society is and how you can make this a better world for your child, I really started changing gears... So from about eight years ago, I started volunteering at a lot of public schools in which truancy was an issue, in which low performance was an issue, and it's something that I have gotten so much personal satisfaction out of.
You spoke a little of your family background – why is that important to you and how has that shaped you?
[I was] born and raised in L.A. County, which is a terrific community with tremendous diversity. For me that has been one of the best things about working in the public sector and prosecuting crimes on behalf of the people of the state of California. I'm one of them. And as I seek this position to become a judicial officer, I think it's important that all branches of government reflect the members of their community. It's important to have public trust and confidence in these positions, and you're only going to get there if the people who make up that community vote for people who they believe come from their community. That to me has always been important.
This series is a part of our voter game plan, in which we make it easier for you to vote. To read more about the L.A. County Superior Court Judge candidates, and for a digital version of your personalized ballot, visit kpcc.org/votergameplan. (Don't see all of the judicial candidates at that link? They'll be on Take Two now through the election, so check back for more!)
Voting has begun in California. KPCC is here for you and will help you develop your Voter Game Plan. Use our election guide to find your personalized ballot.
Number of children hospitalized for opioid poisonings on the rise
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Number of children hospitalized for opioid poisonings on the rise
According to a new study in JAMA Pediatrics, the number of hospitalizations among kids and teens, related to opioid poisoning, was on the rise between 1997 and 2012.
'The Distance Between Us' introduces kids to the immigrant experience
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'The Distance Between Us' introduces kids to the immigrant experience
Immigration is a political issue, an economic issue, and often, it's a family issue, too.
In plenty of instances, young children are left behind as parents seek to find work in the United States.
A new book called "The Distance Between Us" explores the lasting impact of families being torn asunder in this way. It's an adaptation of a memoir by writer Reyna Grande, aimed specifically at younger audiences.
The book chronicles Grande's personal experience being left behind in an impoverished town in Mexico while her parents went in search of a better life across the border.
Interview highlights:
On what her life was like in Iguala, Mexico
When I was growing up there, we didn't have the violence that my family who lives there now is experiencing, and all the instability. What my siblings and I experienced was mostly the poverty, the lack of opportunities. Iguala is a very poor town, about 70 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty, and that's what I experienced. And now it breaks my heart to see that the city is changing for the worse.
On what it was like to grow up without her parents around
It was a very painful childhood. I would say that my childhood was defined by my parents' absence. I grew up in fear. Every day I woke up afraid that they might not come back for me, afraid that they would forget me, and afraid that they would replace me. Which actually did happen when they had American-born children and I felt replaced. And my fear increased thinking that now that they were going to have children in the United States, I would ask myself, 'Why would they want me now?'
On the coming to a place of forgiveness while writing the book
Writing the book really helped me come to terms with what happened, and it actually brought me to a place of understanding and forgiveness. It allowed me to look back at my parents' decisions and to understand that they were in a very difficult place. And that the decisions they made, although they caused a lot of trauma in my life, a lot of heartbreak, ultimately those decisions brought me to where I am now... And one of the things that I'm most grateful for, now that I'm a parent myself is that now, I don't have to leave my children the way that they did. And that is the greatest gift they gave me.
On why she decided to adapt her memoir for 10 to 14-year-old readers
I still remember coming to this country through those years— my 10 to 14 years. I really struggled here, learning a language, finding my way in this new society and this new culture. And I turned to books to try to find some answers, and I could never find books that I could relate to. There were no books about child immigrants, there were no books where I could see my own heartbreaks and my experiences. So there was always a yearning and a void inside of me. And when I wrote 'The Distance Between Us,' I knew that at some point that I wanted to adapt it for young readers, especially for our young immigrant children who are going to U.S. schools who might be experiencing the same things I experienced... And I wanted to give them a book that spoke to their own experiences and to tell them, 'Yes, your story matters.'
To hear the full interview with Reyna Grande, click the blue player above.
'Eagle Huntress' director Otto Bell on the documentary that pretty much wrote itself
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'Eagle Huntress' director Otto Bell on the documentary that pretty much wrote itself
Wednesday, a new documentary about a remarkable young woman takes flight.
The Eagle Huntress is narrated by actress Daisy Ridley and follows a Kazakh girl named Aishol-pan. When the film begins, Aishol-pan is 13 and beginning a journey to become the first female in twelve generations of her family to become an eagle hunter.
The Eagle Huntress was directed by Otto Bell. He recently sat down with Take Two's Alex Cohen to talk about what it took to capture Aishol-pan's story.
Highlights
How did you find out about Aishol-pan?
I was lucky enough to see a photo essay published on the BBC online featuring some photographs by a young Israeli photographer called Asher Svidensky. There was one image in particular that led the article that really seized a hold of me: it's a picture of Aishol-pan releasing her father's eagle from the mountain top in the Alti region of Northwest Mongolia.
I was sitting in my cubicle in New York when I saw it, and I thought, my gosh, somewhere in the world that girl is walking around, she's talking, she's — hopefully — smiling and enjoying herself. Surely there's a film behind that photograph.
Which you say so confidently now. And yet you don't know so many things going into it. You were able to contact this Israeli photographer, get connected with Aishol-pan and her family; you travel to Mongolia and your very first day you're kind of just dropped right into it. What did her father say to you that kind of got this whole film rolling?
We were sitting in their ger, which is the Mongolian yurt, and we were floating the idea of maybe making a documentary and her father stood up and said, well, this afternoon, we're going to go and steal an eagle off the mountainside for Aishol-pan. Is that the sort of thing you'd like to film?
Moves a little faster there than it does in Hollywood typically. She doesn't seem phased by the fact that everyone around her is saying there's no place for a young woman in this world. Did you ever see any moments behind the scenes where she felt intimidated by the fact that people didn't want her doing this?
No. I will say I think in the early days, her father insulated her from the gossip and the nastiness, some of the slights that might have come her way, but that sort of evaporated when she went to the annual eagle festival. It was pretty clear there that some of the men weren't happy about her being there or thought it was some kind of stunt for the tourists or something like that.
And this is a big competition. It's like the world series. This is a big deal in Mongolia, and people come from all over the place to compete. Once people were able to see her in action, do you feel like it changed hearts and minds at any level?
I think it started to turn the tide. I did the second round of interviews after she won. Initially, some of the elders in the region simply couldn't fathom the idea of a woman stepping into this world. After she performed so well at the festival, they sort of threw down a fresh laundry list of excuses as to why she fared so well.
They also threw down a fresh challenge, almost in a way to disqualify her accomplishments.
Press the blue play button to hear the full interview.
(Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.)
Two groups, one community: USC report explores South LA's demographic shift
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Two groups, one community: USC report explores South LA's demographic shift
The story of South Los Angeles and its historically African-American communities is a tale of triumph and tragedy spanning nearly a century.
Community uprisings like the Watts and Rodney King riots are well-known to LA-natives and newcomers alike. What many might not know is that instances like these helped set the stage for South LA's demographic shift: voids left by an out-migration of whites and blacks in the 80s and 90s were soon filled by Latinos fleeing hardships south of the border.
Latinos now make up the majority of South LA: 64 percent in 2010.
A new USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration report titled "Roots|Races: Latino Engagement, Place Identities, and Shared Futures in South Los Angeles," chronicles that change, offering lessons for communities of color across the country that could see similar shifts in the coming years.
Manuel Pastor is director of the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration. He was lead researcher for the report and shared his reflections with Take Two.
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
Drilling may be behind century-old quakes in SoCal
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Drilling may be behind century-old quakes in SoCal
In 1933, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Long Beach, killing about 120 people and becoming the deadliest earthquake in SoCal's history.
But a new study suggests it might not have been the fault...of a fault.
Earthquakes in the early 20th century, like the one in Long Beach, might have been caused by oil drilling that destabilized the earth.
While that particular drilling process no longer happens in Southern California, study author Susan Hough, a seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, says the discovery could rewrite our understanding of quakes in the region.
Black students not as likely to be suspended by black teachers
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Black students not as likely to be suspended by black teachers
According to a new article published in Education Next, African-American students are less likely to be suspended by African-American teachers than by white ones.
Why's that the case?
A Martinez speaks with Constance Lindsay, a professor at American University about her research.
To hear the entire conversation click on the audio embedded at the top of this post.
LA's new Youth Poet Laureate, Rhiannon McGavin, ignites words
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LA's new Youth Poet Laureate, Rhiannon McGavin, ignites words
Tuesday night is a celebration of poetry at the Los Angeles Public Library in downtown L.A.
The event is hosted by a group called Get Lit: Words ignite, and it will include the last public performance of the city's current poet laureate, Luis Rodriguez.
Guests will also get the chance to hear the newly appointed Youth Poet Laureate, yes, it turns out LA has one of those, too.
She's 18-year-old Rhiannon McGavin. The freshman at UCLA, who started writing poetry and making YouTube videos when she was just 12-years-old, explained that the impetus behind the poetry was to get the attention of a boy, "It didn't work out so well," said McGavin, "I don't think he noticed me ever. But it's okay."
The crush on the boy is now long gone, but McGavin's poetry career prevails. In 2014, she performed alongside John Legend and other young poets at the Marvin Gaye tribute concert.
She spoke with Alex Cohen earlier and explained her role as LA's Youth Poet Laureate, the internet's role in poetry and how she deals with some of the hate.
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.
Tuesday Reviewsday: Drake beefs with Kid Cudi, Ari Lennox slays and more
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Tuesday Reviewsday: Drake beefs with Kid Cudi, Ari Lennox slays and more
If you love music, but don't have the time to keep up with what's new, you should listen to Tuesday Reviewsday. Every week our critics join our hosts in the studio to talk about what you should be listening to in one short segment. This week A Martinez is joined by music supervisor
Artist: Saba
Album: Bucket List Project
Song: Church / Liquor Store
Summary: Chicago rapper Saba is back with a simply stellar project, the follow up to his 2014 debut project Comfort Zone, and a few star turns on projects with Donnie Trumpet and Chance the Rapper. Joining a cadre of fresh talent from the Windy City, the new album features guest appearances by some the best and brightest from his hometown.
Artist: Khadja Bonet
Album: The Visitor
Song: Nobody Other
Summary: Listen to Khadja Bonet's voice with your eyes closed and you're transported to another time. The classic violinist turned singer has a sound unlike anything we've heard in R&B and thats a good thing. A great thing.
Artist: Ari Lennox
Album: Pho
Song: Yeungling
Summary: Ari Lennox is up in the big leagues now, getting her turn at bat. From an indie artist to a artist signed to J. Cole's Dreamville Records, she's having the best year ever.
Oliver Wang
Artist: Anatta
Album: untitled beat tape
Song: Of Fleeting Youth and Memory
Summary: I had a friend in from out of town the other week and we stopped by Espacio 1839 in Boyle Heights, the clothing store/radio station/art gallery. And they carried this cassette tape made by a local L.A. beat maker Anatta aka Marco Lopez. And I realize that making anything on cassette in 2016 is a deliberate, self-conscious artistic move, but as we were driving through L.A. listening to it, the lo-fi quality of the tape really worked with the general vibe of the tracks themselves. I feel like this is as local as local gets, insofar as you can only find this in select places in L.A. Heck, I’m not sure where else it’s available besides Espacio!
Artist: Drake
Album: More Life
Song: Two Birds, One Stone
Summary: Drake gave folks a few sneak peaks at music coming on a mixtape he’s putting out in a few weeks entitled TKTK. This included one song that’s drawn the most attention: Two Birds, One Stone, in which he disses rappers Pusha T and Kid Cudi...which seems...unwise. Is this Drake’s new mid-life crisis now that he’s turning 30?
Artist: The Shacks
Album: The Shacks EP
Song: This Strange Effect
Summary: The Shacks are the duo of Shannon Wise and Max Shrager who are 18 and 20…which makes you feel like you probably didn’t do enough with your life back then. They’re out of New York and they’re working with Big Crown, which historically has been known for retro-soul acts like Lee Fields and El Michels Affair, but The Shacks are pure dream pop.
Wise’s vocals feel like they were processed through some "ultra-breathy" plug-in and this definitely sounds like something that’d be playing during a montage in a really well-photographed indie film. I mean all of these descriptions as compliments by the way. Also, I really like hearing retro-soul labels like Big Crown, Timmion and Daptone branching off into other genres. It makes sense for them to share their studio sound with other kinds of musical artists and the results so far have been promising.
