More Labor Troubles in Hollywood

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Just three months after the Writers’ strike, film and TV studios have broken off talks with the Screen Actors Guild. SAG and AFTRA used to negotiate together, but now AFTRA’s talking with the studios on its own which has led to talk of divide and conquer. Also tonight, sex abuse in the LA Unified School District.

Urban Oil in Southern California

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Oil is as much a part of Southern California history as sunshine and citrus groves. Downtown LA is pockmarked with oil wells capped before they ran dry. In Long Beach and Signal Hill, there were forests of derricks and they’re still pumping in Seal Beach, Santa Fe Springs and Beverly Hills. Tonight: is there an oil well coming near you?

Special Live Election Wrap-Up of the Indiana and North Carolina Primaries

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Should Californians Change the Initiative Process?

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Californians hate government—with one exception. They love the initiative process which has allowed them to vote up or down on new laws dealing with major issues. The best example is Prop 13, passed in 1978 to limit the skyrocketing tax on property. On Reporter’s Notebook, they’re tearing down the Ferris Wheel on the Santa Monica Pier.

Closing The Budget Deficit By Touching The Public’s Nerve

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The city of Los Angeles doesn't have enough money - we're $406 million dollars short to be exact, the largest budget deficit in city history. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has proposed a $7 billlion dollar budget that focuses on the city’s core needs. Also tonight, dock workers all along the west coast shut down ports on a one day walkout.

Clinical Depression in LA Schools

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It’s not just the depression all teenagers feel, it’s the fear of violence and the sense that school doesn’t offer a haven that leads to a sense of belonging. These are the findings of a new survey on mental health conducted by kids who talked with 6,000 other kids in 7 of LA’s toughest high schools.

Do California’s Freeways have a Future?

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The 10, the 210 and possibly the 110 won’t be free for long if Mayor Villaraigosa and the MTA have their way. You’ll have to pay fees to use car-pool lanes during rush hour with the hope of keeping speeds up to 45 miles an hour. Is it a great way to avoid gridlock and lower pollution—or a public gift of freedom to travel for those who can afford it while the middle class and the poor watch the traffic go by?

Wesley Snipes: Was He Punished for Being Famous?

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The tax rebates are going out today for those who paid Uncle Sam. But actor Wesley Snipes won’t get one. He was acquitted of tax fraud, but convicted of failing to file federal tax returns for 3 years running. Also tonight, the shark warnings have been taken down after Friday’s attack off San Diego.

How Safe Are Our Prescription Drugs?

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Was Hillary Clinton's Win in Pennsylvania Big Enough?

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Pennsylvania Primary Election

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Rich Schools, Poor Schools and Cuts in State Funding

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Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts in school funding would exaggerate a problem that's already flouting state law: some schools get a lot more money than others. Also, Mayor Villaraigosa’s bare bones city budget.

Do California’s Prisons Pose a Problem Without a Solution?

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For the 4th time in just 5 years, Governor Schwarzenegger has appointed a new director of prisons where a federal judge says conditions are unconstitutional. On Reporter’s Notebook, Steve Lopez of the LA Times - the column, the book, and the movie.

Mayor Villaraigosa, LA Politics, and Gangs

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In what one columnist called his first re-election speech, Mayor Villaraigosa addressed the multitude of gang programs, now to be centralized in his office. Can he make them more effective and more accountable for what they do? On Reporter’s Notebook, the gang “feedback loop” between LA and El Salvador.

Will California Crack Down on Plastic Bags?

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The choice between paper and plastic won’t be free if the toughest such law in the nation passes in Sacramento. The law would impose a “plastic carryout bag impact fee” of 25 cents a bag at groceries and pharmacies. On Reporter’s Notebook, another heath director quits LA County after just two years in one of the hardest jobs in the health care industry.