Concussions on the Football Field and Public Money in California
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There are new reports of mismanagement today by the public retirement system. Traveling from the US to Mexico is going to get harder. And is Attorney General Jerry Brown committing a "theft of public property" by denying access to his records as Governor? On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, do concussions on the football field cause brain damage? Have coaches, team doctors and players themselves been in denial? We hear about growing evidence and some new signals of seriousness from the National Football League.
Banner image: The California Public Employees' Retirement System building in Sacramento, California. Photo: Max Whittaker/Getty Images
Main Topic
Football and the Cost of Concussions ()
At a congressional hearing last month, California Democrat Linda Sanchez accused the National Football League of being in a state of denial, comparable to the tobacco industry's refusal to admit the link between tobacco smoking and cancer. The issue was growing medical evidence about the relationship between concussions on the football field and brain disease in players' later lives. Yesterday, the co-chairs of the NFL's committee on brain injuries resigned and some new rules were instituted.
Guests:
- Alan Schwarz: Reporter, New York Times
- Robert Stern: Co-Director, Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy
- Andrew Kline: former player for the St. Louis Rams
- Andrew Brandt: former Team Vice President, Green Bay Packers
- Ann Killion: Sports Columnist, Sports Illustrated and Comcast SportsNet
Links:
Making News
Mexico Beefs Up Border Security ()
The United States is engaged in a continuing crackdown on goods and people flowing north across the Mexican border. Now, Mexico's President Felipe Calderón is about to turn that around. He's installing gates, cameras and vehicle scales to monitor traffic that flows south. Richard Marosi reports on border issues for the Los Angeles Times.
Guests:
- Richard Marosi: Reporter, Los Angeles Times
Main Topic
The Trouble with CalPERS ()
The California Public Employees Retirement System is the biggest thing of its kind in the country with $200 billion in assets. CalPERS, as it's called, has been a model for big investors and a champion of good corporate governance. Now its reputation is under assault because of big losses from bad investments and potential conflicts of interest. Today's Los Angeles Times reports that CalPERS continued doing business with two hedge fund advisors for two years after contracts had run out.
Guests:
- Marc Lifsher: Reporter, Los Angeles Times
- Pat Macht: Director of External Affairs, CalPERS
Reporter's Notebook
Jerry Brown Hides inside His Lock Box ()
Attorney General Jerry Brown is a former governor who apparently wants to be governor once again. He's raising big money, but hasn't formally declared he's a candidate. In the meantime, he's sitting on information that could be crucial to voters in evaluating his past performance. That's according to Joe Mathews on the Op-Ed page of today's LA Times.
Guests:
- Joe Mathews: Irvine Senior Fellow, New America Foundation, @joemmathews
Underwriters
Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, which supports study and research into policy issues of the Los Angeles region.
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