Which Way, L.A.?
Same-sex Marriage; High-speed Rail; Privatizing Public Property
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Same-sex Marriage; High-speed Rail; Privatizing Public Property

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Governor Schwarzenegger wants to help bridge the budget crisis by selling off public properties, and today the Orange County Fairgrounds were auctioned off to the highest bidder. We hear the results. Also, would high-speed rail between San Diego and San Francisco get enough riders to pay the bills? On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, California's ban on same-sex marriage is on trial in a case that may end up in the US Supreme Court.  We get a progress report on the issues being raised in a San Francisco courtroom and the impact of public proceedings on same-sex parents and their children.

Main Topic

Tradition of Marriage on Trial in a Federal Courtroom ()

In a San Francisco federal court this week, a witness testified on tape that, if California’s ban on same-sex marriage is repealed, “children would suddenly find homosexuality irresistible.” The lawyers who want the ban overturned really wanted the judge to hear that. Is same-sex marriage banned because of ancient tradition or because of discrimination against gays and lesbians? What’s it like for gay and lesbian parents, and their children, to have their legitimacy challenged in such a public forum? Are the courts being asked to rule on broad social issues rather than questions of Constitutional law?

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Main Topic

OC Fairgrounds: SOLD! to the Highest Bidder ()

Public opposition has been growing for months, but today the state auctioned off the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. The Governor and other proponents of privatizing public assets predicted a price between $90 and $80 million. The high bid was $6 million, from Craig Realty Group of Newport Beach.

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Reporter's Notebook

The Dream and Reality of High-Speed Rail across California ()

When voters passed $10 billion in bonds to jump-start a San Diego-San Francisco high-speed rail, promoters claimed it would haul 50 million people a year and generate a $1.1 billion surplus. But putting together a business plan hasn’t been easy. Projections of money and ridership have been reduced, but the latest plan doesn’t adequately consider the risk that even scaled-down predictions might be wrong, according to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Guests:
  • Eric Thronson: Fiscal and Policy Analyst, California Legislative Analyst's Office
  • Curt Pringle: Chairman, California High Speed Rail Authority Board
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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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