California's Prisons and a New Attorney General
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With all the votes finally counted, Attorney General-elect Kamala Harris came to Los Angeles today to claim victory and announce a laundry list of priorities, including reduction in the prison-recidivism rate. Will she give law enforcement a new look? Also, the US Supreme Court took up a lower-court order to release 40,000 inmates from the state's overcrowded institutions. Would “low risk” parolees mean an increase in crime? On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, after this morning's White House meeting, the President and Republican leaders agreed that partisan gridlock is no longer acceptable to the voters. Is there a honeymoon? How long will it last?
Banner image: Inmates at the Mule Creek State Prison sit near their bunk beds in a gymnasium that was modified to house prisoners in Ione, California. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Main Topic
Supreme Court Hears Prison Overcrowding Case ()
For 20 years the State of California has been charged with unhealthy and inhumane treatment of prisoners, but failed to meet many promises to ease overcrowding. Today, the US Supreme Court took up the state’s appeal of an appellate court ruling that 40,000 prisoners be released.
Guests:
- David Savage: Reporter, Los Angeles Times, @latimes
- Don Thompson: Sacramento Reporter, Associated Press
- Joan Petersilia: Chair, Governor Schwarzenegger’s Rehabilitation Strike Team
Reporter's Notebook
Kamala Harris Takes a Victory Lap ()
California’s Attorney General-elect held her first victory appearance in Los Angeles today. The current District Attorney of San Francisco, Kamala Harris promises she’ll now serve the entire state. She announced a transition team that includes former LAPD Chief Bill Bratton, former Secretaries of State Warren Christopher and George Schultz, and civil rights attorney Connie Rice. Among the issues she addressed was the recidivism rate in state prisons, the highest in the nation. Jim Newton is editor-at-large for the Los Angeles Times.
Guests:
- Jim Newton: Editor-at-Large, Los Angeles Times, @newton_jim
Main Topic
Washington Rumbles over Taxes and Unemployment Benefits ()
The White House originally invited leaders of both parties in both houses of Congress to a working afternoon followed by dinner on November 18. That devolved into a meeting this morning that ended well before lunch. But both Democrats and Republicans said afterward they really are trying to work together.
Guests:
- David Corn: Washington Bureau Chief, Mother Jones magazine, @DavidCornDC
- David Winston: Republican pollster and strategist, Winston Group, @dhwinston
- Jared Bernstein: Executive Director, White House Middle Class Task Force, @econjared
- Russell Roberts: Professor of Economics, George Mason University
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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