Which Way, L.A.?
A Long, Idle Summer for America's Youth
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A Long, Idle Summer for America's Youth

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On this rebroadcast of today's To the Point, guest host Sara Terry looks at the summer job situation and why prospects for job seekers under 25 are so grim. At 17.3 percent youth unemployment is higher than the national average of 9.1 percent. That figure rises even higher among minorities, to 41.6 percent for African American youth. In addition to the overall economic outlook, the problem is compounded by federal, state and local budget cuts that have affected popular summer job-training programs. What's the cost personally and for society? Also, Antonio Villaraigosa takes the helm of the US Conference of Mayors. On Reporter's Notebook, Google Digitizes the British Library Collection

Banner image: Unemployed Americans search for work in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Making News

Villaraigosa Named to Head US Conference of Mayors ()

Los Angeles Mayor Antonia Villaraigosa was sworn in today as the new president of the US Conference of Mayors. The mayor used the platform to criticize Congress, calling for the expedited withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and a greater investment in domestic spending. On MSNBC's Morning Joe he said, "There needs to be an acknowledgement in the Beltway bubble that cities are suffering right now…that we need to make investments in infrastructure, in transportation." Kate Linthicum is the metro reporter at the LA Times.

 

 

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Main Topic

A Long, Idle Summer for America's Youth ()

It's not a pretty picture for job-seeking youth this summer. Employment opportunities for those under 25 are expected to be the worst in decades. Although the national unemployment rate is around nine percent, it soars to over 17 percent for 16- to 24-year-olds. Back in the summer of 2000, the summer employment rate for youths hit a high of 46 percent; this summer it's expected that only one in four youths will have a summer job. The news is worse for teens from poor families. They're even less likely to find jobs than their middle class peers. What impact have federal and local budget cuts had on summer job programs? Who pays the price when teens don't get summer jobs? What are the long-term social costs of youth unemployment?

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Reporter's Notebook

Google Digitizes the British Library Collection ()

In London today, the British Library and Google announced an agreement to make 250,000 books – 14 million pages -- available for free online. Published between 1700 and 1870, the titles include a pamphlet about Marie Antoinette, a scientific examination of the hippo, and plans from 1858 by a Spanish inventor for one of the world's first submarines. Kristian Jensen is head of Arts and Humanities at the British Library. Ian Douglas is a technology reporter for the Daily Telegraph.

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Underwriters

Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert 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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