Which Way, L.A.?
Which Way, L.A.?
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A Republican Super PAC in California

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California voters are turning away from political parties in droves, and Independents are deciding most statewide elections. Now former Republican officials and fundraisers have gone outside the party to create a Super PAC, trying to retain enough seats to support business interests in the Assembly and Senate. They'll settle for moderate Democrats. Will big money destroy the two-party system in California? Also, will the Forum in Inglewood become Madison Square Garden West? On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, NATO and Syria: the military option.

Making News

Madison Square Garden Owners to Renovate the LA Forum ()

The "Fabulous Forum" isn't so fabulous any more. The Kings and Lakers moved downtown to the Staples Center in 1999, along with the kind of big-name entertainment acts that used to draw big crowds to Inglewood. Now that may be about to change.  MSG, owners of Madison Square Garden, have acquired the Forum, and that's renewed plans for a developer who wants to turn the Hollywood Park racetrack into a planned community. James Butts is a former Inglewood policeman and former police chief in Santa Monica. Now the Mayor of Inglewood, he joins us in the studio.

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Main Topic

Can California's Political Parties Survive Super PAC's? ()

Steve Schmidt, a senior advisor to the McCain-Palin ticket in 2008, says, "The California Republican Party has collapsed."  In "the Number One richest state for politics in America, the donor community has defunded" the state GOP, which is "an unworthy and unsafe investment," Schmidt says. Former Republican state finance chairman Jeff Miller and strategist Tony Russo have gone outside the party to form a "center-right" Super PAC to support candidates that favor business in the Assembly and Senate. Even moderate Democrats will do.

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Reporter's Notebook

Political Groups Fight to Shroud Super PAC Donors ()

Conservatives used to argue that full disclosure of campaign contributions would prevent corruption. Now they're making a pitch for secrecy. If the names of high-profile political donors were made public, contributors could face bullying and harassment from liberals out to "muzzle" free speech. That's according to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in a recent speech. The Wall Street Journal has warned that corporations might face boycotts and picket lines if their names are revealed.



 

 

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Main Topic

NATO Calls Emergency Meeting after Syria Downs Turkish Jet ()

167x120 image for tp120626nato_calls_emergencyAt today's meeting in Brussels, the leaders of the NATO alliance denounced Syria for shooting down a Turkish jet fighter. Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan threatened Syria with retaliation and warned against any military approach to the Turkish border.

 
Photo: NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen discusses the shooting down of a Turkish aircraft by Syria, June 26, 2012. © NATO

 

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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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