Which Way, L.A.?
What Do Court Closures Mean for Criminal Justice?
Regional courthouses throughout LA County are shutting down. Witnesses, defendants, prosecutors and cops will have to go on the road. Judges’ caseloads will multiply
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenFrom Malibu to San Pedro, from Beverly Hills to Pasadena, Los Angeles County regional courthouses are shutting down. All personal injury cases will be heard in just one place. Witnesses, defendants, prosecutors and cops will have to go on the road. Judges will have up to 8000 cases to deal with at once. Also, Republicans who were all for Mitt Romney just over a week ago react to his explanation for losing. And, LA is known for street venders, but it turns out they're breaking the law. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, America's oil boom: the economy and the environment.
In this episode
4 storiesBudget Cuts and the Right of Access to Court
Last April, 56 Los Angeles County courtrooms were shut down, workers were laid off and judges were asked to double up in the use of remaining staff and facilities. Presiding Judge Lee Smalley Edmon said, " We are rationing justice ." Now, it's become even worse.
Read the story11 minLA Times Reporter Recalls Romney Message to Donors
During the presidential campaign, Mitt Romney told high-level donors his job would be "not to worry" about the "47 percent" of Americans who depended on government. When he found that he'd been recorded, he told interviewers he'd been clumsy and that, "I really care about the 100 percent." He said similar things during all three debates.
Read the story7 minStreet Vendors in Los Angeles
LA has long been known for street venders, but what they're doing is often against the law. Now they're organizing to get the law changed. KCRW's Saul Gonzalez has the story. (You can see pictures of the street venders at our WWLA blog .)
Read the story7 minOil and Gas Boom Reshapes US Energy Landscape
Turns out it was old news to energy experts, but this week's report from the International Energy Agency has a lot of others revising their thinking about the domestic production of oil and what it will mean for jobs and the economy.
Read the story25 min
