Today, the Mixer goes deep beneath the earth’s surface, where two members of the LA City Council want to stop energy companies from injecting chemicals to extract oil and natural gas.
The controversial process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, gets no love from council members Paul Koretz and Mike Bonin, who are calling for an outright ban.
The question to our panelists today, Gene Maddaus of the LA Weekly and Catherine Saillant of the Los Angeles Times: if the state is already tackling the issue, why does the city of Los Angeles need to get involved?
They say city officials in LA are more likely to pass an outright ban, because politicians in Sacramento are probably more beholden to the oil and natural gas lobby.
Tour bus company workers would no longer be able to hawk sight-seeing tours from sidewalks in the city of Los Angeles under an ordinance approved the city council this week.
Meanwhile, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has a new gig. He’ll be doing some consulting at the LA-based vitamin and nutrition-supplement giant Herbalife. The company’s come under fire for being a pyramid scheme, among other things. The general consensus is that it’s a smart move for Herbalife, who wants a high-profile Latino figure to help bring in more clients. But it could be problematic for Villaraigosa, if he plans on seeking higher office.
Finally, in our Mixer Elixir, Gene Maddaus tells a story about the Mayor’s Office, the NFL… and Croatia.
Yes, Croatia.