Los Angeles Times
City Hall Reporter for the Los Angeles Times
PROFILE
Emily Alpert Reyes
Guest
FROM Emily Alpert Reyes
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Wild claims made in Measure S mailers If you’re an LA voter, you’ve likely gotten mailers from both sides of the Measure S campaign. Millions of dollars have gone into advocating the pro and anti-Measure S messages, with some wild claims thrown around.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Tenants Rights Advocates Lose Another Battle Against a Developer The Los Angeles City Council approved on Wednesday a request by the owner of a Hollywood apartment building to turn it into a boutique hotel. Tenants rights advocates had been fighting the plan. They say city officials talk a good talk when it comes to affordable housing, but then they turn around and approve projects that get rid of affordable housing. How often are tenants being evicted by developers under the Ellis Act? And what does Wednesday’s decision reveal about the city’s efforts to solve LA’s housing crisis?
The Mixer
The City of LA Has Guns in Its Crosshairs This week, the LA City Council passed a measure requiring gun owners to store their weapons under lock and key at home. And earlier this year, Mayor Eric Garcetti signed an new ordinance that restricts the amount of ammunition in high-capacity magazines. Gun rights activists filed suit last week to overturn it – in an interesting way. We get to the bottom of why cities are tackling this issue – and why other governments are not. KCRW's Steve Chiotakis is joined by Emily Alpert Reyes, City Hall reporter for the LA Times, and Andrew Blankstein of NBC News.
The Mixer
What Oakland Can Teach LA About the Minimum Wage The Los Angeles City Council is moving forward on a plan to raise the citywide minimum wage to $15 by 2020, up from the current $9 an hour. Labor leaders call it a major step forward for lifting workers out of poverty. But some business leaders – particularly restaurant owners – are pushing back.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
LA Pot Shops Getting Shut Down City attorney Mike Feuer says that more than 500 pot shops have been closed down in Los Angeles in the last two years. This after Proposition D was passed 2 years ago. It imposed stricter standards on medical marijuana dispensaries. Among the new requirements: they can’t be open after 8 PM , or be within 1000 feet of a school, or have any kind of lighting like a neon sign that’s on during non-business hours. Dispensaries that do not adhere to these standards will be targeted and shut down. What’s unclear still is how many pot shops are open in the city.
Which Way, L.A.?
Asian-Americans and the Ballot Box in Los Angeles Chinatown, Little Tokyo and Koreatown are just three of the Asian-American neighborhoods with long histories in Los Angeles and immigration continues. But, despite their numbers, their cultural and economic importance, Asian-Americans have been all but invisible in local electoral politics.
Recommended
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.