BlueLine Grid
Founding president of BlueLine Grid, which makes communications software for law enforcement; former city councilman for Los Angeles' 5th District (Westside and the San Fernando Valley) and the Council's terrorism preparedness expert; former candidate for Los Angeles City Attorney; former federal prosecutor
Terror Threat Shuts Down LA Schools The LA Unified School District – the second largest public school system in the United States — was shut down completely today in response to what Superintendent Ramon Cortines called a "credible threat of attack." New York schools also received a threat today but determined it was a hoax. Jack Weiss, a former City Council member in Los Angeles, who is now making communications software for police departments, assesses the situation.
Weiss and Trutanich, Candidates for LA City Attorney In the March primary, Carmen Trutanich forced Jack Weiss into a runoff in next month’s election for Los Angeles City Attorney . Weiss, an incumbent city councilman and former assistant US Attorney, got 36% of the vote. Trutanich, a former Deputy District Attorney now in private practice got 27%. We learn about the office of City Attorney from Rick Orlov, who covers politics for the Daily News, and then hear a debate between the two candidates.
Commuters Versus Community In Fight Over Olympic Pico Plan Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was first to propose that Olympic and Pico Boulevards on LA's west side should be one way in different directions. When that didn't fly, Mayor Villaraigosa had another idea: keep them two-way, but have each one favor a different direction during rush hour.
Villaraigosa Proposes Modified One-Way Plan For Pico And Olympic To relieve gridlock on LA’s West Side, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky proposed limiting Olympic and Pico Boulevards to one-way traffic in opposite directions. That went nowhere, but now Mayor Villaraigosa has proposed a compromise he calls the “new, smart way to reduce traffic congestion.” He would eliminate parking on both streets during rush hour right away. Next year, traffic lights would be re-timed to speed traffic westbound on Olympic and east on Pico. Step three might be re-striping the lanes to provide more eastbound lanes on Pico and vice versa on Olympic.
The Westide's Perpetual Traffic Jam Massive development has created job centers in Santa Monica, Century City and Westwood. The price for commuters is some of the worst traffic congestion in all of Los Angeles. City Councilman Jack Weiss asked the Department of Transportation for its master plan and found out there was none. The Transportation Department, LA Metro and Caltrans now have agreed to work one up. In the meantime, the City Council has approved $6 million worth of projects to speed up the traffic.
Los Angeles Receives a Cut in Anti-Terror Funds Los Angeles County will get just $72.6 million in urban security money next year, 10% less than it got last year. The mayors of Los Angeles and Long Beach say that Washington is playing politics with the war on terror.
LAX, Terrorist Plots and Airport Security British police have now arrested 24 people in a plot to blow up 10 planes bound for the US , causing what one official called "mass murder on an unimaginable scale." On CNN, Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff agreed it was the biggest threat to this country since September 11. The discovery, which has American airports on "high" alert, includes LAX , where five airlines operate 20 daily non-stops to and from London-Heathrow. There's no evidence that LA-bound planes were targeted, but Mayor Villaraigosa calls it "a target of opportunity" and confirms a "clear and rapid response" today at all levels of government, indicating that that the city was prepared. New security measures instituted today will mean long lines and require early arrivals. No liquids will be allowed in carry-on baggage because they might be components of explosives. We get details of how the latest reported conspiracy will disrupt travel plans at the height of vacation season.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
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.