- Social:
California Department of Insurance
Press secretary for the California Department of Insurance; former communications director for California Prison Health Care Services
PROFILE
Nancy Kincaid
Guest
FROM Nancy Kincaid
Which Way, L.A.?
California's Wildfires: Reckoning and Recovery There are several human casualties so far, but major fires are still burning in Northern California, and there could be more. The Valley Fire has scorched much of Lake County and parts of Sonoma County, both North of Napa. The Butte Fire has charred Amador and Calavares Counties. Even as fires are still burning, negotiations with insurance companies are already under way. Some homeowners prepared for potential disaster by buying insurance — but others did not, and the details of insurance policies aren't always easy to understand. We update the personal cost of damage that's displaced some 20,000 people.
Which Way, L.A.?
Human Rights in the Hidden World of State Prisons On July 1, inmates at the Pelican Bay State Prison near the Oregon border began a hunger strike that ultimately involved 6600 prisoners in 13 of California's 33 institutions. Reporters were not allowed to talk to inmates, but representatives said they demanded caps to be worn in cold weather, calendars on cell walls, more lenient treatment in solitary confinement, and a change in "debriefings" that last so long prisoners are in danger of being labeled as "snitches." The hunger strike is over , but did settling it make things any better?
Which Way, L.A.?
California Prisons: Mercy or Madness? "If we can't start with a quadriplegic, where can we start?" That's the question from San Francisco's Democratic Assemblyman Mark Leno, who wrote the new law providing that inmates who are incapacitated should be released on humanitarian grounds and to save money. But last week, at its first opportunity, the State Parole Board said "no" to a man whose spine was severed in a prison fight, so he can't move either his arms or his legs. His family has agreed to provide care and to pay for it. Note: The Parole Board refused our request to participate in today's program.
Recommended
Left, Right & Center
Left, Right & Center Live: Decisions, Decisions A special live broadcast of Left, Right & Center from INFORUM at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco
The 805
Are state-mandated gender quotas legal? California becomes the first state to impose gender quotas on corporate boards, but will the new law make it through legal review? It’s a close race for the 25th Congressional seat in Ventura County, as Democrats try to flip the district from red to blue. A wine from the Central Coast plays a lead role in “Somm 3,” and artists debut performances inspired by the Thomas Fire and subsequent mudslides.
KCRW Features
As sidewalk gardens grow on Skid Row, homeless residents lose a sidewalk In a city with tens of thousands of people living on its streets, sidewalk space can be a hot commodity. Businesses want to keep the sidewalk clear for customers, but the city’s housing crisis means that for some people, the sidewalk is home. Some property owners have reportedly used sprinklers or private security guards to make sure no one sets up camp outside their doors. And in recent months, people living on the streets have noticed a new tactic – business owners effectively occupying a portion of the sidewalk themselves.