Which Way, L.A.?
Can the US Senate Pass Finance Reform? Should LA Declare Bankruptcy?
Should LA's elected officials ask a judge solve the city's financial problems? Why is Sarah Palin's speaking fee being kept secret by a state university? What will it take to save the Watts Towers? On our rebroadcast of To the Point, the Senate is back in Washington, ready to take up finance reform — in an election year.
By Warren Olney • • 52m ListenLos Angeles City Hall has become so dysfunctional that critics are calling for outside intervention. Is bankruptcy the way to go? We hear from former Mayor Richard Riordan and Council member Paul Koretz. Also, a state senator says Cal State Stanislaus has shredded public documents to keep a secret for Sarah Palin. And LACMA will help restore a cultural icon: LA's deteriorating Watts Towers. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, the Senate is back in Washington, ready to take up finance reform — in an election year. Will public anger at Wall Street bring some Republicans on board? What about consumer protection and banks that are “too big to fail?”
Banner image: Mayor Villaraigosa addresses the budget crisis, April 6, 2010.
In this episode
4 storiesCan the US Senate Pass Finance Reform in an Election Year?
In the House version of finance reform, the provision that banks hate most is an independent agency for consumer protection. It's been compared to the so-called "public option," that divided Democrats to the benefit of Republicans during the healthcare debate. But the politics of finance reform are very different.
Read the story28 minPalin's Visit Brings Trouble to CSU Stansilaus
California State University-Stanislaus is in the Central Valley City of Turlock in California's Republican heartland. The speaker scheduled for the 50th anniversary gala in June will be Sarah Palin . Today a Democratic state senator claimed that public employees shredded documents in order to keep her fee secret.
Read the story7 minShould Los Angeles Declare Bankruptcy?
It's often said that government should be run more like business, where bankruptcy can be an acceptable solution when financial problems get out of hand. Mayor Villaraigosa and the City Council agree that Los Angeles' finances are unsustainable, but insist that bankruptcy is out of the question.
Read the story12 minRescuing the Watts Towers
LA's budget crisis has reached into the LAPD and the DWP. Now it's threatening one of the city's cultural treasures.
Read the story6 min
