Which Way, L.A.?
What Does Fisker’s Failure Mean for California’s Green Car Industry?
Mayor Villaraigosa said Fisker would be part of an electric-car industry centered in Southern California, but Fisker is now on the edge of bankruptcy.
By Warren Olney • • 26m ListenElectric-car maker Fisker is headquartered in Anaheim… if it can stay in business. CODA was lured from Santa Monica to Los Angeles—but it, too, may be on the edge of collapse. We’ll hear about what looks likes the failed promise of a new “clean” industry subsidized by local and federal taxpayers. Also, a battery recycler in Vernon is shut down after accusations of risks to public health and safety and the sequester slow-down at LAX and local airports.
On our rebroadcast of today's To The Point, President Obama has warned Syria that using—or even transporting--chemical weapons would be a “game changer.” Britain, France and Israel now claim that the al-Assad regime has thrown down the gauntlet. Syria denies the charge, but is the evidence credible? Will the US have to respond? What are the available options?
Banner Photo © REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - Nicholas Whitcombe (L-R), supervisory senior investment officer for the DOE, Fisker Automotive founder Henrik Fisker and co-founder Bernhard Koehler are sworn-in to testify during a hearing held by the House Oversight and Government Reform committee on the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) decision to grant Fisker Automotive a $529 million loan in 2009 on Capitol Hill in Washington April 24, 2013.
In this episode
3 storiesPolluting Vernon Battery Plant Shut Down
Exide Technologies in Vernon is one of the largest car-battery recyclers in the world. But it’s been shut down by the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, which says it’s a public health threat to as many as 100,000 people.
Read the story6 minIs Southern California’s Electric Car Industry Losing Its Charge?
Solyndra was the Bay Area maker of solar-panels that went bust despite taxpayer loans from the Obama Administration. Now Fisker is being called the “Solyndra of electric vehicles.” Mayor Villaraigosa said Fisker would be part of an electric-car industry centered in Southern California, but Fisker is now on the edge of bankruptcy.
Read the story15 minSequestration Blamed for Flights Delays
385 domestic airline flights were cancelled yesterday and 6,396 were delayed. Remember “sequester?” The FAA says the best way to save money is to furlough its employees—including air-traffic controllers. How will this affect LAX and local airports?
Read the story5 min
