L.A. plans to remove the requirement that new apartment buildings and condominiums in downtown Los Angeles include parking. Plus, San Gabriel Valley officials will vote on whether to approve a Gold Line extension to Pomona. And, award-winning novelist Susan Straight tells us about her new memoir, "In the Country of Women."
Parking Minimums
Buildings in Downtown L.A. might include a lot less parking under a new draft development plan that will be out later this year. The draft is testing the waters for eliminating the requirement that developers include parking in new apartment and condo buildings. Parking requirements for new buildings account for almost 20% of the rent people eventually pay to live there, so getting rid of the requirement to include two spaces for cars for every apartment or condo unit that is built could reduce housing costs. But it could also help with the city's other goals of inspiring more people to use public transit, thereby reducing traffic and greenhouse gas emissions.
Guest:
- Vince Bertoni, Planning Director for the City of Los Angeles
Gold Line Extension
Funding for the Gold Line foothill extension to Pomona, with the option of going to Claremont and Montclair, is up for a vote Thursday, but it will require San Gabriel Valley cities to give up more than 60% of their discretionary transportation dollars to fill the funding gap. And without an extra $126 million, the 12.3-mile extension from Glendora to Montclair would be delayed at least two years and could become more expensive due to escalating costs of labor and tariffs on raw materials.
California Dairy Farms
This week, China announced it will no longer buy any U.S. agricultural products. And now, California dairy farmers face an additional threat: dropping milk prices that could force them out of business. Already, 2019 marks the fifth consecutive year that milk prices have fallen, and without China as a trading partner, California dairy companies are losing their biggest market.
Guest:
- Alan Bjerga, Senior Vice President of Communications for the National Milk Producers Federation and a former reporter for Bloomberg News
Policing Sex: Part 3
All week, we've been reporting on the City of Los Angeles's fight against sex trafficking. City leaders say their aim is to help exploited women. But KPCC found, more often, the strategy leads to women being arrested and charged. As part of our series "Collateral Damage: How L.A.'s fight against trafficking hurts vulnerable women," KPCC investigative reporter Annie Gilbertson explores what's at stake.
Susan Straight
Susan Straight is the author of eight novels, including the National Book Award finalist, Highwire Moon, about an undocumented migrant mother attempting to reconnect with her daughter on Hollywood's outskirts. Her writing is prized for its transcendent beauty and deeply rooted sense of place, which, for Straight, is Southern California. She was born and raised -- and still lives -- in Riverside. But her family is mixed race, with ancestors dating back to the slave era, which is the subject of her first memoir, "In the Country of Women." We asked her to come into the studio to tell us about it.
Throwback Thursday: Charlotta Bass
Bacon Intern
There's an old saying: "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." Sounds dreamy, right? But how many people can honestly say that about what they do for a living? Well, here's a job opening that could make YOU one of those lucky ones. Farmer Boys is a California burger chain headquartered in Riverside. They're looking to hire..brace yourself....a BACON INTERN. This person will spend the day eating bacon items on the menu, then judging them. You'll also be paid, one thousand bucks. Farmer Boys is now taking applications. The deadline is August 20th