Bills, Bills, Bills: Governor Newsom Signs Legislation Focused On Farmworkers, Salary Range Disclosure In Job Postings And More
With Friday’s signature deadline looming, Governor Gavin Newsom continues to work on signing and vetoing the hundreds of bills still on his desk. On Wednesday, he signed a bill his administration had originally signaled it opposed as written that would make it easier for farmworkers to vote in union elections.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll speak with CalMatters’ Ben Christopher, who covers state politics and the 2022 election, and Maggie Angst, California political reporter for The Sacramento Bee.
Gov. Newsom Signs Bills Allowing Housing Development On Commercially Zoned Properties
They’ve become a familiar sight along the wide commercial corridors of America — empty buildings once filled by big retailers who have closed their doors, in part because many of their customers shop online. Now, two new laws in California would let developers build housing on that land and largely prevent revenue-hungry local governments from stopping them.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws Wednesday that would open up much of the state’s commercial land for residential development. It’s a long-sought victory for affordable housing advocates, who say such sites are ready-made for apartments because they are often near populated areas and come with ample parking. Local government officials say the laws undermine their authority and upend years of careful planning that reflect community preferences. But there’s also a financial consequence, they say, because stores generate more property taxes for local governments than homes do. Plus, some stipulations in the legislation could have consequences for developers and their workforce. Joining AirTalk to discuss is Mott Smith, principal with Civic Enterprise Development, chairman of the board of the California Council on Infill Builders and adjunct professor at USC, and Anthony Dedousis, CEO and founder of Revival ADU, which helps homeowners find financing for their Accessory Dwelling Unit projects.
With files from the Associated Press
TV-Talk: ‘House Of The Dragon,’ ‘Andor,’ ‘The Patient’ And More
Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network tv and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we’re going to try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. Joining Larry this week is Inkoo Kang, TV critic for the Washington Post, and Liz Shannon Miller, senior entertainment editor at Consequence and a board member of the Television Critics Association.
The State Of California Prisons: Reentry, Recidivism & Rehabilitation
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the state’s recidivism rate has hovered around 50% for the past decade. Others working in the field of reentry will say that number is closer to 60%, which would make it one of the highest in the country. Continuing our weeklong series looking at the California prison system, today we focus on returning to society after incarceration. We’ll look at the biggest challenges to a successful reentry, like stable housing and employment, and the social and emotional toll of living in the outside world after decades of incarceration.
Joining us on our program today is founder of A New Way of Life, Susan Burton, retired Correctional Business Manager and current board member at The Prism Way, an organization that provides reentry housing for people leaving prisons, Paul Gonzales, and executive director of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Sam Lewis.
Humanitarian Jane Olson On Being A “World Citizen”
From ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia to conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Caucasus to the Contra War in El Salvador and Nicaragua, humanitarian aid work has taken Jane Olson across the world and connected her with people experiencing political violence, persecution, displacement and crisis. Her new book “World Citizen: Journeys of a Humanitarian” chronicles her travels, the people she met along the way, and what she learned from all of it about being a citizen of the world.
Today on AirTalk, Jane joins us to share some of the stories of her travels and the people she met along the way, from riding out a hurricane in Cuba to the friends she made in Ukraine who are now facing a Russian invasion.