Ahead of 2024 Senate Race, Californians Care Most About Homelessness, Economic Conditions
As Californians prepare for the 2024 Senate race, 23% report jobs, the economy, and inflation as a top issue, while 20% report homelessness, according to the 25th annual statewide survey from the Public Policy Institute of California. The survey was conducted from January 13 to 20, 2023. The majority of Californians (66%) predict bad times for the state economy in the year ahead. The survey comes as California representatives including Rep. Adam B. Schiff and Rep. Katie Porter have announced bids for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s current seat. Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated on Thursday she will support Rep. Adam B. Schiff’s campaign, but only if Feinstein decides not to seek reelection. Feinstein has not announced whether she will run in 2024, though she is widely expected to retire.
Joining to discuss how the race could play out and what voters will prioritize when choosing a candidate is Fernando Guerra, professor of political science and Chicano/Latino studies, director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University and emeritus member of the KPCC Board of Trustees, and Sara Sadhwani, politics professor at Pomona College and commissioner on the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission.
With files from the Associated Press
The Los Angeles Public Library Is Celebrating Its 150th Anniversary! We Discuss Its Impact & History
It’s hard to overstate the utility public libraries bring to cities, which makes it a notable thing that the Los Angeles Public Library has been around for 150 years. It’s infrastructure may not be completely intact since its inception, with notable incidents like its 1986 fire, but the history of its walls still carry a deep connection and history for folks in the area.
Today on AirTalk, we highlight the long history of the Los Angeles Public Library with city librarian John Szabo and Susan Orlean, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of the book “The Library Book,” which gets into the history of the LAPL and its 1986 fire.
LAPL is celebrating its 150th anniversary from December 7, 2022 - May 6, 2023. To learn more about the events the library has, click here.
House Republicans Are Taking A Closer Look At California’s Unemployment Fraud Situation. What’s The Latest?
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee held a hearing this week looking into the billions of dollars caught up in pandemic relief fraud. California is one of the states under the microscope along with New York and Pennsylvania.
California was overwhelmed with jobless claims in 2020 as the coronavirus took hold causing the unemployment rate to jump. The federal relief program didn’t have the traditional safeguards, and officials estimate that at least $20 billion in payouts were fraudulent. Since then, California leaders have claimed to have improved the system. Joining us to discuss the latest with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) and what’s happening in Congress is Lauren Hepler, investigative reporter for CalMatters, and Dan Walters, long-time California politics observer with CalMatters, a nonprofit public interest publication.
What’s The State Of Geoengineering And How Widely Can It Be Used?
Mexico recently banned geoengineering experiments after a startup called “Make Sunsets”, based in Baja California, was found to be conducting small solar geoengineering experiments without permission or oversight from the Mexican government. Solar geoengineering, which releases sulfur dioxide into the air in order to lower temperatures or create weather events, has been seen by the scientific community as both an unknown quantity and a potential golden ticket in the climate change fighting process. But what is the current status of this experimental climate manipulation practice? And could it be used to aid in solving the climate crisis?
Today on AirTalk we’re joined by science reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Eric Niiler and Edward Parson, professor of environmental law at the UCLA School of Law to talk about how geoengineering is being used today and what its future uses could hold in store for the climate crisis.
TV-Talk: ‘Freeridge,’ ‘Cunk On Earth,’ ‘Against The Ropes,’ 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. This week, Larry talks to Inkoo Kang, New Yorker tv critic, and Cristina Escobar, co-founder of LatinaMedia.co.
This week we talk:
- Freeridge (Netflix)
- Cunk On Earth (Netflix)
- Against The Ropes (Netflix)
- Pamela, A Love Story (Netflix)
- Not Dead Yet (ABC, Hulu)
- Poker Face (Peacock)
- Will Trent (ABC, Hulu)