Patt Morrison for Mon, June 1

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Monday, June 1, 2009

1-3 p.m.

 

1:00 – 1:30

OPEN

 

 

1:30 – 2:00

Seeds of Terror

Award winning journalist Gretchen Peters is here with the story of Afghanistan’s exploding opium trade, detailing how terrorists have segued into the big business of illegal drugs and how a second terrorist attack could be funded entirely by drug sales to western addicts. Did our government know about the drug smuggling activates of both its enemies and its allies in the Karzai administration but repeatedly turn a blind eye?

 

Guests:

Gretchen Peters: Author, Seeds of Terror, How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and Al Qaeda

Call her @

 

 

[NPR NEWS]

 

2:00 – 2:30

VAT to the Future: Reforming the U.S. Tax Code

Recognizable to anyone who has ever traveled abroad, the value added tax is the exotic, onerous-seeming sales tax that accompanies almost every purchase throughout Europe and beyond.  The VAT has never seriously been considered here, but that could soon change:  eager to reform a ridiculously convoluted tax code, close a multi-trillion dollar budget deficit AND fund hugely expensive programs like single-payer healthcare, the Obama Administration is ready to give the VAT a new look.  While a 10 – 20% VAT would spike the sales prices of almost every conceivable service or commodity, it could raise trillions in revenues—is the long-term payoff worth the pain at the cash register?

 

Guests:

Michael Graetz, professor of law at Yale Law School; author of 100 Million Unnecessary Returns: A Simple, Fair and Competitive Tax Plan for the United States

• Graetz served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy and a special counsel in the Treasury Department under George H.W. Bush.

 

Len Burman, senior fellow at the Urban Institute & direct of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center; visiting professor at Georgetown’s Public Policy Institute

• Burman has served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Analysis at the Treasury Department from ’98 – ’00.
• Burman just testified in front of Congress on VAT scenarios, and he also helped House Democrats craft an unsuccessful 2007 plan to repeal the alternative minimum tax.

 

 

2:30 – 3:00

OPEN

 

Patt Morrison for Fri, May 29

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, May 29, 2009 

 

 

1:00 - 1:40

Stop That Drip!
They're here, and if you get your water from the Department of Water and Power, you'd better pay attention!  New mandatory water conservation measures aiming to cut LA water use by 15% become effective on Monday, as southern California faces a water supply shortage for the third year in a row, If households cut consumption, their water bills may actually reduce, but if they don't, bills will increase, depending on usage. Sounds simple, but questions still abound: How can you avoid a rate increase? Do the rules cover drip irrigation? How will the DWP monitor your usage? Can your neighbors rat on you? David Nahai, DWP's CEO and head water cop, answers them all.

 

Guest:

David Nahai, CEO & general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power

 

 

1:40 -  2:00 

Green-friendly Green Thumbs

Don’t worry folks, just because we are in a drought doesn’t mean that we can’t have beautiful gardens! California is in a drought and Los Angeles has water rationing starting June 1, but we're fighting it with green-friendly green-thumbs. The state has produced website after website that not only provide lists of “water-friendly” plants but has also set up a system of rebates for business and home owners that retrofit their landscapes to be water-wise. Will this trend catch on? Or are Californians too concerned with cinematically green gardens to make the switch?

 

Guests::

Lili Singer, Special Projects Coordinator

Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants, Inc.

 

 2:00  – 2:40 

 OPEN

 

  

2:40  –  3:00

Science Like the back of Your Hand

Bacteria have colonized us inside and out and, a new study shows, that might not be such a bad thing. In fact, it may be what keeps our bodies functioning properly. The journal Science publishes a new study today that illuminates this understudied area and lays some groundwork for a $115 million NIH venture, the Human Microbiome Project, aimed at cataloging the bacteria and organisms on our skin. What’s on you and why should you be happy?

 

Guests:

 

NOT CONFIRMED:

Julia Segre, senior author of the Science study and a senior investigator at the National Human Genome Research Institute

Call her @

 

 

 

Patt Morrison for Thurs, May 28

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Thursday, May 28, 2009

1-3 p.m.

 

1:00 – 2:00

House of Pain: Detailing Cuts to CA Budget

The bad news just keeps on coming: After last week’s defeat of the budget propositions, which boosted the expected state deficit from $15 billion to over $21 billion, Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office was informed recently that the new deficit figures will be even worse.  Thanks to the continuing recession we’re now looking at a $24.3 billion deficit hole that needs closing, and if you believe the Governor and leading legislators that hole will be largely closed on the backs of the neediest Californians. CalWorks program, which assists poor single mothers, will be gone; Cal Grants, which go to low income college students, will be gone.  What kind of bare bones government can we expect?

 

Guests:

TBD

 

 

[NPR NEWS]

 

2:00 – 2:30

SAG Ballots Are Out - Internal Battles Continue

While SAG members decide how to vote on their contract with Hollywood producers, leadership is sharply divided in a bitter internal battle over the merits of the deal, with the rancor spilling into the public eye through personal appearances, blogs, and videos on YouTube.  Does the vitriol change anybody's mind about their vote, and can the union be made whole again when the ballots are counted? 

 

Guests:

Alan Rosenberg: President of SAG. He is urging SAG members to vote against the contract

Ned Vaughn: Unite for Strength leader. He is urging SAG members to vote for the contract.

 

 

2:30 – 3:00

OPEN

 

Patt Morrison for Weds, May 27

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

1-3 p.m.

 

1:00 – 1:40

Big Man on Campus

It’s hard to say which set of numbers is worse - LAUSD'S budget or its ranking among the state's urban school districts – and at least on the budget front, it’s only going to get worse before it gets better. Ramon Cortines, the superintendent of the nation's second largest school district is here for his once-a-month visit to answer Patt's questions and yours.

 

Guests:

Ramon Cortines: Superintendent, LAUSD

IN STUDIO

 

 

1:40 – 2:00

OPEN

 

 

[NPR NEWS]

 

2:00 – 2:30

SAG Ballots Are Out - Internal Battles Continue

While SAG members decide how to vote on their contract with Hollywood producers, leadership is sharply divided in a bitter internal battle over the merits of the deal, with the rancor spilling into the public eye through personal appearances, blogs, and videos on YouTube.  Does the vitriol change anybody's mind about their vote, and can the union be made whole again when the ballots are counted? 

 

Guests:

NOT CONFIMRED

Alan Rosenberg: President of SAG. He is urging SAG members to vote against the contract

 

NOT CONFIRMED

Amy Brenneman: National Board Member, SAG. She is urging SAG members to vote for the contract.

 

 

 

2:30 – 3:00

The Toll of Texting

They do it in the classroom, in restaurants, while crossing busy streets, and under their covers well into the night. In 2008, the average American teenager sent and received 2,272 text messages per month—double the 2007 average. And now psychologists and physicians are beginning to take stock of texting's health effects—anxiety, falling grades, stress injuries, and even an inability to psychologically separate from one's parents and grow into autonomous adults. Is texting affecting a generation's health?

 

Guests:

NOT CONFIRMED:

Reina Hardesty, Orange County 13-year-old who racked up 24,000 tests in one month

 

NOT CONFIRMED:

Katie Hafner, New York Times reporter who wrote a recent story about texting's health toll

 

 

Patt Morrison for Tues, May 26

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

1-3 p.m.

 

1:00 – 2:00

The California Supreme Court Hands Down Decision on Prop 8

The Decision is in. The California Supreme Court hands down their ruling today [Tues] on the constitutionality of Proposition 8. What are the ramifications of this decision and how are California and the nation reacting? We discuss the issue with guests from both sides and with you.

 

Guests:

TBD

 

 

[NPR NEWS]

 

2:00 – 3:00

OPEN

 

 

Patt Morrison for Mon, May 25

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Monday, May 25, 2009

1-3 p.m.

 

1:00 – 1:40

Stem Cell Therapies: From a Laboratory to a Pharmacy Near You

Research on the amazing healing properties of stem cells, from the ability to regenerate tissue to the potential for correcting genetic defects, has been going on for decades with the long held promise of revolutionary therapies for the masses.  The game changing stem cell therapies aren’t quite ready for the commercial market yet but they’re closer than they’ve ever been and the promise of a medical revolution is real.  Patt talks with two of the leading researchers and shapers of stem cell policies about the first therapies that will hit the market and the ethical questions that come with employing stem cells on a massive scale.

Guests:

John McNeish, executive director of regenerative medicine for Pfizer Alan Trounson, president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Alan Trounson, president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

 

 

1:40 – 2:00

The Dangerous World of Butterflies

Organized crime, black-market smuggling, environmental disasters—these aren't things you would normally associate with tiny, delicate butterflies. But award-winning journalist Peter Laufer exposes the dark side of the butterfly business and proves that it is a dangerous world. Laufer's research on the subculture of butterflies took him around the world from butterfly breeding businesses in Nicaragua across borders to Los Angeles and New York City. Along the way, he found out how far people are willing to go to smuggle unique, hard-to-find butterflies—and how much people are willing to pay for them. The subculture of butterflies includes criminals, collectors, conservationists, and more.

Guest:

Peter Laufer, journalist, broadcaster, and author of The Dangerous World of Butterflies

 

 

[NPR NEWS]

 

2:00 – 2:30

Silver Screen Sinatra

An Oscar-winning actor, acclaimed director, and recipient of the Golden Globe Award for lifetime achievement in film, Frank Sinatra created one of the biggest careers in the history of Hollywood, and yet his screen legacy is often overshadowed by his achievements as a singer. Author Tom Santopietro is here to highlight Sinatra-the-actor, with his new book, Sinatra in Hollywood.

Guests:

Tom Santopietro, author of Sinatra in Hollywood, The Importance of Being Barbra, and Considering Doris Day

 

 

2:30 – 3:00

Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones… But Words Indeed Can Hurt You.

The Years of Talking Dangerously is the latest collection of essays from linguist professor and NPR contributor Geoffrey Nunberg. In his new book Nunberg explores the circumlocutory language of politics, his struggle with being too pontifical for the blogosphere, how some words must patiently wait in the wings before they make it into the common lexicon and many more informative and entertaining linguistic issues. Join us as we talk with the author and try not to flub our words.

Guest: 

Geoffrey Nunberg, linguist and professor in the School of Information at UC Berkeley

 

 

Officials gather to prepare for potential public health emergencies

 

For Immediate Release:                               

May 21, 2009                         

Media Advisory

 

County and City Leaders Coordinate to Just Be Ready

 

From new flu A H1N1 to earthquakes and fires, elected officials and city managers gather to prepare for potential public health emergencies

 

WHAT:          Public health emergencies such as earthquakes, fires, or a new flu virus occur without warning. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will host a workshop designed to educate elected officials and city managers in how to effectively respond to public health emergencies. The workshop will focus on the emergency response structure of the county, introduce helpful tools, and provide a forum for cities to meet with their county emergency preparedness partner. The LA County Just Be Ready: Prepare Together campaign will be on display. Speakers include Dr. Ivan Walks, who performed an instrumental role in managing the anthrax attacks of 2001 on Capitol Hill.

 

WHEN:          Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Time: 10:00 a.m.

 

WHERE:       The California Endowment

                        Catalina Room

1000 N. Alameda St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

 

WHO:             Don Knabe, Chairman and Supervisor, Fourth District, Board of Supervisors Los Angeles County

 

Ivan Walks, MD, former Chief Health Officer of Washington, D.C. 

 

Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and Health Officer 

 

John Fernandes, Administrator, Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management.

 

CONTACT: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Office of Communications 

                         (213) 240-8144

# # #

 

May 26 2009 AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS

                                  AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS

                                                                     Board of Supervisors, County of Los Angeles  

                                                           

Contact:  Judy Hammond, Director of Public Affairs, (213) 974-1363

                 Brian Lew, Assistant Director, (213) 974-1652

Live videofeed, English and Spanish, Telco #948075      Audio–(213) 974-4700 or

                                                                                                   (877) 873-8017 ext. 111111# English

                                                                                                                           ext. 222222# Spanish

Agenda and supporting documents:  http://bos.co.la.ca.us/Categories/Agenda/AgendaHome.asp

Agenda Highlights: http://ceo.lacounty.gov/press.htm                                                       

                                                                                                                                    May 21, 2009 

 

May 26 Agenda Highlights

(Meeting begins at 1 p.m. due to holiday) 

 

State presents “Most Improved County Performance Award” to Department of Child Support Services.

 

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky asks Project 50 be expanded to serve up to 500 vulnerable chronically homeless persons by June 30, 2010.  (Item S-2, 2:30 p.m., cont. from 3/17, 3/31, 4/28 and 5/19)

 

Plan calls for spending $63 million for capital improvement projects and services for housing programs. (Item 3-D, 1-H, 3)

 

Board considers appeal of Regional Planning Commission’s approval of plan to build/operate/maintain wireless telecommunications facility on commercial building in La Crescenta.  (Item 1, cont. from 1/27 and 4/28)

 

Supervisors asked to overrule Regional Planning Commission’s approval of expansion of a group home for children in Santa Monica Mountains.  (Item 2, cont. from 3/24 and 4/28)

 

Approval sought to charge a fee to print from the Internet and to increase fines and fees at County libraries to pay for operational costs and encourage timely return of materials. (Item 6)

 

Board considers appeal of Regional Planning Commission’s approval of plan to allow West Claremont resident to keep 10 goats, two horses, a llama and an emu.  (Item 8)

 

Action would exercise County’s right to pay $1 to buy $7.5 million building in Pomona it has leased since 1982 for welfare office.  (Item 10)

 

Board considers appeal of Regional Planning Commission’s approval of plan to build/operate/maintain wireless telecommunication facility on Southern California Edison tower in Hacienda Heights.  (Item 13)

 

Supervisor Gloria Molina requests plan be developed for regional integrated health care delivery networks across the County to provide safety net for the most vulnerable residents.  (Item 18)

Proposal would eliminate 11 advisory committees due to long-term inactivity or low attendance and provide compensation for members of the Quality and Productivity Commission at $2,400 maximum annually. (Item 25, cont. from 5/12)

 

Ordinance would allow the Animal Care and Control Department to adjust its fees annually to reflect the cost of its services.  (Items 29 and 34)

 

Report scheduled on options to reduce election costs and voter fatigue, including instant run-off voting.  (Item 35, cont. from 5/12)

 

Supervisors meet in closed session to discuss lawsuit by Health Services Department employee Dr. Jayendra Shah alleging discrimination.  (Item CS-1)

 

 

--lacounty.gov--

 

Patt Morrison for Fri, May 22

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, May 22, 2009

1-3 p.m.

 

1:00 – 2:00

OPEN

 

 

[NPR NEWS]

 

2:00 – 3:00

Comedy Congress

A miserable, sinking economy and rancorous debate in Washington D.C. over everything from torture to swine flu—just when politics is enough to make you cry, it's usually best to laugh instead. In its own unique way, Comedy Congress is always up to the challenge. Who says humor can't reign in an era of hope?  The unintentional humor flowed throughout the first three months of the Obama Administration and we’re here to cover it all:  Nancy Pelosi did her best impersonation of a punching bag while Arlen Specter did his best impersonation of Benedict Arnold.  Remember, the truth hurts far less when it's told by comedians.

 

Guests:

Ben Gleib, regular performer at the Hollywood Improv; recently named one of “Six Comedians who Could be Comedy’s Next Big Thing” in Esquire; performed on CBS’ “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn”; writer for Collegehumor.com; and according to his autobiography, a former Lakers girl

IN STUDIO

 

John Fugelsang, co-host of “TV Water Cooler” on the TV Guide Channel & contributor to “The Huffington Post”; guest-starred in TV shows “CSI” and “Providence” and in 2007 he produced & starred in his acclaimed solo show “All the Wrong Reasons” at the New York Theater Workshop

IN STUDIO

 

Alonzo Bodden, winner of season 3 of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and is now a  judge on the comedy contest; regular field correspondent for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and is the host of the Speed Channel’s new series “101 Cars You Must Drive”

IN STUDIO

 

 

 

 

Sheriff's Annual Memorial Torch Relay Run

 

 

SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT’S 32^ND ANNUAL MEMORIAL TORCH RELAY RUN

           

 

WHO:              SHERIFF LEE BACA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT.

 

WHAT:            THE MEMORIAL TORCH RELAY RUN WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1976 TO  HONOR THE MEMORY OF THOSE BRAVE, DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY WHO HAVE SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES.

 

THIS YEAR’S MEMORIAL TORCH RELAY RUN WILL HONOR FALLEN DEPUTY JUAN A. ESCALANTE, EOW: AUGUST 2, 2008, AND DEPUTY RANDY J. HAMSON, EOW: OCTOBER 24, 2008, LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT; OFFICER SPREE DESHA, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT, EOW: SEPTEMBER 12, 2008; OFFICER JOSEPH P. SANDERS, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL, SANTA FE SPRINGS, EOW: DECEMBER 15, 2008; AND LIEUTENANT CURTIS A. MASSEY, CULVER CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT, EOW: JANUARY 28, 2009.

 

WHEN:            FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2009, AT 9:00 A.M.

                                                                                                                                   

WHERE:         SHERMAN BLOCK SHERIFF’S HEADQUARTERS BUILDING

                       4700 RAMONA BOULEVARD

                       MONTEREY PARK, CALIFORNIA

                       (THOMAS GUIDE PAGE 635, F-2)

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT LIEUTENANT MIKE GRIMALDI AT (562) 522-5853 OR SHERIFF’S HEADQUARTERS BUREAU AT (323) 267-4800.

SHB-65M-09                                                                                       X     X     X                                                                   MAY 21, 2009

Stimulus funds received for County road projects

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                             CONTACT:    Angie Castro, Supervisor Gloria Molina  (213) 974-4111 / (213) 703-2823

 

 

COUNTY SUPERVISORS KNABE, MOLINA AND RIDLEY-THOMAS ANNOUNCE 
$2.3 MILLION  ECONOMIC STIMULUS FUNDED TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS

 

FIRST IN REGION

 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY (May 21, 2009) -- Los Angeles County Supervisors Don Knabe (4^th District), Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Gloria Molina (1^st District), Vice Chair of the Board and Ridley-Thomas (2^nd District), jointly announce approval of $2.3 million in Federal Economic Stimulus projects in the County's unincorporated areas in the First, Second and Fourth Districts.  These projects are part of the first group of projects in the region to be funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and include resurfacing and improvements on:   

• Meyer Road from Leffingwell Road to north of Imperial Highway, Whittier unincorporated (First and Fourth Districts)  
• Valley View Avenue from Telegraph Road to north of Imperial Highway, Whittier unincorporated (Fourth District)  
• Firestone Boulevard from Graham Avenue to Juniper Street, Florence-Firestone (First District) 
•  Nadeau Street from Alameda Street to Santa Fe Avenue, Florence-Firestone (First District) 
• Hooper Avenue from Firestone Boulevard to south of 58th Drive, Florence-Firestone (Second District)            

"These projects will help beautify the Florence-Firestone and Whittier unincorporated areas while creating 68 jobs in the region," said Molina."  These are some of the first local agency transportation infrastructure projects to be approved under ARRA as a result of the County Department of Public Works' foresight and planning," explained Molina.

            “ARRA is intended to not only save existing jobs and create new ones, but also to improve our local infrastructure with projects exactly like these. We will be using these stimulus funds not to grow government, but instead to grow our local businesses that we will be contracting with to complete these projects,” added Supervisor Knabe, Board Chairman.

Public Works will deliver 19 transportation infrastructure projects throughout the County using over $46 million of ARRA funds.  Public Works is actively seeking small businesses and community based enterprises to bid on contracts for this and future ARRA Stimulus projects. 

County businesses seeking more information regarding these and future ARRA Stimulus projects may visit the Public Works Business Outreach website at http://dpw.lacounty.gov/PRG/business/.

This project will be advertised for construction bids early next month.   –END-

 

 

REVISED: Patt Morrison for Thurs, May 21

________________________________

From: Machado, Aimee
Sent: Wed 5/20/2009 4:39 PM
To: Machado, Aimee; Watje-Hurst, Janice; Adams, Nailah Charlette; Airtalk; Art, Amanda; Baer, Debra; Lopez, Veronica; Schmitt, Christina; Cuevas, Steven; Curtis, Craig; Devall, Cheryl; Felde, Kitty; Glickman, Paul; Guzman Lopez, Adolfo; Hurtes, Hettie; Jahad, Shirley; Julian, Steve; 'kevin@kevinroderick.com'; kpccint1; Thomas, Mark Austin; 'mayorsam.blogspot.com'; Peterson, Molly; Moran, Kari; Nazario, Patricia; Peterson, Ryan; PM; Rabe, John; Receptionist LA; Receptionist Pasadena; Roman, Nick; 'rough & tumble'; SCPR Development; SCPR Web; Small, Julie; Stoltze, Frank; Strauss, Rob; Underwriting - SCPR; Valot, Susan; Watt, Brian; St.Peter, Betty; Fisk, Brent; Rivas, Leonor; Mitchell, Collin; Ramirez, Bianca; Peterson, Molly; Deinyan, Valentina; Conti, Noelle; Cohen, Alex; Hennen, Margaret Ann
Subject: Patt Morrison for Thurs, May 21

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Thursday, May 21, 2009

1-3 p.m.

1:00 - 1:30

Maybe, Just Maybe... A Deal for SAG

For more than a year now the Screen Actors Guild has been in negotiations with both studio heads and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to broker a new contract, with disagreements over digital media a major point of conflict. SAG has been holding out and holding strong for so long that it seemed not much progress was being made. But now the ballots have been mailed to 110,000 union members, interim national executive director David White has hope for ratification, while SAG president Alan Rosenberg thinks it won't pass. Are these two looking at things from the opposite side of the mirror -- what does one see that the other doesn't?

Guests:

TBD

1:30 - 2:00

OPEN

[NPR NEWS]

2:00 - 2:30

OPEN

2:30 - 3:00

Happy Birthday from Hizbollah

Neil MacFarquhar has been living in the mid-east on and off since he was 3 years old. MacFarquhar was the mid-east correspondent for the New York Times for five years and currently holds the position of United Nations bureau chief for the paper. In his latest book, The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East. MacFarquhar delivers personal accounts of his life in Libya as a child, as an adult, as a reporter and tries to show what he refers to as the, "...underexposed side of the Middle East."

Guest:

Neil MacFarquhar, United Nations bureau chief & former Middle East correspondent of The New York Times; author of "The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday"

CALL HIM @

Patt Morrison for Thurs, May 21

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Thursday, May 21, 2009

1-3 p.m.

1:00 - 1:30

Maybe, Just Maybe... A Deal for SAG

For more than a year now the Screen Actors Guild has been in negotiations with both studio heads and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to broker a new contract, with disagreements over digital media a major point of conflict. SAG has been holding out and holding strong for so long that it seemed not much progress was being made. But now the ballots have been mailed to 110,000 union members, interim national executive director David White has hope for ratification, while SAG president Alan Rosenberg thinks it won't pass. Are these two looking at things from the opposite side of the mirror -- what does one see that the other doesn't?

Guests:

NOT CONFIRMED:

David White, interim National Executive Director of the Screen Actors Guild

CALL HIM: tbd

1:30 - 2:00

OPEN

[NPR NEWS]

2:00 - 2:30

OPEN

2:30 - 3:00

Happy Birthday from Hizbollah

Neil MacFarquhar has been living in the mid-east on and off since he was 3 years old. MacFarquhar was the mid-east correspondent for the New York Times for five years and currently holds the position of United Nations bureau chief for the paper. In his latest book, The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East. MacFarquhar delivers personal accounts of his life in Libya as a child, as an adult, as a reporter and tries to show what he refers to as the, "...underexposed side of the Middle East."

Guest:

Neil MacFarquhar, United Nations bureau chief & former Middle East correspondent of The New York Times; author of "The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday"

CALL HIM @

MTA COMMITTEE ADVANCES PLAN TO FULL BOARD TO CONNECT CRENSHAW TRANSIT CORRIDOR WITH LARGER REGIONAL PLAN

 

  NEWS

                                          Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas

                                                                                L.A. County Board of Supervisors, 2^nd District

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

May 20, 2009                                                                                                                              Contact:   Aurelio Rojas         James Bolden

                                                                                                                                                                         213-974-2222      213-200-5314                     

MTA COMMITTEE ADVANCES TO FULL BOARD  A  PLAN TO CONNECT

CRENSHAW TRANSIT CORRIDOR WITH LARGER REGIONAL PLAN 

 

Motion will go before the full MTA Board for vote next Thursday

 

LOS ANGELES – Acting on a motion by Los Angeles County Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Don Knabe and Santa Monica City Councilmember Pam O’Conner, a committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today advanced to the full MTA board for consideration the setting aside of about $5 million to complete an environmental clearance process that would set the stage for connecting the Crenshaw Transit Corridor project with the larger regional plan.

 

The full MTA board is scheduled to vote next Thursday, May 28, on the recommendation by the MTA’s Planning and Programming Committee to use Measure R dollars and other appropriate funding options to finalize the Harbor Subdivision South Bay Corridor environmental clearance process.

 

Convinced that connecting the Crenshaw Transit Corridor project with the larger regional plan provides greater benefits in long run transportation goals, the MTA committee has suggested including the money in the 2010 budget in anticipation of the Green Line Extension.

 

 “It is important that we evaluate all of our options and have them in a higher state of readiness so that new funding opportunities can be taken advantage of once they occur,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said.

Last month, the Supervisor led newly-appointed MTA Chief Executive Officer Arthur T. Leahy on a tour along the Crenshaw Transit Corridor, part of the major project to improve public transit services in the area. The Supervisor directed the tour of proposed transit stops that began at the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza and traveled through the communities of Leimert Park, Park Mesa/Hyde Park, Inglewood, and LAX. 

 

Mobility requirements in the corridor have been well documented in many studies for more than 15 years, including the Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor Preliminary Planning Study (1994), the Route Refinement Study (2000), the Major Investment Study (2003), and the 2004 Regional Transportation Plan.

 

The Crenshaw Corridor extends approximately 10 miles from Wilshire Boulevard on the north to El Segundo Boulevard on the south.  The overall goal of the proposed project is to connect Crenshaw with existing lines, such as the Metro Green Line, the Exposition Light Rail Line -- which is currently under construction -- and the “Subway to the Sea” down Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles International Airport and communities in the South Bay.

 

The Harbor Subdivision is a freight rail corridor, approximately 26 miles in length that traverses southwest Los Angeles County from Vernon to Wilmington. In the early 1990’s, Metro purchased the portion of the corridor between Redondo Junction and Watson Yard, along with several other rail rights-of-way, to further the development of the region’s rapid transit system.

 

Metro has initiated an Alternatives Analysis Study for the Harbor Subdivision Transit Corridor to examine potential transit service along the Metro-owned Harbor Subdivision. The goals of the study include the following:

• Improving mobility in southwestern Los Angeles County by introducing high-frequency transit service options;
• Enhancing the regional transit network by interconnecting existing and planned rapid transit lines, such as Crenshaw;
• Providing an alternative mode of transportation for commuters currently using the congested I-405 and I-110 corridors;
• Improving transit accessibility for residents of communities along the corridor;
• Encouraging a mode shift to transit, reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

 

#    #    #    #