Patt Morrison for Monday, January 3, 2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Monday, January 3, 2011

1-3 p.m.

 

CALL-IN @ 866-893-5722, 866-893-KPCC; OR JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE ON THE PATT MORRISON BLOG AT KPCC-DOT-ORG

 

 

1:06 – 1:39

OPEN

 

 

1:41 – 1:58:30

Republicans take the House gavel as the 112^th Congress sits

With the newly-minted Republican majority in the House, congressmen and women return to Washington this week with a weighty agenda that includes the omnibus spending bill (that failed in the lame-duck voting but will be back on the floor before freshman legislators find their offices), tax overhaul, education, immigration reform, redistricting, increased investigations of all-things Obama, and funding (or defunding) of the various parts of the health care bill. We hear about the priorities of our own California Republicans starting today with Representative John Campbell of Orange County.

 

Guest:

Congressman John Campbell, (Republican - District 48, Orange County). He is a member of the House committees on Financial Services and Budget.

WILL CALL IN

 

 

2:06 – 2:30

Health care plan key provisions take effect as Republicans threaten to defund

Just as a Republican controlled House returns to Washington with a bulls eye target on the health care reform bill, some of the biggest changes prompted by that hard-fought battle to overhaul the health care system are in effect as of January 1st. Americans will see the Park D “donut hole” shrink, doctors will get a 10% Medicare bonus for primary care services, premiums for income-related part B will be frozen at 2010 levels through 2019, and states can receive three-year grants to develop comprehensive health lifestyle programs for Medicaid enrollees, to name just a few. How will your health plan be affected and for how long?

 

Guest:

TBD

 

 

2:30 – 2:39

OPEN

 

 

2:41 – 2:58:30

A bright idea? California girds itself for darker future lit by compact fluorescents

Along with Kodachrome film, 2010 marks the end of a uniquely lit era—in early compliance with the Energy Independence and Security Act, California is banning the 100-watt incandescent light bulb. And come New Year’s Day 2012, you won’t be able to buy incandescent bulbs anywhere in the country.  The move is intended to jumpstart the market for the energy efficient compact fluorescent lights bulbs or CFLs, which critics complain are up to ten times as expensive, take 3 minutes to warm up, contain mercury, have limited versatility and produce a colder, flatter light than their warm predecessor.  Patt lights a candle for the old bulb as Thomas Edison turns in his grave and we ring in the New Year with a sensible, sustainable LED. Are you hoarding incandescents? Are there better CFL options coming soon? Are you ready for the darker—er, poorly lit—future?

 

• Europe banned the 100-watt incandescent this September and imposed $70,000 fines on scofflaws
• There’s speculation of unintended consequences: will people use CFLs more freely, leave them on when not in the room, because they’re more efficient?

 

Guests:

Jane Brox, author of Brilliant: the Evolution of Artificial Light

CALL HER @

 

• Jane says incandescent lighting is very much tied to our idea of modernity, who we are, our identity, it’s lighting we’ve have for over a century.
• It’s democratic lighting in nature, very cheap; whereas CFLs are 10 times as expensive
• We’re very resistant to change when it comes to something as personal and fundamental as lighting and CFL quality is very poor

 

TBA, Rensselaer (pronounced WREN-sler) Lighting Research Center

CALL HIM @

 

 

Jonathan Serviss

Producer, Patt Morrison Program

Southern California Public Radio

NPR Affiliate for Los Angeles

89.3 KPCC-FM | 89.1 KUOR-FM | 90.3 KPCV-FM

626.583.5171, office

415.497.2131, mobile

jserviss@kpcc.org / jserviss@scpr.org

www.scpr.org

 

: Patt Morrison for Friday, 12/31/2010 - HOLIDAY SHOW - ON TAPE

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, December 31, 2010

1-3 p.m.

HOLIDAY SHOW – ON TAPE

 

 1-2PM

Comedy Congress from the Crawford Family Forum!  (pre midterm election)

The only true medicine for the pain of politics is laughter—after all, if we weren’t laughing at the (mostly) unintentional humor emanating from Washington D.C. and state capitols, chances are we’d be crying.  Only five weeks until the much anticipated midterm elections, and you can tell because the collective hysteria and volume from politicians across the country is on the rise.  As Tea Partiers clash with labor unions—a battle between ideologies AND waistlines—and our President flails away in an attempt to get anybody to believe in hope again, it might be hard to make sense of all the political nonsense. Tomorrow we’ll probably cry about our lost jobs, but today join us in laughing at the madness of it all—the truth hurts far less when it’s told by comedians.

 

Guests:

Alonzo Bodden, winner of season 3 of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and host of the Speed Channel show “101 Cars You Must Drive,” regular performer and field correspondent for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and guest star on several TV shows and movies.

 

Ben Gleib, regular performer at the Hollywood Improv; you’ve seen him on the CBS “The Late Late Show,” and on NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” & Showtime’s “The Green Room”; named one of "Six Comedians who Could be Comedy’s Next Big Thing" in Esquire & a regular panelist on the E! Network’s “Chelsea Lately”

 

Marc Maron, a regularly touring stand up comic who has had his own specials on HBO and Comedy Central, a frequent guest on “Late Show with David Letterman,” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brian” host of the podcast “WTF with Marc Maron” and a veteran host of political talk shows

 

2 – 3PM

Comedy Congress live in the Crawford Family Forum!  (post election/lead-up to 112^th Congress)

The only true medicine for the pain of politics is laughter—after all, if we weren’t laughing at the (mostly) unintentional humor emanating from Washington D.C. and state capitols, chances are we’d be crying. It’s been over a month since Republicans mercilessly beat up on House Democrats and yet the lame duck continues to quack away, with tax cuts, gays in the military and immigration killing any notion of bipartisanship.  In the strange world that is politics liberals may have become more irritated with President Obama than conservatives, and the president himself seems irritated with everyone—perfect for comedic fodder.  Tomorrow we’ll probably cry about our lost jobs, but today join us in laughing at the madness of it all—the truth hurts far less when it’s told by comedians.

 

Greg Proops, regular actor & host of TV shows, movies and game shows—he is a regular performer on the American, British-original and touring versions of the improvisational show “Whose Line is it Anyway?”; he has a new podcast available on iTunes called “The Smartest Man in the World”; he’s the voice of the popular children’s series “Bob the Builder on PBS; and he is a regularly touring stand up comedian, coming to a comedy club near you!

IN STUDIO

 

Alonzo Bodden, winner of season 3 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing and host of the Speed Channel show 101 Cars You Must Drive, regular performer and field correspondent for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and guest star on several TV shows and movies

 

Ben Gleib, regular performer at the Hollywood Improv; you’ve seen him on the CBS The Late Late Show, and on NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly & Showtime’s The Green Room; named one of "Six Comedians who Could be Comedy’s Next Big Thing" in Esquire & a regular panelist on the E! Network’s Chelsea Lately

 

 

 

 

Jan. 4, 2011 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                                                    

                    Jan. 4, 2011

               

Jan. 4 Agenda Highlights

(Meeting scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.) 

 

Action would provide $400,000 to assist in development of 30-unit project in Los Angeles to provide permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless persons with mental illness. (Item 1-D)

 

Supervisors Michael D. Antonovich and Gloria Molina, citing lack of oversight over cellular phone issuance and usage in the Department of Children and Family Services, ask that controls be developed for all County departments.  (Item 3)

 

Board asked to ratify proclamation of a local emergency for rainstorms that began Dec. 19.  (Item 4)

 

Request would allocate $2.8 million for three information technology projects, including improving County website for online job searches and applications, and facilitating greater sharing of information and processes between departments.  (Item 9)

 

Recommendation calls for appointing Ronald L. Brown as public defender, effective Jan. 4 at annual salary of $270,000.  (Item 10)

 

$250,738 increase in contract will provide housing and supportive residential mental health services to 40 of most vulnerable, chronically homeless adults in Hollywood, and increase program for homeless in Santa Monica by 25.  (Item 12)

 

Public Works requests permission to spend $17 million on equipment for such activities as disaster response, road repair and vegetation management.  (Item 18)

 

$111,065 settlement proposed to compensate for damage to Rancho Palos Verdes home caused by a sewer back-up.  (Item 33)

 

Board asked to approve $1,175,000 settlement in medical negligence lawsuit over treatment received by a patient at Harbor UCLA Medical Center.  (Item 34)

 

Three-week continuation requested for status report on negotiations relating to establishing a project labor agreement for Martin Luther King, Jr. Medical Center replacement construction project.   (Item 44)

 

Supervisors discuss in closed session litigation filed by Mental Health Department employee who alleged retaliation.  (Item CS-1)

 

Board in closed session considers candidates for fire chief.  (Item CS-3)

 

 

 

--lacounty.gov—

 

Patt Morrison for Thursday, December 30, 2010

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Thursday, December 30, 2010

1-3 p.m.

 

CALL-IN @ 866-893-5722, 866-893-KPCC; OR JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE ON THE PATT MORRISON BLOG AT KPCC-DOT-ORG

 

 

1:06 – 1:30

America’s new year’s resolution in 2011:  more jobs

GDP growth, job growth, consumer confidence growth, export growth, durable goods orders growth.  Remember those 2010 headlines, the ones that indicated the economy was recovering, good times are ahead and a dropping unemployment rate couldn’t be far behind?  The jobless rate has been what we--and, specifically, President Obama, have been talking about all year.  But even with all this growth, unemployment is higher than it was at the start of the year.  Why are there still so many people unemployed?  Is it because our economy is shifting and the jobs that existed before the recession are history?  Or is it because of steps the government is or isn't taking?  We ask these questions as we look ahead, plan strategically, and hope voraciously--that the jobs we've been waiting for turn up in 2011.

 

Guests:

Robert Lerman, Institute Fellow at The Urban Institute and Professor of Economics at the American University

CALL HIM:

 

• The Urban Institute gathers data, conducts research, evaluates programs, offers technical assistance overseas, and educates Americans on social and economic issues — to foster sound public policy and effective government.

 

 

 

1:30 - 1:39

A Tea Party Supreme Court?

Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is the co-founder of the Tea Party advocacy group called "Liberty Central," and she was until recently on the Tea Party lecture circuit.  Mrs. Thomas is just a private citizen, of course, but many have begun to wonder: does the Supreme Court now have a Tea Party agenda as well?  A look back at the Supreme Court's record in 2010 reveals a deluge of conservative rulings. We've seen the end of any limit on anonymous corporate contributions to political campaigns, and we may soon see a decision barring consumer lawsuits against the manufacturers of dangerous products.  We have seen the Court expanding the right to bear arms, weakening the separation of church and state, and enhancing the powers of the Executive Branch to commit torture and to infringe individuals' privacy rights.  The same court has threatened abortion rights, affirmative action, and the rights of suspects in criminal cases.  How far will the Court go?  Patt sits down with UCI law school Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, whose new book The Conservative Assault on the Constitution, takes a look at the Court's shift to the right and where it has brought us.  What might we expect in 2011?

Guest:
Erwin Chemerinsky, Founding Dean, UC Irvine School of Law and author most recently of The Conservative Assault on the Constitution.
CALL HIM @

 

 

2:06 – 2:19

Senate back in action… “who’s on first,” with Senator Bernie Sanders

Arguably the most independent legislator in Congress, and indeed the only avowed socialist in the Senate, Bernie often sides with Democrats but can’t be taken for granted by anyone. Just earlier this month, he bashed President Obama’s tax bill with an eight and a half hour filibuster, railing against “giving tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.”  He’s taken on the FCC for their approval of the Comcast merger, supports gay rights, is pro-choice, voted against Tim Geithner’s nomination as Treasury Secretary and introduced, with Barbara Boxer, the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007. Today we hear from Senator Sanders on the contentious issues facing the 112^th Congress as the Republicans flex their majority muscles and new congressmen and women learn the ways of the D.C. Beltway.

 

Guest:

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.  He is a member of the Environment and Public Works », Energy and Natural Resources », Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions », Budget », and Veterans' Affairs »Committees.

CALL HIM:

 

 

2:21 – 2:39

OPEN

 

 

2:41 – 2:58:30

Happy New Year’s Eve! I have no plans.
Ah New Year’s Eve, a night of inflated expectations, expensive tabs and hopes for the coming new year that are wrapped up in the symbolism of one overblown night.  OK, so we’ve had some bad New Year’s Eve experiences on the Patt Morrison program but as 2010 rolls into 2011, and with an economy that continues to struggle toward recovery, there are good deals to be had throughout Southern California.  Restaurants, bars and lounges, eager to attract crowds, are slashing entrance fees and offering multi-course meals at very friendly prices—look hard enough and you can find an entertaining and affordable way to ring in the new year.  Need some help?  Patt plays party planner for your New Year’s Eve.

 

Guest:
Jessica Gelt covers Food and Nightlife for the Los Angeles Times
CALL HER @

 

 

Jonathan Serviss

Producer, Patt Morrison Program

Southern California Public Radio

NPR Affiliate for Los Angeles

89.3 KPCC-FM | 89.1 KUOR-FM | 90.3 KPCV-FM

626.583.5171, office

415.497.2131, mobile

jserviss@kpcc.org / jserviss@scpr.org

www.scpr.org

 

County Christmas Tree Recycling Program

 

COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS REMINDS RESIDENTS ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING PROGRAM

 

Los Angeles County is providing curbside Christmas tree recycling through January 15, 2011.  Residents in unincorporated County areas can conveniently recycle their tree by placing it at curbside on their regular trash collection day.

 

Residents living in incorporated cities within the County can drop off their trees at designated collections sites.

 

All ornaments, including tinsel, decorations, and metal and plastic tree stands must be removed from the tree before it can be left at the curb or turned into a collection site.

 

The trees collected by residential waste haulers will be recycled into compost, mulch, or ground cover.

 

To view more information on the County’s Christmas tree recycling program, locate tree collection sites, and to see city-specific Christmas tree recycling guidelines, go to www.cleanla.com or call 1(800) CLEANLA.

--o0o--

Media Contact:  Neonika Walker (626) 458-3509

 

 

 

Patt Morrison for Wednesday, December 29, 2010

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

1-3 p.m.

 

CALL-IN @ 866-893-5722, 866-893-KPCC; OR JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE ON THE PATT MORRISON BLOG AT KPCC-DOT-ORG

 

 

1:06 – 1:19

OPEN

 

 

1:21 – 1:39

Gavel crosses the aisle for the 112^th Congress – Democrats/Round 2: Congressman Becerra weighs in

Congress is taking a rest this week after closing out its lame-duck session with an impressive list of victories for President Obama and Democrats, including the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the nuclear-arms reduction agreement, a health bill for 9/11 responders, a food safety bill, middle-class tax cuts and the extension of jobless benefits. But legislators will be back at their desks soon enough on January 3^rd with a full work load… facing them will be the omnibus spending bill, tax overhaul, education, immigration, redistricting, increased investigations of all-things Obama, and funding (or de-funding) of the various parts of the health care bill. Today we hear from democratic Congressman Xavier Becerra on how he plans to approach the 112^th and a newly minted Republican majority.

 

Guests:

Rep. Xavier Becerra, D – District 31, which includes areas of Los Angeles. He is Vice-chair of the House Democratic Caucus and a member of the Ways and Means and Budget committees.

WILL CALL IN

 

 

1:41 – 1:58:30

Loan modification law binds those facing foreclosure in Catch 22

A California state law to protect homeowners is backfiring—foreclosure lawyers can’t legally get any money until the case is done, so lawyers leery of losing or getting sued aren’t taking cases at all.  That leaves homeowners facing foreclosure in a tight bind, effectively shutting them out of legal representation when they most need it.  In a state with the highest rate of home foreclosures in the country, the demand for legal services is growing and pro bono legal aid firms, which are nearing full caseload, are the only resources to turn to.  How do you keep the honest lawyers in the game and scammers out?  Patt dissects the unintended consequences of a well-meaning law and what can be done to change it.

 

Guest:

Walter Hackett, managing attorney, Riverside office, Inland County’s Legal Services, a legal aid non profit; he was a banker for 27 years

CALL HIM @

 

-         He says they are at full case load right now and the need is definitely still out there

-         he says he currently makes 1/3 what he could as a banker, which he was for 27 years.

-         Doesn’t think the law should be repealed, but does need to be clarified

 

NOT CONFIRMED:

TBA, Rep from the CA Bar Association

 

Ron Calderon, state senator who sponsored SB 94

 

 

2:06 – 2:58:30

This time, he won’t be back: the legacy of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

In a campaign commercial during his 2003 run for governor, in the midst of a historic and historically crazy recall campaign against Gray Davis, Arnold Schwarzenegger promised simple, decisive action once he took office.  “Here’s my plan,” said the eventual governor.  “Audit everything.  Open the books.  And then we end the crazy deficit spending.”  Things didn’t exactly go that way over the next seven years for Gov. Schwarzenegger, with protracted budget battles in all but one year of his two terms and budget deficits that kept reaching and breaking records.  As the ultimate testament to (and possible indictment of) his work, Gov. Schwarzenegger leaves office next week with the state staring down a potential $28 billion budget deficit and yet another debate over spending cuts or tax increases to close the gap.  The governor promised to blow up boxes, to “kick the unions’ butts” and bring a level of bipartisan governing that had been largely absent in Sacramento.  Even with the budget acrimony and the several years of a tough recession, did the iconic governor come close to achieving any of those goals?  We look back at the legacy that Arnold Schwarzenegger leaves on California as he prepares to leave public service.

 

Guests:

Mark Paul, senior scholar at the New America Foundation and a visiting scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley; he has written about California policy and politics for three decades as a journalist at the Sacramento Bee, a policy thinker, and a state official.

CALL HIM @

 

Joe Mathews, Irvine Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation; author of the People’s Machine: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy and a columnist for the Daily Beast; his latest book is California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How we Can Fix It

IN-STUDIO

 

Deborah Burger, Co-president of the California Nurses Association

CALL HER:

 

Stan Glantz, Professor of medicine at USC.  He is also the Vice President of the UC Faculty Association and the immediate Past Chair of the UC System Committee on Planning and Budget
CALL HIM @

 

Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights

CALL HIM:

 

Arnold Steinberg, veteran political strategist and analyst

CALL HIM:

 

Representative of the California Sierra Club

 

UNCONFIRMED

Former State Senator Don Perata

 

 

 

Jonathan Serviss

Producer, Patt Morrison Program

Southern California Public Radio

NPR Affiliate for Los Angeles

89.3 KPCC-FM | 89.1 KUOR-FM | 90.3 KPCV-FM

626.583.5171, office

415.497.2131, mobile

jserviss@kpcc.org / jserviss@scpr.org

www.scpr.org

 

Patt Morrison for Tuesday, December 28, 2010

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

1-3 p.m.

 

CALL-IN @ 866-893-5722, 866-893-KPCC; OR JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE ON THE PATT MORRISON BLOG AT KPCC-DOT-ORG

 

 

1:06 – 1:19

OPEN

 

 

1:21 – 1:39

Don’t like your Christmas gifts?  Let Amazon be rude for you

There are infamous examples of bad Christmas presents—fruitcake, bunny-themed pajamas from grandma, the toy rifle that will shoot your eye out (hat tip to “A Christmas Story”).  But there are also honest mistakes made by gift givers that happen not just over the holidays but for birthdays and all other special occasions—differing tastes in music, clothes, bad sizing estimates.  The embarrassment that is felt on the part of both the givers and recipients of bad presents is one motivation for Amazon.com’s patented new approach to giving gifts but another potent motivator is the economic inefficiency of returning those bad gifts.  Amazon is working on a way for people to return gifts before they receive them, allowing users of the website to specify a “convert all gifts” option that would in effect keep an online list of lousy gift-givers whose choices would be vetted before anything ships.  Critics say that Amazon’s idea takes the spontaneity, the surprise and the manners out of gift giving.  But if it allows you to ditch the fruitcake before you even receive it, are manners a worthy sacrifice at the alter of bad gifts?

 

Guests:

NOT CONFIRMED

Representative of the Emily Post Institute

 

NOT CONFIRMED:

Representative of the Digital Division of the National Retailers Federation

 

 

1:41 – 1:58:30

STRATFOR report: Mexican Drug War – no easy options

 In 2010: President Felipe Calderon declared war on Mexico's powerful cartels.  He replaced many corrupt local cops with better trained, better paid, and more effective federal police.  Result: the cartels have been weakened but at a price--a jump from 6,000 to more than 11,000 civilian deaths in the year.  And the cartels are fighting back.  In 2010, they got their hands on improvised explosive devices like those used against American forces in Iraq.  Entire Mexican provinces are now under cartel control, according to a report released on Monday by the global intelligence company STRATFOR.  Mexico may be slipping into civil war.  The questions both Mexicans and Americans are asking: should Calderon step up his war against the cartels, as bloody as it may get before his country slips into civil war?  Should he accept assistance from the US in this effort?  Or should he back off of the cartels in order to cut down on the death count?  A back-burner story may move to the front burner in 2011.

 

Guest:

Scott Stewart, Vice President of Tactical Intelligence for STRATFOR, a global intelligence company.

CALL HIM:

 

 

2:06 – 2:19

OPEN

 

 

2:21 – 2:39

Greening for green: Making the most of 2010’s energy-efficient home tax credits before it’s too late

One of the less volatile but still controversial elements of the $858-billion federal tax bill signed into law December 17^th was the gutting of tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements.  Still thinking about installing solar panels or insulation, replacing your front door or otherwise weatherizing your home?  It would behoove you to do so in the next four days, before those tax credits are slashed from 30% of the cost to just 10% with a $500 maximum for things like insulation, exterior windows and storm doors, skylights and metal and asphalt heat-resistant roofs. Looking at some energy-efficient windows? If installed before this Friday, December 28^th, they’ll net you a tax credit of $1,500, but wait until the New Year and you’ll be looking at just $200. Patt talks with a tax and energy expert about how to get in your last minute credits and about the larger question of how Washington’s decision to cut these tax incentives could affect homeowners’ decisions to invest in long term savings by installing high-efficiency upgrades.

 

Guest:

CAN TALK ABOUT THE TAX CREDIT, WHAT QUALIFIES UNDER IT AND HOW IT WILL CHANGE

Tom Simchak (SIM-chak), Senior Research Associate, Alliance to Save Energy, a Washington, D.C.-based coalition of business, government, environmental and consumer groups

CALL HIM @

 

-         ASE lobbied unsuccessfully for retention of the credits as they were in 2010

-         To qualify for 2010 tax credits, work must be “placed and serviced,” so it’s a bit late to do anything in time for this year, but you could still run out and buy some attic insulation!

 

CAN TALK ABOUT HOW TO FILE FOR THE CREDIT AND MAKE SURE YOU TAKE ADVADVANTAGE OF IT ON YOUR TAXES THIS YEAR:

NOT CONFIRMED:

John W. Roth, senior tax analyst for CCH, a tax publisher in Illinois

CALL HIM @

 

OR

 

Selwyn Gerber, CPA managing partner and founder of Gerber & Co., Inc., located in Century City

CALL HIM @

 

 

2:41 – 2:58:30

Gavel crosses the aisle for the 112^th Congress - what’s in store?

Congress wrapped up its so-called lame-duck session last week with an unexpected string of victories for President Obama and Democrats, including the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the nuclear-arms reduction agreement, a health bill for 9/11 responders, a food safety bill, middle-class tax cuts and the extension of jobless benefits. But legislators taking a holiday break won’t have long to rest before they’re back at their desks in Washington on January 3rd, with a new Republican majority in the House and a slimmer than before Democratic majority in the Senate. And what’s on the table? Try this… the omnibus spending bill (failed in the lame-duck voting but will be back on the floor before the freshman congressmen and women find their offices), tax overhaul, education, immigration, redistricting, increased investigations of all-things Obama, and funding of the various parts of the health care bill. How will all this shake out?  We find out from our California representatives, starting with Congressman Henry Waxman, former chair of the House Government Reform and Energy and Commerce Committees.

 

Guest:

Rep. Henry Waxman, D – California’s 30^th District, which includes Los Angeles.  He is former chair of the House Government Reform and Energy and Commerce Committees.

WILL CALL IN:

 

 

Jonathan Serviss

Producer, Patt Morrison Program

Southern California Public Radio

NPR Affiliate for Los Angeles

89.3 KPCC-FM | 89.1 KUOR-FM | 90.3 KPCV-FM

626.583.5171, office

415.497.2131, mobile

jserviss@kpcc.org / jserviss@scpr.org

www.scpr.org

 

NEW NURSING HOME GRADING SYSTEM GOES INTO EFFECT JAN. 1

 

 

       

 

CUTLINE

Contact:  Tony Bell, Communications Deputy Office:     (213) 974-5555  Cell: (213) 215-5176 E-mail:     tbell@bos.lacounty.gov

    

 December 23, 2010                                                                           For Immediate Release

 

NEW NURSING HOME GRADING SYSTEM GOES INTO EFFECT JAN. 1

 

Antonovich to Lead Media Demonstration at Glendale Senior Facility

 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY – Mayor Michael D. Antonovich held a press conference at Windsor Manor highlighting the Nursing Home Grading System he initiated which will go into effect state wide on January 1, 2011.

 

"To enhance the quality of care for our senior citizens, the state law I initiated requiring nursing homes to publicly display their federal five-star rating follows the success of our restaurant grading system," said Antonovich, who also fathered the County's restaurant grading system in 1997.  "This posting system provides vital information for families to make informed decisions about the care for their loved ones and provides incentives for facility operators to establish and maintain high-quality standards of care and compliance."

 

In 2009, the Board of Supervisors approved Supervisor Antonovich’s motion to provide the Federal Government’s grading reports of area nursing homes on the Los Angeles County website.  The motion also encouraged the State to require that nursing homes post their five-star rating issued by the Federal Government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to allow the consumer to make an informed decision about care.  Signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger, Assembly Bill 215 by Assemblymen Cameron Smyth and Mike Feuer, requires nursing homes to post assigned grades reflecting their quality ratings.

 

The rating system covers quality of medical care, staffing levels, food services, sanitation, bedsore mitigation and the results of licensing inspections. The system designates five stars for the highest rated facilities, down to one star for the poorest.

 

###

 

Patt Morrison for Monday, December 27, 2010

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Monday, December 27, 2010

1-3 p.m.

 

CALL-IN @ 866-893-5722, 866-893-KPCC; OR JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE ON THE PATT MORRISON BLOG AT KPCC-DOT-ORG

 

 

1:06 – 1:30

OPEN

 

 

1:30 - 1:58:30

The new chic: civil unions? The French outgrow marriage

Ah Paris.  It's one of the most romantic cities in the world and also one of the most trend setting. So if the French are disillusioned with the concept of "happily ever after" and are giving up on the institution of marriage, will the world soon follow?  Only 250,000 couples tied the knot in France in 2009, compared with 400,000 in 1970.  The French in increasing numbers prefer to form civil unions rather than walk down the isle.  There are now two civil unions, or pacte civil de solidarite, for every three marriages in France. Experts say the reasons for the cultural shift are varied: they offer many of the same benefits and if you change your mind, you can dissolve it with a just a registered letter, some say, "the notion of eternal marriage has grown obsolete", and others want to avoid the religious connotations.  Whatever the reason, it is clear marriage is on the decline.  Does Tiffany's have a registry for a civil union?

 

Guests:

UNCONFIRMED

Elinor A.Accampo, modern Europeanist specializing in French social and cultural history and a Professor of History and Gender Studies at USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences

CALL HER @

 

Gene Burns, host of the talk show “The Gene Burns Program” on KGO in San Francisco

CALL HIM:

 

 

2:06 – 2:30

Just in time for holiday eating binges, the new low-fat is low-carb

What's worse--waffles or bacon; pasta or cheese; white rice or peanut butter?  Is it possible that we've been mistaken about nutrition ever since the food industry started slapping "low-fat" labels on everything?  Should they have been focusing on "low-carb" instead?  Nutritionists are now saying that carbohydrates, not fats, are the enemy.  For thirty years, there has been a government mandate to cut fat.  And the result has been that with consumers reducing their consumption of fat, they have increased their consumption of carbohydrates.  At the same time, doctors have seen an increase in obesity and Type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body can't produce enough insulin to manage glucose levels.  After so many years of reducing fat, will we now be told and possibly see a government mandate, to shrink the base of our age-old food pyramid--our beloved carbs--by as much as 50%?

 

Guests:

SEES CARBS AS BIG PROBLEM IN OBESITY

Dr. Stephen D. Phinney, Professor of Medicine Emeritus at UC, Davis and is co-author of The New Atkins for a New You. He is on the editorial board of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

IN STUDIO

• He has twenty-five years of clinical experience as a director of multi-disciplinary weight management programs and has contributed to books and peer reviewed articles and is an expert in low carb nutrition and metabolism, fatty acids, inflammation, and the metabolic syndrome.

 

SEES NO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CARB INTAKE AND INCREASED DISEASE RISK

Joanne Slavin, Professor of Nutrition at the University of Minnesota and a member of the advisory committee for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

CALL HER:

 

 

2:30 – 2:39

OPEN

 

 

2:41 – 2:58:30

Doctors with borders: how can pediatricians be attracted to work in vulnerable areas?

Almost 1 million children in the United States live in communities without access to doctors.  It's not due to a shortage of doctors, it's because medical professionals are choosing to practice in more affluent neighborhoods, leaving poorer communities without much needed medical services.  The National Health Services Corps has been offering loan forgiveness to doctors who practice in underserved areas, but Dr. Scott Shipman of Dartmouth's Institute for Health Policy, says those efforts may not go far enough.  His study on the topic shows that in nearly every state in the country a disparity exists in terms of the distribution of doctors.  What can be done to bring more doctors to the underserved and what is the situation like here in Los Angeles?

 

Guests:

Scott Shipman, assistant professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy, Dartmouth Medical School

CALL HIM @

 

• This study shows:
• in two specialties (pediatrics and family medicine) where the workforce has already grown significantly in the past decade (pediatrics by 50%, family medicine by 35%), millions of kids still live in local areas with an insufficient supply
• 1 million children live in areas with NO primary care doctor, millions more in areas where there is less than 1 doctor per 3000 children in the local population, 
• At the same time, many areas of the U.S. have an abundance of primary care doctors for kids (fewer than 1000 children per doctor)

 

• -He believes too little attention has been paid to the problem of physician maldistribution, and to efforts to overcome it.

 

Rishi Manchanda MD MPH, Director of Social Medicine and Health Equity, St.John's Well Child and Family Centers

CALL HIM @

 

 

Jonathan Serviss

Producer, Patt Morrison Program

Southern California Public Radio

NPR Affiliate for Los Angeles

89.3 KPCC-FM | 89.1 KUOR-FM | 90.3 KPCV-FM

626.583.5171, office

415.497.2131, mobile

jserviss@kpcc.org / jserviss@scpr.org

www.scpr.org