Patt Morrison for Monday, January 31, 2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Monday, January 31, 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

 

ALEX COHEN FILLS IN FOR PATT

 

1:06 – 1:30

OPEN

 

 

1:30 - 1:58:30

Are community redevelopment agencies job-creating economic saviors or corrupting corporate welfare?

For decades they acted largely in the shadows of state politics, helping to fund some of the biggest development projects in some of the most neglected areas of California’s cities.  From San Diego’s “Gaslamp” district to Old Town Pasadena and the Americana mall in Glendale, money from the state’s community redevelopment agencies have fueled basic public improvement projects, affordable housing units and massive commercial ventures, all with little insight or input from the public.  Once Gov. Jerry Brown targeted CRA’s for elimination in his tough budget proposal, part of his effort to close a $28 billion deficit, the work of CRA’s moved out of the shadows and into the spotlight, and the debate was ignited.  Critics of CRA’s argue that they forge inappropriate, and potentially corrupting, relationships between elected officials and developers, and that the claims of CRA projects creating jobs are way overblown.  CRA supporters call them the biggest single source of new jobs in California.  What is the real story and are CRA’s worth saving?

 

Guests:

Chris McKenzie, executive director of the League of California Cities

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Simone Wilson, staff reporter for the L.A. Weekly who has written extensively on CRA’s

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Frank Stoltze, KPCC political & criminal justice reporter

Via ISDN

 

 

2:06 – 2:30

“No Child Left Behind” Left Behind—for the more flexible “Every Child Counts”?

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Obama said we need to replace No Child Left Behind with a law that’s “more flexible and focused on what’s best for our kids. “  Part of this call for flexibility is in response to the high number of schools who have received failing grades because of the law.  Perhaps, then, Senator Tom Harkin’s suggested new name for the law, “Every Child Counts,” is more appropriate.  The question of flexibility leads to the crux of the education debate in this country—how hands-on the federal government should be versus leaving it up to states and cities.  Despite a five-year freeze on government spending, President Obama plans to rewrite No Child Left Behind, and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle are ready to join him in this reform.  But there will surely be debate about what the details will look like, including national standards, Race to the Top and how states receive funding, standardized testing, emphasis on Math and English at the expense of other subjects, performance pay, and more.  Did No Child Left Behind have standards that were too high or is its goal of having “no child left behind’ feasible by 2014?

 

Guests:
Kim Anderson, Director of Government Relations, National Education Association

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Michael Petrilli, (puh-TRILL-ee) vice president for national programs & policy at the Thomas Fordham Institute for Advance Educational Excellence; formerly served in the U.S. Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement.

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2:30 – 2:39

OPEN

 

 

2:41 – 2:58:30

Is Facebook making us unhappy?

In a virtual world where you can filter and sculpt your public persona, sociologists are increasingly finding that hours spent viewing our peers’ polished lives—their awesome vacations; their nights out partying; their above-average-children—is making us unhappy. Are they Just Like Us? Or are they happier and framed in better lighting? Recent studies say Facebook makes us underestimate how unhappy and lonely others are; it leads us to believe that our friends and family are all happier than us. Does Facebook make us less happy? Or at least force us to project a happy image with all those “Like” and no “Hate” buttons?

 

Guests:

Karen Sternheimer, sociology professor at the University of Southern California specializing in youth and media; author of Connecting Popular Culture and Social Problems: Why the Media is not the Answer

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Not confirmed:

Libby Copeland, contributing writer for Slate XX

 

 

 

Jonathan Serviss
Senior Producer, Patt Morrison
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