Patt Morrison for Friday, April 29, 2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, April 29, 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 – 1:30

OPEN

 

 

1:30 – 1:58:30

Who ever raises the most money wins? Campaign disclosure lawsuit filed against the FEC

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that corporations and unions can donate unlimited sums of money to political campaigns, both parties are clamoring to out raise the other.  But one lawmaker wants to make sure we know where all that money is coming from. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to achieve that aim.  Van Hollen says disclosure "is essential to our democracy"  and without it "special interest groups [will] bankroll campaign initiatives." At the same time, President Obama is contemplating issuing an executive order that would would require federal contractors to disclosure political donations. Some conservatives complain that requiring disclosure could hamper political fund raising for the 2012 election and create a political backlash against donors whose goals differ from that of the current administration.  Most estimates put the amount of money being raised for the 2012 election in the billions. Do we need to know where all this money is coming from?

 

Guests:

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland's 8th Congressional District); ranking member, House Committee on the Budget

ON TAPE

 

Lisa Graves, executive director of the Center for Media & Democracy
CALL HER:

 

• The Center for Media and Democracy is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, public interest organization that focuses on investigating and countering spin by corporations, industries, and government agencies.
• Graves was the chief counsel for nominations for the Senate Judiciary Committee during the Clinton Administration
• Graves was the former Deputy Assist Attorney General in the office of legal policy for the Clinton Administration.

Steve Hoersting, vice-president & co-founder of the Center for Competitive Politics; former general counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee

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2:06 – 2:19

Will a real river ever run through it….L.A. that is?

Saturday is the annual “Great Los Angeles River CleanUp,” when Angelenos take the majestic concrete banks of the L.A. River to clean up what are sure to be copious amounts of trash.  There was once ambitious talk of completely remaking the L.A. River, which has always looked much more like a soulless flood control channel than an actual river—concrete was going to be ripped out in place of natural habitat like real dirt, trees and native plants; parks and trails would line the rehabilitated river to be used as public gather places and peaceful spots to watch the river amble by.  Almost none of this has taken place, and with only one stretch of river made natural—the Tujunga wash greenway project in the San Fernando Valley—the new era of slashed budgets and spending makes major river rehab projects look unrealistic.  We talk about the L.A. River CleanUp and the prospects for Los Angeles ever having a real river running through it.

 

Guest:

Lewis MacAdams, cofounder & president, Friends of the Los Angeles River

IN STUDIO

 

 

 

2:21:30 – 2:39

Your mother will NOT be cleaning up after you at the beach this summer

Beach season is almost here, but with budget cuts and record rainfall, what do you need to know before you head out to the coast? Patt checks in with the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors for details on their beach service cuts set to go into effect this Sunday and we hear from a water expert about what the record rainfall could have washed into an ocean near you. Call with your questions about where to find the best fun in the sun this summer.

 

Guests:

ON WATER QUALITY/BEST AND WORST BEACHES:

Noah Garrison, project attorney with the Water Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

CALL HIM @

 

• There are significant problems sometimes, indicator bacteria like fecal coliform bacteria, e coli, enterococcus that cause ear nose and throat ailments, pink eye, even hepatitis.
• There have been serious cuts to state and county funding to County Sanitation, Public Health, etc. so there will be less sampling for pollution as a result
• NONE of the best beaches are in LA County

 

 

ON BEACH CLEANUP/CUTS:

Debbie Talbot, public information officer with the Los Angeles County Department of Beach and Harbors

CALL HER:

• The LA County Down Department of Beaches and Harbors is down 53 workers this year

 

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

Anonyponymous: The forgotten people behind everyday words

 John Montagu was one of England’s Secretaries of State, an enthusiastic lover of music, and a notorious gambler – but if you don’t recognize his name, you might recognize his title – he was the 4^th Earl of Sandwich, and the inventor of the lunchtime mainstay of the same name.  Writer and illustrator John Bemelmans Marciano has unearthed the forgotten histories of the Earl of Sandwich and others who have given their names to objects and ideas that are much better known than the people they were named after.  In his book “Anonyponymous” you’ll hear about the legacies of Thomas Crapper, Harry Shrapnel, Jules Leotard, and more.

 

Guest:

John Bemelmans Marciano, author of Anonyponymous: The forgotten people behind everyday words

ON TAPE

 

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