Patt Morrison for Tuesday, May 10, 2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Tuesday, May 10, 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

Mayor Villaraigosa on the budget, security, the Dodgers, and his legacy on L.A.

He’s cut money-saving deals with several of the public employee unions that help to run Los Angeles, and have also helped to add to the city’s budget deficit with unfunded pension liabilities; he’s pushing hard for tax extensions on the California ballot to save education programs and jobs; he has drawn up a budget that is meant to close a $457-million shortfall while preserving most city services, but his revenue projections have been called overly-optimistic; he’s keeping a wary eye on L.A.’s dysfunctional iconic baseball team, the Dodgers.  Yes, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is a busy guy these days and the times demand it, as Los Angeles attempts to keep up a baseline level of public services while cutting spending and closing deficits.  The city has come to a bit of a crossroads under the two-term Mayor, being forced to trim aspirations while still planning for a re-envisioned Los Angeles with a redeveloped downtown, expanded public transportation and healthier finances.  The Mayor sits down with Patt to lay out his grand vision for the present and future of L.A.

 

Guests:

Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles

IN STUDIO—ON TAPE

 

 

 

2:06 – 2:30

Cut big oil tax breaks or drill, baby, drill?

With gas prices now averaging $3.97 per gallon, it seems like every member of Congress has a different solution to the problem. The House Republican solution is to open the Virginia coast to drilling and expand production in the Gulf of Mexico. Senate Democrats, who think drilling should wait until new safeguards are put into effect, have proposed eliminating tax breaks for big oil companies and using the extra tax revenue to offset the deficit. By eliminating tax breaks to the five largest oil companies, the Democrats’ proposal would bring in $21 billion over 10 years. By proposing a simple cut to government spending—rather than attaching an allocation of savings to alternative energies—Democrats are hoping to gather the Republican votes they need to break a filibuster. Will tax cuts to big oil companies come to an end? Or will Congress decide to embrace oil and expand its own drilling? And, most importantly, which solution will produce lower prices at the pump?

 

Guests:

Phil Verleger, David E. Mitchell/EnCana Professor of Management at the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business.

CALL HIM:

 

MORE GUESTS TBD

 

 

2:30 – 2:39

OPEN

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

Do you know more than an eighth grader?  If it’s a civics question, you probably do Do you know the purpose of the Bill of Rights? If you do, you’re way ahead of fewer than half of American eighth graders.  If you find that statistic a little disconcerting, how about the fact that fewer than three-quarters of high school seniors are unable to explain what power is granted to Congress by the Constitution.  Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor says that the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress demonstrate that we have a “crisis on our hands when it comes to civics education.”  Some critics say that programs like No Child Left Behind are squeezing out important civics courses in elementary and high schools across the nation and leaving our children somewhat clueless about their government.    

 

Guest:

Charles N. Guigley, executive director of the Center for Civic Education

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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