Giant wind turbines are powered by strong winds in front of solar panels on March 27, 2013 in Palm Springs, California. ; Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Looking to balance efforts to boost renewable energy with protecting wildlife, state and federal officials released a plan Tuesday that sets aside vast swaths of California desert for both purposes.

In the works for five years, the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) carves out nearly 10 percent of 22.5 million acres of southeastern California for new solar, wind and geothermal energy facilities. The plan also nearly doubles the amount of conservation land in the area, protecting a total of 13.7 million acres. More study will be done on an additional 183,000 acres to determine the appropriate use for them.

The 8,000-page plan aims to open the door for more renewable energy in a state that wants to get 33% of its power from those sources by 2020. At the same time, the plan addresses the concerns of some environmentalists by conserving fragile desert habitat for a number of plants and animals. 

How will California's desert lands be preserved responsibly while utilizing its resources? How will decisions be made about development projects? Who will be the stakeholders considered? Why are some renewable projects not addressed in the DRECP? 

WEIGH IN

How do we weigh the value of desert species and animal migrations against clean energy sources? What about mitigating power consumption in the state?

Guests:

Karen Douglas, Commissioner of the California Energy Commission

James G. Kenna, State Director, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of Interior

David Lamfrom, Associate Director, California Desert Program, National Parks Conservation Association

The Hollywood Sign is illuminated by the spotlight of a helicopter streaking past the sign at night on November 16, 2005 in Los Angeles, California.; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday it has approved exemptions that would allow video and photo production companies to use drones on closed film sets. After being pressured by seven filmmaking companies and the Motion Picture Association of America, the FAA said six of those seven companies could use drones equipped with cameras on certain TV and movie sets.

Until now, the FAA has restricted commercial drone use to special situations in the Alaskan wilderness. It also says it does not need to issue a certificate of airworthiness for drones used in this way because they don’t threaten national airspace or national security.

The six companies that got approval will be allowed to use drones for filming on outdoor television and movie sets that are closed to the public. The companies must inspect the equipment before flight and notify the FAA that they are filming. The drones may not fly higher than 400 feet and must be operated by a technician that has a pilot’s license.

This decision could pave the way for commercial drone use in other industries, such as real estate, agriculture, and news media. The FAA says there are at least 40 pending applications from companies outside of Hollywood, including Amazon, which is looking for the go-ahead on their proposed drone delivery service.

Guest: 

Chris Schuster, owner and pilot of Vortex Aerial, one of the production companies that petitioned the FAA to allow the use of drones by the entertainment industry in the US.

Mark Dombroff, Partner at the Virginia-based law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge. He concentrates his practice on the aviation and transportation industry, including litigation, regulatory, administrative and enforcement matters, security, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigations and employee related issues.

Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence

Adolescence is many things: exciting, scary, confusing, new, and an endless litany of other adjectives. A fresh look at the period of development, Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence, seeks to teach its readers about the newest research and revelations regarding brain development and its effects on youths.

Author Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D. covers a range of topics related to adolescence, including: the intersection of societal expectations and brain development, research on risk-taking behaviors, methods of optimal parenting, and how the lengthening of adolescence contributes to income inequality.

What are your thoughts on adolescence? Should we treat adolescents differently than we treat adults? Is there anything you find interesting about the transition from childhood to adulthood?

Guest:

Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D., Author, “Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence;” Professor of Psychology, Temple University

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (L) applauds with fellow Justices Anthony Kennedy (2nd from L), Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan (R) prior to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech on Capitol Hill on January 28, 2014 in Washington, DC.; Credit: Pool/Getty Images

Next Monday marks the first oral arguments of the Supreme Court's new term. While there are myriad cases the justices have yet to grant, some high profile hearings are on the docket.

In the case of Young v. UPS, Peggy Young says her employer discriminated against her while she was pregnant because they refused to put her on "light duty" as prescribed by her doctor. Did UPS violate the Pregnancy Discrimination Act? In Elonis v. United States, Anthony Elonis says the graphic, violent threats he made against his wife online were not "true threats." Legal scholars say the case especially interesting because of its similarity to trials in which rap lyrics were used against a defendant in court. 

Guests:

Lisa McElroy, Associate professor of Law, Drexel University

Nicholas Sibayan competes during the finals of the slopestyle portion of the 2010 U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix on January 10, 2010 at Mammoth Mountain ski resort in Mammoth Lakes, California. ; Credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

The owners and operators of Mammoth Mountain ski resorted purchased Southern California ski and snowboarding destinations Bear Mountain and Snow Summit for $38 million dollars. The long-anticipated acquisition gives Mammoth Mountain 4,000 more acres of skiable land, millions more visitors, and the option to pursue larger resort developments in Big Bear and Snow Summit.

Consolidation has been increasingly common in the ski-resort industry, with similar purchases in Tahoe. Consolidation has helped larger resorts maintain steady business during drier seasons, bringing an influx of capital into the towns that house the hotels and slopes. Those behind the deal say they’ll stay true to the “vibe and culture” of Big Bear, and that the new merger will offer skiers and snowboarders a great opportunity to hit the slopes with season passes. Critics argue that big resorts and condos could have a negative impact on the small ski towns.

How will Mammoth’s acquisition of Bear Mountain and Snow Summit change the ski and snowboard culture in Southern California? Can Bear Mountain be remade into an overnight destination?

Guest:

Rusty Gregory, chief executive of Mammoth Mountain

Pam Scannell, executive director of the Big Bear Chamber of Commerce

California Gov. Jerry Brown.; Credit: Max Whittaker/Getty Images

Governor Jerry Brown signed the “affirmative consent” bill into law over the weekend, creating a standard that requires “affirmative, conscious, and voluntary agreement” before engaging in sexual activity. The law is intended to prevent sexual assaults on college campuses, and was sponsored by incoming Senate President Kevin de Leon.

The new “yes means yes” standards will likely change the way that colleges address sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention training -- the law applies to any college or university that accept funding from the state of California.

How will new policies and prevention programs work? Is this law enforceable, or is it more about education? How could affirmative consent change the culture of sexual assault on California college campuses?

Guests:

Roxanne Neal, Director of new student and transition programs at UCLA

Sondra Solovay, California Attorney; Director of Product for Workplace Answers and its sister division, Campus Answers - which provides California-compliant workplace harassment training, diversity and discrimination training

In this long exposure photo, pro-democracy protesters rally in the Admiralty region of Hong Kong on September 29, 2014.; Credit: AARON TAM/AFP/Getty Images

Following a string of protests last week by students at the Chinese University in Hong Kong, demonstrations continue against restrictions on voting set by Beijing in advance of Hong Kong’s 2017 election.

The specific restrictions under protest are those surrounding the election of Hong Kong’s first democratically elected leader, particularly because the National People’s Congress insists that potential candidates be vetted by a party committee rather than be chosen through primary or another form of candidate selection. Protesters contend that you cannot have democratic elections without being able to choose your own candidates. In addition, protestors believe that vested political and economic interests will be promoted rather than those of the people.

Yet protesters have met resistance as the police used teargas, pepper spray, and batons to break up Sunday’s sit-in throughout Hong Kong’s major thoroughfare. Many protesters have responded by wearing gas masks and goggles as well as calling for an indefinite student strike.

Is the ability to directly choose one’s leaders worth striking for? Do you think the protesters will succeed in obtaining political concessions from China’s National Communist Party? Are there other ways to create change besides protesting?

Guests:

Gabriel Law, spokesperson, Hong Kong Forum, a Los Angeles-based organization that advocates for democracy in Hong Kong and China. Yesterday, the HK Forum organized an impromptu protest in front of the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles to support the student demonstrations in Hong Kong

Clayton Dube, Executive Director, U.S.- China Institute at USC

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (2nd R) (R-KY) answers questions with Republican leaders following the weekly Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol September 16, 2014 in Washington, DC. McConnell answered questions about the midterm elections and the remaining legislative agenda for the Senate. Also pictured (L-R) are Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). ; Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Campaign ads are spamming inboxes and congesting the airwaves as the midterm elections are just over a month away - on Tuesday, November 4. In the fight for U.S. Senate seats, as the Los Angeles Times reports, "To a great extent, Democrats are simply fighting for the least bad result, which would be clinging to the Senate by the narrowest of margins." Coming to Democrats' aid in no short supply are campaign funds. In the most contested Senate races, Democrats have spent $80-million compared to GOP spending of $73-million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

How is President Obama's approval rating affecting the races? What is motivating voters of all stripes to get to the ballot box?

Guest:

Mark Barabak, Political Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, @markzbarabak

#DirtyCarPledge

The Los Angeles WaterKeeper has put out a new campaign calling on Angelinos to stop washing their cars for a month so that water can be conserved.

In hopes that the campaign will go viral, the non-governmental organization is asking people to sign a pledge not to wash their cars and is mailing a static cling (read: removable) car sticker to those who do. The organizers and other water conservation activists are fighting to bring more visibility to California’s drought as dirty cars and their #DirtyCarPledge stickers permeate LA streets.

Commercial car washes on average use 56 gallons of water per vehicle,  and at-home washes average 85 gallons. The goal is to save millions of gallons as those who pledge cut down from washing their car every two weeks to once per month.

Would you be willing to keep your car unwashed for a month? Is the status associated with having a clean car more important than conserving water? Could defying social norms become a popular trend?

Guests:

Rachel Stich, communications manager, LA WaterKeeper, a water conservancy group based in Santa Monica

Rosemarie Molina, strategic director at the CLEAN Carwash Campaign, which is working to raise carwash workers’ standard of living in Los Angeles

A Los Angeles County firefighting helicopter flies through a smoky sky that covers the downtown skyline as firefighters work to build a line around a wildfire in Griffith Park, the nation's largest urban park, on May 9, 2007.; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

LA’s skyline is about to change. The city is ending a 40-year-old rule that required skyscrapers to have helicopter landing pads if there are other safety features in place, like a fire service elevators or automatic sprinklers. The new change means that tall buildings in the city can now have spires or slanted roofs.

The change will usher certainly change how the Los Angeles skyline will look. But what are the firefighting implications?

Guest:

John Vidovich, Fire Marshal Deputy Chief, Los Angeles Fire Department

"The Mayor: How I Turned Around Los Angeles After Riots, an Earthquake, and the O.J. Simpson Murder Trial" by Richard J. Riordan with Patrick Range McDonald

Mayor Richard Riordan has the distinction of being the only Republican to be elected mayor in Los Angeles in the last 4 decades. On paper, he shared few ideological similarities with his GOP colleagues. He was pro-gay rights, pro-choice, and pro-immigration.

Riordan’s tenure began in 1993. He was elected to office in the wake of the Rodney King beating and the ensuing riots that swept the city. By the time he stepped down as mayor in 2001, Los Angeles had endured two other major events: the Northridge earthquake in 1994, and the O.J. Simpson murder trial in 1995.

In his new memoir, The Mayor, Riordan looks back at the successes and challenges of his mayorship, as well as personal events that have shaped him.

Guest:

Richard Riordan, Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993 to 2001. He is the author of the new memoir, “The Mayor” (Post Hill Press, 2014) that comes out today.

Sergio Garcia speaks at The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) news conference on Aug. 27. Garcia, 36, is a law school graduate who passed California's bar examination, but he's living in the United States illegally. ; Credit: Nick Ut/AP

Immigrants in the country illegally will be able to apply for professional licenses in California under a new law (SB-1159; Lara)signed on Sunday by Governor Jerry Brown.

The law applies to a range of professions including doctors, dentists, real estate agents, security guards, psychologists - plus all the other 40 licensing boards administered by the California Department of Consumer Affairs.

Opponents of the bill say it violates federal law.

"It's another example of California state government just completely obliterating any distinction between people legally present and those who are in violation of federal law," said Federation for American Immigration Reform spokesman Ira Mehlman.

Senator Ricardo Lara's office issued a statement saying: “Critics of the bill have often mischaracterized its intent, claiming it would contradict federal law. Currently, individuals who lack federal work authorization cannot work as employees or be on payroll, but can start businesses, be self-employed, work as an independent contractors (if they meet the applicable tax laws) or perform day labor, consistent with federal law.”

How could this law affect you? Does it contradict federal law? Could it be challenged? What are the economic costs and benefits?

Guests:

Joseph Villela, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles: CHIRLA

Ira Mehlman, Media Director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) - a national, nonprofit, public-interest, membership organization seeking to stop illegal immigration

Joe R. Hicks, a member of the Project 21 black leadership network - a group described as representing African-Americans not traditionally represented by the nation's civil rights establishment; Hicks is also  vice president of Community Advocates, Inc. - a Los Angeles-based political think tank.

Where is the best pizza in Los Angeles? ; Credit: Muy Yum/flickr Creative Commons

New Yorkers and Chicagoans may say their pizza is tops, and the two have certainly staked out their territory in the battle for the best slices in the U.S. (don't even get us started on Italy). But Los Angeles has a vibrant pizza scene of its own -- the city plays host to great pies and a variety of styles that can compete with the greats across the country, and maybe even across the ocean. 

L.A.'s best pizza offerings some from all corners of the city. Angelenos can find upscale pies at Pizzeria Mozza and the unique toppings at Gjelina. New York loyalists will love the thinnest of thin crusts on Larchmont at Village Pizzeria; those looking for pizzas in the Chicago style can dig in to deep dish at Hollywood Pies and Masa of Echo Park. L.A. also plays host to awesome pizza in the form of microchains -- 800 Degrees and Blaze -- and great delivery spots like Garage Pizza and Tomato Pie. 

Whether you're eating a personal pie by candlelight in one of the city's nicest restaurants or digging into a slice the size of your face in front of the TV, L.A. has a lot to offer in the way of pizza. Where are your favorite pizza places? Can L.A.'s pizza compete with New York's or Chicago's? 

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Guest:

Garrett Snyder, Associate Food Editor at Los Angeles Magazine

Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on August 10, 2014 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.; Credit: Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

Crowds are flocking to Dodger Stadium for more than just the momentum behind the end of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs: Clayton Kershaw’s winning arm has fans and analysts talking about the MVP award.

Kershaw would be the first pitcher to win the National League MVP award since 1968 -- he’s 21-3 this season, with 239 strikeouts. Kershaw’s pitching has been a driving force behind the Dodgers’ season, which included a no-hitter and major victory over the Giants as a division clincher in which Kershaw hit a run-scoring triple. Kershaw’s major competition for the National League MVP award is Gioancarlo Stanton of the Marlins and Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates.

Some critics argue that the MVP honor should go to position players and hitters because pitchers have their own distinction, the Cy Young Award, but many still have Kershaw pegged as a likely winner. In the American League, Angels outfielder Mike Trout is a top contender for MVP. As the Dodgers and Angels both enter the playoffs in their respective leagues, Southern Californians are weighing the odds of a winning team in Los Angeles, or even a “Freeway Series.”

Which LA teams will dominate in the playoffs? Who stands the best chance of winning an MVP award?

Guests:

Bill Shaikin, Baseball Writer, Los Angeles Times

Ryan Fagan, MLB writer at Sporting News

"Behind the Gates of Gomorrah: A Year with the Criminally Insane" by Stephen Seager

At the deceptively-named Napa State Hospital - a sprawling forensic mental facility in California - Dr. Stephen Seager treats the criminally insane, the violently crazed, the real-life Hannibal Lecters of the world. Seager's new book, "Behind the Gates of Gomorrah" recounts his rookie year in Unit C - populated by sociopaths who attack each other and hospital staff with the reliable regularity of any other hospital's rounds.

In praise for the book, medical examiner Dr. Judy Melinek asks, "What happens when the judicial system concentrates a population of criminally insane men with nothing to lose and no compunction against murderous violence behind razor wire and steel doors? Dr. Seager reveals both the courage and the empathy demanded of the staff at this hospital without healing, prison without guards."

How advanced has medical treatment become for the violently insane, if at all? How do the patients relate to each other? What does it take to work at a place such as Napa State Hospital?

Read an excerpt from the book.

Guest:

Dr. Stephen Seager, M.D., Author, "Behind the Gates of Gomorrah: A Year with the Criminally Insane" (Simon & Schuster, September 2014); board-certified psychiatrist, a former assistant professor of psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine and a multiply published author.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

Three of the largest theater chains in the U.S. say they'll boycott the new "Crouching Tiger" sequel after Netflix, which is financing the Weinstein Co. film, announced it will make the film available on the same day it hits Imax theaters. The conflict is just the latest flare up in the ongoing struggle between Hollywood studios and theater owners.

On the one hand, studios are hungry for new digital distribution models to counteract dwindling ticket and DVD sales. On the other, the three chains, Regal Entertainment, Carmike Cinemas and Cinemark USA, say they won’t be part of the experiment. Their decision will take the film out of about 105 of Imax's 418 U.S. theaters. Studios usually make movies available for the home video market 90 days after the movie premiere, but earlier attempts to release them simultaneously have not gone over well.

The theater chains are concerned that they will lose market share for new movies, the linchpin to getting people to the theaters. If fewer people arrive at theaters, the impact on theaters will multiply as concession sales decrease as well.

What does this portend for the future of film distribution? Would you forgo seeing the new “Crouching Tiger” film on your mobile device or TV to have the “moviegoing experience” in a larger theater?

Guest:

Gina Keating, author of “Netflixed: The Epic Battle for America’s Eyeballs” (Portfolio/Penguin) and former staff writer for Reuters and United Press International

Benjamin Fritz, reporter covering the film business in Los Angeles for the Wall Street Journal 

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown identifies murder suspect Elliot Rodger (photo right) and some of the weapons he used, at a press conference in Goleta, California May 24, 2014. Rodger, 22, went on a rampage in Isla Vista near the University of California at Santa Barbara campus, stabbed three people to death at his apartment before shooting to death three more in a terrorizing crime spree through the neighborhood. ; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Legislation signed Tuesday by California Governor Jerry Brown allows immediate family members to request firearms restraining orders for relative who may post a threat. The bill, proposed by several Democrats, was a reaction to a mass shooting this past May in Santa Barbara.

The perpetrator, Elliot Rodger, behaved in a way that raised red flags for family members and his therapist, but Rodger’s family says requests for police searches did not go far enough in taking steps to prevent an eventual shooting. According to the new California law, the person seeking the firearms restraining will have to sign an affidavit under oath, and could be charged with a misdemeanor if they lie about a relative presenting a danger. After a restraining order is granted, guns will be removed from the home and a hearing will be scheduled to give the gun owner a forum to argue their case for keeping the weapon. Currently, California law enforcement can only seize guns from people convicted of felonies or violent misdemeanors.

While the bill passed with Democratic support, Republican lawmakers and some Democrats voted against AB1014 -- critics argue that the bill could falsely remove firearms from law abiding gun owners, taking away their ability to protect themselves. Is a gun restraining order the best way to fight gun violence in California? What are the most effective and fair ways to cut back on misuse of guns?

Guests:

Lindsey Zwicker, staff attorney, Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence based in San Francisco  

Brandon Combs, Founder and CEO of Firearms Policy Coalition and executive director of  Calguns Foundation, a gun rights advocacy organization in the state

; Credit: BIJU BORO/AFP/Getty Images

Advancements in measuring wildlife populations have elucidated the latest dismal decline in wildlife populations: a 52 percent drop between 1970 and 2010. According to a new study by the renowned World Wildlife Fund, 3,000 species of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles have suffered from human causes. Hunting and fishing as well has degradation of natural habitats are the chief threats, according to the researchers. As far as solutions, WWF recommends:

"1. Accelerate shift to smarter food and energy production

2. Reduce ecological footprint through responsible consumption at the personal, corporate and government levels

3. Value natural capital as a cornerstone of policy and development decisions."

What are the consequences of wildlife-population decline? What policy changes could have the biggest impact? Comparing action or inaction at the personal, corporate and government levels, which has the most adverse effects?

Guest:

Jon Hoekstra, Vice President and Chief Scientist, World Wildlife Fund

The wrought iron fence that surrounds the White House is shown, September 22, 2014 in Washington, DC. The US Secret Service has launched an investigation to find out how man carrying a knife was able to get inside the front door of the White House on Friday night after jumping the fence on the north lawn. ; Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

A string of recent incidents surrounding the Secret Service has put the agency into the spotlight. Multiple incidents of intruders attempting to enter the White House have occurred this year, but it turns out that’s more common than we may think.

The first incident was last week as a man armed with a knife managed to enter the White House and traverse the ground floor before being detained. President Obama had left the White House minutes before the intrusion. Director of the Secret Service, Julia Pierson, defended the agency on Capitol Hill a few days ago, and she took responsibility for the security breach. Yet the Secret Service has come under fire again as it was revealed that an armed security guard who had been arrested several times in the 1990s rode an elevator with Obama during his trip to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on September 16. The Secret Service keeps strict control over access to the President, and elevators have long been considered a very serious security issue due to their limited access and physical space.

Are there specific policies that the Secret Service can implement to increase the President’s security? Is this a failure of agents or the agency? How do you view the limited access allowed to the nation’s representative?

Guest: 

Jonathan Allen, DC Bureau Chief at Bloomberg

Kent Moyer, CEO and Founder, The World Protection Group, a security firm The World Protection Group with offices in  Beverly Hills and New York, which hires a number of former secret service agents. The firm also works with the secret service to protect dignitaries traveling to the US

A pedestrian walks by a Stockton Record newspaper rack displaying the headline "Bankrupt!" on June 27, 2012 in Stockton, California. Members of the Stockton city council voted 6-1 on Tuesday to adopt a spending plan for operating under Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection following failed talks with bondholders and labor unions failed. The move will make Stockton the biggest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy protection from creditors. ; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

In a landmark blow to CalPERS, a federal bankruptcy judge ruled yesterday that the bankrupt city of Stockton can legally reduce its pension obligations to California's massive public pension system and use that money to pay other creditors.

Pension obligations have long been the third rail of city bankruptcy negotiations and yesterday’s finding could have huge implications for other debt-stressed California cities like San Bernardino. Public employee unions have consistently claimed that bankrupt cities have to make full contributions to pensions, even if they can’t pay their other debts. But Judge Christopher Klein ruled that cities’ future pension payments need not be treated any differently than other financial obligations, like those to Franklin Templeton Investments, another Stockton creditor. Yesterday’s ruling comes about 9 months after a bankruptcy judge in Detroit, the nation's largest city to declare bankruptcy, ruled that the city could reduce what it owed in pensions even though the Michigan state constitution expressly protects pension payments. In June, employees voted to approve their own pension benefit cuts.

Will we see more of this in the future? Should cities be obligated to honor promises they made to public unions even when they get into financial trouble, or should they have the flexibility to change those agreements? What could be the potential impact of yesterday’s ruling on public employees and city services?

Guests: 

Marcia Fritz, President of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility, a nonprofit organization that focuses on public employee retirement benefit issues in California

Terry Brennand, a lobbyist for Service Employees International Union (SEIU)