Fans enter Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Opening Day prior to the start of the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on March 31, 2014 in Anaheim, California. ; Credit: Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The severe beating of a fan in the Angels Stadium parking lot Friday raises the question of whether security is sufficient at sports venues. The fan in question was a former LAPD officer, and the assailant has yet to be identified or found. While the motive for the attack is unclear, this is not the first time a fight involving fans has broken out after an Angels game.

One fan died in the right-field pavilion at Angel stadium in 2009. It’s also been an issue at other stadiums in California, including 2011 beating of Bryan Stow in the parking lot at Dodgers stadium. Friday’s assault occurred despite regularly increased patrols by Anaheim police for playoff games. The Angels have commented that they are working in full cooperation with the police over this incident and that they evaluate security “every game, whether we have an incident or not.” Witnesses and others with information were asked to call Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS.

Does hearing about altercations at stadiums deter you from going to games? Would more police presence ensure the security of fans? How physical should fans be able to get with each other before they need to be stopped?

Guest:

Steve Adelman, Sports and Entertainment lawyer based in Scottsdale, Arizona

A sperm whale's flukes rises above the water off the coast of Orange County on October 6, 2014.; Credit: Lasanthi Benedict

A lucky few caught the antics of what is thought to be at least fifty sperm whales and their kids socializing off the coast of California on Monday. Experts say they’re unaware that a sighting like this has ever happened in Southern California. Sperm whale behavior stands-out compared to most whales because they can spend a lot of time at the surface of the water, appearing to sleep. This is so they can re-oxygenate their tissues.

But, on Monday, the whales were very active, curling around each other, frequently touching each other, flipping their tails in the air and even making noises. (Typically, they make clicking noises when deep in the ocean, and grow silent before emerging above water.) Captains report that whales were surrounding the boats, staying at the surface for up to 45 minutes. The great mammals appeared curious about the boats by rolling on their sides keeping one eye staring at the crafts.

What caused this party in the water? Where are these warm blooded animals going? How familial are the sperm whales?

Guest:

Alisa Schulman-Janiger, a marine biologist and director of the ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project

Dave Anderson, Owner of Captain Dave’s Whale and Dolphin Watching Safari

Picture taken on July 26, 2012 in Paris shows an illustration made with figurines and euro coins. ; Credit: JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images

Charity donations from wealthier Americans have declined over the years, while those from middle and low-income households are giving more. So says a report released by The Chronicle, a publication that covers non-profit news. The report used tax data from the IRS to interpret  charitable giving trends. Wealthier Americans, earning $200,000 or more, over the years 2006-2012 gave less by 4.6 percent. While those earning less than $100,000 donated 4.5 percent or more of the income to charity. The giving of  Las Vegas residents -- a city hit hard by the recession -- grew the most in the country. But the giving of residents in the wealthier cities of Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, declined.

What could explain the stark difference in behavior? Do you tend to hold on to your earnings, or is donating money to charity part of your way of life? Are you experiencing signs of economic recovery?

Guest:

Alex Daniels, Staff writer at the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers as Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks off the field in Game Four of the National League Divison Series at Busch Stadium on October 7, 2014 in St Louis, Missouri. ; Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The Dodgers lost 3-2 to the Cardinals last night, ending their postseason run after only four games. Despite winning 94 games in the regular season, the Dodgers couldn’t move any further towards the World Series. The Cardinals defeated the Dodgers similarly 29 years ago in the 1985 postseason. This marks the 26th consecutive year that the Dodgers will not play in a World Series game.

While the Dodgers had done well in the regular season, approximately 70% of their Los Angeles fans could not watch the games on television due to a dispute between Time Warner Cable and pay-TV operators over an $8.35-billion contract. Unlike the telecom companies, however, fans and critics alike agree that the Dodgers ended their game and postseason all too quickly.

Are you upset that the Dodgers are out of the postseason? Why do you think they lost? Do you think the Dodgers have a good chance of bringing the World Series to Los Angeles next year?

Guest:

Ryan Fagan, MLB writer at Sporting News

A protestor with the San Francisco Tenant Union hangs a sign on a the exterior of a building during a demonstration outside of an apartment building that allegedly evicted all of the tenants to convert the units to AirBnb rentals; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

When it comes to tech innovation and the law, the latter is typically playing catch up. Such is the case with the short-term rental service AirBnB, which has been in existence for 6 years. On Tuesday, San Francisco became the first city in the state to pass legislation to regulate the controversial industry, which includes other sites such as VRBO, Homeaway and Flipkey.

Under San Francisco’s so-called “AirBnb law,” only permanent residents are allowed to offer short-term rents and rentals of entire homes are capped to 90 days a year. It also calls for the establishment of a short-term rental host registry and creates enforcement guidelines for the city’s Planning Department.

The law goes into effect February 2015.

Issues stemming from these short-term rentals have created tensions in neighborhoods all over Los Angeles, and the city is looking at creating legislation to control the problem. A look at the new San Francisco law and its impact on LA’s attempt to come up with a legislative solution.

Guest:

Carolyn Said, Business and technology reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle.  She covers the so-called “sharing economy” for the paper.  She tweets at @CSaid 

A crest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Attorneys for the FBI are in court this morning defending a challenge that the “gag order” that comes with the thousands of national security letters the agency sends out each year, is a constitutional violation of free speech rights.  The case originated three years ago, when an unnamed telecommunications company in the San Francisco Bay Area challenged an order it received from the FBI to turn over customers’ information said to be related to a terrorism investigation. The letter also barred the company from telling anyone about the FBI’s demand -- often referred to as a “gag order.”

A lower court last year ruled that gag orders and the letters themselves were unconstitutional and today it heads to the 9th circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The case pits civil libertarians who say that the letters trample individual rights, against government officials who maintain that secrecy is a necessary tool to protect the country against terrorism and other threats. On Monday, Twitter filed a lawsuit challenging U.S. Department of Justice prohibitions on publishing the exact number of national security letters the company receives last year. Earlier this year, five tech companies reached agreement with federal officials for a "transparency report" to publish a range of national security letters received, but Twitter wants to disclose more details.

A few months ago, the FBI withdrew a national security letter it sent Microsoft after the company filed a lawsuit. Google is also challenging receipt of several letters in court and several other Internet companies including Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook, have filed court papers supporting the unnamed telecommunications challenge to the national security letters.

Guests:

Andrew Crocker, Legal Fellow at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which delivered oral arguments at today’s hearing at the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 

Robert Turner, Associate Director, Center for National Security Law at the University of Virginia School of Law

A man shops at a Walmart store in San Jose, Calif., in September. Wal-Mart on Thursday reported that its annual profits fell.; Credit: Jeff Chiu/AP

The nation's largest private employer, Wal-Mart, is cutting back on its health-care costs by eliminating part-time workers from coverage, as well as hiking premiums and co-payments for full-time employees. About 30,000 workers who work less than an average of 30 hours a week are the latest class affected.

The move echoes that of other companies, such as Target, Home Depot and Trader Joe's, in the wake of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The federal law requires employers to insure staff that work more than an average of 30 hours a week. As The Wall Street Journal explains, “Several facets of the health-care overhaul are driving concerns about costs: one is the coming tax on so-called Cadillac plans, which carry high premiums and offer rich benefits, and another is the individual mandate that requires most workers to obtain coverage or else face a penalty.”

Will the affected workers be able to find affordable coverage readily? Has your employer altered your plan?

Guest: 

Anna Mathews, Health Insurance Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

“Railtown: The Fight for the Los Angeles Metro Rail and the Future of the City” by Ethan Elkind

The automobile reigns supreme in Los Angeles. But that wasn’t always the case. Once upon a time, Los Angeles actually had a rail and streetcar system, but that era ended in 1961 with the death of a passenger rail line that ran from Los Angeles to Long Beach.

Today, Metro’s rail system is enjoying renewed support. Measure R passed in 2008 with just over 67 percent of the vote. It imposes a half-cent sales tax for LA County to partially fund a dozen rail projects.  The Purple Line extension, which would lengthen the line to La Cienega in the west side of the city, is expected to open in 2023. And construction is underway for the Foothill Gold Line extension.

The rail system isn’t without its critics.  There’s the age-old charge that in putting so much emphasis on rail, Metro is abandoning the riders it needs to serve the most: low-income Angelenos that commute by bus. Concerns have also been raised about how expensive—and how slow—it is to get these projects off the ground.

Will Metro’s rail system be able to transform Los Angeles the way it envisioned and get car-shackled Angelenos out of their automobiles and into public transport?

Guests:

Ethan Elkind, Associate Director of the Climate Change and Business Program, with a joint appointment at UC Berkeley School of Law and UCLA School of Law. Author of the book, "“Railtown: The Fight for the Los Angeles Metro Rail and the Future of the City"(University of California Press, 2014)

Art Leahy, CEO, Metro

President Obama will designate the San Gabriel Mountains a national monument during his visit Friday. The move will carve out nearly half of the Angeles National Forest to create the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.; Credit: Josh Leclair/Flickr

On Friday, President Obama will be in town to designate the San Gabriel Mountains as a national monument. The move will carve out nearly half of the Angeles National Forest to create the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. It’s something Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) has been pushing for since she introduced a bill this past summer. Currently, the US Forest Service manages the mountains, but budgetary issues have lead to maintenance concerns like graffiti and litter.

Supporters say the designation could mean more funding for park maintenance and cleanup and more protection for wildlife. But opponents balk at the decision, saying the President’s executive order skirts the democratic process. They also question the motivation behind it -- with no apparent money currently attached to it, they wonder what the designation will actually do other than acknowledge the San Gabriels’ beauty.

Will the new monument status change the current use of the mountains for cyclists or drivers? Some of the shoreline areas of the East Fork of the San Gabriel River are heavily used during the summer, and it can get quite crowded and even unhygienic because the area doesn't have many restrooms. There also are not safe trails to get down to the river from many roadside parking areas. Would monument status do anything at all to improve parking or restrooms and access to these areas that are already heavily used?

Guest: 

Char Miller, Director of the Environmental Analysis Program at Pomona College; Author "Public Lands, Public Debates: A Century of Controversy"

Judy Nelson, Mayor of Glendora

America is likely perceived as a more reliable exporter of oil than Russia or the Middle East. Shale oil drilling has ramped up in the US by about 70 percent over the last six years -- and it continues to grow leading to gluts in certain parts of the country.; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

In late July, a tanker loaded with 400,000 barrels of American oil, left Texas for South Korea. This export of oil stands-out because it is the first in nearly forty years. Oil has been essentially banned from export since the 1970’s due to the impact of OPEC’s oil embargo. US oil refineries (where oil is processed), benefited from the ban, because crude was kept and processed in the United States. But, many believe times have changed, saying the ban should be re-examined in light of global shifts.

These days, America is likely perceived as a more reliable exporter of oil than Russia or the Middle East. Shale oil drilling has ramped up in the US by about 70 percent over the last six years -- and it continues to grow leading to gluts in certain parts of the country. Shale oil found in the US is light compared to the heavy crude found in Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. Experts say US oil refineries, geared to process the heavy crude, aren’t equipped to process the amount of light crude coming at them fast enough. Supporters of the ban say increasing crude oil exports could cause a rise in gasoline and heating costs -- hitting Americans at home and at the tank. Critics of the ban say American exports would lower the international benchmark, leading to more stable oil prices. Supporters say, Americans could leverage high levies on the exported oil and use those taxes as a political tool, increasing tension with the countries, degrading national security. Critics say America can assist its allies by serving as a new source of crude.

Should the US increase their export of shale? If not, what’s to be done with the glut of the light crude? What might be the impact on gas prices and job creation at home, short-term compared to long-term? What impact can exporting more oil have on national security? How does OPEC influence decision-makers when it comes to exporting oil?

Guests: 

Jeff Peck, a lobbyist for CRUDE -- a group of refiners that want to keep US oil supplies at home.

Erik Milito, director of Upstream and Industry Operations for the American Petroleum Institute from American Petroleum Institute (API)

New Design for Los Angeles Parking Signs

Confusing, even conflicting parking signs in Los Angeles have often led to expensive parking tickets for Angelenos. Now, the City Council is responding to years of gripes about parking poles, which often have three or more signs. The Council has asked transportation officials to test out a new, simplified sign. 

Councilmember Paul Krekorian tells KPCC that the city owes it to drivers to make parking restrictions easier to understand.
 
"I think everybody in every part of Los Angeles has had that exceptionally frustrating experience of finally getting lucky enough to find a place to park," Krekorian said, "and then as you get out of your car, trying to translate the hieroglyphics of the park restriction signs. It can get immensely confusing, and we hear this all the time from people."
 
The new style of parking sign will have grid-like features — kind of like a daily organizer — so that drivers can easily tell when and where it is legal to park. You might see those signs around parts of the city over the next 45 days as part of a trial run from the L.A. Department of Transportation.

A New York graphic artist has created the new sign design — using green and red blocks to simplify what are sometimes cryptic messages.

What do you think about the City Council’s plan for new parking signs? Do you have a better idea? Which neighborhoods or streets have the most confusing signage? Tweet us your favorite (or least favorite) parking signs.

Guests:

Paul Krekorian, LA City Councilmember for the 2nd District, including Studio City, North Hollywood, and Van Nuys

Michael Brouillet, founder of Park Safe LA, an iPhone app that helps Angelenos decipher parking signs 

This story has been updated.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Thomas Frieden joins finance ministers and representatives from around the world for a meeting on the Ebola crisis during the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Group annual meetings October 9, 2014 in Washington, DC. Sierra Leone President Bai Koroma and Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf joined the conference via video link.; Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control, commenting on the Ebola outbreak yesterday said, "[I]n the thirty years I've been working in public health, the only thing like this has been AIDS.

And we have to work now so that this is not the world's next AIDS." Today, the U.N. special envoy on Ebola said the number of cases is probably doubling every three-to-four weeks and the response needs to be 20 times greater than it was at the beginning of October to control the rapid advance of the deadly virus. Public health expert Philip Alcabes told AirTalk, "In my view, from an epidemiological standpoint, Ebola looks nothing like AIDS." In Alcabes' analysis, Dr. Frieden's comments were intended to get Americans to pay attention to Africa, in the same way AIDS became a rallying cry in the 1980s.

What's your view of Dr. Frieden's comments? What can we learn from early failures in the response to HIV/AIDS when that disease first emerged?

Guest:

Philip Alcabes, Ph.D, professor of public health at Adelphi University; author of "Dread: How Fear and Fantasy have fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu"

Actor Bill Murray attends the premiere of ST. VINCENT, hosted by the Weinstein Company with Lexus on October 6, 2014 in New York City. ; Credit: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company

Larry and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig and Tim Cogshell  review this week’s releases including St. Vincent, The Judge, Kill the Messenger and more. TGI-Filmweek!

St. Vincent:

The Judge:

Kill The Messenger:

Guests:

Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and USA today

Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella delivers keynote remarks during the 2014 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference July 16, 2014 in Washington, DC. ; Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

At a conference on women in computing in Phoenix Thursday, new Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was asked what he would say to women who are uncomfortable asking for a raise. His answer burned up the internet.

“It’s not really about asking for the raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along,” he said, adding that women who do so would acquire “good karma” and be eventually rewarded for their patience and hard work.  Nadella has since tried to walk back those comments, tweeting after the conference that he was sorry for the “inarticulate” remarks.

What should women do and prepare for before they ask for a raise? Does Nadella's remarks accurately reflect our societal attitude toward women in the workplace? Does gender disparity in the tech sector play a role in this particular case?

Guests:

Daisy Swan, a career coach based in Los Angeles

Rebecca Kieler, career management consultant based in the Bay Area with 20-plus years of experience in the field.  She’s worked with companies such as Sun Micro Systems, Johnson & Johnson, and Yahoo

A hazmat truck sits outside of an apartment where a second person diagnosed with the Ebola virus resides on October 13, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. A female nurse working at Texas Heath Presbyterian Hospital, the same facility that treated Thomas Eric Duncan, has tested positive for the virus. ; Credit: Mike Stone/Getty Images

A Dallas nurse has become infected with the Ebola virus after treating Thomas Duncan, the Liberian patient who fell to the disease. The Dallas hospital at the center of both cases has faced criticism about improperly handling Duncan -- he was at first turned away from the hospital even after disclosing his travel history and having his temperature read at 103 degrees.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital says its health care workers were trained in CDC Ebola protocol, but that an unknown breach caused a nurse to become infected. CDC director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden says that it’s difficult to safely care for Ebola patients -- as a result of this infection, experts are considering adopting more universal measures for Ebola treatment in the U.S. or isolating treatment to four specific hospitals.

While other Ebola cases have been directed to hospitals in Atlanta and Nebraska, the Dallas cases represents a different issue -- patients who became infected or contracted the virus in the United States instead of West Africa. How contagious is Ebola? What are the best ways to pursue treatment plans in the U.S. without endangering health care workers?

Guest:

Dr. Angela Hewlett, M.D., a physician specializing in infectious diseases and assistant medical director for the Nebraska Biocontainment Patient Care Unit at the Nebraska Medical Center. She has written a piece for the Washington Post published over the weekend of her experience treating an Ebola patient in the US.

Antibiotics fighting bacteria cultures in a petri dish; Credit: Photo by PNNL - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory via Flickr Creative Commons

Antibiotics revolutionized medicine in the modern era, yet the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a looming concern across the globe. Annually, approximately two million Americans are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and 23,000 die.

In a new report entitled The Trouble with Antibiotics, Frontline investigates the issue from two different perspectives. First, the program goes to farms in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Texas in order to determine the prevalence and role of antibiotics in our food. Then, an interview with the parents of a patient who died at the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center during a superbug outbreak explores how antibiotic-resistant bacteria affect those infected. The Trouble with Antibiotics airs Tuesday, October 14 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and will stream in full, for free, online.

Are antibiotic-resistant bacteria something that you think about when talking to your doctor? Would you change the medicines you take or the food you eat if you knew they were adding to antibiotic-resistance? What do you think of superbug outbreaks at hospitals?

Guest:

David Hoffman, Frontline correspondent, “The Trouble with Antibiotics” - airs Tuesday, October 14 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and will stream in full, for free, online. @FrontlinePBS

A Los Angeles Police Department car with lights and sirens going rushes through the intersection at Florence and Normandy Avenues in South Los Angeles on April 27, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Los Angeles police intentionally over-reported the number of officers or patrol cars available to answer service calls, according to a report released Friday by the inspector general of the Police Commission. The investigation found officers in at least five out of the LAPD's 21 patrol divisions to have engaged in the practice. Instead of patrolling the streets, they were at their stations performing a variety of tasks.

In addition, patrol cars that were supposed to be out responding to emergency calls were actually parked at the stations. LAPD requires that all service calls  be addressed within seven minutes--a change put in place in reaction to criticism over the department's slow response time in the 1980s.

Guest:

Sharon McNary, KPCC’s Politics Reporter who’s been following the story

Tim Williams, founder of TT Williams Investigations, a private investigation firm in Los Angeles; Retired LAPD Senior Detective Supervisor (Robbery-Homicide Division), 1974-2003; Expert on police procedure and use-of-force for state and federal court

"Off Course: Inside the Mad, Muddy World of Obstacle Course Racing" by Erin Beresini

World-champion triathalete, Erin Beresini, was down for the count. Her body and mind were broken from the incredible endurance training she’d done to become an Ironman. Uninspired, injured and nowhere near running a race again, a friend recommended obstacle course racing (OCR). There was less of a focus on endurance, and more on agility and strength. No longer surrounded by lean and muscular athletes, she was hurled into a world of  the heavy-set and piercings -- regular people out to challenge themselves and have a good time.

The races are muddy and filled with natural and man made obstacles like fire, barbed wire, and dangling, purportedly live, electrical wires. Some races emphasize team above winning like the Tough Mudder -- the race that started it all. Another, like the Spartan race, is all about the physical challenge and a messing with the minds of participants -- like the need to solve a Rubik’s Cube when the finish line is in sight.

In Beresini’s book, “Off Course: Inside the Mad, Muddy World of Obstacle Racing,” she shares her recovery from endurance running and full throttle love of the OCR sort, ultimately competing in the Spartan Ultra Beast -- a marathon length Spartan race. She chronicles the wild ride from the OCR’s humble origins in 2010 to what it is today, just four years later -- a multimillion-dollar business, drawing anyone seeking adventure, challenge and a hearty tussle with lots of thick, wet dirt.

Guest:

Erin Beresini, Author, “Off Course: Inside the Mad, Muddy World of Obstacle Racing;” Endurance athlete and “Outside” magazine journalist

Tampa Police Department officers prepare to enter a home where a burglary suspect holed up after refusing to come out on July 13, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. ; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

"I woke up very early this morning to the sensation of hands tentatively feeling up the length of my legs and a man standing over me." Last week, Venice resident Tracy Moore was the victim of a "hot prowl" - the term for break-ins that happen when residents are home.

She recounts the experience for the blog Jezebel that, luckily, ended without harm for her, her husband and their 4-year-old daughter. The man left the bedroom of Moore and her husband as quickly as he came, but went to their living room and had a seat. Moore called 911 and the man was arrested. "People ask whether I freaked out. I stayed pretty composed while part of my brain was actively keeping track of details," says Moore. LAPD's Pacific Division says hot prowls are on the rise this year. In August, the division issued an advisory with top tips, but the reports keep coming. Have you been the victim of a hot prowl? Tell us your story.

Guest:

Tracy Moore, Writer and Venice resident

A box of food scraps that will be composted sits at the Norcal Waste Systems transfer station April 21, 2009 in San Francisco, California.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

In a National Geographic feature story, author Elizabeth Royte deplores the amount of food the United States wastes. She says that more than 30 percent of our food, valued at $162 billion annually, isn’t eaten. But, Royte says, recognizing this fact can allow for the opportunity to innovate ways of feeding people in need. In the U.S. alone, 49 million people are officially “food insecure.” That is, they don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

Beyond ameliorating the plight of the hungry, conserving food waste could help the environment as well. Royte says food buried in the airless confines of dumps generates methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. She also says if global food waste were a country, it would be the third largest generator of greenhouse gases in the world behind China and the United States. What are ways we could repurpose extra food? What kind of organizational shift would it take? Is it worth the effort?

Guest:

Elizabeth Royte, author of "The High Cost of Food Waste" on Nationalgeographic.com and an expert on food waste. National Geographic has launched a multi-year initiative focusing on food and how to feed a growing world population. Comprehensive coverage including a free iPad app, video, maps, photos and interactive graphics can be found at  natgeofood.com.