Local residents stand on oil covered rocks and sand at Refugio State Beach in Goleta, California, May 19, 2015. An oil pipeline ruptured dumping oil into the Pacific Ocean near Santa Barbara, California, the US Coast Guard said. The spill was estimated at 21,000 gallons (80,000 liters) of oil, local media reported. ; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

An oil pipeline ruptured along the Santa Barbara coast on Tuesday, releasing 21,000 gallons of oil along four miles of coastline.

The slick was about 50-100 yards wide.  The leak was reported at about noon on Tuesday, and about three hours later that same day, Coast Guard crews had stopped it. The cause of the rupture is still unknown. The story is developing and it’s not totally clear what the damage is or will be. While any oil leak is unfortunate, the timing of this one, just before Memorial Day weekend, will likely have a big impact on a larger swath of people getting away to one of the most scenic slices of coastline in California.

What might be the economic impact of the spill? What types of wildlife have been hurt, killed or are in danger? Was this leak stopped in a good period of time?

Guest:

Richard Rozzelle, Channel Coast District Superintendent for California State Parks. He is on the ground at Refugio State Beach.

TrueCar's logo is displayed on the Nasdaq billboard in Times Square on May 16, 2014 in New York City.; Credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The California New Car Dealers Association filed a lawsuit this week against Santa Monica auto sales service company TrueCar, claiming the company violates various laws that govern car sales in the state.

TrueCar is an online service that’s changing the historic model of car buying.  TrueCar links car buyers with dealers who bid to supply the vehicle requested.  It saves the buyer from having to run all over the region to get quotes. However, the dealers claim the way TrueCar is compensated makes it a dealer, requiring state licensure.

Will services like TrueCar break down the dealership model? Will buyers largely be purchasing cars online? What will the role of car dealerships be if models like TrueCar take over?

Guests:

Patricia Glaser, Attorney representing California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) and Partner and Chair of the Litigation Department at Glaser Weil. 

Johnny Stephenson, chief risk officer at TrueCar.

Former Florida Governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush greets people as he attends a fundraising event at the Jorge Mas Canosa Youth Center on March 18, 2015 in Sweetwater, Florida.; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A new poll from Pew Research Center reveals that nearly 57 percent of Republican voters are pretty satisfied with pool of GOP candidates in the race for the presidency.

That may seem low, but satisfaction is actually higher than it was at the same point both either 2008 or 2012. In contrast, only about 54 percent of Democratic-leaning voters have warm feelings for their 2016 options — that’s nearly 10 percent lower than they felt in 2008.

The numbers come from a national survey conducted among about 2000 adults, living in all 50 states. The survey also revealed that, though Jeb Bush was the best known of all the potential GOP contenders, he also had the highest unfavorable rating: 35 percent. Mike Huckabee had the highest approval and lowest disapproval rate at 54 percent and 23 percent respectively.  

On the Democratic side, 77 percent of Democratic-leaning voters viewed frontrunner Hillary Clinton favorably. The survey notes, however, that Clinton’s ratings have declined over the past year. Forty-seven percent of the general public now views her adversely — the lowest since spring of 2008.

Why do you think GOP satisfaction is so high? What could be contributing to the lack of enthusiasm for Democratic candidates?

Republicans' Early Views of GOP Field More Positive than in 2012, 2008 Campaigns: Growing Interest in 2016 Campaign

Guests:

Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California

Mark Barabak, political reporter for the LA Times

A school bus is parked outside the Venice High School, where police are investigating allegations of the sexual assault of students at the school in Venice Beach, California on March 14, 2015. ; Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

L.A. County prosecutors have decided against filing charges against 15 students at Venice High School accused of sexual assaults, two months after police launched a high profile investigation into the case.

Prosecutors cited “insufficient evidence” in not pursuing charges, and declined to elaborate given the case involved minors and sexual attack allegations. The LAPD opened its investigation in mid-March, after Venice High School officials reported to law enforcement about an ongoing series of sex crimes involving a group of students at the school that might have taken place since 2013. Police acted swiftly and took eight students at Venice High into custody. The case would broaden to include a total of 15 teenage boys.

The case received a lot of local and national attention. With charges now dropped, critics have raised questions about whether the LAPD had moved too aggressively on the case.

Guests:

Laurie Levenson, Professor of Law,  Loyola Law School; former federal prosecutor.

Dmitry Gorin, a defense attorney at the law firm Eisner Gorin LLP in Van Nuys, who has defended juveniles in sexual assault cases. He is a former Senior Deputy District Attorney in L.A. and specialized in sex crimes and narcotic cases.

A farmer walks on the banks of a flooded rice field on May 8, 2015 in Biggs, California. As California enters its fourth year of severe drought, a lack of water has rice farmers are cutting back on their annual plantings which has left many crop dusting and seed planting operations with half of the work as normal.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A group of farmers in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River delta are volunteering to give up 25 percent of their water usage or leave a quarter of their land unplanted, in exchange for guaranteed and unrestricted access to the other 75 percent they have rights to.

These farmers are in the unique position of having senior or riparian rights to their water. In other words, they have the longest standing rights to water usage — some going back to the late 19th century — Gold Rush times. In fact, about 4,000 landowners have these kind of rights. But, there are about 80,000 farmers in California, and the majority of those farmers buy water from a water district. The water district holds the water rights.

Most of the water districts in this state don't have senior or riparian water rights, like the Delta farmers do. In fact, the growers across this state are very diverse. They grow different crops, in different places, and have different water arrangements. Also, part of the challenge for the current state of California’s water regulation, or lack thereof, is that there’s no infrastructure in place to accurately measure, verify and therefore manage our water. Right now the data for water usage by farmers is merely estimated. Just last year, California started requiring management of groundwater — the last state to do so.

Might other senior water rights holders follow the example the Delta farmers are setting? Will water districts be willing to cut their water sales by 25 percent? What about junior rights water holders who have had claim since 1914?

Guests:

Jonas Minton, former deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources, and now a water policy adviser for the Sacramento-based Planning and Conservation League Environmental Group.

Chris Scheuring, an environmental attorney for the California Farm Bureau Federation.

David Guy, Northern California Water Association.

Members of the Japanese-American Mochida family awaiting re-location to a camp, Hayward, California. ; Credit: Dorothea Lange/Getty Images

Fear after the bombing of Pearl Harbor lead the U.S. government to round up and incarcerate over 100,000 Japanese Americans living in the West Coast.

Many of them were American citizens. They were forced to give up the lives and businesses they had built and forced into internment camps.

President Roosevelt signed the order in February, 1942. Even though the Justice Department had opposed the relocation, the move was backed by an array of popular and respected people, including then California governor Earl Warren, news broadcaster Edward Murrow, and an artist by the name of Theodor Seuss Geisel, who’s better known today as Dr. Seuss.

In “Infamy,” historian Richard Reeves delves into one of the darkest episodes of American history.

Author Richard Reeves and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge A. Wallace Tashima will hold a conversation on the Japanese American internment tonight, at 7 p.m. at Chevalier’s Books in Hancock Park.  For more information, click here.

Guest:

Richard Reeves, author of multiple books, including his latest, “Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II” (Henry Holt, 2015). He is also a senior lecturer at USC.

US and European boy scouts gather near Omaha Beach on April 26, 2014 in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, to support the D Day beaches candidacy to become a Unesco World Heritage Site.; Credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images

Boy Scouts national president, Robert Gates, today said the organization's long-standing ban on participation by openly gay adults is not sustainable.

Speaking at the national annual meeting in Atlanta, BSA President (and former Secretary of Defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama) Robert Gates stated, “the status quo in our movement’s membership standards cannot be sustained.”

The status quo of which he spoke was the organization’s ban on participation by openly gay adults, one that has been increasingly under fire as state chapters of the organization have openly defied it. Just one month ago, the New York chapter hired openly gay Eagle scout Pascal Tessler.

In response to the discrepancy between national and chapter policies, Gates also said, “we can expect more councils to openly challenge the current policy.” He views potential court challenges as a fight that the organization would lose. The organization reversed its ban on openly gay boy scouts two years ago.

Will the Boy Scouts of America open up its ranks to the LGBT community? As one of the more high profile fights over the years for LGBT activists may be coming to a close, what does this portend for hiring in other national organizations that currently ban openly LGBT workers and volunteers?

Guests:

Rabbi Sarah Hronsky, of Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village; Temple Beth Hillel sponsors two units of the Los Angeles branch of Boy Scouts of America, Cub Scout Pack 311 and Boy Scout Troop 36;

Matthew McReynolds, staff attorney at the Pacific Justice Institute

Comedian David Letterman attended the Kennedy Center Honors reception at the White House on December 2, 2012 in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Honors recognizes individuals for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.; Credit: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

Starting out as a radio talk show host and weatherman in Indianapolis, a young David Letterman was known for his goofy on air antics (once predicting hail stones “the size of canned hams”) and dry sense of humor.

This keen sense of comedy would ultimately vault Letterman into the host seat of three iterations of his own talk show, culminating in the last 20 years as host of “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

Over the course of his career, Letterman interviewed pretty much everyone worth interviewing and became well-known for his opening monologues and nightly “Top 10” lists. From his iconic first interview with Bill Murray that set the tone for the rest of the show, to Crispin Glover’s strange antics during a 1987 interview that caused Letterman to walk off his own show, to Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre and now-famous interview with Letterman in 2009, there have been few who have had as profound an impact on late night talk shows.

In its final week, Letterman will interview some of his favorite guests, including actor Tom Hanks, Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder, musician Bob Dylan, and of course, Bill Murray, ending with Letterman’s final broadcast this evening.

Comedian Steven Colbert, formerly the host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” has been tapped to take Letterman’s place as host. CBS says “The Late Show with Steven Colbert” begins September 8th.

How will you remember David Letterman’s legacy? How big was his impact on late night talk shows? What are your favorite Letterman interviews/bits? How big are the shoes Steven Colbert has to fill? Can he fill them?

Guest:

Robert Lloyd, TV critic for the Los Angeles Times who has been covering Letterman’s wind-down.

A hiker at Runyon Canyon in July, 2003. ; Credit: ClatieK/Flickr

Those who thinks no one walks in L.A. probably just needs to know where to look.

From the author of the popular guide “Secret Stairs” comes “Secret Walks,” a follow-up that introduces adventurous hikers to the best hidden walks and trails of the city, which lead to such historical landmarks as the original Bat Cave from the “Batman” TV show, the lake where Opie learned to fish on “The Andy Griffith Show,” and the storage barn for one of the city’s oldest wineries.

“Most of the walks in this book came from places that I had heard about but I had not explored," Fleming says. "They were stories that I knew about hikes or trails or waterfalls or lakes or places that I had never had any particular reason to go, and I never had anybody tell me in a really simple way where to park, where to walk, how long it will take, and how difficult it will be. I’m hoping that this will give people a way to explore places they’re curious about but have never had the time or the energy to go and explore themselves."

If you want to find out about all 44 walks Charles covers, you'll have to get "Secret Walks" for yourself, but here are five of the more iconic walks covered in the book:

Legg Lake and the Whittier Narrows (Whittier Narrows Recreational Area in El Monte)

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(Photo: John Liu via Flickr)

This is a great example of something I knew about and heard about for decades, but I never had any particular reason to go there, and I never had any particular reason to discover how delightful it is. It’s three linking lakes, the walk that goes around them is sort of a figure eight loop that covers all of the coastline of all three of the lakes, and takes you to an area where there are these extremely old Sycamore and Elm trees and all kinds of wildlife and bird life that makes you feel, you know, only a 15 minute drive from anywhere, like you’re way out in the country.

Peanut Lake in Deb’s Park (Just above the Pasadena Freeway)

A very small, hidden gem. Very few people know about it. You can almost see it from the Pasadena Freeway as you go up through the Arroyo, but it’s hidden. It’s actually a remnant of an old hotel that was there as long ago as the turn of the century, perhaps. There are some foundation stones and walkway left, and then there’s this tiny body of water that affords an unusual thing. You can sit by the lake and get this remarkable view of downtown Los Angeles and the skyline. You can take people there and they’ll say to you “I’ve lived here my whole life and had no idea it was five minutes from my house.”

La Tuna Canyon Walk (La Tuna Canyon Park, Sun Valley) 

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(Photo: Candid via Flickr)

You’ve probably driven by and seen cars parked here. Maybe you wondered what everyone is doing there. It’s a strenuous hike with some elevation, but there are two ways to do this hike: You can either go up around the winding fire road, which is a lot of elevation change but over a slower slope, or you can be very bold and go straight up the face.

The Crescenta View Trail (Deukmejian Wilderness, La Crescenta)

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(Photo: Suzanne - neusuz5 via Flickr )

This suggestion came in from AirTalk listener David. “It’s about three miles straight up to the top of Mt. Lukens, which is the highest point in the city of Los Angeles," he said. Charles adds, "You get a great view of this walk from the La Tuna Canyon Walk. It also starts at one of the oldest, still-functioning winery buildings in the Los Angeles County area. It’s leftover from the 1800s and it’s now being used as an event space."

Sandstone Peak (Yerba Buena Rd., Malibu) 

Maybe the longest and most challenging of the 44 circular walks in “Secret Walks.” It’s off of Mulholland as it gets near its terminus down near the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu/Calabasas. It’s a walk with a lot of elevation change, magnificent views, some water features, and some very magnificent large, balancing rocks that you've probably seen pictures of, even if you haven’t been there yourself. They’ve been photographed many times. It’s one of those unusual walks where you can see all of the ocean and then all of the valley, sometimes just by stepping from one side of the trail to the other.

What’s your favorite trail and walk in Los Angeles? 

Guest:

Charles Fleming, author of “Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles” (Santa Monica Press, 2015) and “Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles” (Santa Monica Press, 2010). He is a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times.

US actor George Clooney (L), US actress Britt Robertson (C) and US director and producer Brad Bird (R) pose on the carpet arriving to attend the European premiere of the film 'Tomorrowland: A World Beyond' in London on May 17, 2015.; Credit: LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig, Andy Klein, and Charles Solomon review this week’s new film releases, including George Clooney in Disney's “Tomorrowland," a reboot "Poltergeist" starring Sam Rockwell, and more.

Plus, Variety’s Justin Chang joins live from closing weekend at Cannes 2015. TGI-Filmweek!

Guests:

Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC

Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and L.A. Times Community Paper Chain

Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine

Justin Chang, chief film critic for Variety

A sign is posted closing the beach to all fishing as an environmental cleanup crew helps with the clearing of oil-tainted items found at Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County, in California on May 21, 2015. The governor of California declared an emergency as crews scrambled to contain an oil slick and clean up popular beaches after a pipeline rupture dumped thousands of gallons of oil into the ocean.; Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Volunteers, wildlife experts, and cleanup crews continue to slog through the greasy, pungent-smelling mess of oil that has collected along the shore in places like the Refugio and El Capitan State Beaches west of Santa Barbara.

More than 100,000 gallons of crude oil cascaded into the Pacific Ocean after a pipeline owned by Texas-based Plains All American Pipeline ruptured on Tuesday. Operators say the pipeline was running below max capacity at the time of the rupture. Plains Pipeline is still working to determine the cause. As of Thursday night, cleanup crews had skimmed about 9,500 gallons from the ocean, but the full cleanup process could take months.

Guests:

Dana Murray, senior coastal policy manager for Heal the Bay, a nonprofit environmental group in Santa Monica.

Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California

; Credit: JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images

Among the fears of the Islamic State taking over cities like Palmyra in Syria, is what will happen to important artifacts, art and treasures in the region?

For the Islamic State, the city of Palmyra is an important propaganda tool. Because Palmyra is a world heritage site with thousands years of history as well as a  potential  revenue source, its takeover could be very devastating to Syria. The Islamic State has a track record of destroying areas, once they are completely looted. The stolen artifacts are then shipped and sold to countries all over the world.  

What can stop people from buying stolen artifacts in the U.S.? How are  governments working together to raise awareness about the sale of stolen artifacts? Are current policies and custom laws working? What more should government leaders be doing?

Guests:

Amr Al Azm, PhD Associate Professor of History  at Shawnee State University in southern Ohio

Deborah Lehr, Chair and Founder of the Antiquities Coalition

Phil Ewing, senior defense reporter  for POLITICO

(L to R) US actress Carla Gugino, Actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, US actress Alexandra Daddario and Australian singer Kylie Minogue pose on the carpet as they arrive to attend the World premiere of the film 'San Andreas' in London on May 21, 2015.; Credit: LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images

Massive meteors, tsunamis, disease, ice ages, and of course, world-ending earthquakes...in Hollywood, there’s no shortage of ways to (theatrically) wipe out humanity.

Disaster movies have achieved somewhat of a cult status in the pantheon of film. For fans of a race against the clock to save Earth before it’s obliterated by a huge hunk of space rock, “Armageddon” or “Deep Impact” should do the trick. If you prefer watching Mother Nature bring the hammer down, try “The Day After Tomorrow,” “Twister,” or “Dante’s Peak.”

Back in 1974, Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner starred in the movie “Earthquake” about the day “The Big One” finally hits L.A. More than 40 years later, it still hasn’t hit, but that doesn’t mean it still doesn’t make for good cinema. Next Friday marks the release of the latest film about what might happen when it does. “San Andreas” releases in theaters next week, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Carla Gugino, and it follows Johnson’s character across California as he searches for his daughter in the wake of a massive quake.

What are your favorite disaster movies of all time? What constitutes a ‘disaster movie’ in the first place? Does the genre only encapsulate movies about natural disasters or does it extend to subjects like alien invasions and zombie outbreaks as well? What makes a disaster movie good or bad? What are your favorite disaster movie tropes?

Guests:

Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC

Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and L.A. Times Community Paper Chain

Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine

California governor Jerry Brown opposes extending tax increases on sales and high earners that he pushed for in 2012; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

A series of tax-related proposals backed by unions and activist groups is moving ahead, despite objections made by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The efforts are looking to extend the higher taxes that were voted on in 2012. The proposals look to alter the state's restrictions on property taxes as well as raise more revenue from commercial interests.

With California’s budget healthy and revenue surging, the proposals are less about securing funding and more about funding specific causes and political agendas.

With taxes already high, would you vote for a tax increase?

Guest:

Chris Megerian,  a reporter in the Sacramento bureau of the Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 12: City of Los Angeles Public Works Department Street Services workers repair a sidewalk on August 12, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The City of Los Angeles is looking to pass the bill for its sidewalk repairs over to its commercial and residential property owners.

The proposal for the $1.4-billion, 30-year sidewalk rebuilding program states that neighborhood walkways damaged by trees would be repaired by the city, after which responsibility for upkeep and liability for injuries would be transferred to the property owners of the adjoining sidewalks.

Los Angeles landowners have long fronted the bill for sidewalk repairs and the practice is common in other cities in the state. However, opponents of the plan say the plan is unfair, leaving landowners with high repair costs and liability for sidewalks the city should have repaired years ago.

What are the costs for property owners? Should the city be responsible for its sidewalks?

The plan will be discussed in public hearings beginning next week.

20150526 CAO New Policy for Repair of Sidewalks Adjacent to Private Property

Guests:

Richard Close, Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association President

Paul Krekorian, Councilman for District 2

Same-sex marriage supporters celebrate the US Supreme Court ruling during a community rally on June 26, 2013 in West Hollywood, California. ; Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Michael LaCour’s research showing the enduring effect political canvassers with a personal stake in an issue could potentially have on voters’ opinions was considered groundbreaking when it was published last year in the journal “Science.”

Now, the integrity of LaCour’s research is being questioned after he was recently accused of misrepresenting his methods and not having any evidence to back up his conclusions. LaCour has not spoken publicly yet and has stood by his research in previous statements.

What might the impact to the social sciences community be from the fallout surrounding this study?

you may find our prior coverage of this story here

Guest:

Ben Carey, science reporter for the New York Times writing about neuroscience, psychiatry and neurology, and everyday psychology. He co-authored a piece that was published Monday on the doubts beginning to arise around Mr. LaCour’s research.

Ivan Oransky, co-founder of Retractionwatch.com, which broke the story about LaCour’s research

Gender Wage Gap Warning; Credit: Mike Licht of NotionsCapital.com via Flickr

California Senate Bill 358, also known as the Fair Pay Act, would ensure that women are paid equally as their male colleagues.

The bill passed the Senate unanimously this week and will head to the Assembly. State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson authored the bill and said she was inspired in part by actress Patricia Arquette’s 2015 Academy Award acceptance speech.

The bill has the backing of the California Chamber of Commerce, and no stated opposition, yet.

How will the bill work, if passed into law. How will it be implemented?

California State Senate Bill 358

Guests:

Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, State Senator representing District 19, which incorporates Santa Barbara County and a portion of Ventura County, including the cities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Oxnard. She is the author of SB 358

Ken DeVore, Legislative Director, National Federation of Independent Business, California chapter

Christina Villegas, Political Science instructor at Cal State San Bernardino, and a visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, a DC-based organization promoting free market policies

President of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Marco Polo del Nero is surrrounded by journalists during a session of the Conmebol on May 27, 2015 in Zurich. The dawn detention of several FIFA leaders and a corruption raid on its headquarters on Wednesday rocked world football's governing body two days before its leader Sepp Blatter seeks a new term. ; Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

Fans of the beautiful game are reeling this morning after a handful of officials from soccer’s world governing body were arrested on corruption and conspiracy charges for allegedly lining their pockets with $150 million in bribes. One FIFA official even reportedly demanded that he be knighted in exchange for his vote for England to host the 2018 World Cup.

The U.S. Department of Justice says 14 total defendants are named in the 47-count indictment, which includes charges of money laundering, wire fraud, and racketeering. Among them are high-ranking officials in the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which is responsible for overseeing and promoting soccer worldwide.

Seven of the nine FIFA officials were arrested early Wednesday at the Baur au Lac, a luxury hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, as they gathered for Friday’s upcoming election of FIFA’s new president. FIFA’s current president, Sepp Blatter, was not named in the indictment, though he has been accused of corruption and financial mismanagement in the past. He is running for re-election against Jordanian Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein.

A spokesman for FIFA has said that the host countries for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will not be reconsidered, despite allegations that bribery was at least partially responsible for Russia and Qatar being chosen, respectively, to host the next two.

What changes will be necessary in FIFA’s organizational structure? How did the U.S. get involved in investigating an international sports federation? Might this motivate other countries to investigate FIFA? What effect could it have on other international sports federations, like the International Olympic Committee?

Guests:

Steve Crossman, global football reporter for the BBC; he tweets @Steve_Crossman

California Gov. Jerry Brown speaks during a bill signing event at the Leland Stanford Mansion on May 19, 2015 in Sacramento, California. ; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A series of tax-related proposals backed by unions and activist groups is moving ahead, despite objections made by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The efforts are looking to extend the higher taxes that were voted on in 2012. The proposals look to alter the state's restrictions on property taxes as well as raise more revenue from commercial interests. With California’s budget healthy and revenue surging, the proposals are less about securing funding and more about funding specific causes and political agendas.

With taxes already high, would you vote for a tax increase?

Guest:

Chris Megerian, a reporter in the Sacramento bureau of the Los Angeles Times

; Credit: Photo by Bryce Bradford via Flickr Creative Commons

We recently talked on the show about new research from the Pew Research Center showing a significant drop in the number of Americans identifying themselves as Christians.

Many young people say they resent the way in which religion, and specifically Christianity, has been co-opted by political agendas in this country. Meanwhile, religious institutions are efforting to regroup and reach younger followers.

How does Christianity need to retool its public image? And how can it do that?

Guest:

Kutter Callaway, Affiliate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary

David Kinnaman, President of The Barna Group, a Ventura-based market research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture