Tom Cruise attends the Korea Premiere of 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' at the Lotte World Tower Mall at on July 30, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea.; Credit: Chung Sung-Jun

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell, Wade Major, and Charles Solomon review this week’s new releases including Tom Cruise in the latest “Mission: Impossible,” the rated-R return of the Griswolds in “Vacation,” a couple of notable documentaries including “Best of Enemies” and “Listen to Me Marlon,” and more. TGI-Filmweek!

Guests:

Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and host for IGN’s DigiGods.com

Tim Cogshell, Film Critic for KPCC and the Alt-Film Guide

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

New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Bill Bratton attends a press conference after witnessing police being retrained with new guidelines at the Police Academy on Dec. 4, 2014 in the College Point neighborhood of the Queens borough of in New York City. ; Credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

There’s a roiling debate about policing in the United States today. Videos revealing police work that was once hidden from public view have gone viral online. In the last two weeks, such video played primary roles in the fatal incidents involving Sandra Bland and Sam DuBose.

We sat down with former LAPD police chief and current NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton to get his take on the state of policing. Bratton is remembered in Los Angeles for his zero-tolerance policy, diversifying the police force, and his "broken windows theory" approach to policing — the idea that vandalism has a signaling effect in urban areas.

Bratton helped lower crime and shape policing in L.A. after the force faced serious race issues in the early 1990s. He said the 21st century is going to be a profound challenge not just for police, but for the public across the nation.

"We're in the midst of a very profound revolution in so many ways, " Bratton said. "It's one of the reasons I came back to policing. ... I don't want to miss this."

We get Bratton's take on body cameras, race relations, social media, L.A.'s recent increase in crime stats after decades in decline, his thoughts on counterterrorism and his plans to “re-engineer” the NYPD.

Interview Highlights

On the impact of body cameras and the changes they might bring to policing:

They are going to have a profound influence, I believe. The influence is unknown at this time. We need to understand we are only in the beginning phases of  understanding how to use them. ... Police agencies are all watching each other closely, exchanging information closely to determine what are the best policies and practices.

On the public opinion of police:

The New York Times has a major article on the profound effect [video] might have on public opinion of police. I think something else it might have a profound effect on is public opinion of the behavior of the public the police have to deal with. I think that's going to be one of the benefits. I don't think the public fully appreciates all that we in the police department, police officers have to face, whether it's dealing with demonstrations, whether it's dealing with the encounters with the emotionally disturbed, domestic violence. Cameras are going to have a profound influence going forward on both police performance, behavior, policies and procedures, but I think also hopefully on public behavior and performance.

On the police department and social media:

The impact of the public news media — newspapers, television, etcetera, is going to be significantly outweighed in the future as newspapers begin to disappear, by social media. The NYPD, as many police departments around America are doing, are perfecting our social media capabilities, so we are increasingly able to drive the news and tell the news from our perspective.

In years ahead we won't have to rely exclusively on [media] to tell the story, we will be able to present a version or a perspective that needs to be seen.

On race relations and community-police relations in New York:

We're working very very hard to try to regain trust where we lost it, build on trust where we have always had it. We just issued a new department plan of action, we're investing millions upon millions of dollars in training. Mayor de Blasio has been supportive of the variety of new initiatives. We're totally reorganizing the NYPD ... all of it geared towards having a much more inclusive, much more transparent organization.

On the conduct of officers in videos and the policing of "minor" issues

So often this is going to be the debate going forward ... in some instances the videos have clearly indicated officers not operating within the law, operating outside and actually in a criminal behavior in many instances, but it's also the idea that the public, the reason that we have laws and the reasons we ask the police to enforce them is that the public at some point in time has demanded that there be a law to address something as so frequently described as "minor."

Well it's going to be up to the public. If you don't want us to enforce it, then do away with it, but you kinda ask us to effectively turn a blind eye to behavior that, if we start turning a blind eye to the behavior, it's the whole theory of broken windows — the idea that you need to pay attention to the minor things, because if left unaddressed, they become much more significant and much more serious.

A lot of these minor disorder offenses that seem to escalate very quickly into the tragedies we've seen, some of them could be prevented so easily if the public just understood: 1. You don't have the ability to resist arrest, and 2. You have an obligation to comply with the police officer's order. We have the obligation, clearly, to not allow a refusal to the best of our ability escalate to some of the tragedies we've recently seen.

This story has been updated.

A Joe Biden promotional poster - but will he run for President?; Credit: via Lockerdome

Maureen Dowd’s column in the New York Times this weekend speculated that Vice President Joe Biden might still be considering a run in 2016.

His Super PAC and a resurgent rise in interest has sent chatter through the Twitterverse over whether he’ll toss in his hat with Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley, Webb, and Chafee.

Can the Draft Biden Super PAC raise the kind of money that’s flowing to the Clinton campaign? Is there more to Biden’s favorable numbers than just a sympathy bump in wake of his son Beau’s death? Is he more or less attractive of a candidate than the other five Democrats? And if nominated, could he take on the Republican candidate and win in the general election?

Guests:

Dr. Howie Mandel, Member of the Draft Biden 2016’s National Finance Team; long-time activist on women’s health care issues and Democratic donor

Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist;  founder of Rodriguez Strategies; former senior Obama advisor in 2008. He tweets @RodStrategies

"Crash and Burn"; Credit: Chris Gilmore via Flickr

An analysis from USA Today on police chases across America finds that the deaths and injuries caused by these hot pursuits disproportionately outweigh the good they do.

The paper found that police chases have killed more than 5,000 passengers and bystanders since 1979, accounting for nearly half of all chase-related casualties. Many of these pursuits began as minor infractions—typically traffic stops or misdemeanors—throwing into question whether this longstanding police practice is really worth the tradeoff.

Police departments across the country have responded by instituting policy on police pursuits to codify the circumstances under which an officer can engage in a pursuit.

What policy regarding police chases do the Los Angeles Police Department and the California Highway Patrol have? What can be done to minimize the negative consequences of these pursuits?

Guests:

Thomas Frank, reporter at USA Today behind the paper’s national analysis on police chases that came out last week

Travis Yates, Commander with the Tulsa (OK) Police Department. Director of SAFETAC training for law enforcement.

Esther Seoanes,  executive director of PursuitSAFETY, a nonprofit seeking to reduce chase-related deaths. Her husband, James Williford, was killed by the driver of a stolen vehicle being chased by police in Austin, Texas, in 2012

"E-Book Between Paper Books"; Credit: via Wikimedia

Reports have been sounding the death knell of paper books for years now and yet even members of Generation Z--those are the ones coming up behind millennials--who probably don’t remember a time when a book for school didn’t also have a digital component, seem to still have some attachment to the printed page. There’s some research to back that up as well, both scientific and anecdotal.

Guests:

Rebecca Mieliwocki, California Teacher of the Year for 2012 and National Teacher of the Year for 2012; she’s a seventh-grade English teacher at Luther Burbank Middle School in Burbank

Naomi Baron, a professor of linguistics at American University and author of “Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World”

Cecil the lion is shown walking in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park in a YouTube video from July 9, 2015.; Credit: Bryan Orford/YouTube

When news emerged last week that a big game hunter, Walter Palmer, had killed a protected lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe, the outrage and sadness from public quarters were tremendous -- even funnyman Jimmy Kimmel choked up recounting the story on his talk show.

Something about the cold-blooded killing of a lion provokes a more visceral reaction from many people, but why?

As psychologist Michael Shermer explains in his book "The Moral Arc," one of the many arcs of the moral universe that are bending toward justice is animal rights. Humans, he says, have expanded our moral spheres to include other sentient beings: the closer to us on an evolutionary scale, the more we care, especially for primates and marine mammals. Moreover, Shermer of Skeptic Magazine says we recognize that animals do not kill and torture for sport, whereas humans do, and we've come to shift our moral priorities in that direction.

Finally, regardless of whether an animal or human has suffered, we are primed to care more about individuals than groups, which is why charity ads often feature a single starving child instead of hundreds. Our empathy networks attach to one person or animal and treat them as an honorary relative, friend, or member of our tribe.

Did the killing of Cecil provoke a strong response in you?

Guest:

Michael Shermer, author of “The Moral Arc;” founder of Skeptic magazine; and adjunct professor at Claremont Graduate University and Chapman University

President Barack Obama boards Air Force One before departing from Los Angeles International Airport on June 19, 2015.; Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

The nation’s coal-fired power plants will face the toughest emissions restrictions yet, under a new proposal announced by President Obama today.

The rules go further than the proposed regulations the Environmental Protection Agency released in 2012 and 2014. It’s all but certain that opponents will challenge the new regulations in court.

Under the proposal, coal-fired power plants would need to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent by 2030, and would need to incorporate the use of more alternative energy sources like wind and solar power.

The Clean Power Plan Factsheet

Guests:

David Doniger, director and senior attorney of climate and clean air program at the Natural Resources Defense Council

Robert Bryce, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute's Center for Energy Policy and the Environment

Staff Sgt. Michell Caldwell, 28, works with an occupational therapist at the new high tech Center for the Intrepid rehab center for wounded veterans at Brooke Army Medical Center March 1, 2007 in San Antonio, Texas. That is just one position that requires a professional license; Credit: Ben Sklar/Getty Images

There’s little question that those who are doctors, nurses, lawyers, dentists, or work in similar professions should be licensed to practice their trades. But what about florists? Tree-trimmers? Funeral attendants? Teeth-whiteners?

This week, the White House released a report that the Department of the Treasury Office of Economic Policy, the Council of Economic Advisers, and the Department of Labor prepared that suggests that occupational licensing for some professions may be doing more harm than good.

The report says that with nearly a third of the workforce subject to occupational licensing, regulations could be creating unnecessary costs and the requirements for getting a license often don’t match up with the skills the job requires. In addition, it suggests that certain social and economic groups, such as immigrants, convicted criminals, and military spouses, are hit particularly hard by occupational licensing regulations.

The report even says that 10 out of the 12 studies the authors reviewed showed that stricter licensing requirements did not lead to better quality service.

Do you agree with the White House’s report that occupational licensing is more harmful than helpful? Where do you think the line should be drawn between protecting consumers and facilitating job creation?

OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING: A FRAMEWORK FOR POLICYMAKERS

Guests:

Leonard Gilroy, director of government reform for the Reason Foundation

Ed Howard, senior counsel at the Center for Public Interest Law at the University of San Diego School of Law. He was also the chief consultant of the joint Assembly and Senate Committee that oversaw all of the state’s licensing boards

Victoria Hearst, the granddaughter of publisher William Randolph Hearst calls for Cosmopolitian Magazine to be only sold to adults and that the magazine be on sales racks in a opaque wrapper, on April 22, 2015 during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. She has partnered with the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCSE) to protect children from the alleged pornographic content of the Cosmopolitian Magazine, that ironically her extended family publishes.; Credit: PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, will put copies of Cosmopolitan magazine behind "blinders," following in the footsteps of two other retailers.

The news was announced by Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, during an interview with Larry Mantle on AirTalk. The organization is behind the campaign to shield minors from seeing the magazine in retail stores.

Walmart's participation comes days after Rite Aid and Delhaize America – which owns Hannaford stores and Food Lion – announced a similar move. About 4,600 Rite Aid stores and more than 1,000 Food Lion and Hannaford outlets would participate, according to Women’s Wear Daily.

Asked by the magazine why the National Center on Sexual Exploitation has singled out Cosmo as a target, the organization’s president said, “Many people think that it is just another magazine with beauty, fashion and health tips, but Cosmo is actually just another porn magazine glamorizing and legitimizing a dangerous lifestyle — pushing readers to try violent, group or anal sex.”

The news came amidst a period of soul searching for the popular women’s magazine. Veteran journalist Joanna Coles was named Cosmo’s new editor-in-chief in 2012, and she’s vowed to change the editorial direction of the rag to include more hard-hitting, investigative pieces.

Is Cosmopolitan too racy to be displayed at retail stores?

Guests:

Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, a national organization based in D.C. that opposes pornography. The organization is behind the campaign to obscure issues of Cosmo in retail stores

Shira Tarrant, Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Cal STate Long Beach. She is the author of numerous books, including “New Views on Pornography: Sexuality, Politics, and the Law ” (Praeger, 2015), and “The Pornography Industry: What Everyone Needs to Know,” forthcoming from Oxford University Press

Army researchers will try to find ways to 3-D print nutritious food with less heavy packaging than the current military meals.; Credit: Aarti Shahani/NPR

Ever had an energy bar? Or a cup of instant coffee? How about a hot dog? If you answer in the affirmative, like most modern-day Americans would, you have the U.S. military to thank.

In the book, “Combat-Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way You Eat,” food writer Anastacia Marx de Salcedo traces the invention of the abovementioned food items and other processed foods to the U.S. military. She writes that almost all of the mass-produced food items we consume today, or the technologies behind their productions, are trickled down from the innovations the U.S. has come up with in order to feed our soldiers.

Guest:

Anastacia Marx de Salcedo, author of the book, “Combat-Ready Kitchen: How the U.S. Military Shapes the Way You Eat (Portfolio, 2015) and a food writer whose writing has appeared in Salon, Boston Globe and other publications

Diplo and Skrillex of Jack U perform during Hard Summer Music Festival at Fairplex on August 2, 2015 in Pomona, California.; Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images

The discussion over whether to ban raves on Los Angeles County property has reignited after two women died this past weekend at the Hard Summer music festival at the L.A. County Fairgrounds in Pomona.

County Supervisor Hilda Solis called for the temporary ban on Monday and the Board of Supervisors will consider moving to ban raves during their meeting today. She wants to prohibit the events until a full investigation into the raves can be done to see if enough is being done to make sure patrons are safe. The two women, 18 and 19 years old, were found unresponsive on Saturday at the Fairplex. Toxicology reports have yet to come back, but the suspected cause of death is drug overdose.

Drugs like MDMA, known as ecstasy or molly, are prevalent at EDM parties and raves, and the environment of big dance parties with pounding beats and pulsating lights enhance the feelings of affection and euphoria. MDMA also raises the body temperature, and users who don’t monitor themselves can dehydrate, which can lead to soaring body temperatures and organ failure.

Opponents of the ban say the solution isn’t prohibition, but education. There are safety and advocacy groups that send members to dance parties and raves to provide support, distribute pill tests, and water, and provide calm, open spaces for patrons to come back to reality.

Should raves be banned on county property? What do you think is the solution to preventing deaths at dance parties and raves? Should party and festival organizers be taking more safety precautions or is it the responsibility of party-goers to police themselves?

Guest:

Dr. Brian Johnston, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at White Memorial Medical Center in East L.A.

Amy Morrill a.k.a. Amy Raves, Los Angeles-based rave advocate and president of Safer Raving by Amy Raves, and advocacy group that aims to spread awareness and educate about safe raving

A rescued bobcat waits to be fed at The Wild Animal Sanctuary on October 20, 2011 in Keenesburg, Colorado.; Credit: John Moore/Getty Images

A 2014 ban on trapping bobcats around Joshua Tree National Park might be expanded to all parklands in California and might go even further to a complete ban across the state.

Tomorrow in Fortuna, the Fish and Game Commission will hear from the California Trappers Association as well as the Center for Biological Diversity who are at odds on the issue. The trappers say a population survey is necessary before adopting further bans, but Brendan Cummings, counsel with the Center for Biological Diversity said that's akin to consistently withdrawing money from a bank account without knowing your bank balance.

In California, bobcats are trapped using cages, not steel-jawed leghold traps. (In 1998, a ballot initiative, Proposition 4, banned the use of body-gripping traps to kill fur-bearing animals.)

Guest:

Mercer Lawing, Director of the California Trappers Association

Brendan Cummings, Senior Counsel & Strategic Litigation Group Director based in Joshua Tree for the Center for Biological Diversity

An unidentified songbird rests on charred branches near a desert marsh as recovery from a 2005 wildfire continues at Big Morongo Wildlife Preserve on April 11, 2007 in Morongo Valley, California.; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

Rising temperatures and the fourth year of the worst drought in recorded history have meant that spring and summer have been coming earlier than usual to California.

The result of that, according to bird enthusiast Bernie Krause, sounds more like a winter day than one in spring in his neighborhood of Glen Ellen in Northern California. Krause has been recording songbirds throughout California for the past 20 years and in doing so has captured the dramatic effects of environmental degradation over that time. "This year—because of the drought—we experienced what was virtually a silent spring with no birdsong for the first time in living memory—even at what would have normally been the height of the season in mid-April," he told Fast Company's Co.Exist. A few monsoonal rains in Southern California have temporarily boosted the population of songbirds, but that's an outlier for the state. 

Ecologists aren’t sure why the birds are leaving. Theories suggest West Nile virus may be a culprit, boosted by a consolidation of mosquitoes as water sources become more scarce. It’s also possible that migratory patterns are changing with the altered seasons.

We check in with the Audubon society of California about the the drought’s impact on California’s soundscape ecology.

Guest:

Andrea Jones, Director of bird conservation for the California Audubon Society

How do you distinguish between anxiety as your friend and as your enemy?; Credit: Prince Lang via Flickr

Stress and burnout specialist, Kristen Lee Costa, Ed.D., encounters people dealing with anxiety regularly and counsels that instead of escaping or medicating anxious feelings, people should first distinguish between beneficial and harmful anxiety.

Writing in Psychology Today, Costa identifies “friendly anxiety” as providing laser focus, helpful advice, and facilitating growth. The enemy side of anxiety can harm relationships, deplete energy, and cause physical illness over the long term.

What are the psychological and physiological signs of unhealthy anxiety? What are the risks and benefits of treating anxiety with Xanax, Ativan, and the like? How do you distinguish between the good and bad of anxiety-inducing stress in your life?

Guest:

Kristen (Dr. Kris) Lee Costa, Ed.D., Lead Faculty for Behavioral Sciences at Northeastern University; Author, "RESET: Make the Most of Your Stress"

The Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail and Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles.; Credit: Christopher Okula/KPCC

In a long awaited legal settlement with the United States Department of Justice, Los Angeles County has committed to a series of reforms inside its troubled jail system, according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Read the full story HERE.

FACT SHEET: SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT REGARDING LOS ANGELES COUNTY JAILS

Guests:

Rina Palta, KPCC reporter covering Southern California's social safety net

Jeff Steck, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs

Peter Eliasberg, legal director for the ACLU of Southern California

In this photo illustration, a woman uses the Uber app on an Samsung smartphone on September 2, 2014 in Berlin, Germany.; Credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images

A court hearing in San Francisco is set for Thursday to hear whether a group of Uber drivers can obtain class-action status for a lawsuit it filed against the e-hailing giant seeking to classify drivers as employees of the company, instead of independent contractors.

The hearing comes two months after California’s labor commission ruled that a driver for Uber must be considered an employee. Uber is appealing that decision, which applies only to one individual driver.

If class-action status is granted in this week’s hearing, plaintiffs would be able to pool together resources and gain more leverage in negotiating settlements.

The case is closely watched by other tech companies that rely on independent contractors for labor. An employee designation would mean a guaranteed minimum wage for Uber drivers, mileage compensation, and Social Security benefits. Lyft, another e-hailing service, faces a similar lawsuit.

DOUGLAS O’CONNOR, et al., Plaintiffs, v. UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC., et al., Defendants.

Guests:

David Plouffe, Senior Advisor at Uber. He was the campaign manager for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign

Caroline Fredrickson, labor attorney, president of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy and author of "Under The Bus: How Working Women Are Being Run Over"

Harry Campbell, a driver for Uber and Lyft and runs “TheRideShareGuy.com”

"M16 Rifle Rack Gun Storage: Photos of my M16 Assault Rifle Racks"; Credit: Michael Dorausch via Flickr

The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously thrown its support behind an ordinance that will require all firearms to be stored in a locked container or disabled with trigger locks.

Before the vote came down, members of LA Police Union asked for an amendment exempting reserve or retired officers from the rule. 

Ultimately, the council said that everyone will need to abide by the ordinance -- unless they have the gun holstered on their body or literally right by their hand.

But gun advocates argue that while firearm owners should store their firearms responsibly, how they do it should be a personal choice. They counter that the specific needs of the firearm owner should be taken into consideration, that a single woman who lives alone in a high-crime areas, and may require quicker access to a firearm for self-defense, does not have the same storage needs as a family in a gated community.

Do you agree? A final draft of the proposed law will come back to the city council next week, for a final vote.

Read the full story HERE.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Concealed Weapon Licensing Policy

Guests:

Paul Krekorian, City Councilmember for the 2nd district encompassing the San Fernando Valley; he proposed the gun ordinance

Paul Neuharth, Attorney with Constitutional Law, Criminal Defense and Administrative Agency, a law firm based in San Diego who works on gun ownership cases; he’s also a former police officer

Ratio of Average Annual CEO Compensation to Average Worker Compensation, 1965-2010; Credit: Picasa via Flickr

Today in a 3-2 vote, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a rule forcing companies to disclose pay disparities between their CEOs and their lowest paid workers.

The measure was part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, but its implementation was long delayed. Speaking today, SEC Commission Chair Mary Jo White explained the delay, "Since it was mandated by Congress, the pay ratio rule has been controversial, spurring a contentious and, at times, heated dialogue.  

The Commission has received more than 287,400 comment letters, including over 1,500 unique letters, with some asserting the importance of the rule to shareholders as they consider the issue of appropriate CEO compensation and investment decisions, and others asserting that the rule has no benefits and will needlessly cause issuers to incur significant costs."

How would a pay disclosure increase costs of companies? What will be the optics once more is learning about CEO to worker pay ratios? How will it impact the national debate about minimum wages?

SEC Proposed Rule on Pay Ratio Disclosure

Guest:

Sylvia Allegretto, Economist and Co-Chair of UC Berkeley's Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics

J.W. Verret, Professor of Law, George Mason University; Member with The Mercatus Center at George Mason University, conducting market-oriented research; From May of 2013 through April of 2015, Verret served as Chief Economist on the House Financial Services Committee

Drake is currently in a beef with Meek Mill over ghostwriting; Credit: Cameron Kell/KPCC

For as long as rap and hip hop have been around, rappers have had reasons to feud.

‘Beef,’ as it’s known colloquially, has become an integral part of hip hop over the years, with some of the biggest and most well-known rappers of all time finding themselves embroiled in controversy because of a comment they made or a lyric or song they wrote.

Legends like Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Nas, and Ice Cube have all found themselves feuding with fellow rappers or former friends at some point in their careers. However, many of these so-called ‘beefs’ lead rappers to write ‘diss tracks,’ songs aimed at disparaging a person or group, and often these tracks become some of their most influential and popular songs.

How has ‘beef’ or conflict helped to shape rap and hip hop? What are some of the most memorable beefs of all time? How much of an impact did the ‘East Coast vs. West Coast’ conflict have on the game? Are there songs originally written as diss tracks that have become iconic raps?

Guests:

Reggie Ossé a.k.a ‘Combat Jack,’ author, attorney, and host of "The Combat Jack Show," a weekly podcast focusing on hip hop culture, music, and current events.

Todd Boyd, Ph.D., professor of race and popular culture at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He’s also the author of books such as ‘The Notorious Ph.D’s Guide to the Super Fly 70s,’ (2007), ‘Young, Black, Rich, and Famous,’ (2008) and ‘Am I Black Enough for You?’ (1997)

A hunter aims and prepares to shoot a wild duck; Credit: VIKTOR DRACHEV/AFP/Getty Images

Despite the significance of banning bobcat hunts in California, the interest and management of hunting in the state is thriving.

Wildlife biologist Dan Yparraguirre with the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife is passionate about maintaining healthy wildlife populations and helping responsible hunters navigate when and where Californians can hunt for deer or waterfowl, pronghorns or wild pig.

"Miscreants get all the press, but most hunters do nothing wasteful with animals. There is a lot of skill in hunting big game wary of predators, so hunters know the importance of conserving those resources."

With the popularity of the "eating local" movement, even more city slickers are choosing to take responsibility of sourcing food through hunting.

What are the most popular game hunts in California? How do wildlife officials keep track of population numbers? How are waterfowl faring during the drought?

Guest:

Dan Yparraguirre, Wildlife biologist and Deputy Director, Wildlife and Fisheries Division, California Department of Fish and Wildlife