Los Angeles police are searching an upscale neighborhood for clues in the death of an 86-year-old woman. Homicide detectives remained at the scene Tuesday, searching for clues. ; Credit: Courtesy of NBCLA.com

LA has seen its deadliest August since 2007 with 39 homicides, but crime remains near a historic low.

There once were nearly 1200 annual murders in the city of LA alone - now there are about 300 a year. Among the reasons the experts have cited for an uptick in violent crime are gang activity, an increase in homelessness and the gentrification of downtown LA, which saw the most drastic increase in crime.

But it’s difficult to draw causation between those correlations and even more challenging to discern which part of the increase in crime in LA is due to factors driving an increase in violent crime across the nation, versus which might be local drivers, such as Prop 47.

Guests:

Captain Jeffrey Bert, acting commanding officer for media relations and community affairs for the LAPD

Alex Alonso, a gang researcher at Cal State Long Beach and founder of streetgangs.com, an informational website focusing on Southern California gang culture

Frank Zimring, Professor of Law at UC Berkeley and the author of "The City That Became Safe: New York's Lessons For Crime and Its Control."

John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks and FX Production speaks onstage during the Executive Session at the FX portion of the 2015 Summer TCA Tour at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 7, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. ; Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

From “Mad Men” to “Empire” to “Game of Thrones,” television hasn’t seen scripted shows as engaging and smart as those in many years. But is this explosion of great TV actually hurting the industry?

The chief executive of FX Networks, John Landgraf, answered in the affirmative earlier this month at a Television Critics Association event. Landgraf said that the crowded field makes it hard for shows to “cut through the clutter and create real buzz” nowadays.

Is this “golden age of television” cannibalizing the industry? As a TV watcher, are there just too many good TV shows out there for you to watch?

Guests:

Dominic Patten, Chief TV critic and Legal Editor at the entertainment industry news website, Deadline, who’s been following the story. He tweets@DeadlineDominic

Donald Trump has signed a non-binding loyalty pledge with the Republican National Committee not to run as a third party candidate; Credit: Mark Humphrey/AP

If Donald Trump truly wants to make America great again, he’s going to have to do it as a Republican...at least on paper.

Trump met with Republican National Committee brass on Thursday and signed a pledge stating that he would not fund his own campaign in the event that he is not chosen as the Republican nominee for president. The pledge also promises that Trump will support whomever the nominee is, assuming he is not chosen.

It is not, however, legally binding, so in theory, Trump would be free to fund his own campaign and run on his own party platform if he’s not chosen as the GOP nominee. Trump remained firm on Thursday that he plans to back the Republican Party no matter what and sees no reason why he would tear up the pledge he signed.

As has been the case with most of the things he’s done since entering the presidential race, reactions to Trump signing the pledge have been mixed. Some say it’s yet another brilliant PR move by the eccentric real estate mogul, others believe it could eventually cost the party the presidency.

Do you think that Trump will follow the terms of the pledge? What effect will this pledge have on the Republican nominating process? If a candidate breaks the pledge, would that turn voters off to that candidates third party candidacy?

Republican National Committee Loyalty Pledge

Guests:

Holly Turner, attorney, Republican political strategist, former candidate for the Texas House of Representatives, and co-founder and chief financial officer at Stampede Consulting, a political consulting firm based in Austin, TX

Erikka Knuti, Democratic strategist with Purple Strategies, a political consulting firm in Washington, D.C. She has also staffed for members of the U.S. House and Senate

'Body bags' are pictured on Brighton beach in southern England, on April 22, 2015, during a photocall by Amnesty International to highlight what they claim is Britain's shameful response to the refugee and migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. A debate has opened up over when and how graphic pictures should be shown on media with the death of a Syrian toddler earlier this week; Credit: BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

A photo of a dead Syrian boy who washed up on a Turkish beach went viral on social media this week. The boy was only a toddler and is one of the latest casualties of the growing migrant crisis taking place overseas.

With it now easier than ever to post images and videos to the web, what crosses the line? While the photo of the dead toddler has put a global spotlight on the migrant crisis, is it ethical to post a photo of a dead child? And are graphic images like this one harming the general public?

Guests:

Amanda Taub, reporter focusing on human rights issues and foreign policy for Vox Media. She is a former human rights lawyer. She tweets @amandataub

Bob Steele, is the Nelson Poynter Scholar for Journalism Values. He advises journalists and media leaders across the country on ethical dilemmas and leadership challenges

Liz Sly, is the Washington Post's Beirut bureau chief

A “transportation package” was released Thursday, proposing $3.6 billion a year to repair California’s transportation infrastructure and a $65 annual fee for drivers.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A “transportation package” was released Thursday, proposing $3.6 billion a year to repair California’s transportation infrastructure and a $65 annual fee for drivers.

The fee is intended to generate $2 billion a year in addition to $500 million in charges to polluters. $100 million for the plan would come from Caltrans “efficiencies.”

While transportation groups have supported Brown on the proposal, he still doesn’t have enough votes, both from Republicans and his own Democratic party, that are needed to push the plan forward. Advocates of the package have asked lawmakers to reach a compromise before Sept. 11.

What are your thoughts on the plan? Would paying the fee be worth the repair to California’s poor transportation infrastructure?

Guest:

Juliet Williams, Correspondent, State Capitol Bureau, Associated Press; she’s been covering Governor Brown’s highway proposal

Actor/comedian Alan Zweibel takes part in Celebrity Autobiography at Stage 72 on August 17, 2015 in New York City; Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Know your audience, that’s the first rule of entertainment. But what if your audience is a kid in elementary school? How do you tailor comedy for young readers? What are the topics that are off-limits? How do you write jokes that’d come across?

Joining Larry to talk about those questions are authors and funnymen Alan Zweibel and Adam Mansbach, whose new kids’ book, “Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in My …!”, comes out today.

Event Info: Alan Zweibel and Adam Mansbach will discuss and sign their new book tonight, September 8, at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. The event starts at 6:30pm.

Guests:

Alan Zweibel, co-author of the new children’s book, “Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in My…!” (Disney/Hyperion Books, 2015). He is a former writer for “Saturday Night Live”

Adam Mansbach, co-author of the children’s new book, “Benjamin Franklin: Huge Pain in My…!” (Disney/Hyperion Books, 2015). He is also the author of “Go the F*** to Sleep.” (Akashic Books, 2011)

Carly Fiorina speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.; Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina has made it a long way from her early days as a secretary at tech company Hewlett-Packard.

Fiorina worked her way from secretary to chief executive officer of the company and now is in the race to be the first woman president of the U.S.  

Fiorina is being called an unusual case, running a presidential campaign while never having held a political office. While it’s still too soon to tell what direction Fiorina’s campaign will go, some speculate she’ll make it on one of the republican tickets as a candidate for vice president.

However, just last week, Fiorina saw a rise in the polls, coming in third in New Hampshire and Iowa. What’s next for the Fiorina campaign? And will she be able to take the spotlight away from Trump in the polls?

Guest: ​

Jenna Johnson, reporter for Washington Post  who has been covering Fiorina

Peter Burrows, author of "Backfire: Carly Fiorina's High-Stakes Battle for the Soul of Hewlett-Packard."

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is introduced to the crowd during a fan appreciation event at the Staples Center; Credit: Benjamin Brayfield/KPCC

The times they are a-changin’ for Los Angeles basketball.

The Lakers are coming off their worst season in franchise history and will have to earn back their reputation as top dogs on the Staples Center court. Meanwhile, the Clippers have a new owner (who may be lacking in hair but certainly not in dance moves), a new logo (which released to…mixed reviews), and now it appears they are considering adding a team mascot.

The L.A. Times reported this week that the team was in the “planning stages” of the process, but didn’t indicate what the mascot or its name might be. Clippers beat writer Broderick Turner says team brass have discussed names (“Seagull Knievel” didn’t make the cut) but are still conceptualizing what the mascot would be. Assuming the team decides to go forward, the Lakers, New York Knicks, and Brooklyn Nets will be the only remaining NBA teams without a mascot.

While fans in L.A. will be able to see Clipper games as usual this season on Fox Sports’ Prime Ticket, the team’s local broadcast future is up in the air. Last week, the New York Post reported that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer turned down an offer of $60 million from Prime Ticket to continue broadcasting Clipper games locally, and is considering the idea of starting his own, over-the-top network instead.

While some think Ballmer, Microsoft’s former CEO and a billionaire several times over, is bluffing to get more money out of a regional sports network, others think he’s serious. But starting the Clippers’ own network would be difficult, since there are no other models in the NBA upon which to base the service.

Do you think Steve Ballmer is smart to try and get more money out of a regional broadcast deal? How successful do you see an over-the-top network being, if Ballmer decided to make one? In terms of the team mascot, what do you think it should be? What should its name be? Do the Clippers even need a mascot?

Guests:

Dan Woike, Clippers beat writer for the Orange County Register. He tweets @DanWoikeSports

Lee Ohanian, professor of economics at UCLA and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University

The Los Angeles Times building; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

A little more than a year after being named publisher of the L.A. Times, Austin Beutner has been fired by the paper’s parent company Tribune Publishing Co. The Baltimore Sun’s publisher, Tim Ryan, will reportedly take over as publisher.

This is more than a media business story. It's at the heart of how a daily newspaper can reinvent itself while still satisfying a larger corporation's expectations. Beutner had a vision. Now it'll be someone else's.

What does this mean for the future of the L.A. Times as a newspaper? Who is Tim Ryan, and what is his reputation? Why did Tribune decide to fire Beutner? Can a newspaper like the L.A. times really serve as a public service institution like Beutner envisioned or does its for-profit model prevent that?

The following is excerpted from a longer blog post published to Austin Beutner's Facebook account today:

I am writing to let you know that I am leaving the Los Angeles Times, effective immediately.  I am not departing by choice, nor is this some “mutual agreement” on my part and Tribune Publishing.  Tribune Publishing has decided to fire me.  I am sorry you will read this on social media, but I no longer have access to my Times email.

For more of KPCC’s coverage of this story, click HERE. For everything we know on Tim Ryan, click HERE. You can also read the L.A. Times article HERE.

To listen to this segment, click the play button above.

Guest:

David Folkenflik, NPR media correspondent

Puerto Rican Day Parade in Bayshore, New York. ; Credit: SonnyVisions Photography via Flickr

It's a classic situation for second-and third-generation Latinos: You were born in the United States.

English is your first language. Maybe you speak Spanish, maybe you don't. And for those who don't—somehow you're considered "not Latino enough" by some people.

If you met someone on the street, how would you describe your ethnic or racial background to him or her? Do you choose words like "Hispanic," "Chicano," "Spanish," or "Latino"? Is it important to you to keep your parents culture(s) alive? Tell us about an experience that made you feel you weren't "Latino enough."

Morris Kight (center) leads a Gay Liberation Front (GLF) protest at Barney's Beanery regarding their posting of "Fagots [sic] Stay Out" signs. 1969.; Credit: Pat Rocco / Courtesy of the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries

Same-sex marriage is now the law of the land. The fight for marriage equality has been the dominant political issue the LBGT community in Southern California has rallied behind in the last decade, beginning with the battle to defeat Proposition 8 in 2008.

In this AirTalk exclusive, we take a look at gay life and the history of the growth and evolution of the LGBT community in Los Angeles and Orange County – decades before marriage equality was thought of as a reality, decades before the center of gay life migrated to West Hollywood, decades before the AIDS epidemic would redraw and redefine gay life in Los Angeles and other Southern California gay enclaves.

Here to discuss these issues and more are noted historian Lillian Faderman, and the director of the ONE archives, Joseph Hawkins.

Call 866-893-5722 to share your memories, your favorite old LGBT hangouts and haunts, and more.

Lillian Faderman will be in Los Angeles throughout October for a series of readings and book signings for her new book, “The Gay Revolution.”

Saturday, October 17, 2015 – 4:00PM

• Book Soup

Sunday, October 18, 2015 – 2:30PM

• June Mazer Lesbian Archives

Monday, October 19, 2015 – 7:00PM

Library Foundation of Los Angeles, ALOUD Series  

Tuesday, October 20, 2015 – 7:00PM

• Burbank Public Library

Guests:

Lillian Faderman, historian and author of many on GLBTQ history, including “Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, and Lipstick Lesbians” (Basic Books, 2006). Her newest book is “The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle” (Simon & Schuster, 2015)

Joseph Hawkins, director of ONE archives at the USC libraries, the world’s largest collection of LGBTQ artifacts. He is also an associate Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at the school

A customer pumps gasoline into his car at an Arco gas station on March 3, 2015 in Mill Valley.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

It's do-or-die for the California Assembly this week.

It's the final four days of the 2015 session and legislators still need to fill the hole in the health care budget, divvy up billions in cap-and-trade funds — and finally vote on climate change centerpiece SB 350.

The bill wants to impose greater energy-efficiency standards for buildings. It also wants utilities to have more renewable power. But it's most controversial move? Requiring the state to cut petroleum use in half over the next 15 years.

Republican opponents and oil industry analysts warn this could lead to everything from gas rationing to a ban on minivans.

But its moderate Democrats who may pose the greatest threat to passing the far-reaching legislation. Several Assembly Dems — many from cash-strapped districts in the Central Valley —worry that that drastic cuts in oil use could lead to even higher unemployment.

Senate Bill 350: Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015

Guests:

Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced), has released an open letter opposing the measure

State Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Long Beach), supports SB 350

John Myers, KQED’s California politics and government editor

Adam Nagourney, political reporter with the New York Times who’s been covering the bills

A high school student in North Carolina who was caught sexting with his teen girlfriend faces multiple felony charges for disseminating sexually explicit photos of minors.; Credit: Carissa Rogers via Flickr

A high school student in North Carolina who was caught sexting with his teen girlfriend faces multiple felony charges for disseminating sexually explicit photos of minors -- even though those photos were of themselves.

Both Cormega Copening and his girlfriend Brianna Denson were 16 at the time the alleged crime took place.

Under North Carolina law, a 16-year-old is charged as an adult. And one has to be over 18 to be able to send or receive sexually explicit texts, photos or videos.

If convicted, Copening could face up to 10 years in prison. His girlfriend, Brianna Denson, took a plea deal.

What are the laws governing sexting in California?

Guests:

William Weinberg, an Irvine-based attorney specializing in criminal and juvenile defense. One of his areas of expertise is sexting between minors

The results are in for the first year of Common Core student testing.; Credit: Bluestocking via Flickr

The results are in for the first year of Common Core student testing.

The results are discouraging, but educational leaders say we shouldn't be discouraged. Everyone agrees the test is harder than its predecessor, but still, the majority of students tested below grade-level standards in math and English. That's statewide - with high performing districts included.

​Guests:

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, KPCC education reporter

Dr. Ruth Perez, deputy superintendent for instruction with Los Angeles Unified School District

David Plank, executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education

Syrian children, who were displaced with their families from their houses due to the ongoing conflict in Syria, queue up to receive aid food in the rebel side of the northern city of Aleppo, on September 7, 2015; Credit: FADI AL-HALABI/AFP/Getty Images

President Obama is weighing his options as a worldwide debate has opened up over how to deal with the burgeoning refugee crisis.

Peter Boogaard, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Monday that "The [Obama] administration is actively considering a range of approaches to be more responsive to the global refugee crisis, including with regard to refugee resettlement."

Although no decision has been made, the White House is running out of time -- under federal law, the president must establish the annual refugee ceiling before Oct. 1. For 2015, Syrians will fill an estimated 2,000 of the 70,000 total openings for refugees.

In contrast, that number was only 132 in 2014. The International Rescue Committee called for the United States to open its doors to 65,000 Syrian refugees. An online petition asking the U.S. government to do exactly that has garnered more than 54,000 signatures.

In order to claim refugee status, applicants must typically be displaced from their home country because of "persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion."

Under current law, the president can make exceptions, allowing people to claim refugee status from within their own country. Obama has done so for refugees from Iraq, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Cuba. Yet so far, the administration has focused more on providing humanitarian aid to the tune of $4 billion rather than on raising the ceiling.

What is the vetting process? How will the administration respond as many ask why they are not doing more? Should the U.S. allow refugee status to people still in Syria? And as approximately four million Syrians have been displaced to neighboring countries, what is the role of the U.S. in this crisis?

Guests:

James Fallows, National Correspondent, The Atlantic, where he’s been writing about the Syrian refugee crisis

James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute in Washington D.C.-based think tank and author of "Arab Voices: What They Are Saying to Us, and Why it Matters"

Anna Green, Director of Policy and Advocacy for U.S. Programs at the International Rescue Committee

21st November 1951: Chief librarian Martin Prince and his secretary at work at Keystone Press Agency; Credit: Fred Ramage/Getty Images

Kim Elsesser starts her new book “Sex and the Office” with a hypothetical.

There’s an entry-level go-getter at a consulting firm – we’ll call him Joe. He’s taking the elevator with a senior manager when they discover a shared love of long-distance running. Later that day, that senior manager swings by Joe’s desk and asks if he wants to grab a beer, while also dropping a tidy little tip about a potential client. That senior manager winds up becoming Joe’s mentor – and eventually recommends him for a higher level job.

Now, imagine how that first exchange would’ve gone if Joe was actually a woman named Josephine. Would that manager have felt comfortable bonding in the elevator? Would he be comfortable asking Josephine to join him for a drink? What if she thinks it’s a date? What if she considers it sexual harassment?

Kim Elsesser calls this the “sex partition” – the barrier that springs up between male and female coworkers thanks to organizational policies on workplace relationships and sexual harassment. She says men and woman often aren’t sure how to act around each other at work … And that older men in positions of power are particularly aware of how expressions of support for young women could be misinterpreted as something more devious.

That means women have less access than their male counterparts – it’s harder for them to network, which means it’s harder for them to get promoted, to get a raise and to get recognition for their work.

But what’s the alternative? Should sexual harassment policies be less stringent? Should they be clearer? Or is the answer more women in positions of power who can mentor the female up-and-comers?

Guest:

Kim Elsesser, author of “Sex and the Office” (Taylor Trade Publishing, 2015). She is also a research scholar at UCLA, where she teaches courses on gender in the workplace

This undated photo provided by the Maynard family shows Brittany Maynard, who ended her life on Nov. 2, 2013.; Credit: Maynard Family/AP

After passing the state Assembly Wednesday, a bill that would let doctors prescribe life-ending medications to terminally-ill patients is heading to the Senate.

It’s highly likely that the Senate would pass the bill, but it’s another matter whether Governor Jerry Brown would sign it into law.

Under ABx2-15, patients would be required to submit three separate requests to a physician -- two oral and one written -- with at least 15 days between each request.

Guests:

Christal Smith, Southern California State Director of Compassion and Choices, an advocacy organization supporting ABx2-15, and its previous incarnation, SB 128 (Full disclosure: Christal used to work on the show, and also on Talk of the City on KPCC)

Margaret Hall, a disability rights advocate for the Californians Against Assisted Suicide, an organization dedicated to preventing legalization of doctor assisted suicide in California. She is a person with disability

Miami voters wait in a long line to cast their ballots early for the President of the United States October 27, 2004. There are reports of people waiting up to three hours to vote in the South Florida area; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Submitted for your approval: what if we served the last person in line first instead of serving the first person in line first?

While this may sound like something out of the Twilight Zone, a new study out from researchers at the University of Southern Denmark suggests that a last-come-first-serve system for serving lines is actually more efficient.

To do this, the researchers made two assumptions: those in line want to be served as quickly as possible and want to spend the least amount of time possible waiting in line. They then analyzed three different systems of serving lines: the traditional first-come-first-served, randomly selecting the order in which people are served, and last-come-first-served.

When they crunched all the numbers, they concluded that the last-come-first-served system is most efficient because it doesn’t incentivize waiting in line like the first-come-first-served system does.

So instead of being rewarded for waiting in line the longest, researchers say that people would be more inclined to come intermittently instead of all at once when there isn’t capacity to serve everyone.

The study authors acknowledge that we’re not likely to see this method put into practice anytime soon because of the practical challenges it creates. Research suggests that people are more concerned about fairness than they are about being efficient, even if there’s a personal cost attached.

What do you think about employing a last-come-first-served system for lines? Do you mind waiting in line? Is it worth it? When? Why?

The curse of the first-in-first-out queue discipline

Guest:

Martin Lariviere, professor of managerial economics & decision sciences at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. You can read Professor Lariviere’s blog post on this study here

Quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots leaves federal court after contesting his four game suspension with the NFL on August 31, 2015 in New York City. ; Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Are you ready for some football?

The 2015 NFL season kicks off tonight as the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots look to put their a tumultuous offseason behind them as they welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to town. Aside from a likely increase in the amount of attention referees pay to the PSI of game footballs, there are plenty of other new features that fans should be aware of before kickoff.

1. Extra points aren’t a gimme anymore. Instead of an 18 yard field goal kicked from the 2-yard line, the ball will be placed at the 15 for PATs, making for a 33-yard field goal. Two point conversion attempts will stay at the 2-yard line.

2. The NFL is welcoming its first full-time female official. Sarah Thomas was the first woman to ref a college football game in 2007, and she’ll be a line judge on an NFL crew this year.

3. Super Bowl L? Try Super Bowl 50. Don’t be alarmed this coming February when the Super Bowl rolls around and you don’t see its logo adorned with the traditional Roman numerals. The NFL has decided that it will use the number ‘50’ instead of L, the Roman numeral for 50, in celebration of the game’s 50th anniversary. Teams will commemorate the anniversary with gold 50-yard-line numerals.

4. Rugby league meets the NFL, and San Francisco 49ers fans could be in for an extra treat this season if rookie running back Jarryd Hayne is as good as he was in the preseason. ‘The Hayne Train’ is a former NRL (National Rugby League) star who turned down big money in Australia to chase his dream of playing in the NFL. The best part? He plays like he’s in a rugby league game, and the results are incredible. Hayne, who had only played American football on his PlayStation before suiting up with San Francisco, was second among NFL running backs in the preseason with 175 yards, though it’s unclear at this point what his role with San Francisco will actually be.

Guest:

Mike Tanier, NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report

The state legislature is poised to pass a bill that will require law enforcement officers to report the perceived age, race and gender of everyone they stop.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The state legislature is poised to pass a bill that will require law enforcement officers to report the perceived age, race and gender of everyone they stop.

AB 953 passed the State Senate yesterday -- it now heads to the Assembly for final approval, and after that will head to Governor Jerry Brown.

The bill's designed to look for disproportionate stops between different groups. But what's not clear is how the collected info will be used -- and how much filing it all would cost.

Can we even agree on what evenhanded stops would look like? Do we expect police stops to be in line with the local population, or with the composition of those being convicted of crimes?

Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015

Guests:

Peter Bibring, Director of Police Practices at the ACLU of Southern California

Chief David Bejarano, Police Cheif at Chula Vista Police Department. He’s also the President of the California Police Chiefs Association.