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Experts debate controversial FDA move to regulate e-cigs like tobacco

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World Health Organisation Calls For Regulation Of Ecigarettes

In this photo illustration, a man smokes an E-Cigarette at the V-Revolution E-Cigarette shop.; Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Hundreds of electronic cigarette brands will have to undergo federal review to stay on the market under new rules that have the potential to upend a multibillion-dollar industry attempting to position itself as an alternative to traditional cigarettes.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday released long-awaited rules that bring the burgeoning industry under federal oversight. The changes will limit e-cigarette sales to minors and require new health warnings. In a shift vigorously opposed by the industry, manufacturers must seek federal permission to continue marketing all e-cigarettes launched since 2007, making up the vast majority of the market.

The vaping industry argues the move to combine tobacco products with e-cigarettes, which contain no tobacco, is a political move that will make it more difficult for consumers to buy e-cigarettes in place of tobacco. Meanwhile in California, Governor Brown has signed a law raising the age at which you can buy cigarettes to 21.

Read the rule here

Guests:

Sarah Karlin-Smith, health care reporter at Politico specializing in the policy and politics that affect the drug industry

Tony Abboud, national legislative director for the Vapor Technology Association

Frank Leone, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center


Co-living trend bets on upscale dorms for working-age adults

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East Village Opens In The Olympic Park

A general view inside an apartment in London, England. ; Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

A new trend on the rental market is testing the waters in London,  New York, and D.C. Dubbed co-living spaces, they are akin to a monied, millennial version of  college dorms or retirement homes.

Opening in London's West End this week, an 11-story tower features 550 en-suite bedrooms plus shared kitchens, living spaces, a gym, library, and other amenities. In the US, WeWork, the company that brought sleekly designed shared work spaces to dozens of neighborhoods and cities including Pasadena and Santa Monica, has opened WeLive dwellings in Manhattan and a D.C. suburb in Virginia.

While renters might expect cheaper rent for co-living spaces, the proprietors are betting the added value of having a community and upscale amenities is more attractive than a tradition one-bedroom or roommates.

Would co-living towers hold appeal for Angeleno tenants? What are the economics driving this new trend?

Guest:

Miguel McKelvey, Co-Founder, WeWork and WeLive --a multi-billion dollar venture in the sharing economy

LA’s best brunches

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GQ Pop Up At Nordstrom

Atmosphere view of guests enjoying a Bloody Mary cocktail drink in New York City.; Credit: Rob Kim/Getty Images GQ

Bellini. Mimosa. Bloody Mary.

Few things epitomize weekend relaxation like the Sunday brunch. In celebration of this great dining tradition, AirTalk wants to know what are your favorite places for brunch in the Southland.

Call 866-893-5722 with your nominations.

What can be done to control what new study identified as third leading cause of death in country?

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According to a new study, many medical errors go unrecorded.; Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

We’ve all heard of horror stories about a doctor operating on the wrong patient, or a nurse giving someone medicine meant for another person . But what’s more troubling, according to a new study, is that many medical errors go unrecorded.

The study, which was published this week in the medical journal, BMJ, finds that over 250,000 deaths are due to medical errors in the US every year. That puts medical mistakes as the third leading cause of mortality in the country, behind heart disease and cancer.

It’s difficult to get an airtight number on deaths caused by medical mistakes, given the lack of available data. One study in 1999 from the Institute of Medicine pegged the number between 44,000 to 100,000. In 2008, the US Department of Health and Human Services put the number of deaths at 180,000.

The authors of the BMJ study--both doctors at Johns Hopkins--say the actual number is likely to be much higher than their own estimates, since nursing home deaths are not included.

Larry and our panel of medical experts look at what can be done to address the issue.

Guests:

Martin Makary, MD., MPH, an author of the new study published in the medical journal, BMJ, that has identified medical errors as the third leading cause of death. He is the author of the book “Unaccountable” (Bloomsbury Press, 2013) on the topic

Tejal Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS, President and Chief Executive Officer of the nonprofit advocacy organization, National Patient Safety Foundation based in Boston, MA

Missy Danforth, Vice President of Hospital Ratings at the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization in DC that advocates for hospital transparency

GOP split widens over future of the party

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Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) answers questions during his weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol April 28, 2016 in Washington, DC. ; Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

The Republican Party is dividing over presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

Senator Lindsay Graham is the latest. CNN quotes him saying he won't vote for either Trump or Hillary Clinton. Yesterday, House Speaker Paul Ryan said he’s not ready to support Trump as the Republican nominee.

Trump responded to Ryan's reluctance by saying he’s, "not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda. Perhaps in the future we can work together and come to an agreement about what is best for the American people."

The father and son former Presidents Bush say they won't attend the July convention. Past nominee Mitt Romney also says he'll skip it. Is this a preview of how GOP voters will split? What does that mean for the party's chances in down-ballot races? Could it cost Republicans the Senate?

Guests:

Paris Dennard, Republican political analyst and former staffer for President George W. Bush and the Republican National Committee; currently serving as the legislative director of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund

Shane Goldmacher, political reporter at POLITICO covering the 2016 presidential race; he tweets @ShaneGoldmacher

Robert Costa, reporter with the Washington Post

The forgotten women who helped shape California's art culture

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"Emerging From the Shadows" by Maurine St. Gaudens; Credit: Schiffer Books 2016

A new four-volume collection has captured the efforts of 320 artists who advance the art culture in the Golden State.

Collectively, there are more than two thousand featured art pieces created between 1860 and 1960, many of which are making a debut in a publication.

Maurine St. Gaudens, editor of “Emerging from the Shadows,” chose to recognize artists who dedicated much of their life to art, but we're never publicly acknowledged. Artwork ranging from realism to modern illustrations can be found in every volume.

Why have these women received little to no prior recognition? Have you been inspired by any of the artists mentioned by St. Gaudens?

Guests:

Maurine St. Gaudens, editor of the book, “Emerging from the Shadows,” a fine arts conservator and historian

Joseph Morsman, a collaborator on the book, “Emerging from the Shadows,” a historian and film producer  

AirTalk election 2016: Previewing West Virginia’s primary, plus a look at the widening GOP rift

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Bernie Sanders Holds Election Night Rally In Louisville, Kentucky

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders waves to the crowd after arriving at a campaign rally at the Big Four Lawn park in Louisville, Kentucky. ; Credit: John Sommers II/Getty Images

The next big primary day for the 2016 presidential candidates will be June 7th, when California and several other states will cast their votes.

This week, the candidates turn their focus to West Virginia, a blue collar state where coal mining is king. Republicans in Nebraska also head to the polls on Tuesday.

Both frontrunner candidates made news in the state last week; Hillary Clinton for stumbling through an answer to a question about how she’d pitch herself to poor white voters and upsetting some in the coal mining industry, and Donald Trump for putting on a miner’s hat and pretending as if he was mining after being introduced at a West Virginia campaign event. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, is turning his attention to New Jersey, where he’s campaigning today.

There’s also evidence that the rift between the Republican establishment and Donald Trump is growing wider, as Trump said this weekend that he wouldn’t rule out blocking House Speaker Paul Ryan from serving as chair of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer.

This week on AirTalk’s political roundtable, our expert analysts take a look at the implications of West Virginia’s primaries for each candidate and the race as a whole, what the continued discord in the GOP could mean for the election, and preview the rest of the week on the campaign trail.

Guests:

Steve Phillips, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and author of the book “Brown is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority

Jack Pitney, professor of political science at Claremont McKenna College

How to become a better talker, according to the guy who curates TED Talks

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Disruptive Innovation Awards At The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival

Chris Anderson of (TED) speaks at the Disruptive Innovation Awards at The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival at Citibank Building On Greenwich in New York City.; Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Chris Anderson launched more than 100 magazines and websites in his career, and the one venture he’s affiliated with that has best withstood the fickle taste of the masses is probably the TED Conference.

As curator of TED, Anderson has brought to the stage speakers from Bill Clinton to novelist Elizabeth Gilbert to talk about topics ranging from how to end world hunger, to the power of empathy. But Anderson doesn’t just line them up, he also works with speakers on how to shape and deliver their talks.

In this conversation with guest host Patt Morrison, Anderson offers pointers on how we can all become better public speakers.

Chris Anderson will join writer Pico Iyer to talk about his book tonight at The Aero Theatre at 8 p.m., the event is presented by Live Talks LA. Click here for more information.

Guest:

Chris Anderson, curator of TED. He is the author of the new book, “TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016)


North Carolina sues federal government over ‘bathroom’ law

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The so-called "bathroom battle" erupted after North Carolina in March became the first US state to require transgender people to use restrooms in public buildings that match the sex on their birth certificate, rather than the gender by which they identify.
; Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

(AP) North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's administration sued the federal government Monday in a fight for a state law that limits protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The lawsuit seeks to keep in place the law, which the U.S. Justice Department said last week violated the civil rights of transgender people against sex discrimination on the job and in education.

The Justice Department had set a Monday deadline for McCrory to report whether he would refuse to enforce the law that took effect in March. McCrory's defiance could risk funding for the state's university system and lead to a protracted legal battle.

Federal civil rights enforcement attorneys focused in their warning letters particularly on provisions requiring transgender people to use public restrooms that correspond to their biological sex. The letters threatening possible federal lawsuits were sent to McCrory, leaders of the 17-campus University of North Carolina system, and the state's public safety agency.

Guests:

Matthew McReynolds,  senior staff attorney at Pacific Justice Institute in Sacramento, which works to defend religious liberties and parental rights

Peter Renn, staff attorney at Lambda Legal, an LGBT legal organization. He is working on Carcaño v McCrory, which was filed in March by the ACLU, Lambda Legal and other organizations against the NC law

Noise pollution’s impact on whales

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A humpback whale jumps out of the water in the western Antarctic peninsula, on March 05, 2016.
; Credit: EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP/Getty Images

Whales see the ocean through sound, so a new documentary from the Natural Resources Defense Council immerses you in the underwater world, now polluted with industrial and military man-made noises that have impacted marine mammals' survival.

In 'Sonic Sea' airing on Discovery May 19th and narrated by Rachel McAdams, using beautiful cinematography, audio recordings, and sleek graphics, the documentary tracks deaths and distress of marine mammals, including some whales more than 150-years old who never knew man-made sounds before the 20th Century.

The NRDC has litigated and lobbied for limits on industrial developments and shipping adjustments near habitats and migration routes. For more background on litigation, check out this stories:

"Navy to limit Some training that harms whales in Pacific"

"AirTalk: Can the Navy train in SoCal waters without harming whales?"

Guest:

Michael Jasny, Director, Marine Mammal Protection Project, Natural Resources Defense Council; Jasny is a leading expert in the law and policy of ocean noise pollution.

Dwyane Wade takes heat for practicing during the Canadian National Anthem

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Toronto Raptors v Miami Heat - Game Three

Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat drives past DeMarre Carroll #5 of the Toronto Raptors on a pick set by Udonis Haslem #40 during the first quarter of the game at American Airlines Arena.; Credit: Rob Foldy/Getty Images

Saturday, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade was in the middle of his pre-game ritual for game three against the Toronto Raptors.

Wade got an assist from his teammate, and tried to make his customary 15-foot bank shot. It took him a few tries but he finally sunk the shot and was ready to play.

Only one problem: ‘O Canada,’ the Canadian national anthem, was being sung as he was prepping, as is customary when a sporting event features teams from different countries.

This drew the ire of many Canadian basketball viewers, including Toronto mayor John Tory. On Twitter, Tory reminded Wade that the game of basketball was invented by a Canadian and asked asked him to, "Respect the anthem."

Was Wade out of line with his actions?  Does this sort of thing further drive the idea that public U.S. figures aren't taking into account how their behavior could be perceived by others outside the country?

Guest:

A Martinez, host of KPCC's Take Two and an avid follower of all things sports

From candybars to flip phones, consumers make their case for keeping it simple

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Cisco Systems Reportedly In Talks To Acquire Nokia

Nokia cellular phones are seen on display at wireless store in San Mateo, California.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Are basic cell phones obsolete? 

If this sounds like a rhetorical question, US sales actually increased by 2 million last year, bringing the grand total to 24 million simple phones sold in 2015. But what makes these phones attractive?

Brian X. Chen, lead consumer technology writer for the New York Times says there are several reasons people are still opting for simplicity in the digital age, including a much longer battery life and clearer phone calls.

Others have said “dumb” phones shield consumers from data theft, are made with durability in mind and allow for days uninterrupted by constant push notifications.

Are you refusing to upgrade to a smartphone? Why or why not?

Guest:

Brian X. Chen, lead consumer technology writer, New York Times; he tweets from @bxchen

Scripps College divided over choice of Madeleine Albright as commencement speaker

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Hillary Clinton Campaigns In New Hampshire Ahead Of Primary

(L-R) Demoncratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) participate in a get out the vote organizing event in Concord, New Hampshire.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Some students and faculty members at Scripps College are upset over former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright being tapped as the commencement speaker for the all-women college.

Albright, the first woman to hold the post of US Secretary of State, is being criticized for recent remarks she made over her support for Hillary Clinton, specifically for implying that those who don’t vote for Clinton are anti-women. Others on the campus point to what they call Albright’s dubious record as Secretary of State under the Clinton administration, which they claim contributed to various humanitarian crises around the globe. Still others want to see a woman of color deliver the speech.

In protest, twenty-eight professors at the school have pledged to not share the stage with Albright on May 14.

What do you think of Albright as the commencement speaker?

Guests:

Carlos Ballesteros, a senior at Claremont McKenna College and Pomona College, majoring in history and sociology. He is the past semester’s editor in chief of the Student Life, a campus newspaper that covers the entire consortium of the Claremont Colleges

Ari Cohn, attorney of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, who tracks the disinvitation of commencement speakers.

Richard Lempert, Distinguished University Professor of Law and Sociology at University of Michigan, who’s written about the subject of campus protests against commencement speakers

Study: AAA says that marijuana driving laws lack scientific basis

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Miami Police Erect DUI Checkpoints During Holiday Season

Officer Kevin Millan from the City of Miami Beach police department conducts a field sobriety test at a DUI traffic checkpoint in Miami, Florida. ; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Marijuana legalization is set to become a major ballot issue in several states this year, including California. Because of this, lawmakers have looked to the potential damage the drug can have on our everyday life-- including driving. In states such as Colorado, it's illegal to drive with a blood-test threshold for 5 milligrams of THC, the chemical in marijuana that makes people high.

But a new study from AAA's safety foundation says that that specific level has no basis in science to determine the harm that it has on a person's ability to drive. The study goes on to explain that this level can lead to someone being unlawfully prosecuted for driving while high, despite the fact that they control of their faculties.

While many advocacy groups agree that the scientific studies in marijuana's effect on driving are in their infancy, it is still important to ensure that the practice is properly disincentivised to avoid loss of life.

AAA Safety Foundation Study 

Guests:

Jake Nelson, MPH, Director, Traffic Safety Advocacy & Research, American Automobile Association

J.T. Griffin , Chief Government Affairs Officer with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)

LA County Sheriff McDonnell talks Tanaka verdict, ID theft, and more

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Jim McDonnell AirTalk

Former Long Beach Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell became the first non-LASD member to head of the department in 100 years.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC

L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell stops in for his quarterly check-in.

He and Larry will discuss the guilty verdict in the case against former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, department policy when it comes to shooting at moving cars, the popularity of ID theft, and take calls from AirTalk listeners.

Guest:

Jim McDonnell, Sheriff of Los Angeles County; he tweets from @LACoSheriff


As Obama announces Hiroshima visit, a look back at the decision to drop the A bomb

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A woman places a candle lit paper lantern on the river during 70th anniversary activities, commemorating the atomic bombing of Hiroshima at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.; Credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

(AP) President Barack Obama this month will become the first sitting American president to visit Hiroshima, where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb during World War II, decimating a city and exploding the world into the Atomic Age.

Obama will visit the site with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a previously scheduled trip to Japan, the White House announced Tuesday.

Obama will not apologize for the bombing, the White House made clear. And Abe said none was expected nor necessary, suggesting the visit itself would send a powerful message.

Guests:

Gar Alperovitz, co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative, author of ‘The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb,’ and a former professor of political economy at the University of Maryland

Thomas Nichols, professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island and author of "No Use: Nuclear Weapons and U.S. National Security."

LA County Sheriff McDonnell on shooting into vehicles, Prop 47 savings, and more

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Jim McDonnell AirTalk

Former Long Beach Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell became the first non-LASD member to head of the department in 100 years.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC

Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell told AirTalk on Tuesday that his agency had eight instances in 2015 where deputies shot into moving vehicles, highlighting a notable spike in that number compared to the years prior. A recent KPCC investigation revealed that there were nine instances between 2010 and 2014 in which deputies fired into moving vehicles. Why the sudden spike? And what is Sheriff McDonnell planning to do about it?

Plus, as more data comes in that helps us to understand the effects of Prop 47, we're getting a better look at how much money the initiative is actually saving the state by not incarcerating certain lower-level drug offenders. What kind of cost savings is the state looking at, and how does it compare with what the projections were?

We also spoke with the Sheriff about the recent conviction of former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, the resignation of his former chief of staff after an email scandal, and more.

Interview Highlights

I wanted to ask you about a recent report that was done by KPCC’s Annie Gilbertson about local law enforcement shooting into moving vehicles. Both LAPD and the Sheriff’s Department, as I understand it, have a general policy of avoiding shooting into moving vehicles. LAPD claims it shot into two vehicles during the years 2010-2014. In both incidents, officers said that the suspects were armed. With the Sheriff’s Department, there were nine times between 2010 and 2014 where deputies fired into the vehicles. In only one case was the person armed with a gun. What’s your response? Do you think those statistics are troubling?

It’s something I want to take a much closer look at. I’m thankful to KPCC for doing the study and giving us some data to look at. I looked at 2015, and we had eight incidents involving shooting at vehicles. Four of those eight incidents have been reviewed administratively by our executive force review committee. Two of those four cases reviewed by the committee contained policy violations, so we’ll deal with those within the system. Four cases in 2015 are still in the review process. There were two shooting-at-vehicle incidents so far in 2016, and they’re both still under review. I believe the unions are in the review process right now with a new and improved policy to make it clearer to folks what our expectations are with regard to shooting at moving vehicles. Across the board, I think there’s universal agreement that it’s not particularly effective, there is potential danger to bystanders and others, and if you can get out of the way of the moving vehicle that’s really goal number one.

So, typically in an investigation, if there is firing on a moving car, the key is going to be whether the deputy felt like he or she was under imminent threat of injury by the vehicle. Will that be the determinant here?

Ultimately, that would be for any use of force. For shooting at a moving vehicle, if the vehicle is the weapon and the individual is not posing an additional threat with a gun or some other type of weapon, our direction on that is do not shoot at the vehicle and move out of the way. We don’t say that universally. There are situations that could arise where it could be an appropriate use of force, where using force in that manner would stop their ability to hurt others. That’s very risky and it’s not a good practice overall, but there are some situations where you come down to the end of the line and you don’t have an alternative.

A new study out from the Automobile Club’s traffic safety foundation that found that had the 5 nanograms per liter of blood standard for THC, that there’s no real correlation between driving ability and that level of THC. Is this anything you’ve thought about, the best way to determine if someone is impaired by THC?

The way to measure it scientifically is certainly a giant help when it comes to prosecuting a case in court. We still have work to do on definitively stating what level of impairment is dangerous to your driving. I think the bigger picture is whenever we arrest anybody for being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, we do a field sobriety test and look for objective symptoms not necessarily tied to the blood alcohol level or the chemical in the body, but rather how did the person’s body behave to the test. We also have drug recognition experts who are trained specifically to be able to determine level of impairment.

Your chief of staff Tom Angel resigned last week after publication of emails he sent while the assistant [police] chief in Burbank. He’d forwarded jokes that made fun of different racial, ethnic, and religious groups. I know it’s a personnel matter, which limits what you can say, but in a case like that with an employee found responsible for something like this, why isn’t an apology sufficient?

Look at the business we’re in. It’s all based on our relationship with the communities we serve. Los Angeles County is probably one of the most diverse counties in the world. It’s critical that we have a great relationship with all of those communities to do our job as well as it can be done. I was quoted as saying that I did not intend to discipline, but the conversation actually was that I had to speak with county council to determine what discipline was available to us because happened four years prior and when he was with another organization. We’ve done a lot of community outreach and are looking at this as an opportunity for all of us to take away some lessons learned and to repair relationships with our community.

Former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka was convicted on federal charges last month. He was convicted of conspiring to obstruct justice while running the men’s jail. He’s scheduled to be sentenced next month and faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison. How does the fallout from the prosecution and conviction affect your department today?

I can’t speak specifically about the case because the sentencing is ongoing, but it allows us to close a particularly troubling chapter in the department’s otherwise long history of providing essential public services in a professional and caring manner. When you look at the move forward, there are no changes that can be made in an environment like we operate in with the stroke of a pen. It’s a process. Arguably, the biggest challenge is keeping the best of a culture while changing what needs to be changed in order to be able to move forward. I’d use the analogy that it’s like changing the wheels on a moving vehicle, because the day-to-day operations continue while we try to affect the change that’s necessary.

We’re now deeper into the implementation of Prop 47. Some members of CA law enforcement believe property crime has gone up as a result of that, but studies have not been conclusive looking at the state as a whole. What’s your view about the impact of Prop 47 on the county?

I think it’s been framed in a way where you’re either for Prop 47 or against it. To be clear on that, we’ve embraced the intention of Prop 47, and all of us have the same goal that incarceration is not the solution in all cases. When you look at what Prop 47 was set up to do, it was to get people into treatment rather than incarcerate them. But there was no money frontloaded for the treatment part, and that was a major challenge. The funding provision takes effect mid-2016, but that’s procedural. The money will not flow to the county for treatment programs until 2017.

When you look at the cost savings they were looking to realize to be able to fund the treatment programs, they’re looking at $19 million for the whole state. When you look at that number, it may sound like a lot of money but it doesn’t go far. $19 million would run the L.A. County for 52 hours. It costs us $365,000 per hour, or $8.7 million a day to be able to operate. That $19 million is for the whole state, and we don’t know what proportion we’d get of that $19 million. We’re hoping they’ll do it based on population. We’ve got about a quarter of the state’s population and likewise about a quarter of the inmate population within the state as well.

There’s also been talk about the declining population within the jail system due to [Prop 47] and the money that should be saved as a result. Although we have fewer people coming in the front door, the population we’re managing that’s increasing is the mentally ill population, which has increased an average of 60 percent over the last five years, and over the next ten years it’s projected to double.

How is it that the state is only identifying $19 million in savings under Prop 47? The claim is that the thousands of people who would have been in custody like drug dealers and lower level offenders have been released. $19 million dollars isn’t a lot of people being released.

That’s true. Using L.A. County as an example, there’s an expectation that we would have a tremendous amount of bed space available based on Prop 47’s effects. The reality is, previous to implementation of Prop 47, people who were sentenced to L.A. County jail were only being held for 20 percent of their time due to overcrowding issues. So as fewer people come in the front door, we’re able to hold those individuals in custody for a longer period of their sentence, which we’re mandated to do. The only way we can release them earlier is in an overcrowding emergency.

 

Listen to the rest of the interview by clicking the "play" button.

Guest:

Jim McDonnell, Sheriff of Los Angeles County; he tweets from @LACoSheriff

Making like Ferris Bueller: Your best stories on playing hooky

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Salve Ferris!

Thirty years ago, Chicago high-schooler Ferris Bueller turned playing hooky into an epic adventure.; Credit: Marco Gomes via Flickr

Thirty years ago, Chicago high-schooler Ferris Bueller turned playing hooky into an epic adventure.

The 1986 film ended up grossing over $70 million domestically, made a star out of a baby-faced Matthew Broderick, and became a cultural touchstone of movie references, like this one featuring real-life pundit Ben Stein playing a teacher taking class attendance:

In observance of the 30th anniversary of the John Hughes film, AirTalk wants to hear your funniest, most outrageous stories involving ditching school or work. Call us at 866-893-5722.

 

Nutrition experts debate FDA’s move to redefine 'healthy' as a marketing label

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Government Proposes Improving Nutrition Facts Labeling On Food Products

Nutrition labels are seen on food packaging in Miami, Florida. ; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The public comment period has opened for what the Food And Drug Administration should label as “healthy,” sparked by a letter the FDA sent to the maker of Kind bars last year demanding Kind stop using the term to market its product.

Kind bars, which contain nuts that contribute to the high amount of saturated fat in some of their bars, do not fit the FDA’s current definition of “healthy.” Food can only be marketed as healthy if it meets five criteria: fat, saturated fat, sodium, cholesterol and beneficial nutrients, such as vitamin C or Calcium.

The levels differ by food category, but snacks generally can’t have more than 3 grams of fat. By those standards, a pop tart is currently considered more healthy than a snack of almonds.

It remains to be seen what the new guidelines will detail, but they’re sure to leave some people upset, whether it’s industry members who can no longer use the “healthy” label to market their product, or people concerned that the guidelines don’t do far enough in regulating how products are labeled and marketed to consumers.

Guests:

Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University

Kathleen Keller, Phd, Assistant Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences and Food Science at Penn State University

Legal, moral, and ethical issues of serving pregnant women alcohol at bars

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Real Estate Boom Threatens One Of Berlin's Oldest Taverns

Patrons toast one another as a bartender serves drinks.; Credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images

Stop us if you’ve heard this one: a pregnant woman and a child walk into a dive bar in Brooklyn. Which of them does the bartender serve? If you answered neither, you’d be wrong.

New York City’s Commission on Human Rights has ruled that bartenders may not refuse to serve a pregnant woman alcohol because it would violate the city’s Human Rights Law. This guidance also applies to foods like raw fish or soft cheese, which are also considered risky.

A ProPublica study shows that at least 18 states have legislation that addresses substance abuse during pregnancy. California is not one of them, though ProPublica’s survey says the first known indictment of an American woman for using drugs during pregnancy happened in California in 1977. Tennessee is the only state in the U.S. that has a law allowing women who abuse substances during pregnancy to be charged criminally, if the baby is born dependent, but that law was only designed to last for a short period of time, and lawmakers there have voted to kill the law.

How much alcohol is safe during pregnancy? That depends who you ask.

Some medical organizations are on record as saying that even one drop of alcohol is too much during pregnancy. Yet many women say they enjoy an occasional glass of wine during pregnancy with no harmful outcomes to their babies.

Should bartenders be banned from refusing to serve pregnant women? What do you think about drinking during pregnancy? Should more cities and states adopt laws like the one in New York City?

Guest:

Nina Martin, reporter at ProPublica covering gender and sexuality issues; she tweets @ByNinaMartin

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