Alfred Molina in the Donmar Warehouse production of the Tony Award-winning Best Play "Red" by John Logan, playing at the Mark Taper Forum August 1 through September 9, 2012. Credit: Photo by Johan Persson/ArenaPAL

This Sunday, the Mark Taper forum opens its new show ‘Red,’ starring Alfred Molina as Mark Rothko. The play takes place during the 1950s, when Rothko has been commissioned to do a new set of paintings for the Four Seasons restaurant.

Molina is joined by his co-star Jonathan Groff, who plays the artist’s new assistant. Rothko, self-aware of the rising generation of younger artists and the threat they pose to him, becomes obsessed with his work and flexes his aesthetic muscle in an effort to stave off the day when, as he says in the play, “the black will swallow the red.”

Molina’s first encounter with Rothko was in the 1970s, when he noticed a poster of one his paintings on a girlfriend’s wall. But obviously the actor had to expound upon the idea that Rothko was simply a guy who made big black pieces of art before taking the stage to portray him.

Interview Highlights:

AirTalk: Does this show bring out the ‘man behind the canvas’?

Alred Molina: “It does that partly, but the show really isn’t a biographical piece. The play concentrates on the two and a half year period when he was heavily involved in what became known as the Seagram murals, which was a series of paintings for what was then, the brand-new Seagram building on Park Avenue in New York and it was the biggest single commission for a mural piece since the Sistine Chapel … The making of these Seagram murals became a kind of crisis for him artistically, creatively, intellectually, morally and so the play really concentrates on that period."

"We’re trying to really bring to life, not just the story of what the artist was going through, but the story of the making of the art itself. People often think art is just throwing a bit of paint on a canvas but it’s actually a very physical endeavor and so we’ve tried to create the physical space of Mark Rothko’s studio, so as the audience walks in they enter, for all intents and purposes, a working studio where we stretch canvases, we mix paints, we prine canvases — the actual physical work, the labor that’s involved in making art, is absolutely central to the production.”

AirTalk: In the end, Rothko throws back the commission. Why did Rothko ever accept the commission in the first place?

Molina:“That’s partly the debate within the play — why did he do that? Why was he so obsessed with this particular commission? I think it has a lot to do with his preoccupation with his legacy. I think like all great artists — particularly artists who were the first to change the form, change the roles, artists like Rothko, Pollock and so on — they created something new, something that had never been seen or done before, and that always the mark of great innovators and I think he was very conscious of that. I think he understood his place in the pantheon, the history, of art.”

AirTalk: It’s certainly cliche to talk about character actors and their ability to disappear into parts, but your command of accents has given you all kinds of range.

Molina: “I don’t think it’s so much a cliche as it is something character actors really aim for. There’s a great joy and satisfaction in being able to in some way, disappear … If you can lose yourself in it somehow — and it’s not about being real, it’s about being authentic — if you can be authentic enough so the audience to relax ... that’s part of the craft we all take pride in is being able to somehow submerge ourselves to a certain degree.

AirTalk: Is it fair to use a word like ‘conflicted’ when talking about Mark Rothko? In some ways he’s a very tragic figure.

Molina: “Like so many interesting characters that one gets to play, he’s full of contradictions. All the most interesting characters are, in the same way all the most interesting people in life are often paradoxical and seemingly contradictory … Theatrically, in terms of playing characters, that’s where the really interesting grit is. It’s in those areas where things get confused, things get conflicted and contradictory, that’s where the most interesting part of character is in many ways because you have to resolve that for the audience and make all those contradictions equally valid. If the audience is agreeing with you one second and disagreeing with you the next, totally with you one moment and totally against you the next, then you’re halfway to doing your job because that means — hopefully — they’re going through the same sort of conflict that the character is.”

Weigh In:
How did Molina prepare for this role? How did it affect his understanding of modern art? What makes Rothko such a particularly compelling artist and personality?

Guest:

Alfred Molina, actor starring as artist Mark Rothko in “Red” at the Mark Taper Forum; he is also well known for his roles in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Prick Up Your Ears,” “Frida,” “Chocolat,” and “Law and Order” among other film and television credits

The members U.S. Olympic girls gymnastics team have received a lot of tabloid attention, both positive and negative. Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Throughout these 2012 Olympic Games, we’ve heard many stories, stories griping about NBC’s coverage, stories of hope and praise for those athletes who’ve overcome adversity to compete, and stories of controversy surrounding possible acts of cheating.

But there has also been a plethora of stories with a very tabloid-esque spin. Anything from Ryan Lochte’s intelligence and Gabby Douglas’ family finances, to Lolo Jones’ media prowess and McKayla Maroney’s on-camera attitude has been fodder for the media.

Associate Professor of Marketing at University of Delaware's Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics, John Antil says the celebrity-like gossip is, “very unfortunate and unfair,” but, “to be expected,” when athletes enter into the public eye.

“It’s human nature to want to know more about a person — what are they really like?” he said. Antil explained that information regarding many athletes can help humanize them and flesh out their personalities for fans and spectators. For example, the Douglas families’ finances were able to paint a picture of a mother who made endless sacrifices for her daughter, highlighting the heavy price tag on the Olympic dream.

“It’s certainly not relevant except it’s part of the background story of how difficult it can be for an athlete to reach that level of expertise,” Antil said.

Director for the International Centre for Olympic Studies at Western University in Ontario Canada, Janice Forsyth, says there are two major reasons we see athletes making the tabloids: an increasing interest in athletes and the advent of social media.

“What we see with the women is a very long history of feminization or sexualization of female sports,” Forsyth said. “With female athletes it’s important that they look good first and they be good second. … None of this is new, but what is new is the spin social media is putting on it and it can go viral as it did with Lolo Jones.”

Listeners online and on the phones seemed fairly split on whether or not athletes were fair game when it came to celebrity-like gossip.

Online, netizen Matt wrote in, saying, “I think the media should back the hell off … There is a difference from wanting to know more about someone and shredding them apart for page views.”

But on the phones, John from Newport, disagreed saying in the end, these athletes were entertainers and needed to put themselves in the spotlight to profit off their Olympic fame.

“How many of us remember [Olympic skier] Lindsey Vaughn? She and all of these other women need to commoditize themselves,” John said. “As an athlete aspiring to make a National team, I know I have a very limited window of time to make money … because athletes are all ultimately forgotten. There are only so many Subway commercials.”

In the end, it can be argued that it boils down to money, to potential sponsorships, and to a life and career post-Olympics. Antil said the Olympics is “the only shot” for many athletes and a little shameless self promotion, a la Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, is OK if done tactfully and sparingly.

Forsyth too said athletes, like Lolo Jones, can create a public image in pursuit of a career post-Olympics. She pointed out that many athletes have managers and agents, and she can’t blame them for trying to make more money because, ultimately, they are “workers in the [Olympic] industry.”

“I’d love to agree … the Olympic games should be about the spirit of sport, but when you take a look at the industry itself, what you see is a very different picture,” Forsyth said. “This is where Lolo Jones is getting caught up — athletes too want a piece of the pie and they’re recognizing more how much the Olympic industry makes and recognizing how little they make in comparison.”

Weigh In:

But should it be? How far is too far when it comes to the coverage of these celebrity athletes? And is the phenomenon something to be expected or condemned?

Guests:

John Antil, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics

Janice Forsyth, PhD, Director, International Centre for Olympic Studies at Western University in Ontario Canada

Anaheim residents hold signs in support of a vote to increase the number of city council members and establish voting districts. Credit: Bear Guerra/KPCC

During a special council meeting, the Anaheim City Council voted three to two to reject a ballot proposal that would create voting districts that would help increase Latino representation. In its stead, council members decided to create a citizens advisory committee that would be used for feedback on elections and community involvement.

The decision was delivered to a large group of community members after hours of heated debate and testimony and angered many of the attendants. Anaheim is the largest city in California to practice at-large voting, and though Latinos make up close to 52% if the city’s 336 thousand residents, only a few have ever been elected to council seats.

Anaheim’s mayor, Tom Tait, Councilwoman Lorri Galloway, and Disneyland Resort all backed the proposal, along with scores more of the city’s residents. The council’s vote was enough to incite outrage, but Anaheim was already in turmoil after a string of heated demonstrations over fatal police shootings of two Latino men.

How will the decision play out? And when will this city’s woes finally rest?

Guests:

Ed Joyce, KPCC’s Orange County Reporter

Kris Murray, Anaheim City Councilmember

Eric Altman, Executive Director, Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development

Customers wait in line at a United States Post Office in Chicago, IL. Credit: Brian Kersey/Getty Images

A week after announcing its very first default payment, the U.S. Postal Service said it will miss its next payment due to the Treasury due to a $5.2 billion loss in the third quarter. An independent government agency that doesn’t receive tax money to fund its operations, the U.S.P.S. still operates under congressional control and is required to fund retirement benefits for its employees, including those who have yet to retire.

Those benefits, accounting for $3.1 billion, coupled with rapidly declining first-class mail volume have accounted for much of the losses and financial burden, but the Postal Service has also tried to end Saturday delivery and close low-revenue offices around the country. The Senate passed a bill in April to reduce annual health payments and provide an $11 billion boost, but the House has yet to make a move.

Will Congress ever make a move? Is there any hope for the Postal Service? If so, what will do the trick?

Guest:

Angela Greiling Keane, Bloomberg News regulation reporter

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis attend "The Campaign" premiere at The Newseum on July 31, 2012 in Washington, DC. Credit: Larry French/Getty Images

This week, moviegoers will see Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell square off in ‘The Campaign.’ Of course, Americans have been watching Barack Obama and Mitt Romney go at it for months now, not to mention the grueling Republican Primary season which has been going on basically since Obama was elected in 2008. Politics are now truly a part of everyday life, and unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere.

With that in mind, today on FilmWeek we’ll take some time to look at the world of political films. Campaigns, the Cold War and even movies about lobbying will all be covered by guest host David Lazarus and our KPCC critics. What are you favorite political movies of all time? What do the good ones get right and the bad ones get wrong? Can these movies be both informed and entertaining?

Guests:

Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and the L.A. Times Community Papers chain

Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor

Next week, The Hammer Museum is kicking off a series of free political movie screenings with the documentary 'Primary,' chronicling John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey as they vie in Wisconsin to be the contender against Richard Nixon. More information can be found here.

Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic drives against Ian Mahinmi #28 of the Dallas Mavericks during the game at Amway Center on March 30, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

A fast-moving game of NBA chess has been playing out over the last few days, with players being moved from square to square in order to build what their owners hope will be the perfect team. The end game? Bringing Orlando Magic star center Dwight Howard to the Lakers, beefing up their already promising lineup and virtually guaranteeing a shot at the finals in 2013.

If approved by the league, the eight-player, four team maneuver would move Lakers center Andrew Bynum and Orlando Magic guard Jason Richardson to the Philadelphia 76’ers, 76’ers forward guard Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets and Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and one other future first-round pick from each of the three teams to the Magic. Got all that?

The shuffle still has to be approved by the NBA, but all that’s expected to be settled today. Lakers owner Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak are betting that the combination of Howard, Kobe Bryant and the newly acquired Steve Nash will reinvigorate the team. The news has certainly given Lakers watchers something to high-five about. Let the games begin!

Guests:

A. Martinez, KPCC contributor; former host of ESPN’s In the Zone

Arash Markazi, Sports Columnist, ESPNLA.com

Children cool off in a fountain on a hot day. Credit: CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP/Getty Images

It's expected to be in the Southland today. Parts of the inland valleys reached 109 degrees yesterday, according to the Weather Service. It's all taxing on the power grid, so a statewide alert has been sounded.

California's electricity grid operator issued a Flex Alert yesterday that will last through today, but wasn't expected to last through the weekend. Businesses and homes are asked to "take three simple actions: turn off all unnecessary lights; postpone using major appliances until after 6 p.m.; and adjust your air conditioning up to 78 degrees or higher or use a fan."

Adding to the power pains, a large power plant in Ventura County went offline unexpectedly yesterday. GenOn Energy, which owns the Ormond Beach Generating Station, said the outage was caused by an electrical fire. A CAISO spokeswoman told the L.A. Times that the outage "was definitely a big factor in why we triggered the Flex Alert."

The peak air conditioning rush hour, as it’s called, is between 4 and 6 p.m. in the afternoon which is when officials are particularly concerned about energy use.

"A lot of people come home and they want to cool down their homes and so they start cranking up the AC which pulls a lot of juice," said Steven Greenlee, spokesman for the California Independent System Operation (CAISO).

Not all residents feel that the Flex Alert is their problem. Scott from Beverly Hills says that it’s not our job to suffer in order for the power grid to work correctly.

“It’s the job of the people at the power company to make sure we all have sufficient AC,” he added.

Greenlee says that the Flex Alert is voluntary and that most consumers have been responsive to the program which has helped the power companies save energy.

He is also confident in the current grid system which experienced chronic blackouts in 2000 and 2001.

"We have done quite a bit in upgrades on our system. We have been putting in place the generation and transmission that we need to help support our growing state. Those are in place. Other issues aside, looking forward, we're looking good," Greenlee added.

Weigh In:
Can one outage really take us to the limit? Will you take those three "simple actions" at home to help out? What about at the office?

Guest:
Steven Greenlee, Spokesman, California Independent System Operator (CAISO)

Fans who have tickets pass through a barricade as they arrive at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on July 7, 2009. Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

Some ticket scalpers may soon be banned from peddling tickets at Los Angeles’ largest venues.

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich filed an injunction against 17 individuals on Monday, asking to bar them from selling tickets outside venues including Dodger Stadium, L.A. Memorial Coliseum, L.A. Live and the Staples Center. Prosecutors maintain the scalpers intimidate citizens, create traffic congestion and suck up scarce law enforcement resources.

“At just L.A. Live alone, the Los Angeles Police Department has spent over 1,500 hours, in the last three years, policing illegal scalping at that venue. Same thing happens at Dodger Stadium. The same thing happens at the Coliseum and the Galen Center,” Trutanich said on AirTalk. “We’re spending a lot of police resources to catch the same people, and catch and release doesn’t work. So, we need a better mousetrap in order to help us save money in law enforcement and put our resources where they’re better needed.”

If the Los Angeles Superior Court approves the suit, the individuals listed in the injunction could face up to six months in jail and/or a $2,500 fine for each offense, if he or she violates the order. According to Trutanich, the harsher punishment means more efficient policing.

“Now, you don’t have to wait and watch and see a transaction. When you’ve got 17 people who have been arrested 99 times, and they don’t live in the area of the venue, you know that when they’re at that venue, they’re there for only one reason, and that’s to sell illegal tickets,” he continued.

Trutanich said that law enforcement conducted a similar crackdown on drug dealers posing as homeless people on Skid Row and peddling drugs where people were seeking recovery. But Senior Staff Attorney Peter Bibring at ACLU said the injunction is too harsh.

“Overkill is part of the problem. What the city attorney has done is taken a very aggressive remedy, though one that’s traditionally used in anti-gang injunctions, and applied it to, basically, a petty crime. Ticket scalping under either state law or the L.A. municipal code is just a misdemeanor,” said Bibring.

Bibring added that the 17 scalpers would be completely barred from areas surrounding Dodger Stadium, the Staples Center and USC.

“[The injunction has] pretty draconian effects,” he said. “They not only couldn’t hang out outside scalping tickets, but they’d be barred from going to the restaurants around Staples Center on a Thursday morning, or going into Echo Park to visit a friend.”

Weigh In:
Should the city be able to ban ticket scalpers? How will a ban on these individuals affect the ticket brokering business in LA and how does it affect the competition amongst ticket resellers?

Guests:
Carmen Trutanich, Los Angeles City Attorney
Peter Bibring, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California

Jeremy Renner attends 'The Bourne Legacy' Melbourne premiere at Village Cinemas, Crown Melbourne on August 8, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Credit: Robert Prezioso/Getty Images

Guest host David Lazarus is joined by KPCC film critics Andy Klein and Peter Rainer to review this week’s new films, including "The Bourne Legacy," "The Campaign," "Hope Springs" and more. TGI-FilmWeek!

Guests:

Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and the L.A. Times Community Papers chain

Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign event at Central Campus High School on August 8, 2012 in Des Moines, Iowa. Mitt Romney is campaigning in Iowa before traveling to New Jersey and New York for fundraising events. Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

As election day inches closer, the messaging from both sides of the political spectrum gets more and more vicious.

A new Web ad is now circulating that implies that Mitt Romney is responsible for the death of a woman whose husband lost his job in a Bain Capital takeover:

The “Romney-killed-my-wife” ad was produced by the super PAC Priorities USA Action and implies Joe Soptic’s layoff had a cascading affect that ultimately led to his wife losing her battle with cancer when he lost his work health insurance. However, CNN reports that Soptic’s wife was diagnosed with cancer several years after the layoff.

These kinds of smear campaigns aren’t new in the fierce presidential campaign arena. Mostly recently, we’ve seen Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accuse Romney of not paying taxes for 10 years, a claim that cannot be confirmed, but has kept the conversation focused on the presumptive GOP candidate’s refusal to release his tax returns. And President Obama still deals with accusations that he wasn’t born in the United States.

Other famous examples of presidential campaign attacks include a whisper, push-polling campaign suggesting that John McCain fathered an illegitimate black child and the Swift Boat campaign against candidate John Kerry that questioned details of his military service record.

Weigh In: How effective are these types of smear campaigns? What are some other historical examples of campaigns pulling out the dirty tricks? Do these messages ever backfire on the messengers?

Guest: David Mark, Politix Editor-in-Chief and author, "Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning"

Are Morsi's actions just a power grab or the rightful assertion of a civilian-run government? Credit: Fredrik Persson/AP

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi replaced several top military leaders on Sunday, sharply shifting Egypt’s balance of power. At the top of the list was Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, a crucial ally of ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s who has served in the post for more than two decades.

Morsi also vowed to scrap a constitutional declaration put in place by the military before his June 30 inauguration that had essentially stripped the authority of his office. To some observers, Morsi’s actions are seen as the rightful assertion of a civilian-run government. Others see it as an aggressive power grab aimed at giving the Muslim Brotherhood unchecked influence over the military, parliament, and the presidency.

So far there has been no sign of a counter-coup or backlash by the armed forces and there have been some reports that Morsi’s reshuffle was actually made in consultation with the military council.

Do Morsi’s moves reveal a split within the senior leadership of the Egyptian military? Did Morsi just make himself a dictator? What will happen now that Morsi has claimed all the power? What are the implications for the U.S.?

Guest:

Michele Dunne, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

Jeffrey Martini, Middle East analyst with the RAND Corporation; Co-author of “Democratization in the Arab World: Prospects and Lessons from Around the Globe

Summer is officially over for LAUSD students; the first day back is today, August 14th Credit: Tami Abdollah / KPCC

If it seems like summer gets shorter and shorter every year, you’re not imagining things. Today is back-to-school day for students throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District – the first time on a new, two-semester schedule.

The school board first adopted an early start date for high schools in order to align them with college semesters. It then followed that it made sense to bring the younger grades in as well. One advantage? Students now have extra time to prepare for state exams – and a winter break that’s study-free. Nevertheless, it somehow feels fundamentally wrong to send kids back to classrooms during the dog days.

Has the early start disrupted your family’s summer? Did you have to forgo a vacation, or jettison your kids’ plans for camp? Or are you happy to send bored, mopy kids back to air conditioned classrooms, and have the beach to yourself?

Guest:

Tom Waldman, director of media and communications for Los Angeles Unified School District

City Councilman Joe Buscaino at a parking meter removal event Credit: Photo from Joe Buscaino's office.

Over the last few years, parts of Los Angeles has seen parking meter rates increase and old coin meters switched out to high-tech credit-card-accepting meters. But this week, San Pedro and Willmington have started ripping out 645 parking meters. The move hopes to increase traffic to local businesses; the increased sales tax revenue is projected to make up on the money lost on parking fees in the area.

So, how do parking meters and parking accessibility affect local businesses in the city? Can adjusting parking improve sales? What Los Angeles parking issues would you like to see addressed?

Guests:

Joe Buscaino, Councilman for the 15th District in Los Angeles

Tej Sundher, owner, Hollywood Wax Museum and Hollywood Guinness World Records Museum

Would you check your phone at the door for a 5% discount? Credit: TEH ENG KOON/AFP/Getty Images

It’s become part of the restaurant table setting: knife, fork, napkin and cell phone.

Distracted dining is the new norm with customers constantly texting friends, tweeting an Instagram photo of the meal they’re about to chow down or emailing the boss. For many smart-phone users, it’s hard just to focus on the meal and company at hand.

Now, one restaurant in Los Angeles is giving diners a reason to turn off the digital world, by offering customers willing to check their phones at the door a 5-percent discount on their bill. Owner/chef Mark Gold of Eva Restaurant, located on Beverly Boulevard near N. Gardner Street, hopes this gives customers a way to truly sit back and relax, enjoy their meal and actually talk to with friends and family in-person.

"For us, it's really not about people disrupting other guests. Eva is home, and we want to create that environment of home, and we want people to connect again," he explained. "It's about two people sitting together and just connecting, without the distraction of a phone, and we're trying to create an ambience where you come in and really enjoy the experience and the food and the company."

Gold said instating the suggestion reminds him to keep cell phone usage at bay, too. "I'm guilty of it as well. When [my wife and I] go to dinner it seems like the cell phone is part of the table setting now. Every table you look at, it's a wine glass, the silverware and the cell phone," he joked.

The husband and wife team runs Eva, a 40-person space with European flair. Gold said a little less than half take advantage of the deal, and no one has gotten upset about it.

"I think once the server approaches the table and they're presented with the offer, they like the idea of actually talking to each other again," he said.

Weigh In:

Is distracted dining a pet peeve of yours? Would you be willing to check your phone at the door? Should more restaurants crack down on cell phone use?

Guest:

Mark Gold, Owner/chef of Eva Restaurant in Mid City/West Hollywood

“Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator” Credit: By Ryan Holiday

We all know that blogs and websites aren’t always the most reliable news sources. Students are endlessly urged to be discriminating when doing research online and skeptical of sites like Wikipedia. But what happens when even the most reputable news sources can’t be trusted?

In his book “Trust Me, I’m Lying,” marketing expert Ryan Holiday exposes the seedy underbelly of media manipulation, where even The New York Times can be duped. Holiday says we live in a world where blogs like Gawker, Buzzfeed and the Huffington Post distort the news and it’s his job, as a self-proclaimed “media manipulator” to control them.

Recently, Holiday went on a spree of manipulation, lying to The New York Times, CBS and ABC about everything from vinyl record collecting, to his troubles as an insomniac, all in an effort to pull back the curtain on the marketers who write the news, the reckless journalists who spread the lies, and the lack of accountability. In the process, Holiday reveals that the very framework of our current news system is flawed.

“Trust Me, I’m Lying” has ignited controversy among major news sources. But it’s also sparked high praise from various critics. Though some question Holiday’s motives in writing the book (he is a manipulator after all), many still believe it’s an important and incisive look at the state of the media in America.

So, who and what can we trust?

Guest:

Ryan Holiday, author of “Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator” (Portfolio/Penguin), media strategist and marketing director for American Apparel

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks about the Department of Homeland Security's recent announcement about deportation of illegal immigrants in the Rose Garden at the White House June 15, 2012 in Washington, DC. Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Today marks the beginning of President Obama’s “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” immigration policy. The plan allows for illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children to stay legally, via an authorization to work and a two-year deferral from deportation.

More than 1.2 million young immigrants could benefit from this program, and some estimates even range up to the 1.7 million mark. The “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” plan was adopted in lieu of the even more comprehensive Dream Act, which would have granted legal status to the same group affected here, but stalled in Congress in 2010.

Here in Southern California, a ceremony was held at 9 a.m. at the office of the Coalition for Humane Immigrants Rights of Los Angeles to roll in the new policy, which will be followed by information sessions for the 500 or so expected to attend on the application process.

Who exactly is affected by this administration’s immigration reforms? What does it mean for Los Angeles and the rest of California?

Guests:

Linett Luna, UCLA senior studying Latin American Studies and Anthropology, who came to the U.S. legally when she was 10 years old to join her parents and siblings then overstayed her visa

Russell Jauregui, Immigration Attorney with the Los Angeles firm Vellanoweth and Gayhart

Jessica Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies, Center for Immigration Studies

At Upstart, donors invest in students' careers based on an algorithm that determines their future success. Above is Omri Mor, a University of Washington graduate. Credit: zdnet.com

With the rising costs of higher education, students are often graduating with mountains of debt. Dave Girouard saw this debt as a burden to the potential of future entrepreneurs. So, he left his post as the head of enterprise at Google to launch Upstart (based in Palo Alto).

The idea is to fund recent college graduates with entrepreneurial or artist dreams, but wouldn’t have the resources to launch a creative endeavour and pay back loans. So, Upstart is giving money to eligible grads in return for a percentage of their future income about $30,000. Here’s how it works. Grads put up a profile and Upstart rates them according to an algorithm.

Guests:

Jeff Keltner, founding member of Upstart; former Engineer at Google where he launched and ran the Google Apps for Education business and supported Google’s overall Enterprise business

Nathan Sharp, 2008 Harvard graduate; MBA 2012 Dartmouth Tuck School of Business. Nathan just graduated and has about $100,000 of student-loan debt. He’s part of the Upstart pilot program.

Matt DeBord, KPCC Reporter; writes the DeBord Report KPCC.org

UC Berkeley Campanile Credit: Adriel Hampton/Flickr

In the 1960’s, UC Berkeley became well known as the birthplace of the campus free speech movement. Now, some University of California students see a threat to free speech brewing.

It started two years ago, when a number of disturbing incidents on UC campuses made big news. A group of Muslim students loudly interrupted the Israeli ambassador’s talk at the Irvine campus, prompting an outcry by Jewish and Muslim students. During Black History Month, a UC San Diego frat house sent out Facebook invitations to a “Compton Cookout”; after black students complained, a noose was found hanging in the library.

These and other incidents of perceived racism or anti-Semitism prompted UC president Mark Yudof to form a task force to assess the racial, cultural and religious climate on campuses. The 17-member Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion visited UC’s throughout the state to meet with students and talk about their concerns.

The council’s report, delivered to Yudof last month, suggests a campus-wide need to foster a more inclusive climate. Among their recommendations: diversity training for faculty and students, attention to the dietary and worship needs of Muslim and Jewish students, a review of student organization activities and the adoption of a “hate speech-free” campus policy. But the report has raised questions by students, faculty and civil rights groups. The National Lawyers Guild, the Council on American-Islamic Relationas and an ad hoc student-faculty group have all sent letters to Yudof questioning the study and its recommendations.

What was the council’s fact-finding process, and how did they reach the conclusions they did? What constitutes hate speech, and who decides the parameters? How is it distinguished from other forms of civil protest? What would a UC-wide “hate speech-free policy” look like and how will it be implemented? Even if such a policy is workable – is it constitutional?

Guests:

Sarah Anne Minkin, PhD. candidate in sociology at University of California, Berkeley and a member of the UC Ad Hoc Committee on Jewish Campus Climate

Richard Barton, member of the UC Advisory Committee on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion, national chair of education for the Anti-Defamation League, Adjunct Professor of Law at University of San Diego School of Law

Councilmember Ed Reyes, who is a proponent of the change in parking requirements. Credit: Andres Aguila/KPCC

It’s hard enough for a driver to find one parking space in this city. If you’re a business owner, the law says you need to find several. Businesses in Los Angeles have been stymied by the city’s parking requirement rules, which date back to the 1940s.

Office buildings, retail establishments, restaurants and apartments are all required to provide a minimum number of parking spaces in order to open. For every 1,000 square feet it occupies, an office-type business must provide two parking spaces, a retail store needs four and a restaurant must come up with 10.

As a result, small business in many areas has dwindled as shops shutter and new owners fail to find the required allotment of spots.

A new parking initiative, spearheaded by Eastside and Central City council members, aims to change that dynamic by relaxing the rules and reducing the number of required spots. The program would divide up the city into zones where each community would be able to enact, through a series of votes, what works best for their area.

Councilman Ed Reyes, who voted in favor of the initiative Tuesday night, sees this as a positive development for many areas of L.A. that he represents. However, for other areas, particularly in West Los Angeles, the idea of easing restrictions in already congested areas is not popular for many residents. Neighborhood activists fear that the initiative will bring more traffic to overcrowded streets, leaving cars cruising the surrounding streets for a space.

“It’s not going to be imposed on anyone. It’s going to be sought out. It’ll be layered in with a process in mind so … those residents who are concerned about overfilled parking that they will have a role in this. So perhaps the end result will be some type of a balance,” Reyes said on AirTalk.

Even with this reassurance, many residents, including Jim O’Sullivan, the President of the Miracle Mile Residential Association, feel this solution may actually create more parking problems. He says there is a larger problem which is the city’s lack of comprehensive transportation system for residents.

“For instance in the Miracle Mile, or the whole Mid-City West neighborhood council area it’s a parking congested area. You can’t take one parking place away. We constantly have issues with restaurants that need to open and there just is no space other than to drive into communities,” said O’Sullivan.

The initiative comes after pilot programs in Atwater Village have shown promising results, injecting the areas with small businesses and enlivening the streets with pedestrian traffic. Reyes emphasized that these positive results prove that it’s time for Los Angeles to move forward with a more diverse approach to parking rather than the single city-wide ordinance.

“This menu allows flexibility both ways, in terms of understanding the unique qualities of every neighborhood and that phrase one size fits all, and how that does not apply to the unique, diverse environment that we call Los Angeles,” Reyes added.

The LA City Council will have a final vote next week on the initiative.

Weigh In
How do you think the new rules will affect your area? Would you like to see more businesses opening, even without parking requirements? Will you to walk to your favorite restaurant to avoid hunting for a parking space?

Guests:

Councilman Ed Reyes, representing the 1st district of Los Angeles including Mount Washington, Lincoln Heights and Echo Park; proponent of changing parking requirements for businesses.

Jim O’Sullivan, President of the Miracle Mile Residential Association; opposes the City Council’s parking plan

The Groupon logo is displayed on the company's website. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Daily deals seem to be on their way out. Their demise is heralded by the recent fiscal failings of Groupon, the site that sells discounted package deals for anything from spa trips to burgers to reading glasses. Critics of Groupon have been vocal about what they see as an inherently flawed business model.

Articles at varied news outlets like Slate, Forbes, Esquire, and even The Christian Science Monitor have voiced one opinion: Groupon has no future. Most of these critics cite the fact that there’s no barrier for competition. Companies can, and do, exactly what Groupon does. It hasn’t created enough of a niche for itself. These same critiques can be applied to any site that features a daily deal or package sale similar to Groupon.

The main reason for their demise? The competition can’t be helping, but it is the very nature of the deals that dooms them. Groupon and other sites rely heavily on the merchants that provide them with those incredibly discounted offers, and the deal sites have very little to bargain with. Groupon lures businesses—often cash-strapped ones—into the deal by promising increased exposure and customers who will spend more than their coupon amount.

However, the company doesn’t keep any statistics to back up these claims. Businesses usually just end up losing 75% of profits to bargain hunting costumers unlikely to make a return trip. Groupon and others can’t exist without the businesses that provide their deals, and those businesses seem to be getting little out of the partnership.

Are you a daily deals customer? If so, how have you taken advantage of the offers? Do you return to the businesses you get deals from? If you’re a small business owner, have you been affected by Groupon or other such sites? If Groupon is on the brink, what can consumers do to protect themselves if they’re still trying to find a good deal?

Guests:

Matt DeBord, KPCC Reporter; writes the DeBord Report KPCC.org

Rawkesh Agrawal, writer for VentureBeat, appears on Bloomberg TV and CNBC and has contributed to TechCrunch and GigaOm

Read Agrawal's consumer FAQ on Groupon and other daily deal sites here. E-mail Agrawal with any daily deals issues or negative experiences at dailydeals@agrawals.org.