FILE - This undated photo provided by Occidental Petroleum Corp., shows Occidental Petroleum Corp.'s Dr. Ray R. Irani.; Credit: Occidental Petroleum/AP

One of the highest-paid execs in corporate America is out of a job. Investors at the Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum voted to oust Executive Chairman Ray Irani at its annual shareholder meeting last Friday.

Shareholders were apparently unhappy with Irani’s alleged attempt to throw out the energy company’s current CEO, who replaced him two years ago. Shareholder activism has apparently been on the rise and Ray Irani is but the latest casualty. In April, Hewlett-Packard’s Ray Lane resigned as chairman, and at Chesapeake Energy, Aubrey McClendon stepped down as the firm’s CEO.

Guest:

Damien Park, president and CEO of Hedge Fund Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm that studies shareholder activism based in Philadelphia.

An earlier version of this post incorrectly linked Occidental Petroleum with Occidental College and featured an image of the college. There is no link between the two, and KPCC regrets the error.

A Frontier Airlines plane sits on the tarmac at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Is it fair for airlines to charge for drinks on flights? ; Credit: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Frontier Airlines plans to charge economy passengers $1.99 for soda, juice, coffee and tea. The last carrier that tried to stop complimentary beverage service was US Airways in 2009. At the time, it hoped to set an industry trend, but found itself all alone fielding vitriolic reaction from customers. Six months later, refreshments were free of charge again.

Following a more recent and successful trend, Frontier will charge carry-on fees -- $25 in advance, $100 at the gate -- to folks who buy their plane tickets from Orbitz, Expedia and the like. The Denver-based airline says the move answers complaints from its loyal customer base tired of crowded overhead bins. Moreover, the fee will encourage customers to buy tickets directly from Frontier in order to avoid the fee.

How will the marketplace respond to the beverage fee? What about passengers? Will this make for grumpy, penny pinchers on board? Could it start a trend? What about the carry-on fee? How much financial gain will Frontier see?

Guest:

Chris McGinnis, Travel Analyst with Travel Skills in San Francisco, CA.

How will an app identifying Malibu beach access points change the way the community shares the beachfront? ; Credit: Mae Ryan/KPCC

Anyone who’s ever sat in the bumper to bumper summertime traffic crawling from Santa Monica to Malibu’s Surfrider Beach can attest to two most striking features of the drive: how beautiful the coast is west of the Los Angeles basin and how few actual access points there are to all that stunning beachfront.

RELATED: The beach app Malibu residents really don't want you to have

Not only are there few paths, staircases, and parking lots for beachgoers who can’t afford a multi-million-dollar house on the sand, but the few access points that do exist are frequently obscured by homeowners who would rather keep the beach in front of their home “private.”

What tricks are employed to dissuade Angelinos from accessing Malibu’s beaches? Why isn’t there more access to these beaches? Are some beaches private and others public? How do you tell the difference?

Guest:

Jenny Price, author of newly launched app Our Malibu Beaches

Lev Goukassian, owner of the Nirvana Pharmacy, a medical marijuana shop in Los Angeles, California, works on his products.; Credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images

California’s Supreme Court has unanimously ruled to allow local governments to ban medical marijuana dispensaries within their borders. The ruling will allow cities and counties to restrict access to medical marijuana by shutting down pot shops within city limits. 

Medical marijuana is legalized in California, and the drug is decriminalized throughout the state, but this most recent ruling from the California Supreme Court could result in the closure and criminalization of medical marijuana dispensaries. 

Should local governments be able to restrict access to dispensaries? What will happen to the shut down shops? What does the ruling mean for California citizens who smoke legal medical marijuana? 

Guest: 

Frank Stoltze, KPCC reporter

US-Energy-Gas-Environment.Jeff Boggs, responsible for the drilling at Consol Energy poses infront of one of the company's Horizontal Gas Drilling Rigs exploring the Marcellus Shale outside the town of Waynesburg, PA on April 13, 2012. It is estimated that more than 500 trillion cubic feet of shale gas is contained in this stretch of rock that runs through parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia. Shale gas is natural gas stored deep underground in fine-grained sedimentary rocks. It can be extracted using a process known as hydraulic fracturing – or "fracking" – which involves drilling long horizontal wells in shale rocks more than a kilometre below the surface. Massive quantities of water, sand and chemicals are pumped into the wells at high pressure. This opens up fissures in the shale, which are held open by the sand, enabling the trapped gas to escape to the surface for collection. ; Credit: MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images

The controversial oil extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is again coming under scrutiny in California. Last week, the Assembly Natural Resources Committee okayed three measures that would place a moratorium on fracking until its environmental impacts are fully understood.

California is in the early stages of regulating fracking. And the fight over fracking in the state has been centered around the Monterey Shale in the San Joaquin Basin, which contains about 15 billion barrels of oil.

These three bills were not the first bills to make it out of committee this year, but they are the toughest. Last year, the California Legislature killed a proposed temporary ban on the practice.

Guests:

Holly Mitchell (D-Culver City), Assemblymember for California’s 54th district, with Culver City as its center. 

Tupper Hull, Vice President, Strategic CommunicationsWestern States Petroleum Association

Tesla Model S electric car on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. ; Credit: STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

To combat air pollution, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requires all carmakers to sell a certain number of electric vehicles in the state. Those that fail to reach the quota could purchase zero-emissions-vehicle credits from other automakers in an open market.

One of the biggest beneficiaries is the Palo Alto-based high-end electric carmaker Tesla, which could pocket as much as $35,000 for each credit sold. The board says it only wants to incentivize automakers to make more pollution-free cars. Opponents want to know why the state is subsidizing a segment of the automobile industry that the consumer has shown little interest in anyway?

Guests:

Eileen Tutt, Executive Director of the California Electric Transportation Coalition, a non profit organization. Their members include utilities and automakers.

Eric Noble, President of the CarLab

Ruslan Tsarni, uncle of the suspected Boston Marathon bombing suspects, speaks to reporters in front of his home April 19, 2013 in Montgomery Village, Maryland. Tsarni has said his newphew Tamerlan Tsarnaev deserves a proper burial, but his body has been refused by cemeteries all over the Northeast. ; Credit: Allison Shelley/Getty Images

Suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev is ready to be buried, but so far no one has been able to figure out how. His widow has rejected the body, and his parents, currently living in Russia, were reluctant to claim it. That left the task to his estranged uncle, who despite his disgust over his nephews’ alleged crimes, has said that he deserves a proper burial.

However, the local cemetery in Tsarnaev’s residential town of Cambridge, and cemeteries in other parts of Boston, have rejected the body for burial, stating that they wish to respect the local victims of the bombings and to avoid having his gravesite become any sort of shrine or other political symbol. Even the undertaker who received his body has had his mortuary flanked by protesters in last few days.

No US government official has claimed responsibility for the body, and Tsarnaev’s Muslim religion does not permit a cremation. So far the best is one man from Worcester, MA, a community activist who is planning to raise money to send the body to Russia.

Is this an unprecedented situation? How have other infamous people’s bodies been dealt with in the past? Do cemeteries have a right to reject bodies, and what exactly are they trying to avoid by doing so?

Guest:

David Sloane, Professor at USC’s Price School of Public Policy, and author of  The Last Great Necessity: Cemeteries in American History

City Councilman Eric Garcetti and City Controller Wendy Greuel greet each other before a mayoral debate at USC Health Sciences Campus in Mayer Auditorium on Monday, April 22.; Credit:

There are only two weeks until the May 21st runoff between mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti. KPCC’s politics reporter Frank Stoltze gives us an update on the candidates’ last minute moves to gain an edge.

Guest:

Frank Stoltze, KPCC politics reporter

A "License Plate Reader" or LPR, one of two mounted on the trunk of a Metropolotian Police Department(MPD) is seen on a police car in Washington, DC, December 1, 2011. It works silently in the backround automatically recording automobile license plates that drive by and then rapidly checks a computer database of stolen or wanted cars. Hundreds of MPD police cars have the cameras forming a virtual net looking for stolen vehicles. ; Credit: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Privacy rights groups are suing the LAPD and the LA County Sheriff’s Department after the law enforcement agencies refused to hand over info gleaned from their license-plate scanning technology.

Officials claim the technology, which scans license plates and checks them against criminal databases, has helped officers find more stolen vehicles and criminals at large, and that the time and location data can later help investigators piece together crimes.

But the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who filed the suit, are concerned about an invasion of privacy. Peter Bibring, an attorney with the ACLU of Southern California, said his group has no objection to police using the cameras to search for stolen vehicles but wants the LAPD and Sheriff's Department to quickly erase any data on cars and drivers not connected to any crime.

Guest:

Jennifer Lynch, staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Steve Whitmore, LA Sheriff's Deptartment spokesperson

A police officer keeps the public away from the house where three women, who disappeared as teens about a decade ago, were found alive May 7, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio. Amanda Berry, who went missing in 2003, Gina DeJesus, who went missing in 2004, and Michelle Knight, who went missing in 2002, managed to escape their captors on May 6, 2013. Three suspects, all brothers, were taken into custody. ; Credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

The pain and panic in Amanda Berry's 911 call yesterday is evidence of the severity of this case. Three woman held captive by three brothers for ten long years. In 2003, sixteen-year-old Berry disappeared walking home from her job at Burger King. In 2002, Michelle Knight 's family stopped hearing from the 20-year-old, but thought the reason was a custody dispute. In 2004, Gina DeJesus vanished on her way home from high school.

They were held in a home owned by Ariel Castro. Police say Castro and his brothers, Onil and Pedro -- all in their 50s -- conspired in the case. A six-year-old girl was also found who was reportedly born to Amanda Berry during the ordeal. The Castro house was just a few miles from where the women had all been kidnapped. While the case reminds us of other long-term kidnapping and captivity cases, such as Jaycee Dugard and Austria's Josef Fritzl, analysts say it is very unusual to have three brothers working in concert.

How did they keep it secret from neighbors, family or coworkers for so long? Why weren't the women able to escape sooner? What is the psychological profile of men like the Castros? How will these women recover?

Guest:

Eric Hickey, Ph.D., criminologist and dean of the California School of Forensic Studies, Alliant International University, former consultant to the FBI

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, on August 28, 2012 during the Republican National Convention. Has Christie's lap band-related weight loss increased his odds in a potential presidential run? ; Credit: STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

For years, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been mocked and criticized for weighing upwards of 300 pounds. The health and fitness of political leaders - especially those with rumored presidential aspirations - isn't necessarily superficial.

When Christie faced a punishing schedule during Hurricane Sandy, former White House doctor, Dr. Connie Mariano, told CNN, “I’m worried he may have a heart attack [or a stroke.]" Many in the Garden State are perturbed at the suggestion. They have witnessed Governor Christie's boundless energy and stamina for decades. Christie told the New York Post he underwent the lap-band surgery at the urging of family and friends, not for political optics. "For me, this is about turning 50 and looking at my children and wanting to be there for them," he says.

Does this increase the odds Christie is seeking a presidential run? Does this increase his chances of a successful bid? Did Christie take the easy way out by having surgery instead of losing weight by dieting or working out? Is this a case of "Damned if you do and damned if you don't?"

Guest:

Dr. Namir Katkhouda, Director of the Bariatric Surgery Program at USC’s Keck School of Medicine

Matt Friedman, Political reporter at the Star-Ledger newspaper in New Jersey

The Washington Redskins huddle around Robert Griffin III #10 during the NFC Wild Card Playoff Game against the Seattle Seahawks at FedExField on January 6, 2013 in Landover, Maryland.; Credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Washington D.C. councilman David Grosso has put forth a new resolution asking the city’s pro football team to change its name. Though there’s some debate as to the origin of the term ‘Redskins’, the phrase has often been described as offensive to Native Americans.

Team owners have refused to address the issue, however, and a recent poll by the AP shows that 79% of Americans nationwide support the name and don’t think the team should be forced to change it.

American Indian advocate Susan Shown Harjo has stated that “it’s not up to the offending class to say what offends the offended.” Is she right? Or does a widespread community of football supporters have more stake in a name that represents their team and their traditions?

Guests:

Ray Smith, Founder and Editor of SonOfWashington.com, a Washington Redskins blog.

Kevin Blackistone, Sports Journalism Professor at Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

The Los Angeles skyline. How do you pronounce the names of local neighborhoods, landmarks, and streets? ; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

Newbies and tourists in Los Angeles easily betray themselves when they spit out the Spanish pronunciation of what we know as San Pedro (san PEE-droh) or Los Feliz (los FEE-liz). Resident Angelenos anglicized those locales so long ago that native Spanish speakers get corrected for saying "sahn PAY-dro" or "lohz fay-LEES." But that could be changing.

As Marisa (mah-REE-sah) Gerber of the LA Times writes, "A younger generation — perhaps more sensitive to the region's history — favors truer Spanish pronunciation. L.A.'s growing Latino population helps propel the new pronunciations, too."

Have you noticed a trend? What's your prefered style? How do you pronounce Hermosa Beach? What about Cesar E. Chavez Avenue or the Chavez Ravine?

Guest:

Marisa Gerber, Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times

; Credit:

New data released by Los Angeles County officials today finds that suffocation while bed-sharing is the leading cause of infant death in L.A. County. According to the data, a baby suffocates every five days while sleeping in L.A. County.

And from 2008-2011, more babies died from suffocation because of unsafe sleep than all accidental deaths for children under age 14 combined. L.A. County, along with the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect and First 5 LA is rolling out a new campaign seeking to educate parents on the dangers of bed-sharing.

Do you co-sleep or share a bed with your infant? Do you think it’s safe? What are the risks of bed-sharing?

Guests:

Deepa Fernandes, Reporter, KPCC

Deanne Tilton Durfee, executive director, Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (ICAN)

Lysa Parker, cofounder of Attachment Parenting International and co-author “Attached at the Heart” (Health Communications Inc., 2013)

Sexual assault in the United States military is up 37 percent. ; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Pentagon reported Tuesday that there were about 26,000 cases of military assault last year, an increase of 37 percent from 2010. President Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called the high number an outrage and denounced the military's handling of assaults.

"I expect consequences," Obama said in a press conference Tuesday. "I don't want just more speeches or awareness programs or training...if we find out people are engaging in this stuff, they're going to be held accountable, prosecuted, stripped of their positions, court-martialed, fired, dishonorably discharged. Period." Many reported cases were found to have resulted in minor disciplinary action or were dismissed altogether, making victims more reluctant to report assaults against them. Members of Congress worry about this deterring women from joining the military and plan to introduce legislation to possibly change how commanders deal with accusations of sexual assault. 

What can Congress change to protect members of the military without weakening the system? Who should deal with incidents within the military’s ranks? Is the high number of assaults a reflection of increased offenses or better reporting?

Guest:

Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY reporter covering wars' impact on troops and their families

Charles Ramsey speaks with a reporter after finding missing woman Amanda Berry and calling 911. His call lead to the discovery of two more women being held in the Cleveland home of Ariel Castro. ; Credit: WEWSTV

The drama of the Cleveland kidnapping story yesterday could be eclipsed only by the comedic candor of kidnapping rescuer Charles Ramsey. He's the man who heard Amanda Berry kicking and yelling for help, then responded. Television cameras captured Ramsey recounting the story and anyone with an ear for good clip knew it was gold.

Here's a snippet of Ramsey's unaffected wisdom: "I knew somethin' was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man's arms. Somethin' is wrong here. Dead giveaway! Deeeeaaaaad giveaway." The "meme-ification" was instantaneous. Much like Ramsey, the uncle of the Boston bombers became Internet famous for being forthright, fearless and without a lick of media training. What other characters have gone viral for noble reasons? What's their appeal for you?

Guest:

 Ryan Broderick, Reporter, BuzzFeed

How will price transparency change the way hospitals charge for procedures? ; Credit: Brian Watt/KPCC

Medicare has released new data on the prices hospitals charge for 100 of the most common in-patient treatments and procedures, which are found to vary widely from one healthcare service provider to another.

In Los Angeles, one hospital was found to have charged on average $223,000 for knee and hip replacement surgeries, but at another area hospital, the same procedure only cost around $32,000.

What accounts for these pricing disparities? How does  the difference in pricing affect consumers? How do hospitals determine healthcare pricing?

Does Price Transparency Legislation Allow the Uninsured to Shop for Care?

Guest:

Bob Kocher, former Special Assistant to the President for Healthcare and Economic Policy on the National Economic Council, partner at Venrock Healthcare Technology, serves on the Board of Castlight Health and the Advisory Boards of Harvard Medical School Health Care Policy Department, USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics where he is also a Senior Fellow

Jewish photographer Julius Shulman documented the work of the numerous modernist architects inspired by Austrian Jewish immigrant and Angeleno Richard Neutra to realize their designs in Los Angeles. Shulman's photograph of a Pierre Koennig–designed home, with two young women seated in the glass-encased living room, epitomized the modern metropolis.

Tomorrow, the Autry Museum in Griffith Park opens its exhibition chronicling the contributions of Jews to the business, arts, and skyline of Los Angeles. LA  is home to the second largest number of Jews in North America, and only Tel Aviv, New York City, and Jerusalem have more Jews in their city limits.

Members of the city’s Jewish community gave us Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the iconic Stahl House in the Hollywood Hills, the Disney Concert Hall downtown,and the Barbie Doll, to name only a few of their contributions. The Autry’s exhibit attempts to paint a broad picture of the contributions of this vastly important Angelino community.

Guests:

Karen Wilson, UCLA historian and co-curator “Jews in the Los Angeles Mosaic”

Carolyn Brucken, co-curator “Jews in the Los Angeles Mosaic”

A sign posted at a Sacramento apartment complex warns of harmful chemicals on the premises, as required by Prop. 65.; Credit: devinsandberg/Flickr

The governor has proposed a serious overhaul to the decades-old Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, which requires product manufacturers, retailers and property owners to post signs warning the public if goods or premises contain toxic chemicals.

While most agree that the law has successfully forced businesses to eliminate or reduce toxic chemicals, for years many have complained that the law has been heavily abused by private lawyers. Many claim that Prop 65 has been an easy vehicle for frivolous “shake-down” lawsuits, and Governor Brown has come out in agreement. He wants to ensure, among other things, that attorney’s fees are capped for Prop 65 related cases, and to require stronger demonstration by plaintiffs that they have information to support claims before litigation begins.

Why has this seemingly straightforward law been the cause of so much scrutiny? What measures has Governor Brown proposed to fix it, and will they work? And could these measures go too far and minimize the effectiveness of Prop 65?

Guest:

David Roe, Former Environmental Defense Fund attorney and one of the principal authors of the Prop 65 initiative.

What would happen if lawmakers no longer used gut and amend practices? ; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis) and Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) are proposing amendments to the California constitution to slow down “gut and amend” political strategies.

Here’s how gut and amend works: Right before legislature is about to vote on a bill that’s gone through discussion and revisions, politicians switch out the bill’s original language and replace it with new language. This allows the new language to escape the public, and sometimes lawmakers, watchful eyes. On the other hand, it also enables lawmakers to act quickly on political will - without as much interference from lobbyists.

The Sacramento Bee reported that 48 bills were gutted and amended in the last three weeks of the 2011 session.

The proposed amendments to the California Constitution, The proposed amendments to the California Constitution, ACA 4 in the Assembly and SCA 10 in the Senate, would require all non-emergency bills to be published for 72 hours before voting is allowed. California would not be the first state to enact this law because New York and Florida already have similar legislation, according to the Sacramento Bee.

What would happen if the gut and amend process was forced to go in slower motion? How could this change the political process? Would public interest groups be more active in monitoring proposed legislation?

Guests:

Phillip Ung, Spokesperson, Common Cause described as good governance accountability group - Sponsors of ACA 4 and SCA 10

Steve Maviglio, Democratic Strategist and Former Legislative Staffer