How should the Venice City Council respond to the weekend's hit-and-run? Is building a barrier to keep cars off the boardwalk a good move?; Credit: majunznk/Flickr

In the wake of the deadly crash on the Venice boardwalk, the Los Angeles City Council has moved to install temporary traffic barriers to prevent cars from driving onto the Ocean Front Walk as they look for a permanent solution.

There are nearly 30 streets and alleys connected to the Venice boardwalk and some of them lack any kind of traffic barriers. On Saturday, a man maneuvered around fours poles on Dudley Avenue in Venice and drove a sedan onto the boardwalk, killing an Italian tourist and injuring 12 others. He turned himself in an hour after the rampage.

City Councilman Mike Bonin says  it’s way too easy for cars to get on the Venice boardwalk as things currently stand and says there are 15 to 20 close calls a day. The council has given city officials 14 days to come back with additional safety proposals for the boardwalk.

Guest:

Mike Bonin, Los Angeles City Councilman for District 11, which includes Venice

US President Barack Obama speaks on home ownership for the middle class at Desert Vista High School on August 6, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. ; Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

 It’s been almost five years since the federal government bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, costing taxpayers $187.5 billion. With the housing market on the mend, President Obama says it's now time to wind down the two mortgage giants and for private investors to take on a bigger role. Obama made his remarks on Tuesday in Arizona, a state that was hit very hard by the housing bubble in 2007 and 2008, leading to a wave of foreclosures. The approach Obama endorsed this week mirrors a bipartisan Senate bill that would minimize the government’s role in the U.S. mortgage finance market. “For too long, these companies were allowed to make big profits buying mortgages, knowing that if their bets went bad, taxpayers would be left holding the bag,” Obama said. “It was heads we win, tails you lose. And it was wrong.”

But is private lending the best solution? Should Fannie and Freddie, which own or insure 2/3 of U.S. home loans, be shuttered or reformed? What should the fed’s role be in home buying?

Guest:

Clea Benson, Housing Policy Reporter, Bloomberg News

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner is in therapy for his behavior. Do you think it will help?; Credit: Getty Images

With nearly a dozen sexual-harassment accusers going public, embattled San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has begun a two-week, "intensive" therapy program. Filner has admitted wrongdoing, but refuses to resign and wants the city of San Diego to pay his legal fees. From colleagues to constituents to passing acquaintances, 11 women allege he made unwanted sexual advances, some included groping and kissing. Laura Fink, a former deputy campaign manager for Filner, is skeptical of the rehabilitation treatment saying, "It is highly doubtful that two weeks of therapy will correct for decades of reprehensible behavior." Therapists concede it's a difficult process that does not work for everyone.

How do experts define this type of harassment? Is it about sex or power or a lack of empathy? Or all of the above and more? What are the stages of treatment? How can a perpetrator confront denial while navigating legal battles?

Guest:

Robert Weiss, Clinical Social Worker and Founding Director of the Sexual Recovery Institute, which counsels people with a variety of problems, including sexual harassment offenders.

Doctors often prescribe powerful and addictive narcotics unnecessarily for back pain.; Credit: Dave 77459/Flickr

A recent study by researchers at Harvard University found that doctors are increasingly eschewing best practices when treating those suffering from back pain. More and more, doctors are referring patients to surgery, suggesting expensive and potentially dangerous tests, and prescribing powerful pain medication, when most know that back pain is most effectively treated with ice, rest, rehabilitation, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen. Back pain is an $86 billion business in the United States, and a better understanding of how we’re treating back pain and why could lead to cost savings as well as cutting the risk of unnecessary prescriptions and surgeries.

Why are doctors over-prescribing a cure for something sufferers know has no quick fix? Do you suffer from back pain? How do you handle it?

Guest:

Dr. John Mafi, M.D. , lead author of the study “Worsening Trends in the Management and Treatment of Back Pain” published in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association

The LA-based band was the first all-girl group to be signed to a major label.

The 70’s rock band The Runaways helped pave the way for female artists of today like Madonna and Lady Gaga. The LA-based band was the first all-girl group to be signed to a major label and tour the world. Evelyn McDonnell’s “Queens of Noise: The Real Story of The Runaways” tells just that—the real and complete story of the band that stirred up controversy with their sometimes provocative displays of sexuality on stage. McDonnell says her recount of The Runaways’ history is one that’s full of California tales, teenage angst and feminist fables.    

Guest:
Evelyn McDonnell, author, “Queens of Noise”

Los Angeles City Hall; Credit: Matt Schilder/Flickr

In the last Los Angeles city election, a bond measure to raise money for transit projects failed to pass by a hair. Measure J secured 64.72% of the vote, but needed 66.6%. State law requires local bond measures to have two-thirds of the vote, but some lawmakers want to change that. They argue city infrastructure is crumbling because  tax-raising efforts are hamstrung by too high a threshold for voter support.

One lawmaker in particular is rather passionate. Yesterday [WED], City Councilman Bob Blumenfield won support of L.A. City Council to support passage of ACA 8. The Sacramento bill was authored by Blumenfield during his time in the California State Legislature.

If it passes the Senate, it would place a measure on the November 2014 ballot to reduce the threshold for passage of local infrastructure bond measures to 55%. Why is two-thirds the current standard for such measures?

Guests:
Bob Blumenfield, City Councilman 3rd District, Los Angeles; Former California Assemblyman and author of ACA 8

Jon Coupal, President, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

Riley Cooper was caught on tape saying a racial slur.; Credit: Getty Images

During a Kenny Chesney music concert in June, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper was caught on video saying a racial slur. The Eagles released a statement regarding Cooper’s status on the team saying, “We are shocked and appalled by Riley Cooper’s words. This sort of behavior or attitude from anyone has no role in a civil society. ”

Cooper later released a statement apologizing and calling his actions, “inexcusable.” He asked his teammates, many of whom are African American, to forgive him for his actions, and to judge him by his future. Many of his teammates have been supportive when Cooper returned to practice on August 6th after paying a fine to the team.  Cooper is not the first person in the public eye to face backlash after using a racial slur. Recently, former Food Network star  Paula Deen came under fire when it was revealed she had used racial slurs. She lost several endorsements and her popular show.

Is a fine and counseling a suitable punishment for Cooper?  How will his teammates react in the locker room? How do you react when a friend or coworker uses a racial slur? Can this be forgivable? Are certain racial slurs more acceptable than others?

Many are calling for San Diego Mayor Bob Filner to resign after less than a year in office amid allegations that he sexually harassed women. ; Credit: Greg Bull/AP

San Diego mayor Bob Filner is being sued by his former communications director Irene McCormack Jackson for sexual harassment, but the mayor claims that, because of such intense media interest, he can’t get a fair trial in the county, and he’s requested a change of venue to neighboring Imperial County.

"A change in venue is necessary because publication of the allegations of sexual harassment against Mayor Filner have been so widespread, unrelenting, intense, and outspoken that there is reason to believe that an impartial trial cannot be had in San Diego,” says Filner’s lawyers.But McCormack’s legal representation disagrees. "We believe that the case should be heard and decided by a jury of Mayor Filner's peers who reside in San Diego,'' McCormack Jackson’s lawyer Gloria Allred told the media.

Do you think Filner can get a fair trial in his home county?

Guests:

Stanley Goldman, Professor of Law at Loyola Law School and Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Genocide

Gloria Allred, Attorney representing a woman accusing San Diego Mayor Bob Filner of inappropriate sexual advances; Partner with Allred, Maroko & Goldberg law firm based in Los Angeles  

This year, Florida will start implementing education goals based on race. Is that a good idea?; Credit: Melanie Holtsman/Flickr

Florida will start implementing education goals based on race starting this school year. The state sets different reading and math standards for students from different minority groups. It wants 90 percent of Asian American students reading at grade level by 2018, 88 percent of whites, 81 percent of Hispanics and 74 percent of black students.

In math, 92 percent of Asian American students are expected to perform at grade level, compared with 86 percent for whites, 80 percent for Hispanics and 74 percent for blacks. The goals were approved last October by the Florida Board of Education. Critics say by setting goals lower for black and Hispanic students the state is essentially telling these students that they are not as capable as whites and Asian Americans.

Pam Stewart, Florida's education commissioner, says standards must be established before achievement and learning gaps could be narrowed. Last week, the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County and the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a complaint against the goals with the U.S. Department of Justice.   

Guests:

Tania Galloni, managing attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Florida office.

Daria Hall, director of K-12 Policy Development at Education Trust, an education think tank in Washington DC. 

Chief Programming Executive and GM of General Audience Programming at PBS Beth Hoppe and actress Miranda Hart speak onstage during the 'Call The Midwife' panel at the PBS portion of the 2013 Summer Television Critics Association tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 6, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. ; Credit: Getty Images

 The hardest working summer camp in Beverly Hills just wrapped. The Television critics Association two-week tour featured previews of possibly racist, definitely over-hyped and likely entertaining new programs. There were also insightful industry trends of note.

One surprising thesis: the long-coveted 18-49 demographic is over? What are the most promising new shows? Which audiences are they trying to win? (And will Angelenos get to see any of the CBS fodder?)

How long do you want to live?; Credit: Curtis Foreman/Flickr

The fountain of youth isn't as appealing as you might think. 

A recent Pew poll found that more than two-thirds of adults said they'd want to live to somewhere between 79-100 years old. The ideal median age is 90 years, which is around 11 years longer than the current average U.S. life expectancy, 78.7 years. 

When asked if they's like their life extended to 120 years, possibly through medical treatments that would slow aging, 56 percent of people said they wouldn't be interested. 

For one, some polled thought taking advantage of medical treatments to prolong life would only be available to the wealthy and could contribute to a continued strain on the Earth's resources. 

In addition, the U.S. census bureau says by 2050, one-in-five Americans will be 65 or older and at least 400,000 Americans will be 100 or older. 

Is 120 just too many years? Or maybe not enough? How long would you want to live if you had the choice? 

Actors Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley attend the premiere of TriStar Pictures' "Elysium" at Regency Village Theatre on August 7, 2013 in Westwood, California. ; Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Filmweek: Elysium, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, We're the Millers and more: Larry Mantle and KPCC critics Tim Cogshell, Henry Sheehan and Charles Solomon review this week’s releases, including Elysium, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, We're the Millers and more. TGI-Filmweek!

Elysium

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

We're the Millers

Guests:

Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide

Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and criticsagogo.com

Charles Solomon, film critic and animation historian for KPCC, author for amazon.com

A woman carries a sign past a McDonald's during a protest by fast food workers and supporters for higher wages April 4, 2013 in New York.; Credit: STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

In light of the recent actions over wages for fast food workers, activists and economists are debating the consequences of paying higher wages (what advocates term a "living wage"). On one side, you have economists saying that paying higher wages would be beneficial not just to the workers themselves, but overall because it would ultimately result in less government support and it wouldn’t actually cost consumers all that much. On the other side, you have folks arguing that it’s untenable for businesses, it would cost jobs and hurt working families, and ultimately, it would encourage employers to replace $15-per-hour workers with automated devices that do the same job only cheaper.

Would you pay an extra dollar for your Big Mac if it meant McDonald’s employees could afford to live a better life? Or do you think that capitalism works best when business are unfettered and can pay what they think a job is worth? Should we even be considering fast food worker-type jobs as something that could be a long-term career or is it more realistic to consider them good entry-level positions but little else?

Guests:

John Schmitt, Senior Economist, Center for Economic and Policy Research

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute

Have you stopped texting and driving? ; Credit: Flickr/Skip&Nell

California banned texting while driving and drivers from using handheld cell phones 5 years ago. The Automobile Club of Southern California has released new findings looking at how well the bans are working out.

The results might be surprising: texting while driving is apparently up 126 percent, even though handheld mobile use is down 57 percent.

The surveys were conducted starting 2008, before the bans took effect. Distracted driving was the cause of 18 percent of all fatal crashes in 2010, according to the National Highway Safety Administration. Besides California, 10 other states have banned the use of handheld mobile phones and 41 states prohibit drivers from texting.

Filmmaker Werner Herzog was recently commissioned by AT&T to produce a mini-doc as part of a public service announcement urging drivers to put down their phones. The videos will be shown at 40,000 high schools throughout the country: 

So what should you do if you see someone texting while driving? Officer Vince Ramirez says you can report that person if you snag their license plate number, but officers can't issue a citation unless they witness the incident.

"There is 1-800-TELL-CHP number where they can leave the vehicle license plate number, time and description," said Ramirez. "The driver gets a letter in the mail telling them that someone reported them. We have to witness the violation to issue a citation."

Have you stopped texting while driving since the ban? Can texting while driving penalties curb the behavior?

KPCC's online polls are not scientific surveys of local or national opinion. Rather, they are designed as a way for our audience members to engage with each other and share their views. Let us know what you think on our Facebook page, facebook.com/kpcc, or in the comments below.

Guests:

Steven Bloch, Ph.D.,Traffic Safety Researcher, Automobile Club of Southern California

Officer Vince Ramirez, Southern Division, California Highway Patrol

; Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

President Obama spoke at a Press Conference to address measures to restore the  public trust in the government surveillance, and threats to the country. President Obama discussed reforms to the Patriot Act, making sure civil liberties are secure, and a more transparent government regarding these issues. 

What did you think of Obama's speech? Do you think the government should be more transparent? What do you think the government should do? What is your view on the federal government's surveillance measures? 

Guest:

David Mark, editor in chief, Politix.com

Aaron Blake, national political reporter, Washington Post

How does a high ranking on a 'party school' list affect its image?; Credit: Kyle Sullivan/Flickr

The University of Iowa is ranked the number one party school in the country as part of the latest Princeton Review rankings. Last year, Princeton Review ranked West Virginia University number one, but this year WVU dropped to fourth place.  “We are continuing to work to change the culture on our campus by education students to only consume alcohol in a legal, safe, and responsible manner,” said Tom Moore, University of Iowa spokesperson.  University of California-Santa Barbara is ranked number seven.  On the other end of the spectrum Princeton Review also ranked the top sober schools, with Pepperdine University coming in at number seventeen.  

If you’re a parent, would you care if the school your son or daughter went to a school on the top party schools list? Is your alma mater a party school? Do rankings like this help or hurt a school’s reputation? 

How young is too young to expose a child to an iPad?; Credit: Flickr/Henriksent

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents keep their children under the age of two from having any screen time--that’s television as well as gadgets like mobile phones and tablets.

But what we should do and what we actually do are two different things, as parents discover the world over just how well their iPhones or iPads work as a pacifier for their kids. Experts all seem to think that children learn better with traditional activities like drawing or playing, but the reality is that it is getting harder and harder to ensure kids stay “screen free.”

While it seems like an inevitability, how young is too young to expose a child to a device? Is there any educational value to phone or tablet apps that target toddlers?  

Guests:

Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician in Austin, Texas, and author of Baby 411: Clear Answers & Smart Advice For Your Baby's First Year

Sharon Rechter, executive vice president of business development and marketing at BabyFirst TV

Caroline Knorr, parenting editor at Common Sense Media

Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood

Tyson foods said it will no longer buy cattle fed Zilmax, a growth-inducing drug. What was the company's motivation for the decision?; Credit: Ambersky235/Flickr

Last Thursday market traders noticed cattle prices rise sharply. It was in response to news that Tyson Foods - a major meatpacker - quietly had sent letters to cattle feedlots indicating Tyson would no longer buy cows fed Zilmax. That's a supplement designed to bulk up cows before slaughter.

Tyson cited the health of animals as reason for the change. They said experts have anecdotal evidence of cows becoming lame as a side effect of the growth-inducing drug. Such supplements are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If market prices are up on the news, consumers can expect supermarket prices to rise, too. Industry watchers are calling this a game-changer. Some also question Tyson's true motivation.

Is it because they're trying to gain access to foreign markets that ban growth hormones? Is the export market becoming more important than domestic shoppers for agriculture companies? Will other meatpackers follow suit? Will feedlots be forced to halt using Zilmax and similar drugs?

Guests:
Mike Callicrate , Cattle producer based in St. Francis, Kansas; Proprietor of Ranch Foods Direct which markets farm to table beef

Tom Talbot, Cattle producer and Veterinarian from Bishop, California; Past Chairman, Cattle Health and Well-Being Committee, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Dennis Smith, Livestock Industry Analyst and Commodities Broker, Archer Financial Services

David C. Robertson's book "Brick by Brick" tells the story of the iconic LEGO brand.

The iconic LEGO brick was built in 1958, and since has captivated fans everywhere becoming the world's most valuable toy company.  But just 10 years ago the company faced bankruptcy, failing in profits. It started with a Danish carpenter who created toys, and through innovation created hit toys for the next four decades. The book,  “Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry” delves into the key strategies of the company, its most popular inventions and what nearly ruined the company. This is an insiders story that gives a glimpse into the brand that has reinvented itself through designers, company leadership and loyal fans.

Guest:

David Robertson, professor of Innovation and Product Development at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and the author of “Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry”

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder speaks during the 2013 America Bar Association (ABA) annual meeting on August 12, 2013 in San Francisco, California. Holder is seeking changes in the minimum penalties of certain low-level drug related crimes.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Nearly half of the 219,000 inmates in federal prisons are there on drug-related convictions, and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is hoping to put a dent in that number. Today at the meeting of the American Bar Association in San Francisco, Holder is pitching the idea that low-level, non-violent drug offenders shouldn’t receive minimum mandatory sentences, which typically keep people in prison for a disproportionate length of time in relation to the crimes they’ve committed.

“We need to ensure that incarceration is used to punish, deter and rehabilitate, not merely to convict, warehouse and forget,” is a line from his prepared speech that was shared with the media ahead of his appearance at the meeting.

Holder would rather divert non-violent offenders to drug treatment and community service programs. Holder sees the problem as a societal one, with some people cycling through the criminal justice system.

Is Holder right? Do we need to find more humane solutions to the ills that keep people returning to prison? Or is his proposal too soft on lawbreakers who will be encouraged to commit further crimes? How would you solve the problem of a prison system that’s running 40 percent over capacity?

Guests:
Josh Gerstein, White House Reporter for POLITICO

Ezekiel Edwards, director of the ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project and primary author of the marijuana report

John Malcolm, Director of the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation