Raman's Apology + Understanding LA City Measures with Jasmyne Cannick & Dominique DiPrima

WEBVTT
1
00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:03.919
All right, all right. We're about to talk about these
2
00:00:04.040 --> 00:00:10.259
local measures, city measures. I admit I'm looking forward to
3
00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:14.349
having Jasmine Kanick here in the studio with me because
4
00:00:14.970 --> 00:00:19.910
there's a lot and it can be... Easy to overlook
5
00:00:19.929 --> 00:00:23.160
these until the last minute when you're faced with your ballot.
6
00:00:23.420 --> 00:00:25.379
We're going to be doing a lot of that over
7
00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:27.539
the next few days. We only have a couple weeks
8
00:00:27.940 --> 00:00:32.380
before election, the last day to vote, which election day,
9
00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:35.659
November 3rd, I say election day is today because it is.
10
00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:37.859
It's every day between now and November 3rd that you
11
00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:42.179
can vote. But one of the things that happens, it's
12
00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:44.060
happened to me before, don't want it to happen to you.
13
00:00:44.359 --> 00:00:46.140
You get there and you go, oh no, I forgot
14
00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:50.640
to look at city measures. Oh no. Board of Equalization,
15
00:00:50.759 --> 00:00:54.130
oh no. Community College Board, who are all these people?
16
00:00:54.170 --> 00:00:56.810
So we're going to be doing those local conversations with
17
00:00:56.909 --> 00:01:00.549
folks in the know. um, between now and, uh, the
18
00:01:00.590 --> 00:01:04.750
last day to vote, which is November 3rd. And, uh,
19
00:01:04.810 --> 00:01:07.030
then there's November 4th, which is the day we call
20
00:01:07.230 --> 00:01:09.819
too late. That's the day it would be too late
21
00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:14.000
to vote. Also getting some breaking news here. Um, Politico
22
00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:19.340
is reporting that, uh, council member Nithya Raman, the challenger
23
00:01:19.379 --> 00:01:24.870
for mayor has, um, apologized, um, for what she said
24
00:01:25.010 --> 00:01:29.640
when she stated that, um, The golden age of policing
25
00:01:29.659 --> 00:01:35.959
in LA was under police chief Daryl Gates. I laugh
26
00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:41.209
because Daryl Gates, if you know LA history, you know
27
00:01:41.250 --> 00:01:46.030
that Daryl Gates is a figure of oppression, terror, and
28
00:01:46.209 --> 00:01:50.939
harm for the black community and many in the LGBTQ
29
00:01:51.040 --> 00:02:00.819
community and also Latinos, right? His LAPD was a militarized, racist,
30
00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:02.719
overtly racist.
31
00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:04.299
LAPD.
32
00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:06.280
So a lot of us were upset when we heard
33
00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:09.360
that at the debate. It became a big issue in
34
00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:13.000
the campaign. There were denouncements of it. There were calls
35
00:02:13.159 --> 00:02:19.870
on council member Rahman to apologize, but she and her
36
00:02:20.150 --> 00:02:24.389
surrogates had been saying that the mayor was twisting her words.
37
00:02:26.129 --> 00:02:28.939
And she seemed to, double down on the fact that
38
00:02:28.979 --> 00:02:32.759
she was talking only about immigration policy and that she
39
00:02:33.500 --> 00:02:36.379
was being taken out of context. Her and her surrogates
40
00:02:36.419 --> 00:02:39.819
have said that. Now Politico is reporting that she privately
41
00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:44.280
apologized to a South Los Angeles community group for making
42
00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:50.400
a positive reference to the LAPD. And this is what
43
00:02:50.419 --> 00:02:54.199
they're quoting in Politico. She says, quote, I invoke the
44
00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:56.479
name of someone who has caused great harm to Black
45
00:02:56.500 --> 00:03:00.300
and Latino communities in Los Angeles, and whose leadership as
46
00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:03.819
an LAPD chief was marked by open racism, open brutality.
47
00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:08.759
This is what she said on a call with the
48
00:03:08.819 --> 00:03:15.560
Watts Gang Task Force. This was Monday. Today is Wednesday. FYI,
49
00:03:16.349 --> 00:03:18.289
she said, I invoked his name trying to make a
50
00:03:18.330 --> 00:03:21.710
point about L.A. 's history of immigration enforcement and non-cooperation
51
00:03:22.150 --> 00:03:25.550
with federal immigration authorities, but I should not have done that.
52
00:03:27.030 --> 00:03:32.439
She goes on to say that, I come here wanting
53
00:03:32.460 --> 00:03:34.560
to make sure that I put that apology front and
54
00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:37.000
center and I deeply regret the choice that I made
55
00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:39.960
during the debate to invoke his name. I am very,
56
00:03:40.099 --> 00:03:45.080
very sorry about that. Apparently she repeated that apology on
57
00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:49.289
a podcast. I didn't see that podcast. And so maybe
58
00:03:49.330 --> 00:03:52.530
that's the public part. I was baffled at why you
59
00:03:52.569 --> 00:04:01.569
would decide to do that. A private apology. You made
60
00:04:01.610 --> 00:04:07.750
a public statement on NBC and Telemundo, which goes out
61
00:04:07.770 --> 00:04:11.430
to general voters, not just black voters. So why a
62
00:04:11.569 --> 00:04:15.069
private apology? I guess now it's public. It's on the podcast.
63
00:04:15.090 --> 00:04:20.069
It's on Politico. wonder what you make of that 800-920-1580.
64
00:04:20.470 --> 00:04:27.240
As promised, we'll unpack, unbox, demystify some of these local measures.
65
00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:29.959
And we're going to talk a little bit about this apology.
66
00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:31.300
Surprising.
67
00:04:31.500 --> 00:04:34.360
All right. KBLA Talk 1580. Okay. And we'll do the
68
00:04:34.420 --> 00:04:39.459
disclaimer we always do. Generation X award-winning journalist. She is
69
00:04:40.009 --> 00:04:44.670
and now an influencer, the creator of Tawanda.ai. She is
70
00:04:45.050 --> 00:04:48.839
also a delegate for the L.A. County Democratic Party, and
71
00:04:48.939 --> 00:04:52.540
she is a senior advisor to the campaign of Mayor
72
00:04:52.600 --> 00:04:56.360
Karen Bass. Not an influencer to the campaign of Karen Bass.
73
00:04:56.439 --> 00:04:57.220
No, no, no.
74
00:04:57.240 --> 00:04:59.480
A senior advisor to the campaign. I am.
75
00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:02.430
I get paid to do other things, and as I
76
00:05:02.550 --> 00:05:06.379
tell the NIFIA Defense League all the time online, I
77
00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:07.939
donate my petty for free.
78
00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:08.959
Wow.
79
00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:09.620
Yeah.
80
00:05:09.819 --> 00:05:12.819
Just the magnanimousness of that.
81
00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:15.379
I know. I do. It's an in-kind.
82
00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:16.439
Free petty for all.
83
00:05:16.819 --> 00:05:19.199
Free petty for them. Absolutely.
84
00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:23.060
Not for all. Okay. Well, I had to touch on this.
85
00:05:23.480 --> 00:05:26.639
I say that disclaimer only because, you know, okay, you
86
00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:29.300
clearly have a point of view. You work for the
87
00:05:29.339 --> 00:05:30.300
Bass Campaign.
88
00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:33.420
And I live in Los Angeles and vote in Los Angeles, too.
89
00:05:33.519 --> 00:05:35.740
And you live and vote in Los Angeles. The city.
90
00:05:36.420 --> 00:05:37.259
Los Angeles.
91
00:05:37.750 --> 00:05:39.029
Why are you pointing that out?
92
00:05:39.329 --> 00:05:42.149
Because there are so many people who have so much
93
00:05:42.230 --> 00:05:45.029
to say, who you find out live in New Jersey,
94
00:05:45.329 --> 00:05:47.709
who you find out live in Lancaster.
95
00:05:47.790 --> 00:05:48.949
Got you. Okay.
96
00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:52.839
Have nothing, have no, you know, no, no dog in
97
00:05:52.860 --> 00:05:56.199
the fight. They can't even vote. I actually live here
98
00:05:56.459 --> 00:05:57.259
and vote here.
99
00:05:57.279 --> 00:06:01.819
Yeah. Same, same. As we broadcast from Crenshaw. So I'm
100
00:06:01.889 --> 00:06:05.970
sure you saw this breaking news, Politico podcast. reporting that
101
00:06:06.310 --> 00:06:09.009
Nithya Raman, and we're going to focus on the measures,
102
00:06:09.050 --> 00:06:11.329
but I've got to get your reaction. She made an
103
00:06:11.389 --> 00:06:16.500
apology to the Watts Gang Task Force. It sounds like
104
00:06:16.620 --> 00:06:19.240
it was kind of a private apology. I'm not sure
105
00:06:19.279 --> 00:06:22.240
how that works. It doesn't. Is it supposed to filter
106
00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:23.360
out through the streets?
107
00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:24.300
No.
108
00:06:24.420 --> 00:06:28.959
And then she went on Yessi Ortiz's podcast, which is interesting,
109
00:06:28.990 --> 00:06:33.850
because although I know that Daryl Gates was harmful, to
110
00:06:33.970 --> 00:06:38.470
the Latino community, you would think that with Black leaders
111
00:06:38.790 --> 00:06:42.250
all over the city and county of LA calling for
112
00:06:42.269 --> 00:06:45.160
you to apologize, you might want to come and talk
113
00:06:45.180 --> 00:06:45.980
to somebody Black.
114
00:06:46.379 --> 00:06:49.459
Yeah. So she hasn't met the moment. She's always grading
115
00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:52.519
other people on. She definitely has not met the moment.
116
00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:54.939
We don't do.
117
00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:59.199
Private apologies for public comments. We absolutely don't do that, right?
118
00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:05.209
So She made the comment on the NBC Telemundo debate
119
00:07:06.329 --> 00:07:08.899
to an audience of millions, all right?
120
00:07:09.060 --> 00:07:10.019
You do not get.
121
00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:15.920
To apologize privately for that. So my assumption, knowing my people,
122
00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:17.500
is that's going to be unacceptable.
123
00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:21.329
But, I mean, I'm just trying to think strategically what it,
124
00:07:21.430 --> 00:07:25.329
you know, she made the apology, which is good. You know,
125
00:07:25.610 --> 00:07:27.569
I think it was appropriate for her to make the
126
00:07:27.610 --> 00:07:31.790
apology because... I don't understand the strategy behind doing it secretly.
127
00:07:32.170 --> 00:07:34.810
Well, I don't understand the strategy behind her even running
128
00:07:34.829 --> 00:07:38.220
for mayor. So there's just a lot of things there
129
00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:41.060
that just don't make sense. But what I will say
130
00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:44.740
is she owes the mayor an apology now. She absolutely
131
00:07:44.839 --> 00:07:48.079
owes Mayor Bass an apology. When she was called out
132
00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:52.540
for her Gates comments, her and her team went on
133
00:07:52.579 --> 00:07:55.829
the defense saying, oh, the mayor took my words out
134
00:07:55.870 --> 00:07:58.990
of context. Clearly from your apology, sis, the mayor did
135
00:07:59.050 --> 00:08:01.550
not take your words out of context. So that's two
136
00:08:01.589 --> 00:08:04.790
apologies that she owes now because she and her team
137
00:08:05.230 --> 00:08:07.810
really tried to double down and make it seem like
138
00:08:07.850 --> 00:08:12.480
the mayor was wrong and that she didn't know what
139
00:08:12.509 --> 00:08:16.579
she was talking about. And then I hear about this
140
00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:20.430
apology or read about this apology this morning. I'm like, oh, Well,
141
00:08:20.449 --> 00:08:22.930
I guess Mayor Bass wasn't wrong after all, since you
142
00:08:23.230 --> 00:08:26.800
are apologizing. And by the way, congratulations, Team Bass and
143
00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:30.160
Mayor Bass, because anytime you get your opponent to apologize,
144
00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:31.470
that is a win.
145
00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:35.179
Well, you know, one could argue that she didn't get
146
00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:38.460
her to apologize. She apologized because of community pressure and
147
00:08:38.500 --> 00:08:39.950
because that particular situation.
148
00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:45.639
A win is a win is a win. It was wrong.
149
00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:49.379
And and the community has asked her apology to apologize.
150
00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:52.049
As far as I'm concerned, that apology has not happened.
151
00:08:52.470 --> 00:08:53.549
Because, again, you.
152
00:08:53.450 --> 00:08:57.309
Don't we we do not accept private apologies for public comments.
153
00:08:57.649 --> 00:08:58.570
We don't do that.
154
00:08:58.929 --> 00:09:01.350
You know, I don't you know, I don't know who
155
00:09:01.429 --> 00:09:03.009
she surrounds herself with.
156
00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:05.200
I have a guess. I have a guess.
157
00:09:05.809 --> 00:09:09.350
But clearly they are not advising this woman correctly. You
158
00:09:09.750 --> 00:09:13.509
make a private apology. Then you take your show on
159
00:09:13.529 --> 00:09:17.009
the road, not to the community demanding your apology, but
160
00:09:17.049 --> 00:09:18.769
to a completely different community.
161
00:09:18.809 --> 00:09:19.970
What kind of sense does that make?
162
00:09:20.149 --> 00:09:21.990
Well, yeah, I was just going to say she did
163
00:09:22.049 --> 00:09:25.649
apologize to the Watts Gang Task Force. Not sure how
164
00:09:25.690 --> 00:09:29.250
they picked that group. It was quietly done. But now
165
00:09:29.850 --> 00:09:33.450
there is a public apology here. That did happen. So
166
00:09:33.509 --> 00:09:35.149
I don't know if we can still call it just
167
00:09:35.210 --> 00:09:38.220
a private apology. She went on Yesi Ortiz. And to
168
00:09:38.259 --> 00:09:41.519
be clear, Yesi Ortiz is a great broadcaster. She's a colleague.
169
00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:42.600
Known her for many years.
170
00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:46.179
Not saying she's not. But it was black leaders and
171
00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:49.399
the black community that asked for the apology.
172
00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:49.960
Okay?
173
00:09:50.590 --> 00:09:53.789
So she could have come to KBLA. She could have
174
00:09:53.830 --> 00:09:56.389
come to many other media.
175
00:09:56.470 --> 00:09:58.370
She could have gone to Stevie Wonder's station.
176
00:09:58.389 --> 00:10:02.759
There were many outlets and opportunities here in L.A.
177
00:10:02.769 --> 00:10:04.590
There's only two black-owned ones. In terms of radio.
178
00:10:04.610 --> 00:10:07.710
There's tons of black pods. But in terms of podcast,
179
00:10:08.230 --> 00:10:11.029
I would have gladly, graciously accepted that. She could have
180
00:10:11.049 --> 00:10:12.009
come talk to me.
181
00:10:12.070 --> 00:10:13.769
You know that ain't going to happen. Not only do
182
00:10:13.789 --> 00:10:17.720
you work for the campaign, you donate the petty.
183
00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:19.039
I do, I do.
184
00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:22.440
If I were her, I wouldn't come on your podcast either.
185
00:10:22.899 --> 00:10:23.639
Heck no.
186
00:10:23.820 --> 00:10:25.940
But no. But there are lots of options.
187
00:10:26.019 --> 00:10:26.360
Yeah.
188
00:10:26.659 --> 00:10:28.240
Everybody got a podcast right now.
189
00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:31.809
I saw a good joke about that. I'll have to
190
00:10:31.830 --> 00:10:33.350
tell you off air.
191
00:10:33.409 --> 00:10:34.590
But yeah.
192
00:10:34.669 --> 00:10:36.269
So no, I don't know how that's going to go
193
00:10:36.350 --> 00:10:38.629
over with black folks. I'm not sure.
194
00:10:39.090 --> 00:10:39.370
You know.
195
00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:42.620
It's like, okay, you asked me to donate to your
196
00:10:42.659 --> 00:10:45.159
campaign and I go donate to someone else's campaign. Is
197
00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:47.379
that considered the same thing? I don't think Nithya would
198
00:10:47.399 --> 00:10:49.980
think it was the same thing. So why should we
199
00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:50.700
accept that?
200
00:10:51.139 --> 00:10:54.269
But it is. And you'll admit or agree that it's
201
00:10:54.330 --> 00:10:55.769
good that she did apologize.
202
00:10:56.090 --> 00:10:57.370
Oh, absolutely.
203
00:10:57.429 --> 00:11:00.690
Because she needed to apologize for those comments. She was
204
00:11:00.730 --> 00:11:02.610
talking out the side of her mouth and showed that
205
00:11:02.690 --> 00:11:05.809
after 13 years, she still doesn't know the city.
206
00:11:05.909 --> 00:11:06.129
I mean.
207
00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:09.360
For all her bragging about being an urban planner, she
208
00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:12.299
never took time to learn our city's history at all.
209
00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:15.139
All right, we're going to move on from that.
210
00:11:15.350 --> 00:11:15.990
No more petty?
211
00:11:16.690 --> 00:11:18.629
Well, no, we're not moving on from petty. I don't
212
00:11:18.669 --> 00:11:22.289
think we can do that. But 800-920-1580 if you want
213
00:11:22.309 --> 00:11:27.169
to weigh in. Certainly we invite you to, if you
214
00:11:27.210 --> 00:11:29.789
have an opinion, what did you think of the apology?
215
00:11:29.830 --> 00:11:33.169
You think, are you happy? Does it make you feel like,
216
00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:37.929
you know, better about those comments about where we are
217
00:11:37.970 --> 00:11:41.309
with the mayor's race, the mayor's race really heated. I
218
00:11:41.370 --> 00:11:44.009
do agree though, that this piece about saying the mayor
219
00:11:44.070 --> 00:11:46.789
twisted your words that you, you know, you need to
220
00:11:46.830 --> 00:11:49.620
reel that back because clearly she didn't twist your words.
221
00:11:50.409 --> 00:11:51.769
Otherwise you wouldn't have to apologize.
222
00:11:51.789 --> 00:11:53.720
You wouldn't be apologizing for your words.
223
00:11:53.940 --> 00:11:55.899
And I wonder if it was Anne Marie Johnson with
224
00:11:55.940 --> 00:11:58.320
her rather forceful call for an apology.
225
00:11:58.360 --> 00:12:00.379
Where's the apology.
226
00:12:00.779 --> 00:12:05.000
She, you know, she, she's not just an actor. who
227
00:12:05.059 --> 00:12:07.000
used to be on Hill Street Blues and Double Trouble.
228
00:12:07.299 --> 00:12:09.500
She was a leader in the Screen Actors Guild.
229
00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:11.019
And she's our neighbor.
230
00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:16.419
Movement, yeah. And she's our neighbor. So, yeah, she was
231
00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:20.029
calling for an apology as well. Okay, so let's start
232
00:12:20.090 --> 00:12:24.309
with one of the, I think, less confusing of our
233
00:12:24.350 --> 00:12:29.549
city measures, FD. This is Hiking the Fire Department Sales Tax.
234
00:12:30.190 --> 00:12:34.850
City Measure FD would hike it by 0.5%, so half
235
00:12:34.870 --> 00:12:40.870
a percentage point, to add funding for the fire department.
236
00:12:42.149 --> 00:12:45.460
Me and Ed Sanders talked about this. He's a no.
237
00:12:45.980 --> 00:12:48.519
He says we've got to stop raising taxes, stop raising
238
00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:51.779
sales taxes. We should get the money from the federal government.
239
00:12:51.820 --> 00:12:55.000
We should get it from the state. The fire department
240
00:12:55.820 --> 00:13:00.480
says this would give them $ 345 million annually. According to
241
00:13:00.539 --> 00:13:06.830
the LA Times analysis, it does not allow this city
242
00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:09.129
to shrink the amount of money coming to the fire
243
00:13:09.169 --> 00:13:12.070
department from the general fund. So these are additional funds
244
00:13:12.629 --> 00:13:16.490
for the fire department. It just needs a simple majority,
245
00:13:16.529 --> 00:13:18.230
even though it's a tax. What do you make of this?
246
00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:21.820
So I haven't taken a position on really any of
247
00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:24.740
these yet because I honestly have been too busy to
248
00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:26.519
get into all of this. And I know I need
249
00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:28.899
to because, yes, I know I do my voter guide
250
00:13:28.919 --> 00:13:31.120
and all that. This is one year I'm way behind
251
00:13:31.179 --> 00:13:32.100
because of the campaign.
252
00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:32.960
Right. Yeah.
253
00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:34.710
So but what I will say is this.
254
00:13:34.990 --> 00:13:38.549
I mean, at the end of the day, ballot measures
255
00:13:38.590 --> 00:13:41.870
and propositions as it relates to voters are always about
256
00:13:42.549 --> 00:13:45.289
what your priorities and morals and values are, what you
257
00:13:45.330 --> 00:13:47.570
find to be important, because that's going to dictate your
258
00:13:47.590 --> 00:13:52.350
yes or no vote. Right. And so is, you know,
259
00:13:52.350 --> 00:13:57.730
50 cents more on $ 100 purchase so that that money
260
00:13:57.769 --> 00:14:01.330
goes to your city fire department important to you?
261
00:14:01.350 --> 00:14:04.210
And if it is, then you're going to vote yes.
262
00:14:04.570 --> 00:14:09.389
And, you know, look, I understand the frustration with sales tax.
263
00:14:09.580 --> 00:14:13.039
I mean, you buy something for a dollar and you
264
00:14:13.059 --> 00:14:13.700
end up paying.
265
00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:18.570
Quite a lot more than a dollar. It's going to
266
00:14:18.730 --> 00:14:19.450
be $ 1.
267
00:14:18.929 --> 00:14:24.490
11 because it will go up to $ 10. 75. So it's $ 1. 11.
268
00:14:23.330 --> 00:14:30.240
Because there's state, there's county, and there's city tax. And
269
00:14:30.340 --> 00:14:34.100
we have some of the highest taxes.
270
00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:37.259
In the country. So, yeah, I do understand that's frustration there.
271
00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:38.740
But I also wonder.
272
00:14:39.350 --> 00:14:41.409
you say we should get it from the federal, the
273
00:14:41.450 --> 00:14:44.230
federal government. What's the federal government going to do for,
274
00:14:44.250 --> 00:14:46.860
for Los Angeles? The federal government is trying to invite
275
00:14:46.909 --> 00:14:48.580
Iran to come and take us out. Right.
276
00:14:48.620 --> 00:14:51.299
And they just put out a warning that, um, people
277
00:14:51.340 --> 00:14:54.220
should be, states should be ready to handle their own disasters.
278
00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:57.240
FEMA just put out a statement that states need to
279
00:14:57.279 --> 00:14:59.690
get ready to handle their own disasters. What's the biggest
280
00:14:59.730 --> 00:15:03.850
disaster we've had recently? A huge fire. Well, a couple
281
00:15:03.870 --> 00:15:07.620
of huge fires, right? So, um, it's, It's backed by
282
00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:09.799
United Firefighters of LA City.
283
00:15:09.820 --> 00:15:11.220
I would expect that.
284
00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:12.440
Yeah.
285
00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:15.500
If it wasn't, I'd be questioning it.
286
00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:19.539
Exactly. We definitely wouldn't. But the people that are against
287
00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:21.899
us say this is the third sales tax hike in
288
00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:23.519
the last couple of years. It's too much.
289
00:15:23.820 --> 00:15:25.419
We do it almost every election.
290
00:15:25.860 --> 00:15:28.860
There's a county sales tax or a city sales tax
291
00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:31.320
or both on the.
292
00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:33.879
Same ballot.
293
00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:37.889
On the other hand, last time we approved... extra money
294
00:15:37.929 --> 00:15:41.610
for the fire department was 27 years ago in 2000
295
00:15:41.610 --> 00:15:45.070
when we passed Prop F, which was a one-time bond
296
00:15:45.610 --> 00:15:49.590
to build fire stations and maintain helicopters. Nothing about those
297
00:15:49.669 --> 00:15:53.149
fire engines that came up in the mayoral debate that
298
00:15:53.190 --> 00:15:54.129
are in disrepair.
299
00:15:54.789 --> 00:15:55.090
Yeah.
300
00:15:56.009 --> 00:15:59.570
Again, it's going to come down to.
301
00:16:01.950 --> 00:16:04.490
What your values are.
302
00:16:04.389 --> 00:16:06.799
For your city. Okay, well, let's look at who's against it.
303
00:16:07.330 --> 00:16:09.629
The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
304
00:16:09.649 --> 00:16:14.470
They're always on the opposite end of anything that is tax-related,
305
00:16:14.529 --> 00:16:16.240
that raises your tax.
306
00:16:16.409 --> 00:16:19.700
Yeah. It says a nonprofit that advocates for lower taxes.
307
00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:22.039
They're the people that brought you Prop 13. They're the
308
00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:25.659
people that brought us, even though it's great that property
309
00:16:25.700 --> 00:16:29.200
taxes are stable, they're the people that gave corporations a
310
00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:33.470
giant tax break by not making them pay property tax increases.
311
00:16:34.269 --> 00:16:35.350
So I always.
312
00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:39.700
Give the side eye to anything that the Howard Jarvis
313
00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:44.919
Taxpayers Association says. Maybe that's just me. So you haven't
314
00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:46.090
taken a position, but.
315
00:16:46.330 --> 00:16:51.210
I mean, we'll be up to 10.75 in the city
316
00:16:51.809 --> 00:16:52.529
if this passes.
317
00:16:52.570 --> 00:16:54.110
That's how high our city sales tax will be.
318
00:16:54.129 --> 00:16:57.169
Yeah, and it's among the highest anywhere. I get that,
319
00:16:57.210 --> 00:16:59.870
but also L.A. is expensive. You know, it is. It
320
00:16:59.889 --> 00:17:02.590
just is. I know people don't want to hear that, but,
321
00:17:02.769 --> 00:17:06.309
you know, it is. We live in an expensive city.
322
00:17:06.670 --> 00:17:10.650
I also think that we need to think about, you know,
323
00:17:10.970 --> 00:17:15.160
what we're talking about here. Fire. Right. It's not going
324
00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:18.500
to get less. We are in a climate emergency. We
325
00:17:18.539 --> 00:17:22.859
are going to have more high winds, more weirdo weather conditions,
326
00:17:23.740 --> 00:17:24.900
more fires.
327
00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:26.980
Yeah.
328
00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:30.589
You would hope that they come to your rescue if
329
00:17:30.769 --> 00:17:33.769
your home is the one that's on fire. Yeah.
330
00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:37.509
I mean, we look at what's happening with Long Beach, right?
331
00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:41.769
With the ocean just encroaching on the whole city, people's
332
00:17:41.849 --> 00:17:46.470
houses being crumbled as the shoreline crumbles. I don't mean
333
00:17:46.529 --> 00:17:49.470
to be doomy and gloomy, but the fact is we
334
00:17:49.549 --> 00:17:51.869
are in a climate emergency. That is the new normal.
335
00:17:51.950 --> 00:17:53.970
I don't know how you say, and I don't know
336
00:17:54.009 --> 00:17:56.359
how all these people are sitting here going, you know,
337
00:17:56.410 --> 00:17:58.920
the city wasn't prepared. The mayor should have done more
338
00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:01.880
about the fires. And then how do you vote no
339
00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:05.319
on FD? Right. Yeah. I, I, For me, it doesn't
340
00:18:05.339 --> 00:18:05.720
make sense.
341
00:18:06.019 --> 00:18:06.500
It doesn't.
342
00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:11.589
No, no, it doesn't. I am pretty sure I can
343
00:18:11.630 --> 00:18:13.589
tell you. I don't even have to say pretty sure.
344
00:18:13.650 --> 00:18:17.049
I will be voting yes on it because it's just
345
00:18:17.130 --> 00:18:20.170
common sense for me. And I am not one of
346
00:18:20.190 --> 00:18:22.089
the people who live in this city who also just
347
00:18:22.130 --> 00:18:25.890
think that money comes out of the, you know, the sky.
348
00:18:25.910 --> 00:18:29.740
You and Ed are fiscal conservatives and I get that.
349
00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:33.180
I do. I don't know if I'm a fiscal conservative.
350
00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:36.039
I'm a tax and spend progressive. I don't know that
351
00:18:36.099 --> 00:18:37.319
I'm any of that.
352
00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:42.460
I support common sense stuff. Like I'm not, I don't,
353
00:18:42.920 --> 00:18:46.150
do I like sales taxes? Do I like the tax
354
00:18:46.250 --> 00:18:46.930
rate going up?
355
00:18:47.009 --> 00:18:48.109
I absolutely do not.
356
00:18:48.170 --> 00:18:48.710
No, me neither.
357
00:18:48.750 --> 00:18:52.430
But I do understand from working in government and working in,
358
00:18:53.410 --> 00:18:55.589
you know, doing the work that I do, the money
359
00:18:55.650 --> 00:18:56.970
has to come from somewhere, right?
360
00:18:57.940 --> 00:19:00.400
Yeah. I mean, and the thing is, we pay our
361
00:19:00.460 --> 00:19:03.259
taxes for a reason. And to me, you say, what
362
00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:06.099
are your personal priorities? Yeah, you can vote your values.
363
00:19:06.140 --> 00:19:09.069
That's what everybody says. You know, Dr. Abdul was on
364
00:19:09.109 --> 00:19:12.230
the show talking about Melina's moral minimum. You know, you're
365
00:19:12.269 --> 00:19:14.230
saying vote what's important to you. What I'm saying is
366
00:19:14.650 --> 00:19:18.250
this is our money. This is our tax money. If
367
00:19:18.289 --> 00:19:21.109
this was my household budget. It's what you buy. Right.
368
00:19:21.130 --> 00:19:24.599
So it's not like your income's It's like you go
369
00:19:24.660 --> 00:19:27.240
to the store and buy a stereo and you're taxed
370
00:19:27.579 --> 00:19:30.539
and you're going to be taxed a little extra more.
371
00:19:30.579 --> 00:19:33.420
You probably won't even notice. You won't notice it.
372
00:19:33.819 --> 00:19:38.250
Right. But my point is that these are your dollars.
373
00:19:38.789 --> 00:19:40.369
So to me, when I say, what would I like
374
00:19:40.410 --> 00:19:43.529
to spend my money on? Stopping my house from getting
375
00:19:43.569 --> 00:19:46.150
burnt down is really right at the top of the list.
376
00:19:46.549 --> 00:19:47.529
Or anyone else's.
377
00:19:47.670 --> 00:19:49.589
Or anyone else's. I mean, I wish I could manage.
378
00:19:50.589 --> 00:19:53.559
That they get this money. I wish I could write
379
00:19:53.619 --> 00:19:56.859
into this, that they, they, yes, we'll give you this money,
380
00:19:57.019 --> 00:19:59.440
but you're going to hire more black people and you're
381
00:19:59.460 --> 00:20:03.059
going to hire more Latinos. And, and the fire department
382
00:20:03.079 --> 00:20:05.519
is not going to be so overwhelmingly white male.
383
00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:10.569
Well, uh, yeah. That's not on the ballot.
384
00:20:10.650 --> 00:20:12.869
It's not. But, you know, that's what I think of
385
00:20:12.910 --> 00:20:15.009
when I think of the fire department here in the city.
386
00:20:15.269 --> 00:20:16.349
I mean, and that's true.
387
00:20:16.369 --> 00:20:19.390
Who gets the jobs? Who gets, right?
388
00:20:19.410 --> 00:20:21.789
I mean, those are legit issues and I feel like
389
00:20:21.829 --> 00:20:24.029
they need to be addressed. And this ballot measure does
390
00:20:24.369 --> 00:20:27.750
not address them. However, back to the point. Do you
391
00:20:27.789 --> 00:20:32.079
want fire engines that work? Absolutely. And, you know, we
392
00:20:32.119 --> 00:20:35.460
can sit here and blame Mayor Bass or Nithya Raman
393
00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:39.589
or the terrible fire chief. Kristen Crowley, or we can say,
394
00:20:39.730 --> 00:20:45.690
let's invest in what we need to stop fires. Only
395
00:20:45.750 --> 00:20:47.289
you can prevent forest fires.
396
00:20:47.390 --> 00:20:53.269
Only you can prevent, you know, fires going, you know,
397
00:20:53.369 --> 00:20:57.299
fires not having the right equipment that is needed to
398
00:20:57.380 --> 00:21:00.000
fight them here in the city of L.A., but yes.
399
00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:02.500
Okay, we'll look at the rest of these city measures.
400
00:21:02.539 --> 00:21:04.660
Jasmine Kanek is here. We've got news, traffic, and sports,
401
00:21:04.700 --> 00:21:10.319
then more. Only on KBLA. your election information station. All right,
402
00:21:10.359 --> 00:21:12.680
we went off on a little tangent there on FD
403
00:21:12.740 --> 00:21:17.200
because you and Ed, you know, my nuanced friends that
404
00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:20.420
have different opinions. So we'll go a little fast here
405
00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:23.339
and go through some of these city measures. Measure EE,
406
00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:27.809
City Administration Charter Amendment. This is one of the few
407
00:21:27.869 --> 00:21:32.589
things that did get out of the Charter Commission. Opponents
408
00:21:32.690 --> 00:21:38.059
say that it hasn't had the study that the city
409
00:21:38.099 --> 00:21:43.200
council killed all the other charter amendments claiming that it
410
00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:46.779
did not have. But we'll increase the number of signatures
411
00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:48.640
needed for a ballot referendum.
412
00:21:48.660 --> 00:21:50.309
Up to 15% of the total voters or whatever that
413
00:21:50.329 --> 00:21:52.710
number is from the last election. Right.
414
00:22:00.220 --> 00:22:08.299
And it's going to give people four months to gather signatures,
415
00:22:08.380 --> 00:22:11.059
I guess. This is one of the few things that
416
00:22:11.099 --> 00:22:15.799
got out of Charter Commission. It is, I don't know,
417
00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:21.579
to me, it seems like really sort of a mild
418
00:22:21.660 --> 00:22:27.200
first step in some charter reform. How do you, what
419
00:22:27.220 --> 00:22:27.900
do you make of it?
420
00:22:29.390 --> 00:22:31.660
I mean, there's some good things in here. It raises
421
00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:38.180
the maximum campaign finance penalties, like when you get in
422
00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:44.079
trouble from $ 2, 000 to $ 15, 000. But the opposition, on the
423
00:22:44.119 --> 00:22:46.509
other hand, says that the goal is sort of to
424
00:22:46.569 --> 00:22:50.910
make fewer public meetings, which means fewer opportunities for the
425
00:22:50.970 --> 00:22:51.829
public to have input.
426
00:22:51.970 --> 00:22:54.890
I mean, honestly, right. So that means the city council
427
00:22:54.910 --> 00:22:56.930
will only have to meet once a week instead of
428
00:22:57.049 --> 00:22:59.359
three times a week. Yeah. Is that good?
429
00:23:00.700 --> 00:23:01.289
I don't know.
430
00:23:01.349 --> 00:23:03.730
I'm so used to the city council meeting three times
431
00:23:03.789 --> 00:23:09.109
a week. And but I do know this in smaller cities. Right.
432
00:23:09.490 --> 00:23:11.930
They do only meet once a week. Sometimes it's every
433
00:23:11.990 --> 00:23:12.390
other week.
434
00:23:12.549 --> 00:23:13.029
Right.
435
00:23:13.049 --> 00:23:15.690
But we're not a smaller city. We have a lot
436
00:23:15.730 --> 00:23:19.750
of business that needs to be taken care of every
437
00:23:19.809 --> 00:23:22.019
time the council comes together. A lot.
438
00:23:22.059 --> 00:23:24.380
This is a city of four million people.
439
00:23:25.109 --> 00:23:27.690
And we have a lot of issues and things going on.
440
00:23:27.710 --> 00:23:29.920
So I don't know if that's such a good thing.
441
00:23:30.460 --> 00:23:33.140
But, you know, like you said at the beginning of this,
442
00:23:33.180 --> 00:23:34.920
this is one of the few things that made it
443
00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:36.140
to the ballot.
444
00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:39.960
So they voted to let themselves only meet once a week.
445
00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:42.529
That was their priority instead of three times a week.
446
00:23:42.589 --> 00:23:47.289
I mean, that's kind of interesting, LA City Council. Well, look.
447
00:23:47.630 --> 00:23:49.609
If you vote yes on EE, it means you only
448
00:23:49.650 --> 00:23:51.490
want the L.A. City Council to meet once a week.
449
00:23:51.849 --> 00:23:55.359
It means you want to take more signatures to get
450
00:23:55.970 --> 00:23:56.970
something on the ballot.
451
00:23:57.670 --> 00:24:02.599
Raise the penalties, the campaign finance penalties from $ 2, 000 to $ 15, 000.
452
00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:06.900
It will also stop the police and fire commissions from
453
00:24:06.980 --> 00:24:12.140
telling their watchdogs whether to keep investigating. That's also a
454
00:24:12.180 --> 00:24:15.119
part of this. So there's, you know.
455
00:24:18.170 --> 00:24:19.789
So a no means you want to keep things the
456
00:24:19.829 --> 00:24:22.349
way they are. A yes means you want the city
457
00:24:22.390 --> 00:24:25.990
council to meet once a week. That part about the
458
00:24:26.089 --> 00:24:34.700
police and fire commissions, how does that actually play out?
459
00:24:34.779 --> 00:24:37.859
Let me pull up the exact details for you because.
460
00:24:37.599 --> 00:24:39.359
I had a feeling you were going to ask me
461
00:24:39.660 --> 00:24:44.619
about that. It says it's giving more power to LAPD
462
00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:48.960
and fire department inspectors. Something that the police and fire
463
00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:56.049
commissions do not love. And it also says that it
464
00:24:56.109 --> 00:24:58.970
bans alumni of the ethics commission from running for local
465
00:24:59.069 --> 00:25:01.829
office for five years. But it's not like that's something
466
00:25:01.849 --> 00:25:02.730
that's been a thing.
467
00:25:04.670 --> 00:25:05.930
No, I don't think so.
468
00:25:05.950 --> 00:25:09.900
So let's make a law for a problem that doesn't exist.
469
00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:16.460
It's always interesting. Measure EE. So we'll look. we said
470
00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:18.799
we were going to go fast. So there's your EE.
471
00:25:19.019 --> 00:25:21.160
If you want the council to vote to, to meet
472
00:25:21.319 --> 00:25:23.259
once a week, you're going to vote yes on that.
473
00:25:23.299 --> 00:25:25.240
If you want them to keep meeting three times a week,
474
00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:27.789
you're going to vote no on that. And then we'll
475
00:25:27.809 --> 00:25:31.589
look at the ethics and other implications for the police commission.
476
00:25:31.950 --> 00:25:32.789
We'll do a deeper dive.
477
00:25:32.809 --> 00:25:35.630
So I'll just say before you jump to answer your question,
478
00:25:35.650 --> 00:25:42.380
it's measure EE would allow the, the inspector general to,
479
00:25:43.269 --> 00:25:45.529
For the police department, I think they call it the
480
00:25:45.609 --> 00:25:48.869
assessor or something, the independent assessor for the fire department.
481
00:25:49.269 --> 00:25:52.539
It would increase their authority, meaning they don't have to
482
00:25:52.910 --> 00:25:54.859
only get their direction.
483
00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:58.200
From the commission to investigate.
484
00:25:58.240 --> 00:26:00.980
So that's a mixed bag because, I mean, it's nice
485
00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:02.279
if they have more independence.
486
00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:04.319
Yeah.
487
00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:07.950
Sips tea. Okay. We talked about FD going to L.A.,
488
00:26:08.390 --> 00:26:14.559
Measure L.A., Comprehensive infrastructure planning charter amendment. This one is
489
00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:21.329
also out of the charter reform. And it would, it
490
00:26:21.420 --> 00:26:25.130
impacts how we repair our streets, our sidewalks, our bridges,
491
00:26:25.170 --> 00:26:25.869
and all of that.
492
00:26:26.250 --> 00:26:29.190
It changes our budget.
493
00:26:29.789 --> 00:26:31.789
That's the one that I think is taking us from
494
00:26:31.829 --> 00:26:35.779
a one-year budget to a two-year budget. And, um, and
495
00:26:35.819 --> 00:26:39.180
requires a long-term infrastructure plan, which is really interesting because
496
00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:40.940
that was one of the things when the mayor took
497
00:26:41.059 --> 00:26:45.319
office that she, she went to work on was giving
498
00:26:45.380 --> 00:26:47.119
our city an infrastructure plan.
499
00:26:47.140 --> 00:26:51.789
Um, But there's some other stuff going on in here, too,
500
00:26:51.990 --> 00:26:52.730
as usual.
501
00:26:52.789 --> 00:26:56.930
Yeah, this is one that I know the city controller,
502
00:26:58.920 --> 00:27:01.559
Kenneth Mejia, has been in support of, which is having
503
00:27:01.599 --> 00:27:05.640
a two-year budget. So we can go plan ahead further,
504
00:27:05.660 --> 00:27:10.980
which does seem to make sense. But there's some other
505
00:27:11.019 --> 00:27:12.240
stuff in here. What's the other stuff?
506
00:27:13.569 --> 00:27:17.269
It lets the city skip competitive bidding for some public
507
00:27:17.329 --> 00:27:23.470
health and security infrastructure and for some software contracts. It's
508
00:27:23.529 --> 00:27:27.430
a case for faster repairs and better planning ahead. It's
509
00:27:27.490 --> 00:27:30.759
a case against it would let the city council eliminate
510
00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:33.519
the Board of Public Works, which a lot of folks
511
00:27:33.579 --> 00:27:39.079
say weakens independent oversight. So L.A., you know, folks, when
512
00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:42.529
you measure L.A., when you look at that, This one
513
00:27:42.730 --> 00:27:46.890
is about the budget and basically an infrastructure overhaul, which
514
00:27:46.950 --> 00:27:50.289
I find really interesting because on the campaign trail between
515
00:27:50.329 --> 00:27:52.230
both of our candidates who are running for.
516
00:27:52.130 --> 00:27:55.859
Mayor, this is a big issue. Our infrastructure plan and
517
00:27:55.930 --> 00:27:56.799
planning ahead.
518
00:27:58.640 --> 00:28:01.880
My thing is, you got Measure LA, right? The city controller,
519
00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:07.940
who's very popular, Kenneth Mejia, he is a champion for this,
520
00:28:08.220 --> 00:28:12.849
but also the former controller, Ron Galperin, and Katie Aroslavsky,
521
00:28:13.009 --> 00:28:15.829
and Bob Blumenfeld, and L.A. Forward, and Streets for All.
522
00:28:15.869 --> 00:28:18.299
These are folks that don't usually agree on much of anything.
523
00:28:19.380 --> 00:28:20.119
You're not impressed.
524
00:28:22.180 --> 00:28:22.660
I know that.
525
00:28:22.700 --> 00:28:24.519
Look, she's not impressed.
526
00:28:25.119 --> 00:28:29.490
I am not impressed. I'm not. But you know what?
527
00:28:29.799 --> 00:28:34.279
I do think that as a city, we do need
528
00:28:34.299 --> 00:28:37.589
to take some steps in terms of our planning, our
529
00:28:37.619 --> 00:28:40.990
fiscal planning, and sort of updating the way that we
530
00:28:41.029 --> 00:28:42.750
do things in the city. And if this is a
531
00:28:42.789 --> 00:28:45.180
step forward in doing that, then I'm all for it.
532
00:28:45.740 --> 00:28:49.339
Like we can't keep doing things the way that they've
533
00:28:49.579 --> 00:28:52.140
always been done when our city continues to change and
534
00:28:52.180 --> 00:28:55.809
continues to grow and so many new issues pop up
535
00:28:55.849 --> 00:28:58.730
that we now have to think about and plan for.
536
00:29:00.650 --> 00:29:04.009
Measure PL, City Planning Charter Amendment, a lot of this
537
00:29:04.190 --> 00:29:11.059
on the ballot. If it's enacted, Measure PL would implement
538
00:29:11.119 --> 00:29:14.299
reforms that came out of the City Charter Commission around
539
00:29:14.380 --> 00:29:20.210
land use. It would dissolve the city's planning commissions. There
540
00:29:20.230 --> 00:29:24.130
are seven regional commissions that make decisions about small projects
541
00:29:24.190 --> 00:29:29.089
in their respective regions, and they deal with appeals of
542
00:29:29.130 --> 00:29:32.069
the city's decisions by the planning department. And there would
543
00:29:32.089 --> 00:29:35.809
be a new neighborhood appeals commission, have seven members, and
544
00:29:35.829 --> 00:29:38.809
would consider all of the decisions. So it would kind
545
00:29:38.849 --> 00:29:41.339
of consolidate the planning and decision-making.
546
00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:42.839
Takes it from 35 down to seven.
547
00:29:42.859 --> 00:29:46.680
I think one of the bigger changes is that right now,
548
00:29:46.740 --> 00:29:51.759
the way it works is that if the council doesn't
549
00:29:51.900 --> 00:29:55.970
act on certain plan amendments, they are automatically denied and
550
00:29:56.009 --> 00:29:59.849
this flips it. So again, If the council doesn't act,
551
00:29:59.930 --> 00:30:01.750
then now it's automatically approved.
552
00:30:02.670 --> 00:30:04.650
Which is kind of cool because it could be cool.
553
00:30:04.670 --> 00:30:07.150
Because it forces the council to move. But what happens
554
00:30:07.210 --> 00:30:09.009
if the council is only meeting once a week now?
555
00:30:09.789 --> 00:30:11.890
I guess it'll be a lot easier to get your
556
00:30:11.910 --> 00:30:14.380
stuff approved.
557
00:30:14.519 --> 00:30:15.319
Yeah, that is.
558
00:30:15.259 --> 00:30:18.140
Interesting the way those two interact. It could be a
559
00:30:18.180 --> 00:30:21.019
train wreck because that seems like something that developers.
560
00:30:21.539 --> 00:30:25.150
You know, Let's hope they don't act on it. Developers
561
00:30:25.210 --> 00:30:27.829
could exploit. Right, right.
562
00:30:28.089 --> 00:30:32.390
Yeah, but it does seem like also something that could
563
00:30:32.470 --> 00:30:34.930
speed up the process of getting stuff approved, which is
564
00:30:35.009 --> 00:30:37.569
one of the things folks complain about all the time
565
00:30:37.609 --> 00:30:39.039
when it comes to creating more housing.
566
00:30:39.150 --> 00:30:41.299
Then they're going to be mad that things got approved
567
00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:44.619
that they didn't want approved. We go back and forth,
568
00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:46.200
back and forth.
569
00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:51.400
Okay, well, it also would allow the Department of Planning to,
570
00:30:51.829 --> 00:30:56.079
to appoint people to hold hearings on discretionary land use.
571
00:30:56.539 --> 00:30:59.380
Right now, only the Zoning Administration can do that. So again,
572
00:30:59.440 --> 00:31:02.660
another area where we could see the speeding up of
573
00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:05.420
approvals for people wanting to use their property for different
574
00:31:05.460 --> 00:31:08.930
kinds of things. And yes, it could have bad impacts,
575
00:31:08.970 --> 00:31:09.930
but do you want to speed it.
576
00:31:09.930 --> 00:31:14.640
Up or not? That is the question before you as
577
00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:15.180
a voter.
578
00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:19.880
Yeah. Well, some progressives who are supporting Measure PL say
579
00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:23.690
that this will promote equitable land use because it gives
580
00:31:23.710 --> 00:31:29.069
you more opportunities to amend the way that you're using
581
00:31:29.109 --> 00:31:36.329
your property. Jasmine gives blank stare. That's PL. If you
582
00:31:36.369 --> 00:31:39.430
want to change it and fast track some approvals and
583
00:31:39.490 --> 00:31:41.640
land use, Then you're going to vote yes if you
584
00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:42.920
want to leave things the way they are.
585
00:31:42.940 --> 00:31:44.369
Then you're going to vote no.
586
00:31:45.160 --> 00:31:51.569
Oh, Measure PRK, Park Funding Charter Amendment. This is an
587
00:31:51.609 --> 00:31:55.650
investment in our parks. Our parks need about $ 3 billion
588
00:31:55.670 --> 00:31:59.730
in repairs, apparently, because we love our parks, but we
589
00:31:59.769 --> 00:32:03.490
don't like to pay for our parks. Apparently, our parks
590
00:32:03.529 --> 00:32:07.650
are funded less than many other city parks. And so
591
00:32:07.750 --> 00:32:10.650
folks that feel like we need to invest in the
592
00:32:10.690 --> 00:32:14.420
beauty and upkeep of our parks say yes on PRK.
593
00:32:14.480 --> 00:32:16.799
People who say this is not the time to spend,
594
00:32:16.920 --> 00:32:20.579
our city's in deficit, will urge a no vote on PRK.
595
00:32:20.700 --> 00:32:24.509
So I'll be voting yes because I use our parks
596
00:32:24.710 --> 00:32:25.549
every day.
597
00:32:25.569 --> 00:32:31.390
I use city parks. I play tennis. I walk the track.
598
00:32:31.809 --> 00:32:33.569
I see the need for.
599
00:32:35.490 --> 00:32:38.890
Updates and improvements at my own local park that I
600
00:32:38.930 --> 00:32:42.710
go to, and I know how important this is. And
601
00:32:42.730 --> 00:32:45.049
because I use the parks and I, you know, I
602
00:32:45.289 --> 00:32:47.970
feel like I have a responsibility to help the parks
603
00:32:48.019 --> 00:32:51.880
be better, right? It's not a tax, but what it
604
00:32:51.940 --> 00:32:59.279
does do is require the city to increase the amount
605
00:32:59.460 --> 00:33:04.849
allocated to the Department of Wrexham Park over the next
606
00:33:04.849 --> 00:33:05.230
10 years.
607
00:33:05.309 --> 00:33:08.859
And that's why the LAPD union is against it because
608
00:33:08.890 --> 00:33:11.210
they think, they know that some of that money is
609
00:33:11.259 --> 00:33:11.569
going to.
610
00:33:11.559 --> 00:33:12.519
Come out of their budget.
611
00:33:12.539 --> 00:33:15.859
I want my parks updated. The adults use the parks
612
00:33:15.960 --> 00:33:19.460
just as much as the children use the parks. We
613
00:33:19.519 --> 00:33:20.759
need it for our sanity.
614
00:33:20.799 --> 00:33:22.559
I mean, look, the whole city council agreed on this.
615
00:33:22.599 --> 00:33:25.079
The only vote, no vote, was Blumenfeld. So it was
616
00:33:25.119 --> 00:33:28.640
like 14-1 or whatever. And the other thing about this,
617
00:33:29.180 --> 00:33:31.809
like you said, it's not a tax issue. It's just
618
00:33:31.890 --> 00:33:33.019
an adjustment in the budget.
619
00:33:33.150 --> 00:33:34.339
It's saying you have to do it.
620
00:33:34.960 --> 00:33:38.740
This is the minimum amount you have to give to
621
00:33:38.759 --> 00:33:42.599
the Department of Rec and Parks gradually over the next
622
00:33:42.599 --> 00:33:43.220
10 years.
623
00:33:43.240 --> 00:33:44.839
And like you said, there's 4 million of us. We
624
00:33:44.940 --> 00:33:46.720
use our parks. We've got to keep them free of
625
00:33:46.759 --> 00:33:49.980
trash and pollution, the rivers, the lakes and stuff in
626
00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:54.400
the parks. And this also includes senior centers, right? Senior
627
00:33:54.420 --> 00:33:56.730
and youth, not just the centers themselves making them safe
628
00:33:56.769 --> 00:34:01.960
and clean, but the programming in them. and staffing in them.
629
00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:06.150
So that's jobs. There's a backlog of repairs. You know,
630
00:34:06.210 --> 00:34:09.949
I'm a park person too. I go hiking. I go running.
631
00:34:10.289 --> 00:34:12.750
I like to sit out there and think it out.
632
00:34:13.050 --> 00:34:14.329
Yeah, right.
633
00:34:14.590 --> 00:34:18.780
Think it through. And this is an equity issue because
634
00:34:18.820 --> 00:34:20.659
if you live in a rich part of Los Angeles,
635
00:34:20.980 --> 00:34:23.460
somebody's going to do a little committee and do a
636
00:34:23.480 --> 00:34:27.659
little fundraiser and fix their park. That's why the parks
637
00:34:27.840 --> 00:34:30.199
in Bel Air look fine, no matter how toe up
638
00:34:30.539 --> 00:34:33.940
the city parks budget is. But whereas if you're in
639
00:34:33.980 --> 00:34:37.750
South LA or East LA, Boyle Heights, whatever, you need
640
00:34:37.789 --> 00:34:40.530
the city to pay to fix the parks using your
641
00:34:40.570 --> 00:34:43.650
dollars that you pay in city taxes. So a yes
642
00:34:43.730 --> 00:34:46.960
on PRK does that. A no on PRK says, no,
643
00:34:47.019 --> 00:34:49.409
just let our parks keep being the way they are.
644
00:34:49.420 --> 00:34:50.260
Don't be a hater.
645
00:34:50.679 --> 00:34:51.320
I am a hater.
646
00:34:51.980 --> 00:34:54.500
Also, I'm telling the voters who might want to vote,
647
00:34:54.539 --> 00:34:55.380
don't be a hater.
648
00:34:55.639 --> 00:34:58.769
Don't be a hater. Love your parks. Go outside. You
649
00:34:58.789 --> 00:35:01.190
need to be outside. So, yes on PRK is an
650
00:35:01.250 --> 00:35:05.010
investment from our city budget, existing budget in the parks.
651
00:35:05.070 --> 00:35:06.730
If you want to spend money to get the parks
652
00:35:06.789 --> 00:35:08.969
up to par, you vote yes. If you don't want
653
00:35:08.989 --> 00:35:12.409
to move money out of other areas back into Reckon Parks,
654
00:35:12.800 --> 00:35:16.579
then you vote no. And just let the parks fall apart. Alright,
655
00:35:16.599 --> 00:35:19.820
we're going to We're going to continue our speed round
656
00:35:20.440 --> 00:35:22.739
through the rest of these city measures. Jazz Mechanic and
657
00:35:22.780 --> 00:35:26.440
Dominique DiPrima when we come forward on KBLA Talk 1580. Yeah,
658
00:35:26.460 --> 00:35:28.360
we're going to get through these measures. We're going to
659
00:35:28.380 --> 00:35:30.320
do it. First of all, I want to say congratulations
660
00:35:30.500 --> 00:35:35.199
on the one-year anniversary of your AI alter ego, Tawanda. Tawanda.ai
661
00:35:35.219 --> 00:35:38.659
turned one on Monday. And happy birthday to you. Your
662
00:35:38.699 --> 00:35:40.820
birthday is tomorrow.
663
00:35:40.940 --> 00:35:41.300
Thank you.
664
00:35:41.340 --> 00:35:42.800
Happy solar return, beautiful lady.
665
00:35:42.820 --> 00:35:43.010
Thank you.
666
00:35:43.019 --> 00:35:45.820
And like the good adult that I am, I'm going
667
00:35:45.840 --> 00:35:46.199
to work.
668
00:35:47.969 --> 00:35:48.179
Yeah.
669
00:35:48.199 --> 00:35:49.599
I'm not taking the day off.
670
00:35:49.659 --> 00:35:52.199
No? No. Not even a party after work?
671
00:35:52.239 --> 00:35:52.500
No.
672
00:35:52.519 --> 00:35:53.280
I'm going to work.
673
00:35:53.579 --> 00:35:54.000
Girl, whatever.
674
00:35:54.019 --> 00:35:55.380
That's what I'm going to do. Look at the mayor.
675
00:35:55.400 --> 00:35:57.280
I can work on her birthday. I can work on mine.
676
00:35:57.320 --> 00:35:58.000
And she did.
677
00:35:58.099 --> 00:35:59.260
She worked her whole birthday.
678
00:35:59.280 --> 00:36:01.920
She's also a Libra. But I guess we'll have to
679
00:36:01.960 --> 00:36:03.679
go out to dinner after the election then.
680
00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:05.239
We'll be celebrating.
681
00:36:05.619 --> 00:36:08.929
Yes, indeed. Okay. So now, measure PRT.
682
00:36:09.269 --> 00:36:10.190
Yeah.
683
00:36:10.429 --> 00:36:13.190
That's not me snoring in the background. Airport, port, and
684
00:36:13.230 --> 00:36:15.610
charter amendment. Seems like we don't care. But we should
685
00:36:15.650 --> 00:36:18.570
care because our airport is a hot mess. So from
686
00:36:18.610 --> 00:36:22.110
what I can tell, this measure is more charter reform.
687
00:36:22.469 --> 00:36:24.960
It makes the airport commission have more people on it
688
00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:28.599
that live near the airport. The L.A. airport and also
689
00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:30.679
the Burbank airport.
690
00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:33.980
Van Nuys and LAX, which I'm not opposed to. I mean,
691
00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:37.989
if you're... Yeah, you should live near the airport.
692
00:36:38.289 --> 00:36:39.409
You should have to say so.
693
00:36:39.690 --> 00:36:44.630
But also so that you can really authentically understand what
694
00:36:44.650 --> 00:36:46.829
the sound issues are, what the different issues are.
695
00:36:46.849 --> 00:36:48.280
Right, if you live there, you know it.
696
00:36:48.280 --> 00:36:48.780
You know it.
697
00:36:48.780 --> 00:36:51.599
Right, exactly. So there's that. And also it changes, it
698
00:36:51.639 --> 00:36:55.699
makes it where the city council can make longer lease agreements.
699
00:36:55.699 --> 00:36:57.619
50 to 66 years. Why do we care about that?
700
00:36:59.139 --> 00:37:01.519
You know what? I'm not sure why we're supposed to
701
00:37:01.579 --> 00:37:02.440
care about that.
702
00:37:02.460 --> 00:37:06.119
Okay. Well, I guess it gives more stability if I'm
703
00:37:06.179 --> 00:37:10.789
a business or an entity creating a thing near the airport.
704
00:37:11.170 --> 00:37:14.829
I mean, I think the most interesting part of PRT
705
00:37:14.949 --> 00:37:17.110
for me is that the port would have to keep
706
00:37:17.150 --> 00:37:20.500
putting 10% of its income into community programs.
707
00:37:20.659 --> 00:37:20.880
Yeah.
708
00:37:21.139 --> 00:37:22.760
And I think that that is important.
709
00:37:23.550 --> 00:37:26.909
Well, that certainly sounds promising. So if you vote yes
710
00:37:27.110 --> 00:37:30.730
on PRT, you want local residents near the Van Nuys
711
00:37:31.010 --> 00:37:33.550
and LA airport to have more say on the commission.
712
00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:37.639
You want 10% to be reinvested in that community, which
713
00:37:38.099 --> 00:37:42.559
is supposedly already customary, but this puts it into a law.
714
00:37:42.579 --> 00:37:45.550
Like codifies it, makes it, yeah.
715
00:37:46.059 --> 00:37:51.889
And then you have longer leases. So that is all
716
00:37:52.210 --> 00:37:54.250
I have to say about that. Do you want to
717
00:37:54.309 --> 00:37:57.889
add anything else? How about Measure PRT?
718
00:37:58.329 --> 00:37:58.809
Nope, next.
719
00:38:00.309 --> 00:38:05.239
Measure TE, Palisades Transfer Tax Exemption. It creates a temporary exemption.
720
00:38:05.260 --> 00:38:11.239
I think it's five years from the mansion tax, ULA,
721
00:38:11.300 --> 00:38:14.719
the real estate transfer tax. This is only for certain
722
00:38:14.760 --> 00:38:17.780
properties that were damaged or destroyed in the Palisades fire
723
00:38:18.179 --> 00:38:21.300
and that are sold within five years of that fire.
724
00:38:22.679 --> 00:38:27.170
It's called targeted relief for fire survivors for the people
725
00:38:28.010 --> 00:38:30.630
who are making a case for it. And the case
726
00:38:30.710 --> 00:38:35.590
against it is that it would only benefit wealthy.
727
00:38:35.389 --> 00:38:36.619
Owners and investors.
728
00:38:36.639 --> 00:38:36.860
Right.
729
00:38:37.420 --> 00:38:38.800
Right, which is probably true.
730
00:38:39.599 --> 00:38:45.059
And it could cut ULA revenue by $ 35 million.
731
00:38:44.519 --> 00:38:47.320
To $ 66 million.
732
00:38:48.039 --> 00:38:51.420
So if I'm a wealthy, walk me through this. I'm
733
00:38:51.440 --> 00:38:55.619
a wealthy land homeowner in the Palisades, but my home
734
00:38:55.679 --> 00:38:59.710
is burned to the ground. Shouldn't I get relief? I'm
735
00:38:59.730 --> 00:39:01.210
thinking that on the one hand. On the other hand,
736
00:39:01.230 --> 00:39:04.730
I'm thinking I'm probably insured to the gills and I'm
737
00:39:04.769 --> 00:39:07.920
going to be compensated. But is that fair? Are we
738
00:39:07.980 --> 00:39:09.760
being anti-rich?
739
00:39:09.880 --> 00:39:11.179
Are we being classist?
740
00:39:11.239 --> 00:39:16.139
Well, we definitely are having an anti-rich conversation in this
741
00:39:16.199 --> 00:39:20.889
state because of our propositions and the billionaire tax, right?
742
00:39:20.929 --> 00:39:23.429
So it's not, you know, this is, I guess, also
743
00:39:23.469 --> 00:39:26.250
a part of that conversation. I mean, I guess it's
744
00:39:26.349 --> 00:39:29.119
sympathy for people who lost their homes versus.
745
00:39:30.559 --> 00:39:35.380
These are five million dollar plus properties and the money
746
00:39:35.440 --> 00:39:36.840
funds housing.
747
00:39:38.440 --> 00:39:40.559
Okay so there you have it so i mean that
748
00:39:40.659 --> 00:39:42.659
i mean i guess you have to figure out like
749
00:39:42.760 --> 00:39:45.800
where you where where where you fall on that yeah
750
00:39:46.590 --> 00:39:49.400
Do you think that, well, these folks already have insurance,
751
00:39:49.460 --> 00:39:50.679
they own a $ 5 million home?
752
00:39:50.699 --> 00:39:52.980
I mean, could it be like a double dipping situation?
753
00:39:53.019 --> 00:39:55.079
Could it be a situation where folks are getting paid
754
00:39:55.460 --> 00:39:58.260
twice or getting.
755
00:39:59.780 --> 00:40:02.780
Meaning getting paid by the insurance company and then not
756
00:40:02.820 --> 00:40:06.000
being taxed because... I mean, it's.
757
00:40:05.880 --> 00:40:06.519
A hard one.
758
00:40:06.659 --> 00:40:11.980
And right now, people are not in the spirit to
759
00:40:12.039 --> 00:40:13.579
give breaks to the wealthy.
760
00:40:14.440 --> 00:40:17.619
Yeah, well, the city council passed it 15 to nothing, apparently.
761
00:40:17.960 --> 00:40:22.260
But then when it came back, Eunice Hernandez voted no.
762
00:40:22.389 --> 00:40:25.070
She's definitely one of the more progressive council members, so
763
00:40:25.190 --> 00:40:29.860
that's food for thought as well. So there you have it.
764
00:40:30.409 --> 00:40:33.110
Once again, Jasmine gives us the up and the downside,
765
00:40:33.130 --> 00:40:35.389
which is what I love about talking to you about
766
00:40:35.429 --> 00:40:39.579
these things. Measure TE, Palisades Transfer Tax Exemption. If you
767
00:40:39.619 --> 00:40:44.679
want to give, Palisades... people who own 5 million plus
768
00:40:44.860 --> 00:40:49.880
dollar homes or businesses an exemption from the mansion tax,
769
00:40:49.900 --> 00:40:51.960
then you vote yes. If you want them to go
770
00:40:52.019 --> 00:40:53.860
ahead and pay the taxes because you think, well, maybe
771
00:40:53.880 --> 00:40:56.690
they have insurance that's going to cover their losses, then
772
00:40:56.769 --> 00:40:58.090
you would vote no.
773
00:40:59.480 --> 00:41:02.820
Yeah, it's interesting that the fate of the folks in
774
00:41:02.860 --> 00:41:06.539
Palisades on this is up to the rest of us.
775
00:41:07.599 --> 00:41:08.219
Indeed it is.
776
00:41:08.320 --> 00:41:09.599
Outside of the Palisades.
777
00:41:09.960 --> 00:41:12.760
Well, it's time for Tavis Smiley's show, and he's got
778
00:41:13.219 --> 00:41:15.099
quite a lineup for you today, so you don't want
779
00:41:15.179 --> 00:41:18.619
to miss it. Jazz Mechanic, thank you for coming in.
780
00:41:18.639 --> 00:41:19.320
Thank you for having me.
781
00:41:19.340 --> 00:41:21.880
Great to talk with you. Maybe next time we'll do
782
00:41:21.940 --> 00:41:26.179
these community college and school board folks. Maybe. Those are
783
00:41:26.219 --> 00:41:29.219
my deer in the headlights moments. All right. You can
784
00:41:29.300 --> 00:41:34.239
find Jasmine at HelloJasmine or Tawanda.ai. You can find me
785
00:41:34.280 --> 00:41:38.800
at Deprima Radio, D-I-P-R-I-M-A, and then radio. And, of course,
786
00:41:38.860 --> 00:41:43.320
KBLA is at KBLA 1580 everywhere. We're streaming. We're posting.
787
00:41:43.619 --> 00:41:46.219
Please like, follow, subscribe. You make us stronger, and we
788
00:41:46.260 --> 00:41:49.599
do appreciate you. Like my papa, the late, great poet
789
00:41:49.639 --> 00:41:53.110
laureate of New Jersey, Amiri Baraka, once said, a person
790
00:41:53.159 --> 00:41:55.489
is either free or they are not free. There can
791
00:41:55.510 --> 00:41:59.349
be no apprenticeship for freedom. One way we get free
792
00:41:59.489 --> 00:42:02.000
is by voting, my friends, so let's get out the vote.
793
00:42:02.079 --> 00:42:07.289
I'm Dominique DiPrima. Until tomorrow, KBLA family, one love.