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The fight over Squaw Valley's name Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

Governor Gavin Newsom signeda new law last month to remove the word ‘Squaw’ from nearly 100 landmarks and place names across California. Native Americans and others are celebrating the new law because they find the term 'Squaw' offensive. But in Squaw Valley, an unincorporated area outside of Fresno, some residents want to keep the name. And Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig is siding with them. Read the transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times reporter Lila Seidman

More reading: New law will remove the word ‘squaw’ from California place names

Native Americans want to ditch the name Squaw Valley. A county supervisor says context matters

Retiring its racist name, historic Squaw Valley resort will become Palisades Tahoe

Coyotes go urban; humans freak out Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

In June, at a Manhattan Beach City Council meeting, residents lined up to share their concerns about a predator that roams their streets, terrorizing them and killing their pets: coyotes. They’re an important part of the American West, but suburbanites are now advocating for their wholesale extermination. But is there another option, a way to co-exist peacefully?

Today, we examine this controversy.

How Los Angeles got so overcrowded Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

Los Angeles for decades advertised itself as an American Eden. But it ignored repeated warnings about the consequences of overcrowding on the working class. Now, when the situation is worse than ever, calls to fix it continue to go nowhere.

Today, we talk about an L.A. Times analysis that found that more people are squeezing into fewer rooms in L.A. than any other large county in America. And it’s been a disaster for public health, even before COVID-19 began to spread. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times housing reporter Liam Dillon and features reporter Brittny Mejia

More reading:

Packed In: Overcrowded housing in Los Angeles has brought death by design

L.A.’s love of sprawl made it America’s most overcrowded place. The poor pay a deadly price

One family’s desperate act to escape overcrowding

Late-night TV fights for its life, again Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

For decades, late night television talk shows were where America snuggled up together and we laughed. The hosts were household names, but also very male and white. Things diversified a bit last decade with hosts like Trevor Noah and Samantha Bee. But now Bee’s show is gone and Noah is on his way out.

Today, what’s next for late-night television? It’s a uniquely American genre whose obituary has been written again and again, yet somehow continues to stumble along. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times television critic Lorraine Ali

More reading:

Trevor Noah’s exit won’t just hurt ‘The Daily Show.’ It’ll hurt all of late night

‘Full Frontal With Samantha Bee’ is the latest casualty in late-night TV’s reshuffle

After a major cast shake-up, ‘SNL’ confronts its weaknesses — but can’t overcome them

Sheriff Villanueva's unlikely rise to power Oct 15, 2022

Show notes

There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to Alex Villanueva’s path to becoming the top cop in Los Angeles County. And that’s exactly what LAist Studios and KPCC do in a new five-part podcast series hosted by Frank Stoltze. Today, we play episode 1 of “Imperfect Paradise: Sheriff.”

The show begins with a scene of a very strange press conference: Villanueva is threatening to open a criminal investigation into L.A. Times reporter Alene Tchekmedyian and Stoltze questions the sheriff about it. From there, Stoltze reflects on his time covering policing in L.A. County and explains how Villanueva is the product of a department that has been riddled with scandals for decades: racial profiling, jail violence and deputy gangs.

Host: Frank Stoltze

More reading:

Your guide to the L.A. County sheriff election: Alex Villanueva vs. Robert Luna

Dozens of Sheriff Villanueva’s donors received permits to carry guns in public

Column: L.A. County’s sheriff leans on his Latino identity. Does he exemplify our worst traits?

Dedicated to Art Laboe Oct 14, 2022

Show notes

Art Laboe’s voice filled Southern California airwaves for more than 70 years. But beyond being a beloved disc jockey whose show was eventually broadcast across the nation, Laboe spread a radical message of racial unity way before such messages became mainstream.

The prolific “Oldies but Goodies” radio legend died Oct. 7 of pneumonia. His death comes at a time when we need his message of tolerance more than ever. So today, a tribute to Art Laboe. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: TimesOC feature writer Gabriel San Román

More reading:

L.A.’s radio community pays tribute to Art Laboe, a legend and mentor: ‘End of an era’

Column: I’m playing an Art Laboe album to counteract the noxious vibe from L.A. City Hall

Art Laboe dies; his ‘Oldies but Goodies’ show ruled the L.A. airwaves

The leaked tape that upended L.A. politics Oct 12, 2022

Show notes

This week, the Los Angeles City Council made national headlines for all the wrong reasons. In a closed-door meeting, City Council President Nury Martinez made racist and disparaging remarks about colleagues to fellow council members, Kevin de León, Gil Cedillo and a well known labor leader.

The subsequent fallout has upended L.A. politics just before a crucial mayoral election. So now what? Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times reporter Benjamin Oreskes

More reading:

L.A. council members made racist comments in leaked audio. Read our full coverage

Breaking down crucial moments in the racist leaked recording of L.A. councilmembers

The fall of Nury Martinez: A blunt talker undone by her words

Gavin Newsom versus the world Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

It’s hard to avoid Gov. Gavin Newsom these days, even if you don’t live in California. He frequently attacks other governors, lobs daggers at members of his own Democratic Party, and expounds on the “California way” when talking about everything from abortion access to combating climate change and more. All this action on the national stage has people asking, is Newsom low-key testing the waters for a presidential run in 2024? And if not, what’s his endgame? Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times columnist Mark Barabak

More reading:

Column: Is Gavin Newsom running for president? Or is he just desperate for attention?

Column: If Newsom sees himself as president, he should move into position to run. That’s what he’s doing

Newsom slams red state governors on D.C. trip, stoking speculation about his future

Mexico's fermented drinks bubble up Oct 07, 2022

Show notes

For hundreds of years, Mexican fermented drinks like tepache, tejuino and pulque were looked down upon by polite society. But a younger generation in Mexico has embraced them for their taste and curative powers.

Now, they’re having a moment in the United States — and becoming a multimillion-dollar industry. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times food editor Daniel Hernandez

More reading:

Foggy, fizzy, buzzy: Searching for the fermented drinks of Mexico on the streets of L.A.

Between heaven and earth, a spirited communion on Day of the Dead

Recipe: Homemade tepache

The Iranian diaspora rises up Oct 05, 2022

Show notes

Mahsa Amini died Sept. 16 in Iran after an encounter with the country’s so-called morality police. Since her death, Iranians have taken to the streets in protest of the country’s modesty laws. But what began as a call for women’s rights in Iran has since ballooned into something so much bigger.

Today, we hear from the Iranian diaspora about why they’re protesting in solidarity. Read the full transcript here.

Host: L.A. Times podcast producer Asal Ehsanipour

Guests: L.A. Times diaspora reporter Sarah Parvini

More reading:

‘Woman, life, freedom’: L.A. protest over Iran draws thousands

‘Nothing to lose’: Iran’s protesters step up their defiance as a potential showdown looms

In protests over death of Mahsa Amini, internet is key to planning. Can Iran block access?