Last week, we partnered up with KCRW for a live mayoral debate with some of the city’s top candidates for the top job. It was the final group debate before the primary on June 7. And in it, three candidates talked a lot about a housing-first approach and took progressive stances on the issue of homelessness. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano and KCRW housing reporter Anna Scott Guests: Rep. Karen Bass, L.A. councilmember Kevin de León, and activist Gina Viola More reading: Wi...
May 25, 2022•47 min
In this episode of the “Border City” podcast from our sister paper, the San Diego Union-Tribune, longtime U.S.-Mexico border reporter Sandra Dibble brings us to an awful time for Tijuana: the three-year window from 2008 to 2010. Cartels ramped up violence to horrifying levels, targeting cops and doctors. Police tried to purge traitors from their ranks — and went too far. But through it all, the spirit of Tijuana stayed alive. In the darkness, there were still sparkles of music and art and joy. R...
May 24, 2022•32 min
The pandemic has made a lot of us rethink a lot of things. On the forefront of that existential rethink: restaurant workers. This realignment of priorities and personal interests drove lots of restaurant workers to quit. Now, two years after COVID-19 upended the restaurant industry, so many food spots are still short-staffed and help-wanted signs are seemingly everywhere. That's motivating employers to offer better pay, conditions and perks. Today, L.A. Times business reporter Samantha Masunaga ...
May 23, 2022•20 min
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which detains hundreds of thousands of people nationwide, typically says fewer than a dozen detainees die in its custody each year. But if the agency releases a person in dire health, they're not in custody when they die — so ICE doesn't need to count that death. Today, L.A. Times immigration reporter Andrea Castillo tells the stories of two people who were abruptly released by ICE just days before their deaths and pulls back the curtain on the system th...
May 20, 2022•19 min
The ups and downs of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin can bring quick wealth — or quick bankruptcy. It's the hope for a huge payoff that keeps people hooked on these fluctuations, to the point where their attention turns to addiction. Today, in the wake of the crypto market's recent crash, we look at how obsessing over digital currency can affect people and their lives. Read the full transcript here ....
May 19, 2022•16 min
On Saturday, a heavily armed 18-year-old white man rolled up to a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo, N.Y., and killed at least 10 people. The suspect is said to have committed the act to stop the so-called “Great Replacement,” a conspiracy theory that gained popularity among the far right across the world in recent years. Its premise says that a secret cabal of elites are supposedly helping people of color take the place of white people. In the United States, the great...
May 18, 2022•26 min
In the late 1990s, a turf war between the Arellano-Felix and Sinaloa cartels in Tijuana led to mayhem and corruption. But as the cartel-fueled violence continued, residents in the city lived their lives. Sandra Dibble was a reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune at the time, and she treated her visiting mom to handmade corn tortillas, Cafe de la olla, and eggs drenched in mole in Tijuana’s upscale neighborhood. She took her brother to Tijuana’s famous Mercado Miguel Hidalgo to buy tamales. And...
May 17, 2022•36 min
Roe vs. Wade is expected to be struck down this summer, which would mean abortion will no longer be a federally protected right. If that happens, about half the states will probably ban abortion altogether, or make getting one a lot more difficult. But for those who live in Texas, especially in the Rio Grande Valley, it’s already hard to get an abortion. Today, we look at how Texas has made it nearly impossible for low-income women to get an abortion. And how other states want to copy that. Read...
May 16, 2022•28 min
It’s barely spring in 2022 and California has already broken record heat and drought levels never before seen in 1,200 years. Major reservoirs across the American West are at record lows. Groundwater is drying up. It’s projected to get even worse in the upcoming summer months. Come June 1, millions of Southern Californians will have to learn how to live with the region’s most severe water restrictions ever . So who can we blame? Today, our Masters of Disasters tell us. Read the transcript here. ...
May 13, 2022•23 min
The arrest in Russia earlier this year of WNBA superstar Brittney Griner made worldwide headlines. But few dug into why she was playing abroad in the first place. Today, we hear how Griner is just one of many female athletes who find themselves abroad year after year to play the games they love, geopolitics be damned. All because they can’t get a fair wage in the United States. Read the full transcript here . Host: Gustavo Arellano Guest: L.A. Times sports editor Iliana Limón Romero More reading...
May 12, 2022•26 min
Mickey Mouse has been the mascot for Disney going back to the days of, well, Walt himself. But the copyright for the mouse that Disney has zealously guarded for decades is set to expire in just two years. That means the black-and-white version of Mickey Mouse depicted in “Steamboat Willie” would be in the public domain, where anyone can do anything with him and all of his magic and fame. A group of Republicans, mad at some of Disney stances on social issues recently, want that to happen. Disney ...
May 11, 2022•18 min
Aerial strikes, targeting civilians, cutting off supply chains: Russia’s brutal war tactics in Ukraine are shocking, but also hauntingly familiar. These are tactics the country has used before. Six years before Russia launched its brutal attack on Ukraine, it began another horrific military operation in Syria. Today, we talk about what we can learn about Russia’s strategy in Ukraine from its involvement in Syria. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times Middle Eas...
May 10, 2022•20 min
More and more companies worldwide are making the switch to a 32-hour work week. And in California, there’s even talk of making it the law. Today, we discuss what the State Legislature is discussing. And we hear from people at companies that already have done that. And guess what? Worker productivity, at least according to them, is as great as ever. Read the transcript. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times breaking news reporter Hayley Smith, and Andrew Barnes, 4 Day Week Global co-founder M...
May 09, 2022•24 min
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has been campaigning to become the next president of the Philippines via the power of TikTok and other social media. And Bongbong’s whitewashing of his family’s violent past has him on the cusp of victory. Today we go to the Philippines, where the presidential election is taking place next week. And we talk about how social media disinformation, yet again, might put a populist onto the global stage of power. Read the transcript. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A....
May 06, 2022•20 min
We repeat our episode from last year on Cinco de Mayo because it’s that good. Axios reporter Russell Contreras takes us to the forgotten history of the holiday that’s more American than Mexican, and offers a case for why we should celebrate it. R ead the transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: Axios reporter Russell Contreras More reading: If it’s Cinco de Mayo, the cooking should be Mexican Op-Ed: Cinco de Mayo -- a truly Mexican American holiday Five ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at ...
May 05, 2022•21 min
On June 7, voters in Los Angeles will elect their preferred candidates in the primary. A couple of races — the mayor’s seat, L.A. County Sheriff, a possible recall of Dist. Atty. George Gascón — are earning national attention against a backdrop of voters angry with what they think is out-of-control crime and homelessness. Today, we air a live panel on all this and more, originally held during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L...
May 04, 2022•33 min
In this installment of the podcast “Border City” from our sister paper, the San Diego Union-Tribune, longtime border reporter Sandra Dibble talks about what it was like covering the assassination of a police chief in Tijuana and the arrest of a powerful drug suspect. She also moonlights as an opera singer in Tijuana, puts on a concert for friends from both sides of the border and navigates living a binational life after 9/11, which changed the flow of traffic from one side of the border to the o...
May 03, 2022•29 min
Streaming services were one of the few winners from the pandemic, especially Netflix. But the pandemic’s binge boom seems to have burst. Today, the winners and losers in the streaming wars and how providers are handling the post-quarantine subscriber drop. Read the transcript. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times film business reporter Ryan Faughnder More reading: After Netflix’s week from hell, why streaming is becoming more like ‘just TV’ Same-day streaming film releases are ‘dead,’ cinem...
May 02, 2022•23 min
After South L.A. erupted in anger 30 years ago, government officials promised to end the community’s economic disparity once and for all, and invest. It’s a promise that many residents say remains unfulfilled. But is that finally going to change? Today, Part Two of our L.A. riots anniversary coverage will focus on the Crenshaw Line, a light-rail system that some South L.A. leaders say will help the neighborhood improve — and others fear will bring gentrification. Read the transcript. Host: Gusta...
Apr 29, 2022•15 min
April 29, 1992. A date that forever changed Los Angeles. Six days of chaos erupted after the acquittal of four police officers in the videotaped beating of Rodney King, an unarmed Black motorist. This is the first of two episodes on the 30th anniversary of the L.A. riots. Today, Black, Latino and Asian communities reflect on the uprising. We also discuss the racial reckoning of the L.A. Times newsroom in its aftermath. Read the transcript. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times columnists San...
Apr 28, 2022•26 min
For more than a decade, #BlackTwitter — a community of millions that has harnessed the power of the social media platform to create real-world change — has been a cultural phenomenon. But with Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, many Black activists fret for the future of the space they created and say they might not stick around to see what changes the platform’s new owner will make. Today, how Twitter’s influential Black community is reacting to the controversial new leader — and where Black onli...
Apr 27, 2022•16 min
Menthol-flavored cigarettes have been controversial for decades, and the Food and Drug Administration is weighing a national ban on them. But tobacco companies are not a fan of losing out on millions of dollars with that possible move. So they’ve enlisted leaders in a community that has long been the biggest consumer of menthols: Black people. Read the show transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times medical investigations reporter Emily Baumgaertner, and Ben Stockton of the Burea...
Apr 26, 2022•30 min
As Russia’s war against Ukraine enters its third month, ordinary Ukrainians continue to upend their lives to protect their homeland. Today, we’ll hear the stories of three Ukrainians who came to the aid of their country in its hour of greatest need. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times foreign correspondent Kate Linthicum More reading: Full coverage of the war in Ukraine Ukraine war heroes: A student spiriting supplies to soldiers. A DJ answering calls about t...
Apr 25, 2022•28 min
The strict lockdowns and zero-tolerance COVID policies that were once praised for keeping China largely infection-free; they’re back. And they’re now pushing people to their limits. Today, how the recent lockdown in Shanghai is testing China’s zero tolerance strategy, and what it means for the country’s communist government. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times China correspondent Stephanie Yang More reading: Strain of Shanghai’s COVID lockdown tests China’s z...
Apr 22, 2022•22 min
Earlier this month, Mexico had an election. But it wasn’t business as usual. The vote was a first in Mexico — a recall referendum on the country’s president. The person pushing to recall the president … was the president himself. Today we get into the curious history of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Read the full transcript here . Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times foreign correspondents Leila Miller and Kate Linthicum More reading: Mexicans vote on whether to recall the president, an elec...
Apr 21, 2022•22 min
Since AriZona iced tea launched in 1994, a can of the stuff has cost 99 cents. It’s a business anomaly, yet one that has turned the company into a multibillion-dollar outfit. And the owner vows to keep his iced tea at that price even during the worst inflation the United States has seen in 40 years, which is eating into the company’s revenue. Today, we get into this odd business ideology. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guest: L.A. Times business reporter Sam Dean More reading: As inflation soars, how is...
Apr 20, 2022•21 min
In Chapter 3 of “Border City,” a podcast from the San Diego Union Tribune and L.A. Times, Sandra Dibble continues her story about living and working as a journalist in Tijuana. It’s both sides of Tijuana that eventually make Sandra feel like she’s not just passing through anymore, but like she’s finally found her place and purpose. From drug cartels, a kidnapping and an attempted murder of a journalist, to building real friendships, a surprise birthday party, tennis lessons, aerobics and intimat...
Apr 19, 2022•30 min
Some of the biggest names in the music industry have played the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival since it debuted in 1999 on large grass fields out in the California desert. It turned into a global phenomenon and tastemaker in the process. But for the past two years, along with the rest of the live-music industry, Coachella went on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic...but it’s BACK. Today, what Coachella’s return this past weekend and next weekend says about the state of the music industr...
Apr 18, 2022•27 min
In anticipation of the Supreme Court making its landmark abortion decision this summer and very likely undoing Roe v Wade, The Times is looking at the issue from a number of perspectives. Today, we’ll tell the complicated story of how evangelicals mobilized around restricting abortion — and one women’s place in it all. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times national correspondent Jaweed Kaleem More reading: Read the L.A. Times’ “The Future of Abortion” series As Supreme Court weighs abortion,...
Apr 15, 2022•27 min
In 1945, five families sued school districts in Orange County to challenge the practice of so-called Mexican schools, which kept Latino students from attending white schools with better resources. The daughter of one of the plaintiffs, Sylvia Mendez, has spent her retirement telling the story of the landmark desegregation case, which was decided 75 years ago on April 14, 1947. But she goes from school to school talking about the importance of this case at a time when Latino students are, in many...
Apr 14, 2022•26 min
