You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand, happy.
To be sitting behind the microphones here on a beautiful afternoon as you've been hearing temperatures in the mid seventies. We're going to talk about the weather and how it impacts us here and do we have the right to enjoy it or should we feel guilty because so many of our fellow Southern Californians are suffering right now. I'm mainly on Fox eleven News. I fill in here occasionally on KFI, which I love doing because I'm a big
talk radio AM radio audio fan, always have been. And then I'm not sure if you have the opportunity, but our sister station at Fox eleven, which we've rebranded as Fox eleven Plus but you may remember as Channel thirteen KCOP, we've taken the unusual step and I want to pat ourselves on the back of adding newscasts at an hour at eight pm, an hour at nine pm. Not many local stations are adding newscasts, others are cutting back. But so if you get a chance to check those out
and remember Marla Teaz. You can know Marla Teaz from her work filling inher at KFI as well as on anchoring on Fox eleven, is the anchor person of the Fox eleven Plus newscast. She is in the process of having her baby. Do we have any updates on that? I lean haven't heard anything about that, Robin. So we're with you from two to four this afternoon. We have a lot to discuss. I encourage you if you would
to pay attention. Obviously, I like to call it like exercise for the mind, but I'm not just interested in talking at you.
I'd love to hear what you think.
And as you know, you can if you're listening on the app, the iHeartRadio app, you can click on the microphone icon and record a fifteen second message, and we hope to play some of those on the air. And if you're really inspired, pick up the telephone or dial your cell phone one eight hundred and five to two oh one KFI. That's one eight hundred five two oh
one five three four. Going to ask you some specific questions later on in the in the in the afternoon, have you heard that story about the neighbor from hell in West Hollywood. I'm interested to see whether any of you have any particularly outrageous neighbor stories that you can share with us. So we talked about the weather and we you know, it's so it's it's such a cliche to say this is one of the reasons we live
here right because of the weather's beautiful. That's why we put up with the traffic and the fires and the floods and the high cost of living and you know, add to your.
List of things. But it's a tough time right now.
Locally, obviously nationally, things are so divisive. It seems like if you follow the news like we do, and if you're listening here in KFI, then you're one of those who follows the news and is engaged and pays attention. And we appreciate that. But we're not just cruising. We're fighting through hardships right now. The quality of life is so dependent on where you live, your lifestyle. And if you're in Big Bear and you're keeping an eye on the Eaglitz and you're hiking every day, you're out on
the boat, or you're up skiing, fantastic. I mean, if you're in Ventura and you near the beach and you're surfing and you're fishing, fantastic. You're in Anaheim, you once again the annual worry about like what are the Angels gonna do? How long is Mike trub gonna be healthy? But in Los Angeles, yes, we have the Dodgers to look forward to. They open the regular season on Thursday. But there's thousands of our friends, family members, fellow Angelinos,
and I include Alta Dina in this. Even though it's La County technically, the fire recovery story is.
Still dominating the news.
And I know our leaders are elected leaders and others are trying their best, they really are. But I just feel that the people, the homeowners that we talk to that we interview for the news, they.
Want more, They need more leadership.
Now.
Mayor Karen Best, who were credited after a very rocky start, has been almost everywhere leading the charge for rebuilding, cutting tape. She was out in the Palisades on Friday talking with the news media about how if you rebuild with electrical appliances and more energy efficient appliances and other things like that you harden your home, then the permitting process will be sped up if you use fire resistant materials. Of course,
all new construction is with fire resistant materials. But amidst all this, there's a recall effort against Mayor Bass.
I'm not sure I support that. I don't know if you do.
We're going to talk more about her leadership or what some might consider challenging challenges in her leadership, but first let's get an update on what the latest is from our friends at Channel seven.
If you live in Pacific Palisades, you have less than two weeks to opt in or opt out for fire debris removal, but Mayor Bass says more than one thousand residents haven't done either.
If you do not take any action, properties will be declared a nuisance and owners will be responsible for all abatement costs without the possibility of FEMA reimburse and possibly be subject to a lean on your property.
Although there's progress in the Palisades two and a half months after the fire, there's more lots that haven't been cleared than those that have. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, over three thousand residents have opted in and five hundred and sixty four have opted out.
The Army Corps of.
Engineers will only clear the area of your property that burns, so some lots have concrete slabs, driveways and retaining walls. Left behind which will need to be addressed in order to rebuild.
All right, And that's a good compromise AABC seven. So one of the obvious questions that I have is what's the rush? What is with this this deadline? So Mayor Bass, I mean, I get that at some point you have to create a deadline. Can't be a year from now, but March thirty first, I mean, people are still in shock. That's why the numbers are what they are. Where the three thousand residents have opted into this program, five hundred and sixty four have opted out, but there's one thousand
or so more that haven't done anything. Yeah, because they're still not sure like what their future is.
So it seems outrageous to me.
And again I don't know if you agree with this or not, that she's essentially like, you better.
Do this by March thirty first.
She's threatening people with like financial sanctions if they don't do it when they're trying to recover from the worst trauma of their lifetime. That seems totally tone deaf to me. Now, I appreciate that she's out there. I appreciate that she's leading the charge. I appreciate that she's cutting through red tape and promising to speed up the permit approval process.
It's amazing that some permits have already been granted because you know the long history of red tape and building in California.
I don't know.
Agreed, disagree, let me know what you think, and then we're gonna talk about this after we come back from a break. But and then the next breath, the big story out of the City of Los Angeles. And again, not all of our listeners live in Los Angeles. If you're living in one of the you know, eighty five little communities that make up southern California, great because you're not dealing with this directly. But now we have the fire recovery, and now the City of Los Angeles is
talking about like a one billion dollar budget shortfall. That's one billion dollars, and we have the city administrative officer testifying about this in the city Council. We have the city Controller, Kenneth Mahea, issuing his own press releases with these dire warnings, demanding that everything is on the table. Raises for firefighters and police that have previously been negotiated. I mean, I guess I'm wanting more from our leaders.
I want a unified approach. You know.
Mayor Bass love to use that term when it came to the homeless, that we're all locking arms. Well, we're not locking arms on the issues that affect us police and firefighter hiring and raises, the rebuilding process, the deadline?
Do we need a deadline? Mayor Bass's future herself?
Is she going to be recalled the prime I'm Maury for the mayor's elections next year? What do we need to recall for Who's going to challenge her? Is it going to be Rick Caruso? Who will?
So?
If you're an engaged citizen of Los Angeles, you're forgive me, But I think you're entitled to wonder like who's really in charge? And I'll leave you this one thought. Right before we do, we check in with Eileen Gonzalez. Whatever happened to Steve sober Off the rebuildings are that was appointed to oversee the Palisades. We haven't heard a word from him in weeks. All right, I'm Phil Shuman with
it till four o'clock again. Let us know what you think by dropping a comment on the iHeartRadio app microphone icon. If you're really inspired give us a phone call and one eight hundred one KFI one one hundred and five to two oh one KFI and we'll talk.
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
I'm Phil Schumann here with you from Fox eleven News from Fox eleven Plus. As I mentioned, we started a new newscast in the evening. To get a chance to check it out. It's at eight pm and again at
nine pm. I understand if you're shying away from the news because so much of it is almost overwhelming, whether it's a local news here in southern California or of course on the national front, where it seems like every day there's some type of new conflict with President Trump and co President Musk and the Democrats, and it's a lot.
It's a lot to.
Deal with as we try to get through our day to day life here and just you know, not let the man get you down.
It's a challenge.
So the last segment, we talked about the rebuilding process for our folks out in the Palisades and to a lesser degree in Alta Dina that hasn't gotten as much coverage, but the stories out of both locations are just so compelling, and I want to give a hat tip to the journalists that are out there every day telling those stories, in particular the La Times, which has the manpower to
devote to this manpower and quotes. So while Mayor Bass is out there cheerleading for the rebuilding process and trying to push things forward and avoid a recall, which probably isn't going to happen because it's too expensive to gather the votes, the signatures, and it's really not enough time, the city's chief administrative officer, echoed by call an alarm sounded by the city controller, is that, hey, even though we have a thirteen billion dollar budget, bigger than some states,
the City of Los Angeles is looking at a likely one billion dollar budget shortfall for the twenty five to twenty six year which means layoffs for anybody, which means cuts and services, which means more frustration for people that live in the City of Los Angeles, who already pay some of the highest taxes anywhere. Let's listen, get a report on that, and then we'll talk more about it.
Well, the City Controller says, his office and the city want to do everything they can to avoid layoffs, and while the one billion dollar budget shortfall had many people gasping. The city controller says, we really should have seen this coming.
A staggering one billion dollar budget deficit projected for the City of Los Angeles. It took many by surprise, but City Controller Kenneth Mahia says he's been sounding the alarm for the past two years.
We're going to be tough choices to be made, and actually we already started last year because this is the second year in a row where we suffered from a budget deficit, so we've been in a hiring free since January twenty twenty four.
Mahia says the three biggest issues people are spending less. Revenue from business taxes and hotel taxes are down more than three hundred million dollars. The city is drowning in liabilities, paying over three hundred million in lawsuits, and salary raises to employees including police and fire. As a city on the hook for two hundred and fifty million dollars all right to close the gap.
Thank you that it's not great news. I mean, these are bills that you don't even realize. You realize that if you happen to have a single family home in the City of la that you pay about seventy five dollars BI monthly for trash pickup. They're saying that amount could increase to one hundred and fifty dollars by twenty twenty eight. By the way, the mayor is going to be releasing her proposed budget next month, so that's going
to lead to more fireworks. So Mayor Bass, she loves to talk in these broad generalities, like she's directed city staff to leave quote no stones unturned to find cost cutting measures to minimize layoffs. They're also going to consider adjusting I mean, these are things you never think of the city solid waste management program. Again, that will lead to increased trash rates. So again it's an example of
a failure of vision, failure of leadership. And I'm not as cranky as John Cobalt is about all this, and you know, wants to get rid of everybody.
I just want them to do better.
I mean, I've spent a lot of time with Mayor Bass, you know, covering her from Fox eleven and the campaign against Rick Caruso back in twenty twenty one, and her heart is in the right place. And if you doubt that, then I don't think you're dealing with the reality and all of these elected officials, whether it's the mayor, whether it's a city council person, whether it's one of the five Los Angeles County supervisors. And this is true in other cities beyond Los Angeles City and County. I mean,
these people work like seven days a week. They're incredibly dedicated, and in most cases they're in.
It for the right reasons.
They want to help their community, they want to make their corner of southern California a better place. But hey, these are complicated times. I mean, the police department wants more money, they deserve it. The fire department wants more money, they deserve it. The trash collectors, I mean, the utility workers,
take your pick. And when we're in a time when here's the three main sources of revenue you heard in that report briefly, sales tax, hotel room tax, and our share of property taxes from LA County, those were all down costs her up and so we need leaders with like vision how we're going to generate more money. I mean, this sort of a segue into and was going to save this for a whole other segment because it's like, so outrageous. Is President Trump has launched the gold Card program.
Have you heard about this? You thought it was maybe a credit card or but it isn't. It's the gold Visa proposal, in which people would pay up to five million dollars in fees for the right to obtain permanent residents in this country. I mean, it seems outrageous. The President announced this last month, the Golden Card program, offering wealthy and vents, at a cost of five million dollars each, the chance to again buy your permanent residency in this country.
We're talking obviously wealthy investors with large chunks of money. One card costs five million dollars. Trump says the US could sell one million of them. I mean, amidst all the Doge controversy, we haven't heard too much about this, but he's claiming that what he got like five billion dollars already in these gold cards.
I mean, is that fair? Obviously not so.
Is there like a local version of the gold Card program that could help raise some money from the city of Los Angeles. Again, we're going to hear this in the news for the next month or so. There's going to be threatened strikes, there's going to be labor groups upset, there's going to be calls for a compromise. I mean, it's just again going back to one of my central themes and just navigating the day to day life here in southern California is that nothing is easy. Nothing happened smoothly.
You can't just you know, pay your rent. Count on they're being apartments available, pay the mortgage, count on, there being loans available, whether you're in the Palasads or Altadena. Counting on rebuilding without somebody threatening you with fines if you don't apply by a certain deadline. I mean, just going from A to B traffic, the Metro. They're talking about expanding the metro out along the line from downtown LA all the way out to Westwood. The streets and
Beverly Hills are closed down for construction. They announced that the same day they're dealing with a stabbing on the metro line at the Universal City station. So it's like it makes you want to just sometimes like flee, right, But I'm not.
I mean, I'm hanging in there. I hope you are too, So let me know what you think.
Click on the radio on the microphone icon on the iHeartRadio app here at KFIM six forty. If you're really inspired, give me a phone call. Let's get some discussion going the phone number. As I'm sure you know by now, if you're a regular listener, one eight hundred and five to one KFI. That's one eight hundred five to oh
one to five, three four. I'm particularly interested in. Later on in the three o'clock hour, we're going to get into this amazing story about this quote neighbor from hell in West Hollywood.
If you have any of these outrageous stories.
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand started new newscasts.
If you happen to like television news at an earlier hour than wait till ten or eleven o'clock at night, check it out at eight and nine. Our colleague and friend Marla Teez will be mainly anchoring that show. But first she's having a baby girl, which I'm sure you know if you're following along her story on social and from when she was here filling in on KFI.
Anyway, congrats, Stero. I'll keep you posted on that.
Haven't got any updates on that lately, which kind of leads us into our next story, which was totally not my plan. But I'll make it. I'll make it happen. Do you happen to No?
All?
Right, here's here's like a quiz I would I had to look this up. How many people there are in the world, how many people around the world. The population of the of the entire world is about eight point two billion. Three hundred and forty million of us are here in the United States. So President Trump, as if he doesn't have anything else to do or to worry about,
is concerned. This is a headline from newsweek dot com and when we check sources far and wide for story information and story ideas, the headline is we want more babies. Donald Trump may have a notable impact on birth rates because the United States is one of many major economies that are facing population decline driven by low fertility rates.
So President Trump has spoken out on this issue several times, including during a campaign speech, and hadn't gotten a lot of attention compared to some of the other things he says. But the quote is we want more babies, to put it nicely, and last month he signed an executive order expanding access to in vitro fertilization IVF for Americans. His Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy directed the Department of Transportation to give precedents to quote communities with marriage and birth rates
higher than the national average. I mean, very controversial issue. I mean, why our elected officials are in our bedroom, so to speak. I mean, maybe that's why he loves Elon so much, because if you know anything about Elon, you know that. All right, we'll give him credit for being brilliant in the genius scale. But the guy has fourteen children. I think sadly one of them passed away when they were very young. Fourteen children, I mean, who has fourteen children? So, I mean Trump has five? Can
you name Trump's children? Donald Jr? Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, and of course Baron. With Milania? Where is Milania? By the way, is she a real person?
Eileen?
What do you think we never see We see Milani at the inauguration, and we'll see her four years from now, maybe at a state funeral. So Donald Trump is worried that we don't we're not having enough enough babies here in southern California, here in this country, and in particularly in southern California. I did some research into what they
call the American Dream. Fox LA has been covering this story also and how basically the American Dream is sort of an umbrella headline for how much it costs a year, how much you have to make a year to live in like the top ten cities in Los Angeles, whether it's New York, Chicago, Philly, La, DC, and so not a surprise, the cost of the American dream is going up, according to a new study released earlier this month by an organization called Go Banking Rates Robin, Let's listen to that.
You study reveals that achieved the American dream will cost much more money than ever before. The new report from Investopedia puts the price tag of getting married, buying a home, raising children, and retiring at four point four million dollars. The figure increased by almost one million dollars compared to just last year. The report says rising costs for housing, education, healthcare, and are primarily responsible for this big jump.
Okay, well that makes sense.
What did you say, four million, four hundred thousand in your lifetime? So I'm about I'm only about three hundred and ninety thousand dollars short, so I'm in good shape.
So at a minimum.
The analysis found that someone would need to make one hundred and two thousand annually to afford the quote American Dream in the biggest cities across the United States. How does Los Angeles stack up? According to this Go Banking Rate analysis, the American Dream just costs just under one hundred and sixty thousand in LA. That's the seventh highest cost in the country. I would have thought it would have actually been higher. So here are the full details.
Household income for the so called American Dream. This is in Los Angeles one hundred and sixty thousand dollars. The annual cost of living, which is essentially rant and slash. Mortgage makes up about half of that eighty thousand. The grocery cost per year. And you know, we don't calculate this per year. We really think about it maybe per week. But if you add it all up, about ninety five hundred,
the average monthly mortgage cost is six thousand dollars. You have a six thousand dollars mortgage, and then childcare, which is a huge number, is about thirty five thousand dollars per year. So again this goes back to what we were talking about earlier, is that's it's not easy to get by here in southern California, and it seems like it's getting more challenging rather than less challenging. You know, jobs are harder to come by, Salary increases harder to
come by. The cost of living is going up, whether it's rent, whether it's the mortgage, whether it's eggs, whether it's steak. We had a story on the news about the cost of beef has gone up like forty percent of the past year. But then if you want to look at you know what you might consider good news for Angelino's that again we're not even the most expensive city in the state. It's even more expensive than San Francisco,
San Jose, and Oakland. So again, all of these studies, you know, you can look that look at them in different ways. But without Los Angeles and San Francisco, Washington d C is up there. I like Washington d C. I often think to myself, if I was coming out of college like today, rather than starting at a small television station in Wichita Falls, Texas back in the nineteen seventies to chase the television dream, I think I would go to Washington d C.
It just seems like there's a lot.
All the action is there now Trump not talking about Trump, I'm just talking about in general.
It seems like Washington, d C. Is where the action is.
I think what I would do is I would probably go to graduate school and then I would also join the CIA and see the world.
That seems like exciting to me.
So if we could rewind the time machine to like the late nineteen seventies, I would have never come to southern California, and I'd never be here on KFI at this moment. So funny how things work out. All right,
we have lots more to discuss again. I'm Phil Schumann from Fox eleven Newes with you until four o'clock today, still hoping you might chime in, leave a message on the microphone icon in the iHeartRadio app if you've got any horror stories about your neighbors, because we have a good one for you coming up in the next hour.
You can also give me a phone call. And you're probably, you know, thinking I've heard enough from him, so I would to hear what you guys have to say about all these issues, whether it's the com of living, whether it's President Trump, whether it's may or Bass. I mean coming up. We have lots more interesting things and interesting things to talk about. You won't believe some of the language that goes on in the La City Council at the public comment session. Michael Monks is going to be
with us to talk about that. I mean, this is just a shocking story, some of the recalls. It's not just Tesla cyber trucks, but what else is being recalled.
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Determine the level of services and so forth, and nobody thinks it's really that accurate.
It's a snapshot.
And yes, if there's a decline fraction of a percentage, then everybody pats themselves on the back, which you know, it's better than an increase. But the fires have taken away the focus on the homeless issue, I think from the especially from the city of Los Angeles, who need to keep that keep that up. Jamie Page frequent guest here on on KFI the Westside Current dot com. It's hyperlocal journalism. Check it out, support it with a donation
if you can. I've been talking about the request for comments. You can click on the microphone icon and the iHeartRadio app and tell us what you think, and apparently we've gotten quite a few responses. Let's check one out.
I forgot the part about what Marbach said, that it's unfair for everyone else that's ready to go and reveal to have to wait for the people that are supposed to be on top of it and just dragging their feet, and how no one can rebuild because they got to wait for the stranger. You've conveniently forgotten that part of what you say.
So he's referring, I believe to the March thirty first deadline to apply for federal assistance and clearing burned properties. And I think what he's trying to say is that if you don't clear your burned property, it's gonna delay someone else from rebuilding their burned out house. I'm not quite sure I make that connection, but I appreciate you chiming in. Seems at a little angry there. Maybe am I missing your point? If I am, I apologize, all right.
I'm looking at my iPhone seeing if anybody's texting me like you sound great, you sound like an idiot, like during the breaks, and I'm looking at my phone and I'm embarrassed to say that I have an iPhone fourteen? Is that possible? And what's the current what's the current model sixteen?
I believe sixteen.
Yeah, And so now I'm looking at news stories that Apple is pushing the iPhone seventeen. And this is one of my favorite subjects because unlike most companies or businesses or products, it's like you create that I need a new washing machine, I need a new car, I need a new whatever it is blender.
And but what Apple does is they tell you what you need.
You need an iPhone seventeen, Well, I get an iPhone fourteen, and you know what.
It seems to work fine.
But there are those who are early adopters who have to have the latest technology, which brings us into my next subject, of which the headline is What's old is New again? Nineties brands? Can you matter to the nineties? What was the iPhone? Then the iPhone?
Seven?
Iconic brands are making a comeback, like the Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch and Old Navy, thanks to marketing to younger audiences who apparently are longing for some nostalgia.
Robin, I'm just trying to go shop a Gap.
That baby.
The Gap is back to not sleep on old Baby.
Along with Old Navy, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Levi's classic brands all making big comebacks. Social media says, so when did Abercommie become cool again? And now so do the numbers?
Experts say these brands, once mainstays of nineties fashion, lost touch with their customer base in the two thousands, but from twenty nineteen to now, Gap brands are up thirty seven percent, Abercrombie and Fitch a whopping five hundred and ninety four percent, and Levi's are bouncing back to style Guru Zach Posen revitalizing and revamping Gap and its brand offshoots Old Navy and Banana Republic, marketing to younger customers
through a mix of nostalgia and social media. The Gap evolving from Kakia Go Go to Perker Posey putting modern spins on its famous dance spots from the nineties and early two thousands, Abercrombie attributing its revival to a complete makeover from their culture to their brands to an increased focus on customers. And then there's Levi's with the Ultimate glow Up, revisiting vintage ads with style icon Beyonce, Can You put into words, just how dramatic the comeback is for some of these brands.
What these brands are doing that's smart is a delivering great merchandise that's exciting. Some of its quiet luxury, but some of it is fun fashion that you can get an affordable price.
But the turnaround hasn't happened for everyone.
In an industry often likened to a roller coaster, not all retail brands are enjoying the ride. Forever twenty one recently filed for bankruptcy for a second time and has plans to close all of its stores in the US, and Macy's is closing sixty six stores this year alone.
And every time I checked the website sold out.
But these stalwarts have once again nailed the alchemy.
Be all right?
Not everything old is new again. That was a report from Good Morning America. Appreciate that. I remember the Gap store right on Ventral Boulevard and Studio City that's been gone for a long time, And I think, what's interesting? And I lean field free to weigh in on this, because when you shop now, everything ninety is online. I mean, who goes to a store anymore? I guess if it's close, you're more inclined to go to a store because you've got to try them on.
Right, I'm a thrift store gal. I like going to thrift stores really yeah.
And you get good quality things there, or you like the bargain, or you like to define the undiscovered treasure.
Go to Goodwill in Manhattan Beach. You get like brand name, brand new things.
It's incredible.
People have all this money, they just put their stuff into the thrift store.
Right, is there like when you talk about that, you tell people that is there?
Like? Are you embarrassed ever to say that?
Or is it more like I'm proud that I'm doing that because look at all this money I'm saving.
I mean, like when I go.
To thrift stores, I look for like golf clubs and like unusual golf clubs, especially putters and hats.
I'm not like buying my shirts and pants and suits there.
Yeah. I have friends that think it's disgusting, they won't do it, But I have other friends that love it. I mean, we'll go together and just we'll go hit on the thrift stores.
I mean it can be fun. What model iPhone do you have? I have the sixteen? See there you go and you're probably going to get the seventeen as soon as it comes out, right.
I used to be that person, but I just couldn't keep up. I mean with the first iPhone, maybe for the first three or four generations, I was like keeping up, like I've got to have the new one.
Now.
My last phone was a seven. Well then they say, well it's faster. What does that mean.
It means when you take a picture or when you load a website, it's a millionth of a second faster than the previous generation.
So what are you going to do with that millionth of a second that you save?
I don't know, but I'm in it for the camera. I can zoom in twenty five times.
There have been improvements in the camera. I will grant you.
That I took a full moon, the blood red moon. I got amazing pictures of the moon. I couldn't do that with any other phones.
All right, when we come back, we're going to talk with Michael Wanks, a familiar face, name and voice here on KFI, to talk about the La City Council seeking a crackdown on just some the language that the public uses. I mean, ah'll it'll shock you.
KFI AM six forty on demand