Interviews

Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti, two long-time pro-labor Democrats, are suddenly competing over which of them will stand up to city-employee union demands. That’s one of the stories in the L.A. mayor’s race we talk about on tonight’s Friday Mixer. Joining Steve Choitakis are Gene Maddaus of the LA Weekly and Jim Rainey from the L.A. Times.
They discussed how both Greuel and Garcetti are …

Los Angeles businessman and philanthropist Eli Broad has reportedly partnered with investment banker and former L.A. Deputy Mayor Austin Beutner to make a bid for the Los Angeles Times.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the pair is mainly interested in the Times, though they would consider purchasing the block of Tribune Company newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, and the Hartford Courant, and …

This year’s Conservative Political Action Conference is underway in Washington DC. Ron Nehring, a Republican strategist and former chairman of the California Republican Party, spoke to KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis from the annual gathering of conservative activists.
Also joining us is Democratic strategist Garry South, who was invited to the California Republican Party retreat in Ontario this weekend to assess the state of the GOP and …

I didn’t go to artist Cathy Opie’s house explicitly to see the bunnies, but before I got to talk to her about what did lure me over to West Adams, I got a tour of this extension of her existence. Her partner, Julie Burleigh, has, over the last five years, converted an eyesore abandoned lot down the block from their house into a community …

The two remaining candidates for mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel, are lining up endorsements and raising cash for the general election in May. And unions are taking center stage in the debate.
KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis spoke with Gene Maddaus of the L.A. Weekly and Seema Mehta from the L.A. Times for this week’s “Friday Mixer.”

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In Los Angeles, we mark our neighborhoods with symbols of ethnic and cultural pride. And murals are strong representations of those identities. From South L.A. to Venice, and from Boyle Heights to Hollywood, street art tells us a lot about the people who live in those parts of town.
Bricia Lopez brought in a pair of Oaxacan muralists known as Colectivo LaPiztola to paint the …

The City of Los Angeles will mark a historic demographic shift sometime this year. A population expert at USC says L.A.’s current majority of transplants will give way to a populace made up predominately of native Californians.
Los Angeles has been a city of immigrants for more than a century. But immigration numbers have dropped. Latino population growth is also leveling off and the City …

Opening day of the baseball season is less than a month away. For both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Anaheim Angels, expectations are high. Of course, that goes with the territory for local sports.
But this season, there’s actually reason to be excited and for the fans to expect more.
KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis talked baseball with Kevin Roderick of LA Observed.

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Generations of Southern Californians have warmed themselves by the flickering light of the fire pits at the public beaches of Newport Beach. But now the city wants to eliminate them, calling the iconic devices a health hazard—and the South Coast Air Quality Management District might agree.
Standing in the city’s way, though, are beachgoers and the California Coastal Commission, who say the pits are an …

If you want to be mayor of Los Angeles, you really have to appeal to Hollywood.
Wendy Greuel had a four-year stint at DreamWorks and is married to a film producer, which could help her campaign.
But the truth is, the mayor doesn’t really have the power to do the one big thing entertainment people want – create financial incentives to make it more profitable to …

It’s the end of the week, and it’s time for the Friday mixer. From eight candidates to two: the primary election is over, and the field of candidates for mayor of Los Angeles has narrowed considerably.
Plus, an embarrassingly low voter turnout for the primary election, union endorsements, outgoing mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s future, and a look ahead to the next 11 weeks. All among the …

Geographically, California’s coastline is a 1,100 miles long, but maybe limitless when it comes to its importance to the image of the Golden State. Think about just some of what it conjures up: the fog- shrouded wilderness of the far North Coast, the beauty of the Golden Gate Bridge, surf culture and Gidget, the industrial brawn of the ports of Long Beach and Los …

Who are Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel, and why do they want to be mayor of Los Angeles? After a primary election that saw less than 20 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, City Councilman Garcetti and City Controller Greuel cashed in their front-runner status for invitations to the May 21st primary.
Both candidates are liberal Democrats but, beyond that, few Angelenos know much about …

The second-in-command at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced today that he’s resigning.
Just hours after he was re-elected mayor of Gardena, Paul Tanaka announced he’d step down as Undersheriff at the Department, where he’s worked since 1982.
Department spokesman Steve Whitmore said his reason is simple. “Well, he told me that he has a three and a half year old son, and that he …

See this picture of Hugh Hefner from 1967 in his bedroom office?  It’s packed with action–and Playboy bunnies wearing clothes. Surprises and movement abound in the photographs of the legendary photographer Art Shay, who flew in from Chicago last weekend for the opening of this retrospective of his work at the beautiful new home of drkrm Gallery.
What Shay has aimed his camera at over …

Voters in the city of Los Angeles are going to the polls today to whittle down the field of candidates vying for some of the city’s top elected spots.
But turnout is expected to be super-low. Which means a select few Angelenos will have big reigns over a primary that will choose the city’s next mayor, several city council members, city attorney and controller.
Joining KCRW’s …

Last week, a blog called Friends for Fullerton’s Future mysteriously called it quits after four years. It became nationally renowned for its coverage of the Kelly Thomas killing.
It’s also recognized for not taking sides with either Republicans or Democrats, attacking both sides with equal venom.
Joining KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis with more is Gustavo Arellano of OC Weekly.

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It’s the final days of the L.A. mayoral primary campaign, with the five major candidates vying for the city’s top spot.
An infusion of money in the race, more attacks between the top two candidates, and a new campaign video that digs deep into the core of politics – all among the things discussed in our Friday Mixer.
KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis is joined by Gene Maddaus …

A federal judge today cut the one-billion-dollars plus in damages that a jury awarded to Apple in a lawsuit that the computer giant brought against Samsung over its patents.
That’s the latest bad news for the company that faced this week a barrage of criticism at its shareholder meeting.
The Cupertino-based company’s share price is on the decline, down more than 35 percent in the past …

Downtown LA’s population has more than quadrupled in the past decade. Many of the new arrivals are families with young children, and they say there aren’t enough good public schools in the area.
Last year, a group of downtown parents decided to start their own elementary school. Metro Charter was approved by the LA school board this month and is scheduled to open in the …