1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: It is the News Blants with Randy Wang on Talk 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:08,320 Speaker 1: Radio seven ninety KABC. Let's get right into today's California 3 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: Report at Randywangradio dot substack dot com. This is my 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: daily curated list of all of the YouTube video versions 5 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: of local news reports that I listen to this morning 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,080 Speaker 1: that I think are worth your time. So let's get 7 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 1: into them. We start in the Pacific Palisades, our buddy 8 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: Matthew Siedorf at Fox eleven showing that just when things 9 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: couldn't get any worse for the people trying to rebuild, 10 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: taggers have descended upon the community and the down as 11 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: kids are spraying things like screw the rich and free Palestine, 12 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: on the abandoned lots and the burned out lots and 13 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 1: the burned down buildings, because well that's just where we 14 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:51,919 Speaker 1: are in this Notably, I saw Tracy Park out there 15 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: literally painting over some of the graffiti herself, because you 16 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: want to get anything done in the city of Los Angeles, 17 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: you probably even and if you're a member of the 18 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: city council, have to do it yourself, going through the 19 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: proper channels to clean up graffiti. Even when we're talking 20 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: about at fire victims probably takes forever. The city of 21 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: La moves like molasses. Now, CBS News is once again 22 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,759 Speaker 1: continuing their investigation and their investigation, which by the way, 23 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 1: has been going on for years and years and years, 24 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:29,119 Speaker 1: onto the hospice fraud that is centered in Los Angeles 25 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: County and centered even there in Van Eyes on One Street. 26 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: And one of the things that they were trying to 27 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: crack down on in the latest update is that there 28 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: is a doctor whose name is on so many Medicare 29 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: reimbursement forms that apparently in twenty twenty four he saw 30 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: over three thousand hospice pagents. Okay, maybe it was twenty 31 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: eight hundred. I don't want to overestimate, but the average 32 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: hospice doctor usually sees about one hundred twenty one hundred 33 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: and thirty patients a year. So if you go from 34 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty to 35 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: twenty eight hundred in a year, that has got to 36 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: raise some kind of red flag. According to the California 37 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: State Audit, about all the red flags we should be 38 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: looking for in illegal hospice businesses. And here's the thing 39 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: that is so frustrating to me is Gavin Newsom is 40 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: getting so defensive. Rob Bonta is getting so defensive, and 41 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,399 Speaker 1: they're like, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, this is federal 42 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: Medicare money that they're defrauding. We do our best to 43 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:39,360 Speaker 1: shut down any defrauding of state Medicare money in medical 44 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:44,839 Speaker 1: but it doesn't matter. We should all be on the 45 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: same side, not taking shots at each other. This is 46 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:50,639 Speaker 1: true for the federal government as well. But when the 47 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: federal government, when the state government's not doing their job 48 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: of shutting down these illegally operating businesses, because even though 49 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: the state wants to say, hey, this is their just 50 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: defrauding the federal government, this is the federal government's problem. 51 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: These companies obtain business licenses in the state of California, 52 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: and the California Attorney General should be investigating any one 53 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: of these businesses that shows a few of the red 54 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: flags that were implicated by the state's own audit. But look, 55 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: can we all be on the same team on this 56 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: If you want to know, one of the reasons why 57 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 1: our healthcare is so expensive is because there's so much 58 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: fraud in the system. And for all the people that 59 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: want to push us towards single payer, which hey, other 60 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: countries do it, and maybe it's a better way to go. 61 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: But unless we can get all the fraud out of 62 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: what already is part of our single payer system, good 63 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: luck with that. So I just wish we could all 64 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: be on the same page. And it's just it's so 65 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: ridiculous to be getting all defensive about how California is 66 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: not doing its job in rooting out the fraud when 67 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: it's obvious that California is not doing its job. Now 68 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 1: you want to make a really strong argument, you can 69 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: say that, hey, the federal government hasn't been doing his 70 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: job and rooting out this fraud for decades, and you're 71 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: totally right, and you have both Democrat and Republican administrations 72 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,719 Speaker 1: to blame for that. But right now everyone seems to 73 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: be taking this seriously. So we should all be on 74 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: the same page. We should all be on the same team. 75 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: Let's move to the Bay Area, where residents of the 76 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: South of Market neighborhood known as Soma they have filed 77 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: a complaint with the state of California. They claim that 78 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 1: San Francisco has been pushing all of the homeless services 79 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: and all of the homeless to a few neighborhoods, concentrating 80 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:48,799 Speaker 1: the problem in the Tenderloin, in Soma and in the mission. 81 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: And what that means is that if you go to 82 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: visit San Francisco and you go to the Sunset, it's beautiful. 83 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:58,919 Speaker 1: You go to Golden Gate Park, you go to North Beach, 84 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:03,839 Speaker 1: it's gorgeous. Steven Union Square, they've cleaned it up. But 85 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:07,039 Speaker 1: if you venture just one two street too far and 86 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: you end up in Soma or the Tenderloin, it's going 87 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:15,719 Speaker 1: to be a completely different scene. And what the residents 88 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: of Soma are asking for is something called geographic equity. 89 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: What is geographic equity. It's saying that there should be 90 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 1: homeless shelters and homeless services in every single neighborhood so 91 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: we can spread out the problem. 92 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:36,040 Speaker 2: And I don't know. 93 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: If that is the right response. I think centralizing the problem, 94 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:45,279 Speaker 1: while awful for those neighborhoods, means that the rest in 95 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: the neighborhoods are very livable. We have spread out the 96 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:53,359 Speaker 1: problem to all districts when we built homeless shelters in 97 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 1: all of them during the Eric Garcetti administration in Los 98 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: Angeles hasn't really worked out ultimately. It's funny though, when 99 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: I hear the idea of concentrating all the homeless services 100 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 1: and all the homeless into one neighborhood. It reminds me 101 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:10,919 Speaker 1: of and I do quote it often because it is 102 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 1: just a fascinating piece of television. The third season of 103 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: the HBO series The Wire, And if you've never seen 104 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,680 Speaker 1: The Wire, really you should do it immediately. It's on 105 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 1: all the streaming services, and it's one of the most 106 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:27,920 Speaker 1: important pieces of television. I think they even teach it 107 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 1: at some universities, and not in a way like that 108 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 1: you know, you can learn Harry Potter at a university, no, 109 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:38,279 Speaker 1: and like it's an incredibly important examination of the drug 110 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: war and the drug crisis. And one of the things 111 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,599 Speaker 1: that the Baltimore Police taught to do in a certain 112 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: district in season three was because they were so sick 113 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:51,279 Speaker 1: and tired of police officers getting shot and trying to 114 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:53,840 Speaker 1: do little bit raids on the gangs that were obviously 115 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: running Baltimore, was what if we push all the drug 116 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: dealers and all the drug added because and all the 117 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: drug dealing to this one corner that's full of vacants. 118 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: And the entire season revolves around this idea and for 119 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 1: the people that were living there, and there weren't many, 120 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: but there was one old lady all of a sudden 121 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: her neighbors. Her neighborhood turned into a nightmare. But you 122 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:24,560 Speaker 1: had all kinds of services that you could put out 123 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: there because everyone's here concentrated. They even showed a needle 124 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: exchange program. Notice I say needle exchange, not needle passing 125 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: out program. And ultimately when the city found out about 126 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: this and we're ready to shut it down, they looked 127 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: at it and they saw double digit drops in crime 128 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: and were like, I don't know if we want to 129 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: shut this down. Before they obviously had to shut this down. 130 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: But if you've never seen The Wire, it is a 131 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: fascinating piece of television and still very relevant today considering 132 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 1: the opiate crisis that we're in is very similar to 133 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: the opiate crisis in Baltimore in two thousands, but it's 134 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 1: even on a bigger scale out here now. The state 135 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: of California wants to be as environmentally conscious as possible, 136 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: and that's a good thing for us all to want 137 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: to do. We want to have clean air, we all 138 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 1: want to have clean water, and that is why whenever 139 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: you don't have clean water, you've got to call people out, 140 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: and you've got to find them when they did something 141 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 1: to harm our environment. And that is why the cities 142 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:28,640 Speaker 1: of Mountain View and Sunny Vale got fined for accidentally 143 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: leaking raw sewage into their creeks. 144 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 2: Can you believe it? 145 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:33,679 Speaker 3: You can smell it right here. 146 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: And while that's great, why are we taking that so seriously? 147 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:43,559 Speaker 1: And for decades, all different kinds of administrations have been 148 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:47,440 Speaker 1: ignoring the Tijuana River sewage crisis in San Diego County. 149 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:51,480 Speaker 1: We'll get to that later. Let's stay in San Mateo County. 150 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: Here's an interesting fight. San Mateo County claims that they 151 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 1: are broke, and part of the reason they're broke is 152 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: californ owes them one hundred and fifty seven million dollars. 153 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 1: They need to go on that website claim it dot 154 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: CA dot gov. But no, apparently what's going on here 155 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,080 Speaker 1: is Salvateo County, like a lot of counties, budgets based 156 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: on the money they think is coming in from the state. 157 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: And one of the things that the state usually passes 158 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,960 Speaker 1: on to the counties is those vehicle license fees. You know, 159 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: when you get your car registration and you got to 160 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:28,600 Speaker 1: pay that two hundred three hundred. I don't know minus 161 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: six hundred dollars, and I'm sure there are people that 162 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: are way more. 163 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:33,079 Speaker 2: It's insane. 164 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: They say that California didn't give it to them, and 165 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: what that means is they're budgets one hundred and fifty 166 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,000 Speaker 1: seven million dollars short, which means they're gonna have to 167 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,559 Speaker 1: cut police, they're gonna have to cut fire. And apparently 168 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:51,200 Speaker 1: what the state says is, we don't have to give 169 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: that money to the counties. It's on our discretion. So 170 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: is what going is what's going on here that the state, 171 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: in order to solve its own, my own budget woes, 172 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:03,920 Speaker 1: is taking money that's supposed to go to the counties, 173 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 1: because it sure does sound like that. And finally, in 174 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:11,199 Speaker 1: the Bay Area, this is his story from a few years. 175 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:12,560 Speaker 2: Ago, but it is escalating. 176 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:18,960 Speaker 1: A really, really, really brilliant kid in the Bay Area 177 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 1: was applying to a whole bunch of different UC schools 178 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: and was not accepted, even though he was brilliant. In fact, 179 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: he ended up getting hired outright to go work at 180 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: Google and is now an engineer and is doing incredible. 181 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:38,320 Speaker 1: But his father had been complaining for the longest time 182 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 1: that he feels that his son was racially discriminated against 183 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 1: because he was Asian, and at the time, certain schools 184 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: like the UC's had certain quotas where they were letting 185 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: into many Asian kids. Maybe the population was too Asian. 186 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: I didn't even want to get into the stereotypes here. 187 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:01,080 Speaker 1: But he is now suing after many years because he 188 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 1: says the state has denied that they rejected his kid 189 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:09,040 Speaker 1: for anything that had to do with race. But again, 190 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 1: I don't understand how the u cees reject anybody at 191 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: this point. This is from a few years ago, but 192 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:17,800 Speaker 1: it's an interesting story, and we'll be following that lawsuit. 193 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 1: In Sacramento, we have a bill from James Gallagher, who 194 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 1: it wants to cut electricity rates by thirty percent and 195 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: force the utilities to pay wildfire survivors when they start 196 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 1: a fire. And I think that's a valiant effort. But 197 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: as long as Gavin Newsom's appointees run the CPUC and 198 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:43,920 Speaker 1: a good portion of the state legislature is controlled by 199 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:49,200 Speaker 1: the lobbying interests of the California utilities, including PG and E, 200 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,960 Speaker 1: San Diego, guess An Electric, and so Cal Edison, I 201 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:55,200 Speaker 1: don't think this is going to move forward. I have 202 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 1: said it before and I will say it again. I 203 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 1: do not understand why we allow these monopolies to operate 204 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:07,720 Speaker 1: in the state of California. They have proven time and 205 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,280 Speaker 1: time and time again that they are ripping off their customers. 206 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:15,360 Speaker 1: They have all these bizarre incentives, including that they get 207 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: a guaranteed rate of return for building infrastructure, regardless what 208 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,560 Speaker 1: it is, but they have deferred so much on maintenance 209 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:24,559 Speaker 1: that we have seen so many devastating wildfires over the years, 210 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 1: including the Eaton fire recently, including the campfire obviously, and 211 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: you remember the whole deal with that one where PG 212 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:35,880 Speaker 1: and E made a deal after they got bailed out 213 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:37,560 Speaker 1: by Gavin Newsom that they were going to pay the 214 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:40,640 Speaker 1: victims of the campfire in PG and E stock, not 215 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: just cash. So these people's livelihoods are now tied to 216 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:48,040 Speaker 1: the success of this company. I love this idea, but 217 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 1: I think we need to think a lot bigger. And 218 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 1: as much as everything about him drives me crazy, the 219 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:57,120 Speaker 1: one thing I like about Tom Steyers campaign for governor. 220 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 1: He is campaigning he's not going to be successful, but 221 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: he's campaigning on the thought of breaking up PG and E. 222 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 1: Breaking up so cal Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric. 223 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 1: These companies have such a grip on our policy it's insane. 224 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:14,360 Speaker 1: The proof point that I use for that all the 225 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 1: time is the simple one. This state tried to incentivize 226 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: going green by investing in solar panels. In fact, California 227 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 1: has so many solar panels we generate more electricity than 228 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:28,679 Speaker 1: we need during the day. We still have a big 229 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:31,480 Speaker 1: problem of what we do during the night. And some candidates, 230 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:34,679 Speaker 1: including Matt Mayhean, have some very interesting ideas about this. 231 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: But the problem with all of that is when you 232 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 1: have so many rooftops generating solar power and they have 233 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: these contracts that were negotiated where they can sell that 234 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:51,800 Speaker 1: excess energy back to the utility companies, the utility companies 235 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: felt like they were missing out, they were losing a 236 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 1: whole bunch of revenue. So they convinced through the CPUC 237 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,720 Speaker 1: under the name of equ because of course only upper 238 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:05,080 Speaker 1: middle class and upper class people buy solar panels, that 239 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 1: they had to pass all their costs onto the pores. 240 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:11,080 Speaker 1: So through the bottom paid for members of the legislature, 241 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:14,719 Speaker 1: some who are former executives at PG and E, they 242 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:18,080 Speaker 1: decide to screw over everyone who owned rooftop solar and 243 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 1: change out the contracts and make the payouts way less 244 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 1: and make the idea of investing in rooftop solar much 245 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 1: less attractive. That shows you right there that the goals 246 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: of the state and the goals of these private energy 247 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:37,920 Speaker 1: monopolies are not aligned, and I'm not in favor it. Look, 248 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 1: our municipal utilities have a hell of a lot of problems, 249 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 1: to the DWP being a huge one. Although who do 250 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 1: we put in charge of the DWP? Karen Bass, a 251 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:52,400 Speaker 1: former executive at PG and E Jenny's Kinnones. But there 252 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 1: are plenty of municipal run utilities that do a very 253 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:57,920 Speaker 1: good job, SMUD being one of them, and I just 254 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:01,760 Speaker 1: I think that is the right direction to go. Will 255 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 1: it happen, I don't know. Should all these utilities be 256 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: able to be buying and paying for all of these elections? 257 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 1: That's an even bigger conversation about money and politics, but 258 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:16,000 Speaker 1: I don't think anyone has the appetite for that. In Sacramento, 259 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 1: enough public outrage has boiled over to the point where 260 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: you have a member of the legislature, a Democrat member 261 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 1: of the legislature, who put forth a bill to revise 262 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: California's insane elder parole program, which was letting out monsters 263 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:32,880 Speaker 1: like David Allen Funston and so many other people who 264 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:36,240 Speaker 1: were convicted for lifetime sentences, but they can get out 265 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 1: because they're over fifty, they've served twenty years, and the 266 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: parole board says they're safe. Well, a new bill just 267 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: passed a Public Safety Committee hurdle, and what does it do. 268 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 1: It says that, okay, let's raise that age from fifty 269 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 1: to sixty five, which, by the way, is where it 270 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:54,720 Speaker 1: was before Gavin Newsom lowered it in twenty twenty one. 271 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:57,320 Speaker 1: Let's make it twenty five years you had to serve, 272 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,520 Speaker 1: and certain crimes, like the most horrific sex crimes, you're 273 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 1: not eligible for. And I think enough people are paying 274 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:06,200 Speaker 1: attention to this that that might pass and Gavin Newsom 275 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 1: is gonna sign it. But let's not forget two things. 276 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: Gavin Newsom signed the lowering of in twenty twenty one, 277 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,680 Speaker 1: and Gavin Newsom appointed everyone to the parole board who 278 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 1: let this monster out to begin with. And just for clarification, 279 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 1: David Allen Funston, that monster was immediately re arrested by 280 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: Plaser County because they had charges they never filed because 281 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: they thought he was going away for life, but they 282 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 1: were able to thanks to the extension of the statute limitations, 283 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 1: put him back in. Here's another crazy loophole you might 284 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:39,040 Speaker 1: not know, and this one comes out of San Diego. 285 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: There is a loophole where we are actually now talking about. 286 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 1: We've had all this conversation over the last few weeks 287 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 1: about how California is letting out, you know, child molesters 288 00:16:55,480 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 1: and sexual violent predators. Here's one California may be about 289 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 1: to be letting out juvenile mass shooters. Somebody who did 290 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 1: a school shooting in San Diego County over twenty years 291 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:16,919 Speaker 1: ago is now able to petition for release because we 292 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,199 Speaker 1: changed the laws saying that you can't try children as 293 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:25,040 Speaker 1: an adult, and apparently all that was retroactive. And I 294 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:28,440 Speaker 1: can't believe we are now in a situation where, and 295 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:30,680 Speaker 1: you think about it, a lot of these things happened, 296 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:32,320 Speaker 1: you know twenty years ago that you're going to see 297 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:34,399 Speaker 1: a lot of these cases coming up. The people that 298 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 1: didn't immediately just take themselves out on the side, but 299 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:42,119 Speaker 1: the monsters who killed people on a school campus, mass 300 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:45,920 Speaker 1: shooters are now looking at being released and we're okay 301 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:50,760 Speaker 1: with them going back into society. It's complete insanity. I 302 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 1: believe in redemption for a whole lot of things. I 303 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:57,960 Speaker 1: don't know how exactly a mass murderer gets redeemed, but 304 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:01,879 Speaker 1: there you go. And let's end on this one because 305 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:05,520 Speaker 1: it is very relevant in La County and San Francisco County. 306 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:08,720 Speaker 1: But business owners in the gas lamp in San Diego, 307 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 1: one of the funnest parts of town, they're getting really 308 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:14,840 Speaker 1: irritated because San Diego has an ordinance that you're not 309 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: allowed to be doing any street vending in the gas lamp, 310 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,600 Speaker 1: but they don't enforce it. So when the padres came 311 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:23,960 Speaker 1: back in season, all the hot dog carts came out, 312 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,439 Speaker 1: and all the other stand up pop up food tents 313 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: came out. And here's the thing, these are not regulated. 314 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,639 Speaker 1: I worked in food service as a kid. I was 315 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 1: a manager at a fast food establishment at Magic Mountain. 316 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:38,959 Speaker 1: Had to deal with getting up to health codes and 317 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:43,320 Speaker 1: dealing with Health department inspections. And these carts don't have 318 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 1: to do that, and they don't have to do simple 319 00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 1: things like wearing gloves when handling food, or they haven't 320 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:50,679 Speaker 1: have hand washing stations. 321 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:53,240 Speaker 2: But here's the thing, And. 322 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 1: If you're wondering why there's so little enforcement, it's thanks 323 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:00,439 Speaker 1: to Ricardo Laura. Before he was the Insurance Commissioner, he 324 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 1: was in the state Senate and he passed a law 325 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: in the first Trump administration to decriminalize all street vending 326 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:10,000 Speaker 1: so that could protect people in the country hill illegally. 327 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:14,040 Speaker 1: And what it meant was police cannot be involved when 328 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: regulating illegal street vending, whether there's just going where they're 329 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,639 Speaker 1: not supposed to, or they're straight up selling stolen goods 330 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,120 Speaker 1: like in MacArthur Park, or in the Mission in San 331 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:27,119 Speaker 1: Francisco and in the ten in the gas Lamp area. 332 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:30,920 Speaker 1: Public Health is supposed to regulate this, but public health 333 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:33,320 Speaker 1: is so afraid of dealing with these people they don't 334 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:34,920 Speaker 1: go out without a police escort. 335 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 2: And so what are we seeing? No enforcement whatsoever. 336 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:40,920 Speaker 1: There's a lot more in today's California Report, so check 337 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 1: it out. 338 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:42,800 Speaker 2: I do this all for you. 339 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: And so I have like a physical log of all 340 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:48,160 Speaker 1: the stuff that I find every day. Randywangradio dot substack 341 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 1: dot com. It's the News Blitz with Randy Wang. On KABC. 342 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:55,080 Speaker 1: It's the News Blitz with Randy Wang on KABC. Coming 343 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:58,880 Speaker 1: up next, we're getting into the Los Angeles City Attorneys race. 344 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:01,360 Speaker 1: A name you might remember from the race to replace 345 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:05,359 Speaker 1: George Gascon, John McKinney is running in the LA City 346 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 1: Attorney's race against current income but Heidi Feldstein Soto. So 347 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:12,080 Speaker 1: stick with us as we find out what the city 348 00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:15,800 Speaker 1: Attorney's office does and what John mckinne wants to do differently. 349 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:20,200 Speaker 1: It's the News Blitz with Randy Wang on KABC. It 350 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:22,960 Speaker 1: is the News Blitz with Randy Wang on talk radio 351 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:26,320 Speaker 1: seven to ninety KABC. Make sure to subscribe to my 352 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:31,280 Speaker 1: substack for the daily California report at Randywangradio dot substack 353 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:35,480 Speaker 1: dot com. Our next guest is a longtime prosecutor at 354 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:39,560 Speaker 1: LA County. He ran in the race to replace George 355 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:44,920 Speaker 1: Gascone and is now running for Lacity Attorney. His website 356 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 1: is McKinnie the Number four LA dot com. John McKinney, 357 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to the News Blitz. 358 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:52,879 Speaker 3: Oh thanks, Randy. It's great to be on with you 359 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:53,600 Speaker 3: and your audience. 360 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 2: John. 361 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:56,320 Speaker 1: Why don't we go ahead and start off with a 362 00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 1: quick introduction People if they haven't heard of you before, 363 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:03,480 Speaker 1: who you are and why you're running for LA City Attorney. 364 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 3: Okay, Well, I've been fighting for people of Los Angeles 365 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:10,840 Speaker 3: for nearly thirty years in the District Attorney's office. I've 366 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 3: stood in courtrooms all across the county, looking stone cold 367 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,960 Speaker 3: killers in the eye and fighting for victims in our neighborhoods. 368 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:20,199 Speaker 3: And now I want to take that fight across the 369 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 3: street to the City Attorney's office. I want to bring 370 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 3: the experience that I've garnered leading large legal teams. I'm 371 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 3: currently the Director of Specialized Prosecutions. I oversee about three 372 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:37,440 Speaker 3: hundred attorneys and staff. I oversee eight con most consequential 373 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:41,840 Speaker 3: divisions in the DA's office, and I have a tremendous 374 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:45,560 Speaker 3: amount of litigation experience that I think would serve this city. Well. 375 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,480 Speaker 3: Our office is in good hands now, we've got District 376 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 3: Attorney Nathan Hoffman. Together, we have turned that office around 377 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,200 Speaker 3: and it's headed in the right direction. But the city 378 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,040 Speaker 3: is hopelessly lost. So I'm running to fight for the 379 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:02,000 Speaker 3: city of LA all the residents of La, the business owners, 380 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 3: the property owners, folks who have been left behind frankly 381 00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 3: over the last fifteen to twenty years. 382 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 1: And before we get into some of the big issues here. 383 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:14,119 Speaker 1: Can you give a quick education to the audience what 384 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,959 Speaker 1: the difference is between the La County District Attorney's office 385 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:19,040 Speaker 1: and the city attorney? 386 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 3: Okay, real quick. The District Attorney has jurisdiction over all 387 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,400 Speaker 3: felony crimes in the County of Los Angeles and all 388 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 3: juvenile crimes. The City attorney has criminal jurisdiction over all 389 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:37,199 Speaker 3: adult misdemeanor crimes that occur in the City of Los Angeles. 390 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:41,840 Speaker 3: But somewhat uniquely, the Los Angeles City Attorney wears another 391 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:46,080 Speaker 3: hat may be more important, certainly just as important, in 392 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:49,960 Speaker 3: that the city Attorney is the general council for the 393 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:55,119 Speaker 3: Los Angeles City, which is a municipal corporation. So the 394 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:59,080 Speaker 3: city Attorney has a criminal responsibility and a civil responsibility. 395 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:02,800 Speaker 3: On the civil the city attorney defends the city against 396 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:07,119 Speaker 3: all lawsuits. Who's on behalf of the city rights the 397 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:11,600 Speaker 3: ordinances advises the city council and the mayor. And so 398 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 3: it's a far ranging job and a very important job 399 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:18,040 Speaker 3: that not many people know about well. 400 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 1: And why don't we start on that liability front, because 401 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:24,760 Speaker 1: in the last five years, the City of La has 402 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:30,119 Speaker 1: paid out over one point one billion dollars in just 403 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 1: liability claims, which takes a huge hit to our budget 404 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: every single year. Notably, one of the reasons we were 405 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:40,160 Speaker 1: in a budget deficit last year was we anticipated we 406 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:44,280 Speaker 1: anticipated one hundred million dollars for lawsuits and we ended 407 00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:47,919 Speaker 1: up spending three hundred million dollars for lawsuits. So what 408 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:51,160 Speaker 1: do you think needs to be changed in regarding our 409 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:56,880 Speaker 1: liability for whether it's police liability, it's negligence liability, slips 410 00:23:56,880 --> 00:23:59,120 Speaker 1: and falls. I mean, we got to cover it all, 411 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:01,400 Speaker 1: but the city gets food a lot. 412 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:06,159 Speaker 3: That's absolutely right, and that's one of my priorities in 413 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:10,359 Speaker 3: running for city attorney. The current city attorney has struggled 414 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:15,640 Speaker 3: mightily when it comes to fiscal responsibility and being proactive 415 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:20,040 Speaker 3: in preventing lawsuits and then handling the ones after they're filed. 416 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:24,120 Speaker 3: As you pointed out, the city has never faced more 417 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:29,520 Speaker 3: lawsuits than it has under her tenure. The case payouts, 418 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,360 Speaker 3: whether it's a settlement or verdict, is as high as 419 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:35,560 Speaker 3: it's ever been in the history of Los Angeles, and 420 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 3: there have been more million dollar plus verdicts during her 421 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:42,119 Speaker 3: tenure as city attorney. And she's spent more money in 422 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:46,760 Speaker 3: hiring outside private big law firm council, sometimes for as 423 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:49,680 Speaker 3: much as fifteen hundred to two thousand dollars an hour 424 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:53,360 Speaker 3: than any city attorney before her. So in my view, 425 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 3: she's been an abject failure at protecting taxpayers. Once I'm 426 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:02,480 Speaker 3: elected city attorney, I'm so fortunate I will get my 427 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,720 Speaker 3: arms around the lawsuits first and foremost, I will be 428 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:10,439 Speaker 3: much more proactive and aggressively managing the risk that the 429 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:13,560 Speaker 3: city faces, whether it's the Los Angeles Police Department that 430 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:18,480 Speaker 3: cost taxpayers more than fifty million dollars in liability last year, 431 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 3: or all of the dangerous conditions that exist in our 432 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:27,440 Speaker 3: city due to crumbling infrastructure, you know, sidewalks, trees, overhanging 433 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:31,000 Speaker 3: power lines and whatnot. And a lot of that is 434 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:35,160 Speaker 3: a failure of some of our political policy as well well. 435 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 1: And I'm so glad that you brought up the outside 436 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 1: attorneys thing, because it's the strangest thing. I think a 437 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:42,359 Speaker 1: lot of people first saw this when they saw the 438 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: stories about the lawsuit that the City is of LA 439 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:47,879 Speaker 1: has been in with with the Alliance Against Homelessness, with 440 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,959 Speaker 1: the Alliance for Homelessness for years and years and years, 441 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:54,000 Speaker 1: and even though as you said, the city attorney is 442 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 1: the general Council. 443 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 2: We hide out. 444 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 1: We hire outside law firms to represent the city in 445 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:03,639 Speaker 1: those case, and they get at all kinds of money 446 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,440 Speaker 1: to represent us, even when they're not really doing anything. 447 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:08,919 Speaker 1: So I got to imagine you'd be stamping out that 448 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:11,439 Speaker 1: kind of waste, because why are we hiring anybody to 449 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:13,479 Speaker 1: do the job of someone we already have. 450 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:20,000 Speaker 3: Absolutely, we have five hundred and fifty highly skilled lawyers 451 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,879 Speaker 3: who work for taxpayers in the City of Los Angeles 452 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:27,320 Speaker 3: in the City Attorney's office. I don't understand why much 453 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:30,080 Speaker 3: of the work that's being farmed out to these private 454 00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 3: firms isn't being done by the men and women in 455 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:37,960 Speaker 3: the office. Certainly, I will take over the office, modernize it. 456 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:42,760 Speaker 3: I will develop highly proficient trial teams like the ones 457 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,120 Speaker 3: we have in the District Attorney's office. You know, I've 458 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:49,440 Speaker 3: personally prosecated one hundred jury trials myself. The current City 459 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:51,880 Speaker 3: Attorney I don't think has ever tried a case. If 460 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:54,840 Speaker 3: she has, maybe one, but she's not a litigator. And 461 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,480 Speaker 3: if you're not a litigator, then you're not going to 462 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:01,119 Speaker 3: be very successful at evaluating cases, knowing which ones to 463 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:03,480 Speaker 3: settle and which ones to take the trial and ultimately 464 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 3: how to try them if you have to. 465 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:08,600 Speaker 1: You know, it's interesting that just kind of worked out 466 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:10,480 Speaker 1: that we had you scheduled to be on today and 467 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:13,639 Speaker 1: the LA City Attorney's Office is actually a big piece 468 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:16,679 Speaker 1: of news today as they were the victims of a 469 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:20,800 Speaker 1: huge hack that has led to the leaking of all 470 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:24,959 Speaker 1: kinds of different files within the LAPD, including personnel files, 471 00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:26,360 Speaker 1: including witness files. 472 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:28,160 Speaker 2: What do you think happened there? 473 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:32,679 Speaker 3: Well, I think it's a highly concerning situation and I 474 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:36,320 Speaker 3: expect this to grow into a very big story, perhaps 475 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:39,320 Speaker 3: maybe even a scandal. And I'll tell you why. There's 476 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:41,639 Speaker 3: a lot of questions that need to be answered and 477 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 3: for people who don't know, it was reported today that 478 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 3: the City Attorney's Office was hacked for about seven terabytes 479 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:56,000 Speaker 3: of data related to cases involving police officers, and these files, 480 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:59,360 Speaker 3: I think it's been estimated at over three thousand files 481 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:04,000 Speaker 3: contained personal identifying information of police officers, their families, and 482 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:08,040 Speaker 3: I suspect other witnesses as well. I don't think that 483 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:10,840 Speaker 3: the Los Angeles Police Department or the City Attorney's Office, 484 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,720 Speaker 3: even though it's the full scope of what was taken 485 00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:17,200 Speaker 3: from them. Now, look There are a lot of clever 486 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 3: people out there who know how to hack information. But 487 00:28:20,119 --> 00:28:22,160 Speaker 3: I think the questions that we need and we need 488 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,359 Speaker 3: them right away to be answered. We need them to 489 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,880 Speaker 3: be answered by the city attorney, who has, as far 490 00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:29,440 Speaker 3: as I know, hasn't said a word yet about this publicly. 491 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:34,560 Speaker 3: But we need to know, aside from what was stolen, 492 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:39,680 Speaker 3: what immediate steps did she take to try to recover 493 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:45,120 Speaker 3: the stolen data, to report it to LAPD, to report 494 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:47,360 Speaker 3: it to the FBI. Did she do any of that? 495 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 3: If she didn't, why was there a political reason, Why 496 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:53,720 Speaker 3: was there a self serving reason? Why? These are all 497 00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:57,080 Speaker 3: legitimate questions that the public deserves to know the answers to. 498 00:28:57,640 --> 00:28:59,040 Speaker 3: And so we're going to stay on top of the 499 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:01,520 Speaker 3: city attorney, and I hope you do too, to get 500 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 3: the answer cities questions, because quite literally, lives are at 501 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 3: stake as long as that information is out in the 502 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:11,280 Speaker 3: public domain, and this is highly confidential information. It has 503 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:13,760 Speaker 3: been reported that some of this information has already been 504 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:16,360 Speaker 3: posted on the Internet, some of it put up, some 505 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:19,520 Speaker 3: of it taken down. But this is a big, big deal. 506 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,080 Speaker 3: It could lead to liability too, It could lead to 507 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:26,400 Speaker 3: lawsuits against the city and you know this city attorney 508 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:29,680 Speaker 3: has already costing taxpayers millions and tens of millions of 509 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 3: dollars that could be better used for getting this city 510 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:35,640 Speaker 3: cleaned up and ready for the future. 511 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:40,120 Speaker 1: We're speaking with John McKinney, LA County prosecutor running for 512 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:44,040 Speaker 1: LA City Attorney. The website is McKinnie the number four 513 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:46,880 Speaker 1: LA dot com. Okay, John, I get to pick your 514 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,920 Speaker 1: brain on something, because this is the most bizarre conversation 515 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:53,280 Speaker 1: I heard all year at the LA City Council. So, 516 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:55,680 Speaker 1: the LA City Council is trying to find ways to 517 00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:58,479 Speaker 1: raise revenues and one of the things they've been looking 518 00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:03,160 Speaker 1: at is the illegally operating marijuana businesses in the city 519 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:06,080 Speaker 1: of Los Angeles. So many years ago, we passed Prop. 520 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:10,600 Speaker 1: Sixty four, which created legal permits for selling commercial marijuana 521 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:14,120 Speaker 1: to selling recreational marijuana. And one of the things that 522 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 1: was supposed to happen was to make sure that we 523 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 1: stamped out the illegal market. But because we haven't done that, 524 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:23,200 Speaker 1: we've created all kinds of onerous permits and fees on 525 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:25,800 Speaker 1: the people that want to do these businesses the right way, 526 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:29,400 Speaker 1: and according to the own LA City Council, every time 527 00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:32,680 Speaker 1: they report an illegal storefront that's sitting in a strip 528 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:35,640 Speaker 1: mall to the La City Attorney's office, whether it's a 529 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 1: smoke shop that's selling stuff they're not supposed to, they 530 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 1: say there's nothing they can do about it. So the 531 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 1: La City Council has decided maybe what we need to 532 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:46,680 Speaker 1: do is put a measure on the ballot and if 533 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:49,720 Speaker 1: the voters say yes, we can send a tax bill 534 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:52,120 Speaker 1: to the illegally operating pot stores. 535 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:54,080 Speaker 2: What do you make of all that. 536 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 3: Well, I don't I don't agree with her stance that 537 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:02,280 Speaker 3: there's nothing she can do about about an illegal retail 538 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:07,120 Speaker 3: marijuana shop. We're prosecuting those at the District Attorney's office 539 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:09,560 Speaker 3: and we're shutting them down as quickly as we can 540 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 3: find them. So there's no reason why the city shouldn't 541 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:16,120 Speaker 3: be doing the same thing. The fact of the matter 542 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 3: is the city voters have decided to go in the 543 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:22,840 Speaker 3: direction of legalized marijuana, and there is a lot of 544 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:27,680 Speaker 3: money for the city to make in taxing the legitimate 545 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 3: sale and the safe sailing usage of those products. But 546 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:35,760 Speaker 3: that will never happen as long as the city attorney 547 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 3: is not doing her part to eliminate the illegal competition, 548 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:45,479 Speaker 3: which can always undersell the legal market, right, they can 549 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:49,800 Speaker 3: always sell their products cheaper, And along with those businesses 550 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,640 Speaker 3: comes a lot of ancillary crime. At the DA's office, 551 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:55,800 Speaker 3: we see quite a few murders related to these illegal 552 00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 3: pop up retailers. So I disagree with the city attorney. 553 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 3: I would work aggressively to shut those illegal retailers down, 554 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:10,400 Speaker 3: to look for and bring nuisance abatement and other actions 555 00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 3: against illegal warehouses and so forth. 556 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:20,080 Speaker 1: Now here's another issue that is getting really, really, really 557 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:22,360 Speaker 1: irritating for people that live in the city and the 558 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:25,440 Speaker 1: County of Los Angeles. But this problem is mostly focused 559 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:28,600 Speaker 1: in the city, and that is rampant copper wire theft. 560 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 1: I know Nathan Hoffman has made a whole lot of 561 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 1: press conferences about this and supported legislation to tough in 562 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:37,000 Speaker 1: laws at the state level for copper wire theft that 563 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:40,880 Speaker 1: have left thousands and thousands of street lights in the darkness. 564 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 1: But one of the things that I never understand when 565 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:46,320 Speaker 1: we're talking about, you know, going after the people stealing 566 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:49,960 Speaker 1: the copper wire, is unlike any other commodity, there's only 567 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:53,280 Speaker 1: so many places you can sell these stolen goods, and 568 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: it sure seems like those are the junkers and the 569 00:32:56,200 --> 00:33:00,600 Speaker 1: recyclers and the smelters, and those are all licensed busy businesses. 570 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:03,040 Speaker 1: And as far as I know, the City Attorney's office 571 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:06,160 Speaker 1: does have the power to revoke business licenses if they're 572 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 1: breaking the law, but it seems we don't pull that 573 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:09,800 Speaker 1: lever almost ever. 574 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 3: I agree with you. This was This also came up 575 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:17,240 Speaker 3: during the time when we had quite a few catalytic 576 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:21,280 Speaker 3: converters being stolen and sold to some of those same businesses. 577 00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 3: We've got to we've got to attack that problem on 578 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:27,720 Speaker 3: all fronts. But I'll tell you, and we see this 579 00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:30,240 Speaker 3: even in the DIA's office, where we prosecute tell any 580 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:35,840 Speaker 3: crimes without meaningful consequences, there's very little that we're ever 581 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:38,160 Speaker 3: going to be able to do about some of these 582 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:42,400 Speaker 3: quality of life crimes. We need meaningful consequences, and that 583 00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:47,000 Speaker 3: means we need a jail. We need a modern jail 584 00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:50,680 Speaker 3: that has the capacity to punish people when we get 585 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:55,160 Speaker 3: to that graduated level of having tried everything else, so 586 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:58,080 Speaker 3: that we can properly hold them accountable for crimes like 587 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 3: copper wire theft, converted the petty theft. Without that, it's 588 00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:07,800 Speaker 3: going to be very difficult to really change the conditions 589 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:08,360 Speaker 3: on the ground. 590 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,360 Speaker 1: And last question before you go, I could talk to 591 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:14,719 Speaker 1: you all day, but unfortunately we do have a break 592 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:17,120 Speaker 1: coming up. But you know, one of the things that 593 00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:19,399 Speaker 1: our current city attorney has said is one of her 594 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:22,040 Speaker 1: most important missions is the only time you really see 595 00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:24,760 Speaker 1: her in public is it press conferences when we're talking 596 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:29,200 Speaker 1: about you know, sex traffic awareness, human trafficking awareness, and 597 00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:32,879 Speaker 1: of course it's a huge issue county wide, citywide. We've 598 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:36,280 Speaker 1: all discussed the blades that are on Figaroa in different areas. 599 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:38,960 Speaker 1: But one of the things that as much as we 600 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:41,719 Speaker 1: should be going after all of that, it seems that 601 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:45,480 Speaker 1: the city turns a blind eye to is the storefronts 602 00:34:45,480 --> 00:34:50,080 Speaker 1: that are offering massages, acupuncture, whatever, that it's very obvious 603 00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:52,839 Speaker 1: what's going on there. Some of these businesses have had 604 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:55,640 Speaker 1: busts for years and years and years, but there doesn't 605 00:34:55,680 --> 00:34:57,640 Speaker 1: seem to be a lot of action of shutting down 606 00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:01,560 Speaker 1: the very obvious dens of prostitute. 607 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:03,319 Speaker 2: That litter the entire city. What do you think about that? 608 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:10,400 Speaker 3: I think it's largely a question of results, and I 609 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:15,000 Speaker 3: have seen the city attorney at certain press conferences with 610 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:18,480 Speaker 3: my boss, the district attorney Nathan Hoffman, who has also 611 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:22,839 Speaker 3: aggressively identified human sex trafficking as a major issue. And 612 00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:26,680 Speaker 3: by the way, human sex trafficking in its true sense, 613 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:30,319 Speaker 3: it's a felony, not a misdemeanor. What the city attorney 614 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:36,000 Speaker 3: can impact is the prostitution that happens. You know, the 615 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:39,320 Speaker 3: john who is driving up and down the blade looking 616 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:44,200 Speaker 3: for someone to enter into an agreement for sex with. 617 00:35:45,239 --> 00:35:50,080 Speaker 3: But there are no real consequences again for those people 618 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:53,120 Speaker 3: once they're arrested. There's certainly no consequences for the women. 619 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:58,120 Speaker 3: The sex workers are basically have immunity against prosecution. In fact, 620 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:00,840 Speaker 3: under current state law, they can't even be arrested for 621 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:05,440 Speaker 3: what they do. So as long as the state takes 622 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:09,640 Speaker 3: the posture that sex work in public places is okay, 623 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:13,400 Speaker 3: and it's based on the notion that the sex workers 624 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:17,120 Speaker 3: are victims, and I can tell you in some cases 625 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,600 Speaker 3: that's true. In some cases that's not so true. But 626 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:24,840 Speaker 3: if law enforcement can't even interrupt their behavior by taking 627 00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:28,080 Speaker 3: them into custody and trying to channel them toward the 628 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:30,640 Speaker 3: help that they really need, then it's going to be 629 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:33,200 Speaker 3: very difficult to get our hands around the problem of 630 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:34,280 Speaker 3: public sex work. 631 00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:39,040 Speaker 1: John McKinny. He is running for La City Attorney. You 632 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:41,600 Speaker 1: know him from the La County Pro Executor's Office for 633 00:36:41,680 --> 00:36:43,520 Speaker 1: years and years and years. If you want to find 634 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,359 Speaker 1: out more about his campaign and get involved, go to 635 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:50,680 Speaker 1: McKinny the number four LA dot com. John McKenny, that 636 00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:53,359 Speaker 1: was an enlightening interview. We'll be talking to you again 637 00:36:53,520 --> 00:36:55,680 Speaker 1: very soon, and good luck on the campaign trail. 638 00:36:56,600 --> 00:36:58,960 Speaker 3: Thank you, Randy, appreciate it. 639 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:02,640 Speaker 1: It's the News Blitz with Randy Wang on KABC. It's 640 00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:06,120 Speaker 1: the News Blitz with Randy Wang on KABC. The City 641 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:09,160 Speaker 1: of La is about to face a whole lot more liability. 642 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:13,160 Speaker 1: The organization Streets for All, which got Measure HLA on 643 00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:16,080 Speaker 1: the ballot and pasted, is now going to be suing 644 00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:19,640 Speaker 1: the City of La over not implementing Measure HLA because 645 00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:21,839 Speaker 1: one of the things that they said in that road 646 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:25,239 Speaker 1: diet bill was if the city repaves the street and 647 00:37:25,320 --> 00:37:28,640 Speaker 1: doesn't put in a bike lane, then anybody can sue 648 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:31,640 Speaker 1: over it. It's another sequel level private right of action. 649 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:34,400 Speaker 1: So whoever does get in that City Attorney's office, if 650 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:36,799 Speaker 1: it is John McKinney, there's going to be a hell 651 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:39,359 Speaker 1: of a lot more lawsuits thanks to something the voter 652 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:42,160 Speaker 1: said yes to. It's the News Blitz with Randy Wang 653 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:46,560 Speaker 1: on KABC. It's the News Blitz with Randy Wang on KABC. 654 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:50,000 Speaker 1: A friend of ours gave up Booze for Lentzo. When 655 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:52,879 Speaker 1: that was over, she wanted to have a wine night 656 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:55,000 Speaker 1: to celebrate. So I'm like, all right, do you want 657 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:57,880 Speaker 1: steak or do you want salmon? She wanted salmon, So 658 00:37:57,960 --> 00:37:59,800 Speaker 1: we did a little fancier than balsamic. 659 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:00,319 Speaker 2: See. 660 00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:04,520 Speaker 1: We did pecan crusted salmon, where first you cover the 661 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:07,360 Speaker 1: salmon in a mayo and mustard mixture, so mayo and 662 00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:10,520 Speaker 1: dijon with a little truffle salt, and then you cover 663 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:15,040 Speaker 1: it with crushed pecans, parmesan and parsley. Bake that in 664 00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:17,160 Speaker 1: the oven at for twenty five weeels did some lemon 665 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:21,520 Speaker 1: palm broccoli with it. Paired it with a fiddlehead lollapalooza 666 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:24,840 Speaker 1: pinou noir and a wrath Lemarravo Peanu and noir and 667 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:28,520 Speaker 1: they were both perfection and she was happy. It's the 668 00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:30,280 Speaker 1: News Blitz with Randy wangun KABC.