AirTalk

It's now April, which means that California's rainy season has officially come to an end.

And because we're not likely to see much more precipitation until next winter, it's the perfect opportunity to reflect on where we're at in terms of water throughout the state, and what the rest of the year is going to look like. In short: it's bad.

We're now officially entering our second year of worsening drought conditions after a paltry showing of rain and snow back in 2020. That left us in a critically dry position in the fall, with 84% of the state experiencing some level of drought. And because of the disappointing showing of precipitation over the past four months, that's now spread to 91% of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The credit for any sort of moisture this rainy season belongs to only a few storms, most notably the late January atmospheric river, which was responsible for 50% of this year's all important snowpack. Another example of how crucial the storm systems are here. That said, it wasn't enough to get us to "normal." And without a miracle March to save us, we're left with a snowpack across the Sierra that's only 61% of average for April 1. That's concerning because a significant portion of water for our landscapes and reservoirs comes from the snowpack, especially through the dry months. Speaking of water storage, the sustained dry weather is starting to take a toll on our reservoirs which had recovered following our last drought. Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with KPCC/LAist reporter Jacob Margolis to talk about the issue. 

Read the full LAist story from Jacob Margolis here

GUEST:

Jacob Margolis, KPCC/LAist science reporter, his latest story is “California's Dry Weather Is Bad News For Wildfires And Water Supply,” he tweets @JacobMargolis

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, host Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center.

Today’s topics include:

LA and Orange County reach orange tier, meaning bigger restaurant reopenings tomorrow 

New CDC travel guidelines will say it is low risk to travel if you're vaccinated 

California lifts 120-mile travel advisory but still wants you to stay home 

30% of Californians have received COVID-19 vaccine dose 

UK vaccination puts US to shame

FDA authorizes two changes to Moderna's vaccine 

GUEST:

Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets @PCH_SF

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest COVID-19 headlines and give a breakdown of today's vaccine eligibility expansion for Californians ages 50 and older. Also on the show, we talk about what constitutes a hate crime under state law; learn about the bottleneck at the ports; and more.

A 65-year-old Filipino woman was stomped and kicked outside a Manhattan apartment complex Monday, an assault that has garnered widespread outrage after surveillance footage was shared across social media. This targeted attack came less than two weeks after the Atlanta spa shootings, where six Asian women were killed. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, crimes targeting Asian Americans increased by nearly 150%, according to data compiled by the Center for Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. The first spike occurred in March and April 2020, when citywide lockdowns began to take form.

Despite these statistics, hate crimes are often underreported by victims or undercounted by law enforcement.

A recent study from Survey Monkey and AAPI Data found that Asian Americans were least likely to report hate crimes. The data found that 35% of Asian Americans and 33% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders felt uncomfortable reporting hate crimes to the police.

Of the other minority groups surveyed, 30% of Latinos, 32% of Native American and 31% of Black people expressed discomfort reporting hate crimes to law enforcement.

In California, lawmakers are resurrecting bills from 2017 aimed at tackling hate crimes. One proposed legislation would establish a statewide hotline through the California Department of Justice for hate crime victims and eyewitnesses. 

The state recognizes hate crimes as offenses “where a victim is singled out because of their actual or perceived disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.” 

Even with a state statute, classifying an act as a hate crime is fuzzy at best.

Today on AirTalk, we discuss with a legal expert about what exactly constitutes a hate crime in the context of California law. Questions? Call us at (866) 893-5722.

Guest:

Jerry Kang, distinguished professor of law and Asian American Studies at UCLA; founding vice chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at UCLA from 2015-2020; he is the co-author of “Race, Rights, and Reparation: The Law and the Japanese American Internment” (2d ed. Wolters Kluwer 2013); he tweets @profkang

While the cargo ship caught in the Suez Canal captured international attention last week, another significant shipping drama continued to unfold— this one, off our own shores in Southern California.

Dozens of ships are anchored off the coast of Los Angeles and Long Beach, part of a bottleneck that has been ballooning since late last year. Ships are waiting an average of 7.9 days for berth space. Combined, the ports handle more than a third of container imports for the U.S., and the delays don’t stop once the ships are docked. In January, over 25% of imported containers at LA and Long Beach had to wait more than five days for handling. In June 2020, by contrast, 2% waited that long.

Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about the bottleneck at the ports and what it means for the local economy. If you have questions, comment below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.

GUESTS:

Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach; he tweets @MarioCorderoLB

Capt. Kip Louttit, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California, a ninety-year-old non-profit which operates the vessel traffic service for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach

Jessica Alvarenga, manager of government affairs at the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), trade association that represents terminal operators and ocean carriers operating in the West Coast on regulatory issues

Southern California police said Thursday the gunman who killed four people and wounded a fifth at an office complex knew all the victims either through business or personally. Orange police Lt. Jennifer Amat also revealed that the gunman had chained gates to the complex closed, forcing officers who responded Wednesday to engage him from outside. Police withheld the identities of the dead but said one was a 9-year-old boy. The others were a man and two women. The gunman was also wounded and hospitalized. Wednesday’s shooting happened in the city of Orange southeast of Los Angeles. When officers arrived, shots were ringing out at the building that includes a mobile home brokerage.

With files from the Associated Press

Read more of LAist reporting on the issue by clicking here. Her story will be updated. 

GUEST:

Jill Replogle, KPCC’s College Pathways reporter who has been covering this story; she tweets @jillrep

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Dean Blumberg from UC Davis. 

Today’s topics include:

Vaccine eligibility expands to all Californians 50 and older

Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine batch can’t be used after failing quality test

Pfizer says COVID vaccine protects for at least six months

Guests:

Carla Javier, KPCC/LAist reporter; she tweets @carlamjavier

Dean Blumberg, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital

Today on AirTalk, we go over the latest COVID-19 headlines. Also on the show, we talk with school officials to see how reopening plans are going; recap the newest Supreme Court cases to appear on the docket; and more.