August 13, 2025 • 28 mins
The John Kobylt Show Hour 3 (08/13) - Chris LeGras comes on the show to talk about low income housing advocates wanting to sue to rezone the burn zones in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. More on the DC Metro Police being placed under federal control and reporters publicly denouncing it but privately praising it. The stupidest selfie ever was taken with an elephant.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Can't.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I am six forty.
Speaker 3 (00:02):
You're listening to the John Cobel podcast on the iHeartRadio
app every day. We do the show between one and
four o'clock every day. You can also hear it streaming
on the iHeart app, and after four o'clock the podcast
version also on the app, and it's same as the
radio show.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
After four o'clock you can download it.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Later this hour, we're gonna go through all the bizarre
reactions in Washington over Trump trying to stop people from
getting murdered. This is like the Great Insanity Test. How
angry do you get because Trump wants to stop people
from getting murdered in.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Washington, DC? All right, we'll do that.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
We'll also talk about absolutely the stupidest selfie ever taken,
but boy did he get justice. That's later on. Chrys
La Graz coming on with us there. He's a local
journal to as we've had on this for quite a
few times. He does great work. He's got a piece
at Pasadena noow dot com. After the Palisades and Altadena
(01:10):
burned out, they were trying to pass laws so that
developers can move in and build low income housing, multi
family units, apartment buildings and duplexes and quadruplexes. And most
(01:30):
of the people who live in the Palisades, I know
for sure, live in single family homes and they like
it that way. And you have these outsiders who are
banging the drum for low income housing, and nobody wants
that in the Pallisades.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Beleeve me nobody.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
And eventually Newsom realized he was on the losing side,
issued an executive order and they're not going to be
building low income housing. So the low income housing advocates
want to sue to reverse Newsom's order. Let's talk to
Chris Lagrad to see what this is about. Chris, how
are you hey?
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Good John? How are you?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I'm all right.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
So as it stands, news is shoot in order and
that blocks these low income housing ideas.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
What are these groups planning to do.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Well? First of a couple of quick points of clarification.
The story opacity that now is not actually mine. There's
actually not a name on a story, but that's where
the story first ran that brought people's attention to this.
And Newsom's order applies specifically to one law called SB nine,
and what SB nine does is allows developers to go
in and buy a single family parcel, split it in
(02:39):
two and build duplexes on each of the two new
parcels for a total four units where there used to
be a single family house. And then using ADUs and
JADUs you can get as many as eight and possibly
ten units where there used to be, you know, a house.
And obviously Pacific Colisades in Alpadena are ripe for this
(03:02):
kind of development because you don't have to pay for
the demolition because mother nature already did it for you
if you're a developer. So about two and a half
weeks ago it was reported that developers had started doing
exactly this with SB nine on a half a dozen
or so parcels in the palisades. And these are not
people rebuilding. These are developers who bought parcels from people
(03:27):
whose homes had burned out and do it, decided or
would not be able to rebuild, and tried to start
shoehorning multiple units into the palisades. We haven't seen if
it's happening in Altadena, but it is almost certainly happening
in Altadena. So this resulted in a letter both from
Tracy Park, the council woman of course for the Palisades,
(03:48):
who wrote to the governor as soon as you've learned
of it two fridays ago. That was followed by a
letter from Mayor Bass, and within about five days knew
some e signed as executive order exempting just Altadena and
the Palisades from this kind of quote unquote multi family development.
And in response, Yimbi Law has announced that they are considering,
(04:14):
I don't want to stay threatening, but considering a lawsuit
to overturn Newsom's order so that developers could continue adding
thousands and thousands of new units to places that have
already burned. And the quote I think that sums it
all up is that one of the attorneys in this
Pasadena Now story was quoted as saying, quote, there is
(04:37):
nothing linking additional density to added fire danger. And he's
saying this about a place where, with the current density,
we had gridlocked evacuations, people running through smoke and embers
on foot, and bulldozers pushing cars out of the way
so fire engines could actually get to the fire. But
adding a couple thousand more people at no real connection.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
YIBBI stands for a yes in my backyard, which I
find to be one of the most obnoxious phrases yes
in my backyard, Well, then put them in your backyard.
But this crowd is saying yes in other people's backyards.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Well, and here's the thing. The reason and Gavin Newsom
acted so quickly is that this is he's actually and
people really need to understand because that this is the
greater significance. The reason he did this so quickly is
there is another even worse bill as we speak, making
its way through the legislature, SB seventy nine, And what
(05:39):
SB seventy nine does is that it requires cities to
approve multifamily developments up to seven stories, and then when
you add other existing laws, it could be up to
as many as fifteen stories in single family neighborhoods.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Fifteen fifteen stories and a single family neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
There's a bill that would allow that.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
And the only requirement is that the parcel will be
within a half mile or a quarter mile of certain
kinds of transit stops. And you don't even need to
worry about the definitions because ultimately the goal of this
build is that any parcel that's within a half mile
the bus stop will be automatically up zoned and I
can go build fifteen stories where they're used to.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
I mean, I heard about f SP seventy nine, we
talked about it. I had no idea could lead to
a fifteen story apartment building on a single family site.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Absolutely, because nine itself has new heights allotments, and then
when you add again density bonus and other incentives, you
just multiply the number of units. Oh and also, according
to recent law, you can build that, let's say, fifteen
stories without a single off street parking spot because you're
(06:53):
near a bus line or a train line.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
To try to force everybody onto buses and trains. Yes, yeah, yeah,
I'll tell you what it could effect me. Because you're
a half mile away from Sunset Boulevard and I'm pretty
sure there's a bus stop there, So yeah, this is
trying to force me to take the bus to take
the bus to Burbank.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Yeah, you're screwed.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I could wake up and.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
There could be a fifteen story low income apartment building
across the street.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
It could be low income, it could be luxury, it
could be anything that developer can get away with. Here's
Oh and here's another wonderful example. I just learned of
a project up in the Bay area that's taking advantage
of some of these laws. And it's a twenty unit development,
except one of the units is a fifty four bed
assisted care facility that this developer, who is very creative.
(07:52):
My head is off to their legal team somehow managed
to get this fifty four unit assisted care facility counted
as a single units for purposes of the approvals.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Is that going into a residential area?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Yeah, yeah, it's up there. I believe it's Marine Countla County.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
And the reason I'm telling that story is it's another
example of these laws that have been passed over the
last seven or eight years by people like Scott Wiener
and EMBs. We are now starting to see the worst
fears that those of us who have been advocating against
these laws all along, our worst fears are coming true
because they are written so broadly and in language that
(08:33):
has so many loopholes you could, you know, literally drive
a construction truck through it. And we're now starting to
see that manifest in all of these different ways. And
so Gavin Newsom said, sure, I'll get rid of Stbnine
in the Palisades and Altadna, which also by the ray,
raises another question. So then the question is, mister governor,
are just so unclear? There are hundreds of other communities,
(08:56):
including yours, including mine in the Bay Area, that are
very similar to the Palisates in terms of fire danger, evacuations,
et cetera. So, mister Governor, is the new policy that
I have to wait for my neighborhood to burn down
before I get relief from these laws?
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yes? Why is the only on behalf of the governor?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (09:14):
The answers, yes, can you all right? Thanks very much
for coming on, Chris.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
We'll talk.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
There's a ton more to talk about.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Do you got time to stay on it?
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Wait?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Wait, do you got time to stay in another segment?
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Sure, okay, all right, then hang on, hang on, we'll
talk more about this Crystal Gras.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI AM
six forty.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
We continue with Crystal Gras. Chris is a local journalist,
and we're talking about all these outrageous laws which are
going to allow developers to buy lots in your single
family neighborhood and build all kinds of high density housing.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Is the polite term. It's could be love income housing, It.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Could be housing that ends up fifteen stories high right
across the street from you, because they're using the state
law to overrule all local law, local zoning law, especially
when it comes to single family housing, which apparently has
been declared evil by the progressives in Sacramento.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Chris, when we left off, you said there's a lot
more going on. What else is going on?
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Well, you know, since since about twenty for about the
last ten years, the legislature has passed something like three
hundred bills that have been signed in the law and
in some shape or form, rest control from local governments
away from development and housing and land use. And there
are all sorts of new exceptions and exemptions for multi
(10:49):
family development because, as you alluded to, the prevailing wisdom
and Sacramento is that single family houses are responsible for
everything from racism to to you know, polar bears dying,
horrible depths.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Right, climate change.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah, So, now never mind the fact that eighty two
percent of Calns, of every conceivable walk pipe in the
background live in low density neighborhoods, single family neighborhoods and
duplexes and the like. You know, that's that's the California
a dream, and that has declared war on so whether
(11:26):
it's a density bonus is something that they use that
if a developer adds just a small sprinkling of quote
unquote affordable units, they get to add multiples of that
in regular price, market rate and measury units. So the
way it pencils out for the developer, who, by the way,
there's no way of enforcing even those affordability requirements, but
(11:48):
the developer just puts it down on paper and they
get their extra units and their extra levels, And as
I said a few minutes ago, that's how you get
to as many as fourteen or fifteen under SB seventy nine.
So they are now SB seventy nine is a culmination
of this whole process. And California is in good company.
Oregon has has all but outlawed single family zoning. The
(12:11):
city of Minneapolis got rid of single family zoner. New
York is trying to do it, and there's even some
similar legislation in Texas and Florida. Because you know, for
certain Republicans, they think this is a matter of property
rights and if you want a piece of property, if
you want to build fifteen stories, well you should be
allowed to build fifteen stories. So there's actually a Bill
(12:33):
in Florida right now, that would do something similar to
SB seventy nine. Ex a mile radius, not a half
mile radius. And as I often say to folks, you know,
when Gavin Newsom and Ron De Santis starts singing from
the same hymn, all the rest of us better pay attention.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
And this is all funded by developers who spend lots
of money on guys from Newsome to Desantus.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yeah, and Scott Wiener in Sacramento. So yeah, absolutely, this
is big developers, big finance, big philanthropy, and big tech.
And you know, this is all the fifteen minute city,
which you and I have talked about many times, and
I know others have talked about on the show. But
lest anybody have any doubt, take a look at SB
(13:18):
seventy nine.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Fifteen minute cities. Just briefly run down that whole concept
because most what I bring this up every once in
a while with people and.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
They've never heard of this.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
And that's the real problem here is most people don't
know this is all going on. But briefly, what's a
fifteen minute city?
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Right? Well, because most people have better things to worry about,
the idea of the fifteen minute city was originated in
where many great ideas have come from over the last
century or so, at the Sorbonne in Paris, by a
professor there who the concept is that everybody should live
in intense urban cores where everything we need is a
(13:55):
fifteen minute walk, bicycle ride or transit ride away from
work in school, creation, to socializing, to shopping to everything.
It's all in about fifteen minutes and get there. We
need to get rid of our cars, which is why
the city of Paris over the last five years has
gotten rid of about sixty percent of its public parking spaces.
(14:17):
And if you want to see the future if California
continues down this path, go to the fifteenth or on
these months, a TikToker or a delivery driver how they
feel about lousy about parking. It's it's always, you know,
the lower income and the working folks who get hit
first and worst. So this is this SB seventy nine,
(14:38):
this up zoning, this trying to turn single family homes
into many Miami beaches, the Manhattan's this is this is
a very well refined theory, and it's happening.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
But eighty two percent of the public is living in
single family home neighborhoods. When when everybody figures this out,
and clearly very few have, there's going to be a
big blowback.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
There has to be.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Well, but by that time Zron, Momdamnie will be president
and we'll be out of lock.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Chris, I gotta go, gotta do the news. Thank you,
all right, Chris Lagra, journalist. Yeah, we can't do enough
on this topic. And you've got to become aware of
this and start spreading the word yourself or you are,
because there's usually there's no parking requirements for these developers
(15:30):
to put up these monstrosities, these up to fifteen story buildings,
with all these dozens of units, there's no parking requirements,
and there's no there's no uh way to get out
in the Palisades. It was nearly impossible to get out
as it was. Oh, they hate suburbia. And of course
(15:54):
the Republicans are finding a reason to join this because
they want the money. You know, for decades the Republicans
were just as complicit in open borders because their corporate
buddies wanted the cheap labor. That's why we had a
huge problem. And now they're back joining forces with the
likes of Scott Wiener and Gavin Newsom because they're all
(16:16):
got their heads in the troth enjoying all those campaign
donations from the developers. We got there's a lot of
work to do. You got to wake up, stop staring
at your phone. We got Briginta, Oh we come back,
more reaction from journalists who are angry with Trump, trying
(16:36):
to slow down the murders in Washington, and the story
about a guy who took the stupidest selfie ever and
he got instant justice.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI Am
six forty.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
We're on from one until four.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
If you missed the show today, ah, it's wrong with you.
We covered Trump's taken over the Washington, d c. Police
Department and the reaction of the media in the first hour,
and you should go listen to that after four o'clock
on the iheartapp John Cobel Show on Demand, the podcast
(17:15):
and I want to follow up a little bit here
because what we talked about before is was the ABC
News anchored him, Tyra Phillips, and she told a story
on air about getting jumped in DC.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
By a half dressed.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Homeless guy that must have been really pleasant, and then
Joe Scarborough said, and of course he was a known liar.
He insisted, even after the Joe Biden bellyflop debate, that
Biden was the best version of Biden ever. He had
previously said that all of his guests who defend Biden
(17:56):
say privately that Biden is shot. So he's bailed the
truth and then went back to pretending that Biden is Okay.
I don't understand this. I don't know what's wrong with
these people. They're all mental LYO. Well, now he's back,
and he said the same thing about all the criticism
(18:17):
of Trump going into Washington, d C.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
To take over the police.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
He said, all these reporters are going on TV, going
on Twitter, bashing Trump, and then they privately tell him
Joe Scarborough, that yeah, crime really is out of control
and something's got to be done. So a lot of
the people in major positions in the media, on television
and in print internet, they they're liars. They're performing for
(18:47):
fellow Trump haters in the media, or they get I
guess kicked out of the club. I don't know. One
of these guys is Peter Baker. He's the New York
Times Chief White House correspondent, let that sink in New
York Times Chief White House correspondent. You'd think he'd try
(19:08):
to pretend to be objective, even though he's not. But
he put out a series of tweets saying, citing a
non existent crime crisis, Trump's taking over the DC police.
Contrary to his claims, violent crime in DC is at
a thirty year low. Now Baker knows that there's an investigation.
(19:30):
Apparently a Washington DC Police captain is being investigated because
he was screwing with the numbers. They do that on
purpose so that it doesn't register as as such a
high crime rate. When the federal government collects data, there's
(19:53):
many ways to do it, and this guy was accused
of it. So there's an investigation going. The numbers were
fake numbers, is the bottom line. And they've done this
in Los Angeles as well. LA Times had a story
on that some years ago. So often crime numbers are fake.
But I've got to tell you this, even if it
was at a thirty year low in Washington, it's the
fourth worst homicide rate in the country. So can you
(20:17):
imagine what it's been like in Washington, d C. When
you hit a thirty year low, and you're still fourth
worst in the nation. And for four years from twenty
five years, I guess twenty twenty twenty one, twenty two,
twenty three, four years, it's been extremely bad because they
defunded the police and there's no bail and most of
(20:42):
these criminals are teenagers and they're not put away. So
of course you're going to get this. But Baker claims
it non exist in crime crisis. Then Peter Baker says, okay,
the worst single day crime spree in modern Washington history
took place on January sixth, twenty twenty one. Then here's
another tweet. Trump himself has been convicted of thirty four felonies.
(21:05):
First criminal elected to president. This is the objective New
York Times White House correspondent. So one media guy named
Tom Elliott, he runs a conservative website called Grabian. He
got fed up with this and said, I'll personally pledge
three hundred dollars for Peter to live stream himself walking
(21:26):
the following route unarmed after nine o'clock on any weekend night.
That is the perfect response. We're inviting New York Times
reporter Peter Baker, who assures us the streets are safer
than Disneyland to take a scenic, unarmed stroll through the
nation's capital capital after nine pm on a weekend night,
and the route a lovingly curated trail of fun cmp
(21:50):
weaving through some of DC's most charming neighborhoods, no security detail,
no pepper spray, just pure, unfiltered utopia. And people were
on trying to add to the offer, and Tom Elliott
kept upping it, saying, we're already up to more than
(22:11):
one thousand dollars to a charity of your choice, and
he was personally offering three hundred dollars. They're offering a
go pro that he could work, that he could wear
for Crystal Clear night footage, make T shirts for him
and his cameraman. They'll buy him gold chains so he
(22:31):
walks in style, and they do the walk two nights,
one weekend night and one weeknight. All money donated to
Peter's charity. See if the guy takes him up on it.
There are some who's thinking that Trump set a trap
(22:52):
for all these progressive Democrats, and he might well have,
because he said, Okay, I'm taking over the police department,
I'm sending in the national guard, which he's legally allowed
to do. The crime is extremely bad. Knowing that all
the progressives would squeal, And then what do they look like?
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Utter fools?
Speaker 3 (23:09):
They're getting angry because Trump wants to reduce the murders
in Washington, DC. Say that slowly. Trump wants to reduce
the murders in Washington, d C. And you have all
these Democratic progressive legislators and Democratic media members screaming, bloody
murder boy. Can't have that. You can't lower the murder rate.
(23:32):
What are you trying to do here? Lowering the murder rate?
It means less people dead, less people getting shot in
the head. What are you crazy? But if that's the
position you want to take, go ahead, good campaign point.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
We come back stupidest.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Selfie ever involving an elephant and the guy got what
was coming.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
You're listening to Cobels on demand from KFI AM.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Six forty moistline for Friday. We got some vacancy. He's
eight seven seven moist eighty six eight seven seven moist
steady six or you usually talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app.
The following is a true story. I know, I saw
the video, I saw the photos. It's in the Daily Mail.
In fact, you might want to look yourself because it
(24:24):
is highly entertaining. There was a man from India. His
last name is Bossa Varaju. They don't have his first name,
it's just an initial initial R, so we'll call him Bassavaraju.
He's a tourist from another part of India and he
(24:45):
was visiting a temple near Karnataka on Sunday and he
saw elephant. And India has lots of elephants, thirty thousand
wild elephants, more than any other country and it had
it has sixty percent of the world's entire Asian elephant population.
(25:10):
And you see them, I guess, all over the place,
and tourists run out of their cars and try to
take photos with them. And that's what happened to That's
what this guy, Bassa Varaju did. He walked into a
restricted forest area he was trespassing. He saw the wild
elephant and he went up close and tried to take
(25:33):
a selfie. The animal was minding its own business at
the side of the road, eating carrots. Elephant eating carrots,
and this fool runs up to the elephant and I guess,
turns around and holds out his camera well. According to
a bystander named Daniel Osorio, the elephant became provoked by
(25:57):
the camera flash, got agitated, and on video you could
see the elephant raising his trunk and charging across a road,
chasing Buzzavarju.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
It is so funny.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
So bassa Arju is trying to escape, but he falls
flat on his face right on the asphalt of the road.
The elephant caught up with him in seconds and started
stomping on him repeatedly. The attack was so forceful it
(26:39):
tore off the man's trousers and underwear, and if you
look at the photo, you see him lying on the
road on his side with his rear end exposed full moon.
The elephant hovered over Basavarajou for a moment and then
(27:01):
trotted back into the forest. Now Bassa Varju survived the
attack but was rushed to the hospital. Apparently he does
have severe injuries. So I guess we're supposed to feel
sorry for him. I what a dope is he going
to sue? If this was LA, he'd sue and probably
get fifty two million dollars. They did find him twenty
(27:26):
five thousand rupees rupees are not worth much. That's only
two hundred and eighty five in US dollars trespassing and
provoking wildlife and he has to record a video confession
and admit that his actions were the result of ignorance
regarding wildlife safety rules?
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Do you need to know wildlife safety rules?
Speaker 3 (27:45):
Do you need to know them to not walk up
to a elephant and take a selfie and flash a
camera in the elephant's face. I mean that has to
you have to go to a class that has to
be written down. In India, a lot of people think
wild animals well, provoking wild animals should be treated as
a criminal offense.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
I think he got justice.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
I think when you end up getting stomped repeatedly by
an elephant hoof, I think everything everything works out there.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
You could see this. You got to see.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
The photos and the video of him running away from
the elephant and then ending up on the road, stomped
with his rear end exposed to the world. I mean,
that is the dumbest guy on the planet. Conway's up next.
We'll be back tomorrow. Michael Krozer has the news live
in the CAFI twenty four hour newsroom. Hey, you've been
(28:41):
listening to The John Cobalt Show podcast. You can always
hear the show live on KFI AM six forty from
one to four pm every Monday through Friday, and of course,
anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
Can't.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I am six forty.
Speaker 3 (00:02):
You're listening to the John Cobel podcast on the iHeartRadio
app every day. We do the show between one and
four o'clock every day. You can also hear it streaming
on the iHeart app, and after four o'clock the podcast
version also on the app, and it's same as the
radio show.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
After four o'clock you can download it.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Later this hour, we're gonna go through all the bizarre
reactions in Washington over Trump trying to stop people from
getting murdered. This is like the Great Insanity Test. How
angry do you get because Trump wants to stop people
from getting murdered in.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Washington, DC? All right, we'll do that.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
We'll also talk about absolutely the stupidest selfie ever taken,
but boy did he get justice. That's later on. Chrys
La Graz coming on with us there. He's a local
journal to as we've had on this for quite a
few times. He does great work. He's got a piece
at Pasadena noow dot com. After the Palisades and Altadena
(01:10):
burned out, they were trying to pass laws so that
developers can move in and build low income housing, multi
family units, apartment buildings and duplexes and quadruplexes. And most
(01:30):
of the people who live in the Palisades, I know
for sure, live in single family homes and they like
it that way. And you have these outsiders who are
banging the drum for low income housing, and nobody wants
that in the Pallisades.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Beleeve me nobody.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
And eventually Newsom realized he was on the losing side,
issued an executive order and they're not going to be
building low income housing. So the low income housing advocates
want to sue to reverse Newsom's order. Let's talk to
Chris Lagrad to see what this is about. Chris, how
are you hey?
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Good John? How are you?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
I'm all right.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
So as it stands, news is shoot in order and
that blocks these low income housing ideas.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
What are these groups planning to do.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Well? First of a couple of quick points of clarification.
The story opacity that now is not actually mine. There's
actually not a name on a story, but that's where
the story first ran that brought people's attention to this.
And Newsom's order applies specifically to one law called SB nine,
and what SB nine does is allows developers to go
in and buy a single family parcel, split it in
(02:39):
two and build duplexes on each of the two new
parcels for a total four units where there used to
be a single family house. And then using ADUs and
JADUs you can get as many as eight and possibly
ten units where there used to be, you know, a house.
And obviously Pacific Colisades in Alpadena are ripe for this
(03:02):
kind of development because you don't have to pay for
the demolition because mother nature already did it for you
if you're a developer. So about two and a half
weeks ago it was reported that developers had started doing
exactly this with SB nine on a half a dozen
or so parcels in the palisades. And these are not
people rebuilding. These are developers who bought parcels from people
(03:27):
whose homes had burned out and do it, decided or
would not be able to rebuild, and tried to start
shoehorning multiple units into the palisades. We haven't seen if
it's happening in Altadena, but it is almost certainly happening
in Altadena. So this resulted in a letter both from
Tracy Park, the council woman of course for the Palisades,
(03:48):
who wrote to the governor as soon as you've learned
of it two fridays ago. That was followed by a
letter from Mayor Bass, and within about five days knew
some e signed as executive order exempting just Altadena and
the Palisades from this kind of quote unquote multi family development.
And in response, Yimbi Law has announced that they are considering,
(04:14):
I don't want to stay threatening, but considering a lawsuit
to overturn Newsom's order so that developers could continue adding
thousands and thousands of new units to places that have
already burned. And the quote I think that sums it
all up is that one of the attorneys in this
Pasadena Now story was quoted as saying, quote, there is
(04:37):
nothing linking additional density to added fire danger. And he's
saying this about a place where, with the current density,
we had gridlocked evacuations, people running through smoke and embers
on foot, and bulldozers pushing cars out of the way
so fire engines could actually get to the fire. But
adding a couple thousand more people at no real connection.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
YIBBI stands for a yes in my backyard, which I
find to be one of the most obnoxious phrases yes
in my backyard, Well, then put them in your backyard.
But this crowd is saying yes in other people's backyards.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Well, and here's the thing. The reason and Gavin Newsom
acted so quickly is that this is he's actually and
people really need to understand because that this is the
greater significance. The reason he did this so quickly is
there is another even worse bill as we speak, making
its way through the legislature, SB seventy nine, And what
(05:39):
SB seventy nine does is that it requires cities to
approve multifamily developments up to seven stories, and then when
you add other existing laws, it could be up to
as many as fifteen stories in single family neighborhoods.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Fifteen fifteen stories and a single family neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
There's a bill that would allow that.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
And the only requirement is that the parcel will be
within a half mile or a quarter mile of certain
kinds of transit stops. And you don't even need to
worry about the definitions because ultimately the goal of this
build is that any parcel that's within a half mile
the bus stop will be automatically up zoned and I
can go build fifteen stories where they're used to.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
I mean, I heard about f SP seventy nine, we
talked about it. I had no idea could lead to
a fifteen story apartment building on a single family site.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Absolutely, because nine itself has new heights allotments, and then
when you add again density bonus and other incentives, you
just multiply the number of units. Oh and also, according
to recent law, you can build that, let's say, fifteen
stories without a single off street parking spot because you're
(06:53):
near a bus line or a train line.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
To try to force everybody onto buses and trains. Yes, yeah, yeah,
I'll tell you what it could effect me. Because you're
a half mile away from Sunset Boulevard and I'm pretty
sure there's a bus stop there, So yeah, this is
trying to force me to take the bus to take
the bus to Burbank.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Yeah, you're screwed.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I could wake up and.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
There could be a fifteen story low income apartment building
across the street.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
It could be low income, it could be luxury, it
could be anything that developer can get away with. Here's
Oh and here's another wonderful example. I just learned of
a project up in the Bay area that's taking advantage
of some of these laws. And it's a twenty unit development,
except one of the units is a fifty four bed
assisted care facility that this developer, who is very creative.
(07:52):
My head is off to their legal team somehow managed
to get this fifty four unit assisted care facility counted
as a single units for purposes of the approvals.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Is that going into a residential area?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Yeah, yeah, it's up there. I believe it's Marine Countla County.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
And the reason I'm telling that story is it's another
example of these laws that have been passed over the
last seven or eight years by people like Scott Wiener
and EMBs. We are now starting to see the worst
fears that those of us who have been advocating against
these laws all along, our worst fears are coming true
because they are written so broadly and in language that
(08:33):
has so many loopholes you could, you know, literally drive
a construction truck through it. And we're now starting to
see that manifest in all of these different ways. And
so Gavin Newsom said, sure, I'll get rid of Stbnine
in the Palisades and Altadna, which also by the ray,
raises another question. So then the question is, mister governor,
are just so unclear? There are hundreds of other communities,
(08:56):
including yours, including mine in the Bay Area, that are
very similar to the Palisates in terms of fire danger, evacuations,
et cetera. So, mister Governor, is the new policy that
I have to wait for my neighborhood to burn down
before I get relief from these laws?
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yes? Why is the only on behalf of the governor?
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (09:14):
The answers, yes, can you all right? Thanks very much
for coming on, Chris.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
We'll talk.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
There's a ton more to talk about.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Do you got time to stay on it?
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Wait?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Wait, do you got time to stay in another segment?
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Sure, okay, all right, then hang on, hang on, we'll
talk more about this Crystal Gras.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI AM
six forty.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
We continue with Crystal Gras. Chris is a local journalist,
and we're talking about all these outrageous laws which are
going to allow developers to buy lots in your single
family neighborhood and build all kinds of high density housing.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Is the polite term. It's could be love income housing, It.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Could be housing that ends up fifteen stories high right
across the street from you, because they're using the state
law to overrule all local law, local zoning law, especially
when it comes to single family housing, which apparently has
been declared evil by the progressives in Sacramento.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Chris, when we left off, you said there's a lot
more going on. What else is going on?
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Well, you know, since since about twenty for about the
last ten years, the legislature has passed something like three
hundred bills that have been signed in the law and
in some shape or form, rest control from local governments
away from development and housing and land use. And there
are all sorts of new exceptions and exemptions for multi
(10:49):
family development because, as you alluded to, the prevailing wisdom
and Sacramento is that single family houses are responsible for
everything from racism to to you know, polar bears dying,
horrible depths.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Right, climate change.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah, So, now never mind the fact that eighty two
percent of Calns, of every conceivable walk pipe in the
background live in low density neighborhoods, single family neighborhoods and
duplexes and the like. You know, that's that's the California
a dream, and that has declared war on so whether
(11:26):
it's a density bonus is something that they use that
if a developer adds just a small sprinkling of quote
unquote affordable units, they get to add multiples of that
in regular price, market rate and measury units. So the
way it pencils out for the developer, who, by the way,
there's no way of enforcing even those affordability requirements, but
(11:48):
the developer just puts it down on paper and they
get their extra units and their extra levels, And as
I said a few minutes ago, that's how you get
to as many as fourteen or fifteen under SB seventy nine.
So they are now SB seventy nine is a culmination
of this whole process. And California is in good company.
Oregon has has all but outlawed single family zoning. The
(12:11):
city of Minneapolis got rid of single family zoner. New
York is trying to do it, and there's even some
similar legislation in Texas and Florida. Because you know, for
certain Republicans, they think this is a matter of property
rights and if you want a piece of property, if
you want to build fifteen stories, well you should be
allowed to build fifteen stories. So there's actually a Bill
(12:33):
in Florida right now, that would do something similar to
SB seventy nine. Ex a mile radius, not a half
mile radius. And as I often say to folks, you know,
when Gavin Newsom and Ron De Santis starts singing from
the same hymn, all the rest of us better pay attention.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
And this is all funded by developers who spend lots
of money on guys from Newsome to Desantus.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yeah, and Scott Wiener in Sacramento. So yeah, absolutely, this
is big developers, big finance, big philanthropy, and big tech.
And you know, this is all the fifteen minute city,
which you and I have talked about many times, and
I know others have talked about on the show. But
lest anybody have any doubt, take a look at SB
(13:18):
seventy nine.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Fifteen minute cities. Just briefly run down that whole concept
because most what I bring this up every once in
a while with people and.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
They've never heard of this.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
And that's the real problem here is most people don't
know this is all going on. But briefly, what's a
fifteen minute city?
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Right? Well, because most people have better things to worry about,
the idea of the fifteen minute city was originated in
where many great ideas have come from over the last
century or so, at the Sorbonne in Paris, by a
professor there who the concept is that everybody should live
in intense urban cores where everything we need is a
(13:55):
fifteen minute walk, bicycle ride or transit ride away from
work in school, creation, to socializing, to shopping to everything.
It's all in about fifteen minutes and get there. We
need to get rid of our cars, which is why
the city of Paris over the last five years has
gotten rid of about sixty percent of its public parking spaces.
(14:17):
And if you want to see the future if California
continues down this path, go to the fifteenth or on
these months, a TikToker or a delivery driver how they
feel about lousy about parking. It's it's always, you know,
the lower income and the working folks who get hit
first and worst. So this is this SB seventy nine,
(14:38):
this up zoning, this trying to turn single family homes
into many Miami beaches, the Manhattan's this is this is
a very well refined theory, and it's happening.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
But eighty two percent of the public is living in
single family home neighborhoods. When when everybody figures this out,
and clearly very few have, there's going to be a
big blowback.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
There has to be.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Well, but by that time Zron, Momdamnie will be president
and we'll be out of lock.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Chris, I gotta go, gotta do the news. Thank you,
all right, Chris Lagra, journalist. Yeah, we can't do enough
on this topic. And you've got to become aware of
this and start spreading the word yourself or you are,
because there's usually there's no parking requirements for these developers
(15:30):
to put up these monstrosities, these up to fifteen story buildings,
with all these dozens of units, there's no parking requirements,
and there's no there's no uh way to get out
in the Palisades. It was nearly impossible to get out
as it was. Oh, they hate suburbia. And of course
(15:54):
the Republicans are finding a reason to join this because
they want the money. You know, for decades the Republicans
were just as complicit in open borders because their corporate
buddies wanted the cheap labor. That's why we had a
huge problem. And now they're back joining forces with the
likes of Scott Wiener and Gavin Newsom because they're all
(16:16):
got their heads in the troth enjoying all those campaign
donations from the developers. We got there's a lot of
work to do. You got to wake up, stop staring
at your phone. We got Briginta, Oh we come back,
more reaction from journalists who are angry with Trump, trying
(16:36):
to slow down the murders in Washington, and the story
about a guy who took the stupidest selfie ever and
he got instant justice.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI Am
six forty.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
We're on from one until four.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
If you missed the show today, ah, it's wrong with you.
We covered Trump's taken over the Washington, d c. Police
Department and the reaction of the media in the first hour,
and you should go listen to that after four o'clock
on the iheartapp John Cobel Show on Demand, the podcast
(17:15):
and I want to follow up a little bit here
because what we talked about before is was the ABC
News anchored him, Tyra Phillips, and she told a story
on air about getting jumped in DC.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
By a half dressed.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Homeless guy that must have been really pleasant, and then
Joe Scarborough said, and of course he was a known liar.
He insisted, even after the Joe Biden bellyflop debate, that
Biden was the best version of Biden ever. He had
previously said that all of his guests who defend Biden
(17:56):
say privately that Biden is shot. So he's bailed the
truth and then went back to pretending that Biden is Okay.
I don't understand this. I don't know what's wrong with
these people. They're all mental LYO. Well, now he's back,
and he said the same thing about all the criticism
(18:17):
of Trump going into Washington, d C.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
To take over the police.
Speaker 3 (18:21):
He said, all these reporters are going on TV, going
on Twitter, bashing Trump, and then they privately tell him
Joe Scarborough, that yeah, crime really is out of control
and something's got to be done. So a lot of
the people in major positions in the media, on television
and in print internet, they they're liars. They're performing for
(18:47):
fellow Trump haters in the media, or they get I
guess kicked out of the club. I don't know. One
of these guys is Peter Baker. He's the New York
Times Chief White House correspondent, let that sink in New
York Times Chief White House correspondent. You'd think he'd try
(19:08):
to pretend to be objective, even though he's not. But
he put out a series of tweets saying, citing a
non existent crime crisis, Trump's taking over the DC police.
Contrary to his claims, violent crime in DC is at
a thirty year low. Now Baker knows that there's an investigation.
(19:30):
Apparently a Washington DC Police captain is being investigated because
he was screwing with the numbers. They do that on
purpose so that it doesn't register as as such a
high crime rate. When the federal government collects data, there's
(19:53):
many ways to do it, and this guy was accused
of it. So there's an investigation going. The numbers were
fake numbers, is the bottom line. And they've done this
in Los Angeles as well. LA Times had a story
on that some years ago. So often crime numbers are fake.
But I've got to tell you this, even if it
was at a thirty year low in Washington, it's the
fourth worst homicide rate in the country. So can you
(20:17):
imagine what it's been like in Washington, d C. When
you hit a thirty year low, and you're still fourth
worst in the nation. And for four years from twenty
five years, I guess twenty twenty twenty one, twenty two,
twenty three, four years, it's been extremely bad because they
defunded the police and there's no bail and most of
(20:42):
these criminals are teenagers and they're not put away. So
of course you're going to get this. But Baker claims
it non exist in crime crisis. Then Peter Baker says, okay,
the worst single day crime spree in modern Washington history
took place on January sixth, twenty twenty one. Then here's
another tweet. Trump himself has been convicted of thirty four felonies.
(21:05):
First criminal elected to president. This is the objective New
York Times White House correspondent. So one media guy named
Tom Elliott, he runs a conservative website called Grabian. He
got fed up with this and said, I'll personally pledge
three hundred dollars for Peter to live stream himself walking
(21:26):
the following route unarmed after nine o'clock on any weekend night.
That is the perfect response. We're inviting New York Times
reporter Peter Baker, who assures us the streets are safer
than Disneyland to take a scenic, unarmed stroll through the
nation's capital capital after nine pm on a weekend night,
and the route a lovingly curated trail of fun cmp
(21:50):
weaving through some of DC's most charming neighborhoods, no security detail,
no pepper spray, just pure, unfiltered utopia. And people were
on trying to add to the offer, and Tom Elliott
kept upping it, saying, we're already up to more than
(22:11):
one thousand dollars to a charity of your choice, and
he was personally offering three hundred dollars. They're offering a
go pro that he could work, that he could wear
for Crystal Clear night footage, make T shirts for him
and his cameraman. They'll buy him gold chains so he
(22:31):
walks in style, and they do the walk two nights,
one weekend night and one weeknight. All money donated to
Peter's charity. See if the guy takes him up on it.
There are some who's thinking that Trump set a trap
(22:52):
for all these progressive Democrats, and he might well have,
because he said, Okay, I'm taking over the police department,
I'm sending in the national guard, which he's legally allowed
to do. The crime is extremely bad. Knowing that all
the progressives would squeal, And then what do they look like?
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Utter fools?
Speaker 3 (23:09):
They're getting angry because Trump wants to reduce the murders
in Washington, DC. Say that slowly. Trump wants to reduce
the murders in Washington, d C. And you have all
these Democratic progressive legislators and Democratic media members screaming, bloody
murder boy. Can't have that. You can't lower the murder rate.
(23:32):
What are you trying to do here? Lowering the murder rate?
It means less people dead, less people getting shot in
the head. What are you crazy? But if that's the
position you want to take, go ahead, good campaign point.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
We come back stupidest.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Selfie ever involving an elephant and the guy got what
was coming.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
You're listening to Cobels on demand from KFI AM.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Six forty moistline for Friday. We got some vacancy. He's
eight seven seven moist eighty six eight seven seven moist
steady six or you usually talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app.
The following is a true story. I know, I saw
the video, I saw the photos. It's in the Daily Mail.
In fact, you might want to look yourself because it
(24:24):
is highly entertaining. There was a man from India. His
last name is Bossa Varaju. They don't have his first name,
it's just an initial initial R, so we'll call him Bassavaraju.
He's a tourist from another part of India and he
(24:45):
was visiting a temple near Karnataka on Sunday and he
saw elephant. And India has lots of elephants, thirty thousand
wild elephants, more than any other country and it had
it has sixty percent of the world's entire Asian elephant population.
(25:10):
And you see them, I guess, all over the place,
and tourists run out of their cars and try to
take photos with them. And that's what happened to That's
what this guy, Bassa Varaju did. He walked into a
restricted forest area he was trespassing. He saw the wild
elephant and he went up close and tried to take
(25:33):
a selfie. The animal was minding its own business at
the side of the road, eating carrots. Elephant eating carrots,
and this fool runs up to the elephant and I guess,
turns around and holds out his camera well. According to
a bystander named Daniel Osorio, the elephant became provoked by
(25:57):
the camera flash, got agitated, and on video you could
see the elephant raising his trunk and charging across a road,
chasing Buzzavarju.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
It is so funny.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
So bassa Arju is trying to escape, but he falls
flat on his face right on the asphalt of the road.
The elephant caught up with him in seconds and started
stomping on him repeatedly. The attack was so forceful it
(26:39):
tore off the man's trousers and underwear, and if you
look at the photo, you see him lying on the
road on his side with his rear end exposed full moon.
The elephant hovered over Basavarajou for a moment and then
(27:01):
trotted back into the forest. Now Bassa Varju survived the
attack but was rushed to the hospital. Apparently he does
have severe injuries. So I guess we're supposed to feel
sorry for him. I what a dope is he going
to sue? If this was LA, he'd sue and probably
get fifty two million dollars. They did find him twenty
(27:26):
five thousand rupees rupees are not worth much. That's only
two hundred and eighty five in US dollars trespassing and
provoking wildlife and he has to record a video confession
and admit that his actions were the result of ignorance
regarding wildlife safety rules?
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Do you need to know wildlife safety rules?
Speaker 3 (27:45):
Do you need to know them to not walk up
to a elephant and take a selfie and flash a
camera in the elephant's face. I mean that has to
you have to go to a class that has to
be written down. In India, a lot of people think
wild animals well, provoking wild animals should be treated as
a criminal offense.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
I think he got justice.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
I think when you end up getting stomped repeatedly by
an elephant hoof, I think everything everything works out there.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
You could see this. You got to see.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
The photos and the video of him running away from
the elephant and then ending up on the road, stomped
with his rear end exposed to the world. I mean,
that is the dumbest guy on the planet. Conway's up next.
We'll be back tomorrow. Michael Krozer has the news live
in the CAFI twenty four hour newsroom. Hey, you've been
(28:41):
listening to The John Cobalt Show podcast. You can always
hear the show live on KFI AM six forty from
one to four pm every Monday through Friday, and of course,
anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
The John Kobylt Show News
Host
John Kobylt
Popular Podcasts
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Fudd Around And Find Out
UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd brings her championship swag to iHeart Women’s Sports with Fudd Around and Find Out, a weekly podcast that takes fans along for the ride as Azzi spends her final year of college trying to reclaim the National Championship and prepare to be a first round WNBA draft pick. Ever wonder what it’s like to be a world-class athlete in the public spotlight while still managing schoolwork, friendships and family time? It’s time to Fudd Around and Find Out!