November 2, 2025 • 36 mins
Acting US Attorney Bill Essayli loses in court about his title but says he's still the top prosecutor; Another group of workers in LA may be targeted for a big raise in their minimum wage; Sales of legal cannabis have plummeted in LA and now City Hall is looking to help the businesses.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
Usually I'm with you till nine o'clock on Saturday nights,
but we might go a little long tonight because it
is Game seven of the World Series and if the
Dodgers win, you know, things can get a little out
of hand across Los Angeles as folks start to celebrate,
and we will make sure that we are covering that
(00:30):
for you live. We will tell you if there are
any trouble spots or any areas that police are responding to.
But right now, the Blue Jays are up four to
three with two outs in the bottom of the eighth,
So the blue Jays are at bat. They got a
runner on second, two outs, looking to extend their lead,
and then the Dodgers will have one more shot potentially
(00:53):
to take the lead or to send this thing to
extra innings. You can hear the game in its entirety
on AM five seven Sea Sports, but we will let
you know when this thing is over. One thing that
has already happened is the LAPD has issued a tactical
alert that means they are prepared to keep all officers
(01:14):
on duty and to be activated for any types of
issues that may arise due to celebrations. And from our
wire service City News Service, we just received the following.
The LAPD has closed streets to vehicle traffic because of
the Dodgers game. Keep in mind, this game is in Toronto,
(01:34):
but the LAPD is already closing streets here because of
what happened last year after the Dodgers won the World
Series with the street takeovers in downtown La a little
bit of looting, a Metro bus burned to a crisp
and Echo park. What they have done is they have
closed Pico Boulevard between La Live Way and Grand Avenue,
Flower Street between Ninth and Venice, Hope Street between Ninth
(01:57):
and Venice, Olympic Boulevard between La Live Way and Grand,
and La Metro will be detouring all of its northbound
buses from Figaroa Street to Hope between Pico and Olympic
Boulevards until about eleven pm. So this is in the
area of La live This is the area that some
of these street takeovers took place last year when things
got out of hand in celebration of the Dodgers' victory,
(02:22):
So the LAPD is taking preemptive measures. The bottom of
the eighth just wrapped ups. The eighth inning is finished.
The Dodgers are coming up. Fernandez, Rojas, Otani, the three batters.
It's not a bad lineup. So it's coming down to
the wire in Toronto, what's gonna happen? We will have
(02:48):
this cover for you. If things go awry in Los Angeles,
KFI will bring it to you live. We'll interrupt our
regular programming that starts on Saturday night and bring you
the news. Said earlier that there will be zero tolerance
for destruction of property and that they will strictly enforce
laws against vandalism and looting. And if you're familiar with
(03:11):
Los Angeles, it's not typical that they strictly enforce laws
against vandalism because the entire city, especially this area and
in downtown Los Angeles, is completely vandalized. It's covered in
graffiti and trash, broken windows. I say that with love
because I live there. They say officers will be highly
visible throughout DTLA during celebrations. They say there will be
(03:35):
pre staged units ready to respond quickly to any hot spots,
and they say they may close some freeways along the
one ten, the ten, the one to one. I'm telling
drivers to plan for alternate routes in case things get hairy. Reminder,
(03:55):
this isn't going to be traffic coming out of Dodgers
Stadium Allsion Park. This is just craziness that spills into
the streets after people start celebrating. Should the Dodgers win,
I've been told by folks that the Dodgers lose. Not
to expect any of that tomfoolery. But is La you
(04:16):
never know. We love a good I don't want to
say riot, but we love a good celebration that goes
overboard in La, and we are here to bring you
the latest on that should it happen. The last time
we saw unruly streets in downtown Los Angeles was earlier
in the summer over immigration enforcement, and things have quite
(04:40):
a down compared to the big raids that we were
seeing when all this first got underway. In fact, it
almost seemed like nothing was happening at all, nobody being
detained except occasional flare ups. But then we started to
see little, little little pockets of enforcement and news outlets
(05:00):
like La Taco, which is an independent media outlet that
they have a very sympathetic portrayal of illegal immigrants, but
they do document just about every single arrest or detainment,
and based on their reporting, it does seem to be
picking up again. And the federal government announced charges and
(05:23):
arrests against people from those protests back in June, the
protests that disrupted the one oh one freeway where folks
were throwing stuff at law enforcement, and also in Ventura
County where a cannabis farm was rated big arrest there
(05:44):
and a protest that got out of hand, and the
US Attorney Acting US Attorney Bill A. Saley says that
is promises made, promises kept. The president and the US
Attorney General Pam Bondi made clear that we will find,
arrest and charge anyone who attacks our federal agents. And
(06:07):
he says that ten defendants were arrested for engaging in
violence against officers and property earlier this year in connection
with anti immigration enforcement protest and they are in federal
custody and they're currently looking for a couple more.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Now.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
One area that opponents of immigration enforcement have been victorious
and is in the courts, and that's when things started
to slow down. Here was when there were some rulings
about who can be stopped when and where should the
National Guard be deployed or not, things slowed down a
little bit. But there was a court case targeting Bill
(06:50):
Assale himself and whether he could serve as interim US Attorney.
And the way it works is if you're going to
be US Attorney, you're appointed by the President. You have
to be confirmed by the Senate. That hasn't happened. He
was serving hiss interrum. The amount of time you could
serve as interim expireds so now he's acting, and a
(07:11):
judge ruled that he was serving unlawfully as interim. And
he's not the only US attorney to face this, but
that was a victory for public defenders representing suspected illegal
immigrants who were being prosecuted by the federal government that
they sued to have that title taken away from Bill A. Saley.
(07:35):
Mister Zale was asked about this during the press conference
where he announced these arrasts, and he says, life goes on.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Well, I'll still here, not planning to go anywhere. We're
still reviewing that order is a lengthy order issued yesterday.
I'll just say we're less concerned with titles, and we're
more concerned with the authority of my position to be
able to run this office as the chief federal law
enforcement officer of this district. And so I think the
(08:03):
judges may clear regardless of my title, I have the
authority to run this office, to serve at the direction
and delegation of the Attorney General and the President. And
there's no question on that authority. So we're navigating the order.
We'll figure out my title, but for now, nothing effectively changes. Well,
(08:25):
it's not his intent, it's what he said. So if
you read the order, he does make it very clear
that I have several hats here. Because I am designated
as a special counsel by the Attorney General, I'm assigned
to the first Assistant US Attorney post, and by default
under the Vacancies Act, we believe that that makes me,
by default, the acting US Attorney. It's a very complicated
(08:47):
statutory scheme that Congress set up. It's very convoluted. The
judge waded through it. He says, whether or not I
qualifies the acting, there's no question that I'm the first Assistant,
which makes me the top federal process in this office.
So again, all this is semantics titles. What matters at
the end of the day is that the president won
the election. The president gets to control and run the
(09:09):
executive branch, and through the Attorney General, they get to
a point and designate the people they want to serve
at their pleasure. And that's what's important.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
That's Acting US Attorney Bill Salor, who says he's still
the top prosecutor regardless of the title that is given
to him. Currently, right now in Toronto, it is the
top of the ninth inning. The Dodgers are down four
to three in Game seven of the World Series. There
is one out the second batter of the inning up.
It is a full count three and two. Shoe Aotani
(09:40):
is up next. Will there be a miracle for La.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
I said before the break that the Dodgers might have
a miracle in them, and they did. Migail Rojas solo
shot home run. The game is tied four to four.
The side was retired after that. We are now in
the bottom of the ninth inning of Game seven of
the World Series in Toronto, Ontario, and the Blue Jays
(10:12):
are stepping up to the plate. This has been an
amazing world series. Will it have the dramatic finish of
the Blue Jays walking off the Dodgers. That's what we
will wait to see here momentarily. They've got their star player,
Vladimir Guerrero up at the plate right now. If the
(10:34):
Dodgers win, we might expect a little bit of chaotic
celebration across the city, and so the LAPD is preparing
for that one way or the other. They've already called
a tactical alert, meaning all officers will remain and be
prepared to respond to anything that goes awry. And they
have also started to close streets downtown, particularly in the
(10:57):
area of La Live so there will be no vehicle
traffic right now until about eleven o'clock. They say they
want to keep calm and order down there. It got
crazy last year. Oh my gosh, Guerrero has just hit
it back to the warning track, but it's caught for
out number one. We may be headed to extra innings,
(11:19):
something that this series has seen before, that eighteen inning
classic earlier this week. Wow, what a series this has
been and you can bet the winner of this one
it is gonna have quite a release. This will be
a tough series to lose based on that, and if
(11:42):
it is, the Dodgers and the fans are the non
fans who like to take advantage of a situation, want
to release anything, they're gonna do it. In the streets
of Los Angeles. Police are urging you not to do that.
They don't want the street takeovers that they saw last year.
They don't want the looting, they don't want the torching
of a metro bus like we saw last year, so
they have taken preemptive measures to close some streets. They
(12:04):
say there will be pre staged police units standing by
ready to respond rapidly, so that if anything does happen,
they'll be ready. They also tell residents if you see
anything to call nine to one one right away. LAPD
says they're not messing around this year. Please behave yourselves.
(12:28):
That game is on our sister station AM five seventy
LA Sports if you care to hear the end of it.
A base hit for the Blue Jays. They've got a
runner on first with one out. We will monitor with
one eye here as we get back into the news.
You know in Los Angeles that there are often calls
(12:48):
for increased minimum wages. We saw the statewide increase for
fast food workers. We've seen a recent approval in Los
Angeles for what they call tourism works, people who work
in hotels, and people who work at the airport. They're
expecting significant races that are supposed to start this year
until they hit thirty dollars an hour by twenty twenty eight.
(13:11):
Now there is a push at La City Hall to
increase the wage for construction workers. Here's Keelcilman, Hugo Soto Martinez.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
Really, I think we all sort of suspect and understand
or were having an idea of what is happening in
this industry. I'll speak from my lived experience. I live
next to two construction buildings that were put up, and
they were very, very underpaid. In the many times I
(13:42):
walk in my neighborhood, I struck conversations with many of
the folks working there, and one of the foreman's who
was working on that site said he was making twenty
two bucks an hour. And I had an immediate reaction
to that, because even in the industry that I'm familiar
with the hospitality and housekeepers were making more than that
(14:03):
at the time, and this is backbreaking work.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
People.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
You get killed all the time. People, there's so many,
so much wage staffed. It is estimated that between thirty
and forty percent of this workforce is undocumented, which means
they're more susceptible to all the different abuses that happen
in this country.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Council in Hugo Soto Martinez and others have presented this
motion that was ultimately approved at city Hall to study
the issue, so it's not an immediate increase in the
minimum wage. They've asked for a study and they want
it fast. They won it within a couple of months,
to see what the economic impact would be of increasing
the wage for construction workers, specifically on what they have
(14:47):
called mid size projects, so we're talking about apartment communities
with ten or more units that are eighty five feet
high or smaller, so they're very very precise. Soda Martinez
says that the medium wage for construction workers is the
minimum wage is currently eighteen dollars. He'd like to see
(15:11):
it at more than thirty two dollars an hour with
an additional healthcare credit of seven dollars and sixty five
cents per hour. So it's very similar to that tourism
work effort that pass and he was a big proponent
of that as well. Keep in mind, this council member
came out of the union activist system. He was very
active and Unite here the Hotel Workers Union that is
(15:33):
very vocal for workers and at city Hall for these
types of issues. The study is supposed to come back
in a couple of months to see if that is
something that the city is capable of doing. What's going
to be happening is a lot of construction ideally. There
(15:54):
are a couple of reasons. One, we just went through
these terrible wildfires in January, and while the Eaton fire
was outside of the city limits of Los Angeles, the
Palace Sides the Palisades fire was in LA and perhaps
some of the rebuild there we'll bring in construction workers
and they might benefit from this. We also saw the
(16:15):
adoption of Senate Bill seventy nine this year, which allows
for more multi family residences to be built near transit stations.
So if this all goes according to plan, there will
be some robust building activity and opportunities for construction workers
to get out there and work. But on the other hand,
(16:38):
if it costs the builders more to pay their construction workers,
does that threaten the rebuild. I will be curious to
see what this economic report determines, and you know we
will have that covered for you when the report comes
back in a couple of months. At LA City Hall,
(16:59):
we are monitoring this Dodgers game in Toronto. The Blue
Jays have a runner on in the bottom of the ninth,
one out o What a series this has been. We
will be keeping an eye on Los Angeles tonight. Should
the Dodgers pull this off and things get crazy in
the city, KFI will stay live and bring you the
very latest as it is happening across the city. So
(17:22):
keep it right here.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
This is Michael Monk's reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
It is boy a nerve racking night here in southern
California as the Dodgers are in Toronto in Game seven
of the World Series. This game is knotted up four
to four in the bottom of the ninth there is
(17:50):
one out and the Blue Jays have the bases loaded.
The Dodgers have sent Yamamoto to the mound. Remember this
is the last game of the season, so team can
turn to their star starters late in a game without
any worry about what comes next. Because this is it.
They need all the weapons they can throw, and right now,
(18:11):
a base hit or a walk would end this World
Series in favor of the Blue Jays. The Dodgers trailed
three to nothing and then managed to tie the game
up in the last inning in the eighth inning. Excuse me,
just last at the top of the ninth. So this
is this could be extra free baseball coming up if
(18:36):
they can get a couple of outs here, or it's
all over if there's a base hit, if the Dodgers
are able to hold on and end this inning and
then come back and win. In extras, the LAPD is
expecting some chaotic scenes across Los Angeles, so at least
I should say they are preparing in case they unfold.
(18:58):
So LAPD is already shutting down some streets in downtown
Los Angeles in an area that was hit by some
raucous celebrations last year when the Dodgers won the World Series,
and that's primarily around La Live. They've also said to
expect some closures, maybe some freeway ramps, particularly around downtown,
(19:19):
the ten, the one ten, the one oh one, and
also to expect some buses to be rerouted. There'll be
extra folks on the train system to help guide folks
if they are either getting into or getting out of Downtown.
But the lapd is urging folks to be on their
(19:40):
best behavior. I have so many butterflies in my stomach.
It is the bottom of the night. Oh they're gonna
the Okay, there was a hit, but not a base hit,
and the runner from the Blue Jays was thrown out
at home plate, so the Dodgers managed to stop the
winning run for being scored. And so now it's the
(20:04):
bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two outs. This is
the type of situation that every little boy dreams of
in the backyard, bottom of the ninth, Game seven of
the World Series. And this was a close call there
at home plate, and his foot may have come off
(20:26):
the plate, but I don't know. They're gonna look at this.
They called him out. Oh, oh, this is close. I'm
watching this on television and letting you know that a
Blue Jay is sliding into home plate with the bases loaded,
so it's got a run. The infield hit was tossed
(20:47):
to the catcher to force an out, but it looks
like the catcher from the Dodger's foot was maybe not
on the plate. And I don't know what the rules
are well enough to know that looks a little better
for the Dodgers. This little slow down replay that they're
doing on Fox. By the way, you can hear the
play by play much better than I'm doing for you
(21:08):
right now on a five seventy LA Sports. We have
been keeping an eye on this game because it is
the big news story of the day, especially as we
anticipate any type of unruly celebrations across Los Angeles. So
they've moved on from those playbacks so that the ruling
is two outs, bases loaded, Yamamoto on the mound for
(21:28):
the Dodgers, the Blue Jays up. I don't know I'm
supposed to talk about the news. I know that if
you're listening to me, you're not a huge Dodger fan.
Obviously you'd be glued to the television.
Speaker 5 (21:40):
And oh the there was a hit too deep left
field and the Dodgers caught it and it was quite
(22:00):
dramatic as.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Ikeay Hernandez and the other outfielder excuse me, just collided
and but they made the catch. We have extra innings
coming up in Game seven of the World Series, so
everybody take a breath. I told you when this program
started that we will be with you beyond our usual
(22:25):
nine o'clock stop time if needed, especially if the Dodgers
win and things take a turn across Los Angeles and
the police are needed and we see scenes unfold like
we did last year. So we're gonna bring you that.
Maybe selfishly, I was hoping to get out of here
at my usual time it's Saturday night, but we have
(22:50):
extra inning coming up. It seems to be something these
two teams enjoy playing one another. What a series. But
you tune into us for news, and while that is
the big news story of the day, there are other
news stories and we are staying on top of that.
And the latest is the city of Los Angeles trying
(23:13):
to help its cannabis businesses because I don't know if
you know this, but despite marijuana being legal here, people
aren't buying it like they used to, at least not
in the city of Los Angeles. A city report indicates
that in the first quarter of twenty twenty five this year,
and that would be January through March, legal cannabis sales
(23:37):
across the state dropped to just over one billion, so
specifically one point zero eight eight billion, So that's to say,
one billion, eighty eight million dollars. That is an eleven
percent decline from last year and it is the lowest
quarterly total in five years. In LA, legal cannabis sales
(24:02):
dropped to nineteen million dollars, which is down twenty percent
from the first quarter of last year. So licensed cannabis
sales now account for just thirty eight percent of California's
total cannabis consumption, which is reflected locally where retailers have
reported operating on razor thin margins, with a number of
(24:23):
them going out of business. This is me reading a
city report. This report says rising rent costs, construction delays,
loss of capital, and the persistence of an unlicensed cannabis
market are all factors that have driven operators to the brink.
So we have legal cannabis in Los Angeles and in California,
(24:48):
but people aren't smoking the way they were last year.
So the city is trying to address this and retailers
of legal cannabis are saying your suggestion is not enough.
We'll get into those details coming up next and continue
to monitor the situation in Toronto and the developing situation
(25:11):
here in Los Angeles. Game seven of the World Series
Dodgers Blue Jays tied at four. It is the top
of the tenth inning. This is the World Series that
would not end. We will continue to cover it because
the LAPD has issued a tactical alert city wide. They
(25:33):
are ready to call any officer to stay on duty
should the s hit the fan in celebration of a Dodgers' victory,
or if there's any unruliness after a Dodger's defeat. You
can keep it right here. We will stay with you
throughout the night if necessary. If it's calm, I'm logging
off and going home. So I'm here until at least nine.
(25:57):
I hope you'll stay with us, because we're probably gonna
be on longer than that.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
This is Michael Monks reports on Michael Monks from KFI
News and the Big Story tonight, Game seven of the
World Series. It ain't over yet. The Dodgers came all
the way back. We're notted up at four, top of
the tenth inning. The Dodgers are at bat in Toronto, Ontario.
There's one out and there are two runners on, one
on first and one on second, with tails car Hernandez
(26:34):
at the plate, and the Dodgers will try to take
the lead here over the Blue Jays to get themselves
some breathing room before Toronto comes back to the plate
in the bottom of the tenth. Let's remember it was
just a few short days ago that these two teams
played eighteen innings of baseball. This series has been a
(27:00):
slugfest ever since. Toronto opened the series in Game one,
punching the Dodgers in the mouth. The Dodgers kept their
cool and took the second game, and then it's just
been a battle of the Titans since. And what a
fitting conclusion as Game seven now in extra innings. This
(27:22):
game is far from us. It is in Toronto, but
the excitement, the enthusiasm, and the potential celebration are with
us in Los Angeles, and the LAPD knows it. They
are stationed all over the city. They're already closing some
streets in downtown LA. They are prepared to shut down
freeway entrances. They say last year when the Dodgers won
(27:45):
the series, it got crazy street takeovers, some looting, a
metro bus burned to a crisp. The LAPD says they're
not going to tolerate this this year, and they are
urging folks to report any of those types of behaviors
that they see. I've been told by folks that there
won't be much in the form of celebration, obviously, but
(28:07):
no rioting or vandalism or looting if the Dodgers lose,
But the Dodgers have so far refused to do that.
And if they win, we know there is going to
be a big release of excitement. And the bases are
now loaded for the Dodgers. After a walk here in
(28:29):
the top of the tenth, Dodgers looking to take their
first lead of this game in the top of the tenth.
This show here on KFI Michael Monks Reports, typically ends
at nine o'clock, but we are going to stay with
you tonight, and the reason is not because you need
(28:51):
me to give you the play by play of this game.
This game is on AM five seventy LA Sports. You
can listen to it there with our expert team and
they will have the postgame covered for you from the
sports side, But we're here for the news side, and
this is the big news story, especially if the Dodgers
win and the aftermath in LA takes a turn. So
(29:15):
we're gonna stay on just in anticipation of things going poorly.
You can keep it right here for that angle. You
can listen to the game and the postgame coverage on
LA Sports Am five seventy top of the tenth in Toronto.
Bases loaded for the Dodgers, one out. When last I
(29:40):
left you, I was telling you about the declining sales
of cannabis across California, but even more so in the
city of Los Angeles. It's down twenty percent compared to
last year cannabis sales and the city where were just
nineteen million. That's a twenty percent drop from the same
three month period at the beginning of twenty twenty four.
(30:02):
So members of the city council are trying to figure
out a way to help the cannabis businesses. These members
say the businesses are facing higher rent, they're seeing construction
delays for any work they're having done. They're losing their capital,
and they are also facing a challenge from an unlicensed
(30:24):
cannabis market. So basically, stores are opening up that do
not have authorization to sell marijuana, and yet they are
selling it anyway, and that's cutting into the profits of
the ones that went through all of the hoops you've
got to go to go through in order to sell legally.
(30:44):
What they are suggesting at City Hall is to explore
a tax exemption program. Apparently San Francisco has done this.
That city adopted a Cannabis Business Tax wish would provide
temporary local tax relief to small businesses. The city council
(31:04):
members say this initiative would help licensees become current on
their taxes for a minimum of two years, So this
would help the folks who have fallen behind on their
tax dollars. So the Department of Cannabis Regulation at Los
Angeles City Hall, which is a thing, has been instructed
(31:26):
by a council committee. It still needs full approval from
the City Council to report on how to revise its
quote good standing provision in relation to back owed taxes,
and the City Council would also instruct the Office of
Finance and the Department of cannabis regulation and the city
(31:46):
Administrative Officer and the city attorney to report back with
recommendations for establishing a cannabis business tax relief program modeled
after what they have in San Francisco. So when this
was heard at the Government Operations Committee at City Council,
(32:06):
there were legal cannabis shop owners who came to speak
to basically say thank you, but that's not enough. The
real problem, they say, is the other piece that's mentioned
here even by the council members themselves, the persistence of
(32:30):
an unlicensed cannabis market. By the way, the Blue Jays
have managed to escape the Dodgers in the top of
the tenth. Dodgers had the bases loaded with one out
and the Blue Jays have retired the side. So now
(32:51):
we go to the bottom of the tenth and Toronto
is coming to the plate. It's tied four to four.
This series will not end. But anyway, back to cannabis,
and I'll tell you that this game has me so
nervous and unfocused that I'm eating pop tarts. We keep
(33:11):
a little snack drawer here and there are pop tarts
in there, and I know better, I shouldn't. I'm too
old to eat pop tarts. It's too late to eat
pop tarts. I know I'm gonna have heartburn. But all
this talk about cannabis also has me wanting junk food,
because you know when you talk about something and you
kind of crave it a little bit. I don't know
if you're a fan of an edible. I like one
every now and then, and I get the munchies. So
(33:34):
I'm watching the baseball game, I'm talking to you about
the news. I'm eating a pop tart. It's Saturday night.
I should have an edible. I'm not. I'm at work
and I have to drive, and I wouldn't do that.
But if you do enjoy cannabis, and you have, you
have your go to store, and I've got a couple
(33:55):
that I like downtown, you may come across their stores
that you want to check out. Hey, maybe their prices
are better, or they've got they've got a sale that
they get you on, or you hear from a friend
that it's worth checking out. And I've had this happen
where suddenly what was a vacant storefront is now a
(34:20):
kind of a shop with signage that doesn't look too permanent.
But you go in and you find that you follow
the procedures that other more legitimate looking stores make you
go through. You show an ID, you see brands that
look familiar. They've got an ATM there, and there's all
(34:42):
the weird rules about using a debit card, and you
know you can't use a credit card, and if you
do use your debit card, they have to give you
change back because it has to operate like an ATM transaction.
All that's still there. But one of the shops that
I had popped in a few times suddenly vanished because
(35:05):
it wasn't even legally allowed to operate. It had me
completely fooled. I would not deliberately go into a store
that is breaking the rules. I don't want to get
caught up any of that nonsense. I wouldn't trust the product,
even if it looks legitimate. But this is apparently happening
(35:29):
all over the city, and that's what the legitimate businesses
are concerned about. It's similar to other business interests in LA,
like restaurants who maybe operate in areas like MacArthur Park,
and say you've got unlicensed food vendors all over the place.
It would really help us if you enforce the law.
(35:52):
So that's the fight that's brewing at City Hall. There
is a proposal to help some of these legitimate businesses
get caught up on any back taxes, but what the
businesses are calling for is a serious crackdown on the
illegal cannabis front, and that is a story We will
(36:16):
continue to follow like we're following this game in Toronto.
It is now the bottom of the tenth. The Blue
Jays are at the plate. There is one out this
This could be all over by the next time you
hear my voice.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
KFI AM six forty on demand
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
Usually I'm with you till nine o'clock on Saturday nights,
but we might go a little long tonight because it
is Game seven of the World Series and if the
Dodgers win, you know, things can get a little out
of hand across Los Angeles as folks start to celebrate,
and we will make sure that we are covering that
(00:30):
for you live. We will tell you if there are
any trouble spots or any areas that police are responding to.
But right now, the Blue Jays are up four to
three with two outs in the bottom of the eighth,
So the blue Jays are at bat. They got a
runner on second, two outs, looking to extend their lead,
and then the Dodgers will have one more shot potentially
(00:53):
to take the lead or to send this thing to
extra innings. You can hear the game in its entirety
on AM five seven Sea Sports, but we will let
you know when this thing is over. One thing that
has already happened is the LAPD has issued a tactical
alert that means they are prepared to keep all officers
(01:14):
on duty and to be activated for any types of
issues that may arise due to celebrations. And from our
wire service City News Service, we just received the following.
The LAPD has closed streets to vehicle traffic because of
the Dodgers game. Keep in mind, this game is in Toronto,
(01:34):
but the LAPD is already closing streets here because of
what happened last year after the Dodgers won the World
Series with the street takeovers in downtown La a little
bit of looting, a Metro bus burned to a crisp
and Echo park. What they have done is they have
closed Pico Boulevard between La Live Way and Grand Avenue,
Flower Street between Ninth and Venice, Hope Street between Ninth
(01:57):
and Venice, Olympic Boulevard between La Live Way and Grand,
and La Metro will be detouring all of its northbound
buses from Figaroa Street to Hope between Pico and Olympic
Boulevards until about eleven pm. So this is in the
area of La live This is the area that some
of these street takeovers took place last year when things
got out of hand in celebration of the Dodgers' victory,
(02:22):
So the LAPD is taking preemptive measures. The bottom of
the eighth just wrapped ups. The eighth inning is finished.
The Dodgers are coming up. Fernandez, Rojas, Otani, the three batters.
It's not a bad lineup. So it's coming down to
the wire in Toronto, what's gonna happen? We will have
(02:48):
this cover for you. If things go awry in Los Angeles,
KFI will bring it to you live. We'll interrupt our
regular programming that starts on Saturday night and bring you
the news. Said earlier that there will be zero tolerance
for destruction of property and that they will strictly enforce
laws against vandalism and looting. And if you're familiar with
(03:11):
Los Angeles, it's not typical that they strictly enforce laws
against vandalism because the entire city, especially this area and
in downtown Los Angeles, is completely vandalized. It's covered in
graffiti and trash, broken windows. I say that with love
because I live there. They say officers will be highly
visible throughout DTLA during celebrations. They say there will be
(03:35):
pre staged units ready to respond quickly to any hot spots,
and they say they may close some freeways along the
one ten, the ten, the one to one. I'm telling
drivers to plan for alternate routes in case things get hairy. Reminder,
(03:55):
this isn't going to be traffic coming out of Dodgers
Stadium Allsion Park. This is just craziness that spills into
the streets after people start celebrating. Should the Dodgers win,
I've been told by folks that the Dodgers lose. Not
to expect any of that tomfoolery. But is La you
(04:16):
never know. We love a good I don't want to
say riot, but we love a good celebration that goes
overboard in La, and we are here to bring you
the latest on that should it happen. The last time
we saw unruly streets in downtown Los Angeles was earlier
in the summer over immigration enforcement, and things have quite
(04:40):
a down compared to the big raids that we were
seeing when all this first got underway. In fact, it
almost seemed like nothing was happening at all, nobody being
detained except occasional flare ups. But then we started to
see little, little little pockets of enforcement and news outlets
(05:00):
like La Taco, which is an independent media outlet that
they have a very sympathetic portrayal of illegal immigrants, but
they do document just about every single arrest or detainment,
and based on their reporting, it does seem to be
picking up again. And the federal government announced charges and
(05:23):
arrests against people from those protests back in June, the
protests that disrupted the one oh one freeway where folks
were throwing stuff at law enforcement, and also in Ventura
County where a cannabis farm was rated big arrest there
(05:44):
and a protest that got out of hand, and the
US Attorney Acting US Attorney Bill A. Saley says that
is promises made, promises kept. The president and the US
Attorney General Pam Bondi made clear that we will find,
arrest and charge anyone who attacks our federal agents. And
(06:07):
he says that ten defendants were arrested for engaging in
violence against officers and property earlier this year in connection
with anti immigration enforcement protest and they are in federal
custody and they're currently looking for a couple more.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Now.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
One area that opponents of immigration enforcement have been victorious
and is in the courts, and that's when things started
to slow down. Here was when there were some rulings
about who can be stopped when and where should the
National Guard be deployed or not, things slowed down a
little bit. But there was a court case targeting Bill
(06:50):
Assale himself and whether he could serve as interim US Attorney.
And the way it works is if you're going to
be US Attorney, you're appointed by the President. You have
to be confirmed by the Senate. That hasn't happened. He
was serving hiss interrum. The amount of time you could
serve as interim expireds so now he's acting, and a
(07:11):
judge ruled that he was serving unlawfully as interim. And
he's not the only US attorney to face this, but
that was a victory for public defenders representing suspected illegal
immigrants who were being prosecuted by the federal government that
they sued to have that title taken away from Bill A. Saley.
(07:35):
Mister Zale was asked about this during the press conference
where he announced these arrasts, and he says, life goes on.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Well, I'll still here, not planning to go anywhere. We're
still reviewing that order is a lengthy order issued yesterday.
I'll just say we're less concerned with titles, and we're
more concerned with the authority of my position to be
able to run this office as the chief federal law
enforcement officer of this district. And so I think the
(08:03):
judges may clear regardless of my title, I have the
authority to run this office, to serve at the direction
and delegation of the Attorney General and the President. And
there's no question on that authority. So we're navigating the order.
We'll figure out my title, but for now, nothing effectively changes. Well,
(08:25):
it's not his intent, it's what he said. So if
you read the order, he does make it very clear
that I have several hats here. Because I am designated
as a special counsel by the Attorney General, I'm assigned
to the first Assistant US Attorney post, and by default
under the Vacancies Act, we believe that that makes me,
by default, the acting US Attorney. It's a very complicated
(08:47):
statutory scheme that Congress set up. It's very convoluted. The
judge waded through it. He says, whether or not I
qualifies the acting, there's no question that I'm the first Assistant,
which makes me the top federal process in this office.
So again, all this is semantics titles. What matters at
the end of the day is that the president won
the election. The president gets to control and run the
(09:09):
executive branch, and through the Attorney General, they get to
a point and designate the people they want to serve
at their pleasure. And that's what's important.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
That's Acting US Attorney Bill Salor, who says he's still
the top prosecutor regardless of the title that is given
to him. Currently, right now in Toronto, it is the
top of the ninth inning. The Dodgers are down four
to three in Game seven of the World Series. There
is one out the second batter of the inning up.
It is a full count three and two. Shoe Aotani
(09:40):
is up next. Will there be a miracle for La.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
I said before the break that the Dodgers might have
a miracle in them, and they did. Migail Rojas solo
shot home run. The game is tied four to four.
The side was retired after that. We are now in
the bottom of the ninth inning of Game seven of
the World Series in Toronto, Ontario, and the Blue Jays
(10:12):
are stepping up to the plate. This has been an
amazing world series. Will it have the dramatic finish of
the Blue Jays walking off the Dodgers. That's what we
will wait to see here momentarily. They've got their star player,
Vladimir Guerrero up at the plate right now. If the
(10:34):
Dodgers win, we might expect a little bit of chaotic
celebration across the city, and so the LAPD is preparing
for that one way or the other. They've already called
a tactical alert, meaning all officers will remain and be
prepared to respond to anything that goes awry. And they
have also started to close streets downtown, particularly in the
(10:57):
area of La Live so there will be no vehicle
traffic right now until about eleven o'clock. They say they
want to keep calm and order down there. It got
crazy last year. Oh my gosh, Guerrero has just hit
it back to the warning track, but it's caught for
out number one. We may be headed to extra innings,
(11:19):
something that this series has seen before, that eighteen inning
classic earlier this week. Wow, what a series this has
been and you can bet the winner of this one
it is gonna have quite a release. This will be
a tough series to lose based on that, and if
(11:42):
it is, the Dodgers and the fans are the non
fans who like to take advantage of a situation, want
to release anything, they're gonna do it. In the streets
of Los Angeles. Police are urging you not to do that.
They don't want the street takeovers that they saw last year.
They don't want the looting, they don't want the torching
of a metro bus like we saw last year, so
they have taken preemptive measures to close some streets. They
(12:04):
say there will be pre staged police units standing by
ready to respond rapidly, so that if anything does happen,
they'll be ready. They also tell residents if you see
anything to call nine to one one right away. LAPD
says they're not messing around this year. Please behave yourselves.
(12:28):
That game is on our sister station AM five seventy
LA Sports if you care to hear the end of it.
A base hit for the Blue Jays. They've got a
runner on first with one out. We will monitor with
one eye here as we get back into the news.
You know in Los Angeles that there are often calls
(12:48):
for increased minimum wages. We saw the statewide increase for
fast food workers. We've seen a recent approval in Los
Angeles for what they call tourism works, people who work
in hotels, and people who work at the airport. They're
expecting significant races that are supposed to start this year
until they hit thirty dollars an hour by twenty twenty eight.
(13:11):
Now there is a push at La City Hall to
increase the wage for construction workers. Here's Keelcilman, Hugo Soto Martinez.
Speaker 4 (13:20):
Really, I think we all sort of suspect and understand
or were having an idea of what is happening in
this industry. I'll speak from my lived experience. I live
next to two construction buildings that were put up, and
they were very, very underpaid. In the many times I
(13:42):
walk in my neighborhood, I struck conversations with many of
the folks working there, and one of the foreman's who
was working on that site said he was making twenty
two bucks an hour. And I had an immediate reaction
to that, because even in the industry that I'm familiar
with the hospitality and housekeepers were making more than that
(14:03):
at the time, and this is backbreaking work.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
People.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
You get killed all the time. People, there's so many,
so much wage staffed. It is estimated that between thirty
and forty percent of this workforce is undocumented, which means
they're more susceptible to all the different abuses that happen
in this country.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Council in Hugo Soto Martinez and others have presented this
motion that was ultimately approved at city Hall to study
the issue, so it's not an immediate increase in the
minimum wage. They've asked for a study and they want
it fast. They won it within a couple of months,
to see what the economic impact would be of increasing
the wage for construction workers, specifically on what they have
(14:47):
called mid size projects, so we're talking about apartment communities
with ten or more units that are eighty five feet
high or smaller, so they're very very precise. Soda Martinez
says that the medium wage for construction workers is the
minimum wage is currently eighteen dollars. He'd like to see
(15:11):
it at more than thirty two dollars an hour with
an additional healthcare credit of seven dollars and sixty five
cents per hour. So it's very similar to that tourism
work effort that pass and he was a big proponent
of that as well. Keep in mind, this council member
came out of the union activist system. He was very
active and Unite here the Hotel Workers Union that is
(15:33):
very vocal for workers and at city Hall for these
types of issues. The study is supposed to come back
in a couple of months to see if that is
something that the city is capable of doing. What's going
to be happening is a lot of construction ideally. There
(15:54):
are a couple of reasons. One, we just went through
these terrible wildfires in January, and while the Eaton fire
was outside of the city limits of Los Angeles, the
Palace Sides the Palisades fire was in LA and perhaps
some of the rebuild there we'll bring in construction workers
and they might benefit from this. We also saw the
(16:15):
adoption of Senate Bill seventy nine this year, which allows
for more multi family residences to be built near transit stations.
So if this all goes according to plan, there will
be some robust building activity and opportunities for construction workers
to get out there and work. But on the other hand,
(16:38):
if it costs the builders more to pay their construction workers,
does that threaten the rebuild. I will be curious to
see what this economic report determines, and you know we
will have that covered for you when the report comes
back in a couple of months. At LA City Hall,
(16:59):
we are monitoring this Dodgers game in Toronto. The Blue
Jays have a runner on in the bottom of the ninth,
one out o What a series this has been. We
will be keeping an eye on Los Angeles tonight. Should
the Dodgers pull this off and things get crazy in
the city, KFI will stay live and bring you the
very latest as it is happening across the city. So
(17:22):
keep it right here.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
This is Michael Monk's reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
It is boy a nerve racking night here in southern
California as the Dodgers are in Toronto in Game seven
of the World Series. This game is knotted up four
to four in the bottom of the ninth there is
(17:50):
one out and the Blue Jays have the bases loaded.
The Dodgers have sent Yamamoto to the mound. Remember this
is the last game of the season, so team can
turn to their star starters late in a game without
any worry about what comes next. Because this is it.
They need all the weapons they can throw, and right now,
(18:11):
a base hit or a walk would end this World
Series in favor of the Blue Jays. The Dodgers trailed
three to nothing and then managed to tie the game
up in the last inning in the eighth inning. Excuse me,
just last at the top of the ninth. So this
is this could be extra free baseball coming up if
(18:36):
they can get a couple of outs here, or it's
all over if there's a base hit, if the Dodgers
are able to hold on and end this inning and
then come back and win. In extras, the LAPD is
expecting some chaotic scenes across Los Angeles, so at least
I should say they are preparing in case they unfold.
(18:58):
So LAPD is already shutting down some streets in downtown
Los Angeles in an area that was hit by some
raucous celebrations last year when the Dodgers won the World Series,
and that's primarily around La Live. They've also said to
expect some closures, maybe some freeway ramps, particularly around downtown,
(19:19):
the ten, the one ten, the one oh one, and
also to expect some buses to be rerouted. There'll be
extra folks on the train system to help guide folks
if they are either getting into or getting out of Downtown.
But the lapd is urging folks to be on their
(19:40):
best behavior. I have so many butterflies in my stomach.
It is the bottom of the night. Oh they're gonna
the Okay, there was a hit, but not a base hit,
and the runner from the Blue Jays was thrown out
at home plate, so the Dodgers managed to stop the
winning run for being scored. And so now it's the
(20:04):
bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two outs. This is
the type of situation that every little boy dreams of
in the backyard, bottom of the ninth, Game seven of
the World Series. And this was a close call there
at home plate, and his foot may have come off
(20:26):
the plate, but I don't know. They're gonna look at this.
They called him out. Oh, oh, this is close. I'm
watching this on television and letting you know that a
Blue Jay is sliding into home plate with the bases loaded,
so it's got a run. The infield hit was tossed
(20:47):
to the catcher to force an out, but it looks
like the catcher from the Dodger's foot was maybe not
on the plate. And I don't know what the rules
are well enough to know that looks a little better
for the Dodgers. This little slow down replay that they're
doing on Fox. By the way, you can hear the
play by play much better than I'm doing for you
(21:08):
right now on a five seventy LA Sports. We have
been keeping an eye on this game because it is
the big news story of the day, especially as we
anticipate any type of unruly celebrations across Los Angeles. So
they've moved on from those playbacks so that the ruling
is two outs, bases loaded, Yamamoto on the mound for
(21:28):
the Dodgers, the Blue Jays up. I don't know I'm
supposed to talk about the news. I know that if
you're listening to me, you're not a huge Dodger fan.
Obviously you'd be glued to the television.
Speaker 5 (21:40):
And oh the there was a hit too deep left
field and the Dodgers caught it and it was quite
(22:00):
dramatic as.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Ikeay Hernandez and the other outfielder excuse me, just collided
and but they made the catch. We have extra innings
coming up in Game seven of the World Series, so
everybody take a breath. I told you when this program
started that we will be with you beyond our usual
(22:25):
nine o'clock stop time if needed, especially if the Dodgers
win and things take a turn across Los Angeles and
the police are needed and we see scenes unfold like
we did last year. So we're gonna bring you that.
Maybe selfishly, I was hoping to get out of here
at my usual time it's Saturday night, but we have
(22:50):
extra inning coming up. It seems to be something these
two teams enjoy playing one another. What a series. But
you tune into us for news, and while that is
the big news story of the day, there are other
news stories and we are staying on top of that.
And the latest is the city of Los Angeles trying
(23:13):
to help its cannabis businesses because I don't know if
you know this, but despite marijuana being legal here, people
aren't buying it like they used to, at least not
in the city of Los Angeles. A city report indicates
that in the first quarter of twenty twenty five this year,
and that would be January through March, legal cannabis sales
(23:37):
across the state dropped to just over one billion, so
specifically one point zero eight eight billion, So that's to say,
one billion, eighty eight million dollars. That is an eleven
percent decline from last year and it is the lowest
quarterly total in five years. In LA, legal cannabis sales
(24:02):
dropped to nineteen million dollars, which is down twenty percent
from the first quarter of last year. So licensed cannabis
sales now account for just thirty eight percent of California's
total cannabis consumption, which is reflected locally where retailers have
reported operating on razor thin margins, with a number of
(24:23):
them going out of business. This is me reading a
city report. This report says rising rent costs, construction delays,
loss of capital, and the persistence of an unlicensed cannabis
market are all factors that have driven operators to the brink.
So we have legal cannabis in Los Angeles and in California,
(24:48):
but people aren't smoking the way they were last year.
So the city is trying to address this and retailers
of legal cannabis are saying your suggestion is not enough.
We'll get into those details coming up next and continue
to monitor the situation in Toronto and the developing situation
(25:11):
here in Los Angeles. Game seven of the World Series
Dodgers Blue Jays tied at four. It is the top
of the tenth inning. This is the World Series that
would not end. We will continue to cover it because
the LAPD has issued a tactical alert city wide. They
(25:33):
are ready to call any officer to stay on duty
should the s hit the fan in celebration of a Dodgers' victory,
or if there's any unruliness after a Dodger's defeat. You
can keep it right here. We will stay with you
throughout the night if necessary. If it's calm, I'm logging
off and going home. So I'm here until at least nine.
(25:57):
I hope you'll stay with us, because we're probably gonna
be on longer than that.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
This is Michael Monks reports on Michael Monks from KFI
News and the Big Story tonight, Game seven of the
World Series. It ain't over yet. The Dodgers came all
the way back. We're notted up at four, top of
the tenth inning. The Dodgers are at bat in Toronto, Ontario.
There's one out and there are two runners on, one
on first and one on second, with tails car Hernandez
(26:34):
at the plate, and the Dodgers will try to take
the lead here over the Blue Jays to get themselves
some breathing room before Toronto comes back to the plate
in the bottom of the tenth. Let's remember it was
just a few short days ago that these two teams
played eighteen innings of baseball. This series has been a
(27:00):
slugfest ever since. Toronto opened the series in Game one,
punching the Dodgers in the mouth. The Dodgers kept their
cool and took the second game, and then it's just
been a battle of the Titans since. And what a
fitting conclusion as Game seven now in extra innings. This
(27:22):
game is far from us. It is in Toronto, but
the excitement, the enthusiasm, and the potential celebration are with
us in Los Angeles, and the LAPD knows it. They
are stationed all over the city. They're already closing some
streets in downtown LA. They are prepared to shut down
freeway entrances. They say last year when the Dodgers won
(27:45):
the series, it got crazy street takeovers, some looting, a
metro bus burned to a crisp. The LAPD says they're
not going to tolerate this this year, and they are
urging folks to report any of those types of behaviors
that they see. I've been told by folks that there
won't be much in the form of celebration, obviously, but
(28:07):
no rioting or vandalism or looting if the Dodgers lose,
But the Dodgers have so far refused to do that.
And if they win, we know there is going to
be a big release of excitement. And the bases are
now loaded for the Dodgers. After a walk here in
(28:29):
the top of the tenth, Dodgers looking to take their
first lead of this game in the top of the tenth.
This show here on KFI Michael Monks Reports, typically ends
at nine o'clock, but we are going to stay with
you tonight, and the reason is not because you need
(28:51):
me to give you the play by play of this game.
This game is on AM five seventy LA Sports. You
can listen to it there with our expert team and
they will have the postgame covered for you from the
sports side, But we're here for the news side, and
this is the big news story, especially if the Dodgers
win and the aftermath in LA takes a turn. So
(29:15):
we're gonna stay on just in anticipation of things going poorly.
You can keep it right here for that angle. You
can listen to the game and the postgame coverage on
LA Sports Am five seventy top of the tenth in Toronto.
Bases loaded for the Dodgers, one out. When last I
(29:40):
left you, I was telling you about the declining sales
of cannabis across California, but even more so in the
city of Los Angeles. It's down twenty percent compared to
last year cannabis sales and the city where were just
nineteen million. That's a twenty percent drop from the same
three month period at the beginning of twenty twenty four.
(30:02):
So members of the city council are trying to figure
out a way to help the cannabis businesses. These members
say the businesses are facing higher rent, they're seeing construction
delays for any work they're having done. They're losing their capital,
and they are also facing a challenge from an unlicensed
(30:24):
cannabis market. So basically, stores are opening up that do
not have authorization to sell marijuana, and yet they are
selling it anyway, and that's cutting into the profits of
the ones that went through all of the hoops you've
got to go to go through in order to sell legally.
(30:44):
What they are suggesting at City Hall is to explore
a tax exemption program. Apparently San Francisco has done this.
That city adopted a Cannabis Business Tax wish would provide
temporary local tax relief to small businesses. The city council
(31:04):
members say this initiative would help licensees become current on
their taxes for a minimum of two years, So this
would help the folks who have fallen behind on their
tax dollars. So the Department of Cannabis Regulation at Los
Angeles City Hall, which is a thing, has been instructed
(31:26):
by a council committee. It still needs full approval from
the City Council to report on how to revise its
quote good standing provision in relation to back owed taxes,
and the City Council would also instruct the Office of
Finance and the Department of cannabis regulation and the city
(31:46):
Administrative Officer and the city attorney to report back with
recommendations for establishing a cannabis business tax relief program modeled
after what they have in San Francisco. So when this
was heard at the Government Operations Committee at City Council,
(32:06):
there were legal cannabis shop owners who came to speak
to basically say thank you, but that's not enough. The
real problem, they say, is the other piece that's mentioned
here even by the council members themselves, the persistence of
(32:30):
an unlicensed cannabis market. By the way, the Blue Jays
have managed to escape the Dodgers in the top of
the tenth. Dodgers had the bases loaded with one out
and the Blue Jays have retired the side. So now
(32:51):
we go to the bottom of the tenth and Toronto
is coming to the plate. It's tied four to four.
This series will not end. But anyway, back to cannabis,
and I'll tell you that this game has me so
nervous and unfocused that I'm eating pop tarts. We keep
(33:11):
a little snack drawer here and there are pop tarts
in there, and I know better, I shouldn't. I'm too
old to eat pop tarts. It's too late to eat
pop tarts. I know I'm gonna have heartburn. But all
this talk about cannabis also has me wanting junk food,
because you know when you talk about something and you
kind of crave it a little bit. I don't know
if you're a fan of an edible. I like one
every now and then, and I get the munchies. So
(33:34):
I'm watching the baseball game, I'm talking to you about
the news. I'm eating a pop tart. It's Saturday night.
I should have an edible. I'm not. I'm at work
and I have to drive, and I wouldn't do that.
But if you do enjoy cannabis, and you have, you
have your go to store, and I've got a couple
(33:55):
that I like downtown, you may come across their stores
that you want to check out. Hey, maybe their prices
are better, or they've got they've got a sale that
they get you on, or you hear from a friend
that it's worth checking out. And I've had this happen
where suddenly what was a vacant storefront is now a
(34:20):
kind of a shop with signage that doesn't look too permanent.
But you go in and you find that you follow
the procedures that other more legitimate looking stores make you
go through. You show an ID, you see brands that
look familiar. They've got an ATM there, and there's all
(34:42):
the weird rules about using a debit card, and you
know you can't use a credit card, and if you
do use your debit card, they have to give you
change back because it has to operate like an ATM transaction.
All that's still there. But one of the shops that
I had popped in a few times suddenly vanished because
(35:05):
it wasn't even legally allowed to operate. It had me
completely fooled. I would not deliberately go into a store
that is breaking the rules. I don't want to get
caught up any of that nonsense. I wouldn't trust the product,
even if it looks legitimate. But this is apparently happening
(35:29):
all over the city, and that's what the legitimate businesses
are concerned about. It's similar to other business interests in LA,
like restaurants who maybe operate in areas like MacArthur Park,
and say you've got unlicensed food vendors all over the place.
It would really help us if you enforce the law.
(35:52):
So that's the fight that's brewing at City Hall. There
is a proposal to help some of these legitimate businesses
get caught up on any back taxes, but what the
businesses are calling for is a serious crackdown on the
illegal cannabis front, and that is a story We will
(36:16):
continue to follow like we're following this game in Toronto.
It is now the bottom of the tenth. The Blue
Jays are at the plate. There is one out this
This could be all over by the next time you
hear my voice.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
KFI AM six forty on demand
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