June 21, 2024 • 32 mins
ICYMI: Hour One of ‘Later, with Mo’Kelly’ Presents – Guest Host Tiffany Hobbs filling in with thoughts on the City of Pomona launching a universal income program AND the City of Ontario implementing a new pilot program that rents brick-and-mortar retail space for only $1 a month…PLUS - The Los Angeles City Council has backed an effort to remodel the downtown Convention Center ahead of the 2028 Olympics - on KFI AM 640…Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
You're listening to Later with Moe Kellyon demand from KFI AM six forty if
Later with Moe Kelly. I'm TiffanyHobbs filling in with you tonight from seven
to ten. Here. I washere with you last night, I'm here
with you tonight, and I'll behere with you tomorrow. As Moe is
in Soul, Korea, still doinghis martial arts thing. He'll be there
(00:23):
for the next week or so,and we'll get updates on what he's doing.
I'm sure as they come in.I know, I saw on his
social media that he had just toucheddown today and he was kind of taking
the sites and taking the city in, walking around. He was on the
train to boost sign. I sawon his social media. Any zombies,
(00:44):
Ah, you know, just Mo, just Mo, just Mo. So
other than that, he seems tobe enjoying himself. He seems to be
doing fine. Seeing what he's gonnaeat. I'm very interested in Korean food,
and like I said, we'll getsome updates about his trip as they
come in. I'll stock his socialmedia and see if there's anything I can
(01:06):
report back. But so far,so good. It doesn't seem like he's
had to fight anybody either. SoI don't know what he's doing with his
martial arts skills, but doesn't seemlike he's putting him to the test.
You want to wit lay low becausemore people know the stuff there? Is
that what it is? Yeah?Yeah, okay, so he's in he's
in good company. You're saying,yeah, you never know, you never
know. You just don't want toroll the dice. Right, we'll see,
(01:27):
we'll see what happens with Moe inthe interim. I'm here as you
hear. That's Mark Ronner right therein the news booth. You and thank
you. I'm glad you're back.I see you. You brought your own
music, which is a bold move. But what is that exactly? You
know last night actually brought an entirelist of bumpers. Tonight it's all Steph.
(01:49):
That was Steph's choice. So thatmakes it a conspiracy. Yeah,
it's two people. That's a conspiracy. It's two people. You weren't here,
Mark, so you had no saywell I ever do Well that's true,
that's true. But you're back.We have Steph right there on the
board. Stuff is here with us, hello, and we have Tuala as
usual superducer, super producer, TualaMatt's out there. We have a full
(02:12):
studio in here. I'm celebrating mymother's birthday tonight. She's here with me,
absolutely very happy about that. HaveTJ here. It's gonna be a
great, great night. So let'sget into some of these stories that are
going to make it a great greatnight. We have a jam pack schedule
of stories, including a universal incomeprogram out of Pomona. We have a
(02:38):
woman who got trapped in her tesla. All of you EV drivers really are
gonna want to perk up and listento this because apparently you can get trapped
in your tesla. Doesn't say anythingabout any other EV's, but specifically tesla's
could possibly be a death trap ifyour battery dies. We'll get into that.
(02:59):
There's also a story about AI andHolocaust survivors as a way to use
AI to bridge the gap between whatmany feel is dying information literally and the
new generation of students who may notnecessarily be privy to what happened during the
Holocaust. We have purple rain beingadapted for the stage marrying up and dating
(03:23):
up, dating out of your economicrange, and hopes that you're pulled up
into another economic echelon. We havea lot and then we'll talk to George
Nori at the end of the show. So let's get into it first.
Up, this universal income program thatI mentioned, it's very interesting. If
(03:45):
you've been paying attention to the news, to anything, then you've known over
the last few years that there's beena lot of conversation about universal income.
And what universal income essentially is isa government will dish out financial benefits to
a select number of constituents. Itcould be two hundred and fifty people,
(04:06):
it could be five hundred people.There are certain requirements and criteria by which
these people must adhere to to qualifyfor the program, and it's a way
to stimulate the economy. Well,Pomona has gotten into this game and they're
looking at it as being an answerto what is in their minds of volatile
(04:29):
economy right there in their own backyard. Their local government is trying to figure
out and they're hoping that this universalbasic income can revitalize constituents and boost revenues
for small businesses all around the cityof Pomona. Again, universal basic income
(04:50):
is often referred to as UBI.We've known it as other names as well.
We know it as a stimulus check, which many people in California benefited
from during twenty twenty and twenty twentyone. All of those things combined again
to help temporarily boost a fledgling economy, and it's thought to lead to more
(05:14):
economic sustainability and stability period. Thispilot program out of Pomona will give money
to a select number of residents.How many you might be asking, five
hundred total? Pardon me, sixhundred total, And I'll tell you why
I made that discrepancy. Because it'sdivided up by control Group A and Control
(05:35):
Group B. You just wait tohear what the criteria is and what each
group is getting. It's not fullywhat it seems. But this program is
called HUG. Howcute HUG? Whatdoes HUG stand for? Household Universal Grant
Program? They left off the pbecause HUG doesn't flow as well as HUG.
(06:00):
The Household Universal Grant Program will makeeligible six hundred residents of Pomona,
divided into two groups, not evenly. I don't know why they did this,
but the first group is two hundredand fifty residents. They'll get a
whopping and I'm not saying this tonguein cheek, because I would love to
(06:21):
be a part of this group awhopping five hundred dollars every month for eighteen
months. So if you do themath really quickly, and I'm no mathematician
and not asking anyone here to testmy math skills, but that's a lot
of money. That's thousands of thousandsupon thousands of dollars over the course of
(06:41):
a year and a half that thisfirst control group will get two hundred and
fifty residents. Now remember there area total of six hundred residents. Those
six hundred residents are divided, Soif two hundred and fifty are getting five
hundred dollars, then what are theremaining three hundred and fifty getting You might
be asking, Well, they're gettinga measly twenty dollars five hundred for one
(07:10):
group, twenty dollars for the nextgroup over the same amount of time eighteen
months. I know what group Iwould like to be in for sure.
Of course, free money is freemoney. Twenty dollars is more than someone
may have in their pocket. Wehave to be grateful and keep a positive
perspective. But let's be real here. Five hundred dollars and twenty dollars is
(07:34):
a pretty large, large discrepancy,that's a pretty large spectrum. But of
these six hundred residents, again,they'll be getting this money over the course
of eighteen months, and again ithopes to revitalize the economy in Pomona,
which has been subjected to a lotof business closures, a lot of just
(07:57):
instability. Again, whether business orjust simple spender. They're hoping to be
able to remedy that. When wecome back, we're going to get into
what the eligibility requirements are. We'realso going to talk a little bit about
some other cities that have tested outuniversal basic income, so we can kind
of see what the results of sucha program could possibly entail if done the
(08:22):
right way. Stay right here,we'll be right back. It's k I
AM six forty live everywhere on theiHeartRadio app. You're listening to Later with
Moe Kelly on demand from KFI AMsix forty. It's Later with Mo Kelly.
I'm Tiffany Hobbs filling in with you. I just took a look at
Moe's social media and I saw thatas we've already been talking about mo is
(08:46):
in Soul, Korea for a martialarts convention and competition, I believe.
And one of the last posts hemade, because I imagine he's sleep now
with the time difference he's asleep,is that he was on the bullet train
in the city of Busan. AndI'm looking at this footage that motook as
he's sitting on this train, He'staking a selfie, very very sophisticated technology
(09:11):
here, and the train seems tobe going pretty fast. Seems like a
bullet train. Seems like a trainthat we're hoping to have here that goes
to Las Vegas. We'll see.I don't know, but I'm sure Mo
will be able to actually give ussome insight when he comes back about the
efficacy of said bullet train in Busan. We've just been talking about the universal
Basic Income program in Pomona, anew program called HUG that was launched in
(09:37):
Pomona just over the last couple ofweeks. If you are a Pomona resident
and you benefit from getting five hundreddollars a month because you are in Control
Group A, one of the sixhundred residents chosen to receive two our five
hundred dollars every month, then ifyou save your money, you too may
(09:58):
may be able to go to soulRhea and enjoy the bullet train there.
And let us know how that goesfor you. If you are in the
other control group, you're only gettingtwenty dollars a month. It's going to
take you a little longer to saveup for a ticket to Korea. Either
way, the City of Pomona requiresyou to meet certain eligibility requirements to receive
(10:18):
any of the money, whether it'sfive hundred or twenty dollars over the next
eighteen months. Here are the eligibilityrequirements. You first must be a resident
of Pomona at the time of application. I'm already excluded. I'm upset,
I'm already out. I'm one anddone. You must be eighteen or older
(10:39):
at the time of application. Allright, I meet that. You must
be the parent or legal guardian ofa child under four years old. This
is discriminatory. This is absolutely discriminatory. You must meet at least one of
the four American Rescue Plan Act qualifiers, and you can find the full list
(11:00):
of qualifiers at the detailed Eligibility requirementstab under the City of Pomona. And
lastly, because nothing is for free. There's some sort of exchange. You
have to agree to consent to aresearch study conducted by UCLA, so you
(11:22):
are a case study and they wantto know what you're doing with the money,
so they can take data, analyzeit, and report back and let
them know how the little minions inthe program were firing with their five hundred
dollars or twenty dollars a month.Very interesting. Indeed, again, if
you don't do these things, you'renot getting the money. So if you
(11:43):
don't have a kid under four,or you don't consent to this study,
you are sool. You can also, if you are a participant in this
be offered certain benefits that include counseling, financial coaching, parenting skills, because
if you have a child under they'realready assuming that you're struggling with your parenting
skills, career counseling. There's lotsof benefits that come along with this money
(12:09):
free to you, and online applicationsare open from now until July eighth at
eleven p m. So if youare interested and you fit this criteria,
get in their asap. However,if you apply, that does not automatically
mean that you will be selected.Sorry, there's a lottery to select winners,
(12:30):
and that will be held on Julytenth. So once online applications close
and they collect the thousands upon thousandsupon thousands of applicants, you will be
put into a big basket with everyoneelse's name. They will shake up that
basket and people will pull certain names, and if you are one of those
six hundred names, then you arethe lucky winner. The money will be
(12:54):
dispersed to you through a reloadable debitcard. So don't think you're just getting
cash in your hand. You're gettingplastic. So if you don't like that,
also too bad. And lastly,you can apply online on Pomona's city
website at the Household Universal Grant Programtab. You want to look for that
(13:16):
on the city website. Again,cities have tested out Universal Basic Income four
years. One of the first citiesin California to actually have a UBI.
And it sounds like an STD.I need to be careful, I keep
saying UBI. It sounds like somethingelse. The Universal Basic Income is stocked
in California. Okay, Stockton,California in twenty nineteen actually put a UBI
(13:41):
into effect and we're able to giveto one hundred and twenty five residents five
hundred dollars a month over the courseof two years. The assumption with universal
basic income is that people are goingto spend irresponsibly. It happened with the
stimulus that came in twenty twenty andtwenty twenty one. A lot of what
(14:03):
was said is that when people gotthat money, they were going to go
out and they were going to justspend on things that were perishable that they
weren't going to necessarily invest in theirfuture, pay things like necessities. Yeah,
there are people who did that.I know I did that. I
didn't buy any socks and bonds withthe money I got. I definitely enjoyed
some things that were a little moretemporary than that. But the truth is
(14:30):
most people, and this data actuallywas collected from Stockton and was submitted by
their mayor. Over the course ofthe two years, most people when they
receive universal basic income do in factpurchase things that are necessities. They pay
for utilities, childcare, food,They encounter fewer evictions, and overall,
(14:54):
having that extra income, be itfive hundred dollars, be it two hund
hundred and fifty bucks, can decreaseyour stress because it's extra money in your
pocket that you otherwise wouldn't have.So again, that assumption that money would
be spent responsibly was largely debunked.And the City of Pomona is hoping to
(15:15):
be able to capitalize on this programso that they do, in fact revitalize
what they consider to be a fledglingeconomy. So again, you want to
get in there City of Pomona website, look for the HUG program. That's
really sweet, the HUG program,and hopefully you'll be one of the six
(15:35):
hundred eligible residents chosen, and maybeyou'll even get to be one of the
two hundred and fifty residents chosen toreceive the five hundred dollars and not the
twenty dollars per month. And thenyou'll go to Soul, Korea and tell
us all about that train to Boossanand whether or not you encounter any zombies,
and if you do, you makesure you let Mark Ronner know asap.
(15:56):
Stop pretending like you haven't seen themovie. I've seen both them.
I can't wait to see any othersthat come out. I love me a
Korean thriller, Korean horror movie,even if they're fast moving zombies and not
the old Romero kind of shuffling,drunk acting zombies. Right the Yeah,
not the slow, methodical stumbling.No, I want the fast world Wars.
(16:19):
I don't want them, but Ienjoy watching the fast World war Ze
train to boost on ones for sure. Yeah, the judges will accept that.
Yeah, thank you. When wecome back, we're going to talk
about brick and mortars and why onesouthern California city is hoping to get brick
and mortars back up and running ina time when a lot of stores are
closing, a lot of businesses andstorefronts are vacant. We'll talk about that.
(16:44):
Talk about that, geez, whenwe come back. You're listening to
Later with Moe Kelly on demand fromKFI AM six forty. It's Later with
Mo Kelly. I'm Tiffany Hobbs here. I enjoy online shopping. If you've
ever listened to me during the viralor if I'm filling in for any host,
I don't mind extolling the benefits ofonline shopping. I'm also not Pollyanna
(17:07):
enough to be able to just kindof breeze over some of the downsides of
online shopping as well. I shopfor certain things online, toiletries, housewares,
things that perhaps might amplify some lazinessgroceries if I don't feel like going
out and getting them. I am, in fact a result of twenty twenty
(17:30):
and the convenience that online shopping affordedduring a pandemic we had never been through
before. But I don't shop onlinefor things that require specific sizing, like
certain clothing or shoes, things thatI would benefit from touching and feeling,
because shopping in person affords that benefitof tactile stimulation. Touching is important.
(17:56):
You want to be able to assessan item full before you commit your wallet
to it, and there are justcertain things you can't do online and trust
that you'll get what it is thatyou're looking for. However, as online
shopping expands, brick and mortars disappear. You've seen it you drive around.
(18:18):
Stores are moving online. Maybe yourfavorite store has less available inventory now because
they're moving online. Or there's astore that is only online, and it's
because of varying reasons. Perhaps theywant to lower overhead, perhaps they want
to reduce crime if they're in acrime written area like much of Los Angeles
(18:38):
now unfortunately is. But there's acity in southern California and a collective of
entrepreneurs that have launched a program tobring back brick and mortars. And that
city is Ontario, California, rightthere on the ten East. You might
have heard of it. I loveOntario Great Airport. They also have a
(19:02):
lot of innovation when it comes tothinking about how they want to approach revitalizing
their economy. It's a common threadin the last couple of stories. So
this collective, this conglomerate has decidedthat their program will involve pop up retail
spaces. It's in downtown Ontario specifically, which is a shopping district that is
(19:29):
known for its artsy arts cy fartsy area, a lot of art,
a lot of artists, a lotof entrepreneurs, a lot of handmade goods.
Is on Euclid Avenue and B Street, right there in downtown, and
it includes an artist spaceed home goods, furniture, art, shoes, you
(19:51):
can even get shoes, and itfeatures goods from about eighty regional artists.
It's called Well one of these oneof these stores actually called Craft Collective,
and it's headed by a photographer andan illustrator. So these are the sorts
of people who are there in downtownOntario selling their handmade goods, selling their
(20:14):
entrepreneurial aspirations, whatever it may be. But this program launched by the City
of Ontario is a compliment to anexisting program called the Downtown Ontario Activation Strategy.
And what it is is they wantbusinesses and entrepreneurs to apply to be
a part of this new brick andmortar pop up installation, if you will.
(20:41):
They see it as a way forartists and different business owners to cultivate
community to come together. They're reallybig on this collective being representative of the
community. They want people from Ontariowith the knowledge of the city, people
who have lived there for any amountof time, significant amount of time preferably,
(21:03):
because then you'll be able to speakto the trends and how this new
program is responding to the trends ofgoing online versus having a brick and mortar
store. Some of the renters therein this program grew up in the area
and remember it not being very active. They're hoping to change that for this
generation of shoppers. So what itis is, for one dollar, each
(21:30):
of these businesses or business owners canrent a space at an empty storefront.
There are lots of empty storefronts,unfortunately in downtown Ontario, just like there
are all over urban centers, especiallyright here in southern California, whether Los
Angeles, Santa Monica, Hollywood,wherever you're at, you're seeing lots of
(21:51):
empty storefronts. And so these storeowners, these entrepreneurs can rent a space
for one dollar one dollar per Itwill come with free utilities which includes water,
electricity. It also will come withfree Wi Fi. And it's a
six month pilot program that, ifsuccessful, can be extended by an additional
(22:15):
six months, like extending a rentallease on an apartment if you will.
And these entrepreneurs are hoping to beable to capitalize on having an actual physical
space which allows people to come toit, feel their goods, see their
goods in person, try things onand out, and hopefully shop to their
hearts content, pumping money back intoPomona's economy. There are risks to this,
(22:41):
however, the reason Amazon does sowell is because their prices undercut what
brick and mortars often offer. It'sjust part of the game. You can
go to a Nike and look forshoes you can go on Amazon and probably
find those shoes for a little bitcheat where you certainly can do that with
handmade goods and other specialty items ifthat's your thing. So these brick and
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mortar stores, these entrepreneurs in thispilot program are going to be contending with
these big box drop shipping companies whooffer goods at lower prices. They have
to have some sort of lore.Again, they're hoping that the sense of
community will be tantalizing enough to bringpeople in, get people to socialize,
have people in person. Another riskis that we have smashing grabs. We
(23:33):
know all about smashing grabs. Soif you're going to have these bricks and
mortars having pop ups people there sellingtheir goods, you have to have more
than free Wi Fi, free electricity. You have to have a very stringent
and consistent security strategy in place toquell any sort of nefarious activity that could
(23:56):
pop up at these pop ups.Especially since this is now a known program,
but sounds pretty interesting to me.I definitely would like to go down
there and see it over this nextsix months and really kind of ascertain what
happens and follow this story. Ifyou are interested in this, you can
definitely go to the City of Ontario'swebsite, their city website and look up
(24:18):
the application. Downtown Ontario Activation Strategyis the parent organization and this is called
the pop Up the brick and mortarpop up program. You can find it
on their city website. When wecome back, we're going to talk about
some more money being pumped into acity, but not just the city,
(24:40):
a specific entity and why it remindsme of what happens when you have company
over your house and you're trying reallyquickly to clean up so that your company
doesn't see all of your stink messall around your house. When we come
back, we'll talk about that.It's KFI AM six forty Live everywhere on
the iHeartRadio. You're listening to Laterwith mo Kelly on demand from KFI AM
(25:04):
six forty. It's Later with moKelly. I'm Tiffany Hobbs with you,
filling in what happens when the Olympicscome to town. If you're old enough,
you might remember when the Olympics havevisited and stayed for any extend.
For that extended period of time andthe most recent places that they've been hosted,
(25:26):
well, a city will typically andfrantically try to clean up its mess.
They'll try to get rid of theblight. They'll paint over everything.
They will usher out those who theydo not want to be seen. They'll
put up people in six hundred thousanddollars apartment units and high rise complexes in
(25:49):
downtown LA, so they are outof sight. It's like when you have
company, come over. This iswhat I was talking about before the break.
When you have company, I'm over. If you're a decent human being,
you're probably trying to straighten up alittle bit. You're straightening up could
very well and tell the very basics. Putting things away, maybe getting some
(26:11):
things out of sight, putting yourkid's toys away, whatever, Lighting something
so it smells good in there andthey don't smell your funk, whatever it
is. You're trying to make yourspace as presentable as possible. If you're
a decent human being, mark you'remaking faces. Rub the toilet, for
God's sake, Just scrub the toilet, please, and clean that little back
part of the toilet and that bottompart of the toilet where everything pulls.
(26:33):
No one wants to see that mess, please. That's what the city is
doing. The City of Los Angelesis basically that mess on the side of
your toilet, or that mess behindor what's in the center of the bowl
there that you don't want to seeand you try and hide, and we
seem to only clean up that messwhen something big comes to town. Maybe
it's the President for a fundraiser,maybe it's the Olympics in twenty twenty eight.
(27:00):
Now we're trying to prepare for theseOlympics and the city council, the
Los Angeles City Council has now backeda billion dollar plan to redo the Convention
Center. Why why would they dothat? Seems like it's doing all right.
It's sitting there, it's been used, being used all the time for
(27:21):
different cons and different sorts of things. Well, they don't feel like it's
suitable enough, and what do theywant to make it more suitable for the
Olympics? Not every event table tennis. I love table tennis. One of
my dearest friends is playing on theOlympic team. I love him. But
(27:42):
the Convention Center is going to undergoif this proposal by LA City Council members
goes through with a vote toward thepositive, A fifty four point four million
dollar revitalization package four point four milliondollars to house table tennis during the twenty
(28:04):
twenty eight Olympics. No shade again, a table tennis. It's fantastic,
But I do not think that fiftyfour point four million dollars needs to be
spent on anything for anything, letalone an Olympic event. The City Council
has to vote on the proposal.That vote has yet to be held,
so we'll see what actually happens.But what they're saying is they're not going
(28:27):
to tear it down, They're notgoing to do a lot of not going
to reinvent the wheel. They're goingto add on to it. They feel
that there's not enough space. I'mlike, how much table tennis is being
played during the Olympics is my question. And prior to this city city council
proposal, over the last few years, ever since Los Angeles was deemed the
(28:51):
next city to receive the Olympics,it was said that we had enough facilities,
that we had adequate space to hostthe twenty twenty eight olymp until now
apparently now we need more. Sothis is where this revitalization plan comes into
play. They're kind of holding onto this if you build it, they'll
(29:11):
come. Because what they're thinking isthat this new convention center makeover will bring
in lots of jobs, it willhelp stimulate the economy, it'll help revitalize
downtown, all of these buzz phrasesthat mean money, money, money.
(29:32):
But Councilman Hugo Soto Martinez said thathe's actually nervous to spend this kind of
money because the city has already recentlycut scores quote unquote scores. I don't
know how many of that is.Score sounds like a lot scores of vacant
city positions. You're pumping money intosomething while cutting money from other places,
(29:59):
cutting but hoping that you're going torenew jobs. It doesn't make a lot
of sense. And unfortunately, wefind ourselves constantly in this conversation in Los
Angeles about prioritization and dishing out anddoling out money and budgets, and how
things seem to be fiscally irresponsible andinequitable. When the Olympics comes to town,
(30:25):
none of that matters. It's allabout pumping money in. But when
the Olympics comes to town, likewith any city, it burns hot and
quick, and what's left in thewake are ashes, literal ashes, Things
become dilapidated, cities go to proverbialruin, if not literal ruin, things
(30:48):
are left in a state of degradation, because it's like when the circus comes
to town, you get everything ready, and then when it moves on out,
what's left is trash. There's alot of trash left beid, a
lot of vacant buildings. So it'sthis cycle that we're positing ourselves in and
we're preparing for with all of theselofty, romanticized aspirations and goals, But
(31:11):
the reality is on the other sideof it, we don't have a lot
of positivity to look forward to.This is a multi billion dollar plan in
progress for the Olympics, and wealready have council members arguing four years ahead
of time that not only is thisrisky, but there's not even enough time
(31:32):
to put this plan into place.They say, we don't have enough time
to revitalize the convention center and doall of these things. It should have
started years ago. But as isthe case, pumping money, pumping money,
pumping money and hopes that it'll turnout the way the city council wants,
and if you follow LA politics,it's a very bleak outlook. Okay
(31:57):
if I am six forty live everywhereon the iHeartRadio app. It's later with
Mo Kelly. I'm Tiffany Hobbs.Full Bandwidth Stimulation, k s I and
k os T h D two LosAngeles, Orange County, Live everywhere on
the Heart Radio
You're listening to Later with Moe Kellyon demand from KFI AM six forty if
Later with Moe Kelly. I'm TiffanyHobbs filling in with you tonight from seven
to ten. Here. I washere with you last night, I'm here
with you tonight, and I'll behere with you tomorrow. As Moe is
in Soul, Korea, still doinghis martial arts thing. He'll be there
(00:23):
for the next week or so,and we'll get updates on what he's doing.
I'm sure as they come in.I know, I saw on his
social media that he had just toucheddown today and he was kind of taking
the sites and taking the city in, walking around. He was on the
train to boost sign. I sawon his social media. Any zombies,
(00:44):
Ah, you know, just Mo, just Mo, just Mo. So
other than that, he seems tobe enjoying himself. He seems to be
doing fine. Seeing what he's gonnaeat. I'm very interested in Korean food,
and like I said, we'll getsome updates about his trip as they
come in. I'll stock his socialmedia and see if there's anything I can
(01:06):
report back. But so far,so good. It doesn't seem like he's
had to fight anybody either. SoI don't know what he's doing with his
martial arts skills, but doesn't seemlike he's putting him to the test.
You want to wit lay low becausemore people know the stuff there? Is
that what it is? Yeah?Yeah, okay, so he's in he's
in good company. You're saying,yeah, you never know, you never
know. You just don't want toroll the dice. Right, we'll see,
(01:27):
we'll see what happens with Moe inthe interim. I'm here as you
hear. That's Mark Ronner right therein the news booth. You and thank
you. I'm glad you're back.I see you. You brought your own
music, which is a bold move. But what is that exactly? You
know last night actually brought an entirelist of bumpers. Tonight it's all Steph.
(01:49):
That was Steph's choice. So thatmakes it a conspiracy. Yeah,
it's two people. That's a conspiracy. It's two people. You weren't here,
Mark, so you had no saywell I ever do Well that's true,
that's true. But you're back.We have Steph right there on the
board. Stuff is here with us, hello, and we have Tuala as
usual superducer, super producer, TualaMatt's out there. We have a full
(02:12):
studio in here. I'm celebrating mymother's birthday tonight. She's here with me,
absolutely very happy about that. HaveTJ here. It's gonna be a
great, great night. So let'sget into some of these stories that are
going to make it a great greatnight. We have a jam pack schedule
of stories, including a universal incomeprogram out of Pomona. We have a
(02:38):
woman who got trapped in her tesla. All of you EV drivers really are
gonna want to perk up and listento this because apparently you can get trapped
in your tesla. Doesn't say anythingabout any other EV's, but specifically tesla's
could possibly be a death trap ifyour battery dies. We'll get into that.
(02:59):
There's also a story about AI andHolocaust survivors as a way to use
AI to bridge the gap between whatmany feel is dying information literally and the
new generation of students who may notnecessarily be privy to what happened during the
Holocaust. We have purple rain beingadapted for the stage marrying up and dating
(03:23):
up, dating out of your economicrange, and hopes that you're pulled up
into another economic echelon. We havea lot and then we'll talk to George
Nori at the end of the show. So let's get into it first.
Up, this universal income program thatI mentioned, it's very interesting. If
(03:45):
you've been paying attention to the news, to anything, then you've known over
the last few years that there's beena lot of conversation about universal income.
And what universal income essentially is isa government will dish out financial benefits to
a select number of constituents. Itcould be two hundred and fifty people,
(04:06):
it could be five hundred people.There are certain requirements and criteria by which
these people must adhere to to qualifyfor the program, and it's a way
to stimulate the economy. Well,Pomona has gotten into this game and they're
looking at it as being an answerto what is in their minds of volatile
(04:29):
economy right there in their own backyard. Their local government is trying to figure
out and they're hoping that this universalbasic income can revitalize constituents and boost revenues
for small businesses all around the cityof Pomona. Again, universal basic income
(04:50):
is often referred to as UBI.We've known it as other names as well.
We know it as a stimulus check, which many people in California benefited
from during twenty twenty and twenty twentyone. All of those things combined again
to help temporarily boost a fledgling economy, and it's thought to lead to more
(05:14):
economic sustainability and stability period. Thispilot program out of Pomona will give money
to a select number of residents.How many you might be asking, five
hundred total? Pardon me, sixhundred total, And I'll tell you why
I made that discrepancy. Because it'sdivided up by control Group A and Control
(05:35):
Group B. You just wait tohear what the criteria is and what each
group is getting. It's not fullywhat it seems. But this program is
called HUG. Howcute HUG? Whatdoes HUG stand for? Household Universal Grant
Program? They left off the pbecause HUG doesn't flow as well as HUG.
(06:00):
The Household Universal Grant Program will makeeligible six hundred residents of Pomona,
divided into two groups, not evenly. I don't know why they did this,
but the first group is two hundredand fifty residents. They'll get a
whopping and I'm not saying this tonguein cheek, because I would love to
(06:21):
be a part of this group awhopping five hundred dollars every month for eighteen
months. So if you do themath really quickly, and I'm no mathematician
and not asking anyone here to testmy math skills, but that's a lot
of money. That's thousands of thousandsupon thousands of dollars over the course of
(06:41):
a year and a half that thisfirst control group will get two hundred and
fifty residents. Now remember there area total of six hundred residents. Those
six hundred residents are divided, Soif two hundred and fifty are getting five
hundred dollars, then what are theremaining three hundred and fifty getting You might
be asking, Well, they're gettinga measly twenty dollars five hundred for one
(07:10):
group, twenty dollars for the nextgroup over the same amount of time eighteen
months. I know what group Iwould like to be in for sure.
Of course, free money is freemoney. Twenty dollars is more than someone
may have in their pocket. Wehave to be grateful and keep a positive
perspective. But let's be real here. Five hundred dollars and twenty dollars is
(07:34):
a pretty large, large discrepancy,that's a pretty large spectrum. But of
these six hundred residents, again,they'll be getting this money over the course
of eighteen months, and again ithopes to revitalize the economy in Pomona,
which has been subjected to a lotof business closures, a lot of just
(07:57):
instability. Again, whether business orjust simple spender. They're hoping to be
able to remedy that. When wecome back, we're going to get into
what the eligibility requirements are. We'realso going to talk a little bit about
some other cities that have tested outuniversal basic income, so we can kind
of see what the results of sucha program could possibly entail if done the
(08:22):
right way. Stay right here,we'll be right back. It's k I
AM six forty live everywhere on theiHeartRadio app. You're listening to Later with
Moe Kelly on demand from KFI AMsix forty. It's Later with Mo Kelly.
I'm Tiffany Hobbs filling in with you. I just took a look at
Moe's social media and I saw thatas we've already been talking about mo is
(08:46):
in Soul, Korea for a martialarts convention and competition, I believe.
And one of the last posts hemade, because I imagine he's sleep now
with the time difference he's asleep,is that he was on the bullet train
in the city of Busan. AndI'm looking at this footage that motook as
he's sitting on this train, He'staking a selfie, very very sophisticated technology
(09:11):
here, and the train seems tobe going pretty fast. Seems like a
bullet train. Seems like a trainthat we're hoping to have here that goes
to Las Vegas. We'll see.I don't know, but I'm sure Mo
will be able to actually give ussome insight when he comes back about the
efficacy of said bullet train in Busan. We've just been talking about the universal
Basic Income program in Pomona, anew program called HUG that was launched in
(09:37):
Pomona just over the last couple ofweeks. If you are a Pomona resident
and you benefit from getting five hundreddollars a month because you are in Control
Group A, one of the sixhundred residents chosen to receive two our five
hundred dollars every month, then ifyou save your money, you too may
(09:58):
may be able to go to soulRhea and enjoy the bullet train there.
And let us know how that goesfor you. If you are in the
other control group, you're only gettingtwenty dollars a month. It's going to
take you a little longer to saveup for a ticket to Korea. Either
way, the City of Pomona requiresyou to meet certain eligibility requirements to receive
(10:18):
any of the money, whether it'sfive hundred or twenty dollars over the next
eighteen months. Here are the eligibilityrequirements. You first must be a resident
of Pomona at the time of application. I'm already excluded. I'm upset,
I'm already out. I'm one anddone. You must be eighteen or older
(10:39):
at the time of application. Allright, I meet that. You must
be the parent or legal guardian ofa child under four years old. This
is discriminatory. This is absolutely discriminatory. You must meet at least one of
the four American Rescue Plan Act qualifiers, and you can find the full list
(11:00):
of qualifiers at the detailed Eligibility requirementstab under the City of Pomona. And
lastly, because nothing is for free. There's some sort of exchange. You
have to agree to consent to aresearch study conducted by UCLA, so you
(11:22):
are a case study and they wantto know what you're doing with the money,
so they can take data, analyzeit, and report back and let
them know how the little minions inthe program were firing with their five hundred
dollars or twenty dollars a month.Very interesting. Indeed, again, if
you don't do these things, you'renot getting the money. So if you
(11:43):
don't have a kid under four,or you don't consent to this study,
you are sool. You can also, if you are a participant in this
be offered certain benefits that include counseling, financial coaching, parenting skills, because
if you have a child under they'realready assuming that you're struggling with your parenting
skills, career counseling. There's lotsof benefits that come along with this money
(12:09):
free to you, and online applicationsare open from now until July eighth at
eleven p m. So if youare interested and you fit this criteria,
get in their asap. However,if you apply, that does not automatically
mean that you will be selected.Sorry, there's a lottery to select winners,
(12:30):
and that will be held on Julytenth. So once online applications close
and they collect the thousands upon thousandsupon thousands of applicants, you will be
put into a big basket with everyoneelse's name. They will shake up that
basket and people will pull certain names, and if you are one of those
six hundred names, then you arethe lucky winner. The money will be
(12:54):
dispersed to you through a reloadable debitcard. So don't think you're just getting
cash in your hand. You're gettingplastic. So if you don't like that,
also too bad. And lastly,you can apply online on Pomona's city
website at the Household Universal Grant Programtab. You want to look for that
(13:16):
on the city website. Again,cities have tested out Universal Basic Income four
years. One of the first citiesin California to actually have a UBI.
And it sounds like an STD.I need to be careful, I keep
saying UBI. It sounds like somethingelse. The Universal Basic Income is stocked
in California. Okay, Stockton,California in twenty nineteen actually put a UBI
(13:41):
into effect and we're able to giveto one hundred and twenty five residents five
hundred dollars a month over the courseof two years. The assumption with universal
basic income is that people are goingto spend irresponsibly. It happened with the
stimulus that came in twenty twenty andtwenty twenty one. A lot of what
(14:03):
was said is that when people gotthat money, they were going to go
out and they were going to justspend on things that were perishable that they
weren't going to necessarily invest in theirfuture, pay things like necessities. Yeah,
there are people who did that.I know I did that. I
didn't buy any socks and bonds withthe money I got. I definitely enjoyed
some things that were a little moretemporary than that. But the truth is
(14:30):
most people, and this data actuallywas collected from Stockton and was submitted by
their mayor. Over the course ofthe two years, most people when they
receive universal basic income do in factpurchase things that are necessities. They pay
for utilities, childcare, food,They encounter fewer evictions, and overall,
(14:54):
having that extra income, be itfive hundred dollars, be it two hund
hundred and fifty bucks, can decreaseyour stress because it's extra money in your
pocket that you otherwise wouldn't have.So again, that assumption that money would
be spent responsibly was largely debunked.And the City of Pomona is hoping to
(15:15):
be able to capitalize on this programso that they do, in fact revitalize
what they consider to be a fledglingeconomy. So again, you want to
get in there City of Pomona website, look for the HUG program. That's
really sweet, the HUG program,and hopefully you'll be one of the six
(15:35):
hundred eligible residents chosen, and maybeyou'll even get to be one of the
two hundred and fifty residents chosen toreceive the five hundred dollars and not the
twenty dollars per month. And thenyou'll go to Soul, Korea and tell
us all about that train to Boossanand whether or not you encounter any zombies,
and if you do, you makesure you let Mark Ronner know asap.
(15:56):
Stop pretending like you haven't seen themovie. I've seen both them.
I can't wait to see any othersthat come out. I love me a
Korean thriller, Korean horror movie,even if they're fast moving zombies and not
the old Romero kind of shuffling,drunk acting zombies. Right the Yeah,
not the slow, methodical stumbling.No, I want the fast world Wars.
(16:19):
I don't want them, but Ienjoy watching the fast World war Ze
train to boost on ones for sure. Yeah, the judges will accept that.
Yeah, thank you. When wecome back, we're going to talk
about brick and mortars and why onesouthern California city is hoping to get brick
and mortars back up and running ina time when a lot of stores are
closing, a lot of businesses andstorefronts are vacant. We'll talk about that.
(16:44):
Talk about that, geez, whenwe come back. You're listening to
Later with Moe Kelly on demand fromKFI AM six forty. It's Later with
Mo Kelly. I'm Tiffany Hobbs here. I enjoy online shopping. If you've
ever listened to me during the viralor if I'm filling in for any host,
I don't mind extolling the benefits ofonline shopping. I'm also not Pollyanna
(17:07):
enough to be able to just kindof breeze over some of the downsides of
online shopping as well. I shopfor certain things online, toiletries, housewares,
things that perhaps might amplify some lazinessgroceries if I don't feel like going
out and getting them. I am, in fact a result of twenty twenty
(17:30):
and the convenience that online shopping affordedduring a pandemic we had never been through
before. But I don't shop onlinefor things that require specific sizing, like
certain clothing or shoes, things thatI would benefit from touching and feeling,
because shopping in person affords that benefitof tactile stimulation. Touching is important.
(17:56):
You want to be able to assessan item full before you commit your wallet
to it, and there are justcertain things you can't do online and trust
that you'll get what it is thatyou're looking for. However, as online
shopping expands, brick and mortars disappear. You've seen it you drive around.
(18:18):
Stores are moving online. Maybe yourfavorite store has less available inventory now because
they're moving online. Or there's astore that is only online, and it's
because of varying reasons. Perhaps theywant to lower overhead, perhaps they want
to reduce crime if they're in acrime written area like much of Los Angeles
(18:38):
now unfortunately is. But there's acity in southern California and a collective of
entrepreneurs that have launched a program tobring back brick and mortars. And that
city is Ontario, California, rightthere on the ten East. You might
have heard of it. I loveOntario Great Airport. They also have a
(19:02):
lot of innovation when it comes tothinking about how they want to approach revitalizing
their economy. It's a common threadin the last couple of stories. So
this collective, this conglomerate has decidedthat their program will involve pop up retail
spaces. It's in downtown Ontario specifically, which is a shopping district that is
(19:29):
known for its artsy arts cy fartsy area, a lot of art,
a lot of artists, a lotof entrepreneurs, a lot of handmade goods.
Is on Euclid Avenue and B Street, right there in downtown, and
it includes an artist spaceed home goods, furniture, art, shoes, you
(19:51):
can even get shoes, and itfeatures goods from about eighty regional artists.
It's called Well one of these oneof these stores actually called Craft Collective,
and it's headed by a photographer andan illustrator. So these are the sorts
of people who are there in downtownOntario selling their handmade goods, selling their
(20:14):
entrepreneurial aspirations, whatever it may be. But this program launched by the City
of Ontario is a compliment to anexisting program called the Downtown Ontario Activation Strategy.
And what it is is they wantbusinesses and entrepreneurs to apply to be
a part of this new brick andmortar pop up installation, if you will.
(20:41):
They see it as a way forartists and different business owners to cultivate
community to come together. They're reallybig on this collective being representative of the
community. They want people from Ontariowith the knowledge of the city, people
who have lived there for any amountof time, significant amount of time preferably,
(21:03):
because then you'll be able to speakto the trends and how this new
program is responding to the trends ofgoing online versus having a brick and mortar
store. Some of the renters therein this program grew up in the area
and remember it not being very active. They're hoping to change that for this
generation of shoppers. So what itis is, for one dollar, each
(21:30):
of these businesses or business owners canrent a space at an empty storefront.
There are lots of empty storefronts,unfortunately in downtown Ontario, just like there
are all over urban centers, especiallyright here in southern California, whether Los
Angeles, Santa Monica, Hollywood,wherever you're at, you're seeing lots of
(21:51):
empty storefronts. And so these storeowners, these entrepreneurs can rent a space
for one dollar one dollar per Itwill come with free utilities which includes water,
electricity. It also will come withfree Wi Fi. And it's a
six month pilot program that, ifsuccessful, can be extended by an additional
(22:15):
six months, like extending a rentallease on an apartment if you will.
And these entrepreneurs are hoping to beable to capitalize on having an actual physical
space which allows people to come toit, feel their goods, see their
goods in person, try things onand out, and hopefully shop to their
hearts content, pumping money back intoPomona's economy. There are risks to this,
(22:41):
however, the reason Amazon does sowell is because their prices undercut what
brick and mortars often offer. It'sjust part of the game. You can
go to a Nike and look forshoes you can go on Amazon and probably
find those shoes for a little bitcheat where you certainly can do that with
handmade goods and other specialty items ifthat's your thing. So these brick and
(23:06):
mortar stores, these entrepreneurs in thispilot program are going to be contending with
these big box drop shipping companies whooffer goods at lower prices. They have
to have some sort of lore.Again, they're hoping that the sense of
community will be tantalizing enough to bringpeople in, get people to socialize,
have people in person. Another riskis that we have smashing grabs. We
(23:33):
know all about smashing grabs. Soif you're going to have these bricks and
mortars having pop ups people there sellingtheir goods, you have to have more
than free Wi Fi, free electricity. You have to have a very stringent
and consistent security strategy in place toquell any sort of nefarious activity that could
(23:56):
pop up at these pop ups.Especially since this is now a known program,
but sounds pretty interesting to me.I definitely would like to go down
there and see it over this nextsix months and really kind of ascertain what
happens and follow this story. Ifyou are interested in this, you can
definitely go to the City of Ontario'swebsite, their city website and look up
(24:18):
the application. Downtown Ontario Activation Strategyis the parent organization and this is called
the pop Up the brick and mortarpop up program. You can find it
on their city website. When wecome back, we're going to talk about
some more money being pumped into acity, but not just the city,
(24:40):
a specific entity and why it remindsme of what happens when you have company
over your house and you're trying reallyquickly to clean up so that your company
doesn't see all of your stink messall around your house. When we come
back, we'll talk about that.It's KFI AM six forty Live everywhere on
the iHeartRadio. You're listening to Laterwith mo Kelly on demand from KFI AM
(25:04):
six forty. It's Later with moKelly. I'm Tiffany Hobbs with you,
filling in what happens when the Olympicscome to town. If you're old enough,
you might remember when the Olympics havevisited and stayed for any extend.
For that extended period of time andthe most recent places that they've been hosted,
(25:26):
well, a city will typically andfrantically try to clean up its mess.
They'll try to get rid of theblight. They'll paint over everything.
They will usher out those who theydo not want to be seen. They'll
put up people in six hundred thousanddollars apartment units and high rise complexes in
(25:49):
downtown LA, so they are outof sight. It's like when you have
company, come over. This iswhat I was talking about before the break.
When you have company, I'm over. If you're a decent human being,
you're probably trying to straighten up alittle bit. You're straightening up could
very well and tell the very basics. Putting things away, maybe getting some
(26:11):
things out of sight, putting yourkid's toys away, whatever, Lighting something
so it smells good in there andthey don't smell your funk, whatever it
is. You're trying to make yourspace as presentable as possible. If you're
a decent human being, mark you'remaking faces. Rub the toilet, for
God's sake, Just scrub the toilet, please, and clean that little back
part of the toilet and that bottompart of the toilet where everything pulls.
(26:33):
No one wants to see that mess, please. That's what the city is
doing. The City of Los Angelesis basically that mess on the side of
your toilet, or that mess behindor what's in the center of the bowl
there that you don't want to seeand you try and hide, and we
seem to only clean up that messwhen something big comes to town. Maybe
it's the President for a fundraiser,maybe it's the Olympics in twenty twenty eight.
(27:00):
Now we're trying to prepare for theseOlympics and the city council, the
Los Angeles City Council has now backeda billion dollar plan to redo the Convention
Center. Why why would they dothat? Seems like it's doing all right.
It's sitting there, it's been used, being used all the time for
(27:21):
different cons and different sorts of things. Well, they don't feel like it's
suitable enough, and what do theywant to make it more suitable for the
Olympics? Not every event table tennis. I love table tennis. One of
my dearest friends is playing on theOlympic team. I love him. But
(27:42):
the Convention Center is going to undergoif this proposal by LA City Council members
goes through with a vote toward thepositive, A fifty four point four million
dollar revitalization package four point four milliondollars to house table tennis during the twenty
(28:04):
twenty eight Olympics. No shade again, a table tennis. It's fantastic,
But I do not think that fiftyfour point four million dollars needs to be
spent on anything for anything, letalone an Olympic event. The City Council
has to vote on the proposal.That vote has yet to be held,
so we'll see what actually happens.But what they're saying is they're not going
(28:27):
to tear it down, They're notgoing to do a lot of not going
to reinvent the wheel. They're goingto add on to it. They feel
that there's not enough space. I'mlike, how much table tennis is being
played during the Olympics is my question. And prior to this city city council
proposal, over the last few years, ever since Los Angeles was deemed the
(28:51):
next city to receive the Olympics,it was said that we had enough facilities,
that we had adequate space to hostthe twenty twenty eight olymp until now
apparently now we need more. Sothis is where this revitalization plan comes into
play. They're kind of holding onto this if you build it, they'll
(29:11):
come. Because what they're thinking isthat this new convention center makeover will bring
in lots of jobs, it willhelp stimulate the economy, it'll help revitalize
downtown, all of these buzz phrasesthat mean money, money, money.
(29:32):
But Councilman Hugo Soto Martinez said thathe's actually nervous to spend this kind of
money because the city has already recentlycut scores quote unquote scores. I don't
know how many of that is.Score sounds like a lot scores of vacant
city positions. You're pumping money intosomething while cutting money from other places,
(29:59):
cutting but hoping that you're going torenew jobs. It doesn't make a lot
of sense. And unfortunately, wefind ourselves constantly in this conversation in Los
Angeles about prioritization and dishing out anddoling out money and budgets, and how
things seem to be fiscally irresponsible andinequitable. When the Olympics comes to town,
(30:25):
none of that matters. It's allabout pumping money in. But when
the Olympics comes to town, likewith any city, it burns hot and
quick, and what's left in thewake are ashes, literal ashes, Things
become dilapidated, cities go to proverbialruin, if not literal ruin, things
(30:48):
are left in a state of degradation, because it's like when the circus comes
to town, you get everything ready, and then when it moves on out,
what's left is trash. There's alot of trash left beid, a
lot of vacant buildings. So it'sthis cycle that we're positing ourselves in and
we're preparing for with all of theselofty, romanticized aspirations and goals, But
(31:11):
the reality is on the other sideof it, we don't have a lot
of positivity to look forward to.This is a multi billion dollar plan in
progress for the Olympics, and wealready have council members arguing four years ahead
of time that not only is thisrisky, but there's not even enough time
(31:32):
to put this plan into place.They say, we don't have enough time
to revitalize the convention center and doall of these things. It should have
started years ago. But as isthe case, pumping money, pumping money,
pumping money and hopes that it'll turnout the way the city council wants,
and if you follow LA politics,it's a very bleak outlook. Okay
(31:57):
if I am six forty live everywhereon the iHeartRadio app. It's later with
Mo Kelly. I'm Tiffany Hobbs.Full Bandwidth Stimulation, k s I and
k os T h D two LosAngeles, Orange County, Live everywhere on
the Heart Radio
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