Michael dives into LA's new effort to oversee homelessness spending after audits exposed transparency issues—Councilwoman Nithya Raman weighs in. Meanwhile, LA28 Olympic Chair Casey Wasserman reassures global leaders that U.S. politics won't block athletes' entry into the 2028 Games. Plus, Michael reveals a shocking report: LA Metro buses are cumulatively delayed by a full decade every single day, costing riders valuable time and money. And if you're hoping to buy a home in SoCal, brace yourself—the market just set another record.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
We are with you for another hour till nine o'clock tonight.
Last hour, we spent a lot of time talking about
homelessness in LA and La County and whether you think
it's getting better based on all of the consequential stuff
that happened last week, the sales tax going up to
(00:25):
fund homeless programs based on votes LA County voters approved
that the La County Board of Supervisors deciding to basically
defund the LA Homeless Services Authority that it shares with
the City of Los Angeles. They're going to create their
own homeless department and then of course Losses CEO resigning
as that organization faces what could amount to its end.
(00:46):
Are these new strategies going to work, a bunch more
money coming in and now the county directly managing itself
rather than using this partnership with the city. You can
join our conversation there. Open up the iHeartRadio app and
click on the talkback button and we'll play some of
your comments like these, Let's hear a new one. I
don't believe the homeless number has gone down. Just look around.
(01:08):
If there is a decrease, it's probably the ones that
have overdosed on drugs. We didn't get a name on
that talk back, but I think the cynicism there is
shared by folks, whether you believe that the numbers aren't
reflective act of reality because of overdose on drugs or
just because they're not counted correctly. This is an organization, LASA,
(01:29):
that reports these numbers that has proven itself not to
be trustworthy when it comes to their own money. Billions
of dollars not accounted for correctly, no expectations delivered on
the programs that they're spending this money on your money,
in many many cases, your money. Let's hear from Jen.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Mister Munks, a big fan of yours. I'm so happy
to listen to you. I love your story. I love
the fact that you lived downtown. I love the fact
that you were experiencing some of the stuff. What I'm
going to take tell you is that I've been around
the block and in twenty twenty seven, two years from now,
around November, all the homeless people are going to disappear.
(02:13):
LA is going to put them on a bus or
something because they don't want any of them to show
up here in the Olympics.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Jen, I appreciate your kind words. That's a really great
message to hear on a Saturday night here in Burve.
Thanks for taking the time to send it, and I
think that you might be onto something. If not, it'll
be sad. I mean, regardless, the way the city looks
right now, it cannot look in twenty twenty eight when
the Olympics come. It's just an unacceptable appearance. Even if
(02:40):
you take the homeless people out, even if you do
move them, all the philip on the streets, the graffiti
all over the buildings, the city's not ready. The city
needs to be cleaned up in so many ways. But
I think the comment that you share jin about the
homeless folks disappearing before the Olympics arrive, you're probably onto something.
(03:01):
Your opinion is certainly shared by many people that we've
heard from, and frankly that's what needs to happen, obviously
humanely and in a way that is accounted for properly.
But the condition the city is in right now, the
appearance of Los Angeles, a city that means so much
to people around the world based on a fantasy. But
(03:21):
we're gonna like completely crush those fantasies when people show
up and see what LA really looks like right now,
especially where I live downtown. Keep those talkbacks coming. iHeartRadio
app click on the talkback button. I also want to
hear your position now this hour as we switch to
economic focus. Tariffs. What a week. I know that as
(03:43):
an elder millennial, we've been through this show before. We've
seen we've seen some pretty troubling times economically, and just
when we think we're getting ahead, it suddenly becomes very
scary to look at your for one k again. But
are we to take the President and his team at
their word, which is going to hurt for a little while.
(04:07):
This is going to be something that pays off down
the road for you and for America. Well that will
have to see. But I can tell you who doesn't
share that perspective. It's a little small business you may
have heard of, called Goldman Sacks, little mom and pop
shop that analyzes economics. They said, on a static basis,
(04:29):
the tariff announcement would raise just under four hundred billion
dollars in revenue, or about one point three percent of GDP.
That would be the largest tax increase since the Revenue
Act of nineteen sixty eight. Goldman estimates that the tariff
announcement could boost some prices by one to one and
a half percent this year, and Goldman believes the inflationary
(04:52):
effects would mostly be realized in the middle quarters of
this year. So I think we just entered the second quarter,
and then when the third quarter would encompass the rest
of summer, the resulting hit to purchasing power could take
real disposable personal income growth from the second and third
quarters into negative territory, and with it the risk that
(05:13):
real consumer spending could also contract in those quarters. So
that all sounds kind of scary to me, but it
gets worse. Goldman says, the impact of that consumer spending
falling into negative territory because of our disposable personal income
drying up, it could become quote perilously close to slipping
(05:37):
into recession. And this is before accounting for the additional
hits to gross exports and to investment spending. Goldman writes
headlines about retaliatory measures by US trading partners are already
coming out, and we expect to learn more in the
coming days. The somewhat confusing nature of the news, coupled
with uncertainty over how long these tariffs will remain in place,
(06:00):
should make for an even less friendly environment for investment spending.
Goldman says they will revisit that forecast. Leader. You don't
want to hear the big banks saying that. Governor Gavin
Newsom says he's got it under control. Let's hear from him.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
Donald Trump's tariffs do not represent all Americans, particularly those
that I represent here in the fifth largest economy in
the world, the state of California. We value international trade.
We value our manufacturing base, the largest manufacturing economy in
the United States of America. We look forward to continue
to strengthen those ties, strengthen those bonds. Remind all our
(06:37):
international trading partners, California is a stable trading partner, and
we hope you consider that as it relates to California
made products.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
So California is going to face the world alone and
say don't break up with us. We're going to keep
it real. But apparently Article one, Section ten Claws two
of the US Constitution's States do not have the authority
to independently negotiate or make global trading deals regarding tariffs.
Only the federal government reserves the right to do that.
(07:08):
So we'll have to see how the governor's plan plays out.
We want to hear from you about this. Are you nervous?
Do you believe in the plan? Are we trusting the process?
Speaker 5 (07:17):
Here?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
The Rocky Wall Street numbers? Your own pocketbook, your own
retirement accounts dropping a little bit? Do you think it's
going to pay off in the long run? Open up
that iHeartRadio app. Click on the talkback button. Let's hear
from Nick.
Speaker 6 (07:30):
What's up, Michael? You're doing a great job. Banks Man
Newsome is an idiot. Look at what he's done to California.
Now he's going to try to negotiate and step on
Trump's toes instead of just letting it happen. Everyone just
needs to trust the process. Don't you remember how good
it was from sixteen to twenty until the COVID pandemic.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Well, we will have to see, you know, We are
just gonna have to see because I don't know how
this ends. This is une charted territory in a lot
of ways, and we're here in the news business, and
we've just got to watch and keep asking questions and
hope that you out there in the public hold us
accountable as well to make sure we're asking the right
questions and getting you the answers that you need when
(08:14):
you need them. And that's what we do here at
KFI News.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
AFIAM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. This
is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News
with until nine o'clock tonight. US Senator Adam Schiff is
now in the Upper Chamber of Congress and joins us
to talk about the latest from Washington. Senator Adam shift
thanks so much for taking some time for us today.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
It's great to be with you.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Let's talk about some of the federal funding that might
be needed to help southern California rebuild after these La
County wildfires and any potential threat to that funding because
of the states relationship with the Trump administration. Are you
sensing that there are going to be any challenges moving
forward because of any tension between the state and the
White House.
Speaker 7 (09:02):
There are really two challenges. One is frankly facing people
throughout the country, and one is more particular to California.
One facing all of us in the country is they're
making radical cuts two emergency services like FEMA, to personnel,
but also to the budgets of these agencies potentially, and
(09:24):
that means less funding to help people recover from natural disasters.
That would hurt us in California, but it would hurt
people in the Carolinas that have been the victims of
hurricanes and flooding. The more particular challenge facing Californians is,
you know, the present's desire or people around him potentially
to punish states that he've used is insufficiently supportive of
(09:45):
him or his campaign. California is certainly in that category
in his view. So we heard some talk of conditioning
funds to California on completely unrelated things like voter id laws,
or on attacking the California Coastal Commission or other things.
We've never done that as a country. We shouldn't start
(10:06):
it now. I'm going to oppose those efforts vigorously, and
I'm going to do everything I can to fully fund
agencies like FEMA, because the money that flows to the
EPA for cleanup to the Army Corps of Engineers for
their work and cleanup. This gets run through FEMA. FEMA
runs out of funding, then these efforts run out of funding.
So I'm going to be fighting to make sure these
(10:29):
agencies are well resourced, but also to make sure that
California is not the victim of some political retribution.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
There does seem to be some political issues in particular
that have caught the attention of the Trump administration, whether
it is protests on college campuses related to the Hamas
Israel war, or trans athletes for example. Do you anticipate
those specific issues playing a role in any tension moving
forward in the relationship between California and the White House.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
I do.
Speaker 7 (10:59):
I think they are already, because the administration is going
after California universities even as they're going after universities around
the country.
Speaker 5 (11:07):
But frankly, I think.
Speaker 7 (11:08):
The justifications they're giving are a fig leaf. Yes, there
were serious problems of anti Semitism on many campuses, and
there were problems with how universities handled the protests, but
that is really not what this is about. This is
part of a longer term effort by Trump and Jade
Vance and others that, frankly, they previewed years ago. Jadevance
(11:31):
years ago gave a speech in which he declared the
universities were the professors were the enemy, and they had
to go after universities as part of their kind of
broader right wing agenda. So this was long before there
was even a war in Gaza. What we're seeing is
this play out in real time. And it's not just
universities are They're going after law firms. They're using a
(11:54):
different pretext with the law firms. They're going after members
of the press and cutting them out of briefings if
they don't use the admiseration's favorite terminology. So it's a
broad attack on the rule of law on institutions, having
very little to do with either anti Semitism in the
case of universities, or trans issues. They're going after the
(12:16):
presidents perceived enemies, or anyone who thinks differently than the president.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Senatorship, I'm sure you have a perspective to share with
us on the President's Cariff announcements from this week.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
I do.
Speaker 7 (12:28):
I think these terriff announcements, their capricious, arbitrary, haphazard. They're
targeting some of our closest allies and trading partners, and
they're just going to collapse the economy. And we're seeing
we're seeing it happen in real time. We're seeing the
market humble, we're seeing people's four one ks start to evaporate,
(12:48):
We're seeing businesses laying off people. And it's a completely
self inflicted wound. And as a sign of just how
weird and arbitrary and thought out these are, the administration
just put a ten percent tariff on an island that
is completely uninhabited by humans. The predominant life form are penguins,
(13:13):
and I guess the penguins are going to be paying
a ten percent tariff, or if we have brought something
from these penguins, we're going to pay pay a ten
percent tax. It's absurd, but it shows that they've got
a bunch of amateurs in charge of all of this.
And it's no wonder our economy is taking a beating
right now.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
And Senator I know you've got to run. In your
time in the House, during the first Trump administration, you
became a pretty significant face of the opposition to the
White House. Now you're in the Senate and Trump is
back in the White House. What are your feelings about
being in a different chamber, and do you see a
path for yourself to emerge as some sort of stalwart
(13:53):
leader against the president's agenda this time?
Speaker 5 (13:55):
Well, I have to do two things.
Speaker 7 (13:56):
I have to stand up and push back against the
asence really destructive agenda, whether that is in a form
of these destructive tariffs, or whether it's in the form
of actions that are injuring our economy, driving up the
cost of goods, driving up the cost of housing. His
mass deportations, for example, are driving up the cost of
(14:17):
food and of construction. So I'm going to push back
vigorously on his attacks on the rule of law, among
other things. But I also am determined to work with
my Republican colleagues to get things done for California. I
want to see us build housing, and build lots of it,
and build more cost effectively. So I'm also working to
support a major expansion of the low income housing tax credit.
(14:40):
So I'm doing both, and I'm going to have to
do both. And I just wish I didn't have to
devote so much time to fighting these lawless, off and
lawless and certainly destructive actions by the administration.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Senator Adam Schiff, Democrat from California. We do appreciate the
time you gave us to day. Thanks so much, great jounning.
Speaker 5 (15:01):
Thank you up.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Next, Republicans in Sacramento have big plans for the state budget,
but they're in the minority. We'll hear about their priorities next,
when Senator Tony Strickland joins us.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand KFI.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. This
is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News
with you till nine o'clock tonight. Let's go to Sacramento
and catch up with Huntington Beach Republican State Senator Tony Strickland.
Senator Strickland, thanks so much for being with us again.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
Thank Michael. I really appreciate you having me on.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
It's always a pleasure. I know that budget season can
be busy for any government, but it must be especially
so for a government as large as California. Our economy
is significant. Can you just give us an idea of
what financial shape we're in from your perspective.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
Oh, we're in disastrous financial shape here in California. You know,
over the last few years, let's open with this, California
doesn't have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem.
I was in the legislature thirteen years ago. The entire
state budget was ninety eight billion dollars to cover for everything.
Over the last twelve years, you know, the budget has tripled.
(16:10):
At the same time our population has We have less
populations the first time in California history, or more prety
well leaving the state than coming in since the gold Rush.
And we don't have triple the better our services. The
end of the day, California doesn't have a revenue problem,
has a spending problem. What we need to do here
in the state is get back to the basics of
(16:30):
government and fund the basics of government. And just like
every family has to prioritize their family budget, we should
do the same thing here in the state of California.
Stop wasting billions of dollars on programs that are easily
to cut and fun things that actually make a difference
in everyday lives of California residents.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
I know that. You know, in partisan politics, there's always
going to be debate on how to spend money or
what was an effective way to spend money. But regardless
of politics, sometimes bad things happened naturally, and we certainly
experienced that this year in La County with the wildfires.
And what do you expect to come in this state budget?
What do you want to come in this state budget
as it relates not just to recovery, but to making
(17:13):
sure it doesn't happen on this scale again.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Well, and that's what we're proposing, and I'm proposing in
the state budget. Again. We have to learn from history
and learn from the mistakes of the past. What we
need to do is invest three billion dollars a year
on fire prevention efforts, forest management, vegetation, and also one
billion a year on water storage. We need to enhance
our water supply. We had the two or three wettest
(17:40):
years and the generation coming back from the snowpack in
the rain, and when the firefighters went to that reservoir,
that reservoir has been overflowing with water. It wasn't because
we're not capturing water in the wet years. It's a
matter of time we have droughts here in California. We
live in the desert, so when we have those wet years,
we need to invest in water supply and water storage,
(18:01):
and we haven't done that, and so that's one of
our proposals that we do one billion and enhancement of
water supply and three billion in fire prevention efforts because
it's devastating for those families who lose their homes, and
many of them their biggest investment in their life is
their home, and when they lose their home, it's devastating
for our families. And across California we've had massifiers over
(18:23):
the last you know, five to ten years. We need
to start looking forward and saying we need to stop
this madness from happening and have force management and vegetation.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
The other one, Oh, I was just going to say,
I know that we learned during this that there is
a period in the year where firefighters on the state
level are not on shift basically, I mean they're either
essentially laid off for a while or just put out
of service. Is that something you want to see changed?
Speaker 5 (18:50):
The most es central role of government? Absolutely, the answer
is yes. The most central role of government is public safety.
We need to make sure people are safe, and so
the answer is yes, we need to prioritize that. One
of the priorities that we have that we put out
is also fully funding Proposition thirty six. I call it
to make crime and legal again in California. Seventy percent
of the people across the state of California voted in
(19:12):
the affirmative of Prop thirty six. Now it's time for
us to fund that initiative. Every county in the state
of California voted in an affirmative, and what that means
is the legislative analyst said it would project about four
hundred million dollars annally annually to implement Prop thirty six,
which helps enforcement and also a drug addiction treatment, and
(19:34):
we need to make that a priority. We need to
make public safety a priority and make sure people are
safe across the state of California.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
The Center help me understand what that means to fund
Proposition thirty six. As you noted, this was a pretty.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
Popular proposition just because they voted in the affirmative to
support those initiatives the initiative. The initiative doesn't work if
you don't back it up with the actual funding from
the state budget. So in the state budget we're not
bound to support Prop thirty six, and that's why we're
pushing hard. If you recall last year, before thirty six
(20:07):
made it to the ballot, Governor Knwso tried some maneuvers
to try to have the people not have the voice
to vote on that initiative. Along with the two thirds majority.
When they brought up the budget for the first time
this year, I brought up on the floor that I
hope that you're willing to fulfill the commitment of Prop
thirty six now on the floor, I will give the
Democrats credit. They said that they will, and I'm hoping
(20:31):
that as we go through this budget process that they've
heard the voices of the people of California and will
fund that four hundred million annually. I'm giving them a credit.
They said that they will, and now it's about, you know, trust,
but verify and make sure that we follow through in
the day budget that we do fund the will of
the people when it comes to public safety.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
I think that's something that's critically important to a lot
of people. I mean, it was overwhelmingly supported, and you know,
if you walk around some parts of Laws Angeles, you
see that it's gritty, it's it's run down. You don't
get the sense necessarily that any more work is being done.
Is there a particular area in crime fighting or is
it mental health services especially that.
Speaker 5 (21:14):
Look, I think it's both. I mean the addiction treatment,
mental health and treatment. We've been lacking that from the
state of California for quite some time. A large portion
of our homelessness comes from that. Also, you know, I
never thought I would be a society where people will
go into a retail store in broad daylight and fill
up their basket and walk out so boldly without you know,
(21:36):
being prosecuted. So allowing people to steal up to almost
one thousand dollars without any penalty takes you know, accountability
out of society. I think we need to be accountable.
And that's why you had people were frustrated with gascon
as DA. They were frustrated, but seventy percent of the
people voted for a Prop thirty six and said no more,
(21:58):
not in California. And that's that's why we have to
find the enforcement mechanism that says, you know, if you
do commit a crime, that you have to pay for
that crime that you commit. I also think that would
be a booming initiative for our economy because a lot
of retailers couldn't afford, and they shut down so they
couldn't afford the theft that was happening over the last
five years.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
We're talking with State Senator Tony Strickland, Republican of Huntington Beach.
There's another issue floating over the state's head that was
really hard to comprehend. It's related to some debt and
unemployment insurance that I think came from the federal government,
and we learned that because the state had not paid
this back businesses, we're going to have to carry a
(22:38):
heavier burden in order to settle that debt. I know
my understanding is very surface level, but can you help
us understand that a little bit better and what the
state might plan to do with that if they take
advice from you.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
Well, yeah, I know, the state still holds that twenty
one billion dollar unemployment insurance debt. You know, it's the pandemic,
that nuisance pandemic related business shutdown, and most other states
have already paid that back and we have not. And
one of the things I'm frustrated with the governor is,
you know, just three or four years ago, we have
(23:10):
the largest surplus in California history. Like every family when
you have a boo mean, maybe you get a bonus check.
You know what you do is you put some of
that money away for a rainy dayfine. You know, families
call it savings account. We didn't do that when we
had the largest surplus in California history just a few
years ago. We increased our spending. That's why I'm talking about.
We've increased our government spending three and a half times
(23:33):
over the last ten years, and we don't have three
a half times better services.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Senator Tony Strickland, Republican of Huntington Beach, I do appreciate
again the time that you gave us good luck up
there in Sacramento, and I hope we get the check
in again soon.
Speaker 5 (23:46):
I appreciate it. Thanks again, Michael for having me on.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Up next, another sign of Hollywood slowing down in Los
Angeles and a push to add more workers at self
checkout lanes at grocery stores in California.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
You're listening to kf H six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeart Radio app.
This Duke Houston game to claim the last spot in
the NCAA men's basketball Championship game has come down to
the wire. It's a doozy about seventeen seconds left and
Houston just rallied from about seven down with ninety seconds
left to take the lead by one. You gotta love
(24:24):
March is. I know it's not March anymore, but this
tournament drags on a little madness in April. Always love that. Elsewhere,
the Kings won three nothing today over the Oilers. The
Clippers up nine at the half over the Mavericks and
the Angels. The Angels have blown open a big lead
ten to three over Cleveland in Anaheim. Here at the
(24:47):
top of the seventh and that is your late evening
KFI Sports report. Coming up tomorrow the twenty twenty five
Wiggle Waggle Walk for Pasadena Humane and KFI wants you
to join our team, the wake Up Call Wigglers. You
can visit KFI AM six forty slash Wiggle and that's
where you'll find all of this information. The money raised
(25:09):
tomorrow will help the Pasadena Humane save thousands of animals
in the community with adoption programs, foster care, a kitten nursery,
animal ICU, Wildlife Care and more. And this year because
of the devastating fire and Alta Dina. The need is
even greater as they have taken in hundreds more animals
than they have pledged to care for until their owners
can bring them safely home. So come by see us.
(25:32):
We will have exclusive KFI swag bags available only to
team members, and the first two hundred and fifty people
that show up at our booth at the event will
be by this stage. It's happening tomorrow at Brookside Park
at the Rose Bowl three sixty North Royal Boulevard in Pasadena. Again,
KFI am six forty Slash Wiggle to get all of
(25:53):
the details on the Wiggle Waggle Walk for Pasadena Humane.
And it looks like Houston has just gotten very comfortable
with this two and a half seconds left a one
point lead for Uston. They've got the ball shock on
the face of Duke fans. It's like we could have
a Houston Florida final. Something not going well in Los
(26:14):
Angeles is our signature export Hollywood. Tomorrow, City Council member
Adriam nazari And is hosting a rally called Stay in
LA and it is demanding state action to protect California
film and television production jobs. He says the firestorm of
January twenty twenty five has added a steep sense of
(26:37):
urgency to protecting our region's signature in an industry. The
stay in LA rally will spread awareness about the state's
push to bolster California's film and television workforce and its
vast economic output. He says that he has introduced a
motion at City Hall as well to reduce the city's
fees and permit requirements for filming in Los Angeles and
to spur increased production. Lower permit fees and alternative to
(27:01):
the current expensive requirements for public safety personnel at every location,
cheaper parking options for film crews, streamlining the permitting process,
and simplifying the process for certifying new sound stages. That
motion comes on the heels of a new study by
Film LA that says sound stage occupancy in the Greater
Los Angeles area declined to sixty three percent, so all
(27:23):
the rest is vacant. That's a six percentage point drop
from twenty twenty three, so even less film and TV
work happening on the sound stages in Hollywood. We already
did a report earlier this year on just production in
general being way down, also spurred by a film LA report.
So here we are living in Hollywood, begging Hollywood to
(27:44):
make Hollywood. In Hollywood, you've got state lawmakers already introducing
legislation to increase the tax incentives available to film productions
because it's too expensive to make movies here, apparently, when
so many other states, so many other countries are offering
more generous tax incentives. So you're seeing films go to Europe,
(28:07):
You're seeing films go to Canada, and you were seeing
films go to other states. I come from the Cincinnati area,
and that area has seen a boom. I remember as
a kid the movie rain Man with top top gun,
Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. That's shot in Cincinnati and
northern Kentucky where I'm from, And that was a big
deal for us back then because it was so rare.
(28:29):
But now it's old hat. They're constantly shooting. And one
of the reasons is that it seems that producers of
films think Cincinnati and its urban core can look like
can look like New York, for example. They can make
one place look like another much more easily than they can,
you know, building sets out here on sound stages in
(28:51):
Ohio and Kentucky. They're all dumping all these tax incentives
and they're stealing this business from LA. So now LA
is groveling to its nature industry to please stay. None
of these things have been passed though. It's all talk
right now. We don't have higher tax incentives yet for productions,
and we certainly don't have this resolution move through city
(29:12):
hall yet. It was just introduced last week. The mayor
has also spoken about this. It's a problem. I mean,
what's going right here. It's just a tough, tough time.
Last year, you may remember that in Sacramento there was
a bill that sought to require to have more workers
(29:33):
at self checkout machines and limiting customers, of course, to
fifteen items at those points. This was something that was
pushed for because of theft concerns and maybe also to
protect employees.
Speaker 5 (29:49):
Right.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
I don't know if you've gone through the self checkout lately.
Sometimes it can take a while, and there is usually
just one poor young person running back and forth helping
you when the thing doesn't scan correctly or doesn't weigh
your bananas accurately, and then you need help, and there's
not enough help there well, that bill in California statewide
(30:11):
has resurfaced in a new way. More locally, Long Beach
may mandate more staffing at self checkout lanes. This is
from the Long Beach Post and reporter John Donegan. He
says Long Beach is looking into whether it should penalize
grocers and drug stores that don't staff a minimum number
of employees at their self checkout lanes. City Council and
(30:33):
Long Beach voted seven to two this past week to
have city staff study the idea and then come back
with a report in two months with information about how
such a rule would affect local businesses and shoppers. Three
council members pushed for this, they got the seven total votes,
arguing that supermarkets and retail food sellers over a certain
(30:54):
size should never have one employee supervising more than two
self check checkout lanes at a time, and they recommend
requiring stores to always keep at least one non self
service checkout lane open and limit self checkout lanes to
no more than fifteen items per customer. And if stores
(31:14):
fail to meet the staffing requirements, the city Council has
proposed fines of up to twenty five hundred dollars each.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Now.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Several grocery workers who attended that city council meeting say
they are often harassed or threatened, most often when they
are alone without a nearby co worker. They say, with
more workers, shoplifters would also be deterred. So there's another
regulation coming to protect workers. They say. I would just
(31:43):
like to see that line move faster, so if it
works on that count me in. I asked you these
two hours to let us know how you feel about
the homeless situation, how you feel about tariffs by opening
up the iHeartRadio app, clicking on the talkback button, and
you have followed through. Let's hear again from Nick Michael.
Speaker 6 (32:05):
Haven't you already seen how many countries are lining up
to kiss the feet of America. Trump is right. We've
been getting ripped off for forty years. All our jobs
are gone. People don't have enough money. This is what
needs to happen because Biden and the Democrats have ruined America.
(32:26):
They're anti American communists.
Speaker 5 (32:28):
All of them.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
All right, Nick, thanks again for the talkback. Again. We're
gonna have to wait and see whether the president is right.
He certainly believes he's right, and the markets have reacted
accordingly because they're not fans of these tariffs, and that's
scared some folks. And the forecast don't look good. But
we will have to see how well the United States
(32:51):
can negotiate with two hundred plus other individual countries on
this tariff situation, or how long this thing lasts in
the first place. Let's also hear from Laura again.
Speaker 8 (33:02):
Okay, tariffs. We tried tariffs back in nineteen twenty nine
or something like that, and it failed. You know, Trump
got up there and said it was this massive success
when it wasn't. We didn't become a rich society or
a rich country until the war World War two. As
(33:24):
far as newsome, here's a joke. We are one of
fifty states, not a country.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Maybe that's what we need, a good world war, get
the general order of things back in. Let's get riveted.
I don't hope for that. I don't hope for that.
Just peace and quiet and calm and prosperity. That's all
I would like. For an extended, prolonged period of time.
We can't do this anymore. I hope these recession forecasts
(33:52):
are wrong. I hope everything works out, but we'll keep
our eye on it, because that's what we're supposed to do.
So keep your heads up and again we'll be asking questions.
We want you to tell us what questions you want
answers to, and you got to keep in mind that
the answers that are returned to you may not always
be what you want to hear. It's tough out there
(34:13):
right now and very very confusing and maybe even a
little bit scary, but we'll do our best to make
sense of it here every Saturday Night on Michael Monks
Reports on KFI AM six forty. Grateful for the time
you spent with us again tonight, another great night for sports.
A little distracted there at the end with that exciting
basketball game coming down to the wire. Houston did win,
by the way, so it will be Florida and Houston
(34:34):
playing for the national title on Monday night. Big big,
big things in men's college basketball. My big thanks go
out to our producer Matthew Toffler, our board operator Raul Cortes,
and our news anchor Brigitta di Agastino. Always a pleasure
to be with you. I'm back next week for Michael
Monks Reports on Saturday Night from seven to nine and
I'm with you Monday through Friday, giving you the news
(34:56):
right here on KFI AM six
Speaker 1 (34:58):
FORTYFI AM six forty on demand
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
We are with you for another hour till nine o'clock tonight.
Last hour, we spent a lot of time talking about
homelessness in LA and La County and whether you think
it's getting better based on all of the consequential stuff
that happened last week, the sales tax going up to
(00:25):
fund homeless programs based on votes LA County voters approved
that the La County Board of Supervisors deciding to basically
defund the LA Homeless Services Authority that it shares with
the City of Los Angeles. They're going to create their
own homeless department and then of course Losses CEO resigning
as that organization faces what could amount to its end.
(00:46):
Are these new strategies going to work, a bunch more
money coming in and now the county directly managing itself
rather than using this partnership with the city. You can
join our conversation there. Open up the iHeartRadio app and
click on the talkback button and we'll play some of
your comments like these, Let's hear a new one. I
don't believe the homeless number has gone down. Just look around.
(01:08):
If there is a decrease, it's probably the ones that
have overdosed on drugs. We didn't get a name on
that talk back, but I think the cynicism there is
shared by folks, whether you believe that the numbers aren't
reflective act of reality because of overdose on drugs or
just because they're not counted correctly. This is an organization, LASA,
(01:29):
that reports these numbers that has proven itself not to
be trustworthy when it comes to their own money. Billions
of dollars not accounted for correctly, no expectations delivered on
the programs that they're spending this money on your money,
in many many cases, your money. Let's hear from Jen.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Mister Munks, a big fan of yours. I'm so happy
to listen to you. I love your story. I love
the fact that you lived downtown. I love the fact
that you were experiencing some of the stuff. What I'm
going to take tell you is that I've been around
the block and in twenty twenty seven, two years from now,
around November, all the homeless people are going to disappear.
(02:13):
LA is going to put them on a bus or
something because they don't want any of them to show
up here in the Olympics.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Jen, I appreciate your kind words. That's a really great
message to hear on a Saturday night here in Burve.
Thanks for taking the time to send it, and I
think that you might be onto something. If not, it'll
be sad. I mean, regardless, the way the city looks
right now, it cannot look in twenty twenty eight when
the Olympics come. It's just an unacceptable appearance. Even if
(02:40):
you take the homeless people out, even if you do
move them, all the philip on the streets, the graffiti
all over the buildings, the city's not ready. The city
needs to be cleaned up in so many ways. But
I think the comment that you share jin about the
homeless folks disappearing before the Olympics arrive, you're probably onto something.
(03:01):
Your opinion is certainly shared by many people that we've
heard from, and frankly that's what needs to happen, obviously
humanely and in a way that is accounted for properly.
But the condition the city is in right now, the
appearance of Los Angeles, a city that means so much
to people around the world based on a fantasy. But
(03:21):
we're gonna like completely crush those fantasies when people show
up and see what LA really looks like right now,
especially where I live downtown. Keep those talkbacks coming. iHeartRadio
app click on the talkback button. I also want to
hear your position now this hour as we switch to
economic focus. Tariffs. What a week. I know that as
(03:43):
an elder millennial, we've been through this show before. We've
seen we've seen some pretty troubling times economically, and just
when we think we're getting ahead, it suddenly becomes very
scary to look at your for one k again. But
are we to take the President and his team at
their word, which is going to hurt for a little while.
(04:07):
This is going to be something that pays off down
the road for you and for America. Well that will
have to see. But I can tell you who doesn't
share that perspective. It's a little small business you may
have heard of, called Goldman Sacks, little mom and pop
shop that analyzes economics. They said, on a static basis,
(04:29):
the tariff announcement would raise just under four hundred billion
dollars in revenue, or about one point three percent of GDP.
That would be the largest tax increase since the Revenue
Act of nineteen sixty eight. Goldman estimates that the tariff
announcement could boost some prices by one to one and
a half percent this year, and Goldman believes the inflationary
(04:52):
effects would mostly be realized in the middle quarters of
this year. So I think we just entered the second quarter,
and then when the third quarter would encompass the rest
of summer, the resulting hit to purchasing power could take
real disposable personal income growth from the second and third
quarters into negative territory, and with it the risk that
(05:13):
real consumer spending could also contract in those quarters. So
that all sounds kind of scary to me, but it
gets worse. Goldman says, the impact of that consumer spending
falling into negative territory because of our disposable personal income
drying up, it could become quote perilously close to slipping
(05:37):
into recession. And this is before accounting for the additional
hits to gross exports and to investment spending. Goldman writes
headlines about retaliatory measures by US trading partners are already
coming out, and we expect to learn more in the
coming days. The somewhat confusing nature of the news, coupled
with uncertainty over how long these tariffs will remain in place,
(06:00):
should make for an even less friendly environment for investment spending.
Goldman says they will revisit that forecast. Leader. You don't
want to hear the big banks saying that. Governor Gavin
Newsom says he's got it under control. Let's hear from him.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
Donald Trump's tariffs do not represent all Americans, particularly those
that I represent here in the fifth largest economy in
the world, the state of California. We value international trade.
We value our manufacturing base, the largest manufacturing economy in
the United States of America. We look forward to continue
to strengthen those ties, strengthen those bonds. Remind all our
(06:37):
international trading partners, California is a stable trading partner, and
we hope you consider that as it relates to California
made products.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
So California is going to face the world alone and
say don't break up with us. We're going to keep
it real. But apparently Article one, Section ten Claws two
of the US Constitution's States do not have the authority
to independently negotiate or make global trading deals regarding tariffs.
Only the federal government reserves the right to do that.
(07:08):
So we'll have to see how the governor's plan plays out.
We want to hear from you about this. Are you nervous?
Do you believe in the plan? Are we trusting the process?
Speaker 5 (07:17):
Here?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
The Rocky Wall Street numbers? Your own pocketbook, your own
retirement accounts dropping a little bit? Do you think it's
going to pay off in the long run? Open up
that iHeartRadio app. Click on the talkback button. Let's hear
from Nick.
Speaker 6 (07:30):
What's up, Michael? You're doing a great job. Banks Man
Newsome is an idiot. Look at what he's done to California.
Now he's going to try to negotiate and step on
Trump's toes instead of just letting it happen. Everyone just
needs to trust the process. Don't you remember how good
it was from sixteen to twenty until the COVID pandemic.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Well, we will have to see, you know, We are
just gonna have to see because I don't know how
this ends. This is une charted territory in a lot
of ways, and we're here in the news business, and
we've just got to watch and keep asking questions and
hope that you out there in the public hold us
accountable as well to make sure we're asking the right
questions and getting you the answers that you need when
(08:14):
you need them. And that's what we do here at
KFI News.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
AFIAM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. This
is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News
with until nine o'clock tonight. US Senator Adam Schiff is
now in the Upper Chamber of Congress and joins us
to talk about the latest from Washington. Senator Adam shift
thanks so much for taking some time for us today.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
It's great to be with you.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Let's talk about some of the federal funding that might
be needed to help southern California rebuild after these La
County wildfires and any potential threat to that funding because
of the states relationship with the Trump administration. Are you
sensing that there are going to be any challenges moving
forward because of any tension between the state and the
White House.
Speaker 7 (09:02):
There are really two challenges. One is frankly facing people
throughout the country, and one is more particular to California.
One facing all of us in the country is they're
making radical cuts two emergency services like FEMA, to personnel,
but also to the budgets of these agencies potentially, and
(09:24):
that means less funding to help people recover from natural disasters.
That would hurt us in California, but it would hurt
people in the Carolinas that have been the victims of
hurricanes and flooding. The more particular challenge facing Californians is,
you know, the present's desire or people around him potentially
to punish states that he've used is insufficiently supportive of
(09:45):
him or his campaign. California is certainly in that category
in his view. So we heard some talk of conditioning
funds to California on completely unrelated things like voter id laws,
or on attacking the California Coastal Commission or other things.
We've never done that as a country. We shouldn't start
(10:06):
it now. I'm going to oppose those efforts vigorously, and
I'm going to do everything I can to fully fund
agencies like FEMA, because the money that flows to the
EPA for cleanup to the Army Corps of Engineers for
their work and cleanup. This gets run through FEMA. FEMA
runs out of funding, then these efforts run out of funding.
So I'm going to be fighting to make sure these
(10:29):
agencies are well resourced, but also to make sure that
California is not the victim of some political retribution.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
There does seem to be some political issues in particular
that have caught the attention of the Trump administration, whether
it is protests on college campuses related to the Hamas
Israel war, or trans athletes for example. Do you anticipate
those specific issues playing a role in any tension moving
forward in the relationship between California and the White House.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
I do.
Speaker 7 (10:59):
I think they are already, because the administration is going
after California universities even as they're going after universities around
the country.
Speaker 5 (11:07):
But frankly, I think.
Speaker 7 (11:08):
The justifications they're giving are a fig leaf. Yes, there
were serious problems of anti Semitism on many campuses, and
there were problems with how universities handled the protests, but
that is really not what this is about. This is
part of a longer term effort by Trump and Jade
Vance and others that, frankly, they previewed years ago. Jadevance
(11:31):
years ago gave a speech in which he declared the
universities were the professors were the enemy, and they had
to go after universities as part of their kind of
broader right wing agenda. So this was long before there
was even a war in Gaza. What we're seeing is
this play out in real time. And it's not just
universities are They're going after law firms. They're using a
(11:54):
different pretext with the law firms. They're going after members
of the press and cutting them out of briefings if
they don't use the admiseration's favorite terminology. So it's a
broad attack on the rule of law on institutions, having
very little to do with either anti Semitism in the
case of universities, or trans issues. They're going after the
(12:16):
presidents perceived enemies, or anyone who thinks differently than the president.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Senatorship, I'm sure you have a perspective to share with
us on the President's Cariff announcements from this week.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
I do.
Speaker 7 (12:28):
I think these terriff announcements, their capricious, arbitrary, haphazard. They're
targeting some of our closest allies and trading partners, and
they're just going to collapse the economy. And we're seeing
we're seeing it happen in real time. We're seeing the
market humble, we're seeing people's four one ks start to evaporate,
(12:48):
We're seeing businesses laying off people. And it's a completely
self inflicted wound. And as a sign of just how
weird and arbitrary and thought out these are, the administration
just put a ten percent tariff on an island that
is completely uninhabited by humans. The predominant life form are penguins,
(13:13):
and I guess the penguins are going to be paying
a ten percent tariff, or if we have brought something
from these penguins, we're going to pay pay a ten
percent tax. It's absurd, but it shows that they've got
a bunch of amateurs in charge of all of this.
And it's no wonder our economy is taking a beating
right now.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
And Senator I know you've got to run. In your
time in the House, during the first Trump administration, you
became a pretty significant face of the opposition to the
White House. Now you're in the Senate and Trump is
back in the White House. What are your feelings about
being in a different chamber, and do you see a
path for yourself to emerge as some sort of stalwart
(13:53):
leader against the president's agenda this time?
Speaker 5 (13:55):
Well, I have to do two things.
Speaker 7 (13:56):
I have to stand up and push back against the
asence really destructive agenda, whether that is in a form
of these destructive tariffs, or whether it's in the form
of actions that are injuring our economy, driving up the
cost of goods, driving up the cost of housing. His
mass deportations, for example, are driving up the cost of
(14:17):
food and of construction. So I'm going to push back
vigorously on his attacks on the rule of law, among
other things. But I also am determined to work with
my Republican colleagues to get things done for California. I
want to see us build housing, and build lots of it,
and build more cost effectively. So I'm also working to
support a major expansion of the low income housing tax credit.
(14:40):
So I'm doing both, and I'm going to have to
do both. And I just wish I didn't have to
devote so much time to fighting these lawless, off and
lawless and certainly destructive actions by the administration.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Senator Adam Schiff, Democrat from California. We do appreciate the
time you gave us to day. Thanks so much, great jounning.
Speaker 5 (15:01):
Thank you up.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Next, Republicans in Sacramento have big plans for the state budget,
but they're in the minority. We'll hear about their priorities next,
when Senator Tony Strickland joins us.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand KFI.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. This
is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News
with you till nine o'clock tonight. Let's go to Sacramento
and catch up with Huntington Beach Republican State Senator Tony Strickland.
Senator Strickland, thanks so much for being with us again.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
Thank Michael. I really appreciate you having me on.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
It's always a pleasure. I know that budget season can
be busy for any government, but it must be especially
so for a government as large as California. Our economy
is significant. Can you just give us an idea of
what financial shape we're in from your perspective.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
Oh, we're in disastrous financial shape here in California. You know,
over the last few years, let's open with this, California
doesn't have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem.
I was in the legislature thirteen years ago. The entire
state budget was ninety eight billion dollars to cover for everything.
Over the last twelve years, you know, the budget has tripled.
(16:10):
At the same time our population has We have less
populations the first time in California history, or more prety
well leaving the state than coming in since the gold Rush.
And we don't have triple the better our services. The
end of the day, California doesn't have a revenue problem,
has a spending problem. What we need to do here
in the state is get back to the basics of
(16:30):
government and fund the basics of government. And just like
every family has to prioritize their family budget, we should
do the same thing here in the state of California.
Stop wasting billions of dollars on programs that are easily
to cut and fun things that actually make a difference
in everyday lives of California residents.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
I know that. You know, in partisan politics, there's always
going to be debate on how to spend money or
what was an effective way to spend money. But regardless
of politics, sometimes bad things happened naturally, and we certainly
experienced that this year in La County with the wildfires.
And what do you expect to come in this state budget?
What do you want to come in this state budget
as it relates not just to recovery, but to making
(17:13):
sure it doesn't happen on this scale again.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Well, and that's what we're proposing, and I'm proposing in
the state budget. Again. We have to learn from history
and learn from the mistakes of the past. What we
need to do is invest three billion dollars a year
on fire prevention efforts, forest management, vegetation, and also one
billion a year on water storage. We need to enhance
our water supply. We had the two or three wettest
(17:40):
years and the generation coming back from the snowpack in
the rain, and when the firefighters went to that reservoir,
that reservoir has been overflowing with water. It wasn't because
we're not capturing water in the wet years. It's a
matter of time we have droughts here in California. We
live in the desert, so when we have those wet years,
we need to invest in water supply and water storage,
(18:01):
and we haven't done that, and so that's one of
our proposals that we do one billion and enhancement of
water supply and three billion in fire prevention efforts because
it's devastating for those families who lose their homes, and
many of them their biggest investment in their life is
their home, and when they lose their home, it's devastating
for our families. And across California we've had massifiers over
(18:23):
the last you know, five to ten years. We need
to start looking forward and saying we need to stop
this madness from happening and have force management and vegetation.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
The other one, Oh, I was just going to say,
I know that we learned during this that there is
a period in the year where firefighters on the state
level are not on shift basically, I mean they're either
essentially laid off for a while or just put out
of service. Is that something you want to see changed?
Speaker 5 (18:50):
The most es central role of government? Absolutely, the answer
is yes. The most central role of government is public safety.
We need to make sure people are safe, and so
the answer is yes, we need to prioritize that. One
of the priorities that we have that we put out
is also fully funding Proposition thirty six. I call it
to make crime and legal again in California. Seventy percent
of the people across the state of California voted in
(19:12):
the affirmative of Prop thirty six. Now it's time for
us to fund that initiative. Every county in the state
of California voted in an affirmative, and what that means
is the legislative analyst said it would project about four
hundred million dollars annally annually to implement Prop thirty six,
which helps enforcement and also a drug addiction treatment, and
(19:34):
we need to make that a priority. We need to
make public safety a priority and make sure people are
safe across the state of California.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
The Center help me understand what that means to fund
Proposition thirty six. As you noted, this was a pretty.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
Popular proposition just because they voted in the affirmative to
support those initiatives the initiative. The initiative doesn't work if
you don't back it up with the actual funding from
the state budget. So in the state budget we're not
bound to support Prop thirty six, and that's why we're
pushing hard. If you recall last year, before thirty six
(20:07):
made it to the ballot, Governor Knwso tried some maneuvers
to try to have the people not have the voice
to vote on that initiative. Along with the two thirds majority.
When they brought up the budget for the first time
this year, I brought up on the floor that I
hope that you're willing to fulfill the commitment of Prop
thirty six now on the floor, I will give the
Democrats credit. They said that they will, and I'm hoping
(20:31):
that as we go through this budget process that they've
heard the voices of the people of California and will
fund that four hundred million annually. I'm giving them a credit.
They said that they will, and now it's about, you know, trust,
but verify and make sure that we follow through in
the day budget that we do fund the will of
the people when it comes to public safety.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
I think that's something that's critically important to a lot
of people. I mean, it was overwhelmingly supported, and you know,
if you walk around some parts of Laws Angeles, you
see that it's gritty, it's it's run down. You don't
get the sense necessarily that any more work is being done.
Is there a particular area in crime fighting or is
it mental health services especially that.
Speaker 5 (21:14):
Look, I think it's both. I mean the addiction treatment,
mental health and treatment. We've been lacking that from the
state of California for quite some time. A large portion
of our homelessness comes from that. Also, you know, I
never thought I would be a society where people will
go into a retail store in broad daylight and fill
up their basket and walk out so boldly without you know,
(21:36):
being prosecuted. So allowing people to steal up to almost
one thousand dollars without any penalty takes you know, accountability
out of society. I think we need to be accountable.
And that's why you had people were frustrated with gascon
as DA. They were frustrated, but seventy percent of the
people voted for a Prop thirty six and said no more,
(21:58):
not in California. And that's that's why we have to
find the enforcement mechanism that says, you know, if you
do commit a crime, that you have to pay for
that crime that you commit. I also think that would
be a booming initiative for our economy because a lot
of retailers couldn't afford, and they shut down so they
couldn't afford the theft that was happening over the last
five years.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
We're talking with State Senator Tony Strickland, Republican of Huntington Beach.
There's another issue floating over the state's head that was
really hard to comprehend. It's related to some debt and
unemployment insurance that I think came from the federal government,
and we learned that because the state had not paid
this back businesses, we're going to have to carry a
(22:38):
heavier burden in order to settle that debt. I know
my understanding is very surface level, but can you help
us understand that a little bit better and what the
state might plan to do with that if they take
advice from you.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
Well, yeah, I know, the state still holds that twenty
one billion dollar unemployment insurance debt. You know, it's the pandemic,
that nuisance pandemic related business shutdown, and most other states
have already paid that back and we have not. And
one of the things I'm frustrated with the governor is,
you know, just three or four years ago, we have
(23:10):
the largest surplus in California history. Like every family when
you have a boo mean, maybe you get a bonus check.
You know what you do is you put some of
that money away for a rainy dayfine. You know, families
call it savings account. We didn't do that when we
had the largest surplus in California history just a few
years ago. We increased our spending. That's why I'm talking about.
We've increased our government spending three and a half times
(23:33):
over the last ten years, and we don't have three
a half times better services.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Senator Tony Strickland, Republican of Huntington Beach, I do appreciate
again the time that you gave us good luck up
there in Sacramento, and I hope we get the check
in again soon.
Speaker 5 (23:46):
I appreciate it. Thanks again, Michael for having me on.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Up next, another sign of Hollywood slowing down in Los
Angeles and a push to add more workers at self
checkout lanes at grocery stores in California.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
You're listening to kf H six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeart Radio app.
This Duke Houston game to claim the last spot in
the NCAA men's basketball Championship game has come down to
the wire. It's a doozy about seventeen seconds left and
Houston just rallied from about seven down with ninety seconds
left to take the lead by one. You gotta love
(24:24):
March is. I know it's not March anymore, but this
tournament drags on a little madness in April. Always love that. Elsewhere,
the Kings won three nothing today over the Oilers. The
Clippers up nine at the half over the Mavericks and
the Angels. The Angels have blown open a big lead
ten to three over Cleveland in Anaheim. Here at the
(24:47):
top of the seventh and that is your late evening
KFI Sports report. Coming up tomorrow the twenty twenty five
Wiggle Waggle Walk for Pasadena Humane and KFI wants you
to join our team, the wake Up Call Wigglers. You
can visit KFI AM six forty slash Wiggle and that's
where you'll find all of this information. The money raised
(25:09):
tomorrow will help the Pasadena Humane save thousands of animals
in the community with adoption programs, foster care, a kitten nursery,
animal ICU, Wildlife Care and more. And this year because
of the devastating fire and Alta Dina. The need is
even greater as they have taken in hundreds more animals
than they have pledged to care for until their owners
can bring them safely home. So come by see us.
(25:32):
We will have exclusive KFI swag bags available only to
team members, and the first two hundred and fifty people
that show up at our booth at the event will
be by this stage. It's happening tomorrow at Brookside Park
at the Rose Bowl three sixty North Royal Boulevard in Pasadena. Again,
KFI am six forty Slash Wiggle to get all of
(25:53):
the details on the Wiggle Waggle Walk for Pasadena Humane.
And it looks like Houston has just gotten very comfortable
with this two and a half seconds left a one
point lead for Uston. They've got the ball shock on
the face of Duke fans. It's like we could have
a Houston Florida final. Something not going well in Los
(26:14):
Angeles is our signature export Hollywood. Tomorrow, City Council member
Adriam nazari And is hosting a rally called Stay in
LA and it is demanding state action to protect California
film and television production jobs. He says the firestorm of
January twenty twenty five has added a steep sense of
(26:37):
urgency to protecting our region's signature in an industry. The
stay in LA rally will spread awareness about the state's
push to bolster California's film and television workforce and its
vast economic output. He says that he has introduced a
motion at City Hall as well to reduce the city's
fees and permit requirements for filming in Los Angeles and
to spur increased production. Lower permit fees and alternative to
(27:01):
the current expensive requirements for public safety personnel at every location,
cheaper parking options for film crews, streamlining the permitting process,
and simplifying the process for certifying new sound stages. That
motion comes on the heels of a new study by
Film LA that says sound stage occupancy in the Greater
Los Angeles area declined to sixty three percent, so all
(27:23):
the rest is vacant. That's a six percentage point drop
from twenty twenty three, so even less film and TV
work happening on the sound stages in Hollywood. We already
did a report earlier this year on just production in
general being way down, also spurred by a film LA report.
So here we are living in Hollywood, begging Hollywood to
(27:44):
make Hollywood. In Hollywood, you've got state lawmakers already introducing
legislation to increase the tax incentives available to film productions
because it's too expensive to make movies here, apparently, when
so many other states, so many other countries are offering
more generous tax incentives. So you're seeing films go to Europe,
(28:07):
You're seeing films go to Canada, and you were seeing
films go to other states. I come from the Cincinnati area,
and that area has seen a boom. I remember as
a kid the movie rain Man with top top gun,
Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. That's shot in Cincinnati and
northern Kentucky where I'm from, And that was a big
deal for us back then because it was so rare.
(28:29):
But now it's old hat. They're constantly shooting. And one
of the reasons is that it seems that producers of
films think Cincinnati and its urban core can look like
can look like New York, for example. They can make
one place look like another much more easily than they can,
you know, building sets out here on sound stages in
(28:51):
Ohio and Kentucky. They're all dumping all these tax incentives
and they're stealing this business from LA. So now LA
is groveling to its nature industry to please stay. None
of these things have been passed though. It's all talk
right now. We don't have higher tax incentives yet for productions,
and we certainly don't have this resolution move through city
(29:12):
hall yet. It was just introduced last week. The mayor
has also spoken about this. It's a problem. I mean,
what's going right here. It's just a tough, tough time.
Last year, you may remember that in Sacramento there was
a bill that sought to require to have more workers
(29:33):
at self checkout machines and limiting customers, of course, to
fifteen items at those points. This was something that was
pushed for because of theft concerns and maybe also to
protect employees.
Speaker 5 (29:49):
Right.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
I don't know if you've gone through the self checkout lately.
Sometimes it can take a while, and there is usually
just one poor young person running back and forth helping
you when the thing doesn't scan correctly or doesn't weigh
your bananas accurately, and then you need help, and there's
not enough help there well, that bill in California statewide
(30:11):
has resurfaced in a new way. More locally, Long Beach
may mandate more staffing at self checkout lanes. This is
from the Long Beach Post and reporter John Donegan. He
says Long Beach is looking into whether it should penalize
grocers and drug stores that don't staff a minimum number
of employees at their self checkout lanes. City Council and
(30:33):
Long Beach voted seven to two this past week to
have city staff study the idea and then come back
with a report in two months with information about how
such a rule would affect local businesses and shoppers. Three
council members pushed for this, they got the seven total votes,
arguing that supermarkets and retail food sellers over a certain
(30:54):
size should never have one employee supervising more than two
self check checkout lanes at a time, and they recommend
requiring stores to always keep at least one non self
service checkout lane open and limit self checkout lanes to
no more than fifteen items per customer. And if stores
(31:14):
fail to meet the staffing requirements, the city Council has
proposed fines of up to twenty five hundred dollars each.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Now.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Several grocery workers who attended that city council meeting say
they are often harassed or threatened, most often when they
are alone without a nearby co worker. They say, with
more workers, shoplifters would also be deterred. So there's another
regulation coming to protect workers. They say. I would just
(31:43):
like to see that line move faster, so if it
works on that count me in. I asked you these
two hours to let us know how you feel about
the homeless situation, how you feel about tariffs by opening
up the iHeartRadio app, clicking on the talkback button, and
you have followed through. Let's hear again from Nick Michael.
Speaker 6 (32:05):
Haven't you already seen how many countries are lining up
to kiss the feet of America. Trump is right. We've
been getting ripped off for forty years. All our jobs
are gone. People don't have enough money. This is what
needs to happen because Biden and the Democrats have ruined America.
(32:26):
They're anti American communists.
Speaker 5 (32:28):
All of them.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
All right, Nick, thanks again for the talkback. Again. We're
gonna have to wait and see whether the president is right.
He certainly believes he's right, and the markets have reacted
accordingly because they're not fans of these tariffs, and that's
scared some folks. And the forecast don't look good. But
we will have to see how well the United States
(32:51):
can negotiate with two hundred plus other individual countries on
this tariff situation, or how long this thing lasts in
the first place. Let's also hear from Laura again.
Speaker 8 (33:02):
Okay, tariffs. We tried tariffs back in nineteen twenty nine
or something like that, and it failed. You know, Trump
got up there and said it was this massive success
when it wasn't. We didn't become a rich society or
a rich country until the war World War two. As
(33:24):
far as newsome, here's a joke. We are one of
fifty states, not a country.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
Maybe that's what we need, a good world war, get
the general order of things back in. Let's get riveted.
I don't hope for that. I don't hope for that.
Just peace and quiet and calm and prosperity. That's all
I would like. For an extended, prolonged period of time.
We can't do this anymore. I hope these recession forecasts
(33:52):
are wrong. I hope everything works out, but we'll keep
our eye on it, because that's what we're supposed to do.
So keep your heads up and again we'll be asking questions.
We want you to tell us what questions you want
answers to, and you got to keep in mind that
the answers that are returned to you may not always
be what you want to hear. It's tough out there
(34:13):
right now and very very confusing and maybe even a
little bit scary, but we'll do our best to make
sense of it here every Saturday Night on Michael Monks
Reports on KFI AM six forty. Grateful for the time
you spent with us again tonight, another great night for sports.
A little distracted there at the end with that exciting
basketball game coming down to the wire. Houston did win,
by the way, so it will be Florida and Houston
(34:34):
playing for the national title on Monday night. Big big,
big things in men's college basketball. My big thanks go
out to our producer Matthew Toffler, our board operator Raul Cortes,
and our news anchor Brigitta di Agastino. Always a pleasure
to be with you. I'm back next week for Michael
Monks Reports on Saturday Night from seven to nine and
I'm with you Monday through Friday, giving you the news
(34:56):
right here on KFI AM six
Speaker 1 (34:58):
FORTYFI AM six forty on demand
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