The LA city council lays off employees and asks union workers to delay their promised pay raises while at the same time demanding that hotels and airport businesses pay their workers a minimum wage of $30 an hour. Those businesses say they can't afford it and now some Olympic plans are in jeopardy. LA Metro promises to spend more money on security and cleanliness on its trains and buses, and at its stations. Plus, more tips from listeners on the best way to enjoy Catalina Island ahead of Michael's day trip.
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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.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
This is Michael Monks Reports.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Michael Monks from KFI News with you till nine
o'clock tonight, jamming to a little yacht rock here on
the unofficial start of summer Memorial Day weekend?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Is that Steely Dan? Yeah, I'm getting good at naming
these yacht rock songs. Sweet things from Boston.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
So young.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
You can smell the salt in the air even in this.
Speaker 5 (00:34):
Studio where they.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
All right, that's enough, let's get on with the show.
If you missed our last hour, be sure to check
out the podcast version. We did a deep dive into
what the city budget does, what it doesn't do, and
how some members of the city council think it's a
good direction the city is now moving in, but some
think it's terrible, including the council member from the Pacific Palisades,
(01:05):
which suffered greatly during the fires in January.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
So be sure to check that on. Check that out
on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
It we'll post after this broadcast ends at nine o'clock.
I'm also taking your advice on what to do on
Catalina Island heading over there Tuesday. Lived in LA for
a couple of years now, almost two and a half years,
and I'm gonna try some new adventures. I've spent too
much time downtown. It's driving me crazy. I got to
get out, So finally going to go over to Catalina Island.
(01:33):
And if you have tips tricks on how to get
over there efficiently, quietly, uneventfully, and what to do once
you're there, open up that iHeartRadio app, click on the
talkback button, let us know, and please feel free to
weigh in on any of the.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Topics we've covered so far and the ones we're about
to cover this hour, including this.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
The same city council that approved that thirteen point nine
billion dollar budget, which cuts down on the number of
police hires, cuts down on the number of new positions
in the La Fire Department, in the same city council
that is asking its unions to hold off on some
raises that they're due and promised, voted the next day
(02:13):
to mandate that hotels and airport workers be paid thirty
dollars an hour minimum wage by twenty twenty eight. Those
raises start almost immediately. It will start in July when
the minimum wage for some hotel workers at hotels with
sixty rooms or more and those workers at the concessionaires
in the airport lax. They start making twenty two to
(02:37):
fifty minimum wage in July, and then every year it
will go up two dollars and fifty cents until it
hits thirty dollars an hour in twenty twenty eight. Now
you heard from unions and worker groups that they deserve
(02:57):
more money. The Olympics are coming, big events, coming, World Cup,
all that. We're your guys, we're your gals. We're the
ones who will be dealing with these visitors. We're going
to face the brunt of this. We deserve more money.
But at the same time, right now, the economy in
LA is not great, especially the tourism economy. Back in April,
(03:22):
Visit California reported statewide travel had dropped by eight point
eight percent in February twelve point one percent. In March,
air travel had dropped to California from Canada by more
than fifteen percent, from Mexico by more than twenty four percent,
and from the UK by more than twenty two percent.
The LA tourism and Convention Bureau has anticipated year over
(03:44):
year reductions and total international visitors to Los Angeles between
twenty five and thirty percent. And the guy who runs
the LAX board, he told City Council, Look, we can't
take a position on this vote. That's not our role,
(04:04):
that's not what we do. I can only relate to
you what our businesses are telling us, and that is
we do not have the customer base right now to
support this. In other words, if this goes through, these
businesses may close. This council also heard from many small
(04:27):
hotel operators who said, we can't afford this. Are you crazy?
Thirty dollars an hour. We're just a little hotel. We
don't have a restaurant, we don't have entertainment. We're just
a place where people crash before they go out and
see what else La has to offer. How are we
supposed to afford this? We will not be able to
(04:48):
afford this. The council did it a lot of advocacy
from Unite Here Local eleven. The co president of that union,
Kurt Peterson, told the City council city leaders have an
opportunity to ensure the Olympic and Paralympic games benefit hard
working Angelinos and this ordinance does just that. But the
(05:14):
CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Rosanna Mayetta, said,
hotel employees in Los Angeles are paid the highest wages
in the country, but right now their jobs are at risk.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
City leaders. This was before the vote.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
City leaders are considering a damaging proposal that will jeopardize
these jobs. It would devastate much needed tourism related to
tax revenue, and lead to the closure of hotels that
are desperately needed to successfully host the twenty twenty six
World Cup, the twenty twenty seven Super Bowl, and the
twenty twenty eight Olympics, all those major events coming to
Los Angeles, and we already know the city is facing
(05:52):
not just one crisis, not just two crises, many mini crises.
It's a bit of a hot mess. And now this
may be a crisis of its own making. Also because
already the big hotels are starting to flex. You see,
these Olympics have a local organizing committee, it's called LA
(06:15):
twenty eight, and they had reached an agreement with some
of the large hotels, especially around the airport, for a
block of rooms for when the Olympics start, and that
raid is already locked in. But now these hotels, these
larger hotels, not the small mom and pop people who
are also aggravated and very concerned about this. These larger
(06:37):
hotel operators with some very famous brand names, said this
has changed everything because when we agreed to these rates,
we were paying our workers a certain level. And now
by the time these games come, they will be making
at least eight dollars more an hour. Oh and by
(06:59):
the way, this includes magnificant contributions to healthcare.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
And if you're a worker and you think, yeah, let's.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Workers should be making more, give your workers healthcare. And
if you're an owner, you're thinking, I don't know that
I can afford this. It's such a tough tough city
to live in. But eight of these hotels say they
will back out of that room block agreement because this
measure has passed. That includes discounted rates for Olympic officials, sponsors,
(07:29):
and even media at these hotels. These include the Hilton,
Hotel Angelino, Hotel Perla, Hollywood, Roosevelt. They say these labor
costs are financially unfeasible. That will be something to follow
next week. If we hear more from those hotels because
(07:52):
this minimal wage officially was approved on Friday. Whistleblow have
said the leader of the LA Homeless Services Authority has
engaged in improper behavior. We'll have that for you next here.
As Michael Monks Reports continues.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
KFI 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 on this Saturday night.
Good Memorial Day weekend to you. Hope you're spending some
time with family. Also, hope you take a moment to
think about what this weekend is really about. But we
(08:38):
do get an extended weekend and you are allowed to
enjoy that, and I hope that you are able to.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
I have have some news in my hand.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a
wind blown to dust advisory in the Coachella Valley. It
started at three o'clock this afternoon. It's going to be an
effect until five o'clock Monday morning because of gusty wins
expected to elevate the levels of particle pollution. And they
say that will result in an air quality index and
the unhealthy category or higher. Some of those communities include
(09:08):
Idle Wild Desert, Hot Springs, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Indio, Lacinta,
and Coachella. Gust of sixty miles per hour expected, so
be careful out in that area. I've also asked for
your advice, your feedback on Catalina Island. Lived in LA
for a little more than two years, maybe almost two
and a half years now, and I gotta make some
(09:30):
more adventures because I'm stuck downtown too often and I
lose my mind down there. It's either burbank or downtown.
I got to see more. And we're heading out to
Catalina Island on Tuesday with some family that's coming to
visit from Kentucky and we're looking forward to it. And
so far you guys have been great in telling us
how to get there, the best ways to travel, and
what to do once we're there.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Let's hear from Leicester.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
Hey, this message is for Michael Monks. Catalina sounds like
a great opportunity. Go check it out. The Catalina Flyer
is the I believe the name of the boat or
the thing that takes you out and over there. Everybody says,
take that because you don't want to spend all your
days sitting there on a boat.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (10:08):
But hey, the other thing is, you know, people go
scuba diving and whatnot. We're not going to have a
problem with you, you said. However, I believe I remember hearing
something about toxic waste being dumped on underwater and barrels or.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Well, that was starting to get kind of scary. I
already said I was terrified to go snorkeling because I
don't do well in natural water.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
For whatever reason.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
I'm just wired differently, and it's just it's my terror
as the thought of falling into the ocean a lake,
it doesn't matter. It's not just like, oh there's sharks
in there. I don't know what it is. It's something
about the vastness of the water that just that is
my kryptonite. Of course, I've got a few more weaknesses,
but that is the big one, is open natural water.
I was a lifeguard. You know, I can swim, but
(10:52):
something about the natural water. But Lester, I'm sorry that
cuts off. The talkbacks stop at thirty seconds. We should
have some time if you want to file and expand
upon that. Let's also hear from Hillary.
Speaker 6 (11:05):
Michael. In order for you to get in the mood
for this Catalina trip, I think Raoul needs to play
for you the Four Tops and their song Santa Catalina.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Ooh, Hillary, thank you for the tip, DJ Raoul.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Let's hear it the Four Preps. This is romance.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Romance, Okay, I mean I like it.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
I think that's all.
Speaker 7 (11:56):
It seems.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
All right, Maybe we'll close the show with that.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Let's revisit that, because that just that hearkens to a
time in southern California where it was clean and breezy
and the dream, the American dream, and we are not
living that in southern California now. So let me jerk
this one hundred and eighty degrees the other way and
remind you of the homeless crisis that we're facing and
the billions we've thrown at it and little to no
(12:20):
results really to show for it. Obviously, some people have
gone home, gotten homes, or they've been placed in motels,
and good for them. I know we all still have
our humanity. I know we all still want to see
anybody who is salvagea will be saved.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
But man, we have spent billions and not enough people
are off the streets.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
And there is an organization, the LA Homeless Services Authority,
goodness knows, we talk about them a lot on KFI.
It looks like they're just about done for the County
and the city formed this agency together to address the
homeless crisis years and years ago, but it's just not
been successful, and it's been particularly poor at accounting. Billions
(13:03):
of dollars go through this agency and all you have
to do is drive in any direction to see that
it is not working. So the county decides to leave LASA.
The city is sticking around with its thumb up its rear,
not sure what to do next. But the CEO of
LASA has decided to resign. Obviously, it's not the same
(13:24):
organization without the county. This thing really doesn't exist at
all the way that it had been. But they've had
some problems inside LASA. Two employees who were fired by
that organization received eight hundred thousand dollars in legal settlements,
(13:44):
and they had accused the CEO, Belicia Adams Kellum, of
hiring cronies, destroying records, and being really drunk at a conference.
The La Times report sorts this is by Doug Smith
and David Zoneiser. There was a trip to Washington, d C.
(14:11):
Involving Alicia adams Kellum, who had become so inebriated that
she got a lap dance from a female consultant that
she had just hired to work for LASA. That's just
one of the accusations. Now LASA denies this. Strenuously denied
(14:36):
these allegations, and Adams Kellum was interviewed by The La
Times on Wednesday, and she defended the staffers who were
hired during her tenure. She says they were highly qualified,
but she did not provide specifics on the two termination cases.
She says, I came to LASSA to try to make
it better and not to make excuses and put it
on a path to improvement. Hard decisions had to be made,
(14:58):
changes had to be pursued. Now, there was a request
by these two employees for a settlement of three and
a half million dollars and got this down. But in
addition to spending all that money on ineffective homeless programs,
you're Russell paying to settle lawsuits with angry employees. Losses
(15:21):
Board approve the claims and March agreeing to pay four
hundred and fifty thousand dollars to one of the folks
and three hundred and fifty thousand dollars to another. They
paid two hundred thousand dollars of the settlement, with the
insurance covering the remainder of that. What a mess of
an organization that is, and it is finally clearly coming
to an end as we have known it. Felicia Adams
(15:42):
Kellum has already offered her resignation. She is stepping down
at sometime soon, and the county is standing up its
own internal homeless department and we will have to see
how that plays out. We'll turn our attention to Metro next.
They approved a nine point four billion dollar budget. They
promised to make a cleaner, safer system. That's next on
Michael Monks Reports.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand, KFI.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. This
is Michael Monk's Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
That song you just heard is Avalon by Lionel Hampton.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Is that right? Is it Lionel Hampton that we're hearing
This version is Lionel Hampton and Buddy Rich.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Thank you Raoul DJ Raoul in the house tonight. We
got this recommendation from James on the talkback thinks James, So,
I guess there's a few songs about Catalina Island. Avalon
obviously a city on Catalina Island, the main big city
there on Catalina Island. So we've got a couple songs
to add to the playlist while I head there Tuesday.
(16:46):
If you're just joining us, I'm going to Catalina Island
for the first time on Tuesday when my family visits
from Kentucky. And I've lived in LA for two and
a half years almost and I've just not done enough.
And so this fan only visit has given me, you know,
a reason to let's just go, let's do something. I'm
taking the day off, We're going to Catalina Island. I'm
(17:08):
not watching any c council meetings. We're gonna relax and
spend the day on Catalina Island. And all of our
listeners have been so great sending us these tips on
what to do while we're there, the best way to
get there, the fastest way to get there, and we'll
have another segment coming up before the show ends. So
you got some time, you get your tips in. We
love them. Open up the iHeartRadio app and click on
(17:31):
that talkback button.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Avalon.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Great little jam there, But back here in reality, the
news is not always rosy. In fact, it was downright
tragic today in Long Beach, a twenty one year old
driver was killed in a crash involving another vehicle and
a metro train in Long Beach. Officers were called just
before midnight last night Twelfth Street and Long Beach Boulevard.
(17:58):
Police said twenty one year old woman from Compton was
speeding on the southbound side of Long Beach Boulevard in
an Infinity Q fifty s without her headlights on when
a twenty nineteen Honda Accord driven by a twenty nine
year old man made a southbound turn from Anaheim Street
to Long Beach Boulevard in front of that Infinity. The
(18:18):
Accord swerved out of the way to avoid being rear ended,
and it hit a guard rail while the Infinity swerved,
lost control and hit the metro train. Paramedics rushed that
woman to a hospital and she died from her injuries.
The driver of the accord stayed at the scene and
has cooperated. Police so far say speed and impaired driving
(18:39):
or being investigated as potential factors in this collision. Regarding
the driver of the Infinity, no injuries reported on board
that train, And just today, a man was hospitalized in
critical condition after being struck by a Metro Blue Line
train in the historic South Central area of La The man,
who's believed to be about thirty years old, was hit
(19:00):
by this train just a few hours ago, five forty
one this afternoon on East Washington Boulevard. No, they say
it was unclear why he was on the tracks. No
injuries on that train either, But that would be the
same train, I think the same train line anyway, it's
the Blue Line, which is actually an an accurate way
(19:20):
to refer to this. It's the A Line now, it's
the A Line that runs all the way to Long
Beach and to Azusa.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Meanwhile, La Metro.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Has doubled down on safety as part of its nine
point four billion dollars spending plan for the new fiscal year.
That's right, the City of Los Angeles approved it's thirteen
point nine billion dollar budget. La Metro has a budget
of nine point four billion dollars. And I get to
sit through all of these meetings on your behalf because
I care and I love to give you the news
(19:51):
here at KFI. And what I found interesting about the
LA Metro board meeting as they were going through this budget,
it seems like a group that is approaching reality. They're
not there, but they're getting closer to understanding what writers
(20:12):
like me and you experience. They won't change the way
they use language. They still talk in very activist oriented ways,
terms that you would never use in everyday conversation. When
you talk about how you should handle somebody having a
mental episode on the train, they use terms like care first,
(20:33):
you just want the guy off the train right You
want him not to be there in the first place.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
This is a system. The reason one of the main
reasons I decided.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
To live in downtown Los Angeles when I moved here
is because I didn't have a car, and that was deliberate.
And I know LA is known for car culture, but
I have visited here so many times and use the
Metro to get around. I had never lived in a
city that had this kind of transit before. I was
looking forward to using it, and I used it a lot,
and in fact, I had used it often to come
(21:03):
to Burbank here at the studio do the news. But
it's troubled, and the trouble got so bad last year
that Metro had to call in more dogs, more security,
more police, and what they called a surge after murders
on the trains of innocent people. This budget boosts the
(21:27):
amount that they're spending on public safety, and that is
as they prepare to create their own internal police force.
Now that police force is not going to be ready
until twenty twenty nine, so after the Olympics have come
and gone, we will not have a Metro Police department.
(21:49):
They've hired their chief, but we don't have the department yet.
They won't be here for the Olympics. We'll still have
to rely on the LAPD, the Sheriff's Department, and I
think Long Beach Police is kind of done doing it.
They said they were, but it's those three agencies that
currently provide law enforcement services aboard Metro trains and buses.
They have invested more in safety, they say. They've also
(22:14):
decided to invest more in cleanliness, because this is another issue,
the smell of the trains, the condition of the stations,
the buses. It's not great, so they have decided to
put another ten million dollars towards cleaning, and part of
that ten million dollars includes toilets. There are no bathrooms
(22:41):
really because they're can't be for obvious reasons guests who
would be using them and living in them. But these
will be sort of not potties, I forget how they
describe them, but it's some type of special toilet that
(23:01):
can be placed there and secured and will be kept
clean that you will be able to use so you
can pee or worse before you get on one of
these trains. And that is what Metro's board has promised.
The other thing, in addition to safety and cleanliness, the
(23:23):
other thing that Metro says it's going to do is
continue to spend on getting bigger. On paper, it's already
a good looking system. If you ask me, you can
get to a lot of important places just on the
trains alone and maybe one or two buses to go
even farther. I know, when I go to Catalina Island
(23:47):
on Tuesday, I'm probably going to take the Metro A
line catch it at the Seventh Street Metro station. And
get off and downtown Long Beach and find the ferry.
But hopefully we'll get to ride in more places very
(24:08):
very soon. The Lax Metro Transit Center is very close
to open. This is a station hub at Aviation Boulevard
in ninety sixth Street on the K Line. They've got
two hundred and sixty seven point seven million dollars set
asign for the future East San Fernando Valley light rail system,
three hundred and sixteen million dollars for the Southeast Gateway line,
(24:32):
and almost eight hundred million dollars for the D Line
West Side Extension project. That's an important one too, because
right now you can take the D Line it used
to be the Purple Line from Union Station to Koreatown,
a fine destination.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
That line is shut down currently.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
It will be shut down until July because they are
opening the next few stops.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
It's going to be.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Going farther into the West Side and then eventually all
the way to Westwood. It's an expensive project, but it's
it's gonna be a good looking line when that's finished.
Right now, it's a pretty short line. Love going to
Koreatown on it, but it'll be nice to be able
to go all the way to Westwood. There is a
metro service, or I should say a transit, a piece
(25:18):
of transportation, an iconic piece of transportation here in Los
Angeles whose prices are going up next weekend.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
We'll tell you about that next. As Michael Monks Reports continues.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
We've got a few more minutes together on this Saturday
night in burb Bank, Memorial Day weekend in southern California.
I hope you have some time to enjoy it, but
also to remember why we have this weekend in the
(25:54):
first place. You'll have been great to me today as
I've asked for some tips and advice on what to do,
how to do, where to do Catalina Island. Two and
a half years in Los Angeles, now just about and
finally deciding I got to get out and explore more.
I'm downtown too much. It's downtown or Burbank just about
every single day, and that's it. We got to expand
(26:17):
the horizon. So my family's coming to visit from Kentucky
and we're going to go to Catalina Island on Tuesday.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
I'm taking the day off. You're not going to catch
me at city Hall.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
I'm not going to watch a single minute of those
council meetings, I promise, And you all have come through
with some great tips on what to do.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Here's Tricia.
Speaker 7 (26:35):
Hi, Michael, this is Tricia. Oh my gosh, you are
going to love Catalina Island.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
Yea.
Speaker 7 (26:40):
You have to rent the golf carts and you go
all the way around the island on the golf carts
and that's really, really, really fun. And also, did you
know that Marilyn Monroe lived there when she was very
young and before she was famous. She actually used to
work at the candy store there on Catalina Island and
she lived in a little house not far from there.
(27:02):
Enjoy your time, and.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Thank you so much, Tricia. That's great.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Again, it kind of cuts off after thirty seconds. That
wasn't me cutting you off. It's the system. Blame the system.
I love those little kinds of stories because you need
those little reminders sometime about where we live and the
place we have in cultural history. La is just something special.
It's a hot mess right now. It's a disgusting, filthy
(27:28):
mess in many parts of it, certainly where I live.
But man, you just have these little reminders sometimes that
it is still a special place because of what has
happened here before and what can happen here again.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Let's hope that that is true. I got Nadine. It
looks like let's hear from.
Speaker 8 (27:48):
Nadine, Catalina Island about seven times. And I would definitely
recommend staying overnight for the experience of staying on an island. Yeah,
and also the bus tour that wraps around you see
beautiful homes back there, wildlife where the Cubs were playing
one time, owned by mister Wrigley himself. And also the
(28:12):
restaurants are great at the beach. Please stay overnight to
get the true experience.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
And there's a yeah again, this thing cuts off after
thirty seconds. Sorry that it cuts you off. There very
much looking forward to the food. Love the architecture. I
love scrolling Zillow, you know, I love looking at real
estate and fantasizing about where I will eventually purchase a
home in Los Angeles, Greater La Southern California, and I
(28:38):
looked at Catalina Island out of curiosity, like people live there.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
Right, I mean, there's a school there, it's a community.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
There are people who live on Catalina Island, and they've
got some cool looking homes.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
Some of them are old, so it's got that old nineteen.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Twenties style manners to them, but others have the you know,
the island house vibes that you might see in some
of the coastal communities. It looks really, really great. I
won't be staying overnight this time, but it gave me
the idea that if you just need a weekend get away,
you got so many options in southern California. If you
just need to get out of the part of town
you live in, drive an hour, drive an hour, a
(29:13):
couple of hours, and you have that, and it feels
like a completely different world because of I mean, the
geography here is amazing. I've been great. I've been so
blessed to get to be a journalist here. One it's
a crazy city and there's never a shortage of news,
so I love that, especially covering the government. The fires
were terrible in January, but because of where the winds
(29:38):
were picking up and the different parts of the region
that were threatened. I got sent all over the place,
and while this tragedy was going on, I was just
struck by the beauty.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
You know.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
I got to drive the places that I hadn't seen yet,
and Ventura County. I hadn't gone up to Ventura County.
I was like, man, this is nice. I'm mean up
here to cover the wind and the threat of a fire,
and it's of a horrible reason to be here. But
thankfully the fire didn't happen, And you know what's stuck
with me. It's like I got to get there and
spend some time. The week after next, I'm I'm going
up to Carmel to spend four nights. I've never been
(30:12):
there either.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Gorgeous, Like, is it so happy for you? Yes, definitely
do that. I've just say, you know, this place has
driven me crazy.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
So we decided to take some time and after after
my family leaves, the spouse and I we're going to
head up to Carmel for four nights. And I'm not
going to miss a show. You're not getting rid of
me roll. I'll be here for all the saturdays I
want to hear about. Yeah, Monterey I want to see Monterey.
You're gonna drop it to Monterey? Yeah, well we'll stay
our hotels in Carmel. Carmel by the Sea.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
Gorgeous. It's it's got a.
Speaker 9 (30:43):
Gorgeous is it so beautiful? It's one of my favorite places.
I would move there if I could me too.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
H Our news director Jason Cafadonio has been sending me
a lot of He's very jealous because he loves it too.
And I mean, I mean, I've never said Carmel to
anyone that hasn't immediately fallen over themselves to tell me how.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Much they love it. It's very cute.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Yeah, we're pumped about that too, So that's next. I'm
glad I didn't mention that at the beginning because I
know I would have gotten even more talkbacks. We were
meaning to get through all of the Catalina ones. Oh
Catalina by the way, ziplining, That's what I did.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
It's so far. I've always wanted a zip line.
Speaker 4 (31:13):
Is it?
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Is it for grown ups?
Speaker 6 (31:14):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (31:15):
I went with like five friends. Are you the epitome
of maturity?
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Though?
Speaker 3 (31:19):
I'm so mature? I was like, does it take you
through trees? Or is it along the water. What.
Speaker 9 (31:26):
Uh, well, we hiked pretty far up. I think there
might be more than one place oh to do it,
but I recommend and go hiking.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
I'm Exciteduffalo or whatever they're called. Yeah, isn't this.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Also where the deer were last year where they were like,
we want to send some helicopters up and to shoot
the deer.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
I shouldn't have said that.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I'm a journalist and I shouldn't speculate like, but I mean,
I'm serious though, I mean that was somewhere and I
thought it was like in Janis Hahn's supervisorial district supervisor
Jannas Hahn, and I know she represents that area. I
feel like there was a proposal to take helicopters up
into the air and to diminish the deer population.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
And am I wrong?
Speaker 3 (32:01):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
We're out of time, and I did promise this story
before we do. There is a transit option here in
Los Angeles that's raising its price and it is the
Angel the Angels Flight in my neck of the woods,
downtown LA. It's gonna go from one dollar to a
dollar fifty starting June first, So that is next Sunday,
(32:26):
next Sunday. Pull up the calendar here, Yeah, it is
next Sunday that the one way ticket on the Angels
flight is going to a dollar fifty to keep cost
with to keep up with the cost of insurance, maintenance
and the workers who are there. I think you get
to pay with your Metro card. You are if you've
already got one in your pocket, and it's like half
that though, so if you're not a Metro Tap card holder,
(32:49):
it will cost an extra fifty cents, But if you
got your Metro card, it looks like seventy five cents
one way Angels flight going up.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
Love that thing. It's not just for tourist. I mean
it really does serve a purpose.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
That's up steep, flind of steps to get from Grand
Central Market up to where all of those offices are. Anyway,
if you are on Catalina Island, just say hi on Tuesday.
I'll be the one grateful for a day off in
the middle of the week. I won't be very hard
to recognize at all, and I'll probably have my Kfi
backpack with me. I'll look forward to seeing your island.
(33:22):
Thanks to everybody who listened and gave all of those
great tips, if you missed any part of today's show.
We did cover a lot of news in these two hours,
including a deep dive into what La City Hall did
with its budget. WISH council members are happy about it,
WISH ones are not happy about it, and some comments
from folks who listen to us how they feel about
it too. You can go to the iHeartRadio app and
pull up Michael Monks Reports. We will have that as
(33:44):
soon as this show ends. It should be available online.
Listen to it at your leisure. Thanks again for spending
time with us. Raoul Cortes on the board. Thank you,
Brigitia de Gastino in the news booth. Always a pleasure
working with you, and it's always a pleasure delivering the news.
Catch me Monday through Friday this week, Wednesday through Friday
this week giving you the news here on KFI. We'll
be back again next Saturday for another edition of Michael
(34:06):
Monks Reports on kf I AM six
Speaker 1 (34:08):
Forty, KFI 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.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
This is Michael Monks Reports.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Michael Monks from KFI News with you till nine
o'clock tonight, jamming to a little yacht rock here on
the unofficial start of summer Memorial Day weekend?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Is that Steely Dan? Yeah, I'm getting good at naming
these yacht rock songs. Sweet things from Boston.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
So young.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
You can smell the salt in the air even in this.
Speaker 5 (00:34):
Studio where they.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
All right, that's enough, let's get on with the show.
If you missed our last hour, be sure to check
out the podcast version. We did a deep dive into
what the city budget does, what it doesn't do, and
how some members of the city council think it's a
good direction the city is now moving in, but some
think it's terrible, including the council member from the Pacific Palisades,
(01:05):
which suffered greatly during the fires in January.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
So be sure to check that on. Check that out
on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
It we'll post after this broadcast ends at nine o'clock.
I'm also taking your advice on what to do on
Catalina Island heading over there Tuesday. Lived in LA for
a couple of years now, almost two and a half years,
and I'm gonna try some new adventures. I've spent too
much time downtown. It's driving me crazy. I got to
get out, So finally going to go over to Catalina Island.
(01:33):
And if you have tips tricks on how to get
over there efficiently, quietly, uneventfully, and what to do once
you're there, open up that iHeartRadio app, click on the
talkback button, let us know, and please feel free to
weigh in on any of the.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Topics we've covered so far and the ones we're about
to cover this hour, including this.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
The same city council that approved that thirteen point nine
billion dollar budget, which cuts down on the number of
police hires, cuts down on the number of new positions
in the La Fire Department, in the same city council
that is asking its unions to hold off on some
raises that they're due and promised, voted the next day
(02:13):
to mandate that hotels and airport workers be paid thirty
dollars an hour minimum wage by twenty twenty eight. Those
raises start almost immediately. It will start in July when
the minimum wage for some hotel workers at hotels with
sixty rooms or more and those workers at the concessionaires
in the airport lax. They start making twenty two to
(02:37):
fifty minimum wage in July, and then every year it
will go up two dollars and fifty cents until it
hits thirty dollars an hour in twenty twenty eight. Now
you heard from unions and worker groups that they deserve
(02:57):
more money. The Olympics are coming, big events, coming, World Cup,
all that. We're your guys, we're your gals. We're the
ones who will be dealing with these visitors. We're going
to face the brunt of this. We deserve more money.
But at the same time, right now, the economy in
LA is not great, especially the tourism economy. Back in April,
(03:22):
Visit California reported statewide travel had dropped by eight point
eight percent in February twelve point one percent. In March,
air travel had dropped to California from Canada by more
than fifteen percent, from Mexico by more than twenty four percent,
and from the UK by more than twenty two percent.
The LA tourism and Convention Bureau has anticipated year over
(03:44):
year reductions and total international visitors to Los Angeles between
twenty five and thirty percent. And the guy who runs
the LAX board, he told City Council, Look, we can't
take a position on this vote. That's not our role,
(04:04):
that's not what we do. I can only relate to
you what our businesses are telling us, and that is
we do not have the customer base right now to
support this. In other words, if this goes through, these
businesses may close. This council also heard from many small
(04:27):
hotel operators who said, we can't afford this. Are you crazy?
Thirty dollars an hour. We're just a little hotel. We
don't have a restaurant, we don't have entertainment. We're just
a place where people crash before they go out and
see what else La has to offer. How are we
supposed to afford this? We will not be able to
(04:48):
afford this. The council did it a lot of advocacy
from Unite Here Local eleven. The co president of that union,
Kurt Peterson, told the City council city leaders have an
opportunity to ensure the Olympic and Paralympic games benefit hard
working Angelinos and this ordinance does just that. But the
(05:14):
CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Rosanna Mayetta, said,
hotel employees in Los Angeles are paid the highest wages
in the country, but right now their jobs are at risk.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
City leaders. This was before the vote.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
City leaders are considering a damaging proposal that will jeopardize
these jobs. It would devastate much needed tourism related to
tax revenue, and lead to the closure of hotels that
are desperately needed to successfully host the twenty twenty six
World Cup, the twenty twenty seven Super Bowl, and the
twenty twenty eight Olympics, all those major events coming to
Los Angeles, and we already know the city is facing
(05:52):
not just one crisis, not just two crises, many mini crises.
It's a bit of a hot mess. And now this
may be a crisis of its own making. Also because
already the big hotels are starting to flex. You see,
these Olympics have a local organizing committee, it's called LA
(06:15):
twenty eight, and they had reached an agreement with some
of the large hotels, especially around the airport, for a
block of rooms for when the Olympics start, and that
raid is already locked in. But now these hotels, these
larger hotels, not the small mom and pop people who
are also aggravated and very concerned about this. These larger
(06:37):
hotel operators with some very famous brand names, said this
has changed everything because when we agreed to these rates,
we were paying our workers a certain level. And now
by the time these games come, they will be making
at least eight dollars more an hour. Oh and by
(06:59):
the way, this includes magnificant contributions to healthcare.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
And if you're a worker and you think, yeah, let's.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Workers should be making more, give your workers healthcare. And
if you're an owner, you're thinking, I don't know that
I can afford this. It's such a tough tough city
to live in. But eight of these hotels say they
will back out of that room block agreement because this
measure has passed. That includes discounted rates for Olympic officials, sponsors,
(07:29):
and even media at these hotels. These include the Hilton,
Hotel Angelino, Hotel Perla, Hollywood, Roosevelt. They say these labor
costs are financially unfeasible. That will be something to follow
next week. If we hear more from those hotels because
(07:52):
this minimal wage officially was approved on Friday. Whistleblow have
said the leader of the LA Homeless Services Authority has
engaged in improper behavior. We'll have that for you next here.
As Michael Monks Reports continues.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
KFI 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 on this Saturday night.
Good Memorial Day weekend to you. Hope you're spending some
time with family. Also, hope you take a moment to
think about what this weekend is really about. But we
(08:38):
do get an extended weekend and you are allowed to
enjoy that, and I hope that you are able to.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
I have have some news in my hand.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a
wind blown to dust advisory in the Coachella Valley. It
started at three o'clock this afternoon. It's going to be an
effect until five o'clock Monday morning because of gusty wins
expected to elevate the levels of particle pollution. And they
say that will result in an air quality index and
the unhealthy category or higher. Some of those communities include
(09:08):
Idle Wild Desert, Hot Springs, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Indio, Lacinta,
and Coachella. Gust of sixty miles per hour expected, so
be careful out in that area. I've also asked for
your advice, your feedback on Catalina Island. Lived in LA
for a little more than two years, maybe almost two
and a half years now, and I gotta make some
(09:30):
more adventures because I'm stuck downtown too often and I
lose my mind down there. It's either burbank or downtown.
I got to see more. And we're heading out to
Catalina Island on Tuesday with some family that's coming to
visit from Kentucky and we're looking forward to it. And
so far you guys have been great in telling us
how to get there, the best ways to travel, and
what to do once we're there.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Let's hear from Leicester.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
Hey, this message is for Michael Monks. Catalina sounds like
a great opportunity. Go check it out. The Catalina Flyer
is the I believe the name of the boat or
the thing that takes you out and over there. Everybody says,
take that because you don't want to spend all your
days sitting there on a boat.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (10:08):
But hey, the other thing is, you know, people go
scuba diving and whatnot. We're not going to have a
problem with you, you said. However, I believe I remember hearing
something about toxic waste being dumped on underwater and barrels or.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Well, that was starting to get kind of scary. I
already said I was terrified to go snorkeling because I
don't do well in natural water.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
For whatever reason.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
I'm just wired differently, and it's just it's my terror
as the thought of falling into the ocean a lake,
it doesn't matter. It's not just like, oh there's sharks
in there. I don't know what it is. It's something
about the vastness of the water that just that is
my kryptonite. Of course, I've got a few more weaknesses,
but that is the big one, is open natural water.
I was a lifeguard. You know, I can swim, but
(10:52):
something about the natural water. But Lester, I'm sorry that
cuts off. The talkbacks stop at thirty seconds. We should
have some time if you want to file and expand
upon that. Let's also hear from Hillary.
Speaker 6 (11:05):
Michael. In order for you to get in the mood
for this Catalina trip, I think Raoul needs to play
for you the Four Tops and their song Santa Catalina.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Ooh, Hillary, thank you for the tip, DJ Raoul.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Let's hear it the Four Preps. This is romance.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Romance, Okay, I mean I like it.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
I think that's all.
Speaker 7 (11:56):
It seems.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
All right, Maybe we'll close the show with that.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Let's revisit that, because that just that hearkens to a
time in southern California where it was clean and breezy
and the dream, the American dream, and we are not
living that in southern California now. So let me jerk
this one hundred and eighty degrees the other way and
remind you of the homeless crisis that we're facing and
the billions we've thrown at it and little to no
(12:20):
results really to show for it. Obviously, some people have
gone home, gotten homes, or they've been placed in motels,
and good for them. I know we all still have
our humanity. I know we all still want to see
anybody who is salvagea will be saved.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
But man, we have spent billions and not enough people
are off the streets.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
And there is an organization, the LA Homeless Services Authority,
goodness knows, we talk about them a lot on KFI.
It looks like they're just about done for the County
and the city formed this agency together to address the
homeless crisis years and years ago, but it's just not
been successful, and it's been particularly poor at accounting. Billions
(13:03):
of dollars go through this agency and all you have
to do is drive in any direction to see that
it is not working. So the county decides to leave LASA.
The city is sticking around with its thumb up its rear,
not sure what to do next. But the CEO of
LASA has decided to resign. Obviously, it's not the same
(13:24):
organization without the county. This thing really doesn't exist at
all the way that it had been. But they've had
some problems inside LASA. Two employees who were fired by
that organization received eight hundred thousand dollars in legal settlements,
(13:44):
and they had accused the CEO, Belicia Adams Kellum, of
hiring cronies, destroying records, and being really drunk at a conference.
The La Times report sorts this is by Doug Smith
and David Zoneiser. There was a trip to Washington, d C.
(14:11):
Involving Alicia adams Kellum, who had become so inebriated that
she got a lap dance from a female consultant that
she had just hired to work for LASA. That's just
one of the accusations. Now LASA denies this. Strenuously denied
(14:36):
these allegations, and Adams Kellum was interviewed by The La
Times on Wednesday, and she defended the staffers who were
hired during her tenure. She says they were highly qualified,
but she did not provide specifics on the two termination cases.
She says, I came to LASSA to try to make
it better and not to make excuses and put it
on a path to improvement. Hard decisions had to be made,
(14:58):
changes had to be pursued. Now, there was a request
by these two employees for a settlement of three and
a half million dollars and got this down. But in
addition to spending all that money on ineffective homeless programs,
you're Russell paying to settle lawsuits with angry employees. Losses
(15:21):
Board approve the claims and March agreeing to pay four
hundred and fifty thousand dollars to one of the folks
and three hundred and fifty thousand dollars to another. They
paid two hundred thousand dollars of the settlement, with the
insurance covering the remainder of that. What a mess of
an organization that is, and it is finally clearly coming
to an end as we have known it. Felicia Adams
(15:42):
Kellum has already offered her resignation. She is stepping down
at sometime soon, and the county is standing up its
own internal homeless department and we will have to see
how that plays out. We'll turn our attention to Metro next.
They approved a nine point four billion dollar budget. They
promised to make a cleaner, safer system. That's next on
Michael Monks Reports.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand, KFI.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. This
is Michael Monk's Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
That song you just heard is Avalon by Lionel Hampton.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Is that right? Is it Lionel Hampton that we're hearing
This version is Lionel Hampton and Buddy Rich.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Thank you Raoul DJ Raoul in the house tonight. We
got this recommendation from James on the talkback thinks James, So,
I guess there's a few songs about Catalina Island. Avalon
obviously a city on Catalina Island, the main big city
there on Catalina Island. So we've got a couple songs
to add to the playlist while I head there Tuesday.
(16:46):
If you're just joining us, I'm going to Catalina Island
for the first time on Tuesday when my family visits
from Kentucky. And I've lived in LA for two and
a half years almost and I've just not done enough.
And so this fan only visit has given me, you know,
a reason to let's just go, let's do something. I'm
taking the day off, We're going to Catalina Island. I'm
(17:08):
not watching any c council meetings. We're gonna relax and
spend the day on Catalina Island. And all of our
listeners have been so great sending us these tips on
what to do while we're there, the best way to
get there, the fastest way to get there, and we'll
have another segment coming up before the show ends. So
you got some time, you get your tips in. We
love them. Open up the iHeartRadio app and click on
(17:31):
that talkback button.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Avalon.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Great little jam there, But back here in reality, the
news is not always rosy. In fact, it was downright
tragic today in Long Beach, a twenty one year old
driver was killed in a crash involving another vehicle and
a metro train in Long Beach. Officers were called just
before midnight last night Twelfth Street and Long Beach Boulevard.
(17:58):
Police said twenty one year old woman from Compton was
speeding on the southbound side of Long Beach Boulevard in
an Infinity Q fifty s without her headlights on when
a twenty nineteen Honda Accord driven by a twenty nine
year old man made a southbound turn from Anaheim Street
to Long Beach Boulevard in front of that Infinity. The
(18:18):
Accord swerved out of the way to avoid being rear ended,
and it hit a guard rail while the Infinity swerved,
lost control and hit the metro train. Paramedics rushed that
woman to a hospital and she died from her injuries.
The driver of the accord stayed at the scene and
has cooperated. Police so far say speed and impaired driving
(18:39):
or being investigated as potential factors in this collision. Regarding
the driver of the Infinity, no injuries reported on board
that train, And just today, a man was hospitalized in
critical condition after being struck by a Metro Blue Line
train in the historic South Central area of La The man,
who's believed to be about thirty years old, was hit
(19:00):
by this train just a few hours ago, five forty
one this afternoon on East Washington Boulevard. No, they say
it was unclear why he was on the tracks. No
injuries on that train either, But that would be the
same train, I think the same train line anyway, it's
the Blue Line, which is actually an an accurate way
(19:20):
to refer to this. It's the A Line now, it's
the A Line that runs all the way to Long
Beach and to Azusa.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Meanwhile, La Metro.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Has doubled down on safety as part of its nine
point four billion dollars spending plan for the new fiscal year.
That's right, the City of Los Angeles approved it's thirteen
point nine billion dollar budget. La Metro has a budget
of nine point four billion dollars. And I get to
sit through all of these meetings on your behalf because
I care and I love to give you the news
(19:51):
here at KFI. And what I found interesting about the
LA Metro board meeting as they were going through this budget,
it seems like a group that is approaching reality. They're
not there, but they're getting closer to understanding what writers
(20:12):
like me and you experience. They won't change the way
they use language. They still talk in very activist oriented ways,
terms that you would never use in everyday conversation. When
you talk about how you should handle somebody having a
mental episode on the train, they use terms like care first,
(20:33):
you just want the guy off the train right You
want him not to be there in the first place.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
This is a system. The reason one of the main
reasons I decided.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
To live in downtown Los Angeles when I moved here
is because I didn't have a car, and that was deliberate.
And I know LA is known for car culture, but
I have visited here so many times and use the
Metro to get around. I had never lived in a
city that had this kind of transit before. I was
looking forward to using it, and I used it a lot,
and in fact, I had used it often to come
(21:03):
to Burbank here at the studio do the news. But
it's troubled, and the trouble got so bad last year
that Metro had to call in more dogs, more security,
more police, and what they called a surge after murders
on the trains of innocent people. This budget boosts the
(21:27):
amount that they're spending on public safety, and that is
as they prepare to create their own internal police force.
Now that police force is not going to be ready
until twenty twenty nine, so after the Olympics have come
and gone, we will not have a Metro Police department.
(21:49):
They've hired their chief, but we don't have the department yet.
They won't be here for the Olympics. We'll still have
to rely on the LAPD, the Sheriff's Department, and I
think Long Beach Police is kind of done doing it.
They said they were, but it's those three agencies that
currently provide law enforcement services aboard Metro trains and buses.
They have invested more in safety, they say. They've also
(22:14):
decided to invest more in cleanliness, because this is another issue,
the smell of the trains, the condition of the stations,
the buses. It's not great, so they have decided to
put another ten million dollars towards cleaning, and part of
that ten million dollars includes toilets. There are no bathrooms
(22:41):
really because they're can't be for obvious reasons guests who
would be using them and living in them. But these
will be sort of not potties, I forget how they
describe them, but it's some type of special toilet that
(23:01):
can be placed there and secured and will be kept
clean that you will be able to use so you
can pee or worse before you get on one of
these trains. And that is what Metro's board has promised.
The other thing, in addition to safety and cleanliness, the
(23:23):
other thing that Metro says it's going to do is
continue to spend on getting bigger. On paper, it's already
a good looking system. If you ask me, you can
get to a lot of important places just on the
trains alone and maybe one or two buses to go
even farther. I know, when I go to Catalina Island
(23:47):
on Tuesday, I'm probably going to take the Metro A
line catch it at the Seventh Street Metro station. And
get off and downtown Long Beach and find the ferry.
But hopefully we'll get to ride in more places very
(24:08):
very soon. The Lax Metro Transit Center is very close
to open. This is a station hub at Aviation Boulevard
in ninety sixth Street on the K Line. They've got
two hundred and sixty seven point seven million dollars set
asign for the future East San Fernando Valley light rail system,
three hundred and sixteen million dollars for the Southeast Gateway line,
(24:32):
and almost eight hundred million dollars for the D Line
West Side Extension project. That's an important one too, because
right now you can take the D Line it used
to be the Purple Line from Union Station to Koreatown,
a fine destination.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
That line is shut down currently.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
It will be shut down until July because they are
opening the next few stops.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
It's going to be.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Going farther into the West Side and then eventually all
the way to Westwood. It's an expensive project, but it's
it's gonna be a good looking line when that's finished.
Right now, it's a pretty short line. Love going to
Koreatown on it, but it'll be nice to be able
to go all the way to Westwood. There is a
metro service, or I should say a transit, a piece
(25:18):
of transportation, an iconic piece of transportation here in Los
Angeles whose prices are going up next weekend.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
We'll tell you about that next. As Michael Monks Reports continues.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI News.
We've got a few more minutes together on this Saturday
night in burb Bank, Memorial Day weekend in southern California.
I hope you have some time to enjoy it, but
also to remember why we have this weekend in the
(25:54):
first place. You'll have been great to me today as
I've asked for some tips and advice on what to do,
how to do, where to do Catalina Island. Two and
a half years in Los Angeles, now just about and
finally deciding I got to get out and explore more.
I'm downtown too much. It's downtown or Burbank just about
every single day, and that's it. We got to expand
(26:17):
the horizon. So my family's coming to visit from Kentucky
and we're going to go to Catalina Island on Tuesday.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
I'm taking the day off. You're not going to catch
me at city Hall.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
I'm not going to watch a single minute of those
council meetings, I promise, And you all have come through
with some great tips on what to do.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Here's Tricia.
Speaker 7 (26:35):
Hi, Michael, this is Tricia. Oh my gosh, you are
going to love Catalina Island.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
Yea.
Speaker 7 (26:40):
You have to rent the golf carts and you go
all the way around the island on the golf carts
and that's really, really, really fun. And also, did you
know that Marilyn Monroe lived there when she was very
young and before she was famous. She actually used to
work at the candy store there on Catalina Island and
she lived in a little house not far from there.
(27:02):
Enjoy your time, and.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Thank you so much, Tricia. That's great.
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Again, it kind of cuts off after thirty seconds. That
wasn't me cutting you off. It's the system. Blame the system.
I love those little kinds of stories because you need
those little reminders sometime about where we live and the
place we have in cultural history. La is just something special.
It's a hot mess right now. It's a disgusting, filthy
(27:28):
mess in many parts of it, certainly where I live.
But man, you just have these little reminders sometimes that
it is still a special place because of what has
happened here before and what can happen here again.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Let's hope that that is true. I got Nadine. It
looks like let's hear from.
Speaker 8 (27:48):
Nadine, Catalina Island about seven times. And I would definitely
recommend staying overnight for the experience of staying on an island. Yeah,
and also the bus tour that wraps around you see
beautiful homes back there, wildlife where the Cubs were playing
one time, owned by mister Wrigley himself. And also the
(28:12):
restaurants are great at the beach. Please stay overnight to
get the true experience.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
And there's a yeah again, this thing cuts off after
thirty seconds. Sorry that it cuts you off. There very
much looking forward to the food. Love the architecture. I
love scrolling Zillow, you know, I love looking at real
estate and fantasizing about where I will eventually purchase a
home in Los Angeles, Greater La Southern California, and I
(28:38):
looked at Catalina Island out of curiosity, like people live there.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
Right, I mean, there's a school there, it's a community.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
There are people who live on Catalina Island, and they've
got some cool looking homes.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
Some of them are old, so it's got that old nineteen.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Twenties style manners to them, but others have the you know,
the island house vibes that you might see in some
of the coastal communities. It looks really, really great. I
won't be staying overnight this time, but it gave me
the idea that if you just need a weekend get away,
you got so many options in southern California. If you
just need to get out of the part of town
you live in, drive an hour, drive an hour, a
(29:13):
couple of hours, and you have that, and it feels
like a completely different world because of I mean, the
geography here is amazing. I've been great. I've been so
blessed to get to be a journalist here. One it's
a crazy city and there's never a shortage of news,
so I love that, especially covering the government. The fires
were terrible in January, but because of where the winds
(29:38):
were picking up and the different parts of the region
that were threatened. I got sent all over the place,
and while this tragedy was going on, I was just
struck by the beauty.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
You know.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
I got to drive the places that I hadn't seen yet,
and Ventura County. I hadn't gone up to Ventura County.
I was like, man, this is nice. I'm mean up
here to cover the wind and the threat of a fire,
and it's of a horrible reason to be here. But
thankfully the fire didn't happen, And you know what's stuck
with me. It's like I got to get there and
spend some time. The week after next, I'm I'm going
up to Carmel to spend four nights. I've never been
(30:12):
there either.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
Gorgeous, Like, is it so happy for you? Yes, definitely
do that. I've just say, you know, this place has
driven me crazy.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
So we decided to take some time and after after
my family leaves, the spouse and I we're going to
head up to Carmel for four nights. And I'm not
going to miss a show. You're not getting rid of
me roll. I'll be here for all the saturdays I
want to hear about. Yeah, Monterey I want to see Monterey.
You're gonna drop it to Monterey? Yeah, well we'll stay
our hotels in Carmel. Carmel by the Sea.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
Gorgeous. It's it's got a.
Speaker 9 (30:43):
Gorgeous is it so beautiful? It's one of my favorite places.
I would move there if I could me too.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
H Our news director Jason Cafadonio has been sending me
a lot of He's very jealous because he loves it too.
And I mean, I mean, I've never said Carmel to
anyone that hasn't immediately fallen over themselves to tell me how.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
Much they love it. It's very cute.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
Yeah, we're pumped about that too, So that's next. I'm
glad I didn't mention that at the beginning because I
know I would have gotten even more talkbacks. We were
meaning to get through all of the Catalina ones. Oh
Catalina by the way, ziplining, That's what I did.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
It's so far. I've always wanted a zip line.
Speaker 4 (31:13):
Is it?
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Is it for grown ups?
Speaker 6 (31:14):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (31:15):
I went with like five friends. Are you the epitome
of maturity?
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Though?
Speaker 3 (31:19):
I'm so mature? I was like, does it take you
through trees? Or is it along the water. What.
Speaker 9 (31:26):
Uh, well, we hiked pretty far up. I think there
might be more than one place oh to do it,
but I recommend and go hiking.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
I'm Exciteduffalo or whatever they're called. Yeah, isn't this.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Also where the deer were last year where they were like,
we want to send some helicopters up and to shoot
the deer.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
I shouldn't have said that.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I'm a journalist and I shouldn't speculate like, but I mean,
I'm serious though, I mean that was somewhere and I
thought it was like in Janis Hahn's supervisorial district supervisor
Jannas Hahn, and I know she represents that area. I
feel like there was a proposal to take helicopters up
into the air and to diminish the deer population.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
And am I wrong?
Speaker 3 (32:01):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
We're out of time, and I did promise this story
before we do. There is a transit option here in
Los Angeles that's raising its price and it is the
Angel the Angels Flight in my neck of the woods,
downtown LA. It's gonna go from one dollar to a
dollar fifty starting June first, So that is next Sunday,
(32:26):
next Sunday. Pull up the calendar here, Yeah, it is
next Sunday that the one way ticket on the Angels
flight is going to a dollar fifty to keep cost
with to keep up with the cost of insurance, maintenance
and the workers who are there. I think you get
to pay with your Metro card. You are if you've
already got one in your pocket, and it's like half
that though, so if you're not a Metro Tap card holder,
(32:49):
it will cost an extra fifty cents, But if you
got your Metro card, it looks like seventy five cents
one way Angels flight going up.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
Love that thing. It's not just for tourist. I mean
it really does serve a purpose.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
That's up steep, flind of steps to get from Grand
Central Market up to where all of those offices are. Anyway,
if you are on Catalina Island, just say hi on Tuesday.
I'll be the one grateful for a day off in
the middle of the week. I won't be very hard
to recognize at all, and I'll probably have my Kfi
backpack with me. I'll look forward to seeing your island.
(33:22):
Thanks to everybody who listened and gave all of those
great tips, if you missed any part of today's show.
We did cover a lot of news in these two hours,
including a deep dive into what La City Hall did
with its budget. WISH council members are happy about it,
WISH ones are not happy about it, and some comments
from folks who listen to us how they feel about
it too. You can go to the iHeartRadio app and
pull up Michael Monks Reports. We will have that as
(33:44):
soon as this show ends. It should be available online.
Listen to it at your leisure. Thanks again for spending
time with us. Raoul Cortes on the board. Thank you,
Brigitia de Gastino in the news booth. Always a pleasure
working with you, and it's always a pleasure delivering the news.
Catch me Monday through Friday this week, Wednesday through Friday
this week giving you the news here on KFI. We'll
be back again next Saturday for another edition of Michael
(34:06):
Monks Reports on kf I AM six
Speaker 1 (34:08):
Forty, KFI AM six forty on demand
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