PODCAST · news
Which Way, L.A.?
by KCRW
Award-winning moderator Warren Olney leads lively, thoughtful and provocative discussion on the issues Southern Californians care about.
Episodes
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Which Way, LA? The Question that Won't Go Away
23 years ago, the fires of the Rodney King riots were burning and the sirens wailing when KCRW first asked, WWLA? We've been through fires, floods, earthquakes and massive social, cultural and economic change. While this is the last program titled WWLA? the question still needs to be asked. We…
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Then and Now: Is LA Still the Car Capital of the World?
Urban planners got some bad news today. Ridership on public transit in Southern California is on the decline, despite the billions being spent in recent years to build light rail and subway lines. Why aren't more drivers leaving their cars at home, as traffic gets more congested than ever?...
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Does California Have a Double Standard for the Public's Protection?
Porter Ranch and Vernon are mirror images of each other. In one, schools have been closed and thousands of residents are being moved away by the polluter—just months after a natural gas leak was discovered. In the other, residents complained for years about health risks to school children from...
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Is 'Warfare' a Thing of the Past at the LAPD?
Video of police misconduct wasn’t as common 25 years ago as it is today. The spectacle of LAPD officers beating Rodney King was a wake-up call, but didn’t persuade a jury in Simi Valley. When the cops received not-guilty verdicts, the city exploded. We hear from veteran officers who say they’ve...
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City Hall: Then and Now
In the 23 years Which Way, LA? has been on the air, there have been five mayors of Los Angeles: Tom Bradley, Richard Riordan, James Hahn, Antonio Villaraigosa and Eric Garcetti. Each has served at a different moment in a process of continual change.
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The City of LA Pays Millions to Wrongfully Convicted Men
The City of Los Angeles will pay $24 million for the wrongful murder convictions of two men who spent years of their lives in prison because of proven misconduct by the LAPD. The City Attorney says going to court would cost even more.
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What's Behind the Yosemite Name Changes?
The Ahwahnee Hotel is about to become the Majestic Yosemite; The Wawona will be known as the Big Trees Lodge. Names that go back generations are being changed because of a trademark dispute between the National Park Service and a New York concessionaire that failed to renew its contract. Outraged...
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Race Relations: Then and Now
WWLA? began its 23-year run in the wake of an incident so complex we still haven’t decided what to call it. The Rodney King 'riots?" The "uprising?" The "civil disturbance?" As WWLA? winds down, we look back and measuring what’s changed and what hasn’t. One major component was race relations.…
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Pressure on DA Lacey to File Charges against LAPD Officer
LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey faces no credible challenger yet in this year's bid for re-election, but she is facing increased political pressure. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck wants her to file charges against one of his own officers in a controversial killing — an action he's never taken...
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Los Angeles Gets an NFL Team (or Two)
The NFL says the St. Louis Rams are coming to Inglewood — back to the massive Los Angeles TV market they left 21 years ago. Skeptics say team owners can't be trusted, but boosters insist this time is different. What will it mean for the taxpayers of Inglewood — if it doesn't turn out to be…
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California Case Could Be Labor's "Citizens United"
The California Teachers Association has been called an obstacle to education reform in Sacramento. Now, the US Supreme Court is poised to reduce its power. The case is about union fees and First Amendment rights, but the decision could be a blow to unionized police officers, fire fighters and…
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Did LA Pass Its First Big El Niño Test?
The first of this year's El Niño storms were only a test, and Southern California is braced for another onslaught of mudslides, potholes, flooded freeways and basements and mountains of trash swept out into the ocean. We get updates and look at what's next.
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El Niño Storms Are Finally Arriving, Is Los Angeles Ready?
Mudslides, floods and road-closings have been predicted for weeks — and so has the plight of 29,000 homeless people who sleep on the streets of Los Angeles County. But today, the Civil Grand Jury called preparations "unconscionable and grossly inadequate." We get a response from local officials…
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Good News behind the Rise in Crime
Last year, for the first time in more than a decade, all categories of crime in Los Angeles increased over the year before. Homicides went up by 10% to 280. That's a tragedy for the people directly involved — and for the community. But consider that in 1992 there were almost four times as many...
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Could SoCal Gas Have Prevented the Porter Ranch Gas Leak?
The continuing gas leak that's moving thousands of families out of their homes is an ecological disaster of national proportion. It constitutes 21% of the state's methane emissions and 2.3% of its entire carbon footprint. Now it turns out that Southern California Gas Company removed a safety…
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FAA and Local Authorities Spar over Drone Regulations
New FAA rules might require you to register your drone before you fly it, and there are several regulations here in California about where these airborne overlords can go. But Sacramento and the FAA aren't exactly on the same page. Guest host Barbara Bogaev tries to make sense of the territorial...
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Making Sausage in Sacramento: What to Expect in 2016
The state legislature is in recess now, but come the New Year they'll tackle a raft of big divisive issues, and face-off with Governor Jerry Brown in a new climate of shifting power dynamics. We get a preview of the year ahead and take stock of 2015.
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Keeping Up with the Shell Companies Next Door
"A new generation of hyper-luxury homes with stratospheric price tags is colonizing the most gilded hillsides and canyons of Los Angeles." That's according to the New York Times, in a series about shell companies that hide the real ownership of such properties--not just from celebrity hounds but...
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Kaiser Permanente to Open a Med School
A medical school with a difference is planned for Southern California by Kaiser, the managed care system that runs hospitals and provides health insurance. The goal is hands-on experience for doctors trained to practice in systems of what's called "coordinated care." With the emphasis on new...
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San Diego Goes Big on Tackling Climate Change
At the Climate Change Summit in Paris, the major players insisted that reductions in greenhouse emissions be voluntary. The City of San Diego has taken a big step further. It has established mandatory deadlines — enforceable by law — including 100% renewable energy generation by 2035. Los Angeles...
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Pollution at the Port; Educating Inmates
Ten years ago, the Port of Los Angeles signed a court-ordered agreement to reduce air pollution at a massive new terminal.But Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told the port director to be "flexible," and she was -- and the new rules were not put into effect. Last year, Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed a…
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All LAUSD Schools Closed Due to Terror Threat
Almost 700,000 students in America's second largest school district were told to stay home today -- when almost 1000 schools were closed because of a terrorist threat deemed "credible" by Superintendent Ramon Cortines.
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What to Do about Hollywood's Diversity Problem?
The Directors Guild has taken its first official look at Hollywood and found a bastion of discrimination — especially when it comes to women. In the past two years, 82% of feature films, big and small, were directed by white males — with women in charge just 6% of the time. We hear about efforts…
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Preparing for El Niño
What are predicted to be the strongest El Niño-generated storms on record are only weeks away and FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, says it's time to get ready. Local officials are taking their own measures.
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What the Supreme Court Could Learn from California's Prop 209
Today, the US Supreme Court was asked once again to consider banning affirmative action in admissions to public colleges and universities nationwide. California is already there. It's been a laboratory for eliminating race-based admissions since Prop 209 was passed by the voters in 1996.
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Countering Extremism: Social Media and Surveillance in California
Mass shootings in Paris, Colorado Springs and San Bernardino have generated more pressure than ever on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. They're being asked to monitor messages worldwide, alert federal officials and take threats and hate-speech off line — without becoming agents of government or...
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California Gun Laws Are Strict, but Do They Work?
California has the toughest gun controls in the country. That means universal background checks, waiting periods and handguns that stamp bullet cartridges so law enforcement can identify the weapons that fire them. What the laws don't mean is prevention of mass shootings like last week's massacre...
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San Bernardino Tries to Cope after Tragedy
Yesterday's mass shooting has focused attention on the city of San Bernardino and its struggle with urban decay. The identity of the killers has also cast an unwelcome light on the Muslim community in the Inland Empire.
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San Bernardino Mass Shooting
Fourteen people were shot to death this morning and 17 others were injured at a holiday party for state health workers at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. Three shooters escaped in a black SUV.
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Governor Brown: On His Way to Paris
The Governor of California oversees the world's eighth largest economy, so it makes sense for him to join more than 100 heads of state at the Climate Change Summit.
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Should Kids Be Allowed to Waive Their Right to Remain Silent?
A State Supreme Court majority has refused to review the murder conviction of a 10-year-old boy who confessed to killing his father. Had his young brain developed enough to understand that, before he confessed, he'd waived his Miranda right to remain silent?
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Mass Exodus of LA Journalists
One of America's great newspapers is already a shadow of its former self. The latest buyout of about 80 LA Times veterans is focused on the reporters and editors who have the most experience. We hear what that will mean for news consumers who depend on what's still the biggest news organization…
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Justice Department Asked to Look into OC Jailhouse Informants
Have the Orange County Sheriff and the District Attorney engaged in secret misconduct for 30 years? A group of high-powered lawyers and former prosecutors wants the federal Justice Department to investigate. We hear about the alleged misuse of jailhouse informants and violations of the right to a...
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Santa Monica Policing in the National Spotlight
One of Santa Monica's few black residents has put the city and its police force in the national spotlight. Fay Wells is a college graduate and business professional, whose story went viral. She'll tell us how 19 cops showed up — two with guns drawn — after a white neighbor mistakenly thought she...
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The Long Commute
In the latest installment of KCRW's Below the Ten series, the story of two families that migrated to the Antelope Valley — where housing costs less, but commuting back to the old neighborhood means a long trip home.
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Occidental Protests and Calls for Diversity on College Campuses
Students who've been occupying the administration building at Occidental College moved to the office of President Jonathan Vietch today. He has refused to step down like his counterpart at the University of Missouri. That action a week ago has helped spread protests over racism and the lack of...
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One Small Step toward Housing the Homeless
The LA City Council finally came through today on a promise made eight weeks ago to the homeless — declaring a "shelter crisis." But property owners in Venice are among those angry because of provisions that "decriminalize" homelessness to protect federal funding, and the council still doesn't…
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Paris Attacks Felt in LA
When deadly violence shattered a happy Friday evening in Paris, the pain and sadness struck deep here in Southern California. We talk to a French actress about friends and family in her old neighborhood and to a Muslim-American leader, who feels outrage against the extremists and vulnerability...
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The Future of Daily Fantasy Sports in California
The multi-billion-dollar fantasy sports industry has been advertising big time to counter accusations of insider trading. New York's attorney general has ordered Fan Duel, DraftKings and others to stop what he calls illegal gambling and Nevada already requires a gaming license. What about...
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LA City Council Takes Another Look at Contentious Traffic Plan
The car capital of the world is divided over the automobile versus public transit and bicycle riding. Mobility Plan 2035 would create a big, new network of bus and bicycle lanes—partly by shrinking the lanes now devoted to cars. Will lawsuits derail the project?
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Mystery Missile Launches; California's Changing Coastline
Of the coast of California seems serene and stable, remember tsunamis, landslides and earthquakes. We hear what the geologic past can teach us about the future.
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California Lawmakers' Free Trip to Hawaii
Starting this weekend, 20 members of California's Assembly and Senate are getting five days at a five-star resort in Hawaii — paid for by special interests with legislative business. It's an annual junket. As always, the agenda is secret, but Democrats as well as Republicans are invited, so it's...
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LAUSD and the Search for a New Superintendent
The Superintendent of LA Schools is a powerful figure in a goldfish bowl. Remember John Deasy and the iPad scandal? The new, computerized scheduling system that failed? Child abuse at Miramonte Elementary? The elected school board wants public input on who should be next for the job — but it…
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America's Biggest System of Higher Education Faces a Faculty Strike
Ninety-four percent of the teachers who voted have authorized a walkout at all 23 California State University campuses. Their core demand is a 5% raise; they've been offered 2%. Will the vote mean trouble ahead for educating the state's future workforce?
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New Ways to Rock the Vote?
Democracy in California has become the province of very few people. In fact, as the state has grown larger, the number of those with political power has grown proportionally smaller. It's not the result of a conspiracy but a lack of participation. We hear about efforts to make it easier for...
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The LA Times and "Sponsored Content"
There's supposed to be an unbreachable wall between news stories and advertising, but more and more advertising is designed to look like news. The LA Times is among the financially strapped publications that take money to produce articles that promote special interest groups. They're not written…
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Will a New Pentagon Program Lift the LA Economy?
It's one of the biggest contracts in Pentagon history. Northrup-Grumman has won the right to build 100 new stealth bombers in Palmdale, which is celebrating predictions of thousands of new jobs after years of economic decline.Does that mean a return to the halcyon days of 25 years ago? Does the…
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County Steps in to Speed Exide Clean-up
For 30 years, Exide was allowed to recycle lead batteries in Vernon without a full permit. Thousands of children in surrounding neighborhoods appear to have been exposed to lead poison. Now the state agency that stood by while environmental crimes were committed is accused of being lax about…
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One Year In, Has Prop 47 Made California Less Safe?
Since California voters passed Prop 47 less than a year ago, some crimes are on the increase while arrests are on the decline. Is that a consequence of reducing some non-violent felonies to misdemeanors in order to curb the high cost of over-crowded prisons? Cops and prosecutors are divided.…
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The Homeless and LA's High Cost of Housing
LA's super-high cost of housing is driving low-income families onto the streets -- a major reason that homelessness is on the rise. Tomorrow, LA Supervisors will decide whether low-cost housing should be subsidized to get some people off the streets and protect others from going there.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Award-winning moderator Warren Olney leads lively, thoughtful and provocative discussion on the issues Southern Californians care about.
HOSTED BY
KCRW
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Which Way, L.A.? have?
Which Way, L.A.? currently has 1000 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Which Way, L.A.? about?
Award-winning moderator Warren Olney leads lively, thoughtful and provocative discussion on the issues Southern Californians care about.
How often does Which Way, L.A.? release new episodes?
Which Way, L.A.? releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 1000 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to Which Way, L.A.??
You can listen to Which Way, L.A.? on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Which Way, L.A.??
Which Way, L.A.? is created and hosted by KCRW.
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