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Local beautician organizes 'mega' job fairs

05/18/2009

A press conference will kick off a week-long event today featuring job fairs at four different Los Angeles community colleges. As KPCC's Debra Baer tells us, the "Operation Confidence Mega Job Fair" is unique because of its backstory and grassroots organizer.

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Southern California to host biggest earthquake drill in US history

11/10/2008

Drop, cover, and hold on: by the end of this week, those words may stick in everyone's minds. KPCC's Debra Baer says the Southland is getting ready to stage the biggest earthquake preparedness exercise in U.S. history.

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Health Plan Employee Arrested for Stealing Identities of 1000+ UCI Students

07/11/2008

Local police say authorities in Texas have arrested a man in connection with an identity theft case affecting more than 1,000 students at the University of California, Irvine. More from KPCC's Debra Baer.

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Assembly Speaker Cracks Down on 'Ghost Voting'

06/11/2008

New Assembly Speaker Karen Bass is cracking down on a practice called "ghost voting." That's when an Assembly member casts a vote for a colleague. In some cases, the absent colleague isn't even aware that his or her vote has been cast; and it's not always the vote the absent member would've cast. KPCC Morning Edition host Steve Julian spoke with Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Bass, about the tradition of "ghost voting."

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Location Film and TV Production Down in L.A. Region in 2007

01/25/2008

The number of TV, film, and other entertainment productions shot on location in the Los Angeles region declined last year by one percent. That's not much, but filming in L.A. usually goes up, not down. Runaway production is partly to blame but, perhaps surprisingly, not the writers strike. KPCC's Debra Baer tells us why.

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Economists Differ on Predictions for State Recession

01/22/2008

Everyone knows the state economy is in trouble; but KPCC's Debra Baer says there's no consensus on whether California already is in a recession or is teetering on the edge of one.

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Effort to Recall Long Beach Judge Fails

11/19/2007

An effort to recall the juvenile court judge who presided over this year's Long Beach Halloween hate crime trial has failed. KPCC's Debra Baer says the organizer gave up even before the deadline to submit signatures.

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Long Beach Water Restrictions Draw Praise and Criticism

10/24/2007

Long Beach recently became the first city in the region to announce mandatory water restrictions in anticipation of a shortage. KPCC's Debra Baer reports the program is generating big water savings and some heat.

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UCI's Chancellor Apologizes for Hiring Controversy

09/21/2007

UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake met with university faculty Thursday and apologized for a chaotic week surrounding the hiring, firing, and rehiring of legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky to head the uinversity's law school.

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UCI Chancellor Defends Decision on Law School Dean

09/14/2007

UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake appeared before faculty members yesterday to explain why he dropped constitutional scholar Irwin Chemerinsky as dean of the university's new law school. Drake withdrew the job offer earlier this week, but the decision has been highly controversial.