Prosecutors will not file criminal charges against 2 people at center of Los Angeles racism scandal
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office said Tuesday that it does not plan to file criminal charges against two people who were investigated in connection with the unlawful recording of a racist conversation that rocked City Hall and prompted the city council president to resign after the audio was leaked in 2022.
The local prosecutors declined to file misdemeanors against the two people, a married couple, just months after the district attorney’s office announced that it would not pursue any felony charges against them. Both suspects previously worked at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and lived at a home that investigators traced to social media posts highlighting the controversial recording. Prosecutors could not meet the burden of proof for a case, even though the district attorney’s office, in a charge-evaluation worksheet, said “the evidence indicates that a crime was committed by one or both of these individuals.” Under California law, all parties must consent to the recording of a private conversation or phone call, otherwise the person who made the recording could face criminal and civil penalties. The state’s wiretapping statutes are among the strongest in the nation and allow the “injured party” — the person being recorded without their permission — to sue. Today on AirTalk, we talk with LAist Civics and Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze and criminal law specialist and former L.A. County public defender Lou Shapiro.
With files from the Associated Press.
How has grading inflation impacted student success and college readiness?
When it comes to college applications and readiness, tests like the ACT have been often used as an indicator for K-12 students across the country gauging their academic levels. Although it has been disputed how heavily exams should be weighed for college admissions, the break from college readiness and ACT test scores have become more complicated to predict according to data released last month. Although ACT’s predictivity for college grade point averages has held, high school GPAs have become less predictive of higher education outcomes. With students having less of a grasp of the high school to college transition, does that mean that grade inflation is hurting their need for gauging preparation? Joining us to help break this all down is Reason assistant editor Emma Camp and Jamie Moynihan, Managing Director of AcceptU.
Director Carl Franklin's journey from underappreciated films to prominent TV, and getting back to his passion
Carl Franklin started out as a TV actor before his breakout directorial feature, One False Move, released in 1992. He then went on to write and direct the 1995 Los Angeles-set neo noir Devil in a Blue Dress, which critics agreed – although still an award-winning film – should have gotten more buzz than it did. Two of Franklin’s most recent television projects from creator Ryan Murphy include Gladiator: The Aaron Hernandez Story on FX & Netflix’s Monster: The Menendez Brothers. Franklin joins Larry to discuss his decades in the industry, the challenges in getting studios to take risks on creative projects, and taking on new passion projects himself.
AirTalk’s Ballot Cram Session - A Voter Game Plan Event
Election day is just around the corner, with vote-by-mail ballots on the way to homes next month. We know it’s not always easy to navigate these propositions on your own. The good news is there’s still time to study up. Get your notepads and pencils ready — it’s time for a one-hour cram session. Larry Mantle and a panel of expert guests walk you through the basics of all of the state-wide props: what they are, the pros and cons, and what’s at stake. They’ll also tackle the proposal to expand the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from five members to nine. Bookmark LAist’s Voter Game Plan: Everything you need as you prep for the November 5 General Election — study our interactive voter guides and ask questions.
