Uncommon Conversations With Maryam Zar And John Harlow

Carolyn Said, staff writer for San Francisco Chronicle covering tech - talks to Maryam about the gig economy and the transformation that Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) may bring to the workforce that has fueled start-ups and sustained small businesses for years sfchronicle.com/author/carolyn-said. Elizabrth Eastlund, the Executive Director of Rainbow Services, talks about domestic violence and the programs at Rainbow Services that help re-empower women and men who flee the violence and face homelessness rainbowservicesdv.org/who-we-are Amy Turk, Innovations Officer at Downtown Women's Center talks about female homelessness, its unique circumstances and the programs that help re-empower women to transition out of homelessness Downtown Women's Center – Every woman housed.

Our first guest is the film maker, Janice Engel whose newest documentary is a focus on the life and times of Molly Ivins. Molly was a columnist and political commentator who made waves critiquing politicians and elected officials, with a searing whit and a good natured gfaww that made her uniquely Texan. “Raise Hell” is a remarkably good film about an extraordinary woman, whose life and times are strikingly applicable to today. Watch: youtu.be/7h9U0b8SHlU Nick Melvoin, LAUSD Board VP joins us to talk about guns, vaping, mental health, homelessness, guns and budget. Nick looks back at the good will that was generated after the successful negotiated end to the LA teachers strike in January 2019, and the budgeting windfall from the State that did not happen. Still, the board has made great strides toward improved outcomes, better school safety and a big investment in mental health, with 29 new LAUSD schools having full time health aides now to assist in mental health support. See also: boardmembermelvoin.

We talk to LA City Attorney, Mike Feuer about his Blue Ribbon Panel on school safety - issued a series of recommendations made to LAUSD, including a point person on safety, better metal health resources in schools and ga appropriate response training. We then talk to Max Goldberg and Julia Posin of Steel Straws about climate, politics and the blue, reusable “Trump Sucks” straw. And early up with Professor Mindy Romero of USC, to talk about election trends among people looking to reinforce their own beliefs or change the game, more than learning the depths of policy of thinking ahead for the common good.

Cat Packer, from the LA City Department of Cannabis Regulation (cannabis.lacity.org), joins us to talk about the state of cannabis regulation and the objectives and pitfalls that shape this policy, leading the way for the nation as cannabis becomes legal in more and more states across this land. We also talk to Danielle Matthew, LMFT, about back to school bullying, peer pressure, healthy social relationships with peers and adults, and what we can do as parents to raise empowered kids. See her wisdom at the Empowerment Space (empowerment.space).

Circling the News Sue Pascoe joins us to talk about small town journalism, using the digital medium to put out her content and the importance of real news from the ground in this day of “fake News” being the mantra to discredit anything that politicians and policy makers see as unflattering. We used this Time magazine article as a jumping point: time.com/5475490/writers-truth-democracy-jennifer-egan. We then talk to Michelle Mayans who leads Kids Scoop Media kidscoopmedia.org/about_us, along with one of her young writers who talks about inspiration, social change, gun control and reporting from the White House (Obama & Trump).

Maryam Zar heads down to the US/Mexico border to visit Border Angels (borderangels.org) and stop at a shelter in Tijuana, housing some 330 families with a mobile school bus. She visits a shelter and helps teach an arts and crafts class with the mobile school project. Support them on Go Fund Me (gofundme.com/f/the-mobile-school-project)! Thousands of asylum seekers arrive in Tijuana every day. US Customs and Border Patrol gives them court dates and they await those appearances while in shelters. We talk to the Honorable Ashley Tabaddor, who is the President on the Union of Immigration Judges and is advocating for an independent immigration court, not one that is housed under the DOJ. President trump has moved to decertify the Union (nytimes.com/2019/08/10/us/immigration-judges-union-justice-department.html) Judge Tabaddor talks to Maryam & John about the backlog of immigration cases, and the quotas/expectations placed on immigration judges in today’s landscape. Most of the migrant shelters in Tijuana are ful

Judy Dempsey, Washington Post, DC - on European politics. Lila Seidman, LA Times community news - on fossil fuels. Ross Tieman, Ex-Ft, in France - on trees.