Which Way, L.A.?

Parents and teachers can't say they were not warned, but the first results from Common Core testing, released today, are still disappointing. A majority of the kids in California's public schools are not performing up to grade level. Poor, minority children do worse than whites and Asians, and the gap has widened.

Can California cut gasoline usage in half in just 15 years? That's the goal of SB 350, a greenhouse gas reduction measure that easily passed the State Senate early this year. Then the oil companies came after it with a vengeance — including a massive TV campaign. Now it's in trouble in the Assembly. Would it really limit how much you can drive your car? Would you be penalized for driving too often? 

Twenty percent of LA families spend more than half their income on rent. The scarcity of affordable housing makes it hard to live near your work. Now, some big employers are playing with solutions. And Mayor Eric Garcetti wants to see more of that. Tonight we’ll hear about an unlikely partnership between a developer and LA unified school district ‐‐ building apartments for its workers and other city residents.

Roughly 1100 miles of levees surround the San Joaquin Delta, holding back water from farmland and homes in part of the Central Valley. Some were built one hundred years ago; many aren't up to code. Engineers are worried an earthquake or strong El Niño storm could damage the levees and cause Katrina­like flooding. And drinking water for Californians could be at risk.

Ending years of litigation, today the California prison system is significantly changing the way it handles solitary confinement, and will likely move thousands of inmates into the general population. The lawsuit was brought by prisoners, mostly gang members and those who committed crimes behind bars, who claimed being held in a small, windowless, soundproof cell for up to 23 hours a day for decades amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.

Mayor Garcetti promised to fight illegal dumping and clean up Los Angeles' dirty streets, but according to a pair of recent media investigations he isn't delivering on that promise in the city's poorest neighborhoods  where sanitation workers reportedly ignore at least 15 percent of all requests to clear abandoned refuse from sidewalks and alleys. What does it take to get clean streets across all of Los Angeles -- not just in Venice and Encino.

When police departments around the country have mandated body cameras, both uses of force by officers and public complaints have often dropped dramatically. Starting Monday, the LAPD will issue 860 body cams — the first of a planned 7000.  But, even though the Police Commission, the police department and the police union agree they’re a good idea, many questions remain.  

At California's colleges and universities, incoming freshmen go to orientation sessions that deal with potential hazards, including earthquakes, fires and gunmen on the loose. This year, a new state law requires instruction about another peril of modern campus life: sexual assault.

Dov Charney demonstrated that clothes "Made in America" could be hip and trendy at the same time making big money. His largely immigrant workforce worked in "no-sweatshop conditions" in downtown LA. When the magic ended is a matter of legal dispute, but less than a year since Charney was fired for alleged sexual harassment, American Apparel now says bankruptcy may be near. What's at stake for the garment industry in Southern California?

Farmers in the Central Valley are pumping so much underground water that roads and canals are cracking and bridges may be in danger.  Beneath the surface, natural reservoirs are collapsing, and there'll be no way to restore them, even if the drought should suddenly come to an end. 

Parents who don't want to vaccinate their children admit that can end relationships. But many still want California voters to overturn a new law requiring childhood vaccinations in the interests of public health. We hear from them and update their adventure in politics.

All you need to call Uber, Lyft or other ride-sharing companies is an app on a smartphone. But that doesn’t mean they can pick you up at LA’s International Airport. It’s been the exclusive preserve of traditional taxi-cabs, and they’re not going to give up their turf without political warfare. We’ll hear how a “disruptive technology” has pitted City Council members against Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Forty percent of the nation’s imports arrive at the Ports of LA and Los Angeles.  Goods are then trucked out to the Inland Empire, to be stored in massive warehouses the size of hundreds of football fields.  Local officials have spent public money luring still more so-called logistics centers—despite concerns about traffic congestion, air quality and other problems.

LA County Sheriff’s deputies have smartphones to take photographs that can be checked against mug shot databases using facial recognition technology. But there’s no state law protecting civil rights or privacy. Will pictures be limited only to people arrested? What about legal protesters? How long will the photos be kept in sheriff’s department files? We’ll look for some answers.

There's going to be more congestion during the evening rush hour — especially on the Westside — but that didn't stop the LA City Council from endorsing what's called "Mobility Plan 2035."  That's the year when hundreds of miles of new bike and bus lanes are scheduled to be completed — in the interests of the environment, public transit and pedestrian safety.