KCRW's Which Way, LA?

As Southern California recovers from the Great Recession, the Middle Class is being priced out of the housing market. Are urban centers becoming enclaves of the wealthy?

Latinos have surpassed whites as the state?s largest ethnic minority, but political power may be a long time coming. We hear about legal cases to equal the playing field.

8pm: Warren Olney moderates the first major debate between Sheila Kuehl, Bobby Shriver, John Duran and Pamela Conley Ulich, vying to replace Zev Yaroslavsky.

This month Latinos are becoming the largest of California's ethnic components ? with 39% of the population. We hear about culture, economics and politics.

Under Obamacare, everyone must have health insurance or pay a penalty. We hear about a squeeze on the upper middle class, and a ballot measure to regulate insurance rates.

A proposed State Senate amendment to restore affirmative action was tabled in the Assembly when Asian Senators, pressured by constituents, said they'd made a mistake.

Occidental Petroleum was just the beginning. Sixty other California firms have expanded or re-located to Texas. That's part of Governor Perry's pitch in a visit complete with an ad campaign to lure companies away from the Golden State. Will attacking California as a bad place to do business mean votes for his next presidential campaign? Is it actually working?

After years of massive commercial development in the 80's ad 90's, Santa Monica experienced a lull. But it's booming again, and one new project ? barely approved by the City Council ? has angry opponents saying there's not enough housing. But there's so much office space there'll be 7000 new trips every day on the 10 Freeway, which is already approaching gridlock. We hear about efforts to kill it on this year's Santa Monica ballot. Also, do Republicans have the candidates to rebuild their party in California? Later, on To the Point, after Crimea, what's Putin's next move?

After watching the heart-wrenching film "Blackfish," a state assemblyman wants to ban keeping of killer whales in captivity for human entertainment.

The LA County Sheriff and Assessor can put your hands on you or put their hands in your pockets. Should the one who determines your tax bill be elected at all?

An unlikely combination of interest groups, including California's police chiefs, may support new state regulations on medical marijuana.

Nine million pounds of beef from a California slaughterhouse have been recalled as "unsound, unwholesome or otherwise? unfit" for consumers. But nobody's gotten sick, and...

California's Democratic Party is led by an old guard. There is not a rift over issues, but young Democrats are wondering, "When are these people going to leave?"

With drug overdoses now killing more Americans than auto accidents, the state Medical Board is discussing guidelines to reduce the number of "problem prescribers."

Eric Garcetti, whose grandparents came from Mexico, is Mayor of Los Angeles. We talk to him as he visits a nation that's developing faster than most Americans realize.