April 20, 2025 • 33 mins
Michael Monks breaks down Mayor Karen Bass’s latest announcement: layoffs are officially on the table as LA stares down a $1 billion budget deficit. He then tackles the alarming 475% spike in homeless-related fires across the city and the broader toll the homeless crisis is taking on quality of life. Plus, with LAPD recruitment numbers lagging, the department is betting big on a new YouTube ad campaign—and Michael wraps the hour with a look at why Canadian tourism to California is tanking.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI
News with you till nine o'clock. Another hour to go
and a lot more news to get through. Monday is
going to be a big day at Los Angeles City Hall,
certainly for Mayor Karen Bash. She's got a couple of
big agenda items that she's got to get through. We'll
(00:24):
have it all covered for you here on KFI News.
The first thing she's gonna do is present her proposed budget. Now,
this may sound boring, but it's not gonna be because
this is more than just how much money the trash
Department's getting, how much the fire department's getting, how much
for your sidewalk repair. This has to figure out how
(00:46):
to close about a billion dollar budget shortfall for the
rest of this fiscal year and for the new fiscal
year that starts on July first. And yes, it apparently
will include layoff. How many we don't know, but City
Administrator Matt Zabo said weeks ago it could be thousands,
(01:07):
and that's not going to be cops. That's not going
to be firefighters. It's going to be other people that
you probably deal with more. Hopefully you never need the police.
Hopefully you never need a firefighter or a guy on
an ambulance. But every day you need somebody if you
live in LA who collects trash, cleans the streets, fixes
the broken street lights, if you make a call or
(01:31):
a permit, those are the people who might end up
on the chopping block now. Mayor Bass last night Friday
night headed out to the Center for Black Power and
spoke to Black Lives Matters excuse me, Black Lives Matter
(01:51):
Los Angeles to present what they characterized as the People's budget,
and she did take questions from them. But here you
can hear her say, layoffs are in the picture, and
it's gonna be.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
A tough time because I don't know if I mentioned
it earlier when.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
I was talking about the budget, but the budget is
did two hundred and forty million dollars that.
Speaker 5 (02:12):
We have a gap right now on Monday, I'm gonna
have to propose layoffs and the reason why. But I
don't think it's gonna happen.
Speaker 6 (02:20):
Okay, I took, I took.
Speaker 7 (02:22):
But I have to propose that because my low the.
Speaker 6 (02:25):
Budget has to come out of London by able to
be strey first.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
That's saying the same chart layoff money.
Speaker 7 (02:34):
But I believe that there are some solutions, like from
the state that will help.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
Us so we don't have to do layoffs.
Speaker 6 (02:43):
Ultimately, because the budget isn't signed.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
For several weeks, I do, but I perceive but the.
Speaker 8 (02:50):
City council worksite that they send them back to me.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
By the time they see it back to ye, I'm.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Hoping that they won't have to do so.
Speaker 8 (02:57):
The reason why I said that is because the street
services and straight cleaning and all that we all want
to see, we need.
Speaker 9 (03:05):
To make any more.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
So you heard her say she is going to propose layoffs,
but she hopes it does not come to that. She
specifically mentioned the state. That's a reference to her request
of the state to be bailed out. Will the state
come through for Los Angeles and it's time of financial crisis,
But of course the state faces its own financial challenges
(03:30):
right now. So she is going to produce that budget
recommendation that includes spending on police, that includes spending on fire,
that includes spending on her inside Safe Homeless program, other
homeless programs, and so we will hear about that on Monday.
Speaker 5 (03:51):
Now.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
You may recall that in the wake of the wildfires,
Mayor Bass ended up in quite a feud with former
now fire chief Kristin Crowley, who was ultimately ousted from
her position over that. She made a reference during this
Black Lives Matter meeting last night to the former fire
chief and the fire department's budget.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Let's hear that because I didn't cut the run into
the fire department and I'm sorry the fire chief out
of there and live.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
I did not do and you watched the Fox ce
Fox Attilan.
Speaker 9 (04:25):
That's what I did.
Speaker 6 (04:26):
That did not happen.
Speaker 5 (04:28):
Did you cut the operational budget?
Speaker 10 (04:30):
I did not.
Speaker 11 (04:32):
Budget.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
You said, you have not taught the operational budget here.
Speaker 7 (04:36):
So sure this gentleman.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
So she kind of trails off there.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
She decides not to answer the direct question about whether
she cut the operational budget. In fact, got a little
upset at the insinuation from one of the attendees there
at the Center for Black Power, where Black Lives Matter
Los Angeles hosted Mayor Karen Bass last night to talk
about what they called the People's Budget. There were a
lot of questions raised about funding for the police department.
(05:01):
There are folks who think the police department gets far
too much. It is certainly the department that gets the
most money, and in spite of that, but the police
department is still struggling to fill its ranks. Coming up
a little bit later in this hour, we'll talk about
this new marketing campaign that the police department thinks will
help attract the needed fifteen hundred officers. They're trying to
(05:25):
appeal to a younger demographic because how many years have
we been talking about the LAPED being understaffed and they
need to adjust something because their recruitment process isn't working.
And we'll play a little bit of the video that
they seem to think is going to work. Obviously, Mayripass
can't cut the fire department this time around. The politics
of that are terrible. The city is looking at issuing
(05:49):
bonds that would require electoral approval to help build more
firehouses and to put more fire trucks out on the street,
So that's not coming. She specifically told Black Lives Matter
she can't cut the police department. Where are these layoffs
going to come? That's what we're going to find out
on Monday. The other thing on Monday that she'll be
doing after that is talking about the state of the city. Now,
(06:14):
last year when I covered this, it was at night,
and it was a lot of There was a lot
of goodwill extended. She specifically mentioned every single council member
by name and a specific project that she had collaborated
on in their districts. All of the county supervisors were there,
other muckety MUCKs were there at City Hall listening to this.
(06:38):
But this year she's doing it at noon. The first
thing I'll be looking for outside of the substance of
her remarks is who's there, Because we know she's been
squabbling with County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath over the fire response.
So now there's a little bit of friction between the
city and the county because of fire response. There's also
friction between the city and the county over homelessness. The
(07:01):
city has been left holding the bag with the LA
Homeless Services Authority. The county says we're done with it.
We're going to create our own department. So I'll be
curious to see if they all show up there and
what kind of remarks are made about it, and what
kind of projects will she reference to all of the
city council members or will this be a dire state
(07:22):
of the city address that the city is hurting and
we need to figure it out. That's what I'll be
looking for, and you will have our full coverage here
on KFI Am six point forty. We'll have it for
you as soon as it happens on Monday. Remember, you
can join our conversation by opening up the iHeartRadio app,
(07:44):
click on that talkback button and let us know how
you feel about what you're hearing.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
And we just heard from Dennis. Let's play it.
Speaker 10 (07:51):
Hey, Mike, Michael, my badge ackle like I know you. Hey, Bro,
just want to say thanks man, You're doing a good job.
Speaker 8 (07:58):
Dude.
Speaker 10 (07:59):
You actually get a reason to hang on after Tiffany.
I really like her show, but you gave me a
reason to keep it on KFI.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
Thanks a lot, Bro, I really enjoy it. How about that.
Thank you?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Dennis really appreciate you listening. And he did make it
sound like you knew me a bit there. I don't
know you yet, Dennis, hope too. Maybe someday. Thanks for listening,
and if you are listening, join the conversation on the
iHeartRadio app. Click on that talkback button and we'll get
your comments about the state of LA and our financial
situation as this hour progresses up next, though Mayor Bass's
(08:34):
signature program Inside Safe Right, we talk about homelessness a
lot on this station and in our news programs because
it's such a significant deal here, it's everywhere, It's pervasive,
and the amount of money that is spent to address
it is exorbitant and the results are questionable. Well, we're
talking about the budget right, homelessness is costing us in
(08:55):
a different way, talking about fires and also break ends.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
That's coming up next.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News,
finishing up this eight o'clock hour with you. Well, the
game is over in downtown Los Angeles, and it is
very much over. The Lakers took a shell lacking at
home here to open up the first round of the
(09:29):
NBA Playoffs. The timber Wolves, the sixth seed, knocked off
the three seeded Lakers one seventeen to ninety five. Lakers
will try again on Tuesday. Now here's where things stand.
The Clippers lost to Denver in overtime one twelve to
one ten.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
Today.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
The Dodgers lost at the Texas Rangers today four to
three in Anaheim. Right now, the Angels are only hope
and they're losing three to two in the top of
the eighth open, just heading to the bottom of the
eighth Now, the Angels coming up the bat trailing three
to two late in the game. If they go down,
(10:09):
we have completed the superfecta of loserdom in LA Sports tonight,
and we'll just have to dust ourselves off and try
again tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday as these teams take the field,
take the court again. We also got the Kings hitting
the ice on Monday against the Oilers in the opening
round of the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
Should be fine, all right.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Something just crossed our wires that I wanted to mention
because it's absolutely relevant to what we're going to talk about.
A greater alarm fire. Don't know what that means, but
a greater alarm fire consumed a large pile of trash
outside of downtown Los Angeles commercial building, but only filled
the structure with smoke. The fire was reported at six
(10:52):
oh seven tonight in the two thousand block of East
twenty fifth Street in near Santa Fe Avenue, according to
the lafdinguished in under half an hour. TV video from
over the scene showed firefighters used foam to put out
the blaze near railroad tracks. No injuries reported, calls under investigation,
But that's a trash fire, and we don't know why
(11:14):
near the railroad tracks. You know, you may get an
idea in your head about what caused that fire tonight,
and frankly, you're not out of line for thinking what
I'm thinking. There is evidence that it's what's happening. Let's
hear this report from ABC seven.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
The UNIED president for the Firefighters calls this shocking.
Speaker 12 (11:38):
We don't want to criminalize homelessness, but we need additional
resources strictly for homelessness.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
UNIED President Freddie Escobar says the Los Angeles Fire Department
remains understaffed and under resourced, and the LAFD Commission Agenda
today was discussing this memo that says thirty two point
nine to one percent, so nearly a third of all
fires the department responded to the last six years involved
(12:05):
a member of the homeless community. Instead of discussing the memo,
the board tabled it for next month, but Escobar still
wants to talk about it now.
Speaker 12 (12:15):
I don't know what the fix is, but I can
tell you the members that I represent cannot sustain the
call load of what we're doing for homelessness.
Speaker 9 (12:23):
And a higher call load can be blamed on more
rubbish fires. According to the memo, in the last ten years,
the number of rubbish fires surged a whopping four hundred
and seventy five percent.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Rubbish fires And that's exactly what we just reported because
it crossed the wires, a greater alarm fire consumed a
large pile of trash outside of downtown La commercial building
just this evening, about an hour before we went on
the air. And when you hear the percentage that rubbish fires,
(13:00):
I don't know why we use that British term when
we're talking about these fires, but the rubbish fires have
seen a four hundred and seventy five percent increase from
twenty fourteen to twenty twenty four. What does that mean
in raw numbers, Well, in twenty fourteen there were a lot,
a lot five thousand, five hundred forty one rubbish fires
(13:21):
in twenty fourteen. Last year, thirty one, nine hundred and
sixty four. So the LAFD estimates that nearly half of
those rubbish fires involved what they classify as PEH people
(13:43):
experiencing homelessness, what you might just call homeless people. That
is a significant amount of response. It's not cheap to
have a fire department anyway, and when there is an alarm,
it's not like one guy rides over on a scooter.
I mean, you got all those heavy apparatus headed out
(14:06):
the door, Okay, regardless of what the situation is. They
need to be prepared for the worst. It's expensive, and
when you have the homeless population that La County and
LA City has, you're setting yourself up for these numbers.
I want to know if we'll hear anything about that
(14:28):
in the State of the City address that we're expecting
to hear on Monday. There was another issue involving homeless
people in the valley this past week, and this time
they were burgling some homes. Let's hear this report from
k COW.
Speaker 6 (14:44):
Here is the video released by the Los Angeles Police Department.
They accused three people. They're calling them a ring, saying
that they have done more than twenty five crimes. They
accused them of sixteen burglaries, seven grand theft, autos, felony,
evading criminal threats. There are two men in a women
here involved in this case. The LAPD says just from that,
all of that activity was just between January and March
(15:06):
of this year. This is again in the North Hollywood division.
You see some of these caught on camera here. They
were able to take two of the suspects, all three
of the suspects into custody.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
All three apparently are unhoused.
Speaker 6 (15:16):
And we're committing these crimes, according to the LAPD, to
support their drug use. They say that the first one
is taking a Chantman Boulevard and Colfax Avenue. The other
one was taken in by the Violent Crimes Task.
Speaker 5 (15:26):
Force to support their drug use.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
That is what is so often ignored when we have
these official conversations about homelessness in this county. I live
amongst it. I live a few blocks from skid Row.
It certainly spills over to the Fashion district, and I
often say, with as much humanity as I can muster,
(15:53):
these are not folks who missed last month's rent. These
are not folks who lost their job two weeks ago.
These are folks who've been on the streets for a
long time, and these are people who abuse very hard
drugs right in front of us. And the price of
housing in la is exorbitant. But personally, I'd like to
(16:18):
hear more honest conversations about what those of us who
live amongst it are experiencing, especially if you're making an
investment in a business, if you're buying a home, just
get real with us about what the homeless situation is.
It's not because of the rent. So the police had
their hands full with that. They've got their hands full
(16:39):
also with finding more police. LAPD would like to have
about ten thousand officers staffing the department, but they've been
about fifteen hundred below that for quite some time. I've
done numerous stories about this, and now there's of course
a relatively new chief. What's his strategy? Are they going
(17:00):
to pivot in some way? Are they going to change
their messaging? They're hoping a new YouTube video and campaign
branding will attract gen Z to the police force.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
Will it work? We'll have that ad for you up next.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks reports on Michael Monks from KFI
News finishing up this hour with you tonight, beautiful Saturday
evening in southern California. If you're looking for a job
and you're relatively young, maybe it's time to consider what
the Los Angeles Police Department can do for you.
Speaker 5 (17:44):
It's tough gig. It's not easy.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
It's kind of strange to hear about the challenges that
they're having bringing people on board, because apparently they're receiving
record numbers of applications. But some of the challenges we've
reported on is that folks are physically unfit for the job,
are unqualified for the job after applying. Some of them
(18:09):
even have warrants. That's not the job you want to
apply for when the law is looking for you. But
it's happened only in La Right, It's a tough gig.
I'm the son of a retired police officer. I'm the
only one in my immediate family's not in law enforcement.
I am the black sheep. Father retired from the police department,
mother retired from the federal Probation Department. Brother, who is
(18:32):
younger than me, has retired from the county jail where
he's a corrections officer. And that's what I mean by like,
it's kind of a good gig because you don't have
to work that long. You get to be forty years
old and you collect a retirement and go work somewhere else.
(18:55):
But it ain't easy, and the LAPD has really struggled
in recent years. They want to have ten thousand cops
in Los Angeles. They got about eighty five eighty seven hundred,
and Chief Jim McDonald says he wants to change that.
Speaker 5 (19:09):
Now.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
They've come out with new branding and a new video.
I don't know if it's going to work. I don't
think they know either. And they didn't make it in house.
You know, this is La. We spend money. So they
had some agency called the the Very Good Creative Agency,
(19:30):
that's the name, who put together this video. I'm actually
going to play it for you in its entirety. It's
about ninety seconds long. But I think you should hear
the whole thing. This is your police department, and this
is their marketing tactic.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
Let's hear it.
Speaker 7 (19:47):
It isn't flashy. It isn't bled safe to say it's
not for everyone. For since eighteen sixty nine, spend an
our way. To be unrivaled means being the best of
the best of the best life. We hold ourselves to
(20:10):
a higher standard, one most people will never even witness.
Speaker 5 (20:15):
We set the table for what it takes to be the.
Speaker 7 (20:17):
Most highly regarded law enforcement agency in the world. Surrounded
by like minded souls. We learn together and grow together,
protect together. Being unrivaled is a transformative commitment, a marriage
between a calling and a lifestyle, a decoration we live
(20:37):
by day in and day out. It's doing the work
expecting nothing in return. It's training relentlessly to save one
more life. It's upholding justice no matter the cost. There
are no shortcuts. It demands you're all. Only those who
(21:04):
dare will come to appreciate the perseverance and sacrifice required.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
But those who do.
Speaker 7 (21:13):
Will wear the badge that protects the City of Dreams.
LAPD Unrivaled since eighteen sixty nine.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
And that's the tagline, that's the branding LAPD Unrivaled since
eighteen sixty nine. And that is the first example of
this new campaign that the Los Angeles Police department hopes
will attract more applicants that turn into more cadets, more
folks going into the academy. That's where the disconnect is.
(21:45):
They're not having any trouble getting people to apply for
the job outside of the daily terror of being a cop.
I mean, it's not a bad gig. You can make
a pretty good living and you can retire relatively young,
go on and do something else. So will this campaign work?
(22:05):
Chief Jim McDonald certainly hope.
Speaker 11 (22:07):
So.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
He was on Gary and Shannon here on KFI AM
six forty earlier this week.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
Here's what he had to say.
Speaker 11 (22:14):
It's a great time to become a police officer in
Los Angeles. We've been able, with the support of the
Los Angeles Police Foundation and the city, to be able
to come forward and put together with the assistance of
an expert team to the media, immedia team, and be
able to put together a video that I think captures
(22:34):
the essence of what we do as police officers, the
pace of things, the hard times, the tough things to
deal with, as well as the rewarding things. It shows
compassion for anybody who's interested. Is available on the web
at LAPD Unrivaled dot com and it's a video that
I think will attract people from all walks of life
(22:57):
who may have an interest in law Enforcemy be looking
for a direction in their life that may be exciting
and rewarding at the same time. And my hope is
that this is a good first step to getting people
to apply to the Los Angeles Police Department for a
career that they will look back on many years from now,
hopefully and be able to say that there's nothing I
(23:18):
would have rather done. I feel that way myself, and
I want to be able to share that with as
many people who might have an inclination at all that
this is something that would be a good fit.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
They better hope so, because right now, the department predicts
having only eight six hundred twenty officers by June thirtieth
of twenty twenty six, that's when the next fiscal year's
year ends, and that would be the lowest staffing level
since nineteen ninety five. They're offering signing bonuses, extra incentives
(23:54):
for people who rent or buy homes in the city
of Los Angeles, throwing everything at this gig. So in
an era where dream jobs in LA like working in Hollywood,
seems so elusive right now, where they're talking about as
being the next Detroit, because our signature in the industry
(24:14):
is left, like Auto's left Detroit and film is leaving
La Hell.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
You can pivot, maybe become a cop.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
The LAPD has turned to TikTok to reach younger people,
but that's the problem. Younger people have a different view
of police than older folks. A survey showed residents of
Los Angeles under the age of thirty five, four out
of ten rated the LAPD's performance as poor. Only two
(24:48):
in ten rated the performance as good or excellent, whereas
older residents were more likely to have a positive view.
More than half of folks who are fifty five and
older read the LAPD as excellent. I've talked to city
council and Hugo Soto Martinez about this, and he has
said multiple times in fact that he thinks young people
(25:11):
are just completely disconnected from the LAPD and unpoliced careers
in general, because of the social justice movement that's been
going on for a while, but certainly caught a lot
of attention in twenty twenty during the pandemic and the
George Floyd protests, and younger people just don't want to
be a part of it. So we will have to
see if LAPD, unrivaled since eighteen sixty nine, draws more
(25:35):
people to that department. Goodness knows it's needed, because if
your house is burglarized, might take forty five minutes or
an hour for an officer to show up. And how
do you feel in that situation you're gonna need them?
And what kind of budget is going to be there
for the LAPD. We'll find out on Monday when Mayor
(25:56):
Karen Bass announces her proposed budget. We don't expect any
cuts to lap or the fire department, so we'll be
keeping an eye on that and reporting it for you.
Another type of recruitment that's going on in California right
now is Governor knw Some basically begging Canadians to keep
loving this state. Don't turn away because of this weird
(26:18):
thing going on with President Trump calling Canada the fifty
first state. California still loves you, Canucks. We'll talk about
the new campaign to keep Canadian money flowing into California.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand, KFI.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app This
is Michael Monks reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
A few more minutes, we'll spin together on this beautiful
Saturday night in Southern California. And we always have beautiful
Saturday nights in Southern California, but this one took a
turn for the worst. Let's quickly do a recap on
(26:56):
just how bad it got for us. The Lakers tonight,
the Clippers lost tonight, the Dodgers lost, and the Angels
were our only hope.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
They threatened in the bottom of.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
The ninth but ultimately lost in Anaheim to the Giants
three to two. Folks, we have completed the superfecta of
loserdom in LA sports today. Congratulations. Hey, not to mention
the Anaheim Ducks fired coach Greg Cronin today after another
losing season and missing out on the playoffs. He was
there for two years. So now, just a bad sports
(27:30):
day in La ro Well, I know you're the sports
guy here in the studio, And do these types of
days happen often in Los Angeles?
Speaker 5 (27:37):
No, not really, but the Ducks nobody cares. All right,
see this is it Now, I'm gonna have to be
a Ducks fan.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
I'm already an Angels fan because of the way you
people talk about Anaheim teams.
Speaker 5 (27:47):
Now I'm hopping on the Ducks train. I mean, come
on the Mighty Ducks. I remember that series. Yeah, all
right enough.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
We got to get our act together in LA and
California in general, because we need to collect some of
this Canadian money. And Governor Newsom knows it. There's obviously
some weirdness going on between Canada and the United States
because of President Trump's I don't know if it's real,
but some odd fascination with making Canada the fifty first state,
our closest ally and neighbor that we have typically gotten
(28:18):
along quite well with. And Canadians have in large park
decided to stop coming to America, and they used to
come to California a lot.
Speaker 5 (28:27):
Let's hear from Governor Newsom.
Speaker 8 (28:29):
Today we launched a new international campaign focused on encouraging
Canadians to come visit the great state of California. The
state of mind in the United States of America is
dramatically changed as it relates to the approach to Canada,
and we want to make sure we send the message
to our Canadian friends up north to come to a
state where two million Canadians visited last year, and come
(28:50):
visit a state where there's something for everybody, visit California.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
That's Governor Newsom speaking on the campaign launched this week
to Canadians, or at least to encourage them to keep coming.
But it's got really weird since Trump heightened tensions between
these two longtime allies, Travelers have been told to expect
higher scrutiny at the border, and there's basically advisories warning
(29:18):
the citizens about traveling to America because and a lot
of Canadians have already talked about how unhappy they are
with President Trump's economic tariffs and his immigration policies. Let's
hear this report from CBS.
Speaker 13 (29:32):
California Governor Gavin Newsom is trying to bring some of
those tourists back here to our state. Today, the Governor
and Visit California launched a new international tourism campaign. It's
aimed at inviting Canadians to visit California to experience the
state's quote, warmth and love. In a video posted on
social media, the governor highlights the states parks, wine and food,
(29:54):
and its distance from Washington, d C. The Governor said
this in a video statement.
Speaker 8 (30:00):
Last year, nearly two million Canadians uisited California because here
in California, We've got plenty of sunshine and a whole
lot of love for our neighbors up north.
Speaker 13 (30:10):
Earlier this month, the governor began calling for long standing
trade partners to exempt California made products from any tariffs
they may enact in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
I mean, it's gotten so weird. We were just talking
about hockey, right, I mean, that is a Canadian game.
They're pretty good at it too. They've been booing the
Star Spangled banner at hockey games and baseball games. We've
seen stores in Canada move American goods off their shelves.
It's weird. Let's hear some news out of Canada on
(30:44):
this issue.
Speaker 5 (30:45):
The Golden State and Canada have always shared.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
So it's a slick video from the land of Hollywood. California.
Governor Gavin used some distancing himself from President Trump two
thousand miles from Washington, in a world away pleading for
the usual well two million Canadians to continue vacationing in
his state. The ad, posted online along with a video
from the governor Monday, after tourism numbers have fallen off,
(31:10):
many British Columbians joining their countrymen and boycotting trips to
the Golden State amid the trade war.
Speaker 5 (31:16):
Well, I'm not going to travel to the stations. In fact,
I've already put off.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Some traveling plans to the stage supporting that country's administration.
Speaker 5 (31:23):
I'm not really interested in taking part in that.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Yeah, it's gotten weird, and California is doing its best
to tell Canada to please keep coming here. I know
a lot of you who listen to KFI often hear
the criticism at our government, So I know what you're
probably thinking is that they could spend a little bit
of time cleaning up the states for the.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
People who already live here.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
But they do estimate one point eight million Canadians visited
California in twenty twenty four, and that they spent around
three point seventy two billion dollars. I never know where
those numbers come from. I'm sure you can more easily
track the number of visitors, but I don't ever know
where the economic impact comes from. Those always seem a
little strange. But they do estimate three point seventy two
(32:07):
billion dollars spent by Canadian visitors to California, so the
state is going hard for Canada. But Palm Springs specifically
has hung banners in the city saying Palm Springs hearts Canada.
It's an international travel source for the city. According to
Palm Springs Mayor Ron de Hart, speaking to the La Times,
(32:28):
he says, and then this representative from visit California, Caroline Betteta, says,
California and Canada share so much in common. Are inclusive values,
love of natural beauty and passion for innovation bind us
and we look forward to welcoming you back to the
same community spirit you've always shown us. Well, we'll see
(32:49):
if we see any more than usual Canadians running around
the streets of California. Wish them the best and thank
them for their patronage. I thank you for your patronage
tonight here on Mychael Monks Reports. My big thanks to
producer Matthew Toffler, technical director Raoul Cortes, and our news
anchor Brigitta Degastino. Thanks to you for listening and participating
in our conversation. I am Michael Monks from KFI News.
(33:12):
I'll be with you Monday through Friday doing the news
Monday Big Day, city budget and the State of the
City address. I'll have it covered for you, and then
we'll be right back here on Saturday night to do
it all over again. Thanks again for listening to KFI
AM six
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Forty KFI AM six forty on demand
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports. I'm Michael Monks from KFI
News with you till nine o'clock. Another hour to go
and a lot more news to get through. Monday is
going to be a big day at Los Angeles City Hall,
certainly for Mayor Karen Bash. She's got a couple of
big agenda items that she's got to get through. We'll
(00:24):
have it all covered for you here on KFI News.
The first thing she's gonna do is present her proposed budget. Now,
this may sound boring, but it's not gonna be because
this is more than just how much money the trash
Department's getting, how much the fire department's getting, how much
for your sidewalk repair. This has to figure out how
(00:46):
to close about a billion dollar budget shortfall for the
rest of this fiscal year and for the new fiscal
year that starts on July first. And yes, it apparently
will include layoff. How many we don't know, but City
Administrator Matt Zabo said weeks ago it could be thousands,
(01:07):
and that's not going to be cops. That's not going
to be firefighters. It's going to be other people that
you probably deal with more. Hopefully you never need the police.
Hopefully you never need a firefighter or a guy on
an ambulance. But every day you need somebody if you
live in LA who collects trash, cleans the streets, fixes
the broken street lights, if you make a call or
(01:31):
a permit, those are the people who might end up
on the chopping block now. Mayor Bass last night Friday
night headed out to the Center for Black Power and
spoke to Black Lives Matters excuse me, Black Lives Matter
(01:51):
Los Angeles to present what they characterized as the People's budget,
and she did take questions from them. But here you
can hear her say, layoffs are in the picture, and
it's gonna be.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
A tough time because I don't know if I mentioned
it earlier when.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
I was talking about the budget, but the budget is
did two hundred and forty million dollars that.
Speaker 5 (02:12):
We have a gap right now on Monday, I'm gonna
have to propose layoffs and the reason why. But I
don't think it's gonna happen.
Speaker 6 (02:20):
Okay, I took, I took.
Speaker 7 (02:22):
But I have to propose that because my low the.
Speaker 6 (02:25):
Budget has to come out of London by able to
be strey first.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
That's saying the same chart layoff money.
Speaker 7 (02:34):
But I believe that there are some solutions, like from
the state that will help.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
Us so we don't have to do layoffs.
Speaker 6 (02:43):
Ultimately, because the budget isn't signed.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
For several weeks, I do, but I perceive but the.
Speaker 8 (02:50):
City council worksite that they send them back to me.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
By the time they see it back to ye, I'm.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Hoping that they won't have to do so.
Speaker 8 (02:57):
The reason why I said that is because the street
services and straight cleaning and all that we all want
to see, we need.
Speaker 9 (03:05):
To make any more.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
So you heard her say she is going to propose layoffs,
but she hopes it does not come to that. She
specifically mentioned the state. That's a reference to her request
of the state to be bailed out. Will the state
come through for Los Angeles and it's time of financial crisis,
But of course the state faces its own financial challenges
(03:30):
right now. So she is going to produce that budget
recommendation that includes spending on police, that includes spending on fire,
that includes spending on her inside Safe Homeless program, other
homeless programs, and so we will hear about that on Monday.
Speaker 5 (03:51):
Now.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
You may recall that in the wake of the wildfires,
Mayor Bass ended up in quite a feud with former
now fire chief Kristin Crowley, who was ultimately ousted from
her position over that. She made a reference during this
Black Lives Matter meeting last night to the former fire
chief and the fire department's budget.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Let's hear that because I didn't cut the run into
the fire department and I'm sorry the fire chief out
of there and live.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
I did not do and you watched the Fox ce
Fox Attilan.
Speaker 9 (04:25):
That's what I did.
Speaker 6 (04:26):
That did not happen.
Speaker 5 (04:28):
Did you cut the operational budget?
Speaker 10 (04:30):
I did not.
Speaker 11 (04:32):
Budget.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
You said, you have not taught the operational budget here.
Speaker 7 (04:36):
So sure this gentleman.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
So she kind of trails off there.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
She decides not to answer the direct question about whether
she cut the operational budget. In fact, got a little
upset at the insinuation from one of the attendees there
at the Center for Black Power, where Black Lives Matter
Los Angeles hosted Mayor Karen Bass last night to talk
about what they called the People's Budget. There were a
lot of questions raised about funding for the police department.
(05:01):
There are folks who think the police department gets far
too much. It is certainly the department that gets the
most money, and in spite of that, but the police
department is still struggling to fill its ranks. Coming up
a little bit later in this hour, we'll talk about
this new marketing campaign that the police department thinks will
help attract the needed fifteen hundred officers. They're trying to
(05:25):
appeal to a younger demographic because how many years have
we been talking about the LAPED being understaffed and they
need to adjust something because their recruitment process isn't working.
And we'll play a little bit of the video that
they seem to think is going to work. Obviously, Mayripass
can't cut the fire department this time around. The politics
of that are terrible. The city is looking at issuing
(05:49):
bonds that would require electoral approval to help build more
firehouses and to put more fire trucks out on the street,
So that's not coming. She specifically told Black Lives Matter
she can't cut the police department. Where are these layoffs
going to come? That's what we're going to find out
on Monday. The other thing on Monday that she'll be
doing after that is talking about the state of the city. Now,
(06:14):
last year when I covered this, it was at night,
and it was a lot of There was a lot
of goodwill extended. She specifically mentioned every single council member
by name and a specific project that she had collaborated
on in their districts. All of the county supervisors were there,
other muckety MUCKs were there at City Hall listening to this.
(06:38):
But this year she's doing it at noon. The first
thing I'll be looking for outside of the substance of
her remarks is who's there, Because we know she's been
squabbling with County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath over the fire response.
So now there's a little bit of friction between the
city and the county because of fire response. There's also
friction between the city and the county over homelessness. The
(07:01):
city has been left holding the bag with the LA
Homeless Services Authority. The county says we're done with it.
We're going to create our own department. So I'll be
curious to see if they all show up there and
what kind of remarks are made about it, and what
kind of projects will she reference to all of the
city council members or will this be a dire state
(07:22):
of the city address that the city is hurting and
we need to figure it out. That's what I'll be
looking for, and you will have our full coverage here
on KFI Am six point forty. We'll have it for
you as soon as it happens on Monday. Remember, you
can join our conversation by opening up the iHeartRadio app,
(07:44):
click on that talkback button and let us know how
you feel about what you're hearing.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
And we just heard from Dennis. Let's play it.
Speaker 10 (07:51):
Hey, Mike, Michael, my badge ackle like I know you. Hey, Bro,
just want to say thanks man, You're doing a good job.
Speaker 8 (07:58):
Dude.
Speaker 10 (07:59):
You actually get a reason to hang on after Tiffany.
I really like her show, but you gave me a
reason to keep it on KFI.
Speaker 5 (08:08):
Thanks a lot, Bro, I really enjoy it. How about that.
Thank you?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Dennis really appreciate you listening. And he did make it
sound like you knew me a bit there. I don't
know you yet, Dennis, hope too. Maybe someday. Thanks for listening,
and if you are listening, join the conversation on the
iHeartRadio app. Click on that talkback button and we'll get
your comments about the state of LA and our financial
situation as this hour progresses up next, though Mayor Bass's
(08:34):
signature program Inside Safe Right, we talk about homelessness a
lot on this station and in our news programs because
it's such a significant deal here, it's everywhere, It's pervasive,
and the amount of money that is spent to address
it is exorbitant and the results are questionable. Well, we're
talking about the budget right, homelessness is costing us in
(08:55):
a different way, talking about fires and also break ends.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
That's coming up next.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News,
finishing up this eight o'clock hour with you. Well, the
game is over in downtown Los Angeles, and it is
very much over. The Lakers took a shell lacking at
home here to open up the first round of the
(09:29):
NBA Playoffs. The timber Wolves, the sixth seed, knocked off
the three seeded Lakers one seventeen to ninety five. Lakers
will try again on Tuesday. Now here's where things stand.
The Clippers lost to Denver in overtime one twelve to
one ten.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
Today.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
The Dodgers lost at the Texas Rangers today four to
three in Anaheim. Right now, the Angels are only hope
and they're losing three to two in the top of
the eighth open, just heading to the bottom of the
eighth Now, the Angels coming up the bat trailing three
to two late in the game. If they go down,
(10:09):
we have completed the superfecta of loserdom in LA Sports tonight,
and we'll just have to dust ourselves off and try
again tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday as these teams take the field,
take the court again. We also got the Kings hitting
the ice on Monday against the Oilers in the opening
round of the playoffs.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
Should be fine, all right.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Something just crossed our wires that I wanted to mention
because it's absolutely relevant to what we're going to talk about.
A greater alarm fire. Don't know what that means, but
a greater alarm fire consumed a large pile of trash
outside of downtown Los Angeles commercial building, but only filled
the structure with smoke. The fire was reported at six
(10:52):
oh seven tonight in the two thousand block of East
twenty fifth Street in near Santa Fe Avenue, according to
the lafdinguished in under half an hour. TV video from
over the scene showed firefighters used foam to put out
the blaze near railroad tracks. No injuries reported, calls under investigation,
But that's a trash fire, and we don't know why
(11:14):
near the railroad tracks. You know, you may get an
idea in your head about what caused that fire tonight,
and frankly, you're not out of line for thinking what
I'm thinking. There is evidence that it's what's happening. Let's
hear this report from ABC seven.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
The UNIED president for the Firefighters calls this shocking.
Speaker 12 (11:38):
We don't want to criminalize homelessness, but we need additional
resources strictly for homelessness.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
UNIED President Freddie Escobar says the Los Angeles Fire Department
remains understaffed and under resourced, and the LAFD Commission Agenda
today was discussing this memo that says thirty two point
nine to one percent, so nearly a third of all
fires the department responded to the last six years involved
(12:05):
a member of the homeless community. Instead of discussing the memo,
the board tabled it for next month, but Escobar still
wants to talk about it now.
Speaker 12 (12:15):
I don't know what the fix is, but I can
tell you the members that I represent cannot sustain the
call load of what we're doing for homelessness.
Speaker 9 (12:23):
And a higher call load can be blamed on more
rubbish fires. According to the memo, in the last ten years,
the number of rubbish fires surged a whopping four hundred
and seventy five percent.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Rubbish fires And that's exactly what we just reported because
it crossed the wires, a greater alarm fire consumed a
large pile of trash outside of downtown La commercial building
just this evening, about an hour before we went on
the air. And when you hear the percentage that rubbish fires,
(13:00):
I don't know why we use that British term when
we're talking about these fires, but the rubbish fires have
seen a four hundred and seventy five percent increase from
twenty fourteen to twenty twenty four. What does that mean
in raw numbers, Well, in twenty fourteen there were a lot,
a lot five thousand, five hundred forty one rubbish fires
(13:21):
in twenty fourteen. Last year, thirty one, nine hundred and
sixty four. So the LAFD estimates that nearly half of
those rubbish fires involved what they classify as PEH people
(13:43):
experiencing homelessness, what you might just call homeless people. That
is a significant amount of response. It's not cheap to
have a fire department anyway, and when there is an alarm,
it's not like one guy rides over on a scooter.
I mean, you got all those heavy apparatus headed out
(14:06):
the door, Okay, regardless of what the situation is. They
need to be prepared for the worst. It's expensive, and
when you have the homeless population that La County and
LA City has, you're setting yourself up for these numbers.
I want to know if we'll hear anything about that
(14:28):
in the State of the City address that we're expecting
to hear on Monday. There was another issue involving homeless
people in the valley this past week, and this time
they were burgling some homes. Let's hear this report from
k COW.
Speaker 6 (14:44):
Here is the video released by the Los Angeles Police Department.
They accused three people. They're calling them a ring, saying
that they have done more than twenty five crimes. They
accused them of sixteen burglaries, seven grand theft, autos, felony,
evading criminal threats. There are two men in a women
here involved in this case. The LAPD says just from that,
all of that activity was just between January and March
(15:06):
of this year. This is again in the North Hollywood division.
You see some of these caught on camera here. They
were able to take two of the suspects, all three
of the suspects into custody.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
All three apparently are unhoused.
Speaker 6 (15:16):
And we're committing these crimes, according to the LAPD, to
support their drug use. They say that the first one
is taking a Chantman Boulevard and Colfax Avenue. The other
one was taken in by the Violent Crimes Task.
Speaker 5 (15:26):
Force to support their drug use.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
That is what is so often ignored when we have
these official conversations about homelessness in this county. I live
amongst it. I live a few blocks from skid Row.
It certainly spills over to the Fashion district, and I
often say, with as much humanity as I can muster,
(15:53):
these are not folks who missed last month's rent. These
are not folks who lost their job two weeks ago.
These are folks who've been on the streets for a
long time, and these are people who abuse very hard
drugs right in front of us. And the price of
housing in la is exorbitant. But personally, I'd like to
(16:18):
hear more honest conversations about what those of us who
live amongst it are experiencing, especially if you're making an
investment in a business, if you're buying a home, just
get real with us about what the homeless situation is.
It's not because of the rent. So the police had
their hands full with that. They've got their hands full
(16:39):
also with finding more police. LAPD would like to have
about ten thousand officers staffing the department, but they've been
about fifteen hundred below that for quite some time. I've
done numerous stories about this, and now there's of course
a relatively new chief. What's his strategy? Are they going
(17:00):
to pivot in some way? Are they going to change
their messaging? They're hoping a new YouTube video and campaign
branding will attract gen Z to the police force.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
Will it work? We'll have that ad for you up next.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
This is Michael Monks reports on Michael Monks from KFI
News finishing up this hour with you tonight, beautiful Saturday
evening in southern California. If you're looking for a job
and you're relatively young, maybe it's time to consider what
the Los Angeles Police Department can do for you.
Speaker 5 (17:44):
It's tough gig. It's not easy.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
It's kind of strange to hear about the challenges that
they're having bringing people on board, because apparently they're receiving
record numbers of applications. But some of the challenges we've
reported on is that folks are physically unfit for the job,
are unqualified for the job after applying. Some of them
(18:09):
even have warrants. That's not the job you want to
apply for when the law is looking for you. But
it's happened only in La Right, It's a tough gig.
I'm the son of a retired police officer. I'm the
only one in my immediate family's not in law enforcement.
I am the black sheep. Father retired from the police department,
mother retired from the federal Probation Department. Brother, who is
(18:32):
younger than me, has retired from the county jail where
he's a corrections officer. And that's what I mean by like,
it's kind of a good gig because you don't have
to work that long. You get to be forty years
old and you collect a retirement and go work somewhere else.
(18:55):
But it ain't easy, and the LAPD has really struggled
in recent years. They want to have ten thousand cops
in Los Angeles. They got about eighty five eighty seven hundred,
and Chief Jim McDonald says he wants to change that.
Speaker 5 (19:09):
Now.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
They've come out with new branding and a new video.
I don't know if it's going to work. I don't
think they know either. And they didn't make it in house.
You know, this is La. We spend money. So they
had some agency called the the Very Good Creative Agency,
(19:30):
that's the name, who put together this video. I'm actually
going to play it for you in its entirety. It's
about ninety seconds long. But I think you should hear
the whole thing. This is your police department, and this
is their marketing tactic.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
Let's hear it.
Speaker 7 (19:47):
It isn't flashy. It isn't bled safe to say it's
not for everyone. For since eighteen sixty nine, spend an
our way. To be unrivaled means being the best of
the best of the best life. We hold ourselves to
(20:10):
a higher standard, one most people will never even witness.
Speaker 5 (20:15):
We set the table for what it takes to be the.
Speaker 7 (20:17):
Most highly regarded law enforcement agency in the world. Surrounded
by like minded souls. We learn together and grow together,
protect together. Being unrivaled is a transformative commitment, a marriage
between a calling and a lifestyle, a decoration we live
(20:37):
by day in and day out. It's doing the work
expecting nothing in return. It's training relentlessly to save one
more life. It's upholding justice no matter the cost. There
are no shortcuts. It demands you're all. Only those who
(21:04):
dare will come to appreciate the perseverance and sacrifice required.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
But those who do.
Speaker 7 (21:13):
Will wear the badge that protects the City of Dreams.
LAPD Unrivaled since eighteen sixty nine.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
And that's the tagline, that's the branding LAPD Unrivaled since
eighteen sixty nine. And that is the first example of
this new campaign that the Los Angeles Police department hopes
will attract more applicants that turn into more cadets, more
folks going into the academy. That's where the disconnect is.
(21:45):
They're not having any trouble getting people to apply for
the job outside of the daily terror of being a cop.
I mean, it's not a bad gig. You can make
a pretty good living and you can retire relatively young,
go on and do something else. So will this campaign work?
(22:05):
Chief Jim McDonald certainly hope.
Speaker 11 (22:07):
So.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
He was on Gary and Shannon here on KFI AM
six forty earlier this week.
Speaker 5 (22:12):
Here's what he had to say.
Speaker 11 (22:14):
It's a great time to become a police officer in
Los Angeles. We've been able, with the support of the
Los Angeles Police Foundation and the city, to be able
to come forward and put together with the assistance of
an expert team to the media, immedia team, and be
able to put together a video that I think captures
(22:34):
the essence of what we do as police officers, the
pace of things, the hard times, the tough things to
deal with, as well as the rewarding things. It shows
compassion for anybody who's interested. Is available on the web
at LAPD Unrivaled dot com and it's a video that
I think will attract people from all walks of life
(22:57):
who may have an interest in law Enforcemy be looking
for a direction in their life that may be exciting
and rewarding at the same time. And my hope is
that this is a good first step to getting people
to apply to the Los Angeles Police Department for a
career that they will look back on many years from now,
hopefully and be able to say that there's nothing I
(23:18):
would have rather done. I feel that way myself, and
I want to be able to share that with as
many people who might have an inclination at all that
this is something that would be a good fit.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
They better hope so, because right now, the department predicts
having only eight six hundred twenty officers by June thirtieth
of twenty twenty six, that's when the next fiscal year's
year ends, and that would be the lowest staffing level
since nineteen ninety five. They're offering signing bonuses, extra incentives
(23:54):
for people who rent or buy homes in the city
of Los Angeles, throwing everything at this gig. So in
an era where dream jobs in LA like working in Hollywood,
seems so elusive right now, where they're talking about as
being the next Detroit, because our signature in the industry
(24:14):
is left, like Auto's left Detroit and film is leaving
La Hell.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
You can pivot, maybe become a cop.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
The LAPD has turned to TikTok to reach younger people,
but that's the problem. Younger people have a different view
of police than older folks. A survey showed residents of
Los Angeles under the age of thirty five, four out
of ten rated the LAPD's performance as poor. Only two
(24:48):
in ten rated the performance as good or excellent, whereas
older residents were more likely to have a positive view.
More than half of folks who are fifty five and
older read the LAPD as excellent. I've talked to city
council and Hugo Soto Martinez about this, and he has
said multiple times in fact that he thinks young people
(25:11):
are just completely disconnected from the LAPD and unpoliced careers
in general, because of the social justice movement that's been
going on for a while, but certainly caught a lot
of attention in twenty twenty during the pandemic and the
George Floyd protests, and younger people just don't want to
be a part of it. So we will have to
see if LAPD, unrivaled since eighteen sixty nine, draws more
(25:35):
people to that department. Goodness knows it's needed, because if
your house is burglarized, might take forty five minutes or
an hour for an officer to show up. And how
do you feel in that situation you're gonna need them?
And what kind of budget is going to be there
for the LAPD. We'll find out on Monday when Mayor
(25:56):
Karen Bass announces her proposed budget. We don't expect any
cuts to lap or the fire department, so we'll be
keeping an eye on that and reporting it for you.
Another type of recruitment that's going on in California right
now is Governor knw Some basically begging Canadians to keep
loving this state. Don't turn away because of this weird
(26:18):
thing going on with President Trump calling Canada the fifty
first state. California still loves you, Canucks. We'll talk about
the new campaign to keep Canadian money flowing into California.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand, KFI.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app This
is Michael Monks reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
A few more minutes, we'll spin together on this beautiful
Saturday night in Southern California. And we always have beautiful
Saturday nights in Southern California, but this one took a
turn for the worst. Let's quickly do a recap on
(26:56):
just how bad it got for us. The Lakers tonight,
the Clippers lost tonight, the Dodgers lost, and the Angels
were our only hope.
Speaker 5 (27:07):
They threatened in the bottom of.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
The ninth but ultimately lost in Anaheim to the Giants
three to two. Folks, we have completed the superfecta of
loserdom in LA sports today. Congratulations. Hey, not to mention
the Anaheim Ducks fired coach Greg Cronin today after another
losing season and missing out on the playoffs. He was
there for two years. So now, just a bad sports
(27:30):
day in La ro Well, I know you're the sports
guy here in the studio, And do these types of
days happen often in Los Angeles?
Speaker 5 (27:37):
No, not really, but the Ducks nobody cares. All right,
see this is it Now, I'm gonna have to be
a Ducks fan.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
I'm already an Angels fan because of the way you
people talk about Anaheim teams.
Speaker 5 (27:47):
Now I'm hopping on the Ducks train. I mean, come
on the Mighty Ducks. I remember that series. Yeah, all
right enough.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
We got to get our act together in LA and
California in general, because we need to collect some of
this Canadian money. And Governor Newsom knows it. There's obviously
some weirdness going on between Canada and the United States
because of President Trump's I don't know if it's real,
but some odd fascination with making Canada the fifty first state,
our closest ally and neighbor that we have typically gotten
(28:18):
along quite well with. And Canadians have in large park
decided to stop coming to America, and they used to
come to California a lot.
Speaker 5 (28:27):
Let's hear from Governor Newsom.
Speaker 8 (28:29):
Today we launched a new international campaign focused on encouraging
Canadians to come visit the great state of California. The
state of mind in the United States of America is
dramatically changed as it relates to the approach to Canada,
and we want to make sure we send the message
to our Canadian friends up north to come to a
state where two million Canadians visited last year, and come
(28:50):
visit a state where there's something for everybody, visit California.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
That's Governor Newsom speaking on the campaign launched this week
to Canadians, or at least to encourage them to keep coming.
But it's got really weird since Trump heightened tensions between
these two longtime allies, Travelers have been told to expect
higher scrutiny at the border, and there's basically advisories warning
(29:18):
the citizens about traveling to America because and a lot
of Canadians have already talked about how unhappy they are
with President Trump's economic tariffs and his immigration policies. Let's
hear this report from CBS.
Speaker 13 (29:32):
California Governor Gavin Newsom is trying to bring some of
those tourists back here to our state. Today, the Governor
and Visit California launched a new international tourism campaign. It's
aimed at inviting Canadians to visit California to experience the
state's quote, warmth and love. In a video posted on
social media, the governor highlights the states parks, wine and food,
(29:54):
and its distance from Washington, d C. The Governor said
this in a video statement.
Speaker 8 (30:00):
Last year, nearly two million Canadians uisited California because here
in California, We've got plenty of sunshine and a whole
lot of love for our neighbors up north.
Speaker 13 (30:10):
Earlier this month, the governor began calling for long standing
trade partners to exempt California made products from any tariffs
they may enact in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
I mean, it's gotten so weird. We were just talking
about hockey, right, I mean, that is a Canadian game.
They're pretty good at it too. They've been booing the
Star Spangled banner at hockey games and baseball games. We've
seen stores in Canada move American goods off their shelves.
It's weird. Let's hear some news out of Canada on
(30:44):
this issue.
Speaker 5 (30:45):
The Golden State and Canada have always shared.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
So it's a slick video from the land of Hollywood. California.
Governor Gavin used some distancing himself from President Trump two
thousand miles from Washington, in a world away pleading for
the usual well two million Canadians to continue vacationing in
his state. The ad, posted online along with a video
from the governor Monday, after tourism numbers have fallen off,
(31:10):
many British Columbians joining their countrymen and boycotting trips to
the Golden State amid the trade war.
Speaker 5 (31:16):
Well, I'm not going to travel to the stations. In fact,
I've already put off.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Some traveling plans to the stage supporting that country's administration.
Speaker 5 (31:23):
I'm not really interested in taking part in that.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Yeah, it's gotten weird, and California is doing its best
to tell Canada to please keep coming here. I know
a lot of you who listen to KFI often hear
the criticism at our government, So I know what you're
probably thinking is that they could spend a little bit
of time cleaning up the states for the.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
People who already live here.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
But they do estimate one point eight million Canadians visited
California in twenty twenty four, and that they spent around
three point seventy two billion dollars. I never know where
those numbers come from. I'm sure you can more easily
track the number of visitors, but I don't ever know
where the economic impact comes from. Those always seem a
little strange. But they do estimate three point seventy two
(32:07):
billion dollars spent by Canadian visitors to California, so the
state is going hard for Canada. But Palm Springs specifically
has hung banners in the city saying Palm Springs hearts Canada.
It's an international travel source for the city. According to
Palm Springs Mayor Ron de Hart, speaking to the La Times,
(32:28):
he says, and then this representative from visit California, Caroline Betteta, says,
California and Canada share so much in common. Are inclusive values,
love of natural beauty and passion for innovation bind us
and we look forward to welcoming you back to the
same community spirit you've always shown us. Well, we'll see
(32:49):
if we see any more than usual Canadians running around
the streets of California. Wish them the best and thank
them for their patronage. I thank you for your patronage
tonight here on Mychael Monks Reports. My big thanks to
producer Matthew Toffler, technical director Raoul Cortes, and our news
anchor Brigitta Degastino. Thanks to you for listening and participating
in our conversation. I am Michael Monks from KFI News.
(33:12):
I'll be with you Monday through Friday doing the news
Monday Big Day, city budget and the State of the
City address. I'll have it covered for you, and then
we'll be right back here on Saturday night to do
it all over again. Thanks again for listening to KFI
AM six
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Forty KFI AM six forty on demand
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