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Minimum wage activists fast for better pay
From George Lavender | 04:56
In downtown Los Angeles, activists have gone without food for two weeks. The women are campaigning for a raise in the minimum wage. Today L-A Mayor Eric Garcetti met with the group to hear their concerns. The fast's fifteenth and final day is tomorrow -- and the number fifteen is important -- the group says $15 per hour is the minimum amount every worker in the city should be earning. From KCRW’s Independent Producer Project, George Lavender went downtown to talk to some of the women participating in the fast.
In downtown Los Angeles, activists have gone without food for two weeks. The women are campaigning for a raise in the minimum wage. Today L-A Mayor Eric Garcetti met with the group to hear their concerns. The fast's fifteenth and final day is tomorrow -- and the number fifteen is important -- the group says $15 per hour is the minimum amount every worker in the city should be earning. From KCRW’s Independent Producer Project, George Lavender went downtown to talk to some of the women participating in the fast.
Pioneering Drought At A California Cemetery
From Kerstin Zilm | 07:09
California's first mandatory water restrictions are having an effect also on cemeteries. The tradition of lush green lawns is replaced by drought tolerant landscaping. At Rosemead’s Pioneer Cemetery in Savannah Memorial Park opponents and proponents meet among hills of mulch, weeds and more than 150 year old head stones
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- Pioneering Drought At A California Cemetery
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- Kerstin Zilm
Cemeteries are synonymous with lush, green and well-watered lawns – even in drought-ridden Southern California. But the state’s first mandatory water restrictions are starting to have an effect on all that green. Rosemead’s Pioneer Cemetery in Savannah Memorial Park is experiencing the challenge of cutting down on water firsthand. One member of the board is totally enthusiastic about the transformation and talks about future stunning visuals. Another one whose ancestors have been buried here since 1850 is ready to cry. She talks about history, family and of being tired of all the weeds and mulch. She also does some guerilla watering. Volunteers help with the transfromation but admit: they prefer to sit on grass when visiting loved ones at a cemetery.
USC Professor David Sloane explains the origins of the lawn tradition that does not fit the California climate.