Award-Winning SoCal Connected Kicks Off Season Three with a Three-Part Series on What's at Stake in November Election
AWARD-WINNING 'SOCAL CONNECTED' KICKS OFF SEASON THREE WITH THREE-PART SERIES ON WHAT'S AT STAKE IN NOVEMBER ELECTION
SoCal Connected: California Votes' Premieres on a New Night: Wednesday, October 20, at 9:00 PM
Los Angeles - October 5, 2010 - SoCal Connected, KCET's Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning news program, returns for a third season on a new night and time: Wednesday, October 20, at 9:00 p.m. First up - "California Votes" - intensive election coverage. SoCal Connected reporters dig into the hidden politics - the money - and the influence it buys.In Proposition 19 - Legalizing Pot - Correspondent Judy Muller explores the secluded groves of Humboldt County, where marijuana drives the economy.As one grower says, "Humboldt has built an internationally recognized brand name for an illegitimate product."Now growers, marketers, even chefs, are planning to profit if their crop goes public. Who gets rich if weed is legal? Will the big entrepreneurs, the lawyers and the lobbyists feast on the profits? Will California's cities and counties benefit or get lost in a morass of legal confusion?Proposition 23 would overturn the forward-looking climate change legislation California has already passed. Correspondent John Larson shines a light on the out-of-state oil billionaires who are spending plenty to try to make sure they don't have to clean up their act and their industry. They say it's all about jobs.Proposition 27 dictates who draws legislative districts. As one expert told Correspondent Vince Gonzales, this proposition makes it possible once again for elected officials to choose their voters instead of the voters choosing their elected officials. Gonzales visits some districts that have been twisted and trimmed into bizarre shapes to toss out ethnic voters and the competition. "It's important to offer an in-depth look at the propositions on the November ballot," says Bret Marcus, Executive Producer of SoCal Connected. "These ballot measures will not only affect California for years to come, but also will have national implications." On Wednesday, October 27, the show will also focus on the race for Governor and introduce us to one of the most powerful political operatives in California --and one of the most obscure. He'll reveal the secrets of how he has manipulated nearly every initiative on the ballot for three decades. The night after the election, Wednesday, November 3, Anchor Val Zavala goes live with an insiders' election wrap-up.The SoCal Connected website, www.kcet.org/socalconnected, will offer an essential guide to what voters need to know about the propositions - what they really mean, who is putting up the money to pass and defeat them, and who stands to gain and lose. SoCal Connected, winner of the Peabody Award, six Emmys, eight Golden Mikes, including Best News Public Affairs Show, 18 LA Press Club awards for journalism, recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best News Documentary, and Los Angeles Magazine's "Best New Local TV Program" of 2009, airs Wednesdays (9:00 - 9:30 p.m.), Fridays (8:30 - 9:00 p.m.), Saturdays (6:00 - 6:30 p.m.), and Sundays (6:30 - 7:00 p.m.) exclusively on KCET. For more information, to view episodes online or to post comments, please visit www.kcet.org/socalconnected.SoCal Connected is made possible through the generous support of The Ahmanson Foundation, serving the Los Angeles community since 1952; Jim and Anne Rothenberg; Maddocks-Brown Foundation; The Elizabeth Hofert-Dailey Trust; The John Randolph Haynes & Dora Haynes Foundation; The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, UCLA and U.S. Bank.###
