5/7/03

LC030507

VAL ZAVALA>> TONIGHT ON LIFE AND TIMES --

JESS MARLOW>> THEY SAY THEY’RE EASY TARGETS FOR DISCRIMINATION, BUT TRANSGENDERS MAY SOON GET A BREAK FROM CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS.

JESSE JACOBSON>> WE CAN’T GO STEALTH. I MEAN, I CAN’T SHOW UP -- YOU KNOW, IF YOU’RE OFFERING AN APARTMENT FOR RENT, I CAN’T SHOW UP AND YOU’RE NOT GOING TO KNOW OR HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA THAT I’M TRANSSEXUAL.

VAL>> AND THEN, A THREAT THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE STUFF OF SCIENCE FICTION, BUT A NEW STUDY SAYS TSUNAMIS, OR GIANT TIDAL WAVES, ARE A DEFINITE POSSIBILITY FOR THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST.

JESS>> PLUS, A PROVOCATIVE NEW EXHIBIT ON WHITENESS IN AMERICA.

VAL>> IT’S ALL STRAIGHT AHEAD ON TONIGHT’S LIFE AND TIMES.

LIFE AND TIMES IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

VAL>> SEXUAL IDENTITY AND A QUESTION OF CIVIL RIGHTS.

JESS>> THEY ARE THE TWO KEY ISSUES IN A BILL NOW FACING STATE LAWMAKERS. THE MEASURE WOULD MAKE IT ILLEGAL FOR LANDLORDS AND EMPLOYERS TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST TRANSGENDERS. THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE CHANGED THEIR SEXUAL IDENTITY, MEDICALLY, SURGICALLY OR OTHERWISE. THE BILL WOULD OFFER LEGAL PROTECTION TO AT LEAST 100,000 CALIFORNIANS WHO NOW REGARD THEMSELVES AS TRANSGENDERS. BUT AS TONI GUINYARD REPORTS, THE DEBATE ON THIS MEASURE IS FAR FROM OVER.

TONI GUINYARD>> NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, NO MATTER WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE, BY LAW YOU CANNOT BE DENIED HOUSING OR EMPLOYMENT BASED ON YOUR RACE, SEX, ANCESTRY OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION. THE PROTECTIONS ARE GRANTED IN THE STATE FAIR EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING ACT, BUT NOW SOME STATE LAWMAKERS SAY IT DOESN’T GO FAR ENOUGH IN OFFERING ALL CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS PROTECTION AGAINST DISCRIMINATION.

PAUL KORETZ>> HI, THERE. THIS IS PAUL KORETZ RETURNING DAN’S CALL.

TONI GUINYARD>> ASSEMBLYMAN PAUL KORETZ BELIEVES ONE GROUP HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED: THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY. IT INCLUDES TRANSSEXUALS AND OTHERS WHO IDENTIFY WITH THE OPPOSITE GENDER. WE INTRODUCED YOU TO MEMBERS OF L.A.’S TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY A FEW YEARS AGO INCLUDING L.A. FIRE CAPTAIN MICHELLE KEMMERER AND ACTIVIST SHIRLEY BUSHNELL. THEY REPRESENT THE GROUP ASSEMBLYMAN KORETZ SUPPORTED BY JOINING HIS COLLEAGUES IN PASSING ASSEMBLY BILL 196, A BILL THAT WOULD AMEND THE FAIR EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING ACT AND MAKE IT ILLEGAL FOR EMPLOYERS OR LANDLORDS TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST SOMEONE BASED ON GENDER.

PAUL KORETZ>> THERE’S NO QUESTION. THERE’S NO MORE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST GROUP OF PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA AND AMERICAN SOCIETY THAN TRANSGENDERED PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE PERHAPS THE MOST DIFFERENT FROM EVERYONE ELSE.

TONI GUINYARD>> HAS THIS STATE GONE TOO FAR IN ACCOMMODATING EVERYONE?

PAUL KORETZ>> NOT AT ALL. I’M SO PROUD OF THIS STATE THAT I AM ACTUALLY IN A LEGISLATURE THAT WOULD VOTE FOR LEGISLATION LIKE THIS.

JESSE JACOBSON>> YOU KNOW, WE’RE NOT ASKING FOR SPECIAL RIGHTS. WE’RE JUST ASKING NOT TO BE DENIED JOBS, NOT TO BE DENIED HOMES BECAUSE WE PRESENT AS THE OPPOSITE SEX TO WHICH WE WERE BORN, YOU KNOW?

TONI GUINYARD>> JESSE JACOBSON DESCRIBES HERSELF AS A NON-OPERATIVE TRANSSEXUAL. SHE’S HAD BREAST AUGMENTATION, BUT HAS NO PLANS OF HAVING SEXUAL REASSIGNMENT SURGERY.

JESSE JACOBSON>> I UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED, BUT ALL THEY NEED TO DO IS ASK LIKE YOU’RE ASKING.

TONI GUINYARD>> JESSE TRANSITIONED FROM MAN TO WOMAN AND HAS LIVED FULL-TIME AS A WOMAN FOR THE PAST SIXTEEN MONTHS. SHE HAS A GIRLFRIEND, CONSIDERS HERSELF TO BE A LESBIAN. WELL-EDUCATED AND EMPLOYED, JESSE SAYS SHE’S ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES, BUT IS NOT IMMUNE TO DISCRIMINATION.

JESSE JACOBSON>> FOR US, WE CAN’T GO STEALTH. I MEAN, I CAN’T SHOW UP -- YOU KNOW, IF YOU’RE OFFERING AN APARTMENT FOR RENT, I CAN’T SHOW UP AND YOU’RE NOT GOING TO KNOW OR HAVE A PRETTY GOOD IDEA THAT I’M TRANSSEXUAL.

TONI GUINYARD>> WASN’T IT ENOUGH THAT GAYS AND LESBIANS RECEIVE THESE PROTECTIONS THAT YOU ARE PROTECTED UNDER THAT SAME UMBRELLA?

JESSE JACOBSON>> BUT WE ARE NOT REALLY BECAUSE SEXUAL ORIENTATION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GENDER IDENTITY. THEY’RE TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ISSUES.

JOSHUA BOBROWSKY>> WE THINK AB 196 IS ESSENTIAL FOR GIVING PEOPLE THE PROTECTIONS IN HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT.

TONI GUINYARD>> JOSHUA BOBROWSKY IS DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HEALTH POLICY FOR THE LOS ANGELES GAY AND LESBIAN CENTER.

JOSHUA BOBROWSKY>> YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE ABLE TO WORK IN AN ENVIRONMENT FREE FROM HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION. WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT TRANSGENDER COMMUNITIES, YOU KNOW, DATA SHOWS THAT AS MUCH AS ONE IN TWO, NEARLY HALF, OF TRANSGENDER PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED SOME FORM OF HARASSMENT ON THE JOB.

TONI GUINYARD>> JACOBSON HAS ESCAPED HARASSMENT, BUT AS A MENTAL HEALTH, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY SERVICES INTERN TRAINEE AT THE LOS ANGELES GAY AND LESBIAN CENTER, SHE’S HEARD THE STORIES.

JESSE JACOBSON>> I KNOW OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ARTISTS WHO HAVE WORKED, YOU KNOW, THEIR WHOLE ENTIRE LIVES, WHO HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL, WITHIN A YEAR’S TIME AFTER TRANSITIONING CAN’T GET A JOB ANYWHERE, CAN’T GET HIRED.

TONI GUINYARD>> ASSEMBLYMAN KORETZ HAS HEARD IT ALL BEFORE. FIRST WHEN HE SERVED AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER IN WEST HOLLYWOOD AND NOW AS HE SERVES HIS CONSTITUENTS IN THE FORTY-SECOND ASSEMBLY DISTRICT. HE SAYS HE EVEN EXPERIENCED DISCRIMINATION YEARS AGO WHILE HELPING A FRIEND SEARCH FOR AN APARTMENT.

PAUL KORETZ>> THE LANDLORD QUICKLY TURNED US DOWN AND TOLD US THE SIGN HADN’T BEEN TAKEN DOWN, BUT THERE REALLY WASN’T ANY AVAILABLE HOUSING IN THAT APARTMENT BUILDING. THEN I HAPPENED TO BE DRIVING BY TWO DAYS LATER AND THE SIGN WAS RIGHT BACK UP. THAT LANDLORD HAD DISCRIMINATED AGAINST MY FRIEND BECAUSE HE HAD MADE THE ERRONEOUS ASSUMPTION THAT WE WERE A GAY COUPLE LOOKING FOR AN APARTMENT.

TONI GUINYARD>> UNDER AB 196, HOUSING DISCRIMINATION COULD RESULT IN A FINE OF UP TO $10,000. JOB DISCRIMINATION UP TO $150,000.

PAUL KORETZ>> I WASN’T SURE WHETHER THE MAJORITY OF MY COLLEAGUES WOULD HAVE THE GUTS TO DO THIS BECAUSE THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT WILL HAVE SOME POLITICAL REPERCUSSIONS FOR SOME AND I AM SURE THERE ARE FOLKS THAT WILL VOTE AGAINST ALL OF US BECAUSE OF WHAT WE’VE DONE.

JESSE JACOBSON>> WE’RE ENTITLED TO THE SAME RIGHTS AS ANYBODY ELSE AND WHY SHOULD WE BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST? THIS COUNTRY DOES HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF DISCRIMINATION AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE’RE JUST THE LATEST WHIPPING GIRLS.

JESS>> CRITICS SAY THE LEGISLATION YOU JUST HEARD ABOUT WOULD BE UNFAIR TO EMPLOYERS WHO ARE MORALLY OPPOSED TO TRANSGENDERS. JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ON THIS IS TONI GUINYARD. IT’S PASSED THE STATE ASSEMBLY. WHAT ARE ITS CHANCES IN THE STATE SENATE?

TONI GUINYARD>> WELL, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THE PHONE WITH BEN LOPEZ, WHO IS THE LOBBYIST WITH THE TRADITIONAL VALUES COALITION. HE SEEMS TO THINK THAT IT WILL PASS THE SENATE. HE SAYS THE DECISION WILL TRULY BE MADE ON GOVERNOR DAVIS’S DESK.

JESS>> ANY HINT OF WHAT GOVERNOR DAVIS WOULD DO?

TONI GUINYARD>> NO INDICATION AS OF RIGHT NOW. BUT, YOU KNOW, BEN LOPEZ REALLY WANTED TO COME ON THE SHOW TONIGHT. IN TALKING TO HIM, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THE PHONE WITH HIM AND HE SAYS WHAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND, FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE, IS THAT IF YOU HAVE, SAY, A RELIGIOUS BOOK STORE OWNER WHO IS CONCERNED OR MORALLY OPPOSED TO THIS, THEY’RE GOING TO BE FORCED TO HIRE A PERSON THEY WOULD NOT NECESSARILY HIRE OR BE CHARGED WITH DISCRIMINATION IF THEY DON’T.

VAL>> WELL, IT’S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. YOU MAY NOT BE FORCED TO HIRE SOMEBODY, BUT IF A TRANSGENDER PRESENT THEMSELVES AND APPLY AND THEY’RE THE BEST QUALIFIED, YOU CAN’T DISCRIMINATE. THAT’S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN FORCED TO HIRE.

TONI GUINYARD>> AND THAT’S CORRECT, BUT AGAIN, IT’S PERSPECTIVE. YOU HAVE TWO DISTINCT GROUPS HERE. YOU HAVE ONE GROUP SAYING THIS IS WRONG. YOU HAVE ANOTHER GROUP SAYING WE NEED THESE RIGHTS WRITTEN INTO LAW. OF COURSE, YOU HAVE TWO SIDES TO EVERYTHING AND THIS IS --

VAL>> -- WHAT IS IT? THE FAMILY VALUES COALITION?

TONI GUINYARD>> THAT’S RIGHT, THE TRADITIONAL VALUES COALITION BASED IN ANAHEIM.

VAL>> -- AND THEY’RE LAUNCHING A BIG CAMPAIGN AGAINST THIS?

TONI GUINYARD>> THEY HAVE DONE E-MAIL CAMPAIGNS, THEY ARE WRITING TO LEGISLATORS, THEY’RE TELLING PEOPLE TO ESSENTIALLY SAY SPEAK OUT NOW BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO BE TOO LATE ONCE IT PASSES THE SENATE.

JESS>> WE SHOULD MENTION THAT IF THERE ARE FIVE OR FEWER EMPLOYEES, YOU DON’T HAVE TO -- YOU’RE NOT COVERED BY THIS --

VAL>> -- SO WITH A VERY, VERY SMALL, YOU WOULDN’T BE AFFECTED?

TONI GUINYARD>> IT IS, BUT STILL THERE IS CONCERN FROM THIS PARTICULAR GROUP, TRADITIONAL VALUES COALITION, THAT SMALL BUSINESSES WILL BE AFFECTED, THAT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO DO IT, YOU DON’T WANT TO DO IT, AND YOU CAN’T BE MORALLY OPPOSED TO IT BECAUSE THE LAW WILL THEN SAY, LOOK, YOU CANNOT DISCRIMINATE.

VAL>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I HAVE A FEELING THAT, IF IT PASSES, WE MIGHT BE SEEING THIS ONE IN COURT. TONI, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES, A STORY ABOUT CATS AND THE FUTURE OF THEIR CLAWS. ONE LOCAL CITY HAS MADE DECLAWING A CRIME. WILL THE STATE JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON AND DO THE SAME? AND HOW DID DECLAWING BECOME SUCH A BIG POLITICAL ISSUE ANYWAY? THE STORY THURSDAY ON LIFE AND TIMES.

PHILIP BRUCE>> HERE’S TONIGHT’S LIFE AND TIMES “WHAT DO YOU THINK?” POLL. LOG ONTO OUR WEBSITE AT KCET.ORG AND WEIGH IN ON THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: SHOULD CALIFORNIA RE-REGULATE THE STATE’S POWER INDUSTRY? WE’LL COUNT YOUR RESPONSES AND REPORT THE RESULTS ON TOMORROW NIGHT’S LIFE AND TIMES.

JESS>> AMONG THE MANY THINGS ON MOST PEOPLES’ WORRY LIST, IT’S A SAFE BET THAT TIDAL WAVES ARE FAIRLY CLOSE TO THE BOTTOM. BUT IN RECENT DAYS, A USC RESEARCHER HAS SUGGESTED THAT TIDAL WAVES, OR TSUNAMIS, ARE A VERY REAL THREAT FOR THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST. HE EVEN WANTS TO CREATE A BUOY WARNING SYSTEM AS A PRECAUTION.

VAL>> THE WARNING FOLLOWS A FIVE-YEAR STUDY OF THE LOCAL COASTLINE AND IT’S BASED ON CONCERNS THAT AN OFFSHORE EARTHQUAKE COULD PRODUCE HUGE TSUNAMI TIDAL WAVES UP TO THIRTY FEET HIGH. A WHILE BACK BEFORE THE USC REPORT, SAUL GONZALEZ LOOKED AT THE HISTORY OF THIS NATURAL PHENOMENON AND HE DISCOVERED THAT CALIFORNIA HAS ALREADY FELT THE BRUNT OF MORE THAN ONE TSUNAMI.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> THE PACIFIC OCEAN. ITS BEAUTY AND RHYTHMS HELP DEFINE CALIFORNIA LIFE. ON OR NEAR ITS SHORES, OVER TWENTY MILLION CALIFORNIANS LIVE, WORK AND PLAY. YET THE PACIFIC IS ALSO A SPAWNING GROUND FOR ONE OF NATURE'S MOST DESTRUCTIVE FORCES: TSUNAMIS.

COSTAS SYNOLAKIS>> IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT REALLY AS A MOUNTAIN OF WATER, AS A HUGE HILL THAT'S MOVING INLAND.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> MEET PROFESSOR COSTAS SYNOLAKIS. HE IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S FOREMOST EXPERTS ON TSUNAMIS AND DIRECTOR OF USC'S TSUNAMI STUDY CENTER.

COSTAS SYNOLAKIS>> NOBODY HAS EVER REALLY SEEN ONE. NOBODY HAS SEEN HOW IT IS GENERATED. IT'S ALMOST LIKE AN UNKNOWN ENEMY. PEOPLE HAVE SEEN HURRICANES, TORNADOES, PEOPLE CAN FEEL EARTHQUAKES, BUT TSUNAMIS, USUALLY WE ONLY FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A TSUNAMI HITS.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> UNLIKE CONVENTIONAL WIND-GENERATED WAVES, A TSUNAMI IS A MASSIVE WAVE FRONT CAUSED WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE, LANDSLIDE OR VOLCANIC ERUPTION VIOLENTLY JOLTS THE OCEAN FLOOR.

COSTAS SYNOLAKIS>> THE SEA FLOOR MOVES UP OR DOWN BECAUSE OF AN EARTHQUAKE, WHICH GENERATES THIS GIANT WAVE THAT CAN PROPAGATE OVER TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MILES AT SPEEDS OF A JET AIRCRAFT, SO THIS IS THE PART THAT'S REALLY FASCINATING. YOU HAVE THIS HUGE WAVE THAT CAN MOVE ACROSS THE WORLD'S OCEANS AS FAST AS A JETLINER.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> WHEN THEY COME ASHORE, TSUNAMIS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO GROW TO HEIGHTS OF A HUNDRED FEET OR MORE, BRINGING DEVASTATION AND DEATH WHEN THEY COME CRASHING DOWN. ONE OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMIS IN RECENT HISTORY OCCURRED IN 1998 ON THE PACIFIC ISLAND OF PAPUA, NEW GUINEA.

COSTAS SYNOLAKIS>> WHAT HAD HAPPENED THERE WAS A MASSIVE SUB-MARINE LANDSLIDE OFFSHORE AND THE LANDSLIDE GENERATED THIS HUGE WAVE THAT DID NOT HAVE TIME TO DISSIPATE OR HAVE TIME TO SORT OF DIE DOWN AND JUST MOVED INLAND AND, IN SOME CASES, PENETRATED UP TO ABOUT THREE MILES INLAND DESTROYING EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> TSUNAMIS WERE ONCE THOUGHT OF AS PHENOMENA THAT OTHER PLACES IN THE WORLD HAD TO WORRY ABOUT LIKE ALASKA OR JAPAN, NOT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THEN SCIENTISTS STARTED TO ASK THEMSELVES THIS QUESTION: DO CONDITIONS EXIST HERE IN LOCAL WATERS TO CREATE ONE OF THESE MONSTER WAVES?

COSTAS SYNOLAKIS>> WE USED TO THINK THAT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WAS A FAIRLY QUIET AREA IN TERMS OF TSUNAMIS, BUT AFTER PAPUA, NEW GUINEA DID WE REALIZE THAT THERE IS THIS LANDSLIDE POTENTIAL. NOW EVEN THIS BEAUTIFUL AREA IS A CANDIDATE FOR TSUNAMI ATTACK.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> THAT ATTACK MIGHT COME BECAUSE OF WHAT EXISTS BELOW THE OCEAN WATERS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, A RUGGED LANDSCAPE OF STEEPLY SLOPING RAVINES AND VALLEYS.

JOSE BORRERO>> THERE IS A LOT OF STEEP SLOPES WITH A LOT OF SEDIMENT ON THEM AND THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SLOPE FAILURES. THESE SLOPE FAILURES, IF THEY'RE LARGE ENOUGH, CAN PRODUCE WAVES.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> JOSE BORRERO IS A TSUNAMI RESEARCHER WITH USC.

JOSE BORRERO>> A TSUNAMI THAT WOULD BE CAUSED BY A SLOPE FAILURE VERY CLOSE TO US, WE'RE TALKING IN BETWEEN SAN PEDRO AND CATALINA.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> A TSUNAMI CREATED SO CLOSE TO OUR COAST WOULD DRAMATICALLY DIMINISH WARNING TIMES FOR PEOPLE ON THE BEACH.

COSTAS SYNOLAKIS>> IF THE TSUNAMI TAKES PLACE AND HAPPENS TEN MILES OFFSHORE, IT WILL TAKE IT LESS THAN TEN MINUTES TO COME ON LAND AND THERE WILL BE NO TIME TO ISSUE A WARNING.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE KIND OF PUNCH A TSUNAMI COULD GIVE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SYNOLAKIS SAYS TO IMAGINE THE FORCE OF TEN EL NINO STORMS ALL ROLLED INTO ONE SINGLE WAVE. RESPONDING TO GROWING EVIDENCE THAT TSUNAMIS ARE POSSIBLE IN LOCAL WATERS, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA'S OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES HAS COMMISSIONED PROFESSOR SYNOLAKIS AND HIS TEAM TO DETERMINE THROUGH COMPUTER MODELING WHICH SECTIONS OF CALIFORNIA'S COASTLINE ARE MOST IN JEOPARDY IF A TSUNAMI WAVE FORMS. THEY WILL THEN DRAFT INUNDATION MAPS TO DETERMINE WHERE TSUNAMI-RELATED FLOODING COULD BE HEAVIEST. USING A MAP OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST, PROFESSOR SYNOLAKIS SHOWED LIFE AND TIMES WHICH NEIGHBORHOODS MIGHT BE THREATENED.

COSTAS SYNOLAKIS>> FOR A FAIRLY MODERATE TSUNAMI, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FIRST, IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, THE FIRST LINE OF HOUSES. FOR EXAMPLE, IN VENICE UP TO OCEAN AVENUE, GOING AROUND MARINA DEL REY, THE ENTIRE AREA AROUND THE CANALS IS AT RISK, AND THEN PLAYA DEL REY. EVERYTHING BASICALLY THAT IS LOW-LYING AND AROUND THE CHANNEL BECAUSE TSUNAMIS HAVE A HABIT OF GOING IN AND PENETRATING. THEY CAN USE THIS AS WHAT WE CALL THE WAVE GUIDE AND THEY CAN GO IN AND PENETRATE INLAND FLOODING OF BOTH SIDES OF THE CHANNEL.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> IT'S AN ENTRYWAY TO FURTHER INLAND?

COSTAS SYNOLAKIS>> OH, YES.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> STATE AUTHORITIES WILL USE THE TSUNAMI INUNDATION MAPS TO HELP PLAN EVACUATION ROUTES AND DETERMINE WHERE TSUNAMI WARNING SIGNS SHOULD BE POSTED, SIGNS THAT COULD START APPEARING ON CALIFORNIA'S BEACHES WITHIN A YEAR. OREGON ALREADY HAS SUCH A SYSTEM IN PLACE.

>> "AND YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT EVACUATION SIGNS. YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT WARNING SIGNALS. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE EVACUATION ROUTES ARE. YOU ALSO WANT TO KNOW WHERE YOUR DESIGNATED SHELTERS ARE IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND WHERE HIGH GROUND IS."

SAUL GONZALEZ>> UNTIL SUCH PROGRAMS ARE IN PLACE HERE IN CALIFORNIA, PROFESSOR SYNOLAKIS OFFERS THIS ADVICE.

COSTAS SYNOLAKIS>> IF YOU EVER HAVE ANY SUSPICION OF AN UNUSUAL WATER MOTION, ONE HAS TO MOVE AS FAR AWAY FROM THE WATER AS POSSIBLE. I MEAN, THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF NATURAL PHENOMENON THAT YOU WILL ENJOY WATCHING. IT'S THE SAME KIND OF ENJOYMENT WATCHING A TSUNAMI AS JUST SITTING ON THE CRATER OF A VOLCANO THE MOMENT IT'S ERUPTING. YES, IT'S GOING TO BE VERY INTERESTING, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE THE LAST INTERESTING THING YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IN YOUR LIFE.

SAUL GONZALEZ>> IT PAYS TO REMEMBER THAT, WHEN WE'RE ON THE SHORES OF THE PACIFIC, WE'RE STANDING AT THE EDGE OF A VAST AND SOMETIMES DANGEROUS WILDERNESS.

VAL>> WE TOLD YOU THAT SOME SCIENTISTS ARE CALLING FOR A NEW EARLY WARNING SYSTEM CONSISTING OF BUOYS OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST. THEY CLAIM THAT THAT SYSTEM COULD GIVE PEOPLE ALONG THE COAST ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES TO PREPARE FOR A TSUNAMI AND FLEE FROM THE LOWEST-LYING AREAS.

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JESS>> IT'S A COMPLAINT OFTEN HEARD ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES AROUND THE COUNTRY. THE STUDY OF AMERICAN HISTORY IS TOO FOCUSED ON DEAD WHITE GUYS. WHITENESS IS BEING REDEFINED NOW IN SOME QUARTERS OF THE ACADEMIC WORLD. NOW THE LAGUNA ART MUSEUM IS EMBRACING THE TOPIC WITH A PROVOCATIVE EXHIBIT ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE WHITE IN AMERICA.

VAL>> THE EXHIBIT LOOKS AT RACE THROUGH THE WORKS OF MORE THAN TWENTY ARTISTS, EACH APPROACHING THE ISSUE IN A UNIQUE WAY. THE WORKS CHALLENGE OUR NOTION OF WHAT IS WHITE? IS IT A SKIN COLOR? A SOCIAL CLASS? A CLAIM TO POLITICAL POWER AND PRIVILEGE? LITTLE WONDER THE NAME OF THE EXHIBIT IS "WHITENESS, A WAYWARD CONSTRUCTION". AND JOINING US NOW IS THE CURATOR OF THE EXHIBIT, TYLER STALLINGS. WELCOME.

TYLER STALLINGS>> THANK YOU.

JESS>> WHAT PROMPTED THIS EXHIBIT?

TYLER STALLINGS>> WELL, WHAT PROMPTED THIS EXHIBIT IS, IN THE UNIVERSITIES AND ACADEMIA, THERE WERE SEVERAL BOOKS THAT WERE OCCURRING RANGING FROM "BEYOND THE WHITENESS OF WHITE" TO "WHITE LIES". PROBABLY ONE OF THE MORE INFLUENTIAL BOOKS FOR ME WAS THIS BOOK, "THE COMING WHITE MINORITY", WHICH IS ABOUT THE CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS IN CALIFORNIA.

VAL>> SO WHITENESS IS A HOT TOPIC IN ACADEMIA?

TYLER STALLINGS>> YES, SINCE THE MID-1990'S.

VAL>> AND YOU SAID, WHY NOT?

TYLER STALLINGS>> WELL, THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL EXHIBITS THROUGHOUT THE 1990'S THAT HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH IDENTITY OR IDENTITY POLITICS FROM TOO JEWISH TO BLACK MASCULINITY TO THE 1993 WHITNEY BIENNAL. I THINK THAT, OUT OF THOSE EXHIBITIONS, A VOCABULARY AND DIALOGUE WAS CREATED THAT I THINK ACADEMICS BEGAN TO SEE THAT THEY COULD APPLY TO THIS IDEA OF WHITENESS.

VAL>> SO YOU SAID, ALL RIGHT, I'M THE CURATOR OF THE LAGUNA ART MUSEUM, LET'S DO IT. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU CHOSE. THE FIRST ONE IS CALLED " A SUNDAY -- NO, I'M SORRY, IT'S CALLED "CAPTURING THE COLORLESS ONES"? IS THAT RIGHT? IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S -- OH, IT'S A TAKE-OFF ON THAT FAMOUS --

TYLER STALLINGS>> -- RIGHT.

VAL>> WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

TYLER STALLINGS>> THIS IS BY TWO ARTISTS WHO CALL THEMSELVES THE ANTHROPOLOGISTS. IT'S RICHARD LOO AND ROBERT SANCHEZ. WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS THAT YOU CAN SEE THEY'VE DRESSED THEMSELVES AS ANTHROPOLOGISTS AND THEY HAVE THIS WHITE COUPLE THAT ARE NETTED. THE IDEA IS THAT THEY ARE TAKING ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU SEE IN A NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM AND REVERSING THEM IN TERMS OF DISPLAYING WHITE CULTURE AS OPPOSED TO OTHER CULTURES.

VAL>> LIKE WE WOULD GO INTO AFRICA AND CAPTURE AFRICAN TRIBES PEOPLE? OKAY.

JESS>> WHAT IS THIS?

VAL>> THIS IS INTERESTING.

TYLER STALLINGS>> THIS IS BY AN ARTIST NAMED MARK GREENFIELD IN LOS ANGELES. WHAT HE'S DONE IS TAKING DIFFERENT IMAGES OF THE BLACKFACE MINSTREL, HISTORICAL IMAGES THAT HE FOUND AT THRIFT STORES AND THAT KIND OF THING, AND THEN HE'S OVERLAID IT WITH AN EYE CHART THAT, WHEN YOU READ IT, IT SPELLS KIND OF A VERNACULAR SORT OF STREET LANGUAGE. IT'S SORT OF AN IMAGE THAT DEALS WITH DIFFERENT STEREOTYPES.

VAL>> AND THE NEXT ONE IS CALLED "THE PRISON AT CHERRY HILL".

TYLER STALLINGS>> THIS IS BY AN ARTIST NAMED JAMES CASEBERE FROM NEW YORK. WHAT HE DOES IS CREATE TABLETOP MINIATURES THAT HE THEN COVERS IN WHITE PLASTER AND THEN TAKES A PHOTOGRAPH OF IT. THAT'S THE FINAL IMAGE THAT YOU SEE. BUT IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS EXHIBITION, I WAS INTERESTED IN HOW HE TAKES PRISONS, SCHOOL, ALL THESE BUILDINGS WHERE YOU'RE TAUGHT. IT'S HIS IDEA OF KIND OF WHAT YOU INTERNALIZE IN YOURSELF.

VAL>> THAT'S INTEREST. THIS NEXT ONE IS NOT ENTITLED. NO TITLE FOR THIS ONE.

TYLER STALLINGS>> THIS IS A PIECE BY AN ARTIST IN LOS ANGELES NAMED CLIFFORD LECUYER. HERE I WAS INTERESTED IN THIS IDEA AND, AGAIN, IN THE CONTEXT OF THE EXHIBITION OF HOW HISTORICALLY SORT OF IN WESTERN CULTURE WHITENESS HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH PURITY, GOING BACK EVEN TO THE BIBLE AND LOOKING AT BLACKNESS ASSOCIATED WITH CALAMITY AND WHITENESS WITH PURITY. SO HERE, THIS PIECE SEEMED ALMOST LIKE YOU'RE INSIDE THE BODY, SO IT'S KIND OF THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF SPIRITUAL PURITY.

JESS>> THIS NEXT PIECE HAS A PROVOCATIVE TITLE, "I CAN'T IMAGINE EVER WANTING TO BE WHITE".

TYLER STALLINGS>> YES. THIS IS A REALLY SIGNIFICANT PIECE FOR THE EXHIBITION AND FOR THE WHOLE CONVERSATION. THIS IS BY AN ARTIST NAMED DANIEL MARTINEZ AND THIS IS FROM THE 1993 WHITNEY BIENNAL THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER ALL THESE ARTISTS LOOKING AT IDENTITY. WHAT HE DID IS HE TOOK THE TAGS THAT YOU TRADITIONALLY GET WHEN YOU WALK INTO THE MUSEUM AND YOU PUT ON YOUR COLLAR JUST TO SHOW THAT YOU PAID ADMISSION, BUT HERE HE DID A SIGHT SPECIFIC PROJECT WHERE HE APPLIED THIS TEXT.

SO THE IDEA IS THAT, WHEN YOU HAVE DIFFERENT PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH THE MUSEUM, ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE COULD BE WEARING THE WORD WHITE OR COULD BE WEARING THE WHOLE PHRASE THAT SAID "I CAN'T EVER IMAGINE WANTING TO BE WHITE". SUDDENLY, IN A SOCIAL SPACE, PEOPLE HAD TO THINK ABOUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? HOW AM I BEING DEFINED? SOMEBODY ELSE PUT THIS WORD ON TOP OF ME, AND THAT KIND OF THING.

VAL>> THE NEXT PIECE IS BY AN ARTIST BY THE NAME OF ANDRES SERRANO.

TYLER STALLINGS>> YEAH, THIS IS AN ARTIST, ANDRES SERRANO, FROM NEW YORK, MOST FAMOUS IN 1999 FOR "PISS CHRIST" THAT STARTED ONE OF THE NEA CULTURAL BATTLES ALONG WITH ROBERT MAPLETHORPE. THIS IS A PIECE CALLED "THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS". WHAT HE'S DONE IS HE'S CREATED DIFFERENT IMAGES THAT ARE IN SORT OF A DREAM STATE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF IN OUR PRIVATE DREAMS THAT COULD CAUSE EITHER FEAR OR HOPE, EITHER WAY.

VAL>> WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE, ACTUALLY, IS THAT THE PIECE DOES EXTEND FURTHER DOWN AND THE SKIN COLOR CHANGES FROM THAT VERY DARK --

TYLER STALLINGS>> -- RIGHT. IT IS MAKEUP WHERE IT'S SORT OF BLACK ON TOP AND THEN WHITE ON THE BOTTOM.

VAL>> THEN WE HAVE A PIECE CALLED "GIRL BOXING" BY KIM DINGLE.

TYLER STALLINGS>> YEAH, THIS IS ARTIST KIM DINGLE, ALSO FROM LOS ANGELES. SHE'S DONE A SERIES OF PAINTINGS WHERE SHE HAS BOTH LITTLE WHITE GIRLS AND BLACK GIRLS FIGHTING. IN PART, IT'S REALLY THIS IDEA, ESPECIALLY WITH THE LITTLE WHITE GIRL, OF TAKING THE SORT OF NICE GIRL AND MAKING HER SORT OF MEAN AND PLAYING A BOY'S GAME.

JESS>> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT ONE CALLED "MULATTO NATION GIFT SHOP".

TYLER STALLINGS>> YEAH, "MULATTO NATION" IS BY AN ARTIST NAMED LEZLEY SAAR WHO ACTUALLY HAS A SHOW UP RIGHT NOW AT THE JAN BAUM GALLERY. WHAT SHE'S DONE IS CREATE A SORT OF FICTIONAL WORLD CALLED "MULATTO NATION", THIS IDEA OF PEOPLE OF MIXED HERITAGE. IT'S REALLY SIGNIFICANT IN THIS EXHIBITION BECAUSE, IN A WAY, PART OF WHAT THIS EXHIBIT IS ABOUT IS IN TERMS OF DEFINING WHITE. IN FACT, WE'RE ALL MULATTO, WE'RE ALL MONGRELS. GENETICALLY, WE ALL GO BACK TO AFRICA. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS RACE.

VAL>> AND WHEN YOU ACTUALLY SEE ALL THESE PIECES, IT'S SET UP IN THE MUSEUM JUST LIKE A GIFT SHOP AND YOU CAN GET FOOLED.

TYLER STALLINGS>> YES, EXACTLY. WELL, THAT'S PART OF IT BECAUSE, IN PART, IT'S PLAYING OFF SORT OF LIKE THE ARTIST --

JESS>> -- YOU BROUGHT ONE PRODUCT WITH YOU.

TYLER STALLINGS>> YEAH, THIS IS A MOUSE PAD AND SHE APPLIED THIS IDEA, THIS SORT OF SLOGAN, OF MULATTO NATION TO CUPS, SHIRTS AND MOUSE PADS, THE KIND OF THINGS YOU MIGHT BUY IN A MUSEUM SHOP.

VAL>> SO WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR PEOPLE TO THINK OR NOT THINK OR FEEL WHEN THEY WALK THROUGH THIS?

TYLER STALLINGS>> WELL, I HOPE THE PEOPLE LOOK AT THE WORD WHITE AND LOOK AT -- HOPEFULLY, IN THIS EXHIBIT, THEY CAN SEE A REDEFINITION OF IT. THEY CAN SEE THE HISTORICALLY WHITENESS WHERE THE IDEA OF WHITE CULTURE HAS BEEN PRESENTED AS THE NORM AND THEREFORE INVISIBLE. IT'S BEEN USED AS THE DEFINITION BY WHICH OTHER PEOPLE ARE HELD AGAINST.

JESS>> THE MAIN CHALLENGE WILL BE TO SEE IF PEOPLE GET IT. OUR THANKS TO TYLER STALLINGS. THE EXHIBIT "WHITENESS, A WAYWARD CONSTRUCTION" IS ON DISPLAY AT THE LAGUNA ART MUSEUM THROUGH JULY 6. FOR MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN CHECK THE NUMBER AND THE WEBSITE ON YOUR SCREEN.

[949-494-8971]
[LAGUNAARTMUSEUM.ORG]

VAL>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

TYLER STALLINGS>> THANK YOU.

VAL>> AND A REMINDER THAT YOU CAN FIND TRANSCRIPTS OR HEAR AUDIO OF RECENT LIFE AND TIMES PROGRAMS ON OUR WEBSITE. JUST GO TO KCET.ORG AND CLICK ON LIFE AND TIMES.

JESS>> AND THAT'S OUR PROGRAM. NOW FOR ALL OF US HERE AT LIFE AND TIMES, THANKS AND GOOD NIGHT.

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