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Life & Times Transcript
08/25/05 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- It's an ideal recreation spot, but this popular lake has a problem. It's very close to an earthquake fault. Richard Sanchez>> There are areas in the foundation of this structure that do not have adequate strength when subjected to a major earthquake. Val Zavala>> And then, a world of villains, witches and trolls created by a Monty Python on tour? Let's see if our FilmWeek critics can keep up. It's all straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times. Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of 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 by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> You may never have been to Lake Perris, but millions of Southern Californians have. It's a man-made reservoir about eighty miles southeast of Los Angeles and it attracts swimmers, boaters and fishermen who love to come to its shores. The only problem is, there's going to be a lot less of Lake Perris to love. Roger Cooper headed to Riverside County to find out why. Roger Cooper>> It's a picture perfect day on Lake Perris. Looking out at its blue waters, you'd never suspect that Lake Perris has problems. Sailboats still glide across its surface. Jet skis churn up that surface. Fish get nabbed and boat after boat is backed down the launch ramp. A whole lot of people love Lake Perris. Ron Krueger>> We have 1.1 million people annually attend this park. Roger Cooper>> And on the weekends? Ron Krueger>> On any given weekend between Memorial Day and Labor Day on a Saturday, we might have fifteen thousand people in the park. Roger Cooper>> But a radical change is in store for this popular lake. Officials have determined they have no choice but to pull the plug and drain a large amount of water from the lake. The draining process has already started and, when it's done in October, a whopping forty-two percent of the water will have been taken out of Lake Perris. The lake's surface will shrink by almost twenty percent to the area shown in lighter blue. The shoreline will move out to where you see these buoys and the water level will drop twenty-five feet, a distance equal to the height of his lifeguard tower we asked Park Superintendent Ron Creeper to stand beside for scale. So why? Why does Lake Perris have to shrink? The answer lies deep inside the earthen dam they built to create this lake. The state did a study on Perris Dam recently and the results were a little scary. Richard Sanchez is an engineer with the Department of Water Resources. Richard Sanchez>> We found after extensive exploration and study that there are areas in the foundation of this structure that do not have adequate strength when subjected to a major earthquake in the vicinity. Roger Cooper>> And we're not too far from a fault? Richard Sanchez>> No, we're not. Actually, the controlling fault is the San Jacinto fault zone and that's only five miles away from this site. Roger Cooper>> A failure of Perris Dam could send lake water rushing toward the thousands of homes built right below the dam and produce problems all the way to Prado Dam near the Orange County line. Susan Sims of the California Department of Water Resources says that's why the state is wasting no time in taking out water. Susan Sims>> The bottom line is that we get the water level down low enough that, in the event of a major earthquake, there's enough room between the top of the water and where we think the dam possibly could slump so that there wouldn't be an uncontrolled release downstream. Roger Cooper>> State engineers say there is no immediate danger, but as a precaution, they want to prepare for the day a 7.5 quake might jolt through the lake. Susan Sims>> But in the course of the next several weeks, we'll be getting the lake level down low enough so that we think that, even if that were to happen, there is plenty of room in the lake for the water to stay within the footprint of the reservoir. Roger Cooper>> Mayor, what did you think the first time you heard they were going to drain your lake? Mayor Daryl Busch>> Well, we were caught a little surprised because we didn't know it was coming. Roger Cooper>> Daryl Bush, the Mayor of Perris, has lived around this lake for the last thirty years. And on the other side of that dam over there, buildings and houses have taken off. Mayor Daryl Busch>> That's the major portion in our city right now, what's on the other side of the dam. But when we started building and we approved those buildings, there was no knowledge of any weaknesses in the dam. Of course, the city is concerned, but I don't think it's what we would call a problem at this point. They recognize that they have an issue. They're doing all the research and studies to make sure that nothing happens, and one of them is lowering the water on the dam. Roger Cooper>> Lake Perris may look like it's been here forever, but it was created thirty years ago when this spot in Riverside County looked like this. The dam was finished in the early 1970's and water was allowed to flood in and the new lake filled up. Now Lake Perris is regressing part of the way back to how it once looked. The draining process had started only the day before our visit, but already visible was what park employees call the lake's bathtub ring, left behind as the water level drops. As you would expect, you can't lower the water level twenty-five feet without triggering some serious changes. Ron Krueger>> Well, with the reduction of the lake, we will be reducing the surface acres. So for public safety, we have to reduce the number of boats that'll be able to recreate on the lake. So we're looking at about a hundred fifty to two hundred vessels less than we normally have on the lake. Four hundred fifty vessels are usually on the lake at any one given time on a busy Saturday or Sunday. Now we'll have to carry about maybe two hundred to two hundred fifty vessels on the lake. The Moreno Beach swim area will be pretty much high and dry, so it will be closed, but we will also have the Perris swim beach available for the public to swim in. Roger Cooper>> The water is gradually being released through this hundred foot high outlet tower ending up in the water supply distributed to Southern California. And that brings up another consideration. Lake Perris is the southernmost component in the vast California Water Project, the six hundred mile system of aqueducts and reservoirs that brings in our water from northern California. Will shrinking this lake create a shortage in our water supply? The Chairman of the Metropolitan Water District, Wes Bannister, says no. Wes Bannister>> It should have very little effect on our water supply, Roger. It's a dent, but it won't be critical. Roger Cooper>> Where there will be an impact is on the local economy which could shrink a little along with the lake. Ron Krueger>> We expect about maybe a fifteen to twenty percent reduction in the number of total park attendance, so we're still looking at maybe nine hundred thousand people still coming and visiting the lake. Realistically, I guess you could equate that twenty percent reduction in the number of visitors as just a number less spending in the immediate area around the area just outside the park at gas stations and stores and whatnot. Roger Cooper>> Lowering the lake is just the first step. Once it's down by forty-two percent, engineers will begin the long and costly process of figuring out how to reinforce the dam. At any rate, this is not a short-term fix? This will take some time? Richard Sanchez>> That's totally correct. This is going to take years to resolve. Mayor Daryl Bush>> I understand this could take up to ten years for this all to happen, so the lake could be reduced in size for a long period of time. Ron Krueger>> We're still eighty percent full and that means, you know, we still have many activities here at the park for people to enjoy and have a well-rounded quality recreational experience. Roger Cooper>> What do you think they'll find when the water drops? Mayor Daryl Busch>> I don't know (laughter). That would be interesting. I never thought about that. Roger Cooper>> No old outboard motors or rubber boots? Ron Krueger>> We might find a couple of those. Roger Cooper>> Eventually, Lake Perris can refill again to its current levels. At least that's what boaters and business owners hope. In the meantime, the residents of Perris seem resigned to living for the next decade with less lake and more land. Just part of life in earthquake country. On Lake Perris, I'm Roger Cooper for Life and Times. Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> It bores most of us to tears: political redistricting or drawing those political boundaries. Right now, politicians draw their own boundaries which virtually assures their reelection, but all that could change if Proposition 77 is passed this November. Michael Alvarez is a political scientist at Caltech. He says Proposition 77 would bring reform to the political redistricting issue, but not without a nationwide battle. How did a California issue go national? I asked Alvarez to start from the beginning and explain what's at stake in the coming special election this November. Now starting from the beginning with this Proposition 77 because people have been catching little bits of the story, but it really began when Arnold Schwarzenegger got in office, yes? Michael Alvarez>> Well, it has deeper roots, okay? Right after the 2000 census when California went to draw new lines, our state legislature is in charge of that process. When they drew the current lines that we're using now, they essentially drew lines to protect incumbents throughout the state. As a result, in 2004 we saw legislative elections that had very little competition in California. Not a single one of the legislative seats at the state level or the congressional level changed partisan hands. Val Zavala>> Really? So all the incumbents got into office again. Michael Alvarez>> All the incumbents got reelected again and essentially this current plan that we have in place, that of the districts, really protected all those incumbents. So that's where we started. Val Zavala>> Because they can draw their own boundaries? Michael Alvarez>> They can draw their own boundaries and they had sort of a little deal that said we're going to draw a plan that protects all the incumbents, so that's where we started. But then, of course, when Schwarzenegger became governor, he was elected on a reform package and one of the reforms that he really wanted to push forward was making the electoral process in California more competitive, and redistricting is one element of that package. Val Zavala>> So Schwarzenegger got behind Proposition 77 which basically said we're going to let a nonpartisan objective group of retired judges draw these all-important political boundaries. Sounds great, right? Michael Alvarez>> Well, in principle, it is. I mean, the idea of moving this process out of the control of partisan elected officials, especially those who, when they draw these lines, it affects whether or not they're elected, it does sound like a very good idea. Now, of course, with Proposition 77 or like any other reform, the devil is in the details. Val Zavala>> So did you spot any devils in Proposition 77? Michael Alvarez>> Oh, there are lots of little pieces of it that I think are very tricky and very complicated. I think, in the end, the big question about Proposition 77, if it passes, is will it actually allow for a process that will draw more competitive districts or not? Val Zavala>> But that's the challenge that will occur if Proposition 77 passes. What's happened recently is the courts have gotten involved regarding funding for the battle over Proposition 77, right? Michael Alvarez>> Right. Well, you know, these days, just like anything else especially in California, courts get heavily involved and they get heavily involved now in a lot of political questions. Recently at the state level, the governor and the legislatures were given the opportunity to raise and spend unlimited sums of money when they go to fight for or against initiatives. The same thing is true now at the federal level where the Federal Election Commission has recently ruled that congressmen sitting in Washington can also raise and spend unlimited sums of money in fighting or supporting ballot measure campaigns, which essentially to a lot of observers guts the soft money provisions in the McCain-Feingold Act. Val Zavala>> So the court basically said tons of federal money can now descend upon California and influence the election here over Proposition 77? Michael Alvarez>> Right. The idea is that congressmen in Washington now can raise and spend money on initiative campaigns, the argument being that, first off, it's "fair" because the governor is going to be able to go across the nation and raise that kind of money to spend on initiative campaigns, so why not allow congressmen who have easy access to that special interest money as well? And for congressmen in Washington, the idea is that they're going to raise this money not for their campaigns and their activities in Washington, but for a state political question. So based on those two rationales, the Federal Election Commission recently ruled, well, why don't we allow congressmen in Washington the ability to do this? Val Zavala>> But what it does is just raises the ante. I mean, the millions of dollars that are going to pour in over this proposition. I mean, it's just mushroomed, right? Michael Alvarez>> Well, it's incredible. There already have been, at least as far as we know in early August, something like a hundred twenty million dollars raised in general to fight the special election this fall. Now, yes, the spigot is open and it's going to be clear that the governor is going to be raising a lot more money and, yeah, these congressmen in Washington are going to raise a lot of money because this is a fight for their lives. If these districts are changed substantially, a lot of these congressmen could in fact lose their seats. So they're going to fight for their lives and raise as much money as necessary to fight this. Val Zavala>> How do think each side is going to cast their arguments? Michael Alvarez>> Well, I think that, you know, Schwarzenegger in some ways has the sort of high road to play which is we have a process that leads to uncompetitive districts and that is full of partisanship and that intuitively seems to make some sense. On the other hand, you know, voters like their incumbents. That's why they reelect them. So incumbents, I think, are going to remind voters, especially some congressional incumbents, of all the things they do and all the reasons why it's good to continue to be able to reelect incumbents in office. Val Zavala>> So do you expect that the battle over Proposition 77 and redistricting reform will be a big part of this special election in the media campaign? Michael Alvarez>> I think it's going to be a significant component. Right now, there's been about a hundred twenty million dollars raised. About half of that, though, is going to fight some other fights. Going to fight the prescription drug benefit. Val Zavala>> That's a big one. Michael Alvarez>> The two competing measures on that. So that's going to be a major focus. There are other pieces of legislation that are on the ballot including parental notification if minors want to have an abortion, and a measure that would ban unions from using their dues for political purposes. Those are going to be really tightly contested. Val Zavala>> So there might be some sexier propositions. Michael Alvarez>> Oh, yeah, they'll be there, but redistricting, I think, will be a big issue. It's an important piece of the governor's reform agenda. It's something that sitting incumbents, especially those congressmen who really want to desperately fight, so I think they're going to fight it very heavily. But it's a very arcane issue. It's something that's really hard to connect to voters, so I think we're going to see a lot of efforts on those fronts to try, on the governor's side, to pass this and, on the congressmen's side and the powers in Sacramento, to fight it. Val Zavala>> And the governor needs a victory, doesn't he? Michael Alvarez>> He needs it badly and, right now, Proposition 77 isn't faring well in the polls. History doesn't support him because we've seen three of these ballot measures in the last two decades like this in California and they've all failed. Val Zavala>> Great stuff for a political scientist to watch. Michael Alvarez, thank you so much. Michael Alvarez>> All right. Thank you. To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Patt Morrison>> Welcome to FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm Patt Morrison here for Larry Mantle. We begin this week with "The Brothers Grimm". It's a fantasy thriller about the legendary storytellers caught in a real life nightmare. It's directed by Terry Gilliam and stars Matt Damon and Health Ledger. [Film Clip] Patt Morrison>> Joining me this week are critics Andy Klein of City Beat and Valley Beat, and Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com. The first film is "The Brothers Grimm". Proper name or adjective, Andy? Andy Klein>> It's not really very grim. Terry Gilliam, who's one of the most imaginative directors around, has taken the characters of "The Brothers Grimm" and demonstrated them before they're fairy tale writers. In his vision, they are con men wandering around Europe going to superstitious towns and sort of pulling all this slight of hand in order to make the villagers think that the local curse has been reactivated and then they hire themselves out as ghost-busters to fix it. Of course, what happens is, they get to a town where maybe everything isn't fake. You know, they're faking this stuff, but in fact it's really happening and they have to vanquish this horrid fairy tale evil thing. It's nicely designed. Heath Ledger and Matt Damon are okay in these parts. It's enjoyable, but I just felt like it was under-powered, particularly for something from Terry Gilliam. Patt Morrison>> Henry? Henry Sheehan>> Well, it's kind of a Spruce Goose of a movie in that it's a marvel of engineering on one level, but it doesn't quite get airborne. Patt Morrison>> The Spruce Goose did for a few seconds. Henry Sheehan>> Well, so does "The Brothers Grimm". A little bit airborne for a little while. I think one of the problems is that Gilliam wants to literalize the stories that the Grimm Brothers collect, so when they do get to this town that's really under an enchantment, you see Little Red Riding Hood, you see the Gingerbread Man, and individually these are like really wonderful vignettes. They're very charming and bewitching almost literally to watch, but the movie somehow doesn't cohere into a whole. Patt Morrison>> Our next film is a black comedy from Spain about a department store employee who's willing to go to any lengths to become floor manager. "El Crimen Perfecto" is directed by Alex de la Iglesia. [Film Clip] Patt Morrison>> Our next film is "El Crimen Perfecto", the perfect crime. Henry, is it? Henry Sheehan>> You know, what's funny is that the original Spanish title for this is that which someone misspelled the perfect crime during the movie and that pretty much says it for what happens in the movie that a man who runs a women's department in a department store in Madrid wants to become the floor manager and he has a rival from the men's department. Well, he accidentally kills the guy from the men's department and he's seen by one of the employees who helps him chop up the body and get rid of it. But now he's forever in the power of this woman who wants him to become her lover as well as her partner in crime. This is kind of a mainstream European comedy. It runs up against some taboos, but very gently. There's a certain amount of sex. There's a certain amount of black humor -- Patt Morrison>> -- and a certain amount of shopping? Henry Sheehan>> And a lot of shopping, yes. Shopping is crucial to the movie and selling. It's all kind of a nice package. What's weird is, it's from the director Alex de la Iglesia who usually makes outrageous movies, but this is far from outrageous. Patt Morrison>> Andy? Andy Klein>> Actually, I thought it was a little bit outrageous. Yeah, it is a dark comedy and, you know, I've seen a lot of these. You get the sort of disposing of the body jokes and all that, but really what it becomes is this puncturing of the main characters' machismo. I have to say that I kind of felt like even though the whole point of the film is this guy getting his come-uppance, I still felt a little uncomfortable with the extent to which we're brought into his fantasy world at the beginning, which is like sort of Hugh Hefner's dream where he's got everything and the women are all falling over him except for the, you know, this woman who's in love with him who's homely and he doesn't even see her there. She ends up sort of triumphant, but still I have a little bit of a problem with that. Patt Morrison>> We end this week with a Dutch language action adventure about a hit man suffering from Alzheimer's. It's called "Memory of a Killer". [Film Clip] Patt Morrison>> Our last film is "The Memory of a Killer". Andy? Andy Klein>> This is a Belgian thriller that was actually Belgium's entry for the Oscars last year. Just when men were fresh hooks for hit man films, this one is a hit man who's got Alzheimer's which, as you can imagine, is quite a professional liability. He's a fairly old guy and he's, of course, sent out on one more mission that he's got to do and he really doesn't want to, but he can't admit to his boss that his memory is going. He discovers that one of the people he's supposed to assassinate is a twelve year old girl, at which point he draws the line. The rest of the film becomes sort of cross-cut between him and the cop who's after him and the extent to which they actually become allies trying to expose the wealthy, powerful people who are, in fact, behind this hit. It's a very spiffy thriller, very well-done, good performances from the two leads. I enjoyed it completely. Patt Morrison>> And Henry? Henry Sheehan>> Well, it is a well-constructed thriller. I mean, we don't have just the main chase of the two detectives after the killer. You know, the killer begins working in concert with them to uncover who the really bad guys are and then there is tension between two branches of the Belgian police, the gendarme, the uniform guys, and the two detectives, who are kind of the Belgian version of the FBI. What bothered me about the movie was that it was a bit manipulative, especially when it came to the killer. I mean, it's a movie that the director, Erik Van Looy, didn't really project the evil of this guy. I mean, what you want is a really divided character. I mean, a really bad guy who, for his own particular reason, is working for the police to good ends. I mean, mostly they just make the guy more sympathetic, more of a nice guy. They don't really get that division and they don't really project the guy's evil. I mean, the guys he kills more or less deserve it. You know, he looks at the twelve year old girl and won't kill her. I mean, what hired killer wouldn't kill a twelve year old, I'm afraid to say? So he's a bit of a romantic conception. Patt Morrison>> That's it for another edition of FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm Patt Morrison joined by critics Andy Klein of City Beat and Valley Beat, and Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com. Thank you and join us again next week. Val Zavala>> KPCC broadcasts a full hour of FilmWeek Friday mornings at 11:00 a.m. Our thanks to the folks at Caltech for lending us their beautiful campus. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of 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 by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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