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Life & Times Transcript
01/05/06 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- A new vision is in the works for Los Angeles's biggest natural treasure, but will we like its focus? Bernadette Soder>> Many more places where, if you're coming to Griffith Park, you will need to bring your wallet. Val Zavala>> And then, a philanderer, a tennis pro, a romantic legend and a hit man. That's quite a cast of characters to challenge our FilmWeek critics. These stories and more next on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> 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>> It's been called both majestic and shabby. It is Los Angeles's forty-two hundred acre Griffith Park and it's in need of a makeover. So the question is, can hikers, golfers, bikers, tourists, kids, wildlife, equestrians and pedestrians all get along? As Toni Guinyard tells us, the debate over Griffith Park's future has already begun. Joseph Drabinski>> It's very unusual to have this large of an untouched natural area in the middle of urban sprawl. Mary Button>> This kind of environment we're in now can never be reproduced and, once it's gone, it's gone. Joseph Drabinski>> People realize that this is a park. This is a great urban wilderness, emphasis on the wilderness. People think Central Park is big. We dwarf Central Park. Toni Guinyard>> Griffith Park is the largest urban park in the United States. While it may not be as if it's under attack, some people believe it's in danger and needs to be saved, and this is what they want to save the park from. It's a Draft Master Plan, a guide filled with proposals on ways to improve and manage the park for the next twenty-five or so years. It was put together for the City Recreation and Parks Department by a consulting firm at a cost of four hundred thousand dollars. Bernadette Soder>> When they opened the plan, we were surprised to see that more than two-thirds of it dealt with new developments and commercialization in the park. Toni Guinyard>> Bernadette Soder chairs the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council's Park, River and Open Space Committee. It's one of several community groups that expected the draft to reflect residents' demands for preservation and sustainability. She and others complained the one hundred ninety-four page document focuses too much on development. Bernadette Soder>> Well, they're planning to make the park a lot more commercial, many more places where, if you're coming to Griffith Park, you will need to bring your wallet and you will need to spend money to be here. Toni Guinyard>> And in Soder's opinion, the thought of widening some streets, building aerial tramways, parking structures and a culinary school is a far cry from what the park's namesake had in mind and far from what park visitors can imagine. Mateo Gadioli>> I visit so many other cities, European and South American and Asian, but to have such an amazing park ten minutes from downtown is something that, to me, is wonderful. Toni Guinyard>> The land that is Griffith Park was donated to the city by Colonel Griffith Jenkins Griffith. The Welsh immigrant earned his riches investing in mining and, with this gift of land and the money to build the Griffith Observatory and Greek Theatre, he left his mark on southern California. In 1896, Colonel Griffith gave the people of Los Angeles three thousand fifteen acres of his estate. He wanted it to be used as park land. Now over the years, different attractions have been added and more land has been donated. Now the city of Los Angeles is evaluating how best to utilize Griffith Park in the years to come. Tom Labonge>> You know, it's like when you go to your doctor and you get a physical, he goes through everything. So what we're doing is going through and getting maybe a physical for Griffith Park to see what needs to be done to strengthen the park, to protect the park, to enhance the park, but not to damage the park at all. Toni Guinyard>> The physical that Los Angeles City Councilman Tom Labonge refers to, is the Draft Master Plan. A long-time park user, Labonge pushed for the 1978 Griffith Park Master Plan to be updated. Although he now finds himself at odds with some of his constituents who have sounded a rallying cry to save Griffith Park -- Tom Labonge>> I would like to see more sports fields. Toni Guinyard>> -- he agrees with some of their criticisms. Tom Labonge>> I was disappointed about the length of this process. I was disappointed about how the draft was written in a lot of ways, some of those issues, because I saw an original idea that said a tram from the Toyon Canyon to the zoo. That's unacceptable. It doesn't work and it should not have been in the draft at all. It should have been erased. A culinary school or a hotel should not have been in there. A thing called the "Pleasure Pier" over the river should not have been in there. But it was in there and it's caused this discussion. Toni Guinyard>> It's a discussion that so angered so many that the councilman asked the City Recreation and Parks Department to form a working group with community members. Bernadette Soder>> We're trying once and for all to resolve the question of what is the purpose and function of Griffith Park so that every thirty-five or forty years the community won't have to rally and fight to preserve Griffith Park. Gerry Hans>> I'm afraid of the privatization, of making connections with outside corporations to run various vending opportunities, the "Disneyfication" of Griffith Park. Once that gets going, who knows where it could go? Toni Guinyard>> Gerry Hans and his wife, Mary Button, are runners. They own a business, RaceReady, a short distance away from the park. When they are here, they're often there training. Mary Button>> There's not enough green land. There's too much, as they say, paving of paradise and putting up parking lots. I just want to try and protect, you know, the beautiful, natural area that we have. Toni Guinyard>> What are you afraid of? Mary Button>> I'm afraid of having it get developed. Toni Guinyard>> The couple points out that L.A. Sports and Fitness magazine named Griffith Park a top spot for its running trails. They want the Draft Master Plan to reflect the interest of runners, but they say it does not. Gerry Hans>> The public is basically demanding that the Master Plan be rewritten the way the people of Los Angeles would like it to read. Toni Guinyard>> Joseph Drabinski first visited Griffith Park when he was in the fifth grade. Now he's a Senior Park Ranger. He's been with the Recreation and Parks Department for seventeen years, seven stationed here at Griffith Park. Joseph Drabinski>> Some people tell me I have the best job in the world and I'd have to agree with them. There's a lot of interest in this park. Just like Los Angeles is a melting pot, Griffith Park is a melting pot of interest. Equestrian, tennis playing, golfing, concert goers, hikers. Toni Guinyard>> He knows, perhaps more than most, that this park represents more than simply a place to escape. He also understands the conflict over the Draft Master Plan as simply an attempt by everyone who has a stake in the park to protect what they consider to be their own. Joseph Drabinski>> You name it, we have it, and everyone has their own interests. It's human nature to protect what you have. It's human nature to be, you know, a little bit wary of change. So when they see change coming along, they obviously think something is going to be taken away from them. Toni Guinyard>> But pleasing all of the interested parties is already proving to be tough. Critics believe the draft is being driven by efforts to make money. Bernadette Soder>> That was one of the complaints about the Master Plan, that the existing user groups in the park were not having their needs addressed in that plan, because the plan seemed to be chasing other users, new users, users who have money. Tom Labonge>> When they talk about commercialization, I think that's when confusion with the working group is that there has to be some reality that the city needs to have a certain amount of revenue to run the park. Toni Guinyard>> The working group is now rewriting portions of the Draft Master Plan to emphasize preservation and, despite the differing visions of what Griffith Park should be in the future, all sides seem to agree on one thing: this is a very special place. Joseph Drabinski>> It's essentially our back yard. Toni Guinyard>> A park blanketing more than forty-two hundred acres surrounded by cement, bordered by streets and freeways, homes and businesses, an oasis in the heart of the city. I'm Toni Guinyard for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> If you'd like more information on the Griffith Park Master Plan, you can go to laparks.org or savegriffithpark.org. Announcer>> 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>> Is this the combative budget-slashing governor we saw on television last fall? Why the change of tune? In tonight's State of the State address, Schwarzenegger proposed a massive investment in California's infrastructure and a tuition break for students. So what's going on? Toni Guinyard talked with political analyst, Tracy Westen of the Center for Governmental Studies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization in West Los Angeles. Toni Guinyard>> We're talking about the State of the State address from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Is this time for him to do some fence-mending? Tracy Westen>> It clearly is. You have a governor who wants to accomplish something significant. He tried last year to do it by circumventing the legislature and going directly to the people through the initiative process. It didn't work. In fact, the public dealt him a resounding defeat. Toni Guinyard>> And you're talking about the special election, right? Tracy Westen>> The special election and the four ballot measures that he supported were all rejected. So his only opportunity now before the elections in November of 2006 is to work cooperatively with the state legislature and he's already said that. He's interpreted the election as the electorate. The public wants me to work with the legislature and he's said he's committed to doing it. Toni Guinyard>> Why do you think the governor is emphasizing infrastructure at this point? Tracy Westen>> When we talk about infrastructure, we're talking about the foundation of the house, so to speak. We're talking about highways and not being stuck in traffic. We're talking about water systems and being able to get water to southern California to feed agriculture and the population's needs. We're talking about electrical systems. We had power outages and brownouts last year. The electrical system in California is maxed out. It's old. We need new plants and equipment. We're talking about schools to educate our children. We're talking about schools to educate the growing population that we will see in the next ten, fifteen or twenty years. California has been a successful state because its systems in the past have worked. The house is in order. The roof doesn't leak, so to speak. But everything is beginning to fall apart because we have not, over the last thirty years, spent much time on maintenance. All you have to do is sit in traffic and be stuck somewhere and remember what it was like twenty years ago when you could zip around fairly easily to realize that we are not building adequate infrastructure for transportation. We may need rapid transit. We may need rail systems between southern and northern California. We need to improve our airports. We need to improve our ports and our shipping capabilities. So the system by which the state operates is crumbling and in need of repair. Toni Guinyard>> But what can really be done if you're looking at this window between now and the next election? Tracy Westen>> Well, at the very least, we need to begin to have the discussion which we've not had in several decades in any serious way. What could be done is to confront the need to put a bond measure on the ballot to put money into rebuilding the state systems. That could be a discussion that could happen right away. Now why is the governor focusing on them now? Well, they need to be focused on. Clearly, it's getting to be a crisis. They, in a sense, brought down Governor Davis for the electrical crisis, so it's worth focusing on them. Secondly, he was dealt a setback on his attempts to change the democratic process on dealing with redistricting, for instance, and budget caps. So it's possible he wants to get a fresh start and focus on new issues and try and accomplish something there rather than going back and repeating or trying to take another crack at the older issues. Toni Guinyard>> But the thought of doing this by a bond issue, are the voters of California going to say, "Okay, Governor Schwarzenegger, we're going to have another go at this"? Tracy Westen>> I think it's possible. Look, I think the bond measure to repair California's infrastructure is a very bold and creative initiative. It is because that invests in basic infrastructure, in capital of the state. It would put people to work. It would repair the systems that need repairing, and it's possible that the public will resonate with that because this is a clear attempt to solve a number of problems at once. Now will they think the price tag is too great? That remains to be seen. Will they think it's worth it if the money goes into plants and equipment that they can see and it eases transportation problems and it improves schools? It's possible that they will support that. So we'll have to see. We don’t know yet whether the legislature will support that. To get that measure on the ballot will require legislative cooperation and it may be that he's preparing the ground to begin to work with the legislature to focus on California's infrastructure problems and I think it's possible that they will reach a compromise on that if they negotiate in good faith. Toni Guinyard>> The roll-back on the student fees, tuition fees, for the Cal State and CSU systems. What's your perception of that? Tracy Westen>> The Center for Governmental Studies organized a blue ribbon commission a number of years ago, the California Citizens Commission on Higher Education. One of the problems that that commission identified was a boom or bust cycle of student fees. In good times, politicians cut student fees. In bad times, they raise student fees. The problem is, it's very difficult to plan your education if you start it when the fees are low and, halfway through, the fees go up, particularly if you're in community colleges. So, yes, it's always nice to see student fees reduced. The problem is that we don't have any long-term way of stabilizing them so people can plan their education over four, five or six years instead of seeing them shoot up and down all the time. That boom and bust cycle is very destabilizing and many students will start their education and then have to abort it halfway through simply because the rates go up. What they should do is keep them higher in good times and keep them lower in bad times. In other words, stabilize them and make them smoother. That, we've never seen the will power to do. Toni Guinyard>> I think it surprises a lot of people that the governor is now proposing an increase in the minimum wage after saying no to it. Why do you think he's doing this now? Tracy Westen>> Well, if the governor is going to accomplish anything in this upcoming election in November, he's got to work something out with the legislature. So he may be giving them something in exchange for something back. And if they don't play with him, so to speak, he will then be able to say, "The reason I didn't accomplish anything in 2006 is because the legislature blocked me for political reasons. Look at my State of the State message. I offered this, I offered that, I offered this, I offered that. They've rejected me on everything. Clearly, the problem here is not me. It's the legislature." Toni Guinyard>> The governor really preached reform and now are we seeing a departure from that or not? Tracy Westen>> Well, in the special election, the governor encouraged the public to support certain democratic procedure reforms such as redistricting, the way we draw our electoral districts, such as budget caps, the way we adopt a budget every year. And the public, on those two measures, basically said no. They were not comfortable with those proposals. But there still is a need in this state for governance reform, for the way we conduct our elections and the way we adopt our budget. I think the governor is still committed to achieving reform in those areas and the key legislative leaders have said publicly that they will work with him on those issues. So although he was dealt a setback in the special election, I think it's possible that he will work perhaps a little quietly with legislative leaders to see that in 2006 they can come up with acceptable reforms for our redistricting process which certainly needs reform. Toni Guinyard>> Tracy Westen, CEO of the Center for Governmental Studies, thanks for giving us your input and thanks for spending a little time with Life and Times. Tracy Westen>> My pleasure. Announcer>> 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. Larry Mantle>> Welcome to FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm Larry Mantle of 89.3 KPCC. Our first film this week is directed by Terrence Malick, a reclusive director who's not known for turning out very many films. "The New World" tells the story of John Smith and Pocahontas. Colin Farrell stars. [Film Clip] Larry Mantle>> I'm joined this week by critics Andy Klein of City Beat and Valley Beat, and Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com. Henry, start us off. Henry Sheehan>> Well, you know, let's be honest. This is a difficult film, but I think it's worth seeing even though it's seriously flawed. It's the story of Captain John Smith and Pocahontas by Terrence Malick who spent a lot of time examining what the change in consciousness would be for two groups of people, two civilizations, to meet each other. Apparently, that change in consciousness involves a lot of contemplation of nature, a lot of waves of grass in the wind, a lot of water running, a lot of looking at the sky, a lot of narration on the soundtrack from Colin Farrell who plays Captain John Smith about the nature of things. Malick himself has cut twenty minutes out of the film for its nationwide release. I think its madness is what's most appealing about it because the last third of the movie is a kind of conventional white man meets Indian, get married, go back to Europe tale that almost looks like it could have been done for television. But the crazy first two hours, if you can sit through it, are great. Larry Mantle>> What did you think, Andy? Andy Klein>> Yeah, I'm a little less sympathetic even though I like Terrence Malick. He's one of those guys who you really want to give a break to because he's trying to do things that no one else does. With "Thin Red Line", I was willing to stick with him on that. On this one, I thought there was a little too much of that gazing at the sky and talking in a hushed voice, although it's very much like the feel of "Thin Red Line". Doing the stuff that's supposed to be kind of transcendental moments, I didn't transcend often enough. It was quite long for that. Larry Mantle>> Our second film this week is directed by Lasse Hallstrom. "Casanova" stars Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller. [Film Clip] Larry Mantle>> Well, Andy, what did you think of "Casanova"? Andy Klein>> Well, this film is really down in the middle for me. There have been other films about Casanova. None of them, I think, are very good except for the Fellini film. This one is an absolutely Hollywood Disney approach to the material, very entertaining in a shallow way, but not as good as it might have been partly because Lasse Hallstrom, who I think is a director who often takes terrible material and makes it bearable, really wasn't the right guy for this. This depends on some big broad farce scenes, you know, sort of slamming door kind of stuff which he's never done and he doesn't show a talent for it here. Having said that, some of the supporting players, particularly Oliver Platt and Lena Olin, are just terrific and worth watching. Larry Mantle>> Third up this week is the latest from writer-director, Woody Allen. He doesn't star in this film, it's not set in his usual Manhattan locale and it's not a comedy, but aside from that, it's a typical Woody Allen film. Scarlett Johannson and Jonathon Rhys-Meyers co-star in "Match Point". [Film Clip] Larry Mantle>> Well, Andy, not a lot of laughs in this Woody Allen film? Andy Klein>> Almost no laughs, but you know, it's okay. I'll join the chorus of people saying that this is really the best film Woody Allen has done in at least a decade, maybe longer. It's very straight and serious. It's about a sort of social-climbing ex-tennis pro who charms his way into a rich family and marries the daughter, but really has the passionate lust for his brother-in-law's ex-fiancé played by Scarlett Johansson. It's one of those things where the heart knows what it wants, you know, and they're going to have this affair regardless of whether it destroys everybody's lives. It's very, very much like the Martin Landau's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and maybe that's its biggest fault because it's so similar. But it's very, very well done, very tightly controlled. Larry Mantle>> Henry, do you agree? Henry Sheehan>> Well, I think it's an interesting movie. It has this very cool surface, but underneath, you know, there's all this roiling, this envy. Woody Allen's movies have always been the out-of-borough guy looking at Manhattan, the kind of isle of dreams, the kind of artistic life that he so wants to be a part of. That's still going on here, except for the high life of Manhattan, he substituted this bizarrely anachronistic view of the English-landed gentry. I mean, the people into which the tennis pro is trying to intrude into their family, they live in a huge mansion out in the countryside. I mean, they must have forty rooms in the building. I mean, it's ridiculous for what the family is, that they should be living this way. It's a fantasy. But it's the same fantasy that Allen had of Manhattan, in the movie "Manhattan", and many other movies, "Annie Hall". So you see the desire, the social climbing of Allen himself. That's what gets this film going and which gives it some energy below that very cool, cold surface. Larry Mantle>> And finally this week, "The Matador", starring Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. [Film Clip] Larry Mantle>> Well, Henry, were you taken in by "The Matador"? Was it a fun film? Henry Sheehan>> Well, it tried to hard to be. This is like two different films. There is the one that stars Pierce Brosnan, which is very entertaining and kind of provocative. Then there's another film starring Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis, which is very mockish and contrived. Well, of course, the whole movie is contrived. It's about the friendship between a degenerate hit man played by Brosnan who's falling apart, who drinks all the time, whose personality is out of control, but who is suddenly finding trouble finishing off his hit jobs. He meets up with Kinnear in Mexico City. Kinnear started his own company after being sued and he's trying to get back on his feet. You know, he's had problems with his wife. So Pierce Brosnan's character intrudes -- this is a second movie with social intrusion -- and tries to fix things up. There are a lot of possibilities there, but because of the division in the tone, it never really comes together. It never becomes the entertainment it might have been. Larry Mantle>> Well, thanks for joining us for another FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm Larry Mantle of 89.3 KPCC for our critics Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com and Andy Klein of City Beat and Valley Beat. We invite you to join us next week at this same time for the next FilmWeek on Life and Times. Val Zavala>> And, of course, you can hear a full hour of FilmWeek every Friday morning at eleven a.m. on KPCC public radio. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, we'll see you tomorrow. Announcer>> 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. 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