Linea Abierta Programming: WEEK OF JULY 1, 2024

MONDAY, JULY 1
PROGRAM #10423 12:00 PM PT

Biden-Trump Debate. President Biden and former President Trump debated in the first general-election debate of 2024. A reporter goes over highlights of the session and fact-checks some assertions. Top representatives of both major parties discuss the takeaways.

Guests: José López Zamorano, News Reporter, Washington, DC; Marco Frieri, Director of Hispanic Media, National Democratic Committee, Washington, DC; Jaime Florez, Hispanic Outreach and Communications Director, Republican National Committee, Miami, FL.

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TUESDAY, JULY 2
PROGRAM #10424 11:00 AM PT

Extra Edition: Health Coverage for the Disenrolled. After losing Medi-Cal, tens of thousands of California residents remained covered through the Covered-California program. Covered California automatically enrolled people in a low-cost health plan upon losing Medi-Cal coverage and continuing to receive financial assistance.

Guests: Dr. Barbara Rubino, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Covered California, Los Angeles, CA; Patricia Izquierdo, Public Information Officer and Communications and Public Relations, Covered California, Sacramento, CA; Dr. Trinidad Solis, Deputy Health Officer, Fresno County Department of Public Health, Fresno, CA; Josie Tizcareño Pereira, Network News Producer, Radio Bilingue, Fresno, CA.

The Fight for School Funding. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the State Legislature announced an agreement on the state spending plan. School leaders are warning that although education funding was largely protected, they are concerned about some provisions. What does this budget deal mean to schools around the state?

Guest: Albert Gonzalez, President, California School Boards Association, Sacramento, CA.

Overtime Pay Protection in the Fields. A recent law in California sought to address a history of exclusion of farmworkers from labor protections by ensuring equal right to overtime pay. However, in the first years of the law, results have been mixed. While some workers are benefiting from higher wages, employers decreased workers’ hours and pay after the law. Ag industry interests are now pushing a bill in Sacramento proposing new criteria to be eligible for overtime pay in the fields. A reporter from The Merced Focus has been covering the story.

Guest: Christian Betancourt, Reporter, The Merced Focus-El Enfoque de Merced, Merced, CA.

PROGRAM #10425 12:00 PM PT

Immigration Edition. An immigration law expert answers common questions about the executive actions recently announced by President Biden to safeguard immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation, grant them work authorization, and clear a path to citizenship. A second initiative would fast-track work visas for some DACA recipients and Dreamers. On other news, immigrant advocates are releasing a report calling attention to the rising number of migrant deaths along the border due to Texas’ Operation Lone Star and Biden’s executive order curtailing the crossing of asylum seekers.

Guests: Alma Rosa Nieto, Immigration Law Attorney, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Los Angeles, CA; Others TBA.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 3
PROGRAM #10426 12:00 PM PT

Climate Change and Resiliency in Agriculture. Climate change makes extreme heat more likely and more intense, and the rising temperatures are making some jobs deadlier. Farmworkers are disproportionately more likely to die from heat-related stress than workers in other industries. How to meet the new challenges of the climate crisis? How to protect farmworkers from life-threatening heat and heat-related disasters? Farmworker advocates, scholars and policymakers recently met to find answers.

Guests: Josth Stenner-Lara, Policy and Program Coordinator, Sustainable Rural Communities Project, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation-CRLAF, Fresno, CA.; others TBA.

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THURSDAY, JULY 4
PROGRAM #10427 11:00 AM PT

Extra Edition: Should Extreme Heat Be Declared Disaster? (Program repeat). Scorching heat waves are hitting tens of millions in much of the US in what could be the longest heatwave in decades for some areas. The early arrival of this much heat, as well as the duration and the lack of overnight relief worry scientists, who call this a “Danger Season” and a “Killer Heat.” Some call on FEMA to declare extreme heat and wildfire smoke “major disasters.” Who is most at risk? How are cities and states preparing for extreme heat disasters? How to stay safe? What would it mean to have extreme heat declared a disaster? How is climate change worsening heat waves? This archival program was originally aired on June 24, 2024.

Guest: Dr. Juan Declet Barreto, Senior Social Scientist for Climate Vulnerability, Union of Concerned Scientists; Silver Spring, MD.

Emergency Disaster Aid for Farm Workers. US lawmakers introduced a bill to provide compensation for farm workers who lose out on work and pay due to extreme weather, public health emergencies and other climate-fueled disasters. Farm worker leaders comment on this plan, called the Disaster Relief for Farm Workers Act. They are also urging Congress to include disaster assistance for farm working communities in the upcoming Farm Bill.
Guest: Antonio De Loera-Brust, Communications Director, United Farm Workers-UFW, Sacramento, CA.

Heat Protecting Laws Benefit Workers and Help Students. California and other states are establishing rules to protect workers in hazardous environments against triple-digit heat. These same laws would be extended to schools, which have activities in the summer and often obsolete air conditioning systems, for the benefit of students too. KFF Health News reports on the new rules.
Guest: Paula Andalo, Ethnic Media Editor, KFF Health News, Silver Spring, MD.

PROGRAM #10428 12:00 PM PT

Radio for Citizen Participation. On the day the nation celebrates Independence Day and the constitutional freedoms, Radio Bilingüe marks 44 years on the air. As a heated election season unfolds, radio journalists meet to comment on these birthdays, review Radio Bilingüe’s decades-long history informing voters and covering elections, and discuss RB’s brand of journalism, opening the airwaves to rarely-heard voices of disenfranchised and underserved people.

Guests: Chelis López, Host of Línea Abierta, San Francisco, CA; Citlali Sáenz, Host of Línea Abierta, Mexico City; Gerardo Guzmán, Host of Línea Abierta, Atlanta, GA; Samuel Orozco, News and Information Director, Radio Bilingüe, Fresno, CA.

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FRIDAY, JULY 5
PROGRAM #10429 12:00 PM PT

Mexico Edition. Analysts comment on outgoing President López Obrador plans to reform the judicial system and replace Mexico’s Supreme Court with judges elected by popular vote instead of appointees. Also, Juana Hernández, once a Radio Bilingüe radio announcer, won this year’s Centeotl Goddess award and will preside over the traditional and internationally-known Guelaguetza festivities in Mexico’s Oaxaca state. These and other news are discussed in this edition.

Guests: TBA.