The late Israeli diplomat Abba Eban, a dovish Labor Party stalwart, famously said that, "One of the chief tasks of any dialogue with the Gentile world is to prove that the distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism is not a distinction at all."
The commentary seems apt for this week's edition of Newsmakers TV, as student journalist Lily Karofsky, joins the panel to discuss her talk-of-the-town op-ed on the recent academic building takeover by pro-Palestine protesters, which circulated widely on local news and social media platforms -- and also to recount the deeply personal experience of being badgered on campus for being Jewish, even as she urgently communicated with relatives in Israel in the wake of the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre.
Montecito Journal editor-in-chief Gwyn Lurie expresses deep sympathy for victims of the savage military response orchestrated by right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and also voices concern for other Jewish students who have withdrawn from school because they no longer feel safe, lambasting UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang for weak leadership during the months of protests on his campus.
Melinda Burns checks in from the Cuyama Bureau and, despite a few technical issues, breaks down her latest story, on the failure of the Board of Supervisors to reform the flawed taxation system for cannabis, the latest evidence of the industry's grip on county government.
Josh Molina reprises his reporting on a blockbuster "builder's remedy" project that developers have set forth, a 34-unit apartment building they plan for a single family neighborhood on the Riviera, and describes the complex cross-currents of policy and process that lie ahead, highlighting the fallout from state government's one-size-fits-all takeover of local land use planning power in California.
And amid the horror and grief following this week's tragic death of Santa Barbara High School student Ryan Chapman on the train tracks near Fernald Point in Montecito, the gang raises questions about accountability for the "attractive nuisance" on the property, which is owned by the Union Pacific railroad.
Plus: a hot take on the state of play in the presidential race. Book those tickets to Portugal soon.
All this and more, right here, right now on Newsmakers TV>
JR
Check out the latest episode of Newsmakers TV via YouTube below or by clicking through this link. The podcast version is here. TVSB, Channel 17, airs the program every weeknight at 8 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on weekends. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the show on Monday at 5:30 p.m.
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