Charles Wienbar's parenting skills are tested when he learns of his daughter's college boyfriend.

Journalist Jon Mooallem noticed that his young daughter was always surrounded by wild animals: butterflies on her pajamas, a stuffed toy owl, and beavers in her bedtime stories. But these romantic portrayals, he says, hid a harsh reality. Scientists estimate half of all species could be gone by the turn of the century. So he embarked on his own journey to track down three endangered animals, and discovered the extreme -- even futile -- lengths humans go to save them. Jon Mooallem discusses his book, "Wild Ones," and the complex intersections of man and nature.

A new edition of the most widely used psychiatric guide to mental disorders -- "The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" -- was released this past weekend in San Francisco at a meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. The manual has a big impact on public health, including what insurance companies will cover, the drugs that regulators will approve, and even which children will receive special education services. But critics say that the manual is outdated and question the validity of several new diagnoses.

Eight years ago, Los Angeles city voters elected their first Latino mayor in modern history. On Tuesday, L.A. voters will make history again by either electing the first woman mayor, City Controller Wendy Greuel, or the first Jewish mayor, City Councilman Eric Garcetti. The campaign itself will make history as the most expensive so far, but neither candidate has really captured the imagination of the electorate.

Voters in the Central Valley head to the polls Tuesday for a special election. After Michael Rubio left his state Senate seat suddenly to work for Chevron, his district is up for grabs.

Lorrie Goldin questions the distinction between good guys with guns and bad guys with guns.

This week we're talking about orange peels, podcasts, and music on a mountain.

In the 40-plus years Jerry Brown has been in California politics, he's been called a lot of things -- brilliant, wacky, unpredictable, loner. This week, as he unveiled his revised state budget proposal, he described himself as something else -- a "back stop" against irrational exuberance in Sacramento. Is this Jerry Brown 2.0 -- or vintage Brown? Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters, who's covered the capitol and Jerry Brown for most of Brown's career, talks to host Scott Shafer.

May is a month not usually associated with elections. But on Tuesday, Angelenos will choose a successor to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is termed out. Two local politicians, City Councilman Eric Garcetti and City Controller Wendy Gruel, are vying to replace Villaraigosa in next week's runoff. Scott Shafer spoke with Raphael Sonenshein, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles.