Redchango's Journal of Occurrences

Letter to the Editor to local papers

2011-05-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

I was recently elected president of the AFSCME Local representing employees of the neighboring City of Artesia. I attended the Cerritos Council meeting on April 28 to show support to my fellow union brothers and sisters.

Cerritos employees felt they were already close to an end of negotiations, and wished to extend negotiations until they came to a mutual agreement. Three councilmembers, and management, did not want a mutual agreement and instead wished to seek a vague sense of "closure" and conclude the negotiations prematurely. In other words, a few people selfishly sought closure at the expense of everyone else's. Needless to say, the net gain of "closure" was exceedingly small.

Naturally, we were disappointed in the Council's decision to impose an impasse and conclude negotiations prematurely. Their decision to do so has made a clear statement to us all. Employees in Cerritos can expect from both management, and at least three councilmembers (Mayor Carol Chen, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Edwards, and Councilmember Bruce Barrows), a climate of cool indifference toward their own employees; and a willingness to make decisions without the counsel of their own workforce.

Whether intended or not, the April 28 council meeting felt like a power play. Employees, who had a personal stake in the Council's decision, showed up en masse. Some even brought their children, thinking that the council would conduct the meeting with the consideration of those attending. We were wrong. Even Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, who stood up for almost four hours waiting patiently for her turn, was wrong! If I didn't think people were inherently good, I'd almost be tempted to say the Council wanted to send a message that they didn't care.

Every public meeting that I've ever attended pushed controversial agenda items to the beginning of the meeting so people can have a chance to speak to their Council and leave. Instead, we waited almost four hours as the Council methodically plodded through their items!

At 10:30 p.m., when we were finally allowed to speak, Congresswoman Sanchez went first. Despite the thinly veiled look of disgust at the proceedings of the meeting, her words were utterly reasonable. She simply asked that the Council vote to finish the negotiations because they were so close, and she volunteered her services. She finally added that this particular council meeting was a poor display of democracy; as she watched many people (some with children) leave as the hours dragged on, unable to voice their opinion.

I'd like to thank Councilmembers Mark Pulido and Joseph Cho, who voted in favor of extending negotiations. I'm also grateful for the patience of Congresswoman Sanchez, and for her gracious words that reflected perfectly the thoughts of all who attended.

Sincerely,

Andrew Perry

An account of Larry's funeral procession

2010-05-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

An Account of Larry R. Nelson's Funeral Procession - I've had a few requests asking about what transpired during Artesia Councilman Larry R. Nelson's funeral. First, I’d like to say that Larry was one of those councilmembers who touched a lot of people’s hearts because he was often seen working alongside staff and he was very honest and very loud, colorful, and funny.

When he passed it was a shock to everyone because no one knew he was sick. He had been keeping it a secret. Anyways, we were worried about him because he had missed a few council meetings over the past two months, and we did hear that he was in pain.

From Holy Family Church, I got into the vehicle that would be part of the procession to Artesia Cemetery. At the head of the column was the white horse-drawn carriage that carried Larry’s coffin. The column headed north on Clarkdale, west on 183rd, and north again on Pioneer Blvd.

In the vehicle I was in, a woman named Susie Gomes commented, “Wow, this is Larry’s last time going down Pioneer Blvd. As we passed the beautiful fountains under the palm trees, listening to the peaceful sound of the water, another woman in the car, Madalena Galindo, said, “Y’know … this is just how Larry would’ve wanted it.”

Both Galindo and Gomes worked with Larry for a very long time.

The column turned left (west) on Artesia Boulevard and shortly after the East West Ice Palace, we saw that the fire department had done something truly sentimental in honor of Larry.

First, a little back story. At almost every patriotic event the city had, Larry always asked the Fire Department to set up the flag, hanging from the top of a ladder from a fire truck. Well, at the funeral the Fire Department blocked off Artesia Blvd. and was diverting traffic elsewhere. And across the westbound section of Artesia Blvd. the Fire Department had probably their largest truck, with the ladder fully extended and hanging down from it was the biggest flag I had ever seen hanging from the ladder, much bigger than the flag pictured in the photo. Much bigger. This was at the entrance to the Artesia Cemetery.

So anyways, as we got closer and prepared to turn left into the cemetery, we saw there were probably about six or seven firefighers and sheriffs in a line, in front of the fire truck, at parade rest.

At the grave site itself, Dr. Ed Bloomfield gave the eulogy. It was funny and heartfelt. I remember a few things of what he said. “It wasn’t long after he was elected that the city staff began to realize they had a different sort of councilmember on their hands. This one wore overalls, came in with dusty boots, and sometimes some hay or straw would be poking out of his pocket.”

Bloomfield also said, “When Larry didn’t agree with something, he wasn’t afraid to call it out as b.s.” and Bloomfield also brought up the Greek philosopher Aristotle and his philosophy on the good life and the importance of participating in politics.

Because Larry was a Navy veteran, there was a 21-gun salute and a flag-folding ceremony. There was also a dove release, and one gentleman sang “Happy Trails”, which is an old country song from Roy Rogers. Afterward, everyone went to the Albert O. Little Community Center at 18750 Clarkdale Avenue, for the reception. They watched a video tribute to Larry, reminisced, and ate lunch.

The REAL Desert Dogs: Black Mountain Wilderness

2010-02-10T15:28:00.001-08:00

Newest video

What's happening in Artesia?

2009-12-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've last posted. I've been focusing too much on my other blog, "The Partially Informed Philosopher".

Anyways, it's a little late but I thought I'd offer some analysis on the results of the November election and its effect on Artesia. And I do this largely because Artesia is one of those little towns that just kind grew on me, so I'm genuinely worried about it. For Artesia, the most important things in those elections were the two measures, S and Y. Measure S passed. That's a hotel tax. But Measure Y, the business license fee increase, didn't.

From what I've "heard" through the Grapevine, a lot of people voted "No" because they thought it would be a tax increase on them. It wasn't. But what's done is done, and now the City must figure out what to do.

Even though they've got one of the measures, the loss of Measure Y will still be detrimental to the City. Even if both of the measures passed, the City was still going to be facing a huge problem.

So what is the City facing this fiscal year; an $800,000+ deficit! That's probably small change for bigger cities like Lakewood and Cerritos; but $800,000 is huge for a tiny 1.6 square mile town with 17,000 residents.

A lot of folks don't know this, but Artesia is funded largely on sales tax. And with the economy the way it is, the City has been hurting for sales tax.

"What about all those capital projects?" any observant passersby might ask. Those capital projects are the results of grants, which are restricted funds meant specifically for those projects.

But still, despite the financial crisis in Artesia, the City still wants to maintain its essential services: public safety, road maintenance, tree trimming, and all the other stuff cities do. Artesia's not sure how it's going to pull it off, and it might even lose a few employees (hopefully not) in the process, but right now it's main goal is to create a sustainable budget.

Norwalk Council mistakes 7-11's zealous community outreach for "strong-arm tactics"

2009-09-03T08:38:00.001-07:00

I was a little bit dismayed when Norwalk's City Council went on a tangent about 7-11's bid to sell beer and wine. Who would've thought it would've turned into an hour-long conversation?

I try to be reasonable about these things. City councils in general have a very big responsibility when they're making decisions, and sometimes odd (but relevant) subjects come up during the ensuing discussion. But this time I saw no point.

By far, their biggest accusation had nothing to do with the sale of beer or wine. It was about 7-11's supposed "strong-arm" tactics that were somehow perceived to be forcing city councilmembers into voting yes.

What were these strong-arm tactics?

Filling out an application to join the Chamber of Commerce
Telling a local softball league about 7-11’s donation program
Giving two councilmembers (not all five) a bundle of papers supporting their business
Surveying residents to make sure the business would be accepted by the community
Having a sympathetic councilmember from Anaheim call in support of the business
Showing up with an entourage of corporate and neighborhood supporters at the public hearing.

No doubt about it, 7-11 went above and beyond what one could expect for a measly public hearing. Their presentation at the public hearing was also a bit overbearing. When 10-plus people, from slimy corporate PR people, fellow franchisee owners, and just regular old citizens come out to support a business - you know that something's going on.

But "strong-arm" tactics? If anything, it's just community outreach. How is filing an application to join the Chamber of Commerce a "strong-arm tactic"?

Unfortunately, "strong-arm tactics" is a rather loose definition, but it implies actual threats and even violence, or simply being deceptive to put one's self in a better position. Here's some real strong-arm tactics:

Firing employees merely to make a point
Military invasion is always a strong-arm tactic
Lying is a strong-arm tactic, esp. in the business world
The cliche union boss forcing the regular employee to stay on strike
In China, parents who unite to look for their kidnapped child are forced to disband, because it makes China look bad (nobody gets kidnapped in China!)
Blackmail

None of the things that 7-11 did constitute a "strong-arm tactic" in the classical sense of the word. The closest is having the Anaheim councilmember call; but that's not a strong-arm tactic. That's just a bad tactic in general; a PR mistake. We're talking about politicians, after all. And having one politician from Anaheim suggest to a Norwalk politician about what they should do in Norwalk, is just going to piss off the Norwalk politician.

Norwalk City Council sets an example

2009-08-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

Mayor Cheri Kelley and the Norwalk City Council is awesome! They actually rejected the agreement between the California Contract Cities and L.A. County to split the cost, via the Liability Trust Fund, to pay for criminal acts done by County Sheriffs.

Kelley said the City of Norwalk will not pay for criminal behavior of a deputy, especially one who raped a woman. She was referring to the case of a sheriff's deputy who was convicted of separate rapes in 2003 and 2004.

Their city attorney warned that such a vote would require a similar vote from other cities, otherwise "It's all or nothing."

Kelley acknowledged that the issue is largely an administrative issue. "But it's a costly administrative issue," she said.

I, for one, was quite moved to see the city council make such a bold decision.

2009-07-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

A cell phone in a World War 2 submarine?

2009-07-17T09:53:00.001-07:00

Guess what? I entered another video contest! And the rules are the same. They're asking for the most ratings and comments just to get into the final category.

Please view (it's only 30 seconds), rate, and comment. If I'm able to make the final category, then I'll be judged by regular judges.

The theme is an "Awkward Ringtone Moment". The link is at the bottom.

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Background: Atlantic Ocean, 1944. A U.S. submarine is being tracked by German destroyers. A command echoes through the loudspeakers, "Rig for silent running."

Tech Savvy Seaman Recruit Andrews, fresh out of boot camp, doesn't know why the submarine and its crew must be silent. Petty Officer Perry is his supervisor, tasked with teaching Andrews the ropes of submarine life.

Who would've thought that the young sailor was so far ahead of his time?

Yes, it's historically inaccurate. Yes, that's the same person, with and without a beard. Yes, those are gameplay shots of Silent Hunter 4. This is a submission for a the Awkward Ringtone Moments contest.

Please rate and comment on the YouTube channel! Thanks!

Click here to view video

Media frenzy over swine flu

2009-05-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Can we just get over the swine flu already? It really sucks that everyone's so scared of swine flu when the regular flu is much more devastating. There's been about 100 infections in the U.S., and one death from an infant who just returned from Mexico.

Meanwhile, regular flu gets over a million infections a year in the U.S. alone, and kills about 35,000 Americans too.

It almost reminds me of Joseph Stalin's phrase. "Kill one man; it is a tragedy. Kill 10,000 men; it is a statistic."

City mottos are usually lame

2009-04-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

Some of the cities have some truly horrible mottos. So bland and blaise, and it's almost questionable whether they mean anything. Most city mottos are also completely inaccurate and are nothing more than propaganda statements. I'm going to analyze the city mottos of Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, and Norwalk; and try to offer a better motto that is closer to being accurate.

Artesia's is "Service builds tomorrow's progress."

Let's think about that for a sec. Is it really service that builds tomorrow's progress? And what exactly IS tomorrow's progress? Doesn't progress generally imply that "tomorrow" will be involved? It would seem to me that there are many factors that actually build progress, not just service. Things like technology, innovation, charity, good will, investment, and even seemingly unrelated things like being healthy. These are all factors of progress. Yes, a city supplies services to its community. That's what cities do. So, what about a new motto that incorporates the fact that progress happens anyway, and so does city services. Like "If progress is a machine, then our service is a cog."

Personally, I like "Where every day is a good day," which is the campaign slogan made famous by Artesia's Councilman Larry R. Nelson. It has a smily, feel-good overtone to it, even if it isn't always accurate. But who wants a city motto that says, "Where most days are good ones."

Bellflower's motto is "The Friendly City". By who's standards? Bellflower has some nice parts, but it's not any friendlier than any other city. Judging by the amount of hecklers who visit their council meetings, Bellflower isn't as friendly as one would imagine. And I used to deliver pizza in the area. Some of the residents can be real a-holes.

At least the city council is generous with the allotted time for hecklers to speak. When I used to report on the city council meetings for the city's chamber paper, I recall sitting for a half hour as some angry old man would rattle on about how bad the council and the city sucks because there was a pothole on a street. Maybe their tolerance is why the city is considered "friendly". "The Friendly City" doesn't really work as a motto. In fact, the friendliest people in Bellflower are those who actually run its government. So, I would recommend a slight change in its motto. "The City of Tolerance."

Cerritos, on the other hand, went nuts with their mottos. That's right, I said mottos. They couldn't even just choose one motto, and decided to horde a series of them. "A City With Vision", "Progress Through Commitment", "A History In Progress", "A Prestige Address". What's up with that?!? Just pick one! Anyone except the second and the last one.

Hawaiian Gardens suffers the same egotistical bravado as its neighbor Cerritos. The City of Hawaiian Gardens has two mottos: "The Little City with a Big Heart" and "The City on the Move". I kind of like the first one, because it is fairly original, and the second motto sounds like a motto automatically generated by some government bureaucrat.

Lakewood used to have a cool motto: "Tomorrow's City Today." I guess they realized they weren't as futuristic as they hoped they'd be, so they changed their motto to something that's just gross. "Times change. Values don't."

How lame is that? And what's worse, it's simply not true. It's arguable that time changes, since the only time that exists in reality is RIGHT NOW, but there is no doubt that values change all the time. The U.S. no longer values slavery for instance, certain religious values have changed over the millenia - we no longer execute wives for not being virgins on their wedding night, for example. People are more sympathetic to what were socialist ideas (nothing wrong with that, by the way). But still, working with the spirit of their current motto, but with the understanding that it is basically wrong, perhaps Lakewood ought to change their motto to "Our values are status quo."

Finally ... Norwalk. My quick Google search reveals that Norwalk doesn't even have a motto. I respect that. So, in that spirit, Norwalk's motto ought to be: "No need for mottos."

The REAL Desert Dogs: Desert Dog Down!

2009-03-27T09:44:00.001-07:00

Local boys (from Lakewood) go to California's Mojave Desert in search of a group of mummies they heard about (see the first El Pasos episode).

The group consists of a journalist (and archaeologist degree hopeful), an entomologist, and archaeological site stewards.

In God We Trust, Inc.

2009-01-12T15:43:00.000-08:00

I have a bit of a problem with the trend toward displaying our Cold War-inspired national motto, "In God We Trust."

It's not that it's because I'm an infidel who has a problem with the word "God." It is simply that the reasoning people give for displaying is largely religious, rather than patriotic; it's more political than it is essential to our democratic republic. The drive that urges religious people to place "In God We Trust" or the 10 Commandments (of all things!) on the walls of our public institutions is about as irrational as the reasoning for replacing the national motto with the previous one, which was "E Pluribus Unum" (out of many; one).

So, when religious motivation is the motivation to place messages on public institutions, it is a clear violation of the separation of church and state.

Take, for example, Jacquie Sullivan, the founder of In God We Trust, Inc. She is a councilwoman from the city of Bakersfield, California; aka "California's Bible Belt".

She said in an interview a few years ago that once every City Hall displays that message, she's going after the schools. She wants every school to have "In God We Trust" placed on the walls of these educational facilities. Clearly, she's one of those people who are worried that schools don't lead prayers in the morning.

Belief in God is like belief in astrology; there is nothing inherent in the belief of God, religion, or astrology for that matter, that has anything to do with how great America is.

I'd also like to clarify that I'm not advocating any particular legislation against placing the national motto on public property. I'm simply saying that we should criticize it, and criticize the intentions of the religious people who are trying to push this through. After all, they're the ones trying to make it institutionalized.

I think conversation is basically the only thing we have when it comes to these types of problems; not wanton legislation. So Jacquie, or any elected official out there who wants to put "In God We Trust" on the walls of our public institutions, ask yourself if you're doing this for religious reasons or because you think it's for the benefit of the public.

When I was a devout Christian I probably would have supported these attempts at desecrating our public institutions with religious propaganda, but I would've supported Jacquie's crusade not because I respected the United States, but because I was once a religious zealot.

50th Anniversary for Artesia

2008-12-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

Artesia ... it's that little tiny city that everyone in the region knows of because it has that huge water tower.

Well, it's about to be a pentagenarian (50 years old). The City of Artesia has announced it will be celebrating its 50 year anniversary all of 2009, with a special "Community Birthday Picnic" scheduled for May 29, the official date the city was incorporated.

There's many reasons why I like Artesia. It has that small town atmosphere, it has a huge selection of restaurants for a city that's only 1.62 square miles. My favorite Chinese food restaurants are located in Artesia as well - Shanghai Style and May's Kitchen. Artesia also has the most noticeable landmark; that water tower that can be seen for miles around. Did you know that the water tower was featured in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, and an episode of My Name is Earl?

There's also a fancy little video that I created about Artesia (told you I was a fanatic):

Of course, I should probably also mention that I'm completely biased when it comes to Artesia, because I'm also employed by the City. But I love my job, and I love this little city.

Chris Fuentes Canned

2008-08-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

Chris Fuentes, former candidate for Cerritos City Council and a member of the Fine Arts and Historical Commission, just received what may be a devastating blow to his political career. City Council voted to remove him from his position as a commissioner because of remarks he had made about city council and staff.

However, given the circumstances and the alleged reasons for his removal, I think Fuentes can easily turn this around in his favor.

Fuentes is something of a heckler, and wanted to review Cerritos' expenditures on statues and on its recent entry into the All American City contest. Reportedly, the city was caught with its pants down as no one had ever asked for such a report before. After discovering that Cerritos had spent millions of unbudgeted dollars, and that City Council had been flying "all over the country", Fuentes began accusing the council and staff of being dishonest and irresponsible.

The council's decision to let him go is questionable, though. I mean, yea, the guy's annoying. But what he did was perfectly legal. Their actions were a sign that Fuentes really was digging too deep. It's also a symptom of something else that most city councils, well ... just about any government body - does. They try too hard to establish unity. Unity is horrible for any democratically-themed government.

While I'm sure things get done quicker in a system where no one complains or no one checks the legitimacy of its authority, such a system can at the very least seem unjust, if not outright despotic.

Norwalk Swim Team charms the heck out of their city council

2008-07-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

I was amazed at the last Norwalk City Council meeting when parents and children from the swim team approached the council and asked that the pool remain open. I was amazed because the council agreed with them and said they would do their best not to close the swimming pool, and I liked their reasoning, too.

City Manager Ernie Garcia said it best, "You are the perfect example of how to approach the council with a request."

Mayor Mike Mendez (pictured above) poked a jab at the hecklers as well, "Most people come up here and try to threaten us, and it just doesn't work."

And he's right. When the first parent got up, my mind was chanting, "Heckler, heckler, heckler ..." but I was wrong. These were actual concerned residents with real concerns who were well organized, and courteous. These weren't the old guys with stinky breath ranting and raving about money mismanagement and accusations of favoritism toward favorite businesses because they paid campaign contributions.

I've never once seen those guys be successful, and I now know why. The key to getting council, any council, to listen to your concerns is to approach them with respect and courtesy; and good reasons, of course.

You can't go up to the city council and complain about the lack of service coming from the trash company, and then say, "Well, you're not going to do it anyway because they donated to ___(fill in the blank)'s____ campaign.

And what were the reasons the swim team gave? Well, it was basically the tired mantra of "I wanna keep my kids away from gangs and drugs." Couple that with a mother holding a cute sleepy kid, and the swim team kids themselves, asking council not to take away their social lives, and I guess that's a recipe for success; because the council ate it up.

I did too, it was a very hearty meal full of cuteness and respectful pleading; with a slight sprinkling of angry parents. The reasons are the same old reasons, but they're tried and true I guess.

From what was stated at the meeting, the City will look into keeping the pool open only for swim team related activities. I think it was a great compromise in light of the budget crisis and subsequent cuts being experienced by all cities.

Irony found in 4th of July restrictions

2008-07-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

Oddly enough, fireworks on the 4th of July has become an issue, manifested as a verbal war between public safety and a traditional means of celebrating Independence Day.

The politics behind the gradual illegalization of fireworks is actually a manifestation of deeper-seated fears in America. It's hard to put a finger on it, but I think there are two factors at work here. First, people are scared for the safety of their children, and second they believe other people are, at the very least, dumb. Irresponsibly dumb. While I acknowledge the power of these two motivating factors, I can't help but disagree with their significance.

As a disclaimer, I acknowledge that the fireworks dubbed illegal are sometimes extremely dangerous when improperly used. But to call for the outright dismissal of even the simple Safe n' Sane fireworks is just as extreme a stance to have.

I am a huge fan of irony. And on the 4th of July, the day that this great "land of the free" celebrates its independence and most noticeably, it's "freedom," I find it ironic that the ways that we celebrate that freedom are becoming gradually restricted for safety reasons. It's like seat belts, helmets, and the whole cell phone hands-free thing. All of these laws say, essentially, "Do this/wear this/strap this on, because there are a few stupid people out there that can mess it up for the rest of us."

In reality, the use of “safe and sane” fireworks is an acceptable risk. And yes, people do get hurt from the use of these fireworks, but not many. In the last major survey done by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in the year 2000, about 213 people were admitted into emergency rooms across the state due to fireworks-related injuries. Think about it, that’s 213 out of approximately 36,553,215 people in the State of California, and one-third of that number was from legal fireworks.

In 2007, only 32 fires were reported to have been caused by fireworks, according to a report on fire incidents by the same department.

In contrast, 10,614 Californians died in 2004 from accidents (cars, choking, freak accidents) and 2,489 people died from assault. In light of these morbid statistics, I have a proposal. Let’s just not do anything. Let’s wear a helmet and just watch television all day. After all, exercise increases the risk of injury too.

I think if we are to call ourselves freedom-loving Americans we should take a step back and review our actions before we actually legislate against freedom itself!

I mean, what is freedom? Conventionally speaking, it's the ability to do anything we want. Obviously, this does not apply to America .

Perhaps there's a different freedom we're speaking of. Freedom of the press? The right to bear arms? Political freedoms seems like a likely candidate other than the conventional definition of freedom, but even these are apparently subject to restrictions.

Is America better than other countries because it's more free, or because it's safer? Is it better because of liberty, or because of regulations that restrict liberty and protect people? If it's the latter, we should acknowledge that. We shouldn't call ourselves the "land of the free", but the "land of regulations".

It’s not nearly as glamorous, but at least it’s honest.

As I said, I'm a fan of irony, but I'm actually a bigger fan of liberty and what this country was supposed to stand for, or at least what I thought it was supposed to stand for. And while I find the exaggeration of injuries and hiding behind children in order to enact yet another safety regulation to be entertaining, I am actually a little worried about their implications. These implications can be summed up perfectly by one of the founding fathers himself, Benjamin Franklin.

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Hecklers

2008-06-12T07:48:00.001-07:00

First of all, I'd like to say congratulations to Carol Chen for her impressive win in the Cerritos election.

In this blog, I'd like to tackle hecklers. Usually at council meetings, there are the small minority of angry activists who are stereotypically old, male, and white. Though of course I've female hecklers, Hispanic hecklers, and even some younger 30-ish hecklers as well.

I like them.

They're the most annoying, self-important people you'll ever meet (even more so than the politicians), but one can't help but be entertained by the zealousness these people have in pointing out some of the most mundane problems that cities face. One guy even gave me a card that basically said he was a professional heckler. Never the less, when a meeting is long, we audience members need some kind of entertainment and these nutjobs are willing to take responsibility for it. They own up to it.

Heckler topics are usually predictable. Often, they'll accuse councilmembers of fraud or taking campaign contributions from major corporations. They also like to complain about Mexicans, foreigners, youngsters, and potholes.

Like any good politician, hecklers also love to hide behind children. Any raised sidewalk or traffic signal problem will surely lead to some poor kid's demise. In their words, "Some kid will get hurt out there."

So hecklers, I like you. Whenever I hear you talk I cringe, but only out of sympathy for you. I literally cannot believe that someone could have the testicular fortitude to say some of the ridiculous things spewing from your mouth. You are an enigma.

And while my admiration for you is minimal, I do appreciate your services. Thank you.

What will happen to Hargitt Middle School?

2008-06-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

When Governor Schwarzenegger first proposed the huge cuts to education, every school district in California faced an immediate crisis. I had the pleasure of covering Norwalk/La Mirada's School District at the time.

One of the proposed cuts by the school district was to close Hargitt Middle School, home of the Hargitt Huskies. I remember parents shouting at the beleagured board members because the short notice the board had given to Hargitt parents; and I remember the kids doing their Husky hand signals (which looks like the rock n' roll sign) at Norwalk's City Council Meeting, where the council offered their support but were not able to lend a hand (it wasn't their jurisdiction).

A well-organized parent group that was being advised by Assemblymember Tony Mendoza formed with the goal to "Save Hargitt."

Now, in light of the more positive budget proposal after the May revise, I wonder if the campaign to save Hargitt will still be necessary. If anyone has more information on this, please comment.

I hope the Cerritos elections go well, too.

Should there be a Whole Foods market in Cerritos?

2008-05-28T09:39:00.001-07:00

I noticed part of certain Cerritos council candidates's platform is to have a Whole Foods market come to Cerritos. Well, my wife and I went to the Whole Foods market in Long Beach the other day. Are these candidates serious?!?

I'm a Trader Joe's fan, and so I thought Whole Foods would be a good change of pace. Yes, it's much larger than Trader Joe's and even carries a lot of regular grocery items (like napkins, trash bags, etc.) that Trader Joe's doesn't, but the food prices are ridiculous! I was literally surrounded by pretentious, bourgeousie hippies who pay $5 for a box of blueberries and $8 for spaghetti sauce.

Perhaps the best-priced item was artichokes at 99 cents, but you can get the same-sized artichokes at Trader Joe's for the same price. Why? Because they're out of season!

I wound up buying tea, guiltless chips, and a six-pack of beer (hey, it was Memorial Day!).

Come on, Cerritos, you have a perfectly fine Trader Joe's in the Cerritos Town Center. Your Trader Joe's is even larger than many other Trader Joe's. Is it really necessary to have a market like Whole Foods in your town?

Cerritos Candidate Forum Hijinx

2008-05-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

I recently was accused by Cerritos Council candidate Chris Fuentes of being an open supporter of Mark Pulido, one of his opponents in the race for council.

He said I misquoted him in an article I wrote for the Cerritos Community News, when I covered the Cerritos Candidate Forum. Well, if I did misquote him in my article I truly apologize for doing so. However, I thought I'd take a little time here to clear the air.

After all, Fuentes is dead wrong. In fact, I actually started off supporting Fuentes a little more than I did Pulido. Perhaps in the crunch of time, and the lack of subsequent editing, my story appeared to advocate Pulido.

First of all, I should explain that that I do not live or work in Cerritos, and so I harbor no emotional attachment to any of these candidates. That said, on a purely rational basis I actually thought Alon Barlevy was the most impressive candidate at the forum. Yes, I support the intellectual firebrand radical!

He actually offered solutions, like suggesting to cut the very expensive Rose Parade float from the city budget should it need to be cut. And I respected his admitting that a person's philosophy is what should guide everybody's decision, not the whole "unity for the sake of unity" bandwagon chump philosophy that was being espoused by the rest of the candidates. Barlevy's main detractor was his constant stumbling over his speech, which I wasn't sure was from being nervous or if it was a speech impediment. None the less, such minor things shouldn't impede his ability to make sound decisions. Besides, having a Ph.D. whilst being a radical is a respectable trait in a person.

My second favorite was Carol Chen, a calm and assuring businesswoman. She spoke confidently about being business friendly, about public safety, and about how much she desired to be on council. That said, she was charming and exuded competence in leadership. Her solutions for problems were painted with a very broad brush, though. Carol Chen is endorsed by the Republican Party.

Between Mark Pulido and Chris Fuentes, I think I might have to say in light of Fuentes's tirade that I like Pulido more than Fuentes. Pulido is a well-qualified candidate and currently serves as chair of the ABC School District. In essence, he agrees with many of the same things Barlevy does, but he didn't have the gumption to say a lot of things Barlevy did. Pulido is endorsed by the Democratic Party.

I figure those people who tow the party line would like to know which party backs who. That always bothered me, for some reason. Perhaps I'll write about that some other time.

And then finally, Fuentes. At the forum, I was actually impressed with Fuentes, though I thought he was a little obsessive about elderly residents. He also had some rather sensible ideas about being green. Fuentes is more of a conservationalist than one of these hardcore 'green' environmentalists that like to tout their fiber-eating, tree-hugging ways so much.

I probably might have placed him at second or third place on this list had it not been for his outburst (like he cares where I rank him!). It is quite possible I misquoted him, but his emotional rant really made me lose respect for him. But in his defense, he did say some great things about possible housing fixes, "being green", and he's definitely a good candidate to vote for if you're an elderly person.

So that's it. My honest opinion about each of these candidates. Not bad for my second entry on this particular blog.

Note: All photos lifted from the respective candidates' websites.

Norwalk City Council Meeting - May 20, 2008

2008-05-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Norwalk City Council voted to uphold an appeal by the Planning Commission to deny a time extension for a condo at Pine Street and Horst Avenue because the condo did not have the correct amount of parking spaces.

The project was originally approved on May 25, 2005. Since then, new requirements for parking have been enacted by the City, and the project owners have not even begun grading. Because of the new parking requirements, the project is now deficient by 14 parking spaces.

The project owners were represented by Donna Chessen (pictured upper left), who said she was a former Buena Park mayor and councilwoman.

Chessen said the owners “take full responsibility for what happened, but are eager to move forward.”

Chessen said it might be possible to add a few more parking spaces but at the loss of green space, and concluded her presentation with a plea for a 90-day extension for demolition and grading. “I understand parking is an issue. Every city in California is struggling with parking,” said Chessen, alluding to her past experience.

Planning Director Kurt Anderson said the additional parking spaces Chessen proposed would still leave the project deficient by over 10 parking spaces.

“31 parking spaces for 7 units is a difficult standard,” said Chessen, “one I’ve never seen.”

Vice Mayor Cheri Kelley said if the council voted to stay with the original 2005 parking requirements, “it wouldn’t be a win-win situation.”

Chessen, who began to appear uncomfortable and fidgety, replied that a “nice development is always a win-win.”

“I don’t see the value of losing this property,” said Chessen. “How about they make the den so there’s no way it’s called a bedroom?”

Councilmember Gordon Stefenhagen said people are ingenious on making anything a bedroom.

Kelley added that there’s no way that the City can limit cars, to which Chessen retorted, “Yes they can.”

In a final act of desperation, Chessen requested the mayor to “deny without prejudice.” Denying without prejudice means that the same case can be refilled within the applicable statute of limitations.

City Attorney Steven Dorsey quickly countered Chessen’s request and said it didn’t make sense to deny without prejudice in this case, as it is a planning project and not a civil lawsuit. Dorsey said that the only action that can be done would be to simply start the whole process over again.

In other news, the council voted to extend the moratorium against check-cashing businesses for 10 months and 15 days while the city reviewed its General Plan and Zoning Designations.