Creative Writing Winners Announced at Awards Ceremony

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Winners in the Jotter’s category were (left to right) Ella Kervin, Reese Flowers and William Vari. Actors who read the stories were Bill Jones and Christine Kludjian. Friends of the Library’s Kathy Slattery (right) organized the contest.

Friends of the Library President Laura Schneider welcomed about 50 contestants and parents to an after-school award ceremony for the summer creative writing contest held at the Palisades Library on October 6.

“We’re so happy to have the event back here after two years of virtual events,” Schneider said, and noted, “This is the first event to be held in the Community Room since Covid.”

Annually, students in grades kindergarten through high school are invited to write an original story, essay or poetry during the summer. They are judged and winners selected. This year there were 27 entries.

At the ceremony, the top three stories in each of the categories is read/acted by professional actors Bill Jones and Christine Kludjian. “Writers” are generally thrilled to hear their words come alive.

“Thank you for having me back,” Jones said. “It never ceases to amaze me – the minds of the writers.”

Kludijian said, “I’m so happy we’re back in this room together. We’ve been doing this about 15 years. We’ve seen people start in first and second grade and go all the way through high school.”

The CTN editor, who has attended this ceremony for years, felt the stories this year were of a higher quality and more personal than prior contests.

One of the judges agreed, saying she felt the choice of the theme “Bouncing Back,” was helpful.

“The lockdowns dealt all of us an emotional wallop,” the judge wrote, “The hopeful angle of return and healing I think was welcome for the young writers. Also, it was something that pressed the writers to delve into their own stories and create something fresh. The students produced excellent work.”

In the Scribbler’s category, which is Grades 1 and 2, there was only one entry, which meant Dilg Kazuya (Viewpoint School) took first place with “Flame of Fire Fangs.”

The Jotter’s category, Grades 3 and 4, third place went to the “The Library of Time,” by Reese Flowers (Village School). Twins discover they could time travel in their own home.

Second place went to William Vari (Carlthorp School) for “Rescue from Bent.” The hero went in a spaceship to Bent to rescue his dad, who had been nabbed by some bad guys.

The top prize went to Ella Kervin (Palisades Charter Elementary) for “Dragon Island.” When the captain realized, a storm was going to destroy his ship, he told the girls to jump and try for the island. There they met a 10-foot-tall dragon with red wings and a black spikey tail. The girls befriended the dragon and then had to save him from an evil sushi chef, who was befouling the water.

The Scrawler’s category, Grades 5 and 6, saw a tie between a cleverly worded story “Fusili” by Riley Keston (Archer School for Girls) and “The Wolves of Yellowstone” by Hudson Marks (Seven Arrows).

“I used to follow all the rules. I was a goody-two shoes . . .until I met Ravioli,” Keston wrote in this entertaining story.

Marks wrote about the issues with the protection of wolves, which was an absolutely fascinating true story, that he researched.

Second place went to “Hoop It Up,” by Chloe Frazier (Sycamore Community School), about making the basketball championships. “I was the best on the court,” she wrote. “Just kidding, I stunk.” She talked about wanting to quit, but her family said, “We don’t give up.”

Did they win? CTN urges you to read the story on the Friends website.

First place was Noah Benharash’s “Goodbye Paws,” which made this editor cry.

A student at Paul Revere Charter, Benharash spoke about his routine, which included taking care of his pet. Then his pet had to go to the emergency room. “I couldn’t stop thinking about Paws. I stayed home from school.” This story also has an incredibly sweet ending – and I urge you to read it.

Scrawler winners were (left to right) Riley Keston, Hudson Marks and Noah Benharash. (Not pictured Chloe Frazier.) Bill Jones and Christine Kludjian are behind the writers.

The Scribes category is Grades 7 and 8. Jordan Avdul (Willows Community) took third for “Friendship,” which spoke about making new friends at the school because, “My best friend moved away last year.”

Second place was “The Acorn Harvest” by Lucas Woo (Mirman School). A squirrel family starts harvesting acorns, when Benny, the squirrel, who was on his first-ever acorn hunt, has an allergic reaction to acorns. “You have a bad case of hives,” he was told. Luckily, he meets Woodrow the gopher, who shows him there are alternatives.

First place went to James Corman (Mirman School) for “In My Yard.” Orioles build a nest in a tree in his yard, and he watches as they hatch the eggs. Hawks are a threat he worries about.

Eventually two of the babies turn into juveniles and fly off, but the third doesn’t. He finds it in the yard with gashes below its wings. The family takes the bird to a wildlife center, hoping they can help the bird.

Seventh and eighth grade winners included (left to right) Jordan Avdul, James Corman and Lucas Woo. Actors Bill Jones and Christine Kludijian pose with the winners.

Authors are students in High School. There was a tie for third between Jessica Envati (Le Lycee Francais) and Ashley Markatos (New West Charter School).

Envati in “Waking Up” spoke about taking a terrible fall that left her hero in a comma. Her father had been killed by a drunk driver earlier and she wanted to go be with him. She works through the possibilities if she would live and is shown what she could be. “It’s waiting for you.”

Markatos in “Only by Genetics” speaks of a girl, whose father has never been there for her. How she’s spent her growing up years, waiting for him to visit and constantly being disappointed.  “You never deserved to be my father,” she wrote. “I’m done being there only when you want me.”

The top two places went to Palisades High School students. Second went to Julia Musumeci for “Love as a Bounce.” “He watched from the outside and liked it – he lived through and for her. He believed their souls to have touched until love turned to reality.”

Chaz Plager took first place for “Little Boy Lost.” (Plager works as an intern for CTN and we’ll print his first-place story in it’s entirety in another issue.)

 Friends’ judges this year were Lynn Gaines, Arline Halper, Nina Kidd, Renee Klein, and Laura Schneider, who considered stories on creativity, originality, effort, plot and theme.

Students who received first place won a $250 gift certificate to Diesel Books, second place was $100 and third place was $50. All entrants received certificates and McConnell’s ice cream coupons.

Posted in Books, Kids/Parenting, Schools | 1 Comment

VIEWPOINT: Do Not Judge Based on Skin Color

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

 

 

“Look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

 

I’m shocked. Did you know that people other than whites can be racist?

How can society lump brown and black people in the same group if they are going to make disparaging comments about each other based solely on skin color? Haven’t we been told that racism is strictly a white phenomenon?

Gil Cedillo

The City Council continues to face public outcry based on a 2021 tape between Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Kevin de Leon and Gil Cedillo that was surreptitiously released. L.A.’s dirty little secret of racism has now hit national news.

Tasked with writing a paper in college in a Spanish class, I chose to write about how the indigenous people in Mexico were discriminated against, and considered a lower class. My research was eye-opening, and my professor simply wrote “Bravo” on the completed paper.

Growing up on a Native American reservation, I would like to say that discrimination against blacks was not present, but it was. And during the American Indian Movement, being white was considered a reason to be excluded from groups.

Discrimination and racism is ugly, and isn’t confined to a skin color.

Here’s another shocker, not all white people support Trump, not all blacks agree with Biden and not all Latinas will vote one way, simply because of skin color.

Nury Martinez

In trying to gerrymander during a 2021 redistricting meeting, Martinez, de Leon and Cedillo were discussing out how to split the City, so there would be a more equitable distribution of Hispanics in a district, which might mean an additional Hispanic councilmember.

According to California Demographics, the largest Los Angeles racial/ethnic groups are Hispanic (48.1%) followed by White (28.5%) and Asian (11.6%) with Blacks (8.43%).

Did the three councilmembers have a valid concern? Possibly. The Supreme Court is in the process of deciding an Alabama redistricting dispute over possible racial gerrymandering that might have violated the Voting Rights Act by granting the state only a single majority-Black district out of seven. Black people make up more than a quarter of the state’s population.

Kevin de Leon

But for Martinez, de Leon and Cedillo to verbally attack colleagues, and especially Councilmember Mike Bonin’s small child, was wrong.

The judge of a moral character is doing right even if no one is watching or listening  –  and by that test, Martinez, Cedillo and De Leon have failed. (Martinez resigned October 12. Cedillo, De Leon?)

It is time, that those who try to divide Americans based on skin color, are stopped.

No one has control over melanin, any more than they do the color of their eyes or their height or ear size.

It is time to stop trying to divide based on physical characteristics and judge solely based on the heart.

Bonin’s tearful plea for his child in front of the City Council on Tuesday was heart wrenching.

Equally heart wrenching is the plea that Westchester residents have made of Bonin to keep their kids physically safe, which has gone unheeded.

Mike Bonin

Someone who represents the people, such as Bonin should feel the pain for all who have children.

Parents have written CTN on numerous occasions: “We have requested security of the Council Office, many times, and we have consistently informed the Council Office of incidents in which homeless people have harassed children in the park, exposed themselves to children in the park, slapped a tennis player (a person of color) in the face, spoken in vulgar language to girls as young as five years of age taking tennis lessons, yelled racial slurs when children of the offended race were taking tennis lessons just feet away and clearly within earshot, and much more.”

Parents have the incidents on audiotape and racial slurs were also directed at a LAHSA worker, who called 911 and LAPD responded.

CTN was told “We have reported dozens, maybe hundreds, of incidents involving children at the park, and no response from the Council Office. No expression of concern whatsoever.”

The judge of a moral character is doing right even if no one is watching or listening and by that test, Bonin has failed, too.

In the coming election vote for good people, those who have conscience and hearts and will work to make this city better for all. Color is not indicator of goodness.

 

Posted in General | 3 Comments

Proposition 30 Would Raise Income Taxes

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Many Californians pulled up roots and moved to different states during Covid.

Proposition 30 would require taxpayers with incomes above $2 million, annually, to pay an additional 1.75 percent income tax.

A new 13.3 percent top marginal income tax was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom at the end of September. Prop 30, if passed, would mean those earning above $2 million would be paying more than 15 percent. This would be the highest income tax rate in the country.

About 80 percent of the money from Prop. 30 would be spent to fund electric vehicles and charging stations for low-income drivers. The remaining 20 percent would be spent on wildfire response.

What’s wrong with sticking the rich with more taxes?

That’s not really the question to ask. The question is, why would rich people stay in a state if they could move somewhere else and save 15 percent of their income?

During Covid, the wealthy, who had school-aged children moved out of California in droves, so that their children could continue to attend school in person. The poor, who live here, had no choice and their kids suffered with the low academic progress.

According to Ed Source, the scores are “depressing but also inevitable since California was among states that kept students in distance learning the longest,” said Arun Ramanathan, CEO of Pivot Learning, a nonprofit consulting organization that works with schools in California and other states on improving achievement. “Schools did not do a good job serving kids virtually and many kids stopped coming to school, especially in early grades” among low-income families without the resources to help their children.

During Covid, the wealthy took advantage of business Zoom meetings, which made remote work possible, and that continues today.

Over the last 10 years, California has lost more than 1.625 million citizens. Even the San Francisco Chronicle featured a headline “Richer People Left San Francisco in the Pandemic. And They Took Billions of Dollars with Them.”

The Internal Revenue documented that high-tax states, such as New York and California lost high-income earners to low-tax states such as Texas, Florida and Arizona.

Heck, even Governor Gavin Newsom’s in-laws, Kenneth and Judith Siebel left California for Florida in 2020, after purchasing a home in Naples.

Income taxes account for nearly three-quarters of California’s general fund revenues. According to the Wall Street Journal, the top 0.5 percent of taxpayer pay about 40 percent of California’s income tax.

Newsom is not supporting Prop. 30, nor are many of his donors, Neflix CEO Reed Hastings Zynga founder Mark Pincus and Pisces Inc. Managing director Robert Fisher.

Also, in opposition to Prop. 30 is the California Teachers Association – none of that money would go to schools.

Why would Newsom be against a “green” measure? It’s only speculation, but perhaps his wealthy friends have pointed out that they could move to Miami or Austin and pay nothing on income tax.

If all the “rich” have left California, because they can, who will pay the 1.75 percent? The continued migration of the wealthy from the state could also affect general fund revenues.

A YES vote on this measure means: Taxpayers would pay an additional tax of 1.75 percent on personal income above $2 million annually. The revenue collected from this additional tax would support zero-emission vehicle programs and wildfire response and prevention activities.

A NO vote on this measure means: No change would be made to taxes on personal income above $2 million annually.

 

Posted in News | Leave a comment

Expert Will Speak on Fentanyl at Paul Revere

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Dr. Roger Crystal will speak about the dangers of fentanyl.

Dr. Roger Crystal will give a presentation to Revere parents and students and the local community at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26 at the Revere auditorium, 1450 Allenford Ave.

Crystal will discuss the dangers of fentanyl and what we can do as a community to fight it. The presentation will be geared towards students and parents, and children are encouraged to attend with parents.

He is volunteering his time for the presentation, so there is no fee, but registration is required: https://forms.gle/xBaApLNmpHCZdhXMA

Crystal holds a BMedSci in physiology and a medical degree from the University of Birmingham, in the United Kingdom. He received his master’s in business from the London Business School.

Prior to his business career, Crystal worked for several years as a surgeon, specializing in ear, nose, and throat, head and neck surgery at leading institutions including Imperial College Healthcare, London and was awarded Membership of The Royal College of Surgeons of England (MRCS). He was also an Honorary Research Fellow at University College London and has authored a number of peer-reviewed scientific articles.

He is the lead inventor of the NARCAN® Nasal Spray, holding several issued patents around this product, and led its development towards FDA approval.

Crystal is frequently featured as an opioid crisis expert, including national TV appearances with prominent U.S. news media, and has testified at The White House, advising the President’s Opioid Committee.

He is the chief executive officer and President of Opiant, which is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing medicines for addiction and drug overdose. The Company is also in development for Overdose Reversal (“OOR”), Alcohol Use Disorder (“AUD”), Opioid Use Disorder (“OUD”), and Acute Cannabinoid Overdose (“ACO”).

High-risk behaviors, that are associated with substance use disorders, have been linked to increased crime, violence, healthcare costs, and the spread of infectious diseases (such as HIV and hepatitis C).

The economic toll of substance use disorders is staggering: the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates the ‘all in’ costs at more than $740 billion annually.

Yet the societal impact of substance use disorders is even more disturbing: an estimated 88,000 Americans die from alcohol-related causes each year, making it the third leading preventable cause of death. Incredibly, life expectancy in the United States has declined over the past two years, due in large part to a year-over-year increase in lives cut short by opioid overdose, estimated at approximately 70,000 Americans in 2022.

 

Posted in Health, Kids/Parenting, Schools | 1 Comment

The Beauty of Women Celebrated in South Dakota

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Dignity is a 50-ft-stature along the Missouri River in South Dakota.

 

At the Missouri River in South Dakota, where Lewis and Clark once camped on their journey across the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, stands Dignity.

This 50-foot-high stainless-steel statue by South Dakota artist laureate Dale Claude Lamphere depicts a Native American woman receiving a star quilt.

The sculpture honors the culture of the Lakota and Dakota tribes. It was erected in 2016 and in an article in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Susan Claussen wrote “As is evident through history, humans will ultimately disillusion and betray.

“As is such, I have a new role model who is solid and sturdy. She literally owns a spine of steel and reminds me of injustice in the world, but also of strength, perseverance, and survival. She signifies people who have prevailed through the centuries. She represents all who resist and strive forward.

“She portrays a rallying cry for those who wish to be heard and valued. She stands strong and proud, meeting the morning sun and bracing against the nighttime cold.

“She contemplates the world through a poise of conviction and fearlessness. Her name is Dignity.”

A few hours east in Brookings, there is a sculpture based on a painting “The Strong Women of the Prairie” by Harvey Dunn that faces the entrance to the 70-acre McCrory Gardens. The statue that fronts the gardens is on South Dakota State University campus.

A statue of prairie woman, based on the painting is in front of McCory Gardens.

About 45 acres is dedicated as arboretum in 1988. That site is used for the planting and testing of ornamental trees and shrubs. The remaining acreage is a research garden that displays grasses, flowers, trees and shrubs.

This editor thought of both statues, as she accompanied her 93-year-old mother to an annual Master’s Garden convention. Mom was recognized at the banquets on Saturday night for being an active gardener, one of the first to always have her hours recorded and sent, and for being the only nonagenarian in attendance.

Noma Sazama (left) received an award at the Master Gardener’s convention.

Growing up on the prairies/farmlands of South Dakota, there are no weak women. All are expected to pitch in on the fields and are valued for keeping the home/farm/ranch running. It is with some amusement to a strong woman, that some, insecure in who they, try to devalue the strength of women and what the accomplish.

Too often those same insecurities imply that only some careers are of value and that others are not worthy. And too often, people feel that women can’t get ahead unless they’re offered special accommodations, which only continues the myth that women need help to succeed, that they lack the necessary intelligence, skill, and determination to succeed on their own.

People say there are no role models, but there are. Oprah Winfrey comes to mind immediately and in South Dakota women are recognized for their strength, resilience and courage.

Dr. John Ball, a SDSU professor and forestry expert took a group of master gardeners on a walking tour of the McCory Gardens arboretum. My sister, a retired schoolteacher, who now manages a motel, and another sister, who is a retired nurse practitioner and I accompanied my mom, a retired school teacher, a master gardener and the mom of six, on the tour.

Ball recommended trees to grow in South Dakota that had grown out of favor such as the Rocky Mountain Douglas Fir and then told us about the “naughty” trees.

He said the Amur Maackie, which grows to 20 to 30 feet, has slow growth and is okay, but warned not to plant the Amur Corktree because it has becoming invasive in Ohio and Wisconsin. It needs a male and female tree before it spreads, but this tree will turn sexes in order to reproduce. And if there is not a corresponding correct sex tree nearby, one of the branches may all of a sudden “become male,” and the tree will take over the landscaping.

Dr. John Ball discussed trees in prairie landscaping.

Which brings us back to strong women.

We are biologically and physically different from men. We need to embrace differences because we are capable of adapting to challenges, just as plants in nature.

It’s time to stop pointing out that some careers and attributes are superior, they are not.

It is time to start pointing out there are differences between the two sexes because only then can we appreciate the beauty of both.

It is time to admire the strength of women, which people in South Dakota seem to understand.

Posted in Seniors, Viewpoint | 2 Comments

Palisades Crushes the Yankees 40-6 Friday

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Marcus Brown Jr. scores the first of his three touchdown in the opening minutes of the game.
Photo: Craig Weston

Stadium by the Sea was packed as Palisades High School football team went into their second league game against Hamilton High School on October 7. The Dolphins defeated the Yankees 40-6.

The game wasn’t even two minutes old, when Dolphin quarterback Roman La Scala completed his second pass to Marcus Brown Jr., who ran it into the endzone. Junior Kellan Ford kicked the first of his four PATs, and the Dolphins were up 7-0.

Brown wasn’t done. A minute later, when the Yankees fumbled at their own 40-yard line on the team’s first possession, Brown picked up the football and ran in for his second touchdown.

When the Yankees turned over the ball to Pali on downs on the Hamilton 48-yard line, La Scala passed to Brown, who scored his third touchdown. Six minutes and three touchdowns by Brown, the score was 21-0.

Hamilton fumbled on its next possession, and the Dolphins’ Eric Daniels, recovered it on the 39-yard-line. Despite teamwork between LaScala and Anthony Lieberbman, which moved the ball to the red zone, a touchdown eluded the Dolphins.

Ford was called in and kicked the first of his two field goals, this one from the 20-yard line. His second came just before the half from the Hamilton 30-yard line.

The second quarter started with another fumble by the Yankees, which was recovered by Dolphin junior Jabari Williams. PaliHi worked the ball down the field with La Scala going to Christopher Washington, who had 17 carries in the game, averaging 16 yards, for the fourth touchdown. The PAT was not good.

The Yankees scored their sole touchdown in the second quarter, missing the PAT.

The next possession saw Lieberman take a 60-yard run, which placed the ball on the Hamilton 2-yard-line. In the red zone, again, the Dolphins were unable to capitalize on the field position. Lieberman had 124 hours rushing yards for this game.

The half ended 33 to 6.

Pali kicked off to start the second half and in Hamilton’s first possession there was a fumble recovered by Pali’s sophomore Joseph Bucher-Leighton. Unable to move the ball, Pali punted to the Hamilton 25-yard-line.

Brown, a 5’8″ 155 pound senior intercepted a pass on the Pali 40-yard line. But once again Pali had trouble moving the ball and punted. The third quarter ended with neither team scoring.

Pali’s final touchdown came in the fourth quarter, with a handoff from La Scala to senior Savyour Riley, who ran it in from the 10-yard line.

Riley, 5/11″ and 170 pounds, is quick and also also a strong defensive player. He was credited with four solo tackles and three assists. Junior Matthew Spoonamore had five solo tackles and one assist.

After the game Head Coach Chris Hyduke said, “It was a great win. For as young as we are, the kids are improving.”

He was also introspective and added, “It was another night of learning.”

Hyduke has a young team with a lot of juniors and sophomores starting in key positions. He said one area they would be working on, was scoring when they were in the red zone.

Overall, “We’re headed in the right direction,” he said. “I have to take my hat off to them, the defense stepped up.”

Palisades is 2-0 in League, defeating University last week 56-12. The next league game is at Fairfax, a homecoming game for the Lions. Last week Fairfax beat University 47 to 6.

Hyduke was asked about the upcoming game. “If we go in and play our game, we’re going to win,” he said, but admitted that the team’s inexperience and youth is a constant challenge. “We need to corral these young kids and if we can keep them focused, we’ll be okay.”

The Dolphins return to Stadium by the Sea on October 21 against Westchester. They wrap up their season against Venice at home on October 28. Overall, the team is 5-2 and 2-0 in league.

Junior Braydon Sanford catches a pass thrown by junior quarterback Roman La Scala.
Photo: Craig Weston

Posted in Sports | Leave a comment

$35,000 Worth of Paintings Stolen from O’Neill’s Studio

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

This painting by Katie O’Neill was stolen on October 8. It was not completed, yet, so it was not signed.

“I want my babies back,” said artist Katie O’Neill after 11 paintings, worth about $35,000 was stolen from her art studio on Antioch on Saturday, October 8.

Around 10:30 p.m., a Gelson’s employee saw a man that was described as black and about 6 feet tall, use a crowbar on the window, so he could open the door and gain access to the studio.

The employee shouted out, but the man was threatening to the employee and he backed down. Another person drove by and asked the man what he was doing and supposedly he said, “Some burglar robbed my store,” and that he was dealing with it.

The thief then went in and removed 11 paintings. Around 12:30 p.m., a friend of O’Neill’s who was driving by the store called her to say that someone had broken into the store.

The police were called, and after they left around 2 a.m. O’Neill was left alone, trying to find a company to board up the broken window to keep the rest of her paintings safe.

O’Neill wrote, “The people who have bought my paintings have bought them with love – to put in their homes and have them become part of their lives. That is so important to me. And the thought that 11 paintings of mine are lost. It’s so personal. I can’t even type this without crying. Why would anyone do this?”

On Monday, she went to different retail businesses on Antioch to check on surveillance cameras to see if she could find an image of the car with a license plate. She also called the police to see if detectives could come out and possibly find fingerprints.

Captain Jonathon Tom reached out to the West L.A. Detectives and requested their assistance.

“Community support is helping me not get depressed,” she said and noted she would love some detective help from the community. The paintings that were stolen are on her website https://www.oneillsfineart.com/collections/182561.

If everyone in the community keeps an eye on social media sites where items are bought and sold – and if everyone keeps an eye out on local flea markets and along areas such as the Venice Board Walk, O’Neill is hopeful someone may spot a painting.

She just wants her paintings back. “I spent hours and hours of my life on the Paris painting,” O’Neill said. “It wasn’t quite done. I had put it aside and planned to go back to it.”
That painting and one other “Towards High Point,” had not been signed, yet.

O’Neill did not have theft insurance because she did not have a security system. That may change, now.

This painting by Katie O’Neill “Towards High Point,” was stolen, but had not been signed, yet.

Posted in Arts, Crime/Police | 1 Comment

Incumbent State Senator Allen and Challenger Irwin Asked about Ballona Wetlands

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

 

California State Senator Ben Allen, the incumbent, was unopposed on the primary ballot for State District 24. He received 165,421 votes.

But, in the November election, Allen will run against Kristina Irwin, a Santa Monica native. She received 6,260 write-in votes, placing her on the ballot.

A Palisades resident pointed out that although the race for Irwin is uphill, “There are 686,000 voters in this new district. In the primary, 550,000 of those did not vote for Allen. There are 180,000 registered independents and 130,000 registered Republicans in District.

Irwin, like Allen, is a graduate of Santa Monica High School. She is a realtor, and the mother of three. Her oldest child attends Palisades High School.

If elected, she said she promises to lower taxes for individuals and businesses and to lower regulations. “Entrepreneurship is the heart of our district,” she said, noting that she would also work to build water storage infrastructures.

Regarding public safety/quality of life, she said the rights of victims must be a priority and that chronic offenders should not be released without bail.

Irwin said she’d also like to tackle the broken foster care system by working with social workers, nonprofits and the communities to help build pilot programs for foster youth. “Transitional housing, counseling and vocational schools are a must,” she said.

Senator Ben Allen is the chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Environmental quality, air quality, water quality, climate change, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), waste management, pesticides and hazardous materials.

CTN sent a query to Allen, “Given that you are the chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Quality, why did the state allow one of the last remaining wetlands in Southern California to become decimated?” (Ballona Freshwater Marsh is owned by State Lands Commission and maintained by nonprofit Ballona Wetlands Conservancy. Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve is owned by CA Fish & Wildlife and maintained by CA Fish & Wildlife.)

This editor asked Allen about reaching out to Bonin, whose district the Ballona is located. “I checked with my team, and we have reached out several times to Bonin’s office and they haven’t been responsive,” Allen told CTN.

He said he would contact Bonin directly and “I’m happy to push Fish and Wildlife to act more proactively on this issue.”

Irwin was contacted and asked about Ballona and her environmental platform, she responded, “Yes, I have been to the Ballona Wetlands and have seen the damage. I used to live near there. The environment is an important issue to us all and when elected State Senator, I will do everything in my power to save the wetlands and wildlife.”

She was born in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, now Serbia. When she was three years old, “My parents left their socialist country with two suitcases, a dream, and me. Leaving their home was not easy but making a life here was even harder.

“My father, a physician, and my mother, a pharmacist in their old country had to re-learn and re-earn their medical degrees and master the English language while working odd minimum wage jobs hoping to make just enough to pay rent and have food on the table for me and my little sister.

“After many years, it paid off and the American dream became a reality. They were able to buy their first home, send both their kids to college,” said Irwin, who said she believes in the U.S. Constitution, civil liberties, freedom, and that all things are possible with God.

The Santa Monica Daily Press in a July 26 story (“Write-in Candidate to Challenge Allen for CA-24 Seat in November”) wrote that “During an April 27 Santa Monica Democratic Club meeting, Allen alluded to Irwin’s candidacy, stating there was a write-in candidate who, because of the “top-two system” in statewide elections, would automatically make the No. 2 spot on the November ballot.

“‘She seems like a very nice person who watches way too much Fox News, and she’s just kind of, like, adopted all the crazy Republican conspiracy theories,’ Allen said of his opponent.”

Irwin was asked about Allen’s comment.

“If safe schools, clean neighborhoods, less crime, less homelessness, less taxes, helping small businesses, strict on crime and environmental issues…are Republican talking points, then I’m scared to know what the Democratic talking points are! This is not a Republicans/Democrat issue – public safety and quality of life go beyond party lines,” Irwin told CTN.

Posted in Community, Environmental | 2 Comments

LETTER: Human Composting a New Way of Dealing with Dead Bodies

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

(Editor’s note: CTN wrote October 3 musings about a new law passed that would allow human composting. Forget the casket, forget the urn – Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill to allow human composting, aka “natural organic reduction.” Composting is a better option proponents say, because burial can allow chemicals to leak in the soil and cremation requires the burning of fossil fuels and releases carbon dioxide.

According to one company, this “natural” process works much like composting vegetable scraps. The body is placed in a vessel with wood chips, alfalfa and straw. Over a month, the microbes work to break the body down into a cubic yard of soil, which can then be used in a loved one’s garden.

There was no mention if people could do “home composting.” CTN wonders about patio parties, especially if someone is composting a body the next house over.)

 

CTN received the October 6, letter from a reader:

A couple of nights ago I read your first comments on human composting.  My immediate reaction was “Uh-oh, Sue is in South Dakota smoking those funny mushrooms again!”

But after a bit of online research, I realized that no, human composting is real and coming to a state near you . . . but not all that quickly and probably not all that simply. The legislation signed by Governor Newsom does not go into effect until January 2027, and in the interim a section of the state’s bureaucracy has been given the task of coming up with rules and regulations. Beware the latter!

Three years ago, my sister died and as her closest relative I was tasked with carrying out her wishes to be cremated and have her ashes spread over the bay near her summer home on Long Island.

The cremation part was simple, but I soon learned that spreading human ashes over waters within the State of New York was fraught with all sorts of legal technicalities and in some cases totally disallowed.  Cigarette ashes – no problem; human ashes – big problem. Go figure.

I expect that human composting in California will eventually meet similar technicalities as people think about having someone’s loved one rotting in the yard next to theirs. And human composting isn’t as simple as its proponents and your article make it seem. Human bones and teeth don’t decompose within thirty days and have to be dealt with in some way or another. Those can require grinding or some form of mechanical processing, or just straight burial, which dilutes the environmental benefits that human composting advocates claim.

So how did I resolve the problem my sister created for me? The solution my family and I came up with was to charter a boat on Long Island and carry the ashes three+ miles out to sea (even there we had to deal with Coast Guard regulations).

Then in a quasi-nautical / quasi-religious ceremony on the Atlantic we spread my sister’s ashes over the ocean with the hope and theoretical possibility that they would be carried through the inlet and into the bay as she desired. What I learned during that experience was that on the East Coast and some parts of the West Coast “burial at sea” has become a viable and supposedly environmentally friendly alternative to burial in a cemetery or to cremation.

The “burial” can be as solemn as the family wishes or as the captain of our charter described, can entail full naval honors or even be presented as the final “cruise” / wake / party with the loved one.  Think about it, Sue; a “burial at sea” article may be a suitable follow up to your discussions of human composting.

 

A resident

Posted in Environmental | 2 Comments

Californians Marginal Income Tax Rate Will Raise

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Sue Pascoe

Almost everyone would like to be paid while taking time off for maternity leave or to care for ill family members.

California legislators passed a new bill SB No. 951, which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 30, that expands the amount of money that workers receive for disability or family leave to 90 percent of pay checks.

The new law will replace the existing paid family leave, which provided a 60 to 70 percent wage replacement and is set to sunset January 1, 2023, to January 1, 2025.

To make this work, extra money will be needed, and the question is “where will it come from?”

No problem. The rich can cover that amount, is the thinking of many people, but unfortunately, this also hits the middle class.

Paid family leave in California, like the state’s disability insurance program, is funded through a 1.1 % tax on most workers’ paychecks.

The bill that was made law will pay for increased benefits by removing a payroll tax shield on earnings above $145,600, effectively raising the contributions from higher earners.

That will be a boost from the current program and will apply to those who make as much as $57,000 a year.  The boost, outlined in SB 951, will begin in 2025, and higher earning Californians will pay for it through larger contributions from their paychecks.

The Wall Street Journal did an analysis in an editorial today, October 6, (“Gavin Newsom’s Stealth Tax Increase”) and wrote, “In 2024, California’s top marginal tax rate will increase to 14.4% from 13.3% for workers making more than $1 million.

“Those making between $61,214 and $312,686 would pay 10.4%. So, California’s upper-middle class will pay more than millionaires in almost every state save New York, New Jersey and Hawaii.”

The paper goes on to point out that under current law, the Employment Development Department can “raise the payroll tax up to 1.5 % to keep the special fund solvent.”

Is this likely? Probably.

The Employment Development Department told the Legislature in a Senate floor analysis that this would increase funding for the program, but it “would not offset the additional benefit payments over time.”

Votes for the marginal income tax are listed below:

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 61-9, 8/22/22 AYES: Aguiar-Curry, Alvarez, Arambula, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Mia Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Daly, Mike Fong, Friedman, Gabriel, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gray, Grayson, Haney, Holden, Irwin, Jones- SB 951 Page 11 Sawyer, Kalra, Lee, Low, Maienschein, McCarty, McKinnor, Medina, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, O’Donnell, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Stone, Ting, Villapudua, Waldron, Ward, Akilah Weber, Wicks, Wilson, Wood, Rendon

NOES: Megan Dahle, Fong, Gallagher, Kiley, Lackey, Mathis, Seyarto, Smith, Voepel

NO VOTE RECORDED: Bigelow, Chen, Choi, Davies, Flora, Levine, Mayes, Nguyen, Patterson, Valladares

SENATE FLOOR: 28-9, 5/24/22 AYES: Allen, Atkins, Becker, Bradford, Cortese, Dodd, Durazo, Eggman, Glazer, Gonzalez, Hueso, Hurtado, Kamlager, Laird, Leyva, Limón, McGuire, Min, Newman, Pan, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Skinner, Stern, Umberg, Wieckowski, Wiener

NOES: Bates, Borgeas, Dahle, Grove, Jones, Melendez, Nielsen, Ochoa Bogh, Wilk

NO VOTE RECORDED: Archuleta, Caballero, Hertzberg

Posted in News | 1 Comment