The Underdog for Kids

2012-02-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers: This is a reposting due to embedded coding going out to subscribers. I apologize and have reposted so it's easier to read.

LAUSD NOT LISTENING THEN AND NOT LISTENING NOW

By Diana L. Chapman

Peering at the distraught, crying students at Miramonte Elementary School – a campus that has riveted the nation with scandalous child abuse allegations and the removal of two teachers -- makes me believe “the adults” in charge have done it wrong once again.

Los Angeles Schools Superintendent John Deasy, I’m afraid, needs to look directly into those young faces and realize that stripping them of 85 of their good teachers along with administrators, janitors and school aides --amounts to stripping them of everything they know in their second home.

Their school.

Between the chaos of police, reporters and school officials descending on the South Central campus – scary enough for anyone let alone children who can barely grasp what’s happening -- Deasy has just scrubbed excess salt into the open, wounded hearts of the students and branded the now former staff with guilt by association.

“It’s clear that LAUSD does not have a plan,” said UTLA President Warren Fletcher at the school of 1,500 students, one of district’s largest elementary campuses. “They’re making it up as they go a long and the kids are paying the price. LAUSD is making a tragic situation even worse and traumatizing the entire school unnecessarily.

Parents and students want their teachers back.”

Can you blame them?

The vastness of Deasy’s action – apparently unprecedented in LAUSD and perhaps the nation – can’t help but trigger more unsettling emotions among parents and students alike. They protested the move at an early Thursday morning UTLA press conference carrying signs such as “Don’t condemn all for acts of a few” and showing anger that once again, they had not been consulted.

While initially believing the move was temporary, Fletcher said he was told the staff would not return at all.

Such action will largely disrupt the children’s academic progress while they try to build bonds with new instructors. Having a substitute teacher for one day can be a huge interruption in learning. What will removing the entire staff do?

But this is the LAUSD way, a rubber stamp in the second largest district in the nation, serving nearly 700,000 students. Rottenness by some, means everyone pays.

Unless there is going to be a horde of new arrests – which seems unlikely unless Deasy knows something we don’t– this move makes no sense and can only be more harmful to the students.

At the center of the allegations are two long-time Miramonte teachers: Mark Berndt, charged last week with 23 counts of lewd conduct, after a drug store photo tech contacted police about hundreds of photographs that involved students being blindfolded and possibly being spoon fed Berndt’s semen.

The other teacher, Martin Bernard Springer, 49 was arrested last week for three counts of lewd contact for allegedly fondling a student.

LAUSD fired both instructors, who have pleaded not guilty to the crimes.

At this juncture, we have to ask ourselves why the administrators weren’t on top of this in the first place after the school received several complaints about Berndt.

As a longtime volunteer at Los Angeles schools, I’ve seen injustices that are just plain wrong – nothing as horrendous as this – but issues that should not be happening at public schools.

It’s driven me crazy (and cannot be taken on without major battles), but underscores why parents need to return and become part of the campus package, no matter if it’s a charter, private or public school. It’s a necessary checks-and-balances and brings out a better chance of student issues actually being taken seriously.

It’s more than sad that when students stepped forward at Miramonte – a campus tucked east of the 110 Freeway in South Los Angeles -- to complain about Berndt or Springer, they were told they shouldn’t make things up.

Perhaps we should start out by listening to the students first and giving their complaints a full investigation, rather than a wave of hand.

No one listened to the children then.

And no one is listening to the children now, who are begging for their teachers to return.

You don’t have to hear how they feel. You can just look into their faces.

2012-02-09T16:55:00.000-08:00

Miramonte School Disaster: No One Listening Then … No One Listening Now!
Diana L. Chapman

MY TURN-Peering at the distraught, crying students at Miramonte Elementary School – a campus that has riveted the nation with scandalous child abuse allegations and the removal of two teachers --makes me believe “the adults” in charge have gotten it wrong once again.

“It’s clear that LAUSD does not have a plan,” said UTLA President Warren Fletcher at the school of 1,500 students, one of district’s largest campuses. “They’re making it up as they go a long and the kids are paying the price. LAUSD is making a tragic situation even worse and traumatizing the entire school unnecessarily. Parents and students want their teachers back.”

Can you blame them?

While initially believing the move was temporary, Fletcher said he was told the staff would not return at all.

But this is the LAUSD way, a rubber stamp in the second largest district in the nation, serving nearly 700,000 students. Rottenness by some means everyone pays.

Unless there is going to be a horde of new arrests – which seems unlikely at this juncture--or, unless Deasy knows something we don’t– this move makes no sense and can only be more harmful to the students.

At the center of the allegations are two long-time teachers: Mark Berndt, charged last week with 23 counts of lewd conduct after a drug store photo tech contacted police about hundreds of photographs that involved students being blindfolded and possibly being spoon fed Berndt’s semen, and Martin Bernard Springer, 49, arrested last week on three counts of lewd contact for allegedly fondling a student.

LAUSD fired both instructors, who have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

At this juncture, we have to ask ourselves why the administrators weren’t on top of this in the first place after the school received several complaints about Berndt.

As a longtime volunteer at Los Angeles schools, I’ve seen injustices that are just plain wrong – nothing as horrendous as this – but issues that should not be happening at public schools.

It’s driven me crazy and underscores why parents need to return and become part of the campus package, no matter if it’s a charter, private or public school. It’s a necessary checks-and-balances and brings out a better chance of student issues actually being taken seriously.

Perhaps we should start by listening to the students first and giving their complaints a full investigation, rather than a wave of hand.

No one listened to the children then.

And no one is listening to the children now, who are begging for their teachers to return.

You don’t have to hear how they feel. You can just look into their faces

Can you blame them?

While initially believing the move was temporary, Fletcher said he was told the staff would not return at all.

But this is the LAUSD way, a rubber stamp in the second largest district in the nation, serving nearly 700,000 students. Rottenness by some means everyone pays.

LAUSD fired both instructors, who have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

At this juncture, we have to ask ourselves why the administrators weren’t on top of this in the first place after the school received several complaints about Berndt.

As a longtime volunteer at Los Angeles schools, I’ve seen injustices that are just plain wrong – nothing as horrendous as this – but issues that should not be happening at public schools.

Perhaps we should start by listening to the students first and giving their complaints a full investigation, rather than a wave of hand.

No one listened to the children then.

And no one is listening to the children now, who are begging for their teachers to return.

You don’t have to hear how they feel. You can just look into their faces

2012-02-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

NEW PROMENADE OPENED TO THE PUBLIC AT THE CABRILLO WAY MARINA REMAINS A SAN PEDRO SECRET – AT LEAST FOR NOW

Two dogs enjoy walking along the new promenade that is now open to the public.

By Diana L. Chapman

It’s still a hidden San Pedro secret.

At least for several more months. But for now, a 1 1/3 mile walkway tucked neatly between the Port of Los Angeles’ Main and West channels has opened and is ready for walking business.

“It’s beautiful,” said one woman strolling with her husband on a sunny Sunday afternoon, her husband nodding his head in agreement, saying it was their first visit to the promenade.

On a bright weekend afternoon with dusty blue skies and a warming sun, few other walkers had discovered the promenade – yet.

In what the port’s media director Phil Sanfield called “a soft opening.” The port took down one of its final fences Feb. 1^st to allow visitors to explore the entire walkway which starts around 22^nd and Miner streets. Boat operations, however, aren't expected for many more months when the port plans a celebratory opening.

The completed promenade is part of the $128 million package to develop the new Cabrillo Way Marina.

“We’re thrilled that the Cabrillo Way Marina promenade is now available for residents and visitors to enjoy,” said Geraldine Knatz, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. “It’s a breathtaking walk and it showcases the beauty of the new marina. We’re looking forward to a celebration to fully open the marina later this year.”

Bike riders enjoying the view at the southern edge of the walkway.

With a palm tree lined street, stylized benches and panoramic views of Angels Gate Light House perched out on the breakwater, the new path seems to beckon joggers, walkers, parents with strollers, bike riders, skateboarders and dog walkers –as soon as they discover it.

The marina’s development comes complete with 700 “wet” boat slips and involves 46 acres of land and 41 acres of water, port officials said.

In addition, the new marina includes 17,500 square feet of wood decking, 122 benches, 22 bike racks, 10 drinking fountains, 1,090 trees about and about 40,000 shrubs.

Currently, the scenic view of Cabrillo Beach and San Pedro’s hills from the promenade now includes the large shadow of the Merchant Marine vessel, the S.S. Lane Victory.

The ship was moved temporarily to Berth 46 along the southern edge of the promenade, Sanfield said, while the port works on improvements at Berth 50 along the East Channel. Once housed in the docks underneath the Vincent Thomas Bridge, the Lane Victory had to vacate the area for new wharf expansion.

It will remain at Berth 46 for nine months then move to Berth 50. A permanent home for the Lane Victory has yet to be finalized for the supply ship, used during World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars.

On Feb. 13, the vessel will reopen again for tours at the new marina.

In the meantime, the promenade is bound to quickly become a popular place once discovered. The project overall includes 360 parking spaces, several public bathrooms and a 10,000 square foot park area.

With the new marina and the expected summer arrival of the U.S.S. Iowa, a World War II battleship that was donated to the non-profit Pacific Battleship Center, making its new home near the port’s cruise terminal, officials expect an exciting transformation of the waterfront.

“The synergy that’s being created along the LA waterfront in exciting,” Sanfield said. “This $130 million project encompasses more than 80 acres of land and water in the West Channel area.

“ With 700 boat slips and one of the most scenic locations in the area, it’s going to be a popular spot.”

2012-01-31T14:32:00.000-08:00

Two San Pedro High students consult each other om making pasta.

San Pedro High Italian Teacher Takes On The Flour And Teaches Students How to Make Pasta From Scratch

Scores of San Pedro High students learned to make fresh egg pasta from scratch last week and promised the Italian teacher running the program they would go home and make it for their parents.

Mixing up flour and eggs, students blended, cut, pasted and chopped during an after school cooking club and throughout the day, said Ida Lanza, the teacher who taught it.

“It’s wonderful,” Lanza said. “The kids absolutely love it. They are so enthusiastic. It’s a simple dish. It’s not that complicated.”

Want to try it? Here is the recipe.

Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups of flour

3 eggs

Pinch of salt

½ egg shell of water if necessary

Preparation

1. Place the flour in a bowl or on a clean surface

2. Make a hole in the center

3. Put in the eggs and salt

4. Beat the eggs and incorporate the flour a little at a time until all the flour has been added

5. Take the dough out of the bowl and put on floured surface.

6. Knead for 15 minutes

7. Cover with Plastic wrap

8. Cut a small piece and work it through the pasta machine

9. Start on the widest setting and pass the pasta dough through until smooth

10. Reduce the width of the rollers one number at a time until you reach the lowest or highest number

11. Cut the pasta in half and then pass it through the tagliatelle cutter

12. Make a small nest with plenty of flour so it does not stick to itself

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced

3 sprigs of parsley chopped

5 leaves of basil chopped

2 cups of tomato puree or diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

Salt and pepper

Chopped red pepper (if desired)

½ cup of water to clean out the tomato cups

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium hear

2. Add the chopped onions

3. Stir and cook for 5 minutes

4. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes

5. Add the parsley and basil

6. (If you are adding meat do it at this point and brown the meat completely – no pink showing)

7. Add two cups of tomato puree or diced tomato

8. Add the tomato paste and ½ cup water

9. Salt and Pepper

10. Stir continuously and make sure all the paste has dissolved

11. Cook for 15 minutes (1/2 hour at least if you added meat)

12. Set aside and wait for pasta to cook

Pre-heat large pot of water well salted

When it come to a boil, add pasta and cook for 1-2 minutes NO MORE.

Drain well in a colander over the sink and add to marinara sauce

Stir well to cover all the pasta with the sauce and serve.

Sprinkle parmigiano cheese on the pasta if desired

2012-01-24T16:50:00.000-08:00

Bonnie Sheehan, with one of the thousands of small dogs she's rescued over the years.

Widely-Respected Long Beach Rescuer Was Released From a Tennessee Jail on Bail After Arrest For Carrying Some 140 Canines in a U-haul; She Began to Travel Home Wednesday

By Diana L. Chapman

Hearts For Hounds dog rescuer Bonnie Sheehan – arrested on 128 counts of animal cruelty charges for hauling some 140 dogs in a U-haul -- was released from a Tennessee jail Tuesday evening after her supporters pulled together $10,000 to bail her out.

She’s on her way home to Long Beach via car, having left Tennessee Wednesday, said Jay Williams, a spokeswoman for Hearts for Hounds.

The rescuer – who is widely respected in Long Beach community for saving thousands of dogs over the past 15 years – cried when she got on the phone for the first time with Williams.

“All she could do is cry and say thank you, “ said Williams, a long-time friend and volunteer who hadn’t been able to talk to Sheehan, 55, since she was jailed Jan. 19. “It’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had since last week. I was so excited just to hear her voice. It’s such a relief.”

It is such a relief – even for me whose family has adopted three of Sheehan’s dogs. I have written several stories about the rescuer’s heroic efforts to save small dogs and even agreed with her move from Long Beach to Virgina due to a souring economy that led to zero adoptions over the past several months.

Instead of paying $7,000-a-month to run her Long Beach kennel, Bonnie purchased an 11-acre farm with a house, barn and log cabin in Huddleston, Va., where she planned to continue her rescue operations.

Instead, she was arrested along with her long-time volunteer, Pamela King-McCracken, 59, for hauling about 140 dogs allegedly in cramped and crowded U-haul and a mini-van. Animal officials called the conditions filthy, cramped and deplorable.

The group of Sheehan supporters are working with a “solid non-profit “that deals directly with dogs being retained as evidence to care for the animals, Williams said.

The arrests set off a nation-wide debate between the supporters who knew Sheehan and the many critics who did not. The comments became so derogatory at times, Williams said, that the group had to shut down the Hearts for Hounds face book page. Only basic information remains.

The real truth as I see it along with many of her supporters, is that most of those dogs she was traveling with would already be dead if it hadn’t been for Sheehan.

“Nine thousand five hundred dogs were killed in Los Angeles County last year,” Williams said. “If it wasn’t for these two women’s devotion those dogs (in Tennessee) would already be dead. Bonnie made them healthy. She made them pretty and she loved them.”

Both women face 128 counts of animal cruelty. Their hearing will be held in March. King-McCracken was able to bail herself out earlier.

While the story burned across the internet about the rescuers with often derogatory and threatening remarks, Sheehan’s supporters – including myself – were devastated and stunned to learn that the woman who has touched thousands of lives – both dogs and humans – had been arrested and jailed.

In fact, so many respected Sheehan that when the news broke, the veterinarian, Dr. Sam Shenouda in Long Beach, was swamped with phone calls about the rescuer’s fate. Shenouda and Sheehan had worked together for years saving dogs she rescued from the pound the day they were to be euthanized.

The office began taking funds from supporters to help pay the $100,000 bond and attorney fees.

In the meantime, Sheehan’s followers were horrified by the vitriolic, seething comments on the internet.

“What they did is as bad as running “slaves,” one person wrote in a comment section of one news article while. Others accused them of being con-artists, running a “puppy mill’ and stealing other people’s dogs to sell them for profit.

One person emailed me directly to say “unfortunately” I had “been conned.”

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Those of us who know Sheehan have marveled for years at her remarkable achievements, finding homes for dogs more than many rescue groups combined. But as the economic downturn continued, instead of people adopting “they called to ask if she’d take their dogs,” said Williams.

Ceci Giacoma, who works with a specific breed rescue and has worked for years on-and-off with Sheehan, said she’s pained by the brutal comments she read on face book and news media accounts. She said she’s convinced Sheehan’s outstanding dedication to her dogs will come out in court.

“We never came close to saving as many dogs as Bonnie did,” Giacoma said. “I was always in awe of her because she rescued all dogs and did so from one of the largest and most desperate shelters. Because she was utterly dedicated and pure-hearted in her mission she has been able to unflaggingly re-home so many dogs that the sheer numbers are profound.

“Were it not for Bonnie, none of those dogs would have survived long enough to have been in that truck and that is the real perspective.”

There are many questions that need to be answered before judging the two women:

--Why did Sheehan have so many dogs in the U-haul and minivan?

She had personally told me she was only going to take about 65 dogs to the new property with King-McCracken’s help. Virginia volunteers there, Williams said, had prepared the barn for the dogs arrival and were ready and waiting.

Her initial plans to only take half the dogs, Williams said, changed when Long Beach animal control appeared.

--Why did Long Beach Animal Control officers show up the day of Sheehan’s departure along with Long Beach police and watch her and several volunteers steadily pack up the animals?

They were there supposedly there because of a complaint that Sheehan was loading dead animals, but all the canines were alive and well. Many had been groomed before Sheehan left and given new blankets, Williams said. Watching all of this, animal control officer(s) allowed her to leave without saying the conditions in the U-haul were too crammed. Volunteers loading that day said animal control told Sheehan she had to take all 140 plus dogs with her and would not be allowed to leave any behind, Williams said. The rescuer then had to buy additional crates in order to do so. Why did they let her leave at all? An investigation into Long Beach animal control is ongoing.

--Why were more than sixty dogs of those found micro-chipped? Were they stolen?

Sheehan micro-chipped every animal before she adopted them out and gave the paper work over to new owners. Some people were accusing the two women of stealing animals and believe that’s why they were micro-chipped. The truth is no dog leaves Sheehan’s hands without current vaccines, and a microchip.

--Was Sheehan running a puppy mill?

I can answer that one. No. The breeds that some people consider so cute that they will pay big money for them, such as Chihuahuas – have flooded local shelters. If anything, Sheehan tried to save dogs that backyard breeders dumped or she was able to gather up from puppy mills. She refused to breed dogs. In fact, she would not save “unhealthy”dogs, because hundreds of healthy dogs are euthanized every day in this country.

--Why did Tennessee animal control officials call the animals filthy and then later turn around and say they weren’t in that bad of condition?

The Tennessee animal officials accused the women of not watering or feeding the canines even though the women said they stopped and gave both to the dogs. Williams said the women, in information that he gathered from volunteers helping to load that day, had left space in the trailer so they could provide food and water. Crates were securely tied down so they wouldn’t topple, he added.

Nina Wingfield, the president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals in Memphis, told the media that the crates were locked tight with cable ties, so the dogs were unlikely to receive food or water. But she added “Overall, they are healthy,” she said in a statement, according to the Press-Telegram.

It’s hard for some to reconcile Sheehan’s reputation with the conditions of travel.

But here in Long Beach and elsewhere, Sheehan supporters all have dog tales to tell that came about because of Sheehan.

In Williams case, he adopted four of Sheehan’s dogs, Yorkshire terriers, including several from a puppy mill in Riverside. Animal control turned the pups over to Hearts for Hounds, he said, to care for and to find them homes.

Even though the Yorkie puppies were four-months old, Williams said, they had never been out of their cages or given a place to grow and play. Therefore, several of them weighed only one or two pounds, when they should have weighed eight to ten pounds.

One reason Sheehan was considered a saint by some was her knack for matching dogs well with prospective owners. They, in turn, recommended her services to friends and family. That caused a ripple effect in the Belmont Shore community where hundreds of residents either knew her personally or about her work.

Not only did people like what she was doing, they often returned to show off the dogs they adopted when Sheehan would set up nearly every Sunday at the Marina Village farmer’s market in southeastern Long Beach. She displayed a variety of small canines from cocker spaniels, to terrier mixes, bichon poodles to Chihuahuas

In my case, I came to know Sheehan about three years ago looking for a dog for my 83-year-old mom. Three-year-old Dara, a Havanese-Schnauzer mix snatched up by Hearts for Hounds the day she was supposed to be euthanized --. is now my mother’s closest companion. She is such a love bug that my sister wanted her.

Instead, my sister visited Sheehan’s kennel and fell for Lily, a Havenese who was rescued from a trailer park breeder. By the time she was 8-months-old , Lily, had given birth to three puppies at the trailer park, all of which died, according to Sheehan.

Endless stories abound about what this woman did with King-McCracken routinely helping her. I’ve heard many, but I like this one written by Darel Talbot:

“I met Bonnie years ago, when I found an ugly mutt that no one wanted and it was going to be put to sleep. I tried everyone but no one would help me. Then someone suggested I call Hearts for Hounds. Bonnie took my ugly rescue, she paid for the surgery and I met the wonderful woman who adopted her. I have been loyal to (Bonnie) ever since..”

The only person who hasn’t had a chance to speak out in her defense is Sheehan who found herself jailed, a place she probably never thought she’d be.

Those who want to help Sheehan and her friend with donations for attorney fees can contact Jay Williams at jwilliams@dvisions.com.

2012-01-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

LAUSD board member contends this is not the right time to begin early start district wide.

STAMP “EARLY START” OUT NOW TO AVOID MORE CHAOS IN LA UNIFIED

By Diana L. Chapman

So let me get this straight:

Los Angeles Unified School District allowed so many charters that now it has to woo students back to its own campuses, overhauled its entire lunch menu to make healthy food for kids who won’t eat it and now contemplates allowing parents to pick the schools their children attend.

Talk about change.

With more pink slips looming on the horizon – and plenty of LAUSD employees already gone -- one wonders how in these rough times of economic turmoil – it makes any sense to adopt “early start,” which means Los Angeles schools will start school this summer -- Aug. 14 district wide. That's three weeks earlier in blazing Los Angeles summer days – an action School Board Member Richard Vladovic is still shaking his head about.

No, the early start does not mean students will pick up more learning hours; they will just get out earlier –June 4 – in 2013.

No, this does not mean test scores will go up, which was one of kickers that triggered this “early start” calendar. The district’s own report reflects that test scores barely improved and that early start failed to bring up grades or increase attendance.

Even Los Angeles schools superintendent John Desay recommended to the board that due to uncertainty with the state and federal budgets, it made more sense to indefinitely postpone the calendar change.

So all I can ask is why are we doing this, something that will wind up probably costing the district more than it expects and in which Vladovic, reminds the board each meeting that “this is not the time” to do this?

He was so concerned in fact, he filed a resolution to postpone the move – an action he lost in a 4-3 vote in October. Board president Monica Garcia voted no to the postponement along with Board Members Tamara Gatzalan, Nury Martinez and Steve Zimmer.

Voting with Vladovic were the two board members who co-sponsored his resolution: Bennett Kayasar and Marguerite LaMotte.

Vladovic, who serves the entire Harbor Area along with Carson, Gardena, Lomita and parts of south Los Angeles, bemoans the district wide action after 19 schools in the valley piloted the early start to see how it works.

According to Vladovic, it didn’t. It did improve the California Exit High School Exam, but did little else.

“It did not improve scoring,” complains Vladovic. “It did not improve AP testing or attendance. It didn’t raise the scores of schools. It will cause havoc for after school programs. Sometimes, change is good. In this case, the timing is wrong.”

Because pink slips lawfully have to inform teachers of layoffs by March 15 -- and the state budget may not pass until the end of August -- Vladovic has decided to raise the issue at every board meeting imploring other members to reconsider.

“We can’t rescind layoff notices until Sacramento passes their budget,” Vladovic wrote on his blog. “If Sacramento passes their budget after July, we will be hard pressed for a smooth opening. It now looks like the budget might not pass until late August.”

I too am concerned even though it won’t impact me personally since my son is graduating this year. But as a parent, I’ve been overwhelmed by the erratic changes the district has undertaken, including putting my son’s high school in the “public choice” category which meant outsiders such as non-profits could bid on running the schools.

This quickly turned problematic – as I expected – when the non-profits or charters went primarily after newly constructed schools and ignored larger, cumbersome LAUSD schools, such as San Pedro, Gardena and Carson high schools.

As fast as the “public school choice came,” it was quickly erased as rugged competition emerged and the district began losing thousands of students – meaning huge losses of money since it receives average daily attendance (ADA) -- or $28 a day per student from the state.

Longtime San Pedro High School teacher Richard Wagoner said he’s still trying to figure out what the entire purpose of the calendar change is. The schools already on early-start would have been allowed to continue to do so even if it wasn’t approved district wide.

It seems pointless, Wagoner argued.

“There is something very fishy about this initiative,” said Wagoner, a vocal proponent against the early-start calendar. “The valley was going to be allowed to keep their calendar. Yet principals from the valley took time away from their duties…to ensure that all schools are forced into early start in spite of the almost 100 percent opinion of those against it by the few that actually knew the vote was coming.

“I want to know what the early start board members stand to gain from this because it otherwise makes no sense.”

Truly, Wagoner is right. Some argue that it helps align high school aged students to the August college calendar system.

But is that enough reason to undergo anymore upheaval?

To use early start, LAUSD will have to use $20 million to punch it through, but it’s expected to recoup most – not all – of the money when the state pays the district ADA, said Jacob Haik, Vladovic’s chief of staff.

An LAUSD report says it will only cost $870,000 – but that probably means if it goes without a hitch. And if we know one thing about LAUSD, few things go without a hitch.

While I’ve talked to many teachers who aren’t troubled by it and a handful of parents also who said it wasn’t an issue for them, I still think there’s a key ingredient missing.

That is the why? Why, for heaven’s sake, would we do this?

Vladovic – please keep asking.

2012-01-19T14:18:00.000-08:00

Wolf Bradley, lead singer of 20 Eyes, will perform this Saturday.

New Seven Golden Secrets to Writing Class Starts, The Band 20 Eyes Has Gig Saturday And a Wine Tasting To Help Seals

Writing Workshop

A new Seven Golden Secrets to Writing session begins Wednesday at the Corner Store in San Pedro.

The workshop focuses on teaching children ages 6 to 14 to enjoy the skill while improving.

Each session is Wednesday from 4:30 to 5:45 and runs for six weeks. The cost is $60 per session or $10 per class. There are no refunds.

To attend, either show up at the class or email Diana Chapman, a longtime writer who teaches the workshop at hartchap@cox.net. The Corner Store is located at 1118 West 37^th Street.

20 Eyes

   The band 20 Eyes – once called Last Day Off – will play at 7 p.m. this Saturday

at the San Pedro  Ballet School.

    Wolf Bradley and his group have been breaking into the record business and

 have produced new songs, said Cindy Bradley, who helps manage her son’s band.

Also performing: The Dayleys.

    The cost will be $8 and includes a free 20 Eyes T-shirt and CD.

    The address is 1231 Pacific Avenue, San Pedro.

    Visit the 20 Eyes website at: www.facebook.com/20eyesmusic.

Wine Tasting

Come join in a festive, Valentine’s wine tasting fundraiser for the Marine Mammal Care Center Feb. 12 at the Corner Store.

The cost is $20 a person. There are three tasting times: 1 to 2 pm; 2:30 to 3:30; and 4 to 5 p.m. The tastings will be paired with gourmet cheeses and chocolate.

The mammal care center rescues injured seals and sea lions and all proceeds will go toward that cause.

To register, call the Marine Mammal Care Center at (310) 548-5677 or the Corner Store at (310) 832-2424. The Corner Store is at 1118 West 37^th Street.

2012-01-18T20:22:00.000-08:00

Now That Joe Buscaino Took The Los Angeles Council Seat By Storm, What’s Next For the Average Joe?

By Diana L. Chapman

In a win that plunged some long-time politicians in disbelief, former Los Angeles Police Officer Joe Buscaino – a political novice -- easily snapped up former Councilwoman Janice Hahn’s seat on the Los Angeles City Council during Tuesday’s special election.

“It’s unbelievable. Not only did we win, but we won big,” Buscaino, 37, told me Wednesday morning. “I am so proud of the people who voted and I am so grateful that they have the faith, the trust and the confidence for me to serve them.

“The people who got me to this position are the people I won’t forget.”

Buscaino, 37, and a father of an 8-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl, beat out Assemblyman Warren Furutani garnering 60 percent of the vote. He was also the top vote getter in the November primary where he vied against 10 other candidates.

In Tuesday’s election, Buscaino raced past his opponent, grabbing 9,734 votes. Furutani received 6,304 or about 39 percent.

Fresh-faced, ready for action and a leadership role, Buscaino’s first issues will be who he hires to surround and guide him through the Los Angeles City Hall's political quagmire. Few people go in the political chewing machine without being swallowed, turning into a different persona then they started out.

Buscaino, however, promises to remain grounded and he has scores of family members who live in the area, more than 500, to help him do so.

Meanwhile, his wife, Geralyn, a school teacher at White Point Elementary School, said she was proud and happy for him.

“It was just amazing,” said the teacher of the party held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Tuesday evening. “I was so excited to see all the help in that room and was really touched when Joe asked his family to come on the stage, then asked us to leave and brought all his volunteers up there. It was really touching.”

Buscaino said he will take an oath for office in 21 days or less while the City Clerk's office certifies the win.

“My opponent said I didn’t have experience,” he said. “He was wrong. I had my boots on the ground.”

In an important move, Buscaino announced Wednesday that he will hire Doane Liu as his chief-of staff. Liu held the post for Hahn since last January and has managed the council office since she left to take a seat in congress.

“It doesn’t make sense to hire my best friend,” Buscaino added, saying he needed a chief-of-staff who could help him navigate the choppy waves in Los Angeles politics.

Liu said he grew to know Buscaino over the last several months.

"I have been really inspired by his passion and energy on the campaign trail," Liu e-mailed. "I can't wait to help him implement his vision for the district. I'm a newcomer to San Pedro -- only lived here for 24 years. So I can't say I was "born and raised in Pedro." But my kids can."

Coming with an extensive political background, Liu does seem an appropriate choice.

From 1995-1999, he served as a district director for then Congresswoman Jane Harman. From there, he worked as director of community services for former City Attorney Jim Hahn from 1999 to 2001 and acted as Deputy mayor when Jim Hahn (Janice's brother) became mayor between 2001 to 2005.

Liu will aid Buscaino's transition from officer to councilman and guide him through the scores of applications that doused the former cop's candidate office.

Overall, Buscaino's Tuesday win -- is telling that the public is frustrated with a system that continues to fail us.

I’ve backed Buscaino from the beginning because he was a guy – just like most of us – not rich and has a family he wants to raise in San Pedro. In addition, he had an understanding of the streets of Council District 15, which includes Watts, Wilmington, Harbor Gateway, Harbor City and San Pedro.

For six years, he was a senior lead officer in the Harbor area, coming to know residents throughout the region, and was an LAPD cop 15 years.

Born in San Pedro to parents who immigrated from Italy, Buscaino said “the people who got me here are moms and dads, police officers, teachers, firefighters” and many others.

Of his victorious campaign, the incoming councilman said:

"This is just a testament that we were fed up with insider politicians. This was not supposed to happen to beat out a veteran politician. It shows it’s possible for someone off the streets, the average Joe, to get elected. We want to inspire others to run and it was a positive, honorable campaign.

"We stuck to the issues. Maybe this can rub off on Sacramento and Washington, D.C.”

2012-01-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

ONE MORE TIME TO GET OUT AND VOTE FOR JOE BUSCAINO IF WE WANT A FRESH FACE AND PROGRESS ON THE LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL

Our Last Chance To Bring A New Voice Comes Jan. 17

By Diana L. Chapman

Practically the minute I heard police officer Joe Buscaino was running for the Los Angeles Council Seat vacated by former Councilwoman Janice Hahn, I was leaping on board before any other candidate had a chance to file.

“Don’t you want to wait to see who else is running?” my husband asked. I didn’t.

My instincts told me Buscaino had a strong shot to win just through the sheer volume of residents who personally knew him through his work as a compassionate Los Angeles Police senior lead officer, or as a friend, or as a relative since he only has 500 family members strong living in the Harbor Area.

From my perspective, Buscaino, 37, who has two children and a wife who teaches elementary school, seems to have what voters want: a powerful and genuine commitment to the community where he has lived all his life and where he has served as a police officer for 15 years. He focuses on strong family ties and a has a substantial grip understanding what needs to be done to make our communities better.

While his current and only opponent – Assemblyman Warren Furutani contends “no training wheels” are necessary if he wins the Jan. 17 special election, I believe that it’s Buscaino’s fresh face and lack of "career politician" experience that has steered voters in his direction along with his consistent as-a-drum-beat message: “I’ve been in your homes. I’ve been on your streets. I’ve been with your families.”

“I’m not tired,” said Buscaino in his office recently after working day and night on the race. “I’m inspired. It’s been an amazing and inspirational experience of connecting with people and even more so now making it to the run off. This is where the rubber meets the road. We are not taking anything for granted.

“Warren Furutani has big race horses, elected officials who can fundraise for him.”

Furutani does. But Buscaino, who currently is the top-fundraiser, stunned many observers when he became the top vote getter out of the packed primary race. Eleven candidates lined up in the November 8 election with Buscaino snatching up 5,175 vote, or nearly 28 percent. Furutani came in second with 4,098 votes, or about 23 percent.

While I have few issues with Furutani, an assemblyman for the 55^th District, I’m backing Buscaino because I see something I like more than anything else – a bit of myself and many other residents who have striven endlessly to improve our community and make it a better and safer place without much help from Los Angeles City Hall.

I see a guy down on the ground with us, aiming for the same things we are and who promises: “I will never forget my roots. My parents taught me that.”

Whether we live in Watts or San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City or the Harbor Gateway--the communities that make up Council District 15 -- it’s abundantly clear we need a guy who understands our complexities and our issues who isn’t living in some high power cloud looking down upon us. He’s amongst us, the average Joe.

Already, Buscaino has honed in on what he wants to fix up immediately, such as getting all of Watt’s roads paved, reopening the closed Council Office in Harbor Gateway-Harbor City, persuading businesses along the Pacific Corridor to work with residents to improve neighborhoods, using $474,000 of state Quimby funds to fix up Ken Malloy’s Harbor Regional Park, known to locals as Harbor Park, where youth are playing flag football “in a dust bowl.”

“You can’t find one blade of grass there,” he said.

His bigger vision: to make Council District 15 “the pearl of the city” that it should already be from Watts with its prominent mosaic towers to encouraging the port officials to not just think “cargo,” but to think people and “make this place a destination, like Seattle, like Baltimore, like New York and like Long Beach to be honest with you,” he explained.

Revamping the dying Ports O Call village – a once thriving New England style retail plaza on port property along the Main Channel of Los Angeles Harbor– would be one of his top priorities. He wants life steamed back into the village that once drew thousands of visitors – and brought jobs -- to the area.

“We are culturally diverse,” Buscaino said. “We have the ability to be the best in L.A. and often times we just feel ignored. I want people to come here to eat and play and enjoy it. It’s our time.

“It’s again about my love and passion and commitment to the district. It’s no big secret I want to see it improved. I have a vested interest in this place. I am not going to leave. We are staying and we are hoping our kids and their children will stay here too.”

Don’t forget to vote Jan. 17.

2011-12-25T08:30:00.000-08:00

Sean Rosenfeld presents Santa's thoughts about Christmas.

TWO WINTRY NIGHT CHRISTMAS TALES

Dear Readers: Once again, two of my student elves carved out Christmas tales. I hope you enjoy them. Have a wonderful Christmas! Diana

Santa’s View of Christmas

By Sean Rosenfeld, 9

“Humph! Come on. You slept in and now you are like a snail trying to get across the sidewalk,” I yelled at Plush, my head elf. “It’s almost 12 o’clock in Japan, Plush. I am so tired you are going to have to do it for me.

You do get paid for this!”

Finally, Plush, my best elf and all the other elves filled the sleigh. It took two hours and I’m already behind. Now you see how it’s so hard for me.

Kids think I am a jolly old man, but I am not.

Every year, I have to fly above houses, and people leave their fire on. It smokes up the air and I start coughing and sneezing and whooping and hollering. It’s always so cold when I’m flying around in the air. Then I have to put almost seven million presents under their Christmas trees.

Well, what I’ve just told you is about to come a reality. By the way, I forgot to tell you my butt burns up, my beard freezes and reindeer pellets are always flying through the air at me.

So, if you are hearing what I have to say: Turn your fire off this Christmas Eve!

I hate Christmas!

After Flying Around the World Christmas Eve

As usual, when I came close to my secret fort, I always end up crash landing ---swoosh in all that snow.

I jump out of the sleigh very grumpy until I see the elves are lined up and ready to throw our Christmas party. The elves sing Jolly Old St. Nick. I plant myself in a cozy chair by the fireplace and the elves bring me cups of hot chocolate and cookies – until I practically fall asleep.

“I love Christmas!” I shout to all the elves who giggle.

Shersten Rosenfeld, 11, shows how friends can provide the spirit of Christmas.

A Christmas Surprise

By Shersten Rosenfeld, 11

On Christmas day, well, our family doesn’t do much. All we do is open the few presents we get, eat a breakfast of cereal and hot milk, and then my dad usually sits on the couch reading the newspaper from last week. My mom usually calls her friends with an ancient dial phone and cleans up the cheap wrapping paper from the 99 Cent Store.

I just play with our toys, from garage sales and cheap stores, and watch junky cartoons on the Cartoon Network. We never have a Christmas party or anything because my mom says she is too scared in the kitchen and she doesn’t want to cook a whole feast but I think it’s just because financially we aren't doing so well.

My Mom works at Walgreens as a cashier and my Dad is one of those guys who holds a sign in front of Subway and he’s always dressed in a Subway sandwich costume.

Their two jobs don’t earn enough money to get decent food on the table or a nice house either. Instead, we live in a musty, dusty cramped old apartment and we usually eat the cheapest food including the old canned soups that are 75 percent off.

All my other friends get to go to expensive restaurants or stuff their stomachs with gourmet food in their new homes on Christmas Day. But we get the usual for Christmas dinner, a soggy, rotten salad with turkey and gross soup on a cheap plastic bowl and plate. We eat with silverware my mom got from a garage sale. You get the picture.

Whenever my friends ask me if they can come to my house, I always panic and say “no” because my Grandma’s coming this weekend or something. I really don’t want people coming to my “house” to see a musty, dusty cramped old apartment.

Christmas is in four days and I’m not even excited. You’d think we’d visit our relatives or something, but we can’t because they live in Detroit and of course, we can’t afford airplane tickets. Everything is so wrong in my life.

My mom says we can’t ever afford to go to college. So I guess I’ll be a cashier too.

Now it’s Christmas Eve. My parents are still at work and I’m sitting on the uncomfortable puke-green couch watching a movie about aliens with my older sister, Amanda who’s 14. I am 12.

She can get so annoying sometimes. She’s always like: “Zoe, get a soda pop for me.” Or “Zoe, stop bothering me,” if I ask a question. But besides that, we don’t fight much. It seems Amanda saves up all that fighting for Mom.

I hear a car door close. My mom is home. She must have gotten off early.

“Hey girls, I’m home,” Mom said, closing our termite-eaten door.

“Whatcha’ bring home this time? Some chips that are a million years old?” Amanda asked in a bratty voice.

“Hey Amanda, watch it,” my mom retorts. “It’s not my fault we’re struggling.” That means my mom already had a bad day, because she’s usually happy regardless of what Amanda says.

“Uh, yeah, it kind of is Mom,” Amanda charged. “I’m not the one who dropped out of high school and became a cashier.”

“OK, Amanda. That’s it. Go to your room,” and this time my mom’s voice is raised another octave level. “

“But Mom, it’s Christmas Eve and isn’t Christmas Eve about kindness?” Amanda asked hopefully.

“Amanda, you shouldn’t be talking,” I pointed out.

“Exactly.” my mom agrees.

“Fine.” Amanda stomped off to her room with a frown.

-------------------------------------

I woke up with eye boogers in my eyelashes and chapped lips. I almost forgot it was Christmas! When I finally remembered I jumped out of bed and walked to my parent’s room to see if they were up. Yep. They sure were.

Their bedclothes were in a jumble and my mother’s teeth guard sat on her bedside table.

I walked down the stairs with the smell of coffee that is 75 percent off. My mom calls it a cruddy cup of coffee, but can coffee be cruddy? Coffee is cruddy. Period. When I went into the living room, my parents were sitting in our fluorescent blue lounge chairs, sitting by our tiny fireplace.

I was surprised to see five presents for me, each from Mom and Dad.

Mom stood up from her chair and smiled at me.

“Our helpful and kind friends have a surprise for you and your sister. Amanda come here.”

Amanda trudged to mom carrying a small package in colorful wrapping paper.

“First, Merry Christmas Zoe!” Amanda handed me the package and I smiled.

We followed Mom and Dad outside our grassy lawn.

And then I saw it. It was a Christmas tree glinting with colorful ornaments and more presents under the tree. On the tree, hung a huge signed in red letters: “Merry Christmas Zoe and Amanda! Love, the Millers and the Smiths.”

My face lit up. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I dove into the presents. My parents laughed and watched joyfully as we opened them eagerly.

I learned a lesson this Christmas. It’s not about presents. It’s about kindness and giving. I had never seen my family so happy – and that was the greatest gift of all. It showed me how right everything was in my life.

2011-12-22T11:46:00.000-08:00

KITTENS NEED A MIRACLE FOR CHRISTMAS

All I Want For Christmas Is For These Three Dumped Kittens to Find Homes

And Two Other Holiday Stories

Kittens

Three or more kittens were dumped at the White Point Park recently along Paseo del Mar and are still young enough for adoption.

It took me a bit of time to find them –hiding in thickets and brush – but they were there once again when I returned to the park after hard rains and bitterly cold days.

I’m hoping someone has a few miracles in their pockets and can find these kittens a new and safe abode. The park is on W. Paseo del Mar and Western Ave in San Pedro.

Please email me for more information or let me know if you took a kitten home. hartchap@cox.net

__________________________

When the Rest of Us Forgot, Man Does a Good Deed at the Assistance League Post Office

I was buying stamps from a volunteer clerk at the Assistance League Post Office in San Pedro, when a well-dressed, elderly lady burst into the lobby – her peach colored lipstick glaringly loud.

She zoomed up to the counter and started shoving a giant bagful of bundled holidays cards in the clerk’s face. The kindly clerk said she could take those since they were stamped, but if she needed anything else she would have to go to the end of the line.

But that wasn’t enough for the woman who seemed oblivious to all the people standing and waiting in the crowded lobby – holding numbers for their turn.

“Yes, and I’d liked to buy,” the woman continued to the clerk, who once again explained to the woman she needed to go to the end the line.

“But I don’t have enough time,” the woman countered as she looked all around at us. Maybe looking for a miracle.

Sure, she seemed a bit confused, and possibly disoriented – or just a rich lady with no qualms about shoving herself in the front of the line.

I confess, I was irritated probably along with others.

Just as the woman dropped another: “I don’t know if I’ll have time,” speech, a man waiting quietly in the back showed us all how to behave during the holidays and then some.

He handed her his card -- Number 36—which meant she would be the next person up. The man took a new number and went to the end of the line.

Still perhaps somewhat confused, the woman again said: “I don’t think I have time.”

“You are next,” he explained patiently as he persuaded her to wait. It took all of thirty seconds.

Now, I felt silly about my irritation. A single individual showed us all how such a small gesture can make the holidays so bright, just a little miracle in motion.

-----------------------

Great News About Bonnie Sheehan and Her 60 Dogs

Bonnie Sheehan, the woman who has saved 17,000 dogs in her lifetime, packed up her canine buddies and left Sunday night for Virginia – but not before receiving what she considers an amazing gift.

As soon as the Long Beach rescuer – who formed the non-profit Hearts for Hounds – registered her website with the new Virginia zip code, more than 300 hundred calls poured in from people wanting to adopt her dogs.

Having run the Long Beach rescue for 15 years, the rescuer was dismayed when her small dog adoptions dwindled from 17 to 20 a weekend down to one in the past six months. She could no longer afford the $7,000-a-month kennel fee and decided to relocate with her small canines to Virginia where other rescuers said small-dog adoptions remained strong.

There’s more good news for Sheehan and her canine friends.

Relying on her realtor’s advice, Sheehan purchased a property, sight unseen, in Huddleston, Virginia to kennel some 60 dogs that still remain with her.

When Sheehan arrived she was delighted to find the land had more than she expected. Besides a house, it included a log cabin built in the late 1700s, a barn and a chicken coop for $80,000.

And that’s no dog about it.

2011-12-20T14:02:00.000-08:00

Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky faces charges that he molested boys, some as young as 10

Tired of Kids Being Society’s Victim, We Must Begin Treating Child Molestation As Any Other Heinous Sexual Crime and Do The Right Thing: Call the Police

By Diana L. Chapman

It’s been on my mind ever since the Penn State crisis blew up, circling the nation with questions. Did school officials cover up that a former football coach allegedly was raping young boys – at least one reportedly in a university locker room?

That was followed by more explosions: Syracuse University assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine was fired Nov. 17 for allegedly molesting two boys. ESPN sat in on a taped conversation where, Fine's wife, Laurie, allegedly admits to a victim that he was molested by her husband.

Failing to find anyone to collaborate the story, the sports network held back from airing the 2002 conversation.

Instead of turning the tape over to police, ESPN kept it confidential and never notified the cops.

That wasn’t their job, they said. Of course it is!

As far as I’m concerned, hiding behind rules of journalism or tucking away secrets because it might hurt a powerful institution such as Penn State’s money-making football program becomes very close to aiding and abetting.

I’m writing this because society must come to grips with that fact that this responsibility belongs to all of us. No stupid journalism rules need apply. No waiting on a supervisor to decide what to do. No idiocy of “Well, I’m not sure what I saw.” It comes down to this: If you see a woman being raped, wouldn’t you call the police?

Why is this so different when you see it happening to a child?

If you see a child being harmed in any way– even if it’s just suspected such as a man showering with a 10-year-old in a school locker room – report it to the police.

It’s that easy. No gray areas. No protecting institutions. Pick up the phone and call 911. I believe that’s what this hideous case is teaching us.

Why, then, when I suggest people call police first, do some folks recoil?

It’s partly because we cower behind our fears of molestations and that it’s too uncomfortable to do the right thing. Child sex abuse must be put out on the table so perpetrators are caught.

In the Penn State scandal, several top university officials – including football coaching icon Joe Paterno and president Graham Spanier – have been accused of knowing about the incident but failing to turn it over to police. Both were ousted in November after assistant coach Mike McQueary testified to a grand jury that he saw what he believes was Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy about 10- years- old in a locker room shower in 2002.

During testimony on Dec. 16, McQueary reported what he told his higher-ups – including Paterno – as well as former Penn State vice president Gary Schultz and former athletic director Tim Curley. Schultz and Curley are now being charged with perjury and failing to report suspected child abuse.

McQueary said while he couldn’t be 100 percent sure there was penetration, he did witness Sandsuky in the shower with the boy and that he heard “rhythmic slapping” with Sandusky’s arms around the boy, according to USA Today.

So while McQueary did report it to his bosses, it appears the report was dropped. He believed, he testified Friday, that he had in fact told the university police since he met with Curley and Shultz 10 days after he talked to Paterno. Because Schultz oversaw the campus police, McQueary indicated he believed he was reporting it to the top authority.

Again, this makes me shiver. Since McQueary saw this in 2002, how many more children were injured in the meantime? Sandusky waived his right to a preliminary hearing last week in which 11 alleged victims were prepared to testify what happened to them.

This takes me back to the police. Why not call them? I suspect a response would occur in minutes, and it would at least be documented before a social worker could even arrive.

“As for the Penn State child molestation, every one of us has a responsibility to report the sexual abuse of a child,” says Pat Gannon, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. “No exceptions. I don't have all of the facts concerning these allegations, but the entire incident sickens me.

“Somebody needs to stand up for the kids and protect them. In this case, everyone involved failed to protect these kids.”

Part of the dilemma, it seems, stems from the federal “mandated reporter” law, which dictates that medical officials, teachers and police have a legal duty to report such incidents and have a protocol to follow.

Does that mean the rest of us are off the hook? No.

With jarring numbers of child abuse, we can’t just say “I’m not responsible.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that in 2007 alone, 794,000 children were considered abused or neglected, and nearly 8 percent of those cases involved sexual abuse.

That’s 63,520 kids in one year -- a number that should make us cringe.

Other statistics from the same federal agency seem unimaginable. For example, in the same year, more than 3.2 million child abuse referrals rolled into Child Protective Services agencies nationally. Those involved 5.8 million children across the nation. At least a quarter of those confirmed that at least one child was abused.

Of course, this doesn’t count cases that have gone unreported – as the Sandusky case apparently was for years despite, as a Sports Illustrated writer reported, the town was marinating with rumors.

Such mistreatment often means later in life those children will likely never lead normal lives, often fearful of building any loving relationships or even killing themselves.

Without police investigations, we place hundreds of more children at risk – which is what apparently happened in the Sandusky case. After he resigned from Penn State, Sandusky ran a successful non-profit organization, Second Chance, involving you guessed it: underprivileged kids.

Anyone stumbling onto a molestation case does not need to wait to call Child Protective Service agencies or talk it over with their boss. The first thing they need to do, Gannon said, is call the police.

“A call to 911 is simple and appropriate,” Gannon said.  “The responsibility to

 investigate the physical or sexual abuse of a child rests with law enforcement.

 Child welfare services is only responsible for protecting the children. They rely on

 police departments to conduct the criminal investigation. They use the information

 from the police reports and then petition the court for specific rulings to keep the

 children safe.”

In the meantime, the Sandusky case seems to have opened up a Pandora’s box of allegations as more and more cases popped up all about the country. One includes allegations against Robert “Bobby” Dodd, the former president and executive director of the Amateur Athletic Union. Those allegations came from two male accusers who said he molested them in 1984 while attending a tournament in Memphis.

Sandusky, Fine and Dodd all proclaim their innocence.

Here in our own backyard, two cases unfolded this fall in Hollywood. Talent agent Martin Weiss, 47, has been charged with eight felony counts of molestation.

Registered sex offender James Jason Murphy, who was convicted of kidnapping and molesting an 8-year-old in Seattle 15 years ago, was casting movies – including finding parts for children.

Using a different name, Murphy came down to Hollywood and set up shop until J.J. Abrams, the producer and director of “Super 8,” discovered Murphy’s cover-up. Abrams may have saved a slew of kids by his intelligent choice.

He reported it.

At this juncture, there are lots of questions we must ask ourselves about how we should handle child molestations.

Many people are blaming McQueary, the Penn State assistant coach, for not immediately calling the police.

McQueary, who was recently put on paid leave because of death threats, asked that the public wait to judge him because it will all come out in court. I give McQueary credit for continuing – despite numerous death threats – giving consistent testimony.

Out of all this horror, we should now know to call the police immediately when seeing anything we believe might be sexual abuse or any maltreatment of a child.

The Sandusky case is horrible. But it might just open the doors to put sexual abuse of children out on the table for everyone to see.

2011-12-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

Volunteer Elf Jacqueline Padillia, 15, passes out gifts to each child.

A Little Miracle in Motion; YWCA Feeds 400 Kids A Pancake Breakfast Saturday With Santa Spreading His Holiday Cheer

By Diana L. Chapman

Luz Flores, wearing elfin clothes, spirited around the youths and told about 100 children at a pancake breakfast what to say to get the Big Guy to come.

“Who are we going to see?” Flores piped up musically. “Santa Claus? O.K. We need to sing Jingle Bells.”

With parents, volunteers and kids clapping and singing happily, Santa for the 25^th year in a row magically appeared on a stage at the YWCA in San Pedro where children up to 10-years-old plopped on St. Nick’s lap.

Some kids cried. Some giggled. And some seemed actually happy to sit on Santa’s lap.

Santa arrives to hold kids of all ages.

St. Nick took it all in stride as the YWCA staff once again poured out the festivities as it has done annually since 1987. It’s one of the employees favorite times of year because they are markedly doing a service for children, most of whom would get nothing for Christmas otherwise.

“My mom is the only one working and we are all living with her,” said 21-year-old Jessica Gonzalez as she sat outside with her two little girls, Mayah, 4, and Alyjanae, 2, waiting for next seating. Her husband, Derian, “and I are both in college. We tried to get jobs. We’ve been applying to Target, Ross, Payless and Pizza Hut.

“We didn’t even get call backs.”

For Mayah and Alyjanae the gifts they receive at the Y this year may be the only presents they will see this Christmas “unless their Aunt gives them something.”

Jessica Gonzalez helps her girls, Mayah, 4, and Alyjanae, 2, cut their pancakes.

The popular holiday breakfast first started in 1987. In the beginning, there was only one seating with about 75 children. But as time moved forward from Christmas to Christmas, the celebration became increasingly popular. This year, 400 children – at four different seatings received a pancake breakfast, a photo with Santa and a single $10 to $15 gift, said the elf, Flores, the Y’s director of operations.

“This is the one community event where I have to turn volunteers away because I have too many,” Flores explained. “It’s open to the entire community. Many parents tell me that this is the only gift their child will get.

“This grounds me and makes me realize how fortunate I am to have a job and to be thankful for my family.”

Y Interim Director Margaret Hernandez, who filled the vacancy recently, said she brought her son when he was 3-years-old.

The breakfast “has a long history at the Y,” Hernandez said. “I’m grateful to help keep this going. There’s nothing better to see then a child receive a toy and it makes them smile.”

Parents pored in holding children dressed in an array of holiday styles, some girls wearing pure white dresses while others sported reindeer antlers, mufflers and holiday T-shirts.

Herlinda Perez and Heriberto Pacheco, who brought their four children ages 2 to 10, said the Y’s generosity brings them relief. She can’t work because of how many children they have (it costs more to hire a babysitter, she explained) and Pacheco was laid off from his construction job.

Junior Pacheco, 4, shows of his book and animal balloon he received.

“It’s just so fun for the kids,” said the mother. “They love to come here. They are happy just to see Santa Claus. It’s been hard. My husband was in construction and now he looks for metal in the streets.”

With all the clapping and sing-a-longs, it was hard to separate out who was happier – the volunteers or the guests.

Port Police Officer Byron Culbertson, his wife, Jeannette and sons, Gavin, 11, and Jordan, 8, have come the last two years. Byron flips the pancakes and the sons build an assembly line. Gavin placed two pancakes on each plate along with sausage, then passed it to Jordan to add the butter.

“It’s a tradition of serving the community and my whole family loves it,” said Byron. “It just warms the heart to see them (the children) get a meal and to see them smile.”

Port Police Officer Byron Culbertson and his family help whip up pancakes. His wife, Jeanette, son Gavin, 11, and Jordan, 8, enjoy helping.

Added Gavin: “I enjoy it so much. It just makes us feel good.”

Besides a gift, children were treated to crafts – and a brand new book from "Hippo in a Tutu" to "Pirates of the Caribbean" along with "Bernstein Bears" and "Baby Einstein." Students from San Pedro High and Port of Los Angeles High Charter School gave out books to scores of excited children.

“This is what I love to do,” said Bailey Duarte, 16, who serves as the vice president for Rotary Interact at the charter school. “The first thing the kids do is make a beeline for the books. That’s so fulfilling. It’s my passion. I’d rather be here volunteering then sitting at home watching T.V.”

Bailey Duarte, 16, right, and friend, Natalie Patey, 15, left, help hand out new books to the children who attend.

With merriment abounding, Edwin Ramirez, 10, said he and his sister, Johana, 8, and their 5-month-old baby sister, Denise, were delighted to be there.

“I liked the event,” said Ramirez holding his head proudly. “We got free food. We could color. I really liked that Santa was there.”

Johana 8, Denise, 5-months-old, and Edwin Ramirez, 10, attend with their mother, Angelica.
@ Diana Chapman

2011-12-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

Another Sweet Success At San Pedro High School's After School Cooking Club Thanks to the Coastal Neighborhood Council's Support

Students excitedly slice and dice to prepare for the dish -- which students said was delicious.

Teacher Sally Leonhart gives students directions to make curry.

This is truly about how a Neighborhood Council can aide a school in need. Three years ago, San Pedro High School's culinary program was sliced from the cutting board due to budget cuts.

One of the most popular classes -- with hundreds on the waiting list -- was lost. It once provided a most important life skill to students -- how to cook.

The Coastal Neighborhood Council provided $1,000 for the year to keep an after school cooking club going. It was launched this year first by Jeanette Stevens, the principal, who taught students how to bake holiday pies. Other teachers have followed suit, including Sally Leonhart.
Leonhart showed her students how to cook South Indian Style Vegetable Curry which packed the room.
Several said the curry was some of the best they ever tasted and that they enjoyed learning from one of the high school teachers.
Next on the January Menu, Italian Teacher Ida Lanza plans to show students how to cook pasta from scratch.

The club attracted a lot of boys, some of whom said they wanted to learn how to cook before they leave for college.

2011-12-05T14:21:00.000-08:00

Seven Golden Secrets writing student Cate Lynn Ashford writes her expressions about music.

Announcing a New Winter Session for the Seven Golden Secrets to Writing Workshop

And One of Its Students Writes “Music Tells Such Wonderful Stories”

A winter session for the Seven Golden Secrets to Writing begins this Wednesday at the Corner Store in San Pedro.

Students learn how to enjoy writing while improving at the craft. Longtime writer Diana Chapman teaches the workshop.

The new session begins Dec. 7 and will run each Wednesday (minus holidays) for six weeks. Six week sessions cost $60 or students can pay $10 per class. Students range in age from six to 14. Please email Diana at hartchap@cox.net for more information or show up for the class. The Corner store is located at 1118 W. 37^th Street.

Take A Peek At This Amazing Piece; Seven Golden Secrets to Writing Student Tells About Her Passion for Music She Gained While in Band at Dana Middle School

Dear Readers:

Sometimes you don’t have to say much about a piece. You just have to let readers take the plunge to read a work created during the Seven Golden Secrets to Writing Class. This student’s passion is worth it. Diana

My Expressive Passion

By Cate Lynn Ashford, 13

Music can tell such wonderful stories. It can be the peppy up tempo or marches or an engaging piece that throws you straight into the middle of a story. All the sounds – the deep rumbling of the bass of the tuba and euphoniums, the reedy sounds of the saxophones, the screech or purr of trumpets depending on the type of piece it is. Also, one of my favorite instruments, is the flute. It’s beautiful lyrical sound pulling the strings of your heart and adding a beautiful shining top to the rest of the arrangement of instruments.

I’ve played in my (Dana) middle school’s band for two years and I have loved it. Tons of songs have engaged me, and I have felt really proud of my part in adding sound to the band. One piece that I have especially loved is Seagate Overture. It’s beautiful and takes you on an adventure through the sea and has a pretty peppy start, then turns slower and more emotional in the middle.

A reason music can give such wonderful thrills to people is because of the different nuances of sounds and tempos. Long, lingering and connected notes can give a sense of beauty, and loud staccato holes can give a different feeling.

I can lose myself in a piece of music whether it be an invasive march full of loud powerful brass sounds tipped with high flute and piccolo notes or a concert piece with a careful blend of rhythms, and notes and trills.

I paint pictures in my head when I hear music, sometimes only dashes of color with light slashes of silver making a scene of instruments and a conductor, and other times, the music makes a colorful movie in my head of moving, running, leaping colors shaping into animals or people or things with no name for them.

Music is all about these things, expressions. Emotions. Stories. They leave lasting effects on people and can change their mood. When I’m feeling frustrated or sad, and I pick up my flute and start playing a piece of music, my mood evaporates as I focus solely on making that sound come alive in a flurry of moving fingers and high notes.

I’d like to share a few of my musical stories by putting them onto paper in written stories.

2011-12-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Aquatic Officials Agree to Return Parents to San Pedro’s Peck Park Pool Deck; Parents Were Banned From Coming Into The Public Facility

By Diana L. Chapman

After working with a mayoral aide, Los Angeles aquatic officials agreed to allow the return of parents – who aren’t swimming – back to San Pedro’s Peck Park pool deck so they can watch their children.

Ricardo Hong, a Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa aide who handles the Harbor Region, fashioned a deal with pool management that allows adults to enter through the back fence of the facility and sit at locations marked for parents and other non-swimming adults.

That area will be cordoned off from swimmers.

“We agreed that parents could stay on the bleachers,” Hong said. Aquatic officials “aren’t trying to be bullies. They have to deal with dangers. They have kids inside of the pool and there are hundreds of them.

“I wanted to find a solution.”

Under the verbal arrangement, parents who aren’t swimming will enter the pool through a back fence and be allowed to sit on the bleachers, which will be sectioned off to keep them off a large portion of the deck.

In this case, all parents will be allowed in. Initially, however, the aquatics staff wanted only adults whose children are enrolled in swimming lessons or other pool programs, such as the swim team.

After meeting with Hong, however, they agreed non-swimming parents could also enter the facility.

While parents have sat on the Peck’s deck for years, this past summer, the latest manager Richard Rincon, banned those who weren’t swimming from entering and asked them to sit outside where there is no shade and few benches.

Parents were crammed in a corner this past summer under a beating sun jockeying for a place to sit in a sliver of shadows extending from the facility’s building.

Aquatics officials say they have good reason to ban parents from the deck.

There are too many dangers, they said, including they track bacteria in with their street shoes and might interfere when lifeguards are in a life-saving mode or teaching swim lessons. They also contended that parents at other Los Angeles pools lied, saying that they were going inside to watch children to avoid paying the $2.25 fee to swim. Lifeguards would later find them swimming.

Hong defended city Aquatics Director Trish Delgado for supporting the initial ban, saying she carries the weight of managing 62 public pools along with 11 locations of lakes and beaches. The safety of each, he said, is her top concern and is partly what led to such strict restrictions in the first place.

Delgado directed all calls to city media relations and Rincon, the pool manager, is not allowed to make any comments.

Other solutions under consideration, Hong said, included removing a fence that separates the pool deck from a grassy area – a cost estimated about $200,000. The grass section that parallels the pool is currently underutilized and offers little in the way of shade or benches. Some parents said they also don’t enjoy sitting there, because it seems like a prison.

With the fence removed, however, it opens a large section for watching adults to sit far enough away from swimming patrons and lifeguards.

To fix some of the problems, Delgado earlier this fall ordered staff at the year-round pool to put out more benches and said when the budget allows additional shades and tables will be included in the grass area. Removal of the fence would be scheduled in the future when aquatics has had an opportunity to budget for it.

Hong said his efforts extends from his desire to make government more understanding of resident’s desires.

“I’m trying to get government to be more user-friendly,” Hong explained as to why he helped parents with a solution.

The tide is still out as to whether parents find this compromise workable.

“ Unfortunately, this is a bureaucratic compromise to a reasonable concern from parents who should be allowed to be in a safe and comfortable spot, close to their kids,” said attorney and San Pedro resident Tim McOsker, whose five children and wife frequently use the pool. “It shouldn't be so difficult to solve an obvious and simple problem.”

San Pedro High Principal, Jeanette Stevens, who brings her daughters, Teel, 9, and Taylor, 11, to the pool, said while she enjoys the aquatics programs, she’s still discouraged that she has to enter from the back of the facility.

“I still don’t understand what’s wrong with going in the front,” Stevens said.

2011-11-30T11:29:00.000-08:00

Readers Respond To The Underdog For Kids Column About the Paseo del Mar Landslide from a Geologist to a Researcher

Keep it Natural

There is really only one way to keep a place "natural", undisturbed, etc... Stay out of it. This is not a jest. It really has been proved repeatedly in ecological research. Even the Jane Goodall's upset the balance. So, nature has made it harder for folks to get to this area, and now it will be a little more protected. Like most every change in the universe, there are benefits as well as drawbacks.

--John Mattson

Recounting Memories

Wow, Diana....what a beautiful article...and amazing pictures! I never realized that so many of us have a special bond with that tree. My dear friend Al Carr, who has since passed away, used to call it the "pineapple palm" because of its chubby base and shape of the fronds. He and I would take walks along Paseo and turn around at the "pineapple palm"- such fond memories. You are right, Diana, when you say that the landslide is breaking hearts- it truly is!

Thank you, Diana, for capturing the mood of what so many of us are feeling. I have forwarded your article to my friends who used to live in San Pedro. I so appreciate your writing, Diana!

--Annie Johnson

Area Landslide Histories

Provided By Mike Bennett

1929 Six-Acres of Point Fermin Park began to slide into the ocean, today known as Sunken City.

It should be noted that while Sunken City began in 1929, it continued to slip until 1934/1935. All but two homes were pulled towards Shepard Street and saved. *

1933 A Japanese constructed a seaside resort centered on a sulphur spring bathhouse at Royal Palms, closed due an earthquake, which sealed off the sulphur springs.

I include this occurrence due to the area being between two of Southern California Earthquake faults and wonder (no proof) what became of the water from the hot springs, as the geological phenomena of the area is called a "Slump."

1956 Portuguese Bend slide began destabilizing 260 - 300 acres of hillside on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

1969/1970 A 300-foot-long crevice opened up at edge of the slide area in Sunken City. Along the “Palisades” portion of Paseo del Mar, due to heavy storms eroding the cliffs and poor storm run-off, one home was lost as were a series of guesthouses.

(This is how/reason we have "Zero-lot-lines" on the ocean side of Paseo, due to houses being pulled toward the street and away from the cliffs and I have one of the massive storm drains). *

More cracks appeared a few streets away (East of our current slide area), from an Active/Historic landslide area (as Sunken City is also labeled).

It should also be noted there is also the South Shores Landslide Area (Dormant), just beyond the Western Border of South Shores. All of these are illustrated on the California Geological Survey: “Landslide Inventory Map of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.” (Wayne D. Haydon).

1999 A landslide at Trump’s Ocean Trails Golf Course sent 16 acres into the ocean.

2009 A portion of the cliff beneath Paseo del Mar, less than a quarter of a mile from the current landslide, eroded. The cliff was bridged & repaired from underneath the street.

No one to date has noted that a large portion of this repair was lost in the current slide, as can be seen in recent photos. It should also be mentioned that a comparison of Google Earth Maps, for the Nature Preserve, show moment in the South-Eastern portion of the Preserve and has been identified as unstable in a number of geological surveys of the area.

2010 Another large chunk of Sunken City dropped 100 feet into the surf.

As presented by Pipkin & Ploessel, (1972) in their paper: “Coastal Landslides of Southern California;” “Between Abalone Cove and Cabrillo Beach …53% of the shoreline has undergone some form of land sliding, and the remainder has experienced rock falls.”

A Geologist’s Point of View

In every generation in San Pedro there will be land movement. The first big one most people remember is Sunken City. Another example, though much more directly connected to human influences, was the sinkhole on Western Avenue at Summerland. And how about the 18th hole at Trump National Golf Course? The current landslide is not much different.

As a professional geologist, I'm a bit taken aback by people's reaction to the current landslide, also known as "Paseo No More." There seems to be an out pouring of emotion. "Let's save the tree." Realistically, that's not going to happen. The time for doing that was before the sinkhole turned into the landslide, and even then, tree removal would have been risky. For all we know, it was that tree's roots that kept the land so stable for so long. Taking away the tree could have then been seen as the cause of the landslide, whether or not that actually was the case.

Is the loss of this strip of land heartbreaking? Is this a major tragedy? As much as I am saddened by the loss of a favorite strip of earth to walk, my personal reaction has not been one of absolute loss as much as some other people. I am awed by the forces of nature. I am in wonder that a sinkhole could change so dramatically with just the right rainfall, and I anticipate that with the next few rainstorms, the geometry of this area will continue to change.

The study of geology tells us that cliff erosion happens. Landslides happen.

The geology of San Pedro is not that different from that of Palos Verdes Hill. Old landslides line the coast. Buried clay deposits in the ground are resting at just the right angle for a landslide to occur should there be enough moisture to make the surface slick enough to fail.

The real question that I see at hand is what about the nature preserve? How long will the nature preserve remain here? When--and not if--Paseo del Mar is rerouted in the area, it will need to cut through the preserve. How much of the nature preserve will remain afterwards? The street will not be placed at the newly formed cliff's edge. There will be a setback. The question is how far will the setback go and how much of a bend will be needed to reconnect one part of the street to the other. Not easy questions.

Moreover, there will be debate about leaving the concrete bunkers in place. Did the old infrastructure accumulate and leak water to the subsurface? Would a new road be placed too close to these old structures? Because of these questions, the federal government--which placed the military structures in this location--will need to be involved in the construction of the new road.

And when all of the new road-building studies are done, how much of the nature preserve will remain? Somehow, in the face of these questions, the fate of the lone palm tree pales. How about the future of all the brush and critters in the preserve. Is that little bit of nature in San Pedro doomed?

--Rachel Fischer