By Neil Rubenstein
Observer Columnist
It was just three years ago on the Davis campus of the University of California that campus police pepper-sprayed a peaceful student protest. The State Supreme Court recently ruled that the names of those officers who participated must be revealed. No longer must their identities be protected.
Governor Brown recently signed Senate Bill 1038, which provides for the automatic sealing of juvenile records and cases where youths successfully complete all court-imposed requirements. It’s about time.
Can you believe it’s been 40 years since Title IX became law? You know – it’s the part that mandates equality between males and females on school sports teams. SB 1349 forces all school districts that offer competitive sports to report on their website the number of boys and girls who participate on the athletic teams.
I remember when a City of Los Angeles building inspector pleaded guilty to taking bribes and is still receiving his $72,000 annual pension. And how about Richard Alarcon? The jury found him guilty of perjury and voter fraud, but he still gets his $116,000 pension.
We were invited in 1977 (or was it 1978?) by Councilman Paul Jacobs to his home on Lugo Way to hear our Assembly Member Julian Dixon. Julian was running against Big Dave Cunningham, the L.A. City Councilman from the Crenshaw area and Nate Holden, our State Senator, in the Democratic Primary for Congress. Fast forward to Nov. 23, 2013: Congressman Dixon passed away after serving 22 years in Washington; Councilman Cunningham retired and his son is now an L.A. County Superior Court judge; and Nate Holden is retired, his son having served as a councilman in Pasadena before getting elected to the State Assembly. The judge sued UCLA for alleged mistreatment and racial profiling at a traffic stop near the campus. Although His Honor didn’t get the $10 million sought, he did get enough to start a scholarship named the David S. Cunningham Scholarship Fund for Civil Rights. Messing with a judge is just plain dumb.
The headline read “Ex-officer pleads no contest to embezzling,” but I think Christian Blesch got a raw deal from the Arcadia, CA police department. After all, he was elected treasurer of the Police Officers’ Association and rather than get cigars, clothing, pants and accessories for his motorcycle from the local merchants at a huge discount, he elected to charge it on the group’s credit card and pay by using the group’s checking account. And it was only $42,000 missing – and now the judge will put him away for 180 days in jail and three years probation. That sentence, in my opinion, is a joke.
Do you recall Buzz Aldrin? If you said the second man to walk on the moon you would be right. Well, in 1998, some 16 years ago, Buzz bought a three-bedroom, three and one-half bathroom condo along Wilshire Blvd. He paid $1.34 million for the view and 3,143 square feet. Well, well, well. Mr. Aldrin sold it recently for $2,865,955, or $1,525,955 more than he paid. Unbelievable.
As everyone knows, I am a Boeing retiree and a stockholder as well so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I was doing back flips a few months ago when they announced second quarter profits were up by 52%. The company bought back $1.5 billion of its stock this quarter.
Now don’t worry yourself about Boeing and its partner, Lockheed. These two are going against Northrop to build the next generation Air Force bomber for $55 billion.
Sacramento just passed and the governor signed AB 2389 giving Lockheed tax breaks worth $420 million. Northrop will get their $420 million next year. The money is carried over 10 years and it’s from the general fund. I bet we could have spent the money a little bit more wisely. I don’t think the legislators realize all the taxes we pay now, and soon it will be a lot worse.
You betcha I remember writing in a previous article that if the people don’t approve tax increases they just might find school crossing guard cutbacks. Well, shut my mouth and let’s look at the facts. The L.A. City budget is only $6.4 million for 325 guards, down 37% since 2008 when the hiring freeze began. On average, they receive $92 per day or approximately $16,500 per year. You just have to know Mayor Garcetti’s office will find the extra few dollars to completely fund this line item.
It just might not be as easy as it appears. The Los Angeles City Council recently approved a settlement with their trash truck drivers for $26 million or approximately $15,000 per employee for not allowing them to sleep in their vehicles during their lunch break. You just cannot make this stuff up.
For those who missed an article, all my commentaries can be found at http://www.culvercityobserver.com by placing Rubenstein in that website’s search box.
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