By Neil Rubenstein
Observer Columnist
The Juneteenth Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Emancipation will be presented by the volunteers of Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum (MCLM) on Saturday, June 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., featuring quilts by the award-winning African American Quilters of Los Angeles (AAQLA).
There will be refreshments, free events and door prizes, as well as stories of quilting by AAQLA members and a hands-on opportunity to “Make and Take” your own quilt block.
The film, “Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend,” will be shown at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. On Sunday, June 14 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. the Celebration Program will continue, with quilts by AAQLA on display and the film being shown at 4 p.m.
Slave documents and artifacts from the museum collection will be on display throughout the weekend at Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum, 4130 Overland Avenue, Culver City. Call (310) 202-1647 or go to http://www.claytonmuseum.org.
Perhaps you are in the market for a home for the wife and two kids. Well, do not look any further, because Cousin Neil found your dream. It is in the Holmby Hills area, has three acres, 6,000 square feet, 17 bedrooms and 22 bathrooms. It is a steal at a mere $85 million. This will go fast, so get your checkbook.
If you are a business owner, I just know you heard of California Competes Tax Credit program. In addition to the tax credits for job creation, the new program offers sales tax relief on the purchase of research and development equipment. The amount of the credits available will increase each year until 2018. Twenty-five percent of the credits are reserved for small businesses. Businesses interested in the program can apply through the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
I just love Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43) and the way she handles her district’s concerns. Take, for instance, Corinthian Colleges and the Department of Education, regarding which her press release said, in part, “…Corinthian Colleges has long shown an unwillingness to play by the rules or keep its promises to students… And while the penalties are long overdue, they mark the beginning of the end for an institution that has caused serious harm to some of our most vulnerable citizens.” Maxine Waters and Karen Bass are the Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax of the Washington scene.
A California Assembly committee has rejected AB1356 (Lackey) to allow roadside testing for marijuana and other drugs.
I have heard rumors lately of secret hush, hush meetings at City Hall. You know, knock and then knock, knock, knock and knock before the door opens. Many of us have seen taxes go up faster than a rocket to the space station and why, you wonder. Well, buckaroo, I feel it’s to pay in part for their obscene enormous pensions that, in the opinion of many, are not sustainable unless the city lays off more employees, curtails programs and/or raises taxes.
Did you know 24 California cities have a public safety retirement tax? For example, Oxnard property owners pay slightly less than a tenth of a percent of assessed value for their retirement tax. If the assessed home was $293,500 the tax would run about $224.93 a year. So, if my condo was assessed at $600,000, Theo and I would kick in about $450 on top of everything else. As for the seniors on Social Security, the city makes much more if the oldsters sell and move into an apartment and the new owners pay big time taxes.
In the nation’s capital a controversial city law that will prohibit employers from discriminating on the basis of whether employees have abortions or use contraception took effect May 3 despite a vote of opposition by the House of Representatives.
In Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, Senate Bill 54 is working its way through their legislature. When signed by the governor it would bar schools from suspending or expelling students in kindergarten through third grade.
An honest assessment of our schools discloses the Sacramento tax collector has been so busy grabbing tax money from the people’s wallet that they have billions tucked away. I hope when the check from the state capital arrives the postman takes precautions or else he is going to be on state disability with a triple hernia. In my opinion the school district doesn’t want us to know about the money received because they want to float another huge bond issue in the near future.
Another California bill working its way through the system is Senate Bill 128. SB 128 would legalize physician - assisted suicide here in the Golden State.
And in South Carolina solar advocates are pushing for legislation that would eliminate a property tax on homes with solar.
For those who missed an article, all my commentaries can be found at http://www.culvercityobserver.com by placing Rubenstein in hat website’s search box.
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