It's never the crime, always the "secret report."
While the only crime here could be to taxpayers, despite Pasadena officials promises to the contrary, the city seems to be ignoring the usual rule of public relations: When bad news comes, get it out, regardless of what the lawyers say. Politicians will pay the political price while attorneys continue to collect their billable hours anyway if they hide it.
It's simple: Don't let the media frame the bad news before you can. The media usually will find out anyway, and it will focus on the agency that should be open and transparent rather than the alleged guilty party.
In this case, the ire is being directed at Pasadena and the ever-expanding Rose Bowl renovation project cost.
Reporter Brenda Gazzar revealed how a "secret report" details how the original projected budget, which was pegged at $152 million, should have been higher, closer to $200 million, and that project team officials should have known it. The lower number was the one touted to the public in 2010.
This should hardly be a surprise to anyone. Critics have pointed out that the overreaching and unrealistic expectations were coupled with underestimated cost projections since the project was first unveiled.
So, shocker, a third-party review agreed. The reaction from Pasadena is "pay no attention to that report. We know everything about it but can't show it to you."
Pasadena officials, including Mayor Bill Bogaard, are hiding behind questionable legal interpretations and are just making the situation worse. The mayor even said that the report will be released once litigation linked to the renovations is "ruled out." What happens if litigation is not ruled out? Will the report be made public then?
No offense to the mayor, but the California Public Records Act decides what has to be made public and when, not the mayor of Pasadena.
Open government advocates Terry Francke and Gil Aguirre have already pointed out that the city's position is shaky at best, deceptive at worst. Francke points out that the city's position that the report is exempt because it's litigation "work product" is a ruse to keep it from being made public. Aguirre notes that the report's original purpose was based on concerns of how things were being run. To now claim it's part of the litigation process, said Aguirre, is "absurd."
City Councilman Victor Gordo, president of the Rose Bowl Operating Company, created an ad hoc committee that instigated the report. (Note that ad hoc committees are exempt from following state open meeting laws.)
He said, without a hint of sarcasm, that the project was "well planned."
Coming after news in December that Pasadena Unified School District's construction project is a mess, I'm not sure that Pasadena residents would agree anyone in Pasadena government can ever plan a construction project well.
But have no fear, Gordo found a silver lining: "... these aren't overruns."
Right. The cost overruns will be detailed in the next secret report.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Taking my cue from the public information office of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, I'm announcing in a press release that I saved ten hikers, two lost puppies and a cute cat in Eaton Canyon Saturday - all before I had breakfast.
Before those sleepy Pasadena firefighters started flipping their morning pancakes, I had helicoptered solo, rappelled tall mountains, composed a concerto, and scooped up those (almost) lost souls to save another day. Being a press release hero is tough business, I tell you.
I began this hero stuff after learning from the county that I don't have to actually do it to get credit for it. Last week, the sheriff's department issued a press release about hikers who were injured in Eaton Canyon. According to the press release, one severely injured woman was rescued by the Altadena Search and Rescue team and then airlifted to a local hospital by a county Fire Department helicopter. County fire paramedics treated another injured hiker.
Except, that wasn't what happened. Pasadena city firefighters hiked into the canyon with the search and rescue team and hiked out with the severely injured victim, who was taken in a city ambulance to the hospital. Since the accident occurred after dark, county fire officials declined to use its helicopter.
Emails from a Pasadena firefighter surfaced in this paper detailing the rescue. After a condescending county spokesman responded by refusing to get involved in a spat with a `smaller agency,' county Supervisor Michael Antonovich ordered an investigation into the differing accounts.
In a move that might have caused severe whiplash, the now-enlightened spokesman later noted the press release "misstated some facts. He apologized for the "errors" and said that county Sheriff Lee Baca intends to conduct an "examination" of department policies. (As if the beleaguered sheriff needs another controversy in his life.) Antonovich's spokesman said there was no "intent to misinform."
Well, maybe. And maybe not.
The emails from the Pasadena fire captain that first pointed out the truth also said that it wasn't the first time. Pasadena city fire spokeswoman Lisa Derderian told reporter Brian Charles that "in the past, they have taken credit" and made it look like they did things single-handedly.
The root of the problem may be a scarcity of resources, reported the paper. In an age where government funding is declining, cornering all the credit and the public acclaim that comes with it bolsters a department's next funding request.
This is not a dig at any first responders, fire or police, most of whom do an admirable job under usually dangerous conditions. But sometimes it's just easier taking the credit. Who is going to complain, and who's going to listen?
I remember a few years ago, a plane had crashed in Upland. A California Highway Patrol report highlighted its quick response to the crash and praised its officers in helping to rescue three passengers. There was no record of any civilian helping. But a civilian had helped and was on the scene first.
An Upland firefighter called me to make sure I knew that a civilian potentially saved these people while putting himself in great harm. I wrote the story. Firefighters. Always trying to make sure the right people get the credit.
Edward Barrera is a former metro editor of the Los Angeles News Group and now works in health care. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/edwardbarrera or view his blog at www.efjbarrera.com.
Before those sleepy Pasadena firefighters started flipping their morning pancakes, I had helicoptered solo, rappelled tall mountains, composed a concerto, and scooped up those (almost) lost souls to save another day. Being a press release hero is tough business, I tell you.
I began this hero stuff after learning from the county that I don't have to actually do it to get credit for it. Last week, the sheriff's department issued a press release about hikers who were injured in Eaton Canyon. According to the press release, one severely injured woman was rescued by the Altadena Search and Rescue team and then airlifted to a local hospital by a county Fire Department helicopter. County fire paramedics treated another injured hiker.
Except, that wasn't what happened. Pasadena city firefighters hiked into the canyon with the search and rescue team and hiked out with the severely injured victim, who was taken in a city ambulance to the hospital. Since the accident occurred after dark, county fire officials declined to use its helicopter.
Emails from a Pasadena firefighter surfaced in this paper detailing the rescue. After a condescending county spokesman responded by refusing to get involved in a spat with a `smaller agency,' county Supervisor Michael Antonovich ordered an investigation into the differing accounts.
In a move that might have caused severe whiplash, the now-enlightened spokesman later noted the press release "misstated some facts. He apologized for the "errors" and said that county Sheriff Lee Baca intends to conduct an "examination" of department policies. (As if the beleaguered sheriff needs another controversy in his life.) Antonovich's spokesman said there was no "intent to misinform."
Well, maybe. And maybe not.
The emails from the Pasadena fire captain that first pointed out the truth also said that it wasn't the first time. Pasadena city fire spokeswoman Lisa Derderian told reporter Brian Charles that "in the past, they have taken credit" and made it look like they did things single-handedly.
The root of the problem may be a scarcity of resources, reported the paper. In an age where government funding is declining, cornering all the credit and the public acclaim that comes with it bolsters a department's next funding request.
This is not a dig at any first responders, fire or police, most of whom do an admirable job under usually dangerous conditions. But sometimes it's just easier taking the credit. Who is going to complain, and who's going to listen?
I remember a few years ago, a plane had crashed in Upland. A California Highway Patrol report highlighted its quick response to the crash and praised its officers in helping to rescue three passengers. There was no record of any civilian helping. But a civilian had helped and was on the scene first.
An Upland firefighter called me to make sure I knew that a civilian potentially saved these people while putting himself in great harm. I wrote the story. Firefighters. Always trying to make sure the right people get the credit.
Edward Barrera is a former metro editor of the Los Angeles News Group and now works in health care. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/edwardbarrera or view his blog at www.efjbarrera.com.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
One man's faith is another man's violent belief
I met a terrorist at a Brooklyn park bench 11 years ago.
Of course, I didn't know Syed Fahad Hashmi would later be dubbed a terrorist. I interviewed him for a story about his connection to a radical Islamic group, Al-Muhajiroun, which was accused of recruiting disaffected and disenfranchised students from Britain to go fight in Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere. The group was visiting several New York campuses, and I was trying to understand what they were after.
Pakistani-born and later a U.S. naturalized citizen, Hashmi, a student at Brooklyn College in New York at the time I spoke to him, was perceptive, articulate and passionate about Islam.
Most of us try and seek ways to find order in a chaotic world. Some religious fanatics want strict rules and goals to find that order but also demand that others follow that same path - or else.
The news this past week that four young men in the Inland Empire were planning to join Al Qaeda and the Taliban and threatening to commit "violent jihad" against Americans is the latest example of this perverted belief and reminded me of the smart, passionate and misguided Hashmi.
This type of religious fanaticism was not unknown to me. My father is a conservative Evangelical and my oldest brother is a Fundamentalist minister. I believe in something other, so religious discussions are always interesting. (If you don't believe in Hell, it's easy to shrug off announcements that that's where you are going.) But none of them wanted anyone to die because they didn't believe what they did.
My discussion with Syed was after Sept. 11, 2001, and while he was critical of the U.S. and the West in general, he appeared more interested in the abuses suffered by Muslims in New York after the terror attacks then becoming involved in violence.
But on occasion, during my interview with him, glimpses of his future surfaced. He believed that one day Sharia Law would one day rule the world. He also believed this was a battle between Islam, or at least his strain of Islam, and democracy, and that he had a role to play in this struggle.
One of the young men arrested this past week, Ontario resident Ralph Deleon, according to reports, sounded like he could have been an earlier version of Hashmi. An extrovert who played football and basketball and was even a member of the homecoming court, Deleon somewhere along the way became radicalized. Deleon even tried to recruit others to become Muslim.
As one acquaintance told the Los Angeles Times, Deleon would "tell me all these nice stories and it sounded pretty cool." I assume the "violent jihad" wasn't part of the recruitment brochure.
The four men now face years in prison. It's a sad but familiar tale. More than four years after I interviewed Hashmi, the then-26-year-old was arrested in England and accused of providing cash and military equipment to terrorists. He was extradited in 2007 to the U.S. Three years later, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and received 15 years.
Edward Barrera is a former metro editor of the Los Angeles News Group and works for a healthcare company. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/edwardbarrera or at his blog www.efjbarrera.com.
Pakistani-born and later a U.S. naturalized citizen, Hashmi, a student at Brooklyn College in New York at the time I spoke to him, was perceptive, articulate and passionate about Islam.
Most of us try and seek ways to find order in a chaotic world. Some religious fanatics want strict rules and goals to find that order but also demand that others follow that same path - or else.
The news this past week that four young men in the Inland Empire were planning to join Al Qaeda and the Taliban and threatening to commit "violent jihad" against Americans is the latest example of this perverted belief and reminded me of the smart, passionate and misguided Hashmi.
This type of religious fanaticism was not unknown to me. My father is a conservative Evangelical and my oldest brother is a Fundamentalist minister. I believe in something other, so religious discussions are always interesting. (If you don't believe in Hell, it's easy to shrug off announcements that that's where you are going.) But none of them wanted anyone to die because they didn't believe what they did.
My discussion with Syed was after Sept. 11, 2001, and while he was critical of the U.S. and the West in general, he appeared more interested in the abuses suffered by Muslims in New York after the terror attacks then becoming involved in violence.
But on occasion, during my interview with him, glimpses of his future surfaced. He believed that one day Sharia Law would one day rule the world. He also believed this was a battle between Islam, or at least his strain of Islam, and democracy, and that he had a role to play in this struggle.
One of the young men arrested this past week, Ontario resident Ralph Deleon, according to reports, sounded like he could have been an earlier version of Hashmi. An extrovert who played football and basketball and was even a member of the homecoming court, Deleon somewhere along the way became radicalized. Deleon even tried to recruit others to become Muslim.
As one acquaintance told the Los Angeles Times, Deleon would "tell me all these nice stories and it sounded pretty cool." I assume the "violent jihad" wasn't part of the recruitment brochure.
The four men now face years in prison. It's a sad but familiar tale. More than four years after I interviewed Hashmi, the then-26-year-old was arrested in England and accused of providing cash and military equipment to terrorists. He was extradited in 2007 to the U.S. Three years later, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and received 15 years.
Edward Barrera is a former metro editor of the Los Angeles News Group and works for a healthcare company. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/edwardbarrera or at his blog www.efjbarrera.com.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Citrus College's expensive proposition
Want to find out what a Citrus College committee formed to support Prop. 30 did? That could be expensive.
Want to find out what benefits, including salary, health benefits and car allowances, Citrus College board members have received since 2011? That could be expensive.
Want to find out how much money Citrus College has spent on legal fees this year? That could be expensive.
Or at least that's what it appears in the ongoing fight between Citrus College and open government advocate Gil Aguirre and his lawyer, Kelly Aviles. A few months ago, after allegations that the board skirted the Ralph M. Brown Act, which governs how public entities conduct their business, before voting on a raise for the school's president, Aguirre demanded that the board repeal the raise and start following state open meeting laws.
I called Aviles, a Citrus College graduate, this week to get an update. She chuckled and then sighed, saying the board has decided to not only ignore open meeting laws but make it as difficult as possible to obtain what are clearly public records.
"We initially made the public records request after we found some other questionable issues," Aviles said. "So we put together a comprehensive public records request, and while it is large, it was meant to get all the records we needed to determine what exactly they are doing and if major problems exist."
Citrus College has publicly denied violating open meeting laws, and in its response to Aguirre's public records request, wrote that some of the information could be stored on "back-up tapes" and searching and obtaining could be expensive. The board will be asking its tech department what "expensive" actually means.
What are some of those tough-to-find documents that might be unsearchable and "not reasonably accessible"?
Documents related to the formation and activities of a committee to support the passage of Prop. 30. (I'll leave aside the question of why a college board created a committee for a political agenda for now.) In order words, records related to a proposition that passed just last week are "not reasonably accessible."
Other hard-to-reach documents, according to the board, are expense reports, reimbursement requests and records of payments submitted by - or paid on behalf of - the president and board members. The time period in question? This year.
The default standard for the retention of most public records in California is two years. So it's odd that the board is taking this stance. There's an argument if the records are a decade old. But three months ago? Two months ago? Two weeks ago?
Aviles, to put it lightly, is outraged. "It's akin to taking last week's budget, shredding it, and storing it in a box," she said. "Now if the public wants it, they can come get it, but they'll have to pay Citrus to put it back together."
Aviles noted that Citrus College is not the only one guilty of making it difficult to obtain records that should be easily accessible. But she and Aguirre, both of whom have been sweeping through the San Gabriel Valley and turning over rocks, appear to be close to drawing a line.
"If they keep going along this way, we'll just make an example of them," Aviles said. "The public has the right to these records without paying thousand of dollars. These are public records, not a public official's private records."
This is going to be fun.
Edward Barrera is a former metro editor for the Los Angeles News Group and works for a healthcare company. Follow him on Twitter at @edwardbarrera and visit his blog at www.efjbarrera.com
Want to find out what benefits, including salary, health benefits and car allowances, Citrus College board members have received since 2011? That could be expensive.
Want to find out how much money Citrus College has spent on legal fees this year? That could be expensive.
Or at least that's what it appears in the ongoing fight between Citrus College and open government advocate Gil Aguirre and his lawyer, Kelly Aviles. A few months ago, after allegations that the board skirted the Ralph M. Brown Act, which governs how public entities conduct their business, before voting on a raise for the school's president, Aguirre demanded that the board repeal the raise and start following state open meeting laws.
I called Aviles, a Citrus College graduate, this week to get an update. She chuckled and then sighed, saying the board has decided to not only ignore open meeting laws but make it as difficult as possible to obtain what are clearly public records.
"We initially made the public records request after we found some other questionable issues," Aviles said. "So we put together a comprehensive public records request, and while it is large, it was meant to get all the records we needed to determine what exactly they are doing and if major problems exist."
Citrus College has publicly denied violating open meeting laws, and in its response to Aguirre's public records request, wrote that some of the information could be stored on "back-up tapes" and searching and obtaining could be expensive. The board will be asking its tech department what "expensive" actually means.
What are some of those tough-to-find documents that might be unsearchable and "not reasonably accessible"?
Documents related to the formation and activities of a committee to support the passage of Prop. 30. (I'll leave aside the question of why a college board created a committee for a political agenda for now.) In order words, records related to a proposition that passed just last week are "not reasonably accessible."
Other hard-to-reach documents, according to the board, are expense reports, reimbursement requests and records of payments submitted by - or paid on behalf of - the president and board members. The time period in question? This year.
The default standard for the retention of most public records in California is two years. So it's odd that the board is taking this stance. There's an argument if the records are a decade old. But three months ago? Two months ago? Two weeks ago?
Aviles, to put it lightly, is outraged. "It's akin to taking last week's budget, shredding it, and storing it in a box," she said. "Now if the public wants it, they can come get it, but they'll have to pay Citrus to put it back together."
Aviles noted that Citrus College is not the only one guilty of making it difficult to obtain records that should be easily accessible. But she and Aguirre, both of whom have been sweeping through the San Gabriel Valley and turning over rocks, appear to be close to drawing a line.
"If they keep going along this way, we'll just make an example of them," Aviles said. "The public has the right to these records without paying thousand of dollars. These are public records, not a public official's private records."
This is going to be fun.
Edward Barrera is a former metro editor for the Los Angeles News Group and works for a healthcare company. Follow him on Twitter at @edwardbarrera and visit his blog at www.efjbarrera.com
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Unprepared for disaster the American Way
My brother peered out of his New York City apartment last week and gazed upon the East River 15 feet away from his doorstep. Unfortunately, the East River is usually more than a half mile away.
He and his family live on the first floor and at one point, were preparing to relocate to neighbors on the second floor as Hurricane Sandy slammed into New York. The water never came closer and eventually receded, but not before leaving devastation in its wake. People are still without power, the cost of repairing the damage could reach more than $50 billion and more than a 100 people are confirmed dead.
Despite an early warning of the impending storm, my brother was unprepared. He shrugged off the city's warnings, saying that New Yorkers were becoming wimps, derided forecasters' weather models and sounded blasé about the fact that there was a mandatory evacuation for property a block away from where he lived. Lucky for him, the lack of preparedness didn't cost him. Next time he might not be so lucky.
But my brother is not so unusual when it comes to ignoring pleas by emergency disaster officials who urge people to stock basic emergency supplies or have an emergency plan - any emergency plan just in case.
According to an Adelphi University Center for Health Innovation poll, 44 percent of those polled don't have first-aid kits, 48 percent lack emergency supplies and 53 percent do not have a minimum three-day supply of nonperishable food and water at home. Americans seem to have an overly optimistic view of government's ability to help them and do it quickly, with 53 percent believing that local authorities will come to their rescue if disaster strikes.
As New Orleans and the situation on the northeast coast should indicate, help might arrive, but it will rarely be quickly and the resources will usually not be what it is required. My little brother (I have three brothers, by the way.) views things differently.
He and his family lives in South Pasadena and were there in the windstorms of last year. His area lost power for a while. But he was prepared. One neighbor had a generator, another had an inverter, which can connect to car battery and allows someone to use it to keep basic electrical needs running. He had backup food and water supplies, small solar panels to juice up phones and computer, a bag with extra clothing and personal items, and a safe place for important documents. He also knew where the outside lines for water and gas were just in case he had to shut them off. (He's also an electrician and his wife's a nurse, so you know I'll be walking quickly over there if things happen, since I recently moved to South Pasadena myself.)
It really doesn't take much or much time to have a basic emergency survival plan, not just for your house, but if you're driving or at work. You can view your city's site to see if they have more information or go to the Los Angeles County website, at www.lacounty.gov, and search for the "Emergency Survival Guide" booklet. It has the basic checklists.
It won't save you from the zombie invasion. But if a disaster strikes and cuts you and your neighborhood off from quick help, you won't be worrying if that bathtub of water and that half a box of cereal is going to last you long enough for help to arrive.
Edward Barrera is a former metro editor for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. Follow him on Twitter at @edwardbarrera, tumblr or his website at www.efjbarrera.com.
He and his family live on the first floor and at one point, were preparing to relocate to neighbors on the second floor as Hurricane Sandy slammed into New York. The water never came closer and eventually receded, but not before leaving devastation in its wake. People are still without power, the cost of repairing the damage could reach more than $50 billion and more than a 100 people are confirmed dead.
Despite an early warning of the impending storm, my brother was unprepared. He shrugged off the city's warnings, saying that New Yorkers were becoming wimps, derided forecasters' weather models and sounded blasé about the fact that there was a mandatory evacuation for property a block away from where he lived. Lucky for him, the lack of preparedness didn't cost him. Next time he might not be so lucky.
But my brother is not so unusual when it comes to ignoring pleas by emergency disaster officials who urge people to stock basic emergency supplies or have an emergency plan - any emergency plan just in case.
According to an Adelphi University Center for Health Innovation poll, 44 percent of those polled don't have first-aid kits, 48 percent lack emergency supplies and 53 percent do not have a minimum three-day supply of nonperishable food and water at home. Americans seem to have an overly optimistic view of government's ability to help them and do it quickly, with 53 percent believing that local authorities will come to their rescue if disaster strikes.
As New Orleans and the situation on the northeast coast should indicate, help might arrive, but it will rarely be quickly and the resources will usually not be what it is required. My little brother (I have three brothers, by the way.) views things differently.
He and his family lives in South Pasadena and were there in the windstorms of last year. His area lost power for a while. But he was prepared. One neighbor had a generator, another had an inverter, which can connect to car battery and allows someone to use it to keep basic electrical needs running. He had backup food and water supplies, small solar panels to juice up phones and computer, a bag with extra clothing and personal items, and a safe place for important documents. He also knew where the outside lines for water and gas were just in case he had to shut them off. (He's also an electrician and his wife's a nurse, so you know I'll be walking quickly over there if things happen, since I recently moved to South Pasadena myself.)
It really doesn't take much or much time to have a basic emergency survival plan, not just for your house, but if you're driving or at work. You can view your city's site to see if they have more information or go to the Los Angeles County website, at www.lacounty.gov, and search for the "Emergency Survival Guide" booklet. It has the basic checklists.
It won't save you from the zombie invasion. But if a disaster strikes and cuts you and your neighborhood off from quick help, you won't be worrying if that bathtub of water and that half a box of cereal is going to last you long enough for help to arrive.
Edward Barrera is a former metro editor for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. Follow him on Twitter at @edwardbarrera, tumblr or his website at www.efjbarrera.com.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Marijuana, elections and unintended consequences
"Your vote for a bong hit" is the kind of election slogan I could have supported years ago, and it might become one now as California's decision to legalize marijuana spins out of control.
The unintended consequences of Californians approving marijuana's use for medicinal reasons is that anyone, anywhere can buy marijuana. Local governments spend thousands to battle against the proliferation of pot shops and the only alternative for residents opposed to the shops is hope that the federal government will intervene.
Marijuana should be legal, taxed and regulated like cigarettes and alcohol. The drug war is destructive, costly and ineffectual. But the decision to change state law and disregard federal authority has made California, among a few others, a drug dealing state. So-called doctor-approved medical marijuana cards are easy to obtain. I know people in New York who have received a monthly pot package from California because the weed is safer, cheaper and apparently more potent than street corner goods.
As owners, advocates and entrepreneurs of marijuana dispensaries become savvier in their media relations and legal maneuverings, their attempts to spread pot shops across California like nail salons and overturn outright bans are increasingly successful. Covina, which says a marijuana dispensary has violated municipal code, may have to endure costly litigation to close a pot shop. The city says it opened illegally. The lawyers for the Advertisement dispensary say the courts have ruled that since state law allows marijuana dispensaries, local governments can regulate them and restrict them but can't ban them.
Recently, Los Angeles caved under pressure from a well-organized and well-funded marijuana dispensary campaign. Owners, advocates and the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which has organized pot workers in the city, gathered signatures for a ballot measure to overturn a city pot shop ban. The City Council buckled and overturned the ban itself.
Some of the same advocates, including the union, tried to overwhelm a neighborhood council election in Eagle Rock, because the council wants to slow the proliferation of pot shops. The council also applauded a federal government crackdown of nearby dispensaries. The pro-pot candidates failed. Fliers were seen around town offering free pot for votes, though that might have just been election mischief.
While shenanigans are always fun to watch, the overreach of Californian voters and the federal crackdown is leading to tragic results. A Rancho Cucamonga man is now facing 10 years for supplying dispensaries.
I agree with proponents who say the sentence is severe, but it's absurd to say it's a surprise. Until the federal government ends its crackdown, and at this point, that's unlikely, California leaders need to step up and give local municipalities greater power to combat the proliferation of pot shops. That may mean putting a state ballot measure to tweak Proposition 215 in the next election.
If leaders don't lead, this situation will get worse, and local governments will be sidelined as the federal government indiscriminately prosecutes owners and suppliers of marijuana dispensaries, regardless of their motivations.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_21819194/edward-barrera-marijuana-elections-and-unintended-consequences#ixzz2BPMyL6A9
The unintended consequences of Californians approving marijuana's use for medicinal reasons is that anyone, anywhere can buy marijuana. Local governments spend thousands to battle against the proliferation of pot shops and the only alternative for residents opposed to the shops is hope that the federal government will intervene.
Marijuana should be legal, taxed and regulated like cigarettes and alcohol. The drug war is destructive, costly and ineffectual. But the decision to change state law and disregard federal authority has made California, among a few others, a drug dealing state. So-called doctor-approved medical marijuana cards are easy to obtain. I know people in New York who have received a monthly pot package from California because the weed is safer, cheaper and apparently more potent than street corner goods.
As owners, advocates and entrepreneurs of marijuana dispensaries become savvier in their media relations and legal maneuverings, their attempts to spread pot shops across California like nail salons and overturn outright bans are increasingly successful. Covina, which says a marijuana dispensary has violated municipal code, may have to endure costly litigation to close a pot shop. The city says it opened illegally. The lawyers for the Advertisement dispensary say the courts have ruled that since state law allows marijuana dispensaries, local governments can regulate them and restrict them but can't ban them.
Recently, Los Angeles caved under pressure from a well-organized and well-funded marijuana dispensary campaign. Owners, advocates and the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which has organized pot workers in the city, gathered signatures for a ballot measure to overturn a city pot shop ban. The City Council buckled and overturned the ban itself.
Some of the same advocates, including the union, tried to overwhelm a neighborhood council election in Eagle Rock, because the council wants to slow the proliferation of pot shops. The council also applauded a federal government crackdown of nearby dispensaries. The pro-pot candidates failed. Fliers were seen around town offering free pot for votes, though that might have just been election mischief.
While shenanigans are always fun to watch, the overreach of Californian voters and the federal crackdown is leading to tragic results. A Rancho Cucamonga man is now facing 10 years for supplying dispensaries.
I agree with proponents who say the sentence is severe, but it's absurd to say it's a surprise. Until the federal government ends its crackdown, and at this point, that's unlikely, California leaders need to step up and give local municipalities greater power to combat the proliferation of pot shops. That may mean putting a state ballot measure to tweak Proposition 215 in the next election.
If leaders don't lead, this situation will get worse, and local governments will be sidelined as the federal government indiscriminately prosecutes owners and suppliers of marijuana dispensaries, regardless of their motivations.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_21819194/edward-barrera-marijuana-elections-and-unintended-consequences#ixzz2BPMyL6A9
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Leave Roger Hernandez for the voters
Even before the current accusation of cocaine use and domestic violence, it was difficult to square Assemblyman Roger Hernandez the man with his bid for re-election next week to a second term in the Legislature.
Since his time as a member of the West Covina City Council, the Democrat has presented himself at times as an ill-mannered and petulant public official, quick to blame others and dodge responsibility for his troubles, which include a recent DUI acquittal and past domestic violence claims.
Considering that he has a leadership position in the Assembly, and the good that could mean for the San Gabriel Valley, a constituent might hope that Hernandez would lead and handle himself well for the good of the district.
Or, a constituent might hope to be spared further drama and see Hernandez resign prior to the election for a second term.
Hernandez's resignation is the hope of Baldwin City Councilwoman Marlen Garcia, herself a past victim of domestic violence, and it is a courageous position that could hurt her politically. She says that Hernandez has already threatened to use the power of his office to punish her because of her outspokenness.
But perhaps there is something better than resignation: Let the voters decide.
I'm not minimizing the domestic violence charges. According to this newspaper, West Covina police served the 37-year-old assemblyman with an emergency protective order filed by a woman who claimed that he hit and slammed her into a wall. The woman also accused him of using cocaine. Hernandez denied the charges, and his lawyer suggested it was a political smear campaign.
If charges are filed, and Hernandez is convicted, his political career, regardless of Tuesday's results, most likely will be finished. No charges have been filed. His history with West Covina police, which revolves around past domestic violence claims, prompted the department to hand the case over to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. We will see where that ends.
This is a moment that voters of the San Gabriel Valley should embrace. They have an opportunity to decide what type of officeholder they want representing them. If they believe Hernandez is unfit, they have a chance to render their own verdict. If they believe that the litany of accusations is just dirty politics, they have a different option.
I'm reminded of Marion Barry. The then-Washington, D.C. mayor was videotaped smoking crack with a hooker. He was later convicted of felony drug charges. But once he was released from prison, voters put him back on the City Council and eventually voted him in as mayor. The D.C. voters decided what type of leaders they wanted, for good or for bad.
The largely Democratic 48th Assembly District, which includes Duarte, Azusa, Glendora, Covina, West Covina, Baldwin Park, Irwindale, parts of El Monte, and the unincorporated communities of Charter Oak, Bassett and Valinda, now has a similar opportunity.
http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_21918759/edward-barrera-leave-roger-hernandez-voters
Since his time as a member of the West Covina City Council, the Democrat has presented himself at times as an ill-mannered and petulant public official, quick to blame others and dodge responsibility for his troubles, which include a recent DUI acquittal and past domestic violence claims.
Considering that he has a leadership position in the Assembly, and the good that could mean for the San Gabriel Valley, a constituent might hope that Hernandez would lead and handle himself well for the good of the district.
Or, a constituent might hope to be spared further drama and see Hernandez resign prior to the election for a second term.
Hernandez's resignation is the hope of Baldwin City Councilwoman Marlen Garcia, herself a past victim of domestic violence, and it is a courageous position that could hurt her politically. She says that Hernandez has already threatened to use the power of his office to punish her because of her outspokenness.
But perhaps there is something better than resignation: Let the voters decide.
I'm not minimizing the domestic violence charges. According to this newspaper, West Covina police served the 37-year-old assemblyman with an emergency protective order filed by a woman who claimed that he hit and slammed her into a wall. The woman also accused him of using cocaine. Hernandez denied the charges, and his lawyer suggested it was a political smear campaign.
If charges are filed, and Hernandez is convicted, his political career, regardless of Tuesday's results, most likely will be finished. No charges have been filed. His history with West Covina police, which revolves around past domestic violence claims, prompted the department to hand the case over to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. We will see where that ends.
This is a moment that voters of the San Gabriel Valley should embrace. They have an opportunity to decide what type of officeholder they want representing them. If they believe Hernandez is unfit, they have a chance to render their own verdict. If they believe that the litany of accusations is just dirty politics, they have a different option.
I'm reminded of Marion Barry. The then-Washington, D.C. mayor was videotaped smoking crack with a hooker. He was later convicted of felony drug charges. But once he was released from prison, voters put him back on the City Council and eventually voted him in as mayor. The D.C. voters decided what type of leaders they wanted, for good or for bad.
The largely Democratic 48th Assembly District, which includes Duarte, Azusa, Glendora, Covina, West Covina, Baldwin Park, Irwindale, parts of El Monte, and the unincorporated communities of Charter Oak, Bassett and Valinda, now has a similar opportunity.
http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_21918759/edward-barrera-leave-roger-hernandez-voters
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)