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Cypress Olympian is libero on USA Olympics Volleyball team

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Cypress Olympian is libero on USA Olympics Volleyball team

Justine Wong-Orantes, a 2013 graduate of Los Alamitos High School and a native of Cypress, celebrated this weekend as Team USA Volleyball beat Italy and Turkey to keep its gold medal hopes alive.

USA Women’s Volleyball Coach Karch Kiraly included Wong-Orantes as the teams libero when she announced his 12-player squad for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.

The libero is a player specialized in defensive skills: the libero must wear a contrasting jersey color from their teammates and cannot block or attack the ball when it is entirely above net height. When the ball is not in play, the libero can replace any back-row player, without prior notice to the officials.

Wong-Orantes (LAHS ’13), who helped lead the Griffins to a CIF title before earning All-American honors and a NCAA Championship at Nebraska, will be making her first Olympic Game appearance, according to reports.

Wong-Orantes was a setter on two Grifffin CIF champ squads. As a freshman setter, she split time with Rachel Fattal, who also made this year’s Olympic squad, as a starter on the US Women’s National Water Polo team. Fattal helped the US to a gold in Rio in 2016.

The other eight members of the team are making their first Olympic appearance: outside hitter Michelle Bartsch-Hackley; opposites Annie Drews and Jordan Thompson; setters Micha Hancock and Jordyn Poulter; middles Chiaka Ogbogu and Haleigh Washington; and libero Justine Wong-Orantes.

The average age of the roster is 25 with more than a decade span between the 34-year-old Larson and 23-year-old Poulter.

Kiraly, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, is coaching his second Olympics after helping the U.S. women win bronze in 2016.
His assistant coaches, Erin Virtue, Tama Miyashiro and Luka Slabe, are all coaching at the

Olympics for the first time. Miyashiro won a silver medal with the U.S. as a player in 2012 in London.

The six Olympic alternates are setter Lauren Carlini; outside hitters Kathryn Plummer and Sarah Wilhite Parsons; middle blockers Tori Dixon and Hannah Tapp; and libero Megan Courtney.

As of press time, the USA Volleyball team was unbeaten in Pool B, having most recently beat Turkey and will now face Dominican Republic.

LAUSD seeks clarity as guidelines continue to shift

Jeannette Andruss
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LAUSD seeks clarity as guidelines continue to shift

It’s clear: Local school districts must enforce California’s mandate that all students wear face coverings indoors on K-12 campuses to slow the spread of COVID-19.

What isn’t clear: how schools will be allowed to do that when classes resume for full-time in-person instruction in a few weeks.

Guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released, and then revised, July 12 reads, “…schools should offer alternative educational opportunities for students who are excluded from campus because they will not wear a face covering.”

The Los Alamitos Unified School District is trying to determine what that means and what can be done if a student won’t mask up indoors.

“There’s still ambiguity. I don’t have clarity on that,” LAUSD Superintendent Dr. Andrew Pulver said at the July 20 LAUSD Board of Education meeting, noting administrators statewide have been confused by the guidance.

Pulver said his suggestions, such as putting an unmasked student three feet apart from others with a desk shield, have been shot down by public health officials.

LAUSD is keeping parents posted with a link on LosAl.org.

An email sent to district families on July 21 read: “At this time, we continue to review the new guidance and seek further clarification in some areas to determine how it will impact the 2021-22 school year.”

The letter then states that LAUSD students “who do not comply with universal mask wearing guidance may be placed in an alternative learning setting.”

Last year LAUSD offered the virtual learning option LosAl@Home, but that won’t continue in the 2021-22 year. In an email to parents sent July 27, LAUSD said it’s partnering with the Orange County Department of Education to offer a home remote/schooling option. For grades TK-8, the Independent Study program is through enrollment in OCDE’s Community Home Education Program (CHEP) and for grades 9-12, it’s through enrollment at Pacific Coast High School (PCHS). 

The emphasis from education officials is still to maximize in-person instruction time for students.

CDPH argues universal indoor masking is key to offering full-time instruction because it allows for no social distancing requirements. Initially, California’s rules went beyond the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations that vaccinated teachers and students can ditch their masks indoors.

But on Tuesday, facing the spreading Delta variant of COVID-19, CDC updated its guidelines to align with California and is encouraging universal indoor masking for all students, staff, teachers and visitors on K-12 school campuses.

Last week, parent groups filed a lawsuit in San Diego County over the state’s mask mandate, which applies to K-12 public, private and charter schools.

Masks are optional outdoors. Vaccinated teachers will be allowed to go without a face mask indoors when students are not present. Students with medical conditions that qualify for an exemption must wear a “non-restrictive alternative such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge, as long as their condition permits it.”

Pulver emphasized that public health decisions are made at the state level and local school districts and Boards don’t craft the rules. He said he meets weekly with Orange County’s top public health official, Dr. Clayton Chau; a conduit to state officials.

Fines Possible

CDPH has not spelled out the consequences school districts face for not enforcing the mask mandate but it appears fines are possible.

In an email sent on Monday, Orange County Department of Education spokesman Ian Hanigan wrote: “Employees are required to follow the California Education Code along with all other legal requirements and public health orders from the state. Moreover, districts and schools can face fines for failing to adhere to Cal/OSHA standards designed to protect employees in the workplace.”

At the July 20 meeting, Pulver mentioned that negotiations with district staff may be necessary as LAUSD COVID-19 protocols are established.

CDPH stated it will issue a revision of its school guidance no later than Nov. 1, 2021.

In an email sent to a reporter on Monday, Pulver wrote “guidance for sports, band, music, performing arts, and activities should be released soon.” LAUSD is also looking for more detail on rules governing volunteers and parents on campuses.

New Quarantine Protocols for Close Contacts

Quarantine rules have been eased for people deemed close contacts of COVID infected people on campuses to minimize missing out on in-person instruction.

“This … could be a game changer for keeping kids in school,” Pulver said and added the district will continue to use its COVID dashboard to track cases.

Here’s what happens if the people involved are unvaccinated and all parties were masked: If a person is deemed a close contact (within 6 feet of a COVID infected person indoors for more than 15 minutes over a 24-hour period) they can continue to attend school and extracurricular activities if they are asymptomatic, continue to wear a mask, and undergo twice-weekly testing for a quarantine period of ten days.

The close contact protocols change if the people involved are unvaccinated and unmasked. If one person was not wearing a mask, the close contact has to quarantine for 14 days. That could be cut to 10 days if they remain asymptomatic and drops to 7 days if they test negative 5 days after the exposure.

People diagnosed with COVID-19 must follow existing CDPH quarantine guidelines. For vaccinated people that means no quarantining or testing as long as they remain asymptomatic.

Other layers of prevention at LAUSD schools include: handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, cleaning, and disinfection and ventilation. Pulver reported air filters were replaced districtwide this summer.

Frustration with Mask Mandate

At the board meeting, Pulver expressed frustration with the mask requirement saying he was hoping the state would also consider the science of the “whole child” including students’ social, emotional and behavioral health.

“Over 70% of communication is nonverbal. And when you have a face mask it’s very hard to read those social … cues in communication,” Pulver said at the July 20 meeting.

It was a view shared by board members including Meg Cutuli and President Marlys Davidson.

“If we don’t address the mental health of our children none of this is going to matter. I feel like I want to know who’s in the room making these decisions because I think they are addressing the physical [health] and that’s it,” Davidson said.

Pulver said last year the science suggested children were at lower risk for transmitting COVID-19 but the concern was kids could spread it to more vulnerable adults in their lives.

“I think that argument is now gone,” Pulver said citing widespread access to vaccines for adults, which have proven effective against preventing severe illness.

“I suggested that [the state] consider masks optional so that people can make their own personal decisions and that maybe making it a mandate when an outbreak occurs,” Pulver said with the caveat “I’m only a superintendent, so what do I know? I’m not a public health officer.”

During public comment at the July 20 meeting, a woman spoke against the mask mandate, almost breaking into tears. She passed out copies of a research letter studying carbon dioxide levels of children wearing masks published online by the Journal of the American Medical Association on June 30.

JAMA retracted the research letter on July 16 citing concerns about its methodology and “uncertainty regarding the validity of the findings and conclusions, and the potential public health implications.”

At the July 20 meeting, Pulver said CDPH issued a statement it claimed “debunked” the JAMA article but he admitted he didn’t know what to believe. (He was not aware of the retraction at the time).

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended everyone age two and older continue to wear masks inside classrooms.

“As we start the 2021-22 school year, a large portion of students are not eligible to be vaccinated and there are COVID variants that are more contagious. Because of this and because we want to have all students in school, the AAP advocates for all students, teachers and staff to wear masks while indoors in school.”

School is set to begin at LAUSD as the more transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 fuels a spike in cases, including in Orange County, but most severely in parts of the U.S. with low vaccination rates. Vaccines have yet to be approved for people under the age of 12.

LAUSD remains committed to its goal: “We will resume a traditional, full-time, on-campus learning model, while continuing to follow the mandated guidance as set forth by CDPH and the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA).”

The school year starts next week for students at Weaver Elementary in Rossmoor. The other LAUSD campuses start on August 16.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated since it appeared in the July 28, 2021 print edition of the Event-News Enterprise to update a meeting date that was incorrect, reflect new information from LAUSD on independent study programs and new mask guidance from the CDC. 

Covid forever? The walking wounded in Orange County

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Covid forever? The walking wounded in Orange County

By John Underwood

As we all begin to shed our masks and roll our sleeves back down, eagerly leaning into a state of mind we would like to think of as post-COVID “back to normal,” about the last thing we want to wrap our minds around is the concept of COVID-19 lingering on among us into the unforeseeable future. But it appears with new variants of the virus surging forward we in the OC and across the state might have to scale back our expectations to a new normal that at least for the time being will likely include COVID in the mix.

As Orange County’s chief epidemiologist and oft quoted official county authority on all things COVID, Andrew Noymer, told the OC Register recently. . . this pandemic is not over. “California’s vaccination rate [at 61.5% per the Cal. Dept. Public Health as of 7-21-21] is not high enough to put this [COVID] in our rearview mirrors,” Noymer said. “Even as infections are going down among those who have received shots. . . they are climbing among those who haven’t.” Currently Orange County vax rate [at 53.38%] has plateaued below even the state average and is clearly playing a role in the county uptick in Coronavirus cases.

But there is another reason to refrain from banging the post-COVID party gong just yet. There is a segment of the COVID-stricken population emerging from the storm of data about this pandemic that has until now gone largely unaddressed by a medical establishment frantic to save lives and our hospital systems from overload for the past year and a half. These are the symptomatic COVID cases who did not overcome their symptoms in two weeks or 28 days as predicted by our health care agencies and the CDC.

They are the so called “long haulers” who largely suffered at home in silence over the course of the pandemic with intermittent crashes that landed them for short periods in the ERs. Their symptoms range from monthlong headaches to debilitating joint pain, profound fatigue, hair loss and loss of smell, shortness of breath, chronic lung congestion progressing to pneumonia and often congestive heart disease, kidney, liver and even GI tract involvement, clotting blood, and even stroke.

They have been with us since the start of the pandemic and are with us now in ever greater numbers than can be disregarded as simply anecdotal cases relegated to footnotes in the medical literature. According to virologists and epidemiologists from UC San Francisco to Johns Hopkins Hospital these Long COVID patients are presenting in anywhere from 20-60 % of acute SARS/Covid cases, exhibiting a cascade of symptoms that extend far beyond the acute phase of infection. Some now are into their second year of perpetual suffering.

The response by the medical community, though understandable under the urgent pandemic conditions of the last year, has left most of these Long COVID sufferers, at best, with only cursory baseline response from doctors and hospital facilities that have had medical hands on them. At worst, these walking wounded have been relegated to palliative care or even subjected to downgrading of their often many symptoms to a diagnosis of depression or other behavioral issues by physicians and insurance providers who offer few medical treatment options. How many of these walking wounded currently reside in OC is not known because until now there have been few clinicians willing to characterize and treat them.

We do know that there have been over 250,000 diagnosed cases of Acute SARS/COVID-19 in Orange County to date and this number is rising. If only 20% of that number are “long haulers” (a conservative estimate, say Johns Hopkins researchers) there may be 50,000 or more Long COVID sufferers receiving little or no medical treatment at this time within the 25-hospital system and the public health care network of Orange County.

The good news, though long overdue in OC, is that finally recognition and help is on the way from Orange County’s UCI Medical Center, which has established two pilot satellite clinics, one in Tustin and one in Costa Mesa, to specifically attract, document, and treat Long COVID patients within the county with a multidisciplinary approach that can address the many simultaneous symptoms a patient may present with. The hope is that other hospitals, public health agencies and medical insurance providers will soon follow suit and acknowledge the care gap that has arisen in the aftermath of this pandemic and begin to address this hidden population of extended COVID sufferers across the county.

As a Los Al TV producer, I am presenting an hour-long special program featuring the individual COVID journeys of several “long haulers” familiar to our own west OC communities. We also visit one of the UCI COVID Recovery Clinics now treating these chronic COVID patients, and feature the tireless efforts of one UCI professor of nursing in sounding a call to action within the medical community to begin to validate and address the medical needs of this forgotten army of COVID-19 survivors, the Walking Wounded of the coronavirus pandemic.

Raising awareness and hopefully treatment options for the literally thousands of Long COVID patients of Orange County should be more than a matter of medical equity for those who presently suffer in silence and obscurity. It should be a wake-up call to all who entertain the notion that after a year and a half of pandemic we are finally done with COVID. It should be amply evident from the rising case numbers, the number of unvaccinated cases returning to ICUs, and the large percentage of COVID sufferers who are caught in a “long haul” cycle of cascading symptoms, that COVID-19 is not done with us.

John Underwood is a former editor of the News Enterprise.

 

Los Al Council gets update on city’s unhoused population

David N. Young
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Los Al Council gets update on city’s unhoused population

While local shelters and additional resources have improved the overall situation of the unhoused in Los Alamitos, Sgt. Chris Lee told the Los Alamitos city council that there are a handful of transients with connections to the city that do seem to linger.

Nevertheless, Lee said in order to truly eradicate homelessness, it’s going to take a deeper approach. His comments came during his recent annual report on the unhoused to the Council.

“These habitual transients are resident transients,” said Lee, adding that “there are a handful of transients who typically have a tie to the city, whether they were displaced from their homes or there is some connection to the city itself.”
In many cases, said Lee, the connection is simply a need for medical services; many come because the city has a major hospital.

“If you think about a homeless population, these people do not have medical (insurance). For medical issues, he said, they have to rely on an emergency room visit.”
“For instance, we have a hospital (in Los Al),” said Lee, and “we also have outreach organizations that are well known within the community (to assist the unhoused). So,” said Lee, “some of the unhoused come to Los Alamitos for services, but they aren’t tied in necessarily to the city itself.”

While there is no dedicated police unit within the department to deal with transients and homeless residents, Lee said he has become Supervisor of an ad-hoc force of himself and four other officers who deal with the problem in Los Alamitos.

“We had two (officers) and just got two more,” he said. He said the department simply puts out a “request for interest” memo among the ranks and accepts officers who volunteer for the duty.

He said the officers who become Homeless Liaison Officers (HLO) volunteer for the extra duty at no additional compensation.

At a minimum, the officers involved take a 40-hour course administered by the Anaheim Police Department to learn the basic techniques and resources available for the unhoused.
Los Al, like other cities in West Orange County, are now a part of the North Special Planning Area (SPA), a coalition of northern OC cities that constructed the Buena Park Navigation Center to provide shelter for the unhoused.

However, officers need to learn the protocols and techniques to approach unhoused persons and transients because he said there is a line between being homeless and a criminal act.

Therefore, Lee said there are many times that officers approach subjects and never even learn their names.

“I know somebody’s going to say, ‘Well, wait a second, how do you guys not know their names?’”

“So, from the police department’s perspective, unless they have committed a crime, we don’t have a legal standing to demand identification,” he said. “So we simply go up, make sure that they’re okay, make sure they’re not committing a crime,” said Lee.

“That’s why about half of our calls for service don’t have a name tied to them,” he said.
Lee said about five percent of the Los Alamitos Police Department’s calls for service are related to transients in some way.

He gave the council an overview on homeless encampments. A homeless camp, said Lee, is a semi-permanent dwelling, where “people have gone in and established some form of shelter. These camps tend to have multiple inhabitants.”

Many times, said Lee, homeless encampments create “an interesting little economy” of its own, with barbeque pits, firepits, and even bicycle repair shops.

Two of the three major camps near Los Alamitos have been cleaned up, Lee noted, and most of the remaining camps are in other jurisdictions. When “cleaning up” the camp, said Lee, officers even are required to catalog all of the possessions found there and give the unhoused a specified period of time to retrieve them.

Because of the procedures imposed by federal judge David O. Carter, police now have to first advise the transients that they are trespassing, give them ample time to plan and even tell them how long it will be before we come back through.

“It’s not…like the bulldozer starts at the top end of the flood control and pushes everything to Seal Beach,” he said.

As of now, said Lee, “we don’t have what I would consider a campsite (in Los Alamitos).”
In Los Al, he said of the handful of unhoused regulars, even they tend to be more transient. Lee said when they do appear, it might be “one person or maybe a couple, with a couple of bedrolls, a backpack and a shopping cart or something like that, and they tend to move along.”

He said there are a handful of regulars, he said, but according to Lee, it’s going to take more than law enforcement to properly deal with root causes of the homelessness issue.
Outgoing Chief of Police Eric R. Nunez said the department still does assist local businesses if business owners find someone sleeping in a hallway or in front of their doors, but “it’s a little bit more difficult to do because of the environment we’re in now.”
Both he and Lee suggested Los Al does receive tremendous cooperation from other law enforcement agencies in the region on this issue.

According to Lee, the homelessness issue will need more than law enforcement to make it go away entirely.

Truth is, said Lee, “there is no way that the Los Al Police Department, or the entire law enforcement community in California can write enough citations to affect the transient issue. It’s just not possible” to do, said Lee.

Long term, Lee said solving the homeless problem is about much more than policing.
“We can enforce the law, we can keep the peace,” Lee said, and “we can do all those things.”

However, to effectively mitigate the homelessness problem, he said it is clear that, “at some point, we will have to address its root causes.”

Youth Center recognizes STELLAR volunteers

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Youth Center recognizes STELLAR volunteers

The Youth Center recently recognized four extraordinary youth volunteers by surprising them at their homes. The four were selected from hundreds who were nominated for the prestigious 2021 Stellar Volunteer Award. This year’s awardees of $500 scholarships are: Lukas Evert, Cypress resident – nominated by Grateful Hearts; Katie Recker, Garden Grove Resident – nominated by LAUSD and Girl Scouts; Davis Taylor, Los Alamitos resident – nominated by Seal Beach Leos and Kirsten Okamoto, Rossmoor resident – nominated by Girl Scouts of OC and Rossmoor/Los Alamitos. Kirsten was notably the first to receive a S.E.T.H. Memorial Scholarship, in memory of Seth Eaker, Seal Beach businessman, volunteer and community leader.

Each year, the Youth Center receives hundreds of nominations for the Stellar Volunteer awards, each nominated for their amazing commitment to give back to their community.

Lina Lumme, Executive Director of The Youth Center said, “It’s easy to give up and do nothing. These Stellar Volunteers give their time and talents to offer us all a brighter future by making a difference in our community, and we feel it is our honor and duty to recognize them.”

Kirsten Okamoto was honored to receive the first ever $500 S.E.T.H. Memorial Scholarship award. Kirsten is a Girl Scout of 13 years and a high school senior living in Rossmoor, who exercises her leadership to care for others and the environment. She is particularly interested in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and encourages other young girls to focus their energy there as well. She recently attended the SATO Academy of Math and Science in Long Beach with a goal of becoming an electrical engineer.

In late 2019, Kirsten received the Girl Scout Gold Award for her project on marine mammal rescue and conservation, focusing on the Seal Beach / Long Beach area, bringing awareness for seals, sea lions, and their marine environment. In 2020, the Orange County Girl Scout Council honored Kirsten with the Girl Scout Take Action Award. This award recognized Kirsten for making a lasting impact through identifying community needs, resourceful problem solving, advocacy, and educating and inspiring others to act to make the world a better place. She served as a Girl Scout USA (GSUSA) delegate to both the “The United Nations” 2020 64th and 2021 65th World Conference for the Status of Women (CSW). In order to be named a GSUSA delegate she had to undergo a rigorous selection process and interviews. During the pandemic, Kirsten helped to create and teach the curriculum for a 6-week virtual series on Global Gender Equality. She taught this series to young Girl Scouts across America and Girl Guides Internationally and was the GSUSA event speaker at the 65th CSW Conference, held virtually on March 16th, 2021, speaking to World Leaders on the importance of girls developing civic and political leadership in support of the “girl child”.

Kirsten also served as a member of the National Charity League (NCL) for the last 5 years and has won several awards, held board positions (Parliamentarian, Secretary, Historian), and has logged 350+ hours of community service working with many of the local non-profit organizations that serve women and children. At Precious Life Shelter in Los Alamitos, Kirsten helps homeless women, victims of domestic violence, and human trafficking by providing emotional support and caring for their newborns so they can attend classes and complete their GED. Kirsten helps children and teens with physical and mental disabilities participate in social outings such as bowling, going out to lunch, and attending prom.

In the summer of 2019 Kirsten was also a summer intern for Leadership Initiatives (L.I.) at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where she had the opportunity to meet with the Offices of Congressman Alan Lowenthal and Senator Kamala Harris to advocate for laws preventing gender discrimination, sexual assault and harassment, and workplace retaliation. Kirsten also discussed the importance of funding for STEM educational programs, especially for girls and students in underserved communities. Kirsten also advocated on Capitol Hill for equality for women within the workplace and worked on a court case regarding gender discrimination. Kirsten’s role was to prepare the plaintiff for trial.

For more information about the A Night Among the Stars event or to nominate an outstanding youth volunteer for 2022, visit www.theyouthcenter.org/a-night-among-the-stars.

The Youth Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to transform children’s lives one family at a time through collaborative social, educational and recreational programs. Since the birth of the Youth Center in 1952, The Youth Center has been honored to establish valuable partnerships within the community and acknowledges their critical importance in the organization’s current and future success. For additional information on The Youth Center, please call (562) 493-4043 or visit www.TheYouthCenter.org.

 

Cypress Police Chief Lauderback to speak to Chamber

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Cypress Police Chief Lauderback to speak to Chamber

The Cypress Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome the new Cypress Chief of Police, Mark Lauderback as our guest speaker at the very FIRST live Networking Breakfast of 2021. Our event will be held Tuesday, August 10th at the Residence Inn by Marriott at 4931 Katella Avenue, Cypress/Los Alamitos starting at 7:30 a.m. and will follow all current protocols for attendee safety Chief Lauderback will share his impressions of the Cypress police department and give an update on issues impacting the business community and the safety of the city at large.

Lauderback began his law enforcement career in Westminster, rising though the ranks while handling a variety of assignments in that department. His senior management positions included Commander, Deputy Chief and finally Chief of the Westminster P.D. before coming to Cypress this year as the new Chief. He is also a longtime Cypress resident with a deep understanding of the needs of the Cypress Community. His children attended Cypress High School and currently attend Cypress College.

Reservations are highly recommended for the monthly breakfasts and can be made directly on the Cypress Chamber website by clicking on the link above. Cost of the breakfast is $25.00. Attendees are also encouraged to bring door prizes to promote their product or service. The program will include a meet and greet time, self-introductions, breakfast, speaker and a question and answer session if time permits.

The Chamber breakfasts, which are open to the public, are held on the second Tuesday of every month. Space will be limited – Reserve your space here: https://www.cypresschamber.org/events/details/august-networking-breakfast-2402

Children and immigration’s role in democracy

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Children and immigration’s role in democracy

By Lisa Geon, Yolitzma Gonzalez, Annette Martinez, Diana Moreno, Brenda Valencia

California State University, Long Beach

Scholars suggest that racism and xenophobia contribute to the humanitarian crisis of migration. Racism and xenophobia can lead individuals to think that the West is democratic and migrant people are not and negatively influence United States (U.S.) society. In addition, empirical literature has found that migrant parents are perceived as “unfit” parents in welfare services. This way of thinking can leave the community to believe that it is not in the country’s best interest to allow migrants to enter.

The number of unaccompanied children entering the United States without their parents continues to increase each year and has become an uprising point of discussion. In 2012 there were 24,403 unaccompanied children accounted for in the U.S.; in 2013, there were 38,759; in 2014, numbers nearly doubled to 68,541 unaccompanied minors in the U.S. Many of the children migrating to the U.S. come from Central America: Guatemala (32%), El Salvador (29%), Honduras (18%), and Mexico (20%). Further investigation on the statistics on unaccompanied children show in F.Y. 2020, 68% were male, and 32% female, 72% of the children were between the ages of 15-18, while the remaining 28% were between the ages of 0-14. Children take a massive risk by migrating to a new country where they may not speak the language and are fleeing violence, exploitation, and seeking socioeconomic opportunities. Others attempt to reunite with their parents and family members; however, the immigration system and policy implementation continue to separate families. Unaccompanied children’s migration journey also places these children in dangerous situations. It forces them to face the effects of migrating, leading to extreme disparities, constraints, physical and mental obstacles, complex at-risk life events threatening their life during their migration journey, and placed in unsuitable living placements when arriving in the U.S.

Children are exposed to physical and sexual assault, abandonment by travelers, powerless to find sanctuary and food, lack of placement for these children after arriving in the U.S. heightens the percentage of these unaccompanied children be exposed to continuing traumatic events even after stepping foot on U.S. soil. This vulnerable population is affected negatively by the structure of policies, lack of protection, lack of placement, mistreatment due to lack of legal access, inadequate education, and limited access to mental health assessment and services. Research shows that the U.S. governments faces barriers fostering, developing policies and regulations on health, social service, and legal systems to balance the welfare of the entering unaccompanied children.

In 2012, an attorney from the Women’s Refugee Commission interviewed 151 children detained in Texas and discovered “that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) still harassed them with racial slurs and insults’’. Children detained in immigration facilities are often forced to endure racism that leads to the maltreatment of immigrant children that can have long-term effects on their social, psychological, and emotional well-being. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 fails to secure the fair treatment of unaccompanied immigrant children under the care of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CBP. The criminalization of immigrants fuels the racist and xenophobic sentiment of native-born individuals toward the immigrant populations.

Criminalizing immigration has become the most popular justification for U.S. legislators to create unequal policies that affect the lives of immigrant individuals, children, and their families. In the 1980s, there was a need to expand detention centers in the U.S. to crack down on the increasing number of immigrants, where the central theme was to fight the war on drugs. While the Immigration Act of 1990 increased detention centers for immigrants, prisons were filled with offenders, both native-born individuals and immigrants, as mandated by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, among other laws. Nonetheless, illegal drugs and illegal aliens were often linked together and used in political discourse. During this time, immigrants became the scapegoat to defeating the war on drugs. Terrio (2015) reports that unaccompanied children had a sense of gratitude once detained, but this quickly shifted when inhumane acts were displayed toward them through verbal and physical abuse and inadequate food, bedding, or toiletry necessities. Educational curriculums also needed to be provided to these children within the centers but failed to do so. These children are a vulnerable population left to depend on facilities and providers since they are unaware of their entitled rights as someone seeking asylum.

Historical racism has contributed to the level of treatment given by these providers, where self-advocacy was discouraged, and other providers’ claims were also overlooked. Research demonstrates the lack of resources provided for these children within the facilities, such as not having access to education, appropriate housing, and inappropriate staff working at these detention centers. Recent political influences negatively impacted the resources provided, where unsanitary living conditions were overlooked and legal representation funds were not appropriately allocated. Despite having guidelines created to reinforce appropriate placement and legal representation, challenges such as language barriers hinder their ability to advocate for basic needs as well as inconsistency with follow through on legal services.

Policies that have been created and reinforced focus on ensuring children have a plan within 72 hours; however, with the arrival of more unaccompanied children, there has been a shift from short-term to other long-term facilities. These additional facilities practice inhumane treatment of children who are now kept for more extended periods in cruel ways that are degrading and similarly implemented in prisoner abuse. These centers go against policies that have been put into place, as evidenced by inadequate access to medical, dental, and mental health services. The current policies in place hold the Office of Refugee Resettlement responsible to “coordinate and implement care and placement of unaccompanied alien children”. However, unaccompanied children are at high risk for being re-traumatized when being placed in the current facilities as immigration officials are not prepared to take-in such high number of unaccompanied children entering the U.S.

Currently, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 does not address specific regulations that placement agencies and facilities should abide by to help undocumented children feel safe and secure. Unaccompanied children arrive in the U.S. with existing trauma from their home country and from traveling through often dangerous situations; it is therefore important to ensure that this vulnerable population be placed in facilities and homes that will mitigate their existing trauma. Currently, some children are being held in detention cells when they enter the U.S. and are then placed in larger institutional facilities where the staff oftentimes are not child welfare specialists. In addition, the current polices do not address a timeline for reunifying children with sponsors such as relatives or family friends who reside in the U.S. Media reports have shown that it takes months, sometimes years, for children to be reunited again with their parents or with family members living in the U.S. while the children await their legal immigration case to resolve. However, undocumented children have little to no legal recourse as the United States’ immigration system does not provide public defenders.

We make a public a call to the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Services, and Office of Refugee Resettlement to request the revision of the policies currently in place. We aim to request for the revised policies to reduce maltreatment and misplacements towards these vulnerable unaccompanied minors who are at a vulnerable developmental stage in their life striving to eliminate the inhumane conditions that unaccompanied children are often exposed to when apprehended by immigration officials. We suggest States to respond by creating uniform policies through the Department of Health and Human Services. These policies will provide instructions to Counties and Child Welfare agencies on how to provide mental health services, educate child welfare providers on how to address the concerns , and administer services to immigrant children. Furthermore, providing children with a free government-appointed attorney to represent them at court that considers the child’s ethnicity, culture, and native language to help navigate the legal system.

Should Gov. Newsom remain in office? We say no

For Event-News Enterprise
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Should Gov. Newsom remain in office? We say no

Dear Event-News Enterprise Editor,

Should Gov. Gavin Newsom remain in office, there is little doubt that another useless statewide mask mandate and anti-small business lockdown will be on the horizon.
The good news is that the Recall Newsom movement is a MULTI-PARTISAN celebration! The ballot is filled with candidates who are Democrats, Republicans and other parties/no party preference coming together to recall the failing Gov. Gavin Newsom. Of the official candidates, 24 are Republicans, 9 Democrats and 13 are other parties or no party preference.

It’s not just Newsom’s lack of leadership during the pandemic that has resulted in the recall vote, but the many other issues that have Californians anxious to recall Newsom. Here are few reasons that Democrats, Independents/no party preference and Republicans plan to vote yes on the recall:

· Highest state income tax in the nation
· Highest gas taxes in the nation
· Growing homeless population and only plan is to house in motels and hotels at taxpayer expense
· Making California a sanctuary state for illegal aliens
· Promoting ballot harvesting that enables election fraud to occur
· Strangling business regulations that cause companies to relocate
· Increasing violent crime with little accountability for lawbreakers
· Expanding COVID-19 economic restrictions, among the worst in the nation

West Orange County Republican Women Federated will be holding a “Summer of Love: Love to Recall Newsom” rally on Saturday, July 31 on Seal Beach Blvd. by the Shops at Rossmoor. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Californians from all parties (and even those with no party preference) are invited to don their favorite red, white and blue attire, wave their American flags and encourage the community to Recall Newsom.
The Recall Newsom is multi-partisan! Almost every party/non-party is represented! Whatever your party affiliation, join us on Saturday, July 31 to urge the community to

Recall Newsom.
Nancy Hathcock
Proud President
West Orange County Republican Women Federated

Historical truths help us understand

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Historical truths help us understand

From the 1930s through as recent as 50 years ago, blacks were systematically denied mortgages, insurance, loans, and financial services in particular neighborhoods all over the US, including Los Angeles. Maps were drawn with red lines outlining neighborhoods where investment were to not occur, and this practice was later termed “redlining”. This practice specifically targeted based on demographics and black people. Upper to middle income African Americans were denied loans that were given to lower income whites.

This occurred within the lifetimes of many residents of our neighborhood.
While redlining was outlawed in the 70s, the effects of this practice can still be seen today. Just visit Redfin and look at property prices, or look at school achievement scores, and those maps look exactly like the maps of redlining.

So now I have some questions. Was it racist for me to write this piece of local and recent history for people to learn it? Do people who weren’t targeted by redlining who learn this start hating themselves? Or does learning about things like this help us understand peoples’ economic situations in historically redlined areas?
Tarun Conner
Rossmoor

Lowenthal online gun violence forum is a virtual failure

For Event-News Enterprise
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Lowenthal online gun violence forum is a virtual failure

By Allen Keisner

On Monday evening July 12th Congressman Lowenthal held an online forum for constituents regarding increasing gun violence in our society. Guest panelists included: Long Beach police chief Robert Luna; LA FBI special agent Brian Gilhooly; Long Beach FBI agent Adam Smith; Long Beach Brady Campaign president Peggy McCrum; Long Beach Peace Makers co-founders Shirin Senegal and Steve Neal; and Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center Director Dr. Bita Ghafoori. The ostensible purpose was to determine if gun violence is actually increasing and if so what are the root causes and what should be done about it. In this regard this forum was a virtual failure.

Congressman Lowenthal questioned the increase in gun violence. Lowenthal asked ‘where is gun violence occurring?’ He must not be spending much time watching actual real news reporting on rising crime within our cities in particular in black urban areas. Unreported by the likes of CNN and MSNBC which ignore the topic for political correctness and which is only beginning to be covered by the evening national network news channels.

Chief Luna noted twice “I do not believe in mass incarceration.” Since criminal actions are committed by individuals justice demands that individual sentencing be made upon conviction by jury or judge. It is irrelevant that these individual actions in sum total to ‘mass incarceration’. Individuals must be held accountable for their actions and justice must be done for victims – victim: a word only used in passing in this panel discussion. The state must have sufficient jail accommodations to house criminals – not early release or so-called ‘social justice’ reform to reduce arbitrarily any specified criminal population back onto our streets to re-offend as many many do.

Chief Luna noted murders by criminals using guns are up nationally 30% year over year with aggravated assault up 90%. In Long Beach 20 murders to date: 90% or 18 using guns; 12 were gang violence, 5 homeless; 95% people of color. He observed that ‘the fire must be put out first’ but did not elaborate on how. Perhaps he should reconsider his comments about incarceration.

Over just the 4th of July weekend there were nearly 700 people shot in our inner cities with 270 killed. Chicago is awash in blood with 100+ shot then and 18 murdered. And another violent weekend there now resulting in 55 shot 11 killed including a beautiful 6 year old black girl who had big dreams. Gang bangers in the Windy City outnumber cops 10:1 at nearly 120,000 vs 12,000 cops. A rapper walking out of a Chicago jail was shot 64 times in a gang driveby. New York City declared a disaster emergency over the increasing death toll due to inner city violence there. The NY Post had a front page depicting ‘Teen Gang War’ in the hood. Philadelphia had 80 gunshot victims in the first week of July. Small city Rochester NY has had 37 homicides already. Nearly 300 murders by criminals using guns across the country last weekend per NBC. And earlier this week 3 wounded in a driveby shooting between gang bangers in Washington DC outside the Nationals baseball park. DC saw a dozen murders last weekend including yet another beautiful black girl shot down in front of her house. Now over 100 this year setting a record for DC. The police union there headed by a black chief excoriated the politicians there including the mayor who are more concerned with ‘wokeness’ than protecting the public.

Lead poisoning is the leading cause of death among young black males in the US followed by drug overdoses – not COVID-19. Inner city violence is often driven by illegal drugs which last year killed 90,000+ Americans. Where is the outrage over this? That’s another topic ignored by liberal Congressional members. Street gang violence using guns is often ignored except on the local nightly news while the national media focuses its outrage on periodic mass shootings by deranged individuals. But the numbers there pale in comparison to the nightly carnage in inner cities.

So yes Mr. Lowenthal gun violence is increasing at an astonishing rate. And these shootings happen regularly in your district. Channel 5 news recently had a report on families pleading for justice for their loved ones murdered in Long Beach including a pictorial entitled ‘Do you know who murdered us? Our lives mattered!’. 75% were black. 25% other races. Where is the emphasis on victims and their families? And justice for them? That was not addressed in this forum. Shame.
The FBI agents addressed the need for developing trust in the inner city community and relationships across local state and federal govts with investment for safe neighborhoods. Then measuring the results. Chief Luna noted that a map overlay of violence corresponds to a map of poverty. These statements ignore that investments in poverty area have been made several times before since 1960. Enterprise zones were created after the 1965 and 1993 LA riots. Business investment was tried with low interest loans, grants, federal HHS funding by $Bs. Yet failed because crime continued unabated except for the early 1990s when criminals were actually prosecuted and received long jail sentences with the support of legislation by President Clinton and then Senator Joe Biden. Too bad Biden now retracts his former tough on crime position – we are seeing the results of this playing out on our streets every day. And not the case with Gov Newsom releasing 65,000 criminals early from their sentences under Proposition 47 and inexcusable bs about COVID-19 infection. Releasing criminals early to prevent them from contracting the disease is ludicrous as they will likely get infected if not vaccinated and in addition pose a threat again to the public. Yet another reason to bounce Gov Newsom out in the September recall. Liberal judges are complicit in this early release which threatens public safety by known repeat offenders who will continue to offend knowing there is no punishment imposed or maintained for their actions.

The FBI agents did note that designating violent gangs as RICO offenders would enable better arrests and prosecutions. That should have been done decades ago. The agents stated the obvious: violent criminals need to be held accountable. The agents noted the increasing availability to criminals of ‘ghost guns’ manufactured by printers and hence unregistered. More laws focusing on restricting gun purchases by law abiding citizens will not help. There are already so many laws especially in Democratic states and cities like CA, NY, PA, IL, MI and LA, NYC, Chicago yet criminals obtain guns illegally. It is not the gun. It is the hand that pulls the trigger. Famed newsman Geraldo Rivera states this is ‘the civil rights issue of our time – stopping inner city violence particularly in the black community’. Harsh consequences must be imposed on criminals using guns in violent assaults and murders. Otherwise as we are readily witnessing due to the clarion calls for defunding the police by so-called ‘social justice warriors’ society will experience increasing rates of serious crime ultimately leading to a return to the Old West of chaos and vigilantism.

The sentiment of investment in the community for health and education was echoed by Mr. Neal. Note that each year the federal govt spends >$1T yes >$1T on HHS and Dept of Education budgets directed at inner city populations already. California spends >$80B per year on social programs. Why have these annual investments not reduced the epidemic of violence in cities? This subject too was ignored in the discussion. Ms. Senegal noted deaths by black men due to gun violence starting in 1969 have been the leading cause of death in the community. Of criminals arrested 75% return to prison. She wants the $400M Long Beach police budget to be in part redirected. Chief Luna responded his budget has been cut to $264M this year. Then she commented this is due to systemic economic and health inequities. Blaming ‘society’ is easy as it removes the element of personal responsibility and ignores a citizen’s duty to obey the law. She notes it costs $70,000/yr to incarcerate a criminal so we must better use our tax dollars for societal reentry programs and we must reimagine public safety. The issue is then what will be the cost in new victim blood and community treasure when so many criminals go on to re-offend knowing punishment is minor. What incentive do criminals have not to remain criminals? She admitted though that she wants to see the murderer of her husband kept in jail. Condolences on her loss. That is indeed the correct policy. Some liberal politicians in Sacramento however want even murderers to be paroled. Mr. Neal noted that more youth programs and economic apprenticeship hiring programs need to be put in place. He said a comprehensive system must be created for housing, jobs, community organization funding. We can try that again. Chief Luna urged return to midnight basketball and police, fire, parks department explorer scout, DARE programs. But we must be realistic as to the effectiveness of these efforts in truly curbing inner city violence.

But those ignore the real social reform needed within inner city communities: keeping fathers in families (exact opposite of what BLM organization Marxists state in their manifesto), building generational wealth, staying in school to get an education, civics classes in schools not divisive CRT, developing work skills to obtain a good job, respecting law and order as citizen responsibility, staying out of gangs, not using illegal drugs, having good character as MLK said is the cornerstone of being judged by others not race, color, ethnicity, or faux equity. None of these goals and solutions were addressed in the panel discussion. They do not fit the ‘woke’ narrative being pushed in society today by ‘activists’. How about bringing back a tried a true solution which used to be imposed by judges offering repeat misdemeanor and minor felony criminals: service in the US military or Civilian Conservation Corps or other public service entity for two or more years? Vs. sentencing to jail time with no early parole. That would instill discipline and self-respect and provide work ethic and job skills for effective reentry into society. Dr. Ghafoori noted funding for mental health services has declined significantly over time. Resources wasted on ineffective programs must be redirected here. She said we must teach our kids to make better decisions.

A black police officer in Charleston SC said it best. He noted when he went to court for a criminal trial all the participants were black: himself, the judge, the prosecutor, the defendant counsel, the defendant. The officer noted each individual person in that courtroom made a choice. That is how all would come to be judged – figuratively and yes at times literally. That is how it should be. As MLK urged us in his great 1963 speech in Washington DC.

So what solutions did this forum conclude to reduce gun violence now? Same old same old. More social programs which have not proven effective in halting the carnage in our inner cities. Lowenthal believes if only we have more restrictions on guns then the problem will magically go away: ‘What can be solved with government legislation?’ According to a recent estimate there are more than 400 million privately owned guns in the US – more that the total population. There were approximately 38,500 deaths by firearm in the US according to the CDC in 2018. According to DOJ 24,000 of these were the result of suicide. So criminals with guns kill 15,000-20,000 people each year. That is wholly tragic. If it were the guns themselves our streets would be absolutely unlivable. That is not the case. 99.99% of the public are law abiding citizens relying on the criminal justice system – police, courts, prisons – to punish the hand that pulls the trigger. When Lowenthal asked the panel again what can be done to stop the violence now – no one added anything else. Very telling. Very disturbing.

Yes background checks are necessary. The FBI agents are right to curtail ‘ghost guns’. Community programs can be helpful. But consider the Parkland FL school mass shooting. The perpetrator had two dozen incidents on file of antisocial behavior – several very serious misdemeanors. Each time the school board overlooked his transgressions and did not imposed harsh penalties such as juvenile lockup instead detention, suspension, counseling. This approach proved fatal when he snapped. At the minimum he should have been sent away for a long time to a mental institution or even prison beforehand. Police cannot continue to re-arrest violent offenders only to see lenient or politically correct courts release them to again harm the public.

There are solutions that can be implemented to stop the cancer of violence on our streets:
Police: RICO gangs and remove them from the community forthwith to jail; increase foot patrols within community; activate substations within communities every 6 blocks; hold many more community outreach with police events including within schools and business forums

Courts: enforce law not legislate from the bench; reduce time for appeals; stop early release

Govt: reverse Proposition 47 and related soft on crime measures; pass legislation on using gun go to jail for 10 years no parole; fund 100,000 new individual jail cells in new prisons; reverse release of 65,000 criminals until sentence served; end bail reform efforts which are undermining public safety; bring back 3 strikes; reinstitute death penalty for heinous crimes to achieve justice for victims and families; provide significant funding to expand not defund police ranks
Public: as parents educate your kids to respect law and obey the police; ensure your school has a mandatory civics course on citizen duties and responsibilities in society; and most importantly figure out how to vote – for those who want to protect the public not serve ‘woke’ special interests and agendas.
This online forum on gun violence and solutions was a virtual failure. As citizens we expect more from our elected representatives and public officials. An ability to face reality. Not lip service to check a box. But there will be a box we all can check soon come Novembers.

Alan Keisner is a resident of Rossmoor

Teofilo’s Filipino Coffee shop opens in Los Alamitos

Loreen Berlin
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Teofilo’s Filipino Coffee shop opens in Los Alamitos

(As told by Ron Dizon)
“Teofilo is my tatang’s (grandfather’s) name, and my name is Ron Dizon, his grandson.
“Our story began with a dinner napkin,” Dizon shared. “I remember when my mom sparked a conversation about coffee from the Philippines – wait – coffee from the Philippines?

That was 2017, the moment that turned into an obsession to figure out why and how, and that’s when my curiosity hit the gas pedal and all I could think about was finding what Filipino Coffee was all about.”

: Members of the Los Alamitos Community, Los Alamitos Police Department with Chief Eric Nunez and members of the Los Alamitos and Cypress Chambers of Commerce gathered for a Ribbon Cutting at the “Teofilo” Philippine Coffee Company, 10525 Los Alamitos Blvd., Wednesday, June 30, orchestrated by the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce. Children of the Owner Ron Dizon were the official ribbon cutters; Blake, 10, Nicolas, 6 and Danica, 12.

Dizon said he spent late nights researching and learning about the one crop that resides in the Philippines and in the midst of researching, he was introduced to the Aeropress, which changed how he felt about coffee.”Let me tell you, this is something you have to experience for yourself,” he said.

Dizon said there was something about the discovery process that shifted his attitude as a Filipino-American.

“My parents brought me to the United States when I was four-years-old. Though I grew up in a Filipino household, it was heavily influenced by the American lifestyle,” he explained. “I used to feel embarrassed being part of the ‘Filipino things and innuendos;’ however, in maturing, I’ve learned a lot from that upbringing. In being part of the generation of Filipino-Americans, the obsession of Filipino Coffee turned into a passion that made me want to give back to the Philippines.”

Dizon explained that the Philippines used to be a well-known worldwide coffee supplier during the early 1900s. “Let’s remind ourselves that coffee is the ‘number two’ commodity in the world,” he continued. “This recognition drastically took a turn when ‘coffee-rust’ decimated nearly all of the coffee bean farmland.”

Going on to explain more about coffee beans, Dizon said, “Compared to other countries, there are four-species that exist in the 7,000-plus islands of mostly volcanic rock in the Philippines, which include Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa and Liberica,” he said. “Most countries just have Arabica.”

Starting out, they began roasting their Filipino coffee beans at the Farmers Markets; however, currently they use a Fluid-Bed Clean Hot Air Roaster to roast all of their coffees, in order to offer the cleanest and most efficient roasting.

The Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce orchestrated a “Ribbon Cutting” for the “Teofilo” Philippine Coffee Company, 10525 Los Alamitos Blvd. Pictured from left are members of Owner Ron Dizon’s family; sister Jennifer, cousin Elaine, sons Blake, 10, and Nicolas, 6; wife Marie, daughter Danica, 12; parents Winnie and Fred Dizon.

“The roaster, which is approximately six-feet-tall and is the width of a wooden cargo pallet, was always with us at the Farmers Markets. We enjoyed sharing the process with the people. Along with the Markets, we also served our coffee at different pop-ups during catering, and other private and public events.”

Dizon said he never thought he would be getting into the coffee nor roasting business; however, here he is with a complete understanding that it would-be and is a challenge. “It took a lot of discipline and mental preparation to be ready for where we are now.”
He said running their own business in Los Alamitos, has propelled their plan forward for putting Filipino coffee back on the map.

“Now I can drink coffee black,” my Tito (Uncle) said, when I served him Filipino coffee the other day. Dizon said that’s the expression they want from everyone. “We’re very passionate about this because it’s the quality that created the name for coffee from the Philippines in the first place.”

Their goal is to keep coffee in its purest form, and they love encouraging and emphasizing the ability to experience moments like those.

“Anything is possible if you set your mind to it.”

Teofilo Coffee Company Los Alamitos, CA 90720 – Menu, 51 Reviews and Photos – Restaurantji

All photos by Loreen Berlin

Aquarium restarts Los Cerritos restoration program

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Aquarium restarts Los Cerritos restoration program

The Aquarium of the Pacific has announced a resumption of the in-person effort to remove non-native plants and trash to help restore the Los Cerritos Wetlands at this all-ages Aquarium-hosted volunteer opportunity offered monthly on the first Saturday of each month.

The Aquarium of the Pacific hosts a monthly habitat restoration event at the Los Cerritos Wetlands. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Stewardship Program is working to restore 66 acres of wetlands owned by the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority.

The program’s ongoing restorative activities have included removing non-native plants, planting native plants, collecting seeds from rare plants for later use, and collecting trash. Restoring local wetlands helps the animals that rely on them for habitat, like amphibians, reptiles, and birds.

These events are led by trained naturalists and local educators, offering an opportunity for people to learn more about the Los Cerritos Wetlands, while getting hands-on involvement with the restoration. Everyone is welcome to participate.

Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Closed-toe shoes are required. Hat and sunscreen are recommended. Drinking water will be provided, but this is a plastic water bottle-free event. Please bring a reusable water bottle.

The aquarium announced the program will be held on the following Saturdays; August 7, September 4, October 2, November 6, and December 4, 2021, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Participants will be greeted by Los Cerritos Wetlands staff at the corner of Pacific Coast Hwy and 1st Street in Seal Beach. Arriving around 10:15 a.m. is recommended, according to a news release.

The cost is free and there are no reservations required.

For more info, visit ww*************@************ce.com / aquariumofpacific.org/events/info/los_cerritos_wetlands_habitat_restoration/
The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is a community gathering place where diverse cultures and the arts are celebrated and where important challenges facing our planet are explored. The Aquarium is dedicated to conserving and building nature and nature’s services by building the interactions between and among peoples.

Home to more than 12,000 animals, Aquarium exhibits include Shark Lagoon, the June Keyes Penguin Habitat, Pacific Visions, and the Coral Reefs: Nature’s Underwater Cities exhibition. Beyond its animal exhibits, the Aquarium offers educational programs for people of all ages, including a variety of lectures by guest speakers. The Aquarium offers memberships with unlimited FREE admission for 12 months and other special benefits. To make a donation to help support the Aquarium, please visit Pacific.to/donate.
To visit, advance reservations are required for everyone and can be made at aquariumofpacific.org or by calling (562) 590-3100. The Aquarium of the Pacific is located at 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802.

LAUSD plans traditional reopen, Lions teachers honored

David N. Young
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LAUSD plans traditional reopen, Lions teachers honored

The Los Alamitos Unified School system is planning a traditional return to school, District Superintendent Andrew Pulver said during his report at the most recent meeting of the Board of Education.

LASUD plans “full day, five days a week in a traditional setting,” said Pulver, including recess and lunch during the day. Also, he said, pre-pandemic transportation and childcare options will return for parents.

In addition, Pulver said, the system will nearly double the mental health counselors available within the system during the next school year.

“I’m proud our board made the decision to nearly double mental health support,” said Pulver. He said the move will provide social and emotional support for students, many of whom may have a difficult time readjusting after the pandemic.

The LAUSD meeting was held before the most recent ruling by the California Department of Health mandating the wearing of facemasks, so there was no outline of pandemic-era guidance for students. The board is expected to discuss the matter at their meeting this week or in late July.

Pulver also commended many of the heroes of the 2020-21 school year, such as Heroes of the Heart, and expressed concern that because of the pandemic, the accolades and attention normally garnered by their award did not always happen.

He thanked the winners, parents and everyone involved for helping get the system through a very tough year. “You have my heartfelt thanks for your patience, understanding and support,” said Pulver.

“This is an extraordinary community of students, educators, staff, administrators and families that work together,” said Pulver. “People are the heart of our district.”

Also this week, Carrie Logue of the Los Alamitos Educational Foundation introduced various STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) initiatives to the board.
Finally, the board recognized the certificated teachers awarded by Seal Beach Lions Club, which has become an annual event.

They include:
Hopkinson Elementary – Sarah Lee
Lee Elementary – Wendy Cook
Los Alamitos Elementary – Wendy Perrizo
Rossmoor Elementary – Lisa Kral
Weaver Elementary – Tanyra Simundza
McGaugh elementary – Tracy Wallace
Oak Middle School – Morgan Siegman
McAulifffe Middle School – Nicole Manly
Los Al High School – Sondra Bright
District Office – Evelyn Garcia

The California Department of Health has ordered state schools to mandate face masks for students and the ENE will have an update on the LAUSD reaction next week.

Frustrated Rossmoor residents, officials, express frustration with leadership

David N. Young
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Frustrated Rossmoor residents, officials, express frustration with leadership

Frustrated Rossmoor residents turned out Tuesday to express their disappointment for RCSD’s leadership supporting a controversial and potentially confrentational event to the community of Rossmoor, lashing out for putting the bedroom community at what they considered unnecessary risk.

Although the five directors of the Rossmoor Community Services District voted 3-2 to allow the Orange County Board of Education to file an application to hold an “educational forum” on Critical Race Theory at its Rush Park facility, the “six-figure” estimate of security costs to keep the peace at the hearing promoted OCBE to withdraw their Rush Park rental application this week.

Residents first expressed concern during a June 22 special RCSD meeting which had been called to discuss the pending OCBE application.

Ken Williams, Jr., then President of OCBE suggested in testimony then that Rush Park, because of the auditorium’s 500 seating capacity, was the most suitable location for the two forums. He called Rush Park an “incredible auditorium.”

At the end of the acrimonious June 22 meeting, RCSD President Dr. Jeffrey Barke, whose spouse Mari Barke is now President of the OCBE, made a motion to allow the proposed hearing in Rossmoor on July 27 to move forward, “with a request, not a requirement” for the OCBE to seek a different venue for the August 24 meeting.

Directors Barke, Mark Nitikman and Tony DeMarco voted in favor.

Directors Jeffrey Rips and Nathan Searles opposed the motion.

This week, during the RCSD’s regular meeting, many of the residents opposed to the meeting, who turned out June 22, were back again, this time critical of President Barke’s leadership, suggesting his continued campaign against LAUSD was having negative consequences for Rossmoor.

Barke, who served three terms on the Los Alamitos Unified School District before losing his seat in 2018, has been super critical of the district in regards to their vote to offer an elective course on ethnic studies.

Barke was appointed as a RCSD director in 2019 and was elected President by directors after he ran first among RCSD candidates in the 2020 election.

Residents like Del Clark, who served on both the LAUSD and the OCBE during her career, were back to express their anger and disappointment at the recent series of events.

Before making her comment, however, Clark asked Barke if he carried his pistol to the meetings? “I heard you might be carrying a gun,” said Clark. (Barke had achieved some notoriety during the pandemic for a YouTube video in which he decried facemasks and held up his pistol, saying he would prefer to see people with a concealed handgun rather than a face mask).

“It’s not a question I’m going to answer,” said Barke. “I think you’ve answered it,” said Clark. “It’s pretty scary,” she added.

Nevertheless, she called the proposed OCBE forum in Rossmoor a “setup,” labeling the attempted CRT forum in Rossmoor “the Barke dog and pony show.”
Another questioned Barke’s “fear mongering” and predictions of “gloom and doom.”

“What kind of leader predicts gloom and doom for the community,” asked resident Jamie

Sells, questioning Barke’s recent editorial missive. Barke and a Seal Beach resident, Staci Muller, posted an email from LAUSD Board President Marlys Davidson suggesting in an editorial last week, among other things, that if homeowners want to sell, they should at least do it at the top of the market.

“You have crossed the line,” Sells said to Barke, noting he thought the letter was negative for Rossmoor. As he pointed out that Barke signs the letters as President of the RCSD, he asked: “How does a leader benefit from his own organization’s demise,” and “do we, the residents of Rossmoor, benefit from the archaic tactic of fear mongering,” he asked?

“I hope we never know the answer,” said Sells.

“Your job is to represent the community as whole, not your personal agenda,” he added.
Amy Lansbury was critical of multiple Barke letters to the editor, one in which Barke was critical of LAHS students who had penned an essay printed in the ENE favoring the ethnic studies course, as well as the most recent letter claiming the existence of the course would lead to a drop in real estate value in LAHS-adjacent neighborhoods.

“You called our students liars,” said Lansbury, noting that was inappropriate “for our president to be disparaging to our children.” And in the one this week, she said, “you are disparaging our property.” Please do not disparage Rossmoor,” she pleaded with Barke.
Drew Sells, a LAHS teacher, told Barke “our community and our students need protection from you. You have denigrated the board (LAUSD) on which you served for 12 years, so how can anyone trust you?”

Joel Block suggested all governments need to be more transparent, seemingly not directing his complaint directly against RCSD. “Instead of trying to circumvent people,” said Block.

“It is critical to our democracy,” he said.

Other residents, Bob Knapp and Jim D’Ambrosio appeared to discuss parking issues, with both complaining about Seal Beach residents encroaching on the parking in Rossmoor.
None of the residents who supported having the OCBE meeting in Rossmoor at the June 22 hearing appeared on Tuesdsay.

Moreover, Barke was again criticized by Director Rips, with whom he had a very sharp exchange at the June 22 meeting, at which he suggested the whole idea to bring OCBE to Rossmoor was political, a charge which Barke denied.

When, Barke tried to skip over the OCBE agenda item because the rental application had been withdrawn, Rips objected. “There are things I want to say,” he told the President.

“We had a chance to do the right thing (rejecting the application) but we chose not to do the right thing,” said Rips. He said if the board was only to judge the OCBE application on its technical construction, then “why did we consider limiting it to one (forum). I haven’t been able to get my hands around why we collectively made that decision.”

He said President Barke suggested a rationale for the OCBE hearing was because “people on the left” are going to have a voice, intending that the “educational forum” would balance that out. “This is not supposed to be politicized,” said Rips, bemoaning the fact that the entire OCBE affair has been “incredibly laced with some level of hypocrisy.”

He, like many residents who spoke at the meeting, suggested the President’s action in attempting to bring danger to the community was not “the leadership we need from our President.”

Rips got a huge ovation from the assembled group within the Rush Park auditorium where RCSD meets when he suggested that in the future, “we keep our eyes where they are supposed to be.”

Oral communications are not “agendized” items, so Barke could not respond directly, although he has responded in an editorial section of this website.

A few speakers had other issues that were assigned to committees for further study.

LAHS QB Malachi Nelson commits to Oklahoma

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LAHS QB Malachi Nelson commits to Oklahoma

The Los Alamitos High School Griffins standout junior quarterback Malachi Nelson honored his parents this weekend by announcing his collegiate football choice on Sunday, his parents’ anniversary.

The event was streamed live by CBS Sports as the highly recruited Los Al QB made his announcement.

“I very excited to announce my commitment to one school,” said Nelson, adding that “ I felt comfortable with the (University of Oklahoma) staff.”
During the CBS Sports livestreamed event, Nelson went on to announce his “commitment to the University of Oklahoma.”

The big quarterback, who is six foot, three inches tall had been recruited by many colleges and had reportedly narrowed his choices to Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, USC, Notre Dame and Florida State in addition to Oklahoma before making a final decision.

Nelson said his last visit to Norman, Oklahoma, the home of the University of Oklahoma, was “cool,” noting that he “loved everything about it.”

Nelson said he hoped the early commitment would help the Sooners recruit other players to join him when he arrives at the University of Oklahoma collegiate football program in a couple of years. The good news for Griffins is that he still has two years to lead the local football team before heading off Sooner way.

According to reports, the top ranked Griffin QB is currently ranked 2nd in the USA, only behind Arch Manning, of Louisiana, the grandson of longtime Saints great Archie Manning.

LAEF Summer Enrichment Institute returns with record numbers

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LAEF Summer Enrichment Institute returns with record numbers

Each year, LAEF’s Summer Enrichment Institute (SEI) is an essential part of summer for Los Al parents and students alike, offering fun and educational learning opportunities for students in grades TK-12, and a much-needed break for their parents.

Following an unprecedented school year and Virtual SEI last year due to COVID-19, kids and teachers were thrilled to come together at Rossmoor Elementary School and McAuliffe Middle School for in-person enrichment.

LAEF’s first session of SEI was launched on June 28 and Session 2 began on July 12, offering 120 fun and academic enrichment classes to more than 600 students from TK – 8th grade. Session 2 wraps up on July 23.

Elementary students enjoyed Jumpstart classes for TK-5th grade, It’s STEAM-tastic, Wonderful World of Science, Computer Literacy and Coding, Musical Theater, Summer Food Exploration, Spanish, French, Cheerleading, Sports Wheel, Percussion Playground, martial arts and so much more! Middle School offerings included Adulting 101, Coding and Game Creation, Engineering and Robotics, The Wonderful World of Science and Get Organized.

“We are so excited to give families the opportunity to help their kids transition back into the classroom following a difficult school year,” stated Carrie Logue, LAEF Executive Director. “We are thrilled to experience a record number of participants this summer and are always committed to providing enrichment opportunities for every Los Al student, whether or not their family can afford the class fees. LAEF was proud to enrich the learning experience of 67 additional students this summer through tuition scholarships made possible by generous donors like the Roosters Foundation of Orange County and the Miller Foundation,” she concluded. For more information on scholarships, visit LAEF4Kids.org/scholarships.

LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to children in grades Pre-K to 12. LAEF provides significant funding for STEAM teachers and instruction, as well as igniting new programs and providing valuable resources, to impact all students. For more information, visit www.LAEF4kids.org or call (562) 799-4700 Extension 80424.

Honoring Kaj Mutrais, a hero on the front line of COVID-19

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Honoring Kaj Mutrais, a hero on the front line of COVID-19

By Vickie Wagstaff

Recently the South Coast Interfaith Council (SCIC) held its 3rd Annual Gala.
The theme was, “Celebrating the Awakening of Human Connection.”

Along with music, dance and inspired messages, they honored five COVID-19 heroes.
One of those was Kaj Mutrais, a resident of Cypress, who spent his time on the front lines at Newport Bay Hospital as a music therapist.

Steve Mauss, 2nd Councilor in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cypress, knew Mr. Mutrais well. Mutrais’ tribute was one of two read during the evening.
The following are the words of Steve Mauss, which includes a personal experience with Mr. Mutrais that touched his entire family:

“There are some who bring a light to the world so great that, even after they have gone, the light remains. This was Kaj Mutrais.

Kaj “Birdie” Mutrais was born in 1973 to parents Lugsana (Lug-sah-nah) and Prawit (Praw-wit) Mutrais.

Kaj loved music and those who were privileged to enjoy his music loved it too.
He used his gifts to bless the lives of thousands. His work at Newport Bay Hospital as a music therapist helped so many overcome great difficulties in their lives.

In one such case, his remarkable gifts were used to calm the mind of my now-departed mother who was suffering from late-stage Alzheimer’s. When Kaj noticed the last name of the patient, he immediately assigned her case to himself and took special care of her. His work allowed her to return to normal care and be visited by her family.

Of course, no words will ever be able to express the gratitude we all have for the ‘magic’ this hero was able to work, using music to bring light, even to those who had very little light left.

It was while serving in the Music Therapy Department that Kaj contracted COVID-19 in May 2020. He died in June from a COVID-related heart attack.

In April 2010, Kaj was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a part of the Elders Quorum as a teacher, as well as having served in the Church’s temple. He coordinated music and choral events, including concerts and musicals. His humble light was felt by everyone.

All who knew Kaj also knew of the great love he had for his daughter, Juliana. She was always with him, whether it was sports games, movie nights with his friends, or theater practices.

We all could see the same light in Juliana’s eyes that was emanating from Kaj’s. He loved her so deeply and it was always a joy to see them together.

Kaj and his family

Eventually, Kaj added to his little family – a rescue dog, named Timber. Kaj made sure his dog donned the same sports attire and accessories of his favorite sports teams, that he also wore. There is not a dog in the world that was as spoiled and loved as Timber was by Kaj.

Kaj spent his time in the service of others. He gave so much of himself to help his community. He was a remarkable father, son, brother, friend, and protector.

In the end, he laid down his life for others in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
He will be forever remembered, and forever missed.”

Discarding 6070 votes for four people to decide

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Discarding 6070 votes for four people to decide

Dear Editor:

With just 1-1/2 years remaining on Stacy Berry’s former Cypress City Council seat, it makes no sense that the Council didn’t give the open seat to Carrie Hayashida, who had the third most votes in the last election. I follow Dr. Martin Luther King’s preference for focusing on a person’s character, so I didn’t consider Ms. Hayashida because she is Asian (re the growing Asian population in Cypress). My reasoning is that she had the third most votes in an election that took place just six-plus months ago for two open seats.
The people of Cypress spoke just six-plus months ago!

Since the Cypress City Council obviously has lots of time on its hands and prefers conducting an interview process, I want confirmation that EVERY applicant must commit to serving out the term. In fact, in future city elections for all positions, every candidate (incumbent or challenger) should promise that they will complete their term short of a personal/family crisis or medical emergency.

Ms. Hiyashida received 6,070 votes that the Cypress City Council is now going to discard and instead let FOUR PEOPLE – Mayor Jon Peat, Mayor Pro Tem Paulo Morales, Councilmember Anne Hertz and Councilmember Frances Marquez – elect the next city councilmember. Basically, that means the vote to fill the open Cypress City Council seat will be 6,066 votes for Carrie Hayashida to 4 votes for whoever the city council selects.
Sincerely,

Dr. Barke’s intellectually dishonest argument

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Dr. Barke’s intellectually dishonest argument

Dear Editor,

I have been following the opinion letters the past 2 months regarding the diversity elective course(s) to be offered by the Los Alamitos School District. There is considerable disinformation and propaganda being put forth and want to set the record straight: NO CRITICAL RACE THEORY COURSES ARE BEING TAUGHT in the UNITED STATES in K-12, nor are the Los Al administrators putting forth a CRT curriculum. (CRT originated as a law school field of study 40 years ago for examining systemic racism in a legal framework.) The term CRT has been weaponized by Fox News (after a conservative activist Chris Cofo made mention last year) with over 2,000 mentions over the past six months. The phrase “CRT” is ambiguous enough to launch unwarranted fears that any thoughtful examination of racial problems is “anti-American.” It is shameful that in an increasingly diverse country, with a history of slavery, etc, a group of mostly white parents are falsely trying to stigmatize any attempt at greater understanding of our country’s history.

Let’s examine some of the false rhetoric being put forth. The courses being considered by Los Al have been labeled “Marxist leaning” (what does that even mean?!) (Nancy Hitchcock, ENE 7-?-21), “anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, anti-American” (Jeff Barke, Staci Muller ENE 7-14-21) and remarkably, twenty seven “West OC Republicans” signed their name to a letter calling the program “racist” (Karen Swenson, et al. ENE 5-19-21) There have been thousands of words written by these individuals and yet there have been ZERO EXAMPLES from the proposed textbook and literature even remotely being racist or “anti” anything. (I’ve perused the primary textbook ““A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America” by Ronald Takaki, a 27 year old seminal text about racism. I couldn’t find a single example of “racist or anti-American’’ rhetoric.) If there was anything actually racist in the proposed curriculum, wouldn’t one of these dozens of individuals have cited them from the course curriculum? Of course, but since the program has been thoughtfully curated, they are incapable of any such examples. Would Los Alamitos Supt. Andrew Pulver or Deputy Superintendent Reed risk their jobs or reputations promoting a program that “White People are bad and that America is a racist country” (Eleanor Howard ENE 6-23-21) Of course not. It takes the smallest amount of critical thinking to put a finer point on it: conservative parents are objecting to factual teachings of American history because they want their kids to think racism doesn’t exist.

Where is the fear-mongering (“so many people are leaving Rossmoor because of the critical race theory stuff.” Barke, Muller ENE 7-14-21) emanating from? Is it identity politics, have their brains been pickled by Fox News, or is it just a lack of an actual review of the proposed materials? My guess is a combination of the three, and yet whether they realize it or not, censoring a course about diversity is in itself a form of systemic racism. America can no longer indulge the white fantasy that racial issues are inconsequential and in an increasingly diverse country, with a complex history and most significantly, where a black man was murdered for 9 minutes on camera last year; we urgently need to prepare our future leaders (including police women/men) so they can meet the challenges that await them. Studies have shown that age appropriate discussions for young people leads to greater understanding and minimizes racism. Education won’t get rid of racism, but it’s a start.

This white grievance about a benign elective course for high school seniors is just the tip of the iceberg. Even more dangerous for our democracy is that the R. party is now willing to spread lies down to even school board issues. Let’s examine the two letters by Mr. Barke, who has been spearheading these untruths about the proposed curriculum. (Barke, by the way, ten years ago questioned (while a member of the school board) that global warming is actually occurring and that it is primarily caused by human activity. We are, of course, a degree or two in average temperature away from a global catastrophe and 99% of scientists agree that it is human generated ). Barke puts forth the intellectually dishonest argument that since he, and his white family (and friends) haven’t encountered racism, xenophobia, or sexism, he infers it either doesn’t exist or is inconsequential in Los Alamitos. Stunningly, Barke then has the audacity to hide behind Martin Luther King by claiming “parents are concerned about LAUSD stomping King’s call to be judged …by the content of their character…” This is false equivalency at best, and just a disturbing and untruthful co-opting of one of America’s greatest moral leaders for identity politics. Finally, Barke’s arrogance continues with the idea that students “have little wisdom or perspective” to be allowed to even comment or have opinions on educational curriculum (ENE 6-23-21).
Ironically, what gives me hope for the health of our democracy is that these students speak eloquently for the need for diversity studies in our community and are not afraid to be exposed to new ideas and the actual truth. They are fortunately much wiser and attuned to our contemporary problems than these much older white citizens.

Tom Moore
Cypress

We should be concerned about harsh tones and opinions

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We should be concerned about harsh tones and opinions

Dear Editor,

I have read with interest the back and forth discourse regarding the Los Alamitos High School (LAHS) elective curriculum on ethnic studies. We should all be concerned over the increasingly harsher tones and opinions regarding the subject, potentially alienating individuals, family members, generations, neighbors, all small town citizens who should be tolerant and helping each other out when in need.

My perspective is coming from a background of having lived in Seal Beach for over 36 years, and with two now adult children, who received an excellent education (including the opportunity of participating in the then on-site Orange County High School of Arts [OCHSA] during their high-school years) within the LAUSD.

So, first the facts as per usnews.com. The high school is ranked #160 (top 10%) in California. Math proficiency is about 58%, and reading proficiency is above 80%. The student body is diverse, by ethnicity/race: 49% White, 26% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 6% 2 or more races, 3% black, 1% native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, with 17% of students classified as economically disadvantaged.

Now for the hotly debated (by many from outside of our district, with no stake at all in the well-being of our children or our neighborhood) ethnic studies curriculum.

On the LAUSD website I could not find the LAUSD board-approved curriculum for the non-mandatory, elective ethnic studies course, which is available only for students who had already taken history courses. After searching on Google, https://event-newsenterprise.com/lausd-ethnic-studies-curriculum-now-on-public-preview/ revealed the recommended material prior to approval. The basic course book was written by an acclaimed expert Ronald Takaki, with the text inclusive of a multicultural perspective (I browsed chapter titles, but confess of not having read the book). I had read the recommended article on white privilege by Cory Collins, which I have found factual. There is no material on Critical Race Theo-ry.

It would serve the LAUSD Board well to link the approved and final ethnic studies curriculum to the website for all to see.

Away from the subject of LAHS curriculum however, one should really pay attention to the previously approved non-mandatory Social Justice Standards “tool” aimed to assist with younger students, (available at losal.org). The “tool” helps teachers to address race and gen-der. When it comes to religion and health, however, it falls short on appropriate and time-relevant guidance, as illustrated below.

For K-2, a Christian girl’s situational conversation about being religious ends with “ I can feel good about myself without being mean or making other people feel bad”. Why would a child even think that he/she should not be comfortable being a Christian? Having an in-school dis-cussion about being mean in this context probably intends to avoid expression of superiority to others. Such discussions however, primarily belong to the home of 5-7 year old kids.

For the 3-5 grade level, and example is a boy who always sits alone at lunch while frequently coughing. Two kids observing him plan to socialize with him to get to know him and make him feel better. The story implies that his loneliness and the cough is related to being disadvan-taged. As a physician, my first thought would be to be careful, help him with his cough through discussion with a teacher, who should then send the child to the school nurse for advise and the need for medical assessment. This example is particularly outdated during the pandemic.

A 6-8 Grade level scenario is particularly wrong in its message. Patrick is Christian, and he is interested in other religious beliefs and practices. He asks for advise from his Sunday school teacher, who assures him that he can be Christian and befriend and learn from people of dif-ferent religions. “In fact, the teacher’s best friend of thirty years is a Jewish woman she grew up with!” Teaching tolerance and explaining that different religions and people can coexist and respect each other is a must, but this example is equal to ‘I cannot be a racist because I have a Black, Asian, American Indian, etc, friend.’

While well-intended, with young kids-most of whom would describe a friend when asked about as wearing glasses, cool shoes, etc, rather than by race-being much more impressionable than high-schoolers, the Social Justice Standards is in need of serious revisions.

Back to LAHS and the recent correspondences: It is uncalled for for a white student from LAUSD to feel the need to apologize for the privilege she inherited and for living in a nice neighborhood; her parents worked hard for such. On the other side, arguing that the curriculum will decrease property values is flying in the face of double digit price hikes in Seal Beach, Rossmoor, and all around us. What could decrease property values is the constant bickering and spiritually militarized “discussions” on any subject, be that education, race, religion, or inequality, not to mention politics, regardless of the originating side, particularly if the intent is making our great and so far safe neighborhood the center of uncontrolled mob scenes. It is great news that fiscal restraints disallowed a potentially self-induced riotous scenario regarding the meeting “to educate” us.

I would like to express my appreciation to the Sun editorial staff for the objective journalistic reporting of the story behind the Orange County Board of Education and the Rossmoor Board discussions. The Sun’s Jul. 15 issue provided an inspiring and reassuring example of commendable, civilized, diverse, tolerant, peaceful coexistence by having articles on the Jewish Family and Children’s Service, Calvary Chapel baptism, and a Jehovah’s Witnesses virtual event, in addition to the Annual Sunset Pancake Breakfast, adjacently printed to each other.

We should all agree that the overriding aim of the board and LAUSD is to further the educational level-for example, set goals including ranking at least in the top 100 in California-through substantially improved math and reading proficiency, provide a safe and mutually respectful environment, allocate additional resources for all students, and, particularly for those of greater needs for whatever reason. Our state budget surplus should provide additional financial assistance for LAUSD, so we can let the educators focus on teaching and better preparation of the next generation for the future in an ever-more diverse society that increasingly puts a premium on applicable knowledge.

George Somlo MD
Seal Beach

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