The Underdog for Kids

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

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

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

By Diana L. Chapman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nothing could be further from the truth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--Was Sheehan running a puppy mill?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Diana L. Chapman

So let me get this straight:

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

Talk about change.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It seems pointless, Wagoner argued.

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

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

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

But is that enough reason to undergo anymore upheaval?

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

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

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

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

Vladovic – please keep asking.

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

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

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

Writing Workshop

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

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

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

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

20 Eyes

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

at the San Pedro  Ballet School.

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

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

Also performing: The Dayleys.

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

    The address is 1231 Pacific Avenue, San Pedro.

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

Wine Tasting

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Diana L. Chapman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Of his victorious campaign, the incoming councilman said:

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

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

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

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

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

By Diana L. Chapman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Don’t forget to vote Jan. 17.

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

Sean Rosenfeld presents Santa's thoughts about Christmas.

TWO WINTRY NIGHT CHRISTMAS TALES

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

Santa’s View of Christmas

By Sean Rosenfeld, 9

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

You do get paid for this!”

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

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

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

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

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

I hate Christmas!

After Flying Around the World Christmas Eve

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

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

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

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

A Christmas Surprise

By Shersten Rosenfeld, 11

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Exactly.” my mom agrees.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mom stood up from her chair and smiled at me.

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

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

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

We followed Mom and Dad outside our grassy lawn.

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

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

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

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

KITTENS NEED A MIRACLE FOR CHRISTMAS

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

And Two Other Holiday Stories

Kittens

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

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

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

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

__________________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I confess, I was irritated probably along with others.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Great News About Bonnie Sheehan and Her 60 Dogs

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that’s no dog about it.

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

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

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

By Diana L. Chapman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 children safe.”

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

Sandusky, Fine and Dodd all proclaim their innocence.

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

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

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

He reported it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Diana L. Chapman

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

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

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

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

Santa arrives to hold kids of all ages.

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

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

“We didn’t even get call backs.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Teacher Sally Leonhart gives students directions to make curry.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dear Readers:

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

My Expressive Passion

By Cate Lynn Ashford, 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Diana L. Chapman

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

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

That area will be cordoned off from swimmers.

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

“I wanted to find a solution.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keep it Natural

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

--John Mattson

Recounting Memories

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

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

--Annie Johnson

Area Landslide Histories

Provided By Mike Bennett

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Geologist’s Point of View

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--Rachel Fischer

2011-11-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

Ocean views many of us witnessed along Paseo del Mar. LAist/Jimmy Bramlett

Meditative palm tree, likely to end up on the ocean floor if the slide keeps moving, now sits on its own island. -- Sky News

The Paseo Del Mar Landslide Breaks Hearts and Forces Us to Face a New Future

By Diana L. Chapman

We lived it. We walked it. We breathed it.

For decades, through births, deaths and presidents, a 600-foot section of Paseo del Mar served thousands of us: visitors taking scenic drives, locals scurrying on their daily constitutionals and even lost drivers who would ask me for directions to Hollywood.

No, I didn’t laugh at them. I figured they were blessed for seeing a stretch of road where we biked, jogged and skateboarded perched 100 feet above the frothy sea.

That luminous stretch of Paseo – which slipped away from us more than a week ago during a Sunday of pouring rains -- provided us with ample opportunities to spot whales, view cliffs veiled in gray mist or the chance to linger in the luxury of dusky, golden dawns.

Moods of every kind; often one of a kind -- until the strip became mother nature's victim.

A landslide that first became noticeable in September-- starting out with a bump and dip in the scenic highway -- recently stripped away chunks of the road, tons of earth and storm drain hunks, plunging some of it into the ocean.

What’s left is a beautiful stretch of road now cut in two by a ravine 600 feet deep, jumbled asphalt, massive pieces of a storm drain salting the beach line and fears that the land could move some more.

Due to the real danger of trodding on land that could fall into the ocean in seconds, pedestrians have repeatedly been warned to stay out. Police helicopters continually buzz overhead. But for those of us who considered this strip a part of our lives, we’re having trouble letting go.

We’ve lost a place of meditation, of solace.

Our lives will be different now. I am realizing my son won’t complain profusely when I drive the long way home down Western Avenue to Paseo del Mar, breathing in the sea air and watching pelicans grace the sky, blue whales surface with towering plumes and crashing waves that chew away at the cliffs of time.

I am realizing that the fat palm tree I walked by now sits on a treacherous island of its own and appears to be slowly melting into the horizon. The emerald palm reminded me of one of my favorite childhood books (now considered offensive): Little Black Sambo. It was the story of a boy who ran into four hungry tigers and cleverly traded articles of his clothing to stay alive. He was a kid I wanted to be like.

Every time I walked past that palm, it sparked my memory of stupid tigers racing around a tree and melting into butter as the boy who outwitted them looked on.

“I loved that tree,” said Peggy Lindquist, owner of the Corner Store, who has served hundreds who once used the now disconnected Paseo del Mar to get to her business.

Many others have expressed concerns about the palm and wonder if it can be saved. That seems like us trying to grasp at ghosts now past.

It’s time to look ahead, step out of the quicksand of memories and work on what’s next. It’s likely it will be nearly impossible to fix the slide. Cutting another road anywhere near it clearly makes no sense, because any construction could trigger more movement.

It all should be incorporated, many say, in the White Point Nature Preserve
that drifts on the hills above the road. Perhaps that's where we should begin to put focus.

2011-11-11T15:48:00.000-08:00

San Pedro High Principal Jeanette Stevens teaches students how to make pie.

To Launch San Pedro High’s After School Cooking Club, The Principal Shakes and Bakes with Her Students 14 Holiday Pies

Students Find They Like The Principal And Her Family Holiday Tradition

By Diana L. Chapman

San Pedro High students scored this past week when their principal decided to teach them personally about one of her family holiday traditions – how to bake pumpkin and Southern pecan pies almost entirely from scratch.

As students kneaded, lumped, and rolled pastry to make pie crusts-- many of them having never baked a pie in their lives before -- said they were astounded that their principal, Jeanette Stevens, took the time out to work with them.

“It’s not every day you’re making pies with your principal,” explained Jose Hernandez, 16, about why he came. “I’ve never done a pie. I don’t really know how to cook at all. I use to think it was so complicated. But it seems really simple.

Jose Hernandez enjoys learning how to make pies for his first time.

“Mrs. Stevens is a great teacher. She has patience even when we asked the same question again and again.”

Jesse Vasquez, 13, added: “She’s not strict and stuff. She’s teaching kids about life. I love cooking and I want to be a chef when I grow up. I like it because it gives me the freedom to create.”

While wearing a red-checked apron and scurrying around patiently to teach a whirlwind of some 15 chatty and happy students, Stevens said she found it “incredibly refreshing” to be back in a classroom with kids – especially when it involves bowls, spoons, eggs, flour, sugar and pecans. Stevens launched the after school cooking club’s first session Monday, which was funded by the San Pedro Coastal Neighborhood Council. The council provided $1,000 to support the culinary opportunity.

Students chatting away excitedly while baking.

That’s particularly important since the once popular culinary class, which had waiting lists in the hundreds, was closed due to budget cuts for the past three years. It has periodically reopened, but not for more than a semester.

But with this opportunity, students had a chance to check out their skills. As they gleefully kibitzed, they whipped up a frothing egg mix, poured in pecans, got flour on their faces, their clothes and on the floor – but were really appreciative and surprised that Stevens took her own time out to work with them.

“I really feel I connected with the principal more than I ever have,” said student leader Elizabeth Do, 17, a senior who is president of the school’s Key Club, co-president of the Community Outreach Club and a member of the school’s Academic Decathlon. “There’s so many of us in the day, so it’s definitely hard to connect.

“I feel like I got to know her. My perspective has changed, because now she’s someone I can relate too. She’s just a wonderful principal to take the time out to do this with us.”

Moments were often holiday jolly – especially once English teacher Anthony Saavedra arrived to make fresh whip cream. Stevens and Saavedra had a pie-off competition amongst the staff last year, but the faculty voted that Stevens sweet treats were the best.

“You can tell how political the staff is,” Saavedra joked. “She won.”


Jesse Vaquez shows off her pie creation with teacher Anthony Saavedra

Once the crusts were ready and the students started making the mix, Stevens warned them that there’s a lot of debate on how to put pecans in the pie. She said she folds hers into the mix, but others believe they should be placed down on the crust where they can “float to the top.”

“There are people who argue how to put the pecans in the pie,” Stevens told the kids. “It’s up to you.”

To make a go of the after school cooking club, the campus needed outside funding.

Long supporters of area schools, the Coastal Neighborhood Council offered funds for the club partly because of all the severe budget cuts that have swept away life skills programs, such as home economics and auto shop.

“This is something our board felt is a worthwhile activity, not just for learning self-reliance, it gives students constructive things to do after school,” said the council treasurer John Stinson. “It’s teaching them something that is useful. These are skills you need in everyday life.”

Stevens said what prompted her to do the first lesson was her interest in sharing her family holiday traditions. Much of what she cooks, she learned from her grandmother, who is now 92. Every year around the holidays, she and her girlfriend come together make 20 to 25 pies, including mincemeat, pecan, pumpkin and sometimes apple.

“My passion is kids,” beamed the principal. “This is so nice to be here and see so many kids interested in a tradition that’s gone by the wayside.”

Student Rita Marquez said the experience showed that something like baking can pull people together and: “It shows us that anyone can do it, from the principal to the students,” she said smiling. “It’s pretty universal.”

Kimberly Hernandez shows off here nearly finished pecan pie.

2011-11-06T10:10:00.000-08:00

Bonnie Sheehan is closing her 15-year-old small dog rescue, Hearts for Hounds, in Long Beach after people quit adoption once thriving non-profit. She's headed back east with 60 dogs.

BONNIE SHEEHAN – THE WOMAN WHO’S RESCUED 17,000 PLUS SMALL DOGS IN HER LIFETIME -- RELUCTANTLY RETIRES HER LONG BEACH RESCUE AND PLANS TO TAKE SOME SIXTY DOGS WITH HER TO VIRGINA

By Diana L. Chapman

Scrambling “to put together our pennies,” small dog rescuer Bonnie Sheehan sadly began this month to hang up the leash, pack up her dog crates and save her remaining 60 small canines by moving them across the country.

It was not a departure she wanted, but was forced into due to dwindling pet adoptions that once helped her keep the doors open to continue her non-profit rescue, Hearts for Hounds, in Long Beach.

“I’m not crying,” said Sheehan who has saved thousands of the small creatures such as poodles, pugs, Tibetan terriers and found them loving homes. “I am not going to have a defeatist attitude. We’ve got plans and we’re not afraid to change. But we are going to be flying by the seat of our pants.”

Sheehan settled on Virginia after contacting several pet rescues there that indicated small canine adoptions were still flourishing, unlike here, where the economy has taken a deep toll on humans and animals alike. She plans to leave mid- December and currently is still adopting out – but not taking in any more dogs.

Part of the reason for her departure is she could no longer bark up the $7,000-a-month kennel bill.

If Sheehan is not crying, I am. When Hearts for Hounds was financially healthy, Sheehan and her team purchased dogs from shelters the day they were scheduled to receive the needle of death. Sheehan’s team cleaned them up and made them beautiful, getting rid of mange, ticks, fleas and restoring their health.

My 82-year-old mother’s dog, Dara, was one Sheehan swooped in and saved. The cuddly and loving Havanese has brought my mother so much joy and light that I can’t help but wonder how many more Dara’s are on death row. My family has since adopted two more dogs from Hearts for Hounds, a bearded collie-poodle mix and another Havanese.

Due to Sheehan’s crises, she asked the thousands who adopted from her to send in $10 each to Hearts for Hounds to help make the move. Only $800 trickled in.

Instead, Sheehan borrowed about $8,000 from a close friend to close the deal in October. She purchased an 11-acre piece of property in Huddleston, Virginia –near Blacksburg.

It includes a moderate house, a shack and a small shed. Initially, Sheehan looked at the location with her friend, Pam King, and realized it would be impossible to pay the asking price of $169,000.

Sheehan’s Virginia realtor “who always was on top of things,” however, notified them immediately when it was sharply reduced to $84,000 and a deal was cut.

The desperate action to move came after Sheehan noticed her popular adoptions – that once found homes for about 17 dogs a weekend begin to dwindle, first dropping to three, then to one – and then to none in the past four months. It was then the rescuer realized drastic measures were necessary so she could house the canines she still cares for, including the 18 “duds” so fearful of people they are unadoptable.

Those dogs will always live with Sheehan, she said.

Heartbroken to close her Long Beach doors after running the rescue for 15 years, she said she still needs donations to focus on the work ahead that needs to be done at her new kennel. She will obtain a full time job, she said, to help pay for it.

“We have to build a fence and we have to get a kennel permit,” she said. “We also have to have a business license to become a non-profit.”

Once a successful fashion consultant, Sheehan landed in rescues accidentally after becoming lost in the Los Angeles Garment District.

There she spotted a group of men using a bloodied pug as yo-yo, relentlessly dropping the small canine into the snapping teeth of a pit bull that was ripping her apart. A screaming Sheehan leaped out of her car yelling “give me that dog.”

The men threw the pug, dripping in blood, at her. The next thing Sheehan knew she found herself racing in her brand new BMW with baby blue seats to the veterinarians, getting splashed with blood along the way.

The good news: Daisy, the pug, survived and became her mother’s companion.

That day changed Sheehan forever. First she began as a shelter volunteer fixing and cleaning dogs up for adoption, but was devastated when she returned the following day to find the canines had been killed.

That’s when she started Hearts for Hounds and led thriving adoptions for years – often at Alamitos Farmer’s Market in Long Beach.

The heart wrenching change prevents Sheehan from buying and saving any dogs from the shelter. “Those days are gone,” she said.

With the move, she plans to take on a full-time job and was delighted that King, a long time friend who has helped her with the rescue for years who had no plans to move to found Virginia , suddenly fell in love with the state’s beauty – and then spotted a home that fit her perfectly.

King purchased it and is about 45 minutes from Sheehan’s new kennel where she will continue her volunteer services.

The two are astounded by the coincidences such as the property falling by $65,000 – to a price that fit the budget and that King, who wasn’t searching, stumbled on a home that had the colors and requirements she wanted.

Both women are already geared up to find ways to make money to support the kennel besides working full time.

“We are not going to sit around and wait,” Sheehan said. “There’s a million things you can do. You just can’t sit and wait.”

The friends are already preparing to start an on-line bakery service called Le’ Delectable, which will feature an old Italian Biscotti recipe, a shortbread recipe King received from her mother-in-law in Scotland and Sheehan’s mother’s chocolate brownies with pistachios.

Each piece will have a dog tag replica and all the proceeds will go directly back to Hearts for Hounds.

Sheehan is not new the food business either. From 2005 to 2006, she took a break from her dog rescue and opened the Celtic Café in the Jefferson National Forest, also near Blacksburg.

A friend ran the non-profit while she was gone, but Sheehan decided she missed her dog companions too much and returned to Long Beach.

Despite that the dog rescue currently doesn’t look bright, Sheehan said “We are counting our blessings rather than dwelling on the nightmare.”

Sheehan can be reached at (562) 597- 9587. Because she is frequently swamped, call several times. To see what she has for currently up for adoptions, visit www.heartsforhounds.com. Donations can be sent to Hearts for Hound Kennel at 1356 Obispo Avenue, Long Beach.

2011-11-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

Why I’m Endorsing LAPD Officer Joe Buscaino To Take Up The Reins Of The Open Los Angeles City Council Seat

By Diana L. Chapman

A woman told me a Joe Buscaino story the other day.

Her son, who’s mentally ill, was arrested for stealing $1, an amount so small it wasn’t even worth putting him in handcuffs. But he was arrested anyway.

Distraught, the mother asked several officers to help her with her son’s plight. They ignored her, she said, and couldn’t be bothered.

As soon as she caught up to Los Angeles Senior Lead Police Officer Joe Buscaino, however, she found a different kind of cop. He was sympathetic and helped her hook up with detectives. Most of all, he heard her out.

“I’m voting for him,” she added. I ditto that.

Ever since Buscaino, a 36-year-old father of two, announced he was running for former Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn’s seat, stories like this have bounced all around the Harbor area. And it only strengthens my resolve to endorse Buscaino, who I’ve studied over the years as a good and honest cop, a collaborator and a youth advocate. (Yes, even with the fishy hit pieces that have gone out in the past few days.)

He’s the kind of candidate I believe whose heart won’t forget the little guy. Once I Iasked him about a 14-year-old boy fatally gunned down on his porch on 6^th Street in San Pedro four years ago. The killing took place in broad daylight.

Buscaino became still, a tear coming to his eye. The question hit a sore spot. He was the officer who rode in the ambulance with the dying boy to the hospital, a ride he called “the longest in my life.” What made matters worse: the teen had been a student in his wife’s class at Dana Middle School in San Pedro. A heartbroken Buscaino said: That boy “didn’t have support above ground or when he was in the ground.”

“Those stories are real and I experienced them,” the officer said. “This is what led me to this campaign.”

Ever since, he’s been a huge advocate for our youth. Like many of the 11 candidates, Buscaino says public safety is his number one issue. Fixing broken sidewalks, trimming trees, making sure there are after school programs for students are all part of the public safety canvas, he said.

He was irritated to find, when campaigning in Watts and Wilmington, that some areas didn’t even have paved streets, which he called unacceptable – and a priority on his public safety mission.

I believe with Buscaino’s efforts – where others are puffing themselves up with power and control – he will remain focused on our communities and what residents need. Instead of throwing money around to help kids stay out of gangs, he will be a leader and become part of the solution.

A tough officer when necessary, Buscaino kept his heart and I suspect that we will see this same type of performance if he wins the council post.

Personally, I like having a guy with heart sitting on the Los Angeles council-- where it seems hearts are few and far between.

I see a man who will defend the little guy and what I mean by that is this -- his constituents. Unlike others, he won’t forget who he serves even when big money is flagged in his face. I see a councilman with integrity.

Other reasons his supporters are voting for him in the Nov. 8 election, which is likely to wind up in a Feburary run-off, are:

--He’s lived in San Pedro all his life and comes from an Italian immigrant family. It’s not so much that he’s lived here, but that he has no plans to leave the home he loves. His father was a fisherman and his mother worked in the canneries, so he can understand the residents and their issues surrounding the Port of Los Angeles. “Our roots are here and we are embedded here,” the officer said, who added he won’t be trying to run off to congress. “I love this community and I will never leave this place.”

--He’s served the entire Harbor Area and worked in Watts and has a much better grasp of all those communities than many of the other candidates. As he continually says: “I’ve been on the streets,” he explained. “’I’ve been in the back alleys. I’ve been into people’s homes. I’ve been in the storefronts.”

--He’s showed his duty to public service – putting his life on the line as an officer for 15 years -- showing leadership amongst his comrades by bringing teens on board to help police fight crime – something never done before in the LAPD. He designed the Teen Community Police Advisory Board for teenagers to advise officers why and how youth crimes are happening in their community.

His vision met with such success – some teen crimes dropping by half in the Harbor Area – that it was extended across the Los Angeles Police Department. Now, 21 such teen boards exist in the LAPD. “I will continue my love and compassion for the youth of this community,” he added.

It’s also interesting to note the way Buscaino became a police officer. At the age of 21, after graduating from California State University, Dominguez Hills, the candidate became a youth leader at Bogdanovich Park in San Pedro.

LAPD Deputy Chief Pat Gannon, a lieutenant at the time, noticed his work with teenagers and the park administration and suspected he would make an excellent officer. He went by his instincts and recruited the young man.

“He had a great spirit about him,” said Gannon, who was a park advisory board member at the time. “His enthusiasm was contagious and he made every program at the park that he was involved in better. He was a great representative of the park and I just knew that he would do the same as a Los Angeles police officer.

“He did not disappoint me.”

Buscaino has not disappointed me either. He vows to work with the port in a conciliatory fashion to get things done and help secure the many necessities of life in Los Angeles, currently failing us, such as getting pot holes and sidewalks fixed. He also understands the world of fighting crime and will work toward protecting the residents of Council District 15.

Using his collaborative skills, he plans to bring the council district together to work for the overall betterment of the region, looking at as a whole rather than in scattered pieces.

Still, Buscaino is up against some pretty tall odds – trying to win against two heavy hitters – former Los Angeles City Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr. who served CD-15 and Assembly Warren Furutani.

But this is the other reason I’m voting for the cop:

I think he can do it.