Three Great Leaders Depart Coastal Neighborhood Council

Doug Epperhart, (left) John Stinson and Bruce Horton depart after giving years of service to the Coastal Neighborhood Council in San Pedro

Three Great Leaders of San Pedro Coastal Neighborhood Council Depart At The Same Time After 21 Years of Combined Service

By Diana L. Chapman

   To me, it's a shame.

   To them, it's about time.

Three Coastal Neighborhood Council members have concluded they are done with their posts, quietly departing at the end of June to do other public service and say this too quietly stamps a philosophy all three have had for years: a good council board needs change.

   Doug Epperhart, 56, the coastal board president twice since he joined a league of 95 Neighborhood Councils established in Los Angeles in 2001 to thwart further secession attempts, said coastal was the second council to exist in the sprawling metropolis.

   "We were the second neighborhood council in the city and we organized early," Epperhart said. "It was a good, thorough process. But it's time to get out and let somebody else do it. You need someone fresh."

   Epperhart has moved up to neighborhood council ranks while John Stinson, treasurer for the last seven years and Bruce Horton, the secretary for the same amount of time, both said they are moving on to pursue other interests -- both community oriented as well. Vice president Dean Pentchaff also departed after about five years on the council.

   "I've got a lot of other fish to fry," said Stinson, 65, who also heads the San Pedro Art Association ."I've been a treasurer for the last seven years and while it has had its upside, dealing with the city's bureaucracy is maddening. But we've done good things."

   Former secretary Bruce Horton,72, joked: "Why am I giving it all up, all the fame and glory? I've met so many good people. I feel like I almost grew up here. But the board needs new blood. I'm moving on and I think others should too."

   Horton says he'll return to do volunteer work for The Lone Wolf Colony in Apple Valley which provides two week stays for ambulatory adults trying to heal from injuries or illness. He was once a board member for the program.

   All three -- also commending their council member comrades -- say they have worked diligently to aid their community and have much to be proud of.

   That they have.

   Their council aligned with two other Neighborhood councils -- central and Northwest San Pedro and Harbor City -- to beat back a scheme to change single family residential zoning at a former Navy housing site on Western Avenue to multiple-zoning.

   Developer Bob Bisno wanted to force in 2,300 condominiums on the 61.5 acres, but met his match when he faced off with the councils.

   "In proposing what officials say would have been San Pedro's largest residential development ever, Bisno unwittingly galvanized potent opposition from within the community's increasingly sophisticated neighborhood councils," said a 2009 L.A. Times article.

   Bisno's "move to scale back the project to 1,950 units...did nothing to mollify the well-organized opponents," the article said. The project has since been revised  by I-Star finance which is seeking to build 1,135 units at the site.

   The former coastal members  are also proud of helping to defeat another condominium project at a defunct McCowan's grocery site on Leland Street in yet another residential neighborhood.

   One of the proudest moments, he had, Epperhart said, was helping to divert the YMCA's proposed move to take over the Cabrillo Youth Camp -- saying it would only be open to the public once a week. Still in the hands of the Boy Scouts, many San Pedro residents for years have been miffed that the port property was used exclusively and run by the Boy Scouts, often the monstrous building with a pool and camping sites sitting empty along the West Channel on Shoshonean Drive. The Boy Scout lease ends in 2013 and the debate is expected to resume.

   Epperhart, who has moved to the top amongst councils, now serves on the seven member Board of Neighborhood Commissioners. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appointed him last year.

   "We're sitting on a road map of possibilities," Epperhart said. "I'm 80 percent happy with the way (the councils) turned out. You can't be 100 percent. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But even in the bad times, we were moving in the right direction."

   Why do I feel disappointed by the departure of these veterans?

   Over the years, I've witnessed what they've done.  As the treasurer, Stinson was an absolute treasure. Many of us seeking funds for help with projects in San Pedro are also volunteers and did not understand the process. Step by step, Stinson guided many to receive the funds his council awarded, including a $5,000 award to run afterschool programs at Dana Middle School.

   In another heated battle, Stinson and Horton went to bat for a neighborhood protesting the building of a new 7-11 at 1831 South Pacific Avenue. Residents there worried that they already had enough liquor stores in and didn't want any more alcohol sales. The two board members physically counted every bar and store that sold liquor. Coastal sided with the neighbors.

   Former Councilwoman Janice Hahn, however, disagreed and allowed the 7-11 development with a clause that the store could not sell liquor for the first year.

   Although they didn't succeed at everything,  my point is that these veterans -- and the hundreds sitting on these councils that work as hard as these three and others did deserve a big thank you for taking on such role.  It's not easy. It's not always fun. And the meetings often are  tedious.

   But for those who have delved into council posts trying to make what we all want -- our community to be in a better place-- I salute you.

San Pedro High College Counseler

Despite only a few hours a week to get students off to college, Valerie Armstrong helps hundreds of kids make it to the next educational level.

Local Hero Valerie Armstrong -- A Part Time College Counselor at San Pedro High --- Guides Hundreds of Students To A Higher Education Despite Severe Budget Cuts

She Is A Woman You and Your College Bound Child Want to Meet 

By Diana L. Chapman

   My son burst through our door a few weeks back and shouted:  "Mom. Mom. You won't believe what Mrs. Armstrong did. She helped me with everything, getting my transcripts, just everything."

   I wasn't surprised having come to know Valerie Armstrong over the past few years and witnessing her sturdy dedication to numerous students going through the gauntlet of competitive college applications.

   With only two hours a day slotted to the once full-time college and career counseling post, she somehow manages to aid dozens of students while also juggling two other part time jobs at San Pedro High. She also serves as a work experience coordinator and a Title One Coordinator.

   She sums her college counseling job up this way:

"The job is either the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat during college acceptances in March, "she said. "You'll see a kid who only wants to go to UCLA and doesn't get in.  And that's the hardest part. Sometimes it's heart wrenching."

   Filled with advice for students and parents (who are also welcome to meet with Armstrong) she starts out with this important suggestion: Ninth graders should step into her office as soon as possible to understand all the requirements needed to go to university. Otherwise, it may be too late and they are at risk for not making the A-G requirements -- what classes are required by colleges.

   Often seniors and juniors show up having dropped math after two years -- all that's needed to graduate from high school. However, four years of math are required or recommended by many universities, including the UC system.

   In addition, students often forget they received a D or F in their ninth grade or sophomore years. Those grades have to be made up in order to get into most four year colleges and by then, there's little time for make-ups.

  Students in all grade levels, should come and meet with her as soon as possible.

  "It starts from the moment they get here," Armstrong says. "I recommend to them to get all As and Bs. What I'm noticing is a lack of interest in the 9th grade. So I'll ask them if they want to go to a four-year college. Parents can call me or make an appointment or e-mail me anytime."

   Armstrong advises students on timelines, scholarships, applications, letters of reference, financial aid, what classes are necessary (called A-G)  to become competitive and encourages them not to just be participants in clubs, but to find a leadership roles in the programs they're involved in.

   "Don't be a stranger," she often tells kids once they drop in for information. To get an appointment with her, all students have to do is sign up on a sheet hanging on her office door so she can summon them from the classroom.

   Her frequent student visitors rave about the efforts she put in for them and others.

   "During the time I spent applying for college, I was in her room everyday with a different question," said 17-year-old Jazmin Ruiz, who received a full ride to UC Berkeley. "Her experience with the process made it astronomically easier, bearable and less stressful. I am truly grateful for the time she dedicated to helping me."

   Armstrong inspired her, said 17-year-old Rita Marquez who will be attending Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

   "I can truly say that I owe a lot of my success to Ms. Armstrong," Marquez explained who became a college peer college counselor under Armstrong's tutelage. "She is really a wonderful person...who dedicates so much her time to our students and she's always there whenever I need anything."

   But she's also there for parents.

   When my husband and I realized we couldn't financially afford the schools Ryan got into, we steered him toward community colleges . The choice was narrowed between El Camino and Santa Monica.

   It was the same financial plight Jeanine Eldar found herself in after her son, Korey, was accepted to seven universities.

   "Valerie Armstrong is an unsung hero, who really deserves some public recognition," the older Eldar explained who added she frequently consulted with the counselor.  "It was Valerie's assistance that helped guide our very difficult decision to turn down numerous University of California and California state schools in favor of going to El Camino since it made more financial sense to attend there for two years."

   The solution:  Armstrong encouraged both teens to enroll in the Honors Transfer Program at El Camino. This set of students receive a priority in getting classes, the counselor said. Some consider it like attending a mini-UC on the crowded campus.

Both were accepted. Transferring to the honors program, she said, avoids "excessive student loans" and cuts college expenses in half, she said.

   "I first met her during the second semester of 11th grade and ever since she has always kept me up to date on the variety of opportunities," said 17-year-old Elizabeth Do who became a peer college counselor and will attend UCLA.  "She definitely knows her information, but if she doesn't she'll call and ask. I've been able to observe her dedication in inspiring seniors to seek a higher education."

   Armstrong said she enjoys her job and even when she knows a student is unlikely to get to their "dream school," she encourages them to apply anyway.

   "I never tell my students not to apply for their dream school, but also apply to your back-up schools," Armstrong said. "My motto is apply for the dream school and see what happens...You just never know."

White Point Nature Preserve

Assistant Nauturalist Laurie Morgan describes how the Tongva, the native inhabitants, celebrated by dancing and stomping.

 White Point Nature Center Becomes a Great Teacher in the Eyes of Young Wilmington Students Thanks to A Children's Author/Illustrator

By Diana L. Chapman

   They squealed when they saw big lizards. Stood in awe watching soaring kestrels and red-tailed hawks.  And didn't want to quit watching a stink bug crawling across the dusty earth.

   Exploring the hills and golden grasses of White Point's Nature Park , Wilmington's Gulf Street Elementary students roamed the hillsides of the 102-acre site last week, some saying they'd never been to a nature park before.

   "We saw a lot of animals today," said 10-year-old Luke Nunez. "We saw a dove, a red-tailed hawk, a beetle and snails."

   Fernanda Juarez, 10, added: "I liked when we climbed the mountain. All the kids were so tired. I liked when we smelled lilac and turned it into soap. I've never been (to a nature park) before."

   The Palos Verdes Land Conservancy -- the caretaker of the San Pedro nature preserve -- provided a team of naturalists to  guide the children where they learned what early inhabitants, the Tongva, used as resources. 

  If a person touched stinging nettle, the Tongva used the backside of leaves from a mug wort plant to sooth it. Or if someone was ailing from a stomach ache, toyon bark was used to ease the pain.

  One naturalist, Holly Gray, showed the children how to make  soap using the California lilac by dipping it into a buck of water and rubbing the plant in their hands. It became foamy with a clean scent.

A student smells the scent of California lilac.

  Enthusiastic assistant naturalist Laurie Morgan gave a lively description how the  Tongva enjoyed celebrating life.  The American Indians, she said, stomped the grounds to dance and celebrate. She began stomping and encouraged the kids to stomp too.

  "Imagine the drums," Morgan told the students about the Tongva. "It's so fun. They had a song and dance for everything. They celebrated everything."

    In addition, the students did a scavenger hunt in the hillsides that taught them about nature and provided them "with a bucket of clues," to figure out a word the naturalists were seeking  -- solar.

  The overarching theme for children is to teach them to become stewards of the land and cherish the environment, said the conservancy's education director, Siegrun Storer.

Students gather around a bucket to make California lilac soap.

   "We are first and foremost trying to expose students to open space in order to foster and appreciate it," said Storer who added she's working toward providing more White Point educational tours in the future.

   The tour was a $250 gift to 50 students from Gulf elementary. Children's author-illustrator E.G. (Elisabeth) Ryan read at the school.  Impressed with the school's cleanliness, the teachers and the student's polite behavior during her reading, she offered the school a gift.

   She wanted the students to enjoy the preserve, where she often teaches her own children, twin boys, Maximillian, and Nick, 8, and Alexa Rose, 4.

Chilren's Author/Illustrator Gone Wild

Children's author/illustrator sheds light on her books to students at Gulf Elementary School in Wilmington.

Children's Author and Illustrator Brings Bursts of Wild Family Color To Her Work And Kids Like It; In Fact, They Really Like It

By Diana L. Chapman

   With an unusual past as a senior defense analyst for the U.S. government, E.G. Ryan (her pen name) never thought she'd give up her post -- a job where she was able to "fly all over the world."

   Even when she learned she was pregnant with twins, Elisabeth Ryan kept working.

  "I was traveling to Guam, Singapore, Japan, Germany," explained the nearly six foot,  blond. "I was pregnant and miserable. I never thought I'd be that mom who would stay at home completely. But the day I saw them (the twins), they came six weeks premature and that changed everything.

    "Here were these helpless creatures and I couldn't bear to be without them."

   The arrival Nick and Maximillian (Max), now 8, and the later arrival of 4-year-old Alexa Rose all with the last name Ryan-Shirley, sparked her imagination and brought back her old flame she carried for years -- writing and drawing.  At the age of six, she wrote and illustrated her first book.

   Now six books later with a boatload of ideas percolating, the incessant doodler--with a crazy- fun San Pedro household spinning in peacock blues and furious fuchsia colors-- the author-illustrator says she had no idea her children would change her path.  They gave her endless, adventurous antics -- a  bounty of material for her books.

   "They are my books," Ryan explained. "Without them, I would not have had any children's stories. Without them, I'd still be working for the government. They are so close to my heart."

   Her wild, bright tales include Spunky the Dog and Foxy the Cat --characters that appear in all her books. The books often feature animals at their home such as frogs and ants and each has a charming tale even parents will greatly  appreciate.

  Most have a gentle message without boxing kids on the head -- and gives parents another way to teach children to get out and play, clean up their rooms and enjoy life.

   In Spunky the Dog, Spunky gets mad and mean and the more mean he gets, the more green spots show up on his body. He deserts his family and continues on his own mean journey -- until he realizes he doesn't like being mean anymore. He returns home to see if his family still wants him.

   Ideas often materialize in Ryan's daily life. Her first book, Moon Balloons-- spun from a day when the two-year-old blond, curly-top boys at the time, clutched balloons their mom had given them.

   Nick accidentally let go of a balloon and as he watched it float to the sky he began "flipping out." He began screaming and crying with Max immediately following suit with shared "pangs of sympathy," the author said.

  To quiet them, she had to think quick.

 "I said: 'Don't worry. Don't worry.  It's going up to help hold up the moon.' "

  The twins immediately calmed down.

   One of my favorites is the Collect-Its about "a good, but messy little girl" named Alexa Rose who never cleans her room or puts anything away. But when things like her toothbrush begin to vanish she soon learns two mysterious, but good creatures live in a room beneath her.

   Their job: to collect things not wanted or used. (My own mother would have loved this book for me!) "

 "We collect things we find on the floor," the Collect-Its explain to Alexa Rose. "Things you do not want, need, or things you just plain ignore."

   The author's ambling into the publishing industry hit some rock hard objections. Some told her she shouldn't write and illustrate her own books. She needed to pick one or the other and of course, there were no promises of publication.

   Refusing to give up, the harried and busy mother of three, decided to publish the first set on her own and at one of her first events at the Corner Store in San Pedro, Ryan sold 200 books in one day. Foxy the Cat, Spunky the Dog, The Dreamies, Moon Balloons and the Collect-Its jumped out the door. The Good Foodies is available now too.

   "I see (they like the books) from the response I get from the children, from the parents, from the educators," Ryan explained, who added she does the work because "I want more niceness in the world. I want kindness."

   What she knew, Ryan said, was what publishers didn't; children loved her stories. She began going to read in classes across the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Los Angeles Unified schools and could tell by the "looks on their faces," that the children were riveted.

   "I love your stories," Luke Nunez, 10, wrote to the author. "The colors, animals, the drawings. I like your imagination."

Ryan with her twins, Max and Nick, and her daughter Alexa Rose showing off the author's books at their favorite haunt, the Corner Store.

   Her untamed illustrations -- that suck up cloaks of staggering color -- likely is one of the biggest attractions to her books. The combustion of colors welded with intense detail immediately snag the children's attention.  All six books are drenched in shades such as  mustard yellows, streaks of lime greens, splatters of ruby-reds and teal blues.

   A seventh and eighth book, The Green Thumb, and Bully-Bites are scheduled to come out later this year.

   Ryan uses her own childhood as well. Intrigued by her tall height, other students razzed her asking her the same question over and over again.

  "They'd say: "You are so tall. Do you play basketball?"

  With a sharp retort, Ryan would say: "You are so small. Do you play miniature golf?"

   Wanting to see for myself if kids really enjoyed her work, Ryan kindly came to Gulf Street Elementary School in Wilmington and read to first graders who stared at the storyteller with big eyes and sat as though frozen. They didn't make a peep,they were so fascinated.

   The author then moved to a group of 4th graders who -- even though were older -- passionately loved her stories. I picked this class since I'd been conducting writer's workshops there and wanted to see what the students thought.

   They were asked to write about Ryan's work.

   "I like how she writes about her family in her book and her animals," wrote 4th grader, Johnathan Benavidez. "I couldn't believe when she said she had frogs. That is very cool. I like how she wrote about her daughter and how her room was dirty."

   Wrote Hannah Marie Martinez, 10: "I liked her books because she uses a lot of color and designs. I liked all her books and I want to read the others. I think she will write a lot more books. I love Spunky."

   The author also has written three novels: SOS 999, Letter 16 and Irish Eyes, two of which will be published by the end of the year.

   "I just love it," Ryan said of writing. "I have a zillion ideas. I have whole stories in my head. My life is like a purse. It doesn't matter how big it is. It's always full."

   Working on her illustrations often doesn't start until her kids are in bed, the house is straightened up and then she writes and draws often not going to bed not until 2:30 in the morning. Each illustration takes about 14 hours to complete.

   Her children are also given ample opportunities to doodle and draw. Ryan wants to give them the creative freedom she had as a young girl.

   Mostly she recalls her childhood days as glorious. Ryan (the daughter of one of Rancho Palos Verdes' founding fathers, Robert Ryan) lived in Europe  for several years of her young life.

    But she also spent many wondrous years growing up in the golden brush areas of Abalone Cove. There was no doubt where her family was going to land. They moved to San Pedro.

   "I love this whole area," she said. "It's a hidden gem."
   In her ongoing journey to pump out books and visit schools, Ryan generously leaves behind a set of her books for the school library.

    Niels Goerrissen , a father of three and the fourth grade teacher at Gulf Elementary who hosted the author's visit, said he too was enticed by Ryan's work.

   "She read three of her books and the students very much enjoyed them," he said."Each book had a strong theme that I identified with. Meeting real authors is awesome. Students (are now) asking their teacher to write? Are you kidding? Absolutely awesome."

E.G.Ryan's books can be purchased at Amazon.com, The Corner Store and Rok'n' Ell Boutique, both in San Pedro, and through http://www.EGRyan.com.

Bonnie Sheehan: Arrested for animal cruelty charges in Tennessee makes one last rescue.

                                                       --  Photos Taken By Susan Larsen

Scheduled for a July Hearing on Animal Cruelty Charges in Tennessee, Long Beach Dog Rescuer Bonnie Sheehan Tries to Pick Up the Shattered Pieces Of Her Life Without Her Small Canine Friends

Scores of Fans Plan a Sunday Fundraiser to Pay Attorney Fees

 By Diana L. Chapman

The puppy

   As they were leaving Tennessee on Interstate 40 with a wave of relief, a small chocolate Labrador pup sat forlornly on an embankment as drivers raced by.

   "We have to stop," Bonnie Sheehan said urgently to her traveling companion, Susan Larsen,  who completely understood.

   After all, Sheehan had built a phenomenal reputation in Long Beach, Calif. where she rescued thousands of small dogs often out of shelters the day they were to meet the needle of death.

   That ended Jan. 17  -- the day she was arrested in Tennessee along with her devoted volunteer Pamela King-McCracken, for driving 140 dogs in a U-haul and a mini-van. They were ten hours away from reaching their destination, a Virginia farm.

   Speaking out for one of the first times since her arrest, Sheehan, 55, reveals her side of the story that never made the national news when it exploded and went viral ugly on the internet. The arrests turned the women's lives upside down, landed Sheehan in jail for seven days and geared up hundreds of her Long Beach supporters who panicked to get her out.

   Now, in a fight for her life and a woman who has lost all her dogs and her money in her risk to save them, Sheehan vigorously defends herself against the allegations of animal cruelty where animal officials contend she had overcrowded conditions and no water or food for the animals. Every day, she's haunted by the dog's faces, each of whom she knew by name along with medical conditions, if any.  She fights tears to the hollowness left in her now.

  "I did not kill my dogs," she said during one of her rare interviews. "It was the middle of winter under 50 degrees. They had clean blankets. I had 300 pounds of dog food, 100 pounds of treats. Nobody died from suffocation, from dehydration or starvation. There was food. There was water. (The U-haul) was like being in the belly of a plane and that is why airlines don't transport animals during the summer."

   "Every day in this country stacks and stacks of dogs are killed."

   Sheehan, 55, wanted to save those she still had despite the worsening economy that took a giant toll on her non-profit.

   In the meantime, her hundreds of supporters -- many of whom say she has an uncanny ability to match dogs to families with her Long Beach Hearts For Hounds non-profit, will hold a fundraiser for attorney's fees at 11 a.m. Sunday at Bixby Park, also in Long Beach.

   Why her supporters have gone to this much trouble -- some even missing work to make a team to fight for Sheehan -- might be explained this way.

   Ardent supporter Gale Heilman who fosters animals, jumped in the fray to get Sheehan out of jail and helped organize the event.

   "Bonnie was always relentless in getting those dogs adopted," said Heilman who fosters for different rescues. "I saw what she gave up of her life, to be there for those animals. She was up at 6 a.m. to clean all the kennels. Then she would need to do all the laundry to make sure all the blankets from the night before were ready for them to go to bed with that night. Then she would start grooming and bathing the dogs."

   As I write this, I admit upfront I too am a supporter. My family alone adopted three of her small dogs, Baxter, Dara and Lily, and I began to toil at stories marveling at the miracles the rescuer pulled off on a daily basis.

   Many of us watched as Sheehan took ragged, mangy, smelly, flea-ridden small dogs -- in all sorts of horrible conditions-- and brought them virtually back to life with grooming, nurturing and love. Then she found them new homes.

   In March, Sheehan had to return to Fayette County in Tennessee for a hearing and was headed home when she spotted the terrified pup. Sheehan's question was:  should she rescue the puppy in a state already charging her with animal cruelty or would she get in more trouble?  Both women plead not guilty. A hearing is scheduled in July.

   "The rescue business," she once told me "is a hard, selfless way of living. It's taking from your own needs to make sure the well-being of the animals are taken care of. It's about having that gift in your heart."

   But for all her good deeds and intentions, she would find herself "crucified" on the internet, losing all her dogs and left with a heart snapped in two.

***

The Almost- Made- It-to Virginia Journey

   When arrested, Tennessee officials didn't care about Sheehan's gift. They didn't want to hear anything such as the reason she and her longtime friend, King-McCracken, 59, were shuttling  dogs across the country in middle of winter.

   They also didn't care about her remarkable rescue work-- having done more than many rescues put together -- or that Sheehan had, according to Gail Heilman, "an uncanny ability to match (dogs) to the right owners," a statement I heard repeatedly from Sheehan fans.

   Instead, the two women found themselves pulled over for an alleged traffic infraction while driving through Fayette County.  An officer on a drug task force ordered the women out and to open the doors. Then he called for back-up and animal control officers.

   Lights were flashing as both women stood shocked. With all the commotion, the dogs were barking upset hearing Sheehan sobbing. Perhaps out of fear, one dog named Stanley killed another, Lambert.

  "I told Pam, our journey's done," Sheehan said. And it was.

   Animal control took away all the dogs, including their personal pets and Sheehan's 20 "forever" dogs, those that can't find homes because they are terrified of people. That list included 14-year-old Gadget, a miniature pincher mix, and, a Dachshund with medical issues. She also lost her own dogs Dachshund, Max, 2, Fritzie, 1.

   With the bail set at $100,000, both women needed $10,000 -- a sum King-McKracken was able to meet to get out. Sheehan had nothing.

  In the meantime, the news swept across Long Beach like a tidal wave, with friends and adopters swamping each other with phone calls asking what they could do to rescue the rescuer. 
   "Dogs lost their angel that day," said Jay Williams, a friend who volunteered
and adopted two of Sheehan's dogs.

Seven long days and seven long nights 

   The women undertook the journey after California's diving economy finally took a toll on the rescue. Adoptions dwindled from 17 a week to none.

   They had to do something especially since the phone calls were now from people wanting to dump dogs, not adopt.

   More frightening, the rent for the Long Beach kennel was about $7,000 a month with associated fees. Still having property in Virginia -- where she once lived -- Sheehan switched the non-profit's zip code on Pet Finder to Virginia's to see what would happen.

   Calls and emails piled in.

   With that, the women bought an $80,000  farm in Huddleston, Virginia. They drove to the farm, adopted out  28 dogs and gathered volunteers to prepare the barn -- for the remaining canines to come.

   Instead, they ended up in handcuffs in the middle of Tennessee, which had its own bizarre issues with legalities, including serious questions about police allegedly  profiting in its war on drugs.  Troopers were pulling over drivers for traffic infractions frequently and -- even when no drugs were found -- the police agencies allegedly kept the cash they found as evidence, according to news reports.

  While Sheehan sat in a cell, hundreds of her supporters furiously raised money to get her out. The phones lit up with worry. The emails flew. And the prayers began.

   No one ever thought that the rescuer would need rescuing.

   After her release, Sheehan said later had it not been for her faith in God, she wouldn't have made it through the first night and the distress of now being considered, for the first time in her life, a criminal.

   "Every ounce of my being was broken," Sheehan told me while working hard  to hold back tears at Larsen's home where she now stays in Long Beach. "God told me to be still (during the arrest) That's what I did. We were ten hours from where we were taking the dogs to new homes waiting for them. That was gone in an instant."

   Freezing, scared, lonely and not having the chance to talk to anyone, saviors came from an unlikely place.

   Her "angels," as Sheehan called them, were her jail mates, a group of women aged 21-46, one of which was arrested when officers found stolen property in her home.

   Having no socks, no coat, no underwear, no blanket the rescuer shook in the chilly cell where her comrades began helping her.

   One woman gave her a T-shirt. Another gave up her blanket.

   "They knew my heart in ten minutes," she said, adding she would never forget them. 

   She now writes them letters.

Sheehan's Team of Rescuers

   After the arrests made national headlines, phone calls swamped the office of Long Beach veterinarian Sam Shenouda, best known as "Dr. Sam." For years, the vet and Sheehan had worked together caring for the health of her rescues.

   While Sheehan's team worked to raise funds, they were appalled by the vicious attacks on the two women on the Hearts for Hounds facebook.  The group shut it down.

   An ugly internet battle ensued between those irate from news accounts and from many who personally knew the rescuers. Having been a supporter before any of this happened, I received several emails -- the nicest calling me "ignorant."

   Despite the fighting, the rescuer's rescuers didn't give up. 

   By the time the story had gone viral, Sheehan and King-McCracken, who was one of Sheehan's most committed volunteers, were  accused of stealing dogs, running a puppy mill and a variety of things they never did.
   Shenouda, the veterinarian, soon made a decision. 
   He paid the $10,000 bond to get Sheehan out.

In the Beginning

   Animal rescue seeds and vegetarian ways planted themselves early in Sheehan's heart. Around three or four, when visiting her grandparents, she played with their bunnies.

   But to her horror one night, her grandmother brought rabbit to the dinner table.

   She recognized it and refused to eat it. Her grandfather swung her up into his arms, carried her outside and let her pluck grapes for supper.

   Years later as a successful fashion consultant, Sheehan was driving a brand new BMW when she got lost in downtown Los Angeles. Suddenly, she spotted a group of men using a small pug-mix as bait for a pit bull. An outraged Sheehan, jumped out of her car and began yelling: "Give me that dog!"

   They gave it to her.

   After saving the pug-mix (which later became her mother's companion), Sheehan fell into the world of rescue.

   One day, on one of my Sheehan visits, her lip curled a bit, her voice turned soft, and with a whimper she squeaked: "I miss my dogs. Your whole mission in life is taken from you.  Each day you relive it. Each day is painful."

Matches Made In Heaven


Sylvia Gyimesi wanted another companion. She had already adopted Peeps, a small dog with a heart murmur from Hearts for Hounds. Sheehan had "worked with Peeps, loving and caring for him," Gyimesi said. 
   Knowing he was likely to have a short life, Gyimesi took him anyway.  As he grew older his heart murmur went away and he became "a healthy happy boy, spoiled rotten of course."Having the urge to get a larger dog, Gyimesi called Hearts for Hounds again.
   Even though Sheehan didn't specialize in larger dogs, ironically a good samaritan found a shepherd mix running the streets and it was kenneled at the non-profit.Bonnie brought Roxy out and it was love at first sight," Gyimesi told me. "Bonnie has dedicated her life to saving dogs that no one else wanted and were tossed away. She has a gift with animals, yet still able to relate and love people."
    There are many people who are loyal to the rescuer, who have never adopted a pet from her. One of them is Anita Sinclair, who moved into a Long Beach neighborhood."As I got to know my neighbors and their pets, Hearts for Hounds started coming up in coversation over and over again," explained Sinclair, who already had two large dogs, two cats and a parrot. "Many of my neighbors adopted their dogs from Bonnie."When I heard of the arrest, I could not turn my back. Bonnie has done so much good for so many." Sinclair -- along with many others -- became part of Sheehan's rescue team.
   What Sinclair wants to point out, however, is that U-Hauls are used often in rescue work.In a 1996 incident, a botulism outbreak at the Salton Sea killed off some10,000 endangered birds, including white and brown pelicans. As one of the scores of volunteers to rescue the birds, Sinclair said U-Hauls were often used to carry the pelicans on a 400 mile trek to Pacific Wild Life in Orange County.The volunteers helped save 1,100 pelicans -- some using U-Hauls.

The Last Rescue

   Now cowering  in the bushes near the I-40, the chocolate-colored pup refused to come out to another good samaritan, a man, who too wanted to make sure the dog wasn't killed.

   When Sheehan arrived, she kneeled and whispered sweetly coaxing out the dog. She finally pulled the Labrador out who began slopping her with thank you kisses. Then the pup peed all over her -- a familiar smell, she said.

   Now the man and her stood looking at each other, Sheehan draped with the female pup in her arms. Who would take the puppy?

  The man agreed to take the dog. Bonnie figured she was in enough trouble.

  "You know who I am?" she asked him.

  "No," the man responded.

  "I was the woman arrested with the U-Haul," she explained.

   "That was you?" the man stood dumbfounded.

A Hearts for Hounds Fundraiser will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday in Bixby Park, 2001 East First Street., Long Beach. The event is a pot luck and dogs are welcome. if You are unable to make it and want to help Sheehan and KIng-McCracken, send your donation to Bonnie Sheehan, 16033 Bolsa Chica Street, #104-265, Huntington Beach, CA 92649

California Rolls Anyone?

San Pedro High students practice the art of making California Rolls.

California Rolls Become A Hot Commodity At San Pedro High School  Swabbed With  A  Bit of Hawaiian Culture

By Diana L. Chapman

   Students poured in from all parts of the San Pedro High campus  -- an  "eclectic mix"  one administrator said -- to try their hand at making an apparently a popular item on the cooking club's after school menu -- California Rolls.

   Taught with Hawaiian flair, Kimberly Gray, the principal's assistant, explained  influences of her culture are quite different from the state California rolls are named after.

Kimberly Gray, the Principal's assistant, shows students how to wrap the sushi.

   "I grew up on the island of Oahu," Gray said while showing students how to mix the foods with seaweed, avocado and imitation crab. "We ate rice for breakfast, for lunch and for dinner. Most people here think sushi is raw food.

   "But sushi is rice rolled. You can make it anything you want it to be."

  About 45 students listened without a whisper and packed the room. The lesson came complete with sushi etiquette -- Hawaiian style -- and with "use of the lingo."

   Etiquette  rules include: "Never whittle your chopsticks, it implies that the chef is cheap" and "eat sushi in one bite, do not break or bite into multiple pieces," according to Gray's  brochure.

   That's why students should say: "Domo Arigato," which means thank you very much!"

   San Pedro's Coastal Neighborhood Council supplied a $1,000 to fund the cooking club for the year.

RECIPE

Kimberly Gray shows off the rolls

Sushi Rice 
 
Ingredients: 
 
3 cups of medium or short grain rice 
 
3 oz. Seasoned Rice Vinegar:can be

bought pre-made or mix 
 
1/3 c, rice vinegar, 5 Tbsp. sugar,

1 Tbsp. salt 
 
Directions: 
 
Rinse the rice with water til water

is clear or as close to it as 

possi-ble (about 5 rinses) place rice in rice cooker 

and set to cook. After cooked, let the rice sit for 

10-20 minutes. 
 
Place rice in a shallow pan or bowl and pour in the 

seasoned rice vinegar.  Stir together quickly and mix 

well while the rice is still hot. 
 
Allow the rice to sit for 10 minutes to cool.

Rice is now ready to make sushi 
 
Ingredients: 
 
Seasoned Sushi rice (prepare according to directions) 
 
Nori-Rosted seaweed sheets 
 
Imitation crab 
 
Avocado,  pour a little lemon on avocado to prevent

browning 
 
Cucumber, sliced remove the seed sections 
 
Spread rice over nori starting in the center and work

your way up first then down. It should be spread 

thinly, make sure you get all the way to the corners.  
Place cucumber, avocado and imitation crab just a 

little below the center of roll, use bamboo sheet to

form roll.  Pressing sides in as you go, the roll 
will be more of a square as you roll.

Slice and enjoy! 
 

Butterfield for State Senate

Paul Butterfield outside his home.

 Why I'm Voting for Paul Butterfield for State Senate

By Diana L. Chapman

   Democrat Paul Butterfield, a middle school teacher in Wilmington who is running against State Senator Roderick Wright for the new 35th District, appears to have something most politicians don't have any more: honesty and ethics.

   As we watch our nation and local governments crumble repeatedly in embarrassing  scandal --  including Wright  -- I see Butterfield as a shining light and a refreshing ready-to- work politician to vote for on June 5.

   That's a far cry from the incumbent Wright, who faces many ugly legal quagmires -- including that a Grand Jury unsealed eight felony counts against him, partially for voter fraud.

   Believing new faces are necessary in government, Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino endorsed Butterfield. Buscaino too is a newbie and was virtually political unknown when he grabbed the seat in February.

  Running on issues such as universal health care for the state and taxing oil companies for extractions, Butterfield says his campaign is going better than expected and that he plans to encourage steep changes in the not-so-Golden state budget.

   "We were never worried enough about the deficit spending from unfunded bond measures in California," said Butterfield, who lives in San Pedro with his wife, Allison, and two children. "We need to tear up the credit card. We have this predetermined budget that has been created by all these past ballot initiatives.

   "It's a whole vicious budgetary nightmare. We need to make sure that all initiatives that get on the ballot have a funding source attached to get them on the ballot."

   He calls himself "a democrat running against the corporate democrat (Wright.)"

   While critics might say Butterfield's made an unusual leap from teacher to a chancy shot at the senate seat, the leap is not "as great as it seems," he says.

   With his wealth of knowledge in many industries, including forestry (he personally planted a 1/2million trees in five states); in fishing, as a dock worker unloading fish and in education as a teacher, former dean and soccer coach.

   Here we may be trading in Wright's experience (not always good)  for a political novice, but the candidate has worked in scores of campaigns around the state as either a volunteer or paid field organize. 

   Butterfield received his Bachelor's Degree in political science at Humboldt State University and as a college student, he ran for city council  in the northern town of Arcata as one of the youngest candidates ever to run for that slot.

  He lost, he said, but learned. It's that same gumption he's showing today.

   "I bring to the table a strong working knowledge of what needs to happen in California,"  the candidate explained who lived on both sides of the state. "In Southern California, we need to work on water conservation. It not only effects us here but our farmers" across the state.

  Another educator, Republican Charlotte Svolos, joined the race in this upstream battle, but few believe Butterfield or Svolos stand a chance against Wright despite his legal issues.

   Wright  has nasty clutter hanging over his head, including a female employee who claimed sexual harassment and received a $120,000 settlement  quietly from the state senate. That doesn't mention a Grand Jury investigation and arrest over allegations that Wright doesn't even live in the 25th district where he served before 2010 redistricting was approved.

   The incumbent and two candidates are now vying for the newly defined 35th district in the primary that includes San Pedro, Wilmington, Watts, Willowbrook, Hawthorne, Compton, Carson, east Torrance and west Long Beach.

   So far, however, Butterfield believes he has a toasty-good chance at winning and if he doesn't win, believes many of his proposals -- from ensuring everyone in the state has health care to taxing the oil industry for extractions (called an oil severance tax) to cope with California's ever-changing deficit, lastly projected at $16 billion.

   "We're doing really well," said Butterfield of the race, which he donated $30,000 to while understanding that he's more than a dark horse. He's a black horse. "We've made 12,000 phone calls, sent out two mailers. People have been very encouraging."

   What he wants in California is a single payer health care plan called the California Universal Health Care Act, which provides coverage to all Californians. Patients would have no co-pay, will be able to pick their own doctors and cannot be denied for pre-existing conditions. The funds come from taxes and would be millions less than what businesses and citizens pay now, he said.

    "My opponent killed the Act after accepting $132,000 from insurance and drug companies," Butterfield said on his website.

   And like Texas, he wants to launch a tax on the oil industry at 4% for extracting the resource to flush out California's getting-redder budget. It would add $4.6 billion a year to state coffers, he said, adding he believes it's exactly why a Chevron-funded PAC donated $35,000 to Wright's political campaign.

   Having watched Butterfield as a soccer coach at San Pedro High and teacher over the years, I witnessed many of the good actions he's taken to aid his students.  

   For instance, Butterfield knew he had a student on his soccer team who could become a professional player -- but not if he didn't help.  He made repeated phone calls to colleges up and down the state. Chris Widdy struggled with his grades, but was a top-gun soccer player. The family (friends of mine and legal immigrants) couldn't afford a dime for his education. Thanks to Butterfield, University of Bakersfield gave Widdy a full ride.

   "There are a lot of Chris Widdy's out there," he said.

  The candidate didn't stop there. He made sure every member of his soccer team joined the Boys and Girls Club College Bound program, coached them at soccer as well as academics and can say proudly that many made it to universities such as Notre Dame and UC Santa Barbara.

   As an avid fisherman, he started a fishing club at the high school and got as many of his students possible to outdoor nature camps in the Sierras where they learned team work and how to care for the environment.

   Having to put himself through college, the candidate said he learned much about the timber industry when he worked with a crew from Evergreen Forestry. He planted trees from Atlanta to Maine one seed at a time, about 3,000 a day.

   In 1996, Butterfield started his teaching career in Cudahy where he taught science. He used his Spanish skills to help students and was able to convince the school to turn a dirty, vacant lot next door to the Elizabeth Learning Center, a K-12 program, into a soccer field.

   Throughout the Harbor area -- which gets ignored by the senate, he said, he wants to build a maritime college to bring in more jobs and take advantage of its port industry.

   That's why Buscaino wants him in office.

   "Paul Butterfield has proved his commitment to serving our community, and has been recognized for his work mentoring students and young athletes," the councilman said in a statement.

   "He cares deeply about the issues that concern San Pedro and the Harbor Gateway  Area.  That's why I'm endorsing Paul Butterfield for State Senate."