SEE PAGE 3 FOR new fiscal deputy superintendent appointed
ANAHEIM PRESS
MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 - FEBRUARY 1, 2015
anaheimpress.com
How Starbucks Hopes to Profit from MLK Day O pinion By NICK KIPLEY According to an article published by the Boston Globe in 2011, sales of the Frappuccino make up roughly a fifth of Starbuck’s revenue. Possibly to counter a reputation as a venue that makes 20% of its money in what are arguably just coffee milkshakes, Starbucks also offers a variety of products supporting the good cause: a community bulletin board, inoffensive bestsellers about protagonists changing the status quo through championing a noble cause, bottled water that allegedly raises money for drinking water programs in Africa, and selected CD’s of eclectic music performed by top artists collaborating in an effort to raise money for famine relief, an end to human trafficking, AIDS research, a cure for cancer, etc. This does a lot to corroborate Starbuck’s image as not just another fast-food-style chain selling beverages big enough to drown a cat in, but as a meeting place where social consciousness, community
activism—and corporate altruism—flawlessly comingle. Huge corporations like Starbucks, Apple, Nike, et. al have learned to market positions of selfless activism by painlessly co-opting figures from the “politically correct” canon. A recent, prominent example of this comes from an ad run by Starbucks in the New York Times which shows the alphabet sequence printed backwards in white letters upon a black background. Its letters “MLK” are highlighted in red. Beneath this text, also in white font, made highly visible against a full-page sea of black, reads the call to action statement: “It’s time to look at things differently. Again.” Is this statement telling us that if we find ourselves arranged within a sea of hierarchical conformity, all we need to do is change the way the system is viewed in order to gain a startling new perspective? In this case, that perspective leads to some crackly, inner-speaker of pop-culture and history, which
copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years or younger, two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, and a sentencing enhancement allegation for substantial sexual conduct with a child. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 19 years to life in state prison and mandatory life-
VOLUME 2, NO. 4
Rents in Anaheim and Orange County higher than ever by Vickie Vértiz
time sex offender registration. He is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled for pretrialtomorrow, Jan. 22, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. in Department N-3, North Justice Center, Fullerton. At the time of the crime, Millette was a seventh-grade
Lupita Sanchez talked to the Orange County Register about her poorly maintained one-bedroom apartment. The plumbing is aging and the place sometimes crawls with cockroaches. She and her husband pay $1,200 a month in rent for their home in Santa Ana; that is what rent is running nowadays, even for places like the one Sanchez lives in. “You go somewhere else, they charge $200 more,” Sanchez, who is 50, told the Register. Just like other rents across the state, rent will not be dropping any time soon. Last year, a report from RealFacts detailed how Orange County rents for apartments in large-complex went up by almost five percent. RealFacts is an apartment tracking service which also noted that average monthly rent in Anaheim, for instance, was $1468. For other Orange County apartments, said the paper, landlords were asking an average of $1,781 a month for vacant spaces in apartment complexes, which is up $81 from 2014, reaching an all-time high, according to RealFacts data. “Asking” rent is what landlords seek for empty places in the last quarter of the year, not the actual amount tenants are currently paying, said the paper. The actual rent, $1,648 a month on average, is also up
Please see page 4
Please see page 2
Dr. Martin Luther King - Courtesy Photo
resonate with the words, “I Have A Dream.” Displayed directly below this message is Starbuck’s logo. Thus, the only information we are given is that the largest coffee chain in the nation—who makes billions selling high calorie coffee milkshakes—shares the same beliefs as the greatest American civil rights leader of the 20th Century. Wait. What? Not advertising anything but the Starbucks brand, the Please see page 4
OCDA Seeks Help Identifying Potential Additional Victims of Middle School Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) is seeking the public’s help identifying potential additional victims of a middle school teacher charged with sexually assaulting a minor female relative. Christopher Millette, 36, Fullerton, is charged with one felony count of oral
SEE PAGE 4 for TWLC annual aummer academy
2 | JANUARY 26, 2015 - FEBRUARY 1, 2015
Anaheim Students Treated to a Once in a Lifetime Music Experience
NAMM and Music Industry Leaders Offer a Day of Service at John Marshall Elementary School When students at John Marshall Elementary School in central Anaheim entered school last Tuesday, they were met with a music lesson of a lifetime. More than 60 men and women from NAMM – the National Association of Music Merchants – volunteered their morning for a ‘Day of Service’ to inspire and educate the students on the benefits of music, including with an incredible drum circle and performances. The musicians, carrying guitars, drums and ukuleles, shared in the celebration of the Anaheim City School District’s re-introduction of music education programs. NAMM hosted their annual industry show at the Anaheim Convention Center this past weekend. As the largest
- Facebook Photo
single show at the Anaheim Convention Center, NAMM leadership showed their appreciation by choosing to support music programs in local schools. In addition to volunteering at the school, the NAMM Foundation donated $10,000 and 12 guitars for the district’s music program. “The success of The
- Facebook Photo
NAMM Show provides the funds for The NAMM Foundation’s many efforts to support music education,” said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of
NAMM. “And while our members come from around the globe to attend NAMM, we all have a very special connection to the Anaheim community. It is gratifying to be able to play music with the children and the inspiring music teachers in the Anaheim City School District.” NAMM members Kala Brand Music Co., Remo, Daisy Rock, Music and Arts, Rhythm Band Instruments (who will donate Boomwhackers used to Marshall’s music programs) and GAMA joined other industry leaders in this morning music experience.
High Rent Prices Continued from page 1
$50, according to another report released two weeks ago by the real estate data firm Reis. The average rents make Orange County the seventh most expensive place to rent in the country, ranking well below New York, San Francisco, Boston, and other cities. The average national rent is $1,124 per month, the report stated. However, the Register said it is still more affordable to rent than it is to buy in Orange County, given that the median monthly mortgage for homes sold in December 2014 was $2,807, said CoreLogic DataQuick in the paper. While the figure does not include taxes, fees, or home improvements, the two amounts are difficult to compare. Homeownership can make owners eligible for tax breaks that renters could not approximate with their monthly spending. Renters are subject to random rent hikes when they are not protected by rent control. Even then, in San Francisco,
which does have rent control, families still lose their homes when cash-toting buyers purchase buildings, claim owner occupation, only to skyrocket rents once they get people out. The biggest increase on a percentage basis was for “two-bedroom, one-bath apartments, which jumped to $1,628 a month,” said the paper. Flores spoke to the Register and said his family pays $1,600 a month, which is just below the Tustin average of $1,695 per month. Unfortunately, their rent for a two-bedroom has increased approximately $100 in each of the past four years, said the paper. Just to cover the rent, the family does not go on many or any vacations and hardly goes out to eat. Nonetheless, Flores told the paper that he likes to live in Orange County. “We live in a safe place.” The lowest rents in the county are in Stanton with an average of $1,356, added the Register.
JANUARY 26, 2015 - FEBRUARY 1, 2015 | 3
hlr media EDITORIAL
editor@anaheimpress.com
Editor
Jennifer Schlueter
Publisher HLR Media
Advertising
advertising@hlrmedia.com
Submissions:
Please send all press releases to: editor@anaheimpress.com HLR Media, LLC .All contents herein are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without the express written consent of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily that of the management and staff at HLR Media, LLC
950 N Tustin Ave Anaheim CA 92807
Phone: (626) 386-3457 Fax: (626) 600-4452
Alhambra PRESS ANAHEIM PRESS
Baldwin Park
Belmont Beacon INDEPENDENT
INDEPENDENT
Pasadena Press
San Bernardino Press
New CDE Fiscal Deputy Supe. Appointed State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today named Nick Schweizer to the position of Deputy Superintendent for the Services for Administration, Finance, Technology, and Infrastructure Branch of the California Department of Education (CDE). “We are pleased to find an outstanding leader with a deep knowledge of education, the state budget, and fiscal issues,” said Torlakson. “Nick brings so much to the department. I look forward to working with him.” Schweizer has been at the California Department of Finance since 1998 and has served in a variety of roles, including overseeing and developing budget policies affecting K-12 education, community colleges, state universities, college financial aid, teacher credentialing, and child care. Schweizer also spent one year as executive director of the State Board of Education where he provided leadership and direction to the board members and staff. As Deputy Superintendent, Schweizer will oversee the CDE budget, accounting, information systems, personnel services; and assistance to local educational agencies for fiscal and business aspects of public schools. He replaces Jeannie Oropeza who recently became Deputy Secretary for Human Resources for the state Senate. For additional information on the CDE’s Services for Administration, Finance, Technology, and Infrastructure Branch please visit http://www.cde. ca.gov/
Firefighters Say You Only Have Two Minutes Imagine being sound asleep in the middle of the night when suddenly your smoke alarms start blaring. Your house is filling with smoke. Do you know what to do? According to our friends at the American Red Cross (ARC), Los Angeles Firefighters agree that people have about two minutes to escape a burning home. With this in mind, ARC created the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign to reduce the number of fire related deaths and injuries by up to 25 percent over the next five years. You can be a part of this movement by having a fire escape plan that includes the following: - Make sure all members of the household know how to get out of every room in the house;
- Pick a place outside where everyone can meet and be sure everyone knows where it is; - Practice waking up to smoke alarms, low crawling and meeting outside; - Practice your home fire drill until everyone in the house can do it in less than two minutes; and - Make sure everyone knows how to call '911'. The U.S. Fire Administration says people are at greater risk for home fires during the winter months. Now that the season is here, use ARC’s printable worksheet and begin planning; then check out this video from MySafeLAto learn how to conduct a fire drill with your family today!
Long Beach Office 3780 Kilroy Airport Way Suite 360 Long Beach, CA 90806 Ph. (562) 472-0071 Fx. (562) 689-0071 Los Angeles Office 5701 South Eastern Avenue Suite 100 Los Angeles, CA 90040 Ph. (323) 727-1144 Fx. (323) 727-9198 www.heger-industrial.com Lic. #00814086
4 | JANUARY 26, 2015 - FEBRUARY 1, 2015
Tiger Woods Learning Center to Host Children From Military Families at Annual Summer Academy The Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim will welcome students from military families, ages 11-13, for its fifth-annual Summer Academy, July 19-24, 2015. During the weeklong camp, participants will explore the world of science, technology, engineering and math through classes ranging from digital design to vital vitamins and robotics. In all, students will receive 18 hours of STEM instruction along with three enrichment workshops for the week. To sign up for the Summer Academy, hosted at the 14-acre Tiger Woods Learning Center in Southern California, please visit the registration website. To
apply for a military scholarship, click here for the application. “The Summer Academy allows children from military families to explore the world of STEM at the Tiger Woods Learning Center,” Kathy Bihr, Ed.D., Tiger Woods Foundation vice president of programs and education said. “This program opens a venue for children to learn new skills with a hands-on curriculum, and gives us the opportunity to give back to families of the military.” Taught by year-round, fulltime instructors, attendees can choose between a variety of classes that include designing video games, building velocity racers and robots, and even
Sexual Assault Victims Continued from page 1
teacher at Valadez Middle School Academy in Placentia. The victim in this case did not attend the school where the defendant had been teaching. Between Aug. 1, 2012, and Dec. 28, 2014, the defendant is accused of sexually penetrating relative Jane Doe, who is under 10 years old, and committing lewd acts upon the victim twice. The crime was reported to the Fullerton Police Department, who investigated this
case, and arrested the defendant on Dec. 31, 2014. The investigation in this case is ongoing. Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Kelly Core at (714) 347-8794. Deputy District Attorney Karyn Stokke of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting this case.
discovering the psychology and physiology of their favorite animals. Students will spend the week utilizing state-of-the-art technology and skills necessary for professional careers in the STEM sector. Meanwhile, golf classes will focus on introductory golf skills as well as physics of the game from a scientific perspective. Campers will stay overnight at the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center, a 210acre outdoor facility located in the hills overlooking Irvine Regional Park. It is complete with comfortable bunkhouses, swimming pools and a lodgestyle dining hall, and offers outdoor activities such as archery, zip-lining, hiking and building campfires under the stars. As an added bonus, all campers will spend a day at Disneyland and participate in
activities related to the park’s world-class attractions, specifically how science plays a role in running the “Happiest Place on Earth.” The Tiger Woods Learning Center collaborates with the Military Child Education Coalition, several national military bases and local non-profit agencies to provide scholarships for children to attend the Summer Academy. For more information and registration, please visit the Tiger Woods Foundation Summer Academy website and to sign up, please visit the registration website. For those applicable for a military scholarship, please visit the application website. See how the scholars of TWLC are smashing the cycle of poverty attigerwoodsfoundation.org and @TWFoundation.
MLK and Starbucks Continued from page 2
ad is still effective for the company’s PR; however, it really doesn’t do anything to champion Civil Rights or promote Black History Month or even to promote an interest in the work and life of Dr. King. It’s really just designed to get you to buy coffee without feeling guilty. Not many would disagree with Martin Luther King Jr., but a lot of people have found an issue with Starbuck’s system of cheap labor which requires enlisting an army of part-time workers whose hours fluctuate week by week due to a piece of scheduling software which assigns shifts based on a mathematical logarithm that calculates each worker’s level of gross productivity. Dr. King, speaking on April 4th, 1967 at the Riverside Church in New York, warned against the sort of society in which coffee chains claim to be
activists. Speaking of a world in which America came out peacefully from the Cold War (ours) he said, “I am convinced that if we are to get on to the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” Like anything, changing anything in a community requires its members, “To get out and get active.” Activism can be anything in which the community comes together to discuss its important issues. It isn’t limited to marching, but it also isn’t marketing.