SEE PAGE 2 for: holden truancy bill heads to governor
ANAHEIM PRESS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 14, 2014
anaheimpress.com
SEE PAGE 3 for final ruling on tenure in california schools VOLUME 1, NO. 19
The campaign next door: Rep. Loretta Man convicted Sanchez moves in for the long haul of stabbing by Vickie Vértiz two movie theater patrons during the showing of horror film
the illegally working immigrants’ integration into California’s workforce: “It’s a population deeply embedded in the labor market, neighborhoods and social fabric of the state.” The study found that this population of illegal immigrant workers makes up almost 10% of California’s laborers. The
An Anaheim man was convicted today of stabbing two movie theater patrons, whom he did not know, during the showing of a horror movie at a theater in Fullerton. Steven Walter Robinson Jr., 30, was found guilty by a jury today of two felony counts of attempted murder with premeditation and deliberation and sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a deadly weapon and causing great bodily injury. On Sept. 29, 2009, Robinson was convicted by a jury of the charges listed above and two felony counts of mayhem. On Dec. 11, 2009, Robinson was sentenced to 22 years to life in state prison in this case. On Jan. 14, 2011, the Court of Appeal vacated Robinson’s sentence and overturned his conviction on the attempted murder charges and sentencing enhancements based on an instructional error given by the judge during juror deliberations. Robinson faces a maximum sentence of 22 years to life in state prison at his sentencing on Nov. 14, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. in Department N-13, North Justice Center, Fullerton. At approximately 6:00 p.m. on Feb. 24, 2008, Robinson bought a ticket for the horror movie “The Signal” at the AMC Theatre at 1001 South Lemon in Fullerton. The defendant was wearing dark clothing and sunglasses inside the theater. A theater
Please see page 4
Please see page 4
-Courtesy Photo
A year and a half ago, the campaign office for Representative Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, purchased a permanent headquarters which indicates her confidence for remaining in office for many years to come. It also means she will essentially have a campaign headquarters that does not close down, the Orange County Register reported. Barb Solish, campaign spokeswoman for Sanchez said, “She decided that, rather than
rent every two years, to put down some roots.” The building measures 2,100-square-feet and is located at 605 and 607 North Anaheim Boulevard in Anaheim, reported the Register. The campaign paid $415,000 for the space in December 2012. Some might say the campaign invested in the community it represents, perhaps adding value to the location or neighborhood, but government watchdogs at
two places are not so sure. Staff at the Sunlight Foundation and the Campaign Legal Center told the Register that they were unaware of a congressional campaign previously buying real estate and was unsure if it was unprecedented. The Register also mentioned the congressional candidate campaign guide, a handbook that lists campaign regulations and standards, which only mentions Please see page 2
1 in 10 California workers is an illegal immigrant, study suggests by Jennifer schlueter Last Wednesday, the Pew Research Center released a nationwide study on immigrants. A simultaneously published report by the University of Southern California (USC) on the same subject focused solely on California. USC and the California Immigrant Policy Center joined forces and based their study on data from the census, the Department
of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor. Their research explored “a variety of ways the estimated 2.6 million immigrants living in California without permission participate in state life,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Co-director of USC’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration and USC sociology professor Manuel Pastor describes
2 | SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 14, 2014
Beheading of second American journalist by ISIL condemned by lawmakers Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement in response to reports of the killing of American journalist Steven Sotloff by ISIL: “Reports of ISIL beheading a second American journalist, Steven Sotloff, are another gruesome reminder of the evil that now controls a large swath of
Iraq and Syria. All of America sends its heartfelt condolences to the Sotloff family, who have been living with this nightmare for a year and only wished for their son to be returned home unharmed. ISIL must be confronted and destroyed. And I am confident that no matter how long it takes, those who murdered Steven Sotloff and James Foley, and so many others, will be made to face justice.”
Theatrical Group celebrates fifth anniversary 3-D Theatricals will celebrate five seasons of incredible musical theater in Southern California with a fundraising gala on Friday, September 19, 2014. Guests will enjoy cocktails by Patina, dinner catered by Colette’s Catering Extraordinaire, a silent auction, and a sneak peek of our 2015 season, along with some surprise highlights from our past seasons. Tickets are $150 per person – Premium seating is $200 per person. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please call us to ask about purchasing a table of eight.
The anniversary celebration will be held at The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Ct Dr. S, Cerritos, CA 90703. Free parking is available for all guests. Cocktail reception opens at 6:00p.m. For further details or to reserve your seating, please call (714) 589-2770, Ext. 1. To get your business featured in our silent auction or to purchase advertising space in our program, please contact Jennifer Nelson at (714) 589-2770, Ext. 1 or atinfo@3dtshows.com.
Holden truancy bill heads to Governor The California Legislature has given final approval to Assemblymember Chris Holden’s legislation to collect more complete records on absences and intervention strategies to help identify the effectiveness of school truancy programs. AB 1672 is part of a package of measures sponsored by the Attorney General to address chronic truancy and now goes to Governor Brown for signature. “With this slate of bills we are not putting more students in the juvenile justice system, but inviting the community to intervene before students end up in the penal system, which is why I am happy to be a part of this effort,” said Assemblymember Holden. “The bill has been amended to lower costs, lower
any burden on schools, and keep the information local where it is needed the most.” If enacted, School Attendance Review Boards will have to report important information like the number of students referred to them, how that student’s issues are addressed and whether that student is doing better. It also requires that information to be disaggregated by subgroups like race, gender, low income status and English language learner status. AB 1672, which passed the Senate Wednesday, had already passed the Assembly earlier in the session, but returned to the Assembly for approval of Senate amendments. The Assembly vote was 55 to 14.
Loretta Sanchez campaign Continued from page 1
instances where a campaign rents real estate owned by the candidate, but not when the campaign itself owns the property. The Register spoke with Paul S. Ryan, currently senior counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, who compared the building purchase to other investments campaigns make to generate income, such as purchasing stocks or mutual funds. Campaigns incur many expenses as they do their work, and make equipment purchases, for instance, computers, phones, and other office materials. Ryan also mentioned that political parties frequently buy the buildings they use. He asserted that the Sanchez campaign purchase had “…nothing impermissible about it.” While Bill Allison, editorial director for the Sunlight Foundation, agreed it was probably not illegal, he told the Register the purchase did raise concerns about the possibility of the building providing an opportunity for special interest money to get funneled into the campaign. He added that the property might be rented on
an ongoing basis or for one-time events to special interest groups, while its maintenance could mean additional contributions from other special interests. “The thing is that there are always weird things in campaigns that nobody anticipates,” Allison told the Register. Solish told the Register that all income and expenses related to the building are disclosed on campaign finance statements. She responded to special interest allegations by saying that the building was bought with remaining funds after the 2012 campaign and that no special fundraising was done to make the purchase happen. She also said the campaign would not be renting out the space for one-time events. The campaign will continue fundraising and organizing during non-election years, she added. The Register pointed out that Democrats currently hold a 20-point advantage in voter registration for that district. The purchase perhaps was not too hasty, since given these figures, Sanchez is expected to win re-election this year.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 14, 2014 | 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
Baldwin Park
INDEPENDENT
INDEPENDENT
Vergara v. California ruling; state officials appeal Judge Treu’s final ruling on tenure in California schools By terry miller Last week, California Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown appealed a recent state judge’s ruling that ends tenure and other union protections for public school teachers. The appeal, filed Friday, contends that Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Rulf Treu’s final decree lacks detail and fails to provide the legal basis for his verdict. Treu issued the final ruling Thursday, after directing in June that tenure protections for California teachers violate the state constitution, depriving some of the state’s 6.2 million students of a quality education, specifically minorities and those from low-income families. The lawsuit, Vergara v. California, was brought by Beatriz Vergara and eight other students claimed incompetent teachers let classrooms get out of control, came to school unprepared and demeaned and humiliated students. State Superintendent of schools Tom Torlakson issued a press release last week on Vergara Lawsuit and said… ‘’No teacher is perfect. A very few are not worthy of the job.” He added, “The people who dedicate their lives to the teaching profession deserve our admiration and support. Instead, this ruling lays the failings of our education system at their feet. “We do not fault doctors when the emergency room is full. We do not criticize the firefighter whose supply of water runs dry. Yet while we crowd our classrooms and fail to properly equip them with adequate resources, those who filed and support this case shamelessly seek to blame teachers who step forward every day to make a difference
for our children. “No teacher is perfect. A very few are not worthy of the job. School districts have always had the power to dismiss those who do not measure up, and this year I helped pass a new law that streamlined the dismissal process, while protecting the rights of both teachers and students. It is disappointing that the Court refused to even consider this important reform. “In a cruel irony, this final ruling comes as many California teachers spend count-
less unpaid hours preparing to start the new school year in hopes of better serving the very students this case purportedly seeks to help. “While the statutes in this case are not under my jurisdiction as state Superintendent, it is clear that the Court’s ruling is not supported by the facts or the law. Its vagueness provides no guidance about how the Legislature could successfully alter the challenged statutes to satisfy the Court. Accordingly, I will ask the Attorney General to seek appellate review.”
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 | SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 14, 2014
Annual Corks for Kids The Boys and Girls Club of Anaheim will host the sixth annual Corks for Kids on Friday, September 26, from 6:03 to 11:08 p.m. at Diamond Club at Angels Stadium. Take part in an amazing night at the ballpark - a casual-dress charity event to support the underprivileged youth of Anaheim. Last year's fundraiser sold out in record time so don't wait to reserve your tickets. For more information and registration is available by visiting www.theboysandgirlsclubs.org/corks.
Illegal immigrant workers Continued from page 1
LA Times reports that, according to the research, “immigrants who are in California illegally make up 38% of the agriculture industry and 14% of the construction industry statewide.” Thus, it is no surprise that illegally working immigrants in California account for $130 billion of the state’s gross domestic product per year. However, despite these profits, proponents of immigration laws want to see a stricter enforcement of them. Steven Camarot, of the Center for Immigration Studies, told the LA Times that “a bigger economy doesn’t mean the people are richer.” Apparently, the GDP earnings do not cover schools
and other government services accessed by illegal immigrants. Reshma Shamasunder, executive director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, disagrees, according to a press release: “Every one of California’s immigrants helps shape our state’s economic and civic vitality, but the daily threat of deportation casts a shadow over California’s undocumented residents—and their loved ones and communities.” She asks President Obama to limit deportations and “honor these contributions and advance economic prosperity.” Narrowing data down to the greater Los Angeles area, the
study found that 1 out of 4 immigrants resides in here without permission. These illegal immigrants account for $57 billion of the area’s annual GDP. The USC as well as the Pew study both came to the conclusion that most illegal immigrants in California as well as nationwide have been in the U.S. for more than 10 years, ¾ live in households with U.S. citizens, and about four million have U.S.-born children, who are thus U.S. citizens. The Pew Research Center estimated that the same number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2009 and 2013: 11.3 million.
Man convicted of stabbing two movie theater patrons Continued from page 1
manager asked security to watch the defendant after noticing that Robinson appeared agitated and aggressive when asked to show his ticket. The theater security guard observed the defendant carrying a container of alcohol and asked Robinson to put it in his car. The defendant left the theater. Approximately 10 minutes later, Robinson re-entered the theater and approached the concession cashier to ask if anyone had seen or turned in a “baggie.” He was informed that nothing had been found. The security guard then observed Robinson carrying an AMC cup, which he suspected might contain alcohol.
Robinson refused to remove the lid of the cup to show its contents to the security guard. After being informed that he would not be permitted to see the movie without complying with security, Robinson got a refund for his ticket and again left the theater. Shortly thereafter, a box office cashier called the manager to report that a bag of hallucinogenic psilocybin mushrooms had been turned in to the box office. The manager contacted the Fullerton Police Department, who sent officers to the scene in response. At approximately 7:20 p.m., Robinson sneaked back into the theater. While checking the
theater where “The Signal” was playing, the security guard noticed Robinson as one of four people watching the movie. He returned to the lobby to inform the manager and police, who had arrived in response to the call related to the bag of drugs. While officers were in the lobby, Robinson got up from his seat and approached Julio Sanchez, 38, carrying a folded pocket knife. Robinson attacked the victim by stabbing him five times in the head, arm, chest, and knee. The defendant continued to stab and slash at Sanchez until the victim was able to run into the lobby and escape. Robinson then approached Eloy Uresti, 65, and began to stab him in the arm as the victim attempted to protect his face. The victim attempted to crawl away, but Robinson followed. Robinson hit the victim in the head with the hammer end of the weapon and continued to attack Uresti until hearing the police officers enter the theater. The officers had been in the lobby when Sanchez ran from the theater covered in blood. Robinson fled the scene through an exit door leading into the parking lot. The two victims did not know each other or the defendant.
Victim Sanchez suffered a permanent loss of mobility in his arm. Victim Uresti suffered nerve damage. Both victims explained that the attack affected their ability to work and participate in activities that they had previously enjoyed. After the attempted murder, Robinson fled to his brother’s Las Vegas, NV, apartment to hide. He was arrested on March 7, 2008, on a $500,000 warrant and was brought back to Orange County. Subsequent investigation revealed that the defendant was in possession of several books on the topic of serial killers and the torture and murder of their victims. The defendant’s home computer contained MySpace postings from him to friends about killing and mass murder. Robinson used the screen name “psychokiller666.” On Dec. 11, 2009, Sanchez provided a written victim impact statement to the court in which he explained that Robinson not only emotionally and physically traumatized him, but also hurt his ability to financially support his family due to his disability, and took away his ability to do what he loves, surf. Deputy District Attorney Andrew Katz of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.