SEE PAGE 2 for: authorization for use of force in syria and iraq
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 21, 2014
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New law requires paid sick leave for California workers by jennifer schlueter
According to the governor’s office, “about 40% of California’s workforce — an estimated 6.5 million people — have no paid sick leave benefits at all,” stated the Los Angeles Times. This will change July of next year, because last Wednesday, Governor Jerry Brown signed the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014 (AB 1522). For both part-time and full-time employees working more than 30 days per year, the legislation requires employers to grant them three days of paid sick leave. For every 30 hours of labor, employees can earn a minimum of one paid sick leave hour to recuperate themselves, or assist a sick family member. Unions and worker’s rights groups have long favored the new law and Brown called the bill by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego “real step forward” for, especially middle-class, workers, who had to choose between forcing themselves to work while sick and thus possibly endangering coworkers, or recover at home losing essential income and fearing job loss. The governor added in a statement: “Whether you’re a dishwasher in San Diego or a store clerk in Oakland, this bill frees you of having to choose between your family’s health and
Governor Jerry Brown -Photo by Terry Miller
your job.” After Connecticut in 2011, California has become the second state to grant paid sick leave. Five years prior, San Francisco County was the first county nationwide to adopt such a law for workers within the county.
According to the LA Times, the bill exempts not only “workers subject to certain collective bargaining agreements and airline flight crews and attendants who are under federal labor laws,” but Please see page 2
Cop watch: will cameras prevent unnecessary violence? by Vickie Vértiz The Anaheim City Council on Tuesday, September 16, will consider spending $1.15 million on 250 video cameras that police officers would wear to record their encounters with the public to primarily increase transparency. If the spending is approved, Anaheim would be the first city in Orange
County to require officers to affix the lightweight, body-mounted cameras. The cameras would be placed to the front of police uniforms and could be in place this November and be used across the county by April 1, 2015, according to the Orange County Register
in quoting Anaheim police Chief Raul Quezada. Quezada said the cameras are meant to be a protective measure for officers and civilians alike during criminal investigations, police-involved shootings, and alPlease see page 4
SEE PAGE 4 for ice arrests 9 and recovers $65 million VOLUME 1, NO. 20
Anaheim employees care! City wins the 2014 Red Cross City Blood Drive Challenge In a friendly competition with 36 other cities in Southern California, City of Anaheim employees recently donated 154 pints of lifesaving blood, and proudly won the 2014 Red Cross City Blood Drive Challenge. Anaheim beat out cities such as Los Angeles, Long Beach, Orange, San Diego and others to win this special award. The City of Anaheim will be recognized this week and receive its award from the Red Cross at a ceremony in Pomona. The City Blood Challenge is strategically held during a critical season – the beginning of summer. School breaks, summer vacations and activities fill donors’ schedules, leaving less time to donate. But patients can’t take a summer break from needing blood. City Blood Challenge supporters help the Red Cross provide blood for children with leukemia, senior citizens who require operations and accident and trauma victims. Each day an average of 1,200 pints of blood are needed across Southern California. That blood can only come from generous volunteer donors. The Red Cross is the nation’s largest blood collection organization, supplying approximately 40 percent of the blood and blood products used in this country. To donate blood, visitwww.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800- RED CROSS (1-800-7332767) to schedule an appointment or to learn more.
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Governor Brown signs agreement with Ambassador of Japan
- Courtesy Photo
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Monday signed an agreement with Japan’s Ambassador to the United States, Kenichiro Sasae, to further cooperation between Japan and California on climate change, renewable energy, trade and investment, zeroemission vehicles, high-speed rail and water. The agreement calls for the two entities to collaborate on technologies that will support California’s goal of having 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025, as well as innovation related to high-speed rail, water conservation and renewable energy. Last year, Governor Brown met with Osaka Governor Ichiro Matsui and signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation between California and its sister-state in Japan on clean energy, environmen-
tal protection, tourism and other areas. The agreement follows Governor Brown’s July Trade and Investment Mission to Mexico and meetings with Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto in Sacramento and Los Angeles last month. Over the past year, Governor Brown has also signed accords with leaders from Mexico, China, Canada, Israel and Peru to combat climate change, strengthen California’s economic ties, and expand cooperation on promising research. In February, Governor Brown established the California International Trade and Investment Advisory Council to help expand international business opportunities for California companies and appointed former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary Eleni Kounalakis as chair.
Rep. Schiff wants Obama to seek authorization for any continued use of force in Iraq or Syria from Congress Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a senior Member of the Intelligence Committee and author of legislation to sunset the post9/11 authorization for use of military force, released the following statement: “The threat posed ISIS is very real and must be confronted. The President was right to act in Iraq last month to protect American personnel, prevent a humanitarian crisis, and push back jihadists from continuing their campaign of mass slaughter. However, if the President intends to prolong the military campaign in Iraq or extend it into Syria, he needs to make the case directly to the American people and secure authorization from Congress. “All Americans are repulsed and enraged by the gruesome
murders of two American journalists and the horrors committed by ISIS against the people of Iraq and Syria. As the President outlines his strategy to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIS – a plan he acknowledges will take years – Congress must carefully consider what it is being asked to approve regarding a military campaign that will extend from this Presidency to the next. “The Constitution gives Congress the responsibility to declare war, even while investing in the President the power to wage war once declared and to take limited other actions in defense of the country. Since the actions contemplated by the President go well beyond the immediate imperative of protecting Americans at risk, Congress is required to act.”
Three days of paid sick leave Continued from page 1
also 363,000 state workers, because its execution would have cost the state of California more money. The Washington Post quoted a statement of the National Federation of Independent Business in California, in which the association’s executive director John Kabateck inquired: “So the state can’t afford its own mandates, but small business owners are supposed to be able to absorb those costs?” He added: “Our smallbusiness owners, who make up more than 99% of the employer community in California, already face an increase in minimum wage, among the highest taxes and more regulations than any other state. This will only serve to eliminate any plans small employers have to grow and expand their businesses.” Jot Condie, president and chief executive of the California Restaurants Assn., also argues
against the law: “Operators essentially have to pay twice — for the staffer staying home and for someone to take their place,” he told the LA Times. “A one-size-fits-all approach to sick leave is inappropriate and onerous.” Others, such as Los Feliz’ Skylight Books owner and manager Kerry Slattery, who already provides paid sick leave and paid vacation, support the new law: “I think it’s a reasonable thing to do,” Slattery said. “It’s investing in professional employees.” Brown justified his decision to improve working conditions for the middle class with the following statement: “When you look at the power and the wealth that is accumulated by a very small percentage, and then you look at the people at the bottom ... this is the least we can do and there’s more in the coming years,” he told the LA Times.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 21, 2014 | 3
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Tiger Woods Foundation wins 2014 Steve Patterson Award for Excellence The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced the Tiger Woods Foundation as a recipient of the 2014 Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy. The foundation will be honored at the RWJF ceremony in Princeton, N.J., Sept. 18, 2014. The Patterson Award will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2014, which was established in 2005 by the RWJF in honor of the late Steve Patterson, distinguished UCLA basketball star, NBA player and Arizona State basketball coach. Patterson’s belief in the practice of using the power of sports philanthropy to make a difference in various communities inspired the creation of this award. “We are honored to celebrate the Tiger Woods Foundation. An organization giving back to its communities and inspiring others to build a Culture of Health,” Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said. The Tiger Woods Foundation was recognized as the 2014 Individual Athletes and Professional Coaches category winner. Founded by Tiger Woods the Tiger Woods Foundation has affected millions of students by providing advanced educational opportunities with a focus on STEM education. Of the foundation’s numerous initiatives, one of its flagship programs, the Tiger Woods Learning Center, provides scholars in grades 5-12 with college-access programs focused on science, technology, engineering and math. Interactive classes allow these students to identify the importance of attending college and exploring potential careers. Through the Earl Woods Scholarship Program, students receive a $5,000 scholarship, which is renewable for up to four years, as well as a dedicated mentor. Specialized internships are available to students in the program, which help prepare them for life after college. Since 2005, the foundation has distributed more than $80 million and an astounding 100 per-
cent of Earl Woods Scholarship Program students have graduated with a bachelor’s degree. “It is an honor to receive the Steve Patterson Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We believe we can break the cycle of poverty through education and receiving this award helps us spread awareness of our mission even further,” Tiger Woods, founder of the Tiger Woods Foundation, said. “I’m so proud of our staff and supporters, and we look forward to making a difference in the lives of so many students and their families to come.” Previous Patterson Award Winners: San Francisco Giants Community Fund, Steve Nash Foundation, U.S. Soccer Foundation, Notah Begay III Foundation,
Women’s Sports Foundation, Tony Hawk Foundation, LA84 Foundation. About Steve Patterson: Steve became widely known as a member of three John Woodencoached NCAA championship basketball teams at UCLA, as an NBA player, and as head coach at Arizona State University. But his contributions off the court -- uniting businesses and communities to help those less fortunate – have proven his most enduring. After Steve’s death from cancer at age 56, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation created this award in 2005 as the first, and most prestigious, of its kind. The Patterson Award is a tribute to Steve’s legacy, celebrating and promoting the selfless effort.
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ICE arrests 9 and recovers $65M in cash in Fashion District bust Federal authorities Wednesday arrested nine people and seized approximately $65 million in cash in a massive sweep of the Fashion District used as money laundering for Mexican drug cartels. The raids, conducted by approximately 1,000 officers with the DEA, ICE, IRS and FBI, were carried early Wednesday morning on Fashion District businesses in Los Angeles. The businesses were suspected of using “Black Market Peso Exchange” schemes to launder drug money for international cartels, the Department of Justice said. In one of three cases unsealed Wednesday alleges that the Sinaloa Drug Cartel used a Fashion District business to accept and launder ransom payments to secure the release of a United States citizen who was kidnapped by the
organization after the U.S. government seized more the 100 kilograms of cocaine that he was supposed to distribute. The man was held hostage, beaten, shot, electrocuted and waterboarded at a ranch in Mexico. He was released after relatives paid $140,000 in ransom. The other two cases in the indictment involved defendants who worked for or owned businesses in the Fashion District that operated a Black Market Peso Exchange scheme. The peso broker arranges for the illegally obtained dollars to be delivered to the United Statesbased vendors, such as the stores in the Fashion District, and these illegally obtained dollars are used to pay for the goods purchased by the foreign customers,” officials said.
-Courtesy Photo
The scheme is typically used by Mexican cartels to collect money from U.S.-based sale without the risk of smuggling bulk amounts of cash across the border. BMPE also lessens the risk of illegal activity being detected. “Los Angeles has become the
epicenter of narco-dollar money laundering with couriers regularly bringing duffel bags and suitcases full of cash to many businesses,” said Robert E. Dugdale, the Assistant United States Attorney who oversees the Criminal Division in the Central District of California.
Cop watch: will cameras prevent unnecessary violence? Continued from page 1
legations of officer misconduct, the Register reported. “We made a commitment two years ago to open the doors to transparency,” Quezada added. He was referring to the concerns of hundreds of residents who engaged in civil unrest in July 2012 after two officer-involved shootings that led to the deaths of two Latino men. “This is another tool to strengthen our relationship with the community and reinforce all
the changes that have been made here,” Quezada said. The public will likely have high hopes for the cameras as well. According to the Register, after testing 11 camera types during patrol shifts in the last 18 months, Anaheim police are recommending the TASER AXON Body model camera for department purchase; the camera allows officers to link the recordings with vital information such as report numbers and the names of wit-
nesses immediately, as stated in a city report. The Orange County District Attorney said the Police Department is considering hiring a “civil liabilities investigator” to ensure camera system effectiveness, one who would also be in charge of recording requests of public records. The civil liabilities investigator would also coordinate evidence collection between deputies in the office the Orange County Sheriff. Other police departments in Fullerton and Laguna Beach also tested body cameras in the last few years, while Santa Ana police are still researching how they could use them, said the Register. A well-known study of bodyworn cameras by the Rialto Police Department over a year showed a 50 percent drop in incidents where force was used, compared with the previous year. The study also showed fewer resident complaints. For the police in Anaheim, officers would personally activate the cameras during traffic stops, dispatch calls, and any other encounter with the public, Quezada
told the Register. He added that a similar Police Department policy was enacted more over a year ago for audio recorders. Those recorders would be turned in when video recorders are implemented. The Register added that, Kerry Condon, president of the Anaheim Police Association, cautioned that cameras worn by officers are “just a piece of the puzzle and will not always tell the whole story.” There is concern on behalf of officers that cameras could reveal tactical maneuvers during SWAT actions or accidentally reveal the faces of sexual-assault victims, or confidential informants during interviews, stated the Register. “We’re not trying to hide anything, but we don’t want to reveal any of our tactics while also being compassionate to crime victims,” said Condon, whose union represents Anaheim officers. Quezada told the Register that in his development of a Police Department camera policy, he agrees footage of sensitive information should not be made public.