SEE PAGE 2 for bill to protect historic sacred sites signed
ANAHEIM PRESS
MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2014 - OCTOBER 19, 2014
anaheimpress.com
SEE PAGE 3 for gone girl movie review VOLUME 1, NO. 24
California’s water officials neglect their Bill to own laws and waste water mandate by jennifer schlueter child-abuse training for teachers signed into law
modal Center), a LEED Platinum designed, world-class transportation hub set to open in December 2014 •The Anaheim Convention Center and its new 2.4 Megawatt (MW) rooftop solar panel system •The Water Sustainability Campus, including a decentralized small-scale water recy-
Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) bill to strengthen training requirements and prevent child abuse in schools was signed into law by Governor Brown Monday. The legislation would require all school employees to be trained according to standards developed by the Department of Education in the proper identification and reporting of child abuse, so that abuse can be stopped in its tracks. Gatto’s AB 1432 addresses the lack of training on how to recognize and report child abuse in K-12 settings. The California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act requires certain professionals, known as mandated reporters, to report to law enforcement or protective services known or suspected instances of neglect, or physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Despite these requirements, current law does not require school districts to train personnel on detecting and reporting child abuse, nor does it inform them of their responsibilities or that failure to report is a misdemeanor punishable by jail time. Gatto’s legislation addresses this problem by requiring school employees to complete reporting training. The Assemblyman has been working closely with child advocates and State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Please see page 2
Please see page 2
-Photo by Terry Miller
California’s law makes water bills of state officials defining water rates and rules public record. Thus, The Center for Investigative Reporting examined their data and found the state’s representatives wasting up to eleven times as much water as the typical California
household. Fresno City Councilman Oliver Baines is responsible for this number, using 4,000 gallons a day. After finding out that he had defective sprinklers using 1.24 million gallons of water in 2012, Baines now cut his usage to 149 gallons per day in March of this
year. According to NBC, he apologized and admitted to not being “a model of water usage.” Next to Baines’ wasting due to leaking sprinklers, Mike Soubirous, member of the Please see page 4
City of Anaheim receives another great award After being designated as a 2014 Playful City USA and as the 25th best city for hosting major events, the City of Anaheim has been awarded a 2014 Eco-City Award for being the “Greenest in the County.” The City of Anaheim news website reported that the award was given by the Orange County chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council at the Eco Awards.
The award is an acknowledgement of the commitment from the city to environmental initiatives that demonstrate leadership in sustainability, said the website. Anaheim won the award for its array of green-focused projects, including the following items outlined by the website: •ARTIC (Anaheim Regional Transportation Inter-
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Anaheim greenest city in county Continued from page 1
cling plant next to City Hall •Locally-operated renewable energy projects which use landfill gas or organic waste to generate power, which help to meet state mandates and reduce the carbon footprint of the city. The Orange County chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council has 500 active members and over 2,800 local people committed to sustainable development, design, and maintenance, according to the chapter website. Their membership numbers are increasing, indicating a growing interest in building environmentally friendly buildings toward creating and maintaining sustainable infrastructure throughout Orange County. The chapter focuses on networking, educational opportunities such as workshops, green bag lunches, study groups, professional accreditation, and organizational sponsorship. According to the chapter website, they host events, some for emerging professionals and other learning opportunities to meet fellow environmentally-conscious professionals. Finally, the chapter invites Orange County business to market their organization and their sustainable business practices to promote environmentally
conscious development in Orange County, generally. Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait said that the award, given for a second year in a row, makes him “…extremely proud that Anaheim has again received the Eco-City Award. It is a true testament to the commitment of our employees, and their dedication to helping our city be resourceful and energy-efficient.” The city also extends opportunities for people to be involved with its green initiatives, said the city website, including features in its General Plan which encourages sustainable development, working with schools to promote efficiency in their construction or improvements, and also promoting water conservation for residents and businesses during the current, serious drought. The award specifically recognizes the collaborative effort that occurs amongst the Public Utilities, Convention Center, Community Development, Public Works, Planning, and Community Services departments. The biennial award was first given in 2012, when it was first granted to the City of Anaheim. For more about this award and the chapter, please visit www.usgbc-oc.org.
Bill to protect historic sacred sites signed After nearly two years of negotiation, legislation to protect and preserve sacred Native American landmarks was signed by Governor Brown. AB 52 would ensure that tribes have a say in development projects that affect tribal sacred places and cultural resources, by strengthening the consultation standards with tribes under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). California is struggling to preserve the last remnants of its Native American past. Recently, thieves stole carvings from an unprotected sacred site on the Volcanic Tableland, north of Bishop, and developers have sought to place everything from dumps, to housing developments, to granite mines, near or on top of ancient sacred sites. “If we don’t do something, future generations will wonder what happened to California’s pre-Columbian heritage,” said Gatto. “By including tribes in the decision-making process, we will build better relations and preserve California’s unique cultural heritage.” Tribal Chairperson Sherry Treppa, of the Habematolel Pomo Tribe of Upper Lake noted “All too often, tribes with little to no economic means to provide themselves a voice, are left out of the conversation in the decision making process on matters that impact them the most.” “This is an important step toward aligning California’s environmental laws with the values that are often espoused about
respecting tribal heritage and history, not only for this generation, but for future generations of all Californians,” said Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians. “We deeply appreciate Assemblymember Gatto for his leadership, and the legislature’s support.” Currently, tribes are not treated as coherent sovereign entities under CEQA, but instead as mere members of the public, even if wishing to express a unified opinion about a site which has been a unique part of the tribe’s heritage for thousands of years. Efforts to reform CEQA, prevent abuse, and create uniformity have stalled, in part, because of concerns by Native Americans that a streamlined CEQA would provide lesser protections for sacred sites. Robert H. Smith, of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, explained that “The passage of AB 52 means that our cultural sites will be given the respect and consideration they deserve as part of the CEQA process. Allowing tribes to work cooperatively with agencies and developers to protect our cultural places benefits us all. We are grateful to Assemblyman Gatto for his hard work on behalf of all California tribes.” “Native peoples deserve protections for sites that are a part of their ancient heritage,” said Gatto. “Efforts to maintain them must be considered an essential activity in the preservation of our state’s historic resources.”
Child-abuse training for teachers bill Continued from page 1
Tom Torlakson, after recent reports showed that several cases of abuse were prolonged because school personnel were unaware of their duty to report. “Crimes that occur in schools should not be treated any differently than those that occur elsewhere in our com-
munity, unless it is to treat them with even greater care and concern,” said Assemblyman Gatto. “California law needs to make sure that school administrators at all levels of education report these most serious crimes and empower our law-enforcement experts to investigate.”
OCTOBER 13, 2014 - OCTOBER 19, 2014 | 3
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Gone Girl is a heightened but, unfortunately, accurate reflection of our culture movie review By Michael James Gonzalez It’s not surprising that this weekend’s number one movie at the box office was Gone Girl. The film stars a handsome, allAmerican male, the plot centers on a possible kidnap or even murder of a young, beautiful wife, and we are led through a maze of clues and assumptions by the media, which begins to air the police investigation 24/7. Pardon the expression, but that’s so meta. If you watched the film over the weekend and felt less like a passive viewer and more like a participant in the film, then the joke wasn’t lost on you. Consider the extraordinary amount of TV shows devoted to tabloid-crime related news stories, and you’ll realize how much our culture is obsessed with the type of narrative depicted in Gone Girl, which gives us a fly-on-the-wall glimpse into the machinations of people involved in a high-profile crime and the subsequent media frenzy once the front door shuts on the news cameras outside. The film is based on author Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel of the same name and is directed by master craftsman David Fincher (The Social Network, Se7en). Gone Girl stars Ben Affleck as the seemingly perfect husband— who we come to find has quite a few chinks in his armor—and Rosamund Pike as the Northeastern-bred, sophisticated, equally perfect wife who disappears under circumstances that appear obvious but are anything but. We begin as Nick Dunne (Affleck) returns home to discover that a violent struggle has taken place and his wife Amy (Pike) is missing. After local police get involved, circumstantial evidence begins to point toward Nick as the prime suspect and a media circus quickly ensues. Flashback sequences begin to reveal cracks in Nick and Amy’s marriage— including money problems, a move from New York City to
the suburbs of North Carthage, Missouri due to Nick’s sick mother, frequent arguments, and infidelity—as told from the point of view of Amy’s diary. But just as Nick’s smug behavior and lies surrounding the case lead police closer to arresting him for murdering his wife, we discover that there are far more malevolent forces at work which have led to Amy’s disappearance but perhaps not her death. The 149 minute film gradually reveals the context of Nick and Amy’s complicated relationship—from their first meeting to the day she
disappears—the twists and turns throughout the police investigation, and the shocking events of the third act, which even if you see coming, you won’t know what will happen next. Fincher’s distinct directing style brilliantly fleshes out the film’s motifs-psycho-pathology set against the appearance of affluence and normality, and the investigation of truth versus the exploitation of it—with his usual chiaroscuro tones and still frames, both of which make the camera invisible but remind us that this is a dirty world we’re inhabiting.
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HUD awards $14.1 million to protect children and families in California from dangerous lead and other home hazards The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded more than $14.1 million in grants to four local and state government agencies and research institutions to protect children and families in California from the hazards of lead-based paint and from other home health and safety hazards (see chart below). The grant funding announced today will reduce the number of lead-poisoned children and protect families by targeting health hazards in lowincome homes with significant lead and/or other home health and safety hazards. In addition, some of these grants will support research on increasing the effectiveness of hazard reduction methods. These programs have a demonstrated history of success, filling critical needs in communities where no other resources exist to address substandard
housing that threatens the health of the most vulnerable residents, and filling research gaps essential for being able to reduce hazard reduction costs. As HUD approaches its 50th anniversary next year, HUD Secretary Julián Castro is focused on advancing policies that create opportunities for all Americans, including helping children and families secure quality housing by protecting them from the hazards of lead-based paint and other home health and safety hazards. “No person should ever be in harm’s way when cooking dinner in their kitchen or playing with children in the living room,” said Castro. “These grant awards will help communities eliminate home-related hazards and give families new opportunities to thrive. Housing is a critical source of stability, and HUD is committed to helping
Free Community Outreach Class on Citizenship The University of the West (www.uwest.edu) through its Office of Extended Studies (site.uwestonline.com) is pleased to offer a free online class helping immigrants to prepare for U.S. Citizenship. Becoming a U.S. citizen is a privilege offered to all immigrants who possess a “green card”, and who have
lived in the U.S. for at least 5 years. This free class is 100% online and uses materials provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Prospective citizens can start and finish the 11 lessons at their own pace. To register for this free online class, please email extendedstudies@uwest.edu.
ensure that all Americans have a healthy safe place to live.” “Home is where a family should feel safe and the HUD Healthy Homes and Lead Control programs will be used by local groups to help reduce lead paint hazards, among other housing-related health issues,” said HUD Regional Administrator Ophelia Basgal. “I applaud the HUD grant recipients for their leadership in working to keep California families safe: the State of California Community Services Development, Alameda County, the City of Los Angeles, and the San Diego Environmental Services Department.” HUD’s HUD’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Control promotes local efforts to eliminate dangerous lead paint and other housing-related health hazards from lower income homes; stimulate private sector investment in lead hazard
control; support cutting-edge research on methods for assessing and controlling housing-related health and safety hazards; and educate the public about the dangers of hazards in the home. The funding announced today directs critical funds to cities, counties and states to eliminate dangerous lead paint and other housing-related health hazards in thousands of privately-owned, low-income housing units. Today’s funding also directs funds to public and private universities and research organizations to improve methods to detect lead paint in the home, assess the effectiveness of lead laws, improve home fall protection for the elderly, improve sustainable pest management strategies, evaluate the health effects of smoke-free policies, and assess home air cleaning in reducing childhood asthma.
Water officials waste water Continued from page 1
Riverside City Council, was found to be the biggest water wasting official in the state. His desert home with a “1-acre lot with cascades of flowering shrubs and a weeping willow tree,” as NBC describes it, consumes enough water to serve eight households – more than 1 million gallons a year. Subirous told NBC that he doesn’t know what to do to conserve water; “sell [his] house to set that example, or just abolish all [of his] shrubs?” In July, Riverside prohibited watering more than four days a week, which Subirous supported. However, last month he was caught on video running his sprinklers seven consecutive nights. Furthermore, the CIR discovered that more than 50% water agency supervisors consume more water than the state’s average household.
Randy Record, chairman of the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, for example, with more than 1,100 gallons per day in 2013, uses three times as much. While deciding on laws that save water and $500 fines for water wasters, water use among 60 percent of the officials has increased from 2012 to 2013. Trent Orr of the Earthjustice environmental law firm in San Francisco told NBC that officials “should be leading by example, not telling the little people you regulate that they need to tighten their belts while you proceed as if nothing had happened and in fact use more water.” On a more positive note and despite water wasters, water usage has dropped 11.5 percent in August compared to the previous year.