SEE PAGE 2 for local business development opportunities
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 - OCTOBER 26, 2014
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Egg freezing now a female employee benefit at Facebook and Apple by jennifer schlueter
ning on hold in order to pursue their career. By covering up to $20,000 in medical procedures the two tech giants, both dominated by about 70% of male employees, want to attract and keep female talent to increase diversity.
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by Vickie Vértiz ing with Angels insignia, while this does not rule out that the attack was due to a sport-related rivalry. ABC Los Angeles said the victim is a former LAPD office and U.S. Marine. He remains in critical condition. The victim was identified as 43-year-old Alex Arredondo, from Huntington Beach. He was upgraded on Monday night from critical to serious condition, according to the NBC Southern
California only state to see progress covering uninsured children
California website. Anaheim police Lieutenant Bob Dunn told the Weekly that Arredondo “… was severely beaten,” but “No weapons were used.” To honor the attack victim, dozens of people and Angels fans gathered at Angels Stadium the same night to hold a vigil in
Forbes quotes a spokesperson for Apple: “We continue to expand our benefits for women, with a new extended maternity leave policy, along with cyro-
Former LAPD officer attacked after Angels game remains in critical condition After the Angels lost to the Kansas City Royals on October 3, police said, witnesses told reporters that three men approached the victim from behind, hit him, perhaps more than once, and ran off. According to reports from the LA Weekly, no words were exchanged. The LA Weekly also reported that both the victim and the perpetrators were wearing cloth-
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Alex Johnson, Executive Director of the Children’s Defense Fund - California, released the following statement on the U.S. Census Bureau’s State Health Insurance Coverage Estimates: “Today’s health insurance numbers show more than a 6 percent drop in the number of uninsured children in California between 2012 and 2013 – which means 56,884 more children now have health coverage. Significant progress increasing the number of covered children nationwide has decreased the number of uninsured children to historic lows. These gains are mostly due to the strong coverage guarantees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which last year provided comprehensive health and mental health coverage to more than 44 million children across the country, and more than half of California’s children. “Since 2011, CDF-CA in partnership with AASA, the School Superintendent’s Association in California has increased the capacity of school districts to identify uninsured children and link them to health coverage. California was the only state in the country to see a statistically significant decrease in the number of uninsured children in 2013. “However, even as we
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg -Photo by Niall Kennedy
Last Tuesday, NBC announced that Apple will soon follow Facebook’s example of financially supporting their female US employees who want to freeze their eggs. This would allow ambitious women to put family plan-
SEE PAGE 3 for nurses endorsing water bond
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Local business development opportunities The West Coast Franchise Expo, will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center October 23-25. Mayor Tait will open the West Coast Franchise Expo at the official ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, October 23 at 9:45 a.m. at the Anaheim Convention Center. To register to attend the Expo, visit www. wcfexpo.com. On-site registration is also available, but preregistration is recommended. The West Coast Franchise Expo is one example of the City’s commitment to helping residents and business owners
succeed in their professional endeavors. The Mayor’s Regulatory Relief Task Force brings together innovators, key business leaders and City staff to comprehensively review Anaheim’s regulatory structure and make recommendations for reducing regulation. Business owners and community members can visit Anaheim.net/RegRelief or call the hotline (714) 765-4900 with specific ideas on how Anaheim could streamline or eliminate local regulations in order to attract new businesses and help current businesses prosper.
Man charged for murdering victim and dumping body behind restaurant A man was charged today for murdering a victim and dumping the body behind an Anaheim restaurant. Randy Lee Parkerson, 38, Anaheim, was charged today with one felony count of murder. If convicted, Parkerson faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. Parkerson is being held on $1 million bail. The scheduled arraignment for today was continued to Oct. 31, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. On June 10, 2014, Parkerson
is accused of meeting with 28-yearold Cesar Reyes and murdering him by choking him. Parkerson is accused of placing the victim’s body in the trunk of his car for one day and dumping the body behind a fast food restaurant in Anaheim. The Anaheim Police Department (APD) is continuing to investigate this case. APD arrested the defendant on Oct. 7, 2014. Senior Deputy District Attorney Stephen McGreevy of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.
Egg freezing new employee benefit Continued from page 1
preservation and egg storage as part of our extensive support for infertility treatments.” In the same statement, Apple also said that they “want to empower women […] to do the best work of their lives as they care for loved ones and raise their families.” Both companies already offer financial assistance with adoption and fertility treatment and up to 18 weeks maternity leave. Facebook additionally pays “new parents $4,000 in so-called “baby cash” to use however they’d like,” as NBC reports. Supporters see the idea as an empowerment for women, who, instead of fearing their biological clocks, are now able to hold off a career-hindering pregnancy and fully establish themselves in the workforce. Christy Jones, a promoter of the egg freezing technique and founder of Extend Fertility told NBC that the companies’ new benefits “can help women be more productive human beings.” Also according to NBC, Lynn Westphal, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University Medical Center, states that “the benefit will likely encourage women to stay with their employer longer, cutting down on recruiting and hiring costs. And practically speaking, when women freeze their eggs early, firms may save on pregnancy costs in the long run.” Opponents view the new measure not only as an interven-
tion in nature, but also warn of the short- and long-term health risks for mothers and their children associated with the not yet fully researched process of egg freezing. Even worse, the procedure is never a guaranteed success to become pregnant. Naomi Cahn, law professor at George Washington University who writes about reproductive technology told MarketWatch.com: “Egg freezing creates the opportunity to transcend the biological clock, but it also creates the illusion that we will always be able to transcend the biological clock.” Moreover, detractors such as Glenn Cohen, faculty director at Harvard Law School’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics, are skeptical about the companies’ message: “Facebook should be careful it isn’t sending the message that women at 25 can’t get pregnant if they want to be successful there instead of creating a work environment where young mothers can also thrive,” he said according to MarketWatch.com. Jessica Cussins, Project Associate at the Center for Genetics and Society criticizes the companies’ motives in a Huffington Post article: “Unfortunately, when you work for a company that wants you to spend your entire life at the office, in a society that under-prioritizes all occupations traditionally undertaken by women, there will never be an ideal time to start a family.”
CA covers uninsured children Continued from page 1
celebrate progress in providing children a healthy start, CHIP faces a very real threat. If Congress doesn’t take action, there will be no new funding for CHIP starting this time next year. If that happens, millions of children could lose their health coverage, and millions more would pay more for less coverage. Since CHIP’s bipartisan beginning in 1997, it has been a lifeline for millions
of children in working families and has played a critical role in reducing the rate of uninsured children by half. CHIP remains a crucial source of coverage for millions of children, even in the post- Affordable Care Act (ACA) world. Congress must act to extend funding for CHIP this year to ensure that children’s health coverage and outcomes continue to improve.”
OCTOBER 20, 2014 - OCTOBER 26, 2014 | 3
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California nurses endorse water bond, Proposition 1 Citing the importance of stabilizing the state’s water supply in an era of drought and climate change as a public health priority, the California Nurses Association announced its endorsement of Proposition 1, the Water Bond measure, on the November 4 ballot. The measure would upon approval, enact general obligation bonds for state water supply infrastructure projects, such as public water system improvements, surface and groundwater storage, drinking water protection, water recycling and advanced water treatment technology, water supply management and conveyance, wastewater treatment, drought relief, emergency water supplies, and ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration. “Access to a clean and adequate water supply is vital for public health,” said CNA Copresident Deborah Burger, RN. “Water is life sustaining, critical for drinking, for hygiene, for cleaning our food, clothes, and living spaces. Lack of adequate and steady supplies of water can lead to unsafe sanitation and the spread of infectious diseases and pandemics.” “With the erosion of our water supply in the current drought – and the likelihood that more droughts, directly associated with the climate crisis – this becomes a critical issue for the future of all Californians. That’s why nurses are joining with Governor Brown and many state lawmakers and organizations in supporting Proposition 1,” Burger said. CNA, the largest state organization of nurses with 86,000 California members, said that Proposition 1 will clean up our contaminated groundwater which serves as a critical buffer against drought by providing additional water in years when there is not enough rainfall or snow. Proposition 1 provides funding for clean drinking water in communities where water is contaminated and will invest in new water storage increas-
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ing the amount of water that can be stored during wet years for the dry years sure to come, said CNA. Proposition 1 protects California’s rivers, lakes, and
streams from pollution and contamination, which is also critical for public health, and provides for the restoration of our fish and wildlife resources.
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Math and Science - Not Just for Rocket Scientists By Dick Resch Looking to get rich? Try welding. For the third consecutive year, positions in the skilled trades are the hardest to fill, according to a Manpower Group survey of American employers. This shortage is why a master welder can earn a six-figure salary -- without a college degree. There aren’t enough skilled tradesmen because our nation’s schools aren’t producing graduates with the math and science knowledge needed to fill these skilled jobs. That has to change. Educators must rethink the way they teach math and science -- especially to students who may not go to college. The best way to reach these kids is to scrap the age-old lecture and empower them to learn by doing. International rankings reveal the depths of America’s underachievement. Among 34 developed nations, the United States ranks 27th in math and 20th in science. More than one-quarter of U.S. students lack even basic profi-
ciency in math. That’s 13 percent higher than the global average. This poor performance is concerning, as these students risk economic marginalization. A million people drop out of high school each year. Most don’t participate in the labor force. Those that do face an unemployment rate 50 percent higher than their graduating peers. That low-performing quarter of students also includes many who complete high school yet still lack the math skills needed for most entry-level manufacturing jobs -- let alone the skilled-trade positions that could vault them into the middle class. Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Charles Plosser said earlier this year, “We are seeing a mismatch of skills in the workforce and the jobs that are being created.” To fill these jobs -- and provide livelihoods for millions -- we must keep students who struggle with math in school and find ways to boost their achievement. According to the National Training Laboratories, the tradi-
tional lecture format yields only a 5 percent learning retention rate. Allowing students to practice by doing, in contrast, results in a whopping 75 percent retention rate. The way forward is clear: Embrace technology, collaboration, and hands-on learning. Already, colleges are adopting this approach. The University of Pennsylvania has built a new classroom with customized, powered round tables so students can collaborate using all manner of technology. It plans to add three to four more such classrooms over the next year. MIT’s Technology-Enabled Active Learning (TEAL) Project merges lecture, simulation, collaborative learning, and hands-on experiments in one classroom. Failure rates for freshmen in a TEAL physics course were one-third those in the traditional setting. Average gains in understanding were more than double. Gains were highest among students at the bottom of the achievement ladder. Engaged learning models are trickling down into elemen-
tary and secondary schools, too. In Philadelphia, several schools are using the Full Option Science System, a hands-on, activity-based approach that empowers students to investigate, experiment, and collaborate to discover the material in each lesson. Students at FOSS schools have scored higher on standardized tests. The longer they’re in the program, the greater the gains in achievement. Administrators across the country are enlisting the firm I lead, KI, to help them transform their traditional classrooms into technology-enhanced learning environments, where students work in small groups while instructors rove about, offering individualized help and coaching. To refill the ranks of the middle class with good-paying manufacturing jobs, we must address our nation’s math and science achievement gap. The instructional status quo isn’t working. There’s ample evidence that a more active, engaged approach will.
Former LAPD officer attacked after Angels game remains in critical condition Continued from page 1
hopes his health would improve, reported the Register. Arredondo was not alone during the attack. He was walking with a relative, according to police. Arredondo was taken to the hospital
and listed in critical condition at first, but the condition of his relative was not reported and is assumed to be free of serious injuries. Even though the police conducted several interviews, Dunn
said investigators still could not generate descriptions of the assailants. Their initial investigation, said the Register, indicated that Arredondo was probably not attacked because of fan rivalry. The three men who allegedly attacked Arredondo and his relative for unknown reasons after the game are still at large. A spokesman for the Angels, Tim Mead, said that week that he was confident in stadium security. Additionally, Dunn said extra officers were called for added security during postseason games, but it does not change the fact that this is the second attack after a baseball game in recent southern California memory. Another attack ended in great tragedy when a Giants fan, Bryan Stow, was brutally injured at Dodger Stadium in 2011, said
the Weekly. At the time, Stow was wearing Giants clothing, making him easily identifiable to the attackers during a game against the Dodgers. According to that investigation, team rivalry was believed to be the cause. Since then, two men, Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood pleaded guilty to the attack. In that case, the Stow family sued the Dodgers twice, said the Weekly. Stow, who was formerly a paramedic, sustained disabling brain damage because of the attack. He is unable to work or function on his own because of it. Right after the attack, Stow, according to an update webpage written by his family, was having constant brain seizures. Since the attack the seizures are still happening forcing him to be on anti-seizure medication for the rest of his life.