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Page 8 FULLERTON OBSERVER LOCAL NEWS MID FEBRUARY 2011 Celebrating Chinese New Year with the Elks by Dr. Sophie Lee The 3rd of February ushered in a new phase for the global Chinese community, kicking off a 15-day celebration of hope and unity for the new year ahead. With this in mind, the local Elks Lodge opened its doors to share in this joyous occasion with “A Night in Shanghai.” The event was held on January 29, at the Fullerton Elks Lodge, which had been fully adorned with festive lanterns and scrolls for the occasion. Many of the guests attended the affair dressed in traditional Chinese dresses and hats, most of them clad in red, as is customary for the celebration. After a delicious dinner featuring traditional dishes, guests were treated to a show brought together by local Chinese community leader Dr. Sueling Chen. The performances highlighted the rich culture of the Chinese, presenting traditional music, dances and even martial arts. Volunteers from Fullerton Chinese School, North Orange County Chinese School, Ling-Fong Dance Group, Lightning Tai Chi and Arborland Academy of the Arts performed their way into the hearts of those who were watching, earning them a heart-warming standing ovation. The performers not only delighted the audience with their wonderful renditions of traditional Chinese arts, but they also charmed them with their colorful and unique costumes. The gracious Elks, led by their President Jack Ehlers, presented each performer with a red envelope, a Chinese practice denoting the wishing of good luck. Above: "Happy New Year Celebration" was performed by the Ling-Fong Dance Group. The dancers' name are: Jennifer Jew, Rita Kao, Jacqueline Ko, Emily Miller, and Vivian Shih. Guests were also treated to an impromptu language lesson. Veronica Chen, the host of the program, taught the audience to say “Hsing Nien Kuai Ler,” which means “Happy New Year!” in Mandarin, a Chinese dialect. FEB 8TH SCHOOL BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS Cross Country continued from page 5 improve student learning.” Trustee Thompson requested that the word “one” be changed to the word “excellent.” Trustee Sugarman objected to the substitution pointing out that “twothirds of charter schools fail.” She also felt that when making board policy, the Board should be neutral in all its statements. Trustee Thompson argued that he felt “a charter school is a way of mirroring public schools . . . “excellent” does not imply charter schools are better.” With no second, Thompson’s motion died. The policy was passed 5-0 as written. •Authorization to File a Lawsuit Against Orange County Health Care Agency Should It Be Necessary: In October, Governor Schwarzenegger signed the Budget Act of 2010. That act included $76 million to be used exclusively to support mental health services provided by county mental health agencies and included students with IEP’s (Individual Education Plan) that included mental health services. Schwarzenegger vetoed the provision by deleting it entirely. His actions are currently being challenged in court in three separate lawsuits and have created a climate of uncertainty. Governor Brown has budgeted to restore the funding. Currently, OCHCA has taken the position that their agency is no longer mandated to provide the mental health services to special education students. As a result the OC Department of Education (OCDE) has put OCHCA on notice that its actions are a breach of the Memorandum of Understanding between OCDE and OCHA and that it may be necessary to file a lawsuit if it does not provide the mandated services. OCDE believes that the mandate to provide mental health services to special education students is still in place and asked all school districts in the county to adopt a resolution authorizing the filing of a lawsuit against the OCHCA should this become necessary. The action is funded by up to $50,000 by Orange County Special Education Coalition. Dr. Cardinale explained that “Everyone will be hurt by this cut off of funding. Those children being served must have mandated services continued.” The district will be responsible for funding the services if the funding is discontinued. Trustee Thompson said he didn’t understand the logic of suing the county. Trustee Sugarman explained that federal mandates require that schools provide the services. The county mental health department should be responsible for continuing the mandated services to students it has agreed to. Thompson said, “I am not convinced it is ‘wise government’ to sue a county government.” Dr. Cardinale said that “They (the county mental health department) have not negotiated in good faith.” Money was cut, so without money from the OCDE they will stop services that they had agreed to provide in a signed agreement. Trustee Thompson: “I am not convinced this is good government to pursue this.” Trustee Thornley said that the vote was necessary in the case that OCHCA refuses to abide by the contract, “We hope that this will not be necessary.” Passed 4-1 (Thompson, no) •District New Occupational Therapy Department: The District recently hired three staff members for an in-district Occupational Therapy Department. The district has approximately 150 students needing these services. Previously, all services were provided by private organizations or other districts. The Fullerton School District was able to develop the program through federal ARRA (American Reinvestment and Recovery Act) funding. The new department is located in two classrooms at Commonwealth School outfitted with specialized equipment. Through sensory assistance students are assisted in coordination of the hands and whole body, such as, improving handwriting, improving attention to the teacher, success in the classroom and other school environments (i.e. playground and cafeteria). Most of the services focus on preschool and early school students. With a district program, the O.T. staff will now be available for treatment inside and outside the classroom; classroom consultation; inservice training; collaborating with school staff in attending Student Intervention Team meetings and improving communication between the school, staff, and parents. The district will be transitioning students from outside programs. The program saves money by eliminating the middle Athlete Kevin Horchler Signs Kevin Horchler, a stand out cross country runner at Troy High School signed his letter of intent to run for Biola University with coach Jonathan Zimmerman, on January 25. At right Kevin is shown signing his letter with his Troy High School coaches. Coach Perez is on Kevin's left and Coach Madrid is on the right. man and transportation costs. An Occupational Therapy Open House will be held March 2 from 2pm- 4pm at Commonwealth School rooms 14 & 15. Common Core State Standards Overview The Common Core state standards aim to provide clear and consistent guidelines for what students are expected to learn and to prepare them for college and careers. California adopted the standards in August 2010. All states will be using them, but full implementation will probably be delayed 2 to 3 years. Through the “common core standards” the nation will be able to compare student performance across the country, allow educators to share best practices about instruction, and to establish clear The celebration continued well into the night as everyone enjoyed dancing, sharing and meeting new friends. The night was a definite success and a true testament to the Lodge's motto: Elks care - Elks share. standards for parents, students, and the general public. Previously, each state set its own standards, leading to wide variation in what students are expected to learn from state to state. The standards that are being presented are similar to the California standards with a greater emphasis on “information text.” For example, in math, all work needs to be shown. Testing will require written responses. Computers will be used for many tests. It is planned that teachers and students will get immediate feedback. Currently, students are tested in May and results are given in August. Testing is expected to change from one or two times a year to four times. Currently, there are a lot of unknowns from funding issues to what needs to be addressed, especially in forthcoming textbook adoption.
MID FEBRUARY 2011 LOCAL NEWS Fullerton residents participated in the Jan. 31st demonstration. Protest Against the Koch Brothers Corporate Influence An estimated two thousand demonstrators gathered in a rally across from the Rancho Las Palmas resort near Palm Springs where the oil billionaires Charles and David Koch and a secret guest list of other corporate entities, conservative elected officials, and political donors met on Sunday, Jan. 31. The Koch brothers, owners of Koch Industries, the largest privately held company in the US, are major funders of the tea party, global warming denial and efforts to eliminate Social Security, Medicare and environmental protections. Protest participants from progressive groups including Common Cause (commoncause.com) founded by moderate Republican John Gardner, CREDO (credoaction.com), MoveOn.org, 350.org and more held a pre-rally event. Speakers talked about the strangle-hold of corporations on politics in the US recently aided by the “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision which allows corporations to contribute unlimited funds to political campaigns; government influenced by special interest lobbyists; the huge income gap between rich and poor which is bigger now than just before the Great Depression; jobs, environment, healthcare, and bank and mortgage fraud. Scheduled speakers included Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause; author Jim Hightower (jimhightower.com); the founding dean of UCI School of Law, Erwin Chermerinsky; author, professor of public policy at UC Berkeley and former Clinton Administration secretary of labor Robert Reich; former green jobs advisor in the Obama Administration and co-founder of The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change and Green For All, human rights and clean-energy pioneer Van Jones; and DeAnn McEwen co-president of California Nurses Association. Police dressed in riot gear arrested twenty-five demonstrators for trespassing when they blocked the driveway of the resort, but the demonstration was peaceful. Interesting Facts About the Koch Brothers (from an article in The New Yorker by Jane Mayer Aug. 30, 2010. www.newyorker.com) •Koch Industries, which operates oil refineries in Alaska, Texas, and Minnesota, and 4,000 miles of pipeline, has revenues estimated at a billion dollars annually. •Koch Industries also owns Brawny paper towels, Dixie cups, Georgia-Pacific lumber, Stainmaster carpet, and Lycra. •University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute named Koch Industries as one of the top ten air polluters in the US. •David Koch founded Americans for Prosperity in 2004. The group held a July 4, 2010 training session for Tea Party activists in Texas and in 2009 its website offered “Tea Party Talking Points” and directions to protests around the country. •Their father Fred invented a more efficient process for converting oil into gasoline in 1927. In the 1930s his company, Rock Island Oil & Refining based in Wichita, Kansas, helped Stalin’s regime set up fifteen modern oil refineries. He later regretted the action and became an original member of the John Birch Society, an anti-communist group which accused President Esinhower of being a communist and held that the civil rights movement was a communist plot. •After Fred Koch’s death in 1967, Charles renamed the business Koch Industries. •David Koch ran for vice president on the Libertarian Party ticket in 1980, spending two million. The platform included ending Social Security, minimum-wage, gun control, and personal and corporate income taxes. •Koch Industries has spent more than $50 million on lobbying since 1998. KochPAC has donated $8 million to political campaigns (over 80% to Republicans). The Kochs have given millions to groups that criticize environmental regulation and support lower taxes for industry. They provided funds to start the Cato Institute and Mercatus Center think tanks. •The Kochs have created a number of organizations such as “Citizens for the Environment” (which calls environmental problems myths) which have no citizen membership. •Koch companies have benefited from nearly a $100 million in government contracts since 2000. The Têt Festival of Southern California was held February 4-6th in the city of Garden Grove. It is recognized as the world’s largest Têt Festival outside of Vietnam. Helping preserve culture, the festival boasts 100,000+ visitors and dozens of booths in a span of a three day weekend event. Têt is the most observed holiday within Vietnamese culture. It celebrates the Lunar New Year, the beginning of FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 9 Local YWCA Participates in Têt Festival Applicants Sought Applications for several committees & commissions can be filled out and submitted online on the clerk’s page of the city website www.cityoffullerton.com, or by calling 714-738- 6571 or by visiting the Clerk’s office on the first floor of Fullerton City Hall. •Downtown Core & Corridor Evaluation Committee: will review & select consultant team on a set scoring system based on presentations by the teams. Recommendations presented to council Tues., May 3. Deadline 5pm, Tues, Feb 15. •Parks & Recreation Commission: makes recommendations on the planning and development of all park, recreation, human services, and cultural and fine arts programs in the city. Deadline 5pm, Tues, Feb 22. •Bicycle Users Subcommittee: makes recommendations on issues that impact bike travel in the city. Deadline 5pm, Thurs. March 10. spring, and is a way to start fresh. The YWCA of North Orange County participated in the celebration by marching in the Têt Parade with over 30 YWCA supporters helping to celebrate the richness of the Vietnamese culture. Over 1,000 Vietnamese women participate in the YWCA Early Breast Cancer Screening and Education program each year. For more information about the YWCA and its programs go to www.ywcanoc.org. What to Do with Used Ink & Toner Cartridges & Cell Phones An easy way to safely dispose of old ink & toner cartridges and cell phones is to drop them off at the YWCA office at 215 E. Commonwealth Ave., Suite F, Fullerton 92832. Call 714-871-4488 for more information on the program. Proceeds from recycling the cartridges and cell phones help support the YWCA North Orange County programs.
Page 1 and 2: Updates on Litigation Against the C
Page 3 and 4: MID FEBRUARY 2011 COMMUNITY OPINION
Page 5 and 6: MID FEBRUARY 2011 School Board Repo
Page 7: MID FEBRUARY 2011 Fullerton Library
Page 11 and 12: MID FEBRUARY 2011 INTERVIEW Foundin
Page 13 and 14: MID FEBRUARY 2011 REVIEWED by Jenni
Page 15 and 16: MID FEBRUARY 2011 Park, 801 W. Vale
Page 17 and 18: MID FEBRUARY 2011 Fullerton’s Con
Page 19 and 20: MID FEBRUARY 2011 Be the Match Bone

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