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The Wall That Heals - Fullerton Observer

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Hazing Update:<br />

What Really Happened?<br />

On Feb. 22, following a letter printed<br />

on page 2 of the Mid-Feb. 2012 <strong>Observer</strong>,<br />

a second investigation of hazing incidents<br />

at Troy High was conducted. (Also see<br />

Early March frontpage “Hazing, Bullying,<br />

Whatever You Call It: Unacceptable.”)<br />

Assistant Superintendent Ed Atkinson<br />

and Director of Human Resources Carl<br />

Erickson visited Troy to re-interview staff<br />

members and students regarding hazing<br />

incidents occurring during an extended<br />

trip of the 30-member Varsity Wrestling<br />

Team, Jan. 6-8. A previous investigation<br />

had been conducted Jan. 11-12, 2012.<br />

WHAT WERE THE INCIDENTS?<br />

<strong>The</strong> hazing incidents occurred during a<br />

field trip in Lake Arrowhead at 2:30am on<br />

Jan. 8, 2012. “<strong>The</strong> nine student victims<br />

were instructed by eight other students to<br />

do one or more of the following:<br />

Eat cat food; eat Cheerios, regurgitate<br />

and then feed into another student’s<br />

mouth; rub “icy hot” over some parts of<br />

the body except genitalia and face; pour<br />

hot sauce down pants; stand outside;<br />

stand in a bucket of water outside; allow<br />

other students to wrap Saran wrap around<br />

arms and/or legs; one student had a rolled<br />

up ball of tape put in mouth, his mouth<br />

was taped closed, and his arms were<br />

bound together with Saran wrap. He was<br />

then placed in a bathroom with a bag over<br />

his head. Continued on page 9<br />

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED<br />

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POSTAGE PAID<br />

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TO ADVERTISE<br />

IN THE OBSERVER CALL<br />

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FULLERTON<br />

OBSERVER<br />

PO BOX 7051<br />

FULLERTON CA 92834<br />

FULLERTON CA F<br />

COMMUNITY<br />

ullerton<strong>Observer</strong><br />

♥<br />

CALENDAR Page 13-15<br />

FULLERTON’S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS •est.1978 (printed on 20% recycled paper) Volume 34 #6 •EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

A man traces the name of a loved one lost. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Wall</strong> that <strong>Heals</strong>, a traveling replica of the original memorial in Washington DC<br />

honoring the over 58,000 soldiers lost in the Vietnam War, was here at Tri-City Park. PHOTO BY BOB MINOR WWW.MINORPHOTOGRAPHY.COM<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wall</strong> <strong>That</strong> <strong>Heals</strong><br />

by Peter Fong / photos by Bob Minor<br />

On the cold and dreary morning of Tuesday, March 13, 2012,<br />

this <strong>Fullerton</strong> <strong>Observer</strong> reporter made the 30 mile ride to<br />

Ontario, California to be part of a motorcycle escort for “<strong>The</strong><br />

<strong>Wall</strong> that <strong>Heals</strong>,” a 300 ft. replica of the Vietnam memorial in<br />

Washington D.C. What happened in the next 6 hours, as I rode<br />

Former <strong>Fullerton</strong> Officer<br />

Charged with Destroying Evidence<br />

A former <strong>Fullerton</strong> police<br />

officer has been charged with<br />

destroying evidence by crushing<br />

his audio-recorder after an<br />

inmate committed suicide in<br />

the <strong>Fullerton</strong> jail.<br />

On April 14, 2011, Cpl.<br />

Vince Mater, 41, (then a 14year<br />

veteran with the <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Police Dept.), stopped Dean<br />

Gochenour, 52, for driving<br />

without his lights on at<br />

9:48pm. Gochenour complied<br />

with instructions but refused a<br />

sobriety test and was subsequently<br />

arrested under suspicion<br />

of DUI.<br />

At the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Police Dept.<br />

a remorseful Gochenour is<br />

shown on camera quietly going<br />

through the booking process<br />

including a breath test showing<br />

.28% blood alcohol concentration<br />

(0.08% is the legal limit).<br />

He was then taken to Cell #6<br />

on the 2nd floor of the jail at<br />

11:24pm. <strong>The</strong> jailer returned to<br />

the first floor.<br />

An audio recording of the cell<br />

area at 11:28pm picked up<br />

Gouchenour saying “I am going<br />

to hang myself right now, I am<br />

going to hang myself,” followed<br />

by rustling and blowing<br />

noises and then silence.<br />

Gouchenour was found dead<br />

about an hour later by the jailer<br />

during the hourly safety check.<br />

He had hung himself from the<br />

bars in his cell with his shirt.<br />

Police Chief Dan Hughes said<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Police immediately<br />

notified the OCDA of the custodial<br />

death and began an internal<br />

investigation into the case.<br />

During the investigation, Mater<br />

said he became upset when his<br />

digital audio recorder allegedly<br />

would not download into the<br />

department’s computer system.<br />

Mater told investigators that in<br />

frustration, he threw the device<br />

against a metal door in the jail<br />

and it broke.<br />

Cheif Hughes said <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Police Internal Affairs investigators<br />

did not believe the damage<br />

was caused in the manner<br />

Mater alleged and contacted<br />

expert witnesses in Orange and<br />

LA counties, as well as the manufacturer<br />

of the device, for their<br />

opinions. Based upon those<br />

findings, the department submitted<br />

the case to the OCDA<br />

and asked for a criminal filing<br />

against Mater for destruction of<br />

evidence. Mater was placed on<br />

administrative leave June 20,<br />

and he resigned from the<br />

department Aug. 2, 2011.<br />

Mater is accused of destroying<br />

evidence that might have<br />

been relevant to the OCDA’s<br />

separate custodial death investigation.<br />

If convicted he faces a<br />

maximum of one year and six<br />

months in jail.<br />

Read the full report at<br />

www.OrangeCountyDA.com<br />

and select “OCDA Report<br />

Custodial Death Investigation -<br />

Inmate Dean Gochenour” from<br />

the Investigation Letters tab<br />

under the Media Center.<br />

with approximately 300 riders, has been etched on this reporter’s<br />

heart forever. <strong>The</strong> stories of lives, the motivation and inspiration<br />

for action, and the spiritual and philosophical values all shared<br />

one common bond: patriotism and honoring the 58,261 fallen<br />

Americans.<br />

“<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wall</strong> that <strong>Heals</strong>” tours throughout the United States<br />

eleven out of twelve months a year. For the past three years the<br />

five axle, 53 foot trailer has been driven by retired Army veteran<br />

Bob Dobek assisted by his wife Brenda. Continued on page 8<br />

<strong>The</strong> Who’s on First Recall<br />

by Vince Buck<br />

<strong>The</strong> upcoming recall election<br />

is both simple and complex,<br />

leaving many voters confused. It<br />

is complex in that one can (and<br />

should) cast six separate votes. It<br />

is simple in that in three cases<br />

one only has to vote yes or no;<br />

and in the other three cases one<br />

only votes for a single candidate.<br />

Unlike our usual multi-candidate<br />

elections for City Council<br />

there is no need for worrying<br />

about bullet voting or if a vote<br />

for my second favorite candidate<br />

will result in my favorite candidate<br />

being defeated.<br />

<strong>The</strong> first choices that a voter<br />

faces are whether or not to recall<br />

any or all of the three incumbents<br />

on the ballot, Bankhead,<br />

Jones and McKinley. <strong>The</strong>se are<br />

three separate contests and voters<br />

will have to decide which, if<br />

any, incumbents should be<br />

recalled. Are some more responsible<br />

for the Kelly Thomas<br />

killing aftermath debacle than<br />

others? Is the challenger likely to<br />

replace a recalled incumbent<br />

likely to be a better councilperson<br />

or better reflect the voter’s<br />

values? Perhaps it is not so simple<br />

after all. My guess is that<br />

most voters will vote to recall all<br />

or vote to recall none. We will<br />

never know. But some will split<br />

their vote, choosing to retain a<br />

favorite councilmember because<br />

of being scared by a possible<br />

replacement.<br />

After voters vote on the individual<br />

recall contests, then they<br />

can (and should) vote on who<br />

should replace the potentially<br />

recalled incumbents. Again these<br />

are separate contests and voters<br />

get to vote for the replacements<br />

even if they did not vote for the<br />

recall. No doubt some voters will<br />

not understand that.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re are four candidates running<br />

to replace Bankhead, five to<br />

replace Jones and four to replace<br />

McKinley. Three have run for<br />

the Council before, all in the<br />

2010 election.<br />

Continued on page 10<br />

San Onofre<br />

Nuclear Power<br />

Plant - Closed<br />

<strong>The</strong> Nuclear Regulatory<br />

Commission has ordered SoCal<br />

Edison to close its San Onofre<br />

Nuclear Power Plant near San<br />

Clemente until issues of equipment<br />

failures are resolved. <strong>The</strong><br />

order came after a Friends of the<br />

Earth risk assessment report<br />

pointed out serious safety issues.<br />

Read the report at www.foe.org.<br />

Assault Alert<br />

Police are asking anyone with<br />

info about early morning sexual<br />

assaults on February 23 and<br />

March 15 in the Las Palmas,<br />

Flintridge and Calle Don Juan<br />

areas to call Det. Flores at 714-<br />

738-6754 or 714-738-6800.<br />

<strong>The</strong> suspect is described as a<br />

male Hispanic in his 20s-30s,<br />

5’0”-5’6”, 160-170 lbs, black<br />

mustache, medium complexion,<br />

wearing black beanie, shirt, and<br />

pants. In both incidences, the<br />

suspect attacked and then fled<br />

when the women screamed.


Page 2 FULLERTON OBSERVER<br />

Sports Field Story Hit a Nerve:<br />

Dig Further<br />

<strong>The</strong> article “Is <strong>The</strong>re A Level Playing Field in <strong>Fullerton</strong>?”<br />

(Mid-March <strong>Observer</strong> frontpage & pages 8&9) hit a nerve.<br />

I was a <strong>Fullerton</strong> Ranger board member a few years back<br />

and left because of the direction the club was taking and the<br />

change in emphasis from a <strong>Fullerton</strong> based recreational program<br />

to a competitive program more worried about fielding<br />

the best teams than whether or not they have <strong>Fullerton</strong> players.<br />

Something that gives you a sense of the numbers involved:<br />

look at the revenue numbers listed under Rangers on page 8<br />

of your article, the 2000 players (I think in fact about 1600<br />

are recreational players) paying $130 would be $260,000, but<br />

in fact 2010 revenue was $760,000.<br />

<strong>The</strong> half million dollar difference primarily is the added<br />

cost associated with competitive teams with much being paid<br />

to professional coaches (who do not have kids on the teams<br />

and for the most part who are not residents).<br />

Why are these competitive teams provided with the benefit<br />

of the city subsidized fields, without any specific requirement<br />

that the teams be composed of <strong>Fullerton</strong> players?<br />

If they were paying for private fields that would be one<br />

thing, but this seems an odd way to allocate a public city<br />

resource. Anonymous <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Competitive Sports Eating Up<br />

Taxpayer Money and Space for<br />

Recreational Youth Sports<br />

As a resident of <strong>Fullerton</strong> for 16 years and my wife for 40<br />

years I was very happy to see the article regarding <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

fields in the <strong>Observer</strong> (Mid March frontpage “Is <strong>The</strong>re a Level<br />

Playing Field in <strong>Fullerton</strong>? Not Everyone Thinks So”.)<br />

I have coached at East <strong>Fullerton</strong> Little League, <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Hills Softball and the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Rangers over the past 10<br />

years and have seen a lot of field usage and agree there are<br />

several leagues, one in particular, that has too much field<br />

space and does not meet its partnership status.<br />

<strong>That</strong> league is the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Rangers. For the past 5 years<br />

the Rangers have continued to increase the size of their competitive<br />

teams and significantly shrunk their recreation side.<br />

In addition the competitive side definitely does not meet the<br />

80% <strong>Fullerton</strong> residents required for partnership status, the<br />

majority of the players are from surrounding cities.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Rangers only allow their competitive teams to use the<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Sports complex, the premier soccer fields in the<br />

city. I strongly encourage you and the Parks & Rec department<br />

to audit the Rangers to validate my concerns. Tax dollars<br />

pay for these fields that are used by non-residents and<br />

that should be changed. Anonymous <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

ED: Another question has come up concerning the $13<br />

million renovation of Lion’s Field with two football fields,<br />

four softball fields, and overlays for soccer and rugby. <strong>The</strong><br />

renovation was supported by the sports community which<br />

was promised that the fake grass would allow year-round play<br />

and yet it appears from city records that only one team, Pop<br />

Warner Football, has exclusive use of it.<br />

Abortion<br />

In the spirit of keeping your readers informed could you<br />

please share with them the facts about abortion? <strong>The</strong><br />

Guttmacher Institute reports 1,212,400 for 2009-2011<br />

(and a total of 54,559,615 since 1973 when abortion was<br />

legalized). Since this is such a controversial subject, please<br />

forgive me for feeling the need to declare myself as,<br />

Anonymous <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

ED: <strong>The</strong> Centers for Disease Control which tracks abortions<br />

through providers reported that in 2008 there were 234<br />

abortions per 1,000 live births, with the majority in women<br />

aged 20-29. A good argument for safe, effective, insuance<br />

provided birth control.<br />

Wearing White at Night<br />

RE: the short letter written by William titled “Please Wear<br />

White” in the Early March <strong>Fullerton</strong> <strong>Observer</strong>.<br />

I live in the Troy High and Cal State area where we have so<br />

many skateboarding and bike riders after dark who are not<br />

careful and don’t wear white. Someday one will get hit.<br />

William’s short letter was a very good start in educating these<br />

young people. I would like to see an article on the front page<br />

Carol <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

I thought I was the only one concerned about seeing people<br />

in the dark wearing dark clothes. It scares me! When I<br />

jog at night I wear a yellow reflective jacket. I don't want to<br />

be a candidate for the “Darwin Awards.” Thank you,<br />

William, for submitting that letter. (Page 2, Early March<br />

<strong>Observer</strong>) Don Waterbury <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

COMMUNITY OPINIONS<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> High School District<br />

Superintendent Responds to Parent<br />

Concerns About Lockdown & Other<br />

Issues at <strong>Fullerton</strong> High School<br />

On March 16th police were<br />

called to an attempted robbery<br />

of All Phases Jewelry on W.<br />

Commonwealth. <strong>The</strong> getaway<br />

car crashed into a cafe on<br />

Malden and the five suspects<br />

were seen running east.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re have been a few anonymous<br />

complaints to the paper<br />

from parents about the way the<br />

lockdown was handled by the<br />

school in providing inadequate<br />

information to parents and students<br />

about what was happening<br />

and how serious the situation<br />

was. Better emergency procedures<br />

and preparation are<br />

requested. Another letter asked<br />

about the school’s failure to dispel<br />

a rumor about a student with<br />

a gun on campus and a teacher<br />

taking photos with students.<br />

Superintendent George Giokaris<br />

responded with the following<br />

information:<br />

•An anonymous phone call at<br />

1:30pm alerted the school that<br />

an unknown male with a gun<br />

was in an alley near FUHS. <strong>The</strong><br />

school contacted 911. At<br />

1:40pm police called and a lockdown<br />

of the campus began with<br />

an address over the PA system.<br />

When parents drop off and<br />

pick up their children at<br />

Hermosa Elementary, they block<br />

Hermosa Dr. to through traffic.<br />

<strong>The</strong> tract only has two streets<br />

that provide access to Harbor<br />

(Hermosa and Las Palmas) so<br />

this is creating a problem for the<br />

neighborhood.<br />

Golden Hill, Fern Dr. and<br />

Parks Jr. High school monitors<br />

do not allow streets to be<br />

blocked in front of, or adjacent<br />

to, those schools. In fact, at<br />

times there are <strong>Fullerton</strong> motorcycle<br />

officers there as well. At<br />

those schools parents must park<br />

their cars and walk to the school<br />

to deliver or pick up their chil-<br />

Police Dept. Response<br />

to Identity <strong>The</strong>ft<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Fullerton</strong> Police Dept.<br />

has been in the line of fire<br />

recently and I, for one, would<br />

very much prefer to promote<br />

any reason for their support.<br />

However, I need to report<br />

another incident recently that<br />

adds to my concern about their<br />

abilities in upholding the peace<br />

and safety of our fair city.<br />

<strong>The</strong> other day I had reason to<br />

call the Police Dept. for information<br />

and any action I should<br />

take regarding a possible identity<br />

theft of a social security number.<br />

<strong>The</strong> young intern who<br />

answered the telephone was<br />

completely unable to help me.<br />

When she finally seemed to<br />

understand my question, rather<br />

than pass on my concern to a<br />

superior, she dismissed me by<br />

saying it was probably a question<br />

for Homeland Security.<br />

When I inquired as to what<br />

their number would be, she said<br />

<strong>The</strong> farm, Angelo & Vinci’s and<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> College were contacted<br />

by phone. A supervisor at<br />

McDonald’s instructed students<br />

to return to school. <strong>The</strong> school’s<br />

website was updated about the<br />

lockdown and office staff<br />

responded to calls from parents.<br />

<strong>The</strong> site remained locked<br />

down until 1:55pm when FPD<br />

withdrew the order.<br />

Administrators met to discuss<br />

what improvements were needed<br />

and will continue to meet to<br />

improve emergency response.<br />

•<strong>The</strong> previous day a student<br />

made a verbal threat against the<br />

school. <strong>The</strong> claim was investigated,<br />

the student was searched but<br />

no weapon was found. <strong>The</strong> student<br />

was suspended and released<br />

to his parents. In addition, the<br />

student has been referred to OC<br />

Mental Health for an assessment<br />

and may be expelled. <strong>The</strong>re was<br />

no connection between that<br />

incident and the lockdown.<br />

•In addition, the parent’s<br />

“concern about the substitute<br />

teacher taking pictures of students<br />

has been investigated. <strong>The</strong><br />

investigation is a confidential<br />

personnel matter.”<br />

Accident Waiting to Happen<br />

dren if there is no space to pull<br />

into the pick-up/drop-off area.<br />

Surely Hermosa parents could<br />

do this.<br />

I don’t understand why<br />

Hermosa Elementary is allowed<br />

to block a major street into and<br />

out of the tract.<br />

Something needs to be done.<br />

This is a horrific accident waiting<br />

to happen, a huge inconvenience<br />

to everyone living in the<br />

area and to service vehicles going<br />

in and out of the tract. I hope<br />

the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Police Dept. and<br />

Hermosa Elementary will consider<br />

changing the school’s drop<br />

off and pick up policy.<br />

Charlotte Lynch <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

she did not have that information,<br />

but I could probably find it<br />

on the Net!<br />

Fortunately, I was able to do<br />

this, but there is a concern about<br />

seniors and others who do not<br />

have the means to do this.<br />

It seems the support of the<br />

agencies we look to for our safety<br />

is eroding.<br />

Anonymous <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

ED: Captain Bastreri thanked<br />

the writer for alerting him and<br />

said he is looking into the matter<br />

to ensure front desk personnel<br />

have the appropriate<br />

resources. For those online, the<br />

police page of the city website<br />

cityoffullerton.com has info on<br />

identity theft, how to prevent it,<br />

and what to do about it. If you<br />

don’t have a computer you can<br />

call the Federal Trade<br />

Commission at 1-877-438-<br />

4338. <strong>Fullerton</strong> Police do investigate<br />

identity theft locally but<br />

most are referred to the FTC.<br />

EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

<strong>Observer</strong><br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Fullerton</strong> <strong>Observer</strong> Community Newspaper,<br />

founded by Ralph and Natalie Kennedy and a<br />

group of friends in 1978, is staffed by local<br />

citizen volunteers who create, publish, and<br />

distribute the paper throughout our community.<br />

This venture is a not-for-profit one with all<br />

ad and subscription revenues plowed back<br />

into maintaining and improving our<br />

independent, non-partisan, non-sectarian<br />

community newspaper.<br />

Our purpose is to inform <strong>Fullerton</strong> residents<br />

about the institutions and other societal<br />

forces which most impact their lives, so that they<br />

may be empowered to participate<br />

in constructive ways to keep and make these<br />

private and public entities serve all residents<br />

in lawful, open, just, and socially-responsible<br />

ways. Through our extensive local calendar<br />

and other coverage, we seek to promote<br />

a sense of community and an appreciation<br />

for the values of diversity with which<br />

our country is so uniquely blessed.<br />

__________________________________<br />

Published twice per month<br />

except once in July, August & January<br />

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO:<br />

FULLERTON OBSERVER<br />

PO BOX 7051<br />

FULLERTON, CA 92834-7051<br />

• Editor: Sharon Kennedy<br />

• Database Manager: Jane Buck<br />

• Advisor: Tracy Wood<br />

• Copy Editors:<br />

Tom Dalton, Caroline Druiff<br />

• Distribution: Roy & Irene Kobayashi,<br />

Tom & Kate Dalton, Marj Kerr,<br />

Pam Nevius, Manny Bass & Leslie Allen<br />

Photography: Jere Greene, and Kia Kilpatrick<br />

• Advertising: 714-525-6402<br />

• Webmaster: Cathy Yang<br />

• FEATURES •<br />

• History/Arboretum: Warren Bowen<br />

• Politics & other stuff: Vince Buck<br />

• Roving Reporters:<br />

Jere Greene, Emily Holland, John Gilbert,<br />

Peter Fong & Stephanie Wong & Ellen Ballard<br />

• Also other contributing Community Members<br />

• COLUMNISTS •<br />

• American-American: Sky Scott<br />

•Conservation Gardening: Penny Hlavac<br />

• Council Reports: Jane Rands<br />

• Crime Log: staff<br />

• Movie Review Hits & Misses: Joyce Mason<br />

• Nature, Insects, Creatures & more:<br />

Diane Nielen (dianenielen@gmail.com)<br />

•Out of My Mind: Jonathan Dobrer<br />

(JonDobrer@mac.com)<br />

•Raising our Kids: Tom Chiaromonte<br />

• School Board Report: Jan Youngman<br />

•Science: Sarah Mosko & Frances Mathews<br />

• Sports: Bryan Crowe<br />

• Event Reviews: Caitlin & Terry Orr<br />

_____________________________<br />

THANKS FOR YOUR<br />

SUPPORT AND<br />

CONTRIBUTIONS!<br />

____________________________<br />

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE<br />

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Send Check with Name & Address to:<br />

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<strong>Fullerton</strong> CA 92834-7051<br />

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Call 714-525-6402,<br />

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________________________________<br />

10,000 issues of the <strong>Fullerton</strong> <strong>Observer</strong> are<br />

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only once in January, July & August.<br />

We are also online at:<br />

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Created & Published in <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

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<strong>Fullerton</strong> <strong>Observer</strong> LLC<br />

<strong>The</strong> Mid APRIL 2012 issue<br />

will hit the stands on April 16.<br />

• SUBMISSION & AD<br />

DEADLINE APRIL 9, 2012


EARLY APRIL 2012 COMMUNITY OPINIONS<br />

Out of My Mind<br />

by Jon Dobrer © 2012 JonDobrer@mac.com<br />

Twenty years after the LA/Rodney King<br />

Riots, three years after the election of an<br />

African-American president, we’ve made<br />

undeniable progress. We’ve not yet<br />

reached the Promised Land. Yes, despite<br />

all the progress, we continue to have terrible<br />

problems with race. We can argue<br />

about, we can take positions and we can<br />

deny, but make no mistake, we don’t live<br />

in a colorblind nation. We judge and<br />

misjudge each other according to the arbitrary<br />

19th century anthropology called<br />

race.<br />

I was asked this week,<br />

somewhat aggressively, why<br />

Obama considers himself to<br />

be half black and not half<br />

white? <strong>The</strong> implication was<br />

that by owning his African<br />

side he was demonstrating<br />

hostility towards white<br />

folks. (Lord are we a sensitive<br />

bunch!) Obama’s own<br />

answer during the campaign<br />

four years ago was clear:<br />

When I’m trying to hail a<br />

cab in the city after dark, there’s no question<br />

about my race.<br />

One of the many reasons for our continuing<br />

agony on the topic of race is our<br />

inability to discuss it rationally and openly.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re are so many traps and landmines,<br />

so many opportunities for an<br />

inartful phrase to give offense and shut<br />

down the dialogue. Since nearly no one<br />

wants to be called a racist, we often stay<br />

safe and vague in our discourse. I’m a<br />

firm believer that we cannot therapize<br />

what we cannot discuss—and race is a<br />

prime example.<br />

Take profiling. Oh the horror! We<br />

liberals know that profiling is a synonym<br />

for racism, and must avoided it at all<br />

costs. It’s just an evil and bigoted practice.<br />

Right? Wrong! If we take it off the table<br />

of decency, we begin an untruthful and,<br />

therefore, unhelpful conversation.<br />

I profile and so do you. We profile by<br />

race, religion, class, gender and age. We<br />

profile by language, fluency and grammar.<br />

We take first impressions by all kinds of<br />

signs. This is not just white folks or bigots.<br />

It’s all of us.<br />

Let me be personal. If I’m walking in a<br />

city and three young black males in, yes,<br />

hoodies, are walking towards me, my<br />

heart rate increases. If it’s three Hispanics<br />

with tats on their necks, my heart skips a<br />

couple of beats. If it is three white kids in<br />

leather with shaved heads, I experience<br />

We All Profile<br />

the issue is<br />

not whether<br />

we profile but<br />

what happens next.<br />

Are we willing to<br />

stop long enough<br />

to check out<br />

our impulses?<br />

exactly the same cardiac reaction. Could<br />

they all be sweet and harmless? Yes, but<br />

how can I lie about my flight or fight hormones?<br />

Oh yes, we also profile by age. Take<br />

three middle-aged males of any ethnicity<br />

walking down that same dark street. <strong>The</strong>y<br />

will not set off my radar. Put them in<br />

business attire—even business casual, and<br />

I might not even register their race or ethnicity.<br />

In gray flannel suits all middleaged<br />

men are, well gray.<br />

My Black friends tell me<br />

that they also profile.<br />

Being stopped by a black<br />

cop is a different experience<br />

from being pulled over by a<br />

white one. Could the<br />

white cop be a sweetheart?<br />

Sure, but their bodies also<br />

go to a different default setting.<br />

I too am being profiled<br />

everywhere I go. Entering<br />

an expensive restaurant the<br />

maitre d’ is looking at my<br />

clothing, shoes and grooming. Going<br />

into a shop, the sales associates are making<br />

quick judgments about my potential to<br />

waste their time or enrich their commissions.<br />

When our children were younger—they<br />

are still, by me, young—we would profile<br />

the kids they brought home. I can say we<br />

never did this by race, but we certainly<br />

formed opinions according to how they<br />

dressed, spoke and their general<br />

demeanor.<br />

So for me the issue is not whether we<br />

profile but what happens next. Are we<br />

willing to stop long enough to check out<br />

our impulses? Are we willing to put first<br />

warnings on hold, not go to DEFCON<br />

III, and be open to learning and experiencing<br />

beyond that first blink?<br />

Having thought this through, am I willing<br />

to confess to the evils of profiling? No,<br />

I’m willing to confess that we can misuse<br />

it to close ourselves off from others, to get<br />

locked in lonely cells of prejudice, but the<br />

impulse is unavoidable. Civilization consists<br />

largely not in denying our troubling<br />

impulses but in asserting control over<br />

them. Please know however, the first<br />

boys who show up trying to date any of<br />

my granddaughters are going to be very<br />

closely and aggressively profiled.<br />

Read more thoughts from Jon Dober at<br />

www.insidesocal.com/friendlyfire<br />

On the Shooting of Trayvon Martin<br />

<strong>The</strong> shooter, George Zimmerman’s history<br />

paints a fairly obvious picture of an<br />

unbalanced guy who should not have<br />

been licensed to carry a firearm -- and<br />

who should have been arrested.<br />

While his efforts to look out for his<br />

neighborhood (46 emergency calls in the<br />

last 6 years) were in good faith and could<br />

suggest that this guy could be a hero if this<br />

particular situation did not get out of<br />

hand, his volatile temperament in past<br />

altercations with people and institutions<br />

indicate that his vigilance is more likely a<br />

symptom of a self-righteous guy out to<br />

"fix the world" as a means of dealing with<br />

his own psychological problems -- a phenomenon<br />

that is unfortunately all-toocommon.<br />

A few facts:<br />

•In 2005 Zimmerman was charged with<br />

assault on a police officer during an altercation<br />

over the arrest of one of his friends<br />

for underage drinking in a bar.<br />

•In 2005 his fiancee filed an injunction<br />

against him for domestic violence.<br />

•He did not listen to the 911 dispatcher's<br />

words when the dispatcher said that<br />

“We don't need you to [follow the person]”<br />

How can someone who actively engages<br />

an unarmed suspect hide behind Florida's<br />

Stand Your Ground law, which was passed<br />

so that people whose homes were invaded<br />

could defend themselves?<br />

Why would the City Manager become<br />

involved in this case to the point where he<br />

states that the Sanford Police Department<br />

are “Prohibited” from making an arrest?<br />

Could it have something to do with the<br />

fact that the shooter’s father is a retired<br />

magistrate judge?<br />

It seems like injustice that Zimmerman<br />

has not been arrested, but that's just my<br />

two cents.<br />

Scott Feinblatt <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Nicole Simon had a great time traveling<br />

up the east coast of South Africa<br />

in January. “Beautiful place and wonderful<br />

people! What I found most<br />

remarkable was how similar it looks to<br />

SoCal! Same plants, same topogra-<br />

FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 3<br />

OBSERVERS AROUND THE WORLD<br />

Nicole in the Shadow of Table Mountain<br />

phy...just very different animals - as I<br />

do not recall ever being charged by rhinos<br />

or chased by lions in OC!”<br />

Above, <strong>Fullerton</strong> <strong>Observer</strong> reader<br />

Nicole is pictured at Table Mountain<br />

in Cape Town, South Africa.<br />

Justice for the “Mob” & Those Sitting<br />

in Chairs Where the Buck Stops<br />

by Manuel N. Bass<br />

At the March 6 council meeting some<br />

ex-FPD officers referred to Kelly’s Army<br />

as a “lynch mob.” One speaker asked us to<br />

contrast the public comments made by<br />

Whitaker and McKinley in regard to the<br />

killing of Kelly Thomas. I want to pick up<br />

on this theme of contrasted<br />

positions, in this case the positions<br />

of Kelly’s Army and that of<br />

the speakers who oppose the<br />

recall.<br />

Presented with the tragedy of<br />

the Kelly Thomas killing, people<br />

sounded their outrage, for<br />

which there requires no justification<br />

beyond facts already in<br />

the public domain.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se people hold the values<br />

of common human decency and<br />

respect for law. <strong>The</strong>y are not<br />

always the most polished in putting<br />

forth their position, but they are<br />

nonetheless sincere and, as citizens, qualified<br />

to speak. Kelly’s Army, the purported<br />

“mob,” responded to the injustice<br />

involved in Kelly’s death. <strong>The</strong>y responded<br />

spontaineoulsy as people confronted by a<br />

formal police action with question marks<br />

all over it, and given all of the circumstances,<br />

I think that these citizens are to<br />

be commended. <strong>The</strong>y did not let the matter<br />

die without proper examination. <strong>The</strong>y<br />

called for justice and the court will soon<br />

heed this call through the channels of the<br />

legal system.<br />

In point of contrast, police officers are<br />

obstensibly trained to respond to and deal<br />

with precisely the type of incident pre-<br />

HOW TO VOICE<br />

YOUR OPINION<br />

<strong>The</strong> Opinion pages are a forum for the<br />

community. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Observer</strong> accepts letters on<br />

any subject of interest to readers. Letters<br />

will be checked for typos and may be shortened<br />

for space. Opinions are those of the<br />

writer.<br />

Send letters by email to<br />

observernews@earthlink.net or by snail<br />

mail to: <strong>Fullerton</strong> <strong>Observer</strong>, PO Box 7051,<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> CA 92834<br />

sented by Kelly on that fateful night.<br />

Admittedly, in the light of the need for<br />

further training of the FPD, the training<br />

the police had received was not perfect.<br />

Still, it was presumably deemed to be adequate<br />

when officers were sent out on the<br />

streets to serve the citizens of <strong>Fullerton</strong>,<br />

including Kelly Thomas. <strong>The</strong> result is a<br />

tragic matter of history that<br />

cannot be undone, but can<br />

be investigated, understood,<br />

and used as a lesson<br />

to prevent recurrences.<br />

<strong>The</strong> question then arises,<br />

given the March 6 comments<br />

at the meeting of the<br />

City Council, who are the<br />

“mob”?<br />

I respect FPD. <strong>The</strong>y do<br />

not go out each day with<br />

the intent or a mandate to<br />

kill, nor do they as individuals<br />

want to do so. <strong>The</strong> fact<br />

that they did so in this instance, with the<br />

result of two being under indictment, is<br />

the starting point for the creation of<br />

Kelly’s Army. Rather than condemn the<br />

“Army” as a mob, I think it much more to<br />

the point that the recall opponents, especially<br />

the former police officers among<br />

them, seek to insure that the FPD display<br />

skill and discipline on a daily basis, and<br />

that the City Council, especially the expolice<br />

officers among them, display the<br />

awareness, restraint, insight, sensitivity<br />

and understanding incumbent on them as<br />

the authorities sitting in the chairs where<br />

the “buck stops” in matters of police<br />

improprieties.<br />

Former police officers are surely positioned<br />

to offer relevant comments. But,<br />

rather than condemn a group of their former<br />

employers (the citizens) as a mob, celebrate<br />

them for their involvement. Both<br />

the city and on-duty patrol officers are<br />

safer when they serve a concerned and<br />

involved citizenry. A competent, disciplined<br />

police force is something we all<br />

want and respect.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is only one higher authority in<br />

such matters: the voters. <strong>The</strong>y will decide<br />

whether a recall is justified. And they will<br />

do so without resorting to calling anyone<br />

or any group of their fellow citizens a<br />

“mob.”<br />

Both the city<br />

and on-duty<br />

patrol officers<br />

are safer<br />

when they serve<br />

a concerned<br />

and involved<br />

citizenry.


Page 4 FULLERTON OBSERVER CITY GOVERNMENT NEWS EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

Council Agenda<br />

cityoffullerton.com<br />

April 3: • Water Rate Study<br />

Results • Proposal to consolidate<br />

police services between<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>, Buena Park, Brea<br />

and La Habra •Proposal to<br />

consolidate fire and EMS services<br />

between <strong>Fullerton</strong>,<br />

Anaheim and Orange.<br />

•Update on Advisory Boards<br />

•Trans Center Elevator Project<br />

• Conduit financing for St.<br />

Anton mixed use project on<br />

W. Santa Fe.<br />

April 11: 5pm, Successor<br />

Agency workshop at Library<br />

April 17: •OCWD update<br />

on north county water<br />

cleanup project with pipeline<br />

running down Orangethorpe.<br />

CITY COUNCIL NOTES by Staff<br />

<strong>The</strong> City Council meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.<br />

Upcoming agenda info and streaming video of council meetings are available<br />

at www.cityoffullerton.com. Meetings are broadcast live on Cable Channel 3<br />

and rebroadcast at 3pm and 6pm the following Wed. & Sun. and at 5pm Mon.<br />

City Hall is located at 303 W. Commonwealth.<br />

Contact Council at 714-738-6311 or by email to: council@ci.fullerton.ca.us<br />

COUNCIL REPORT MARCH 20, 2012<br />

Councilmembers Dick Jones & Pat McKinley Absent<br />

Girl Scout Troop 1895 led the pledge of<br />

allegiance to open the meeting on the<br />

100th anniversary of Girl Scouts. Each<br />

was presented with a certificate and<br />

Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva said “<strong>The</strong>se<br />

are our future community leaders.”<br />

Announcements<br />

•Arbor Day: Landscape<br />

Superintendent Dennis Quinlivan<br />

invited everyone to the March 24th<br />

planting of 30 to 40 oak trees at<br />

Hiltscher Park on Euclid.<br />

•MADD: Mothers Against Drunk<br />

Driving victim advocate Helen<br />

Maganya and FPD Lt. Scott Rudisil<br />

presented certificates to ten officers<br />

who had each arrested 25 or more<br />

drunk drivers in the past year. Officer<br />

Ryan O’Neil won the top spot with 51<br />

DUI arrests. Last year there were 757<br />

DUI arrests in all. Maganya said she<br />

became involved in MADD after her<br />

father was killed in 1982 by a drunk<br />

driver. At that time the punishment<br />

for drunk driving consisted of an<br />

overnight stay in the drunk tank.<br />

Since then “MADD has helped<br />

strengthen DUI laws,” said Maganya.<br />

•Housing Report: City consultant Joan<br />

Wolfe presented an update on the city’s<br />

annual required housing element. RHNA<br />

(Regional Housing Needs Allocation) for<br />

each city is allocated by SCAG (So. Cal<br />

Association of Governments) in order that<br />

housing for all income brackets is evenly<br />

shared by cities. <strong>The</strong> cities are not responsible<br />

for physical construction of units but<br />

must, by state law, have policies in place<br />

to encourage and facilitate housing.<br />

Redevelopment funds were a big factor<br />

in the modest number of affordable units<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> was able to build. Now, with the<br />

dissolution of Redevelopment, that funding<br />

method is up in the air and will<br />

depend on the outcome of Senate Bill 654<br />

and Assembly Bill 1585 which may at<br />

least allow cities to retain existing affordable<br />

housing fund balances. To date the<br />

city has not approved a formal agreement<br />

committing funding to three affordable<br />

housing developments already approved.<br />

Wolfe said that due to the current economy<br />

construction is down but the city is<br />

working with private developers. In 2011,<br />

550 units were built; 120 of them were<br />

New Police Captains<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Police Lieutenants Lorraine<br />

Jones and George Crum (pictured at left)<br />

have each been promoted to the rank of<br />

captain by Chief Dan Hughes.<br />

Jones, a 26-year veteran of the department,<br />

is the first female officer to be promoted<br />

to the rank in <strong>Fullerton</strong>’s history.<br />

She is a <strong>Fullerton</strong> native with a master<br />

degree from CSU Long Beach. She is a<br />

Leadership and Ethics Institute boardmember<br />

and was recently recognized for<br />

her leadership by US Congresswoman<br />

Loretta Sanchez and Mayor Quirk-Silva.<br />

Crum, a 25-year veteran, is a CSUF<br />

grad and holds a master degree from<br />

CSU Long Beach. He is also an instructor<br />

at the <strong>Fullerton</strong> College Police<br />

Academy and an administrator and trainer<br />

of the OCDA drug recognition training<br />

program.<br />

POLICE DEPT. UPDATE:<br />

Police Chief Dan Hughes updated the<br />

council on improvements at the police department<br />

including upgraded training on homeless/mentally<br />

ill, ethical vs legal use of force,<br />

DAR, citizen complaint and other procedures.<br />

<strong>The</strong> new policy manuel is available online at<br />

the Police Dept. page of the city website<br />

www.cityoffullerton.com and it will be updated<br />

quarterly.<br />

Chief Hughes announced that an assistant<br />

has been assigned to work with the department’s<br />

homeless liaison Officer Jay DeCaprio.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re will also be a mentally ill/homeless service<br />

worker ride-along once a week to provide<br />

resources where needed.<br />

Other changes include: inviting leaders of<br />

all faiths to participate in the department’s<br />

chaplin program; development of a Police<br />

Advisory Board of 12 to 20 community members;<br />

and restarting the community policing<br />

strategy meetings to reduce crime. <strong>The</strong>re has<br />

been a 23% reduction in crime from Jan-June<br />

2011 which the chief feels is related to the<br />

strategy of concentrating more resources to<br />

higher crime areas of town. An example is the<br />

9-month gang injunction action which has<br />

resulted in 48% fewer crimes.<br />

FULLERTON’S AFFORDABLE HOUSING LAG BLAMED ON ECONOMY<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>’s RHNA goals & Actual<br />

Units Built for 2006-2014 (so far)<br />

INCOME LEVEL GOAL BUILT<br />

•Very Low: 398 10<br />

•Low 329 20<br />

•Moderate 376 61<br />

•Above Moderate 806 455<br />

affordable; 430 above moderate. RHNA<br />

goal is to build 1,100 affordable and 800<br />

above market.<br />

Mayor Quirk-Silva said “Whether you<br />

agree or disagree with redevelopment - it<br />

was used to build affordable housing.<br />

Now it will be more of a challenge.” She<br />

also mentioned that an offshoot benefit of<br />

redevelopment projects is job creation.<br />

Bankhead and Whitaker agreed that the<br />

RHNA allocations shouldn’t be an<br />

unfunded state mandate.<br />

<strong>The</strong> report is available in the March 20<br />

agenda online and should be posted under<br />

Housing Policy Documents soon.<br />

Approved 3-0<br />

Continued on page 10<br />

Good News for Bicyclists by Vince Buck<br />

Bicyclists in <strong>Fullerton</strong> and north<br />

Orange County have been having a run of<br />

good news recently. First, the Puente Bike<br />

Path opened (see picture) as reported in<br />

the last issue of the <strong>Observer</strong>. This link<br />

provides a safe bicycling route from<br />

northern <strong>Fullerton</strong> and La Habra south<br />

into central and eastern <strong>Fullerton</strong>.<br />

Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva was there to<br />

cut the ribbon, along with<br />

Councilmember Whitaker and<br />

Councilmember Don Bankhead (who<br />

had voted against the project). Don<br />

acknowledged that the City had done a<br />

nice job in building the bridge and path.<br />

Also present were Pam Keller who had<br />

supported the project when she was on<br />

the Council. All of the BUSC (Bicycle<br />

Users Sub Committee) members were<br />

there, who along with their predecessor<br />

activists - most notably Alex Smith, Ralph<br />

Kennedy, Alyce Streitberger, Jan Flory and<br />

Karen Haluza, worked nearly 20 years to<br />

make this happen. Also present were two<br />

Council candidates, Jane Rands who<br />

chairs the BUSC and Rick Alvarez, both<br />

on bicycles.<br />

<strong>The</strong> second item of good news is that<br />

OCTA, under the leadership (and aggressive<br />

prodding) of Shawn Nelson, released<br />

its Fourth District Bikeways Strategy<br />

which identifies continuous routes in and<br />

between cities in the Fourth Supervisorial<br />

District and surrounding areas. This is<br />

the sort of leadership that OCTA should<br />

have been demonstrating, but until<br />

Supervisor Nelson pushed they had resisted.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Strategy not only identifies<br />

routes but ranks them and gives them priority<br />

in OCTA funding. As a result, in<br />

the next few years we should start seeing<br />

more and more useful bicycle routes in<br />

the area.<br />

A third item is that <strong>Fullerton</strong> has been<br />

designated by OCTA as the priority site<br />

for a bike-sharing program. This is a program<br />

— already in existence in many<br />

American and European cities — where<br />

riders can pick up a bike at one bike station<br />

and drop it off at another. It will be<br />

particularly useful for getting between the<br />

depot and the University and <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

College. <strong>The</strong>re will be 10 stations<br />

throughout the city with 15 bikes each in<br />

the beginning.<br />

Fourth ( and fifth and sixth), the<br />

Council passed three items on March<br />

20th, all of which have strong positive<br />

implications for bicycle riders. First, in<br />

discussing hiring a new design consultant<br />

for the State College grade separation at<br />

the BNSF tracks, if was promised by staff<br />

and the new engineer (from Mark<br />

Thomas and Company) that room for<br />

safe bicycle riding would be provided in<br />

the undercrossing. This had not been<br />

promised before. (I would be even more<br />

enthusiastic were it not for the fact that<br />

<strong>The</strong> first bicyclists over the new bridge.<br />

Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva and former<br />

Mayor protem Pam Keller who both supported<br />

the project when it came to council.<br />

this company did not provide the same<br />

for the Placentia Avenue grade separation<br />

which it also designed).<br />

<strong>The</strong> Council also approved an application<br />

to submit bids for a “Communitybased<br />

Bike and Pedestrian Mobility<br />

Study” to provide safe routes across the<br />

57 freeway between Chapman and Yorba<br />

Linda. This could possibly result in a recommendation<br />

for a pedestrian and bicycle<br />

bridge over the freeway. At the very<br />

least safer routes ( and there are no safe<br />

ones now) will be identified<br />

Finally, the Council approved seeking<br />

grants to build a “bike boulevard” on<br />

Wilshire between Lemon and Acacia. This<br />

route is an important part of a high priority<br />

route in the Fourth District Plan and<br />

is key to the success of the bike share program.<br />

Somewhat misleadingly named,<br />

bike boulevards provide safe, comfortable<br />

routes for bicycle riding by using a variety<br />

of traffic-calming measures to reduce the<br />

volume and speed of cars on residential<br />

streets. <strong>The</strong>y benefit not only bicyclists<br />

but residents and pedestrians as well,<br />

largely by taking traffic off of residential<br />

streets and putting it on arterials, in this<br />

case Chapman and Commonwealth.<br />

Perhaps even more important than all of<br />

the above actions is what it represents: a<br />

sea change in the thinking of planners,<br />

engineers and other policy makers from<br />

the days when the principal — perhaps<br />

the sole — goal was to get cars from Point<br />

A to Point B in the shortest amount of<br />

time. (<strong>The</strong> first “Purpose” listed in the<br />

Transportation Element of the 1980<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> General Plan was to “ Reduce<br />

vehicular travel times between selected<br />

origin-destination points.”).<br />

Now serious effort is being made at all<br />

levels in OCTA and <strong>Fullerton</strong> and other<br />

cities to address the needs of bicyclists and<br />

to make our streets safer for bicycling and<br />

thus make bicycle commuting and recreation<br />

a real option. <strong>The</strong>re is still a long<br />

way to go, but we have seen the first steps.


EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTES<br />

by Jan Youngman<br />

FSD Board meetings are held at 6pm on 2nd & 4th<br />

Tuesdays of each month at District Headquarters,<br />

1401 W. Valencia Dr., <strong>Fullerton</strong>. See www.fsd.k12.ca.us<br />

for agenda or call 714-447-7400<br />

FSD MEETING MARCH 13 - NEXT MEETING APRIL 3 AT 6PM<br />

CONGRATULATIONS<br />

•Robert Clark, a 7th grade student at<br />

Nicolas Junior High School won 2nd<br />

place in the Middle School Division of<br />

the OC Dept. of Ed Spelling Bee. He<br />

competed over 4 hours against 56 other<br />

students and received a cash prize of<br />

$250.<br />

•Fisler School received the Apple<br />

Distinguished School Award for the 5th<br />

Year.<br />

•Valencia Park School received the<br />

Apple Distinguished Program Award.<br />

Only 50 schools nation-wide received<br />

Distinguished School Awards and 100<br />

received Distinguished Program Awards.<br />

NICOLAS JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL<br />

In a very thorough, fast paced presentation<br />

by staff and students, features that<br />

make Nicolas a unique school with the<br />

motto “Pathways to Success” were highlighted.<br />

Students were among the finalists<br />

in the Elks Club’s Americanism Essay<br />

Competition, recent OC Spelling Bee and<br />

the FSD’s Take Flight Competition. <strong>The</strong><br />

Speech & Debate Team has competed in<br />

many competitions and hosted a Speech<br />

& Debate Competition at Nicolas on<br />

March 23.<br />

Some other special student activities<br />

include Competitive Dance Team, a<br />

Nicolas Honor Band, Avid classes, and the<br />

Jog-a-thon that raised over $40,000 over<br />

three years for P.E. equipment. Staff has<br />

developed a unique Saturday School that<br />

focuses on innovative enrichment programs<br />

and has recaptured over $10,000 in<br />

ADA funds for the District. <strong>The</strong>ir<br />

Teacher of the Year is Ms. Jenny Trujillo.<br />

Calendar Changes<br />

approved 5-0<br />

Current Year 2011/2012:<br />

May 29 Staff furlough day- no school<br />

June 13 last day for students K-7th<br />

June 15 8th grade graduation<br />

June 14 Staff furlough day for classified<br />

staff on 10 month contract<br />

June 18 Staff furlough day for certified<br />

and management<br />

2012/13 Attendance Calendar:<br />

August 23 1st day for teachers<br />

August 27 first day for students<br />

No furlough days have been agreed<br />

upon yet.<br />

Other Business<br />

•FETA (Teachers Union) tentative<br />

agreement approved 4-1 (Trustee<br />

Thompson opposed going into district’s<br />

reserve funds).<br />

•CSEA (Classified Employees) tentative<br />

agreement approved 4-1 (Trustee<br />

Thompson opposed going into district’s<br />

reserve funds).<br />

•2012/13 Tax & Revenue<br />

Anticipation Notes: Currently, 42% of<br />

this year’s money has been deferred to<br />

next year. Orange County has reallocated<br />

distribution of taxes and is reducing the<br />

money that it gives to school districts. <strong>The</strong><br />

state is supposed to reimburse this funding.<br />

Redevelopment money is also supposed<br />

to go to schools, but no one is sure<br />

when, hence, there is a shortfall on the<br />

horizon. <strong>The</strong> budget staff is requesting<br />

approval to obtain a low interest (usually<br />

less than 1%) up to $15 million loan to<br />

cover the shortfall. Approved 5-0.<br />

EDUCATION<br />

•2nd Interim Report: <strong>The</strong> district is<br />

recommending a “Qualified” certification.<br />

Due to the uncertainty of the state<br />

budget which requires the district to<br />

spend down reserves, it may not be able to<br />

meet its financial obligations for the current<br />

fiscal or subsequent two fiscal years.<br />

(Approved 5-0)<br />

Finances<br />

•Midyear Budget Cuts made by the<br />

state resulted in cuts of $52.21 per ADA<br />

(student daily attendance money) which<br />

equals a cut of $699,821 to the district.<br />

<strong>The</strong> district is currently receiving less<br />

ADA money ($4,963 per student) from<br />

the state than it did in 2007 ($5,557).<br />

<strong>The</strong> difference in what the district is<br />

scheduled to receive and what is actually<br />

received becomes “deferred funding.” <strong>The</strong><br />

state continually promises to release the<br />

deferred funding, but continues to cut the<br />

education budget instead. <strong>The</strong>refore, the<br />

district must transfer $1 million from set<br />

aside funds; the Deferred Maintenance<br />

Funding of $489,000 and negotiated<br />

reductions (with staff) of $690,000. This<br />

includes adjustments to employee’s<br />

salaries and benefits, other income like the<br />

Lottery and any Encroachment funding.<br />

Fortunately, the district was able to<br />

reduce the projected net loss for 2011-12<br />

from $3.231 million to $0.266 million.<br />

<strong>The</strong> district has a projected unrestricted<br />

ending balance of $12.38 million<br />

(11.5%). <strong>The</strong>se are the reserves that the<br />

district is spending down.<br />

If the proposed tax increase passes in<br />

November, the district will then receive<br />

the $52 per ADA that the state cut this<br />

year. If the state miraculously decides to<br />

fully fund the statutory COLAs (ADA<br />

Funding) that the district is supposed to<br />

receive it would mean an increase of $17.2<br />

million.<br />

For example, according to the state’s<br />

projected revenue limit per student<br />

(ADA) for 2011/12 the district is supposed<br />

to be receiving $6,250 per student.<br />

If the tax initiative does not pass, the state<br />

will impose mandatory trigger cuts of<br />

7.4% or $370 per student or $4,932,100<br />

in cuts to FSD. Sadly, California schools<br />

continue to be among the lowest funded<br />

in the county.<br />

FSD Superintendent<br />

Retirement<br />

Mitch Hovey, superintendent of the<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> School District announced that<br />

this year will be his last as he steps down<br />

from the position.<br />

He has accepted a position developing a<br />

Ph.D program in education at a Baptist<br />

university in Riverside. He has had a 40<br />

year career in education (32 years in public<br />

school and 8 years in private school) as<br />

a teacher, coach, and administrator.<br />

With the news that Superintendent<br />

Hovey is leaving the district, the Board<br />

Members held a special meeting as this<br />

issue was going to press, March 30.<br />

<strong>The</strong> meeting was to approve an agreement<br />

for the previously selected search<br />

firm Leadership Associates for a contract<br />

not to exceed $24,000. <strong>The</strong> firm will<br />

begin its services March 30, 2012 to bring<br />

in candidates to replace Dr. Hovey.<br />

More School News on page 11<br />

FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 5<br />

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory<br />

by Debbie Holland<br />

photo by Bob Prochnow<br />

This year, Golden Hill Elementary<br />

School’s 5th and 6th graders stepped into<br />

a “world of pure imagination” as they presented,<br />

for their first time ever, an<br />

extremely entertaining rendition of Willy<br />

Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.<br />

Under the hard working, patient, and<br />

dedicated direction of Mrs. Amy Sylvester<br />

and Mr. Matt Mankiewicz, over 100 children<br />

performed in this production. Ms.<br />

Katie Weber beautifully choreographed<br />

several numbers along with Mr. Dana<br />

Morris’s piano accompaniment leading<br />

the play.<br />

An astounding twenty musical numbers<br />

brought the audience back to their childhoods<br />

as everyone clapped along. Family,<br />

friends, and Golden Hill students alike<br />

enjoyed 5 performances over the course of<br />

three days.<br />

Some of the stars included Joel Jimenez<br />

Parks Jr. High raised $4,473 in donations<br />

for Pathways of Hope (FIES). Every<br />

year, the Leadership Group at the school<br />

runs a program to collect donations for<br />

Pathways of Hope, which provides critical<br />

support services for homeless families and<br />

individuals.<br />

<strong>The</strong> organization was chosen because it<br />

(6th grade) as Willy Wonka, David<br />

Vergara (6th grade) as Charlie Bucket,<br />

and Ty Keel (6th grade) as Grandpa Joe.<br />

<strong>The</strong> remaining cast, including the<br />

Candyman, approximately 70 Oompa<br />

Loompas, the Cooks, the Squirrels, the<br />

Candy Kids, and Reporters were all<br />

delightful and very funny.<br />

Some favorite scenes included Veruca<br />

Salt (played by Sophia Ruesga, 6th grade)<br />

singing her version of “I Want it Now,”<br />

Violet Beauregarde (played by Sarah Voss,<br />

5th grade) blowing up like a blueberry,<br />

Mike Teavee (Daniel Chanderjian, 6th<br />

grade) getting trapped and shrunken<br />

inside of a T.V., and last but not least -<br />

Charlie and Grandpa Joe (Vergara and<br />

Keel, 6th grade) flying to the top of the<br />

bubble room and having to burp to get<br />

down! <strong>The</strong> costumes added to the<br />

ambiance of the show as they were so original,<br />

colorful, and intricate. With this<br />

kind of talent, Golden Hill truly found<br />

the “golden ticket!”<br />

Parks Jr. High Students Donate Over $4,000<br />

directly helps the <strong>Fullerton</strong> community.<br />

Park Junior High School students are<br />

organized into four different teams:<br />

brown, black, white, and gold; with a<br />

challenge to raise the most money. <strong>The</strong><br />

brown team won this year, raising over<br />

$2,000 in donations. Way to go, Parks<br />

students! - Stephanie Wilmoth


Page 6 OBSERVER EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

How I Started<br />

Wrestling<br />

by Kaleigh Jennings:<br />

6th Ranked Girl Wrestler in California<br />

I'm a Senior at <strong>Fullerton</strong> Union High School.<br />

For my first two years in high school I was a<br />

FUHS cheerleader on Junior Varsity. I competed<br />

at a varsity level my freshmen year with the<br />

FUHS varsity team, but my sophomore year,<br />

after football season, I decided I needed something<br />

new and different in my life.<br />

I realized that it was thought to be totally unrealistic<br />

in my community, but I took a chance and<br />

signed up for wrestling. It has become something<br />

I love to do and I want to follow wrestling after<br />

high school and compete in college as well.<br />

I had no idea what to expect going into this<br />

“man” sport and I had no type of martial arts as<br />

my background. My dad, Ryan Jennings, has<br />

been my guide to help me get where I'm at in<br />

wrestling. He was the one who believed in me<br />

from the start, and now I'm a state placer.<br />

My first year as a FUHS wrestler, and not a<br />

cheerleader, was an experience. I never won a<br />

match, but I didn’t quit. I kept going and striving<br />

to get better, both to prove to everyone that I<br />

could do it and to change people’s perspective on<br />

girl wrestlers. Not until my junior year did I get<br />

my first pin against a high school boy. <strong>That</strong> was<br />

the moment I knew what I was doing was right.<br />

<strong>The</strong> respect I earned and the inspiration I was<br />

giving helped me to keep fighting for what I<br />

believe in. I kept getting better and stronger not<br />

only physically in the sport but mentally.<br />

By my junior year, there were about 10 girls on<br />

the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Wrestling Team. Towards the end of<br />

season only 3 girls placed and qualified for state.<br />

I took 5th place in the 132lb weight class.<br />

However, once I got to State I did not go far. I<br />

went 0-2 and that was it for my second year of<br />

wrestling.<br />

In my senior year, I was the only girl on the<br />

team, but I came into the season strong, motivated<br />

and determined. My greatest accomplishment<br />

was taking first place at <strong>The</strong> Coltom Queen<br />

Mentors Sought<br />

Applications are being sought from citizens<br />

interested in serving as mentors to at-risk young<br />

people in the community.<br />

<strong>The</strong> program is part of <strong>Fullerton</strong> CalGrip,<br />

designed to keep 8-13 year olds free of drug and<br />

gang involvement through prevention and intervention<br />

services. Mentors must be 18 or over<br />

and pass a thorough background investigation<br />

which includes fingerprinting. If you are interested<br />

contact Senior Parks & Rec Specialist<br />

Vanessa Teran at 714-738-5365<br />

Shooting on Wilshire<br />

A 21-year-old male was transported to UCI<br />

Medical Center after being shot in the lower leg.<br />

<strong>The</strong> shooting took place at the parking garage at<br />

122 E. Wilshire in downtown <strong>Fullerton</strong> at<br />

1:30am on Friday, March 30. A person of interest<br />

is a 6-foot, 180 lb., 24-28-year-old black<br />

man, with short hair who drove away from the<br />

scene in a dark-colored car. Police suspect the<br />

shooting to be gang-related because the shooter<br />

wore red-flannel and reportedly yelled “I am a<br />

blood, I am a blood,” before shooting and escaping.<br />

Anyone with information is asked to call<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Police at 714-738-6769.<br />

Kaleigh Jennings at a wrestling tournament.<br />

Wrestling Tournament in the<br />

138lb weight class. Not only<br />

that, but I also took the Most<br />

Valuable Player of the upper<br />

weight classes in the tournament.<br />

It was a huge deal for my family<br />

and me.<br />

At <strong>The</strong> 2012 CIF girls<br />

wrestling tournament I competed<br />

in the 132lb weight class and<br />

took 4th place out of 40 girls.<br />

Trial Postponed<br />

<strong>The</strong> March 28 hearing for<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> police officers Manny<br />

Ramos, 37, and Jay Cicinelli, 39,<br />

charged in the beating death of<br />

Kelly Thomas, 37, near the<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Train Station July 2011,<br />

has been postponed at the request<br />

of defense attorney John Barnett<br />

due to conflict with another case.<br />

<strong>The</strong> new date is May 7, 8:30am,<br />

courtroom C55, third floor of the<br />

Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.<br />

Next, was the 2012 CIF girls<br />

State Invitational Tournament.<br />

Going up against the toughest<br />

girls around California I put all<br />

my heart on those mats and<br />

made it to the finals for the 5th<br />

and 6th places. I ended at 6th<br />

place out of 8 places in the competition.<br />

This makes me the 6th<br />

ranked 132lb girl wrestler in the<br />

State of California.<br />

Celebrating the Life of Felicia Bukaty<br />

A luncheon at the Summit<br />

House on April 26 will honor<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Civic Light Opera<br />

<strong>The</strong>atre Guild’s Founding<br />

President the late Felicia Bukaty.<br />

At the luncheon the Guild will<br />

announce the Felicia Bukaty<br />

Memorial Scholarship<br />

Foundation, established to benefit<br />

young performers and scholars.<br />

Felicia was also a member of<br />

the Music Associates of CSUF,<br />

one of the founders of the OC<br />

Performing Arts Center<br />

(Segerstrom), and a supporter of<br />

the Pacific Symphony Orchestra.<br />

She was a tremendously energetic,<br />

optimistic, kind and good<br />

humored person dearly missed<br />

by all who have known her.<br />

RSVP to the luncheon by calling<br />

Connie Perakis at 714-680-<br />

0280.<br />

Troop 93 Eagle Scout<br />

Award Presented<br />

Brent Dennewitz, 15, has earned the highest award<br />

the Boy Scouts of America offers. He was recognized<br />

with the Eagle Scout Award at a ceremony on March<br />

24th.<br />

Each candidate must<br />

earn 21 merit badges<br />

and complete a community<br />

related project<br />

to attain the honor.<br />

Only about 3% of all<br />

Boy Scouts attain the<br />

rank, according to<br />

Scoutmaster Brian<br />

Lewis.<br />

Dennewitz completed<br />

a landscaping project<br />

which included<br />

removing old plants,<br />

installing a paved seating<br />

area, a water fountain, four trellises and new<br />

plantings. He raised over $1,400 and used 28 volunteers<br />

to complete the 287 hour project. You can see<br />

the results at the First Presbyterian Church. During<br />

his time in Troop 93, Dennewitz has earned 74 merit<br />

badges, backpacked 225 miles and earned numerous<br />

high adventure awards. His two older brothers are<br />

also Eagle Scouts. He is the son of Randy and<br />

Barbara Dennewitz and is a sophomore at <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Union High School where he participates in Vocal<br />

Ensemble, CSF, National Honor Society and the<br />

track team.<br />

Free Video Screening<br />

on Earthquake Preparedness<br />

A new video on earthquake preparedness will be<br />

shown along with a second video covering quake<br />

threats to our region in a free screening open to the<br />

public presented by the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Fire Department’s<br />

Community Emergency Response Team. <strong>The</strong> public<br />

is invited to attend the session held at 7pm on Wed.,<br />

April 11 at the City of <strong>Fullerton</strong> Maintenance Yard,<br />

1580 W. Commonwealth Ave.<br />

Financial Planner<br />

Marc Duda Sentenced<br />

US District Court Judge James Selna sentenced<br />

financial planner Marc Duda, 37, of <strong>Fullerton</strong> to 6<br />

1/2 years in federal prison for a wire fraud scheme<br />

that resulted in $5.8 million in losses to 23 victims<br />

from March 2008 to July 2011. Many victims met<br />

Duda through <strong>Fullerton</strong> Community Bank (now<br />

Opus) where he was a teller and considered him a<br />

trusted friend. Kendra Davis-Blows of <strong>Fullerton</strong>, in a<br />

statement to the court said she lost $3.9 million in<br />

the scheme. Many of the victims are elderly or sick<br />

and trusted Duda with their life savings. <strong>The</strong> money<br />

has not been returned.


EARLY APRIL 2012 SPORTS NEWS<br />

by Jorge Sigaran<br />

Head Coach BlueStars F.C.<br />

One of the Blue Stars F.C. teams with their coaches<br />

A Field Sharing Proposal<br />

<strong>The</strong> presence of numerous teams of soccer<br />

players these days demonstrates the<br />

growing popularity of the sport in our<br />

community. But there are problems which<br />

need solutions.<br />

Some youth soccer clubs are expensive<br />

and membership is sometimes based on<br />

ability to pay rather than play. This makes<br />

it difficult for economically challenged<br />

youth soccer players to join.<br />

<strong>The</strong> purpose of the OC Community<br />

Soccer League, Blue Stars F.C. and A.C.<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> is to develop players in that<br />

underserved population and to provide<br />

practical training that will allow kids to<br />

stay out of trouble and perhaps be successful<br />

in life. We could positively affect the<br />

lives of youth in our community; however,<br />

we do not have the support from our<br />

city leaders.<br />

For the last 3 years our clubs have been<br />

left without any practice fields for the first<br />

4 months of the year as we have always<br />

been told that baseball takes priority over<br />

any other sport during those months.<br />

However, Rangers Soccer has access to<br />

many lit fields even during baseball season,<br />

while our soccer players either play<br />

their weekend games without practicing<br />

during the week, or if they practice in any<br />

field they run the risk of being kicked off<br />

the field by the Park Ranger.<br />

We, the members of the Hispanic community<br />

of <strong>Fullerton</strong>, are asking our City<br />

for help and make the following proposal:<br />

•Share the fields equally between baseball<br />

and soccer during the baseball season.<br />

Allow baseball to practice Monday thru<br />

Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and<br />

soccer to practice from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30<br />

p.m.<br />

•Or split the week between baseball and<br />

soccer. Allow baseball practices Monday,<br />

Wednesday and Friday and soccer practices<br />

Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00<br />

p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Soccer practices are<br />

avoided on Fridays to allow the kids to<br />

rest and be fresh for the games scheduled<br />

for early Saturday mornings.<br />

If none of those suggestions are feasible<br />

we would like to obtain a permit to place<br />

industrial generators at one of the unlit<br />

fields such as Ladera Vista or Nicholas<br />

School for our clubs to practice. <strong>The</strong> cost<br />

of these rentals will be paid by our clubs.<br />

PSA Soccer Club uses that kind of generator<br />

lighting at Canyon High School in<br />

Anaheim.<br />

Clubs in need<br />

of practice fields<br />

Blue Stars F.C. with 153<br />

soccer players from 4 years old<br />

to 17 years old.<br />

A.C. <strong>Fullerton</strong>, with 112<br />

soccer players from 4 years old<br />

to 17 years old.<br />

•Fields for practice for these<br />

clubs during baseball season =<br />

0<br />

•95% of these soccer players<br />

are <strong>Fullerton</strong> residents.<br />

•<strong>The</strong> daily average of soccer<br />

practicing players from<br />

Monday thru Thursday is 63<br />

for both clubs combined.<br />

List of lit Parks in<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

and Current Usage<br />

Adlena Park, used Monday<br />

and Wednesday for baseball<br />

and Tuesday and Thursday for<br />

rugby.<br />

Amerige Park, used for<br />

baseball during baseball season;<br />

used for soccer any other<br />

time by <strong>Fullerton</strong> Rangers<br />

only.<br />

Bastanchury Sport<br />

Complex, the soccer area used<br />

by <strong>Fullerton</strong> Rangers only.<br />

Independence Park, used<br />

by <strong>Fullerton</strong> Rangers only.<br />

Lemon Park, primarily<br />

used for adult baseball.<br />

Lions Field, used by<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Rangers only. (and<br />

Pop Warner Football)<br />

Pacific Drive Park, used by<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Rangers for practice<br />

during the week and by the<br />

Orange County Community<br />

Youth Soccer League on weekends<br />

for games.<br />

Richman Park, used for<br />

baseball during baseball season<br />

and used for soccer any other<br />

time by the Orange County<br />

Community Youth Soccer<br />

League.<br />

Valencia Park, used primarily<br />

for baseball.<br />

Woodcrest Park, used primarily<br />

for baseball.<br />

FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 7<br />

Blue Stars F.C. History<br />

•2001: Jose Morales creates a soccer team named<br />

Blue Stars for his son.<br />

•2007: Blue Stars has 2 divisions, a U-6 and U-10.<br />

Mario Villamil, a <strong>Fullerton</strong> resident, obtains the<br />

necessary permits to create a Soccer League and gets<br />

permission from the City of <strong>Fullerton</strong> to use<br />

Richman Park and Gilbert Park. This new Soccer<br />

League is named <strong>Fullerton</strong> Community Youth Soccer<br />

League and operates in partnership with the nonprofit<br />

Boy Scouts of America.<br />

Jorge Sigaran coaches the Galaxy team, a U-12<br />

Division in the NOCPSL, and is invited to join the<br />

newly established Soccer League in <strong>Fullerton</strong>. Jorge<br />

and Jose decide to combine the 3 teams and create<br />

Blue Stars Futbol Club.<br />

Blue Stars F.C. practices at Richman Park using<br />

generators to light up the field during the winter season.<br />

After March, other soccer clubs such as A.C.<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> and Club Zapata happily share Richman<br />

Park as the days were longer.<br />

2009: <strong>The</strong> city agrees to put lights at Richman<br />

Park, and the park is closed while the project is being<br />

developed.<br />

2010: <strong>The</strong> lights are turned on in Feb. and all soccer<br />

players and the community surrounding<br />

Richman Park were joyful that our kids would now<br />

be able to practice on a lighted field.<br />

<strong>The</strong> joy did not last very long. Pony Baseball is<br />

given permits by the city to use the park for baseball<br />

practices for the first time ever and soccer is chased<br />

off. Never since 2001 had baseball practiced at<br />

Richman, but now that it is illuminated it is considered<br />

a baseball park. Verbal arguments took place<br />

between the Parks & Rec supervisor and the soccer<br />

coaches.<br />

After appealing to the city the soccer clubs were<br />

assigned to practice on Mon. & Wed. for a few weeks<br />

at Adlene, too small a park to accommodate the large<br />

number of soccer players practicing at one time.<br />

Baseball & rugby plays on the other days.<br />

Soccer is permited behind the baseball field # 1 at<br />

the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Sport Complex until Daylight Saving<br />

Time and then only allowed to practice in the<br />

Richman Elementary School playing field. We were<br />

not allowed to set foot in the newly illuminated park<br />

because it was baseball season. Meanwhile, <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Rangers Soccer Club was allowed to practice and to<br />

use many of the illuminated fields in the city.<br />

2011: Blue Stars F.C., A.C. <strong>Fullerton</strong>, and Club<br />

Zapata are allowed to practice but are required to pay<br />

$21 per hour for the use of the park and the lights.<br />

Blue Stars and A.C. <strong>Fullerton</strong> agreed to pay the fee<br />

and every bill was paid on time. Club Zapata opted<br />

out and did not participate in any of the practices at<br />

Richman.<br />

In May 2011, At Richman Community Center<br />

Parks & Rec presents a plan to put a baseball diamond<br />

at the northwest and southwest ends of<br />

Richman Park with a soccer field in the middle.<br />

Many members of the community were not happy<br />

with the idea but were told that there was no way to<br />

modify the plan since the grant was ready to expire<br />

and the project had to be completed as soon as possible.<br />

<strong>The</strong> park was closed for the months of June, July<br />

and part of August and after the project was completed<br />

we were advised that we can use the park but we<br />

had to pay the per hour rental fee. Blue Stars F.C. and<br />

A.C. <strong>Fullerton</strong> agreed to pay the fee as a greater percentage<br />

of soccer players in both clubs live around<br />

Richman Park. 80 to 90% of those players go to<br />

Richman, Pacific Drive, Maple, Woodcrest,<br />

Orangethorpe elementary schools, and Nicholas,<br />

Sunny Hills, Valencia, and <strong>Fullerton</strong> Union high<br />

schools.


Page 8 FULLERTON OBSERVER LOCAL NEWS<br />

EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wall</strong> <strong>That</strong> <strong>Heals</strong><br />

by Peter Fong / photos by Bob Minor continued from frontpage<br />

<strong>The</strong> couple hail from Iowa and applied for this paid<br />

position three years ago. Bob with his 13 years of driving<br />

big rigs and being retired military was a good fit for<br />

this honorable duty. He and his wife bring the knowledge,<br />

experience, and passion for honoring the fallen<br />

and the reverence you would expect with this important<br />

assignment. At every stop they are surrounded<br />

with patriots asking about the <strong>Wall</strong> and the heart-felt<br />

stories begin. Unique to this memorial is that the public<br />

may view the <strong>Wall</strong> 24-hours a day as it is lighted at<br />

night. Those who have visited the fallen in the late<br />

evening or early morning hours swear there is spirit to<br />

the <strong>Wall</strong>.<br />

Bill Jenkins, retired Army, is one of the founders of<br />

the Orange Plaza Veterans & Patriots Committee. Each<br />

Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. they meet at the<br />

Orange Circle to lower the American flag to taps, while<br />

the names of the most recent casualties of Iraq or<br />

Afghanistan are read. <strong>The</strong>y have been observing this<br />

ceremony for the past three years to honor the fallen.<br />

“We formed the group three and a half years ago to<br />

honor active duty military. We did not want them to be<br />

mistreated or disrespected like the Vietnam veterans,”<br />

stated Jenkins.<br />

Greg and Betty Gillaspy of Yorba Linda were inspired<br />

after viewing the <strong>Wall</strong> in the Orange Circle Plaza last<br />

year and accepted the challenge to bring the memorial<br />

to Tri-City Park. Along with their twenty member<br />

committee and countless volunteers they raised the<br />

$12,000 necessary for the Vietnam Veteran Memorial<br />

Fund to cover expenses. According to Betty Gillaspy<br />

the local government officials “have been nothing but<br />

helpful in their support of the memorial.” <strong>The</strong> journey<br />

took eleven weeks to move the memorial from<br />

concept to reality. “It has been a labor of love, honor,<br />

and an uplifting experience for all of us,” stated<br />

Gillaspy.<br />

<strong>The</strong> opening ceremony began with a fly over by<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>’s Air Combat USA unit. Vietnam veteran<br />

Greg Gillaspy gave the opening remarks “I can finally<br />

say I’m a Vietnam vet - for 30 years this was difficult<br />

to say.” <strong>The</strong> mixed crowd of approximately 200 civilians<br />

and veterans gave him a warm standing ovation.<br />

Pastor Frank Orzio gave the invocation with a very<br />

moving and heartfelt prayer. Pastor Orzio is a<br />

Vietnam vet who was severely wounded and awarded<br />

the Purple Heart for bravery. He now heads up the<br />

Wounded Warriors Ministry along with being the military<br />

chaplain for the state. Mayor Don Schweitzer of<br />

Brea, Mayor Pro Tem Pat McKinley of <strong>Fullerton</strong>, and<br />

Mayor Jeremy Yamaguchi of Placentia were all on hand<br />

and gave meaningful sentiments for the memorial and<br />

those 41 fallen soldiers from the Tri-Cities. Mayor Pro<br />

Tem Pat McKinley remarked “If you want to know the<br />

true meaning of courage, just read the names of the<br />

service men and women etched into this memorial.”<br />

This reporter wants to give special thanks and recognition<br />

to four active duty Army sergeants who rode<br />

with the escorts in full camouflage. <strong>The</strong>y are: Sgt.<br />

Brendon Wilson (one tour of duty in Iraq); Staff Sgt.<br />

Tam Nguyen (two tours of duty in Iraq); Staff Sgt.<br />

David Martinez (two tours of duty in Iraq); and Sgt.<br />

Michael Campbell (two tours of duty in Iraq). Sgt.<br />

Martinez stated “I am honored and proud to ride with<br />

fellow vets on a day to reflect on history and hear the<br />

stories of service.” Sgt. Nguyen remarked “My parents<br />

were Vietnam refugees a.k.a. the boat people who fled<br />

to the United States for a better life. I enlisted to give<br />

something back to this country which has given us so<br />

much.” <strong>The</strong>se four sergeants are now Army recruiters<br />

stationed in Cypress, California.<br />

For more information, you can Google “<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wall</strong><br />

<strong>That</strong> <strong>Heals</strong>” for tour stops and related events to honor<br />

our veterans. For more photos of the event taken by<br />

Bob Minor go to www.minorphotography.com<br />

• 105,890<br />

• 4,486<br />

• 1,918<br />

• 32,223<br />

• 15,322<br />

• $1.316<br />

Trillion<br />

<strong>Observer</strong> reporter<br />

Peter Fong<br />

(at center)<br />

rode with the<br />

“<strong>Wall</strong> that <strong>Heals</strong>”<br />

300-rider<br />

motorcycle escort<br />

along with Ride<br />

Captain<br />

Wink Eller<br />

at left and<br />

Bill Jenkins<br />

at right. Jenkins, a<br />

founder of Orange<br />

Plaza Veteran and<br />

Patriots Committee,<br />

also spoke<br />

at opening<br />

ceremonies.<br />

All three are<br />

Vietnam<br />

veterans.<br />

PHOTO<br />

BOB MINOR<br />

minorphotography.com<br />

Local<br />

Fallen Soldiers<br />

BREA – Kenneth Dulley, Martin W. Guard,<br />

George Stephen Hadzega, Mark Miles<br />

FULLERTON – Thomas Campbell,<br />

Gregory Beck, Laurence Brown, Michael<br />

Browning, Byron Bushay, Daniel Cardenas Jr.,<br />

Roger Carr, James Crawford, Jose DelaTorre,<br />

Kenneth Devore, George Fazzah, Warren<br />

Ferguson Jr., Robert Fleer, Stanley Fuller,<br />

Stephen Gravrock, Norman Harmon, Thomas<br />

Hawking, Joseph Hermosillo, Victor<br />

Hernandez, Charles Kelly, Eric Kelly, Robert<br />

Leeman, Michael McGerty, James Northern,<br />

Ronnie Parker, Randolph Rhea, John Rick,<br />

Robert Thompson, Dennis Thorpe, Laurence<br />

Worthington.<br />

PLACENTIA – Manuel Castillo, Richard<br />

Coomer, David Gilmor, Frank Makuh,<br />

Kenneth Perry, Robert Sheridan, Mack<br />

Woolley Jr.<br />

WAR COSTS in Life & Money<br />

IN IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN<br />

Civilians killed by Violence www.iraqbodycount.org (3/29/2012)<br />

US Soldiers killed in Iraq: (DoD 3/10/2012)<br />

US Soldiers killed in Afghanistan (3/29/2012) www.icasualties.org<br />

US Soldiers wounded (DOD reports) www.icasualties.org<br />

Iraq (3/2003 thru 3/10/2012)<br />

Afghanistan (10/2001 thru 3/10/2012)<br />

Cost of Wars Since 2001 www.costofwar.com (3/29/2012) (rounded<br />

down) (Iraq $802.2 billion) (Afghanistan $514.5 billion)


EARLY APRIL 2012 LOCAL NEWS<br />

Hazing at Troy:<br />

What Really Happened?<br />

continued from frontpage<br />

According to the report, the student<br />

had the ability to remove the tape over<br />

his mouth and the ball of tape in his<br />

mouth at any time, though how he<br />

could have accomplished that with his<br />

arms bound in Saran wrap was not<br />

explained. When the student was<br />

placed in the bathroom, another student<br />

asked if he was OK and could<br />

breathe.<br />

Victims’ Responses<br />

to Acts of Hazing<br />

“<strong>The</strong> students re-interviewed stated<br />

that they viewed the events of the<br />

evening as part of being a member of<br />

the team. None of the students<br />

expressed that they felt fear, intimidation,<br />

or concern at any point in time, as<br />

expressed by such comments as:<br />

“It was a friendly environment; I<br />

knew nothing bad was going to happen.”<br />

“We were just doing it out of fun. I<br />

was never scared or intimidated.”<br />

“It is just something that you have to<br />

go through. It wasn’t embarrassing or<br />

humiliating.”<br />

“I just laid low. I was never concerned<br />

for my own safety.”<br />

“It was my teammates and I knew<br />

they like me.””<br />

Findings by the<br />

Administrative Review<br />

“<strong>The</strong> AR concluded that the original<br />

investigation on Jan. 11-12, 2012 was<br />

done appropriately and was effective in<br />

determining what had occurred during<br />

the incidents. <strong>The</strong> investigation correctly<br />

identified which student athletes<br />

engaged in misconduct, what type of<br />

misconduct occurred, and whom this<br />

misconduct occurred against.<br />

<strong>The</strong> district acted appropriately and<br />

cooperatively with the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Police<br />

Dept. regarding this incident. Both the<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Police Dept. School Resource<br />

Officer and the San Bernardino<br />

Sheriff’s Office concluded that no<br />

crimes were committed. <strong>The</strong> police<br />

were contacted immediately when the<br />

investigation began out of an abundance<br />

of caution to ensure that if it was<br />

determined that child abuse had<br />

occurred, the 36-hour reporting<br />

requirement was met.<br />

<strong>The</strong> district adhered to Board Policy<br />

regarding appropriate disposition for<br />

those students involved in misconduct.<br />

<strong>The</strong> five days of suspension from school<br />

and suspension from two or three<br />

wrestling matches administered to eight<br />

students was consistent with the expectations<br />

of District Administrative<br />

Regulation 5700.1(b) and (d) regarding<br />

student discipline.”<br />

According to FJUHSD Supt. George<br />

Geokaris, “All district schools have<br />

been very proactive in working to prevent<br />

and respond to student<br />

hazing/bullying/harassment. Many of<br />

the activities at the schools have been<br />

taking place for over 20 years.” A list of<br />

clubs and activities at each campus<br />

included parent and student notification<br />

of regulations against bullying,<br />

how to prevent bullying, and lists of<br />

how to address bullying when it occurs.<br />

<strong>The</strong> actions taken by <strong>Fullerton</strong> High<br />

School could serve as a model for other<br />

schools. Among others, the impressive<br />

outreach actions taken to prevent bullying<br />

at the school include: a school-wide<br />

assembly, classroom curriculum, freshmen<br />

orientation, a cyber safety program<br />

using materials developed by the<br />

school’s librarian, a study of bullying on<br />

campus, Push4Peace student club,<br />

Gay/Straight Alliance student club,<br />

Friday Night Live, Bridges (Unity<br />

Week and Speaker Symposium), and a<br />

presentation to staff on bullying prevention.<br />

<strong>The</strong> school has been working<br />

with Orange County Human<br />

Relations.<br />

Giokaris said on March 21st that a<br />

meeting with OCHRC will be arranged<br />

within the next two weeks to discuss<br />

the programs offered for bullying prevention.<br />

Future Anti-Bullying/Hazing<br />

Education to Prevent<br />

Repeat Occurrences<br />

As a result of the incidents, students<br />

involved in the hazing incidents (in<br />

addition to 5-day suspension) were<br />

required to report to Room 414 for one<br />

hour of a personal development program<br />

related to substance usage presented<br />

by Troy High administrators and<br />

the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Police Dept. on Feb. 29<br />

and March 7th during school hours. In<br />

addition, head coaches of all sports<br />

were required to sign a contract regarding<br />

hazing which laid out the following<br />

promise: “I will educate: 1) myself; 2)<br />

all members of my coaching staff; 3) all<br />

student athletes within my program; 4)<br />

the parents of the athletes within my<br />

program; 5) the booster club which<br />

supports my program.”<br />

Other measures are upcoming in<br />

changes to the Board Policy, which will<br />

be presented to the board “later this<br />

spring.” <strong>The</strong> revised Board Policy is the<br />

result of work undertaken by the district<br />

after a letter “Cyber Bullying”<br />

from a concerned mom (Early May<br />

2011 <strong>Fullerton</strong> <strong>Observer</strong> page 5) which<br />

expressed criticism regarding how an<br />

incident directed at her student was<br />

handled by the district and police<br />

department. New cyber bullying regulations<br />

are included in the new Board<br />

Policy.<br />

How to Report Bullying or<br />

Hazing Incidents<br />

<strong>The</strong> district Nondiscrimination<br />

Officer is Jennifer Williams, Dir. of<br />

Admin. Services. Formal or anonymous<br />

complaints may be made by calling her<br />

at 714-870-2803; emailing<br />

jwilliams@fjuhsd.net; or sending a letter<br />

to: Jennifer Williams, Dir. Admin<br />

Services, 1051 W. Bastanchury Rd.,<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> CA 92833. A person wishing<br />

to make a complaint may also call the<br />

district’s We-Tip Hotline at (800)924-<br />

7233.<br />

You can also contact the Orange<br />

County Human Relations Commission<br />

by calling 714-567-7470 or going to<br />

www.ochumanrelations.org. <strong>The</strong> website<br />

has a section on bullying and how<br />

it can be prevented.<br />

Source of information presented in this<br />

report is the Feb. 22, 2012 “<strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Joint Unified High School District<br />

Administrative Review<br />

of Investigation Involving Troy High<br />

School Wrestling Team Members”<br />

•US Dept. of Education: Bullying prevention<br />

and response.<br />

P T Y K LE SP www.bullyinginfo.org<br />

•Bully Police: A watch-dog organization<br />

advocating for bullied children & reporting<br />

on State anti-bullying laws.<br />

P T M LE SP www.bullypolice.org<br />

•Stop Bullying Now!: Learn all about<br />

bullying and what you can do to stop it.<br />

P T Y K LE SP<br />

www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/<br />

•Stomp Out Bullying: A National Anti-<br />

Bullying and Cyberbullying Program for<br />

Kids and Teens. P T Y K<br />

stompoutbullying.org/index.php<br />

•Olweus Bullying Prevention Program:<br />

Self described as “<strong>The</strong> World’s Foremost<br />

Bullying Prevention Program”<br />

PTYK LE M SP www.olweus.org<br />

•US Dept. of Justice: Bullying in schools<br />

- a problem oriented policing guide.<br />

www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/e12011405.pdf<br />

P T Y LE SP<br />

•National Crime Prevention Council:<br />

Information and resources to help prevent<br />

the serious problem of bullying. P T Y K<br />

http://www.ncpc.org/topics/bullying<br />

•PBS Kids: Games, videos, advice and<br />

other child-friendly resources to prevent bullying.<br />

Y K<br />

pbskids.org/itsmylife/friends/bullies/<br />

•Bullying.org: Dedicated to increasing<br />

the awareness of bullying and to preventing,<br />

resolving and eliminating bullying in society.<br />

T Y K<br />

http://www.bullying.org/index.cfm<br />

•National PTA: Information on identifying<br />

and stopping bullying in your community. P<br />

SP http://www.pta.org/bullying.asp<br />

•Cyberbullying: Identifying the causes<br />

and consequences of cyberbullying.<br />

P T Y K SP www.cyberbullying.us<br />

•A Thin Line: Drawing the line between<br />

digital use and abuse. T www.athinline.org<br />

•CyberBully Help: Preventing bullying in<br />

the digital age. P T Y K LE M SP<br />

www.cyberbullyhelp.com/<br />

•SAVE: <strong>The</strong> National Association of<br />

Students Against Violence Everywhere.<br />

Students learn about alternatives to violence<br />

and practice what they learn. Y<br />

http://www.nationalsave.org/index.php<br />

•Web Wise Kids: Unique and effective<br />

resources to equip young people to safely use<br />

and enjoy the latest technologies.<br />

P T Y K www.webwisekids.org<br />

•Safety Web: Helpful tool for parents who<br />

need assistance in monitoring instant messaging<br />

and social networking sites.<br />

P www.safetyweb.com<br />

•Netsmartz: From the National Center<br />

for Missing and Exploited Children.<br />

Information for young kids, youth and<br />

adults.<br />

P T Y K LE www.netsmartz.org<br />

FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 9<br />

Bullying Resources: Websites<br />

www.ochumanrelations.org<br />

•Wired Safety: World’s largest internet<br />

safety and help group. P T Y K LE<br />

www.wiredsafety.org<br />

•Teaching Tolerance: “Bullied” is a documentary<br />

film that chronicles one student’s<br />

ordeal at the hands of anti-gay bullies and<br />

offers an inspiring message of hope to those<br />

fighting harassment today. P T Y K LE M<br />

SP www.tolerance.org/bullied<br />

•Safe Schools Coalition: An international<br />

public-private partnership in support of<br />

gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth,<br />

working to help schools become safe places.<br />

www.safeschoolscoalition.org/safe.html<br />

P T Y SP<br />

•Gay Lesbian Straight Education<br />

Network: GLSEN provides resources and<br />

support for schools to implement effective<br />

and age-appropriate anti-bullying programs<br />

to improve school climate for all students.<br />

P T Y M SP www.glsen.org/cgibin/iowa/all/antibullying/index.html<br />

•<strong>The</strong> Trevor Project: <strong>The</strong> Trevor Project<br />

is the leading national organization focused<br />

on crisis and suicide prevention efforts<br />

among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender<br />

and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.<br />

P T Y www.thetrevorproject.org/<br />

•GSA Network: Gay-Straight Alliance<br />

Network connects school-based Gay-<br />

Straight Alliances to each other and community<br />

resources through peer support, leadership<br />

development, and training.<br />

P T Y SP gsanetwork.org/<br />

•It Gets Better Project: Many LGBT<br />

youth can't picture what their lives might be<br />

like as openly gay adults. <strong>The</strong> videos provide<br />

a positive message about what the future can<br />

be. P T Y LE M SP<br />

www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject<br />

•Make it Better: LGBT youth should not<br />

have to suffer through bullying at school!<br />

We can Make It Better NOW! P T Y SP<br />

makeitbetterproject.org/<br />

•MARC: <strong>The</strong> Massachusetts Aggression<br />

Reduction Center provides research, education,<br />

services and programs to Education,<br />

Law Enforcement, and Human Services.<br />

P T Y LE M SP<br />

http://webhost.bridgew.edu/marc/<br />

KEY (shows what kind of<br />

info each site listed offers)<br />

P - Parents/Guardians<br />

T - Teachers/Administrators<br />

Y - Youth<br />

K - Youth Under 12<br />

LE - Law Enforcement<br />

M - Media<br />

SP - Service Providers


Page 10 FULLERTON OBSERVER EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

Council Report continued from page 4<br />

OTHER COUNCIL BUSINESS<br />

•2.5% MWD Pass Through Water Rate<br />

Increase: A scheduled public hearing on the<br />

issue of the passthrough water rate increase<br />

was authorized for renotification to May<br />

15th because only 3 councilmembers were<br />

present. Approved 3-0 to reschedule for<br />

when the entire council is present.<br />

•Extra Legal Services: <strong>The</strong> council passed<br />

an agreement to hire the law firm of Liebert<br />

Cassidy Whitmore to provide legal services<br />

at $300 per hour on labor issues related to<br />

the anticipated discipline of police officers.<br />

approved 3-0<br />

•Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Phyllis<br />

Garrova made a presentation on city<br />

finances for Jan. 2012. Details are online in<br />

the agenda packet for the March 20th meeting.<br />

Overall the city seems to be in good<br />

shape with a beginning of month cash balance<br />

of $112,286,758. and an ending balance<br />

of $116,624,229. <strong>The</strong> city bank<br />

account has $8,952,372 in it with<br />

$3,758,193 in outstanding items. Total<br />

intrest received in Jan. was $147,294. <strong>The</strong><br />

city holds $68,212,564 in bonds.<br />

•Redevelopment: Audience comments to<br />

Item #6 on the agenda included Jane Rands’<br />

question about whether Redevelopment<br />

salaries and staff payments of $1.7 million<br />

for 6 months was appropriate when<br />

Redevelopment has been disbanded. City<br />

Manager Joe Felz explained that the oversight<br />

committee will overrule some of the<br />

items, but that the city wanted to get everything<br />

on the list.<br />

Another item regarding a $240,000 fine to<br />

the city for not spending down bond funds<br />

was brought up by Greg Sebourn. City<br />

Manager Felz said that the city had been<br />

found not to be at fault because the delays<br />

were related to the Redevelopment dissolve,<br />

design issues, and high speed rail audit.<br />

Treasurer Garrova said spending had been<br />

delayed, but “we have $30 million left and<br />

anticipate spending it within the next few<br />

years.”<br />

PUBLIC COMMENTS<br />

•Jewelry Store Robbery<br />

Arrest: <strong>Fullerton</strong> Police were<br />

thanked by several speakers for<br />

great work in arresting five suspects<br />

in the March 16th<br />

attempted robbery of All Phases<br />

Jewelry on Commonwealth. <strong>The</strong><br />

suspects ran into the surrounding<br />

area after their get-away car<br />

crashed into a vehicle parked in<br />

front of Max Bllomfield’s Café on<br />

Malden. Police rounded up and<br />

arrested the suspects; Randolph<br />

Long, 21 of Texas; Devon Ridge,<br />

22 of Compton; Obiesie<br />

Enwezor, 18 of LA; Jayson<br />

Coleman, 20 of LA; and Nelvin<br />

Cook, 23 of LA. Cook was taken<br />

to UCI Medical by ambulance<br />

for a gunshot wound received<br />

when the store employee shot him.<br />

•Benches: Benches at the transportation<br />

center which have been removed by<br />

OCTA will be replaced said City Manager<br />

Joe Felz in answer to a public comment.<br />

•Lawsuits: Several speakers commented<br />

on the large number of lawsuits against<br />

the city. <strong>The</strong>re was no reporting out on<br />

the closed session which discussed the<br />

existing or anticipated litigation against<br />

the city.<br />

•Booking Photo: Kelly Thomas’ stepmom<br />

Dana Pape does not believe that the<br />

booking photo from Kelly’s 2009 arrest<br />

for trespassing is really him and wants to<br />

see who else was arrested the same day as<br />

Kelly. She said errors happen all the time.<br />

•Jail Suicide: Kelly’s Army members<br />

stood with Dean Gochenour’s family over<br />

the weekend. “We want to find out the<br />

Councilmember Bankhead said that<br />

tremendous bond debt had been created to<br />

build the library, community center, affordable<br />

housing and more before<br />

Redevelopment was done away with. This<br />

does not increase taxes to the city. <strong>The</strong> bonds<br />

are paid off by property taxes returning to<br />

the city. Approved 2-1 (Whitaker, no)<br />

•Crosswalk Removal: <strong>The</strong>re were so<br />

many good questions from the audience on<br />

safety related to the issue of removing crosswalks<br />

in certain areas of the city that the<br />

issue was moved forward to a future meeting<br />

in order to hear what the Transportation &<br />

Circulation Commission had to say about it.<br />

In particular Jane Rands, Chair of the<br />

Bicycle Users Sub Committee, wanted to<br />

know why comments opposing the removal<br />

of the crosswalks had not made it into the<br />

agenda back up materials so that council<br />

could make a balanced decision. She also<br />

requested that the BUSC be designated full<br />

committee status instead of being a subcommittee<br />

under the Transportation &<br />

Circulation Commission.<br />

•Contractor Replaced: Due to problems<br />

with the current State College Separation<br />

contractor, staff recommended a local company.<br />

Bike advocates including Vince Buck,<br />

Matt Leslie, and Jane Rands suggested a new<br />

design would be welcome - one which<br />

included a bike path. <strong>The</strong> new consultant<br />

said “Everything is possible.” approved 3-0<br />

•Bike Blvd: Approved 3-0 to submit an<br />

application for a $600,000 transportation<br />

grant. City’s share would be $60,000 to<br />

build a bike blvd. from the transportation<br />

center to Acacia Ave. It would be a good<br />

match with the Bike Share Project. (See page<br />

4, Good News for Bicyclists for more on<br />

these projects)<br />

•Downtown Report: Mayor Quirk-Silva<br />

asked that several things be put on an<br />

upcoming agenda: an update of conditions<br />

downtown; how field usage for sports teams<br />

is allocated; details of boards each councilmember<br />

sits on.<br />

Next Meeting 6:30pm, Tues. April 3.<br />

truth about what happened<br />

to him,” said one<br />

member. See frontpage<br />

for story on the in-custody<br />

suicide and officer<br />

charged with destroying<br />

evidence.<br />

•Police Complaint<br />

Procedures: Ron<br />

Thomas said he received<br />

a message from a person<br />

having trouble filing a<br />

complaint. According to<br />

the message, the Watch<br />

Commander told the<br />

person “I’m tired of<br />

playing with you, get<br />

out of here.”<br />

Thomas also asked for<br />

the city attorney to<br />

explain how officer Jay<br />

Cicinelli got hired by<br />

the city without fitting set requirements.<br />

And he asked how much the city contributes<br />

to the homeless issue.<br />

•Coyote Hills: Several speakers from<br />

Sunny Hills High School club “Hills 4<br />

Hills” spoke about the importance of<br />

keeping the West Coyote Hills as open<br />

space. Concerns about developing the<br />

property included current lack of park<br />

space in north Orange County; loss of<br />

water quality and quantity; loss of habitat<br />

for endangered animals and plant species;<br />

dangers of locating homes on<br />

methane/benzene former oil fields; additional<br />

traffic congestion; crowded classrooms.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y asked Council to reconsider<br />

its approval of the 760-home project for<br />

the 510 acre property and reconsider saving<br />

the area as a regional open space park<br />

for the five surrounding cities.<br />

“Chevron’s plan<br />

will create<br />

too much traffic<br />

for all our cities;<br />

Classes are<br />

already too full;<br />

It will ruin<br />

the watershed,<br />

endanger habitat<br />

for animals<br />

and plants,<br />

and more.”<br />

- Hills4Hills Club<br />

at Sunny Hills High<br />

formed to help save<br />

Coyote Hills<br />

as a regional park.<br />

LOCAL NEWS<br />

<strong>The</strong> Who’s on First Base Recall<br />

Continued from frontpage<br />

Doug Chaffee got 10,256, losing out<br />

to McKinley by 100 votes after the<br />

public safety unions developers spent<br />

big bucks to support McKinley (and<br />

would the current unfortunate aftermath<br />

to the Kelly Thompson killing<br />

been different if that election had<br />

turned out differently?). Greg Sebourn<br />

got 6,375 votes and and Barry<br />

Levinson 6,092.<br />

Levinson and Sebourn are frequent<br />

contributors to the Friends for<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>’s Future (FFFF) blog and<br />

strongly support the recall. Travis Kiger<br />

is a major force behind the FFFF blog<br />

and is supported by Shawn Nelson and<br />

Chris Norby.<br />

Jane Rands ran for the 72nd<br />

Assembly seat as a Green Party candidate<br />

in the last election, (gaining 6.1%<br />

of the vote in the district) and was an<br />

early supporter of the recall. She has<br />

been a writer for the <strong>Observer</strong> (as has<br />

Georgieff). <strong>The</strong> other candidates are<br />

newcomers to electoral politics and little<br />

is known about most of them,<br />

although Georgieff and Alverez (as well<br />

as Levinson, Sebourn, Kiger and<br />

Rands) serve or have served on city<br />

boards, committees or commissions.<br />

But, once it is over it is not over. We<br />

get to go at it again in November<br />

when, once again, there will be three<br />

seats in play. Bruce Whittaker is serving<br />

a two year term and is up for reelection;<br />

and Dr. Jones’ term is up even<br />

if he survives the recall (and if he does<br />

not the person who gains that seat<br />

must run again).<br />

Sharon Quirk-Silva, whose term is<br />

up, has decided to run in the new 65th<br />

assembly district against Chris Norby<br />

who currently represents the 72nd<br />

Assembly district. <strong>The</strong> new district is<br />

32% Republican and 31% Democrat<br />

and much of it is new to Norby, giving<br />

Quirk-Silva an outside chance of winning.<br />

It is a two person race, but with<br />

the new open primary system it must<br />

be run twice even though one candidate<br />

will get more than 50% of the<br />

vote in the primary.<br />

At this point speculation on the election<br />

outcome is premature. <strong>The</strong> only<br />

sure thing is that someone will win and<br />

the seats will be filled (or remain<br />

filled). And no doubt some of the candidates<br />

that did not get elected in June<br />

will be back again in November.<br />

It is possible that we could have an<br />

entirely new Council come December.<br />

Candidates in the<br />

June 5th Recall Election<br />

<strong>The</strong> June ballot will list the<br />

question: “Shall candidate’s name<br />

be recalled from the office of City<br />

Council Member?” Below that<br />

will appear a list of the candidates<br />

running for that particular seat.<br />

•Running to replace Don<br />

Bankhead: Jane Rands, Paula<br />

Williams, Greg Sebourn, and<br />

Rick Alvarez.<br />

•Running to replace Dick<br />

Jones: Glenn Georgieff, Roberta<br />

Reid, Travis Kiger, Dorothy Birsic<br />

and Matthew Hakim.<br />

•Running to replace Pat<br />

McKinley: Doug Chaffee,<br />

Mathew Rowe, Sean Paden, and<br />

Barry Levinson.<br />

Go to the Clerk’s page under<br />

“Departments” at cityoffullerton.com<br />

and then hit on<br />

“Elections” for a great overview of<br />

the process.


EARLY APRIL 2012 LOCAL NEWS<br />

A CERT volunteer learns the proper way to use a fire extinguisher. PHOTO BY JERE GREENE<br />

Free Disaster Assistance Classes<br />

Offered This Month<br />

A new session of the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Fire<br />

Department’s “Community Response<br />

Volunteer/Community Emergency<br />

Response Team” is set to get under way<br />

this month.<br />

This free CRV/CERT program consists<br />

of classes held from 8am to 5pm on three<br />

consecutive Saturdays, April 14, 21 and<br />

28, at the City of <strong>Fullerton</strong> Maintenance<br />

Yard, 1580 W. Commonwealth Ave.<br />

<strong>The</strong> CRV/CERT Program is designed<br />

to train citizens to organize their families<br />

and neighborhoods to be prepared to<br />

react to emergencies. Based on a model<br />

developed by the Federal Emergency<br />

Management Agency, CRV/CERT members<br />

are trained to provide immediate<br />

assistance to disaster victims, as well as<br />

organize volunteers to assist fire, police<br />

and maintenance departments during<br />

emergencies.<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Fire Chief Wolfgang Knabe<br />

said subjects taught in the training classes<br />

include disaster preparedness, basic first<br />

aid, fire safety, basic search and rescue<br />

methods, and proper use of a fire extin-<br />

guisher. Instructors are firefighters, paramedics<br />

and specialists in the areas of disaster<br />

preparations and terrorism.<br />

Class size is limited to 50 persons and<br />

pre-registration is required. CERT volunteers<br />

will also undergo a background<br />

check by the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Police<br />

Department.<br />

Participants may bring a sack lunch<br />

each day.<br />

Upon successful completion of the<br />

training, participants will receive a certificate.<br />

Persons interested in joining the<br />

CRV/CERT training can either contact<br />

the CRV program manager at (714) 773-<br />

1316 or by email CRV@fullertonfire.org.<br />

Registration may also be accomplished<br />

online by logging onto the website at<br />

www.cityoffullerton.com. and going to<br />

the Fire Department section under<br />

“Departments,” or by coming to Fire<br />

Department Headquarters, 312 E.<br />

Commonwealth Ave., anytime between<br />

7am and 5pm, Mon. through Thurs.<br />

FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 11<br />

Acacia Earns Over $50,000<br />

in Successful School Fundraiser<br />

Acacia’s students created artwork which was auctioned off during the event.<br />

by Denise Mitchell<br />

support education, we are so appreciative<br />

After a year of preparation and planning,<br />

the hard-working parents, teachers,<br />

grandparents, friends, family and businesses<br />

came together to contribute all that<br />

they could at Acacia’s Casino Royale held<br />

at the Coyote Hills Golf Club.<br />

This was the first fundraising event<br />

under the newly formed Acacia<br />

Elementary School Foundation and<br />

included dinner, a silent and live auction,<br />

speakers, dancing and gaming tables.<br />

Event co-chairs, Paula Esterson, Lisa<br />

Rowley and their team of parent organizers<br />

found their efforts greatly rewarded<br />

with a night filled with fun, enthusiasm<br />

and inspiration far beyond their expectations.<br />

“Acacia and the entire <strong>Fullerton</strong> community<br />

worked together to create a magical<br />

night in support of our kids,” said<br />

Paula Esterson. “We are so grateful for<br />

the commitment that we received.” <strong>The</strong><br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> business community embraced<br />

the event with much needed sponsorships.”<br />

“We are so fortunate to live in a city<br />

with caring businesses and citizens that<br />

of their investment in our 650 children at<br />

Acacia.” said Principal Dr. Karen<br />

Whisnant.<br />

<strong>The</strong> event raised over $50,000 with<br />

over $16,000 earmarked specifically for<br />

much needed library upgrades. Already,<br />

the Foundation Board has voted to allocate<br />

funds to secure the highly-valued<br />

Accelerated ReaderTM and All the Arts<br />

programs for next year. <strong>The</strong> remaining<br />

funds will be applied to the basic programs<br />

that have benefitted our kids for<br />

years.<br />

After exciting live and silent auctions<br />

and engaging speeches and presentations,<br />

the event concluded with dancing, music<br />

and casino gaming tables providing an<br />

entertaining and enjoyable evening.<br />

“<strong>The</strong>re was a true sense of joy that we had<br />

come together as a community to support<br />

such a valuable cause, and at such an<br />

urgent time,” observed Lisa Rowley.<br />

“Our committee is already excitedly discussing<br />

possibilities for next year’s event.”<br />

For more information or to contribute<br />

to the Acacia Elementary School<br />

Foundation, please visit: www.theacaciapartnership.org.<br />

Above:<br />

Acacia’s<br />

teachers<br />

At Left:<br />

<strong>The</strong><br />

parent<br />

organizers<br />

are already<br />

planning<br />

next year’s<br />

event.


Page 12 FULLERTON OBSERVER<br />

Virtual Delight by Diane Nielen © 2012<br />

Search your memory – what is the<br />

largest chorus you have ever heard sing?<br />

Perhaps a hundred people? <strong>That</strong>’s a lot.<br />

Well, what’s the most people you have<br />

ever heard of performing together? For<br />

me that would be a thousand singers. It<br />

was back in 1995 at the Hollywood Bowl.<br />

Stephen Gothold (who has for the past 30<br />

years been the musical director of Chorale<br />

Bel Canto in Whittier, the group I now<br />

belong to) brought together an impressive<br />

group of vocalists from our country and<br />

Japan to sing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.<br />

Wish I’d been there. Heck – I wish I’d<br />

been on the stage, not in the audience.<br />

<strong>The</strong> runner-up was very recent: on<br />

February 13th of this year 813 singers performed<br />

Mahler’s 8th with two orchestras<br />

in the Shrine Auditorium.<br />

Well, I have a tale to share that overshadows<br />

these numbers. First let me<br />

introduce you to Eric Whitacre, surely<br />

one of the most popular and performed<br />

composers of his generation. He was born<br />

in 1970 in Nevada and has been called a<br />

classical composer with rock-star appeal.<br />

<strong>The</strong> first album on which he is both the<br />

composer and conductor, Light and Gold,<br />

released by Decca in 2010, earned him a<br />

Grammy. Once you know of him, you are<br />

likely to recognize selections he has created<br />

because of their unique tonalities. Go<br />

to the Wikipedia article on Eric and read<br />

the “Style” paragraph if you want to educate<br />

yourself. It’s a very esoteric description,<br />

far too technical for me to explain.<br />

This story begins in 2009. A 17-yearold<br />

girl who lived in Long Island posted a<br />

solo on YouTube. Her message began,<br />

“Hi, Mr. Eric Whitacre.” <strong>The</strong>n she proceeded<br />

to sing one of his songs. Watching<br />

this video had a profound effect on Eric.<br />

“It hit me like a lightning bolt. I thought,<br />

if I could somehow get 50 people to all<br />

learn their parts and then get them all to<br />

start their videos at the same time, it<br />

would have to make a choir – right?” And<br />

what has happened since then? “It’s really<br />

bigger than my wildest dreams.”<br />

He started small. After some experimenting,<br />

what he calls his Virtual Choir 1<br />

“sang together” his composition “Lux<br />

Aurumque” via the wonder of today’s<br />

Internet technology. <strong>That</strong> initial chorus<br />

numbered 185 singers from a total of 12<br />

countries! Within two months of the<br />

song’s posting on YouTube it had been<br />

viewed a million times and now it’s over<br />

three million. An impressive beginning.<br />

But this was only the beginning.<br />

<strong>The</strong> following year Whitacre chose to<br />

present a lovely song which he had composed<br />

in the year 2000, “Sleep.” And his<br />

singing group had grown exponentially.<br />

Virtual Choir 2 was comprised of 2,052<br />

singers from 58 countries! And the largest<br />

chorale to date is scheduled to be<br />

launched on the day you may be reading<br />

this article, April 2, 2012. 3764 uploads<br />

of the video files had been made. <strong>The</strong><br />

participating Virtual Choir 3 includes<br />

3,727 participants from 73 countries.<br />

This breaks down to 1,184 sopranos,<br />

1,065 altos, 650 tenors and 828 basses.<br />

<strong>The</strong> text of the song, composed in 1995<br />

by Whitacre, is a poem by Octavio Paz<br />

entitled “Water Night.”<br />

So, how does this amazing phenomenon<br />

become a reality? First, interested<br />

singers can upload at no charge the music<br />

of the selection to be performed. <strong>The</strong>n<br />

they have the challenge of not only learning<br />

but hopefully memorizing the work.<br />

(When the time comes to record themselves,<br />

they must be looking at their conductor<br />

on the screen and at their webcam,<br />

not at the music.) <strong>The</strong>n they upload the<br />

video file that includes Eric Whitacre conducting<br />

the piece. He has first filmed it in<br />

complete silence but rich in expressive<br />

movements to communicate what he<br />

wants from his singers. This footage is<br />

then backed with a piano track that the<br />

singers use to accompany themselves.<br />

SPECIAL FEATURE<br />

When they are ready they follow the clear<br />

instructions that precede Eric’s directing.<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is a “countdown” to the starting<br />

second. After they have produced a webcam<br />

recording that they can be proud of,<br />

it is emailed to Mr. Whitacre.<br />

Eric states that everyone who wishes to<br />

participate is accepted. “If they go to the<br />

trouble of uploading the video, learning<br />

the music and joining the choir, then<br />

absolutely. . . . Somehow when we put it<br />

all together, it all adds up to make this<br />

incredible musical experience.” And all<br />

ages are welcome. <strong>The</strong> youngest so far is<br />

a ten-year-old girl. <strong>The</strong> meshing of thousands<br />

of tracks of singing is quite a challenge.<br />

<strong>The</strong> timing must be perfectly synchronized.<br />

Are you ready to hear and see the<br />

results? <strong>The</strong>y are as close as your own<br />

computer. Simply bring up YouTube. I<br />

am going to suggest two different paths.<br />

First, for most of you who are just interested<br />

in the performance I recommend listening<br />

to the three presentations in<br />

chronological order. This will not only<br />

show you the growth in numbers but the<br />

changes in artistic style. So many people<br />

have been involved in creating a visual<br />

panorama that is as dazzling as the music.<br />

You feel the global participation in the<br />

project. What to ask YouTube for: “eric<br />

whitacre lux aurumque” (time: 6:20),<br />

then after that “eric whitacre sleep” (time:<br />

9:31). <strong>The</strong> brand new third song which<br />

should be available on April 2nd will likely<br />

be the top choice if you type in “eric<br />

whitacre water night virtual choir”. <strong>The</strong>re<br />

are other permutations of that chorale<br />

work so be sure you are getting the Virtual<br />

Choir 3 version. Can’t wait to see it<br />

myself. Oh, incidentally, the total time<br />

which is listed for each piece is appreciably<br />

longer than the song. This is because<br />

at the end of the singing the names of all<br />

the participants scroll through the screen.<br />

Now, if you are really into chorale music<br />

I’m going to suggest you visit a few other<br />

sites that I found fascinating. Start at the<br />

genesis of the idea, viewing the very video<br />

that the young lady made and posted for<br />

Eric. Her feelings of admiration are deep<br />

and touching. <strong>The</strong> title is “Sleep-Eric<br />

Whitacre-Message And Singing from<br />

Britlin” (time: 6:02). Next, opt for<br />

“Introduction to the Virtual Choir” (time:<br />

1:49). Here Eric relates his musical journey.<br />

“So I then went into a studio and I<br />

EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

conducted in total silence and I could<br />

only hear it in my head and I loaded all<br />

that up to YouTube. And I sent out a call<br />

to singers across the world and the<br />

response was totally overwhelming.”<br />

Follow those two with “Singer<br />

Instructional for Eric Whitacre’s Virtual<br />

Choir 2011” (time: 5:19). In this presentation<br />

Eric tells in eloquent detail how he<br />

wants the text expressed - the tempos, the<br />

softness or crescendos, the emotions that<br />

are to be conveyed.<br />

Now you’re virtually ready to be a member<br />

of the choir yourself. Bring up<br />

“Recording Instructions and Conductor<br />

Track for Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir”<br />

(time: 7:38). In great detail Mr. Whitacre<br />

spells out the crucial do’s and don’ts that<br />

will make all the difference between an<br />

exceptional and just a mediocre recording.<br />

“First, make sure your face is well lit . . .<br />

that your clothes are only black (with) no<br />

pictures, words, or logos . . . Second,<br />

make sure your room is as quiet as possible.<br />

Turn off any fans, heaters, or air conditioners<br />

. . . . Get your headphones ready,<br />

but keep them unplugged . . . Start<br />

recording with your webcam or video<br />

camera. . . And wait for this beep coming<br />

from the virtual conductor video. (BEEP)<br />

It’s essential that we hear that beep on<br />

your track so we can sync up all of the<br />

other tracks. <strong>The</strong>n plug in your headphones.<br />

Wait for the countdown. 5, 4, 3,<br />

2, 1 . . . I’ll give the first downbeat and<br />

you sing . . . Ready? Here we go. Let<br />

beep sound . . . Don’t pause webcam.”<br />

At the end there are detailed upload<br />

instructions on the information to provide<br />

after the singing has concluded. Are<br />

you motivated?<br />

<strong>The</strong> final presentation I’ll direct you to<br />

is “Introducing Eric Whitacre’s Virtual<br />

Choir 3 – Water Night.” (time: 1:55)<br />

This short talk by Whitacre is a thank you<br />

to all those who had participated in the<br />

two previous song productions and to<br />

introduce what would be new and different<br />

in his third offering. “Not only have<br />

we made the technology for recording<br />

your videos much easier, more streamlined,<br />

but we are working with Google . .<br />

. so that we’ll have master classes, on-line<br />

seminars, ways to learn your music,<br />

singing technique.” “<strong>The</strong> final performance<br />

will exist not only as a video on<br />

YouTube . . . but we will also create an<br />

audiovisual installation, an immersive<br />

experience with Surround Sound and gorgeous<br />

visuals that you’ll be able to visit in<br />

cities all around the world.”<br />

You may be wondering if I, being a<br />

chorale singer myself, am tempted to be<br />

part of Virtual Choir 4 (assuming there<br />

will be one). Tempted, certainly, but 21st<br />

century music can be daunting. For<br />

instance, this third song, “Water Night”,<br />

splits into 14 different parts! Only time<br />

will tell. Right now Brahms and I are<br />

spending a lot of time together since my<br />

chorale will perform his Requiem next<br />

month. Whether you or I choose to participate,<br />

listening and thinking about the<br />

process is a joyful experience.


EARLY APRIL 2012 EVENTS<br />

Chinese Modern: Designing 20th Century Popular Culture<br />

Opens at the Museum Center April 14<br />

China’s use of advertising images<br />

as well as graphic and product<br />

design to shape its political ideologies<br />

and cultural values in the 20th<br />

century is the focus of “China<br />

Modern: Designing 20th<br />

Century Popular Culture,” a new<br />

exhibit opening at the <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Museum Center.<br />

An opening reception will be<br />

held from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday,<br />

April 14th, and will feature tours<br />

of the exhibit, a curator’s talk,<br />

refreshments and live entertainment.<br />

$10 (free to members). <strong>The</strong><br />

Museum Center is located at the<br />

corner of E. Wilshire and N.<br />

Pomona one block from Harbor in<br />

Downtown <strong>Fullerton</strong>.<br />

Featuring more than 170<br />

objects, the exhibit brings two contrasting<br />

20th century ideologies -<br />

capitalism and communism - to<br />

the level of popular culture. <strong>The</strong><br />

exhibit shows how, despite vastly<br />

different goals, the means of instilling<br />

these values was often strikingly<br />

similar.<br />

Objects displayed in “China<br />

Modern” include lychee and cigarette<br />

boxes, children’s toys, an<br />

extensive collection of product<br />

labels and advertisements, and<br />

communist propaganda from the<br />

rule of Mao Zedong.<br />

Intricately detailed wood block<br />

prints and lithographs showcase<br />

the high quality craftsmanship of<br />

Chinese print designers and artisans.<br />

<strong>The</strong> exhibit consists of four sections.<br />

“A Graphic Tradition:<br />

Popular Design from Late Qing to<br />

Early Republic” serves as a prologue<br />

to the exhibit and features<br />

early New Year’s Day prints and<br />

imagery of household gods.<br />

<strong>The</strong> second section,<br />

“Cosmopolitan Capitalism:<br />

Shanghai under the Republic,”<br />

examines a range of materials, from<br />

product packaging to film ads,<br />

illustrating the commercial practices<br />

of pre-Revolutionary China.<br />

“A Revolution in Culture:<br />

Designing the People’s Republic”<br />

focuses on household goods, advertising<br />

and propaganda materials.<br />

<strong>The</strong> final section, “<strong>The</strong><br />

Aesthetics of Nostalgia,” demon-<br />

PÄS Gallery presents Form<br />

Drawing Gestures, the artwork<br />

of René Cardona. <strong>The</strong> opening<br />

reception will be held on the<br />

first Friday of April to coincide<br />

with the Downtown <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Art Walk. René’s anatomy-like<br />

oil paintings accentuate human<br />

muscles blending like solar systems<br />

intertwining within a<br />

well-planned composition. It’s<br />

poetic. It’s prophetic. It’s so<br />

good, it’s puzzling. His work<br />

screams motion, punches<br />

dimension while possessing an<br />

angelic aura. Every piece feels as<br />

if it were commissioned by the<br />

strates the ongoing impact of<br />

these embodiments of China’s<br />

graphic culture today.<br />

<strong>The</strong> exhibit was developed by<br />

the Pacific Asia Museum of<br />

Pasadena, CA, one of only four<br />

U.S. institutions dedicated to the<br />

arts and culture of Asia. <strong>The</strong><br />

tour was organized by<br />

International Arts & Artists of<br />

Washington, DC, a nonprofit arts<br />

service organization dedicated to<br />

increasing cross-cultural understanding<br />

and exposure to the arts<br />

internationally.<br />

<strong>The</strong> exhibit was curated by<br />

Kalim Winata, an independent<br />

scholar specializing in print and<br />

popular cultures of the 20th century,<br />

with a focus on Asia. Earning<br />

a master of fine arts degree from<br />

the Academy of Art, Winata<br />

worked closely with collector Reed<br />

Darmon to produce “Made in<br />

China,” the book which first<br />

inspired the exhibit.<br />

<strong>The</strong> exhibit will run through<br />

July 1. Regular museum hours are<br />

noon-4pm Tuesday-Wednesday<br />

and Friday-Sunday, and noon-8pm<br />

on Thursday.<br />

Admission is $4/adults, $3/students<br />

& senior citizens 65 and<br />

older, $1/children 6 to 12, and free<br />

to children under 5 and to members.<br />

Call the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Museum<br />

Center at (714) 738-6545 for more<br />

info.<br />

René Cardona Exhibit Opens at PAS<br />

During April 6 Downtown Art Walk<br />

Pope, his murals are worthy of<br />

the Sistine Chapel. Come love<br />

this self-proclaimed transcendental<br />

painter in raw form,<br />

mostly ink sketches, on April<br />

6, 2012, from 6-10pm. Also<br />

featuring experimental music<br />

behind his spoken word poetry.<br />

On Exhibit through April 26,<br />

2012.<br />

PAS Gallery is located at 223<br />

W. Santa Fe in the SOCO district<br />

of Downtown <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

(just south of Commonwealth).<br />

Go to www.2pas.org for<br />

more information on the<br />

gallery.<br />

FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 13<br />

<strong>The</strong> Newstead Trio, Michael Jamanis, violin, Sara Male, cello,<br />

and Xun Pan, piano perform April 15<br />

Newstead Trio in Free<br />

Friends of Music Concert<br />

by Claude Coppel<br />

On Sunday, April 15, at<br />

3:30 pm at the Sunny Hills<br />

Performing Arts Center,<br />

Sunny Hills High School,<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Friends of Music<br />

will present the Newstead<br />

Trio. Admission is free.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Newstead Trio made<br />

their New York debut at<br />

Carnegie Hall and has been<br />

broadcast live on radio and<br />

television. <strong>The</strong>ir innovative<br />

and uniquely accessible concert<br />

programming combines<br />

traditional piano trio literature<br />

with more contemporary<br />

works. <strong>The</strong>ir programs<br />

are notable for warmth, energy,<br />

and depth of expression.<br />

In more than fifteen years<br />

together they have performed<br />

for audiences throughout the<br />

United States, Canada, Italy,<br />

Hungary, Singapore, and<br />

China, where they gave their<br />

concerto debut performing<br />

Beethoven’s Triple Concerto<br />

with the Shenzen Symphony<br />

Orchestra.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y have since given a<br />

sold-out concert at Beijing’s<br />

National Performing Arts<br />

Center.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Newstead has also<br />

commissioned numerous<br />

works by widely respected<br />

composers and have included<br />

a world premier performance<br />

on several of their recordings.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y are ‘ensemble in residence’<br />

at the Pennsylvania<br />

Academy of Music. This will<br />

be their second<br />

concert for<br />

F ullerton<br />

Friends of<br />

Music.<br />

F ullerton<br />

Friends of Music<br />

is honored to<br />

have them<br />

return in a concert<br />

of Mozart,<br />

Beethoven and<br />

Brahms.


Page 14 FULLERTON OBSERVER<br />

STAGES THEATER<br />

400 E. Commonwealth, <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Tickets: 714-525-4484 or www.stagesoc.org<br />

•PICCASO AT THE LAPIN AGILE by Steve Martin, directed by Anthony<br />

Galleran plays thru April 8th, Fri. & Sat. at 8pm; Sun. at 2pm. Off-Broadway absurdist<br />

comedy places Einstein & Picasso in a Parisian café in 1904. $18-$20<br />

•PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD by J.M. Synge, directed by Elizabeth<br />

Serra plays thru April 7, Sat. & Sun. at 5pm. Lyrical 1907 Irish comedy set in a small<br />

village in the west coast of County Mayo. $16-$18<br />

•PURGATORIO by Ariel Dorfman, directed by Jeff Lowe opens April 28 and<br />

plays thru May 26, Sat. & Sun. at 5pm. A man and woman are faced with the truths<br />

of their lives. Are there crimes for which there can be no forgiveness. If there is no<br />

forgiveness, how do we move on with our lives? Adult content.<br />

Oh, what fun Catholic class can be!<br />

Written by Maripat Donovan and Marc<br />

Silvia – Sister’s Late Night Catechism is a<br />

delight for the whole family. Donovan<br />

stars as Sister, in this one-woman force<br />

of a show – so clever, so informative, and<br />

definitely funny. Put it on your calendars,<br />

because you won’t want to miss it!<br />

Have a question about Easter? Sister<br />

has the answer. Want to know if your<br />

bunny will go to heaven? Just ask!<br />

Curious about the Liturgical Calendar?<br />

Don’t worry; it’s all covered in class.<br />

BUT! Don’t forget to pay attention –<br />

there will be a quiz later.<br />

This seasonal treat will keep you<br />

laughing, learning, and involved.<br />

Audience participation is key and makes<br />

for a unique show each night, though<br />

the lessons remain the same. With so<br />

REVIEWED<br />

by Caitlin Orr<br />

<strong>The</strong> Playboy of the Western World at Stages<br />

<strong>The</strong> Playboy of the Western World is a<br />

dramedy, full of surprises and wit. You’ll<br />

have to hurry, though, as it only plays<br />

until April 7!<br />

“<strong>The</strong>re’s a great gap between a gallous*<br />

story and a dirty deed,” says playwright<br />

J.M. Synge. And indeed this is true for<br />

his three-act play set in Ireland in a rural<br />

village in the west coast of County Mayo.<br />

A series of drunken and bored small-town<br />

characters embrace a lost dreamer, Christy<br />

Mahon, who wanders into a pub, getting<br />

the whole town buzzing when he claims<br />

that he killed his father with one single<br />

blow. Rather than turning him in to the<br />

authorities, the townspeople embracing<br />

his tale as an act of bravery, compete for<br />

Christy’s attention, using any tactics necessary.<br />

As the women begin to seek his attention,<br />

Christy’s own understanding of himself<br />

begins to transform. <strong>The</strong> discovery<br />

of a mirror and his reflection lets in a narcissistic<br />

sense of comedy to be applauded.<br />

<strong>The</strong> acting is fantastic, with lyrical Irish<br />

accents bringing the audience immediate-<br />

Margaret “Pegeen” Flaherty and Ben<br />

Green in Playboy of the Western World.<br />

ly to the coast of Ireland. <strong>The</strong> poetic<br />

script is full of beauty and surprises.<br />

Many scenes showcase the actors’ talent,<br />

while other scenes amaze with<br />

their staging.<br />

*defined as wicked or mischievous<br />

SISTER’S EASTER CATECHISM: Will My Bunny go to Heaven?<br />

many intriguing questions asked by the<br />

audience, and all her intelligent answers,<br />

Donovan acts the role of a nun convincingly.<br />

<strong>The</strong> classroom set is perfect –<br />

American décor (complete with JFK and<br />

Obama) on the left of the stage, and<br />

Jesus, Mother Mary, and Easter props on<br />

the right. Tables turn in the second act<br />

as Sister calls audience members to the<br />

stage to ask them questions.<br />

One part improv, one part trivia, and<br />

the rest hilarity. Sister’s Easter Catechism<br />

– Will My Bunny go to Heaven? performs<br />

at <strong>The</strong> Laguna Playhouse until April<br />

18th on Tuesday – Saturday evenings at<br />

8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees<br />

at 2 p.m. Final performance on Sunday<br />

April 8th at 4 p.m. For tickets, visit<br />

www.lagunaplayhouse.com<br />

EVENTS<br />

LOCAL<br />

THEATER<br />

LISTINGS<br />

HUNGER ARTISTS THEATER<br />

699-A S. State College, <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Tickets: 714-680-6803<br />

www.hungerartists.com<br />

•THE CHERRY ORCHARD: by Anton<br />

Chekhov, directed by Gary Lewis McKee II<br />

plays thru April 7, Fri. & Sat at 8pm; Sun. at<br />

7pm. Amidst a period of social reform a wealthy<br />

landowner and her family must learn to untangle<br />

themselves from fear, regrets, and past illusions,<br />

as they embark on a journey to losing<br />

everything. $10-$18<br />

•GREAT WESTERN WANDERLUST: by<br />

Eric Eberwein, directed by Anthony Galleran,<br />

in a West Coast Premiere opens April 20 and<br />

plays through May 13. <strong>The</strong> story of Greg and<br />

Kristi, two thirtysomethings who try to escape<br />

from the confines of their marriage and midwestern<br />

upbringing by taking a cross-country<br />

train into the American West. What begins as a<br />

romantic getaway quickly turns sour, and Greg<br />

and Kristi are forced to re-examine their lives as<br />

they feel the pull of freedom and adventure<br />

from the great west.<br />

MAVERICK THEATER<br />

110 E. Walnut, <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Tickets: 714-526-7070<br />

www.mavericktheater.com<br />

•THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD written<br />

& directed by Nathan Makaryk plays thru<br />

April 14, Fri. at 8pm & Sat. at 3pm & 8pm. A<br />

dramatic new look at the heroes and villains of<br />

Sherwood Forest pulling from the classic stories<br />

and actual historical figures. $10-$20<br />

•FROST/NIXON written by Peter Morgan,<br />

directed by Brian Newell opens April 20 and<br />

plays thru May 27, Fri. & Sat. at 8pm; Sun. at<br />

4pm. $10-$20<br />

CSUF PERFORMING ARTS<br />

800 N. St. College, <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Tickets: 657-278-3371<br />

•MEASURE FOR MEASURE by<br />

Shakespeare, directed by Dean Joseph Arnold.<br />

Justice meets mercy and virtue encounters vice<br />

in this probing dark comedy. In Vienna, Duke<br />

Vincentio leaves his puritanical Deputy Angelo<br />

in charge, hoping he will rid the city of rampant<br />

corruption. $11 at Hallberg <strong>The</strong>atre thru April<br />

22.<br />

•LITTLE WOMEN: THE BROADWAY<br />

MUSICAL book by Allan Knee, music by Jasan<br />

Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, directed<br />

by Jana Robbins, musical direction Mitchell<br />

Hanlon and choreography by William Lett.<br />

Opens April 20 and plays thru May 6. $20 at<br />

the Young <strong>The</strong>atre<br />

EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

CALL TO ARTISTS<br />

All the Arts for All<br />

the Kids Foundation<br />

by Caitlin Orr<br />

Spring is coming and so are the<br />

Hearts! All the Arts for All the Kids<br />

Foundation is happy to announce that<br />

once again they will be bringing the<br />

All the Hearts for all the Kids project<br />

to <strong>Fullerton</strong>. This year will be just as<br />

exciting, but with a few new twists.<br />

Here’s the plan: You can look forward<br />

to seeing four 5ft tall mosaic hearts<br />

once again in downtown <strong>Fullerton</strong>,<br />

but this year there will also be another<br />

set of smaller hearts spread out locally<br />

in stores around <strong>Fullerton</strong>. All the<br />

Arts is planning its very own “Heart<br />

Walk” throughout <strong>Fullerton</strong> with a<br />

map to each heart and it’s store location.<br />

You’ll be able to visit some of<br />

your favorite local hangouts and have<br />

the opportunity to win one of the<br />

hearts as your own. If you complete<br />

the treasure hunt by visiting each of<br />

the hearts, you can redeem your map<br />

for an opportunity ticket to be entered<br />

for a chance to win one of the hearts!<br />

<strong>The</strong>re is an extra special element to<br />

this year, because All the Arts for All<br />

the Kids Foundation is having an<br />

open call to artists! Feel like you have<br />

what it takes to embellish, decorate,<br />

paint, collage, or mosaic one of the<br />

18” tall smaller hearts? Enter your<br />

artistic idea and maybe you will be<br />

one of the lucky artists to help make<br />

the project come alive.<br />

Email “All the Arts” (alltheartsfoundation@gmail.com)<br />

and they will<br />

send you a proposal packet. Next,<br />

you can complete it with your ideas,<br />

and submit it! It’s an amazing way to<br />

show <strong>Fullerton</strong> what you can do! (All<br />

proceeds from the All the Hearts for<br />

All the Kids project help provide every<br />

elementary student in the <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

School District with free lessons in art,<br />

music, dance, and theatre.<br />

To find out more and see photos of<br />

last year’s giant hearts, please visit allthearts.org!


EARLY APRIL 2012 EVENTS LISTING<br />

HITS &<br />

MISSES<br />

© 2012<br />

by Joyce Mason<br />

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen:<br />

A Hit & A Miss<br />

Based on a biting, satirical novel by Paul Torday,<br />

the movie “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” is more<br />

romantic comedy than political satire. Much of<br />

this change in tone occurs by way of Simon<br />

Beaufoy’s (“Slumdog Millionaire”) script and<br />

Lasse Hallstrom’s (“Chocolat” and “My Life as a<br />

Dog”) direction. But making the movie succeed<br />

in its new iteration are the talents of Emily Blunt,<br />

Ewan McGregor, and Kristen Scott Thomas.<br />

<strong>The</strong> British Government, worried about the<br />

bad press that events in the mid-East have produced,<br />

asks the Prime Minister’s press secretary,<br />

Patricia Maxwell (Kristen Scott Thomas), to find<br />

“a good news story in the Middle East.” With<br />

snap and bite and a soupcon of disdain, Maxwell<br />

orders her underlings to find such a story “in an<br />

hour.” <strong>The</strong> story that surfaces comes from British<br />

investment consultant Harriet Chetwode-Talbot<br />

(Emily Blunt).<br />

Harriet’s client, a billionaire sheik (Egyptian<br />

actor Amr Waked), owns a castle in Scotland,<br />

where he has learned to love fly-fishing for salmon<br />

and wants to take this pastime back to Yemen. He<br />

has the millions of British pounds necessary to<br />

finance such an enterprise, and Harriet is charged<br />

with finding experts that have the know-how to<br />

make it happen.<br />

She starts with fisheries expert Dr. Alfred Jones<br />

(Ewan McGregor), who laughs at the idea as he<br />

cites all of the problems inherent in the project.<br />

Yemen is a desert with no water source, but it<br />

turns out that there already is a large dam with<br />

plenty of water. Yemen is hot, but he learns there<br />

are mountains high enough to cool the air. As for<br />

cost, he pulls out a figure so large that it should<br />

dissuade anyone. But Harriet assures him that the<br />

sheik would be able to fund the plan for the projected<br />

50 million pounds.<br />

Harriet even locates four Chinese engineers<br />

who have worked on the Three Gorges Dam in<br />

China and can explain, while Harriet translates in<br />

workable Mandarin, how the water could be<br />

diverted. As his objections fall away, Alfred agrees<br />

to meet with the sheik on his Scottish estate. <strong>The</strong><br />

two men develop a mutual respect as they fish in<br />

the highland streams and discuss the relative<br />

importance of science and faith.<br />

Alfred is increasingly paired with Harriet as<br />

they become the team that will make the project<br />

happen. Each gradually grows to respect the diligence,<br />

intelligence, and commitment the other<br />

displays. Will a romance develop? <strong>The</strong>ir personal<br />

lives are complicated. Harriet has a serious<br />

boyfriend, who has been deployed to Afghanistan<br />

and is soon missing in action. Alfred is in a marriage<br />

marred by an indifferent wife, who prefers<br />

her career to her husband.<br />

But impediments are the grist of romantic tales.<br />

Just as the project they are working on stumbles<br />

and seems on the brink of failure, so does the<br />

slowly growing romance between Harriet and<br />

Alfred. Always contrasting the sweetness of their<br />

relationship are the tough antics of Maxwell, the<br />

take-charge press secretary. Scott Thomas pulls<br />

out all stops in her portrayal of the Prime<br />

Minister’s officious spin doctor.<br />

“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” requires of its<br />

audience some suspension of disbelief, but the<br />

movie does provide a pleasant two-hour interlude<br />

in the Cineplex even with its implausible story.<br />

Much of what is lacking in the story is compensated<br />

for by the two appealing protagonists.<br />

Blunt and McGregor are a pleasure to watch in all<br />

of their scenes and generate so much personal<br />

chemistry between them that audiences are left<br />

hoping they will be cast again in a more substantial<br />

film.<br />

Two Hits: Don’t Miss It!<br />

A Hit & A Miss: You Might Like It<br />

Two Misses: Don’t Bother<br />

TUES., APRIL 3<br />

•6:30pm: City Council Meeting<br />

City Hall, 303 W. Commonwealth.<br />

See agenda online at www.cityoffullerton.com<br />

WED., APRIL 4<br />

•6pm: Free Screening “Vasermil”<br />

2007 Israel. Named after the local soccer<br />

stadium in the Southern Israeli<br />

town of Beersheba, Vasermil tells the<br />

story of three teens from separate marginalized<br />

communities, who pin their<br />

hopes on soccer as a way out. <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Public Library Osborne Auditorium,<br />

353 W. Commonwealth. Call 714-<br />

738-3361 with questions. Adults. only.<br />

THURS., APRIL 5<br />

•7:30am-9:30am: Engineering for<br />

High Speed Rail Systems with industry<br />

expert Rick Simon. Technology<br />

Breakfast at Holiday Inn Hotel &<br />

Suites, 2932 E. Nutwood Ave.,<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>. California’s major cities have<br />

maximized their freeway capacity.<br />

Improved mobility in the future will<br />

require multimodal solutions of which<br />

rail will be an essential component says<br />

Simon. $10. Reservations required -<br />

call 657-278-3362 or go to http:calendar.ecs.fullerton.edu/EventList.aspx<br />

•4pm: Author Cathy Caruth will<br />

read and present a free public lecture<br />

on “Disappearing History: Scenes of<br />

Trauma in the <strong>The</strong>ater of Human<br />

Rights.” CSUF Hall, Room 252, 800<br />

N. State College Blvd., <strong>Fullerton</strong>.<br />

Parking is $2/hr or $8/day.<br />

•4pm-8:30pm: Downtown<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Market & Beer Garden at<br />

the Downtown <strong>Fullerton</strong> Museum<br />

Plaza opens for the season featuring live<br />

music by <strong>The</strong> 44s with Kid Ramos,<br />

fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, baked<br />

goods, food vendors, craft booths, kids<br />

activities, beer garden, reduced<br />

Museum admission and more. Free<br />

admission and parking. Wilshire and<br />

Pomona, one block east of Harbor in<br />

downtown <strong>Fullerton</strong>. <strong>The</strong> market is<br />

every Thurs. through Oct. 25. Don’t<br />

miss out on the fun.<br />

•6pm: How to Insure & Protect<br />

Your Small Business workshop presented<br />

by SCORE at <strong>Fullerton</strong> Public<br />

Library Conference Center<br />

Community Room, 353 W.<br />

Commonwealth, <strong>Fullerton</strong>. Call 714-<br />

738-6327 for more info. Or go to<br />

www.score114.org/workships/calendar<br />

List.aspx. Free<br />

FRI., APRIL 6<br />

•6:45pm: Global Network Against<br />

Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space<br />

program by Bruce Gagnon. Unitarian<br />

Universalist Church, 511 S. Harbor,<br />

Anaheim.<br />

•6pm-10pm: Downtown <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Art Walk features exhibits in numerous<br />

venues around downtown, art, live<br />

music and food. Free<br />

“Those Who Have<br />

Gone Before”<br />

Mesa Verde Park<br />

Revisited<br />

A presentation by Christine<br />

Cooper<br />

& Pat Coyle<br />

Friday, April 20,<br />

at 7pm<br />

Free at the<br />

NATIVE AMERICAN<br />

INSTITUTE<br />

1465 N. Bativia St., Orange<br />

714-879-1337 or<br />

runningbear001@yahoo.com<br />

SAT., APRIL 7<br />

•8:30am: Mayor Sharon Quirk-<br />

Silva’s Walk & Talk meets at Vista<br />

Park, 2002 E. Bastanchury Road. Wear<br />

comfortable shoes and bring your<br />

thoughts and concerns. 714-738-6311.<br />

•10am: Rotary Club Easter Egg<br />

Hunt with over 12,00 eggs at Hillcrest<br />

Park on Harbor in <strong>Fullerton</strong>. Free for<br />

kids preschool thru 4th grade. Arrive<br />

early & see the Fire Dept. transport the<br />

Easter Bunny to the event. 10 of the<br />

eggs include an opportunity for a $500<br />

scholarship raffle after the event. Free<br />

MON., APRIL 9<br />

•2:30pm: Bilingualism in LA &<br />

Orange County” part of the 21st<br />

Linguistics Symposium from 8am to<br />

4:30pm at CSUF Titan Student<br />

Union, 800 N. State College Blvd.<br />

(parking is $2/hr or $8/day. For complete<br />

details go to http://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/2012sp/Linguistics-<br />

Conference.asp. Free<br />

•7pm: Titanic Hear stories about<br />

Titanic survivor Edwina Troutt from<br />

friend Michael Green, watch a documentary,<br />

and view an exhibit of objects<br />

on the Titanic. Conference Center<br />

Community Room, <strong>Fullerton</strong> Public<br />

Library, 353 W. Commonwealth. Free.<br />

Call 714-738-6325.<br />

TUES., APRIL 10<br />

•7pm: “Town & Gown” Lecture<br />

“Tsunami!” <strong>Fullerton</strong> Public Library<br />

Osborne Auditorium, 353 W.<br />

Commonwealth. Free. 714-738-6326<br />

WED., APRIL 11<br />

•8am-1pm: Farmers Market<br />

Independence Park, 801 W. Valencia<br />

Dr., <strong>Fullerton</strong>. 714-871-5304<br />

THURS., APRIL 12<br />

•7pm: Gustavo Arellano “Taco<br />

USA: How Mexican Food<br />

Conquered America” at the <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

Main Library, 353 W. Commonwealth<br />

Ave. Arellano will read from his new<br />

book and talk about the delicious, and<br />

sometimes contentious, history of<br />

Mexican food throughout the United<br />

States. <strong>The</strong> book is available through<br />

Librería Martinez (http://libreriamartinez.net/bio.html)<br />

and available<br />

for purchase at the event. Arellano will<br />

sign copies following his presentation.<br />

Call (714) 738-6327, or www.fullertonlibrary.org<br />

for more info.<br />

•7:30pm: Safari in Southern Africa<br />

Dave and Mary Crouch will show a<br />

video of their 2011 Safari to southern<br />

Africa. <strong>The</strong> 15-day trip took in<br />

Okavango Delta in Botswana, Victoria<br />

Falls and Timbavati Private Game<br />

Reserve (near Krueger National Park).<br />

Rio Hondo Sierra Club meets at<br />

Popular Community Bank, in north<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>, (SW corner of Euclid and<br />

Rosecrans east of CVS). All are welcome;<br />

free refreshments. http://angeles.sierraclub.org/riohondo/index.asp<br />

FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 15<br />

THURS. & FRI, APRIL 12-13<br />

•9am-4:30pm: 42nd annual<br />

Thinking Through Animals<br />

Symposium at Titan Student Union<br />

CSUF, 800 N. State College Blvd.,<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>, explores ethical & political<br />

issues involving animals from a wide<br />

variety of perspectives. Free, but parking<br />

is $2/hr or $8/day. http://philosophy.fullerton.edu/42mndSymposium.<br />

html for more info.<br />

SAT., APRIL 14<br />

•9am-5pm: 8th Annual Social<br />

Justice Summit at Titan Student<br />

Union, CSUF. Unite to Rise Above<br />

Apathy, the summit provides a forum<br />

for people to exchange ideas about<br />

improving the state of our communities,<br />

offers space to dialogue about the<br />

obstacles to creating effective change,<br />

provides effective tools for social<br />

action, and offers grassroots solutions.<br />

http://fullerton.edu/socialjusticesummit<br />

•9am-5pm: 27th Annual Great<br />

American Write-In at Delhi Center,<br />

505 E. Central Ave, Santa Ana, 92707.<br />

•5pm: Coyote Hills Wildflower<br />

Nature Hike Naturalists will talk<br />

about the human and natural history of<br />

the area, and point out the rare plants<br />

and animals along the trail. Join us as<br />

we walk 2+ miles in one of the last<br />

open spaces in North Orange County.<br />

Meet at the equestrian gate to Laguna<br />

Lake Park at Lakeview Dr, just east of<br />

Euclid St in <strong>Fullerton</strong>. Bring water to<br />

drink and wear comfortable shoes.<br />

www.coyotehills.org<br />

SAT. & SUN., APRIL 14-15<br />

•10am-4pm: Green Scene Plant &<br />

Garden Show at <strong>Fullerton</strong> Arboretum,<br />

1900 Associated Rd. at Yorba Linda<br />

Blvd. 100 vendors offer plants & services.<br />

$6 www.fullertonarboretum.org<br />

SUN., APRIL 15<br />

•2:30pm: Poet Charles “Chuck”<br />

Wright a local naturalist, teacher, photographer,<br />

and poet, will dramatically<br />

read some of his poetry, share what and<br />

how things inspire his poetry creations,<br />

and field questions from the audience.<br />

La Habra Branch Library. Free.<br />

TUES., APRIL 17<br />

•6:30pm: Poet Susan Davis UCI<br />

Professor of Creative Writing and winner<br />

of the Drury & the Rebecca Lard<br />

Awards for poetry reads from her book<br />

“I Was Building<br />

Up To<br />

Something,” at<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

College Campus<br />

<strong>The</strong>atre, 321 E.<br />

Chapman Ave.<br />

Tickets are<br />

$6.50. Box<br />

office: 714-992-<br />

7150.


Page 16 FULLERTON OBSERVER LOCAL NEWS<br />

EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

<strong>The</strong> blue ribbon amateur chef winners: Best decoration, Karl Lang of St. Andrews Episcopal Church; Best appetizer,<br />

Johnathan Duffy Davis of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Fullerton</strong> Arboretum; Best side dish, Scott Allen & Pastor Brian Ward of<br />

St. Paul Lutheran Church won peoples choice award (not pictured, Raul Avellaneda & Terry Mackprang won<br />

first place); Best entrée, Brij Patel and Bob Wernke of <strong>The</strong> James Wernke Foundation; and Best dessert, Bill<br />

Jindra of First Presbyterian Church and Sunrise Rotary.<br />

Amateur Chefs & Supporters Raise $18,500<br />

for FIES (Pathways of Hope)<br />

FIES 6th Annual Food Loving Guys fundraising<br />

event at Coyote Hills Golf Club drew over 300 supporters<br />

and netted $18,500 to help rebuild lives of<br />

the hungry and homeless.<br />

At the event FIES unveiled its new name<br />

“Pathways of Hope.” <strong>The</strong> name is changing along<br />

with an expanded mission for the 37 year old organization.<br />

“Pathways of Hope remains committed to<br />

the original mission established by FIES in 1975,”<br />

said Eric Azariah, a board member and volunteer for<br />

many years and the chair of the marketing committee<br />

that guided the brand change. “We strive to find<br />

new ways to end hunger and homelessness in North<br />

Orange County. We have expanded our services dramatically<br />

to those in need, building on the legacy of<br />

the founders of the organization. Those values will<br />

continue to guide Pathways of Hope.”<br />

FIES, founded in 1975 by the <strong>Fullerton</strong> Interfaith<br />

Ministerial Association, provides emergency food,<br />

transitional housing, and other support services to<br />

the hungry and homeless in our area. Over 30,000<br />

individuals including 9,000 families in the North<br />

Orange County area were served in 2011.<br />

Pathways of Hope will continue that work providing<br />

the same services and more. Programs for indi-<br />

FULLERTON’S CONGREGATIONS WELCOME YOU<br />

viduals and families include: •<strong>The</strong> Food Distribution<br />

Center aimed at homeless prevention and emergency<br />

services; •New Vista Transitional Living Center for<br />

homeless families; •<strong>The</strong> Interfaith Shelter Network<br />

(ISN) for homeless adults; •<strong>The</strong> Holiday<br />

Community Program for <strong>Fullerton</strong> School District<br />

families in need; •Hope for the Homebound, delivering<br />

frozen nutritious meals for the weekend;<br />

•Rapid Re-housing for those not needing traditional<br />

transitional living services.<br />

<strong>The</strong> high cost of living and lack of affordable housing<br />

in the county, combined<br />

with the recent economic<br />

downturn has put many more<br />

families at risk. In OC there are<br />

over 22,000 unduplicated individuals<br />

experiencing homelessness<br />

annually and nearly 8,000<br />

individuals on any given night.<br />

For more info go to the new<br />

website at www.pathwaysofhope.us,<br />

call 714-680-<br />

3691 or email info@pathwaysofhope.us.<br />

EMMANUEL<br />

EPISCOPAL CHURCH<br />

1145 W. Valencia Mesa, <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

(714) 879-8070<br />

www.emmanuelfullerton.org<br />

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES<br />

8:15 am and 10:00 am<br />

Children’s Sunday School at 10am<br />

“Walking in Love,<br />

as Christ loved us”<br />

SAINT ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH<br />

1231 E. CHAPMAN AVE., FULLERTON • 714-870-4350 • www.saintandrewsfullerton.org<br />

Come join our inclusive, lively church community!<br />

EASTER SUNDAY SERVICES, APRIL 8TH<br />

7am and 10am Holy Eucharist<br />

Please see the church website for Services held each day of Holy Week.<br />

YOGA: 8:30am, Thursdays with Jessica Lowerre 200 RYT Beginner/Level 1, $7 suggested donation<br />

FREE CONCERT: 4:30 Sunday, April 22, Santiago String Quartet<br />

Above: Young author Katie Anne Guerrero signs the book she<br />

wrote. Teacher Gail Griswold created the illustrations.<br />

6th Grade Author<br />

Katie Anne Guerrero<br />

Donates Book Proceeds<br />

to Pathways of Hope<br />

Also part of the FIES<br />

(Pathways of Hope) fundraising<br />

event, 6th grade author<br />

Katie Anne Guerrero sold and<br />

signed her books. Katie and<br />

FIES’ volunteer art teacher,<br />

Gail Griswold, (see photo<br />

above) produced "<strong>The</strong><br />

Colorful Chicks."<br />

Katie and her family of 8<br />

were one-time residents of<br />

FIES’ New Vista Transitional<br />

Living Center. Katie’s desire is<br />

for the $10 donation per book<br />

to go back to New Vista to<br />

benefit the art program for<br />

homeless kids.<br />

To purchase a copy call FIES<br />

(Pathways of Hope) at 714-<br />

680-3691 or email info@pathwaysofhope.us<br />

or send a check<br />

by mail to Pathways of Hope,<br />

PO Box 6326, <strong>Fullerton</strong> CA<br />

92834-9918. You can also pick<br />

the book up at the Pathways<br />

office at 514 W. Amerige,<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>.<br />

Katie will be reading her<br />

book at the Hunt Branch<br />

Library on Thursday, April 19<br />

at 6:30pm. <strong>The</strong> library is located<br />

at 201 S. Basque Ave (off<br />

Valencia Ave.) in <strong>Fullerton</strong>.<br />

Call 714-738-3121.


EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

Lisa Wilkie<br />

Lisa C. Wilkie, 34, passed<br />

away March 11, 2012. Preceded<br />

in death by her maternal grandparents,<br />

Hank & Guadalupe<br />

Munoz; and paternal grandparents<br />

John & Marie Matthews.<br />

Survived by loving parents<br />

Stephen and Cecilia Wilkie;<br />

brothers Greg & John; sister<br />

Gina Tahsequah, and a host of<br />

other family and friends.<br />

A memorial service was held<br />

March 17 at McAulay &<br />

<strong>Wall</strong>ace..<br />

REST IN PEACE • WE REMEMBER YOU<br />

continued on page 18<br />

Debra Jean<br />

Reid<br />

Debra Jean Reid, age<br />

58, went home to be<br />

with the Lord on March<br />

05, 2012.<br />

A funeral service was<br />

held March 20, at<br />

Eastside Christian<br />

Church, <strong>Fullerton</strong>.<br />

Debi was born on May<br />

1, 1953 in Indianapolis,<br />

Indiana. She was adopted by Russell and<br />

Beatrice Peterson. She was a long time resident<br />

of <strong>Fullerton</strong>. Debi was a devoted and loving<br />

wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, and<br />

friend. She was survived by her beloved husband<br />

of 33 years, Daniel W. Reid; daughter,<br />

Tiffany Reid; son, Kyle Reid; daughter in-law,<br />

Jacqueline Reid; and grandchildren, Taylor and<br />

Jacob Reid.<br />

You will be forever loved in our hearts and<br />

live on through all the wonderful memories we<br />

built together. We love you.<br />

FULLERTON’S CONGREGATIONS WELCOME YOU<br />

Orangethorpe<br />

Christian<br />

Church<br />

(Disciples of Christ)<br />

Dr. Robert L. Case, Pastor<br />

Sunday Service: 10:00 a.m.<br />

2200 W. ORANGETHORPE<br />

FULLERTON (714) 871-3400<br />

www.orangethorpe.org<br />

Unitarian Universalist<br />

Congregation in <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

1600 N. Acacia Ave.<br />

Welcome 10:15am • Service: 10:30am<br />

CHILDCARE (infant & toddlers) & Programs for Pre-K thru Teen<br />

SUN., APRIL 8: Easter & Passover - Rev. Jon Dobrer<br />

SUN., APRIL 15: Death, Taxes & Pain & Joy - Rev. Jon Dobrer<br />

Rev. Jon Dobrer www.uufullerton.org 714-871-7150<br />

Donna Mae Maeseele<br />

Donna Mae Maeseele, 82, died<br />

Monday, March 5, 2012, in Corona,<br />

California. She was a resident at Emeritus<br />

Senior Living.<br />

Donna was born on May 31, 1929, in<br />

Los Angeles to Charles W. Love and Ethel<br />

Blassman Love. She was the middle child,<br />

having two older sisters, Vivian and<br />

Evelyn, and a younger brother and sister,<br />

Charlie and Barbara.<br />

In 1948 she married John F. Maeseele<br />

and began raising their family in Los<br />

Angeles. <strong>The</strong>y moved the family to<br />

Anaheim in 1955 where they resided until<br />

John’s death in 1986.<br />

Throughout her life, Donna had been<br />

an avid sports fan, enjoyed baseball and<br />

particularly loved West <strong>Fullerton</strong> Bobby<br />

Sox. She was a manager and coach for<br />

many years and later in life was always<br />

delighted when one of her former team<br />

members stopped her to say hello. She<br />

played softball herself and suffered a seriously<br />

sprained ankle sliding in to third<br />

base in her early 60’s. She was much more<br />

upset that she was tagged out than she was<br />

about the injury!<br />

Donna was fiercely independent and<br />

after John’s death she moved to Cedar<br />

City, Utah, bought a small home and did<br />

all the necessary rehab her self. She’d<br />

travel to a creek bed and load rocks into<br />

her pickup truck, bring them back to her<br />

yard and decorate with the river rock.<br />

Usually when family members would go<br />

to visit, Mom would mention this “special”<br />

rock that was just a little too far, or a<br />

little too heavy and before long you were<br />

bumping over the rocky trails with her to<br />

help wrestle her newest treasure.<br />

Reading was her special joy and her personal<br />

library was impressive. When she<br />

was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, we<br />

Sacred Music<br />

Choral Singers<br />

Available<br />

<strong>The</strong> Heritage Singers of <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

are available to sing for evening worship<br />

services, fellowship meetings, or<br />

other events which might be<br />

enhanced by quality sacred music.<br />

We are a small nondenominational<br />

choir dedicated to preserving and<br />

sharing traditional and classical<br />

sacred choral music. We also have<br />

openings for new singers in all sections<br />

(soprano, alto, tenor, and bass).<br />

Contact Larry Minton at 714-773-<br />

4332 or by email to<br />

l_g_minton@yahoo.com.<br />

FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 17<br />

couldn’t believe it because she could still<br />

finish the New York Times crossword puzzle<br />

in record time each day.<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> School District employed<br />

Mom as a school bus driver and later as a<br />

driver trainer for over 20 years. She would<br />

compete in the Bus Rodeos and it was fun<br />

to watch her blast that big bus through<br />

the diminishing clearance test. She was<br />

awarded a certificate by the CHP after<br />

taking a Crown bus through a 360 degree<br />

spin on a skid pad in Sacramento.<br />

Donna is survived by four children,<br />

Rene (Kathy) of <strong>Fullerton</strong>, Marie Diehl<br />

(Jim) of Corona, Larry (Missy) of<br />

Fontana, and Lynn (Dawn) of Wyoming,<br />

twelve grandchildren and sixteen greatgrandchildren.<br />

In accordance with her wishes, Donna<br />

will be cremated and her ashes will be<br />

scattered at sea in the same area as her<br />

husband’s had been. Thomas Miller<br />

Mortuary, of Corona, is in charge of the<br />

arrangements.<br />

If you remember Donna and would like<br />

to do something in her honor, please support<br />

the Bobby Sox program or any sports<br />

teams that help build healthy young people.<br />

Visit Our Website at<br />

ChristianScience<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>.org


Page 18 FULLERTON OBSERVER LOCAL NEWS<br />

EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

MO KELLY’S SENIOR SPOTLIGHT<br />

St. Patrick’s Day Dance/Luncheon<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Fullerton</strong> Senior Center sponsored<br />

a fun St. Patrick’s Day Dance/Luncheon<br />

on Friday, March 16, that started at 10:00<br />

a.m. in their temporary quarters at St.<br />

Mary’s Church Hall (400 W.<br />

Commonwealth Avenue). You could see<br />

“a big sea of all shades of green” all across<br />

the room because everyone is “Irish” when<br />

we celebrate St. Patty’s Day. By golly, we<br />

all felt “blessed,” “holy” and “lucky” being<br />

right next to the church.<br />

Singer/musician, Ron Allen, wore the<br />

sharpest, most attractive debonair “kelly green”<br />

sportscoat and matching tie I have ever seen. He<br />

got my vote for being the best dressed “senior”<br />

lad. He had us singing many of our favorite Irish<br />

tunes, which brought back so many sentimental<br />

memories. Ron also had a lot of fun asking us<br />

questions about how much we really knew about<br />

the history of good “ole St. Pat.” Of course,<br />

lunch was no surprise—we were served the traditional<br />

corned beef & cabbage menu topped off<br />

with a yummy “green shamrock” dessert. I have<br />

to confess I was “green with envy” when I didn’t<br />

win any of the raffle prizes. All in all, we had a<br />

mighty fine time.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Senior Center offers many interesting free<br />

activities. Call 714-738-6305 for more info.<br />

Edna “Burl” Winter<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Fullerton</strong> Senior Club extends<br />

our sincere condolences to the family<br />

of long-time member, Edna Winter.<br />

Sweet Edna (who was almost 91)<br />

passed away on March 1, 2012.<br />

Edna joined the Senior Club in 1971<br />

(way before the center was ever built).<br />

She was a good-will historian who<br />

knew everything there was to know<br />

about our Senior Club history.<br />

<strong>The</strong> Senior Center became Edna’s<br />

home away from home. She used to<br />

Above: Alicia Quintero<br />

& Rose Andrews<br />

Above Right: Silvia<br />

Farias, Joseph Kennedy, Bob<br />

“Green” (he has the perfect<br />

last name for this celebration—he<br />

wants us to know<br />

that he is proud to be 92<br />

years young); Edith<br />

O’Donnell; and Donna Ice<br />

At Right: Roberta Phillips,<br />

Joe Castaneda; with<br />

Pauline Negrete, Anita<br />

Castaneda; Marie Lopez<br />

seated.<br />

REST IN PEACE • WE REMEMBER YOU continued from page 17<br />

play bridge at the center until her<br />

eyesight started failing. Edna loved<br />

being at the center because she was a<br />

people person. She had a wide circle<br />

of friends who will miss her dearly.<br />

Edna was born on May 29 in<br />

Taylorsville, MS. She is survived by<br />

her husband, Bill (they were married<br />

66 years). <strong>The</strong>ir daughter, Marti<br />

and husband, Ron, live in <strong>Fullerton</strong>.<br />

<strong>The</strong>ir son, Billy, also lives in<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>. His daughter, Francesca<br />

(married to Matt), has three girls<br />

and lives in Redding. Billy’s son,<br />

Will, (married to Julie) lives in<br />

Moreno Valley. Edna’s brother,<br />

Billy Joe, still lives near Taylorsville,<br />

MS. God bless you, Edna.<br />

EVERY WEDNESDAY<br />

CERTIFIED<br />

FARMERS MARKET<br />

Rain or Shine<br />

8am to 1pm<br />

Independence Park<br />

801 W. Valencia Dr.,<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> 714-871-5304<br />

Know Where Your<br />

Food Comes From!<br />

Leger Grindon<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Fullerton</strong> Senior Club<br />

extends deepest sympathy to the<br />

family of Leger Grindon, who<br />

passed away on March 22, 2012.<br />

Leger was born on May 19, 1927,<br />

in St. Louis, MO. He was married<br />

to his wife, Claire, for 62 years.<br />

He was a passionate world traveler<br />

when he joined the Senior Club.<br />

For many years Leger was the dedicated<br />

Volunteer Chairman of the<br />

Senior Center’s “Our World<br />

Travelogues” weekly global educational<br />

presentations. <strong>The</strong>y were<br />

very popular.<br />

Leger is survived by his children:<br />

Angela Grindon & Jim Morton,<br />

Leger & Sharon Grindon, Michael<br />

Grindon & Chantal Prunier, Julia<br />

& Ron Samuelson; grandchildren:<br />

Nina Morton, Alexandra Grindon,<br />

Blake Grindon, Matthew Morton,<br />

Casey Grindon, Christopher<br />

Samuelson, Phillip Samuelson,<br />

Mia Grindon, Aaron Samuelson;<br />

and siblings: Al & Joan Grindon,<br />

Carolyn & Harry Gaffney.<br />

Affordable Health Care Act<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47)<br />

spoke about the second anniversary of the Affordable<br />

Care Act, on Friday, March 23, 2012.<br />

“Two years ago this week, I voted in favor of the<br />

Affordable Care Act. Since the health care law took<br />

effect, people across the country have started to see its<br />

benefits in their own lives. In my district alone, 10,000<br />

to 47,000 children with pre-existing health conditions<br />

can no longer be denied coverage by their insurers.<br />

32,000 seniors in my district received Medicare preventive<br />

services without paying any co-pays, co-insurance,<br />

or deductibles. And 20,000 children and 80,000 adults<br />

now have health insurance that covers preventive services.<br />

Along with all these benefits, the Affordable Care<br />

Act is predicted to reduce the federal deficit by more<br />

than $100 billion over the next decade and by more than<br />

$1 trillion in the decade after that.<br />

“Reforming our healthcare system was a long and<br />

deliberative process and though the Affordable Care Act<br />

is not perfect, and there is work still to be done, I am<br />

proud to have voted in favor of it and look forward to<br />

further implementation in 2014.”<br />

Happy Cesar Chavez Day!<br />

To learn more about the life and legacy of<br />

Cesar E. Chavez, you can visit<br />

www.chavezfoundation.org.


EARLY APRIL 2012<br />

LOCAL ONLY CLASSIFIEDS<br />

Call 714-525-6402<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Fullerton</strong> <strong>Observer</strong><br />

provides space for<br />

NEIGHBORS to advertise.<br />

To participate you<br />

must have a local phone<br />

number and be offering an<br />

item for sale, garage sales,<br />

reunions, home-based<br />

businesses or services,<br />

place to rent or buy, or<br />

help wanted, etc.<br />

Contractors must provide<br />

valid license. Editor<br />

LOST<br />

REWARD FOR RETURN<br />

OF LOST WEDDING RING<br />

A reward is being offered for the<br />

return of a ladies wedding ring lost<br />

in the vicinity of Orangethorpe and<br />

Dale (perhaps around Messiah<br />

Lutheran Church). Gold setting<br />

with one large and several small diamonds.<br />

<strong>The</strong> lost ring is of great sentimental<br />

value to a couple married<br />

for 57 years. Please call 714-447-<br />

0146.<br />

ITEMS WANTED<br />

OLDER ENGINEERING &<br />

TECHNICAL BOOKS<br />

Engineering, physics, mathematics,<br />

electronics, aeronautics, welding,<br />

woodworking, HVAC, metalworking,<br />

plumbing, and other types<br />

of technical books purchased. Large<br />

collections preferred (25+ books).<br />

Please call Deborah at (714) 528-<br />

8297<br />

USED BAND INSTRUMENTS<br />

Do you have a used band instrument?<br />

A Ladera Vista student is collecting<br />

them for a community charity<br />

project in association with the<br />

Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.<br />

We will pick up any instrument in<br />

any condition. Please call and leave<br />

a message for Zachary with your<br />

phone number at (714) 447-3557.<br />

USED CELL PHONES,<br />

PRINTERS, INK CARTRIGES<br />

<strong>The</strong> YWCA will recycle your used<br />

ink cartriges, printers and cell<br />

phones. Drop them off at the office<br />

at 215 E. Commonwealth, Suite F,<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>. Proceeds go to help support<br />

YWCA programs. Call 714-<br />

871-4488 or go to<br />

www.ywcanoc.org for more information.<br />

Have you ever had an on-going pain<br />

that the doctors cannot diagnose? Or as<br />

soon as they think they know what it is,<br />

the pain moves to a new location? Or no<br />

matter what the doctors do, the pain does<br />

not diminish? This is not uncommon. It is<br />

possible that the pain is not in your body;<br />

it is in your brain.<br />

Sometime it is difficult for us to express<br />

our emotions. Perhaps the family that we<br />

grew up in did not allow us to show our<br />

emotions. Or our emotions are too overwhelming<br />

for us, so we stuff them. It is not<br />

unusual that when we cannot express our<br />

emotions, that they show up as pains in<br />

our bodies. So that backache may be anger<br />

at your parents. <strong>That</strong> pain in your foot<br />

may be fear of losing your job. <strong>That</strong> neck<br />

pain? Do you have fears about your relationship?<br />

I help people who have pain that doctors<br />

have found no diagnosis for, work through<br />

reserves right to reject any<br />

ad. Sorry, we do not accept<br />

date ads, get rich schemes<br />

or financial ads of any<br />

sort. Call 714-525-6402<br />

for details. $10 for 50<br />

words or less per issue.<br />

Payment is by checks only.<br />

Items to give away for<br />

free and lost and found<br />

item listings are printed<br />

for free as space allows.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Observer</strong> assumes no<br />

liability for ads placed<br />

here. However, if you have<br />

a complaint or compliment<br />

about a service,<br />

please let us know at 714-<br />

525-6402.<br />

Call City Hall at 714-<br />

738-6531 to inquire about<br />

City of <strong>Fullerton</strong> business<br />

licenses. For contractor<br />

license verification go to<br />

www.cslb.ca.gov. Thank<br />

You!<br />

BEAUTY & HEALTH<br />

AMWAY, ARTISTRY, NUTRILITE<br />

To buy Amway, Artistry, or Nutrilite<br />

products please call Jean 714-526-2460<br />

WINDOWS<br />

WINDOW WASHING<br />

All windows in your residence washed without<br />

streaks inside and out. All sills and tracks vacuumed<br />

and cleaned. Screens hand-washed. I<br />

use drop cloths and shoe covers to keep your<br />

house clean. References available upon request.<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> City License #554171. Call Patrick<br />

(714) 398-2692 for a Free Estimate.<br />

VOLUNTEER<br />

MEASURE M TAXPAYER<br />

OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE VOLUN-<br />

TEERS NEEDED<br />

<strong>The</strong> Orange County Transportation<br />

Authority is seeking volunteers to serve on the<br />

11-member Measure M Taxpayers Oversight<br />

Committee. Measure M is the half-cent sales<br />

tax used to fund transportation improvements<br />

in Orange County.<br />

Open positions are in the the first, second,<br />

fourth and fifth supervisorial districts.<br />

Candidates must be 18 or older and be willing<br />

to serve for a 3-year term and have a knowlege<br />

of public transportation. To request an application<br />

call 714-970-9329 or go to<br />

www.octa.net/toc Applications will be accepted<br />

through April 23, 2012.<br />

CAREER<br />

ENERGIZE YOUR WORK LIFE<br />

Certified Career Coach and Professional<br />

Resume Writer will assist you in refocusing<br />

your employment/career goals with a full spectrum<br />

of services, including dynamic resume,<br />

refreshed interviewing techniques, sharpened<br />

negotiating skills, and more. Call Career<br />

Possibilities @ 714.990.6014 or send email to<br />

keytosuccess1@sbcglobal.net.<br />

Balance & Change by Michelle Gottlieb<br />

ON-GOING UNDIAGNOSED PAIN<br />

their emotional issues. As we progress the<br />

most amazing thing happens: their pain<br />

diminishes. It often leaves completely. As<br />

we process the emotions, the body no<br />

longer needs to store them. As we acknowledge<br />

what we need and what we feel, our<br />

body can stop yelling at us and relax.<br />

Be honest with yourself. Is it your back<br />

that hurts or your heart? Let your emotions<br />

out! You will feel so much better<br />

when you do!<br />

Michelle Gottlieb, Psy.D., MFT<br />

305 N. Harbor Blvd, Suite 202<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong>, CA 92832<br />

714-879-5868 x5<br />

www.michellegottlieb.com<br />

This column is not meant<br />

as a replacement for therapy<br />

with a licensed professional.<br />

REPAIR/REMODEL<br />

LICENSED HANDYMAN<br />

Residential Roofing Specialist<br />

New, Repairs, Patios, Gutters,<br />

Electrical, Plumbing, Drywall, Paint,<br />

Doors, Windows, Gates, Fences. CSLB<br />

#744432 Bonded, Insured. Free Estimates<br />

call 714-738-8189<br />

CONSTRUCTION<br />

James K. Higgins Construction.<br />

Quality since 1981. Remodeling, patio<br />

covers, doors and windows. Fences<br />

through finish carpentry. Free estimates,<br />

local references available. Please call 714-<br />

491-9503. California State Contractors<br />

Licence #B 405546<br />

GOT REPAIRS?<br />

We do it all - Handyman services,<br />

kitchen/bath remodel, carpentry, interior<br />

& exterior jobs, drywall, painting, plumbing,<br />

vinyl, ceramic & wood laminate<br />

flooring, formica installation, wallpaper<br />

removal, windows, fencing and more.<br />

Very dependable! 20 years experience!<br />

“Werner General Repairs & Remodeling”<br />

Thomas Werner 714-812-6603. 1519 E.<br />

Chapman Ave. #175, <strong>Fullerton</strong> 92831.<br />

Insured. City License #127977<br />

LOCAL ELECTRICIAN<br />

Skilled electrician and <strong>Fullerton</strong> native<br />

for 40 years. Service truck ready, inspection<br />

corrections, wiring, lighting & renovations.<br />

Heating & A/C repair, minor<br />

plumbing, and other handyman services.<br />

Owner-operated within the unlicensed<br />

minor work exception set by the<br />

Contractors State License Board. City<br />

License #5563007. Call Roger (714)<br />

803-2849 www.NoFixNoPay.info<br />

FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 19<br />

FOR SALE<br />

ERECTOR SET<br />

1945 post-war Lionel Erector Set in<br />

original wooden box for sale. Call 714-<br />

879-1952<br />

CLASSES & TUTORING<br />

PIANO LESSONS<br />

Piano Lessons: Classical, Jazz and Pop.<br />

Masters of Music; Paris Conservatory and<br />

Indiana University Graduate. Telephone<br />

714-566-4607 or visit website<br />

www.hoangnguyen.net.<br />

Housing for Vets<br />

OC Housing Authority<br />

Receives $884,560<br />

to Assist Homeless Vets<br />

This funding is a portion of the $75<br />

million apporpriated to the US Dept of<br />

Housing & Urban Development for 2012<br />

in a joint effort with the US Dept. of<br />

Veterans Affiars and local housing authorities<br />

to provide permanent housing and<br />

supportive services for homeless veterans.<br />

<strong>The</strong> funds will provide an addtional 75<br />

Housing Choice Vouchers that are<br />

reserved for homeless single vets or vets<br />

with families. Qualified vets receive a<br />

voucher and are able to rent apartments,<br />

condos or homes from participating property<br />

owners. <strong>The</strong> program is expected to<br />

be funded this month and will expand the<br />

number of homeless vets served to 370.<br />

Veterans who are interested in the program<br />

call the HUD-VASH line at (562)<br />

826-8000, ext. 2336<br />

Property owners who would like to rent<br />

to VASH veterans or other low-income<br />

households, contact the OC Housing<br />

Authority hotline at (714) 480-2866.<br />

For more info on the county’s efforts to<br />

end homelessness call Karen Roper at<br />

714-480-2805.


Residents Allowed to<br />

Place Parking Meters<br />

in Front of Homes<br />

Faced by fiscal restraints, the city has<br />

decided to turn sidewalks and streets over<br />

the homeowners whose residences face<br />

upon those streets. Since the streets exist<br />

upon easements on the homeowners<br />

property, the city is simply returning to<br />

the homeowners that which is rightfully<br />

theirs. Recognizing that this may be a<br />

financial burden on some homeowners,<br />

the city has decided to allow residents to<br />

install parking meters in front of their<br />

homes to help pay for the upkeep of their<br />

portion of the street and sidewalk.<br />

Residents will be able to form neighborhood<br />

associations to realize some economy<br />

of scale in making street repairs.<br />

Also, police services will be turned over<br />

to neighborhood watch associations.<br />

It is possible that these neighborhood<br />

associations will join together and form a<br />

mega-association. It will be called a City.<br />

Fake Grass Field Closed<br />

Although year-round all-weather play<br />

was one of its selling points, in order to<br />

prevent wear and tear leading to an early<br />

replacement of the $13.4 million dollar<br />

fake grass investment at Lions Field, the<br />

field will be closed to all but one sports<br />

team per year.<br />

by Bossy Mann<br />

<strong>The</strong> Fulfill <strong>Fullerton</strong> Funding<br />

Federation (ffff, more formerly<br />

known as “fuff”), will be circulating<br />

petitions to solicit signatures for a<br />

ballot measure to permit slot<br />

machines in selected places in<br />

<strong>Fullerton</strong> to reduce the tax burden<br />

under which the city now struggles.<br />

For the city this proposal cannot<br />

and should not be seen as gambling<br />

inasmuch as it is a sure winner.<br />

<strong>The</strong> machines will be allowed in<br />

grocery stores, restaurants, City Hall<br />

and other venues where people go to<br />

dispose of their funds according to<br />

their shopping lists and whims of the<br />

moment.<br />

Slots will entertain patients in hospital,<br />

doctor, and dentist waiting<br />

rooms and barbershops where waiting<br />

customers have time to kill and<br />

are bored with reading out-of-date<br />

magazines that they’d never otherwise<br />

read even if they were in-date.<br />

With proper rules regarding the<br />

use of slots, a day in a jury pool can<br />

FullertownO<br />

♥<br />

♥ ♥<br />

btruser<br />

FULLERTOWN’S ONLY REAL NEWS • est.1800 (printed on .0001% recycled paper) • Volume 3400 #600 • APRIL FIRST 2102<br />

A Modest Fiscal Proposal for<br />

Limited Legalized Gambling in <strong>Fullerton</strong><br />

be seen by anyone as something to<br />

look forward to.<br />

In public buildings they will be<br />

restricted to lobbies, atria and foyers<br />

so as not to interfere with official<br />

duties. Public servents will be prohibited<br />

from playing while on duty<br />

except at coffee and lunch breaks.<br />

<strong>The</strong> machines will be allowed only<br />

in those public restrooms with multiple<br />

stalls for reasons of space and<br />

sanitary conditions.<br />

<strong>The</strong> city will maintain a licensing<br />

monopoly as a first line of defense<br />

against organized crime and other<br />

atempts to muscle in.<br />

Clearly, the success of this venture<br />

will rest on the good will, common<br />

sense, honesty and anti-taxation sentiments<br />

of the citizens of <strong>Fullerton</strong>,<br />

but the proponents of this proposal<br />

see an abundant fountain of all of<br />

these virtues in the populace.<br />

Remember the fuff motto: “Why<br />

pay for civic solvency when you can<br />

get it free and have fun at the same<br />

time?”<br />

Remember to sign the petition<br />

BELOW: THE ONLY REAL THING ON THE PAGE. SEE YOU THERE!!<br />

Reporter Zapped by Shrink-Ray<br />

Reporter Kay Jacuse (pictured above) was zapped by a Shrink-Ray as she<br />

attempted to hitchhike on a Tonka Truck. <strong>The</strong> truck had 46 wheels, each taller<br />

than most humans after they have been Shrink-Rayed. <strong>The</strong> truck was in the<br />

process of hauling a 340-ton pebble from its desert home under the cactus to the<br />

other side of the backyard where it will be transformed into a work of art and<br />

installed over an earthquake fault. <strong>The</strong> trip cost $11 million in corporation<br />

Monopoly money, which will be gained back through hefty tax cuts and several<br />

red hotels, according to Kay’s grandson who was directing traffic at the time.<br />

and be sure to vote for this win-win proposal.<br />

And give some thought to volunteering as a<br />

solicitor. Good fuffers are hard to find.<br />

Pending final formulation of the ballot measure,<br />

public comment can be emailed to<br />

www.lowcostcivicpride.fic.<br />

THE EDITOR:<br />

At left<br />

a portrayal<br />

of the editor<br />

at work<br />

by her<br />

youngest<br />

child Zac.<br />

INSIDE<br />

New CSUF President<br />

Donates Half of her<br />

$324,500 Salary to<br />

Scholarships...................page 23<br />

Arboretum to Grow Medical MJ<br />

to be Dispensed at the Historic<br />

Doctor’s House..............page 26<br />

Trader Joe's Considers a<br />

Move Downtown siting<br />

a mesh with its parking<br />

requirements..................page 29<br />

CALENDAR Page 13-15<br />

Council Votes to<br />

Ban Bars Downtown<br />

Recognizing that the plethora of bars in the<br />

downtown area and the problems that they<br />

cause are costing the city too much money, the<br />

Council has voted to ban all bars in the downtown<br />

area. A separate “bar district” will be<br />

established along Placentia Avenue, an area<br />

that can be policed by University Police, and<br />

where most of the problems will affect the city<br />

of Placentia. City staff estimates that this will<br />

save several million dollars in enforcement and<br />

clean-up costs.<br />

This action however will leave many vacant<br />

spaces downtown. To fill those spaces the city<br />

is seeking ways to encourage the most thriving<br />

enterprise in <strong>Fullerton</strong>, namely tattoo parlors.<br />

Believing that this is an underappreciated art<br />

form, the Council has approved a measure<br />

instructing staff to submit applications to the<br />

National Endowment for the Arts to sponsor<br />

juried exhibitions as well as scholarships for<br />

aspiring artists.<br />

PARAPROSDOKIANS*<br />

forwarded to the paper<br />

by Gary Jeene’s cousin<br />

•A bus station is where a bus stops. A train<br />

station is where a train stops. On my desk, I<br />

have a work station.<br />

•Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag<br />

you down to his level and beat you with experience.<br />

•Evening news is where they begin with<br />

“Good Evening,” and then proceed to tell you<br />

why it isn't.<br />

•To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first<br />

and call whatever you hit the target.<br />

•To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism.<br />

To steal from many is research.<br />

•Light travels faster than sound. This is why<br />

some people appear bright until you hear them<br />

speak.<br />

•If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.<br />

•<strong>The</strong> last thing I want to do is hurt you. But<br />

it's still on my list.<br />

•Hospitality is making your guests feel at<br />

home even when you wish they were.<br />

•How is it that it takes one match to start a<br />

forest fire and a whole box to start a campfire?<br />

•War does not determine who is right - only<br />

who is left.<br />

•Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.<br />

Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.<br />

•I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just<br />

wanted paychecks.<br />

•Whenever I fill out an application, in the<br />

part that says, “In case of emergency, notify:” I<br />

put “DOCTOR.”<br />

• “If I am reading this graph correctly, I<br />

would be very surprised.” - Steven Colbert<br />

•Women will never be equal to men until<br />

they can walk down the street with a bald head<br />

and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.<br />

•Behind every successful man is his woman.<br />

Behind the fall of a successful man is usually<br />

another woman.<br />

•A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy<br />

memory.<br />

• A bank is a place that will lend you money<br />

if you can prove you don’t need it.<br />

•When tempted to fight fire with fire,<br />

remember that the Fire Department usually<br />

uses water.<br />

•“‘<strong>The</strong> crows seemed to be calling his name,’<br />

thought Caw.” - Jack Handey<br />

•Why do Americans choose from just two<br />

people to run for president and 50 for Miss<br />

America?<br />

*A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech<br />

in which the latter part of a sentence<br />

or phrase is surprising or unexpected.

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