10.25.18

More documents

Recommendations

Info

PW OPINION PW NEWS PW LIFE PW ARTS •HUTCHINSONREPORT• EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON TALK IS CHEAP GOP AND TRUMP DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO TURN EXPECTED BLUE WAVE INTO A TRICKLE The political chatter on television these days is that the much ballyhooed Blue Wave may be nothing more than just talk. That’s a stunning turnabout from what was touted for months as a virtual article of faith by Democrats poised to take back the House and, with some luck, the Senate. The idea of a Blue Wave occurring in the Nov. 6 election is based on the notion that women, blacks, Hispanics and young people are so furious at President Trump and the GOP that they will storm the polls for a few dozen contested congressional districts and tip them to the Democrats. The white-hot battle over the Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation, and the insults heaped on women who told their harrowing stories of sexual abuse, appeared to have sealed the fate of the GOP. So what now makes anyone think that the Democrats have suddenly come unraveled? In reality, nothing has changed. Yes, Trump’s recent uptick in popularity and an alleged GOP voter base backlash over the beat down of Kavanaugh by Democrats is cited as the prime reasons for this alleged reversal of Democratic fortunes. However, this is mostly self-serving media and GOP hype. There’s no evidence that there’s been any reduction in Democratic anger at Trump, or that Democratic voters will stay home on Election Day. The stakes are simply too high for that to happen, and these voters know this. The intense voter registration drives, the massive amounts of small donor donations to Democratic candidates, and the willingness of top Democrats to urge candidates to get down and dirty with Trump and the GOP are good signs that Democrats do understand what this election means to the direction of the country. Trump and the GOP also understand this. That’s why they are working overtime to stymie any Democratic surge on Nov. 6. Trump has even reached back into his stockpile of racist, inflammatory and scary rhetoric — from calling immigrants names and heaping praise on a thuggish congressman who body slammed a reporter to claiming anyone who votes for a Democrat is “crazy.” These tactics worked to an extent in 2016 with some under-educated blue collar white males in a handful of must-win states, and Trump hopes they will work again. But this time it’s not just Trump dropping bombs to whip up Republican voters. The GOP has dug deep into its own bag of dirty tricks to tamp down the vote. The most outrageous example of this is in Georgia where GOP leaders have purged tens of thousands of mostly black people from voter rolls. Not surprisingly, there are variations of the GOP’s vote suppression ploy occurring in other states, namely Texas, North Dakota, Arizona and Wisconsin. But the Republicans didn’t stop there. The Grand Old Party went even lower into the gutter, dredging up a phony front group called Black Americans for the President’s Agenda. It bankrolled a series of ludicrous radio ads claiming a vote for the Democrats will lead to “lynchings” of blacks. For his part, Trump has played one other card. He preemptively points his finger at the GOP for losing the House — even before the vote. This is an effort to whipsaw the GOP and his base to beg, borrow or steal to ward off defeat. Trump and the GOP believe this is more than enough to continue fueling right-wing media noise and Democratic doubts about the outcome of the election. The great fear of the GOP is that a Democratic surge would stop Republicans in their drive for total domination of national and state governments, not just now, but for decades to come. The latest tactic is to talk and write about a Blue Trickle rather than a flood sweeping over the country on Election Day. This fits neatly into the GOP aim to do and say anything that will keep as many Democratic voters as possible away from the polls. Now that the theme of a Blue Wave bust has become popular, expect that type of talk to accelerate in the next few days. Just remember that the best way to ensure this bogus rhetoric remains nothing more than talk is by voting on Nov. 6. ■ Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a political analyst and the author of “Make a Democratic Blue Wave More than Talk” (Amazon). Along with being a weekly co-host of “The Al Sharpton Show” on Radio One, he also hosts “The Hutchinson Report” each week on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifi ca Network. 6 PASADENA WEEKLY | <strong>10.25.18</strong>
• NEWS • PASADENA | ALHAMBRA | ALTADENA | ARCADIA | EAGLE ROCK | GLENDALE | LA CAÑADA | MONTROSE | SAN MARINO | SIERRA MADRE | SOUTH PASADENA ESSENTIALS IN THE BALANCE MEASURE I, A CITY SALES TAX HIKE, WOULD RAISE $21 MILLION A YEAR EXPENSIVE LESSONS MANY OPPOSE RAISING CITY SALES TAX TO HELP PUBLIC SCHOOLS SHATTERING CALM AFTER A YEAR OF PEACE, ISIS RE- EMERGES IN MOSUL P. 8 P. 8 P. 8 WASTE MISMANAGEMENT COUNTY ‘BIG DIG’ PROJECT AT DEVIL’S GATE DAM DRAWS THE IRE OF RESIDENTS AND ACTIVISTS ALIKE BY ANDRÉ COLEMAN | PHOTO BY CATHERINE BAUKNIGHT The first phase of a controversial four-year sediment removal project in Devil’s Gate Dam is scheduled to begin at the end of the month — a project which will result in hundreds of truck trips a day in and out of Hahamongna Watershed Park. During this phase of the $66.6 million Devil’s Gate Dam Sediment Removal Project, vegetation will be removed from the first 50 acres behind the dam, and dirt roads will be paved over to make way for trucks entering and exiting the park from the Foothill (210) Freeway in April. The construction will force the closure of some sections of recreational trails in the rugged foothills of Northwest Pasadena. All told, 1.7 million cubic yards of sediment will be removed from 70 acres to help clear debris-filled spillways in the Devil’s Gate Dam. WEEKLY WEATHER THU 85° FRI 88° SAT 88° SUN 87° Devil’s Gate Dam Critics claim the traffic impacts, noise and air pollution caused by the trucks and the sediment will present a massive health hazard and impact their quality of life for years. They are joined by conservationists who say the project will decimate Hahamongna Watershed Park‘s ecosystem. The project, dubbed “The Big Dig,” has been compared to Boston’s Big Dig, a $14.8 billion traffic tunnel project that negatively impacted area residents for 15 years. “The County Flood Control District’s sediment and habitat removal program is going to be devastating to Hahamongna, the most precious environmental zone in our region,” said Arroyo Seco Foundation Managing Director Tim Brick. “The Arroyo Seco Foundation and the Pasadena Audubon Society have tried through a CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 MON 79° WEB EXCLUSIVE COLLECT, CLEAN, STORE BACKERS SAY MEASURE W PARCEL TAX WOULD HELP IN CAPTURING AND SAVING STORM WATER RUNOFF If approved, Measure W, a hard-surface parcel tax on the Nov. 6 ballot, would raise $300 million a year to fund projects aimed at collecting, cleaning and storing storm water runoff that would otherwise flow into the ocean. The LA County Board of Supervisors on July 17 approved the Safe, Clean Water Program by a vote of 4-1, with only Supervisor Kathryn Barger dissenting. Real estate and building trade associations expressed caution and in some cases mild opposition to the measure at the July board meeting. “My members will not support a tax without a dusk clause. You need to get this right the first time,” Laura Olhasso of the Pasadena–Foothills Association of Realtors told the supervisors. Barger’s district includes Pasadena and Altadena. If voters approve Measure W, the parcel tax would generate funds through a 2.5- cent per square foot tax on all impermeable surfaces — roofs, sidewalks, concrete patios, driveways and other hard tops — on private property. Schools and seniors would be exempt from the tax. To determine how much a particular homeowner would pay, visit http://safecleanwaterla.org/. “We have to do something about storm water,” said Supervisor Shelia Kuehl, who co-authored Measure W along with Supervisor Hilda Solis. “Two-thirds of our water supply is imported and we have to find ways to increase our water supply. “We are very aware that 100 billion gallons of water a year float out to the ocean,” Kuehl continued. “We’re already cleaning some of it but not all of it, about a billion gallons. With this measure we could capture twice that amount, clean it and store it.” “Our beach cities are bearing the brunt of our outdated water infrastructure. We have to get serious about capturing and cleaning rainfall to not only preserve the health of our beaches, but also replenish our water supply,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “I think this is important, and it will be up to the voters to decide if it is important to them as well.” TUE 75° WED 75° — Gary Walker THU 75° <strong>10.25.18</strong> | PASADENA WEEKLY 7
Page 1 and 2: 10.25.18 | PASADENAWEEKLY.COM | GRE
Page 3 and 4: 10.25.18 | VOLUME 34 | NUMBER 42 op
Page 5: 10.18.18 | PASADENAWEEKLY.COM | GRE
Page 9 and 10: The Real Kevin de León CANDIDATE F
Page 11 and 12: • LIFE • BULLETIN BOARD NEWS AN
Page 13 and 14: 10.25.18 | PASADENA WEEKLY 13
Page 15 and 16: PW OPINION PW NEWS PW LIFE PW ARTS
Page 17 and 18: • ARTS • MUSICAL FIRE SHARP-WIT
Page 25 and 26: Business Directory PUBLIC NOTICES N
Page 27 and 28: through bankruptcy, you may have be
Page 29 and 30: FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
Page 31: 10.25.18 | PASADENA WEEKLY 31

10.25.18

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?