01.10.19

PW OPINION PW NEWS PW LIFE PW ARTS
EDITORIAL
EDITOR
Kevin Uhrich kevinu@pasadenaweekly.com
DEPUTY EDITOR
André Coleman andrec@pasadenaweekly.com
ARTS EDITOR
Carl Kozlowski carlk@pasadenaweekly.com
CALENDAR EDITOR
John Sollenberger johns@pasadenaweekly.com
CONTRIBUTING MUSIC EDITOR
Bliss
CONTRIBUTORS
Patti Carmalt-Vener, Justin Chapman, Peter Dreier, Randy
Jurado Ertll, Barry Gordon, John Grula, Aaron Harris, Chip
Jacobs, Rebecca Kuzins, Jana J. Monji, Christopher Nyerges,
Lionel Rolfe, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Ellen Snortland,
Erica Wayne
INTERNS
Emma Brown, Judah Foster, Tasha Gist,
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ART
ART DIRECTOR
Stephanie Torres artdirector@pasadenaweekly.com
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR
Richard Garcia
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Rochelle Bassarear
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS
AND PHOTOGRAPHERS
Danny Liao, Jen Sorensen,
Tom Tomorrow
ADVERTISING
SALES AND MARKETING
Alexandra Valdes,
Lisa Chase
CLASSIFIED ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Ann Turrietta (Legals)
BUSINESS
HUMAN RESOURCES
Andrea E. Baker
PAYROLL
Linda Lam
ACCOUNTING SPECIALISTS
Perla Castillo, Yiyang Wang,
Quinton Wright
OFFICE MANAGER
Ann Turrietta
CIRCULATION
Don S. Margolin
PUBLISHER
Dina Stegon
SOUTHLAND PUBLISHING
V.P. OF OPERATIONS
David Comden
PRESIDENT
Bruce Bolkin
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HOW TO REACH US
Address:
50 S. DeLacey Ave., Suite 200, Pasadena 91105
Telephone: (626) 584-1500
Fax: (626) 795-0149
AUDITED CIRCULATION of 27,516
Serving Alhambra, Altadena, Arcadia, Eagle
Rock, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, Montrose,
Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre and South
Pasadena
•LETTERS•
CHILDREN COME FIRST
Henry W. Longfellow
Elementary School teachers are
dedicated to our students and
community. We are a veteran
staff with most teachers having
15 or more years of experience.
We feel appreciated by our
principal, PTA, volunteers,
and community who support
us in our efforts to teach our
students. We are so thankful for
them on a daily basis!
However, we do not feel
appreciated by our district.
Over the last 10 years United
Teachers Pasadena (UTP) has had to negotiate tirelessly for any
wage increase. Our last negotiations in 2016 ended in fact finding
and a vote to strike if necessary. In recent budgets submitted to
Los Angeles County Office of Education, there are no monies set
aside for teacher salaries for the next three years. PUSD teachers
are already amongst the lowest paid in Los Angeles County, and
as the cost of living rises, we are essentially taking a pay cut each
year. How does PUSD expect to keep teachers and entice new
teachers to our district? Since the 2015-16 school year, Longfellow
has lost six highly qualified teachers. Most left to other districts
for higher pay and others left the profession entirely. Looking
forward, PUSD has proposed laying off teachers, increasing class
size, and closing more schools. These decisions are not beneficial
for our students, and they will definitely not draw highly qualified
teachers towards PUSD — which our students deserve!
PUSD is in a financial hardship due to its own decision-making
and negligent spending. How the district chooses to spend money
negatively affects the students, teachers and the community.
PUSD is losing enrollment partly due to the negativity in the news.
Parents are not rushing to enroll their children in a district that is
closing schools and is financially upside down.
Dr. McDonald and the board
must put the needs of the
primary stakeholders — the
children — first!
If not, our children will not
learn today in order to lead
tomorrow.
- LONGFELLOW TEACHERS:
XOCHITL BAJO, EMILY BRINK,
KAI VENABLE, JOANE MURO,
CHERYL HINOJOSA, PATRICIA
GIBERSON, CAROL PARKER,
MELLASON CHIDESTER, MAVIS
BROWN, ROBIN ARTIN, GOHAR
MURADYAN, ANI KARAPETYAN,
TYARA BROOKS, ELENA BROWN,
SARAH CLARK, CLAUDIA
ARBIZU, YESU BAYMUS, GINA
HERNANDEZ, JESSICA PINK, LENA
FARRA, MARY SHIMIZAKI
HARD LESSONS
Lesson 1: The stock market
is mainly a gambling place for
the rich and the super-rich. Poor
people who get into it, foolishly,
will lose everything because the
rich and super-rich have highly
paid advisers who tell them
exactly when to get out. They
sell all of their stocks and leave
the small investors and poor
investors holding the empty bag.
Lesson 2: Computers
now do 90 percent of the
stock market trades. These
computers can execute
10 billion trades in one
microsecond. Guess who owns
these computers. They are Wall
Street companies which, in
turn, are owned by the same
rich and super-rich in the first
lesson.
Lesson 3: The computers
are programmed to monitor
10,000 factors or more, which
the average investor cannot
do. They have built-in triggers
telling them when to buy or
sell.
Lesson 4: Trade is a big
factor. The so-called trade
war between China and the
US has been going on for the
past 25 years, but most people
are too stupid to realize this
or too poorly educated to
understand. It has been a one
way trade war, with China
imposing tariffs on many of
our products. President Trump
tried to impose the same tariffs
on Chinese goods and look
what happened. Where is the
fairness? China is allowed to
restrict our products, which
they have done for the past
25 years, and the US is not
allowed to do the same to
them. Total insanity.
Lesson 5: The Federal
Reserve is another biggie.
They make up their own rules,
which we are not allowed
to see. No one can check on
them to see what they are
doing and why? Is that fair in
a democratic system? I don’t
think so.
- JOHN JAY
VIA EMAIL
DULY NOTED
In “Obama Highway,” Jan. 3,
Andre Coleman incorrectly
identified State Sen. Anthony
Portantino as the state
senator who represents Eagle
Rock. Outgoing State Sen. Kevin
de Leon has been representing
Eagle Rock, where Occidental
College and the dedicated
section of the 134 Freeway
are located. Portantino represents
Pasadena and La Cañada
Flintridge. Also, Jimmy Gomez
is no longer the assemblyman
that represents Eagle Rock. He
is now the congressman that
represents Eagle Rock. Wendy
Carrillo is the assemblywoman
that represents Eagle Rock.
- KEN WALSH
EAGLE ROCK
01.10.19 | PASADENA WEEKLY 5