OOnn -- LLiinnee OOnn -- LLiinnee

The Official Publication of ACT P. O. Box 40074, (626) 795-2798

Published by Chuck Hains & Sally Beer

Volume 44 Number 1

January, 2016

ACT Kicks off the 2016 Elections with a Mock Iowa Caucus

Monday, February 1, 6:30 p.m. (The same night as Iowa’s Caucuses)

at

Mijares Restaurant 145 Palmetto Drive, Pasadena (enter from Pasadena Avenue)

Delicious Taco Bar ● (No Host Bar) ● $25 ● Election Hoopla ● Fun and Festivities Come and vote for your favorite candidate.

We had so much fun when we did our first Mock Iowa Caucus in 2008, that we wanted to do itagain. We can watch the real Iowa Caucus on TV while we enjoy the taco bar. Then our Moderator will kick off our Mock Caucus and let the fun begin. (Any ACT and/or ADC member from 2007 or2008 can participate. New members may join ACT or ADC for the $25 cost for the event.) Watch for an e-vite to reserve your spot -- however, reservations are not required. Feel free just to show up, bring friends and pay at the door or pay online at ACTPasadena.org.

Note: This is a combined ACT General Membership and ADC Meeting / Mock Iowa Caucus (we are deviating from our regular Thursday meeting day because we want to have the mock caucus on the same day the real caucus is happening.) We also will be voting on 2016-17 officers for ACT and the Arroyo Democratic Club

Historic Note: In our 2008 Mock Iowa Caucus, Hillary Clinton received 20 votes; John Edwards, 20 votes; Dennis Kucinich, 14 votes; and Barack Obama, 12 votes.

Seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it?

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Skipper Rostker 

We were saddened by the death of Skipper Rostker on December 7. Skipper was a champion for human rights and a friend to all. He was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1919, attendedArizona University, Northwestern and – 40years later – earned his degree at Cal State LA.He served in the US Navy on an amphibiousattack transport, the USS Dickens in WWII. He and his wife Pat, who predeceased him,lived in Pasadena for over 50 years. Theywere part of the lawsuit to force integration ofthe Pasadena School District, decided by theUS Supreme Court in favor of the communityin 1970. Skipper was a life-long Democratwho worked on numerous campaigns and wasSecretary for the State Democratic Party formany years. He was still picketing againstthe war at age 92. We won’t forget him and his old fire engine.We extend our sympathy to his four childrenand four grandchildren. They have suggestedthat any memorial contribution be made to thepolitical party of the donor’s choice.

Democratic Pre­Endorsement Conference 

Our local Democratic Pre-EndorsementConference will be held on Saturday, January30, beginning at 12:30 p.m. in the CommunityRoom of the Altadena Public Library, 600 E.Mariposa Street, Altadena. (Please park onMariposa, rather than in the Library parkinglot.) Absentee balloting is possible for dele-gates unable to attend their local meeting.

Check www.cadem.org/endorsements for moreinformation and for the time and location ofother regional conferences.

Author! Author! Congratulations to Jeanne Gleason Register,ACT Co-Chair, Pasadena Area NWPC leader,and “retired” educator, on the recent publica-tion of her book of historical fiction, “AcadianPassage.” Jeanne’s dynamic tale of romanceand struggle set against the background of theBritish expulsion of French settlers fromAcadia (the grand derangement) was inspiredby her and her relatives’ research into theirAcadian ancestry. “Acadian Passage” vividly describes that landand the Acadian people and their flight tosafety. It is an exciting story that illuminatesa period of history that is unfamiliar to manyof us – and makes us hunger for more know-ledge of that time and place. We enthusiastically recommend Jeanne’snovel. You won’t be able to put it down.

Welcome New & Returning ACT Members: Pablo Alvarado, Pasadena Patricia Guzman, Pasadena Greta Pruitt, La Crescenta

Special Thanks to Our Sustaining Members Richard & Nancy Esbenshade, Pasa. Jim Haight, Pasadena Judy Johnson, Pasadena Kris Ockershauer-Dunn, Pasadena

And really special thanks to Our Benefactors Susan & John Caldwell, San Marino

And Thanks to Members for Additional Contributions to ACT's Political Account

Mary Naff, La Canada

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Wonderings and Wanderings By Inman Moore

A Hard Look at Our Homeland

In March of 1946 I returned to the UnitedStates after many months in the South Pacificserving in the Navy during World War II.When I walked off the ship at Terminal IslandI wanted to get down and kiss the ground. Iwas that happy to be back home. I love Amer-ica. I know what the poet meant when hesaid:

Breathes there the man with soul so dead Who never to himself has said,

“This is my own my native land.”

America is where I was born. I have neverentertained the idea of moving to anothercountry. Visit? Yes! But not to permanentlymove there. I truly have a love affair withAmerica as many of you do. But we make agreat mistake when we think that we are per-fect and everyone in the world wants to live inAmerica. Obviously there are many people inthe world who have fled to America because ofcertain circumstances. My Irish ancestorscame to America because of harsh circumstan-ces. But most people want to live in the coun-try where they were born. Many look favora-bly upon America, but don’t want to perman-ently live in America.

We Americans often think we are the best ineverything. But this, in fact, is not true. Atpresent we are not at the top in several cate-gories. Our educational system ranks 14th inthe countries of the world, and we rank 37th inproviding healthcare. We do have the unenvi-able situation of ranking first in the world inprison population with 2.2 million people in-carcerated. We also rank first in militaryspending. Our military budget of 581 billion(2014 figures) is larger than the militarybudget of most of the other larger countries

combined. Russia, for example, has a militarybudget of 70 billion. China’s military budget is129 billion.

All of this is by way of saying that we may bespending in the wrong places. When the warhawks keep wanting us to spend more on themilitary and less on the programs that make anation great, we should realize what reallymakes a nation great. Otherwise we may findourselves spending all our money on protect-tion and leaving none for the things that trulymake a nation great and worth protecting.There continues to be great resistance to fund-ing a full healthcare program for our greatnation. Full Medicare for all should be ourobjective. Nothing less is worthy of our greatnation. Social Security continues to be attack-ed. Scare talks of Social Security going brokeare designed to frighten people into opposingit. Social Security is not broke and doesn’thave to ever be broke unless we want it to fail.

Here is my wish list and don’t tell me we can’taccomplish these things if we truly set ourminds and efforts to it. It is ridiculous to keepfighting to lower taxes when so many thingsneed to be funded, such as better road, rail,and air transportation, better schools, andbetter healthcare.

So, as we begin a new year, here is my wish list. It could happen!!! ● Give Peace a chance. It is easy to go to

war, but peace is so much superior. Why not have a Secretary of Peace.

● Increased support for the rights of women, including abortion.

● Acceptance of gays into all aspects of society as well as people of all races and colors.

● Revamp the process by which a person becomes a United States Citizen.

● Take climate change seriously. Why should the findings of science be discarded?

Continued on page 10

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by Jon Fuhrman

Friday,Jan. 8.

Rules, rules, rules. They say the devil isin the details, and that may be especially truethis year when looking at the detailed rulesfor the Republican Presidential race.

We’re only three weeks away from the Iowacaucuses, a month from New Hampshire, andthen South Carolina, Nevada and finallySuperTuesday on March 1, when 13 morestates have primaries or caucuses. All ofthese, on the surface, have to adhere to pro-portional representation rules, which, onewould think, would lead to a relatively fractur-ed delegate count. However, as one digs intothe variety of different rules each state hasadopted, a fascinating picture starts toemerge. Much of the detail here is gleaned from asuper-wonk site called FHQ, or FrontloadingHQ, maintained by Josh Putnam, a Univ. ofGeorgia lecturer in political science (www.front-

loading.blogspot.com). He has a deep analysis ofeach state’s unique approach to their primaryor caucus. One of the most interesting quirksis how states have set different minimumthresholds for delegate eligibility. Many ofthese rules were set in 2014 or early 2015,when no one really contemplated the potentialfor a dozen active candidates.

Iowa, for example, starts the process on Mon-day, Feburary 1st (and don’t forget to join usfor ACT’s own Mock Caucus that Mondayat Mijares, where we’ll tally preferences forthe Democratic candidates and watch the Iowaresults while snacking at their excellent tacobar). Iowa delegate allocation is dependent onthe state-wide caucus tallies, but candidatesneed to get at least 3.3% of the vote to qualifyfor any delegates. That seems like a reason-able threshold, eliminating candidates unlike-ly to go anywhere but giving at least 1 dele-gate to as many as 9 candidates. As a result,no candidate is likely to get a majority withinthat state (I’ll tell you later why that’s import-ant).

New Hampshire is next, on Feb. 9. Nowthings get tougher – their threshold is 10%.Based on the latest poll, only 3 candidates –Trump, Cruz and Rubio – would qualify forany delegates. Based on their rounding rules,Trump would get well over a majority of thedelegates.

Eleven days later is South Carolina. Theyhandle the proportionality requirement differ-ently, by allocating candidates by Congress-ional district as well as by state-wide totals.But under their rules, the winner in each Con-gressional district gets all the delegates, andthe winner state-wide gets all the at-largedelegates. So if Donald Trump, as predictedby the latest South Carolina poll and thelatest national polls, gets 1 vote more thanTed Cruz in each Congressional District andstate-wide, he wins all 50 delegates – quite a

by Jon Fuhrman

PPoolliittiiccaall NNootteess

Page two The Phoenix January, 2016

haul. Three days later, the Nevada caucusesgo back to Iowa-type rules, with a 3.3% thres-hold and most likely a broad distribution ofdelegates. Then, a week after that, we have 13 states act-ing on SuperTuesday. Although proportionalallocation is still the rule, thresholds nowreally start to have a critical impact. Fourstates – Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee andTexas – use a 20% threshold. Right now,based on national polls, only Trump is pollingabove 20%, although Cruz would likelyachieve that in his home state of Texas. Ifonly one candidate exceeds the threshold, that

that chose not to do preference polls (Colorado,North Dakota, Wyoming), and another 60delegates scattered among all the other can-didates. That would constitute a commandinglead for Trump, including a majority of dele-gates in 9 states.(1237 delegates are neededfor the nomination.) But there’s more, because those pesky rulesadd a further wrinkle. Each National Conven-tion drafts the rules for the next cycle, boththe rules for delegate selection and the rulesfor how the next convention operates. Thedelegate selection rules can be amended andtweaked over the 4 years between conven-

candidate wins all the delegates.Arkansas, Massachusetts andOklahoma use a 15% threshold,likely splitting delegates be-tween Trump and Cruz, but eliminating all the other candi-dates. Alaska uses a 13% thres-hold, and Minnesota uses 10%. Thus, it becomes harder andharder for lesser candidates towin delegates, even if they’regoing up from 5% to 8% to per-haps even over 10%. Yet the in-centive to stay in the race – particularly forBush and Rubio to hang around until theFlorida and Ohio winner-take-all primaries onMarch 15 – is so great, and the cost to keepgoing for just another three or four weeks somodest, that there won’t be much pressure topull out of the race in February, even if theydo terribly in Iowa and New Hampshire. Perv-ersely, that decreases the odds of crackingthese threshold percentages for anyone exceptDonald Trump, and possibly Ted Cruz. If the voting roughly follows the latest nation-al polling (which admittedly could changesharply), Trump would end up on March 2with about 400 delegates, Ted Cruz with 220,about 100 unpledged delegates from states

tions, and they have been, butthe convention rules can bechanged only at the next conven-tion. In 2012, as a way of helpingMitt Romney fend off challengersto his presumptive re-nominationand reelection in 2016, theconvention changed the require-ments for having one’s nameplaced in nomination at the con-vention. The old rules said a can-didate needed a plurality of dele-gates in 5 states to qualify. For2016, they changed the rule to a

majority of delegates from 8 states. When this rule was changed, no one everdreamed that there would be a dozen activecandidates. Even if one or two establishmentcandidates emerge to challenge Trump andCruz, it is unlikely, with many states usingproportional or congressional-district basedallocations, that one of them could get a major-ity of the delegates in 8 states (even when theDistrict of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, theVirgin Islands, and American Samoa arecounted as state delegations). The bottom line of all this is that is seemsnearly impossible for three candidates toqualify to have their names placed in nomina-

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tion at the Republican convention, and there isan excellent possibility that, even without amajority of the delegates, Donald Trump couldbe the only candidate who meets the require-ments to have his name placed in nomination.(This explains why the Cruz campaign hasbeen paying unusual attention to the conven-tions scheduled in March for the District ofColumbia, Guam, Virgin Islands and Ameri-can Samoa; winning majorities in two or threeof those conventions would gain a trivial num-ber of votes but could make the difference ingetting his name on the first ballot in the con-vention.) It is true that the convention could change therules, but that requires a majority vote. Andwhile a majority might not like having Trumpas their only nominated candidate, there is noguarantee that a majority could agree on analternative rule. By definition, any alterna-tive would let some candidates in (like Cruz)but not let in others; how low should the thres-hold go? Thus, even after the primaries andcaucuses are over, the GOP could continue tosee a bitter intra-party struggle. Many commentators have predicted that asthe actual caucuses and primaries get closer,we would see more rational decision-making(at least from their perspective) come to thefore. But we’re only 23 days away from Iowa,and I fail to see any signs of that happening.Ted Cruz and Donald Trump continue, notjust to lead, but to dominate the pack. Thenon-Trump/Cruz bloc seems hopelessly splin-tered. Cruz seems to have a bit of a lead inIowa, Trump a more comfortable lead in NewHampshire. Cruz, however, is starting tocome under determined assault. One staple of Iowa politics has been supportfor the RFS – the Renewable Fuel Standard –which requires mixing ethanol into gasoline toreduce petroleum usage and pollutants. Muchof that ethanol comes from Iowa corn, anddirectly or indirectly adds $5 billion to the

state’s economy. It was an article of faith thatno candidate could win Iowa without payinghomage to the RFS -- until Ted Cruz camealong. Cruz, true to his conservative ideology,is an unabashed opponent of corporate subsi-dies, of which RFS is one of the biggest. Cruzseems to be backing off that absolute opposi-tion a bit now, but he has been the maintarget of RFS supporters in Iowa.

Cruz’s eligibility to run is also coming undersharper attack. It is undisputed that he wasborn in Canada, but his mother was an Ameri-can citizen. However, that doesn’t automatic-ally make one a citizen. The statutory ruleswere quite clear: the citizen parent also had tohave resided in the United States for at least10 years, 5 of which had to have been after thecitizen parent’s 14th birthday. Typically, acitizen parent completes a Consular Report ofBirth Abroad – an FS240 form – that docu-ments both the birth of a child and that theparent meets the above requirements. No onehas quite nailed down whether Sen. Cruz’smother actually met those requirements, andwhile there is no particular reason to thinkshe did not, failing to provide explicit proof ordocumentation leaves room for speculation.I’m sure news bureaus are now frantically try-ing to trace Mrs. Cruz’s whereabouts in theyears prior to her marriage, but tracingpeople’s whereabouts 45 and 50 years ago isno easy trick. Who knows where this willlead?

I think the attacks on Cruz will eat away athis support, just enough, to deprive him of avictory in Iowa. But even if Cruz wins, mysense is that Trump is firmly enoughestablished that he will still prevail in NewHampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, andthen sweep most of the primaries on Super-Tuesday. It will be Trump vs. Clinton, for abattle royale in the fall.

-- Jon Fuhrman

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Pasadenans For A Livable Wage

The Pasadenans For A Livable Wage cam-paign continues with another hearing beforethe Economic Development and Technology(EDTech) Subcommittee of the City Council onWednesday, January 27 at 6 p.m. ACT is amember of the community coalition thatmakes up the membership of the PasadenansFor A Livable Wage.

The four committee members, Tyron Hamp-ton, District 1; Victor Gordo, Chair, District 5;Steve Madison, District 6, and Andy Wilson atthis point seem to agree on raising the mini-mum wage in annual increments to $15 perhour by 2020.

What they don’t agree on are the detailsaround exceptions for tipped workers, teen-agers, small businesses, non-profit organiza-tions, and wage enforcement. Also, thereseems to be agreement on the need for somesort of metrics to measure the impact of thehigher wages with the idea the increasesmight be postponed if there is an economicdowntown.

The EDTech committee directed the City’seconomic development staff to report back onJanuary 27, with details on a proposal thatwould support a $15 minimum wage similar tothe new LA County minimum wage ordinancestarting with a $0.50 per wage increase to$10.50 on July 1, 2106. The committee alsodirected staff to research exemptions for tip-ped workers and lower starting wages forteenagers or “learners.” For example, the LACounty ordinance specifies that learners mustbe paid at 85% of the prevailing wage.

The EDTech committee is expected to discussthe city staff report at length at the January27 meeting and then make a recommendationto the full city council for further action on thedevelopment of an ordinance.

Pasadenans For A Livable Wage is asking thefollowing four items be included in the newordinance: ● Raise the minimum wage in incremental

steps to $15 by 2020. ● Provide for cost of living allowances

starting in 2022. ● Provide for wage enforcement to prevent

wage theft. ● No exceptions to the wage increases for

various employers or classes of workers.

The best social policy is a good job. Pasadenacan be a leader in raising the wages and im-proving the lives of its low-income residents.To make that happen, we need ACT membersto ACT. Please contact the Mayor and yourcity council representative and ask him/her tosupport the Pasadenans For A Livable Wageproposal.

Also, please attend the EDTech meeting in theCouncil Chambers to support the proposalwith public comment.

Here is the contact information for MayorTornek and the City Council members: Mayor Terry Tornek:

ttornek@cityofpasadena.netDistrict 1 (Tyron Hampton):

cbell@cityofpasadena.netDistrict 2 (M. McAustin):

mmcaustin@cityofpasadena.netDistrict 3 (John Kennedy):

ChristianCruz@cityofpasadena.netDistrict 4 (Gene Masuda):

nsullivan@cityofpasadena.netDistrict 5 (Victor Gordo):

vdelacuba@cityofpasadena.netDistrict 6 (Steve Madison):

smadison@cityofpasadena.netDistrict 7 (Andy Wilson):

awilson@cityofpasadena.net

-- Ed Washatka

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From Anthony Portantino Dear Act Members, The release of Governor Brown’s latest budget this week has me excited to go back to Sacramento. During my entire six years in the Assembly it washeight of the recession and severe budget cuts.It sure would be nice to have resources to com-pliment a policy agenda. Here are a few of thehighlights of Brown’s budget proposal: An increase in school spending to $10,591 perstudent. This is $3600 more than the reces-sion days. $1 billion to reduce emissions, funding formass transit and incentives for zero-emissionvehicles. A$65 per vehicle highway user fee to helpgenerate money for road repairs. The user feeidea needs to serious consideration as themore Californians laudable end their relianceon gasoline, the less sales tax revenue is gen-erated for road repairs and maintenance. $80 million for regional centers, services forthe autistic and developmentally disabled, andincreased direct payments for the blind elderlyand disabled. There are also negotiations going on to includea new school facilities bond. As the Chair ofPasadena City College Measure P Bond Over-sight Committee and a public school parentI’m hoping that the legislature and the Gover-nor quickly come together to agree on this pro-posed bond for Community Colleges and K-12campuses. According to the Sacramento Bee,the Governor has expressed reservationsabout the current proposal on the table. It’svery important for today’s students to havegreat facilities and large statewide bonds likethis spreads needed prevailing wage jobsthroughout California.

Like I said, it’s exciting times in the Capitol. Independently, the State Senate proposed a $2billion package to end homelessness in Cali-fornia with a focus on Los Angeles County.Interestingly, our County Supervisor imme-diately criticized the plan. A coordinatedstatewide effort to end homeless has been along-time coming. Imagine being on thestreets during the recent El Niño and you cansee why we need to collectively and seriouslyaddress mental health and homelessness. Recently, Time Wendler and I were verypleased to support a sizable grant from theSanta Monica Mountains Conservancy to theArroyos and Foothills Conservancy to helppreserve Cottonwood Canyon in Pasadena. Tolearn more about the AFC and Cottonwoodfollow this link: http://arroyosfoothills.squarespace.com/cottonwood/

Locally, it was quite a holiday with amazingweather and our terrific Rose Parade andGame. Mayor Tornek is right when he saysthat Pasadena owns New Year’s Day. I hadthe chance to be just a dad on January 1. Itook Bella to the parade and Sofia to the gameon the glorious So Cal day. Very pleased toreport that several local community floats wonawards including the great community self-builts from South Pasadena, Sierra Madre,Burbank and La Cañada Flintridge. Have a safe, happy and successful New Year!

-- AnthonyAnthony Portantino is the Chair of the PCC BondOversight Committee, a Visiting Fellow at USC, ourformer State Assemblymember and a two term pastACT Co-Chair.

Wanted: A Photo of you in a Special Place

Where have you been recently? (Either nearor far.) Please share your photo with Chuck athains27@sbcglobal.net for ThePhoenix.

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From 25th District State Senator Carol Liu... Sacramento Update Happy New Year everyone! The Legis-lature is off to a quick start this year. I waspleased to join the Senate President Pro Tem,Kevin de León, and a bi-partisan coalition ofSenators in presenting our plan to make $2billion available to cities for affordable hous-ing, mental health and related services for thehomeless. This will give cities tools to help thehomeless instead of criminalizing them.

Senator de León and I are also introducinglegislation authorizing pilot programs fordelivering technical assistance to our countiesand school districts as they carry out theirplans to close the achievement gap in accor-dance with the Local Control Funding Form-ula. I also have a teacher professionaldevelopment bill in the works as well aslegislation to streamline the reimbursementprocess for School-Based Health Care Centers.

My bill to improve access to information aboutresources and delivery of state aging and longterm care services will be up for hearing thismonth in the Senate Health Committee. I amcautiously optimistic that it will pass. I amalso crafting a new bill to address long termcare financing. With people living longer, it isestimated that 70 percent of those who are 65years of age or older will require some form oflong term services and supports, somethingmany of them will not be able to afford.

Meanwhile, SB 675, my bill requiring greaterand earlier involvement by caregivers in thehospital patient discharge process, went intoeffect on January 1. I am working with AARP,

the Hospital Association, and other stake-holders to make sure people are aware andtake advantage of the law. I was honored tobe recognized by AARP this month for mywork on behalf of family caregivers. Sixty-fivepercent of older persons with long-term careneeds rely exclusively on family and friends toprovide assistance. The hope is that earlierengagement in the discharge planning processtogether with better information and supportfor caregivers will reduce hospital readmiss-ions for the patients.

Also during our first week in 2016, GovernorBrown presented his 2016-2017 budget. Over-all the Governor proposed a $122.6 billionGeneral Fund budget plan that makes signifi-cant increases in funding for education, healthcare and state infrastructure, while contribu-ting to the state's Rainy Day Fund and payingdown state debts and liabilities. He remainscautious about spending and the future eco-nomic stability of the state. Thus begins thesix-month process of legislative hearings andultimately, negotiations to enact a budget inJune. You can find a summary of the budgetand more detailed information on the processat http://sbud.senate.ca.gov/budgetinformation. Wishing you and your loved ones Health,Happiness and Peace in 2016. Sen. Liu represents about 930,000 people in the 25th Senate District. Visit www.senate.ca.gov/LIU.

February Phoenix Deadline The February Phoenix deadline will be Sun-day, February 7. Please send items to ChuckHains at hains27@sbcglobal.net on or beforethat date. Mailing preparation will be Thurs-day, February 11 at 7 p.m. at a location to bedetermined. (Mailers will receive a remindervia phone.)

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Nestle Bottled Water under Fire Per a Release dated Oct. 13, 2015, by TheCenter for Biological Diversity, it, joined byCourage Campaign Institute and Story ofStuff Project filed a lawsuit against the U.S.Forest Service. It claims the defendant hasallowed Nestle to continue to bottle millions ofgallons of water from San Bernardino Nation-al Forest with a permit that expired in 1988. The release states: Nestle’s four-mile pipelinesiphons water from Strawberry Creek tobottleing operations in Ontario, CA. In 2014an estimated 28 Million gallons followed thisroute and were sold under Nestle’s Arrowheadlabel. Last year 68,000 gallons per day weresiphoned out. Reports indicate water levels atthe Creek are at record lows. All of this inexchange for a $524 payment every year to theForest Service. The permit expired in 1988. The Center for Biological Diversity stated “CAis in the middle of its worst drought in centur-ies, and the wildlife that rely on the Creek areseeing their precious water siphoned awayevery day.” Courage Campaign Institute stated “In thespring, we asked Nestle to do the right thing,and they threw it back in our faces, tellingCalifornians they’d take more of our water ifthey could.” The release states the U.S. Forest Service has effectively been an enabler. The suit calls for an immediate shut down of the pipeline and a full permitting process be conducted including environmental reviews.

--Barbara Paul

Progressive Discussion Group Friday Morning Progressive Discussion Groupmeets on every first and third Friday of themonth, 9 a.m. at Dupar’s Restaurant, 214 S.Lake Ave, in Pasadena..

Inman Moore, continued from page three ● Provide education free through the college

level for all who want it and keep up theirgrades. If tiny Finland can do it, why can’twe?

● Work hard to produce clean energy. ● Support for strong international labor

unions. ● Provide easier access to proper housing

facilities. We did it for our veterans. Whynot all?

● Strive for more equitable income. ● A more equitable tax structure. It is ridi-

culous to run our country on less taxeswith the lame excuse that politicians arecrooks. Well, some business and profess-ional people are also crooks. We don’tdiscount business and professions becausethere are some “bad apples.” Politiciansare a noble profession and a great countrydeserves our financial support.

● Improvements to the healthcare act andquit the farcical act of “no money for im-proving the healthcare system.”

● Work to get more people to vote includingautomatic registration of every personwhen they become 18 years of age.

So you may say all this is impossible. Well, Ican dream can’t I? And dreams can become areality if we become serious about makingAmerica truly great.

-- Inman

ACT Coalition-Building & Outreach Committee Report This month’s report includes the MadisonElementary School Issue, CICOPP/PoliceOversight, and the litigation over the McDadeshooting Report. You can read Dale Grone-meier’s report in this month’s on-line Phoenixat ACTPasadena.org. The Steering Commit-tee will schedule a program to address theMadison issue in the near future.

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ACT Coalition-Building & Outreach Committee Report Madison Elementary School Issue

We have for a long time agonized over whatwe saw as a lack of political organization inthe Pasadena Latino community that accountsfor the limited political representation of theLatino community in our local elected offices.There is now a grass-roots coalition fighting torepresent the Latino community on the PUSDMadison Elementary School principal select-ion issue – CCEJAM, the Citizens Council forEquality and Justice at Madison. ACT mem-ber Esteban Lizardo (former PUSD Boardmember), ACT member Vannia de la Cuba(Victor Gordo’s field rep), former ACT memberRoberta Martinez, and new ACT memberPablo Alvarado (the head of the principalPasadena organization fighting for immigrantrights in Pasadena, the Pasadena Jobs Center)were among the Latino leaders who sought anearly resolution of the conflict, were rebuffed,and are now supporting CCEJAM’s efforts.The principal supporters of the new MadisonPrincipal are long-time adversaries of ACTRamon Miramontes and Scott Phelps; BoardMembers who ACT has helped elect seem topresently be saying that newly-appointedSuperintendent Brian McDonald should besupported and/or newly-appointed PrincipalJuan Ruelas should be given a chance.

CCEJAM’s primary positions are (1) failing togive Madison the right to have a selectioncommittee of site stakeholders who interview-ed candidates and recommended 3 applicantsfor the Superintendent to choose from wasracially and wealth discriminatory when otherschool selecting a new principal had that pro-cess, (2) the new principal has been an insen-sitive bull-in-a-china shop who has drivenaway 2/3 of Madison’s teachers and alienatedthe community, and (3) the rationale that thenew principal accomplished educational won-

ders at Roosevelt Elementary school is in-accurate.

Editor’s Note: The Steering Committee willschedule a program to address the Madisonissues at an upcoming Steering Committeemeeting – both to educate ourselves and have adiscussion on the issue.

CICOPP/Police Oversight

Consultant visits & related meetings: The Cityhas retained excellent consultants to studyoversight models and to help steer the PublicSafety Committee and City Council throughthe process of adopting an Independent PoliceAuditor (IPA) – both are former Presidents ofNACOLE (National Association for CivilianOvernight of Law Enforcement) and both havehands-on experience doing police oversight inmajor cities such as San Jose and Seattle.They will be visiting Pasadena from Tuesday,January 26, through Thursday, January 28, tomeet with stakeholders and to participate inpublic meetings. A 3-hour meeting with theCoalition for Civilian Oversight of the Pasa-dena Police (CICOPP) is scheduled for:

Wednesday, January 27, 1-3 p.m., All Saints Church, Scott Hall 5: Consultants meet with CICOPP

A number of ACT members will be participa-ting. If any other members of the SteeringCommittee wish to participate in the 3-hoursession with the City’s consultants, let meknow.

Open public meetings will be the following:

Tuesday, January 26, 6 p.m., Public Safety Committee meeting, City Hall Council Chambers

Thursday, January 28, 6 p.m., Northwest Commission meeting, Jackie Robinson Center

The road ahead on the IPA: We believe that

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we now have a majority of the Board who willsupport an IPA. Skip Hickambottom and Ihave prepared a legal analysis supporting thatthe ACT Proposal for an IPA reporting to thePublic Safety Committee. CICOPP is prepar-ing a specific IPA proposal for Pasadena thatit will release prior to the consultants’ visitand which it will advocate for during theirvisit. We are aiming on getting the consul-tants’ report prior to February 15, holding 2more public meetings in late February to earlyMarch, and getting Public Safety Committee/City Council approval at a meeting in lateMarch or early April. If this schedule is accom-plished, it might result in an IPA being hiredduring the summer of this year.

The Public Records Act litigation overthe McDade shooting OIR Group Report:The release of the less-redacted OIR GroupReport on December 2 was followed by amarathon 6-hour joint meeting of the PublicSafety Committee and City Council on Decem-ber 7 that included participation by the OIRGroup authors in the meeting. Skip Hickam-bottom and I have generated 8 op-ed piecesthat were published in Pasadena Now and thePasadena Weekly; the Star News EditorialBoard published its editorial reaffirming itssupport for the IPA because of the Report andbecause of Chief Sanchez’s dismissive reactionto it.

The trial court has a hearing scheduled forJanuary 14 on issuing a revised judgment inlight of the Court of Appeals opinion requiringfewer redactions. We are preparing a motionfor attorneys’ fees for the reserved date ofApril 9. If we obtain attorneys fees, the firstpriority will be repaying costs and expenses(ACT’s $500 payment will fall in this cate-gory), including my firm’s expenses on pro-gressive coalitions (which includes the salarywe have advanced for ACT member KristenGreen working through our office as a com-munity organizer from June, 2015-May, 2016).

The remainder of any award will be donatedback to CICOPP constituent organizations andother local progressive activity, which willinclude a donation to ACT if the recovery issufficient.

-- Dale Gronemeier, Chair, ACT Coalition-Building & Outreach Committee

dlg@dgronemeier.com

Want to run, or help someone else do so?

CAMPAIGN WORKSHOP: GETTING STARTED

SATURDAY JANUARY 16th, 8:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

HOW TO RAISE AND MANAGE THE MONEY NEEDED TO WIN

Calvary Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall 1050 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena

(park off El Centro) Sponsored by NWPC & WISPPA, and many

local elected officials & women’s organizations $25 includes refreshments and handouts

For info and to register contact Betty Emirhanian, bemirhanian@msn.com,

323/254-7402 There are very few women sitting on ourlocal city councils and boards. Many in theSan Gabriel Valley have no, or very few,women. Los Angeles city council has 1 out of15! We want to encourage pro-Choice pro-gressive women to run, and then help them towin. It is also a great tool for those who wantto help others put on a winning campaign.Candidates should encourage their currentand future staff and volunteers to attend. The workshop focuses on how to get starteddeveloping the resources needed to win, play-ing by the rules and staying legal. Pleaseregister in advance, but you can do so at thedoor, from 8:30am. Open to all.

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Page two The Phoenix January, 2016

Page thirteen

It’s Membership Renewal Time for ACT and the Arroyo Democratic Club Your membership renewal letter will arrive in about a week. Please respond as soon as you are able or use the form below and mail your check c/o ACT/ADC, P. O. Box 40074, Pasadena, CA 91114-7074. Or you may renew online at www.ACTpasadena.org if you choose. ACT & ADC dues are still a bargain, especially if you join both organizations. P.S. If you have any questions about your membership contact Executive Director Jon Fuhrman atjon_fuhrman@charter.net or 626 795-5255.

I'd like to join both groups for one low price! (Checks payable to ACT/ADC) � $40 Single � $70 Single Sustaining � $25 Each additional member per household � $90 Double Sustaining � $15 Student or limited income � $150 Patron � $275 Benefactor I'd like to join ACT (Checks payable to ACT) � $35 Single � $60 Single Sustaining � $20 Each additional member per household � $85 Double Sustaining � $15 Student or limited income � $125 Patron � $20 Gift Membership (NEW!) � $275 Benefactor I'd like to join the Arroyo Democratic Club (Checks payable to ADC) � $35 Single � $60 Single Sustaining � $20 Each additional member per household � $85 Double Sustaining � $15 Student or limited income � $125 Patron � $275 Benefactor Extra Contribution  � $ ___________ Political Account (for endorsed candidates and issues) � $ ___________ Operating Account (for organizational costs) $ __________ Total enclosed

Name Home Phone

Address Office Phone

City ZIP

Email address

Mail to ACT, P. O. Box 40074, Pasadena, CA 91114-7074

RENEW TODAY

Page two The Phoenix January, 2016

Calendar Jan 15 Progressive Discussion Group Friday at Dupar’s Restaurant, 214 S. 9 a.m. Lake Ave., Pasadena. Contact

Inman Moore at 626 795-2201 for details.

Jan 16 Campaign Workshop at Calvary Saturday Presbyterian Church Fellow- 8:30 -12:15 ship Hall, 1050 Fremont Ave.,

South Pasadena. (Park off El Centro just east of Fremont.) $25 per person. Contact Betty Emirhanian, 323 254-7402.

Jan 19 ACT Coalition Building & Out- Tuesday reach Committee meeting at 7:30 p.m. Gronemeier & Associates’ office,

1490 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock

Jan 30 Local Democratic Pre-Endorse- Saturday ment Conference in the Com- 12:30 p.m. munity Room, Altadena Library,

600 E. Mariposa St.

Feb 1 Mock Iowa Caucus and ACT Monday Steering Committee and ADC 6:30 p.m. meeting at Mijares Restaurant,

145 Palmetto Drive, Pasadena (enter from Pasadena Ave.) $25 per person.

Feb 5 & 19 Progressive Discussion Group. Friday 9 am Details same as 1/15.

Feb 26-28 2016 California Democratic

Fri.-Sunday State Convention, San Jose Convention Center.

March 12-13 Research Committee endorse- Sat.-Sunday ment interviews.

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P. O. Box 40074 Pasadena, California 91114-7074