Letters: Suffering under Prop. 47

Re: “Prop. 47 a tough lesson in initiative’s weakness” [Opinion, July 30]: Former Assemblyman Mike Gatto explains some of the myriad problems with Prop. 47, especially how it has virtually eliminated punishment for so many crimes.

I wish he had referred to this wrong-headed proposition by the deceptive title used when voters were sold this bill of goods: “The Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act.” Except for those Californians who spend too much time in the statehouse rather than their own neighborhood, it’s unimaginable that anyone would now argue that we’re safer as a result of Prop. 47. Theft and break-ins have soared in my neighborhood.

Could the growing homelessness problems in Orange County have anything to do with Gatto’s assertion that Prop. 47 eliminates judges’ ability to compel drug offenders into rehab to avoid a felony conviction? This certainly merits consideration.

What’s readily apparent now is that former LAPD Chief Bernard Parks had a valid point when in reference to Prop. 47 he said that drug addicts who don’t have regular jobs would benefit. It gave them an attractive and convenient, low-risk way to support their addiction.

Good, law-abiding Californians are now suffering the consequences. Yes, Prop. 47 does need fixing and that’s something that our leadership in California should be spending time on.

— Steve Shatynski, Brea

Shady recall effort

Re: “More shady politics from Sacramento” [Opinion, Aug. 6]: I choked on my coffee reading Jon Coupal’s column. Living in Brea, I was witness to the multiple signature gatherers who lied to folks telling them that they were signing a petition to recall the gas tax. This campaign was funded by outsiders to regain a Republican seat and had nothing to do with Sen. Newman’s performance representing the 29th district.

Now, Mr. Coupal cries foul that the Democrats are not “up front” about their political agenda. People are frustrated and cynical about politics but this column by a person who is central in this recall ruse — that is cynical. I would propose that we pass a bill to outlaw paid signature gathering. If a person is passionate about an issue they will volunteer their time to gather signatures but the current law allows big money interests to hire folks to deceive us. Mr. Coupal’s dishonesty is egregious and the reason that many are cynical and disgusted by the political process.

— Theresa Ullrich, Brea

08.08.2017No comments
We’re asking readers to share their favorite political joke

Wednesday, Aug. 16, is the annual National Tell a Joke Day. Americans sure could use more levity right now.

So we’re taking a break from our weekly tradition of asking readers for their opinions on serious issues. Instead of a normal Question of the Week, we’re asking you to share your favorite political joke.

By “political,” we really mean anything related to current events. And by “joke,” we mean any funny story, one-liner or quip. It could be your own or a clever line from a comedian, commentator or politician. Remember that it should fit within our 150-word limit for a letter to the editor — in any case, brevity is the soul of wit.

It could be an old joke that still fits today, as many political jokes do. Think of Will Rogers’ line: “I belong to no organized party. I’m a Democrat.” (One piece of advice: “My congressman is a joke” is not, in itself, a joke.)

Stand-up comedy, satire, cartoons, movies, TV sitcoms, late-night monologues, sketch shows and mock news shows are only the common modern forms of comedy that not only entertain, but also can get to the truth about a politician or issue in a way that serious commentary can’t.

Politicians sometimes get into the act themselves. Humor, especially self-deprecating humor, can be an endearing quality in a powerful person. Most of our best presidents could deliver a joke.

The lines between politics and comedy might be blurred now more than ever. Comedy writer and performer Al Franken now is a U.S. senator. When White House spokesman Sean Spicer resigned, many mourned the apparent end of Melissa McCarthy’s portrayals of Spicer on “Saturday Night Live.” Comedians who are seen to have gone too far have themselves become fodder for political commentary. Many people say they get their news from listening to comedy shows.

We’d like to hear your opinion of political humor today.

But mostly, we’d like to hear your favorite joke.

Email it to letters@ocregister.com. Please include your full name and city or community of residence. Provide a daytime phone number. Or, if you prefer, share your views in the comments section that accompanies this article online.

We’ll publish as many responses as possible.

08.08.2017No comments
Whose UC is it? — still a valid question

As a new school year approaches on the nine campuses of the University of California, it’s fair for parents of prospective students to ask once again, as many have for at least the last eight years, whose UC will it be?

The question first arose during the Great Recession that began about nine years ago, a time when UC began accepting more and more out-of-state and foreign students to help make up for funding cuts inflicted by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislators.

Over 12 years, the foreign and out-of-state enrollment at UC — some of whose campuses are routinely listed among the top five public universities in America and the world — rose from 5 percent to more than 21 percent. University administrators were forced to concede the $26,000 in extra tuition paid by the children of Arab oil sheiks and Chinese multi-millionaires and government-subsidized students from myriad other places had a lot to do with their vastly increased numbers at UC.

Meanwhile, the proportion of highly eligible California high school graduates who actually went to UC was falling despite their supposedly being guaranteed a slot somewhere in the university.

About two years ago, administrators began feeling some heat over this, with state legislators threatening to cut the taxpayer contributions to UC coffers unless the trend stopped.

So UC regents voted overwhelmingly in late 2015 for a plan to increase in-state enrollment by 5,000 students in each of the next two years, this fall being the plan’s second year.

This action, proposed by UC President Janet Napolitano, amounted to a tacit admission that the critics were correct.

Since then, there has been a bit of a shift toward higher enrollments of Californians at UC. The system announced as it sent out acceptance offers this spring it would have 2,500 more California undergraduates than it did two years ago. Not exactly the 10,000 promised by the university’s governing board back then, but progress nonetheless.

In fact, UC reported that admission offers to Californians declined this year by about 1,200 from last year, a drop of almost 2 percent. Meanwhile, a reported 31,030 non-Californians got admission offers, a jump of about 4 percent from last year.

Justifiable outcries began immediately. “UC officials are tone deaf and insensitive to Californians and the (state’s) master plan for higher education,” said state Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Roseville. “Californians subsidize UC so that their children may attend and learn to be competitive in this global economy. Instead, UC officials are admitting non-Californians to the detriment of California students.”

What Nielsen said is more true of the primo UC campuses like Berkeley, UCLA, San Diego and Irvine than it is of those at Riverside, Merced and Santa Cruz, which are in somewhat less demand by out-of-staters.

UCLA admitted just 14.6 percent of California hopefuls this year, even as it became the first American public university to get more than 100,000 admission applications. Berkeley took just 19.7 percent, with out-of-staters eating up many slots that otherwise could go to Californians.

As they previously have, UC officials predicted in-state enrollments would actually rise, noting they have longstanding analyses of how many admission offers are acted on by non-Californians.

But there are new questions about the reliability of statements from Napolitano and her staff. A state audit, for example, showed the president’s office squirreled away about $175 million over the last few years in a slush fund, at the same time tuition rose by almost the same amount. That led to great mistrust, which many governors would have resolved by firing the perpetrators.

But, as usual with financial chicanery conducted by officials associated with Gov. Jerry Brown, no one was punished and business carried on, following pious pledges to clean up their act from Napolitano and other administrators.

All of which leads parents of prospective UC students to feel betrayed by and untrusting of a system originally created to serve people like their children.

Thomas D. Elias is a writer in Southern California.

08.08.2017No comments
Hands off D.C.’s, states’ laws on aid-in-dying

The federal government should not intrude on Washington, D.C.’s Death with Dignity Act, as some members of Congress would like to do.

Depriving terminally ill adults in D.C. the option of medical aid-in-dying would not only condemn many to unnecessary suffering, but provide an unwarranted precedent for further intrusions on states with similar laws.

Last December, the D.C. council voted to allow qualifying, terminally ill district residents, in consultation with physicians, to receive end-of-life medication if they so choose. Ever since, some House Republicans have sought to block implementation of the law, relying chiefly on fear-mongering to undermine personal choice and the sovereignty of the district.

Within 30 days of the law’s approval, efforts were under way to block the law, with a House resolution garnering 69 Republican cosponsors. While that measure failed to advance, on July 13, the House Appropriations Committee voted 28-24 in favor of a budget amendment introduced by Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., repealing the district’s Death with Dignity Act. Among those voting in favor of the amendment was Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona.

In offering his amendment, Harris downplayed the numerous safeguards built into the law, dubiously claiming people from across the country would visit the nation’s capital to “come get a lethal injection.” The end-of-life medications used across the country are taken orally and lethal injections are expressly prohibited under the D.C. law.

The D.C. law, modeled after Oregon’s 20-year-old law and similar to California’s own End of Life Option Act, imposes numerous safeguards meant to ensure that medical aid-in-dying is a voluntary, carefully considered decision.

The D.C. law limits access to district residents who are at least 18 years old, are under the care of a district-licensed physician and have a terminal illness expected to result in death within six months. Individuals who meet these narrow criteria must then make two oral requests, 15 days apart, to their treating physician. Between the two oral requests, individuals must also submit a written request in the presence of two independent witnesses who can attest the patient isn’t making their decision under duress and is proceeding with a sound mind. These witnesses cannot be a relative of the patient or inherit the patient’s estate.

Under the law, the patient’s treating physician is required to inform the patient of alternatives to taking end-of-life medication and further requires a second physician to assess the patient and verify both the terminal diagnosis and the ability of the patient to make an informed decision. After going through all of these steps, a recipient of lethal medication is under no obligation to ultimately take the end-of-life medication.

Fundamentally, medical aid-in-dying laws are about providing people who are suffering and face certain death the option to cut short their suffering in a dignified way. Such a personal and profound decision should not be subject to the moralistic meddling of a few politicians.

Six states and the District of Columbia currently permit medical aid-in-dying. While past efforts to undercut Death with Dignity laws at the federal level failed to gain traction, the stifling of D.C.’s law could be used as a pretext for restricting access to lethal medications in the states, especially considering how similar the laws are.

We urge the Congress to back off interference with D.C., and to respect individual liberty. Leave such matters to the states and the district to decide for themselves.

08.08.2017No comments
Manager’s prediction was right from the start: his 1987 Northwood Little League team was going to Williamsport

  • Some of the players from the 1987 Northwood Little League team got together for a group portrait at the Irvine ball field at Harvard Park where they practiced and played 30 years ago. From left are Steve Habiger, Tommy Louie, Chris Greinke, Erik Sobek, assistant coach Gregg Colbert, Loc Tran, Geoff Ebdon and Ryan Jones. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    Some of the players from the 1987 Northwood Little League team got together for a group portrait at the Irvine ball field at Harvard Park where they practiced and played 30 years ago. From left are Steve Habiger, Tommy Louie, Chris Greinke, Erik Sobek, assistant coach Gregg Colbert, Loc Tran, Geoff Ebdon and Ryan Jones. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • Chris Greinke was a pitcher for the 1987 Northwood Little League team. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

    Chris Greinke was a pitcher for the 1987 Northwood Little League team. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

  • A look at the pin collection that assistant coach Gregg Colbert collected from the Little League tournaments in 1987. Tim Burt photo

    A look at the pin collection that assistant coach Gregg Colbert collected from the Little League tournaments in 1987. Tim Burt photo

  • Northwood Little League players watch the action from the dugout during a tournament game in 1987. Photo courtesy Northwood Little League

    Northwood Little League players watch the action from the dugout during a tournament game in 1987. Photo courtesy Northwood Little League

  • Northwood Little League’s major all-stars celebrate after winning the national championship in 1987. Photo courtesy Northwood Little League

    Northwood Little League’s major all-stars celebrate after winning the national championship in 1987. Photo courtesy Northwood Little League

  • Northwood assistant coach Gregg Colbert with a poster that was shot after the Northwood Little League team won the national championship in 1987. Players were front row (left to right), Chris Curry, Didget Tuttle, Aron Garcia and Steve Habiger; second row, Steve Mendoza, Ryan O’Toole, Ryan Jones, David Lambert, Chris Greinke and Erik Silberman; and top row, Tommy Louie, Geoff Ebdon and Erik Sobek. Not pictured Loc Tran. Tim Burt photo

    Northwood assistant coach Gregg Colbert with a poster that was shot after the Northwood Little League team won the national championship in 1987. Players were front row (left to right), Chris Curry, Didget Tuttle, Aron Garcia and Steve Habiger; second row, Steve Mendoza, Ryan O’Toole, Ryan Jones, David Lambert, Chris Greinke and Erik Silberman; and top row, Tommy Louie, Geoff Ebdon and Erik Sobek. Not pictured Loc Tran. Tim Burt photo

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(Third of three parts)

Northwood Little League major manager Bob Garcia gathered his players for practice one summer afternoon at Harvard Park in Irvine in 1987 and made a prediction: his group of 11- and -12-year-old all-stars would earn a trip to Williamsport for the Little League World Series.

Thirty years later, some of the memories fade, but the significance of the Irvine team becoming the only Little League squad from Irvine to earn a trip to the Little League World Series has not been forgotten. It was the fourth year of Northwood’s existence.

“I think we all remember sitting here by the light pole after our first practice on this field and Bob Garcia said, ‘boys, this team is going to Williamsport, we’re going to win it all,’” recalled catcher Ryan Jones last week at Harvard Park. “And he made it happen.

“We had a tough game against Mission Viejo in the district (tournament) and then we just kind of caught fire. We really turned into an excellent Little League team. We could do it all. We could hit, we could play defense, we could pitch and I didn’t realize it at the time and as I got older and played professional baseball, realized how well coached we were. Everybody had their role and knew what was expected of them.”

Garcia’s talk came before the squad opened the district tournament.
The fourteen players – Aron Garcia, Ryan Jones, Chris Greinke, Ryan O’Toole, Tommy Louie, Chris Curry, Erik Sobek, Loc Tran, Steve Mendoza, David Lambert, Geoff Ebdon, Didget Tuttle, Erik Sobek and Erik Silberman – proved Garcia right.

TEAM WON 18 IN A ROW

The Northwood team, with Garcia and Coach Bob Jones leading the way, went on to win 18 in a row with championships in the district, sectional, Southern California and West Regional tournaments.

The players were then thrust into the national spotlight when they earned a trip to Williamsport for the Little League World Series. The team had a promising start, winning two games, including an 8-1 victory over Chesterfield, Ind. on Aug. 27, 1987, which helped Northwood secure the U.S. National championship.

The all-stars then lost to Hua Liam of Taiwan, 21-1, in the Little League World Series championship on Aug. 29, 1987, in front of 35,000 fans at Lamade Stadium and a national television audience watching on ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

“We just got beat by a well oiled machine,” Bob Garcia said after the game. “We tried to make a squeak and we just couldn’t do it.”

“It was tough, it was like a different universe,” Ryan Jones said looking back 30 years on the loss. “We had a couple tight ones, but every other game we were able to handle. It was such a big blast so early it was tough to come back. Looking back at it, we did every single thing we could and we just ran into a team at the time that was a little bit better. I don’t hold any resentment.”

The team still returned as national champions.

“The national title means a lot to me,” Bob Jones, the coach, said a few days after the team returned to Irvine. We flew over the whole United States Sunday, and I looked down and thought to myself, ‘we’re better than all the teams below us.’”

‘DEFINTELY TOUGH’ TO LOSE IN FINALS

Louie, an outfielder, said the team’s loss to Taiwan was “definitely tough.”

“A lot of us cried because it was the only way we knew how to deal with that type of defeat,” he said. “But what was great about was great to see all the fans giving us hugs and kisses and showing how proud they were of us to go that far. We had a parade at Northwood (when the team returned).  It was great to see all the community come out for us.”

The Northwood players were treated like heroes when they they returned to Irvine. There was a big parade in Northwood which Bill Brosnan of Northwood Pizza helped organize, the players were honored at Angel Stadium and were featured in a parade at Disneyland. The Dodgers and Clippers also intended to honor the squad.

“The parade at Irvine was something special,” Ryan Jones said. “I remember being in the parade float and the parking lot was full of people. Even before that, getting off the plane at John Wayne Airport, we got off and we went through the door and I just remember seeing a sea of people and that’s when it kind of hit. We were still kind of bummed about the game, but right when we got home, the phone started ringing off the hook.”

Northwood received proclamations or plaques from the 31st senatorial district, the Irvine City Council, the City of Irvine, the Irvine Unified School District, Little League baseball and the Orange County Board of Supervisors. It also received the Carl’s Jr. Sportsmanship Award.

But the team’s magical season hasn’t been forgotten.

NORTHWOOD OFFICIALS STILL PROUD

“So much has changed over the last 30 years, but the pride we all feel for the 1987 team is constant,” said Michael Madden, player agent for Northwood Little League. “They were on top of the world.

“No matter what changes, it will still be kids playing baseball. These kids are now grown men with their own families, even coaching their own kids.”

Madden said Northwood officials are now following Santa Margarita’s team, which is in the Western Regional this week and has won its first two games, hoping for a trip to Williamsport.

“All of us at Northwood Little League would love to share this anniversary with Santa Margarita,” he said.

The 1987 Northwood team consisted of all-stars from the league. Garcia, the manager of the Yankees, and Jones, the manager of the Orioles were selected to lead the team because those two squads were in the league championship. Eight of the 14 players were from the Yankees or Orioles.

“So many things have to fall into place for that to happen,” said Gregg Colbert, who was 23 and an assistant coach at the time. “Typically, what I’ve seen is that each (World Series) team has one or two dominating pitchers, which we had, Aron (Garcia) and Chris (Greinke). You have to have the pitching.

“You’ve got to get the right draw in tournaments and the lucky breaks when you get them. To me, to get to Williamsport as an 11 or 12-year-old is the toughest thing to do in any sport. There are 16,000 teams that start out. You have one or two years and you have to be an all-star. To get all the way there is pretty much impossible.”

Colbert, 53, said the Northwood coaches were thinking more about a possible trip to Williamsport than the players.

“For the kids, there was never any fascination in their heads,” said Colbert, who coached the Northwood pitchers. “There was never any mystique about Williamsport, because they were young and they didn’t really get it.  For us (the coaches), it was a completely different situation.”

TEAM STARTED WITH DISTRICT TITLE

The team’s first step toward Williamsport was in the District 55 championship in which Northwood defeated North Mission Viejo, 9-1, in the championship game.

“We were good in that tournament, but we weren’t good like we were down the road,” Colbert said. “In San Bernardino (at the Western Regionals) we outscored our four opponents, 49-1.”

The team was led on the mound by Aron Garcia, who was 10-1 and had six consecutive shutouts in the post-season and Greinke, who pitched a 1-hitter and struck out nine in Northwood’s 7-0 victory over Northridge in the championship game of the Southern California Division 3 title. Ryan O’Toole and Ryan Jones also pitched during the memorable playoff run.

Garcia threw a no-hitter to help Northwood defeat Dover, N.H., 13-0, in the first-round of the Little League World Series.

But Garcia was hit hard in the final against Taiwan, giving up all 21 runs, and Northwood was victimized by five errors which let in eight unearned runs.

“His nickname was Smoke and that’s exactly what he threw,”  Ryan Jones said of Garcia. “I think we developed a really good catcher-pitcher relationship. He had a real good curve ball and a fastball to cap it off. He was the main reason we got so far.”

There were many reasons to celebrate during the playoff run, which is what the team and its followers did at Northwood Pizza after the games.

“We would all go to Northwood; it was Northwood’s home, for sure, and the Brosnans were great,” Colbert said.

The players seemed to get along and had fun off the field, Colbert said.

“It was a great blend,” Colbert said.”You had the quiet guys, you had the outgoing guys, you had the stoic guys. Everyone kind of fit a role and played it perfectly.”

Northwood outfielder Steve Mendoza knew one of his roles was to keep the team loose. He did that by singing Beastie Boys songs after games at the Western Regional in San Bernardino.

“You have that guy that keeps things loose that says the correct funny thing at the correct time, that guy that just releases tensions from people,” Colbert said. “And that was Mendie. He had a great sense of humor. He was quick and outgoing. I remember when I filmed that Beisty boys song it was pretty epic. The kids were going nuts.”

“It was after our third win in San Bernardino. Everyone was feeling pretty good and it just kind of happened.”

Colbert went on to coach with Northwood Little League for three more seasons. He started teaching at Brywood Elementary and is now teaching at Santiago Hills Elementary. He has worked for the Irvine Unified School District for 30 years.

Colbert has also coached at various football levels at Irvine and is now the head freshman coach at Woodbridge.

Colbert and his wife, Barbara, have four children: Dakota, 20; Trent, 19; Chad, 17; and Kendall, 14.

Bob Garcia, who said he planned to retire from coaching after the 1987 season, moved to Alabama and Jones recently moved to Northern California with his wife Linda after the family sold their home in Irvine, Colbert said.

Most of the players have gone on to do well in their careers and many are raising families. While there was some talk at the time in 1987 about some of them playing in the Major Leagues one day, none of them did. A number went on to play baseball at Irvine High and were on the 1992 team that lost to South Hills, 6-5, in the CIF 4AA championship game in 1992 at Angel Stadium.

“They were on the world stage (in 1987) because they were in Williamsport,” Colbert said. “That doesn’t mean that they’re going to go on and play Major League baseball. It doesn’t really work that way. Ryan Jones played in the minor leagues for a long time. Some of them went on and played in college and a lot of them were very succcessful in high school. But that’s it. It’s a lot of pressure on a 12-year-old, that’s for sure.”

Colbert remains proud of what the players accomplished and cherishes the experience 30 years later. He still has tons of photos, newspaper clippings and Little League pins which he shares with his students at Santiago Hills every year before the start of the Little League season and is always excited to talk to former players to reminisce about that special season.

Many of Colbert’s students play in Northwood Little League and are curious about the Williamsport experience. They are well aware of the accomplishment.

“Every year it comes up and they will ask questions,” Colbert said. “It’s still part of the history and heritage of the league even though it’s 30 years ago,” Colbert said.

And it all started on a baseball field during a practice one day at Harvard Park.

 

08.08.2017No comments
Vintage Creates Buzz at Intermezzo

The August edition of Intermezzo Collections, that opened Sunday and runs through Tuesday at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York, featured Vintage @ Intermezzo, a special area of 21 one-of-a kind apparel and accessories collections that were open to the public for the first time and created a lot of buzz at the show.
Among the vintage vendors featured were Norma Kamali, Lady V Second Time Around, Cabana Vintage, Leah’s Closet, Bui’s and Whistles, Morphew Concepts, Brent Edward Vintage, Mia Vesper, Kitschtopia and James Veloria.
Peter Berta, show director of Intermezzo, said, “It’s going really well. Everybody’s very excited about the new vintage section. Traffic has been very good.” He said the community always knew vintage existed, “but didn’t know how to obtain it.” He anticipates it will get bigger at the succeeding Intermezzo shows, which take place in January, May and August.
The exhibit’s selections ranged from luxury vintage designers including Missoni and Versace, gowns and furs, to rare Victorian and Asian pieces by the likes of Issey Miyake, alongside personal pieces from Norma Kamali’s archives.
Karen Tweedie, vice president, trend, design, sourcing and technical design at Boston Proper, the women’s clothing catalogue and Web site based in Boca Raton, Fla., was

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08.08.2017No comments