Fleet city article
(I) Wonder how a fleet is defined? Did I, as a taxpayer, send the fleet to a party in San Diego? How our money is spent!
Marvin Lessen
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Get Real about Real Estate column
Just wanted to correct an error in your q & a. If a lease terminates on its own terms, no notice need be give. For example a one-year lease is to expire on July 31, 2014. The tenant need not be given a notice. If the tenancy reverts to a month-to-month tenancy after the expiration of the lease, then a 60 day would be required. If the landlord does not take rent for August 1, 2014, an eviction can be initiated without serving any notice!
Dennis Block
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Hypnotherapy
As of June 17th this month, after smoking for over 40 years, I have been tobacco free for 5, (count-em FIVE) years after a single session with a hypnotist. My wife, who wasn’t as heavy and compulsive a smoker as I was but long term nevertheless is smoke free as well for the same period. Mind you, then, that we have no problem with the legitimacy of hypnotism. What we do have a problem with is a newspaper editor, under the guise of a “newsworthy” feature of an individual or even maybe a “PSA” promotes a private for profit business. Although I’m sure that Ms. Malerstein with all her trials and challenges is a perfectly qualified therapist, is only one of hundreds of hypnotherapists in southern California while you never even mentioned the name of the lady who so effec- tively proved remarkably helpful to my wife and I, nevermind listing her contact information. Shouldn’t your “article” have had a little disclaimer at the top left corner: advertisement?
Ron Williams
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School lunches Legislative Update: Time for lunch?
We’ve heard from many parents who feel that their children don’t have enough time to eat lunch at school and that it impacts their health and performance. The California Leg- islature is considering a bill (AB2449) to address the issue. It would require that school districts allow every student at least 20 minutes to eat after they have been served. For those con- cerned about the fiscal impact of this legislation, AB2449 includes provisions requiring the state to reimburse school districts for any associated costs if it is determined to be a state mandate, and allows for the use of “federally or state-regulated nonprofit school food service cafeteria accounts to defray any allowable costs.”
AB2449 is suppor ted by organizations including the California State PTA, the Cali- fornia Teachers Association, and the Los Angeles Unified School District. You can read an article about the bill here: http://www.cabinetreport.com/politics-education/lawmak- ers-students-need-20-minutes-to- eat You can find the complete text of AB2449 here: http://leginfo.leg- islature.ca.gov/faces/ billNavClient.xhtml?bill_ id=201320140AB2449&search_ keywords=Contact our Culver City representatives and let them know how you feel: Culver City is represented by Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas and State Senator Holly Mitchell.
You can use the contact forms on their home pages:
• https://lcmspubcon- tact.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/Con- tactPopup.php?district=AD54
• http://sd26.senate. ca.gov/e-mail-holly
United Parents of Culver City (UPCC) is a parent-run, grassroots, democratic organization dedicated solely to the interests of our children- the students of Culver City. UPCC members are volunteer leaders from all five elementar y schools, CCMS and CCHS and Culver Park. Mem- bers are current and former PTA and Booster Club Presidents, trustees of the Culver City Edu- cation Foundation, engaged community members and other parent leaders.The Parents Place is a column by the United Parents of Culver City. Visit us on the web at UnitedParentsCulverCity.com
United Parents of Culver City
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Little American lawn flags
Throughout the history of the United States there have been indelible and inspiring images of the stars and bars flag; Francis Scott Key’s lament on the flag over battered Fort McHenry in the War of 1812, rising atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima or tattered but no less proudly unfurled over the rubble following 911. In each of these visions there is hope and strength in knowing that the United States of America is still alive and well bringing with it a fighting chance to preserve a few basic values such as liberty and real justice.
Then there is the image of a smallish, thin plastic U.S. flag planted on my front lawn, just like all of the other little flags poking up on lawns throughout Carlson Park and beyond during this Fourth of July week. I did not place the flag there and an argument could be made that any corporation, organization or individual putting a flag of any kind on private property without permission is an invasion of private space. But hey, it is Old Glory so we’ll let it pass this time. And there in lies the problem, letting it pass is just what was counted on by the real estate and mortgage firms who’s advertisement flyer was also attached to the staff like a second flag under the stars and stripes. An unfortu- nate fact becomes revealed, the flag is the bait, the flyer is the sell, the true cynical and disrespectful purpose for planting a United States of America flag on my lawn.
There were email addresses on the flyer no doubt meant as contacts for those suddenly inspired to sell their increasingly high valued Culver City homes. I used the email addresses to point out the tasteless nature of this stunt. It was also noted that besides being in bad taste it is actually against Federal law, which specifically states that in regards to the U.S. flag, “Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff.”
The flag code is a law, though without punishment or enforcement because that would violate free speech, which makes perfect sense. Anyway, do you really need Federal enforcement to do what’s right? The real estate firm responded, “I really believe in my heart that this well wish is something I will continue to offer to my neighbors here in Culver City, for reasons far greater than business propaganda.” In this response I am not clear what is meant by “business propaganda” because what businesses do is advertise, propaganda is about ideology. Then again, maybe “business propaganda” is exactly the correct phrase. If the flags were planted “for reasons far greater…” why then attach the advertisement at all?
Why not just hand out flags? We would all like to get a free little flag thank you. The reason that this will not happen is because as we all know nothing comes for free. It would not be worth their marketing dollars to just hand out flags without indicating where they came from. In fact, I noticed that streets in our area with lesser-valued properties were left out of this neighborly “well wish”. Nothing personal: just business. As of this writing, from what I can tell the majority of the flags are still standing, dotting green lawns up and down nicely appointed Culver City residential neighborhoods. Some have the advertisements removed, others do not. I can imagine most people could care less and would consider this much ado over not much.
There is a free flag on my lawn and we live in a society where corporate sponsorship pervades everything, why should these little flags be any different? Well patriots, they are different because they have already been paid for, by the sacrifices of many. At its worst using the U.S. flag as an advertising gimmick is an affront to those sacrifices. We as citizens should be aware of that and not in the least complacent towards it. But with civics lessons in our schools being eliminated and drastically low voter turnout such as in the recent primary election, this complacency comes as little surprise. There is good reason to be aware of the true nature in the little plastic flag giveaway and its “business propaganda” agenda.
The more we allow this kind of message to become our accepted way of life, the less we will eventually have in basic freedoms. Just as the less we allow our indi- vidual voices to be heard though voting, the more we allow those without our best interests at heart to take control, such as corpora- tions attaching themselves to the halyard of our government. Once these freedoms are lost, they will be very difficult to get back. After a nearly eight year long war with a world super power resulting in up to 50,000 American casualties, those who survived and founded our nation would be the first to know that “certain unalienable Rights” does not mean guaran- teed rights. Then as now, it is our responsibility to know what is happening and act on it just as they did. Looking down a Carlson Park street this Fourth of July weekend, peering through the thick haze of bar-b-que smoke I can not help but think what a great thing it would be if those lit- tle lawn flags represented at least one participating voter in each of those homes.
George Dougherty
Culver City
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