Federal Governments Overreach Into Education
The Strong Start for America’s Children Act, SB 1697 will be using federal dollars to create universal preschool programs. In addition, money would be used to fund the “Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program” which was created in the Affordable Care Act. What is the federal government’s agenda in supporting this bill given that our country is broke?

Head start and other federal preschool programs have not led to improved student outcomes.

Federal dollars create a situation where the federal role in early education will continue to grow. It could one day happen that parents will not have the choice to opt their children out of early education.

The Affordable Care Act “Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program” will allow state home visitation programs. Under the terms of these programs, government officials, including social workers, will be able to visit the homes of certain families “in order to promote improvements in maternal and prenatal health, infant health, child health and development, parenting related to child development outcomes, school readiness, the socioeconomic status of such families, and reductions in child abuse, neglect, and injuries.”

If SB 1697 is allowed to pass, this would increase federal governments’ power over our families. It would also increase national debt. Parents, not federal or state officials, should be the ones making decisions for their children.     Please contact the capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or toll free at (866) 220-004 to speak with your U.S. representative. To follow this bill, go to congress.gov. Consider joining parentalrights.org.
Denise Soto
La Cañada

Recognizing Flag Week
Dear President Obama,
The Congress of the United States, by Joint Resolution on June 9, 1966, approved H.J. Resolution 763 proclaiming the week in which the 14th occurs as National Flag Week, and the same resolution requested that the President is to issue every year a proclamation and also to call upon citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week.

The origin of Flag Week is also very special to me because I am one of few people alive that was involved originally with Bill Bailey of Montrose, the Crescenta-Cañada Rotary Club, Don Carpenter, the editor of the Ledger Newspaper, and Congressman H. Allen Smith, on the successful accomplishment of Flag Week.

Every year since 1967 I have sent a letter to each of the Presidents, and sometimes the White House sent a copy of the Proclamation to me. But no publicity is given. This causes me anger and shame because 46 years after the original proclamation, the majority of the people with whom I speak remain in ignorance of Flag Week.

Mr. President, at this critical time in our nation, I would like to make a request. As an immigrant and a proud citizen of this country, I ask you to please make it your business to see that more publicity and public instruction is devoted to Flag Week. Proper recognition of the week is needed for Old Glory to receive proper respect, which our flag richly deserves.

It is my hope that this year, President Obama, you will give some publicity to Flag Week and maybe in the near future we will include in our national calendar this event as a reminder to everyone to display their flag that week.

This is my hope and a reminder to everyone in our communities to put the flag out that week, regardless of what is going to be done nationwide and help to demonstrate that there are still enough good Americans and that patriotism is still alive in our communities.
Sincerely,
Vito Cannella
Montrose

She Likes Mike
I am a lifelong resident of Glendale and have raised four children in this city.

Because I am deeply concerned about the future of Glendale, on June 3, I will be voting for the only candidate who has a vision and plan for the escalating pension obligations that I feel will bankrupt our city and burden our grandchildren with higher taxes and bond debt. This person is Mike Mohill.

Mike Mohill has succinctly outlined a plan with three options: the first is, going forward, we could put all new hires on Social Security and a 401K plan.  The pension plan that is in place at this time is not sustainable. Or secondly, we can change the way we pay and provide pensions for our work force going forward by having the county provide our fire and police services so that the taxpayers are not responsible for CALPERS losses as the county plan would not burden the taxpayers. Lastly, if we stay with our existing salary structure and pension plan, we can expect reduced city services and increases in our water and electric rates to pay the salaries and pensions of our city workers.

I agree with Mike’s vision and believe he will fight to implement one of the first two options.

For years, Mike has been one of the few voices for the people at council meetings. He has endured abuse and vilification by the council for addressing the problems of Glendale. I wish the other candidates had been there as well.

For a better Glendale for my grandchildren, I plan to vote for Mike Mohill on June 3 for [Glendale] city council.
Maura Walsh
La Crescenta

Unsure of “Fun” Ideas
As residents of the Crescenta Valley, we would like to show our solidarity with the residents of Northwest Glendale who are upset about the proposed development of an historic home in Brockmont by supporting The Glendale Historical Society’s recent philosophy on matters of this sort, typified by their position regarding historic Rockhaven Sanitarium in Montrose.

The Glendale Historical Society has advocated turning over our beloved Rockhaven Sanitarium, a 1928, historically significant property, to developers. [Glendale] City Council candidate Paula Devine, a resident of Northwest Glendale, agrees with this idea wholeheartedly and stated the following with regard to development of Rockhaven: “This is an opportunity for the city to have something really exciting, maybe even fun at that site … a developer can make a financial benefit out of that investment and yes the city can also gain.”

We applaud both The Glendale Historical Society and City Council Candidate Paula Devine for supporting such a unique approach to historic preservation. Yes, let’s turn Rockhaven over to developers to “preserve” it. We also endorse this same approach for the historic home in Brockmont, the Doctor’s House and the Casa Adobes. Let’s turn them all over to developers and see what “fun” ideas they come up with that will benefit our city.
Shelly & Doug Starling
Far North Glendale

A Different Endorsement
As an attendee of many of the Glendale City Council candidate forums, as a reader of many of the political essays on the editorial page and the letters to the editor in local papers and as a peruser of the clever ad inventive cartoons [in some], I offer to Glendale voters this summarization:

Most of the announced charming, congenial and popular candidates (80%) are interested in the position for honor, glory, prestige, power and influence. Only one announced candidate [for Glendale City Council] is a longtime honest community advocate, who sincerely wants to rescue the City of Glendale from imminent bankruptcy (five to seven years) due to unfunded pension obligations and budget deficits: Mike Mohill.

The former prudent financial Glendale city operating policy of “Pay As You Go” has been replaced with an imprudent greedy one:

a) Substantial electrical and water rate increases

b) Utility fee hikes

c) Bond obligations

Our current Glendale City Council is lacking in sound financial judgment! We need to put our financial house in order.

Mike Mohill’s proposed three options for pension reform:

Option 1: Place all new Glendale city hires on the Social Security and 401K pension plan (like 90% of Americans).

Option 2: Switch the police and fire departments from city to county governance (like the wealthy cities of La Cañada and Malibu) so that their pension plans do not make Glendale citizens responsible for financial losses on bad investments.

a) Most stations are retained

b) Most personnel are retained (90% merely switch badges)

Option 3: Continue the status quo and face severe financial ramifications.

I recommend Mike Mohill for Glendale City Council.
Laima Baltrenas
Glendale