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Nielsen, Gallagher bring fellow legislators to see Camp Fire burn areas

PARADISE — Over a dozen state legislators came to see the Camp Fire burn areas for themselves Thursday, at the request of Assemblyman James Gallagher and State Sen. Jim Nielsen.

Gallagher, R-Yuba City, and Nielsen, R-Red Bluff, took the visiting bipartisan group on a tour of Paradise, then they all met with local representatives who explained current critical needs such as housing. Over 18,000 structures were burned in the Camp Fire and at least 86 people were killed.

The economy is booming. Why are so many California schools broke?

Facing a $36 million deficit and a possible state takeover, the top budget officer at the Sacramento City Unified School District has a sober message for his counterparts around California.

Sacramento is “just one of the first dominoes,” said John Quinto, the district’s chief business officer.

By any measure, Sacramento City’s distress is worse than the vast majority of California school districts.

Local Skate Team Successfully Lobbies for New Skate Park In Harbor City

This is the Cash skate team – which stands for "cause all skaters hustle."

And that’s exactly what this group of young men and women did – hustled for years to get a skate park built in Harbor City.

“We don’t want to build cemeteries no more, we don’t want to build jails, we want to build skate parks, I really wanted to make a change, a difference in this community,” said Emilio Otero, one of the skaters on the team.

A Rebel Remembered

“Rebel with a Cause,” a documentary about the late researcher and community activist Aiko Herzig Yoshinaga, was screened last Saturday at the Katy Geissert Civic Center Library in Torrance.

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi re-introduces bill to increase California K-12 school funding to top ten in the nation in per pupil spending

Torrance, CA – Today, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) re-introduced his bill to bring California to the top ten in the nation in per pupil spending. This bill proposes a funding target under California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) which would increase the state’s K-12 funding by $35 billion over an unspecified number of years.

Veteran of the Year

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) hosted a luncheon on Nov. 15 at Madre! restaurant in Torrance to honor the 66th Assembly District’s Veteran of the Year, Gardena Nisei VFW Post 1961 Commander Steve Moriyama. “Moriyama has done a great job leading VFW Post 1961 and also is active with the American Legion in Redondo Beach,” Muratsuchi said. “I appreciate all of the VFW and American Legion officers in attendance to honor Commander Moriyama.”

Hotels See Panic Buttons as a #MeToo Solution for Workers. Guest Bans? Not So Fast.

The hotel industry is betting that a simple device can help solve the complex problem of guests sexually assaulting and harassing workers.

It’s known as a panic button, a small gadget that housekeepers can use to swiftly call for help. The technology takes different forms, including GPS devices that track employees as they walk through the building, buttons that emit an audible alarm and smartphone apps.

Vigil urges residents to ‘choose life’

Following Saturday’s mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Manhattan Beach resident Charlie Raker reached out to his uncle Martin, who lives in New York City and is a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. His uncle, in turn, pointed to a story he had recounted in his memoir. When they were being sent to Auschwitz, his uncle’s father had said to Martin that, if Martin survived, he had to honor his ancestors the only way he could: keep on living.

'It was like hell': California hotel workers break their silence on abuse

Just outside of Los Angeles in Ranchos Palos Verdes, the Terranea Resort boasts fine dining, a golf course, scenic beachfront views, and accommodations ranging from luxury guest rooms to private, secluded villas. While it may be a paradise for guests, resort workers claim they are subjected to a culture that has enabled sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Gov. Brown signs bills to block Trump's offshore oil drilling plan

Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday signed two bills that would block new offshore oil drilling in California by barring the construction of pipelines, piers, wharves or other infrastructure necessary to transport the oil and gas from federal waters to state land.

This locks into law the vows of Brown and other state officials who declared earlier this year they would do whatever it takes to stop the Trump administration from opening California waters to drilling on an unprecedented scale.