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Mailbag: Woman details startling encounter with LCF burglar; two writers endorse Blumenfeld

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Home intrusion was a wake-up call

An intruder entered the backyard of our home in the Paradise Canyon area at about 5 a.m. on Sunday, April 10 through two unlocked fence gates. The intruder entered the garage through an unlocked door and our German shepherd dog began to bark excessively. We assumed there might be an animal in the backyard and my husband went out to investigate.

There was a noise coming from the garage. As my husband opened an exterior door to the garage, he saw a man inside. He appeared to be Caucasian, about 6 feet tall, and clean cut with dark hair. My husband asked the man, “What are you doing in my house?” Challenged, the intruder smirked and stepped out of a screen door to the garage almost face-to-face with my husband and said that he was “not in the house.”

At that point, my husband returned to the house and called 911, with members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arriving only a minute after the 911 call was placed, as a patrol car had been in our neighborhood. The intruder had somehow left our yard without being detected. The deputies checked to make sure he was not hiding in the garage or elsewhere in the yard.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department strongly recommends that homeowners lock all doors to their homes, even when they leave for short times and always in general, day and night. All outside gates should be locked and lighted. All doors to the garage should be locked. If your dog is barking a lot, pay attention! Set your alarms and, if possible, get CCTV cameras.

If I sound paranoid, I am. I am only grateful that my husbandDudley is OK and so is my dog Lilly.

Jennifer Killam
La Cañada Flintridge

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Blumenfeld knows public education

I grew up in Burbank, taught in the Burbank Unified school district, and now live in La Cañada and send my kids to the La Cañada public schools. As a parent, as an educator, and as a lifelong member of these communities, it is important to me that we have strong leadership representing our interests in the state Legislature. That’s why I am supporting Andrew Blumenfeld in his bid to represent the 43rd State Assembly District.

When I think of experience and leadership, I am less concerned about years and titles. For me, actions matter. Results matter. In his time in public office, Andrew has delivered on every commitment he made while he was on the campaign trail. How many others can say that?

Andrew believes in local control; he understands that Sacramento should be in the business of supporting local decision-makers rather than creating one-size-fits-all bureaucratic “solutions” on our behalf.

And the stakes couldn’t be higher. It is hard to imagine an area of public life not impacted by public education. When we get it right, we all benefit; when we don’t, we all pay the price. So I am excited about the opportunity to elect someone like Andrew.

The 43rd Assembly District includes Burbank, Glendale and La Cañada — home to some of the most distinguished educational programs in the country. We should have a representative in the state Legislature that embodies that tradition of excellence and fights to expand our ability to improve the lives of our kids, our families and our community.

Lori Strauss
La Cañada Flintridge

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Blumenfeld would work for everyone

It is cliché to say that elections are about the future. Eventually, all politicians fall back on this old rhetorical trope to convince the electorate to support their vision of the years ahead, which necessarily is in direct opposition to their opponent’s. Only a select few public figures have the courage not to politicize our future. Thankfully, one of them is running for state Assembly: Andrew Blumenfeld.

As a student in the Glendale Unified School District, I understand the profound impact educational policy can have on a local community. Because of his breadth of experience in local policymaking, I trust Andrew to represent the best interests of the Foothills area in Sacramento. My future — and the futures of my peers, friends and neighbors — depends on his policy expertise and commitment to public service.

Andrew is a lifelong resident of the Foothills and a committed public servant with a proven record of independence and a willingness to compromise. As the youngest-ever member of the La Cañada school board, he demonstrated an unmatched command of policy knowledge and an unwavering dedication to the students of his district. As a volunteer educator in a poverty-stricken Los Angeles elementary school, he put the well-being of his students before his own personal advancement, helping them to achieve in the face of daunting social and economic obstacles. And if elected to the Assembly, he will put these skills to work on a statewide level to the benefit of students throughout the Golden State. We deserve a representative who is willing to work for a better tomorrow without thinking of his own personal gain.

Will Bleveans
La Crescenta

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