A thank you to the community
The Board of Education and I would like to thank the Glendale/La Crescent community for their overwhelming support of Measure S. We are extremely grateful to the community for the unwavering endorsement of the Glendale Unified School District.
On a personal note, I would like to thank those of you who participated in the Yes on S campaign. There are too many individuals to thank, but I would like to highlight three individuals who spearheaded the campaign — co-chairs Harry Hull and school board member Mary Boger, and school board President Greg Krikorian. They, along with the Yes on S Committee, did a wonderful job in organizing parents, pupils, staff, community members and business leaders to help in this most important measure for our students.
Measure S will allow the district to continue to modernize campuses, make the essential repairs and upgrades to our schools, and ensure that all of our students have a safe and modern learning environment.
Now that the bond is passed, we are committed as a district to be responsible stewards of the bond monies and provide the very best educational opportunities for our students.
Once again, a very sincere thank you to our community.
Dick Sheehan
Glendale
Editor’s note: Sheehan is superintendent of the Glendale Unified School District.
Enforce the noise laws
I am writing to raise the issue of vehicle noise in Glendale and the surrounding areas.
My personal sense is that the laws are not being enforced and the violations are steadily increasing.
The other night I visited the Americana at Brand. There were two very loud Harley-Davidson motorcycles cruising around the perimeter — revving their engines while stopped at signals and taching up to very high RPMs before shifting gears.
Then, while walking back to my vehicle, I encountered no less than five SUVs with the windows down, their drivers playing very loud music. This experience was just one random sample on a weeknight, so I am going to assume that my experience is typical now for this area.
In combination with Bee Line buses, MTA buses and helicopters circling overhead, the experience can best be described as less than relaxing.
It appears that the leadership in Glendale is eager to differentiate itself from other nearby cities. Here is a novel idea: Enforce the noise laws. It will send a message to violators that they should avoid making too much noise in Glendale.
It will also be a step toward restoring the public’s faith in government.
Greg Hiscott
La Cañada Flintridge
Mud on a councilman’s face
Gadflies are gripers who cry at most meetings because it’s their legal right. Most gadflies, although annoying, are harmless.
At times, councilmen and women swat them and attack them on their face; but at others, they buckle and attack the face that speaks. Sadly, in our Jewel City, this breed of council exists.
Public office is no place for the thin-skinned. The United States Supreme Court expressed “profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust and wide open, and that such debate may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasant sharp attacks on government and public officials” (Pittsburg Unified School District v. California School Employees Assn.).
Case law has proven that the First Amendment gives a private citizen the right to criticize public officials. In fact, a public official’s retaliation against an individual exercising his or her First Amendment right is a federal violation. It seems apparent that a city councilman recently violated this federal statute. Pompously, at a recent city meeting, this same council member publicly announced trite accounts of antiquated misdemeanors — which by today’s standards, would probably be thrown out in a court of law — which appeared in a public speaker’s past. Nevertheless, the real crime lies not with the speaker, but with the act of the council member.
The values underlying our First Amendment protect us from retaliation “by those equipped with a greater institutional power,” according to the Ohio State Law Journal. Without such protection, no one would ever speak. Leadership that refutes this is something to be feared.
When John Drayman, incumbent on the council, dished a little dirt (“Mohill was the one who started this mess,” March 20), it only left mud on his face.
Maria Smart
La Crescenta
A question on corporate taxes
Reading Gary Huerta’s April 5 column “Taxes, tax breaks and the American way” caused me to get behind the computer and write.
I am not against taxes, but I’d like to know why big corporations such as General Electric, Wal-Mart, oil companies and banks who make billions in profits pay no federal taxes or get huge refunds (according to the media), and yet we “little people” should pay taxes to balance the budget?
Hope someone has a good answer.
Catherine Yesayan
Glendale