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4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 2-8, 2016
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CA educator seeks to be state’s youngest out legislator by Matthew S. Bajko
T “BEAUTIFUL BY NIGHT” Sunday, June 5th • 3:00pm “Beautiful By Night” follows three older drag performers at Aunt Charlie’s Lounge in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. Enjoy live performances and a Q and A panel with the film’s subjects. Guests $20 • Em ployees & Residents - Donation at Entrance VIP dinner with the “Beautiful by Night” cast following the show $100 Kindly RSVP, as space is limited. All proceeds to benefit Face to Face and LGBTQ Connection
4210 Thomas Lake Harris Dr. Santa Rosa, CA 95403
707-408-4032
fountaingrovelodge.com Photography by James Hosking www.jameshosking.com
RCFE #496803440
www.ebar.com U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
If you are a California resident and while located in California called Wyndham Rewards® or certain hotel brands, you could receive money from a Class Action Settlement A proposed $7,325,000 class action settlement has been reached in a lawsuit called Joyce Roberts v. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC, et al., USDC NDCA Case No. 12-cv-05083PSG. The lawsuit claims that Defendants’ third party vendor recorded telephone calls of persons calling certain toll-free reservations and customer-service lines without telling callers that the calls may be recorded, allegedly in violation of California law. Defendants have denied the claims. Nonetheless, Defendants and the Class Representatives have agreed to settle the dispute to avoid the uncertainty and costs of litigation. The $7,325,000 settlement fund will pay eligible claims, notice and administration costs, attorneys’ fees and expenses, and the named plaintiff’s service award. Who is a class member? You are a Class Member if you are a California resident who, while physically located in California, called one or more toll-free telephone numbers associated with Wyndham Rewards®, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Wyndham Grand® Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham Garden® Hotels, Travelodge®, Ramada®, Knights Inn®, Wingate®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Baymont®, Hawthorn®, Microtel®, or Tryp® between May 1, 2011 and March 23, 2012, inclusive, were routed to a call center operated by a third-party vendor (Aegis), spoke to a representative and were recorded without notice. What are my legal rights? To receive a settlement payment, eligible class members must submit a claim. It is expected that eligible class members who submit a timely and valid Claim Form will receive at least $150 per qualified call but not more than $5,000 per call. The amount of each individual
settlement payment will depend on the total number of claims filed. Whether or not you submit a claim, if the Court approves the settlement, unless you take steps to exclude yourself from the settlement, you will be bound by all of the Court’s orders. This means you will not be able to make any claims against Defendants or other Released Parties covered by the settlement. If you wish to submit a claim, visit www. CARecordedCallsSettlement.com or contact the Claims Administrator at 1-800-889-8319 to get a claim form. The deadline to submit claims August 18, 2016. If you do not wish to be a member of the settlement class, you must submit a letter to the Claims Administrator at the address below postmarked by August 18, 2016. If you optout you cannot submit a claim form. Visit the settlement website for more information. If you wish to object to the settlement, you must do so by submitting your objection to the Court in person or postmarked by August 18, 2016. Visit the settlement website for more information. A final hearing will be held on October 18, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. to determine the fairness, reasonableness and adequacy of the proposed settlement and to award attorneys’ fees and costs and plaintiff’s service award. The motion for attorneys’ fees and costs and plaintiff’s service award will be posted on the settlement website after it is filed. You may attend the hearing, but you do not have to. This is only a summary. For detailed information including the full text of the Settlement Agreement, the Class Notice and the Claim Form, visit www.CARecordedCallsSettlement. com, call 1-800-889-8319, or write to: Settlement Administrator at Hotels Call Recording Settlement c/o Rust Consulting, P.O. Box 2506, Faribault, MN 55021-9506.
1-800-889-8319 www.CARecordedCallsSettlement.com Hotel Call Recording Settlement Claims Administrator c/o Rust Consulting, P.O. Box 2506, Faribault, MN 55021-9506
uesday’s primary will determine if Los Angeles resident Andrew Blumenfeld has a shot at becoming California’s youngest out legislator. To date, gay Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell) has that distinction, having won election two years ago at the age of 31. The 25-year-old Blumenfeld is running for the open Assembly District 43 seat, which covers his Silver Lake neighborhood, as Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) is termed out of office this year. First he needs to survive the June 7 election, where the top two vote-getters regardless of party affiliation will advance to the November election. “I am very confident of my chances in June,” Blumenfeld, who is single and graduated from Princeton, said during a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter earlier this spring. He is a teacher of fifth grade math and science at a public charter school in Los Angeles. Last year, Blumenfeld earned a master’s of arts in urban education, educational policy and administration at Loyola Marymount University. As for questions about his youth and lack of experience, Blumenfeld has a ready answer for voters of the district. “I remind people I was even younger when first elected to office and am only getting older everyday,” said Blumenfeld, who in 2011 won a four-year term on the La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board. “I was an out 20-year-old still in college elected to school board in a community not known for taking great leaps of faith or taking risks with their most precious resource, which is their public schools and their kids.” Headed into the primary, Blumenfeld is an underdog candidate and has remained at a significant cash disadvantage compared to his main Democratic opponents. He reported having just $2,308.80 in cash on hand as of May 21, based on the filings with the secretary of state for the most recent campaign finance reporting period. In April, his campaign was assessed a $450 fine from the state Fair Political Practices Commission for improperly reporting $15,000 he loaned his campaign. As for the leading candidates in the race, Glendale City Councilwoman Laura Friedman reported having $175,725.02 to spend. Glendale City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian was still sitting on $68,779.45 in his campaign account as of last month, while Rajiv Dalal, a former economic development adviser to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, reported having $157,550.69 for use. What Blumenfeld is banking on is that voters in Glendale will split their support between their town’s two officials in the race, giving him a shot at securing enough votes from his hometown of La Cañada Flintridge and the Los Angeles areas of the district to land in second place. And in a political season where voters have gravitated to outsider candidates, Blumenfeld believes he can take advantage of those political winds. “I think this is a community not so taken by heavyweight politicians,” he said. “There is an appetite for people who have dedicated themselves to the issues that matter
Southern California Assembly candidate Andrew Blumenfeld
most to them, that have demonstrated leadership, and are products of this community.” None of the candidates were able to secure the state Democratic Party’s endorsement in the race. And Equality California, the statewide LGBT advocacy group, opted not to endorse in the primary. “We were not comfortable that he met our viability test,” EQCA Executive Director Rick Zbur said of Blumenfeld. “Since there are other progressive candidates in that race, we felt like it wasn’t appropriate for us to get involved in this race at this point.” The California Legislative Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus, comprised of the Legislature’s seven out members, did endorse Blumenfeld earlier this year. Former caucus chair, gay Assemblyman Rich Gordon (D-Menlo Park), also personally endorsed Blumenfeld. “Andrew is a tenacious and tireless advocate for underserved communities whose voices typically go unheard,” stated Gordon, who is termed out of office this year. “His compelling work on closing achievement gaps for LGBT youth and addressing mental health services in schools make me confident in his ability to push through gridlock and deliver real, impactful results for his district.” Blumenfeld told the B.A.R. he wanted to seek a state legislative seat due to his experiences in the classroom and overseeing a public school district. “Everything I accomplished on the school board, and accomplished with my kids and parents, it feels is often in spite of, not because of, our state. It is in spite of, not because of, Sacramento and the policies that come out of there,” he said. “Policies around affordable housing and access to health care affect your work as a teacher. Education touches everything and is touched by everything else.” Growing up in La Cañada Flintridge northeast of Los Angeles in a Republican household, Blumenfeld registered with the GOP when he was old enough to vote. He was mirroring his parents, who he said installed solar roof panels on their house, drove a hybrid vehicle, and supported LGBT rights. But as he saw the Republican Party fight against the values his family held dear, such as protecting the environment and defending civil rights, Blumenfeld switched first to being a registered independent before joining the Democratic Party. He supports the legalization of recreational marijuana use, which should be before California voters this fall, but is concerned about how it is implemented. See page 18 >>