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SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 - OCTOBER 02, 2013 | 13
Sierra Madre Fire Department gets new Battalion Chief Sierra Madre Fire Chief Steve Heydorff has announced the promotion of Jason Williams to the position of Battalion Chief for the Sierra Madre Fire Department effective September 20, 2013. Battalion Chief Williams has been with the SMFD for almost four years and brings a wealth of education, training and experience to the new position. Jason has been a full time firefighter and paramedic for 17 years and is currently working with the Orange County Fire Authority as a Fire Captain/ Paramedic. Williams has Bachelor of Science Degree from Cal State Long Beach in Occupational Studies, as well as an Associate in Science Degree in Fire Administration from Santa Ana College, and two Associate in Science degrees in Fire Technology and Emergency Medical Services from Mt. San Antonio College. Williams is statecertified as a Type-4 Incident Commander,
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Chief Officer, Engine Boss, Fire Officer, Apparatus Operator, Firefighter-1 and Firefighter-2. Additionally, he has taken extensive classes in advanced incident command, rescue, structure and wildland firefighting through the National Fire Academy, National Wildfire Coordinating Group, and New Mexico Tech. He
is also an advanced-level Terrorism Liaison Officer. Williams, his wife Rena, and their daughter Zoe have been residents of Sierra Madre for nine years. He is very honored by this promotion and looks forward to continuing to give back to his community as a “Neighbor Helping Neighbors”.
Governor Brown signs bill to help protect and preserve California's coast As tens of thousands gathered across the state for California Coastal Cleanup Day last week, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that he has signed AB 754 by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), which gives taxpayers the opportunity to support coastal conservation efforts with the check of a box on their state income tax return. “The beauty and allure of California’s coast is unrivaled and this bill gives taxpayers a simple way to help keep it that way,” said Governor Brown. Each September, on the third Saturday of the month, Californians gather
to take part in the state's largest volunteer event, California Coastal Cleanup Day. Last year more than 65,000 volunteers removed nearly 770,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from California’s beaches, lakes and waterways. In 1993, California Coastal Cleanup Day was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “largest garbage collection” ever organized. Over the years, California Coastal Cleanup Day has spread inland from the beaches and now includes urban efforts to “stop trash where it starts” before litter can make its way into the state’s waterways. AB 754 will create a
check-off box on California personal income tax forms. This will allow taxpayers to make charitable contributions to the California Beach and Coastal Enhancement Account. Funds will be available through the California Coastal Commission’s WHALE TAIL Grants Program, which supports public education on the state’s marine and coastal resources, Adopt-ABeach programs and other beach maintenance and coastal habitat restoration projects that have an educational component. For the full text of the bill, visit: http://leginfo. ca.gov/bilinfo.html.
Holden to speak to Monrovia town council Assemblymember Chris Holden will present his “State of the State” address to the Monrovia City Council on Tuesday, October 1 at 7:30 pm. Assemblymember Holden, who represents the 41st Assembly District
that includes Monrovia, will update the council on the 2013 Legislative session which ended last week. Included in the discussion will be a review of the state budget, prison overcrowding, affordable healthcare, education,
and bills promoting job growth. In his freshman term, Assemblymember Holden had eight bills sent to Governor Brown for signature. When signed, they will go into effect January 1, 2014.
State schools chief Tom Torlakson visits nation’s capital to push for student broadband access State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson will be in Washington, D.C., next week as he continues his push for increased federal assistance to provide broadband access for all students and schools across California. At issue is the federal Schools and Libraries Program, more commonly known as E-rate, a surcharge on long distance telephone bills established in 1997 that provides discounts to assist schools and libraries in obtaining affordable telecommunications and Internet access. Torlakson has championed efforts to update E-rate to narrow the digital divide. In March 2012, he convened his Education Technology Task Force to bring 21st century tools into California’s classrooms. He has also brought together other state superintendents via the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to work together on this issue. “The world has changed, and our economy and society thrive on interconnectivity,”
Torlakson said. “E-rate is one of the tools we have to help close the digital divide for California’s children. E-rate has been a success, but now’s the time to make it even better so more schools and libraries can take advantage of it.” In June, President Obama proposed modernizing the E-rate program as part of his ConnectED initiative, which Torlakson at the time called “a huge step in the right direction.” The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened a public comment period soon after. Torlakson encouraged local superintendents and other education stakeholders across California to weigh in; the California Department of Education submitted its comments this week. Among the state’s priorities are expanding the program; making it easier to apply for and receive funding; ensuring the flexibility to take advantage of future technologies; distributing funding according to highest-priority needs; and allowing for ad-
equate bandwidth to support wireless access as schools continue moving toward a one-toone computing ratio. Monday in Washington, Torlakson will co-chair the CCSSO’s Digital Learning Task Force. The full-day gathering will include task force discussion and meeting with FCC commissioners and staff, along with representatives of the White House Domestic Policy Council and the U.S. Department of Education. Tuesday, Torlakson will meet with the offices of Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer of California, as well as Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, who is one of the original authors of the Erate program. “With 6.2 million children, our student population here in California is bigger than the total populations of some 30 other states,” Torlakson said. “To truly reach and teach every child—to prepare them for the world they’ll encounter outside our classrooms— technology has to be a part of what we do.”
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