Glendale Independent_10/2/2023

Dianne Feinstein, US senator from California, dies at 90

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 to become the first woman to represent California in that body, died at her home in Washington, D.C., Thursday night, her chief of staff confirmed Friday. She was 90.

“Sadly, Senator Feinstein passed away last night at her home in Washington, D.C. Her passing is a great loss for so many, from those who loved and cared for her to the people of California that she dedicated her life to serving,” James Sauls, Feinstein’s chief of staff, said in a statement.

“Senator Feinstein never backed away from a fight for what was just and right. At the same time, she was always willing to work with anyone, even those she disagreed with, if it meant bettering the lives of Californians or the betterment of our nation,” Sauls said.

President Joe Biden said in a joint statement with first lady Jill Biden that Feinstein was a pioneering American. “A true trailblazer. And for Jill and me, a cherished friend.”

“In San Francisco, she showed enormous poise and courage in the wake of tragedy, and became a powerful voice for American values,” Biden said. “Often the only woman in the room, Dianne was a role model for so many Americans — a job she took seriously by mentoring countless public servants, many of whom now serve in my administration. She had an immense impact on younger female leaders for whom she generously opened doors. Dianne was tough, sharp, always prepared, and never pulled a punch, but she was also a kind and loyal friend, and that’s what Jill and I will miss the most.”

Feinstein was the senior senator from California and one of the first two women elected to the U.S. Senate from California.

“Dianne Feinstein, right

By City News Service

from the start, was an icon for women in politics,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told ABC News.

Feinstein was the first woman mayor of San Francisco and the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

She was born in San Francisco on June 22, 1933, and graduated from Stanford University in 1955.

Feinstein, while serving as a supervisor in San Francisco, ascended to mayor upon the 1978 shooting deaths of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.

After an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 1990, Feinstein was elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time in 1992, becoming the first woman to represent California in the Senate. She was joined just two months later by Barbara Boxer.

Former President Barack Obama issued a statement also calling Feinstein a “trailblazer” for breaking glass ceilings for women at various levels of politics.

“But once she broke those barriers and walked through those doors, she got to work,” Obama said. “The best politicians get into public service because they care about this country and the people they represent. That was certainly true of Dianne Feinstein, and

all of us are better for it. Today Michelle and I are thinking of her daughter, Katherine, and everyone who knew and loved her.”

Rep. Ted Lieu posted on social media that “California and the country lost a barrierbreaker and an icon.”

“Through grit, grace and incredible intelligence, she succeeded in politics at a time when few women could. She paved the way for a historic number of women to have a seat at the table and a voice in Congress,” Lieu, D-Los Angeles, posted on social media.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, posted on social media, “Senator Dianne Feinstein was an icon who represented California valiantly throughout her career.”

“Her legacy of progressive leadership on LGBTQ+ rights forged a path for a more equal country. She was a hero to our community and I’m incredibly saddened by this loss for our nation,” Garcia, who is openly gay, posted on social media.

Sauls called Feinstein a force of nature.

“There are few women who can be called senator, chairman, mayor, wife, mom and grandmother. Senator Feinstein was a force of nature who made an incredible impact on our country and her home state.

“She left a legacy that is undeniable and extraordinary. There is much to say about who she was and what she did, but for now, we are going to grieve the passing of our beloved boss, mentor and friend.”

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, said Feinstein’s legacy is unmatched.

“Today, the nation has truly lost a giant of the U.S. Senate, California has lost its trail-blazing leader, and I lost a real friend and mentor. Senator Dianne Feinstein was one of the finest legislators we have ever seen, and her accomplishments made our country and world a better place,” Schiff said in a statement.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement she was saddened by the passing of Feinstein and called her one of the nation’s great leaders.

“Senator Feinstein was a trailblazer on whose shoulders I, and women in elected office all across America, will always stand. She worked harder than anyone I knew on Capitol Hill, and she will be remembered as one of the most effective and impactful Senators in American history,” Bass said.

Bass said the flags flying at all city facilities will be

Wrongfully convicted man walks free after 27 years in prison

PG 27

Judge approves LA County’s bid to settle homelessness lawsuit

By Fred Shuster, City News Service

Afederal judge Thursday signed off on the settlement of a closely watched lawsuit dealing with local government’s response to a perceived lack of services for the thousands of homeless people on the streets of Los Angeles.

U.S. District Judge David Carter rejected Los Angeles County’s earlier efforts to settle, denying a previous joint stipulation to dismiss the case brought three years ago by the LA Alliance for Human Rights — a coalition of housed and unhoused residents of downtown. The judge had stated he wanted Los Angeles County to provide both additional homeless services and hand the court more “oversight and enforcement powers.”

In the settlement, which Carter signed Thursday morning after a brief hearing in Los Angeles federal court, the county agreed to provide an additional 3,000 beds for mental health and substance abuse treatment by the end of 2026. A previous settlement attempt provided for only 1,000 additional beds.

The county also pledged to fund 450 new subsidies for board and care homes, and, significantly, agreed to the appointment of a retired judge to monitor the county’s compliance with the terms of the settlement.

Carter said he wanted all receipts and paperwork to be made public, underlining his efforts to ensure transparency in regards to the huge sums of taxpayers’ money involved.

Mira Hashmall, outside counsel for LA County in the case, said in a statement after the hearing that the settlement commits the county to providing an additional $1.24 billion worth of resources and services over the next four years for people experiencing homelessness, especially those suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders.

She said that together with $293 million the county previously pledged for 6,700 new shelter beds and services, “the county has now committed a record $1.53 billion in additional homelessness funding to provide over 10,000 new beds and enhanced homelessness services during this lawsuit alone.”

She said that figure is in addition to the more than $2 billion the county has expended through its own homelessness programs since the passage of Measure H in 2017.

LA Alliance spokesman Daniel Conway applauded the agreement, which marks the end of court hearings in the case.

“We are deeply encouraged by Judge Carter’s approval of the settlement,” he said. “We see this as serving as a foundation for the city and county to continue to cooperate to address the humanitarian crisis on the streets of Los Angeles.”

Calling the settlement a “historic step forward” in ongoing efforts to address Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis, Conway said the city and county’s settlement agreements could serve as “a blueprint for other communities looking to address homelessness humanely and comprehensively.”

The judge approved a separate settlement between LA Alliance and the city of Los Angeles in June 2022 that provides for 13,000 beds for the indigent.

Hashmall said the county, directly or through its partners, has helped place 90,000 people in permanent housing and 124,000 in shelters over the last five and a half years.

In a statement Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass thanked Carter for his “leadership and dedication” and said the county’s commitment of 3,000 additional mental health and substance use disorder beds “stands to help more unhoused Angelenos in the city come inside and receive care.”

She said she looked forward to continuing to work together

Republican Joe Collins sues Rep. Waters for $100,000 in attorneys’ fees PG

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. | Photo courtesy of Senate Democrats/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

LA County rolls out new COVID-19 booster shots

Los Angeles County’s top health officials rolled up their sleeves and received updated COVID-19 booster shots Wednesday as they urged residents -- particularly those in groups at risk of severe illness from infection -- to receive the new inoculations now that they are available locally.

County Health Officer

Dr. Muntu Davis and Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer both received the shot Wednesday at a county-run vaccination site at Ted Watkins Park in Watts.

Ferrer said the updated booster shot, which is engineered to specifically defend against currently circulating variations of COVID-19,

is slowly becoming more widely available, and the county expects that in the coming weeks, the vaccinations should be available at more than 1,000 sites in the county.

She acknowledged that COVID hospitalization and death numbers remain low, but added, “They are not insignificant.”

“Our own (local) data for the past 90 days shows that people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 were three times more likely to be hospitalized and four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than people who were vaccinated,” Ferrer said. “This new vaccine is estimated to prevent about 400,000 hospitalizations

By City News Service

and 40,000 deaths over the next two years. In L.A. County, we’ve also seen that certain groups of people are more vulnerable for severe illness from COVID-19. And this continues to be true, especially for older persons and people who are Black and Brown.”

While vaccination will not necessary prevent someone from becoming infected, health officials said the shots are effective at preventing patients from becoming severely sick or dying from the virus.

Ferrer said hospitalization rates due to the virus remain elevated among Black residents, and among residents who are 65 years old or older. The rates are

even higher for people aged 80 and older.

“Because (vaccine) availability is less than we expected at this point, we do want to emphasize that people in those higher risk groups should make their appointment or visit a site to get vaccinated earlier rather than later to make sure they have increased protection if transmission goes up,” she said.

Residents can get realtime information on vaccine availability and vaccination locations online at ph.lacounty.gov/vaccines.

Ferrer noted that the vaccinations are provided for free at all countyoperated vaccination sites. Free vaccinations will also

be available at many sites for people who are uninsured or under-insured, she said.

People who have insurance should be able to receive the shots without

any out-of-pocket costs, but Ferrer said people should check with their insurance company to determine if they need to find an in-network provider to receive a cost-free shot.

Bruce Springsteen postpones Forum shows as he recovers from peptic ulcer disease

Rocker Bruce Springsteen, who is continuing to recover from peptic ulcer disease, announced Wednesday he is postponing the remainder of his 2023 tour dates, including a pair of shows at Kia Forum in Inglewood.

Springsteen and the E Street Band were scheduled

to perform at the Forum on Dec. 4 and Dec. 6.

According to an announcement posted on X, formerly Twitter, all shows will be postponed until 2024.

Rescheduled dates are expected to be announced next week, with all shows expected to take place at

Republican

ARepublican who unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, for her seat in November 2020 is seeking nearly $100,000 from the veteran politician and her committee for attorneys’ fees and costs related to his libel and slander lawsuit against her that was reinstated on appeal.

Plaintiff Joe E. Collins III alleged the 85-year-old congresswoman’s campaign materials and radio commercials falsely stated that the Navy veteran was dishonorably discharged. Collins said he served honorably for 13 1/2 years in the Navy, receiving decorations and commendations.

In May, a three-justice panel of the Second District Court of Appeal unanimously reversed an April 2021 ruling by now-retired Judge Yolanda Orozco. During the hearing on Waters’ motion to dismiss the case, the judge told Donna Bullock, Collins’ attorney, that the lawyer had not come close to proving actual malice.

In court papers filed Tuesday with Orozco’s replacement, Judge Serena R.Murillo, Bullock states that her client is entitled to just under $97,100 in attorneys’ fees and costs covering the original litigation and the appeals, including Waters’ unsuccessful petition for review with the state Supreme Court.

A hearing on the motion is scheduled Oct. 31.

Waters’ dismissal motion before Orozco was based on the state’s anti- SLAPP -- Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation -- law, which is intended to prevent people from using courts, and potential threats of a lawsuit, to intimidate those who are exercising their First Amendment rights.

According to the suit, in September 2020 the Citizens for Waters campaign published a two-sided piece of literature with an “unflattering” photo of Collins that stated, “Republican candidate Joe Collins was dishonorably discharged, played politics and sued

By City News Service

the originally scheduled venues.

“When the new 2024 dates are announced, those unable to attend on the new date who purchased their tickets through official ticketing companies have 30 days to request a refund,” according to the announcement.

“All tickets for postponed performances will remain valid for the newly announce dates.”

Springsteen, 74, said in a statement, “Thanks to all my friends and fans for your good wishes, encouragement and support. I’m on the mend and can’t wait to see you all next year.”

By City News Service

in attorneys’ fees

“Reckless disregard for the truth can create liability for defamation. When you face powerful documentary evidence your accusation is false, when checking is easy, and when you skip the checking but keep accusing, a jury could conclude you have crossed the line.”

Bullock previously said Collins was most concerned all along with veterans’ rights in filing the suit and that Waters or anyone else could have gone online and paid $25 to find out a veteran’s discharge status.

being sued for quoting the written decision of a federal judge in my campaign literature,” said Waters.

Collins met in 2018 with Waters’ staff and provided direct information about his discharge status, according to his suit, which says she “knew or should have known that Collins was not dishonorably discharged and the accusation was made with actual malice.”

the U.S. military. He doesn’t deserve military dog tags or your support.”

The reverse side of the ad had a photo of Waters and text complimenting her for her record with veterans, according to the plaintiff.

The dishonorable discharge statement was false because Collins left the Navy by a general discharge under honorable conditions, the suit filed in September 2020 stated.

“The anti-SLAPP motion, the appellate and

Supreme Court petitions of the defendants were frivolous and intended to delay and wear out (Collins),” Bullock states in her court papers, adding that the defendants still refuse to accept the truth of military documents proving that the statement about her client’s discharge was false.

“Free speech is vital in America, but truth has a place in the public square as well,” Justice John Shepard Wiley wrote for the threejustice appellate court panel.

Collins left the Navy as a decorated veteran upon a general discharge under honorable conditions, according to his court papers, which further state that he left the military so he could run for office, which he could not do while on active duty.

In a sworn declaration in favor of dismissing the suit, Waters stated the information was obtained from a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Anello.

“In other words, I am

The plaintiff also cited a Waters radio campaign commercial that included the congresswoman stating, “Joe Collins was kicked out of the Navy and was given a dishonorable discharge. Oh yes, he was thrown out of the Navy with a dishonorable discharge. Joe Collins is not fit for office and does not deserve to be elected to public office. Please vote for me. You know me.”

Waters stated in the radio ad that Collins’ health benefits were paid for by the Navy, which would not be possible if he had been dishonorably discharged, according to the plaintiff.

Joe Collins sues Rep. Waters for $100,000

Joe Collins. | Photo courtesy of Joe Collins for Congress

Photo by Alexander Simonsen on Unsplash

Bruce Springsteen. |

Photo by Takahiro Kyono (CC BY 2.0)

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By Jackie Mader, Stacker

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For decades, researchers have debated the longterm impact of early childhood education, sharing evidence that while some children experience positive long-term outcomes, others see initial benefits fade out — or even experience detrimental outcomes. The Hechinger Report analyzes a new study that adds to a growing body of research indicating that high-quality early care and learning programs can positively impact children for years into the future. But there is one caveat: Children need to be enrolled early, in infancy or early toddlerhood, to reap these benefits.

Beginning in 2010, researchers in Tulsa, Oklahoma, followed a cohort of 37 children who were 19 months or younger when they enrolled in Tulsa Educare, a high-quality early learning program. A team from the Early Childhood Education Institute at the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, regularly evaluated the children's academic outcomes and executive function through the end of third grade. These outcomes were then compared to a cohort of 38 children, serving as a control group, who were unable to get a spot at Tulsa Educare. (Children in the control group were cared for by relatives or family friends, enrolled in family child care homes, or attended a public school preschool program or local Head Start program.)

The study, which was published in late 2022 in Education Sciences and released more widely this past August, found that children who attended Tulsa's Educare program, all of whom live below the poverty line, experienced positive effects that lasted well into elementary school. The Educare cohort, who attended the program for an average of 37 months, performed better on all academic measures than their peers who did not attend the program. Parents of the Tulsa Educare cohort also reported fewer behavior problems. (There were no statistically significant differences in social-emotional development or executive functioning skills between the cohorts.) Students from both cohorts experienced similar classroom environments once they entered K-3, but by the end of third grade, the Educare cohort still outperformed the control group and scored at the national average for oral

comprehension, math, and vocabulary, performing on par with more affluent peers nationwide.

"To me, the results show the importance of starting early if you want to have large and sustained effects from high-quality early childhood programs," said Diane Horm, the founding director of the Early Childhood Education Institute at the University of Oklahoma at Tulsa and a George Kaiser Family Foundation Endowed Chair of Early Childhood Education. A "sustained and large dose" of a high-quality early childhood program prior to kindergarten, Horm said, seems to be key to lasting, positive results. "If we start early, we can prevent the achievement gap from forming."

The Educare model, which is considered to be an "enhanced" Early Head Start program, has some unique aspects that make it high quality. Educare, which receives federal Head Start funding in addition to philanthropic and state funds, meets Early Head Start performance standards that require child screenings and assessments, a research-based curriculum, and family involvement. Lead teachers at Educare have bachelor's degrees, the schools offer regular professional development and staffto-child ratios are kept low.

Educare also offers family support programs and health resources, full-day, year-round child care, and partners with researchers who frequently evaluate each site. Previous research has found certain aspects of the Educare model, such as keeping children with the same teachers for several years in a row, may have positive benefits, helping children improve self-control and form stronger attachments with caregivers.

The infant and toddler classes at Educare are crafted to give each child ample attention and plenty of sensitive, responsive interactions, Horm said. The program keeps a ratio of three teachers to eight children and focuses on individual or small-group interactions as children actively engage with materials in their classroom. The program is a contrast to other early childhood programs that Horm said she has seen, where infants are restrained in car seats, children are largely left to play on their own or there is a "harried, overworked adult" caring for many children, she said. "To me, that picture just

contrasts the two extremes. You can make sure babies are safe, or you can make sure you're enhancing development," Horm added. "That's what the teachers at Educare and other good infant toddler programs do. They take their charge of being promotors of development very seriously."

New study supports previous research on the positive correlation between early high-quality care and long-term effects

The findings of the new study echo one of early childhood's most notable studies, the Abecedarian Project, which found positive, longterm effects of high-quality early care and education for children who received full-time, high-quality early childhood experiences as infants up to age 5. Together, these studies suggest that focusing on early access to high-quality programs is critical for long-term positive outcomes.

Previous proposals from the federal government aimed at improving access to high-quality early learning opportunities have focused on universal access to preschool. Many states have poured resources into building and expanding high-quality pre-K programs, rather than emphasizing the quality of care in the first few years of life. Researchers involved with the Educare study say expanding access to federally-funded Early Head Start programs, which currently serve only 10 percent of eligible children, could help expand the number of high-quality early learning programs, such as the Educare model, and benefit more infants and toddlers.

Researchers say the age of enrollment in early learning matters. When children start young, they can reap the benefits of a high-quality program at a time when their brains are growing at a rapid pace. An infant's brain doubles in size before age

1. During this time and the toddler years that follow, interactions between young children and their caregivers have a profound impact on the brain's development and wiring. "The infant-toddler period is increasingly recognized as a unique developmental stage that really does set the path for all that follows," Horm said.

A previous study of Educare children underscored the fact that infants and toddlers are influenced greatly by the type of caregiving they experience. That study, which was released in 2015, found children who entered high-quality early childhood programs earlier, and stayed longer, had better outcomes on language and social-emotional skill outcomes. "Entering Educare as an infant appeared to prevent the early decline in language scores often associated with poverty," researchers wrote in that study. "In contrast, for children entering at age 3, language scores were already well below the national average."

Researchers caution there are some limitations to the new study. The sample size was relatively small and several children in the non-Educare group attended some of Tulsa's respected early childhood education programs. Still, Horm said the results point to a possible antidote to the ever-present, stubborn achievement gap that has plagued America's education system for generations. "If you are able to enroll children in a high-quality program near birth, they never experience that gap that then has to be made up."

This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.

Re-published with CC BY-NC 4.0 License.

Photo by Stephen Andrews on Unsplash

According to a new study, infants and toddlers in high-quality child care retain positive benefits longer, provided they are enrolled early enough

SFV man sentenced to prison for role in attack on US Capitol

By City News Service

ALos Angeles man was sentenced Tuesday to four years and three months behind bars for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Edward Badalian, 29, of Panorama City, was also sentenced in the District of Columbia to serve three years of supervised release after he is released from prison, and pay $2,000 in restitution and fines, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Badalian was convicted in April by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding, and entering and remaining in a restricted building.

His actions helped disrupt a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

According to the evidence presented at the nonjury trial, in the fall of 2020, Badalian, co-defendant Daniel Rodriguez, and others created a Telegram group chat titled “PATRIOTS45MAGA Gang.” The group, initially created to bring together supporters of former President Donald Trump in the lead-up to the 2020 Presidential election, became a forum for Badalian and Rodriguez’s plans for violence against the seat of the federal government, according to the Department of Justice.

In the group, Badalian and Rodriguez wrote hundreds of messages about war, revolution, traitors, and tyrants.

As early as the fall of 2020, after the results of

the 2020 election came in, Badalian wrote in the Telegram group: “time to arrest biden lol” and the next day, making clear that he was calling for the use of violence, Badalian sent the group a photograph of an individual holding an assault rifle.

Evidence showed he wrote, “stay strapped foo. its not a game anymore.”

Days later, Badalian escalated from talk of arrests to calls for executions.

On Nov. 9, 2020, Badalian wrote, “If theyre guilty of treason they should be executed,” adding, “Biden is definitely guilty of treason.”

Badalian later called for members of the group to prepare and train for potential violence. On

Dec. 6, 2020, Badalian wrote, “we cant plot anyones demise,” but, he continued, “the way is to train and train and one day when were all together in training, the decision has to be made and executed spontaneously as to whom we arrest.”

After the group made arrangements to travel from California to Washington, D.C., for the Jan. 6, 2021, proceedings, Badalian called upon other members of the group to prepare for their trip by partaking in paintball training exercises. Badalian wrote in the group, “We need to know how to fight together while under fire.” When another group member asked, “what are you training

for exactly?” Badalian responded: “a firefight with armed terrorists.”

On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, Badalian and his group attended the Stop the Steal rally on the National Mall. After listening to the then-president’s speech, Badalian walked straight to the U.S. Capitol building. After illegally traversing the west front of the Capitol grounds, Badalian made his way to the Lower West Terrace.

Here, Badalian cheered on rioters engaged in a heave-ho effort against police and then ascended a scaffolding overlooking the Upper West Terrace on the north side of the building. Once there, Badalian attempted to direct the crowd to the

entrances on the Upper West Terrace, evidence showed.

Badalian then entered the Capitol building via a broken window on the Lower West Terrace. Once inside the building, Badalian stood side-byside with other rioters, including Rodriguez, as they ransacked offices, broke down doors, and broke windows. Badalian later left the building after being forced out by law enforcement.

After the events of Jan. 6, Badalian took steps to hide the evidence of his actions that day. While driving back to California from Washington, D.C., Badalian and others in the group attempted to convince another indi-

vidual to delete video and photographic evidence linking Badalian and others in the group to the events at the Capitol that day, according to the Justice Department.

Badalian and Rodriguez continued efforts to cover up their crimes in their Telegram group. Rodriguez directed members to abstain from posting “incriminating stuff.” As part of his efforts to cover up his crimes, Badalian replaced his cell phone and cell phone number after returning to Los Angeles, according to federal prosecutors.

In the 32 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,100 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 396 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

Rodriguez, 40, of Fontana, was sentenced in June to 12 years and seven months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding, obstruction of justice, and assaulting a law enforcement officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon — an electroshock device.

In addition to the prison term, Jackson ordered him to serve three years of supervised release, and pay restitution of $2,000 to the Architect of the Capitol, and $96,927 to the Metropolitan Police Department for injuries to the officer, according to the Justice Department.

Rioters breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. | Photo courtesy of Tyler Merbler/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Inside the book-ban machine: The rise of ‘parental rights’ groups and their efforts to ban books

By Eliza Siegel, Emma Rubin, Stacker

“ Meet Mary IN THE School LIBRARY!

Mary has a dirty little secret.

She collects naughty children’s books! Do you have a recommendation for Mary’s book collection?”

Thus reads the description for a Facebook group called Mary in the School Library Michigan, one of at least nine nearly identical groups in different states that ask concerned citizens to report books that could be “pornographic in nature, obscene, or harmful to children.” The ultimate goal, as written on its page, is to “help write and collect detailed and easy to understand book content reviews” and circulate these reviews to parents “so they can make informed decisions.”

At first glance, there is nothing particularly remarkable about the desire to keep pornographic materials out of the hands of minors. Closer inspection of “Mary’s book collection”—hosted on the website Rated Books— however, reveals several titles that would likely not meet the legal standard of what’s considered “pornographic” or “obscene,” including Heather Gale’s “Ho’onani: Hula Warrior,” Robie H. Harris’ “Who Has What? All About Girls’ Bodies and Boys’ Bodies,” and Harry Woodgate’s “Grandad’s Pride.”

The webpage also links to a national network of right-wing groups synonymous with book banning, including Moms for Liberty, Truth in Education, and No Left Turn in Education.

As attempts to ban books reach record levels, Stacker explored how organized efforts have enabled challenges on a larger scale than ever before at libraries and schools across the U.S.

This story is the second part in Stacker’s two-part series on the state of book bans in the U.S. Read the first part at https://stacker. com/news/efforts-to-banbooks-reached-recordhigh-2022.

Conservative education groups have spread rapidly, frequently in areas with politically mixed populations

Since the selfproclaimed “parental rights” group Moms for Liberty was founded in 2021, it has established itself as a political power-

house, with Republican presidential hopefuls like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump vying for its endorsement.

Moms for Liberty’s conservative reputation transcends Republican strongholds, with chapters mobilizing conservative voters in politically mixed areas. Nearly a third (30%) of its chapters are in counties where President Joe Biden won over half of the vote in 2020, according to an analysis of 2020 election data and Moms for Liberty chapter location data by Stacker. About another quarter (28%) are in more politically mixed counties where neither Trump nor Biden won at least half of the vote.

In addition to advocating against discussing racism and LGBTQ+ topics in classrooms, the group is perhaps best known for its campaign to restrict or ban books in public schools.

Bolstered by funding from its conservative political action committee, members have gotten onto school boards nationwide, galvanizing supporters to challenge books.

Moms for Liberty co-founders Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice confirmed that’s part of the group’s strategy, telling Stacker in an email that the group provides a toolkit to potential candidates “as a resource on how to run an effective campaign.”

Take, for example, Central Bucks School District in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It is the third-largest school district in Pennsylvania, a swing county in a swing state. The district is still navigating the aftermath of a 2021 school board election that saw a conservative majority ban several books, many of which with LGBTQ+ themes. The district has also faced state scrutiny for “fostering intolerance” by banning Pride flags and retaliating against staff who spoke out against the administration. In October 2022, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania filed a discrimination complaint against the district for creating a “culture of discrimination against LGBQ&T students, particularly transgender and nonbinary students.”

Moms for Liberty has a strong presence in Bucks County, and members

frequently attend Central Bucks school board meetings. Two Moms for Liberty members currently sit on the school board.

For Lela Casey, a mother of two students in the Central Bucks School District, the division sown by the school’s administration is a betrayal of the reasons she chose to raise her kids in the county in the first place.

People she used to feel a sense of neighborly camaraderie with, despite political differences, have become hostile, Casey told Stacker. When she attends school board meetings with her daughter, a freshman in high school, Casey said they both face harassment from the Moms for Liberty contingent.

The impact of the book bans and other policies is most strongly felt by LGBTQ+ students and kids of color in the district, according to Casey. “They’re the ones primarily who show up at meetings and say, ‘Look, these policies are hurting us,’” she said.

New conservative book rating sites are fueling book bans

To challenge a book, most libraries have “request for reconsideration of material” forms, where patrons can ask librarians to reassess a book or other material. Forms often ask the complainant to describe the issue, cite specific passages they find inappropriate, and suggest actions for the library to take, such as removal of the books.

The questions these forms pose are intended to ensure people have actually read the materials and can lodge their complaints knowledgeably. However, an online ecosystem of conservative book ratings sites, Facebook groups, and artificial intelligence tools has allowed people to skirt that step.

One of these rating sites, Book Looks, provides reports for over 600 titles, including frequently challenged books like Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer” and Angie Thomas’ “The Hate U Give.” Its reviews contain prewritten summaries citing concerns like “alternate gender ideologies” or “inflammatory racial commentary,” page numbers of allegedly problematic passages, and a profanity count.

The undisclosed

number of parents behind Book Looks claim on the website that they do not support book banning, but rather seek to be a source for parents who are “frustrated by the lack of resource material for content-based information regarding books accessible to children and young adults.”

Despite this assertion, Book Looks reports have been cited in countless attempts to remove books from libraries. The site’s founder, Emily Maikisch, told Stacker in an email that she was a member of Moms for Liberty from January to March 2022; she and her husband started Book Looks after she ceased her involvement in the group, citing different goals. Maikisch also said Book Looks operates independently from any other groups, though Moms for Liberty lists Book Looks as a resource for examining and challenging library collections. Descovich and Justice of Moms for Liberty also told Stacker that the organization “has no affiliation with any of these book sites in terms of helping to run them.”

Book Looks reviewers rate books on a scale of 0 to 5, classifying whether kids and teens should have access to the material. A score of 4 means no one under 18 should access the material, and 5 is considered “aberrant content.” (The full rating system can be seen at https://booklooks.org/ratings-system.)

Books in libraries and bookstores have long been shelved by age range, categorizing titles based on what publishers specify. Book Looks ratings frequently deviate from these standards, often citing culture war talking points that publishers wouldn’t consider inappropriate. As of Aug. 30, at least 3 in 5 young adult or teen books (61%) scored 3 (minor restricted) or higher, a Stacker analysis found.

Same-sex parents and mentions of racism are often grounds for Book Looks to give a picture or juvenile fiction book a rating of 1, or “child guidance,” meaning it isn’t appropriate for young children. Of the 133 picture and juvenile books rated “child guidance,” nearly half mentioned “alternate gender ideologies” in the summary of

concerns, and at least a quarter mentioned “alternate sexualities.” “Racial commentary” was cited in 17% of the reports, like Lynda Blackmon Lowery’s “Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom.” Maikisch told Stacker that LGBTQ+ content is not a “major factor” in Book Looks ratings, but they want parents to be “prepared to provide the proper guidance.”

It doesn’t take much to receive a Book Looks rating that could drastically limit a book’s readership. Gregory Bonsignore’s “That’s Betty,” a picture book biography of Betty White meant for 4- to 8-year-olds, received a 1 rating from Book Looks because of two lines, effectively shutting out its intended audience. One referenced the backlash White received for featuring Black tap dancer Arthur Duncan on “The Betty White Show,” and another mentioned a character with two fathers.

More than a third of juvenile books, which typically target children up to age 12, were rated by Book Looks as “teen guidance,” meaning the content may not be appropriate for children under 13. Many of these feature transgender characters, mild violence, or nonsexual nudity.

One example is Sandy Kleven’s “The Right Touch,” a 1998 children’s book aimed at teaching kids consent and preventing child sexual abuse. Prolific Goodreads reviewer Randie Camp praised its “warm, safe, and comforting” illustrations; another reviewer described it as “gentle and helpful.” The book won the 1999 Benjamin Franklin Parenting Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association. By contrast, Book Looks flags passages containing nonsexual images of the bodies of boys and girls and a scene where a character shares a sexual abuse experience.

Book Looks also rates books intended for adults. Some are Colleen Hoover and Danielle Steele romance novels whose target audience isn’t children or teens. Others are books that might be found on a high school syllabus and are considered classics in literature, like Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and Toni Morrison’s “The

Bluest Eye.”

Regional groups are also organizing to challenge books: About 1 in 6 complaints nationwide in 2022 were from St. Tammany Parish St. Tammany Parish Library is a system of 12 branches located just across the causeway from New Orleans. Kelly LaRocca, the library director, has served in various capacities in the system for the past 18 years. She told Stacker that book complaints used to be few and far between, amounting to roughly one every year or every other year.

Everything changed in June 2022, when a Pride display in the library’s Mandeville branch touched off verbal complaints about books with LGBTQ+ themes and an onslaught of what the library calls “statements of concern.”

From August 2022 to September 2023, 216 complaints have been filed, 160 of which were submitted by just one woman, Connie Phillips, on behalf of a small group called the St. Tammany Parish Library Accountability Project. St. Tammany Parish Library has rapidly become the site of one of the highest recorded number of book complaints in the country, accounting for 16% of all book complaints filed nationally in 2022.

Many of the complaints submitted by Phillips rely heavily on Book Looks reports. In at least three cases, however, Stacker identified complaints that copied information from a completely unrelated Book Looks report. Phillips’ complaint forms for Theresa Thorn’s “It Feels Good to be Yourself,” shelved in juvenile fiction; Robb Pearlman’s “Pink Is for Boys,” a picture book; and “Tomboy,” which Phillips identified as an audiobook by French Audo, and which wasn’t found in St. Tammany’s collection; all lifted quotes from the Book Looks report for Courtney C. Stevens’ young adult novel “Dress Codes for Small Towns.” (Phillips did not submit a complaint about “Dress Codes.”) The St. Tammany Parish Library Accountability Project did not immediately respond to Stacker’s request for comment.

Despite none of the

quotes nor profanity appearing in those three books, the library still has to follow its official review process to respond to the complaints.

St. Tammany Library conservatively estimates that each statement of concern costs about $409 to respond to. That doesn’t include the time it takes for librarians and board of control members to read the books.

Despite these grim figures, LaRocca told Stacker that anti-censorship advocates have always vastly outnumbered those who favor restricting book access at library board meetings.

The Library Accountability Project continues to submit book challenges and has organized beyond board meetings to target the library’s staff and leadership. In a presentation on their website, the group claims librarians are distributing pornography to minors but uses passages from graphic novels shelved in the adult sections of St. Tammany library branches.

In December, tensions arose when two women thought to be affiliated with the project reported library staff members at the Covington branch to police for allegedly distributing pornography to minors. They specifically called out Kobabe’s “Gender Queer,” which has topped banned book lists in recent years. At the branch, the book is shelved in the adult section and was checked out of the library at the time.

When law enforcement arrived, LaRocca said the officer seemed confused and didn’t know why he was there. After talking to the library staff, he left without making any arrests. The library has not heard anything more about the complaint.

The library’s data suggests the Library Accountability Project’s concerns likely represent a vocal minority, as circulation reached nearly 1 million in 2022, a nearly 9% increase from 2021.

“If the community didn’t trust us or wasn’t happy with the materials that we had, then they wouldn’t visit us, and they wouldn’t check them out,”

LaRocca said. “We still have a community that’s interested in having a library.”

New state laws support attempts to restrict library materials

Several states, including Texas, Florida, South Carolina, and Utah, have introduced official and unofficial measures to make book banning easier.

Some state-level book policies invoke terminology like “pornography” and “obscenity” to restrict materials available to minors while leaving the definitions of these terms vague enough to be widely and indiscriminately applied. Other laws, like those passed in Arkansas and Indiana, target librarians and educators more directly, making them criminally liable for distributing “obscene” materials. Some schools and libraries may preemptively remove materials to comply with newly enacted legislation.

Certain book challenges—like one submitted to St. Tammany—specifically cite pieces of legislation, highlighting how vague language like “harmful to minors” can be used to support the removal or restriction of materials.

Less official measures from politicians can have a similar effect despite having no legal basis. In 2021, then-Texas state Rep. Matt Krause circulated a letter to school administrations asking them to report whether they owned any of 849 specific books. An analysis of the books by Book Riot noted that nearly two-thirds of the books (62.4%) included on the list contained LGBTQ+ themes.

Though there was no specific legal directive to remove the books, many Texas schools were confused about how to comply. Some schools and parents challenged the books on the list en masse.

There is no official affiliation between the Krause List and books flagged by Book Looks, but certain frequently targeted titles appear on both. At least 1 in 9 of the 849 titles on the Krause List have Book Looks ratings, according to a comparison by Stacker.

In Granbury, Texas,

Book-ban

the Krause List was just one factor in a yearslong effort to remove books with LGBTQ+ themes from the local school district—a push that resulted in the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights launching a first-of-itskind investigation into the school in December 2022.

The campaign to remove LGBTQ+ books from Granbury schools ramped up with the election of several farright Christian conservatives to the school board. In early 2022, the school’s superintendent, Jeremy Glenn, was recorded pressuring school librarians to remove LGBTQ+ books, telling them that if their beliefs diverged from those of the conservative school board, “You better hide it.”

Glenn and the district published a written statement (that has since been taken down) in response to the leaked recording, noting that they support children from all backgrounds but that “the values of our community will always be reflected in our schools.”

Weeks later, roughly 130 books were removed from Granbury library shelves. Nearly 3 out of 4 books had LGBTQ+ themes or characters, according to ProPublica and Texas Tribune’s analysis. Eventually, three of the books were banned, and most of the rest were returned to the library; but the fight wasn’t over yet.

Tensions escalated when two book review committee members, Karen Lowery and Monica Brown, filed a complaint with the local constable alleging that pornography was being kept in the Granbury school library. Like the incident involving police in St. Tammany Parish, no arrests were made.

According to Adrienne Quinn Martin, an outspoken critic of the Granbury book-banning efforts and the mother of one current and one former Granbury student, national groups like Moms for Liberty haven’t taken root in Hood County because there is already plenty of local mobilization.

“This is already a Christian nationalist county, and it’s being run that

way,” Martin told Stacker.

In the absence of Moms for Liberty, there is a Granbury chapter of Rated Books, which uses Book Looks to facilitate book challenges in communities nationwide. It is unclear whether the school board members responsible for campaigning for book bans in the Granbury school district are affiliated with the Granbury Rated Books site. Stacker’s emails to the national Rated Books address listed on the Granbury chapter’s website went unanswered.

Organizations against book banning are pushing back

As quickly and prolifically as groups have emerged to challenge library materials over the last several years, organizations devoted to fighting book bans have sprung up to counter them.

Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship, a coalition of local groups, was founded in late 2022 after the conservative Lafayette Public Library board canceled the library’s Pride Month displays and attempted to fire a librarian who acted against the measure. The board also gave itself the power to decide which challenged books would be removed from the shelves, a decision usually made by librarians.

Lynette Mejía, a co-founder of Louisiana

Citizens Against Censorship and a Lafayette resident, told Stacker that she and others felt their local library was under attack. Mejía, along with fellow co-founders Amanda Jones and Melanie Brevis, were spurred into action when they heard about incoming state legislation limiting access to library materials. They feared what had happened at Lafayette would soon spread to other Louisiana parishes.

Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship provides resources for starting local freedomto-read groups, connects existing organizations across the state with one another, and keeps people updated on book-banning efforts in Louisiana.

So far, efforts by groups like the St. Tammany Parish Library Accountability Project and a similar organization, Citizens for a New Louisiana, have had a hard time gaining a real foothold in Louisiana libraries apart from Lafayette, according to Mejía.

That’s because many people have shown up to board meetings in support of keeping library materials accessible. “People respond to people who live [in their community] and have a stake in their local library,” Mejía said.

Paying close attention to what’s happening at the hyperlocal level and being

ready to jump into action are key parts of staving off book ban attempts, according to advocates.

“As soon as this starts happening in your community, you need to organize and fight against it because it does not take long for that match to set fire to your whole town,” Martin said. “They have a playbook. They follow it. It works.”

Larger-scale efforts to stave off organized book challenges are also underway. National organizations like the ACLU, the National Coalition Against Censorship, and the Freedom to Read Foundation provide legal resources and aid to people fighting book bans. Students have also mobilized to support book access by forming “banned-book clubs,” participating in protests, and getting involved in national initiatives.

“This is going to be a long road to take back our libraries and to recover what we’ve lost,” Mejía said. When she gets tired, she reminds herself that “growing up with access to [public libraries] is such an important part of living in a free society, and it’s worth fighting for, no matter how long it takes.”

Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Paris Close.

Re-published with CC BY-NC 4.0 License.

Photo Illustration by Michael Flocker // Stacker // Canva

United Nations seems to boost plastics industry interests, critics say

By Lisa Song, ProPublica

This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.

The plastic crisis has grown exponentially. Despite marketing claims, less than 10% of the plastic waste from recent decades has been recycled. The rest gets incinerated, is buried in landfills or piles up as litter on land and in the water.

Today, it is widely acknowledged that everything about plastic — from extracting fossil fuels to make it, to manufacturing products that use it, to disposing of it — can seriously harm public health and the environment. Plastics are a growing driver of climate change. As growth in renewable energy threatens the rule of fossil fuels, that industry is clinging to the creation of new plastics as its Plan B.

Now, the plastics industry faces a new threat. World officials will gather at a United Nations meeting in November to start negotiating the text of the first legally binding treaty on plastics. A final version is expected next year. If the agreement limits plastic production or use, the implications for the businesses that rely on it could be enormous.

So it wasn’t a surprise when those businesses sought to influence the discussion. But what has been jarring to environmental advocates and scientific researchers is who has been there to boost the Big Plastic platform: the United Nations itself, along with other globally respected groups.

This dynamic is evident right now in New York City, as global leaders, business executives and climate activists convene for Climate Week, an annual gathering organized by the nonprofit Climate Group in partnership with the United Nations.

Event organizers granted an opening ceremony speaking slot to a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, the powerhouse consulting firm that has advised fossil fuel companies. Top event sponsors include major brands that rely on plastic packaging and associate members of the American Chemistry Council, a leading plastics lobby.

“Our position on

climate change and the urgent need to reach net zero is unequivocal, and we have been backing up those words with action for decades,” a McKinsey spokesperson said in an email. The American Chemistry Council didn’t return requests for comment.

A Climate Group spokesperson defended the inclusion of McKinsey and major plastics brands. “We won’t tackle climate change by only speaking with businesses or governments who are top performers. We need to engage with those who have further to go still.”

To those hoping for a strong plastics treaty, one of the most disappointing developments came from a report published by the United Nations Environment Program this May.

Co-written with Systemiq, a consulting firm that has advised the fossil fuel and plastics industries, the report generated a flurry of media attention for the main takeaway: that the interventions it listed would reduce global plastic pollution 80% by 2040 compared with what otherwise would have happened.

But its authors did not consider feedback from a large group of independent scientists and suggested several solutions that are favored by industry.

The report was “written from a certain worldview” that reflects business interests, said Ewoud Lauwerier, plastics policy expert at the advocacy group OceanCare. He called the report “highly problematic” in a 33-point thread on Twitter (now X).

Critics say the United Nations report emphasized waste management over the most important intervention — limiting the creation of new plastic. It’s a tactic that oil-rich nations like the United States have used in efforts to weaken the plastics treaty.

Putting the focus on managing waste risks getting locked into a cycle where people have to keep producing plastic to feed those waste management systems, said Jane Patton, campaigns manager on the U.S. fossil economy

at the Center for International Environmental Law. Some environmentalists have called for phasing out single-use plastics by 2040.

The report is “not a reflection of industry talking points and it did not involve industry players while formulating the narrative,” Llorenç Milà i Canals, the lead report author from the United Nations Environment Program, said in an email on behalf of his institution and Systemiq. Milà i Canals is an expert on assessing the environmental impacts of products from creation to disposal.

The report did not predict how total plastics production would change. It focused on “short-lived” plastic products like packaging, which make up about two-thirds of all plastic waste. The report said the listed interventions would decrease production of these plastics 9% by 2040 compared with 2020.

Much of the reduction would come through eliminating single-use plastic or using replacement materials like paper. But the report’s inclusion of other controversial solutions alarmed many advocates and scientists.

Chief among them is chemical recycling, which transforms plastic on a molecular level. Research has shown that the process sometimes requires more energy than making brand-new plastic.

found the industry has struggled to make it work on a large scale. Baked into the report’s estimated reduction in plastic pollution is what it projected to be a massive expansion of the practice: a more-than eightfold increase over 20 years. That growth rate is based on work Systemiq did with The Pew Charitable Trusts that resulted in a peer-reviewed paper.

“There’s no evidence anywhere showing that chemical recycling is sustainable from an environmental perspective or an economic perspective,” said Bethanie Carney Almroth, an ecotoxicology professor at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. She fears the report will encourage governments to invest in chemical recycling, locking them into a harmful practice.

Chemical recycling is “included only as a last resort” for situations where plastic waste can’t be eliminated or processed via traditional recycling, Milà i Canals said. Chemical recycling “may have a role to play,” but “of course reducing the size of the problem is the top priority.”

The Pew Charitable Trusts, in a statement, said that its study set out to analyze “all existing and emerging technologies” to “assess their maximum feasible growth over the next 20 years” The analysis acknowledged that chemical recycling is “controversial” and could

only tackle 6% of the plastic waste by 2040, so it “certainly cannot solve the crisis on its own.”

Incineration is another point of contention. Some “sub-optimal solutions will be needed” for certain non-recyclable plastics, the United Nations report stated. One option is to continue the practice of burning plastic as fuel for cement kilns. Since many countries already have cement kilns, the authors wrote, it wouldn’t require new investment and could reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

“Plastic itself is a fossil fuel,” said Sedat Gündoğdu, a professor in the Faculty of Fisheries at Çukurova University in Turkey. He said the report didn’t pay enough attention to the toxic footprint of incineration, as there’s “no proper solution” for the dioxins and other carcinogens emitted by burning plastic.

Many countries will turn to this report as a basis for future policy, he said. If the United Nations Environment Program lists incineration as an option, the least it could do is describe minimum health and environmental standards, he added.

Milà i Canals said the report stated this method is “strongly discouraged” and the authors did not recommend building new kilns. “We accept that we could have been more explicit about the limits of this solution.”

The report also suggest-

ed some of the costs of incineration could be covered by plastic credits — programs where corporations can claim to neutralize some of their plastic use by paying people elsewhere to recycle, incinerate or otherwise clean up existing plastic pollution.

Experts accused United Nations officials of being naive for their endorsement of plastic credits, saying that such programs will only justify more production of plastic while at the same time harming residents near incinerators. They have “no idea what’s going on on the ground,” said Yuyun Ismawati, senior adviser of the Nexus3 Foundation, an environmental group in Indonesia.

Her organization worked with a community in Bali near a polluting plastic waste recovery facility. Waste processed by the plant was linked to plastic credits pursued by a subsidiary of Danone, the French yogurt brand.

The advocates sent Danone letters in June describing “filthy acidic smells” from the plant and residents’ complaints of nausea and severe headaches. The letter also denounced Verra, an American nonprofit that registered the plastic crediting project. Verra has been repeatedly criticized for selling worthless carbon credits. ProPublica

Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

reported in 2019 on a Verra-managed carbon offset project where half of the forested area that was supposed to be preserved was cut down after a decade.

Representatives from Verra and Danone told ProPublica the Bali project never produced actual plastic credits, and they were working to address concerns on the ground. The Verra spokesperson said the nonprofit is updating its carbon offset rules in response to recent criticism.

The Danone spokesperson said more research is needed “to test the effectiveness of plastic credits, and we continue to explore various solutions for plastic recycling.”

Milà i Canals said his report “does not provide a blanket recommendation” for plastic credits and cited references that warned of risks.

The United Nations Environment Program received notes on all of these concerns before publishing. It invited comments.

Since last year, the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty — a group of 280 scientists from 55 countries — has volunteered its time to provide technical assistance on the treaty. In early March, the United Nations Environment Program sent out a draft of the report to representatives of the group, giving them a week to review the 80-page document. Thirty scientists from different countries dove in. Carney Almroth, the professor from Sweden, spent the weekend typing at her kitchen table on a shared document.

Their final submission contained more than 300 comments about the report’s general framing and critiques of specific paragraphs. “Many solutions that have been presented (e.g. different forms of recycling) have failed, or are not scalable, or were pure greenwashing campaigns from the start,” she wrote in one comment.

Their feedback fell into a virtual black hole. The final report didn’t alleviate their main concerns, Carney Almroth said, even though it was published two months after the comments’ submission.

Milà i Canals said the email was filtered to a spam folder. Everyone was so busy that “nobody noticed” the “unfortunate

Plastics

mistake” until the report was published, he said.

They did take other people’s comments into account, Milà i Canals explained. In total, the authors received more than 1,000 comments from 75 external experts working for civil society groups, academia, industry and government, he said.

Our comments had the potential to “reshape the whole report,” and that’s “not something the industry wants,” Gündoğdu said. He and others said the United Nations program should have done more to vet Systemiq before hiring them.

Milà i Canals said Systemiq is a “missiondriven” company that was founded to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement, “and it does this by transforming markets and business models.” He cited Systemiq’s “excellent track record” analyzing plastic, including the firm’s prior work with his institution, academic researchers and Pew.

According to its website, Systemiq is “a collaborative system designer, developer and disruptor” striving for “a thriving planet where sustainable economic systems drive prosperity for all.” It was founded in 2016 by consultants with decades of experience working for McKinsey.

Like McKinsey, Systemiq has advised the fossil fuel sector. Yoni Shiran, the lead Systemiq author of the United Nations report, said the firm has done so “very rarely” and only to “help them move away from fossil fuels.” A 2022 Systemiq report written for Plastics Europe, an industry trade group, described how to reduce the environmental footprint of the most commonly used types of plastic, which make up 75% of all plastic. Aggressive policy changes could keep the amount produced from rising between 2020 to 2050 in Europe, the report predicted. (A spokesperson for Plastics Europe said it was an “independent report” advised by a steering committee of experts working in the public sector, civil society and industry.)

The United Nations report lists 17 lead authors: eight from the United Nations program, five from Systemiq, and four from a university

and another consulting firm. Two of the Systemiq authors previously worked for McKinsey.

On Tuesday, Systemiq will release a new report, titled “Towards Ending Plastic Pollution by 2040.” It was commissioned by the Nordic Council, a regional parliament. Many of these countries are part of a “High Ambition Coalition” that seeks aggressive terms on the plastics treaty.

A spokesperson for the Nordic Council said the group was “very aware” of the criticism received by the United Nations report, adding that “many of those concerns” were taken into account and “addressed more directly” in the new report.

An early copy provided to reporters shows that the report predicts total plastic production will increase by 9% in 2040 compared with 2019. Without the suggested interventions, the report said, production in 2040 would balloon by 66%.

Shiran, one of the lead authors, said 9% “actually represents a pretty ambitious reduction” since the United Nations predicts world population will grow by 2 billion in 2040, with rising plastic consumption per capita.

The report didn’t mention plastic credits and presented scenarios with and without large growth in chemical recycling. Shiran was also a lead author on the Pew and Plastics Europe reports.

Experts said these repeat publications create a loop in which reports cite and legitimize one another.

If you have one consultancy that’s constantly self-referencing its own work, it doesn’t expand our knowledge or prove their case, said Patton, the Center for International Environmental Law advocate. If an environmental group had this much influence, she added, “I would absolutely have the same concerns.”

Shiran said the models underlying each report took years of work and took feedback from expert panels made up of academics, government officials and civil society groups. The reports are “intentionally linked to build on previous knowledge,” he said. “This is a strength of the work, not a weakness.”

Republished with Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

San Gabriel City Notices

Public Notice: City of San Gabriel Notice of Public Hearing Before the City Council

You are invited to participate in a public hearing before the City Council. Members of the public may submit public comments by U.S. Mail addressed to City Clerk, Attn: Public Hearing Comment, 425 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel, CA 91776, which must be received by 5:00 pm on the date of the hearing to be considered by the City Council. The meeting will be broadcast on the City of San Gabriel’s YouTube channel at the link shown below:

Hearing Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 TIME: 6:30 p.m. Location Of Hearing: Council Chambers located on the second floor of San Gabriel City Hall (425 South Mission Drive, San Gabriel, CA 91776) The meeting can be viewed live at: https://www. youtube.com/CityofSanGabriel

Subject Matter: Proposal to revise how impact fees are calculated for Residential Projects.

Proposed Changes and Reasons:

New Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) over 750sf:

• Current fee formula: (proposed size minus 750sf) divided by 1,000sf multiplied by the second unit impact fees.

• Proposed fee formula: (proposed size minus 750sf) divided by 250sf multiplied by the new single family unit impact fees up to the limit allowed by State Law.

This proportions the fee from zero at 750sf to the full fee at 1,000sf, which is the maximum size ADU allowed in San Gabriel. This also aligns with State Law and imposes a cap on the fee to never exceed State Law limitations. Note: ADUs less than 750sf are exempt from municipal impact fees.

Additions and New Homes:

• Current fee formula: (size increase divided by original home size [up to a maximum factor of 1.0]) multiplied by the new single family unit impact fees. If less than a 25% increase, there are no impact fees imposed.

• Proposed fee formula: (size increase divided by 1,000sf [up to a maximum factor of 1.0 or 0.5 if an existing home is replaced]) multiplied by the new single family unit impact fees.

This proportions all additions and new homes in the same way regardless of the size of the original home and provides a 50% credit for whenever an existing home is replaced. Note: Additions and New Homes do not get changed traffic impact fees or sewer impact fees.

Questions: For questions or additional information on these proposed changes, please contact Angela Cheng, Principal Civil Engineer at (626) 308-2825 or scheng@sgch.org

Per Government Code Section 65009, if you challenge the nature of the proposed actions in court, you may be limited to only raising those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice or in written correspondence delivered to the City Clerk prior to the public hearing.

SAN

By Szeka ‘Angela’ Cheng, Principal Civil Engineer

Published October 2, 12, 2023

SAN GABRIEL SUN

Probate Notices

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

DAVID WEI ZHENG LEE

CASE NO. 23STPB10479

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of DAVID WEI ZHENG LEE.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by QING LI in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that QING LI be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will

court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner

DANIEL FONG, ESQ. - SBN 248397, FONG LAW GROUP 300 S. GARFIELD AVE., #207 MONTEREY PARK CA 91754, Telephone (626) 289-8299 9/28, 10/2, 10/5/23

CNS-3742108# EL MONTE EXAMINER

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

ELOISA PASCUAL SAME

AKA ELOISA WENDY PASCUAL SAMEVELASQUEZ

CASE NO. 23STPB10346

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of ELOISA PASCUAL SAME AKA ELOISA WENDY PASCUAL SAMEVELASQUEZ. A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by YVONNE DEMOSS in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that YVONNE DEMOSS be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent’s WILL and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The WILL and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act with limited authority. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

10/24/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 79 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

L. CARTER

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Shelley Jenkins in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Shelley Jenkins be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administra-tion authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objec-tion to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on Oct. 25, 2023 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 9 located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your ap-pearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issu-ance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowl-edgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for petitioner:

10/30/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 67 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner XIPENG HUANG, ESQ. - SBN 264231, LAW OFFICE OF XIPENG HUANG 20955 PATHFINDER ROAD, SUITE 100 DIAMOND BAR CA 91765, Telephone (909) 843-6482 9/28, 10/2, 10/5/23

CNS-3742467#

EL MONTE EXAMINER

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: ROSANNE STEPHANIE HARRIS AKA ROSANNE S. HARRIS

CASE NO. 23STPB10677

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of ROSANNE STEPHANIE HARRIS AKA ROSANNE S. HARRIS.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by WILLIAM HARRIS AND STEPHANIE HARRIS in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

terested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner

SHAMICA E. KENNEDY - SBN 283944, KENNEDY LAW GROUP, P.C. 1801 CENTURY PARK E., STE. 2400 LOS ANGELES CA 90067, Telephone (818) 394-6585 10/2, 10/5, 10/9/23 CNS-3743686# SAN GABRIEL SUN

NOTICE OF ANCILLARY PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

EDGELL LOCKWOOD RODGERS

CASE NO. 23STPB10705

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of EDGELL LOCKWOOD RODGERS. AN ANCILLARY PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by SHERRI MARTIN, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR, GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE ANCILLARY PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that SHERRI MARTIN, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE ANCILLARY PETITION requests the decedent’s WILL and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The WILL and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

THE ANCILLARY PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

be held in this court as follows:

12/05/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 11 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner

KAREN J. LA MADRID - SBN 113665, LAW OFFICES OF KAREN J. LA MADRID 4505 ALLSTATE DRIVE, SUITE 202 RIVERSIDE CA 92501, Telephone (951) 224-9209 9/28, 10/2, 10/5/23

CNS-3741792#

ARCADIA WEEKLY

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF LINDA LEE CARTER aka LINDA L. CARTER

Case No. 23STPB10448

To all heirs, beneficiaries, cred-itors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of LINDA LEE CARTER aka LINDA

JOHN S MORRIS ESQ SBN 173014 MORRIS & MORRIS ATTORNEYS AT LAW

150 N SANTA ANITA AVE STE 300 ARCADIA CA 91006 CN100372 CARTER Sep 28, Oct 2,5, 2023 ARCADIA WEEKLY

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

CHEE KONG MOK

CASE NO. 23STPB09996

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of CHEE KONG MOK.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by RAYMOND MOK in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that RAYMOND MOK be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent’s WILL and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The WILL and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that WILLIAM HARRIS AND STEPHANIE HARRIS be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

12/07/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 11 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person in-

A HEARING on the ancillary petition will be held in this court as follows:

10/31/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 79 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner LINDA MCLARNAN-DUGAN - SBN 169190, LAW OFFICES OF LINDA MCLARNAN-DUGAN 150 N. SANTA ANITA AVE., SUITE 300 ARCADIA CA 91006, Telephone (626) 296-8670 10/2, 10/5, 10/9/23 CNS-3743769# MONROVIA WEEKLY

GABRIEL PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

Starting a new business?

Glendale City Notices

City of Glendale

NOTICE INVITING BIDS

Specification No. 3963

For Pump Maintenance and Repair Services Citywide

Three (3) sets of a sealed Bid (one original and two copies) must be received by 2:00PM, Wednesday, October 25, 2023, in the City Clerk’s Office, located at 613 E. Broadway, Room 110, Glendale, CA 91206. Late Bids will not be accepted.

Copies of Specification 3963 (“Specification”) will be made available from noon on September 29, 2023 until noon on October 25, 2023. To receive an electronic copy, please send an email request to the City’s contact listed below.

Bid security in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the Bid Amount for Year-One of the contract term in the form of cash, cashier’s check, money order or surety bond, made out to City of Glendale, must accompany all Bids.

Refer to the Specification for complete details and Bid requirements. The Specification and this Notice shall be considered a part of any contract made pursuant thereunder.

Bidders shall submit all questions regarding the scope of services, Specification, and Bid process by email with the Subject “Request for Clarification – Pumps”. All Requests for Clarifications shall be submitted before 3PM on October 17, 2023

City personnel to contact regarding this Bid:

Public Works Facilities Management Division

Bolaji Sojobi, Sr. Public Works Management Analyst 633 E. Broadway, Room 307 Glendale, CA 91206 (818) 548-3970 bsojobi@glendaleca.gov

The Pump Maintenance Services per this Specification are anticipated to start on or about January 1, 2024.

Published on September 28, October 2, 2023

GLENDALE INDEPENDENT

NOTICE INVITING BIDS

NOTICE is hereby given that the City of Glendale (“City”) will receive sealed Bids, before the Bid Deadline established below for the following work of improvement:

PERMEABLE ALLEY PROJECT SPECIFICATION NO. 3954

Bid Deadline: Submit before 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 (“the Bid Deadline”)

Bid to be submitted to:

Bidding Documents Available: Bidding documents are available to view and download online at: https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/finance/purchasing/rfp-rfq-bid-page

Option 2

any oral, facsimile or electronic Bids be accepted by the City.

5. Contractor License. At the time of the Bid Deadline and at all times during performance of the Work, including full completion of all corrective work during the Correction Period, the Contractor must possess a California contractor license or licenses, current and active, of the classification required for the Work, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 9, Division 3, Section 7000 et seq. of the Business and Professions Code. In compliance with Public Contract Code Section 3300, the City has determined that the Bidder must possess the following license(s):

• a. Pursuant to Section 3300, of the Public Contract Code, the classification of the bidder’s Contractor’s License shall be “Class A” Failure of a bidder to obtain adequate licensing at the time the contract is awarded shall constitute a failure to execute the Contract and shall result in the forfeiture of the Bidder’s Bond.

• b. For federally funded projects, the Contractor shall be properly licensed at the time of award.

The successful Bidder will not receive a Contract award if the successful Bidder is unlicensed, does not have all of the required licenses, or one or more of the licenses are not current and active. If the City discovers after the Contract’s award that the Contractor is unlicensed, does not have all of the required licenses, or one or more of the licenses are not current and active, the City may cancel the award, reject the Bid, declare the Bid Bond as forfeited, keep the Bid Bond’s proceeds, and exercise any one or more of the remedies in the Contract Documents.

6. Subcontractors’ Licenses and Listing. At the time of the Bid Deadline and at all times during performance of the Work, each listed Subcontractor must possess a current and active California contractor license or licenses appropriate for the portion of the Work listed for such Subcontractor and shall hold all specialty certifications required for such Work. When the Bidder submits its Bid to the City, the Bidder must list each Subcontractor whom the Bidder must disclose under Public Contract Code Section 4104 (Subcontractor Listing Law), and the Bidder must provide all of the Subcontractor information that Section 4104 requires (name, the location (address) of the Subcontractor’s place of business, California Contractor license number, California Department of Industrial Relations contractor registration number, and portion of the Work). In addition, the City requires that the Bidder list the dollar value of each Subcontractor’s labor or services. The City’s disqualification of a Subcontractor does not disqualify a Bidder. However, prior to and as a condition to award of the Contract, the successful Bidder shall substitute a properly licensed and qualified Subcontractor— without an adjustment of the Bid Amount.

7. Permits, Inspections, Plan Checks, Governmental Approvals, Utility Fees and Similar Authorizations: The City has applied and paid for the following Governmental Approvals and Utility Fees: Excavation Permit

All other Governmental Approvals and Utility Fees shall be obtained and paid for by Contractor and will be reimbursed based on Contractor’s actual direct cost without markup. See Instructions to Bidders Paragraph 14, and General Conditions Paragraph 1.01 for definitions and Paragraph 1.03 for Contractor responsibilities.

8. Bid Forms and Bid Security: Each Bid must be made on the Bid Forms obtainable from the City’s Bidding website listed in the paragraph 1 above. Each Bid shall be accompanied by a cashier’s check or certified check drawn on a solvent bank, payable to “City of Glendale,” for an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total maximum amount of the Bid. Alternatively, a satisfactory corporate surety Bid Bond for an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total maximum amount of the Bid may accompany the Bid. Said security shall serve as a guarantee that the successful Bidder, within fourteen (14) calendar days after the City’s Notice of Award of the Contract, will enter into a valid contract with the City for said Work in accordance with the Contract Documents.

9. Bid Irrevocability. Bids shall remain open and valid for ninety (90) calendar days after the Bid Deadline.

10.Prevailing Wage Resolution. Bidders are hereby notified that in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Code of the State of California, the City Council of the City has ascertained and determined by Resolution No. 18,626 (as amended), the general prevailing rate of per diem wages of a similar character in the locality in which the Work is performed and the general prevailing rate for legal holiday and overtime Work for each craft or type of worker needed in the execution of agreements with the City. Said resolution is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and is hereby incorporated and made a part hereof by the same as though fully set forth herein. Copies of said resolution may be obtained at the Office of the City Clerk.

11. California Department of Industrial Relations ― Public Works Contractor Registration.

Beginning July 1, 2014, under the Public Works Contractor Registration Law (California Senate Bill No. 854 - See Labor Code Section 1725.5), contractors must register and meet requirements using the online application https://efiling.dir.ca.gov/PWCR/ActionServlet?a ction=displayPWCRegistrationForm before bidding on public works contracts in California. The application also provides agencies that administer public works programs with a searchable database of qualified contractors. Application and renewal are completed online with a non-refundable fee of $300. More information is available at the following links: http://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSE/PublicWorks/SB854FactSheet_6.30.14.pdf http://www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/PublicWorks.html

Beginning April 1, 2015, the City must award public works projects only to contractors and subcontractors who comply with the Public Works Contractor Registration Law.

Notice to Bidders and Subcontractors:

• No contractor or subcontractor may be listed on a Bid proposal for a public works project (submitted on or after March 1, 2015) unless registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5 [with limited exceptions from this requirement for bid purposes only under Labor Code Section 1771.1(a)].

• No contractor or subcontractor may be awarded a contract for public work on a public works project (awarded on or after April 1, 2015) unless registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5.

• This Project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations.

• The prime contractor must post job site notices prescribed by regulation.

will be asked to find that the proposed amendment to the Zoning Code is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under California Public Resources Code Section 21080.17 in that the proposed Zoning Code text amendment further implements the provisions of Section 65852.2 of the California Government Code.

APPROVALS NEEDED: The Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing and consider recommendations on the proposed Zoning Code Amendment and CEQA determination. The Planning Commission recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council. The City Council will make a final decision at a separately noticed public hearing.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing and consider the proposed Zoning Code Amendment and proposed environmental determination. The hearing is scheduled for:

Date: Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Place: Council Chambers, Pasadena City Hall 100 North Garfield Avenue, Room S249. The meeting agenda will be posted by October 6, 2023 at https://www. cityofpasadena.net/commissions/planning-commission/.

PUBLIC INFORMATION: Any interested party or their representative may provide live public comment by following the instructions in the meeting agenda. Prior to the start of the meeting, written correspondence may be emailed to commentsPC@cityofpasadena.net or mailed to the address below (note that this email address will not be checked once the meeting starts).

Contact Person: Guille Nunez, Senior Planner

Phone: (626) 744-7634

E-mail: gnunez@cityofpasadena.net

Website: www.cityofpasadena.net/planning

Mailing Address:

Planning & Community Development Department Planning Division, Community Planning Section 175 North Garfield Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101

ADA: To request a disability-related modification or accommodation necessary to facilitate meeting participation, please contact the Planning & Community Development Department as soon as possible at (626) 744-4009 or (626) 744-4371 (TDD) or mpotter@ cityofpasadena.net. Providing at least 72 hours advance notice will help ensure availability. Language translation services may also be requested with 72-hour advance notice by calling (626) 744-4009

Publish September 25, October 2, 9, 2023

PASADENA PRESS

Probate Notices

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF JOHN F. KLEMM aka JOHN FRANCIS KLEMM

Case No. 23STPB10254

a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either

of Glendale Contact Person: Mr. Saumil Mody, Project Manager Phone: 818-548-3945 Fax: 818-242-7087

E-mail:Smody@GlendaleCA.Gov

Mandatory Qualifications for Bidder and Designated Subcontractors:

A Bid may be rejected as non-responsive if the Bid fails to document that Bidder meets the essential requirements for qualification. As part of the Bidder’s Statement of Qualifications, each Bid must provide satisfactory evidence that: Bidder satisfactorily completed Three (3) prevailing wage public contracts in California; each comparable in scope and scale to this Project, within Five (5) years prior to the Bid Deadline and with a dollar value in excess of the Bid submitted for this Project.

General Scope of Work:

Contractor shall furnish labor, materials, equipment, services, and specialized skills to perform work involved in the Project. The scope of work includes the removal of existing deteriorated asphalt concrete pavement and replacement with a permeable concrete gutter and new asphalt concrete pavement; and installation of stormwater infiltration infrastructure in the form of drywells and bioswales.

Other Bidding Information:

Number of Contract Working Days: 115 Working Days

Amount of Liquidated Damages: $ 4,600 per Calendar Day

Other Bidding Information:

Bidding Documents: Bids must be made on the Bidder’s Proposal form contained herein.

Bidding Documents may be obtained in the Public Works Engineering Department, 633 E. Broadway, Room 205, Glendale, CA 91206 where they may be examined. Electronic copies of bidding documents can be obtained at no cost from: https://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/finance/purchasing/rfp-rfq-bid-page

1. . Future addenda, if any, will be available for download on the same page as the bidding documents. The city will not mail/deliver the addenda to the prospective bidders. It is the bidders’ sole responsibility to check the website to obtain future addenda to this bid document. Prospective bidders shall acknowledge the receipt of the addenda in the bid forms.

2. Engineer’s Estimate. The preliminary cost of construction of this Work has been prepared. The estimate is in the range of $ 7,586,000 to $ 8,385,000.

3. Completion:

This Work must be completed within One Hundred Fifteen (115) Working days from the Date of commencement as established by the City’s written Notice to Proceed.

4. Acceptance or Rejection of Bids. The City reserves the right to reject any and all Bids, to award all or any individual part/item of the Bid, and to waive any informalities, irregularities or technical defects in such Bids and determine the lowest responsible Bidder, whichever may be in the best interests of the City. No late Bids will be accepted, nor will

(See 8 Calif. Code Reg. Section 16451(d) for the notice that previously was required for projects monitored by the DIR Compliance Monitoring Unit.)

Furnishing of Electronic Certified Payroll Records to Labor Commissioner. For all new projects awarded on or after April 1, 2015, contractors and subcontractors must furnish electronic certified payroll records directly to the Labor Commissioner (aka Division of Labor Standards Enforcement).

Dated this ____ day of _______, 20___, City of Glendale, California.

Aram Adjemian, City Clerk of the City of Glendale

Published on October 2 & 5, 2023

GLENDALE INDEPENDENT

Pasadena City Notices

Notice of Public Hearing Planning Commission

Notice of Public Hearing for Zoning Code Amendments to the Accessory Dwelling Unit Regulations

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Planning and Community Development Department is bringing forward a Zoning Code Amendment to amend the City’s existing Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance (Section 17.50.275 of the Zoning Code and other applicable sections).

The proposed amendment consists of changes to the existing development standards applicable to newly constructed or converted accessory dwelling units. The purpose of the proposed Zoning Code text amendment is to ensure consistency with recently adopted State regulations and to facilitate the production of accessory dwelling units.

PROJECT LOCATION: All properties in zones where single-family and multiple-family uses are permitted.

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The Planning Commission

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of JOHN F. KLEMM aka JOHN FRANCIS KLEMM

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Joy Paguio Salunga in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Joy Paguio Salunga be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.)

The independent administra-tion authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objec-tion to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on Oct. 20, 2023 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 79 located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your ap-pearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or

(1) four months from the date of first issu-ance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowl-edgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for petitioner:

PAUL HORN ESQ SBN 243227 PAUL HORN LAW GROUP PC 11404 SOUTH STREET CERRITOS CA 90703 CN100345 KLEMM Sep 25,28, Oct 2, 2023

BALDWIN PARK PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

GUSTAVO LLAMAS FLORES

CASE NO. 23STPB09930

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of GUSTAVO LLAMAS FLORES.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by MARINA USCANGA SANCHEZ in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that MARINA USCANGA SANCHEZ be appointed as personal representative to administer the

estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 10/20/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 67 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner

L. DOMINIC CHACON - SBN 237710, LAW OFFICE OF L. DOMINIC CHACON

15924 HALLIBURTON ROAD

HACIENDA HEIGHTS CA 91745, Telephone (626) 839-8852

9/25, 9/28, 10/2/23

CNS-3741975# BALDWIN PARK PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MARIA PICHARDO

Case No. 23STPB10534

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Maria Pichardo

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Mona Hurtado in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Mona Hurtado be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.)

The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on October 26, 2023 at 8:30 AM in Dept. 79. located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four

months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for petitioner: AMY OAKDEN SBN 248408 OAKDEN LAW, LTD 28475 OLD TOWN STREET SUITE G TEMECULA, CA 92590 (951) 888 -2244 SEPTEMBER 25, 28, OCTOBER

2, 2023

BALDWIN PARK PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF Ruben R. Martinez

Case No. 23STPB05032

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Ruben Martinez

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Vanessa Guerra in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Vanessa Guerra be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.)

The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on October 19, 2023 at 8:30 AM in Dept. 9. located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for petitioner: GILBERT

ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

RICHARD RUSSELL WENGER AKA RICHARD R.WENGER AKA RICHARD

WENGER

CASE NO. 23STPB10544

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of RICHARD RUSSELL WENGER AKA RICHARD R. WENGER AKA RICHARD WENGER.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by SCOTT DALE WEDDING in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that SCOTT DALE WEDDING be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.)

The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

10/27/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 29 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner RANDALL D. ARMOUR - SBN 186309, LAW OFFICE OF RANDALL D. ARMOUR 25600 RYE CANYON ROAD, SUITE 201 VALENCIA CA 91355, Telephone (661) 259-0003 9/28, 10/2, 10/5/23 CNS-3742357# BURBANK INDEPENDENT

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: AVETIS A. AVETIKIAN AKA AVETIS AVETIKIAN CASE NO. 23STPB10606

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of AVETIS A. AVETIKIAN AKA AVETIS AVETIKIAN.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by AVERM SHLOMOF AND AVIGAIL SHLOMOF in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that AVERM SHLOMOF AND AVIGAIL SHLOMOF be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act with limited authority. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal rep-

resentative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 11/17/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 44 located at 111 N.HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner

SCOTT P. SCHOMER SBN 150027, SCHOMER LAW GROUP, APC 2155 CAMPUS DRIVE, SUITE 250 EL SEGUNDO CA 90245, Telephone (310) 337-7696

BSC 224015 9/28, 10/2, 10/5/23

CNS-3743178# PASADENA PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: YVONNE P. SANCHEZ AKA YVONNE PERALTA SANCHEZ CASE NO. 23STPB10621

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of YVONNE P. SANCHEZ AKA YVONNE PERALTA SANCHEZ.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by PAUL PERALTA SANCHEZ in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that PAUL PERALTA SANCHEZ be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.)

The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 11/20/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 67 located at 111 N.HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date

of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner

TONY J. TYRE - SBN 269506/ALLYSON S. HELLER - SBN 315086/ WILLIAM C. MASON, III - SBN 319441, LAW OFFICES OF TONY J. TYRE, ESQ.

100 S. CITRUS AVENUE, SUITE 101 COVINA CA 91723, Telephone (626) 858-9378 10/2, 10/5, 10/9/23

CNS-3743389# WEST COVINA PRESS

NOTICE OF AMENDED PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

CHARLES SATRUSTEGUI

CASE NO. 23STPB09717

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of CHARLES SATRUSTEGUI.

AN AMENDED PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by EDDIE SATRUSTEGUI in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE AMENDED PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that EDDIE SATRUSTEGUI be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE AMENDED PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act with limited authority. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 11/01/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 5 located at 111 N.HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner ZEV S. BROOKS - SBN 162830, LAW OFFICE OF ZEV BROOKS 18627 BROOKHURST ST. PMB 435 FOUNTAIN VALLEY CA 92708, Telephone (714) 965-0179

BSC 224026 10/2, 10/5, 10/9/23

CNS-3743815#

GLENDALE INDEPENDENT

Public Notices

Order To Show Cause For Change of Name Case No. 30-202301345143 To All

Interested Persons: Jimmy Lemos filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME Jimmy Lemos PROPOSED NAME Jimmy Lemus. The Court Orders that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

Notice Of Hearing Date: 10/24/2023 Time: 8:30am Dept. L100 . REMOTE HEARING

The address of the court is Lamoreaux Justice Center 700 Civic Center Drive Santa Ana CA 92701 Central Justice Center. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: Anaheim Press Date: August 30, 2023 Layne Melzer Judge of the Superior Court Pub Dates: September 11, 18, 25 October 2, 2023 ANAHEIM PRESS County of Los Angeles Department of the Treasurer and Tax Collector

Notice of Divided Publication

Pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code

(R&TC) Sections 3702, 3381, and 3382, the Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector is publishing in divided distribution, the Notice of Sale of TaxDefaulted Property Subject to the Tax Collector’s Power to Sell in and for the County of Los Angeles, State of California, to various newspapers of general circulation published in the County. A portion of the list appears in each of such newspapers.

Notice of Online Public Auction of TaxDefaulted Property Subject to the Tax Collector’s Power to Sell (Sale No. 2023B)

Whereas, on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles, State of California, directed the County of Los Angeles Treasurer and Tax Collector (TTC), to sell at online auction certain tax-defaulted properties.

The TTC does hereby give public notice, that unless said properties are redeemed, prior to the close of business on the last business day prior to the first day of the online auction, or Friday, October 20, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, the TTC will offer for sale and sell said properties on Saturday, October 21, 2023, beginning at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time, through Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time, to the highest bidder, for not less than the minimum bid, at online auction at www.bid4assets.com/losangeles.

The minimum bid for each parcel is the total amount necessary to redeem, plus costs, as required by R&TC Section 3698.5.

If a property does not sell during the online auction, the right of redemption will revive and remain until Friday, December 1, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

The TTC will reoffer any properties that did not sell or were not redeemed prior to Friday, December 1, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, for sale at online auction at www.bid4assets.com/losangeles beginning Saturday, December 2, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time, through Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Prospective bidders should obtain detailed information of this sale from the TTC at ttc.lacounty.gov. Bidders are required to pre-register at www.bid4assets.com and submit a refundable $5,000 deposit in the form of wire transfer, electronic check, cashier’s check or bank-issued money order at the time of registration. Registration will begin on Friday, September 15, 2023, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time and end on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Pursuant to R&TC Section 3692.3, the TTC sells all property ``as is`` and the County and its employees are not liable for any known or unknown conditions of the property, including, but not limited to, errors in the records of the Office of the Assessor (Assessor) pertaining to improvement of the property.

If the TTC sells a property, parties of interest, as defined by R&TC Section 4675, have a right to file a claim with the County for any proceeds from the sale, which are in excess of the liens and costs required to be paid from the proceeds. If there are any excess proceeds after the application of the minimum bid, the TTC will send notice to all parties of interest, pursuant to law.

Please direct requests for information concerning redemption of taxdefaulted property to the Treasurer and Tax Collector at 225 North Hill Street, Room 130, Los Angeles, California 90012. You may also call (213) 974-2045, Monday through

Wrongfully convicted man walks free after 27 years in prison

By City News Service

Aman who was wrongfullyconvictedof robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault in 1996 has been exonerated after spending nearly three decades in prison, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Tuesday.

Gerardo Cabanillas was 18 years old when he was arrested in 1995. The following year, he was convicted by a jury of crimes including second-degree robbery, kidnapping, rape and sexual assault. He was sentenced to 15 years to life, consecutive to a term of 72 years and four months, in state prison for crimes he did not commit, Gascón said.

The case stemmed from the January 1995 armed robbery of a couple and the kidnapping and rape of a woman in an abandoned house.

A few days later, police arrested Cabanillas because he very generally matched the description of the perpetrator, according to the California Innocence Project.

According to the CIP, detectives accused Cabanillas of robbery, kidnap, and rape, but promised him he would get only probation and could go home if he confessed.

After many denials, Cabanillas finally confessed, but he

did not go home as promised. Instead, the prosecution charged him with 14 felony counts including robbery, kidnapping, carjacking, rape and sodomy, the CIP said.

Cabanillas, through his CIP attorney, submitted a claim with the LADA’s Conviction Integrity Unit requesting a review of his case for factual innocence. After DNA evidence definitively proved Cabanillas did not commit the crimes, the CIP submitted a petition in December to the Superior Court for the wrongfully convicted inmate’s release.

After a thorough review and investigation of both the evidence presented at trial and new evidence, the District Attorney’s Office lost confidence in the convic-

16th bus of migrants from Texas arrives in Los Angeles

By City News Service

Another bus carrying migrants from Texas arrived in downtown Los Angeles Sept. 25, the 16th such arrival since June.

tions of which Cabanillas was sentenced, Gascón said.

On Thursday, Judge William C. Ryan vacated the conviction and found Cabanillas factually innocent. Cabanillas was set free.

“Today, we acknowledge a grave injustice that has resulted in the unjust more than 28-year incarceration of Mr. Cabanillas,” Gascón said in a statement Tuesday. “Upon thorough reexamination of the evidence and a comprehensive review of the case by my office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, it has become abundantly clear that a serious error was made. I extend my deepest apologies to Mr. Cabanillas for the miscarriage of justice and the failure of our criminal legal system.”

Newport Beach doctor charged with assaulting male patients

By City News Service

“One bus with migrants on board from Texas arrived around 2 p.m. today at Union Station,” Zach Seidl, deputy mayor of communications for Mayor Karen Bass, said in a statement. “This is the sixteenth bus that has arrived. The city has continued to work with city departments, the county, and a coalition of nonprofit organizations, in addition to our faith partners, to execute a plan set in place earlier this year. As we have before, when we became aware of the bus yesterday, we activated our plan.”

On X, formerly known as Twitter, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights confirmed the arrival of the bus with 38 asylum seekers from Texas. The group includes 23 adults and 15 children from Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras and Venezuela.

CHIRLA noted “some have not eaten in days.”

CHIRLA is a member of the LA Welcomes Collective, a network of nonprofit, faith groups and city and county services that respond to the arrival of migrant buses.

“Asylum-seekers are human beings who have undergone traumatic experiences in their country of origin and while en route to the safe haven they call USA. They are in distress and need our support,” CHIRLA said in a statement. “As a nation, we

have been kind to strangers and we will do it again.”

The LA Welcomes Collective, the city and county of Los Angeles responded to the arrival of migrants last week, as well.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been orchestrating the trips under Operation Lone Star, saying Texas’ border region is “overwhelmed” by immigrants crossing the Mexican border. OLS is a joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department along the southern border between Texas and Mexico.

Abbott added, “Texas secures the border in Pres. (Joe) Biden’s absence.”

“Texas’ small border towns remain overwhelmed and overrun by the thousands of people illegally crossing into Texas from Mexico because of President Biden’s refusal to secure the border,” Abbott said in a statement after the first bus arrived in Los Angeles in June.

“Los Angeles is a major city that migrants seek to go to, particularly now that its city leaders approved its self-declared sanctuary city status. Our border communities are on the front lines

Feinstein

ANewport Beach doctor who specializes in treating members of the LGBTQ+ community was charged with sexually assaulting nine male patients under the guise of medical examinations, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

Dr. William Thompson IV, 56, of Huntington Beach, was charged Sept. 21 with eight felony counts of sexual penetration by means of fraudulent representation of professional purpose, three felony counts of sexual battery by fraud, and two felony counts of forcible oral copulation.

He is free on $100,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 2 in Newport Beach, prosecutors said.

The alleged assaults occurred between 2016 and 2020. Thompson was arrested Sept. 20 at his

medical practice.

He faces a maximum sentence of 30 years to life in prison, plus an additional 25 years if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Thompson was on probation for a drunk driving

conviction on Oct. 12, 2021, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to driving drunk March 12, 2021. His attorney in the DUI case, Gary Polston, said he was unaware of the sexual assault case and was not representing Thompson.

lowered to half-staff in memory of Feinstein.

“May her memory be a blessing, as her life certainly was. I extend my deepest condolences to her family and to all who loved her,” Bass said.

Feinstein was the first woman to chair the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee. She authored the Federal Assault Weapons Ban in 1994. The legislation, prompted by the 101 California Street shooting, in which a gunman opened fire at a law firm in San Francisco’s financial district, killing eight people, led to a 10-year restriction on the sale and ownership of certain semi-automatic weapons.

“I worked with Republicans and Democrats alike,” Feinstein said in an interview

of President Biden’s border crisis, and Texas will continue providing this much-needed relief until he steps up to do his job and secure the border,” he added.

Mayor Karen Bass has complained that Abbott’s office does not share enough information with Los Angeles about the shipments. She told KNX that if Abbott’s concerns and actions were legitimate and sincere, then “someone in the government and Texas would notify us and coordinate with us.”

“We hear about the buses headed our way when they’re on the way. We have no idea who’s going to be on the bus, how many people it is or what condition they’re going to be in when they get here,” she said. “Sometimes they haven’t had any food, barely had enough water.”

The Los Angeles City Council approved a motion on June 9 seeking to formally establish the city as a sanctuary city.

Last month, the council approved a motion calling for the City Attorney’s Office to investigate whether crimes were committed on or before June 14, when Abbott sent 42 migrants to Los Angeles in the first of the shipments.

with C-SPAN. “Ten Republicans along with 46 Democrats voted in favor of the amendment.”

Feinstein was experiencing health problems in recent years. She was hospitalized with shingles in February, when she was 89. That same month, Feinstein announced she would retire from the U.S. Senate when her term was up in 2024.

Feinstein was married three times and had one daughter, Katherine, from her first marriage. She married her third husband, investment banker Richard Blum, in 1980. They were married until his death from cancer in 2022.

Some of her more notable accomplishments in the U.S. Senate include creating a federal coordination of Amber Alerts, passing the California Desert Protection

Act, which protected millions of acres of California deserts and created the Death Valley and Joshua Tree national parks, reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act and authorized the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022 to ensure marriage equality into federal law.

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Hahn said in a statement, “So many of us will never forget the moment she was thrust into the spotlight in the wake of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone’s murders. The poise and strength she showed in that crisis and the leadership she demonstrated over the course of her career paved the way for me and so many other women in politics. California has lost one of its greatest champions.”

Dr. William Thompson IV. | Photo courtesy of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Union Station. | Photos courtesy of Gov Greg Abbott/YouTube; David Wilson/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

LA County District Attorney George Gascón, at right, announces the exoneration of Gerardo Cabanillas, left. | Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office

Ex-accountant at Pasadena company to plead guilty to insider trading

By City News Service

Aformer employee of a Pasadena business agreed Wednesday to plead guilty to insider trading for using nonpublic information to make nearly $500,000 by selling shares in the company after news of a forthcoming acquisition became public.

Marco Antonio “Marc” Perez, 59, of Glendora, is charged with one count of insider trading, a felony that carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Both the document charging Perez and his plea agreement were filed Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court. Perez has been ordered to make his initial court appearance on Oct. 5.

According to the plea agreement, General Finance Corp., a Pasadenabased storage and modular space company, employed Perez as an accounting manager who reported to the company’s chief financial officer. He also performed assignments for the company’s chairman, including printing out the chairman’s emails.

As a result, Perez had access to material information belonging to General Finance, including offers to buy the company, before the information was released to the investing public, the Justice Department said.

In violation of his fiduciary duties to General Finance and its shareholders, and in violation of company policy against insider trading, in March and April of 2021, Perez purchased a total of 66,585 shares of General Finance stock that he was later able to sell for a total of $1.26 million, according to prosecutors.

Perez purchased the General Finance stock after reading confidential emails sent to the company’s chairman in early 2021 that concerned the pending sale of General Finance for a price in the range of $19-$20 per share.

Perez paid prices between $10 and $12 for the 66,585 shares he bought, the Justice Department stated.

General Finance was ultimately sold to the Stamford, Connecticutbased United Rentals Inc.

On April 15, 2021, United

Rentals issued a news release announcing that it was acquiring General Finance for $19 per share. Prior to this announcement, General Finance’s share price closed that day at $12.17. The day after United Rentals’ announcement, the price of General Finance shares surged from $12.17 — the closing price before the announcement — to $19 per share, court papers show.

Within two weeks of the announcement, Perez sold all 66,585 shares he had purchased on inside information, netting a profit of about $488,533, according to the plea agreement.

In his agreement, Perez also admitted to tipping off two people about the impending sale of General Finance, which also violated General Finance’s policy against insider trading. Both individuals acted on Perez’s inside information and made profits of $127,140 and $34,867, respectively.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced civil charges against Perez on Wednesday stemming from his illegal trading activity.

Homelessness

with the City Council and the Board of Supervisors “to make sure Angelenos who are struggling with addiction and mental health have access to these new resources. We will not end homelessness in Los Angeles without addressing addiction and mental health illnesses, and when we stop pointing fingers and come together, we show that real progress can be made.”

The settlement comes a month after a federal appeals court rejected the county’s effort to compel Carter to sign off on the previous proposal.

In its March 2020 lawsuit, the LA Alliance for Human Rights alleged that inaction by the city and county of Los Angeles has created a dangerous environment in the Skid Row area and beyond.

In April, the judge — for the second time in five months — rejected the county’s settlement offer.

In its unsuccessful petition to the 9th Circuit in May, the county had asked for a stay in proceedings and an order to compel Carter to vacate his April order, enforce the settlement agreement and dismiss the case.

The county argued that Carter’s “rulings and the court’s conduct are unprecedented. They are also clearly erroneous and exceed the bounds” of the district court’s authority.

The appeals court denied the county’s argument, and

the judge set a November trial date.

The settlement builds on an agreement between Los Angeles city and county whereby the city agreed to provide 6,700 housing or shelter beds for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness, especially those residing under freeway overpasses, and the county agreed to assist with funding services in the amount of $293 million.

“It took a long time and a lot of hard work from many people to get to this point, but this is finally an agreement we can be proud of,” Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Hahn said in a statement.

“This is an achievement that will mean real care and housing for thousands of people who are struggling with mental illness and addiction. I am grateful to Judge Carter for pushing the county to do better, to my colleagues

on the board and our county family for their support, and to Mayor Bass for being my partner in this effort.”

According to the results of a count conducted in January, there were 75,518 people experiencing homelessness in the county, and 46,260 in the city of Los Angeles. The figures show an increase from 69,144 in the county last year, and 41,980 in the city.

Weeks after declaring a local emergency on homelessness, the Board of Supervisors in February unanimously approved a $609.7 million budget for the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative for fiscal year 2023-24, the largest investment in any given year to date to prevent and address homelessness. Bass recently said unhoused seniors comprise one of the “fastest growing populations” of homeless residents in the city.

LA city controller: Nearly 50,000 evictions filed since February

By City News Service

Nearly 50,000 evictions were filed with the Los Angeles Housing Departmentbetween February and August, City Controller Kenneth Mejia’s office announced Sept. 25.

The controller’s office conducted an analysis on eviction filings using data from the LA Housing Department, which stated nearly 40,000 eviction notices were filed with the city from February to July. The housing department updated its data through August, which showed additional eviction filings were made.

In the month of August, 5,575 evictions were filed, and an additional 4,748 notices received by mail between February through July were also included in the update to previous numbers.

In total, the housing department received a total of 49,974 eviction filings since February.

According to the controller’s office, 96% of those eviction filings were for

nonpayment of rent, 91% came with a 3-day notice and represented $186.5 million accumulated rent owed.

The top three zip codes in which eviction filings were received were 90028 Hollywood with 3,585 notices, 90036 Fairfax with 2,458 evictions and 91367 Woodland Hills with 2,099 notices.

The top three council districts in which eviction filings were received include the 14th District, 13th District and 3rd District, which are represented by council members Kevin de León, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Bob Blumenfield, respectively.

Approximately 19,325 renters who received an eviction filing owe more than $3,000 back rent, approximately 15,652 renters who received an eviction filing owe between $2,000 to $3,000 in back rent, and about 9,776 renters who received an eviction filing owe between $1,000 to

$2,000 in back rent.

The city’s Just Cause Ordinance states a landlord cannot evict a tenant if the amount due is below one month of Fair Market Rent. However, 6,062 of evictions were filed where the amount of rent owned was below the Fair Market Rent limit, the controller’s office noted.

Earlier this month, the city of Los Angeles launched its Emergency Renters Assistance Program, with the aim of providing financial assistance toward back rent to low-income renters at risk of homelessness due to COVID-19 or other financial hardships.

The program, funded by Measure ULA funds, also known as the “mansion tax,” offers up to six months of assistance. Renters can apply online at any time during the application period at housing.lacity.org, or by phone at 888-379-3150, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The application period opened at 8 a.m.

Tuesday and ends Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.

In August, the LA City Council front-funded a $150 million plan, as outlined by Measure ULA, with the intention of funding tenant protections and supporting affordable housing.

Measure ULA is a 4% sales tax on properties exceeding $5 million, and 5.5% sales tax on properties exceeding $10 million. The

revenue from the sales tax is collected and earmarked for renter protections, such as rental assistance programs, eviction defense, and building more affordable housing units.

Tenant protections for back-rent accrued during the pandemic between March 2020 to September 2021 ended on Aug. 1, and many Angelenos may face eviction as they work to pay any

missing rent.

For rent that accrued from October 2021 to Jan. 31, tenants have until February 2024 to pay up.

The Housing Department will introduce an online portal to provide financial assistance for mom-and-pop landlords on Oct. 23. Small landlord providers who own 12 or fewer units will be able to file an application with the city.

LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia published this map of evictions at https://evictions.lacontroller. io/. | Image courtesy of the Los Angeles City Controller’s Office

Tents line the sidewalk in downtown LA’s Skid Row. | Photo courtesy of Russ Allison Loar/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)