Melissa Melendez: California can’t solve homelessness while ignoring key drivers of homelessness

• April 3, 2023

As part of his extended state-of-the state tour this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “new” multi-tiered plan to address the state’s homelessness crisis seems curiously like so many of his previous plans to address the issue that has dogged him throughout his more than two decades career in elected political life.

Who can forget San Francisco’s 2002 Proposition N (euphemistically titled “Care not Cash”) that turbocharged that city’s homeless industrial complex in the name of providing services, and not direct payments, to the chronically indigent? Now the governor proposes even more bureaucracy, more rhetoric and redirection away from the real issues, and more of the same misery for thousands of chronically homeless and drug-addicted Californians. Yet, if the numbers show anything, decades of cash transfers to Newsom’s public sector union allies have only witnessed an exponential rise of chronic homelessness and its sorry effects on Californians’ quality of life.

What did Prop. N, in fact, yield? A 2018 Los Angeles Times lookback at Newsom’s record in San Francisco showed marginal fluctuations in official homeless numbers between the enactment of Prop. N and the first six years of his mayorship were a result of re-housing people who were already in shelters and did little to affect the chronically homeless — essentially it was a “re-purposing of existing money.”

What about the decade plus Newsom has been in statewide office? The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness tracked an almost 30% increase in the official number of homeless people statewide between 2011 and 2020, to 161,548, a third of whom are “chronically homeless.”

It is bewildering, to say the least, that the governor now wants to double down on the same failed policies. Take for instance his proposal to amend Proposition 63 (2004), a tax increase voters approved under the guise that it would fund the state’s mental health infrastructure. A 2018 state auditor’s report noted that funds have been diverted, misspent and even unspent, amassing as county slush funds. Now Newsom wants to spend these and even more funds on “treatment beds” for mental health patients and drug addicts, adding additional bond debt for expanded homelessness programs and infrastructure. Prop. 23 and its attempts to address “mental health” infrastructure were sloppily implemented and failed to curtail the explosion of homelessness in the nearly 20 years since its enactment. What purpose is served by more spending on so-called “infrastructure” (and the associated bureaucrats), other than to contribute to the mirage the governor has any control over this crisis? Why else would Newsom double down and expand failed and poorly administered programs?

There is an important concession the governor surprisingly admits in this expensive and unworkable plan: that drug use must be addressed.

It raises the question: Why do Newsom and his allies repeatedly deemphasize the central role drug abuse and trafficking has in causing and perpetuating California’s homelessness crisis?

Instead of properly supporting existing anti-drug enforcement measures and stressing the contributions criminal courts have made in incarcerating drug traffickers, the fentanyl crisis and other lethal drugs are just an afterthought.

For decades, California prosecutors used criminal penalties to plea-bargain drug users into treatment and imprison dealers. In fact, Sacramento County estimated in 2019 that 60% of its homeless population were admitted users (although substantially fewer individuals acknowledge that substance use impacted their homeless condition), a number consistent with the San Francisco Chronicle’s 2020 report that 28% of that year’s fentanyl overdose deaths were among the unhoused.

Whether due to his ideological commitments or to cover for his poor record and sheer incompetence on this issue, the governor continues to emphasize more bureaucracy, less criminal enforcement and offers only passing acknowledgements of the drug crisis.

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California will never resolve its homelessness scandal so long as its leaders ignore its core contributing factors.

Unfortunately, Gov. Newsom’s “new” plans are more of the same failed plans he has championed for 20 years: increased bureaucracy, further spending, and, consequently, ongoing misery. The difference in 2023 is we now have evidence that what once sounded so bold and cutting edge has proved an ineffective cover for cynically raising taxes and redirecting funds to his political allies.

And so the blocks of tent cities, “safe” injection sites and homeless encampments that were formerly contained to San Francisco, Skid Ro, and certain urban cores — encampments more fitting for the shanty towns of developing nations than the world’s fifth-largest economy – will continue to be commonplace and multiply throughout the state.

Melissa Melendez previously served as a California state senator and assemblymember. She is now president of the Golden State Policy Council.

​ Orange County Register 

UFC, WWE combine to form $21.4 billion sports entertainment company

• April 3, 2023

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN | AP Business Writer

WWE and the company that runs Ultimate Fighting Championship will combine to create a $21.4 billion sports entertainment company.

A new publicly traded company will house the UFC and World Wrestling Entertainment brands, with Endeavor Group Holdings Inc. taking a 51% controlling interest in the new company. Existing WWE shareholders will hold a 49% stake.

The companies put the enterprise value of UFC at $12.1 billion and WWE’s value at $9.3 billion.

The new business, which does not yet have a name, will be lead by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel. Vince McMahon, executive chairman at WWE, will serve in the same role at the new company. Dana White will continue as president of UFC and Nick Khan will be president at WWE.

“Together, we will be a $21+ billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse with a collective fanbase of more than a billion people and an exciting growth opportunity,” McMahon said in a prepared statement Monday.

He also provided some idea of where the focus of the new company will be, saying that it will look to maximize the value of combined media rights, enhance sponsorship monetization, develop new forms of content and pursue other strategic mergers and acquisitions to further bolster their brands.

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Ties already exists talent wise between WWE and UFC, with stars such as Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey crossing over between the two businesses.

The deal between Endeavor and WWE catapults WWE into a new era, after functioning as a family-run business for decades. McMahon purchased Capitol Wrestling from his father in 1982, and took the regional wrestling business to a national audience with the likes of wrestling stars such as Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The company, which changed its name to World Wrestling Federation and later World Wrestling Entertainment, hosted its first WrestleMania in 1985.

McMahon, in an interview with CNBC, addressed the notion that there was doubt among some WWE fans and industry experts that he would ever make a deal for the business. “It’s the right time to do the right thing. And it’s the next evolution of WWE,” he said.

The announcement of the WWE sale arrives after McMahon, the founder and majority shareholder of WWE, returned to the company in January and said that it could be up for sale.

Rumors swirled about who would possibly be interested in buying WWE, with Endeavor, Disney, Fox, Comcast, Amazon and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund all in the mix.

McMahon acknowledged to CNBC that there were several suitors for WWE, but that combining with Endeavor is the right move.

“It makes all the sense in the world for all these synergies that we have to extract all of the value that we can out of the marketplace,” he explained.

Media industry analysts viewed WWE as an attractive target given its global reach and loyal fanbase, which includes everyone from minors to seniors and a wide range of incomes.

The company held its marquee event, WrestleMania, over the weekend. Last year, WWE booked revenue of $1.3 billion.

The company is also a social media powerhouse. It surpassed 16 billion social video views in the final quarter of last year. It has nearly 94 million YouTube subscribers and has more than 20 million followers on TikTok. Its female wrestlers comprise five out of the top 15 most followed female athletes in the world, across Facebook, Twitter & Instagram, led by Ronda Rousey with 36.1 million followers.

WWE had more than 7.5 billion digital and social media views in January and February of this year, up 15% from the same time frame a year ago.

The new company plans to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the “TKO” ticker symbol. Its board will have 11 members, with six being appointed by Endeavor and five being appointed by WWE.

“We like the assets of UFC and also WWE in a world where linear TV is losing market share to streaming, thus live sport content is in high demand,” wrote Jeffries analyst Randal Konik said in a note to clients.

The transaction, which was approved by the boards of Endeavor and WWE, is targeted to close in the second half of the year. It still needs regulatory approval.

Shares of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., based in Stamford, Connecticut, are up 33% this year, but fell 5% at the opening bell Monday. Shares of Endeavor, based in Beverly Hills, California, slipped less than 1%.

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​ Orange County Register 

As Gov. Newsom transforms San Quentin, he cannot ignore the problem of solitary confinement

• April 3, 2023

They say good things come to those who wait. When you are in solitary confinement, all you have is time to wait and the hope that things can get better. I know this through my own experiences in isolation, and as an advocate to end the use of solitary confinement in our state and country. As Gov. Gavin Newsom announces a historic transformation of San Quentin and the pursuit of rehabilitation, survivors of solitary confinement are waiting when the governor will decide to end this cruel practice and instead support humane  alternatives.

I spent years in solitary confinement throughout my incarceration. Sometimes it was months and sometimes weeks. But even one day in isolation does not escape the immediate feeling of doom and  despair. I was placed in solitary instead of receiving counseling, and support for my substance use problem. This was the darkest period of my life. I was alone and isolated when I needed community, support and guidance. I would often try to escape through my memories to a different place. I survived, but the experience hurt my soul.

Like the death row ward that Gov. Newsom is now shutting down, solitary confinement is an expensive and ineffective relic of mass incarceration. It is a practice that is designed to punish and humiliate, and perpetuates systematic violence. When I was held in solitary confinement the practice was accepted as normal, with an estimated 12,000 people being held in solitary in California, many for more than a decade.

Thankfully this practice was challenged through the brave advocacy and leadership of incarcerated people, starting in 2011 when a series of hunger strikes were launched in Pelican Bay State Prison Security Housing Unit (SHU), and quickly started a movement to limit the use of solitary confinement. The largest of these strikes, which took place in 2013, included the participation of 30,000 incarcerated people across the state of California, and received international attention.

In 2011 I co-founded California Families Against Solitary Confinement along with several families impacted by solitary confinement, not only because I was personally impacted by the issue, but because my son was in Pelican Bay and participated in the hunger strikes. I was invested not only as a solitary survivor, but as a mother concerned with the fate of her son.

The organizing and advocacy led to important gains for this movement, including legal settlements designed to ensure that California prisons did not overuse solitary. However the fight continued, as the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) continued to violate the legal settlement it agreed to.

In 2022 California introduced the Mandela Act, modeled after progressive legislation passed by other states, including New York, designed to limit the use of solitary confinement to 15 days, and requiring facilities to provide safe alternatives to intense isolation. The Mandela Act received broad support from the legislature and would have made California the first state in the country to pass a bill that also included immigrants in private detention facilities.

Unfortunately the bill was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom when it reached his desk. The veto was disappointing because the governor noted that the issue was “ripe for reform” before refusing to sign the bill, and instead directing CDCR to issue regulations.

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What hurt the most was that the governor did not take the time to understand the history of this issue, to hear our stories of pain and isolation, or to truly understand what needed to be done to make progres. In the fall of 2022 solitary survivors penned an open letter to lawmakers and Governor Newsom reminding him of the rich history of our struggle, and our belief that change is possible. We received no response.

We are not asking for a lot. Our bill was modeled after standards set for by the United Nations, the so-called “Mandela Rules” and should be embraced and celebrated by the governor if he is truly interested in making California a leader.

The governor cannot have it both ways. He cannot claim to be a leader in criminal justice reform, and support efforts for reimagining institutions like San Quentin while ignoring the issue of solitary confinement.

The California Mandela Act was reintroduced in 2023 as Assembly Bill 280, and stands as an opportunity for redemption for Gov. Newsom and for our state. For those of us who have survived solitary confinement, the wait for something better has taken far too long.

Dolores Canales is co-founder of California Families Against Solitary Confinement and a member of the California Mandela Campaign. 

​ Orange County Register 

Senior living: Being ‘socially frail’ comes with health risks for older adults

• April 3, 2023

Consider three hypothetical women in their mid-70s, all living alone in identical economic circumstances with the same array of ailments: diabetes, arthritis and high blood pressure.

Ms. Green stays home most of the time and sometimes goes a week without seeing people. But she’s in frequent touch by phone with friends and relatives, and she takes a virtual class with a discussion group from a nearby college.

Ms. Smith also stays home, but rarely talks to anyone. She has lost contact with friends, stopped going to church and spends most of her time watching TV.

Ms. Johnson has a wide circle of friends and a busy schedule. She walks with neighbors regularly, volunteers at a school twice a week, goes to church and is in close touch with her children, who don’t live nearby.

Three sets of social circumstances, three levels of risk should the women experience a fall, bout of pneumonia or serious deterioration in health.

Ms. Johnson would be most likely to get a ride to the doctor or a visit in the hospital, experts suggest. Several people may check on Ms. Green and arrange assistance while she recovers.

But Ms. Smith would be unlikely to get much help and more likely than the others to fare poorly if her health became challenged. She’s what some experts would call “socially vulnerable” — or “socially frail.”

Social frailty is a corollary to physical frailty, a set of vulnerabilities (including weakness, exhaustion, unintentional weight loss, slowness and low physical activity) shown to increase the risk of falls, disability, hospitalization, poor surgical outcomes, admission to a nursing home and earlier death in older adults.

Essentially, people who are physically frail have less physiological strength and a reduced biological ability to bounce back from illness or injury.

Those who are socially frail also have fewer resources to draw upon, but for different reasons: They don’t have close relationships, can’t rely on others for help, aren’t active in community groups or religious organizations, or live in neighborhoods that feel unsafe, among other circumstances. Social frailty can also entail feeling a lack of control over one’s life or being devalued by others.

Many of these factors have been linked to poor health outcomes in later life, along with so-called social determinants of health — low socioeconomic status, poor nutrition, insecure housing and inaccessible transportation.

Social frailty assumes that each factor contributes to an older person’s vulnerability and that they interact with and build upon each other.

“It’s a more complete picture of older adults’ circumstances than any one factor alone,” said Dr. Melissa Andrew, a professor of geriatric medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who published one of the first social vulnerability indices for older adults in 2008.

This way of thinking about older adults’ social lives, and how they influence health outcomes, is getting new attention from experts in the U.S. and elsewhere. In February, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and UC San Francisco published a 10-item “social frailty index” in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

“Our goal is to help clinicians identify older patients who are socially frail and to prompt problem-solving designed to help them cope with various challenges,” said Dr. Sachin Shah, a co-author of the paper and a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Using data from 8,250 adults 65 and older who participated in the national Health and Retirement Study from 2010 to 2016, the researchers found that the index helped predict an increased risk of death during the period studied in a significant number of older adults, complementing medical tools used for this purpose.

“It adds dimensions of what a clinician should know about their patients beyond current screening instruments, which are focused on physical health,” said Dr. Linda Fried, an internationally known frailty researcher and dean of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

Beyond the corridors of medicine, she said, “we need society to build solutions” to issues raised in the index: the ability of seniors to work, volunteer and engage with other people; and the safety and accessibility of neighborhoods in which they live; ageism and discrimination against older adults, among other issues.

A team of Chinese researchers, meanwhile, recently published a comprehensive review of social frailty in adults 60 and older, based on results from dozens of studies with about 83,900 participants in Japan, China, Korea and Europe. They determined that 24% of these older adults, assessed both in hospitals and in the community, were socially frail — a higher portion than those deemed physically frail (12%) or cognitively frail (9%) in separate studies. Most vulnerable were people 75 and older.

“If someone is socially vulnerable, perhaps they’ll need more help at home while they’re recovering from surgery,” Dr. Kenneth Covinsky, a geriatrician at UCSF and co-author of the recent Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences article, said about the implications. “Or maybe they’ll need someone outside their family circle to be an advocate for them in the hospital.”

Jennifer Ailshire, an associate professor of gerontology and sociology at USC’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, said a social fraility index would help doctors identify older adults who need extra assistance and direct them to community resources.

Geriatricians regularly screen older adults for extra needs, albeit without using a well-vetted or consistent set of measures.

“I’ll ask, ‘Who do you depend on most and how do you depend on them?’” said Dr. William Dale, the Arthur M. Coppola Family Chair in Supportive Care Medicine at City of Hope, a comprehensive cancer center in Duarte. “Do they bring you food? Drive you places? Come by and check on you? Give you their time and attention?”

Depending on the patients’ answers, Dale said, he will refer them to a social worker or help modify their plan of care. But, he cautioned, primary care physicians and specialists don’t routinely take the time to do this.

Oak Street Health, a Chicago chain of 169 primary care centers for older adults in 21 states and recently purchased by CVS Health, is trying to change that in its clinics, said Dr. Ali Khan, the company’s chief medical officer of value-based care strategy.

At least three times a year, medical assistants, social workers or clinicians ask patients about loneliness and social isolation, barriers to transportation, food insecurity, financial strain, housing quality and safety, access to broadband services, and utility services.

The organization combines these findings with patient-specific medical information in a “global risk assessment” that separates seniors into four tiers of risk, from very high to very low. In turn, this informs the kinds of services provided to patients, the frequency of service delivery and individual wellness plans, which include social as well as medical priorities.

The central issue, Khan said, is “what is this patient’s ability to continue down a path of resilience in the face of a very complicated health care system?” — and what Oak Street Health can do to enhance that.

What’s left out of an approach like this, however, is something crucial to older adults: Whether their relationships with other people are positive or negative.

That isn’t typically measured, but it’s essential in considering whether their social needs are being met, said Linda Waite, the George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor of sociology at the University of Chicago and director of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project.

For seniors who want to think about their own social vulnerability, consider this five-item index, developed by researchers in Japan:

Do you go out less frequently now than last year?
Do you sometimes visit your friends?
Do you feel you are helpful to friends or family?
Do you live alone?
Do you talk to someone every day?

Think about your answers. If you find your responses unsatisfactory, it might be time to reconsider your social circumstances and make a change.

Kaiser Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at Kaiser Family Foundation. KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

​ Orange County Register 

OC probation officer hits 50 states as Spider-Man, other superheroes for sick kids, homeless adults

• April 3, 2023

When Yuri Williams was 8 years old, his mother sometimes took him with her to work at the Los Angeles County’s Central Juvenile Hall when she couldn’t find a sitter. Lynda C. Hubbard worked there, with troubled children and young adults as a juvenile correctional officer, for more than three decades.

“There was this one big guy banging on the walls in his room,” Williams recalled, who is now 46 and lives in Signal Hill. “My mom walked in and asked him what was going on and he just started crying and she was holding this much bigger person in her arms.”

Williams ended up following in his mother’s footsteps, becoming a deputy juvenile correctional officer for the Orange County Probation Department. Over the years, he sought guidance from his mother, who told him how to speak with those in custody, how to help the boys and girls.

When Hubbard died from cancer in 2009, Williams fell into a deep depression for five years.

“One day I was just sitting there and tried calling her phone and just started crying,” Williams said.

But his mom’s lessons inspired him.

Yuri Williams visits people in hospitals to cheer them up. (Courtesy of Yuri Williams)

In 2017, Williams began donning the costumes of superheroes and other iconic figures to raise the spirits of others who are fighting their own battles. A year later, he launched his nonprofit, A Future Superhero and Friends, to try and cover the costs of such things as donations and his travel. If he lassos big donors, he wants to create an after-school program of some sort.

“My mom always told me when you do something, try to do it different from others,” Williams said. “I figured by wearing a costume it could be a distraction, because it was rare that people see others in costume coming out to help.”

His started off locally, visiting families and children’s hospitals in Southern California, dressed as characters such as Spider-Man, Deadpool and the Mandalorian.

In February, Williams rolled in three large bins of plush toys — Santa Clauses, unicorns and others — through the doors of the Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village in the Long Beach Medical Center. Because of the coronavirus, he was in street clothes — not able to visit the children in costume as in previous years.

“Yuri has been amazing,” said Rita Goshert, director of the center’s Child Life Program. “He’s been partnering and collaborating with us for several years. He just surprises us with these donations and it just makes all the difference in the world.

“It brightens their day, makes them forget they’re in the hospital and keeps their minds busy,” she said.

Williams expected the smiles and joy from the children. What surprised him was the parents’ reactions.

“Some of these parents haven’t seen their kids smile in awhile, or they haven’t been able to provide the gifts they’d like to for their kids,” Williams said. “Sometimes, they need this just as much as their kids.”

Yuri Williams is a a deputy juvenile correctional officer for the Orange County Probation Department. Here, he stands outside Orange County Juvenile Hall in Orange on Friday, March 31, 2023. Williams dresses as up superheroes and visits sick children in hospitals. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Four years and counting, Williams has made a tradition of traveling across all 50 states in 20 days over the holiday season, using his vacation days from work, visiting the homes of ill children to bring cheer via their favorite characters and to provide gifts like new gaming systems and baby Yoda dolls.

Williams also visits homeless veterans in Los Angeles and Orange counties, providing hygiene kits, clothing, food, gift cards. He organizes art classes meant to help them cope with their struggles. And, he listens.

“The thing about me, I don’t assume or judge people, so I try to build a relationship with them first and then keep coming back … so I can gain their trust,” he said. “Once I gain your trust, I’m able to help you with your problems and get you the services that you need.”

Adults get the costume treatment, too.

“When I visited the houseless community it just made them smile,” Williams said. “One time I went out without the costume and they told me to go back home and get it. They never called me by my first name — it has always been ‘Spider-Man.’

“It brings you back to your childhood, and when I saw that smile I knew I could get to their heart and try to get them the help they need,” he said.

In October, Williams appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson surprised him, joining him on the set. Inspired by Williams’ efforts, the actor gave him a costume of Black Adam, who Johnson portrayed in a film of that name. Johnson also rented out a Regal Edwards theater in the Long Beach Towne Center so ill children, homeless people and others who are struggling could see the film.

In January, the Orange County Board of Supervisors recognized his charity by presenting him with a plaque.

Out of the menagerie of costumes he has acquired over the years, Williams said Spider-Man has remained his favorite. It prompts a memory — he recalls an action figure he picked up while at work with his mother years ago.

Maintaining his charity work has not been easy, with most of the money spent on gifts, storage and travel coming out of his own pocket, he said, leading him to doubt how long he can continue his nonprofit work. His travels have also taken a toll on Williams, spending weeks at a time away from his 14-year-old daughter, Jaedyn.

Yuri Williams and his daughter, Jaedyn. (Courtesy of Yuri Williams)

Despite that, Jaedyn has been a constant supporter of her father’s efforts, he said. Years ago, Jaedyn passed a homeless man on the street and offered him the money in her pocket.

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“She told me that that could be her someday,” Williams said.

“I told her that you always give back. … Blink of an eye, an earthquake happens, destroys your home and you could possibly become homeless.

“So it’s important that you give back, because good karma will return to you.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Remembering KLOS and KMET rock radio disc jockey Damion Bragdon

• April 3, 2023

Don Barrett of LARadio.Com broke the news: Damion Bragdon — though he rarely used his last name on the air —  passed away from complications related to cancer on March 26th at the age of 79. Southern California listeners would have heard him on KLOS (95.5 FM), KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM), and KLSX (now KNX-FM, 97.1).

Prior to coming to Los Angeles to be part of the KLOS air staff in 1971, Damion was at WDAI/Chicago as the station evolved from its “free-form” progressive rock format to the more traditional album-oriented “Rock ’n Stereo” … in essence repeating exactly what he did in Chicago here in Los Angeles.

Those changes were not a coincidence, the two stations were both owned by ABC, and in 1971 ABC decided to have all of its owned and operated FM stations nationwide take on the same format, as well as take on new call letters to distinguish the FMs from the co-owned AMs.In the case of KLOS, Damion joined Jeff Gonzer, J.J. Jackson, Jim Ladd, and programmer Tom Yates to launch the new format here. By the late 1970s, he would work up to the position of station programmer himself, a position he would give up when he left to work at then-competitor KMET.

In 1986, he found himself at brand-new classic rocker KLSX, where he stayed through 1994. After that, he moved on to satellite-delivered formats with Unistar and Westwood One/Dial Global, between times doing a stint in Hawaii including programming an AM/FM combo. He finally retired in 2008 but kept busy producing a one-hour program called Rock and Roll Cowboy — modern country music mixed with classic rock — that aired on a few stations across the country.

In an interview with Barrett back in 1994, Damion spoke of some of the highlights of his career, which included partnering with Ladd to produce early InnerView programs along with interviewing Led Zeppelin and being part of the California Jam in 1973.

His wife Joy Hall shared in an email to Barrett that described Damion’s final days had been difficult. Friends and colleagues spoke highly of Damion, describing him using such words as kind, sweet, friendly, and considerate.

“He was truly one o’ the good guys — a sweet man with virtually no ego,” wrote Michael Benner in an email to Barrett, as but one example.

All of that was something you heard over the airwaves as he did his shows, no matter what station he was on. His delivery was always always smooth: the perfect album-rock DJ and someone who loved the music he played.

You can hear airchecks for yourself; search YouTube for “Damion KLOS and KMET.”

February Ratings

The February Nielsens showed a narrowing of the gap between 1st place KOST (103.5 FM) and 2nd place KRTH (101.1 FM), with only 0.1 separating the two: 5.5 to 5.4. The rest of the top 10 included KTWV (4.6), KBIG (4.5), KFI (4.1), KLVE (4.1), KIIS-FM (3.9), KRRL (3.9), KBUE (3.2) and KCBS-FM (3.1)

That Real 92.3 tied with KIIS-FM would in the past be a wake-up call to KIIS-FM, but now that both stations are owned by the same company, the beleaguered iHeart Media, it won’t be. Just shy of the top 10 tied with KRCD at 11th was KNX, still no better than it was as a standalone AM station. Now using both the 1070 AM and 97.1 FM frequencies, it earned a 2.9.

Cutting the B.S.

Bo Snerdley was conservative talker Rush Limbaugh’s longtime producer; he helped line up guests, screened calls, and most importantly helped put together the day’s news for Limbaugh to expound upon.

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Since Limbaugh’s death, Snerdley stayed busy producing shows for the replacement hosts, produced the Limbaugh Letter, started a podcast, and launched his own program on WABC/New York entitled Bo Snerdley’s Rush Hour.

He also produces a twice-daily conservative-leaning news headline email called Bo Snerdley’s Daily BS – Bo Cuts Through It. If you’re interested, subscribe at http://eepurl.com/hKLLg9

Snerdley’s on-air name was inspired by Bo Jackson; his given name is James Golden. He spent 30 years working with Limbaugh, right until the very end.

Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com

​ Orange County Register 

Sacramento Snapshot: Effort to protect workers from harassment advances

• April 3, 2023

Editor’s note: Sacramento Snapshot is a weekly series during the legislative session detailing what Orange County’s representatives in the Assembly and Senate are working on — from committee work to bill passages and more.

An effort to help employers ensure protections for workers who are being harassed while on the job advanced in the legislature last week.

Employers, if this bill were to pass, would be able to seek temporary restraining orders on behalf of their employees who are being harassed by members of the public while at work, which can cause severe emotional distress and disrupt work productivity, said Sen. Catherine Blakespear, the bill’s author who represents parts of southern Orange County, including Mission Viejo.

Without the threat or act of violence, employers are unable to do so now, Blakespear said, and instead, it’s incumbent on the employee to seek protection they feel is needed, which can require a lot of money, legal expertise, time and emotional resources.

Sen. Catherine Blakespear (Photo courtesy of Catherine Blakespear’s campaign)

“The problem we’re trying to solve for is that we don’t want to have to reach the point of unlawful violence or a threat of violence before intervening,” Blakespear said.

An example, Blakespear said, is an instance when a person repeatedly contacted Carlsbad city employees about his lack of housing, but the workers did not have the ability to provide what he requested. The person called and emailed the employees multiple times a day, shouting expletives and leaving recordings of employees he obtained without consent over the course of a year, according to information provided by the city.

Ultimately, the city said, the conduct escalated to a credible threat of violence, and a workplace violence restraining order was obtained.

As legislative work continues, the bill is expected to clarify that an employer must show a court “clear and convincing evidence” that the harassment incident serves “no legitimate purpose” and that a restraining order would not infringe on protected speech or activities. As it stands right now, the bill does not exclude any professions from these expanded protections.

The Senate Judiciary Committee gave initial approval to the bill — with no votes in opposition — making it Blakespear’s first to go to a committee and come out. It now heads to the Senate floor.

Trading a travel ban for outreach

Sen. Toni Atkins, a San Diego Democrat who serves as president of the Senate, floated a new proposal last week that would lift California’s state travel ban to states with discriminatory laws targeted at LGBTQ+ people.

California prohibits state-funded and sponsored travel to 23 states, nearly half the country, and that has had the unintended consequence of isolating further LGBTQ+ people in those places, Atkins said. Her legislation would lift the ban and implement a donation-driven fund to create an advertising campaign to encourage inclusion and acceptance.

“At a time when LGBTQ+ rights and protections are being rescinded, and the very words we use are being weaponized, putting understanding and kindness at the forefront is more important than ever,” Atkins, who is a lesbian, said in a statement, recounting how she did not feel she would be accepted while growing up in rural Virginia. “The goal here is to speak to people’s hearts and open minds.”

Atkins’ bill was introduced last week, as the California Legislature and the country celebrated “Transgender Day of Visibility,” an effort meant to support transgender people and rights.

Meanwhile, other states are considering bills that would roll back protections for LGBTQ+ people or are considered to cause harm; the ACLU is tracking 435 bills across the country this year considered to be anti-LGBTQ+.

In other news

• An effort to reduce California’s sales tax by 1% for one year was introduced by Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, R-Rancho Santa Margarita, last week. The idea, she said, is to provide immediate relief for Californians feeling the burden of higher prices and inflation. It’s been sent to the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation.

• Sen. Josh Newman’s bill to require fashion manufacturers to help set up free textile recycling collection sites cleared the Senate Environmental Quality Committee with a vote along party lines. It’s expected to be heard in the Judiciary Committee, chaired by fellow Orange County Sen. Tom Umberg, in April, according to Newman’s office.

• Legislation ensuring financial literacy is taught in K-12 schools initially failed the Senate Education Committee last week, with Newman voting against it and three other senators not voting. However, the bill from Sen. Kelly Seyarto, whose district includes Yorba Linda, was granted “reconsideration,” meaning more work can go on behind the scenes to bring it back up for another vote with a potentially different outcome.

• From Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine, is a bill requiring guns recovered from the scene of a domestic violence incident or during service of a domestic violence restraining order to be entered into California’s Automated Firearms System. It gives a victim the ability to request law enforcement remove firearms from a prohibited person, her office said. The bill unanimously cleared the Assembly Judiciary Committee last week, seeing support from Republican Assemblymembers Diane Dixon and Sanchez.

• The legislature is now on spring recess until April 10.

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​ Orange County Register 

Thousands converge on Long Beach to celebrate Cambodian new year

• April 3, 2023

Thousands converged on a one-mile stretch of Anaheim Street, in Long Beach, on Sunday, April 2, for one of the city’s largest annual events — a celebration of Cambodian new year and Khmer traditions.

The Cambodia Town Parade and Cultural Festival returned for its 15th iteration, reveling in the Southeast Asian nation’s new year, which traditionally takes place from April 14 to 16, with cultural performances, educational resources and food, among other activities and entertainment.

There were also local vendors and organizations on display.

Long Beach became a second home for many Cambodians in the early 1980s – when hundreds of thousands of refugees flocked to the United States in the wake of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime and the resulting genocide that killed nearly 2 million people.

Long Beach, now, is home to nearly 500,000 Cambodians — the largest population outside of the Southeast Asian country. A one-mile stretch of Anaheim Street, in the heart of Long Beach, is officially designated as Cambodia Town.

“For over a decade, Cambodia Town has made great efforts to preserve and promote our heritage and culture,” said Sithea San, chair of Cambodia Town Inc., “while cultivating the social-economic well-being of residents and businesses in Long Beach.”

The theme this year was “Stop Hate With Love” – aimed at bringing awareness to rising hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, as well as embracing Long Beach’s diversity.

“Our board is very proud of Cambodia Town’s work in educating Cambodians about hate crimes, hate incidents and how to report them,” San said during the Saturday event. “We want to bring people together in the spirit of love, unity, peace, caring, empathy, and compassion and to raise awareness of anti-racism and discrimination, including Anti-Asian hate.”

Following an interfaith program in the morning, Buddhist monks performed a traditional blessing, with distinguished guests offering them gifts.

Then, at the onset of the parade, which began at Anaheim Street and Cherry Avenue, several community leaders, sponsors and elected officials gave speeches.

“Congratulations for 15th years of lifting up history,” state Attorney General Rob Bonta said, “promoting culture and sharing with the rest of the world, and state, the beauty of the Khmer traditions.”

Mayor Rex Rixhardson and members of the Long Beach City Council also attended the event, including Vice Mayor Cindy Allen and Councilmembers Daryl Supernaw and Suely Saro — the latter of whom is the first Cambodian American to serve on the panel.

After that, the parade began in earnest.

Thousands of people waved Cambodian flags in the air as drums banged, bells rang and the parade traveled about a half mile across Anaheim Street to MacArthur Park.

Hiromi Takahashi, a Long Beach City College student, sat on the side of the parade route, cheering and waving a Cambodian flag.

“I hope today will help the Cambodian community flourish, grow and develop because we had a pandemic and we weren’t able to do this the last couple of years,” Takahashi said. “I’m hoping that it’ll help the community grow again.”

Groups donning authentic Khmer costumes, the grand marshals — including kickboxing legend Oum Ry Ban — and other groups from diverse communities comprised the parade’s retinue.

Melissa Kim and Ana Degrazia are part of the Long Beach Phnom Penh Sister Cities Romvong Team, which performed traditional dances during the parade. It was their first time participating in the performance.

“I’m always surprised by how many people show up here in Long Beach for the celebration,” Kim said later, as she stood in the middle of the packed festival grounds. “I love to see so many people celebrating our culture and it was amazing to perform.”

The festivalgoers were able to get information from booths that offered education about Cambodia’s nearly 2 millennium-old cultural heritage, watch performances on the main stage and eat Cambodian cuisine.

Some of the organizations at the booths included the United Cambodian Community of Long Beach, The Children’s Clinic Family, Pacific Asian Counseling Services and the Global Refugee Awareness Healing Center, among others.

An exhibit that was on display during the festival showcased pictures taken by photographer Colin Grafton from Cambodian refugee camps in the early 1980s – where many who had experienced the horrors of war went to apply for resettlement in other countries after the Khmer Rouge fell in 1979.

Brandon Kheng and Lillian Wang traveled from Cypress to enjoy the lively scene in Long Beach and celebrate the new year. The couple said they were excited to indulge in the festival’s culinary offerings.

“It was awesome seeing the traditional outfits, dancing and music,” Kheng said about the parade. “I think (the festival) is a great way to celebrate the New Year and bring together all these diverse groups of people to celebrate culture and heritage.”

The annual Cambodia Town Parade and Culture Festival attracts people from all over the world. But some of the event’s attendees were locals who only recently began going — despite the parade and festival being in their own backyards.

“This is my second time attending and it’s pretty cool,” said Davin Em, who lives around the corner from where the parade took place.

“I had to come and show my support for the culture,” he added. “I would definitely recommend people to come, just to feel the support here is great.”

​ Orange County Register