INSIDE Aztec team wins County Decathlon Championship

INSIDE
Hoshi
Sudoku
Puzzle
(see page 7)
Ynez
School
Marks
100th Year
Page 1
New
ColumnistRebekka
Lien
Page 2
Journal
Monterey Park & West Valley
January
Crime
Report
Page 7
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Keppel Wins!
Serving Monterey Park, Rosemead, Alhambra,
San Gabriel, East L.A. & Neighboring Communities
Februry 2014
Aztec team wins County Decathlon Championship
Mark Keppel High School swept by it's competition
to win the 2014 Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon
(LACAD) team title, county education officials announced
today (2-12-14).
Mark Keppel High, which primarily draws students from
Monterey Park, won the decathlon with a tally of 46,723.70
out of a possible 65,400 points.
South Pasadena finished a close second with 46,687.40
points. The team from Alhambra High School placed 7th with
a score of 43,586.70.
By winning the LACAD, Mark Keppel automatically
advances to the California Academic Decathlon scheduled
for March 20 -23 in Sacramento. But, because their scores
were high enough to qualify as statewide "wild-card," teams
from Alhambra, South Pasadena, Redondo Union, Beverly
Hills, West (Torrance), South (Torrance), Edgewood (West
Covina), Torrance, Burbank, El Rancho (Pico Rivera) and
West Ranch (Stevenson Ranch) have also won slots in
the state contest.
Alhambra student Bonnie Lam placed third place
in the overall Individual scorers. She scored 8,294
points out of a possible 10,000 points. The top-scoring
athlete was Daniel Wang from West High School with
8,911.40 points followed by Luke Murphy of Redondo
Union High Schoo, who totaled 8,473.30 points.
San Gabriel High School was also singled out as
one of the schools with most improved scores compared
to last year with a 7,561 point improvement.
At the same time, Alhambra High team coach
Cynthia Cardone was honored with the Roberta
Kordich Coach Award for commitment and dedication
to the program..
"We hear a lot about what's wrong with public
dducation, but here today, in this room, we see all
(Continued on Page 4)
Ynez School Celebrates 100 Years in the West Valley
With 900 children looking
on, Ynez School in Alhambra formally celebrated its 100 anniversary of its founding in 1914.
Also participating were civic
officials, school board members,
parents, school staff and a few
retirees who were welcomed by
Carla Danner-Powell, principal.
Highlight of the early 8:30
a.m. program opening of a time
capsule buried 32 years ago. Chris
Ng, assistant principal gave a brief
history of the school, which was
!
900 Ynez School students celebrate the school’s 100th birthday - Photo by Dave Barron
initially named “Garvey School”
until officially changed to Ynez
School a couple of years later.
The celebration included decorations and a party atmosphere
involving a festival after school.
Eighth grader Yazmin Yang gave
a short speech making the centennial celebration.
Students representing each
class followed her. They each
described the “one Thing I like
about Ynez School…”
The students were Evan
(Continued on Page 3)
West Valley Journal. Published
by
Barron Communications.
P.O. Box Monterey Park, CA
91754
www.sgvjournal.com
Page 2
Beachcomber
By Dave Barron, Journal
Editor
I attended a meeting the
other day where a lot of ideas
were raised about the Monterey
Park community and it’s
diversity.
It was déjà vu all over again,
as Yogi said. The meeting was
called by the old Asian Pacific
Legal Center, now called Asian
Americans Advancing Justice.
The idea of the meeting was to
continue pursuing a solution to
an incomplete council meeting
held late last year regarding a
city proposal to require Roman
or Latin characters on all
businesses signs. By the way,
I felt this was against the U.S.
Constitution regarding free
speech.
The AAAJ believes it was
very successful in beating back
the proposed initiative because
the council took no action.
The AAAJ instead proposed a
“Harmony Resolution” for the
council to adopt.
The whole thing arose
because the City Attorney
ruled that an existing city code
requiring English on business
signs was unconstitutional. This
was discovered when the city
was revising its municipal code
to make it user-friendly and
eliminate any conflicts.
The replacement words
raised a storm of protests led
by the AAAJ and supported
by the Mexican American
Legal Defense Foundation
(MALDEF).
More than 200 protesters
were at the recent meeting.
During the meeting, the groups
reviewed the history of the issue
and asked for suggestions of
what will be next. Basically,
they plan to proceed with their
earlier attempt to get the city
council to adopt the Harmony
Resolution.
Harmony
or Not -Up to us
More than 20 years ago
the city was embroiled in an
English-Only proposal that
divided the city. At that time,
the demographics were more
like 50 percent Asian and 50
percent non-Asian. Today it is
about 70% Asian.
I believe that our community
is a marriage of many races,
ethnic groups and age groups.
Like any marriage, there must
be accommodation for the
differences. Both sides must
give something. I’ve been told
that marriages should be 6040. Each partner must give 60
percent -- there is no 50-50.
To give 60 percent, we must
do our best to understand the
other partner and make sure we
do not get involved in any hotbutton issues.
If your spouse is sensitive
to the shape of their nose what
do you do about it? You never
discuss noses, whether it is
the person’s or a movie star’s
nose. Secondly, you have to
practice what the old song
says, “accentuate the positive...
eliminate the negative. “ But in
reality, you have to ignore the
negative and move on.
If your neighbor yells into
their cell phone, never cuts their
grass or has frequent family
parties with loud music-- ignore
it. On the other hand if they are
successful, have loving families,
have beautiful music, work hard
in their own way, have different
educational values and measure
success in other ways than you
do - accept it. Yet, both parties
must learn and change, too.
There were a lot of
discussion of ways to encourage
“harmony” among community
residents, but in the end it was
left to another meeting.
Monterey Park &
West Valley Journal
www.sgvjournal.com
Published monthly with the help of writers,
subscribers, community organizations and
contributors and many stakeholders
Published by Barron Communications
P.O. Box 987, Monterey Park, CA 91754
[email protected] - (626) 607-6837
West Valley Journal
February 2014
Rebekka Lien
#YOLO – You Only Live Once
Passion, do you have passion
and vision for life and what you
do?
A majority of people has given up their passion for security.
It is a human tragedy. A twitter
hashtag called #yolo, You only
live once, portrays the concept of
living boldly despite risks. Do you
believe that YOU ONLY LIVE
ONCE and therefore, should accrue as much material wealth and
accomplishments as possible?
Do you believe that YOU
ONLY LIVE ONCE and therefore, should party and only enjoy
the temporary pleasures?
Is there a fine line between
enjoying the moment and working hard to attain your life’s
legacy? Perhaps we can achieve
incredible feats, yet become a
forgotten hero like Steve Jobs or
Phillip Seymour. Does it all go to
waste at the end of our lives?
What does life even mean if
we do not have a vision?
I grew up in a home where
passion and creativity was the key
to happiness. The overwhelming
passion for life caused an abundance of pain and regret. What
was left was financial insecurity
and children who were left to battle their own childhood traumas.
Albeit stolen dreams, my mother
taught me to nurture my creativity. She knew, like Einstein said,
imagination is everything. Imagination for a better life was a way
to create my future.
I have learned that you do
only live once. I see so many
people worrying their life away.
Worry is not a solution; it is simply an energy which vacuums in
more negative circumstances into
your life. You are saying to the
universe that you WANT - what
you do not want. What you focus
on EXPANDS!
For 10 years of my life, from
8 to 18 I did not see my father. I
often blamed my life circumstances on that. However, not having a
father has allowed me to choose
my own path. Perhaps if I grew
up with my father, I would have
taken a traditional path, maybe he
would have been too worried to
let me backpack around the world
by myself. I would have wandered across the jungles of Ecuador and the streets of Hong Kong
with nagging texts from my parents. Maybe he would have monitored everyone I dated. Perhaps
like traditional Asian parents, he
would have not permitted me to
move out until I got married. Yet,
I know my father is not controlling, he is a laid-back hippie philosophy professor...maybe that is
why I am who I am today.
The grass is always greener on the other side, but when
we grasp wholeheartedly how
blessed we are with who we are,
who we have around us, where we
are now, then we’ll start to be the
pilot of our own lives. Then we
can take flight into the directions
of our dreams. We can start to
make everyday count because the
only future we have is today. We
are constantly creating our future
with our thoughts and actions.
Despite growing up in a broken home, I needed the environment to become who I am today.
I would not have learnt how to
fight for my dreams and myself.
I would not have a deep-rooted
desire to help people with orphan
spirit. My past has formed my future hope and vision. What is your
vision for your life? You only live
once, so choose a path today. Do
you want to be stuck in the past,
blaming everyone, or do you want
to take control of the rudders and
decide where you want go?
You have no excuse to not
live an extraordinary life. If I can
influence you to decide a course
in your life, then I have already
lived boldly for my vision of
helping others.
You only live once, what do
you have to lose?
www.rebekkalien.com/ [email protected]
Rebekka Lien- Entrepreneur,
Realtor and Speaker
Point of Law
A Tip On
Insurance
Coverage
By G Monty Manibog, Esq.
If you are in a car accident, the most you
can’ typically recover is the “limit amount”
of the car insurance policy for the driver
who causes the accident.
Many drivers carry only $15,000 in
Attorney G. Monty Manibog
auto insurance because that is the minimum
required by law in California. This can result in a terrible injustice
where a person is badly injured.
Unfortunately, there have been many occasions where we have
represented clients with cases worth millions of dollars, but there was
only $15000 in insurance and money available to compensate them for
their injuries. Sometimes, however, due to the misconduct and “bad
faith” of the insurance company it is possible to obtain more than the
insurance of policy limit.
On May 2, 2001, Susan Manlapaz (actual names in this article have
been changed) was standing on a street corner when Andrea White,
driving a van, made a left turn, smashing into an oncoming vehicle that
was pushed onto the sidewalk, severely injuring Ms. Manalapaz.
Unfortunately, Ms. White only had $60,000 in car insurance. Ms.
Manlapaz’ attorneys immediately demanded that the insurance payout the $60,000, but the demand was denied. Ms. Manlapaz’s attorneys therefore filed a lawsuit, believing that the insurance was acting
in “bad faith” in refusing to pay the $60,000. If they could prove the
bad faith, they could force the insurance company to pay more than
$60,000 policy limit or the amount of any court or jury award.
After months of hard-fought ligation, the insurance company
saw the writing on the wall and finally agreed to pay Ms. Manlapaz
$400,000.
Fortunately for Mrs. Manlalpaz, the insurance company’ stubborn
refusal to initially pay the $60,000 when requested resulted in a hefty
“penalty” of $340,000, much more than the insurance company would
have had to pay had it dealt honestly and fairly in the first place.
The bottom line is that sometimes the injustice caused when there
is not enough insurance coverage to pay for a person’s injuries can be
overcome by the insurance company’s own overly aggressive and bad
faith tactics.
If ever you are faced with such a situation, make sure that your
lawyer is well versed in insurance coverage law and has experience
handling such cases and, more importantly, will not hesitate to file a
lawsuit and fight the insurance company in front of a jury.
It just may be that the difference between a minimal settlement
and receiving full and fair compensation for your injuries.
(Editor’s Note: Monty Manibog is a former mayor of Monterey
Park. He regularly shares his insights to the lawn
Calendar
February 2014
West Valley Journal
Page 3
Ynez School
Marks 100th
Anniversary
YMCA PLANS AWARDS DINNER, FEB. 22
The YMCA of the West San Gabriel Valley will host its Heart of
the Community Awards Dinner and Fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 22 at
Almansor Court.
The reception will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner following at 7 p.m.
Almansor Court is located at 700 S. Almansor St., Alhambra, CA
91801.
The night will honor AHMC Healthcare, City of Alhambra Police Department, Diversified Alarm Service – Daniel Johnson, Kevin
Sawkins of Sawkins & Albert A. Professional Law Corporation, Republic Services, Rose Hills and Walmart.
Respond via email or call by Tuesday, Feb. 18 to confirm attendance and the number of guests. Contact is Valarie R. Gomez at (626)
576-0226 or [email protected].
NUVISION MORTGAGE SEMINAR , FEB. 27
NuVision Mortgage will be conducting a seminar at its Monterey
Park Branch on Friday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m.
The seminar will cover how to sell, buy and save on a home with
NuVision’s program Home Advantage.
The branch is located at 2095 S. Atlantic Blvd. Those who wish
to attend must RSVP at the following website https://nuvisionfederal.
com/news-events/events/.
ROSEMEAD COMMUNITY YARD SALE,
MARCH 8
Rosemead will host a community yard sale on Saturday, March 8
in the southwest parking lot at Southern California Edison.
Admission is free for all those seeking to buy items. The yard sale
will be from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
In order to sell items individuals must rent a space. The rentals
will be through Feb. 21. Prices for the rental spaces go as follows: $20
for residents, $30 for non-residents for a 9’ by 16’ space and $30 for
residents, $45 for non-residents for a 18’ by 16’ space. Spaces may be rented after Feb. 22, if there any available. Those
spaces will be charged with a $10 fee. To register fill out the form at
www.cityofrosemead.org or call the Parks and Recreation Department
at (626) 569-2160 and bring the filled out form to Rosemead City Hall
or the Garvey Center.Fire Dept.
FIREMEN HOST FUNDRAISER, MARCH 15
FOR MONUMENT
The Monterey Park Fire Department along with the Monterey
Park Fire Department Association will host a BBQ on Saturday, March
15 to raise funds for the development of the Granite Mountain Hotshot
Monument in Prescott, AZ.
The BBQ will be held at Fire Station 61 (adjacent to City Hall) and
will begin at noon.
Tickets are now onsale for $7 per person at the fire station. Attendees will have the choice of hamburger, cheeseburger, or hot dog with
chips and a beverage. Veggie burgers are also available upon request.
Donations are accepted and Tax ID is available upon request. For
more information email Matt Hallock at mhallock@montereypark.
Monterey Park City Councilwoman Teresa Real Sebastian, right,
gets a helping hand from Marissa Castro-Salvati, local public
affairs region manager for Southern California Edison (SCE),
left, as they lift one of 125 trees delivered to the City of Monterey
Park on Jan. 30 as part of SCE’s commitment to the San Gabriel
Valley windstorm recovery. The trees will be planted in the city
parkways and medians, especially in the areas impacted by the
2011 windstorm. Since November 2013, SCE has delivered more
than 2,000 trees to affected San Gabriel Valley cities. More trees
will be donated and delivered later this year as they continue
to grow and mature at SCE’s Auberry Tree Farm near Shaver
Lake. Courtesy photo.
Planners Get Look at
Proposed Garvey Hotel
Monterey Park Planning
Commission got their first look
at a 7-story luxury hotel proposed
for 808 West Garvey Ave. at the
corner of Atlantic Boulevard
when it met Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Three hotels are currently being
discussed in the Atlantic Boulevard corridor.
The Charles Company, a real
estate development company, is
proposing the hotel
The proposed hotel will have
148 hotel rooms and 98 apartment
units, according to the City Planning Commission agenda. The
planning commission reviewed a
“precise plan” for the project that
is located just a few blocks from
the central city location. In additional hotels are being proposed
for North Atlantic Area. This includes one at the intersection of
Atlantic and Hellman Avenues
and another on mid-block Atlantic Boulevard, just south of a Ralphs Market.
The Charles Company is a
West Hollywood real estate company. According to the West Hollywood Patch, a local website,
the real estate development and
investment firm specializes in
commercial properties throughout Southern California. The
company owns and operates more
than three million square feet of
property in Southern California.
(Continued from Page 1)
Huang, pre kindergarten; Charles
Yanez, kindergartner; Alison Defurintu, 1st Grade; Ada and Alma
Xu, 2nd grade; Keanna Luu, 3rd
grade; Caleb Yu, 4th grade; Derica Tang, 5th grade; Kaley Kwok,
Ryan Pena and Syeda Ullah
spoke for 6th graders; Cindy Koh,
7th grade; and Nathan Vuong, 8th
grade.
Joel Sanchez, the school senior custodian and Bob Estrada,
retired Ynez custodian who buried the original capsule, opened
the old Time Capsule.
Found in the capsule were
a variety of items including an
old styrofoam lunch tray, a 1985
Ynez Eagle Year Book and old
files from the “Sunshine Room”
and several other items.
Placed new time capsule
were a currently popular books
such as the Hunger Games and
diary of a Wimpy Boy, a copy of
a newspaper for that day, a copy
of the West Valley Journal newspaper and photos of the school,
student body and staff.
Guests at the event were Bob
Gin and Adele Andrade Stadler,
members of the Alhambra District
Board of Education. Also attending were Mayor Anthony Wong
and Vice Mayor Hans Liang.
At the end of the program
Principal Danner-Powell led the
students and staff in a very loud
singing of “Happy Birthday”
song to Ynez School.
Get News
27-7 at
www.
Sgvjournal.
com
45TH MANZANAR PILGRIMAGE SET APRIL 26
The 45th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, sponsored by the Manzanar Committee, is scheduled for 12 noon on Saturday, April 26, 2014,
at the Manzanar National Historic Site, located on US Highway 395 in
California’s Owens Valley, between the towns of Lone Pine and Independence, approximately 230 miles north of Los Angeles.
Each year, hundreds of students, teachers, community members,
clergy and former incarcerees attend the Pilgrimage. Planning is underway for the afternoon event as well as for the Manzanar At Dusk
program, scheduled from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM that same evening at
Lone Pine High School, located at 538 South Main Street (US Highway 395), in Lone Pine, nine miles south of the Manzanar National
Historic Site, across the street from McDonald’s.
Manzanar At Dusk is co-sponsored by the Nikkei Student Unions
at California State University, Fullerton, California State University,
Long Beach, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, the
University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, San Diego.
Further details about the Pilgrimage and the Manzanar At Dusk
program will be announced at a later date.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Send information about your events
to [email protected] for listing in our newspaper if timely
and on our website at www.sgvjournal.com.
CONCEPT of proposed 7-story luxury hotel at Atlantic and Garvey streets.
Page 4
West Valley Journal
Student Goes on You Tube
for Complaints Against
School District Officials
Maia Wu, an 8th grade student at Highlands Elementary School,
claims her out of district attendance permit has been revoked because
of her involvement in controversial school issues and has taken to the
Internet for her cause.
In her nearly 10-minute speech on YouTube, the articulate 13year-old lays out her case against school officials. The video has gotten
more than 14,500 views and hundreds of comments.
The Alhambra Unified School District issued a statement stating
the revocation of the “out of district” permit was not in retaliation for
the student’s mother exercising “her free speech” on school issues.
The district statement said: “the District cannot go into detail regarding the circumstances here, but denies that it retaliated or that the
transfer permits were inappropriately revoked.”
“Although the students are leaving our District, they will return to
their district of residence and will not be denied an education. While
there is never a good time to make such a decision, the District adhered to its established revocation policies and procedures, including
the right to appeal the decision. “
The Wu family resides in Los Angeles and Maia and her two
younger siblings have an out-of-district permit to attend Monterey
Highlands School. In her video presentation, Maia said the permits for
her siblings has also been revoked.
She states in the YouTube video that her issues with the school officials began when she and her parents led a campaign against security
fencing placed around the school, which is located in the center of a
city park.
School District Response
The following is the statement release by the Alhambra Unified
School District:
The District is aware of a YouTube video made by an 8th grade
student claiming that her, and her siblings’, interdistrict transfer permits were revoked in retaliation for their mother exercising her free
speech rights. Although there is a process by which students residing outside of
the District may apply for an interdistrict transfer permit to attend the
District’s schools, such a permit is not guaranteed and may be revoked
consistent with District policy. The District cannot go into detail regarding the circumstances
here, but denies that it retaliated or that the transfer permits were inappropriately revoked. Although the students are leaving our District, they will return to
their district of residence and will not be denied an education. While
there is never a good time to make such a decision, the District adhered to its established revocation policies and procedures, including
the right to appeal the decision. The District understands the disruption revoking a transfer permit
can cause and, therefore, takes such action seriously. The District firmly believes that this decision is in the best interests of all involved and are confident that the students will continue to
receive an excellent education in their home district.
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February 2014
Keppel Wins
Academic
Decathlon
FEEDING THE LION
Rosemead Councilman Bill Alarcon “feeds” the Lion at the city’s
annual Lunar New Year Celebration held at Rosemead Park.
Thousands of local residents attended the event which was one
of the last in a series of Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year
Celebrations in the West San Gabriel Valley. - Photo by Margie
Ramirez.
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ROSEMEAD, Calif., Jan
31, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -The co-owners of the San Onofre
nuclear plant has announced what
it calls core principles to guide
the plant decommissioning and a
commitment to establish an advisory panel to serve as a conduit
of information and ideas between
the owners and the public.
Ron Litzinger, president
of Southern California Edison
(SCE), the majority owner of San
Onofre, said the safety, stewardship and engagement principles
will help the owners balance multiple interests during the long and
complex decommissioning process.
“The leaders of the co-owner
companies are members of the
community and we want to do the
right thing for our region,” Litzinger said.
He said the guiding principles involve “safety, stewardship
and engagement.
”These guiding principles
spell out the goals to make the
San Onofre decommissioning a
model for the industry.”
Litzinger noted that more details will be available soon about
the Community Engagement
Panel.
The current owners of San
Onofre are SCE, San Diego Gas
and Electric and the city of Riverside. The city of Anaheim is a
previous owner. Current and previous owners are responsible for
decommissioning.
SCE announced June 7 that it
would permanently shut down the
San Onore nuclear plants.
(Continued from Page 1)
what's right with publication,"
said Arturo Delgado, L.A.
County superintendent of public
education.
"I appreciate the special
commitment from so many
districts, from superintendents
and school boards, to support
the Academic Decathlon despite
all the financial pressures we're
all experiencing."
The LACAD competition,
which this year focused on
the study theme of World War
1, took place on Jan. 25 at El
Rancho High School and Feb.
1 at the University of Southern
California. The LACAD is open
to public high schools in the
county that are outside the Los
Angeles Unified School District,
which holds a separate Academic
Decathlon competition.
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February 2014
Ruben Navarrette Jr.
West Valley Journal
Page 5
Most People Don’t Care About Politics!
Ruben Navarrette
By Ruben Navarrette, Jr.
SAN DIEGO -- “People
don’t care about politics.”
I say this all the time,
in speeches, meetings and casual conversation. What I mean
is that MOST people don’t care
about politics. Especially if they
don’t live in Washington, or work
for the Obama administration or
on Capitol Hill. And, especially
if it is what political reporters
consider the off-season -- a year
without a midterm or presidential
election.
My assertion is usually
followed by another sentence, explaining what people care about
much more than politics -- family,
education, jobs, health, religion,
community. Those are tangible issues that directly impact people’s
lives.
And here’s why people
don’t care. Public cynicism about
politics is at an all-time high, and
the approval ratings for Congress
at a record low. Many Americans
have become disillusioned with
both parties and have concluded
that -- in this game -- dishonesty
is rampant and the only interests
politicians serve are their own. Now, I may have to rethink my position. What if Americans really do care about politics
-- and conflicting ideologies?
And, in fact, what if they care so
much that they’re willing to go
to the extreme lengths of actually packing up and moving from
one county or state to another to
surround themselves with likeminded folks.
This is exactly what is happening, according to a new study
by researchers at the University
of Virginia. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that people adjust to their surroundings -- that,
for instance, someone living in a
liberal city will gradually become
more liberal -- psychology professor Brian Nosek suggests that
people are actually much more
active participants in the process.
It’s not the geography that determines one’s politics, the study
says. It’s one’s politics that often
determine the geography.
As Nosek explained during
an interview with National Public
Radio, he has been tracking more
than a million Americans as they
relocate -- as about 50 million
of us do each year -- while also
keeping an eye on their political
orientation.
“What we found is that
people’s current ZIP code was
more aligned with their ideology
than their past one,” he said. “So,
liberals who had lived in more
conservative districts were more
likely to now live in more liberal
ZIP codes, and vice versa for conservatives.”
This research could help
explain why America is divided
up into red states and blue states,
with a few purple states in between. It didn’t just happen organically. Individuals made it
happen.
Imagine how this plays out
in your world. You find yourself
at a neighborhood gathering, talking politics with the guy who lives
next door. It turns out that the two
of you are divided on issues such
as Obamacare or immigration or
abortion. Not only is the neighbor likely to politely drift away
from you at the party, under the
pretense of freshening his drink.
But is it possible, if a lot of other
neighbors think like you, that he
might eventually put a “For Sale”
sign in his front yard?
It’s not so far-fetched. This
is the age of being comfortable in
your surroundings. Americans
think they’re entitled to a good
life, and part of what makes life
good is a lack of stress. And it can
be stressful to be around people
who disagree with your politics.
It’s part of a larger trend. Many
Americans slip into cocoons by
watching only a liberal or conservative cable news channel. Readers tell me that they’ll stop reading me, if we don’t agree more
often.
A few months ago, researchers at Tufts University studied the media and found that some
of the most popular programs on
radio and television were “outrage-based” shows that the scholars defined as “safe havens from
the tense exchanges that they associate with cross-cutting political talk they may encounter with
neighbors, colleagues and community members.” Loyal viewers and listeners were wedded to
favorite shows because they saw
the hosts as kindred spirits who
understood them when others
didn’t.
Americans have become
more resistant to considering different points of view or even, it
seems, being in close proximity to
those who hold them. It’s a harmful trend, and a clear recipe for
atrophied thinking and a dysfunctional citizenry. We should never
stop challenging our beliefs. Now that we know this is
happening, there is only question:
How do we stop it?
Ruben Navarrette’s
email address is [email protected] (c) 2014, The
Washington Post Writers Group
EXACT TAX GRAND RE-OPENING -- Civic officixals
congratulate Mary Wong, owner of Exact Tax service on the
grand opening her new office location at 1024 East Garvey Ave.
Above, from left are Damien Orosco, reprsenting the Monterey
Park Chamber, Councilman Peter Chan, Mary Wong of Exact
Tax, Mayor Pro Tem Hans Liang, and City Clerk Vincent
Chang.
Students Get
Free Eye
Exact Tax Holds Grand
Tests, Glasses Re-Opening of Offices
Exact Tax, which provides
at MUSD
The staff includes
Students who attend the Applied Technology Center High
School received free glasses
courtesy of the Montebello Unified School District and the Helen
Keller International’s ChildSight
Program.
The event took place on Friday, Feb. 7 and gave low-income,
at-risk youth the opportunity to
get vision screenings at ATC.
The students who were in need of
glasses were able to choose their
own frames from a wide selection.
The ChildSight’s Program
Manager Jorge Valdez was on
hand to speak about ChildSight
and the impact it has made across
Los Angeles County. Representatives from the schoLast year,
ChildSight screened more than
13,000 students in need in LA
County. The average cost of
glasses is $263, a high cost for
low-income families.
tax services for many local
businesses and individuals,
recently opened for business at
its new location at 1024 East
Garvey Avenue.
Scores
of
customers,
friends and civic officials were
present to congratulated Mary
Wong, principal of Exact Tax.
Among those attending were
Monterey Park Mayor Pro Tem
Hans Liang, Council Member
Peter Chan, City Clerk Vincent
Chang and Damien Orosco,
representing the Monterey Park
Chamber of Commerce.
Remodeling of new offices
was recently completed and
offers ample meeting and
consulting room and a private
parking area.
Exact Tax offers income
tax, payroll and book keeping
services for local businesses and
families.
tax
preparers licensed by the State
of California.
The office also provides
staff who can speak, Engllish,
Cantonese and Mandarin.
Exact Tax is a member of
the Monterey Park Chamber of
Commerce and also provides
working space for Project Neo,
an educational program for
the community. Mary Wong is
CEO of Project NEO.
Our Newspapers
Welcome Your Opinion
Your Thoughts and
Recollections on current
or past events are now
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Please email your essay
to news@sgvjournalcom.
Please limit to 800 words.
Thank you.
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(323) 721-1243 - (626) 280-2454
Page 6
February 2014
West Valley Journal
Keppel’s Success On The Court Comes From The Sidelines
Boys Team Captures 4th
Almont League Title
Girls Team
Undefeated in
Almont League
Play
By Shel Segal
Joe Kikuchi, coach of the
Keppel High girls’ basketball
team, is as easy going a guy as
you’re going to find.
But there’s just one thing:
He knows how to turn these otherwise inexperience high school
players into dominant forces on
the prep basketball scene.
So, what’s the secret?
“It’s the hard work all the
girls put in, the great coaching
staff,” Kikuchi said.
But there’s more.
“It is just a tradition,” he
said. “When the kids come in
they are part of a tradition. They
know they have to work hard to
keep up with what’s happened in
the past.”
Kikuchi said he has the team
working hard whether or not it
currently is basketball season.
“Working hard means it’s
year-round,” Kikuchi said. “We
play year-round. And it’s not just
coming to practice and shooting
around and sitting around and
stuff like that. But they really
work hard on their fundamentals, on their shooting. And they
condition, too. They work hard
on their running. “
With conditioning being the
backbone of the program, Kikuchi said that’s how you win
basketball games.
“You put that all together,
condition, being in better condition than the other team, being
good skill wise,” he said. “Then
we put together a good game
plan and that’s the recipe for success.”
And while the Aztecs tend
to blow out opponents, Kikuchi
won’t let that go to anyone’s
head.
“It’s been a roller coaster
ride, but we’ve been popping
back up,” he said. “We’re doing
OK.”
He added while this year’s
squad isn’t the best talent-wise
he’s ever coached, he said they
still do a lot of things right.
“They’re young and they’re
not as athletic as I’ve had in the
past,” Kikuchi said. “But they
work hard. They do what they’re
supposed to do. And we get the
job done that way.”
The Aztecs have captured
the Almont League title with a
25-1 overall record and a record
of 9-0 in league play. This is the
school’s fourth-straight league
title. In that time frame the program has gone 40-0 in league, as
of Feb. 14.
And while he doesn’t know
CHAMPIONSHIP COACHES -- Joe Kikuchi, left, coaches the
championship Mark Keppel giirls team, and right, Hung Duong,
right, coaches the boys championshiop team. - Photo by Dave
Barron.
Kamida Comfortable
From Beyond The Arc
By Shel Segal
Standing at 5-foot-4, Kelli
Kamida doesn’t look like a very
ominous threat on the basketball court.
But box her in a corner behind the three-point line and she
can be deadly.
So deadly that she hit 16
– yes, that’s right – three-point
baskets in the Mark Keppel
High girls’ basketball team’s
recent 90-50 victory over host
Montebello High to set a school
record.
A bench player, Kamida
– who attended Highlands Elementary School in Monterey
Park – is now averaging 17
points per game.
Her coach Joe Kikuchi
agreed that she doesn’t look like
a killer near the basket.
“She’s a tremendous shooter,” Kikuchi said of Kamida.
“She doesn’t look like your typical athlete who’s going to score
48 points. But she gets the job
done.”
But Kikuchi said he wasn’t
fooled by her lack of stature on
the court when deciding to play
her earlier in the season.
how this season will turn out with
the CIF Southern Section playoffs fast approaching, he said
next year the team will be even
stronger with all-but-one player
returning.
“Hopefully, next year we’ll
come back all healthy,” he said.
“And if we come back healthy
everybody else will have to watch
out.”
(Shel Segal can be reached at
[email protected]. He can
be followed via Twitter @segallanded.)
Kelli Kamida
“When she came up from
(junior varsity) this past year I
could already tell she was going
to be a good shooter,” he said.
“I didn’t think she was capable
of 16 in a game, but I knew she
was a very good shooter. She’s
great. All the team likes her.
She’s fun to be around and she
works hard.”
Kamida, a 16-year-old junior, said it was just fun to reach
that accomplishment.
“It was really exciting because it was my first year (on the
varsity squad),” she said. “My
teammates helped me, though,
by passing me the ball. They
just set me up well.”
Kamida said she started
playing basketball when she
was 5 years old; adding that is
has been a family affair.
“My parents both play basketball and my whole family
does,” she said. “My mom has a
friend and her daughter started
playing with me.”
She added she just likes being part of the team.
“I love how your teammates
make you family and how close
you are,” she said. (continued at
right)
By Shel Segal
The basketball players on the Mark Keppel High boys’ basketball team are not playing on scholarship. They haven’t transferred
over from other schools.
But they keep winning.
And coach Hung Duong likes to think it just comes down to
good old-fashioned hard work.
“We’re a system program,” Duong said. “The kids have bought
into the system. We come in as freshmen and we work on a lot of
fundamentals, the stuff we expect them to carry over when they become juniors and seniors. The kids bought in. The morale is good
and the atmosphere is great. If they want to play they got to work
hard. If they don’t then they’re not going to make the team. That’s
the bottom line.”
Now in his 13th year at the helm of the Aztecs, Duong’s squad
has captured its fourth straight Almont League title, compiling a
record of 22-4 as of Feb. 11. He said his players have really come
through.
“These past few years the kids have stepped it up,” he said.
“The last couple years we’ve been in a rebuilding mode. But this
year we had some kids with some leadership experience, a couple
years of varsity experience. This year I’ve expected more than I
have the last couple of years.”
He added with the postseason coming up the team has already
met its main objective.
“This year our goal as always is to win the Almont League
championship,” Duong said. “We accomplished that. The second
goal is to get to (CIF Southern Section playoffs) and advance in
CIF and see how far we can go.”
Building a successful program means working on the sport no
matter what season it is. And Duong said his players have been
doing that.
“It’s pretty much a year-round program,” he said. “We come
down and I open up the gym a couple hours at night, giving them
a place to work out and work on their game a little bit. And that’s
after our season.”
He added, however, he is only as successful as his players allow him to be.
“They’ve got to be committed,” Duong said. “They’ve got
to be serious about basketball. They’ve got to work on their own
game outside of basketball, whether it is their own skill or it’s conditioning and getting stronger physically.”
And this year’s squad has been very successful, no matter how
you look at it, Duong said.
“I’m extremely proud of this group this year,” he said. “To
have won 22 games this year is unexpected. I expect a lot from this
group, but that’s a bit unexpected. That’s a credit to them. When
you put in the work you’re going to get the results.”
(Shel Segal can be reached at [email protected]. He can
be followed via Twitter @segallanded.)
243 Flue Dates Reported
SACRAMENTO - Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California
Department of Public Health (CDPH) and state health officer, announced last week the number of confirmed influenza related deaths
in the state has increased by 41 to a total of 243 confirmed deaths for
the 2013-14 season. Four of the 243 are pediatric deaths. There are an
additional 41 deaths under investigation, not yet confirmed.
The 243 confirmed influenza-associated deaths this season have
been 33 deaths reported in Los Angeles County.
By this time last year, CDPH had received reports of a total of
26 influenza fatalities and in all of the 2012-13 season, a total of 106
deaths were reported. One teammate who has taken Kamida in is Tammi Matsukiyo.
Matsukiyo said the two have been playing together since they were
children.
“Kelli’s a great shooter,” Matsukiyo said. “I’ve been playing
with her since kindergarten.”
Kamida said she hasn’t really analyzed why she’s able to hit
baskets from the outside.
“There’s not really a secret: I just shoot it,” she said.
(Shel Segal can be reached at [email protected].
February 2014
January
Crime Report
Monterey Park Crime Statistics are released by the Monterey
Park Police Department. Here are
the statistics for January 2014 by
category.
Auto Burglary
Jan. 8 – 500 Everett Ave.
Jan. 12 – 400 El Mercado
Ave.
Jan. 18 – 3500 Ramona Blvd.
Jan. 20 – 900 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Jan. 21 – 300 Pomelo Ave.
Jan. 21 – 200 Barranca Dr.
Jan. 28 – 400 E. Hellman Ave.
Jan. 30 – 900 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Auto Theft
Jan. 5 – 500 N. Nicholson
Ave.
Jan. 6 – 300 W. Floral Dr.
Jan. 6 – 200 W. Fernfield Dr.
Jan. 9 – 400 W. Alright St.
Jan. 12 – 300 N. Atlantic
Blvd.
Jan. 13 – 400 N. McPherrin
Ave.
Jan. 13 – 2100 S. Atlantic
Blvd.
Jan. 14 – 2100 Findlay Ave.
Jan. 16 – 1400 College View
Dr.
Jan. 20 – 2200 S. Atlantic
Blvd.
Jan. 21 – 300 S. Chandler
Ave.
Jan. 28 – 100 E. Graves Ave.
Commercial Robbery
Jan. 2 – 500 N. Atlantic Blvd.
Jan. 7 – 100 W. Garvey Ave.
Jan. 10 – 500 W. Garvey Ave.
Jan. 15 – 400 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Jan. 25 – 800 E. Garvey Ave.
Jan. 27 – 600 Monterey Pass
Rd.
Dr.
Ave.
Ave.
St.
West Valley Journal
Editorial Cartoon of the Month
Page 7
Residential Robbery
Jan. 1 – 100 E. Graves Ave.
Jan. 4 – 1400 Rolling Hill Dr.
Jan. 4 – 1500 Rock View St.
Jan. 5 – 1100 Ridgecrest St.
Jan. 5 – 1100 Grandridge Ave.
Jan. 7 – 2200 Brightwood St.
Jan. 8 – 2100 Grandridge Ave.
Jan. 8 – 500 W. Gleason St.
Jan. 14 – 500 Portero Grande
Jan. 14 – 400 Brightwood St.
Jan. 17 – 1800 Luy St.
Jan. 18 – 1400 Pebbledon St.
Jan. 21 – 200 E. Riggin St.
Jan. 22 – 300 N. Chandler
Jan. 24 – 500 S. Orange Ave.
Jan. 24 – 600 W. Riggin St.
Jan. 25 – 2300 Schoolside
Jan. 28 – 200 N. Sierra Vista
Jan. 30 – 600 S. Garfield Ave.
Jan. 30 – 2000 Heather Dr.
Jan. 30 – 700 S. Ynez Ave.
Jan. 31 – 300 E. Riggin St.
Jan. 31 – 800 Via Venti
Robbery
Jan. 6 – W. Pomona Blvd./
Gerhart Ave.
Jan. 15 – 400 E. Garvey Ave.
Jan. 18 – 2200 S. Garfield
Ave.
Jan. 25 – 500 N. Nicholson
Ave.
Jan. 28 – 400 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Jan. 31 – 2200 S. Garfield
Ave.
Strong-Arm Robbery
Jan. 4 – W. Hellman Ave./N.
McPherrin Ave.
Where to
Get The
Journal?
If you are not a subscriber, you
can still pick up a copy of the
Journal while they last at the
following locations.
• Monterey Park City
Hall
• Rosemead City Hall
• Alhambra City Hall
• Monterey Park Library
• Alhambra Library,
• Rosemead Library
• Maravilla Center
• Nuvision Credit Union,
south Atlantic Blvd.
• Carrows,
South
Atlantic
• CVS Center, GarfieldNewmark Ave.
• Monterey Park Post
Office.
• Armandos,
• JJ Restaurant,
• Restaurants including
Shakas,
Carrows,
IHOP
• Local Chambers of
Commerce
• Call (626) 572-7450
for a copy and a
subscription form!
For the
Latest News
Go to
SGV
Journal.com
Hoshi Sudoku Puzzle
Solution on Page 8
West Valley Journal
Page 8
February 2014
Memorial Services Set for Tyrone Wills
Memorial services are scheduled Saturday, February 22, for Tyrone Wills, longtime Monterey Park resident.
Wills, 72, succumbed to cancer at his
home after a 16-year battle.
He is survived by his wife, Catherine,
son Michael, and daughters, Lynelle and
Renee, step-sons Karim and Kent, and 8
grand children.
The memorial services will be held at
the San Marino Civic Center Auditorium,
1800 Huntington Dr., San Marino at 11:30
a.m.
Wills was born in Memphis, Tennessee . He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis and joined
the U.S. Navy in1960 during the Vietnam
war. He received a B.A. degree from Cal
State University and a Masters in Business
Administration from American Graduate
University. After spending 17 years as a
Project Procurement manager with Parsons
Engineering, he obtained a Real Estate and
Appraisers License.
School Hosts
Mardi Gras Fest
All Souls School in Alhambra
will celebrate Mardi Gras on Saturday
evening, March 1, from 5 p.m. to 11 pm.
The school invites parents, parishioners,
alumni and the general public to share in
the celebration.
All Souls School is located at 29
South Electric Avenue in Alhambra with
entrances on Electric Avenue and Main
Street.
All Souls School Family Guild
and Alumni Association are hosting
this MARDI GRAS fundraiser which
includes dinner (from 5:30 - 7:30 pm),
music. dancing, memorabilia tables from
the school’s past and school tours.
Reservations for MARDI GRAS are
$35 per person when prepaid (or $40 at
the door) and includes a Mardi Gras mask,
dinner, dessert and one complimentary
beverage. To purchase tickets, please
contact: [email protected].
All Souls School is the first Catholic
school in the nation to offer two separate
language tracks using an innovative
dual language immersion instructional
model.
DRY LANDSCAPE -- Students and volunteers from the Meher Montessori School
recently helped install a dry landscape at St. Paul’s Luthern Church in Monterey
Park. The volunteers helped cultivate, install plants and spread mulch on the
Church’s front lawn.
Rosemead Communty Yard Sale Slated March 8
Rosemead city will host its quarterly Community Yard Sale on Saturday, March
8, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Southern California Edison southwest Parking lot on
Walnut Grove Avenue.
Admission is free.
Reservations for booths are now being taken at Rosemead City Hall and Garvey
Center.
For information space fees contact the Rosemead Parks & Recreation Department
at (626) 569-2160.
We’ll Waive Your
Origination Fee
• Personalized Service
• Competitive Rates
• Quick Turn-Around
• In Person or Online
800.444.6327 • nuvisionfederal.org
Fund your mortgage loan with NuVision and we’ll waive the Origination Fee. This offer is good only
on mortgage loans of $417,000 or less used to purchase your home. The waiver of the fee will be
updated when you lock the rate, and will be applied when the loan is funded. Please contact a
Loan Consultant for details. Promotion is subject to expire at any time. Other offers and discounts
may not apply.
1024 E. Garvey Avenue
Monterey Park, CA
Tel: (626) 573-0788