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someguyscaliforniavoterguide · 6 years ago

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Select L.A. County Races - November 2018

Select L.A. County Races

Broadly speaking: vote for the Democrat. I am not going to give super detailed explanations for a lot of races unless they are warranted. Where they are, I have footnoted them. I live in the East Valley so a lot of what I looked at was Valley related. I also looked into Santa Monica because Measure SM is a big deal.

State Board of Equalization 3: Tony Vazquez

In 2017, the State Board of Equalization was largely stripped of its powers and duties and gutted from 4800 staffer to 400 staffers. Still, it remains a constitutionally mandated agency that administers Property Taxes, Alcoholic Beverage Taxes, and Taxes on Insurers programs. The point of the board is to ensure that taxes are assessed fairly statewide. Yeah, it’s weird. Anyway, the GOP candidate in the race has used his platform to attack the SB60 Gas Tax (more on this later). Forget that. Tony Vazquez is a former Santa Monica mayor and while his platform for the BOE is thin, it’s better than actively destructive.

Los Angeles County Sheriff: Alex Villanueva

I’m not thrilled about either candidate in this race, to be honest. Both have ties to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) but both pitch themselves as reform candidates who will address years of endemic abuse and corruption within LASD. Neither seems to be up to the job. I’ve heard some people say that Jim McDonnell, the acting sheriff, should be given a chance to put his mark on the department. I have also watched as rank and file have swung to Alex Villanueva as McDonnell has tried to enact reforms. McDonnell has ties to the former sheriff, Lee Baca, who was convicted of obstructing an investigation into jail abuses by the LASD. McDonnell has endorsements from politicians but Villanueva has the support of the local party clubs. It’s really a coin toss for me, but since I’m picking, I guess I’ll go with Villanueva - he’s the slightly more outside candidate for now, and I’ll keep an eye on this for 2022.

Los Angeles County Assessor: Jeffrey Prang

Jeff Prang is endorsed by Kamala Harris and is the incumbent assessor. His opponent is literally listed with the name John “Lower Taxes” Loew on the ballot and couldn’t even get a website together for this election. This is a pretty easy call.

Justice, California State Court of Appeal; Second District

Electing judges is dumb but since we do it, here’s some thoughts. Look: these are all qualified and smart jurists. I base my endorsements here on a mix of reviewing various endorsements with a critical eye to judges who score too high on conservative groups’ questionnaires about judicial philosophy. The L.A. Times endorses “yes” on all these candidates as a show of judicial independence, but I don’t hang with that. Judges make political choices and while I believe we shouldn’t have the power to vote on them, if we do then we might as well use that power to vote for judges who reflect our Democratic values. Certainly the GOP votes for judges that will enact their visions.

Division 1

Helen Bendix: No

Victoria G. Chaney: No

Division 2

Elwood G. Lui: Yes

Victoria Chavez: No

Division 3

Luis A. Lavin: Yes

Hamlin Dhandina: Yes

Anne Egerton: Yes

Division 4

Thomas Willhite: No

Nora Manella: No

Division 5

Lamar W. Baker: Yes

Carl Moor: Yes

Dorothy Kim: Yes

Division 6

Arthur Gilbert: Yes

Martin J. Tangeman: Yes

Division 7

John Segal: Yes

Gail Feuer: Yes

Division 8

Tricia Bigelow: No

Los Angeles Superior Court

Personally, I feel too often we see prosecutors elevated to judgeships, it’s like a pipeline from the DA to the Superior Court. To me, it’s best that a candidate have some sort of judicial experience before they get the post - as a Judge Pro Tem or as a mediator of some kind. All respect to my prosecutor friends out there, but being a judge is a different job. That said, if nobody in the race has that experience - a not uncommon event - it’s worth looking at what else they bring to the table.

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 4: Veronica Sauceda

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 16: Patricia “Patti” Hunter This is the one judicial race that I really want to highlight. Hunter’s opponent - Sydne Michel - has a lot of ties to the gun industry. Her kid and her dog are both named after guns, her husband is an NRA lawyer, and the pro-gun website calguns.net made it clear that voting for her was important to advancing their interests. Vote for Hunter here folks. We don’t need pro-gun voices packing our courts.

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 60: Holly L. Hancock I like that Ms. Hancock is a Public Defender - we don’t see enough PDs become judges.

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 113: Michael Ribons

California State Senate

SD 18 – Bob Hertzberg Sen. Hertzberg was officially reprimanded by the California State Senate in March of 2018 for his habit of hugging colleagues and constituents. In accepting the reprimand, Hertzberg stated ”I understand that I cannot control how a hug is received, and that not everyone has the ability to speak up about unwelcome behavior. It is my responsibility to be mindful of this, and to respect the Rules Committee's request to not initiate hugs." SD 20 – Connie Leyva SD 22 – Michael Eng SD 24 – Maria Elena Durazo SD 26 – Ben Allen SD 30 – Holly Mitchell SD 32 – Bob J. Archuleta SD 34 – Tom Umberg

California State Assembly

AD 36 – Steve Fox AD 37 – Monique Limón AD 38 – Christy Smith AD 39 – Luz Rivas AD 41 – Chris Holden AD 43 – Laura Friedman AD 44 – Jacqui Irwin AD 45 – Jesse Gabriel AD 46 – Adrin Nazarian AD 47 – Eloise Reyes AD 48 – Blanca Rubio AD 49 – Ed Chau AD 50 – Richard Bloom AD 51 – Wendy Carrillo AD 52 – Freddie Rodriguez AD 53 – Miguel Santiago AD 54 – Sydney Kamlager AD 55 – Gregg Fritchle AD 56 – Eduardo Garcia AD 57 – Ian Calderon AD 58 – Cristina Garcia AD 59 – Reggie Jones-Sawyer AD 62 – Autumn Burke AD 63 – Anthony Rendon AD 64 – Mike Gipson AD 65 – Sharon Quirk-Silva AD 66 – Al Muratsuchi AD 70 – Patrick O’Donnell

U.S. House of Representatives

CD 23 – Tatiana Matta CD 25 – Katie Hill CD 26 – Julia Brownley CD 27 – Judy Chu CD 28 – Adam Schiff CD 29 – Tony Cardenas Post-2016 I have often wondered what it would take for me to vote to give a seat up to a Republican - is there a figure as odious as Trump in the Democratic party? This is the race that currently comes closest for me. Tony Cardenas - my rep - has been accused of rape and is facing a civil suit from a Jane Doe; he has denied the charge and asked for a House ethics investigation. I’m begrudgingly going to vote for him, but I am hoping he either a) clears his name in the next year, b) steps aside, or c) is faces a legitimate primary because the Dems have to do better than having an accused rapist on the ballot in 2018. CD 30 – Brad Sherman CD 32 – Grace Napolitano CD 33 – Ted Lieu CD 34 – Jimmy Gomez Kenneth Meija is a longshot Green candidate in this district - I don’t like his take on SB1 and his call to repeal it, but I would imagine a lot of people I respect might disagree with me on him overall. CD 35 – Norma Torres CD 37 – Karen Bass CD 38 – Linda Sanchez CD 39 – Gil Cisneros CD 40 – Lucille Roybal-Allard CD 43 – Maxine Waters CD 44 – Nanette Barragán CD 47 – Alan Lowenthal

County Measure W: Yes

This is a 2.5¢ per acre parcel tax on impermeable land (i.e. the parts of land that doesn’t absorb water) to raise funds that will be used to fund projects to capture stormwater, clean it, and percolate it into underwater aquifiers. This money would double the amount that the County Flood District (if you’re in L.A. county you’re almost definitely in it, unless you’re north of Palmdale) captures and help us reduce dependence on water from outside sources.

L.A. City Charter Amendment B (Public Bank): Emphatically Yes

This charter amendment would give the city the power to establish a public bank. A public bank is a government owned bank that holds the city’s deposits and can be used to make loans to projects the city supports. North Dakota has a public bank that is extremely profitable and which funds public works projects throughout the state. Additionally, debt service payments and institutional fees can be reduced when the city has its own bank, saving us all in the long run. To be clear: Amendment B would not actually establish a bank - this would take legislative action and involve a lot of detailed analysis and rulemaking. This is just the first step in a long process, but a necessary one.

L.A. City Charter Amendment E (Realign City Election Dates): Yes

This amendment would realign the city’s primary dates to match state primary dates, lowering costs and reducing voter fatigue. We should do this.

LAUSD Charter Amendment EE (Realign LAUSD Election Dates): Yes

This amendment would realign LAUSD’s primary dates to match state primary dates, lowering costs and reducing voter fatigue. We should also do this.

Burbank Measure P (Sales Tax for General Fund): Yes

The city will experience a $20M revenue shortfall, this is a 0.75¢ sales tax to close that gap. Yes, sales taxes are regressive, but until we address Prop 13 its one of the few tools cities have to close budget gaps in California. Vote yes or get ready to see local services cut.

Burbank Measure QS (Parcel Tax for Schools): Yes

A parcel tax differs from a property tax in that the parcel tax is applied based on a characteristic of the land while a property tax is based on its value. Here, Burbank proposes to tax each piece of improved land at 10¢ per square foot to raise $9M for schools. On a side note, this will require 2/3 of voters to confirm.

Glendale Measure S (Sales Tax for General Fund): Yes

Much like Burbank, Glendale proposes a 0.75¢ sales tax to generate about $30M annually. Vote yes or get ready to see local services cut.

Santa Monica Measure SM (Require Supermajority Council Approval for Floor Area Ratio and Height Limit Changes): NO NO NO NO

This Charter amendment would require 5 of 7 council members to approve any changes to the downtown community plan for ten years. Folks, this is slow growth nonsense. The city charter already requires a majority vote to approve any changes, requiring a supermajority simply makes it more difficult to address any projects that might be slightly out of compliance. Don’t make it harder to build things.

Santa Monica Measure TL (Term Limits for Council Members): No

This would limit any council member to three terms, whether consecutive or not. I just fundamentally disagree with the idea of term limits, and encourage you to vote no on this.

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steamberrystudio · 8 years ago

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Friday update 3/24/17

Hi everyone! As you all probably have heard, this was kickstarter week. We launched on Monday.

And we are doing really well so far! You can find more details beloooow. That said, as far as actual development goes, I'm going to be honest and say it was a REALLY light week on that stuff. Launching a campaign is a massive amount of work and there just hasn't been much free time to focus on writing, art and coding.

Writing: I…did not do much writing this week. As you can imagine, kickstarter launch provided a massive distraction. That said, I actually did do a lot of editing in Corvin's route. I can't really focus on writing new things at the moment (but will get back into that next week). But I can definitely edit – and that is what I did.

I also had some lovely chats with people who will be working with us to add in some new minor characters. One is planned to appear in Ewan's route as a friend and fellow club member. He's going to be such a fun character. And all I am saying is…pink hair.

The other, as of now, will be appearing in multiple routes and is planned to be a worker at the café owned by Corvin's family. She fits really nicely into the plot of Changeling so I'm looking forward to writing her in.

Artwork: Worked a bit on sketching out another CG from Elliot's route – and also started working on a doodle of Nora.

Coding: I did actually do a fair bit of coding for the first chapter of Corvin's route (after having given it another edit. LoL). There is a chance we'll be bringing another person into the team soon to help with script coding, which is something I am looking forward to for sure.

Other: K.I.C.K.S.T.A.R.T.E.R.

That is the word of the week for sure! So if you haven't backed us there and are curious what's going on with the kickstarter, well, we are at 56% funded with 27 days to go. So that's pretty good!

We had one early bird tier that sold out before it expired – the other one sold about half the slots before it expired. Two people pledged high enough amounts to be able to design and insert plot significant side characters (which I mentioned above). Otherwise, we've had people pledging all over the place. It's pretty exciting to see that people are supportive of the project.

That said, we can always use more support to help us reach our goal. If you can back us, please consider doing so – every pledge is critical for helping us get funding. And if you can spread the word – please definitely do so.

I know a lot of our followers have been incredibly awesome about signal boosting already and we just want to let you know how much we appreciate that. It's a massive help – so thank you all so much!

I posted earlier, but here it is again – a lovely blogger posted a short review for both Changeling and another currently in kickstarter game. You can find it here: https://parttimestorier.tumblr.com/post/158781533863/two-kickstarters-to-keep-an-eye-on

Summary: That's it. Kickstarter launched, ate our week, and has been really awesome. We're more than halfway there, but that means we still have a halfway to go. With 27 days left, our chances of funding are looking pretty good. But we definitely need to keep spreading the word.

It's been a tiring week and I'm looking forward to the weekend, for sure. (Not that I stop working on the weekends but whatever). LoL

I think that's it for now. Thank you to everyone for all the things!

Twitter | Demo | Kickstarter

#upcoming game #indie game #kickstarter #visual novel #otome #Changeling #updates

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americafuneral10-blog · 7 years ago

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Woman Who Stole Nearly $13m From Matthews International Gets 8-Plus Years in Prison

Originally Published on Pittsburgh Post Gazette

The Robinson woman who pulled off the largest embezzlement scheme in Western Pennsylvania history, and maybe the entire state, is headed to federal prison for more than eight years.

U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer on Thursday imposed a term of 100 months on Cynthia Mills, 56, who admitted she stole nearly $13 million from North Shore-based Matthews International Corp. over 16 years.

The prison term includes extra time for hiding assets from the government — mostly jewelry and other valuables — after her initial guilty plea in March.

“Certainly this case involves a long-term, sophisticated scheme of deception. It’s the largest scheme of embezzlement seen in this court,” said the judge. “It was thoughtful, deliberate conduct.”

Mills, who worked as cashier and treasury specialist at Matthews for many years, will forfeit some $12.9 million as part of her sentence.

Cynthia Mills, 56, admitted to stealing nearly $13 million from her employer, North Shore-based Matthews International Corp. (Keith Srakocic/Associated Press)

Many of the assets she owned with her husband, including homes, cars and boats, have already been auctioned. Future earnings will be turned over to the government to return to Matthews.

Listing of properties and items forfeited as proceeds of stolen money:

Forfeiture List Exhibit A (PDF) Forfeiture List Exhibit A (Text)

Mills said she feels remorse and explained that she was addicted to gambling.

“I am profoundly sorry for what I’ve done,” she said.

But she said she was also angry at Matthews because she felt unappreciated there. She said she was passed over for raises and promotions.

“I felt because I was a woman I didn’t belong,” she said.

The U.S. attorney’s office said Mills led a life of deception. She had worked at Matthews since 1981. And contrary to her assertions, she had received promotions and raises, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Shardul Desai.

“The company completely trusted her,” he said. “She utilized that trust to deceive them.”

He said she also lied to the company in a previous investigation, lied to federal agents in this one and hid assets even after pleading guilty, requiring a second plea negotiation. He said that while Mills did gamble away some of the money at local casinos, the thefts began long before the casinos were even built.

“The theft didn’t start with gambling,” Mr. Desai said. “The theft started with greed.”

Matthews, a conglomerate best known for making funeral products, had representatives in court but the company declined comment.

Prosecutors said Mills stole the money systematically between 1999 and 2015. She was responsible for depositing checks and recording transactions into the general ledger at Matthews.

She siphoned off the funds incrementally and moved money into a bank account she created for a shell company called Designs by Cindy. She then doctored Matthews’ invoices and bank statements to cover her tracks.

The case also involves her estranged husband, Gary Mills. He is under indictment on tax charges in connection with the scheme. That case is pending.

Woman Who Stole Nearly $13m From Matthews International Gets 8-Plus Years in Prison published first on YouTube

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