Oct
24
Obama announces more help for “upside down” homeowners today
Filed Under National Issues, News you can use, Real Estate | 16 Comments
(Los Alamitos, 10/24/2011) Dave E. here. I just put this summary of changes the President will be unveiling today up on my much neglected real estate blog, SoCalRealEstateNews.com, and decided to also post it here because the new program has some real potential to help homeowners who bought near the peak to regain equity. If you know someone like that, read on, & use the “share” button at the bottom to forward a link to them.
During his stop in Nevada today President Obama announced major changes to the Homeowner Affordable Refinance Program (“HARP”) designed to help more homeowners refinance to today’s lower rates even if they owe more than their home’s worth.
Here’s what we know so far:
- The program will now be available regardless of Read more
Sep
27
Troy Edgar running for Congress
Filed Under City Council, National Issues, Troy Edgar | 22 Comments
(Los Alamitos, 9/27/2011) Los Alamitos Mayor Pro Tem Troy Edgar is running as a Republican for the 47th Congressional District, which includes Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Cypress, most of Long Beach, and portions of Lakewood, Garden Grove & Westminster.
Organizing papers were fed exed to the Federal Elections Commission last Monday, 9/19 by Gary Crummit, Treasurer for Troy Edgar for Congress, operating out of 110 Pine Ave. in Long Beach, # 1110.
According to Open Congress Wiki, Mayor pro Tem Edgar is one of Read more
Sep
26
Obama returns to L.A. to milk California’s cash cows
Filed Under 2011 Issues, Decency, National Issues | 4 Comments
(9/26/26, Los Alamitos) Our President flies into LAX this afternoon to go out to dinner tonight with a few hundred of his friends. Three times.
Yup, our President apparently has everything so under control that he, like our City Council, can take some time off from the job we elected him to do.
Now that he’s got unemployment under control, achieved peace in the Middle East, has funds flowing uninterrupted to all those disaster victims, and has fixed our Credit Rating, who can blame him for taking some time off for Read more
May
29
Memorial Day, 2011: Honoring our Fallen
Filed Under Inspiration, National Issues, The Base | 1 Comment
(Los Alamitos, 5/29/2011)Last month Barb & I were privileged to visit two beautiful memorials while visiting her cousin near Washington: The World War II Memorial (in the foreground of the photo on the left) and the Air Force Memorial. The quotes, fountains and sculptures at each one can’t help but move anyone who visits.
We are so blessed to live in America, but our freedom has come at great cost. Since 1776, over one million, three hundred thousand 1,343,812 brave American servicemen and women have given their lives for our country.
I hope you find some time this Memorial Day to consider their sacrifice, and the sacrifice of their families,and of the millions of other American servicemen and women who were and are willing to give their all.
I found many inspiring quotes engraved on the two Memorials Barbara & I visited. Here are three you may want to share with your kids or grandkids this weekend:
“Tell them that we gave our todays for their tomorrows.”
Inscription in Allied Forces Cemetery
North Assam, India
“I am going on a raid this afternoon. . . there is a possibility I won’t return. . .
do not worry about me as everyone has to leave this earth one way or another, and this is the way I have selected.“If after this terrible war is over, the world emerges a saner place. . .
pogroms and persecutions halted, then, I’m glad I gave my efforts with thousands of others for such a cause.”Sergeant Carl Goldman, USAF WWII B-17 Gunner killed in action over Western Europe in a letter to his parents
Mar
26
(Los Alamitos, 3/26/2011) [JM Ivler put up a lengthy comment elsewhere reporting from his perspective on a meeting he attended today featuring Los Alamitos Congressman Ed Royce. Although I don't necessarily agree with JM's perspective, I think it's worth reporting, and rather than let it languish under a post on local issues, I'm moving it here as a stand-alone post, and also to facilitate a coherent comment thread--D.E.]
by J. M. Ivler: It was an interesting day today listening to Representative Royce.
I should start off by stating that there was a very mixed crowd there. Democrats, Republicans, anti-war and even birthers.
One of the reasons I like to go to these events is to see what Representative Royce sees as “important”, and I was not surprised to see that on the top of his list was the deficit (where was he after Clinton, when Bush blew it out of the water?).
Representative Royce presented two items to speak to. The first was a quote from Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs,”I think the biggest threat we have to our national security is our debt.”
Well for 2010 the DOD budget is $1.415 Trillion Dollars. Using 2009 dollars, if you pile all of the worlds defense spending into a pile, the US spent Read more
Jan
30
SNL’s view of the Egyptian crisis
Filed Under National Issues | Leave a Comment
(1/30/11)This morning we took a serious look at the situation in Egypt today, without denying the gravity of the situation, we thought a more light-hearted approach might be appropriate.
Leave it to Saturday Night Live to get things right. My question is, what local politician (if any) does Hosni Mubarak (in the skit below) remind you of?
Sometime, you’ve gotta laugh or else you’d cry.
Nonetheless, our thoughts and prayers should be with the Egyptian people and, indeed, those throughout the Middle East.
As always, your comments are welcome, diplomatically Read more
Jan
30
Is Obama losing Egypt?
Filed Under National Issues | 1 Comment
(1/30/2011, 8 a.m. Los Alamitos time, 6 p.m. Cairo time) We may be witnessing the biggest news story since the fall of the Soviet Union. How it will end is anybody’s guess.
Perhaps I’m a bit more connected to the story because 48 weeks ago I was waking up in Cairo. Egypt was in worse shape than I’d expected.
As our bus drove along a canal/drainage ditch/water supply(?) with dead animals floating in it, our government-approved tour guide tried to convince us that Egypt was not a third-world country. As our bus’s machine-gun toting guard sat next to her.
This morning, I turned to the web rather than pick up yesterday’s news, which is still sitting in it’s orange plastic bag on my driveway, or even today’s news from the talking heads on the networks.
The good news was that Egyptian protesters were working side by side with the Egyptian Army in an small attempt to restore order. The bad news was two Egyptian Air Force jets buzzing protesters along the Nile as dusk approached, while our President was busy dispatching our Secretary of State to deal with an urgent crisis in. . . Haiti!
Then a column in Israel’s “most influential daily newspaper,” Haaretz, by editor at large Aluf Benn caught my eye: “Obama will go down in history as Read more
Jan
8
Thoughts on today’s tragic Arizona shooting
Filed Under 2011 Issues, Crime & Police, Decency, National Issues | 8 Comments
(1/8/2011)This morning’s brutal shootings at Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford’s open air town hall meeting in a Tucson shopping center grew more shocking as details came in throughout the day.
Details are still coming in, but it now appears that a “troubled” 22 year old man with “a criminal past” took aim at close range at the Congresswomen, then continued shooting and injuring the majority of the small crowd who had gathered on a Saturday morning to talk with their elected representative. Police are looking for a 50ish male who may have assisted him.
Although the actual shooter had “mental problems” he somehow obtained a semi-automatic Glock pistol with an extended capacity cartridge that would have enabled him to get off 36 rounds had he not been Read more
Jun
29
Fallen hero returns Wednesday at Los Al Base
Filed Under Community News, Inspiration, National Issues, The Base | 1 Comment
(6/29/2010, Los Alamitos, info supplied by Laura Hertzog, Base Community Relations) The Joint Forces Training Base will be welcoming home a Fallen Hero this Wednesday, June 30, 2010.
Hero Mission for Cpl. Claudio Patino is scheduled for Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. The public is requested to arrive between 10:15 – 10:40 to allow time for parking and walking to the location.
Directions can be obtained from the Guard at the entrance to the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, 11206 Lexington Drive, south of Katella. Photo identification is required for entrance to the Base.
USMC Cpl. Claudio Patino IV, 22, of Yorba Linda, Calif., died June 22 while supporting Read more
Dec
3
What do YOU think of the President’s troop build-up?
Filed Under National Issues, The Base | Leave a Comment
(12/3/09) Living in a town where half of the total real estate is owned by the military, the President’s Tuesday announcement of his plans to deploy 30,000 additional troops to Afganistan should be especially important to Los Alamitos residents.
I’ve heard quite a few different opinions, but thought it would be good to see what others who live here think. Personally, I was glad that Read more
Sep
11
One more reason why "Cape Canaveral" should have been in California
(9/13/09 evening correction:) One thing I do like about this blog is that we have some informed people who aren’t afraid to correct yours truly when necessary! Thanks to comments below by J.M. & kv, I stand corrected. Turns out, according to them, at least, our major space port’s location in Florida had nothing to do with pork or politics.
But I still think the shuttle, at least, should be based in California.
(9/11/09, Los Alamitos) If you were outside a little before 6:00 this evening, you heard two distinct sonic booms separated by just a second or two.
That was the sound of the Space Shuttle flying over Southern California before landing at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base, northwest of Lompoc.
Once again, Florida’s challenging weather is costing taxpayers money. At least this time it didn’t cost astronauts’ Read more
Apr
9
Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart killed by drunk driver at 22
Filed Under Decency, Inspiration, National Issues, News you can use, Southern California, Teamwork | 3 Comments
(4/9/2009, Los Alamitos, by Dave Emerson) In a shocking reminder of the fragility of life, 22 year old Angels starter Nick Adenhart and two of his friends were killed by a 22 year old drunk driving with a suspended license early this morning, just after pitching six shut-out innings in his first start of what was looking like a break-out season.
Adenhart graduated from Williamsport High School in Silver Spring Md. in 2004 and was expected to be a first-round pick in the baseball draft that year, which would have made him an instant millionaire. Unfortunately, Read more
Feb
27
Complete Text of Mayor Grose’s “Resignation” Statement
Filed Under Dean Grose, Decency, National Issues | 7 Comments
As handed to me by Los Alamitos City Staff today and e-mailed to several media outlets late yesterday (Thursday) afternoon: (Please note: To avoid disruption, grammatical and spelling errors in the original text are not identified with the traditional Latin “sic.”)
A Statement From
Los Alamitos Council Member and Mayor
Dean Grose
February 26, 2009
First, I would like to offer a public apology to Ms. Keyanus Price, a business woman in Los Alamitos.
This past Sunday, Feb. 22nd, I received a shared email which I opened and forwarded on to small group of friends. Since the internet became a mainstay of every household, jokes fly about without thinking of those who might be offended. I didn’t create or originate this e-mail which was sent to me for what I thought to be humor, and regrettably I passed it along.
Feb
26
Dean Grose resigns as Mayor but not from the City Council, effective Monday
Filed Under Decency, National Issues | 47 Comments
(by Dave Emerson) The Orange County Register reported tonight that Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose said that he “will resign from his post” on Monday because the controversy surrounding his White House watermelon garden e-mail “has impeded his ability to lead the city.”
Here at least part of the text of Grose’s e-mail , which was released tonight, 2/26: Read more
Feb
26
Should Mayor Grose and his majority resign?
Filed Under Decency, Election Issues, National Issues | 20 Comments
Mayor Grose and City Council welcome visitors to city website
Thursday night update: The 24 hours which ended at 4 this afternoon (midnight GMT) were the busiest in this blog’s short history, with about 1,200 page views, most apparently from local residents. Sometime tomorrow, Friday, I hope to get up a post to get the community discussing specific options for moving forward. ( I briefly mention a few in the comment I added below at 10:35 p.m. 2/26.) I’m bringing this up for the purpose of discussion. Your thoughts and ideas, as always, are far more important than just mine alone. For now, however, I’m going to get some sleep. Hope to see you by tomorrow afternoon.
(by Dave Emerson) Well, at least we’re no longer best known for Cypress’ race track.
In the last 24 hours thousands of comments have been posted on websites across our country decrying the racism of our Mayor and even our city.
“What is Los Alamitos, a white trash town of 400 people?” wrote one commenter on a nationwide blog.
Maybe it’s time for our Mayor and Council to take decisive action that will put this whole ugly inccident behind us all so the city and Dean Grose can move forward.
On most blogs that I’ve scanned, the comments tend to fall into 4 categories:
- What a racist and insensitive thing for a Mayor to do! (about 35% of comments)
- What an incredibly stupid thing for a Mayor to do! (about 30% of comments)
- What an overly sensitive evil thing Keyanus Price did in making the e-mail public. (about 10% of comments)
- What’s the big deal? It was a dumb, tasteless joke, the Mayor apologized, get over it. (about 25% of comments)
Sadly, there’s more involved here than just Mayor Dean Grose. Read more