Letters: LA Charter, America’s 250th, and Remembering the Golden Ass

Regarding LA Charter Reform

It’s charter reform season in Los Angeles, and once again, LA City chose virtue-signaling over virtue.

The city council rejected the proposal to expand the city council seats to twenty-five. Of course they did! City council members don’t want to limit or share their power with more colleagues, but it’s a much-needed reform, all the same. Perhaps Mr. Allen and RLn could launch a citizen initiative to add seats to the LA City Council. Supervisor Hahn and the LA County Board majority initiated, and voters approved the county reforms to expand the number of seats to nine members. Ask Aunt Janice to help you!

Rank-choice voting? Bad move, LA. Don’t do it! It will eliminate your vote, and it’s so complicated and convoluted that even Governor Gavin Newsom, the Washington DC Democratic Party, and activists in Alameda County have rejected it or called for its repeal.

One interesting (i.e., disturbing) reform passed: allowing non-citizens to vote.

Progressive President FDR declared: “The right to vote must be open to our citizens irrespective of race, color, or creed—without tax or artificial restriction of any kind.” Progressive President LBJ, when he signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act, stated: “Americans of every race and color and origin in this country have the same right as all others to share in the process of democracy.” Americans, not non-citizens!

To his credit, City Councilman Tim McOsker voted against this charter reform, along with four of his colleagues. Let’s hope Los Angeles voters (i.e., citizens!) reject it, too.

Arthur Schaper 

Torrance

I Will Be Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday 

As the 4th of July approaches, I will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America.

This 4th of July is symbolic of what America is all about—freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

I know that as we get closer to this very historic day, there is much division amongst the citizenry regarding race, creed, and politics.

What this celebration isn’t about is Donald J. Trump.

Yes, he’s the POTUS; however, this isn’t a celebration about him, nor should it be, and I’m letting him know that.

On the Nation’s 200th birthday, then-President Ford made sure there were no political messages or partisan acknowledgements made.

Let me make this abundantly clear to 47.

The 250th birthday of this nation is about reflecting on where we’ve come from and where we’re going. It isn’t about having presidential rallies echoing political rhetoric.

I will be celebrating a nation that, despite the ills that it has had and still has, is a nation that I wouldn’t trade for any other land.

I know that many of us who protested the Vietnam War were involved with sit-ins for Civil Rights, Voting Rights, and accommodations for those of us with disabilities, and will celebrate this birthday.

We have a lot to be thankful for on this 250th birthday.

Happy Birthday, America!

Pedro J. Báez

Remembering The Golden Ass

Dear Terelle Jerricks – I read with interest your article about the San Pedro coffeehouse scene and, in particular, The Golden Ass. I lived in The Golden Ass loft in 1961-63, and in occasional nostalgic moods I’ve looked for more information about that era from time to time in hopes of reconnecting with anyone who remembers or who might have been there. Mostly to no avail until now – inspired by a dream last night (!), I renewed my search and ran across your article. If you can find it in your heart to indulge a nostalgic fool, please let me know where you came across your information and point me toward the next step on my erratic journey. I don’t suppose Glen Bye is still with us, but he had two sons — Davey was one, as I recall. I don’t remember a wife being there. Perhaps she had left by the time I got there. We had a camp of tents and brush huts on the beach in Baja, Mexico, outside the collective village of Ejido Erendira. We planned on moving further south into the interior, but never did. We tuned in, turned on, and dropped out, and then, alas, dropped back in when the potatoes ran out.

Thanks for listening.

 –Marianne Joyce