Assembly

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- The Assembly will soon decide whether Glendale and a handful of other areas will be benefit from a $2.1-billion park bond act. Due to what appears to have been an error in the drafting of Proposition 12, which excludes areas with populations between 200,000 and 300,000 from funding, Glendale lost out on funding from the bond measure for parks and open space. But a bill introduced by state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale)

Students at Rosemont Middle School and Crescenta Valley High School will be presented a powerful assembly next week that will deal with the aftermath of violence on a campus and how they can make a positive change simply by the way they view others at their school and in their community. Rachel’s Challenge is coming to the middle and high school as part of an educational tool that focuses on improving school safety. “We will have two assemblies here [at Rosemont]

Tim Willert GLENDALE -- A bill that would grant marriage benefits to domestic partners passed the state Assembly on Thursday, despite strong opposition from a pro-family organization. Assembly members Dario Frommer (D-Glendale) and Carol Liu (D-La Crescenta) were among those who voted for the bill, which would grant domestic partners more than a dozen health and legal benefits, including power of attorney and the right to adopt the children of a partner.

A powerful and important assembly was presented to Rosemont Middle School and Crescenta Valley High School students, their parents and fellow community members this week. It was just one man, Craig Scott, standing alone on stage speaking about the loss of a sister that he loved and admired. For a little over an hour this devoted brother held students spellbound with his humor, his dramatic testimony and his sister’s legacy, Rachel’s Challenge. “My codes may seem like a fantasy that can never be reached, but test them for yourself, and see the kind of effect they have in the lives of people around you. You just may start a chain reaction.

R.D. White Elementary School students added a new chapter to the "Star Wars" legacy on Friday. With Darth Vader in tow, kindergarten through third grade students impressed upon their classmates that The Force was with them. "Focus on reading comprehension every day," they said in unison, adding a past-tense "D" to the word "force. " The Sith lord had something to say and leaned into school Principal Suzanne Risse's ear. "He's saying you must read to comprehend," Risse told the assembled crowd of about 600 students, parents and teachers.

Gary Moskowitz WOODROW WILSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL -- It was Stan Newton's moment to shine. At an assembly held Wednesday at Wilson Middle School, the seventh- and eighth-grade teacher was honored by friends, family, co-workers and students for his dedication to teaching with a scholarship fund established in his name. It was Newton's longtime friend, Phil Clark, who decided something needed to be done to recognize all of the hard work Newton has done in his 30 years at Wilson Middle.

Gary Moskowitz For Narek Kassabian, this week will be about coming together while at the same time celebrating cultural uniqueness. Kassabian and her Armenian Club students at Hoover High School will read poetry and perform traditional Armenian dances for the student body Monday during an assembly she hopes brings students together. The assembly is not open to the public. Kassabian's students are among many local and area residents this week celebrating Armenian culture and commemorating the 88th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Members of Glendale High School's Spanish Club celebrated their heritage Friday morning with the group's first assembly of the year. Named Sangre Latina, or Latin Blood, the club kicked off the upcoming year by paying tribute to "family, song and a love of Latin culture" through the hourlong assembly. Students played guitar and sang songs and the Horace Mann Folklorico dance group gave a performance for the event. The club, which includes about 50 members and 30 active members, was established to provide social opportunities for students who speak Spanish.

Fremont Elementary School students danced and sang to mariachi music during an assembly on Nov. 14. The Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano performed for the students during an assembly that had students up on their feet, clapping their hands and dancing. The mariachi band was part of the Music Center’s outreach program. The school’s PTA sponsored the assembly. Students learned about the musical instruments used and a little history of the mariachi. The band has a 45-year history and is based in Los Angeles.

A bill to improve emergency and disaster preparedness among California utilities was unanimously approved this week by a committee in the state Assembly. AB 1650, introduced by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), requires public utilities to hold comprehensive disaster preparedness meetings every two years with the counties and cities they service in order to improve readiness for natural disasters. “In the wake of the fierce winds and power outages that caused so much damage in Southern California late last year, we need to look at these events in a different way,” said Portantino in a statement.

A bill designed to protect senior citizens and others from having their bank accounts drained passed the state Assembly recently by a 69-0 vote. The legislation, introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake), stipulates that funds in bank accounts with more than one signer belong to each person based on their contributions. Gatto wrote AB 1624 after a divided California Court of Appeal ruled that whoever withdraws money first from a bank account becomes the owner of the money, which can lead to accounts held by seniors and others being emptied by individuals who did not put funds into the account.

Longtime Glendale Unified school board member Greg Krikorian is throwing his hat in the ring to run in the redrawn 43rd state Assembly District against incumbent Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake), who has already raised nearly $500,000 for his reelection campaign. Krikorian said he's running as a Republican, but he describes himself as a moderate. “I'm business conservative and socially open-minded,” he said. “Social issues aren't going to get us jobs or fill up our tanks.” Krikorian decided to enter the race because of what he said was a dysfunctional state government.

Though running unopposed in an Assembly district redrawn last year to connect La Cañada Flintridge with Glendale and Burbank, Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) has raised more than $480,000, records show, much of it from Fortune 500 companies, unions and Indian gaming interests. Gatto's supporters also include movie studios, Americana at Brand developer Rick Caruso, plumbers' unions and telecom giant AT&T. Hopefuls have until March 19 to declare their candidacies. Gatto said he had expected to face opposition this year due to fierce competition for the seat in 2010.

The Thanksgiving holiday didn't slow the pace for state Assembly candidates seeking supporters. Pasadena City Councilman Chris Holden, a Democrat who is running for the newly drawn 41st District, scored backing from the California League of Conservation Voters.  With  Assemblyman Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga) planning to seek reelection from a different district, the seat will be open for next year's election and Holden is the only candidate so far to file a “statement of intention,” a step that is required before a candidate can begin raising money.

Staffers for Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) gained some job security this week after the battle between their boss and Assembly Speaker John Pérez (D-Los Angeles) took a new turn. Pérez on Tuesday lifted orders requiring Portantino staffers to take unpaid furloughs later this month. All employees in Portantino's Sacramento and Pasadena offices had been told to stay home between Oct. 21 and Nov. 30. The Assembly Rules Committee initially ordered the furloughs in July, accusing Portantino of overspending his member budget.

This is the first of eight editions in which the News-Press looks back at the area's 2010-11 seasons, school by school, before looking ahead at the year to come. Locally, regionally or at the state level, Glendale Community College enjoyed arguably its finest athletic year ever. From the fall season right through the spring session, plenty of dramatic stories unfolded with several individual athletes winning state championships and the baseball team making an unexpected playoff run that nearly led to a state championship after winning its first conference championship since 2002.

As a state citizens commission moves forward with bringing all of Burbank under one state Assembly district, the city's Democratic Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursdayto discuss implications of the change. There will be a discussion about redistricting, particularly how it will affect Burbank. Guest speaker will be Todd Lipscomb, author of “Re-made in the USA: How We Can Restore Jobs, Retool Manufacturing and Compete with the World” and founder of the website madeinusaforever.com . Books will be for sale at a discounted price and a portion of the book sales will be donated to the club.

One battle in the war over the proposed extension of the Long Beach (710) Freeway may soon be over. A bill by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) to restore South Pasadena’s power to block a surface freeway through town has passed in the Assembly and is awaiting action in the Senate. South Pasadena, along with Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge and other nearby communities, is opposed to an extension of the 710 Freeway from its Alhambra terminus to the Foothill (210) Freeway. Proponents say the link is needed to speed truck traffic from the Port of Los Angeles to inland transportation hubs.

Candidates who've battled at the polls three times over the last nine months hit the final turn with two side-by-side appearances in Burbank this week. 43rd District Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) and Republican rival Sunder Ramani spoke at a League of Women Voters Glendale/Burbank forum Wednesday night, and then at the Burbank Assn. of Realtors Thursday morning. Gatto touted his work for financial reform during his four months in office representing Glendale, Burbank and parts of Los Angeles.