Witnessing ‘Political Showboating’

The Crescenta Valley Weekly reported in 2014 Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich (Rep – 5th District) took aggressive action to stop the deadly hemorrhaging demise of the movie industry in Los Angeles County impacting many people, jobs and business, including those in Glendale and Burbank.  

On June 15, 2022 in Sacramento at the Sacramento Capitol building I attended the Assembly Committee On Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media hearing where I witnessed State Senator Anthony Portantino (Dem – 25^th District) step into the shoes of the Hon. Antonovich to champion in front of the committee two bills, SB-485 and SB-1116, to prop up the California entertainment industry and its showbiz folks.

SB-485 extends for another five years through June 2030 the California Film Commission’s authority to dole out mucho film and television tax credits to keep Hollywood the global entertainment leader and wheeler-dealer. This bill permits this strategy predictability through the rest of this decade.  

SB-1116 mandates the Office of (California) Small Business Advocate to establish and run a grant program funded by the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund. This will let small and underfunded small nonprofit performing arts groups to hire and hold onto both workers and management personnel.  

By the way, State Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (Dem – 43^rd District), who sits on the committee, also walked in the footsteps of the Hon. Antonovich by favoring the two bills.  

This Republican witnessed this political showboating in person.

Emzy Veazy III
Burbank

The Challenges of ‘Rising Above Politics’

Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming), a member of the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 break-in at the U.S. Capitol, urged fellow Republicans to rise above politics.

“We must love our country,” the veteran lawmaker told supporters on June 29 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, “and stand above politics to protect her.”

Yes, Liz, I promise to rise above cancel culture, critical race theory, homelessness, hyper-inflation, open borders, rampant crime and woke politics.

I cannot promise but I will try, like our beloved President Joe Biden, to remember where I am and who I am talking to.

Les Hammer
Pasadena

A Great Find – the Summer Beach Bus

Thanks to the article in the CV Weekly about the return of the summer beach bus, I went online and made a reservation for my wife and me, our daughter and her daughter (Evie our great-granddaughter) for Thursday, July 7. Sure enough, the beach bus showed up at Two Strike Park at 9:15 a.m. as scheduled. The driver, Jose, was exceptionally warm and receptive to everyone (12 persons boarded the bus).

Here is the shocking part of the trip: It cost me $4.50 (yes, I said $4.50) for the round trip bus ride from Two Strike Park in La Crescenta to Santa Monica

Beach (by the famous Pier) and return. Four dollars and fifty cents ($4.50) is the ticket price for three seniors. Considering the economically elevated cost of everything today (gasoline, diesel, food at the store and eating out) I am shocked this bus service was still available to our community.  I do understand that this bus service is subsidized via government funds by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Here is the bottom line: we three seniors and one 2-year-old great-granddaughter had an absolutely wonderful five (5) hour Santa Monica Beach experience thanks to your article bringing the beach bus to our attention. There were all kinds of entertainment (merry-go-round, arcade, roller coaster, Ferris wheel, individual performances, etc.) for all ages on the Santa Monica Pier to enjoy. The ocean beach topped them all and there were literally thousands of folks out enjoying the full sunshine, 70-degree weather and the magnetism of the endless waving motion of the sea.

There are not enough words to describe the entertaining fun and pleasure that the three (3) generations had as they set about constructing a sand castle along the Pacific shoreline.

Phil Downs
La Crescenta