Todd Kunioka's blog

A Very Successful Rally! [Pictures Added, 3-21-06]

Thanks to all of you who turned out to our rally on Saturday, February 25. A media report placed our crowd at "between 50 and 200." In actuality, I estimate 300 people joined us for at least part of the festivities. There were never 300 people at any one place at one time, but we did spread ourselves all over Rush Street, Walnut Grove, Angelus, Delta, and the Rice Elementary School field. And the event lasted for three and a half hours.

More Unfortunate News

Charles Schmidt, a dedicated and generous SOC volunteer, passed away.  He contributed to our recall campaign, and we will miss him dearly.  We send his family our love. 

Deputy Dog David Perea, The Mayor of Charlotte Avenue

David Perea, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on February 14.  He turned 68 that very day.

Our condolances and prayers are with his family.

We'll miss you, Dave.

Funeral arrangements have been made.  I've posted a message from Barbara Murphy that includes that information in the "comment" section below.

Hypocrisy About Voting Rights

Sometimes, pointing out hypocrisy among our political opponents is just too easy.  Case in point:  This weekend, I attended a conference held at the USC Davidson Conference Center in south Los Angeles.  The conference was cosponsored by a veritable who's who of civil rights.  Among the consponsors:  The ACLU, the Asian Law Alliance, the Asian Pacifiic Legal Center, California Common Cause, Chinese for Affirmative Action, League of Women Voters, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund [MALDEF], NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Association of Latino Elected and Apointed Officals [NALEO], and the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium [NAKASEC].

Contact Your Representatives in Congress!

One of the problems any group faces in trying to battle a development threat is that people more than a few miles away often don’t see how the issue concerns them. That’s true even when the development involves the world’s largest corporation. But Padilla v. Lever changes that.

That case [and Jay Imperial’s case], if allowed to stand, will place a cloud of uncertainty over every single recall or initiative effort in the entire Ninth Circuit. [The Ninth Circuit includes California, Hawaii, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana–55 million people, or about 1/5 of the nation’s population].

Lashbrook Park

Some musings.  This one's actually a bit of a downer.  I get that way when ever I think of what Wal-Mart is doing to this city. . . .

Today, my wife and I made our way over to a place called "Lashbrook Park." It’s located just a bit north and east of the corner of Rosemead Blvd and Garvey Avenue, in El Monte, along the concrete banks of the Rio Hondo.

It’s a small "pocket park," part of the "Emerald Necklace" envisioned by Amigos de los Rios, an offshoot of the Sierra Club. Amigos wants to build a whole network of parks along the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo Rivers, which run mostly through El Monte, South El Monte, and unincorporated Los Angeles County, with perhaps bits in Arcadia and Temple City. A person could spend a long day walking, or a short day riding a bike, in a circuit around the area. For an area [that, like Rosemead] is woefully lacking in open space, the Emerald Necklace sounds like a little slice of heaven.

"Give 'Em Hell, Harry"

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This one's long and a little bit of an indulgence on my part.  If you liked the open letter, you'll like this essay.  If you didn't like the open letter, you won't like it.  So if you're a Wal-Mart sock puppet, don't blame me if you read this and get all offended.

An Open Letter to SOC Volunteers

Dear Volunteers,

Those of you on our e-mail list received your weekly message from SOC yesterday.  I noted in the message that I had a longer version that I figured people probably didn't want to have stuffed into their inboxes.

But, if you feel the need for a pep talk, I've attached the longer version of my letter.

Let's turn crisis into opportunity.  Say "NO" to Wal-Mart.  Support the Recall.