FACEBOOK: I Don't Care What You Think!

I guess this is the new trend, so here goes:

Dear Face Book Friends,

This is where I stand. Period. I make no apologies to any or all of my FB friends for this. 

I don't listen to what politicians SAY - instead, I pay attention to what they DO (WHICH IS ALL THAT MATTERS).

 

I believe in:

- Reducing INCOME INEQUALITY (California has the highest in the nation) - "the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer" here in California. - Reducing POVERTY (California has the highest poverty rate in the nation). - Create GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION POLICIES that do not disproportionately burden the poor (California leads the nation in this one too: our "Climate Change" laws disproportionately increase living costs for Latinos, African-Americans, and American Indians.) - Increasing INCOME OF PERSECUTED CLASSES. - Reducing COLLEGE COSTS and BRUTAL STUDENT LOAN DEBT. - Allowing AFFORDABLE HOUSING to be built. - Feeding those who are HUNGRY. - Housing those who are OUT IN THE COLD TONIGHT. - Addressing the OPIOD CRISIS that is now KILLING 70,000 people in America each year. - Addressing the SUICIDE CRISIS that is now KILLING 40,000 people in America each year (mostly the young). - Addressing the CHINESE THREAT posed to America (Russian is a shrinking power, while China is a rapidly growing one); the Chinese people are OPPRESSED and have FEW FREEDOMS. - Addressing the FEDERAL DEBT, climbing towards $22,000,000,000,000 (that's $22 trillion dollars) - that means LIVING WITHIN OUR MEANS AND STOP SPENDING LIKE DRUNKEN SAILORS. - Helping the MENTALLY ILL and the PHYSICALLY DISABLED. - Removing American Troops from perfectly capable countries like Germany and Japan, who are rich and can defend themselves. - Removing American Troops from various quagmires across the land (mostly the Middle East): Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Jordan, Pakistan (I can't think of them all right now) where we spend $TRILLIONS$ of dollars and thousands of lives, and end up causing NOTHING BUT PAIN AND DESTRUCTION. - Provide our military veterans with appropriate MEDICAL TREATMENT that they have earned. - Ending CORPORATE WELFARE like the billions recently heaped upon AMAZON and primary owner and $160,000,000,000 (that's $60 billion) Jeff Bezos, who clearly does not need welfare. - Addressing (lowering) Health Care Costs to make them more affordable for more Americans. - Institute TERM LIMITS for all politicians, and remove their massive permanent pensions for life after one term served in office; they should be working for the people and not to line their own pockets. - The MEDIA and POLITICIANS seek to divide us to serve their own petty interests: we have much more in common than we have in differences, but in our "click bait" world, conflict is what "sells", so that is what we get - PLEASE KNOCK IT OFF - IT BRINGS OUT THE WORST IN EVERYONE. - Change the laws to allow AMERICAN INDIANS to have more say over how their reservations are run, and let them do what they have to do to reduce the POVERTY of their tribal members (American Indians have the highest poverty rate of any group in America by far - and nobody seems to care). - Parents: control your children's Smart Phone, Computer, and Tablet use, which studies are showing to be EXTREMELY DETRIMENTAL to their health and their futures. - Compromise and Resolve IMMIGRATION ISSUES, and bring back things KIND OF LIKE the Bracero Program of the 1940's - 1960's. - Move the world towards ZERO POPULATION GROWTH; there are no Worldwide problems that can't be reduced by LESS PEOPLE! The world is still expanding the human population across the planet like cockroaches! - Businesses Employing FELONS when they get out of prison so they don't RECOMMIT CRIMES AND GO BACK TO JAIL (ban the box!). - Ensuring equal access to PUBLIC EDUCATION FOR ALL, especially in the inner cities. - Removing Unconstitutional Laws that MAKE BEING HOMELESS A CRIME.

- I am in favor of "Peaceful Protest", and I believe that all rioters, looters, and terrorists should be apprehended, prosecuted, and punished, as fits the crime. 

- Freedom of Speech, and believe that the Tech Giants that now control public speech should be treated as a part of the government, and therefore have to confirm to free speech guidelines.

NATION: Gender Pay Gap - A "Peek" at the Truth?

The current "Gender Pay Gap" (GPG) currently reported in America is in the 78% to 82% range. Many studies have shown that the gender pay gap in America is smaller than what is reported, once male and female "work dynamics" are taken into account. A recent study, summarized below, reinforces that dynamic.

DEFINITION: "gender pay gap" (Cambridge English Dictionary)
noun, also "gender wage gap"
​...the difference between the amounts of money paid to women and men, often for doing the same work:
The Government's aim is to enable women to know whether or not their employer has a gender pay gap.

An interesting new study offers compelling evidence that the choices and priorities of women account for much of the pay gap disparity. Information for this article comes largely from the Wall Street Journal article cited immediately below:

ARTICLE: Wall Street Journal -  "Parsing the Gender Pay Gap"
https://www.wsj.com/articles/parsing-the-gender-pay-gap-1542917969
Appeared in the November 23, 2018, Wall Street Journal print edition.

The study examined data from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) union shop. The MBTA has uniform hourly wages in which men and women adhere to the exact same rules and enjoy the exact same benefits. Workers are promoted based on seniority, not performance. Male and female workers of the same seniority have the same options for scheduling, routes, vacation and overtime. These rigid work rules would appear to give little to no latitude in providing men preferential treatment.

Nonetheless, in the MBTA study, female train and bus operators earned LESS than men. Harvard economists looked at time cards and scheduling from 2011 to 2017, factoring in sex, age, date of hire, tenure, and whether an employee was married or had dependents. 

SOME OF THEIR FINDINGS:
• Male train and bus operators worked about 83% more overtime hours than their female colleagues.
• Men were twice as likely to accept an overtime shift on short notice.
• Twice as many women as men NEVER took overtime, which pays time-and-a-half.
• Male bus and train operators also took 48% fewer unpaid hours off under the Family Medical Leave Act each year. 
• Female employees were far more willing to take less preferable routes if it meant working fewer nights, weekends and holidays.

MARITAL STATUS FINDINGS:
• Married fathers wanted more overtime cash.
• Married mothers wanted more time off. 
• Single mothers took 59% fewer last-minute overtime hours than did single fathers.

NATION: Co-Living (aka Cooperative Housing) Coming to a City Near You?

This article came up recently in the Wall Street Journal: "Co-Living Takes on Bigger Spaces". I have been discussing cooperative housing as a solution for some time now. Indeed, I lived in a cooperative housing unit called the "Co-op" while attending UCLA. In fact, the "Co-op" (as it was unimaginatively called then, and is still called now) is still standing, and you can check on their rates. The co-op is sited on some of the most expensive land on the planet (Westwood, California), yet charges some of the lowest rates for housing anywhere.

Read about the coop as it operates today: https://www.yelp.com/biz/university-cooperative-housing-association-los-angeles-2

Here's the article (if the WSJ will let you read it): https://www.wsj.com/articles/co-living-buildings-going-big-in-brooklyn-and-bay-area-1539687600

'At co-living buildings, tenants lease tiny rooms in larger apartments shared with strangers. Renters have access to living rooms, kitchens and other common spaces, while amenities like cleaning services, dog walking and cooking classes are part of the deal.

This product, which is less than 10 years old and found primarily in large U.S. cities, represents only a tiny niche in the multibillion-dollar apartment industry. But developers are now preparing to build some of the largest new co-living properties in North America, a sign that the appeal of this type of housing could be broadening.

“Co-living’s institutional moment is now upon us,” said Chris Bledsoe, co-founder and chief executive of Ollie, which also recently opened a large co-living project with 422 bedrooms. “There’s no more flying by the seat of your pants.”'

Overturn the Electoral College, Lifetime Seats for Judges and Senate - NOT SO FAST!

https://www.nationalpopularvote.com
https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/14/politics/electoral-college/index.html
https://www.britannica.com/event/Constitutional-Convention

ELECTORAL COLLEGE
• The winner of the popular vote loses - that's not fair. However, that's what the "Framers of the Constitution" wanted. We don't have a "pure" democracy and never will.
• To eliminate the Electoral College (EC) requires:
(1) 2/3 vote in Senate;
(2) 2/3 vote in the House;
(3) 3/4 of all State Legislatures - 38 states as of now. The EC was designed to protect the small states from getting "trampled" by the big ones - that has not changed.
• Without the EC, national candidates would NEVER campaign or even care about the small states. Instead, they would just campaign in the large population centers of the country.
• With the EC, in a close race, all votes in the ENTIRE COUNTRY would have to be recounted! Remember Al Gore and Florida? That was only 3 counties, IIRC. The EC, by its very nature, avoids such a calamitous recount that could take months or even years!
• A recent effort to end the EC is trying to get states totaling 270 electoral votes to pass a bill in their legislatures pledging that the candidate who wins the national popular vote gets those states' electoral votes. It's been signed into law in 11 states, totaling 165 electoral votes, meaning they need another 105 to make it a reality -- which is very unlikely to happen. Should it happen, it is likely to be ruled Unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court as subverting the will of the constitution.
• FUN FACT: The winner of the popular vote has lost the presidency five times: 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016.
• IMHO, the Electoral College was one of the most brilliant governing structures put into place in the constitution. It keeps the lowest population states from leaving the United States, because they feel that this structure gives them some say in their federal governance.
• The party that gets the popular vote but loses the Electoral College ALWAYS comes out against the EC. And then the tide changes, and they are on the winning end, and then the EC is a brilliant part of the constitution. Politicians!!!!! Politicians might enter politics for the "right" reasons, but power corrupts everyone in the end, and preserving power becomes their primary motivation, which explains this type of "flip-flopping", IMHO.

EQUAL SENATE REPRESENTATION PER STATE
• To eliminate the "2 Senators per State" structure is even more stringent, and would require ratification by all 50 states (Article V of the Constitution) - that's NEVER going to happen.
• The 2 Senators per State structure was necessary to get the small states to sign on during the Constitutional Convention in the summer of 1787.

LIFE TENURE FOR JUDGES
• Life Tenure for Judges: Madison wrote that life tenure for judges is the best way to secure steady and impartial administration of laws - that is still true today. Kind of like tenure for college professors.
• Side note: Kavanaugh cannot be impeached for conduct BEFORE he became a Supreme Court Justice. Also, Kavanaugh can only be investigated by a referral to federal prosecutors from the Senate, which is the only government entity to have judicial "Advise and Consent" powers.

Posts without a photo are no fun. Here's Brian in Beverage after a challenging hike up to Cove Spring. The funny part is that Brian is sitting in a "butt shaped" cut out in that rock. It was a very hot and very thorny, but very rewarding hike!

In Memoriam: Bev Morgan - Diving Pioneer and Founder of Dive N' Surf

https://divensurf.com/blogs/news/body-glove-history

http://www.internationallegendsofdiving.com/FeaturedLegends/Bev_Morgan_bio.htm

https://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/bev-morgan-a-pioneer-has-passed.562550/

I worked as the head instructor of Dive N' Surf in Redondo Beach in the late 80's and early 90's.  Part of the Dive N' Surf / Meistrell / Bev Morgan legend is described at the Dive N' Surf web site:

"In 1953, Bev Morgan offered Bill the opportunity to buy in to his local marine / dive shop, Dive N’ Surf. Bev owned the shop with Hap Jacobs, who later pioneered the modern surfboard. Jacobs wanted out and Bill accepted the offer on the condition that his brother Bob be brought in as the third partner. Bev agreed, Bob and Bill borrowed $1800 from their mother and each bought one third of the business. To keep themselves afloat, the twins continued lifeguarding on a part- time basis."

PHOTO: Me and Bev Morgan in 2006 at Bill Meistrell's memorial service at the famous Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach.

PHOTO: Me and Bobby Meistrell - I was honored to have known him. One of the greatest watermen EVER. 

SAN LUIS OBISPO: "In Camp" Humanitarian Services

INTRODUCTION: After years of talking to elected officials, committees, and regular old citizens like me, many still do not get it. We talk about "low income housing", "workforce housing", "affordable housing" — even "low low low income housing" (yes, that's a "thing"!) - what we don't talk about is what to do about the 100's (or even 1,000's) of homeless people living in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County encampments, where they (unfortunately) live like animals. 

Since homelessness in California is getting worse, and we have proven that we cannot or will not get them into housing, it is time to provide services where they are in their homeless camps. These are located primarily in creek beds and under concrete overpasses throughout SLO county. 

This movement has already begun, started by Ann Gillepsie (agillespie@co.slo.ca.us - office 805 781-5259) of the SLO County Stormwater Program Coordinator. In mid to late 2019, Ms. Gillepsie spearheaded the so-called "Blue Bag Partnership", a homeless camp trash pick up "Pilot Program" that was tested for 4 weeks in September 2019. Read the Ms. Gillepsie's Final Report here: https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Public-Works/Forms-Documents/Press-Releases/Blue-Bag-Partnership-Pilot-Final-Report.aspx

Initial Humanitarian Services can be implemented one at a time in the following order. This is based on a combination of the most needed services and the least expensive. 

STEP 1. Homeless Encampment weekly trash pick up. 
- The "Blue Bag Partnership" proved the effectiveness of this step.
- Benefits both the environment and the health of the homeless campers.
- Trash pick up at my home in SLO is $15 per month - this should be an inexpensive service, when partnered with nonprofit homeless advocacy organizations.

STEP 2. Porta-potti and hand sanitizing station.
- Prevents feces, urine, and toilet paper from entering the environment and the creek.
- Provide health benefits through modern sanitation.
- Homeless people would be tasked with providing security at these sites to prevent vandalism.

STEP 3. Mobile Shower Trailer and Clean Clothing.
- Regular bathing reduces illness and disease caused by dirty bodies and clothing.
- There are already 2 nonprofit shower trailer services in SLO County, with more expected.
- The shower trailers can operate completely "Off Grid" and provide 20 to 30 showers at a time.

STEP 4. Permanent lockable secure strorage stations.
- Homeless people live in unsecured camps where their vital supplies are frequently stolen.
- They care HUGE HEAVY backpacks around town with their needed personal belongings, preventing their theft.
- Yet, theft still occurs. I am often called upon to replace these stolen items.

OPTIONAL but highly desired services.

O1. Coping services, such as counseling, mental health services, job training, etc. Often referred to as "Case Management". Note that in this space, I have recommended 2 level of Case Management, that I have dubbed Case Management I (CMI) and Case Management II (CMII). CMI would be the "traditional" case management that we have now, while CMII would be a milder but still impactful version for those with a greater range of living, coping, and management skills.

O2. Community work space, such as communal work activities, communal gardens for raising food items, etc.

O3. Battery powered transportation, such as eBikes and eScooters. Could include onsite solar and wind farms to make the site as energy independant as possible. These ePower facilities could be the source of employment for those living there with engineering type skills.

CONCLUSION: I kept this as simple as possible. Maybe more people will "get it". We have to ask ourselves - "are we our brothers keeper?" - I think we are. Peace.

NOTE: This shortened article is a rewrite of a much longer article that once occupied this space. Like this shorter article, the longer article was also ignored in its entirety by those who have the power to make these things come about (i.e. our elected government officials).

CALIFORNIA: A Life Lived "Under the Bell"

La Purisima Mission Bells - 200 Year Anniversary

By Tim Waag

This article was written for Mission La Purisima Concepcion de Maria Santisima, in celebrating of the 200th year of their "Manuel Vargas" mission bell, cast in Peru in 1818. There is a special display in the Mission's visitors center commemorating this anniversary.

Many things about California’s mission life are taken for granted - like the timeless sounding of the mission bells. Digging deeper, there is always a greater depth of knowledge and understanding to be had. La Purisima Mission State Park is proudly celebrating the 200th anniversary of it’s 1818 Manuel Vargas-cast bell from Peru. Let’s probe a little further into the historic mission bells.

The bell-maker’s name and date were often cast into the bell, and sometimes even the mission’s name. The La Purisima bronze bell is inscribed with “Manuel Vargas Me Fecit, Año 1818, Misíon de la Purísima de la Nueva California” (translation of inscription: “Manuel Vargas made me, year 1818, Mission La Purisima of New California”). The Vargas bell was found at Mission Santa Inés in the 1930s, and returned to Mission La Purísima. Interestingly, at neighboring mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, their “Joy Bell” and “Gloria Bell” have the same inscription (including the same year 1818) — just swap “Misíon San Luis Obispo” for “Misíon de la Purísima”.

Above: Mission La Purisima Concepcion, where I am a volunteer docent, and play a Franciscan Priest during "Mission Life Days".  http://www.lapurisimamission.org

We know that the first mission bells in California were transfers from Spanish missions in Baja California, beginning in 1769. They were brought here by Fr. Junipero Serra O. F. M. (religious founder of the first California missions) and Gaspar de Portola, recently appointed Governor of the Californias. We also know that conversion of the indigenous peoples of California to Catholic belief and lifestyle was enhanced by the mythic powers of seemingly magical items unfamiliar to them. Playing a primary role were the metal mission bells with their glorious clanging that could be heard from miles away.

Resources were scarce at the new “Alta California” missions, and often, wooden bells were hung in the belfries (or companarios) until a metal bell could be procurred. Often, the wooden “placeholder” bell was all there ever was in a given slot in the bell tower. The padres at the various missions had limited budgets to procur religious objects, and had to make judicious trade-offs between acquiring religious art, vestments, beads, tools, livestock and other items.

Mission San Luis Obispo - bell tower (companario)

Each California mission had two Franciscans assigned to them, and with the advice and counsel of the Alta California Mission Presidente, decisions were made about how many bells and other items (religious and otherwise) were to be acquired. Large mission bells were heavy and expensive, and prone to cracking and damage over time, so the trade-offs in deciding where to spend their mission budget was a difficult one.

Much information has survived from the mission era, but the internal discussions and trade-offs by the padres related to their mission and their bells seldom survived to the present day. We do know how important the missions bells were to the lives of the Franciscans, as they often described their life as “living completely under the bells”. Today, we are left with speculation and intuition as to the story of each of California’s mission’s bells. 

How to House the Homeless and Low Income Worker

The bottom line is that when it comes to the homeless, I am at my best, by far, as a "hands on" volunteer. Not a politician, or a policy wonk, or anything like that. However, I read about solutions to homelessness and how to provide low cost housing for low income workers in large volumes.

This page is dedicated to links to California projects to achieve these objectives that have (or are) being implemented, and could be undertaken with success here on the Central Coast, should there be the political will to do so.

Are they "perfect" solutions? No. Do "perfect" solutions exist? No. So what are these? Solutions that are working, and create housing for the homeless, and affordable housing for the low wage worker. Happy reading.

When the links may "disappear" over time, I have copied the article (in part) so that you will have some idea of its contents. Happy reading!

2018.01: Trailers for the Homeless in Downtown Los Angeles Lot
Los Angeles city leaders are planning to house dozens of homeless people in trailers on a city-owned downtown lot as a possible model for citywide temporary shelters.

Above: Large dog guarding a homeless camp in San Luis Obispo.