Laws

Letters attacking me personally for my Jan. 3 community commentary have been too hysterical for rational response. But I will try to correct factual errors, such as Lowell Gronich's Jan. 24 "Shame on you, Mr. Bill Starr for your commentary." He stated: "'We the people,' who have assigned the job of interpreting the Constitution to the courts, are a nation of laws."' No, neither "We the people" nor our elected representatives have ever made that assignment in the Constitution or anywhere else.

Is it just me, or is anyone else getting tired of smelling that open cesspool at Burbank Boulevard and the Golden State (5) Freeway? Aren't there laws about the types and amounts of noxious gases that can be released from such facilities? Perhaps when they rebuild the Burbank Boulevard overpass they can put a lid on that stench. Gary McCarter Burbank

In his long Mailbag letter published in the Burbank Leader on Wednesday, “Must look at the founders’ words,” David Kim trots out all the old cliches and myths about the intentions of the founders of our republic when they wrote the Constitution. Cliché No. 1: The moldy old claim that “this country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.” The brilliant framers of our Constitution — James Madison, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and others — were products of the European Enlightenment, passionate secularists, and made every effort to ensure that the laws of our country were based on secular common sense instead of religious dogma.

In the last few weeks, the Leader has reported on the off-duty arrest of Burbank Police Officer Anthony Valento and an on-duty incident in which that same officer shot a Labrador retriever when responding to a call of domestic violence. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, the Leader has received several telephone calls and letters chastising the paper for reporting on the arrest. After all, it was not in Burbank and the officer was off-duty, they say. And the shooting of the dog must have been the dog's fault.

CITY HALL ? State elections officials have determined that Councilman David Gordon can participate in city employee labor negotiations, even if they include talks on a vision-care plan that his optometry practice accepts. In a Dec. 8 letter from the California Fair Political Practices Commission, released by Gordon on Thursday, officials said that Vision Service Plan, a vision-care insurance company that covers city employees, is not considered a significant-enough source of income to the councilman to create a conflict of interest.

What in the world gives the right to one dictator -- I mean judge -- to overturn what we the people vote into law? This trend has got to stop. "We the people" pass propositions and measurements and one dictator -- I mean judge -- can say it doesn't matter. I vote "no" on every judge on the ballot. I figure, what gives him the right to judge people and our laws. Personally, I think our local congressman should appoint all judges. That way, someone can be held accountable for these dictators -- I mean judges.

Darleene Barrientos In Bob New's opinion, state Sen. Jack Scott (D-Burbank) is a prince of a man, but that doesn't change his view on Scott's politics. "He's sure a swell guy. He's a very, very nice man. He has a lovely wife and I think she's a closet Libertarian," New said, laughing. "But politically, he's tried to pass a lot of silly gun laws and believes in controlling people and taxing people. Of course, that's the Democratic point of view. It doesn't detract from his character or intelligence, but he's gone the wrong way, as far as we think."

More teeth needed in enforcement In response to the May 3 question, "Do you think the immigration boycott will have an effect on U.S. immigration policy?" I sincerely hope not. What right do these people have coming here illegally and now trying to dictate how we run our country? Absolutely no right at all. I say send them all back ? let them demonstrate in their own country. I just wish our elected officials would have the guts to say, "Go back to your own country ? stand in line like you're supposed to."

Is it just me, or is anyone else getting tired of smelling that open cesspool at Burbank Boulevard and the Golden State (5) Freeway? Aren't there laws about the types and amounts of noxious gases that can be released from such facilities? Perhaps when they rebuild the Burbank Boulevard overpass they can put a lid on that stench. Gary McCarter Burbank

Burbank plans to press state officials on laws that prevent newly elected candidates from attending City Council closed sessions in the lead-up to them taking office, arguing the ban forces a steep learning curve that can hinder city business. The City Council on Tuesday decided to reach out to the California attorney general for insight on the practice, and to lobby legislators for a remedy that would allow council-elects to observe closed meetings and be protected by attorney-client privilege.

For years, City Council members-elect have been invited by Burbank officials to sit in on closed-door meetings prior to being sworn in. But City Atty. Amy Albano has issued a memo saying that the practice violates state law. Even so, the City Council next week is slated to discuss bringing Bob Frutos - who won election outright during the February primary - into the fold for closed-door meetings prior to his swearing in. In her memo, Albano said meetings cannot be “semi-closed,” citing that “interested members of the public may not be admitted to a closed session while the remainder of the public is excluded.” She added that people “without an official role in the meeting should not be present.” At a council meeting last week, Councilman David Gordon - who on March 5 initially proposed inviting Frutos to a closed meeting - said Albano's opinion differed from what Burbank has done in the past, when elected council members were invited to observe the meetings before being sworn in. In closed-door meetings, the council may discuss pending litigation, performance evaluations or labor negotiations.

Adam Schiff is on the right path with his legislation Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence (Burbank Leader, Jan. 16). All our lives, from the time we are children, we hear we must be accountable for our actions, but for some reason that has not applied to those who sell or manufacture guns. Why not? Car makers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and thousands more are all held accountable if their actions contribute to harming people. Mr. Schiff's proposed legislation will simply move gun manufacturers and sellers to the standard we've established for everyone else to protect the public.

Good morning, readers. Today is Friday, November 9. Whole Foods is moving its regional headquarters to Glendale. More than 140 employees will move in , reports the Glendale News-Press .  The porn industry is ready to fight L.A. County on a new law requiring the use of condoms in adult films . L.A. Times Even though the Valley is notorious for porn shoots, voters in the region supported Measure B, and they voted liberally on...

Burbank Unified is grappling with how to pay for extracurricular activities following a new state law that prohibits schools from charging students fees to participate in sports, musical programs and other things. The legislation came after the American Civil Liberties Union agreed to settle a lawsuit it filed against state education officials claiming that the fees violated California's constitution, which guarantees a free public education. John Burroughs High School was among schools named in the lawsuit.

Good morning, readers. Today is Thursday, October 4. An accident that left two women dead in Valley Village is being investigated by the district attorney's office. On Aug. 22, the women were electrocuted after they tried to help at the scene of a solo car crash. The driver may face charges , reports Patch . L.A. City Councilman Tony Cardenas is looking to make an area of Van Nuys more attractive to businesses and their customers by shortening the metered street parking hours , reports the Daily News . L.A. Weekly reviews Al Amir, a Lebonese restaurant in Valley Village , where "The  mezze  here, essentially Middle Eastern tapas, are worth the visit alone.

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation that strengthens the state constitution's guarantee of a free public education by specifically banning all school fees related to educational activities. Such fees already were against the law, based on rulings and settlements arising from previous litigation, but advocates continued to pursue the issue because schools continued to charge students. California education officials in December settled a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against dozens of campuses -- including John Burroughs High School in Burbank -- alleging that the charges violated a constitutional mandate that public school districts provide free and equitable education to all students.

Legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown this week that would require new public employees to work longer before retiring with full benefits, while at the same time requiring them to eventually cover at least half of the contribution to their retirement plan, is expected to save Burbank and Glendale thousands of dollars per worker. The law, signed by Brown on Wednesday, also caps benefits for the highest earners and was meant to scale back the public cost of paying into the California Public Employees' Retirement System to the tune of up to $55 billion over the next three decades, according to the governor's office.

With the August deadline for homeowners to change out their wood shake roofs looming, local Realtors concerned about a distressed housing market are expected to push the Burbank City Council on Tuesday to postpone the requirement. Fears that the requirement would be too much of burden for struggling homeowners are in conflict with recommendations from fire officials, who say wood shake roofs dangerous fire hazards. An ordinance passed in 1992 says wood shake roofs and roof-overs - roofs with fire-resistant materials covering wood shake - must be replaced by August 2012.