George Laase: A War with Words as Weapons

George LaaseOP-ED

    With a showdown meeting of the School Board coming up Tuesday evening in the Robert Frost Auditorium, the School District and the Teachers Union now seem to be engaged in a posturing war of words, trying to influence public opinion.
     Both sides are close to the point of not being believable in releasing carefully orchestrated public statements.

Youth Shot, Killed in Hayden Tract

Ari L. NoonanOP-ED

     The murder of a partying teenager last Sunday morning in the Culver City-adjacent Hayden Tract has spurred anxious city officials to prepare to meet with business owner Debbie Allen and the Tract’s largest property owner, Frederick Smith.
     One primary focus of the summit meetings, it was learned, will be the reported ongoing friction between Ms. Allen, owner of a prestigious dance studio bearing her name, and City Hall.

Clever Tactical Move by Vera

Ari L. NoonanOP-ED

     Following Monday night’s City Council meeting, the hardy Friends of Culver City Animals issued a good-news bulletin to pastry lovers:
     It is possible to have your cake and eat it, too. It is possible to lose a decision to the City Council and still score a triumph in the same evening, without ever budging.

George Laase: Who or What Deems a Story Newsworthy?

George LaaseOP-ED

     In an apparent attempt to appease the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce, the other two community newspapers in Culver City decided not to cover the shooting across from the Post Office in Culver City last month. 
     Fortunately, The Front Page is not intent on letting money get in the way of the ethical standards of reporting news.

Contreras: I Was the Icon of a Latino Gang

Mario ContrerasOP-ED

     Repentance is more than saying you are sorry. It is radically turning away from old and harmful ways.
     The Jewish principle of t¹shuvah, redeeming one¹s self, directs a person to turn away from wrong and to do good. 
     A few years ago, I used this concept of t¹shuvah to write a children¹s book called The Dream Neighborhood, imploring youths of my community to stay away from their local gangs.

Fulwood’s Future Becomes Clearer

Ari L. NoonanOP-ED

     Look for Jerry Fulwood – the most interesting, the most closely watched and probably the most valuable employee of the city – to return as the chief executive of City Hall. 
     Lauded by a citywide gallery of supporters for being sleekly professional, productive, gentlemanly and admirably disciplined, Mr. Fulwood nevertheless has not been able to relax. Regularly, he finds himself warding off a small coterie of critics as if they were an encircling covey of gnats. His critics disagree with the way he breathes.

A Museum of Black History in Culver City

Ari L. NoonanOP-ED

      Avery Clayton, a mature black artist with no previous links to Culver City, will forge ethnic history here later this year for reasons that should stoke the pride of residents. 
     It is ironic that in one of the last Westside cities to fully integrate, Mr. Clayton will unveil the "largest and most academically substantial African American history collection in the western United States." 

Gross: New Chief by Mid-March?

Ari L. NoonanOP-ED

Montanio Candor Is Questioned 

     Faced with finding a police chief who will surmount the shadow of a legend better than John Montanio did, City Councilwoman Carol Gross said she hopes a new chief will be selected by mid-March. Declining to assess the brief tenure of Mr. Montanio or speculate very closely about the kind of successor desired, Ms. Gross restricted her comments.
     "I am looking for someone with leadership ability and who plays well with others," she told The Front Page on Thursday, Dec. 29. 

George Laase: Why an Independent Voice Was Needed

George LaaseOP-ED

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Sparked by a public dispute over healthcare benefits, this is the second in a series analyzing the politics surrounding recent School Board elections.) 

     In September of ’03, the thinking of the School Board about healthcare benefits went from legal to definitely knowing that some coverages were illegal.
     Yet there was no public revisiting of the expenditure, no public debate, no vote on continuing this expenditure by the School District, as mandated by law.

Green Dry Cleaners Opens At Playa Vista

Ari L. NoonanOP-ED

     Expanding from its sprawling original location on Santa Monica Boulevard, environmentally friendly Hollyway Cleaners has opened a second store on the grounds of Playa Vista.