One part of California’s efforts to reduce its housing crisis is going to take a little longer. The landmark 2021 housing law Senate Bill 9 hit a road bump in court. Simply put, Senate Bill 9 allows owners of single-family-zoned lots to subdivide their lots and build two homes per lot. As explained by editorial board member Steven Greenhut in 2021, “This is a decidedly market solution. Free markets mean that individual investors decide what to build, not government planning officials. By reducing excessive restrictions, the profit motive will encourage people to build more housing.” The aim of ..read more

As “free Palestine” protests spread across campuses – complete with 1960s-style sit-ins and takeovers of classrooms and quads – university officials throughout the country have struggled to handle the disruptive mess. Risk averse administrators have been loath to use a firm hand, even when protesters have intimidated Jewish students and created a hostile campus atmosphere. It’s not hard to imagine a quicker response had, say, white students targeted minority students because of their ethnicity or religion. But elite campuses – steeped in the ideology of oppression – are unprepar ..read more

Hello, dear readers. I am back after taking a brief sabbatical from my column, a first in 22 years. Several weeks ago, my column featured five areas that highlighted the subject of aging as reflected in digital and print media, podcasts, webinars, research reports and more.   Here are five more areas that indicate the pervasiveness and relevance of the subject. It’s a bird’s eye overview from just one person’s perspective and is not based on formal analytics.  Public policy: One example is the Congressional bill entitled Protecting Older Workers Against Age Discrimination Act (P ..read more

“Is activism dead?” Juxtapose that question about student advocacy with the large demonstrations and tent encampments that have taken over college campuses across the country in recent weeks, and it seems the answer is a resounding no. Encampments — where students have erected tents, tailgating canopies and makeshift barricades — have seemingly exploded on college campuses across the nation in recent weeks. Students are protesting, calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war and an end to universities’ financial ties with certain Israeli companies. Many have been peaceful — at Chapman Universit ..read more

A pro-Palestinian encampment in the middle of USC’s main campus was cleared this morning by officers with the Los Angeles Police Department and USC’s Department of Public Safety, ending a high-profile demonstration that began in April. No arrests or major confrontations were reported, but the campus remains closed. “Earlier today, the University of Southern California Department of Public Safety (DPS) successfully removed the illegal encampment rebuilt on the university’s campus,” Joel Curran, USC’s senior vice president of communications said in an early Sunday morning statement. “It was nece ..read more

Nearly universally loathed: An income-based fixed service charge on electric bills. It could have exceeded $100 a month for the wealthiest folks, according to early proposals, but “progressive” apparently only goes so far, even here in California. Electric transmission lines in Chino in January. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Once lawmakers realized they had approved this provision — a handful of paragraphs stuck into a long, last-minute trailer bill in 2022 — howls of rage erupted from Democrats, Republicans, and an irate public-at-large. Lawmakers backed away in ne ..read more

On Sept. 8, 1930, a cute, redheaded baby girl was born at Long Beach’s former Seaside Hospital. Her parents, Flossie and Clarence Lewis, were so happy, they named her Beverly Joy, never imagining that she would one day become one of the most beloved figures in city history, known by everyone as Beverly Joy O’Neill, former longtime mayor and president of Long Beach City College. Beverly was honored last month at the Long Beach Day Nursery’s annual Tea for Tots event at Keesal, Young and Logan. She received an inaugural community award from the Long Beach Day Nursery. “She was the best candidate ..read more

Frank is discovering how to be a leader at 16 through the Press-Telegram’s Send-a-Kid-to-Camp program. He went to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach’s Teen Leadership Camp at Camp Oakes, in the San Bernardino Mountains, last year. “It was unforgettable!” he told B&G counselors. “Talking with friends around the campfire made us feel like a real team.” What about challenges, such as climbing high walls and zip lining at 8,000 feet? “They were fantastic,” he said. “Those challenges taught me so much about guts, working together and never giving up.” Frank is looking forward to an even b ..read more

In its 17th year, a Multi-Piano Extravaganza was performed by the CSULB Bob Cole Conservatory of Music on April 13. This program features both undergraduate and graduate young pianists. It offers community support, holding special events and fundraising efforts for numerous nonprofits in the Long Beach area. The musicians under the direction of Shun-Lin Chou, director of keyboard studies, included: Yitong Ding, Grace Hong, Robin Huang, Yanjun Liu, John Lonergan, Yinlin Ma, Clara Nguyen, Theodore Thai and Derik Soltanian. Numerous times in the last 10 or more years, the Seal Beach home of Lyn a ..read more

When is an estate plan not a plan? When is an estate plan worse than no plan at all? I wish this was the opening to a fun riddle, but sadly, when estate plans (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives) are unclear or out of date, it’s never funny, and can often be disastrous. Said vs. meant to say More often than I’d like to see, someone has gone to the trouble of having their estate plan created, but they sign the documents without understanding its terms. Sometimes, misunderstandings result because assets or circumstances changed, but the plan was not updated. Sometimes what ..read more