LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Stick to the Facade, Rick Caruso

Hearing that Rick Caruso has entered the Los Angeles Mayoral Race finally culminates his inevitable quest for power in the blueprint steps of failed second term billionaire Donald Trump, a similar real estate developer who Rick Caruso’s #HotDebateGuy son sat front row in 2016 to normalize the candidacy of a then long shot Donald Trump to the presidency. Now, Caruso wants to change party affiliations and become a Democrat (for political strategy only, clearly) to bring “trickle down economics” and 1% infused agendas to Los Angeles. America’s rocket launch downwards to the depths of depravity has now found its way to California, by normalizing yet another billionaire who wants to secure power by taking advantage of an uncertain time in California’s future. I can hear him saying “I alone can fix it” any day now …

California doesn’t need a billionaire to solve the problems it has here. Billionaires are the PROBLEM in California, hoarding the wealth, not paying their fair share of taxes and manipulating the tax code to their advantage. The homeless crisis is caused by the state catering to the billionaires, and not the middle class … who have to go 40 miles inland away from LA now or move out of state to even survive.

California needs a mayor that will fight for public schools and the middle class in Los Angeles, and make sure REAL American history continues to be taught in California schools. Los Angeles doesn’t need a man who sent his kids to private school when Pali is rated as one of the top public schools in the nation, and who will try to “Betsy DeVos” our shining light on the hill charter schools.

With Roe V Wade threatened at the highest judicial level, Los Angeles needs to protect Planned Parenthood, which many of my fellow students at Palisades High in the 2000’s used to go to so they could protect their right to choose. They don’t need a man who will choose his Catholic values over Freedom of Religion in the Constitution. After all, Rick Caruso has supported candidates in the past who are anti-abortion.

California needs someone who will fight for change in California’s corrupt college admissions system that benefit the rich, and puts unnecessary pressure on Los Angeles kids to cheat and lie to get into college. They don’t need a billionaire like Caruso … who LITERALLY had Olivia Jade on his yacht when the college admissions scandal came out … when he was supposed to be the “chair of the board of trustees” for the USC College Admissions. Literally.

I grew up in Pacific Palisades when it was the city the “Beach Boys” sang about in “Surfin’ USA.” When it oozed California Dreamin’ and community; when it was middle class. If the Palisades rightfully feared Bonin choosing donors and corporate interests over the people, what makes one think that billionaire Rick Caruso won’t use his office to expand his corporate, political and business power in Los Angeles? I want Los Angeles to be run with integrity, values and a man of the People for the People. A man with a giant “Bezos” style yacht, playing “Full House” with his other wealthy friends and influencers, will never choose the People over project deals. His run for mayor is as phony as his second story facades in the Village.

Gavin Lee Jones

In Response to ‘Pali High Families Express Opposition to Vaccine and Mask Mandates’

I was shocked and dismayed to read the article in this week’s Palisadian-Post by Magnolia Lafleur entitled “Pali High Families Express Opposition to Vaccine and Mask Mandates,” to which the Post dedicated nearly an entire page of print. It was misleading, poorly researched and completely one-sided. Quite frankly, it belonged in the opinion section, if anywhere at all. The public school vaccine requirements that were put in place on the state and local level, do not go into effect until the fall for the most part. Nowhere is that mentioned in the article. Sure, there is a very small yet vocal group of parents at the school who do not want their teenagers vaccinated. However, reading the article, one would never know that, in fact, the vast majority of Pali High families support vaccine mandates for high schoolers, and believe it is the safe and right thing to do.

Had Ms. Lafleur actually taken the time to attend one of the many Pali High Board of Trustees meetings that were held in the fall and winter where the topic came up (or simply read the minutes online from those meetings), she would have observed that numerous parents stood up and spoke in favor of the mandate, as well as sent in comments to that effect. Ms. Lafleur would also have observed that anti-vaccine attendees yelled at Board members, spewed false information and conspiracy theories, made offensive analogies to the Nazi era and disrupted other speakers. Some refused to wear masks and had to be admonished on several occasions to put their masks back on and be respectful of others. In contrast, the high school students who attended the meetings spoke in support of the mandates, and did so thoughtfully and with such eloquence and grace, they put those adults to shame.

Finally, I found it disturbing that the Post would choose to print an article about Covid-19 that devotes multiple paragraphs to the Nuremberg Code (which pertains to ethics in medical experimentation), without any acknowledgment that there has been lots of misinformation linking Covid-19 vaccination, with the code. It doesn’t take more than a perfunctory search of the internet to determine this to be the case. The code relates to medical research, and therefore claims that vaccine mandates violate it are inaccurate, not to mention misleading. The introduction of a vaccine mandate is not medical research but instead is a public health intervention. Nevertheless, no one is being forced to be vaccinated against their will or without informed consent. Just as with all the other vaccines required to enroll in school, any family who does not wish to have their high schooler vaccinated, would not be required to do so. They would be free to enroll their student in Pali High’s established, on-line program, attend another school or home school. Furthermore, exemptions would be provided for those who cannot receive the vaccine for medical reasons.

Danielle Samulon

The Palisadian-Post accepts letters to the editor via email at mypost@palipost.com or mail/hand-delivered at 881 Alma Real Drive, Suite 213, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. To be considered for publication, letters must be signed, and are subject to editing for length and clarity. Opinions expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the views of opinions of the Palisadian-Post.