Tuesday, February 16, 1999
Thumbs Up Thumbs Down
Wintery weather won’t freeze funds
Thumbs up to Ventura county officials, particularly Supervisor
John Flynn, who are pursuing federal aid for fieldworkers who lost
their jobs after the mid-December freeze.
Despite arguments from county emergency officials who suggested
that the farmworkers’ job losses were not severe enough to warrant
federal aid, Flynn is urging officials to conduct a more thorough
study of the effects the freeze had on the county’s 20,000
farmworkers.
Last month, the national government declared Ventura and 17
other counties federal disaster areas. Farmers were granted
low-interest loans; farmworkers should be given the appropriate,
equivalent aid.
When a natural disaster strikes, field laborers, who must
contend with the drawbacks of seasonal employment, deserve and need
protection in the form of aid from the federal government.
Girls’ sports gets needed attention
Thumbs up to Los Angeles Councilman Mike Feuer, for forwarding a
plan that hopes to increase girls’ participation in city sports
programs.
The plan specifics include efforts to recruit mothers as
coaches, provide sports clinics for girls, and ask female athletes
to volunteer as mentors. Such measures hope to further measures
adopted last month by the City Council, which surfaced amid an
ongoing federal lawsuit against the city by the West Valley Girls
Softball League, alleging inequality between sports programs for
boys and girls.
Anything that works to increase female participation in sports
is outstanding – girls generally receive little funding and support
when it comes to athletics. Athletic involvement plays an important
role in children’s lives. It builds both athletic skill and agility
as well as confidence, teamwork and social skills. It’s about time
the importance of promoting girls’ athletics is recognized.
Beards don’t limit police efficiency
Thumbs down to a Los Angeles Police Department regulation, which
prohibits uniformed officers from wearing beards. The restriction
has surfaced because of a civil rights lawsuit filed against the
city by Lt. Kevin H. Williams.
Even though Williams is allowed to wear a beard, due to a
medical condition that causes chronic skin irritation when Williams
shaves, he alleges that officers have retaliated against him and
blocked his promotion to captain.
Having a beard does not limit physical abilities. The
military-like regulation prohibiting beards is unnecessary and even
hinders the religious practices of some groups. Others have medical
conditions which are exacerbated by shaving, evidenced by the
Williams account.
Disneyland employs full-time police
Thumbs up to Disneyland officials for beginning to station
police officers full time in the theme park.
The measure comes soon after a Dec. 24 accident that killed one
man and seriously injured his wife and a Disneyland employee.
Evidence from the accident was cleaned up by park employees before
Anaheim police arrived.
The measure will require that a uniformed police officer, paid
for by the park, be stationed during peak hours. It also guarantees
that all serious injuries be reported to the police. In the future,
the park will refrain from cleaning up the sites of serious
accidents until police give their approval.
The continuous flood of Disneyland visitors warrants such
measures. Considering the enormous number of people who visit
Disneyland, it is frightening to think that there has not been
police officers stationed there daily until now.
Thumbs up/Thumbs down is determined by the majority opinion of
the Daily Bruin Editorial Board. Send comments and/or suggestions
to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.
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