Israeli activist speaks out for Mideast
peace
Israeli peace activist and iconoclast Yitzhak Frankenthal
brought his message of coexistence and reconciliation to UCLA
Tuesday with a presentation stressing the necessity for a peaceful
resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Frankenthal is the founder and leader of the Parents Circle, a
group of Israeli and Palestinian parents who have lost children in
the conflict. The organization’s members are united by a
common belief ““ that peace is the only way to save other
parents from experiencing similar tragedies.
During the presentation, Frankenthal spoke of his son, Arik, an
Israeli soldier who was killed in 1994 by terrorists from the
militant Palestinian group Hamas. At first, Frankenthal said, all
he could think about was getting revenge.
But he soon came to the realization that reconciliation with the
Palestinians was the only way to prevent such violence in the
future. “There is no other way,” Frankenthal said to
the audience of about 30 people.
The Parents Circle currently boasts a membership of 190 Israeli
families and 140 Palestinian families, and it seeks to influence
the public opinion among both peoples by launching media campaigns
and lecturing in high schools.
Most recently, the organization has protested against the
continuing discord in the region by setting up a peace tent in Tel
Aviv’s central Rabin Square and putting up mannequins to
represent each person who has been killed since the violence
reignited seven months ago.
Hahn wants to see full funding disclosure
Mayoral candidate James Hahn urged the City Ethics Commission on
Tuesday to require both major political parties to fully disclose
the source of campaign contributions used in last week’s
primary election.
“We can’t allow the political process here in Los
Angeles to be bought and paid for by secret contributions,”
Hahn, testified before the commission that administers campaign
finance laws. He is also the city attorney.
He criticized Proposition 34, the state campaign finance law
passed by voters in November, saying the measure has allowed a
total retreat from conducting a nonpartisan election in the
city.
Proposition 34 allows unlimited expenditures on behalf of a
candidate by political parties and other organizations that do not
have to disclose how much they are spending until after an
election.
Hahn, a Democrat who did not receive his party’s
endorsement, came in second with 25 percent of the vote last week.
Former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, who does have the
Democratic Party’s support, won 30 percent of the vote. The
two Democrats will face each other in a runoff June 5.
Residents may lower bills if they conserve
Los Angeles residents who reduce their electricity consumption
10 to 20 percent this summer would save money two ways, with a
lower bill and a lower energy rate, under a plan approved by the
Department of Water and Power on Tuesday.
The plan, which must still be approved by the city council,
would reduce the typical residential users’ monthly rates by
$4 if they use 10 percent less electricity than they did the year
before.
Businesses could also receive credits for conservation but those
rates would depend on the time of day electricity was saved.
City officials say such conservation will allow the DWP to sell
surplus electricity to the state for areas facing blackouts. If
approved, the conservation effort would last from June 1 to Sept.
30
Compiled from Daily Bruin wire reports.