Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 28, 2015

5

AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 28, 2015 

KAISER PERMANENTE TEAMS UP WITH 
CONGRESSWOMAN JUDY CHU
TO MARK CONCLUSION OF DOMESTIC 
VIOLENCEAWARENESS 

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU:

2015 Domestic Violence Victims Clothing Drive

By Joan Schmidt

 There are so many things I am thankful 
for. This year I am especially thankful for the 
Congresswomen Judy Chu and Grace Napolitano 
12th Annual Domestic Violence Awareness and 
Clothing Drive Campaign. Joining them in this 
great effort were Kaiser Permanente and Verizon 
Wireless. At the Culminating Press Conference, the 
phenomenal results were revealed. Last year I was 
blown away that 270 (30 gal.) bags were collected! 
But this year a whopping 454! Organizations 
include Baldwin Park Kaiser Permanente (250 
bags), Arcadia’s Woman’s Club (44), Arcadia 
Community Center (21), Sierra Madre Women’s 
Club(20), South Pasadena Women’s Club (18), 
Garvey Community Center (17), Asian Youth 
Center (16), Congresswoman Ch’s Pasadena Office 
(14), Altadena Community Center (12), Altadena 
Senior Center (12), Joslyn Recreation Center (8), 
Glendora Chamber of Commerce (6), American 
Arts Research Institute-Philip Yang (4), Alhambra 
City Hall (3), Covina Woman’s Club (3), Monterey 
Park City Hall (3), Gingi Skincare-Ginger Lai (2), 
Congresswoman Judy Chu’s Claremont Office (1).

 Congresswoman Chu began this drive twelve 
years ago because she saw firsthand a victim of 
Domestic Violence-her friend, an educator with 
an abusive husband. The final straw was her 
friend’s abusive husband getting HALF of the 
victim’s retirement pay. Hence Chu’s Assembly Bill 
2018-protecting victims from being forced to share 
financial assets with abusive husbands and AB 
1288 which prevents perpetrators of abuse from 
purchasing firearms. If they do so, victims are 
alerted.

 Kaiser Permanente and Verizon Wireless 
have been on board all these years to assist the 
Congresswoman. At this year’s kick-off for 
the Domestic Violence Awareness Campaign 
and Clothing Drive, Ken Muche from Verizon 
attended. He spoke of their role and the awarding 
of $29 million in grants! Dr. Victor Cheng, MD, 
Physician in Charge has been involved since the 
campaign’s inception. He has treated domestic 
violence victims and they are both men and female 
and even children.

 The four recipients of the collected items include 
Elizabeth House (Its mission is to provide shelter, 
hope and support to homeless pregnant women and 
their children as they address physical, emotional, 
spiritual and economic needs in a nurturing 
atmosphere, Grace Services at Five Acres (Their 
mission believes “families stay together when 
they are provided with essential prevention and 
intervention resources for success”, Project Sister 
Family Services (The foremost agency dedicated 
“to providing services to the women, children and 
men survivors of sexual assault and abuse and their 
families in the East San Gabriel Valley and Inland 
Valleys in Southern California- a region with a 
population of over 2.3 million” )and Shepherd’s 
Door (Their mission is to break the cycle of 
domestic violence through relationship, education, 
youth violence prevention awareness, financial 
empowerment and direct rescue intervention).

 Maggie Pierce. Senior Vice President, Area 
Manager Kaiser Permanents welcomed us and 
spoke of the importance of the program and 
how Kaiser has been involved all these years. She 
thanked Congresswoman Chu for spearheading 
the project and Congresswoman Napolitano 
for coming aboard. With the congressional 
redistricting a few years ago, Congresswoman Chu 
realized the ENTIRE San Gabriel Valley could 
be covered and so she asked Congresswoman 
Napolitano to join the effort.

 It was a great culmination meeting. Although 
Congresswoman Napolitano was called out of state, 
her articulate District Director Perla Hernandez 
Trumkel spoke of the importance of this program 
and how grateful Napolitano was to join Chu’s 
efforts.

 A highlight was the “Day of Pampering” and Chu 
explained how twenty-four victims were treated 
to manicures, pedicures, facials, haircuts and 
styling thanks to the Baldwin Park Adult School 
Cosmetology Department. Also the Baldwin Park 
School District provided a delicious luncheon.

 In addition to the collection bags, Kaiser 
Permanente donated $1000 checks to the San 
Gabriel Valley Center, House of Ruth, Asian Pacific 
Women’s Center and the YWCA Wings. Thank 
you to all involved in this great effort-collecting all 
the items, sorting them and distributing them.

Collection Drive Event will Feature Testimony 

from AbuseSurvivor, Results of Collection Drive


Baldwin Park, CA – Kaiser PermanenteBaldwin 
Park along with CongresswomanJudy Chu 
(CA-27) will announce theresults of a month-
long collection driveto benefit survivors of 
domesticviolence on Friday, Nov. 13 at Kaiser 
Permanente’sBaldwin Park MedicalCenter. The 
drive was also supported by CongresswomanGrace 
Napolitano(CA-32) who unfortunately, is unable 
to attend the event.

 The collection drive, which coincided 
withDomestic Violence Awareness Monthin 
October, has yielded dozens of bagsfull of 
women’s and children’sclothing and other 
items that will bedistributed to abuse survivors 
atshelters throughout the San Gabriel Valley.
The Nov. 13 wrap-up event willinclude remarks 
by Congresswoman Chu, KaiserPermanente, 
and will also featuretestimony from a domestic 
violence survivor

. Representatives from local domestic 
violenceshelters will be availablefor media 
interviews.


AQMD TO ISSUE NOTICE OF VIOLATION TO 
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS COMPANY

LOS ANGELES COUNTY – In response to 
a natural gas leak affecting residents in the 
Porter Ranch area, Mayor Antonovich, who is 
a Board Member of the South Coast Air Quality 
Management District (AQMD), said the AQMD 
will issue a notice of violation to the Southern 
California Gas Company for causing a public 
nuisance. 

 “The gas leak is having a significant impact 
on the health and quality of life of Porter Ranch 
residents,” said Mayor Antonovich.

 This notice follows a directive issued on 
November 20, 2015 by the County Department 
of Public Health to expedite repair of the natural 
gas leak and to provide temporary relocation of 
affected residents. 

 The Los Angeles County Departments of Public 
Health, Fire, Public Works, and Regional Planning 
will appear before the Board of Supervisors on 
Tuesday, November 24 to report on the ongoing 
gas leak. Mayor Antonovich will also ask a 
representative from AQMD to report on the matter. 


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