Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, June 24, 2017

MVNews this week:  Page B:1

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2017

SECTION B


AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY

REP. SCHIFF REINTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO 
REFORM RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAMS 
NATIONWIDE SCARPTA INCLUDES STRONG ANTI-
DISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS FOR LBGT YOUTH 
AND YOUTH WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

WINDING DOWN AT THE GREAT RACE PLACE

By Joan Schmidt

 All good things come to an end and the current Meet 
at Santa Anita Park ends on July 4th. However there is 
still plenty of time to go there and enjoy some fun events 
in addition to great Thoroughbred Racing.

 The current contest for “Jockey with the MOST 
Wins” is REALLY heating up! Right now there are four 
running neck-and-neck! Flavien Pratt who hails from 
France has 34; Peruvian Rafael Bejarano, 31; Louisiana’s 
“Smokin Joe Talamo”, whose Grandfather was from 
Sicily and Cajun on Mom’s side, 30 wins; and Apprentice 
Evin Roman, from Puerto Rico has 28! I think Evin’s got 
a shot at the Eclipse Award in the “Apprentice Category.” 
Good luck to all these fine men!

 Upcoming events: First, they canceled the last three 
Thursdays of the Meet. However Friday has FREE 
PARKING and FREE GENERAL ADMISSION. 
Weekdays are relaxing to me, not real crowded and 
the kids even get a chance to pet the outriders’ horses 
in addition to watching great races!

 Friday, June 30-Sunday, July 2 will feature the 6th 
annual 626 Night Market. This is a MUST-DO if 
you haven’t done it already. It’s the LARGEST Asian-
themed night market in the United States. The growing 
entertainment tradition features merchandise vendors, 
games, food offerings galore, music and more! There’s 
something for ALL AGES at the 626 Night Market. For 
more information, visit www.626nightmarket.com. 

 On Saturday and Sunday, July 1st and 2nd, there will 
be the Family Fun Zone on the Infield. First Post is 1pm.

 On Sunday, July 2nd, a special family event: Bombclub 
So Cal Car Show, 10am-5pm. FREE PARKING and 
ADMISSION. Enter Gate 6 off Colorado Place.

 Over the weekend, Clockers Corner is a great place 
for breakfast. In addition, James Corral, a retired 
jockey is usually there and has a table set up with his 
great creations: unique key chains, pens, signs, wall 
plaques andmore. His awesome creations can be seen 
on the walls of many barns at Santa Anita, Del Mar, and 
Breeding Farms.

 Monday, July 3rd, and Tuesday July 4th will offer 
Dollar Beers, Hot Dogs and Sodas, in addition to Great 
racing.

 Lastly, one of my favorite things to do in the AM is 
stop by Clockers Corner for a free coffee and just watch 
workouts. Last time I stopped by, Gary Stevens, Brice 
Blanc, Kyle Frey, Modesto Linares, Ruben Fuentes and 
Mario Gutierrez were there. Several owners and trainers 
also are there and jockeys’ agents diligently working to 
book races. It’s a very interesting experience.

 Hope to see at 626 Night Market, Bombclub So Cal 
Car Show, Clockers Corners or just enjoying great 
Thoroughbred Racing.

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff 
(D-CA) reintroduced the Stop Child Abuse 
in Residential Programs for Teens Act 
(SCARPTA), a bill to hold residential treatment 
programs accountable to a set of minimum 
health and safety standards, including strong 
anti-discrimination protections for LBGT 
youth and youth with mental illness. The bill 
will also crack down on offenders who attempt 
to move abusive facilities across state lines by 
requiring all states to improve their licensing 
and oversight processes, and help families weed 
out bad programs by requiring they publicly 
disclose their licensing status and any history of 
violations.

 “There are hundreds of good residential 
treatment programs that provide services which 
can truly help youth recover and transition 
from serious behavioral problems or traumatic 
experiences,” Rep. Schiff said. “But without 
stronger federal regulation and oversight, 
programs that engage in abusive practices will 
continue to slip through the cracks, leaving behind 
traumatized and abused children and families.”

 Residential treatment programs have existed 
for several decades as a last resort treatment 
option for children with serious mental health 
issues. Families opt for these programs when in 
need of more assistance than traditional 
inpatient mental health services or intermediate 
therapy programs can provide. Many residential 
treatment programs have successfully helped 
children and adolescents with severe behavioral 
problems, drug and alcohol addiction, and 
rehabilitation from a traumatic experience. 

 But in 2008, the U.S. Government 
Accountability Office (GAO) documented 
over 1,300 reports of maltreatment by staff at 
programs spanning across 34 states, including 
substantiated accounts of starvation, excessive 
use of physical restraints and isolation, severe 
verbal abuse and intimidation, and neglectful 
medical practices. The GAO made clear that 
the lack of federal oversight and patchwork of 
state regulations has failed to properly license 
and monitor residential facilities which put an 
already vulnerable population of children at 
higher risk for abuse, and even death.

 “Abusive facilities that operate under the 
guise of providing real therapy have no place in 
our society and families who turn to residential 
programs for help, often as a last resort, deserve 
to know that their children are safe and in the 
care of professionals,” Rep. Schiff said.

 SCARPTA is based on a bill championed by 
Rep. George Miller (D-CA) before his retirement. 
Miller’s bill passed the House twice but was not 
signed into law. Schiff’s legislation would:

• Prohibit all programs from withholding food, 
water or shelter from a child, putting a child in 
seclusion, and all other forms of physical and 
mental abuse
• Require licensed medical staff on hand at 
all times in case of an emergency and require 
all staff members to be properly trained in 
recognizing and responding to signs of child 
abuse and neglect, and mental health crises
• Allow youth to stay in contact with their 
parents so that they know their children are safe, 
and provide uninhibited access to a child abuse 
reporting hotline
• Publicly disclose any past record of child 
abuse and their state licensing status so families 
can make informed decisions about where to 
send their children
• Prohibit programs from using anything 
other than safe and evidence-based treatment 
-- meaning that any form of junk science such 
as conversion therapy or electric shock would be 
banned in these programs


 SCARPTA is backed by a large coalition 
of child-serving, mental health and disability 
rights, and LGBT-rights organizations.

 “It is long past time for the federal 
government to follow California’s lead and 
finally regulate the for-profit, ‘Troubled Teen’ 
industry,” said Lorri L. Jean, CEO of the Los 
Angeles LGBT Center. “Many of these facilities 
and camps commit horrible physical, mental 
and sexual abuses under the guise of disproven 
and harmful conversion therapy for LGBT 
youth. Sometimes these ‘therapies’ even result 
in death. No purported religious affiliation -- 
often claimed by these camps -- excuses such 
atrocities. We commend Representative Schiff 
for his continued efforts to protect all young 
people including some of the most marginalized 
youth in our country.”

Evin Roman


Flavien Pratt

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