Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, March 18, 2023

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Mountain Views News Saturday, March 18, 2023

Peter Dills Knows 


SCHIFF STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT BIDEN’S 
SUPPORT OF 

DEPOSIT ACT

 

Burbank, California – On Friday, Congressman Adam Schiff 
(D-Burbank) issued the following statement on President 
Biden’s support of Schiff’s Deliver Executive Profits on Seized 
Institutions to Taxpayers Act, which would hold executives 
of failed banks that receive federal assistance accountable for 
the mismanagement of the funds they were trusted with by 
allowing the Treasury Department to claw back bonuses and 
stock profits if the bank fails:

 

“The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank should serve as a jarring wakeup call on the need 
for urgent action to strengthen financial regulations and to put in place measures to 
protect depositors and workers when a bank does fail. This week, I introduced the DEPOSIT 
Act in the U.S. House to claw back at bank executives’ bonuses and stock profits 
so recouped funds can be used to pay workers and depositors.

 

“I am glad President Biden agrees that claw backs are a critical step in the federal government’s 
response to this banking crisis, and I urge the administration and my colleagues 
in Congress to swiftly ensure my legislation with Senator Blumenthal and Rep. 
Mike Levin becomes law.”

My dear ol’ departed father told me time and time again “Don’t 
argue sex, politics or religion, you’ll never win”. Well, Summer 
is here and we will be spending time BBQ’n with friends and 
family…. My politics are simple: I don’t share my views at social 
events, and I’m not going to change my 85-year-old uncle who 
swears by Fox News so bottom line keep your lip tight if you must 
ask questions learn and don’t react.

Here are a few more of my “get along this Summer” tips…

• Ask for help, but don’t expect it. Families are never fair. 
Work is never equally divided. That’s just the way it is. I am always 
prepared to do everything, but very happy not to. Wasting 
time being mad because one person tends to just sit around ruins 
the whole experience for everyone.

• Don’t try to be right about everything. Getting the family 
together can be a toxic experience when someone insists on being 
the winner in an argument or thinks he or she is right about 
everything….of course, I am right about everything, but that 
doesn’t mean I have to rub it in their faces.

• Try not to criticize. Nothing is more hurtful or hard to watch than someone criticizing 
someone else in front of others. Whether it’s your kids or your spouse or your sister, get togethers 
are a time to suspend critical thinking and just surrender to the getting together spirit. If 
you need to discipline a child, please take the child to a quiet corner or another room and speak 
respectfully.

• Enjoy yourself. If you are doing all the work, make sure you sit down and take breaks 
and talk to people…so what if the BBQ is a little late? I like to spend a little one-on-one time 
with each person present—to take the conversation at least a tiny step further than just “How 
are you?”

• Remember, we are all going to turn into our mothers/fathers one day. The very things 
that drive us crazy about our parents and relatives are probably hard wired into us, too. It’s just 
harder for us to see it in ourselves, since we are looking at the world from inside of ourselves. 

You probably have your own game plan, so if you have family survival tips of your own, feel 
free to share with me, and tune in this Sunday Night at 5 PM for my Foodie Talk Show AM 830 
KLAA - the Angels Radio Station

One last thing: please bring something to the BBQ. Even if the host says they have things covered, 
there never is enough ice or plates. Pro Tip: don’t bring an entrée unless asked - I learned 
the hard way on that one

Happy Summer!


JOE NORMAL GOES PUBLIC WITH PUBLIC 
WORKS By K. Warner for Mountain Views News

This album draws its inspiration from a working-class life in the Northeast. Whether you’re 
an east-coast import like Joe Normal or you’ve never left SoCal, if you’ve ever held down a 
nowhere job or had your heart broken you may very well recognize this home brew of humor, 
frustration and hope.

Just as his old stomping grounds of the Garden State is a hodgepodge of Americana known 
for its unlikely blend of cultures, people, and influences, Joe Normal’s sound is a satisfying 
juxtaposition of Glam and Folk Rock musical flavors, revealing an artist embracing the 
dichotomy of his own struggles and creative path. This is Glamericana; on-point musicianship 
complemented by an upbeat sentiment of gallows humor, hindsight, heart, and a pair 
of well-worn purple sneakers. 

Joe Normal pays homage to his hometown Elizabeth, New Jersey, a place known for its revolutions—
both American and industrial—and for its notorious struggles with environmental 
issues and crime. With approachable, slice-of-life songs like "Small Town Factory", "Living 
in The Borough" and "Bayway Refinery," Joe simultaneously reminisces on the beauty 
and bittersweet nostalgia of his intimate experience of Elizabethtown and condemns its 
harsh unpleasantness and reputation. 

Social commentary weaves its way into the mix as well. Topics such as workers’ rights, criminalization 
of the homeless community, and suicide prevention are touched on with humanity 
born from frank personal experience, while he offers listeners a delightfully humorous 
uplift on “Setbacks” and “Summer Jobs,” two relatable tales of working people’s misery and 
indomitable spirit. 

Emerging as a notable blue-collar singer-songwriter, rocker and storyteller, Joe Normal 
stands in comparison with contemporary working-class artist heroes Bruce Springsteen, 
Paul Westerberg, and Tom Petty. As a founding member of 90's Sunset Strip glam-pop legends 
The Zeros, Joe has much in common with his contemporaries Jesse Malin (D Generation), 
Gilby Clarke (Guns n Roses), Aaron Lee Tasjan (Semi Precious Weapons), and Ginger 
Wildheart (Quireboys). Joe co-wrote the title track to Sammy Hagar’s “Not 4 Sale” LP, has 
appeared and performed alongside celebrity personalities including Howard Stern, Chef 
Bobby Flay, Eric Estrada, and Loni Anderson, and recorded with punk icon Stiv Bators and 
his Lords of The New Church.

No stranger to commanding audiences in large concert venues and amphitheaters, Joe is 
equally at home and at perhaps his most engaging while storytelling in intimate cabarets 
and theatres as a solo act with only an acoustic guitar and harmonica. 

Written, performed, and produced entirely by the artist, the album “Public Works” reveals 
a lyricist and musical talent with a singular vision and the kind of hard-won New Jersey 
work ethic represented in the finished result. And with a self-professed love for “yer’ regular 
everyday Jane and Joe”, Mr. Normal aims to be an up-lifter of the underdog and voice for 
the underserved. 

“Public Works” aims to serve the citizens who crave authentic American rock ‘n roll, relevant 
and representative stories, and most importantly, a melody that can carry you through 
another day hustling for the next dollar and dream.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com