Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, January 4, 2020

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 4, 2020 


CHAIRMAN SCHIFF STATEMENT ON U.S. STRIKE KILLING 
IRANIAN GENERAL SOLEIMANI

 

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, 
released the following statement:

 

“Today, I was briefed on the intelligence that led to President Trump’s decision to kill Iran’s General Qasem Soleimani. Although I 
cannot discuss any of the specifics of that briefing, I have several concerns about the increasing prospect of war with Iran.

 

“There is no question that Soleimani played a leadership role in Iran’s malign and deadly activity throughout the region for decades. 
At the same time, his targeted killing and the U.S. airstrikes that killed Iran-aligned Iraqi militia members have sharply escalated 
tensions with, and are likely to prompt a response from, Iran. We have been on this path of escalation since the unilateral U.S. 
withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the Administration’s imposition of sanctions under the max-imum pressure campaign, 
followed by Iranian led attacks on U.S. military facilities in Iraq, on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, on oil infrastructure in Saudi 
Arabia, and other malevolent Iranian action.

 

“If the Administration had some broad strategic objective in mind or was acting in concert with our allies and making progress 
towards modifying Iran’s belligerent behavior, Americans could have confidence that this latest U.S. strike would make us safer. 
But if there is some broad strategy at work, the Administration has yet to articulate it. More ominously, it has yet to show that 
‘maximum pressure’ is doing anything but prompting more dangerous and deadly responses from Iran and in-creasing the likelihood 
of full-fledged war.

 

“The Administration owes Congress and the American people answers.

 

“Why was the decision to kill Soleimani made now, when prior Administrations of both parties considered the risk of escalation 
to outweigh the benefits? What is the broader strategic plan, and why hasn’t the Administration been able to persuade our allies of 
its merits? How does the Administration intend to deescalate and avoid a destructive conflict with Iran that is not in our interests? 
Will the Admin-istration commit to coming to Congress to seek authorization before taking any fur-ther military action, which is 
likely to lead us into war?

 

“The full Congress must be immediately briefed by the Administration on these questions and on any next steps under consideration.”

DECEMBER MAD TOWN COUNCIL 
MEETING:

SPECIAL RECOGNITION: CPT. FLORES, 
TEMPLE STATION AND LINDA SELLS;

AND THANK YOU, DEPUTY APRIL 
NELSEN!

By Joan Schmidt

 The Monrovia Arcadia Duarte Town Council 
held a special meeting on December 18 to recognize 
Captain Dave Flores, Commander of Temple 
Station and its staff for their outstanding hard work 
and commitment to reduce crime. Of ALL the LA 
County Sheriff’s stations, Temple Station was at the 
TOP- it had a whopping 21.1% drop in crime from 
September 2018-October 2019!

 There also was a Certificate of Recognition 
for Town Council Member Linda Sells, who was 
one of Senator Anthony Portantino’s Small Business 
Women of the Year. (Also honored by Senator Protantino in this 
category was Keesha Bowen, Simply Divine, from the City of 
Monrovia. The City recognized both Linda and Keesha at their 
City Meeting the previous evening. Keesha also received that 
honor from Assemblyman Holden!)

 Prior to the Meeting, Hector Elizalde from 
Congresswoman Napolitano’s office came and gave us a 
Certificate to present to Linda. The Congresswoman had prior 
commitments, but wanted us to congratulate Linda on her 
behalf! Thank you Congresswoman Napolitano and Hector!

 Attending were Carla Boggs, who presented Certificates 
of behalf of Senator Susan Rubio. Carla spoke so well, and the 
Town council is so grateful to Senator Rubio.

 LASD Commander Coronne Jacob came and spoke of 
Captain Flores…a long struggle of hard work and leadership 
to achieve this reduction in crime. From the City of Duarte 
Council Members were John Fasana and Toney Lewis. John’s an 
old friend to the Town Council since we first began in 1993. 
Duarte Library’s Joanna Gee and Live Oak Library’s Denise 
Dilley always attend.

 After the Recognitions, Deputy April Nelsen, who’s 
been our Deputy for TWELVE YEARS was called up and given 
a Certificate of Appreciation. She not only attends EVERY 
meeting with crime stats and suggestions on crime prevention, 
but looks into other issues and contacts other departments. 
April was give a standing ovation. Residents LOVE her! 

 The evening ended with refreshments and a social. It 
was wonderful.

REMINDERS: 

Town Council Meeting, Jan.15, 7pm, 
All Nations Church, 1948 Peck Rd, Monrovia 


FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett

 DON’T LET DIMINISHED FINANCIAL CAPACITY PUT 
YOUR ELDERLY LOVED ONES AT RISK—PART 2

In the first part of this series, we discussed the early warning signs of 
diminished financial capacity in the elderly. Here, we’ll discuss planning 
strategies that can protect your loved ones from incapacity of all kinds. 

With more and more Baby Boomers reaching retirement age each 
year, our country is undergoing an unprecedented demographic 
transformation that’s sure to challenge our society in many ways. There’s 
been lots of talk about whether Baby Boomers will have enough savings 
for retirement and the strains the generation will put on Social Security 
and Medicare. 
But there’s another issue that’s getting far less attention—the coinciding 
increase in the prevalence of dementia.
Along with swelling senior population, the nation is expected to see a 
corresponding rise in those suffering from age-related dementia—cases 
of Alzheimer’s alone are expected to double by 2050. While the cognitive 
decline from dementia affects nearly every mental function, many people 
aren’t aware that one of the first abilities to go is one’s “financial capacity.”
Financial capacity refers to the ability to manage money and make wise 
financial decisions. A decline in financial capacity not only makes seniors 
more likely to mismanage their money, but it also makes them easy targets 
for financial exploitation, fraud, and abuse.

Last week, we listed six warning signs of a decline in financial capacity. 
Here we’ll discuss estate planning strategies that can help protect your 
elderly loved ones and their assets from the debilitating effects of 
dementia and other forms of incapacity. 

Reducing the risks 
Taking steps to reduce the risks of diminished financial capacity is 
vital, but stepping in to help manage an aging parent’s money without 
threatening their sense of independence and privacy can be a real 
challenge. Even if they’re aware of their own impairment, many are 
reluctant to ask for help, and some may even deny there’s a problem. 

Ideally, you should address the potential for dementia and other forms 
of incapacity with your senior family members well before any signs 
of cognitive decline appear. Waiting until they start showing signs of 
dementia will only exacerbate the complications and could even invalidate 
planning efforts. 
Start by having a heart-to-heart conversation with your loved ones 
about the risks involved with incapacity, and how estate planning can 
help protect them. Approach the subject with care and compassion. 
Reassure them that your goal is to make certain they retain as much 
control over their lives as possible—and talking about the issue early on is 
the best way to do that.

For example, you should let your aging parents know that if they become 
incapacitated without proper planning, you’ll have to go to court and 
petition to become their legal guardian. This process is not only quite 
costly and emotionally taxing, but there’s a possibility that the court could 
appoint a professional guardian, rather than a loved one such as yourself.
A court-appointed guardianship would mean that a total stranger would 
control all of their affairs—financial and otherwise—which is something 
they likely wouldn’t want. Professional guardianships also open the 
door for potential exploitation and abuse by unscrupulous guardians, 
which is something that’s on the rise given the sharp uptick in the senior 
population.


However, unless you have the legal authority to make your parents’ 
financial decisions, your ability to manage their money will be seriously 
limited. You might be able to work together with them for a while without 
such authority, but at some point, their cognitive impairment will likely 
reach a stage where you’ll need to assume full control—and that’s where 
estate planning comes in. 


Put a plan in place

The best option would be for your aging loved ones to put in place a 
comprehensive plan for incapacity as soon as possible. This way, they can 
choose exactly who they want making their financial, medical, and legal 
decisions for them if and when they’re no longer able to do on their own. 
There are a number of planning tools that can be used in an incapacity 
plan, but a will alone is sufficient. A will only goes into effect upon death, 
so it would do nothing should your elderly parents become incapacitated 
by dementia. 
While a will is important in planning for death, your parents should also 
put in place planning tools specially designed for incapacity. One such 
tool is durable financial power of attorney. This document would give you 
(or another person of their choosing) the immediate authority to make 
decisions related to the management of their financial and legal affairs in 
the event of their incapacity. 
The downside of financial 
durable power of attorney is that 
it sometimes is not accepted 
by banks and other financial 
institutions, and you might still 
end up needing to go to court to 
get control of your parents’ affairs. 


A revocable living trust is a MUCH better estate planning tool to transfer 
control of your parents’ financial assets to you without court intervention 
should they become incapacitated. A revocable living trust, created while 
your parents have capacity, can plan for the transition of their assets to 
your care and control in a way that feels safe and secure to them. Bring 
your parents to meet with us for a Family Wealth Planning Session to 
learn more about how this would work. 
Yet having the legal authority to make your parents’ financial and legal 
decisions is just part of an overall incapacity plan. They’ll also need to put 
in place planning strategies designed to address their healthcare decisions 
and medical treatment like medical power of attorney and a living will. 
We can help your aging parents and other senior family members develop 
a comprehensive incapacity plan, customized with the specific planning 
vehicles to match their unique needs and life situation.

Don’t wait until it’s too late

While incapacity from dementia is most common in the elderly, 
debilitating injury and illness can strike at any point in life. For this 
reason, all adults age 18 and older should have an incapacity plan. 
Moreover, such planning must be addressed well before cognitive decline 
begins, as you must be able to clearly express your wishes and consent 
for the documents to be valid. Given this urgency, you should discuss 
incapacity planning with your aging parents right away.

Dedicated to empowering your family, building your wealth and defining 
your legacy,

A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett is on a mission 
to help parents protect what they love most. His office is located at 55 
Auburn Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Schedule an

appointment to sit down and talk about ensuring a legacy of love and 
financial security for your family by calling 626.355.4000 or visit www.
CaliLaw.com for more information.


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