Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, September 5, 2020

THE CONVERSATIONS.. Talking About The Things That Are On Our Mind

12

 Mountain Views News Saturday, September 5, 2020 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

PORTRAITS OF OUR NEIGHBORS

By Stuart Tolchin

DR. KEVIN MORRIS PH.D

 This is the first of a series of interviews with individuals living near us in Sierra Madre. 
It is my hope that these articles will help to ease the isolation resulting from the restrictions 
imposed by the Covid 19 virus.

 Dr. Kevin V. Morris is the Associate Director of the Center for Gene Therapy at the 
City of Hope in Duarte California. His Ph.D. thesis involved the study of the creation 
of vaccines and he is described as one of the brightest lights in RNA research and was 
the first to recognize the unique properties of RNA. His credentials are staggering in 
that he has published over 150 articles, is a Fellow at Oxford University, and has led 
research laboratories at the renowned Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California 
as well as at the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Of equal importance to us, he is our neighbor living with his wife and eleven year old 
daughter in the lower canyon of Sierra Madre. The deceased father of Dr. Morris was a 
Psychology Professor at the University of Central Michigan for over twenty years but 
the main influence upon Dr. Morris was his mother Judy. When faced with a difficult 
decision Dr. Morris asks himself the question WWJD (what would Judy do?) and her 
basic answer would be “if you want to do it, give it a try”. With her encouragement he 
avoided College and came to Hollywood to pursue his ambition of becoming a rock 
and roll drummer. He formed several bands but, like so many others, was unable to 
reach that goal. He did utilize that time to develop a love of surfing, skiing, mountain 
biking, and golf. Notwithstanding his present prestigious position he states that his 
favorite all-time job was being a motor-scooter messenger driving around Beverly 
Hills and Bel Air. He is an unusual person who “works hard and plays hard”. It was 
explained to me that this is not an atypical way of life for successful scientists.

Eventually, in need of money he followed a friend’s advice and entered LA City College 
where he received a grant of some sort. Much to his surprise, his intellectual 
interests kicked in, and he became fascinated by biology and found the future direction 
of his life. He went on to UC Davis where he earned a Ph.D.. He has now lectured 
and lived all over the world. How has this amazing man coped with the virus? He 
explained that his eleven year old daughter needed to be in a place where she could 
interact with her cousins safely in a remote safe place. Consequently he and his wife 
decided it was best for their family to fly back to Michigan to be with extended family. 
He showed me pictures of the cousins frolicking about in the water and further 
cited all sorts of figures to demonstrate that repeated air flights were not the danger I 
believe them to be. Anyway, he shrugged and said we’re all going to die at some point 
anyway so we might as well enjoy life while we can.

He attempted to explain to me that the virus much like the continuing deterioration 
of the planet, is an existential problems facing humanity that is not going to go away. 
Climate warming is the greater problem that will require the most significant adaptations. 
One of the undiscussed benefits resulting from the virus is that all of us will begin 
to take Science more seriously and will have learned that it is necessary to modify 
the way we live in order to adjust to changing conditions. A silver lining perhaps, but 
I doubt that our own Judy would be making flight reservations at this time. 

My suggestion is to keep wearing our masks and maintain social distancing. In future 
articles I will discuss how other neighbors are coping. 

Dear Editor:

 Congratulations to Sierra Madre for going 100% Renewable.*

 Let's do the same, Altadena. Actually, we have been enrolled in the Clean Power Alliance for the past

two years, so our home is also 100% on renewable energy. 

 However, we do question just how Sierra Madre will achieve its goals of 100% renewables by 2022 if it is 
based on all home owners making their individual decision to convert. Sincerely, Altadena, CA 91001 

*This refers to the article printed in the August 22, 2020 Edition. Go to: http://mtnviewsnews.com/v14/
htm/n34/index.htm


DEAR READER:

Thank you for your feedback. Cities that belong to the Clean Power Alliance choose a default renewable energy 
percentage for all their residents. Residents can then elect to stay at the default level or change it to a lower 
level of renewables. What makes the Clean Power Alliance unique is that it is creating new renewable energy 
projects and jobs in Southern California. The Voyager Wind project near Mojave, CA came online last year 
and generates electricity to power more than 11,00 Southern California homes and created an estimated 205 
construction jobs and 16 new permanent jobs.

In addition to Sierra Madre’s efforts with the Clean Power Alliance, the City is investing in its own local renewable 
energy projects. Working closely with the City, I led the development of a solar plus storage project that 
will come online in 2021 and generate nearly 1 million kWh of clean, local, renewable energy. Not only will it 
generate renewable electricity, it will save the City money within its first year of operation.

Robert Parkhurst, Candidate for Sierra Madre City Council

FRED THOMAS

SHARING WHAT I POSTED ON FACEBOOK


Believe it or not, I appreciate all of the comments and thoughts on my 
posts. People in my friends' group are there for a reason and I know they 
have good hearts. 

I am learning a lot about how deeply entrenched we are in our versions 
of what's happening in our country. So I am smart enough to verify news 
reports from multiple sources because we all know about sensationalism in 
journalism (it's about as shocking to me as it was to learn that there was a 
casting couch in Hollywood). So I wanted to know the racial breakdown of 
suspects that killed our officers this year by gunfire. 

Since there was no statistical report that I could find with this information, 
I spent this morning looking it up myself. I started by going to the "Officer 
Down Memorial Page" odmp.org and looked up every officer that died by 
gunfire (that wasn't accidental). Then I looked up all of the cases online to get the suspect's name 
and if an image wasn't available, I kept digging online until I found one. 

Like it or not, agree or not, these are my findings. I encourage all of you to look beyond the political 
and news reporting rhetoric and actually look for yourselves. 16 police officers were shot and killed 
by Caucasian suspects, 8 by African Americans, and 8 by Latino suspects. Our officers on the line 
are twice as likely to be killed by Caucasians than any single minority group. 

Whats more shocking than the 32 brave men and women who died in the line, according to the 
same data 101 yes 101 police officers died this year from COVID-19 related illnesses. 

These officers are daily American heroes, and we owe it to them to tell the truth about how they 
died and stop regurgitating half information we glean from whatever "news Fix" we choose to get 
high on. 

If Blue Lives Matter ( And I wholeheartedly believe they do), then let us be real were the dangers 
are coming from. Twice as likely to be killed by a white suspect, 10 times more likely to die at the 
hands of COVID-19. 

Please wear a mask. You're killing the very people you claim to love and support so much. Stop all 
violence, violence against police, violence against citizens, and verbal violence aimed at each other. 
And to all of the looters stop destroying the livelihood of people that are trying to live their best 
life.My guess is the looters have never owned a business that they had to rely on to support their 
families. 

To my friends in Blue, there is an inherent danger in what you do, and its why you are needed. Just 
please remember where the threat is highest. I think Its time we all grow up, learn some humility, 
and save our country... together. God... and yes I do mean God. Please bless and save America, from 
ourselves. 


2020CENSUS.GOVConnect with us 
@uscensusbureauFor more information:
D-FS-GP-EN-023 May 4, 20202020 Census Operational 
Adjustments Due to COVID-19The 2020 Census is underway, and more than 
half of the households across America have 
responded and more are responding every day. 
Online, phone, and mailed self-responses will 
continue throughout the data collection pro-
cess. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. 
Census Bureau has adjusted 2020 Census opera-
tions in order to:
• Protect the health and safety of the American 
public and Census Bureau employees.
• Implement guidance from federal, state, and 
local authorities regarding COVID-19.
• Ensure a complete and accurate count of all 
communities.
The Office of Management and Budget and the 
Office of Personnel Management have provided 
federal agencies with guidelines for resum-
ing operations on an epidemiologically sound, 
data-driven basis, adhering to the latest federal, 
state, and local guidance. The Census Bureau 
continues to monitor the changing conditions at 
the state and local level, and in consultation with 
the appropriate officials, update its planned start 
dates for selected operations in selected states. 
The information the Census Bureau receives 
daily from FEMA and state and local authorities 
guides Census Bureau decisions on timing. As a 
result, selected field operations will resume on a 
phased schedule on a geographic basis.
Under the adjusted 2020 Census operational 
plan, the Census Bureau is conducting a series 
of preparatory activities so we are fully ready to 
resume field activities as we continue to advance 
the mission of the 2020 Census to ensure a 
complete and accurate count. In-person activ-
ities, including enumeration, office work, and 
processing activities, will always incorporate the 
most current guidance from authorities to ensure 
the health and safety of the public and Census 
Bureau employees.
Activity/OperationOriginal ScheduleNew ScheduleSelf-Response Phase (online, phone, mail)March 12–July 31March 12–October 31Group Quarters (e-Response and Paper 
Enumeration)
April 2–June 5April 2–September 3Update Leave—StatesideMarch 15–April 17Selected Area Census 
Offices starting May 4Update Leave—Puerto RicoMarch 15–April 17Needs further review and 
coordination with outside 
partners and stakeholders. 
Update EnumerateMarch 16–April 30June 14–July 29In-Person Group Quarters EnumerationApril 2–June 5July 1–September 3Mobile Questionnaire AssistanceMarch 30–July 31Needs further review and 
coordination with outside 
partners and stakeholders. 
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