10/17/02

LC021017

VAL ZAVALA>> ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT --

JESS MARLOW>> BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES IS SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO CRUSH THE SECESSION MOVEMENT.

JOE VITTI>> EVERY ONE OF THEIR ARGUMENTS CAN BE REFUTED, BUT THE POINT IS THAT THESE LITTLE THIRTY-SECOND ADS REALLY HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE THAT DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON.

VAL>> GOVERNOR GRAY DAVIS PROMISES NO MORE NEGATIVE ADS, SO WHY THE SUDDEN SHIFT TO MR. NICE GUY AND WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL THOSE NASTY COMMERCIALS?

AD>> “SIMON OPPOSES ABORTION EVEN WHEN THE WOMAN’S HEALTH IS AT RISK.”

AD>> “SIMON’S FUNDED SOME OF THE MOST RADICAL ANTI-CHOICE GROUPS.”

JESS>> AND THEN A VIEW OF CALIFORNIA FROM THE TOWER OF LONDON. TONIGHT OUR RESIDENT WORLD TRAVELER, PATT MORRISON, HAS A SNAPSHOT.

PATT MORRISON>> THE LEFT COAST AS SEEN THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF A GLASS OF ENGLISH GIN AND TONIC -- ON TONIGHT’S INFINITELY MORRISON.

VAL>> THINK OF IT AS A JAPANESE VERSION OF “SCHINDLER’S LIST”. MORE THAN 40,000 PEOPLE ARE ALIVE TODAY BECAUSE OF ONE JAPANESE DIPLOMAT. HIS NAME WAS CHIUNE SUGIHARA AND, DURING WORLD WAR II, HE RISKED HIS CAREER WHEN HE ISSUED VISAS FOR THOUSANDS OF JEWS. WHY DID HE TAKE A CHANCE AND WHAT DID IT COST HIM? TONIGHT WE’LL FIND OUT.

JESS>> THESE STORIES COMING UP NEXT ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT.

LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

VAL>> GOOD EVENING, I’M VAL ZAVALA.

JESS>> AND I’M JESS MARLOW. IT’LL BE ONE OF THE DEFINING MOMENTS IN THE STORY OF LOS ANGELES. WILL THE CITY STAY TOGETHER OR BREAK APART ON NOVEMBER 5? RECENT POLLS INDICATE THE SECESSION MOVEMENT IS LOSING STEAM AND IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT SECESSION SUPPORTERS ARE UP AGAINST.

VAL>> MAYOR JAMES HAHN HAS UNLEASHED AN AMBITIOUS AND EXPENSIVE CAMPAIGN THAT HE HOPES WILL BEAT SECESSION FOREVER, BUT AS PHILIP BRUCE REPORTS, THE OPPOSITION IS TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE HAHN’S CRUSADE BACKFIRE.

PHILIP BRUCE>> RETIRED BUSINESSMAN AND NUCLEAR ENGINEER, JOE VITTI, IS A LONG-TIME CRUSADER FOR SECESSION AND HE’S FOUGHT FOR THE DAY WHEN VOTERS COULD HAVE THEIR SAY. VITTI SAYS CITY HALL REALLY DOESN’T CARE ABOUT THE VALLEY. AN EXAMPLE? HE RECALLS THE TIME FROM YEARS AGO WHEN HE TESTIFIED BEFORE CITY COUNCIL ON A PARKING ISSUE.

JOE VITTI>> I WAS INFURIATED IN THE WAY I WAS TREATED DOWN THERE. THEY HAD MADE UP THEIR MINDS ON THE ISSUE. THEY PAID NO ATTENTION TO OUR PRESENTATIONS THAT WE MADE THERE DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING SESSION.

PHILIP BRUCE>> BUT NOW VITTI AND HIS FELLOW SECESSION ADVOCATES ARE IN THE FIGHT OF THEIR LIVES AND THEIR ENEMY IS CITY HALL.

AD>> “SECESSION IS A GAMBLE THAT’S NOT WORTH TAKING. ROUND AND ROUND IT GOES, WHERE IT STOPS, NOBODY KNOWS. THE ODDS ARE SECESSION COULD MEAN HIGHER TAXES AND CUTS IN VITAL SERVICES.”

PHILIP BRUCE>> L.A. MAYOR, JAMES HAHN, AND HIS COMMITTEE, L.A. UNITED, ARE WAGING AN ALL-OUT WAR NOT JUST TO BEAT SECESSION, BUT TO CRUSH IT IN THE VALLEY AND IN HOLLYWOOD ONCE AND FOR ALL AND THEY HAVE THE MONEY FOR MAJOR TV BUYS TO GET THEIR MESSAGE OUT.

JOE VITTI>> EVERY ONE OF THEIR ARGUMENTS CAN BE REFUTED, BUT THE POINT IS THAT THESE LITTLE THIRTY-SECONDS ADS REALLY HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE THAT DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON.

AD>> “IMAGINE A CITY THAT’S SAFER, CLEANER AND BETTER.”

AD>> “IMAGINE A CITY WITH GOOD PARKS, RESPONSIVE POLICE AND STRONGER COMMUNITIES.”

AD>> “IMAGINE A CITY WHERE BUSINESSES ARE THRIVING AND GOOD JOBS ARE GROWING.”

PHILIP BRUCE>> THE VALLEY INDEPENDENCE COMMITTEE ALSO HAS AN AD, BUT IT WON’T BE APPEARING ON THE MAJOR BROADCAST STATIONS. THERE’S NO MONEY FOR THAT. THEIR COMMERCIAL ONLY AIRS ON THE CHEAPER CABLE TV CHANNELS WHERE THE AUDIENCE IS MUCH SMALLER. JOE VITTI KNOWS IT MAY MEAN BIG TROUBLE FOR HIS SIDE.

JOE VITTI>> IT COULD CONCEIVABLY COST THE ELECTION.

PHILIP BRUCE>> LARRY LEVINE HOPES THAT VITTI IS RIGHT. HE’S CO-CHAIR OF A GRASSROOTS VALLEY GROUP THAT’S AGAINST SECESSION.

LARRY LEVINE>> I THINK IT MAKES THE MESSAGE THAT WE’VE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG: TOO MANY RISKS. ROULETTE IS A HIGH-RISK GAME. I LOVE TO GAMBLE (LAUGHTER). I LOVE CARDS. I DON’T LIKE ROULETTE BECAUSE IT’S TOO HIGH A RISK. I THINK THE VISUAL SYMBOLISM OF THAT ROULETTE WHEEL IS PERFECT FOR THIS ISSUE.

PHILIP BRUCE>> WITH NO BIG CAMPAIGN COFFERS, THE PRO SECESSION CAMP HAS TO MAKE ITS PITCH THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY.

JOE VITTI>> IT IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF FUNDING THAT WE HAVE. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEPEND A GREAT DEAL ON OUR GRASSROOTS EFFORT FROM THE PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE VALLEY.

[FILM CLIP]

GENE LA PIETRA>> YOU DRIVE AROUND HOLLYWOOD AND IT BREAKS YOUR HEART TO SEE WHAT HOLLYWOOD HAS BECOME. IT HAS BEEN NEGLECTED AND IGNORED BY CITY HALL FOR THE LAST SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AND WE’RE NOT TAKING IT ANY LONGER.

PHILIP BRUCE>> THE SECESSION CRUSADE IN HOLLYWOOD ALSO HAS A LOW-BUDGET FEEL, BUT GENE LA PIETRA, THE FOUNDER AND CHIEF BACKER OF THE HOLLYWOOD INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT, SAYS HE ISN’T WORRIED.

GENE LA PIETRA>> IT’S ALWAYS BEEN A DAUNTING EXPERIENCE. WE HAVE ALWAYS FELT LIKE DAVID AND GOLIATH, WE BEING DAVID. WE KNOW WE HAVE THE RIGHT MESSAGE. WE KNOW IT’S RESONATING WITH THE PEOPLE. PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF CAMPAIGNS THAT ARE SOLELY BASED ON FEAR.

PHILIP BRUCE>> LA PIETRA SAYS HIGH VISIBILITY IN THE COMMUNITY AND DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS ARE HIS SIDE’S ANSWER.

GENE LA PIETRA>> WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS GOING DOOR TO DOOR, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE HOLDING COFFEES. THIS WEEK ALONE, WE HAVE OVER FIVE HUNDRED PEOPLE THAT WILL BE HAVING COFFEES.

PHILIP BRUCE>> BUT THE ANTI-SECESSION CAMP ALSO HAS PLENTY OF VOLUNTEERS. HERE AT L.A. COUNTY’S AFL-CIO HEADQUARTERS, THE RANK AND FILE ARE ON THE PHONES EVERY NIGHT TO CALL ON THEIR FELLOW UNION MEMBERS TO GO TO THE POLLS AND VOTE NO.

MIGUEL CONTRERAS>> WELL, CLEARLY, THIS IS ON THE TOP OF LABOR’S AGENDA IN THIS NOVEMBER ELECTION AND WE’RE DOING A FULL COURT PRESS TO GET OUR RANK AND FILE MEMBERS EDUCATED ON THE ISSUE OF SECESSION AND THEN GET THEM OUT TO VOTE ON ELECTION DAY IN NOVEMBER.

PHILIP BRUCE>> MIGUEL CONTRERAS SAYS 230,000 UNION MEMBERS ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES AND THE FEDERATION HAS RAISED $700,000 TO FIGHT SECESSION.

MIGUEL CONTRERAS>> YOU HAVE THE MAYOR’S CAMPAIGN, LABOR’S CAMPAIGN AND OTHER CAMPAIGNS ON THE RISE AND THE PRO SECESSION IS ON THE DEMISE. BUT WE WON’T TAKE A SINGLE VOTE FOR GRANTED. WE’RE GOING TO KEEP KNOCKING ON THE DOORS, WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE MAKING PHONE CALLS, DO THE MAILINGS, AND WE’RE GOING TO WALK PRECINCTS ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL EIGHT O’CLOCK TUESDAY NIGHT, THE NIGHT OF THE ELECTION.

PHILIP BRUCE>> JOE VITTI SAYS THE PRO SECESSION CAMP WILL ALSO BE MAILING, PHONING AND WALKING AND HIS SIDE STILL BELIEVES THAT IT CAN WIN.

JOE VITTI>> NONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE CAMPAIGN THAT HAHN HAS PRESENTED HAS NEUTRALIZED THE PASSION THAT EXISTS AMONG SO MANY OF US. WE SEE THE LIES AND DISTORTIONS AND IT ONLY MAKES US WORK HARDER. THAT’S THE EFFECT IT’S HAD ON ME AND I KNOW IT’S HAD THAT EFFECT ON A LOT OF OUR VOLUNTEERS THROUGHOUT THE VALLEY.

JESS>> AND THE LOS ANGELES TIMES POLL INDICATES SUPPORT FOR SECESSION IS ERODING IN HOLLYWOOD AND IN MOST PARTS OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY. THE TIMES POLL NOTES ONE BIG EXCEPTION IS THE WEST VALLEY. THERE, THE PRO SECESSION CAMPAIGN STILL REPORTEDLY HOLDS A FOUR POINT EDGE.

VAL>> TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES, L.A.’S FARMERS MARKET HAS SURVIVED THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND WORLD WAR II, BUT HOW IS IT COPING WITH ITS GLITZY NEW NEIGHBOR, THE GROVE?

>> WELL, I LIKE IT. I DO. IT’S WONDERFUL. AND WE WERE A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT USUALLY TURN OUT WRONG, BUT IT’S TURNED OUT REALLY GOOD.

JESS>> ENOUGH WITH THE NEGATIVITY. THAT’S THE LATEST PLEDGE FROM GRAY DAVIS. HE’S VOWED TO PULL ALL HIS ATTACK ADS FOR THE DURATION OF HIS RACE AGAINST REPUBLICAN BILL SIMON.

VAL>> WE’RE GOING TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT SOME OF THE COMMERCIALS THAT DAVIS IS DROPPING. IT COULD BE THAT THOSE ADS HAVE ALREADY HIT THEIR MARK, BUT WERE DAVIS’S CLAIMS REALLY ON TARGET? TONIGHT THAT’S THE QUESTION CINNY KENNARD TRIES TO ANSWER IN THIS LIFE AND TIMES “REALITY CHECK”.

AD>> “TOUGHEST GUN SAFETY LAWS IN THE NATION.”

CINNY KENNARD>> UP TO NOW, GRAY DAVIS HAS OUTSPENT HIS CHALLENGER THREE TO ONE ON TV ADS AND THIS IS ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW.

AD>> “BILL SIMON OPPOSES GUN CONTROL AND IS ENDORSED BY THE NRA.”

CINNY KENNARD>> THAT CLAIM NEEDS CLARIFICATION. SIMON IS ENDORSED AND PARTLY FINANCED BY THE NRA, BUT THE REPUBLICAN STRONGLY FAVORS THE SAME TOUGH STATE RESTRICTIONS ON GUNS THAT DAVIS SIGNED AND SIMON HAS PLEDGED NOT TO EASE ANY OF THOSE REGULATIONS.

AD>> “DAVIS IS PRO CHOICE. SIMON OPPOSES ABORTION EVEN WHEN THE WOMAN’S HEALTH IS AT RISK.”

CINNY KENNARD>> FALSE. SIMON SAYS ABORTION SHOULD BE LEGAL WHEN THE LIFE OF A WOMAN IS ENDANGERED OR WHEN A PREGNANCY RESULTED FROM INCEST OR RAPE.

AD>> “SIMON’S FUNDED SOME OF THE MOST RADICAL ANTI-CHOICE GROUPS.”

CINNY KENNARD>> THAT NEEDS CLARIFICATION. SIMON IS A FOUNDER AND BOARD MEMBER OF A GROUP WHICH PROVIDES SHELTER TO UNWED MOTHERS. A HANDYMAN THAT HAPPENED TO WORK IN THE SHELTER WAS WANTED BY THE FBI IN THE KILLING OF A DOCTOR IN NEW YORK TARGETED BY PRO LIFE GROUPS.

AD>> “GRAY DAVIS SIGNED THE NATION’S FIRST LAW COMBATING GLOBAL WARMING. SIMON OPPOSES DAVIS’S LEGISLATION AND EVEN WANTS TO WEAKEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT.”

CINNY KENNARD>> TRUE. SIMON DOES OPPOSE THE LEGISLATION COMBATING GLOBAL WARMING AND SIMON STATES HE DIFFERS WIDELY WITH DAVIS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. BUT SIMON DOES FAVOR THE INCREASED USE OF ALTERNATIVE FUEL TECHNOLOGY AND SAYS HE WOULD USE STATE MONEY TO CLEAN UP CONTAMINATED WASTE SITES.

AD>> “EXPERIENCE WE TRUST, VALUES WE SHARE.”

CINNY KENNARD>> ENDING ON A POSITIVE NOTE. THAT’S WHAT THE DAVIS CAMPAIGN HAS PLEDGED TO DO. YET THERE ARE STILL NEARLY THREE WEEKS LEFT BEFORE ELECTION DAY.

JESS>> JOINING US NOW IS CINNY KENNARD. YOU HAVE SOURCES FOR THOSE CLAIMS?

CINNY KENNARD>> WELL, SIMON IS ON RECORD CLARIFYING HIS POSITION ON GUN CONTROL, HIS POSITION ON ABORTION AND, FRANKLY, THEY'RE NOT EXACTLY WHAT'S MANIFESTED IN THAT AD RIGHT THERE.

VAL>> SO YOU WONDER WHERE DOES DAVIS GET HIS INFORMATION?

CINNY KENNARD>> I'M NOT SURE, BUT WHAT THE DAVIS CAMPAIGN HAS DONE MAY BE UNPRECEDENTED IN CAMPAIGN ADVERTISING THIS CAMPAIGN SEASON. IF YOU REMEMBER, HE TOOK ABOUT NINE MILLION DOLLARS OUT OF HIS OWN POCKET BACK IN THE SPRING AND BASICALLY ENGINEERED WHO HE WOULD RUN AGAINST --

VAL>> -- BY KNOCKING OUT RIORDAN AND LEAVING SIMON AS THE ONLY STANDING CANDIDATE.

CINNY KENNARD>> EXACTLY.

JESS>> BUT TAKING THE MONEY OUT OF HIS OWN POCKET, THAT WAS A POCKET FILLED WITH CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS, NOT PERSONAL WEALTH.

CINNY KENNARD>> NO, LOTS OF CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS, JESS. GOOD CLARIFICATION. THEN, OF COURSE, ALONG CAME HIS OPPONENT, MR. SIMON, AND HE, AS WE SAID, OUTSPENT HIM THREE TO ONE WITH NEGATIVE ADS CONSISTENTLY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, PARTICULARLY HEAVY.

VAL>> SO WHAT HAPPENED TODAY, THIS PROMISE TO SAY I'M GOING POSITIVE SUDDENLY?

CINNY KENNARD>> IN FACT, THERE WERE BIG HEADLINES THAT WE ALL WOKE UP TO THIS MORNING SAYING NO MORE ADS, NO MORE ADS, I'M MR. NICE GUY. BUT WE SAW HIM THIS AFTERNOON AT A NEWS CONFERENCE WITH LATINO BUSINESS LEADERS DOWNTOWN IN LOS ANGELES AND HE HAD ADJUSTED HIS TONE A BIT.

VAL>> SO HE DIDN'T PROMISE TOTAL POSITIVE ADS FROM HERE ON OUT. HE SAID --

CINNY KENNARD>> -- WE CAN EVEN TAKE A LOOK AT EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID. WE HAVE A TAPE OF THAT.

GRAY DAVIS>> "WE ALWAYS LIKE TO FINISH POSITIVE. I MEAN, I'M NOT SAYING WE'LL NEVER RUN ANOTHER COMPARATIVE AD, BUT WE DO WANT TO STRESS SOME OF THE POSITIVE ACHIEVEMENTS THAT WE HAVE MADE ON EDUCATION, ON THE ENVIRONMENT, HELPING WORKING PEOPLE, SO YOU'LL SEE A NUMBER OF POSITIVE ADS FROM HERE TO THE END OF THE ELECTION. I DON'T RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT THERE MAY BE AN AD THAT'S CRITICAL BETWEEN NOW AND THE END, BUT WE DO WANT TO FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE."

JESS>> SO THEY WEREN'T NEGATIVE ADS, THEY WERE "COMPARATIVE" ADS (LAUGHTER).

VAL>> (LAUGHTER) COMPARATIVE.

CINNY KENNARD>> COMPARATIVE ADS, YES. THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS EXPLAINED.

VAL>> OR CRITICAL ADS.

CINNY KENNARD>> AND YOU'LL ALSO SEE THAT THE DOOR HAS BEEN LEFT OPEN. WE'VE GOT JUST ABOUT A LITTLE LESS THAN THREE WEEKS LEFT, SO WE'LL HAVE TO SEE IF, IN FACT, BUT AS OF NOW, THE CAMPAIGN HAS SAID THEY HAVE PULLED ALL NEGATIVE ADS, ATTACK ADS, AGAINST SIMON. BUT YOU COULD ARGUE THAT THEY HAVE DONE THEIR WORK, THAT ALL THOSE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WERE SPENT PUT MR. SIMON IN A POSITION WHERE IT'S TOUGH TO COMPETE AGAINST THIS CANDIDATE, SO THEY WERE EFFECTIVE.

JESS>> WOULD THEY BE RESPONDING TO SOME PEOPLES' NOTION THAT THE NEGATIVE ADS WERE BEGINNING TO HURT DAVIS?

CINNY KENNARD>> GOOD POINT. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A BACKLASH AND I SUSPECT -- AND, OF COURSE, THE CAMPAIGN WILL TELL YOU THAT THIS STRATEGY IS NOW TO BACK OFF A LITTLE BIT, THAT THEY DID THEIR WORK AND PERHAPS ANY MORE CONCENTRATION OF THOSE ADS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS MAY TURN PEOPLE OFF. GOVERNOR DAVIS ALREADY HAS PROBLEMS WITH HIGH NEGATIVES. POLLS HAVE SHOWN THAT VOTERS DO HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GOVERNOR AND HIS LIKEABILITY FACTOR IS QUESTIONABLE.

VAL>> WHICH IS ANOTHER REASON WHY YOU'D WANT TO GO FORWARD WITH POSITIVE ADS TO TRY TO COUNTER THAT IMAGE. PLUS, I WOULD JUST THINK LITERALLY IT'S ALMOST LIKE BEATING A DEAD HORSE AT THIS POINT BY BEATING UP ON SIMON EVEN MORE AND MORE.

CINNY KENNARD>> EXACTLY. THE INTERESTING THING IS, WITH ALL THE NEGATIVE ADS AND WITH ALL THE PREDICTIONS THAT PERHAPS GOVERNOR DAVIS WILL DO VERY WELL ON ELECTION DAY, YOU'RE NOW STARTING TO HEAR A BUZZ AMONG NATIONAL PUNDITS THAT PERHAPS THE RACE IS A LOT CLOSER THAN ANYBODY HERE HAS PREDICTED HERE IN CALIFORNIA. SOME OF THE NATIONAL PUNDITS ARE WRITING NOW THAT PERHAPS THE RACE IS NECK AND NECK AND THAT MAYBE MR. SIMON WILL BE ABLE TO PULL IT OUT, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO SEE WHAT THE VOTER TURNOUT IS, OF COURSE.

JESS>> BUT IN TRUTH, CINNY, IT'S BEEN PRETTY CLEARLY PROVEN IN RECENT YEARS THAT NEGATIVE ADS ARE USED BECAUSE THEY WORK.

CINNY KENNARD>> THERE'S NO QUESTION AND I THINK THIS IS EVIDENCE, AT LEAST FOR NOW. WE KNOW, OF COURSE, THE ELECTION IS A LITTLE LESS THAN THREE WEEKS AWAY AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE ANY PREDICTION HERE. BUT UP TO NOW, LOOK, IF YOU CONSIDER THIS MAN ENGINEERED THAT REPUBLICAN PRIMARY AND PICKED WHO HE WAS GOING TO RUN AGAINST WITH NINE MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF NEGATIVE ADS AGAINST RICHARD RIORDAN, IT'S UNPRECEDENTED IN AMERICAN POLITICS, A STRATEGY LIKE THAT, AND THEN CAME BACK AND HIT MR. SIMON AGAIN OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS THREE TO ONE IN CAMPAIGN SPENDING. IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.

VAL>> HE IS THE MASTER OF THOSE ATTACK ADS, THOUGH. ANYWAY, CINNY, UNTIL THE NEXT TIME, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

CINNY KENNARD>> OKAY.

LIFEANDTIMES@KCET.ORG
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4401 SUNSET BLVD.
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JESS>> PATT MORRISON HAS SPENT THE LAST FEW WEEKS IN THE LAND OF THE QUEEN AND EARL GRAY TEA, BUT SHE'S RETURNED FROM ENGLAND WITH A BEE IN HER BONNET, AND THAT'S TONIGHT'S INFINITELY MORRISON.

PATT MORRISON>> THEY DO SAY THAT TRAVEL IS BROADENING, BUT ONE SMALL EXPERIENCE IN ENGLAND SHOWS IT TO BE NARROWING. THIS BOOK, "THE XENOPHOBE'S GUIDE TO THE CALIFORNIANS", THE XENOPHOBE BEING ONE WHO FEARS FOREIGNERS, IN THIS CASE CALIFORNIANS. I COULDN'T FIND SUCH A BOOK ON ANY OTHER AMERICAN STATE AND MAYBE IT'S JUST AS WELL. SIXTY-FOUR PAGES OF BLAH, BLAH, BOILERPLATE BY A MAN WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN BORN IN HOLLYWOOD, BUT I ASK YOU. WOULD A REAL HOLLYWOOD NATIVE MISSPELL THE NAMES OF MOVIE STARS?

A SAMPLING FROM A BOOK THAT SKIPS FROM HEALTH AND RECREATIONAL DRUGS TO SUPERFICIALITY AND EARTHQUAKES, "CALIFORNIANS ARE DELUSIONAL, COMPLETELY OUT OF TOUCH WITH JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING EXCEPT THEIR IMAGE." NOW HERE I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND THE HONORABLE GENTLEMAN AND HIS ENGLISH PUBLISHERS OF THIS BOOK THAT THE LAST TIME I CHECKED, MADONNA, WHO CAN BE SAID TO EPITOMIZE THIS DESCRIPTION, WAS LIVING NOT IN LOS ANGELES, BUT IN LONDON.

IT'S TRUE THAT CALIFORNIANS TEND TO LOOK UPON DEATH AS AN OPTION OR MAYBE A LIFESTYLE CHOICE, BUT THIS BOOK SUGGESTS THAT ONLY CALIFORNIANS "FIGHT DEATH WITH A VENGEANCE". I WOULD POINT OUT THAT IT WAS DYLAN THOMAS, A WELSH POET, WHO EXHORTED HIS READERS TO "RAGE AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT". THE AUTHOR DOES CONGRATULATE US ON OUR WILLINGNESS TO LINE UP IN ORDERLY FASHION, CITING DISNEYLAND, BUT HE FORGETS THAT THOSE PEOPLE QUEUING UP FOR SPACE MOUNTAIN ARE PROBABLY FROM MINNESOTA OR COLORADO, NOT CALIFORNIA.

HE TROTS OUT ALL THE CANARDS ABOUT CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC, BUT I HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM LONDON WHERE THE STREETS HAVE BEEN SO SHREDDED BY CONSTRUCTION THAT, WHEN I SAW THE MAYOR OF LONDON SITTING A FEW TABLES AWAY FROM ME AT A SOHO RESTAURANT LAST WEEK, I ALMOST WALKED OVER TO HIM TO DENOUNCE HIM ON BEHALF OF MY LONDON FRIENDS WHO WERE STILL STUCK IN TRAFFIC.

THE AUTHOR CONCLUDES ON THE GRACE NOTE THAT CALIFORNIANS CREATED THE CONCEPTS THAT SERVE THE WORLD, THAT IT MAY BE A DELUSION, BUT IT'S A REAL DELUSION THAT HAS BECOME THE WORLD'S REALITY. TO THE AUTHOR, I SAY, "DUDE, THE ONLY REASON THIS GOT PUBLISHED IS THAT VIRTUALLY EVERYONE DOES WANT TO BE --TO USE ABOUT CALIFORNIANS MARGARET THATCHER'S PHRASE ABOUT HER GOVERNMENT -- ONE OF US."

VAL>> IT'S A LITTLE-KNOWN STORY THAT IS FINALLY BEING TOLD AND IT UNFOLDED DURING WORLD WAR II. A JAPANESE DIPLOMAT NAMED SUGIHARA WAS STATIONED IN EUROPE. ANTI-SEMITISM WAS ON THE RISE AND SUGIHARA FACED A TOUGH DECISION WHETHER TO HELP THOUSANDS OF JEWS FLEE TO JAPAN.

JESS>> AGAINST THE POLICY OF HIS GOVERNMENT AND THE ADVICE OF HIS COLLEAGUES, SUGIHARA WROTE THOUSANDS OF VISAS TO ALLOW JEWS TO ESCAPE TO JAPAN. DECADES LATER, A REPORTER ASKED SUGIHARA WHY HE TOOK THAT RISK. HIS ANSWER WAS SIMPLE.

>> "WHY WOULD HE PERFORM THESE COURAGEOUS ACTS AND ASK FOR NOTHING IN RETURN? WHAT WERE HIS MOTIVES? WHAT INFLUENCED HIM? WAS THERE A HIDDEN AGENDA OR WAS IT SIMPLY AN ACT OF KINDNESS?"

VAL>> AND JOINING US NOW WITH MORE IS THE FILMMAKER, DIANE ESTELLE. SHE TELLS SUGIHARA'S STORY IN THIS NEW DOCUMENTARY WHICH SEEMS LIKE IT TOOK A LONG TIME TO BE TOLD. THIS STORY WAS, WHAT, HIDDEN IN THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES FOR HOW LONG?

DIANE ESTELLE>> CORRECT. IT WAS HIDDEN FOR SOME FIFTY YEARS, BASICALLY. A GROUP IN JAPAN HAD BEEN TRYING -- THE FAMILY HAD BEEN TRYING TO MAKE THE FILM FOR ABOUT EIGHT YEARS WHEN I CAME ONBOARD.

VAL>> AND HOW DID YOU FIND IT?

DIANE ESTELLE>> I WAS INVITED TO AN EVENT AT THE SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER ONE EVENING AND THEY WERE HONORING MRS. SUGIHARA. WHEN I HEARD THE STORY, I KNEW I HAD TO TELL IT.

JESS>> HE MANAGED TO GET THEM OUT AND INTO JAPAN. HE SAVED, WHAT, TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE FROM THE HOLOCAUST?

DIANE ESTELLE>> OFFICIALLY, THERE WERE 2,139 NAMES, VISAS, THAT HE WROTE. BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT, ON EACH VISA, AN ENTIRE FAMILY COULD TRAVEL, SO THE FATHER, THE CHILDREN AND THE MOTHER COULD BE ON THE SAME VISA.

JESS>> NOW THIS WAS AGAINST THE POLICY OF HIS GOVERNMENT. WAS THE GOVERNMENT WILLING TO ACCEPT THOSE REFUGEES?

DIANE ESTELLE>> WELL, AFTER THEY ARRIVED IN JAPAN LATER ON, THEY REALIZED THEY HAD A PROBLEM BECAUSE THESE REFUGEES ARRIVED AND THEY HAD NO PLACE TO GO, HAD NO MONEY TO LEAVE, HAD NO ENTRY VISA TO ANY OTHER COUNTRY, SO THERE WAS A FLOOD OF REFUGEES THAT ARRIVED IN JAPAN AND THE JAPANESE ACCEPTED THEM.

VAL>> WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK NOW AT ABOUT A TWO-MINUTE EXCERPT FROM YOUR DOCUMENTARY THAT TELLS US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS EXTRAORDINARY MAN. HERE IT IS.

NARRATOR>> "SUGIHARA SAYS THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF JEWISH REFUGEES OUTSIDE HIS CONSULATE GATES EVERY DAY BEGGING FOR TRANSIT VISAS TO FLEE THE COUNTRY. OTHER CORRESPONDENCE INDICATES THE FOREIGN MINISTRY WILL NOT AUTHORIZE THE WRITING OF THE VISAS. SUGIHARA CONTINUES TO ASK PERMISSION, BUT HIS REQUESTS ARE DENIED. MORE AND MORE REFUGEES GATHER OUTSIDE AND SUGIHARA IS CLEARLY MOVED."

CHIUNE SUGIHARA>> "THERE WERE WOMEN AND OLD PEOPLE AND CHILDREN. THEY ALL SEEMED EXHAUSTED. I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER THEY HAD ANY PLACE TO SLEEP. MAYBE THEY SLEPT IN THE TRAIN STATION OR ON THE STREET. EACH DAY, THE CROWD GREW BIGGER. WITH TEARS IN THEIR EYES, THEY ASKED FOR THE JAPANESE VISAS."

NARRATOR>> "CAN SUGIHARA TAKE THE RISK AND ISSUE THE VISAS? HOW WILL HIS GOVERNMENT REACT? JAPAN IS SOON TO BE GERMANY'S ALLY. HOW WILL THE NAZIS REACT? LITHUANIA IS RUSSIAN TERRITORY AND THEY ARE ENSLAVING JEWS IN LABOR CAMPS. HOW WILL THEY RESPOND? BUT FINALLY, THERE IS ANOTHER DOCUMENT, A LIST, MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND NAMES OF DESPERATE JEWISH REFUGEES WHO ARE ISSUED VISAS BY CHIUNE SUGIHARA, LIFE-SAVING DOCUMENTS THAT ALLOW THEM TO TRACE A LITTLE-KNOWN ESCAPE ROUTE THROUGH RUSSIA INTO JAPAN. DUE TO SUGIHARA'S COURAGEOUS EFFORTS, MORE THAN FORTY THOUSAND PEOPLE ARE ALIVE TODAY."

JESS> DO WE KNOW WHY THEY CHOSE THE JAPANESE EMBASSY TO SEEK VISAS RATHER THAN ANOTHER NATION'S EMBASSY?

DIANE ESTELLE>> WELL, EVERY EMBASSY IN LITHUANIA HAD CLOSED. IT WAS THE ONLY ESCAPE ROUTE BECAUSE GERMANY HAD COME FROM ONE SIDE OF LITHUANIA AND RUSSIA WAS COMING FROM THE OTHER SIDE. THERE WAS NO GOING BACK TO EUROPE. THEY CERTAINLY COULD NOT GO TO RUSSIA BECAUSE THEY WERE ENSLAVING JEWS IN LABOR CAMPS. SO THEIR ONLY HOPE WAS TO ESCAPE THROUGH ASIA AND THAT'S HOW THEY CHOSE SUGIHARA.

VAL>> BUT HOW DID THEY KNOW TO GO TO THE JAPANESE EMBASSY WHERE HE WAS? THIS WAS IN LITHUANIA. DID JUST WORD SPREAD THAT THERE WAS THIS JAPANESE DIPLOMAT WHO WAS WRITING VISAS?

DIANE ESTELLE>> WELL, ONE GENTLEMAN ACTUALLY WENT TO HIM, ONE SURVIVOR WENT TO HIM, BECAUSE HE WAS FROM DENMARK AND THEY WERE ALLOWED TO LEAVE, SO HE HAD NO PROBLEM. BUT THEN HE ASKED IF HE WOULD DO IT FOR SOME OF HIS FRIENDS THAT WERE STUDYING WHO WERE JEWS AND SUGIHARA ACCEPTED. THEN IT JUST SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE.

JESS>> SUGIHARA WAS FULLY AWARE OF HITLER'S PLAN TO EXTERMINATE THE JEWS?

DIANE ESTELLE>> JAPAN WAS ABOUT TO BECOME ALLIED WITH GERMANY AND I'M SURE THAT, BEING A DIPLOMAT, HE WAS VERY MUCH AWARE OF THE ALLIANCE.

VAL>> SO THIS IS WHY IT WAS SUCH A GREAT RISK POLITICALLY FOR HIM TO GO --

DIANE ESTELLE>> -- THAT'S CORRECT.

VAL>> NOW THERE WAS A TIME WHEN HE WAS TO BE REASSIGNED FROM LITHUANIA TO BERLIN, SO HE HAD TO LEAVE LITHUANIA, TRAVEL TO BERLIN, AND HERE IS A CLIP OF WHAT HAPPENED AS HE BEGAN THAT JOURNEY. WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT RIGHT HERE.

NARRATOR>> "AFTER WRITING MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND TRANSIT VISAS, SUGIHARA PREPARED TO LEAVE FOR BERLIN."

MRS. SUGIHARA>> "HE WAS SO EXHAUSTED, LIKE A SICK PERSON. EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ORDERED TO GO TO BERLIN, HE SAID HE COULDN'T MAKE IT TO BERLIN AND SUGGESTED WE GO TO A HOTEL AND REST BEFORE LEAVING. WHEN WE GOT TO THE HOTEL, THE JEWISH PEOPLE CAME LOOKING FOR US THERE, SO HE WROTE SOME MORE VISAS IN THE HOTEL. THE NEXT DAY WHEN WE GOT TO THE TRAIN STATION, THEY WERE THERE TOO, SO HE WROTE MORE VISAS ON THE PLATFORM UNTIL THE TRAIN LEFT. ONCE WE WERE ONBOARD, THEY WERE HANGING ON THE WINDOWS AND HE WROTE SOME MORE. WHEN THE TRAIN STARTED MOVING, HE COULDN'T WRITE ANY MORE. EVERYONE WAS WAVING THEIR HANDS. ONE OF THEM CALLED OUT, 'THANK YOU, MR. SUGIHARA. WE WILL COME TO SEE YOU AGAIN', BUT HE CAME RUNNING AFTER THE TRAIN. I COULDN'T STOP CRYING. WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT EVEN NOW, I CAN'T HELP CRYING."

VAL>> AMAZING MAN.

JESS>> AND WHAT HAPPENED TO SUGIHARA'S CAREER? HE DEFIED HIS GOVERNMENT'S POLICY, AT LEAST.

DIANE ESTELLE>> HE DID. HE WAS INTERNED, HE WAS A PRISONER OF WAR. AFTER THE WAR, HE RETURNED TO JAPAN AND THEN WAS DEMOTED BY HIS GOVERNMENT TO STEP DOWN. HE WAS ASKED TO STEP DOWN AND RESIGN. HE WAS NEVER OFFERED ANY OTHER POSITION WITHIN THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT AND, BASICALLY, LOST EVERYTHING. HE ENDED UP LEAVING AND WORKING IN RUSSIA TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY.

JESS>> AND TODAY?

DIANE ESTELLE>> HE'S PASSED AWAY NOW. MRS. SUGIHARA IS ALIVE. THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT HAS RECOGNIZED HIS DEED JUST RECENTLY ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.

VAL>> AND, OF COURSE, HE'S VERY MUCH HONORED BY JEWS.

DIANE ESTELLE>> THAT'S CORRECT.

VAL>> I BELIEVE THERE'S A MONUMENT TO HIM WHERE?

DIANE ESTELLE>> IN HIS HOMETOWN OF KAMIKURA, THERE IS A MONUMENT THAT WAS ERECTED IN HONOR OF SUGIHARA.

VAL>> VERY GOOD. DIANE ESTELLE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING US THIS LITTLE-KNOWN STORY LONG OVERDUE.

DIANE ESTELLE>> THANK YOU.

VAL>> AGAIN, THE FILM IS "SUGIHARA: CONSPIRACY OF KINDNESS" AND IT IS PLAYING THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, AT THE PACIFIC ASIA MUSEUM IN PASADENA AND THAT STARTS AT 2:00. SO IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO SEE THE ENTIRE DOCUMENTARY.

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JESS>> NOW FOR ALL OF US HERE AT LIFE AND TIMES, HAVE A GREAT EVENING.

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