11/10/04

LC041110

Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times --

This is a center for twelve emotionally disturbed teenagers, but should they be on the same campus with elementary school children?

Leigh Ikemiya>> It's not age-appropriate to have these students on our campus with our elementary school students.

Janice Schultz>> I understand that they're not happy, but I don't think we've endangered anyone.

Val>> And then, it's the biggest thing in Leona Valley since horseshoes.

Cris Franco>> Hey, why am I dressed like Woody from "A Toy Story"?

Val>> Cris Franco takes us to an equestrian competition where girls rule.

These stories and more next on tonight's Life and Times.

Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of 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 by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg.

Val>> Should students with disabilities and emotional problems be put on the same campus as an elementary school? That's the question facing school officials and parents in Torrance. School officials say the students have emotional problems, but they aren't violent or dangerous. But as Hena Cuevas tells us, some parents are unconvinced.

Leigh Ikemiya>> What caused concern was when the fence went up around it and then we're like, okay, what is this and why is it there?

Hena Cuevas>> Like other parents at Arlington Elementary School in Torrance, Leigh and Jeff Ikemiya wondered why a chain link fence was being installed on campus.

Jeff Ikemiya>> We had teachers out there who asked Leigh what is this that's going on campus, and we had no idea.

Hena Cuevas>> As president of the Parent-Teacher Association, Leigh Ikemiya went to the school to find out. She was told that a treatment center for twelve teenagers with psychological problems was going into the back corner of the campus.

Leigh Ikemiya>> The only reason we were informed was that parents pushed for some answers and we did finally get a letter.

Hena Cuevas>> The letter they received from the school arrived just seven days before the center opened.

Leigh Ikemiya>> The fact is that we got slammed with this and, in a week, this is what's going to happen on your campus. Of course, parents are going to over-react to having teenagers on their playground with their elementary school students.

Hena Cuevas>> And not just any teenagers. According to the letter, the students ranging from thirteen to seventeen years old were described as emotionally disturbed and severely emotionally disturbed, children who come from troubled homes, have low self-esteem and psychological disabilities, but no drug or alcohol problems.

Herbert Masi>> They provide an environment, both educational and therapeutic, to go ahead and allow a child to be able to get to a point where he can go back to his normal school. When we say normal school, his home school.

Hena Cuevas>> Herbert Masi is the Director of the South Bay Children's Center that runs the day program which includes seventh to twelfth graders which we were not allowed to film. He says he doesn't understand why parents are opposed, considering the plan is to make sure both groups never interact.

Herbert Masi>> I can't stop my children and their children from viewing each other, but that doesn't mean they have to play together, use their cafeteria together, use their bathrooms together.

Hena Cuevas>> In fact, the center is self-sufficient with its own entrance, bathrooms and kitchen. For twenty-eight years, the center operated out of a basement in Redondo Beach. About six months ago, they were told they needed to move. They explored various options like building a new facility, but they decided it was too expensive. According to Masi, the only option left was the school district. So who decided that this would be the best location for the center?

Herbert Masi>> The Torrance Unified School District decided and I agree with them. I think this is the proper site and it was a site that was available after some modular units had been here over a number of months. None of us expected to get this kind of reaction.

Janice Schultz>> I think they've created more of a fuss than anything else.

Hena Cuevas>> According to Janice Schultz, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools, the district saw Arlington Elementary as an ideal location because of its freeway accessibility. But considering the potential for controversy, why weren't the parents informed earlier? Schultz admits that was a mistake.

Janice Schultz>> I know I've been criticized for that and I agree. You know, we could have sent a letter earlier and, you know, hindsight -- I have said this and had it quoted back to me -- is a little clearer than foresight on that one. But I felt that we gave them the information they needed to let them know what was coming to the campus and try to dispel some of the rumors.

Hena Cuevas>> However, the Ikemiyas stress that their problem is not with the kids or the program. It's the age difference.

Jeff Ikemiya>> If their age-appropriate, seven to eleven year olds with the same disorder, it wouldn't be a problem for me. But when you start getting to older aged kids where they're stronger, more vocal and they're only earshot -- I mean, we're talking five feet away from the kids at points -- it's not a good situation.

Herbert Masi>> There's nothing about them that is violent or that would go ahead and present any kind of a safety issue to the elementary kids. Since when do grades seven through twelve have anything to do with kindergarten through, you know, sixth grade or seventh grade? What do they have in common? Really nothing.

Hena Cuevas>> But it's precisely this fact that both groups have nothing in common that concerns Jeff Ikemiya.

Jeff Ikemiya>> They don't care about little kids. They don't care what they say, they don't care what they do. They don't care if the little kids see them or hear them, right? That's the thing. That's what I can assume. I'm not saying that that's how they all are, but no matter where you go in society today, usually the teenaged kids are pretty rebellious. They do what they want until you ask them not to do it.

Hena Cuevas>> However, Christine Byrne, Clinical Director for the program, says all of the students have to go through a strict screening process.

Christine Byrne>> Myself and our day treatment coordinator, the coordinator of our program here, both interview all of our students that come in and we screen out any children who have any kind of violent background because that's never been an appropriate type of student for our program.

Jeff Ikemiya>> The center has their reasons and I understand that, but we're not attacking their kids. We're not attacking their program, you know. I think that's how a lot of people that are reacting to this think about us as being shrewd and uncaring. That's not the point.

Leigh Ikemiya>> I think, if we had more time as parents to think about this rather than one week before it's going to open, we might have come off in a better light. We might have been able to get together on this and people would know that it's not the program and not those actual twelve kids.

Hena Cuevas>> To ensure this students' safety, not only is there a fence, but the teens are constantly supervised and never allowed to wander alone, but Jeff Ikemiya is still worried.

Jeff Ikemiya>> If something happens, I think they're just going to go by the seat of their pants and say, okay, we have to do this, this and this. But by that time, it's too late. If one child gets injured or gets affected somehow by this situation, that's one too many.

Janice Schultz>> I understand that they're not happy, but I don't think we've endangered anyone.

Hena Cuevas>> Less than a week after the center opened, an incident occurred: an interaction between the students.

Janice Schultz>> I did have a complaint today and Mr. Masi is out there with his staff right now talking with his center teachers that the South Bay Children's Center children were on the playground at the same time as our children were having PE, so that has to be, you know, coordinated a little bit better.

Leigh Ikemiya>> We're not all over-reacting. We're not all crazed parents. We're just concerned about our kids.

Hena Cuevas>> The center is paying only five hundred dollars a month to rent the space and has signed a two-year lease which can be extended.

Janice Schultz>> My wish is for parents to step back and take a deep breath and really look at what we have there. Let's monitor it. That's what I talk to the parents about.

Jeff Ikemiya>> But when you put something, a program, where there are teenagers in elementary school, it sort of upsets everyone. You have to look at it and say, well, if the majority of the people are so upset about this that they're going to the school, maybe we should take a look at it. But they're not looking at it that way. It's a done deal.

Hena Cuevas>> If, for some reason, you were forced to leave this location, where would you go?

Herbert Masi>> I can't answer that question. I don't know where we'd go. We would see if the school district would find another site for us in the future. I think this is appropriate for us and I hope that the neighborhood here and the residents will finally realize that it's appropriate.

Hena Cuevas>> A group of parents is exploring possible legal action. For the time being, the teenagers will remain at Arlington and Masi hopes that, over time, fears will subside and the center can make this their permanent home. I'm Hena Cuevas for Life and Times.

Val>> Last February, we brought you the story of grand plans for turning these hills near Culver City in the Crenshaw District into a world-class park.

David McNeill>> The vision is a two square mile park that's larger than Golden Gate Park, larger than Central Park.

Val>> At the helm of the project is David McNeill, head of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy. The Conservancy is a state agency whose mission it is to make the park a reality, but recently that dream was dealt a blow from the Schwarzenegger administration. The Governor established a committee to find ways to save money. One of the recommendations was to eliminate several conservancies for a savings of two million dollars a year, yet the Baldwin Hills Conservancy budget is only $265,000. Budget cutters also said the Baldwin Hills project was too small to merit a state level conservancy.

Various local groups, like the Ballona Creek Renaissance, are fighting the cut. They say Los Angeles is starved for parks, especially in minority communities like the Crenshaw District which borders the Baldwin Hills. The proposed cut is especially frustrating because the Governor has recently approved the establishment of a new conservancy for the Sierra Nevadas, far away from a major population center. Eliminating the Baldwin Hills Conservancy is not a done deal yet and the many people who've worked on the project will not give up easily. Besides, several years ago, voters approved a forty million dollar bond to buy the land.

David McNeill>> It's inch by inch. It's acre by acre. You know, my feeling is that we're going to make it one way or the other.

Val>> Even if it means taking on California's governor.

Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org and click on "Life and Times".

Val>> If you're retired or a senior over sixty-five, what is the best country in the world to live in? Well, that's the question that AARP Magazine asked when it surveyed sixteen industrialized countries. There was a clear winner and it was not the United States. So, Steve, tell us about this survey that AARP did looking at all sorts of issues that affect the elderly in sixteen different countries.

Steven Slon>> Well, yes, it was a big study. It was over a year in the making and we came up with a chart analyzing the sixteen countries on different measures and the winner of our listing is the Netherlands.

Val>> And the United States ranked pretty low. Thirteen out of sixteen?

Steven Slon>> Yes, that's true. But really our goal was not to say who's the best. Our goal was to say let's look at the best practices around the world and let's look at whether the United States could learn from some of these things and take some of these ideas and put them into our system.

Val>> At the same time, we don't want to say the United States is horrible in all respects. We do have a lot of positive things.

Steven Slon>> No, no. I mean, there are many ways that these countries outperform the United States in obvious ways that people know. But there are many ways that the United States scored very highly in our report. The first one is mandatory retirement. There's no mandatory retirement age in the United States. All these other countries allow companies to force you out whenever they want.

Val>> Force you out based on age, not ability.

Steven Slon>> Right. They also have age discrimination laws in the United States which they don't have anywhere else in any of these countries. It's just not part of the way they do things. So what we're really looking at is a big choice between the relative freedom of the United States method which includes the freedom to fail, unfortunately, and the freedom for the poor to, you know, get in trouble. But it also includes the freedom to succeed. Whereas the comparison is that, in many of these countries, you have the cradle-to-grave support that they're so famous for and, you know, there's great security.

Val>> At the same time, the United States ranked fairly low in certain categories. One was, for example, economic inequalities, especially acute here, spending on social programs less than the others and, of course, healthcare, the cost of drugs.

Steven Slon>> Right. All the other countries that we looked at, all the developed European countries, have universal healthcare. That is, everybody is covered. There's a whole different system there where the government exerts strict control on medicine, the cost of medicine, the cost of hospitalization, the salaries paid to doctors. It's all under government control. It's much less expensive than it is here and it's not any worse. That is to say, for less money, they get the exact same treatment, if not better.

Now there are tradeoffs there too, namely the waiting time. You know, here we value the fact that, if we need a hip replacement, we can get to the hospital tomorrow to do it. We pay a lot for it, but we can do it. In some of the Scandinavian countries where they'll get it for free, but, you know, they may be waiting an awful long time, like a year and a half or two years.

Val>> Of course, as you mentioned, the tax burden in the Netherlands and Sweden is huge compared to the United States. They're used to paying more than fifty percent of their income to the government.

Steven Slon>> Right. It's a tremendous number. And on top of that, they pay a value-added tax which is sort of similar to our sales tax on everything they buy, including a car, in some cases up to twenty-five percent. In Sweden, twenty-five percent. Now one of the other things we found that was interesting was, when we asked people there how they felt about taxes, they were very cheerful and they said, "Oh, sure, yes, we have to do this because we have to take care of our fellow citizens." There's a sense of community that you don't see quite the same here. Again, not that that's a bad thing. We have our rugged individualism. They have the sense of all for one together.

Val>> But they're more ethnically homogenized and culturally homogenized?

Steven Slon>> That's true. It's a more natural fit, whereas the United States, being a melting pot, we have different groups and divisions and there is some resentment. You know, my money is going to that group. Whereas, in Finland or Sweden, the money is all going to practically your own family. Let's face it.

Val>> Other countries, though, in general have a much better pension system as you retire.

Steven Slon>> Yes. In most of the countries we looked at, there are two kinds of pensions. There's your private pension, your company pension, and the government pension, which is like our social security. In most countries, both of those were worlds apart from what we have. The government pension, the social security there, is not based on how much you earned or even whether you worked or not. If you simply lived in the Netherlands for fifty years, you get a pension.

Val>> It's the residence alone that will entitle you to a pension?

Steven Slon>> Just living there. That's it. You get a pension. And all companies are required to give a pension. Now here, you read in the papers that pensions are being tossed out as companies come under stress or they're reducing the benefits or they're changing the benefits. There, they must have pensions and the better kind of pension so that, if somebody had a job, they've got the government pension and they've got the company pension. They live a nice life and they're forced to retire in, say, their late fifties. That's not so bad, if you ask me (laughter). It's a pretty good deal.

Val>> So does this mean, as I get older, I should think about getting my passport and heading off to Sweden or Australia or the Netherlands?

Steven Slon>> Well, no. I wouldn't recommend packing your bags any too soon because, frankly, seriously, they don't look too kindly on people moving in, you know, at a late age and trying to claim residency. You can't do it. You have to be a resident for many years to get these pensions and these benefits.

However, I also want to just point out that it's important to know that, you know, this study wasn't done to show people where to go. It's really to look at the best practices around the globe and to look at what we could take. Even if we can't take all of these things, we can take parts of some of them and maybe it would be feasible to improve our system.

Val>> If we're willing to put up with a lot more taxes.

Steven Slon>> More taxes, that's true. Possibly more waiting for medical services.

Val>> Steve Slon, editor of AARP Magazine, thank you very much for putting a little perspective on the United States.

Steven Slon>> Well, thank you for having me, Val.

To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address:

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Val>> You may never have heard of the next place we're taking you to. It's Leona Valley, about an hour north of Los Angeles. It's a small town with a huge love of horses and, when the annual girl's equestrian competition comes along, it takes over the hearts, the horses and the hair of every cowgirl in town. Cris Franco went there to see it for himself.

Cris Franco>> Howdy, partners. Giddy up and, who, are these jeans tight. Hey, why am I dressed like Woody from "A Toy Story"? Because I'm seventy miles north of the citified concrete jungle of Los Angeles, here at the Miss Leona Valley Gymkhana Queen Pageant, Second Annual. Hey, what's a Gymkhana? Well, I'll show you.

[Film Clip]

Cris Franco>> A Gymkhana is timed horse-riding events such as barrel racing where the fastest rider wins and, like a rodeo, it deals strictly with equestrian art. Yep, that's right. It's way back in 2003. The residents of Leona Valley who only number about 2003 get together right here at their community center to put on an all-girls riding, speech and equestrian knowledge competition that they call their Gymkhana Pageant. The whole town gets involved, offering their support to this year's eight formidable contestants who all have big dreams and big hair.

Ten year old Christina Foust and eleven year old Carley Hayden are vying for the title of Little Miss. Competing in the Junior Miss category are thirteen year old Lauren Aguilar, fourteen year old Justine Nichols and eleven year old twins Alicia and Olivia Eaves. In the Miss category are fifteen year old Robin Barrager and sixteen year old Julianne Fettinger, and they've got some big cowgirl boots to fill, literally.

Because Leona Valley is rapidly earning a reputation as one of California's premier producers of award-winning horsewomen like hometown champions, Jenny McDermott, Miss Rodeo 2001; Tanya Williams, Miss Rodeo Lancaster 1996, and Brandi DeYoung, Miss Rodeo America 2000. Event founders, Tom and Judy Brundage, and Nancy and Mike Pohlig, theorize as to why this small town is producing such big talent.

Tom Brundage>> I think one of the things is just the way of life we have here. The rural atmosphere and the horses are a big part of our life. It kind of encourages them to ride and be better at it.

Cris Franco>> Do you all agree that it's just something about the beauty of the valley that might inspire the girls?

Mike Pohlig>> That's a lot to do with it and you can tell by looking around that we're lucky enough to have the room for horses. A lot of communities don't have that opportunity, so we take advantage of it.

Cris Franco>> Yeah, a horse wouldn't fit in my carport (laughter). Following the early-morning personal interviews with judges, the girls gave rousing speeches. Lauren Aguilar acknowledged the townsfolk who helped save the life of her best friend, her horse, who had nearly died of colic just one week prior.

Lauren Aguilar>> "I also have to give a huge thanks to my dad. He slept in the dirt with my horse and also paid those outrageous Vet bills."

Cris Franco>> And Julianne Fettinger's speech was uplifting. And one thing was clear. This is a proud community who loves its girls and is crazy about horses. Now the whole family gets behind a horse, right? It's not like a cat or a dog. What are some of the things you all have to do to keep the horses happy in your lives?

Nancy Pohlig>> The horses pretty much run our life (laughter), much more than a regular pet.

Cris Franco>> Big puppy, very big puppy.

Nancy Pohlig>> They're really part of the family.

Cris Franco>> These folks love their country lifestyle and had a variety of reasons as to why they feel that this Gymkhana is very positive for the contestants. The outgoing Queen, Kate Pohlig.

Kate Pohlig>> It's been a great confidence builder and a trust builder between my horse and I as well as other people and sportsmanship altogether.

>> It gives them a good respect for nature and animals which, in turn, will make people have respect for animals and more respect for people around them.

Cris Franco>> It's better than them being, you know, stuck in front of a computer or a Gameboy, don't you think?

John Eaves>> Exactly, and chasing boys too. I like this substitute much better (laughter).

Tom Brundage>> As you saw today, with the opportunity for these young girls to give speeches in front of, you know, a fairly large crowd at this young age helps their public speaking.

Cris Franco>> And about public speaking, it's very good to learn about speaking in public, okay? (laughter). How good are the young ladies in this year's Gymkhana?

>> Excellent.

Cris Franco>> After the Star Spangled Banner --

[Film Clip]

Cris Franco>> The riding began and the girls were excellent.

[Film Clip]

Cris Franco>> Tonight the Leona Valley Community Center is packed with anxious friends and family and what is known as visiting royalties. Those are girls who won local Gymkhanas and rodeos and are here to support their sisters of the saddle. It's coronation time. The outgoing royalty shed a tear and another almost dropped a trophy, but in the end, Christina Foust was crowned Little Miss, Lauren Aguilar won the title of Junior Miss, and Robin Barrager is the new Miss Leona Valley Gymkhana Queen. Although only three girls were crowned tonight, I think you would agree that they're all winners.

>> Today is not about winning. It's about having fun and meeting new girls and really getting to know everyone around the community and this is one of the best communities I've been through.

Cris Franco>> And they're carrying on the great tradition of this pastoral valley whose town spirit and sheer beauty seem to inspire young girls to think perhaps I could be a Gymkhana Queen.

[Film Clip}

Cris Franco>> Is that the wave? Teach me the wave. So if the horse is like this, you're waving? No? So, like this? So all I need is the horse and I can be a Gymkhana Queen.

Val>> This year's annual Leona Valley Gymkhana is over, but it happens every October, so mark your calendars for next year. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.

Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of 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 by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg.

Val>> Next time on Life and Times --

As the war in Iraq intensifies, military recruiters are scouring southland high schools, but it's a tough sell.

>> Even though I knew that the Marines were a combat fighting force and that one day I might have to go to war, I don't think I was mature enough to understand what war actually was. I mean, actually having to shoot somebody, actually getting shot at.

Val>> That's next time on Life and Times.