KREKORIAN TACKLES IDENTITY THEFT
Glendale News Press
March 28 2008
CA
Assemblyman Paul Krekorian will host a workshop in Burbank designed
to educate constituents on how to protect against identity theft.
"Identity theft is one of our fastest-growing crimes," Krekorian
said. "Unfortunately it is likely that many of us know someone who
has been victimized. Identity protection begins with informed, aware
consumers and these workshops will explain how to reduce vulnerability
to theft and what to do if you become a victim."
The workshop is slated for 7 to 8:30 p.m. on April 17 at the Buena
Vista Library meeting room at 300 N. Buena Vista St., Burbank.
"I urge all to attend and learn how to fight the potentially ruinous
effects of identity theft," Krekorian said. "Local law enforcement,
state and county identity-theft specialists, will explain how to
avoid being a victim, how fraud happens, some of the various scams
now in use and what to do if you are victimized."
The Burbank event will be co-hosted by the Burbank Police Department
and the California Office of Privacy Protection. advertisement
"I very much hope that as many people as possible will take advantage
of these timely and important workshops," Krekorian said.
For more information, call Krekorian’s Glendale district office at
(818) 240-6330.
Committee passes anti-predator bill
The Assembly Public Safety Committee on Thursday passed a bill authored
by Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, a Republican whose district includes
La Crescenta, that would make posting a minor’s photo on pornographic
websites a crime.
The legislation came in response to reported incidents of adult men
secretly taking photos of teenage water polo players at an Orange
County high school then juxtaposing the images with gay pornographic
content on adult websites, Smyth said.
"As a former athlete and as a parent of two young boys I found it
appalling not only that this activity was happening, but there was no
legal recourse for the parents," Smyth said. "There is no protection
for these minors whose images were placed on these pornographic
websites next to very hard-core images and it’s also a safety issue
because the athlete is easily identified and the school logo or school
name can be seen on their [uniform]."
Smyth said the sites involved in the Orange County case included
graphic viewer comments about the boys in the photos.
The pending legislation would criminalize the preparation and
publication of an image of a minor without the minor’s knowledge or
consent, on an adult Internet website. Such acts would be punishable
by imprisonment in county jail for up to one year, or by a fine of
no more than $5,000, or both.
The bill’s current movement through the Legislature could be setting
the table for lively debate centered on free speech, Internet freedom
rights and privacy law.
"There are constitutional hurdles we have to get over because you’re
dealing with images and technically the kids are not nude," Smyth
said. "They’re not child pornographic images, so we’re trying to be
very specific and surgical in our approach so that we get the intended
benefit without and any ancillary impacts on legitimate photographers
or businesses."
But Smyth said the bill’s seemingly widespread bipartisan support –
it passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee unanimously – is a
promising sign.
"The Republicans and Democrats alike on the committee recognized the
importance of this and passed it out unanimously while we still try
to work out the constitutional issues," he said. "This bill’s just
an example of what the public expects from its legislators: To put
aside partisanship to take action to try to protect our kids, so I
was very encouraged."
The bill’s next test will come in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, where its likely to be scheduled for a hearing in April
or May, Smyth said.
Sherman rebuts McCain speech
When Sen. John McCain rolled through Southern California last week,
the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican party spoke
to military families in Chula Vista on Monday, at a round table with
Latino business people in Orange County Tuesday and to the Los Angeles
World Affairs Council Wednesday.
On Thursday, Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman, whose district includes
a portion of Burbank, rebutted many of the claims McCain made during
his talk to the world affairs council.
"I took aim at his idea that Iraq is the central front in the war
on terror," he said. "The reason for that, McCain is saying, is that
[Osama] Bin Laden says it is. Bin Laden may be lying."
McCain also stressed the need for American troops to stay in Iraq.
"The national security argument is that the terrorists have a place to
plot against us," Sherman said. "What kind of enormous national ego
do we have? The [Sept. 11, 2001] attack was plotted in an apartment
in Hamburg. To say we need to stay in Iraq is absurd."
The Arizona senator also expressed his support for extending
America’s free trade agreements throughout South America, saying,
"Ours can be the first completely democratic hemisphere, where trade
is free across all borders, where the rule of law and the power of
free markets advance the security and prosperity of all."
For Sherman, the chair of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism and
Nonproliferation, McCain’s comments represented an example of how the
Republican would continue what he believes to be the failed policies
of the past.
"Usually when you have a failure, you look the other way but you take
our five-year experience in Iraq and of [the North American Free Trade
Agreement], which can be considered a failure, he is continuing failed
policies," he said.
Sherman has endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton and plans to campaign for
her in Pennsylvania before that states April 22 Democratic primary.