San Francisco Considering Slavery Reparations

1. Slavery in the United States ended over 150 years ago.
2. Nobody alive today in the U.S. was ever a slave.
3. California was never a slave state.
4. Nobody alive today in the U.S. ever owned slaves.

Yet radical leftist politicians in San Francisco want to use taxpayer money to pay "reparations" to qualified blacks for slavery. This loony idea would be a total gross misuse of taxpayer funds, to put it mildly.

From Fox News:

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is meeting Tuesday to review a proposal to dole out $5 million each to qualifying Black residents in reparations as a way to make amends for slavery.

At the board meeting, the city's African American Reparations Advisory Committee will present the controversial idea, along with dozens of other recommendations from its draft reparations plan released in December.

The other recommendations range from offering grants to buy and maintain homes to exempting Black businesses from paying taxes. But the $5 million lump-sum payment has garnered the most attention — and controversy.

The Board of Supervisors can vote to adopt all, none or some of the committee's recommendations and even change them. Tuesday's hearing was originally scheduled for last month but was postponed.

To read more, go here. 

Remembering Noel Neill

Above, a "Superman Week" group shot with Noel Neill (in the Superman shirt) with yours
 truly standing behind her in July 2001. Photo courtesy of Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

Actress Noel Neill (1920 - 2016) has the sole distinction of playing Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane to two different actors playing the Man of Steel, Kirk Alyn and George Reeves. I first met her in July 2001 when we held the "Superman Week" ceremony with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors celebrating 50 years of television's Adventures of Superman.

Do You Remember has an article on Neill that remembers her contributions to the live-action Superman mythos. 

It begins with:

Actress Noel Neill, who was born on November 25, 1920, and would have been celebrating her 103rd birthday this year, holds a unique place in the history of Superman: she is the only actress to have played reporter Lois Lane opposite two different actors portraying the Man of Steel, Kirk Alyn and George Reeves.

A successful model in her teens, she was reportedly the second most popular pin-up girl for soldiers in World War II, right behind Betty Grable. She spent a number of years starring in B-features for Monogram Pictures. In 1945 producer Sam Katzman cast her in his series of “Teen Agers” musical comedies as aggressive high school newspaper reporter Betty Rogers. As such, she’d already proven herself to Katzman when he decided to turn the comic book superhero Superman into the star of a pair of movie serials — the weekly chapter plays that fans would go to the theatres to check out each Saturday — Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950) and needed someone to play reporter Lois Lane.

Above, the Noel Neill "Lois Lane" statue in Metropolis, Illinois. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

Jack Larson's 95th Birthday

Above, Jack Larson and George Reeves.

Today would have been the 95th birthday of Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olsen in the Adventures of Superman television show of the 1950s. 

He was born on February 8, 1928 in Los Angeles. He passed away on September 20, 2015.

It is interesting to me that he was a few months older than my dad, who passed away in 1999. He, too, would have turned 95 this year. 

Above, Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Jack Larson at the "Superman Week"
ceremony on July 10, 2001. Photo courtesy of the office of Supervisor Antonovich.

The last time I saw Jack Larson was on August 16, 2014 at the Adventures of Superman plaque dedication in Tarzana, California and the luncheon that followed in Studio City. He seemed in good health for his age that day.

The Los Angeles Daily News published an article on the plaque dedication and Larson and I wound up in an accompanying photo in the print edition (below).

Happy 95th birthday, Jack!

Alameda County's Piecemeal Ban On Rodeos

The Looney Left Report

A new ordinance proposal has been introduced in California's Alameda County Board of Supervisors which will effectively ban rodeos in the county. It's the old "frog in boiling water" method.

Rodeos are the last remaining all-American sport. They are as American as apple pie. That's why the Left is going after them in Commiefornia!

The following page of the proposal was passed on to me by a friend. I did a search and found nothing in the news.

But, a general search found that some rodeo events, such as kids' sheep riding, have already been banned in the county.

Here the page:

To see the full proposed ordinance, go here.

Los Angeles's Café Pinot Now Closed

Above, the Superman Week luncheon. Photo by The Adventures Continue.

It had been a while since I last thought of Café Pinot in downtown Los Angeles next to the L.A. Central Library.

Following the "Superman Week" ceremony at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in July 2001, we migrated over to Café Pinot for a luncheon. I was in charge of getting the events organized and had searched for a suitable venue for the lunch. After some checking around, I settled on Café Pinot.

Above, Paul Levitz and Joanne Siegal at the luncheon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Attendees from the Adventures of Superman included Jack Larson, Noel Neill, Robert Rockwell and Mrs. Robert (Betty) Shayne and daughter Stephanie. Also attending was Paul Levitz, who was then vice president of DC Comics and Joanne Siegal, widow of Superman creator Jerome Siegel and her daughter Laura. I remember the food was quite good.

I did a Google search a little bit ago and found that Cafe Pinot closed for good in April 2019. 

According to the Los Angeles Times:

Café Pinot, Joachim Splichal’s California-French restaurant next to the Los Angeles Central Library, is closing after nearly a quarter century. Its last day of service is Friday.

“Twenty-five years is a long time, but we’re evolving,” David Stork, Patina’s vice president of operations, said Thursday as the patio lunch crowd dissipated on a beautiful spring day. “It’s been a great run.”

Splichal opened Café Pinot in early 1995 with chef Octavio Becerra and a menu that channeled market produce and bistro favorites for the downtown and nearby theater and museum crowds.

Above, Noel Neill at Café Pinot.* Photo by Armand Vaquer. 

During the luncheon, I was fretting about collecting the money for each person's lunch, but Paul Levitz caught everyone by surprise by picking up the tab for the whole luncheon. Great guy! 

The luncheon was an enjoyable and relaxed affair and attendees to this day remember it fondly.

To read more, go here.

*The above photo of Noel Neill (and the back of Jack Larson's head) has never been published/posted before. I just scanned it and added it to the blog post.

New Mexico Quietly Bans Gun Shows From State-Owned Property

Above, the Gallup Gun Show at the Gallup Community Center. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

About 22 years ago, I joined in the battle against the liberal majority on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors who wanted to ban gun shows on county-owned property such as the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona (known as the Fairplex).

Unfortunately, we were unable to defeat the ordinance and after it passed, it killed the Great Western Gun Show.

Now, the state of New Mexico is pulling the same stunt in banning gun shows on state-owned property.

From Bearing Arms:

Two years ago, the Democrats in control of the state legislature and governor’s mansion in New Mexico rammed through a universal background check bill over the objections of most of the state’s county sheriffs and tens of thousands of law-abiding gun owners, but the anti-gun politicians haven’t stopped there. Last year they imposed a red-flag law on the state, and now it appears that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has set her sights on gun shows.

According to NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, the New Mexico Gun Collectors Association and the Rocky Mountain Gun Shows have both been told that upcoming shows scheduled to take place at EXPO New Mexico at the State Fairgrounds in Albuquerque have been cancelled because the state is no longer allowing gun shows to take place on state-owned property; a decision that was apparently made without any public input or knowledge. 

EXPO New Mexico is a state agency that, according to its website, works closely with the State Fair Commission to carry out day-to-day operations and host and produce events at the facility.  Governor Lujan Grisham appointed all seven members of the State Fair Commission back in September of 2019.  From the Commission’s website, it appears that the last time the Commission gave notice about a meeting, when it actually met, and the last meeting for which minutes are available, was January of 2020.  Nothing in those minutes mentions EXPO staff or the Commission taking action to end gun shows at the State Fairgrounds.  Further, the New Mexico Legislature has not adopted legislation prohibiting such events on state property.  So where does this sudden misguided policy change come from?

All signs point to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.  Not to be outdone by her Left Coast recall colleague Gavin Newsom and anti-gun extremist lawmakers in the California Legislature who are considering a similar ban, she appears to have wildly wielded her executive power to use a state agency to target gun owners and throw a pre-election year bone to radical gun control activists.  This is in spite of the fact that just two years ago, she signed into law NRA-opposed Senate Bill 8, the so-called “universal background check” bill, which supposedly closed the non-existent “gun show loophole” and required criminal records checks on private firearms sales at such events.

If other shows are allowed on state-owned property, it would seem to be a violation of the equal protection clause of the Constitution to have gun shows targeted for banning, especially since guns are protected in the Constitution and are legal products. Hopefully, there are some pro-Second Amendment attorneys around who are willing to fight this.

To read more, go here.

20th Anniversary of "Superman Week"

Above, a copy of the "Superman Week" scroll. The original is at DC Comics. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When one gets older, it is said that time seems to accelerate.

That certainly seems to be the case with the following.

Jim Nolt, of The Adventures Continue group page on Facebook, posted the following this morning:

July 10, 2001: The "Adventures of Superman" turned fifty years old, and "Superman Week" was proclaimed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. On hand for the ceremony were Jeff Corey, Robert Rockwell, Joanna Siegel, Noel Neill, Jack Larson, Bette Shayne, Michael Walbrecht (VP of Warner Bros. Studios), and Paul Levitz (VP of DC Comics). A luncheon was held after the ceremony at the Cafe Pinot in Los Angeles. Arrangements with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors were made by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a group shot with a painting of George Reeves. Photo courtesy of the office of Michael Antonovich.

Yeesh! Twenty years ago today! Also in attendance were Laura Siegel Larson, daughter of Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel and Stephanie Shayne, daughter of Bob Shayne (Inspector Henderson). Many Adventures of Superman fans filled the auditorium where the ceremony took place.

Above, Noel Neill and yours truly at the Kenneth Hahn
Hall of Administration in Los Angeles on July 10, 2001.

Thanks to the office of then-Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, we were able to hold the "Superman Week" celebration. All participants received a photocopy of the proclamation scroll.

"Godzilla 2000 Millennium" Japanese Poster

This Japanese one-sheet poster for Godzilla 2000 Millennium was given to me from Toho Co., Ltd. (L.A. Gen. Manager Masaharu Ina) at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting where "Godzilla Week" was proclaimed in July 2000.

"Godzilla 2000" Released In The U.S. 20 Years Ago

Above, the U.S. poster for Godzilla 2000.

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. theatrical release of Godzilla 2000 (the U.S. title for Japan's Godzilla 2000 Millennium) that was produced by Toho Pictures in 1999.

This was the first theatrical wide release of a Japanese Godzilla movie since Godzilla 1985. The event (along with the opening of G-FEST 2000 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel) was celebrated at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors when they proclaimed "Godzilla Week".

Above, the "Godzilla Week" proclamation scroll by the Los
Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Godzilla 2000 would never have been produced had Tri-Star's Godzilla (1998) been a critical and a better box office success. It was so badly derided that G-fan Richard Pusateri's nickname of G.I.N.O. (Godzilla In Name Only) stuck to the monster, even to this day.

Unfortunately, Godzilla 2000 only made about $10 million at the U.S. box office thanks to a botched marketing campaign by Sony/Tri-Star. The U.S. edit actually improved the Japanese original.

CBR.com takes a look at how Tri-Star's failure "kickstarted" the Toho Godzilla "Millennium Series" of movies.

They begin it with:

This month marks the 20th anniversary for the American theatrical release of Godzilla 2000, the film that kickstarted the Millennium era for Toho Studios' iconic monster franchise. The most short-lived and quirkiest era to redefine the eponymous kaiju for a new generation, Godzilla 2000 not only marked the first Japanese produced film in the franchise after a four-year hiatus by Toho but also served as an immediate rebuttal to Hollywood first attempt to reimagine the monster for the American audience from the ground up. What resulted was a film series that took Godzilla to the strangest places in his on-screen history to date, concluding with an explosive confrontation between the classic kaiju and his maligned, American counterpart.

One prized possession I have for Godzilla 2000 is a theatrical 35 mm film trailer produced by Tri-Star. It was played at G-FEST in 2008 before the screening of Godzilla Final Wars. It resides in my refrigerator. Below is the trailer on YouTube.




If you can't take the heat...RUN!

To read the full article, go here. 

Stop the Renaming of John Wayne Airport

Above, John Wayne in The Searchers.

A petition has been started at Change.org asking the Orange County Board of Supervisors to keep the name, John Wayne Airport.

The petition reads:

The Orange County Board of Supervisors is considering renaming the John Wayne Airport and removing all likeness (Statues) of John Wayne at the airport, Due to remarks he made 50 years ago. 

John Wayne lived in Southern California for many years. He attended the University of Southern California where he studied law and played football. 

John Wayne had an incredibly successful entertainment career. He earned one Academy Award for best actor and was nominated three additional times and earned two  Golden Globe Awards for best actor. He lived in Newport Beach, California for several years until his death in 1979.   

His life was filled with success and honors. He earned the Congressional Gold Medal in 1979 which is given to citizens who make tremendous contributions to society and requires 2/3 Congressional approval, 1980 Presidential Medal of Freedom (posthumously by Democrat President Jimmie Carter) and in 1998 was awarded the Naval Heritage Award for his tremendous support of the US Navy during his entertainment career. \ 

John Wayne is so revered and appreciated he has an airport named after him, the Pioneer Trail in Washington named after him, John Wayne Parkway in Maricopa, Arizona and part of highway 347 in Arizona honors his name.    

Please join me in stopping this ridiculous, cancel culture move on behalf of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Block them from removing John Wayne’s name and removing his statue from the John Wayne airport.  

Call,email, text and tweet the Orange County Board of Supervisors let them know how you feel about this idiocy.. Flood their social media and emails. Lisa A Blartlett is the 5th District Supervisor.  Let her know how you feel.  They need to know they serve the people NOT special interest cancel culture idiots !!!   

This petition got 20,000 signatures in ONE day and counting,, amazing !! Please reach out to any media connections you have.  OAN, FOX, OC Register and LA Times would be outstanding.  Out of the 50,000 supporters there has to be someone with connections. If we can get a major news personality to run this petition on their show we could hit a million and put huge pressure on the OC Board of Supervisors.  Marisa Wayne, The Duke’s daughter, has it on her tweeter.   

To sign the petition, go here.

Letter Supporting Keeping John Wayne Airport Name

Above, John Wayne and Geraldine Page in Hondo (1953). 

The debate over John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California rages on.

The latest is a letter from Mission Viejo City Council Member Greg Raths to Michelle Steel, Chairwoman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Here's the letter (I think he meant to say "Marine" Corps Officer, not "Maine" Corps Officer):

NRA Suing City and County of San Francisco

Recently, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (i.e., Board of Lunatics) passed a resolution declaring that the National Rifle Association is a "domestic terrorist organization". By extension, that means that every member of the NRA is a "terrorist". I am a NRA member.

Now, the NRA is fighting back. They have filed a lawsuit against the city and county of San Francisco. And, they released a video, "I am not a terrorist."

SFGate reported:

The National Rifle Association is suing the city and county of San Francisco and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for declaring it a domestic terrorist organization earlier this month through a resolution passed by the board. 

In the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, the NRA claims that SF and the Board of Supervisors "adopted a new government policy: blacklist anyone linked to the NRA." They are claiming that the resolution violates the organization's first and fourteenth amendment rights. 

The NRA called the resolution "obviously unconstitutional" before comparing it moves by the state of New York and city of Los Angeles they said were similar to SF's. 

"Regrettably, this Court, too must step in to instruct elected officials that freedom of speech means you cannot silence or punish those with whom you disagree," the NRA urged before going on to mention its millions of members, some of whom they say "have risked everything to protect Americans from terrorism." 

"Therefore, the Resolution's 'terrorist' designation is a frivolous insult—but San Francisco's actions pose a non-frivolous constitutional threat," the NRA said. 

"In the face of recent, similar blacklisting schemes, financial institutions have expressed reluctance to provide bank accounts for disfavored political groups, and city contractors fear losing their livelihoods if they support or even work with the NRA."

Meanwhile, NRA members are speaking out:




To read more, go here.

San Francisco Liberals: "Felons" Become "Justice-Involved Persons"

The Looney Left Report

The inmates are running the asylum in San Francisco.

Liberals on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors have voted to sugarcoat and rename lawbreakers. Naturally, instead of cleaning up the city streets and sidewalks of hypodermic needles and human feces, they concentrated their attention on this. No wonder the place is a sh*thole.

The Political Insider reported:

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has decided the best way to combat rising crime and integrate criminals back into society is to rebrand them. 

The Board, consisting exclusively of Democrats, voted to adopt a new set of “person first” language guidelines that would sugarcoat terms used to describe criminals according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Sure the city is suffering from one of the highest crime rates in the country, but in the mind of the politically correct left, the important thing is to soften language applying to offenders. 

As such, the new guidelines dictate that somebody formerly labeled as a ‘convicted felon’ will henceforth be referred to as a “formerly incarcerated person,” a “justice-involved” person or simply a “returning resident.”

Really, you can't make this stuff up! Boy, not a day goes by when I thank my lucky stars that I moved out of Commiefornia!

To read more, go here. 

Godzilla 65 Years

Above, the "Godzilla Month" proclamation scroll from the L.A. County Board of
Supervisors celebrating Godzilla's 50th Anniversary. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In many respects, it doesn't seem that long ago that we gathered in Hollywood to celebrate Godzilla's induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Godzilla Final Wars float in the Hollywood Christmas Parade, the premiere of Godzilla Final Wars at Grauman's Chinese Theater and, especially, the 50th anniversary of Godzilla. But it has been almost 15 years since all that!

Above, the Godzilla mural at Toho Studios. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now, with Godzilla: King of the Monsters by Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. set to open late next month, we're now celebrating 65 years of Godzilla. Nothing like being reminded of my age since I was also born in 1954.

Daikaiju TV has come up with a cool video celebrating Godzilla's 65 years of destruction. To see it, go here.

Noel Neill's 98th Birthday

Above, Noel and yours truly in July 2001 at the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

Today marks what would have been Noel Neill's 98th birthday. Unfortunately, she passed away two years ago.

But we are lucky to still enjoy her work in film.

Above, George Reeves, Noel Neill and Gene LeBell in 1957.

She and I had a lengthy discussion (via email) around 2002 on the state of the U.S. education system and we were very much in sync on its problems. Someday, I'll find those emails and post them. She was one bright lady.

It was a privilege to know her.

L.A. County Board of Supervisors Scrolls

Above, three L.A. County scrolls (copies) of events honoring pop culture figures. I worked with the office of
 then-Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich for the honors and presentation ceremonies for each. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Finally, I've mounted the copies of three scrolls honoring people and characters in our modern day pop culture on one wall.

Thanks to (former) Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and his colleagues, the scrolls honored the following:

From left, Godzilla Week (July 10 - 16, 2000) for the first Godzilla movie, Godzilla 2000, to receive a major U.S. theatrical release since 1985 and the opening of G-FEST 2000 in Hollywood; Superman Week (July 10 -16, 2001) for the 50th anniversary of the Adventures of Superman; and Godzilla Month (November 2004), for the 50th anniversary of Godzilla.

The original Godzilla scrolls were presented to Toho Co., Ltd. and the original Superman scroll is was presented to DC Comics. 

Thank You, Mike Antonovich!

Above, "Godzilla Week" declared in 2000.

Godzilla and Superman fans owe a debt of gratitude to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for "Godzilla Week" in 2000, "Adventures of Superman Week" in 2001 and "Godzilla Month" in 2004.

One supervisor in particular was the spearhead of those resolutions. That was Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. It was through his sponsorship that those resolutions passed the full Board.

Above, "Adventures of Superman Week" in 2001. Photo courtesy of Michael D. Antonovich.

Antonovich, 77, was term-limited out of the Board this past week. He ran for the California State Senate during the last election, but lost. It will be interesting to see what he will do now.

He had been a member of the California State Assembly and Chairman of the California Republican Party (back when there was a Republican Party in California) before becoming a County Supervisor.

Thank you, Mike Antonovich!

To read more, go here.

"Godzilla Week" Has A Familiar Ring To It

We are seven days away from opening day of Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. Godzilla.

To commemorate the event, they are planning a week-long series of promotions. They are calling these seven days "Godzilla Week."  Sounds catchy...and very familiar.

According to Cosmic Book News:

All week long Legendary will celebrate Godzilla, and they have also announced a collaboration with some of the biggest YouTube creators featuring original Godzilla content.

From Legendary Pictures:

To herald the long-awaited arrival of Godzilla, we are excited to officially kick-off Godzilla Week, a 7-day celebration that will feature a wide range of exclusive videos and coverage from all across the world, celebrating the one and only King of the Monsters. The wait is almost over.

For more, go to Cosmic Book News.

As I mentioned at the beginning, "Godzilla Week" sounds catch and very familiar. Here's why:

Above, the "Godzilla Week" scroll from 2000. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

"Godzilla Week" was declared by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in July 2000. I helped to organize it with the office of Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

July 2000 "Godzilla Week" Photo Surfaces

Above, gathering in the Hall of Administration before the "Godzilla Week" ceremony are (left to right)
Armand Vaquer, Masaharu Ina of Toho L.A., Andrew Wong and J. D. Lees.  Photo courtesy of Andrew Wong.

Back in July 2000, the second G-Fest in Southern California was about to be held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.  A month later, Godzilla 2000, the first Japanese Godzilla movie to be released nationwide in theaters since Godzilla 1985.

To garner some publicity for both, the idea was to have the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declare the week of G-Fest "Godzilla Week." Toho Co., Ltd. was enthusiastic over this idea and even shipped over (at their expense) a Godzilla 2000 event suit for the ceremony to be held at the Hall of Administration.

Unfortunately, Jaime Geller, a publicist at Sony Entertainment, horned in and thinking she knew better than anyone about what constitutes good publicity, nixed the appearance of the event suit saying it was too small and, "It detracts from the grandeur of Godzilla." (Sony had the U.S. theatrical rights to Godzilla 2000, which included publicity.) Once fans heard the news of the cancellation of the event suit, the "fit hit the shan." Geller received many angry messages from irate fans.

The ceremony went ahead anyway without the event suit and, as a result of Sony's dumb move, no publicity was generated. But, at least Toho got a nice scroll (below) out of it and it hangs somewhere at Toho in Japan.

What prompted this post was the above photograph that, until tonight, I didn't know existed. It was sent to me by Andrew Wong.  Thanks, Andrew!

Check out Andrew's GForever website.