Bradley demands a change; says city needs active mayor
By Bettye Welles
associate editor
Los Angeles residents need a mayor who will be their advocate if they are to effectively deal with the myriad of crises facing the city today, Councilman Tom Bradley, a candidate in the Los Angeles mayoral race, said yesterday.
Citing examples of air and water pollution, violence in the schools, and the lack of a mass rapid transit system, Bradley told the nearcapacity crowd in Hancock Auditorium that the prestige of the mayor’s office should be used to improve the quality of life for residents of the city.
“Los Angeles needs a mayor with
the commitment and the experience to adequately deal with the problems and the skills to get the job done,” he said.
Bradley, a Los Angeles policeman for 21 years and a city councilman since 1963, was highly critical of the inaction of Mayor Sam Yarty. Some of his remarks moved the crowd to laughter, but his comments were sharp and earnest.
“We’ve been fed a myth that the mayor hasthepowertomakeappoint-ments to important commissions, the city.” Bradley explained that the mayor has the power to make appointments to important commissions, has some control over the budget, and has the power to investigate.
Charging that Yorty has “run from his responsibilities” as mayor, Bradley said that Yorty could have held hearings on the problems ofthe mass rapid transit system, harbor pollution, the questionable drilling operation at Pacific Palisades, and the problems of school violence.
“Violence in the schools is one of the most frightening issues that faces this city,” he said. Bradley’s concern with that issue led to several proposals last December to sharply curtail the growing problem.
The proposals included a system to warn school administrators when potentially dangerous situations are developing; an ad hoc committee on school violence composed of representatives from a variety of agencies and the community; urging Congressional legislation to assure greater professionalism and expansion of school security forces.
Active community participation including community patrols to help curb crime and violence in the
streets and in the schools was also proposed.
Bradley’s concern over the lack of a mass rapid transit was made apparent in his system response to a question about the feasibility of a recent proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency to ration gasoline in California.
“It’s a ridiculous plan to reduce driving (in Los Angeles) by 82*7e,” he said. “We re tied to the automobile because we don’t have a mass transportation system.”
Bradley, who was responsible for the development of the downtown mini-bus system, said that the automobile and oil industries should be told instead to produce pollution-free vehicles and fuels.
Bradley has also been active in proposals to “down-zone,” or limit, the expansion and growth of Los Angeles.
“We have to plan ahead*. We can't provide the resources of clean air and water, and electricity to serve 10 million people,” he warned.
Aging convocation ends with ideas for better retirement
By Frank O’Donnell
The old people came.
And listened.
All week the Greyhound buses roared in with them—550 in all—from every state of the country. They represented more than 5 million others, members of two organizations that helped finance the new Andrus Gerontology Center.
They came to help dedicate the center on Monday, and to listen to and learn from speakers such as Buckminster Fuller and Nathan W. Shock, a researcher.
“We’ve got to look for ways
to resocialize and humanize existence,” James E. Birren, director ofthe center, said in his closing remarks Thursday.
“Aging is a multivariant problem,” Birren said. He stressed not only physiological techniques of lengthening life, but also the quality of life of the elderly.
Birren said many old people tell him retirement is hell. “It shouldn’t be necessary that our only ego return comes from work,” he said after the talk.
He espoused a cafe society, similar to that of ancient Greece, in which old people
become involved in cultural activities.
“There might be some kind of cafe across the street from USC,” Birren said. “Old people could watch the activity ofthe campus and discuss drama and art.”
The director outlined three keys to having a longer life: physical activity, diet and stress reduction. Birren suggested jogging and a low-calorie diet to fulfill the first two keys.
Stress reduction, however, is not so simple. “In a culturally heterogenous society you have ambiguity,” Birren said. “This leads to stress.
“Intimate personal relationships with at least one other person reduce the shock of life,” he said. Having a confidante would help people get through traumatic experiences.
Birren also noted American society takes an especially heavy toll on males. “There is an inherent biological advantage to being a woman,” he said, “but much of it is cultural. Men face more ambiguous situations.”
Women in the United States generally live six to seven years longer than men. while in Israel they outlive
men by only two years. Birren said. He attributes this to the fact that Israeli women fill more traditionally male positions than their American counterparts.
The relaxation of American sex roles will put more women into stress situations, which will probably reduce their longevity, he said.
' Wonderful,” said Foster J. Pratt, president of the American Association of Retired Persons, describing the convocation. “It gives us oldsters a knowledge that you young people are doing something to help us."
Victimless crime laws conference to probe lesbianism, gambling, pot
By Laurie Taylor
Victimless crime laws will be the topic of a two-day conference to be held this weekend at Hancock Auditorium, Town and Gown and Marks Hall, Saturday and Sunday.
Registration for the conference and workshops begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, in Hancock Auditorium.
Victimless crimes, which include such things as smoking marijuana, engaging in certain kinds of sexual activities and gambling, have no victims.
Why then, are there penalties for indulging in these activities?
The why’s and wherefore's of victimless crime laws will be discussed by legal theoreticians, law makers, law enforcers, philosophers and psychologists.
The first speaker will be Evan Paxton, a Cal State Los Angeles graduate student, who will talk on lesbianism and social control.
Chairman of the California Marijuana Initiative, Robert Ashford, will discuss how to change victimless crime laws.
Dr. G.T. Thomas Gitchoff, director of the criminal justice program at San Diego State, will discuss “Victimless Crime and the WASP: a personal case study.”
No DT, classes Monday
Classes will be cancelled Monday, Feb. 19, due to the Washington’s birthday holiday. The regular schedule for classes will resume on Tuesday.
The Daily Trojan will not be published on Monday, also due to the holiday. The paper will resume publication on Tuesday.
Students anticipating the forthcoming holiday may take comfort in the thought there are 43 more days until spring break.
Candidates for mayor of Los Angeles Tom Reddin, Tom Bradley and Joel Wachs, will tell their views concerning victimless crime laws in Los Angeles and how they feel the laws should be enforced.
Workshops on abortion, women’s rights, freedom of the press, prison reform in Los Angeles, libertarian thought, and the meaning of coercion, will begin at 1 p.m.
Dr. Alan Ross, of the psychology department, will discuss mental illness and the government.
Thomas Szasz. author of The Myth of Mental Illness, will speak on drug addiction and suicide.
The 1932smash film “Fugitive from A Chain Gang,” will be shown at 7 p.m. in Marks Hall. After the film, there will be informal sessions with some of the speakers.
Sunday’s conference will begin in Town and Gown, at 9 a.m. with John O’Laughlin, American Civil Liberties Speaker, who will discuss prostitution and First Amendment rights.
“Inconsistency and Our Law” will be the topic of Robert LeFevre, of Rampart College.
John Hospers, chairman of the Philosophy Department, will speak on libertarian issues and the law at 10:15.
Sheriff of San Francisco, Richard Hongisto, will relate his personal experiences with victimless crime laws and how they interfere with his work and prison reform in San Francisco.
Dr. Nathaniel Branden will talk on the psychological origins of victimless crime laws.
The purpose of the conference is to examine what victimless crime laws are and enlighten the public by trying to understand the problems and motivations behind the laws.
Sunbather in winter
The sun shines again and George Stanbury, a law student, gets a tan at the feet of Tommy Trojan. DT photo by Michael Sedano.