Local heroes receive medals of valor for performing acts of bravery

A local fire fighter and police officer were bestowed with well-earned Medals of Valor last week by the California State Firefighters Association.

Los Angeles County Fire Fighter Specialist Howard Spinrad, of Palmdale, and Burbank Police Officer Kerry Schilf, of Acton, came to Sacramento with their families last week to accept the award at an awards dinner. They were amongst about two dozen other awardees – some of them civilians—who went above and beyond the call of duty.

The specifics of Spinrad and Schlif’s heroic acts are as follows:

On May 14, 2009, at approximately 2:50 p.m., Spinrad and his five-year-old daughter were driving through Lucerne Valley to the mountains when he noticed a column of smoke rising up in the distance. As they got closer he saw the smoke was coming from a burning structure, where there were several people standing outside but no fire department or other emergency services were on scene.

With concern for his daughter Spinrad stopped his vehicle and instructed his daughter to stay in the vehicle while he made sure no one needed any help. Spinrad went up to the group in the front of the house and asked if anyone was inside when he was told that there was an elderly man confined to a wheel chair still in the house.

Without hesitation, Spinrad went to the front door and could see that the kitchen was well involved with fire and the smoke level in the house was dropping quickly. Spinrad then got down and made his way into the area where he was told the man was but was unable to locate him. Spinrad then continued searching the house as the fire was spreading and the smoke was getting lower. Howard then found the man and got him out of the burning structure to a safe area where he could be evaluated by emergency services.

On Sunday morning March 22, 2009, Officer Schilf was part of a joint patrol handling crowd control for the Pasadena Marathon. Around 7 a.m. Officer Schlif saw heavy smoke coming from a single family dwelling about two blocks off the racecourse. Without hesitation Officer Schilf ran to the residence. When he arrived at the house, he discovered that a male occupant was still inside.

Schilf went to the front door and found that it was blocked trapping the occupant inside. Schilf kicked in the front door, located the trapped occupant who was disoriented by the smoke and removed him to safety. Thanks to Officer Schilf the occupant only received smoke inhalation and singed hair.

It was my honor to recognize their feats of bravery with Senate Resolutions.

I applaud their commitment to public safety, their dedication to our communities, and the courage and bravery they show everyday as they face the challenges of their difficult and dangerous jobs.

Both men are the embodiment of true heroes.

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The following article ran in Fox & Hounds Daily, authored by my colleague, Sen. Bob Dutton, of the Inland Empire.

California’s Shocking Jobless Numbers

Just how many Californians need a job? The answer may be larger than you think.

Judging by the official unemployment rate of 12.2%, California has more unemployed workers than the entire population of New Mexico. To provide a job for every unemployed worker, California’s economy would have to generate nearly 2.3 million new jobs.

But a growing number of “underemployed” workers in California’s labor force aren’t included in the conventional unemployment statistic. These workers, who want full-times jobs but have settled for part-time work, now number more than 1.4 million.

Add 2.3 million and 1.4 million and you get 3.7 million. That number, which exceeds the entire population of Oklahoma, represents a startling 20% of California’s labor force. Simply put, one in five California workers wants full-time work, but can’t find it.

In addition, 232,000 more Californians also want a job, but aren’t included in the official labor force. That number is roughly equal to entire population of the city of Madison, Wisconsin. Many of these “discouraged” workers have given up searching for work and are waiting for better times before rejoining the hunt.

All total, California would need to create nearly 4 million jobs to accommodate everyone who doesn’t have a full-time job, but wants one. That’s a number larger than the entire population of the city of Los Angeles. It’s also greater than the entire population of Oregon, as well as that of twenty-two other states!

Of course, even in the best of times, a certain number of people are unemployed during job transitions. And, we should never provide jobs to illegal aliens who might be included in these numbers.

Even so, these numbers send a loud and clear message to state leaders that private sector job creation must be a priority. For millions, the American dream depends on it.

Read this story on Fox & Hounds Daily.

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Devonshire Police Station Haunted House

Join the police officers of Devonshire Division for their haunted house "The Many Faces of Halloween for the Criminally Insane," Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24 at Devonshire Community Police Station in Northridge from 6 to 10 pm.

Don't miss the safe but spooky fun, featuring a haunted house, jumper, Mr. Joey Magic performance, lots of treats and more. Everyone is welcome to bring their carved pumpkins for a Jack O' Lantern contest and take part in the (suitable for kids) costume contest. The $1 donation for admission goes toward the Devonshire Explorers/Station Fund.

For more information call Erika De Smith at (818) 363-1726 or Officer Dan Del Valle at (818) 634-0362.