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Glendale: Krekorian Tackles Identity Theft

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  • Glendale: Krekorian Tackles Identity Theft

    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.
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