RALPH BEASOM reported briefly on BRUCE ROLF, who is still at Berkeley East, in room 314. (310) 829-5377.  I saw him on Tuesday, and he really appreciates a visit – he needs our support.

We had some guests of Rotarians. TONY MARRONE brought Bob Wilson, who knows a number of our members.  BRUCE HARRIS brought his grandson, Emerson Harris. He was introduced by CLAWSON BLEAK, who pointed out that Emerson had just graduated, got a job right away, and knew enough about computers so that he, CLAWSON, had trouble holding a conversation! Also present was Leopie Lee, Administrative Assistant to our Speaker, Judge Phillip Mautino.  At this point, CHRIS BRADFORD was asked to stand, and Senor RUDY asked him if he was familiar with the magazine Celebrity Society.  This didn’t ring a bell with CHRIS, but lo and behold, there he was, with SHARON, pictured attending some sort of celebration.  There was discussion as to how much such publicity should cost.  A hundred bucks was first put forward, but Senor RUDY reduced it by five, since CHRIS was wearing his Rotary pin!

Announcements – The next Ethics discussion will be on September 11th – I assume at the same place in the Farmers Market.

Our annual Picnic at the SISKEL’S will be on Sunday the 19th – and please bring the kids! 

Next up was Rudy’s World, and the first person fingered was PP HOWIE HENKES.  HOWIE correctly identified RUDY’s corvette which was parked more or less in front of Haines Hall.  AL BELLANCA corroborated this ID, and then we learned that this was the first building actually used by students when the campus was moved from its former downtown location.  This came about because the Chemistry Lab downtown was badly damaged by fire, so it was decided to move the Lab function to Haines, rather than rebuild.  Thus, students were bussed to Westwood starting about six months before the campus actually opened.  And while on this subject, you probably already knew that the four buildings on the Quad were the original structures on the new campus – Royce Hall, Haines, the Physics Building, and the Library.  And of course, my innate modesty forbids me from charging for these extra tidbits which those who read this epistle carefully can sometimes discover…

Birthdays were upon us, this being the first meeting of the month.  Leading off was TONY MARRONE, who came along on the 6th of September in Pueblo, Colorado.  New member SOL DRESNER claims Rochester NY on the7th.   PP JIM DOWNIE was up next, arriving in Minneapolis on the 8th.  And today’s Invocator, ED JACKSON, choose Los Angeles on the 12th. But another one of those foreigners, SEAN McMillan, arrived as the family was driving between towns in Ireland.  The date was the 27th, and I’m sure a plaque marks the spot.  Last to appear was SLOSS VIAU, in Fresno, on the 30th.  This litany was concluded by our singing Happy Birthday – and who else but GORDON FELL again stepped forward to lead us – be careful, GORDON, you could catch on as a regular here!

The new lunch menu was introduced, and it was very well received. We started off with soup, and ended with a couple of plates of cookies. There were three menu choices – Cobb Salad, Grilled Salmon, and a Fruit Plate.  Note that if you want a Cobb Salad, you should order it when you check in, since they make those up to order.  But it’s a nice change, and I’m sure we will enjoy it. By the way, note that we will be having a joint meeting with Beverly Hills Rotary on Oct. 4th – and it now appears that we will be somewhere other than at the Bell Air Hotel on November 4th – stay tuned, please.

SHANE WAARBROEK introduced our Speaker, Superior Court Judge Phillip Maurine.  He is the Supervising Judge of the Los Padrinos Juvenile Courts.  Before this assignment, he was a national leader in Jury Reform, putting into effect rulings that fully protected the identity of all jurors, and he was one of three Judges who headed up the Unification Effort for the six hundred judicial officers in Los Angeles County. As an aside, with all these credentials, we have to forgive the fact that he and our own DON NELSON were fraternity brothers at UCLA – they were Zetes, sad to say…

Judge Mautino thanked us for inviting him, and to his credit, he didn’t duck the issue of his knowing NELSON, admitting that they were, indeed, fraternity brothers at UCLA.  Seriously, he had a significant message, which was unknown to most of us, and we are in his debt for coming here all the way from his Downey office.  He supervises three Juvenile Halls – that’s all there are – and is headquartered at the Los Padrinos Juvenile Court. Annually, they handle 22,000 Delinquency cases for those between the age of 13 and 18, plus another 36,000 cases of Dependency. These Delinquency cases are handled in three Juvenile Halls housing 1,800, 22 Probation Camps (l for girls) who accommodate 2,400, 60 group homes with 500 kids, and 84 foster homes, with another 2,000 residents.  This is a huge operation, involving only juveniles, and his basic guideline is that your concern for the most helpless is a direct measure of what kind of society you have. 

There is no bail for juveniles, and no jury trial, either.  Their cases are heard and settled by a single Judge, after their hearing.

The procedure is that Criminal Law applies, detention is limited to 15 days, then a trial, and another 15 days maximum before Disposition.  They are sentenced, but based on rehabilitation rather than punishment. They can be assigned to probation at home, suitable placement (if parents are ruled incompetent), Camp, or the California Youth Authority.  Their parents are billed for these services – and this, of course, brings them fully into the picture.  Their records are sealed, so there is no public record of what brought them into the Delinquency System. 

The theory behind the penalties for adult crime is based on punishment, while with juveniles, rehabilitation is used.  Kids can be treated for anger management, abnormal sexual behavior, and drug dependency, among other problems.  As a comparison, this rehabilitation program means that 74% of those who go through it never return to crime – while with adults and punishment, 65 to 70% go back to crime, once released!   He commented that kids kept in cages at least are safe from other inmates.  The Camps are like a military Boot Camp, and they are tough.  About 40% of the parents of these kids speak no English. 

Q&A – LILLIAN KLIEWER, Where are the trials held.  Mostly in Inglewood, and collecting the charge for these from parents is not easy.  MIKE YOUSEM, What is the age limit.  For Delinquency, 13 to 18.  For Dependency, there is no lower age limit.  PP STEVE DAY, How are boys and girls treated differently.  For girls, the best place is at home, but if that is dangerous, they must be locked up.  Girls are not nearly as violent as boys.  SUSAN ALLEN, Why are some cases filed in adult courts.  The crime makes them unsuitable for juvenile court, even though they are not yet adults.  BOB FLICK, Is 18 the best age for cutoff.  It has worked well, and remember that young kids are easier to save.  LEE DUNAYER, What is the percentage of failure due to parents.  This brings in TV and its many effects, but there are no stats.  CATHY REZOS, Are girls becoming more violent.  Yes.  PP JOHN SINGLETON, Do girls join gangs.  Yes, more or less.  To get the money for drugs, they must either steal, or start selling.  LENORE MULRYAN, How do you treat Home Boys.  We try to get them a job – and if we do, it almost always works.  MAX LICHTENBERGER, What is your opinion about legalizing drugs.  It hasn’t worked in the U.S. since more kids start using.  SHANE WAARBROEK, Why does the U.S. have more people in prison than anywhere else, percentage wise. Because we emphasize punishment, rather than rehabilitation.

You can reach Judge Mautino at (562) 940-8841, and their Operation Read program at (562) 940-3547.