YOUNG BLOOD

The new Hollywood sports movie The Gridiron Gang chronicles the
efforts of former Santa Barbara resident Paul Higa to redirect the
energies of hard-core juvenile offenders in Los Angeles from
criminal behavior to the football field. Higa, who died in April at
age 53, was L.A. County’s chief probation officer. His widow, Jane
Higa, is an administrator at Westmont College. The film, which
opens in two weeks, was inspired by the 1993 documentary of the
same title.

California is the first state in the nation to pass a law
forbidding public college or university administrators from
censoring student newspapers. Assemblymembers representing the
liberal constituencies of San Francisco and Marin authored the
law – AB 2581 – which the governor signed this week. The law also
prohibits university administrators from disciplining students for
engaging in press activities.

Looking to squash bias and racial prejudice, Santa Barbara
Elementary School District preschool teachers underwent a full day
of workshop training last week with the Anti-Defamation League. As
part of the No Place for Hate campaign, teachers from all 28
district preschool classrooms learned to identify their own biases
and how to prevent them from creeping into classroom activities.
Follow-up workshops for parents and caregivers are planned for this
fall.