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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
State high school administrators don’t have to write on the blackboard 100 times, “I won’t break the law,” but the message delivered to them this week is clear: Obey the law.
With high school graduation ceremonies underway across California, some Native American students are once again facing additional unnecessary burdens: convincing school and district administrators to follow the law and allow the wearing of tribal regalia at commencements to celebrate their culture during one of the most important accomplishments in their young lives.
The message was delivered at a news briefing Wednesday after local cases of school districts seeking to set unnecessary conditions and limit or deny students the right to wear tribal regalia at their graduation observances.
Among those at the briefing was Lake County Supervisor Moke Simon, a member of Middletown Rancheria.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, California Native American Legislative Caucus Chairperson James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), tribal leaders and advocates reaffirmed the legal and constitutional right of tribal students to wear cultural items during their commencements.
“In 2018, the state passed AB 1248, which stated in part, ‘A pupil may wear traditional tribal regalia or recognized objects of religious or cultural significance as an adornment at school graduation ceremonies.’ Since then, students and families continue to face obstacles in exercising this right,” Ramos said.
He added that following continuing complaints and lawsuits, he successfully authored AB 945 in 2021 — co-sponsored by the California Department of Education — to require the department to form a task force of tribes and appointees from the governor’s office, the state education department and tribes from around the state to work with schools to ensure the law is being followed and how best to set policies and practices around the issue.
“I was proud to co-sponsor AB 945 by Assembly Ramos; this legislation will help to develop policies that will address how to ensure our Native American students will be able to affirm their Native identity and connection to ancestry and culture by wearing traditional cultural adornments during graduation ceremonies,” Thurmond said.
“Every year, we see school administrators, teachers and staff attempting to stop Indigenous students from wearing tribal regalia at commencement, blatantly disregarding California law and the importance these items hold for Indigenous people,” said Tedde Simon (Diné), Indigenous justice advocate with the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, said. “We call on all schools in California to respect and honor students’ rights to wear tribal regalia during this monumental, once-in-a-lifetime celebration.”
“It’s incredibly important that we arm native students and their families with information about their rights under AB 1248,” said Heather Hostler (Hupa), CILS executive director. “This country has a long history of atrocities against tribal people and sought to dismantle cultures and assimilate them. Wearing tribal regalia at important milestones like commencements show that we are still here today, that we honor our ancestors who fought to preserve our culture before us and that we are committed to carrying on our traditions. CILS is here to protect and advance your right to wear regalia proudly at graduation.”
In speaking to a reporter, former chairwoman of the Konkow Valley Band of Maidu Indians Jessica Lopez voiced her frustration after she had to argue with her local school district officials about wearing regalia. Lopez spoke at Wednesday’s briefing.
Her son sought to wear a mortarboard beaded in a goose pattern with an eagle feather and ceremonial sash, but administrators pushed back and told Lopez not all mandatory pre-conditions had been met.
“The district says it’s open to reviewing the policy. That’s not good enough. Here we are having to tromp along the path of educating the educators. They need to know that they are in violation [of the law] if they do not protect the rights of these students,” Lopez said.
Ramos, the first California Native American elected to the Legislature, observed, “High school graduations are times of great celebration in our tribal communities. Eagle feathers and other symbols of Native American significance are often presented by a proud community to the student as a way to recognize personal achievement. It is a means for the tribe not only to honor the student but to share in and express pride in the graduate’s achievements.”
Information about this student right may be found on the California Indian Legal Services website at https://www.calindian.org/ and a tool kit is available on the ACLU of Northern California at https://www.aclunc.org/california-students-have-right-wear-tribal-regalia-graduation.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Suzhen Wang, 61, owner of Footlogic massage in Lakeport, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of lewd conduct, said Deputy District Attorney Rich Watson.
Watson said the incident was reported to the Lakeport Police Department as having occurred on Dec. 26, 2021, at the Lakeport Footlogic location.
An 18-year-old female had requested a massage and was assigned a male masseur who said his name was Michael. Watson said that man later was determined to be Wang.
Watson said the female victim reported that during the massage Wang removed the sheet covering her breasts and touched and massaged her breasts.
The woman said she was in shock as she had received massages at the location on multiple prior occasions and had never experienced anything like that. This was the first time the female received a massage from Wang, Watson said.
On Monday, Judge J. David Markham sentenced Wang in accordance with a plea agreement between the District Attorney’s Office and Wang’s defense counsel to one year summary probation, 60 days in the county jail, a stay away order from the victim for the term of probation, Watson said.
Watson said Wang was also ordered to obey all laws and orders of the court.
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- Written by: Deborah Reed, University of Tennessee
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to
How can I make studying a daily habit? – Jesni P., age 15, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Studying – you know you need to do it, but you just can’t seem to make it a habit. Maybe you forget, become distracted or just don’t want to do it.
Understanding what a habit is, and how it forms, can help you figure out how to study on a daily basis.
The habit loop
A habit is a behavior you do regularly or routinely. As a professor who studies how to help students become better readers and writers, I can tell you that research shows habits have a loop: cue, routine, reward.
Let’s say you have a habit of eating a snack after school. When school is about to end, you start to feel hungry. Dismissal is the cue to get your snack.
Eating the snack is the routine. The reward is that it tastes good and your hunger goes away, which reinforces the habit – and makes you want to repeat the loop again the next day.
Here are the things you need to make a studying loop:
- A set time to study every day.
- A cue to start studying.
- An environment that helps you stick to your studying routine.
- A reward for studying.
Setting a time
When you do things at the same time every day, it is easier to remember to do them.
To determine how much time you should set aside each day to study, multiply your grade level by 10 minutes.
That means if you’re in third grade, you would plan to spend about 30 minutes per day studying. This can include the time you spend practicing your reading. If you’re in eighth grade, you would spend 80 minutes per day – that is, one hour and 20 minutes – studying.
Research suggests that two hours is the maximum amount of daily studying time that is beneficial. Spending more time than that on a regular basis can cause stress, anxiety and possibly disturb healthy sleep habits.
So choose a single block of time during the afternoon or evening when you will have the right amount of time to study every day.
There may be days when your assignments do not fill the full block of time that you have set. On those days, you should spend time reviewing material that you’ve already studied; regularly going back over information helps you remember it and think about how to integrate it with the new things you’re learning.
You also can spend those extra minutes reading a book. Studies show a daily habit of reading for 20 minutes will improve your vocabulary, language skills and overall knowledge.
The cue
Studying at the same time every day is one cue, but you may need something more concrete when first forming your habit.
This can be a calendar reminder you set on your phone or laptop, or something as simple as a card with the word “study” printed on the front. You can leave the card where you hang up your coat or put down your bag when you get home from school – or on your television or computer screen.
On the back of the card, write the word “studying.” Then keep this side facing up and posted to the back of your computer, on your door, or above your desk while you work.
This will signal to others that they should not disturb you during this time. When you finish studying, return the card to its starting spot so that it’s ready to remind you to study the next day.
Your study environment
To help yourself study, you need a place set up for work and not for doing other things. Do not study on your bed – that’s for sleeping – or in front of the television, or anywhere it’s difficult to hold and use the materials you need. Best option: a table or desk with good lighting.
Your study place should limit distractions. That includes other people’s conversations and all media: TV, video games, social media, texts or music. Research repeatedly has shown the human brain cannot multitask well; people make more mistakes if they try to do two things at the same time, especially when one of those things requires concentration. Bouncing back and forth between two things also means it takes longer to complete the task.
Although you should put away electronic devices when studying, that may not be an option if you need them for homework. If that’s the case, set the “do not disturb” notification on your phone, silence incoming notifications and close all social media and gaming apps.
Gaming, social media and video apps are programmed to make you want to keep checking or playing them. That means you have to replace the bad habit of constantly using them with the good habit of studying for a designated block of time.
The reward
That said, after you finish studying, you can give yourself a little gaming or social media time as your reward.
With time, the studying itself will become its own reward. Improving your knowledge and skills will give you a sense of achievement and make you more confident and happier at school. But while forming your study habit, a really fun reward will help you stick with it.
This is especially true if the subject you’re studying is difficult for you. No one likes to do something they think they’re not very good at. However, it’s impossible to get better if you do not practice, and studying is just like practicing a sport, instrument or hobby.
How long it takes
The amount of time it takes to make studying a daily habit can be anywhere from 21 days to a few months, depending upon the person.
To help you stay with it, find a study buddy to form the habit along with you. Ask your family not to interrupt you during study time. And consider using apps to set goals and track your study time so you can watch your habit form and celebrate your progress. The good news: Daily studying gets easier the more you do it.
Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to
And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.
Deborah Reed, Professor of Education, University of Tennessee
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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- Written by: DENNIS FORDHAM
For many, especially persons who live alone, companion animals — or pets — are like family, and for good reason.
The Animal Health Foundation lists eight important benefits people enjoy by having a companion animal, including more physical exercise, less stress and alleviation of depression.
Not surprisingly, people who are attached to their pets want them well cared if they can no longer do so themselves. A person’s estate planning can provide for the care of companion animals in the events of disability or death.
If a pet owner is disabled and unable to care for their pets, whether the pets remain at home varies depending on the duration and severity of the disability, the type of pet, the associated costs, the availability of at-home pet care, and other factors.
Naturally, keeping the pet’s companionship may be beneficial to the owner’s own recovery. Considering relevant goals and circumstances, a thoughtful plan can be devised and authorized (supported) in one’s estate planning.
A durable power of attorney and/or revocable living trust can authorize pet sitters, veterinary care, and boarding care.
Also, placing the pet with trusted family, friends or through a not-for-profit’s pet placement program can be authorized.
Depending on the pets involved, different nonprofit pet care organizations may be available, e.g., humane societies, animal shelters, animal rescue groups, sanctuary organizations and foster organizations.
Estate planning documents may authorize and direct desired approaches to be used and, perhaps, undesired approaches not to be used.
For example, consider the following: “In the event of my incapacity, I direct that my pets be cared for at my home, as long as possible, for the mutual benefit of my pets and myself. I authorize my Agent to arrange for all necessary pet care and, as needed, veterinary treatment and disposition of my pets. If needed, my Agent may also temporarily, or if necessary permanently, place my pets in a loving home, preferably with my family or friends. Otherwise, my Agent may use a non for profit pet care organization, e.g., the San Francisco SPCA Adoption Program, to place my pets permanently in a loving home. In no event shall any organization be used that euthanizes pets. I authorize my Agent to spend the necessary money to implement my wishes, including giving a reasonable sum of money to the family that accepts my pets.”
Similarly, at a pet owner’s death, the owner’s trust or will, as relevant, may say who receives the pet or how the pet is otherwise to be placed. It can also authorize a gift of money to assist with the pet’s placement.
Giving money to a family who accepts a pet can initially make the placement agreeable. Over time the money runs out, however, but the pet care expenses remain (and often increase).
Accordingly, depending on the pet care involved and the pet’s life expectancy, it may be desirable to put necessary assets into a so-called, “pet trust.” This is especially relevant to a pet with a long life expectancy, e.g., a horse or a parrot.
In California, a so-called “pet trust” can be established by a person for the care of their domestic or pet animal for its lifetime (section 15212 of the Probate Code).
For example, a person may leave suitable land (with a stable or barn) and financial assets in a pet trust to provide care for one or more horses that are alive at the owner’s death.
The trustee would do accountings, and the trust would be enforceable, such as by a person named in the trust, by a nonprofit charitable organization that cares for animals, or by a person appointed by the court.
The foregoing is a brief discussion of some issues considered in estate planning for pets. For legal guidance consult a qualified attorney.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at