Youth need more positive influences Recently the newspaper talks about the difficulties of the youth going back to school. Fewer classes in the community college, fewer preschool and after-school programs and fewer cultural programs because the government can’t financially support these activities anymore. This can create the risk of a reduction of the education and culture in society, with the result of more youth hanging around on the streets, more drugs, gangs, etc. For years, as a member of the Church ...

The San Jacinto City Council voted unanimously Thursday to go on record opposing any future proposal to close Gilman Springs Road where it bisects the Church of Scientology's Golden Era Productions property. The winding, two-lane road between Highway 79 and State Street is in unincorporated Riverside County, adjacent to the city. The Scientologists' interest in closing the road predates the 2004 election of County Supervisor Jeff Stone, who represents the area's 3rd District. The issue has come up every few years, ...

Representatives from the Church of Scientology have discussed tentative plans for the La Quinta property it recently purchased, but nothing has been finalized. “They have yet to submit any permits to us,” said Les Johnson, director of planning for La Quinta. “We have outlined to them what they need to do.” The Church of Spiritual Technology, an affiliate of the Church of Scientology, purchased the 2-acre Hacienda Serena in a multi-million dollar deal in December. The 3,450-square-foot adobe home at 49-875 ...

About 20 years ago a delegation from the church of Scientology came to my school and asked that I be fired from my position as a teacher (some might take note here of a recurring theme in my professional life). They had objected to a conversation I had with my students about a constitutional issue, and secondarily, about truth in advertising. Time magazine had just done a feature article about the organization, and it managed to make its way into a ...

The Church of Scientology has had a bad couple of years, PR-wise. You could start the damage-control clock running in January 2008 with the release of the Scientology indoctrination video featuring Tom Cruise — you know, black turtleneck, eyes spinning — claiming that Scientologists are the only ones who could really help at an accident scene. This summer the church was tried for fraud in France. In May, Wikipedia said it would ban entries originating from Scientology IP addresses on account ...

Recovery centers mistreated former client and provided him Scientology literature instead of the care that they promised, lawsuit claims. By Joseph Serna A recovering drug addict was called homophobic slurs, held against his will and forced to repeat Scientology lessons at a pair of Southern California rehab homes, including one in Newport Beach, according to a lawsuit filed in Nevada County. In a lawsuit filed June 29 claiming breach of contract, misrepresentation and attempts at religious conversion, Sarah Locatelli claims her ...

A lawsuit was filed in Nevada County, CA last week by a woman who paid for rehabilitation help for her then fiance, only to find out that she was repeatedly deceived and the services were dangerous and not as promised. Scientology practices, made Daniel Locatelli subject to verbal attacks, often of an anti gay substance. He was denied medical care when he needed it and the staff kept him and his belongings against his will when he asked to leave. He ...

Part ONE of THREE The leader of the Church of Scientology strode into the room with a boom box and an announcement: Time for a game of musical chairs. David Miscavige had kept more than 30 members of his church's executive staff cooped up for weeks in a small office building outside Los Angeles, not letting them leave except to grab a shower. They slept on the floor, their food carted in. Their assignment was to develop strategic plans for the ...

Ron Hardin plunked down $20 to play in a Hemet Elks Lodge golf tournament at Golden Era Golf Course in San Jacinto on Friday. "Five dollars goes for prize money. The rest goes to charity," said Hardin, 71, of Hemet. None of the money goes to the golf course. The course, owned by the Church of Scientology, is available free of charge for nonprofit groups to use for fundraising events. "We don't charge them. That's our way of contributing to the ...

A multimillion-dollar historic La Quinta property with ties to the Church of Scientology is returning to the fold. Hacienda Serena, a nearly 2-acre property on Avenida Obregon, was purchased Dec. 31 for its appraisal price by the Church of Spiritual Technology, an affiliate of the Church of Scientology. Though church officials have not disclosed the exact amount, they confirm the sale was in the millions. Plans are to restore the 3,450-square-foot adobe home, which was owned by Scientology founder L. Ron ...

In Santa Barbara’s Church of Scientology, as in each such outpost worldwide, an innocuous office sits equipped but vacant. This office is located beyond shelves of shrink-wrapped books, beyond training rooms, the “comm” rooms, and a room occupied by enigmatic bowls of stones and other obscure objects. The office, with white walls and plush blue-and-gray carpeting, waits, should he somehow return, for the man once known as L. Ron Hubbard. His full name was Lafayette Ronald Hubbard. His followers—in keeping with ...

May 14, 2009 (La Mesa)—La Mesa’s City Council voted unanimously to table a “Hate Free” resolution proposed by a coalition of 52 community groups countywide at a meeting Tuesday following heated and divisive public testimony. (For text of the resolution and details, see our previous article at http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/?q=node/1105.)Supporters said the measure was needed to reduce hate crimes by addressing “hate-motivated behavior” and promoting tolerance in the community. Opponents argued that it could restrict free speech and religious expression. Supporters of the ...

[Pictures] EAST HOLLYWOOD: For the longest time, reps from the church have said that repairs to their Fountain Avenue building, which was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, have been going on, but here's the first time that we've seen any actual progress on that tower. Immediately after taking these photos, the black-clad Scientology guards on bikes started circling, asking why we were taking photos. [Curbed Staff]

The Riverside County district attorney's office will not pursue criminal charges against two protesters cited for trespassing at the Church of Scientology compound outside San Jacinto. Prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to file charges after Mark Bunker and Douglas Owens were arrested and released Feb. 24 for blocking the driveway of Golden Era Studios on Gilman Springs Road. The two men were part of a small protest that formed after the Riverside County Board of Supervisors proposed a no-picketing ordinance ...

Published Tuesday, April 7, 2009 Issue 99 / Volume 89 “JMike” is not your average Santa Barbara mayoral candidate. Justin “JMike!” Michael is a 29-year-old musician with no prior political experience and a criminal record. He’s not affiliated with any political party and is the son of infamous Scientology minister and Ponzi schemer Reed Slatkin. He was recently a guest on Oprah. And this November, he wants your vote. Michael is not running a traditional campaign, but he says he takes ...

Two former employees who worked more than a decade at the Church of Scientology's Golden Era Productions enclave near Hemet have filed lawsuits alleging the church violated federal and state labor laws and engaged in human trafficking. Church of Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis called the lawsuits "utterly meritless," noting that hundreds of staff would boast about working conditions at the nearly 700-acre compound in Gilman Hot Springs. "Working conditions at Gold Base are nothing short of spectacular," Davis said. In separate ...

Authorities today announced a $10,000 reward for help in identifying those responsible for two apparently connected vandalism incidents at churches in South Los Angeles. The first incident was at the St. Mark United Methodist Church at 8305 South Gramercy Place, where police said someone "severely vandalized" and burglarized the church on Feb. 8. Police said one of the church's stained-glass windows was shattered, a drum set was stolen, fire extinguishers were sprayed inside the church and obscenities were spray-painted across several ...

Parents oppose Narconon connection By Stephanie Bertholdo Bertholdo@theacorn.com Parents of Calabasas High School students complained to the school when they learned that the drug counselor scheduled to speak at a parent education night in midFebruary was a representative of Narconon, a drug rehabilitation program based on the teachings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The Narconon approach to drug education purportedly is based on Church of Scientology doctrine rather than proven medical interventions. An objection from parents, as well as an ...

Lawsuit from Florida resident seeks $29,000 refund from company. By JEFF OVERLEY THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER NEWPORT BEACH A Florida man is suing Narconon Southern California, saying a brief stint in its Newport Beach drug rehab house subjected him to sexual assault, unwanted medication and demeaning work.. Pablo Mendoza checked into the company’s Balboa Peninsula triplex in September seeking help for cocaine addiction and found the oceanfront house to be “filthy” and filled with an “unbearable odor,” according to the lawsuit ...

Florida man claimed his brother was molested, discriminated against at the rehab home. By Brianna Bailey Updated: Friday, March 13, 2009 10:19 PM PDT There are No comments posted. View Comments The Newport Beach-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation home Narconon agreed to refund a Florida man’s money on Friday after he sued, claiming his brother was sexually molested, forced to scrub pots and pans and take unspecified pills that made him ill at the treatment center. “The parties are settling for ...

Picketing law revised PROTESTING: The ongoing demonstrations by anti-Scientology protestors at Golden Era Productions on Gilman Springs Road on Saturday spread to downtown Hemet, where this protester held up a sign at Florida Avenue and State Street. Photo Courtesy of Jim Alvarez HOLDOUT: Supervisor Bob Buster lone dissenter on controversial rule. By CHARLES HAND/The Valley Chronicle Riverside County supervisors Tuesday approved its newest revision of a controversial law limiting picketing around homes over the objections of Bob Buster, the sole dissenting ...

[Picture / Caption "What exactly is Educating Children International?"] There's a mystery brewing regarding tonight's Beck show at the Echo, which is being billed as a benefit for something called "Educating Children International." The flyer, posted above, lists the organization's website as www.educatingchildreninternational.org, but there's nothing at that URL. We took the process one step further and did a domain search, and, lo, the address is listed as available for purchase. So the question becomes, what lies at the other end ...

There's been a touch of Internet controversy today about Beck's somewhat-impromptu show at the Echo tonight, first started by blogger Sketchytown, then picked up by the LA Weekly's West Coast Sound blog. Both blogs raised a flag about a charity cited on the show's promotional material, Educating Children International, which, according to the promo poster, will get the "net proceeds" of the show priced at a cool $35. Nothing was mentioned about any connections with Scientology, and the website for the ...

By Nathan Baca News Channel 3 PART THREE Protests in front of the Church of Scientology's headquarters near Hemet may soon be illegal. Sheriff's deputies keep reminding protestors with the group known as "Anonymous" to stay within 50 feet from the center of the road going through the Scientology compound. Video shown in our first segment shows just how forceful Scientology guards are willing to confront those who get a dozen feet past the line. Last fall, Riverside County Supervisor Jeff ...

By Nathan Baca News Channel 3 PART ONE It's a full blown war you've likely never heard of. There is a battle between leaders of the Church of Scientology and a group of activists with both sides sworn to fight to the end. This is war; in the shadow of a cross, and behind the gaze of a mask. Like any war, there is violence; there is rage. There are politicians in the middle of it, and there are partisans fighting ...

RIVERSIDE — Despite a lashing from critics, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an ordinance to restrict residential picketing to 30 feet or more from a person's property. In a 4-1 vote — with Supervisor Bob Buster dissenting — the board formally adopted the measure, which went through at least three revisions and repeated debate after board chairman Jeff Stone first introduced it in November. “This ordinance has been vetted many times,” Stone said just prior to the ...