'Welcome Back Kotter' Epstein Dies

Actor Robert Hegyes aka "Epstein" from the 1970s TV show "Welcome Back, Kotter" has died at age 60 of a heart attack.

Born in 1951, Robert Hegyes was the cousin of rock star Jon Bon Jovi best known for portraying Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein on the successful television series that made co-star John Travolta a superstar.

Robert Hegyes earned his B.A. degree in Speech/Theater and Secondary Education before starring on Broadway and auditioning for TV producers as a young actor.

Hegyes was eventually cast by producer James Komack as Juan Epstein on the award-winning ABC comedy, "Welcome Back, Kotter," the show on which he ultimately became a director.

In the days since "Kotter," Robert Hegyes appeared on many television episodes, specials and series, as well as in several Hollywood movies, before teaching writing and public speaking at Brooks College in Long Beach, CA as a California state certified college teacher.

While the industry is saddened at the loss of a great actor, and Southern California students mourn the passing of a great college teacher, millions of 1970s high school students have lost a piece of their youth with the death of Robert Hegyes.

"Welcome Back, Kotter" was a show set in a high school that had a huge fan base of real-life high school students during the late '70s, including the publisher of Californiality.

Back then, the Sweathogs became an extension of the circle of friends at school.  To many middle-aged Americans today, Robert Hegyes' sudden death feels like the loss of an old friend from high school.

Farewell, Epstein.  You were too cool for words, man.

"WELCOME BACK, KOTTER"

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Nancy Pelosi Knows Something

California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi teased everyone with something she "knows" regarding Newt Gingrich, causing the GOP presidential candidate to call the San Francisco Democrat's bluff.

Does House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi genuinely know some evil secret about Republican Newt Gingrich that will stop him from becoming President of the United States?

The Bay Area liberal used television airtime to say that she knows, doesn't know, then does know "something" about the conservative presidential candidate.

Newt Gingrich publicly stated that, if the former Democratic Speaker does in fact know some secret about the former Republican Speaker, the taunting ex-speaker should speak up or stop speaking.

"Look, I think if she knows something she ought to say it. If she doesn't know something she ought to quit saying it. But this is baloney. I don't think any Republican is going to be threatened by Nancy Pelosi. Frankly, I'd rather have her threaten me than endorse me. So I feel pretty good about it. If she has something, bring it out," said Gingrich.

Two months ago, Pelosi said on television, "One of these days we'll have a conversation about Newt Gingrich. I know a lot about him. I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. A thousand pages of his stuff."

The Mitt Romney presidential campaign wants all records from Newt Gingrich's 1990s ethics investigation to be released, but the ethics committee is not in the practice of publicly releasing investigative documents.

This fact is something that Pelosi legitimately does "know."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 71, would certainly agree that any potentially damning information discovered during an ethics committee investigation 16 years ago should be dealt with in the most sensitive and responsible manner possible.

Anything less would further embarrass California.

"HE'S NOT GONNA BE PRESIDENT" VIDEO

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Part-Time California Legislature 2012

A part-time California Legislature with an 81 percent pay cut and a ban on lobbying could soon become a reality -- and there's already weeping and gnashing of teeth around Sacramento.

Introduced by Assemblywoman Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), a ballot initiative is developing to make the California Legislature part-time, permanently.

Here's the big picture regarding proposed part-time lawmakers:

Annual salary slashed from $95,000 to $18,000.  Staff and travel eliminated.  Legislative sessions reduced to 90 days per year.  2-year state budgets.  State government jobs and lobbying banned while in office (and for five years afterward).

"The bottom line is to return this California State Legislature back to the citizens of the state of California, reduce their time in office and make them live under the rules they create," said Assemblywoman Grove.

Shannon Grove, 46, is a former employment agency CEO, experienced in negotiating salaries and benefits packages in the bottom-line business arena.

The latest study by the state Legislative Analyst's Office shows that California could save tens of millions of tax dollars every year by slashing salaries and getting rid of staff and travel expenses.

Critics strongly object to the whole plan.

They say a part-time Legislature will just create a conflict of interest as a lawmaker would be more loyal to another full-time job that pays more than $18K.  Plus, they question how a part-time Legislature could really work when the governor and lobbyists work full-time.

For all the tax dollars spent on current full-time legislators, their approval rating is at only 22 percent, according to the most recent Field Poll.

The 2012 Part-Time California Legislature initiative is expected to be ready for signature gathering in February in order to get the measure on the ballot this November.

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"I Surf" M.C. Nay Nay

"I Surf" is a 2011 parody rap song by recording artist M.C. Nay Nay (aka Shane Rafferty) from Santa Cruz, California.

A humorous musical commentary on surfing culture, "I Surf" is filled with references to just about every surfer stereotype under the California sun.

"Whether in California, Australia, South Africa, Hawaii or any of the other famous surfing meccas, there is such a seriously competitive vibe among professional surfers that I had to lighten things up a bit with this song," said songwriter and lifelong surfer Shane Rafferty.

The music video (below) by M.C. Nay Nay is creative, funny and hysterically tongue-in-cheek, so much so that it made "I Surf" the #9 most popular California song of 2011 on Californiality.

Shane Rafferty wrote and produced the song and starred in the video, which was filmed and edited by Mike Santaella of the Bipedal Humanoid 1 company.

Video co-star Jason Miller also contributed many of the humorous vocals in a song which has become a perennial favorite on this blog.

For those who live on the coast, the sarcastic humor of "I Surf" will ring true regarding a culture where very few professional surfers coexist with a million wannabes.

"I Surf" by M.C. Nay Nay pokes fun at the egocentric arrogance existing within the professional surfing culture with one of most gnarly songs about California ever, dude.

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California Parks Official Assassinated

Parks Superintendent Steve Ebert was found shot to death inside his bullet-riddled Jeep in Rancho Cordova, California near Sacramento.

Police homicide detectives arrested a suspect in the apparent assassination of Steve Ebert, 59, the superintendent of the Cordova Recreation and Parks District who recently laid off 18 employees.

Dupree Barber, 47, a former park employee, is in police custody being questioned by homicide detectives and is expected to be booked for the murder of Steve Ebert.

Superintendent Ebert's head, face and upper body were shot numerous times, which showed the gunman's intent to guarantee the death of the official.

"I think everybody has a good idea of what took place here," said Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos regarding the death of Steve Ebert.

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California Leads U.S. in Construction Jobs

California leads the nation in new construction jobs, with more people now finding construction work in California than any other state.

Construction employment improved in 28 states in December compared with a year earlier, according to the Associated General Contractors of America with analysis based on Labor Department data.

The AGCA showed that California led the way with 21,300 new construction jobs over the previous year, up nearly 4 percent.  Comparing December with November, the Golden State again added the most jobs at 4,800, up nearly 1 percent.

California is experiencing not only falling unemployment rates, but falling foreclosure rates as well.  Very, very cool.

Who needs a job?

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