On April 20, 2018 a child was shot sustaining non- critical injuries at Forest High School on the same day there was said to be a fire arm on the campus of West Port High where my daughter attends school, whether there was or wasn't a firearm remains unconfirmed. Metal detectors and increased security would have prevented both of these issues. Children are scared to go to school and parents are equally scared to send them. Our children's safety must be a priority.

Government should be by and for the people. Lobbyists use money from special interests to unfairly influence congress. Lobbyists buy influence with our elected officials.Lobbyists are generally bad for the people and good for large corporations. Lobbyists make congress corrupt by their nature. Ban all lobbyists now!

Many people lose their life everyday from a distracted driver. Also, distracted driver is the leading cause of teen death. Lets make a change and ban cellphone use in cars. We should save lives it make this a national law.

My son has an incredibly rare seizure disorder and autism. The Regional Center in our area has been part of his life since age six months. Because of their help, he's been able to attend early intervention pre-school and receive physical and speech therapy. The regional center will also provide home aides where necessary for his care. Yet in Los Angeles County, where we live, minimum wage is $2.25 more per hour than the state minimum wage. AB 2623 would allow Regional Centers to pay providers at local minimum wage, something they can't currently do. This is crucial for autism families and crucial to continued functioning of the Regional Centers. We need to change this law to keep up with the times.

A great American with great potential lived his short life as an amazing human being, a great wrestler bringing the USA seven Olympic and World medals, and a great family man. Everybody that knew Dave loved him and all who didn't know him wished they did! Let's commemorate him!

Standardized testing has always been seen as a gray issue, but in reality it really isn’t. The biggest importance it carries is how much colleges look at a student’s scores. Yet, standardized testing was never meant to test the aptitude of a student in the first place—but rather how well a teacher is doing their job. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only reason they shouldn’t be used to measure a student’s academic progress. As a student myself, I can tell you that to take a standardized test, we first practice for a practice test, which is used as a practice for the actual test, but we still do practice for the actual test, and practice for the practice. Confusing? It IS. Whether your class has actually gotten to a certain subject that the testing will go over doesn’t matter, as you are still expected to already know it. And when the testing is over you never get it back to see what you did wrong, just your score. This doesn’t help a student improve! I’ve asked fellow students and each have told me that it only makes them feel stupid. I’ve taken a poll and petition and have recorded that only 1 person likes standardized testing, 23 (and a half) feel that they benefit from it, 66 want to get rid of it, and 101 have said that it makes them feel worse mentally. If you don’t see a problem that 101 students—KIDS, feel worse by pieces of paper, then there is a problem. When it comes down to it, the Department Of Education only cares about our “education,” and not our actual mental health. I know too many kids that feel suicidal and zero students that look forward to the grind of this testing. And the only students that felt they benefitted from this grueling process told me it was because of how colleges look at their scores which helps their chances. But here’s the thing; multiple countries DON’T take standardized testing and still have many people going to college. And do you want to know the real kicker? They are the top schooling systems in the world. Now lets delve into the unfairness of these tests. Every year we are told that they are all fair to every student’s as we are each given the same test. THIS IS WHAT MAKES IT UNFAIR. Do not tell me that every single student is exceptional in Mathematics , English, Science, —and Mathematics again! We are not all the same. If a student is horrible at art, everyone immediately tells them that it is okay and how it isn’t for everyone and how art doesn’t have to be good—yet God forbid if someone can’t do a math equation. If you are bad at any major class, you are seen as stupid, not trying hard enough, lazy and that you give up too easily. This is the same message standardized testing gives out. Every student is different and learns different because, believe it or not, we ARE people. Yet standardized testing tests us all the same like we are some type of hive mind! And for those with learning impairments don’t even get a different test—they are just given more time to do it, even if they DON’T want it! These tests even hurt those students from minority backgrounds, low-income families, and those with impairments! Yet we are all expected to be used as a proper grading system for the teachers. What an excellent idea! That last sentence was a part of my “teenage sarcasm,” if you couldn’t catch it. What’s worse than the stress and ridiculousness, is that we lose actual learning time! How ironic is it that the test that is meant to measure our learning is also limiting it? This has even caused many students to dislike learning, which is a pity. It’s human nature to be curious and want to learn, yet being forced to kills the motivation of it. The only students that don’t get stressed by these tests are usually the ones that have stopped caring about their grades. As for the parents that agree with it, let me remind you that YOU don’t actually have to take it. You don’t know what it is like to actually sit there for hours and fill in little bubbles that decide your future. I wish I was exaggerating, but I’m not. And it also decides teachers’ fates. These tests are used to also punish and even fire teachers! I, myself, have asked some teachers on where they stand with this and they hate them as well! They benefit NO ONE. For those students that do do better on standardized testing than actual school curriculum don’t outweigh the students that do worse on the standardized testing but do well on actual school curriculum. I’ve come to realize that at the end of the day, all that these tests amount to is lowered expectations, insecure students, stressed out kids AND adults, loss of school time and curiosity, and how those in charge are trying to force kids to think and learn one certain way and teach them that anything else is “wrong”—oh, and of course that percentage of students that do well. But the Department Of Education, of course, will only focus on that percentage. Is this a good time to mention that depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies has increased in teens? Or that standardized testing is increasing? Of course, there can’t possibly be any correlation between the two! Again, that last sentence was some more of my good old sarcasm. If you’ve caught on by now, good job! Bottom line; standardized testing sucks. Excuse my brash way of saying it. But let’s be real, school is stressful enough without these tests, and when you take as much time as I have to do them, you get a little brash. If you’ve read all this, thanks! If you read a bit of it, I don’t blame you but thank you all the same! And if you sign this petition, thank you so much. You have no idea what it means to me or any of the other students that suffer from these things. I’d love to see these tests gone forever, but I know that some students do like them—like that one person on my poll that said yes. And I, unlike the Department of Education, bothered to ask. I want them to at least change. That department is full of adults that don’t actually have to take them—kids do....

According to the Colorado.Gov website, heroin overdoses in Colorado doubled between 2011 and 2015. It has continued to increase since then. It has gotten so bad that many of us at least know someone who has lost a close friend or family member to a drug overdose. I know several. When an overdose occurs, it is not an uncommon thing for people to leave and never call for medical attention because they are in fear of what will happen if the police show up. They wonder "Will I go to jail and be charged for the drugs in the house?" among many other rational thoughts about possibly getting in trouble. This is a massive problem as those who should have survived and would have survived if medical attention had been saught end up passing away. In the past, Colorado had a serious issue with minors dying from alcohol poisoning. They found that many of these deaths happened while drinking with other minors and that the other minors fled because they were afraid of being charged by the police with possession and consumption. To rectify this situation the legislation passed C.R.S. 18-13-122, which exempts a minor and up to two other minors from criminal prosecution when they call for medical assistance for a minor in need of medical assistance from alcohol poisoning. We absolutely must extend this protection to people of all age with illicit drugs to help prevent deaths by overdose. Those who seek help for another who is in need of medical attention due to illicit drug use should be exempt from criminal prosecution. This would not save all people from overdoses; however, it would save those that are with others that would otherwise be afraid of being charged. People should not die from an overdose simply because the only people that could help them were afraid of the police, the people who are supposed to be there to help and protect others. Please help us petition the Colorado State legislature and the Governor on this matter.

The population health and sleep of Hollywood Station Condos residents and other residences and businesses are being affected by the loud blaring train horn after 11pm and before 6am.

Immigration policy needs to reflect American values and, more importantly, Human Rights. Taking children away from their parents is inhumane. There is no reason to do this except cruelty and surely to GOD we are a better country than this. When there is a reckoning for US policies like this, every one of us should be able to say "I didn't approve of it, and I did something about it; I told my representatives I wanted this to stop immediately."

The opioid epidemic is plaguing our country. Many doctors are scared to prescribe pain medications because of the DEA. Our healthcare should be more of a concern than unfounded accusations.

The School-to-Prison-Pipeline is a phenomena that has occurred in a span of over 30 in the United States education system. In part brought upon by the "zero-tolerance" policy toward students that need help, and are instead handled by the justice system and its law enforcement. I think a lot of us have witnessed or been affected by how the education system handles disruptive students. Some are suspended, some sent to juvenile detention, and others are tried as adults. I've seen with my own eyes that most of the students that come back after being exiled from their education do not have a positive experience or outcome. We want real help for our friends and family, the people within this school system should no longer be cast aside.

The Alaska Railroad has been attempting to close Depot Road and remove Whittier Manor, to build more railroad tracks in the area of Smitty's Cove. If successful, the existing road access to Smitty's Cove would become Alaska Railroad Property, who has repeatedly stated they intend to fence off this area and prevent access by recreational users. If access to Smitty's Cove is lost or restricted, the recreational users and citizens of Whittier will lose one of the two remaining access points into Prince William Sound (the other being at the head of the bay). Smitty's Cove is used by a variety of users not otherwise well-served by existing facilities, especially kayakers and scuba divers. Smitty's Cove is home to one of the only boat ramps in Whittier suitable for launching a kayak, and is the primary training dive site used by scuba instructors and dive shops in the Anchorage area.