Feeling at home in sunny southern California

I’m feeling at home in Newport Beach. The weather here is unseasonably cool. The temperatures are only in the mid-20s (Celsius) though they can rise to the late 20s during the day. When it gets to the late 20s it is time for me to get indoors to the air conditioning which is another problem. The air con is nice and fresh for the first few minutes but then it gets to be too cooling and that is before you take account of the ceiling fan. You know, there is something to be said about the Irish weather. It is not as uncomfortable as we generally think. Pity the poor old Yanks (I mean that as a person from the US not, as the Brits might use it, as a term of disapproval).

Sometimes I wonder about the way the media, and I include Irish media in this observation, report the news. I was thinking the other day about the purge that the Chinese leader (autocrat!) Xi Jinping has conducted. In the past six months he has demoted or fired two leading members of his government on the basis that they have engaged in corruption or, it could be that they were fired because he suspected their loyalty to him as leader. Purge, of course, has negative connotations, and the western media are predisposed to think ill of the Chinese.

Now, look at the good old USA. President Trump (democratic leader but a Republican) in the last couple of weeks has sacked my namesake Kristy Noem who was secretary of Homeland Security, an important job in America, especially now that the country is determined to oust illegals and undesirables. He has also sacked his Attorney General Pam Bondi. Now Pam was a trusted friend of the President, but her friendship was not enough to save her when Mr Trump decided Pam was not forceful enough in prosecuting his critics.

America is slam-dunking the war in Iran (according to the President) but that has not protected his generals. Mr Trump has fired one of his top generals, Army Chief of Staff Randy George. Randy had the temerity to question the war in Iran on the basis that there was a danger, given the liberal use of bombs, that the US could run out of ammunition. He wanted the armaments industry to step up production. Implied in that, of course, was a criticism of the war and so he was told to pack his bags. Mr Trump has little patience with people who are not doing, in his view, their jobs. So, he sacks them.

The interesting thing about all this is that Mr Trump’s actions do not constitute a purge. It is only the Chinese or indeed the Russians or the North Koreans who engage in purges according to Western media. Putin has not had any need in recent times to purge his critics. He does not appear to have any. Indeed, the war in Ukraine might well not be happening, now that Mr Trump is threatening Armageddon on Iran. However, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has engaged in an “unprecedented purge” after removing a leading Politburo member Ma Xingrui (never heard of him/her!) a few weeks ago. By the time you read this it is quite likely that Mr Trump will have got rid of a few more generals/critics/incompetents, but it won’t amount to a purge. It’s all in the way you might look at these things.

I see the INTO are balloting for strike action in pursuit of a claim for more investment in primary education. Over here the teachers, pupils and parents in the LA Unified Schools District are ahead of the INTO. They have set April 14 as the date for action. The Unified Schools District represents 37,000 teachers and has the support of bus drivers, custodians (school children need protection!), cafeteria staff and special education assistants. The interesting thing about the LA threatened strike is how the media are reporting the issue. The Press-Telegram’s headline reads “Families eye possible impacts” of school strike. The concern is not about the education of the children but rather how the parents will cope if their children are not at school. In most cases both parents work and finding alternative support in the absence of school is a major problem.

No doubt a similar situation is a growing issue at home. Working parents will not be happy if the teachers go on strike. The Minister for Education, who is not flavour of the month just now, will need to spring into action. Being the helpful columnist I am, I would give this advice to the Minister. Divert the millions currently being wasted on the schools’ meals programme, settle the issue with the teachers and introduce a targeted meals programme based on real, nor perceived needs. If that means introducing canteens in certain areas with healthy food, where there is a need, then so be it. It’s not rocket science. It’s just plain common sense.

I was reminded of home (Newport, Mayo that is) the other day when I noticed a headline in the Press-Telegram detailing the problems faced by the residents in Imperial Beach, just down the road from us here in Newport Beach, south of Long Beach, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, etc. (California is just one long beach!). The problem is sewage floating in the surfing waters. And it is not just sewage. There is an air pollution problem as well.

For more than fifty years now Newport (Mayo) has suffered a similar problem with the town’s untreated sewage pumping out into Clew Bay and, not surprisingly, returning into the Newport river - a haven for kayakers, swimmers, and boating enthusiasts. Mayo County Council are unable to come up with a solution and the best efforts of mighty men such as Denis Gallagher, Myles Staunton, Padraig Flynn, Jerry Cowley and Michael Ring, not to mention a succession of county councillors, have come to naught. Even the intervention of the EU and an SAC designation on the Clew Bay complex have failed to force action. There is talk of something happening soon but soon could be another fifty years.

Now in the good old US you would expect prompt action to solve their floating sewage problem but it is not that simple because the source of the problem is across the border in Mexico. Millions of gallons a day of raw untreated sewage and industrial waste flows into the Tijuana River estuary and is then carried north to Imperial Beach. Resolving the pollution issue is not the first priority for the Mexican authorities and naturally, under Mr Trump’s generalship and tariffs regime, the US would not be in a good position to request favours. So, the blighted residents of Imperial Beach can do little just as the blighted residents of Newport, Mayo have to suck it up and listen to excuses.

On a more refreshing note, Easter is a big time in Catholic LA. The church here has suffered from historic and recent abuses and church attendances have declined dramatically. It is no different than at home where churches are more half empty than full. But, for some reason unknown to me, Easter brings out the best in the Catholic congregation here. Over 2,000 people turned out for the Stations of the Cross celebrated in Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains. Eaton, you might remember, was caught up in the wildfires that devastated LA in early 2025. Nineteen people died and thousands of homes were destroyed. From Skid Row to the beaches in LA, Christians marked the season of rebirth and the once or twice a year Catholic church-goers turned out in droves to overfill churches.

Pope Leo was naturally feted and pictured as he delivered his Easter message in the Vatican. His words of peace were recorded as a counter to the threats of the President. Easter is big and it is not just egg hunts and Easter Bunnies.

Thought for the Day 

Home is where the hearth is.