Scammers are using the Iran conflict to try to steal your money and information

                                                                                                                           Graphic AI generated

With global attention now focused on the conflict in Iran, it’s no surprise that scammers have already added the war situation to their story lines. Some recent complaints to the FTC about imposter, romance and fake charity scams now include an Iran twist. 

The details of the scams change, but the scammer’s goal is always to trick you into paying or sharing your personal information. Here are some examples of these scams — and how you can protect yourself. For example, scammers might call you unexpectedly about a fraudulent charge...

Read more about the scammer's call on the East Palo Alto Today website here. 

 Are you doing what you can do to protect yourself?

Doug McConnell remembered: A personal reflection

 Photo by Shelly Lewis, MROSD

Henrietta J. Burroughs stands with Doug McConnell at Cooley Landing Park on April 19, 2013

                          

It's easy to be reflective when one hears about the death of a public personality, whom one knew.  The announcement on Thursday, January 15, 2026, of Doug McConnell's death brought back personal memories. I first heard of McConnell in the 1990s when I had a video production company.

At the time, my company reproduced copies of news shows, with the permission of local news stations, and sold them to the public.  Bay Area Backroads was a popular local show that McConnell hosted. The show referred their viewers, who were interested in buying segments or copies of the show, to my company for their purchases.

Twenty years later in 2013, I had a chance to meet and appear with McConnell in a video produced by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District at Cooley Landing Park, a public park and nature preserve in East Palo Alto. You can see several photos from our meeting here.

It was an honor to appear in two Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District videos that were both narrated by McConnell. The first was called Room to Breathe, in which he interviews me and I appear in several places and the second video was called Midpen-A Bird's Eye View, where I appear briefly at the 00:50 sec. mark.

During our meeting at Cooley Landing Park, McConnell accepted a personal invitation to be on my television show, Talking with Henrietta. The show was widely viewed and became one of my most popular shows, with nearly 6,000 views. You can see an excerpt from the show called Traveling Many Roads.

McConnell was a very pleasant and personable person. It was easy to see why he was popular and well-liked. It's always a moving experience to hear about the death of someone with whom one has crossed paths—someone who left such an indelible mark.

Looking back at the videos brings back memories. Life moves on, yet the memories it leaves are captured and enhanced through photos and film. I am grateful, as I travel on my own personal journey, to have crossed paths with Doug McConnell, whose work will live on through the many videos that reflect his creativity and his remarkable legacy.

#RememberingDougMcConnell
#PersonalReflection
#Storytelling
#LocalMedia
#Legacy
#BayAreaStories
#PublicTelevision

Human Rights day should be everyday

Photo AI generated

Today, December 10, 2025, is Human Rights Day - a day that is observed across the world annually.

Human Rights Day marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN General Assembly in 1948.

The UDHR declares that every person deserves fundamental rights like equality, freedom and justice. It is a foundational document for international law, outlining rights for all people, regardless of race, national origin, ethnicity, history or other descriptive characteristics.

The UN's Human Rights Declaration promotes world gatherings, cultural events and campaigns to raise awareness about human rights issues. It has been translated into more than 500 languages and, according to it preamble, it recognizes that "the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world."

You can read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights here.

It is clearly ironic that in a time when immigrant crackdowns in the U.S. escalate, we have a day, which celebrates the human dignity of all people, along with their right to experience and enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

Shouldn't this be a goal that we celebrate and strive for 365 days a year?

 

CA Sec. of State Shirley Webber stresses to voters: "Don't give up your power"

 

CA Secretary Of State Shirley Weber

Usually during off year elections, there are fewer eligible voters who vote compared to the numbers who vote during presidential elections. However, current statistics show that in this year’s November 4, 2025 Special Election in California, 2.52 million ballots have already been cast as of October 20, 2025.

This figure was given to a group of journalists on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, by Secretary of State Shirley Weber when she spoke during a press briefing hosted by American Community Media.  Secretary Weber emphasized how important it is for each one of us to make sure that our voices are heard. “Having your voice, having the ability to vote, having it accessible, making it available to so many is really, really important, and that's what we've been trying to do here in California with every election, to make it accessible to California with its very diverse population. She added that the aim of the state’s voting process is to make sure that eligible voters can vote comfortably and can vote in a timely manner that really counts your ballot, makes sure your voice is heard, and gives every voter” a voice to be able to influence California politics, as well as the national politics.”

For those who missed the October 20, deadline in the state to register to vote, Weber said that California’s laws allow those eligible to vote to both register and vote on Election Day at the polls. However, the process will take longer since the new voter will be given a provisional ballot and will be considered a provisional voter until the person information submitted in verified. Then their ballot will be counted.

Weber urged everyone to vote early, because in certain rural counties where there is limited service, ballots might not be counted if they are put in ballot boxes on the day of the election.  in some rural areas of California, ballots dropped in the U.S. mail on Election Day might not be picked up and postmarked until the following day. Because of new U.S. Postal Service (USPS) changes, mail from communities more than 50 miles away from a regional processing facility might not be collected and postmarked until the next day. So, voters in these areas who vote on the day of the election are urged to go to the U.S Post Office and have their ballot stamped, so that it can be counted rather than put it into a mailbox.

California offers multiple ways that people can vote: by mail, in person at a polling place, and by using a ballot box. If voters have questions, they are urged to call 1800-345-VOTE

Since there are current challenges to the Voting Rights Act, Weber said that California has its own voting rights act, known at the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA), which is stronger than the Federal Voting Rights Act.

The main challenge to voting is misinformation and according to Weber, to avoid undue influence, employers and union representatives are not allowed to help employees with their ballots.

Weber said, We want to make sure that the decision you make to vote is not influenced by where you work and those kinds of things, because often, those things can be very intimidating, and people can try to collect ballots at the polling, at their employment site, and do things to make sure that you vote the way they want you to vote. So, by law, you can let them know that they as an employer,… cannot influence you, and neither can a union rep.”

In addition to English, election ballots are printed in nine other languages. If there are questions about election procedures, Weber said that, if people have time, they have the right to go to their polling place, to their registrar of voters and ask to watch the elections and the ballots that are counted. All of the registrar of voter’s offices have windowed areas where the ballots are brought in and counted. One will be able to see election workers looking at the Language Act and the signatures. But they will not be in a position where they can read those signatures and they cannot touch or count the ballots.

Again, Weber stressed, “You have to show up in every election in order to have a voice and to influence your life and the life of your children. So it is extremely important that those who are in ethnic communities … who have limited resources [and who] may not have the money, …[do] have the same  power of the President [and] the governor. They only get one vote. There is no discounted vote. And so make sure that you are have your voice heard, just like everyone else, whether you have a little money, a whole bunch of money, they can't buy your vote. And you hold it, you own it, and it's you. So I tell people all the time, don't give up your power. Don't give up your vote, [your] voice. Make sure you're heard.”

 

More information can be found at the CA Secretary of State’s website at https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections

The role of the media in a democracy

Declining public trust - AI

A recent Gallup poll shows that the public’s trust in the media is at an all-time low. The results of the poll are dismaying and ironic, since the role of the media is more important now than ever. 

Just as the U.S. arena is polarized, the poll shows that the levels of trust in the media vary according to one’s political party. Fifty one percent of Democrats say they trust mass media, 27% of Independents ascribe to the media’s accuracy, while only 8% of Republicans trust the media. So, 43% more Democrats than Republicans believe in the news they get from this country’s mass media outlets. 

The Gallup poll also showed that there is a generational divide in the public’s trust in the media, since 43% of older adults aged 65 and older trust the media compared to 28% of those under 65. 

These figures are dismaying since the role of the media has not changed from what its role has always been: to inform, to hold leaders accountable and to provide a forum for public dialogue.

Thomas Jefferson said “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press and that cannot be limited without being lost.” 

So, from the beginning of our country’s founding, local media has been the foundation of our democracy. 

What happens when local media is lost? We can see that happening today with widespread newsroom closures and “news deserts” where communities lack credible local coverage. Protecting and maintaining local news matters because without local news outlets, communities lose oversight of power, civic participation declines and residents are left less informed about decisions shaping their daily lives. 

If we fight for anything in this country, shouldn’t it be for our freedom of speech and the freedom of the press, considering that these freedoms are at the bedrock of our democratic way of life? What do you think? 

You can get information about a recent panel discussion on the media’s role in our local community by viewing the East Palo Alto Today Facebook page

The coming of fall

What did you do on September 22, 2025, to observe the first day of fall? 

That first day is also called the Autumn or September Equinox and it, traditionally, represents a time of balance, clarity, reflection, collection and release. It is a time to harvest. 

 In the astrological zodiac, September is Libra, which is identified by the symbol of the scales, which represent a striving for fairness and balance. This is traditionally thought of as a time when daylight and darkness are of equal length. 

We often think of January as a time of new beginnings, but the fall is also a time to plan for the days ahead and the actions and goals set now chart the course for the rest of the year. 

So, it’s obviously a time to plan wisely, to discard all of the things that no longer serve us, to set goals that bring more meaning to our lives. 

Again, what did you do yesterday? It is a time to reflect upon the past, to be in the present and to prepare for the longer nights ahead.

Are sanctions really necessary?

East Palo Alto City Council members during their contentious Sept. 2, 2025 meeting

When three East Palo Alto City Council candidates were running for a seat on the East Palo Alto City Council in the 2024 election, they promised that, despite their differences, they were not only capable of working together, if elected, but they said they could work together harmoniously.

Well, the three of them were elected to the council. You can see what they said at the time in their video interview that is posted on the EPA Today website and on Youtube. 

As events have taken shape since the election, that harmonious interaction has not happened. Instead, things have reached such a nadir on the council that one long-term council member, Carlos Romero, who ran and won in the 2024 election, is now in danger of being censured or worse by his council colleagues.

A decision will be made this evening at a special East Palo Alto City Council meeting whether Romero will be sanctioned.

You can read what happened to bring all of this about in the article discussing the contentious council exchanges in the EPA Today news article titled, Are proposed city council sanctions in East Palo Alto justified? 

So, where should East Palo Alto's council members be putting their energies and focus - fighting each other or in addressing the critical issues facing their city?

What do you think?