March 14
Terry McCarthy
"Los Angeles World Affairs Council"

Leo Tseng led the pledge today and is always inspiring when he reminds us what a privilege it is for us. And that he CHOSE to be a United States citizen.  Marsha Hunt provided a lovely invocation

We had many guests today starting with Catherine da Gama from the Woodland Hills Rotary, Dwight's friend Mitch Krause from Santa Monica Club and Lew Bertrand our District Governor, several members and spouses including: Margie Downey, Eloise  Siskel, Lynn Rogo, Kathy Gauld, Shirley More, Roz Nelson, Nina Jackson, Deb Scherer and Sook Heikkila.   If we failed to mention anyone, it was a little hectic as the staff rushed to set up more tables and chairs for the big turnout.  
Jim Collins' daughter, Melissa and her fiance Phil and of course his beautiful wife Carol were all there, since Carol knew something special was going to happen.

Announcements:

• Marsha Hunt announced that this coming Saturday is the WAPI party at Uni High froM 10:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. with Rotaractors and the International Committee.  It's an activity that EVERYONE can participate in so she welcomes our club and friends and hopes we can all be there.
• Mark Rogo returned from PETS and shared some announcements.
• Today, Jim Collins is celebrating his 60th Anniversary for being a WVRC Rotarian!!!

After consulting with PP Bob "Stoolie" Lusk, Dwight addressed our young whippersnapper (as he was referred to in the 50's) and his other daughter "Chickie" (a moniker her Japanese hosts gave her after  learning of Jim's business.) and shared some facts about our esteemed honoree:  Jim was President of our Friendly Westwood Village Rotary Club in 1962-63 and was named  in 1981-82 Rotarian of the Year.
Like good fast food we had short and sweet tributes from Past Presidents:

Jim was club president nine years later.  He attended the 1962 Rotary International Convention in Los Angeles.  The only current club members who might remember Jim's year as president are Ralph Beasom and Bob Lusk.  It was the first full year that we met at the Hotel Bel Air.

Memorable events during his year included introducing Colonel Harland Sanders to the club.  Jim's bus trip to Las Vegas started a club tradition which I tried to revive during my year as president 33 years later.  Jim also recalls the annual Dodger game, a tour of Standard Oil in El Segundo, a tour of Western Airlines, a Christmas party at the Presbyterian church, and a Luau party at Dee Westmoreland's home.  And it was during Jim's year that work began on chartering the Brentwood Rotary Club.

In 1963 the District Conference was held in Catalina; the hotel accommodations were not the best and many Rotarians got sea sick going over and coming back.

During Jim's year as president the Beatles released their 1st record ("Love Me Do"),  Johnny Carson  hosted his 1st Tonight Show (Joan Crawford guests), the Cuban missile crisis took place, and the Alcatraz federal penitentiary was closed.

When I was the club's president elect, I sat down with Jim to pick his brain on club projects, and the club's trip to Las Vegas was reborn.  We skipped the bus ride and flew there instead.
A few years back, when the Collins School of Hospitality Management held its annual fund-raiser on campus in Pomona, Jim took an entire busload of his friends to the event.  Guin and I were lucky enough to have been on that bus - It was the best fund-raising event we've ever attended.  Tony Marone missed the bus and took a taxi all the way to Pomona!

When driving through Venice, it is virtually impossible not to spot the James A. Collins Youth Center - the home to the Boys and Girls Club of Venice.  Jim's philanthropy extends to the YMCA (the new Y will bear his name), UCLA, Cal Poly, and many other worthy charities.  Jim was named Rotarian of the Year in 1982.

William James once said that the aim of a college education is to teach you to know a good man when you see one.  Jim is definitely a good man.  I've heard some form of craft talk by him at least a half dozen times - and would love to hear one again - all the way from his days riding horses in Arcadia, to his years in the Navy, to his time as an engineering student at UCLA, to building churches, flipping hamburgers, and eating at the Waffle House with Colonel Sanders.

It is truly a blessing to know Jim.  We are all blessed.  Congratulations, Jim, on 60 years of service.

Don Nelson:  I have been fortunate to know Jim Collins for many years. Although we were classmates at UCLA in the late 40's, I really didn't know him during school. Our paths crossed in the mid-50's when my wife Roslyn and I joined the Westwood United Methodist Church where Jim and Carol were members. Roslyan and carol were also sorority sisters at UCLA and that has enhanced our relationship over the years.
Most of you have known Jim through his food industry involvement with Kentucky Fried Chicken and later with the Sizzler restaurants. When Jim sold Sizzler about 10 years ago, he made a major gift to our endowment fund which now has assets over $360,000.

But when I think about Jim, I also think about the summer Olympics. I think that Jim has attended a dozen or so of them over the years.  If you would like to ride a bus or train for over an hour, fight the mob when you get to the station, walk a mile or so to get to the venue, stand in line to get through security, and then again to get something to eat at the concessions, then you would like the Olympic Games. To hear more about Jim's Olympic adventures, you should come to the Auxiliary's April meeting at the Collins' residence, where Jim will show off his collection of Olympic hats and pins.

My first travels with Jim and Carol were when we were both part of Ernie Wolfe's travel group to the Munich Olympics. that was an unforgettable experience. Also we folloed them on Track and Field Magazine's tours to the Atlanta, Barcelona, and Sydney Olympics, which were memorable in their own right.
But I'm sure you will agree that Jim's most important contribution to the club was when he sponsored me when I transferred here from LA 5 in 1992!

Eric Loberg was so short and sweet (?) and said Perspective and Service Above Self are the two things that represent Jim!

Steve Scherer commenced his tribute to PP Jim's 60 years of Service Above Self through the Westwood Village Rotary Club by noting that it was especially appropriate that deceased WVRC Rotarians Howard Siskel, Jim Downie and Bill Bloomfield Sr. were represented in absentia by their spouses Eloise, Margie and Peggy. 
Next PP Steve (Illinois) noted that PP Jim (UCLA) has been a proud member of Beta Theta Pi since his college days and noted that he and other fellow Betas, PP Bob Wessling (DePauw) and Nick Kahrilas (UCLA), attended the ceremony several years ago when PP Jim was awarded Beta's highest award, The Oxford Cup.  PP Steve called on Nick who explained that the Oxford Cup is awarded to Betas for extraordinary lifetime achievement.  PP Steve then called on PP Bob to sing the Beta Marching Song. Unfortunately, there was not enough time for the song so the program moved on.

 
PP Steve next recognized PP Jim's amazing 75 foot putt on Hole #3 on Los Angeles Country Club's North Course.  After the ball slithered in to the cup, PP Jim remarked that golf was really a lot of fun and maybe it was time for him to join the professional tour.  However, PP Steve informed PP Jim that although he had made many excellent decisions throughout his life, his golfing buddies were unanimous in believing that one of PP Jim's best decisions was to keep his day job.

Finally, PP Steve acknowledged that both PP Jim and his spouse, Carol, were important supporters of the Westwood United Methodist Church Pre School that was built several years ago on church premises.  One of the songs that the children learn at the Pre School explains that... A love is something, that if you give it away, you end up having more.  PP Steve then remarked, Jim, during these past 60 years... along with Carol... through the gifts of your time, talent, presence and  financial resources,... you have served as a living text book illustrating what it means to live the abundant life.  Thank you and congratulations.

Bill Goodwyn:  MANY OF YOU KNOW..... I'M FROM THE STATE FAMOUS FOR ITS BLUE GRASS......... BEAUTIFUL HORSES......FAST WOMEN.....AND SINFUL PRODUCTS.....LIKE TOBACCO AND BOURBON.  
THERE'S ONE OTHER ICON CONNECTED TO THE STATE.... WHO WAS A SMALL......ROTUND.....MAN....
DRESSED IN A WHITE SUIT..... DROVE AROUND IN A ROLLS ROYCE.....WITH HIS PICTURE ON EACH SIDE....AND THE CAPTION "FINGER LICKIN' GOOD" UNDERNEATH.. ALL BECAUSE HE CREATED A RECIPE.....FOR FRIED CHICKEN.
COLONEL HARLAND SANDERS WAS A ROTARIAN IN THREE DIFFERENT ROTARY CLUBS FOR 61 YEARS.....
AND WHILE HE WAS SERVING CHICKEN IN A LITTLE CAFÉ.. IN THE CORNER OF A GAS STATION HE OWNED.....A FEW YEARS LATER.....JIM COLLINS WAS SERVING HAMBURGERS....IN A LITTLE STAND IN WESTWOOD VILLAGE.  
WHEN THE COLONEL STARTED TO FRANCHISE HIS BUSINESS AT AGE 65....HE AND JIM CONNECTED.....AND THE REST IS HISTORY.  KFC BECAME ONE OF THE LARGEST FAST FOOD BUSINESSES IN THE WORLD.....AND AS ONE OF HIS LARGEST FRANCHISEES.....
JIM BUILT HIS BUSINESS INTO TWO NYSE COMPANIES.  I MENTION ALL OF THIS.....BECAUSE MY FATHER KNEW THE COLONEL.....WHEN HE MADE UP AT THE LOUISVILLE ROTARY CLUB. ONE DAY AS I WAS ENTERING OUR MEETING.....AT THE BEL AIR HOTEL.....I FOUND MYSELF STANDING NEXT TO  A SMALL....ROTUND...MAN IN A WHITE SUIT.....WEARING A GOATEE.... AND WAS DELIGHTED TO REALIZE.....THAT COLONEL SANDERS WAS A VISITING ROTARIAN...AS A GUEST OF HIS GOOD FRIEND, JIM COLLINS.  
I THINK HE MADE UP WITH US ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.  

District Governor Lew Bertrand presented a letter from RI President Sakuji Tanaka.

President Dwight presented Jim with (another) plaque-this one signifying his 60th anniversary with us and Carol received a bouquet acknowledging her 60 years of support.  The Pres seemed in actual pain when he announced that Jim's fine for all this fame would be $1,000 for each year of membership.  If that sounds like a lot of money-it is.  However, it's only $500/year if you consider Jim and Carol have been with us 120 years in total.

As we were running late, Sally Brant, Program Chair, sped through her intro.  Carmen Trutanich, candidate for (and sitting) City Attorney of Los Angeles would be represented by his Press Secretary, John Schwada.

Carmen  defeated Jack Weiss at age 57 to become LA City Attorney.  Nuge's background: grew up in LA, went to USC, married for over 35 years with four kids, two are attorneys and two teachers -- a family where public service is in their DNA
8 years in DA, 25 years in private practice, but in 2008 his # crunchers state he save $285M.

Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich, born Aug. 12, 1951, grew up and attended school in San Pedro. He was elected as LA's City Attorney on his first political outing, on May 19, 2009, after a highly competitive race. He is the 39th person to serve as LA's city attorney. During his first term, Trutanich has compiled an impressive list of achievements as the protector of LA's taxpayers, its neighborhoods and its most vulnerable citizens.

As a child, Trutanich was called "Nuch" to distinguish him from two other Carmen's in his family. The nickname, meaning "junior" in Croatian, stuck and, throughout his life friends, teachers, coaches and ministers have called Trutanich "Nuch." 

Trutanich's parents are first generation Americans. His paternal grandparents came from Croatia; Trutanich's father, Andy, died in 2001. Trutanich's maternal grandparents came from Ischia, a small Italian island; Trutanich's mother, Esther, still lives in the house where Trutanich grew up. Trutanich's father worked as a laborer at Starkist, retiring as general manager of the Terminal Island Tuna Packaging Plant. Esther was a stay-at-home mom who, with the help of her parents, raised seven children. All of Trutanich's siblings except one still reside in the Harbor area. 

In 1973, Trutanich graduated with a business administration degree from USC. In 1974, he received a master's degree in business administration, also from USC. While finishing his MBA, he worked at the StarKist cannery in San Pedro with his uncle Nicholas procuring tuna resources from around the world. After completing his MBA, Trutanich enrolled in night school at South Bay University College of Law and earned his law degree in 1978. 

In 1978, Trutanich began working as a deputy DA in the LA County District Attorney's office. There, Trutanich received numerous commendations and landed a coveted position in the department's hard-core gang unit. Trutanich's passion was working in the courtroom, trying cases. He excelled at it, handling dozens of gang murder cases. When a new District Attorney was elected, he recognized Trutanich's skills as a "tough prosecutor" and transferred him from the gang unit to the newly-formed environmental crimes/OSHA unit. Trutanich insisted on taking one of his capital gang cases with him to his new job. To this day, he is the only deputy DA to win a death penalty verdict while assigned to the environmental crimes unit. 

Trutanich was the environmental/OSHA unit's premier trial attorney. He tried and won the first conviction under a law enacted in 1984 that made certain hazardous waste disposal violations a felony. In the process Trutanich teamed up with another deputy DA to draft the first set of judicially-approved jury instructions for an environmental crime prosecution. In the DA's office, Trutanich considered it a privilege to be the peoples' attorney and he looks back on his time as a deputy DA as one of the most fulfilling professional experiences of his life. 

From 1998 to 2009, Trutanich was in private practice where he managed two successful private law firms, litigating 100's of cases, many of them jury trials, and received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubell. AV is the highest rating possible and signifies that the attorney is held in the highest esteem by his peers for his legal ability and ethical standards. Throughout his career, Trutanich has continued to focus on environmental compliance and litigation. The California Lawyer named him one of the top 10 attorneys in the state in the fields of environmental and land use law. 

In 2009, after a successful career in private practice, Trutanich entered the LA City Attorney's race, his first attempt at running for elected office. The Los Angeles Times editorial page endorsed Trutanich, saying: "He has the civil practice background to get a handle on Los Angeles' penchant for agreeing too easily to settlements, and impresses us as a man who would be willing to take a risky case to trial - and suffer the political consequences if he loses - in order to serve notice that the city will not roll over at the merest threat of a lawsuit by a billboard company or a disaffected employee." 

After his election, Trutanich lived up to the Times' view of him by providing vigorous and innovative leadership to protect the taxpayers. His achievements include winning 112 of 129 civil liability cases brought against the city and  saving taxpayers from having to pay out $235 million in claims sought in those cases.  In 2011, the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, a national organization, honored Trutanich with its Innovations in Criminal Justice Award, citing his use of civil injunctions to attack graffiti vandals and to protect skid-row's homeless from predatory gang-bangers and drug-dealers. 

Trutanich has been married to his wife Noreen for 34 years.  Noreen retired after a 30 year career as a flight attendant for United Airlines; she is a proud member of the AFA-CWA, the Association of Flight Attendants Unions. Trutanich and Noreen have four children and three grandchildren.  The Trutanich children followed in their parent's footsteps and work to serve their communities. Kristin is a deputy DA in Compton and is married to Erik Shear, a Los Angeles Police Department officer. Kristin and Erik are the parents of Nathan, their five-month-old son. Nicholas Trutanich is an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles who prosecutes national security and gang crimes; he was also stationed in Baghdad, Iraq for a year where he served as a deputy attaché in the U.S. Department of Justice, helping U.S. and Iraqi authorities with criminal investigations. Kimberly is a special education teacher in Southern California and married to Adam Klimas, also an elementary school teacher; they have two daughters, Lily, 3, and Elliot, 1. Caitlin Trutanich teaches English in Southeast Asia. 

Trutanich has always been active in his community. Trutanich had a strong sports background in high school and college, and later in life he was named a regional commissioner for AYSO Soccer. As someone who has been a life-long runner - who has participated in nearly two-dozen 26-mile marathons, and more 10K's, 15K's, and marathons than he can count - Trutanich believes athletics teaches young people discipline and goal achievement, and he brought that vision to his job as an AYSO commissioner. Trutanich's commitment to young people was also evident from 1974 to 1988 when he taught courses in business and real estate law at Harbor and Marymount Junior Colleges. He possesses a life credential to teach college level courses in California. 

In 2010, Trutanich proposed a series of reforms to streamline the Workers Compensation process. An audit showed that it previously took an average of 5.8 years to settle such cases, and Trutanich said that the program was "in disarray." Trutanich established a new peer review process to attempt to better settle such cases, and assigned seven new attorneys to the Workers Compensation division.

Trutanich formally declared his candidacy for Los Angeles County District Attorney on February 9, 2012. He has been called a front runner based on his lead in fundraising and endorsements. Trutanich has received endorsements from Sheriff Lee Baca and former opponent Mario Trujillo. Trutanich's decision to run has drawn criticism from opponents in the race as well as a staff editorial in the Los Angeles Times. The controversy stems from Trutanich's 2008-2009 campaign for City Attorney during which Trutanich promised to serve two full terms as City Attorney. Trutanich's candidacy for District Attorney is three years into his first four-year term as City Attorney. In 2008, Trutanich challenged his opponent for City Attorney, Jack Weiss, to sign a pledge stating that he would serve two full terms as City Attorney and not seek higher elected office. Under the terms of the pledge signed by Trutanich, if he did not serve two full terms as City Attorney he would have to take out a full page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times stating "I am a liar" and donate $100,000 to LA's Best After School Enrichment Program., which serves 28,000 students at 186 elementary school sites in Los Angeles. To date, Trutanich has neither taken out the full page advertisement nor donated money to LA's best but has pledged to raise the money in August after the June primary. In January 2012, Trutanich listed several law enforcement organizations as supporters who endorse his candidacy. As the LA Times reported, the organizations had not actually endorsed Trutanich. The campaign apologized and removed the organizations from its list of endorsements. In February 2012 Trutanich's campaign claimed "broad support...from a vast online and grass-roots audience" based on one of Trutanich's promotional video receiving hundreds of thousands of views online. After media attention, the campaign disclosed that it paid a marketing firm to generate many of those views. On Monday April 9, 2012, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Kalin characterized Trutanich's decision to call himself "Los Angeles chief prosecutor" on the June election ballot as an attempt to mislead voters and Judge Kalin prohibited Trutanich from using that term or any misleading variations of it. While Judge Kalin prohibited Trutanich from using the terms "Chief Prosecutor" or "Chief Criminal Prosecutor," Judge Kalin did allow Trutanich to refer to himself as "Los Angeles City Prosecutor."

Next week, we'll hear from UCLA Rotaracts with their Ethics Competition entry and from Ken Himmler with "Creating Sound Financial Strategies for the Days Ahead."

-YYE Aly Shoji