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Weekly Work: The Biker from Lemon Street
October 27th, 2009, 5:13 pm · 13 Comments · posted by Peggy Lowe
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Every day for 23 years, Leslie Caldera rode his bike to work. Each morning he’d pat his dog on her head, wheel his bike out of the garage and set off from his home on Lemon Street in Cypress.
But two years ago, Leslie lost his job as a marketing coordinator at a private school. Now, he rides his bike to a ministry for the unemployed and various job-seeking events. He is one of the more than 170,000 people in California who have been out of work for so long they have exhausted their unemployment benefits.
These are dark days for the biker from Lemon Street.
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13 Comments
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What a great story, really brings the national problem boiled down to us locally here in Orange County. Love the podcast, too, it puts an actual voice to the problem from a REAL person instead of just reading something else on paper. Awesome!
good 1
The biker from Lemon street could consider entrepreneurial options such as teaching biking safety, offering training for races and triathlons, contracting for bike repair and maintenance. Take a passion and make money off of it! This country shouldn’t be about handouts, but the creative ways in which we cope and continue on without government intervention.
To Wheels,
Do you have your head in the sand? I have been out of full-time employment since June 08, have exhausted UI benefits, continue to promote my considerable and accumulative talents as a consultant, send out at least 30 resumes’ a week, and acquire more education and certification. In the present environment it seems none of that matters. For every job offered there are at least 100 very qualified applicants. The only thing I can summize is that the current economy does not affect you. If that is the case–GREAT FOR YOU–, if not I apologize. Consulting is only worthwhile if the market will tolerate the added expense. There is software available for anything one wants to know–if one has the motivation to take the time to learn it without the need for a consultant.
TO WHEELS
you idiot, the government is the problem. They have taken away the ability of the modern entrepeneure to create anything with their backward draconian policies that are leading down the raod to socialism and eventual ruin as a country.
Wheels Says: Spoken like a true Republican. Put the burdon on digging oneself out of the economic crisis on the little guy. I’m sure there’s big money in teaching biking safety…
We’re hosed. Bring troops back and stop putting money into defense, all those in the defense industry get laid off. Send more troops, free up domestic jobs, the problem just comes back when the troops come home. No recommendations here. There’s no answer, it’s a tic tac toe game between the Democrats and Republicans. I’m just going to ride it out till 2012…. haha!
GREAT VIDEO. Very inventive. Hope everything works out and a job offer will arrive soon. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes that I have tacked on the wall in front of my computer:
“Persistent people begin their success where others end in failure.”
“A positive attitude may not solve all one’s problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”
Good luck to everyone.
Great job, a good sample of what journalism can do with very simple multimedia tools and complex professional talent.
This recession (actually depression!) is showing the very nasty reality of age discrimination! What’s the great Messiah going to do for those ‘middle-aged’ unemployed then? OH…..OF COURSE………YET ANOTHER GOV’T PROGRAM!!!! He’ll take the Welfare program, put a new spin on it, rename it, and viola……….bread lines like the world has never seen before!!!!
Why are you calling him the Messiah? No one is calling the president the Messiah except republicans..it’s not a depression..
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–that is all
I have been living on the streets for about 6 months now. My husband kicked us out when i turned that last job offer down. I was offered $15 hourly and turned it down. I have a degree and deserve more. Last night i was sleeping in our usual place. Me and my four kids. Suddenly my five year Cedric began to scream. My other children began to wake up screaming themselves. We were buried under some boxes behind a shopping center for the night. I did not know what to do when a police officer arrived and stood there starring at the five of us. Riverside Police Officer Brian Wyrupts made all five of us get up and instead of ticketing me he gave me 30 dollars for breakfast. My kids can scream any time for that kind of money
Margi Grimes homeless computer engineer / freshly fed
I hope Leslie Caldera finds a job soon. I admire his attitude. Thank you, Michael Goulding for doing this story.
These are great profiles of people and how they are/aren’t coping, how jobs and money can define us. Everyone talks about the recession, but no one really puts a face to it. Always loved Peggy’s work… and she’s got a great voice!
I’m curious to hear more from Margi Grimes…