InglewoodToday 01-03-19

January 03, 2019

VOL. 34, No. 01

2019:

It is the Law

Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor

Hundreds of new California laws took effect on Jan. 1, imposing a raft of new mandates on scores of issues. Some laws were the direct result of recent events, some are holdovers from years past, and some — including a new, official sport — are uniquely Californian.

In full-service restaurants, you’ll only be given a plastic straw if you ask for one.

California officials won’t be able to approve new onshore facilities to process additional offshore oil drilling in federal waters, ensuring no expansion of operations by the Trump administration.

California begins a historic effort to move toward 100% renewable energy.

After a federal effort was blocked, California enacts a state law to limit the use of certain refrigeration chemicals that are linked to climate change.

Pertaining to gun rights, California lawmakers sent the governor a bill that would raise the minimum age for buying long guns in the state from 18 to 21 and no one under the age of 21 can purchase a rifle or shotgun in California. There will be a lifetime gun ban for anyone convicted of serious domestic assault and a lifetime gun ban for anyone hospitalized 4 more than once in a

BULLET TRAIN OR NO BULLET TRAIN:

THAT’S THE QUESTION Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor

A

mong the headaches Gavin Newsom will inherit as governor: California’s troubled bullet train Gov. Jerry Brown hands incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom a tough decision: delay indefinitely the goal of a statewide bullet train system and salvage something useful out of the billions of dollars already spent, or stick with the original vision and find at least $50 billion in new money to keep it going.

Either option will probably lead to

a clash between the project’s die-hard supporters and its skeptics. Almost every major engineering and construction firm has a big stake in the project, as do unions, small businesses and city governments. The outcome will depend on how much fiscal pain and risk Democrats are willing to accept.

So far, Newsom has only hinted at what he will do, saying at times the effort must continue in some form — though with less gusto than Brown exhibited as he championed what has grown into the nation’s largest infrastructure effort over

the last eight years.

Newsom has his own alternative bigticket priorities: universal healthcare, early childhood education, homelessness and climate change. None of them involve the $77-billion rail project.

More than a dozen California officials, construction executives, engineers and academics who study transportation say the project’s problems go so deep that the state will probably have to settle for something far less than the original blueprint of a high-speed rail 2 network through almost

The pergola section of the California bullet train’s San Joaquin River Viaduct at the Fresno/ Madera county line. (California High Speed Rail /)

MICHELLE AND BARACK OBAMA TOP AMERICA’S MOST ADMIRED LIST Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor

Former first lady Michelle Obama beat Hillary Clinton as America’s most admired woman in Gallup’s yearly poll.

The latest rankings mark the first time Ms Clinton, a former first lady and former secretary of state, did not make the number one spot on the list in 17 years.

Based on Americans surveyed, about 15 per cent chose Ms Obama as their most admired woman. Oprah Winfrey followed behind with 5 per cent, and both Ms Clinton and current first lady Melania Trump with 4 per cent.

The list also featured other high-profile women including Queen Elizabeth, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, comedienne 2 Ellen DeGeneres, former JOIN US ON

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January 03, 2019

Continued from page 1: Michelle and Barack Obama

Continued from page 1: Bullet Train or No Bullet Train

US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, human rights activist Malala Yousafzai and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

Former president Barack Obama, the husband of Ms Obama, topped the list for America’s most admired, men with 19 per cent of the vote.

In comparison, Donald Trump only received 13 per cent of the votes, a reflection that his approval rating is currently in the low- to mid-40s. There were clear partisan lines based on votes with majority of Democrats picking Mr Obama and Republicans picking Mr Trump.

This marks Mr Obama’s 11th time at the top of the list, which puts him one time short of former President

every major city from Sacramento to San Diego — at least until the middle of the century or later.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has enough money to keep going for two to four years before it could exhaust its cash stockpile, depending on the flow of state funding and whether costs continue to increase. But time is the project’s enemy, as inflation adds $1 billion to $2 billion to the project’s cost for every year of delay.

Though the bullet train won the support of voters in 2008 and remains popular among Newsom’s constituency, cracks are beginning to emerge in the unconditional support Brown had engendered among Democrats. Republican opponents generally want an outright cancellation.

The authority is currently building 119 miles of track and structures in the Central Valley for an estimated $10.6 billion, up from an original estimate of about $6 billion. The initial construction would run from Madera to Wasco, two small cities that hardly fit into the international standard for bullet train end points.

The decision to first link the Central Valley to the Bay Area eliminated the connection to Southern California for the foreseeable future, which Rendon said left voters feeling “that a rug has been pulled from under them.”

A scathing investigation by State Auditor Elaine Howle in November faulted the project for poor contract management, failure to review contractor invoices, shortsightedly rushing into construction and an over-reliance on costly outside consultants.

Among the unresolved issues is the decision to put little initial investment in the state’s two biggest cities, Los Angeles and San Diego, the difficulty of satisfying fiscal and operational requirements set in the 2008 bond act, a lack of support to raise new funding, and the project’s flawed governance.

Without a realistic and concrete plan, there’s risk the project will make its own unanticipated adjustment when some future crisis arises.

One possibility is that the high-speed rail in the Central Valley would connect in Merced with the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail system that runs through the Altamont Pass to San Jose.

In fact, the commuter system’s executives are quietly positioning for that very possibility.

It would operate far slower and with less capacity than a high-speed system and it could require awkward connections, but it would be a system that the state could improve in the future.

The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which operates the Altamont system and the Amtrak system in the Central Valley, is extending the commuter rail system to Merced in a $300-million project, a more modest plan than the rail authority’s idea of connecting the Central Valley through a $10-billionto-$12-billion tunnel under the Pacheco Pass east of Gilroy. The authority’s 2018 business plan acknowledges that it cannot afford the tunnel.

“No matter how you look at it, Merced will be the northern point of high-speed rail for quite some time,” said Stacey Mortensen, Altamont’s executive director. “So we need to get there. We are trying to be part of the solution.”

During his campaign for governor, Newsom told The Times the project is “achievable and realistic” and said that he is “committed” to a partial system from the Central Valley to the Bay Area. That is almost identical to the rail authority’s plan for a San Francisco-to-Bakersfield segment by 2029, expected to cost $29 billion to $37 billion. Based on the rail authority’s financial statements, Newsom’s idea would be short by $8 billion to $16 billion, counting all of its sources of revenue through 2029 and assuming no further cost growth.

The entire project needs an outside evaluation and cost estimate, construction industry executives say privately.

Flyvbjerg agrees that an outside panel of experts could be useful, but only if the state’s political leadership accepted and followed the recommendations.

One industry executive cites the model of the Fiscal Management and Control Board that helped stabilize Boston’s Big Dig highway project with tight controls on spending.

Troubled projects are often finished, though they often become financial drains on governments, Flyvbjerg said, pointing to bankrupt or unprofitable systems such as the London-to-Paris bullet train through the English Channel tunnel or airport systems in Stockholm and Oslo.

“You reach a point of no return,” he said. “It means throwing good money after bad. It is very common in megaprojects.”

quests for comment on the ex-officers’ suit.

The shootings led to calls for greater transparency in the Inglewood department. Watchdog groups were disturbed to learn that earlier this month Inglewood’s city council voted to destroy records of more than 100 officer shootings and misconduct investigations that are more than five years old.

State law requires police departments to retain such records for five years. Mayor James Butts denied the move was intended to thwart a new state law taking effect Jan. 1 that requires departments to release records pertaining to police shootings and major use-of-force incidents, as well as sexual assault and lying on

duty.

The U.S. Justice Department investigated Inglewood after its police shot and killed three unarmed people in 2008. In 2010, Justice issued a report saying the city lacked clear policies on the use of force.

In 2012 an Inglewood officer shot an unarmed man in his car, leaving him with brain damage; that resulted in a $4.6 million payout to settle a lawsuit.

Dwight Eisenhower for the most times being picked as America’s most admired man.

Other men on the list include former President George W Bush, Pope Francis, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, former President Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, former vice president Joe Biden, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and vice president Mike Pence.

Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent Minds Out of all 72 polls conducted, the 2018 rankings mark the 13th time that a sitting president was not voted most admired man.

INGLEWOOD SETTLES SUIT OVER CONTROVERSIAL POLICE SHOOTINGS

by Frank Stoltze in News Inglewood has agreed to pay $8.6 million to settle a lawsuit by the families of a man and woman killed in 2016 by Inglewood police, the latest in a series of controversial officer shootings in the city over the past several years.

One of the reasons for the sizable settlement is that the five officers who opened fire on Kisha Michael and Marquintan Sandlin had no justification for doing so, said Milton Grimes, the attorney representing the two victims’ families. All five were ultimately fired.

“They set up. They took cover.

There was no officer in danger,” he said. “They were all behind a vehicle or a bus bench — wherever they thought they could be secure.”

Inglewood political leaders were unavailable for comment; the city is closed for the holidays. The police department did not return calls seeking comment.

The February 2016 incident began when officers found Michael and Sandlin apparently unconscious in their locked car, which was in the middle of the street. Michael had a handgun in her lap, according to an Inglewood police incident report obtained by LAist.

The police tried for some 45 minutes to rouse the pair; the incident report said officers tried turning on their lights and siren, blasting an airhorn and finally bumping the vehicle with a patrol car.

Eventually they awoke, but the incident report doesn’t say what sparked the shooting.The Inglewood Police Department issued this statement after the shooting and has said little else since: “Upon arrival, the officers observed the female occupant was in the possession of a firearm. The officers then took a position of cover and ordered the occupants to exit the vehicle. An officer involved shooting then occurred.”

FOR $8.6MS

Michael and Sandlin had blood alcohol levels over the legal driving limit and Michael had trace amounts of methamphetamine, according to the coroner’s autopsies. Michael, the mother of three, and Sandlin, the father of four, were out on a date, according to family members.

A lawsuit filed this month by the five fired officers alleges that Sandlin woke up first after the incident commander used a public address system to tell the couple to put their hands in the air.

The officers’ suit says Sandlin drove into the patrol car in front of him, then reversed into the police vehicle behind him. It goes on to claim that one officer shot Sandlin when he reached toward Michael’s lap — where she had what the suit describes as a loaded semiautomatic gun.

The lawsuit says the passenger door opened moments later and Michael reached for her lap, prompting all five officers to open fire. She was shot 13 times. Sandlin was shot multiple times.

Trisha Michael, Kisha Michael’s twin sister, said there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the incident.

“I still don’t understand who gave them the order to shoot,” she said.

“Did they shoot on their own — is that why they’re fired? Or are they just fired to protect the city of Inglewood?”

The five fired officers — Sean Reidy, Richard Parcella, Michael Jaen, Andrew Cohen and Jason Cantrell — claim in their lawsuit they were discriminated against because they’re white. They say they were following the orders of two more experienced sergeants at the scene, and that the sergeants — both of whom are Latino — were not fired.

The city has not responded to re-

In this file photo, an activist holds up a picture of Kisha Michael, left, and Marquintan Sandlin. The city of Inglewood has settled for $8.6 million in a wrongful death suit over their fatal shooting by police in February 2016. (Frank Stoltze/KPCC)

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January 03, 2019

NEW DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS PLANS TO

INVESTIGATE BETSY DEVOS ON FIVE FRONTS Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor

With Democrats soon-to-be in control of the U.S. House of Representatives, several members of House-led committees are preparing to challenge Department of Education Secretary Besty DeVos on several policies.

POLITICO reports that at least five committees could take DeVos to task next year on some of the more controversial policies enforced by the Dept. of Education.

Among them will be the House education committee where Virginia Democrat Bobby Scott is expected to be named chairman. Scott has been vocal about many of the policies enforced by DeVos, including the secretary’s rollback of sexual assault policies on college campuses.

“The proposed rule creates a new process and evidentiary standard

that makes it harder for survivors of harassment, abuse, and assault to achieve the justice they deserve,” Scott said in a statement after reports of DeVos’ policy plans surface.

“Campus sexual misconduct is already underreported and those who do come forward are too often denied respect, compassion, and a fair investigation of their claim.”

Another opponent, expected to lead the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, will be Rep. Mark Takano.

The California Democrat told POLITICO he plans to investigate the effects the reduction of regulations meant to stop misuse of funds from for-profit colleges. Those colleges, Takano said, enroll thousands of veterans each year.

A House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees education

funding is expected to be led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who told Politico that DeVos’ record on student debt was “appalling.”

According to DeLauro, the committee will, “hold Secretary DeVos accountable for her agency’s failure to uphold federal protections for our students.”

Rep. Maxine Waters, known for her public spats with President Donald Trump, could be an ally for DeLauro as she is believed to be the future chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee.

Waters has publicly condemned DeVos’ policies, saying earlier in November that the Education secretary is conducting a “full-on attack on civil rights protections for students — particularly students of color, students with disabilities,

transgender students, and survivors of sexual assault.”

Waters told POLITICO that her position will largely spotlight big banks and Wall Street, but the Financial Services Committee also oversees student loan companies and the Consumer Protection Bureau.

DeVos has no love lost with members of the CPB, either. The bureau’s top student loan officer, Seth Frotman, resigned in August as a form of protest against policies enacted by DeVos and the Trump Administration.

“Betsy DeVos has brought a special mix of incompetence and malevolence to Washington — and that’s rocket fuel for every committee in a new Congress that will finally provide oversight,” Frotman said.

LEGAL RECREATIONAL CANNABIS:

WHERE IS THE TAX REVENUE Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor

When Californians voted in 2016 to allow the sale of recreational marijuana, advocates of the move envisioned thousands of pot shops and cannabis farms obtaining state licenses, making the drug easily available to all adults within a short drive.

But as the first year of licensed sales comes to a close, California’s legal market hasn’t performed as state officials and the cannabis industry had hoped. Retailers and growers say they’ve been stunted by complex regulations, high taxes and decisions by most cities to ban cannabis shops. At the same time, many residents are going to city halls and courts to fight pot businesses they see as nuisances, and police chiefs are raising concerns about crime triggered by the marijuana trade.

Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, who played a large role in the legalization of cannabis, will inherit the numer-

two years ago under Proposition 64, state officials estimated in there would be as many as 6,000 cannabis shops licensed in the first few years.

But the state Bureau of Cannabis Control has issued just 547 temporary and annual licenses to marijuana retail stores and dispensaries.

Some 1,790 stores and dispensaries were paying taxes on medicinal pot sales before licenses were required starting Jan. 1.

(Los Angeles Times) State officials also predicted that legal cannabis would eventually bring in up to $1 billion in revenue a year. But with many cities banning pot sales, tax revenue is falling far short of estimates. Based on taxes collected since Jan. 1, the state is expected to bring in $471 million try, ease the tax burden on retailers without a drastic rewrite of the law, in revenue this fiscal year — much and crack down on sales to minors. which is not in the cards for the less than the $630 million projected “The cannabis industry is being foreseeable future.” in Gov. Jerry Brown’s 7 choked by California’s penchant for After voters legalized marijuana budget.

ous challenges when he takes office in January as legislators hope to send him a raft of bills next year to provide banking for the pot indus-

over-regulation,” said Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML, a pro-legalization group. “It’s impossible to solve all of the problems

Page 4

January 03, 2019 Day-to-day, s idewalk food vendors will have new statewide protections while also being required to follow local rules. The state will be required to help Californians clear marijuanarelated convictions from their criminal records and new and used cars must have a temporary, paper license plate before they are driven off the dealer’s lot.

When requested, the California Department of Motor Vehicles will issue driver licenses that don’t have a traditional binary gender preference, and will instead mark that space with an “X.” Hotel and bus company customer

Continued from page 1: 2019: It is the Law

year for mental health problems. In addition, anyone who obtains a concealed weapons permit must obtain new gun safety training In the category of criminal justice, many police misconduct records will now be available for public inspection including more police body camera footage. An accomplice to a killing can no longer be charged with felony murder and for the first time, we now have a minimum age -12 , at which most children can be tried in court for a crime. Court would remain an option for those charged with violent crimes such as murder or rape and children under the age of 16 will no longer be tried in adult courts.

At work, secret settlements with employers for sexual assault or harassment are now prohibited and there’s now a ban on the use of nondisparagement settlements with employers for incidents that happened in the workplace. State officials can no longer refuse a professional license to someone who has a lowlevel or nonviolent criminal record.

Any publicly traded corporation headquartered in California must have at least a small number of women on its board of directors and it is now illegal for anyone to use an online “bot” for tricking Californians into thinking a real person is peddling a product or seeking to influence an election.

California will begin implementing its own net neutrality rules so that internet providers can’t block content or alter the speed of internet traffic.

Arts & Culture Economic Development Education Emerging Civic Leaders

THE EMPOWERMENT CONGRESS AND SUPERVISOR MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS PRESENT THE

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Register at www.EmpowermentCongress.org For more information contact (213) 346-3247 or info@EmpowermentCongress.org #ECSummit27

JANUARY 19, 2019

SPECIAL KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Congresswoman

Karen Bass

Chair, Congressional Black Caucus

SATURDAY

National Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend

Health

BARACK OBAMA Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor

Former President Barack Obama was recently honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award at a gala in midtown Manhattan.

“I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but I’ve been on this hope kick for a while now. Even ran a couple of campaigns on it. Thank you for officially validating my hope credentials,” Obama said during his remarks.

The organization’s president, Kerry Kennedy, presented the award, which celebrates leaders “who have

lists can’t be given to immigration agents or others who aren’t California peace officers without court action.

Among the education and healthcare new laws, charter schools must have the safety plans as do neighborhood schools Charter schools must provide sex education programs as do neighborhood schools and state education officials must help develop media literacy programs to teach students how to spot fake news. The pharmaceutical industry must pay for collection of used medication and needles With respect to wildfire safety and funding, one billion dollars in state government funds will be spent on additional wildfireprevention efforts, including treeand brush-removal programs and utilities will have new ways to mitigate the cost of fire-related payments. New garage doors installed as of this summer must have a backup battery that can lift the door in the event of a power outage and homeowners will have new rules for creating defensible space, free of fire-prone brush or vegetation, to prevent more fires.

Wildfire victims have new flexibility in how to use insurance coverage for rebuilding their homes and they will get an extra year — for a total of three years — to rebuild an insured home.

In the miscellaneous category, surfing is now California’s official state sport. Kids meals in most restaurants must have a milk- or water-based beverage as the default choice and a parent must request a soda for the child. Adults can legally ride a motorized rental scooter without a helmet and new rules will dictate how divorcing couples determine who gets the family pet.

State parks must now make clear on their websites if dogs are allowed and believe it or not, pet stores must sell only animals from shelter or rescue groups.

Welcome to 2019!

we can inspire others to do the same.

It’s easy to succumb to cynicism, the notion that hope is a fool’s game,” Obama said.

“When our leaders are content on making up whatever facts they want, demonstrated a commitment to so- Gore, Bono, George Clooney and a lot of people have begun to doubt cial change.” Past recipients include Robert De Niro. the notion of common ground,” Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Al “If we summon our best selves, Obama said. “Bobby Kennedy’s life reminds us to reject such cynicism.”

Also honored with Ripple of Hope Awards were New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav and Humana CEO Bruce Broussard. Speakers included actors Alec Baldwin, Keegan-Michael Key, Alfre Woodard and journalist Tom Brokaw.

This year also marks the 50 anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy’s campaign for the White House.

RECEIVES RFK HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD

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January 03, 2019

PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE

WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR THE NEW YEAR? a friend sent me several alternate suggestions where that money would be more appropriately spent: 1. Fix Flint, Michigan’s drinking-water crisis : $55 million 2. Feed all homeless veterans three meals a day for a year : $84 million 3. Give all 3.2 million teachers a $1,000 bonus : $3.2 billion 4. Build three acres of solar farms : $1.5 billion TOTAL $4.93 BILLION And there would still be money left to pay for Trumps multiple golf outings to his resorts.

Sadly that will never happen however, I have another spending plan for you that makes sense for you and your family. I have decided to complete the plan below for a family member and I urge you to join me to assist someone you know that will benefit 12 months from now.

Welcome to 2019!

I am glad that 2018 is behind us and I look forward to a prosperous new year.

Last year is one that will long be remembered. Locally, Inglewood residents saw impressive economic development in the City of Inglewood with a cohesive mayor and city council relationship that continues to yield significant benefits throughout the city. Domestically, we will reflect on a presidential administration that has ignored the traditional values and principles that we have experienced in the past.

Policies notwithstanding, Trump’s administration and his behavior as our nation’s chief executive officer have left, those of us who are not a member of his dedicated base, a sour taste in our mouths as we cannot understand, rationalize or accept many of his decisions that have hampered our relations with our allies internationally, given comfort to those who do not embrace a philosophy Happy New Year from me and all of the staff of INGLEWOOD TODAY! that is good for all Americans domestically, and has created a partisan divide in Washington that is even more egregious than what President Obama experienced.

As we look to the future, it is sad to acknowledge that our government is partially shut down as a result of Trumps stubborn decision to build a medieval wall along our southern border. He first promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, then he asked us to pay for the wall and finally, threw a tantrum and promised to close down the government if he did not get what he wanted. Trump is a sad, very sad excuse for a president on many levels.

Instead of spending five billion dollars as a down payment for a wall,

The choices you make today can have a great impact on tomorrow.

RENEW YOUR COSTCO OR SAM’S CLUB MEMBERSHIP, Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor

OR NOT

Gyms love this time of year. People flood the facilities, intent on being better about getting in shape in 2019 than they were in 2018.

In many ways, warehouse club members join with the best of intentions. Many members join because they expect to take advantage of all the ways Costco and Walmart’s Sam’s Club let you save money. But you only save if you actually use the membership. If you join but rarely go, you may not recoup your membership fee. And if you have to force yourself to go, it may not be worth scratching out a small profit in savings over the price of joining.

There are ways to save money that don’t involve joining Costco or Sam’s. You can be a fiscally responsible person who opts to not be a warehouse club member (or you can be a financially reckless one who understands that a warehouse club membership won’t help). Here are the biggest reasons to not renew your Costco or Sam’s Club membership.

1. Going is a chore Shopping at a warehouse club offers a certain amount of fun to a certain type of person. If you want to visit not knowing what the best deals will be and whether you’re going to leave with five pounds of salmon or a tube of ground beef, warehouse clubs may be right for you.

Costco and Sam’s both offer a certain amount of mystery. That should be enjoyable even if you’re not going to buy a super-discount kayak or a 6-foot tall Teddy Bear. If, however, you like consistency, you may want to shop elsewhere.

2. You waste a lot In many cases, warehouse clubs require you to shop in bulk. For some people that just does not work.

You may not have enough room to store large quantities of items, or you may not be the type of person (or family) who takes advantage.

If you buy items in bulk and end up throwing a portion of them away, you have actually wasted money. It’s not about the price per pound or ounce; in the end, how much you actually use determines whether there’s value.

3. You’ve gone digital Both Costco and Sam’s have websites, but they’re limited compared to Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN), or even Walmart’s. If you’re a digital-first shopper who always has your phone in your hand or who likes to order through a digital assistant, a warehouse club may not be for you.

Amazon and Walmart may not always be as cheap as Costco or Sam’s, but they generally offer good

deals as well. If you don’t like going to stores, joining a warehouse club may be a waste of money.

Look at the bottom line Warehouse clubs do offer a lot of value. If, for example, you live near one that offers gas, it might make sense to join just for the gas savings along with the occasional visit. The same is true of savings on big-ticket items. Using warehouse clubs to book travel -- or buy a coffin, morbid as it may be -- could justify the price of membership.

Don’t join Costco or Sam’s just because it seems like a good idea.

Join if you’ll enjoy the membership and/or use it to save money in a way that won’t be stressful.

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER/ EDITOR Willie Brown VICE PRESIDENT Gloria Kennedy ASSISTANT EDITOR Francis Taylor CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Francis Taylor Anne Cheek La Rose QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER Gloria Kennedy Inglewood Today Weekly is a legally adjudicated newspaper of public cir­c ulation, published weekly

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January 03, 2019

Rams newly signed running back C.J. Anderson ran for 132 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown in the Rams 48-32 win over the San Francisco on December 30 at the Coliseum. They start the playoffs on Saturday, January 12, at 5:15 p.m. at the Coliseum.

By Steve Finley

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer leads his Buckeye team on to the field before the Rose Bowl game on New Years Day in Pasadena.. Ohio State beat Washington 28-23 in Meyers last game.

Clipper forward Danilo Gallinari gets ready to drive to the basket against Toronto last month at the Staples Center. The Clippers next home game is Sunday, December 6, at 12:30 p.m. against the Orlando Magic.

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January 03, 2019

these other cities have seen the ills that come with allowing marijuana in the door,” Sabet said, “including skyrocketing drugged driving; the promise, then failure of social justice; and the targeting of children through the use of colorful and deceptive candies, gummies and sodas.”

Another problem hampering the legal market is a lack of banking for cannabis businesses. Federally regulated banks are reluctant to handle cash from pot, which remains an illegal drug under federal law.

“Banking continues to be an issue in terms of creating a real public safety problem with significant amounts of cash being moved for transactions,” said Bonta, who co-wrote a bill this year that would have created a state-sanctioned bank to handle money from pot sellers. It failed to pass after legislative analysts said the proposal faced “s i g n i f i c a nt

obstacles,” including no protection from federal law enforcement.

But Ajax, the state pot czar, says her agency has had a productive first year, issuing initial licenses, refining the rules and stepping up action against unlicensed operations, including partnering with the Los Angeles Police Department to seize $2 million worth of marijuana products from an unlicensed shop in Sylmar in October.

“I am optimistic about the coming year, where our focus will be primarily on getting more businesses licensed and increasing enforcement efforts on the illegal market,” Ajax said.

Three more officers and another sergeant, a SWAT team member with 17 years on the force, arrived soon after, the lawsuit said.

Some of the officers tried yelling Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor commands. The second sergeant, Five former Inglewood police The incident began when the offi- who became the incident comofficers who were fired after fatally cers responded to a report of people mander, instructed one of the offishooting a couple sitting in a car have filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming they were discriminated against because they are white.

During the incident, the officers — Sean Reidy, Richard Parcella, Michael Jaen, Andrew Cohen and Jason Cantrell — were following orders of the two more experienced Latino sergeants at the scene who were not fired, said their attorney Zorik Mooradian.

“My question is why the commanding officers at the scene … are still serving the Police Department and five young, white officers who were in harm’s way and acting in unconscious inside a Chevy, accord- cers to turn on his lights and siren to conformity with the orders given to ing to the lawsuit. Officers found the see if the noise would stir the couple. them were fired,” Mooradian said. car stopped in the middle of a street Then the officer was told to bump Mooradian provided a copy of with its engine running, and Mar- the vehicle with his patrol car.

Eventually the couple woke up, the lawsuit, which offers a detailed quintan Sandlin and Kisha Michael the lawsuit said. Meanwhile, higherdescription of the incident, to The were unresponsive inside. Officers Times. Los Angeles Superior Court saw a loaded semiautomatic gun on ups in the department were contemplating whether to call the SWAT online records show it was filed on the woman’s lap.

Friday.

Over the next 40 or so minutes, team to the scene.

They noticed Sandlin wake up Neither the Inglewood city attor- the officers tried to wake up the first, after the incident commander ney’s office nor the Inglewood Police couple. One of the first two officers Department could be reached for at the scene knocked on the driver’s used a public address system to tell comment. The February 2016 shoot- window. A sergeant showed up and the couple to put their hands in the ing led to calls for greater transpar- instructed them to check the doors air, the lawsuit said. Sandlin drove his Chevy into the patrol car in front ency in the agency.

— all were locked.

of him, then reversed into the police vehicle behind him.

He then reached toward the woman’s lap, prompting Parcella to fire two rounds with his shotgun, the lawsuit said. Sandlin was struck and later died.

Moments later, the passenger door opened and the woman reached for her lap, the lawsuit said.

All five officers opened fire. Michael was pronounced dead at the scene.

The officers were placed on leave and fired more than a year later. The two supervisors still work for the department, Mooradian said.

The lawsuit comes as the city authorized the shredding of more than 100 police shooting and other internal investigation records weeks before a new state law goes into effect that could allow the public to access them for the first time, a move that drew criticism from civil rights advocates.

California law says police departments must retain records of officer shootings and internal misconduct investigations for five years. The city of Inglewood, however, had kept records longer than that, including case files of police shootings dating to 1991. State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), the author of SB 1421, intended for her bill to allow public access to all qualifying records held by a department, no matter the date of the incident.

Continued from page 3: Cannabis

“I think we all wish we could license more businesses, but our system is based on dual licensing and local control,” said Alex Traverso, a spokesman for the state Bureau of Cannabis Control, referring to the requirement that cannabis businesses get permission from the state and the city in which they want to operate.

Less than 20% of cities in California — 89 of 482 — allow retail shops to sell cannabis for recreational use, according to the California Cannabis Industry Assn. Cities that allow cannabis sales include Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco and San Diego.

Eighty-two of Los Angeles County’s 88 cities prohibit retail sales of recreational marijuana, including the City of Inglewood, according to Alexa Halloran, an attorney specializing in cannabis law for the firm Solomon, Saltsman & Jamieson. Pot shops are not allowed in cities including Burbank, Manhattan Beach, Alhambra, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, Compton, Redondo Beach, El Monte, Rancho Palos Verdes and Calabasas.

California has also issued fewer cultivation licenses than expected in the first year of legalization, with about 2,160 growers registered with the state; an estimated 50,000 com-

mercial cannabis cultivation operations existed before Proposition 64, according to the California Growers Assn. Some have given up growing pot, but many others are continuing to operate illegally.

The trade group hoped to see at least 5,000 commercial growers licensed in the first year, said Hezekiah Allen, the group’s former executive director who is now chairman of Emerald Grown, a cooperative of 130 licensed cultivators.

The legalization of recreational pot has also created tension in areas of the state where cannabis growers are operating close to residents.

Meanwhile, despite concerns from law enforcement, the state is finalizing a proposal to allow deliveries throughout California — including in cities that ban retail stores.

The new rule by Lori Ajax, chief of the state Bureau of Cannabis Control, is expected to be implemented in January.

Ajax says she believes that as the system is refined and is shown to operate successfully in some cities, other local governments will allow retail pot sales. But opponents of pot legalization, including Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, are happy that most cities are saying “no” to selling the drug.

“The residents of Compton and

LEGAL RECREATIONAL CANNABIS:

WHERE IS THE TAX REVENUE

Page 8

January 03, 2019