LAWT 03-18-2010

March 18, 2010

SERVING LOS ANGELES COUNTY WITH NEWS YOU CAN USE

Vol. XXX, No. 1171

Regulators Accused of Lax Pardons Sought Oversight at L.A. Oilfield for Slave Rescuers FIRST COLUMN

BY JOHN CHEVES LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Rev. Calvin Fairbank spent 17 years in a Kentucky prison — suffering beatings and brutal labor — for committing the felony of helping slaves escape to freedom.

Released in 1864, a broken man, he kissed the dirt of Ohio upon reaching that free state.

“Out of the jaws of Hell!”

Fairbank cried, according to his autobiography.

In the 19th century, Kentucky convicted at least 58 people for “seducing or enticing slaves to leave their lawful owners.” Defendants faced 20 years in the Kentucky State Penitentiary, where some died. One, David C. McDonald, was forgotten and languished in prison until 1870, five years after slavery was abolished.

Now, several men are working to clear the names of those men and women, black and white, whose “crimes” today would be recognized as among mankind’s finest acts.

They want Gov. Steve Beshear to issue pardons for the slave rescuers, albeit posthumously.

“I want to resurrect their names and deeds and give them their proper place in history,” said James Prichard, 56, a retired state archivist who spent much of his career studying slavery in Kentucky.

Prichard is working with public defender Rodney Barnes and Barnes’ intern Jared Schultze, both of whom are volunteering their time.

It was Barnes who first got the idea for pardons a few months ago after seeing a display at Frankfort’s Capital City Museum that mentioned the crime of slave stealing. The Kentucky State Penitentiary, where most slave rescuers served their time, was in Frankfort, under the current State Office Building, until it was razed early in the 20th century.

Curious, Barnes contacted Prichard for his historical knowledge. With Schultze, poring over yellowed records, they have tried to assemble as much information as they can about the convicts’ names, and if possible, ages, addresses and occupations.

Prichard said he dropped anyone from his list who seemed to have absconded with slaves not to take them to freedom but to resell them into bondage elsewhere. It happened, he said.

“I’m looking for people with pure intentions,” said Prichard, who is writing a history of Frankfort during the Civil War for Frankfort Heritage Press.

There are hurdles. Everyone for whom they’re seeking a pardon is dead, and no living descendants have announced themselves, so the usual application process to the governor’s office must be amended, Barnes said.

Currently, convicted felons must apply to the governor for a pardon. But the Kentucky Constitution doesn’t require that people ask for their own pardon. As long as somebody files an application, the governor has the power to See PARDON, page 3

BY NOAKI SCHWARTZ AP WRITER

(AP) — This sprawling metropolis is built atop one of the richest oil basins in the world.

Wells dot the city landscape, some hidden behind hollow building facades much like a Hollywood movie set, or, in the case of Beverly Hills High School, encased in a tower painted with flowers.

For decades, it had been assumed that one oil field, the historic Inglewood, just minutes from the downtown skyline, would eventually play out, that the nodding pumpjacks would give way to an elaborately planned, two square-mile park.

But in 2004, Houston-based Plains Exploration & Production Co., which had acquired the drilling rights from Chevron, used new technology to discover that only 35 percent of the reserves had been pumped out and began to drill the first of what is expected to become 600 new wells over the next 20 years. This renewed push for oil was helped along by county and state regulators who determined that the additional wells didn’t require any environmental review.

One state engineer charged with granting new permits apparently saw himself as more of a cheerleader for Plains than an impartial regulator, according to e-mails acquired by The Associated Press and an investigation by the state auditor. Not only did he own stock in the company whose wells he was approving, but he solicited donations from the oil companies he regulated for his wife’s nonprofit.

Photos Courtesy of URBAN PREP ACADEMIES

ALL COLLEGE-BOUND — (AP) A Chicago school that claims to be the nation’s first all-boys public charter high school comprised entirely of black males has accomplished an uncommon feat: Every member of Urban Prep’s first senior class has been accepted into a four-year college or university.

Urban Prep founder and CEO Tim King highlighted the accomplishment by telling an assembly that only four percent of Urban Prep’s freshman in 2006 were reading at grade level. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley also congratulated the 107 seniors and encouraged them to continue their hard work through college and beyond. He calls Urban Prep an example of public education that works. Last year, the mayor’s office said the average college acceptance rate for Chicago Public Schools was just over 50 percent. Pictured: Students at a recent event celebrating their accomplishments.

AP Photo by REED SAXON

OILFIELD — In this photo taken Feb. 12, a rig pumps oil from the Inglewood oilfield, seen from the nearby Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, in the unincorporated Windsor Hills area of Los Angeles. The Inglewood field, one of the richest oil basins in the world where crude was discovered in 1924, sits adjacent to an area of homes once known as the “black Beverly Hills.” Rather than eventually playing out and becoming an elaborately planned urban park, a new operator in 2004 began drilling what was planned to be the first of some 600 new wells over the next 20 years, without environmental review.

“Just keep up the good work,” state regulator Floyd Leeson wrote to a high-ranking Plains’ official in March 2005, “and I will TRY to keep (my boss) from hitting you guys with any more retarded fines ... Remember, I’m on YOUR side ... go PXP!”

The lack of oversight is now at the center of a lawsuit filed by several environmental and community groups who want stronger environmental standards applied to the Inglewood field. This includes a comprehensive health study, decreasing See OILFIELD, page 12

NEWS IN BRIEF THE SOUTHLAND Teachers in Black History Prank to be Transferred (AP) — Three Los Angeles school teachers who were suspended for honoring O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul in a Black History Month parade will be transferred to new schools, the district superintendent said recently.

School District Superintendent Ramon Cortines told the Los Angeles Times the teachers will not return to Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School in South Los Angeles after they gave portraits of the three controversial figures to children to carry in the parade last month.

The choice of the three figures caused a protest by civil rights leaders, who said the teachers were making a mockery of Black History Month.

“I think it was an exercise of very poor judgment,” Cortines told the Times. “That lack of judgment was not acceptable. These were not novice teachers.”

The teachers, all white men who teach first, second and fourth grades, were suspended for three days and reassigned to administrative offices. They will remain there until posts at new schools are found, Cortines said.

Principal Lorraine Abner issued a letter of apology to parents and the community.

She had been absent on the day of the parade and had not seen additions teachers had written onto a 1985 list of approved black role models, including Simpson, the former NFL star who was acquitted of murder but subsequently convicted of robbery; Rodman, a controversial ex-NBA player; and RuPaul, a drag queen.

Report: L.A. County Leaders Sitting on Millions (AP)—While Los Angeles County carves into services to deal with a budget gap, its leaders are sitting on millions of dollars and have spent some of it on parties, Web sites and chauffeurs.

County supervisors each get $3.4 million a year in discretionary funds to use as they please.

The Los Angeles Times says most of that money is used to pay staff salaries and for donations to community causes — such as building a library. However, the Times said recently that Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky spent more than $200,000 to maintain a Web site, Facebook and Twitter accounts, while Mike Antonovich, Don Knabe and Mark Ridley-Thomas paid for cars and chauffeurs.

The supervisors had $27 million left in their discretionary accounts as of November — enough to pay 216 social workers for a year.

See BRIEFS, page 4

www.lawattstimes.com

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L.A. WATTS TIMES

March 18, 2010

OPINION Torii Hunter Calls Black Torrance Police Stop Again Casts Latinos ‘Impostors’ EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON

Ugly Glare on Racial Profiling The throng of angry whites jeered, catcalled and spat out borderline racial insults at the small group of mostly black protestors. This wasn’t a march against Jim Crow in Montgomery, Birmingham, Jackson, Mississippi or Cicero.

The year wasn’t 1963.

The charged racial confrontation happened on March 14, 2010, in the All-American, mostly white Los Angeles suburban bedroom city of Torrance. The march was called to protest the unwarranted stop, search and harassment of Robert Taylor, a prominent Los Angeles African American minister and civic leader, by two white Torrance police officers on March 4.

Following the stop, there were hundreds of outraged letters, many filled with vile, crude, and profane racist pot shots at blacks, in local newspapers blasting Taylor and civil rights supporters.

The Taylor stop fit the all-toofamiliar pattern of many unwarranted stops of black and Latino motorists.

Torrance police officials claimed that he and the car he drove allegedly fit the description of a suspect and car involved in a robbery and assault a day earlier. The problem is Taylor is not even remotely close in appearance to the description of the suspect.

The picture circulated was of a short, stocky, dark-complexioned, 30ish black male.

Taylor is tall, in his 60s and

light-complexioned.

Predictably, as in most racial profiling allegations, Torrance police and city officials hotly denied the profiling charge. They justified it with the stock story that crime is on the rise in the city, but offered no compelling statistics to back up that claim.

Taylor’s stop would have likely ignited the usual finger-pointing, charge-swapping, and then faded fast, except for a couple of things: Torrance has been slapped with a Justice Department lawsuit, civil rights lawsuits, court settlements, and hundreds of verbal complaints over the years by black and Latino motorists, shoppers, African American mail carriers (some in full uniform that work at postal stations in Torrance), and residents such as Taylor who allege they were racially profiled.

Torrance is hardly unique.

The past decade, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami and other big and small cities have repeatedly been called on the carpet for alleged racial profiling. In an address to a joint session of Congress in 2001, then-President George W. Bush blasted racial profiling: “It’s wrong and we will end it in America.” It hasn’t ended.

The refusal to admit that racial profiling exists by many law enforcement and public officials has done much to torpedo nearly every effort by civil rights and civil liberties

groups to get law enforcement and federal agencies not only to admit that racial profiling happens but to do something about it.

The throng of white protestors that harangued the blacks and other supporters who protested the Taylor stop in Torrance was ample proof of that.

A perennial federal bill served up by House Democrat John Conyers to get federal agencies to collect stats and do reports on racial profiling hasn’t gotten to first base.

A similar racial profiling bill met a similar fate in California in 1999. The bill passed by the state Legislature mandated that law enforcement agencies compile racial stats on traffic stops. It was promptly vetoed by then-Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.

Despite Davis’ veto, nearly 60 California city and county police departments, the California Highway Patrol, and University of California police agencies — either through mandatory federal consent decrees or voluntarily — collect data on unwarranted traffic stops of motorists.

Torrance is not one of those cities.

Nationally, 46 states collect data either voluntarily or are compelled by state law on unwarranted pedestrian contacts and traffic stops.

Most police officials, including in Torrance, loudly contend that good police work is about the business of See HUTCHINSON, page 3

Black Elected Officials’ Role in Today’s America

BY KOKAYI KWA JITAHIDI

Over a year ago, many in the black community temporarily suspended reality to fully enjoy and embrace the previously unthinkable: Barack Obama had been elected to become the first black president in U.S. history. For that precious magic moment on Nov. 4, 2008, centuries of racism, disproportionate poverty, and police brutality seemed like a nightmare that had been erased by shouting, crying, embracing one another in victory, and repeating “YES WE CAN!” over and over again.

Unfortunately, all moments in time must succumb to the enduring nature of reality.

No matter how great and historic Obama’s victory was, it could not permanently mask the deeprooted problems that impact black people in particular. On Nov. 11, 2008, Dontaze Storey Jr., a 28-yearold unarmed black man, was shot and killed by Los Angeles Police Department officers.

Exactly one week after Obama trounced Sen. John McCain to win the presidency, an unarmed black man was shot in the back and mouth in front of his pregnant fiancée on a busy Los Angeles street corner.

Perhaps more tragic is the fact that Obama’s victory has seemingly failed to embolden black elected officials to take stronger stances — especially on behalf of black people.

In the aftermath of Storey’s murder, seemingly no black elected

official wanted to acknowledge and/or assist the family in finding justice against the officers and department responsible. Even in the era of Obama, these “community leaders” found holding the LAPD accountable for their actions way too risky.

From their estimation, taking that kind of stand puts them at risk of not receiving hefty campaign contributions from law enforcement organizations or getting re-elected.

This train of thought is particularly damaging considering the fact that black people marched, registered to vote, and mobilized to elect black politicians such as Tom Bradley, Shirley Chisholm, Kenneth Gibson, and, yes, Obama, because we believed that having someone from our community as a decision maker would protect us from police terror, open up educational and economic opportunities, and help lead us to a brighter tomorrow.

Despite that legacy, however, many black politicians have become accustomed to playing it safe.

Instead of confronting unjust individuals and groups that negatively impact our community, they would rather play the game “Let’s Make A Deal.”

On many of the issues that have long plagued black people — poverty, violence, police brutality — black politicians have been silent and/or grossly ineffective. It begs the question, “Why do we even keep voting for them?”

In the aftermath of Obama’s great victory, many black young adults are beginning to wonder, “What difference did voting really make?”

Rightfully so, we are Kokayi Kwa Jitahidi wondering what good is it to have black elected officials if the black community they represent remains largely without jobs, full of poor schools, and littered with drugs and disrespectful police.

However, I must state that I firmly believe that the black community must be represented by black leadership.

It must also be made clear that problems within the black community are not the sole fault or responsibility of black elected officials.

Surely, we need a united front of principled and hard-working black people from various sectors (i.e. churches, labor unions, students) to come together. But, black elected officials, in my estimation, are currently the most visible symbol of community empowerment.

We cannot ignore the fact that they are involved in making crucial decisions daily. Therefore, as a community, we must demand more from them. Furthermore, black elected officials must demand more from themselves.

Whether they’re a city councilperson, county supervisor, or president of the United States, they See KOKAYI, page 8

BY NADRA KAREEM

In a recent USA Today interview, Los Angeles Angels center fielder Torii Hunter speculated about why Major League Baseball lacks a high percentage of African American players.

The reason there’s no 21st century Jackie Robinson or Hank Aaron playing today is likely because MLB doesn’t provide a sufficient number of college scholarships, offer the same bonuses in its amateur draft as the NFL and NBA do and scout in America’s inner cities, Hunter and baseball insiders posit.

The conversation turned dicey, however, when Hunter criticized MLB for outsourcing to fill its rosters, especially in places such as the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

“People see dark faces out there, and the perception is that they’re African American,” Hunter told USA Today. “They’re not us.

They’re impostors. Even people I know come up and say, ‘Hey, what color is Vladimir Guerrero? Is he a black player?’ I say, ‘Come on, he’s Dominican. He’s not black.’ ” Seriously, Hunter?

I don’t know how Guerrero racially identifies but to suggest that he’s not black simply because he hails from Latin America is ridiculous. Do black people solely exist in the United States or in Africa?

Hunter’s statement is even more preposterous when you consider that the Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. No one questions whether or not Haitians are black, but time and time again, it seems that Americans have difficulty grasping that one can be both black and Latino.

This becomes more perplexing considering that even the U.S. government designates Hispanics as a group that can be of any race — black, white, Native American,

etc. Clearly, there are cultural differences between blacks from the United States and blacks from Latin American countries, but to suggest that the latter Nadra Kareem aren’t actually black presents a myopic view of blackness.

And given that many blacks in Latin America still practice customs directly tied to their pre-slave trade West African roots, while black Americans have lost many of these traditions, makes the suggestion that Afro-Latinos aren’t authentically black doubly offensive.

Hunter further insulted Latin American blacks when he remarked, “You can get a Dominican (baseball player) for a bag of chips.”

Perhaps it’s more cost-effective for the industry to outsource talent than to sign American players, but Hunter’s comment comes off as culturally elitist, as it trivializes the worth of Latin American players.

While I find Hunter’s comments offensive, I think it’s fortunate that they became public at a time when there’s a nationwide movement for blacks from Caribbean countries to identify their national origin on U.S. Census forms.

Perhaps if immigrant blacks represent themselves in this way, perceptions of what is and isn’t blackness will become more complex, and the type of comments Hunter made about black Latinos will be a thing of the past.

Nadra Kareem is assistant editor of the L.A. Watts Times and Race Relations Guide for About.com, where this piece appeared at racerelations.about.com.

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CIRCULATION AUDIT BY

March 18, 2010

L.A. WATTS TIMES

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BUSINESS Free Foreclosure Workshop The California Foreclosure Institute will present a free two-hour workshop March 23, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Marina del Rey Public Library, 4533 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, for investors and realtors about how to start finding and buying foreclosure properties.

The guest speaker will be Lloyd Segal, author of “Stop Foreclosure Now” and “Foreclosure Investing.”

The workshop is complimentary, but reservations are required.

Registration information: (310) 379-0101, www.foreclosurework shop.net.

Data Shows California’s Export Trade Rebounding SACRAMENTO (AP) — The people who track California’s economy say the state’s export trade continues to rebound.

According to Jock O’Connell, an international trade adviser at the University of California Center Sacramento, the value of shipments exported from California in January increased by 18.5 percent compared to January 2009.

O’Connell says the improvement is the third consecutive month of year-over-year increases in the state’s export trade.

The center’s analysis of trade data released March 11 by the U.S. Commerce Department shows $10.3 billion in goods were shipped overseas in January. That exceeds the $8.7 billion the state’s exporters shipped in January 2009.

The data also show the increase in exports was reflected at California’s major ports, with the number of loaded shipping containers leaving the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland rising by 26.8 percent over last year.

Free Tax Preparation Events Being Offered (Board of Equalization) — Free tax preparation and e-filing is being offered to the public.

Tax help is provided through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Volunteers participating in the VITA program have been trained by the Internal Revenue Service and the Franchise Tax Board.

The volunteer program offers free help completing both federal

HUTCHINSON Continued from page 2 catching criminals and reducing crime, not about profiling blacks and Latinos. If more black and Latino men are stopped, it’s not because they’re black or Latino, but because they commit more crimes, officials say.

The other even-more-problematic tack used to try to debunk racial profiling is the few statistics that have been compiled on unwarranted stops; in this case, not by police agencies, but based on citizen responses.

In two surveys, the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics took a hard, long, quantified look at racial profiling using information that it got from citizens. Both times, the agency found that while whites are stopped, searched, and arrested far less than blacks or Latinos, there was no hard proof that

and state income tax returns to the elderly, blind, disabled and lowincome taxpayers. Volunteers can assist taxpayers in claiming the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, which is a federal incentive for low-income individuals and families.

Taxpayers earning less than $43,279 can qualify for a “refundable” credit that can total up to $5,657. “Refundable” means that you do not have to have a tax liability to get a refund check from the government.

The volunteer sites offer free e-filing. E-filing has many advantages such as getting your state refund back in seven to 10 days.

Information: www.taxes.ca.gov.

Price and Chiang to Host Free Tax Workshop Sen. Curren D. Price Jr. and California State Controller John Chiang will host a free tax form assistance workshop for taxpayers with annual incomes of $49,000 or less March 20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Mark Ridley-Thomas Constituent Service Center, 8475 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles.

Taxpayers need to bring photo identification, social security cards, or individual taxpayer identification numbers for all family members, all W-2s and 1099s, a copy of last year’s tax return, bank account and routing number, total tuition fees, total expenses paid for childcare, and other pertinent materials.

Information: (213) 833-6010.

Funds Available to Compensate Loan Modification Fraud Victims On March 27, the First Greater Los Angeles Neighborhood Stabilization Council will host the Foreclosure Stabilization Summit at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

“Operation Nextstep” will feature an array of county and state agencies assisting homeowners victimized by loan modification and foreclosure rescue scams in obtaining monetary compensation.

According to Nextstep director of Operations Osar Bey, millions of dollars for financial crime victims sit idle in state agencies such as the State Bar of California and the Attorney General’s Office.

Admission is free.

Information: www.operation nextstep.com, (213) 281-7665. the stops had anything to do with race.

This has done even more to damp down a public outcry to get police agencies and legislators to admit that racial profiling is a fact on many city streets and highways and then to take firm action to eliminate it.

The arrest last July of Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. touched off a brief furor over racial profiling. Taylor’s stop and search has done the same in a bedroom Southern California city.

It has again cast the ugly glare on the always-troubling problem of racial profiling.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His nationally heard public issues talk show is on KTYM-AM 1460 AM Los Angeles, Friday, 9:30 a.m., and KPFK Pacifica Radio 90.7 Los Angeles, Saturday, noon, PST.

Millenials Seek Work’s Benefits: Leisure, Money

BY TALI ARBEL AP BUSINESS WRITER

Millenials want more vacation and time for themselves away from the job than young people did 30 years ago, and they also value compensation more, according to a recent study.

That may be setting them up for intense disappointments in today’s labor market.

Those born starting in the early 1980s put a bigger emphasis on time away from work than previous generations. They’re slightly less likely to say that work should be “a very central part” of one’s life, and tend to value a job more for salary and advancement opportunities rather than as a source of friends or an avenue to learn new skills.

Gen Y, the youngest generation in American workplaces, may see time off as necessary because of how hard they saw their parents work, said San Diego State University psychology professor Jean Twenge. She has a study ana-

lyzing generational differences in attitudes toward work in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Management.

But as unemployment has grown for young people, their expectations for money, job promotion and leisure time are encountering workplace reality. In today’s world, that means tepid growth in salaries and benefits, and heavy competition for positions.

The Conference Board, a private research group, said in January that job satisfaction for those under 25 was at a record low in 2009.

“High expectations are colliding with reality and leading to a lot of disappointment and dissatisfaction,” Twenge said.

In her study, Twenge culled data from high school seniors taking the annual “Monitoring the Future” survey in 1976, 1991 and 2006. About 15,000 seniors nationwide take the survey each spring.

The 2008 report, from after the recession began, showed that 17- and 18-year-olds valued leisure time away from work even more than they had two years before, Twenge said.

And other surveys second this finding, despite the recession.

College students in summer 2009 said they valued job security more than in previous years, but they also continued to say worklife balance was important, according to a survey by Universum, a human resources consultancy.

metro.net

PARDON Continued from page 1 grant it.

“This is such a neat project; I wouldn’t want to meet the person who objected to it,” Barnes said.

“We may end up being the first slave state to do anything like this, which would be terrific.”

Ellen Hesen, the governor’s general counsel, recently said she is “intrigued” by the project and looks forward to receiving the completed pardon request in her office for review.

Further muddying the legal waters, records suggest that some slave rescuers either were pardoned by governors at the time or at least had their sentences commuted. But a few charged right back into the abolitionist fray and were convicted again.

Fairbank, for example, helped a family of Kentucky slaves escape to Ohio, got caught and spent nearly five years in prison until Gov. John J. Crittenden pardoned him in 1849.

By 1851, he evidently was back on the job. He sneaked a Kentucky slave into Indiana, where Kentucky law enforcement seized him. This time, he toiled in prison from 1852 to 1864, when Gov. Richard T. Jacob pardoned him.

Sixteen of the 58 prisoners appear to have received pardons during their lives, but given the uncertainty of their final legal status, it would be appropriate for Beshear to pardon the entire group, Prichard said.

Each of them represents a story of courage and sacrifice in the face of a legal system and a state fiercely devoted to keeping black people in chains, Prichard said.

“For them to be buried alive in this 19th-century prison, to be treated as they were, but also to be totally forgotten where nobody today even remembers their names, it seems like an incredible injustice,” he said.

MetroBriefs Beat The Brown Bag Blues – Go Metro Make your lunch break a real break. Get out of your workplace and Go Metro for a lunchtime adventure on the town. For inspiration, go online to metro.net and check the Destination Guides to find something at just about every Metro Rail stop.

For what you save on gas and parking, you can a=ord dessert.

Go Metro To Dodger Stadium Take advantage of a winning combination to reach Dodger Stadium this season. Just Go Metro to Union Station and connect with the Dodger Stadium Express. You’ll avoid tra;c and help reduce air pollution; and your Dodger ticket is good for the fare! The Dodger Stadium Express is made possible

by Clean Transportation Funding from MSRC. For more information, visit metro.net.

Stimulus Funds Provide 50 New Clean-Air Buses Metro has received the first of 150 new clean-burning buses fueled by compressed natural gas it purchased with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. These first buses will be used by Metro’s contract service operators with the additional 100 on order slated for use in regular Metro service.

Cross The Tracks, Cross The Law Never cross Metro Rail tracks when a train is approaching.

Motorists and pedestrians must stop at a crossing as soon as the red lights start ?ashing even if the crossing gates have not come down. It’s the law and it might just save your life!

Go Metro To LA Marathon Sunday, March 21 An all-new course running from Dodger Stadium through Downtown and Hollywood to Santa Monica will be featured at the 25th Annual LA Marathon on Sunday, March 21. Metro Rail will run as scheduled and spectators are urged to use the system to follow the route. For a listing of Metro bus lines a=ected and detours, visit metro.net.

If you’d like to know more, please call us at 1.800.464.2111, or visit metro.net.

GEN-CE-A-10-010 ©2010 LACMTA

BIZSHORTS

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L.A. WATTS TIMES

March 18, 2010

COMMUNITY

WHAT’S GOING ON?

BRIEFS Continued from page 1

THE STATE Deadline for receipt of What’s Going On listings is Friday, noon, at least two weeks prior to activity. Fax to: (213) 251-5720, e-mail us at lawattsnus@aol.com or mail to: L.A. Watts Times, 3540 Wilshire Blvd., PH3, Los Angeles, CA 90010.

SELF-EXPRESSION — The Brotherhood Crusade and the African American Unity Center have coordinated a day for all children and community members to participate in an art-filled day March 20 at the African American Unity Center, 944 W. 53rd St., Los Angeles. The event is titled “Express Yourself, Unity and Education through Self Expression.” There will be two sessions, 10 a.m. to noon, and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Each session will showcase five artists with distinct styles. At the end of each session, there will be a live painter who will attempt to create finished art in fewer than 10 minutes. There will also be a small workshop after the session where participants will be able to create their own work of art to take home. The event is free, but donations are welcome. Information: (323) 789-7300.

BOOK SIGNING — Singing teacher Marge Rivingston will conduct Mini Master Class in Singing and sign copies of her new book “Do You Hear What I Hear? The Secrets of One of America’s Great

Singing Teachers” March 21, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., at Awakenings Book Store, 25260 La Paz Road, suites D and E, Laguna Hills. Rivingston has given singing lessons to stars such as Robert DeNiro and Bette Midler. Attendees are encouraged to bring along sheet music for a song they would like to sing for Rivingston. She will then critique the singer on their performance.

Pianist Jennifer Hart will accompany singers performing during the Mini Master Class. Admission is $15 or $30 for the Mini Master Class in Singing, plus a signed copy of Rivingston’s book, which includes a practice CD. Information: (949) 457-0797, www.awakenings metaphysicalbookstore.com.

VAISHALI — Life coach Vaishali, author of “You Are What You Love” and “Wisdom Rising,” and host of radio show “You Are What You Love,” will answer questions about higher wisdom in a book signing and free workshop March 23, 7 to 9 p.m., at Mystic Journey’s Bookstore, 1319 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. Vaishali, who says she healed herself from terminal illness twice without western medicine, prescription drugs or surgeries, shares natural health tips and practices that aim to improve one’s health and mindset in ways she says are practical, easy to implement and

relevant to all. Admission is free. Information: (310) 399-7070, www. purplev.com/mediakit.

ROAST — Dawnn Lewis and Tommy Ford will host the 11th annual Celebrity Spring Toast/ Roast of Marla Gibbs and Hal Williams March 27, 6 p.m., at the Radisson Hotel L.A. Westside, 6161 W. Centinela Ave., Culver City. Cast members from classic television shows such as “227,” “The Jeffersons” and “Sanford & Son” are scheduled to be on hand.

Tickets and additional information are available by calling (310) 2266198. Donations can be made by sending a check to: GBC-Giving Back Corporation, P.O. Box 452201, Los Angeles, CA 90203.

FUNDRAISER — The Foundation for Arts, Mentoring, Leadership and Innovation will present the “I’ve Known Rivers” film fundraiser March 26 to 28, noon to 11 p.m., at Metropolitan AME Zion Church, 2521 W. View Blvd., Los Angeles.

The event will have several features, including live entertainment, film screenings and a Lakers/ Clippers ticket raffle, among other things. Attendees will have to pay $10 for raffle tickets. If they go to film screenings, attendees must pay $10 per film or $25 for an all-day pass. Information: (323) 864-2656.

See WGO, page 8

Calif. Regulators Defend Dropped Insurance Deals (AP) — State insurance regulators March 10 defended their actions against health insurers after a report showed few consumers who complained that their coverage was canceled after they took ill actually benefited from state-negotiated settlements.

More than 6,000 Californians were subject to “rescissions” by the five largest insurance companies between 2004 and 2008, according to settlement agreements between regulators and insurers HealthNet, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, PacifiCare of California and Kaiser Permanente.

In a report released March 9, the state’s Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review said fewer than 200 people went through the arbitration process that regulators enacted to determine if benefits should be restored.

The Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance oversee the individual policies affected by the practice of rescission, a health insurance industry term for dropping patients from coverage when they try to make claims.

Rescission is legal when a policy is ill-gotten, typically because a policyholder lied or hid previous illnesses on applications for coverage.

The Department of Managed Health Care has assessed and collected $13.6 million in fines from insurers for rescissions, more than any regulatory agency in the country, said enforcement official Amy Dobberteen.

Another $870,000 in medical expenses was returned to consumers.

The Department of Insurance has assessed $4.6 million in fines, and consumers recovered nearly $800,000 in medical expenses.

THE NATION Once-Revered SC Lawmaker Freezes to Death Alone COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — When Juanita Goggins became the

Juanita Goggins

first black woman elected to the South Carolina Legislature in 1974, she was hailed as a trailblazer and twice visited the president at the White House.

Three decades later, she froze to death at age 75, a solitary figure living in a rented house four miles from the gleaming Statehouse dome.

Goggins, whose achievements included key legislation on school funding, kindergarten and class size, had become increasingly reclusive.

She spent her final years turning down help from neighbors who knew little of her history-making past. Her body was not discovered for more than a week.

Those neighbors, as well as former colleagues and relatives, are now left wondering whether they could have done more to help.

“I’m very saddened. People like her you want to see live forever.

She had quite a gift for helping others,” said state Sen. John Land, a fellow Democrat who was first elected to the House the same year as Goggins.

In 1972, she became the first black woman to represent South Carolina as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Two years later, she became the first black woman appointed to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.

“I am going to Columbia to be a legislator, not just a black spot in the House chambers,” she told The Associated Press in 1974 following her victory over an incumbent white man from a district just south of Charlotte, N.C.

FREE EXPIRES 04/30/2010

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COMMUNITY COMMUNITY MEETINGS, FORUMS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Department of State to Celebrate ‘Passport Day in the USA’ (DOS) — On March 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Department of State will celebrate its second annual “Passport Day in the USA.” U.S. citizens throughout the country can apply for a passport at any of the 23 regional passport agencies without an appointment.

Many passport acceptance facilities around the country will also be hosting “Passport Day in the USA” events.

U.S. citizens can visit www. travel.state.gov to find a participating passport acceptance facility near them and the event details.

Information Center: (877) 4872778.

Horton Launches Human Trafficking Initiative (BOE) — California State Board of Equalization (BOE) Vice Chairman Jerome E. Horton announced the launch of his human trafficking initiative in California, which includes having investigators from all three state tax agencies trained to recognize and report signs of human trafficking.

This initiative was launched in response to a letter issued earlier this year by Horton to the directors of the three tax agencies: California’s State Board of Equalization (BOE), the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), and the

Employment Development Department (EDD).

The public may report suspected trafficking crimes by calling (888) 428-7581.

Several Metro Bus Lines to Experience Potential Delays (Metro) — Bus patrons on several Metro Bus lines traveling through the Sepulveda Pass and in the vicinity of the 405 in West Los Angeles should anticipate delays and intermittent detours due to work for the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Widening Project, the 10-mile carpool lane project now under construction.

The following Metro Bus lines will be impacted intermittently by construction for the duration of construction. The bus lines are: • Lines 2-302: Sunset Boulevard.

• Lines 4 and 704: Santa Monica Boulevard.

• Lines 20, 720 and 920: Wilshire Boulevard.

• Line 761: Sepulveda Boulevard and the 405 freeway.

These bus lines travel along the freeway and/or through the construction zone, and will be impacted by intermittent freeway ramp closures, reductions in lane widths along major corridors, sound wall construction and occasional freeway closures.

Construction locations and impacts on traffic will vary during the project. Patrons should plan to adjust

their travel times.

Metro will provide advance notice of planned service delays and detours online at www.metro.net/I-405.

The public can also follow the latest construction activity via Twitter at www.twitter.com/I_405.

The project is scheduled for completion in 2013.

‘Let’s Talk Port’ to Focus on Security March 24 Port security will be discussed as part of the “Let’s Talk Port” series of community forums on March 24, 6:30 p.m., at El Dorado Park, with an evening focused on protection of the Port of Long Beach.

The event will take place at the El Dorado Park Senior Wing/Bridge Room, 2800 Studebaker Road, Long Beach. More information: www.polb. com/outreach, e-mail letstalkport@ polb.com, (562) 590-4121.

Karen Bass Named as a Recipient of the Kennedy Profile in Courage Award SACRAMENTO (Karen Bass’ Office) — The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation recently announced California Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) will be a recipient of the 2010 Profile in Courage Award.

Also receiving recognition are Bass’ fellow legislators Sen. President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (DSacramento), Assembly member

Mike Villines (R-Clovis), and Sen. Dave Cogdill (R-Modesto) for “their humane approach to solving the California budget crisis,” the Foundation noted.

The prestigious award for political courage, announced by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, will be presented by Caroline Kennedy at a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston on May 24.

Inglewood City Administrator Timothy Wanamaker Resigns (City of Inglewood) — Inglewood city administrator Timothy Wanamaker announced on March 17 in a prepared statement his decision to step down from his position, effective at the close of business March 18.

“I have submitted my resignation

to the mayor pro tempore and City Council as administrator for the city of Inglewood,” he stated. “I have enjoyed the tremendous challenge of working with the wonderful team of dedicated public servants and staff to improve the city’s infrastructure as well as its business and family environment for the wonderful people who live and work here. While I am proud of the progress the city has made during my nearly two years in this demanding role, many challenges remain ahead for the elected leaders as well as my future successor.”

Wanamaker went on to offer his best wishes to those with the task of providing critically needed services to the Inglewood community in the years ahead. He also thanked the city for the opportunity to serve as city administrator.

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March 18, 2010

ARTS & CULTURE

Close of Ebony Fashion Fair Means End of an Era

BY DIONNE WALKER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Eunice Johnson

It’s a question even Johnson Publishing must weigh. “Management is evaluating how best to continue the legacy of Mrs. Johnson and also the Ebony Fashion Fair brand,� spokeswoman Jeanine Collins told The Associated Press. “To make a determination of whether this is the end, we wouldn’t be able to speak to that.�

The doors to the fashion world were firmly shut for most black consumers in 1956, the year the Johnsons were first approached about hosting a mini-fashion show fundraiser for a New Orleans women’s group. It was a success, and by 1958, the Johnsons had expanded the con-

DANCE • Arts Council for Long Beach will present Heidi Duckler Collage Dance Theatre’s “Expulsionâ€? as part of the A LOT Series March 19, 6 p.m., with a 7 p.m. symposium, and March 20, 6 p.m., at 1546 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. The “Expulsionâ€? performance will be a melding of traditional Khmer and contemporary western dance forms, experiences and storytelling. Admission is free. Information: www.artslb.org, www.collage dancetheatre.org.

THEATER • The Theatre at Boston Court will present “Oedipus El Rey,â€? written by Luis Alfaro and directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera, through March 28. The production has been described as a reimagining of Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex,â€? in which the setting is the barrio of East L.A. rather than ancient Greece. Oedipus, just released from prison, faces off with a wounded queen, a three-headed born-again serpent, and a king with road rage. Is this young homeboy doomed to suffer his destiny? On March 21, after the 2 p.m. performance, there will be a discussion called “Oedipus, It’s Complex,â€? about why this character has served as inspiration for countless works of art. Tickets are $32, but discounts apply. Information: (626) 683-6883, bostoncourt.org

• Stella Adler Los Angeles Theatre Collective will present the new play “The Charm of Makingâ€?

by Timothy McNeil, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 7 p.m., through April 25 at 6773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Set in present-day Mississippi, “The Charm of Makingâ€? examines the conflict of religion versus human nature through the eyes of the last living members of an old Southern family, as they struggle with the past of their dead relatives and their present as individuals and a family. Tickets are $20. Information: (323) 465-4446, www.stellaadlerLA.com. • A Noise Within will present the Clifford Odets classic “Awake and Sing!â€? March 20 through May 23. “Awake and Sing!â€? is set among the economic ravages of 1930s New York that threaten to destroy the tenuous ties that bind the Berger family. In order to keep See SHORT TAKES, page 7

“THRILLING TO BEHOLD‌â€?

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Warren, Syesha Mercado, Margaret Homan. photo by joan marcus.

—Je Favre, Los Angeles Downtown News

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ATLANTA (AP) — Long before the nation obsessed over the sleeves of its black first lady, Eunice Johnson was shining a spotlight on black beauty and style.

The wife of Ebony magazine founder John Johnson, she used her natural flair and healthy finances to create the Ebony Fashion Fair, a sepia-hued, touring fashion show that would spend 50 years bringing high fashion to generations of neglected black audiences.

Now, though, the future of the event that created pride in the black community is unsure.

Johnson Publishing Co. has placed the event on hiatus, citing Johnson’s Jan. 3 death. But the indefinite break also coincides with a fashion world opening its arms to diversity through a growing crop of black models and stylemakers, bringing the relevance of Johnson’s show into question.

As the mainstream embraces consumers of color — a shift reflected in everything from magazine covers to runway show guest lists — is there still room for an event born when so few saw black as beautiful?

cept into a touring exhibition that would go on to raise more than $55 million at more than 4,000 fashion shows for scholarships and other community organizations, according to Collins.

It was known for its colorful models and over-the-top couture — with mainstream designers like Christian Lacroix and Vivienne Westwood — and for helping generations of black women and men gain self-esteem, said Vogue editor-atlarge and Johnson friend Andre Leon Talley. “We were a race that was told we were inferior even down to the level of fashion,� Talley said. “Mrs. Johnson showed us you are beautiful.�

Yet even Talley himself — a black man near the top of the masthead of the fashion bible — is testament to how much the world that gave birth to the Ebony Fashion Fair has shifted.

Today, Ethiopian Liya Kebede is the face of Estee Lauder, while Teen Vogue markets black models Jourdan Dunn and Chanel Iman as icons of fashionable American youth. Black designer Tracy Reese’s See FASHION FAIR, page 9

SHORT TAKES

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ARTS & CULTURE Princess Tiana was officially crowned the ninth member of the Disney Princess Royal Court March 14 in the Grand Ballroom at the historic New York Palace in Manhattan.

From now on, Tiana will be celebrated and recognized as a Disney Princess across all divisions of the Walt Disney Co. and will be included in all Disney Princess merchandise featuring multiple Disney Princess characters. The event also celebrated the March 16 debut of “The Princess and the Frog” on Disney Blu-ray and DVD.

SHORT TAKES Continued from page 6 the struggling clan intact, matriarch Besse Berger is willing to crush her children’s dreams, but the irrepressible spirit of youth refuses to be extinguished in social dramatist Odets’ ode to what is good and true in the American character. A Noise Within is at 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Tickets range from $16 to $44. Ticket and other information: (818) 240-0910, www.ANoise Within.org.

• The Watts Village Theater Co. will perform a short play titled “U.S. Census: It’s In Our Hands” on March 20, noon and 2 p.m., and March 27, 11 a.m., at the Watts Farmers Market in Ted Watkins Park, 1335 E. 103rd St., Los Angeles.

The play, written by Damion Teeko Parran and directed by the theater’s director Guillermo Avilés-Rodríguez, encourages residents of underserved

Anika Noni Rose, who plays Tiana in “Princess and the Frog,” with a doll of the character.

communities to participate in the 2010 U.S. Census. The project is part of a season that is dedicated to site-specific or found-space performance. Pay-ifyou-can tickets are available at http://census.eventbrite.com. Information: www.wattsvillagetheatercom pany.org.

MUSIC • The Orchestra Unleashed will present “Mirrors of the Soul” March 26 to 27, 8 p.m., at the historic El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood.

“Mirrors” features live orchestra; dramatic literary, poetry and scriptural readings; projected fine art; and the performances of violinist Lindsay Deutsch. General seating is $18, and VIP seating (which includes special seating plus a wine and cheese reception with attending artists, composers and musicians) is $40. Ticket information: www.

MirrorsoftheSoul.net.

Actress Audra McDonald of “Private Practice” with daughter.

Princess Tiana arrives to take her place in the Royal Court.

Actress Jenifer Lewis, who plays Mama Odie in the “Princess and the Frog.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BAZAN PUBLIC RELATIONS/DISNEY

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March 18, 2010

EDUCATION NOTEBOOK State Fair Seeks Artists for Youth Art & Design Expo SACRAMENTO (California State Fair) — The California State Fair invites all of California’s young artists, ages 5 to 18, to enter their crafts and artwork in the annual Youth Art & Design Expo.

Award-winning entries will be displayed during the 2010 California State Fair, which will take place from July 14 to Aug. 1. The top winners will receive fair tickets as well as a State Fair ribbon.

The Youth Art & Design Expo program offers four different shows to enter, each with multiple divisions. Those shows include the Youth Fine Art Show, Youth Crafts & Hobbies Show, Youth Fashion & Textile Show and Youth Media Show.

The entry deadline is April 9.

To enter, youth must submit completed entry forms, available from bigfun.org on the Competitions tab, a digital image of the entry, and an $8 fee on a CD.

Save Our Sons to Discuss Attending College While on Probation “College for Probationers” will be the topic at Save Our Sons on March 21 at 2:30 p.m. Supervising Deputy Probation Officer Randi Lefall will discuss the Restorative Justice Program, Making It Through (MIT), which helps people on pro-

bation attend community college.

The meeting will be at Crenshaw United Methodist Church, 3740 Don Felipe Drive. Information will be provided on employment and expungement.

Information: (323) 292-0141.

African American Youth Leadership Program Seeks Applicants (AAYLP) — Applications to take part in the African American Youth Leadership Program Summer 2010 Conference are due April 1.

Each year the Research and Policy Institute of California invites high school juniors and seniors from throughout the state to participate in this weeklong conference, taking place this year from July 24 to 31 in Sacramento.

During the week, participants are exposed to training in leadership and personal development and are shown the tools of success in education, business and government. Conference participants get hands-on experience, such as developing academic and career plans, running political campaigns, and participating in the legislative process. This training culminates to a mock presentation and debate of proposed bills in California’s Assembly Chambers.

Information: www.calresearch. org/african-american-youth-leadership-program.html

WGO Continued from page 4 VIETNAM WALL — A traveling replica of the Vietnam Memorial, known as “The Wall,” will appear March 23 to 30, at Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3888 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. Standing 8 feet high and 240 feet long, the memorial contains the names of more than 58,000 Americans who died or went missing in Vietnam.

This replica of the memorial is dedicated to Vietnam veterans and honors all U.S. service men and women. Information: www.rosehills.com/prodnsrvContent/DMViet namWall.aspx. People can call to volunteer for this event. Volunteer contact: Bruce Lazenby, (562) 6990921, ba.lazenby@rosehills.com.

HOMEFEST 2010 — Willow Walk will present Homefest 2010 on March 27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Willow Walk Sales Center, 500 N. Willowbrook Ave., Compton. Willow Walk has developed new townhomes priced from $245,990 in Compton, in a gated community near shopping, dining and transportation, with floor plans that include up to four bedrooms and four baths, two-car garages and more. The Homefest event will include a free credit report, lunch

by Hot Dog on a Stick, music by 93.5 KDAY FM, as well as prizes, raffles and entertainment. Information: (310) 609-1373, www.Willow WalkHomes.com.

TESTING AT TOM BRADLEY — The Gemstone Foundation’s Chief Scientist Maureen Powers (lower left) and Senior Orthoptist Yoshie Morita (top far right) help students at Tom Bradley Environmental Science & Humanities Magnet school in Los Angeles look through prisms to test for “vergence ranges” while focusing at different distances, as the foundation’s Executive Director Robert Hoffman administers a reading test.

Gemstone conducted the testing with a grant from the National Institutes of Health to collect empirical data on how prevalent the problem of “binocular vision disorder,” as some come call it, is.

Photo by STEVE WEINGARTEN

Pres. Obama’s Education Law Overhaul to Focus on College

BY DORIE TURNER AP WRITER

ATLANTA (AP) — The Obama administration unveiled its plan March 13 to radically change his predecessor’s No Child Left Behind law in hopes of replacing an accountability system that in the last decade has tagged more than a third of schools as failing and created a hodgepodge of sometimes-weak academic standards among states.

The changes would dismantle the 2002 law championed by President George W. Bush, moving away from punishing schools that don’t meet benchmarks and instead focusing on rewarding schools for progress, particularly with poor and minority students.

The blueprint calls for states to adopt standards that ensure students are ready for college or a career rather than grade-level proficiency — the focus of the current law.

“Unless we take action — unless we step up — there are countless children who will never realize their full talent and potential,” Obama said during a video address on March 13. “I don’t accept that future for them. And I don’t accept that future for the United States of America.”

The blueprint also would allow states to use subjects other than reading and mathematics as part of their measurements for meeting federal goals, pleasing many education groups that have

said No Child Left Behind encouraged teachers not to focus on history, art, science, social studies and other important subjects.

Committee Chairman George Miller, a Democrat from California, praised Obama’s plan.

“This blueprint lays the right markers to help us reset the bar for our students and the nation,” Miller said in a prepared statement.

A few other highlights from the blueprint: • By 2020, all students graduating from high school would need to be ready for college or a career.

That’s a shift away from the current law, which calls for all students to be performing at grade level in reading and math by 2014.

• Give more rewards — money and flexibility — to high-poverty schools that are seeing big gains in student achievement and use them as a model for other schools in low-

KOKAYI Continued from page 2 must see themselves as custodians of a legacy covered in the blood and heroism of people like Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers and Ella Baker. Thus, they cannot allow the illusions of the Obama era or political convenience to numb their passion to protect and provide for black people in particular and all people who seek truth and justice.

In this spirit, I humbly offer the following recommendations: 1. We must immediately end divisive political camps within the black community.

Many hard-working and intelligent people are kept from working with each other because two black elected officials don’t get along. This situation has prevented many good ideas from being developed and implemented.

2. Black elected officials must lead a serious and sustained organizing effort to reconnect themselves with the broad concerns of the entire black community in order to act upon them.

Too often black elected officials listen to a relatively small circle of supporters and allies. Often, that circle is defined by socio-economic class and geography. A series of townhalls, house meetings, and other community-based events should take place anywhere black people live.

income neighborhoods that struggle with performance.

• Punish the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools using aggressive measures, such as having the state take over federal funding for poor students, replacing the principal and half the teaching staff or closing the school altogether.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said the name No Child Left Behind will be dropped because it is associated with a harsh law that punishes schools for not reaching benchmarks even if they’ve made big gains.

He said the administration will work with Congress to come up with a new name.

Associated Press Writer Christine Armario in Miami contributed to this report.

On the Net: U.S. Department of Education: www.ed.gov; The Education Trust: www.edtrust.org/.

3. Do serious political work anywhere black people live.

In Los Angeles, there is a tendency to concentrate efforts in the black community to the Crenshaw District, Baldwin Hills or Leimert Park. However, we also live in areas along Normandie Avenue, neighborhoods in Mid-City, and in the low bottoms on the Eastside. I suspect that much of the hesitancy to work in these areas are a result of class-bias issues within our community.

4. Lastly, black elected officials must play a leading role in developing organizations — independent from political parties — that unify the diverse spectrum of the black community, develop the next generation of black leaders, and carry out the work of the people. In the 1960s, they called this the “Black United Front.”

Let’s get to work.

Kokayi Kwa Jitahidi is a community organizer with the Families for Community Safety Campaign, a grassroots effort to create a more just and peaceful society by holding law enforcement officers accountable for their actions. FCSC seeks to work with all sectors of the community including political organizations, elected officials and residents in general. Jitahidi is also founder of the MA’AT Club for Community Change. He can be reached bro. kokayi@gmail.com.

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HEALTH THE PULSE Measles Cases Prompt Call for Immunizations SACRAMENTO (CDPH) — Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health, March 11 reminded Californians of the importance of immunizations following reports of four individuals becoming ill with measles in a two-week period last month.

Three of the four measles victims had recently traveled outside North America, as do most of the measle cases reported in the United States.

Health care providers should remind patients who are traveling outside North America about the risk of measles and offer a vaccination if appropriate. They should also consider that patients have possibly contracted measles if they have fever, rash, and a history of recent travel outside North America.

Measles causes fever, runny nose, cough and a rash all over the body. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one out of 10 children with measles also develops an ear infection and up to one out of 20 develops pneumonia. For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die.

Measles can be prevented with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. During the last large measles resurgence in the United States, from 1989 to 1991, there were 17,000 reported cases and 70 deaths in California.

Information: www.cdph.ca.gov.

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority to Celebrate Women The women of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., Sigma Sigma Alumnae Chapter, will attempt to educate the women of the greater Los Angeles area with their annual Project Reassurance Health Fair — “It’s All About Me — H3 Healthy Living, Healthy Choices, Healthy Generations” March 20, 9 a.m. to noon.

Health professionals and advocates will discuss and test for diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Also, the Los Angeles Christian Health Center will be on site to test and to provide referral resources for any necessary followup treatment.

Information: (213) 608-0600.

FASHION FAIR Continued from page 6 runway show attracts buyers from the country’s top-tier stores and boutiques.

Louis Vuitton has marketed a shoe with hip hopper Kanye West, while a 2008 issue of Italian Vogue featuring all black models was so popular it spawned a Web site called Vogue Black.

Even modeling agencies are scouting more black girls — the result of consumer pressure, according to Roger Padilha, founder and creative director of New York’s MAO Public Relations, which casts models for labels like Baby Phat.

He pointed to Michelle Obama as a prime influence.

“Condoleeza Rice didn’t walk around wearing Jason Wu,” Padilha

Board Approves Request for Health Assessment of Residents Living Near Baldwin Hills Oilfield (Office of Mark Ridley-Thomas) — Responding to a request by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and concerns voiced by residents near the Baldwin Hills oilfield, the Board of Supervisors has allocated $155,000 for a comprehensive health assessment of residents in the area.

The survey, to be conducted by the Field Research Corp., will sample approximately 1,000 adult residents randomly identified from households that report living in one of eight zip codes within the Baldwin Hills area.

The assessment will include three components: 1. An analysis of mortality rates and patterns in the selected population based on death certificates reported to the Department of Public Health.

2. An analysis of cancer rates and patterns based on data compiled by the University of Southern California Cancer Surveillance Program.

3. Collection of data reported in a community survey, regarding self-reported illness such as asthma and other health concerns.

The surveys, conducted through 15-minute phone interviews, will include questions that address quality-of-life issues, odors, noise, vibrations and specific health conditions of residents living in the vicinity of the Baldwin Hills oil field.

“Census projections suggest America may become a minoritymajority country by the middle of the century. For America’s children, the future is now,” said Kenneth Johnson, a sociology professor at the University of New Hampshire who researched many of the racial trends in a paper recently released.

Johnson explained there are now more Hispanic women of prime childbearing age who tend to have more children than women of other races. More white women are waiting until they are older to have children, but it is not yet known whether that will have a noticeable effect on the current trend of increasing minority newborns.

Broken down by race, about 52 percent of babies born in 2008 were white. That’s compared to about 25 percent who were Hispanic, 15 percent black and 4 percent Asian.

Another 4 percent were identified by their parents as multiracial.

USDA Launches Apps for Competition as Part of Let’s Move! Campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) — Minorities make up nearly half the children born in the United States, part of a historic trend in which minorities are expected to become the U.S. majority over the next 40 years.

In fact, demographers say this year could be the “tipping point” when the number of babies born to minorities outnumbers that of babies born to whites.

The numbers are growing because immigration to the United States has boosted the number of Hispanic women in their prime childbearing years. Minorities made up 48 percent of U.S. children born in 2008, the latest Census estimates available, compared to 37 percent in 1990.

WASHINGTON (USDA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture joined first lady Michelle Obama in announcing the Apps for Healthy Kids competition to Americans as part of the Let’s Move! initiative.

Apps for Healthy Kids challenges software developers, game designers, students, and other innovators to develop innovative, fun, and engaging tools and games that help kids and their parents to eat better and be more physically active.

Apps for Healthy Kids competition entries will leverage the recently released MyPyramid 1,000 food database to create Web or mobile-based apps in two categories. The first set of prizes will be awarded to digital games that best engage and motivate kids to eat healthy and be physically active.

The second set of prizes will be awarded to the most creative tools for parents striving to make the right choices for their kids.

Contestants will compete for $40,000 in cash prizes.

In addition to medal winners, the judges will announce a Popular Choice Award, which will go to the contestant with the most public votes.

Entries must be submitted by June 30. Official rules may be found at www.AppsForHealthyKids.com.

said, referring to the former Secretary of State. “Nowadays we have a woman of color who is wearing fashion designers.”

This isn’t to say everyone is satisfied that all things are equal on the catwalk. The Gawker-owned Web site Jezebel, for example, counted up the faces at New York Fashion Week last month, and found that of 122 mainstream shows, barely 16 percent of models weren’t white.

Still, it’s a marked improvement from Johnson’s early days. And black consumers have a renewed interest in high fashion, spurred on, Padilha said, by increasingly stylish celebrities like Zoe Saldana and Kerry Washington, both Fashion Week front-row regulars.

The shift has gradually dimmed Ebony’s influence. It’s been years

since the show launched the careers of models such as Pat Cleveland.

It echoes a pattern reflected at nearly every level of society: As blacks flock to formerly all-white institutions, it often spells the demise of community mainstays born amid segregation.

But in the fashion world, some say it’s a shift that comes at a high cost.

“We still have a way to go,” said former model Bethann Hardison, a fashion diversity advocate who has hosted three summits on the topic since 2007.

Many black designers continue to operate largely outside the scope of even Mrs. Obama, who came under fire from the Black Artists Association last January for not including black-designed fashions from her Inaugural wardrobe.

Minority Births in U.S. to Outnumber White Births

RACE FOR THE CURE — Actress Nia Long (“Big Momma’s House”) joined 15,000 cancer charity supporters and took part in The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at Dodger Stadium March 14. The event raised funds for the Susan G. Komen Los Angeles affiliate to provide both the medically underserved and uninsured populations in Los Angeles County with screening, diagnostic tests and treatments for breast cancer, according to the Look to the Stars Web site. During the event, breast cancer survivors were honored and those who succumbed to the disease were remembered.

Photo by BILL JONES

Study Suggests Too Many Invasive Heart Tests Given

BY MALCOLM RITTER AP SCIENCE WRITER

NEW YORK (AP) — A high number of U.S. patients who are given angiograms to check for heart disease turn out not to have a significant problem, according to the latest study to suggest Americans get an excess of medical tests.

The researchers said the findings suggest doctors must do better in determining which patients should be subjected to the cost and risks of an angiogram. The test carries a small but real risk — less than 1 percent — of causing a stroke or heart attack, and also entails radiation exposure.

“We can do better. There is no doubt in my mind,” said Dr. Ralph Brindis of the University of California, San Francisco, one of the study’s authors.

Every year in the United States, more than a million people get an angiogram, in which a thin tube is inserted in the arm or groin and threaded up to the heart to check for blocked arteries that could lead to a heart attack. Dye is injected through the tube to make blockages show up on X-rays.

Angiograms are often given to patients who might be having a heart attack or have symptoms that suggest a serious blockage. They are also sometimes done on people who may have some less clear-cut symptoms, like shortness of breath, or no symptoms but some risky traits like high cholesterol and an abnormal result on another heart test. This group accounts for about 20 to 30 percent of angiogram cases.

In the study, nearly two-thirds of the patients in this second group were found to have no serious blockages.

The researchers could not establish why so few proved to have heart disease. But Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a Yale cardiologist and health-outcomes researcher not connected to the study, said he thinks the problem arises because doctors are afraid of missing something, and also getting sued.

“We fear doing too little,” he said. “I think that we developed a culture where people feel that doing more and knowing more is always the proper course. What that does is sometimes lead us to overuse.”

Cost is also a concern. On average, Medicare pays about $1,400 for an outpatient angiogram and about $3,000 for the procedure in a hospital.

Researchers said more study is needed to sort out how to better select patients for an angiogram.

For now, experts suggest patients in the category studied by the researchers question their doctors

about the need for the test and the risks and alternatives.

To decide whether someone needs an angiogram, a doctor assesses a patient’s medical status and symptoms, and usually tries a noninvasive test, such as an ultrasound of the heart or having the patient run on a treadmill. It is this gatekeeper process that needs improvement, researchers suggested in the March 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers sifted through records of nearly 2 million angiograms performed at 663 U.S. hospitals between 2004 and April 2008.

The data came from a registry kept by the American College of Cardiology, which sponsored the study.

The researchers focused on about 400,000 patients who raised doctors’suspicions but had no known heart disease and weren’t getting emergency heart treatment.

In those people, the test revealed no significant artery blockages 62 percent of the time. That doesn’t mean all those tests were unnecessary, but the rate is high enough to suggest doctors could do a better job of choosing who really needs the exam, researchers said.

The researchers suggested doctors should be less willing to order an angiogram for symptom-free patients, a group that made up 30 percent of the study sample.

Beyond that, further study might help doctors better gauge heart disease risk from a patient’s symptoms and characteristics such as age and history of other diseases, said lead author Dr. Manesh Patel of Duke University.

Doctors could also use more research to help them choose the right noninvasive test, which might reduce the need for angiograms, he said.

Choices now include the treadmill test, injecting a radioactive solution to trace blood flow within the heart, doing an ultrasound to watch the walls of the heart moving, and doing a specialized CT scan that has recently shown promise.

“We still haven’t figured out, in all honesty, the best way of applying these technologies,” Brindis said.

Experts praised Patel’s study.

Some previous reports have found similar results, but the new study is so huge “we can now feel comfortable these aren’t isolated findings, this is for real,” said Dr. Michael Lauer, director of the division of cardiovascular sciences at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

On the Net: New England Journal, www.nejm.org.

Page 10

L.A. WATTS TIMES

SPORTS

PUBLIC NOTICE

BRAD PYE JR.

SPORTS BEAT Notes, quotes and things picked up on the run from coast-to-coast and all the stops in between and beyond.

Two teams in the NCAA championship tournaments are coached by men and women of color with Southland connections: Lorenzo Romar and Nikki Caldwell.

Romar’s Washington Huskies upset Cal 79-75. The Huskies’key performers include Quincy Poindexter, Isaiah Thomas and Venoy Overton.

Washington battles Marquette March 18 in San Jose.

Like Washington, Cal is laden with Southland high school grads, including Jerome Randle, Pac-10 Player of the Year; Theo Robertson; and Patrick Christopher.

At least four or more black coaches will pilot teams in the men’s

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NCAA tournament. Included are Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt; Georgetown’s John Thompson Jr. (his dad was the first black man to win the NCAA title); Minnesota’s Tubby Smith (NCAA winner at Kentucky); Morgan State’s Todd Bozeman; Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton; and Arkansas - Pine Bluff’s George Ivory.

There are three black head coaches in the Pac-10. In addition to Lorenzo Romar, they’re Stanford’s Johnny Dawkins, Oregon State’s Craig Robinson and Oregon’s Ernie Kent (who reportedly won’t return next season).

Stanford’s Landry Fields, a Long Beach native, has a 3.03 grade point average and was named the Pac-10’s Scholar Athlete of the Year.

And the beat continues‌ Caldwell’s Lady Bruins lost the Pac-10 championship tournament, 70-46, to Stanford, the regular season champion. UCLA was voted into the NCAA tournament on the basis of its overall record of 24-8. The Lady Bruins beat the Michael Coopercoached Lady Trojans, 59-53, at the Galen Center in the semi-finals, and were paced by Jasmine Dixon and Markel Walker. The Trojans, with a 19-12 report card, were praying for an invite to the big dance. UCLA takes on North Carolina March 21 in Minnesota in a first-round game.

Caldwell, in her second year at UCLA, was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year.

Pac-10 women’s teams have more coaches of color than the men’s teams do. In addition to Caldwell and Cooper, they are Arizona’s Niya Butts, Oregon State’s Lavonda Wagner and Washington’s Tia Jackson.

And the beat continues‌ Since the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn in 1958 to Los Angeles, there has never been a more loved player of color than Roosevelt High graduate Willie “3-Dogâ€? Davis.

Before joining the Dodgers out of high school, Davis was an all-city basketball, track and field and baseball star. He died at age 69 in his Burbank home on March 9.

Whatever he does or wherever he goes, Los Angeles Angel Hideki Matsui is followed by a throng of 30 to 40 Japanese media people.

March 18, 2010

Matsui’s teammate Torii Hunter sparked controversy in a recent USA Today article in which he called black Latino players “impostors.�

While criticizing Major League Baseball for not taking sufficient action to sign African American players, Hunter remarked, “Even people I know come up and say, ‘Hey, what color is Vladimir Guerrero? Is he a black player?’ I say, ‘Come on, he’s Dominican. He’s not black.’�

Hunter also raised eyebrows by implying that MLB preferred black Latinos to African American players because, “You can get a Dominican (baseball player) for a bag of chips.�

And the beat continues‌ While the Los Angeles Lakers keep slipping and sliding up and down in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, LeBron James and the Cavaliers are holding steady with the NBA’s top record — 53-15 — before they played the Indiana Pacers on March 17.

Cleveland was the first team to win 50 games and clinched its division title in the process.

Is Larry Brown on his way back as the L.A. Clippers’ head coach? When it was rumored that Michael Jordan would become the Charlotte Bobcats’ majority owner, Brown said that’s what he wanted.

And the beat continues‌ Tiger Woods will return to golf April 8 at the Masters in Georgia, according to a statement posted on the scandalized golfer’s Web site, Tiger Woods.com.

Shani Davis keeps on winning.

Davis skated to another 1,000-meter race during the World Cup season in one minute and 9.25 seconds in Erfurt, Germany. Davis’victory came a day after he clinched his third overall World Cup title in a row.

And the beat continues‌ Coach Lovie Smith’s Chicago Bears recently signed a trio of free agent players: running back Chester Taylor, defensive end Julius Peppers and tight end Brandon Mammalian.

Seattle’s backup quarterback Seneca Wallace is now with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns released Derek Anderson. Afterwards, the Browns traded Brady Quinn.

Will Michael Vick be back with the Philadelphia Eagles next season? The Eagles exercised their 2010 option on Vick, and he received a $1.5 million roster bonus. Vick is due $5.25 million next season. Vick says he was “very humbled’ to be honored as one of 32 players given the “Ed Block Courage Award.� The award is for players who exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage.

LaDainian Tomlinson is now a New York Jet. He has a two-year contract. Tomlinson is expected to back up Shonn Greene.

And the beat continues‌ Coolidge High in Washington, D.C., has made history by hiring the city’s first high school female football coach — Natalie Randolph, 29, and a woman of color.

And the beat ends.

Brad Pye Jr. can be reached at switchreel@aol.com.

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STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME: 20100091257 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name: APOGNIX / SAVIYNT, Rishma Shariff, 11108 Matteson, CA 90230. The Fictitious business name referred to above was filed on January 21, 2010 in the County of Los Angeles. Original File No. 20100091257. Full name of Registrants: Rishma Sharriff This business is conducted by a Individual: Rishma Shariff. This statement was filed with the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder on March 1, 2010..

Publish Dates: 3/11/10, 3/18/10, 3/25/10, 4/1/10 LAWT 001

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Document for the Interstate 10 (San Bernardino Freeway / Busway) High Occupancy Toll Lanes Project

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in cooperation with Los Angeles County Metropolitan What’s Being Transportation Agency (Metro) proposes to convert the Planned? existing High Occupancy Vehicle Lane into a High Occupancy Toll Lane on Interstate 10.

Caltrans has studied the effects that the proposed project may have on the environment and community.

The results of these studies are contained in an Why environmental document known as an Environmental This Impact Report/ Environmental Assessment (EIR/EA).

Ad? The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of its completion and availability to any interested individuals.

What’s Available?

Where Do You Come In?

Contact

The EIR/EA is available for review and copying at the Caltrans District 7 Division of Environmental Planning (100 S. Main Street, Los Angeles) on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Do you have any comments regarding the EIR/EA? Do you disagree with the findings of the studies? Would you care to make any other comments about the project? Please submit any written comments no later than April 2, 2010 to: Mr. Ron Kosinski Deputy District Director California Department of Transportation Division of Environmental Planning 100 South Main Street MS 16A Los Angeles, CA 90012 For additional information, please contact Ron Kosinski at (213) 897-0703.

Thank you for your interest in this transportation project.

Caltrans improves mobility across California!

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Help Save A Child’s Life Through Research & Support! Free Vacation Package. Fast, Easy & Tax Deductible. Call 1-800-252-0615. (Cal-SCAN) DONATE YOUR VEHICLE! Receive Free Vacation Voucher. United Breast Cancer Foundation. Free Mammograms, Breast Cancer Info www.ubcf.info Free Towing, Tax Deductible, Non-Runners Accepted, 1-888-468-5964. (Cal-SCAN)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY ALL CASH VENDING! Be Your Own Boss! Your Own Local Vending Route. Includes 25 Machines and Candy for $9,995. MultiVend LLC, 1-888-625-2405.

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BUSINESS SERVICES

Automated quick-cycle-sawing increases efficiency up to 40%! www.NorwoodSawmills.com/300N 1800-661-7746 ext. 300N. (Cal-SCAN)

HEALTH/MISCELLANEOUS If you used Type 2 Diabetes Drug AVANDIA and SUFFERED a STROKE or HEART ATTACK. You may be entitled to compensation. Attorney Charles Johnson 1-800-535-5727. (Cal-SCAN)

HELP WANTED JOBS. JOBS, JOBS! No experience. Get paid to train.

California Army National Guard. High School JR/SR & Grads/GED. Up to 100% tuition assistance. Parttime work with full-time benefits. www.NationalGuard.com/Careers or 1-800-GOGUARD. (Cal-SCAN)

HELP WANTED/DRIVERS ANDRUS TRANSPORTATION Team & Solo OTR drivers - West states exp/hazmat end, great miles/hometime. Stable Family owned 35 yrs+ 1-800888-5838, 1-866-806-5119 x1402. (Cal-SCAN)

ADVERTISE ONLINE in a network of 50-plus newspaper websites. Border to Border with one order! $7 cost per thousand impressions statewide. Minimum $5,000 order. Call for details: (916) 288-6010. www.CaliforniaBannerAdNetwork.com (Cal-SCAN)

NATIONAL CARRIERS needs O/Os & Lease Purchase, Company Drivers for its expanding fleet.

Offering Regional/OTR runs, Outstanding Pay Package, excellent benefits, generous hometime. 1888-707-7729. www.NationalCarriers.com (CalSCAN)

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in 240 Cal-SCAN newspapers for the best reach, coverage, and price. 25words $550. Reach over 6 million Californians! FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.CalSCAN.com (Cal-SCAN)

SLT NEEDS CLASS A TEAM DRIVERS with Hazmat. $2,000 Bonus. Split $0.68 for all miles.

Regional contractor positions available. 1-800-8359471. (Cal-SCAN)

DISPLAY ADVERTISING in 140 Cal-SDAN newspapers statewide for $1,550! Reach over 3 million Californians! FREE email brochure. Call (916) 2886019. www.Cal-SDAN.com (Cal-SCAN)

EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA! Graduate in 4 weeks!

FREE Brochure. Call Now! 1-866-562-3650 ext. 60 www.SouthEasternHS.com (Cal-SCAN)

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE NEW Norwood SAWMILLS- LumberMate-Pro handles logs 34� diameter, mills boards 28� wide.

LAND FOR SALE/OUT OF STATE BANK OWNED LAND! 10 acres. Fish Lake Valley, NV. $39,750. Substantial discount, gorgeous views.

Great recreational opportunities, upscale ranch community. Rainbow Trout creek frontage. Financing available to qualified buyers. 1-877-236-5204. (CalSCAN)

REAL ESTATE LOANS LOAN OFFICERS - NOW is the TIME To Work for a direct lender. 85% Commission (W-2), FHA, VA Reverse Mortgages.

For info go to www.OakTreeFunding.com click Virtual Agent. (CalSCAN)

March 18, 2010

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 11

PUBLIC NOTICE INVITATION FOR BIDS IFB NO. 1692

LOS ANGELES COUNTY COMMUNITY AND SENIOR SERVICES REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

THE BUILD BACK FOR THE RENOVATION OF HACLA HEADQUARTERS (A FIVE-STORY OFFICE BUILDING)

Los Angeles County Community and Senior Services (CSS) is accepting Statements of Interest for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCO Program) beginning Monday, March 22, 2010. The LTCO Program is an advocacy program that uses Ombudsman Representatives to advocate for the rights of Clients (age 60 years and older) who reside in long-term care facilities.

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) invites vendors to submit bids for the build back for the renovation of HACLA headquarters (a five-story office building) located at 2600 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90057. Copies of the IFB may be downloaded from the internet at www.hacla.org/cgs. Bids will be accepted at 2600 Wilshire Boulevard, 3rd floor, Los Angeles, CA 90057 until 2:00 p.m. (local time), March 31, 2010.

3/18, 3/25/10 CNS-1813641# WATTS TIMES NOTICE ON HEARING TO CONDUCT ANNUAL DANCE / ENTERTAINMENT-GEN, W/DANCE Notice is hereby given that application has been made to the Los Angeles County Business License Commission to conduct ADDRESS OF PREMISES: 1000 UNIVERSAL CENTER DR., #99, UNIVERSAL CITY, CA 91608 NAME OF APPLICANT: HARD ROCK CAFE INTERNATIONAL / HAMISH DODDS / JAY WOLSZCZAK / HARD ROCK CAFE DATE OF HEARING: 04/14/2010 TIME OF HEARING: 9:00 A.M. Any person having objections to the granting of the License may, at any time prior to the date above named, file with the Business License Commission his objections in writing giving of the hearing and be heard relative thereto.

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSION: OFFICE OF THE COMMISSION 500 W. TEMPLE STREET RM. 374 LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100137849 The following person is doing business as: ICEF Public Schools 5150 W. Goldleaf Circle, Suite 401 Los Angeles, CA 90056 Inner City Education Foundation 5150 W. Goldleaf Circle, Suite 401 Los Angeles, CA 90056 This business is conducted by a Corporation. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on January 29, 2010.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).

First Filing: 2/25/10, 3/4/2010, 3/11/2010, 3/18/2010 LAWT 410 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100203350 The following person is doing business as: Noir Lovely 2930 S. Redondo Blvd. #3 Los Angeles, CA 90016 Crystal Harrison 2930 S. Redondo Blvd. #3 Los Angeles, CA 90016 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on February 12, 2010.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).

First Filing: 2/25/10, 3/4/2010, 3/11/2010, 3/18/2010 LAWT 409 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100270839 The following person is doing business as: SAVIYNT 11108 Matteson Ave. Culver City, CA 90230 Rishma Shariff 11108 Matteson Ave. Culver City, CA 90230 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on March 1, 2010. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).

First Filing: 3/11/2010, 3/18/2010, 3/25/2010, 4/1/2010 LAWT 412

Private non-profit organizations and public agencies may pick-up a copy of the Request for Information (RFI) at Community and Senior Services, Contract Management Division, 3175 West Sixth Street, Room 403, Los Angeles, CA 90020. The RFI will be available for pick-up in person Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST), March 22, 2010 through April 9, 2010 or you can download the RFI from the Internet at: http://css.lacounty.gov/Bid/Bid.html#pagetop.

Statements of Interest may be submitted by mail, e-mail or in person and must be received by CSS no later than 12:00 p.m. (PST), Monday, April 12, 2010. Late responses will not be accepted.

Postmarks will not be accepted as proof of delivery. For more information regarding the RFI please contact Ms. Carol Domingo by e-mail at: AAARFP@css.lacounty.gov.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100080256 The following person is doing business as: The Ticket Magician 5460 8th Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90043 The Ticket Magician 4431 Don Ricardo Drive, Unit 3 Los Angeles, CA 90043 George Parker Jr. 5460 8th Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90043 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on January 20, 2010.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).

First Filing: 2/25/10, 3/4/2010, 3/11/2010, 3/18/2010 LAWT 408 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100106236 The following person is doing business as: GOODIYZ.COM 5003 Doman Ave. Tarzana, CA 91356 TODAYS1.COM 5003 Doman Ave. Tarzana, CA 91356 DEALSWITCH.COM 5003 Doman Ave. Tarzana, CA 91356 Pouyan Barzlvand 5003 Doman Ave. Tarzana, CA 91356 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on January 25, 2010.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).

First Filing: 2/25/10, 3/4/2010, 3/11/2010, 3/18/2010 LAWT 411

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100351008 The following person is doing business as: Queen V Enterprises 3579 E. Foothill Blvd., #537 Pasadena, CA 91107 Victoria Willams 3579 E. Foothill Blvd., #537 Pasadena, CA 91107 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on March 15, 2010. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).

First Filing: 3/18/2010, 3/25/2010, 4/1/2010, 4/8/2010 LAWT 413

DBA’s and Legal Notices, Call (213) 251-5700

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (Metro)

THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS

Metro will receive proposals for PS107140502 Greenline Map Case Replacements per specifications on file at the Metro Office of Procurement & Material Mgmt, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (12th Floor) or on the Metro website: www.metro.net.

A pre-proposal conference will be held on Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time), at the Redondo Greenline Station.

All proposals must be received on or before 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), April 20, 2010, at the address listed above, sent to the attention of Linda Wasley. Proposals received later than the above date and time will be rejected and returned to the proposer unopened.

You may obtain a copy of the RFP, or further information, by faxing Linda Wasley at (213) 922-1005.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (Metro) Metro will receive bids for IFB #OP26102517, Video Analytics Software per specifications on file at the Office of Procurement & Material Mgmt, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (12th Floor).

All Bids must be submitted on forms furnished by Metro, and must be filed at the reception desk of the Office of Proc. & Mat. Mgmt. on or before 2:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), April 19, 2010, at which time bids will be opened and publicly read. Bids received later than the above date and time will be rejected and returned to the bidder unopened. Each bid must be sealed and marked Bid No. OP26102517.

You may obtain bid specifications, or further information, by faxing Diane Ly at (213) 922-1005, or via email at: lydi@metro.net.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (Metro) INDUSTRY REVIEW Metro will be conducting an Industry Review of Contract No. PS0921102333, High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Express Lanes on the I10 and I-110 Freeways located in Los Angeles County. The project delivery method is design, build, operate and maintain (DBOM). It should be noted the toll systems requirement is inclusive of civil / construction work to include widening of Adams Blvd. off ramp, a pedestrian bridgeover crossing and other freeway related efforts that support the toll systems integration (to include tolling equipment, customer service centers and back-office operations). The contract period of performance for the design build work is 18 months from Notice To Proceed (NTP) plus a one (1) year O&M demonstration period. The ultimate contract will be on a Fixed Price basis for design, equipment, supply, installation, test, civil engineering and construction work. Operations will be on a fixed monthly price and Maintenance will be performed for a fixed monthly price.

The purpose of the Industry Review is to have experienced design build firms submit comments and concerns related to the draft Request For Proposal (RFP) including instruction to proposers, contract terms and conditions, technical provisions and drawings. These draft documents for the Industry Review are available if you wish to obtain a copy (discs) please contact Ivan Page at (213) 922-6383 or via e-mail at pagei@metro.net.

Metro encourages participating firms to submit their concerns and comments related to the identified above documents in writing to Ivan Page. prior to the scheduled Industry Review.

The Industry Review general meeting, with all potential prime and subcontractors, will be held on March 24, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

(Pacific Time), in the Metro Board Conference Room, located on the 3rd Floor, at One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90012-2952.

BY THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA REGARDING THE PROPOSED FIVE-YEAR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (FY2011– FY2015) FOR THE WATTS CORRIDORS REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA Public Hearings have been scheduled for April 15, 2010 Notice is hereby given that The Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, California (“CRA/LA”) has scheduled a public hearing for the Watts Corridors Redevelopment Project Area's FiveYear (FY2011-FY2015) Implementation Plan. The public hearing will be held Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. or as soon thereafter as the matters may be heard at the CRA/LA Central Office located at 354 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90013, 6th Floor Board Room (northeast corner of 4th and Spring Streets in Downtown Los Angeles).

The public hearing is being conducted to hear testimony of all interested parties regarding the Five-Year (FY2011-FY2015) Implementation Plan for the Watts Corridors Redevelopment Project Area (Project Area). The Project Area is generally bounded by the Harbor Freeway on the west, Mona Boulevard on the east, the Century Freeway on the south, and 103rd Street on the north.

At the above stated time and place, any and all persons having any testimony regarding any portion of the Five-Year (FY2011-FY2015) Implementation Plan may appear before CRA/LA and be heard.

Copies of the Five-Year (FY2011FY2015) Implementation Plan are on file and available for public inspection during the listed business hours at the following locations: CRA/LA Main Office, Records Center 354 South Spring Street - 5th fl.

Records Los Angeles, CA 90013-1258 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Monday thru Friday Watts/Watts Corridor Site Office 10221 South Compton Avenue Suite 201 Los Angeles, CA 90002 9:00 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Monday thru Friday Council District 15 Field Office 10221 South Compton Avenue Suite 200 Los Angeles, CA 90002 9:00 am -4:00 p.m.

Robert Pitts Center - Lobby 1827 E. 103rd Street Los Angeles, CA 90002 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Monday thru Friday Watts Century Latino Organization 10360 Wilmington Avenue Los Angeles CA 90002 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Monday thru Friday

ATTENTION COMMUNITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES OWNERS Simpson & Simpson Management Consulting, Inc is preparing a proposal to the County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works. We would like to invite Community Business Enterprises (CBE), Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), Women Business Enterprises, and Other Business Enterprises (OBE) assist us with any of the services listed below: As needed services in regards to: Management Information Technology, On-site WebCamera Services, Move management/Post occupancy maintenance, website development, BIM Approach Review, LEED Certification Review, and other services related to Document/Project Control of construction projects.

Please submit responses to and include recent qualifications package of your firm, a cover letter highlighting the firm’s strongest qualifications and a copy of the CBE certification. We are able to fax a copy of the scope of work from the RFP upon request and receipt of the above outlined documents.

If your firm is interested please fax/email the above reference information to: PHONE 626.282.4000 | EMAIL Ben@ssmci.net | FAX 626.282.8932 |

Maxine Waters Employment Prep Center 10925 S. Central Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90059 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Monday thru Friday Alma Reaves Woods - Watts Branch Public Library 10205 Compton Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90002 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Monday and Wednesday Noon - 8:00 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 am - 6:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday For additional information contact Charlotte Brimmer, Project Manager for the Project Area at 213.977.1960 or Aaron Ledet, Assistant Project Manager at 213.

977.1863 3/18, 3/25, 4/1/10 CNS-1817597# WATTS TIMES

Page 12

L.A. WATTS TIMES

March 18, 2010

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OILFIELD Continued from page 1 the number of wells the company can drill per year, and requiring the company to drill farther away from residential areas.

The park plan, with voters long ago approving $50 million in bond money to snap up half the land, has been delayed.

“No one at (the state) was asking questions and no one at the county was asking questions,” said Damon Nagami, an attorney for one of the litigants, the Natural Resources Defense Council. “There’s no other place in the country where you have so many people living this close to an active oil field.”

In recent years with the price of oil reaching record highs, companies such as Plains have used technological advancements to access the oil abandoned by bigger drillers. In the case of the Inglewood field, residents say the renewed assault on the land is polluting the air and causing their homes to crack.

“It’s like a loud consistent hum under your feet,” said resident Fran Baker, who blames myriad health problems, including cancer, on the oil field. She said she can feel the ground shiver in the middle of the night.

Crude was discovered here in 1924, a time when the area was just empty fields and environmental regulations were decades from being enacted. Production peaked a year later when 176 new wells were drilled, but by the 1990s an average of less than four new wells were drilled per year.

As the decades passed, residents began to settle near the Inglewood field. Baldwin Hills,

one such community, was nicknamed the “black Beverly Hills” where the likes of Ray Charles and Tina Turner once lived. Now, ranch-style homes and palatial mansions oversee swaths of dirt and scrub where oil pumps bob behind chain link fences.

After estimating an end date for drilling sometime this decade, a park plan was drawn up and voters approved funding to create the largest new urban park in the country.

“Everybody assumed the oil was a diminishing resource, that the owner at the time was in good conscience saying ‘We’re almost done here’ and here’s the unfortunate part — nobody gets it in writing,” said David McNeill, the head of the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, created years after then producer Chevron sold the oilfield.

It wasn’t until 2006, when noxious fumes leaked out and forced home evacuations that many residents discovered the drilling wasn’t going to end anytime soon.

Many were unaware that Plains, using 3-D imaging to discover where the crude remained, had ramped up drilling in 2004.

In addition to drilling as deep as 10,000 feet, the company also applied a technique where water is injected into ground under high pressure to push the oil to an area where it can be pumped out. The first of the new wells averaged 800 barrels of crude daily.

Expediting Plains’ permits at the time was Leeson, an engineer with the state Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources. Following the gas leak, Leeson privately warned Plains officials that his department was about to place a hold on permits so they should sub-

mit their requests soon, according to a state auditor’s investigation.

In other exchanges with one of Plains’ vice presidents, Steve Rusch, Leeson complimented himself about the way he handled a homeowner complaint.

“I told her you guys are permitted and allowed to operate and will be drilling into the future as long as the price of oil stays up,” he wrote in a July 2005 e-mail. “I’m a good ‘shill’ if I say so myself.”

Before the county issued a temporary moratorium on new drilling in June 2006, Leeson approved 24 new wells in three days, a process that at the time could take weeks. That year Plains tried to get more wells permitted than any other year in the oil field’s history, according to the lawsuit.

In an interview with The AP, Rusch said the exchanges with Leeson were in the past and the company “wants to move forward,” and has gone to great lengths to be transparent with the community. He said that he had no knowledge of any Plains officials donating to the nonprofit where Leeson’s wife works.

Rusch said the three day permit approvals turned around by Leeson were not unreasonable because similar wells had been drilled at the site for years.

The lawsuit claims the state is required by law to do an environmental review each time a new permit was issued.

Donald Drysdale, a spokesman for DOGGR, said that the permits did not require any special review because the oil field was established decades earlier and operations have not substantially changed.

Iraj Ershaghi, director of Petroleum Engineering Program at the University of Southern California, disagreed. Each time a well is approved, the regulator is supposed to make sure the drilling is safe and won’t contaminate the surface or groundwater.

“Usually the supervisors don’t approve something unless staff recommends it,” he said.

Leeson was later investigated by the state auditor, which found that the regulator misused his position and should have been protecting the state’s interests. Drysdale would not comment on Leeson, but referenced a subsequent report, which noted that DOGGR had pursued “adverse action” against Leeson, who resigned.

Leeson, who did not respond to e-mailed questions from The AP or to phone messages left with his wife, Ivy. But he told investigators that he encouraged the expedited permit requests because Plains “provides jobs and capital investment to an economically depressed location,” according to the report.

In 2007 the county held hearings and eventually created a special set of regulations governing drilling in Inglewood. Drilling was capped at 600 wells.

Rusch said that the company voluntarily funded an environmental review and agreed to adopt more regulations because it felt that was the best way to address community concerns.

The new standards include more restrictions on noise, a cap on the number of wells Plains can drill before triggering additional reviews, and a third-party environmental coordinator to ensure that the company is in compliance.

Rusch said that, as a result, Inglewood is the heaviest-regulated onshore oilfield in the state if not the country. Last year, the company paid $10.2 million in taxes to the county.

“We’re not willing to leave so this can be turned into a park,” Rusch said. “There’s a lot of speculation about the inadequacies of the (new environmental regulations).

Let’s test them.”

The community and environmental groups were in no such mood.

By the end of 2008, they had filed four separate lawsuits. A judge consolidated the suits into one, which is expected to go to trial in April.

The suit, in addition to its lack of oversight allegations, also contains claims of environmental racism. It says that the Inglewood field has not been cleaned up or disguised, as oil fields have been in wealthy white sections of Los Angeles.

Deputy County Counsel Elaine M. Lemke rebutted the claims in the lawsuit by pointing to 100 pages of new environmental standards that govern the oil field.

Michael Bauer, president of the nearby Culver Crest Neighborhood Association, has said their “worst fears were confirmed” by the exchanges between the state regulator and Plains officials.

“These revelations shock our faith in the integrity of the oversight process for oil drilling in our community,” he wrote. “Both the regulators and the oil company acted irresponsibly ... This is a classic case of the fox guarding the hen house, where we are the defenseless chickens.”