W E E K E N D E R FEATURE STORY
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L.A. Watts Times Vol. XXX, No. 1228
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
HOROSCOPES A
RIES ~ This week is a good week for new investment of money, time or energy. Your investment will be attractive to someone who wants to help. Make the call. This week let the feeling of being special bathe you. AURUS ~ Opportunity knocks this week, be ready and waiting. An old love may resurface. Take a good look. This week is good for you financially. Look for a special opportunity at work. Families matters, spend time with yours. EMINI ~ They get on your nerves but you’ll profit from joining with them in a common effort. Pull close to an annoying buddy. Joint adventures will pay ten-fold. Household projects call. You and a lover can finally reach the same page. ANCER ~ This week begins three weeks during which success and romance are closely related. Kill two birds with one stone. Enjoy your feelings and let your brain relax. Suspend all judgments of others. Being stern won’t work for you this week. EO ~ News that comes by phone, email or snail mail makes it easier for you to remain upbeat. Focus on what is said. No matter what it is, find the good in it. Invite new insights. They could well come from your lover. IRGO ~ Don’t be dismayed if you tried to prevent it but couldn’t. It was meant to happen, and you were intended to learn from it. Nothing was lost. Something was delayed. After you’ve learned your lesson the chance will come again.
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IBRA ~ Your self-confidence is making you glow all over! People are attracted to your outlook this week, and you may be deluged with offers. Some may not be sincere, but trust your fabulous instincts and you’ll pick and choose what’s real for you. CORPIO ~ Find motivation within yourself to complete a task that has been hanging around too long. You will want to play later in the week, and you’ll feel happier then with a clear mind. Remember that you’re the boss of your emotions. AGITTARIUS ~ Remember that you are in control of your emotions this week. Things will look brighter as soon as you let yourself feel like the glowing spirit that you are. Co-create your reality this week by using positive emotions to remind yourself of how wonderful you are. APRICORN ~ You are in the middle of a dream coming true. Watch for signs that your wish is about to be granted. You’ll be very happy with what you’ve achieved. QUARIUS ~ Overall, the vibrations surrounding you this week are very good, very good indeed. Go with the best, and refuse to allow any minor inconvenience to spoil your sunny mood. You are going to have a lovely week. ISCES ~ Remember that you look marvelous! Be prepared for lots of compliments this week, and plan to accept them gracefully. You may be planning a time period trip; it’s going to be a nice getaway.
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Obama mixing politics and policy on West Coast BY JULIE PACE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Stepping away from Washington’s contentious fiscal debates, President Barack Obama is making a West Coast trip aimed at building support for his deficit-reduction plans and raising money for his reelection campaign. In town hall meetings in California and Nevada, including one hosted Wednesday by Facebook, Obama will pitch his prescription for reducing the deficit by $4 trillion over 12 years through a combination of spending cuts and tax increases for the rich. The president’s three-day trip is his most extensive travel since he announced his 2012 bid earlier this month. That campaign could set new fundraising records as Obama courts high-dollar donors, as well as young people, many of whom were among the small donors who buoyed his 2008 campaign. Returning to that campaign’s playbook, Obama will seek to connect with those younger voters through social networking sites like Facebook. The president’s official Facebook page has more than 19 million fans, and he’ll become the first U.S. president to visit the massively popular company’s P a l o A l t o headquarters when he con-
L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER Published Weekly – Updates
ducts the town hall there. Obama was expected to answer questions submitted via Facebook and read to him by a moderator, as well as some questions from a small AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster in-person a u d i e n c e . President Barack Obama greets members of the audience Video of the during town hall meeting at North Virginia Community event was to College in Annandale, Va., Tuesday, April 19. be streamed in spending over 10 years. The chalon the White House Facebook page. Weeks of heated debate in lenge for the president and his Washington over long- and short-term Republican rivals is to also connect spending has left Obama with some of their efforts with the public’s pressing the lowest approval ratings of his presi- concerns over persistently high unemdency. The numbers are even lower for ployment and rising gasoline prices. Obama’s message is that any gains the Republican-led House and Obama’s in furthering the economic recovery potential Republican challengers. Voters say they want Washington now could be lost unless lawmakers to tackle deep deficit reductions, and also tackle the nation's mounting both parties are responding — Obama deficits and debt. “Companies might be less likely with his plan to cut $4 trillion, and House Republicans with a plan passed to set up shop here in the United States last week that seeks to cut $5.8 trillion of America,” Obama said during a town hall in Northern Virginia on Tuesday. “It could end up costing you more to take out a loan for a home or for a car because if people keep having to finance America’s debt, at a certain point they’re going to start charging higher interest rates.” Obama is using all of the resources at his disposal to make that case, from the town halls he’ll hold this week to the interviews he’s conducted
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FOR THE RECORD In an April 14 article titled “What is Good Hair?” the L.A. Watts Times Weekender did not properly credit photos that were featured inside the newspaper. The Watts Times, in fact, should have credited photos to the following: Felicia M. Leatherwood, celebrity stylist, Loving Your Hair With Natural Care, www.lovingyourhairwithnaturalcare.com; and Dr. Kari, trichologist, chief creator and designer, Mahogany Hair Revolution www.mahoganyrevolution.com. The Watts Times regrets the omission.
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Thursday, April 21 2011
Overwhelming support for publisher Karl Rodney
Karl Rodney, publisher of New York Carib News national, international and regional Caribbean respect,� says Cheryle Wills and Ralph Dickerson, Jr., of Volunteers and Community Leaders, in a joint statement made after the hearing. Walter Smith, president of the Northeast Publishers Association (NEPA) and publisher of the New York Beacon, made a very succinct statement concerning the Rodneys: “No good deed shall go unpunished.� “I have attended Mr. Rodney’s conference and he is doing things that our government cannot or will not do in support of business alliances between Caribbeans and African Americans. Mr. Rodney is Vice President of NEPA and he contributes his time and expertise to our association with the same intensity as he does with his many other involvements. Neither Mr. Rodney’s reputation, nor that of his family will suffer as a result of this unjust ordeal. NEPA’s 17-member newspaper group in the northeast will be in the forefront of this effort.� Marta Vega, president and founder of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, shared the same sentiment Wills and Dickerson expressed, saying: “I have known Karl Rodney, his wife, Faye and NY Carib News newspaper for decades. Mr. Rodney is a person of considerable integrity and remains committed to the community and to the Caribbean. We at the center and the Institute have formed lasting partnerships from which New York, the United States and the Caribbean have benefitted significantly. These links with the community, the center and the institute, made us highly visible and brought great benefits to the Caribbean, Latino and African-American communities.� Rodney acknowledged that he improperly completed a form according to the new rules required by the U.S. Congress for its members’ participation in events such as the Carib News’ Multinational
Business conference. He is represented by Professor Charles Ogletree of Harvard University and Devereaux Cannick of the firm Aiello and Cannick. Laura Blackburn, retired New York State Supreme Court justice, said: “Today I witnessed the closing chapter of a painful ordeal for Mr. Karl Rodney and his family. Based on his underlying goodwill, decency and best of intentions, and if nothing else it is clear that the Rodneys are pillars of our community, doing excellent work, publishing a great newspaper and building bridges between the United States in general, and African-American communities in particular, and the nations of the Caribbean. He has placed considerable emphasis on developing trade and other economic ties between the United States and the Caribbean. We will continue to support the Rodneys because what they are doing helps to enrich our culture.� Rodney and his family are glad to put behind them three years of Congressional and U.S. Department of Justice investigations in order to continue to focus their efforts in informing and advocating for the Caribbean-American community, as has been the case for the past 45 years.
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Dr. Marcella Maxwell, an educator and human rights advocate in her statement voiced the common feeling of many supporters that came to Washington, D.C.: Karl Rodney, his wife Faye and the NY Carib News have done, and continue to do courageous work in our community. They are compassionate people and that was evident by the number of people who traveled
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to Washington to demonstrate their sincere support.� Rodney’s sentencing is scheduled for July 22; his supporters are committed to being there with him, as he has committed his life to universal service to both individuals and communities. For further information please contact Cheryle Wills 201-8686069.
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On Thursday, April 14, Karl Rodney appeared before Judge Emmet Sullivan, who sits on the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia. Scores of supporters, including members of the National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA), the NAACP, members of the clergy, the legal profession, educators, Caribbean-American organizations, along with friends and family, coming from all corners of the country, converged in the nation’s capital to stand with Rodney, a New York-based media executive, as he entered into an agreement with the U.S. government that concluded a yearlong investigation into the annual Carib News Multinational Business conference. Hazel Dukes, president of the New York state NAACP, in a statement regarding the proceedings said: “I came to Washington today because of my deep respect for Mr. Karl Rodney, publisher of New York Carib News, and because of his commitment to human and civil rights. He has demonstrated that commitment through his service to national and international institutions and community groups. We see injustice in what has transpired over the past three years by our legal system. I believe when the facts are known Mr. Rodney will prevail. I am here today to let the world know here is a man unjustly tried.� The U.S. government recognized the purpose and value of the conference, as well as the work Rodney has conducted on behalf of the Caribbean-American community and the countries of the Caribbean Basin for more than four decades. Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., chairman of the powerful NNPA, expressed his personal support as well as the support of the nearly 200member association that he leads. He also expressed his dismay over a committed public servant being subjected to such an ordeal. “I’ve known Mr. and Mrs. Rodney for several years, and I would be hardpressed to find a person of such impeccable integrity, committed to mankind, successful, and as humble as Karl Rodney. In spite of his present predicament, which I’m sure takes up a great deal of his time, he serves his position on the foundation’s board as vice chair without neglect or excuses. His commitment to his native Caribbean and to the African-American communities is unparalleled. Karl can rest assured that the membership of the NNPA is solidly behind him not only with our moral support, but with our power to preserve the positive image that he has created for himself and his family.� “Karl and Faye Rodney are outstanding public figures who have demonstrated leadership on a worldwide basis. They are committed to family and international values, and as a result people love and respect them. Their generosity and willingness to serve have earned them
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
Board awards $165 million to begin construction on the new Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital Almost two years ago, HMC Architects delivered renderings for a new Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hospital that inspired widespread hope and enthusiasm for a top-ofthe-line health care facility in
Compton election results Compton held its elections for the first and fourth councilmanic districts last Tuesday. As of press-time, Dr. Willie Jones had retained has seat as the 4th district councilman. He won a sweeping victory with 66 percent of the votes. Councilwoman Barbara Calhoun of the 1st district will be heading for a runoff. She received 35 percent of the votes and Janna Zurita came in second with 19 percent of the votes.
Dr. Willie Jones
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Willowbrook. Recently, those plans are no longer just pictures on a drawing board. With the Board of Supervisors’ vote awarding $165 million to the Inpatient Tower Project at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Medical Center, contractor Hensel Phelps now begins construction of the new 120-bed hospital. “After today, the shovel goes in the ground and the building commences for a cutting edge health care facility,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. Roughly 194,000 square feet of the existing six-story tower will be renovated to build the new hospital. A new 25,000-square-foot ancillary building will be constructed adjacent to the hospital and will house a cafeteria and administrative offices. In addition, the project includes new equipment, renovation and seismic upgrades to the existing central plant that will serve both the Inpatient Tower and the MultiService Ambulatory Care Center on the MLK Campus. In an effort to optimize energy efficiency, the Department of Public Works will work with Hensel Phelps to include sustainable design features. The new buildings will be designed to meet Leadership in
Black Widow Spider
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification standards. “We are making a commitment not only to provide the community
Cigarette
with the best possible health care, but also making an investment in our community’s environmental well-being and future,” said Supervisor Ridley-Thomas.
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
After School Congressional Black Caucus Program Helps Girls on FY 2012 budget debates Strive for Success BY JENNIFER BIHM CONTRIBUTING WRITER “We become very self conscious by middle school,” says educator and mentor Pamela Walls. “I found during my research that minority groups and especially African Americans have lower self esteem during this time.” For her part, Walls is addressing the issue via her pilot program, 10 G.I.R.L.S., (Growing In Recognition and Living Strong). Walls, who is currently studying for her master’s in education at UCLA, started the program in January of this year. The first group consists of 25 eighth-grade girls from Marshall Academy Middle School, located in South L.A. They meet every Wednesday afternoon from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. for self-esteem building, health education and social-skill development. “I wanted to design an afterschool series that helps these young girls, an underrepresented and underserved community in the educational pipeline,” she said. The weekly session begins with girl talk for about 10 minutes, Walls explained. The girls then head over to the historic Wilfandel Club House on West Adams, home to one of the oldest African-American women’s clubs in Los Angeles. There, they learn proper dining habits while eating a healthy lunch. After lunch, it’s on to the living room, where the girls listen to a guest speaker, who has had success in her own life. Recent lecturers include poet Harryette R.
Mullen, Ph.D.; Dr. LaTonya Rease Miles, director of Loyola Marymount University’s Academic Resource Center; and Gina L. Woullard, director of Product Quality for Strike and Surveillance Systems Division for Northrop Grumman Corp. “The guest speaker is always someone successful, always someone who graduated college. This is so the girls can see themselves and what’s possible for them,” Walls explained. The talks are usually interactive, she said. The girls are encouraged to ask questions and take part in the discussions. The group rounds out the session with exercise, which plays an important role, along with proper nutrition, in the girls’ academic success. Walls said she focuses on eighth grade, since students that age will be entering high school soon and preparing for college. She is hoping the program will help the girls strive for success in high school and beyond. Currently, Walls is funding the entire program on her own but is hoping to get grants and donations in the near future. Walls said she has no doubts that the success of her program will garner her plenty of welcome in other communities. “I want to expand to other schools and eventually, I want to go national,” she said. “I have big dreams for this program.” Editor’s note: Information from a press release was added to this report.
Washington, D.C. — Recently, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) debated the Congressional Black Caucus’ Fiscal Year 2012 Alternative Budget on the House Floor. The United States Congress took up the Cleaver/Scott Amendment — the CBC Budget. The final vote was 103 to 303. The CBC budget focuses on the CBC’s priorities of economic development, job creation, cradle to college and workforce education, and protecting the Affordable Care Act. It makes significant investments in education, job training, transportation and infrastructure, and advanced research and development programs that will accelerate the economic recovery. At the same time, the CBC budget protects the social safety net without cutting Social Security, killing Medicaid, or making seniors contribute more to Medicare. The CBC has served this nation diligently for the past 40 years since 1971, and since 1981 it has offered an alternative budget. On the 101st day in the 112th Congress of the United States, the CBC related the Republican Leadership has not brought one jobs bill or solution to the table. Instead, the CBC contended, the GOP leadership passed a budget with draconian cuts that will critically wound and significantly impact vulnerable communities. The nation’s communities of color have been hit hardest by the effects of the recession. Even as the country’s economy slowly rebounds, Black communities are experiencing disproportionately higher rates of unemployment, home foreclosure, educational disadvantages, and economic hardship. As a result, vulnerable communities increasingly rely on public programs to meet their basic needs, but these are the programs the Republican Leadership is eradicating with their budget proposal, according to the CBC. The members of the Congressional Black Caucus believe that budgets serve as a window into the moral compass of a nation’s
Left to Right: Rep. Charles Rangel, Del. Donna Christensen, Chairman Emanuel Cleaver, II.
Left to Right: Rep. Al Green, Donna Christensen, Barbara Lee, Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, Marcia Fudge, Yvette Clarke. conscience — and the nation’s compass is horribly off. Recklessly cutting vital programs like job training, education, and health care to millions of hardworking American families is not a roadmap to balanc-
ing the budget. For more information on the CBC FY 2012 Fiscal Year budget, please visit: http://thecongressionalblackcaucus.com/issues/the-2012budget/.
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10 G.I.R.L.S. prepare for team building exercise titled “Toss a Name.”
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
EVENT 4-21-11 FAIR (CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY DOMINGUEZ HILLS) — The Third Annual Labor, Social and Environmental Justice Fair will take place April 21, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., in the east walkway of the Loker Student Union. The fair is free and open to the public. On-campus parking is available. Daily visitor permits are $4 and can be purchased at kiosk machines in each lot. CSU Dominguez Hills is at 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson. More information: Julian Sanchez, jsanchez263@toromail.csudh.edu, (310) 483-6917; Eddie Moretti, emoretti1@toromail.csudh.edu.
LISTINGS
WORKSHOP (PACE LA) — An “Advanced Credit Workshop” will take place April 22, 10 a.m. to noon, at the PACE Business Development Center, 1055 Wilshire Blvd., suite 900B, Los Angeles. This workshop will provide a look into credit reports; tools for participants to communicate with credit bureaus, creditors, and collection agencies to fix reports correctly and legally; and information to understand laws and regulations to protect their wallet. More information: Maria Bernal, (213) 989-3162; Carol Wu, cwu@pacela.org.
4-23-11
4-22-11 EASTER CONCERT (SOUTHEASTSYMPHONY.ORG) — Johann Sebastian Bach’s Easter Oratorio will be performed by The Southeast Symphony and The Chancel Choir on April 22, 7:30 p.m., at the Rolling Hills United Methodist Church’s annual Easter concert. The church is at 26438 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Rolling Hills Estates. More information: (310) 377-6771.
JAZZ WORKSHOP AND CONCERT (AC BILBREW LIBRARY) — A jazz workshop and concert featuring bassist and composer Nedra Wheeler and others will take place April 23, 1:30 p.m., at the AC Bilbrew Library, 150 E. El Segundo Blvd., Los Angeles. The event is free and open to the public. More information: (310) 538-3350.
04/11-05/11
happening these months
EARTH DAY (SJLI) — The Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI) will present “Earth Day 2011 - An Inglewood Community Wide Celebration” on April 23 at Queen Park. For additional information about “Earth Day 2011,” or its sponsors, visit www.sjli-cp.org or contact Derek Steele of SJLI at (424) 243-5504 or dsteele@sjli-cp.org.
ROUNDUP (CSU, DOMINGUEZ HILLS) — An ewaste recycling roundup will take place April 23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at California State University, Dominguez Hills. The roundup will take place in Parking Lot 4 off University and Toro Center drives
at the south end of campus. Among the items being accepted for donation will be computers, monitors, laptops, televisions, VCRs, DVD players, cell phones, mp3 players, ink toner cartridges, printers, microwaves, cables and wires, and any small or portable device with a
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
plug or circuit board. Furniture, kitchen appliances or household hazardous waste will not be accepted. CSU Dominguez Hills is at 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson. More information: www.allgreenrecycling.com/upcoming-events/carsonewaste-event, (310) 243-2438.
4-29-11
5-14-11
PERFORMANCE (CERRITOS) — Grammy-winner Norman Brown
FIRE SERVICE DAY — Fire Service Day, which will feature live demonstrations by the Los Angeles Fire Department and free rides for children, will take place May 14, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Fire Station No. 34, 3661 S. 7th Ave., Los Angeles. The event is free and open to the public. More information: (213) 4856234.
4-25-11 SPRING SYMPOSIUM — Sacramento Mayor and former NBA player Kevin Johnson will be the special guest luncheon speaker at the Spring Symposium at the California African American Museum (CAAM) on April 25. The symposium, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., is titled “Place-Based Neighborhood Change: Success, Challenges and Opportunities” and will feature the State of Black Los Angeles. CAAM is at 600 State Drive, Los Angeles. More information: Wendy Gladney, events@personalservicesplus.com, (323) 2945336.
ONGOING PHOTO EXHIBIT (EL CAMINO COLLEGE) — The El Camino College Photography Department’s annual Student Photography Exhibition will be on display in the Schauerman Library throughout April. Library hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Fridays; and 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturdays.
4-27-11 EXPO AND FAIR (EL CAMINO COLLEGE) — A Career Expo & Majors Fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 27, at El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance. The expo and fair is open to students, alumni, and the community, and will feature employers and campus departments and programs. Admission is free. More information, Van Nguyen, (310) 660-3593, ext. 6568, VNguyen@elcamino.edu.
The deadline for receipt of calendar listings is Friday, noon, at least two weeks prior to events. Fax to: (323) 299-3896, e-mail us at wattsweekender@yahoo.com or mail to: L.A. Watts Times, 3800 Crenshaw Blvd., L.A., CA 90008. All calendar items are received from various sources and are subject to being edited.
will perform at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) on April 29, 8 p.m. Tickets, ranging from $37 to $67, are available at the CCPA Ticket Office, www.cerritoscenter.com, or by calling (562) 4678818. CCPA is at 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. More information: (562) 467-8818. CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SYMPOSIUM — An event described as a “Christian Community Development Symposium: Creating and Sustaining The Beloved Community” will take place April 29, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the USC Galen Center, 3400 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. Registration cost $100 for individuals and $200 per church up to four members. People who register before April 13 can receive a discount. Registration and agenda information: www.westangelescdc.org, (323) 751-3440, ext. 45.
More information: Darilyn R. Rowan, (310) 660-3593, ext. 3326. UNCOMMON THREADS (EL CAMINO COLLEGE) — unCommon Threads, which features several garment works, will conclude April 29 at the El Camino College Art Gallery. The gallery is at 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., near Torrance. unCommon Threads is a gathering of 12 Southern California artists who tell cultural and personal tales using garments and their structures as the framework. Information: (310) 6603593, ext. 3010. “DREAM BIG” (LAUP) — The “Dream Big” Art Exhibit will continue to take place at the Bridge at Los Angeles City Hall until April 30. For the month of April, Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) preschoolers in L.A. will have their artwork featured at the Bridge in City Hall. More information: (213) 4161200.
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L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER
Thursday, April 21, 2011
AUTISM an ongoing
By Samuels Richard Associate Editor
This was part of the experiment: Hold an event in South L.A. to see how many local families have been impacted by autism. It was the Special Needs Network’s (SNN) first event, Areva Martin recalls, and there were no expectations for a big crowd. But organizers saw more than 1,000 people show up — most of them African American. “By far one of the biggest things parents said is … ‘I’ve been so alone. I didn’t know that there were this many families out there. I haven’t been able to talk to anyone about this,’ ” Martin, co-founder and president of the network, said about the 2005 event. “… So there’s a huge isolation factor that exists and parents really suơer alone. They’re embarrassed. They’re humiliated. They’re overwhelmed. They don’t know what to do.” The turnout and participants’ reactions may highlight the local Black community’s desire to find out more information about autism spectrum disorder. Often referred to as autism, the developmental disorder could, in part, be exhibited in a person’s repetitive behaviors, as well as a lack of communication and social interaction. In light of Autism Awareness Month, which is being observed throughout April, the L.A. Watts Times has provided readers with information about autism, including facts about its symptoms, what its potential causes could be, and tips about how parents can address it.
in the black community
struggle THE IMPACT At 12 months old, Cheryl Green’s daughter Irene didn’t say virtually anything. Six months later, Irene still wasn’t talking. Green spoke to her pediatrician about Irene after her friend mailed her a packet with information about autism. “In that big, thick (pack), I was able to see all the signs of all the things about Irene,” Green said. After insisting that Irene see a speech pathologist, Green eventually discovered her daughter had autism. During parts of Irene’s early life, Green said she was devastated to find out about her daughter’s condition. Green struggled and encountered diƥculty as a single mother taking care of an autistic daughter. She now is a parent advocate mentor with Martin’s network. Green is similar to other African-American women in the sense that she felt devastated by the diagnosis. Martin, who began to address autism after her son Marty was diagnosed with ASD at the age of 2, was also devastated. “The devastation comes
I think for many because of a lack of information, because … you’re getting a diagnosis and you’re being told about a disorder and … after getting that news they say, ‘Oh, guess what? There’s no known cause.’ Sure because you could imagine the first question you want to know is … ‘What caused this?’ And then you get, ‘No one knows.’ “ ‘Well is there a cure?’ “ ‘Well, not really.’ ” The diagnosis, when you receive it, doesn’t tell you very much about what the outcomes of autism will be, she later added. “It’s not like if someone tells you, ‘You have Type 1 diabetes, and we know if you monitor your diet and you exercise that you can maintain this and keep it under control and you’ll live a healthy, normal life.’ It’s not that kind of diagnosis. “This is, ‘I can’t tell you if your child will ever speak. I can’t tell you, you know, what the outcome is going to be.’ ” Martin went beyond being devastated, however, establishing the network, which had
AP Photo/Matt Stamey, The Houma Courier
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
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Keith Michael Carter sits with a few of his bowling trophies and his bowling ball after practicing at Creole Lanes in Houma, La. Since he was young, Carter, who has autism, has immersed himself in sports, his mother said, giving up one only to become engrossed in another.
its first event in 2005 and recently held a conference on autism and related disorders on April 15 and 16. The network aims to “raise public awareness of developmental disabilities and to impact public policy, while providing education and resources to families, children and adults,” its website states. “SNN serves as a link between underserved communities and mainstream developmental disability organizations and governmental institutions, which often fail to address issues specific to these communities.” The organization provides resources, including a Parent Training and Advocacy Program (P-Tap), a backto-school event, a Parent Care Speakers Series and several other programs. “The first thing we did was make relevant African Americans in Los Angeles on this issue,” Martin said in regard to how the organization has helped children and parents. Prior to starting the network, Martin said she couldn’t find any organization that was moving on both the service-delivery front and the policy front. “There were support groups. There were parents who were loosely organized, but no one really that was speaking on behalf of African-American families at the local and state policy level,” she said. Martin also said the network has been involved in the Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism and in making sure African Americans are represented as policies are being developed — policies that will impact the Black community. For parents who have children with ASD, Martin advised that they get connected and get help. One way parents can get help is by going to a regional center that services the area they live in. A list of centers can be viewed at dds.ca.gov/rc/rclist.cfm. Parents can also call (916) 654-1690 to find out about their local regional center.
Pepper Russell, a Black mom who has a son with autism, said the first thing she did after finding out her son had autism was reach out to a regional center. The center will do its own assessment, she said. Another thing parents can do is pick up reading material and do their own research about autism, she added. Karen Lee, an African-American whose grandson was diagnosed with autism, advised parents to garner support from family members who they feel can help them. You should not hide and shouldn’t feel like there’s some type of shame attached to autism, Lee added. EARLY DETECTION A consistent theme present throughout several interviews the L.A. Watts Times conducted is that early detection is key in helping your child. Early detection and intervention are important because the brain is still developing, there are changes in the brain, and one can actually make changes in how people learn, according to B.J. Freeman, Ph.D., a professor emerita with the UCLA School of Medicine and autism consultant. “Everything we know about brain development is that the brain changes more early on than later,” she added. According to doctors who spoke to the L.A. Watts Times, it’s never too late to intervene, though. SYMPTOMS There are some things parents can look out for to see if their child has autism. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), someone who has autism spectrum disorder may: “Not respond to their name by 12 months; not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over) by 14 months; not play ‘pre-
tend’ games (pretend to ‘feed’ a doll) by 18 months.” The CDC also said that it’s possible that the person would constantly repeat phrases and words, avoid eye contact and have delayed language skills. The CDC estimates that one in 110 children in the United States have ASD. Information about more signs, symptoms and other facts about autism can be obtained at www.cdc. gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html. THE MYSTERY OF AUTISM There are no conclusive answers on what causes autism. “I think we are working diligently to understand the multiple causes of” ASD, said Dr. Lisa Wiggins, an epidemiologist and developmental psychologist with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the CDC. “We know that genes play a significant role in the cause of autism.” One thing Wiggins and Robinson didn’t back is that there is a link between vaccines and autism. Both said research shows there’s no scientific evidence to support a link. There are also environmental influences. “The research has never been more robust than it is today, but it’s very complex … and I just hope that we’ll find it (the cause) in my lifetime,” said Dr. Ricki Robinson, M.D., M.P.H., a local pediatrician who specializes in autism. “When I started it was just a real medical mystery. Now we’re getting the clues. “We know a whole lot more about what’s going on in the brain of individuals with autism, and we know a lot about many candidate genes and what these genes actually support and if they … have mutations how the brain might develop a little bit diơerently. So we’ve come a long way.”
Additional Resources: - http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/autism.cfm - http://www.hollyrod.org/ - http://www.autismspeaks.org/ - www.drrickirobinson.com - http://www.specialneedsnetwork.net/ - http://www.chla.org/site/c.ipINKTOAJsG/ b.4175423/k.9653/Autism_Clinic.htm
Photo credit: Autism Society, www.autism-society.org.
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Lakers’ Lamar Odom wins Sixth Man award from NBA
Cheyenne Woods: Not just Tiger’s niece anymore
BY GREG BEACHAM AP SPORTS WRITER
BY JOEDY MCCREARY AP SPORTS WRITER
LOS ANGELES — Whether he's on the court, in the locker room or at home with his reality-TV-star wife, Lamar Odom has evolved into the consummate supporting player. The Los Angeles Lakers think it’s high time Odom got his own spotlight for being so willing to step back. Odom won the NBA’s Sixth Man award on Tuesday as the league’s top reserve, easily outdistancing Dallas’ Jason Terry to win the first significant award for individual achievement in a career mostly spent supporting others. “It’s been a long time coming. I just kept at it,” Odom said, accepting the award while Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher led a round of cheers. “I’ve learned so much from the dudes in the locker room. I’ve just been so blessed to be around you guys.” Odom was widely expected to be a major hoops star while growing up in Queens. After a disappointing start to an NBA career AP Photo/Reed Saxon spent largely on losing teams, he has achieved a unique version of Los Angeles Lakers’ Lamar Odom that stardom with the back-to-back poses with his trophy as the winner of the 2010-2011 NBA Sixth Man Award, champion Lakers. It all happened in a way Odom as the basketball league’s top reserve, never expected: by willingly at a news conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. becoming a sixth man. “There was a point in my career where people were ready to Odom’s 513. Philadelphia’s Thadcall me an underachiever,” Odom deus Young was third with 76 points, said. “Winning an award like this is and Boston’s Glen Davis finished right at those people that were ready fourth with 75. Crawford received five firstto call me an underachiever. There’s still some goals I want to set. I would place votes while finishing fifth, and Lou Williams love to play in an All-Star game, Philadelphia’s (but) the better I get, the more I can received a single first-place vote. Odom was a starter during his help this team just continue to win.” Odom averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 first nine NBA seasons with the rebounds and 3 assists per game this Clippers, Heat and Lakers, but season while playing in every game moved primarily to a reserve role for the Lakers. He was a starter for during the 2008-09 season at coach long stretches of the season while Phil Jackson’s request. Odom center Andrew Bynum was sidelined acknowledges he was ambivalent with injuries, but also came off the about the move when Jackson first proposed it nearly three years ago. bench 47 times. “My competitive spirit, at first I Bryant, Fisher and Pau Gasol were among several Lakers who didn't accept it,” Odom said. “I showed up at a hotel ballroom near remember when Phil told me he the Lakers’ training complex to give wanted me to do it, I walked into the a standing ovation to the player locker room. We were about to start widely acknowledged as the most training camp, and I looked around at popular guy in the locker room. Kobe and Pau and Andrew Bynum. Odom choked up briefly while ... I understood right away it would thanking current and former team- make our team a much deeper team. We all understand how important mates for the award. “I’m very happy for him,” bench play is.” The Lakers won the NBA Bryant said. “It’s extremely wellchampionship that year and the next, deserved.” Odom is the first Lakers player with Odom coming off the bench for to win the award, which began in all but five of Los Angeles’ 46 play1983. Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford won off games. Odom got another individual it last season. Odom received 96 of 117 first- honor of sorts when he played for the place votes from the media panel to U.S. national team at last summer’s beat Terry, who finished a distant world championships, winning a second with 244 total points to See SIXTH MAN, page 16
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — At least one Woods is a winner this year. Tiger Woods’ title slump certainly hasn’t extended to his niece Cheyenne. After winning the Atlantic Coast Conference individual golf title, the Wake Forest junior wants to keep establishing her own identity during the upcoming NCAA regionals. Cheyenne Woods said Tuesay that maturing in the shadow of her famous uncle has been a positive because it has “definitely gotten my name out there.” She says dealing with the spotlight that comes with her lineage has made her better at dealing with the spotlight — essential in an individual sport like golf. She was under par for all three rounds at the par-71 Sedgefield Country Club, shooting a 5-under 208 to win the ACC championship by seven strokes.
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AP Photo/Don Heupel
This June 28, 2009, file photo shows Cheyenne Woods during the awards ceremony after the LPGA Wegmans golf tournament at the Locust Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. Tiger Woods’ slump sure hasn’t extended to his niece Cheyenne, who won the Atlantic Coast Conference individual title at Wake Forest and is looking to keep rolling when the NCAA regional’s start in a couple of weeks.
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Judge: No right to sell ‘The Chronic’ online BY ANTHONY MCCARTNEY AP ENTERTAINMENT WRITER LOS ANGELES — The new incarnation of Death Row Records does not have the rights to sell Dr. Dre’s iconic rap album “The Chronic” digitally, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder states that the rapper and producer has received far less money than he is due from online sales of the 1992 album, which also helped launch the career of Snoop Dogg. The ruling does not call for a halt of digital sales of Dre’s music, but entitles him to receive 100 percent of the proceeds of online sales,
his attorney, Howard King, told The Associated Press. The rapper, whose real name is Andre Young, sued WIDEawake Death Row Records last year, claiming it was improperly selling “The Chronic” digitally and using some of his music on compilation albums without his permission. Snyder’s ruling states the label, which bought the original Death Row Records’ holdings out of bankruptcy, does not have the right to put Dr. Dre’s music on compilation or any other albums. “For years, Death Row Records forgot about Dre when they continued to distribute his music digitally and combined his hits with weaker Death Row tracks in an
Beyoncé’s father joins Gospel Music Board BY KIMBERLY C. ROBERTS SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE Mathew Knowles, the founder, president and CEO of Music World Entertainment (MWE), has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Gospel Music Association (GMA). Having guided the success of Destiny’s Child, widely recognized as the best-selling female group of all time, as well as the multi-faceted solo career of his daughter Beyoncé, a multiple Grammy Award winner, Knowles brings to the board his creative, business, and management expertise, as well as “a profound commitment to music.” GMA is considered the face and voice of Christian music and the gospel. The working board is comprised of 35 members who are leaders in the industry. “I am so pleased that Mathew has been elected to the GMA board of directors,” said Ed Leonard, President and Chairman of the Board of the Gospel Music Association. “He will add his vast mainstream and gospel expertise to a board stocked with talented professionals. I know he will be integral in leading the GMA to greater heights as we work together to expose, promote, and celebrate the gospel through music.” Under Knowles’ “visionary leadership,” MWE has had an unprecedented global impact on music and entertainment for nearly two decades. Knowles launched Spirit Rising music, now named Music World Gospel (MWG), a division of MWE. The company began with the successful launch of former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams as a gospel artist. Several years later, Knowles continues his mission to “produce high quality entertainment for the faith-based community.” “I look forward to working with the other board members in developing ideas and concepts to further expand both platforms and audiences for gospel and Christian artists,’ said Knowles. “These are challenging times in the music industry, but it’s extremely important for us to work together to meet those challenges and to achieve longterm stability and profitability for our business, for our Christian and gospel artists, and the faithful listeners they serve.” In recent years, MWG has experienced a tremendous amount of growth and success. The label features a roster of award-winning recording artists, joint ventures, and special projects including, Trin-i-tee 5:7, Juanita Bynum, Brian Courtney Wilson, Pastor Rudy Rasmus, and the ESSENCE Gospel Project. Mathew Knowles
attempt to elevate the stature of their other artists,” King wrote in a statement. “We are gratified that the federal court has unambiguously declared that Death Row has no right to engage in such tactics, and must hold all proceeds from these illicit distributions in trust for our client.” Phone and e-mail messages for WIDEawake’s attorney, Michael Holtz, were not immediately returned Tuesday evening. The rapper has a long history of battling Death Row Records, a label he co-founded but later left. The most recent case he filed centered on his 1996 exit agreement with the label, which called for him to receive 18 percent royalties on his music created while at Death Row and gave him substantial authority over how the songs were used. The agreement states that WIDEawake can only sell Dre’s music in the format it appeared in before the deal. Another of Dre’s attorneys, Stephen Rothschild, told Snyder during arguments in court on Monday that meant it could only appear in four formats: CD, cassette, vinyl and 8-Track.
AP Photo/Peter Kramer
In this Sept. 30, 2009 file photo, Dr. Dre poses for pictures at a press conference announcing, Heartbeats by Lady Gaga, the latest addition to the Beats by Dr. Dre family of headphones from Monster Cable, in New York.
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Bookstand offers some of the most popular and rare Black magazines around BY BRIAN W. CARTER SENTINEL STAFF WRITER Do you want to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings in Black America? Do you want to read the latest gossip on your favorite
African-American celebrities? Do want to know where you can find that new book by your favorite Black author? Well, you can find all of them at the Urban Experience Bookstore (UEB). Located in the Baldwin Hills
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Plaza, UEB is a one-stop shop for all your reading needs. Kenneth and Tiffany Gerard, co-owners of the bookstand, realized a need within the community when they founded the bookstore. “We used to have to travel to different areas to get all of the magazines we liked to read,” said Tiffany. “We wanted to provide a buffet and a variety of magazines to the urban community.” “I used to always go around and be an avid reader of different, urban magazines,” said Kenneth. Originally from Detroit, he worked in financial planning and eventually moved to California in 1998. “I noticed that (at) most of the newsstands around L.A., (there) would be a parking problem.” They decided, by putting up a bookstand in the mall, it would make parking and browsing magazines more accessible to everyone. UEB has all the popular Black magazines such as Essence, Vibe, Black Enterprise, Hip Hop Weekly and “O” Magazine. The bookstand also boasts some popular magazines from the East Coast such as 4 Front and Get Money. Tiffany and Kenneth make sure the community stays aware of what’s going on around them. “Every week, we carry all of the local papers,” said Tiffany. “We
Urban Experience Bookstore Co-owners, Kenneth and Tiffany Gerard have people coming from different places just to get articles from the Sentinel, Our Weekly, (and) the different community newspapers,” said Tiffany. She added that there is a strong sense of community with being a Black media-oriented newsstand that they support. UEB gives back to the community by being involved in a prison ministry program. “We send a lot of magazines to the correctional facilities in California and outside the state,” said Kenneth. Many UEB
customers have incarcerated loved ones, as a result, Tiffany and Kenneth got involved by sending literature, some prisoners, normally wouldn’t be able to receive. “It’s 100 percent AfricanAmerican owned; it’s a communitybased business,” said Kenneth. Tiffany and he invite everyone to come and “pick a read.” The Urban Experience Bookstore is located on level one. For more information, call (323) 2452865.
Real estate financial literacy program targets Californians, young and old The NID Housing Counseling Agency (NID-HCA) and the California Department of Real Estate have announced a partnership in an innovative program to increase the knowledge and understanding of Californians for real estate financial transactions. The financial Literacy Program developed by the California Department of Real Estate is designed to educate Californians, from young adults through senior citizens, “with the power of real estate knowledge so that they will have a greater understanding of real estate transactions to protect them, as consumers, from being victimized by real estate fraud.” Ms. Jacqueline Carlisle, Executive Director of the NID-HCA, based in northern California, announced the launch of the Financial Literacy course on April 7 and 8 during a national training of its key housing counseling branches in California and across the country. Ms. Carlisle said, “We are pleased to join the California Department of Real Estate in promoting the Financial Literacy program among our network of constituency groups.” Jeff Davis, Commissioner of the California Department of Real Estate, said, “We are very pleased that we were able to partner with NID-HCA to produce such an
important course. This course will give consumers the tools they need to make informed financial decisions and avoid some of the traps of the past.” NID-HCA, a HUD approved housing counseling agency since l995, operates in 22 states and 75 housing markets across the country, providing in-person housing and
mortgage counseling, housing clinics, educational homeownership workshops, financial literacy, credit and budgeting classes and regional Help Lines. Ms. Carlisle said NID-HCA has integrated the Financial Literacy program into an eight-hour HUD approved homebuyer education program.
From left, Ms. D. Fauk, of the U.S. Department of HUD, Jeff Davis, Commissioner of the California Department of Real Estate, and Ms. Jacqueline Carlisle, Executive Director, NID Housing Counseling Agency.
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
Attorney General’s first 100 days As part of her efforts of keeping in touch, Attorney General spoke to church leaders on critical issues of importance to the community last weekend BY CORA JACKSON-FOSSETT SENTINEL RELIGION EDITOR
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
President Barack Obama, center seated, and others, lower their heads during a Easter Prayer breakfast with Christian leaders in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Leading the prayer behind Obama is Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Bishop at African Methodist Episcopal Church, and seated to the right of Obama is Texas-based evangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes.
Obama: Christ’s travails put others in perspective BY MARK S. SMITH ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Pausing to observe Holy Week amid war and policy struggles, President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that the agony of Jesus Christ through death and resurrection puts mere political struggle “in perspective.” For the second year running, Obama hosted an Easter prayer breakfast at the White House, and the East Room was filled with administration officials and clergy from across the country. Obama said “critical national debates” are raging, and “my plate has been full as well. The in-box keeps accumulating. But then comes Holy Week ... “As busy as we are, as many tasks as pile up, during this season, we are reminded that there is something about the resurrection ... of Our Savior Jesus Christ that puts everything else in perspective.” Obama spoke just before heading to a town meeting in Virginia on his deficit plan — the start of a cost-to-coast tour promoting his fiscal blueprint as more balanced than the one advocated by congressional Republicans. Obama has used previous prayer breakfasts to underscore the depth of his Christian faith in the face of polls indicating some Americans question his religious beliefs. Last August, a Pew Research Center poll found 18 percent wrongly believe that Obama is a Muslim. On Tuesday, Obama recounted the story of Christ’s march to Calvary, the crucifixion and resurrection, the “unfathomable grace” of taking on the sins of the world. “This amazing grace calls me to reflect, and it calls me to pray,” he said. Obama said his daughters help keep things in perspective for him, and so does having a “strong spouse. ... But nothing beats Scripture and the reminder of the Eternal.” The event included an opening prayer by African Methodist Episcopal Bishop Vashti McKenzie of Tennessee. Other well-known clerics included Bishop T.D. Jakes and Archbishop Demetrios, leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in America.
Black Facts April 21, 1898 Volunteer African-American army units, including the Third Alabama, Third North Carolina, Sixth Virginia, Ninth Ohio, Ninth Illinois, 23rd Kansas and 10th Cavalry regiments, some units with African-American officers, take part in the Spanish-American War on Cuban soil. Some of these veterans, upon return to the United States, were treated with parades and speeches. Others were assaulted and even lynched. April 21, 1878 The ship Azor leaves Charleston with 206 Black emigrants bound for Liberia. Source: blackfacts.com
California Attorney General Kamala Harris stopped in Los Angeles on April 16 to update local religious leaders on her activities since assuming office. In an intimate meeting at the FAME Renaissance Center and as part of her first 100day report, Harris reviewed various pressing issues affecting the state and urged the faith-based community to join in mobilizing and informing their members. The gathering opened with prayer by the Rev. Dr. Marvis Davis, pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church of Venice and president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Los Angeles. He was followed by Assemblymember Mike Davis, who shared insight on Harris’ long history with improving quality of life and her leadership in the criminal justice arena, before introducing her to the gathering. “I’m here today to provide you with a report on the actions of the Office of the Attorney General, but
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first, I want to thank everyone here for all your prayers and all your encouragement. We had a long campaign and worked very, very hard. But with your prayers and faith, we knew it could be done and we did it,” said Harris. “We have a lot of challenges and fights ahead, but we are all in this together and I am so honored to have the support of my colleagues and my friends,” she said. Among the topics Photo by Clayton Everett Harris covered were Attorney General Kamala Harris statewide progress on President Obama’s Affordable helping people who lost their homes Health Care Act, early intervention because they were defrauded, and it is for young street-level gang members, often God-fearing, law-abiding folks and reducing mortgage fraud and who are victims. As we move forforeclosures. She also expressed ward together, we must do a lot more appreciation to area churches for public education, so our people will know their rights, where they can go supporting each of the causes. “Many of the clergy in Los See ATTORNEY GENERAL, Angeles have played a crucial role in page 15
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
Child Watch
What about the workers?
Dr. David French: pioneering physician
BY JULIANNE MALVEAUX NNPA COLUMNIST
BY MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN NNPA COLUMNIST “This was a man who lived a life of urgency, but never an urgency in the service of self, but rather in the service of the society, of mankind, of others.” So said Howard French at a memorial service for his father, Dr. David French who passed away March 31 at age 86. I was blessed to have him, his wife Carolyn, and their children as friends over many decades. As one of the founders of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, Dr. David French helped organize fellow medical professionals during the Civil Rights Movement to provide first aid to marchers and protesters. His civil rights work was a turning point in a lifetime of pioneering professional work, from becoming one of the first Black boardcertified surgeons in America to establishing innovative community health clinics in the United States and Africa. David French was born and raised in Ohio. Although his father had been forced to withdraw from Howard University as a young man because of lack of money, his parents stressed the importance of education for their own children. He was drafted into the Army during World War II, interrupting his premedical studies to serve in a segregated unit in Texas where he and fellow Black soldiers were assigned to pick cotton for uniforms. He noted that German prisoners of war held in Texas were treated better than Black soldiers seeking to defend our nation. Determined to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor, he enrolled at Howard University School of Medicine through a military program where he was mentored by famed Black surgeon Dr. Charles Drew, who pioneered modern blood banking techniques. David followed in Dr. Drew’s surgical footsteps and went on to establish pediatric cardiovascular surgery departments at Howard, Freedmen’s Hospital, and D.C. General Hospital in Washington, D.C. As the Civil Rights Movement grew, he joined the many unsung heroes — doctors, nurses, and other emergency medical professionals — providing frontline first aid to protesters brutally assaulted during marches. In 1964, few realized the essential service the newly formed Medical Committee for Human Rights performed. Many of the doctors and nurses, including him, took time off from jobs in the North to volunteer in the South. In 1965, David French coordinated the med-
Marian Wright Edelman
ical volunteers for the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. After marchers were savagely beaten by state troopers during their first attempt to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on “Bloody Sunday,” he saved the day and the lives of the protesters by helping bring in the Johnson White House and the federal troops to protect them in the final march. One year later, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael, and other civil rights activists — including myself — completed James Meredith’s march from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi after Meredith was injured by a sniper, David and Carolyn French joined in using their Dodge Camper as a makeshift ambulance for his medical team. The Medical Committee’s focus quickly expanded from protecting civil rights workers to fighting inequalities in health care under the motto “Health Care Is a Human Right.” Driven by his passion for social justice, David French shifted his focus from surgery to public health. As he told the Boston Globe, “I became aware of overwhelming health problems in the marches in the deep South, but later realized that urban health problems with regard to delivery of services are just as difficult.’’ He went back to school and earned a masters’ degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. In 1969 he became the first chairman of Boston University’s Department of Community Medicine and was chosen as the first medical director of Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center, meeting the needs of one of Boston’s poorest communities. Roxbury Compre-
hensive Community Health Center was one of the earliest community health centers and became a model for providing health services for the poor. David French then set his sights on the African continent, believing the community health center model could deliver the crucial primary care so many desperately needed. He and his family of eight children spent a decade living in the Ivory Coast as he oversaw a program coordinated by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Boston University that trained health care workers in 20 African countries to set up networks of clinics providing primary and preventive care. His groundbreaking work helped set the stage for today’s network of community health centers around the world. According to the National Association of Community Health Centers, the United States now has 1,250 community health centers providing vital primary care to 20 million low-income children and adults. This crucial lifeline of services saves between $9.9 billion and $17.6 billion a year by helping patients avoid emergency room care. Last week, the majority of funding for community health centers was saved at the last minute by the compromise budget agreement that averted a government shutdown. How shortsighted, uncaring, and fiscally irresponsible are those who would cut life- and cost-saving programs? I applaud Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders who has stood up for this vital health safety network through thick and thin. But, community health centers are still at risk in the House budget plan that seeks to dismantle Medicare and Medicaid and balance the budget on the backs of poor children and families. Millions of low-income families are in danger of losing the quality health care they desperately need. Let’s honor the legacy of Dr. David French and the life of urgency he lived and make the right and moral choice to care for America’s poor children and families and preserve — yea expand — the vital network of community health centers. Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children’s Defense Fund, whose Leave No Child Behind mission is to ensure every child a healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start and a moral start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more information, go to www.childrensdefense.org.
President Barack Obama is adept at walking a tightrope. That’s what he did last week when he talked about the budget, chastising both Democrats and Republicans. He spoke to the need for government to stand in the gap for the needy even as he understood the ramifications of the Ryan budget. Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), chair of the House Budget Committee, is bound and determined to reduce the size of government. He will do it on the backs of the poor and the needy, and he will, if he has his way, eviscerate the role that government plays in providing a safety net for those at the bottom. President Obama has to negotiate all of this. He is in charge, but then he isn’t. His bosses, the folks that he has to run stuff by, are not in his corner. He can’t appoint a cabinet member without getting approval from people who have openly said they are not in his corner. He has veto power, but there are but so many vetoes he can manage. He is in charge, he is not in charge. Let’s add, or let’s not add, the matter of race. These Tea Party people seem committed to ideas and ideals, but there is a race component to the ways that they approach this president. When people say they want to take our country back, I wonder what they want to take it back to, especially when there is this celebration of the Civil War that I, frankly, cannot understand. Why are we celebrating renegade states that chose to leave our union because they felt that strongly about slavery? Is there no sensitivity to those who are descendents of slaves? Back to the budget. Back to the funding cuts. Back to the exaggerations about the many ways we are on a “spending spree.” If we tell the truth and shame the devil, former President Bill Clinton racked up a surplus that President Bush spent profligately. And now, in the middle of an economic crisis, when spending is necessary to stimulate the economy, the same Republicans who encouraged the Bush spending are now crying foul. Those Republicans who are toeing the line on spending correctly note that we are borrowing about 43 cents for every dollar we spend. Yet, they don’t note that this amount ebbs and flows with the business cycle. Further, programs like the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which hires poor seniors to work and earn, will be cut by nearly half, putting at least 50,000 poor old people out of work. Is this compassionate? Does it reflect our national values? Should it actually occur? Indeed, if we are really con-
Julianne Malveaux cerned about our budget shouldn’t we be creating jobs, not eliminating them? There are 14 million officially unemployed Americans, half of whom have not worked for more than half a year. They are struggling, trying their best to survive. And, they aren’t paying taxes or anything else. Why not put them to work, make an investment in their survival and then, indirectly, in the survival of our nation? Because if we don’t put people to work now, there will be nowhere to work later. We are being battered by the rest of the world, and we refuse to make the same investment in the future that they have made. We are like greedy farmers eating our seed corn today instead of investing in tomorrow. And, our young people will resent our decisions as we move into the future. We spend more on the elderly than we do on youth. I am at the age when I look forward to the possibility of social security, but I do not look forward to the possibility that the young person who tends to me in a nursing home will drop me out of the pique if she feels that I was part of a generation that did not invest in her future. Respecting our president, as I do, I understand that he offers, in Cornel West’s words, “Hope on a Tightrope.” Still, what about our nation’s workers? What about our students? What about the young people who have been kicked to the curb by a series of budget choices? What about the elderly poor? Why has defense (which could be called an offense) been taken off the table when we speak of budget cuts? Julianne Malveaux is President of Bennett College for Women and author of “Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History” (www.lastwordprod.com).
Black Facts April 21, 1966 Milton Olive Jr. is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery in Vietnam. Source: blackfacts.com
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Thursday, April 21, 2011 Trustee Sale # CA0958803-1 Loan# 129223238 Order # 964571 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 06/13/2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On 04/29/2011 at 01:00PM, MTC FINANCIAL INC., dba TRUSTEE CORPS as the duly appointed Substituted Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 06/30/2006 as Document No. 06 1447474 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CALIFORNIA, executed by, MARCO A. ORTIZ, JR., A MARRIED MAN, AS HIS SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY, MARCO A. ORTIZ, A MARRIED MAN, AS HIS SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY AS JOINT TENANTS, as Trustor, SCME MORTGAGE BANKERS, INC., A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION, as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States, by cash a cashier's check drawn by a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state). AT: At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building, 350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". All right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State describing the land therein: APN # 6052-030-007 AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST. The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 426 EAST 97TH STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90003 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances, if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Trustee's Sale is: $406,087.08 (estimated amount). Accrued interest and additional advances, if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The Beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the County where the real property is located and more than three months have elapsed since such recordation. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section 2924f have been met. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2923.52: 1. Pursuant to California Civil Code 2923.54 the undersigned, on behalf of the beneficiary, loan servicer or authorized agent, declares as follows: X Servicer does hereby state that Servicer has obtained from the commissioner a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date of the notice of sale is filed. 2. Timeframe for giving notice of sale specified in subdivision (a) Section 2923.52 Does X Does not apply pursuant to section 2923.52 or 2923.55 Dated: 04/07/2011 MTC FINANCIAL INC., DBA TRUSTEE CORPS, as Successor Trustee By: CLARISA GASTELUM, TRUSTEE SALES OFFICER TRUSTEE CORPS 17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 FOR SALE INFORMATION CONTACT: (714)786-5351, (949) 252-8300 FOR REINSTATEMENT / PAY OFF REQUESTS CONTACT: (949) 252-8300 RPRequests@trusteecorps.com Ad #11336 2011-04-07 2011-04-14 2011-04-21 LOAN: 281148/RICHARDS OTHER: 55017971-55 FILE:10-12-004 NS A.P. NUMBER 5043-008-016 & 5057-004-028 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE UNDER DEED OF TRUST YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED July 21, 2008, UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. NOTICE is hereby given that AZTEC T.D. SERVICE CO., as trustee, or successor trustee, or substituted trustee pursuant to the Deed of Trust executed by PHILLIP NEAL RICHARDS Recorded on 08/04/2008 as Instrument No. 20081388940 in Book N/A Page N/A of Official records in the office of the County Recorder of LOS ANGELES County, California, and pursuant to the Notice of Default and Election to Sell thereunder recorded 12/30/2010 in Book N/A, Page N/A, as Instrument No. 2010-1938548 of said Official Records, WILL SELL on 05/05/2011 AT THE FRONT ENTRANCE TO THE POMONA SUPERIOR COURTS BUILDING, 350 WEST MISSION BLVD, POMONA, CA at 1:00 P.M.AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at the time of sale in lawful money of the United States), all right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State hereinafter described: As more fully described on said Deed of Trust. APN: 5043-008-016 & 5057-004-028 The property address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 5420 W ADAMS BLVD AND 2532 LUCERNE AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the property address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is: $269,154.13 In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier's check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state. In the event tender other than cash is accepted the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee's Deed until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, express or implied regarding title, possession or encumbrances, to satisfy the indebtedness secured by said Deed, advances thereunder, with interest as provided therein, and the unpaid principal balance of the Note secured by said Deed with interest thereon as provided in said Note, fees, charges and expenses of the trustee and the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the successful bidder at the sale shall be entitled to a return of the monies paid. The successful bidder shall have no further recourse against the Trustee or Beneficiary. We are assisting the Beneficiary in the collection of a debt and any information we obtain will be used for that purpose whether received orally or in writing. Dated: 03/31/2011 AZTEC T.D. SERVICE CO. as said Trustee 2624 W MAGNOLIA BLVD BURBANK, CA 91505 (818) 848-8960 By: CHRISTIAN SPRING VICE PRESIDENT OF FORECLOSURE RESOURCES, INC., AS AGENT FOR AZTEC T.D. SERVICE CO. Ad #11369 2011-04-14 2011-04-21 2011-04-28
Trustee Sale No. CA09000295-10-1 . Title Order No. 100075253CA-GTI Loan No. 1009166370 APN 2646-012-005 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED November 22, 2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On May 18, 2011, at 01:00 PM, At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building,350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA, MTC FINANCIAL Inc., dba Trustee Corps, as the duly appointed Trustee, under and pursuant to the power of sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust Recorded on December 4, 2006, as Instrument No. 06 2680706 of Official Records in the office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CA , executed by: RAMON LOPEZ, A MARRIED MAN AS HIS SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY, as Trustor, in favor of SBMC MORTGAGE as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, in lawful money of the United States, all payable at the time of sale, that certain property situated in said County, California describing the land therein as: As more fully described on said Deed of Trust. The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 13682 CARL STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 91331 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest theron, as provided in said Note(s), advances if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligations secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of this Notice of Trustee`s Sale is estimated to be $333,651.15 (Estimated), provided, however, prepayment premiums, accrued interest and advances will increase this figure prior to sale. Beneficiary`s bid at said sale may include all or part of said amount. In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier`s check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the California Financial Code and authorized to do business in California, or other such funds as may be acceptable to the trustee. In the event tender other than cash is accepted, the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee`s Deed Upon Sale until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. The property offered for sale excludes all funds held on account by the property receiver, if applicable. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder`s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. DATE: April 21, 2011 MTC FINANCIAL INC dba Trustee Corps TS No. CA09000295-10-1 . 17100 Gillette Ave Irvine, CA 92614 949-252-8300 Clarisa Gastelum, Authorized Signature SALE INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON LINE AT www.NoticeSolutions.com AUTOMATED SALES INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 714-786-5351 TRUSTEE CORPS IS A DEBT COLLECTOR. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. Ad #11712 2011-04-21 2011-04-28 2011-05-05
Qualified “B” licensed General Building Contractors are invited to submit a sealed bid on Project E11-08, Module 12.9 to the Burbank-GlendalePasadena Airport Authority by 2:05 PM, May 25, 2011. The Work includes, but is not limited to, the following: Installation of new doors, new windows, air conditioning, insulation and correction of some code deficiencies for: Thirty (30) Single Family Residences. Bidders may obtain construction documents from the Bob Hope Airport Web Site at bobhopeairport.com under Business Opportunities and are encouraged to do so prior to the mandatory pre-bid conference. All Bidders shall register with the Airport Engineering Department either via web site or in person. Bids submitted by firms who have not registered with Airport Engineering will be considered nonresponsive. A mandatory Pre-bid conference has been scheduled for May 5, 2011, at 10:00 A.M. at the Bob Hope Airport Engineering Offices, 2800 N. Clybourn Ave., Burbank, California.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY PROPOSED FY2012 BUDGET The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will hold a public hearing on its proposed FY2012 budget (July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012) at 2:30 pm on Wednesday, May 18, 2011. The meeting will be held in the MTA Board Room on the 3rd floor of the Gateway Plaza Building, One Gateway Plaza, and Los Angeles, CA 90012. Copies of the budget document will be available for public distribution 15 days in advance of the hearing and can be obtained by E mail to the Records Management Center (RMC) at RMC@metro.net. The document can also be picked up at RMC on the Plaza level of the Gateway Building or viewed on the internet at www.metro.net. CNS#2081504
CITY OF LOS ANGELES $50,000 REWARD NOTICE The City of Los Angeles offers a reward payable at the discretion of the City Council to one or more persons in the sum or sums up to an aggregate maximum total sum of $50,000 for information leading to the identification and apprehension of the person or persons responsible for the act of murder against, TINA MARIE SANCHEZ, in the City of Los Angeles. On Thursday, April 15, 2010, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Tina Marie Sanchez, a 41-year old woman, was discovered lying dead in the alley in the back of 3220 West 73rd Street. LAPD is still searching for the suspect(s) and encourages witnesses to come forward, even anonymously, to assist them in their investigation. The person or persons responsible for this crime represent an ongoing threat to the safety of the people of Los Angeles. Unless withdrawn or paid by City Council action, this offer of reward shall terminate on, and have no effect after, OCTOBER 21, 2011. The provisions of payment and all other considerations shall be governed by Chapter 12 of Division 19 of the LAAC Code, as amended by Ordinance Nos. 158157 and 166666. This offer shall be given upon the condition that all claimants provide continued cooperation within the criminal justice system relative to this case and is not available to public officers or employees of the City, their families, persons in law enforcement or persons whose misconduct prompted this reward. If you have any information regarding this case, please call the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-LAWFULL, 24 hours. C. F. No. 11-0010-s22 4/21/11 CNS-2085356# WATTS TIMES
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAMES FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 2011002870 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Travel A Peal Group Getaway, 3870 Crenshaw Blvd., Suie 773, Los Angeles, CA 90008, County of Los Angeles Registered owner(s): E. Denise Peal, 3870 Crenshaw Blvd., Suite 773, Los Angeles, CA 90008 This business is conducted by an Individual The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) S/ E. Denise Peal, Owner This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on April 7, 2011
ATTORNEY GENERAL Continued from page 13
for help and also where they can go to report — if it’s that lawyer or that bank,” said Harris. In addition, Harris announced that her office successfully prosecuted certain businesses who preyed on churches with ‘get rich, nomoney-down’ schemes. As a result of the $800,000 judgment, affected churches will receive restitution for money lost in the illegal scheme. As Harris concluded, she reminded the ministers to encourage congregations to participate in elec-
tions. She said, “Tell your members that they can be empowered and feel empowered knowing that their vote actually matters. Just look at our campaign. People thought we couldn’t win, but we counted those votes up until the last minute. “During the campaign, we were in your churches constantly saying, ‘Your vote matters,’ and we were right. Elections matter. Who holds these offices will have a direct impact on the lives we live and on the lives our children will live.”
NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration. 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). Original 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5/11 CNS-2081426# WATTS TIMES
GOVERNMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP# 7549) FINANCIAL ADVISORY SERVICES The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (“the Authority”) invites proposals from qualified financial consulting/advisory firms to provide financial advisory services related to the development, redevelopment and repositioning of scattered-site public housing, either owned by the Authority, or in which it has an interest, in order to maximize returns on its asset investments. Copies of the RFP may be obtained beginning April 18, 2011 online at www.hacla.org/ps. Proposals will be accepted at 2600 Wilshire Blvd, #3100, Los Angeles, CA 90057 until 2:00 P.M., May 23, 2011. 4/21, 4/28/11 CNS-2083133# WATTS TIMES PUBLIC NOTICE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2011-2012 ONEYEAR ACTION PLAN FOR THE LOS ANGELES URBAN COUNTY The 2011-2012 Action Plan (Action Plan) is the fourth annual implementation plan of the Five-Year 2008-2013 Housing and Community Development Consolidated Plan for the Los Angeles Urban County (Consolidated Plan). The Consolidated Plan describes the housing and community development needs, as well as activities to address those needs through the Los Angeles Urban County Program, as defined and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As required by HUD, the Consolidated Plan brings together, in one (1) consolidated submission, the planning and application aspects of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), and Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) Programs. The Urban County Program’s geographic area encompasses 49 participating cities, and the entire County’s unincorporated areas. Project descriptions, resources to be utilized, and proposed accomplishments for the 2011-2012 Fiscal Year (July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012) are delineated in the Action Plan. In addition, the Action Plan addresses monitoring standards and procedures. A public hearing on the Action Plan will be held before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on: May 24, 2011 – 9:30 a.m. Board Hearing Room – 381 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration 500 West Temple Street , Los Angeles, CA 90012 Copies of the proposed document will be available during a 30-day public review and comment period from April 22, 2011 to May 24, 2011 at the following locations: 1st District Anthony Quinn Library, 3965 Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Los Angeles (323) 264-7715 East Los Angeles Library, 4837 E. Third St., Los Angeles (323) 264-0155 Graham Library, 1900 East Firestone Ave., Los Angeles (323) 582-2903 La Puente Library, 15920 E. Central Ave., La Puente (626) 968-4613 Montebello Library, 1550 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello (323) 722-6551 South El Monte Library, 1430 N. Central Ave., South El Monte (626) 443-4158 2nd District Carson Regional Library, 151 E. Carson St., Carson (310) 830-0901 East Rancho Dominguez Library, 4205 E. Compton Blvd., (310) 632-6193
OBAMA
Continued from page 2 with local television stations in politically important states. While GOP lawmakers are making use of a break on Capitol Hill to hold events with constituents to pitch their parties’ fiscal plans, the presidency carries with it clear advantages. “No member of Congress, no speaker of the House, no senator can command the public’s attention the way a sitting president can,” said Joel Johnson, a lobbyist and former top aide to President Bill Clinton. Republicans acknowledge that Obama’s 2008 campaign bested them at using social media to raise money and
East Rancho Dominguez Lennox Library, 4359 Lennox Blvd., Lennox (310) 674-0385 View Park Library, 3854 W. 54th St., Los Angeles (323) 293-5371 Willowbrook Library, 11838 S. Wilmington Ave., Los Angeles (323) 564-5698 Woodcrest Library, 1340 W. 106th St., Los Angeles (323) 757-9373 3rd District Agoura Hills Library, 29901 Ladyface Ct., Agoura Hills (818) 889-2278 Malibu Library, 23555 W. Civic Center Way, Malibu (310) 456-6438 San Fernando Library, 217 North Maclay Ave., San Fernando (818) 365-6928 West Hollywood Library, 715 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood (310) 652-5340 4th District El Segundo Library, 111 W. Mariposa Ave., El Segundo (310) 524-2722 Hacienda Heights Library, 16010 La Monde St., Hacienda Heights (626) 968-9356 Hawaiian Gardens Library, 11940 Carson St., Hawaiian Gardens (562) 496-1212 Lomita Library, 24200 Narbonne Ave., Lomita (310) 539-4515 Rowland Heights Library, 1850 Nogales St., Rowland Heights (626) 912-5348 South Whittier Library, 14433 Leffingwell Rd., Whittier (562) 946-4415 5th District Altadena Library, 600 E. Mariposa St., Altadena (626) 798-0833 La Verne Library, 3640 D. St., La Verne (909) 596-1934 Lake Los Angeles Library, 16921 E. Ave. O, Suite A, Palmdale (661) 264-0593 Littlerock Library, 35119 80th St. East, Littlerock (661) 944-4138 Newhall Library, 22704 W. Ninth St., Newhall (661) 259-0750 Quartz Hill Library, 42018 50th St. West, Quartz Hill (661) 943-2454 Assisted listening devices, agenda in Braille, and/ or alternate formats are available upon request. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, other auxiliary aids and services, or reasonable modifications to Board meeting policies and/or procedures, such as to assist members of the disabled community who would like to request a disability-related accommodation in addressing the Board, are available if requested at least three (3) business days prior to the Board meeting. Later requests will be accommodated to the extent feasible. Please telephone the Executive Office of the Board at (213) 974-1431 (voice) or (213) 974-1707 (TTY), from 8: 00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Copies of the proposed document are also available for review at the Community Development Commission (CDC), 2 Coral Circle, Monterey Park, CA 91755. Citizens wishing to submit written comments during the public review and comment period may mail them, postmarked no later than May 24, 2011, to the CDC, to the attention of Raymond Webster, Development Specialist, CDBG Division, who can be reached at (323) 890-7317 if there are any questions. 4/21/11 CNS-2082651# WATTS TIMES LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANPORTATION AUTHORITY (MTA) REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will receive proposals for PS25102731 - CONSOLIDATED AUDIT FY2011 THRU FY2015 per specifications on file at the LACMTA Office of Procurement and Material Management, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (9th Floor). All proposals must be received on or before 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time), Tuesday, May 2, 2011 at the address listed above, sent to the attention of Barbara A Gatewood, Sr. Contract Administrator. Proposals received later than the above date and time will be rejected and return to the proposal unopened. A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on Monday, April 18, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. (Pacific Time), Gateway Conference Room, 3rd Floor located at the address above. You may obtain a copy of the RFP by downloading the information at www.METRO.NET; or for further information by contracting Barbara A. Gatewood at (2130 922-7317 or via Fax (213) 922-1004 or by email: gatewoodb@metro.net. 4/14, 4/21/11 CNS-2079653# WATTS TIMES
fire up supporters. GOP candidates trying to take Obama’s job — such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who announced his 2012 campaign on Twitter, and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has taped a series of videos for YouTube — are looking to borrow from his earlier campaign’s techniques. Jennifer Palmieri, who was a press aide to Clinton, said Obama is smart to use all the media tricks in his bag, but nothing will keep Republicans from attacking him fiercely. They just might have to work a bit harder at it. Associated Press writers Charles Babington in Washington and Marcus Wohlsen in San Francisco contributed to this report.
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Thursday, April 21, 2011
Expo almost ready to ride Councilwoman Jan Perry for mayor
LOS ANGELES — Councilmembers Herb Wesson and Bernard Parks were joined by other officials at the Expo Line’s new Western Avenue Station to highlight the progress that has been made and preview the new trains that are to start running from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City later this year. “This project represents a new era in public transportation in our community, and we’re almost ready to roll,” said Councilmember Wesson, who chairs the Exposition Light Rail Authority, which oversees the construction of the line. “The community is excited and my grandson is very excit-
ed. He made me promise to let him ride and I’m looking forward to having him with me on the first ride.” Other officials attending included Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Expo vice chair, as well as Culver City Councilmembers Scott Malsin, and Micheal O’Leary and Santa Monica Councilmember Pam O’Conner. Testing of the trains is now underway and will continue for the next several months. The trains will operate intermittently along the route during this period. Updated scheduling information will be provided to keep the community informed. For the first six months, as many
as 24 rail safety ambassadors will be dispatched to key locations along the route to help the public get accustomed to the new light rail line. They are comprised of former bus and rail operators who will help educate the public on safety and promote safety and good behavior. Increasing public awareness continues to be a priority. For the past year, Metro’s Rail Safety Education Program has been conducting safety presentations at schools, libraries, recreation centers, senior centers and religious institutions along the project alignment to provide safety training in anticipation of the opening of the Expo Line.
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Councilwoman Jan Perry Ninth District Councilwoman Jan Perry has filed papers to run for mayor, and she could become the first woman and the first AfricanAmerican woman to hold that office. Perry said, “I formed my committee and filed my papers to run for mayor for 2013 and I’ve been doing outreach, talking to people to garner support and am raising money now.” According to Perry, she is in the fundraising mode now and will name her prominent supporters as her campaign progresses. It will be a historic first for Perry to become the first woman and she will be standing squarely on the shoulders of Tom Bradley, the first African American to be elected mayor of Los Angeles and also the longest-serving mayor in the city’s history. He served an unprecedented five terms. Her work in the ninth district has produced commendable results and she has improved the district tremendously since she has been on the council.
SIXTH MAN Continued from page 10
gold medal with a solid effort that spread into an outstanding start to the current NBA season. “It’s good recognition of a player that has really filled a role for us the last couple of years,” said Jackson, who advocated Odom for his first All-Star berth after his outstanding start to the season. “To be named to the USA team was really big for him, and to start on that team was important.” A few weeks ago, Odom said he planned to put the Sixth Man trophy on the scorers’ table at center court at Staples Center if he won it. “When I came off the bench, they started to give me a round of applause they never gave me before,” Odom said. “I don’t know if they appreciated me more, or appreciated how I handled the situation, but I know I hadn’t experienced any-
thing like that before.” Odom’s wife, reality-TV star Khloe Kardashian, and his motherin-law attended the award news conference. Odom and Kardashian starred in a reality series about their married life that was filmed down the stretch of the regular season and is currently airing on the E! network. Odom and Kardashian say they both considered the potential for distractions from the show, both while filming and after it started airing. The show is frequently a topic of conversation at the Lakers’ practices, although mostly for teasing Odom. “Just from experience and from talking to Lamar, I don’t think it was a distraction,” Kardashian said. “Lamar isn’t the kind of guy that gets distracted by things like that. During the season, he’s very focused on what he has to do for his team.”