LAWT 05-10-2012 by LA WATTSTIMES

W E E K E N D E R

L.A. Watts Times Vol. XXX, No. 1283

www.lawattstimes.com

Thursday, May 10, 2012

SEE PAGES 6-7

HOROSCOPES 2

IBRA~You are a person of action. Believe in your ability to get things done and you will find things so easy to do. Put things into perspective and obstacles will become opportunities. Put your plans into practice with confidence and your list of things to do will get done one by one. Soul affirmation: Hope brightens my mornings, faith sustains my nights. CORPIO ~ This week think of yourself in ways that you have not thought of yourself recently. Find in the closet of your spirit another set of clothes. Put them on and wear them like they are your everyday apparel. Reinvent yourself and act as if the new is usual. Soul affirmation: I feel like the star that I naturally am. AGITTARIUS ~ You are a person of many talents and skills. People around you count on your abilities to keep things running smoothly this week. Know that all your hard work is appreciated and even though you may not see it right away your dedication will be rewarded. Soul affirmation: I do good unto others and enjoy doing it. APRICORN ~ Allow yourself to live your dream this week. Don’t secondguess your instincts or desires and you will find you are already the person who you always knew you could be. Be courageous as you set forth to fulfill your goals. If doubt knocks, lock the doors and windows of your heart. Soul affirmation: I make sure people understand that I am on their side this week. QUARIUS ~ Trust your special knowledge of yourself and the universe and use that knowledge as a guide this week. Not everyone will trust you to be true. Do not let their lack of faith shake your belief in yourself. Knowledge of external processes is not nearly so important as knowledge of yourself this week. Soul affirmation: Doing good this week is the key to feeling good. ISCES ~ It’s not always what you know, or even who you know that paves the road to success. Sometimes it’s just being in the right place at the right time that counts. Be prepared to answer when opportunity knocks this week. Accept your good fortune graciously, and share it with others. Soul affirmation: I go within myself to find a place of calm where I can rest.

Inside This Edition

The Compton Unified School District board member says that he’ll “work hard” to regain the community’s trust

BY JENNIFER BIHM, SENTINEL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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Skyy Fisher speaks to the community

While Compton School Board member Skyy Fisher continues to apologize for calling slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin “a faggot,” and Compton Unified School District’s (CUSD) interim superintendent Karen Frison “a bitch,” and making fun of a school molestation case in the district, he is determined to move forward with his plans toward a better district, he told the Sentinel this week. Reforming CUSD’s curriculum and increasing graduation rates are among his top priorities — that I, after he finishes a 60-day stint in rehab to address his alcoholism, something he attributes to the recent debacle. “I’m taking a step back and refocusing on the fact that, one, I’m not only Skyy Fisher, the guy that grew up in Compton and who was educated in Compton, now I’m also an elected official. And I’m going to own up to the fact that I can't do things that I used to do before I was elected,” he said. “The community elected me to serve with dignity, and I have to do that. I can’t let my constituents down. And so I plan on seeking out a treatment center where I can be treated for my alcohol abuse.”

POLL RESULTS

RIES ~ If you are unhappy with your situation this week, you have all the power you need to change it! Don’t procrastinate any longer. You can make the improvement now! Don’t worry about what others are thinking. Just do what is good for you. Soul affirmation: Love is my reward for giving love. AURUS ~ The universe is balanced and our lives will be filled with triumphs and tribulations. Don’t fret when you face turmoil this week. Deal with it head on and stay undeterred. Keep straight on the path you are traveling and you will reach the place where you are meant to be. Soul affirmation: All is well and so I let it be. EMINI ~ Your inner beauty is one of your greatest assets. This week take full advantage of this gift you received from God. This week hold in consciousness the truth that you are specially crafted from His hands. Allow a cheerful disposition to radiate through you. Soul affirmation: I happily help to clear up a mess made by others. ANCER ~ Everything that goes around will come around, for the universe is balanced. We all need to bear our crosses and accept the fate that is destined for each of us. The will of God is good, and we will receive as He gives. This week is a week for finding joy in little things. Soul affirmation: I let love teach me more about life. EO ~ This week have faith in what you know can happen and rededicate yourself to achieving your dreams. Be sure to remember and respect who you are as the week unfolds. Love yourself for who you are this week, and this will give you a clear perspective on what you can become. Soul affirmation: I celebrate the high energy that engulfs my life. IRGO ~ Give yourself a chance to experience a different side of your personality this week. Keep from getting bored by doing a little acting. Choose a character who would be more effective than you in the situation in which you find yourself. Be that character. Play the role. Enjoy it. Soul affirmation: The value I place on myself is the value that others see in me.

May 10 - 16

Thursday, May 10, 2012

9 BlackFacts.com

May 13, 1862 Robert Smalls and 12 fellow African American seamen captured the Planter, a cotton steamer converted into a Confederate battleship. Smalls piloted the gun boat into Union lines and presented the ship to the U.S. Navy at Charleston Harbor. Smalls was promoted to captain during the Civil War.

Photo by Brian Carter

School board member Skyy Fisher

Fisher continued to emphasize the fact that his comments were a part of a satirical routine he does on Pigzradio.com. “I played a character by the name of Skyy the Compton Martian, who is a stereotypical, greedy, self-serving politician,” Fisher explained. “Those words are not who Skyy Fisher is. Those words are who Skyy the Compton Martian is on the show. So I don’t condone calling women the ‘b’ word or using the ‘f’ word. I’m not homophobic, I'm not racist, I’m not See SKYY FISHER, page 11

Is reality TV better than sitcom television? 79.4%

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

metro.net/expo

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Discover new destinations from Downtown to the Westside. Explore LA with convenient service on Metro’s new Expo Line. You’ll find the museums of Expo Park, Downtown nightlife, Culver City’s dining scene and much more. And with new stops at LA Trade Tech and USC, it’s easy to get to campus without the hassle of parking and tra;c. The Expo Line also connects with the Blue, Red, Purple and Silver Lines, with service to Hollywood, Long Beach, Pasadena and dozens of places in between. Plan your trip at metro.net.

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SEC sues ex-Detroit mayor for influence peddling

Obama voices his support for gay marriage

BY MARCY GORDON | ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is facing federal civil charges of taking part in an influence-peddling scheme involving the city’s public-employee pension funds. The Securities and Exchange Commission says Kilpatrick and ex-city treasurer Jeffrey Beasley received $125,000 in private jet travel and other perks from an investment firm. The SEC says that was in exchange for getting the city's pension fund to make an investment favoring the firm. Kilpatrick and Beasley violated federal securities laws, the SEC alleged in a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Detroit.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

BY JULIE PACE | ASSOCIATED PRESS

JERRY S. MENDOZA / AP

MayfieldGentry Realty Advisors, the investment firm, asked the pension funds’ trustees to invest $117 million in a real estate investment trust controlled by the firm, the SEC said. Kilpatrick and Beasley were among the trustees in 2006 and 2007. The SEC says the two should have told the other trustees that they received perks from the investment firm. The SEC also accused the investment firm and its CEO, Chauncey Mayfield, of taking part in the influence-peddling scheme in violation of federal securities laws. It said the firm received millions of dollars in management fees from the pension funds' decision to invest. Lawyers for Kilpatrick, Beasley and Mayfield See KWAME KILPATRICK, page 11

metro.net/expo

Watch for trains on Metro Expo Line tracks.

Please remember to: > Obey all tra;c signals and warning devices. > Be alert at all times. Watch for a “TRAIN” signal. > Always push the button and wait for a “WALK” signal before entering the crosswalk. Never jaywalk across the tracks. > Never sit or stand on tracks. > Do not go around lowered gates. > Never make a left turn on a red arrow. This tra;c rule will be enforced by cameras at intersections. > Right turns are allowed while an Expo Line train is passing through, but may be restricted at certain intersections.

For more safety tips, visit metro.net/ridesafely.

The real heroine behind the Secret Service scandal

SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE AFRO-AMERICAN

The Metro Expo Line, the newest addition to Metro Rail service, is now open.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama declared unequivocal support for gay marriage on Wednesday, becoming the first president to endorse the politically explosive idea and injecting a polarizing issue into the 2012 race for the White House. Obama’s announcement, after refusing to take a clear stand for months, cheered gay rights groups who have long urged him to support gay marriage. It also opened up a distinct area of disagreement with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who opposes gay marriage. Polling suggests the nation is evenly divided on the issue “I have hesitated on gay marriage in part because I thought that civil unions would be sufficient,” Obama said in an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts at the White House. He added that, “I was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people the word ‘marriage’ was something that invokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs and so forth.” Now, he said, “it is important for me personally to go ahead and affirm that same-sex couples should be able to get married.” The president's decision to address the issue came on the heels of a pair of events that underAP Photo/Evan Vucci, File scored the sensitivity of the issue. Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview The president says ‘yes’ to same-sex marriage. on Sunday that he is completely comfortable with gays marrying, a pronouncement that instantly be a union of a man and a woman. The president has already supported a number raised the profile of the issue. And on Tuesday, voters in North Carolina — a potential battleground in of initiatives backed by gays, including an end to the fall election — approved an amendment to the the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, and a See GAY MARRAGE, page 10 state constitution affirming that marriage may only

A Black Secret Service agent is being hailed as the heroine in what is reportedly the worst scandal in the agency’s history. Paula Reid is the 46-yearold special agent responsible for blowing the whistle on the sex scandal that turned the esteemed agency into so much fodder for the 24-hour news cycle and cable talk shows. Reid, the head of the service detail down in AP Photo Latin America, discovered that She blew the whistle on the Secret Service: Paula Reid, right, at least 11 agents, including two walks in a motorcade alongside President George W. Bush’s supervisors, had brought prosti- limousine shortly after his inauguration on January 20, 2001. tutes back to their hotel rooms in “I recognize that the vast majority of Secret Cartagena, Colombia, just days before the presiService personnel are professional, disciplined, dent arrived for an international summit. Such action posed a significant security dedicated, courageous. But to me it defies belief that this is just an aberration,” Collins risk for the commander in chief. Officials are praising Reid for her swift action. said. “There were too many people involved. If “She acted decisively, appropriately,” said it had been one or two, then I would say it was Maine Sen. Susan Collins on ABC’s “This Week” an aberration. But it included two supervisors. on April 22. Collins is the ranking member of the That is particularly shocking and appalling.” Reid’s leadership in this case is also shining Homeland Security Committee and one of a light on the paucity of women and minorities Congress’ lead investigators into the scandal. The other, New York Congresswoman within the Secret Service. “I can’t help but wonder if there’d been Carolyn Maloney from the House Oversight Committee, added, “I talked to [Secret Service more women as part of that detail if this ever Director Mark] Sullivan last night, and he was would have happened,” Collins said Sunday on commending her [on her] leadership, too. She real- the weekly news talk show. According to Maloney, the agency comly went in there and cleaned up the mess.” In the wake of Reid’s probe, six agents prises only 11 percent women. “I can’t help but have been fired, six others are being investigat- keep asking this question, Where are the ed and 11 military personnel are also under women? We probably need to diversify the scrutiny. Officials are also examining whether Secret Service and have more minorities and more women.” this incident was part of a pattern.

Brotherhood Crusade embarks on One on One with Shawn Chapman Holley oral history project Thursday, May 10, 2012

Shawn Chapman Holley talks to the Sentinel about Johnny Cochran, Trayvon Martin — and the three-strikes law

BY MALIK SPELMAN WITH JENNIFER BIHM, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Caring a lot about her clients plays a huge role in making high- profile defense attorney Shawn Chapman Holley good at what she does, she said. Protecting them in the courtroom, being there for them at any time to answer questions and forging authentic relationships with them is something she learned from her mentor, the late Johnny Cochran. Cochran, in a word says Holley, was charismatic. “You could not be in Johnny’s presence and not be taken by his charm or his Shawn Chapman Holley charismatic smile. He was just a wonderful person in addition to what the sentence should be. By the same token, if you’re somebeing an excellent lawyer,” she said. “He didn’t turn that on and off. He one who has a lengthy criminal history was the person that he was. When he but with minor, situational crimes that walked into the courtroom, he knew can be explained within the context [everything] that had been going on that they occur, the judge should also with the client, with his brother or have the discretion to take all of that uncle. He knew the story of what was into consideration and ascribe a penalhappening five years before … He was ty that makes sense. I’m not a fan of a very likeable person. I think in all any sort of blanket law or rule that areas of life, if you are a likeable, forces a judge to impose certain penalties because a law exists that says, you charismatic person, it helps you … ” Since winning the O.J. Simpson must do this … Each case is different. Each defencase with Cochran in the mid- 1990s, Holley has gone on to represent dant is different. Situations and circumcelebrities like Tupac Shakur, Shemar stances are different. There should be a Moore, Don Cornelius and currently freedom and flexibility to craft a penalty that makes sense under each set of Lindsay Lohan. While garnering those clients has circumstances and for each person. That’s not to say everyone should taken charm and sincerity, winning their cases took thorough preparation get to go home and there shouldn’t be — something she also learned from harsh penalties. There are certain individuals who absolutely deserve harsh Cochran. “That was Johnny’s motto: prepa- penalties. But a one-size-fits-all kind ration, preparation, preparation,” of sentence is a disservice to the crimHolley said. “He instilled that in all of inal justice system and also a disservus. It’s important to always be pre- ice the judges who are prevented from pared, to know everything there is to using their own discretion. Advice for anyone facing know about the case. You have to three strikes know the rules and how to get around The only thing I can say is there is certain red flags … ” Holley has been at it for 20 years the writ of habeas corpus, which is the now, starting her career as a public great writ that says, ‘I’m being defender in Los Angeles County. This wrongfully imprisoned.’ Not everyyear, Super Lawyers Magazine named one is wrongfully imprisoned but one her a super criminal defense lawyer, of the great things about our justice along with five other attorneys from system is if there has been some injusKinsella Weitzman Iser Kump and tice, to have an avenue in court to express that injustice. Unfortunately, Aldisert, the firm where she works. In 2010, writer Ann O’Neill of it is a long shot but we continue to CNN Justice called her one of read cases like one just this past weekend in the L.A. Times about Hollywood’s “legal it girls.” Holley recently sat down with The someone who was freed after 20 Sentinel, weighing in on subjects like years. So, there are kernels of hope. On the Trayvon Martin case the Trayvon Martin case and It’s a very complicated case and I California’s three- strikes law. have a lot of mixed feelings as an On California’s three-strikes law I think a judge should have dis- African American, as a mother, as a cretion to make decisions on a case criminal defense attorney. We all know like that. If a judge is faced with a that there is a racial component to this criminal who has a long record of case. There’s no question about it — misdeeds, then there shouldn’t have none whatsoever. It’s not only the profiling issue but to be a three strikes law, which forces him or her to judge in one way or also we all know that if it had been a another. He or she should be able to Black man who shot and killed a White use discretion, looking at this per- teenager — an unarmed White teenage son’s life, etc. … to make what he or See SHAWN CHAPMAN she feels is the right decision about HOLLEY, page 11

BY PAMELA K. JOHNSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“The Brotherhood Crusade is not just a local entity that popped out of somebody’s dream,” said CZ Wilson, Ph.D., a retired UCLA vice chancellor. “Walter Bremond, who founded the nonprofit, had a vision that our people could be self-sufficient, while [institutional builder] Danny Bakewell had a whole system of socioeconomic organization that he brought to the table.” Wilson, now 83, was a young educator with a family when he first came to Southern California in the mid-‘60s and teamed up with Bremond, and later Bakewell. He is one of many who will be videotaped giving their oral history of the organization in early June.

The Brotherhood will turn 45 next April, having been founded in the weeks between the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, and Senator Robert Kennedy on June 5, 1968. This Oral History Project is intended to capture the origins of this historymaking organization for the record, to be used as a blueprint for future generations to follow. Wilson, who is the author of “Crossing Learning Boundaries By Choice: Black People Must Save Themselves,” migrated to the north from Greenville, MS, “at 16 years old, with 50 bucks in my pocket, to go to University of Illinois.” Then he became a postdoctoral student at Binghamton See CZ WILSON, page 10

CZ Wilson to participate in Brotherhood Crusade Oral History Project

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER

COMPILED BY BRANDON I. BROOKS | CO-MANAGING EDITOR

WHAT DOES MOTHER’S DAY MEAN TO YOU? LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS WEIGH IN Brandon I. Brooks Mother’s Day is the day to share with the woman or women who guide us or have guided us through this journey we call a life. It is a day to cherish because we get to reflect either by ourselves or with the person we love and consider our mother or a mother figure. It’s a time to come together and live in the moment. Don’t worry about tomorrow or yesterday. Just be thankful for today and remember that life can be short. Time with family and friends is precious so live it up! I have always appreciated Mother’s Day because I was raised by a single mother who took care of five children. And trust me when I say, we all turned out great. There was no father in the house to tell me what to do or lead me through life, only my mom’s gentle voice and on many occasions, her commanding tone. She always knew the answer and I know now more than ever, that without her, I could never be the man I am today. This mother’s day I salute you Mom (Pamela A. Bakewell) and Thank God for blessing me with an Angel on earth. Pat Munson God Bless your sweet soul….Happy Mother’s Day.

Dorothy McDavid A True Mother A Mothers love is like the love of Christ it penetrates through and through. Unconditional without limits. We nurture, plant, water, counsel and give you space to take flight to grow with your own mindset. But always standing by when we are needed. We stand on the foundation that we have planted in your life knowing that the choices you will make you have bowed your knees and consulted God in all your ways and waited for the answer with Pray, Praise and Worship! Then the final result of your talents and gifts will become explosive when you make choices for your live to pursue with Excellence and pass the no limits on for generations to come. Happy Mother’s Day!

I don’t really celebrate Mother’s Day anymore and I haven’t since my mommie passed away in 1987. It’s usually a day I enjoy being alone quietly reflecting on my mother’s unconditional love. She was a single mother of 11 children from Louisiana who came to Los Angeles in 1963 looking for better opportunities for her family. She went to school at night, worked double shifts at nursing homes, cleaned white folk houses and did everything in her power to provide for us. She kept us in Sunday school, church, singing in the choirs, reading the bible and praying at home to instill in us an unshakeable faith in God because she already knew what it would take to get us through life’s ups and downs. So that’s what Mother’s Day means to me; remembering the strength and love of my mother and doing my best to pass along those same values to my daughter and grandchildren. LEFT: Daisy Lee Munson (1932-1987), grandson, Dwayne Nathan Hendricks II (now deceased) and granddaughter Kiesha Lanee Hendricks-Talley.

Adrianne Sears Motherhood is one of the greatest gifts and responsibilities that God can bestow. As mothers, we plant the seeds of confidence, character and courage to conquer life’s challenges. We instill a sense of purpose and pride through consistent acts of love and respect. A mother is indeed a child’s first and most influential teacher. We as mothers provide opportunities that help to mold minds and shape world views. Motherhood is a lifelong journey that is filled with patience and faith. We are pillars of strength. As the co-creators of life, we provide for our children and protect them from the dangers of this world. The sorority of motherhood is a powerful one, in which we teach love for self and responsibility for the success of our community. We nurture the talents of our children, expose them to learning opportunities and support their dreams. We are advocates, counselors, cheerleaders, confidants, prayer partners, nurses, cooks and comforters. Ultimately, mothers seek to provide a great example that will build a legacy for generations to come. It is for these reasons, and so many more, that we should celebrate mothers every day.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

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Diana Pinkney Yes, May 13th is officially mother’s day but for my mother every day is mother’s day because of the wonderful things she does for her family & friends. So mother Laura, you have our full attention and a full salute on this very special season called Mother’s Day. We love you Godly Woman!….Love Dianna, Troy, Ronnie and Dreneka.

Joy Childs

Pamela Bakewell Mother’s Day is a very special day to me for many reasons. Most of all, I had the privilege of having one of the best Mother’s in the whole wide-world. Really, it’s true. I’m not just saying that to be cliché. My Mother was considerate, thoughtful, caring, humble, funny and most of all, loving. My brother and I never wanted for anything even though we came from very humble means. Our Mother and Maternal Grandmother (Mama Camille) made sure we were secure, educated and well mannered. We were rich in LOVE. I am forever grateful to God for my Mother, Marybell, and I thank her for instilling values into us that we’ve been able to pass onto our children. My Mother’s legacy will live on for generations. Thanks, Mother, I know you are resting and smiling in God’s Love. Your Loving Daughter.

Mable Childs, my little 5’6” mother, taught first grade at Cienega Elementary School on Adams Boulevard between Fairfax and LaBrea until she retired in 1986 after teaching there for nearly 40 years. Even though she passed away in 2001, she’s always with me: in pictures around my home, in the music that she turned me on to—mostly classical music, hymns and children’s ditties—and in the many students that she taught back in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s who I still run into who, without exception, tell me what she meant to them. One of my favorite moments with her was on Mother’s Day 2001when we went to church at the West Angeles COGIC, then to the Mama’s House restaurant on Crenshaw where she and I ran into Magic Johnson and his family. She nervously approached him at his table to tell him that he was one of her favorite people for all he did in our community. I chimed in, proudly telling him that she had been a teacher for 40 years. He stood up, all 6’9” of him, looked waaay down at her and said, “Well, I’m proud of you for all you’ve down in our community!” That is my sweetest Mother’s Day memory.

Iris Stanford I am Ruby’s Child. Understanding, devotion, trial and error, self-sacrifice, unconditional love, an understanding heart and gentle hands. “THE FLOWER IN GOD’S GARDEN”.

BJ Samuels As the son of a mother who has passed on, I take this moment to reflect on how powerful she was in my life. And in her physical absence, I recognize the strength and bond of mother’s around me. My sister, LaDonna Samuels Ott, has two daughters and her devotion to their happiness and success is paramount to her life’s purpose. It brings me joy to share and be a witness to her brand of motherhood...a seemingly effortless truimph!

DeDe Price Honestly, my first thought when asked was of two songs my Pastor Shirley Ceasar. Even though I am blessed to still have my mother, I thought of Everyday is Like Mother’s Day and I remember Momma. When you get a chance listen to them. I could go on and on, but I will make it short. Mother’s Day means to me a day set aside to show love, honor, appreciation, gratefulness and reflection. Honored to be a mother/grandmother, appreciate and grateful to God for giving me the honor. Reflecting on what I could, should or would have done differently and continue to attempt to be the best mother/grandmother than I can be. Lastly - sit back and enjoy the day. Happy Mother’s Day to the other mothers - especially yours. Good Job Pam!!

“For my mother, everyday is mother’s day.” ~ Diana Pinkney

Peterson lawyer fighting failed test 8

BY KEN RITTER | ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAS VEGAS (AP) — With a May 19 bout in Las Vegas on the line, boxer Lamont Peterson’s lawyer is telling Nevada boxing regulators the champion fighter’s failed doping test in March stemmed from an “inadvertent” failure to disclose medical treatment last November for low testosterone levels. In a letter obtained late Tuesday by The Associated Press, Washington, D.C.-based attorney Jeff Fried told the Nevada Athletic Commission that Peterson’s doctor determined that a one-time “therapeutic” treatment “would not produce a significant enhancement of athletic performance.” Peterson, of Washington, defeated Amir Khan in a disputed split decision in December in the nation’s capital to become the WBA and IBF junior

business

welterweight champion. Peterson’s scheduled rematch next week with Khan in Las Vegas was in doubt after a urine test in March found unacceptably high levels of synthetic testosterone in Peterson’s system, Athletic Commission executive Keith Kizer said Tuesday. Kizer said Peterson (30-1-1, with 15 KOs) would have faced routine approval in the next several days for the fight scheduled AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File next week at the Mandalay Bay resort. Now, it would be up to the Boxer Lamont Peterson failed a drug test, five-member commission to hold putting a May 19 light-welterweight rematch a special meeting to accept in Las Vegas against former title holder Peterson’s explanation and grant a Amir Khan in doubt, a Nevada boxing offilicense for the Khan bout. The cial said Tuesday. panel isn’t currently scheduled to this isolated occurrence,” Fried said in meet until May 21. “Lamont has never had a positive the letter that appears to apologize for anti-doping test either before (or) after the failed test but doesn’t specifically seek a commission hearing. Fried didn’t immediately respond to an after-hours message seeking comment. The letter cited the findings of three doctors and said more tests were scheduled Wednesday. Peterson “should not be penalized by the commission based on the facts as summarized in this letter and within the medical correspondence,” Fried said. Two tests of Peterson’s urine samples See PETERSON, page 11

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

‘Ouch.’ NBA boss changes tune on injuries AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant reacts after missing a shot against the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the Nuggets' 99-84 victory in the teams' first-round NBA playoff series in Denver on Friday. BY JIM LITKE | ASSOCIATED PRESS

board

Turns out NBA Commissioner David Stern spoke too soon. Or not. Barely a week after ruling out any connection between the injuries suffered by players and the compressed regular-season schedule that was thrown together in the wake of the lockout — “Zero,” is how Stern put it in an April 30 radio interview — the commissioner has started walking that statement back. Sort of. “There is some part of it that may be related to that,” Stern said Tuesday during an appearance on the CBS Sports Network. “I think some part of it is luck and some part of it is lack of preparedness by our players before the season began. It’s a combination of things.” The strange thing is that while season-ending knee injuries to the Bulls’ Derrick Rose and Knicks guards Iman Shumpert and Baron Davis in the first round of the playoffs gave rise to suspicions that the schedule was to blame — it began on Christmas and shoehorned 66 games into roughly four months — Stern said the total number of such injuries, five, was about the same as in previous years. But with fewer breaks available for players to heal — teams played an average of two more games each month, from 14 to 16 — the time lost because of all sorts of injuries was greater. “The one thing I do know is that we’ve had more lost games because of injuries, because the compressed schedule takes away a day of rest for a minor injury. ... We’re going to look at the precise numbers at the end of the season and we’ll try to have a view of it because it’s spread out differently as well. Some teams don’t practice. Some teams do. I don’t know whether it relates,” the commissioner added. “Some teams actually worked out with the players alone all summer and some didn’t. We’re going to try to see whether we can learn something from this compressed season in the way that teams approach it.” That's all well and good, but the

teams still in the playoffs are being forced to deal with the implications on the fly. They know, for example, that while the number of games lost to injury is up, points and shooting percentages are down. It has spawned an interesting game-within-a-game where coaches and players try to convince themselves they aren’t feeling exhausted but that their opponents are. “My hope, I don’t know if this is true or not, is that fatigue will come our way,” Denver coach George Karl said after his Nuggets beat the Lakers 10299 and pulled within 3-2 in their series. “The running of the game, the tempo of the game, and the pace, the way we play. “They’re getting tired of hearing it, and you’re probably tired of hearing it,” he told reporters, “but our only chance to beat them is run them and play with tremendous energy and intensity.” Kobe Bryant is probably feeling every bit of 33 after a grueling season playing through a handful of ailments. But the old man of the Lakers says no team can afford to feel sorry for itself at this juncture of the season. Asked whether he and his teammates would regret not closing out Denver on the first try and getting some additional rest, Bryant replied, “Doesn’t matter. “I don’t care if you give us a year to rest. If we’re fortunate enough to move on to face Oklahoma City,” he continued, “that year isn’t going to make us any faster.” Maybe not, but two of the teams the Lakers could run into, the Thunder and the Spurs, are both at home with their feet up after first-round sweeps over the defending champion Mavericks and the Jazz, respectively. Rest could prove an even more precious commodity in the East, where only the Pacers, taking advantage of a season-ending back injury to Orlando star center Dwight Howard, won their fourth straight Tuesday night to close out the Magic. Indiana trailed by two at the end of the third quarter but outscored fast-fading Orlando 36-16 over the final 12 minutes. “That’s a testament to the type of See NBA INJURIES, page 10

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Court victory for exVillage People lead singer Getting his due: U.S. District Judge Barry T. Moskowitz on Monday said Victor Willis of Village People fame can reclaim at least partial ownership of the copyrights to more than two dozen of the group’s songs, including “Y.M.C.A.,” “Macho Man,” and “In the Navy.” BY JOHN ROGERS | ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When it comes to compiling a list of the great songwriters of the past 50 years, Victor Willis’ name likely wouldn’t merit more than an asterisk. Far better known as the cop in the novelty disco act the Village People, Willis is also remembered for a number of drug-related troubles in the early 2000s that nearly upended his post-Village People days. Yet there he was this week, being mentioned in the same breath as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, after he won a court battle to claim at least a third of the copyrights for such songs as “Macho Man,” “Y.M.C.A.” and “In the Navy” that he co-wrote for his old group. The former “Macho Man,” who says he has a new album titled “Solo Man” coming out in a few weeks, declined to say what kind of payday he expects Monday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Barry Moskowitz to bring him. “But those songs, they gross millions a year, so it could be a significant thing,” he noted with a chuckle. Willis was a musician-actor who, among other things, had appeared on Broadway in “The Wiz” when Jacques Moreli decided to cash in on the disco craze in 1977 by putting together a group made up of beefy, macho-looking guys dressed as a biker, a construction worker, a cop, a cowboy and an Indian chief. Willis, who was the group's lead singer, was soon dancing up a storm with his cohorts to catchy beats while disco balls glittered and music blared around the country and in Europe. The Village People sold tens of millions of records in the 1970s, and Willis co-wrote all the big hits. But he also signed away his copyrights to the songs for a cut of the profits that today ranges from 12 to 20 percent. “I was very young and naive,” he said by phone from New York on Thursday. “I didn’t know at that point what I was going to be giving away. So If they put a contract in front of me, I signed it.”

Rapper G. Dep gets 15 to life in ’93 NYC shooting 9

BY JENNIFER PELTZ | ASSOCIATED PRESS

He said he suspects many other young artists did as well, and he hopes his court victory this week will eventually benefit them, too. When Congress updated federal copyright law in 1978, it allowed songwriters to reclaim such signedaway copyrights after 35 years. That's something that over time is expected to affect the rights to songs by Dylan, Springsteen, Tom Petty, Billy Joel and others. After Willis sought to get the copyrights to 33 songs back, the owners, Can’t Stop Productions and Scorpio Music, sued to stop him, arguing that he was simply a “worker for hire” for the Village People and therefore had no stake in the songs. They also argued that because his cowriters didn't join him in seeking their share of the copyrights Willis shouldn’t be granted his share either. The companies dropped the “worker for hire” argument before Moskowitz issued his ruling Monday. The ruling determined that Willis didn’t need to join with the others. Still to be determined is just how much of the copyrights he’ll control — one third or one half. His co-writers are credited as Moreli and Henri Belolo, although Willis says he and Moreli really wrote the songs. “Belolo didn’t write anything. He was just the publisher,” he said, adding he's confident that means the court will give him 50 percent. The music publishers’ attorney, Stewart Levy, disagrees, saying he expects Willis will get no more than a third, which he maintains isn’t much more lucrative than the 20 percent he gets these days for “Y.M.C.A.” “We’re disappointed, of course, but we don’t think it's as big a deal as everyone is making it out to be,” he said of Monday’s ruling. Willis’ attorney, Brian Caplan, said the case is the first addressing the rights of songwriters to terminate agreements they signed decades ago, and as such, lays the legal groundwork for others who seek to reclaim their copyrights. That could open “a tremendous See VILLAGE PEOPLE, page 11

NEW YORK (AP) — When rapper G. Dep turned himself in for a nearly 2decade-old shooting, he told police he wanted to clear his conscience. He found out Tuesday what the consequences would be: 15 years to life in prison, the minimum term for his murder conviction. A judge, prosecutors and even the jury foreman said he deserved credit for coming forward when he'd never been suspected in the long-cold case. “It may not be the best legal strategy, but, certainly, it was the right thing to do,” Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus said, “even though it landed you in the situation you're in now.” With that, the 37-year-old rapper — who had a brush with fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s — walked slowly out of the courtroom, looking back at his wife, mother and a couple of long-

G. Dep time family friends in the audience. He didn’t speak at his sentencing, but his lawyer, Anthony L. Ricco, said G. Dep was at peace with his decision to speak up. “He was in search of his redemption and his honor, and some might say that he achieved that,” Ricco said after court. The sentencing capped a case with uncommon contours from the moment the rapper revived it by walking into a police stationhouse in late 2010. He told police he’d shot someone while trying to

rob him on a street corner years earlier. Then came an unusual trial in which he acknowledged confessing but argued that police might have mismatched his account to the October 1993 shooting of John Henkel, 32. G. Dep was convicted last month — a decision jurors made “with a heavy heart,” foreman Jim Nelson wrote to Obus in a letter asking for leniency for the rapper, born Trevell Coleman. “I, and I believe many others, have See G. DEP, page 10

UNIVERSALPICTURES PREMUSICSENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH HASBROEXECUTIVEA BLUEGRASS FILMS/FILM 44 PRODUCTION A PEPRODUCED TER BERG FILM “BATTLESHIP” TAYLOR KITSCH ALEXANDER SKARSGARD° RIHANNA BROOKLYN DECKER TADANOBU ASANO AND LIAM NEESON BY STEVEJABLONSKY PRODUCERS JONATHAN MONE BRADEN AFTERGOOD BY BRIAN GOLDNER SCOTT STUBER PETER BERG SARAH AUBREY DUNCAN HENDERSON BENNETT SCHNEIR BASED WRITTEN DIRECTED AUNIVERSALPICTURE ON HASBRO’S “BATTLESHIP” BY JONHOEBER & ERICHHOEBER BY PETER BERG VISUAL EFFECTS AND ANIMATION BY INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC SOUNDTRACK ON BACK LOT MUSIC AND VARÈSE SARABANDE

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Mitt Romney leads ‘circle of clowns’ 10

BY BILL FLETCHER, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST

I recently saw a fascinating commentary where a right-wing pundit, while discussing the purported strengths of Mitt Romney, indicated that Romney had no strongly held beliefs. He went on to say that contrary to other candidates who have been described as flip-floppers, Romney did not change from one strong view to another strong view. He never had a strong view in the beginning. My mouth dropped. I could not believe that this right-winger was trying to portray the fact that Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, essentially believed in nothing: This was a good thing. This has turned the Republican primary race, which had been described as a “circle of clowns” into a stand-up comedy routine. Can they possibly be serious that the candidacy of someone who believes in nothing should be supported by the electorate? On one level, this should not surprise any of us. Romney has been lusting for the nomination and clearly has been willing to say or do anything in order to secure it. This has to be linked with the manner in which both ignorance and irrationality are being celebrated by the Republican Party’s staunchest supporters. Attacks on President Obama for suggesting that it would be great for U.S. children to attend college matched

NBA INJURIES Continued from page 8

team we have,” Pacer David West said. “We’re deep, man. We’ve got guys, that when their number’s called, they're prepared.” The Bulls might have been able to

Bill Fletcher, Jr.

with continual denial of climate change (have you checked the weather recently?) all points toward an enhanced cynicism that has entered the electoral realm. Political leaders, particularly on the right, will appeal to the worst instincts within the electorate and play on fears or prejudices in order to win. And if that means shifting one’s opinions, so be it. It just helps, I suppose, when shifting one’s opinion is not particularly painful since one’s original ideas were not that important in the first place. The November elections hold many say that at one point. But with Rose out and Joakim Noah questionable after an ankle injury, their win Tuesday night against the 76ers resembled a holding action more than a comeback. They go to Philadelphia still trailing 3-2 and struggling to score, coach Tom Thibodeau’s brave

potential perils. Disappointment with what Obama has not done; disagreement with some of what his administration has done; and unease over our economic situations — all could lead many voters who would otherwise vote in a liberal or progressive direction to sit out the election. This could mean not only that someone as vacuous as Romney could be elected, but in some ways, more importantly, it could mean that very bad and bankrupt right-wing politicians at the Congressional and local levels could also win. For this reason, while you may be tempted to laugh at Romney and his emptiness, you do so at your own peril. While I am certainly one who has had significant disagreements with the Obama administration, the question I keep asking is: What would a Romney administration look like? I am not as comfortable as former President Jimmy Carter who recently suggested that he could be content with a Romney presidency. It seems to me that a rich man who has no significant or strongly held views is the equivalent of a cartoon character … in this case, a cartoon character waiting for someone from corporate America to prepare his script. We have too much to lose to let that happen. Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a senior scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies, the immediate past president of TransAfrica Forum, and the co-author of Solidarity Divided. He can be reached at papaq54@hotmail.com. words notwithstanding. “Injuries are part of the game, so whether it’s a lockout season or not, you’ve still got to deal with them,” he said. As if the Heat weren’t already favored, their relative good fortune in the injury department compared to their rivals has only widened the gap. The depleted Knicks will bow out soon enough, the Bulls likely will follow soon after, and the aging Celtics, who have struggled to keep the trio of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett up and running all season, lost an opportunity for some much-needed rest by failing to close out the Hawks when they had the chance Tuesday night. But the Heat don’t dare celebrate their good fortune yet. “Hopefully no one else goes down with these type of injuries,” Miami’s Dwyane Wade said. “It’s not anything that we want to see ... You don’t know if it was because of the condensed season. You don’t know what the case may be.”

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(NY) University and ultimately made his way to UCLA, where he quickly ascended the university administration ladder and met up with Bremond and Bakewell. “We shared this burning desire to change inner-city America,” Wilson recalled. “And today, the Brotherhood Crusade is as close to a socioeconomic success story as you’re going to find in this country.” If you have any memories of Brotherhood Crusade's early days in South Los Angeles in the 1960s, please email a brief description of your story, along with your contact information, to brotherhoodcrusade@gmail.com.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

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decision not to defend in court a federal law that was designed as an alternative to gay marriage. He had stopped short of supporting gay marriage, though, saying his position was “evolving.” Obama spoke about his support for gay marriage in deeply personal terms, saying his young daughters, Malia and Sasha, have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. “Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated different,” Obama said. “It doesn’t make sense to them and frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.” Obama said first lady Michelle Obama also was involved in his decision and joins him in supporting gay marriage. “In the end the values that I care most deeply about and she cares most deeply about is how we treat other people,” he said. Acknowledging that his support for same-sex marriage may rankle religious conservatives, Obama said he thinks about his faith in part through the prism of the Golden Rule — treating others the way you would want to be treated. “That’s what we try to impart to our kids and that’s what motivates me as president, and I figure the most consistent I can be in being true to those precepts, the better I’ll be as a dad and a husband and hopefully the better I’ll be as president,” Obama said. The political cross-currents are tricky. Some top aides argued that gay marriage is toxic at the ballot box in battleground states like North Carolina and Virginia because, as Tuesday’s vote proved, the issue remains a reliable way to fire up rank-and-file Republicans. It also could open Obama up to Republican criticism that he was taking his eye off the economy, voters’ No. 1 issue. Other Democratic supporters claim Obama could energize huge swaths of

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been moved by Mr. Coleman’s story and by what he did in listening to his conscience and coming forward after all these years,” wrote Nelson, the editor-in-chief of GQ magazine. His name was redacted in court records but appeared in an editor’s letter he wrote about the case in the magazine’s June issue. (“We found him guilty, because he was, and no one’s excusing anything,” he noted there.) G. Dep became part of rap impresario Sean “Diddy” Combs’ slate of upand-comers at Bad Boy Records in the late 1990s and early 2000s. G. Dep had a rap-chart hit with “Special Delivery,” and the video for his “Let’s Get It” helped popularize a loose-limbed dance called the Harlem shake before his career dwindled. “He achieved some fame in the music industry. ... But that success was not able to overcome that sense of remorse and guilt that he had about what he had done one night in his teenage years,” Ricco told the judge Tuesday. The rapper sank into drug use and a roster of arrests on drug, trespassing and other charges. But he finished a drug-rehabilitation program and had released a new

the party, including young people, by voicing his support for gay marriage before November. He also could appeal to independent voters, many of whom back gay marriage, and he could create an area of clear contrast between himself and his Republican rival as he argues that he’s delivered on the change he promised four years ago. On Tuesday, former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, told Obama to “man up” and take a position on gay marriage. Romney has not generally raised the issue in his campaign. On Wednesday, he told KDVR-TV in Denver that “I do not favor marriage between people of the same gender, and I do not favor civil unions if they are identical to marriage other than by name. My view is the domestic partnership benefits, hospital visitation rights, and the like are appropriate but that the others are not.” The Romney campaign did not respond to questions about which benefits the Republican candidate would oppose. The former Massachusetts governor told an Ohio television station Monday that he believes “marriage is between a man and a woman, and that’s a position I’ve had for some time and I don't intend to make any adjustments at this point — or ever, by the way.” Public opinion on gay marriage has shifted in recent years, with most polls now finding the public evenly split, rather than opposed. A Gallup poll released this week found 50 percent of all adults in favor of legal recognition of same-sex marriages, marking the second time that poll has found support for legal gay marriage at 50 percent or higher. Majorities of Democrats (65 percent) and independents (57 percent) supported such recognition, while most Republicans (74 percent) said same sex marriages should not be legal. Six states — all in the Northeast except Iowa — and the District of Columbia allow same sex marriages. In addition, two other states have laws that are not yet in effect and may be subject to referendums. album online in the months before he went to tell police he’d fired at someone during an attempted holdup on a Harlem corner when he was about 17 to 19. He said he'd fled on a bicycle, unsure whether the man had been hit. Authorities paired details in his account — including the location, gun caliber and rough timeframe — with Henkel's death. Ricco, meanwhile, pointed to discrepancies, including in G. Dep’s description of the man he’d robbed. He has said the rapper plans to appeal. During the trial, prosecutors portrayed G. Dep as a man who coldly shot a stranger. But at the sentencing, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney David Drucker emphasized the rapper’s choice to come forward. “He had no ulterior motive, nothing to gain, other than within himself,” Drucker said. G. Dep, who has three school-age children, told MTV News last month he has “no ill thoughts towards anybody” about the trial and outcome. “Someone was taken from (the Henkel) family, so I can’t feel like I was robbed in any kind of way,” he told the network by phone from jail. Henkel’s relatives didn’t attend the trial or sentencing. One of his brothers, Werner, has said he’s thankful the justice system saw the case through.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

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any of those things ... “ During the podcast, Fisher referred to Trayvon Martin as “that faggot Black dude.” He said a girl who accused a teacher at Davis Middle School of touching her inappropriately was because she was “doing bad in the class.” He also mentioned that he was “trying to get on the news” so he was going to “wear a hoodie to the next school board meeting and announce my candidacy for city council.” Fisher had been doing the show for two-and-a-half years before he got elected to the CUSD, he said. He realizes now, he said, the conflict that doing some kinds of political humor while serving as an elected official can cause. While he does not intend to quit radio entirely, he will definitely choose his future material with more care. “I know that I can’t be Skyy the Compton Martian,” he said. “I know I have to be the school board member that the community elected me to be. And so, even if I did do another radio show, I know I have to hold myself to the standards that the community that elected me into office do.” Some colleagues are still calling for his resignation, however, saying in so many words, that his apologies are not enough. Fellow board member Satra Zurita told reporters that she respects Fisher’s efforts to address his health problems but his actions still have consequences. “I cannot agree with his decision to merely take a leave of absence,” she said. Fisher cannot be fired since he is not a CUSD employee. In order for him to leave, he has to resign or the community has to recall him. He has no intention of resigning, he said, and it's hard for him to tell if the community will vote him out. “It’s up to the community,” Fisher said. “I really can’t say. But I’m going to continue to serve the community with dignity and work towards my goals. If a

11 recall happens, I’m going to continue to work because I’m there for the students.” Those goals include restructuring the district's budget so that money goes to updating facilities and implementing more extracurricular activities, like performing arts and athletics. He had already started working on things like green initiatives and getting kids to college tours before the incident. When he comes back, he said he would also focus on reforming secondary education in Compton. “Compton Unified is an elementary school district,” said Fisher. “Our students are going to our elementary schools, and they’re feeding into secondary schools outside of our district. We have a retention problem and when you have a retention problem, you lose money. How can we keep our students here and how can we make sure they matriculate into college? “That’s very important. Also, with my roll-out plan to reform secondary education, I asked for zero periods to be implemented. That way, our students can take community college courses on the high school campuses. There’s no reason our students can’t graduate with a high school diploma and an AA at the same time. “We have the staff to put these things in place. We just need somebody to be the leader of this district and hold these staff members accountable.” Fisher hopes that the district will find a well-rounded superintendent — hopefully one who has been a teacher and has the financial background. Frison has done a great job so far, but she will be resigning from the board in June. Meanwhile, Fisher said he wants to reiterate his apology, mainly to Martin's family. “I want to apologize to the Trayvon Martin family and anyone else who may have been offended by what they heard or what they read. I am up to the challenge of rebuilding the trust that I’ve lost from the community and my colleagues. I know I will have to work harder than I’ve worked in my entire life, but I’m up for that challenge.”

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— that things would have gone completely different. All of that goes without saying. That’s why there’s so much emotion surrounding this case. Having said that, from a criminal defense lawyer’s perspective, the real travesty has to do with the gun law. This is a law that allows you as a private citizen to walk around with a 9 mm and to stand your ground. It’s a recipe for disaster. If those laws didn’t exist, what’s the worst that could have happened to Trayvon Martin? It really is more complicated than it might seem at first [look]. As Black people, we just see the racial injustice of it and there’s no doubt about that. But it seems that George Zimmerman is going to have a defense based on those laws that allowed him to stand his ground. That doesn’t change the fact that he pursued and profiled Trayvon Martin, but these are the laws that are in place in that community. Really I think it’s going to turn a lot on when provocation starts … because if provocation starts from when George Zimmerman provoked Trayvon Martin by following him after the police said, ‘we don’t need you to follow him,’ and he did it anyway, then Zimmerman is guilty. If, on the other hand, provocation

doesn’t start there and instead starts where whatever happened when they encountered one another — let’s say Trayvon turns around and says, ‘Get off me’ and pushes Zimmerman first … I don’t know. And my not knowing is a problem with that law. Because the not knowing goes to the benefit of the defense because that’s the way the criminal justice system was set up. If you don’t know where provocation begins, that discrepancy is what George Zimmerman gets to take advantage of. As a defense attorney, I like that and I use that in my cases all the time. If you didn’t make the law clear enough and my client didn’t realize he was violating the law and it’s your fault … I can’t be a hypocrite. It’s tough, though, because we all know it wouldn’t have happened if Trayvon hadn’t have been Black, wearing a hoodie. Any plans to run for office? No, but never say ‘never.’ Advice for up-and-coming lawyers? You have to work very hard. You have to be true to yourself and your ethics and ideals. Your reputation is gold so never do anything that’s going to jeopardize your reputation. And just do good work.

GOVERNMENT LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (METRO) INVITATION FOR BIDS Metro will receive bids for IFB No.C0970 – Union/ Patsaouras Plaza Busway Station to procure design/build project delivery of a busway patron boarding platform at the south end of Patsaouras Plaza. This project estimated contract value is between $10-15 million and requires widening of the Caltrans Los Angeles River Bridge along the El Monte Busway for a new busway station. The bridge work includes providing a new superstructure, substructure and barrier rails. The new busway station requires design and construction of a platform, pedestrian ramp/walkway, pedestrian overcrossing including canopy, elevators and other elementsper specifications on file at the Office of Procurement & Material Mgmt, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (12th Floor). All Bids must be submitted on forms furnished by Metro, and must be filed at the reception desk of the Office of Material on or before 2pm on July 9th, 2012 Pacific Time, at which time bids will be opened and publicly read. Bids received later than the above date and time will be rejected and returned to the bidder unopened. Each bid must be sealed and marked Bid No. C0970. A Pre-Bid conference will be held on May 24th, 2012 at 9am Gateway PlazaConference Room on the 3rd Floorlocated at the address above. You may obtain bid specifications, or further information, by emailing Eva Rodriguez atrodrigueze@metro.net 5/10, 5/17/12 CNS-2310909# WATTS TIMES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION OF THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Proposed increase in the existing fee associated with the acceptance of Enterprise Zone Hiring Tax Credit Voucher Applications for the East Los Angeles and Harbor Gateway Communities State Enterprise Zones. Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 9:30 a.m. in the Board Hearing Room at 381B, Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 to consider the above action associated with administration of the County of Los Angeles Enterprise Zone Program. Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act and County Guidelines, it has been determined that the proposed action will not have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. If you are unable to attend the public hearing but wish to submit written comments, please send comments, postmarked no later than

May 22, 2012, to: The Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles, 2 Coral Circle, Monterey Park, CA 91755, Attention: Matt Lust. Further information concerning the proposed action may be obtained by telephoning Mr. Lust at (323) 890-7203. 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) 9741707 (TTY), from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. 5/3, 5/10/12 CNS-2299689# WATTS TIMES DS II PUBLIC HEARING The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is conducting a Disparity Study (Study) that will assist Caltrans and local governments in implementing their Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) programs in accordance with 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 26. The Study includes an analysis of the experiences of vendors and contractors with Caltrans and local agencies in connection with implementation of their DBE Program, and involves an analysis of whether or not there is evidence of discrimination or its effects in the transportation contracting industry in California. The California transportation contracting industry includes contracts funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) which are administered by Caltrans and local agencies as a primary recipient and sub-recipient of FHWA and FTA funds. As part of the Study, Caltrans is hosting a series of Public Hearings. The purpose of the public hearings is to obtain personal testimony and accounts of experiences and incidents by vendors and contractors in the California public transportation contracting industry. The information Caltrans is seeking includes, but is not limited to: x x x x

Whether or not firms face difficulties or barriers when bidding as prime contractors, subcontractors, or suppliers. Whether or not business owners believe they have been treated fairly or unfairly based on their race, ethnicity, or gender. Whether or not prime contractors solicit, or fail to solicit, bids or price quotes from DBEs on non-DBE goal projects. Whether or not there is a level playing field for firms in access to capital, bonding, and insurance.

You are invited to participate in public hearings that will be held statewide as follows:

KWAME KILPATRICK Continued from page 4

didn’t immediately return phone calls seeking comment. Peter Zeidenberg, a lawyer representing MayfieldGentry, declined to comment. Kilpatrick and his father are accused of taking kickbacks and bribes to steer city business to certain contractors. Their corruption trial is set for September in federal court in Detroit. Beasley was indicted in January on federal criminal charges of extortion, attempted extortion and conspiracy related to investments by the city employee pension funds.

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can of worms” for the music industry, said Mark Volman, coordinator of the Entertainment Industry Studies program and an assistant professor at Belmont University in Tennessee. “It would be a tremendous win (for songwriters) to get something like that in place,” said Volman, who as a founding member of the 1960s group the Turtles fought his own share of battles over royalty rights signed away. As for Willis, he’s looking to getting on with his career. After vocal cord surgery in 2008, and a series of arrests on drug-related charges in the mid-2000s that resulted in a stint in rehab, he says his life has turned around in recent years. “Life is fine. I went through whatever I went through, but everything is going great now,” he said.

In its court filing, the SEC said Kilpatrick, Beasley, Mayfield and the firm engaged in “brazen influence-peddling and betrayal of the public trust.” The agency said Kilpatrick and Beasley “secretly solicited and received lavish gifts” from Mayfield and his firm, including a trip by private jet to Las Vegas with luxury hotel accommoda-

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by the Las Vegas-based Voluntary AntiDoping Association reached the same failure finding, according to a report Kizer said he received Monday from Dr. Margaret Goodman, VADA chief executive and a former ringside physician. “Unless there’s some real obvious and legitimate reason for the positive test, he’s not fighting,” Kizer told AP early Tuesday. Khan’s promoter, Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions in Los Angeles, called it premature to say whether the Peterson-Khan fight will be held. But if Peterson can't fight, Khan won’t face a substitute opponent, Schaefer said. “If he is allowed to fight, obviously we will fight,” Schaefer said. “We’re going to wait to see what the Athletic Commission decides. It would be impossible to find an opponent within a week and a half for a fight of this caliber.” Goodman and Dr. Edwin “Flip” Homansky, a former Nevada Athletic

Tuesday, May 1, 2012: 10am-12 pm, 1727 30th St, Sacramento, CA 95816, Caltrans, Farmers Market III, First Floor Conference Room, Anna Silva; Carole Ching, (916) 324-1430 Wednesday, May 2, 2012: 2pm-4pm, 56 S. Lincoln St, Stockton, CA 95203, Small Business Development Center WIB Room 1, 2, and 3, Silvia Dayak; Lauren Pulido (209) 948-7855 Tuesday, May 8, 2012: 10am-12pm, 111 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94612, Caltrans District 4 Auditorium, George Crosby (510) 286-7030 Wednesday, May 9, 2012: 1pm-3pm, 1656 Union St, Eureka, CA 95501, Caltrans District 1 Office, Room 58/59, Janet Mohorovich (707) 441-3945 Thursday, May 10, 2012: 4pm-6pm, 2015 E. Shields Ave, Fresno, CA 93726, Caltrans District 6, Manchester Center Office, Sierra Room, Kelly Mertlik; Morris Caudle (559) 488-7332 Tuesday, May 15, 2012: 10am-12pm 50 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, Caltrans District 5 Office, Sycamore Room, Ann Danko (805) 5493818 Thursday, May 17, 2012: 2pm-4pm, 1301 Butte St, Redding, CA 96001, Caltrans District 2, Lassen Training Room, West Venture, Rebecca Alexander (530) 229-0561 Tuesday, May 22, 2012: 4pm-6pm, 4050 Taylor St, San Diego, CA 92110, Caltrans District 11 Office, Garcia Room, Rose Primacio (619) 220-7343, Liz Santucci (619) 688-3151 Wednesday, May 23, 2012: 4pm-6pm, 3347 Michelson Dr., Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92612, Caltrans District 12 Office, Elizabeth Philippon (949) 724-2021 Thursday, May 24, 2012: 4pm-6pm, 100 S. Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Caltrans District 7, Conference Rooms 01.040 A, B, & C, Will Blas (213) 897-0890, Marcus Atkins (213) 897-0209 Tuesday, May 29, 2012: 2pm-4pm, 464 W. 4th St, San Bernardino, CA 92401, Caltrans District 8, Rosa Parks State Building, Basement Training Room, Patti Smith (909) 383-6482 Thursday, May 31, 2012: 10am-12pm, 500 S. Main St, Bishop, CA 93514, Caltrans District 9 Office, Coffee Room, Jessica Klemencic (760) 872-0777 If you are unable to attend a public hearing to provide Caltrans your testimony, you may submit it electronically, no later than Friday, June 8, 2012, to Anna_Silva@dot.ca.gov, or by U. S. mail to Caltrans Office of Business & Economic Opportunity, Attention: Anna Silva, 1823 14th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814; or by fax at (916) 324-1949. If you have any questions about the Caltrans Disparity Study, contact Anna Silva, Disparity Study Project Manager, at (916) 324-0964 or Anna_Silva@dot.ca.gov. 5/10/12 CNS-2294754# WATTS TIMES

tions, concerts and rounds of golf. The SEC is seeking unspecified fines and restitution from the four defendants, and an injunction barring Kilpatrick and Beasley from participating in any decisions involving investments by public pensions. Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.

Commission member also affiliated with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, declined to comment on Peterson’s test results. They cast VADA as a neutral testing agency. Peterson and Fried were notified April 13 but didn’t share word of the first positive steroid test by the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory in Los Angeles. “It appears as though Mr. Peterson and Mr. Fried ... chose not to notify third parties at that time in the hope that Mr. Peterson’s ‘B’ sample would test negative,” Goodman said. The document said the second test was conducted at the UCLA Olympic lab April 30 with at least one Peterson representative present. Khan (26-2, with 18 knockouts) lost his WBA and IBF belts in a splitdecision loss to Peterson on Dec. 10 but was granted a rematch after complaining about the referee’s decision to deduct him two points for pushing. He also was upset by the presence of an unauthorized man at ringside who was seen distracting an official.

e v e n t LISTINGS

5 / 2012 Thursday, May 10, 2012

L.A. Watts Times Calendar, Compiled by Brandon I. Brooks, Co-Managing Editor 5-10-12

National Symposium to Explore Nursing Images and the Media: It is one of the most respected of

others that are running for city, county, state and federal offices are coming. You must RSVP to confirm your attendance. For more information, email info@southlapower.org or call (424) 240-8510.

all professions, yet the public’s image of a nurse is usually outdated and incorrect. At a time Free Health Event & Check-Up: Dr. Zahra when America’s nurses are assuming greater Tabassian, M.D, “the healing and dancing responsibilities in health care delivery and advocacy, this national symposium will explore doctor,” will host a free health check-up. the media’s depiction of nursing and what needs WHEN: 11a.m. – 2 p.m. WHERE: Angel Kidney Care Dialysis Center, 994 S. La Brea to be done to get it right. An open forum Ave., Inglewood 90301. For more information, provides attendees the opportunity to interact call 310- 671-2420. with the speakers and answer the question: Are nurses ready to step up to the plate? WHO: Media analysts, journalists and authors will join The Watts Community Presents Fire Service Recognition Station Day #65: Fire Station #65 with national nursing leaders to discuss how and the Watts community have partnered to nurses are depicted “from journalism to provide a day of fun for the people of Watts to Hollywood” and what nurses need to do to influence all types of media. WHEN: 8 a.m.–12 noon. WHERE: Audrienne Moseley Fire Auditorium, Factor Building on the UCLA Station campus, 700 Tiverton Ave. PARKING: #65 Available in lot 2.

Metro Community Meeting: Metro invites you to an open house to learn about design changes that have taken place through the project's preliminary engineering phase. A second public meeting will be held when the environmental assessment is completed later this summer, at which time public comments will be taken. WHEN: 6–8 p.m. WHERE: Christ the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, 3303 W. Vernon Ave., Los Angeles 90008, served by Metro bus lines 40, 42 and Rapid bus line 740. Refreshments will be served. We look forward to your involvement in the dynamic process of building a world-class transportation system! 5-11-12

CSU Dominguez Hills Takes Flight in Spring Dance Concert: The production, presented by the

Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, features 5 graduating seniors and a special tribute to College of Arts and Humanities Acting Dean Carol Tubbs, who is retiring. WHEN: Fri., May 11 and Sat., May 12, at 8 p.m. WHERE: University Theatre. Tickets are $12 for general admission, and $10 for students and senior citizens. Group rates are available. Tickets may be purchased online at www.csudh.edu/theatre/tickets.htm. For other payment options, call the University Box Office at 310-243-3589. Parking on campus is $4 and can be purchased at kiosk machines in each lot. For more information about “Taking Flight” or the CSU Dominguez Hills Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, contact the department office at 310-243-3588 or visit http://cah.csudh.edu/.

5-12-12

10th Annual Healthy Hawthorne 5K Run and Walk:

Champion moms from all over Los Angeles will be on hand, running, walking, volunteering and speaking with the community about the important need for healthy change. Hawthorne teachers, longtime organizers Paul Severn and Principal Wendy Ostenson will be leading their student running clubs that day. WHEN: 7:30 a.m.–10 a.m. (The race starts at 8.) WHERE: Hawthorne Memorial Park, 3851 W. El Segundo Blvd., Hawthorne 90250. For more information visit www.citizenrelations.com or call 323-681-2522.

Films at CAAM: An Eye on American Education.

2nd Annual People’ s Conventions & Candidate Forum:

WHEN: 9 a.m.–3 p.m. WHERE: Maya Angelou Community High School, 300 East 53rd St., Los Angeles 90011. WHEN: Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. Elected official and

show how much you are appreciated! Fire Service Recognition Day will have many attractions for the whole family to enjoy, including a car show, face painting, food, clowns, jumpers, blood pressure checks, drill team performances, dance contest, live entertainment, vendors and more! We have worked hard to make this day fun for each and every stakeholder, so please come out and enjoy! WHERE: 1801 E. Century Blvd., L.A. 90002. WHEN: 8 a.m. –5 p.m. For vendor information, contact Doniell Spencer at 310462-3955 or at VM/fax: 323-275-0970. Email: FSRD65@gmail.com. For car show info, contact Capt. Don Green at 323-799-6338 or at VM/fax 323-275-0970. Email: FSRD65@gmail.com WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Dr. Anthony A. Samad

The California African American Museum will screen the documentary “American Teacher” (81 min., 2011). Five teachers from different areas of the U.S. are chronicled to reveal the challenges faced by today’s educators. A Q&A with LAUSD teachers will follow the screening. This event is free and open to the public. WHEN: 1 – 2:30 p.m. WHERE: 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles 90037. For more information, visit www.caamuseum.org or RSVP at 213-7442024.

5/13/12

The Dramatics in Concert: The Barbeque Club Entertainment Company presents The Dramatics

The Dramatics

featuring LJ Reynolds, The Calloway Brothers (of Midnight Star fame) and Slave. WHEN: Mother’s Day, Sun., May 13. Doors open at 6 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m. WHERE: The Shrine Auditorium, 665 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles 90007. General admission, $35, $45, $65 — and $100 for the front row seats that includes a “meet and greet” with the performing acts. For more information, email thebarbequeclub@aol.com, contact www.ticketmaster.com or contact www.inglewoodtickets.com or call

310-671-6400. For additional ticket locations or more information, call 866-556-0836.

Ongoing 5/10 – 5/17/12

Student Art Exhibition: Works of art ranging from motion graphics, giant posters, rebranding identity, packaging and web design to mixed media assemblage, ceramic sculpture, and paintings will be featured in two “Annual Student Art and Design Exhibitions: B.A. Graduates” in the University Art Gallery on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills.. WHEN: May 7−17. Gallery is open Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m.−4 p.m., and Saturdays, noon – 5 p.m. COST: FREE! For more information, visit http://cah.csudh.edu/art_gallery or call 310-243-3334.

TO MAKE A CALENDAR SUBMISSION: Include event name, date(s), time, location, contact/RSVP information and admission price, if any. Use BRIEF paragraph format (no lists, line breaks, or all caps). All calendar submissions are spacepermitting and may be edited for brevity. Send submissions, along with any images, to brandon@lasentinel.net with the subject heading “LAWT Community Events.” Please include text in the body of your email, not in an attachment.