LAWT 07-26-2012

W E E K E N D E R SEE PAGES 8-9

Vol. XXX, No. 1294

www.lawattstimes.com

Thursday, July 26, 2012

L.A. Watts Times

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

HOROSCOPES July 26 - Aug. 1 doesn’t ask will remain a fool forever.

IBRA ~ You don’t have to worry about being alone in the journey that you have undertaken. You are on this path because someone guided you. Take the memory of their guidance as comfort and keep on trucking. Soul Affirmation: Things are as I know them to be.

CORPIO ~ Commit to a way this week, lucky archers! You are developing your craft by practice and more practice. Accept recognition gracefully, and keep on task. You are investing in your art this week. Soul Affirmation: Goodness is its own reward.

AGITTARIUS ~ Your word this week is “Persistence.” Keep at the task of persuading others that your idea or vision is as remarkable as you know it is. You just need to get the word out, and you need to be persistent in your efforts. Make a game out of it and have fun! Soul Affirmation: Often it’s not what I say but the way I say it that gets the message across APRICORN ~ Results that seemed like they would never show up may arrive this week, and it will make you very happy.

Keep the feeling this week in mind so that you’ll remember and benefit from it next time you are impatiently waiting for an outcome. Everything is working to your good.

Soul Affirmation: I give thanks for the chance to give.

QUARIUS ~ Your exciting and adventurous self will want to come out and play.

You’ll be happiest if you are exploring something, and then topping it off with a visit to a restaurant that serves something you’ve never tried before. Live it up at the banquet of life this week! Soul Affirmation: When I am clear about who I am, the world becomes clearer.

ISCES ~ Watch for that item you’ve been wanting to be on sale at a good price this week. While you are feeling pretty confident with money, you don’t want to splurge or overspend just yet. Keep your eye out for bargains for a little while longer! Soul Affirmation: This week I find joy in the gifts that life has already given me.

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RIES ~ Hidden resentments could surface and you’ll want to be able to gracefully back away from arguments this week.

Appreciate the good vibrations and ignore the negative. You’ll be doing the universe’s work! Soul Affirmation: What I’ve been waiting for has been here all along.

AURUS ~ Charming, simply charming is what you are this week! Use your sparkle to set a few dreams in motion by meeting with those who can help you move forward. Wow! Have you got it going on!

Keep your spontaneous side in check this week. Soul Affirmation: I know that enjoyment is a state of mind this week.

EMINI ~ Think things through before you act. Concentrate on small details.

They will make the difference between success and failure in your endeavors this week.

Don’t go for the gusto just yet, your ideas need to be massaged a bit more before you present them openly. Call that special someone that has been on your mind. Soul Affirmation: True friendship is a mirror into which I look to see the beauty of my inner self.

ANCER ~ Your financial constraints will soon come to an end. Meanwhile, make a game of spending less. See how long you can go without letting loose a dime and you will be in a better position to make decisions about bigger ticket items soon. Start thinking about where you would like to take a short excursion. Soul Affirmation: I paint my world in colors of the rainbow.

EO ~ For the past two weeks you have been playing it safe. Now you can live on the edge a little. Luck is back with you again.

You’ll be aware of love prospects lingering around you. You’ll see that your career is full of bright possibilities. Now is a good time to take a chance. Soul Affirmation: Self-confidence is the key to my success this week.

IRGO ~ Flexibility is the word for this week. Don’t insist on being right, even if you think you are. You will gain more this week if you allow others the freedom to have their way rather than insisting that people do things your way. Soul Affirmation: He who

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LA City Council votes to ban marijuana shops

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L.A. Watts Times

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Published Weekly – Updates 3800 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008 Administration – Sales – Graphics – Editorial 323.299.3800 - office 323.291.6804 - fax Beverly Cook – Publisher, Managing Editor 1976 – 1993 Charles Cook – Publisher 1976 – 1998 Melanie Polk – Publisher 1998 – 2010 WWW.LAWATTSTIMES.COM Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. ............Executive Publisher & Executive Editor Brenda Marsh Mitchell ..................................Executive Vice President Tracey Mitchell ......................................................................Controller Brandon I. Brooks ..................................................Co-Managing Editor Yussuf J. Simmonds ..............................................Co-Managing Editor Jennifer Bihm................................................................Assistant Editor Bernard Lloyd ....................................................Director of Advertising Benjamin Samuels ....................................................Graphic Designer Chris Martin ..........................................................Production Designer EMAIL: wattsweekender@yahoo.com Circulation ..................................................................................50,000 The opinions expressed by contributing writers are not necessarily those of the L.A. Watts Times.

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AP Photo/Nick Ut

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck speaks a Los Angeles City Council meeting where the issue of whether to ban marijuana dispensaries that have sprung up throughout the city was being considered. The city has fumbled with its medical marijuana laws for years, trying to provide safe and affordable access to the drug for legitimate patients while addressing worries by neighborhood groups that streets were being overrun by dispensaries and pot users.

BY GREG RISLING, ASSOCIATED PRESS

WEEKENDER

12 MOMBASA SQUARE ANSWERS FROM 7-19-12

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Inside This Edition

Unable to rein in hundreds of medical pot shops that blossomed around the nation’s second-biggest metropolis, the Los Angeles City Council banned them this week on July 24 until the state's highest court weighs in.

The 14-0 vote drew an angry, profanity-laced response from some medical marijuana advocates who attended the council meeting.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was prepared to sign the ordinance, according to his spokeswoman, Vicki Curry.

The storefront ban would then go into effect after 30 days.

In the interim, letters will be sent to as many as 900 dispensaries advising them of the ban.

The city has fumbled with its medical marijuana laws for years, trying to provide safe and affordable access to the drug for legitimate patients while addressing worries by neighborhood groups that streets were being overrun by dispensaries and pot users.

“Relief is on the way,” said Councilman Jose Huizar, who introduced the so-called “gentle ban.”

Many cities have struggled with medical marijuana ordinances, but none has had a bigger problem than Los Angeles, where pot shops have proliferated. At one point, the city ordered closure of the shops — a process that failed amid lawsuits and conflicting rulings by appellate courts.

This time around, the city has a stronger case if faced with lawsuits by pot shop owners, city officials said. A recent appellate court ruling seems to support the new ordinance that refers to a marijuana collective as three or fewer people.

The ban also allows hospices and

home health agencies to provide medical pot.

“A judge could file an injunction but we think that is unlikely,” said Jane Usher, a special assistant city attorney.

The ban comes during a confusing time for Californians — despite voter approval in 1996 for medicinal use of marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. The state Supreme Court has decided to clarify marijuana's hazy legal status by addressing whether local governments can ban medical marijuana clinics. But a hearing has yet to be set by the high court.

Meanwhile, U.S. authorities have cracked down on pot clinics around the state, saying such operations remain illegal under federal law.

Los Angeles passed an ordinance two years ago that was supposed to shutter hundreds of pot dispensaries while capping the number in operation at 70. But a set of legal challenges against the city by collectives and last month's expiration of the ordinance thanks to a sundowner clause led to another surge of pot shops. City officials said 762 collectives have registered with the city and as many as 200 more could exist.

“We need to start with a clean slate,” Councilman Mitchell Englander said before the vote. “Los Angeles has experimented with marijuana and has failed.”

However, the ban could be temporary for some dispensaries. A motion made by Councilman Paul Koretz called for city staff to draft an ordinance that would allow for about 180 pot shops to be reopened that were in business before a moratorium was enacted several years ago. That motion isn’t expected to be considered for several months.

After the vote, some medical See MARIJUANA SHOPS, page 15

Thursday, July 26, 2012

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Researchers report Police shootings spark 4th night of protest more condom use among teenagers

AP Photo/The Orange County Register, Mindy Schauer AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

In this photo taken July 22, 2012, Lawrence Stallworth II, 20, of Cleveland, Ohio, who was diagnosed with HIV at age 17, speaks on a youth panel at the International AIDS Conference in Washington. He’s now an Ohio AIDS activist who works to teach young people that they need to protect themselves, and how.

BY LAURAN NEERGAARD , ASSOCIATED PRESS Nearly half of high school students say they’ve had sex, yet progress has stalled in getting them to use condoms to protect against the AIDS virus, government researchers reported recently.

Today, four of every 10 new HIV infections occur in people younger than 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — and the teen years, just as many youths become sexually active, are key for getting across the safe-sex message.

Using a long-standing survey of high school students’ health, the CDC tracked how teen sexual behavior has changed over 20 years. The results are decidedly mixed.

About 60 percent of sexually active high school students say they used condoms the last time they had sex, researchers said at the International AIDS Conference.

That’s an increase from the 46 percent who were using condoms in 1991.

“This is good news,” said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of CDC’s HIV prevention center. But, “we need to do a lot more.”

Condom use reached a high of 63 percent back in 2003.

Black students are most likely to heed the safe-sex message, yet their condom use dropped from a high of 70 percent in 1999 to 65 percent last year, the study found.

The proportion of high school students who’ve had sex is 47 percent today — down a bit from 54 percent in 1991 — and they typically start at age 16, CDC said. Black teens showed a bigger decrease, with 60 percent sexually active today compared with 82 percent two decades ago.

The more partners, the more risk.

Fifteen percent of high school students say they’ve had four or more

partners, down from 19 percent in 1991.

Fenton said many school systems don't have strong enough sex education policies that include teaching teens about how to prevent HIV. But he cautioned that the CDC study can't link the abstinence-only policies pushed by Congress through the late 1990s and early 2000s to the stalled condom use.

Focusing on individual risk behaviors is just part of the story.

Increasingly, HIV is an infection of the poor, and specialists at the world's largest AIDS meeting are making the point all week that tackling the virus globally will require broader efforts to address problems of poverty.

Those include gaining better access to overall health services and fighting stigma.

In hard-hit Africa, where 60 percent of infections are among women, U.S. researchers announced a new step to develop tools women can use to protect themselves when their partners won't use condoms. A new study will test a monthly vaginal ring that oozes an anti-AIDS drug into the surrounding tissue in hopes of blocking HIV. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, will enroll nearly 3,500 women in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In the U.S., where new infections have stubbornly held at about 50,000 a year for a decade, complacency is part of the problem, Fenton said.

“We have to generate a new sense of urgency,” he said.

Overall, though, a characteristic of the young is to think they’re invincible, Fenton added.

Lawrence Stallworth II, 20, of Cleveland, can attest that they're not.

He learned he was infected with HIV at age 17, when he was a high school senior, after a hospitalization. A black gay man, he’s among one of the nation's highest-risk groups.

See CONDOM USE/HIV, page 7

Activist Marlena Carrillo shouts at police inside the Anaheim Police Department Sunday July 22, 2012 where a press conference took place in response to the officer involved killing of Manuel Diaz the day before.

BY AMY TAXIN,GILLIAN FLACCUS, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Riot police fired bean bag rounds and pepper balls into a crowd of protestors late Tuesday July 24 outside City Hall as councilmembers inside voted

unanimously to ask the U.S. attorney’s office to investigate recent officerinvolved shootings, including one of an unarmed man.

The back-to-back weekend shootings have sparked four days of protests.

A crowd of protesters who were shut out

of the council meeting because there was no more room grew violent, tossing rocks and bottles at police and ignoring warnings to disperse.

Officers formed lines to try to contain the crowd as residents set fire to See POLICE SHOOTINGS, page 4

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Congresswoman Waters honors Photo of the Week the AIDS Memorial Quilt during A musical extravaganza at Ability First – Harry the AIDS 2012 Conference

business card bulletin board

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) spoke at an event recently, marking the display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall, reading the names of individuals who died of HIV/AIDS and who are remembered on the quilt. The quilt is currently on display for the international AIDS 2012 Conference.

Waters, a leader in the fight to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS through increased awareness, testing, treatment, and funding, was scheduled to speak at the conference July 26.

“I am so deeply honored and humbled to be here to participate in this extraordinary quilt,” Waters said.

“This quilt is a powerful reminder of the AIDS pandemic and the toll it has taken on our world.”

Gay rights activists who wanted to make certain their friends who had died of AIDS would not be forgotten started the AIDS Memorial Quilt. It was displayed for the first time on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., during the National March for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987.

Since then, the quilt continued to grow as the disease continued to spread. Today, the quilt is so large that the National Mall cannot fully

AP Photo

Congresswoman Maxine Waters contain it, she explained.

“The quilt is the largest community art project in the world, and it was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. It is a poignant testimony to love, peace, and possibilities, and I believe it will one day receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which it so richly deserves,” Waters continued.

“It is only fitting that it has become the centerpiece of the

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International AIDS Conference, a conference at which we rededicate ourselves to working for the day when AIDS is eradicated from our world…”

According to Waters, the quilt has always reflected the evolution of the epidemic. In the early years, most of the panels represented young gay men whose lives were tragically cut short by AIDS. Today, a new series of panels has been added to remember African American men and women who died of AIDS, illustrating the devastating toll that AIDS is now taking in the black community.

“And as we look across the National Mall at the thousands of quilt panels, we see that AIDS affects us all,” said Waters.

“There are men, women and children of every race, creed, and color and every walk of life remembered in these beautiful, memorial panels. Yet, the AIDS Memorial Quilt is not just a memorial to those who have died, It is a celebration of their lives. The quilt reminds us that every person who died of AIDS was a human being.

“Every person who died of AIDS had hopes and dreams. Every person who died of AIDS had family and friends who loved them and miss them. Every person who died of AIDS had a name…”

BlackFacts.com July 26, 1848 Frederick Douglass was the only male to play a prominent role at the first Woman’s Rights Convention at Seneca Falls, New York. He seconded the woman’s suffrage motion introduced by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Provocative Public Issues Talk! with Earl Ofari Hutchinson

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A. Mier Center

Photo by Ian Foxx

(L to R) Berlinda Fontenot-Jamerson, board member, Monique Watts, center director - Harry A Mier Center, Ray Cherry, board member and Mordena Moore, board member of Ability First.

POLICE SHOOTINGS Continued from page 3 trash cans, loudly taunted police and swarmed a Starbucks, breaking windows.

Police helicopters hovered from above as colorful fireworks from nearby Disneyland lit up the sky.

At least two people were arrested, police Sgt. Bob Dunn said. At one point, police shut down a gas station when protesters were seen filling canisters with gas.

The killing of Manuel Diaz and another man July 22 have taken the tally of shootings by police officers in this Orange County city to six so far this year, up from four a year before.

Five of the incidents have been fatal.

Diaz’s family filed a civil rights lawsuit July 24, seeking $50 million in damages from the city of Anaheim and its police department, claiming he was shot while running away, said lawyer James Rumm.

Mayor Tom Tait said a description from court papers relayed to him by a reporter that Diaz had been shot in the leg and in the back of his head was “unsettling.”

Theresa Smith, whose son was killed Dec. 11, 2009, by Anaheim officers at a Walmart store, said she went by the scene of Saturday’s shooting and was astounded by what she saw.

“There were pieces of brain on the ... darn grass, in front of all these children, in front of all these people,” Smith said. “This traumatizes people, and these people are angry.”

The police union issued a statement defending the officers involved in the shootings and said both men killed were gang members who had criminal records.

The union also said that just before Diaz turned toward officers during Saturday’s confrontation, he pulled an object from his waistband — a common place where gang members hide guns.

“I believe that the independent

investigations by the Orange County district attorney’s office into both incidents will show no wrongdoing by these officers,” said Kerry Condon, the police association’s president.

Anaheim is a city of contrasts that ranges from upscale, hilltop homes to packed, gritty apartment complexes.

The city 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles is known as home to the Angels baseball team, and above all, to world-famous Disneyland.

As California’s Hispanic population has grown, so has the city's, hitting nearly 53 per cent in 2010, census figures show.

Residents’ concerns about the use of police force in the city aren’t new.

Last month, Anaheim decided to look into hiring an independent investigator to review shootings by police amid protests by relatives of those killed in officers' gunfire.

But Latino activists say that isn’t enough and want federal officials to investigate the Saturday shooting in broad daylight.

Benny Diaz, state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens in California, said he wants a citizen review commission to keep tabs on the police department, officers to undergo sensitivity training and federal officials to investigate.

“People are saying, ‘You know what? We have to stop this,’ ” said Diaz, adding that residents’ past requests for a probe of officer shootings have gone nowhere. “As an organization, we are trying to find peace but there comes a point where you have to stand up strong.”

Tait, who has called for state and federal agencies to investigate the shooting, urged the community to remain calm. “If the Latino community is saying there is a rift, then there is rift, and we need to address that,” he said.

On Saturday, demonstrators hurled See POLICE SHOOTINGS, page 5

Thursday, July 26, 2012

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Congresswoman Laura Richardson fights to protect California’s coast House unanimously adopts Richardson Amendment requiring Feds. to consult with state government before offshore drilling Recently, the House adopted Congresswoman Richardson’s Amendment (The Richardson Amendment) to H.R. 6082, the “Congressional Replacement of President Obama's EnergyRestricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan. The Richardson Amendment asks the Secretary of the Interior to consult the California Governor and State Legislature before leasing areas off the coast of California. It also extends to California the same consideration that the bill’s drafters accorded the state of South Carolina.

“Residents of California should have the right to participate in the leasing process that affects waters off their coast,” said Richardson.

“The State of California has within its borders more than two-thirds of the nation’s Congresswoman Laura Richardson Pacific coastline, a far greater percentage than South Carolina has with respect to the Atlantic coastline. California’s coastline is an international treasure and our state’s residents should have input on drilling off our shores. Offshore drilling could put the California coastline at risk, endanger tourism, damage fisheries, and devastate coastal recreation.

“Previous oil spills have stained our beaches and killed marine life, California has seen firsthand the destructive power of an offshore oil spill.”

On January 28, 1969, a blowout on a Unocal rig six miles off the coast of California spilled more than four million gallons of oil into the waters off Santa Barbara. The blackened beaches and oil-soaked birds and seals eventually brought oil exploration off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States to a halt. A congressional moratorium on offshore drilling expired October 1, 2008 and the California Legislature requested that the United States Congress extend the 27-yearold moratorium on offshore oil drilling through fiscal year 2009 and beyond. That request fell on deaf ears. Congress in 2008 reopened waterways for offshore drilling.

“In 1969, California learned valuable lessons on environmental protection and now is a leader in protecting our national coastlines,” Richardson said.

“California understands the economic and health impact of irresponsible offshore oil drilling. Creating federal legislation that allows offshore drilling that bypasses California’s immense experience and expertise on this subject without as much as consultation is simply reckless.”

POLICE SHOOTINGS Continued from page 4 rocks and bottles at officers who were securing the scene for investigators, and police responded by firing bean bags and pepper balls at the crowd.

On Sunday, protesters swarmed police headquarters during a morning news conference and later set fire to a trash bin and pushed it into the street outside the apartment complex that was site of one shooting. On Monday night, Diaz’s mother joined the relatives of others killed in police shootings in a march near where her son was shot.

Police Chief John Welter said the shooting occurred after two officers approached three men who were acting suspiciously in an alley before running away. One officer chased Diaz to the front of the apartment complex.

The chief would not say what led the officer to shoot Diaz. But he failed to heed orders to stop and threw some-

thing on the roof of the complex that contained what officers believe to be heroin, Welter said.

Both officers were placed on paid leave pending an investigation.

The second shooting occurred Sunday when anti-gang officers spotted a suspected gang member in a stolen sport utility vehicle. A brief pursuit ended when three people jumped from the vehicle and ran. One suspect fired at an officer and the officer fired back, killing the gunman, 21-year-old Joel Mathew Acevedo, authorities said.

Both incidents were under investigation by the county’s district attorney office, which asked witnesses to come forward with information or video footage of Saturday’s shooting.

The FBI is conducting a review to determine whether a civil rights investigation is warranted, said agency spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

Person Of The Week | Bobbie Jean Anderson California’s Democratic Leaders Line Up Behind Bobbie Jean Anderson for the 2012 DNC Election July 28 California’s political leaders have lined up behind longtime political activist Bobbie Jean Anderson in support of her run for the 2012 Democratic National Committee (DNC). Taking place July 28, the Executive Board of the Democratic State Central Committee of California (DSCC) will elect 19 members to the DNC for the 2012-2016 term. Members of the DNC are directly responsible for articulating and promoting the Democratic platform, coordinating party organizational activity, supervising the national convention and, both independently and in coordination with the presidential candidate; raising funds, commissioning polls, and coordinating campaign strategy. If elected to serve, Anderson will complete a four-year term beginning September 7 at the DNC meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina through the completion of the National Convention in 2016.

A list of Anderson’s endorsements include congresswomen Maxine Waters and Laura Richardson, Los Angeles County Democratic Party vice-chairs Eric Bauman and Alex Gallardo Rooker, assemblymembers Mike Davis and Isadore Hall III, Senator Rod Wright, Board of Equalization Chair Jerome Horton and Kerman Maddox. A Shreveport, LA native, Anderson graduated from Fremont High School and

Bobbie Jean Anderson after completing a course of study at the Downey Court Reporting School, was certified by the National Shorthand Reporters Association as Certified Shorthand Reporter.

She is a retiree of the Los Angeles County Court System after 40 years of service, including 25 years with the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. She later served as Field

Representative for Assemblymember Mike Davis from 2006 through 2009.

Known as a strong community and political activist, in 1989, Anderson and several homeowners became victims of eminent domain due to the expansion of the I-110 freeway. Believing that Caltrans was dealing in bad faith with the homeowners, Anderson, with the help of then-Assemblymember Maxine Waters, led 150 homeowners to fight for fair market values of their homes and appropriate relocation benefits for tenants. This effort catapulted her into the political activist that she is today.

Anderson became a member of Black Women’s Forum where she chaired the Criminal Justice Taskforce and was appointed to the LAPD Commission in 1993 by Mayor Tom Bradley and reappointed by Mayor Richard Riordan. In 2001, Mayor James Hahn appointed her to the Commission on the Status of Women.

She is active with the Democratic Party nationally and locally having attended President Bill Clinton’s White House Crime Briefing leading to her being appointed to his Criminal Justice Taskforce in 1995.

Since 1992, she has been elected Delegate to the Democratic National Conventions, including 2008 as a See BOBBIE JEAN ANDERSON, page 10

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Ghana VP sworn in hours after president’s death

BY FRANCIS KOKUTSE AND KRISTA LARSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP Photo/Richard Drew, file

In this file photo taken on Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, President of Ghana, John Evans Atta Mills, waits to address the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly. State-run television in Ghana announced Tuesday, July 24, 2012, that Atta Mills died at age 68.

President John Atta Mills’ election victory secured Ghana’s reputation as one of the most mature democracies in West Africa, a position further solidified this week when the vice president took over only hours after the 68-year-old president died five months before finishing his first term.

John Mahama’s swift inauguration underscored Ghana’s stability in a part of the world where the deaths of other leaders have sparked coups.

“We are deeply distraught, devastated as a country,” Mahama said after his swearing-in ceremony, where he raised the golden staff of office above his head.

Ghanaian state-run television stations GTV and TV3 broke into their regular programming to announce the president's death the afternoon of Tuesday July 24.

Government officials did not release the cause of his death, which came three days after his 68th birthday.

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announces judgment in national multi-million dollar mortgage scam

See GHANA PRESIDENT, page 15

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

In this photo taken Thursday, May 10, 2012, Attorney General Kamala Harris discusses her package of homeowner mortgage protection bills during a conference committee hearing at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. The federal government’s main regulator of home loans says that key portions of Harris’ proposals to protect homeowners from foreclosures could backfire by increasing costs and harming the housing market.

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced recently that defendants who ran a national loan modification scam were ordered to pay more than $4 million in penalties and restitution, including $2 million to consumers who were falsely promised modifications of their mortgage loans.

More than 1,000 customers paid more than $2 million for loan modification services to Statewide Financial Group, Inc., which did business as US Homeowners Assistance and Webeatallrates.com, and was based in Orange County. In July 2009, the Attorney General’s office shut down the business, which had been in operation since January 2008.

“These defendants took advantage of vulnerable people in extremely difficult circumstances, including many who faced imminent loss of their homes,” said Attorney General Harris. “The significant financial penalties imposed by the court let scammers know that severe consequences will flow to those who defraud California consumers.”

The Orange County Superior Court ordered that every US Homeowners Assistance loan modification customer should receive a full refund upon request. The defendants were also permanently enjoined from engaging in the conduct that led to

the lawsuit and were ordered to pay $2 million in civil penalties. It is unclear, however, how much money will be recovered and available to pay refunds or penalties.

The prosecution of this action took nearly three years, culminating in a multi-week bench trial in March 2012. The business’ owners, Zulmai Nazarzai and Hakimullah Sarpas and Fasela Sheren (who went by the name Sharon Fasela), were all found liable for violating California’s Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law. In a separate proceeding in late 2010, Attorney General Harris successfully prosecuted Nazarzai for contempt of court for his refusal to turn over $360,000 unlawfully taken by defendants as ordered by the court. He has been incarcerated in the Orange County jail since December 2010 because of his continued refusal to comply with the court’s order.

Attorney General Harris formed the Mortgage Fraud Strike Force in May 2011 to investigate and prosecute crimes and wrong-doing related to mortgages, foreclosures, and real estate. The prosecution of this action is part of Attorney General Harris’ ongoing efforts to protect homeowners, which also includes the national mortgage settlement and the California Homeowner Bill of Rights.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

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Trayvon’s parents: We’re prepared for any outcome

Photo of the Week Tribute to Minister Tony Muhammad

Photo by Malcolm Ali

Minister Tony Muhammad (honoree), his wife, Khalid Shah and guests at the tribute.

AP Photo/Danny Johnston

Tracy Martin, left and Sybrina Fulton, parents of Trayvon Martin, a teen who was shot and killed by a Florida neighborhood watch volunteer, appear at a meeting of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement in Little Rock, Ark., Tuesday, July 24, 2012.

ASSOCIATED PRESS The mother of an unarmed black Florida teen who was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer says she is mentally prepared to handle whatever verdict or sentence is handed down to the shooter, even an exoneration.

Sybrina Fulton made the statement to reporters July 25 after she and husband Tracy Martin tearfully addressed a town hall on violence and racial healing in Cincinnati.

The couple talked mostly about their grief and the importance of preventing similar shootings.

The February shooting of their son, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, led to nationwide protests over race and self-defense laws after police didn't arrest the shooter, George Zimmerman, for more than a month.

One of the protests was held in Cincinnati in March.

CONDOM USE/HIV Continued from page 3 He’s now an Ohio AIDS activist who works to teach young people that they need to protect themselves, and how.

“I want people to have the tools to keep themselves safe,” said Stallworth, who is working with the nonprofit Advocates for Youth to declare a National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day in April to increase young people's knowledge about their risk.

Part of that involves society getting “better at being more open about being able to talk about sex,” Stallworth said. “It’s still a taboo issue.”

The CDC recommends that everyone in the U.S. ages 13 to 65 be tested for HIV at least once. Those at increased risk — such as people who have multiple sex partners or men who have sex with men — should be tested more frequently, at least once

a year.

In South Carolina, 18-year-old Quinandria Lee offers an example of the safe sex practices that CDC says more young people should adopt.

Lee was frustrated at her school's abstinence-only focus. She learned about both male and female condoms from the South Carolina Contraceptive Campaign, and last year her principal allowed her to teach her classmates about them. Condoms are the only contraceptives that also protect against HIV infection.

But Lee credits her mother’s frank talk about sex for this key protective step: Lee persuaded her boyfriend to go with her to a clinic where both got a clean bill of health before they ever had sex. Still, they use a condom every time.

“It’s hard,” she said of that gettested conversation. But “you can’t be too sure.”

Organized by Khalid Shah, the tribute brought together various segments of the community in a show of unity to celebrate the work of Minister Tony Muhammad. Some of those present included members of the Nation of Islam, the Black Panther Party, the Native Americans, the local clergy, LAUSD, the business and entertainment communities

and many others whose lives had been impacted via the work of the minister.

A celebratory Native American dance was followed by dinner and dessert (provided by Derrick Muhammad), a video presentation (by Dominique Di Prima) and a poem (by Sadiki Bakari). Some of the guests paid homage to Minister

Muhammad’s work and presented him with awards. Some of the other guests included Marguerite La Motte, Dr. Samad, the Mooney Twins, Mollie Bell and Murad Bekkah.

The dais guests included Mrs. Muhammad, Na’im Shah, veteran Minister Wazir Muhammad and former Lynwood Councilman, Rev. Alfreddie Johnson.

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F E AT U R E

Thursday, July 26, 2012

L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER

As Penn State saga demonstrates, winning is not the most important thing

By Kenneth Miller | LA Watts Times Correspondent Just as the Joe Paterno statue was being removed in the middle of the night from Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley and while the NCAA was leveling the Penn State football program with the most severe penalties in the history of collegiate sports, oƥcials in the small town of Grambling, La were petitioning to restore the legendary Eddie Robinson as the all time victory leader in college

ABOVE: Grambling University football coach Eddie Robinson, right, talks with some players during the game against Mississippi Valley in Grambling, La., Nov. 8, 1971.

Cover Photo: AP Photo/Eric Gay

football.

According to a recently published article in USA Today, Cynthia Breedlove, an attorney for the city of Grambling, petitioned to the NCAA to vacate some of Paterno’s wins in hopes of getting Robinson restored as the recordholder. She did so with the backing of Grambling Mayor Edward Jones.

Then on Monday, when the NCAA wiped out 111 wins from Paterno, Jones said the city was “elated” that Robinson has the record back. But he said the city’s foremost thoughts were with the victims of the abuse, adding, “It’s our prayer that everyone involved will heal.”

The mayor said the petition was never meant to alter the NCAA process, just to voice the city’s position.

Robinson led Grambling for 57 seasons to 408 victories before his final game in 1997. He died gracefully as he had lived at the age of 88 in 2007.

The coach aơectionately called Coach Rob is re-

sponsible for 200 players making it to the NFL, but his legacy is not that he just won football games it is how he molded boys to become men and productive citizens of society.

Coach Robinson did not have an unlimited budget, the best equipment and the most sophisticated facilities during his illustrious reign as his white contemporaries such as Paterno and Florida State’s Bobby Bowden had.

Paterno was considered as the winningest coach until the NCAA hammered Penn State for the cover-up during the horrific Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal that has since tarnished his legacy.

Even Bowden had victories vacated for NCAA sanctions, but Robinson’s sterling legacy has--- at a historically Black college where many of his players were not recruited at major white universities--- never been questioned or tarnished.

He simply did more with less.

Former Grambling star Doug Williams who became the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins and is currently the head coach at his alma mater did not celebrate in the demise of Paterno.

“Today doesn’t change any player’s opinion of

www.lawattstimes.com

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Edward Gay Robinson (February 13, 1919 – April 3, 2007) BELOW LEFT: Robinson, 78, fights back his tears during a pregame ceremony marking his last home game in Grambling, La., Saturday, Nov. 15, 1997.

BELOW: Robinson talks with players Tyree Madison (88) and Chiron Applewhite, right, at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., on Sunday, Nov. 9, 1997.

RIGHT: Robinson was place in the Superdome Hall of Fame prior to the Bayou Classic game against Southern in New Orleans, La., on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2000.

Coach Rob,” Williams said. “Players like Franco Harris that played for (Joe Paterno) held him in high esteem, and players that played for (Robinson) feel the same way.

“I don’t think (Robinson) would be happy today.”

“Today is mixed emotions for me,” Robinson’s son, Eddie Robinson Jr. said. “I’ve talked to a lot of people who’ve asked me if I was happy. I can’t truly say that I am.

“I’ve known Coach Paterno for years, and the only thing I can say that I

knew about him … is that to me, he was a great coach and a class individual.

“As far as what has happened, I don’t have all the investigative facts and I’m not close enough to it to say what it should be and what it shouldn’t be.”

Grambling President Frank Pogue said he didn’t think Robinson would have been celebrating Monday, either.

“Eddie Robinson would have been the first to express regret at this situation,” Pogue said. “We at Grambling State University will always feel that Eddie G. Robinson was the smiling face of this university.

“The reason he will be

FAR LEFT: Coach Eddie Robinson, left, gives directions to quarterback Skip Ezell in Grambling, La., in this Aug. 17, 1981.

LEFT: Robinson, right, talks with a player during practice in Memorial Stadium in Grambling, La., in this 1980s file photo.

RIGHT: Grambling head coach Eddie Robinson, 78, is taken away from Eddie Robinson Stadium after coaching his last home game in Grambling, La., Saturday, Nov. 15, 1997.

known as the winningest Division I coach here is larger than football. He took men largely from small towns with virtually no equipment to play with compared to Penn State and most of the larger universities.

“He was able to say to those men that you are somebody and you are attending Grambling and Grambling is the winning spirit of football and athletics.”

In 2006 the NCAA during reorganization renamed a separate Football Championship Subdivision to only include colleges that qualified under the Bowl Championship Series format, thus separating the records of both Paterno and Bowden from the record of Robinson.

Therefore, many consider Bowden as the winningest college football coach now because of the grouping, but the record is clear as far as Division I victories and Robinson is the all time leader.

Following Robinson’ s death the Football Writers Association of America Named its coach of the year award for Robinson. The first recipient was Joe Paterno.

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Serena Williams is ready for Jury: OSU player Wimbledon again at Olympics guilty of rape by

BY MATTIAS KARE, ASSOCIATED PRESS Serena Williams has had enough rest, a week away from the courts.

She’s also spent enough time away from Centre Court, and is more than ready to go for another title at Wimbledon.

But whether it’s for three Olympic golds or just two remains to be seen.

Less than three weeks after winning her fifth Wimbledon trophy, Williams is back in London, looking for the only major singles title to escape her. And even though she pulled out of a World Team Tennis match in Washington recently to rest her back before the Olympics, she insisted Tuesday July 24 she's fully fit and ready for a quick return to the All England Club.

“I feel really good going into these Olympic Games, and wanting to do really well,” Williams said at a news conference with the rest of the U.S. team. “I think it’s exciting to be back so soon. Usually we have to wait 12 months to walk back on Centre Court and kind of feel that moment that we felt (at Wimbledon). So for me, I'm going to be really excited with such a quick turnaround and get back on the grass where I love to play.”

The Williams sisters will be

instrumentation

BY TIM TALLEY | ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Serena Williams, returns to Coco Vandeweghe, during the final of the Bank of the West tennis tournament on Sunday, July 15, 2012, in Stanford, Calif.

Williams won 7-5, 6-3. defending their gold medal in doubles as well, but it’s still unclear whether either will play mixed doubles. The mixed teams will not be decided until July 30.

Venus said she and Serena have the ability to win all three tournaments, but “we know we have to be in the ultimate fitness level to do so.”

“At the end of the day it’s really up to what our team captains want, and obviously being realistic and seeing who really has the best chance to win because we really want to bring medals home,” Venus said. “So it’s just about the betterment of the team and where we can do the best for USA, so I think that’s what it will boil down to.”

Venus was eliminated in the first round of Wimbledon and is still dealing with the effects of an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain. However, she and Serena still partnered to win the doubles title and are favorites to win a third gold medal together next month.

Serena, for her part, seems to have limitless energy these days, having recovered from her own injury and illness problems that kept her out for nearly a year following her 2010 Wimbledon title. Right after her latest title at the All England Club, she flew back to California to successfully defend her Stanford title the following week. While she then pulled out of her World Team Tennis match, she referred to that on Tuesday as simply “taking a little time off.”

“In order to play a tough schedule

you have to kind of prepare your body,” she said. “I was pretty fit at Wimbledon, and (am) continuing that fitness.”

Serena has won 14 major titles and a career Grand Slam, to go with Olympic doubles gold with Venus in 2000 and 2008. A singles gold medal would add even more luster to her collection.

“I think growing up as tennis players we always dream of winning Grand Slams and doing well at tournaments like Wimbledon,” Serena said. “But to have the opportunity to win a gold medal and be mentioned among the great athletes ... it’s an honor. And for me, of every tournament that I won, I really enjoy my (doubles) gold medal probably the most.”

The All England Club will look a lot different, with the traditional allwhite dress code not in place. Venus is already doing her best to flaunt some red and blue as well.

She also arrived in London with her hair done up in thin braids, with extensions inserted in various variations of red, white and blue. To that she added plenty of blue eye makeup and bright red lipstick, completing a distinctly patriotic look.

“I’m here to represent the U.S., from head to toe basically. Hair right down to the finger nails,” Williams said. “It’s just so much fun. I think we all find how proud we are of where we come from when these weeks come around. It’s just fun and amazing to just represent, we all feel that way.”

BOBBIE JEAN ANDERSON Continued from page 5 Delegate for President hopeful Barack Obama.

Anderson is a long-time labor activist with SEIU 660/721. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and Commissioner (8th CD) for the L.A.

Redistricting Commission.

She has always been passionate about the plight of victims of domestic violence and currently serves on the board of Jenesse Domestic Violence Center where she has been a volunteer for over 20 years.

A suspended Oklahoma State basketball player broke down in tears as he was convicted on charges that accused him of sexually assaulting two women, then turned to jurors and yelled “I didn’t do it.”

Darrell Williams was convicted July 23 of two counts of rape by instrumentation and one count of sexual battery, though the jury acquitted him on two other counts of rape by instrumentation. Prosecutors accused the 22-year-old of groping the women and reaching inside their pants without their consent at a party in December 2010.

Williams, whose attorneys raised the possibility that he could have been misidentified, cried as the verdicts were read, saying “Oh my Jesus God” as he bent over and banged his hands on the defense table.

Several of his teammates left the packed courtroom AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File without commenting, and an inconsolable female rela- This May 7, 2012 file photo shows suspended tive was helped out as Oklahoma State basketball player Darrell Williams was taken away Williams arriving for jury selection in his trial in Stillwater, Okla. Williams is charged with by sheriff's deputies.

Jurors, who deliberated four counts of rape by instrumentation and for about eight hours, rec- one count of sexual assault stemming from a ommended that he be sen- party in December 2010. tenced to a year in prison for each of the two rape by instrumenta- ing arguments that no one heard anytion counts. His formal sentencing is one scream at the party, saw any struggles or reported anything inappropriset for Aug. 24.

With little physical evidence to ate. Neither of the women suffered any bolster prosecutors’ case, Assistant cuts or scratches, and no clothing was District Attorney Jill Tontz had to rely torn after the alleged incident.

After the verdict, Ramsey said she on testimony from the two women. “ ‘No’ means just that: It means was “very disappointed” with the out‘no,’ ” Tontz said during closing argu- come. She had asked the judge to ments. “These girls felt dehumanized, release Williams pending his sentencing, but the judge denied the request, embarrassed.”

Both women testified during the noting Williams’ sudden outburst as trial and said they identified Williams the verdicts were read.

The outburst prompted Tontz to as their attacker after police showed them a photo of the Cowboys basket- quickly move to the other side of the ball team. One woman said Williams prosecutors’ table and cry as she held her against her will and dragged clutched a sheriff’s deputy. The proseher in a yard. She said the attack hap- cutor later said she felt intimidated.

Williams has long denied the allepened in the basement of the house and gations, and did so in a recorded interthat no one came to her aid.

“It made me feel violated and sick view with police that attorneys played at the trial last week. to my stomach,” she testified.

“I don’t know what happened in After the verdicts, Tontz said the women “waited 16 months to tell a the basement,” Williams said on the jury what Darrell Williams did to them. audio recording. “I was probably misidentified.”

This verdict represents justice.”

Oklahoma State basketball coach Defense attorneys had tried to cast doubt that Williams was the perpetra- Travis Ford testified on Williams' tor. Witnesses testified that several behalf Wednesday July 25, saying he players at the party wore similar believed the young man was innocent.

Oklahoma State warm-up suits, and his The coach declined comment after the attorneys claimed that could have led verdicts Monday.

Williams was suspended from the to a misidentification.

Defense attorney Cheryl Ramsey team in February 2011. Before that, he referred to the case as a “he said, she led the team in rebounding and aversaid situation.” She noted during clos- aged 7.1 points per game.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

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Marlins trades Bryant’s attorney: Cowboys Hanley Ramirez WR not guilty of crime to Dodgers

BY NOMAAN MERCHANT, ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

Former Miami Marlins third baseman Hanley Ramirez speaks during a news conference where he talked about his trade, Wednesday July 25, 2012, in Miami. The Los Angeles Dodgers have worked out a multiplayer trade to acquire the former NL batting champion from Miami, the second big deal in as many days for the disappointing Marlins.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Former NL batting champion Hanley Ramirez was traded from Miami to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday July 25, part of what appears to be the third big fire sale in Marlins’ history.

Left-handed reliever Randy Choate also was dealt to the Dodgers.

The Marlins received right-hander Nathan Eovaldi and minor league pitcher Scott McGough.

The trade came two days after the Marlins sent pitcher Anibal Sanchez and infielder Omar Infante to the Detroit Tigers for pitching prospect Jacob Turner and two minor leaguers.

“We weren’t winning with the group we had and we want to make changes,” Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said.

As the team prepared to move into its new $634 million retractableroof ballpark, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria hired Ozzie Guillen as manager and committed $191 million in a fiveday span during the offseason to sign All-Stars Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell. The team agreed to star in a Showtime reality series, “The Franchise.”

In their colorful new uniforms, the Marlins were 31-23 through June 3, just percentage points out of first place, then lost 17 of their next 20 games. They started Wednesday 4552, fourth in the NL East and 12½ games out of first place.

“These are tough trades, but when you underachieve at the level this

team has underachieved and has not won at the level we expected it to — we have talked about restructuring and this is part of it,” Beinfest said.

Miami might not be done, with pitcher Josh Johnson and Bell also trade possibilities before a July 31 deadline to make swaps without waivers.

“Be careful with what you think, what you say, and how you smile because you might be next (to get traded),” Guillen said. “That’s the way it has to go if you don’t perform.

That’s business.”

After winning the 1997 World Series, the Marlins jettisoned highpriced stars Moises Alou, Kevin Brown, Al Leiter, Robb Nen, Jeff Conine and Devon White. They won the Series again in 2003, then allowed Ivan Rodriguez, Ugueth Urbina, Derrek Lee, Mark Redman, Braden Looper and Juan Encarnacion to depart.

The 28-year-old Ramirez is hitting .246 with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs, far from his big season in 2009 when he hit a league-leading .342 with 24 homers and 106 RBIs. “I am sad to go,” Ramirez said.

“This will be always be my home, but it will just be a little different.”

A three-time All-Star, he shifted from shortstop to third base this season to make room for Reyes.

“It’s sad to see Hanley go to another team,” Reyes said. “We developed a great relationship. I feel he was one of my real good friends on See HANLEY RAMIREZ, page 14

The attorney for Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant asked prosecutors Tuesday July 24 not to pursue charges against his client, who was arrested after allegedly attacking his mother during an argument.

“Did a family disagreement occur? Yes,” attorney Royce West said. “Did Dez Bryant commit family violence against his mother? No.” Police arrested Bryant on July 16, two days after his mother, Angela Bryant, called 911 to complain her son was assaulting her. Authorities said they found her with a swollen wrist and thumb and bruising on her upper arms. Angela Bryant allegedly told authorities Dez Bryant hit her in the face with his ball cap and tore her shirt.

On a 911 tape released by authorities, Angela Bryant is heard saying that she wanted to “put an end to it.”

“I can’t keep letting him do this,” she said on the tape.

Angela Bryant has since submitted an affidavit asking prosecutors not to pursue the case. Family violence is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

Bryant sat next to his mother at a press conference that lasted about two minutes. Neither spoke or took questions.

“I would love to make a statement, but I can’t,” Dez Bryant said as he left.

“I can’t.”

Instead, West read a statement calling any dispute “a family matter that can be worked out through counseling.”

“They ask that there not be a rush to judgment concerning their family,” West said.

Prosecutors have not announced whether they will pursue charges against Bryant and declined comment Tuesday. The NFL and the Cowboys declined to comment.

AP Photo/Nomaan Merchant

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant sits next to his mother, Angela Bryant, during a news conference in Dallas, Tuesday, July 24, 2012.

Authorities say Angela Bryant called 911 after a July 14 incident in which her son hit her with a hat and grabbed her shirt, causing it to tear. Dez Bryant was arrested two days later.

The talented Bryant has run into trouble since before he entered the NFL. Drafted by the Cowboys in the first round, Bryant had nearly his entire last year of college at Oklahoma State wiped out by an NCAA suspension for lying about having dinner with Deion Sanders. He ran up hundreds of thousands of dollars in bills on game tickets and jewelry — and was sued by people who said they were creditors.

Last year, he was kicked out of an upscale Dallas mall for wearing sagging pants. In January, he was reportedly involved in a fight with the rapper Lil Wayne at a Miami nightclub.

West has dismissed what he called Bryant’s “youthful indiscretions” and said he was trying to move forward.

Bryant’s Cowboys teammates have expressed support after his arrest. His coach at Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy, said at Big 12 Media Days that Bryant was an “unbelievable talent” and trying to do the right thing.

“But it saddens me to hear negative things come out about Dez, and hopefully he can get it together,” Gundy said. “When he was at Oklahoma State, we were with him all the time every step of the way. We never really had many issues with him.”

Steelers, Tomlin agree to extension ASSOCIATED PRESS The Pittsburgh Steelers have ended at least one contract distraction before training camp starts.

The team and coach Mike Tomlin agreed to an extension on Tuesday July 24, that will keep him on the sideline through at least 2016. Financial terms were not disclosed. Tomlin’s previous deal expired at the end of the 2013 season.

The 40-year-old Tomlin, a surprise choice to replace Bill Cowher following the 2006 season, is 55-25 with the Steelers, winning three AFC North titles, two AFC championships and the 2009 Super Bowl.

“Mike is one of the top head coaches in the National Football League and we are thrilled he will continue to lead our team as we pursue another Super Bowl title,” team president Art Rooney said in a statement.

Under Tomlin’s guidance the Steelers have consistently been among the best teams in the league.

Pittsburgh has ranked first in defense three times during his tenure and averaged seven Pro Bowl selections a year.

“I am grateful to the Steelers organization for the opportunity I have been given over the past five years to work and live in this great city,” Tomlin said. “I am excited to continue to work to bring another championship to the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh.”

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Mike Tomlin The Steelers began camp July 25 and will likely do it without wide receiver Mike Wallace, who has yet to sign his one-year tender.

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Sherman Hemsley of Life sentence in TV’s ‘The Jeffersons’ dies Jennifer Hudson family slayings

BY JAKE COYLE AND JUAN CARLOS LLORCA, ASSOCIATED PRESS

George Jefferson was a bigot. A loudmouth. Rude. Obsessed with money. Arrogant. And yet he was one of the most enjoyable, beloved characters in television history.

Much of that credit belongs to Sherman Hemsley, the gifted character actor who gave life to the blustering black Harlem businessman on “The Jeffersons,” one of TV’s longest running and most successful sitcoms — particularly noteworthy with its mostly black cast.

The Philadelphia-born Hemsley, who police said Tuesday July 24 died at his home in El Paso, Texas, at age 74, first played George Jefferson on the CBS show “All in the Family” before he was spun off onto “The Jeffersons.” The sitcom ran for 11 seasons from 1975 to 1985.

With the gospel-style theme song of “Movin’ on Up,” the hit show depicted the wealthy former neighbors of Archie and Edith Bunker in Queens as they made their way on New York's Upper East Side. Hemsley and the Jeffersons (Isabel Sanford played his wife) often dealt with contemporary issues of racism, but more frequently reveled in the sitcom archetype of a short-tempered, opinionated patriarch trying, often unsuccessfully, to control his family.

Hemsley’s feisty, diminutive father with an exaggerated strut was a kind of black corollary to Archie Bunker — a stubborn, high-strung man who had a deep dislike for whites (his favorite word for them was honkies). Yet unlike the bluecollar Bunker, played by Carroll O’Connor, he was a successful businessman who was as rich as he was crass. His wife, Weezie, was often his foil — yet provided plenty

AP photo/Nick Ut

An Aug.11,1986 photo of Sherman Hemsley. of zingers as well.

Despite the character’s many faults — money-driven, prejudiced, temperamental, a boor — Hemsley managed to make the character endearing, part of the reason it stayed on the air for so long. Much like O’Connor’s portrayal of Archie Bunker, deep down, Hemsley's Jefferson loved his family, his friends (even the ones he relentlessly teased) and had a good heart. His performance was Emmy and Golden Globe nominated.

“He was a love of a guy” and “immensely talented,” Norman Lear, producer of “The Jeffersons” and “All in the Family,” said after learning of his death. El Paso police said the actor was found dead at a home where neighbors said he’d lived for years, and that no foul play is suspected.

The actor had been ill and died of natural causes, so no autopsy will be performed, according to Irene Santiago, a manager at the El Paso coroner’s office. She did not elaborate.

“When the Jeffersons moved in next door to the Bunkers, I wanted to deliver the George Jefferson who could stand up to Archie Bunker,” Lear recalled. “It took some weeks before I remembered having seen Sherman in ‘Purlie’ on Broadway.”

Hemsley read for the part and “the minute he opened his mouth he was George Jefferson,” Lear said.

Hemsley was smaller than O’Connor’s Archie but “he was every bit as strong as Archie,” Lear said.

Lenny Kravitz, whose mother, Roxie Roker, played Helen Willis on “The Jeffersons,” said, “When I was a kid, Sherman would always take the time to hang out with me on set. We would listen to music and talk about it. He was very knowledgeable, and was a big rock ‘n’ roll fan. He was an extraordinary human being that made a huge difference with his talent. I will miss him.”

Sherman Alexander Hemsley was the son of a printing pressworking father and a factory-work-

ing mother. He served in the Air Force and worked for eight years as a clerk for the U.S. Postal Service.

Having studied acting as an adolescent at the Philadelphia Academy of Dramatic Arts, he began acting in New York workshops and theater companies, including the Negro Ensemble Company. For years, he kept his job at the post office while acting at night, before transitioning to acting full-time.

He made his Broadway debut in 1970’s “Purlie,” a musical adaptation of Ossie Davis’ Jim Crow-era play “Purlie Victorious.” (Hemsley would later star in a 1981 made-forTV version of “Purlie” as well.) It was while touring the show that Hemsley was approached by Lear about playing a character on the sitcom that would become “All in the Family.”

Hemsley joined the show in 1973, immediately catapulting himself from an obscure theater actor to a hit character on the enormously popular show. Two years later, “The Jeffersons” was spun off. Among the numerous “All in the Family” spin-offs (“Maude,” “Archie Bunker’s Place,” “704 Hauser”), “The Jeffersons” ran the longest.

The character, the owner of a chain of dry-cleaning stores, was devised, Hemsley said, as “pompous and feisty.”

“All of it was really hard ... because — rude, I don’t like to be that way,” Hemsley said in a 2003 interview for the Archive of American Television. “But it was the character, I had to do it. I had to be true to the character. If I was to pull back something, then it just wouldn't work.”

And he brought some of his hometown with him. “That dance I do (as George Jefferson), it’s the Philly Slop,” he told the Philadelphia Daily News in 1996.

After “The Jeffersons” was abruptly canceled, Hemsley starred in the sitcom “Amen” as a fiery Philadelphia church deacon, Ernest See SHERMAN HEMSLEY, page 14

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File

In this July 11, 2012 photo, singer Jennifer Hudson is seen on stage during her performance at the Taste of Chicago. On Tuesday, July 24, 2012, William Balfour, the man convicted in the slayings of Hudson’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew, was sentenced to life in prison.

BY DON BABWIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS Struggling to contain his anger, a Chicago judge on Tuesday July 24, sentenced Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson’s former brother-in-law to life in prison for killing her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in what prosecutors say was a fit of jealous rage.

In blistering comments, Cook County Circuit Judge Charles Burns rejected William Balfour's claims that he was innocent of the crimes.

“You have the heart of an arctic night,” Burns told Balfour. “Your soul is as barren as dark space.”

Balfour was convicted in May of first-degree murder in the 2008 shooting deaths of Hudson’s 57-yearold mother, Darnell Donerson; her 29-year-old brother, Jason Hudson; and her 7-year-old nephew, Julian King.

During the trial, prosecutors portrayed Balfour, who was married to Hudson’s sister, Julia Hudson, as a jealous estranged husband who often

stalked the Hudson family home after he moved out in early 2008.

Balfour’s attorneys suggested someone else committed a crime in the family’s three-story house in the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.

Burns’ harshest comments came in regards to Julian’s death. The judge’s voice cracked as he recounted how terrified the child must have been in the second before he was shot twice in the head.

“I have no doubt in my mind he looked to you when you put bullets in his head,” the judge said.

Hudson, who attended every day of Balfour’s trial earlier this year, sat next to her sister and dabbed her eyes with a tissue a couple of times during the hearing, including the 10 minutes in which Burns put his own anger into words. She did not make a statement to the judge and left the courtroom without commenting.

Balfour offered his condolences to the Hudson family while maintaining that he didn’t kill their relatives.

See JENNIFER HUDSON, page 15

Thursday, July 26, 2012

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Usher’s stepson dies 2 Temporary guardian sought weeks after lake accident for Jackson’s kids ASSOCIATED PRESS

The stepson of the Grammy award-winning pop star Usher has died, two weeks after the child was critically injured in a boating accident.

Willie A. Watkins funeral home in Atlanta confirmed Saturday it was handling funeral arrangements for 11year-old Kile Glover. He was a son of Usher’s ex-wife Tameka Foster.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Kile died the morning of July 21 at an Atlanta area hospital.

The boy was run over July 6 by a personal watercraft on Lake Lanier, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. He had been hospitalized with a major brain injury.

Lake Lanier is about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta.

Authorities said the accident continues to be under investigation.

Before the accident, Usher, whose full name is Usher Raymond, had been in a legal battle with his ex-wife arising from a custody fight over the two sons they had together.

Condolences flooded social media sites late Saturday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. It said those who sent tweets of condolences included Justin Bieber, singer Toni Braxton and singer Eric Benet, among others.

Usher, long one of the top-selling singers and songwriters, has won

AP Photo/David Goldman, File

Hip-hop artist Usher Raymond takes the witness stand in court in a legal battle with his ex-wife in a custody fight involving their two sons in this May 22, 2012 file photo taken in Atlanta. Willie A. Watkins funeral home in Atlanta confirmed Saturday July 21, 2012 it is handling funeral arrangements for 11-year-old Kirk Glover. He was the son of Usher's ex-wife Tameka Foster. The boy was run over July 6 by a personal watercraft on Lake Lanier, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. numerous Grammy awards. He gained initial acclaim in the late 90s with albums such as “My Way” and went on to release the 10-million-plus sell-

ing 2004 album “Confessions” that firmly established him as a superstar, among several others including "Raymond v. Raymond" in 2010.

AP Photo/Matt Sayles

This Jan. 26, 2012 file photo shows, from left, Prince Jackson, Blanket Jackson and Paris Jackson after a hand and footprint ceremony honoring their father musician Michael Jackson in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. The executors of Michael Jackson’s estate say they are concerned about the welfare of the singer’s mother and his three children. In a letter posted on fan sites Tuesday, July 24, executors John Branca and John McClain says they are doing what they can to protect them from “undue influences, bullying, greed, and other unfortunate circumstances.” The letter came hours after sheriff’s deputies responded to a family disturbance at the hilltop home where Katherine Jackson and her three grandchildren live. No arrests were made, but there is an active battery investigation. Katherine Jackson was reported missing over the weekend, but is with relatives in Arizona.

BY ANTHONY MCCARTNEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS The turmoil in Michael Jackson’s family landed in court recently, after a request was filed for temporary guardianship of the singer’s three young children.

Margaret Lodise, the guardian ad litem for the children, said the petition seeks to appoint Tito Jackson’s son TJ as a temporary guardian.

The ongoing hearing came after days of bickering between factions of Jackson’s family that included a driveway confrontation that remains under investigation and lingering questions about the wellbeing of Jackson family matriarch Katherine.

She was found safe over the weekend with daughter Rebbie and other relatives in Arizona, after going more than a week without talking to her grandchildren — Prince, Paris and Blanket.

Katherine Jackson’s attorney, Perry Sanders Jr., said his client

later spoke with her grandchildren but only after Sanders met with Janet and Jermaine Jackson about their mother in Tucson, Ariz.

Sanders and Lodise were among several attorneys in court Wednesday July 25 to try to bring order to the situation. Also present was TJ Jackson, who is being asked to step in as a temporary guardian for times when Katherine Jackson is unavailable.

A court appointed Katherine Jackson as guardian of her son Michael’s children within days of the pop superstar's unexpected death in June 2009 at age 50.

In recent days, they have remained at the home they share with their grandmother in Calabasas.

The house was the scene of a family disturbance Monday July 23 that sheriff's deputies continue to investigate. Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore has said two men were involved in an altercation at the home and that there is an active battery investigation.

Rock Hall to honor Chuck Berry with series in Oct.

Chuck Berry ASSOCIATED PRESS One of rock’s pioneers will be celebrated by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this fall.

Chuck Berry will be honored by the hall as part of its American Music Masters series.

Berry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In October, the icon will be the subject of a weeklong celebration by the hall and

Case Western Reserve University. It kicks off Oct. 22 and ends with an allstar tribute concert on Oct 27.

Performers have yet to be announced, though Berry is set to take the stage.

In a recently released statement, 85year-old Berry said he is “looking forward to reelin’ and rockin' in Cleveland.”

Past honorees include Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin and Woody Guthrie.

14

HANLEY RAMIREZ Continued from page 11 the team. Anytime someone close to you goes to another team it kind of surprises you a little bit and you get sad a little bit, but still need to go out on the field and play the game.”

He joined several other stars who changed teams in recent weeks, including Ichiro Suzuki, Wandy Rodriguez and Kevin Youkilis.

“He meant a lot to this organization, a premium talent, an uber talent in a lot of respects,” Beinfest said.

Los Angeles is 2½ games behind NL West-leading San Francisco. After a 32-15 start, the Dodgers are just 2130 since.

“You never know what a change of scenery will do for somebody,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. “We see him as one of our main guys.”

After filing for bankruptcy in 2011, the Dodgers were bought from Frank McCourt for $2 billion on May 1 in a move that led to Stan Kasten becoming team president.

Ramirez has a $15 million salary this year and is owed $15.5 million next year and $16 million in 2013.

“We’re not going to let money stand in the way of a true baseball deal.

And if we can improve the club, the financial piece of it will always be there,” Colletti said. “It’s kind of a liberating thing because we’re able to make a baseball trade. We found a player that we really like, that we think can add to our lineup and at the same time show the guys who have been busting their tail for the last three months that we acknowledge how hard they’ve played and to get them the support that we can. It’s good to not have to worry too much about what it’s going to cost you from a financial standpoint. This (ownership) group is in to win.”

Ramirez will play shortstop for now for the Dodgers. Dee Gordon is on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his right thumb that could sideline him until mid-August and is batting only .229 with 17 RBIs. “I look at it as he has a clean slate,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.

“Anything that’s happened in his past has nothing to do with me, has nothing to do with the Dodgers. It’s basically moving forward.”

Choate, a 36-year-old lefty, is 0-0 with one save and a 2.49 ERA in 44 games. He began his big league career with the New York Yankees in 2000 and also has pitched for Arizona and Tampa Bay. Eovaldi, a 22-year-old righty, is 16 with a 4.15 ERA. He made his major league debut last season. Eovaldi made his Marlins debut on Saturday in a start against San Diego.

SHERMAN HEMSLEY Continued from page 12 Frye. The show lasted five years, running 1986 to 1991.

Jackee Harry, a longtime friend who made appearances on the show, said she and Hemsley had planned to tour in the musical “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” She said they had discussed it recently and that he seemed in good health and in

Thursday, July 26, 2012

NOTICE INVITING BIDS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Long Beach, California, acting by and through the City’s Board of Harbor Commissioners (“City”) will receive, before the Bid Deadline established below, sealed Bids for the following Work: PIER E TERMINAL REDEVELOPMENT SLIP 1 FILL AND BERTH D28 DEMOLITION AT LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA AS DESCRIBED IN SPECIFICATION NO. HD-S2376 Bid Deadline:

Prior to 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 Bid packages will be time/date stamped on the 4th floor or in the Lobby and shall be submitted prior to 10 a.m.

Place for Submission of Bids: 1. By Delivery Any Calendar Day Before the Bid Deadline Harbor Department Administration Building 4th Floor, Plans and Specifications/Program Management Office 925 Harbor Plaza Long Beach, CA 90802 2. By Delivery on the Same Calendar Day as the Bid Deadline Harbor Department Administration Building Ground Floor Lobby 925 Harbor Plaza Long Beach, CA 90802 Bid Opening: As soon as practical after the Bid Deadline Harbor Department Administration Building 6th Floor Board Room 925 Harbor Plaza Long Beach, CA 90802 Contract Documents Available: Date/Time: Beginning Thursday, July 26, 2012 Monday –Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Location: Harbor Department Administration Building 4th Floor, Plans and Specifications 925 Harbor Plaza Long Beach, CA 90802 Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting and Site Visit: Date/Time: Wednesday, August 8, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.

Location: Harbor Department Administration Building 6th Floor Board Room Project Contact Person: Tom Baldwin, Fax: 562-283-7352, Baldwin@polb.com NIB -1 Contract Documents. Copies of Contract Documents in DVD format may be obtained, at no cost, at the Plans and Specifications Office, 4th floor, Harbor Department Administration Building, 925 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach, CA 90802 during the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. To arrange to receive a DVD of the Contract Documents by courier at the expense of the Bidder, call (562) 283-7353.

For information on this Project and other upcoming Port projects, you may view the Port website at http://www.polb.com/economics/contractors/out_for_bid.asp.

Copies of all Port insurance endorsement forms, SBE/VSBE Program forms, Harbor Development Permit Applications and other Port forms are available at http://www.polb.com/economics/contractors/forms_permits/default.asp.

NIB -2 Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting and Site Visit. The engineering staff of the City’s Harbor department will conduct a pre-bid meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 8, 2012 in the Board Room, 6th floor, of the Harbor Department Administration Building.

Attendance is mandatory. All attendees of the mandatory Site Visit must bring and wear their own Person Protective Equipment (PPE), including, but not limited to: hard hat, safety vest and closed toe shoes. Note that attendance at the pre-bid meeting can be used to satisfy a portion of a Bidder’s good faith efforts to meet the SBE/VSBE participation goals listed below. EACH BIDDER MUST ATTEND THE MANDATORY PRE-BID MEETING AND SITE VISIT. FAILURE TO ATTEND THE MANDATORY PRE-BID MEETING AND SITE VISIT SHALL DISQUALIFY YOUR BID. NIB -3 Summary Description of the Work. The Work required by this Contract includes, but is not limited to, the following: A. Demolition of wharf and bulkhead systems.

B. Removal and disposal of treated wood.

C. Marine excavation and dredging.

D. Placement of rock slope and wave protection.

E. Installation of a temporary storm drain system.

F. Construction of a pavement system.

G. Installation of wick drains.

NIB -4 Contract Time and Liquidated Damages. The Work shall be completed within two hundred forty (240) calendar days as provided in Paragraph SC - 6.1 of the Special Conditions, from a date specified in a written “Notice to Proceed” issued by the City.

FAILURE OF THE CONTRACTOR TO COMPLETE THE WORK WITHIN THE CONTRACT TIME AND OTHER MILESTONES WILL RESULT IN ASSESSMENT

good spirits.

“It’s a sad, sad, sad day,” she said from her home in Beverly Hills, Calif.

She recalled when the two of them were on a Manhattan sidewalk during the era of “The Jeffersons,” and passers-by went wild.

“He got mauled and mugged,” she laughed. “He said, ‘What’s all the screaming about?’ He was so popular and he didn't even know it.”

She described him as “a very

private person unlike George Jefferson. But he was very kind and very sweet, and generous to a fault.”

Hemsley frequently turned up as a guest on sitcoms like “Family Matters,” “The Hughleys” and even, in a voice role on “Family Guy.” He twice reprised George Jefferson, appearing as his famous character on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and, in 2011, on “House of Payne.”

OF LIQUIDATED DAMAGES IN THE AMOUNTS ESTABLISHED IN THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS. Contractor’s License. Each Bidder shall hold a current and valid Class ”A” California Contractor’s License to bid this Project.

NIB -5 Contractor Performed Work. The Contractor shall perform, with its own employees, Contract Work amounting to at least 50% of the Contract Price, except that any designated “Specialty Items” may be performed by subcontract and the amount of any such “Specialty Items” so performed may be deducted from the Contract Price before computing the amount required to be performed by the Contractor with its own employees. “Specialty Items” will be identified by the City in the Schedule of Bid Items.

NIB-7 SBE/VSBE. This project is subject to the Port of Long Beach (POLB) Small Business Enterprises (SBE)/Very Small Business Enterprises (VSBE) Program. The combined SBE/VSBE participation goal for this project is thirty percent (30%), of which a minimum of five percent (5%) must be allocated to VSBEs. POLB expects all Bidders to achieve the combined SBE/VSBE participation goal. Award of the Contract will be conditioned on the Bidder submitting an SBE-2C Commitment Plan demonstrating the Bidder’s intent to meet the combined SBE/VSBE participation goal. If the Bidder’s Commitment Plan does not demonstrate intent to meet the combined goal, the Bidder shall demonstrate that it made an adequate good faith effort to do so, as specified in the Instructions to Bidders (ITB 18). The Port’s SBE Program staff is available to provide information on the program requirements, including SBE certification assistance. Please contact the SBE Office at (562) 283-7598 or sbeprogram@polb.com. You may also view the Port’s SBE program requirements at www.polb.com/sbe.

NIB -8 Prevailing Wage Rates and Employment of Apprentices. This Project is a public work as defined in Labor Code Section 1720. The Contractor receiving award of the Contract and Subcontractors of any tier shall pay not less than the prevailing wage rates to all workers employed in execution of the Contract. The Director of Industrial Relations of the State of California has determined the general prevailing rates of wages in the locality in which the Work is to be performed. The rate schedules are available on the internet at http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlsr/DPreWageDetermination.htm.

Bidders are directed to Article 15 of the General Conditions for requirements concerning payment of prevailing wages, payroll records, hours of work and employment of apprentices.

NIB -9 Trade Names and Substitution of Equals. With the exception of any sole source determination that may be identified in this paragraph, Bidders wishing to obtain City’s authorization for substitution of equivalent material, product, or equipment, are required to submit a written request for an Or Equal Substitution using the form included in Appendix A together with data substantiating Bidder’s representation that the non-specified item is of equal quality to the item specified, thirty five (35) calendar days after Bid Opening.

Authorization of a substitution is solely within the discretion of the City.

NIB -10 Additional Requirements. A Project Labor Agreement (PLA) is required under this Contract. By submitting a bid, the Contractor is representing that it is prepared to sign the Letter of Assent and comply with the PLA requirements as defined in Appendix FF if awarded the Contract..

NIB -11 Bid Security, Signed Contract, Insurance and Bonds. Each Bid shall be accompanied by a satisfactory Bidder’s Bond or other acceptable Bid Security in an amount not less than ten percent (10%) of the Base Bid as a guarantee that the Bidder will, if Conditionally Awarded a Contract by the Board, within thirty (30) calendar days after the Contract is conditionally awarded to the Contractor by the City, execute and deliver such Contract to the Chief Harbor Engineer together with all required documents including insurance forms, a Payment Bond for one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price, and a Performance Bond for one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price. All Bonds shall be on forms provided by the City.

NIB -12 Conditional Award of Contract and Reservation of Rights. The Board, acting through the Executive Director, reserves the right at any time before the execution of the Contract by the City, to reject any or all Bids, and to waive any informality or irregularity.

The Conditional Award of the Contract, if any, will be to the responsible Bidder submitting the lowest responsive and responsible Bid. If the lowest responsive responsible Bidder fails to submit the required documents including insurance forms, bonds and signed Contract within thirty (30) calendar days after Conditional Award of Contract, the Board reserves the right to rescind the Conditional Award and Conditionally Award the Contract to the next lowest responsive and responsible Bidder.

NIB -13 Period of Bid Irrevocability. Bids shall remain open and valid and Bidder’s Bonds shall be guaranteed for ninety (90) calendar days after the Bid Deadline or until the Executive Director executes a Contract, whichever occurs first.

NIB -14 Substitution of Securities. Substitution of Securities for retainage is permitted in accordance with Section 22300 of the Public Contract Code.

Issued at Long Beach, California, this 2nd day of July, 2012 J. Christopher Lytle Executive Director of the Harbor Department, City of Long Beach, California

Hemsley, whose films include 1979’s “Love at First Bite,” 1987’s “Stewardess School” and 1987’s “Ghost Fever,” released an album, “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” in 1989.

In an interview with the Gloucester County Times in 2011, Hemsley said his show business career actually began in childhood.

“Making people laugh was automatic,” he said. “I was in a play

in elementary school and had to jump up and run away. I was nervous and tripped and fell down and everyone laughed. Their laughter made me relax, so I pretended it was part of the show.”

“I always told my mother I wanted a job where I could have a lot of fun and have a lot of time off,” Hemsley added. “She asked me where I was going to find that, and I said, ‘I don’t know, but it’s out there.’ ”

Thursday, July 26, 2012

15

FOR RENT Dbl. Rm. Share rm. with 1 other male occupant. Clean and quiet home/ Crenshaw area. No Drugs or Alcohol.

323-293-9495

GHANA PRESIDENT Continued from page 6 U.N. Secretary-General Ban Kimoon said “President Mills will be remembered for his statesmanship and years of dedicated service to his country,” according to a statement from his spokesman.

“At this time of national mourning, the secretary-general renews the commitment of the United Nations to work alongside the government and the people of Ghana in support of their efforts to consolidate the country’s democratic and development achievements,” the spokesman said.

Rumors had swirled about Atta Mills’ health in recent months after he made several trips to the United States, and opposition newspapers had reported he was not well enough to run for a second term.

Some radio stations even announced that he was dead during one of his recent trips to the States.

When Atta Mills returned to Ghana, he jogged at the airport and blasted those who had falsely reported his death.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Kimoon said, “President Mills will be remembered for his statesmanship and years of dedicated service to his country,” his spokesman said. Ban pledged that the United Nations would support Ghana's efforts “to consolidate the country's democratic and development achievements.”

On the streets of Cape Coast, [80 miles] from Accra, people held radios to their ears on the street, listening to the funeral hymns playing on FM stations and waiting for more information about the president’s unexpected death.

“His speeches were full of a spirit of love and peace,” said Efua Mensima, 45. “He was soft-spoken.

I wept when I heard of his death.”

In a predominantly Ghanaian section of Ivory Coast’s commercial capital, a group of 10 men tried to organize a bus to take them to Ghana for the president's funeral.

“The Ghanaian people were happy with this president and his program for the development of the country,” said Nour Ousmane

GOVERNMENT

LEGAL NOTICES

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP #7566)

ORDER OF PUBLICATION Case No. LC094427 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES LORI BERRY, a.k.a LORI TROMBLER, Plaintiff v.

CRISP CANYON LAND TRUST, ALVIN E, WALTON, as Trustee, Defendant UPON READING the within Affidavit of Due Diligence and upon consideration of the same, and it being made to appear to my satisfaction that Crisp Canyon Land Trust Alvin E. Walton, as Trustee named in said Affidavit of Due Diligence, cannot, with reasonable diligence, be located nor his address or whereabouts ascertained, it is therefore ORDERED THAT the Notice of Hearing in the within case be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in, a newspaper general circulation in Los Angeles County, California. This pubication would likely give the Defendant proper notice of the Final Hearing of this action.

AND IT IS SO ORDERED. MARIA E. STRATTON PRESIDING JUDGE, SUPERIOR COURT LOS ANGELES COUNTY Van Nuys, CA This 10 day of May 2012

NEW DANA STRAND PHASE IV REDEVELOPMENT The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles invites proposals from qualified for-profit or nonprofit developers of affordable housing to develop a multi-family housing site. Copy of the RFP may be obtained beginning July 23, 2012 via http: //www.hacla.org/ps/ or call 252-5405. Proposals will be accepted at 2600 Wilshire Blvd., 4th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90057, until 2:00 P.M., by September 7, 2012.

7/26, 8/2/12 CNS-2349326# WATTS TIMES

Aladji, 27, a taxi driver who moved to Abidjan in 2000.

Chris Fomunyoh, the senior director for Africa for the Washington-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, said that Ghana’s democracy could weather the death of a president.

In other nations in West Africa, the death of a ruler usually spells a coup, as it did in neighboring Guinea following the 2008 death of longtime dictator Lansana Conte, and Togo, where the military seized power after the president’s death in 2005 in order to install the leader’s son.

“Ghanaian democracy has been tested and its institutions function well,” said Fomunyoh. “There’s no reason to think that Ghana and its democracy will not handle this event properly.”

Atta Mills was elected in a 2008 runoff vote that was the closest in the country’s history — and his third presidential bid.

“People are complaining.

They’re saying that their standard of living has deteriorated these past eight years,” he told The Associated Press at the time. “So if Ghana is a model of growth, it's not translating into something people can feel.”

He went on to serve as president as Ghana began grappling with how to deal with its newfound oil wealth from offshore fields discovered in the last five years. The country of about 25 million saw a growth rate of more than 14 percent last year, though some analysts say the handling of his time in office was less than stellar.

The government got involved in a dispute with Kosmos Energy, the owner of the country’s Jubilee oil field, a spat that resulted in a delay in the proceeds from the country’s nascent oil trade, said Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council.

NATURE OF PROCEEDINGS: STATUS CONFERENCE Status Conference is called for hearing.

Order of publication was filed on May 10, 2012 and proof of publication has not been filed.

Order to Show Cause re: Service by publication is set for August 21, 2012 at 8:30 a.m. in this Department.

Plaintiff to give notice, if possible.

7/26, 8/2, 8/9, 8/16/12 CNS-2353877# WATTS TIMES

Atta Mills also was one of the only leaders in West Africa who didn't back plans for an intervention force during last year’s near-civil war in Ivory Coast. Because of its shared border, Ghana became the main smuggling route for Ivorian cocoa.

The late president spent much of his career teaching at the University of Ghana. He earned a doctorate from London’s School of Oriental and African Studies before becoming a Fulbright scholar at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

Atta Mills also served as vice president under Jerry Rawlings, a coup leader who was later elected president by popular vote and surprised the world by stepping down after the 2000 vote.

Richard Downie, the deputy director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that Atta Mills may be remembered more for what his election in 2008 symbolized than for what he did as president.

He defeated the ruling party by the slimmest of margins, marking two successful handovers of power in Ghana, a benchmark used by political scientists to measure a mature democracy.

“It showed just how robust Ghana’s democracy was, and it proved here in the U.S. what a success Ghana had become in terms of its political maturity,” he said.

MARIJUANA SHOPS Continued from page 2 marijuana advocates shouted expletives, while others questioned where they could get the drug in the future.

“You don’t care about people!” yelled one person.

At least 178 California cities from Calistoga to Camarillo and 20 counties already have banned retail pot shops, according to the medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access.

Reflecting the murky language of the state’s medical marijuana laws, a handful of dispensaries have successfully challenged such local prohibitions

in court along with laws that merely sought to regulate dispensaries.

Most recently, an appeals court in Southern California struck down Los Angeles County’s 2-year-old ban on dispensaries, ruling that state law allows cooperatives and collectives to grow, store and distribute pot. But in a separate case, an appeals court said federal law pre-empts local municipalities from allowing pot clinics.

The hearing came a day after a priest, drug counselors and others decried crime and other social problems they say surround neighborhood

marijuana dispensaries.

Among those who spoke at that gathering was a woman who complained about having to push her baby’s stroller through clouds of marijuana smoke near dispensaries in her East Hollywood neighborhood.

Daniel Sosa, a medical marijuana advocate, told council members during the hearing it’s fruitless to approve a ban that won’t have any merit, and will likely lead to more lawsuits.

“If you can’t enforce it, why are you going to pass something?” Sosa asked the council.

JENNIFER HUDSON Continued from page 12 “My deepest prayers goes out to Julian King. I loved him. I still love him,” he said. “I’m innocent, your honor.”

Burns, however, said he had no doubt “whatsoever” that Balfour committed the crimes, including the shooting of a little boy “just because he was there.”

“I don’t think you have one ounce of remorse in your soul; I really don’t,” Burns said.

Illinois does not have the death penalty, and Balfour faced a mandatory life sentence. The judge sentenced Balfour to three terms of life in prison plus 120 years on other charges, a largely symbolic move but one that underlined the judge’s feelings.

The killings occurred the morning after Julia Hudson’s birthday, and prosecutors said he became enraged when he stopped by the home and saw a gift of balloons in the house from her new boyfriend.

After his estranged wife left for work on the morning of Oct. 24, 2008, prosecutors said Balfour went back inside the home with a .45-caliber handgun and shot Hudson’s mother.

He then allegedly shot Hudson’s brother twice in the head as he lay in bed.

Prosecutors said Balfour then drove off in Jason Hudson’s SUV with Julian, Julia’s son, and shot the boy several times in the head as he lay behind a front seat. His body was found in the abandoned vehicle miles away after a three-day search.

“Three days under a tarp,” Burns said of the time the boy’s body lay in the backseat of the SUV. “Just as if

you threw out the trash and left it to rot.”

Although the sentence means Balfour will likely die in prison, the judge made a point of telling Balfour the sentences would run one after another, followed by an additional 120 years for his other convictions, including home invasion, aggravated kidnapping and possession of a stolen vehicle.

The only family member to speak was Julian’s father, Gregory King, who told of the three days of hoping that his son might be alive only to find out he was dead. He also spoke about what had been taken from him by his son’s death, of the everyday moments that make up a relationship between a father and a son.

“I miss picking Julian up from the school bus,” King said. “I miss going on field trips with him. ... I even miss his bugging me about Sponge Bob Square Pants, a cartoon character he was kind of afraid of.”

Jennifer Hudson chose not to make a statement. During the trial, the Academy Award-winning actress for her role in the 2007 film “Dreamgirls” testified that she had known Balfour since the eighth grade and always disliked him.

BlackFacts.com July 31, 1874 Patrick Francis Healy, S.J., inaugurated as president of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic University in America, and became the first Black to head a predominantly white university.

16

Thursday, July 26, 2012

e v e n t LISTINGS

7 / 2012

L.A. Watts Times Calendar, Compiled by Brandon I. Brooks, Co-Managing Editor 7/28 Carl Thomas performing live: The Savoy Entertainment Center & L.A. Dolls Promotions bring you the grand opening of Club 30 Something.

WHEN: Doors open at 8:00 p.m. WHERE: The Savoy Entertainment Center 218 S. La Brea Avenue Inglewood, Carl CA 90301. Carl Thomas Thomas will be performing live. The event will be hosted

by Tammi Mac, Lon Mc Q and Don Amiche of 102.3 FM KJLH. Presale tickets - $15 available at the Savoy box office or thesavoyentertainmentcenter.com. Music by DJ Devoux. Bottle services and VIP seats still available, text (310) 466-9741. Also, call for the most affordable birthday parties in Los Angeles (310) 680-7600 or email party@thesavoyentertainmentcenter.com. We reserve the right to refuse entrance to anyone.

For more information call (310) 680-7600. “ Nylons” stage play: Nylons is the fifth play written since 2005 by Compton-born, Moreno-Valley raised playwright Brandi Burks, and follows on the heels of the critically successful “Shhh . . . Quiet as Kept.”

“Nylons” originally appeared on Stage 52 last April and has now moved to the much larger Wilshire Ebell Theater for a one-night performance. WHEN: 8 p.m. WHERE: The Wilshire Ebell - located at 4401 W. 8th St. in Los Angeles, just west of the intersection of Crenshaw and Wilshire boulevards. Tickets for “Nylons” are $35. They can be purchased in advance online at www.brownpapertickets.com. Additional information is available by calling (323) 6007402.

Black Talkies on Parade presents Carib Gold: Join the MCLM in a rare screening of the 1956 film feature Carib Gold. This marine time feature stars Ethel Waters acting and singing in one of her last roles on the

Screening is FREE! WHERE: Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum – 4130 Overland Avenue Culver City, CA 90230. For more information call (310) 202-1647 or visit www.claytonmuseum.org

Culver City, CA 90230. Based on the novel and produced by Erich Hicks and directed by Ian Foxx. Please RSVP at (818) 760-9948.

19th Annual Long Beach Crawfish Festival:

Free Meals for Children: Free meals for

New Orleans comes to Southern California! It’s the 19th Annual Long Beach Crawfish Festival.

Serving seasoned Cajun Crawfish dinners, prepared to mouth-watering

children 18 years of age and younger, will be provided thru August 17, by the FNCF Community Development Corporation.

WHEN: The meals will be served weekdays, 7 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

WHERE: First New Christian Fellowship Baptist Church (FNCFBC), 1555 West 108th Street , Los Angeles (across the street from Washington Preparatory High School ). The meals are a component of the Summer Food Service Program, sponsored by the California Department of Education’s Nutrition Services Division.

For further information, please call (323) 756-2541.

perfection by Bristol Farms. Crawfish meals include succulent red baby potatoes, buttery corn on the cob and creamy, delectable remoulade dipping sauce. Live entertainment mixes the best Cajun, Brazilian, Zydeco, and New Orleans-style jazz and blues music. www.longbeachcrawfishfestival.com WHEN: Saturday, July 28th: 12noon – 11 p.m., Sunday, July 29th: 12noon – 10:00 p,m. WHERE Rainbow Lagoon 400-403 Shoreline Village Drive Long Beach, CA 90802. Special admission discounts and packages available only online at www.LongBeachCrawfishFestival.com.

17th Annual Central Avenue Jazz Festival: Donto James, the son of the late legendary Jazz and Blues singer Etta James, will appear for the first time as a Vocal Soloist with The Sons of Etta Band in a Tribute To Etta James and Johnny Otis at The 17th Annual Central Avenue Jazz Festival, presented by the office of Councilmember Jan Perry, the City of Los Angeles and Coalition for Responsible Community Development. WHERE: Central Avenue and 42nd Street in Los Angeles, CA across from the historic Dunbar Hotel. WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, July 28 and 29, from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. The Festival is FREE. Food and beverages will be sold. For further information, please call the Festival at 213-4737009, or visit online at www.centralavejazz.com.

7/29 6th Annual Girlfriends Luncheon: Hey

motion picture screen. Actors Coley Wallace and Cecil Cunningham play sailors who discover sunken treasure while working on a shrimp boat. Retrieval of the gold becomes complicated when an unruly crew member gets greedy. This vintage film was preserved

by Southern the Methodist University and thanks to their efforts, it can now be enjoyed by future audiences. The film will be preceded by the 20 minute short Rufus Jones for President, which also stars Ethel Waters and features Sammy Davis Jr. in his first film role. At the conclusion of the film, a discussion will take place in our air-conditioned courtroom theater. WHEN: 4:00 p.m.

Girlfriend Network is having its 6th Annual Girlfriends Luncheon. WHEN: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. WHERE: Marina del Rey - Marriott.

All are welcome to enjoy this positive social networking event! We encourage all guests to bring (1) toothbrush and (1) toothpaste which will be donated to those in need. Event/Ticket info: www.heygirlfriendnetwork.com or (310) 428-3950. Advance ticket purchase only, there will not be any on site ticket sales.

Up Coming Rescue at PineRidge: Part One: The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum in association with Foxx Media Group presents: “Rescue at Pine Ridge: Part One” a stage reading. WHEN: August 2-3. The reading begins at 7:00pm.

WHERE: Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum located at 4130 Overland Avenue in

On Going

FREE Mentoring and Tutoring: HOPE For Life Foundation presents free mentoring and tutoring classes to students 12 - 20 and Military Personnel 20 -25 in Substance Abuse, Home Work Assistance, Job Search Assistance, Job Retention, Financial Literacy, Interviewing Skills, Writing Skills, Job Application Assistance, Job Coaching, Job Retention Tips, Life Skills, Resume

Writing, Reunification & Parenting, and more. WHEN: Classes take place on Mondays and Fridays 2 p.m. during the summer, and Wednesday evenings 6 P.M. and Saturdays 1 P.M. during the school season.

Classes are presently open through 2013.

WHERE: 1426 W. Manchester Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90047. For more information contact Jessica Smith 323-753-4673.

FREE Summer Day Program: Free breakfast and lunch served daily for all children up to age 18. Parents may drop-in any time to register for the summer program. WHEN: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. WHERE: People Who Care Youth Center, 1500 W. Slauson Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90047. No appointment is needed and no registration is needed for the meals only program.

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 space-permitting 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.