LAWT-7-9-2009

July 9, 2009

SERVING LOS ANGELES COUNTY WITH NEWS YOU CAN USE

Vol. XXX, No. 1135 FIRST COLUMN

Dodger Orlando Hudson Launches Effort to Get More Blacks Into Baseball

BY CHICO C. NORWOOD STAFF WRITER

More than 60 years ago, Jackie Robinson faced ridicule, received death threats, was spit on and cursed at for helping integrate Major League Baseball and making it possible for African Americans to participate in the sport on a professional level.

Before Robinson’s arrival, black players formed their own league (the Negro leagues) and barnstormed across the country.

From the 1920s to the ’70s, baseball was popular in the African American community, with black youngsters wanting to be like Willie Mays, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and others.

In 1959, the ratio of African Americans in Major League Baseball was about 1-in-5 and, as late as 1983, 1-in-4, according to a 2007 news report by Phoenix’s East Valley Tribune.

See ORLANDO HUDSON, page 9 Photo by MONICA ALMEIDA/THE NEW YORK TIMES

‘NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE’ — The family of Michael Joseph Jackson, whose casket is in the foreground, at the end of the superstar’s memorial service at the Staples Center on July 7. Pictured (left to right): Jermaine Jackson; Tito Jackson; Marlon Jackson (at microphone); Randy Jackson; Janet Jackson; Paris Katherine Jackson; “Blanket” Jackson; Latoya Jackson; Jackie Jackson; Prince Michael Jackson; and Rebbie Jackson.

World Bids Farewell to a ‘King’

BY PAT MUNSON FOR THE L.A.WATTS TIMES

Photo by MARTY COTWRIGHT

MAKING A DIFFERENCE — Orlando Hudson of the Los Angeles Dodgers talks to participants of his “Around the Mound” program June 27 at the Van Ness Recreation Center in Los Angeles. Hudson hopes the program will increase the number of African American professional baseball players.

Thousands packed the Staples Center July 7 at an emotional memorial service for Michael Joseph Jackson, the “King of Pop.” There were tears of sadness, joy and laughter as each speaker and singer took to the stage to bid farewell and pay their last respects to the musical giant.

After the opening prayer, and as Michael Jackson’s flower-draped, gold casket was rolled into the

Calif. Budget Talks Stall Amid Reform Proposals

BY JULIET WILLIAMS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SACRAMENTO (AP) — Attempts to close California’s widening budget deficit appeared to veer off course July 6 after one of the key Democratic leaders sat out a toplevel meeting amid frustration over the direction of the talks.

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, refused to particip at e i n mo r n in g n e got i a t i ons between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Republican and

Democratic leaders of the Assembly and Senate. She told reporters she might skip another so-called Big 5 meeting later on July 6, but that meeting never materialized.

Bass criticized Schwarzenegger for fixating on what she called a “laundry list” of issues that would do little, if anything, to close the state’s $26.3 billion shortfall. She demanded that the Republican governor and the other leaders focus on closing the deficit, rather than what she considers peripheral issues.

She said the chasm between Democrats and Republicans over addressing the state’s fiscal crisis seemed to be growing.

“We need to be talking about closing the deficit,” Bass said during a news conference called just 30 minutes before the governor was scheduled to address reporters.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, met with Schwarzenegger for about See BUDGET TALKS, page 13

ALL IN THE FAMILY — Serena, left, and Venus Williams, hold their trophies. The sisters defeated Australia’s Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs in the women’s doubles final at Wimbledon on July 4. Serena also defeated Venus to win the singles title. See story on Serena’s win on page 15.

AP Photo by KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH

Staples Center, the crowd stood to its feet as a choir sang gospel singer Andrae Crouch’s 1980s hit song “Soon and Very Soon.”

Mariah Carey’s singing, in part, prompted audience members to cry as she sang one of Jackson’s early hits, “I’ll Be There,” while a slide show of Jackson and his family

played on giant screens.

Throughout the crowd — an estimated 20,000 filled the Staples Center — came repeated screams and shouts of “We love you, Michael.”

The crowd, a diverse mix which came from many cities, states and See FAREWELL, page 10

NEWS IN BRIEF THE SOUTHLAND Judge Backs Jackson’s Lawyer and Friend (AP) — Michael Jackson’s longtime attorney and a family friend should take over the pop singer’s estate, a judge said July 6.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff issued his ruling after a court hearing the morning of July 6. Attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain had been designated in Jackson’s 2002 will as the people he wanted to administer his estate.

The singer’s mother, Katherine Jackson, had applied to oversee her son’s estate, but that was before the will surfaced. Her attorney, Burt Levitch, expressed concerns about McClain and Branca’s financial leadership.

Levitch told Beckloff that Branca had previously been removed from financial positions of authority by Jackson. Branca’s attorney says he was rehired by Jackson on June 17, days before Jackson’s death.

Katherine Jackson did not appear at the hearing. Branca did attend.

John E. Schreiber, an attorney for Katherine Jackson, said, “Frankly, Mrs. Jackson has con-

cerns about handing over the keys to the kingdom.”

Paul Gordon Hoffman, an attorney for Branca and McClain, said Jackson’s mother had more of a potential conflict administering the estate because she is a likely beneficiary.

Lawyer: Teen Shot by Deputy Posed No Threat (AP) — An attorney for the family of a 16-year-old boy shot by a sheriff’s deputy in Compton says the teen did not brandish a weapon and posed no threat.

Attorney John E. Sweeney told the Los Angeles Times on July 6 that Avery Cody Jr. initially complied with officers’ demands to stop and put his hands on the car, but ran for an unknown reason and was shot in the back.

Sheriff’s Detective Steve Blagg said only that Cody had a loaded handgun when he was shot by a deputy on July 5. He would not respond to Sweeney’s comments and said the shooting is still under investigation.

Cody was a high school student at Zinsmeyer Academy in Long Beach, Sweeney said. He had just finished eating with a friend at McDonald’s when he was shot.

See BRIEFS, page 4

www.LAWattsTimes.com

Page 2

L.A. WATTS TIMES

July 9, 2009

OPINION EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON

Even the King of Pop Stirs Racial Divide The first nasty inkling that even the King of Pop can stir the racial divide came with the Mt. Everestsize list of postings on blogs, chat rooms, and Web sites the week after the death of icon Michael Jackson.

The comments ranged from mild rebuke to pure venom in which the writers dredged up all the old drug, child molestation, and other dirt digs on Jackson.

In many cases, they explicitly took big racial swipes at Jackson, papa Joe Jackson, and Jackson family members. Then there was the inevitable instant poll taken days after his death to measure just how popular Jackson really was with Americans.

A CNN poll found that a bare majority of Americans were thrilled by the Pop King. But as always buried in the numbers was the racial kicker.

The overwhelming majority of African Americans, Hispanics and Asians hailed Jackson. A decisive majority of whites, especially older whites, said that Jackson had no appeal to them. The age factor in the line in the sand on Jackson is to be expected.

Though Jackson at the time of his death was uncomfortably ensconced as a middle-aged pop star on the rebound, his music, dance and style appeal to the young and hip.

But age alone doesn’t explain the top-heavy racial split. A majority of older blacks in informal surveys and interviews clearly like Jackson, if not solely for his music,

for smashing musical and racial barriers in his artistry; in defying Sony and MTV and demanding top money and billing for his music, and for the role he played in opening the doors for other black artists.

They remember a few years back when he marched on and picketed Sony with Al Sharpton in tow and his blasts at it as a racist institution. This tagged him, in their eyes, as a black man ready to challenge the corporate musical establishment.

The snickers and wisecracks that Jackson had betrayed his racial roots by remaking himself as a whitish, cartoon caricature didn’t cut much ice with most blacks.

Jackson is no Mike Tyson, O.J. Simpson or Michael Vick. There would never be a gaggle of sports writers, talking head commentators, and pundits heaping every pejorative that they could think of on his head.

Jackson’s innate sweetness, childlike innocence, vulnerability and his big-hearted, charitable giving insulated him from that type of vilification. Yet, none of this is enough to obliterate the tint of race from Jackson.

There are some distinct markers that Jackson has beyond age and musical tastes that send a racial signal up. He lived an opulent and princely lifestyle. This always engenders grumbles and resentment in some quarters.

There was a widespread rush to judgment during his child molestation trial that he was guilty of the terrible things that he was charged with.

His clean and full acquittal didn’t totally wipe the smear away. And he is an African American male.

This can’t be cavalierly shrugged off. The finger point at President Barack Obama as the supreme example to refute any charge that black males are still routinely stereotyped, negatively typecast, and reviled is not a compelling argument that the old racial myths have totally vanished.

During and after the presidential campaign, polls consistently showed that while Obama got a high likability rating from a big majority of whites, many whites still clung tightly to ancient negative, stereotypical fears of black males and strongly questioned their work ethnic and competence.

Though Obama did soften the racial barrier when the final vote was in, he didn’t demolish it. The majority of whites still voted against him.

Jackson found out the hard way that at the first touch of legal taint, that fan adulation, goodwill and fame can vanish faster than a Houdini disappearing act.

Long before he set foot in the courtroom, much of the old racial typecasting of black males, when the allegation was a sexual crime, quickly kicked in. The acquittal prompted more finger wags that Jackson was able to use his fame and name, and his A-team, high-priced attorneys to massage the legal system to skip away scot-free.

While Jackson, unlike O.J. See HUTCHINSON, page 18

California’s Budget — What Do We Deserve?

BY ASSEMBLYMAN MIKE DAVIS

California’s budget was off to a start recently with three bills passing the Assembly to help the state avoid a financial crisis. The urgency bills passed with bipartisan support and provided as much as $4 billion in immediate cash solutions for the state until August.

This week, after repeated attempts to achieve two-thirds votes to resolve California’s $19.5 billion deficit, avoid a cash crisis, and prevent the issuance of IOUs, the California Assembly took action to achieve these goals through majority-vote legislation.

The Assembly produced a balanced plan that included $23.5 billion in solutions, nearly $12 billion in cuts and a $4 billion reserve. It also implemented $2 billion in fees on tobacco products and oil production to prevent deeper cuts to education and the elimination of safety net programs, especially when the demand is increasing during this recession.

The proposed budget protected programs that provide vital services to the most vulnerable of our population by rejecting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed elimination of Healthy Families, CalWORKs, Cal Grants and IHSS. I cannot imagine an all-cuts budget, nor an all-taxes or fees budget. The budget must be fairly

balanced. Twenty other states charge a fee for the oil extracted on their soil. For this reason, I think Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico’s bill to pay for education with the oil severance fee is good, common-sense legislation.

While it would be ideal to have a two-thirds bipartisan approach to resolve the budget, the urgency of the situation requires that we act immediately. As Democrats, we continue to tirelessly work on behalf of the people of California. However, our efforts have been trumped by the Republican Party, which has had weeks to put out a proposal during budget conference committee, but takes last-minute steps to obstruct the budget necessary for California to move forward.

After the recent disappointment with the governor and Senate Republicans blocking legislation that could have prevented the state from issuing IOUs, acting now is critical to place California in an economic position where money will begin to flow for the purpose of saving lives and jobs and to maintain the necessary rights and liberties of all who are jeopardized during tough economic times.

We all know the state and nation are in recession. We know we are in an economically challenging environment, but we need solidarity among legislators and our governor

to accept our difficult challenge and move California forward.

As pointed out by Speaker Karen Bass in a press release, “the Mike Davis package of budget solutions the legislature sent to the Governor solved the entire $19.5 billion deficit, and established a reserve but did not include taxes.” She further pointed out that “the Governor rejected those measures and made last minute demands for major policy reforms, unrelated to the budget.”

It is important that the governor and his Republican party help solve California’s budget problem and deliver a savings for a rainy day through collaboration, not obstruction. The failure to accomplish a budget by the July 1 deadline was unacceptable.

In this terrible financial climate, both statewide and nationally, the Democratic Caucus has stepped forward to deliver a proposal to protect institutions we depend on, close tax loopholes, protect local government funding and increase compliance in order to add new revenues.

This is not Burger King; we all must realize that none of us can have it entirely our way! We need a budget that has some cuts, but also targetSee DAVIS, page 18

Getting an IOU? Thank Arnold Schwarzenegger

BY SPEAKER KAREN BASS

Thanks to Gov. Schwarzenegger, small businesses, students, seniors and taxpayers throughout California will start receiving IOUs. This shameful day didn’t have to arrive. In fact, Schwarzenegger had several opportunities to prevent it.

On June 12, the governor unilaterally blocked the State Controller John Chiang’s authority to secure short-term loans to avoid the cash crisis. He said, “Let them have a taste of what it is like when the state comes to a shutdown — grinding halt.”

On June 25, after the governor called Senate Republicans to his office for private meetings, $4 billion in immediate cash solutions that had been passed on an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the Assembly were killed in the Senate.

Most recently, the governor vetoed a comprehensive package of budget solutions supported by majorities in both houses of the Legislature that would have resolved the $19.5 billion deficit, left a $4 billion reserve, avoided the cash crisis and prevented IOUs. The focus of Assembly Democrats throughout this process has been to find a responsible approach that solves the deficit without eliminating the safety net or further damaging public schools. That meant rejecting the governor’s outlandish proposals to take health care away from 950,000 kids, to make 587,000 poor families homeless by eliminating CalWORKs, and to push 400,000 seniors into nursing homes by effectively eliminating IHSS. During weeks of budget hearings, we heard from too many people who were going to lose access to medicine, access to college, access to the basic necessities of food and shelter for us to accept the gover-

nor’s plan. However, we did the right thing in these tough times and dug down to make deep cuts in programs and services we care about — cuts on Karen Bass top of the $27 billion that has been slashed from state services since 2003.

But by using a scalpel instead of a chainsaw, we were able to take the governor’s plan and come up with solutions that reflect 93 percent of his proposals somewhat and 45 percent of his proposals entirely. We ultimately sent him a package of bills that solved the entire deficit without raising taxes. He vetoed those bills.

Instead, Schwarzenegger decided he wanted to use the state’s cash crisis to leverage last-minute demands unrelated to the budget — demands described in the press as “proposals he has struggled to advance in the past.”

Of course, this fight is not over yet. We will clean up the fiscal mess caused by the national recession and made $7 billion worse by the governor’s recent actions and inactions. We will continue fighting to prevent the elimination of the state’s safety net — especially in these tough times — and to block partisan attempts to punish our public schools.

We will also continue to say “yes” to the cuts we need, and “yes” to responsible reforms the governor now says he wants. But the problem won’t be solved until Schwarzenegger picks up his cue and finally decides to say “yes” back.

State Speaker Karen Bass represents Los Angeles’ 47th Assembly district. She has been an assemblymember since 2005.

Published Weekly

The L.A. Watts Times 3540 Wilshire Boulevard, PH3 • Los Angeles, CA 90010

Administration - Sales - Graphics - Editorial

(213) 251-5700 Fax (213) 251-5720 Beverly Cook - Publisher, Managing Editor 1976-1993 Charles Cook - Publisher, 1976-1998

WWW.LAWATTSTIMES.COM Melanie Polk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Publisher Ward Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chief Financial Officer Samuel Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Managing Editor Thandisizwe Chimurenga . . . . . . . . .Assistant Editor Chico C. Norwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Staff Writer Willa Robinson . . . . . . . . . . .Director of Advertising Jenny C. Cohen . . . . . . . . . .Advertising Coordinator Madaline Vinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Office Manager Marty Cotwright . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Staff Photographer EMAIL: lawattsnus@aol.com Audited Circulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25,000 The opinions expressed by contributing writers are not necessarily those of the L.A. Watts Times.

The L.A. Watts Times is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, CDs or tapes.

CIRCULATION AUDIT BY

July 9, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 3

BUSINESS Just Married? Financial Planning for Newlyweds

BIZSHORTS Women’s Independence Fair to Take Place The Wade Institute will hold the Women’s Independence Fair, a program in which businesswomen help other women seeking new careers and residual incomes. The event will take place July 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at IHOP, 24737 Pico Canyon Road, Stevenson Ranch.

Information: Connie Sparks, (661) 208-8229.

NSN Presents ‘Success’ Event The National Sales Network will present Success Experience Part II 2009 on July 16, 6 to 9 p.m., at the Los Angeles Exposition Center, 3980 S. Menlo St., Los Angeles. The focus of the event will be how to stay positive and focused in uncertain times.

Information: (310) 281-1781, www.nsnla.org.

IWOSC Program Focuses on Marketing Independent Writers of Southern California will present “Your Brand in a Bite or a Byte: Your Elevator Speech” on July 18, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Ave., Culver City.

During the program, marketing/communications consultant and IWOSC member Lilli Cloud is

expected to teach writers how to improve their public relations skills. Learning to take advantage of networking opportunities — be they online, the dog park, or the soccer field — will be a key part of the event. Cloud also aims to teach participants to pinpoint what makes them special.

Admission is $15 for members and $35 for nonmembers. The reservations deadline for the event is July 17, 4 p.m. Information: (877) 799-7483, info@iwosc.org or www.iwosc.org.

Watts Credit Union Closed After almost 50 years, the Watts United Credit Union has been closed.

The California Department of Financial Institutions announced on July 6 that the decision to liquidate credit union and discontinue its operation was made after determining that it was insolvent and had no prospects for restoring viable operations. At the time of liquidation, the credit union served 1,067 members and had deposits of about $800,000.

According to board Chairman Dale Walker, individuals with accounts at the credit union will begin receiving checks, which will be issued by the National Credit Union Administration.

See BIZSHORTS, page 14

The vows have been exchanged. The honeymoon is over.

Now comes the hard part: It’s time, if you haven’t already, to talk seriously about your money and your financial plan as a couple.

Yes, around the world, newlyweds are sitting at kitchen tables trying to figure out how to manage their checkbooks, save for a home down payment, pay down credit card debt, invest in their respective retirement accounts and so on.

What should you do with your money now that you are husband and wife? What should be on the list? And, equally important, how should the items on the list be prioritized? According to financial planners, the most important things to do in the short-term are the following: Have a Conversation Sit down and have a frank discussion about each other’s money history, said Financial Planning Association board member Lee Baker, of Apex Financial Services Inc. “Don’t be ashamed of mistakes made in the past,” he said. “Commit to not repeating the mistakes again in your new life together.” Be sure, when talking about money that you check egos at the door. “This is usually a problem for the men,” Baker said. “Quite often we can’t show any signs of vulnerability.”

Create a Spending Plan or Budget “Develop a written budget and

make sure that each person knows about all of the expenses,” Baker said. “In addition, you should decide together how both of you will contribute to household expenses. Even if one person is the primary bill payer, the other spouse needs to have an idea of what’s going on.”

Set Goals Together Besides getting a handle on income and expenses, Baker suggests that it’s wise to talk about the future and what you want individually, as husband and wife and perhaps as a family.

“This does not mean you have to have the same goals but it’s important to get a buy-in from each other on your hopes and dreams,” Baker said. “Buying a boat might seem silly to him but if it’s important to her, problems can be avoided if goals are shared from the beginning.”

Build An Emergency Fund Create an emergency fund that equals three to six months of living expenses, said FPA member Carol Friedhoff, of Savvy Outcomes Inc. If your adjusted gross income is below $166,000, put part of that money in a Roth IRA. “It will save on taxes and any money contributed can be taken out at any time without a penalty,” she said.

Save for Your Home Begin saving for a 20 percent down payment on a home. “But, don’t overextend,” Friedhoff said.

“The home to be purchased should not be worth more than two to two and one-half times annual income.”

Save for Your Retirement Save 10 percent of annual income, which includes contributing to retirement plans. “They offer tax savings, and if employer matches the savings, faster growth,” Friedhoff said.

Avoid Debt Steer clear from credit card debt and, after you purchase a home, don’t prepay your mortgage. “The mortgage, if it’s at a fixed rate, offers great leverage and a good offset to inflation,” Friedhoff said.

Create a Financial Contract In some cases, you may want to consider crafting and signing a joint financial contract to help you and your spouse stick to your financial plan.

There is much more that newly wedded couples should consider with regard to money. For instance, it’s important to recognize that your will — even if you talk about money in earnest — sometimes may clash over your finances.

Equally important, however, is this notion: Financial planners say that marital discord over money tends to develop over a relatively small number of issues and that planners can and do acquire the ability to anticipate and address them.

See NEWLYWEDS, page 14

Page 4

L.A. WATTS TIMES

July 9, 2009

COMMUNITY COMMUNITY MEETINGS, FORUMS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Blacks Urged to Be Vigilant of Fires African Americans comprise a larger share of total fire deaths, accounting for 24 percent of them; nearly twice as high as their share of the overall population, according to the U.S. Fire Administration National Fire Data Center.

The International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters, through a grant from the U.S. Fire Administration, has launched the STOP Fire Campaign to put an end to fatal cooking fires for African Americans with a focus on two high-risk groups: parents and caregivers of children four to 14-yearsold and adults 65 and older.

Throughout the summer when families gather together to cook holiday feasts, the association wants to increase fire-safety awareness through the campaign. Children are home on summer vacation and that could mean trouble for the aspiring teen chef in your home.

This campaign is designed to help educate people on how to cook safely at home and to know what to do if a cooking fire breaks out.

Los Angeles has been selected as one of the 11 cities across the country to be a part of the campaign.

Information: www.iabpff.org.

FilmL.A. Joins Rain Bird in Support of Filmmakers with a Passion for Water Conservation Rain Bird has announced a partnership with FilmL.A. in support of the third annual Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition.

The environmentally focused film competition showcases filmmakers and the power of film to spur discussion of responsible water use.

A nonprofit organization that coordinates filming permits in and around Los Angeles, FilmL.A. works to strike a balance between the needs and interests of the entertainment

metro.net

industry and the neighborhoods affected by on-location production.

The competition seeks short films (narrative, documentary, animated, experimental and/or student-made films between one and 10 minutes in length) that creatively explore methods and ideas to responsibly manage and use water.

Films submitted by Aug. 15 will be reviewed by a judging panel of film and water management experts.

Finalists will be guests at a formal screening and awards show hosted at The Getty Center on Sept. 2.

Information: www.iuowfilm. com.

Public Speaks On Calif.

Lethal Injection Proposal SACRAMENTO (AP) — Dozens of speakers lined up to speak June 30 on California’s new proposed rules for executing condemned inmates, but the public hearing quickly morphed into a debate over the morality and practicality of capital punishment.

George Husaruk and his wife drove two-and-a-half hours from

BRIEFS Continued from page 1

THE STATE California Regulators Warn of Pot’s Cancer Risk

MetroBriefs It’s the Right Time to Save. Go Metro.

Don’t be a victim of these uncertain economic times. Create your own stimulus package simply by going Metro. Experts estimate you can save as much as $8,000 annually by using public transit instead of paying for gas and parking. LA is among the top 20 cities where using public transit can save you the most. Find your best route with the Trip Planner at metro.net.

Champion Metro Rail Team Wins Again The superior train skills of Metro Rail’s sta= captured top honors for the second year in a row at the APTA International Rail Rodeo in Chicago last month. The winning team members were Metro Rail Operator Robert Rodriquez and Rail Equipment Specialists Eric Czintos, Ronnie Burt and Glen Abraham.

Hit the Beach Without the Hassles Make the most of your day at the beach without >ghting the summer tra;c, searching for parking or paying high prices at the gas pump. Metro has convenient bus and rail connections that can get you to all the Southland beaches.

Visit the Trip Planner at metro.net for a wide selection of schedules and connections.

Thousands Go With Metro Employer Pass More than 7,800 employees at 335 worksites in LA County are >nding a better and less expensive way to get to work with the Metro Employer Pass. It’s a win-win situation: employees get the bene>ts of riding Metro and the company gets tax savings, reduced parking demands and improved employee morale. Find out more at 213.922.2811.

Go Metro for Hollywood Bowl Discounts Experience the world-class Los Angeles Philharmonic this summer at the Hollywood Bowl. Go Metro and get 20% o= your tickets to the LA Phil’s Tuesday/Thursday classical music series July 7 through September 10. Check the Destination Discounts site at metro.net for details.

Charges Dropped Against Four in SF Cop Killing GEN-CE-10-001 ©2009 LACMTA

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

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — It might take Californians a puff or two to get their heads around an apparent contradiction recently enshrined in state law.

The same marijuana smoke that doctors can recommend to ease cancer patients’ suffering must soon come with a warning saying it causes the disease.

State environmental regulators last month voted to place marijuana smoke on its list of hundreds of substances known to cause cancer. The decision could lead to warning signs in medical marijuana dispensaries and labels on packaged pot within a year.

A voter-approved measure made medical marijuana legal in California in 1996. Key backers included patients with serious illnesses such as cancer and AIDS who said pot helped them manage pain and nausea.

Marijuana smoke and tobacco smoke share 33 of the same cancercausing compounds, according to agency scientists.

To counter the conclusion that smoking marijuana carries major health risks, advocates were quick to jump on the flaws in studies reviewed by the committee.

For instance, regulators reviewed three studies that found connections between marijuana and lung cancer. Of those, two were conducted in North Africa, where smokers regularly mix marijuana with tobacco, a problem the committee acknowledged.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Prosecutors dropped murder charges on July 6 against four of the seven men accused of gunning down a San Francisco police officer almost 40 years ago.

The state attorney general’s office dismissed the charges

Photo by MARTY COTWRIGHT

SPECIAL GUEST — The Rev. Al Sharpton was the guest preacher at First African Methodist Episcopal July 6 service. Following the service, Sharpton held a press conference where he fielded questions about the memorial services for Michael Jackson. Pictured (left to right): First Lady Vanessa Hunter, Sharpton and the Rev. John Hunter.

their home near Willits to argue that California can no longer afford the death penalty.

“We need to use the money for education,” the middle-school teacher said during a daylong meeting convened by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to take public comment on its proposed lethal injection procedures.

The agency received more than 5,000 written comments in two months on the plan drafted in response to a federal court order in

against Henry Jones, 73; Ray Boudreaux, 66; Richard Brown, 68; and Harold Taylor, 60, the alleged ex-members of the Black Liberation Army accused of killing Sgt. John V. Young during an attack on San Francisco’s Ingleside police station in the summer of 1971. A civilian clerk also was injured.

A spokesman for California Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office declined to comment on why the charges were dropped. The attorney general’s office agreed to take over the case from police in 2005.

The seven men were alleged members of the Black Liberation Army, an offshoot of the Black Panthers. Authorities allege the group robbed banks, bombed a police funeral, and killed officers during a brutal, five-year campaign.

“It’s a case that should’ve never been brought forth,” said Stuart Hanlon, one of the defense attorneys on July 6.

THE NATION Men Beaten by Philly Police Cleared in Shootings PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Three men beaten by Philadelphia police on the hunt for a police killer were acquitted July 1 of all charges stemming from their arrests.

Jurors who watched a 10minute news videotape of the violent arrest said it did not influence their verdict on the attempted murder and other charges related to a triple shooting earlier that night.

They also found plausible defense lawyers’ arguments that three young black men being pursued by police in May 2008 might have been afraid to stop, knowing they could be mistaken for the fugitive police killer.

Four of the 18 police officers who were at the scene were fired.

Eight others were disciplined or demoted in the wake of the highly publicized beating, which Mayor Michael Nutter called “67 seconds of seeming chaos out on the streets of Philadelphia.”

2006. About 100 speakers signed up to speak at the hearing; most oppose the death penalty, and though the audience was warned to keep its comments focused on the proposal itself, the hearing soon expanded into a wider death penalty discussion.

The state will have up to a year to assess the public comments and edit the proposed procedures before they become official regulations.

Even if the proposal passes legal muster, it would take at least a year to reinstate the death penalty.

Judge Andree Layton Roaf

First Black Female Judge on Arkansas’ Supreme Court Succumbs LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Judge Andree Layton Roaf, the first black woman to serve on the Arkansas Supreme Court, has died after losing consciousness in her Little Rock office. She was 68.

Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper said Roaf died July 1 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The cause of her death wasn’t immediately known.

Then-Gov. Jim Guy Tucker appointed Roaf to the Arkansas Supreme Court in January 1995 to serve out a vacancy. A year later, she was appointed to the state appeals court by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee when it was expanded from six to 12 judges. She was elected to the court in 2000 and served until 2006.

U.S. District Judge Bill Wilson Jr. appointed Roaf to her most recent position in 2007 as head of the federal Office of Desegregation Monitoring, responsible for overseeing compliance with long-standing desegregation plans for the North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special school districts.

Roaf had given up a career in science to pursue law, a field she said allowed her more time to care for her children.

See BRIEFS, page 8

July 9, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 5

COMMUNITY

WHAT’S GOING ON? Deadline for receipt of What’s Going On listings is Friday, 12 p.m., at least two weeks prior to activity.

Fax to: (213) 251-5720, e-mail us at lawattsnus@aol.com or mail to: L.A. Watts Times, 3540 Wilshire Blvd., PH3, Los Angeles, CA 90010.

COMMUNITY CELEBRATION — The Venus and Serena Williams Tennis Academy will hold a community celebration July 18, noon to 3 p.m., in celebration of Serena Williams’ third Wimbledon title. In addition, the academy will introduce “Southern California’s new tennis sister act,” Elizabeth Profit, 12, and Mary Profit, 10. The celebration is free and open to the public and will include food, games and a raffle for a Venus and Serena Williams tennis racket. There will also be a silent auction with all of the proceeds benefiting the academy. The event will take place at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Courts at the Rancho Cienega Sports Complex, 5001 Rodeo Blvd., Los Angeles. Information: (323) 2994631.

SEMINARS — Avoiding Costly Mistakes for IRA Heirs, Beneficiaries and IRA Owners, presented

by Denise R. Davis, a financial consultant, and Understanding Reverse Mortgages, presented by Dawn Wiley, a reverse mortgage specialist with Bank of America, will be held in

Ladera Heights on July 18, 10 a.m., at 5035 W. Slauson Ave., Los Angeles.

To RSVP, call (800) 361-3160, ext.

701. Information: www.rbcadvisors. com.

COMMUNITY CLEANUP — The Baldwin Hills Estates Homeowners Association will launch its Community Pride Clean-Up Day July 11, 7:30 a.m., at the St. Bernadette Catholic Church parking lot, 3740 Don Felipe Drive, Los Angeles.

More than 100 volunteers will participate in a massive effort to clear debris from sidewalks and curbsides, and eradicate weeds and trash along La Brea Avenue, Stocker Street, and major corridors throughout “The Dons,” a cluster of streets in the Baldwin Hills area. An RSVP is required to participate by July 10. Information: (323) 294-2595, Janice Rhoshalle@aol.com.

YOUTH EXPLOSION — Sponsored by Bishop Leon and Jacqueline Martin and the New Generation Youth Ministry, this event will take place July 15 through 19, at the Love, Peace and Happiness Family Christian Fellowship Church, 11022 Old River School Road, Downey. There will be dancers, Christian rap, drama, raffles and more. The Moving Up in Rank Officers Ball will occur July 18, 11 a.m., and The Explosion will close

out July 19 at 3 p.m. The nightly services are at 7:30 p.m. Information: (562) 806-9890, www.lphfamily.org.

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES ROUNDTABLE — The Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable will discuss “The LAPD: How Much Has It Reformed?” with LAPD Inspector General Andre Birotte, July 13, 10 a.m., at the Oasis Center, on the second floor of Macy’s in the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza, 3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles. This topic is part of the Contemporary Issues Roundtable’s weekly Monday morning discussion series. Information: (323) 383-6145.

ETIQUETTE CLASSES — There will be Etiquette Classes for boys and girls of all ages beginning July 10, and continuing weekly, at 6560 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles.

Additionally, “Elbows off the Table!

A Lesson on Table Manners for Kids,” will also take place July 17, at the same location. Information: (800) 781-5266.

QUILT FESTIVAL — An international quilt festival will be held July 24 to 26 at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, 300 Ocean Blvd., Long Beach.

Hours for the festival are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on July 24 and 25, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 26. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and for students, and a full show pass is available for $25.

Children ages 10 and under will be

Photos by MARTY COTWRIGHT

JAZZ FESTIVAL — (Left to right): Karen Hernandez, a pianist, and Karen Briggs, a violinist, perform during an afternoon of jazz in Leimert Park on the Fourth of July. Co-sponsored by Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks, the event took place at the Leimert Park Farmer’s Market on 43rd Street and Degnan Boulevard.

allowed in for free with a paying adult. Information: shows@quilts. com, (713) 781-6864.

FOSTER PET PARENTING — The spcaLA’s Fostering program is in need of volunteers to assist with the care of pets of all ages. The next Foster Parent Class will be held July 18, 10 a.m. to noon, at 12910 Yukon Ave., Hawthorne. Information: (310) 676-1149, ext. 222, www.spcala. com.

OLYMPIC ANNIVERSARY — Gymnast Mary Lou Retton and track star Edwin Moses are among the dozens of Olympians who will participate in a celebration to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 1984 Olympic Games, July 18, at the

9lp \e\i^p$jXm`e^ <e\i^p JkXi iXk\[ Xggc`XeZ\j%

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 3939 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles.

Tickets to the July 18 gala are available to the public at a cost of $184 per person, which includes a pre- and post-dinner reception under the famous Coliseum peristyle. Information: (213) 482-6352, www.The84Games. com.

Facts July 10, 1875 Mary McLeod Bethune, educator, civil rights leader and White House adviser, is born in Mayesville, S.C. Source: blackfacts.com

I\gcXZ\ `eZXe[\jZ\ek c`^_k YlcYj n`k_ ZfdgXZk Õlfi\jZ\ek c`^_k YlcYj :=Cj n_\i\m\i Xggifgi`Xk\%

Klie f]] c`^_kj Xe[ \hl`gd\ek n_\e k_\p Xi\ efk `e lj\%

J\k pfli X`i$Zfe[`k`fe\i k_\idfjkXk kf ./ [\^i\\j fi _`^_\i `e k_\ jldd\i Xe[ kf -/ [\^i\\j fi cfn\i [li`e^ k_\ n`ek\i%

SAVE POWER, SAVE MONEY. ENERGY CONSERVATION RATES ARE HERE. C8;NG _Xj Z_Xe^\[ k_\ \c\Zki`Z iXk\ jkilZkli\ kf \eZfliX^\ Zljkfd\ij kf jXm\ \e\i^p efn# [li`e^ k_\ _`^_$[\dXe[ dfek_j f] jldd\i% <e\i^p Zfej\imXk`fe iXk\j Y\^Xe Alcp ( Xe[ n`cc Y\ `e \]]\Zk k_ifl^_ J\gk\dY\i%

?fn [f \e\i^p Zfej\imXk`fe iXk\j nfib6 K_\ iXk\j Xi\ YXj\[ fe k_\ Xdflek f] \e\i^p pfl lj\% <m\ip C8;NG Zljkfd\i `j Xccfkk\[ X j\k Xdflek f] \e\i^p Xk k_\ cfn\jk iXk\% K_`j `j ZXcc\[ K`\i (% 9\pfe[ Xi\ knf dfi\ k`\ij# \XZ_ _Xj X Zfii\jgfe[`e^ iXk\# Xe[ \XZ_ `j `eZi\Xj`e^cp _`^_\i `e Zfjk% Jf k_\ dfi\ \e\i^p pfl lj\# k_\ dfi\ pfl n`cc _Xm\ kf gXp% J`eZ\ YXj`Z \e\i^p e\\[j i\]i`^\iXkfi# KM# Z\`c`e^ ]Xej Xe[ c`^_k`e^ Xi\ ^i\Xk\i `e Xi\Xj f] _fkk\i

k\dg\iXkli\j# n\ _Xm\ [`m`[\[ k_\ Z`kp `ekf k\dg\iXkli\ qfe\j kf \ejli\ \hl`kp ]fi Xcc f] fli Zljkfd\ij% N`k_ fli e\n k\dg\iXkli\ qfe\j# g\fgc\ n_f c`m\ `e k_\ _fkk\i gXikj f] k_\ Z`kp# Qfe\ )# n`cc Y\ XYc\ kf lj\ X c`kkc\ dfi\ \e\i^p Xk k_\ cfn\i K`\i ( gi`Z\ k_Xe k_fj\ g\fgc\ n_f c`m\ `e Qfe\ (# k_\ Zffc\i Xi\Xj%

N_p `dgc\d\ek \e\i^p Zfej\imXk`fe iXk\j6 <e\i^p Zfej\imXk`fe n`cc i\[lZ\ jkiX`e fe fli \c\Zki`Z ^i`[# n_`Z_ n`cc _\cg dXb\ pfli \c\Zki`Z`kp j\im`Z\ dfi\ i\c`XYc\% JXm`e^ \e\i^p n`cc Xcjf Y\e\Ôk k_\ \em`ifed\ek Y\ZXlj\ i\[lZ\[ \e\i^p lj\ d\Xej i\[lZ\[ ^i\\e_flj\ ^Xj \d`jj`fej% CXjk# Ylk efk c\Xjk# Zfej\im`e^ \e\i^p n`cc jXm\ pfl dfe\p fe pfli lk`c`kp Y`ccj% N`k_ kf[XpËj kfl^_ \Zfefdp# \e\i^p Zfej\imXk`fe `j e\\[\[ efn dfi\ k_Xe \m\i%

?fn ZXe @ Zfej\im\ \e\i^p6 JXm`e^ \e\i^p `j Xj \Xjp Xj b\\g`e^ pfli k_\idfjkXk Xk ./ [\^i\\j# klie`e^ f]] c`^_kj n_\e pfl c\Xm\ k_\ iffd# klie`e^ f]] pfli Zfdglk\i Xe[ fk_\i \c\Zkife`Zj n_\e k_\p Xi\eËk Y\`e^ lj\[# i\gcXZ`e^ jkXe[Xi[ c`^_k YlcYj n`k_ ZfdgXZk Õlfi\jZ\ek c`^_k YlcYj# Xe[ Z_ffj`e^ \e\i^p \]ÔZ`\ek Xggc`XeZ\j% C8;NG Xcjf _Xj X n`[\ iXe^\ f] \e\i^p \]ÔZ`\eZp i\YXk\j Xe[ `eZ\ek`m\ gif^iXdj k_Xk ZXe _\cg% Kf c\Xie dfi\ XYflk \e\i^p Zfej\imXk`fe gi`Z`e^# k`gj kf jXm\ gfn\i Xe[ i\YXk\j gc\Xj\ m`j`k nnn%cX[ng%Zfd fi ZXcc ($/''$;@8C ;NG ($/''$*+)$,*0.%

IT PAYS TO SAVE POWER.

Page 6

L.A. WATTS TIMES

July 9, 2009

COMMUNITY Commentary

Loving Michael, Mourning Michael: A Reflection in Black and White

BY JALONDRA A. DAVIS

Photo by REUTERS/US

SAYING GOODBYE — Singer Usher touches the casket of Michael Jackson during the King of Pop’s memorial service in Los Angeles July 7 during his rendition of “Gone Too Soon.”

Commentary

Farewell, King of Pop

BY DARLENE DONLOE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Michael Jackson was honored July 7 after a homegoing befitting a King of Pop. It was one of the most emotional days of my life.

By the time his massive public memorial at the Staples Center ended, I would be a blubbering, teary-eyed mess.

My day started fairly early as I made my way downtown to the Staples Center in hopes of beating what was supposed to be a staggering, traffic-stopping onslaught of fans. To my delight, there was no such occurrence.

Many of those fans who didn’t have the coveted tickets to the Jackson public memorial apparently heeded the warnings by city officials to stay clear of the area.

All was fine as I signed the large autograph wall bearing Jackson’s image. I spoke to fans about why they felt the need to pay their respects.

“I grew up listening to Michael Jackson’s music,” said Ben Needham, who flew in from Washington, D.C., to attend the

event. “I grew up with ‘Thriller.’

My dad bought two copies of the album. We wore one of them out, but my mom wouldn’t let us open the second one. To this day, it still hasn’t been opened.”

Needham spoke of how much of an impact Jackson had on his life and how he felt it “appropriate to be here.”

Los Angeles resident Michelle Wilson said it was about being a part of history and celebrating all that Jackson has done.

“He’s done so much,” she said. “I wanted to be here to celebrate his life and accomplishments.”

I didn’t say it, but I was there to do the same. However, it was a little more personal for me. I wanted to tell them how I spent six months with Jakcson as his tour publicist on the first leg of his HIStory Tour, which now turns out to have been his last.

I wanted to tell them about the time I told him to pull up his zipper before going on stage and how we both laughed, or how I accompanied him on his various outings to See KING OF POP, page 7

CELEBRATING OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY

The day that Michael Jackson died was the first time in my quartercentury of life that I felt old. As my 14-year-old sister watched with some puzzlement the emotional reaction of the adults around her to Jackson’s death, I realized that the “kids” of today do not know the Michael that we do.

While kids are certainly familiar with Jackson’s image and tunes, they know more about the weirdness and alleged deviance of the past two decades than the pure joy he has inspired for so many years.

To make her more cognizant of the greatness of Jackson, my sister and I watched a cable documentary chronicling his influence on the music video, tracing his videos through the years. It was incredible to watch the evolution, range and magnificence of this artist we knew for such a long period of his life, but a certain pain began slowly, and then quickly, to absorb all of my pleasure in the experience.

Those of us that grew up listening to and watching Jackson noticed the change in his face, talked about it, mourned about it, joked about it, but it was like that change of a family member that one sees everyday.

Because it happens gradually, the drama or the weight of the change does not fully hit you until someone with an eye made more observant by distance and space points it out.

Watching his videos progress forward through time was a sobering journey into the deepest recesses of identity conflict and self-hatred. As the nose whittled down into a parody of a Greek statue and finally into a masked nothingness, as the curl of the hair loosened and disappeared, as the skin grew so pale it took on a glowing, translucent quality, as the lips thinned into sculpted slivers of their former full beauty, the pain in my chest became a palpable, solid, sickening thing.

I felt as if I was watching something lovely and pure escape from me, and I felt somehow complicit in the process. I thought that perhaps if we had put some of the energy that

Jalondra A. Davis

went into adoring and idolizing, laughing at and gossiping about, obsessing over and shunning Jackson into reaching out to tell him, over and over again, that he was beautiful and loved just as he was, it might have made a difference.

Yet, who knows when the worst damage to Jackson’s psyche was done or if anyone, psychiatrist, counselor, family, fan or friend had the power to affect someone so firmly set on self-annihilation. Perhaps my pain and seemingly inexplicable feeling of guilt derives from a realization that Jackson’s face was an extreme expression of the mental illness most African Americans in this country suffer from to a certain extent.

Do I not understand Jackson a little more when I think of all of the times in school I wished I looked like the lighter-skinned, curly haired girls who always seemed to draw the athletic boys’ attention?

On the days I cover my hair with a scarf to hide its natural state and call frantically for salon appointments, am I not struggling with some version of Jackson’s demons? Should we all shudder to think what we would do to ourselves with access to money, resources and unscrupulous practitioners with the unwillingness to say “no more?”

Is a black man who chooses to

father white children so unusual when we consider the desire of many of us to gravitate toward partners who could bequeath our offspring with “good hair”?

The one video of Jackson’s that I had to force myself to watch all the way through was “Black and White.” The utter irony of a man so visibly affected by internalized Eurocentrism singing about racial prejudice and dancing with exotic representations of different cultures overshadowed, for once, the superiority of the performance and production.

But the window-breaking and crotch-stroking rampage at the end of the video hints at a deeper story of Jackson’s lifelong struggle with issues of identity, race and sexuality, the denial to him of the peace in life that we can only hope that death has provided. To “remember him as he was” is a bit of an empty exultation, as Michael was, and as we all are, many different people at many different moments in his life.

To love someone is to love that person completely, in all of his or her flaws, extremes and complexities. I think that for African Americans, our love for Jackson is not decreased by the unavoidable reality that he seemed to be attempting to escape blackness right before our eyes. Perhaps, in that respect, we even understand him more than we are willing to say.

Jalondra A. Davis is a writer, dancer, spoken word poet and adjunct lecturer in the Africana Studies Department at California State University’s Dominguez Hills campus. Davis — Miss Black California USA 2009 — will represent California in the Miss Black USA Scholarship Pageant on Aug. 3.

A spokeswoman for the Heart Truth Campaign and Dr. Ian Smith’s Fifty Million Pound Challenge, she aims to alleviate the danger of obesity in the African American community through speaking engagements and dance fitness workshops. To find out more about her current programs and support her on her journey, visit www.missblackcalifornia.net.

OPEN 7 DAYS Catfish Special-$6.99, / 8 strips, Hush Puppies & Fries FREE 12 oz. Soda with CATFISH SPECIAL until 2:00 p.m.

One Bite & You’ll Be Hooked Dine In • Phone Orders Welcomed • Take Out

CATFISH CATFISH •• SHRIMP SHRIMP •• OYSTERS OYSTERS •• CRAB CRAB LEGS LEGS RED RED SNAPPER SNAPPER •• GUMBO GUMBO •• PO-BOYS PO-BOYS Family Owned & Operated for 40 Years.

6055 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles (Between Lauson and Gage)

(323) 758-1980

Photo by VENICE MCLEAN

FAB DADS — The 8th Annual Honor Thy Father Awards took place June 21 at the Proud Bird Restaurant in Los Angeles. The event, sponsored by Estelle for Humanity, Kia and Associates and the Congress of Racial Equality–Los Angeles, was a salute to outstanding fathers and male mentors. Pictured (left to right): Ronald Gunn; Terrance Steele; Samuel Toles; Dr. Perry L. Crouch; James Taylor Sr.; Raymond Frazier; Minister Ricky Dumas; Robert Bruce Woodard; and Herman Woodard.

July 9, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 7

COMMUNITY KING OF POP Continued from page 6 orphanages, hospitals and record stores.

I wanted to tell how he always took the time to greet fans backstage and to encourage those who wanted to be just like him. Or that the image they had of their hero wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t far from the truth.

My eyes welled and my heart broke as I sat in the Staples Center listening to his music blare as archival footage, mixed with recent photographs, flashed on a screen â&#x20AC;&#x201D; chronicling his life.

relayed, in some way, Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s influence on their lives.

This was a united celebration and rightly so.

Celebrities such as Chris Brown, Tyrese, Larry King and others cried, laughed and reminisced right along with the general public. There was no sense of elit-

ism â&#x20AC;&#x201D; only a mournful and somehow spiritual camaraderie. We had all lost a friend.

This was a two-hanky event.

No one tried to hide their tears as folks began to dab their eyes. The loss of an icon is too powerful an emotion to suppress.

Sniffles filled the air as every-

one collectively finally realized what most of us had tried to deny: that the man we loved to watch glide across the stage was gone.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll weep for a while and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be sad. But, in true Jackson fashion, he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave us hanginâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. He left us all a lifetime of music with which to help us heal.

Though there is a dull ache in my heart right now, I still smile when I think of Michael.

Berry Gordy took the words right out of my mouth when he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the King of Pop is not big enough. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived.â&#x20AC;?

THEY REĂ´PORTABLE

Photo by REUTERS/US

A TRIBUTE â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz sing â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Be Thereâ&#x20AC;? during memorial services for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles July 7.

Some of those pictures brought back memories of the first time I went to a Jackson 5 concert.

How I, like other little girls of my generation, picked out which Jackson brother I was going to marry. I picked out Jermaine.

Imagine my dismay and disappointment when he married Berry Gordyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter, Hazel.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve since gotten over it and forgave Jermaine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; last week.

The July 7 celebration was impressive and reverential. Family, friends, fans, colleagues and celebrities came to celebrate his life and music.

The emotional atmosphere inside the Staples Center was palpable.

Men, women, children, elders, celebrities, reporters â&#x20AC;&#x201D; everyone was overcome with a feeling of loss.

It was a bittersweet day as we mourned his passing but celebrated his accomplishments.

Whether it was speakers like the Rev. Al Sharpton, Smokey Robinson, Brooke Shields, Bernice King and so many others, all

AP Photo by MARK J. TERRILL

KINGS HONOR THE KING â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Rev. Bernice King and Martin Luther King III speak during the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on July 7.

SHAREABLE

AFFORDABLE

AND

1 McNuggets

$

4 pc. Chicken ÂŽ

UPLOADĂ´DELICIOUSĂ´ANDĂ´SHAREĂ´ THEĂ´VALUEĂ´ Ă´-C$ONALD S 0RICESĂ´ANDĂ´0ARTICIPATIONĂ´MAYĂ´VARY Ă´&ORĂ´AĂ´LIMITEDĂ´TIME Ă´Ă&#x161; Ă´-C$ONALD S

Page 8

L.A. WATTS TIMES

July 9, 2009

ARTS & CULTURE SHORT TAKES “Egypt” in the hopes of promoting a tolerant face of Islam. The film will show July 9, at 1:30 p.m., 4:10, 7 and 9:45, at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 theater, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. Tickets for the 117-

PERFORMANCE • The Masanga Marimba ensemble, directed by Ric Alviso, will bring the sound of Zimbabwean marimbas — metal keys mounted on a hardwood soundboard — and other instruments in “Musical Raindrops: Songs, Stories and Dances from Zimbabwe,” July 25, 10 a.m., at the Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd.

East, Hollywood. Parking is available for $1. To reserve and purchase tickets for this event, call the Ford box office at (323) 461-3673, www.FordTheatres.org.

DVD • Written, directed by and starring Sticky Fingaz from the group Onyx, “A Day In The Life” is a hip-hop action-thriller, delivered entirely through a rap narrative, about one man who is struggling to

leave the street life behind but is caught between a war involving two crime families. The film features Omar Epps (“House M.D.”), Mekhi Phifer (“ER”), Michael Rapaport (“Prison Break”) and Faizon Love (“Idlewild”). The 90minute DVD, which became available July 7 and cost $19.98, also contains a music video by Sticky Fingaz and a “Making Of” featurette.

CONCERTS • Rocky Dawuni and the Revelation Project will perform at noon and at 8 p.m. July 10 at Grand Performances, located at California Plaza at 300-350 S.

✁

Rocky Dawuni

Grand Ave., Los Angeles. Dawuni, often described as “Ghana’s Bob Marley,” will be accompanied by an 11-piece band, including special guests. On July 11, Buika and Perla Batalla will perform at 8 p.m. Buika, a Spanish singer of Equatorial Guinean heritage, performs jazz, bolero, flamenco and funk. Batalla fuses traditional Mexican mestiza sounds with an eclectic mix of bluesy ballads and alternative folk. These performances are free and open to the public.

Information: http://grandperformances.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/v enue.directions. Further information: (213) 687-2159.

• The Phil Ranelin Jazz Ensemble will perform July 10, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. The ensemble consists of Ranelin on Trombone, Kamasi Washington, Louis Van Taylor and others. Ranelin’s new compact disc, “Living A New Day,” will be available for purchase. Information: (323) 8576000, www.lacma.org.

FILM • “I Bring What I Love” is the music-infused, cinematic journey of Youssou N’Dour and the power of one man’s voice to inspire change.

N’Dour is one of the highest-selling African artists of all time and has collaborated with musical superstars Bono, Neneh Cherry and Peter Gabriel. The film — which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September and has won audience and other awards throughout the world — chronicles N’Dour, a Sufi Muslim, as he releases a deeply personal and religious album called

Need A $ Bailout?

Shop The Roadium FREE ADMISSION FOR 2 The Best Shopping Bargains in L.A.

“ONE - One Man, Twelve Followers, One Faith”

N’Dour

minute film can be purchased by visiting www. laemmle.com, or calling (323) 848-3500. Further information: www.ibringwhatilove.com.

GOSPEL/THEATER • Gospel performer and the Rev. Daryl Coley will star in a limited engagement of Urban Arts Theater West’s original production “ONE - One Man, Twelve Followers, One Faith,” July 11 to 12 and July 18 to 19, in the L.L. White Hall of Holman United Methodist Church, 3320 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles. “ONE,” is a post-

Continued from page 4

Vibe Magazine Shuts Down NEW YORK (AP) — Vibe, the popular hip-hop and urban culture magazine founded by legendary producer Quincy Jones, has ceased publication as of June 30.

Vibe Media Group Chief Financial Officer Angela Zucconi confirmed the closing and said most of the company’s 50 or so employees will be laid off.

The closing comes amid a historic decline in ad revenue across all media that has left many categories of magazines struggling.

Among recent casualties have been Portfolio, Conde Nast’s high-end business monthly, the style and home decorating magazine Domino, and Blender, another music magazine.

Founded in 1993, Vibe had a paid circulation of roughly 800,000 during the last six months of 2008.

The magazine was acquired by The Wicks Group, a New York private equity firm, in 2006.

Public Memorial, Viewings Set for Ex-QB McNair NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A public memorial and viewings are scheduled today for slain former NFL quarterback Steve McNair.

EXPIRES 7-26-09 (Between Crenshaw and Van Ness) LAWT 7-9-09

(323) 321-3709

Saturday & Sunday please park at El Camino College Lot

Visit us on the web at: www.roadium.com

sponsor of “Beyond November – Party with a Purpose,” which brings together an assortment of artists, advocacy and social action organizations, to entertain, inform and enthuse by tapping into the vast energy for positive change sparked by the Barack Obama campaign. The performances will include Michelle Shocked, poet and writer S. Pearl Sharp, S.H.I.N.E Mawusi women’s drum alliance, Get Lit players — teenage wizards with poetry from the sonnets of Shakespeare to hiphop, and Richard Montoya of Culture Clash. Tickets are $40 per person. Information: (310) 3915794, AshGroveMusic.com.

not yet final. McNair, 36, was from Mt. Olive, a small town in southern Mississippi.

Fans are asked to make donations to the Steve McNair Foundation.

The former quarterback was found shot to death inside a Nashville condo July 4. Sahel Kazemi, a 20-year-old woman police say he had been dating, was found dead beside him.

Police say McNair was the victim of homicide, though they aren’t yet ready to label Kazemi’s death a suicide.

On the Net: www.officialstevemcnair.com/.

loans that lined the pockets of Haiti’s dictators, especially Francois “Papa Doc” and Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, whose father-son dynasty ended in the 1986 popular rebellion that would eventually lead to the election of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

BRIEFS

7 Days a Week 7AM-4PM

2500 Redondo Beach Blvd.

modern portrayal of Peter and Paul’s last days in Rome and Peter’s last days with Christ.

Saturday afternoon performances are at 3 p.m. and Saturday evening performances are at 8. Sunday performances are at 4 p.m. Ticket prices and other information: www. goldstar.com. Reservations and information: (323) 293-2322.

• Ash Grove Summer will be kicked off with a fundraiser for the Ash Grove Foundation July 12, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., at 939 San Vicente Blvd., Santa Monica. The fundraiser will go toward the Ash Grove Summer Festival in August (date and location TBD). Ash Grove is the

Steve McNair and Sahel Kazemi

The public will have a couple of opportunities to attend viewings in Nashville July 9, and a memorial will be held later this evening at Mount Zion Baptist Church.

A funeral will be held July 11 in Mississippi but arrangements are

THE DIASPORA $1.2 Billion in Debts Canceled to Help Haiti PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Three international organizations canceled $1.2 billion of Haiti’s debt on June 30, freeing up millions of dollars each year for the deeply impoverished Caribbean nation that is beset by humanitarian crises.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund said their boards decided this week to forgive Haiti’s obligations to the two organizations, a move that triggered previously announced debt relief from the Inter-American Development Bank.

The actions erased nearly twothirds of Haiti’s outstanding debt.

As of April, Haiti owed more than $1.9 billion, according to the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Until now, the country, where more than 80 percent of its roughly 9 million people live on less than $2 a day, has been paying about $1.6 million each month to the World Bank, according to debt relief advocates at the Jubilee USA Network.

A significant portion of the debt forgiven June 30 dates back to

THE WORLD Cynthia McKinney, Gaza Activists Deported by Israel JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on July 6 deported a former U.S. congresswoman, a Nobel peace prize laureate and other activists who were arrested and jailed after trying to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. McKinney arrived in New York early on the morning of July 7.

Cynthia McKinney

The Israeli navy commandeered their boat last week as it tried to sail from Cyprus to Gaza. It was the latest in a series of trips by activists trying to bring attention to the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt on the territory after the Islamic, militant Hamas seized power there two years ago.

There were 21 passengers and three tons of medical aid on board, and most of the activists were quickly expelled. But former U.S. congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, along with seven other activists, remained in Israeli custody while the government arranged flights for them, according to Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Haddad.

They were deported by late afternoon July 6, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

July 9, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 9

ARTS & CULTURE

TV One to Begin Sunday Show Aimed At Blacks

BY DAVID BAUDER AP TELEVISION WRITER

NEW YORK (AP) — Roland Martin will anchor a new Sunday public affairs show aimed at a black audience that will debut in September on the TV One network.

The “Washington Watch” program aims to tap into a new interest in politics and government due to the election of President Barack Obama, said Johnathan Rodgers, TV One’s president and CEO. It debuts Sept. 27 at 11 a.m. EDT, and the show will be repeated each week at 5 p.m.

ORLANDO HUDSON Continued from page 1 But more than a decade ago, baseball begin to lose its luster in the black community. In 2006, blacks made up only 8.4 percent of players on major league rosters compared to 59.5 percent whites and 29.4 percent Hispanics, according to a report from the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.

While Major League Baseball has begun initiatives to improve the number of African Americans in baseball over the last few years, Orlando Hudson, second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has taken it upon himself to use his name, contacts and influence to bring attention to the issue and do something about it.

A TEAM EFFORT — Los Angeles Dodger Orlando Hudson is joined by Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners and Dodgers teammate Juan Pierre during the “Around the Mound” program at the Van Ness Recreation Center June 27.

On April 15, the day Robinson officially integrated baseball, Hudson launched the Around the Mound Tour, a new program designed to get more African American youths interested in baseball.

“It (the program) is to help inner-city kids in the community … get me more involved in the community and getting more African Americans involved in baseball,” Hudson said during the tour’s stop at the Van Ness Recreation Center in Los Angeles on June 27. “That’s something I always wanted to do: get more African Americans involved in baseball because we’re losing them. Mr. Robinson did a lot for this game of baseball and for the numbers to be declining every year, it’s sad; it’s a hurting feeling.”

The tour stops in every city where the Dodgers play where there is an African American player on that city’s team, Hudson said.

Hudson has galvanized other black major leaguers — Torii Hunter, Juan Pierre, Justin Upton and Jermaine Dye, to name a few — to help him with the effort.

Joining Hudson at the June 27 event were Pierre and the Seattle Mariners’ star Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey said “O Dog,” as Hudson is called, is a close friend and he will do anything he can to help him in the effort to promote the tour and the sport to the black community.

“He (Hudson) said ‘I need you,’ so I’m here. It’s always good to give back and he’s very passionate about doing this, and any-

thing I can do to help support that man, I’m doing it,” Griffey said, as kids and parents alike surrounded the slugger for autographs and pictures.

Griffey said the Around the Mound program is badly needed and that part of the reason baseball has lost its African American following is due to the way the game is marketed.

“They don’t market it. With basketball and football, they show the excitement of the sport on and off the field,” Griffey said. “You come to baseball and you look at the …

(All)-Star game commercial that just came out … and there’s no excitement, so kids see that. I have two boys and they want to play football because they see the excitement that they show on and off the field more than in baseball. The marketing has to show that this game is fun, and I think if they show its fun, kids will want to play it and get involved and … the numbers will slowly increase,” Griffey said.

Hudson agrees that marketing is a major factor.

“In football, there (used) to be a lot of Michael Vick commercials, a lot of LaDainian Tomlinson commercials. LeBron (James) and Kobe (Bryant) have the series of commercials going on,” Hudson said. “Ken Griffey Jr. is the Michael Jordan of baseball and he doesn’t have a commercial at all. So we’re just losing them. Baseball is really not publicized the way it should be.”

While the Around the Mound Tour pushes baseball, Hudson and his buddies also focus on the importance of education, doing homework and doing well in school, respect (especially for women), and the ability to succeed on and off the field.

Responding to one youngster who said he came from a single-family home, Hudson, who comes from a two-parent home, told the youth: “Don’t let that get to you. You can be just as successful with one parent in the house as with two parents.”

The tour is similar to MLB’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI), which seeks to also increase the number of African Americans in baseball.

John T. Young, founder of RBI, says the organization uses lessons learned in baseball, such as teamwork, working with people and sportsmanship, to help youngsters become successful in life.

He praised for Hudson and the tour.

“Anytime the kids can see Major League Ball players playing with them, touching them, they are learning from their experiences,” Young said. “It’s something you can’t get from just going to a ball game because you’re in the stands, you’re thousands of feet away from them. But the chance to interact with them, to actually touch them, to see that they actually care by coming down to your community, really means a lot to these kids.”

Young added that everyone is talking about the decline of blacks in baseball and are concerned, “but Orlando and his buddies are doing something about it. They’ve been proactive. They got out there and said, ‘What can we do?’ and they are out there doing it.”

people have few places to hear them.

“I hope to get smart, intelligent, entertaining conversation,” Rodgers said, “but I put this under the public affairs arena. It doesn’t have to be a ratings success.”

Martin said he hoped the show would reflect the state of black America every week.

While the show is Washington-based, he

said the concerns of people across the country would be reflected. He said he hopes to have viewers participate in the shows by suggesting questions and topics.

“We want to be bottom-up,” he said. “The problems I see right now from so many of these shows is that they are top-down — these are the things that we think are important.”

Colin Powell Responds to Critics of Sotomayor WASHINGTON (AP) – Colin Powell, one of the nation’s most prominent African Americans, is going after people who attacked Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor because of her stand in favor of affirmative action.

Powell, who is from the same Bronx neighborhood in New York as Sotomayor, said she should face “a spirited set of hearings” in the Senate. But he said the federal appeals court judge, who would be the first Hispanic justice, shouldn’t be condemned for ruling against white firefighters who contended they suffered reverse discrimination.

“What we can’t continue to have is to have somebody like a Judge Sotomayor ... called a racist, a reverse racist and she ought to withdraw her nomination because we’re mad at her,” Powell said in an interview broadcast July 5 on “State of the Union” on CNN. Powell made it clear that he was referring to critics outside the Senate.

“Fortunately, the senators who will sit on this hearing in the Judiciary Committee, after a few days of this kind of nonsense, said, ‘Let’s slow down, let’s examine her qualifications in the way we’re supposed to at a confirmation hearing.’ ” The committee begins hearings July 13.

Powell said Sotomayor has “an open and liberal bent of mind, but that’s not disqualifying.

But she seems to have a judicial record that seems to be balanced and tries to follow the law.”

Powell, a Republican who supported Obama, said his party still is not sensitive enough toward minorities.

He noted that Obama had a significant advantage with Hispanics and African Americans in the November elections. He criticized Republicans who are not elected to office and “immediately shout racism” against Sotomayor, while accusing Powell of supporting Obama because both men are black.

“We still have a problem,” he said.

Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has called Powell “just another liberal,” said he should become a Democrat and charged that Powell endorsed Obama based on race. Powell said July 5 that Limbaugh “doesn’t decide who I am or what I am no more than I decide’who he is or what he is.”

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 last Monday that white firefighters in Connecticut were unfairly denied promotion because of their race.

The justices threw out a decision that Sotomayor had endorsed as an appeals court judge.

A FOOT-STOMPING CELEBRATION OF HATS AND THE CHURCH-GOING WOMEN WHO WEAR THEM! Original Painting “CROWNS” ©2009 Synthia SAINT JAMES

Photo by MARTY COTWRIGHT

Martin, who is also a CNN commentator, will interview newsmakers and members of the Congressional Black Caucus. April Ryan, White House correspondent for the American Urban Radio Networks, and Robert Traynham, Philadelphia Tribune columnist and Comcast host, will be regular panel members.

Rodgers said it dawned on him when TV One covered last year’s Democratic convention and he saw many Black Caucus members trudge up to the network’s temporary rooftop studio for interviews: These politicians have few outlets to talk about their issues and

ON SALE NOW!

CroVVns (626 626) 356-7529 356 7529 WWW.PASADENAPLAYHOUSE.ORG

Regina Taylor directed by Israel Hicks by

Adapted from the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry A co-production with Ebony Repertory Theatre in Association with Regina Taylor MEDIA IA S SPONSORS

Page 10

L.A. WATTS TIMES

July 9, 2009

ARTS & CULTURE FAREWELL Continued from page 1 countries, wiped tears from their red eyes as they clutched memorial picture books given to everyone in

attendance. Picture and cell phone cameras flashed incessantly as fans tried to capture whatever memories they could, one last time.

Queen Latifah, one of the first speakers in the memorial, talked about what Jackson meant to her and how his “Dancing Machine” was one of the first records she and her brother ever purchased.

“Michael was the biggest star on earth,” Latifah said to roaring applause. She also read a tribute, “We Had Him,” from poet Maya Angelou, who was not able to attend the service.

Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, who first brought the Jackson 5 to prominence, told the crowd that, “I think ‘King of Pop’ is not big enough to describe Michael. I think he is simply the greatest entertainer who ever lived.”

Brooke Shields drew hearty

laughs as she talked about the bond she shared with Jackson and how he once tried unsuccessfully to teach her to dance.

“Michael loved to laugh,” she said.

Former Motown label mate Lionel Richie sang “Jesus is Love” and Stevie Wonder, before singing, said of Jackson’s passing, “This is a moment that I wish that I didn’t live to see.”

Academy award winner Jennifer Hudson led a choir in a version of Jackson’s “Earth Song.”

One of the most emotional moments came when Usher, who has made it known that the King of Pop was a big influence on his career, sang “Gone Too Soon.”

Choking back tears, Usher sang as he walked off the stage and down to where the family was seated. It was an emotional gesture for many in the audience.

Family friend and activist, the

Plastic hangers

Styrofoam cups

Plastic containers

Plastic grocery bags

All clean film plastic

City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works

Bureau of Sanitation

information? call (800) 773-2489

Styrofoam containers

Rev. Al Sharpton, brought the crowd to its feet on several occasions as he spoke of Jackson’s genius and love for people.

“Michael made us love each other,” Sharpton said. “Every time he got knocked down, he got back up.”

The crowd went wild when Sharpton encouraged Michael’s young children, telling them: “There was nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what he had to deal with.”

The service was closed with the songs “We Are the World” and “Heal the World,” as many of the celebrity participants and family members including Janet, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon and Randy appeared together on stage.

As the crowds started to stir, Jackson’s young daughter, Paris Katherine Jackson, took to the microphone to try and put into words what her dad meant to her and how

Photos by MARTY COTWRIGHT

much she will miss him.

“Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine,” the 11-year-old said, crying. “And I just wanted to say I love him so much.”

As Paris cried and was consoled by family members, people in the audience cried.

Many felt the memorial was a fitting tribute to the King of Pop. And as actor LeVar Burton said privately just before the service started, “It’s a beautiful day, and we’re going to send Michael home right.”

THE BIG BLUE BIN! Some things are just better in blue Now you can put all clean plastic and styrofoam items marked 1 through 7 into the Blue Container along with the usual items such as brown paper bags, cans/metal, aluminum, steel and tin, carboard, unwanted mail, mixed and colored paper, glass bottles and containers, magazines, metal coat hangers, newspapers and office paper.

Recycle the New Blues

Styrofoam packing

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure access to its programs, services and activities.

July 9, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 11

ARTS & CULTURE ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL Photos by HERBERT LEWIS

The 15th Annual Essence Music Festival was held July 3 to 5 in New Orleans. More than 200,000 people attended the threeday festival, which included a tribute to megastar Michael Jackson. Pictured (clockwise from left): Al Green, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie, Steve Harvey, Frankie Beverly.

Same bank. New look.

We’re still the same strong and trusted bank that’s helped Californians realize their financial goals for nearly 150 years. The only thing new is our logo. It’s a look inspired by the people whose lives we find so enriching – you, our customers. So stop by a branch today. We think you’ll like what you see.

©2009 Union Bank, N.A.

46215x_LAWT.indd 1

unionbank.com

6/29/09 11:35:52 AM

Page 12

L.A. WATTS TIMES

July 9, 2009

EDUCATION

Cosby Draws Crowd to An Essence Town Hall on Family

BY CHEVEL JOHNSON AP WRITER

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hundreds packed a huge hall at the Morial Convention Center on July 4 to hear from comedian, activist and educator Bill Cosby, a featured speaker at the Essence Music Festival’s annual gathering of leaders charged with finding solutions to problems facing urban America.

Cosby, who’s often criticized for his scolding tone when discussing ills facing the African American community, was warmly received, drawing applause and other positive reactions throughout his nearly 90-minute conversation.

Moderator Wendy Wilson, editor of Essence.com, noted that statistics show that every school day, some 7,000 children drop out.

“Are you sure it’s every day?”

Cosby asked, as audience members laughed. “Because if you go from September to July, at that rate, we’d have no one left to teach.”

Using his trademark storytelling humor, Cosby said curbing the nation’s dropout rate starts with educators who love what they do.

He asked the audience if they remember Mr. So-and-So or Ms. Whoever, who taught them biology or algebra and they didn’t want that teacher because “they gave too much work” but then “you were crying tears after graduating from that class, thanking that teacher for giving them so much work.”

“Our children need us,” he

Bill Cosby

said. “We’ve got to get people into the system who want to teach. We need principals who want to train teachers. In the name of God, or anyone else you believe in, 420 students need more than one counselor. Our children deserve better.”

“Those who are teachers, don’t give up,” Cosby implored.

“This is your civil rights issue now.”

Cosby also talked about the tendency of some in the community to “play the blame game” instead of searching for a solution to whatever problem was at hand.

“If something bad is happening in the community, why do we just keep on talking about it?” he said. “We’ve got to get our people to believe in themselves again, to value themselves and stop waiting for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to fix it.”

Eric Wesson, of Kansas City, Mo., said he thought Cosby’s comments were on point.

“I think he did a phenomenal job bringing issues we face daily to the forefront,” he said. “I also think he may have been preaching to the choir because most of those in this arena already have a bit of social consciousness and the question remains on whether they can take it back to the community. He was more of a motivator in that regard, to get people out and working in the community.”

The town hall’s host, political commentator Roland Martin, gave the audience homework assignments, asking them to write down one thing they would do over the course of the next year to fix a problem in their home town.

“How do we move forward with the issues facing our community? What will you do to change where you live?” he said.

Regina Saiz, of Gilbert, Ariz., said Cosby was interesting as always.

“I think his reiterating that we’ve got to do it on our own really hit home and he was able to make his point using humor,” she said.

B e n j a m i n To d d J e a l o u s , national president and chief executive of the NAACP, also addressed the crowd and asked for their help in tackling issues facing America, among them, universal health care, racial profiling, the No Child Left Behind act and unions for small businesses.

“We need your help,” he said.

New America Media Commentary

A Time-Out for California’s High School Exit Exam

BY KAREN BASS

Editor’s note: Since 2006, all California high school students have been required to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in order graduate and receive their diplomas. But with schools facing drastic budget cuts, the state Legislature is proposing a four-year moratorium on the exam because of the decreased resources going to schools and students. The following op-ed argues a view on the proposed suspension of CAHSEE and the impacts it would have on students and on California’s economic development. Speaker of

the Assembly Karen Bass supports the moratorium.

As part of its comprehensive package of budget-related spending cuts, revenue increases, and policy reforms, the California Legislature proposes suspending the requirement that students pass the California High School Exits Exam (CAHSEE) to receive a diploma.

Although the CAHSEE law was enacted a decade ago, it has been fraught with delays and litigation and has only been in effect for four graduating classes. We propose a four-year moratorium.

WEEKEND COLLEGE Turn your weekend getaway into a weekend get ahead.

Attend classes only 18 weekends a year ...and earn a full year of college credit!

You can enroll in our Bachelor‘s in Social Work or choose one of 7 other bachelor‘s degrees.

Attend one of our Saturday morning Information Sessions on July 11 or July 25.

Mount St. Mary’s College Visit www.WeekendCollege.org or call 213.477.2866

Not surprisingly, the plan has been met with cries of outrage from certain quarters. But suspending the exam makes good sense in a budget criKaren Bass sis and as good educational policy.

First, consider our budget.

California is facing an economic and budget crisis of epic proportions. We are watching the systematic dismantling of government in California. Transportation, public safety, environmental protection, state parks, colleges and universities are all experiencing unprecedented cuts.

The governor has even proposed eliminating key elements of the health and social service safety net for children, the poor, the elderly, and the disabled.

Public education, too, is facing countless billions of dollars in cuts. Fiscal years 2008-09 and 2009-10 will see the largest disinvestment in public education since the Great Depression: Tens of thousands of teachers are slated for layoffs.

School support staff are being fired. Remedial programs are being curtailed. The instructional year is being shortened. Class sizes are See EXIT EXAM, page 13

NOTEBOOK College District Seeks Board of Trustees Applicants The Compton Community College District is searching for someone to serve as an appointed member of the board of trustees until the next regularly scheduled election for Governing Board members, which is Nov. 3.

Due to a recent board vacancy, a qualified applicant will be appointed to serve the remainder o f the term through Dec. 4.

Candidates must be at least 18 years old, a resident of the district and Trustee Area 1 (which includes the City of Compton), and a registered voter.

The board is responsible for the performance of the college district and — through an agreement with El Camino College — supports the El Camino College Compton Community Educational Center, which serves about 10,000 students and provides vital educational services to the communities of Carson, Compton, North Long Beach, Lynwood, Paramount and Willowbrook.

The board meets at least monthly, generally on the third Tuesday of the month. Applications are due July 27, 4:30 p.m. The board intends to make a provisional appointment no later than Aug. 14.

Information and application materials are available from the office of the CEO/provost at 1111 E. Artesia Blvd., Compton. Further information: (310) 900-1600, ext.

2007.

Program Fills Gap Left by Summer School Cancellation With the cancellation of summer school, many parents have been left with no academic alternative for their children this summer.

The Brotherhood Crusade is offering a free enrichment program for youths ages 10 to 15 entitled G.R.Y.D (Gang Reduction and Youth Development program).

The program offers afterschool, weekend and summer curriculums that improve academic performance, commitment to school, youth and family health, community economic development and community engagement.

The program offers opportunities that directly relate to struggles that affect this age group, including anger management, peer pressure, negative friends and delinquency.

To qualify for the program, youth must live within the Exposition Park/Martin Luther King Park area (bounded by Exposition Boulevard to the north, Figueroa Boulevard to the east, Vernon Avenue to the south and Western Avenue to the west).

Information: Astrea Flowers, (323) 846-1649, www.brotherhoodcrusade.org.

NY School District Appeals $400K Settlement Order ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — The Ithaca City School District will appeal a state order to pay $400,000 to settle a racial harassment lawsuit.

The school board voted July 3 to file a petition for review of the decision by the state Human

Rights Commission. The commission ordered the district in May to pay $400,000 to Amelia Kearney and her daughter and undertake a series of reforms.

In a 2006 complaint, Kearney claimed the school district failed to act promptly and effectively to protect her daughter Epiphany, who is black.

The harassment by white students included racially abusive language, tripping, spitting, KKK signs and even threatened gun violence while she was a seventhgrader at DeWitt Middle School.

Rhee in Talks With Calif.

Group to Run School WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of Washington, D.C., schools — Michelle Rhee — is in discussions with a nonprofit in Los Angeles about running a lowachieving school in Washington.

Green Dot Public Schools has improved one of Los Angeles’ most challenging schools.

Steve Barr, Green Dot’s founder and chairman, met with Chancellor Michelle Rhee recently.

Green Dot operates 17 small charter schools in Los Angeles and one in New York City.

Barr is probably best known for his takeover of Locke Senior High School from the Los Angeles Unified School District last year, when he replaced most of the faculty, divided the 1,800-student school into smaller “academies” and increased spending on security.

Green Dot has been praised for making the campus safer and significantly increasing attendance and student retention rates.

D.C. and Green Dot officials said discussions are in an early stage. But Green Dot’s possible role indicates Rhee’s continued interest in developing partnerships with private education management organizations to run some of Washington’s high schools.

Rhee’s spokeswoman Jennifer Calloway said they “spoke in general about what Green Dot has done in L.A. and the need for reform on the high school level in D.C.” Calloway said that over the next few months, Barr would meet with Rhee’s staff “to see if Green Dot could bring value to” D.C. public schools.

Chowan Now Full Member of Historically Black CIAA RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A private, predominantly Baptist university in Division II has become a full member of the nation’s oldest historically black conference.

Chowan’s membership in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association officially began July 1, a year after the Hawks started playing football as the only nonhistorically black college in the league.

Ten of the 12 athletic programs at Chowan, which has an enrollment of about 900 students, will begin play in 2009-10. The university plans to upgrade its men’s and women’s cross country teams to make it a dozen.

July 9, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 13

HEALTH

Few Survive Cardiac Arrest, Even With Hospital CPR

BY MARILYNN MARCHIONE AP MEDICAL WRITER

You don’t have to be Michael Jackson to have this problem: The odds of surviving cardiac arrest after getting CPR in a hospital are slim and have not improved in more than a decade, a big Medicare study concluded.

Only about 18 percent of such patients live long enough to leave the hospital, researchers found.

Blacks fared worse than whites — a disparity only partly explained by more of them being treated in hospitals that did a poorer job of CPR. Results were published in the July 2 New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Lance Becker, a University of Pennsylvania emergency medicine specialist and an American

BUDGET TALKS Continued from page 1 45 minutes on July 6 and will continue attending budget talks as some progress is being made, said his spokeswoman, Alicia Trost.

“There are still fundamental differences,” between Democrats and the Republican governor, she said.

Failure to find a quick resolution will leave thousands of state vendors in limbo. Last week, the state began issuing IOUs for all types of services provided by private contractors, including community health clinics, suppliers and janitorial crews.

Adding further urgency to the talks, many banks that agreed to accept the IOUs have said they will only do so until July 10.

Last week, Schwarzenegger ordered some 235,000 state workers

EXIT EXAM Continued from page 12 being increased all over the state.

How can we pull the financial rug out from under our students, our teachers, and our public schools and still ask them to achieve the same outcomes? We clearly can’t. Dramatic funding cuts have real consequences.

But the budget situation is only a part of the rationale for suspending the exam. Two months ago, Sean Reardon of Stanford University released findings of his research on the exam. The results were disturbing, but also compelling and unassailable: The exam has had a dramatic negative effect on the graduation rates of girls and on students of color.

Graduation rates for girls in the lowest achievement quartile are 19 percent lower than before the exit exam was instituted; for students of color in the lowest achievement quartile, graduation rates are 15 to 19 percent lower.

These effects are unrelated to school quality.

And finally, contrary to widespread assertions about exit exams, CAHSEE appears to have no positive effects — and may have negative effects — on student achievement.

The final paragraph of the See EXIT EXAM, page 15

Heart Association spokesman, called the findings “grim” and “a wake-up call that we need to redouble our efforts” to find better ways to treat cardiac arrest. It occurs when the heart quivers or stops beating entirely, because of a heart attack, a sudden heart rhythm problem, a drug overdose or other cause.

CPR, rhythmic chest compressions, can help maintain blood pressure and flow until more advanced treatments can be tried. Those might involve using a defibrillator to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm.

Big strides have been made getting bystanders to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation and to use defibrillators, but the new study suggests that less improvement is occurring in the nation’s hospitals.

Researchers led by Dr. William

Ehlenbach at the University of Washington in Seattle analyzed the care of 433,985 Medicare patients treated from 1992 through 2005 around the United States.

Survival odds did not substantially change over time, they found.

Blacks had survival rates about onequarter lower than whites. Men, older patients, and people admitted from nursing homes also had lower survival rates after CPR. The study was funded by grants from the federal government and several foundations.

“It’s troubling. We have made a lot of progress in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest,” including a near tripling of survival rates in the Seattle area after community and rescue worker training efforts, said Dr. Paul S. Chan. He is a quality-of-care

to take a third furlough day a month, cutting their pay by a total of 14 percent.

The developments on July 6 came after futile talks over the holiday weekend, and after Republicans in the state Senate blocked a proposal last week to cut $3 billion in spending before the July 1 start of the fiscal year. That action widened the deficit by about $2 billion, in large part because more money will now flow to schools under California’s complex education-funding formula.

Schwarzenegger and GOP senators said the Democratic majority in both houses of the Legislature needed to deal with the entire deficit at once rather than in piecemeal fashion.

Also on July 6, Fitch Ratings downgraded California’s bond rating for the second time in two weeks because of the budget stalemate.

“A BBB rating will represent a hit of hundreds of millions of dollars on taxpayers’ pockets,” when the state tries to sell $53 billion in bonds for public works projects such as schools and roads, said Tom Dresslar, a spokesman for state Treasurer Bill Lockyer.

The governor is pushing for reforms he says will save California hundreds of millions of dollars a year and show taxpayers that state government is accountable for how it spends their money.

He met on July 6 with district attorneys from five counties to dis-

cuss alleged fraud in the in-home supportive services program, which provides care for people with medical problems.

Schwarzenegger said he wants caregivers and patients to be fingerprinted as a way to prevent fraud and institute unannounced compliance checks at recipients’ homes.

“The legislators upstairs, some of them, are very reluctant to do that.

They feel that it would be an insult to fingerprint a patient,” Schwarzenegger said. “I always tell them that fingerprinting is quite common in a lot of different areas.”

Schwarzenegger estimated the state could save as much as $500 million a year by rooting out fraud in the program, but critics of his proposal said it would yield far less than that.

Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said the governor is asking for reforms to four state programs: in-home care, pensions for new public employees, Medi-Cal and CalWorks, the low-cost health insurance program for the poor.

Bass said many of the governor’s reforms are worthy of consideration.

“But what is most important right now is that we close the deficit, that we not continue to lose $25 million a day,” she said.

McLear said the other legislative leaders would continue working toward a compromise on the budget deficit, with or without Bass.

Testosterone Dose Response in Surgically Menopausal Women Principal Investigator: Matthew H. Ho, Ph.D., M.D. “Thank you for your interest in our research program. The purpose of this particular study is to find out the effects of testosterone, in women. Women who are post-menopause often have low testosterone levels in their blood. Some doctors recommend giving testosterone to women after menopause, but it is not clear whether this helps women health. This study may find out whether it is beneficial to replace testosterone in women who are post-menopause and therefore have low testosterone in their blood. This research study may also find out the most appropriate dose of testosterone that shows beneficial effects on women’s sex life, muscle and fat mass, physical function, and ability to solve some types of problems with the least amount of side effects.

“We will measure the effects of testosterone on fat and muscle size, muscle strength, sexual desire and activity, and higher functions of the brain. Approximately 140 women will take part in this study that is approved and funded by the National Institutes of Health. The protocol of this study has also been reviewed and approved by our Institutional Review Board.

“For this study, we are looking for women between the ages of 21 to 60, who are post-menopausal (either menopause occurred naturally with their ovaries intact or occurred surgically with their ovaries removed) and have had their uterus removed by surgery, and who do not have breast or uterine cancer. Do you meet these criteria?”

For information call (323) 357-3697 “If you are interested in obtaining more information about this study or taking part in this study, I can set up an appointment for you to come to our Clinical Study Center at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science. During this visit, I will explain all the procedures in great detail, describe the risks and benefits involved, and answer any questions that you might have about this research study.”

researcher at St. Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo. His own research, published in the New England journal last year, found that one-third of hospitalized patients do not get a potentially livesaving defibrillator shock within the recommended two minutes of suffering cardiac arrest.

Even when CPR is given by these highly trained hospital staffers, chest compressions often are too slow or too shallow to be effective, Chan said.

Guidelines recommend 100 chest compressions per minute, Chan said.

“Our performance in treating people with cardiac arrest is not improving,” said Yale University cardiologist Dr. Harlan Krumholz.

“Given that we know that there are delays to treatment across the country and those delays increase risk,

there likely exists a big opportunity for hospitals to do better.”

Dr. Gerald Buckberg, a surgeon at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, is trying radical approaches to improve survival, including use of a heart-lung machine to buy time while doctors try to fix the underlying problem that caused the cardiac arrest, such as clogged arteries triggering a heart attack.

By doing CPR independent of other steps to fix the underlying problem, “we have only treated the symptom of sudden death — we haven’t treated the reason,” Buckberg said.

Doctors have become too accepting of the fact CPR saves some patients, he said.

“We should not accept the failure” that the vast majority die.

On the Net: Medical journal: www.nejm.org; Heart Association: www.americanheart.org.

You are not alone living with Bipolar Depression. Let us help.

Participants needed for a research study on

BIPOLAR DEPRESSION Are you 18 65 years of age?

Have you been struggling with DEPRESSION, including: • Loss of interest or low energy • Sleeping problems or change in appetite • Feelings of worthlessness Have you ever had a period of time when you had increased energy or irritability, needed less sleep, had too many ideas to keep track of, or your thoughts jumped from topic to topic?

If so, we want to hear from you.

You may be Qualified participants will receive free compensated up to investigational medication, doctor visits and financial compensation. $375.

To learn more, please call Ana at: Principal Investigator: Lori Altshuler, M.D. UCLA IRB #: 06 04 023 04 Expires: 12/17/2009

(310) 794 6663 Visit our website at: www.uclamood.org

Page 14

L.A. WATTS TIMES

July 9, 2009

HEALTH THE PULSE

Lack of sleep raises a woman’s risk of heart disease more than it does for a man, research suggests.

Sleeping less than the recommended eight hours a night has been linked to a raised risk of heart problems. Researchers found levels of inflammatory markers — indicators of heart disease — vary significantly with sleep duration in women, but not men.

The study, by University College London and the University of Warwick, appears in the journal Sleep.

Previous research has suggested people who sleep less than five hours a night have an increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, compared to those who get the full eight hours.

The latest study found levels of a molecule called interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is known to trigger inflammation, were much lower in women who reported sleeping eight hours, compared to those who slept for seven hours.

Levels of another molecule, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) — which is linked to heart problems — were significantly higher in women who reported sleeping for five hours or less.

L.A. Man Convicted of Defrauding Medicare for $7.7M (AP) — Prosecutors say a Los Angeles man who prescribed unnecessary motorized wheelchairs using a doctor’s stolen identity has been convicted for his part in defrauding Medicare for $7.7 million.

The U. S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release July 1 that 59-year-old Ronald Luis Bradshaw

was found guilty of health care fraud, conspiracy to commit health care fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Lu said that, between 2005 and 2008, Bradshaw prescribed hundreds of motorized wheelchairs and other devices to Medicare beneficiaries, some of whom testified they were recruited with the promise of free exams or free medical equipment.

Bradshaw is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

Monica group that monitors insurance practices, has asked the court to order the Department of Managed Health Care to require insurers to provide autistic children with treatments ordered by their doctors. The group also wants the department to turn over records showing the agency’s violations in this area.

“The essence of the suit is that doctors, not insurance company bureaucrats or government lawyers, should make decisions about what kind of care a child gets,” said Jerry Flanagan, health care policy

Consumer Group Sues Calif.

Regulators Over Autism Care

NEWLYWEDS

(AP) — A consumer advocate group has sued California regulators accusing them of violating mental health and other laws by allowing health insurers to deny critical treatments for children with autism.

Consumer Watchdog, a Santa

Continued from page 3 For example, one financial planning topic that sometimes pushes underlying marital conflict to the surface is estate planning — when estates are large enough to require equalization to avoid estate tax.

Another classic financial struggle between couples that often spills over into financial planning sessions are between “the spender and the saver,” said FPA member Bedda D’Angelo, of Fiduciary Solutions in Durham, N.C., in a Journal of Financial Planning article.

director for the consumer group.

“This lawsuit is against state regulators for changing its practices and siding with insurance companies.”

The lawsuit filed June 30 in Los Angeles Superior Court accuses the department and its director Cindy Ehnes of changing the state agency’s policy to allow insurers to deny coverage for so-called applied behavioral analysis in violation of the California Mental Health Parity Act. The law requires health insurers to cover medically necessary treatments for autism.

According to the Journal of Financial Planning, one other common source of conflict between spouses, seasoned planners say, involves varying levels of risk tolerance.

In some cases, one person may be more tolerant of risk than another.

This column is produced by the Financial Planning Association, the membership organization for the financial planning community, and is provided by Percy E. Bolton, CFP, a local member of FPA. Bolton can be reached at office@percybolton.com.

BIZSHORTS Continued from page 3

Schwarzenegger: Calif.

Lawmakers Protecting Unions SACRAMENTO (AP) — California’s Democratic-led Legislature is putting union interests over taxpayers’ well-being, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said July 2 as the state started printing IOUs for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The Republican governor said Democrats have resisted reforms he believes must be part of solving the state’s $26.3 billion shortfall.

Democrats said he’s trying to preserve his legacy with 18 months left in office.

“The legislators’ failure to act on these proposals sends a message to Californians that says, ‘We want

Facts July 9, 1893 The first successful open-heart surgery, without anesthesia, is performed by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams at Provident Hospital in Chicago.

Source: blackfacts.com

you to make the sacrifices but we in Sacramento don’t want to make any sacrifices or any changes,’ ” Schwarzenegger said during a press conference in Fresno.

“Protecting the special interests who benefit from our dysfunctional system was more important to them than solving our deficit,” he said.

Democrats said they are willing to compromise on the governor’s ideas but insist they will protect children’s health insurance, welfare-to-work and human assistance programs. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass said the deficit has taken a back seat to the governor’s reform agenda.

“The first priority is fixing the budget and it seems as though ... the governor’s priority now is about fixing his legacy,” said the Los Angeles Democrat.

The governor recently ordered some 235,000 state employees to take a third day off a month without pay, a move that would cut their pay by 14 percent.

This is personal.

She was the cornerstone of our family. But my mother died of colon cancer when she was only 56. Let my heartbreak be your wake-up call.

Colorectal cancer is the 2nd leading cancer killer in the U.S., but screening helps prevent this disease.

Terrence Howard, actor/musician

If you’re 50 or older, please get screened. Screening saves lives.

1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) s www.cdc.gov/screenforlife

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Photo: Andrew Macpherson

Study: Lack of Sleep Raises Women’s Heart Risk More Than Men’s

July 9, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 15

SPORTS BRAD PYE JR.

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

As usual, Tiger Woods, the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus) and the Major League Baseball-leading L.A. Dodgers dominated and produced winning weekends.

On the tennis courts from Watts to Wimbledon in London, when the Williams sisters play against each other, it’s dog-eat-dog. That was the case July 4 when the sisters met in the “Williams Final” as Serena spoiled Venus’ bid for her sixth singles and back-to-back Wimbledon crowns.

Serena’s 7-6 (3), 6-2 win was her third Wimbledon victory and gave her an 11-10 record in all-time events against Venus. Serena now leads 7-5 in grand slam matches against Venus. Serena’s win prevented Venus from tying Billie Jean King’s 11 Wimbledon victories.

On July 5, Tiger Woods didn’t mean to be greedy, but he still won his own AT&T Tournament, with a 67 final round. He finished with rounds of 64, 66, 70 and 67 for a 267

and 156 TDs as a Titan. McNair spent the final two years of his 13year career with the Baltimore Colts. McNair came within one-yard in the final seconds in leading the Titans to the Super Bowl XXXIV title. This would have made McNair win the Super Bowl.

And the beat continues Coach Phil Jackson will reportedly return for his 19th season as coach, and he was the one pushing

Juan Pierre

breaking MLB’s drug policy, his replacement, Juan Pierre, was hitting .318 and had smacked a dozen or so homers. Now Pierre is a benchwarmer. That’s a cold shot.

Two of the first-place AL West Angels are headed for the July 14 All-Star game in St. Louis. The two Angels are Torii Hunter and Brian Fuentes. Third baseman Chone Figgins could be selected, too. A trio of Dodgers is also going — Orlando Hudson, Chad Billingsley and Jonathan Broxton.

And the beat continues Ex-Tennessee Titans’ star quarterback Steve McNair, 36, one of the NFL’s all-time greats and

Tiger Woods

score and a 13 under par to edge Hunter Mahan, who closed with a course-record-tying 62. Woods’ share of the purse is $1.1million.

This was his third victory of the year and 68th of his career.

After blowing a 5-1 lead in the ninth on July 5, the Dodgers let the San Diego Padres tie the score at 66. The Dodgers had to hold on in the 13th for a 7-6 victory. The Dodgers finally won two of the three-game series to maintain the best record in baseball.

When Manny Ramirez returned to the Dodgers line-up on July 3 after a 50-game suspension for

Steve McNair

future Hall of Famer from little old Alcorn State University, was shot four times and killed along with his girlfriend, 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, in Nashville, Tenn., over the weekend. She was shot once in the head. Police are considering it a murder-suicide. McNair and Warren Moon (L.A. Hamilton High), the first and only African American QB in the Hall of Fame, and McNair own virtually all of the passing and running QB records in Titans history.

McNair threw for 27,141 yards

EXIT EXAM Continued from page 13 study captures the implications of these findings much more eloquently than I could hope to: “This study provides no evidence that the CAHSEE exam policy as currently implemented has any benefits for students. It does not serve students well, and appears to have sharply inequitable effects. Moreover, California, like the twenty-plus other states that have exit exam policies, spends millions of dollars and a considerable amount of instructional time

on exit exam test preparation, administration, and remediation.

Our analysis suggests that, to date, this has been neither money nor time well spent.”

The research is clear. The exam, at least in its current form, is a failed experiment. Our students and our schools need at least a hiatus in its implementation to determine whether, or in what form, this test should continue in existence.

Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) is speaker of the state Assembly.

Phil Jackson

for the signing of the Houston Rockets’ free agent Ron Artest.

Coach Jackson is undoubtedly one of the greatest coaches in history.

However, letting Trevor Ariza skip off to Houston, for all he did to help the Lakers become NBA champions for the 15th time, appears to this column writer to be a cold shot. Like they say, this is business.

Candace Parker, the Rookie of the Year and MVP winner, returned to practice with the L.A. Sparks two months and a half after giving birth to her baby in May. Parker announced this week she would play against the Phoenix Mercury July 5 at the Staples Center. Lisa Leslie, the Sparks’ other superstar, says her knee injury should be well enough to return on July 22. After the July 5 104-89 loss to the Phoenix Mercury, the Sparks hit the road for six games.

And the beat ends Brad Pye Jr. can be reached at switchreel@aol.com.

Serena Williams Still Chasing True Grand Slam

BY CHRIS LEHOURITES AP SPORTS WRITER

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Even with three of the last four major titles in hand, Serena Williams is still upset about the one that got away.

She beat sister Venus for her third Wimbledon title July 4, making the younger Williams the reigning champion at the U.S. Open, the Australian Open and the All England Club.

However, a second French Open title and a chance at a true Grand Slam — winning all four majors in the same year — eluded her.

“I’m really disappointed because I think this is the year I could have done it. And I didn’t,” Serena said July 5, a day after beating Venus 7-6 (3), 6-2 on the Centre Court grass. “I honestly had the biggest chance to win all four than I’ve ever had in my career.”

Over the last five Grand Slam tournaments, Serena has an astonishing 31-2 record. Her only setbacks were a straight-set loss to Venus in last year’s Wimbledon final and a three-set loss to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the French Open quarterfinals.

“I really just basically screwed up. But I can’t live in the past, even though I am always still thinking about my quarterfinal match that I could have won,” Serena said. “But what can I do?”

What she can still do is repeat her feat of winning all four majors in succession, as she did in 2003 when she completed her “Serena Slam” with the Australian Open title.

“My goal now is win, to keep winning until I get to the French and win the French and then I’ll just have another ‘Serena Slam,’ ” the 27-year-old American said.

Serena’s third Wimbledon crown — all have come with wins over Venus in the final — was her 11th major singles title overall.

What’s next? Probably more titles.

“I never thought I would be at this point where I would think about,

Serena Williams

‘Wow, I want to win X amount,’ ” Serena said. “But for the first time in my career, well the second time, I have a number that I want to reach.

“My first number was reaching Monica Seles, I was finally able to do that,” Serena said, referring to the nine Grand Slam titles to match Seles. “Now I’m looking at Billie Jean King.”

King, who was in the crowd July 4 to watch the sisters play their eighth Grand Slam final, won 12 major titles. Margaret Smith Court holds the women’s record with 24 major singles titles.

Just getting close to King’s number has been a testament to Serena’s perseverance.

She had won six of her Grand Slam titles by 2003, but big wins came far less frequently after that, as she began to focus on projects away from tennis. That has changed recently, and along with her success has come the enjoyment of playing.

“I’m having a lot of fun now, more fun,” Serena said. “I don’t play unless I’m really enjoying myself. I think that’s the difference with now.

I’m really, every moment out there, I want to be out there. There’s nothing like doing something that you love so much.”

It is certainly showing in her form.

Despite staying at No. 2 in the rankings behind Dinara Safina, she has proved during the last year she is by far the best player on the tour.

Serena has a 32-7 record in 2009, See SERENA page 16

Page 16

L.A. WATTS TIMES

July 9, 2009

PUBLIC NOTICE ANNOUNCEMENT OF PUBLIC REVIEW AND PUBLIC HEARING The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) has developed and will be publishing its Draft Agency Plan for Fiscal Year 2010 in compliance with the Housing Reform Act of 1998. The Draft Agency Plan will be available for public review and comment beginning Friday July 10, 2009 through Thursday August 27, 2009. The Public Hearing for the 2010 Draft Agency Plan will be held: Thursday August 27, 2009 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Anne's 155 N. Occidental Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026. The 2010 Draft Agency Plan can be reviewed during normal business hours at the Management Offices and Resident Council offices at the large family developments and also at: HACLA Central Office 2600 Wilshire Blvd. 3rd Floor L.A., CA 90057 HACLA Valley Offices 8121 Van Nuys Blvd – Suites 600 & 650 Panorama City, CA 91402 HACLA Application Center 515 S. Columbia Avenue, L.A., CA 90017 Avalon Gardens Management Office 701 E. 88th St L.A., CA 90002 Estrada Courts Management Office 3232 Estrada St L.A., CA 90023 Gonzaque Village Management Office 1515 E 105th St L.A., CA 90002 Imperial Courts Management Office 11541 Croesus Ave L.A., CA 90059 Jordan Downs Management Office 9800 Grape St L.A., CA 90002 Mar Vista Gardens Management Office 11965 Allin St L.A., CA 90230 Nickerson Gardens Management Office 1590 114th St L.A., CA 90059 Pico/Las Casitas Management Office 1526 E. 4th St L.A., CA 90033 Pueblo Del Rio Management Office 1801 East 53rd St L.A., CA 90058 Ramona Gardens Management Office 2830 Lancaster Ave L.A., CA 90033 Rancho San Pedro Management Office 275 West 1st St San Pedro, CA 90731 Rose Hill Courts Management Office 4466 Florizel L.A., CA 90032 San Fernando Gardens Management Office 10995 Lehigh Ave Pacoima, CA 91331 Section 8 Valley Office 6946 Van Nuys Blvd. Ste 100 Van Nuys, CA 91405 7/9/09 CNS-1634504# WATTS TIMES FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20090902545 The following person is doing business as: Marilynn Boyko & Associates 2537-D Pacific Coast Hwy #344 Torrance, CA 90505-7035 Marilynn Boyko 4709 Jacques Street Torrance, CA 90503 This business is conducted by an Individual.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Marilynn Boyko.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on June 16, 2009. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

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

Published: 6/18/09, 6/25/09, 7/2/09, 7/9/09 LAWT374

Facts July 8, 2001 Venus Williams wins her second straight Wimbledon Women’s Singles Championship. Venus is the first woman to win consecutive Wimbledon Championships since 1995-96, and the first black woman to win Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1958.

Source: blackfacts.com

NOTICE INVITING BIDS FOR PIER G MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR COMPLEX BUILDINGS AT PIER G, BERTHS G230-G236 LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA AS DESCRIBED IN SPECIFICATION NO. HD-S2233 AND DRAWINGS LISTED ON DRAWING NOS. HD 10-1839-A0.1A AND HD 10-1839-A0.1B AND REFERENCE DRAWINGS LISTED ON DRAWING NO. HD 101839-A0.0 All bids must be submitted before 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 25, 2009.

Any Bids received at or after 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 25, 2009 will be deemed non-responsive and will not be opened. Bids will be publicly opened in the 6th Floor Board Room of the Harbor Department Administration Building, 925 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach, California, 90802 at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 25, 2009. Bids shall be sealed in an envelope and the outside of the envelope should clearly state the specification number, title of the project and the bid opening date. Bids received before Tuesday, August 25, 2009 shall be sent to the 4th Floor, Plans and Specifications office, where the bid envelope will be date stamped. If bids are hand-carried or received the day of bid opening, prior to 10:00 a.m., the bids will be clocked in at the Lobby desk of the Harbor Department Administration Building and taken to the 6th Floor Board Room by the Port Contract Administrator.

Copies of said specifications and drawings in CD format may be obtained, at no cost, in the Plans and Specifications office, 4th floor, Harbor Department Administration Building beginning Thursday, July 9, 2009 during the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. To arrange to receive a CD by courier, at the expense of the Bidder, call the office at (562) 590-4140.

The printing of hard copies from the CD will be the responsibility of the Bidder.

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 forms are available: http://www.polb.com/economics/contractors/forms_permits/insurance.asp.

NOTE: The Engineering Staff of the Harbor Department will conduct a prebid meeting at 2:00p.m. on Tuesday, August 4, 2009, in the Board Room, 6th floor, of the Harbor Department Administration Building. Immediately following the pre-bid meeting, a site visit will be conducted. Attendance at both the pre-bid meeting and site visit is mandatory. BIDS RECEIVED FROM BIDDERS WHO HAVE NOT ATTENDED THE PRE-BID MEETING AND THE SITE VISIT WILL BE DEEMED NONRESPONSIVE AND REJECTED. This project is subject to the Port of Long Beach (POLB) Small Business Enterprises (SBE) and Very Small Business Enterprises (VSBE) Program.

POLB expects all Bidders to achieve the combined SBE/VSBE participation goal for this project which is thirty five percent (35%) SBE/VSBE, of which a minimum of ten percent (10%) must be allocated to VSBEs. Award of the Contract will be conditioned on the Bidder providing documentation that it has obtained enough SBE/VSBE participation to meet the goal or that it made adequate good faith efforts to meet the goal even though it did not obtain enough SBE/VSBE participation to do so as specified in the Special Provision SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISES (SBE) VERY SMALL BUSINESS (VSBE) PROGRAM GOALS & PROCEDURES (S.P. 38). The Port’s SBE Staff is available to provide information on the program requirements, including SBE certification assistance. Please contact the SBE Staff at (562) 590-4146.

The City of Long Beach has established criteria requiring that selected new buildings constructed and owned by the City be constructed in accordance with sustainable building practices. The MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR COMPLEX BUILDINGS included in this Contract have been selected and must be LEED certified, Silver. In order to evaluate whether or not sustainable building practices are being properly implemented, the City has adopted the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED-NC rating system. The version of the LEED rating system being enforced for this project is Version 2.2 for new construction. The Contractor shall employ a LEED Accredited Professional for the project duration who shall have current experience of an active LEED project or completed a LEED project.

Work under this project, as more fully described in Specifications HD-S2233 and Drawings listed on Drawing Nos. HD-10-1839-A0.1A and A0.1B, generally consists of furnishing all transportation, labor, materials, tools, equipment, services, and incidentals for work including, but not limited to, the following, to accomplish the Pier G MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR COMPLEX BUILDINGS project at Pier G, Berths G230-G236.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20090764357 The following person is doing business as: Lady “J’s” Little Angels 11111 S. Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90047 Janice Antoine 11111 S. Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90047 This business is conducted by an Individual.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Janice Antoine.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on May 22, 2009. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

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

Published: 6/25/09, 7/2/09, 7/9/09, 7/16/09 LAWT375

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20090950091 The following person is doing business as: Louche Living 660 S. Figueroa St. 24th Fl. Los Angeles, CA 90017 Louche Designs 660 S. Figueroa St. 24th Fl. Los Angeles, CA 90017 Solomon Mansoor 660 S. Figueroa St. 24th Fl. Los Angeles, CA 90017 This business is conducted by an Individual.

I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Solomon Mansoor.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on June 24, 2009. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

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

Published: 7/2/09, 7/9/09, 7/16/09, 7/23/09 LAWT376

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

1. Supervision, coordination, project staging, and LEED project management.

2. Compliance, including separate documentation for each Facility, with all specified LEED requirements for construction, and certification with the USGBC, of: a. Maintenance and Repair Complex Buildings, as a LEED Silver Certified Facility. b. West Arrival Building, as a LEED Silver Certified Facility.

3. Demolition and removal to existing improvements of a portion of Pier G backlands, as indicated on the Contract Drawings.

4. Construction of buildings and site work which includes: a. Maintenance and Repair Building. b. West Arrival Building. c. Reefer Wash Building. d. Disposal Enclosure. e. West Longshore Restroom Building. f. Building mechanical and plumbing systems. g. Building electrical systems. h. Associated parking lots. i. Fences, turnstiles, bollards, and other site improvements including masonry wall, storm drainage, and miscellaneous concrete. j. Site electrical systems, including distribution, lighting, and substation work.

5. Construct potable and reclaimed water systems and sewer system.

6. Regrade and pave with asphalt concrete, including striping and markings.

7. Provide construction security fence with railing (Type K), permanent fencing, railing (Type K), and other traffic, security and safety control.

Bidders shall, at the time of submitting their bids, be in compliance with Section 7028.15 of the California Business and Professions Code, be licensed by the State Contractor’s License Board as a General Engineering Contractor with a "Class A" license with a hazardous rider certification indicated on license.

In addition, as shown in the Table of Contents (page vii,) the Contractor shall submit with the bid the completed Contractor’s LEED Officer Qualifications Form contained in Appendix K and the Contractor Building Experience Qualification Form contained in Appendix N. Whenever any material, product, thing, or service identified in the specifications is described by one or more brand or trade names and is followed by the words “or equal”, the apparent low bidder shall submit data substantiating a request for the substitution of equivalent item(s) within forty-eight (48) hours following bid opening.

All bids shall be submitted upon forms provided by the City accompanied by a satisfactory "Bidder’s Bond" or other acceptable security deposit in an amount not less than ten percent (10%) of such bid as a guarantee that the Bidder will, if conditionally awarded a Contract by the Board, within thirty (30) calendar days thereafter, execute and deliver such Contract to the office of the Chief Harbor Engineer along with all required insurance forms and a “Payment Bond” for not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract price, and a “Performance Bond” for not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract price. The “Bidder’s Bond” shall be signed by the bidder and the surety and both signatures shall be notarized.

Time for Completion of this project is eight hundred twenty (820) calendar days. See detailed requirements, including milestones and constraints, specified under S.P. 15 “Time of Completion and Liquidated Damages.”

The Board of Harbor Commissioners, acting through the Executive Director, reserves the right at any time prior to the execution of the Contract by the City, to reject all bids and to return all deposits accompanying said bids. If the lowest responsive bidder fails to submit the required insurance forms, bonds and signed Contract within thirty (30) calendar days after conditional award, the Board reserves the right to rescind the conditional award and conditionally award the Contract to the next lowest responsive bidder. All bids and bid bonds shall be guaranteed for a period of ninety (90) calendar days following the bid opening or until the Executive Director executes a Contract, whichever occurs first. The Board also reserves the right at any time to terminate the Contract for its convenience.

Dated at Long Beach, California, this 8th day of December, 2008.

Richard D. Steinke Executive Director of the Harbor Department, City of Long Beach, California Note: The Long Beach Harbor Department intends to provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This specification is available in an alternative format by request. If a special accommodation is desired, please call (562) 5904140, forty eight (48) hours prior to the bid opening or any pre-bid meetings. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

SERENA Continued from page 15 and half those losses came amid a four-match skid that started in April at the Sony Ericsson Open final in Key Biscayne, Fla. Against Venus, who had entered the match with a 20-match winning streak at Wimbledon, Serena was the underdog. That was partly because of Venus’ domination of Safina in the semifinals and partly because of her own struggle to beat Elena Dementieva in the same round.

After saving a match point and

reaching the final, Serena said her forehand had gone on vacation to Hawaii, but she hoped it would return for the final.

It did, but the successful use of that shot against Venus may be more attributed to the tape she wrapped around her right wrist before walking onto the court.

“I honestly think I was taping my wrist for superstitious reasons, actually,” Serena said. “I didn’t tape it at the French and I lost, so I figured I better start taping it.”

July 9, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 17

PUBLIC NOTICE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. MS006808 Superior Court of the State of California, for the County of Los Angeles.

In the Matter of the Application of Karymah Elizabeth Shaw-Howell, Zoyah Leanni ShawWhittaker, Jeovan Andrew Shaw-Young and Jeovanie Ray Shaw-Young for changes of names.

The application of Karymah Elizabeth ShawHowell, Zoyah Leanni Shaw-Whittaker, Jeovan Andrew Shaw-Young and Jeovanie Ray ShawYoung for changes of names having been filed in Court and it appearing from said application that has Karymah Elizabeth Shaw-Howell, Zoyah Leanni Shaw-Whittaker, Jeovan Andrew Shaw-Young and Jeovanie Ray Shaw-Young filed an application proposing that their names be changed to Karymah Elizabeth Howell, Zoyah Leanni Howell, Jeovan Andrew Howell and Jeovanie Ray Howell. Now, therefore, it is hereby ordered and directed, that all persons interested in said matter did appear before this court located at 42011 4th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534, on the 20th day of May, 2009, of said day to show cause why such application for changes of names should not be granted.

It is further ordered that a copy of this Order to Show Cause be published in a newspaper of general circulation, printed in said county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the day of said hearing at 8:30 am, Dept A10 on July 22, 2009.

Thomas R. White Judge of the Superior Court.

Published Runs 6/18/09, 6/25/09, 7/2/09, 7/9/09 NC-LAWT-10 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. MS006843 Superior Court of the State of California, for the County of Los Angeles.

In the Matter of the Application of Jelani Akil Saadiq Adams for change of name.

The application of Jelani Akil Saadiq Adams for change of name having been filed in Court and it appearing from said application that has Jelani Akil Saadiq Adams filed an application proposing that the name be changed to Jelani Akil Saadiq Adams Wilkerson. Now, therefore, it is hereby ordered and directed, that all persons interested in said matter did appear before this court located at 42011 4th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93534, on the 10th day of June, 2009, of said day to show cause why such application for change of name should not be granted.

It is further ordered that a copy of this Order to Show Cause be published in a newspaper of general circulation, printed in said county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the day of said hearing at 8:30 am, Dept A11 on August 10, 2009.

Thomas R. White Judge of the Superior Court.

Published Runs 6/18/09, 6/25/09, 7/2/09, 7/9/09 NC-LAWT-11 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. BS121188 Superior Court of the State of California, for the County of Los Angeles.

In the Matter of the Application of Christopher Dana Majors for change of name.

The application of Christopher Dana Majors for change of name having been filed in Court and it appearing from said application that has Christopher Dana Majors filed an application proposing that his name be changed to Lauren Nixon Majors. Now, therefore, it is hereby ordered and directed, that all persons interested in said matter did appear before this court located at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA, on the 18th day of June, 2009 at 9:00 AM of said day to show cause why such application for change of names should not be granted.

It is further ordered that a copy of this Order to Show Cause be published in a newspaper of general circulation, printed in said county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the day of said hearing at 9:00 am, Dept 1A, Rm 548 on August 7, 2009.

Murray Gross Judge/Commissioner of the Superior Court.

Published Runs 7/2/09, 7/9/09, 7/16/09, 7/23/09 NC-LAWT12

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. BS121188-AMENDED Superior Court of the State of California, for the County of Los Angeles.

In the Matter of the Application of Steven Chan for change of name.

The application of Steven Chan for change of names having been filed in Court and it appearing from said application that has Steven Chan filed an application proposing that his name be changed to Lauren Nixon Majors. Now, therefore, it is hereby ordered and directed, that all persons interested in said matter did appear before this court located at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA, on the 18th day of June, 2009 at 9:00 AM of said day to show cause why such application for change of names should not be granted.

It is further ordered that a copy of this Order to Show Cause be published in a newspaper of general circulation, printed in said county, at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the day of said hearing at 9:00 am, Dept 1A, Rm 548 on August 7, 2009.

Murray Gross Judge/Commissioner of the Superior Court.

Published Runs 7/2/09, 7/9/09, 7/16/09, 7/23/09 NC-LAWT13

NOTICE INVITING BIDS PIER G NORTH SLIP WHARF DEMOLITION PROJECT AT PIER G, BERTHS G230-G236 LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA AS DESCRIBED IN SPECIFICATION NO. HD-S2229 AND DRAWINGS LISTED ON DRAWING NO. HD 10-1821-T1 AND REFERENCE DRAWINGS LISTED ON DRAWING NO. HD 101821-T1 All bids must be submitted before 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 18, 2009 Any Bids received at or after 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 18, 2009 will be deemed non-responsive and will not be opened. Bids will be publicly opened in the 6th Floor Board Room of the Harbor Department Administration Building, 925 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach, California, 90802 at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 18, 2009. Bids shall be sealed in an envelope and the outside of the envelope should clearly state the specification number, title of the project and the bid opening date. Bids received before Tuesday, August 18, 2009 shall be sent to the 4th Floor, Plans and Specifications office, where the bid envelope will be date stamped. If bids are hand-carried or received the day of bid opening, prior to 10:00 a.m., the bids will be clocked in at the Lobby desk of the Harbor Department Administration Building and taken to the 6th Floor Board Room by the Port Contract Administrator. It is anticipated that the Board of Harbor Commissioners will consider a conditional award on September 7, 2009 with Staff given the authority to execute a Contract provided the lowest responsive bidder submits the required completed insurance forms, bonds and signed Contract within thirty (30) days after conditional award by the Board Copies of said specifications and drawings in CD format may be obtained, at no cost, in the Plans and Specifications office, 4th floor, Harbor Department Administration Building beginning Thursday, July 9, 2009 during the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. To arrange to receive a CD by FedEx, at the expense of the Bidder, call the office at (562) 590-4140.

The printing of hard copies from the CD will be the responsibility of the Bidder.

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 forms are available at http://www.polb.com/economics/contractors/forms_permits/insurance.asp.

The Engineering Staff of the Harbor Department will conduct a pre-bid meeting at 9:30 a.m., on Thursday, July 23, 2009, in the Training Room, 5th floor, of the Harbor Department Administration Building. Immediately following the pre-bid meeting, a site visit will be conducted. NOTE: Attendance at both the pre-bid meeting and site visit is mandatory. BIDS RECEIVED FROM BIDDERS WHO HAVE NOT ATTENDED THE PRE-BID MEETING AND THE SITE VISIT WILL BE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND REJECTED. This project is subject to the Port of Long Beach (POLB) Small Business Enterprises (SBE) and Very Small Business Enterprises (VSBE) Program.

POLB expects all Bidders to achieve the combined SBE/VSBE participation goal for this project which is twenty five percent (25%) SBE/VSBE, of which a minimum of five percent (5%) must be allocated to VSBEs. Award of the Contract will be conditioned on the Bidder providing documentation that it has obtained enough SBE/VSBE participation to meet the goal or that it made adequate good faith efforts to meet the goal even though it did not obtain enough SBE/VSBE participation to do so as specified in the Special Provision SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISES (SBE) VERY SMALL BUSINESS (VSBE) PROGRAM GOALS & PROCEDURES (S.P. 37). The Port’s SBE Administrator is available to provide information on the program requirements, including SBE certification assistance. Please contact Sashi Muralidharan, SBE Administrator at (562) 590-4146.

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE LICENSE(S) Date of Filing Application: June 29, 2009 To Whom It May Concern: The Name(s) of the Applicant(s) is/are: CHAN YUEN CHOM The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to sell alcoholic beverages at: 4578 Whittier Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90022-2430 Type of License(s) Applied for: 40 – ON-SALE BEER Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Los Angeles L.A. Watts, Times , Inc. Publish Date(s): JULY 9, 2009 LAWT02

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

Work under this project, as more fully described in Specifications HD-S2229 and Drawings listed on Drawing No. HD-10-1821, generally consists of furnishing all transportation, labor, materials, tools, equipment, services, and incidentals for work including, the following, to accomplish the Pier G NORTH SLIP WHARF DEMOLITION PROJECT at Pier G, Berths G230-G236.

1. Supervision, coordination, and project staging.

2. Demolition and removal of a portion of the existing Pier G Pier, Berths G230 - G236, including piles and other items as shown on the Drawings.

3. Demolition and removal of existing asphalt concrete pavement, base, and soil.

4. Demolition of existing utilities, drainage systems, and other items that are a part of the existing wharf 5. Demolition of two Longshoremen Restrooms and one Crane Repair Shop Building.

6. Construction of new drainage facilities.

7. Electrical work.

8. Provide temporary fencing, construction fencing on railing (Type K), and other traffic, security, and safety controls.

Bidders shall, at the time of submitting their bids, be in compliance with Section 7028.15 of the California Business and Professions Code, be licensed by the State Contractor’s License Board as a General Engineering Contractor with a "Class A" license with a hazardous rider certification indicated on license.

Whenever any material, product, thing, or service identified in the specifications is described by one or more brand or trade names and is followed by the words “or equal”, the apparent low bidder shall submit data substantiating a request for the substitution of equivalent item(s) within forty-eight (48) hours following bid opening.

All bids shall be submitted upon forms provided by the City accompanied by a satisfactory "Bidder’s Bond" or other acceptable security deposit in an amount not less than ten percent (10%) of such bid as a guarantee that the Bidder will, if conditionally awarded a Contract by the Board, within thirty (30) days thereafter, execute and deliver such Contract to the office of the Chief Harbor Engineer along with all required insurance forms and a “Payment Bond” for not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract price, and a “Performance Bond” for not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract price. The “Bidder’s Bond” shall be submitted on forms provided by the City, signed by the bidder and the surety and both signatures shall be notarized. Time for Completion of this project is 221 calendar days. See detailed requirements, including milestones and constraints, specified under S.P. 15 “Time of Completion and Liquidated Damages.”

The Board of Harbor Commissioners, acting through the Executive Director, reserves the right at any time prior to the execution of the Contract by the City, to reject all bids and to return all deposits accompanying said bids. If the lowest responsive bidder fails to submit the required insurance forms, bonds and signed Contract within thirty (30) calendar days after conditional award, the Board reserves the right to rescind the conditional award and conditionally award the Contract to the next lowest responsive bidder. All bids and bid bonds shall be guaranteed for a period of ninety (90) calendar days following the bid opening or until the Executive Director executes a Contract, whichever occurs first. The Board also reserves the right at any time to terminate the Contract for its convenience.

Dated at Long Beach, California, this 8th day of June, 2009.

Richard D. Steinke Executive Director of the Harbor Department, City of Long Beach, California Note: The Long Beach Harbor Department intends to provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This specification is available in an alternative format by request. If a special accommodation is desired, please call (562) 5904140, forty eight (48) hours prior to the bid opening or any pre-bid meetings. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

CLASSIFIEDS STATEWIDE “Be wary of out of area companies. Check with the local Better Business Bureau before you send any money for fees or services. Read and understand any contracts before you sign. Shop around for rates.”

AUTOS WANTED DONATE YOUR CAR: Children’s Cancer Fund! Help Save A Child’s Life Through Research & Support!

Free Vacation Package. Fast, Easy & Tax Deductible.

Call 1-800-252-0615. (Cal-SCAN) DONATE YOUR VEHICLE! Receive Free Vacation Voucher. United Breast Cancer Foundation. Free Mammograms, Breast Cancer Info www.ubcf.info Free Towing, Tax Deductible, Non-Runners Accepted, 1-888-468-5964. (Cal-SCAN)

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

(Cal-SCAN) AT LEAST $2-5,000 A MONTH! Copy this proven 3step system just once a month and make at least $2-5k! ( imagine copying it once a week!) See what other people are making now! www.WinWithRuss.com/cmr 858-472-5714. (Cal-SCAN) BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY in the CHRISTIAN MARKET. Concessions available for only one person per city. Keep 100% of the revenue. Go to www.ChristianLeadersWanted.com or call 1-866-8945222. (Cal-SCAN)

EDUCATION / HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED/DRIVERS

VACANCIES: TEACHER of MIDDLE Education 68 Math, Teacher of High School Math, Speech Pathologist-Prince Edward Schools, Farmville, VA (434) 315-2100. Website: www.pecps.k12.va.us Closing: Until filled. EOE. (Cal-SCAN)

ANDRUS TRANSPORTATION Seeking Team Drivers! Dedicated Team Freight. Also Hiring OTR drivers - west states exp/hazmat end, great miles/hometime. STABLE Family owned 35 yrs+ 1-800-8885838, 1-866-806-5119 x1402. (Cal-SCAN)

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

HOMES FOR SALE

SAWMILLS FROM ONLY $2,990 - Convert your Logs To Valuable Lumber with your own Norwood portable band sawmill. Log skidders also available. www.NorwoodSawmills.com/300n -FREE Information: 1-800-578-1363 x300-N. (Cal-SCAN)

FORECLOSED HOME AUCTION. Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside & more. 500+ Homes Must Be Sold! REDC | Free Brochure. www.Auction.com (CalSCAN)

FINANCIAL SERVICES AMERICAN TAX RELIEF. * Settle IRS Back Taxes * Do You Owe Over $15,000? If So... Call us Now! * Free Consultation*. For Less Than What You Owe! Stop Wage Garnishments! Remove Bank Levies Tax Levies & Property Seizures! Stop Payment Plans That Get you Nowhere! Settle State and Business Payroll Tax Problems Eliminate Penalties, Interest Charges & Tax Liens! * Settle IRS Back Taxes * No Obligation!

Confidential! Call American Tax Relief 1-800-4969891 * Free Consultation * (Cal-SCAN) CREDIT CARD RELIEF. * Free Consultation * Save Thousands of Dollars. Out of Debt in Months! Avoid Bankruptcy! Credit Card Relief. NOT A High Priced Consolidation Company or A Consumer Credit Counseling Program. Call Credit Card Relief 1-866479-5353. * Free Consultation * (Cal-SCAN)

BUSINESS SERVICES

HELP WANTED

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in 240 Cal-SCAN newspapers for the best reach, coverage, and price. 25words $450. Reach 6 million Californians!. FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.CalSCAN.com (Cal-SCAN)

ATTENTION: COMPUTER WORK! Work from anywhere 24/7 processing nutritional supplement orders.

Great pay. Will train. Bilingual a plus. Request info online: www.KTPGlobal.com or 1-800-330-8446.

(Cal-SCAN)

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

INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE Representative: Earn supplemental income placing and supervising high school exchange students. Volunteer host families also needed. Promote world peace! 1866-GO-AFICE or www.afice.org (Cal-SCAN)

NEWS RELEASE? Cost-efficient service. The California Press Release Service has 500 current daily, weekly and college newspaper contacts in California.

FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6010. www.CaliforniaPressReleaseService.com (CalSCAN)

PETROLEUM SUPPLY: Up to $15,000 BONUS. Keep the Army National Guard’s Watercraft, Aircraft, Trucks & Tanks rolling! Expand your skills through career training. www.NationalGuard.com/Careers or 1800-Go-Guard. (Cal-SCAN)

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES I’ll Pay 4% Annual Interest on your money upto $100,000. Backed by life insurance benefit with a life expectancy of upto 3 years. Will pay monthly interest payments. Jim 661-259-0790. (Cal-SCAN)

LAND FOR SALE/OUT OF STATE BANK FORECLOSURE COLORADO RANCH 40 acres $29,900 Clean Title, Warranty Deed. Enjoy 300 days of sunshine. Rocky Mtn. views, utilities.

Excellent Financing! Call Today! 1-866-696-5263 x4938. www.ColoradoLandBargains.com (CalSCAN) BUYER’S MARKET. New Mexico. Ranch Dispersal.

140 acres - $89,900. River Access. Northern New Mexico. Cool 6,000’ elevation with stunning views.

Great tree cover including Ponderosa, rolling grassland and rock outcroppings. Abundant wildlife, great hunting. EZ terms. Call NML&R, Inc. 1-866-360-5263.

(Cal-SCAN) LAND FORECLOSURES IN NEW MEXICO! From as low as $19,995 for 10+/- acre, phone, electric close, views. Guaranteed financing, low down! Going Fast!

888-812-5830. www.SWProperties.com (Cal-SCAN)

MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE BEAUTIFUL BASKETS, Themed Baskets, Variety Baskets, Holiday Baskets, all kinds of baskets for all occasions! For the best price call 213-440-6288; email: fourangelsdesigns@hotmail.com; www.myspace.com/FourAngelsDesigns3 (Cal-SCAN) DESK Electric height-adjustable sitting to standing. Be more productive, save your back. www.GeekDesk.com (Cal-SCAN)

Page 18

L.A. WATTS TIMES

July 9, 2009

PUBLIC NOTICE ORDER FOR HEARING ON VERFIED PETITION TO ASCERTAIN AND ESTABLISH AS A NEWSPAPER OF GENERAL CIRCULATION Case No BS120491

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND AVAILABILITY OF STUDIES th 6 Street Viaduct Seismic Improvement Project

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES-CENTRAL DISTRICT. In the matter of the petition of: WILLIE BROWN TO ASCERTAIN AND ESTABLISH STANDING AS A NEWSPAPER OF CIRCULATION IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that on July 10, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard in Department 1A of this court, located at 111 N. Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, the petitioner may apply for an order declaring the newspaper known as the INGLEWOOD TODAY NEWSPAPER to be a newspaper of general circulation for Los Angeles County. Petitioner to comply with Gov’t Code Section 6021 IT IS SO ORDERED: DATED: 07/10/09 MURRAY GOSS, COMMISSIONER

WHAT’S BEING PLANNED? The City of Los Angeles (City) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) propose to seismically improve the 6th Street Viaduct over the Los Angeles River. The 3,500-foot long 6th Street Viaduct was built in 1932. The proposed project is needed to safeguard this critical Los Angeles River crossing from failure in a major earthquake by either retrofitting the existing structure or replacing it entirely. Over the past 75 years, the concrete elements of the viaduct have been degraded by an ongoing chemical reaction, known as Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR), which has led to significant deterioration of the structure and loss of its seismic integrity.

VERIFIED PETITION TO ASCERTAIN AND ESTABLISH STANDING AS NEWSPAPER OF CIRCULATION, (Gov’t Code §§6000 and 6020)

WHY THIS NOTICE? The City and Caltrans have completed the Draft Environmental Impact Report/ Environmental Impact Statement (DEIR/EIS), which evaluates the potential impacts of the No-Action, Viaduct Retrofit, and Viaduct Replacement alternatives. This Notice is to inform the public of the availability of the DEIR/EIS for your review and comment.

Comes now the Petitioner, Willie Brown (hereinafter “Petitioner”) and alleges the following: 1. Petitioner is the publisher of the newspaper known as INGLEWOOD TODAY NEWSPAPER, hereinafter referred to as “The Newspaper”.

2. The Newspaper is a newspaper of general circulation published for the dissemination of local news and intelligence of a general character in the City of Inglewood, County of Los Angeles, State of California.

The business address of the Newspaper is 9111 S. La Cienega Blvd., Ste. 100, Inglewood, CA 90301.

3. The Newspaper has a bona fide subscription list of paying subscribers numbering in excess of 100 in the City of Inglewood, County of Los Angeles and has an average weekly circulation 5,000.

4. For more than one year preceding the filing of this petition, The Newspaper has been established under the name of INGLEWOOD TODAY NEWSPAPER, and has been printed and published weekly on Thursday’s in Los Angeles County, in the state of California.

5. During the whole of one year preceding the filing of this petition, the mechanical work of producing The Newspaper, that is the typesetting and impressing type on paper, has been performed in Los Angeles County, California. The Newspaper has been issued from the same County where it is printed and sold; it has been both printed and published in the same County and has been published as a weekly newspaper on Thursdays of each calendar week.

WHAT’S AVAILABLE? A copy of the Draft EIR/EIS is available at the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, Bridge Improvement Program (221 N. Figueroa St., Suite 350, Los Angeles, CA 90012); Caltrans District 7 Building (100 S Main St, Los Angeles CA 90012). Benjamin Franklin City Library (2200 E 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90033); Little Tokyo Branch City Library (244 S. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012); and Los Angeles City Council District 14 (1870 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033). The report can also be accessed through the Project Website at http://www.la6thstreetviaduct.org; City Website at http://eng.lacity.org/techdocs/emg/Environmental_Review_Documents.htm; and Caltrans website at http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/resources/envdocs/.

WHERE YOU COME IN? Public participation and input are important for the City to move forward with the proposed project.

We encourage you to review and comment on the DEIR/EIS. You may submit written comments to Wally Stokes, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, Bridge Improvement Program, 221 N. Figueroa Street, Suite 350, Los Angeles, CA 90012 or Carlos Montez, Division of Environmental Planning, 100 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Please send your comments no later than August 17, 2009.

WHEN AND WHERE? Two public hearings will be held to provide you with the opportunity to obtain first-hand project information and to express your comments and concerns about the proposed project. The public hearings are scheduled on Tuesday July 14, 2009 at Boyle Heights Senior Citizen Center, 2839 E 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90033 at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Tuesday July 21, 2009 at Inner City Arts, 720 Kohler St., Los Angeles, CA 90021 at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The meeting will start with an open house for review of project exhibits, followed by a presentation and questions and comments. In addition, an agency coordination meeting will be held at Caltrans District 7 Building (100 S Main St, Los Angeles CA 90012) at 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on July 14, 2009.

WHEREFORE, Petitioner prays for judgment ascertaining and establishing THE INGLEWOOD TODAY NEWSPAPER as a newspaper of general circulation, as defined in Section 6000 of the Government Code for the City of Inglewood,County of Los Angeles and the State of California DATED: July 10, 2009 JOE C. HOPKINS Attorney for Petitioner

CONTACT: For more information about this study or any other transportation matter, contact Wally Stokes, Environmental Coordinator, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, 213-202-5580 or at wally.stokes@lacity.org; or Carlos Montez, Caltrans Senior Environmental Planner, 213-897-9116 or at carlos.montez@dot.ca.gov.

HUTCHINSON

E EDITION EMORATIV NG JR. COMM LUTHER KI IN RT MA .

DR

We are committed to preparing a publica, tion that you will eagerly anticipate each nfidante ayton, a Co Xernona Cl ng’s Legacy Ki on s ct fle Re week.The L.A.Watts Times is scanning and probing news and information resources to deliver the best of the African American community to you. To receive the L.A.Watts Times via U.S. Postal Service each week, fill out this subscription form and send with check or money order payable to: L.A. Watts Times for the yearly rate of $65.

January 15,

LOS SERVING

Continued from page 2

2009

G AREAS ROUNDIN S AND SUR ANGELE

, No. 1110 Vol. XXX

She System Inc. Broadcasting tor of the oneOE is also the origina in History” ENE DONL ER “Moments

BY DARL ly ING WRIT of minute asts televised annual CONTRIBUT n is a ball broadc Month.

Xernona Clayto Black History schedule is the during fire.

Although her ly found a minute, mile a Moving n recent former full, Clayto veteran and King, a man civil rights King Jr. confidante is time to talk about for severMartin Luther Atlanta fielding calls, she respected, knew in d with durin her office putting the al years, and worke and Civil ews, the doing intervi the Trumpet Awards, ing the height of With a vens on final touche the accom- Rights Movement. highlights knowledge, utions of erable wealth of an affair that at and contrib edly “never plishments Clayton, admitt cans. a million African Ameri the founder and CEO a loss for words,” has Clayton is Foundation stories to tell. et Awards Watts Times ive proof the Trump The L.A. and execut n to get her Inc., and creator et Awards, which spoke with Clayto Trump ’s upcoming ducer of the year and will air on take on the nation n King.

TV One. is in its 17th to Xernona Clayto on a tribute Atlant is the best nted him as April 12 from ements are vast, but LAWT: What es that pinpoi I go into King’s the activiti activist, Her achiev her horn. acknowledge of our time. community d, and one to toot in the way to 22 the great savior preacher, TON, page n Clayton isn’t y? r, husban — Baptist wouldn’t See CLAY black woma televi- birthda G KING Prize winner, son, brothe King Jr., who definitely The first XC: He like all HONORIN Luther a prime-time He didn’t for an be Martin author, Nobel South to host Clayton was a vice want the hoopla. more, descri Jan. 15, were it not intellectual, show, words, and Tenn., talk Turner his, today, These at sion old father. in Memp of urban affairs been 80 years April 4, 1968, sanitation workers president would have was killed city’s black rest of the counbullet. He the of in’s rt assass n. gone in suppo Watts Times joins the Special Editio L.A. where he had man with our on strike. The this ng were who honori world — in try — and violence from threats of opposed taunts and ts and adults white studen of Central High.

UMN E BRISCOE ER tion lecFIRST COL

BY ANDR the integra ING WRIT Roberts has sworn CONTRIBUT Over the years,and college stuObama is When Barack nt of the United school tured high preside and has been in as the 44th 20, Americans may dents at seminars, about what ively Jan. has finally interviewed extens States on nt year the nation the turbule conclude that e Roberts past. was like duringschool. He uses his it racist Dr. Terrenc its prohigh overcome teach psychology he spent in platform to in as many But for retired Roberts, 67, one and participate ences as a ion experi ce educat at events, and as possible, Roberts fessor Dr. Terrenteenagers who inte- the importance of nships l inaugural balls plans to speak to improve relatio Tomorrow.” of nine black Little Rock Centra grandToday and how to best He also sas’ r-old great the Sidwell to said. grated Arkan 1957, the ceremony among people of color.

OOD faculty at “My 11-yea ny Williams, C. NORW leading up l in page 7 students and hurdle in

BY CHICO ER the days High Schoo this Neeko Antho E ROCK 9, Rock In for cleared r son, LITTL “Little theme See anothe Day, the rights.

STAFF WRIT Assembly Speak E. will be just up with the speak Inauguration battle for equal luncheons, California as the came said organizer Larry the the continuing electi on valida tes Nine” will attend will serve year,” behind Bass J. force er Karen Angeles Obam a’s tried to the driving al and Norris and the Los Rock Nine” grand Grant, . grand marsh Association Commerce. In his BRIEF n what the “Little Roberts, a former celebrity IN S Bishto the parade Jr. of and said NEW as annual Bishton Chamber ’s in Psyaccomplish, Joining Bass David P. Valservice role the 25th the Master D marshal for Parade on Jan. 19 h Uniprevious publicr for Real Estate HLAN co-chair of be Lt. Gen. offiAntioc SOUT at ing will Day m THE Kingdom year’s review deputy directo for the state of has been chology progra Day es. court, this t Angeles who Kingdom to Serve as in Los Angel t celebration of Developmen ral cereis credited versity in Los and 2009 Rosenfeld the inaugu Rosenfeld ta Taylor.

The larges King Jr. holi- cer, about ty California, Queen Wyvet and offiinvited to attend black president in to create Luther first Planning Depu the Parade ities t Supervisor with helping the Martin -sector jobs, mony for the Other celebr rn California, include Second Districas has chose n new private . we urban to attend day in Southe will begin at 11 U.S. history -Thom nce to what as 72,000 revitalized struggling cials slated Nadette Stanis of Mark Ridley 2.5-mile parade rn Avenue and feld to serve “It adds substa s said. “When which Bern Rosen legend A. actress Robert , Danie l ” fame; jazz State a.m. at WesteKing Boulevard. It areas. tried to do,” y’s history Deputy “Good Times at this countr a Senior ck; California Martin Luther west to Crenshaw tion to sands of L.A. you look d DisHerby Hanco of Public Instrucd at the opposi District: Thou Lose Jobs for the Secon at nt will procee south on and you look you look Rosenand turn Superintende members of and then trict team. a’s Boulevard Teachers Could n Avenue in tion Jack O’Connell; il; integration, ands of Los responwith Obam onto Verno l happened feld will be es City Counc em(AP) — Thous Crenshaw ng, nt that the what has where a festiva rs and other the Los Angel is quite appare sible for planni enLeimert Park, Angeles teache be laid off this election, it n, e 14 more. . is crumbling. did fits in will includ transportatio and Tele- and will follow ployees could the nation’s secold system we The parade on KABC 20 drill teams Daniel A. vironm ent Set to air year as retrospect, what able to chip a.m. to “In t grap11 bands, pschool 4 ing from develo nel 7 school distric deficit, Rosenfeld . We were economic theme march MLK PARADE, page vision-Chan ond-largest — weakthat pattern million See year’s parade old system ment.

35 years of ples with a $250 now On For a bit at the 1 p.m., this than said. point away Lives the and ls recently He has more will — to ever.” is “The Dream n Corassessment school officia en it if you ling faster than ntendent Ramo ature private sector and is the coSuperi Legisl where it’s crumbsaid the election nt rs LLC, tines blamed the state ks, saying devel opme Roberts because Urban Partne ial ial cutbac e anything, founder of for the potent ng entrepreneur doesn’t chang mic elements that to solve the “syste an award-winni focusing on devel- that lawmakers need if the Los of this there are firm into the fabric opportu- state’s budget crisis l District is real estate are woven investment opment and n United Angeles Unified Schoointact. society.” the wester tands the harm work force nities in If anyone undersit is Roberts. In to keep its FS, page 6 causes, States.

See BRIE d as a board and the segregation at age 15, he who He has serve Centr al City 1957, of fall ers the of the black teenag as the memb er eight other to be known insults, would come Nine” braved “Little Rock Larry Grant

Lives on in The Dream Year of This Historic Parade y Kingdom Da

Speaker Assembly

Karen Bass

PRESID ENT OB AMA IN AUGUR ATION EDITIO N

hts 9’ Civil Rig ‘Little Rock ation end Inaugur Icon to Att

Vol. XXX

, No. 1111

Giant St eps:

SERVIN G

LOS ANG

ELES AND

Barack Obama America’ s 44th Pr esident SURRO

UNDING

AREAS

Januar

y 22, 200

9

BY TERE AP WRIT NCE HUNT ER

‘HOPE OVER John Rober FEA ts to becom R’ — Barac e the 44th k Obama, joined president by his wife of the Unite Michelle d States at the U.S.and daughters Malia Capitol in Wash , third from left, and ington Jan. 20.

Sasha, takes

FIRST COLUM

Not Just N a Dream Sparks : The Son Black M Obama of en to Ac tion Our Soil

BY LUCA AP WRIT S L. JOHNSON ER II

Parade founder

L.A. Watts Times

the oath

AP

of office Photo/RON EDMO NDS from Chief Justice

WAS into histor HINGTON — Stepping y, Barac grasped k Husse in Obam the reins a America’s of powe Jan. 20, first black presid r as declaring ent on choose “hope overthe nation must purpose over confli fear, unity of to overc ome the ct and discord” crisis since worst econo the Great mic Depre In frigid temperatu ssion. exuberant res, an crowd million of more packe and parad d the Natio than a nal Mall Obama’s e route to celebrate noon cereminauguration in a highony.

With out of work11 million Amer icans and trillio lost in ns of the stock Obama market’s dollars tumble, biggest emphasized that his challenge tattered is to repair the economy outgoing left President behind by Bush.

George W. “Our protecting time of standing pat, of narrow interests See OBA and MA, page 6

they say NASHVIL they migh LE, — An

BY REM actor turns Tenn. (AP) taken witho t not ut have inner-city a dilap SPECIALA REYNOLD Van Jonehis example. idated, mosque S TO L.A. in just s, 40, Green WATTS a few days. into a theat NAIR For All, foun ded er buckles last e-ma OBI, Kenya — TIMES down on A 20-year-old gram that seeks a national il to my I sent one historicall prohis studi energy ing her Keny to creat what I shoul an friend mother y black college es at a progr jobs. His Oakl e clean askd expec dies after his am, whic I would and-based t. nity organ of cancer. A be teach during commu- ple and has h employs 25 ing in izer decid the peocreate thous an opera es his of $4.5 Obama’s time of President Nairobi ting budg inauguratio Barack too mode ands of green plan to in passi million, was et Keny n. I wond instrument ans were ty-fold. st and enlarges jobs is energ ng a portion ered if excited excited it twen y bill called of a natio al as as the - Act. nal majority I was, as Barack cans, as the Gree It will Obam of excited n Jobs use the Whit cans partic as Afric Amerie Hous a’s election to to train 30,00 up to $125 milli an Amer ularly. e is the ization ivery real- such as insta 0 people in on of what My Black fathers jobs so Berry reply just have told many black and retrofittinglling solar pane as I board flashed her aspire ls buildings their sons them “Kenya to for HOME ed the to make is to friend more envi years, often plane don’t be full of Obam even if ronm enta was just a large PRIDE — Keny ly. a mania : screen, it booster ans react lly as thous so another surprised if Jan guration not mean a confidenceWith Obam as U.S. ands of national ceremony 20th is erally.

President t AP Photo/S D.C., Jan. are extre holid — from people gathe And longto be taken lit- decided to shop a’s election, Jones mely proud ay. Kenyans r to watch Barack Obam AYYID AZIM Nairobi, wrapped year ago 20. Across the a $33 billio posal our soil!” a appea befor Kenya the U.S. of this came togeth count rs on — that n prodidacy up the contest, e he hire before Congress son of er to celebrry, neighbors took placepresidential inauhad about 600,0 his Anot that divide ate the black men driven these can- the 00 peop would another. her national holid inauguratio d by politic in Washington next two al violen and other three , ay? Yes, n of its NEWS years for le over ce only work. s to actio favorite When Obam IN BRI son, Obam a similar ns EF ident of a was electe a.

See BLA the THE SOU d presCK MEN were grant United State THLAND s, , page 3 commemored a day off, a Kenyans Top polic Los Ange holiday e offici edged to turned off ate the occas les Poli als ackno that ion. ce Reje Study on wlfrequently minorities the flight my phone in obedi As I ct are Raci more al Bias but they subjected to me, in my attendant hover ence to (AP) searc told the oversees — A commission statistics commission hes, why didn’ jealousy I thoug ing over the do ht, “Now t we get Los that not Departmen filing prove racia the Angeles a day off?”

While Police ment is rampant l prowaiting to inves t told police board in the . on Jan. in Lond tigate whet the depart13 on to a recen Kenyans last plane of her data t spoke with from TimesInformation from: the trip, identify study can be asm and , http://www Los Ange great officers used to les against who discr .latimes.co Americans animated gestuenthusiminorities iminate L.A. m. as they res .

Gang symbol The pontificate to of d the came aftercommission’s Tab to Pay has $5 Million with proud hope Obama decision embodies mony abou hearing hours couldn’t , booming voice (AP) of testihave cared s. They conducted t the study, whic they secur — City offici flight was less that als by h ed was delay a said profe a Yale our judgment $5 milli more time ed five ssor, and Univ HE’S on civil hours — against published ersity street ober by GOT relative. to brag about Obam MOVES the gang whos a Los Ange the many a their ties Unio American Civilin Oct- contr les — perfor A e parad 11 mances ol the 19. Go When n of South members e partic Liberto page that ipant nearly downtown heroin trade Photo by ern Calif Jomo Keny we finally The 17 to view took place HGSTA arrived ornia. does in the area. atta Intern R1/UN more parad at the 2009 Angeles study found in Keny at Kingdom the splits as part W City ationa that Los e photo police a, s.

Day Parad officers likely to of dillo and Attorney Rock ly Keny everyone — even l Airport are e on Jan. stop and y Delg an passe Latino search blackmore officials other law enfor asubdued, ngers — the liveresidents announced exhausted cement seemed whites, than they and against from the the even See KEN more often though white are week the 5th and Hill judgment YAN SON journey. . Officials gang last s found , page and contr said it carrying are obtained 6 is the first aband. against guns forni a gang a. in CaliSee BRIE FS, page 7

“News You Can Use” S

U B S C R I P T I O N

O

R D E R

F

O R M

Name: ______________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________ City, State, Zip Code: __________________________________ Telephone Number: (_______) __________________________ If mailing subscription, do not send cash. Mail to: L.A.Watts Times, 3540 Wilshire Blvd., PH3, Los Angeles, CA 90010. For more information call (213) 251-5700.

Simpson, was not a public pariah and polarizing figure, for a time he was damaged goods. The ill-fated 50-city concert tour was a monumental risk and a gamble, given his tattered image.

Millions hailed Jackson at his public memorial tribute. They will continue to hail him for his enduring world-class music and artistry.

But sandwiched in between this, some will continue to pick, probe and nag at him for his alleged drug

DAVIS Continued from page 2 ed fees to add new revenues.

This is not the time to divert Californians away from the dire situation through political theatrics or policy agendas founded on ideological differences. It is not about political affiliation but moral servitude.

The Rev. Martin Luther King stated that, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

use and addiction, and oddity.

Jackson likely will never get a complete pass in death from the negative stuff.

Sadly, this comes with the turf when the racial divide inevitably rears its ugly head, even for the King of Pop. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His weekly radio show, “The Hutchinson Report,” can be heard in Los Angeles, Fridays on KTYM Radio 1460 AM and streamed live nationally on ktym.com.

We are at a time of challenge for Schwarzenegger. He has been presented with the Legislature’s budget to sign. It will be entirely up to the governor whether California continues as a beacon of light for this nation and leads our country out of the most severe economic crisis since the 1930s. Thus, the world will bear witness — can the great movie star transcend his “Hollywood” heroics into real-life courage? The answer is near.

Californians deserve a budget from the Legislature and signed by our governor as soon as is possible.

Facts July 11-13, 1905 Black intellectuals and activists organize the Niagara Movement at a meeting near Niagara Falls. Delegates from 14 states, including W.E.B. DuBois, William Monroe Trotter and Ida B. Wells-Barnett, demand abolition of all distinctions based on race. The movement was the forerunner of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Source: blackfacts.com

July 9, 2009

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 19

BUSINESS CARD BULLETIN BOARD DO YOU NEED A HOUSE? • No Down Payment • No Closing Cost • Move In 45 Days • 51/2% – VA Priority Call Joe

(310) 674-8822

MAALES Project (310) 825-5474 Sessions held at a discreet location near you. www.cdrewu.edu/MAALES/

• • • • • •

3995

$

Teeth Whitening in One Hour Cosmetic Bonding Complete & Partial Dentures Gum Treatment White Fillings Crowns, Bridges & Veneers

Includes:

Digital X-Rays and Exam.

Free Toothbrush & Floss New Patients Only.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

DDS UCLA Graduate

1075 E. PCH. Ste. D., Long Beach 90806

(562) 591-4028

You may receive up to $100 for your participation in this study. For more information, please call Jennifer Payne, LCSW, at (323) 357-3629.

L & L Document Preparation LEGAL DOCUMENTS TYPED • Real Estate Sales/Loans • Refinancing • Divorce and Family Law • Living Trust/Wills • Notary • Small Claims • Evictions

QUALITY & FASHION

EXAM, FRAME & LENS 20%-50% OFF (exp. 7/31/09) eYe cLinic OPTOMETRY 8301 S. Vermont Ave., Suite A Los Angeles, CA 90044-3470 Telephone: (323) 778-7798 Fax: (323) 778-7190

www.eyeclinicoptometry.com

Call Lola Bateman

DRAINS R US PLUMBING

(310) 674-6413 171 N. LaBrea Ave., #103, Inglewood

LET US MAKE YOUR AMERICAN DREAM COME TRUE NOW IS THE TIME TO PURCHASE YOUR FIRST HOME WITH ONLY 3.5% DOWN PAYMENTS.

QUALITY WORK AT COMPETITIVE RATES!!

We Specialize in:

Gourmet Coffee for the jazz art form since 1998

Howling Monk

• Home Improvement • Room Additions • Remodeling • Sandblast • Stucco • Ceramic Tile • Interior/Exterior Painting • Retrofitting • Roofing • Plumbing • Concrete Work • Electrical • Etc.

www.howlingmonk.com

Call

(310) 671-8551

310-259-0351

P.O. Box 1217 Inglewood, CA 90308

THIS IS YOUR COFFEE

ARCABE CONSTRUCTION, INC. General Building Contractors Residential & Commercial

FREE ESTIMATES No obligation

State License 569000

LICENSED • INSURED • BONDED

www.arcabeconstruction.com

NOW OPEN Mel’s Fish Shack 4525 West Jefferson Blvd.

Jefferson Blvd. & Farmdale Ave. 5 blocks West of Mel’s Fish Market

Carry Out Only!

323-732-MELS (6357) or visit www.melsfishshack.com

Hours: Tues. - Thurs. 11-9 Fri. & Sat. 11-10 Sunday 11-8

• Drain Cleaning • Sewer/Drain Repair • Copper Repipe • Water Leak Repairs Estimates • Water Heaters • Major/Minor Repairs Trenchless Technology

Call For An Appointment Lace Westbrook III (323) 710-8158

Let me assist you.

There is NO Fee if we don’t win.

Jacquelyn Brown, Disability Representative

™

A Friendly And Reliable Plumbing Company That You Can Depend On!

Free

HAVE YOU BEEN DENIED YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS?

(323) 756-3755

You may be eligible to participate in a research study that examines the psychological and physical stress of men who experienced forced sexual contact as a child or adolescent.

If you agree to participate, you will be asked to: • Participate in an interview that lasts 2 to 3 hours • Give 3 saliva samples • Provide a urine sample

Fax: (310) 674-0026 Francine Bickham,

DID YOU EXPERIENCE UNWANTED OR FORCED SEXUAL CONTACT BEFORE YOU WERE 18 YEARS OLD?

This study is conducted by Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and UCLA. We are interested in interviewing: • African American, Latino and White men • Over 18 years of age and under 40 years

A VOLUNTARY RESEARCH STUDY Join hundreds of other Black men in Los Angeles who are part of a program to promote self acceptance, healthy lifestyle choices, and reduce HIV infection in the Black community. To get more details about the program and find out if you are eligible call 310-825-5474.

Both HIV- and HIV+ men may participate. Cash compensation and refreshments provided. All calls are confidential.

MEN

WE CAN QUALIFY YOU IN 24 HOURS FOR YOUR HOME LOAN. We also do LOAN MODIFICATIONS and we GUARANTEE BEST RESULTS from your lenders.

Janice Harrison

Please Call for More Information at:

(562) 708-7287

AMERICAN HOME LOANS & REALTY

Page 20

L.A. WATTS TIMES

July 9, 2009

`|v{txÄ ]tv~áÉÇ `xÅÉÜ|tÄ

GONE TOO SOON — Clockwise, from top: Singer Usher Raymond performs under a photo of the young Michael Jackson during the memorial service for the music legend at the Staples Center in Los Angeles July 7. Photo by Gabriel Bouys/AFP; NBA Laker legends Kobe Bryant and Earvin “Magic” Johnson address the audience. AP Photo by Mark J. Terrill; Lionel Richie performs “Jesus Is Love.” Photo by Reuters/US; The Rev. Al Sharpton, left, and Louis Farrakhan, the supreme minister and national representative of the Nation of Islam. Photo by Mark J. Terrill/AP; Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records, greets Katherine Jackson, mother of Michael Jackson. Photo by Reuters/US; Stevie Wonder performs “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer” and “They Won’t Go When I Go.” Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images; Singer Smokey Robinson embraces Joe Jackson. Photo by Mark J. Terrill/AP; A fan holds up a California license plate before the service. Photo by Mark J. Terrill/AP; Jennifer Hudson (center) performs under a photo of Michael Jackson at the memorial service. Photo by Gabriel Bouys/AFP.