March 11, 2010
SERVING LOS ANGELES COUNTY WITH NEWS YOU CAN USE
Vol. XXX, No. 1170 FIRST COLUMN
BIG WIN — Actress and comedienne Mo’Nique took home a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.” Mo’Nique is the fifth African American woman to win an Oscar, joining the company of Academy Award winners Hattie McDaniel (“Gone with the Wind”), the first black to win an Oscar; Whoopi Goldberg (“Ghost”); Halle Berry (“Monster’s Ball”); and Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”). In “Precious,” Mo’Nique plays Mary, an abusive mother on welfare who spews hatred toward her daughter Precious (played by Gabourey Sidibe).
Phil Wilkes Fixico — a True Native Son BY DARLENE DONLOE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Phil Wilkes Fixico’s life is more dramatic than virtually any soap opera. It took him about 52 years to find out who he was after growing up in what he calls a “web of lies.” His intriguing story is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s “IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas,” a book and
Photo by DARLENE DONLOE
‘SEMINOLE-MAROON DESCENDANT’ — Community historian and performance artist Phil Wilkes Fixico speaks at a Black History Month event Feb. 27 at the AC Bilbrew Public Library. Fixico, who is featured in the “IndiVisible:African-Native American Lives in the Americas” traveling exhibit and companion book, explained to those in attendance how he discovered he was a “SeminoleMaroon descendant.”
exhibit that will tour the country for five years and make its Los Angeles debut at the California African American Museum, tentatively in March 2011. The book speaks to the challenges and triumphs of dual African American and Native American heritage. A “home-grown” kid who grew up in the Nickerson Gardens housing project in Watts, Fixico, 62, came up hard. His mother not only hid the identity of his biological father, but as a kid he was in and out of four juvenile institutions, experienced rejection, used drugs, committed crimes and witnessed domestic violence, said Fixico, who lives in Inglewood. Fixico, a member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry, and the “Seminole Negro Indian Scouts,” said he “grew up as a troubled youth because I kept bumping into the truth and half-truth. “I knew there was more than what I was being told, but I didn’t know what it was. I certainly didn’t know it was this.” What he discovered 10 years ago rocked his core: He is a “Seminole-Maroon descendant.” He now describes it as an “identity crisis.” By appearance, Fixico looks like a black man to some, but he doesn’t think of himself that way; instead, he describes himself as a “Seminole-Maroon descendant.” See FIXICO, page 8
Photo by BILL JONES
Stimulus Watch: Less Stimulus for Minority Firms BY JESSE WASHINGTON AP NATIONAL WRITER
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hispanic and black businesses are receiving a disproportionately small number of federal stimulus contracts, creating a rising chorus of demands for the Obama administration to be more inclusive and more closely track who receives governmentfinanced work. Latinos and blacks have faced obstacles to winning government contracts long before the stimulus. They own 6.8 and 5.2 percent of all businesses, respectively, according to Census figures.
Lewis Remembers ‘Bloody Sunday’ March, Beatings BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SELMA, Ala. (AP) — Georgia Congressman John Lewis strolled to the middle of the Edmund Pettus Bridge March 7 and
remembered the incident 45 years ago when he and other civil rights marchers were beaten on the day that became known as “Bloody Sunday.”
Lewis spoke shortly before he was to lead hundreds of marchers across the bridge in a re-creation of the 1965 march. See ‘BLOODY SUNDAY,’ page 6
AP Photo by DAVE MARTIN
REMEMBERING ‘BLOODY SUNDAY’ — U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., describes the events of “Bloody Sunday” during a visit to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., on March 7. President Barack Obama marked the 45th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” by praising “these heroes” who marched into history and endured beatings by Alabama state troopers at the start of their landmark voting rights trek.
Yet Latino-owned businesses have received only 1.7 percent of $46 billion in federal stimulus contracts recorded in U.S. government data, and black-owned businesses have received just 1.1 percent. That pot of money is a small fraction of the $862 billion economic stimulus law. Billions more have been given to states, which have used the money to award contracts of their own. Although states record minority status when they award contracts to businesses, there is no central, consistent or public compilation of that
data, according to Laura Barrett, director of the Transportation Equity Network. Barrett and other minority advocates are calling for complete and publicly accessible demographic information on all contracts and jobs financed by the stimulus. Minority businesses are often too small to compete for projects; do not have access to the necessary capital, equipment or bonding requirements; or lose bids to companies with well-established relationships. There also has been an emphasis on See STIMULUS, page 12
NEWS IN BRIEF THE SOUTHLAND Three Teachers Removed Over Choice of Black Heroes (AP) — Three Los Angeles elementary school teachers accused of giving children portraits of O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul to carry in a Black History Month parade have been removed from their classrooms, a school district spokeswoman said March 3. Children from other classes at the school displayed photos of more appropriate black role models, such as Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman and President Barack Obama, Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Gayle Pollard-Terry said. The incident occurred Feb. 26 at Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School in South Los Angeles, where the student body is more than 90 percent Latino. District Superintendent Ramon Cortines placed the teachers — all white men who teach first, second and fourth grades — on
administrative leave March 2 while an investigation is conducted, Pollard-Terry said. “The superintendent will not let anyone make a mockery out of Black History Month,” she said.
L.A. County Probation Workers Going Unpunished (AP) — The head of the Los Angeles County Probation Department said he doesn’t have the staff to punish 170 workers awaiting discipline for misconduct — including some that abused youngsters in their care. Department Interim Chief Cal Remington told the Los Angeles Times that there’s a case backlog. He said a discipline unit that can issue written reprimands and even fire workers is too small. Most of the workers awaiting discipline remain on the job. The agency has 14 investigators to handle complaints of employee misconduct. Remington said more than 100 investigations See BRIEFS, page 4
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L.A. WATTS TIMES
March 11, 2010
OPINION EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON
Obama Still Must Tread Carefully on Immigration Reform President Obama is walking a tightrope on what’s still the most volatile, contentious and potentially life-threatening political issue to Democrats: immigration reform. At first glance, the political stars seemed to be aligned for him to do what George W. Bush failed twice at, which is getting a deal on immigration reform. The light trial balloon that he floated on reform punched the right buttons. He has respected GOP South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham on board and working on a reform package with key Senate Democrats. This drew barely a ripple of comment and ignited no loud denunciations from anti-immigration foes. The Federation for American Immigration Reform, which whipped anti-immigration sentiment up to a fever pitch about two years ago, barely mentioned the Obama proposal on its Web site. The group issued no impassioned action alerts demanding that immigration talks be stopped in their tracks. The Minuteman groups that made a clownish spectacle of themselves with their gun-toting antics at the Mexican border are long gone. There is no visible organized Senate opposition. The majority of Democrats in Congress backed reform bills in 2006 and 2007 and will back an Obama immigration reform bill again. The Latino vote is big, vocal, active, and getting antsy that no progress has been made on immigration reform. Latino leaders repeatedly demand that Obama back up his campaign pledge to push a reform bill through. They’ve also saber rattled Republicans, that they can again kiss Latino votes goodbye if they dig in their heels and
stonewall reform again. The guest worker plan that infuriated anti-immigration activists in the previous failed bills was yanked off from the current proposed bill. Obama and the Democrats have gone even further and given the GOP senators pretty much what they demand as the price for getting a bill through. Undocumented workers must pay hefty penalties, pay all taxes, learn English, and wait for an extended time before attaining citizenship and assure that failure to comply might result in deportation. Obama must also pledge to hermetically seal the border to stop the flow of immigrants. A December America’s Voice poll found that a majority of voters, including Independents and Republicans, back comprehensive immigration reform. The number who said that undocumented workers should get the summary boot from the country has plunged. But there was a cautionary note in the poll, as with other similar polls: A majority of them are just as adamant that undocumented workers should not be given an easy stroll down the pathway to citizenship. They demand strict enforcement of the provisions that undocumented workers pay taxes and a penalty, and patiently wait for approval, and that the borders be secured. There’s also much devil in the details in the plan Graham and New York Democrat Charles Schumer have outlined so far. It’s the vagueness in those details that can be twisted and mangled by anti-immigration foes to again try and torpedo reform. The foes have not totally disappeared.
There’s still the loose network of anti-immigration organizations, and the legions of right-wing talk jocks, tea baggers, and Fox News Network talking heads who can stir the troops to oppose any reform. A far-right group sent out a panicked alert mocking Graham as Graham-nesty and railed against him for backing amnesty for illegal immigrants. The stock attack charge that any immigration reform bill is a de facto reward for breaking the law still stirs anger and passion in many Americans. The loss of thousands of jobs, with official unemployment still nudging double digits, and with lowwage American workers bearing the brunt of the downturn also presents a wedge for anti-immigration foes. They almost certainly will again hammer that undocumented workers snatch jobs from needy American workers. Immigration reform can’t be separated from partisan politics. The November midterm elections are months away and Democrats have already suffered three hammer blows in losing a revered Senate seat in Massachusetts, and governorships in Virginia and New Jersey. Many Democrats will be squeamish about the risk of more losses if immigration opponents gather steam and again turn immigration into a finger-pointing, contentious and polarizing issue. Obama still has a major fight on his hands to get a health care reform bill passed. The bill is not on life support. However, there’s still no guarantee to get a bill — any bill — passed. See HUTCHINSON, page 3
Through Adversity, I ‘Caught’ the Dream Editor’s note: The L.A. Watts Times congratulates Miriam Vickers, a winner of the newspaper’s Catch the “Dream” Essay Contest. Vickers has won two tickets to the play “Dreamgirls,” playing at the Ahmanson Theatre through April 4, and dinner for two at The Restaurant at The Standard. The L.A. Watts Times also congratulates Devin O’Neal and Alison L. Hudson, winners who also won tickets and dinner. All essays were good, but Vickers’ was chosen to be published. BY MIRIAM VICKERS
Adversity knocks on the door of every individual at one point or another. It was not until it egregiously knocked on my door that I was able to challenge adversity head on, opting to defeat it. In defeating adversity, the opportunity to catch the dream becomes a living organism. A dream without obstacles is synonymous to a fairy tale. Achievement, in spite of obstacles, is the realization of a dream. My journey towards catching my dream began in 1996. On Feb. 7, I was shot by my ex-husband at point-blank range in the back. Fourteen years later, the reason why
is still inexplicable. Speculation has it that my ex-husband thought that I was having an affair with one of my co-workers. This was as far from the truth as the sun is from the Earth. The bullet from a .357-caliber Magnum pierced my left lung, which collapsed immediately. My right lung collapsed shortly thereafter. I lay in a surgical intensive care unit for four months with the bleak prognosis that I would probably succumb to death. Oh, but what a mighty God I serve! The prayers of my mother were answered. I survived. The aftermath of this horrific event triggered even more obstacles. Dreaming about anything positive turned into a nightmare. I had to learn how to walk again. I harbored suicidal thoughts. I was hospitalized numerous times in psychiatric facilities. I was short of breath most of the time due to reduced lung capacity. My mother died three years after I was shot. I was the victim of police brutality. I went from earning $60,000 a year to being unemployed and homeless. I cried nearly 24 hours a day. My self-esteem was low. I wallowed in self-pity, selfhatred and self-blame. But the dream to help children,
the elderly and the needy — community service — was at the core of my existence. I taught school and volunteered at convalescent homes. My dream grew. My mother founded a nonprofit organization before her death. In 2004, I revived the nonprofit. As president of operations, I use the nonprofit status to get donations. Since that time, I have been distributing food, clothes and personal hygiene products to the homeless and needy families in Los Angeles, Compton, Watts, Long Beach and Lancaster. I visit schools and give students incentives to seek academic excellence. Annually, I host a backto-school and toy giveaway. Fourteen years after facing such blatant adversity, I am refining the dream that I caught — I am working tirelessly to serve more needy individuals with love and respect. My efforts to serve the needy are not funded. However, I use my talents writing poetry and performing spoken word to generate income. This income is used to facilitate my dream to serve the needy. I caught my dream — to help and love someone else in spite of my adversities.
The New Scarlet Letter BY MAYA RUPERT CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Black children are an endangered species. And the fault for that, apparently, lies with black mothers. Recently, a billboard campaign in Atlanta has received national attention for drawing what some believe is a questionable link between race and abortion. The billboards, sponsored by The Radiance Foundation and Georgia Right to Life, make the endangered species claim, and then direct viewers to www.toomanyaborted.com, where the argument is made that black women are being targeted for abortions in an effort to reduce the black population. The Web site points out that, historically, forced sterilization and eugenics, or selective breeding with the goal of “improving” humanity, have been used in an effort to make sure black women did not reproduce. It claims that abortion is simply the latest permutation of a disturbing trend of using reproductive technology to slow procreation in the black community. The site points out that facilities providing abortions are more prevalent in predominantly black communities than they are elsewhere, which subtly encourages more black women to terminate their pregnancies. While it’s true that reproductive technology and advancements have been used in the past to rob black women of their bodily integrity, it is misleading and dangerous to characterize abortion as a part of that history. Casting efforts to ensure reproductive freedom as a conspiracy to coerce black women to abort misses the point. Pro-choice advocates are just that: Pro-choice. The difference between forced sterilization and eugenics and the right to choose to have an abortion is the difference between robbing a store and buying something on sale.
If the concern is that black women are choosing to have abortions at a higher rate than other women, the solution is not to shame them into Maya Rupert not making that choice. Although roughly 13 percent of the U.S. population is African American, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates black women receive about 37 percent of all abortions, the L.A. Times recently reported. This number illustrates a problem: Black women are having a disproportionately high number of abortions. But it’s overly simplistic to act like the answer lies in pedantically telling black women to have fewer abortions. The solution is to ask why it is that black women are having a larger number of unwanted pregnancies. Interestingly, the Radiance Foundation advocates for abstinence-only education, even though studies have shown that teens who benefit from comprehensive sex education are 50 percent less likely to have unplanned teenage pregnancies than those who receive abstinence-only education. If the concern is really to reduce the number of abortions in the black community, these organizations should focus on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies. This campaign also ignores the realities that the black community still disproportionately faces, such as lower socio-economic status, inadequate access to quality health care, and inadequate access to quality education, all of which have an impact on the likelihood that a woman will choose to have an abortion. Changing these realities would be a more comprehensive and effective way of decreasing the number See RUPERT, page 3
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March 11, 2010
L.A. WATTS TIMES
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BUSINESS BIZSHORTS Chamber Invites Public to Inglewood State of the City Address The Inglewood 2010 State of the City Address will take place March 18, with 11:30 a.m. registration and a noon luncheon, at the Hollywood Park Racetrack — Sunset Terrace Room, 1050 S. Prairie Ave., Inglewood. The event’s speaker will be City Councilman Ralph Franklin. RSVP by March 12. Tickets will not be available at the door. Cost: $60. Mail checks and reservations to the Inglewood/ Airport Area Chamber of Commerce, 330 E. Queen St., Inglewood. Information: (310) 677-1121, inglewoodchamber@sbcglobal.net.
Extension of Lending Programs Will Support $1.8B in Small-Business Lending WASHINGTON (SBA) — President Barack Obama has signed legislation extending until March 28 the U.S. Small Business Administration’s ability to provide small-business loans that are enhanced with special provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including a higher guarantee of SBA-backed loans and a waiver of loan fees normally paid by borrowers. SBA estimates the additional funding will support about $1.8 billion in small-business lending. Loan applications from borrowers in SBA’s Recovery Loan Queue will be funded first, followed by new loan applications. Information: (202) 205-6948.
BBA Announces Salute to Black Women Business Conference (BBA) — The Black Business Association will host its annual Salute to Black Women Business Conference and Awards Luncheon
RUPERT Continued from page 2 of abortions that take place among black women. Instead, this campaign takes aim only at the women acting responsibly and deciding whether to terminate their pregnancies. It turns a blind eye to the complexities of the societal issue and essentially blames black women for participating in their own ethnic genocide. There are a lot of areas in public life where racism creeps in and negatively affects the black community. However, the effort of abortion providers ensuring the reproductive freedom of black women is not one of these areas. This campaign is exploiting racial statistics in order to pressure black women into denying themselves the choice to decide how to begin their families. Making abortions accessible in black communities isn’t racist — but publicly shaming the black women who make this choice in a simplistic shock campaign is. Sadly, as it garners more attention, we should expect to see more of this and similar campaigns in communities outside of Georgia, attempting to further stigmatize a vulnerable commu-
March 27 at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles in recognition of Women’s History Month. Financial security, self-improvement and other workshops will be offered. Information: (323) 291-9334, www.bbala.org.
IRS Has $1.3 Billion for People Who Have Not Filed a 2006 Tax Return (IRS) — Unclaimed refunds totaling more than $1.3 billion are awaiting nearly 1.4 million people who did not file a federal income tax return for 2006, according to the Internal Revenue Service. To collect the money, a return for 2006 must be filed with the IRS no later than April 15, 2010. Some people may not have filed because they had too little income to require filing a tax return, even though they had taxes withheld from their wages or made quarterly estimated payments. In cases where a return was not filed, the law provides most taxpayers with a three-year window of opportunity for claiming a refund. If no return is filed to claim the refund within three years, the money becomes property of the U.S. Treasury. The law requires that the return be properly addressed, mailed and postmarked by that date. There is no penalty for filing a late return qualifying for a refund. Though back-year tax returns cannot be filed electronically, taxpayers can still speed up their refunds by choosing to have them deposited directly into a checking or savings account. The IRS reminds taxpayers seeking a 2006 refund that their checks will be held if they have not filed tax returns for 2007 or 2008. Tax forms and instructions are available on the Forms and Publications page of IRS.gov, or by calling (800) 829-3676. nity making a difficult choice. Maya Rupert is an attorney in downtown Los Angeles. She has previously contributed to the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as other publications. Her column explores issues of race, gender and politics and appears in the L.A. Watts Times regularly. She can be reached at maya.rupert@gmail.com.
HUTCHINSON Continued from page 2 To risk stoking the voter fury over immigration that health care has would be political folly. Obama gave immigration reform short shrift in his State of the Union address. But he’s put it back on the nation’s table. That’s a good thing. Now that he has, the watch is on to see how hard or light he’ll tread on the issue. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His nationally heard talk show is on KTYMAM 1460 AM Los Angeles, Fridays, 9:30 a.m., and KPFK Pacifica Radio 90.7 Los Angeles, Saturdays at noon, PST. He also hosts the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable Community forum Thursdays, 7 p.m., at Lucy Florence Cultural Center, 3351 W. 43rd St., Los Angeles, (323) 383-6145.
Five Tips to Avoid Tax Time Stress Filing your tax return doesn’t have to be stressful. The Internal Revenue Service has put together five stress-relieving tips to help you. 1. Don’t Procrastinate. Resist the temptation to put off your taxes until the very last minute. Rushing to meet the filing deadline may cause you to overlook potential sources of tax savings and will likely increase your risk of making an error. 2. Visit the IRS Web site. In 2009, more than 296 million visits were made to IRS.gov. Visit 1040 Central to learn the latest news and find answers to your questions. 3. File Your Return Electronically. Last year, two out of three tax returns were filed electronically. More than 800 million tax returns have been processed safely and securely over the past 20 years. Use e-file and direct deposit to get your refund in as few as 10 days. E-filed returns have a much lower error rate. Taxpayers receive a fast acknowledgement that the IRS received the return, a service not available for paper filers. You can e-file through your tax preparer or commercial software. Or, you can use Free File, a service offered by
the IRS and private sector partners to prepare and e-file your federal return for free. See IRS.gov for more information. 4. Don’t Panic if You Can’t Pay. If you cannot pay the full amount of taxes you owe by the April 15 deadline, you should still file your return by the deadline and pay as much as you can to avoid penalties and interest. You should also contact the IRS to discuss your payment options at (800) 8291040. The agency may be able to provide some relief such as a shortterm extension to pay, an installment agreement, or an offer in compromise. More than 75 percent of taxpayers eligible for an installment agreement can apply using the Web-based Online Payment Agreement application available on IRS.gov. To find out more about this process, type “Online Payment Agreement” in the search box on the IRS.gov homepage. 5. Request an Extension of Time to File — But Pay on Time. If the April 15 clock runs out, you can get an automatic sixmonth extension of time to file until Oct. 15. However, this extension of time to file does not give you more time to pay any taxes due. If you
have not paid at least 90 percent of the total tax due by the April deadline, you may also be subject to an Estimated Tax Penalty. To obtain an extension, file Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. The easiest way to file a Form 4868 is through Free File at www.irs.gov/freefile. Form 4868 is also available at IRS.gov, or you can call (800) TAX-FORM (800-829-3676) and have a paper form mailed to you. This article was provided by the IRS.
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L.A. WATTS TIMES
March 11, 2010
COMMUNITY
WHAT’S GOING ON? Deadline for receipt of What’s Going On listings is Friday, noon, at least two weeks prior to activity. Fax to: (213) 251-5720, e-mail us at lawattsnus@aol.com or mail to: L.A. Watts Times, 3540 Wilshire Blvd., PH3, Los Angeles, CA 90010. REFELECTIONS — Dee Wallace of “E.T.” fame will be the featured speaker at Reflections, Write at the Speed of Change Writer’s Seminar March 27 at the LAX Radisson, 6225 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles. Wallace will lecture on “Staying True to the Spirit of Your Writing.” She is the author of, “Conscious Creation,” “The Big E,” and “The Spiritual Lessons of an Actor’s Journey.” Admission is $20. RSVP information: (310) 695-9800, dabellis@ reflectionspublishings.net. EXTENSION — The West Coast premiere of The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza will extend at The Fountain Theatre through April 25. Part history, part mystery and part ghost story, Bayeza’s integration of past, present, fact and legend turns the story of the 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till into a work of music, poetic language and theatricality. The show will run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are
$25 to $28, with discounts for seniors and students. Information: (323) 663-1525, www.FountainTheatre. com. WOMEN’S DAY — Radical Women will present an International Women’s Day celebration honoring local feminist Muffy Sunde on March 14, 2 p.m., at Solidarity Hall, 2170 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. Sunde has been a fixture in the Los Angeles feminist, labor and leftist movements. A Japanese dinner will be served at 5 p.m. after the program for $9. Information: (323) 732-6416, radicalwomenla@earthlink.net, www.radicalwomen.org. USHERS DAY — The Ushers of First United Methodist Church will host their annual Ushers Days March 14, 3 p.m. The church, at 1025 S. Long Beach Blvd., Compton, will acknowledge the work and contributions of ushers. There will be praise, music, fellowship and worship. Information: (310) 6390775. HOMECOMING — Los Angeles Neighborhood Housing Services will present the HomeComing and Annual Meeting March 17, 6 to 8:30 p.m., at 3926 Wilshire Blvd., suite 200, Los Angeles. The evening will feature stories from clients who have over-
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come challenges to preserve their homes or reach their goals of homeownership. Information: lanhsinfo@lanhsinfo.org. TIDEPOOL WONDERS — The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is inviting people to explore low tides on the rocky shore March 13, 12:30 to 2 p.m., and March 14, 2 to 3:30 p.m. The aquarium is at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro. Attendees will have the opportunity to see a slide show, which will be followed by a walk led by aquarium staff to the nearby Point Fermin State Marine Park. Information: (310) 548-7562, www. cabrillomarineaquairum.org.
PBS Host Tavis Smiley Calls Meeting to Urge ‘Black Agenda’ BY JESSE WASHINGTON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP) — About two months after ending his annual State of the Black Union conference, Tavis Smiley is gathering African American advocates to press the case for a “black agenda.” The decision was motivated by what Smiley called recent statements from some black leaders downplaying the need for President Barack Obama to specifically help African Americans. “I was compelled to do it because of this debate,” the activist and PBS talk show host said March 3.
BRIEFS Continued from page 1 are pending and some have been unresolved for months. County supervisors on March 2 ordered an independent review of the agency’s discipline and internal affairs operations.
THE STATE Calif. Shut Out of Education Funding Competition SACRAMENTO (AP) — The U.S. Department of Education on March 4 rejected California’s application for the first round of a $4.3 billion school-funding competition, a blow to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and reform supporters who lobbied to change state law so California would have a better shot at the funding. Other states with large populations, including New York, Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois, were among 16 that made the list of finalists from 41 applicants in the first round of the “Race to the Top” competition promoted by the Obama administration. California lawmakers wrangled for weeks before passing a package of school reform measures in January designed to make the state more competitive for up to $700 million of the funding. The legislation included forcing persistently failing schools to make sweeping changes, such as replacing teachers or converting to charter schools. Parents with kids in the worst schools could move their children elsewhere, and some schools could even be forced to close. The changes were opposed by the California Teachers Association.
THE NATION Paterson’s Stature Erodes Even in Stomping Grounds NEW YORK (AP) — David Paterson, New York’s first black governor and a product of the Harlem political machine, faced rapidly waning support March 4 even among New York City’s most influential black leaders, while his top spokesman resigned and said he couldn’t “in good conscience continue.” The Rev. Al Sharpton convened a meeting of black politicians at a soul food restaurant in Harlem in an effort to craft a message asking Paterson to resign,
Gov. David Paterson
according to a senior state Democrat briefed on the meeting. A state panel accused Paterson March 3 of illegally obtaining World Series tickets, then lying about it. That charge came on top of an investigation of whether the governor or staff members had inappropriate contact with a woman who made — but later inexplicably dropped — an abuse complaint against an aide who had accompanied Paterson to the baseball game four days earlier. Testimony by communications director Peter Kauffmann was key to the decision by the Public Integrity Commission to charge Paterson with an ethics violation. Kauffmann resigned March 4. The governor insists he is innocent, won’t quit and will fight the ethics charges.
FBI Says Civil Rights Initiative Ending NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The FBI is wrapping up the Civil Rights Cold Case Initiative, which focuses on racially motivated killings from the civil rights era. The agency said March 2 that about half of the 108 cases it began investigating in 2006 involved deceased victims, while 30 percent involved subjects who had already been prosecuted at the state level and 20 percent uncovered deaths that weren’t racially motivated. Three cold-case investigations were referred for state prosecution, and the FBI is currently assisting in the prosecution of a former state trooper. The Department of Justice has closed eight cases. See BRIEFS, page 5
Tavis Smiley
The panel discussion will be March 20 at Chicago State University. Panelists include advertising pioneer Tom Burrell, professors Michael Eric Dyson and Cornel West, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Bennett College President Julianne Malveaux. Some black politicians and activists have recently begun to question Obama’s longtime stance that helping the overall economy will improve the fortunes of blacks who are disproportionately poor and unemployed. West, for example, gave Obama a grade of C minus on policies and priorities focused on poor and working people, saying, “He has really not come through in any substantial and significant way.” Recently, Smiley and the Rev. Al Sharpton had an argument about the issue on Sharpton’s radio show, with Sharpton taking heated exception to Smiley’s claim that the reverend was giving Obama a pass on black issues. When Smiley ended the State of the Black Union after 10 years, he said black issues were now being addressed elsewhere. Apparently, however, not enough to his liking. He said that the Obama campaign and black leaders asked African Americans for help during the election, but that “now that he’s elected, what are black people being asked to do to hold him accountable to our agenda?” Eric Deggans, who writes about the media and race for Florida’s St. Petersburg Times, said Smiley’s new event is consistent with his record of criticizing Obama’s race-neutral stance. But there is a perception that Smiley is personally invested in the issue, he said, because Obama declined to attend Smiley’s 2008 State of the Black Union event during the presidential campaign. “It could be hard for people watching this to see Tavis as an honest broker,” Deggans said. On the Net: Tavis Smiley: www.tavistalks.com.
Facts March 11, 1959 “Raisin in the Sun,” the first Broadway play by a black woman, opens at Barrymore Theater with Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil in the starring roles. Lorraine Hansberry’s drama was also the first Broadway play to feature a black director, Lloyd Richards, in the modern era. Source: blackfacts.com
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COMMUNITY COMMUNITY MEETINGS, FORUMS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Construction to Close Blue Line from Washington to 7th/Metro Center (Metro) — Metro Blue Line passengers will experience travel delays of up to 40 minutes through March 15 due to construction of the Expo light rail line, which will connect with the Metro Blue Line in downtown Los Angeles. The Metro stations affected will be: San Pedro, Grand Avenue, Pico/Chick Hearn and 7th/Metro Center. Rail service from the Washington Station to Long Beach Transit Mall will not be affected. Metro will implement a bus bridge to serve these stations from the 7th/Metro Center to and from Washington Station. There also will be Metro personnel at the Washington and 7th/Metro Center stations to help direct patrons. Further information: (213) 9224999, www.metro.net.
they have any questions about Census 2010. Starting on March 15, Census forms will be mailed to all households. The bureau is asking everyone to complete the forms and mail them
back by April 1. Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QACs) will be open in various locations from March 19 to April 19. Anyone who needs assistance or has questions about how to fill out the forms can go to a QAC.
More information: www.2010. census.gov.
‘Million Meals for Haiti’ Volunteer Opportunity Volunteers are needed to help the Salvation Army pack a million meals in 24 hours for earthquake-ravaged
Haitians March 12 to 13 at the Bell Shelter Warehouse, 5600 Rickenbacker Road, Building 1C and 1D, Bell. Volunteers will receive an official confirmation from The Salvation Army. Information: (213) 607-7314.
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Remember to Fill out Census Form and Mail Back by April 1
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(Asian Pacific American Legal Center) — With Census Day approaching on April 1, the U.S. Census Bureau is preparing to notify households of what to expect in the upcoming weeks, and communities could respond by carefully reading all Census-related materials sent to their households and seeking help if
BRIEFS Continued from page 4
CHICAGO (AP) — Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan claims the “white right” is trying to make Barack Obama a one-term president. The 76-year-old says the stalling of health care legislation is proof. Farrakhan made the comments as he addressed followers of the Chicago-based movement that has embraced black nationalism since its founding. The Feb. 28 keynote speech took place before an estimated 20,000 people on the last day of the group’s Saviours’ Day convention.
Prices and participation may vary. ©2009 McDonald’s.
Farrakhan Predicts Continued Trouble for Pres. Obama
Louis Farrakhan
Farrakhan has vigorously supported Obama. Even so, Obama distanced himself from Farrakhan before his election because of Farrakhan’s past statements that were considered anti-Semitic. During the hours-long speech, Farrakhan boasted of being bigger than a prophet. On the Net: Nation of Islam Saviours’Day 2010: www.noisd.org. See BRIEFS, page 8
bliss for a buck
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March 11, 2010
ARTS & CULTURE
‘The Harimaya Bridge’ Forges a Cultural Identity
SHORT TAKES MUSIC • Jazz icon Dianne Reeves will premiere new music at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex March 13, 8 p.m. This performance by Reeves will include music from her latest
BY INDIA C. ALLEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
When most people think of Japanese film, the thought is usually void of an African American presence or experience. But, with the introduction of his first feature film, “The Harimaya Bridge,” award-winning writer-director Aaron Woolfolk has changed that. Starring Ben Guillory, Danny Glover and Saki Takaoka, “The Harimaya Bridge” is a heart-warming and inspirational story about the power of love, forgiveness and healing, through which Woolfolk poignantly bridges two cultures, creating an experience to which Japanese and black audiences alike can relate. Centered on Daniel Holder (Guillory), the film mostly takes place in modern-day Japan. After losing his only son, Mickey Holder (played by Victor “The Harimaya Bridge” Showing: March 26 to April 1 Place: Laemmle’s Music Hall 3 Address: 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 90211 Phone: (310) 478-3836 Ticket prices: $8 to $11 Web site: www.laemmle.com
acoustic bass. Information: (323) 466-2210.
FILM • The Pan African Film & Arts Festival will feature “41st & Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers” for one week beginning March 26 at the Culver Plaza Theatres, 9919 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. The documentary series follows the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party from its Black Power beginnings through to its demise. Information: paff.org.
THEATER A scene from “The Harimaya Bridge.”
Grant), Daniel travels to Japan, where his son died, to collect his son’s artwork. As he uncovers the legacy his son left in Japan, what begins as a seemingly objective and straightforward trip ends up taking Daniel on an emotional rollercoaster. Through his journey, Daniel is forced to confront his own deep-seated resentment toward Japan, a country he blames for the estranged relationship he had with his son before his death and the loss of his own father who fought in World War II. Despite a few abrupt and awkward scene transitions at the begin-
ning of the film, the viewer is swept into the drama unfolding across continents. Through the use of simple camera shots and gestures by the actors, emotion is conveyed — characteristics that partly define Japanese film. In “The Harimaya Bridge,” action truly speaks louder than words. It is Woolfolk’s commitment to this Japanese aesthetic that evokes feelings of a real human experience. We’ve all been in situations where See ‘HARIMAYA BRIDGE,’ page 8
America’s Jazz and Blues Station www.jazzandblues.org
Dianne Reeves
album “When You Know,” a collection of songs based on the theme of love including some pop and jazz standards, in addition to her own original compositions. Luckman Fine Arts Complex is at California State University, Los Angeles, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles. Tickets are $35 and up. Information: (323) 343-6600, luckmanarts.org. • In support of his latest CD “Umbo Weti: Tribute to Leon Thomas,” the Babatunde Lea Quintet will perform March 11, 8 p.m., at Catalina’s Jazz Club, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. The
• “PLAY/ground,” the annual play festival from March 13 to 14, will take place at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. This year’s lineup includes “The Nature of Mutation,” by John Walch, directed by Abigail Deser; “Breadcrumbs,” by Jennifer Haley, directed by Michetti; and other plays. “The Nature of Mutation” will be read March 13, 12:30 p.m., followed by “Breadcrumbs” at 3:30. The free readings are open to the public. Reservation information: (626) 683-6883. • “The Emperor’s Last Performance” opens March 26, 8 p.m., and runs through April 4, at Los Angeles Theatre Center, Theatre 4, 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles. There will be a preview March 25, 8 p.m. Regular show times will be Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 and 7 p.m. The play traces the career of Charles Sidney Gilpin (18781930) from 1920, before he was cast in “The Emperor Jones,” until 1930, and his farewell performance in that role. Gilpin was one of the earliest African American stars on the Broadway stage. General admission is $30. Student admission is $20. Reservations: (213) 489-0994, ext. 107, www. thelatc.org.
LUNCHEON, FASHION SHOW Dwight Trible
event will feature Babatunde Lea on drums and percussion, Dwight Trible on vocals, Ernie Watts on tenor sax, Patrice Rushen on acoustic piano, and Gary Brown on
• Eta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., Kappa Chapter, will hold its Annual Scholarship Luncheon and Fashion Show on March 20, 11:30 a.m., at the Reef Restaurant, 880 Harbor Scenic Drive, Long Beach. Information: Ella C. Evans, (323) 232-4959.
‘BLOODY SUNDAY’ Continued from page 1 Also on March 7 in Washington, President Barack Obama marked the 45th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” by praising “these heroes” who marched into history and endured beatings by Alabama state troopers at the start of their landmark voting rights trek. The first black U.S. president said that despite all the progress since “that terrible day in Selma,” more still needs to be done. Marchers were a few blocks into their Selma-to-Montgomery march on March 7, 1965, when they were beaten by state troopers on the bridge. The march was later complet-
ed under federal protection, with Martin Luther King Jr. leading it. It led to passage of the Voting Rights Act, which opened Southern polling places to blacks and ended allwhite government. Also on March 7, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, ex-wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela, was the keynote speaker at the Martin and Coretta Scott King Unity Breakfast in Selma. Madikizela-Mandela told the 500-plus audience at Wallace Community College in Selma that no American place in the civil rights struggle was more important than Selma.
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ARTS & CULTURE The 82 annual Academy Awards took place March 7 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
Morgan Freeman, nominated for Best Actor for his performance in “Invictus,” with daughter Morgana. Geoffrey Fletcher won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for “Precious,” becoming the first African American to win an Academy Award for screenwriting.
Best Actress nominee for “Precious,” Gabourey Sidibe.
“
LAUGH-OUT-LOUD FUNNY!” ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT
Actor Anthony Mackie of “The Hurt Locker,” which won Best Picture. Actress Zoe Saldana of “Avatar,” a Best Picture nominee.
Forest America Carlos Regina Lance
WHITAKER FERRERA MENCIA KING GROSS
STARTS FRIDAY, MARCH 12 AT THEATRES EVERYWHERE CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATRES AND SHOWTIMES
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L.A. WATTS TIMES
March 11, 2010
EDUCATION NOTEBOOK More Swastikas SprayPainted at UC Davis Campus DAVIS (AP) — Three more swastikas have been found spraypainted around the University of California, Davis — the latest in a series of recent incidents ramping up racial and ethnic tensions at UC campuses around the state. Campus police discovered the swastikas March 3, as students planned a rally against bigotry that day. The rally, attended by about 20 students, was done in response to two previous incidents at UC Davis: a swastika carved into the dormitory door of a Jewish student and the vandalism of a campus center for lesbian and gay students. Students in Los Angeles and Irvine also protested against racist incidents at other UC campuses. UC San Diego announced
FIXICO Continued from page 1 Seminole Maroons descendants, Fixico said, come from free black and fugitive slaves who settled in Florida after having escaped slavery by forming alliances with Native Americans. (“Some descendants take issue with the term ‘Seminole Maroon descendant’ because they feel it makes them less Indian to be connected to Africa,” he later said in an e-mail. Some prefer to use the terms Seminole, black Seminole or Seminole of color. There are also others who contend that some Seminole Maroons were never slaves). To understand why he calls himself a Seminole-Maroon descendant is a long story that he pieced together through research. “I don’t call myself black,” said Fixico, who is one-eighth Seminole Indian, one-fourth Cherokee Freedman, one-fourth Seminole Freedman, one-fourth mulatto and oneeighth Creek Freedman, according to a Smithsonian researcher. “The reason I don’t say black is because that doesn’t really describe the nuances of who I am. I’m a shade of black, a flavor of black. “When someone asks, ‘Are you black?’ it gives me pause. I can’t take the same credit as someone coming out of Africa who is pure. I can’t take their same degree of blackness.” To be clear, Fixico doesn’t have a problem with being called black or with black people. “It’s not that I don’t want to be black,” said Fixico, who explained his mother was African and Cherokee and his father African and Seminole. “I’ve been the product of a mixture. The one-drop rule says I’m black as anybody. “Under America’s concept of
Facts March 14, 1838 Blacks organize a mass meeting in Philadelphia to protest the action of the Pennsylvania Reform Convention of 1837, which denied them the right to vote. Source: blackfacts.com
March 2 that a KKK-style hood, inscribed with a hand-drawn circle and cross, had been found on campus and police are investigating. Last month, a noose was discovered hanging in the UC San Diego library less than two weeks after an off-campus party was advertised mocking Black History Month.
UCSD Students, Admins Agree on Diversity Goals SAN DIEGO (AP) — Administrators at the University of California, San Diego, and the school’s Black Student Union have signed an agreement that outlines common goals after several racially and ethnically charged incidents sparked angry protests. Faculty, students and administrators issued a joint statement after the meeting March 4 that said the conversation was productive and wide-ranging.
black, I’m black. But when I look at it as my own sense of self, I’m a flavor of black.” Fixico, the grandson of Pompey Fixico, whose parents were a pure Seminole woman and a Seminole Maroon, has admittedly become a passionate advocate for positive relations between Seminoles and Seminoles of color. At a recent Black History Month celebration at the AC Bilbrew Public Library in Los Angeles, Fixico, who created a Seminole Maroon Peace Belt to “promote positive thinking,” spoke openly about his life before an audience. In recent years, the public historian and performance artist has made it his mission to pass on the history and the knowledge of his true heritage. “I don’t want others to go through what I went through,” said Fixico, a widower and father of eight (one is deceased). “Once I found out about my heritage from family members on my father’s side, I promised that I would speak 300 times for the ancestors. I promised that I would take their story to the nation.”
BRIEFS Continued from page 5
In D.C., Blacks Were Crucial to Gay Marriage Debate WASHINGTON (AP) — Gay and lesbian couples are able to marry in Washington, but the debate over same-sex marriage has sounded different here. Over the past year, both sides have courted the support of D.C.’s black community, a majority of the city’s 600,000 residents. That has meant drawing parallels to Martin Luther King Jr.’s advocacy for equal rights and saying same-sex marriage bans will one day seem as ridiculous as interracial marriage bans. Both sides worked hard to curry favor with black leaders and churches. Gay couples were expected to be able to apply for marriage licenses beginning March 4 — but opponents are still challenging the bill in court.
Tensions on campus are up following several incidents including an off-campus student-organized “Compton Cookout” party that mocked Black History Month with ghetto stereotypes. A noose was later found hanging from a library bookshelf. The university says administrators agreed to diversify the student body and the faculty through targeted recruitment, provide more classes and instructors dedicated to diversity, and rewrite the student code of conduct.
Hollywood Arts Council Presents 24th Annual Charlie Awards (HAC) — The Hollywood Arts Council will present the 24th annual Charlie Awards Luncheon March 19, 11:30 a.m., in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd. (at Orange Street), in Hollywood.
Not only has he spoken about his story and his birthright hundreds of times to various groups, including local schools, but it is now included in the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit and companion book “IndiVisible African-Native American Lives in the Americas,” published by the National Museum of the American Indian. His is one of 27 essays included in the tome. “We thought the story was compelling and also that it was appropriate to feature a story about his experience because he had uncovered his tribal roots to the Seminole,” said Gabrielle Tayac, historian at the National Museum of The American Indian at the Smithsonian Institution. “What was intriguing is that many people in the African American community don’t have a full understanding of their genealogy. “He always felt there was something missing. Now he has a more complete picture of himself and his identity. What we found is that this kind of story, that yearning, is something very representative of many people. It was compelling to
THE DIASPORA Uganda Floods Displace 20,000, Slow Victim Search KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Officials in Uganda said heavy rains in the country’s east region have triggered flooding that has displaced more than 20,000 people and hampered search efforts after a massive landslide. Joel Aguma, the police commander for eastern Uganda, says persistent heavy rains have flooded more than 30 villages, leading to the displacement of more than 20,000 people. Recent rains have triggered massive landslides that covered three villages in the Bududa region, burying what officials believe to be several hundred people. Kevin Nabutuwa of the Uganda Red Cross says rescuers have recovered 92 bodies so far but were unable to continue searching last week because of the rain.
The program benefits project S.O.A.R. (Students Overcoming All Risks), the Council’s AfterSchool Art Workshops held in eight Hollywood-area elementary schools, and its annual Children’s Festival of the Arts. The event will be emceed by ABC7’s George Pennacchio. The catered fundraising awards show luncheon is open to the general public. Tickets are $100. Valet parking will be available. Reservations: (323) 871-2787. Further information: (323) 4622355, www.hollywoodartscouncil. org.
(Crown Preparatory) — Crown Preparatory Academy announced March 3 the unanimous approval of its charter application by the Los Angeles Unified School District. The new, tuition-free pub-
lic school will open in August 2010 in South Los Angeles, serving students in grades 5 through 8. The Crenshaw/Leimert Park area has been named as a proposed location. Crown Prep will implement a gradual-growth plan, enrolling its inaugural class of 120 fifth-graders for the 2010-11 school year, adding one grade each year until it reaches a total of 480 students at all grade levels. Admission to Crown Prep is open to all students that reside in South Los Angeles and the surrounding communities. A Parent Information Night will take place March 25, 7 p.m., at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Community Room (lower level, next to Los Angeles Police Department office). Information: (323) 309-5119, www.crownprep.org.
link him to a broader history. Through him we were able to look at the story of the Seminole.” Discovering his roots has been no easy task for Fixico. But he trudged on because he felt it was his duty. “I want to be the catalyst for a cultural renaissance similar to the Harlem Renaissance, where this part of our history is told for the first time and it tells about those people who wouldn’t say ‘Toby,’ who gave creative resistance to the slavery and whose story was unreported or underreported,” Fixico said. Tayac, who was the general editor on “IndiVisible,” said the book offers a more complete understanding of the American experience. “We don’t really hear a lot about Native and African Americans coming together. It’s a story as old as the country. It preceded the country. It’s important to understand that the
histories are so intertwined. “We have the notion that perhaps people of color can only be understood as part of white history. That is so not the case.” When asked if he was proud of what he’s discovered and his efforts to promote harmony between Seminoles and Seminoles of color, Fixico took a moment to reflect. “You know that’s a very good question,” he said. “If you mean, am I black and proud and loud — no; I’m not like that. It’s just what it is. “It’s like a record that I have to set straight. Because it fell to me it’s like a hole was cut out of my heart. Now, I have to at least make an impact. After that, I’m fine. Let someone else come and do better than me. I’ll go fishing or salsa dancing.” For inquiries or to book Fixico for a free community seminar, contact him at refixico@ aol.com.
South Los Angeles Middle School to Open in August 2010
‘HARIMAYA BRIDGE’ Continued from page 6 there’s an elephant in the room no one is willing to confront or address. And when this happens, our interaction with others speaks volumes. “The Harimaya Bridge” is full of elephant-in-the-room moments. Tension is always threatening to break at the surface of seemingly simple exchanges. Woolfolk also utilizes this same simplicity to convey what it feels like to be both a foreigner and a black man in Japan — having to duck in every doorway; being stared at in public; not knowing how to read a restaurant menu and only trusting the simplest of items on it — rice. There are a number of things that make this film different from others. First and foremost, it’s the first Japanese film to be directed and written by an African American. But the true gem is in Daniel’s transformation from a man hardened and closed by the pain of the past into a man brave enough to confront and admit his mistakes and forge a new future in an entirely new culture — a future his son began, a future Daniel feels compelled to continue. Woolfolk uses the universal language of art as
one of Daniel’s main vehicles to forgiveness, love and freedom. This language reminds the viewer that there is at least one experience we all can relate to, regardless of ethnicity, background or class — art. “The Harimaya Bridge” doesn’t just represent two varying cultures on a single screen. It truly bridges and merges them, creating an entirely new experience for the viewer. It’s as if the film is a truthful dialogue between two people from different ethnic backgrounds, in which both participants are not afraid to say what they’re really thinking. This of course results in confrontation, but the confrontation is necessary for healing and growth. And it is what transpires in the healing and growth of Daniel that leads viewers to walk through the theater exit doors inspired to challenge themselves to explore the world beyond the confines of their cultural identity. In this boundless moment, viewers are reminded that we are human first and black, Japanese, or whatever ethnic group, second. Racial traits, while significant to how we see ourselves are secondary.
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HEALTH THE PULSE Community Health, Resource and Book Fair Scheduled All Peoples Christian Center will host its 13th Annual Community Health, Resource & Book Fair March 27, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is part of All Peoples Christian Center’s efforts to inform and educate the community on ways of adapting healthier behaviors and providing preventive services. The fair will include free health screenings, college information, and activities for the entire family. All Peoples Christian Center is at 822 E. 20th St., Los Angeles. Admission and services are free. Information: (213) 747-6357, ext. 33, sramos@allpeoplescc.org.
Obama Pitches Health Plan in Spirited Appearance GLENSIDE, Pa. (AP) — Stirring memories of his campaign for the White House, President Barack Obama made a spirited, shirtsleeved appeal for passage of longstalled health care changes March 8 as Democratic congressional leaders worked behind the scenes on legislation they hope can quickly gain passage. “Let’s seize reform. It’s within our grasp,” the president implored his audience at Arcadia University, the first outside-the-Beltway appearance since he vowed recently to do everything in his power to push his health care plan into law. The president’s pitch was part denunciation of insurance companies — “they continue to ration care on the basis of who’s sick and who’s healthy,” he said — and part criticism of his Republican critics. “You had 10 years. What happened? What were you doing?” he taunted members of a party that held the White House for eight years and control of Congress for a dozen. The outcome could affect almost every American, changing the ways they receive and pay for health care — and extending coverage to tens of millions more people — if the legislation gains final approval.
Board of Supervisors Approve Funding for Mental Health Center (Mark Ridley-Thomas’ Office) — The Board of Supervisors has approved about $3.5 million in funding for Phase II of the Augustus F. Hawkins Compre-
hensive Mental Health Center Psychiatric Inpatient Unit Refurbishment Project in the Second District. The renovations will allow the Mental Health and Health Services departments to consolidate psychiatric inpatient, outpatient and urgent care services, previously provided at both Augustus Hawkins and Ingleside. On Jan. 18, 2005, the board approved Phase 1 of the project, which addressed inpatient care regulatory compliance and patient safety requirements. Phase II will include the renovations of restrooms to make them ADA compliant and seismic upgrades of wards in the facility. During the refurbishing, existing psychiatric services at Hawkins will not be adversely impacted.
Research: Vitamin D Helps Fight Juvenile Diabetes (Got Milk?) — Research finds that children who get their daily dose of Vitamin D have a reduced risk of developing Type 1 diabetes — the second most common chronic disease in kids today second to asthma. The disease could lead to blindness, kidney failure and heart problems. A recent finding in the journal Diabetologia shows that sun exposure, the number one source of Vitamin D, can reduce the risk of developing Type 1 diabetes. Additionally, an author of the study, Dr. Cedric Garland of the University of California, San Diego Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, says foods rich in Vitamin D could aid in this effort. Garland has highlighted some tips for parents on how to keep their kids healthy with Vitamin D. 1. Outdoor play. Kids can get Vitamin D from sunlight. Experts suggest children go outside and play for 10 to 15 minutes daily between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Limit unprotected sun exposure to that time period and apply sunscreen afterward. 2. Watch out for supplements. While supplements are readily available in stores, Garland says not all supplements are created equal. Vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol, is the most effective form of Vitamin D supplement. To read the study and to learn more tips on how to prevent Vitamin D deficiency, visit, www.gotmilk.com
Cancer Society Casts More Doubt on Prostate Tests BY MIKE STOBBE AP MEDICAL WRITER
ATLANTA (AP) — The American Cancer Society is warning more explicitly than ever that regular testing for prostate cancer is of questionable value, and can do men more harm than good. Two big studies last year suggested prostate cancer screening doesn’t necessarily save lives, and any benefits can come at a high price. The widely used PSA test often spots cancers too slow-growing to be deadly. It can yield falsepositive readings that result in unnecessary biopsies. And it can lead to treatments that can cause impotence and incontinence. But some doctors and advocates are troubled by the new guidelines. “Prostate cancer is still something to be respected if not feared, and we still need to be vigilant,” said Dr. David Roberts, medical director of an Atlanta clinic. “I hope primary care docs or insurance companies don’t use the ‘softening’ of the guidelines as an excuse to not do screening at all.” Dr. Stephen Freedland, an associate professor of urology at Duke University Medical Center, warned that the medical establishment seems to be moving backward on cancer screening. “We have seen dramatic drops in mortality from breast, prostate and cervical (cancer) at a time when screening has been increasing, and now we are stepping off the pedal,” he said. “I don’t think that is the right answer.” The cancer society’s new guidance released March 3 urges doctors to: • Discuss the pros and cons of testing with patients, offering written information or videos that discuss the likelihood of false test
results and the side effects of treatment. • Stop routinely giving the rectal exam because it has not clearly shown a benefit, though it can remain an option. • Use past PSA readings to determine how often follow-up tests are needed and to guide conversations about treatment. Prostate cancer screening became a medical mantra in the 1990s, thanks to the development of the PSA test. For American men, prostate cancer is the second-deadliest cancer after lung cancer. An estimated 192,000 new cases and 27,000 deaths from it occurred last year in the United States. But it is often a slow-growing cancer. Another problem with the PSA test is that an elevated or fast-rising PSA reading can indicate the presence of cancer, but can also be caused by something minor, such as an infection or an enlarged prostate. A biopsy is needed to confirm cancer, and that can cause unnecessary pain and fear. The new recommendations could be “game changers” in two respects, said Dr. John Davis, a urologist who directs prostate cancer screening for the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. First, it may mean many doctors will stop routinely giving the PSA test, he said. About 41 percent of men 50 and older get annual prostate cancer screenings, he said. Second, the guidelines could have a chilling effect on community screening clinics in which hundreds of men line up and get free, quick exams, Davis said. That was the intent, said Dr. Andrew Wolf, a University of Virginia physician who led the
group that wrote the new guidelines. Last year, the American Urological Association — a longtime proponent of regular prostate screening — backed off its call for annual tests after age 50. The group said men should be offered a baseline test at 40, with follow-ups based on each man’s situation. The group also has stood by the rectal exam as a standard part of screening, saying it can find cancer that the blood test does not. Men at higher risk, including blacks and men with a father or brother who had prostate cancer before age 65, should get the information beginning at 45. Early prostate cancer has no symptoms. Advanced disease may interfere with urination or cause blood in the urine. There are few good treatments for very advanced cases, though researchers reported March 3 that an experimental drug extended survival by 10 weeks. They were hopeful that the drug, cabazitaxel, might be more effective in stopping earlier cancers. Associated Press Writer Stephanie Nano in New York contributed to this report.
Facts March 12, 1936 Children’s author Virginia Hamilton is born. The author of more than 35 books for young people, Hamilton won every major award in her field, including the John Newbery Medal, three Newbery Honors, the National Book Award, the NAACP Image Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the Coretta Scott King Award. Her books include “The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales” and “The Planet of Junior Brown.” Source: blackfacts.com and virginiahamilton.com.
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L.A. WATTS TIMES
March 11, 2010
PUBLIC NOTICE
SPORTS
LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (Metro)
BRAD PYE JR.
INDUSTRY REVIEW
SPORTS BEAT Notes, quotes and things picked up on the run from coast-to-coast and all the stops in between and beyond. The Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t pull off a win March 7 when they lost 96-94 to the Orlando Magic.
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Kobe Bryant tried to be a hero by shooting one of his famous jumpers but missed, allowing the Magic to prevail. With 34 points, Bryant was the leading scorer, though. UCLA’s Lady Bruins, coached by Nikki Caldwell, are No. 25 in the nation in college women’s basketball. USA Today quotes Caldwell as saying, “It’s a step, and it’s recognition on a national level.â€? The Westchester High School Comets, led by Dwayne Polee Jr., beat Taft High, 70-60, to win their 11th all-city crown. Other standouts besides Polee were some of the jump shooters, including Menas Stephens and Kareem Jamar. Bryce Jones, with 29 points, was the leader for Taft. Taft’s other standouts were DeAndre Daniels, Spencer Dinwiddie and Landon Drew. Chante Miles led all point makers with 14 points to pace the Carson High Lady Colts to a 53-47 victory over Narbonne High March 6 at the Galen Center. Also, the girls of Inglewood High are champions of the CIF 3AA Southern Section, handing Agoura High a recent 64-49 defeat at Long Beach State. The boys of L.A. Price High and the girls of Serra High are also celebrating championship victories. Senior guard Allen Crabbe, with 22 points, helped the Cavaliers win, 7370, over Orange Lutheran at Mater Dei High. Price won the Southern Section Division 4AA boys’ basketball championship. Meanwhile Serra rolled over Valley Christian 66-47. Megan Wright and Danielle Muepo hit for 19 and 14 points, respectively. Valley Christian won the Southern Section Division 5AA girls basketball title. And the beat continues‌ The New York Yankees are
being picked to repeat as World Series champions. If they do win, Curtis Granderson could play a key role in making it happen. Granderson is coming over from the Detroit Tigers. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim didn’t show much love for third baseman and lead-off man Chone Figgins, and they let him get away. The Seattle Mariners picked him off the free agent market. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Justin Upton is a rich 22-year-old. The Diamondbacks signed Upton to a six-year, roughly $51 million contract recently. And the beat continues‌ The big welterweight bout between Floyd “Moneyâ€? Mayweather Jr. and Sugar Shane Mosley is set for May 1 at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas. Will Tiger Woods ever become one of America’s favorite sons again? We’ll see. And the beat ends. Brad Pye Jr. can be reached at switchreel@aol.com. FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100270839 The following person is doing business as: SAVIYNT 11108 Matteson Ave. Culver City, CA 90230 Rishma Shariff 11108 Matteson Ave. Culver City, CA 90230 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on March 1, 2010. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). First Filing: 3/11/2010, 3/18/2010, 3/25/2010, 4/1/2010 LAWT 412
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.�
ANNOUNCEMENTS BECOME DIETARY MANAGER (average annual salary $40,374) in eight months in online program offered by Tennessee Technology Center, Elizabethton. Details www.TTCElizabethton.edu, 1888-986-2368 or email: patricia.roark@ttcelizabethton.edu. (Cal-SCAN)
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) ESTABLISHED INTERNATIONAL NUTRITION Company, expanding into the USA. Looking for top leaders! Minimal investment, $299.00. Offering an extra lucrative compensation package! www.ionique.com Bruce (888) 464-6642. (CalSCAN)
BUSINESS SERVICES ADVERTISE ONLINE in a network of 50-plus newspaper websites. Border to Border with one order! $7 cost per thousand impressions statewide. Minimum $5,000 order. Call for details: (916) 2886010. www.CaliforniaBannerAdNetwork.com (Cal-SCAN)
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in 240 Cal-SCAN newspapers for the best reach, coverage, and price. 25words $550. Reach over 6 million Californians! FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.CalSCAN.com (Cal-SCAN) DISPLAY ADVERTISING in 140 Cal-SDAN newspapers statewide for $1,550! Reach over 3 million Californians! FREE email brochure. Call (916) 2886019. www.Cal-SDAN.com (Cal-SCAN)
EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA! Graduate in 4 weeks! FREE Brochure. Call Now! 1-866-562-3650 ext. 60 www.SouthEasternHS.com (Cal-SCAN)
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE NEW Norwood SAWMILLS- LumberMate-Pro handles logs 34� diameter, mills boards 28� wide. Automated quick-cycle-sawing increases efficiency up to 40%! www.NorwoodSawmills.com/300N 1800-661-7746 ext. 300N. (Cal-SCAN)
HEALTH/MISCELLANEOUS If you used Type 2 Diabetes Drug AVANDIA and SUFFERED a STROKE or HEART ATTACK. You may be entitled to compensation. Call Attorney Charles Johnson 1-800-535-5727. (Cal-SCAN)
HELP WANTED FOREMEN TO LEAD Utility Field Crews. Outdoor physical work, many positions, paid training, $17-22/hr. plus performance bonuses after promotion, company truck and benefits. Must have strong leadership skills, good driving history and be able to travel for extended periods in California and western States. Email resume to Recruiter25@osmose.com or apply online at www.OsmoseUtilities.com (Cal-SCAN) TRUCK DRIVERS: CDL training. Part-time driving job. Full-time benefits. Get paid to train in the California Army National Guard. May qualify for bonus. www.NationalGuard.com/Truck or 1-800-GOGUARD. (Cal-SCAN)
HELP WANTED/DRIVERS ANDRUS TRANSPORTATION Team & Solo OTR drivers - West states exp/hazmat end, great miles/hometime. Stable Family owned 35 yrs+ 1-800888-5838, 1-866-806-5119 x1402. (Cal-SCAN) SLT NEEDS CLASS A TEAM DRIVERS with Hazmat. $2,000 Bonus. Split $0.68 for all miles. Regional contractor positions available. 1-800-8359471. (Cal-SCAN) HELP WANTED/SEASONAL This client is Holland America & Princess) Please run without phone number. HAP - Alaska Rail Services hiring for summer season in Alaska! Food & Beverage, Maintenance and Retail Staff needed May-Sept. www.AlaskaTourJobs.com EOE. (Cal-SCAN)
HOMES FOR SALE FORECLOSED HOME AUCTION. 150+ Homes / March 20. Open House: March 6, 13, & 14, 2010. View Full Listings. www.Auction.com (Cal-SCAN)
Metro will be conducting an Industry Review of Contract No. PS0921102333, High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Express Lanes on the I10 and I-110 Freeways located in Los Angeles County. The project delivery method is design, build, operate and maintain (DBOM). It should be noted the toll systems requirement is inclusive of civil / construction work to include widening of Adams Blvd. off ramp, a pedestrian bridgeover crossing and other freeway related efforts that support the toll systems integration (to include tolling equipment, customer service centers and back-office operations). The contract period of performance for the design build work is 18 months from Notice To Proceed (NTP) plus a one (1) year O&M demonstration period. The ultimate contract will be on a Fixed Price basis for design, equipment, supply, installation, test, civil engineering and construction work. Operations will be on a fixed monthly price and Maintenance will be performed for a fixed monthly price. The purpose of the Industry Review is to have experienced design build firms submit comments and concerns related to the draft Request For Proposal (RFP) including instruction to proposers, contract terms and conditions, technical provisions and drawings. These draft documents for the Industry Review are available if you wish to obtain a copy (discs) please contact Ivan Page at (213) 922-6383 or via e-mail at pagei@metro.net. Metro encourages participating firms to submit their concerns and comments related to the identified above documents in writing to Ivan Page. prior to the scheduled Industry Review. The Industry Review general meeting, with all potential prime and subcontractors, will be held on March 24, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (Pacific Time), in the Metro Board Conference Room, located on the 3rd Floor, at One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90012-2952.
PUBLIC NOTICE Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Document and Announcement of Public Comment Period for the Interstate 110 (Harbor Freeway / Transitway) High Occupancy Toll Lanes Project
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in cooperation with Los Angeles County Metropolitan What’s Being Transportation Agency (Metro) proposes to convert the Planned? existing High Occupancy Vehicle Lane into a High Occupancy Toll Lane on Interstate 110. Caltrans has studied the effects that the proposed project may have on the environment and community. The results of these studies are contained in an Why environmental document known as an Environmental This Impact Report/ Environmental Assessment (EIR/EA). Ad? The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of its completion and availability to any interested individuals. What’s Available?
Where Do You Come In?
Do you have any comments regarding the EIR/EA? Do you disagree with the findings of the studies? Would you care to make any other comments about the project? The comment period has been extended. Please submit any written comments no later than April 2, 2010 to: Mr. Ron Kosinski Deputy District Director California Department of Transportation Division of Environmental Planning 100 South Main Street MS 16A Los Angeles, CA 90012
Contact
For additional information, please contact Ron Kosinski at (213) 897-0703.
LAND FOR SALE/OUT OF STATE 20 ACRE RANCH FORECLOSURES Near Booming El Paso, Texas. Was $16,900 Now $12,856. $0 Down, assume payments, $159/month. Beautiful views, owner financing. FREE map/pictures 1-800343-9444. (Cal-SCAN)
The EIR/EA is available for review and copying at the Caltrans District 7 Division of Environmental Planning (100 S. Main Street, Los Angeles) on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
BANK OWNED LAND! 10 acres. Fish Lake Valley, NV. $39,750. Substantial discount, gorgeous views. Great recreational opportunities, upscale ranch community. Rainbow Trout creek frontage. Financing available to qualified buyers. 1-877-236-5204. (CalSCAN)
Thank you for your interest in this transportation project. Caltrans improves mobility across California!
MEDICAL/HEALTH
March 16, 1827 Freedom’s Journal, the nation’s first black newspaper, is published in New York City. Source: blackfacts.com
AFFORDABLE FAMILY HEALTH Insurance Now Available in California. Health and Dental Insurance Starting at $139. Call 800-571-3165 x108 for a quick quote or goto www.AgentBenefitTeam.com. (CalSCAN)
Facts
March 11, 2010
L.A. WATTS TIMES
Page 11
PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100156703 The following person is doing business as: Frankies Hamburgers 1600 E. Chevy Chase Drive Glendale, CA 91206 Bouchaib Aouly 1600 E. Chevy Chase Drive Glendale, CA 91206 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on February 3, 2010. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). First Filing: 2/18/10, 2/25/10, 3/4/2010, 3/11/2010 LAWT 406 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100155259 The following person is doing business as: JK Law Group 3600 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1216 Los Angeles, CA 90010 James G. Kim 15105 Victory Blvd., Suite 201 Van Nuys, CA 91411 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on February 3, 2010. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). First Filing: 2/18/10, 2/25/10, 3/4/2010, 3/11/2010 LAWT 407 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100080256 The following person is doing business as: The Ticket Magician 5460 8th Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90043 The Ticket Magician 4431 Don Ricardo Drive, Unit 3 Los Angeles, CA 90043 George Parker Jr. 5460 8th Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90043 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on January 20, 2010. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). First Filing: 2/25/10, 3/4/2010, 3/11/2010, 3/18/2010 LAWT 408 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100203350 The following person is doing business as: Noir Lovely 2930 S. Redondo Blvd. #3 Los Angeles, CA 90016 Crystal Harrison 2930 S. Redondo Blvd. #3 Los Angeles, CA 90016 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on February 12, 2010. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). First Filing: 2/25/10, 3/4/2010, 3/11/2010, 3/18/2010 LAWT 409 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME: 20100091257 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name: APOGNIX / SAVIYNT, Rishma Shariff, 11108 Matteson, CA 90230. The Fictitious business name referred to above was filed on January 21, 2010 in the County of Los Angeles. Original File No. 20100091257. Full name of Registrants: Rishma Sharriff This business is conducted by a Individual: Rishma Shariff. This statement was filed with the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder on March 1, 2010.. Publish Dates: 3/11/10, 3/18/10, 3/25/10, 4/1/10 LAWT 001
LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (Metro) INVITATION FOR BIDS Metro will receive bids for IFB# 10-0028, P865/P2020 LIGHT RAIL VEHICLE TRACTION MOTOR REPAIR AND OVERHAUL per specifications on file at the Metro Office of Procurement & Material Mgmt, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (12th Floor). All Bids must be submitted on forms furnished by Metro, and must be filed at the reception desk of the Office of Material on or before 1:30 p.m. (Pacific Time), April 12, 2010, at which time bids will be opened and publicly read. Bids received later than the above date and time will be rejected and returned to the bidder unopened. Each bid must be sealed and marked Bid No. 10-0028. You may obtain bid specifications, or further information, by faxing OTTO OJONG at (213) 922-5265. The County of Los Angeles has completed the Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Initial Study in support of the proposed Martin Luther King, Jr. Medical Center Campus Redevelopment Project (proposed project). The 30-day scoping period for the NOP of the Draft EIR and Initial Study starts on Monday March 8, 2010, and ends on Tuesday April 6, 2010. The proposed project site is the existing 38-acre Martin Luther King, Jr. Medical Center Campus, located at 12021 Wilmington Avenue in the unincorporated area of Willowbrook, County of Los Angeles, California. The proposed project is intended to revitalize the campus, enhance patient and staff safety, and improve efficiency and quality of services. The revitalized campus would be designed to improve medical service for the County of Los Angeles, and to allow for new, mixed-used development while respecting the surrounding communities. The proposed project would include environmentally sustainable features designed to be efficient in the use of energy, water, and other resources. The proposed project would entail improvements and redevelopment of existing facilities, as well as approximately 1,814,696 square feet of master-planed mixed-uses and additional master planned mixed-use development. The NOP and Initial Study are available for public review at the locations listed below. Willowbrook Library 11838 South Wilmington Avenue Los Angeles, California 90059 Telephone Number: (323) 564-5698
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Independent Citizen’s Advisory and Oversight Committee (ICAOC) will hold a public hearing on Monday, April 5, 2010, in the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Boardroom located at One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles. The ICAOC was appointed under the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Reform and Accountability Act of 1998, approved by voters in November 1998. The hearing is being held in conformance with federal public hearing requirements outlined in Section 9 (e) (3) (H) of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, as amended, and public hearing guidelines adopted by the LACMTA’s Board of Directors in 1993, as amended. The purpose of this hearing is to receive public comments on the result of the independent audit conducted on LACMTA’s accountability of sales tax revenues and expenditures under Proposition A and Proposition C ordinances from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. BACKGROUND Proposition A and Proposition C are voter approved ordinances that provide for a one-half percent sales tax in the County of Los Angeles, the proceeds of which are to be used for transportation purposes as specified in the two ordinances. The Los Angeles County voters approved the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Reform and Accountability Act of 1998 (the Act) in November of 1998. The purpose of the Act was to provide accountability in the expenditure of Proposition A and Proposition C sales tax revenues through annual independent audits of transportation sales tax expenditures, the creation of an Independent Citizen’s Advisory and Oversight Committee, and public hearings on the independent audit reports. The Act requires an annual independent audit of the Propositions A and C Sales Taxes Revenues and Expenditures. The Independent Citizen’s Advisory Oversight Committee in accordance with the Act provides this summary of the independent audit for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center 12021 Wilmington Avenue Los Angeles, California 90059 The Office of Mark Ridley-Thomas, Supervisor, Second District 866 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration 500 West Temple Street Los Angeles, California 90012 On-line: http://ridley-thomas.lacounty.gov/Pages/Issues/mlk_hospital.htm Due to the time limits mandated by State Law, all responses must be sent at the earliest possible date and no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday April 6, 2010. Please send responses to: County of Los Angeles, Chief Executive Office Attn: Ms. Sabra White Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration 500 West Temple Street, Room 754 Los Angeles, California 90012 Comments can also be submitted electronically at: mlkmasterplan@gmail.com A scoping meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday March 24, 2010, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the following location: Ted Watkins Memorial Park Gymnasium 1335 East 103rd Street Los Angeles, California 90002 Questions regarding the NOP and Initial Study may be directed to Sapphos Environmental, Inc., Ms. Laura Kaufman, Environmental Compliance Director, at (626) 683-3547.
The Independent Auditor's Report provides schedules of revenues and expenditures for Propositions A and C for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, showing amounts of transportation sales tax revenues received and expended by the LACMTA. These Propositions A and C schedules were prepared by the LACMTA and audited by the independent accounting firm of Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio & Associates (TCBA). TCBA conducted the audit of the Propositions A and C’s financial schedules in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards in the United States of America. Based on the results of the audit, the Independent Auditor’s Report provides: • the independent auditor’s opinion on whether the Proposition A and C financial schedules present fairly, in all material respects, the revenues and expenditures of Proposition A and C sales tax revenues; • the explanatory notes to the schedules of revenues and expenditures; • the independent auditor's report on compliance and internal control over financial reporting of Proposition A and C; Auditor’s Opinion on Financial Schedule Presentation The Independent Auditor’s Report provides the opinion that for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, the LACMTA’s schedules of revenues and expenditures for Proposition A and C present fairly, in all material respects, the revenues and expenditures of Proposition A and C sales tax revenue. LACMTA’s Schedule of Proposition A and C Revenues and Expenditures (Amounts expressed in thousands) Proposition A Proposition C
Revenues $ 626,485 670,261 $1,296,746
Expenditures $ 708,509 769,815 $ 1,478,324
Explanatory Notes to Schedule of Revenues and Expenditures FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100137849 The following person is doing business as: ICEF Public Schools 5150 W. Goldleaf Circle, Suite 401 Los Angeles, CA 90056 Inner City Education Foundation 5150 W. Goldleaf Circle, Suite 401 Los Angeles, CA 90056 This business is conducted by a Corporation. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on January 29, 2010. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). First Filing: 2/25/10, 3/4/2010, 3/11/2010, 3/18/2010 LAWT 410
FOR RENT UNFURNISHED APARTMENTS FOR RENTSection 8 in South East L.A. Across from Magic Johnson Park, near Avalon & Central. 3 Bedrooms/1.5 Bathrooms & 4 Bedrooms/ 1.5 Bathrooms. CALL: 323-567-3564
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100106236 The following person is doing business as: GOODIYZ.COM 5003 Doman Ave. Tarzana, CA 91356 TODAYS1.COM 5003 Doman Ave. Tarzana, CA 91356 DEALSWITCH.COM 5003 Doman Ave. Tarzana, CA 91356 Pouyan Barzlvand 5003 Doman Ave. Tarzana, CA 91356 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on January 25, 2010. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). First Filing: 2/25/10, 3/4/2010, 3/11/2010, 3/18/2010 LAWT 411
The explanatory notes provide background information on the LACMTA, Propositions A and C, and the LACMTA’s accounting policies. Auditor’s Report on Compliance With Proposition A and C Provisions The report on compliance states that the independent audit included tests of compliance with certain provisions of laws and regulations, noncompliance with which could have a direct and material effect on the determination of the revenue and expenditure amounts within the Schedules. The results of tests disclosed no instances of noncompliance that are required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards. Auditor’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting The report on internal controls over financial reporting states that as part of the audit, TCBA considered the LACMTA's internal control over financial reporting in order to determine auditing procedures for the purpose of expressing an opinion on these schedules and not to provide assurance on the internal control over financial reporting. TCBA noted no matters involving the internal control over financial reporting and its operation that TCBA considers to be material weaknesses. Written comments on this matter will be accepted through April 5, 2010. All comments should be addressed to Board Administration, LACMTA, One Gateway Plaza, Mail Stop 99-3-39, Los Angeles, CA 90012-2952. Copies of the Independent Auditors Report on Schedule of Revenues and Expenditures for Proposition A Sales Tax Revenue and Proposition C Sales Revenue are available from Records Management Center at the LACMTA Plaza Level at (213) 922-2342.
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L.A. WATTS TIMES
March 11, 2010
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STIMULUS Continued from page 1 spending stimulus money quickly, which favors businesses that have won past contracts. But minority advocates say that blacks and Latinos have been harder hit by the recession, and getting a fair share of stimulus contracts is key to the recovery of these communities. Unemployment among blacks and Hispanics is much higher than among whites. And although unemployment among whites increased at a faster rate during the worst of the recession than among minorities, rates of those considered underemployed — including people who have given up looking for full-time work or people working part-time because no full-time work is available — increased faster among minorities than whites. Figures from the Transportation Department on highway stimulus spending — at the heart of the government’s effort to lift the economy — have further concerned advocacy groups. Six percent of the $16.9 billion in Federal Highway Administration contract money spent by states has gone to disadvantaged business
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enterprises, which includes companies owned by minorities as well as women, veterans and the disabled, according to department press secretary Olivia Alair. Out of $1.1 billion in state-spent Federal Aviation Administration contract money, 7.8 percent has gone to disadvantaged businesses, Alair said, and 8.6 percent of direct Transportation Department contract dollars have gone to those companies. Alair said some minority companies might not be included in those figures because they are not small businesses or choose not to classify themselves as disadvantaged. Minority businesses also are eligible for stimulus grants, but those are not tracked by race. Still, “these numbers are far too low,” especially when compared with state and federal goals,” Barrett said. “The businesses and communities that need federal dollars most are seeing the least.” The Obama administration has taken steps to address minority concerns. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wrote governors in December, urging them to work with disad-
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MAALES Project (310) 825-5474 Sessions held at a discreet location near you. www.cdrewu.edu/maales Charles Drew University IRB Committee Approved May 20 ’09 TO May 19 ‘10 CDU IRB# 06-05-970-04
vantaged businesses. LaHood suggested unbundling large contracts to make them more accessible to small businesses, and emulating a Missouri contracting project that made community groups and openness part of the process. LaHood’s department has pledged $20 million in subsidies to help disadvantaged businesses pay bonding premiums and fees, and has established a short-term loan program that lent $4.9 million in 2009. Last month, LaHood announced $9.9 million in grants to help businesses owned by minorities and women compete for federal contracts. Federal agencies held more than 300 events nationwide to educate minority businesses about stimulus opportunities, said White House spokesman Corey Ealons. He also said there is a backlog of awarded contracts that have not yet been entered into the tracking database. The White House also pointed out that about $21 billion of the $46 billion is guaranteed, and the rest are options. Latino-owned businesses have received 3.7 percent of the guaranteed total, and black-owned businesses 2.4 percent. The founder and chief executive
of one of the nation’s largest blackowned construction companies, Richard Copeland of THOR Construction Inc., said minority-owned companies usually employ 60 percent minorities. “If we can’t get on these jobs,” he said, “we can’t hire our people from our community, so poverty and drugs and crime and unemployment and welfare become habitual.” His company has done a small amount of weatherization work through Minnesota stimulus contracts. He said many minority businesses can’t develop the capability to do government work because a “good-old-boy” network shuts them out of contracts. Copeland’s company has its headquarters in Minneapolis, and has 200 full-time employees and offices in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Atlanta. He said he abandoned highway work years ago to focus on erecting buildings. “These big highway contractors try to keep you off the project, and when you get on, they try to make sure you don’t come back,” he said. “We hear about this all across the country.”
That’s what Samuel Foley Jr., a lawyer for the black-owned construction company Holley Enterprises, says happened to his client. Holley was subcontracted by James J. Anderson Construction to perform demolition and salvage operations on a subway station repair project in Philadelphia. This enabled Anderson to meet contract guidelines for minority participation, but about two months later, Holley’s contract was unfairly terminated, Foley said. Anderson Construction said in a statement that Holley violated the terms of the contract. Anderson said it did not perform any of the work itself and gave the contract to another disadvantaged business. Foley, chairman of the National Black Chamber of Commerce Construction Committee, said many companies “play games to get rid of the minority contractor.” “This is not a unique situation,” he said. “For the past 30 years in Philadelphia it’s been this way.” On the Net: Stimulus contracts awarded to businesses: http://tinyurl. com/ya5ogyb. White House site to track stimulus funds: http://www.recovery.gov.