L.A. Focus On The Word October 2018

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On The Money: Fans Not Happy About Michelle Obama’s Soaring Ticket Prices PAGE

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One On One: Regina Hall PAGE

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UPFRONT Showdown in Inglewood As Mayoral Race Shifts Into High Gear L.A. Focus Goes One On One With Incumbent Mayor >>James Butts and Leading Challenger, Marc Little

Church News : Baptist Community Celebrates Legacy of A.D. Iverson

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contents

OCTOBER 2018

L.A. Focus Publications

It’s Tea Time: Left: Apostle Ron Hill,Co-Pastor, Lady Osie Hill of Love &Unity Christian Fellowship on the red carpet at the 21st Annual First Ladies High Tea; Center: Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Shirley Starkes Wallace, Apostle Beverly “Bam” Crawford, Publisher Lisa Collins and Councilman Curren Price at the 21st Annual First Ladies High Tea. Right: First Lady Togetta Ulmer of Faithful Central Bible Church with 2018 Legacy Award winner Xernona Clayton, Founder/CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation.

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Red Carpet Style

Upfront Showdown in Inglewood as Mayoral Race Shifts Into High Gear; Black Mother Wrongly Accused of Murder Seeks Apology

From The Editor “Let Us March On The Ballot Box”

Commentary Vote! Our Lives Depend On It

Head to Head

Primetime Emmy Red Carpet Favorites

16 Hollywood Buzz 18

Calendar/Around LA Tina Turner To Light Up Broadway’s “Great White Way”; All In The Family; Bill Cosby’s New Home

One On One

9 Headlines From Africa Community 20 Money Matters 10Biz News Briefs 21 Game Changers On White Male Privilege & President Trump

California’s Newest Cash Crop

Black Enterprise Partners with T. D. Jakes;Auction of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Memorabilia;Richard Parsons Named Interim Chairman of CBS Board of Directors

12 Eye On Gospel 14 Feature Story

Prop 10: Ground Zero In The Battle Against Rising Rents?

Koryn Hawthorne Shattering Records; Kirk Franklin Re-Unites with Biological Dad

staff

Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Staff Writers Production Photographer Advertising Social Media

Lisa Collins Keith DeLawder, Gerald Bell Kisha Smith Ian Foxx, Rickey Brown Lisa Ely Jazmin Young

“Movement Is Life Program Seeks to Eliminate Osteoarthritis Disparities”

“For Jussie Smollett, Activism Is About Walking In His Truth”

23 Through The Storm 24 Church News Once Bankrupt of Peace, Israel Houghton Found Strength In Vulnerability”

Siebert, Brandford, Shank & Co. Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church Morgan Stanley Bob Blake & Associates

Osie HillLove & UnityChristian Church

First Lady Tisa Hill’s 20-Minute Low County Crab Boil

William Allen Young

Is she or is she not readying a run for the White House?

Only time will tell,but people are talking.....

L.A. Church Community Celebrates the Legacy of A.D. Iverson

honorary advisors West Angeles C.O.G.I.C. City of Refuge Greater Zion Church Family Southern Saint Paul Church Faithful Central Bible Church Mt. Moriah Baptist Church Mt. Zion MBC

Bishop Charles Blake Bishop Noel Jones Pastor Michael Fisher Rev. Xavier L. Thompson Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer Pastor Emeritus Melvin Wade Rev. Edward V. Hill II

advisory board

Napoleon Brandford Pastor Beverly Crawford Lem Daniels Bob Blake

Bishop Warner Brown - Holman United Methodist Church

Cover Design: UpScale Media

#LAFOCUS

@Lafocusnews

@L.A.Focus

Group

L.A. Focus/ October 2018

L.A. Focus–On the Word, is published monthly.

Address all correspondence to: L.A. Focus, 333 W. Florence Ave., Suite C333 Inglewood, CA 90301 • (310) 677-6011 Subscription rates $25.00 per year.

Regina Hall

26 First Lady Files 27 In Good Taste 29 30 Saving Grace Pastor Profile

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L.A. Focus/ October 2018

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UpFront Showdown in Inglewood As Mayoral Race Shifts Into High Gear

GERALD BELL

Contributor

L.A. Focus Goes One On One With Incumbent Mayor James Butts and His Leading Challenger, Marc Little

M

ayor James Butts Jr. has his eyes on a third term as the Mayor of Inglewood.

The Los Angeles native rose through the ranks of law enforcement in Inglewood during the 1970s and 1980s. He went on to work as Chief of Police in Santa Monica from 1991 to 2006. According to his web-profile, crime fell 64% to its lowest level since 1956 during his tenure. In 2006, Butts accepted a Deputy Executive Director post with Los Angeles World Airports, overseeing a $116 million budget, 1,100 employees and the safety of 60 million passengers traveling through LAX. Initially elected mayor of Inglewood in 2010, he is credited with deals that brought the Rams, the Chargers, and now the Clippers to Inglewood. He was re-elected in 2014 with 80% of the vote.

Amidst the praise for all he has done—including a deal that will bring a state of the art facility for the L.A. Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra to Inglewood—has come a flurry of allegations. Earlier this year, Mayor Butts came under fire with the revelation that a $100 million waste-collection contract went to a firm that later hired the Mayor's brother as operations manager. Weeks away from Election Day, Mayor Butts told L.A. Focus why he believes he’s the man to keep Inglewood progressing in the right direction.

L.A. Focus: What are you most proud of looking back over the duration of your tenure as Mayor of Inglewood?

Mayor Butts: When I took office in February of 2011, we had an $18M structural deficit and were down to our last $11M reserves. It was hard but we took painful steps together to bring Inglewood to where it is today, laying off 64 employees, putting all employees on a 10% furlough every pay period, eliminating an unfunded Lifetime Retiree Medical program for employees that included dependents and outsourcing tree trimming, parking control and street sweeping. If we hadn’t we would have been cash flow bankrupt by the end of 2011.

We ended this fiscal year with a $25M surplus and a $50M cash reserve fund.

The unemployment rate is down from 17.5% to 4.8% (the lowest in 30 years) Inglewood has changed its brand and how it is perceived by the world. We are seen as a smart and business-oriented city. Together, we have renewed our infrastructure at an amazing rate after decades of neglect.

L.A. Focus: What’s driving you to seek another term?

Mayor Butts: The commitment to finish what I started. Together with Inglewood residents, we’ve started the work, but we’re not done.

L.A. Focus: What are your goals for Inglewood if re-elected?

Mayor Butts: To continue to provide more affordable housing, improve our mass transit infrastructure and continue to provide quality-prevailing wage employment opportunities for Inglewood residents. To finish the work that we’ve started together in Inglewood and keep Inglewood moving into the future as city that works for all of us.

L.A. Focus: How do you plan to address the traffic concerns?

Mayor Butts: Inglewood has handled entertainment traffic for over three decades.

We were the home of the Lakers, Kings, concerts at the Forum and crowds that

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averaged 43,000, six days per week at the racetrack. The inbound Forum traffic came against the outbound Racetrack during rush hour. It is fantasy to believe that these venues will cause significantly more traffic than we have experienced here. NFL games will largely be on Sundays with no Forum or NBA traffic.

The other venues will coordinate calendars so that dual events will be minimal.

Inglewood is experiencing a growth spurt—and we are constantly working to improve traffic conditions. In the near future, three light-rail stations will serve Inglewood, which will ease a lot of the traffic concerns.

L.A. Focus: Your opponents for Mayor are making issues of the homeless population and affordable housing — what do you say to them?

Mayor Butts: Last year Inglewood provided more transitional housing for the homeless than the entire South Bay combined. In all of L.A. County Inglewood has less than 4% of the homeless population.

Our homeless population in Inglewood, when compared to other nearby cities, is still relatively low.

The City of Inglewood has more affordable housing units per capita than anywhere in the South Bay, Westchester, Culver City or Santa Monica. Inglewood has been constructing affordable housing since 1969. 43% of those units have been opened in the past seven years that I have been Mayor. Over the next three years, we will add 180 more affordable housing units.

L.A. Focus: On gentrification, what do you say to long-time Inglewood residents who are experiencing drastic rent increases and living costs?

Mayor Butts: Rent in California has been rising since 2012. Rents in rent-controlled cities like Santa Monica are 75% higher than comparable rents in Inglewood. The average rents in Inglewood are less than the average for South Bay cities, Culver City, Los Angeles, Westchester or Santa Monica and below the state average.

L.A. Focus: Has the negative press around your executive assistant’s reported $312K salary affected your campaign and support?

Mayor Butts: The Executive Assistant to the Mayor and City Manager makes about $200K per year. That figure reported was a salary, benefits and bonus figure. The residents of Inglewood wake up everyday and are proud to be part of the resurrected City of Champions. Crime is down 70% from its peak in 1981… The residents know who I am and what I am about regardless of what some news media decide to fabricate as a distraction. continued to page 28

H

aving never held a political office, Pastor Marc Little is out front of a pack of five candidates running to unseat the current Mayor of Inglewood, James Butts. A lawyer by profession, Little is most known in the faith community as part of the pastoral team at Faithful Central Bible Church. He holds board positions with Centinela Hospital, the Inglewood Chamber of Commerce and was a former advisory board member of L.A. Focus.

The compelling part of his story dates back to 1987 when Little survived a gunshot wound to (and the amputation of) his right leg. Since relearning to walk, he’s built a 20year history around the city of Inglewood as a credible business leader producing jobs, creating opportunities for youth, and advocating for family health care. He continues to operate his own law firm, while authoring books and engaging in community development. Recently he responded candidly to questions about why he’s taking on current Mayor James Butts, whom he filed a lawsuit against earlier this year, alleging that the Mayor had attempted to bully him in his role as president of the Inglewood Airport Area Chamber of Commerce.

L.A. Focus: What led you to run for Mayor?

Little: I was getting calls from people who were being put out of their apartments, calls from people whose rents were increasing so dramatically that they were calling in fear and looking for support from the church. Then I became in conflict with our current mayor in my efforts to mediate between a conflict between city hall and Madison Square Garden. When I found myself later attacked shortly thereafter by the mayor himself, both literally and in writing after enjoying years of partnership or relationship, I realized that I didn't know him. And when I stood up to him by suing him, there was an avalanche of information from people who felt they were subject to a police state, so I believe that we have to stand up for what's right.

L.A. Focus: Many people are not familiar with you, why not start with the city council instead?

Little: I'm running because the circumstances have dictated that this would be the seat, Inglewood would be the land, and Mayor Butts would be the opponent. This is not about being an elected official or being a politician. This is about being a change agent in a city that is in need. I'm not interested in being a councilperson. I'm interested in helping bring broad change to the community as mayor.

L.A. Focus: Mayor Butts is credited for most of Inglewood’s major developments—the Clippers, Chargers, the L.A. Rams, why do you believe you have a chance?

Little: There's no doubt that I have a chance…The average citizen is listening to my message and will vote for me for several reasons. We have a failing school district that people are wondering why the current Mayor sends people to the State to complain, and not to him. Our kids are our future and if education isn't our priority I'm not sure what else should be. I have been a proponent of connecting the transportation gaps in Inglewood. We have to give certainty for a future of quality of life and quality of safety to the average citizen.

Instead the focus is on being able to brag about the Rams, and the Chargers, and the Clippers — things that most of our people can't afford to go to, by the way.

Let me be very clear, I am not somebody who is saying that everything that the current mayor has touched has been bad. I understand and appreciate the value that their businesses bring to Inglewood and I will continue a trend of promoting businesses. But I think we're leaving the engine of Inglewood behind which is the small and medium businesses, the families who own businesses.

L.A. Focus: You have been very vocal

in the fact that you are a Republican— do you think that will hurt your chances?

Little: Many people told me that I should change my party affiliation to be mayor.

I'm not going to deceive the people like our current mayor does nearly daily. When people ask me about my party affiliation, when they ask me about my book, The Prodigal Republican, they learn my book is about values and what I believe. My race is about the issues important to people that live in Inglewood who care about education, public safety, traffic and roads that are being neglected while we're focusing on large projects.

L.A. Focus: What would be at the top of your agenda if elected mayor?

Little: I have a priority with education that promotes public-private partnerships to be engaged and to bring about creative solutions. We have to find a way to partner with the state as well as with our school district leadership and [state appointed trustee] Thelma Melendez and give them what they need. We need to bring best practices from a business worldview to help the school district get to where it needs to be.

Two, public safety. We've had murders and officer involved shootings in Inglewood over the last several years that have been controversial. I want to make sure that we are partnering with our police force in community policing and making sure that people that look like me and you are part of our team.

Three, we need transparency in our budgeting and financial management. This community is deficient in affordable housing units. There's a lack of appreciation for a community that's hurting.

L.A. Focus: What do you see as your biggest challenge to getting elected?

Little: I'm not going to give away what we do, but we are very aggressive with what we're doing. It's about consistency, it's about focus, and it's about funding.

I'm very pleased with the response from the community. I'm getting a lot of yeses.

Black Mother Wrongly Accused of Murder Seeks Apology

Cherie Townsend with her attorney, Nazareth Haysbert at press conference When Cherie Townsend dropped her 12-year-old daughter off for a playdate in Lomita and headed to a nearby mall in one of the wealthiest cities in Los Angeles County — it never occurred to her that she didn’t belong there.

That one decision — so insignificant at the time — would change her life forever because two weeks later while driving on the freeway, she was pulled over by the police and arrested for murder.

39-year-old Cherie Townsend was arrested for the May 3 fatal stabbing of 66-year-old Susan Leeds. Leeds was murdered in the parking garage of the same mall Townsend had visited.

The murder sent ripples through the predominantly white and wealthy Los Angeles suburb. At the time sheriff’s department investigators theorized that the motive was robbery.

Initially, a homeless man was arrested and questioned but then released. During a news conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said that Leeds, a retired nurse, had parked her 2016 white Mercedes-Benz SUV on the first floor of the Promenade on the Peninsula’s parking structure on May 3. The sheriff said Townsend’s vehicle, a gold 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, was also parked on the same floor.

Townsend, who is African-American, had no idea she was even considered a suspect in the brutal murder of Leeds who was white.

“I was driving on the freeway talking on the phone and noticed that a car was following me,” she explained of the May 16 arrest. “I told my friend on the phone that I thought I was being followed.”

Not soon after, Townsend was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol and almost immediately surrounded by police cars and officers with their guns drawn and pointed at her.

“The next thing I know, I look up at my rearview mirror and there are about seven or eight police cars. They ask me to throw my keys out of the window, slowly open my door and step out of the car.”

No one would tell her what she was being arrested for and she was eventually taken to the Sheriff’s Department’s Walnut station where she says she voluntarily submitted to being questioned.

“I didn’t have anything to hide,” says the former probation officer turned stay at home mom.

Detectives told her that a woman was killed in a shopping center and that they found her phone — a phone she says she had lost on May 3.

“They asked me did I see anything and I said no,” explained Townsend. “They asked me why I was there so I told them.

Then they started asking me questions like do I have trouble with my finances and how do you pay your bills.”

The soccer mom of two who splits her time between driving her son to football practice and her daughter to acting auditions, gymnastics and cheerleading events, says she’s never even been in a fight and completely broke down crying and hyperventilating while the detectives took turns playing good cop bad cop.

Crying, Townsend recounted the detectives telling her that she wasn’t going home and that they were sure they were going to find her fingerprints and DNA. Even more troubling is what the detectives told the single mother about why they targeted her for the crime.

“They told me I didn’t belong at that mall,” a reference she understood to mean because she was Black.

“They had to blame somebody, and I was it. Because like they explained to me in interrogation, I didn’t have any business over there,” she says. “I’m not rich enough to be there, or I didn’t have the right car, or I didn’t look the part.”

Despite professing her innocence, Townsend was put in jail for five days during which time Sheriff McDonnell, who was in the middle of facing two challengers in an election the following month, held a news conference where he identified Ms. Townsend as the murder suspect to the media.

But without any physical or circumstantial evidence, Townsend was eventually released from jail.

Asked if the announcement had been a mistake, McDonnell said, “No, I thought it was what we needed to do to be able to let the community know where we were on the case.”

Nearly five months later, the murder of Susan Leeds is still unsolved and Cherie Townsend is dealing with the aftermath of being publicly accused of murder.

Townsend and her attorney Nazareth Haysbert of Haysbert and Moultrie, LLP, have announced they are taking the first steps in filing lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department.

A statement from sheriff watchdog organization, Dignity and Power Now said, “the damage caused by the pain and humiliation suffered by Ms. Townsend and her children when Sheriff McDonnell and Sheriff’s Department investigators-who we believe targeted Ms. Townsend simply for the color of her skin and for being in a community where Blacks apparently don’t belong--cannot be understated. A public apology from Sheriff McDonnell is a necessary first step in the restorative justice process and toward making Ms. Townsend and her family

JASMYNE A CANNICK Contributor

whole.”

Townsend’s attorney is also calling for an FBI investigation into whether the arrest of his client was racially motivated.

Townsend now lives in hiding and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome or PTSD. Townsend says that she was an active parent involved in all of her children’s activities but that has stopped. She’s scared to be in public because she thinks that everyone looks at her like she’s a murderer and when she sees the police she gets nervous with fear.

“My life will never be the same, my kid’s lives will never be the same” Townsend laments.

Sheriff McDonnell has yet to issue either a public or private apology to Ms. Townsend for wrongly accusing her of murder.

“At the very least he owes me and my children an apology. He ruined our lives.”

A NBCLA investigative report on Townsend’s story noted that the Sheriff’s Department detectives on the case declined to be interviewed.

NBCLA also reported that the department says the case “has proved to be a very complex, active investigation,” and says “with the lack of eyewitnesses, the physical and forensic evidence collected is continually being re-evaluated.”

Dignity and Power Now added, “we call on the community at large to stand with Cherie with the understanding that what happened to her, could happen to anyone us simply for being the wrong color and in spaces that are anti-people of color.”

Jasmyne A. Cannick writes and speaks about collisions at the intersection of politics, race and social issues.

News Briefs New Law To Prohibit 14 and 15 Year Olds From Being Tried As Adults Gov. Brown signed into law criminal justice reform bills that improve rehabilitation and reduce the odds of re-offending.

Senate Bill 1391 prohibits 14- and 15year-olds from being tried as adults in criminal court and subsequently sent to adult prison. The bill reverses laws passed in the 1990s that allowed for sentencing the youngest teens to the adult criminal justice system.

Senate Bill 1050 extends services and support for exonerated people released from prison after their wrongful convictions are overturned. Since 1989, there have been a total of 192 exonerations in California. SB 1050 guarantees access to Medi-Cal, CalFresh and work training programs to assist exonerees to transition back to society.

Both bills are part of the #Equity AndJustice package of bills authored by Senators Ricardo Lara and Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles).

Governor Brown also signed SB 439, which excludes children age 11 and younger from juvenile court jurisdiction to promote the rights, health and well-being of the child by curbing premature exposure to incarceration, and SB 1393, which return judicial discretion on sentencing related to five-year enhancements for serious felony convictions.

“In developing public policy it should be our goal to create systems based on science and results,” Senator Holly Mitchell said.

“Research has verified for us that 14 and 15 year olds are not pint-sized adults, and we also understand the failing of our adult corrections facilities to address rehabilitation and reentry. To expect a child to thrive in that area would be foolhardy.”

Commentary

Derrick Johnson Guest Columnist

Don’t Believe the Hype – Vote, Our Lives Depend on It

I

n the 2016 U.S. presidential election, we were wrong.

Political forecasters, pollsters, elected officials, and even media told us that the 45thPresident of our nation would be a woman named Hillary Clinton, but they were wrong.

In many cases, the margin between who became president and who lost the race was a slim few thousand votes. For example, in the 2016 Presidential election, the winning margin was less than 2 percent in Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and two other states.

Though the popular vote was won by Hillary Clinton (in excess of 3 million votes) and the margin between victory and loss was small in many states, the “near victory” serves as cold comfort to those communities whose civil rights are slowly being rolled back under the ominous weight and rise of racism and White nationalism.

Today, like in 2016, we hear the predictions of a powerful political shift in the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. While these predictions are promising, they alone will not ensure that the interests of the Black community will be affirmed by the winners of the midterm elections. The only way we will get the respect we deserve is to show up and show out at the polls in November.

When we take our well-deserved seat at the table, we know our impact is always powerful.

We’ve seen the collective power of Black women impact key races for office in special elections and primaries. Black women, according to our recent poll which analyzed the 61 most competitive midterm races, are tired of feeling disrespected by the Trump Administration and have made it a much higher priority to voice their displeasure at the polls. Black men are not far behind them. They too, along with other communities of color, are tired of the relentless racism permeating our nation and fueled by politicians.

As we approach November, we hear the faint yet consistent refrain– elections have

From the Editor

consequences—ringing in our ears.

Today, as we fight against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, we are reminded of the harsh reality that his presence would remake the Supreme Court of the United States into a bastion of conservatism reminiscent of yesteryears when access to our democracy was parceled off according to skin color.

For the Black community, November is a watershed moment. If we fail to vote in numbers respective to our actual political power, future generations will suffer for our apathy. We don’t have to tell our people how to vote, only that we must vote as if our lives and our children’s lives depend on it. Because it does.

The NAACP has decided to fight back and we ask you to join us by using your ballot as the weapon of choice.

We ask you to visit NAACP.org to download and share resources to help those you know get registered and mobilized to vote. We are asking you to reach out to five people in your personal or social networks and bring them with you to the polls. If you understand the importance of this year’s elections, we know that you will sound the alarm, connect with others, and express your power by casting your vote.

Voting is not just about politics, it’s about fighting police brutality, preserving civil rights, providing public education, protecting the right of workers to organize, and giving those who need healthcare access to it. But most importantly, voting is about our ability to live as equals in a society that doesn’t always view us as such.

For resources on getting out the vote in your neighborhood and community visit: \https://naacp.org/campaigns/fighting-for-democracy/ Stand strong and vote—our lives depend on it! See you at the polls.

Derrick Johnson is the President and CEO of the NAACP. Follow him on Twitter at @DerrickNAACP or @NAACP. Pledge to vote by Texting NAACP to 40649.

LISA COLLINS Publisher

“Let Us March On The Ballot Box”

L.A. Focus/ October 2018

F

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rom the floor of the U.S. Capitol, Senator Mitch McConnell read the definition of what was “the gold standard” of credentials expected of a candidate for the United States Supreme Court, noting that after the seven times they had thoroughly reviewed him, Judge Brett Kavanaugh had met their gold standard criteria.

None of the claims made by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, he said, had been corroborated, finding that the facts did not support the allegations of Judge Kavanaugh’s character. This even though two of Kavanaugh’s classmates say that he blatantly lied about his drinking.

Truth be told, while the Kavanaugh hearings make the case against overdrinking in high school and that your past can surely catch up with you, I don’t necessarily believe that actions as a teen should preclude one from public service. After all, people evolve.

Despite her lack of facts, I believe Dr. Ford, having been one of those who suffered a similar #metoo moment when I was 19. Like Dr. Ford, I have no recollection of the date, but I will never forget what happened that night. My reason for not speaking up was simple—my brothers, one of whose lives might have been terribly altered had I said anything.

Perhaps even more troubling than Dr. Ford’s claims—at least for me—was the behavior Kavanaugh displayed at the hearings following her testimony, calling the hearings a circus and a calculated political hit fueled by a left-wing conspiracy on behalf of the Clintons. (Say what?).

It is Kavanaugh’s temperament that caused former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens to change his mind about the judge, who even became combative with one of the senators.

In what was truly perplexing, Kavanaugh added that what goes around comes around. (Someone should be scared. I’m just not sure who). The belligerence was characteristic of this Trump era of politics in a war on truth and honor that has raged since President Trump took up residency at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Both sides say his confirmation will impact next month’s mid-terms. Depending on who you talk to, both the Republicans and Democrats claim the contentious hearings could help to stoke the vote to their respective sides. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Whatever the case, Dr. Martin Luther King likened not voting as a moral failure— a form of political suicide.”

But one really shouldn’t need any prodding from Dr. King, Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, Beyonce, esteemed writers and celebrities or quite frankly anyone else to know the importance of registering to vote and then exercis-

ing the vote so many died for us to get.

And one need look no further than President Trump to fully understand what happens when they don’t turn out to vote. Whether he is “unhinged” as characterized by Omarosa; unstable and uninformed as pegged by Bob Woodward in his best-selling book “Fear”; or is corrupting the American republic as charged in David Frum’s book, “Trumpocracy”; one thing is clear: the Trump White House is a hot mess and the only real fake news is the notion that he is making America great again.

In the words of Meagan McCain at the funeral of her father, Senator John McCain, “America has no need to be made great again because America was always great.

In fact, it is Trump who is doing the opposite of making America great —a truth that was painfully demonstrated at the United Nations last month when during his speech, members of the UN General Assembly openly laughed when he stated that his administration “had accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.”

More to the point were the words of Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska who while commenting on the president’s recent mockery of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford said this: “It doesn’t really surprise anyone – it’s who he is. We all know that the president cannot lead us through this time. We know that he’s dispositionally unable to restrain his impulse to divide us.”

Well, next month, we can all send a message to Washington that none of what is happening is acceptable.

Dr. Martin Luther King called it marching on the ballot box.

Said King, “Let us march on ballot boxes until race-baiters disappear from the political arena.

Let us march on ballot boxes until the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs will be transformed into the calculated good deeds of orderly citizens.

Let us march on ballot boxes until we send to our city councils, state legislatures, and the United States Congress, men who will not fear to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God. Let us march on ballot boxes until brotherhood becomes more than a meaningless word in an opening prayer, but the order of the day on every legislative agenda”.

The battle, he concluded, was in our hands.

Keep the faith.

HeadToHead On White Male Privilege & President Trump

W

hat's the last remaining nition, insensitive to women, why 'White Male group in America that do Democratic men get a pass?

Privilege,' RIP can be slandered, Anita Dunn, former smeared, maligned and accused of racism, White House communications director for sexism and homophobia with no proof President Obama, said, "Clearly there is a required? White men. culture Kavanaugh is trying to deny." This On election night 2016, CNN's Van would be the same Dunn who was interJones attributed Donald Trump's victory viewed for the book "Confidence Men" by to "whitelash." That is, racist whites rose Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and up in fear and anger over a country gov- author Ron Suskind. Dunn is quoted as erned for eight years by a black President calling Obama's White and in which whites will soon become a House a "hostile workdemographic minority. place." At the time, Never mind that Trump actually got a Dunn was not particusmaller percentage of the white vote than larly happy with the presumably less racist Mitt Romney in Democratic men. She 2012. Trump also got a larger percentage said — on tape — that of black, Hispanic and Asian voters than "it actually fit all of did Romney. He almost bettered Romney's the classic legal showing with young voters. Of the nearly requirements for a Larry 700 counties that voted for Barack Obama genuinely hostile workElder in 2008 and 2012, more than 200 voted for place to women." That Trump. Apparently, racism in those coun- bombshell is the equivalent of former ties must have slipped into remission dur- Trump Communications Director Hope ing the eight Obama years, only to bounce Hicks calling her ex-boss' administration back in full force to vote for Trump. "hostile to women," but the Obama-loving Look at the pummeling "white males" media mostly ignored Dunn's comments. endure by cable TV hosts and pundits comWhen white men are not being vilified menting on Judge Brett Kavanaugh's con- for their alleged inherent sexism, they are firmation hearings. How many comments being vilified for their alleged inherent veer into a blanket attack against all white racism. CNN's white male chief legal anamen — an attack that would be called lyst, Jeffrey Toobin, attributed Hurricane racist if leveled at any other racial group?

Maria's death total to Trump's pro-white Many pundits fretted about the "bad racism: "Isn't the story that these people optics" of "a group of all white men" ques- who died, apparently thousands of them in tioning Kavanaugh's accuser. This line of Puerto Rico — 3,000 as you point out — attack so spooked the Republicans they they're not white people. And they don't brought in a female sex crimes prosecutor count to Donald Trump as much as the to question Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Of deaths of white people. I mean, you hate to course, even that move, designed to show say that about someone, but look at his sensitivity to sex assault survivors, did not record. Isn't that indicative of who he is escape criticism. One female host called it and what he stands for?" condescending to "pedal in a girl" to handle Meanwhile, at ABC, white George the proceedings.

Stephanopoulos, the former Bill Clinton Rep. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said: "It aide who help malign then-President seems like the 11 Republican men are not Clinton's accusers, has clearly recovered going in with a desire for any sort of a fair from any lingering guilt. Discussing the process. If they wanted a fair process ... the Kavanaugh accusations with Republican 11 would say, 'We want that Stephanopoulos, White House Press FBI investigation.' We even did that with Secretary Sarah Sanders said that "a numAnita Hill back there in 1991. Well, here ber of other Democrats should have the we are, a generation into the future, and same type of scrutiny." Incredibly, given we have a more extreme version of his own history under Clinton, Republican men saying they don't even Stephanopoulos responded, "Every single want any form of fairness in this process." time, the President has taken the side of If Republican white men are, by deficontinued to page 28

Headlines From Africa Botswana: In his inaugural Independence Day message marking Botswana’s 52nd anniversary of independence last month, President Mokgweetsi Masisi committed to building a Botswana in which sustainable development is underpinned by economic growth, adding that the nation will redouble its efforts to insure that unemployment, poverty, crime and HIV/AIDS are addressed.

Central African Republic: A $16.85 million contribution from the United States Agency for International Development will enable WFP to reach more than 528,000 people with food and cash transfers, and to provide emergency school meals to more than 165,000 children.

Djibouti: The historic meeting between the leaders of Eritrea and Djibouti last month marked a new chapter to promote peace and stability in the region as Djibouti and Eritrea normalized relations after a delegation of Eritrean, Somali and Ethiopian foreign ministers initiated dialogue to resolve a long-standing border dispute.

Ethiopia: More than 70,000 people fled ethnically-charged violence in western Ethiopia, according to officials who blame an eruption of unrest that has piled pressure on reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Ghana: US First Lady Melania Trump kicked off her first major solo trip in Ghana's capital Accra, aiming to cast a positive light on her embattled husband's administration.

Kenya: Signing into law Finance Bill, 2018, President Uhuru Kenyatta is pinning his hopes on new taxes to fill his massive budget deficits. The funds raised will also finance his Big Four agenda of affordable housing, universal health care, manufacturing and food security.

Malawi: In Malawi, home to one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, unsafe abortion is estimated to account for 6%-18% of all maternal deaths. However, a draft “Termination of Pregnancy” bill is seeking to loosen the country's 157-year-old law. If approved, the bill would allow an abortion when the pregnancy threatens the physical or mental health of the woman, fetal abnormalities affect the life of the baby, or in cases of rape, incest and defilement.

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allies are a safe space for said to reporters.

Trump Continues President Trump. The Trump is arguably the biggest To Campaign As crowd is filled with conflip-flopper that is not a live fish The President of firmed, card-carrying, MAGA hatwashed up on an empty beach.

White Men wearing, Trump supporters who He says one thing to the press would follow him over a cliff. and another at rallies.

I used to believe that Trump scheduled Trump is basically continuing his cruthese rallies to boost his ego; now I think sade to be the president of rich, straight, his staff plans them to get him away from white Republican, men. He has no interest official business. Basically, Trump rallies in working with Democrats, people of color, are the kid’s table dur- women, children or the poor. As Trump ing dinner. They know continues to be emboldened by Congress that Trump is safe members and white women who just can’t there, and he can’t seem to get it together, he’s getting worse. mess up too badly.

For those who were wondering about Recently, during a the victim in the sexual-assault allegarally in Southhaven, tions, the president reminded his base Mississippi (which is Tuesday night that Kavanaugh’s “life is in like saying that tatters. A man’s life is shattered. His wife Trump held a rally in is shattered, his daughters.”

Stephen A. hell), Trump riled up his President “Grab ’em by the you-knowCrockett base by making fun of what” will never believe a woman’s claims Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony against Trump is basically continuing his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who she claims sexually assaulted crusade to be the president of her when both were in high school. Trump rich, straight, white Republican, imitated Ford and mocked her for being men. He has no interest in working with unable to recall details from the assault.

Democrats, people of color, women, chil“I had one beer. Well, do you think it was — nope, it was one beer,” Trump said dren or the poor. reenacting Ford’s testimony, CNN reports.

“How did you get home?” Trump asked, of sexual assault considering he’s been mimicking prosecutor Rachel Mitchell. accused by at least 22 women (all of whom “I don’t remember,” he said, switching he claims are lying) of “misbehavior rangback to his impression of Ford. ing from sexual harassment and sexual “How’d you get there?” again, as assault to lewd behavior around women,” Mitchell.

CNN reports.

“I don’t remember. Where is the place?

Trump ended his missive by warning I don’t remember. How many years ago the crowd to remember that the push to was it? I don’t know.” destroy Kavanaugh is the work of And the Trump crowd ate it up because Democrats, whom he called, “evil people” they love him and his trash comments. who want to “destroy people.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know,” the president Trump added: “Think of your son. continued. “What neighborhood was it in? I Think of your husband.” don’t know. Where’s the house? I don’t And then he completely made up a know. Upstairs, downstairs—where was story about a young man working at IBM it? I don’t know—but I had one beer. That’s or General Motors whose been falsely the only thing I remember.” accused of sexual assault Trump’s public improvisation of the “What do I do, Mom? What do I do, interrogation of a sexual-assault victim Mom?” Trump said, role-playing a convercontrasted his public persona in which he sation between a son and mother. claimed to respect Ford.

“It’s a damn sad situation, OK? And we “With all of that, you cannot say that better start as a country getting smart and we’ve done anything but be respectful, and getting tough.”

I do. I respect her position very much. I Originally published on www.theroot.com, respect her position very much,” Trump Stephen Crockett is a senior editor.

“

A look at current news from the continent of Africa Mali: Out of school children living in Muslim-majority countries are set to benefit from a $100 million funding partnership offering loans for education programs, designed to help marginalized children living in low-income countries get a primary education.

Namibia: With more than 90 percent of Namibians identifying themselves as Christians, the Alliance of Churches and Ministries in Namibia (ACM) has called for the reintroduction of Bible studies, alternatively religious education, in schools to offset moral decay, adding that it is only fair for the government to allow the teaching of the Bible in schools.

Nigeria: The Hilton Hotels chain has plans to introduce its upscale hotel brand, on the continent, starting with a hotel at Lagos airport in Nigeria. International chains, including Marriott International and Hyatt, have increased their investments in Africa, which has some of the world’s fastest growing economies and a rising middle class.

Somalia: Following the fatal shooting of a nine-year-old pupil while on a school bus by government soldiers who opened fire into a traffic jam in Mogadishu, reportedly to make way for their vehicle, there are calls for the authorities to launch an independent investigation and hold to account the officers whose act of recklessness took the life of a child.

South Africa: A South African brewery launched the nation’s first lager containing cannabis, capitalizing on the globally known Durban Poison strain after the private use of the plant was legalized.

Drinks infused with marijuana-derived compounds could grow to a $600 million market in the U.S. within the next four years, outpacing the growth of other categories of retail cannabis products.

Sudan: A U.N. human rights expert has described as deplorable the Sudanese government’s continued repression of fundamental freedoms and abuse meted out to women to keep them in line.

Swaziland: ‘The king has turned the country into his personal fiefdom,’ charged opposition leader Mario Masuku of the People’s United Democratic Movement, which—like all political parties in the nation—has been banned. ‘Swaziland’s economy only benefits his family and entourage, and a small circle of entrepreneurs and wheeler-dealers who do business with him.’ In this circle are the king’s 13 wives, 23 children, and 200 other relatives.

MoneyMatters

On the Money

California’s Newest Cash Crop

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egal cannabis has arrived in California and the Golden State is hoping to make a mint on it’s newest cash crop.

Since January 1st of 2018 California has joined other seven states in permitting the the legal sale, cultivation and recreational consumption of cannabis (also known as marijuana, weed, pot etc.) for adults over the age of 21 within state and local guidelines.

While cannabis remains illegal on the federal level-due to the protection of states rights under the constitution-- voters in California were able to pass legislation legalizing cannabis as 57% of the California electorate voted in favor of the “Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use Of Marijuana Act” (Prop 64) in 2016. While opponents of the new law are concerned with the moral and social impacts of normalizing the use of another intoxicating substance, those in favor point to the increase in jobs and tax revenue to boister the State’s economy. Whatever your opinion on the subject may be, legal cannabis is here and governments and entrepreneurs alike are seeing green-- as in the potential money to be made.

The projections of cannabis sales within California have been astronomical, so it comes as no surprise that business are scrambling to set up shop. At the beginning of the year, California’s 2018 projections of gross sales was to be $3.75 billion, with as much as $5.1 billion coming in 2019 as more local municipalities settle in with their regulations and legal cannabis dispensaries become more accessible. To put that in perspective, if these projections hold, within two years cannabis will make as much money as beer sales in California which hit $5 billion in 2017.

But there is still much more work to be done in setting regulations and infrastructure proportionate to the will of the people in each individual city. Cannabis may only be purchased at state licenced dispensaries, but in order for a dispensary to get its state licence, they must first be permitted on the city and county level. Each city is able to determine its own ordinances on the sale of cannabis, and Los Angeles is one of the only 15% of cities across California to currently allow sales of cannabis within their jurisdiction. By February, Los Angeles had already allowed 101 temporary authorizations for cannabis businesses, and according to Cat Packer, head of the L.A.’s Department of Cannabis Regulation, the city has taken in more revenues than expected.

"Originally the department was given a budget of $1.3 million, and to date we have collected over $2.2 million in licensing fees, and we have around about

$800,000 in outstanding invoices, so it is likely that our revenue projections through June will be $3.5 million," Packer said.

Despite all the hype, so far tax revenues collected from cannabis sales have been lower than expected. According to the Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), cannabis has brought in $135 million in revenue to the State of California in the first six months of 2018-- missing the initial target of $174 million. Many cite the select availability of dispensaries across the state for the sluggish numbers as consumers continue to use the convenience of the established black market for their products.

Under Prop 64, the state of California is implementing three taxes on cannabis in addition to allowing local municipalities to levy their own additional taxes.

There is an across the board excise tax of 15% on all cannabis products, a sales tax of 7.5%-10% (depending on the area) and a cultivation tax on growers of $9.25 per ounce. When you add it all up, the consumer will be adding on and additional 40% to their purchase in taxes-- which is another reason cited for the initial slow sales across the state.

Revenues from cannabis as laid out in Prop 64 will mostly go to ensuring the legal cannabis system is safe and sustainable. The largest and most ambitious share of the tax dollars will go towards implementing a community reinvestment grant program that will fund certain services (such as job placement assistance and substance use disorder treatment) in communities most affected by past drug policies. The fund will receive a compounding $10 million dollars each year, capping at $50 million. The public university system will receive $10 million dollars a year to research the effects of the measure, with a separate $2 million to the University of San Diego Center for Cannabis Research to study the risks and benefits of medical cannabis.

California Highway Patrol (CHP) will receive $3 million each year to create and adopt methods to determine whether someone is driving while impaired.

With the remaining funds, 60% will go to the Department of Health Care Services to support youth programs including substance use disorder education and treatment, 20% will go to the Department of Fish and Wildlife to clean up and prevent environmental damage resulting from the illegal growing of cannabis, and 20% to state and local law enforcement including the CHP to support programs designed to reduce any potential negative impacts on public health or safety resulting from the measure.

Fans Not Happy About Michelle Obama’s Soaring Ticket Prices Fans of the former First Lady were in for a surprise when they went to purchase tickets to Michelle’s 10-city speaking tour in support of her new memoir “Becoming.” While standard tickets were advertised to start in the $30-45 range depending on the city, scalpers had scooped them all up between presale and within minutes of opening to the general public, according to Live Nation.

What was left was staggering prices for the cheapest seats in the house, such as $400 in Boston, $850 In Washington D.C..

For her stop in Los Angeles, November 15th at the Forum, the cheapest ticket was not in the $30-45 range but set at $120 even before the gouge, leaving fans to wonder what audience the First Lady was looking to attract.

“This is for the upper-middle to upper class only,” tweeted an Obama fan. “The rest of us can’t swing $200 for one ticket.”

“I guess us normals can't buy tickets to see Michelle Obama.

Allegedly ticket prices went as low as $26 but the cheapest that popped up on Ticketmaster were $450,” wrote another.

The exclusive VIP packages — ranging from $2,500 to $3,000 and which include a meet-and-greet with the former first lady — also seemed to be in short supply, as 150 of which were allotted per event. To put it in perspective, VIP tickets to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “On The Run II” tour are $1,000.

“The demand for the Obama tour has been extraordinary and bringing her to arenas maximizes the number of people able to attend,” tour Live organizer Nation said in a statement. “In order to reach a wide group of people, it was a priority for Mrs. Obama to set aside 10% of ticket inventory at every venue for local charities, schools, and community groups free of charge.”

To accommodate the “overwhelming demand” for Ms. Obama, two additional dates have been added to the stadium run. The tour is poised to kick off in Obama's hometown of Chicago before ending in New York City on Dec. 19.

Biz News Briefs Black Enterprise is teaming with Bishop T.D. Jakes for its inaugural SOAR! Empowerment Series set to kick off in Los Angeles in February 2019.

The one-day event was inspired by Jakes’ best selling book, SOAR! Build Your Vision From The Ground Up and will encourage attendees to maximize their earning power and spiritual well-being in the creation of multi-generational wealth.

“SOAR Empowerment event programming was specifically designed to equip participants with a vision for their health and prosperity, and a flight plan to reach their destinations,” said Earl Graves Jr. “These events are for those who are ready to take immediate action to get their dreams off the ground to create multi-generational wealth.”

“Deciding to partner with the only media company aimed at accelerating black business development,

October 2018

Black Enterprise Partners With T.D. Jakes

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career advancement, wealth creation, and economic empowerment was a no-brainer,” said Jakes, CEO of TDJ Enterprises, a for-profit entity engaged in inspirational media, entertainment, digital products, and large-scale live events. “The SOAR! Empowerment events provide the synergistic uplift that equips our respective audiences with the practical insights and economic principles to give flight to their dreams as outlined in my best-selling book of the same name.”

Auction of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Memorabilia Expected to Bring in Millions

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s cleaning house could mean millions for the retired Lakers all pro and Goldin Auctions, the company that is selling off everything from his championship rings and game-worn jerseys to childhood trophies.

With basketball as one of the fastest growing areas of sports collectibles, Ken Goldin (Goldin Auctions) characterizes the personal effects—being auctioned off online from October 1 through October 27—as the “most significant player collection that has ever been sold”.

Said Goldin, “Ten years ago, the prices that you were getting for a basketball card didn’t compare to baseball.

But just think, two years ago we sold a LeBron James card for $312,000 and that was a 2003 card, so basketball

memorabilia has been rapidly increasing.”

For Abdul-Jabbar, it was —at least partly— a matter of space, stating, “I’m not in the museum business, so what am I going to do with it? It would take over a large portion of my home if I displayed it in my home.” A portion of the proceeds will go to support his charity, Skyhook Foundation, which sends kids to camp to learn STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

Richard Parsons Named Interim Chairman of CBS Board of Directors

In the wake of Leslie Moonves departure as chairman and CEO of CBS amid a flurry of sexual assault allegations, former Time Warner chair/CEO Richard Parsons, has been named CBS Corp.’s interim chairman.

"Dick Parsons has a combination of deep industry knowledge and unmatched corporate and board experience," said Candace Beinecke, Chair of CBS' Nominating and Governance Committee. "We are fortunate to have Dick in this leadership role."

"We have a distinguished and independent Board that is steadfast in its commitment to serve the best interests of all shareholders," said Parsons. "I think I speak for all Board members when I say I look forward to learning more about CBS' compelling opportunities and how we can help guide and support the Company's growth."

Upcoming Entrepreneurial Training Programs Level I: Intro To Entrepreneurship 3 Weeks Saturday: October 6 & November 3 9:30am12:30pm Workshop@ 6109 S. Western Ave.,LA,CA 90047 Ph 323-789-4515 Business Plan Courses 7 Weeks Tuesdays, begins November 13 6:30pm - 9:00pm Saturdays, begins November 17 9:30am - 12:30pm Workshop@6109 S. Western Ave., LA, CA 90047 Ph 323 789-4515 Events: Financial Literacy for Business Owners First session begins Thurs., Oct 11 6:00pm -8:30pm Women In Business Leadership Series First session begins Thurs., Oct 11 6:00pm - 8:30pm Workshop Above @ 1130 W. Slauson Ave, LA, CA 90044 Ph 323 753-2335

www.lafocusnewspaper.com

KEITH DELAWDER Staff Writer ccording to the federal government, rent is not affordable if renters spend more than 30% of their total income on housing costs-- in California, over fifty percent of renters (representing 3 million households) pay over 30% of their income with another third of them (1.5 million households) spending over 50% of their income on rent.

At the minimum wage of $11.00 per hour, an individual working in L.A. County has to work 93 hours each week to afford a modest one bedroom apartment at fair market rent, the average price of which is $1,676 per month.

These facts illustrate an affordable housing crisis that has become a critical issue of concern—and debate—across the state as skyrocketing rents and home prices have given way to a shortage of housing in municipalities across the state and an increase in the ranks of L.A.’s homeless.

"L.A. is in the unhappy situation of having high housing costs and a lot of working poor people,"says Matt Schwartz, CEO of the California Housing Partnership Corporation.

"It's a fundamental mismatch that can create a lot of misery."

Proposition 10, known as the “Affordable Housing Act”, will be on the November 6th ballot and addresses the highly contentious issue of rent control. While most everyone realizes that affordability is a major issue in California, the topic of rent control has divided experts and leaders alike.

The measure, whose campaign is being led by the Coalition For Affordable Housing, gained enough signatures to make it on the ballot in large part through support from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest sponsor of the bill— donating $10 million to the cause.

“From a social justice point of view, we are seeing mass displacement... we feel like shelter is the most basic right and people are being deprived of that and we don’t feel like the marketplace can handle providing shelter to everyone who needs it,” says AHF President Michael Weinstein.

“The greed of these billionaire corporate landlords is causing wide scale misery for millions of Californians, and the scourge of homelessness will get much worse because the rent is too damned high. The California dream is dying, and only voters can save it in November.”

Prop. 10 will repeal the Costa-Hawkins Housing Act which has put certain statewide limits on rent control, and will give total control back to local municipalities to govern rent control in their area as they see fit.

L.A. Focus/October 2018

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Enacted in 1995, Costa-Hawkins was a bipartisan attempt to encourage housing production by giving property owners incentives to make their property into housing instead of more profitable commercial uses. While CostaHawkins provides that cities can enact limits on the amount rent can be raised, the measure did not apply to units first occupied after 1995 and housing units where the title is separate from connected units-- such as condominiums townhouses, and single family homes.

Costa-Hawkins also allows landlords to raise the rent on any unit to market value when it becomes vacant and lets landlords decide what the market value is, which known as ‘property decontrol’. Because of property decontrol, two identical apartments in the same building can be rented at astronomically different prices depending on how long the tenant has been living there, which renters advocates say is unfair and promotes predatory evictions.

If Prop. 10 passes, cities will be able to extend rent control to all building types, this includes single family houses and new construction. While annual rent increases will still be possible, they must be in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which is a measure of the average change of prices paid over time, and tends to fall in the three to eight percent range. It would also limit the amount that landlords can charge when the unit turns over, this known as ‘vacancy control’. Landlords complain that vacancy control does not allow them to raise rents to match the ever increasing prices of materials and services required to perform routine maintenance and upkeep on their units.

Prop. 10 will not unilaterally implement rent control.

Local governments or citizens-- through the initiative process-- will have to vote in legislation in each municipality individually. Currently in Los Angeles County, only the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills have rent control ordinances on the books.

Proponents of Prop. 10 say that Costa-Hawkins is out of date and allows the landlord lobby and corporate developers who seek to protect the rent gouge they’ve created from soaring real estate prices. They also assert that communities best know how to address the issues of affordability and homelessness, and Costa-Hawkins takes away from localized control of the market.

Supporters such as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has echoed this sentiment, "I've always believed that those who live closest to a given block or a street know what's

The greed of these billionaire corporate landlords is causing wide-scale misery for millions of Californians, and the scourge of homelessness will get much worse because the rent is too damned high. The California dream is dying, and only the voters can save it in November.

best. Local government should have control over their own city.” “[Prop. 10] a tremendous opportunity to respond to the housing affordability and homelessness crisis, one that makes California the state with the highest level of poverty,” says Damien Goodmon, the Yes on Prop. 10 campaign director. “Especially since the foreclosure crisis-- which in large part was created by the same organizations and powerful people opposing Prop.10-- we are seeing an increasing number of people in our communities who are being strangled with increases in rent. It’s forcing us out of our communities we’ve been in for generations, it’s disrupting the cultural diversity of many of our cities, and in the worst cases it’s contributing to mass homelessness.

“Simply giving people in local governments the power to keep seniors, longtime residents, working class people in their homes in the wake of a broken housing market really should not be considered controversial,” insists Goodmon. “Because of the amount of money that is being made by gouging renters, it has become so. We’re hopeful that we can continue to build a union of renters and homeowners who will take on this challenge and see that this Governor Pete Wilson (R)-era law is removed for the books and that the people in the state of California can do something to address rent gouging.”

The issue boils down to whether “[Housing] is essential, like a human right— something that everyone needs and deserves, or whether one views housing as just another commodity that should be bought and sold and rented without limits,” says Dean Preston, executive director of Tenants Together -- the statewide nonprofit organization for renters rights.

In his announcement of his organization’s massive donation, the Weinstein recognized the David vs. Goliath challenge the proposition would have to overcome.

“We know we will be significantly outspent by the opposition, backed by deep-pocketed developers and investors who continue to wreak havoc in the housing markets.”

So far he’s been right. The No on Prop. 10 campaign has been able to raise over $46 million to Yes on Prop. 10’s $13 million, with most of their donations coming from large institutional landlords such as the Irvine- based Western National Group, for example, who manages as at least 23,000 apartments in southern California.

Supporters of the Yes on Prop. 10 movement include the Democratic Party of California, the ACLU of Northern California, the Bernie Sanders lead “Our Revolution” action group, and major unions such as AFSMC California PEOPLE, the California Nurses Union, the California

Teachers Union, and SEIU California.

While managing the inflation of current rental prices remains a legitimate interest of rent control proponents, one of the biggest concerns cited by opponents of the bill is that the initiation of more rent control will make it less attractive for investors and developers to continue to build much needed new units of housing.

It’s no secret that California is behind of it’s housing obligations. The state will need anywhere from 1.8 million to 3.5 million new homes by 2025 to absorb existing demand and future population growth. The current construction pace of fewer than 80,000 new homes per year falls short by 100,000 units of meeting even the lowest estimate of demand.

Executive Director of California Council for Affordable Housing (CCAH), Patrick Sabelhaus, whose organization advocates for more affordable housing with the state legislature by representing for-and non-profit developers who invest and purchase tax credits to build affordable housing throughout California, has taken an opposition stance to Prop.10.

“We are advocating to vote no on Prop. 10 because the ballot measure is incredibly flawed,” says Sabelhaus. “The issue with housing is supply vs. demand, and Prop. 10 won’t do anything to improve the availability of affordable housing in the state. While we are empathetic to those struggling to find affordable housing, Prop. 10 will not solve the problem but will actually make it worse by precluding investors from developing and causing landlords to take valuable units off the market.”

CCAH currently facilitates the construction of 16,000 units of housing per year, all of which are allocated by the State Treasurer's office and monitored for rent control based on county income levels by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Sabelhaus’ group objects to Prop. 10 because he says the measure does not carve out any language for their already federally rent controlled units and that it would add, “another layer of monitoring that is not necessary or required.”

“Los Angeles’ housing crisis can only be solved by building more housing-- especially affordable housing for working people and families who need it most,” says Greater Los Angeles Area African American Chamber of Commerce Vice Chairman (GLAACC) Jamarah Hayner who represents the No on Prop.10 Coalition. “Proposition 10 will prevent new affordable housing, kill construction jobs, reduce the value of single-family homes, repeal protections for renters, and take away income from families and seniors on a fixed income who rent out rooms in their homes to make ends meet.”

Alice Huffman, President of the California-Hawaii NAACP echoed a similar concern regarding applying rent control to single family homes in her explanation of the NAACP’s position against Prop. 10.

“Local governments already have the power to impose rent control,” argues Huffman. “The only thing local governments can’t do-- the reason they want to repeal CostaHawkins, is so that they can impose rent control on single family homes. So people think they are voting for rent control but they are actually voting to give governments in California carte blanche authority over single family homes.”

Along with the NAACP, other major supporters of No on Prop. 10 are the California Republican Party, the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Small Business Association, the Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), and the California Apartment Association.

Both California gubernatorial candidates have proposed plans to increase housing in California, although neither of them support a full repeal of Costa-Hawkins.

Democratic Candidate Gavin Newsom has called or a “Marshall Plan for affordable housing” proposing the ambitious goal of facilitating the construction of 3.5 million housing units by 2025. Newsom has said he is open to fewer restrictions on rent control, but that outright repeal would "have unintended consequences on housing production that could be profoundly problematic." His opponent Republican John Cox has flatly stated, “I don’t believe rent control works”, while emphasizing that some development regulations need to be eliminated to incentivize construction and decrease costs of building new housing.

“It’s ridiculous to think that you just have to build more houses and that the housing prices will come down.

That’s trickled down housing theory and it never works,” Goodmon states. “It’s been a decision made by global capital powers to invest in speculative real estate markets and it’s resulting in increased housing prices everywhere.

Now we in LA feel it intensely. There are even middle class white people can’t afford to live in the city.”

In a September poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California of 1,710 residents, support for Proposition 10 was at 36%-- trailing behind opposition to the measure which polled at 48%, and with 16% of likely voters saying they hadn’t made up their minds. When broken down regionally, support for Prop. 10 was highest in Los Angeles with 45% of Angelenos saying they would vote for the measure, and lowest in the Inland Empire, with only 29% in favor.

Eye On Gospel Shattering Records Inspirational music “It Girl” Koryn Hawthorne continues to shatter records as a new artist, making history as the first female artist to hold the #1 position on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart for 26 weeks with her energizing single, “Won’t He Do It,” remaining #1 on the chart last month. Hawthorne’s chart-topping success surpasses the previous record of 25 weeks set in 2013 by Tamela Mann with “Take Me to the King.” In addition to the new chart milestone, the 20-year-old’s official “Won’t He Do It” music video has garnered over 1.4 million views and counting since its debut exactly one month ago. “Won’t He Do It” – the lead single off her chart-topping debut fulllength album Unstoppable – is also currently #1 on the BDS Gospel chart (for 18 weeks) and #1 on the MediaBase Gospel chart (for 17 weeks). Hawthorne is maintaining a busy schedule this fall, including a recent return appearance on the hit television series Greenleaf in last week’s episode. The 2018 Dove Awards double nominee, who is up for New Artist of the Year and Contemporary Gospel/Urban Recorded Song of the Year, will be performing at the award show on October 16th.

Kirk Franklin Reunites With Biological Dad Last month, Grammy, Stellar and Dove Award

winning Gospel superstar Kirk Franklin, posted a passionate heart felt post on his Instagram Page about reuniting with his father: "Two days ago, I received an anonymous call that my biological father, who I never knew, has 3-6 months to live. I've lived my entire life hating this man. He and my biological mother gave me up for adoption, and it left me never feeling good enough....to this very day.” I took my hate for him and used it as fuel to be the best father I could be for my own. But what I did wrong is, I never took that fuel, and turned it into forgiveness....and that is wrong. Wrong for him, me, and the God I proclaim to represent. How can I preach what I don't practice? So I flew to Houston yesterday to do that. It's painful, it's a process, but how disappointed I would be in myself for this man to leave this earth without being forgiven. He deserves to receive what God gives me everyday. Pray for him, and for me. God this is hard...I weep as I write," stated the 48-year-old as he ended this now viral post.

Back To Number #1 Urban contemporary superstar and singer-songwriter Jonathan McReynolds has returned to #1 on the charts more than six months after the release of his latest album Make Room, following a steady climb back up over the last few weeks ending on the star’s 29th birthday on Monday. The album, Make Room, is currently sitting at #1 on Nielsen’s Current Gospel Albums and #2 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums, with the album’s lead single “Not Lucky, I’m Loved” (released last September) currently back at #1 on Top Gospel Airplay. A return to the top of the charts for an album and its lead single, 6 months and a whole year, respectively, after their initial release is a huge move for any artist, and yet with an artist like Jonathan McReynolds we’ve largely come to expect these sorts of moves. Make Room was released this past March on Entertainment One, who released the deluxe version Make More Room digitally earlier this month. Make More Room features three exclusive bonus tracks, including “Try” which premiered exclusively on CBN. Make Room

L.A. Focus/October 2018

Re d Carpet Style

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ISSA RAE turned heads in this Vera Wang jumpsuit with a train

REGINA KING wowed in this strapless Christian Siriano design

is an album of all-new original material from the young artist, recorded completely live at a May 2017 concert in Jonathan’s hometown of Chicago, which was the basis of his TV and digital streaming special “Jonathan McReynolds: Make Room.” The special had its national broadcast premiere on TVOne in March, followed by a June exclusive digital premiere in partnership with global streaming giants TIDAL. Briefly: Multi-Grammy Award winning recording artist and songwriter, Carvin Winans, released a new single entitled “Once in a Lifetime”. Available via all major digital providers, it is the first track from Winans’ debut solo album, In The Softest Way, set to release in 2019.

Winans, who began singing at age four, launched his career over 30 years ago with his brothers as part of the iconic group, The Winans. Carvin also established himself as a sought-after songwriter, penning hits for other artists including, Whitney Houston, Regina Belle, Peabo Bryson, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Winans Phase II. Said Winans, “I am truly humbled and honored that for my first solo album God blessed me to work with some of the most talented and gifted people on the planet...Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Kenny G, Tommy Sims, Carlos Battey and last but not least, my wife Chérie Winans…just to name a few! I pray my fans enjoy listening to this album as much as I enjoyed making it!”…OWN has announced that the new unscripted series, “Chad Loves Michelle,” will join the network’s successful Saturday night lineup, featuring Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child and Pastor Chad Johnson navigating the road from engagement to marriage will premiere Saturday, November 3. Both are relocating to Los Angeles from different cities in the months leading up to their wedding, but not to the same bedroom. Guided by their faith and unwavering values, the couple has vowed to consummate the relationship only after they are wed. Each episode will feature real issues the couple is tackling in their everyday lives, including Michelle’s high-profile battle with mental health issues, and the lessons they learn from the pre-marital counseling sessions that bond them stronger together.

It was one of the biggest nights in Hollywood and the stars turned out in style for the 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held last month in Los Angeles.

TIFFANY HADDISH THANDIE NEWTON is classic in this pink column was inspired by Eritrean flag with this Prabal Gurung gown gown by Brandon Newell

SAMIRA WILEY glowed in this silver dazzler Jenny Packham number

Calendar of events

Ongoing Exhibits: Los Angeles Freedom Rally, 1963 Coined the “Los Angeles Freedom Rally,” one of the nation’s largest civil rights rallies featuring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Through March 3, 2019) Also: California Bound: Slavery on the New Frontier, 1848 - 1865 (Through Jan 21, 2019) Free • Parking = $12 California Afro American Museum • 600 State Dr Contact: (213) 744-7432 caamuseum.org Boo at the L.A. Zoo (Thru Oct. 31) Areas for trick-or-treaters for day of performances, treats, crafts, music, creepy crawlers. Trick-ortreating: Oct 20-21/27-28 10am—4pm •$21• Childre: $16 Seniors: $18 •Under 2 Free 5333 Zoo Drive Info: (323) 644-4200 lazoo.org

Friday, October 5 R&B Super Jam Starring Tyrese, Monica, Avant, Donell Jones & 702 8PM • $49 - 129 The Forum

3900 W Manchester Blvd www.msg.com NAWBO-L.A. Roundtable with Sen. Holly Mitchell 11AM – Noon • Free (Address to be provided upon confirmation) www.nawbo.org Booksigning— “The History of Gangster Rap: From Schoolly D to Kendrick Lamar, the Rise of A Great American Art Form” With Soren Baker 7pm • Free 189 The Grove Drive Contact: (323) 525-0270 www.barnesandnoble.com

Saturday, October 6 In Concert: Lecrae & Andy Mineo (Better Late Than Never Tour) 6:30PM • $25 – 45 Wiltern Theater 3790 Wilshire Blvd Contact: (213) 388-1400 www.wiltern.com In Concert: Soweto Gospel Choir: Songs of the Free 8PM • $27.50 Irvine Barclay Theatre 4242 Campus Dr • Irvine Contact: (949) 854-4646 www.thebarclay.org

Monday, October 8 Uplift Women and Girls of

L.A. Focus/October 2018

Yvonne Orji made our best dressed list when she stunned in this form-fitting black gown at the 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

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actress er with tari Turn re of A Girl. A a D r ce ie Produ .A. prem it: Tyree Vance ant at L oto Cred Ph Joy Bry . m a re Boy. A D

Color Speakers include public/ mental health practitioners, policy-makers, funders, artists, advocates, law enforcement, probation and elected officials 7AM – 4PM • $60 - 900 California Endowment 1000 Alameda Street www.calendow.org

Tuesday, October 9 Men’s Leadership Conference: Uplift Men and Boys of Color Speakers include public/mental health practitioners, policy-makers, funders, artists, community advocates, law enforcement and probation and elected officials 7AM – 4PM • $60 - 900 California Endowment 1000 Alameda Street www.calendow.org American Music Awards Host: Tracee Ellis Ross Featuring the music industry’s biggest names 5PM • $145 - $800

Microsoft Theater 777 Chick Hearn Court Contact: (213) 763-6030 www.microsofttheater.com

Center 1111 S. Figueroa Contact: (213) 742-7340 staplescenter.com

Thursday, October 11

Black Public Theology & Race In America Public Symposium (Through Saturday, October 13) $0-20 • 8AM – 4PM Travis Auditorium 140 N. Oakland Avenue Pasadena Fuller.edu

Hoops & Options 3 College and Career Fair 9AM – 1PM • Free (Students in grades 8 thru 12 are welcome) First AME Church 2270 S. Harvard Blvd Contact: (323) 735-1251 famechurch.org

Friday, October 12

Dr. Rufus Smith

eveNT SPOTLIgHT Monday, October 8 WHW Methods of Expository Preaching & Teaching Conference (Thru Friday, Oct. 12) Intensive workshops, tutorials, Golf fellowship & powerful preaching • Speakers include Drs. Frank Ray, Johnny Baylor and Rufus Smith Awards banquet honoring Dr. Lester Cannon Sr. $295 • Hilton LAX 5711 W Century Blvd Info: (888) 949-2378 whwministries.com

Pastor Joh n Gray an d wife Av with Mea enter pose gan Good and husb Franklin and DeVon at a screen in g of Small the Grove foot at .Ph oto Credit: Ar no

iere of A ds the L.A. prem Boris Kodjoe atten e Vance Tyre eam. Photo Credit: Girl. A Boy. A Dr

Platinum Comedy Tour: Mike Epps & More 8PM • $49.50 - $150 Microsoft Theater 777 Chick Hearn Court Contact: (213) 763-6030

In Concert: Drake (Aubrey & The Three Migos Tour) (Through Sunday, Oct. 14) 7PM • $35 - $149.50 Staples

ld Turner

GooGoo Atkins brings the color at an advance screening of Smallfoot hosted by Pastor John Gray at the Grove.Photo Credit: Arnold Turner

CBCF Posthumously Presents Aretha Franklin with Inaugural John. R. Lewis Award of Courage. LR: Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (D-Michigan), Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Congressman John R. Lewis (D-Georgia), Sabrina Owens, and Vaughn Franklin”. Photo: Courtesy of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

www.microsofttheater.com

Saturday, October 13 Flu Shot Clinic Noon – 4PM •$30 if not covered by insurance 2424 Wilshire Blvd Santa Monica Contact: (310) 828-4530 connect.uclahealth.org

Tuesday, October 16 In Concert: Drake (Aubrey & The Three Migos Tour) (Through Friday, Oct 19) 7:30pm • $79 - 229 The Forum 3900 W Manchester Blvd www.msg.com

Wednesday, October 17 94th Session So. California Annual AME Conference (Thru Sunday, October 21) Hilton Airport LAX 5711 W. Century Blvd Host Pastor: Rev. Dwaine Jackson Contact: (562) 422-9300 http://www.ame5.org Family Law Divorce Orientation Workshop 5:45PM – 7:30PM •Free

Torrance Superior Court 825 Maple Ave, Room 110 Contact: (213) 785.2516 http://www.lalawlibrary.org

Friday, October 19 In Concert: Freda Payne — “The Classics” (Through Sat, October 20) 8:30PM • $35+ Catalina Bar & Grill 6725 West Sunset Blvd Contact: (323) 466-2210 catalinajazzclub.com In Concert: Danity Kane 8:00pm • $30+ City National Grove of Anaheim 2200 East Katella Avenue Contact: (714) 712-2700 www.citynationalgroveofanaheim.com

Saturday, October 20 Special Needs Network 13th Annual Evening Under the Stars Awards Gala Fundraiser 6pm – 10pm • $500+ CA Afro American Museum 600 State Drive Contact: (323) 291-7100 snnla.org

Taste Of Soul Family Festival Performances by Chante Moore, Kurtis Blow, Donald Lawrence, Deitrick Haddon, Ricky Dillard, JJ Hairston, LeÁndria Johnson and Todd Dulaney Food, vendors and live entertainment 10am-7pm • Free Crenshaw Blvd. between Stocker St. and Rodeo Dr. tasteofsoul.org

Sunday, October 21 23rd Annual L.A.M.P.S. (Leaders, Apostolic, Mentoring & Prophetic Servants) Conference 2018 Hosted by Dr. Beverly "Bam" Crawford.

(Thru Wednesday, Oct. 21) 7:30pm • $85 — Includes leadership luncheon at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel) Bible Enrichment Fellowship Church 400 E. Kelso Street Info: (310) 330-4700 regonline.com/lamps2016

Special Guests: Boyz II Men (Oct 23); Ciara (Oct 24); Ella Mai (Oct 26); Charlie Wilson (Oct 27) 8PM • $79 - $900 Staples Center 1111 S. Figueroa Contact: (213) 742-7340 staplescenter.com

Wednesday, October 24 In Concert: Tamia 8:00pm • $25-35 The Novo 800 W Olympic Blvd Contact: (213) 765-7000 www.thenovodtla.com

Thursday, October 25 Conversation: “History of Central Avenue” It’s history, decline and how it was pivotal to the Civil Rights movement 2PM – 4PM • Free Parking = $12 African American Museum 600 State Drive Contact: (213) 744-7432 http://caamuseum.org

Betty Price 9:45am • $75 per person Sheraton Gateway Hotel 6101 W. Century Blvd Contact: (323) 758-3777 Faithdome.org Black Women’s Annual Business/Career & Networking Breakfast Forum Panel, Booths, networking, marketplace & more $60- $75 • 9am-1pm Proud Bird 11022 Aviation Blvd Register: (323) 964-4003 blackwomensnetwork.net “Trunk or Treat” 4:30PM – 7:30PM • Free Presented by Faithful Central Bible Church 333 W. Florence Contact: (310) 330-8000 www.faithfulcentral.com Scarium of the Pacific (Through Sunday, Oct. 28) Costume contest, creepy coloring contest, face painting, magic shows, underwater pumpkin carving, storytelling & crafts.

9am—5pm

around los angeles Tuesday, October 23

In Concert: Bruno Mars (Through Sat., Oct. 27)

Publisher Lisa Collins and honoree Jenifer Siebel Newsom at the 21st Annual First Ladies High Tea

40th Annual Wisdom From Above Luncheon with Dr.

Gabrielle Union Sanaa Latham with tflix’s “Nappily Ne of ere at the premi Ever After”.

Sunday, October 28 “Church In The Park” (Presented by Experience Christian Ministries) Featuring free food, live music, resources and voter registratio •11:07am Gilbert Lindsay Park 429 E. 42nd Place www.theecm.org

Tuesday, October 30 Booksigning: Charlamagne Tha God “Shook One” 7PM • Free • The Grove 189 The Grove Drive Contact: (323) 525-0270 www.barnesandnoble.com Friday, November 2 So Cal Womens Conference 7:30AM - 3:30PM • $35 Pasadena Hilton 168 S. Los Robles Ave Contact: (626) 765-6206 thesocalhealthconference.org

Honoree Debbie Allen is surprised by Grey’s Anatomy co-sta r James Pickens at 21st Annual First Ladies High Tea.

L.A. Focus/ October 2018

wis on the red Snowfall’s Angela Le nual First An st 21 carpet at the Ladies High Tea

Saturday, October 27

$17.95 (children) $26.95 (seniors) $29.95 (adults) (Free admission for child with costume) 100 Aquarium Way Long Beach 90802 Info: (562) 590-3100 aquariumofthepacific.org

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INSIDe HO L LY W OOD with Neily Dickerson As a movie lover it is a no brainer that mainstream films make my mustsee list, but I am an independent movie enthusiast as well, and had the pleasure of seeing an independent film that recently caught my attention and is a must see called, “Where Hands Touch.”

“Where Hands Touch” is the story of the survival of bi-racial children, how they were treated and how their families learned to survive and protect them in Germany, during the Holocaust. Directed and written by the brilliant Amma Asante (director of “Belle" and “A United Kingdom”), “Where Hands Touch” is simultaneously heart warming and wrenching.

Set in 1944, a white German mother makes strategic moves to raise her children. She’s faced with the best way

to protect her daughter and moves to a small town to insure, Leyna, played by rising star, Amandla Sternberg ("The Hunger Games," "Everything, Everything"), is safe.

Protecting Leyna proves to be no easy task as she stands out wherever the family goes and in most instances faces scrutiny.

When the family finally settles,

DUe IN THeATeRS THIS MONTH

HOLLYWOOD BUZZ

The Hate U Give October 5 Tina Turner To Light Up Broadway’s “Great White Way”

The stage adaptation of Tina Turner’s 1993 smash hit biopic, “What’s Love Got To Do With It” is set to hit the bright lights of Broadway’s “Great White Way” next fall and the 78-year old music icon (who still knows how to turn heads) couldn’t be more excited. . Said Turner, “Bringing this musical to life on stage and working with this team has meant so much to me, I feel that it is in many ways a culmination of my career. London audiences have been and continue to be extraordinary. Now, the bright lights of Broadway are calling, and I’m very excited to share this beautiful show with New York audiences next year.” The play had it world premiere in London back in April and is still playing to sold our houses. Casting and specific dates are forthcoming…Also making her way back to Broadway is Kerry Washington, who will star in the Broadway premiere of American Son, described as a “gripping tale about who we are as a nation and how we deal with family relationships, love, loss and identity. Set to open this month, the show’s coproducers include Shonda Rhimes, Jada

The Oath October 12

Leyna catches the attention of a young German officer and the two become fast friends, quickly connecting heart to heart raising great concern from her mother.

The story evolves into a bevy of challenges that separates a family, but serves as a reminder that the bond of love sustains and is unbreakable broken.

A story seldom told, Asante, shares the moving account of a family striving to maintain daily normalcy while living under the radar of Hitler’s regime.

Combined with elements of a broken community, love, and horror, "Where Hands Touch” unfolds into a beautiful yet complicated narrative. Bravo to the Hometown: Washington D.C. production team, writer & director, Big Break: “Scary Movie” and cast.

Current Projects: “The Hate U Give”, “Support The Girls” Upcoming Films: Shaft (2019) Regina Hall graduated from Fordham University in 1992, and went on to earn a master's degree in journalism from New York University before shifting to an acting career. In 1997 she began appearing in commercials, and then made the giant leap into movies. Her fame came with her role in the comedy-horror spoof Scary Movie. Since then she’s appeared in dozens of films and T.V. shows including, “Black-ish”, “Law and Order: L.A”, “Think Like A Man” and “Girls Trip”.

Q&A

Regina Hall

An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn • October 19

Pinkett Smith, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade…In other Broadway news, it’s official— Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations which just ended a successful run at the Music Center, will open at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre on March 21.

All In The Family With three films in the works for 2019 and confirmation that Will Smith will be reprising his role of Detective Mark Lowrey for Bad Boys 3: Bad Boys for Life (now if only Martin Lawrence would officially sign on), Smith—who just turned 50—has plenty to celebrate. But at the top of his list would have to be the pride in son Jaden, whose love for the ocean inspired a 100% eco-friendly bottled water company—called Just Water—which they founded together. Last month, Jaden tweeted out that the water, whose packaging is composed of entirely renewable resources (including “plastic” derived from sugarcane) will now be carried in Target Stores. Meanwhile, mom Jada (whose Red Table Talk returns this month) also has her hands full as producer of the movie, 12 O’Clock Boys’. An adaptation of a 2013 documentary about a character who dreams of being initiated into a bike gang called the Midnight Clique, the cast includes Meek Mill, Teyonah Parris, Jahl Winston and Will Catlett.

Bill Cosby’s New Home

Indivisible October 26

He traded in his tailored suit for a prison uniform and state-issued boots, and his new digs? Well, here’s the good and bad of it. The bad: it’s prison and for now, its location is Collegeville, about 30 northwest of Philadelphia. The good: it’s not your average prison. In fact, its’ a state of the art facility with advanced security features, environmentally efficient infrastructure and modern work and housing spaces that has only been open since June. For now, the 81-year old inmate will be housed in a single cell as he is initially assessed and will be allowed to exercise at the gym, attend mandated classes, attend chapel if he so chooses and visit the barbershop.

Casting News: Kelly Rowland is set to play R&B icon Gladys Knight in a new BET scripted drama, American Soul, which recounts the 1970’s rise of Don Cornelius’ famed “Soul Train”.

Series regulars also include R&B singer Kelly Price with Sinqua Walls (who co-starred in Power and Once Upon A Time) as a young Cornelius.

Production is set to get underway this month in Atlanta…Speaking of Atlanta, Shamari Devoe joins the cast of Bravo’s Real Housewives of Atlanta”. Devoe was the lead singer of the group, Blaque, was featured in the movie, “Bring It On”, and is the wife of New Edition’s Ronnie DeVoe. (The show returns November 4)…In other RHOA news, Eva Marcille is set to wed fiancé Michael Sterling this month. The couple welcomed their first child in April.

Briefly: Eddie Murphy reportedly popped the question to his long time gal pal Paige Butler, with whom he shares a two-year old daughter and is expecting his tenth child in December.

It is the second marriage for Murphy.

Your latest film, “The Hate U Give” depicts police brutality in a very visceral way. Can dramatizing these stories reach those people who are unconvinced even after all the reports?

I don’t know. Sometimes people who are convinced, their minds can’t be changed. I think all we can do is show stories, make them aware and then for those that may not be aware and they aren’t convinced, that will help create more voices. Hopefully the chorus, multitude of voices will create change because a lot of times what you don’t experience you think isn’t real. That’s just not the case unfortunately. Where we can make decisions that can emotionally affect people that hopefully can create change.

Listen, that’s not to say that there aren’t some great officers. I have a cousin who’s a great police officer, but I think it’s the lens through which we view things that has to expand.

You hold a masters degree in journalism. Given the current political climate how important is journalism and why did you not pursue it?

I value journalism even more now than ever and realize how difficult the job is — the risks they take in their life, what it takes to sit down and write a story.

I'm very conscious about my news sources, too. I know a lot of people who only get their news from Facebook.

I can't imagine that. I probably love journalism even more now. There's days where I'd be like, "Ah, I'd want to tell that story," because it's so imperative. I don't think people realize how connected journalism is to freedom of speech — they just think about what they want to say personally. Democracy is so connected to our press.

I’ve always thought it was such an honorable profession, and I still do. I didn't pursue it because my dad had a stroke and life took me in a different direction.

How has your education benefited you?

It helped me to break down and understand scripts.

And the discipline of getting my master’s gave me a certain amount of confidence. I don’t think college is the only path, but I enjoyed it and it worked out for me.

It was the perfect bridge from living at home to independence. I also love learning. I might have been a professional student and earned a couple of doctorates, if I didn’t have to pay bills.

How do you make a character your own?

I feel like the paper gives you all the information but the actor gives it life. That means all the nuances of who she is, her backstory, all the stuff that’s not on the paper–her biggest secret, her biggest regret, whatever that might be, that you craft and all your homework before you even go up to set. It’s those kinds of things that I think create texture and nuances in a character.

That’s the hard part of it and the fun part. But it’s hard because you really have to think–it’s the time that it takes. But it’s like where the good stuff is.

Community

GERALD BELL

Contributor

“Movement Is Life Program Seeks to Eliminate Osteoarthritis Disparities”

W

omen, African Americans and Hispanics rank at the top among the millions of people facing severe Osteoarthritis worldwide.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these same groups of people have the highest levels of obesity in the nation and the highest level of physical inactivity, which reportedly leads to this common form of arthritis.

Musculoskeletal limitations worsen for most who are overweight or obese and increase the risk and progression of osteoarthritis because the extra pounds directly affect weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips. Further exacerbating the disparity is the staggering healthcare costs required to treat and or correct musculoskeletal conditions.

Studies from the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center have shown that osteoarthritis in the knee joints is 4 to 5 times more common in overweight people compared with individuals of normal body weight. Additionally, the center reports that women and men who are overweight in their thirties are at greater risk of developing the disease later in life.

In 2010, Movement is Life (MIL) was founded to focus on the elimination of musculoskeletal disparities in the U.S. The national organization is collaborating with healthcare providers and community leaders to combat the disparaging rate of disabling joint pain among women, African Americans, and Hispanics. MIL educates patients on the significance of daily physical activity to decrease poor joint health and improve overall health

and mobility.

In Los Angeles, MIL has established a partnership with Macedonia Baptist Church of LA to facilitate a mobility and awareness program they have named Operation Change. The initiative targets African American women who are age 50 and older; or women at any age that may be dealing with musculoskeletal issues.

“Mobility changes things as we age,” said Willis Steele, a member of the MIL steering committee. One of the messages his team is intimating and reinforcing to women and other minorities is that the onset of any joint pain may represent the early stages of osteoarthritis.

MIL is also raising awareness of the fact that anyone just 10 pounds overweight, with every step they take, increases the force on their knees by 30 to 60 pounds.

Musculoskeletal limitations occur when the protective cartilage on the ends of one’s bones wears down over time.

“As a pastor who attends conferences the African in American community in every denomination; I see our people one year with a

cane, the next year on a walker, and way too often the next year in a wheelchair,” says Steele. “We have to get pass the temporary fixes of liniment and Epson Salts and educate folks about options.”

Steele argues that far too many people in minority communities are not informed about what services and benefits are available to them to fight osteoarthritis.

“Most people over 50 who have worked all their lives and paid into programs that support their medical needs—like my own mom who had corrective knee surgery because her Union informed her—don’t even realize they can get needed surgeries…because they are afraid to ask,” he says.

“If someone needs a joint replacement there is an allotment with Medicare and Medical for [the procedures,]” reports Steele. “They need to see the appropriate doctor; not just one that provides cortisone shots for relief.”

T h e Surgeon General a s h reported t h a t women, African

Americans and Latinos suffer the most from functional limitations and disability, but have less than optimal access to diagnostic, medical and surgical intervention, irrespective of their insurance coverage.

"Health disparities reflect the culmination of advantages for some and disadvantages for others," says Tyson Brown, a sociologist and director of the Center for Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research at Duke University. "Population health is a mirror that reflects societal arrangements, and there is a great deal of empirical evidence that societal arrangements affect biology and lead to the health disparities we observe."

MIL’s Operation Change is an 18week mobility program that is not exclusively about weight loss but is about helping women in Los Angeles get out of a sedentary lifestyle and manage pain from joint issues. Woman who participate in Operation Change receive a Fitbit to maintain a baseline tracking on their mobility and are responsible for checking in weekly to have their weight and blood pressure monitored.

“This program is life changing,” Steele contends. “MIL is raising awareness of the epidemic of limited mobility and developing functional solutions to reduce musculoskeletal disparities.”

MIL is the host of the 2018 National Caucus Addressing Musculoskeletal Health Disparities, held in Washington, DC, November 8-9, 2018. For more information, visit http://www.movementislifecaucus.com/

Game Changers: Jussie Smollett

KEITH DELAWDER Contributor

“For Jussie Smollett, Activism Is About Walking In His Truth”

M

ost people know Jussie Smollet from his role as Jamal Lyon on Fox’s breakout hit show Empire, but if it were up to him, the actor/singersongwriter would prefer if people recognised him from a different title: “activist”.

In a recent interview, Smollet shared that growing up his mother affirmed a simple principal to him and his siblings from an early age, “There are two things that you must do: Love one another and be an activist.” So far Jussie has taken this mantra to heart, using his platform as an entertainer to shed awareness on the issues that mean the most to him.

Smollett has teamed up with The Trevor Project’s new national campaign called “How To Save a Life” which encourages people to volunteer for suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization which helps young people from the LGBTQ community.

“It’s heartbreaking to think of the amount of LGBTQ youth out there who feel hopeless and alone, or think they don’t have support,” said Smollett, who is the face of the “How To Save A Life” Ad campaign. “Just one supportive person can decrease an LGBTQ youth’s risk of suicide by 30%, and The Trevor Project is giving everyone the amazing opportunity to be that person. I can’t encourage you enough to apply — volunteering your time can literally save lives.”

Usage of the The Trevor Project’s crisis intervention and suicide prevention proincluding TrevorLifeline, grams, TrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as a peer-to-peer social network support for

“

It’s about walking in my truth fully, whatever it may be. Never, ever, ever having

a feeling that I should shut up and I should not speak about the problems that I have as a black man. Leading with my blackness is celebrating who I am every single day. That’s where we come from. It’s a celebration of who we are.

LGBTQ young people under the age of 25, TrevorSpace, have increased 165% since the campaign debuted.

Unlike other celebrities who wear advocacy issues like this season's fashion and as a stunt for favorable publicity, Smollett puts his money where his mouth is, not only cutting sizeable checks to BAI, but Jussie and his younger sister, actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell, have also taken on leadership roles in the organization serving on the Institute’s Board of Directors.

Jussie and Jurnee have been AIDS activists since they were 15 and 12 years old, respectively, and both have been inducted into the Black AIDS Institute’s “Heroes in the Struggle” Hall of Fame for their heroic contributions in the fight against HIV/AIDS. And as it turns out, leading truly is contagious. Smollett also teamed up with fellow Empire Star Taraji P. Henson to host the MAC AIDS Fund’s 20th Annual Viva

Glam Campaign. During the campaign every cent of Viva Glam products sold goes to the MAC AIDS Fund which helps women, men and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, providing things like contraception, therapy sessions, HIVtesting kits and homemade meals to populations most affected by the AIDS epidemic.

“One lipstick literally provides one rapid oral HIV test, 14 HIV tests for pregnant mothers, [or] 254 condoms to prevent HIV infection,” said Smollett.

While many would refer to the work Jussie does as exceptionally bold and heroic, for Smollett, speaking out is just part of who he is.

“I think that very often in this industry—but maybe in this world as a whole— people like to concentrate on one thing that is a little bit more acceptable to them or more of a talking point for them and they tend to ignore what we’re really talking about because it’s not the popular thing to talk about and it makes them uncomfortable,” says Smollett.

As a black person in America Jussie refuses to stay quiet about the issues that affect his people such as income inequality and police brutality, often times in the face of critical backlash.

“So many times I’ve gotten asked, ‘Why don’t you shut up and stop talking about race? Don’t you have some acting to do?’

First of all, that’s all you’ve got? That’s whack s**t you’re gonna say. And it’s just really interesting to me. I’ve heard that before, but that’s just not my point of view.

Because I don’t approach it as an actor, I

approach it as a concerned person who is affected by it because it’s happened to me, it’s happening to my sisters and my brothers and humanity. I just feel like if people are listening to you, you should have something to say.

“For me, It’s about walking in my truth fully, whatever it may be. Walking in my truth, and proudly. Never, ever, ever having a feeling that I should shut up and I should not speak about the problems that I have as a black man. Leading with my blackness is celebrating who I am every single day. That’s where we come from. It’s a celebration of who we are. The ownership of who we are. It’s freedom.”

Through the Storm

KEITH DELAWDER Staff Writer

Once Bankrupt of Peace, Israel Houghton Found Strength In Vulnerability

I

n the three years since he last released music, Israel Houghton has been on an emotional rollercoaster-from experiencing some of the lowest points of his life, to being on the top of the world. It is a journey through which the prolific singer/songwriter, producer and minister has finally found his sense of peace.

Houghton says his his latest album, “Road To Demaskus”, which is the thirteenth release of his expansive career, is a direct result of taking time to truthfully examine what matters most to him.

“I really fought for this record,” Houghton told L.A. Focus. “I’ve really labored over this one longer. A lot of these songs were written and conceived during a quiet period in my life-- a time of reflection and inventory and that enabled me to separate what was important and what wasn't.

“I think it's easy to get caught up in the commerce of church and ministry, the economics of the chase where they say, ‘you had a big success with the last album so we've got to go bigger and stronger now-- you're only as good as your last work.’ I’ve chased that ideal for all of my career, and now for this record is very much, ‘Let's tell the truth about some stuff. Let me start by telling the truth about myself.’ And then in that maybe enable others to do the same.”

Part of that truth is sharing with his audience that, just because faith is a pillar in his life and the inspiration for his music, does not mean that he is a perfect person.

“I’m not a “super” Christian,” Israel admits. “I think there is this stigma that if you have a microphone and a bible on stage, you are infallible. There's that, ‘I hear the voice of God through you therefore you are God’ kind of thing. Which is very scary, especially when you know you're not in a good place and God keeps doing great things, for you and through you.”

In February of 2016 Houghton penned an open letter to his fans, supporters and ministry in a facebook post somberly revealing that his marriage of over twenty years to his then wife Meleasa had ended. He explained with sober transparency that the couple had been separated for the the previous five years after Israel had “failed and sinned” in his marriage with infidelity. Following the announcement Houghton was let go from his position as worship leader at megachurch leader Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston.

Rumors followed Houghton when a month after his divorce announcement he was seen being romantic with his now current wife, singer/actress Adrienne Bailon on a beach in Mexico. Israel returned to facebook to assert that Bailion had re-entered his life as a friend two years

prior during the period he and his wife were separated.

The friendship grew into a healthy romance that they were looking to pursue now that his divorce was made official.

“Adrienne was a friend of mine for a long time and came into my life at such a random point, I almost couldn’t believe what she was doing here in that capacity!

Then suddenly we realized we liked being around each other, and that grew. I found myself given a new lease on love and life,” says Houghton.

“Even though I had been divorced for quite a while at that point, people just saw how soon it was after it had been officially announced, and just ran with that. I just had to be okay with letting everybody wear themselves out saying what they were going to say.”

Despite all the gossip, rumors and controversy surrounding his life in recent years, Houghton remains steadfast in his newly found mission to be an open-book in dealing with his struggles and inconsistencies.

“I want people to know that it is okay to be open, honest, transparent and human,” says Houghton.

“Growing up, I was a black kid in a white family in a hispanic community. I was just different, and with the combination of being a pastor’s kid in the fishbowl that is church, I found myself learning how to navigate my way through life with half-truths, lies and filters-- long before we had face filters.”

“Therapy has helped in identifying some of those triggers. I recognized that I am capable of telling the truth. I know that sounds so fundamental but I think there’s always this, ‘I only want to tell what I want people to see or walk away’ mentality.

“Now I’ve been given the freedom to say, ‘Man, I realize I’m a really flawed human being.’ That’s why this project is more than an album and more than music. Its giving people permission to truly own themselves, and I’m really enjoying that call to arms.”

With “Road To Demaskus” Houghton has found a strength in his vulnerability. The album opens with the lines, “We lie to our lovers. We lie to our friends, painting our pictures and playing pretend,” on recently released single “Secrets”, which features Adrienne on vocals, and sets the introspective tone of the album.

“Subconsciously you’re taught that there is no strength in vulnerability your whole life,” Israel admits. “As a matter of fact, if you tell the truth about yourself people are going to use that against you. People are going to ostracize you and marginalize you, and unfortunately they're not wrong.

That's why we have these masks firmly affixed to our

faces because we've seen historically what happens to people that don’t.

“It was Adrienne who told me, ‘I will be your friend till the end but you have to be real with me. You have to be straight up with me. I understand you lie to yourself and you lie to others. You cannot lie to me.’”

This newfound openness Houghton has allowed Houghton to finally live his best life.

“I’ve got to say, I've never been happier in my life.

That’s no shade to anybody else in my former years-- but you could have awards, tours, sales, radio plays, number ones, in what looks like a successful career and be completely devoid and bankrupt of peace. I realized in doing all this soul searching and inventory that I was more interested in the platform than I was with the peace.

“I'm far more interested in peace now, and just waking up every morning without that heaviness, that feeling of how I’m going to spin this all today.”

And it doesn’t hurt that he gets to wake up next to the love of his life.

“In my first 40 years of living, I was restless, always on the move. Now I’m like, ‘Man, I don’t really want to leave home..’ Adrienne is the best companion but we have massive separation anxiety with each other; we hate being apart. If I’m out of town we’ll facetime all night. I make sure my phone is plugged in and we will literally fall asleep on facetime. Thank God for Wifi!

“I know it’s extreme but we just really love each other, and we also really like each other. I’m just excited about the next 40 years of my life, the next chapter.”

Milestones: Macedonia Celebrates 110th Anniversary, Pastor Bam Crawford Convenes L.A.M.P.S.

“Given the state of the black church in Los Angeles today, to say that we are still not only surviving, but thriving, is something to celebrate,” said Pastor Shane Scott of the 110th anniversary of his church—Macedonia Baptist Church— which the congregation will be celebrating this month.

“Secondly, we are historical, but not what I like to call hysterical,” Scott adds.

“We’re not stuck in the past. As a mainline black Baptist church, we’re progressive. We have women in ministry, we welcome gays and we’re politically active. “

What’s more the church’s many ministries reflect the varied needs of a community that is located in Watts nestled between Nickerson Gardens and Jordan Downs.

With a keen interest in tackling the disproportionately higher rates black women are dying at, the church launched “Movement Is Life” which emphasizes the adapting of healthier lifestyles.

Just as important to Scott is financial wellness. Not only does the church take part in the dfree movement, which advocates for church members to loose the bonds of debt to regain financial freedom, but Scott encourage the support of black owned businesses.

“We are working with our people to start and support businesses in our community,” Scott reported. “In the Jewish community the dollar is going to circulate 10 times before it leaves but rarely does it circulate more than once in our communities. We have to learn to support each other more effectively. “ The theme of the event is “Celebrating God’s faithfulness down through the years.” Highlights of the near-month long

celebration include a musical, banquet and special guests. On October 13, former Macedonia pastor Aidsand WrightRiggins—who currently serves as the mayor of Collegeville, Pennsylvania will be speaking. equity.

Crawford To Host 23rd Annual L.A.M.P.S. Conference Dr. Beverly “Bam” Crawford highly respected and beloved Pastor will host the “23rd Annual L.A.M.P.S. (Leaders, Apostolic, Maturing, & Mentoring Prophetic Servants/Seminars) Conference.” The four-day conference will be held on Sunday, October 21-Wednesday, October 24 at Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church. The Leadership Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, October 24th @ 10 AM at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel.

This popular annual meeting is a leadership and mentoring ministry birthed to provide enriched teaching, fellowship, counseling, mentoring and training for leaders (armed with the necessary knowl-

edge) to stand in the forefront and steer this next generation.

With a desire to mature leaders, Crawford founded L.A.M.P.S., a fellowship of international ministries united to advance the Kingdom of God and to help poeple fulfill their God-given destinies.

“I have been in pastoral ministry and teaching for over 44 years, and have and continue to receive many requests for mentoring. L.A.M.P.S. is the avenue by which I mentor pastors and leaders in the church but also leaders in the marketplace—entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, and many industry people. I recognize that everyone’s ministry is not in the pulpit so L.A.M.P.S. helps us to stay on the cutting edge of what God is doing no matter where you find your pulpit,” Crawford stated.

On Sunday, October 21st L.A.M.P.S. will begin with an evening service at 6 PM. Weekly evening services are FREE, open to the public and begin @ 7:30 PM at Bible Enrichment Fellowship Int’l Church in Inglewood.

ChurchNews L. A. Church Community Celebrates the Legacy of Rev. A.D. Iverson

O

L.A. Focus/ October 2018

ver 50 L.A. area pastors turned out to mark the end of a rich legacy of L.A. church history with the passing and funeral of Pastor A.D. Iverson, who followed in the footsteps of his famed father, the late Rev. A.J. Iverson in pastoring Paradise Baptist Church. Founded in 1943, Paradise holds the distinction of not only being the first black church in Los Angeles to hold two Sunday morning services, but also the first black church to have a Hispanic ministry.

Iverson, who was active in the religious community, as well as civically—having served as a Commissioner on both the L.A. Homeless Commission and the Human Relations Commission.

—retired earlier this year after serving 33 years as senior pastor and passed while undergoing treatment for a number of illnesses.

Pastors participating and in attendance at the three hour long services included retired pastor Dr. Jerome Fisher, Pastor William Epps, Pastor J. Benjamin Hardwick, Pastor L.A. Kessee, retired pastor Earl Pleasant, Pastor Ticey Brown, Reginald Pope and Alex Toussaint. Pastor Edward Hill II of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church officiated the service, sharing personal stories of a relationship with Iverson that dated back to his youth, while 9th District Councilman Curren Price and former Councilwoman Jan Perry also spoke.

Said Price, “Over the decades, Pastor Iverson has been a fierce champion for this South L.A. community.

One of my first acts as a councilman was to honor Pastor Iverson with a square dedication in his name for the commitment he has made over the years to South L.A. Pastor Iverson was a giant and he understood the power that comes with such great responsibility and he always used that power for good. Pastor Iverson’s love, compassion and empathy for others made him a legend in our neighborhood and he earned the loyalty and respect from everybody.”

In other local church news, homegoing services were also held for Pastor Gentry Richardson, Suffragan Bishop Gentry W. Richardson, Sr., who had served for 17 years as senior pastor of Bethlehem Temple Church in Los Angeles before retiring in 2013. In 2017, the Los Angeles City Council designated the intersection of 52nd and Wadsworth Streets as Bishop Gentry W. Richardson, Sr. Square…Also passing last month was Dr. Rocelia Johnson who organized Bethany Baptist Church of West Los Angeles 60 years ago, serving 51 years as its pastor before being succeeded by Pastor L.A. Kessee, who also serves as president of the Baptist Minister’s Conference.

“Dr. Rocelia Johnson was one of a kind”, said Pastor Kessee. “They come like him maybe once every century.

To me, he was a father, friend, mentor, but most of all he was my pastor. He was a tremendous visionary—one who was ahead of his own time. He was the founder of Bethany Christian Bible College and he was also the founder and organizer of the National Evangelism Movement, which focuses on the two-pronged plan in the scripture for ministry in the church—soul winning and Christian education. That was his primary focus.

“This Stella Middle Charter School that is under costruction now [and set to open next year] was phase two of his vision to provide a strong curriculum for youth that focused on leadership skills and academic excellence,” Kessee continued. “My job is to see to it that it becomes reality.”

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Bishop Gentry Richardson

Dr. Rocelia Johnson

Agape Church of Los Angeles Worship Center Consolidated Plaza: 3725 Don Felipe Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90008 Corprate Office: 4602 Crenshaw Blvd, Suite 2A, Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 295-5571 www.agapela.org Bishop Craig A. Worsham, Founder & Senior Pastor Sunday School: 10:00am Morning Worship: 11:00am Loving, Lifting & Liberating Humanity Through The Word Bethany Baptist Church of West LA 4115 W. Martin L. King Jr. Bl • LA 90008 (323) 296-7223 Dr. L.A. Kessee, Senior Pastor Sunday Worship: 8am •11:00am Sunday School: 9:45am Communion, First Sundays 6:00pm Prayer Service: 10:00am www.bethanywla.com

Bethel Missionary Baptist Church of South L.A. 10905 S. Compton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90059 (323) 566.5286 Pastor Reginald A. Pope Sunday School: 9:30am Morning Worship: 8am • 11am Children’s Church: 11am (2nd/4th Sundays) Evangelism Training/Bible Study/Independent Prayer: (Mon): 7:29pm Mobile Prayer/Bible Study: (Wed) 11am Book by Book Bible Study (Wed.): 6:30pm Bryant Temple AME Church 2525 W. Vernon Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90008 (323) 293-6201 • F: (323) 293-0082 Pastor Dwaine Jackson Sunday School: 8:15am Morning Worship: 9:15 am Bible Study (Tues): Noon Pastor’s Bible Study( Tues): 6:00pm

Grant AME Church 10435 S. Central Avenue • Los Angeles, CA 90002 (323) 564-1151 • F: (323) 564-5027 Rev. Dr. J. Arthur Rumph, Senior Pastor Sunday School: 8am Worship: 9:30am Wed. Bible Study: 11:30am •6pm

Grace Temple Baptist Church 7017 South Gramercy Place, Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 971-8192 Sunday L.I.F.E Group: 8:30am Sunday Worship Service: 9:30am Wednesday Intercessory Prayer: 6:30pm Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:00pm E-Mail: gtbcla@gmail.com

Grace United Methodist Church 4112 West Slauson Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 294-6653 • F: (323) 294-8753 • graceumc1@earthlink.net Rev. Dr. Cedrick Bridgeforth, Pastor • www.graceumcla.com Early Morning Worship: 7:45am Sunday School (all ages) : 9:45am Morning Worship: 10:45am Tues. Mobile Prayer: 6:15am Wed. Bible Study: Noon Follow us on Facebook Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church 5300 S. Denker Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90062 (323) 759-4996 Rev. DeNon Porter Early Worship: 8am Sunday School: 9:30am Mid-Morning Worship: 11am Radio-KALI 900AM: Sun. 11-Noon, 7-8pm KTYM 1460AM Sundays: 5:30pm Bible Study (Tues, Wed & Thurs): 7pm

Christ The Good Shepherd Episcopal Church 3303 W. Vernon Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90008 (323) 295-4139 • F: (323) 295-4681 Rev. Joseph Oloimooja Sunday School: 10:00am Early Worship: 8:00am Morning Worship: 10:00am Mon. Centering Prayer/Meditation: 6:30pm Mon. Overeaters Anonymous: 7:00pm Wed. Bible Study & Eucharist: 7:00pm Wed. Alcoholic Anonymous: 7:00pm E: cgshepherd4041@sbcglobal.net

Holman United Methodist Church 3320 W. Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 703-5868 • www.holmanumc.com Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr., Senior Pastor

Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship 2085 S. Hobart Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 Phone: (323) 731-8869 • F: (323) 731-0851 www.christianfellowshipla.org Pastor James K. McKnight Sun. Early Worship: 8:00am Prayer Meeting: 10:30am Morning Worship: 11:00am Wed. Afternoon Bible Study: 1:00pm Wed. Prayer Meeting: 6:00pm Wed. Evening Bible Study: 7:00pm View Pastor McKnight’s Sermons on YouTube

Liberty Baptist Church 1500 West 51st Place, Los Angeles, CA 90062 (323) 295-3866 • F: (323) 295-0366 • E: LBCwim@aol.com Rev. Terry Lovell Brown Sr.

Crenshaw Christian Center 7901 South Vermont, Los Angeles, CA 90044 (323) 758-3777 • F: (323)565-4231 • www.faithdome.org Apostle Price, Founder

Mount Moriah Baptist Church of Los Angeles, Inc. 4269 South Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90037 (323) 846-1950 •Fax: (323) 846-1964 Reverend Johnteris Tate-Pastor

Sunday School: 9:30am(Youth) & 9:45(Adult) Sunday Worship: 8am and 11am Morning Worship: 11:00am Bible Study (Thurs.): Noon Sun. Radio: KJLH 102.3FM: 11:00am Gather, Grow,Go and Live The Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Sunday Church School: 9:00am Morning Worship: 10:30am & 12:30pm Wed. Bible Study: noon & 6:30pm Prayer Meeting: 6:00pm Follow us on Twitter @dacrossculture www.thecrossculture.org

Sunday Service: 9:45am Bible Study (Tue): 11:00am & 7:00pm Tue. Night Children’s Ministry: 7:00pm Tue. Night Bible Study (Teens): 7:00pm Alcohol & Drug Abuse Program (Wed): 7:00pm

Sunday Church School: 8:00am Worship Service: 9:15am Baptist Training Union: 7:00am Tues. Bible Study/Prayer:Noon & 7:00pm

First AME Church (FAME) 2270 South Harvard Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 735-1251 • F: (323) 735-3353 • www.famechurch.org Pastor J. Edgar Boyd, Senior Pastor/CEO

Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church of Los Angeles 3669 W. 54th St. Los Angeles, CA 90043 • (323) 291-1121

Sunday School: 10:00am Worship: 8:00am, 10:00am, Noon Teen Church (2nd Sundays):Noon,Allen House Wed. Prayer Service: Noon Wed. Bible Study: 7:00pm Radio: 10:30am on KJLH-102.3FM First AME is the oldest Black Church in the City

F: (323) 291-1133 • office@sinai.church • www.sinai.church Pastor George E. Hurtt, Pastor-Teacher Sunday Worship: 8:00am, 11:00am Discipleship Hour (Sun): 9:37am Noonday Prayer (Mon): Noon Noonday Bible Study (Tue): 12:00pm Tuesday Night in the Truth: Email: office@sinai.church •www.sinai.church Our Goal: To win more Christians & develop better Christians to the glory of God. (Matt. 28:18-20)

Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church 1300 E. 50th Street Los Angeles, CA 90011 (323) 235-2103 • F: (323) 235-3177 • www.mtzionla.org Dr. Edward V. Hill, II, Pastor Sunday Intercessory Prayer: 9:15am Morning Worship: 9:30am Children’s Church: 9:30am Sunday School: 11:30am Baptism: 2nd Sun. & Lord’s Supper: 1st. Sun. Tues. Pastor’s Bible Study: 6:30pm Wed. Noon-day Prayer: Noon

Park Windsor Baptist Church 1842 W. 108th St. Los Angeles, CA 90047 (323) 756-3966 • RevTerrellTaylor@sbcglobal.net Rev. Terrell Taylor

New Antioch Church of God in Christ 7826 So. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90044 (323) 778-7965 Elder Jeffrey M. Lewis

People’s Independent Church of Christ 5856 West Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90043 • (323) 296-5776

Sunday Early Morning Worship: 8:00am Sunday School: 9:30 am Morning Worship: 11:00am Tuesday Prayer and Bible Band: 11:00am Wednesday Bible Study: 7:30pm Wednesday in the Word: 7:30pm

Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Bible Study Wednesday: Noon & 7:00pm Communion: 1st Sunday at 8:00am & 11:00am

Sundays: Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Wednesday Bible Study & Mid Week Worship: Noon & 7:00pm Prayer Meeting: 6:30pm

St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church 5017 S. Compton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90011 (323) 231-1040 • stmarkmbcofla.org Rev. Dr. Lovely Haynes Sunday Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Sunday School: 9:30am Mon-Wed: Prayer Bible Study: 6:00 - 6:55 pm Mon. Night Bible Study: 7:00pm Tue Choir Rehersal Wednesday Prayer: Noon Wed. Exposition of Sunday School Lesson: 7pm Wed. Prayer Meeting: 7:00pm Thurs. Evangelism: 7:00pm (enrollment required) St. Matthew Tabernacle of Praise “The S.T.O.P.” 1740 West 59th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90047 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 56608, Los Angeles, CA 90056 (323) 291-1115 • F: (323) 293-0471 Rev. C.Barry Greene, Pastor Sunday Worship Service: 8:00am PrayerLine: (Tuesday & Wednesday): 6:00am WordLine (Tuesday): 7:00pm ( (712) 775-7031 Access Code: 814352108) E: thechurchstop@yahoo.com pastorcbgreene@aol.com

CHURCHES CELEBRATING ANNIVERSARIES AND REVIVALS OR OPPORTUNITIES

Open Enrollment

New Mt. Calvary Baptist Church 402 E. El Segundo Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90061 (310)324-0644 • F: (310) 769-1287 Rev. Sonja Dawson, Senior Pastor • Rev. Lonnie Dawson, Sr., Founder (1962 - 2010) Morning Worship: 7:30am & 10:45am Sunday School: 9:45am Wed. Prayer/Bible Study: Noon Pastor’s Bible Study: 7:00pm

One Church International 614 N. La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036 (818) 763-4521 • www.onechurchla.org Sr. Pastor Toure’ Roberts Sunday Worship: 9:00am, 11:00am & 1:00pm Wednesday Midweek Service: 8pm www.Channel1Live.tv—View live streaming

Pastor’s Bible Class & Sunday School: 8am Morning Worship: 9:30am Tues. Prayer: 7:00pm Tues. Bible Study: 8:00pm

www.pleasanthillbaptistchurch.org Praises of Zion Baptist Church (“Praise City”) 8222 So. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90003 (323) 750-1033 • F: (323) 750-6458 Dr. J. Benjamin Hardwick, Sr. Pastor Early Morning Worship: 6:45am Educational Hour: 9:15am Mid-Morning Worship: 10:45am Wed. Bible Study: Noon & 7:00pm Sunday Morning Broadcast: 5:30am Live Streaming Sundays: 12:00pm http://www.pozlive.com Price Chapel AME Church 4000 W. Slauson Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90043 (323) 296-2406 • pricechapel@sbcglobal.net Rev. Benjamin Hollins Sunday Worship Service: 10:00am Sunday School: 8:30am Power Lunch Bible Study (Wed): 11:00am Praise & Worship Bible Study (Wed): 6:30pm

Southern Saint Paul Church 4678 West Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90016 (323) 731-2703 • smbc@smbcla.org Rev. Xavier L. Thompson, Senior Pastor/Teacher Corporate Prayer: 8:30am L.I.F.E. Groups: 9:45am Morning Worship Service: 11:15am Baptism & Communion (First Sunday): 4:00pm Pastoral Bible Study (PBS)Wednesdays:7:00pm North Campus: Worship Service: 8:00am 11137 Herrick Av • Pacoima 91331 (818) 899-8031 st.paul@smbcla.org •“Loving People Making Disciples” Trinity Baptist Church 2040 West Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 735-0044 • F: (323) 735-0219 Rev. Alvin Tunstill, Jr Sunday Worship: 7:30 & 10:30am Sunday Church School: 9:00am Radio Broadcast KJLH FM: 9:00am Wed. Prayer & Bible Study: Noon-7:00pm www.trinitybaptistchurchofla.org Walking In The Spirit Ministries Double Tree (Sonoma Grill) 13111 Sycamore Drive, Norwalk CA 90650 (213) 248-6343 P.O Box 1597 Norwalk CA,90651 Tim & Leshia Brooks Morning Worship: 11:00am Services Held Every 2nd & 4th Sunday and Free Breakfast Is Served Bible Study: 8:30am (Every 5th Friday)

L.A. Focus/ October 2018

Paradise Baptist Church 5100 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90037 (323) 231-4366 Dr. Aaron Iverson

Pleasant Hill Baptist Church 2009 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90062 (323) 293-6448 • F: (323) 293-6605 Dr. Sylvester Washington Sunday School: 8:00am Morning Worship: 10:00am Tues. Bible Study: 11:00am Wed. Evangelism Class: 6:30pm First Sun. Holy Communion Service: 4:00pm

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Victory Baptist Church 4802 South McKinley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90056 (323) 231-2424• Pastor Dr. W. Edward Jenkins Sunday School: 10:45 am Morning Worship: 9:00am Bible Study Wednesday:Noon Radio Sundays: KPRO 1570AM: 9:00pm

Weller Street Baptist Church 129 S. Gless St, Los Angeles, CA 90033 (323) 261-0949 • F: (323)264-6601 • www.wellerstreetlive.com Pastor K.W. Tulloss Sunday School: 8:00am Sunday Morning Worship: 9:00am Tues. Bible Study: 6:45pm www.wellerstreetlive.com “We have not walked this way before” Joshua 3:1-6

West Angeles Church of God In Christ 3045 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016 (323) 733-8300 Bishop Charles E. Blake Sunday School: 8:00am & 10:30am Early Worship: 8:00am Morning Worship: 11:00am Evening Worship (North Campus): 7:00pm Wed. Mid-Week Worship: 7:00pm Sun. Radio Broadcast KJLH 102.3FM: 10:00am www.westa.tv

Lifeline Fellowship Christian Center In Altadena 2556 N. Lake Ave., Altadena, CA 91001 (626) 797-3585 • F: (626) 797-3233 • www.lifelinefcc.org Pastor Charles D. Dorsey Sunday School: 9:00am Early Worship (Glory Prayer): 8:00am Morning Worship: 10:30am Evening Worship (1st & 2nd Sun.): 5:00pm Wed. Bible Study: 7:00pm

Peace Apostolic Church 21224 Figueroa Street, Carson, CA 90745 (310) 212-5673 Suff. Bishop Howard A. Swancy

In Carson

Sunday School: 10:00am Morning Worship: 11:45am Evening Worship: 6:30pm Wed. Noon Day Bible Class: 12:30pm Wed. Bible Class: 7:30pm

Divine Fellowship Community Baptist Church In Compton 1110 N. Dwight Avenue,Compton, CA 90222 P:(800) 715-1240 • F: (800) 878-6882 Rev. Raphael Irving MDiv, Senior Pastor Sunday Worship: 8:30am 3rd Annual Financial Literacy Summit Saturday, October 27, 2018 Breakfast & Registration @ 9:00am Financial Workshops 10:00 - 1:00pm Email: Pastor@DivineFellowship-inc.com

Citizens of Zion Missionary Baptist Church In Compton 12930 No. Lime Ave., Compton, CA 90221 (310) 638-0536 • F: (323) 636-2080 • www.citizensofzion.org Rev. Bobby Newman, Jr., Senior Pastor; Rev. B.T. Newman, Pastor (Pastor Emeritus) Sunday School: 9:00am Morning Service: 10:45am Wed. Mid-Week Bible Study: 7:00pm

Greater Zion Church Family 2408 North Wilmington Avenue, Compton, CA 90222 (310) 639-5535 • E: GreaterZionCF@gmail.com Reverend Michael J. Fisher & Dr. W. Jerome Fisher, Pastor Emeritus Sunday Morning Worship: 9:00am, 11:00am & 5:00pm Wed. Bible Studies: Noon-7:00pm www.greaterzionchurchfamily.com

Love and Unity Christian Fellowship 1840 S. Wilmington Ave, P.O. Box 5449, Compton 90220 (310) 604-5900 Fax: (310) 604-5915 Dr. Ron C Hill Sunday Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:30am Sunday Evening Worship: 6:30pm Bible Studies: Wed. 7:30pm & Sat. 9am Food for Your Soul Radio & Television Ministry: beblessedwebradio: Mon - Fri. 6:30am Church Channel: Tues. 5:30pm & Fri. 2:30pm

Pastor Profile: Bishop Warner Brown Church: Holman United Methodist Church Years at Church: 3 months Hometown: Baltimore Family: Wife-- Minnie Jones Brown and Children-- Catina, Warner and Calvin How did you get into the ministry?

I grew up in a church family. During those years there was a lot of social activity going on. The civil rights movement was full blown and a lot of things had my attention.

I had a deep desire to discover my faith-- understanding how my life was going to make a difference in the world.

I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be a minister. I’d seen a lot of the kind of petty things you see at church and the minister getting treated rudely, so I aspired to be an attorney that would work with the poor and with prison ministry, helping those that needed somebody and was going to try and find ways that I could work for the church to do it.

L.A. Focus/ October 2018

What changed your mind?

When I was finishing college and ready to apply for law school, my pastor called me at home to persuade me to give seminary a try instead. But it started much earlier than that. People had been saying I was going to be a minister from when I was four years old. My grandma had heard me pray one evening and said, “That boy is going to be a minister!”

In middle school, I started being invited to speak at my home church, which led me to speaking at other churches and at youth days. So all my life people have been saying that I had a calling to ministry. I was just resisting it.

However, I ended up listening to my pastor and I attended seminary. As a student, I worked as an assistant to the pastor of a local church in Washington D.C. In that role I really discovered my call to ministry and I realized I could do creative social justice work as well as other dimensions of ministry through which I found my sense of calling and a great deal of joy as well.

This July you came out of retirement after a 45year career in ministry, serving as both a pastor and regional bishop to take over as interim pastor at Holman United in the middle of a turbulent situation. What do you hope to accomplish in the time that you are here?

Well, the work of doing an interim is really to get the congregation to just focus on its mission and to put things in place-- to set them back on track. Change is

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always a bit unsettling, however it comes about. And so part of my role is really to get everybody on the same page, to remember our core mission and purpose, and to align our energy and our resources in order to get the mission done.

My first concern was to get to know the people and understand the community. I had the privilege of doing that even before July as I was able to meet some of the city leaders to understand the prospects of working together in a genuine partnership with the city. If they have issues that we have common concern about, I'm always willing to find the best way forward. As long as we can keep the conversation civil and going on, we can find a lot of creative solutions.

My priority is that, at Holman, we build connections towards each other and we understand which of the community issues are important to us, and not just to me as pastor-- but important to this congregation, to our future, to the well-being of the community around us, and to have conversations about how shall we be engaged as a church.

What are your first impressions of Holman?

It is a church that has a lot of history and many people who have been loyal to it for a very long time. It also is a church that is a big tent-- in that we represent the larger community in a number of ways. For example, persons with different political points of view, and persons that have different outlooks on all kinds of topics will find their home at Holman. We make sure we pray together, work together and focus on things together. This is a diverse congregation. Yes, it is predominantly African-American, but it’s not exclusively African- American. It's also one that represents the very rich texture of what that means in our society. So you have persons that come from across the African diaspora. We have persons who began their life's journey in a number of different places or who trace their roots to several countries within the African continent, several countries in Latin America, as well as many other pathways that brought then here to Los Angeles.

How would you describe yourself as pastor?

I'm a person that loves people. I like to engage with people, bringing compassion to the conversation whenever possible, and I have a big heart for the community. It’s tied back to what I experienced as a child-- I'm passionate for justice, not just for the folks I know-- but for anybody in town. So I can identify with the homeless in our community and those dealing with the prison-industrial complex. I identify with the challenge of how we drive communication with our police, so we can open communications where it’s helpful so we don’t marginalize the police.

We can find ways to start communication so that we can

improve our relationship, and not just stand-off when we’re upset or allow distrust to become destructive. Helping people to be empowered to express their voice, to relate to t h e i r communities in ways that their

interests are g i v e n equal consideration to others people's interests, and finding ways to encourage and support that is an important part of how I understand ministry.

And I think it is a part of our Methodist tradition that I strongly identify with.

What would you say is the philosophy on life you live by?

Well, I have a set of three rules. First, do no harm. Second, do all the good you can do. And third, stay in love with God.

The City of Refuge 14527 S. San Pedro Street, Gardena, CA 90248 (310) 516-1433 Bishop Noel Jones

In Gardena

Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Evening Worship: 6:00pm Bible Study (Wed): Noon & 7:00pm BET/Fresh Oil (Wed): 7:00am

The Liberty Church 14725 S. Gramercy Place, Gardena, CA 90249 (310) 715-8400 Pastor David W. Cross Early Worship: 8:30am Morning Worship: 9am & 11am Children’s Church: Both Services Word Power Wed.: 7-8pm www.thelibertychurch.com

Atherton Baptist Church 2627 W. 116th Street Hawthorne,CA 90250 (323) 757-3113 • www.athertonbc.org F: 323-757-8772 • athertonbaptist@sbcglobal.net Pastor Larry Weaver

In Hawthorne

Sunday Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00 am Sunday Bible Enrichment Class: 9:45am Mon.-Thurs. Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday Bible Study: 12:30pm & 7:00pm

Victory Institutional Baptist Church 4712 West El Segundo Blvd., Hawthorne, CA 90250 (310) 263-7073 • www.vibconline.com Pastor Richard Williams, III Sunday Morning Worship: 9:00am Sunday Evening Worship: 6:00pm Wed. Mid-Week Worship: 7:00pm Bible Study Tuesday: Noon & 7:00pm

In Inglewood Bible Enrichment Fellowship International 400 E. Kelso, Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 330-4700 • www.bamcm.org Dr. Beverly “BAM” Crawford Morning Worship: 9:30am Tues. Bible Study: 7:30pm Wed. Mid-Week Prayer: 5am, Noon & 7:00pm Wednesday Pathway: 7:00pm Thurs Bible Study: 10:00am Sat Marriage & Family Prayer: 7:30am Blessed Family Covenant Church 325 North Hillcrest Blvd, Inglewood, CA, 90301 (310)-674-0303 • F: (310)-674-0303 • blessedfamilycovenant.org Rev. Wendy Howlett Sunday School: 8:30am Morning Worship: 9:30am Wed. Prayer & Bible Study: 7:00pm

Crusade Christian Faith Center 801 S. La Brea Avenue, Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 330-8535 Bishop Virgil D. Patterson Sr. Wed. Mid-Week Service: 7:00pm Sunday School: 9:00am Sunday Worship: 10:30am

Faithful Central Bible Church 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave. Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 330-8000 • F: (310) 330-8035 Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, Ph.D. Senior Pastor/Teacher Services at The Tabernacle: Sunday Services: 7:00am, 9:30am & 11:45am Wed. Mid-Week Service: 7:00pm The Tabernacle is located at 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave., Inglewood www.faithfulcentral.com

First Church of God Center of Hope 9550 Crenshaw Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90305 (323) 757-1804 www.go2Hope.com Pastor Geremy L. Dixon

First Lady Files

Morning Worship: 8:00am & 11:00am Wed. Mid-Week Service: Noon Wed. Teaching Ministry: 7:00pm 1st Sunday Communion 5th Sunday Baptism

Jacob’s Ladder Community Fellowship, inc.

1152 E. Hyde Park Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90302 (866) 330-1702 • F: (310) 674-0760 Watchman/Shepherd Dr. Robert T. Douglas Sr. Sunday Fresh Start & Prayer 9:00am Sunday School: 10:00am Morning Services: 11:45am Evening Service: 7:00pm Wed. Lock & Load Prayer: 7:00pm Wed. Bible Study: 7:30pm 3rd Friday Youth Night: 7:30pm www.jacobladderschurch.com Leap of Faith Community Baptist Church 3502 W. Imperial Hwy, Inglewood, CA 90303 (310) 695-9925 Rev. Artis Glass Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11:00am Bible Study: Wednesdays Noon and 6PM

New Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church 434 S. Grevillea, Inglewood CA 90301 (310) 673-6250 Office • (310) 673-2153 Rev. Dr. Phillip A. Lewis, D. D., D. Th., Senior Pastor Early Worship: 8:00am Sunday School: 9:30am Morning Worship: 11:00am Mid-Week Bible Study (Wednesday): 7:00pm Afternoon Bible Study (Thursday): 1:00pm

True Friendship Missionary Baptist Church 7901 South Van Ness Ave. Inglewood, CA 90305 (323) 750-7304 Rev. James A. Perkins Sunday School: 9:30am Early Worship: 8am Morning Worship: 10:45am Bible Adventure Hour (Tues): 6pm Bible Study (Tues): 7pm Bible Study (Thurs): Noon Christ Our Redeemer AME Church In Irvine 45 Tesla, Irvine, CA 92618 (949) 955-0014 • F:(949) 955-0021 • www.corchurch.org Pastor Mark E. Whitlock, II Sunday Worship: 8:00am, 10:30am New Generation Praise Service: 10:30am Sun. Bible Univ.: 9:30am Tues. Interactive Bible Study: 7:00pm Wed. Pastor's Bible Study: Noon, 7:00pm Thurs. Bible Study: 7:00pm Fri. Singles Bible Study (1st Fri): 7:00pm St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church 1720 N. Walnut Avenue, La Puente, CA 91744 (626) 918-3225 • F: (626) 918-3265 Pastor Tony Dockery

In La Puente

Sunday School: 9:30 AM Early Worship: 8:00 AM Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Spanish Service: 9:30AM Bible Study: Every Wednesday 7:00 PM www.stsbc.org Antioch Church of Long Beach 1535 Gundry Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 591-8778 • F: (562) 599-6048 Pastor Wayne Chaney Jr.

In Long Beach

Worship Services: 8am, 9:30am, 11:30am Tuesday Youth Bible Study: 7:00pm WednesdayBible Study: Noon

Osie Hill Love & Unity Christian Center “Anyone who knows us would tell you, had it not been for Osie, Ron would not be. She is a great woman of God and the mother of my four children, but more important than that, she is my helpmeet.”

Those are the words of Apostle Ronald Hill of the Compton-based Love & Unity Christian Center on his wife of 45 years, Co-pastor and First Lady Osie Hill.

Hill was honored last month at the 21st Annual First Ladies High Tea for the work she has done in the community —seizing every opportunity to deposit into the lives of the congregation a more powerful hunger for the Word of God, and serving as an inspiring mentor to women.

Under the banner of Girlfriends Unlimited, Lady Hill serves as coordinator of women’s ministry changing hearts, changing lives, one girlfriend at a time.

It’s been a joy being part of Love & Unity,” says Osie Hill, who met her husband on a bus and credits him with changing her life.

“I act as the church administrator, but what I’ve seen God do,— as the need has increased, so has the income and through that, we’ve been able to minister to hundreds of people. We clean our database from time to time, but I’ve seen through our database that we’ve had to come through the ministry over 40,000-50,000 people.

We’ve touched so many lives to Christ and that has been a joy to my heart—to be able to touch lives for Christ.”

Christ Second Baptist Church 1471 Martin Luther King, Jr., Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 599-3421 • Fax: (562) 599-6175 • www.csbclb.org Rev. Welton Pleasant II, Senior Pastor Sunday School: 8:30am Sunday Worship Service: 9:40am Wed. Bible Study: 7:00pm Wed Youth & Young Adult Ministry: 7:00pm

Family of Faith Christian Center 345 E. Carson Street, Long Beach, CA 90807 (562) 595-1222 • F: (562) 595-1444 Pastor: Sherman A. Gordon, E.D. Min Sunday School: 9:00 AM Early Worship: 7:30 AM Morning Worship: 10:00 Am Bible Study: Every Wednesday 12 (Noon) & 7:00 PM Radio: 7:00 PM (1st & 3rd Sunday) Station: KJLH Gospel Memorial Church of God In Christ 1480 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 599-7389 • F: 562-599-5779 • gospelmemorial@aol.com Bishop Joe L. Ealy Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11:00am Evening Worship: 6:30pm Wed. Intercessory Prayer: 7:00pm Wed. Pastoral teaching adults: 7:30pm Wed. Youth Ministry Boot-Camp; Youth Bible Study: 7:00pm & Choir Rehearsal: 7:30pm

Grant AME Church of Long Beach 1129 Alamitos Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813 • (562) 437-1567 grantamelb@aol.com • www.grantamelb.org Rev. Michael W. Eagle, Sr. Sun. Worship Experience: 10:45am 3rd Sun. Healing & Annointing: 10:45am Wed. Bible Study: Noon & 6pm Mothers of Murdered Youth & Children Were all receive a little attention, affection and love.

New Philadelphia A.M.E. Church 6380 S. Orange Avenue, Long Beach, Ca 90805 (562)422-9300•F: (562) 422-9400 Pastor Darryl E. Walker, Senior Pastor Worship: 9:00am —1st & 5th Sunday Sunday School/New Member Classes: 8:00am 2nd thru 4th Sunday Worship:7:30 am &10:00am•Sunday School New Member Classes: 9:00am Sunday worship services streamed live on the web Pastor’s Bible Study: Wednesday Eve 7:00pm Mid-Week Bible Study: Thursday 12:00 noon www.nuphilly.org

In Bethlehem Church 1550 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91103 (626) 794-5211 • F: (626) 794-6592 Pastor Christopher A. Bourne

Pasadena

Sunday School: 9:00am Sunday Worship: 10:00am Tuesday Bible Study: 7:00pm Mid-day Worship Thursday: Noon www.bethelemchurchpasadena.org

Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church 980 Rio Grande Street, Pasadena, CA 91104 *Mailing Address: 1416 N. Mentor Ave. Pasadena, 91104 (626) 794-4875 • F: (626) 794-7815 Pastor W. Harrison Trotter Sunday School: 8:30am Sunday Worship: 10:00am Bible Study Wednesday: 7:00pm Intercessory Prayer (Fourth Wed.): 7:00pm Christians Uniting To Make A Difference -Eph. 4:13

Second Baptist Church In Monrovia 925 S. Shamrock Avenue • P.O. Box 479, Monrovia, CA 91017 •(626) 358-2136 •F: (626) 303-2477 Bishop W.M. Larue Dillard, Phd. Sunday Worship: 7:45am, 10:45am, 4:45pm Ministry Worship to Children/Youth Sunday: 9:45am - 10:45am Prayer/Academy of Biblical Studies (Wed): 10:45am - 6:45pm www.second-baptistchurch.com

First AME Church Santa Monica In Santa Monica 1823 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90404 • (310) 450-0331 F: (310) 450-4680 Rev. Reuben W. Ford, Pastor Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11:00am Bible Study/Prayer Meditation: Thursday 6pm “The Church In The Heart Of The Community with The Community at Heart” Email:famecsm@verizon.net Facebook: First AME Church Santa Monica

Arise Christian Center In Westchester 6949 La Tijera Blvd. Suite C,Westchester, CA,90045 (310)568-8445•F: (310) 568-8430 • Arisechristiancenter.com Pastor Ron Taylor Morning Worship: 9:00am & 11:15am Bible Study Wednesday: 7:00pm Intercessory Prayer Tuesday : 7:00pm Intercessory Prayer Sunday: 8am - 8:45am Thursday:11:30am-12:30pm Calvary Baptist Church 4911 W. 59th Street,Los Angeles, CA,90056 (323)298-1605•F: (310) 568-8430 • calvarybaptistla.org Rev. Dr. Virgil V. Jones Sunday Prayer: 8:30am Sunday School: 9:30am Sunday Worship: 11:00am Wednesday Bible Study: 12:00pm & 7:00pm We are the Church on the Hill where the Light Shines Bright!

CHURCHES CELEBRATING ANNIVERSARIES AND REVIVALS OR OPPORTUNITIES

PeOPLe’S INDePeNDeNT CHURCH OF CHRIST “The First Community Church of Los Angeles” (Non-Denomination) Founded 1915

Seeking a Pastor Now accepting Resumes Qualifications: Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Theology from 4-year accredited Seminary or University Licensed and Ordained Minister of the Gospel Submit Cover Letters and Resumes to: People’ s Independent Church of Christ c/o Deacon Samuel Cooper 5856 West Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90043

Butts continued from page 6 L.A. Focus: How do you see the Madison Square Garden lawsuit ultimately playing out?

Mayor Butts: The lawsuits are frivolous.

L.A. Focus: With all you’ve accomplished, why do you think there are others seeking the Mayor of Inglewood seat from you?

Mayor Butts: They want to gain what is now a prestigious position. None have run in the past eight years.

One is financed by over $160,000 by MSG - obviously with the intent to do their bidding. What I do know is that in this pivotal moment there’s too much at stake with Inglewood’s future to have someone come in requiring on-the-job-training.

Promises that I made were kept and today Inglewood residents can see the results. We went from near bankruptcy to being the future host of a Superbowl, and NCAA College Championship Bowl Game, two NFL Teams, one NBA Team and the World Olympic games.

Elder continued from page 9 the man against the women accusers." Sanders demonstrated remarkable restraint in not bringing up Stephanopoulos' astonishing hypocrisy.

White men, you know, are not all bad. Here's a short list: the white Founding Fathers; the white men who fought and died in the war that ended slavery; the white men who fought and died in WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq; and the all-white male Supreme Court justices who unanimously decided Brown v. Board of Education.

Many of the Democrats who talk about the racism and

Seeking a Clerical Assistant Experienced clerical assistance for church office. Candidate must be proficient in Excel, Word, PC Graphics, and have a professional office demeanor. Minimum 3 years experience in general office Send resumes to faithinsp@ aol.com or fax to 310-223-4437

sexism of "old white men" are, themselves, old white men. How ironic that white men of the '60s youth movement that pushed for civil rights and racial equality are now considered "racist, sexist, homophobic old white men." That '60s hippie generation insisted, "Never trust anyone over 30." Looks like the lesson was learned only too well.

Lefties of today despise "old white men." But they love their taxes.

Larry Elder is a best-selling author and nationally syndicated radio talk-show host. To find out more about Larry Elder, or become an "Elderado," visit www.LarryElder.com.

Are You Tired Of California’s High Cost of Living? Thinking of Relocating to Dallas, Texas?

Call Loretta R. Theus A Realtor Who Can Make Things Happen 1845 Precinct Line Road #206 Hurst, TX 76054 (469) 744-6836 (Cell) (817) 577-9004 (Fax) lorettatheus54@gmail.com

InGoodTaste First Lady Tisa Hill

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SavingGrace

William Allen Young

I

L.A. Focus/ October 2018

n his illustrious 30 year career in Hollywood— including a six year stint as Brandy’s dad in the UPN series, “Moesha”, William Allen Young has played a little bit of everything-- and yet the actor has remained unflinchingly himself. Grounded by his morals and confident in his place within Hollywood, the veteran actor has learned how to put his soul into the roles he chooses, because he knows he’s compromised nothing to get them.

Young most recently enjoyed a three-year run in the CBS medical drama Code Black that was cancelled in May, but performed so well for the remainder of the season that execs are reportedly rethinking their decision.

The show—starring Rob Lowe, Marcia Gay Harden and Boris Kodjoe— is based off the Academy Award winning documentary of the same name which follows the staff in an extremely busy emergency room as they cope with a staggering amount of patients-- which oftentimes outweighs the hospital's resources-- resulting in a “code black”, or when a team of doctors is required to perform resuscitative efforts to save a dying patient. In order to capture the gritty authentic feel of being an ER doctor, Young attended six months of medical school in preparation for the role.

“The creator of the show Michael Seitzman and the network were both very concerned about authenticity, ” Young told L.A. Focus. Their thinking was, if they’re going to play doctors we’ll get them as close to being a doctor as possible.”

And while Young is only a doctor on T.V., he gives off an aura of comfortability playing the role-- in part because being a giver is a natural part of his personality.

“Doctors by their very nature are caregivers and they are service providers. They work night and day with whatever they have to try to service the needs of people who might not otherwise be able to get that service. That is as close to my personality and my character as you can come,” says Allen.

“So even if I wasn't playing a doctor, any type of character where I'm nurturing people, where I'm serving, where I'm inspiring people-- that's my personality, and I think that that's why I've played so many roles like that over the years.”

Young says he shares these gentle and kind traits with his six brothers and sisters who were raised by parents that brought them up with humility as a foundational principle. He also cites coming of age during the civil rights era as being formative to his character.

“One of the things that came out of that period was taking the high road and a sense of human dignity and pride, not only in one's self, but respect for others. There was a civility that came out of it,” explains Young. “Even in the midst of the Watts Riots and the police brutality, the people who took the high road did not become that-they rose above it. I believe that was the kind of thing that not only held the whole community together, but also survived years later in people like myself and my brothers and sisters.

“I’m also a product of my community in Watts.

Unbeknownst to a lot of folks, they were very strong, grounded, loving, spiritual people who went through all of that and were not destroyed or are deterred by it.

Those people who grew up in the same neighborhood I

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grew up in are wonderful, magnanimous people and I'm just honored to be one of them.”

Young attributes the fortitude of his community, which was able to weather so many storms and overcome all odds, to the shepherding of faith and spiritual grounding of the church.

“Faith was the cornerstone for myself-- and I probably would not be venturing too far to say-- for most black folks in the communities. We didn't have a lot else to hold onto, to lean on, and times were rough. Those who didn't have that spiritual grounding succumbed something else- whether that was the gun, or drugs or s gang activity-but it was self-incinerating and self-consuming, and a lot of them are not around anymore,” recounts Young.

“For the rest of us, there was a spiritual grounding that made you feel that even in the midst of all of that was going on, tomorrow was going to be a better day, and that whatever was supposed to happen was going to happen. Even though we had no political reasoning to think that, we had every spiritual reason to believe it.

“We believed that whatever was going on was not in our hands, but in larger hands. The story that was being written was not being written by policemen in uniform or politicians in suits but that it was divine-- so hold on because it's coming just around the corner. And as a kid, I remember really believing that with all of my heart.”

Even with his spiritual grounding and supportive family life, William struggled to find his calling as a young boy.

He watched as his six siblings ease into their paths as he made attempts at athletics and didn’t show quite enough of a passion for academics. Acting fell into William’s lap largely by chance. At age thirteen, William was moved by seeing the same kids he knew from the neighborhood transform themselves on stage at a school play. He decided to take theater class the following semester and landed a leading role in his school’s production of Young Souls. After seeing his parents brought to tears by his performance, he never looked back.

“I realized I’d found something that spoke to my heart. It wasn't something that I can put my hands on and do like woodshop or electrics, but it touched my soul and it was so clear to me that acting was something that I wanted to do,” says Young.

Despite the challenges of the craft-- with both the economic insecurity of the profession and the time commitment it requires, Young pursued acting professionally with blinders on, inspired by his true passion for the art.

“I wasn't thinking about the business of acting,” Young admits. “I wasn't thinking how crazy it looked to want to be an actor, how strenuous it was, how gypsy-like it was, or how uncertain it is economically. The beauty of that was I was able to focus on the one thing that was important to me-- I wanted to discover things about myself I didn't know, and acting as a craft allows you to do that.

“I remember talking to Jack Nicholson as a young man, and he told me, ‘Kid, it never changes. I'm out of a job every time I finish a job.’ That stuck with me because he

I was always more concerned about whether I can handle the darkness than whether I could enjoy the light.

Everybody can handle success, but it's those times in between where you really have to be smart. You really have to have the grounding that causes you not to panic..

“

was still going through the same thing I was even though he was so successful he didn’t audition for roles anymore!”

Young’s approach to navigating the profession has been more about being steadfast in the face of insecurity than celebrating success.

“I was always more concerned about whether I can handle the darkness than whether I could enjoy the light.

Everybody can handle success, but it's those times in between where you really have to be smart. You really have to have the grounding that causes you not to panic especially when you have mouths to feed and bills to pay.”

Even with all the uncertainty, Young has stood his ground when it comes to selecting roles-- only taking jobs thatchallenged him creatively and held to his standards, turning down any that didn’t without question.

“There was a part that I passed on when my wife and I were married and we had just had our first son,” recounts Allen, a devoted husband and father. “I remember going to the ATM after and getting denied because it said I only had 37 cents in the bank. I went back to my car and just sat there because I didn’t have any answers.

Then I remembered the boy from Watts I once was and thought, ‘It’s going to be okay.’”

When he’s not acting, he works with The Young Foundation-- the charity organization he started in 1987 to provide tutoring, mentoring and scholarships within the most underperforming schools in LA Unified School District.

But more than anything else, what moves Young is his faith.

“My saving grace is my faith. That is the thing that has allowed me to walk though the storm and come out the man that I am today.

What has survived in me…I am clear that it has survived because of my abiding faith.”