The Bulletin

AN AMERICAN PRINT MEDIA PUBLICATION

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

Leaders Remain the Same in Latest Election Results Though another 607 ballots have been processed since Election Night, the leaders for the June 4th general election remain the same.

B

oth incumbents, Janna Zurita from District 1 and Emma Sharif in District 4 are poised to move on to the June 4th general election.

However, Sharif (30.09%) trails challenger Justin A. Blakely (43.60) in the 3-person race. The top two finishers in each council race qualify for the June run-off, provided no candidate garners 50.1% of the vote and wins outright.

In the 1st District, Zurita (38.7%) leads Challenger Michelle Chambers (23%) in the six-person race.

The 607 mail-in and provisional ballots counted since Election. Day, increased the total vote by 25%, bringing the current total of ballots cast to 3,080. While the numbers and percentages shifted slightly, the over-all results and positioning remain the same.

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk estimated that as of Thursday night April 18th, only 27 ballots remain to be counted. The next update by the Register-Recorder/County Clerk is scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Please visit thebulletinweekly.com to view the results.

Earth Day Fest 2019: Beats & Bites

Davis Middle School hosted “Earth Day Fest 2019: Beats & Bites” on Saturday.

Families enjoyed vendors with activities to help them ascertain crucial

information regarding health, wellness, eliminating mosquitos in our community, energy efficiency, conservation and other aspects of how to help preserve our planet.

Compton’s first-ever electric vehicle DC fast-charging (DCFC) station is officially on its way with the ground-breaking of the new station last week at the Soledad Center on South Central Ave. at Alondra Blvd.

Construction is due to be completed by early June. Then SCE needs to electrify the site, currently scheduled to be completed in August. The station is being built by EVgo, the nation’s largest public EV fast charging network.

Janna Zurita 678

Michelle Chamber 23.0%

403

Jasper “Jay” Jackson 20.03%

Dennis J. Freeman for The Bulletin

(l-r) Daryl Sweeney, representative for Sen. Steve Bradford, Cathy Zoi, CEO, EVgo, Compton City Manager Cecil Rhambo, Compton City Councilwoman Tana McCoy.

351

Richard Alatorre 12.67%

Besides Champagne Band, special Performances included Elaine Gibbs & the NU Soul Band, Kim Yarbrough & Jesse Campbell (of the Voice) and Ronnie Martin (from America’s Got Talent).

Compton’s First Ever Electric Vehicle Charging Station Gets a Jolt

City of Compton Primary Nominating Election Member of the City Council, 1st District

38.70%

Dennis J. Freeman for The Bulletin

Members of the Champagne Band perform at the Earth Day Fest 2019

222

Ronald Green 3.31%

58

Francisco Rodriguez 2.0 2.28%

40

City of Compton Primary Nominating Election Member of the City Council, 4th District Justin A. Blakely 43.60%

565

Emma Shariff 30.09%

390

Inez “Tootie” Adkin 26.31%

341

All Welcome to First United Methodist Church of Compton’s 151st Anniversary Celebration First United Methodist Church of Compton (FUMC) will celebrate its 151st Anniversary on Sunday, April 28, 2019 during the 10:00 am morning worship service. “The public is invited to join us for our 151st birthday party!” said Sr. Pastor Rev. Dr. Arnetha Inge. She points out that FUMC is one of the oldest religious institutions in all of California.

The Anniversary theme is: “Remember…God’s Love and Light Will See Us Through!”

The guest speaker will be the dynamic Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter. Reverend Carter actually began his tenure of religious leadership as the Sr. Pastor

of FUMC from 2010 to 2012. He currently serves as the Assistant Pastor of Pacific Beach United Methodist Church. Pastor Carter currently works as an Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego. Pastor Carter has published numerous articles and treatises on a variety of theological and societal topics. His current research and teaching focuses on philosophical and theological ethics, and animals and religion.

FUMC is located at 1025 S. Long Beach Blvd. Compton, CA 90221. For further information, please call the church at (310 639-0775.

Credit: You Tube

Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter

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BULLETIN | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

L ocal P ublic H ealth Five L.A. County Residents Confirmed to Have Measles

LOS ANGELES (CNS)—Health officials said this week they have confirmed five cases of measles in Los Angeles County residents.

Four cases are linked to one another through international travel and an additional single case is also associated with international travel, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said.

The news comes after four non-residents with measles were reported last week by health officials to have traveled through the county. The five new cases are the first cases of measles confirmed by Public Health among county residents and the first cases of transmission within L.A. County in 2019.

The majority of the victims were unvaccinated.

“We will likely see additional measles cases in Los Angeles County, so it is important if you or someone you know has the symptoms of measles or has been exposed to measles to contact your health-care provider

by phone right away before seeking treatment,” Los Angeles County Health Officer Muntu Davis said. “The best way to protect yourself and to prevent the spread of measles is to get the measles immunization, with two doses of measles immunization being about 97-percent effective at preventing measles.”

The following locations have been identified as potential measles exposures: • LAX, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Gate 218 on April 1 from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• UCLA, Franz Hall on April 2, 4, and 9 and Boelter Hall on April 2 and 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m;.

• Cal State Los Angeles, Main Library, on April 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; • El Pollo Loco Restaurant, 1939 Verdugo Blvd., La Canada Flintridge, on April 11 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and, • El Sauz Tacos, 4432 San Fernando Rd., Glendale, on April 13 from 1:30 p.m. to 4

p.m.

Common symptoms associated with measles include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash which usually appears 10 to 21 days after exposure.

Anyone who develops measles symptoms should contact their doctor by phone before visiting their doctor’s office.

Infected people can infect those around them before they have symptoms and know they are infected, and the measles virus can be transmitted from one person to another up to four days before the onset of a rash, health officials said.

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD

“I urge all pregnant women to get vaccinated against whooping cough as early as possible during the third trimester of every pregnancy.”

Dr. Karen Smith, Director, California Department of Public Health

Whooping Cough Death Reported of a California Infant

ACROSS 1. Winter warmer 6. *T˙, north of the border 9. Put six feet under 13. Computer programmer 14. Supermarket circulars, e.g.

15. “He loves me...” flower part 16. *Santa Anna’s 1836 victory locale 17. Pod dweller 18. All worked up 19. *Filling+corn dough+corn husk, pl.

21. Like Dorothy Gale’s dress 23. Selfie, e.g.

24. Cheese on Peloponnese 25. Eye Network 28. *Day of the Dead-inspired Oscar-winner 30. Attempted 35. Hipbones 37. Between Thailand and Vietnam 39. El Dorado-related 40. Lymphatic swelling 41. Archipelago parts 43. Unload on eBay 44. Hue perception 46. Bald eagle’s nest 47. Caffeine-containing nut tree 48. “____ ____! This is the police!”

50. Bank on 52. Aptitude test

53. Like a doily 55. Margaret, for short 57. *Made from agave 61. *Popular huevos accompaniment 65. Driver’s 180 66. Flying saucer acronym 68. Mythological princess of Colchis 69. Repenting 70. Collagen target 71. More capable 72. Tiny sips 73. Skeleton in a lock 74. Must-haves DOWN 1. Jazz singing 2. Coca follower 3. Comic Sandler 4. Chart anew 5. Lark about 6. Puppy barks 7. Keats’ poem 8. Cell phone bill item 9. Frigid shipping hazard 10. Butch Cassidy’s home state 11. Pro ____ 12. Big Bang’s original matter 15. *Blind man’s target 20. Cause for food recall 22. “____ Now or Never” 24. Tom’s craziness?

25. *____ de Mayo 26. Soft single in baseball

27. Move sideways 29. *”Mi ____ es su...”

31. Biscuit 32. Sandwiches for dessert 33. *Zapata’s collaborator 34. Audienceís approval 36. Long, long time 38. Bone-dry 42. Airy fairy 45. Exercising authority 49. One of peeps 51. Tower of London guard 54. Sealing product 56. Freshwater diving bird 57. ____ of events 58. Red carpet purse 59. Witty remark 60. RIP pots 61. “____ that” on walkie-talkie 62. In neutral 63. Gardener’s purchase 64. Crew propellers 67. “Jack and the Beanstalk” exclamation LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

S AC R A M E N T O — T h e California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that an infant from Orange County has died from pertussis, better known as whooping cough. This is the first confirmed infant death from the disease since 2018.

CDPH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that expectant mothers receive the whooping cough booster shot (also called Tdap, or tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis vaccine) at the earliest opportunity between 27 and

36 weeks of every pregnancy, even if previously immunized.

Getting immunized during pregnancy boosts the mother, who then passes some of her protective antibodies on to the fetus. This helps protect newborns until they are old enough to begin receiving their own whooping cough immunizations at 6 to 8 weeks of age.

“To give babies the best protection, I urge all pregnant women to get vaccinated against whooping cough as early as possible during the third trimester of every preg-

nancy,” said Dr. Karen Smith, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. “The best way to prevent whooping cough is by getting vaccinated.”

The symptoms of whooping cough vary by age. For children, whooping cough typically starts with a runny nose and cough for one to two weeks.

The cough then worsens and often results in rapid coughing spells that end with a whooping sound. Young infants may not have typical whooping cough symptoms and may have no apparent cough.

Parents may describe episodes in which breathing briefly stops and the infant’s face turns red or purple. For adults, whooping cough may be a cough illness that lasts for several weeks.

Most health plans cover Tdap immunizations, and many pharmacies offer it.

Medi-Cal members may be able to get their Tdap shots at the pharmacy where they usually pick up their prescriptions. Call your health plan to learn more. If you do not have health insurance, call your local health department to find a low- or no-cost location.

More information about pertussis is available on CDPH’s website.

SODOKU SOLUTION

3

BULLETIN | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

NEWS Compton College District Hosts Groundbreaking for New Instructional Building

Credit: Compton Community College

(l-r) CCCD Chief Facilitires Officer Linda Owens, Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) member Irene Shandell-Taylor, CCCD Board of Trustees Clerk Sonia Lopez, CCCD Board Member Barbara Jean Calhoun, CCCD Board of Trustees President Dr. Deborah Sims LeBlanc, former CBOC member Bruce Boyden, and CCCD CEO Dr. Keith Curry.

With an eye toward “going green,” promoting a welcoming environment to learn and continuing to update its campus for the 21st Century, The Compton Community College District broke ground a new $18.8 million instructional building on the north end of the campus.

“As part of Compton College’s renewed beginning for a brighter future, the Compton Community College District is focused on being at the forefront of change and innovation,” said Deborah Sims LeBlanc, Compton Community College District Board of Trustees president.

Instructional Building No. 1 is an all-new, multi-story classroom building that is targeted for completion in spring 2021.

It will replace a portion of the former “Row Buildings” that were built circa 1950s.

This new construction is made possible with funds from the District’s 2002 Measure CC fa-

The new instructional building will house nine classrooms, four computer labs, 15 offices. cilities bond and State capital outlay funds.

Instructional Building No. 1 will be the second new instructional building constructed at Compton College since the 1990s following the opening of the Allied Health Building, which was completed in January 2016.

The new instructional building will house nine classrooms, four computer labs, 15 offices, a lounge/breakroom, two workrooms, custodial and storage rooms, and restrooms.

Smart classroom technology that will be incorporated include wireless access points throughout the building and portable device-charging stations for students, faculty and staff. The sustainable features incorporated into the design and functionality of the Instructional Building No. 1 will include high efficiency thermal glass with exterior louvers for shading, high efficiency HVAC systems and controls, a cool roof, and drinking fountains with filtered-water filling stations for reusable containers.

Ex-L.A. Sheriff Lee Baca’s Corruption Conviction Upheld

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—A federal appeals court has refused to reconsider its decision to uphold a prison sentence for former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca in his corruption case.

On Friday, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected Baca’s request for a new hearing. The court in February ruled that Baca received a fair trial.

The 76-year-old, who has Alzheimer’s disease, was convicted in 2017 of obstructing an FBI investigation into abuses at the nation’s largest jail system. He was also convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and lying.

His threeyear sentence was on hold while Baca appealed.

B a c a’s only chance now to avoid prison is an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

L.A. County Expands Efforts to Divert Mentally Ill Inmates to Treatment LOS ANGELES (CNS)—A program to move eligible mentally ill inmates from county jail into community-based treatment will be expanded to courtrooms countywide, officials announced Monday.

Roughly one-third of the men in county jails—an estimated 5,134 individuals in February—suffer from mental illness. More than half of those men could be safely released into community-based care and transition into supportive housing, according to a report by the county’s Department of Health Services.

District Attorney Jackie Lacey said community safety and justice reform can both be served.

“Prosecutors take an oath to protect our community and public safety is our number one priority.

We also want to make sure that jails and prisons are reserved for the most serious and violent offenders,” Lacey said. “In the past, some people have served more time behind bars due to their untreated mental illness and, as a result, they experienced further mental deterioration.”

Lacey said prosecutors are working closely with the Office of Diversion and Reentry to review cases.

Until now, diversion into treatment and housing was only available to defendants arraigned in the Superior Court’s central downtown district, Pasadena and Pomona. But the ODR program will now be expanded to include the Airport Courthouse, serving communities in the South Bay and South Los Angeles, and the option is scheduled to be rolled out to courthouses in Van Nuys and Lancaster, covering the entire county, by year end.

The ODR has diverted 1,728 people from jail since 2016 and more than 90 percent of those pro-

vided with housing remained there after six months, according to county sources.

“For a population that struggles with addiction and compliance, a 92 percent stay rate after six months is profound,” Chief Probation Officer Terri McDonald said. “People who are able to stay in the community at the six-month mark intend to stay in the community in the long run.”

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said the program has a reliable track record.

“Over the last three years, we have proven that diverting people with mental health disorders from jail into treatment and supportive housing makes communities safer. It also breaks the cycle between the criminal justice system and homelessness, and saves public funds,” Ridley-Thomas said. “By doubling down on diversion, we have the potential to reach thousands more individuals countywide without compromising public safety.”

Participants are supervised by specially trained probation officers, begin treatment in interim housing and eventually transition to a permanent home with supportive services.

Before the news conference to announce the expansion, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva offered a grim assessment of the program’s ability to change L.A. County jails’ status as one of the largest mental health hospitals in the nation. In order to move all mentally ill inmates deemed safe for release into community-based treatment, the ODR would have to divert 50 individuals every day, according to Villanueva’s math. n Treatment, see page 5

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BULLETIN | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

NEWS THURSDAY APRIL 24TH

Kemetic Yoga 101 with Steven Rousseau This is an introduction class to an ancient yoga practice with its origin in ancient Egypt.

Through the modern day practice of the Yogaskills method, developed by Master Teacher Yirser Ra Hotep, we will be going through

postures and sequences, that connects you to gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt. Flow, breathe, relax, realign yourself.

Recommended donation $20, give what you can, no one turned away for limited funds.

8:30 pm To 9:30 pm The Tree South LA, 8227 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles, https://www.thetreesouthla.org/new-events/2019/4/25/kemetic-yoga-101-with-steven-rousseau (310) 710-0744 $20 / See Website

FRIDAY APRIL 26TH

Kolor Healing: A Wellness Marketplace and Panel Too busy for your own good? Need to come up for air?

In need of self-care on a budget? Well, you are not alone.

Join us for an incredible evening of painting, sounds, healing education and real conversation. We’re bringing together an incredible group for an evening of real conversation about managing life stressors. We’ll be discussing ways to heal and transform the way you manage everyday stress.Healthy food vendors will be available.

You’ll get amazing goodie bags packed with valuable information and treats—you won’t want to miss this event!

At Kolor Healing, guests

will engage in a wellness marketplace, being able to move between various healing practices, gaining knowledge and practicing techniques. Before the end of the night, guests will hear from community members on their mental health journey.

Marketplace mediums: • Art • Sound • Mind-Body-Soul Connections Kolor Society members gain complimentary entrance.

To find out more about becoming a Kolor Society member, visit Kolor Society Memberships.

6:30 pm To 8:30 pm The Metaphor Club, Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kolor-healing-tickets-58969925635 Regular Admission $35 | VIP $40

FRIDAY APRIL 26

‘Naked!’~Beverly Johnson’s One-Woman Show

Beverly Johnson was the first black woman on the cover of Vogue magazine and the first black supermodel in the world. Now, with over 500 magazine covers to her name (or face) she remains one of the most iconic figures in the world of fashion and modeling. But her life took an unexpected turn when she broke her silence, went public, and revealed that she too was

drugged by Bill Cosby. That disclosure became part of the key momentum that in-part helped to launch the #MeToo movement. You know the face, now hear her remarkable story in the first workshop reading of Beverly Johnson: Naked!

Workshop Reading by Beverly Johnson Written by Beverly Johnson and Josh Ravetch Directed by Josh Ravetch

7:30 pm to 9:30 pm West Hollywood City Council Chambers, 625 N San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood https://tinyurl.com/yymbguv2 (323) 848-6360 Free, Must RSVP/Call or email

FRIDAY APRIL 26TH—SUNDAY APRIL 28TH

SATURDAY APRIL 27TH

Arohi featuring Justo Almario & Dwight Trible at Soul Force Sacred Music Festival The music of Arohi is a contemporary sound steeped in the classical ragas and rhythmic dynamism of Indian music. Incorporating elements of jazz, Latin music and classical counterpoint on traditional instruments from India and the west, Arohi’s ‘ragajazz

chamber music’ weaves raga meditations, polyrhythmic counterpoint and exciting improvisations into their unique sound. Paul Livingstone on sitar, Pete Jacobson on cello, Dave Lewis on drums, and Neelamjit Dhillon on tabla have been recording perform-

ing together for many years.

Justo Almario, a reedman, composer, and Colombia-native, has fused Latin, Afro-Cuban, South American, Funk, and Jazz genres into his own humble offering. Mr. Almario studied at the prestigious Berklee School of Music before a stint with Mongo Santamaria as the band’s musical director.

Dwight Trible is a jazz singer who prizes a sense of adventure, musicians, and modernity. In addition to singing with experimental jazz musicians, he seizes the opportunity to record with electronica and hiphop outfits, distinguishing him from many of his jazz peers.

8:00 pm To 10:30 pm First United Methodist Church, 500 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena https://www.soulforceproject. com/festival $15 - $100 / See Website

Dymally International Jazz & Arts Festival Music and art represent the talents of many people and cultures. The Dymally International Jazz & Arts Festival will showcase a wide range of global music and artistic works.

Performing on two stages will be Gerald Albright, Nestor Torres, Moonchild, Rocky Dawuni, Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca, Parlor Social, Lira, Maxi Priest and Kem. Your host for the festival

will be D.L. Hughley.

Representing the literary art form will be Poets B.A. Williams and bridgette bianca.

Visual art, curghj dchgnhjuijmvated by LA County Arts Commissioner Pamela Bright-Moon will include artists Sam Pace, Kenny Gatewood, Michael Massenburg, Allyson Allen and Patrick Henry Johnson. Art will be available for sale and auction

with a portion of the proceeds going to the Cal State Dominguez Hills Philanthropic Foundation.

This festival is a fundraiser to support the recently opened Mervyn M. Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The institute is the brainchild of its namesake and is a non-partisan public center.

2:00 pm To 5:00 pm CSU Dominguez Hills, Dignity Health Sports Park, 18400 Avalon Blvd., Carson https://tinyurl.com/y2ckspdd (562) 424-0013 $55.00 - $90.00 / See Website

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BULLETIN | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

NEWS

Stadium Canopy Capped in Inglewood Employing one of the largest cranes in the world, the last of 31 preassembled steel sections was hoisted into place, completing the outer shell of LA Stadium, less than 8 months after the first was put into place last August.

The futuristic shell surrounding the bowl of the stadium, is sure to become its visual identification and will be wrapped in a light-weight and transparent plastic, the same as the US Bank Stadium in Minnesota.

Suspended from the canopy, will be a (insert Oculus Photo near here?) 70,000 sq.ft. Oculus (Oval) digital display board.

Now two-thirds complete, the new stadium is scheduled to open as the home of the L.A. Rams and L.A. Chargers for the 2020 NFL season.

It will also be the home of the Super Bowl in February 2022, NCAA Football Championship title game in January 2023 and the opening and closing ceremony of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Eight Cultural Graduation Celebrations Kick Off 2019 Spring Commencement CSULB CULTURAL GRADUATION CELEBRATIONS SET TO BEGIN SATURDAY

Call to County Counsel from Purported Sheriff’s Sergeant Under Investigation LOS ANGELES (CNS)—An investigation was begun Monday into a threatening phone call made to the Los Angeles County Counsel during which the caller identified himself as a sheriff ’s sergeant and demanded that the attorney go to sheriff ’s station to surrender for failing to appear following a 2006 grand jury summons.

The call—which comes as the Board of Supervisors spars with Sheriff Alex Villanueva over the reinstatement of a fired deputy and other matters—was made Saturday to the personal cellphone of County Counsel Mary C. Wickham, according to the county’s interim Inspector General Rodrigo A. Castro, whose office is conducting the investigation.

The caller threatened to come to Wickham’s home and arrest her after Wickham said there was no basis for the demand, according to Castro’s office. The Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department assigned the case to its Major Crimes Bureau, which stands ready to “launch a full assessment of this potential threat,” according to Lt. AJ Rotella of the Sheriff ’s Information Bureau.

Residents have reported receiving similar calls from people claiming to be sheriff ’s officials, according to Rotella. The callers in those cases have claimed the call recipient had failed to appear for jury duty or grand jury duty, according to the sheriff ’s department.

“With some of these calls, the suspects have been able to mask their telephone numbers to appear as if they are calling from within the Sheriff ’s Department, in an attempt to appear to be legitimate,” according to Rotella. “At this time, multiple criminal reports have been taken at various stations and are in the early investigative stages.”

County Supervisor Hilda Solis issued a statement saying the call to Wickham was aimed at deterring her from doing her job. “Threatening a public servant is despicable and will never be tolerated,” Solis said. “This undemocratic intimidation is designed to chill the County Counsel from doing her job.”

TREATMENT LONG BEACH—As Long Beach State University gears up for its official commencement ceremonies for the class of 2019, the campus will host eight cultural events to celebrate minority graduates.

The schedule: • PACIFIC ISLANDER - The Pacific Islander cultural celebration will take place Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the USU Ballrooms.

• PILIPINO - The Pilipino cultural celebration will take place Saturday, May 18, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the USU Ballrooms.

• VIETNAMESE - The Vietnamese cultural celebration will take place Saturday, May 18, 2019 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the USU Ballrooms.

• AFRICAN AMERICAN - The African American cultural celebration will take place Saturday, May 18, 2019 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.

• CAMBODIAN - The Cambodian cultural celebration will take place Sunday, May 19, 2019 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the USU Ballrooms.

• AMERICAN INDIAN - The American Indian cultural celebration will take place Sunday, May 19, 2019 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the USU Ballrooms.

• CHICANO LATINO - The Chicano Latino cultural celebration will take place Saturday, May 19, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.

• LAVENDER (LGBTQ) - The celebration will take place Monday, May 20, 2019 from 6 to 8p.m. at the USU Ballrooms.

continued from page 3

Villanueva, who has battled with county officials over tral Jail, the board also directed staffers to look at options to reinstating deputies with a record of misconduct and roll- “right-size” the scope of the project. A report back is expecting back policies instituted by his predecessor, said he was ed in July and it is not yet clear where the board will land “inspired” by the county’s efforts but concluded, “All of in response to criminal justice advocates who have called the county’s efforts in the area of mental health diversion for smaller, decentralized treatment centers spread across have not impacted the jail’s average daily inmate popula- the county instead of 3,885-bed facility nearly three times tion.” the size of the state’s largest The sheriff ’s math immental health hospital.

“Over the last three years, plies that each of the ofThere is also an open fenders booked daily is question of whether that we have proven that diverting never re-arrested, when in facility would be run by people with mental health fact previous county studthe sheriff or mental health ies have shown that many professionals. disorders from jail into mentally ill individuals are Without mentioning chronic offenders cycling in the jail plan, Villanueva astreatment and supportive and out of jails and hospiserted the continuing need housing makes communities safer.” for treatment in custody. tals on a repeat basis.

But Villanueva and oth“The stark reality is we Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas er county officials are in also need a therapeutic enagreement about the need vironment for those menfor more community beds to serve the mentally ill. The tally ill inmates who must remain in custody. UnfortuBoard of Supervisors have urged state officials to apply for nately, due to violent offenders and the need to balance a Medicaid waiver that would expand coverage for inpa- diversion with public safety, there will always be a need tient mental health treatment at residential facilities. for mental health beds within our jails,” the sheriff said.

And while a contract has been awarded for a $2.2 bilA study of the jail population by the RAND Corporalion downtown mental health jail to replace Men’s Cen- tion is also underway.

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BULLETIN | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

OP-ED

Nipsey’s Life: A Hussle That Motivates, Resonates Around the Globe

By Bryan 18X Crawford, Contributing Writer, The Final Call

The life, death and legacy of Nipsey Hussle not only deeply touched those who live in his Crenshaw community and the Greater Los Angeles area, but people across the country and around the world were mourning the 33-year-old man whose work in the streets and the suites was inspirational, and rooted in a commitment to build and help his people make progress.

E

rmias Joseph Asghedom was seemingly born to be a bridge that connected people to worlds that seemed distant and, in some cases, carried warning signs that read, “Do Not Cross.”

The distance might have been as far away as the Horn of Africa or as close as blocks that surrounded the house where he grew up.

Born in 1985 to a Black mother from South Central Los Angeles, and a Black father from Eritrea, a country situated on the Red Sea in East Africa, Nipsey carried the DNA of a revolutionary, in his genes. His father, Dawit Asghedom, fled his home country in the midst of war where the combatants’ faces all looked the same, and landed in the U.S. where he would become politically active. In 1975, Dawit was photographed in New York City holding a sign that read, “Down With Apartheid and Imperialism.”

A decade later, his second and youngest son would be born in a place fighting a similar war in which the combatants’ faces, once again, all looked the same, and the son would embody a fearless spirit opposed to oppressive forces in South Central Los Angeles.

The name Ermias is Hebrew and when translated means “Sent by God.” A cursory look at Nipsey Hussle’s life, his works and response from the Black community and Black world in the aftermath of his death seems to bear witness to the meaning of his name.

Nipsey was born and raised in Crenshaw which is controlled by the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips; a community that is basically bordered on all sides by rival factions of the Bloods street gang. He joined the group. However, despite being affiliated with the Rollin 60s, unlike most members of Los Angeles street gangs, Nipsey was able to move, relate and associate seamlessly with those who were, by street code, the opposition, with essentially no beef— something unheard of in a city where having the wrong color rag (bandana) could lead to dire, and sometimes fatal consequences. He collaborated with artists in “rival” gangs and in media interviews talked about how he and others in Los Angeles built intentional relationships across gang color lines to keep conflicts out of the music and provide an example of how to enjoy mutual respect and mutual success. Those relationships went beyond Los Angeles and spread to other parts of the country as he toured to pursue his music and business ventures.

“If he met you, you were his people. That’s how he made you feel, and we don’t have a lot of people in this rap game who are like that. That’s why nobody is saying anything bad about Nipsey,” Terrance Randolph, a Chicago-based social media brand manager and influencer, known in the hip hop music industry as Hustle Simmons, told The Final Call. “I don’t know what purpose God had for his life, but he must’ve lived it out.”

By the time Nipsey Hussle was 14, by his own accounts, he had left home and begun taking care of himself, hustling on the streets of Crenshaw to survive. By the time his rap career had begun to take off and people started to recognize his name, acknowledge his talent and respect his art, Nipsey made sure to let everyone know, as the lyrics of one his songs go, he was a man with a different thought process, personal blueprint and unlike the usual “rap

n****s” in the game. “[We had a] real war in the streets.

It was heavy. We were knee-deep into something real and it was about surviving and defending our opportunities,” Nipsey said in a 2018 interview with Mass Appeal. “I’m conscious that there’s an intentional pushback against people that look like me. I’m supposed to be in jail or dead. There’s a whole prison complex [that exists.] Then, you think about as an artist, there’s a business model that exists in the music industry that prevents you from having ownership; that prevents you from being a partner in the lions’ share of the profits. …

When I said I was the Tupac of my generation, Pac was intelligent, but in our culture—street culture, especially in his generation—intelligence is viewed as weakness. So, how do you get the people affected by what we’re really trying to solve, involved?”

For Nipsey, the answer was being an example of what Black ownership meant and looked like, which in itself, was a game changer, especially for those from his community. With family and partners, he purchased the strip mall where he once sold CDs out of a car trunk, opened businesses, advocated for children and created a shared work space for techies in the hood.

According to media reports, there were over 101 million live streams in the two days after Nipsey’s March 31 passing. Streaming and purchasing the music was encouraged because the income directly benefits his estate. Victory Lap, his latest album, sold 64,000 copies the week of April 1. Other popular songs that were streamed included: Racks in the Middle featuring Roddy Rich and Hit-Boy (11.8 million); Dedication featuring Kendrick Lamar (9.6 million); Double Up featuring Belly and Dom Kennedy (8.5 million), Last Time That I Checc’d featuring YG (7.1 million) and Hussle & Motivate (2.9 million.)

The proud West Coast rapper began his career in the mixtape circuit, selling his albums from the trunk of his car in Crenshaw. They were a success and helped him create a buzz and gain respect from rap purists and his peers. In 2010, he placed on hip-hop magazine XXL’s “Freshman Class of 2010”—a coveted list for up-and-coming hip-hop acts—alongside J. Cole, Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa and others.

Jay-Z even bought 100 copies of Hussle’s “Crenshaw” for $100 each in 2013 and sent him a $10,000 check.

Nipsey, once signed to Sony’s Epic Records, hit a new peak with “Victory Lap,” his critically acclaimed major-label debut album on Atlantic Records that made several best-of lists last year, from Billboard magazine to Complex.

At this year’s Grammy Awards, “Victory Lap” was one of five nominees for best rap album in a year that saw hip hop dominate the pop charts and streaming services, and debates ensued about which rap albums would get nominated since a number of top stars released projects, including Drake, Eminem, Kanye West, Nas, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Migos and DJ Khaled. Cardi B’s “Invasion of Privacy” won the honor in February, while the other nominees alongside Nipsey were Travis Scott, Pusha T and Mac Miller.

Touching South Central, America and the world With his passing, his revolutionary and inspirational spirit traveled beyond the borders of the Crenshaw district, Greater Los Angeles, and touched Black communities throughout the U.S., and

as far away as Africa and Canada.

“We have to move and act as a fraternal organization, as businessmen, and people that care about our communities and make an actual investment like Nipsey did,” said rapper Killer Mike at a Nipsey Hussle memorial vigil held in Atlanta just days after his death.

Killer Mike added, “We have a choice. We don’t have to be nobody’s savages. We don’t have to be their examples of the wrong way [to go]. We gotta be no thugs that’s been thrown away. That rag that’s over your forehead or [hanging] out of your left pocket, is better served wiping the sweat off your head for the work you’re doing on behalf of your community in a way that does not murder other Africans.”

“A sucker took out a king. … A real king to this era,” said Harlem-based rapper Dave East for an impromptu memorial gathering he organized to commemorate the life of Nipsey Hussle.

“I was a kid when Big and Pac died, so I couldn’t feel that. I feel this. … Don’t let his name die.”

Other vigils were held in Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Birmingham, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, San Diego and as far away as Vancouver, Canada, In Houston, more than 1,000 people gathered in the Midtown section of the city, at the behest of Houston-based rapper Trae The Truth, all clad in Blue, to release balloons in honor of the slain star.

“Some people loved him for the person he was, some people loved him for his music. But regardless, people loved him as a partner, as a brother, as a father. Anything he was, he gave it his all and it was genuine. And these days, you don’t find too many genuine people,” Trae The Truth told NBC News affiliate KPRC in Houston.

T.I., another Atlanta-based rapper, took to his Instagram Live account to talk about Nipsey and take questions from his fans. Nipsey, who had a reputation in the hip-hop community for being both studious, and an avid reader, was known to gift books to people.

When asked what book Nipsey gave him to read, T.I. answered, “Message to the Blackman by Elijah Muhammad.”

Nipsey’s respect for the Nation of Islam isn’t something that was widely known publicly, but he never shied away from it. He, along with his friends, once famously threw rocks at the Los Angeles Police Department in defense of Student Minister Tony Muhammad of Mosque No. 27, who showed up after a young man was killed in Nipsey’s Crenshaw neighborhood.

“I remember some years back, one of our close friends from our area got killed and [Min. Tony Muhammad] came on 10th Avenue,” Nipsey Hussle explained in video posted on Min. Tony Muhammad’s personal Instagram page. “The police had put a cover on the young man’s face, and the cover was going up and down. There was people who knew the young dude telling the [paramedics] that he was still breathing, that he was still alive. But they just sat there and let him expire on the scene.

But Tony Muhammad showed up and represented our community and he stood up. But he ended up having an altercation with the LAPD, but people in our area and myself specifically, always respected him for that.”

Said Min. Tony Muhammad in the caption for his video post, “I will never forget our Brother, a Giant ‘Nipsey Hussle’, he stood up for me years ago when we had an altercation with the LAPD in his Hood! Now I will continue my work of bringing an end to the killings of each other, in his name.”

While the impact of his death hit hardest here at home, it also resonated and affected those of Eritrean descent who live here in America and Africans on the continent.

Kenyan rapper Khaligraph Jones

went online and uploaded a freestyle video devoted to Nipsey Hussle.

In Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, candles were lit during a memorial service for the beloved artist. “With poems and speeches, Ethiopians have held an emotional farewell for murdered rapper Nipsey Hussle, whose roots in neighbouring Eritrea won him admirers in both countries,” AFP reported April 7. “‘When we heard there’s an Eritrean rapper out there, we were fans before we heard his music,’” said Ambaye Michael Tesfay, who eulogized Nipsey at the event held in a darkened parking lot. “ ‘He was an icon for us,’ ” AFP said.

Despite conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia before a peace pact last year, Ethiopians shared their pride about Nipsey’s music and impact. “‘We’re all one people,’ ” Nemany Hailemelekot, who organized the gathering that drew hundreds of people, told AFP. Eritreans paid their respects to Nipsey Hussle with many offering their feelings via social media. Journalist Billion Temesghen tweeted April 1: “Ermias Asghedom AKA Nipsey Husle was an Eritrean rap star, a preformance phenomenon, who had just returned home. In my pleasant talk with him I was delighted to learn of the Eritrean & African pride he carried deep inside him. He is a legend. compassionate compatriot. We miss him.” “#NipseyHussle stood for #Eritrea when he was alive & he is still standing from heaven. His life is reinvegorating Eritrean youth to follow his footseps to stand for country & people despite all enmity thrown at them. Nipsy is rendering all anti-Eritrea campaigns mute.

Rest in P,” tweeted Amanuel Biedemariam, who often writes for an Eritrean website.

Nipsey’s two visits to his father’s native homeland, once as an 18-year-old young man still trying to figure out who he was and his place in the world, and the second time as a recording star had a profound effect on him.

On his last visit to Eritrea in 2018, Nipsey was treated as a dignitary who seemed to understand who he was and what he represented, while being fully aware that he was both a voice and example for two distinct peoples with a long history of fighting against injustice and oppression, not just one.

When asked by Eritrean journalist Billion Temesghen to describe in his own words what hip-hop is, Nipsey Hussle’s answer was both deep, and profound. “[Hip-hop is] a form of expression for young people who have so much to be told. It is a vocabulary, it is an art and it is a culture that originally was only of young people in America but now has gone global. The neighborhoods from where Hip Hop came out had unique environments and situations that made people search for a real and efficient form of expression. From police brutality to gang cultures, the riots, racial discrimination and more unique events that urged the growth of Hip Hop in terms of music and Hip Hop in terms of culture and identity.”

He added, “The story of Hip Hop is similar to that of Jazz. Music in America was an expression of our struggles; being black in America. And I, as an Eritrean American, I feel connected to this aspect of the African American history.

My father is from Eritrea and we have always been in touch with our Eritrean ancestry and culture thanks to him.

However, we still grew up in South Central LA all of our lives. So our exposure was to the culture of Los Angeles, which was gang culture. I was born in 1985 and grew up in the 90s. … All of the social issues that took place back then happened in our backyard.”

When asked what it meant to have roots and ties to a place that has experienced its own share of violent struggle in the fight for independence, Nipsey’s

answer poignantly encapsulated the parallels of life growing up in South Central Los Angeles, where the expectation for Black men is a life that leads to death, not one that can garner the love, respect and admiration of millions all around the globe.

“I am proud of being Eritrean. The history of our country, our struggle and the underdog story, the resilience of the people and our integrity is something that I feel pride in being attached to,” he said.

“He embodied Pan Africanism. He was a bridge between the two worlds of East Africa and the hood, which is really important,” former professor and Los Angeles native Kwame Zulu-Shabazz told The Final Call. “So, he was hood but also very Pan African, and he was proud of it. That’s something that we need more of, too. Part of the reason that we’re lost in the U.S. is because we’ve been disconnected from our roots, and brothers like that can help us reconnect and affirm that Africa is a positive place, and that there are positive things going on in Africa that can make us proud of our heritage as African people.”

His family and close friends, while understandably still mourning and trying to make sense of his tragic death, seem to all take some solace in reminiscing on the good things he did for himself and his family, but also the positive impact he made in the lives of others.

“He recognized at an early age his own capability. His own potential. He has always known,” Nipsey’s mother, Angelique Smith, said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “I would like for him to be remembered as a humble, spirited, respectful man who had, since his childhood, an extraordinary and unlimited intellectual capacity.” Said his brother, Samiel “Blacc Sam” Asghedom in the same LA Times piece, “There’s a lot of politics within the area that we grew up in, but he stayed the course and showed what he was about.

He made something work in an area that was run-down, that people were scared to come to, and he turned it into a landmark.”

Lauren London, mother of Nipsey’s two-year-old son Kross, told the newspaper that her fiancée, “was a protector and wanted us to be our best at all times. He was a truth seeker and truth speaker. I’m going to keep my head high and always represent for my king to the fullest.”

Dawit Asghedom remembered his son this way.

“It was like he was sent by God to give some love to bring us together because that’s what his lyrics were saying, always,” the elder Asghedom said, adding, “He’s not shy to tell the truth even though it might not look good.

He wasn’t scared of anything. [God] sent him to send a message. It looks like, ‘Your time is up because you have completed what I sent you to do.’ We all have a plan, but God has his own plan.

So, he had completed what he needed to be doing and he did it early so [God] probably wanted to take him early too.”

From buying up the block, to creating businesses that employed Black people, aimed to educate them, and give them a space to be creative and help develop and realize their dreams, Nipsey Hussle was a man of the people because he was a man who saw what their needs were and took it upon himself to do what he could to help provide opportunities and a platform for others, because at one point in his life, he was looking for someone to give him the same opportunities and guidance. His death has seemed to galvanize the Black community, and this was evidenced by the recent gang truce that happened in the wake of his death. Over the April 7 weekend, hundreds of Crips, Bloods, and members of L.A.’s various Hispanic gangs, all marched through South

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BULLETIN | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

OP-ED

Central together, gathering in front of Nipsey’s Marathon clothing store and standing in solidarity with one another as brothers and sisters in the same struggle, committed to carrying on the legacy of independence and ownership, which was Nipsey’s messaging in the final stages of his young life.

“My recent music is about the reality of the business; the challenges of working for your own business and how to be a Black young successful entrepreneur,” he told Ms. Temesghen.

“I want my music to be an inspiration of individual growth in the economic sector. That is the path I took as I grew up and I want to put it in music. My life is different from when I first came out as a teenager with expressions from the teenage perspective of young men in the streets. Now, as I grew older and became successful in music and business my perspective changed accordingly.

And so my art evolved with it.”

Ms. Temesghen explained to Nipsey in their interview that Eritreans had

t r ans lated his name in their native Semitic language of Tigrigna, to “Nebsi,” which means “self,” and in Eritrean slang terminology, loosely means “homie,” giving his name dual-meaning in the country among Eritrean people: “Self Hustle,” or the “Hustle of Homie.” Ironically, this dual meaning of Nipsey’s stage name in Eritrea, fits perfectly with who

he was back in America: a self-hustling homie whose fearlessness motivated and inspired others to follow his lead and do the same.

(Final Call staff and the Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Courtesy Getty Images Via NPPA

From buying up the block, to creating businesses that employed Black people, aimed to educate them, and give them a space to be creative and help develop and realize their dreams, Nipsey Hussle was a man of the people.

When Cultures Clash in the Classroom, Who Suffers?

Prayers for a Season of Renewal

By Marian Wright Edelman

We are living through trying times as a nation when many are longing for justice.

Sometimes it seems, in the words of poet James Russell Lowell, we are watching “Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne.” But hope comes every

day from the groundswell of people still refusing to accept the forces of hatred, division, greed, and corruption and instead standing up to say we are better than this. The arc of the moral universe is long but it still bends towards justice.

The Passover and Easter holidays are times of joyous sacred celebration in their

faith traditions, with family and community rituals centered on the promises of exodus, deliverance, new hope, and rebirth.

In this season of celebration and renewal I offer prayers for new hope and strength as we keep working to redeem our nation’s soul and save all our children.

** God, guide our faith that by it we might make our children and nation whole again.

God, help us to believe with every ounce of our being that we, with Your help, can save our children and make them well, as You did the woman who said, “If I can only touch his cloak!”

God, renew our spirits—Your spirit within us—and make us worthy carriers of Your message of love and hope and life in all we say and do this day and forever more.

Braggers Magic bullet seekers and sellers and Quitters.

God, send us and help us to be Righteous warriors Moral guerrillas Scut workers Nitty-gritty doers Detail tenders Long-distance runners Energetic tryers Risk takers Sharers Team players Organizers and mobilizers and Servant leaders, to save our children. ** God, please send the right partners for children and the right coworkers for the poor to balance those who speak for powerful adults and their special interest groups.

God, please send new voices for goodness and tolerance to challenge those who teach our children to hate and who prey on our racial, gender and class fears.

God, please bring justice for all of our children who are equally sacred in Your sight. ** Lord, let us exile defeat wrestle despair to the floor throw apathy to the winds and feed depression to the hogs.

Lord, help us to stand up and fight for our children. ** God, protect us and keep us from being Hypocrites Experts Attention hoggers Blamers and complainers Snake oil salespeople Takers and just talkers Lone Rangers Excuse makers Fair weather workers

iStockphoto / NNPA cases, no one is the winner, even though neoBy Barbara D. Parks-Lee, Ph.D., CF, NBCT (ret.) phyte teachers may gain some financial beneNNPA ESSA Awareness Campaign fits, for these teachers, too suffer the PTSD reWhen cultures clash in the classroom, stu- sulting from not knowing how to teach diverse dents, teachers, administrators, parents, and students and the daily chaos of classroom disthe community at large all suffer. Education, order, disrespect, and disaffectedness.

Lowered expectations may cause challengor lack, thereof, can have a ripple effect on every facet of society. Not only are communities es for administrators also, for they face scrutiof color affected but also areas not considered ny about how their schools function on many “minority.” PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Dis- levels, from standardized test results to efficient use of budget to how many expulsions order) is an equal possibility.

Children whose culture and realities are and suspensions their students receive.

They must also contend with trying to devalued are offind substitutes ten, as Gloria Ladson Billings In answer to the question when or replacements for teachers who so aptly excultures clash in the classroom, are absent for pressed, “considwhatever reason. ered as deficient who suffers, we all do! Poorly Their teachers ofwhite children.”

(1999) The chileducated students make for a ten are faced with coverage, which dren she desociety that alienates its young. saps the enthusiscribed may beasm and energy come drop-outs, push-outs, or disaffected trouble makers. of those forced to babysit some other teachThese disaffected students often feel disre- er’s class. In addition, many states are trying spected, misunderstood, and devoid of hope. to meet the dictates of No Child Left Behind Some of them are test-weary and content lack- (NCLB) and the Common Core Curriculum standards with inadequate funding and ing.

When they are continually designated at training for teachers and administrators in “below basic” on standardized tests and their how to implement these mandated legislative culture not understood by teachers and test programs. In the last few years, there has also makers, their behaviors are almost self-ful- been an emphasis on STEM (science, technolfilling prophesies. Often these students suffer ogy, engineering, and math) schools.

Parents suffer when their children are disfrom PTSD as painful and as debilitating as affected and under-educated. Their children any combat soldier.

They encounter the vagaries of the results who are suspended or expelled are left to get of having little affluence and no influence, of into difficulties with the law and court sysphysical and/or emotional abuse, and poor tems. Further, drop-outs and push-outs often educational opportunities offered by a revolv- cannot get jobs and become economic drains ing door of new, career-change, or culturally on not only their families but also on the comunaware teachers getting their OJT (on the munity at large.

So, in answer to the question when culjob training), student loans abated, masters degrees, and housing allowances before mov- tures clash in the classroom, who suffers, we ing on to the suburbs or to becoming the next all do! Poorly educated students make for a national “expert” authors and speakers on ed- society that alienates its young, one that is unucating the urban, rural, or culturally different able to retain skilled and experienced teachers, and a country frustrated with unemployment, child.

These are the children whose apparent under-employment, and an ever-growing culapathy and less than “perfect” behaviors en- ture of violence, fear, and intolerance. Court courage a revolving door of teachers who have systems and privatized prisons, along with the inability to relate to students of different mortuaries, result when the classrooms act as socio-economic or racial differences. In these prep schools for these expensive alternatives.

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BULLETIN | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

HEALTH

Black Women’s Health Imperative Announces Strategic Partnership

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Correspondent

The Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) has announced a strategic partnership with the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. (NCBW) at the NCBW Day of Action and Advocacy in Washington, DC.

T

he multi-year partnership was established to raise awareness of health disparities and solutions, and to provide access to vital healthcare and wellness information that promotes behavioral changes and healthier lifestyles in Black communities, according to a news release.

The Black Women’s Health Imperative is a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing health equity and social justice for Black women, across the lifespan, through policy, advocacy, education, research and leadership development.

The organization identifies the most pressing health issues that affect the nation’s 22 million Black women and girls and invests in the best of the best strategies and organizations that accomplish its goals.

The shared common priorities of BWHI and NCBW to reach the community and other key stakeholders about the health and wellness of Black women created an opportunity to partner nationally, officials said in the news release.

“Our strategic partnerships with progressive and powerful organizations like the National Coalition of 100 Black Women are vital to achieving our mission because they provide the amplification needed to reach more Black women with life-saving information and resources,” said Linda Goler Blount, President & CEO, The Black Women’s Health Imperative.

“Together, we will advance conversation and action around critical health issues, like maternal mortality and

the impact of stress, with full that promote the its agenda on al health and wellness initia- NCBW’s and BWHI partconfidence that our partner- leadership development and tives, including addressing nership” said NCBW Presiship will increase awareness gender equality in the areas heart disease, diabetes, strokes dent Virginia W. Harris. and strengthen our efforts to of health, education and eco- and obesity among Black wom“Together our goal will be improve Black to improve the women’s health “Together our goal will be to improve the African American African Amerand impact polican health stahealth status and reduce health care costs.” icy at the state tus and reduce and federal levhealth care costs NCBW Virginia W. Harris, el,” Blount said. and, this partnerPresident National Coalition of 100 Black Women The National ship will leverage Coalition of 100 Black Women nomic empowerment. en, created an opportunity for and maximize resources by (NCBW) was launched in 1981 The national movement BWHI to provide solutions pooling talent, expertise, and with the mission to advocate has garnered thousands of through evidenced-based pro- resources,” Harris said. on behalf of women of color members who represent 60 gramming and research-drivShe added that the partthrough national and local chapters across 28 states. en policy recommendations. nership will “also improve actions and strategic alliances Several of NCBW’s nation“I am very excited about outreach to stakeholders and

enhance visibility, messaging and minimize duplication of efforts.”

Elements of the partnership will include hosting community health forums in cities across the country, collaborating on advocacy opportunities related to maternal mortality, diabetes, breast cancer and the Affordable Care Act, creating health tool kits for local NCBW chapters, and more.

For more information about The Black Women’s Health Imperative, please visit www.bwhi.org.

Two-Wave U.S. Flu Season Is Now the Longest in a Decade

nearly as bad as last winter’s 19-week season, the deadliest in at least four decades. An estimated 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications last season.

The CDC is estimating that flu-related deaths this season in the range of 35,000 to 55,000.

More good news: Brammer said that although the virus is notoriously unpredictable, signs suggest this flu season should be over soon.

“It’s on the verge” of being over, she said. “If nothing changes.”

By Mike Stobbe

NEW YORK (AP)—Three months ago, this flu season was shaping up to be short and mild in the U.S. But a surprising second viral wave has made it the longest in 10 years.

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his flu season has been officially going for 21 weeks, according to reports collected through last week and released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That makes it among the longest seen since the government started tracking flu flu and its complications. Flu season duration more than 20 vaccinations are recommendyears ago. ed annually for all but the very Some experts likened the young. unusual double waves to havThe current season began ing two different flu seasons the week of Thanksgiving, a compressed, back-to-back, typical start time. At the beinto one. ginning, most illnesses were “I don’t remember a sea- caused by a flu strain that son like this,” said Dr. Arnold tends not to cause as many Monto, a Unihospitalizations versity of Michand which is “I don’t igan researcher more easily who had been controlled by remember studying respivaccines. a season ratory illnesses But in for more than mid-February, like this.”

50 years. a nastier strain The previ- Dr. Arnold Monto, started causing ous longest remore illnessUniversity of cent flu season es and driving was 20 weeks, Michigan up hospitalizawhich occurred tions. researcher in 2014-2015.

Not helping Flu can matters: The harsher bug is cause a miserable, relatively not well matched to the vacmild illness in many people cine, said the CDC’s Lynnette and a more severe illness in Brammer, who oversees flu others. Young children and the tracking. elderly are at greatest risk from Still, this flu season is not

FDA OKs 1st Generic Nasal Spray of Overdose Reversal Drug

By Linda A. Johnson

U.S. regulators have approved the first generic nasal spray version of Narcan, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday OK’d naloxone spray from Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals.

Naloxone has been sold as a nasal spray in the U.S. since 2016 under the brand name Narcan. Pharmacists can dispense it without a prescription. It is also sold as a generic or brand-name drug in automatic injectors, prefilled syringes and vials.

A pack of two Narcan nasal sprays cost about $130 to $150 without insurance. Teva didn’t immediately provide the product’s price or when it will be available; its offices were closed Friday.

More than 47,600 Americans died of opioid overdoses in 2017, a toll that has been rising for two decades.

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BULLETIN | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

NEWS California Unemployment Rate Slightly Increases in March SACRAMENTO (AP)—California’s unemployment rate edged up slightly in March even as the state continued adding jobs, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday.

The rate increased a tenth of a percentage point over February, to 4.3 percent, and is back where it was a year ago.

The state’s employers added 24,500 nonfarm payroll jobs in March, or more than 3.16 million since the economic expansion began in February 2010.

The 108 consecutive months of employment expansion is nearing the longest employment expansion since World War II, said Michael Bernick, the department’s former director and now a fellow at the Milken Institute.

The longest post-war boom lasted 113 months before ending in December 1969.

But Sung Won Sohn, chief economist at the SS Economics consulting firm, warned that “aches and pains associated with the aging economic recovery process are beginning to show up.”

He primarily blamed labor shortages aggravated by the high cost of housing and doing business in the state.

“The state could be running out of potential new workers,” he said in an email. On the upside, lower mortgage rates and an easing of foreign trade tensions could spur continued economic growth.

The construction sector has

gained steadily since 2010 and had the largest increase of 9,400 jobs last month, driven by good weather and lower interest rates on housing.

It was one of nine sectors that together added more than 30,000 jobs in March. The others were professional and business services, man-

ufacturing, educational and health services, information, other services, leisure and hospitality, government, and mining and logging.

Manufacturing gained nearly 5,000 jobs and now stands at 1.3 million—“not bad for a sector that has long been declared dead in Califor-

Court Sets Hearing on Trump Administration’s Asylum Policy

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—A federal appeals court on Wednesday scheduled a hearing over whether to stop the Trump administration from forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their immigration court hearings.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set a hearing for April 24 in San Francisco over whether a lower court ruling to block the policy should go into effect while the case proceeds.

U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg ruled April 8 that the unprecedented policy violated U.S. law and should be halted because it failed to evaluate dangers migrants face in Mexico.

He issued an order to stop the policy, but gave the government time to

appeal, which it did claiming the ruling was erroneous and would endanger the public.

A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit issued a temporary stay last week—leaving the policy in place— and requested written arguments from the government and immigrant advocates before setting the hearing date, now set for next week.

The administration introduced its “Migrant Protection Protocols” policy on Jan. 29 in San Diego and later expanded it to Calexico, California, and El Paso, Texas.

Homeland Security officials have said they planned to sharply expand enforcement along the entire border with Mexico.

Families seeking asylum that typi-

cally would have been released in the U.S. with notices to appear in court, were instead sent back to Mexico to await their hearings.

Eleven Central Americans sued to challenge the policy, arguing it jeopardized asylum seekers by forcing them to stay in Mexico, where crime and drug violence are prevalent.

According to the Mexican government, Central American asylum seekers have been returned to Mexico 1,323 times to await court dates in the U.S. The U.S. stopped returning people to Mexico in the immediate aftermath of Seeborg’s ruling and at least some who reported to court that week were allowed to stay in the United States.

nia,” Bernick said in an email.

Two industries reported job losses. Trade, transportation and utilities dropped 5,800 jobs while the financial sector was down slightly.

California’s jobless rate remained above the national unemployment rate of 3.8 percent.

About 838,000 Californians remained unemployed, up more than 14,000 over February. Nearly 388,000 people were receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits, down slightly from February. There were nearly 40,000 new claims in March, up slightly.

Civilian Oversight Panel Directs the Inspector General to Conduct Inquiry into Secret LASD Subgroups LOS ANGELES—The Tattoo on the left leg of Los Civilian Oversight ComAngeles Deputy Sheriff Samuel mission voted unaniAldama.

In his taped testimony mously Tuesday on a moduring a sworn deposition last tion to direct the Office year, Aldama acknowledged of the Inspector General he got the tattoo in June 2016, (OIG) to conduct an inabout two months before he quiry into secret deputy was involved in the fatal shootsub-groups. The Coming of DontaTaylor.

Aldama mission recognizes the added that more than 10 depuexistence of secret depties at Compton Station at that uty sub-groups in the time, had the same tattoo.

Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department and acknowledges it is a significant problem that requires a proactive and multifaceted response.

“This is an issue that requires bold leadership and action from the Commission,” said Brian K. Williams, Executive Director of the Civilian Oversight Commission.

“We are working to create transparency and accountability within the Sheriff ’s Department, and this is an important step to do just that.”

The oversight panel directed the OIG to conduct an inquiry into the existence of secret deputy sub-groups within the Sheriff ’s Department to determine why, how, and to what end personnel join these groups. The OIG is also directed to determine whether members of these groups engage in conduct that violates Department policy or the law.

“We look forward to this long-awaited inquiry,” said Sean Kennedy, L.A. County Civilian Oversight Commissioner and Executive Director of Center for Juvenile Law & Policy at Loyola Law School. “This is an issue that has been impacting communities for decades, and we are looking forward to the results of this investigation so we can move forward in recommending solutions to this issue.”

At the October 2018 Commission meeting, an ad hoc committee was created to address the issue of secret deputy subgroups in the Sheriff ’s Department. The committee consists of Commissioners Lael Rubin, J.P. Harris and Sean Kennedy as members.

“The ad hoc committee intends to play a significant role in getting to the bottom of the allegations of deputy cliques so we can make appropriate recommendations,” said Civilian Oversight Commissioner Lael Rubin.

A progress report by the Office of Inspector General should be made back to the Civilian Oversight Commission within 90 days.

10

BULLETIN | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

LEGALS T.S. No. 071195-CA APN: 6163019-029 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 1/9/2014. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER On 5/9/2019 at 9:00 AM, CLEAR RECON CORP, as duly appointed trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust recorded 1/16/2014, as Instrument No. 20140050681, , of Official Records in the office of the County Recorder of Los Angeles County, State of CALIFORNIA executed by: LOIDA BARRAGAN, A SINGLE WOMAN. WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH, CASHIER’S CHECK DRAWN ON A STATE OR NATIONAL BANK, A CHECK DRAWN BY A STATE OR FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, OR A CHECK DRAWN BY A STATE OR FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, SAVINGS ASSOCIATION, OR SAVINGS BANK SPECIFIED IN SECTION 5102 OF THE FINANCIAL CODE AND AUTHORIZED TO DO BUSINESS IN THIS STATE: VINEYARD BALLROOM, DOUBLETREE HOTEL LOS ANGELES - NORWALK, 13111 SYCAMORE DRIVE, NORWALK, CA 90650 all right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State described as: MORE FULLY DESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 1201 SOUTH TAMARIND AVENUE COMPTON, CALIFORNIA 90220 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be held, but without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, condition, or encumbrances, including fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust, to pay the remaining principal sums of the note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is: $180,549.92 If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder’s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee, and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned or its predecessor caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the county where the real property is located. NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property.

You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder’s office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law

requires that information about trustee sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call (800) 280-2832 or visit this Internet Web site WWW.AUCTION.COM, using the file number assigned to this case 071195-CA. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Web site.

The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. FOR SALES INFORMATION: (800) 280-2832 CLEAR RECON CORP 4375 Jutland Drive San Diego, California 92117 SchId:75340 AdId:25125 CustId:670 -----------T.S. No. 014703-CA APN: 6162007-004 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 4/6/2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER On 5/23/2019 at 9:00 AM, CLEAR RECON CORP, as duly appointed trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust recorded 4/18/2006, as Instrument No. 2006 0844261, , of Official Records in the office of the County Recorder of Los Angeles County, State of CALIFORNIA executed by: DONALD GREEN, A MARRIED MAN AS HIS SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH, CASHIER’S CHECK DRAWN ON A STATE OR NATIONAL BANK, A CHECK DRAWN BY A STATE OR FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, OR A CHECK DRAWN

BY A STATE OR FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, SAVINGS ASSOCIATION, OR SAVINGS BANK SPECIFIED IN SECTION 5102 OF THE FINANCIAL CODE AND AUTHORIZED TO DO BUSINESS IN THIS STATE: VINEYARD BALLROOM, DOUBLETREE HOTEL LOS ANGELES - NORWALK, 13111 SYCAMORE DRIVE, NORWALK, CA 90650 all right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State described as: MORE FULLY DESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 448 WEST CALDWELL STREET COMPTON, CALIFORNIA 90220 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be held, but without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, condition, or encumbrances, including fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust, to pay the remaining principal sums of the note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is: $415,604.64 If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder’s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee, and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned or its predecessor caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the county where the real property is located. NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that

there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property.

You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder’s office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that information about trustee sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call (800) 280-2832 or visit this Internet Web site WWW.AUCTION.COM, using the file number assigned to this case 014703-CA. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Web site.

The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. FOR SALES INFORMATION: (800) 2802832 CLEAR RECON CORP 4375 Jutland Drive San Diego, California 92117 SchId:75397 AdId:25143 CustId:670 -----------NOTICE Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: 12830 Roselle Ave., Hawthorne, CA, 90250, on May 15th at 2:00 PM.; Rodney Wendi, Assorted household items; Cherrell Butler, Clothes; Laurent Hechmati, boxes, household items, books; Abelardo Munoz, Clothing; Ashley Thomas, Boxes of misc. goods and household items; Maria Lassiter, Household Items; Maurice Lawson, Boxes and misc. items; Dyamond L Daniel, Fridge and boxes; Mitzie Holmes, Totes full of misc household goods, and items; Mia Yarbrough, Futon, couch, 10 boxes of misc. items and household goods; Fredrick Steen, Kitchen appliances, washer, dryer, couches, beds, dressers, household goods; Angora Ingram, Mattress, bed couch, storage bins and boxes; Leticia Bolen, Plastic tubs and mattress; Ashton Alexander, Tv, clothing, and misc. personal items; Howard Edwards, Boxes of misc. and personal items; DeShon Turner, Clothing, personal items, futon and misc.; Gustavo Cerezo, Fridge, misc. home and personal items; Bobby Bryant, clothing, twin mattress, frame. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction.

Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

CN959466 05-15-19 Apr 24, May 1, 2019 SchId:75443 AdId:25158 CustId:65 -----------NOTICE Notice is hereby given that Extra Space Storage will sell at public auction at the storage facility listed below, to satisfy the lien of the owner, personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at

location indicated: 12714 S. La Cienega Blvd, Hawthorne CA 90250, 310-363-9305, on May 15th, 2019 @ 3:00PM. Account, Description of goods: Guzman Maricela, home; Garcia Jose, home; E Wanda Artison, home; Juan Carlos Dubon, House items; Robert Sena, house items; Percy Nichols Jr, house items; E Wanda Artison, home; Michael Frieson, house; Mariana Tavares, Small dresser, night stand and toys and TV; Aisha Herrell, Household and furniture; Dorlisa Thomas, House; Corey James, household items; James Nelson, Home; Willietta Boyd, 1 bed, night stand, tv, stand, drawers, bureau, mirror, 2 night stands, china set, boxes, fridge; Alexis Edwards, Home and furniture; Keith Smith, Home and furniture; Kalia Gabrun, Clothes; Kenya Golden, Catering and home items. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

CN959472 05-15-19 Apr 24, May 1, 2019 SchId:75445 AdId:25159 CustId:65 -----------NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: EDITH LEANNA THOMPSON CASE NO. 19STPB03026 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of EDITH LEANNA THOMPSON. A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by ALFRED B. THOMPSON, JR. in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that ALFRED B. THOMPSON, JR. be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act with limited authority. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 05/17/19 at 8:30AM in Dept. 5 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided

in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner DAVID J. WORKMAN, ESQ. SBN 165891 LAW OFFICE OF DAVID J. WORKMAN 21515 HAWTHORNE BLVD., SUITE 980 TORRANCE CA 90503 4/17, 4/24, 5/1/19 CNS-3243034# THE COMPTON BULLETIN SchId:75451 AdId:25161 CustId:61 -----------SECTION A. NOTICE INVITING SEALED BIDS CITY OF COMPTON PUBLIC MENT

WORKS

DEPART-

“NOTICE INVITING BIDS” SEALED BIDS will be received at the office of the City Clerk, City of Compton, 205 South Willowbrook Avenue, Compton, CA 90220 on or before May 2, 2019 at 3:00 pm, opened and read in the City Clerk’s Office, 205 South Willowbrook Avenue, Compton, CA 90220. The bid package will be available online at www.comptoncity.org on April 17, 2019.

All Bids shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope addressed to: City Clerk, City of Compton 205 South Willowbrook Avenue Compton CA 90220 And marked outside with: “Request for Bids Proposal for ROAD REPAIR SERVICES (POTHOLE REPAIR- REMOVE AND REPLACE)” The proposed work shall be performed in accordance with the contract specifications and other contract documents as specified herein and shall consist of the following general work descriptions: to provide ROAD REPAIR SERVICES (POTHOLE REPAIR - REMOVE AND REPLACE) in the City of Compton. If you need additional information, please contact John Strickland, at (310) 605-5505.

The Agency reserves the right, after opening bids, to reject any or all bids, or to make award to the lowest responsible bidder and reject all other bids; to waive any informality in the bidding; and to accept any bid or portion thereof; and to take all bids under advisement for a period of Ninety (90) calendar days. Bids will be compared on the basis of the engineer’s estimate of the quantities of the several items of work as shown on the Bid Sheets.

Only such plans, specifications, and items of work as are appropriate shall apply to the work as bid.

At the time of contract award, the contractor shall possess a Class A Contractor’s License or a combination of Specialty Contractor’s License(s) adequate to perform the work herein described. All subcontractors shall have equivalent licenses for their specific trades. The contractor and all subcontractors shall have a valid City of Compton business license prior to commencing work.

Each bid must conform and be responsive to this notice and shall be made on the official forms furnished in the Instructions to Bidders. Each bid must be accompanied by a certified or cashier’s check, or by a corporate surety bond on the form furnished by the AGENCY, as a guarantee that the bidder will, if an award is made to him in accordance with the terms of their bid, promptly secure workmen’s compensation insurance and liability insurance, execute a contract in the required form, and furnish satisfactory bonds for the faithful performance of the contract and for the payment of claims of material and laborers thereunder. Said check

or bidder’s bond shall be in an amount not less than 10 percent of the amount of the bid. The Performance Bond shall be not less than 100 percent of the total amount of the bid price named in the contract. The Payment Bond shall be not less than 100 percent of the total amount of the bid price named in the contract.

The AGENCY reserves the right to reject any bond if, in the opinion of the AGENCY Attorney, the Surety’s acknowledgment is not in the form included in the contract documents or in another form substantially as prescribed by law.

Minimum wage rates for this project have been predetermined by the Secretary of Labor. If there is a difference between the minimum wage rates predetermined by the Secretary of Labor and the prevailing wage rates as determined by the State for similar classifications of labor, the Contractor and their subcontractors shall pay not less than the higher wage rate.

In accordance with provisions of Section 1773.2 (amended 1977) of the California Labor Code copies of the prevailing rate of per diem wages as determined by the State Director of Industrial Relations and are available at the California Department of Industrial Relations’ Internet web site at http://www.dir.ca.gov/ DLSR/PWD. Future effective general prevailing wage rates, which have been predetermined and are on file with the California Department of Industrial Relations are referenced but not printed. Copies of the prevailing wage rates are on file with the City and available upon request.

The City of Compton hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, Disadvantaged Business and Women’s Business Enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, creed, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

The Contract Documents call for monthly progress payments based upon the Engineer’s estimate of the percentage of work completed. The AGENCY will retain 5 percent of each progress payment as security for completion of the balance of the work.

At the request and expense of the successful bidder, the City will pay the amounts so retained upon compliance with the requirements of Government Code Section 4590 and the provisions of the Contract Documents pertaining to the Substitution of Securities.

Alita Godwin City Clerk PUBLISH: April 17, 2019 April 24, 2019 May 01, 2019 SchId:75454 AdId:25162 CustId:314 -----------REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) TRUCK MOUNTABLE SPRAY INJECTION ROAD REPAIR MACHINE The City of Compton Public Works Department is soliciting a Request for Proposals (RFP) to companies to supply a Truck Mountable Spray Injection Road Repair Machine.

This RFP describes the proposal format, submittal requirements, preliminary scope of services, project schedule, the minimum information that must be included in the proposal, and the selection process. Failure to submit the Proposal in accordance with the procedures outlined shall be cause for disqualification.

Requirements for this RFP are enclosed. In order to be considered in the selection process, interested parties shall submit 5 copies and one copy on a CD or USB drive of their proposal no later than 3:00 PM, May 2, 2019 to:

11

BULLETIN | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

LEGALS City of Compton City Clerk’s Office 205 South Willowbrook Avenue Compton, CA 90220 Attention: Mr. John Strickland Jr.,Project Manager Late proposals will not be accepted.

Any questions should be directed to: John Strickland Jr. Office Phone: 310.605.5505 Email: jstrickland@comptoncity. org Sincerely, Alita Godwin City Clerk PUBLISH: April 17, 2019 April 24, 2019 May 01, 2019 The Compton City Council reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

SchId:75464 AdId:25165 CustId:314 -----------PUBLIC NOTICE HOUSING ELEMENT WORKSHOP A public meeting to discuss the proposed City of Compton 5th Cycle Housing Element will be held on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 in the Council Chamber Community Room at City Hall, 205 South Willowbrook Avenue 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The public will have the opportunity to provide comments regarding the proposed housing element.

The Housing Element consists of a narrative which describes the purpose of the Housing Element, the requirements of state law, the relationship of the Housing Element to the rest of the General Plan, background information regarding past elements, and current and projects housing needs and conditions. The core of the Housing Element is a series of goals, policies, standards, and implementation measures for the preservation, improvement, and development of housing. It meets details requirements of state housing element law, including requirements for a residential land inventory sufficient to meet the County’s share of the state prescribed housing need.

The update is necessary to comply with state housing element law and to adopt local policy options to meet the documented housing needs.

The draft Housing Element is available for review here: http://www.comptoncity.org/ civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=30636 The public, public agencies and interested organizations are encouraged to attend and to provide comments and suggestions on the scope and content of the housing element.

For more information, contact Robert Delgadillo, Senior Planner at 310-605-5532 or rdelgadillo@comptoncity.org.

ALITA GODWIN, MMC CITY CLERK CITY OF COMPTON SchId:75480 AdId:25170 CustId:314 -----------NOTICE Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: 3846 W. Century Blvd Inglewood, CA 90303 May 15, 2019 at 1 PM. Vernethe Ramirez - furniture and boxes; Mia Kemp - Personal items and furniture; Kelly Moseley - 10x15 unit 2 bedroom; Alvon Blair - Household items; Gwendolyn Williams - Two bedroom house; Auntanish Smith Boxes, 2 couches, crib, fireplace,

toddler bed, game, chair, 2 small dresser, 3 televisons; Arnulfo Munguia - Boxes, clothes, small table; Eddie Stevens - Household Furniture; Devin Packard - Boxes of clothes; Paul Iyere Household goods; Geoff Kabule - Dresser, boxes; Syrea Hicks - Rates, dining table, server; Damon Bias - Personal property and furniture; Rosalie Denby - Boxes, deep fridge; Stephan Land - Duffle bags of clothing. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

CN959514 05-15-19 Apr 24, May 1, 2019 SchId:75491 AdId:25174 CustId:65 -----------NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF DESSIE MARIE CHESTNUT Case No. 19STPB03137 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of DESSIE MARIE CHESTNUT A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Phyllis Chestnut in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Phyllis Chestnut be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on May 3, 2019 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 2D located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Petitioner: Phyllis Chestnut PHYLLIS CHESTNUT 1857 W 41ST PL LOS ANGELES CA 90062 CN959592 CHESTNUT 17,24, May 1, 2019

Apr

SchId:75494 AdId:25175 CustId:65 -----------NOTICE Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: 1017 E El Segundo Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245. May 15th, 2019 at 4:00 pm. Lacy Ostendorf, Household goods; Julienn Walker, Household items; Tara Murray, Household goods; Kiera Lewellyn, Personal property; Andrea Cameron, Household goods, furniture; La Seona Smith, Personal property; Austin Meick, Household items; Albin Reif, Household items; Frank Espinoza, Personal Property; Julian Badillo, Household items.

Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

CN959532 05-15-19 Apr 24, May 1, 2019 SchId:75508 AdId:25181 CustId:65 -----------PUBLIC NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR RFPs Sealed RFPs are invited for: Property Maintenance and Landscaping Services The Successor Agency/City of Compton is soliciting proposals from qualified companies to perform maintenance and landscaping services for Successor Agency and Housing Successor Agency owned vacant lots located at various locations throughout the City.

RFP deadline- RFP submissions should be received no later than 3:00 pm, May 8, 2019 at the City of Compton City Clerk’s Office at 205 S. Willowbrook Avenue, Compton, CA 90220.

RFP information may be obtained on the City’s website as of Wednesday April 24, 2019.

Contact Leslie NacionalesTafoya Administrative Analyst at 310605-5697 or lnacionalestafoya@ comptoncity.org for any inquiries.

ALITA GODWIN CITY CLERK SchId:75556 AdId:25200 CustId:314 -----------NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: FRED W. SPOONER CASE NO. 19STPB02654 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of FRED W. SPOONER. A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by NATHANIEL WILLIS in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that NATHANIEL WILLIS be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act . (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 05/31/19 at 8:30AM in Dept. 29 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing.

Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner JAMES A. DIAMOND SBN 118484 DAVIDSON RUSS & DIAMOND 1875 W REDONDO BEACH BLVD. SUITE 301 GARDENA CA 90247 4/24, 5/1, 5/8/19 CNS-3246124# THE COMPTON BULLETIN SchId:75561 AdId:25202 CustId:61 -----------NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE (Division 6 of the Commercial Code) Escrow No. L- 037087-MK (1) Notice is hereby given to creditors of the within named Seller(s) that a bulk sale is about to be made on personal property hereinafter described.

(2) The name and business addresses of the seller are: ARTESIA DISCOUNT, INC, 1241 E. ARTESIA BLVD., COMPTON, CA 90221 (3) The location in California of the chief executive office of the Seller is: (4) The name and business address of the Buyer(s) are: SAM SARANG, INC, 1241 E. ARTESIA BLVD., COMPTON, CA 90221 (5) The location and general description of the assets to be sold are: FURNITURE, FIXTURE & EQUIPMENT, COVENANT NOT TO COMPETE, GOODWILL, TRADENAME, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER of that certain business located at: 1241 E. ARTESIA BLVD., COMPTON, CA 90221 (6) The business name used by the seller(s) at said location is: ARTESIA DISCOUNT (7) The anticipated date of the bulk sale is MAY 10, 2019, at the office of TOWER ESCROW INC, 3600 WILSHIRE BLVD, #426, LOS ANGELES, CA 90010, Escrow No. L-037087-MK, Escrow Officer: MARTHA KIM (8) Claims may be filed with Same as “7” above.

(9) The last date for filing claims is: MAY 9, 2019 (10) This Bulk Sale is subject to Section 6106.2 of the Uniform Commercial Code.

(11) As listed by the Seller, all other business names and addresses used by the Seller within three years before the date such list was sent or delivered to the Buyer are: NONE Dated: MARCH 8, 2019 TRANSFEREES: SAM SARANG, INC, A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION LA2251210 COMPTON BULLETIN 4/24/2019

SchId:75581 AdId:25208 CustId:628 -----------NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE AND OF INTENTION TO TRANSFER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE LICENSE(S) (UCC Sec. 6105 et seq. and B & P 24073 et seq.)

Escrow No. 19-2076-JC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a bulk sale of assets and a transfer of alcoholic beverage license(s) is about to be made.

The name(s) and business address(es) of the Seller(s)/ Licensee(s) are: JOGINDER SINGH JOHAL AND DALBIR KAUR JOHAL, 1750 CLARK AVENUE, LONG BEACH, CA 90815 Doing Business as: CLARK LIQUOR MART All other business names(s) and address(es) used by the Seller(s)/Licensee(s) within the past three years, as stated by the Seller(s)/Licensee(s), is/are: NONE The name(s) and address of the Buyer(s)/Applicant(s) is/ are: HAPPY DHOOR 6 INC, 1750 CLARK AVENUE, LONG BEACH, CA 90815 The assets being sold are generally described as: FURNITURE, FIXTURES, EQUIPMENT, TOOLS, GOODWILL, TRADENAME, LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS, LEASEHOLD INTERESTS, ALL TRANSFERABLE PERMITS AND LICENSES, AND ALL INVENTORY OF STOCK IN TRADE and is/are located at: 1750 CLARK AVENUE, LONG BEACH, CA 90815 The type of license(s) and license no(s) to be transferred is/ are: OFFSALE GENERAL 21552249, And are now issued for the premises located at: SAME The bulk sale and transfer of alcoholic beverage license(s) is/ are intended to be consummated at the office of: ACE ESCROW INC, 6871 BEACH BLVD, BUENA PARK, CA 90621 and the anticipated sale/transfer date is MAY 23, 2019 The purchase price or consideration in connection with the sale of the business and transfer of the license, is the sum of $400,000.00, including inventory estimated at $120,000.00, which consists of the following: DESCRIPTION, AMOUNT: CASH $200,000.00, CHECK $200,000.00, ALLOCATIONSUB TOTAL $400,000.00, ALLOCATION TOTAL $400,000.00 It has been agreed between the Seller(s)/Licensee(s) and the intended Buyer(s)/Applicant(s), as required by Sec. 24073 of the Business and Professions code, that the consideration for transfer of the business and license is to be paid only after the transfer has been approved by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Dated: 04/18/2019 JOGINDER SINGH JOHAL AND DALBIR KAUR JOHAL, Seller(s)/ Licensee(s) HAPPY DHOOR 6 INC, Buyer(s)/Applicant(s) LA2250813 LONG BEACH CALIFORNIAN 4/24/2019 SchId:75586 AdId:25210 CustId:628 -----------NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE (Secs. 6104, 6105 U.C.C.) Escrow No. 00591225-021-DS7 Notice is hereby given to creditors of the within named Seller that a Bulk Sale is about to be made of the assets described below.

The names and business addresses of the Seller are: DONG SHIN LEE, 3404 EAST 4TH STREET, LONG BEACH, CA 90814 The location in California of the chief executive office of the Seller is: 648 CORONADO AVE., STE A, LONG BEACH, CA 90814 As listed by the Seller, all other business names and addresses used by the Seller within three years before the date such list was sent or delivered to the buyer are: NONE The names and addresses of the Buyer are: COLOSSUS LLC, 340 MIRAMAR AVENUE, LONG BEACH, CA 90814 The assets to be sold are described in general as: FURNITURE, FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT and are located at: 3404 EAST 4TH STREET, LONG BEACH, CA 90814 The business name used by the seller at that location is: FRANCELLI’S The anticipated date of the Bulk Sale is MAY 10, 2019 at the office of: TICOR TITLE COM-

PANY OF CALIFORNIA, 1500 QUAIL STREET 3RD FLOOR, NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92660.

The bulk sale is subject to California Uniform Commercial Code Section 6106.2.

If so subject, the name and address of the person with whom claims may be filed is: Darleen Sweet, ,TICOR TITLE COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA, 1500 QUAIL STREET, 3RD FLOOR, NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92660 and the last date for filing claims shall be MAY 9, 2019, which is the business day prior to the sale date specified above.

IN WITNESSS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this document on the date(s) set forth below.

Dated: 4/17/2019 COLOSSUS LLC, a California Limited Liability Company LA2252846 LONG BEACH CALIFORNIAN 4/24/2019 SchId:75590 AdId:25212 CustId:628 -----------NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF GWENDOLYN ROBERTS aka GWENDOLYN R. ROBERTS Case No. 19STPB03704 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of GWENDOLYN ROBERTS aka GWENDOLYN R. ROBERTS A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Roslyn R. Roberts in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Roslyn R. Roberts be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on May 20, 2019 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 2D located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for petitioner: KELLI C STANFORD ESQ SBN 201882 LAW OFFICES OF KELLI C STANFORD 319 EAST HILLCREST BLVD INGLEWOOD CA 90301 CN959740 ROBERTS Apr 24, May 1,8, 2019 SchId:75591 AdId:25213 CustId:65

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BULLETIN | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

ENTERTAINMENT John Singleton of ‘Boys N the Hood’ Hospitalized with Stroke

By Staff Reports

N

IMDb

EW YORK (AP)—“Boyz N the Hood” director John Singleton suffered a stroke last week and remains hospitalized, according to his family.

Additional details, including his condition, were not immediately available.

In a statement released Saturday, Singleton’s family announced that the 51-yearold filmmaker was in ICU and “under great medical care.”

“On Wednesday, April 17th our beloved son/father, John Singleton, suffered a stroke while at the hospital,” the statement reads. “We ask that privacy be given to him and our family at this time and appreciate all of the prayers that have been pouring in from his fans, friends and colleagues.”

Author Neil deGrasse Tyson and actor Omar Epps have been among those tweeting wishes Saturday for a quick recovery.

Singleton became the first black filmmaker to receive an Oscar nomination when he was cited for his debut feature, “Boyz N the Hood,” set in his native Los Angeles and released in 1991. His other films include “Poetic Justice,” which starred Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur, and “Rosewood.” Singleton’s recent projects include the TV series “Snowfall,” a crime drama set in 1980s Los Angeles.

‘Jeffersons,’ ‘All in the Family’ Rebooted for Live Special

LOS ANGELES (AP)—“All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” are coming back to TV, live and for one night only.

Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Foxx and Wanda Sykes will star in re-creations of episodes from the influential sitcoms born in the 1970s.

Norman Lear, who created “All in the Family” and its spinoff “The Jeffersons,” and Jimmy Kimmel are hosting the ABC prime-time special airing next month, the network said Thursday.

Harrelson and Tomei will play Archie and Edith Bunker, with Foxx and Sykes as George and Louise Jefferson. Ellie Kemper, Justina Machado and Will Ferrell also will appear, ABC said, with more stars to be announced.

The original shows starred Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton as the blue-collar Bunkers, and Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford as the upwardly mobile Jeffersons.

People say “these two shows were meant for the

‘70s and would not work today,” Lear said in a statement. “We disagree with them and are here to prove, with two great casts depicting ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons,’ the timelessness of human nature.”

Ferrell, Lear and ABC latenight host Kimmel are among the executive producers of “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons.”’ Sitcom veteran James Burrows will direct the 90-minute special.

“All in the Family” was a TV groundbreaker when it debuted in 1971, using comedy as a vehicle to explore racism, women’s rights and other hot-button issues. “The Jeffersons” (1975-85), about a successful black family in a largely white world, featured the TV rarity of an interracial couple.

Lear, 96, was an executive producer on a recently canceled Netflix reboot of another of his hit series, the 1975-84 “One Day at a Time.”

Lorraine Toussaint: Veteran Actress Talks ‘The Village’ and Brooklyn

By Nsenga K. Burton Ph.D., NNPA Newswire Contributor

Lorraine Toussaint has plans. The SAG award-winner and NAACP Image award nominee that has an acting career that spans more than thirty years, is starring as Patricia on NBC’s mid-season replacement “The Village,” a show about a motley crew of residents living in a building in Brooklyn with interconnected lives.

Filling the time slot of NBC’s mega hit “This Is Us,” “The Village” features an ensemble cast made up of a “who’s who” of television stars (Dominic Chianese, Frankie Faison, Moran Atias, Michaela McManus, Jerod Haynes, Grace Van Dien, Warren Christie and Daren Kagasoff) working together to convey the story of a “family” supporting each other as their lives unfold.

T

oussaint, whose career began on the stage, worked for many years in television as a guest star on iconic television shows like “Law & Order,” “Crossing Jordan” and “Ugly Betty.” In recent years, Toussaint has moved from the margins to the center of the drama, most notably as inmate Vee on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, which earned Toussaint a Critic’s Choice TV award.

Driven, Toussaint currently stars in season three of AMC’s “Into the Badlands,” and recently wrapped filming of Julie Taymor’s film, The Glorias, where she plays feminist icon and civil rights legend Flo Kennedy.

Toussaint is an actress who has had the opportunity to play a wide variety of roles, from a concerned mother on “Rosewood,” to a futuristic prophetess on “The Badlands” to civil rights activist Amelia Boynton (Robinson) in Ava Duvernay’s film Selma. When discussing how she chooses characters while promoting “The Village” at SCAD’s aTVfest, Toussaint talks about the journey from taking roles you can actually get to actively deciding to be brave and bold in her choices.

“You know, there’s a point in your career where you take whatever you can get. And then, early on in my career, I realized, oh, I don’t want to do that. I actually want to do certain kinds of roles,” says the Trinidadian born actress. “You then begin to be brave enough to begin to say

Lorraine Toussant (left) and Frankie Faison star in NBC’s “Brooklyn.” Toussaint is proud to bring this type of relationship to television – one with older black people loving each other and their neighbors unconditionally.

no to certain things. And then there comes a ribbean representation,” Toussaint oftime, when you reach a point in your career fers. “I wanted to make sure that Mike Daniels where you intuitively choose certain kinds of (showrunner) brought that culture into the work. I’m so pleased to be at that point and that show which you see in Season One.” Toussaint I’m still relevant,” she adds. incorporates her upbringing and Trinidadian Toussaint spent the first 12 years of her actculture into the character of Patricia when ing career on stage, honing her craft and getting bringing her to life. the proper training to ensure a long career. In “It’s something about the way in which I addition to training, Toussaint says she figured was raised and having been self-governed,” out that how she Toussaint reflects. chose roles was “Coming from Coming from a country that as important a country that is as getting them self-governed, is self-governed, where I was or just getting where I was never never a minority, I didn’t a paycheck. a minority, I didn’t “When you’re up knowing grow up knowing myself to be grow well past 50, myself to be a heading to 60, minority of any a minority of any kind, as a you reflect on kind, as a woman woman or as a woman of color. or as a woman your career. I’ve gotten brave of color. I came again,” says Toussaint. “I don’t care so much from these Amazonian black women, and we about how it looks or what anybody thinks never measured ourselves against white people about it anymore. I’m really going by my own because they weren’t a thought,” Toussaint states inner barometer, my own moral compass, my matter-of-factly when discussing her childhood. own creative impulses, and that feels good,” Toussaint brings this perspective into her adds the Brooklyn bred thespian. character whose life is interconnected with the “The Village,” which takes place in Brooklyn, others in the house including a single mother, is a homecoming for Toussaint, who got the call a veteran, a law school student and a nurse to while filming “Into the Badlands,” in Ireland. name a few. Their struggles involve everything “You can’t be in Brooklyn and not have Cafrom PTSD to immigration to teen pregnancy,

but they manage to get through it. Patricia is one half of an older, black couple who are still in love and still helping to guide and support their makeshift family. Patricia and Ron (Faison) work together to ensure the family remains intact.

“We [Black Women] are so many things and we aren’t often allowed to show all of those qualities on TV,” Toussaint muses. “This show is different. I play a black mama but I am allowed to be vulnerable, sexy, right, wrong and that’s why she’s interesting. She’s familiar yet different.”

Familiarity yet difference is what makes “The Village” special. “It feels easy and relatable,” says Toussaint. When asked what she wants audiences to get from this show, the enduring actress ponders momentarily. “I want audiences to wish they lived in this building or in this community. I want people to realize it actually takes small gestures to reach out to someone where they are in order to create a little village of your own.”

Toussaint is part of a larger village of black actresses with staying power and the ability to move between television and film in a variety of roles.

In an industry that can be fickle and brutal, particularly when it comes to women and women of color, Toussaint’s longevity is remarkable.

“I always knew I was going to be a long-distance runner in this business,” Toussaint quips.