October 27, 2016 

By Brandon I. Brooks Managing Editor

and Jennifer Bihm Assistant Editor 

Donning hard hats and safety vests on October 20, city leaders, county leaders and Metro officials invited the press underground to celebrate and spread the word about the progress that “Harriet”, the tunnel boring machine is making toward the opening of the Leimert Park Station along the future Crenshaw/ LAX rail line. A project that has been “a long time coming”, they said. Set to officially open in 2019, the group touted the station as an economic boon to Leimert Park and its surrounding communities. It has already provided and will continue to provide jobs and facilitate transportation allowing people to explore opportunities outside of their neighborhood.

“It is fitting today that we wait for Harriet to come through because the residents of this community have been waiting a long time,” said Mayor Garcetti appointee and Metro board member, Jackie Dupont-Walker, acknowledging the appropriateness of the machine being named for abolitionist and leader of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman and remembering long time community activist, the late Brenda Marsh-Mitchell.

“A few years ago it was only a dream but look at this construction site. We know the vision and the dream are becoming reality. I can’t imagine enough the importance of mobility in this region and especially in this neighborhood where Angelenos need the opportunity to climb the economic ladder, whether it’s getting to school on time, getting to work, going to church or anywhere in the county; going to the doctor, just getting around…”

Harriet was lowered into the ground under the future Crenshaw/ Expo Station last winter and began digging to the South in April, according to Metro. It reached the Martin Luther King Jr. Station in August and began excavating the last segment of the one mile tunnel in September.

“Many of us were here in the winter when Harriet was lowered into the ground about a mile from here, recalled Metro Board Chairman John Fasana. 

“She has since excavated an amazing 141,000 cubic yards of soil.”

The project, along with other  transportation improvements and upgrades, is indicative Fasana explained, of Metro’s diligent stewardship of Los Angeles County’s tax  dollars.

“Metro is taking full advantage of Measure R” he said of the half cent sales tax approved by Los Angeles County voters to finance new transportation projects and programs, and accelerate those already in the pipeline.

“And you can see the results. They are tangible but more work needs to be done. We need the support of the public to keep this transformation alive. “

Joining Fasana and Walker, were some of the  county’s most staunch advocates for the Leimert Park Station, including Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, congresswomen Maxine Waters and Karen Bass, Los Angeles City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, State Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas and Metro CEO Phil Washington.

Sebastian Ridley, who was acknowledged as a “strong advocate” for the project, did not speak at the conference.

His father Mark however, was at no loss for words as he stood to laud the project and to explain its significance.

“The very thought of a rail stop in the center of Los Angeles’ African American community and culture right here in Leimert Park was no more than a dream. But we fought very hard, very diligently all over the region, not just here in Leimert Park but from one end of the region to the next,” he said.

“We celebrate a ride that will soon connect the airport, the South Bay and South Los Angeles with the rest of our growing transit system. I’m proud of the commitment to this job getting done right. The Crenshaw line shows that investments in transportation can be a catalyst for community and economic benefit…”

For her part, Bass echoed the others’ sentiments, being sure to emphasize how the project is bringing jobs and new opportunities to the area. She took a moment during her speech to reflect on the late Congressman Julian Dixon, who led the way in ensuring that the community could get funding for improvements.

“In his memory, when we finally break ground and cut the ribbon for the opening of the station, we need to remember the work that went into this many, many years ago,” she said.

“I pass here of course, all of the time. But, I had no idea what was going on beneath the ground level,” said Bass’ fellow congresswoman, Maxine Waters.

“To get on an elevator and to come down here, helps me to understand that the vision for this project, was absolutely extraordinary. This is so important to this entire region. This important station will provide access to a vibrant center of African American culture.”

Waters said she was “proud” to see that the Crenshaw/ LAX Corridor project received $20 million Federal grant from the Transportation Investment Economic Recovery program, one she strongly supported.

Harris- Dawson said he hopes the new station will be a destination for all of Los Angeles and that people coming from the airport will see Leimert Park as a “place they want to be.”

Daniel P. Walsh , president of Walsh Shea Construction, whose workers are heading up the Crenshaw/LAX project, assured the audience that they are “working hand-in-hand with Metro to get it done on time.”

Ensuring that the company would make good on that promise, Metro CEO Phil Washington asked him to sign a resolution, saying that they would complete the project by 2019 or possibly sooner.

Because, he said, “this is a transportation revolution. Metro is the custodian of the valuable tax payer dollars and we take this role very seriously. This is an additional 455,000 jobs. It is the creation of a new middle class. It is reaching out to the communities to make sure that young people have the skills to work on transportation infrastructure.

It’s keeping fares affordable for seniors and the disabled, for students, for returning veterans, for ex-felons.”

After the resolution signing, those in attendance witnessed Harriet boring another hole, making her way further through the tunnel.

October 20, 2016 

By Lauren Victoria Burke 

NNPA Newswire Contributor 

The Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) and the Unity’16 Campaign of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) recently announced a nationwide “Get Out the Vote” campaign. BWR is the women and girls empowerment arm of The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.

A plan called "State of Emergency #PoweroftheSisterVote" will focus attention on key battleground states in the race for the White House.  Those states include Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and Florida. The goal of the campaign is to maximize the African American voter turnout for November 8.

The three-week push will include several “get out the vote”activities in the above states.  The volatility of the election cycle that has given rise to a reality TV star and real estate mogul, Donald Trump, has made the turnout strategies for both parties of vital importance. No one expects the turnout percentage to be what it was in 2008 and 2012 when a historic candidate like Barack Obama, was on the top of the ticket.

To complicate the effort further, there has been a noteworthy “enthusiasm gap” between the Clinton campaign and the Trump campaign, with Trump speaking to consistently larger crowds than his competitors and Clinton sticking with relatively safe talking points on her stops. Even though (BWR) and the Unity’16 Campaign effort is non-partisan, the constituencies targeted in their campaign are African Americans likely to vote for Democratic candidates — particularly with Donald Trump on the scene. 

President Obama's back-to-back victories showed the power of minority voters. Soon after President Obama was elected, new voter ID laws popped up in states with Republican Governors and legislatures.

Political analysts wonder if the same constituencies will turnout at the same levels as they did four and eight years ago.  African American women have maintained the highest voting percentage of any group in the American electorate for the last two presidential cycles.  

“Black women are a powerful force when it comes to getting our families and friends out to vote and we are the ‘secret sauce’ to who gets elected to the White House, Congress, state and local elections,” said Melanie Campbell, the convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable.  “We are working to encourage our millennial Black women to take the lead in ensuring that they use peer-to-peer interaction to encourage young people to vote and to get their communities to vote.”

In lieu of new laws that make it harder to vote implemented over the years, voter suppression will be a key focus. 

“It is vital for Black millennials to seize our voting power in order to hold elected officials accountable to win on the issues we care including criminal justice and policing reform,” said Tamika Mallory, a board member of Justice League NYC. 

The “get out the vote” efforts will include four town halls:

Georgia, North Carolina – October 17-23

Ohio, North Carolina, Alabama – October 23-29

Florida, North Carolina – October 30-November 5

Virginia & Pennsylvania – Blitz Weekends – October 30 and November 5

A detailed calendar can be found at www.unitycampaign.org.

Lauren Victoria Burke is a political analyst who speaks on politics and African American leadership. She can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and on Twitter at @LVBurke.

October 20, 2016 

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR 

Facing new challenges to a legacy law, the Obama administration on Wednesday set modest expectations for the president's final health care sign-up season. The biggest worry: rising premiums and dwindling choices.

Some 13.8 million people are expected to sign up for 2017 coverage, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said. That would be an increase of a bit less than 9 percent from the 12.7 million who picked plans during open enrollment for this year.

This year is shaping up to be the most difficult sign-up season since HealthCare.gov launched in 2013 and the computer system froze up. But technology isn't the issue this time. Premiums are going up by double digits in many communities, and some major insurers have left the program, leaving consumers with fewer choices next year.

The administration says taxpayer-provided subsidies designed to rise alongside premiums will cushion most of the pocketbook impact. About 85 percent of customers get financial help. And for those policyholders whose insurer bailed out, the government is automatically matching them to another carrier’s plan. It’s up to the consumer whether or not to accept the match or keep shopping.

Officials say returning customers will notice a smoother, more informative website, making it easier to compare plans. Those who are satisfied with their current plans don’t need to do anything; they’ll be automatically renewed.

Finally, the administration is ramping up outreach, with a particular goal of enticing younger, healthier people to enroll. Expect pitches on social media platforms, email and television and radio as well as direct mail.

And the IRS will play a supporting role with a not-too-subtle nudge. Later this fall, the tax agency will play a supporting role with a not-too-subtle nudge. Later this fall, the tax agency will send letters to people who did not get the minimum coverage required by the health care law. They'll be reminded that going without insurance risks a fine from the IRS, and the basic penalty is now $695.

Some independent analysts say even a 9 percent sign-up increase will be a heavy lift.

Burwell asserted that the health care law’s insurance markets are strong and offer a product that people want and need. But she also acknowledged “that doesn’t mean the road has been perfectly smooth,” and the markets face “a transition period.”

Burwell criticized Republicans for their unyielding opposition, saying “at nearly every turn, we’ve had to overcome partisan attempts to repeal and undermine the law through legislation and litigation.” She called on Congress to cooperate on proposed fixes, such as a government-sponsored “public option” to promote competition.

Going into its fourth sign-up season, President Barack Obama's health care law has yet to achieve stability. Enrollment has been lower than initially projected; insurers say patients turned out to be sicker than expected, and a complex internal system to help stabilize premiums did not work as intended, partly because of actions by congressional Republicans.

The law makes carrying health insurance a legal obligation for most people, and prohibits insurers for turning away the sick. It offers subsidized private plans to people who don’t have coverage through their jobs, along with a state option to expand Medicaid for low-income people. Largely as a result, the nation’s uninsured rate has dropped below 9 percent, a historically low level. More than 21 million people have gained coverage since the law passed in 2010.

The 13.8 million enrollment goal announced Wednesday actually represents an annual high-water mark. The initial sign-up number typically gets winnowed down by dropouts and people who find other coverage. For example, the initial number reached 12.7 million this year. But HHS said Wednesday that enrollment averaged 10.4 million people through the end of June, which works out to attrition of about 18 percent.

The administration is hoping for a strong sign-up season to validate the president's signature program, and for a victory by Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential election to shut down the Republican campaign for its repeal. Clinton has outlined steps she'd take to build enrollment and sweeten subsidies for consumers.

Sign-up season doesn’t start until Nov. 1, but previously window shopping has been available about a week earlier on HealthCare.gov, now used by 39 states. That should be the case again.

Depending on availability, consumers will have a new option of picking “Simple Choice” plans. These are plans that have fixed deductibles and standard copayments, making it easier to compare premiums and provider networks.

Open enrollment ends Jan. 31. Consumers who want their coverage to take effect with the new year must act by Dec. 15.

HHS this year changed the way it presents its enrollment goal. Previously, Burwell had focused on the number of customers expected to still be covered at the end of a given year. But the new target reflects initial sign-ups, before attrition.

Officials told reporters they did not move the goal posts. “We are using what we believe is a more meaningful metric,” said Kathryn E. Martin, HHS acting assistant secretary for planning and evaluation.