December 13, 2018
By Lauren A. Jones
Contributing Writer
Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer announced a $37.3 million grant that will be allocated to youth reinvestment initiatives outside the Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper surrounded by youth, community, faith and education leaders, Rams’ players and members of the LAPD on Tuesday.
“The turnout was fantastic we had about 80 community-based agencies from San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles County all here to show appreciation for 37.3 million that's being funneled into our communities to prevent young people from going into the criminal justice system,” declared Khalid Shaw, chairman of the Regional Violence Prevention Coalition and executive director of Stop the Violence Increase the Peace Foundation.
The grant’s mission is to assess the undiagnosed injuries and trauma at-risk youth face and combat it by implementing practices that prevent this population from entering the criminal justice system. By design, the grant will support programs like Stop the Violence Increase the Peace Foundation and Rising Stars Business Academy, which provide alternatives to incarceration, detention, and arrest.
“The more funds we have, it just means the more resources we have,” remarked Alicia Berridge, founder and executive director of the Rising Stars Business Academy. “With this particular grant, it will finally get back to where it really needs to go, to the right communities and the right organizations that are out making a difference.”
Prior to the press conference, many of the constituents gathered to fellowship and share ideas on how to continue the work their respective organizations are doing to positively impact the community.
Collaborators Danny Bakewell Jr., executive editor of the L.A. Sentinel and L.A. Watts Times Newspapers; Johnathan Franklin, L.A. Rams Community Affairs and Engagement; Dennis Kato, LAPD Deputy Chief; and Assemblymember Mike Gibson, all took to the podium to share words of encouragement as to how this grant will effect change in Black and Brown communities especially.
“We want to support the youth; we want to elevate communities,” Franklin stated of the L.A. Rams and cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters who joined him. “This grant can really transform the landscape of Los Angeles providing hope where it doesn't exist, while maintaining it where it does.”
Talib expressed how he felt a personal connection to providing healthy options for youth in underserved communities.
“I grew up in areas just like where these kids come from, we both did,” Talib said of he and Peters.
“As an organization, it's such a huge opportunity to support our community as it's bigger than just football and use the momentum that we have on the field to provide that reassurance that we are here [for the community],” Franklin added.
Following the press conference, Franklin, Talib, and Peters engaged in a round table discussion led by American civil rights activist and chairman of Bakewell media Danny Bakewell Sr. A candid conversation transpired about ways each man’s personal experiences growing up compelled them to give back and find ways to continue to improve the current climate for the next generation.
“For me to sit in the room with those men, cleared up any ambiguity about our seriousness with this program and moving forward,” said Dwayne Frampton, CEO of Framp Camp Incentivise Program. “With the help of everybody coming together as a collective I think we'll be fine.”
Recipients of the grant will create new vessels to improve the lives of youth through media literacy and social awareness platforms among other strategies, while sustaining the current programs that have helped young people attain success instead of bars.
December 06, 2018
LAWT News Service
This week, Supervisor Janice Hahn assumed the Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. The chair is a rotating role and Supervisor Hahn will hold the position for one year. Supervisor Kathryn Barger became the Board’s Chair Pro Tem.
After assuming the chair, Supervisor Hahn gave short remarks on the significance of the role.
Transcript of remarks:
When I was born in 1952, my dad was already planning his run for the Board of Supervisors. My mom said when she brought me home from the hospital, the living room was essentially a campaign headquarters.
I basically grew up in this County family. So today becoming the chair and the face of this County is a poignant moment for me.
We often remind people that LA County is the biggest county in the nation — bigger than all but eight states. It puts in perspective the massive operation that we are charged with running, but it doesn’t capture what makes Los Angeles County great: the people who dedicate their careers to working here and the spirit with which they do their work every day.
Like the firefighters and sheriff’s deputies who worked days and nights on end battling the Woolsey Fire and getting people out of harm’s way.
Or the County Nurses and Doctors who give every patient the best treatment available regardless of their income or whether they can afford insurance.
Or the mental health professionals on the START Team who are preventing school shootings by intervening at the first sign of trouble and putting a student back on track for success.
Or the caseworkers and outreach workers across County departments who have helped lift 10,000 people out of homelessness and into permanent housing in just 15 months using Measure H funding.
And of course the men and women who work on our staffs here at the Hall of Administration and our field offices, connecting constituents with services they might need and going above and beyond to help.
100,000 people work for LA County and they are the backbone of what makes this County extraordinary. I will never forget that.
This doesn’t mean we don’t have our fair share of problems. But I know we are ready to meet each big challenge with an even bigger solution.
I am inspired by the Heads of each of our Departments! You never say never, you face each obstacle like a challenge you have been dared to overcome, and you make this County as daring as it needs to be to solve problems no one else has even attempted! When I see you at work it puts a smile on my face. You are so good at what you do. You are experts in your fields—and we are so lucky to have you.
I am also inspired by the women and the man up here on the dais beside me.
Supervisor Solis, you have broken glass ceilings your entire career both in Los Angeles and in Washington and now you are a role model for latinas across the nation to look to. You are fierce champion for your constituents and always remind us how the policies we decide here impact our undocumented residents. I know we are both happy to have left Washington DC and be back in LA, but it is a thrill for me to serve beside a presidential cabinet member and when anyone asks I always tell them you are my favorite Supervisor.
Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas — Our most senior member of the board. You have a reputation for taking on the toughest but most necessary work and I will always be appreciative that you allowed me to coauthor the motion to put Measure H on the ballot during my very first meeting as a Supervisor. Your leadership, especially on the issue of tackling our homelessness crisis, has been so essential You make us a better, more courageous board. PLUS — you have been a great seatmate at these board meetings and somehow always find a way to make me smile. Shh don’t tell the others — but you are by far my favorite.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl —Thank you for bringing a little sparkle to our weekly meetings! You are an unwavering progressive voice on this board and an advocate for equality for all people regardless of sexuality or gender identity. Your confidence is undeniable and you are a force to be reckoned with! Plus, when people ask me if you’re my favorite I say OF COURSE! I can’t believe I get to serve with Zelda!
And last but not least… my Chair Pro Tem — Kathryn Barger. Who better to fill the role than my favorite Supervisor! And not only are you well-liked on this board, you have a reputation among all of our staff for being kind and approachable. You were a staffer yourself and you know this County and this role so well. You are an asset to this Board and I am so glad that you will be my Chair Pro Tem.
At the most basic level, being chair means running our weekly meetings and ensuring that the residents who take time out of their days to join us not only feel heard — but are heard. Our decisions are only improved by the information we receive from the people who are most impacted by them. I take this responsibility very seriously and it will be my goal to ensure we are not only as accessible as possible, but as transparent as possible to the people who hold us accountable.
These are trying times in this country but I continue to believe that L.A. County is a model for the nation, and that this board in particular, is a model of governance.
Thank you all for your support — and I am looking forward to the upcoming year.
December 06, 2018
LAWT News Service
Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson announced Monday in a fundraising e-blast that he is looking to become the next 2nd District Los Angeles County Supervisor in 2020. Wesson is looking to replace departing Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who faces term limits in two years.
“After discussing with my wife, Fabian, and our sons, we are excited to continue the progress we have begun in my time in the Assembly and Los Angeles City Council, I am asking you to join me in these early stages of my campaign because you know where I stand,” Wesson said. “I have always prioritized making Los Angeles a better place to live, work and raise a family.”
The announcement included the launch of a campaign website and a 2020 Twitter page.
In an exclusive interview with the Sentinel, Wesson and his campaign consultant John Shallman spoke about his desire to be the next Supervisor of Los Angeles.
“I have an incurable desire to serve, said Wesson” “It's my passion. This campaign is not about me, it's about we, it's about us. And I am proud of my record fighting for social justice, investing in education and economic opportunity for our community. I am looking forward to meeting residents, listening to their concerns and working together to improve the quality of life for all of our families."
“Council President Wesson has been a passionate progressive local leader fighting for our most vulnerable--our seniors, our children and the homeless community,” said Shallman. “His experiences as Chief of Staff for LA County Supervisor Burke, as Speaker of the California State Assembly and as LA City Council President make him uniquely qualified to serve the diverse communities and people of the 2nd Supervisorial District.”
Wesson is not the only one considering a run for the Ridley-Thomas seat. Former City Councilwoman Jan Perry, and California State Senator Holly Mitchell are also said to be contenders for the seat.
December 06, 2018
LAWT News Service
Holly J. Mitchell of Los Angeles took her oath of office as a representative of the diverse 30th Senate District as part of a stately convening of the 2019-20 legislative session.
Mitchell promised to continue fighting for working families. She is the first African American to chair the powerful Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and ran unopposed last month to win reelection to a second four-year term. She is termed out in 2022.
“I want people back at home to know they fundamentally matter, and it’s the role of government to make sure that they have the resources and the services they need to thrive in a state that is the fifth-largest economy in the world,” Mitchell said in her “My Pledge to You” video posted to her recently updated website. “I will continue to do all that I can to bring to California residents a values-based budget and a legislative package that is going to push the envelope in addressing critical public policy issues that impact each of us every day.
“This includes issues like homelessness, housing affordability, reforming our criminal justice system and bringing forth equity and justice for all.
“That’s my pledge to you.”