July 19, 2018
By Elizabeth Marcellino
City News Service
A plan to tax property owners to fund the federally-mandated clean-up of local waterways will go before Los Angeles County voters in November, based on a 4-1 vote today by Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl championed the measure, dubbed the Safe Clean Water Program, for a parcel tax that, if passed, is expected to raise $300 million annually to capture, clean and conserve stormwater that currently runs downstream, polluting rivers and beaches.
“Every year a full 100 billion gallons of water runs down our curbs and out into the ocean,” picking up trash and toxins along the way, Kuehl said. “We have to get water-wise.”
Kuehl and dozens of environmental advocates said the measure would both increase local water supplies and improve water quality, while prioritizing projects that have additional benefits such as creating additional green space and protecting wildlife.
Shelley Luce, president and CEO of the nonprofit Heal the Bay, argued that the measure would “save millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars” by putting the county in compliance with the federal Clean Water Act.
But opponents urged the board to rework elements of the plan, calling it “not ready for voters.”
Many demanded a sunset clause for what would otherwise be a “forever tax,” and accused the board of creating an overly burdensome process for property owners to get credit for improvements that support conservation.
“Without ... this (sunset) clause, this tax stands very little chance of passage. Get it right. Don’t be greedy,” said Laura Olhasso of the Pasadena-Foothills Association of Realtors.
In 2013, an effort by then-Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to pass a parcel tax was abandoned in the face of strong opposition from business owners, school districts and some cities that said it duplicated their own efforts.
This time out, with four new board members, the proposed tax is geared to reflect how heavily property owners rely on county flood control systems. It would charge 2.5 cents per square foot of ``impermeable areas'' such as concrete roofs, driveways and sidewalks that contribute to runoff.
Yards and other green space, where stormwater is absorbed rather than running into drainage systems, are not included in the calculation.
“It’s a fairness issue,” Department of Public Works Director Mark Pestrella told City News Service.
The median tax is estimated at $83 per year and interested property owners can calculate their bill at www.safecleanwaterla.org. The site relies on GIS mapping to identify hard-scaped areas versus green space.
Schools would be exempt from the tax.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger cast the lone vote against putting the measure on the ballot, saying she was concerned about the burden on property owners, particularly in light of a potential future parcel tax to fund a structural deficit in the fire department, and potential upward pressure on rental rates.
Barger said complying with federal laws that carry hundreds of millions of dollars in potential penalties is one thing, but argued that the measure goes above and beyond what is required.
“The proposed initiative far exceeds the requirements of the MS4 permit which governs pollutant levels in local waterways,” Barger said. “The permit is based on assumptions that are antiquated and require updating before we go to the taxpayers for more money.”
The county has been out of compliance for years with federal requirements, though it has largely avoided fines through good-faith efforts to solve the problem.
Those efforts were not enough for the Natural Resources Defense Council and Santa Monica Baykeeper, which sued the county in a case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014 and ultimately held the county responsible for cleaning up the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers.
Untreated stormwater and urban runoff into the region's two main waterways have resulted in excessive levels of aluminum, copper, cyanide, zinc and fecal bacteria. Those rivers drain into Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific Ocean, leaving areas near storm drains closed to swimmers and surfers after heavy rains.
If passed, the tax would be allocated 50 percent to watershed agencies for regional water projects, 40 percent to cities for local priority projects and 10 percent to the county flood control district for educational programs and administration.
Ultimately, the matter will be up to voters.
Luce told City News Service she believes residents are more inclined than ever to support the plan to fund projects which would create more vegetation in place of concrete, offsetting climate change.
“I think people are worried about water,” Luce said.
Pestrella agreed, saying polling by an outside consultant showed a “highly aware electorate” leaning in favor of the measure.
“This is a historic opportunity to modernize L.A. County’s water infrastructure to meet the needs of the 21st century,” Pestrella said. “The flood protection system designed and built in the 1940s and ‘50s has done an outstanding job managing flood risk within the L.A. Basin. But it was never designed to handle the tremendous population growth and urbanization that has contributed to the volume of pollutants we see in our waterways today.”
July 19, 2018
By Jennifer Bihm
Contributing Writer
Members of the East Side Riders Bike Club said their one part of their mission is to provide opportunities to vulnerable kids in South Los Angeles by steering them in a new direction. The ten year old volunteer organization has been doing work in South L.A. and Watts that focuses on keeping kids off drugs and from gangs through recreational activities, specifically bike riding said president John Jones III via his website esrbc.org. But just as important as keeping youth away from destructive activities, is the other part of their mission, to steer kids toward activities that help them enrich the communities in which they live.
“ESR aims to provide a comprehensive youth program that seeks to positively impact [things like] inadequate organized recreational outlets for local youth in the Watts area- a community that is rife with high rates of child obesity, asthma and other respiratory challenges amongst youth- lack of resources and lack of safe passage and travel” Jones said.
“This program encourages physical activity through bike riding for youth and their families. [Also,] while Watts is a very small community, there are clear gang-related boundaries and territories that limit the movement of local youth based on where they reside.”
Jones III founded the club with his father John Jones Jr.
“This was something him and his friends did as kids, rode bikes in crews around Watts, Huntington Park and South Gate,” Jones III told the Sentinel recently.
“When he introduced me to the idea I didn’t like it initially, I didn’t ride bikes and never had any that I can remember. Once I was convinced I told my Pops that we had to incorporate some of the things my moms had us doing all our life, helping others… feeding the homeless, helping kids, improving the community and later we learned about bicycle education and safety. We worked closely with WLCAC in Watts to establish a relationship with the Watts community. WLCAC was our only supporter in the early years.
“Each project came about from the love of the community and learning more about cycling…”
They also aim to teach personal development skills.
“[We want to] teach local youth lifelong personal development skills based on their own self-interest, in a way that is interactive and fun,” he said.
On Tuesdays the club hosts a weekly night rides from their meet up point near the corner of Huntington Drive and Rosemead Ave.
“We meet up around 6:30 and ride (kickstands up at 7:00 pm),” members explained.
“We typically travel near 30 miles and return around 10:00 pm.”
In 2012, Jones III was honored at the Multicultural Communities for Mobility’s (MCM) third annual awards dinner and ceremony, hoping, he said, that the award would help to “legitimize the work we do, so when we go out and advocate for bike lanes – it will give us more credibility.”
At the time ESRBC was founded, Jones had been concerned about the profound lack of safety for bike riders in Watts. The city suffered what many low income areas do, lack of resources like bike racks, bike lanes and bike paths. There’s also the fear of violence, something Jones and his organization is also trying to counteract.
“We have this thing we implemented with the police, the sheriff’s office, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, and the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, called Life Lanes,” Jones explained during an earlier interview with Bicycling magazine.
“Basically, it means gang members know not to bother folks on bikes around Watts.”
Other skills developed through the program, like physical activity for instance, in turn helps youth to develop new knowledge on health and wellness, contributing to a healthier community as a whole.
East Side Riders has a “slew of community events,” Jones III said.
“We will teach 6 BEAST classes at 4 county park this summer during Parks After Dark, 1 Boy and Girls Club and at the Gang Alternative Program in Wilmington CA.
“This weekend we will be at the Women’s on Watts event at 9:00 am located at 103 and Wilmington it their 15th annual peace march around Watts.
“Every 4th Saturday of the month we meet at the Watts Civic Center to prepare sandwiches for the hungry at 9:00 am and ride around town feeding the hungry.”
For more information visit Facebook @eastsideriders or www.esrbc.org.
July 19, 2018
By Cora Jackson-Fossett
Contributing Writer
Amid thunderous applause and joyous cheers, Pastor Frederick Price Jr. and First Lady Angel Price entered the sanctuary of the world renowned Faithdome on July 1, holding hands and smiling as the “Zamunda” theme from the “Coming to America” movie played in the background.
The day marked Price Jr.’s return, after a year’s absence, as the lead pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center (CCC), an international ministry boasting thousands of members, multiple schools, the massive Faithdome sanctuary and CCC New York.
The prolonged standing ovation illustrated the overpowering love and affection the CCC congregation holds for Price Jr., who resumes the helm of the church founded by his parents, Apostle Frederick and Dr. Betty Price, in 1973.
Prior to the entrance by the pastor and first lady, Angela Price Evans said, “We have so much to be grateful for today. I want to thank those who were a blessing to our ministry last year,” as she acknowledged several ministers that delivered sermons during the past year.
In addition to her parents, Apostle Frederick and Dr. Betty, and sister, Cheryl, Evans recognized a long list of guest preachers including Pastor Michael and Dr. Deloris “DeeDee” Freeman of Spirit of Faith Christian Center in Temple Hills, Maryland; Pastor Creflo and Dr. Tammi Dollar of World Changers Church in College Park, Georgia; Apostle Beverly “Bam” Crawford of Bible Enrichment Fellowship International Church in Inglewood as well as the CCC pastoral staff.
Evans also announced that her nephew, NBA player Allen Crabbe, made a significant financial donation to ensure that the Frederick Price Schools continue operating in South Los Angeles.
Price Jr. also expressed gratitude to family, friend and the CCC congregation for their prayers and support during his absence.
“I really want to say thank you to those who’ve stood with me and stood by me, those who have interceded, those who have stood in the gap. You didn’t know much. You just knew that I was away and I appreciate you not needing to know all of the details,” he noted.
As for his message, Price Jr. selected the topic, “Restorative Grace,” and explained, “I thought about what I would share today and I figured the best thing for me to talk about is what got me through this year and that’s God’s restorative grace.”
Citing several scriptures, he quoted from James 4:6, I Peter 5:5, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 and Hebrews 4:16 to outline how the grace of God empowers believers to survive any trials they may face.
“There is grace in everything that you need God for,” insisted Price Jr. “You’re not taking pleasure for persecutions, you’re giving glory in them because God’s in it with you.”
Explaining the connection between grace and humility, he added, “You, in life, are going to humble yourself or you are going to be humiliated. I’ve been both and it hurts. It takes a meek person to humble himself, but if you don’t, humiliation will [occur]. So, it would be wise to humble yourself so humiliation doesn’t occur.”
Following the close of the worship service, members departed sharing feelings of refreshment and optimism about the future under Price Jr.’s leadership.
“We are all so excited about what God is doing in our midst. We believe that as Pastor Price, Jr., continues the heavenly mandate to pastor this great ministry through teaching the Word of God, that the sick and brokenhearted outside our doors will come and find healing and the poor will prosper and all will come to know how much our Lord loves us,” said Mindy Reid-Glaser.
“It can only be done through the power of God’s Spirit. With Pastor Price as our leader and Apostle Price and Dr. Betty as our active founders, this awesome congregation will accomplish what seems impossible!”
July 12, 2018
City News Service
Authorities today identified 19-year-old man who was gunned down in the unincorporated Willowbrook area near South Los Angeles by a killer who remains at large.
The shooting occurred about 9:35 p.m. Monday in the 11800 block of Wilmington Avenue, said Deputy Wally Bracks of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
James Stringfellow died on Tuesday at a hospital, according to the coroner’s office. His home town was not known, and a motive for the crime was unclear.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.