May 04, 2017
Staff and Wire Report
Pasadena City Council members unanimously elected their colleague John J. Kennedy, as vice mayor this week, during a non-agenda Special Organizational Meeting, kicking off a new political year for the city. Kennedy will replace fellow councilmember Gene Masuda in that role. While local elections tend not to be as divisive as national ones, Kennedy said, they can still be marked by differences in ideas and opinions.
But, he said, “we have many critical issues to address as a city, and we need to put our divisions aside, so that we can succeed together as a City Council and succeed on behalf of our constituents to ensure that all Pasadena residents have maximum quality of life and the fullest measure of opportunity.”
“I shall honor all those who preceded me in this important role, from Masuda to the Honorable Jacque Robinson, to their many predecessors throughout our City’s history,” Kennedy told reporters.
A Pasadena native, Kennedy credits his extensive travel and longtime political involvement to his knowledge and understanding of local, national and international government practices and procedures. For about the last one and a half years, Kennedy has worked for a family company with responsibilities in philanthropy, real estate, and business development. Previously, he was Director of Special Projects for Southern California Edison. He served in several capacities at SCE – including managing community investments of up to $1 Million provided to various non-profit organizations.
Kennedy dedicated his life to community service at a young age, having served as the president of the Pasadena Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People by age 25. He has dedicated much of his spare time to community organizing and working to elect and support Democratic Candidates. Kennedy is a board member of the Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation at UCLA; Black Alumni Council at the University of Southern California (USC); and serves on the National Finance Committee for the President of the United States.
April 20, 2017
City News Service
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said Wednesday his office has filed lawsuits against the owners of six properties across the city allegedly connected to drug sales and criminal activity.
The properties are located in the San Fernando Valley and South Los Angeles and include single-family homes, an apartment building and two motels.
“For too long, residents of these communities across our city have been plagued by the rampant criminal activity we allege at these properties,” Feuer said. “Enough is enough. My office will continue to fight to rid our neighborhoods of illegal guns, drugs and gang conduct that devastate communities.”
The five lawsuits seek injunctions against each of the property owners and prohibit criminal activity or gang activity at the locations, along with physical and managerial improvements.
The lawsuits involve:
— a single-family home at 6548 Cleon Ave. in North Hollywood, which is allegedly the site of heroin and methamphetamine sales. In the past year, the LAPD has made 18 narcotics-related arrests at the property, according to the city attorney’s office. Emile Gosline, the property owner, is the named defendant.
— three bungalows located at 709-711 1/2 W. 54th St. in Vermont Square, which are allegedly used as hangouts for two Crips criminal street gangs. Emaline Harris, as trustee of the Eddie & Emaline Harris Revocable Living Trust, the property owner, is named in the lawsuit, which alleges the properties are used for narcotics sales and the storage of firearms.
— a single-family home at 333 W. 58th St. in Vermont Knolls that is allegedly used to sell crystal methamphetamine. Undercover officers have made four buys at the location so far this year, according to Feuer’s office, which says the property was also the location of two shootings and the arrest of a person illegally possessing a handgun. Property owner Tyreca Deshon Angrum and alleged drug dealers Frank Hall and Tyson Hall are named in the lawsuit.
— a single-family home at 900 E. 24th St. in Historic South-Central is allegedly the location of drug sales, threats, batteries and assaults. The property owner, Julia Griffith, and Aaron Novel, a resident at the property and alleged drug dealer, are named in the lawsuit.
— the 4 Star Motel, an 18-unit property at 7400 S. Figueroa St. in South Los Angeles, and the 12-unit Showtime Motel at 11122 Ventura Blvd. in Studio City, are both allegedly locations for drug sales, sexual assaults and prostitution.
The owners and operators of both motels, Sureshchandra N. Patel and Bhavnaben S. Patel, are named as defendants, along with Four Star Motel Corp., Bhavna Suresh LA, LLC, Suresh Bhavna SC, LLC, and Showtime Motel Corp.
April 20, 2017
By CRAIG CLOUGH
City News Service
City Council President Herb Wesson introduced a motion Wednesday to eliminate oil drilling in Los Angeles near homes, schools and other facilities.
The motion calls for a study on the proposed restrictions, which would also include parks, churches and health-care facilities.
Wesson’s motion does not state how far a drilling operation might need to be located from protected facilities, but it calls for the Department of City Planning, with the assistance of the city attorney and the city’s petroleum administrator, to report back within 90 days with an analysis of possible changes to the city’s zoning code that drilling operations be located within “a certain setback proximity” of residential facilities.
Residents who live near drilling sites have been speaking out in recent years and complaining of health complications they believe are connected to the local oil fields.
“The closer oil and gas wells and storage facilities are to sensitive land uses, the higher the risk that the health and safety of nearby residents could be threatened,” according to the motion. “Due to the ongoing health impacts experienced by residents from neighborhood drilling activity, it is imperative that we identify and implement a meaningful, long-term solution.”
On the eve of the motion’s introduction, the CEO of an association representing 500 independent oil and natural gas producers said Wesson’s proposal would hurt local jobs, reduce tax revenue and likely result in legal action.
“If the council proceeds with this study, it needs to take into account the economic impact of banning local energy jobs, the loss of state and local taxes, the legal exposure the city will face from an illegal taking of private property, as well as the increased dependence on imported foreign oil tankered into L.A.’s ports,” said Rock Zierman, CEO of the California Independent Petroleum Association.
If the study were to lead to a law banning drilling near residential properties, it could have wide-ranging implications for the local industry, which has more than 1,000 oil wells in the city and more than 580,000 residents living within a quarter-mile of one.
Zierman said the environmental standards for drilling in Los Angeles are among the strongest in existence.
“Production within the Los Angeles basin must follow the toughest standards in the nation, if not the world. This not only includes regulation by the city, but also the county, regional air quality management, as well as state and federal regulators,” Zierman said.
In January, residents who live near a South L.A. drilling site on Jefferson Boulevard lined up at a city Office of Zoning Administration hearing to complain of health problems, excessive noise and pollution.
In 2015, several activist groups representing youth filed a lawsuit claiming the city permitted oil wells near residential areas without conducting environmental studies required under state law and violated anti-discriminatory practices because so many of the wells are located in minority neighborhoods.
The lawsuit, which was not seeking money, was settled in 2016 and officials agreed to implement new procedures to ensure the city complies with California Environmental Quality Act guidelines when permitting oil wells.
April 13, 2017
LAWT News Service
Recently, the California State Assembly passed a resolution recognizing the 70th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in a major professional sport. Robinson, a Pasadena native, made baseball history when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in April, 1947.
“Jackie Robinson is a true hero who continues to influence our lives 70 years later by his actions and words both on and off the field,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “With this resolution the legislature recognizes the bravery he exhibited, and the sacrificial hardship he and his family endured, during a time in our country’s history of racial turmoil and inhuman discrimination.”
Robinson was born January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia and was raised in Pasadena, California. A stellar athlete, young Robinson excelled not only in baseball but was a lettered athlete in football, track and field. He also played on the varsity squad of each of these sports while attending UCLA.
While as a commissioned second lieutenant in the United States Army during World War II, he refused to sit in the back of an unsegregated military that resulted in his denial of combat duty. Consequently, he was acquitted and received an honorable discharge and later assigned to Camp Breckinridge, Morganfield Kentucky where he worked as an Army athletics coach and was subsequently encouraged to try out for the Kansas City Monarchs, a Negro National League team.
Upon joining the Dodgers in 1947, Robinson led the Dodgers to win 6 pennants and the World Series in 1955. Robinson, after his historic career, became a vocal champion for civil rights and other social and political causes by joining the NAACP and helping establish the African-American Freedom National Bank.
“Jackie Robinson will continue to be an inspiration for generations to come,” said Holden.