There’s no shortage of support for Aja Brown in her campaign for election as Compton’s mayor on Tuesday, April 18.  In a crowded field of six, Mayor Brown’s record of accomplishments in the short four years she’s been in office is both impressive and a clear indicator that she deserves a second-term in office.

 

Similar to President Barack Obama when he took ahold of the reins in 2009, Mayor Brown was faced with a $43 million deficit on her first day in office.  Add to that complaints about basic services and a city still trying to turn around its image as one of the deadliest cities in the country while attracting new businesses—Mayor Brown had her hands full.

 

Since 2013, Mayor Brown along with her colleagues on the city council have reduced Compton’s deficit by almost a third from the $43 million she inherited when she entered office.  She’s worked with her colleagues on the city council to pass a balanced budget every fiscal year, including leading the effort to restructure employee benefit packages which reduced the demand on taxpayer dollars while at the same time restoring the city’s workforce and eliminating furloughs.

 

Mayor Brown led and organized a coalition effort to introduce and pass SB107 that protects employee pensions while restoring $11 million in funds and $7.5 million annually of public money.

 

On the issue of the streets in Compton, which have become synonymous with potholes, the mayor says that historically Compton had not appropriated any money in their general fund for street repairs due to the poor financial condition of the city.

 

“I introduced Measure P in 2014, which was passed by voters in June 2016 and will now generate approximately $8 million annually to repair every street in Compton, improve lighting, renovate our parks, expand hiring for city employees and enhance public safety,” she explained.

 

She continued, “we’ve raised millions in grant funding including $3 million for the reconstruction of Central Avenue, $2.9 million for the reconstruction of Wilmington Avenue, including pedestrian and bicycle enhancements,  $9 million in residential street resurfacing and $6 for Compton Boulevard street reconstruction and pedestrian and bicycle enhancements which is currently in progress.  But it’s a process when you’re trying to go back through decades of fiscal mismanagement during a time when the streets were not a priority.  We are working as fast as we can to fix the streets but in a way that ensures that no matter who is in office—they will never ever be in this condition again and that there are funds allocated for ongoing maintenance.”

 

Breakthrough Church Of God In Christ and Compton resident Pastor Charles Gibson said, “I believe Mayor Brown is a cutting edge twenty-first century leader and the City of Compton needs her fresh infusion of visionary leadership.”

 

2015 saw Compton’s lowest number of homicides in over 20 years.  Mayor Brown credits that in part to the Compton Empowered Gang Intervention initiative and Community Policing Task Force she championed that works to tackle gang violence and human trafficking.  Thanks to Mayor Brown, Compton no longer has hourly motel rentals in an effort to suppress human trafficking.

 

Under her leadership, Compton was selected by the U.S. Department of Justice as a Violence Reduction Network city allowing the city to receive technical support to reduce, prevent and suppress crime from federal law enforcement agencies.

 

For nearly four years, Mayor Brown has championed Compton’s youth at every opportunity.  From her engagement and support of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative in Compton to her involvement with helping to make sure young girls and ladies were able to benefit from being mentored through the Young Ladies BLOOM Mentorship Program.  Currently, she’s hosting Compton Fun Friday’s along with local rapper  and music artist YG’s 4Hundred Waze Foundation for youth in grades six through 12 and providing them with safe spaces to grow friendships and to be empowered in their own community.

 

“Aja Brown has done more for the city of Compton than any mayor has done in the last 30 years,” said Compton resident Jacqueline Wesson.  “ Jobs, new businesses, mentoring programs for our youth—I support Mayor Brown!”

 

One of Mayor Brown’s proudest accomplishments is the “First Source Local Hiring and Community Benefits Agreement” that mandates a minimum of 35% local hiring which she believes directly impacted the 10 percent reduction in local unemployment.  Her business attraction efforts led to Fortune 500 company UPS as a tenant to the Compton Brickyard. UPS will provide a minimum of 35% local employment and also invest a guaranteed minimum of $70 million in equipment purchases in Compton’s local economy over the next 10 years.

 

Compton business owner Kathleen Blackistone added, “the Mayor's Healthy Compton Initiative is a wonderful example of leading cultural shifts in community.”

 

A community activist, urban planner and nonprofit founder, after completing her Masters at USC, Mayor Brown began her career in urban planning, working first for Gardena, Inglewood and Pasadena.

 

With strong family roots in Compton stretching back multiple generations, in 2009 she stepped down from her other positions to become Compton’s Redevelopment Project Manager.  As manager, she helped initiate the community-led downtown revitalization action committees, overseeing the Agency’s urban planning and economic development initiatives. Later, she co-founded the Urban Vision Community Development Corporation, a non-profit organization in Compton dedicated to community economic and youth development.

 

After working as a city planner and starting nonprofits that focus on community development, it became evident that Compton needed fresh, new leadership to advance our communities and facilitate economic growth and youth development. So Aja decided to offer herself as a candidate for Mayor in 2013. Despite being in a crowded field of twelve candidates, she became the youngest mayor in Compton history when she was elected at the age of thirty-one. As a longtime urban planner, she understood that Compton was missing several components needed to foster a healthy, thriving city and nearly four years later she is on her way to accomplishing her stated goals.

 

“I just want to finish the work that we’ve started together here in Compton,” responded Mayor Brown when asked why she’s running for re-election.  “There’s still a lot to be done and Compton is in a good place.  We’ve taken some major steps forward but to make the dream a reality we must finish the work.”

 

Compton’s primary nominating election will take place on Tue. Apr. 18.   The Los Angeles Sentinel and the LA Watts Times are Proud to endorse Mayor Aja Brown for of the City of Compton.

 

(Courtesy Photos)

Category: Cover Stories

Councilman Isaac Galvan is running for re-election in the City of Compton.  He has served on the Compton City Council for the past 4 years and is very proud of the work that he and his colleagues have been able to achieve during his first term in office.  “ We’ve done some great work over the past four years.  We’ve brought tree cutting and graffiti removal contracts to the city, We’ve brought major big box retailers to the city and we passed a sales tax initiative that guarantees that every one of our streets in the city get repaired,” said Galvan.

 

The councilman has done a great job in helping lead the city as well as the residents of his district.  Every park in District 1 which he represents has been rehabbed and the city has passed an initiative to provide free sports programs for the youth of Compton.  “I was the son of a single mother and have four other siblings.  My mom always wanted us to participate in sports, but my mom didn’t have the money to sign all of us up.” 

 

That is why the councilman was so passionate about providing free sports programs, so that every child has the opportunity to participate no matter what their financial situation may be.

 

When asked why the voters should re-elect him to another term in office he said, “we’ve accomplished a lot since I have been in office, however the work is not finished yet, we have more to get done”.  Over the next four years Galvan wants to focus on jobs, education and safety.  He believes that the next four years will be great because he and his colleagues on the city council have been able to move the city forward.  When he was first elected the city of Compton was overwhelmed with a 45 million dollar budget deficit. Since then, they have been able to decrease about one third of that deficit and he believes the best is yet to come.

 

Galvan says that he, along with Mayor Aja Brown and the other members of the council, have eliminated the wasteful spending that the city was engaged in.  The council personally shared in the cost cutting measure and decreased their own personal salaries by 80% to insure that everyone shared in getting the city operations back on solid ground. 

 

“Our streets are in desperate need of repair and we didn’t want to tax the residence of the city by passing a bond measure.  That is why we put forward a sales tax measure and with that I believe we will be able to complete our street repairs over the next 4 years,” he said.

 

As the only male and the first Hispanic elected to the city council, Galvan takes great pride in his leadership role, but also enjoys his working relationship with all of his colleagues. 

 

“I think it’s great being the only male on the council and I take a lot of pride in working with 4 strong African American Women,” he said.

 

The councilman believes that being the son of a single mother helps him to draw a perspective in working with his colleagues to keep Compton on the rise.

 

“We just opened Walmart in my district,” he explained.

 

“We now have the world’s largest retailer in our city.  We also have a lot of new businesses opening up in the city.  We just opened a Jersey Mike’s and a Steak and Shake in the city.  Businesses in Compton do well. Burlington, TGI Friday’s, Ross and Best Buy’s Compton stores are all some of the highest performing stores for sales in their regions…”

 

One of the biggest challenges Compton faces is its stigma but Galvan knows that this stigma is changing.  People talk about not wanting to come to Compton and not wanting to open businesses in Compton because of the gangs and crime.  But Galvan says that is not the Compton he sees.

 

 “The Compton I see every day is a Compton that is attracting big business, that is bringing new business constantly.  We just have to continue to enhance the services for our residents and highlight some of the successful things we are doing.”

 

Compton was once a city that was predominantly African American, but the Hispanic population has grown by over 70% in the past several years.  The councilman says he doesn’t see a great division along race lines in the city.  He believes that the biggest division amongst the people is strictly the result of the language barrier.

 

“We have a lot of community events in the city and I am constantly asking my constituents why they don’t attend the events and they say because we don’t understand English,” he said.

 

Beyond that barrier the councilman believes that for the most part the Blacks and Browns of Compton are together. 

 

“Our kids go to school together, we attend church together and our kids play in the parks together,” he said.

 

“We just have to work at resolving the language barrier; our similarities outweigh our differences.

 

“Compton is my hometown, I love it here and I am very passionate about the work I do.  I am very serious about making a difference in the community and I think my actions over the past four years proves it.” 

 

The councilman lights up when talking about the work he does for the youth in Compton.  Growing up the son of a single mother on a fixed income, they never had enough money to participate in city programs. 

 

“When your mother is on a fixed income you don’t have 45 or 50 dollars to participate in programs for one kid let alone if you have 3 or 4 kids that all want to participate,” said Galvan.

 

 “I work very hard to provide free opportunities for the young people in the city.  Over Christmas we provided over 10,000 toys for kids.  My good friend Oscar De la Hoya provided all the toys, we also give a way about 20,000 turkeys for needy families and our Back To School Event provides free haircuts for kids and provides backpacks full of school supplies to needy children.”

 

 The councilman also has a shoe give a way program where he provides 100 shoes to each elementary school in the district. 

 

“The principal at each school selects the 100 kids who get free shoes because they understand the needs of each child and help us to select the individuals who need them the most.”

 

Galvan says that over the past four years has been in office he has and plans to continue to provide free services to the people in Compton.  He says he remembers the help he received from others as a kid and that is what drives him to continuously work to serve all the people of both his district and the City of Compton.  He works tirelessly because “people just need a little help and if you provide them with the help they need.  They will never forget it”.

 

At the end of the interview Councilman Isaac Galvan had to go back out into the community, knock on more doors.  Yes, he is going to ask them for their vote, but more importantly he is going to ask them what they need?  And there is no doubt he is going to then go out and find a way to serve those needs.

Category: Cover Stories

Women find empowerment in many forms. In college for the African American woman many find it in the sisterhood of the “Divine Nine” Sororities. 

 

 

 

In the early 1900’s black fraternities and sororities were created to provide brotherhood and sisterhood for African-Americans attending college. Blacks were not welcome in the other established Greek Letter Societies so they created their own.

 

 

 

The Pan Hellenic Council also known as the “Divine Nine” was founded May 10, 1930 on the campus of Howard University. But before the council was created the Greek organizations individually were created. The Divine Nine consist of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity founded in 1906, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, founded in 1908, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity founded in 1911, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity founded in 1911, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority founded in 1913, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity founded in 1914, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority founded in 1920, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority founded in 1922, and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity founded in 1963.

 

The ladies of the “Divine Nine” have produced many leaders and provide a great service of serving this nation and the world. They have all had their share of controversy but their commitment to service and excellence has outweighed them all.

 

The first sorority to make up the “Divine Nine” are the ladies in salmon pink and apple green Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. The organization recently became the first black Greek organization to trademark the famous call “Skeee Weee” and have a membership of over 170,000 active members. Famous members include Loretta Divine, Toni Morrison, Wanda Sykes, Star Jones, Vanessa Bell Calloway, and Phylicia Rashad.

 

The ladies in crimson and cream are known as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. One of the founders first acts involved their participation in the Women’s Suffrage March in Washington D.C., March 1913. The sisterhood currently has a membership of over 200,000 predominately African-American, college-educated women. The Sorority currently has 900-plus chapters located in the United States, Tokyo, Japan, Okinawa, Japan, Germany, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Seoul, Korea, and St. Thomas and St Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Famous Delta’s include K Michelle, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Kym Whitley, Mara Brock Akil and the civil rights icon Dorothy Height.

 

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority are the ladies in royal blue and white.  According to the official web site, The purpose of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority is to foster the ideas of service, charity, scholarship, civil and cultural endeavors, sisterhood and finer womanhood. These ideals are reflected in the sorority’s national program for which its members and auxiliary. Famous Members: Sheryl Underwood, WNBA Camille Cooper, the late Esther Rolle, Sarah Vaughan, Syleena Johnson, Dionne Warwick, Towanda Braxton.

 

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was organized on November 12, 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana by seven school teachers. The group became an incorporated national collegiate sorority on December 30, 1929. According to the official web site, “Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority’s aim is to enhance the quality of life within the community. Public service, leadership development and education of youth are the hallmark of the organization’s programs and activities. Sigma Gamma Rho addresses concerns that impact society educationally, civically, and economically.” Famous members include Hattie McDaniel, MC Lyte, Kelly Price, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Mother Love and Victoria Rowell. Their colors are royal blue and gold.

 

We asked some L.A. Watts Times readers why they pledged and what it meant to them?

Category: Cover Stories

“I take my job very seriously,” Inglewood Councilman George Dotson told the Sentinel in a recent interview.

 

“I believe Inglewood improves if I do my job. And, my job is to ensure that Inglewood is on the move and is always going upward…”

 

Dotson joined Inglewood City Council four years ago, taking on issues that plagued the city including pending bankruptcy, faulty infrastructure and crime.

 

He is up for reelection for the city’s District 1 council seat on April 4.

 

“Inglewood has transitioned (under my tenure) from pending bankruptcy to financial stability and national prominence as the potential home of two NFL franchises,” Dotson said.

 

“More roads have been paved and sidewalks repaired during my term in District 1 than the prior 15 years combined. The Forum, once vacant, is now the number one concert venue in the state of California, number two in the country and number four in the world. Over thirty percent of its employees are Inglewood residents.”

 

Dotson also started a comprehensive senior center during his time, that has been on the books for ten years. He wants to continue with projects that improve Inglewood, he said. A reelection on April 4 would guarantee that.

 

“We have a lot of projects on board that have not come to fruition yet,” Dotson explained.

 

“My job will be to make sure they do come to fruition and become a vital part of the city of Inglewood and that they are producing revenue that will help continue our infrastructure and make Inglewood a place to be and visit and come and live and raise a family…”

 

Dotson has been a resident of Inglewood for over 44 years and he said, he brings to the Council a passion for safer neighborhoods and communities, local economic development and job growth through revitalization efforts, and  an improved quality of life for residents impacted by LAX, by championing residential modernization and sound installation programs.

 

He grew up in Monroe, Louisiana, working for his father, who was one of only two Black contractors in the county at the time.  He came to Southern California to expand his own business and raise a family.

 

“I am a stable stakeholder in Inglewood and have been for about 48 years now,” Dotson said.

 

“I believe in Inglewood. I’ve worked for Inglewood from the very first day I came here. I was here only a year when I started the [4th Ave Block Club] that’s going right now. I was elected because I live in the neighborhood. I’ve lived there for over 44 years. My kids were raised there. I believe in this city…”

 

He had been a planning commissioner for 20 years in the city and was instrumental in several retail development projects and the ongoing revitalization of Inglewood evidenced by his efforts to improve traffic and aesthetically enhance the Century Corridor.

 

The block club, he said, was a way to improve communications between neighbors, create a shared responsibility for keeping an eye open for suspicious activities, share helpful information about city events and provide scholarships to local students residing within the boundaries of the block club. It’s this commitment to local students and schools that motivated George to work tirelessly on behalf of Measure K which is providing over $50 million to Inglewood Unified for capital improvements across all campuses in the District.  He was also a founding member of the Martin Luther King Day committee in Inglewood which organizes events annually so that Inglewood students and residents learn from the accomplishments of Dr. King and honor his legacy. 

 

“One thing I’ve learned from being chairman of the planning commission and the block club, every group works better when they work as a team,” Dotson said.

 

“Because, if you’re all pulling in the same direction, you can get things done. But, if you’ve got one or two going one way and one or two going another way, nothing gets done.

 

Those things include joining the council in fixing the city’s water pipes and starting a new project on the blighted Florence and LaBrea site.

 

“We’ll be starting that the first part of 2018,” Dotson said.

 

“It will be a mixed use development that will bring vitalization to Market Street.  One of things I want to do is revitalize Market Street, which is in my district.”

 

And, he said, he hopes with all of the improvements and with Inglewood moving forward that residents decide to stay.

 

“I don’t believe in gentrification,” Dotson told the Sentinel.

 

“Inglewood was a historically African American city. It is now a Black and Brown city and now Whites have started to move in. Most of the people in my district are homeowners and the only way anyone can get your home is if you sell it. I have told all my constituents to keep their homes.

 

“Where are you going to go where you are going to get the quality of property in a city like Inglewood, where you’re ten minutes from the airport. You’re maybe five minutes from three freeways, walking distance from the Fabulous Forum or the new stadium with two football teams.

 

“We have great senior living buildings. Everything is right here in Inglewood.

 

“Sure, there are going to be people who come in and buy because they want to live in a great place too. I hope people who already live in Inglewood love Inglewood like I do and want to stay.”

 

Dotson and his wife Ida, are faithful members of St. Eugene’s parish, and have been married for fifty years. They are the proud parents of two children and five grandchildren.  When not enjoying his cherished family, George can often be found enjoying a round of golf with longtime friends and clients.

Category: Cover Stories

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