November 13, 2014

By Gregory C. Scott,

President & CEO, New Directions for Veterans

The need to serve all veterans continues to be a true dynamic, especially here in Los Angeles, we can never ignore. As a nation, we must be veteran-centric, results-oriented, focused, and committed to the eradication of the many issues facing our heroes.  Most of all we can’t forget.

It is clear, based on a report by the Department of Veteran Affairs, that 22 former servicemen  and women commit suicide every day. Of those who commit suicide daily, 7 out of 10 are over the age of 50.

Tragically, veteran homelessness continues to be a major concern in American cities, especially among older veterans. Veterans are over-represented in this population; they are 15% of the homeless population in general. On any given night, there are over 68,000 unsheltered heroes; more likely to be older and male. Many suffering from mental health issues like dementia, and PTSD, while dealing with substance use of heroin, and alcohol.  With these forces, depression, physical ailments, and ultimate death on the streets are prevalent among these older veterans as well.

The sad part is our older veterans who are suffering on the streets have had a history of homelessness for decades.   If we were to just look at the Vietnam era war, which ended  in 1975, and many of them are still homeless today. We can see our aging veterans continue to suffer with no real solution. The stressors of war, homelessness, hopelessness, and decreasing social networks yield a starch reality that be corrected.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau there are close to19.6 million veterans in the United States. Female veterans represent approximately 1.6 million of that number.  11.3% of veterans are African American.

Additionally, 79.3 percent were non-Hispanic white; 1.4 percent  were  Asian;.7 percent were American Indian  or  Alaska  Native;0.2  percent  were  Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; 1.2 percent were some other race. Veterans over 65 years of age number close to 9.3 million.  According to the Department of Veterans Affairs it is estimated California has approximately

1.9 million veterans. Of these, about 185,000 are women. Almost one million are currently over the age of 60.

California is home to nearly 26 percent of all homeless veterans  in  the United States. Los Angeles County alone accounts for 10 percent of the nation’s homeless veterans. According to HUD’s 2012

Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Population Sub- count, California is home to 4,512 veterans living in temporary housing or shelters and 11,949 veterans living on the streets or in places unintended for human habitation .from 2011 to 2013 veteran homelessness in Los Angeles County decreased, but  there’s  still an alarming number of veterans that are without shelter; having no place to call home. These numbers include quite a few elderly.

In 2009 President Barrack  Obama  vowed  to end veteran homelessness within five years. The Veterans Affairs Department also made a pledge to end homelessness among veterans, with a focus on getting all homeless veterans off the streets by 2015.  In order to see true results, efforts must begin at  the top and trickle down through-out the states, counties and cities across the country.

The bad news is our veterans are aging and are dealing with issues of homelessness, physical and mental health, and in danger of being forgotten.

The good news is the nation has an opportunity to step up and “never for- get”.  Housing with supportive  services  focused on the needs of elderly veterans is a vital strategy in  ending  this  epidemic.

These  veterans,  who  are at a different stage in their life-cycle, and may never work a career job, still need our support to ensure the opportunity for a better quality of life as citizens of this great nation. need quality leadership across the country working together to really make the difference for our nation’s heroes.  Many of our veterans are tormented by the circumstances that both war and living on the streets has afforded them. It is outrageous for any veteran to be homeless and without proper healthcare, especially our elderly.  We must return to a time when we honor and respect our seniors  and  appreciate what they have sacrificed for our well-being today.

Saying, “Thank you for your service”, isn’t enough. Time to do something.

November 06, 2014

By Kenneth D. Miller

Assistant Managing Editor

After the Nov. 4 windfall of a new generation of leadership heading to Sacramento with the victories of Autumn Burke and Mike Gipson in the State Assembly, shoe-in State Senator Isadore Hall III is expected to sworn in within days of the incoming lawmakers in December. 

Hall completed two successful terms as a member of the Assembly representing District 64 and anointed his successor Mike Gipson who won in superior fashion on Tuesday. 

Choosing and anointing new leadership is nothing new for Hall who backed the mayoral candidacy of both Aja Brown and Chris Brown (unrelated) in Compton and Hawthorne, respectively. 

Other young emerging candidates are offspring of pioneering public service efforts such as small business owner Autumn Burke, Assembly member Sebastian Ridley-Thomas and Assembly member Chris Holden. 

Burke is the daughter of the first Black female member of Congress from California Yvonne B. Burke, Sebastian is the son of powerful Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Chris is the son of former Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden. 

Each will ensure a next generation of dynamic public service in the state of California for years to come. 

Flanked by her mother Yvonne B. Burke, the first African-American woman to represent the West Coast in Congress and her father Chairman of the South Coast Air Quality Management District Dr. William Burke, Autumn says that she was humbled by the enormous support she received. 

“Honestly, it was incredibly humbling,” she said of her first election victory. “For this many people to believe in me and my message is just very humbling.” 

When asked what she told her mother after the votes started mounting, she added: “I just told her that I love her. I have great parents, but even my dad didn’t know if I could pull it off.  I am ready to go to work, I’ve spent two years interviewing for this job.” 

Meanwhile, in the 64^th Assembly District to replace termed out Isadore Hall III, Carson City Councilman Mike Gipson easily defeated political novice Prophet L Walker 61.6 percent to 38.4 percent, a greater margin of victory than the primary when Gipson almost received a mandate. 

Backed by Hollywood heavyweights, Walker had a campaign war chest that dwarfs that of Gipson, but he lacked the credibility that Gipson had, and particularly endorsements from leading State Senate candidate Hall. 

“Words cannot express what Isadore Hall has done fro me. He has been with me from the very beginning and fought for me when people did not believe in me and I share this victory with him,” said an elated Gipson. 

It was a campaign that turned ugly and personal and threaded ethical lines as both candidates took aim at each other’s personal background. In the end the voters elected to go with a proven candidate whom they were familiar with and trusted. 

“I’m excited about this victory and about the opportunity to put forth good legislation. This district needs jobs, economic development and I want to address the crime in out district,” he added.  “I am going the make sure the classroom is a priority and I will be a cheerleader for my district.” 

GLORIA GRAY 

Incumbent Gloria Gray won a third term.

West Basin is water wholesaler that serves nearly 1 million people in much of the South Bay, West Hollywood and Malibu.

In 2006, Gray became the first black woman to be elected to the West Basin board, representing Inglewood, south Ladera Heights and other portions of South Los Angeles. The former Inglewood school trustee also represents West Basin at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, National Water Research Institute Board of Directors and the Association of California Water Agencies’ Joint Powers Insurance Authority.

West Basin’s directors serve unlimited four-year terms and receive monthly stipends. The new directors will be sworn in in December.

Other Black community candidates declared victorious at press time include:

U.S. Representative 37th District-Karen Bass

U.S. Representative 43rd District-Maxine Waters

Member of the Assembly 41st District

Chris Holden

Member of the Assembly 54th District

Sebastian Ridley- Thomas

Member of the Assembly 59th District

R Jones-Sawyer 

Sheriff

Jim McDonnell             

Inglewood City Mayor

James T Butts Jr       

State Board of Equalization

Jerome Horton

October 30, 2014 

by Jennifer Bihm

Staff Writer

Midterm elections will be held across the country Tuesday, November 4. Here in California, an assortment of offices are up for grabs including controller, state assembly seats and seats on the Water Replenishment District Board. Following are some of the candidates that the L.A. Watts Times is endorsing for the 2014 midterms.

Mike Gipson (Democrat running for State Assembly District 64)

“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

The famous Martin Luther King Jr. quote is what Gipson said he uses as his inspiration to serve. Gipson is a Democrat, previously chosen to serve on the Carson City Council and subsequently as mayor pro tem in 2008. In addition to his stint as councilman, Gipson’s experience comes from working such positions as staff aide to the late Congressman Mervyn M. Dymally, State Senator Bill Greene and Los Angeles Councilman Robert Farrell, and as field representative for then L.A. Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas. He was also an appointee of Supervisor Yvonne Burke to the County of Los Angeles Community Action Board, where he was the youngest ever to chair the funding agency that distributes $10 million annually in Community Service Block Grant funds.

Gipson’s supporters include Congresswoman Karen Bass, Congressman Tony Cardenas, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, Board of Equalization Chairman Jerome Horton, Assemblymember Holly Mitchell, Assemblymember Manual Perez, Assemblymember Paul Fong, and outgoing Assemblymember Isadore Hall.

Jerome E. Horton (Democrat running for State Board of Equalization District 3)

As chair of California’s State Board of Equalization, Jerome E. Horton’s most recent efforts on behalf of his constituents involved sponsoring legislation, policies and procedures to address challenges like poverty, government efficiency, and educational outreach. He has been an advocate for maximizing income tax returns for residents and minimizing loss of revenue to underground economies. However, he needs “more time,” he said, to accomplish all that he has set out to.

“With this in mind, and in consideration of my qualifications, I hope you will please join California teachers, firefighter, nurses, police, taxpayers, and small business in supporting my re-election to the Board,” Horton told voters via his website, www.boardofequalizationjehorton.com.

Betty Yee (Democrat running for State Controller)

Yee currently serves as one of five members on the California State Board of Equalization, the nation’s only elected tax commission.  She represents close to 9 million Californians in the First Equalization District, comprised of 21 counties primarily along the northern and central California coast and including the entire San Francisco Bay Area.

Prior to her service on the Board of Equalization, Yee served as the chief deputy director for budget with the California Department of Finance, where she led the development of the Governor’s Budget, negotiations with the Legislature and key budget stakeholders, and fiscal analysis of legislation on behalf of the Administration.  Earlier, she held senior staff positions on several fiscal and policy committees in both houses of the California State Legislature.  Her legislative career began when she served as a senate fellow with the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.  Preceding her legislative experience, Yee served as a county public health commissioner and worked in the nonprofit sector.

As controller, Yee said, with demonstrated leadership in serving as a responsible steward of [the state’s] tax dollars, she will bring her fair yet tough-minded discipline to the office.  She said she will work hard to restore and maintain California’s fiscal health so that the doors of opportunity in the Golden State may stay open for all…

Autumn Burke (Democrat running for State Assembly District 62)

Autumn Burke, daughter of former Los Angeles County Supervisor and U.S. Congresswoman Yvonne Burke, said as an entrepreneur and small business owner, she knows that “good jobs, safe and affordable housing and quality schools are vital to every community.” As an assemblymember, she said she will “be an active problem solver who will fight for the interests of the people she represents, whether encouraging more businesses to locate and hire locally, improving conditions that can help small businesses succeed, increasing the availability of affordable housing or advancing the needs of local schools…”

The 62^nd Assembly District includes the cities of Del Aire, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lennox, Los Angeles, Venice, Westchester, Marina del Rey, West Athens and Westmont.

Burke’s endorsements include the California Labor Federation and the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.

Lynn Dymally (running for reelection to the Water Replenishment District Division 3)

Dymally is the daughter of the late California political powerhouse, Mervyn M. Dymally. She currently serves as the WRD board’s vice president, chair of the Groundwater Quality Committee, and as a member of the Water Resources Committee.

She has fifty plus years of public service experience and well-established legacy in water and was unanimously appointed to the Board of Directors for Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD), Division 3 in September 2013 to fill the vacant seat of the late Honorable Lillian Kawasaki. She represents the cities of Long Beach, Lakewood, Cerritos, Signal Hill, Artesia, La Mirada, and Hawaiian Gardens “ensuring the residents in Division 3 have safe and reliable ground water for drinking,” according to the WRD website.

Recently, Dymally received an endorsement from Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

Jeffrey Prang (running for Los Angeles County Assessor)

“In my over twenty years of public service, I have earned a reputation as an effective and innovative leader in local government, as a mayor and councilmember, and as a public administration professional,” Jeffrey Prang told voters via his campaign website.

“The Office of the Assessor needs a new leader who will restore the public trust, guarantee that taxpayers are assessed fairly and provide the best public service, educate the public on services and policies that will help them, and update the department with 21st century technology that will increase efficiency, accuracy and fairness…”

As assessor, Prang said his priority is “to increase efficiency and ensure that all available property tax revenue is being fairly and accurately collected and assessed to pay for our public services and to aim for an increase in the minimum reporting level for business personal property from $2,000 to $10,000 increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and relieving small businesses from time-consuming and costly reporting requirements.”

His endorsements include: State Controller John Chiang, former assessors Rick Auerbach and Kenneth P. Hahn, State Board of Equalization Chair Jerome Horton, supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Mark Ridley-Thomas, Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Controller Ron Galperin and California Attorney General Kamala Harris.