Citizens for Accountable Leadership (CAL) an independent community improvement organization, and Mayor Karen Bass recently held a productive and informative meeting at the Dulan’s Restaurant on March 1.
A variety of issues were discussed including the Los Angeles fire recovery efforts, the continuing issue of community improvement and business development, and strategies for communicating more effectively with the community.
According to Joseph Rouzan, CAL vice president, “CAL had the opportunity to discuss in depth issues that have not been deeply analyzed by the majority press. While there have been great strides in the recovery efforts in the aftermath of the fire, press coverage has been focused on intergovernmental disagreements, guessing games on who is responsible for the catastrophe; and has failed to adequately report on revitalization efforts. At the meeting, Mayor Bass fully outlined her priorities on the fire recovery and future of Los Angeles.”
The mayor reported that in two months since the devastation dedicated staff on the local, state, and national level has led to the fastest disaster recovery effort in California history. For standing structures in Palisades “Safe Drinking Water” has been declared.
She added that Phase 1 of Debris removal in the Palisades has been completed in 28 days months ahead of schedule. Also, a fully functional one-stop rebuilding center, so fire victims only have to travel to one location to receive needed information for recovery has been established.
CAL reiterated to Mayor Bass the group’s intention to assist in bringing more information to the community. The organization is establishing a website in which CAL will disseminate information on city, county, and state initiatives affecting the community; emphasize individuals and organizations making contributions for the betterment of the community; and highlight candidates running for elected office.
CAL has already successfully published three election slates highlighting the organization’s endorsed candidates but also including state propositions with an explanation on the reasoning for endorsing or not endorsing the propositions. One of the important aspects of the CAL slate is to highlight judicial candidates on the ballot because historically citizens have no idea which judicial candidates the community supports.
According to CAL’s President-Emeritus, Dr. Gail Willis, “Our published documents can reach a wide range of citizens on a variety of issues. Citizens may not agree with us on nominees for office, or initiatives but it is our obligation to provide as much information as possible on what is going on in the political arena. We sponsor a variety of in-person or on-line public meetings with movers and shakers in the political, community, and business world that are open to the public.”
Lastly, CAL President, Attorney Rickey Ivie stated, “We shared with Mayor Bass our very strong commitment to the enhancement of our community, to maintaining a clear focus on disseminating information that Los Angeles citizens can hear and understand, highlighting who is doing what in Los Angeles, and continuing our efforts in supporting for public office individuals, like Mayor Bass, who espouse a clear and hopefully innovative plan to build a better Los Angeles.”
Citizens for Accountable Leadership was formerly organized as the African American Leadership Council for the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris Campaign in 2020. The group decided to continue its efforts as an unincorporated association under the name Citizens for Accountable Leadership.
The dual mission of CAL is to provide a platform for candidates, elected officials, CEOs of businesses, and established community leaders to discuss issues that are relevant to the community, thus promoting accountability, political engagement, awareness and empowerment. Secondly, the mission is to provide financial support to viable candidates seeking public office whom the organization finds compelling reasons to offer endorsement and financial aid.