To honor the legacy of America’s first Black president, Barack Obama, the Los Angeles City Council voted to rename Rodeo Road to Obama Blvd. Former City Council president Herb Wesson noted how residents in the 10th district came up with the idea. In early May, City Council hosted a street festival to celebrate the renaming. Musical guests included Doug E. Fresh, Sheila E. and Yo-Yo. Elected Officials like Inglewood Mayor James Butts, Councilman Curren Price and Senator Holly Mitchell where also in attendance. Obama sent Wesson a letter of appreciation for the honor.
Destination Crenshaw aims to preserve and celebrate the legacy of the Crenshaw Corridor and benefit the Crenshaw community. At 1.3 miles long, Destination Crenshaw will celebrate Black Los Angeles, enhancing each Metro-owned property along the Crenshaw corridor. The outdoor museum intends to combat gentrification and the removal of cultural history while promoting economic development and pride for the community. During the Summer, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency (Metro) Board granted $15 million to Destination Crenshaw to begin the construction of Sankofa Park, a 49,000 square foot outdoor space and cultural experience. Destination Crenshaw aims to ensure economic vitality for present and future residents of the community.
Ed Buck, the longtime, prominent Democratic doner, whose West Hollywood apartment was the scene of two fatal drug overdoses was finally jailed after being arrested and charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office with running a drug den in his residence after a third man suffered a near-fatal overdose at Buck’s apartment in September 2019. The complaint for wrongful death was filed by the mother of Gemmel Moore, who died at Buck’s West Hollywood home in 2017. She alleges that Buck lured her son from Houston to Los Angeles for the purpose of engaging in “commercial” sex acts. District Attorney Jackie Lacey has since faced much criticism for her failure to charge Ed Buck for the deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean.
Gloria D. Gray became the first African American elected to chair the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California. Her two-year term, which began Jan. 1, marks only the second time that a woman has led the 90-year-old agency that, together with its member agencies, delivers water to 300 cities and unincorporated areas in Southern California. Nearly 400 members of the political, governmental and community arenas were on hand for Gray’s installation as MWD chair on Jan. 8., including L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and L.A. Sentinel Executive Publisher, Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. “Water projects don’t just happen. They require vision, leadership, and thoughtful, deliberate decisions because they take a long time,” said Gray. “I know I cannot do this job alone. It will require all of us working together. I look forward to leading you and I am humbled by this opportunity.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills this year— AB 1505 and AB 170 both of which were vital to the continuation of important institutions. AB 1505 makes the most significant changes to California’s Charter School law, which former Gov. Pete Wilson signed into law in 1992. It also gives authorizers the right to deny an application if a school district is experiencing financial problems, and empowers school districts or county offices of education to now oversee the operations of charter schools. In addition, it places a two-year moratorium on “non-classroom based” charters, including publicly-funded homeschooling and independent study programs and computer-based learning. Under the new provisions of 1505, charter school teachers will now have to obtain training and certification required by the state to teach. They will also be subject to state level background checks before they are hired. AB 170 gives newspapers in California a one-year extension to reclassify the contract drivers who deliver their newspapers as W-2 employees, or come up with a new way to distribute their newspapers to subscribers. The publications – many of them small family-owned weeklies – said the high cost of having to immediately hire part-time contract drivers as full-time employees would have been unaffordable and forced them out of business. AB 170 gives a temporary reprieve to the newspaper industry.
After a distinguished and accomplished eight years serving as president of the Los Angeles City Council, Council President Herb Wesson announced his intention to step away from the presidency on Nov. 27, in January while he shifts his focus to his campaign to become the Los Angeles County 2nd District Supervisor and continues to serve the constituents of the 10th District for his remaining year as a councilmember. Wesson has led the government of the nation’s second largest city since 2012 in tandem with two mayors – 41st Mayor of LA Antonio Villaraigosa and current L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti. Wesson is the longest serving City Council president since the legendary John Ferraro. Under Wesson’s leadership, the Los Angeles City Council has passed some of the most progressive public policy that has improved the lives of millions of Angelenos and often sparked similar actions in local and state governments across the country.
The homeless crisis in California is out of control and this year saw disturbing statistics. The state’s 130,000 homeless population is the largest in the country, accounting for nearly 25 percent of all people without a permanent residence in the United States. The state also has the highest rate of unsheltered homeless people (about 75 percent) and it has seen the sharpest increase in homelessness in the country over the last 4 years. In the Los Angeles area, there are about 59,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County. That number represents a spike of about 16 percent over last year’s total. For African Americans, the numbers are worse. Although the total Black population is only about 9 percent, African Americans make up about 36 percent of L.A.’s homeless people. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $214.8 billion state spending plan he and legislative leaders are calling “the Affordability Budget” for the 2019-20 fiscal year. The budget includes $1.7 billion to fight homelessness. Of that money, $650 million will go to support county and city governments as well as regional homeless prevention agencies in their local efforts to decrease homelessness and increase their stock of affordable housing.
At the end of the 2019-20 season, NBA legend Magic Johnson stepped down as president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson served the position for two years. The news was abrupt, Johnson had not told Lakers owner Jeanie Buss by the time of the press conference. The Lakers had a 37-45 overall record and missed the playoffs despite having All-Star forward Lebron James.
Governor Gavin Newsom named Dr. Nadine Burke Harris as California’s first-ever Surgeon General. As a pediatrician, entrepreneur and nonprofit CEO, Harris has dedicated her professional career to understanding the link between adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress in children, and the effect both have on future health outcomes. She is the founder and CEO of the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW) – a national leader in the effort to advance pediatric medicine, raise public awareness, and transform the way society responds to children exposed to adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress.
Nipsey Hustle: In wake of him earning a Grammy nomination for his studio album “Victory Lap,” Ermias Joseph “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom was gunned down in front of the Marathon Clothing store. (File Photo)
The Taste of Soul family festival has been called the best block party in the world by City Council President Herb Wesson, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says the festival is the biggest and best party in Los Angeles. Five stages, lots a food, lots of fun and family, and dance brought together nearly 400,000 festival attendees AKA Taste of Soul Nation. L.A.’s largest street festival, Taste of Soul features a large variety local cuisine and live entertainment that represents the best of South L.A. The annual event has become a hub of community and culture, family and fellowship.
2019 started turbulently for the Los Angeles Unified School District, a teacher’s strike, which was authorized in September of 2018 and went into effect on January 14, 2019. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti mediated the marathon negotiations at City Hall. More than 1,000 firefighters from across the U.S. and Canada marched on behalf of striking educators. Day six of the teacher strike finally saw its end, along with a historic agreement heralded to change the future of public education. The summary of agreement provided by UTLA, addresses a cap on charter schools, a decrease in class sizes and an increase in school funding among many other pressing issues.
Jeffery Wallace, President & CEO of LeadersUp, held a lunch convening of business and civic leaders to discuss the unemployment crisis in South Los Angeles at the L.A. Sentinel. LeadersUp has made it a top priority to hire Black. The nonprofit annually engages about 9,000 individuals, trains an average 4,500 and connects 2,250 to employment with 100+ employer partners and a network of 36 community/systems. Danny Bakewell Sr.’s partnership with LeadersUp and Wallace is sharpened by the idea that creating opportunities for job placement, wealth creation, and career pathways is vital for the health of our community. Participating companies included Learn4Life; Chase Bank; Bank of America; LA Metro; LADWP; LADOT; LAWA; GLAAACC; the Lucas Museum; and the office of Congresswoman Karen Bass. Representatives from each company provided insights on what employers can do to help alleviate the crisis.
