February 07, 2019
VOL. 34, No. 06
Local and National
TRUMP’S
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
in Brief
•The House is holding the first hearing on America’s gun violence crisis in nearly a decade. Lawmakers will debate a number of new gun safety bills. Nearly 40,000 Americans died from gun violence in 2017, and the following year was the worst on record for gun violence in schools. •Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is not expected to extend head coach Jason Garrett’s contract as he enters the final year of his deal. •Two recent news headlines that indicate the condition of African Americans and the American justice system, tell you everything you need to know; (black) Teen Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Killing Police Dog” and “LAPD officer who Beat (black)woman on camera – Leading to her Death – Sentenced to 16 months in Jail.” •Court documents indicate Trump hired undocumented immigrants for $4 an hour for a demolition project. Many of the workers later testified that they would often work 12- to 16-hour shifts without gloves, hard hats or masks. •Trayvon Martin would have celebrated his 23rd birthday this week had he not been murdered by an Hispanic vigilante who claimed Martin was killed in self defense.
Trump appeared in front of a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night for the annual State of the Union address and true to the form he has demonstrated from the time his campaign for president began, he does not have any difficulty misleading his audience or outright lying. His one hour and one half speech
was speckled with a mixture of facts and figures, many of which were untrue but his two favorite issues dominated the address; his quest for a border wall with Mexico to cope with what he said is a crisis of crime and drugs in the United States caused by illegal immigration. Among other false assertions, the president said, “The U.S. economy is
growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world.” The American economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2018. Growth in Latvia and Poland was almost twice as fast. Same for China and India. Even the troubled Greek 2
and History (ASALH). In February 1926, Woodson proposed the establishment of Negro History Week to honor the history of African Americans, and their contributions to American life. Dr. Woodson, known as the Father of Black History, chose the second week of February because it commemorates the birthdays of two men who greatly affected the African American community: Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (February 14).
Negro History Week became Black History Week in the early 1970s. In 1976, the week-long observance was expanded to a month in honor of the nation’s bicentennial. You may wish to celebrate Black History Month at the University of Southern California and the California African American Museum in Exposition Park with an artistic viewing and reception. Youth artists explore 2 “Taking a Stand,” de-
Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
February is Black History Month, a time to recognize, celebrate, and honor the rich and diverse history and important contributions and achievements of African Americans. Black History Month is an annual observance in February, celebrating the past and present achievements of African Americans. In 1915, Dr. Carter G. Woodson—historian, teacher, and author—founded the Association for the Study of African American Life
JOIN US ON
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February 07, 2019 Continued from page 1: Trump’s State of the Union Address
PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE
INGLEWOOD TODAY SALUTES BLACK HISTORY MONTH INGLEWOOD TODAY salutes Black History Month and celebrates the countless contributions African Americans have contributed to the development of this great nation. Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in the United States., is an annual observance in Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. It began as a way for remembering important people and events in the history of the African Diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States] and Canada in February, as well as in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Republic of Ireland in October. In honor of Black History Month, I will dedicate my messages this month to some element of what African Americans have contributed to this nation. Here, for example, are some famous quotes attributable to the trailblazers of the past: 1. “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” —Dr. Mae Jemison, first African-American female astronaut 2. “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”—Martin Luther King, Jr. 3. “The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.”—W.E.B. Du Bois 4. “In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.” —Thurgood Marshall, first African American U.S. Supreme Court member 5. “Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated.”—Coretta Scott King 6. “Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us.”—Susan L. Taylor, journalist 7. “Defining myself, as opposed to being defined by others, is one of the most difficult challenges I face.”—Carol Moseley-Braun, politician and lawyer 8. “One day our descendants will think it incredible that we paid so much attention to things like the amount of melanin in our skin or the shape of our eyes or our gender instead of the unique identities of each of us as complex human beings.”—Franklin Thomas, activist, philanthropist, and former
president of the Ford Foundation 9. “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”—Desmond Tutu 10. “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” —Langston Hughes 11. “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”—Frederick Douglass 12. “The time is always right to do what is right.”—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 13. “Have a vision. Be demanding.”— Colin Powell 14. “Freedom is never given; it is won.”—A. Philip Randolph, civil rights activist 15. “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”—Booker T. Washington My favorite, and probably the most widely known and most frequently repeated quote by an African American, was presented to the world by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., at the March on Washington in 1963: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” King said. My staff member, Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor, told me that he attended the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, and explained that it was his early introduction to the plight of African Americans who did not enjoy equal civil and economic rights.
Dr. King waves to between 200,000 300,000 individuals who attended the March on Washington
economy posted stronger growth. And a wide range of economic analysts estimate that the growth of the American economy slowed in the fourth quarter, and slowed even further in the first month of 2019. He also made a false statement about regulations saying, “my administration has cut more regulations in a short period of time than any other administration during its entire tenure.” The Trump administration has slowed the pace of adopting new rules, and it has moved to roll back some existing or proposed federal regulations, particularly in the area of environmental protection. The White House claimed that as of October, a total of $33 billion worth of future regulator costs had been eliminated. But experts say the scale of the rollbacks in the Trump era still does not exceed extensive cuts in federal rules during the Carter and Reagan administrations, when rules governing airline, truck and rail transportation were wiped off the books, among other changes. Without giving any credit to the positive momentum President Obama set in motion with either the economy or job growth, Trump lied again when he said, “we have created 5.3 million new jobs and importantly added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs — something which almost everyone said was impossible to do, but the fact is, we are just getting started.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that since January 2017, when Mr. Trump took office, the economy has added 4.9 million jobs, including 454,000 jobs manufacturing jobs. Far from being “impossible,” that is closely comparable to the pace of job creation during some two-year periods during the Obama administration, and significantly slower than the pace of job creation in manufacturing in the 1990s. Immigration In another feeble effort to justify the cement wall that he promised Mexico would pay for – who has refused – Trump lied about the border city of El Paso, Texas, saying, “the border city of El Paso, Tex., used to have extremely high rates of violent crime — one of the highest in the entire country, and considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities. Now, immediately upon its building, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country.” The fact is, El Paso was never one of the most dangerous cities in the United States, and crime has been declining in cities across the country — not just El Paso — for reasons that have nothing to do with border fencing. In 2008, before border barriers had been completed in El
Paso, the city had the second-lowest violent crime rate among more than 20 similarly sized cities. In 2010, after the fencing went up, it held that place. Without a complete analysis of the SOU message, it is safe to report that it was riddled with false or misleading statements. For further illustration, to list only a few, his statement about San Diego’s border crossings was misleading; his statement about caravans on the march to the United States was exaggerated, as was his assertion about new trade deals with Mexico and Canada, that will bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. Our president also offered misleading statements about his averting a war with Korea, the cause for socialism, and abortion. Despite the lies, the most memorable portion of his address, in this writer’s view, was when he said, “No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the newly created jobs last year. You weren’t supposed to do that. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.” The female member of Congress, all dressed in white, stood up and gave themselves a standing ovation. Trump continued, “all Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before -- Don’t sit yet. You’re gonna like this! And exactly one century after Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than ever before. That’s great, really great. And congratulations, that’s great.” Trump thought they were standing and cheering for him! I thought they were cheering for themselves. Continued from page 1: Black History
veloping artworks that explore social justice issues they are passionate about. They are guided by Los Angeles-based artist, BIJAN MACHEN, lead artist on this project. The collective vision of the project is unveiled in a series of commemorative prints based off their art works. Open to the USC Community and the public, this project is made possible in partnership with the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs (CBCSA) and nonprofit arts partner, LA Commons. Reception is followed by the 7 PM Premiere of RACE/RELAY, a multimedia production about race relations. Combining recollections of real personal experiences and projected images from various media, writer-director Denise Hamilton, movement specialist Fred Sugerman, master percussionist Christo Pellani, and a cast of actors will create a dynamic performance based on stories from the USC community. Reservations for this performance may be obtained at: visionsandvoices.usc.edu.
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February 07, 2019
By Steve Finley
Photos by: Jordan Kelly
One game does not define a season but when the game is the Super Bowl it’s like a one game season. Win or lose everyone expects your best and the Rams failed to deliver. Their 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots was a strange game. The game kept you on the edge of your seat because the score was 3-3 going into the fourth and final quarter but in the end you had to sit back in your seat and try to figure out what just happened. You can blame the loss on the Rams young coach, 33 year old Sean McVay being out coached by veteran Patriot coach, 66 year old Bill Belichick. You can blame the loss a young Rams quarterback, Jared Goff not being able to make the right plays. You can blame the loss on a Rams offensive line that played well all season but not in the Super Bowl. You can blame the loss on the lack of a running game when you have the best running back in the NFL. To be truthful it’s all the above reasons why they lost the game but you have to give New England credit, they had a great game plan and they also had the greatest quarterback in NFL history and the best coach in NFL history. The Rams were playing against Michael Jordan and John Wooden. The Rams came into the game averaging over 30 points per game but the way the Patriots defense played you would have thought you were looking at the 1985 Chicago Bears or the 1960’s and 1970’s Minnesota Vikings defenses. Time after time you saw linebackers hitting Goff. That means the Rams were out coached. The Culver City newspapers sports photographer, George Laase said a week before the game that the
Rams should use a two back offense, meaning the Rams could have showed them something different. Arm chair quarterbacks can come up with a lot of reasons the Rams lost the game but it’s hard to beat the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick combination, especially in a big game like the Super Bowl. That was their ninth Super Bowl together and they have won six. Let us not forget what an outstanding season the Rams had. They won 15 games and lost four. They reunited a Los Angeles fan base that had been missing for over 20 years and they are getting ready to move into a four billion d o l l a r stadium next year. With the Rams and Chargers playing well this season football is back in Los Angeles in a big way, and remember, one game does not define a season, even if it is the Super Bowl.
The Rams defense was outstanding against the Patriots in the Super Bowl.. Rams defensive players from left to right, #26 Mark Barron, #58 Cory Littleton, #22 Marcus Peters and #43 John Johnson celebrate a play against New England.
The Rams offense had trouble breaking away from the Patriots defense during the Super Bowl in Atlanta last Sunday. Here, Rams wide receiver Robert Woods is grabbed by Patriot corner back Jonathan Jones.
It was a tough night for the Rams offense and especially for quarterback Jared Goff in the Super Bowl last Sunday. Goff was constantly hit and pressured by the New England Patriots defense. The Rams were beaten 13-3.
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February 07, 2019
EYE ON THE CITY
THANKS TO THE
LOS ANGELESFORRAMS A GREAT SEASON! Staff report recommending approval of a three-year agreement (with two one-year renewal options) for flooring repairs and installation with V.T.P. Inc., was accepted by the council. Staff report recommending adoption of a resolution amending the Master Fee Schedule to update the fees for parking in the Senior Center Garage, was accepted by the council Staff report recommending approval to purchase Light Fixtures and Materials from Menorah Wholesale, Inc., for the Inglewood City Hall Exterior Lighting Project, per Bid No. RFQ-0111, was accepted by the council. Staff report recommending approval of a four-year cooperative purchase (piggyback) with Nuckles Oil, Inc., dba Merit Oil, Inc., for the annual purchase of bulk fuel, was accepted by the council. Staff report recommending approval of an agreement with Leverage Information Systems, Inc., to install a security camera surveillance system on each floor of Parking Structure No. 2 located at 115 South
Locust Street, was accepted by the council Staff report recommending approval of the Purchase and Sale Agreement between the City of Inglewood and HSB Century Hawthorne LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and SJF Century Hawthorne LLC, a Delaware limited liability company to secure 159 square feet of right of way from the larger parcel located at 10001 Hawthorne Boulevard, needed to implement the Century Boulevard Mobility Improvement Project, subarea 3, was accepted by the council. Staff report recommending approval of an Amendment to Agreement No. 17-513 with Kane Ballmer & Berkman increasing the total amount of compensation from $200,000 to $500,000 for payment of legal services to the City, Successor Agency, and Parking Authority, was accepted by the council. Staff report recommending approval of an Amendment to Agreement No. 18-118 with Miller Barondess, LLP, increasing the total amount of compensation from $300,000 to $800,000, and the blended hourly rate of $450/hr. to $550/ hr. for broad ranging legal advice, guidance, representation, and services, was accepted by the council. Staff report recommending adoption of resolutions approving and authorizing the execution and delivery of a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement by and between the City
GEORGE DOTSON
ALEX PADILLA
of Inglewood and the Inglewood Housing Authority to create the Inglewood Joint Powers Authority, was accepted by the council. Staff report requesting that a public hearing be set to receive input on the issuance of lease revenue bonds by the Inglewood Joint Powers Authority to refund the outstanding Inglewood Public Financing Authority Lease Revenue Bonds, Series 2012. MAYOR AND COUNCIL REMARKS Member Dotson congratulated the Inglewood Police Department (IPD) for the work they perform in the community and reminded everyone to participate in his annual paper shredding event on Saturday at the IPD Community Center, where coffee and donuts will be served. He also extended congratulations to the Los Angeles Rams for a fine season and promised, “We will be back!” Member Padilla invited the community to attend the Saturday Emergency/Disaster Planning event on where presentations by experts and a Q and A will be offered to assist Inglewood residents in planning for an emergency. He also offered his support of the Rams closing with, “Go Rams!” Member Franklin reiterated the importance of emergency planning, citing his recent attendance at a similar event for elected officials in Santa Barbara, CA. He indicated that natural disasters are real and
LEGAL NOTICES
Registered Owner(s): Hugo Franco, 1876 W. 94th Place, Los Angeles, CA 90047 This business is conducted by an individual(s). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business listed above on January 28, 2019. I (We) declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) Hugo Franco, Owner.
PLACE YOUR DBAS, PROBATES, TRUSTEE NOTICES, LEGAL NOTICES, SUMMONS AND MORE IN
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NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration.
Original January 31; February 7, 14,21, 2019 IT004223012002046 Inglewood Today
RALPH FRANKLIN
families must be prepared. Before adjourning the meeting, Mayor Butts indicated that the Rams trip to Super Bowl 53 is emblematic of the progress that is being made in the City of Inglewood. The city has exceeded expectations with the new stadium, the girl scouts plan to relocate and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in Inglewood, to name a few. He said that the way business is conducted in Inglewood has changed and we are now internationally known. The mayor commended the IPD for all that they continue to do in the city, citing the fact that the two suspects identified as the senseless killers of the matronly woman on Prairie Avenue were arrested on Sunday in Texas and are facing not only charges in Inglewood, but also for crimes committed in Texas. Finally, Mayor Butts commended the Inglewood Emergency Response Team and encouraged everyone to participate in the pending event and restated, what he has said on several occasions in the past, “I have never been so proud to work for a city as I am now, again, in the City of Inglewood.”
PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER/ EDITOR Willie Brown VICE PRESIDENT Gloria Kennedy
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This statement was filed with the County Clerk on January 28, 2019.
The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State or common law (See Section 14411 et.seq., Business and Professions Code.)
ELOY MORALES
ASSISTANT EDITOR Francis Taylor
Fictitious Business Name Statement File No. 2019023687 The following Person is doing business as:
FLASHSTARPHOTOBOOTH 1876 W. 94TH PLACE LOS ANGELES, CA 90047
JAMES BUTTS
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