Your Community Connection
Including Inglewood Airport Area • Baldwin Hills • Crenshaw/LA • Ladera Heights VOL. 23, No. 5
January 30, 2014
Sen. Rod Wright Convicted on 8 Counts of Fraud
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tate Sen. Roderick D. Wright (D-Inglewood) was found guilty by a jury on all eight counts of perjury and voter fraud Tuesday. Wright was indicted by a Los Angeles County grand jury in September 2010. He has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation and trial, stating he believed he was following the law when he prepared to run for the seat in 2007. He was been a state senator since 2008. The conviction centers around residency. Prosecutors accused Wright of lying about his real residence when he applied for candidacy. They said his primary residence is a spacious home in the upscale Baldwin Hills section of Los Angeles outside the then 25th Senate District— not the modest Inglewood home in back of an apartment building. He was also accused of voting in five elections he was not entitled to vote in from the Inglewood address. Prosecutors offer as evidence photos and testimo-
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Brown, Obama Address 2014 Issues
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s we settle into 2014, what can we expect as Californians and as Americans? What are the top priorities of our leaders this year? Governor Jerry Brown’s State of the State (SOTS) Address on Jan. 22, and President Barack Obama’s State of the Union (SOTU) on Jan. 28, gave perspective on where we are going and where we have been.
nies from Wright’s neighbors, who said he was frequently seen at the upscale Baldwin Hills home. A tenant at his Inglewood property never saw him spend the night at the home, though he did have personal items and clothing there. Wright said he bought his Baldwin Hills home in 2000 to use primarily as office space and never intended it as his primary
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residence. In his defense, the senator cited a section of the California Elections Code that says the “domicile of a member of the Legislature .... shall be conclusively presumed to be at the residence address indicated on that person’s currently filed affidavit of registration.” When questioned about loan documents he signed, which acknowledge the
Baldwin Hills home as his primary residence, Wright replied that he did not pay attention to the statement. What matters most, he said, is interest and monthly payments. The trial began on Jan. 8, and the jury began deliberations Friday. Wright is due back in court on March 12 for sentencing. He faces up to eight years and four (Continued on page 8)
Speak On It By Thomas Bunn
ast week the world celebrated the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Inglewood held its 31st Annual Celebration at Crozier Middle School and I must say, it was a very impressive production. It taught me that we have some very bright individuals who are coming up the ranks in this commu(Continued on page 2)
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President Obama gives State of the Union address
Gov. Brown delivers State of the State address The governor’s speech, however, was light on details. During his 17-minute speech, Gov. Brown played up the state’s progress and cheered California’s comeback. He only gave a passing reference to one of his pet projects—the proposed (and highly criticized) $68 billion bullet train. The SOTS focused primarily on California’s continuing economic recovery and environmental issues (Continued on page 8)