Your Community Connection
Including Inglewood Airport Area • Baldwin Hills • Crenshaw/LA • Ladera Heights VOL. 23, No. 11
March 13, 2014
Democrats Vow to Regain Majority at Convention
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lection season for California Democrats kicked off last weekend at the state’s 2014 Democratic Convention. The top priority for the legislature is to restore their two-thirds majority and push their statewide success eastward in an effort to retake a majority in Congress.
California Governor Jerry Brown
On The Inside: • News • Community • Entertainment • Health • Real Estate • Business
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
The loss of two Democratic state senators in the past month—Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) and Ron Calderon (D-Bell Gardens)—due to criminal indictments or convictions has caused the party to lose their two-thirds majority. More than 3,000 delegates, officials, exhibitors and observers attended the threeday meeting, held March 7-9 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Califor-
lion more jobs and California is still a beacon for the whole world.” Brown, 75, served two terms from 1975 to 1983, and is running for an unprecedented fourth term in November. Leaders continued to harp on the deadlocked, Republican-controlled Congress in Washington, noting that in California, where Democrats Attorney General rule, action has been taken on Kamala Harris key issues including health care, transportation and imnia Governor Jerry Brown, migration. State Attorney General “Democrats get things Kamala Harris, Los Ange- done,” said Los Angeles les Mayor Eric Garcetti, Mayor Eric Garcetti. This Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom comment drew rounds of and Maryland Gov. Martin applause. O’Malley to speak at the Pelosi, said her Repubgeneral session on Saturday. lican colleagues in WashRep. Keith Ellison, D- ington have failed to act on Minn., spoke at a luncheon comprehensive reform and Saturday, while San An- other issues, saying progress tonio, Texas Mayor Julian would have been made had Castro and Rep. Barbara Democrats been in charge. Lee, D-Oakland, spoke at a The needy, Pelosi said, are dinner also on Saturday. “invisible” to Republican “California is back,” leaders in the House. Brown said. “We got a mil-
The Yoga Remix
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By Thomas Bunn
alena Collins, owner of Clear Gardens Yoga Studio (CGY), the first yoga studio in the community, has stepped up and decided to take action. She will instruct a yoga class for Kidsave.org’s foster youth program “Weekend Miracles.” This Sunday, March 16, 2014, from 1pm to 2pm, at the Boys and Girls Club (Continued on page 2)
VOTE TODAY • Visit www.inglewoodtoday.com
Would you like to see NFL Football in Inglewood?
All Rise for Enroll Call By Olu Alemoru, California Black Media
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ith the March 31 Obamacare enrollment deadline fast approaching, one reality become inescapable: African-Americans are poised to gain the most from low-cost health coverage through the Affordable Care Act, but are lagging far behind in the number of people enrolled. Health care experts and community advocates agree on the urgency of getting more black consumers enrolled, and the facts behind that deep concern are stark: African-Americans are 55 percent more likely to be
uninsured than white Americans, and face a growing number of health and wellness disparities that cost lives and have endured for far too long. Tragically, blacks have the highest cancer mortality rate of any racial and ethnic group, are 40 percent more likely to have high blood pressure, but 18 percent less likely than whites to have it under control, twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, suffer from an infant mortality rate that is more than twice that of whites, with black infants four times (Continued on page 2)