Issue 73
AUG/SEPT
2020
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SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 2008
Publisher/Editor/Reporter Dianne V. Lawrence
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ovember is fast approaching with its hopeful promise of leadership change in the upcoming national elections. But important changes are also coming to our District 10. Councilman Wesson is termed out and two candidates are vying against each other to lead our district for the next four years. And boy do we need new leadership. Mark Ridley-Thomas is termed out as County Supervisor and has cast his eyes on our district. But preliminary voting could not quite get him over the 50% required. Unusual for someone of his stature and experience. Could it be his past scandals or the fact that he can only serve four years because he will be termed out, or the fact that he might be using our district as a placeholder in order to run for Mayor during the first two years he is representing us? Who knows? But he has been forced into a run-off against newcomer Grace Yoo, a feisty community activist and lawyer who gathered the next highest number of votes. Grace has been banging the drum about corruption at City Hall long before the Jose Huizar jaw dropping corruption bust by the FBI, exploded in the news, putting her timely alarmed concerns and desire to fight city hall corruption front and center. She has also advocated and fought for community informed development, another timely issue as development explodes all around us. We present the first part of an interview with her as she explains why she has a shot at Goliath and what her concerns and plans are. Another nail-biter is the fight for our District 2 County Supervisor, the position Mark-Ridley Thomas termed out of. Herb Wesson’s ambitious and successful climb to ever-greater power may have hit a wall as he competes against Holly Mitchell for the position. As with most incumbents, during his four elections to represent CD10 Wesson never faced any serious competition (although Grace Yoo gained surprising ground in the last election for CD10) but that has changed. Holly Mitchell was endorsed by LA Times who said “Of the 10 candidates in the race, the standout is Holly Mitchell, an impressive state lawmaker who has focused her work on justice, equity and fiscal issues. 2nd District voters would be well-served by her.” When talking about Herb Wesson they claimed “he has a backroom style better suited to a previous decade. On the council, he has been heavily criticized for limiting public participation.” while praising Holly “Mitchell’s style is cooperative, collaborative and open. She is the best choice for the county’s 2nd District.” We present the 2nd part of a three part interview with her. TNN was very pleased to get an article sent to us by a commanding officer from the Wilshire Division, Captain Shannon Paulson. Entitled “I Am Not Your Enemy” it was a well-written, emotional and honest outreach about her experience as a police officer in these difficult times. After reading it I think it will be difficult to brush all police officers with the tainted brush of the corrupt officers. So sit back and enjoy this social distancing stroll through your community.
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Dianne V. Lawrence CONTRIBUTORS
JACK HUMPHREVILLE REPORTER CITYWATCHLA.COM CITY HALL CORRUPTION
CAPTAIN SHANNON PAULSON COMMANDING OFFICER WILSHIRE LAPD I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY
DAMIEN GOODMAN DIRECTOR CRENSHAW SUBWAY COALITION CIM BITES THE DUST
GAVIN GLYNN ACTIVIST/RESEARCHER TRASH TALK
CONTENTS 3
GRACE YOO INTERVIEW Part 1
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HOLLY MITCHELL INTERVIEW Part 2
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I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY
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CRENSHAW COMMUNITY BEATS DEVELOPER
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COMMUNITY GARDEN WINS FIRST BATTLE
10 CRENSHAW COMMUNITY GARDEN AT RISK 12 CITY COUNCIL CORRUPTION NO REFORMS 13 TRASH TALK COVER DESIGN: Dianne V Lawrence
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INTERVIEW WITH GRACE YOO IN A RUNOFF TO REPRESENT COUNCIL DISTRICT 10. D. V. LAWRENCE
business, operating my estate planning law firm for the past five years. I have been Commissioner and Vice President of the Department of Transportation. So I understand how the City operates, having interacted with local, state and federal government agencies. I understand a lot of the protocol and am comfortable in knowing how things work. And of course, I know Robert's Rules of Order. CLEANING UP CORRUPTION AT CITY HALL TNN: I'm sure you are aware of the current corruption scandals at City Hall involving Mitch Englander and Jose Huizar. In February 2019, Forbes magazine pegged the California Central District in Los Angeles as the second most corrupt city in America, with 1,534 corruption convictions between 1976 and 2016. CityWatchLA has reported the Feds had busted a political fundraiser, who claims to have delivered hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to an as yet unnamed LA City Council member.
WHY YOU AND NOT MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS? The Neighborhood News: Why do you think with all his connections, money, endorsements and position, Mark Ridley-Thomas [MRT] couldn't quite reach 50% of the vote? Grace Yoo: Because people want change. Because most voters know that he and Herb Wesson are trying to very undemocratically just exchange seats. Many voters are also aware that Mark Ridley-Thomas is probably running for mayor, [he didn't deny it at a local townhall] and the election is in two years, 2022, so he will not be able to give attention to our issues in CD10. And finally now with the FBI investigation targeting City Hall councilmembers for corruption, voters are thinking, "We really want someone who wants to do what's right for CD10." TNN: One of the concerns that people have is that MRT brings years of experience to his position while you would be a newcomer to City Hall. What experience do you bring that makes you feel confident the transition to the seat of power would not be a big learning curve? GY: The fact that I've been Executive Director for 15 years of two national nonprofits [The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Korean American Coalition, the LA chapter] demonstrates that I have experience managing a staff and budget and running an operation. I know how to reach out, grow organizations and sustain them in difficult times. I've run my own small
Then the LA Times reported the cash bribes went to Council member Jose Huizar, and the City Hall corruption investigation was ongoing. [after this interview took place, Jose Huizar, Councilman for District 14, was arrested by the FBI on a federal racketeering charge] Mark Ridley-Thomas has been embroiled in two scandals involving huge donations and the securing of questionable benefits to his son Sebastian Ridley Thomas. During redistricting, the constant expectation and demand of Korean businesses to pony up donations for decades of CD 10 funds came to light. You have been advocating for change at City Hall that directly targets the procedures that allow corruption to take place. How can one person change this? GY: I know how one person can make all the difference. During the redistricting that occurred in 2012, Helen Kim was a commissioner who made sure that every time she saw a backroom deal occurring, she put it on the record, putting the other commissioners on check. When you're able to do this, it means the others will try to listen because they know this is all being recorded, and when you follow the bread crumbs, you're going to be able to find the corruption. So, when you have someone like me who's going to say, "This isn't right. This is against the law. And we're putting it on the record," it's going to be harder for corrupt individuals to continue their same path. I would be a roadblock to this easy way of pay to play. I would start with Councilmembers actually having to Continued on Pg.19
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Interview with State Senator HOLLY MITCHELL In a Run Off for L.A. Supervisor Part 2 of 3
D. V. LAWRENCE
This problem, again, didn’t happen overnight. Decades ago, we closed our state mental health facility (which many people attribute to Reagan when he was Governor of California, but it actually began at the federal level) with the promise and the understanding that communitybased mental health facilities would be built and that federal government dollars would be available. That we would build more humane community-based mental health facilities where people would be close to family, which was in keeping with current modern research about what an appropriate facility would be. When you know better, you do better, and we stopped frontal lobotomies and stopped treating mental health conditions in arcane violent ways. So we closed those hospitals, because they were unpleasant places. However, they did not build the community-based mental health facilities that they said they would. And now, decades later, we don’t have the appropriate facilities to house people. LA County doesn’t have enough up-to-date facilities, enough mental health beds.
To read the full interview, go to our website www.theneighborhoodnewsonline.net
MENTAL ILLNESS AND ADDICTION TNN: I want to focus a bit on addiction and mental illness among the homeless, because there are different thoughts about how to handle that. And as you know, they’re very difficult to house. They don’t like to stay or there’s a lot of drama. And so, what are your thoughts on dealing with the addiction and mentally ill population? HM: First, we have got to look at the Prop 63 dollars. [the Mental Health Services Act that provides increased funding, personnel and other resources to support county mental health programs] I have some concern along with many counties across the state, about the level of reserve. The county is sitting on millions in Prop 63 dollars and we have to look at that. We also now have a new Director of Mental Health and he is a forward thinking, very progressive leader, Dr. Jonathan Sherin. Since his arrival maybe three or four years ago, he’s been very proactive in making sure that money is spent and used wisely in mental health services. I think we as a government have to step back and evaluate the kind of programs and facilities we have built to figure out if they really are appropriate, if they are truly meeting the needs of the mentally ill and substance abuse that people are suffering from today. Then we have to build and create programs that are appropriate.
You talk to any hospital and any emergency room doctor and they’ll tell you that too many of their beds are occupied by people who are really having a mental health crisis but have no place to go. TNN: And that includes prisons. HM: And that includes our county jail. Our previous sheriff would tell you that he was running the largest mental health facility in the country, because if someone was on the street having a mental health crisis, who do you call? The police. When the police show up, what do they do? They take them to jail, because there’s nowhere else to take them. So we have to change that paradigm. TNN: What can the county supervisors do? Is it on their agenda? Is that a priority? Is it on their radar? HM: It is on their radar, because they have the county mental health department. And so, the county supervisors along with the state, along with the federal government, have got to prioritize building facilities to meet the needs of our mentally ill population. And it’s got to be across the board. Many of my opponents in this race like to talk about, “Oh, we need to treat people at school and catch them early.” And they want to talk about autism or they want to talk about dementia. Well, we also have to talk about people with extreme cases of severe mental illness, paranoid schizophrenia, and textbook mental illness. And those require different kinds of facilities for them to be safe and receive treatment and care. The Second District has fewer beds than many of the other supervisorial Continued on Pg. 18
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I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY Captain Shannon K. Paulson, Commanding Officer, Wilshire Area Los Angeles Police Department
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am one of the 249 Los Angeles Police Officers currently assigned to Wilshire Division 1 of the Los Angeles Police Department. We were essentially “ground zero” in the recent violent unrest. Perhaps you know me as the fascist, the stormtrooper, the pig, the bastard … and those are just some of the nicer names I’ve been called. I am the one you never recognize out of uniform, because you choose not to see that there is a person, an individual, who wears it. So please, let me take a moment to tell you about myself, because so many of you clearly don’t know me … and I am not your enemy. I am one of the over 9,500 Los Angeles police officers who records approximately 14,000 public contacts on body-worn video every day, almost every one of which ends without conflict, complaint or issue. If you saw something on the news recently about a tragedy brought about by a police officer somewhere, I am one of over 750,000 police officers nationwide who would never be involved in such a heinous act. And if you or your family member was ever treated inappropriately by a police officer, I am one of the overwhelming number of LAPD officers who had absolutely nothing to do with that. On the contrary, I’m the one left to work that much harder to regain the trust and respect I never deserved to lose. I am not your enemy. I acknowledge the egregious errors of my profession and the historical injustices committed by police officers, including those from my own department. But I am not the one that committed them. I freely admit I am a person who has made mistakes; Continued on Pg. 14
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their Instagram page:
BLACK COMMUNITIES MATTER
"CIM has concluded that the community, the Mall, and CIM are best served by us stepping aside."
A community coalition comes together and slays the giant developer CIM. DAMIEN GOODMAN Reprinted with permission from CityWatchLA.com
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powerful and diverse coalition of housing justice organizers, community organizations, business and civic leaders, and former elected officials has beaten back CIM Group, one of the most powerful real estate companies in America with strong ties to President Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
"This is a tremendous Black victory and a testament to the power of our community," said Damien Goodmon, Executive Director of the Crenshaw Subway Coalition. After the proposed purchase was announced, Goodmon spearheaded the strategy and campaign to 1) attack CIM Group and the entity selling the mall by highlighting the role of public pension funds - the investors involved in the sale - and 2) bring together a powerhouse team of community-centered developers to compose an alternative proposal for the community to buy the mall and to launch a fund to buy properties around the mall. That alternative plan and process, dubbed Downtown Crenshaw, quickly earned the support of over 150 community organizations and leaders and generated over 10,000 signatures in just 14 days.
In an epic fight over control of the most significant and iconic shopping center in Los Angeles' Black community, the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, CIM Group has agreed to terminate its agreement to purchase.
"Once it became clear that we were going to apply a lot of pressure on the chief investors of CIM, the public pension funds, by exposing how their treacherous business relationship is harming the very public whose money is being used, I think CIM had to reassess the deal,� said Jackie Ryan, the former president of the Leimert Park Village Merchants Association. "When our community comes together, we can achieve anything," said Akili of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles,
On April 29, CIM Group announced it had entered an agreement to purchase the historic Crenshaw Mall, the economic anchor of the Black Los Angeles community, which had been quietly for sale since 2018, and intended to redevelop it into an office campus, like the Westside Pavillion, to attract Big Tech as part of their process of gentrifying the Crenshaw community. After an intense sixweek community opposition campaign, in the late hours of June 14th CIM announced their decision to back away on
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and the founding board chair of Liberty Community Land Trust. “The breadth of community support and this incredible community victory is a testament to the power of the vision behind Downtown Crenshaw and our ability to organize both in the streets and in the halls of power.” Former L.A. City Councilmember Robert Farrell along with Akili, Goodmon and current/retired public employees began to speak at the pension fund boards and publicly highlight the role of their investment in the gentrification and displacement of the Black community. "We intend to continue the dialogue with the pension fund boards and our allies in labor about how the trillions of dollars in pension fund investments can be redirected away from gentrification and towards community stabilization.” Goodmon continued: “This fight on the mall pushed us to make public what we’d actually been working on for the past year: the launch of an impact fund to acquire apartments and single family homes in our community to take them off the speculative real estate market to place them into the Liberty Community Land Trust to make our community permanently affordable to us. With appropriate investment we can ensure that the residents who make up this unique community can stay in their homes and new housing is built that is affordable for us. It’s the only way we save Black L.A.”
CRENSHAW COMMUNITY GARDEN WINS FIRST BATTLE WITH DEVELOPER D. ODER In the last issue we reported on the battle between members of one of the longest working community gardens in Los Angeles, the Crenshaw Community Garden, and developers who purchased a neighboring craftsman house. The developers plan to replace the house with a six-floor apartment building thatwould block out all the sun the garden needs to survive.
Crenshaw Community Garden members are fighting back against the oversized development and they recently had a small but critical victory. Continued on Pg. 15
"This is the most exciting, groundbreaking and transformative work I’ve witnessed in generations," said Farrell. “I’m so very pleased to see everyone coming together to support this powerful vision. I’m confident that the mall will soon be in community hands and redeveloped using the principles of community wealth building, and that the Liberty Community Land Trust through the stabilization fund will help relieve the displacement pressures on this incredible community.” (Damien Goodmon can be reached at dg@crenshawsubway.org.)
What month of the year has 28 days?
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LA’S CORRUPT CITY COUNCIL: NO REFORMS DESPITE JOSE HUIZAR INDICTMENT JACK HUMPHREVILLE Reprinted with permission from CityWatch LA
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A WATCHDOG--On Thursday, a federal grand jury threw the book on Councilman Jose Huizar, returning a 34-count indictment on “charges that he lead a criminal enterprise where he used his powerful position at City Hall to enrich himself and his close associates, and unlawfully gave favorable treatment to developers who financed and facilitated bribes and other illicit financial benefits.”
This is in addition to his arrest on June 23 on federal racketeering charges. But this is old news. The real news is that the most corrupt City Council in the history of Los Angeles has done nothing to clean up its act: no meaningful campaign finance reform; failure to reform the City Council’s ability to make decisions on land use; the failure to provide rigorous oversight of land use decisions; and the failure to punish and prosecute developers who bribed Huizar and Englander. In 2019, the City Council passed a watered down campaign finance ordinance that allowed developers to continue to contribute to Councilmembers’ pet projects (“behests”), allowed developers to bundle campaign contributions from their cronies, allowed subcontractors to make contributions, delayed implementation until 2022 (conveniently after the March 2022 primaries), and did not provide for meaningful enforcement and penalties. In addition to campaign finance reform, Councilman David Ryu also proposed that the City Council place a measure on
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the November ballot that would “remove Subsection (e) of Section 245 of the City Charter to eliminate the ability for the City Council to overwrite the actions of the of planning commissions.” But this motion, a no brainer, which was introduced on May 19, barely saw the light of day, buried by the Rules Committee chaired by City Council President Nury Martinez and supported by her sidekicks, wannabe Supervisor Herb Wesson and Councilman Harris-Dawson. After all, the members of the most corrupt City Council in the history of Los Angeles would not want to hinder their ability to extract campaign contributions from real estate developers and their cronies. Ryu also proposed an independent Office of AntiCorruption and Transparency to focus on “land use, development and construction in the City of Los Angeles, tasked with identifying and preventing fraud, corruption, and misconduct, and with the authority to conduct investigations of all government entities, the ability to issue subpoenas, examine all city documents, contracts, and monetary expenditures, compel testimony from City employees and elected officials, and recommend administrative discipline and policy improvements.” While the Rules Committee approved this motion on June 30 and forwarded it to the City Council, for its consideration, there has been no further action despite the corruption charges against Huizar and former Councilman Mitch Englander. While Angelenos are expecting the shoe to drop on other culprits such as Ray Chan, the former Deputy Mayor who served as a middleman between Huizar and certain international real estate developers, we are also wondering when the City will go after the developers who bribed Huizar and others involved in the planning process. This would include not only criminal charges, but civil actions which would reverse any permits and possibly involve the seizure of their developments. Of course, this would throw a monkey wrench into their financing as any prudent lender would be sprinting towards the door. To date, we have had plenty of lip service and hot air from the Mayor and the City Council. But we want action, real action that will put an end to the pay-to-play scandal involving the most corrupt City Council in the history of Los Angeles. (Jack Humphreville writes LA Watchdog for CityWatch. He is the President of the DWP Advocacy Committee and is the Budget and DWP representative for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council. He is a Neighborhood Council Budget Advocate. He can be reached at: lajack@gmail.com.) Graphic credit: The Real Deal.
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TRASH TALK! D.V. LAWRENCE
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Research by Gavin Glynn
lthough neighborhoods surrounding Washington Blvd. are well cared for by the residents, you would not know this if you are one of the many drivers using this busiest of streets. Unsanitary trash cans along the boulevard spill over in both directions like geysers, often filled with leftover food in styrofoam take-out containers. They are also used by residents living above local businesses who prefer to drop their trashbags in the containers as they leave their residence rather than use the bins in the back of the buildings.
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When Councilman Wesson became the representative for CD10, one of his first community projects was the placement of cages around trees lining the boulevard along with installing a multitude of trash cans, sometimes as many as three in one block. But these trash cans cannot be collected by the Department of Sanitation. Wesson had to use his discretionary funds to hire a non governmental organization (NGO) to pick up the trash. He hired the Korean Youth Community Center (KYCC) funded by Korean Christians in our community. A well-meaning effort no doubt, but through the years there have been ongoing problems with trash pick-up, sometimes as a result of nonpayment by CD10 for the services. Recently, after three months of neglect, which included refuse from a burned trash can left covering the sidewalk and unattended for weeks, local resident activist Gavin Glynn reached out to KYCC Director, Steven Kang. Kang shared that CD10 had allowed the KYCC contract to Continued on Pg. 16
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I AM NOT THE ENEMY Cont. from Pg. 7
sometimes because I’m tired, sometimes because I’m having a bad day, sometimes just because human error is just that – human. I admit and acknowledge there is a small percentage of those among us who have acted out of carelessness, laziness or even criminality. I admit there are those who do not deserve the honor and privilege of the badge I hold so dear. But, overwhelmingly, I am not one of them. I am not your enemy. Eighty-seven percent of my Wilshire brothers and sisters, myself included, have been called a racist and a race traitor repeatedly throughout our careers. Yet, 82% of us are ourselves minorities. Perhaps I am one of the 13% of Wilshire officers who is an immigrant, or one of another 46% who is a first generation American – the child of an immigrant. I come from places as far and wide as Egypt, Greece, Lebanon, Mexico, Israel, Jamaica, South Korea, England, Vietnam, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Columbia, Nicaragua, Guatemala and the Philippines. I represent a cross-section of America from Texas to Alaska, Washington to New Jersey, Wisconsin, Nevada, New Mexico and Arkansas. I was raised in regions of Southern California as diverse as Watts, Santa Monica, East LA, Whittier and Long Beach, just to name a few. Or perhaps I’m the Wilshire officer who, at the age of 5, was rescued when my overloaded boat sank from beneath me as my family attempted to flee Castro’s Cuba. I, too, have been a victim of racism, sexism, homophobia and even fascism. I assure you, I am not your enemy. I am one of the 58% of officers assigned to Wilshire Division who has been forced to seek emergency medical attention for injuries sustained in service to people I don’t know and who rarely say thank you. Maybe I am one of the 45% who have been refused service or received service that made me question whether it was safe to even eat the meal I paid for, all because of the uniform I’m wearing. I am the person who does my duty on a holiday, perhaps Christmas, New Year’s or Thanksgiving, away from my own family, responding to your family’s calls for service and assistance. Between those calls I drive down the street and smile and wave to children, only to have a percentage of them return that wave with a middle finger, because their parents have taught them to hate me. The percentages and facts cited here are a true statistical representation of the demographics and career experiences of the 249 police officers assigned to Wilshire Division as of July 14, 2020. But I am not your enemy. I am the person who takes the verbal attacks and ridicule for being
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unable to solve a problem for which there are no answers in the realm of law enforcement. I weather the accusations of incompetence and ineptitude for failing to adequately fill the role of social worker, psychologist or sanitation employee. This by public officials, as well as members of the public, who are more than willing to make me the scapegoat for society’s collective failures. I have very recently been called "murderer’' by those same elected government leaders. Yet still, I am not your enemy. Perhaps I am one of the 78% of officers who hopes to go home safely at the end of each shift to a spouse or partner; or one of the 76% who is a loving parent to a child who was born to me or whom I adopted. Maybe I am one of the 27% who is a military veteran who pursued this profession to continue a heartfelt dedication to public service. Perhaps I’m one of the officers who left my prior profession as a chef or a teacher, in aerospace, the health field, engineering, financial management or accounting, and joined the department as a second career. A full 32% of us were willing to risk starting over, many at a substantial pay cut, in order to be part of something good and decent – something larger than self. I buy Girl scout cookies, support school fundraisers, coach Little League, and adopt shelter animals. I am not your enemy. I am perhaps, myself, a political activist who has also marched and demonstrated on my personal time to advocate for my rights as well as yours. Then, while on duty, I have stood my post between opposing demonstrators in order to protect everyone’s rights. In recent weeks I have spent hours blocking traffic to protect and facilitate protest marchers advocating specifically against me. Simultaneously, I would be standing only feet away from destroyed and looted buildings displaying graffiti that openly advocated my death. Yet still, I am able to discern a difference between the protesters and the rioters and looters. I am steadfast in my refusal to blame the many for the criminal acts of the few, despite the fact that same objective fairness is rarely afforded to me. I do this because I am not your enemy. I am a person willing to risk my safety to protect the ideals of this country, while acknowledging we have not yet truly achieved them. I spend every day standing against hate, against racism, against sexism, and against homophobia. I stand for freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly. I stand in defense of your ability to move about society safely, free of fear and intimidation. I might not always succeed in my stand, but I am willing, quite literally, to die trying. I do not require your appreciation and I willingly accept
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your fair and objective criticism, but I certainly do not deserve your hate. Because I am not your enemy. I am a father, a son, a mother, a daughter, a husband, a wife, a sister and a brother. I am Black, white, Asian, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern, or increasingly, some combination of several. I am gay, I am straight, I am Bi and I am Trans. I am Catholic, Jewish, Mormon, Protestant, Muslim, Buddhist, Jehovah’s Witness, atheist and agnostic. I am conservative and liberal; a Democrat, a Republican, an Independent (but while on duty, I am always apolitical). You may not know me, but quite simply, I am very much like all of you. I am an American, an idealist, a dedicated public servant. I am a Los Angeles Police Officer. But above all else, I promise, I am not your enemy.
Community Garden Cont. from Pg. 9
On July 13, the MidCity Neighborhood Council (MINC) voted to support the garden’s request that the developer reduce the size and setbacks of their proposed oversized apartment building. Approval of Neighborhood Councils for development plans are highly sought after and prized by developers. But it exposes them to the scrutiny of local residents and they are often pushed into amending their plans or dropping out. The next hurdle is the Department of City Planning. MINC’s voice is strong, but we still need more public support for the foreseeable future. If you haven’t contacted the city yet, here’s the info: Send postal mail to: Vincent P. Bertoni, AICP, Director of City Planning, 200 N. Spring Street, Room #525, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Reference line: “RE: DIR-2019-1006-TOC, ENV-20191007-EAF” Or send email to: Send a group email to: vince.bertoni@lacity.org, faisal. roble@lacity.org, kyle.winston@lacity.org. In the "Subject" line, put “Regarding File DIR-2019-1006-TOC, ENV2019-1007-EAF.” State your connection to the neighborhood. Tell them why you want Crenshaw Community Garden to continue to operate. Also, “Do not approve the TOC incentives for the proposed development at 1433-37 Crenshaw Blvd. Do not approve the setback, the reduction of open space, and the 22’ additional height of the building.” These variances increase the amount of shade on the garden and make the garden unviable. For more info and updates go to: www.crenshawcommunitygarden.wordpress.com, or email ccg1423@vfemail.net. Thank you very much for your support of a beautiful neighborhood green space and gardening education center! You can visit whenever a gardener is present.
Continued on Pg. 17
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TRASH Cont. from Pg. 13
expire and get picked up by the Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC) who create work for people struggling to find jobs. When contacted, LACC claimed that due to Covid-19, the cleaning had slowed down considerably. But neighborhood community cleanup volunteers claimed the cans had been festering like this off and on for over a year. Gavin reached out once more to KYCC director Steven Kang and asked if he could assist in convincing LACC to put Washington Blvd. on urgent status because it had become an urban health crisis. The next day, LACC trucks dumped and changed all the can liners but only along the north side of the boulevard. The refuse left over by cans that had been set on fire could only be handled by the fire department. CD10 needs more Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). A business improvement district is a defined area within which businesses agree to pay an additional tax in order to fund projects they agree upon for their area. The BID is funded primarily through the levy but can also draw on other private and public funding streams. The creation of a BID for Washington Blvd.and other distressed boulevards can provide the money needed to keep our
major streets upgraded and cleaned and allow local businesses to determine what changes they would like to see implemented. In November, a new CD10 representative will be elected, and residents hope they bring the kind of serious and thorough attention to local businesses that was missing in the outgoing administration. The creation of local BIDs would be a great place to start.
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FARMHOUSE Cont. from Pg. 15
MITCHELL Cont. from Pg. 6
districts. Kedren in South LA is one of the few facilities in South Los Angeles that has a mental health residential treatment facility. We have to build more. TNN: And is that on the top of your agenda? Is that one of the things you want to focus on? HM: Absolutely, we have to. We can no longer afford to ignore it. We have to. INCREASING FUNDING FOR THE HOMELESS TNN: So, what are your ideas for increasing the needed funding for the county’s efforts toward the homeless, an increase in taxes or a charter amendment to allocate the existing funds toward the homeless? HM: I’m not sure yet that additional funds are needed. I think for the first time, thanks to the voters passing Measure H and HHH, we do have resources available. I think it’s an issue of working with LAHSA, the LA Homeless Services Authority, to make sure that those dollars are being allocated efficiently and well. Again, I mention the Prop 63, the Mental Health Services Act, dollars. [Measure H—a companion measure to Proposition HHH. Part of the $355 million generated annually by Measure H’s quarter-cent tax hike will pay for services at the 10,000 permanent-supportive units slated to be built for LA’s chronically homeless population under Proposition HHH. Developers of those homes would be unable to move forward, however, until services are in place—making Measure H critical to ensuring the goals of HHH are in place.]
say, considering that the coronavirus is going to impact our overall economy and economic health and well-being, we’re going to have to wait and see if that kind of investment is even feasible this coming year. I’m hoping that it is, but this is going to force us into interesting economic times for the general public and the government. SB 50 “The bill would “upzone” many areas previously dedicated to single-family housing, allowing for the construction of multistory apartment complexes near transit routes and fourplexes in single-family neighborhoods.” Lamag.com TNN: What is your position on SB 50? HM: I voted no on SB 50. When I spoke on the floor I said, “Some people perceive single-family homeowners as a monolithic group and they’re not.” I represent large communities of single-family homeowners who quite frankly are holding on by their teeth. And we need to figure out a production bill that’s not detrimental to current residents of LA City. Because I’m also clear that my no vote on SB 50 wasn’t the end of the conversation. I, along with my fellow legislators who represent residents throughout LA County, are involved in working on a housing production bill that would work in an LA City and County kind of environment. I told many constituents whom I’ve met with over the past two years, who were adamant about a no on 50, “If we say no to SB 50, what can we and must we say yes to?” because that’s been my attitude, to figure out how we develop a production bill that doesn’t decimate the city and county of LA as we know it.
LA County has many of those dollars in reserve. We have to figure out why and if those dollars could be utilized more quickly, more efficiently. And so, I’m not ready to say, “Oh, we need to tax,” or “We need more money.” I think that we need to continue to look at how we’re using the dollars the voters have recently appropriated, in the most efficient, effective way.
I have voted, for example, on many bills that my colleague Bob Wieckowski from Northern California has introduced. He’s carried several bills around ADU, (Accessory Dwelling Units) to make it easier to finance and build additional units on one's property to help relieve some of the pressure of our housing construction needs.
TNN: Speaking of which, what do you think of Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks’ two billion dollar proposal to provide homeless housing?
TNN: I’m sure you’re aware of the current corruption scandals at City Hall involving Mitch Englander and Jose Huizar. Just a year ago in February 2019, Forbes Magazine pegged the California Central District in Los Angeles as the second most corrupt city in America with 1,534 corruption convictions between 1976 and 2016.
HM: It’s not just hers. She is a co-author along with Assembly Member Miguel Santiago. In fact, it is the exact proposal that the city and county came together to bring to us. So, it is really sponsored by the city and county of Los Angeles. Miguel Santiago is the lead author and Buffy is a co-author. I think it’s a great proposal, but as budget chair, I have to
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CORRUPTION
Jack Humphreville, a reporter from CityWatch LA said this happened on Council President Herb Wesson’s watch and he should have known what was going on and take some responsibility for this.
www.theneighborhoodnews.net
GRACE YOO Cont. from Pg. 3
The Los Angeles Times described you as the legislature’s moral compass. Do you think that the city should hire an independent council to investigate pay-to-play corruption that the Feds say is rampant in Los Angeles? HM: Law enforcement should continue to do their due diligence around investigating inappropriate activity. In the state legislature we certainly have had numerous FBI investigations where members have been charged and convicted and have paid the price. I think that’s the appropriate role of the FBI, and they should continue to do their job. TNN: Well, the Feds arrive after the crime has been committed. This is not the first time LA has been in the top 10 list of corrupt cities, based on lawsuits and convictions, so there’s clearly an issue with corruption in City Hall. Shouldn’t there be some internal way of keeping an eye on things to avoid the FBI investigations? HM: I have supported the independent commission overseeing the sheriff, to have more power and have subpoena power. I think shedding light in government is an important thing. The question always is how independent these oversight commissions can be and what kind of power they truly have to do investigations and get to the root. When you say, “To prevent these things from happening,” the city already has an ethics commission that establishes a practice of standards and that we all have ethics training. So, if you want to talk about prevention, the ethics commission already exists. At some point, maybe we as voters need to ask different kinds of questions of the people we elect, because we can’t legislate morality. We can have whatever this oversight entity is you want and give them all the power they need. That won’t necessarily prevent a person from doing wrong. You know what I mean? So, we have ethics standards. We have signs. We have rules that we’re supposed to abide by. And yet, people continue to engage in wrongdoing. So, we have to take a step back and figure out what’s the deal. What do we need to do to address an issue that you’ve said LA has suffered from for many years. I don’t know if yet another layer of another oversight entity is the answer. It may be, but I just think that we all have to stop and think Read part 3 in the Oct/Nov issue, where Senator Mitchell discusses pensions, discretionary funds, and coronavirus. Or read the whole interview at www.theneighborhoodnewsonline.net
vote on each agenda item. Did you know that when a vote comes up, the board indicates an automatic YES, unless the member pushes the No button? If you went out for a bathroom break or stepped outside for a short minute and a vote is taken, you've automatically voted YES. Unreal, right? I would advocate that the councilmembers are required to physically push a button to vote YES or NO. TNN: Regarding the backroom deals City Council is often accused of making with developers, how would you find out when these deals are going on especially if they know you're a whistleblower? Wouldn't they work hard to keep that information from you? GY: That may be true. I remember appearing before PLUM [Planning and Land Use Management] at City Hall about the Catalina Tower development. It was a 27-story, 269-luxury units apartment project surrounded by one-, two- and three-story buildings. Although the Mayor and Councilmembers had approved it, there were serious errors in the approval process. I said, "This is against the law; you leave me no options but to take you to court." My group, The Environmental Justice Collaborative, along with Fix the City did sue. We won, the judge ruled against the city and forced a proper and full environmental impact review. A layperson coming out and protesting and appealing, doesn’t have as much weight and you can easily be ignored, as City Hall did when I protested. As a Councilmember, they're going to have to talk to me and engage with me. I'm going to continue to be a fierce opponent for corruption. And when I'm there, constantly asking for answers to my questions, it's going to be hard for them to ignore my concerns. And if they continue to ignore me over and over, I will ask things like, "Are you being bribed?" I have no qualms about saying this because we know that this is what happens inside City Hall. That is the culture that has been cultivated. TNN: Do you feel that you have anyone on the City Council who will support these efforts? Anybody who is sympathetic to your sensibility? GY: I am of the belief that not every single person in that chamber is corrupt. I think there's an atmosphere of fear where you need to get along or else, but I'm not one of those people. I don't mind being the person bringing attention to something that seems wrong. So, I believe we're going to find the right people in there. And I think when I stand up, others will stand up with me. I think right now, there are Continued on Pg.20
Keep Our Local Businesses in Business. Use Local Services!
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strong players who have kept everybody in check, but they will be termed out or taken out and we will have new fresh people who will do business differently. TNN: I think especially since this corruption has exploded. GY: Exactly. I'll come in at just the right time, a new fresh era. CULTURE CLASH TNN: So some, not all, people in the Black community have the experience of being disrespected by some, not all, Korean businesses that have set up shop in black communities. And that is an issue. Those people are concerned that you may not have their backs. I mean this is a real issue that's come up in discussions. So how do you address this concern? GY: I'm not interested in being a councilwoman for one particular strata of income level or one ethnic community; I'm really in there to be a councilwoman for everybody. I understand that there are these beliefs by certain community members. And I’m confident I’ll be able to alter the current perceptions by bringing about positive change across a spectrum of communities. I’m aware of and really care about each person and the variety of difficult circumstances different people are in. I think my ability to really understand and have genuine conversations with people gives me confidence that we can change how things are done. I think I will have trust levels with Korean Americans so that I can ask them to do more for local communities. I would like to ask that the Korean business owners do more to engage the local community, make the local community people feel heard and listened to, and make changes that will benefit them and the community they serve. I have played the mediator role for misunderstandings that have occurred between people and communities. I’ve always been that middle bridge person because of being a first generation immigrant. Being a non-native English speaker, I became a more careful listener to people who didn’t speak English as their first language. SHARED CONCERNS TNN: What are the needs in this diverse CD10 community of Koreans, Orthodox Jews, Ethiopians, African Americans, white, wealthy, poor, that they all share? That have not been getting the attention they deserve?
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GY: Everybody would like good City services. And I said I would be very transparent. There are parts of the district that get their bulky items picked up within a day or two, and there are other places where it takes months. I’d like to take our wonderful 311 system and expand it so that you could go online and see the queue for all requests, not just your own. I would work to amplify and make public the requests for services and services rendered. We want to know that the order of response is preserved. SMALL BUSINESSES TNN: Small businesses had been neglected during the outgoing CD representation. There were no channels or organized effort to reach out and help them. Now with coronavirus, many small businesses will go under or hang on by a thread. Do you have any ideas that focus on setting up a permanent resource within your office to aid small businesses in District 10? And how would it function? GY: I think navigating City Hall is not easy and it should be. We need our small businesses to thrive because they're the ones that bring in the local jobs; therefore we're losing out if our small businesses go under. I want to make sure that we protect everybody. That not only means the folks who don't have a home, and the folks who are struggling to stay in their apartment, but also the small business owners who need to be taken care of at this time.
TNN: I talk to small businesses because of my business and I hear all the stories about what they're struggling with, and one of the common complaints is they have received very little support from current CD10 officials. Some of the businesses like to put things out on the street to attract the drive-by traffic and then suddenly they were being visited by city officials and were told they couldn't do that. GY: It’s ludicrous that we have different sets of rules for different parts of the City for the same thing. It's okay on certain streets like Vermont, but it's not okay on Pico? No, that's not fair. Look, I'm going to be responding and responsible to all my constituents. And that means small business owners, that means elderly, that means little children. My office will definitely engage with and help Read part 2 in the Oct/Nov issue, Candidate Yoo discusses covid and elections, discretionary funds, and homeless housing. Or read the whole interview at www.theneighborhoodnewsonline.net
Keep Our Local Businesses in Business. Use Local Services!
The Neighborhood News Community Covid-19 Restricted Distribution Sites We are adding various liquor stores within our boundaries to make up for the places that are shut during this crisis. Too many to identify here. WEST WASHINGTON BLVD. 2 FOR 1 PIZZA S.W. corner of Western ANGELINA PIZZA N.W. corner of Western LIQUOR STORE corner of Gramercy W. of Arlington SURFAS corner of 3rd Ave. West of Arlington COPY CENTER 3313 W. Washington Blvd NATRILIART 3426 W. Washington Blvd. and 5th WELLINGTON SQ. FARMERS MRKT (Sunday 9-1, just west of Crenshaw) LA LIQUOR Washington and West View FISH MARKET Washington and Rimpau CHEF D' CREOLE KITCHEN 4641 W. Washington
Stay Safe It isn't over
VENICE WORLD HARVEST FOOD BANK Venice and Arlington RALPHS Midtown Shopping SAN VICENTE LIQUOR STORE (San Vicente/La Brea) YUMMY ( (San Vicente/Hauser) PICO PAPA CRISTO (Normandie and Pico) GRAIN CAFE (Pico one blk east of Crenshaw) PASTA SISTERS (Pico/Arlington) TOM'S BURGERS (Pico/West Blvd) OKI DOG (Pico/Mullen, across from Lowes) SKY TACO (Pico/Dunsmuir) ALFREDO PIZZA (Pico/Hauser) CHOCOLAT CAFE (Pico/Hauser) CJ’s RESTAURANT 5501 W. Pico (Carmona, e. of Hauser) POWER PLANT (5671 Pico/Spaulding) CHARLIES FISH (Next to Power Plant) PAPER OR PLASTIC 5772 W. Pico (Ogden/e. of Fairfax) VONS (Pico/Fairfax) ADAMS ORANGE SUSHI 1/2 blk e. of Normandy in corner mall SUPER 98 CENT MARKET s.w. corner of Western/Adams LOS ANAYAS 4651 W. Adams and West Blvd. HONEY BEES 4715 W. Adams FISH MARKET n. side of Adams at Rimpau VEES CAFÉ 5418 W Adams Blvd (w. of La Brea) DELICIOUS PIZZA 5419 W. Adams JEFFERSON LOUISIANA FRIED Jefferson and Arlington s.w. corner
Wondering what your Neighborhood Council is up to? PICO NC www.piconc.com, United Neighborhoods NC www.unnc.org Olympic Park NC www.opnc.org Mid City NC www.mincla.or West Adams NC On Facebook Koreatown NC. wcknc.org
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