City Council

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
May 14 2009

Local elementary school to lead a double life

 Los Angeles, CA -- There is something very special about being first. That is particularly true when the program is an innovative offering such as turning schools into parks that are open and accessible to nearby community residents on weekends and during vacations.

Trinity Street Elementary School near Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in Los Angeles is the first in a 15-campus pilot program to be part of the Community-School Park program, and last weekend the seven-acre site received a face lift from parents, children and volunteers with People for Parks.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Apr 2 2009

Candidates offer diverse backgrounds

Inglewood, CA -- As the country struggles to break through the economic shroud that has engulfed so many people, Inglewood voters (48,426 in the city and 52,743 in the school district) are set to go to the polls to elect city council members for two seats and school board members for three offices.

Nine candidates are vying for the two council posts including the two incumbents, while 11 individuals—including two incumbents—are seeking spots on the school board.

Jan 15 2009

Chamber of Commerce president joins L.A. City commission

 Crenshaw Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Michael S. Jones was recently appointed to the City of Los Angeles Quality and Productivity Commission.

This body is designed to provide Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council with additional private and public sector experience, expertise, information and recommendations related to improving productivity and work measurement within city government.

Jan 10 2009

Pilot program allows a bigger voice at City Hall

Under a pilot program approved Tuesday, Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils (LANC) would be able to hand up motions or resolutions to the City Council.

The two-year program would allow the 89 LANCs to introduce three motions and/or resolutions per year, of which must be seconded by another LANC before being filed with the City Clerk’s office for inclusion on an agenda.

The program will come before full City Council for a vote next Tuesday.
 

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.