Task Force

Nov 29 2012

An earlier state report also focuses on human trafficking

Some children in the county’s foster care system are being recruited as child prostitutes, members of the Board of Supervisors acknowledged recently as they approved the creation of a task force to address the problem.

“The average age of entry into prostitution is 12 years old, and the average life expectancy following entry is seven years,” said Supervisor Michael Antonovich, citing sources from the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI.

May 23 2011

Those who perpetrated crimes and frauds walk free

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A special task force of attorneys, including some in Los Angeles, will be cracking down on people and companies involved in mortgage fraud, Attorney General Kamala Harris announced today.

The Mortgage Fraud Strike Force will prosecute illegal activity at every stage of the mortgage process, from loan originators to investment firms that improperly market mortgage-backed securities to California investment boards, Harris said.

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Oct 7 2010

Conflict with current group?

LANCASTER, Calif.—At the last city council meeting Mayor R. Rex Parris presented to his constituents an idea to establish a Lancaster-based task force to address the same issues that the already established Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force (AVHRTF) takes on.

At the Lancaster City Council meeting, the mayor proposed that if a Lancaster-based task force was in place, some of the tension that came up at the last meeting could have been avoided.
Although a group has already been established, Parris believes it is necessary to introduce a new one.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Apr 9 2009

Tapped by Schwarzenegger

Sacramento, CA -- Termed out Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick has been appointed as the California Recovery Act Inspector General, and will start her new position on April 27.

Governor Schwarzenegger appointed Chick to this position, which is said to be the first such post in the nation; and the Los Angeles politician will take a job which pays $175,000 annually and is expected to be a two-year stint.

Across Black America

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

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”