LAWT-02-10-2011

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Thursday, February 10, 2011 Thursday, February 10, 2011Vol. XXX, No. 1218Vol. XXX, No. 1218

L.A. Watts Timeswww.lawattstimes.comwww.lawattstimes.com

L.A. Watts TimesL.A. Watts Times

FEATURE STORY | PAGES 10-11

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L.A. Watts TimesWEEKENDER

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CIRCULATION AUDIT BYCIRCULATION

VERIFICATION COUNCIL

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POLL RESULTSWho will win the

Super Bowl?

Visit www.lasentinel.net

to vote for Weekender polls.

54.5% Green BayPackers

HOROSCOPES FEB. 10 - 16

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ARIES ~ You are too kind this weekand it’s a wonderful thing. By doing

things for others without thought of areward, you’re racking up beneficial vibra-tions for your future! Take personal pleas-ure in what you do for others this week.

TAURUS ~ Change your routine thisweek. Even a minor change in the way

you approach your week will enable you tofeel happier and more adventurous. Trysomething new, and you’ll be happy withthe outcome.

GEMINI ~ Create a map in your mindto chart a course through unfamiliar

waters. You’ll be as happy as you make upyour mind to be. Because you are so wise,you’ll be at peace with all outcomes.

CANCER ~ It’s a good week to reflecton your personal network of friends

and co-workers. You are surrounded bysupportive vibrations, and you’ll be count-ing your blessings by the end of this busyweek!

LEO ~ Find a way to love the work youdo this week. Use your creativity and

wonderful sense of humor and you’ll befinished with chores early enough to relax.Use your energy wisely.

VIRGO ~ You have wonderful ideasabout interior decorating. Be ready to

accept a great opportunity at work. Moneydoesn’t matter this week. Don’t make fin-ances more important than they need to be.

LIBRA ~ Keep all your ducks in a rowthis week. No mixing work with fun or

business with pleasure. Save your affectionfor the home front and stay focused on thework in front of you on the job. Things areworking out perfectly.

SCORPIO ~ Why not take each perfectmoment as it comes? You are struggling

to find a solution that time can and willprovide. Perform your tasks cheerfully thisweek and let the future take care of itself.Give yourself the opportunity to enjoy eachnow moment

SAGITTARIUS ~ Your anxiety aboutan important issue can now be seen as

needless. You don’t have to worry! Havefaith that things are working out perfectlyand they will! This week especially consid-er all options before you make decisions.

CAPRICORN ~ You can be discreetand cut down on some of the envious

comments you are attracting. Or you cancontinue to flaunt it since you’ve got it.Your choice this week! Watch for a pleas-ant change in a romantic partner’s attitude.

AQUARIUS ~ Take advantage ofbursts of energy all week. Body and

mind are in sync. Don’t take things too per-sonally this week, you might get your feel-ings hurt. If you do, night time is a greattime to make-up. Make the call.

PISCES ~ Lucky! Your natural ability toshine is magnified this week. You’ll be

garnering positive attention on a projectyou recently completed. Bask in the glowof public admiration! Be daring you’ll findmuch support for the things you want to do.

PittsburghSteelers

45.5%

17

“She was the cornerstone of

our family. But my mother died

of colon cancer when she was

only 56. Let my heartbreak

be your wake-up call.

Colorectal cancer is the

2nd leading cancer killer

in the U.S., but screening

helps prevent this disease.”

Terrence Howard, actor/musician

This is personal.

If you’re 50 or older, please get screened. Screening saves lives.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Pho

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BY JULIE PACEASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — PresidentBarack Obama is calling for a six-year, $53 billion spending plan forhigh-speed rail, as he seeks to useinfrastructure spending to jump-start job creation.

An initial $8 billion in spend-ing will be part of the budget planObama is set to release Monday. IfCongress approves the plan, themoney would go toward developingor improving trains that travel up to250 mph, and connecting existingrail lines to new projects. The WhiteHouse wouldn’t say where themoney for the rest of the programwould come from, though it’s likelyObama would seek funding infuture budgets or transportationbills.

Obama’s push for high-speedrail spending is part of his broadgoal of creating jobs in the short-term and increasing American com-petitiveness for the future throughnew funding for infrastructure, edu-cation and innovation. During lastmonth’s State of the Union address,Obama said he wanted to give 80percent of Americans access tohigh-speed rail within 25 years.

At the same time he’s callingfor new spending on sectors likehigh-speed rail in the upcomingbudget, Obama also has pledged tocut overall spending as he seeks tobring down the nation’s mountingdeficit. The White House has saidenvironmental programs for theGreat Lakes, and block grants forcommunity service and communitydevelopment are among the pro-grams that will face cuts.

But it’s unlikely the cuts

Obama proposes in the budget willbe enough to appease the GOP.Republicans now controlling theHouse have promised to slashdomestic agencies’ budgets by near-ly 20 percent for the coming year.

The White House has said cutsmust be cautious, arguing that dras-tic reductions in spending couldcause the still-fragile economicrecovery to stall. Vice President JoeBiden said Tuesday the administra-tion wouldn’t compromise when itcomes to spending on the infrastruc-ture, education and innovation pro-grams Obama is touting.

“We cannot compromise. Therest of the world is not compromis-ing,” Biden said in Philadelphia atan event announcing the high-speedrail initiative.

Obama’s call for increasedspending on high-speed rail projectsis nothing new. He’s long seen thesector as an area of opportunity forcreating jobs and improving thenation's transportation system. Hisadministration awarded $10 billionin federal grants for high-speed railprojects last year, including $2.3 bil-lion for California to begin work onan 800-mile-long, high-speed railline tying Sacramento and the SanFrancisco Bay area to Los Angelesand San Diego; and $1.25 billion toFlorida to build a rail line connect-ing Tampa on the West Coast withOrlando in the middle of the state,eventually going south to Miami.

Obama also laid out a plan lastsummer to invest $50 billion inhigh-speed rail, as well as high-ways, bridges, transit and airports,adding it to the first year of a six-year transportation bill. Congressdidn’t act on the proposal beforeadjourning last year, but Transporta-

tion Secretary Ray LaHood saidhe’s confident lawmakers will takeup the measure again and deliver abill to Obama by August.

Thus far, Obama’s plans toincrease spending on high-speed railhave received a chilly a receptionfrom Republicans. House Trans-portation Committee ChairmanJohn Mica, R-Fla., urged the admin-istration Tuesday to focus its spend-ing on the crowded Northeast railcorridor, and not “squander limitedtaxpayer dollars on marginal proj-ects.”

Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor, thesecond-ranking House Republican,urged the administration to involvethe business community in its high-speed rail plans.

“I’m not in favor of additionalmonies that we don’t have, to bespent on those projects, and wouldcertainly look for ways to leveragethe private sector to get it involved,”Cantor said.

The White House said the six-year rail plan would include strong“Buy America” requirements thatattract private sector investment indeveloping and operating passengerlines, and would ultimately createtens of thousands of jobs in the U.S.

Associated Press Writers JoanLowy and Alan Fram contributed tothis report.

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Obama to call for $53B for high-speed rail

Official White House Photo by Pete SouzaPresident Barack Obama addresses the U.S. Chamber of Commerce inWashington, D.C., Feb. 7, 2011.

PXPPlains Exploration & Production Company

Proudly Joins the Community In Celebrating

Black History Month

The Inglewood Oil Field 87 years producingCalifornia Oil to meet California’s Energy needs

BY DANNY J. BAKEWELL JR. SPECIAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Just 24 hours after Congress-woman Jane Harman announced shewas retiring, Councilwoman JaniceHahn announced she was running torepresent the 36th CongressionalDistrict and took time out to talk tothe Los Angeles Sentinel about whyshe wants to go to Washington andwhat she is determined to bringback to Los Angeles.

The call came early Mondaymorning from longtime friend andCongresswoman Harman letting herknow that she will be stepping downfrom her seat in Congress to serve asPresident and CEO at the WoodrowWilson International Center forScholars. The congresswoman hasbeen a strong voice for improvingthe nation’s security and has workedhard for the people of her district(36th District).

Councilwoman Janice Hahnhas been a Los Angeles CityCouncilwoman for 10 years repre-senting one of the most economical-

ly and socially diverse districts in allof Los Angeles. With San Pedro onthe south, the 10th district has oneof the biggest economic engines inall of the city, while Watts on thenorth end of the 10th district hascontinued to struggle to overcomesome of the slowest job growth andleast amount of economic resourcesin the city. Over the years, JaniceHahn has been able to bridge thesetwo worlds like few other politi-cians have. She is the daughter oflongtime supervisor and communityicon Kenneth Hahn, who was astrong advocate for racial harmonyand probably best known for beingthe only politician who greeted Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. on his visit toLos Angeles after the WattsRebellion.

When asked why she is runningfor Congress, Hahn joyfully replied,“I am running for Congress becausethis is a great opportunity for me tobring my 10 years of local politicalexperience to Washington, D.C., tohelp resolve so many of the issueswhich challenge our city and our

nation at this time.” Hahn also stat-ed, “With the resignation of Con-gresswoman Jane Harman, I amrunning for an open seat, which Janeencouraged me to run for.” Harmanand Hahn are longtime friends and ithas been reported that Hahn waseven a guest of Harman’s at thePresident’s recent State of the Unionaddress in Washington. WhileHarman has not officially endorsedanyone at this point, most insidersbelieve it is only a matter of timebefore the congresswoman puts hername and substantial political sup-port behind Janice Hahn forCongress.

Hahn says bringing jobs to theLos Angeles local economy will beher main focus if or when she iselected to Congress. The Port of LosAngeles and Los Angeles Inter-national Airport are the two of thebiggest employers and revenue gen-erators in all of Los Angeles andthey are both part of the 36th Con-gressional District which Hahn isrunning for. “I have overseen bothof these operations as a member of

the Los Angeles City Council andthese two economic engines will bea large part of my focus if I amelected. Through the port and theairport, we can bring clean greenjobs and new businesses to LosAngeles, which is something ourcommunities so desperately need,”stated Hahn.

Hahn also talked about the fact

that she has a long history of work-ing with several of the African-American communities of currentcongresswomen.

“I know CongresswomanMaxine Waters, CongresswomanLaura Richardson and Congress-woman Karen Bass very well,” shesaid. “I consider them friends and I


AP Photo by Reed SaxonLos Angeles City Councilwoman and candidate for Lieutenant GovernorJanice Hahn, left, greets Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., at the CaliforniaDemocratic Convention in Los Angeles April 17, 2010.

Janice Hahn announcesrun for Congress

See HAHN, page 17


(Press Release, City of L.A.) — Withtax season kicking into high gear, MayorAntonio Villaraigosa and the United Way ofGreater Los Angeles launched the 2011Greater Los Angeles Earned Income Tax(EITC) Credit Campaign to encourage qual-ifying Angelenos to file for the EITC.

The launch took place at one of the high-est-performing FamilySource Centers in thecity — the Watts Labor Community ActionCommittee in South Los Angeles. The cam-paign is committed to helping working fam-ilies save money by providing free incometax preparation and access to tax credits.

Trained, certified volunteers prepareincome taxes at no charge to familiesthroughout Los Angeles County. This serviceis provided at Volunteer Income TaxAssistance Centers located in the 21 Fam-ilySource Centers in the City of Los Angeles.

“No hard-working family should everlose the chance to get ahead — especiallywhen resources exist and assistance is avail-able,” Villaraigosa said during the press con-ference. “We want to ensure that all qualify-ing households reap the benefits of theEarned Income Tax Credit and take advan-tage of the free tax assistance services beingprovided.”

The EITC program was created byCongress in 1975 to ease the tax burden oncertain working families, offset a portion oftheir living expenses, and provide an incen-tive to work. It has since become one of thelargest anti-poverty programs for workingfamilies, bringing an estimated $1.5 billionin refunds to low-income families and thelocal economy in Los Angeles County.

During the 2010 tax season, volunteersprovided free tax preparation services tonearly 39,500 households, helping themclaim over $36.8 million in total tax refundsand save approximately $6 million in taxpreparation fees. $13.5 million of the totalrefunds were through the EITC. During thisupcoming filing season, qualifying individu-als and families can reclaim up to $5,666 ontheir tax returns.

“EITC is a vastly underutilized benefit,with up to 20 percent of eligible taxpayersleaving $250 million in credits left on thetable. At the same time, costs for basic needslike housing and food is on the rise,” saidElise Buik, president and CEO of UnitedWay of Greater Los Angeles.

For more information on the EarnedIncome Tax Credit, go to www.greater-laeitc.org. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Mayor Villaraigosa and United Way kick off2011 earned income tax credit program


BY MAGGIE MICHAELASSOCIATED PRESS

CAIRO — Egypt’s protesters weredefiant Wednesday after a warning fromVice President Omar Suleiman that ifprotesters don’t enter negotiations, a“coup” could take place causing greaterchaos, raising alarm of crackdown.Organizers of the mass demonstrations,now in their 16th day, sought to widentheir uprising.

Suleiman’s sharply worded warn-ing deepened protesters’ suspicions ofhis U.S.-backed efforts to put togethernegotiations with the opposition overreforms. The protesters insist they willonly enter dialogue after President HosniMubarak steps down, fearing the regimewill manipulate talks and conduct onlysuperficial changes without bringing realdemocracy.

Suleiman, a military man who wasintelligence chief before being elevatedto vice president amid the crisis, hasrepeatedly said Egypt is not ready fordemocracy. “The culture of democracyis still far away,” Suleiman said in ameeting Tuesday night with newspapereditors.

The vice president also appeared tobe pushing ahead with a reform processeven without dialogue. He said a panelof top judges and legal experts wouldrecommend amendments to the constitu-tion by the end of the month, whichwould then be put to a referendum. Butthe panel is dominated by Mubarak loy-

alists, and previous referendums onamendments drawn up by the regimehave been marred by vote rigging topush them through.

Protest organizers have called fornew “protest of millions” for Friday —their term for dramatically enlarged ral-lies — but this time they would be heldin multiple parts of Cairo instead of onlyin central Tahrir Square, said KhaledAbdel-Hamid, one of the youth organiz-ers. He also said protesters were callingfor labor strikes, trying to draw powerfullabor unions into support for their cause.

Abdel-Hamid dismissed Sulei-man’s warnings. “We are striking and wewill protest and we will not negotiateuntil Mubarak steps down. Whoeverwants to threaten us, then let them doso,” he said.

A previous “protest of millions”last week drew at least a quarter-millionpeople to Tahrir — their biggest yet,along with crowds of tens of thousandsin other cities. A Tahrir rally on Tuesdayrivalled that one in size, fueled by arenewed enthusiasm after the release ofWael Ghonim, a Google marketing man-ager who helped spark the unprecedent-ed protest movement.

Around 2,000 protesters wavedhuge flags outside the parliament sever-al blocks from Tahrir on Wednesday,where they moved a day earlier in themovement’s first expansion out of thesquare. They chanted slogans demand-ing the dissolving of the legislature,where almost all the seats are held by the

ruling party.Thousands of protesters chanting

“we are not leaving until he leaves”camped overnight in Tahrir Square in

tents made with plastic tarps and bedcovers to protect them from chillyweather, sprawling out into sidestreets.Many have been sleeping underneath the

tanks of soldiers surrounding the squareto prevent the vehicles from moving ortrying to clear the area for traffic.

The struggle for freedom and equality has always been propelled by a belief that the arc of

history bends toward equality and that we have the power to bend it. We have seen that an

act as simple as riding on a bus or walking with a sign can influence the course of a nation.

One of the most important lessons of the black American story is that we each have the

potential, some would say the responsibility, to bring change for the better.

Unified Grocers gratefully recognizes the contributions of black Americans to the

development of this country.

Black history is an essential American story.

www.unifiedgrocers.com

AP Photo by Ben CurtisPeople demonstrate in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Jan. 31, 2011. A coalition of opposition groups called for a millionpeople to take to Cairo’s streets Tuesday to ratchet up pressure for President Hosni Mubarak to leave.

See EGYPT, page 9

Egyptian opposition defiant over VP’s warning

AP Photo by Mike Roemer

BY MICHAEL BROWN, SENTINEL SPORTS WRITER

How would Carmelo Anthonylook in purple and gold?

That question was once just a fan-tasy topic for NBA nerds who post onmessage boards, but not anymore, sinceit was confirmed by league sources toan ESPN reporter that preliminary talksbetween the Los Angeles Lakers andthe Denver Nuggets have taken place.

ESPN Magazine reporter ChrisBroussard said Tuesday that AndrewBynum would be “the main part of thepackage that the Lakers” send toDenver in exchange for Anthony. Healso said that a straight-up deal in aBynum-for-Anthony swap “does workfinancially under the collective bargain-ing agreement.”

Broussard added that Denver hasno interest in Ron Artest.

These preliminary talks follow acouple tumultuous weeks in Lakerland.First, two weeks back, Lakers GeneralManager Mitch Kupchak hinted at apossible deal after L.A. got thumped byBoston.

Magic Johnson followed a fewdays later saying the Lakers needed tomake a deal if the current roster didn’timprove. Then, reports surfaced recent-ly that Artest wanted to be traded — buthe shot down the rumors.

Former Lakers General ManagerJerry West went as far as saying hethought many of the Lakers playerswere “getting long in the tooth.”

After the Lakers defeated Mem-phis Monday, improving to 36-16, onewould think L.A. was lottery-boundjudging by all of the negative talk.

The criticism and trade talk is war-ranted, however, especially after L.A.lost at home to San Antonio lastThursday on a tip-in. Aside from KobeBryant, the Lakers look lethargic andineffective at times.

The idea of this team “flipping aswitch” and instantly sharing the bas-ketball again, defending, and the roleplayers being effective role playerslooks suspect at this point. Fans areespecially frustrated because the Lakersare not only losing to contenders suchas Boston, San Antonio and Miami —but they’re not competitive.

I thought Kupchak’s announce-ment of possibly making a trade was allbluster. But he clearly wasn’t bluffingand thinks this team may need to beshaken up.

Is Anthony the answer? That’s thequestion Kupchak will have to wrestlewith. Over the next several days, theLakers will play Boston, New York,Orlando and Charlotte on the road.

How the Lakers fare on this roadtrip may make Kupchak’s decision eas-ier if they are not competitive, particu-larly at Boston.

Kupchak likely wouldn’t be ableto stand-pat with this roster for muchlonger if the Celtics toy with themagain, and San Antonio continues towiden the gap with L.A. in the fight forhome advantage in the West.

Before Kupchak decides to pullthe trigger on this deal, there are sever-al pros and cons he would need to con-sider.

On the pro side, the Lakers’ recentstruggles generating transition pointsand scoring overall could improve. Attimes, Bynum and Pau Gasol don’t lookcomfortable on the floor together. Sincethey’re both seven footers, their postgames suffer when the offense is gal-loping up and down the floor.

Anthony is a natural wing playerwho’s effective from 20 feet and in, andhe could complement Bryant on theperimeter. If Bynum is traded, Gasolwould be free to roam the paint, draw-ing the double, and then dishing toBryant, Anthony or Lamar Odom foropen jumpers and slashes to the basket.

Another positive component tothis deal, depending on where youstand with Bynum, would be tradingthe young center while he still hasvalue. Bynum, who missed a game lastweek because of an injury, hasn’tproven that he can play more than 50games a season.

It’s a hard idea that Kupchak hasto consider, but if the Lakers organiza-tion feels that Bynum is injury-proneand his potential will never fully berealized, they must make the deal.

Denver can afford to roll the diceand wait for Bynum to become a domi-nant center. As I’ve been saying forweeks, the Nuggets are not in a position

where they hold leverage. Gambling onBynum could yield a much higher

Pros andcons of

Carmelobeing a

Laker

(323) 242-050011900 Avalon Blvd.

Suite 200-UpstairsLos Angeles

(310) 553-9500

METHADONECLINIC

Packers say goodbye tofans after Super seasonBY COLIN FLYAP SPORTS WRITER COLIN FLY

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The GreenBay Packers took one last chance to saygoodbye to their fans and each other.

Tuesday was a final day to pub-licly celebrate their Super Bowl-win-ning season, and the Packers did it instyle in front of more than 56,000 fanswho paid $5 to spend a final hour withtheir team for the first time in 36 days.

The last time the Packers were atLambeau Field, they beat division rivalChicago in a must-win game that pro-pelled them to a championship run, end-ing with the return of the LombardiTrophy to Titletown after 14 years witha 31-25 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday.

In the locker room, almost every-thing was cleared out except for a three-deep line where players claimed theirgame-worn Super Bowl jerseys andSuper Bowl locker nameplates beforeheading off.

“It’s a great feeling, I’m going tocherish that moment for the rest of mylife,” said safety Nick Collins, whoreturned an interception for a touch-down against the Steelers. “It’s been arollercoaster ride, up and down, but ourfans stuck behind us and we were ableto bring the trophy back where itbelonged — Titletown.”

The trophy took a victory lap andwill be placed with the other NFL cham-pionships the franchise has won goingback to 1929.

“It was a wonderful experience,”general manager Ted Thompson said.“It took everybody to win this thing andit’s just remarkable what these youngmen did.”

The players who lingered includedseveral with uncertain futures in thefranchise that’s been built with depth inthe draft by Thompson.

Whenever free agency begins,Green Bay will have questions.

“It’s where my journey began andhopefully it’ll be where it ends, but Itold them I do understand that there’s a


Photo by Jeff LewisKobe Bryant (left) and Carmelo Anthony could be an unstoppable force ifthey were teamed together, or the issue of not enough balls to go aroundcould tear the Lakers apart. We might find out what could happen in thenear future.

AP Photo by Mike RoemerWith other members of the team following behind him, Green Bay Packerssafety Nick Collins holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy as he walks around thestadiumand celebrates with fans during the “Return to Titletown” celebra-tion Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. ThePackers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in NFL football’s SuperBowl XLV on Sunday, Feb. 6.

AP Photo by Mike RoemerGreen Bay Packers cornerbackCharles Woodson waves during the“Return to Titletown” celebrationTuesday, Feb. 8, 2011, at LambeauField in Green Bay, Wis. Packerssay goodbye to fans after Super sea-son the Vince Lombardi trophy. See PACKERS, page 18

Green Bay Packers wide receiverDonald Driver raises his arms

during the “Return to Titletown”celebration Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011, at

Lambeau Field in GreenBay, Wis.The Packers defeated the Pittsburgh

Steelers 31-25 in NFL football’sSuper Bowl XLV on Sunday.

There are arguments tobe made for bringingCarmelo Anthony toL.A. and leaving him inDenver. Should theLakers pull the trigger?

See CARMELO, page 19

BY JOY CHILDS SENTINEL CONCTRIBUTING WRITER

When Randy Weston’s magnificent6’7” frame — clad in purple Africanattire from head to toe and wearing darkshades — first came into view on thesmall stage of the Lenart Auditorium ofthe Fowler Museum at UCLA this pastweekend, his very presence suggestedAfrican royalty.

And from the moment he sat downon the piano bench — i.e., before his

two-set solo piano concert; the question-and-answer with fellow jazz pianistMike Melvoin; and a book signing at thepost-concert reception — his “highness”essentially conducted a master class onthe history of jazz and the history ofAfrica, which are also his stories.

After his introduction by theFriends of Jazz at UCLA, the 84-year-old Weston launched into his thesis, firstproclaiming that “Africa is the richestplace on earth ... The music swingsbecause the continent swings!”

Then he wove story after storyabout his earliest days in Brooklyn (bythe way, his New York accent is still dis-cernable); his travels, residences andperformances in nearly 18 African coun-tries; and his resettlement in Brooklyn inthe last several years with his Senegalesewife of 10 years, Fatou.

In 1967, Weston went on a trip toAfrica with a U.S. cultural delegationand fell so in love with Morocco that hedecided to settle there. Of those halcyondays, Weston said:

“So when I went to Africa, I waslike a little baby ... People say, ‘What areyou talking about?’ You hear this music,they are totally in tune with nature.Because they visit with Mother Nature.When they go to make an instrument,they cut down a tree and they say a cer-tain prayer to that tree because the spiritof that tree is in the instrument. And forme, without question, music is the high-est form of Mother Nature ... becauseonly music could bring us together likethis from different parts of the world, dif-ferent genders ...”

It was in Morocco that Westonbecame one of a handful of proponentsof Gnawa (pronounced NAH-wah)music, eventually collaborating withGnawa musicians, most notably on atwo-CD recording from the early ’90s.In introducing his first piece of theevening, Weston explained that thesepeople practice healing rituals, healingdiseases by the use of colors:

“This is a piece I heard in Moroccoby the Gnawa people. They were takenas slaves and they had to walk the Saharadesert. And just like our ancestors in thiscountry, they created spiritual music.And they create music according to col-ors. Every human being has a color,every human being has a note, so whenyou become sick, they play certainrhythms based upon your color and yournote to bring you back in tune ’causethey say when you’re sick, it meansyou’re out of tune with Mother Nature.So I’m going to play for you a song, anAfrican spiritual, based on the colorblue. This is ‘Blue Moses.’ ”

It’s a piece that has become a jazzstandard largely because of its emphasison bluesy tonic notes and fifths. Thistime out, Weston slipped and slidthrough a variety of modes and moods,ever adding notes and chords on top ofeach other.

Weston’s second song featured apotpourri of his influences — especiallyDuke Ellington, but also TheloniousMonk and Art Tatum. Sometimes heplayed the melody in its original beau-teous form but often than not, he shotthrough the melody so quickly that itwas barely recognizable. All the piecesof all the songs, however, still workedtogether and were played trippingly offhis fingertips.

Until last year, Weston had not per-formed in Los Angeles since 1966.Thankfully, with the recent publicationof “African Rhythms: The Auto-biography of Randy Weston” and therelease of the “Randy Weston and HisAfrican Rhythms Sextet: TheStoryteller” CD, the appreciative jazzmusicians in the audience who came out

to see him (including Phil Ranelin (trom-bone) and Harold Land, Jr. (piano) won’tlet that happen again.

When asked for their thoughtsabout Weston, flutist James Newtonremarked: “I would say that he is a trueliving treasure! And this [concert] is amandate for artists to continue to pushthemselves and move forward. He hasall of the tradition, but he’s still movingforward and he’s playing things that arenewer and fresher than a lot of peoplethat are three times younger than him.Can I get an amen?”

Los Angeles Sentinel: And EricReed, what is your reaction?

Eric Reed (piano): I was just soblown away by how much power heplayed with at 85 years old. That blewmy mind! ... Like James was sayingbefore, you can’t really move forwarduntil you recognize that you have notarrived. And I would imagine even peo-ple like Art Tatum, Duke Ellingtonwould have said the same thing — asgreat as they were, they always recog-nized there’s still a whole bunch moreout there. We haven’t gone beyondTatum yet. Not yet. I know I haven’t!

Few have. In the meantime, there’san 84-year-old giant of a griot not to bemissed the next time he’s in L.A.

BY GREGORY DALESPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE AFRO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER

In the world ofcomedy, there’s onlyroom for one queen, andcomedian Sommore hasundoubtedly claimed thethrone. After bustingonto the scene in 1995 asthe first female host ofBET’s “Comic View,”the Trenton, N.J.,native’s career quicklyascended as she becameone of the premier facesof Black female comedy.

Following her rolealongside Ice Cube inthe slapstick urban comedy “Friday After Next,” she went on to appear in astring of other films including “Soul Plane,” “Something New” and “FamilyReunion.” She’s also appeared in many television shows such as “TheParkers,” “Wild N’ Out” and “Celebrity Fit Club.”

Now, the hilarious “tell it like it is” queen is gearing up for her headlined“Royal Comedy Tour,” which also stars comedians D.L. Hughley, BruceBruce, Don “D.C.” Curry, Damon Williams and TuRae. The AFRO recentlyspoke to Sommore about her career and what fans can expect at this royal tourof laughs.

AFRO: You’ve been in this business for over 15 years. How does it feelto have had such a lengthy career in comedy?

Sommore: It’s actually closer to 20 years, but yes it feels great. In thebusiness world, when you’re doing something that makes you money for fiveyears, it’s considered a success. So, to be making a living off of comedy for20 years — I’m just grateful. I attribute it mostly to my fans because theyrespect my work. They appreciate it and support it.

AFRO: What are some challenges that you’ve faced in the past while inthis business?

Sommore: It’s just like any other career; you have your ups and yourdowns. I wouldn’t say there are a whole lot of challenges, but it’s a male-dom-inated business. I’ve faced sexism and racism at different points, but [overall]I think I’m judged differently than a lot of other guys. I think if I said a jokeand I know it’s funny and a guy said the same thing, people would [laugh atthe guy], but coming from a girl, people would be like, ‘Oh, that’s dirty.’People just judge women differently, but I’m used to that now.

AFRO: You have quite a line up for the ‘Royal Comedy Tour.’ Why didyou decide to bring these specific comedians on board?

Sommore: I wanted to do a tour that had all headliners. It’s a show witha magnitude of the “Kings and Queens of Comedy.” That’s why we’re callingit the “Royal Comedy Tour.” We’ve been selling out all over the country. Wedid 30 cities last year and we’re doing 30 cities this year. I’m just excited.

AFRO: What new surprises can attendees expect at this year’s show?Sommore: The bottom line is the world is ever-changing. So, of course

the material is going to be different from last year. We have so much more totalk about. We got to talk about why these dead fish are just rolling up every-where, why these birds are falling out the sky and why everybody is just walk-ing around like they don’t see it. [Laughs].

AFRO: Do you have anything else in the works that fans can look outfor?

Sommore: Right now, I’m getting ready to shoot my second one-womanspecial. The last one, The Queen Stands Alone, did very well. It aired onComedy Central and we’re selling the DVDs right now. I’m about to shoot[the new] special this May and we’re taping it in Miami. It’s going to be titled,All Dressed Up and No Place to Go. I’m really excited about it.

Photo by Joy ChildsRandy Weston

Undisputed queen ofcomedy serves upSommore laughs


Sommore

Randy Weston: Ajazz griot, a treasure

Others started to flow into Tahriron Wednesday morning, some wel-comed with sweets by those who spentthe night. The demonstrations have par-alyzed the area around the square, defy-ing the government’s efforts to restore asense of normalcy as the uprising entersits third week.

Egypt’s most famous tourist attrac-tion, the Pyramids of Giza, reopened totourists on Wednesday. Tens of thou-sands of foreigners have fled Egypt amidthe chaos, raising concerns about theeconomic impact of the protests.

Separate, small protests havebegun to erupt in many places in recentdays from people apparently unrelated tothe Tahrir-centered movement, but tak-ing the moment to press their own per-sonal complains. In the Suez Canal cityof Port Said, about 300 slum residentsset fire to some parts of the governoratebuilding and several motorcycles,protesting the failure of the governor tobuild proper housing for them. Policedid not interfere, and the protesters set uptents in the city’s central Martyrs Squaresimilar to Tahrir.

In Cairo, dozens of state museumworkers demanding higher wages stageda protest in front of the Supreme Councilof Antiquities, crowing around antiqui-ties chief Zahi Hawass when he came totalk to them. Protesters said they wantedhigher salaries and more funding fortheir sector, which they said formerMinister of Culture Farouq Hosni hadreduced. “He took our money,” saidSuha Al Nabil, a museum employee.

Suleiman’s comments Tuesday

night were a blunt, impatient warning forthe protests’ youth organizers to entertalks and drop their insistence onMubarak’s ouster. He rejected anyimmediate departure for Mubarak —who says he will serve out the rest of histerm until September elections — or any“end to the regime.”

“We can’t bear this for a longtime,” he said of the Tahrir protests.“There must be an end to this crisis assoon as possible.” Speaking to the edi-tors of state and independent newspapersTuesday night, he said the regime wantsto resolve the crisis through dialogue,adding, “We don’t want to deal withEgyptian society with police tools.”

He warned of chaos if the situationcontinued, speaking of “the dark bats ofthe night emerging to terrorize the peo-ple.”

If dialogue is not successful, hesaid, the alternative is “that a coup hap-pens, which would mean uncalculatedand hasty steps, including lots of irra-tionalities.”

“I mean a coup of the regimeagainst itself, or a military coup or anabsence of the system. Some force,whether its the army or police or theintelligence agency or the Brotherhoodor the youth themselves could carry out‘creative chaos’ to end the regime andtake power,” he said.

In one concession made in theinterview, Suleiman said Mubarak waswilling to have international supervisionof September elections, a longtimedemand by reformers that officials havelong rejected.

Some protesters warned thatSuleiman was hinting at imposing mar-

tial law — which would be a dramaticescalation.

Abdul-Rahman Samir, aspokesman for a coalition of the fivemain youth groups behind the protests inTahrir Square, said Suleiman was creat-ing “a disastrous scenario.”

“He is threatening to impose mar-tial law, which means everybody in thesquare will be smashed,” Samir said.“But what would he do with the rest of70 million Egyptians who will follow usafterward.”

Associated Press writers Hadeelal-Shalchi, Hamza Hendawi, PaulSchemm, Maggie Hyde and MaamounYoussef contributed to this report.

EGYPTContinued from page 6

BY NEKESA MUMBI MOODYAP MUSIC WRITER

On second thought, maybeUsher should have been the headlinerfor the Super Bowl halftime show.

The superstar had only a briefcameo in the showcase, but his tight-ly choreographed moves and acrobat-ics marked the brief exhilaratingmoment of a surprisingly stale med-ley from the normally frenetic head-liners, the Black Eyed Peas.

The Super Bowl performancewas arguably the biggest stage yet forthe quirky quartet, whose fusion ofpop, dance and hip-hop have madethem global superstars. But in themassive Cowboys Arena, the groupappeared to be as stiff as frontmanwill.i.am’s plastic hair hat.

It started out with a wow factor:will.i.am, Taboo, Fergie and apl.de.apdescended from atop the stadium,outfits glittering, bedazzled outfits,singing (with the help of auto-tune)the party anthem “I Gotta Feeling”with hundreds of dancers grooving instep on the field.

But the Peas didn’t match theenergy of the song; they seemed ten-tative, and tense. It didn’t help thatFergie’s mic didn’t kick in until shewas midway through her first verse.

If the explanation for the Peas’flatness was nerves, those nervesnever settled, as they ploddedthrough such songs as “Pump It” and“Boom Boom Pow.” Technically,they were fine — Fergie’s voicesoared, the raps were performedright. They didn’t excite.

Even former Guns N’ Roses gui-tarist Slash seemed bored as he joinedFergie for a short snippet of “SweetChild O’Mine,” an unnecessary cameothat failed to add any sizzle to the set.

So it fell to Usher to breathesome life into the halftime show, andhe didn’t disappoint as he appeared inall white with a flank of dancers.

Although Usher seemed todance more of his No. 1 hit “OMG”with will.i.am than sing it, his synco-pated moves and flips provided theenergy jolt that the Peas lacked.

Even after Usher left, the Peasseemed a little more alive. They wentback in their catalog and performedearly hit “Where Is The Love,” whichsegued to their latest “The Time(Dirty Bit),” an odd, dance reworkingof “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”from the movie “Dirty Dancing.”

They ended as they began,reprising “I Gotta Feeling.”

The choice of the Black EyedPeas was intended to bring someyouthful vigor back to the halftimeshow after the NFL — feeling burnedby the infamous “wardrobe malfunc-tion” of Janet Jackson with the aid ofJustin Timberlake in 2004 — chose astring of safe, near-geriatric icons forthe halftime for the next six years,ending on a low note with a much-maligned concert by The Who lastyear.

The Black Eyed Peas broughtthe youth, but little else.

“I Gotta Feeling” the NFL willbe looking to try and find a better bal-ance in time for Indianapolis nextyear.


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PLEASE COME AND CHECK IT OUTOpen at Noon on Sunday, We serve Shrimp, Oysters,

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The Black Eyed Peas underwhelm Super Bowl halftime

The Black Eyed Peas featuringFergie, left, apl.de.ap., will.i.am,and Taboo, right, and apl.de.ap per-form during halftime of NFL foot-ball Super Bowl XLV Sunday, Feb.6, 2011, in Arlington, Texas.

Black firefighters have gone through physicalflames and the fires of discrimination. The Watts

Times looks back at their contributions, strugglesand accomplishments.

By Joy ChildsContributing Writer

Angelenos are seeing a historic era unfold be-fore them.

That’s because the county’s board of supervi-sors on Feb. 8 selected Daryl Osby to be the Los

Angeles County Fire Department’s first Black firechief.

And then there’s Millage Peaks,who was appointed to the Los Ange-

les Fire Department’s top position in2009, and is reportedly the city’s sec-

ond Black fire chief.They’re among just a portion of

African Americans in the county andcity fire departments.

As of 2010, there were 221 Af-rican Americans, or 7.4 percent, in

the county’s firefighting force out of2,967 uniform ranks, according to

county figures.Of the civilian and sworn firefighters in the

City of L.A., there were 404 Blacks, or nearly 10.5percent, out of 3,862, as of October 2010. The

figures are from the city’s fire department.Two African Americans selected to be at the

helm of Los Angeles’ two major fire departments:This means that those departments have come a

long way from the days that Black firefighters weresegregated and occupied only two fire stations on

Central Avenue.But the road from only two fire stations to in-

tegration to two Black fire chiefs has not been astraight line; rather, it’s been long and winding

and, for some, painful.

THE EARLY DAYSThe Los Angeles Fire Department was estab-

lished in 1886.According to the African American Firefighter

Museum, Sam Haskins became the first Black fire-

10 L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER

fighter in Los Angeles in 1888. Citing the census,the museum reports that Haskins was listed as an

employed fireman for the city.Blacks were sent to Hose Company No. 2 and

4, according to the museum, and these two werecombined in 1912 and moved to Fire Station No.

30 on Central Avenue in 1924.Segregated for decades, Fire Station No. 30

now has a new, improved function nowadays: It’sthe African American Firefighter Museum, and it

houses the history of Black firefighters in Los An-geles.

A VIRTUAL SHRINEInside the museum is a virtual shrine to these

firefighters: There are hundreds of photos from the1920s to the present, such as the black-and-white

picture of Station No. 30’s Black firemen, circa1925. They’re standing in formation with their

gear at their new station at 1401 S. Central Ave.There’s an exhibit of the women fire chiefs that

spotlights Rosemary Roberts Cloud, of East Point,Ga., reportedly the nation’s first African-American

female fire chief.There are the L.A. Men of Fire

2008 and 2009 calendars. Andthere’s also an African-American

firefighting doll that is dedicated toBlack firefighters in general and to

those who served at Los Angeles FireDepartment station 94 in particular.

The museum is attended to byBrent Burton, the museum’s presi-

dent; Kwame Cooper, the city firedepartment’s battalion chief and

museum vice president; and a groupof dedicated volunteers headed by

Akosua Hobert.Burton is a 25-year veteran and a captain at the

county’s fire department.What he likes most about being a firefighter, he

said, are the challenges: from getting into a burn-ing home as quickly as possible to save a life to

cutting people out of their vehicles with the jawsof life.

There’s another kind of challengefor Burton: getting African Americans

“to know about the museum and (to)come and visit and learn about the

100-year history of African-Americanfirefighters in Los Angeles ... to learn

about fire preparedness, safety, disas-ter preparedness, first aid.”

He loves speaking to neighbor-hood groups, home owners associa-

tions and block clubs — and takingyoung people on tours, as he recently

did, acting as a tour guide to the Car-son Christian School students.

THE STENTORIANSIf one looks up the word “stentorian” in Web-

ster’s II dictionary, the definition that person wouldfind is “very loud.”

But, since 1954, to firefighters in Los Ange-les, the Stentorians have been the firefighters who

have raised their voices in the struggles againstsegregation and racial discrimination.

It is likely that, because of them, Paul Ordunabecame the first Black firefighter to break up long-

standing segregation in the city’s fire departmentin 1957; with his hiring, he helped integrate the

department.

A WITNESS OF DISCRIMINATIONNinety-two-year-old Arnett

Hartsfield, who worked for the L.A.Fire Department, is a true walking

encyclopedia of the history of African-American firefighters in the city.

The nonagenarian has many storiesof firefighters who have

come and gone — andovercome obstacles.

In a recent interview atthe museum, Hartsfield says

he gets “too much credit. I ap-preciate it, but I wanna share it

with the men that earned it withme ... There’s not a single Black

fireman in L.A. city that’s still liv-ing that came on before me.

“Better than that, there aremore than 60 Black firemen who

came on after me who are dead al-ready, and I’m still here.”

Despite all he’s witnessed, Hartsfield decidedlong ago to “change (his) voice and look at (his)

blessings.”When Hartsfield was asked about the most

glaring, most painful act of discrimination that hesuffered as a firefighter (he retired in 1961), his

cheerful laughing stopped and he recalled a litanyof events from his generation.

Pointing to a photo of someone named ErnestRoberts, Hartsfield said, “I think he suffered the

worst ... Right over here on Hill Street, enginenumber 10 ... the White firefighters took his pil-

low and told him to put human filth in it ... andhe laid his head in it. He said to me, ‘Rookie, they

Thursday, February 10, 2011 11www.lawattstimes.com

were harassing me so hard I was so anxious to getto bed ...’ ”

Hartsfield said that with his new outlook, hecan still find a silver lining in that dark cloud.

“His widow’s still drawing a pension,” hesaid, “and, in addition to that, I went to hisson’s retirement, after 30 years of service asthe ranking inspector ... So though Ernie, likeme, never got a promotion in this depart-ment, his legacy’s still living on.”

He continued: “During one fire … mostof the White firefighters referred to me asthe ‘damn nigger firefighter’ ... I’ve livedlong enough to see that same depart-ment in 2007 honor me with a lifetimeachievement award.”

Another incident he recalled wasthat of a Black female firefighter.

“Her mouthwash was low. Shecame in the next day (and) it wasfull.” he contended. “She was smartenough to give it a smell test first. Itwas full of urine. She ended up get-ting a very handsome settlement.”

Hartsfield also recalled a timewhen there was a brush fire.

“Another (African-American)firefighter and I walked up tothe chief, and we heard themtalking and someone asked,‘Where’s the (African-Ameri-can) captain?’

“The chief said, ‘He’sdown at the bottom of thehill with his niggers.’ Andwe were shocked, andthe other Black firefighterwent off on him ... The

next day Chief Richardson came to our stationand told us we were supersensitive.”

When talking to Hartsfield, one’s mind couldimmediately fast forward to a noteworthy race

discrimination lawsuit against the City of Los An-geles in recent history.

Racial tensions flared several years ago dur-ing news coverage following an incident in

which White firefighters put dog food in TenniePierce’s food.

The African-American firefighter contendedthat the 2004 incident was because of racial dis-

crimination. Others maintained that the Whitefirefighter’s actions — which took place at a sta-

tion in Westchester — was a prank.A lawsuit was filed, and the city reportedly

settled it for roughly $1.4 million in 2007.It’s been a long road to the top for the two Af-

rican-American men at the helm of Los Angeles’two major fire departments — and it’s possible

that both of them could attest to the hurdles theyhad to jump over to reach the top.

But for the family of firefighters they lead,including the African-American firefighters, the

future could burn brighter.

HERMAN WILLIAMS, JR.FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN FIRE CHIEF OF A

MAJOR U.S. CITY

AP PHOTO/DAMIAN DOVARGANES


E V E N T LISTINGS 02/1 1 - 03/ 1 1happening these months

America.” Directed by choreographer,dancer and band leader ChesterWhitmore, the show will be a retrospec-tive of African- and African-American-inspired social dances that have beenpopularly danced in the United Statesfrom the 1800s to today. The perform-ance will take place Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m.,at the Crozier Visual and PerformingArts Theater, 124 N. Grevillea Ave.,Inglewood. General admission is $20,preferred seating is $25, and VIP seat-ing is $100. Seniors and students canget in for $15. Tickets may be purchasedonline at www.historyofblackdance.orgor at the door. Proceeds will benefit TheCrozier Middle School “Gents”Character building program. Donationsto support this program are also beingaccepted through the nonprofitPerforming Arts for Life and EducationFoundation Inc. (P.A.L.E.F.), and can bemade through PayPal at www.historyof-blackdance.org.

CREATE KEEPSAKES(CAAM/LAGRANT COMMUNICA-TIONS) — On Feb. 12, at 2 p.m.,attendees will have the opportunity tocreate their own Victorian keepsakeswith artist Cola at the California AfricanAmerican Museum (CAAM). At theevent, they can personalize pictureframes or memory boxes reminiscent ofthe Victorian period. This event is freeand open to the public. The museum isat 600 State Drive, Los Angeles. RSVP:(213) 744-7432.

DRUMARAMA 2 (AC BILBREWLIBRARY) — Drumarama 2, a groupof African and African-American musi-cians, will perform with their uniquegourd instruments during a musical pro-gram at AC Bilbrew Library on Feb. 12at 2 p.m. They are known for growingthe calabash plant in Watts, and making

their own instru-ments from thisgourd-producingplant. They alsouse instrumentsmade from recy-cled materials.Instruments and amural will beexhibited duringthe program. Theevent is free, andis being co-spon-sored by the BlackResource Center.More information:(310) 538-3350,ext. 5.

2-13-11

GOSPEL EVENT (MILES AHEADENTERTAINMENT) — “It StartedWith a Dream” — a pre-awards ceremo-ny, concert and service honoring this

year’s gospel Grammynominees — will take placeFeb. 13, 10 to 11:30 a.m., atAngelus Temple, 1100Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles.It will feature live perform-ances by Vanessa BellArmstrong, Lalah Hathaway,Kirk Whalum and severalothers. The event is free andopen to the public. The per-formances will be streamedlive at dreamcenterlive.com,inviting the world to viewthe event for $4.99 (pro-ceeds will benefit the cen-ter’s Project Hope). Moreinformation: (626) 398-2028, dreamcenterlive.com.

TOUR (A NOISE WITHIN) — A tourwill be given of A Noise Within’s newconstruction site Feb. 13, 4 to 5 p.m.The classical repertory theater compa-ny’s “Hard Hat Sunday” tours will allowparticipants to see the site of its 33,000-square-foot facility. The tours will takeplace at 3360 E. Foothill Blvd.,Pasadena. Reservations, moreinformation: (818) 265-7959,

www.anoisewithin.org.

2-11-11

MEETING (BLACK WOMEN FORWELLNESS) — Billed as a meetingthat will include discussion about thereopening of Martin Luther King Jr.Hospital, Black Women for Wellness’Sisters@Eight meeting will take placeFeb. 11. People who are not members ofthe organization must pay $10 to attend,but members can attend for free. Themeeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. at theBarbara Morrison Center, 4305 DegnanBlvd., suite 101. RSVP, more informa-tion: (323) 290-5955,[email protected].

2-12-11

VALENTINE’S DANCE (NAEJA) —The National Association for EqualJustice in America’s second annualValentine’sDancewilltakeplaceFeb.12, 6p.m. to2 a.m.,at 303 E.PalmerAve.,Compton. Theentrance fee is a $20donation. No tickets will be sold at thedoor. Refreshments will be served. Moreinformation: (310) 608-5878.

BLACK DANCE (SQUIRES PUBLICRELATIONS) — The Central AvenueDance Ensemble, in honor of BlackHistory Month, is producing a two-hourmultimedia dance performance entitled“The History of Black Dance in

VICTORIA BURNETT(CAAM/LAGRANT COMMUNICA-TIONS) — On Feb. 13 at 2 p.m.,teacher and performer Victoria Burnettwill aim to bring to life the story of thefounding of the first African-Americantownship in California. The event willtake place at the California AfricanAmerican Museum, 600 State Drive, LosAngeles. The event is free and open tothe public. More information: (213) 744-2024, www.caamuseum.org.

2-17-11

PAINT IT FORWARD (POETESSMEDIA) — Mothers of NBA playerswill be honored at the “Art That SavesLives! Sports Art Exhibition & CharityAuction” on Feb. 17, 6 to 9 p.m., at theCalifornia African American Museum.Proceeds will benefit various youth andcommunity-based programs. Art ThatSaves Lives! and She Cares will paytribute to the moms for their sacrifice,

commitment and leader-

ship in the lives of some of the greatestNBA players. The museum is at 600State Drive, Los Angeles. More event,sponsorship information: CarlWashington/UMCA Sports, (323) 934-8622, [email protected],www.facebook.com/pages/Paintitforward.

“HUMMINGBIRD WARRIOR”(FROM LIBBY HUEBNER) — A 45-minute oratorio called “TheHummingbird Warrior Oratorio,” based

on an exploration of the Aztecculture and the creation legendof Huitzilopotchli, theHummingbird Warrior — willtake place Feb. 17, 7 p.m. Theperformance is free to the pub-lic. The event will take place atCentral Los Angeles HighSchool #9, the school fromwhich students composed themusic and lyrics for “ThePhoto by John Berry Architects

PIF girls painting

Kirk Whalum

Photo by Nate JohnsonCentral Avenue Dance Ensemble

The deadline for receipt of calendarlistings is Friday, noon, at least

two weeks prior to activity. Fax to: (323) 299-3896,

e-mail us at [email protected] ormail to: L.A. Watts Times,

3800 Crenshaw Blvd., L.A., CA 90008. All calendar items are received from various

senders and are subject to being edited.


each and may be purchased by call-ing the box office at (310) 330-0178.People can also buy tickets atwww.barbaramorrison.com.

UNFINISHED BATTLE (FREE-DOM SOCIALIST PARTY) — Adiscussion about the “UnfinishedBattle for Quality Public Schools”will take place Feb. 20, 2 p.m., atSolidarity Hall, 2170 W. WashingtonBlvd., Los Angeles. Education propo-nents will highlight the role of freedslaves in winning free, integratedpublic schools for the first time inU.S. history during the post-CivilWar reconstruction era. A southern-style dinner, with a vegetarian option,will be served at 4:30 p.m. for a $10donation, and there is a sliding scalefor those who have a low income, aswell as the unemployed. Information:(323) 732-6416, [email protected],www.socialism.com.

2-26-11

BOOK SIGNING, DISCUSSION(AC BILBREW LIBRARY) — Abook signing and discussion featuringFrancella Henderson, author of“Hidden Secrets About Black History,Vol. 1,” will take place Feb. 26 at 2p.m.?The program is free and open tothe public.?AC Bilbrew Library is at150 E. El Segundo Blvd., Los

Angeles. More information: (310)538-3350, option 5.

3-4-11

SPAMALOT (CITY OF CER-RITOS) — The Tony winner forBest Musical, “Spamalot,” willbe at the Cerritos Center for thePerforming Arts (CCPA) fromMarch 4 to 6. The March 4show will take place at 8 p.m.,while the one on the 5th takesplace at 2 and 8 p.m. TheMarch 6 event will begin at 2p.m. Tickets range from $28 to$67 and are available at theCCPA ticket office andwww.cerritoscenter.com.People interested in attendingcan also call (562) 467-8818.This show contains strong lan-guage and adult themes and isrecommended for mature audi-ences only. More information:(562) 467-8818, www.cerri-toscenter.com. The center is at12700 Center Court Drive,

Cerritos. More information: (562)467-8818.

ONGOING

“WENCH” (SANTA MONICAPUBLIC LIBRARY) — SantaMonica Citywide Reads, a communi-ty reading program that invites every-

one in Santa Monica to read and dis-cuss the same novel in book discus-sions and special events heldthroughout the city, will take placeFeb. 14 to March 12. This year,Citywide Reads celebrates its ninthanniversary with the featured book“Wench” by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.“Wench” was borne out of theauthor’s musings on why, when pre-sented with the possibility of becom-ing free, some slaves would run,while others would choose to staywith their masters. “Wench” wasrecently nominated for Best Noveland Best First Novel at the NAACPImage Awards, and debuted at No.16 on The New York Times’ TradePaperback Best Sellers chart.Citywide Reads will have severalpublic discussions led by a facilita-tor, including one on Feb. 16, 7 p.m.,at Montana Branch, 1704 MontanaAve., Santa Monica; and another onFeb. 19, 12:30 p.m., at First AMEChurch, 1823 Michigan Ave. TheCitywide Reads blog, www.santa-monicacitywidereads.blogspot.com,contains up-to-date and in-depthinformation about the book, author,and special events, and providescommunity members an opportunity

Hummingbird Warrior.” The event willtake place at the high school’s main the-ater. In conjunction with the oratorio’sworld premiere, the L.A. Master ChoraleChamber Singers will perform. Theschool is in downtown Los Angeles at450 N. Grand Ave. Campus parking isfree (enter on Cesar Chavez Avenue).Information: (213) 217-8600.

2-19-11

AFRICAN HARP MUSIC (WIL-LOWBROOK COUNTY LIBRARY)— To celebrate Black History Month, aclassical African harp music programwill take place Feb. 19, 1 p.m., at theWillowbrook Library, 11838 WilmingtonAve., Los Angeles. Asha Baba, a story-teller and musician, will introduce thenews and views of the Africa of yester-day and today through story and music.The event is free and open to the public.More information: (323) 564-5698.

2-20-11

TRIBUTE (STEVE MOYER PR) —The Barbara Morrison Performing ArtsCenter will present “A Tribute To BillieHoliday,” in celebration of Black HistoryMonth, starring jazz pianist and vocalistCorky Hale, Billie Holiday’s pianist, aswell as performances by jazz vocalistsBarbara Morrison and Tricia Tahara.Karl Vincent will be featured on bass.The event will

take place Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. and includesome video footage of Hale being inter-viewed by a television crew about work-ing with Holiday. The performance willbe at the Barbara Morrison PerformingArts Center in Leimert Park, 4305Degnan Blvd., suite 101. Tickets are $25

to respond to the book and programs,and to start a dialogue with others.More information: (310) 458-8600,www.smpl.org/cwr, www.santamoni-cacitywidereads. blogspot.com.

FREE LECTURES — Lectures byDr. Maulana Karenga will be given atthe African American Cultural Centerthroughout February, from 3 to 5 p.m.,in light of Black History Month. Thelectures include: “The Holocaust ofAfrican Enslavement” on Feb. 13;“The Reaffirmation of our Africannessand Social Justice Tradition in theSixties” on Feb. 20; and “CurrentTimes and Challenges” on Feb. 27.The center is at 3018 W. 48th St., LosAngeles. Information, registration:(323) 299-6124.

Photo by Tony Maddox

Barbara Morrison

BY CONGRESSMAN JAMES E.CLYBURN (SC-06)ASSISTANT DEMOCRATIC LEADER,U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

In my home state of SouthCarolina, Orangeburg County ishome to a 5,400-foot runway air-port, two Class A railroads, twointerstate highways, eight U.S.highways, two universities, a tech-nical college, 67 miles of shorelinealong the state’s largest lake andmore than 90,000 citizens.Orangeburg seems to have all thatis necessary to be a strong andvibrant economic engine. TheCounty, however, has a medianincome of $32,694 and is consis-tently ranked among the nation’s10 poorest counties with a popula-tion greater than 65,000, rankingeighth based on 2008 data.

When I was elected toCongress, I was told that in spiteof the infrastructure enumeratedabove, Orangeburg and other countiesalong the I-26/I-95 corridor wouldalways be drags on the state’s econo-my unless we solved their most press-ing challenge: access to clean, safe,drinkable water. I immediately wentto work to solve this problem. Today,because of good cooperation andplanning by local officials and target-ed congressional expenditures, in theOrangeburg County town of Santeelocated on I-95, we have a state-of-the-art water plant with reaches intofour surrounding counties. We havegreat hope that we can begin to turnthe economic conditions around inthese historically depressed communi-ties, but further assistance is needed.

In the United States, there are474 counties where 20 percent ormore of the population has been livingbelow the poverty line for the last 30years. The counties are as diverse asour great nation; Appalachian com-munities in Kentucky and NorthCarolina, Native American communi-ties in South Dakota and Alaska,Latino communities in Arizona andNew Mexico and African Americancommunities in Mississippi and SouthCarolina. They lack access to qualityschools, affordable quality health careand adequate job opportunities.

This is not a partisan issue. In2009, these counties were representedby 43 Democrats and 84 Republicansin the Congress. Democrats represent-ed 149 of them, with a total popula-tion of 8.8 million; Republicans 311,with a total population of 8.3 million;and 14, with a total population of 5. 3million, were split betweenRepublicans and Democrats. I repre-sented seven such counties.

When we drafted the RecoveryAct, I fought to ensure that no commu-nities were left behind. We all knowthat President Roosevelt’s “NewDeal,” which was credited with endingthe Great Depression, was not a gooddeal for many of these persistentpoverty counties. At my urging, theRecovery Act included a provision thatdirected at least 10 percent of RuralDevelopment investments to commu-nities where 20 percent or more of thepopulation had lived below the pover-ty line for the last 30 years.

I understand that my 10-20-30amendment in the Recovery Act wasresponsible for funding 4,655 projectstotaling nearly $1.7 billion in persist-ent poverty counties. I can speak oftwo counties in my district that bene-fitted from this program. Constructionbegan last year on 51 miles of waterlines to the Brittons Neck, Centenaryand Gresham communities of MarionCounty, South Carolina. These com-munities had tried for decades toreplace their contaminated wells witha water system, but could not affordthe matching funds required by tradi-tional federal programs. Through the10-20-30 program, the Marco RuralWater Company received a $5.8 mil-lion grant and a $2 million loan to pro-vide clean, potable water to thesecommunities for the first time.

In Orangeburg County, threesimilar water projects are being fund-ed through the 10-20-30 program.One of those is a $5.6 million invest-ment to bring potable water to aGlobal Logistics Triangle on I-95 atU.S. 301 that will soon be home to aJafza logistics, industrial and distribu-tion park. That public investment isleveraging an estimated $600-$700million in private investments thatmay ultimately create up to 10,000new jobs in this persistent povertycounty. That is an investment in inno-vation and creativity that will yieldsignificant dividends in the nearfuture and hopefully lift OrangeburgCounty out of its quagmire as one ofthe ten poorest counties in the nation.

I am urging Congress to includethe 10-20-30 approach in future fund-ing proposals, and expand it to all fed-eral agencies. It doesn’t require addi-tional funding — only the stipulationthat at least ten percent of any agency’sappropriated programmatic funds beinvested in 10-20-30 communities.

We have been so heavily focusedon easing the national unemploymentrate that we have not given adequateattention to communities that are suf-fering from chronic distress andDepression-era levels of joblessness.They must be included in our effortsto get the entire nation on the righttrack. If we provide them the enginesthey have been lacking, these commu-nities can join the rest of America tocompete and “win the future.”

We should leave nocommunity behind

BY SECRETARY KATHLEENSEBELIUS

Recently, President Obamaoutlined his vision for how theUnited States can win the futurethrough investments and re-forms that will give every fami-ly and business the chance tothrive. Effectively implement-ing the Affordable Care Act is avital part of this effort.

But some in Congress wantto refight the political battles ofthe past two years and repeal thelaw along with all the new con-sumer protections and benefitsthat go with it. That would be amajor setback for the African-American community.

Up to 1 in 5 African Ameri-cans lack health insurance, oneof the highest rates for anygroup. This, more than any otherdemographic or economic barri-er, negatively impacts the quali-ty of healthcare received byAfrican Americans. TheAffordable Care Act givesAfrican Americans more free-dom to get the care they need byextending overage to 32 million pre-vious uninsured Americans.

There are also new protectionsfor the nearly half of all AfricanAmericans have a disability orchronic disease, making them vul-nerable to discrimination by insur-ance companies. Under the law,insurers may not turn away childrenwith pre-existing conditions, a pro-tection that will extend to all indi-viduals with pre-existing conditionsstarting in 2014. Repeal would putmillions of African Americans withhealth conditions right back at themercy of their insurance companies.

The law is also helping AfricanAmericans get care by bringingmore doctors and nurses to chroni-cally underserved communities.Repeal would take away theseinvestments, including billions ofdollars for Community Health Cen-ters, a quarter of whose patients areAfrican American, and new fundsfor training and placing thousandsof new primary care providers in theneighborhoods where they are need-ed most.

And the law invests in national

and the community level solutionsfor problems such as obesity thatdisproportionately affect AfricanAmericans, especially children.Repealing the law would rob ourchildren of these future solutions.

With the Affordable Care Act,we are also taking a major steptoward making sure our economy isgrowing and working for allAmericans, including AfricanAmericans.

The law is giving America’sbusinesses more freedom from ever-increasing health insurance costs.For example, over the last ninemonths, nearly four million smallbusinesses have been notified thatthey may be eligible for a tax cut tohelp them offer coverage to theiremployees.

If repeal were to succeed,health insurance costs would rise forbusinesses across America, includ-ing many of the estimated 70,000small businesses owned by AfricanAmericans, leaving them to choosebetween cutting benefits, droppingcoverage and layoffs.

African Americans across thecountry are also benefiting from thenew Patient’s Bill of Rights, whichis giving families freedom frommany of the worst abuses of theinsurance industry.

A year ago, insurers could can-cel your coverage when you got sickjust because you made a mistake onyour application. Under the newPatient’s Bill of Rights, this practicehas been banned, along with otherharmful policies like lifetime dollar

limits, which often meant yourbenefits disappeared when youneeded them most. Repealwould make these abuses fairgame again, leaving an estimat-ed 12 million AfricanAmericans with private insur-ance at the mercy of their insur-ance companies.

Along with these new pro-tections, African Americans aregetting some relief from sky-rocketing premiums. Newresources are helping statesstrengthen their oversight ofinsurance companies and newrules limit the amount of yourpremium dollars that insurersmay spend on marketing andCEO bonuses. Repeal wouldroll back these reforms, makingit easier for insurers to hikeyour rate by 20 or 30 percent ormore.

And repeal would alsomake it harder for millions ofAfrican Americans to get thepreventive care and screeningsthey need. The African-American community suffersfrom the highest cancer mortal-

ity rate in the country. Thanks to theAffordable Care Act, those in newplans now have access to recom-mended preventive screenings,such as mammograms and colono-scopies, for free — but not if thelaw is repealed.

There are new benefits for sen-iors too. Since the law was enacted,more than three million seniors havereceived a $250 check to help themafford their medications once theyhit the “donut hole” gap in Medicareprescription drug coverage.

This year, seniors in the donuthole are receiving a 50 percent dis-count on all of their covered namebrand prescription drugs, the nextstep toward closing the donut hole.The estimated four million African-American seniors enrolled inMedicare are also enjoying othernew benefits like critical preventiveservices, such as mammograms andflu shots, at no additional cost.Repeal would take these benefitsaway, leading more seniors to skipmedications, cancer screenings, andother life-saving care.

In African-American commu-nities, the Affordable Care Act isalready giving people the freedomto make their own health care choic-es, helping families get care, help-ing businesses compete, and puttingMedicare on a better path for thefuture.

Undoing this progress nowwould be a terrible mistake.

Kathleen Sebelius is Secretaryof the Department of Health andHuman Services.

Repealing the health carelaw would be costly for

African Americans

Kathleen Sebelius

James E. Clyburn


Feb. 11, 1976Clifford Alexander Jr. is

confirmed as the first African-American secretary of the

Army. He will hold the positionuntil the end of President

Jimmy Carter’s term.Source: blackfacts.com

Black Facts

BY PORTIA A. SCOTTSPECIAL TO THE NNPAFROM THE ATLANTA DAILYWORLD

The 2011 Trumpet Award high-lighted many celebrities and icons as itmade its 19th debut at the Cobb EnergyPerforming Arts Center last weekbefore a full audience of well-dressedmostly African-Americans.

The event also marked an array oftop entertainers and hosts that led to itbeing one of the best to date.

Founded through the vision ofXernona Clayton, the evening movedthrough a live taping that will be airedin April, thanks to the humor and jokesby Atlanta’s own comedian, JonathanSlocumb.

The emcees for the evening were

actor Boris Kodjoe, his wife Nicole AriParker, and TV celebrity Niecy Nash.

A top entertainment lineup includ-ed Eric Benet, who turned out theevening: Angela Brown, RichardSmallwood, James Ingram, DonnieMcClurkin and several others.

The group SILK sounded just likethe O’Jays and performed their numer-ous hits like “Family Reunion,” “LetMe Make Love To You,” and “Don’tLet Money Change You,” as well as“Cry, Cry, Cry Together,” and “WeWere Made For Each Other.”

Trumpet awardees Al Sharptonand Judge Greg Mathis were candidabout those who paved the way for theyoung to enjoy the Trumpet Awardsoccasion.


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Nicole Ari Parker, Xernona Clayton and Niecy Nash

Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. with Trumpet Awards honoree Paula MadisonPhotos courtesy of The Trumpet Awards Foundation

(Left to right)Walter Williams,of The O’Jays,Trumpet Awardsfounder XernonaClayton, and theO’Jays’ EricNolan Grant andEddie LeVert

AmbassadorAndrew Young,

the Rev. AlSharpton and

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Trumpet Awards salute achievement

See TRUMPET AWARDS, page 19

BY DELAITRE J. HOLLINGERSPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THECAPITAL OUTLOOK

It was an especially festive night atthe Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose

Center and Teaching Gymnasium, as thelegendary poet laureate, actress, direc-tor, civil rights activist and humanitari-an, Dr. Maya Angelou, paid a specialvisit to the campus of Florida A&MUniversity (FAMU). Angelou visited

the university as the second componentof the four-part Lyceum Series, hostedby the university and chaired byCynthia Hughes Harris, Provost andVice President of Academic Affairs.

Angelou is perhaps best known forher 1970 book, “I know why the cagedbird sings” and for her emotive poem “IRise.”

University President JamesAmmons sent his regrets, as he wasunable to attend the event due to a familyemergency. On behalf of Ammons at theconclusion of the event, Harris presentedAngelou with FAMU’s MeritoriousAchievement Award — the highest awardone can receive from the university.

“I have always had thoughts ofwhat it would be like to be a part of atruly momentous event,” said Harris.“We are all in-fact here for this occa-sion. Dr. Angelou has had the privilegeof having worked with Dr. MartinLuther King Jr. and Malcolm X. I wouldlike to extend thanks to the Board ofTrustees and most especially, I want tothank our students. We present to you‘An evening with Maya Angelou atFlorida A&M University.’ ”

For nearly 2 hours, Angelou gave aspirit-wrenching, spine-chilling, laugh-ter-oriented and riveted performance tothe nearly 3,000 person audience.Acknowledging that she had writtensongs for award-winning artists such ascountry music star Martina McBrideand soul singer Robert Flack, the 82-year-old Emmy-nominated actress sangthrough a number of her eminentpoems, as well as those of noted writersPaul Laurence Dunbar, Nikki Giovanni,and James Baldwin. They included“Crippled Willie” (in memory of heruncle), “Miss Rosey,” “Negro lovesong,” “The health food dinner,” “Whydid you leave me,” “Jump back honey”and “Since you went away.”

Angelou, a dazzling author, whohas engaged international audiences inthe multicultural arts for more than fivedecades, spoke passionately of the firstAfrican slaves who were brought towhat was yet to be America on ships in1619. She promised that when she trav-els to Washington, D.C. in February toaccept the Presidential Medal ofFreedom, the highest honor that can bebestowed upon a civilian, she will bedoing so “on behalf of the manyAfricans who were enslaved from 1619to 1865. She added she would accept theaward “for every Muslim, Christian andevery Jew, and I will be receiving itfrom the hands of a Black president,” astatement which received thunderousapplause. Nevertheless, she spent themajority of the religious and sociallyconscious evening urging the communi-ty to befriend librarians and to takeadvantage of the dusty sections in localand state libraries, which focus onAfrican-American poetry and literature.

“We have mistreated librarians,”said Angelou. “They have studied ascarefully (and as) diligently as a heartsurgeon or computer analyst. I wouldlike for you, most importantly, to knowa librarian. Tell them ‘Ms. Angelou sug-gested I speak to you about African-American poetry.’ When she gets overher shock (adding that it is an under-served topic), she will search through-out the state to satisfy your request.”b

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AP Photo by Thomas PattersonLegendary poet Maya Angelou speaks at the Historic Elsinore Theatre inSalem, Ore., on Thursday, June 3, 2010.

Maya Angelou: Famed poetoffers challenge to community

See MAYA ANGELOU, page 19

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BY DANNY J. BAKEWELL JR.SPECIAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

On a sunny Tuesday morning in Inglewood, justafter 7 a.m., Juresha Maples is walking through herneighborhood. An elderly African-American man, stopsher and tells her how proud he is of her, to which shepolitely and delightfully says, “Thank You.” For Maples,the 29-year-old engineer and alumna of Florida A&MUniversity (FAMU) is not just walking through herneighborhood or getting in her morning workout; she iscommuting to work.

Maples is the project engineer for Turner-Bakewell,the construction management team, overseeing the con-struction of La Tijera K-8 School at the corner ofFairview and La Cienega boulevards in Inglewood. Shelives only a few blocks away from the job site and thefact that this born-and-raised Inglewood resident gets towalk to work is the type of community construction,community hiring and community reinvestment theInglewood Unified School District (ISUD) envisioned,when they approved the construction of this multimil-lion-dollar project through Measure K. Bond Funds inNovember of 2009. “When we started this project weemphasized to the contractor, the construction manager,

the IUSD Ad-minis t ra t ivestaff and every-one else associ-ated with thisproject that, weas a board, have an expectation that Inglewood residentswill benefit not only when this state of the art school isopened, but that Inglewood residents will benefit fromthe $23 million investment that IUSD put into buildingthis new school during construction and long before thedoors ever open.” said Arnold Butler, president of theInglewood Unified School Board.

Maples is a living testimony to the vision of IUSD.She graduated from Parent Elementary School, sheattended Culver City Jr. High and Hamilton HighSchool, and then went on to receive an engineeringdegree from FAMU. Right before graduation in 2004,Maples attended a conference in Texas for The NationalSociety of Black Engineers where she met with andinterviewed with national construction giant TurnerConstruction. Originally, she told them she was seekinga position in Dallas, Washington, D.C., or Atlanta. But,two weeks later, after meeting with then Regional Vice

Photo by Malcolm AliJuresha Maples, project engineer

Inglewood: There’s no place like homeJuresha Maples grew up in Inglewood, went to college in Florida and is now serving as the IUSD example of how home-grown talent is the best talent to be invested in.

BY ELDER TERRENCE K.BROWN, YOUTH MINISTERGREATER AMBASSADORCHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST

I can remember, as a childgrowing up in the local church, oneof the mothers of the church wouldextend a special invitation in theform of a song entitled “Come toJesus” after the minister concludedthe morning sermon.

The soothing words of hopeand inspiration began to fill theroom, like a sweet aroma: Come toJesus, Come to Jesus, Come to Jesusjust Now, He will Save You, He willSave You, He Will Save You, justnow, only Trust Him, only TrustHim, only trust Him, just now …

This song reminded me of whatJesus declared in the Scripture:“Come unto me, all you who areweary and burdened, and I will giveyou rest.” (Matt. 11:28, NIV)

What a glorious invitation!Jesus extended this invitation to allhumanity. The word “all,” identifiedin the text, implies everyone, not tocertain individuals having a particu-lar social or economic status.

Sweet rest is available to allthat come to Jesus! Rest for theweary. Rest for the brokenhearted,rest for the wounded, rest for thosein distress, rest for the confused, andrest for the downtrodden. Rest forthose who are burdened down withthe trials of life.

On several occasions in theScriptures, Jesus reiterates to hisfollowers His earthly mission objec-tive:

“The Spirit of the LORD is onme, because he has anointed me topreach the good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim freedomfor the prisoners and recovery ofsight to the blind, to release theoppressed, to proclaim the year ofthe Lord’s favor!” (Luke 4:18, NIV)

For the Son of Man came toseek and to save what was lost.(Luke 19:10, NIV)

Yes, I know we are living introubled times. Families are losinghomes, unemployment is on therise, health care issues are moreabundant.

However, you do not, have to

live a life of fear, failure, and regret!The apostle Peter further encour-ages the church to, “Cast all youranxiety on Him because He caresfor you.” (1 Pet. 5:7, NIV)

Webster’s definition of “cast”means to cause to move by throw-ing. So in essence the Bible isinstructing you to throw your cares,your worries, fears and frustrationsto God. He is well equipped to han-dle your heartaches and problems.

He will give you peace inexchange for pain, happiness inexchange for heartache, godly favorin exchange for failure. Tendernessin exchange for torment. Directionin exchange for confusion.

I repeat: You don’t have to livea life of failure and frustration.Instead, you can enjoy a life ofpeace, joy and victorious living. Asa young Christian, I fondly remem-ber the seasoned saints encouragingme with these words, “Every daywith Jesus is sweeter than the daybefore!”

So what are you waiting for?Are you ready for victorious living?Are you ready to receive the restthat Jesus, promised to those thatwould come to Him in willful sub-mission and obedience?

The response to that lovinginvitation is simple; it’s not diffi-cult. Just open your heart with faithand honest contrition and He willgive you rest.

A special invitation

Terrence K. Brown

See INGLEWOOD, page 19

have worked with each of themindividually and collectively onimportant community and politicalissues like reducing gang violenceand bringing jobs to the communityfor our young people. If we don’tprovide our young people decentjobs and opportunities what are weproviding them?”

Hahn is also excited about thepossibility of working withPresident Barack Obama. “Likemillions of other who were in atten-dance in Washington, D.C., for thePresident’s inauguration, I couldn’thelp but be excited and motivatedabout the promise of this nation,”she said. “When the President was

speaking about rebuilding our edu-cation system, providing clean ener-gy and building new infrastructure,I said to myself, that is Los Angeles,‘That is our focus as well.’ ”

With Congresswoman Harmanstepping down in early March, thereis not a lot of time to get a campaignup and running. And the with all ofthe wrangling going on in Wash-ington between the Democrats andRepublicans, President Obamacould be looking to ensure that thiscritical seat remains democratic.Hahn believes she has the experi-ence, vision and support needed tokeep the seat democratic and thesupport to make the seat hers.

HAHNContinued from page 4



Trustee Sale No. CA09002014-10-1 . Title Order No. 4636453 Loan No. 100167433 APN 6047-010-026 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED May 18, 2005. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On February 18, 2011, at 01:00 PM, At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building,350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA, MTC FINANCIAL Inc.dba Trustee Corps, as the duly appointed Trustee, under and pursuant to the power of sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust Recorded on May 26, 2005, as Instrument No. 05 1231349 of Official Records in the office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CA , executed by: ROBERT T WILLIAMS, AND NORMA HUNT-ALLEN, HUSBAND AND WIFE AS JOINT TENANTS, as Trustor, in favor of AMERICA`S WHOLESALE LENDER as Beneficiary, WILL SELLAT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, in lawful money of the United States, all payable at the time of sale, that certain property situated in said County, California describing the land therein as: AS MORE FULLYDESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST. The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 8912 SOUTH BUDLONG AVENUE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90044 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest theron, as provided in said Note(s), advances if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligations secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of this Notice of Trustee`s Sale is estimated to be $248,958.89 (Estimated), provided, however, prepayment premiums, accrued interest and advances will increase this figure prior to sale. Beneficiary`s bid at said sale may include all or part of said amount. In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier`s check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the California Financial Code and authorized to do business in California, or other such funds as may be acceptable to the trustee. In the event tender other than cash is accepted, the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee`s Deed Upon Sale until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. The property offered for sale excludes all funds held on account by the property receiver, if applicable. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder`s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. DATE: January 27, 2011 MTC FINANCIAL INC dba Trustee Corps TS No. CA09002014-10-1 . 17100 Gillette Ave Irvine, CA 92614 949-252-8300 Clarisa Gastelum, Authorized Signature SALE INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON LINE ATwww.NoticeSolutions.com AUTOMATED SALES INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 714-786-5351 Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section 2924f have been met. Regarding the property that is the subject of this notice of sale, the "mortgage loan servicer" as defined in Civil Code s 2923.53(k)(3) declares that it has obtained from the Commissioner a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Civil Code section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date this notice of sale is recorded or the time frame for giving a notice of sale specified in Civil Code Section 2923.52 subdivision (a) does not apply to this notice of sale pursuant to Civil Code Sections 2923.52. Clarisa Gastelum, Authorized Signature TRUSTEE CORPS IS A DEBT COLLECTOR. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THATPURPOSE. Ad #8905 2011-01-27 2011-02-03 2011-02-10

Trustee Sale No. CA09002121-10-1 . Title Order No. 4649620 Loan No. 3015949906 APN 5036-004-018 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED May 13, 2008. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On February 18, 2011, at 01:00 PM, At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building,350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA, MTC FINANCIAL Inc.dba Trustee Corps, as the duly appointed Trustee, under and pursuant to the power of sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust Recorded on May 27, 2008, as Instrument No. 20080924366 of Official Records in the office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CA , executed by: OSCAR A. MAZARIEGO, ASINGLE MAN, as Trustor, in favor of WASHINGTON MUTUALBANK, FA as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TOTHE HIGHEST BIDDER, in lawful money of the United States, all payable at the time of sale, that certain property situated in said County, California describing the land therein as: AS MORE FULLYDESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST. The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 1411 ROLAND CURTIS PLACE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90062 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest theron, as provided in said Note(s), advances if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligations secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of this Notice of Trustee`s Sale is estimated to be $354,247.30 (Estimated), provided, however, prepayment premiums, accrued interest and advances will increase this figure prior to sale. Beneficiary`s bid at said sale may include all or part of said amount. In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier`s check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the California Financial Code and authorized to do business in California, or other such funds as may be acceptable to the trustee. In the event tender other than cash is accepted, the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee`s Deed Upon Sale until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. The property offered for sale excludes all funds held on account by the property receiver, if applicable. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder`s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. DATE: January 27, 2011 MTC FINANCIAL INC dba Trustee Corps TS No. CA09002121-10-1 . 17100 Gillette Ave Irvine, CA 92614 949-252-8300 Clarisa Gastelum, Authorized Signature SALE INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON LINE ATwww.NoticeSolutions.com AUTOMATED SALES INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 714-786-5351 Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section 2924f have been met. Regarding the property that is the subject of this notice of sale, the "mortgage loan servicer" as defined in Civil Code s 2923.53(k)(3) declares that it has obtained from the Commissioner a

final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Civil Code section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date this notice of sale is recorded or the time frame for giving a notice of sale specified in Civil Code Section 2923.52 subdivision (a) does not apply to this notice of sale pursuant to Civil Code Sections 2923.52. Clarisa Gastelum, Authorized Signature TRUSTEE CORPS IS A DEBT COLLECTOR. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THATPURPOSE. Ad #8913 2011-01-27 2011-02-03 2011-02-10

Trustee Sale # CA0924205-3 Loan# 1010281762 Order # G853750 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER ADEED OF TRUST DATED 07/30/2007. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT ALAWYER. On 02/18/2011 at 01:00PM, MTC FINANCIAL INC., dba TRUSTEE CORPS as the duly appointed Substituted Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 08/01/2007 as Document No. 20071814979 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CALIFORNIA, executed by, HUMBERTO ARCINIEGA AN UNMARRIED MAN, as Trustor, INDYMAC BANK, F.S.B., A FEDERALLY CHARTERED SAVINGS BANK, as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States, by cash a cashier's check drawn by a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state). AT: At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building, 350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". All right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State describing the land therein: APN # 5005-010-022 AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST. The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 5421 AND 5423 CIMARRON STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90062 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances, if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Trustee's Sale is: $595,847.36 (estimated amount). Accrued interest and additional advances, if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The Beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the County where the real property is located and more than three months have elapsed since such recordation. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section 2924f have been met. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2923.52: 1. Pursuant to California Civil Code 2923.54 the undersigned, on behalf of the beneficiary, loan servicer or authorized agent, declares as follows: X Servicer does hereby state that Servicer has obtained from the commissioner a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date of the notice of sale is filed. 2. Timeframe for giving notice of sale specified in subdivision (a) Section 2923.52 Does X Does not apply pursuant to section 2923.52 or 2923.55 Dated: 01/27/2011 MTC FINANCIALINC., DBA TRUSTEE CORPS, as Successor Trustee By: CLARISA GASTELUM, TRUSTEE SALES OFFICER TRUSTEE CORPS 17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 FOR SALE INFORMATION CONTACT: (714)786-5351, (949) 252-8300 FOR REINSTATEMENT / PAY OFF REQUESTS CONTACT: (949) 252-8300 [email protected] #9249 2011-01-27 2011-02-03 2011-02-10

Trustee Sale # CA0951502-3 Loan# 502216497 Order # 55007896 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER ADEED OF TRUST DATED 07/31/2009. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT ALAWYER. On 02/18/2011 at 01:00PM, MTC FINANCIAL INC., dba TRUSTEE CORPS as the duly appointed Substituted Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 08/06/2008 as Document No. 20081407463 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CALIFORNIA, executed by, ANTHONY LARAY MITCHELL, A SINGLE MAN, as Trustor, FLAGSTAR BANK, FSB, as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States, by cash a cashier's check drawn by a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state). AT: At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building, 350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". All right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State describing the land therein: APN # 5015-021-004 AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST. The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 5133 CIMARRON ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90062-2142 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances, if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Trustee's Sale is: $320,737.09 (estimated amount). Accrued interest and additional advances, if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The Beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the County where the real property is located and more than three months have elapsed since such recordation. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section

2924f have been met. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2923.52: 1. Pursuant to California Civil Code 2923.54 the undersigned, on behalf of the beneficiary, loan servicer or authorized agent, declares as follows: X Servicer does hereby state that Servicer has obtained from the commissioner a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date of the notice of sale is filed. 2. Timeframe for giving notice of sale specified in subdivision (a) Section 2923.52 Does X Does not apply pursuant to section 2923.52 or 2923.55 Dated: 01/27/2011 MTC FINANCIAL INC., DBA TRUSTEE CORPS, as Successor Trustee By: CLARISA GASTELUM, TRUSTEE SALES OFFICERTRUSTEE CORPS 17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 FOR SALE INFORMATION CONTACT: (714)786-5351, (949) 252-8300 FOR REINSTATEMENT / PAY OFF REQUESTS CONTACT: (949) 252-8300 [email protected] Ad #9299 2011-01-27 2011-02-03 2011-02-10

Trustee Sale # CA0956023-1 Loan# 1010304523 Order # 090646981 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER ADEED OF TRUST DATED 07/18/2007. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT ALAWYER. On 02/25/2011 at 01:00PM, MTC FINANCIAL INC., dba TRUSTEE CORPS as the duly appointed Substituted Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 07/26/2007 as Document No. 20071765323 of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CALIFORNIA, executed by, ROSALBAALVAREZ, AN UNMARRIED WOMAN, as Trustor, J & R LENDING, INC., as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States, by cash a cashier's check drawn by a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state). AT: At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building, 350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". All right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State describing the land therein: APN # 5016-034-008 LOT 8 IN BLOCK 4 OF TRACT NO. 401, IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AS PER MAP RECORDED IN BOOK 15 PAGE(S) 106 AND 107 OF MAPS, IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTYRECORDER OF SAID COUNTY. THE LATEST TAX ROLLINFORMATION OBTAINED FROM THE COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR SHOWS THE SITUS ADDRESS OF SAID LAND AS 1515 W. 51st STREET, LOS ANGELES,CA The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 1515-1517 W 51ST ST & 5040-5042 DENKER AVENUE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90062 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances, if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Trustee's Sale is: $573,651.51 (estimated amount). Accrued interest and additional advances, if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse.The Beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the County where the real property is located and more than three months have elapsed since such recordation. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section 2924f have been met. Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2923.52: 1. Pursuant to California Civil Code 2923.54 the undersigned, on behalf of the beneficiary, loan servicer or authorized agent, declares as follows: X Servicer does hereby state that Servicer has obtained from the commissioner a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date of the notice of sale is filed. 2. Timeframe for giving notice of sale specified in subdivision (a) Section 2923.52 Does X Does not apply pursuant to section 2923.52 or 2923.55 Dated: 02/03/2011 MTC FINANCIAL INC., DBA TRUSTEE CORPS, as Successor Trustee By: CLARISA GASTELUM, TRUSTEE SALES OFFICER TRUSTEE CORPS 17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 FOR SALE INFORMATION CONTACT: (714)786-5351, (949) 252-8300 FOR REINSTATEMENT / PAY OFF REQUESTS CONTACT: (949) 252-8300 [email protected] #9541 2011-02-03 2011-02-10 2011-02-17

Trustee Sale No. CA7000045-09-1 . Title Order No. 090809074-CA-GTI Loan No. 1010710331 APN 5186-007-003 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED November 20, 2007. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT ALAWYER. On March 4, 2011, at 01:00 PM, At the front entrance of the Pomona Superior Courts Building,350 West Mission Blvd, Pomona CA, MTC FINANCIAL Inc. dba Trustee Corps, as the duly appointed Trustee, under and pursuant to the power of sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust Recorded on November 30, 2007, as Instrument No. 20072632247 of Official Records in the office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, CA , executed by: JOSE ALVARO DE JESUS A SINGLE MAN, as Trustor, in favor of INDYMAC BANK, F.S.B., A FEDERALLY CHARTERED SAVINGS BANK as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, in lawful money of the United States, all payable at the time of sale, that certain property situated in said County, California describing the land therein as: AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED ON SAID DEED OF TRUST. The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 441 S BERNAL AVE, LOS ANGELES, CA 90063 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest theron, as provided in said Note(s), advances if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligations secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of this Notice of Trustee`s Sale is estimated to be $431,729.71 (Estimated), provided, however, prepayment premiums, accrued interest and advances will increase this figure prior to sale. Beneficiary`s bid at said sale may include all or part of said amount. In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier`s check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association,

savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the California Financial Code and authorized to do business in California, or other such funds as may be acceptable to the trustee. In the event tender other than cash is accepted, the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee`s Deed Upon Sale until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. The property offered for sale excludes all funds held on account by the property receiver, if applicable. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder`s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. DATE: February 10, 2011 MTC FINANCIAL INC dba Trustee Corps TS No. CA7000045-09-1 . 17100 Gillette Ave Irvine, CA 92614 949-252-8300 Clarisa Gastelum, Authorized Signature SALE INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON LINE AT www.NoticeSolutions.com AUTOMATED SALES INFORMATION PLEASE CALL714-786-5351 Compliance with California Civil Code Section 2924f: The Beneficiary or Beneficiary's agent has indicated that the requirements of California Civil Code Section 2924f have been met. Regarding the property that is the subject of this notice of sale, the "mortgage loan servicer" as defined in Civil Code s2923.53(k)(3) declares that it has obtained from the Commissioner a final or temporary order of exemption pursuant to Civil Code section 2923.53 that is current and valid on the date this notice of sale is recorded or the time frame for giving a notice of sale specified in Civil Code Section 2923.52 subdivision (a) does not apply to this notice of sale pursuant to Civil Code Sections 2923.52. Clarisa Gastelum, Authorized Signature TRUSTEE CORPS IS A DEBT COLLECTOR. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THATPURPOSE. Ad #9774 2011-02-10 2011-02-17 2011-02-24

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAMES

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. 20110020225The following person(s) is (are) doing business as:Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice, 3500 W.Manchester Blvd., #309, Inglewood, CA 90305, County of Los AngelesRegistered owner(s):Kol Harrell, 3500 W. Manchester Blvd., #309,Inglewood, CA 90305Kayl Harrell, 3500 W. Manchester Blvd., #309, Inglewood, CA 90305This business is conducted by a GeneralPartnershipThe registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on NAI declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.)S/ Kol Harrell, OwnerThis statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on January 5, 2011NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) ofSection 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement gener-ally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself autho-rize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).Original1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17/11CNS-2033453#WATTS TIMES

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENTFile No. 20110112095

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as:1. Youth Builder Enterprises, 2. Y.B. Enterprises, 4242 Fairway Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90043, County of Los AngelesRegistered owner(s):Phillip A. Downing, 4242 Fairway Blvd., LosAngeles, CA 90043This business is conducted by an IndividualThe registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 1/20/11I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.)S/ Phillip A. Downing, OwnerThis statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on January 20, 2011NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) ofSection 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement gener-ally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself autho-rize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).New Filings1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17/11CNS-2031194#WATTS TIMES

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

File No. 20101887693The following person(s) is (are) doing business as:1. California Kween, 2. CA Kween, 3. LA Kween, 3881 S. Norton Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90008, County of Los AngelesRegistered owner(s):Kai Weathers, 3881 S. Norton Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90008This business is conducted by an IndividualThe registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/AI declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.)S/ Kai WeathersThis statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on December 21, 2010NOTICE-In accordance with Subdivision (a) ofSection 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement gener-ally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was filed in the office of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before the expiration.The filing of this statement does not of itself autho-rize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).Original1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10/11CNS-2029564#WATTS TIMES

To place a classified ad call(323) 299-3800

business side involved,” said defensiveend Cullen Jenkins, who is unsignedheaded into next season. “I had wanteda little security, something earlier beforethe season started, but we weren’t ableto get that. So, you understand it’s thebusiness part of it. If I don’t end up backhere, there’ll be no hard feelings.”

Linebacker Nick Barnett has twoyears left on his contract, but the formerfirst-round pick who spent most of theseason on injured reserve may be toopricey to bring back after the emergenceof several quality backups.

“It’s going to be hard to deny myhunger that I’m going to show cominginto training camp next year, but we’llsee what happens,” Barnett said. “Youguys are more worried because you’relooking for a story — who’s going to behere, who’s not going to be here. I’dlove to finish my career as a Packer, I’vegot two years on my contract so that’swhat I plan on doing.”

Just when anyone might start train-ing camp so that Green Bay can beginits title defense is unknown.

The NFL’s collective bargainingagreement expires at the end of the dayMarch 3, and barring an agreementbefore then, owners can lock out theplayers. If some of the Steelers soundedpessimistic about a deal getting done intime, most of the Packers believed itwould happen sooner than later.

“We have a lot of guys working forsomething bigger than just the individu-als. So, we’re going to get somethingworked out. I’m hopeful for that. Asplayers, we’re hopeful for that,” kickerMason Crosby said. “We hope to beplaying because ultimately that’s whatwe love to do and want to do.”

It’s certain, too, that Packers’ fanswill wait patiently for their team toreturn to the NFL’s smallest market.

“You’re clearly an energy force forour football team,” coach MikeMcCarthy told the fans.

And after a few brief commentsfrom the Packers’ other top players,Aaron Rodgers took over — just as hedid all season in performances that ele-vated him among the NFL’s elite.

Rodgers, the Super Bowl MVP,has had a whirlwind 48 hours thatincluded a trip to Disney World onMonday morning and an appearance on“The Late Show” with David Lettermanthat night. He sounded tired and hoarsein the frigid weather, but he had offeredhis fans one more thing before he left —his “title belt.”

“I just want you to know, for thenext year you guys can steal my beltcelebration because we’re the champi-ons of the world. Put that on wheneveryou want,” Rodgers said with a hugesmile. “It’s been a great journey.”

PACKERSContinued from page 7

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Mathis, who received the Human-itarian Award, said he would stop talk-ing about his incarcerated past when“the men incarcerated today can changetheir hearts and minds” and be free.

Both honorees acknowledged thecelebration of our achievements andthanked Xernona Clayton for her visionand the Trumpet Awards Foundationboard of directors for choosing them.

Other honorees included Dr.Andrew Keith and Dr. KevinChurchwell for medicine; RichardRoundtree for arts; Alfred C. LigginsIII, son of radio and TV magnet CathyHughes, for media; and several others.

The Rev. Al Sharpton received theTrumpet Award for civil rights.

Jonathan Slocumb, the Christiancomic, with the assistance of Delta AirLines’ Scarlet Pressley-Brown, emceed

the High Tea with High Heels affair,held in Atlanta, a fundraiser for theTrumpet Awards Foundation’s scholar-ship initiative.

The International Civil RightsWalk of Fame was open to the publicthe day before the awards ceremony atthe Ebenezer Baptist Church. It wasfollowed by the unveiling of the foot-prints at the Martin Luther King Jr.national historic site.

Honorees whose footprints wereplaced into the granite Walk of Fameincluded Arthur Blank, James Brown,the Rev. Dr. Gerald L. Durley,Bahamian Bishop Neil C. Ellis, LeonHall, Bishop Barbara L. King, MayorCarl Stokes, Congressman LouisStokes and Henry “Hank” Thomas.

The Trumpet Awards will air onSunday, April 24, on TV One.

TRUMPET AWARDSContinued from page 15

return as opposed to receiving a bunchof draft picks from the Knicks and Nets.

Letting Anthony walk after thisyear and receiving nothing whenDenver could have dealt for Bynumwould be irresponsible. This is a no-brainer for Denver.

There are risks however for theLakers. If Kupchak makes the deal,there’s no guarantee that Anthonywould mesh this season with Bryant andGasol. Everyone knows No. 24 is theNo. 1 option, but who would be No. 2?

Anthony has also never played ina very structured offense in Denver.How would he adapt his game to coachPhil Jackson’s Triangle Offense?

The Triangle is legendary for tak-ing a minimum two seasons beforeplayers gain a real understanding of it.

Part of the reason the Lakers aredefending back-to-back world titles isbecause of the size of their frontline.Trading for Anthony would lessen thatadvantage unless the Lakers couldsomehow convince Denver to includeNene in the deal.

Nene, who is a physical six-foot-ten forward and center, would play welloff Gasol because he doesn’t need theball and he can run the floor. Nene’salso in the final year of his contract andlikely won’t re-sign in Denver.

There’s also no guarantee thatAnthony would re-sign with the Lakers.It’s no secret; part of the reasonAnthony wants out of small marketDenver and yearns to play for NewYork is due his wife, “LaLa” Vasquez, aformer MTV veejay who wants to fur-ther her entertainment career.

LaLa and Anthony are both nativeNew Yorkers and the bright lights ofMadison Avenue may prove too allur-

ing for the couple to resist. But I don’tthink that would be a problem with theLakers. Here, Anthony would be able toshowcase his talents in the secondlargest market in the country, withHollywood in the backdrop.

If Lamar and Khloe can closedeals on a reality show and a new uni-sex fragrance, what would stop LaLaand ‘Melo from doing the same?

But the ultimate question Kupchakwould have to ask himself would be“when Bryant is no longer our best play-er and main attraction, who would bettercarry the torch: Bynum or Anthony?”

This potential deal looks enticing,but I wouldn’t pull the trigger. The prosand cons are pretty even, and there’s nodoubt this Lakers squad needs a wake-up call. Maybe speculation about thisdeal could serve a purpose and conveyto the current roster that their recentplay won’t cut it. Dealing for Anthonywould be a knee-jerk move by my esti-mates and would signal that Lakersmanagement is panicking.

I’m not saying this roster shouldremain intact as is, but bringing inanother 25-point-plus scorer wouldlikely disrupt the Lakers’ balance.Anthony’s a dynamic offensive player— but he’s never committed himself tothe defensive end of the floor.

Along with porous defense, theLakers’ biggest problem, which is con-taining opposing point guards, would-n’t be helped by this deal.

The Lakers problem isn’t lack oftalent. From one through seven, theystill have the best team in the leagueand the best starting lineup, along withthe game’s No. 1 clutch player.

If L.A. fails to three-peat, it won’tbe because they didn’t make this deal.Apathy and lack of execution will bethe culprits.

CARMELOContinued from page 7

President Beverly Harris and SeniorVice President Hilton O. Smith,Maples was encouraged to seek aposition with the Los Angeles office.And after a few more interviews shesaid she realized God’s plan was forher to return home to Southern Cali-fornia.

When the school board hiredTurner-Bakewell to provide construc-tion management on this project, theteam wasted no time in seeking outqualified local residents to beinvolved in this project. “Ms. Maplesis but a small demonstration of thekind of effort and commitment wehave to the community in providingquality jobs to the local residents ofInglewood and every city we work in.Hiring local, qualified AfricanAmericans and other local residents,no matter what their ethnicity, onprojects like this one, is what we do.

We believe it’s good for the companyand good for the community. Whatcould be better than that!” statedDanny J. Bakewell Sr., chairman ofThe Bakewell Company.

At La Tijera what exactly isMaples responsible for? She is direct-ly responsible for maintaining all ofthe State of California documents,correspondence and approvals for theproject. She serves as the liaisonbetween the architect, the contractor,IUSD and the state. Her primaryfocus is to ensure that the projectstays on time and within budget. “Atthe end of the day, I am here to makesure that the state sign-off processgoes smoothly and the district gets allof its funding as quickly as possible,because we keep immaculate re-cords,” said Maples.

Since joining Turner almostseven years ago, Maples has workedon a variety of different projects in

different cities, including the UCLARonald Reagan Hospital inWestwood, the UCLA MedicalFacility in Santa Monica, AdventistHospital in Simi Valley, PalmdaleRegional Medical Center, DendreonCorp’s cancer treatment facility inSeal Beach, and now, La TijeraMiddle School in Inglewood.

“It is truly a blessing to work soclose to home. In this industry youcan be assigned to a project almostanywhere and I have been on proj-ects where my commute is over 65miles one way, so to be able to walkto work is great,” said Maples.When asked about how she enjoysworking in her community, shepoints out that her brother actuallyattended La Tijera Middle Schooland that she went to ParentElementary, which is just a fewblocks away. So to be able to work,and give back to a city and commu-nity that you love, is a wonderfulfeeling. “I don’t know anyone elsewho lives in their own communityand can walk to work; it’s rare thatyou get to work in your own com-munity, but I think it’s the way itwas actually designed to be. I wishothers could do it and I am certainlythankful for the opportunity,” statedMaples. Through Juresha Maples,the school board’s vision of buildinga better school system with andthrough the people who live inInglewood certainly is an exampleof home-grown talent at work.

INGLEWOODContinued from page 17

Angelou also urged students to“become a rainbow in someone else’scloud.”

“There are several young peoplesaying ‘I’ll never finish college, I’llnever finish from a university, I won’tfinish high school,’ ” Angelou ex-claimed. “People saying: ‘I’ll never getthere.’ (Yet) all the while, there has beenFAMU saying here is a light. I am goingto help you be a rainbow in the clouds.”

Angelou, in conclusion, stressedthe importance of knowing your origins.

“You need to know how you’rehere; you are not here by accident,” shesaid. “You didn’t come like grass, youcame like trees … you have roots. Nohuman being can be greater than anoth-er human being. When you can, give.When you learn, teach. Thank you and Ihope you are as sweet to your last twoguests, as you’ve been to me.”

MAYA ANGELOUContinued from page 16

LAWT-02-10-2011

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