Let Parks Ring With Crack of...

Residents who live, work, worship and play in the 8th City Council District can catch a glimpse of glass-sheathed towers pointing skyward in downtown Los Angeles. It is a visual image of an “Emerald City,” as if created for a storybook tale. But it is also a vivid reminder to those who struggle to survive with less, that Los Angeles has no “wizard” and that the 8th District has no brick pathway to utopia.

This is 1991. It has been more than 25 years since residents of my community rose up in revolt over a lack of equality and justice. Yet the sad reality for many residents of the 8th District is that while other parts of the city have made economic and cultural progress, the place they call home remains mired in poverty and neglect. Much of the neglect can be blamed on the city that represents them.

In more affluent parts of Los Angeles, residents are concerned with “quality of life.” In the 8th District, residents are concerned with “day-to-day survival.”

I would like to change that.

Last year, I chaired a series of meetings in which residents of the 8th District and community leaders from other parts of South-Central Los Angeles sought to develop a plan that would force our elected representatives to be more accessible and accountable. The result was a loud and continuing call for better city services. It is a cry for help that has often gone unheard. When elected, I plan to change that.

The 8th District and other areas of South Los Angeles have, for too long, suffered from inadequate services. What other neighborhoods take for granted--supermarkets, shopping malls and business centers--8th District residents must frustratingly do without.

Ownership of most shops and apartments remain in the hands of absentee landlords. And jobs close to home are still a dream unfulfilled. Our feelings of safety and security are under constant assault by drive-by, gun-toting street gangs.

But through all of this, residents of the 8th District are hopeful. We hope that change and the passage of time will bring some of the good life our way. My goal is to represent all of the men, women and children here with an unshakeable commitment to service that touches both young and old.

Children in the 8th District, for example, should hear the crack of a bat in city parks, and not be scared away from sandlot games by hawkers of crack cocaine. Reclaiming parks and providing recreational opportunities for our children and families is a job for the Recreation and Parks Department. I intend to see that the city delivers.

Bringing a halt to the sale of drugs and putting an end to violent crime in our neighborhoods is the job of the Police Department. But we also need a better organized neighborhood response. I intend to see that the city delivers.

Litter-strewn streets and alleys contribute to blight. The city can focus attention on beautification in the 8th District. I will seek intensified effort by L.A. Sparkle, Operation Clean Sweep and Operation Bright Lights. These three programs alone can help keep trash where it belongs, graffiti off our neighborhood walls and street lights shining after dark. I intend to see that the city delivers.

The city is developing a master plan for affordable housing citywide. I intend to see that the city delivers on its commitment to provide shelter--that doesn’t break the bank--for our community, particularly for first-time home buyers.

For elderly homeowners, I will block eminent-domain proceedings, invoked under the guise of redevelopment, that robs them of the one tangible asset they have acquired over decades of hard work and sacrifice. In addition, I will rigorously pursue loan-sharks and con artists who thrive on our senior citizens by stealing their homes.

For the 8th District, real service begins when every program the city of Los Angeles has to offer is used in our neighborhoods to improve the lives of our people. I intend to see that our residents get what they have purchased with their taxes. This is my pledge, indeed, a covenant with my 8th District neighbors.

Just as I have for the past 10 years, I will work to deliver to 8th District residents at least the same level of services everyone else in Los Angeles receives, more if possible. We need honest and hard-working new leadership that can work with a wide variety of people.

Finally, I intend to work toward the day when men, women and children in this community can think less about survival and more about enjoyment and enhancement. They deserve no less from me or their city.

Los Angeles City Council District 8 At A Glance Population: 231,999 Racial / ethnic mix White (non-Latino): 4,54% Latino: 41.12% Asian: 5.12% Other: 0.61% Black: 48.61% Annual Income Median household: $15, 794 Household distribution Less than $15,000: 49.4% $15,000-$24,999: 21.8% $25,000-$34,999: 13.2% $35,000-$49,999: 9.8% $50,000-$74,999: 4.8% $75,000-$99,999: 0.5% $100,000+: 0.5%