Magnitude-3.5 earthquake shakes South LA + Pedestrian loses leg in hit-and-run



Baldwin Hills overlook | Photo by CleftClips (Flickr Creative Commons)

Baldwin Hills overlook | Photo by CleftClips (Flickr Creative Commons)

Earthquake hits South LA: A 3.5-magnitude earthquake shook South L.A. Sunday night near Baldwin Hills. (KTLA)

Pedestrian loses leg: A woman was arrested after an alleged hit-and-run crash that critically injured a pedestrian. (KTLA)

Freeway crash injures two: Two people were injured Monday morning when their car struck the concrete barrier and burst into flames on the 110 freeway. (Daily Breeze)

Neighborhood watches car chase: A crowd gathered outside their homes in South L.A. to watch a car chase. Some were just nosey, but others wanted to thought that capturing the scene on video would prevent potential police misconduct. (My Fox L.A.)

Race relations better in California: About two-thirds of California believe that race relations are better in their home state than in other parts of the country according to a recent study by USC Dornsife and the L.A. Times. (L.A. Times)

A garden sprouts at South LA Library



RonFinley1

Lush greenery shades the street on Ron Finley’s parkway in South LA. | Marisa Zocco

From a tiny seed, a mighty garden may grow. This is precisely what Ron Finley is aiming for as he kicks off the development of his Vermont Square Library garden project in South Los Angeles.

Finley, a South L.A. native, plans to turn the library’s yard into an open-air library beginning May 28, complete with string lights and swings hanging from the trees. The transformation will coincide with L.A. Design Festival, running through June 14. During the time, tutorials will provide instruction on how to make Adirondack chairs out of palettes, graffiti artists will paint murals on giant panels, and movies may be shown al fresco. [Read more…]

Metro unfair to Black contractors on Crenshaw and Expo line, lawsuit charges + South LA woman walking dog finds brother stabbed to death



The Expo Line | Intersections

The Expo Line | Intersections

Metro unfair to Black contractors: A group of minority workers filed a lawsuit against the county, Metro and contractors for unfairly excluding local Black contractors from work on the Crenshaw and Expo lines. (Daily News)

South L.A. woman find brother stabbed: A woman walking her dog Monday night came home to find her brother stabbed to death. (ABC)

Dual language campus: The Accelerated Schools, a group of charter schools in South L.A., has started construction for a new dual language school on Martin Luther King Boulevard and Main Street. (PR Newswire)

Unarmed teen shot by officer speaks out: The family of 15-year-old Jamar Nicholson has filed a lawsuit in relation to a February 10 incident where LAPD officers shot Nicholson in the back on his way to school. (L.A. Times)

Claim filed in shooting of South LA teen



Jamar Nicholson, a South LA teen mistakenly shot by police, speaks at a news conference on Wednesday.

Jamar Nicholson, a South LA teen mistakenly shot by police, speaks at a news conference on Wednesday.

A $20 million claim was filed Wednesday against the City of Los Angeles in the shooting of 15-year-old Jamar Nicholson, who was mistakenly shot by police.  Nicholson was shot in the back on the morning of Feb. 10 near Crenshaw Boulevard and Florence Avenue when one of his friends was seen carrying a replica handgun that police officers thought was real.

Watch this video from Annenberg TV News of Nicholson speaking out about the shooting:

Attorney John Harris, who represents Nicholson and another teenager who was in a group of four that day, said at a news conference Wednesday that the officers “displayed callous disregard.”

LAPD officials did not comment on the claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit.

New musical highlights South LA music producer’s legacy + South LA schools lack library staff



Students at LAUSD school. | Photo by Clotee Allochuku (Flickr Creative Commons)

Students at LAUSD school. | Photo by Clotee Allochuku (Flickr Creative Commons)

Music producer musical: A new musical, Recorded in Hollywood, pays tribute to the legacy of South L.A. record store owner and producer John Dolphin, aka Lovin’ John. (L.A. Weekly)

No library staff: LAUSD elementary schools in South L.A. still lack staff to maintain their libraries, even though many school libraries that closed in the recession have begun to open in other parts of the city. (KPCC)

Street artist featured at CAAM: South L.A.- born street artist Adah Glenn’s work is featured at the California African American Museum. (L.A. Weekly)

Food revolution: Guerilla gardener Ron Finley started growing his own garden in South L.A. 10 years ago in the hopes of starting a food revolution. (NBC)

Teen stabbed in backyard: Police search for a suspect who fatally stabbed 18-year-old Tommy Cheatham around 9:30 p.m. Monday in the 800 block of W. 101st Street. (CBS)

Man pleads not guilty to murder: 18-year-old Jose Alberto Perez pleaded not guilty to murder and assault with a deadly weapon charges for shooting his stepfather’s girlfriend, 35-year-old Yemeni DeLeon, in a case of mistaken identity. (My News L.A.)

LA County joins City in considering minimum wage hikes



Text and video by Kimberly Leoffler 

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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and United States Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez advocated to raise the minimum wage this week, arguing that it would benefit all residents. They also lashed out against wage theft.

“If all the people who lived in poverty in L.A. were an independent city, they’d be the tenth largest in America, the third largest in our state,” Garcetti said.

“In January of this year, seven million Americans got an increase in the minimum wage as a result of state and local action,” Perez added.

The pair was greeted with cheers at an event in Downtown L.A. where hundreds of people with United Service Workers West came out to support an increase in the minimum wage and greater protection for workers.

Tina Tran said she was a victim of wage theft. While she was able to file a claim and settle with her employer, many of her co-workers haven’t been able to do the same. She says she wasn’t paid for overtime and never received meal or rest periods.

“The biggest issue of all was that I was being misclassified,” said Tran. “As a result, that’s why I was not being paid for overtime.”

Minimum wage debates have sprung up across the city. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors commissioned their own study this week to examine the effects of raising the minimum wage. In addition, the City Council’s Economic Development Committee held a meeting Tuesday night to solicit public input.

Originally published in Annenberg TV News.

LA pledges $1 billion to smooth its sidewalks



A cracked sidewalk in South L.A. is hazardous to pedestrians. | Kate Guarino

A cracked sidewalk in South L.A. is hazardous to pedestrians. | Kate Guarino

Los Angeles will spend more than $1 billion over the next 30 years to repair disrupted sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks, pedestrian crossings and other walkways, according to city officials.

The allocation of funds comes as part of a settlement announced Wednesday in a class action suit against the city. The suit alleged that crumbling sidewalks made it difficult for people in wheelchairs and those with mobility disabilities to access public walkways, thus violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“This $1.4 billion settlement is the largest disability access class action settlement in U.S. history,” said attorney Guy Wallace, representing the plaintiffs, in a statement. [Read more…]