Claim filed in shooting of South LA teen

April 9, 2015 By Leave a Comment


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.

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LA County joins City in considering minimum wage hikes

April 3, 2015 By Leave a Comment


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.

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New clinic offers free healthcare services

March 16, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Cutting the ribbon at opening of St. John's Well Child and Family Center. | Jessica Harrington (Annenberg TV News)

Cutting the ribbon at opening of St. John’s Well Child and Family Center. | Jessica Harrington (Annenberg TV News)

Reporting by Jessica Harrington for Annenberg TV News

The St. John’s Well Child & Family Center at the Lorenzo Housing Complex celebrated its grand opening Thursday March 5. The free clinic on Adams Boulevard near the 110 freeway is open to the community, including those who live at The Lorenzo. The clinic’s opening marked the success of a seven-year effort by the United Neighbors in Defense Against Displacement (UNIDAD) coalition to incorporate the surrounding community into development projects aimed at the college students in the area.

The Lorenzo, which began housing residents in 2013, is a high-end housing project catered towards USC students. The housing developer and various organizations signed the Lorenzo Community Benefits Agreement to ensure the building was inclusive to residents. This facility is part of this plan. It will remain in the same location rent-free for 20 years thanks to a gift from the developer.

The Los Angeles Techincal Trade College has its own St. John’s clinic on campus, but anything that cannot be taken care of at the clinic will be referred to the new facility. The new location is part of a larger movement to to ensure that everyone has access to affordable healthcare in their own community.

Listen to the full story from Annenberg TV News.
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South LA applies for Promise Zone grant

November 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment


By JT Arowosaye

The proposed Promise Zone for South L.A. shaded in light blue. The current Promise Zone is shaded in gray. | Photo: Courtesy Los Angeles Trade-Technical College

The proposed Promise Zone for South L.A. shaded in light blue. The current Promise Zone is shaded in gray. | Photo: Courtesy Los Angeles Trade-Technical College

A coalition led by a South Los Angeles college submitted a key application Thursday for the “Promise Zone” initiative that would give South L.A.  priority in federal funding for anti-poverty programs.

“This project brings together everybody with a very common purpose which is … the economic revitalization of this area through increased opportunities,” said Leticia Barajas, Vice President of the L.A. Trade-Technical College.

The program, created by President Obama in 2013, named five Los Angeles neighborhoods as “promise zones” in 2014. South L.A. was left out, to the disappointment of the Los Angeles City Council and community members.

The coalition hopes to become a designated area for federal help because the poverty rate in the region is close to 50 percent and the unemployment rate is 12 percent.

The college-led coalition formed a group called the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z). The SLATE-Z group would invest in transit centers, educational programs, businesses, and South L.A. redevelopment. The City Council and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents the area, support the application.

Originally published on Annenberg TV News.

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Northgate Market opens in South LA

April 15, 2014 By Leave a Comment


By Tiffany Taylor and Emily Mae Czachor, Annenberg TV News 

A full service supermarket held its grand opening Monday in South Los Angeles, pledging to provide healthier, fresher food options and more jobs for the community.

The California FreshWorks Fund awarded Northgate Gonzalez a $50,000 grant and $5.5 million loan to provide healthier options and jobs for the communities that need it most. The new market will bring more than 100 new living wage jobs with benefits to South L.A.

Northgate Gonzalez has partnered with Los Angeles and California FreshWorks to pursue a commitment to a local and diverse hiring plan, including working with Homeboy Industries, which helps employ former gang members.

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Dorsey High holds memorial for student

April 15, 2014 By Leave a Comment


By: Tiffany Taylor;  Video by: Madison Mills and Emily Mae Czachor

Jennifer Bonilla, a Dorsey High School senior killed in Thursday’s tour bus crash, was remembered with a memorial outside the school on Monday. Students and faculty brought flowers, candles and signs as they continued to mourn her loss.

Bonilla was killed when a bus carrying Los Angeles area high school students to Humboldt State University was struck by a FedEx truck that crossed lanes of traffic on Interstate 5 near Orland.

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Formerly homeless treasure affordable, dignified housing in South LA

March 7, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Video by McKenna Keil

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Irvin Dixon spent the last seven years living on the streets of Los Angeles. He slept on public benches and waited in long lines to receive a meal. This week, by virtue of a collaboration of several local organizations, he has a home.

On Monday, the South L.A. Supportive Housing Program celebrated the grand opening of 56 units of permanent housing, which will give safe living for nearly 100 homeless people. For Dixon, this difference will create an immense change in his lifestyle.

“There’s nothing better to provide anybody than a sense of dignity,” Dixon said.

The units, which were formerly dilapidated but have since been renovated, are availabe to men, women, and children. The residents pay 30% of their monthly income in rent. For Dixon, that is about fifty dollars a month.

The new housing is for people who frequently use county health resources, a requirement that helps create a more efficient delivery of care and resources. Officials say it is more effective to provide people with a living arrangement instead of covering medical bills.

This article was originally published on Annenberg TV News.

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Reward money for Christopher Dorner withdrawn

March 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment


The $1.2 million reward money put up for the ex-LADP officer Christopher Dorner may never actually make it into the hands of the citizens that helped with the manhunt. Click here to read more.

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Car chase ends blocks away from USC

February 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment


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LA Parks Initiative Opens South LA Park

February 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment


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