NO on Prop A: Don’t Support A Regressive Sales Tax to Pay for More Cops!

 

Want to see what comes out of the Measure J piñata?

This November, remember to vote NO on Measure J, a regressive sales tax increase that will allow MTA to continue to send billions of dollars to the private sector to build highways and rail lines while leading to more fair increases and cuts in bus services for poor communities of color.

For more information Measure J, visit:
http://noonmeasurej.net/

We need your help! CALL-IN ACTION TODAY and TOMORROW!

We need your support TODAY to help lift the lifetime ban on receiving CalFresh assistance for people with a prior non-violent drug conviction, and who verify their participation in recovery or treatment programs.

See below for more information! This Action will take 5 minutes, but will help thousands of people receive access to critical nutrition benefits.

Click on Image for Full-Size.

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This week, members of the Senate Appropriations Committee will decide whether to advance AB 828, the bill to lift the lifetime ban on receiving CalFresh assistance for people with a prior non-violent drug conviction, and who verify their participation in recovery or treatment programs.

Thirty-seven other states and the District of Columbia have already taken this important step to fight hunger by removing the lifetime ban.

Take Action!

Join statewide call-in days on August 13 and 14 to urge the Senate Appropriations Committee to make the right decision and support nutrition assistance for families in need.

See below for a list of target committee members and their numbers. If you are not in any of their districts, call Senator Kehoe, the committee chair.

Sample message:

My name is_____ and I live in_____.

I’m calling to ask you to support AB 828, the bill to lift the lifetime ban on receiving CalFresh assistance for people with a prior drug-related conviction. People shouldn’t be sentenced to a lifetime of hunger for any crime. Food is a human right, and to put entire families at risk of hunger because one of them committed a crime for which they have already served their time is unjust and inhumane.

AB 828 would end the policy of denying families critical nutrition assistance for life because one of them committed a crime for which they have already served their time. Allowing these families to access CalFresh assistance would help to reduce hunger and recidivism, boost local economies, and increase program efficiency. Click here for a fact sheet on AB 828 (PDF).

Target Senate Appropriations Committee Members

Chair: Sen. Christine Kehoe (San Diego), 916-651-4039
Sen. Elaine Alquist (Santa Clara), 916-651-4013
Sen. Curran D. Price, Jr. (Los Angeles), 916-651-4026
Sen. Darrell Steinberg (Sacramento), 916-651-4006
Sen. Ted Lieu (Los Angeles), 916-651-4028

Contact Tim Shadix with any questions at tim@cafoodbanks.org or (510) 350-9917.

LA CAN and Play Fair Farmers Field on KNBC4

Farmers Field Fast Fact #2!

KPCC Covers the Release of the Play Fair at Farmers Field Health Impact Assessment

This morning, LA CAN and Play Fair at Farmers Field Coalition, which includes Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, Comunidad Presente, and Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, held a press conference to release a Health Impact Assessment report on how the proposed Farmers Field and Convention Center Project would affect local, primarily low-income residents. The report, compiled by Human Impact Partners in conjunction with a panel of residents who live in South Park, Pico-Union, and Downtown LA, includes data and research on how the stadium may potentially negatively impact the surrounding community due to, for example, housing displacement and increased traffic. It also includes recommendations on how AEG and the city can mitigate negative impacts.
For more information, or to read the report, you can visit the Play Fair at Farmers Field blog.

The release of the report was covered by KPCC’s Brian Watt.

via KPCC:

Study: The downside of Farmers Field
by Brian Watt

A new study highlights the potential negative impacts of AEG’s proposed football stadium for downtown Los Angeles. Human Impact Partners conducted the study, with the support of a coalition that includes the Los Angeles Community Action Network, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and Physicians for Social Responsibility–Los Angeles.

The study focuses on the stadium development’s displacement and housing affordability, employment, public safety, and access to open space.

Becky Dennison of the Los Angeles Community Action Network says recent history has shown the development could reduce affordable housing in surrounding neighborhoods.

“We looked at the data from 2000-2010 as Staples Center came on line and then later L.A. Live,” Dennison says. “The race and demographic information in these communities shifted substantially toward upper income, much whiter population and folks were really pushed out of these communities.”

Anschutz Entertainment Group released a draft environmental impact report on the proposal known as Farmers Field. It maintains the stadium wouldn’t likely reduce affordable housing in the Pico Union neighborhood. But Dennison argues that report fails to consider housing losses in nearby parts of downtown and South Los Angeles.

NOW AVAILABLE: May/June 2012 Community Connection!

The May/June 2012 Community Connection is NOW AVAILABLE!

Click on the Photo above to read the Community Connection Online.
You can also download a PDF version HERE.

Right to Work for All: This Means African-Americans As Well.

Footage from the Black Worker Center Town Hall held on April 28th in Watts. BWC member LA CAN presents thoughts on employment, monitoring and enforcement, and unity.

Message to the City of Los Angeles: Protect Our Health, Clean Our Streets, Don’t Destroy Our Personal Property

The City of Los Angeles continues to play a dangerous game of “legal chicken” with the health of Skid Row residents. Over a number of years, Los Angeles has removed trash receptacles, portable toilets and just about anything that could provide a bit of humane comfort to those marginally housed. The LAPD simultaneously employed a strong-arm approach — taking and destroying items they deemed were “items of comfort”  and insisting that those things make it easier for people to live on the streets.  They forget to add, however, that shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing is maxed out and literally there is no room at the inn.

Unfortunately this is not a new occurrence in Los Angeles. Dating back to the 80′s Los Angeles has been engaged in the  practice of taking personal possessions, destroying them and  winding up in court as a result. Each time the court has reinforced Constitutional protections and has given Los Angeles clear instructions on how to enforce issues related to health and safety concerns, without illegally taking personal property. The injunction issued by The Honorable Philip S. Gutierrez is no different.

Los Angeles’ response to the recent injunction has been mean spirited and misguided, namely the outright refusal to clean streets and pick-up trash. Community residents have long cleaned Skid Row streets in the absence of consistent cleaning and trash collection. OG’s in Service have long enlisted the support of residents, arming them with colorfully painted trash cans and brooms, in hopes of supplementing the City’s infrequent collection. Residents forced to live on the street also clean their areas and place debris in the reach of skip loaders in the event they actually show up.

But these days they rarely show up. That is until the Department of Public Health showed up and cited the City of Los Angeles for numerous health code violations.

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: An LA CAN Week in Review

Last week LA CAN organized numerous actions and events across the state that received a lot of media coverage. Here is a quick review of just some of the highlights of a busy and successful week.

Play Fair Farmers Field

On May 16, residents from Downtown LA, Pico-Union, and South LA testified at a public meeting on the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed stadium and Convention Center project. Although the hearing was largely filled with boosters who have direct ties to AEG (the developer of the project), community members spoke powerfully about the potential negative impacts that a stadium might have on the community, including gentrification, increased policing, housing displacement, and increased traffic. Another one of the main issues brought up by residents was the lack of sufficient time – 45 days – that the public had to read and analyze the 10,000 page EIR.

The event was covered by a number of outlets. LA CAN’s Pete White was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying “The current and unrealistic 45-day comment period insists that residents and stakeholders read, digest and analyze nine pages per hour, 24 hours per day, starting the day the EIR was released up until comments are due. This is an unrealistic expectation and raises many due process concerns.”

Also covering the event were KPCC, The OC Register, and the Associated Press. In addition, the Natural Resources Defense Council, who early on backed the stadium project, has come out and said that the stadium EIR failed to fully analyze the increased traffice-related health impacts that the stadium would have on the community. They’ve called on AEG to redraft and recirculate the EIR.

Women’s Day in the Park

Last Friday the Downtown Women’s Action Coalition it’s 11th Annual Women’s Day in the Park. The event was covered by ABC7, Spanish TV networks, as well as local media/blogs, like Blogdowntown.

Camping Ban

LA CAN’s Becky Dennison was quoted in the Los Angeles Times last week as saying that the proposed City Hall camping ban is “such a waste of legislative time.” The ban would prohibit sleeping bags, hammocks and bed rolls at City Hall. It is direct response to Occupy LA and in anticipation of the reopening of the City Hall lawn this month. Dennison was specifically speaking to the redundancy of the ordinance since camping is already banned in city parks.

Hunger Action Day

On May 17, members of LA CAN joined over 300 residents from across the state for Hunger Action Day. Hunger Action Day is an annual lobby and advocacy day organized by the California Hunger Action Coalition that provides the opportunity for communities to travel to their State Capitol to push their elected representatives to support and vote  for statewide policies that increase food security and nutrition.

Dale Garrett

Last week Our Weekly published a piece covering LA CAN’s May 10 Action and Vigil to Stop Police Murders which was held in remembrance of LAPD slain community member Dale Garrett.