| Villaraigosa's Scary Priorities: PR Comes First By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com December 3, 2008 Do you remember reading in the papers, on November 21, 2008 (i.e., less than two weeks ago), that the Mayor is planning cuts in the libraries and crossing guards to save money? Well, just five days later, on November 26, 2008, the City announced it is hiring -- but not librarians, and not crossing guards. Care to guess what job opening the Mayor wants to fill? Here's a hint: he's offering a salary of up to $94,440 per year. Want another hint? It involves his Number One priority. That's right: your City government is in the market for a public relations specialist. I read about this at the Mayor Sam website, and had to look it up to believe it. Since when is it more important to have a public relations specialist than a crossing guard? Or, at these prices, three or four crossing guards? To hire PR people while firing crossing guards epitomizes Villaraigosa's twisted career-politician, form-over-substance philosophy: it's not what you do that counts, it's what people think you're doing. Yikes. If I win the election, I will be hiring police, not "public relations specialists." Speaking of which, I'm looking for good homes for over 1,000 beautiful yard signs. They'll look great next to your Rudolph and Frosty. And volunteers are stationed all over the city, so you won't have to drive over the river and through the woods to pick one up. Please click here to boost your curb appeal and get a free yard sign. |
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Villaraigosa's Scary Priorities: PR Comes First
RESENDING (didn't include second page as text on first one sent)
NEWS
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2008 Contact: James Bolden
Board Approves Supervisor Ridley-Thomas’ Request for a Plan to Help ‘Jump Start’ Process to Reopen MLK Medical Center
He calls for a detailed plan to make the facility seismic compliant
LOS ANGELES COUNTY – The Board of Supervisors today approved a motion by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas directing the County’s Chief Executive Office to collaborate with the Departments of Public Works and Health Services to develop a detailed plan to make the Martin Luther King Medical Center seismic compliant.
Earlier in the morning, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas visited the Willowbrook facility to deliver his first public announcement on his initiative to “jump start” the process of restoring full hospital and emergency room services to the area.
“The loss of hospital services in South Los Angeles has had a profound impact on this community where there continues to be a critical need,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas stated in his two-page motion. “The closure resulted in increased emergency and inpatient services at surrounding County and private hospitals. My top priority will be to re-open MLK Hospital, which has a long history in the County. The people of South Los Angeles need and deserve first-rate health care.”
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But Supervisor Ridley-Thomas made it clear that when the facility is re-opened, “the community must have a hospital in place that will ensure the delivery of first-class health care.”
Prior to its closure on August 15, 2007, MLK Medical Center provided essential emergency and inpatient medical care to the South Los Angeles community. The hospital previously provided an average daily census of approximately 255 patients, 72,000 emergency room visits and 156,000 outpatient visits in 1994-95, to 153 patients and approximately 42,000 emergency room visits and 164,000 outpatient visits in 2005-06.
Since its closure, MLK Medical Center has functioned as a more limited multi-service ambulatory care center (MACC) providing non-life threatening care in the urgent care center, and general medicine care in the outpatient clinics.
In his motion, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas requested:
- That the L.A. County Chief Executive Officer, the Department of Public Works, and the Department of Health Services develop a plan to meet the seismic standards necessary to provide an initial 120 licensed bed inpatient hospital
- Cost estimates and a time schedule to conform the existing Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center campus facilities or to construct new facilities, to meet earthquake safety standards required under existing law necessary to include the beds, an emergency room, multi-service ambulatory care center and any necessary hospital support services. County staff will report back to the Board in 60 days.
“This motion is designed to focus attention on the need to develop a facility plan that is scalable to medical service delivery needs and financial consideration in both the immediate and long term, he concluded.”
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Ridley-Thomas on MLK Medical Center
NEWS
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2008 Contact: James Bolden
Board Approves Supervisor Ridley-Thomas’ Request for a Plan to Help ‘Jump Start’ Process to Reopen MLK Medical Center
He calls for a detailed plan to make the facility seismic compliant
LOS ANGELES COUNTY – The Board of Supervisors today approved a motion by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas directing the County’s Chief Executive Office to collaborate with the Departments of Public Works and Health Services to develop a detailed plan to make the Martin Luther King Medical Center seismic compliant.
Earlier in the morning, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas visited the Willowbrook facility to deliver his first public announcement on his initiative to “jump start” the process of restoring full hospital and emergency room services to the area.
“The loss of hospital services in South Los Angeles has had a profound impact on this community where there continues to be a critical need,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas stated in his two-page motion. “The closure resulted in increased emergency and inpatient services at surrounding County and private hospitals. My top priority will be to re-open MLK Hospital, which has a long history in the County. The people of South Los Angeles need and deserve first-rate health care.”
MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY FORUM FOR SGV RESIDENTS ON 12/6/08
SAN GABRIEL VALLEY CITIZENS ARE ENCOURAGED TO
“GET INVOLVED WITH THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT”
BY ATTENDING COMMUNITY FORUM IN GLENDORA – DEC. 6
WHAT: Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) will host a community forum on the California voter-approved Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Planning. The community forum format will feature a statistical presentation on the mental health needs of the San Gabriel Valley also known as Service Area 3, as well as attendees will participate in age group breakout sessions.
WHEN: Sat., Dec. 6 (10 a.m.-1 p.m.)
WHERE: Citrus Community College Campus Center
1000 Foothill Boulevard
Glendora 91741
(Free parking and lunch to attendees)
CONTACT: Ken Kondo, Public Information Officer II
(213) 351-5297 – Office
(213) 507-2976 – County Mobile Telephone
On November 4, 2004, Californians took an unprecedented step: they recognized the mental health needs of the state’s residents by voting to pass Proposition 63 – Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). Presently, DMH is undertaking an intensive, inclusive, and multi-faceted approach in developing the County’s PEI Plan, one of five plans authorized by the MHSA. The State Department of Mental Health has recommended six priority populations to the counties: Underserved Cultural Populations; Individuals Experiencing on Set of Serious Psychiatric Illness; Children/Youth is Stressed Families; Trauma-Exposed; Children/Youth At-Risk for School Failure; and Children/Youth At-Risk of or Experiencing Juvenile Justice Involvement. An important step in formulating the PEI Plan is to examine the variables, the social indicators, which have most relevance for the process of selecting and funding mental health-related programs in the County.
# # #
MENTAL HEALTH: Hope, Wellness, and Recovery
http://dmh.lacounty.info/mhsa/
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Patt Morrison Weds, 12/3
PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
1-3 p.m.
1:00 – 1:30
OPEN
1:30 – 2:00
Big Man on Campus: The Superintendent Defends Himself
On Tuesday, the LA Unified school board discussed buying out Superintendent David Brewer's contract. The LA Times reports some key civic leaders have quietly been pushing for Brewer to leave, but Brewer’s been unwilling to take another job outside the district. Sources close to Mayor Villaraigosa told the LA Times that the mayor would support replacing David Brewer with the current deputy superintendent Ramon Cortines. Brewer handed over day-to-day operations of the district to Cortines earlier this year. Brewers’ supporters say he doesn’t get enough credit; his critics say he’s an ineffective leader. What does he say?
Guests:
David Brewer: Superintendent,
IN STUDIO
[NPR NEWS]
2:00 – 2:30
Ask the Chief
It's the monthly installment of Ask the Chief—your opportunity to ask LAPD Chief William Bratton your law and order questions. This month Patt asks the Chief about the $10 million settlement in the May Day melee lawsuit, the LAPD’s controversial plan to move 26 cops out of its West LA Division due to the low rate of violent crimes there, and how the department’s fingerprint lab is dealing with its workload in light of a recent investigation that exposed poor oversight and a host of missing files. We also get the Chief's take on the appointment of Governor Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security.
Guests:
William Bratton, Chief, Los Angeles Police Department
IN STUDIO
2:40 – 3:00
Resilience: Faith, Focus, Triumph
In the Fall of 2000, NBA star Alonzo Mourning was on top of his game: he had just won an Olympic gold medal, welcomed his second child into the world, and signed a huge contract with the Miami Heat. It was then he was diagnosed with Focal Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a rare, incurable, and degenerative kidney disease. The next six years led him on a harrowing journey—from a frantic search for a donor match, to lying helpless in a hospital recovery room, and finally, against all odds, leading the Miami Heat to its first NBA championship. Mourning joins Patt to speak about his battle with FSGS and what his experience taught him about the nature of resilience.
Guests:
Alonzo Mourning, Professional basketball player. He last played for the Miami Heat. His book is called, “Resilience: Faith, Focus, Triumph”
BY TAPE - PLAY FROM
priest pleads guilty
LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
MEDIA RELATIONS DIVISION
STEVE COOLEY District Attorney JOSEPH SCOTT Director
JOHN K. SPILLANE Chief Deputy District Attorney SANDI GIBBONS P.I.O.
JANE ROBISON News Secretary
SHIARA M. DÁVILA Asst. P.I.O.
18-1112 Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center
210 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 974-3525
Dec. 2, 2008
Former priest pleads guilty to molesting boy 20 years ago
SAN FERNANDO – A former Los Angeles Archdiocese priest pleaded guilty today to molesting a boy 20 years ago and admitted three prior victims whose cases cannot be charged because of statute of limitation problems, the District Attorney's office announced.
Deputy District Attorney Ann Marie Wise of the Sex Crimes Division said the admission by 70-year-old George Miller means that the three uncharged victims can address the court when the defendant is sentenced on Jan. 30 by San Fernando Superior Court Judge Cynthia Ulfig.
Miller, who has been free on bail since just after his arrest in July 2007, faces a three-year prison term, said Wise. He must serve at least 85 percent of that term before being eligible for parole consideration.
The defendant was charged on July 24, 2007, with molesting a boy that he met while assigned to the Guardian Angel Church in Pacoima.
Authorities said Miller befriended the victim's mother and became a frequent guest at the family home. He was charged with molesting the boy between March 1988 and March 1991, when the victim was 12 years old.
In 2002, Miller was charged with molesting the victim's older brother and two other boys. Those charges were dismissed in 2003 after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California statute of limitations on child molestation cases was unconstitutional. Not only did the District Attorney's office have to dismiss the Miller case because of the Stogner ruling, it also had to dismiss more than a dozen other cases against priests or former priests accused of child molestation.
The new case against Miller was filed after the current victim came forward. The defendant was charged with six counts – three of lewd act against a child and three of sodomy of a person under the age of 14. He pleaded guilty to Count 1, which alleged lewd act on a child under the age of 14 between March 1988 and March 1989. The remaining counts will be dismissed after Miller is formally sentenced.
sg
Sandi Gibbons, Public Information Officer
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
Criminal Justice Center
210 W. Temple St., 18th Floor
Los Angeles CA 90012
Phone: 213-974-3528
Email address: sandi@da.lacounty.gov
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