Reminder Of Your Rights As A Renter

A Message From Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson:

It was brought to my attention that some property managers and landlords may not be following the city’s guidance in regards to paying rent, paying back rent, and threats of eviction for breaking other aspects of your lease. If anyone is dealing with issues such as these, please do not hesitate to contact my office for assistance, or with any questions you may have.

Some things to keep in mind during this time:

  • Landlords must not evict residential tenants who are unable to pay rent because of loss of income from work, childcare costs related to school closures, healthcare costs, or “reasonable expenditures” related to COVID-19.
  • If you are unable to make the rent due to COVID-19, let your landlord know as soon as possible.
  • If you receive an eviction notice that you suspect violates the city law file a complaint with the city of Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department (HCID), which is handling eviction investigations.
  • Tenants should also let their landlords know the reason why they haven’t paid, ideally in writing. However, do not sign any agreement with your landlord that could hurt your case if your landlord brings you to court.
  • If your landlord still tries to evict you HCID says the first thing you should do is stay in your home. 

For more information on renter protections go to https://hcidla.lacity.org/covid-19-renter-protections

No one should be kicked out of their homes during this crisis. I am also pushing for a full eviction moratorium and I stand with Councilmembers Bonin and Ryu on their renewed attempts to pass the moratorium again.

Rev. Sharpton Receives Leadership Award at Urban One Honors Ceremony

Rev. Sharpton for receiving the REPRESENT Leadership Award from Cathy Hughes and Alfred Liggins as apart of Urban One Honors Award Ceremony. The event heralded the accomplishments of individuals who have made extraordinary contributions in entertainment, media, music, fashion, sports, education, and the community. Footage of the awards is schedule to air on MLK day, January 20th, 2020.

Karim Webb Fights To Bring Equality To The Cannabis Business

n the South Los Angeles community Karim Webb is well-known for his four Buffalo Wild Wings franchises. The Baldwin Hills location, which opened in 2011, brought new jobs to the Crenshaw District along with a fun and safe place for community, members to watch sports.
If you’d have asked him back then what he did for a living he’d say, “I sell chicken and beer.” And he’s done well building all four of his restaurants into profitable businesses – each outperforming other BWW locations nationally.
But through getting engaged philanthropically with non-profits like The Brotherhood Crusade and the California Community Foundation, he quickly realized that he wasn’t just “selling chicken and beer” he was using his restaurants as a training ground to develop people.
“I came to understand that young people saw possibility for themselves because they saw us behave in a way that is consistent with success and thought – I can do that too. They were changing because we were asking them to,” said Webb.
In 2018, when the city of Los Angeles began legislating recreational cannabis, Webb saw it as another opportunity to expand what he had done at BWW.
“One of the really beautiful things about being a BWW franchisee is – Wings. Beer. Sports. – it’s a fun place to be but we really are a platform for helping people discover what is possible for themselves and their lives,” said Webb.
That platform has now expanded to include 4thMVMT, a local firm helmed by Webb, that partners, trains and finances individuals who qualify for Social Equity to become entrepreneurs through owning retail cannabis businesses.

 

 

L.A. City Council Votes to Move Forward with New Office of Racial Equity in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously approved an initiative calling for the creation of an in the city of Los Angeles. The office would work to eliminate structural barriers and ensure opportunity and resources are fairly and justly distributed so all Angelenos are treated equitably, empowered, and can fully participate in the city’s democratic processes. The motion was co-introduced by council president Herb Wesson, Councilmembers Mitch O’Farrell and Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and seconded by Councilmember Paul Koretz.

“When this government was created it was not created to benefit people who looked like me,” said council president Wesson. “I am proud that in one of my final acts as the first Black council president, we as a council acknowledge the city’s role of structural and institutional racism and its role in righting those wrongs with an Office of Racial Equity (ORE) that looks out for all Angelenos.”

The passage of this motion comes on the heels of a month-long phase of the embRACE LA initiative that has engaged community members through 150+ city-wide conversations about race and racism. The initiative was developed by Wesson and O’Farrell and led by Community Coalition, a grassroots social justice organization in South Los Angeles. This fall, dinners were held with the help of producing partners Advancement Project and Revolve Impact with the purpose of bringing together Angelenos to have conversations about racism and racial equity in the city of Los Angeles. The information discussed in these conversations was collected with the goal of using this data to help establish the new office.

In surveys about the state of racial equity in Los Angeles, just 21.5% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the city is an equitable and inclusive place to live for people of all races and ethnicities. 85% said that they supported establishing an ORE.

“This focus on fairness and equity will matter to all demographic groups that have been historically discriminated against, including Native Americans and members of our transgender community, who have also faced incredible impediments to equal opportunity and fairness in all aspects of mainstream society,” said Councilmember O’Farrell. “Today, the work that Herb Wesson and I started years ago takes an important step, and the city will staff an office to keep us focused on making sure that we incorporate equity and opportunity into our overall approach as policymakers.”

The ORE would formalize the city’s commitment to addressing systemic racial disparities. The office would have a number of duties, including working to repair harms from previous policies that created, upheld or exacerbated racial disparities, and correcting disparate outcomes seen in areas such as education, employment, wealth, housing and health. The ORE would analyze city policy and programs for the potential effects on various communities and consult with city departments to establish plans to address racial disparities within individual departments throughout the city.

“Creating the Office of Racial Equity is a critical step towards acknowledging and remediating the effects of racial bias in Los Angeles city policies,” said Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson. “Disparities across housing, education, wealth, employment, and health are not accidental. They are the result of historic and systemic factors including biased and discriminatory government decisions, policies, and practices targeting racial and socioeconomic minorities. I’m proud to introduce this motion and stand with my colleagues committed to creating a more equitable city and hope the Office of Racial Equity will inspire similar endeavors from other legislators.”

“Today marks a renewed commitment by the city of Los Angeles to proactively advance racial justice,” said Alberto Retana, president & CEO of Community Coalition. “This vote is the culmination of citizens coming together throughout the city to talk with one another, share their experiences and look for viable ways to address inequity.”

The motion passed with a 14-0 vote. The next step will be for the chief legislative analyst and the city administrative officer to develop a study on the steps necessary to create the Office of Racial Equity, consulting with community partners and with the embRACE LA initiative. The report will also include an analysis of the staffing and budget required from the 2020-21 Fiscal Year Budget.