Relief from L.A.'s Aches and Pains
A survey of some of the city's advocacy groups on goals for 2008
By Greg Katz
To rework the old saying, there’s no rest for the good. Here’s what some of L.A.’s social agencies will be up to in 2008.
Advancement Project
“We’re going to continue pushing for a comprehensive county-wide approach to gang violence prevention, with greater emphasis on prevention,” says Pete Manzo, director of strategic initiatives for multi-faceted civil rights advocates Advancement Project. “We spend a lot of money and effort on suppression. We think that it’s more effective and a better use of funds to use some of that money on the front end.”
The organization will also be working to refocus the debate about school funding. While it’s true that overall school enrollment is declining, it’s taken away attention from the fact that many schools, particularly those in low-income neighborhoods, remain overcrowded, Manzo says. “The places where enrollment is declining is not necessarily where overcrowding exists.” And that’s not all on the education front. “We’re trying to increase the state’s investment in preschool facilities,” he adds. “Studies have shown that preschool really pays off for people, not just in their school years but throughout life. The kids who need preschool most in L.A. and throughout the state are low-income kids – many people of color.”
Finally, Advancement Project will continue assisting other organizations in identifying communities’ demographics. “We help a lot of organizations with GIS [geographic information systems] mapping,” says Manzo. To that end, “We’re coming out with version 3.0 of our website, healthycity.org.”
The Anti-Defamation League
Alison Mayersohn, a spokesperson for the 94-year-old organization talked up ADL’s A World of Difference Institute, which mounts programs to eradicate prejudice in schools and in the workplace. It is taking on the Internet. “For 2008, a new program, Trickery, Trolling and Threats: Understanding and Addressing Cyberbullying, will empower educators, parents and students to stop cyber-bullying in its tracks, complementing our ongoing efforts to reduce bias and bullying in schools,” Mayersohn says.
“Humane treatment of immigrants is of particular interest to ADL, as demonstrated by our leadership in Assembly Joint Resolution 16, which overwhelmingly passed the state legislature in summer 2007,” she adds. “The Resolution, authored by Assembly Member Lloyd Levine, calls upon federal, state and local government officials to recognize basic human rights and denounce all forms of xenophobia and racism when considering immigration policies.”
“Unfortunately, we cannot predict how or when new acts of anti-Semitism will occur,” she says. For more information, call ADL’s Los Angeles office: (310) 446-8000.
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
Given its interest in low- and moderate-income families, the Los Angeles branch of ACORN, the international organization that organizes local activist groups, will spend the new year taking on the fallout from the mortgage meltdown. “Affordable housing and foreclosure prevention will probably be our biggest issues,” says ACORN spokesperson Peter Kuhns. “Also education reform, and using the city planning process to eliminate industrial polluters in inner-city L.A. neighborhoods.”
Angelenos in need can reach ACORN at (213) 747-4211, ext. 212.
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Mark McCarthy of the anti-homophobia advocacy group GLAAD says 2008 will find the organization with “two areas of focus. One is, further introducing our sports news desk to address homophobia in sports, and second, our young adult media programs.”
The former will attempt to get at the taboo of athletes’ sexualities. “The sports desk is going to address homophobia in all levels of sports, amateur sports and professional sports.” The public faces of the new program will be former basketball journeyman John Amaechi, who in 2007 became the first NBA player ever to come out, as well as Martina Navratilova and “other sports figures to be announced.”
The young adult media programs will deal with various issues young people face. “It’s working with 16-to-24-year-olds and addressing their needs specific to whether it’s coming out, dealing with defamation issues they may encounter, or relevant issues in their communities.
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy
Madeline Janis, executive director of LAANE, says that her organization will continue fighting on the numerous fronts to increase workers’ wages. “We are turning up the heating incredibly” on the ports in hopes to see the implementation of the long-discussed Clean Trucks Program, says Janis. “It will lift 16,000 truck drivers and their families out of poverty.”
That’s not the only political battle that LAANE will engage in; they’ll also be campaigning for hotel workers. “We expect that the living wage will be on a ballot sometime in 2008.”
The organization will try to forge a partnership with grocery newcomer Tesco as well. “We’re hoping to make a big impact on access to healthy food, [with] a policy around requiring stores to meet some sort of responsible grocer standards,” Janis says. “There are a number of other industries that we have major initiatives in. That’s everything from passenger service at the airport, to real estate and construction, to hotels around the city beyond the central corridor. We are really hoping to move dramatically forward for the middle-class and improving our environment.”
Published: 01/09/2008
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