Lancaster election
Be inclusive, leaders tell candidates
African Americans are the third largest ethnic group in the city of Lancaster. At 19.2 percent of the population (29,263 people), they trail Whites (56.5 percent) and Hispanics (36.5 percent).
Like Black communities around the nation, Lancaster residents experience highs that they applaud and challenges they feel need addressing. As the April 10 elections draw closer, some key community leaders spoke out about what they want from the candidates.
One of the key issues some talked about was recently partially addressed when the county of Los Angeles agreed to a settlement of a lawsuit brought by a number of community groups, residents and their lawyers regarding the issue of Section 8.
For years, the lawsuit alleges, the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale have used county resources to harass Section 8 residents in the area, and now the L.A. Board of Supervisors has reached an agreement with plaintiffs that establishes new procedures in a variety of areas.
They are hoping Lancaster will follow suit, but according to community residents, the mayor and City Council have a difficult time working with others to address the issues of the day.
“… the leadership in Lancaster has been vitriolic,” said Johnathon Ervin, a former Lancaster planning commissioner who was ousted from his post amid much controversy. “It’s difficult to do things when you take such a combative attitude to everything. You cannot govern with such a combative attitude. You need to compromise and be willing to work with everyone, to seek out partners to fix issues.”
Ervin is also president of the Democratic Club of the High Desert and a former City Council candidate in 2010.
In addition to the ongoing Section 8 saga, among the key challenges facing the Lancaster African American community is unemployment, says Ervin and Pharaoh Mitchell, another community activist from The Community Action League (TCAL).
“We need more jobs most definitely,” said Mitchell, noting that employment is needed for younger and older residents. “Nothing has been done so far to address the need. In the future, TCAL is going to focus on developing businesses as a means to creating jobs. We’re going to teach people how to start a business, then we will be looking for investors.”
Ervin believes the community needs the manufacturing jobs of the likes of General Motors and Ford that were low-skilled but paid the kind of high wages that allowed African Americans to make a living and take care of their families. “Where we are today is globalization; we need training for high-tech jobs. We need to buttress the education system so we can fill the high-tech jobs. Training is crucial.”
Mitchell agrees that job training is a must. But he extends the need for training to parenting and relationship classes and other things that will help the community. He also wants to see politicians come and talk to the entire community.
“… They only go out and talk to the reverends and the affluent people. They never come and talk to the community to find out what we need … we don’t need a bunch of lip service like we have been getting.”
Juan Blanco, president of the Antelope Valley NAACP, wants to see more inclusiveness from the municipal government and wants to see a change in the attitude of “if they’re on Section 8, they are criminal-minded,” or “(the attitude that) people of color … are dropped off up here, and they’re undesirables from L.A.”
When asked how responsive city officials were to the concerns of African American residents, Blanco’s answer—dead silence—put the reality of Black life in Lancaster under a stark spotlight.
PALMDALE—An agreement reached in a discrimination lawsuit between city officials and representatives of Antelope Valley residents who are part of the Section 8 Choice Voucher program is now in the hands of the federal judge overseeing the suit.
The agreement was reached last week, a week after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a similar agreement.
The judge will now have an opportunity to vet the settlements, and when approved, they will go into effect immediately.
The Antelope Valley has been battered by negative press regarding complaints of discrimination and abuse of power on part of authorities in Section 8 housing. A lawsuit was filed by a local organization, The Community Action League (TCAL) in conjunction with the local chapter of the NAACP brought the concerns to light.
Since the issue was made public, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors decided to suspend funding for Section 8 investigators for both Palmdale and Lancaster until a thorough investigation was completed.
PALMDALE, Calif.—The Community Action League, a civil rights organization native to the Antelope Valley, has been hard on the issue of Section 8 for the past year or so. Last week, the organization held a forum, helping outraged residents share stories of what they felt was discrimination in their publicly funded homes.
Since TCAL, along with the NAACP, filed a lawsuit against the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, more people have come forward with stories that include police brutality and civil rights violations.
LANCASTER, Calif.—The Community Action League (TCAL) will host the Community Justice Forum on Saturday, May 14, at the Palmdale Moose Lodge from 12-4 p.m.
The forum and civil rights seminar will educate citizens about their Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights, as well as address police harassment and criminal records.
V. Jesse Smith, co-founder of the organization, says the AV is in need of this workshop, especially due to the high volume of complaints and issues individuals have shared with TCAL.
LANCASTER, Calif. —The Community Action League (TCAL) on March 18 unveiled its master plan to resolve issues involving low-income individuals in the Antelope Valley, as well as community ailments.
Made up of seven major programs and components, the master plan is designed to aid disadvantaged families and individuals throughout the Valley to become economically independent, educationally sound and stronger partners in community relations.
