City Controller Wendy Gruel

Jan 4 2013

AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel

LOS ANGELES, Calid.—City Controller Wendy Greuel said today she subpoenaed three cell phone companies and accused them of failing to comply with repeated requests to turn over five years of city cell phone bills.

Greuel said she employed the rarely used power after AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel Corp. declined her requests or asked for extensions over a period of several months. Verizon handed over the requested bills last week, the controller said.

Dec 18 2012

Workers are stealing taxpayer money

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The city could be overpaying its workers for mileage reimbursements by tens of thousands of dollars per year on average, according to an audit released today.

The audit by City Controller Wendy Greuel raised questions about whether the overpayments are due to paperwork errors and poor oversight or whether workers are stealing taxpayer money.

Mar 31 2011

First African American woman to do so

When 9th District Councilwoman Jan Perry filed papers to run for mayor of Los Angeles on March 15, another barrier for Black women came hurtling to earth. Perry became the first African American woman to do so, an appropriate act during Women’s History Month.

When she was introduced at the Black Business Association Salute to Black Women Business Conference and Awards Luncheon 11 days later, the largely Black crowd was apparently approving. They gave her a standing ovation.

Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Feb 10 2011

Between the Lines

The whole issue of the poor representation for the poorest council district in Los Angeles was never more in evidence than when you look at the disparities between the quality of life of the people and their city council representation—in particular the pay inequity between Bernard Parks, his son (Junior), and the people who live in the 8th District.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.