Watts Labor Community Action Committee

Cynthia E. Griffin  |   OW Managing Editor
Jan 19 2012

Buscaino trounces Furutani

With all 94 precincts reporting, first-time political candidate Joe Buscaino has sent Warren Furutani back to the state Assembly by snagging 60.69 percent of votes cast in the special Council District 15 election Tuesday.

A little in excess of 16,000 of the more than 100,000 registered voters went to the polls in an election where the choice was clear-cut—City Hall outsider versus a veteran with long ties to the state’s political machinery.

Cynthia E. Griffin  |   OW Managing Editor
Oct 20 2011

Still, PST may start the clock ticking on Black arts growth

If nothing else, the regionwide arts effort called Pacific Standard Time (PST) has turned the spotlight back on the African American art scene in Los Angeles and is stirring conversations.

Some of those conversations are fueled by anger, some prodded by indignation, while others involve discussions about using PST as a jumping-off point to strengthen the foundation for growing the market for Black art.

Lisa Olivia Fitch  |   OW Contributor
Mar 24 2011

Author contends legal system is most pressing racial issue

We’ve all heard the sad statistics before and wondered about the future of our community; with so many men and women incarcerated. For years, conspiracy theorists have pointed to the same statistics and claimed that people of color are purposefully targeted and how the prison system is akin to the old Jim Crow system.

“For a long time I resisted the comparison,” author Michelle Alexander said. “I thought people who made those kinds of claims were doing more harm than good. 

Lisa Olivia Fitch  |   OW Contributor
Sep 2 2010

CEO credits survival to economic thrust

In August 1965, Watts became known world-wide for being the site of the largest riots known to that date. Today, Watts is home to one of the largest and most successful community based organizations in the world, the WLCAC—Watts Labor Community Action Committee.
And it all began with labor.

In 1964, Ted Watkins was an employee of the Ford Motor Company, and a member of the United Auto Workers union. After successfully influencing Ford’s employment policy, his advocay efforts earned the attention of then-UAW President Walter Reuther.  

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
California
Yvette Hollingsworth was recently named chief compliance officer for Wells Fargo & Co. Hollingsworth, who most recently served as managing director and global head of operations compliance and financial crimes compliance & risk management for Barclays Corporate & Investment Bank, will begin her new role on June 1, 2012. Hollingsworth will be based in San Francisco, and will report to Caryl Athanasiu, executive vice president and chief operational risk officer in the corporate risk group. As chief compliance officer, Hollingsworth will be responsible for ensuring that all areas of the company meet compliance management responsibilities and abide by all applicable laws and regulations. Her team will continue to provide independent oversight of business-based compliance management activities.
District of Columbia
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) issued the following statement after the Senate voted to confirm Los Angeles attorney Paul Watford to serve on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals: “It is great news that the Senate has confirmed Paul Watford, an exceptionally talented attorney, to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He has a breadth of experience as a former prosecutor and a top appellate litigator and will make an excellent addition to the federal bench. However, I am very disappointed that more of my Republican colleagues did not join us in backing this highly qualified nominee.” When Watford is sworn in, he will be only the second African American serving on the Ninth Circuit.