Centennial High Alumni Network
COMPTON " THE HUB CITY'S FINEST " (Motto: Birthing A New Compton)!!
This Group is for "All" who once lived in Compton, or were educated in the Compton Schools, and for those who still live in the "Hub City. Feel free to display articles regarding "Events" taking place in the City of Compton!!"
Phoebe Macon
Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper Article: "STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON"!!
Mar 2, 2011
Phoebe Macon
CITY OF COMPTON: MARDI GRAS 2011 CARNIVAL (FRIDAY, 3-4-11 & SATURDAY, 3-5-11)!!
Mar 2, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Hours after she dazzled the red carpet at the Vanity Fair Oscars party, Serena Williams was in a Los Angeles hospital receiving emergency treatment for a blood clot in her lungs.
People magazine was the first to report that Serena suffered a pulmonary embolism last week and was seeing doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for the problem. It was discovered after she returned from New York for doctor's appointments relating to her foot issues.
"Monday Serena Williams underwent emergency treatment at Cedars [Medical Center] for a hematoma she suffered as a result of treatment for a more critical situation," a representative for Williams, Nicole Chabot, told the magazine.
Chabot said doctors are continuing to monitor the situation.
Earlier in the week, Serena said she had been targeting the French Open as her return to tennis. She hasn't played since last year's Wimbledon because of a foot injury suffered when she stepped on broken glass.
For now, Serena has more important issues to deal with than the timetable of her return to the court. Getting her health in order is priority one. Tennis can wait.
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Update: Serena Williams released a statement about her condition later Wednesday:
"Thank you everyone for all of your prayers, concerns, and support. This has been extremely hard, scary, and disappointing. I am doing better, I'm at home now and working with my doctors to keep everything under control. I know I will be ok, but am praying and hoping this will all be behind me soon. While I can't make any promises now on my return, I hope to be back by early summer. That said, my main goal is to make sure I get there safely."
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In another statement, her agents said the clot was caught in time and that Serena is resting at home under doctor's care.
There had been reports that the 13-time Grand Slam champion could miss up to a year. Her timetable seems more optimistic.
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Serena,
We your City of Compton Family wish you well and wish you a speedy recovery. God bless!
Mar 2, 2011
Phoebe Macon
L.A. Sentinel LEGENDS: African American Mayors of Compton, Ca. (Thursday, March 10, 2011)
Mar 16, 2011
Phoebe Macon
by Krissy Clark- NPR Radio
Lawyers representing Latinos in Compton, Calif., head to court Tuesday to try to postpone upcoming City Council elections. They're suing the city over political representation. Latinos want the city to change the way it votes for City Council members — from at-large to district elections.
STEVE INSKEEP, host:
It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
And I'm Renee Montagne.
Let's go to Southern California now, to a city that has long indentified itself as African-American. In Compton, changing demographics have landed the city in court. Latinos have overtaken African-Americans there as the largest ethnic group, but blacks still dominate the city politically. Now, a group of Latinos is suing to change the way city council members are elected in Compton, to give Latino neighborhoods more power.
Krissy Clark of member station KQED has the story.
KRISSY CLARK: If you stand outside Compton's city council chambers, through the glass doors, you'll see a giant mural in the lobby.
Mr. JOAQUIN AVILA (Attorney): Portraits of African-American elected officials.
CLARK: Like the first black mayor, elected after years of segregation, in 1969. But Joaquin Avila sees what's not in the mural.
Mr. AVILA: I think it's a very incomplete picture. Basically, we're invisible.
CLARK: By we, Avila means Compton's Latinos, who made up just a small part of the city when he was growing up here in the 1960s. But in the last few decades, Latinos have grown to more than 60 percent of Compton's population, and 40 percent of eligible voters. At least eight have run for city office in that time. And yet, Avila says...
Mr. AVILA: There had never been a Latino on the city council. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you have a problem.
CLARK: But it could take a voting rights lawyer like Avila to solve it. He's representing three Latinos suing Compton under the California Voting Rights Act. They want to restructure city council elections so they give more opportunity for Latino candidates. The goal is ambitious and technical. To understand it, consider the city council campaign of one former candidate.
Mr. PEDRO PALLAN (Bakery Owner): Pedro Pallan. I established a business here in Compton, the bakery.
CLARK: In the early 1990s, Pallan almost won a council seat. He said he had lots of open support in the Latino parts of town where he lived and worked. But in the African-American neighborhoods, those who backed him were discrete.
Mr. PALLAN: And they told me flatly, I cannot walk with you. My community would make me feel like a traitor for voting other than African-American.
CLARK: This is what political scientist Lisa Garcia Bedolla calls racially polarized voting. She teaches at the University of California, Berkeley.
Professor LISA GARCIA BEDOLLA (University of California, Berkeley): If you can show that along racial lines, people are voting in particular ways and that that's consistent, that's the place where you need some sort of remedy, so that the folks who are continually losing have some ability to be represented.
CLARK: In cities with racial polarization, where council members are chosen at large, it can be nearly impossible for minorities to win. Garcia Bedolla says in places from the Deep South to San Francisco, a move to district elections has opened the doors of city governments to minorities. And it could do the same in Compton.
Prof. BEDOLLA: The fundamental difficulty is how do you honor the history of the African-American community in that city, while at the same time understanding that the city demographics have changed?
Mr. BENJAMIN HOLIFIELD: Honorable mayor, city council staff, ladies and gentleman.
CLARK: At a recent Compton city council meeting, silver-haired Benjamin Holifield stands at the microphone to comment on police issues. Almost everyone in the room, including him, is black. The mayor, the entire city council and most of the audience. At a break, Holifield describes a time when these meetings looked very different.
Mr. HOLIFIELD: I used to go to the city council here when it was all white, and they'd run me out of there. They'd say we're going to go out to closed session, so I'd leave. Then when I leave, I'd find out later they came right back out and started the meeting over again. So really, they threw me out.
CLARK: He says years of political organizing and a severe bout of white flight slowly changed things. Craig Cornwell, Compton's city attorney, says the same thing will eventually happen for Latinos. He's defending the city in the lawsuit.
Mr. CRAIG CORNWELL (City Attorney, Compton): Having your vote count is a tenet of this country and what a lot of people of various ethnicities have fought for.
CLARK: Cornwell argues the problem's not the structure of elections, but that only 7 percent of Compton's eligible citizens bother to vote.
Mr. CORNWELL: I think what's really at issue here is increasing voter participation of all ethnicities for the city of Compton.
CLARK: But voter apathy is a vicious cycle. In court today, the Latino plaintiffs will argue that the current at large election system actually heightens disengagement. Since Latinos are in the minority, even if every one voted for the same candidate, it wouldn't be enough. If the judge agrees, he could freeze Compton's city council elections until the lawsuit's resolved.
For NPR news, I'm Krissy Clark.
Apr 17, 2011
Phoebe Macon
April 12, 2011
After floundering for several months, plans to create a new Compton Police Department officially died Tuesday night.
Faced with a massive budget deficit and the prospect of layoffs, the Compton City Council rescinded last June’s vote to end its contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and form a local police force again.
Councilwoman Barbara Calhoun, one of the three who voted in favor of bringing the city's police department back, switched her vote Tuesday night, rendering the venture officially dead for the time being. Calhoun also announced her intention to place a measure on the ballot that would allow voters to mandate that the city keep the sheriff's contract.
Former City Clerk Charles Davis, with backing from the sheriff's deputies' union, has been circulating a petition that would place an initiative posing that question on the ballot. Calhoun is up for reelection April 19 and faces a field of six challengers. She said the revelation of "cash-flow problems,” not the impending election, led her to change her mind.
“In 2009, there was money. In 2011, there's no money. We're talking about layoffs," she said after the meeting.
The plans had been on shaky ground for several months, despite the $1.7 million the city has spent on preparations to set up the new department. The hiring of staff, including a police chief, was stymied in December, when a budget amendment failed to get the four votes necessary to go forward.
The council had reallocated $19.5 million in lease revenue bonds originally slated to build a senior center and transit center parking structure to the project. Because the bonds were tax-exempt, the funds could be used only for capital costs and not for staffing. As of January, Compton was facing a $33-million budget shortfall for the fiscal year, having already begun the year with a $20-million general fund deficit.
Mayor Eric Perrodin, a former Compton police officer and leading proponent of reviving the municipal department, said he believes the city would be better able to control costs if it had its own police department. But he said he will not continue to press the issue.
"I'm a realist, and I can see right now, the majority of the council doesn't believe that's the case, so I'm not going to expend any more energy on that," he said.
Apr 17, 2011
Phoebe Macon
City of Compton:
April 19, 2011
(Primary Nominating Election)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 is Voting Day!!
The Following Candidates Are Running For Office This Year:
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Candidate(s) District 1:
1- Barbara Calhoun (Incumbent)
2- Demetreal Lynn Boone
3- Robin Bradley
4- Jasper B. Jackson
5- Francisco J. Rodriguez
6- Janna Zurita
7- Otha Ray Scott
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Candidate(s) District 4:
1- Lillie Darden
2- Willie O. Jones (Incumbent)
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(Lillie Darden)
(Barbara Calhoun)
(Willie O. Jones)
(Jasper B. Jackson)
Greetings,
Thank you, I look forward to hearing from you during my campaign for city council. With my past experience as a business professional and as an active community member, I feel that I have some unique qualifications for city council. I know how to make tough decisions and get things done. I am driven by setting and achieving goals and would work hard as your next city councilman to move the city forward. I am dedicated to efficient and effective government that creates opportunities for new business and job creation as well as providing essential service to our citizens. I also know that one person cannot accomplish anything that it takes cooperation and everybody working together and I will work hard to foster a good working relationship with other council members to make sure that you get the professional government that you deserve. Let's work together to make Compton the best hometown in the country. Feel free to call me at 310-497-6426 or email me at JasperBJackson@gmail.com with any questions or suggestions.
Best regards,
JASPER B. JACKSON
Apr 17, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Jacob Lusk (born June 23, 1987) is an American singer from Compton, California. Lusk is currently a Top 7 finalist on the tenth season of American Idol.
Lusk was born in 1987 and is from Compton, California. He began singing when he was four years old. He is a minister of music at his church. Prior to American Idol, he worked as a spa concierge.[1] In 2007, he joined a gospel group called InNate Praise formed by the late hip-hop singer Nate Dogg, and he performed with the group at churches around Los Angeles County.
Lusk auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol in Los Angeles, California. He received high praise from Randy Jackson for his performance of "God Bless the Child" during the Hollywood rounds as the best ever seen on Idol. He was one of the top five males in the semi-final round, and therefore advanced to the Top 13.
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I was told that Jacob is kin to and in the family of our fellow Classmate William Lusk'.
Apaches please show your support for Jacob and remember to cast your votes so that Jacob will continue to stay the whole way until the end; and win the American Idol competition. Apaches: Please keep this young man in your prayers as well. Thanks!!
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GOOD LUCK JACOB & GOD BLESS YOU!!
Love and Blessings, Phoebe
Apr 17, 2011
Phoebe Macon
SUNDAY, April 17, 2011 L.A. TIMES ARTICLE
Apr 18, 2011
Phoebe Macon
SUNDAY, April 17, 2011 L.A. TIMES ARTICLE
Apr 18, 2011
Phoebe Macon
SUNDAY, April 17, 2011 L.A. TIMES ARTICLE (COMPTON CITY COUNCILWOMAN BERNICE WOODS "LAST RESPECTS")
Apr 18, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Apr 22, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Compton Elections
Compton City Council
_________________________________________________
- Dist. 1 – No Consensus – Runoff (June 7, 2011)
_________________________________________________
- Dist. 4 – Willie Jones* – Won for Dist. 4
(Councilman Willie Jones)
Apr 22, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Apr 25, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Apr 25, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Apr 25, 2011
Edmund Stevens
THANKS PHOEBE FOR ALL OF THE POSTS!
Love Ed
Apr 25, 2011
Tawnette Fulton- Gilbert
COMPTON KEEP ON KEEPING ON!!!!!!!!!!
THANKS PHOEBE
Apr 27, 2011
Wayne Ware c/o '75 (WebMaster)
The Compton Friendship Society Picnic!!!
May 2, 2011
Tawnette Fulton- Gilbert
May 4, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Posted Thu May 5, 2011 6:49pm PDT by Lyndsey Parker
On Thursday's "American Idol" top five results show, Jacob Lusk went home, and given how things had panned out for him in recent weeks, this elimination was no huge shocker. However, if you were to rewind your DVR to about two months ago, you would've never expected this guy to only make it to fifth place. In February, Randy Jackson actually told Jacob that his "God Bless The Child" performance was the best in "Idol" history. Ever. Back then, it seemed Jacob had the potential to become the first R&B singer to win "Idol" in seven years.
So what went wrong? Well, I have a couple theories. While there was little doubt that Jacob had the pipes, some of the strongest pipes of the top 13, he never came across as current. Or cool. Just look at the swag-laden R&B charts these days. It's all about pop/hip-hop crossover acts like Drake, B.o.B., Jason Derulo, Chris Brown, Usher, et al; there's nothing in the old-school vein a la Luther Vandross, the singer to whom Jacob was constantly and perhaps excessively compared, and if Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard wasn't able to bring that style back, then Jacob certainly was doomed. But of course, when Jacob did try to modernize things and cover the Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown pop hit "No Air" this week, it was far and away his worst performance of the season, and it did him in. So I guess he was doomed either way.
Still, doing one treacly, over-emotive, chest-beating power ballad after another, week after week, did Jacob no favors. Maybe he should have realized that being called a "diva" is not a good thing if you're a man. And maybe he shouldn't have worn weirdly patterned/colored suits so much, either. This is "American Idol," after all, not a job interview at Century 21.
Additionally, while Jacob usually came across as a jolly, effusive, all-around pleasant fellow (something we were reminded of during his exit video, a montage of him goofing off in a series of brightly colored anchorman blazers), occasionally he had "diva moments" that might have alienated viewers, who historically vote against anyone who comes across as cocky. Jacob's comment from a few weeks ago--"If I'm in the bottom three, it's not because I'm a bad singer, it's because America is afraid to look at themselves in the mirror"--however he intended it, was offputting, and I actually believe his decline in popularity began that night. Hopefully his fun and over-the-top exit-song performance this Thursday further reminded everyone of his more likable side.
As for the other contestant in the bottom two, it was the barely-16-year-old Lauren Alaina, and there was actually a part of me who wanted her to go, just to put her out of her misery. Her reaction to finding out she was in the bottom--her first time EVER on the chopping block--really showed her age. While Jacob, who'd obviously gotten used to the old elimination drill by now, was pretty stoic, Lauren was a tearful mess the moment her name was called.
Lauren's thin-skinned behavior on the show, whether it was her clearly hurt reaction to Jimmy Iovine's critique of her "Unchained Melody" performance this week, or the way she bristled when anyone dared to call her anything less than perfect several times this season, made a good case for why lowering the "Idol" age limit this year was a bad idea. Let's face it, most 15- or 16-year-olds, especially ones from small towns who've been told all their lives that they're amazing and "The One," simply cannot handle the pressure of a competition like this. Lauren would have been wise to wait until she was 18 to audition, when her emotional maturity finally caught up with her voice.
As for the other 57 minutes of Thursday's elimination episode, there was plenty of the usual filler, like an extended skit in which "Hell's Kitchen" tyrant Gordon Ramsay had the kids compete to make the best omelet (yeah, because what I look for most in my future American Idol is the ability to fry eggs properly); an ickier Gordon skit in which the contestants were force-fed tofu while blindfolded (wait, I thought I was watching "Idol," not 9 1/2 Weeks); and a whole bunch of on-point commentary from Jimmy Iovine in which he said ev-er-y-thing the judges were either too clueless or too afraid to say the night before. (How come Jimmy isn't allowed to give his two cents on Wednesday nights, when it counts?) There was also a surprisingly decent "On The Floor" performance from judge J.Lo...and while it was hard to tell if Jennifer was singing live or lip-synching, either way she fared better than the five live-singing Idols who attempted to harmonize on a group performance of "Happy Together" and didn't sound remotely together at all.
So there you have it. The final four on the floor are Scotty McCreery, James Durbin, Haley Reinhart, and Lauren Alaina, the latter of whom will hopefully be able to hold it together next week. It's really anybody's game--Scotty's the closest we have to a frontrunner this year, but in a season when someone as hyped as Jacob Lusk can suffer such a mighty fall, and someone like Pia Toscano can go home in ninth place, obviously nothing is guaranteed.
Parker out.
May 5, 2011
Phoebe Macon
May 10, 2011
Phoebe Macon
May 10, 2011
Phoebe Macon
The City Of Compton: Alondra Park Master Plan Community Meeting (June 1, 2011 & June 11, 2011)
Jun 1, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Jun 3, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Jun 3, 2011
Phoebe Macon
This is a great article e-mailed to me yesterday by our Alumni Member Bayette Davis-Diassy c/o '75 (Enjoy)!!
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THE SACRAMENTO BEE (sacbee.com)
Compton Cricket Team Gains International Renown
By CHRISTINA HOAG
Associated PRess
Published: Monday, Jun. 13, 2011 - 9:16 am
David McNew / AP Photo
In this Sunday, April 3, 2011 picture, Isaac Hayes of the Compton Cricket Club shows his arm tattoo of a cricket bat crossing out a gun with the words, “Gats to Bats” in Los Angeles. American cricketers are already an anomaly, but even more surprising when they come from Compton, a city on Los Angeles' southern border known more for gangsta rap and gang shootings. The cricketers say the sport is more than just winning and losing. The game's etiquette has helped them mature beyond the confines of urban street culture, learning to mingle with people of different backgrounds, gain self-confidence and control their tempers
COMPTON, Calif. -- Compton Cricket Club players have sipped tea with Prince Edward at Buckingham Palace, played against Aborigines in the Australian outback, and swapped stories of violence-torn neighborhoods with residents of Belfast.
At home, though, it's another story.
American cricketers are already an anomaly, but when they come from Compton, a city on Los Angeles' southern border known more for gangsta rap and gang shootings, heads near and far spin faster than a cricket bowler's windup.
"I tell people I play cricket and people automatically think it's croquet or an insect," said player Ricardo Cazarez. "I just tell them go look it up on YouTube."
Decked out in cricket's obligatory whites, they boast batsmen, bowlers and wicket-keepers (batters, pitchers and catchers) like any other 11-member team, but they profess their passion for the sport in pure Compton style.
Several players sport tattoos saying "cricket outta Compton" and "from gats to bats" ("gats" is street slang for guns). The team, named "the Homies and the Popz," raps cricket-themed songs titled "Shots" and "Bullets."
A couple players have served jail terms. One missed the Australian trip because he was on parole. Another was killed in a driveby shooting. And two others died in traffic accidents.
"With these guys, seeing is believing," said Katy Haber, a British film producer whose role as manager encompasses everything from fundraising for overseas trips to accompanying players to court appearances.
Thanks to the far-flung reaches of the old British Empire, the genteel sport is huge around the globe. But in the United States it's viewed more as a novelty, unique for its slow pace and matches that can last days.
Less known about cricket is its high level of sportsmanship. Arguing with the umpire and "sledging," or deriding opponents to distract them, are banned. Players are expected to report their own outs if missed by the umpire and applaud good plays by opponents.
That etiquette was what drew Compton team founder Ted Hayes to the game in 1995 after Haber invited him one day to play with the Beverly Hills & Hollywood Cricket Club.
Hayes saw that the sport's code of conduct contained larger life lessons of fair play and civility that could be a useful teaching tool. "This improves citizenship," said Hayes, who headed a Skid Row homeless shelter at the time. "You're a much better person when you come off the field."
He and Haber formed a team at the shelter, and then reoriented it to youth, recruiting players from Compton schools.
"I thought it sounded dumb, but a friend went and I liked the fact that you caught balls barehanded so I went," said Emidio Cazarez, Ricardo's brother who was in eighth grade at the time and is now team co-captain.
They trained with the Beverly Hills club, where they impressed players with their athletic ability and, as time went on, their staying power. "We get the odd American who wants to try it out, but it usually doesn't work out," said Jeremy Reed, team captain. "These guys have really taken to it."
Other local teams, which mostly comprise expats from cricket-playing nations, were flabbergasted when the Homies showed up on the field in the San Fernando Valley where the Los Angeles Social Cricket Alliance holds its matches.
Their loud pre-game cheer of "Compton!" is quite a contrast to the chiseled British accents and singsong cadences of South Asian English that are more common among the alliance's eight clubs.
"When I first heard about them, I said 'no way'," said Mahmood Jadwet, founder of the Simi Valley Sloggers, a team on the outskirts of Los Angeles. "But when we played them, it was amazing talent."
The Homies have had up and down seasons, depending on time for practice. Last year, the club, whose members work as plumbers, flooring installers, journeymen and billing clerks, ranked sixth out of the league's eight teams.
But cricketers say the sport is more than just winning and losing. The game's etiquette has helped them mature beyond the confines of urban street culture. They've learned to mingle with people of different backgrounds, gain self-confidence and control their tempers.
"Growing up in Compton, you're always defensive. You don't talk to people," said Emidio Cazarez, 28. "I'm more social."
Isaac Hayes, Ted's son, credited cricket with steering him away from gangs as a youngster. "It takes guys who usually aren't kind to each other and makes them say 'Hi, nice to see you again'," he said. "It's helped me see the world is bigger than my backyard."
The Cazarez brothers, whose third brother Jesse was killed in the driveby, said the sport's emphasis on accepting the umpire's call helped them cope. "If something doesn't go your way, keep your head high and just go with it," said Ricardo Cazarez, 26. "Life's not fair sometimes."
The first U.S. cricket team to undertake a tour to Australia, the team's fame is spreading. They've been invited to play and give inspirational talks to gang members in Birmingham, England, and to compete in the Sarasota Cricket Festival in Florida this fall. Haber is rustling up sponsors.
Closer to home, Ted Hayes is organizing a cricket summer program at an Orange County middle school and has convinced four Los Angeles police officers from the Counterterrorism and Special Operations Bureau to take up the sport. He's training them so they can join the Homies.
Assistant Commanding Officer Blake Chow said the bureau's goal is to eventually sponsor a cricket team as a way to build better relations with Muslim youth. "Cricket can be another tool to reach out in that community," Chow said. "It's a game built on respect and civil conduct. I think it has a lot of potential."
For some of those on the Compton team, the goal is more personal.
"I don't want to go back to prison," said, Efren De Lucas, 25, who served time on weapons charges. "I want to learn this."
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/13/3696031/compton-cricket-team-gains...
Jun 23, 2011
Tawnette Fulton- Gilbert
PHOEBE THANKS FOR THE GREAT POST!!!!!
BAYETTE THANK YOU ALSO!!!!!
HATS OFF TO THE COMPTON CRICKET TEAM!!!!!!!!!!
NOT ONLY ARE YOU REPRESENTING COMPTON BUT,YOU ARE ALSO REPRESENTING YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!
GREAT JOB KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!!
COMPTON IS A GREAT CITY!!!!!!!!!!
Jun 23, 2011
Jacquelyn Brown
GO COMPTON,
DESPTE THE ODDS KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK & GOD BLESS THE CITY!!!
Jul 2, 2011
Carla Dennis
I AGREE JACQUELINE, GO COMPTON!!
Jul 15, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Chaos Clouds Compton's Fate
By Abby Sewell, Los Angeles TimesJuly 20, 2011
The council, acting as the redevelopment commission, voted 3 to 2 to approve a budget that will eliminate about 90 jobs, then went into closed session — leaving the final council vote up in the air.
It was unclear whether the council realized a final vote had not been cast.
The apparent approval of the budget will avert a potential government shutdown, but the city faces lawsuits from employees' unions and individual workers over the process.
City employees in attendance were stunned.
"Actually, we don't know what budget they just adopted," said Tony Branson, a Compton Fire Department captain and president of the firefighters' union. "I don't think it was fair, and I don't think it was legal."
City officials had said that without a budget in place, all but public safety and some other essential employees would be furloughed. New City Councilwoman Janna Zurita cast the deciding vote on the spending proposal, which included revisions the city manager gave the panel at 5 p.m.
The city's independent auditor has questioned whether Compton can remain solvent. The general fund has used up its reserves and ended the fiscal year June 30 with a deficit of $23.8 million, about 40% of the budget, according to expenditure and revenue reports provided by the city.
That figure was increased by $11.6 million because of a transfer of funds from the general fund to pay off an accumulated deficit in the city's general liability fund. Last year, the city had a $15-million shortfall.
Tuesday's meeting got off to a rocky start when the council recessed early after it became clear that Zurita had not received a copy of the latest budget revision, which was submitted to the council by City Manager Willie Norfleet at 5 p.m.
The revisions were not made available to the public until midway through the meeting and were not on file with the clerk's office, angering many of the dozens of residents attending the meeting.
Then Councilwoman Yvonne Arceneaux introduced a series of resolutions to avoid layoffs that incorporated concessions and an early retirement incentive program proposed by employee unions. The council voted in favor of incorporating the union proposal — which included eliminating layoffs — but voted against a second amendment to postpone all layoffs.
The council also voted in favor of an amendment adopting the golden handshake proposal, which was included in the union plan, but then reversed when Councilwoman Lillie Dobson changed her vote.
The current spending plan calls for cutting about 90 jobs. City officials said the layoffs are the only way to salvage Compton's finances. But union representatives say the city violated multiple laws in the way it has gone about the process.
"The layoff plan as it exists now is a legal disaster," Tony Segall, an attorney representing the Coalition of Compton Unions, told the council Tuesday. "If it goes forward, it will be challenged on numerous legal bases."
City Atty. Craig Cornwell said he had submitted a confidential memo to the council on some of the issues Segall raised but declined to address the question further in public. Some employees whose jobs were targeted are threatening individual lawsuits as well.
APACHES, WHETHER YOU STILL LIVE IN THE CITY OF COMPTON OR IF YOU USE TO LIVE IN THE CITY:
PLEASE KEEP THE "CITY OF COMPTON" AND ITS RESIDENTS IN YOUR PRAYERS!!
HAVE A GREATLY BLESSED DAY EVERYONE & GOD BLESS!!
Jul 21, 2011
Tamara Johnson
Love Tamara
Jul 21, 2011
Jacquelyn Brown
I'll always be a fan of Compton -CPT.
Compton is where I received all of my primary and secondary schooling. I went to a Compton Elementary School, a Compton Junior High School, a Compton High School "Centennial" and a Compton College 'Compton Community College'. I'm sure that most Alumni can say the same thing. I'm not trying to start anything but I do not understand why so many Alumni are not joining this group. This group should have the most members on it of all the groups to join because we all or at least the majority of us went to Compton Schools and graduated from them. Yes, Compton has had its ups and downs over the years but overall it has been a great city. I'm sure that if you think about for a minute you will get what I am saying here. Show your love Apache people for Compton and join this Compton group and Have a great day Apaches
Much Love , Jacq. B.
'Compton For Life'
Jul 25, 2011
Betty Howard
I agree Jacquelyn, I love the City of Compton.
Hub City 4 Life!
Jul 26, 2011
Trisha Martin
LOVE THE HUB CITY FOREVER & ALWAYS.
PHOEBE, I LOVE ALL OF THE NEW GROUPS!!
Love Trisha
Jul 26, 2011
Tawnette Fulton- Gilbert
PHOEBE THANKS 4 THE POST!!!!!
KEEPING THE CITY OF COMPTON IN MY PRAYERS!!!
GO COMPTON U ARE A GREAT CITY!!!!!
JACQ. I AGREE WITH U!!!!!
APACHES PLEASE JOIN THE COMPTON GROUP!!!!!
LOVING THE CITY OF COMPTON!!!!!!!!!!
Jul 26, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Mayors of Compton, 1937-2007 (may be incomplete!)
A. Leroy Aylmer 1937
Harry T. Laugharn 1950-53
Frank G. Bussing 1953-57
Del M. Clawson 1957-63
Douglas Dollarhide 1969-73
Doris A. Davis 1973-77
Lionel Cade 1977-81
Walter R. Tucker, Jr. 1981-90
Walter R. Tucker III 1991-92
Omar Bradley 1993-2001
Eric J. Perrodin 2001-
Events and Candidates (may be incomplete!)
(All Info. from "The Political Graveyard:Mayors of Compton, California)
http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/CA/ofc/compton.html
Aug 5, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Mayors of Compton, 1937-2007 (may be incomplete!)
A. Leroy Aylmer 1937
Harry T. Laugharn 1950-53
Frank G. Bussing 1953-57
Del M. Clawson 1957-63
Douglas Dollarhide 1969-73
Doris A. Davis 1973-77
Lionel Cade 1977-81
Walter R. Tucker, Jr. 1981-90
Walter R. Tucker III 1991-92
Omar Bradley 1993-2001
Eric J. Perrodin 2001-
Events and Candidates (may be incomplete!)
(All Info. from "The Political Graveyard:Mayors of Compton, California)
http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/CA/ofc/compton.html
Aug 5, 2011
Phoebe Macon
COMPTON "SPORTSTACULAR" SPORTS EVENTS FOR KIDS!!
(T.I.P.: Teen Intervention Program) teenintervention@sbcglobal.net
(310) 637-1824 (Isaac Asberry-President/CEO)
Aug 5, 2011
Tawnette Fulton- Gilbert
THANKS PHOEBE GREAT POSTS!!!!!
I SAW QUITE A FEW NAMES THAT I REMEMBER FROM THE MAYORS LIST AND THE EVENTS AND CANDIDATES LIST!
THE SPORTS EVENTS FOR KIDS IS A FANTASTIC IDEA!!!!!
THE KIDS REALLY LOOK LIKE THEY ARE HAVING A LOT OF FUN!!!!!
COMPTON IS A WONDERFUL CITY!!!!! KEEP ON DOING WHAT YOU DO!!!!!
Aug 5, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Thanks Tawnette,
I was looking for something else online last night and stumbled across that list of our Compton Mayors. I love finding new and old info. about the past history of things. And of course when I saw the name Compton that really peaked my interest. Yes, those kids are too cute in those pictures. Thanks again Tawnette for your comment!!
Love and Blessings, Phoebe
Aug 6, 2011
Tawnette Fulton- Gilbert
YOU'RE WELCOME PHOEBE!!!!!
KEEP THAT COMPTON 411 COMING!!!!!
HAVE A HAPPY TUESDAY!!!
LOVE TAWNETTE
Aug 9, 2011
Phoebe Macon
Happy Tuesday Tawnette & thanks for your comment. YOU GO GIRL!!
Aug 9, 2011
Frances Parker Watters
Aug 11, 2011
Wayne Ware c/o '75 (WebMaster)
Former Compton Mayor & Centennial High Alumni Omar Bradley Cleared Of Misusing Public Funds In 2004!!
An appeals court overturned the criminal conviction of former Compton Mayor Omar Bradley on Wednesday, nixing him of a 2004 conviction for the misuse of public funds. The mayor was elected in 1993, but left office in 2001.
Bradley initially fought the conviction and a state appeals court refused to throw it out.
But last year the U.S. Supreme Court set a new standard for convicting public officials of crimes, ruling that officials had to know at the time of the crime that what they were doing was illegal.
Bradley then argued that the Compton city manager approved his use of city funds for golf and travel. A three-justice appellate court panel agreed with Bradley and overturned the conviction.
The California Attorney General’s Office will decide whether to further appeal the ruling.
Bradley spent some of his three-year sentence in a halfway house, and has been free on bond while the case was in appeal.
The decision does not affect Bradley’s co-defendants, who were also convicted of misusing city funds. They are former City Councilman Amen Rahh (who paid for dental work with city money) and former city manager John D. Johnson (who was convicted of misappropriation of public funds).
Aug 2, 2012
Phoebe Macon
THAT'S GREAT NEWS. IT ALWAYS APPEARED THAT IT WAS A SET-UP.
CONGRATULATIONS & GOD BLESS YOU EX-MAYOR OMAR BRADLEY OF BEING EXONERATED OF ANY WRONG DOING.
Aug 2, 2012
Phoebe Macon
Jun 20, 2013
Phoebe Macon
HAVE A BLESSED & HAPPY THANKSGIVING APACHES !!
Nov 28, 2013
Phoebe Macon
MERRY CHRISTMAS APACHES &
MANY MORE, GOD BLESS!!
Dec 25, 2013
Phoebe Macon
Feb 1, 2014