[Editor’s Note: After 12 years on the Los Angeles City Council, Mr. Parks will be termed-out after Wednesday.]
Dear Constituents,
Welcome to my last newsletter. I hope you’ll enjoy this stroll down memory lane with me.
I am in a good space. I am enjoying a certain freedom that comes from not having to be quite so politically correct in discussing what I have seen here in City Hall in 12 years. Not that I have exercised political correctness in the first place…
You didn’t think I was going to go quietly, did you?
I have had fun doing all of these end-of-term interviews. People love it when they get intimate knowledge of the interworking of city government.
I spoke with Hillel Aron of L.A. Weekly about the current City Hall atmosphere of backroom dealings, limited thought or discussion utilized by some Councilmembers on complicated issues (like DWP corruption, police and fire budget negotiations), President Herb Wesson’s romper room Council proceedings, the deliberate stifling of public comment, and more.
I also spoke with Jon Regardie of the Downtown News about my life after City Hall and “Biography, Battles, and Bernard,” a documentary produced by my Emmy-award winning Chief-of-Staff, Bernard Parks, Jr.
I have gotten the reputation of being a lone wolf, a stick in the mud, fly in the ointment. I don’t disagree simply to disagree or live up to the expectation others may have of me of being difficult. I ask hard questions. I always hope to receive honest answers. I hope all of you continue to question your public representatives and the policies they are promoting. It’s your money and it’s your livelihood they are handling.
Tuesday, I appeared on CCTV America’s “The Heat” to discuss police reform, recruiting diverse police officers, and my experience with discrimination on the force.
In case you missed it, also check out my interviews with Fox 11 on my thoughts about the Police Commission’s disposition of the Ezell Ford shooting and reflections on my life and 50-year-career and L.A. Cityview on my reflections on my life and career.
One of the things I have enjoyed most about being a Council member and on the LAPD as well, is witnessing and bringing justice to families marred by tragedy.
I am sure most of you have heard about the callous murder of 19-year-old Tavin Price (who was mentally disabled) on May 29 at the Simms Car Wash on the 3300 block of West Florence Avenue for the color of his shoes/mistaken gang affiliation. He was shot and killed right in front of his mother.
Since the incident, Tavin’s mother has been relentless in her pursuit for her son’s killer. Tuesday, I was happy to attend a news conference at the 77th Division station where they announced four individuals, including the shooter had been arrested.
Although detectives say there are no other suspects involved in the case, my $50,000 reward motion still stands to aid in the conviction of the four suspects arrested. Anyone with further information is urged to call Detectives Eric Crosson or Fernando Cuevas the Criminal Gang Homicide Division at 323.786.5100 or 323.786.5113.
Yesterday, it was my pleasure to kick off the 280th sidewalk repair in the 8th Council District with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative. Since initiating my sidewalk repair program with LANI in 2014. It is sad to say that have yet to see a full, citywide sidewalk repair program kickoff. But that’s okay, I’ll take all the shine.
Late in May, the L.A. City Administrative Officer released a report declaring that, “fronting property owners will be responsible for the maintenance of sidewalks in the public right-of-way, even when the cause of the sidewalk damage is a street tree.” In April, the City agreed to pay $1.4 billion towards sidewalk repairs to settle the class action lawsuit brought on by Mark Willits and others who had mobility difficulties navigating through the city’s buckled and warped sidewalks. The city’s focus remains on repairing sidewalks adjoined to city properties- clearly the demand lies in residential areas. Even with the CAO’s recommendation, who knows whether the city will officially require property owners to fix their sidewalks. Everything is so political…it is the saddest thing.
As for the 8th district, repairs will continue even after I’ve left office. An estimated 427 total sidewalks will be repaired.
This progress is being made even while the city has over $20M in allocated funds sitting unspent in this year’s budget. The saddest part of this ongoing horror movie is that the Bureau of Street Services’ initial reply to how the city can respond to the CAO’s recommendations immediately requested 65-plus new employees at a cost of several million dollars a year rather than explore contracting out this construction and saving the city millions of dollars.
Unfortunately, city management often look at new projects as an employment and hiring opportunity rather than looking at the most cost effective ways of solving a problem…
Mr. Parks may be contacted at Bernard.C.Parks@lacity.org
