Garth Sanders

With less a month to go before Election Day on Nov. 4, County Board of Supervisors candidate state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas claims that his rival, Bernard Parks, has been busy struggling to pay off his primary election debts instead of campaigning – and still has $390,000 in outstanding debts, according to campaign reports filed with the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder’s office.

In response to what has been labeled a “threat letter” from County Supervisor candidate Bernard Parks, a South Los Angeles community mobilizer and experienced campaign operative has asked the second-term Los Angeles City Councilman to step down not only from his Council seat, but also his positions with the MTA and Expo Line Construction Authority boards or face recall. A deadline of 5 p.m. Monday was established by Damien Goodmon for “disgraceful, unethical, illegal actions and abuses of power.”

Driving hard to present his opponent for County Supervisor unfit for office, state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Culver City) charged today that Bernard Parks has been claiming a $7,000 annual property tax exemption on the home he owns in an unincorporated area – even though he doesn’t live there, as required by state tax laws.

With the race for County Supervisor growing more bitter by the day, the Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas camp released a statement late Monday charging that rival Bernard Parks “has some serious explaining to do about his 10-year membership in the American Independent Party, an extreme right wing political organization.

The funeral for Dr. George Colisimo, a well-known member of the Culver City community, will be held on Saturday morning in Montrose, east of downtown Los Angeles.

Services, at 11 a.m., will be held at the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 2411 Montrose Ave. The church may be contacted at 818.249.2008.

While state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Culver City) was kicking off his campaign with hundreds of volunteers on Saturday, “all the Bernard Parks campaign could do was issue another snarky press release and dodge questions about his long string of ethical lapses,” the senator’s camp charged yesterday.

“Instead of Mr. Parks, a Metropolitan Transit Authority board member, returning more than $20,000 in contributions from MTA contractors – which is what his constituents have demanded – he has asked for a list of those contributions.”

Launching his County Board of Supervisors’ autumn campaign, state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Culver City) on Saturday called on the Inspector General of the Metropolitan Transit Authority to launch an immediate investigation into campaign fundraising activities of his rival, MTA Board member and 8th District L.A City Councilmember Bernard Park.

In his campaign to win Yvonne Brathwaite Burke’s seat on the County Board of Supervisors in the Nov. 4 election and in his role as an elected official, state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Culver City) today submitted a lengthy chronology intended to demonstrate how he has taken the initiative in leading the community during the ongoing oil drilling controversy.

As you can see from these six sunny scenes from the typically successful Fiesta La Ballona last weekend at Vets Park, photographer/Fiesta official Laura Stuart was not the only person who had a terrific time. You are likely to spot friend in any of these pictures. Just in case you did not recognize the fellow at the top, that is Mayor Scott Malsin flashing his considerable musical side.

In the wake of the news that the state Dept. of Conservation agency known as DOGGER has asked the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to extend the public comment period beyond today regarding renewed drilling in the Baldwin Hills oil field, state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Culver City) said this morning that he endorses this approach.