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THE VOICE NEWSPAPER HOSTCITY COUNCIL 14 CANDIDATES FORUM

JANUARY 2007

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"THE VOICE" newspaper is proud toannounce that we are hosting a CandidatesForum for the Los Angeles City CouncilDistrict 14 area. The three candidates thatare eligible to run for office have beencontacted and invited to attend our com-

munity forum. The Forum is scheduled onTuesday, February 20, 2007 at The LosAngeles Christian Prebyterian Churchlocated at 2241 North Eastern Avenue….The candidates running for this positionare incumbent City Council Member JoseHuizar, his former District Field Director

Alvin Parra, and Community Activist Juan"Jay-Jay" Jimenez. This event is being co-sponsored by The Greater El SerenoChamber of Commerce, and various faithbased organizations, which feel that it isvery important for our community con-stituents to get involved and get a chance

to meet and ask questions of all candi-dates. Please read our February Issue ofTHE VOICE for continued coverage ofthis important election. Elections take place onTuesday, March 6, 2007.

By Jose Figueroa(Concerned Neighbor Making a

Difference)

The following is a synopsis of a true storyon Elder abuse and theft of Homes by RealEstate fraud.

I'm from the University Hills area ofand as you might know housing prices inLos Angeles have gone through the roofover the past four years. I mention this dueto a probable fraud being committed on anelderly man who lived a few houses fromme. He originally disappeared about twoyears ago. He was rather eccentric so itwas possible not to see him for longlengths of time and as a result it was slowfor those that knew him to realize that hewas missing. The neighborhood rumorswere that he had died but no one had anydefinitive proof. He had no family thatanyone knew of.

In June 2005, a City Housing Inspectorwas seen looking at the house. I talked tohim and he said the property was beinglooked into and could be condemned. Theproperty would then go into a probate sale.He did not know anything about theowner's fate. He indicated that the citywould place a fence around the house in

the near future.However, a week later people appeared

at his property and put up a chain linkfence. They then brought in a large trashbin and proceeded to throw out every pieceof the Original owner's property in thetrash. I approached them about the Ownerand they said he was dead and they hadbought the property. However, they wereevasive about how or where he died andwould not talk about the Real Estate trans-action.

Suspicious, I decided to go downtownand see what kind of information I couldfind on the sale of the property. I found ref-erence to a Quit Claim Deed but could notobtain a copy. I did find that the propertywas sold for $30,000. I also found lots ofinformation on Real Estate court Dealingsconcerning the New Owners.Having friends in Real Estate, I asked one

of them to check the paperwork on thehouse. It turns out that a Quit Claim deedwas filed and indeed the property had beensold for $30,000. However, my friendwrote, at no time was the property deededover from the Original owner to a newparty. This person sold it to the people whowere now in the house. In other words, aman sold it to the New Owners but the

house was never bought from the Originalowner. The research into the property tookabout two months.

In August 2005, armed with this infor-mation I went to the LA County Dept ofConsumer Affairs-Real Estate Fraud &Info. Program. The Lady I dealt withlooked up the information and told me thata Wild Deed had been filed on the proper-ty. A wild deed is a deed that is filed underthe assumption that no one will contest thetransfer. I was told that only the originalowner could challenge the transfer andsince he was missing, I should go and filea missing Persons Police report.

I went to the Hollenbeck Police Divisionof the Los Angeles Police Department butno one would take a report, as the deskpoliceman considered the whole explana-tion unbelievable.

I did not know where to go from thereand I was appalled that no one would stepin to see what had happened to the originalowner and the fraud being perpetrated onhim. The new owners continued to teardown parts of the house as well as rebuildother parts. Then in early September of 2005, a mem-ber of the County of LA Adult ProtectiveServices appeared in the neighborhood

and by coincidence we ran into each other.He was researching the whereabouts of theoriginal owner. I gave him all the informa-tion I had.

A week later on 9/8/05, I was contactedby the Elder abuse worker and he told methat the Original owner, R. Dee, was aliveand living in a long-term care home inHollywood. However, he said the questionof his property had not been addressed.

He gave me the Home's address and alsoasked if I could take Mr. Dee to the LAPDto file a report on what was happening tohis home.

On Fri. 9/9/05 we went to go visit him.We just wanted to talk to him. I needed tosee if he was mentally competent other-wise it would be his word against theirs.He was fine. We made arrangements withthe staff to pick him up on Saturday.

We then picked him up on Saturday andtook him to lunch. We then showed himpictures what was happening to his home.He was shocked and upset as he was notaware of what was going on.

Continued on Page 5See “House Thiefs”

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EDITORS MESSAGE JANUARY 2007The VoicePage 22323.221.7400 - voicepub@gmail.com

Dear Neighbors,HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!..

We start our year with a very important-election coming up in a couple of monthsand I for one am very disappointed of thelack of economic investment and devel-opement in this community that is takenfor granted. "I have lived in El Sereno formost of my life and you can basically lookat any picture taken from thirty years agoof Eastern Avenue, Huntington Drive,Alhambra Avenue, or Valley Blvd. and seevery little change in a picture taken inJanuary 2007! It is amazing when we seechanges in Alhambra - Main street for

example; they made and are currentlyimproving "Auto Row" Themed strip start-ing at Atlantic Blvd. heading west towardsEl Sereno, The Main Street developmentthat revamped the business corridor atGarfield to Atlantic Blvd. (this City hastwo major movie theaters blocks awayfrom each other), South Pasadena hasmade steps to improve the Mission RoadBusiness corridor, We also have witnessedOld Town Pasadena's major developmentwhich has become a national case studyon how communities can be redevelopedfrom was once a ghost town to a thrivingand vigorous part of Southern California.

Communities around us have madestrides to improve their conditions. I justdon't see any one of our past Councilmembers make a significant contributionto this community with the exception toDr. Donald Newman, former member andPresident of the Los Angeles UnifiedSchool District.

We have not seen any significant City

involvement to generate development inthis community that impacts in the qualityof life for these stakeholders. An exampleof this is that we have no movie theaters(in fact our only theatre closed) - most allresidents go and spend their money in theCity of Alhambra, and Pasadena, whichbenefits from all the Taxes generated fromour community.

I ask that my fellow stakeholders in the14th Council District get involved anddemand that who ever gets elected to serveour community really roll up their sleevesand make a commitment to produce a dif-ference in this community which has beenneglected for years now.

The Los Angeles Police Department,Hollenbeck Division, which serves BoyleHeights, has one of the highest robberyrates in the city. They were up 20 percentin 2006.

This City Council District 14 has had itsshare of bad and or dirty slugfest cam-paigns. So now constituents in the 14thDistrict face another election, the third infour years We are trying to bring dignityand respect to our neighbors that's why

THE VOICE decided to step up and hostthis event. This community is tired ofbeing taken for granted.

City Council District 14 has been alaunch pad for past elected officials andwas the original seat of Latino Powerwhen Richard Alatorre was elected in1985, the first Latino on the council in 23years. Other past council members whoserved this district include Art Snyder,Nick Pacheco, Antonio Villaraigosa, andcurrent Councilmember Jose Huizar.Where are these people now - How easy itis for them to forget our community whenthey leave!

I remember seeing Nick Pacheco all of asudden start showing up to communitymeetings in 2005 when he was runningagainst Jose Huizar. After Pacheco'sdefeat to Huizar, he magically disappearsagain! I urge and invite the community tocome and support, and get involved withthis election. You have everything to gainfrom it! Demand constituent service fromour elected officials…If not we can takeanother picture twenty years from now andsee the same image we seen in 1970!

PUBLISHER /EDITORCarlos Morales

SALESGeorge Cabrera Jr.

GENERAL MANAGERJoe Rivera

MARKETING DIRECTOR Carlos Morales

PHOTOGRAPHERSMatthew A. Barraza

Richard CanalesGeorge Cabrera Jr.

Carlos Morales

CFO Sal Garcia

COMMUNITYCONTRIBUTORS

Alvin ParraBryan Johnson

Cassandra BrunoErica CornejoJaime UrbinaJanet PuentesJose FigueroaKristina HooperMark OverstreetMichael Romero

Ray Rios

Editors Note - Carlos Morales

By Mark OverstreetMaking resolutions at the first of

the year is an old tradition going back to153 B.C. in early Rome. The concept hasbeen kept alive because people havealways looked for a sense of renewal, anew and better start. New Year's Eve pro-vides us the opportunity to look back to thepast and contemplate our successes andlosses. New Year's is a time to reflect onthe things that we want (or need) to changewithin our lives.

Making resolutions and beingsuccessful at resolving them does not needto be painful. Researchers offer some wis-dom for success. Most people made sever-al resolutions with 67 % making three ormore. More resolutions were made toincrease a behavior than to stop or decreasesomething. Most people made their reso-

lutions within three days of January 1st.40 % were successful on their first attempt.17% finally succeeded after more than sixattempts. Alan Marlatt of the University ofWashington suggests; "Take credit for suc-cess when you achieve a resolution, but itis a mistake to blame yourself if you fail.

Instead, look at the barriers thatwere in your way. See how you can do bet-ter the next time and figure out a betterplan to succeed. You do get to try againand can make behavior changes through-out the year, not only at New Year's." Thereare a number of surveys about the top NewYear's Resolutions. These are some of thetop resolutions; Spend more time withfamily & friends, get fit, quit smoking, quitdrinking, cut down on sweets, get out ofdebt, help others more, develop a morepleasing personality, learn something new,get organized. Give yourself some time tothink about your resolutions. Prioritizethem and select a few. Don't try every-thing at once. You can always add newresolutions later.

Focus on realistic goals withmeasurable results. Keep track of yourprogress. Break your efforts down intosmall steps that can lead you towardsachieving your final goal. Little successeswill add up and motivate you to keepgoing. View your resolutions as a process,not a one-time effort. Sticking to resolu-tions are hard. Don't defeat yourself whenyou have a few setbacks. Try to figure out

what you need to change in order to suc-ceed. If what you're doing isn't working,stop doing it. Find out what works and doit more often or intensify it. Be creativeand try various ways to achieve your goal.Try not to say "never". A few years ago Imade a resolution to eat "less" sweets. Ilike chocolates and knew that I wouldindulge myself, but I set a limit as to howmuch I would eat. It worked.

Resolving to make ourselves bet-ter is a noble act. You don't have to waitfor January 1st to start a resolution.Becoming a better person, is an everyday,every moment task, that takes time andeffort. It starts with a thought that is fol-lowed by actions. Don't wait for a motiva-tional moment, you'll procrastinate andnever get started (you'll keep coming upwith justifications). Your actions them-selves will provide inspiration. It's notluck that will help you succeed with yourresolution(s), it will take thought, action,effort and time. Once you've achievedyour goal, follow it up and make it longlasting. Remember you will succeed.Good luck!

CREATING A SENSE OF RENEWAL

THE VOICEis a monthly publication with a circulation of 16,000 impressions. It is delivered to res-idents in the El Sereno, Lincoln Heights and Alhambra areas. It is also distributed tovarious businesses within these areas, as well as emailed to all interested parties. Wewelcome community interest stories, and press releases. Most articles are written bycommunity stakeholders to inform, and educate this community on what is going on intheir community! It is the primary source for local info. The voice reserves the rightto edit all materials due to space constrictions.

The VOICE is not responsible nor liable for any claims or offerings, norresponsible for products availability that may be advertised. Opinions expressed inthese columns are those by the authors who wrote them. All rights reserved.Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the editor is prohibited.

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HEALTH TIPS JANUARY 2007

The VoicePage 32

323.221.7400 - voicepub@gmail.com

By Erica CornejoEveryone feels sad at times or inexpli-

cably tearful or just plain "down." Theseuncomfortable feelings are part of life. Butwhen they persist, affecting the way oneeats and sleeps, feels about oneself, andthinks about family, friends, and work,then they are not just a part of life, butsymptoms of a clinical illness calleddepression, and it interferes with the abili-ty to work, study, sleep, eat, and enjoyonce pleasurable activities. Depressioncan strike anyone regardless of age, ethnicbackground, socioeconomic status, or gen-der.

Depressive illnesses bring pain and suf-fering not only to those who have the dis-order but also to those who care aboutthem and for them. Indeed, one individ-ual's depression can affect an entire fami-ly. Also, most suicides are the result ofuntreated depression. Today much of thissuffering is unnecessary. Over the past 20years, biomedical research has shed con-siderable light on depression, and, as aresult, new medications and psychosocialtherapies exist to help depressed people.As more people recognize that these ill-nesses are treatable, more are rediscover-ing their sense of optimism and purposethrough appropriate treatment.

Not everyone who is depressed has all ofthe following symptoms. Some experiencea few, some many, and the severity ofsymptoms varies with individuals and overtime.

SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION:*Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty"

mood *Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism *Feelings of guilt, worthlessness,

helplessness *Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies

and activities that were once enjoyed *Decreased energy and a sense of fatigue

or being "slowed down" *Difficulty concentrating, remembering,

making decisions *Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or

oversleeping *Appetite and/or weight loss or

overeating and weight gain *Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide

attempts *Restlessness, irritability *Persistent physical symptoms that do

not respond to treatment, such asheadaches or digestive disorders.

Treatment options range from medicationsand psychotherapy to deep brain stimula-tion and electroshock therapy. Whichtreatments your mental health professional

recommends will depend in part on theresults of the evaluation. Often, the besttreatment is a combination of psychothera-py and medication: With medication, thesymptoms are alleviated fairly quickly,while psychotherapy helps the patientlearn to deal more effectively with life'sproblems. All forms of depression can alsobe alleviated with exercise, a healthy diet,and regular sleep.

Depression can make someone feelexhausted, worthless, helpless, and hope-less. And those feelings and thoughts canfeed on themselves, making a depressedperson feel like giving up. It is importantto realize, however, that negative thoughtsand feelings are symptoms of the illnessand typically do not reflect the actual cir-cumstances of life. Indeed, this kind ofdebilitating thinking fades as treatmentbegins to take effect, but there are thingsyou can do during this time to help managedepression.*Set realistic goals, and assume a

reasonable, but not excessive, amount of responsibility.

*Break large tasks into smaller ones, and set priorities. Do what you can in theway that is most comfortable.

*Try to reach out to others instead of isolating yourself and being secretive

about your condition. *Participate in activities that make you

feel better. *Consider going to a movie or ballgame

or participating in religious, social, orother activities. Mild exercise also mayhelp.

*Expect your mood to improve gradually, not immediately. Feeling better take time.

*Don't make important decisions until the depression has lifted. Before deciding tosell a house, end a relationship, get married, or change a job, discuss it withothers who know you well and may havea more objective view of your situation.

* Remember that people rarely "snap out"of a depression. But they can feel a little better day- by- day. Positivethinking will replace negative thinkingas your depression responds to treatment.

* Let family and friends help. *Having once suffered from depressioncan predispose someone to experiencinganother episode. So if you've had anepisode of depression, it is critical that youseek treatment at the first sign of a recur-rence.

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LINCOLN HEIGHTS NEWSJANUARY 2007The VoicePage 42323.221.7400 - voicepub@gmail.com

THE SPIRIT OF COMMUNITYBy Ray Rios

Just when I was feeling ratherweary and cynical about my fel-low-man. I was reminded that thespirit of community continues tolive on. Thank you Lincoln Parkfor reassuring me that there ismore to life than just workingrelentlessly and stressing aboutall the negative things that thisbusy life can bring before us.

I had a million things to do onthis drizzly Saturday morning butI kept reminding myself that Ihad to support the communitycause (or was that my wifereminding me?). As my familyand I approached the entrance to

the Lincoln Park's annualChristmas breakfast, the localLincoln Heights fire departmentwas already there, posing for agroup picture. They had arrivedearly to drop off Christmas giftsfor the local children. We enteredthe old gymnasium where thebreakfast was being held andwere quickly greeted with awarm smile by the park's directorCassandra. She gave us our platesand we continued on to the serv-ing line. There again, we weregreeted by warm smiles, this timeby some of the park's youngteenage volunteers.

The old gym never looked bet-

ter. The lights were dimmed andthe decorations covered tablesand walls with traditionalChristmas colors. The smell offreshly cooked pancakes andsausages filled the air(Complements of Dino'sBurgers) and blended perfectlywith the background music of"Let it Snow".

People were genuinely happy tosee each other while they ate,talked, and actually workedtogether for a common cause-thepark. Very impressive I thoughtto myself but the camaraderiedidn't stop there, Cassandra thenpreceded up to the stage area to

showcase all the positive and pro-ductive programs that were asso-ciated with the park. The parkstaff, the fire department, theyouth coaches, the cheerleaders,youth baseball players, the box-ing program, the senior citizensChristmas chorus, an Aztec dancetroop, a young modern dancerdancing to a jazzy Christmassong, a Norteno dance couple, theteen club, even a little pintsizedbreak-dancer, and lastly who canforget that old guy with the whitebeard and red suit passing outpresents to the children.

I was taken back at the sight ofdifferent people and ages of our

community working so proudlytogether and hard to make thisevent successful. How refresh-ing, I thought, to see our old andyoung involved in productiveactivities such as sports and thearts. This truly must be what ismeant as "Community". Onething is for certain, those smilesare pretty catchy because I leftwith a smile on my face, with awarm heart, and with hope. Whatbetter way to start this New Year?

The Start of Shear Image Hair SalonGrowing up in Lincoln Heights wasn’t easy for Becky Cervantes and her seven broth-

ers and sisters. Being the oldest daughter she had to help take care of her younger sib-lings while attending Lincoln High. Rain or shine, Becky used to walk miles from ElSereno to attend school. Her old “stomping grounds” as she recalls consisted of the areassuch as “Dogtown”, El Sereno, and Lincoln Heights. Twenty years later she would havenever thought she would be back to open up her own business with her two daughtersMonique Chavez and Tewa Chavez.

Just last year Monique and Tewa’s father had died from cancer and before he passed hewished for the three of them to invest in something that would benefit their future. Beingan experienced cosmetologist Becky was ready to take the chance when an opportunityrolled her way. A hair salon formally known as Beauty Paradise became available. Shehappened to be working there at the time when the owner offered to sell it to her beforeanyone else.

It just happened to be the right time since Becky and her oldest daughter Monique hadbeen talking about opening up a salon. This was also a great opportunity for the youngestdaughter Tewa because she is currently enrolled in cosmetology. Thanks to “The Voice”and George Cabrera, Becky and her daughters had a chance to reach out to the people ofLincoln Heights and the surrounding communities to host a Grand Opening for ShearImage! They are very thankful and are happy to bring a new image to Lincoln Heights.

By Cassandra BrunoThe Lincoln Park Recreation Center held

its annual Breakfast with Santa onSaturday, December 16th from 8am to11am. Even though it was a rainy day, thecommunity of Lincoln Heights still cametogether to celebrate the Christmas seasonwith a sense of pride.

Two hundred thirty-five breakfasts wereserved with a little over 300 people inattendance. This event proved to be a hugesuccess. Once again Lincoln ParkRecreation Center is changing the commu-nity’s image through pride and positiveexperiences.

This event was sponsored by the gener-ous in-kind donations of George Pantazisfrom Dino’s. He is a continual inspirationin the Lincoln Heights community, as wellas to Lincoln Park. Al Valencia from theLincoln Heights Tigers also contributedgreatly to the delicious breakfast served,both with in-kind donations and his per-sonal time. A special thanks to both ofthese men for taking care of our communi-ty.

Due to generous donations from bothToys for Tots and the Los Angeles FireDepartment, two hundred fifty presentswere distributed to boys and girls twelveyears old and younger. For many of thesechildren these presents turned the seasoninto a Merry Christmas.

Prior to the toy give-away, youth fromthe community performed. The LincolnHeights Tiger Cheerleaders performedboth cheer and dance. These girls,coached by Irma Valdez, did an excellentjob and represented the community well.The Lincoln Park Boxing Club performeda clever demonstration combined withboxing choreography done while the box-ers sang a Christmas song.

Also performing, the Arevalo family gotthe crowd excited with various dance rou-tines: funky hip hop performed by JavierJunior; lyrical splendor by Melanie; andtraditional Norteñas dancing by Melissaand her partner Jose. Of course Santa alsotook stage and assisted in introducing theLincoln Park Teen Club in a specialChristmas dance. In a special treat, theLincoln Park Senior Citizen Club beauti-fully sang Christmas carols in Spanish:Silent Night, Jingle Bells, and FelizNavidad. The show finale was an ener-getic display of Aztec dancing from theyouth of Cuauhtemos Aztec Dance.

Amongst all of the youth talent, the cen-ter took a moment to recognize and honorthe youth on the Lincoln Park All-StarCity-Wide Championship Minor DivisionBaseball Team: Coach George Diaz,Coach Luis Cervantes, Mathew Castro,Gerard Watson, Raymond Rios, ZacharyDowd, Sean de la Torre, Brandon de laTorre, Ramon Moreno, Melissa Valdez,Marcos Flores, Raul Carrillo, CarlosEscobedo, Jesse Garcia. To honor theirhard work and achievement, the team waspresented with a banner which will behung in the Lincoln Park gymnasium forall to see throughout the years.

It was a glorious day full of communitypride and holiday cheer. Thank you to allthe community members who took part inthis celebration and especially to GeorgeCabrera from the VOICE who covered theevent. Hope to see you soon! Getinvolved today! For more informationabout programs at Lincoln Park RC pleasecontact the office at (213) 847-1726.

THE VOICE CONGRATULATES THE CERVANTESFAMILY FOR INVESTING BACK IN THEIR COMMUNITY

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA

JANUARY 2007The Voice

Page 52323.221.7400 - voicepub@gmail.com

OTHER NEWS

LINCOLN PARK2006 CITY

CHAMPIONSBy Ray Rios

Each year after the regular base-ball season ends, each Recreation andPark within the city enters representativeteams for each division to compete in thecity wide All-Star baseball tournament.Over two hundred teams in the minordivision alone participate in this tourna-ment. Many of those teams are eliminatedin the first rounds, others advance deeperinto the playoffs, while others evenadvance to the regional finals. Even toreach this point is a significant accom-plishment for any team. But out of theapproximately two hundred teams thatparticipate, only two special and talentedteams reach the city championship game.This year that honor went to both LincolnPark and Baldwin Hills baseball teams. Itis unfortunately that from these twoteams, there could only be one winner.

Lincoln Park’s minor divisionteam was lead by a seasoned coachingstaff that included Luis Cervantes, GeorgeDiaz, Ray Rios, and Manny Castro.Coach Luis Cervantes stated from thebeginning that “He liked his chances” andhis intuition was right. Lincoln Park went8-0 during this tournament with morethan their share of come from behind vic-tories but none were bigger than the one

they had in the championship gameagainst Baldwin Hills. Baldwin Hills wasalso a well coached powerhouse whosehitters feasted on fastballs from opposingpitchers. This was no different when thegame began. They quickly scored threeruns off Lincoln’s starting ace SeanDelatorre. Lincoln came right back withtwo runs of their own. The next inningBaldwin Hills scored another six to take a9-2 lead. When Carlos Escobedo enteredthe game to pitch, celebration could beheard on in the Baldwin Hills bleachers.Even the Lincoln loyal were stunned, thatis, until Lincoln Park rallied in the thirdinning with seven runs of their own to tiethe game at nine. The next inning Lincolnscored two more runs to take a 11-9 lead.Carlos Escobedo held Baldwin Hillsscoreless for the next four innings with acurveball that they unable to touch andstriking out seven including the last out.The players, coaches, and fans rushedonto the dusty red field to congratulate theplayers who were wild with delight. Onthe bus ride back to Lincoln Park, players,parents and coaches made people’s headsturn as they sang “People wanna know,people wanna know, who we are? Whowe are? We are Lincoln Park! MightyLincoln Park!”This was the first time aLincoln Park Baseball team had won theCity Championship. A tribute to all theparents, staff, coaches, and players whowork hard to make the park a great placeto learn and play.

Continued from Page 1We then proceeded to the Hollenbeck

Police station. We tried to make a policereport of the situation so they would inves-tigate. However like a case of déjà vu, theyagain refused to make a report. Instead, theOfficer told us to go back to my house, callit in and he would send a patrol car.

We went to my home and called and thenwaited for over three hours but no car evercame. I had to take him back to the home asit was past the time I told them that I wouldreturn him. Meanwhile, on 9/6/05 I sent aletter to LAPD Chief William Bratton, CityAttorney Rocky Delgadillo and local CityCouncil member Jose Huizar, explainingthe situation and requesting an investiga-tion. I eventually heard back from theLAPD and the City Attorney's office.

After the Hollenbeck affair, I called theElder Abuse worker on the same day andleft a message explaining the situation tohim. He returned my call on Monday,9/12/05, and told me that he did not knowwhat to do, as he had no power. I respond-ed that indeed he did have power and heneeded to call the City Attorney's office andLAPD and demand they investigate the sit-uation or he was going to hold themresponsible.

The Elder Abuse worker called againand said that the City Attorney's office wasgoing to investigate and gave me the nameof the Investigator. She was extremelyhelpful and wanted all the information Ihad gathered on the New owners.Meanwhile, she got the LAPD to go andinterview Mr. Dee. By then I had also beencontacted by the LAPD.

The City Attorney's investigator alsoobtained the services of a lawyer, ProBono, for Mr. Dee. He worked a lot for Mr.Dee. He contacted the new owners andafter much delay they had their attorneyreply. Among other things, the New ownersdemanded over $20,000 for repairs theyhad done on the house. They even sent

copies of the bills. Mr. Dee's lawyerrefused and demanded that they re-deed thehome back to him. He told them that Mr.Dee had never authorized any repairs andthat they were trespassing.

Mr. Dee and I also worked on all thelosses of personal property that the Newowners had thrown out. After months of delay, on Dec. 24th, 2005,Mr. Dee received a letter and a copy of anew Quit Claim re-deeding the propertyback.

During this time the DA's office andapparently the Justice Dept. were investi-gating the New ex-owners. They are beinginvestigated for fraudulently stealing prop-erty from Senior Citizens who are incapac-itated or even dead. It is believed that theyare a gang working within convalescenthomes for the elderly.

Mr. Dee finally received his keys, Ipicked him up and I bought new locks forhim and installed them. The suspecteddefrauders, we were told, had moved on toSan Bernardino and continued with theirtrade. We were told they had stolen close to100 homes from the elderly.

As of October 2006, Jesus Aguayo andhis wife Sofia, have been arrested and areawaiting trial. Bail was set high due to pos-sible flight risk. As of today, Richard Dee isliving in a retirement home. Although hewishes to move back to his home in ElSereno, he does not have any funds torebuild his home. It was left in a state ofdisrepair by the alleged defrauders.

This case should be a warning to every-one with elder relatives. Transferring theproperty over to another person was as easyas filling out the paperwork and submittingit to the county recorder. The paperwork isnot investigated hence the property belongsto whomever's name is on record. Makesure your elders are looked after and thatthey have a will.

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The El Sereno basic car (4A9) had the slightincrease in property crime. There was a cluster of 4burglaries on Huntington Dr between Eastern Av andPoplar Ave. Gang crime in the El Sereno area remainssporadic with 3 aggravated assaults around theHuntington Dr. and Poplar area. There were 2 rob-beries in the El Sereno area with no evidence of acrime trend. Vehicle burglaries and vehicle thefts con-tinue to be a concern in the Hollenbeck Area despiteadded patrols and the arrests of several suspects.Please secure your car with a steering wheel lockingdevice or alarm.

If you witness a crime, contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 911 for emergencyor (877) 275-5273 for non-emergency. If you have any additional information that couldhelp solve or prevent criminal activity, you are encouraged to call the Hollenbeck Tipline 323-526-3817.

The Los Angeles PoliceDepartment arrested 5 percent moremotorists for drunk driving over theChristmas weekend (December 23 – 25)and 15 percent more over the New Year’sweekend (December 30 – January 1).The number of arrests for negligent dis-charge of a firearm dropped from 9 to 8arrests on News Year’s Eve.

“Reports of shooting in the airincreased this year, to 240, compared tolast year’s 145 reports,” said LAPDspokesman Lieutenant Paul Vernon. “Itrained heavily on New Year’s Eve 2005,which kept more people inside. This yearit was clear, so more people were out.The good news is the 240 reports were stilllower than two years ago when 376 reportswere called in.”

The increase in drunk drivingarrests represented a more aggressivepresence by motor officers assigned overthe holidays, especially between 6 PM and3 AM. “We arrested 135 drivers over thethree-day Christmas weekend, and 184over the New Year’s weekend.Unfortunately, not everyone is getting the

message about driving responsibly.”Over New Year’s Eve, LAPD

officers arrested 8 persons for shootingguns in the air. They made 14 other gun-related arrests and seized 28 guns. Thatcompared to 9 negligent-shooting arrestslast year, 21 other gun-related arrests and13 gun seizures.

One arrest stood out from the oth-ers. Hollenbeck gang officers heard sixshots around midnight, near ValleyBoulevard and Eastern Avenue, thennoticed a van as it drove past them. Apassenger’s arm was leaning out the win-dow with a gun. The officers recognizedthe shooter as a local gang member.

They followed the van down theLong Beach Freeway, then stopped it nearthe City of Bell. They arrested Vincent“Shy Boy” Almenar of El Sereno andrecovered an unregistered .25 caliberhandgun. They also detained the womandriver. Almenar faces charges of shooting in theair, being an ex-felon with a gun, and anadded gang-enhancement if found guilty.

HOLIDAY DUI ARRESTS ANDGUNFIRE UP

Hello Neighbors, My name is Alvin Parra and I'm

running for city council in the14th district this March 6th, 2007.I've worked for two elected offi-cials in the past, formerCongressman Edward Roybal andSupervisor Gloria Molina. As afield deputy for both officials, Iknow what constituent service isand I understand how to run afield office so that residents getthe services they deserve.

I have chosen to run for officethis March 6th for a number ofimportant reasons. If you lookback at councilmember JoseHuizar's first months in office andobserve his attitude and behavioryou would agree that he is notcommitted to understanding theconcerns of residents and con-stituents in the community andthat, quite frankly, he'd rather notbe bothered. I should knowbecause I worked for him as hisDistrict Field Director during hisfirst 11 months in office and I wasthe 9th person to resign from hisoffice in those months.

Let me make one thing clear -Jose Huizar's staff is made up ofsome of the most caring and com

mitted people I have ever met, butthe ultimate responsibility lieswith Mr. Huizar, himself. He setthe tone, the direction and ulti-mately he set up his field staff tonot succeed by de-prioritizingthem.

For many months this pastyear, we had about 8 people in thefield - nearly a 50% decrease fromprevious council administrations.Contrary to my strong personalrecommendations, Mr. Huizarrefused to hire more field staffearly on and, consequently, therewas no one assigned to serve as acaseworker or office manager tostay in the office at all times. As aresult, many district residentscould not find a deputy at theirfield office and the lack of staffcreated anger among residents.

Mr. Huizar would say to us atstaff meetings that MayorVillaraigosa would always advisehim to "focus on the district, notCity Hall." Based on his behavior,it's obvious he didn't even listen tothe Mayor.

As a field director, I have seennumerous people break down andcry in front of me. They some-times have no one to turn to butthe council office. Some people inour community live in fear ofcrime, are on the verge of beingwrongfully evicted from theirhome, are domestic abuse victimsor are not receiving the basic cityservices they deserve.

It should be an honor for thecouncil office to be ready at anygiven moment to serve our neigh-bors and to make their lives safer and more comfortable.

That's why it pained me to hearthe calls of complaint after com-plaint of people reaching thevoice mail during office hours,people taking time out of theirwork day to go to the counciloffice only to find the doorlocked, or casework fallingthrough the cracks. Many of us inthe field staff tried hard, but wewere understaffed and we beggedMr. Huizar for more staff. Insteadof hiring a new field deputy in thespring, Mr. Huizar hired a"Special Assistant" who served ashis personal driver, or chauffeur.

In his first 11 months in office,he spent over 36 days vacationingon at least six different trips. Hewas not only inaccessible to youand your neighbors for 1 out 10days this past year, but wasunavailable to the council staff forguidance and leadership.

Since I entered the race to chal-lenge Mr. Huizar and raised theseissues, you may have noticed thathe has increased the Northeastoffice staff from 3 to 7, El Serenofrom 3 to 4 and the Boyle Heightscommunity has seen a jump from4 to 5 field deputies. I considerthis a victory for our community,but will it last and why did Mr.Huizar wait until he was chal-lenged to make these changes?

Homicides are up more than10% this past year in theNortheast area. We've had almost30 homicides in the district thisyear, yet, Mr. Huizar gave staff nopolicy direction or guidance onhow to work with LAPD toreduce violent crimes or even tellus how he would like us to sup-

port the victims of crime. In January 2006, I was in a

briefing with Mr. Huizar, hisChief of Staff Tony Ricasa and anofficial with the LAPD. TheLAPD official asked Mr. Huizarfor his phone number to reach him24 hours a day, since it's custom-ary to call the councilperson whena homicide occurs. Mr. Huizarresponded by telling the LAPDofficial to call Mr. Ricasa insteadand that Ricasa would call him ifit was newsworthy.

Although Mr. Huizar and I arethe same age, we have completelydifferent visions and a completelydifferent work ethic. We pay Mr.Huizar a salary of $150,000 peryear (set to increase to $171,000on January 1st), give him a freecity car, free gas and other perksand not only does he abuse ourtrust, he doesn't even want hissleep interrupted by a criticalphone call. I don't know aboutyou, but it's hard to respect some-one that has little compassion forhis fellow constituents. Safety is atop concern for residents and itshould be treated with urgencyand importance by our coun-cilmember. I believe crime shouldnot be ignored but, rather,addressed immediately andaggressively, something Mr.Huizar has chosen not to do.

I was born and raised in this dis-trict, married my wife, a pre-school educator, who went toFranklin High and we have twowonderful young sons. My family and I are here to stay.

Mark my words; the counciloffice is a pit stop for Mr. Huizar.

He's already looking at the nextseat and you can see it. He spendsmost of his time with developers,special interests and power bro-kers in preparation for the nextstep.

Jose has already told others thathe is interested in running forState Assembly in two years.He’s lived in El Sereno for the lastsix years and this past summer hemoved to Boyle Heights, conve-niently in Speaker Fabian Nunez's46th Assembly district, who istermed out of office in 2 years.

The voters of the 14th districtdeserve a councilperson that iscommitted to staying for the longhaul. There will be a number ofcandidate forums and debatescoming soon and I encourageeveryone to attend so that you canevaluate the differences betweenMr. Huizar's vision and my own.If you and your neighbors wouldlike me to speak at your commu-nity group or home, please call meat (323) 225-2600 or e-mail meyour questions at: parra2007@sbcglobal.net.

Sincerely,Alvin D. ParraCandidate for City Council,District 14www.parra2007.com

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So why didn’t your home sell?This year many of the homes listed for salenever sold at all, and many sellers foundthat there was a tremendous amount ahome owner needed to be educated on tosell their home for top dollar in the shortesttime period.

Don’t risk making the wrongchoices and losing both time and money on

your investment. Before you hire a realtor,know the right questions to ask to savetime and money.

Industry experts have prepared afree special report called “How to Sell aHouse that Didn’t Sell” which educatesyou on the issues involved. To hear a briefrecorded message about how to order yourfree copy of this report, call 1-888-692-1324 and enter ID# 1412. You can call any-time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Callnow to make sure your home sells the nexttime you list it for sale. Or, find it on theweb at: www. arroyosecohomes.com/semi-nar_expired.asp

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REAL ESTATE REALESTATE DREAM TEAM

IN ELSERENO We are excited to inform you that there is

a fantastic new real estate team serving thecommunity of El Sereno and The GreaterLos Angeles area. This team is made up of ElSereno residents, Gene Baca and SantosRodriguez who represent the real estate firmof California Finance Group. Gene andSantos care about their community and haveworked diligently to improve the quality oflife for all in El Sereno.

Mr. Gene Baca has been a resident of ElSereno for over 30 years. He is a very fami-ly orientated person and believes in buildingstrong relationships. Gene has had theopportunity to travel and spend time inChina and Latin America, these experienceshave allowed him to value the diversity ofhis own community. Gene’s desire is toenrich the community by reaching out andsharing his experiences with others. Genefeels that volunteering is essential tostrengthening and improving our neighbor-hoods. He has worked with organizationslike the Boys and Girls Club of Los Angelesin Lincoln Heights, the American CancerSociety and the Red Cross. Gene has aunique perspective on the growing needs ofthis community and is dedicated to making itbetter through his talents. He is currently thevice-president of the Greater El SerenoChamber of Commerce and is workingtowards bringing more resources, capital,and education to El Sereno and the NortheastArea.

Mr. Santos Rodriguez has lived in ElSereno for over 13 years. He is the currentPresident of the Greater El Sereno Chamberof Commerce and was one of the foundingmembers in the rebirth of the chamber. He isalso the past Treasurer of the El SerenoCommunity Garden Association and wasinvolved with the development and construc-tion of the first complete community gardenin El Sereno. Santos has also been involved

with the LA-32 Neighborhood Council andhas held positions on the Executive Board asTreasurer and Secretary. Santos has workedin community development for over 10 yearsand has held positions as a Business Analystfor the U.S. Department of CommerceMBDA Program and for the last three yearsas Assistant Vice-President/CommunityDevelopment Officer at United CommercialBank. Over the years Santos has dedicatedhimself to educating and empowering com-munities so they can together raise the qual-ity of life for all. Santos feels that homeown-ership is essential in building strong commu-nities that care and look out for each other.

Over the last two years Gene and Santoshave worked together on many projects thathave brought resources and unity to ourcommunity. These projects include: ElSereno 90th Birthday Celebration, FoodDrives, Community Beautification, GrandOpenings’ To Promote Local Businesses,Comedy Shows, Veterans Events,Fundraising For Local Youth Programs,Unity Events with Faith BasedOrganizations, Candidates Forum, andHomeownership Workshops. “We believe that investment in our commu-nity is key to improving our neighborhoods,therefore our philosophy is “Buy El Sereno.”“Our goal is to help families and individual’sdreams come true, through homeownershipand create long lasting relationships,” statedGene and Santos.

In 2007 they will be providingHomeownership Courses which will consistof financial education, credit management,budgeting, buyer pre-qualification, and howto choose your realtor. California Finance Group is a complete RealEstate solutions company and can be reachedat: California Finance Group: 6100 San Fernando Rd., Ste. #203 Glendale,CA 91201 Office (818) 242-4777Gene Baca - Cell (818) 482-1069 Santos Rodriguez - Cell (323) 630-6543SOLD!

SOLD!

By Mark OverstreetIf personal responsibili-

ty is a keystone to personal char-acter then it is also a cornerstoneto the foundation of our society.Personal responsibility includesacknowledging that you are sole-ly responsible for the choices inyour life. When personal responsibility isnot accepted you run the risk ofbecoming overly dependent onothers for recognition, approval,affirmation and acceptance.People who lack responsibilityskills can be angry anddepressed. They can feel that lifeis unfair. Lack of responsibilitycan also lead to denial and help-lessness. They can developunhealthy relationships andbecome fearful about taking risksor making decisions. Then thereare those who are big risk takers,feeling that they will not be heldresponsible for their actions.Frustration and misplaced hostil-ity and blame replace logic andrational thinking. People whoaccept personal responsibilitytake a rational belief that they areresponsible for the choices in

their life. Responsible people aremore likely to be motivated toachieve and will work towardstheir success. Our bodies have evolved a bio-logical system that helps moti-vate us and makes us feel goodwhen we get our needs met.Chemicals in our nervous systemcalled neurotransmitters(dopamine and serotonin) stimu-late our heart, muscles and otherorgans thus motivating us to takeaction. They affect our mood andsocial behavior. Our biologicalresponses are activated when theneed for food, sex and stressfulsituations arise. Our natural biol-ogy helps us and motivates us tosolve life’s problems. A discom-fort is created until the need issatisfied. Behaviors that get ridof the discomfort make us feelgood. The behavior is reinforcedbiologically by serotonin anddopamine. When we get ourneeds met through work, we arerewarded. Our bodies create abiobalanced state that improvesmindfitness. If we expend noeffort to solve our problems, suchas getting food, our bodies will

not find its balance. Rewardwithout effort is biologicallydestructive. Personal responsibility is neces-sary for a democratic society tosurvive and flourish. Many people have become com-placent and passive as a result ofthe governmentintrusiveness within their lives.Some politicians have made acareer out of promising programsthat will replace the efforts ofpersonal responsibility in aneffort to gain votes. Local, stateand federal programs are oftennecessary safety-nets for those inneed, but many programs arebased upon “wants” rather than“needs”. If our needs are met,with no action on our part to alle-viate the discomfort, then we arenot biobalancing ourselves. Ifthere is no discomfort, there canbe no contentment, and thelearned ability to motivate our-selves is lost. This is why chron-ic welfare is unsuccessful inachieving its goal. The cycle ofpoverty continues as people donot rise above the level providedto them. The lack of personal

responsibility permeates withinour society. The denial of onesactions are commonplace occur-rences, from elected governmentofficials to grade school children.Parents have come to expectinstitutions and/or other peoplesuch as teachers, counselors andprogram directors to teach theirchildren values, social skills, sexeducation, to feed, clothe andnurture them. Responsible citizens are morelikely to be proactive within theircommunity and will help otherswork towards making the com-munity a better place to live with-in. Responsible residents usuallydo not depend upon others tosolve all of their community’sproblems. Through their willing-ness to take the responsibility andto take proactive measures, prob-lems such as crime, graffiti, trash,burglaries, gang violence anddrugs can be solved. Perhaps itwill be one house, one block orone neighborhood at a time. Our personal growth evolvesfrom the fact that we have thefreedom of choice. Taking per-sonal responsibility is taking con-

trol of our lives, our destiny.Each one of us can choose, or notto choose, to take responsibilityof our success and our failure,our happiness and our unhappi-ness. The acceptance of personalresponsibility is what separatesthe adult from the child, frombeing dependent to being inde-pendent. If we are to sustain and preserveour way of life, with freedom andliberty, as a civilized society, thenit necessary for all of us to beaccountable and to accept person-al responsibility. The choice isyours.Mark Overstreet is a SchoolCounselor and a Marriage andFamily Therapist Intern. He isthe Block Captain andChairperson of the UniversityHills Community Association aswell as a local Boy Scout andGirl Scout Leader.(323) 221-52502050 Barnett Way,Los Angeles, CA 90032

MAKING A DIFFERENCEJANUARY 2007

The VoicePage 82

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PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, ITS YOUR CHOICE!

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