Dear  Los Angeles City Family,

You and your kids, grand kids, nephews, nieces, siblings and cousins ages 12-21 are invited to be part of the largest environmental event in the west presented by Million Trees LA, the Department of Public Works, the Port of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and many other participating City departments.

GET YOUR GREEN ON at the 2008 Environmental Youth Conference

December 13, 2008, Saturday

8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Los Angeles Convention Center — South Hall

This green education event is for the youth and by the youth. Highlights include a keynote speech by Alec Loorz, 14 and the youngest Inconvenient Truth speaker trained by Al Gore; 100 green exhibit booths; meet and greets with environmental professionals; environmental vehicles on display; an Artist Alley featuring teen artists with environmentally-themed work and/or green art media; surprise celebrity guests and elected officials.

All are invited to come with the family and learn all about environmentalism through tree plantings, green jobs, and buying eco-friendly. Admission is FREE and so is parking if you bring a copy of the event flyer.

For more information, visit www.milliontreesla.org today. Please feel free to forward this information to all interested parties.

pictured above: County Supervisor Yvonne Burke poses next to a picture of herself, part of a downtown exhibit celebrating her many landmark accomplishments in politics.

BY LEILONI DE GRUY (Los Angeles Wave)

A woman of many firsts — first African-American to serve on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, first Black woman elected to Congress from California, and the first member of Congress to give birth while in office — Yvonne Brathwaite Burke is approaching a rare last: her final day as an elected official. Her successor as supervisor will be sworn in to represent the 2nd District on Monday, but the retiring Burke has left an indelible legacy on the office she has held since 1992.

As one of the most accomplished and visible women in the history of American politics, she has not been without controversy: many have blamed Burke for the failure of the former King-Drew Medical Center, and a large group of constituents have been angered by her handling of a controversial oil field in Baldwin Hills. But to her many supporters, the USC Law School graduate’s tireless work with foster children and seniors, concern for those living on public assistance and commitment to providing her district with world-class parks and recreation services are the true test of her character and approach to governance. On the eve of her last meeting as a county supervisor,  Burke gave The Wave an exclusive interview in which the 76-year-old spoke candidly about her political career, overcoming racial and sex discrimination, why she has no regrets and the reason her immediate future political future lies in Washington, D.C.

pictured above (nphocus photography): Eze Burts, volunteer Youth Basketball Instructor, leads program participants through pushups during routine health exercises for the CLIMB Youth Basketball Camp

Only about a third are in the ‘healthy zone.’ L.A. Unified’s scores also edged up but are below the state average.

By Corina Knoll (LA Times)

When it comes to their physical fitness, students are taking baby steps toward better health, according to results from the 2008 California Physical Fitness Test released Tuesday.

The annual public school test measures six areas, including cardiovascular endurance, body fat percentage and strength and flexibility. Every spring, students in grades five, seven and nine run a mile, among other activities. They are scored on whether their performance falls in the “healthy fitness zone,” a term used to reflect a reasonable level of fitness. 

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As a fellow Inglewood native and lover of the Lakers Showtime era, it only makes sense for Coach Byron Scott to bring it on home and be the next in command to run the Lakeshow. Although PJ (read: Phil Jackson) has done a “good job”, I’d much more rather B. Scott run the squad. As of now, B. Scott is coaching a solid Hornets squad, but apparently (which I would assume), he remains interested in the Lakers’ coaching gig.

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BY LEILONI DE GRUY & OLU ALEMORU, Wave Newspaper Staff Writers

Millions have been galvanized by the election of President-elect Barack Obama, and L.A. backers vow to sustain the momentum for change.

More than a week after an historic election that saw the United States elect its first African-American president, some of the euphoria has subsided as President-elect Barack Obama turns his attention away from campaigning and toward building a new government.

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The right to marry does nothing to address the problems faced by both black gays and black straights.

by Jasmyne A. Cannick

I am a perfect example of why the fight against Proposition 8, which amends the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, failed to win black support. 

I am black. I am a political activist who cares deeply about social justice issues. I am a lesbian. This year, I canvassed the streets of South Los Angeles and Compton, knocking on doors, talking politics to passers-by and working as I never had before to ensure a large voter turnout among African Americans. But even I wasn’t inspired to encourage black people to vote against the proposition.

Why? Because I don’t see why the right to marry should be a priority for me or other black people. Gay marriage? Please. At a time when blacks are still more likely than whites to be pulled over for no reason, more likely to be unemployed than whites, more likely to live at or below the poverty line, I was too busy trying to get black people registered to vote, period; I wasn’t about to focus my attention on what couldn’t help but feel like a secondary issue. 

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Ridley-Thomas Election Night Victory Video from Mark Ridley-Thomas on Vimeo.

(shoutout to my good colleague and notable supporter of MRT, Jaaye Person-Lynn)