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October 31, 2005 -- Volume I, Issue III | ||||||
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Upcoming Events Monday, October 31, 2005 Monday, October 31, 2005 Tuesday, November 1, 2005 Tuesday, November 8, 2005 Tuesday, November 8, 2005 Wednesday, November 9, 2005 Thursday, November 10, 2005 Thursday, November 10, 2005 Friday, November 11, 2005 Tuesday, November 15, 2005 Wednesday, November 16, 2005 Thursday, November 17, 2005 Thursday, November 17, 2005 Sunday, November 20, 2005 Tuesday, November 22, 2005 Wednesday, November 23, 2005 Thursday, November 24, 2005 Friday, November 25, 2005 |
WELCOME! VAYA CON DIOS, SEÑOR ROYBAL | |||||
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It was with profound sadness that I learned about the passing of former Rep. Edward R. Roybal on Monday, October 24 at the age of 89. He was memorialized with a funeral service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, October 31. I was given the honor of | |||||
being asked to share my memories of him. I described how courage was a central part of his mission, whether standing arm-in-arm with the families evicted from Chavez Ravine and Palo Verde or standing up in Congress against the Vietnam War. Next to my father, no other man has earned so much of my respect and honor. Without question, Rep. Roybal was a true barrier breaker and a political legend -- particularly for the Mexican-American community. His struggle against racism was our struggle, too, and his political victories gave our community a deep sense of pride. Many younger Angelenos are unaware that his first campaign for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council ended in defeat. But rather than let that stop him, he put all his energy into organizing our community. His perseverance was a testament to his personal philosophy that change rests in our own hands. Afterward, he once again ran for the Los Angeles City Council -- and this time, he won. It was a watershed moment in the history of the City of Los Angeles. In 1958, he ran for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors but lost in a bitterly contested election. This experience made my 1991 election to the Board of Supervisors all the more memorable to him. In 1962, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. It was another milestone for the Latino community nationwide as Rep. Roybal was the first Mexican from California to serve in Congress since the 1800s. | ||||||
Throughout his three decades of service, he remained committed to Latinos, the elderly, the poor, and the physically-challenged. Rep. Roybal worked tirelessly to protect the rights of minorities -- even after his retirement. In 1976, Los Angeles County opened the Edward R. Roybal Clinic in East Los Angeles, and, as we know, the Roybal Federal Building is a symbol of this renowned man’s commitment to public service. I consider Rep. Roybal my political father. He understood the responsibility and duty that elected officials have to empower the community. I and so many from my generation were touched deeply by the leadership of this man. One of the greatest honors of my lifetime was to be officially sworn in by him when I joined the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. In honor of Rep. Roybal’s legacy, we unanimously voted to lower the county flags in his memory. We also will name the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension after him. | ||||||
He fought to link the Eastside with the rest of our mass transportation system. His tenacious leadership helped ensure the success of this project and nowhere is his legacy more ingrained than in the heart of East L.A. All of us extend our deepest condolences to the congressman’s family -- his wife Lucille Beserra-Roybal, and his children, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard; son Edward Roybal, Jr.; and daughter Lillian Roybal-Rose. Vaya con Dios, Señor Roybal |
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AMERICA MOURNS THE DEATH OF ROSA PARKS | ||||||
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We lost two great Americans on Monday, October 24: Rep. Roybal and pioneering civil rights activist Rosa Parks, who passed away at the age of 92. We will all remember Rosa Parks best for refusing to give up her public bus seat to a white man on December 1, 1955. Her seemingly small action took unbelievable bravery and instigated the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It lasted for over a year and set off what eventually would come to be known as the Civil Rights Movement, which eventually ended institutionalized segregation in America and | |||||
changed our nation forever. Rosa Parks is a hero in the African-American community but it should be noted that she is strongly admired by Latinos as well. The fates of our respective communities are not identical but they are very much intertwined. We, too, sat at the back of the bus. So it is no exaggeration to say that without the courage and conviction of individuals such as Rosa Parks, the Latino community in the United States would not be where it is today. In honor of Rosa Parks' legacy, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to lower the county flags in her memory. I also was very honored to join a wide array of civic leaders during a local eulogy held in Rosa Parks' memory on Friday, October 28 at the First A.M.E. Church. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Rosa Parks' family. Although her husband Raymond Parks passed away in 1977 and the couple had no children, they are survived by 13 nieces and nephews. Rosa Parks is an American hero. She will never be forgotten. | ||||||
OUTREACH TO SKID ROW FAMILIES IMPROVES | ||||||
I recently joined with Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke to strengthen the county's outreach efforts to families living on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. Specifically, we directed our Skit Row Outreach Team to visit all shelters and missions there each business day. Our goal is to ensure that eligible families immediately begin receiving public benefits to which they are entitled. We are especially concerned that innocent children who qualify for all sorts of public social services are living without basic necessities and in dangerous circumstances. Protecting these children was the main purpose behind the pilot program to combat homelessness that I spearheaded almost one year ago and which resulted in the creation of the Skid Row Outreach Team. So far, this team has served over 350 families. We provide them with intensive case management and connecting them with services ranging from food stamps and hotel vouchers to substance abuse treatment and mental health counseling. Services to this population are urgently needed. You need only to read Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez' recent five-part series about Skid Row to understand how dire the situation there is, especially for children and the mentally ill. | ||||||
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR CHILDREN REVAMPED | ||||||
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The Board of Supervisors is drastically changing the way we deliver mental health services to kids in Los Angeles County's care. Our revamped protocol will mandate that within 72 hours of being placed in foster care, all children with screening. Social workers will be charged with ensuring that the screening does, in | |||||
fact, take place and for continuing regular communication with mental health staff while the child has an open foster care case. Children with severe emotional disturbances will receive an individualized mental health assessment and treatment plan within 45 days of their initial entry into the foster care system. Each plan will be uniquely tailored to fit the child's individual sitation. What's more, mental health services will move beyond the traditional walls of mental health clinics and, instead, will be provided to children and their families directly in their home setting. Due to the critical nature of this work, we have created a separate Child Welfare Mental Health Services Division to oversee implementation of the new protocol. | ||||||
Photo by Sup. Molina with Rep. Roybal -- Rosemary Quesada-Weiner | ||||||
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