Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............5
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................7
Classifieds............................3
Entertainment......................2
Food.......................................5
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Lawndale..............................4
Legals............................. 4,6,7
Pets........................................8
Weekend
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The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 68, No. 27 - July 4, 2019
Rep. Waters Hosts Healthcare
Roundtable at Centinela Facility
In support of House Democrats’ “Healthcare Weekend of Action,” Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services and Co-Chair of the bipartisan
Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease, hosted a Healthcare Roundtable at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood. Photo/Content Provided by Maxine Water’s Office
Inglewood Celebrates as Rent
Control Finally Becomes a Reality
By Haleemon Anderson
Housing advocates, social justice warriors
and residents of Inglewood came together
this weekend to celebrate a victory, as rent
control became a reality in the city. After
months of meetings, community forums and
protests, The Inglewood City Council took
action June 11, amending municipal codes
with a housing protection initiative that regulates
rent increases and just cause evictions.
Some 200 people gathered at Creative House
gallery in downtown Inglewood. Guests enjoyed
a gallery walk of works by local artists.
A buffet by Good 2 Eat catering and a hosted
bar complemented the event, which evolved
into a rally of sorts as speakers celebrated
the victory, with an eye to what comes next.
“We stood up, stepped up and spoke up”
said Derek Steele, addressing the crowd. “The
work is not done, but today we celebrate.”
As one of the leaders of Uplift Inglewood
Coalition, Steele and others brought pressure
on the City of Inglewood through a concerted
effort of public protests, community forums
and agitation at council meetings.
Jehlani Hendrix, another lead organizer
at UIC, talked about the significance of the
decision. “This is one of the first rent control
measures passed in 40 years,” said Hendrix,
noting Santa Monica passed rent control in
1980. “The Mayor and the City Council did
a good job of listening,” said Hendrix. “It’s
commendable -- they did the right thing.”
D’Artagnan Scorza elaborated. “This is
more than a celebration. This is what can
happen when organizing works. We shifted
the hearts and minds of the Mayor and City
Council.”
As Executive Director of Social Justice
Learning Institute, Scorza coordinates a network
of programs and services centered on
education and community empowerment. SJLI
is the anchor organization for Uplift Inglewood
Coalition and helped bring to bear a network
of legal, advocacy and policy professionals
who ultimately shook up City Hall.
If not the head of the movement, Scorza
could be characterized as the heart. “They said
it was impossible, that we would never have
rent control in Inglewood. We didn’t listen,”
he said, to cheers and applause. “People want
to stay in the communities where they were
raised, where they went to school.”
Steele and his wife both hold staff positions
at SJLI. But he acknowledged the personal
nature of their movement. “We are parents
and we work here,” said Steele. “Our children
go to school here. We realized if we
got displaced, everything our children know
will be upended.”
Scorza introduced a founding member of the
Uplift Coalition, Woodrow Curry, who gave
a window into how the grassroots movement
began. Curry explained that the journey to
this celebration started almost two years ago
when he and a few others began talking about
the rent situation. “We realized, we have to
take these private conversations out loud,” he
said. Curry continued, “We listened to the
residents. We had meeting after hours, not at
two in the afternoon when people couldn’t
come. We began to build a base.”
Curry said once they realized 65 percent of
Inglewood residents were renters, that it was
a turning point. “Initially we were fighting
against [the City],” he said. “It was like a
tale of two cities. Those who were making
the decisions and then all the rest of us.”
The loose-knit group of residents and
members of SJLI and UIC joined forces to
create a “clear agenda and a shared vision, in
a democratic way,” said Curry. “We figured
out what we were fighting for. We saw it
from a holistic view. You have to build power,
build a base and make yourself relevant.”
Hazara Price framed the fight in biblical
connotations. “We were David…and Goliath
fell,” said Price.
Steele spoke about the future for communities
like Inglewood. “We hope we can
be a model for other cities. The network is
broader than just Inglewood,” he said, echoing
the sentiment that the housing crisis is a
countywide concern.
Organizer Joe Delgado talked about
a rent solidarity movement brewing in
surrounding cities, as he introduced representatives
from municipalities as far-flung
as Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena. The
cheering from each city’s small contingent
indicate Inglewood’s model may be influencing
others to take on housing reforms. Delgado
said they will do a major organizing event
on July 19. “Each city is building of each
other’s wins,” he said.
Hendrix noted that this work is paying off.
“We want to be the model, show folks that
you can have development without displacement
of people. We hope they have as much
luck as we have,” said Hendrix.
Another organizer believes Inglewood is
already having an influence. She pointed out
that at last week’s Culver City Council, close
to 100 people signed up to speak during public
comments. At a meeting that ultimately
adjourned at 1:10 a.m., the Council voted
4-1 to approve a freeze at 3 percent on all
rent hikes. “I believe they were infused by
UIC. They did this rent freeze two weeks
after ours,” the organizer said. •