Former Compton City Councilman Maxcy Filer, Persistent Tackler of The California Bar Exam, Dies at 80

Never Give Up!

Maxcy D. Filer, a former African American attorney and civic leader in Compton, California who gained nationwide headlines when he passed the State Bar examination after 48 tries, died yesterday at his Compton home.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kelvin Filer said his father, 80 years of age, died in his sleep around 8:30 a.m. The cause of death was not determined, but the elder Filer had been in ill health for a few years, the judge said.

Maxcy Filer was a councilman there from 1976 to 1991, having previously served as a planning commissioner.

Kelvin Filer was in third grade when his father, who attended law school at Van Norman University at night while working by day, made his first stab at the bar examination. By the time he passed the test in 1991, Kelvin and his brother Anthony Filer—now an attorney at Community Legal Services in Norwalk—were both lawyers.

Born in Mariana, Ark., according to an online biography, Filer served in the U.S. Navy from 1946 to 1949 before attending Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal College, now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

He later moved to Indiana where he married Blondell Burson of Elkhart. He and his wife were activists in the civil rights movement, initiating voter registration drives and later serving as president of the Compton NAACP during the events of 1965 that became known as the Watts Rebellion.

But he will always be remembered, his son said, as the man who would never give up trying to become a licensed attorney.

Kelvin Flier explained:

“He always said: ‘In order to become a lawyer, you have to pass the California bar examination. In order to pass the California bar examination, you have to take the California bar examination.’”

The judge said he hopes to pass to his own children and grandchildren the lesson that “you never give up pursuing your dream.”

Choking back tears, the judge said his greatest memory of his father, who worked for his sons as a paralegal before being admitted himself, will be of “watching him walk across the street to the courthouse with his briefcase in order to practice law.”

Maxcy Filer was sworn in to the State Bar on June 6, 1991 at a new admittee ceremony that included the presentation of a special pin by then-Board of Governors member—now State Bar Court Judge—Robert M. Talcott. In a speech to the new members on behalf of the State Bar, Talcott identified the qualities a lawyer must have.

He then went on to say:

“Three of these characteristics are personified by Maxcy Filer—persistence, persistence, and persistence.”

His story has been included in books and magazine articles and was profiled in People magazine. He practiced with Kelvin Filer in Compton until his son was named a commissioner of the now-defunct Compton Municipal Court.

Filer stayed on as a sole practitioner until a few years ago, when he began having health problems that prevented him from fulfilling his responsibilities, Kelvin Filer said. He accepted probation in 2005 for failing to perform competently in a dissolution case and ceased his practice when was suspended in 2007 for failing to pass the professional ethics examination.

Besides his wife Blondell Filer and sons Kelvin and Anthony Filer, he is survived by daughters Maxine McFarland, Stephanie Hoxey, and Tracy Filer and sons Duane and Dennis Filer, along with 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Source

Gardena Councilmember Steve Bradford To Join The California State Assembly

The Distinguished Gentleman Heads To Sacramento

He made the announcement on his Facebook page just before midnight. With 100% of the precints reporting, Gardena city councilman Steve Bradford convincingly defeated five challengers in a Special Primary election to become Assemblymember-elect for the 51st Assembly District.

According to election results reported by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Assemblymember-elect Bradford, the Democratic Party´s endorsed candidate, won the open special primary election in the 51st Assembly District with 52.9% of the vote.

His closest competitor was Democratic Party candidate Gloria Gray, who garnered 19.2% of the vote, and Republican Party candidate David Coffin with collected 17.1% of votes cast (with 100% of the district´s 158 precincts reporting).

"We engaged the voters with a clear agenda for change in the 51st Assembly District. The voters wanted a legislative representative who would focus on creating new jobs, provide residents with greater access to healthcare services at private and public hospitals, and work diligently to solve the state´s ongoing budget mess and cut the massive state deficits that inflict pain on local governments struggling to provide essential local services," said the Black pol who replaces Curren Price who now is the State Senator for the area.

Gardena Councilmember Steven Bradford is serving his fourth four-year term on Gardena´s City Council. He has been a four-time Mayor Pro Tem in more than 12-years on the city council. In March 1997, he became the first African-American to be elected to represent the people of Gardena on its city council.

Steve Bradford is the senior member on the Gardena City Council. He is widely regarded in Gardena municipal government for holding quarterly ´Up-Close´ meetings and ´Open Council´ office sessions to provide local residents and business people regularly scheduled opportunities to offer citizen´s input on Gardena city affairs.

If Snoop Had His Way, Taxing Weed Would Already Be The Norm In Cali

Can The Golden State Smoke Its Way To Prosperity?

While everybody's favorite stoned rapper prepares to release his latest iphone application, “Snoop Dogg’s iFizzle” California lawmakers are busy pushing a bill in Sacramento that would generate nearly $1.4 billion in revenue by taxing and regulating marijuana. The State Board of Equalization report estimates marijuana retail sales would bring $990 million from a $50-per-ounce fee and $392 million in sales taxes.

Clearly West Coast politicos "don't see nothing wrong" with a little puff and swallow, but are the rest of us really trying to walk around in public with a perpetual buzz?

Apparently more Americans are getting use to the proposition, with a recent CBS News poll reporting that 41% support legalization. The question is, at what cost?

This latest attempt to tax folks into oblivion was introduced by San Francisco Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano. The bill would allow adults 21 and older to legally possess, grow and sell marijuana.

Meanwhile Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn has proposed that the council consider imposing a tax on sales of medical marijuana.Oakland voters will decide Tuesday on a medical marijuana tax.

"In this current economic crisis, we need to get creative about how we raise funds," Hahn said in a statement. "A tax on medical marijuana could enable the city to continue providing services we might otherwise have to cut."

Hahn's motion was supported by Councilman Bill Rosendahl and Republican Councilman Dennis Zine.

Advocates and opponents do agree that California is by far the country's top pot-producing state. Last year law enforcement agencies in California seized nearly 5.3 million plants.

For the record, marijuana is not completely harmless. As Atlantic Journalist Daniel Indiviglio noted, "Regular use can cause lung cancer, just like cigarettes. Sure, the latter are already legal. And what about productivity? A joint-break in the office isn't exactly going to have the same ramifications to productivity as a cigarette-break. Although snack machine profits will certainly soar."

Overall, there will be undeniable fiscal benefits for any state through taxing marijuana. Not to mention the reduced criminal caseloads, with these misdemeanors filings that accomplish nothing more than bogging down already overcrowded court dockets. Does that, however, outweigh the message it sends our children?

And is that even a legitimate argument in this bleak period where California is issuing IOU's, requiring workers take mandatory work furloughs, laying off employees, reducing wages, and essentially putting the entire region into a deepening funk?

Time will tell.

Meg Whitman Wants To Be Govenor of California: Will African Americans Embrace The New Face of The GOP?

VP Nominee Joe Biden to Endorse Black Republican Candidate Abram Wilson in California Assembly Race!?

“Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden in a recent visit to the Bay Area a few days ago endorsed Abram Wilson (shown here with his wife Dr. Karen Wilson) the Republican Candidate running in the sharply contested 15th District Assembly Race in Contra Costa, Alameda, Sacramento, and San Joaquin Counties. This seat, the most contested legislative district in Northern California, has a 2% registration difference between Republicans and Democrats – Biden’s endorsement could put the African American Mayor of San Ramon over the top.”

And – if you believe that – I have some swampland in Florida to sell you.

The thought of the liberal “Joe Senator” endorsing mainstream Republican Wilson is about as likely as the thought of Republican VP Nominee Sarah Palin endorsing union-backed Joan Buchanan in this contested race.

Yet, a mailer sent out this week from a group called “Create Change – Support Joan Buchanan Independent Expenditure Committee” suggested that Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin was indeed supporting Buchanan, a Democrat.

Confused? The story continues ...

The 3rd Annual Angel City Classic Is Coming To Los Angeles September 27th

3BAAS Media Group has been retained to do all media and branding for the upcoming Black collge football event in Los Angeles that will have Southern California buzzing. Please help us get the word out in our effort to support HBCU's.

Calfornia Government And Alicia Cole, Cleaning Up Hospitals Infection. Will You Check-Out Of The Hospital Alive?

OPEN WOUND TREATMENT: NOTE THE HANDS WITHOUT

STERILE GLOVES AND WRIST WATCHES

Sunday, a classmate from high school called to talk about our upcoming class reunion, or so I thought. What she really had to tell me was heartfelt, as she explained of her pending surgery that may prevent her from attending the reunion.

I prayed with her and then emphasised, "under no circumstance should a doctor or nurse's hand or medical instrument touch her, that she didn't first, personally see washed or alcohol swabbed, before touching her body."

Hospital infection is out of control and she could die from lax sterilization practices. This is the same lax in hospital sterilization practices that Actor and patient safety advocate Alicia Cole is testifying about today in Sacramento before the California State Assembly Health Committee, before they vote on Senate Bill 158.

Alicia Cole herself is the survivor of a near-fatal health care-acquired infection, from a 2006 routine procedure in top-rated Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, California, that led to a case of necrotizing fasciitis, more commonly referred to as "the flesh-eating disease", for which she continues to receive daily medical treatment.

Senate Bill 158 would ensure development and implementation of high standards of infection surveillance, prevention and control. The measure would help ensure that hospitals maintain a sanitary environment and good patient hygiene, and establish regulatory oversight and reporting of HAI. The bill would also establish training programs for hospital infection control professionals and require DPH to report to the Governor and Legislature on incidents of HAI.

Cole is the face of California "5 a Day" Nutrition Program advertising campaign and has appeared on Eve, Veronica Mars, Silk Stalkings and Beverly Hills 90210, in addition to representing a wide range of companies in corporate industrial and training films. Alicia's complete paint staking journey was first reported here at 3BAAS. This link to Alica's gripping story is a must read, too see how you can help avoid this happening to you.

Gays And Lesbians In The Black Community: Get Use To It!!!!

California is now the second state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage after the California Supreme Court last month held that a ban on same-sex marriage violated the state's constitution.

At 5:01 p.m. on June 16, 2008, gay and lesbian couples began getting married in San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities. There were some African American couples among them, especially in Oakland, with its large black population and African American mayor Ron Dellums.

In the Beaux Arts splendor of Oakland's City Hall, dozens of people packed into City Council chambers to watch Dellums perform rituals for 18 same-sex couples. U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, served as one of the witnesses to the ceremonies. Each union was greeted by whoops, cheers and prolonged applause after the words, "I proudly pronounce you married under the laws of the state of California."

At a press conferenc, Dellums also offered congratulations to gay and lesbian couples planning to get married. "Marriage is a confirmation of the importance of love and commitment in a healthy society," said Dellums. "It is a fundamental right to which all people are entitled and I am proud that I can officiate the eternal unions of these Oakland couples."

Shidiva Black-White, 44, filled out paper work with her fiancé Sherri Black-White, 53, on a computer at the Alameda County Clerk's Office in Oakland, California so the couple could get married there.

Dellums said Oakland is "one of the most diverse cities in the country and we join in the celebration of this historic day of human rights for all people." The mayor said, "This is not about protest, this is about celebration."

Dellums and Lee are part of a cadre of prominent Black elected officials who have come out in favor of marriage equality. Governor David Paterson of New York issued a ruling authorizing his state to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, and Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts stood by his daughter as she came out as a lesbian and marched with her in Boston's annual gay pride parade last week.

Massachusetts is the only other state in the nation that allows same-sex marriage.

Alice Huffman, president of the California State Conference of the NAACP, has been described as a "forceful advocate of marriage equality" and the state NAACP filed an amicus brief with the California Supreme Court along with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. NAACP chairman Julian Bond has also been a longtime supporter of marriage equality for gays and lesbians.

Much of the media coverage about Black reaction to the court decision has focused on black opposition to gay marriage, and a recent report by the National Black Justice Coalition, an organization that supports marriage equality for gays and lesbians, found that blacks were more likely than whites (65 percent versus 53 percent) to oppose same-sex marriage.

That mirrors the 3BAAS Media Group poll we took on this site, with 37% of respondents fully supporting gay marriage, 58% ranging from indifference to strongly opposing, and 16% indicating that they were more concerned about the war in Iraq.

But Jasmyne Cannick, an outspoken lesbian and blogger, complained that the opposition only tells part of the story. In a published commentary in the Los Angeles Times, Cannick criticized the paper's coverage of the issue.

"[E]ven though Los Angeles is home to a plethora of respected black clergy that is affirming of lesbians and gays -- including Agape International Spiritual Center's Rev. Michael Beckwith, Rev. Eric Lee of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles and civil rights icon Rev. James Lawson -- those voices are almost never chosen to represent the voice of reason and African Americans on gay issues," Cannick wrote.

Source

BLACK WOMAN MAKES HISTORY! KAREN BASS BECOMES SECOND FEMALE SPEAKER OF THE CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY!

This Sistah Is One Class Act!

Second only to the governor in power and prestige in California government, Los Angeles Assemblywoman Karen Bass has secured the votes to become the next speaker of the California Assembly. Why is this a big deal? Because an African American woman is being elevated to the post for the first time in California history.

Bass, a Los Angeles Democrat representing the predominantly African American 47th District, was one of 10 Assembly Democrats who were openly competing for the speakership, a political job considered by many as second only to the governor in power and prestige in California government. Her predecessor, Herb Wesson, also served as speaker during his tenure in the assembly. The African American politico is currently serving on the Los Angeles City Council.

Bass, 54, has been a top lieutenant to the current speaker, fellow Los Angeles Democrat Fabian Núñez who has served as leader since 2004.

But Núñez will be forced from office by term limits at the end of 2008. The end of Latino LA lawmaker's reign as speaker, the longest of the term limits era, was sealed after a Feb. 5 ballot measure to extend his term in office failed.

The scramble to put together the votes to become speaker began in earnest the next day, with nearly a dozen Democrats expressing interest in the powerful post. Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, a San Francisco Democrat who vied for the speakership herself, said Wednesday evening that Bass "does have the votes."

There are 48 Democratic members of the state Assembly and Bass needs at least 25 votes to become speaker. An official vote was planned for March 11, but several Democratic members said the vote could as early as today.

The first female speaker was Doris J. Allen, who served in the assembly from 1982 t0 1995. As Speaker of that body from June 5 to September 14, 1995, she would later be recalled from office by her irate Republican constituents who recognized that she was only given power to keep longtime Democratic Speaker Willie Brown's hold on power.
As the first African American speaker in California, Brown would go on to accomplish another feat -- becoming the first Black mayor of San Francisco. Doris Allen would later die of stomach and colon cancer in 1999 at the age of 63.

Bass was first elected in 2004, but will have to leave the Assembly no later than 2010 under term limits. With former assemblymember Laura Richardson now serving in Congress, looks like the sistahs are really start to flex their political muscle. And hey, we ain't mad at them! [LA Times]

Maria Shriver Endorses Barack Obama! Once You Go Black...

ARNOLD GIVES MCCAIN THE NOD, SHRIVER BACKS THE BROTHA!

While New Mexico Govenor and former presidential candidate Bill Richardson just endorsed Hillary Clinton, score another Kennedy for the Barack Obama campaign. California's first lady Maria Shriver, wife of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and daughter of Eunice Kennedy, is betting the farm on the senator from Illinois.

Her husband, a Republican, endorsed Senator John McCain last week.

It was the latest blow to Camp Billary as her once inevitable place in history suddenly looks extremely shaky. Although Clinton has three of Robert Kennedy's children backing her, Shriver's appearance as a surprise guest at a rally in Los Angeles for Mr. Obama with Michelle Obama, Stevie Wonder, Oprah "I'm Free" Winfrey and Caroline Kennedy was the icing on the cake for our candidate Barack as he heads into Super Tuesday.

BLACKS, OTHER FOLKS IN DANGER DUE TO AMERICA CRYING OUT FOR WATER

America is facing its worst summer drought since the Dust Bowl years of the Great Depression. Or perhaps worse still.

From the mountains and desert of the West, now into an eighth consecutive dry year, to the vast expanse of Lake Okeechobee in southern Florida, which has become so dry it actually caught fire a couple of weeks ago, a continent is crying out for water.

In the south-east, usually a lush, humid region, it is the driest few months since records began in 1895. The Sierra Nevada range, which straddles California, received only 27 per cent of its usual snowfall in winter, with immediate knock-on effects on water supplies for the populations of Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

While the human impact has been limited, the long-term implications are escaping nobody. Climatologists see a growing volatility in the south-east's weather - today's drought coming close on the heels of devastating hurricanes two to three years ago.

"The 1930s drought lasted less than a decade. This is something that could remain for 100 years," said Richard Seager a climatologist at Columbia University.

Predatory insects have started ravaging trees already weakened by record temperatures and fires. Animal species such as frogs and red squirrels have been forced to move ever higher up the mountains in search of cooler temperatures, and are in danger of dying out altogether.

This all leads to the question that's on everyone's mind. Is Al Gore running for President or what?

Original article by Andrew Gumbel

WHO IS THE MAYOR OF LA GOING WITH FOR PRESIDENT IN 08?

We have always liked Antonio Villaraigosa.

He's energetic, passionate, and a true believer.

So which Democrat is one of the most powerful Latinos in America betting on to take back the White House?

Hint: It Ain't Barack!

Find out Here.

THAT'S NOT L.A. BURNIN' - IT'S THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY BRIDGE

Highway Section Crumbles After Tanker Explodes

(AP) - A gasoline tanker crashed and burst into flames near the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Sunday, creating such intense heat that a stretch of highway melted and collapsed.

Officials predict traffic nightmares for local commuters for weeks or months to come.

Flames shot 200 feet in the air, but the truck's driver walked away from the scene with second-degree burns. No other injuries were reported in the 3:45 a.m. crash, which officials said could have been deadly had it occurred at a busier time.

"I've never seen anything like it," Officer Trent Cross of the California Highway Patrol said of the interchange. "I'm looking at this thinking, wow, no one died."

Get updates here.

CHECK OUT VIDEO OF THE ACTUAL FIRE: