Los Angeles Sheriff Addresses Budget Concerns

"Los Angeles Sheriff Addresses Budget Concerns" by Reut Cohen for Neon Tommy, September 19, 2010:

Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca addressed community members’ concerns about early prisoner release and substantial budget cuts to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. The sheriff said public safety, despite the budget setbacks, has not been affected but added that there are consequences for the jails.
“Let’s talk about how in the hell we’re going to make it better,” Baca said. “You pay me to spend your money in the smartest way I can.”

The sheriff argued crime is directly correlated with lack of education and said he wants to implement community programs that aid in the rehabilitation of parolees.

Baca also stressed that one of the biggest fights the LASD faces involves the drug cartel. The sheriff asked the community to vote against legalization of marijuana.

“Your children are going to be at risk,” he said.

The sheriff contends gangs will be involved in the drug trade even if marijuana is legalized in November. He also worries marijuana would be sold to children.

Baca also reaffirmed his support for the Three-Strikes Law that mandates longer jail sentences for repeat felons.

But some critics say that the Three-Strikes Law was ignored in the case of Omar Armando Loera. Omar Armando Loera, a 34-year-old parolee at large, was charged on Wednesday for fatally stabbing a Valley Village woman....

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Global Horizons Disputes Human Trafficking Accusations

"Global Horizons Disputes Human Trafficking Accusations" by Reut Cohen for Neon Tommy, September 10, 2010:

Global Horizons, Inc., a now defunct staffing agency whose CEO is facing federal human trafficking charges, will release evidence they say disproves the accusations made by Thai nationals, who contend they were promised money and work and then exploited. The evidence, according to a company spokesperson, includes photos, video, rental agreements, declarations from farm workers and documentation of payment to workers.

The Thai Community Development Center hosted a press conference Wednesday featuring roughly two-dozen guest workers who charged that Global Horizons had exploited them. At the conference, the center released photos showing the housing conditions the Thai workers were forced to live in.

But Kara Lujon, a spokesperson for Global Horizons, said the images were not, in fact, photos of housing provided by Global Horizons.

“The pictures that they’re presenting and that I saw yesterday in a CNN interview, that is not the housing that Global provided for the workers,” Lujon said. “The government came out, there is no way the government would approve no running water, no toilets. The Department of Labor knew what housing the workers were sleeping in.”

Lujon released photos and video to Neon Tommy of housing facilities she said were provided by Global Horizons for Thai guest workers. She also provided photos of the workers on the farm. Almost all of the photos show the workers smiling.

She contends that the photographs distributed by the Thai Community Development Center were taken at Aloun Farms, a Hawaii-based company that Mordechai Orian, CEO of Global Horizons, sued due to breach of contract....

Read the entire article here. Please stay tuned for updates on this developing story.

Related Stories:
- Thai Workers Come Forward In Human Trafficking Case

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Thai Workers Come Forward In Human Trafficking Case

"Thai Workers Come Forward In Human Trafficking Case" by Reut Cohen for Neon Tommy, September 9, 2010:

Thai nationals, many of them covering their faces with traditional scarves and large sunglasses for fear of reprisal, attended a press conference at Wat Thai of Los Angeles on Wednesday to discuss the recent indictment of an alleged human-trafficking ring. The indictment charges that 400 Thai nationals were enticed into coming to the United States with promises of making money, but were ultimately exploited.

Last Friday, six people from a staffing firm that recruited foreign farm workers for the federal agricultural guest worker program, known as H-2A, were indicted on labor coercion charges by a federal grand jury in Honolulu.

The defendants include the president of Global Horizons, Inc., as well as three directors and two Thai contractors. The Department of Justice adds that, if convicted, the defendants could face sentences ranging from 10 years to 70 years in jail.

Thai nationals claim Global Horizons, Inc. issued false promises of lucrative jobs (Reut Cohen)
In remarks at the Wednesday news conference, a 42-year-old farm worker claimed labor recruiters confiscated his passport and threatened him with violence when he reached the U.S. He also contended that recruiters threatened his family “would not be safe” in Thailand if he attempted to reach out to anyone outside the farm or tried to escape.

Panida Rzonca of the Thai Community Development Center translated for "Lee" (not his real name).

Lee said he arrived in the United States in 2004 to work in Washington and Hawaii, where he was promised 40 hours work per week. He claimed recruiters reneged on some pay and the promised work schedule. He also described conditions in which workers did not have enough to eat and were forced to live in cramped shacks.

“I thought the United States was a civilized nation, the highest in the world. I never imagined this kind of thing could happen here,” Lee said through an interpreter, adding that he hopes to return to Thailand but that he feels legally protected better in the United States.

The Thai guest workers said they were forced to pay a fee of $3,750 to keep their employment with Global Horizons. Those who could not or did not pay, according to the indictment, were subjected to the possibility of losing their properties in Thailand.

Damrong Kraikruan, Royal Thai Consulate General of Thailand in Los Angeles, said his country withdrew Global Horizons’ license to conduct business in Thailand.

Panida Rzonca of the Thai Community Development Center translates for "Lee" (Reut Cohen)But a spokeswoman for the now defunct Global Horizons says her client, Mordechai Orian, disputes these allegations and says that “no evidence” exists to suggest Orian, president of the company, is complicit in wrongdoing.

“There has been nothing shown to us that these things had been happening,” said Kara Lujon. “Mr. Orian does not have a violent past or criminal record."

Lujon says she doesn’t know if recruiters for Global Horizons were engaging in threatening behavior, but stated that her client had nothing to do with any threats and merely wanted to help Thai workers who wished to come to the U.S. to work legally....

Read the full article here.

Please stay tuned for additional reporting on this developing story.

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Stray Cat Alliance: Fighting for “No Kill” Shelters

"Stray Cat Alliance: Fighting for “No Kill” Shelters," by Reut Cohen for LA Flash, August 30:

DOWNEY — At the abandoned Hollydale Mental Hospital in Downey paranormal and parapsychology enthusiasts can be found on the grounds with Ouija boards along with another more tangible presence which is of concern to city officials, and, consequently, to animal rights activists: hundreds of cats have a home in the run-down buildings near the hospital and surrounding Rancho Los Amigos properties.

“Our organization’s mission is to build a no kill nation, one stray at a time,” said Missy Woodward, Board of Trustee Member of the Stray Cat Alliance and host of the internet-based program Critter Crusades. Woodward is currently working with the sheriff and county in Downey to care for animals in the deserted complex. Several Rancho Los Amigos buildings are scheduled for demolition. Wildlife can be found underneath floorboards and need to be removed, including cats and kittens.

Missy Woodward and her latest canine rescue
“I am a trapping depot in the West Valley and Reseda. That means I hold traps, teach people how to use them and work with people on how to care for animals before and after the trapping.” Woodward is an advocate for “Trap, Neuter, Return,” a program that she says will eliminate the need for much of the funding for Los Angeles animal shelters. Woodward argues shelters in Los Angeles maintain “a killing rate of approximately 75% for impounded cats and 35% for impounded dogs.” In 2005 an applied policy project at UCLA’s Department of Public Policy found that kittens constitute 85% of euthanized cats while puppies account for 45% of euthanized dogs according to official Los Angeles Animal Services numbers.

Woodward believes cats, domesticated animals, should be sterilized and allowed to freely roam as opposed to sent to animal shelters. “The cats serve a purpose for pest control. The idea of cats and diseases is a myth. We have already done a lot of negotiation with the county officials and the Los Angeles County Department of Health. We try to change the misunderstandings through scientific facts that point out people cannot get ill from being near cats.” [....]

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MTA Expansion Proposals Face An Uphill Battle

Some of my readers have asked me to share stories and articles I'm writing at USC. As I've noted in my bio on this site, I recently began studying in the Master's program for Broadcast Journalism at Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. The stories I am covering for Annenberg-associated media are often local news, but are of national interest as well. Per request, I will be sharing excerpts of my articles here. Thank you very much for your interest. It is sincerely appreciated.

"MTA Expansion Proposals Face An Uphill Battle," from LA Flash, August 29:

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is losing customers and facing considerable opposition from various groups, but has elaborate plans for expanding transit projects with the full backing of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Los Angeles is home to over 9.8 million people, representing nearly a third of residents in California. According to Kymberleigh Richards, Governance Councilmember at Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, MTA serves a fraction of residents within Metro’s 1,433 square mile service region.

“It’s not a fun time to be in public transportation,” said Richards. Richards, a proponent of the 30/10 proposal which seeks federal funding to build 12 transportation projects for the MTA, alleges state government is attempting to “get around” the Transportation Congestion Improvement Act, also known as Prop 42, which went into effect on July 1, 2003 and requires existing sales tax on gasoline to be used for transportation projects. Richards accuses the state government of considering elimination of sales tax on gasoline and replacing it with an excise tax.

With a reduction of 300,000 hours in service per year, Richards believes Prop 22 will “restore normalcy” to alternative transportation by preventing diversion of transportation funds for what she calls “key expansion” projects. These projects, she believes, will appeal to commuters who lose precious time on California highways and streets during congested traffic.

But not everyone agrees with the MTA’s position. Richards cites the Bus Riders Union as a prime example of an organization she contends is detached from the will of commuters who prefer quicker rail transportation to buses that get stuck in traffic along with cars. The Bus Riders Union is protesting what they call “racist fare increase” which raised one way rail tickets from $1.25 to $1.50 and bus passes from $62 to $75 dollars per month. In response, Richards says since Metro runs more service than it can afford, the increase is a reaction to a loss of revenue they attempt to make up through the increase....

Read it all here.

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