Staff and Wire Reports
LOS ANGELES — A program aimed at assisting Los Angeles renters with past due rent is accepting applications through Oct. 2.
The City Council approved guidelines and an expenditure plan for money raised by the Measure ULA “mansion tax” last month.
The program will cover up to six months of rental arrears. To be eligible, a household must be obligated to pay rent on a residential dwelling and meet the following requirements: be a resident of the city of Los Angeles, one or more individuals within the household must have experienced a loss of employment, reduction in household income or experienced a financial hardship between March 2020 and now, have unpaid rent due for any months between April 1, 2020 and now, and the current household is at or below 80% of the area median income.
Tenant protections for back rent accrued during the coronavirus pandemic between March 2020 to September 2021 ended on Aug. 1, and many Angelenos may face eviction as they work to pay back past due rent.
For rent that accrued from October 2021 to Jan. 31, tenants have until February 2024 to pay.
For more information and to apply for the program visit https://housing.lacity.org/.
— by Emilie St. John
TEC Leimert
returns Sept. 23
LEIMERT PARK — The city’s largest Black-owned and operated technology and entertainment conference returns from noon to 7 p.m. Sept. 23 in Leimert Park Village.
TEC Leimert, a nonprofit organization based in South Los Angeles produces the annual Black to the Future conference that seeks to bridge the digital divide in underserved communities across the city.
The conference features creative industry-led panel discussions, immersive experiences, interactive digital activations, live musical performances, networking opportunities and more.
“We are bringing industry leaders and influencers into Leimert Park to unpack career pathways in this emerging digital economy,” said Rashidi Jones, co-founder of TEC Leimert. “Confronting the digital divide needs to be a top priority in underserved communities and that’s why we launched this conference to bring emerging technology and digital entertainment to the heart of South Los Angeles.”
Information: tecleimert.org.
Darden to seek
Superior Court seat
LOS ANGELES — Former prosecutor Christopher Darden has announced his candidacy for L.A County Superior Court judge.
Darden, 67, has been an attorney for more than 40 years, and worked for 15 years for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He is best known for serving as a co-prosecutor in the 1994 O.J. Simpson murder case.
The election is March 5.
Darden also has been a legal commentator for CNBC, Court TV, NBC and CNN, and a law professor at Southwestern University School of Law.
As a deputy district attorney, Darden worked in the Hardcore Gang Unit and then the Special Investigation Division, where he investigated criminal activity and corruption by public officials including law enforcement personnel.
For the past 27 years, he has been in private practice as a criminal defense attorney. He also has been teaching for more than a decade, serving as an adjunct professor of law, law professor and assistant professor of law.
Events planned
at Watts Towers
WATTS — The Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and Friends of Watts Towers Arts Center are planning a two-day music and arts festival Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Watts Towers Arts Center Campus, 1727 E. 107th St.
The 41st annual Watts Towers Day of the Drum Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 30 and the 46th annual Simon Rodia Watts Towers Jazz Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. the next day.
Admission and parking for both festivals are free. For more information, visit the website WattsTowers.org or call 213-847-4646.
Church women
mark women’s day
COMPTON — The Women of First United Methodist of Compton, 1025 S. Long Beach Blvd., will celebrate Women’s Day during the 10 a.m. worship hour Sept. 24. The theme of the day is “Women of Strength and Courage on the Move for God.” The guest speaker will be Sandra F. Reid.
In formation: 310-639-0775.
Small plane crashes
near Compton airport
COMPTON — A Cessna made a hard landing Sept. 20 on a street adjacent to Compton/Woodley Airport, but no one was hurt.
The plane was damaged in the landing, which was reported at about 8 a.m. on 159th Street and Central Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and reports from the scene.
The circumstances of the crash landing were under investigation.
The single-engine plane, which only had one occupant, hit an automobile, Doug Ulibarri of the Downey Fire Department told KTLA5.
About 29 gallons of fuel spilled onto the roadway, Ulibarri said.
Earlier this month, another small aircraft crashed in Compton at South Oleander Avenue and West Reeve Street. The pilot escaped serious injury.
L.A. Digest is designed to help promote events, activities and initiatives that are serving the interests of residents in L.A. To submit an item, send emails to newsroom@wavepublication.com.
