Featured
“Be relentless,” Says First Black Woman LAPD Police Commander
By Alison Hewitt, UCLA News
The keynote speaker at this year’s UCLA graduation was Anita Ortega, a former UCLA basketball star, a first-generation college student and the first African-American woman to become a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) area commander.
“Be relentless,” she advised, both on their own behalf and on behalf of the voiceless.
“I’m not a politician … I’m not a celebrity … I am Anita Ortega. A proud Bruin. A proud Afro-Puerto-Rican from South Central L.A.,” she said to loud cheers and foot-stomping.
“I was a girl who had the courage to dream.”
Oretga placed herself in the tradition of Bruins such as Tom Bradley, Los Angeles’s first Black mayor, and Antonio Villaraigosa, the first Latino mayor in the city’s modern history.
Despite both subtle and blatant discrimination, they didn’t give up, and neither did she, she said.
“I was challenged at every level, but you’re going to learn, life is full of challenges,” Ortega said. “Life is a never-ending learning process. As such, you’re all going to be tested.”
She described her determination to play basketball as a teenager and convincing the boys to accept a girl on the court. That same determination helped her get into her dream school, UCLA; to become a walk-on on the basketball team; and later, to become a police officer and area commander.
“No one thought Anita had a chance of doing anything with her life,” Ortega said. “It was never about proving them wrong – never about proving them wrong – but it was about proving that I was unstoppable.
“All of you are unstoppable. Be unstoppable … Be selfless. Don’t lose sight of the national issues impacting all of us: racism, sexism, gender bias, education, immigration, LGBTQ equality. Have a voice and be the voice for those that are not heard.”
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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