By Daniel Heimpel

A couple weeks back I asked L.A. gang czar Rev. Jeff Carr, who were the people doling out millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to largely untested non-profits who will try to prevent kids from joining gangs. Carr told me, in broad outlines, the kind of people who were on the government contracting selection committee, but wouldn't give names.

I thought that strange — secrecy shrouding the doling out of many millions in public funds — and wrote about it. The story got quick attention from Mayor Sam's Sister City blog, City Hall agitator and mayoral candidate David Hernandez and investigative journo Leslie Dutton over at the Full Disclosure Network.

Dutton, a pioneer in public access TV broadcasting who is currently dealing with the demise of public access TV as chronicled in the Patrick Range McDonald's December cover story, took time out to interview Carr and me about the task force.

In the interview, Dutton asked what steps I would take next. I said the best steps would be to find out if it was indeed legal for the city to keep the names of the Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) selection committees secret from the public, and wrote a piece for today's print L.A. Weekly that questioned the reasoning of the Mayor's Office and the City Attorney.

Coming under a lot of public pressure, mayoral spokesman Matt Szabo pledged to release the names once the contracting process was completed. Shortly after the print version of my piece went to press late on Tuesday evening, Szabo sent over a list of 43 members of the secret selection committee.

Here they are:

Chuck  Flores – District 4, Operations Coordinator LAUSD
Alexandra  Lieben – Executive Director UCLA School of Public Affairs
Greg  McManus – Lieutenant  LAPD
Faith  Mitchell – Attorney South LA Area Planning Commission
Tim Brown – Clear Deputy Probation Director Law Enforcement
Gregory Burks – Chief of Grants CDD
Maria Cardona – Healthy Start Coordinator Nightingale Middle School
Susana Coracero – LAUSD/Monica Garcia's Office
Ed Corbett – Watts Towers Community Action Committee
Mary Darks – Jones Community Resident
Philip Egans – Probation
Lark Galloway – MPA Executive Director Community Health Councils
Ruben Gonzalez – Consultant, Center for the Study of Social Policy
Carlos Gonzalez – Assistant Principal Bethune Middle School
Donna Groman – Judge Superior Court- Kenyon Juvenile Justice Center
Tom Hayden – Gang and Academic Expert – wrote the book “Streetwars”
Nyora Higgs – Community Resident
Kimberly King – Professor  CAL State LA
Anthony Koutris – Deputy City Attorney Gang Prosecution and Prevention,  Clear Taskforce
Jose Kubes – Parent Center Coordinator Manual Arts High School
Jose Maciel – Director Macarthur Park Recreation Center
Myrian Magana – Community Representative
Rosa Manriquez – Recreation and Parks
Claudia Martinez – Social Worker LADCFS
Tim McDonald – Assistant Principal West Adams High School
Victor McKamie – Executive Director Minority Aids Project
Richard Mora – Assistant Professor Occidental College
Christina  Ortega-  Libatique DONE Project Coordinator City Representative
Eric Rost – (LCSW) Sheriff's Office
Jose Sandoval – Chair of Gang Comte. Community Resident
Lloyd Scott – Sargeant South Bureau Gangs
LaTanya Skiffer – Professor  CSDH
Lynette Smith – Assistant Principal Telfair Elementary
Maritza Sosa – Community Program assistant CCYF
Chinyere Stonehem – Mt. Carmel Recreation and Parks
Gerald  Thompson – Executive Director Pathways to our Future
Ailleth Tom – Organization Facilitator LAUSD Local District 5
Lucia Torres – Community Resident
Dea Tramble – Operation Coordinator LAUSD,  Local District 1
Rodrigo Vazquez – Youth Justice Coalition
Paul Vinetz – Probation Director JJCPA Cluster 3 Programs
Curtis Woodle – South Bureau LAPD
Stacy Wu – Gang Expert Davis Ja and Associates
 
 

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