ADOPTED JUN 1 82014 Los ANGELES CITY Council RESOLUTION Rev

RESOLUTION Rabbi Sanford Ragins

WHEREAS, Rabbi Sanford Ragins, has continually addressed the spiritual needs of our community and is an ardent advocate for equality, social justice, tolerance, human rights, and peace; and

WHEREAS, Rabbi Ragins a member of the first class to study for the rabbinate on the Los Angeles campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion; spent a year of study in Jerusalem before completing his rabbinical program and achieving ordination in Cincinnati in 1962 then went on to graduate study at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts where he received a Ph.D. in the History of Ideas; and

WHEREAS, Rabbi Ragins served student congregations in Illinois and Alabama, and, after ordination, was a congregational rabbi in Lincoln, Nebraska; Hartsdale, New York; and, for several decades at Leo Baeck Temple in West Los Angeles becoming the Temple's second senior rabbi in 1986; and

WHEREAS, Rabbi Ragins was elected to the national boards of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, was President of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis, and served as Chair of the CCAR Committee on Ethics and Appeals and is a member of the Association for Jewish Studies, Rabbis for Human Rights, the ACLU, and Americans for Peace Now; and

WHEREAS, Rabbi Ragins, in support of social justice and human rights, marched in Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 and continues to be an outspoken advocate for peace in the Middle East and labor, racial tolerance and interfaith cooperation in the United States; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that, on this 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Los Angeles City Council does hereby offer our deepest appreciation for your dedication of mind, heart and hand to making this landmark legislation a reality and for helping to usher in basic civil rights to ALL the people of Los Angeles.

June 17, 2014

Seconded By: ..."...._Uc'--'--..,-.>.--=-_-,or-- _ All Council ADOPTED JUN 1 82014 lOS ANGELES CITY COUNCil RESOLUTION Rev. Dr. James H. Hargett

WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. James H. Hargett has dedicated his life to the community and civil rights and has demonstrated his deep and genuine love for this city and this country though his continued involvement in numerous endeavors toward gaining equality for all citizens regardless of race, gender or color; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. James H. Hargett was active in numerous local efforts for civil rights; marched from Selma to Montgomery with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; served as the West Coast convener of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; helped found the Central City Community Mental Health Clinic for the poor; worked with Whitney Young of the National Urban League; and served on the Board of the Los Angeles Urban League, the National Board of Directors of the Black Women's Community Development Foundation, the National Committee of Black Churchmen, and the Board of the Brotherhood Crusade; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. James H. Hargett demonstrated his commitment to education as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Afro-American Students Association at Cal State Northridge; a member of the UCLA Community Relations Committee; developed the Transport-A-Child program for students from overcrowded schools and the Project Open Future program which focused on academic enrichment for minority students; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Dr. James H. Hargett received his Masters' degree from the Yale Divinity School and his Doctorate in Divinity from Colgate-Rochester Seminary and throughout his career, he has continually addressed the spiritual needs of our community and is an ardent advocate for equality, social justice, tolerance, human rights, and peace which has earned him the respect of other civic leaders and the affection of a host of area residents who are proud to call him friend and mentor; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that, on this 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and on behalf of the City of Los Angeles, we hereby offer our deepest appreciation for your dedication of mind, heart and hand to making this landmark legislation a reality and for helping to usher in basic civil rights to the people of Los Angeles.

June 18, 2014 Presented B~ ~ Herb J. sson, Jr., Council

ADOPTED Seconded By:e~f::o~ All Council JUN 1 8 2014 LOSANGElES CITY COUNCil RESOLUTION Sylvia Mendez

WHEREAS, in 1943, when eight-year-old Sylvia Mendez and her younger brothers were turned away from 17th Street Elementary School because of their Spanish last names it became the catalyst to the desegregation of public schools across the United States; and

WHEREAS, Sylvia Mendez's parents, Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez sued four Orange County school districts on behalf of 5,000 other Mexican-American families, claiming that those school districts denied their children equal protection under the law and due process of law under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, when the federal district court in Mendez v. Westminster ruled in favor of the families by directly attacking the doctrine of "separate but equal," the NAACP began a campaign to challenge segregation in universities while civil rights groups and attorneys across the country continued their campaign to challenge official segregation in the United States; and

WHEREAS, when the school district appealed the decision, the NAACP represented by Thurgood Marshall, the Japanese American Citizens League, the ACLU, the American Jewish Congress, and other groups joined the appellate case urging the court to strike down the "separate but equal" doctrine and on April,1947, the Court upheld the core of the district court's decision ruling that the segregation of Mexican- American students in public schools was a denial of due process of law and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, this decision laid the groundwork for the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which desegregated all public schools across the United States and Sylvia Mendez finally was allowed to attend the 17th Street Elementary school, thus becoming one of the first Hispanic to attend an all-white school in California; and

WHEREAS, Sylvia Mendez, a retired nurse, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, is an ardent advocate for civil rights, equality, social justice, human rights, tolerance and peace while devoting much of her time speaking and encouraging students to stay in school empowering them to get an education and inspiring them to them to embrace their full potential and direct their lives in a positive and rewarding direction; and

June 18, 2014

ADOPTED JUN 1 8 2014 JUIV < o .L o 20/4 LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCil Resolutiou

John Grant

WHEREAS, Johu Grant has spent his life leading the fight for social and economic justice with his unique combination of intellect, humor, grace and humility. John is a consummate organizer. He carefully analyzes various strategies, chooses the righteous path, whether or not it is popular, works tirelessly to achieve his goals, and inspires others to follow him into the chosen battle; and

WHEREAS, from his earliest days at Lowell High School in Orange County, where he organized the Students for a Democratic Society chapter, and the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he was the Chairman of the Community Affairs Board coordinating the participation of 3,000 students in community-based organizations, John has always been driven to make the world a better place. After creating his own Urban Studies major at UCSB, John ultimately became student body President and graduated as the valedictorian, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude in 1973; and

WHEREAS, after UCSB, John went on to Loyola Law School, where he immediately became the student organizer for the National Lawyers Guild's Los Angeles Chapter. While at Loyola, John staffed the NLG's Los Angeles office, worked on the NLG Immigration project, and served on the NLG's International Committee. John received a Law Student Civil Rights Research Grant that enabled him to work as an intern at Centros de Accion Social Autonomo (CASA). Despite all these activities, John must have found some time to study, as he received his JD degree and was admitted to the California State Bar in 1976; and

WHEREAS, once John had his law degree, he did what any new lawyer would do: he got a job at the largest slaughterhouse in Vernon, California. John spent nine years as a slaughterhouse worker at Farmer John. He joined Local 563 of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters & Butcher Workmen of North America and soon became the picket captain during a nine-week strike, the first of several Farmer John strikes during the 70's and 80's. John was illegally terminated for protected strike activity, fought his termination and was subsequently reinstated; and

WHEREAS, in 1978, John managed the "Workers for a Fighting 563" campaign - an internal campaign dedicated to bringing democracy to Local 563. Although John was unanimously selected to be the Cooler Department shop steward, the union leadership denied him the position. Several years later, John was eventually allowed to assume his role as shop steward and soon thereafter was elected to be a Vice-President and serve on the board of the merged Packinghouse Local 274. In 1982, John served on the Farmer John negotiating committee; and

WHEREAS, during his years as a packinghouse worker, John also served on the Labor Committee of the U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association, was active in the formation of the Los Angeles Committee on Safety & Health and participated in the Southwest Voter Registration Project. While doing all this - not only holding a full-time job, but representing thousands of packinghouse workers - John attended Los Angeles Trade Tech and received his degree in Labor Studies in 1982; and

WHEREAS, in 1985, Local 274 finally hired John as a union representative. For the next several years, the food packing and processing industry in Los Angeles was decimated by overproduction, leveraged buy-outs and cyclical plundering, causing various companies to take drastic concessionary positions during bargaining. During this period, John was involved in twelve strikes resulting in 750,000 lost workdays and five deaths. Eventually, over 40% of the

JUN 1 8 l014 unionized meat packing industry in Los Angeles was lost in the struggle and John served on the Los Angeles Plant Closing Committee, which sought to stem the tide of job losses. In addition, John served as a trustee on the Butchers Pension and Health and Welfare Funds; and

WHEREAS, John's social justice pursuits were never limited to just labor issues. He joined the Wednesday Coalition against U.S. intervention in El Salvador from 1988 -1990, where he met his wife Tracy Zeluff, a well-respected political organizer in her own right. They continue to share a passion for social justice as well as a love offamily and English mysteries. He also served as an observer for the Organization of American States during the 1991 election in El Salvador. In addition, John was on the Housing LA Steering Committee working on the affordable housing campaign from 1998 to 2002; and

WHEREAS, John continued to serve as a Union Representative in the Packinghouse Division of Local 770 when the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Retail Clerks merged to form the UFCW in 1986. John was also a Union Representative for retail food and drug members and became Local 770's in-house counsel in 1992. In addition, John has served as the Director of the Packinghouse Division, Area Union Representative Director and was the Director ofField Operations during the historic 20-week grocery worker strike and lockout of 2003/2004; and

WHEREAS, John also served on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles City Workforce Investment Board from 2001-2008 and currently serves on the Advisory Boards to both the Labor Center at Los Angeles Trade Tech and the UCLA Labor Center as well as the Executive Board of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy. He was recently appointed to serve on the Leadership Board of the Los Angeles Food Policy Committee. In 2010, John was elected to serve as Secretary-Treasurer of Local 770; and

WHEREAS, in addition to all of his work to make the world a better place, John loves soccer, dogs, opera and his family. John coached AYSO soccer for almost 20 years while his kids played soccer. John currently lives in Echo Park with his wife Tracy Zeluff of Groundworks Campaigns and their son Alec a consummate soccer player who will graduated from Marshall High this June and will follow in his dad's footsteps, attending the University of California at Santa Barbara in the fall. John also has 2 daughters - Amanda, who carries on John's love of learning as a classroom teacher, and Sybil, who has followed in John's footsteps as a labor/political organizer- and a granddaughter, Payton, who brings joy to all around:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that by the adoption of this resolution, the Los Angeles City Council does hereby recognize Mr. John Grant for his many achievements. May you continue to prosper in all future endeavors.

ADOPTED PresentedBY~ ~ JUN 1 8 2014 LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL Resolution

Rick Najera Latino Media Pioneer

Whereas, Rick Najera taught and mentored countless Multicultural talent in film, theater and television, he is committed to giving a real voice and access to Latino talent in film, TV, theater and new media. He is recognized as one of the" 100 Most Influential Latinos in America" by Hispanic Business Magazine and is an improvisational Genius and Hollywood comedy writer; and

Whereas, Rick is a sought after inspirational/motivational speaker and is fast becoming a personal development guru. Rick coined the phrase: «Latinos are not the problem, We are the solution"; and

Whereas, in film, Rick Najera penned the family comedy, Nothing Like the Holidays, starring Debra Messing and Alfred Molina. The film won him a prestigious ALMA Award for writing. And he has appeared in over 20 films; and

Whereas, in television, Rick Najera was honored with two WGA nominations for his writing on MAD TV and wrote for the groundbreaking television comedies In Living Color and Culture, Clash; and

Whereas, as an author, Rick Najera's memoire, Almost White: Forced Confessions of a Latino in Hollywood, was received to rave reviews and was published by Hay House. He also has three books of plays published: Latins Anonymous, Pain of the Macho and Latinologues; and

Whereas, as a performer, Rick Najera has two Showtime comedy specials under his belt, LEGALLY BROWN and DIARY OF A DAD MAN; and

Whereas, on the corporate side, Rick Najera is a past executive of LATV networks where he served as the Vice President of Development, working closely with CEO of Entravison, Walter Ulloa. At CBS, Najera currently serves as the director and head writer of the Diversity Comedy Showcase, which has produced 22 series regulars on television and three Saturday Night Live cast members; and

Whereas, the Writers Guild of America has Iritten: "Poet and producer, actor and comedian, award-winning TVwriter, denizen of the Latin quarter, Hollywood Hills and Great White Way, Rick Najera is the embodiment of diversity." - Writers Guild of America; and

Whereas, Rick Najera is 1 of only 3 Latinos in History to ever write & star in their own show on Broadway. Rick originated the formula of bringing Spanish language stars to perform in English Eugenio Derbez and Jaime Camil both got their English language starts in Latinologues; and

Whereas, on Broadway, Latinologues is the only Latino showcase of its kind, having had over 200 actors perform in it throughout the years. 132 performances with an extension, the Broadway show directed by legendary comedian, Cheech Marin was in a 35 city national tour before landing in New York. It has received 'Top Pick', 'Recommended' and 'Critics Choice' from theater critics nationwide. The New York Times, "The audience was in stiches!" and has won the Imagen Award for "Best Live Theatrical Production"; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that bythe adoption of this resolution the Los Angeles City Council does hereby honor Rick Najera for his dedication and commitment to the advancement of Latinos in film, TV and theater and for the success of his Broadway show Latinologues.

June 18, 2014 Presented by:~\ryy~t\D- L RTCEDlL[; Cou cilm er, First District Seconded by: rJ - ~ ADOPTED CIL JUN 1 8 Z014 LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCil