26th Annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles To Benefit APLA & other Organizations

On Thursday, October 14, 2010 Aids Project Los Angeles & MZA Events (creator of AIDS WALK Los Angeles) announced that they expect Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Drew Carey, Bob Harper and over 30,000 participants to fill the streets of West Hollywood & Hollywood for the 26th Annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles. Per event organizers, the event to be held days after State HIV/Aids Budget cuts.


The event will be held from 9:00 am to about 3:00 pm. Participants to meet at the West Hollywood Park and then at 9:00 a.m. they will have the Aerobic Warm-Up on the Main Stage located at San Vicente Boulevard & Santa Monica Boulevard. The open ceremony will be also held there at 9:15 am. The walk then starts at 10:00 am and to end until the last participants finish walking 10K (6.2 mile) at the end of the walk they receive a Certificate of Completion.


They have announced the following confirmed celebrity guests to attend the event: Michelle Bonilla (“ER”), Megan Boone (“Law & Order: Los Angeles”), Drew Carey (“The Price Is Right”), Rodney Chester (“Noah’s Arc”), Barrett Foa (“NCIS: Los Angeles”), Joshua Gomez (“Chuck”), Bob Harper (“The Biggest Loser”), Sam Jaeger (“Parenthood”), Ana Ortiz (“Ugly Betty”), Pauley Perrette (“NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigation Service”), Sara Ramirez (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Hal Sparks (Actor and Comedian), Jessica Sutta (Pussycat Doll), and Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty”). Andrea McArdle (“Annie”) will perform Stephen Sondheim’s “Everybody Says Don’t,” and LaKisha Jones (“American Idol”) will close the Opening Ceremony with her performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”


To speak at the Open Ceremony on behalf of APLA will be Jeffrey Katzenberg (CEO, Dreamworks Animation SKG), AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) Trustee and AWLA sponsor. Also to speak about the current HIV/AIDS crisis in Los Angeles County and the vital work of lead beneficiary APLA are United States Representative Henry A. Waxman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa,and West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman.


The following elected officials are expected to attend: United States Representatives Howard Berman, Judy Chu, Lucille Roybal-Allard, and Diane E. Watson; California State Senator Fran Pavley; California State Assemblymembers Mike Feuer and Anthony Portantino; Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky; Los Angeles City Councilmembers Paul Koretz, Paul Krekorian, Tom LaBonge, and Mark Ridley-Thomas; West Hollywood City Councilmembers John Duran, Lindsey Horvath, Abbe Land, and Jeffrey Prang; and West Hollywood Police Department Captain Kelley Fraser.

The walk route start from North San Vicente Boulevard, then right on Santa Monica Boulevard, right on La Cienega Boulevard, then left on Melrose Avenue,  right on La Brea and finally right on Beverly Boulevard to end at Melrose Avenue & San Vicente Boulevard. (Note: Event walk route may change without any notice).


About AIDS Project Los Angeles:

AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. With more than 25 years of service, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national and global reach. For more information, visit www.apla.org

About AIDS Walk Los Angeles:

Since 1985, AIDS Walk Los Angeles has raised more than $66 million for HIV programs and services throughout Los Angeles County, and has grown into one of the largest AIDS fundraising events in the country. In 2009 alone, 30,000 participants, many of whom were members of 1,600 corporate and community teams, raised $3 million for AIDS Project Los Angeles and over a dozen other AIDS service organizations. For more information, visit www.aidswalk.net.

About MZA Events:

AIDS Walk Los Angeles was founded in 1985 by Craig R. Miller and his organization of activists, MZA Events. Miller is the AIDS Walk originator and has produced hundreds of public service campaigns and fundraising events, generating more than $350 million for major AIDS organizations throughout the country. For more information, please visit www.mzaevents.com

Sources: APLA.org, DiversityNewsPublications.Com & Examiner.com

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to select soon New LA Police Chief

On October 27, 2009 LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  formally accepted the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners’ recommendations for the next Chief of Police. The Police Commission’s top three candidates are-in alphabetical order- Deputy Chief Charles Beck, First Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell and Deputy Chief Michel Moore.

“Choosing the next Chief of Police is the single most important decision I will make for the remainder of my term as Mayor,” said Mayor Villaraigosa.

“This process will be comprehensive and thorough-I will move expeditiously – but will take all the time I need to make the very best decision for the people of Los Angeles.”

At a City Hall press conference with the Police Commission, the Mayor said he will thoroughly evaluate the candidates—not just on experience—but on their character, integrity, and fortitude. The Mayor also stated that he would discuss with the candidates their views on community partnerships, their plans for supporting reforms that have transformed the department, as well as their commitment to the City’s new approach to keep kids out of gangs and to address the root causes of crime.

In preparation for the deliberation of the Police Commission’s recommendations, the Mayor has called upon a distinguished group of experts to provide him with perspectives about the most important leadership attributes the next chief must posses.

The Mayor’s Advisory Group includes the Honorable Lourdes Baird, Stewart Kwoh, Ron Olson, Connie Rice and Warren Christopher, who will serve as its chairman.

In addition to bringing together a highly qualified Advisory Group, Mayor Villaraigosa will seek the counsel of a broad cross section of Angelenos that will include community, religious and law enforcement leaders.

Candidates Brief Biography:
Deputy Chief Charles L. Beck was born in Long Beach, California in 1953. He was educated locally and attended California State University at Long Beach. His father was a Los Angeles Police officer who retired in 1980 at the rank of Deputy Chief.
First Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell has been a member of the Los Angeles Police Department since 1981. He is currently the second in command of the Los Angeles Police Department and serves as the Chief of Staff. As the Chief of Staff, Chief McDonnell handles a myriad of fiscal and political issues involving the Police Department as directed by the Chief of Police.

Deputy Chief Michel R. Moore is a 27-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, currently assigned as the Commanding Officer, Operations-Valley Bureau. He was born the second of five children in Porterville, California. He grew up in various parts of the United States, graduating high school in Conway, Arkansas. He returned to Southern California and joined the Los Angeles Police Department in October 1981.

In August 2009 Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton resigned as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Editor Note: Who do you think the Mayor will select to handle this big city safety? Please leave clean comments.

Photo By Esteban Escobar, Diversity News. (C) 2009 By Diversity News Publications.  All Rights Are Reserved.

Source: Office of the Mayor City of Los Angeles ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA