[Lapg] LA Food Justice Network weekly update

Thu Dec 2 11:55:14 PST 2004

Dear LA Permaculture Guild list members,

If you would like to receive the LA Food Justice Network's weekly update,
please contact Frank Tamborello (LA Coalition to End Hunger and
Homelessness) at frank at lacehh.org - this week's newsletter is below.

Best wishes,
Faramarz

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 09:39:30 -0800
From: Frank Tamborello <frank at lacehh.org>
To: food update <foodadvocates at aumha.org>
Subject: dec 2 update

To All Those Interested in Food and Justice...

A (usually) weekly update on a spectrum of food issues in the Los Angeles
area, promoting access to food that are sufficient, affordable, healthy and
locally grown---with a focus on campaigns you can become active in!

This Week (December 2, 2004):

  1.. Food Justice Network Meeting Thursday Dec. 9
  2.. Films for Peace : “Future of Food”
  3.. Maternal and Child Health Access Christmas Sale
  4.. Healthy School Food In the News: Junk Food Controversy
  5.. Thanksgiving Week Opinion Pieces on Hunger
  6.. Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program
  7.. Common Vision California School Tree Planting Tour, 2005
  8.. Bush names Nebraska governor as new secretary of Agriculture
  9.. Free Conference on Diabetes in March 2005

      1. Food Justice Network Meeting Thursday Dec. 9

      The next Food Justice Network Meeting will be held tomorrow Thursday
December 9 at The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles at 1102 S. Crenshaw,
Los Angeles from 2 pm to 4 pm (note change of usual time). All are invited
to attend. We’ll be preparing for January’s launch of the citywide Task
Force on food access (locating gardens and farmer’s markets in L.A.)

      If you’re interested in joining the Fast Food Subcommittee please call
Raquel Bournhounesque at 310-822-5410.

  2.. Films for Peace : “Future of Food”
(Thanks to Faramarz Nabavi)

Films for Peace: "Future of Food" will be shown Friday, December 3, 7 pm

Location:

Velocity Cafe

2127 Lincoln Bl

Santa Monica

RSVP: 310.452.9681

Donation: $5

Description: A revolution on farms, dinner tables, corporate boardrooms
istaking place regarding genetically modified food. Discussion to follow.

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***3.       Maternal and Child Health Access Christmas Sale

(Thanks to Luz Chacon, MCH Access)

Maternal and Child Health Access is sponsoring a Christmas sale at which our
clients' handicrafts will be sold.  Noon to 5 PM Sunday December 5, Self
Help Graphics 3802 Cesar Chavez (90063).

MCHA has a women's art collective designed to assist our clients in
developing self-esteem, retain traditional arts and crafts skills and
provide a means for supplemental income.  This is a great opportunity to get
some of your holiday shopping done, while supporting a worthy cause.  All
proceeds go directly to the clients.

If you can't make the event at Self Help Graphics, you can also come by our
offices.  (1111 W. 6th St. at Bixel, Suite 400 phone: 213 749 4261

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*
4. Healthy School Food In the News: Junk Food Controversy

The Daily News ran a story recently: “Junk-food ban eats revenues:

Extracurricular activities lose fund source in LAUSD” (By Jennifer
Radcliffe, Staff Writer )

“Five months into the much-touted junk-food ban in Los Angeles public
schools, the drop-off in revenue from sales of soda, candy and other popular
items at student stores and vending machines has hit many campuses
hard……Still, many people are grateful for the restrictions, saying
youngsters are becoming more aware of what they eat. And educators are
reporting fewer discipline problems and less trash on campus. …….

LAUSD students remain among the most unhealthy in the state, with only 15.5
percent able to pass all six portions of the 2004 state fitness exam,
according to results released last week.”

http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%257E20954%257E2565930,00.html

Meanwhile, LA Times staff writer Erika Hayasaki tells how:

“At the front of a Crenshaw High School classroom, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock
recalled gaining 25 pounds and experiencing heart and digestion problems
after a month long McDonald's binge. The students appeared disgusted at
times, but a few still munched Skittles, Ruffles potato chips and a Jack In
the Box hamburger meal as Spurlock spoke.” For the whole story:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-class1dec01,1,7444602.story?coll=la-
headlines-california

Ruben Brambila, nutritionist for Pasadena Unified School District, also gave
an interview regarding healthy eating in the Spanish language newspaper La
Opinion.
Check out
http://www.laopinion.com/archivo/index.html?START=1&RESULTSTART=1&DISPLAYTYP
E=single&FREETEXT=ruben+brambila&FDATEd12=&FDATEd13=&SORT_MODE=SORT_MODE
by Lourdes Lopez, Life and Style editor of La Opinion

(Thanks to Michelle Gazmen, Pasadena Unified School District Nutrition
Network (818) 952-5480)

****************************************************************************
***********5.       Thanksgiving Week Opinion Pieces on Hunger(Thanks to
George Manalo-LeClair, California Food Policy Advocates) Will (Miss) Work
For Food?

You can read this story in its entirety on the web at:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/11561893p-12459984c.html Helping
hungry, low-wage workers | The San Diego Union-Tribune

Things have really changed. Remember when supermarkets actually closed?
Remember rushing from work only to find locked doors? With a few taps on the
glass and sad puppy-dog eyes, you hoped the stock boy would let you in. But
no more. In response to modern working life, 24-hour supermarkets abound. So
you don't have to miss work to get a meal on the table.

Sadly, there is an exception to this rule. Many people do have to miss work
to get a meal on the table. There are 5 million people in California
struggling to meet their nutritional needs. According to research from the
University of California Los Angeles, most of the struggling families are
working households. Low wages and high rents mean little money for food for
many Californians….........

See full text at
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041125/news_lz1e25leclair.html

Hunger 90210

Other views: The reality behind TV from the Sacramento Bee

Did you spend the 1990s watching "Beverly Hills 90210," the soapy teen
drama? If you did tune in, you may have come away with a sunny, sanitized
view of California. While the characters did help build a house for Habitat
for Humanity and one character (Brandon) did bring a homeless man home for
Thanksgiving, viewers really didn't get a good look at the struggles many
folks in Beverly Hills and the surrounding area were having in putting food
on the table……………………………………..
****************************************************************************
********6. Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program

 University of California Cooperative Extension Los Angeles Common Ground
Garden Program
MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER TRAINING PROGRAM
12 Saturdays, March 12 – May 28, 2004
Application/Fingerprinting Deadline:  January 31, 2004
WHO CAN APPLY
·   Any resident of Los Angeles County.
·    Anyone who wants to help teach low- and limited-resource people how to
grow and eat more nutritious vegetables and fruits.
·    We especially invite residents of inner-city neighborhoods and
bilingual gardeners.

HOW TO APPLY
·   Call (323) 260-3348 to receive an application packet.
·    Complete 3-page form for LiveScan fingerprinting and criminal
background check by Department of Justice, using the sample copy.  Even if
you’ve been fingerprinted by another agency, this must be done again now for
us specifically.
·    Get fingerprinted (see listing of locations; note differences in prices
and hours available; some require appointments).
·    By January 31, 2005, submit completed application packet1) application
survey, 2) copy of LiveScan form completed by LiveScan operator, 3) check
for $100 made payable to UC REGENTS.  [Low- and limited-resource residents
pay only what they can affordsee application form for details.]

WHAT WE'LL DO
·   Notify you by February 28 whether you’ve been accepted into the program.
Please don’t call us before then.
·    Teach you how to garden successfully.  Topics and garden activities
will cover basic plant science, propagation, fertilization, irrigation,
soil, compost, vegetable and herb and fruit gardening, simple and nutritious
vegetable preparation and storage, flowering plants and trees, Integrated
Pest Management (diseases, weeds, insects, small animals), tools, how to
create a community and school garden, and outreach techniques.
·    Provide instruction in English and simultaneous translation into
Spanish.
·    Provide you with Volunteer and Continuing Education opportunities all
over Los Angeles County.

WHAT YOU'LL DO
·   Attend 12 classes on Saturdays, March 12 through May 28, 2005, from 9:00
am to 4:00 pm, at Mount St. Mary’s College, 10 Chester Place, Los Angeles
90007 (north of Adams between Figueroa and Hoover) in downtown Los Angeles.
Meetings start promptly at 9:00 am.  Sometimes, we will meet at other garden
sites, but carpooling with classmates will be arranged.
·    Work with low- and limited-resource residents in community gardens,
school gardens, residential facility and shelter gardens.
·    Answer gardening questions in gardens, on the phone at our office or by
e-mail from your home.
·    Help with program activities at the UCCE office in East Los Angeles.
·    After class session is completed, attend monthly MG meetings on the
second Saturday of every month at different garden locations.

WHAT YOU'LL GET
·   California Master Gardener Handbook in English, or Urban Gardener Short
Course manual in Spanish and English.
·    Certificate of Class Completionafter completing the 12-week training
program and passing the take-home, open-book examination.
·    Monthly meetings with speakers and activities on in-depth gardening
topics.
·    Monthly newsletter of including program information, Volunteer and
Continuing Education opportunities.
·    Certificate and Badge as a University of California Cooperative
Extension Master Gardenerafter completing at least 50 Volunteer hours and
15 Continuing Education hours.
·    Joy and satisfaction that you're helping other gardeners grow and eat
more nutritious vegetables and fruits, you’re making new friends, and we’re
all working together to beautify our neighborhoods and “Green LA”!

For An Application Packet and More Information

Call:  (323) 260-3348
Email:  gjmitche at ucdavis.edu

The University of California, in accordance with applicable Federal and
State law and University policy, does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, medical condition
(cancer-related), ancestry, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation,
or status as a Vietnam-era veteran or special disabled veteran.  Inquiries
regarding the University’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to the
Affirmative Action Director, University of California, Agriculture and
Natural Resources, 1111 Franklin, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607-5200, (510)
987-0096.

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***************7. Common Vision California School Tree Planting Tour, 2005

(Thanks to Neelam Sharma, Community Services Unlimited)

Program Details

Common Vision invites you to share in the program we have developed for
spring 2005. The program simply uses the planting of fruit trees to get
students in touch with the Earth. Common Vision will provide fruit trees and
ecocentric curriculum follow up suggestions that will help students and
faculty care for the trees. We will cover tree folklore, and touch on today’
s important issues surrounding agriculture and the environment through the
use of artistic performance.

Program costs are minimal at $250-800 sliding scale depending on class size,
and number of classes included in the program. The trees are planted mostly
by your students on site of your school, or we can work in coordination with
local environmental/garden organizations or farms to plant trees where they
will supplement community needs.

Common Vision

Founded in 1999, Common Vision is a solution focused non profit
organization, a project of International Humanities Center, a 501c(3) tax
deductible charity organization. Common Visions mission is to cultivate
awareness and respect for the Earth and to generate social and environmental
changes towards sustainable lifestyles. Our organization does this through
four branches of focus, education, restoration of degraded lands, direct
action, and documentation of those projects and other projects for positive
change. We integrate concepts of ecology with the traditions, music, and art
of cultures that live or have lived in harmony with the Earth.

Contact

If your school or organization is interested in participating in this unique
opportunity please email Blair Phillips at stillwater at commonvision.org. For
more information about Common Vision refer to our website
www.commonvision.org

Thank you for your time and work,

Blair Phillips

Director, Common Vision.

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*

 8. Bush names Nebraska governor as new secretary of Agriculture

(By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer)

Thursday, December 2, 2004

(12-02) 08:09 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

President Bush on Thursday chose Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns as secretary of
agriculture to oversee the nation's farm and food programs, an
administration
official said.
Johanns, a Republican, would succeed Ann M. Veneman, who recently announced
her
resignation despite saying earlier that she wanted to stay.
The selection of Johanns reflects the administration's desire to focus
heavily
on farm trade over the next four years. As governor, Johanns led a
delegation
of Nebraska's farm and business leaders on a trade mission to Japan, Taiwan,
China, Singapore and a half dozen other countries.
So far, seven of Bush's 15-member Cabinet have announced they won't be part
of
the second term. More are expected, and administration officials say Health
and
Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson appears to be next.
Born in Iowa and raised on a dairy farm, Johanns, 54, became a lawyer and
served in county and city government before becoming mayor of Lincoln, Neb.,
in
1991. He won the governor's office in 1998 and in 2002 became the first
Republican to win re-election in more than four decades.

Johanns had been considered a possible challenger to Democratic Sen. Ben
Nelson
in 2006. Johanns graduated with a bachelor's degree from St. Mary's College
in Winona,
Minn., in 1971. He earned a law degree from Creighton University in 1974 and
was a clerk for Nebraska Supreme Court Judge Hale McCown. He practiced law
in
the mid-1970s and became a partner in the Lincoln law firm of Nelson,
Johanns,
Morris, Holdeman & Titus in 1977.

First a Democrat, Johanns was elected to, and served as chairman of, the
Lancaster Board of Commissioners in 1982. He left the board in 1987 and
became
a Republican in 1988. Before becoming mayor of Lincoln, he served on the
Lincoln City Council in 1989 as an at-large member.
Veneman, a peach farmer's daughter who became the first woman to the head
the
Agriculture Department, presided during a period of unprecedented wariness
about the safety of the nation's food supply. Weeks after taking office in
2001, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe prompted Veneman to
increase inspections and testing to prevent its arrival in the United
States.
After the Sept. 11 attacks that year, concern grew that terrorists might
seek
to contaminate the nation's food supply.

Then came the discovery last year of the first case of mad cow disease in
the
United States. Veneman quickly upgraded the country's defenses, banning
high-
risk meat products and meat from cows that could not stand or walk on their
own, testing more cattle and promising to speed a nationwide animal tracking
system. Farm interests for the most part praised Veneman's response, while
consumer advocacy groups said Veneman and her agency had not done enough

****************************************************************************
*

9. Free Conference on Diabetes in March 2005

(Thanks to Marvin Espinoza)

Dear Colleagues:

Healthy African American Families and Charles R. Drew University are pleased
to announce an upcoming conference:

Building Bridges to Optimum Health

A Conference to Address Diabetes Throughout the Lifespan

A FREE 2-day, countywide Diabetes Awareness Conference

March 3-4, 2005

Los Angeles Convention Center

This conference is for anyone who has been affected by diabetes, including
medical and social health professionals, government and political officials,
and community and family members.

CEU/CMEs credits available for MD, RN/BSN, LCSW, MFT, & RD.

For additional information, please contact:

Moraya Moini at 310-795-9320 or Andrea Jones at 323-292-2002.

*************************************************************************

Frank Tamborello
LA Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness
520 S. Virgil # 300
LA CA 90020
phone (213) 439 1070 ext. 115
fax (213) 439 1080
frank at lacehh.org
www.lacehh.org
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