Councilmember Bernard C. Parks Launches HIV Testing Week at Nickerson Gardens

LOS ANGELES—Kicking off National HIV Testing Week in Los Angeles, Councilmember Bernard C. Parks will join Councilmember Janice Hahn and County Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke in an effort to significantly increase the number of Los Angeles residents getting tested for HIV. The Call to Action and press conference will feature Emmy-nominated actress Gloria Reuben, who starred in the groundbreaking role of HIV positive nurse Jeanie Boulet on ER.

Free HIV and STD testing will be provided to residents of Nickerson Gardens and the surrounding Watts Community. The event is co sponsored by Minority AIDS Project and the Magic Johnson Foundation, and will be hosted by Jacquie Stephens of KJLH Radio.

This event is a key element of the City of Los Angeles’ HIV Testing Initiative, which is the largest municipal effort in the United States to call for implementation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing in Medical Settings, and the expansion of HIV testing in community-based settings. Through the Initiative, the City will significantly expand HIV counseling and testing by facilitating routine testing in medical facilities and throughout neighborhoods with a high prevalence of HIV infection.

Councilmember Parks noted, “We are committed to raising the call for quality healthcare and throughout Los Angeles’ most impacted communities.” “Access to quality healthcare includes access to routine HIV screening,” added City of Los Angeles AIDS Coordinator Stephen David Simon.

The goals of the Testing Initiative are threefold: facilitate an increase in public and private HIV testing to a level that will result in one million people in the City knowing their status by 2011; make HIV counseling and testing more routine and attainable, thereby also reducing the stigma associated with taking an HIV test; and increase identification of HIV positive individuals, resulting in earlier treatment and prevention of disease transmission to others.

Posted by the Bernard C. Parks for Supervisor Campaign

Councilmember Bernard C. Parks Joins Senator Barack Obama for a Fundraiser at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

On Tuesday, June 24, 2008 I joined Senator Barack Obama at his fundraiser at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion here in Los Angeles. This was his first visit to Southern California since being assured of the Democratic Presidential Nomination.

The event was attended by California Attorney General Jerry Brown, and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D- Los Angeles. Hollywood superstars such as Samuel L. Jackson, John Malkovich, Dennis Quaid, and Don Cheadle who introduced the Senator at the event were also in attendance. Supermodels Cindy Crawford and Heidi Klum were present to lend their support to the Senator as well.

This August I will be traveling to Denver, Colorado to attend the Democratic National Convention as an Obama Delegate. I am extremely excited to be a part of this historic occasion. I have been one of Senator Obama’s early supporters, and I’m looking forward to gearing up for Denver and then for November when we make him the next President of the United States! 

Opponent Continues Divisive Politics

In an LA Times article written by Jean-Paul Renaud and Garrett Therolf on Wednesday June 5, 2008, the cost of the campaign for my opponent and I were discussed.

“Parks said Wednesday that his campaign spent $900,000, while Ridley-Thomas reported spending $800,000 -- not counting the millions spent by special interest outside his campaign.”

The article continues with a quote from Bart Diener, who is the assistant to the president of Service Employees International Union, Local 721, "We didn't break the bank in the primary; we’ll spend whatever we feel it'll take."

The fact is; we were outspent by a six-to-one margin in an election that saw a 17% turnout. The opposition spent $97 for each vote it received. Put another way, they spent $5.5 million to receive 45% of 125,000 votes.

My opponent threw everything and the kitchen sink at my candidacy, and I am still standing today. The people of this district were turned off by Ridley-Thomas’ negative campaign tactics against me and now, the people want a campaign based on issues.

‘"The fact that Bernard Parks was a mere 5 percentage points behind someone who had five times the money indicates someone who has incredible strength," said Carol Schatz, president of the Central City Assn., a downtown business advocacy group. "I think the message came through in the end that special interest money -- should be objectionable to any community."’

The people of the 2^nd District demand that their next County Supervisor is someone who will put the needs of the citizens ahead of the needs of special interest groups.

I believe that all people of the 2^nd District need “active support,” including Union workers & Households, Small Business owners, Senior Citizens, Veterans, the infirmed, and Children. We cannot allow only one facet of our population to be served, there is too much to be done, too much at stake in this election to permit this to happen.

I ask for your continued support. Donations are needed now more than ever, so please visit our website at: http://parksforsupervisor.com/action/donate.php to donate.

We must have a Supervisor who will represent everyone’s best interests at heart. With your continuing support, I am confident I will be the next Supervisor of the 2^nd District.

Thank you,

Bernard C. Parks

The Campaign will Continue

Dear Friends:

I want to thank you for your friendship and support during the Primary campaign for County Supervisor and hope to count on you for continuing support as we head to a November 5 runoff.

My opponent threw everything and the kitchen sink at my candidacy, and I am still standing today. The people of this district were turned off by Ridley-Thomas’ negative campaign tactics against me and now, the people want a campaign based on issues.

Issues like health care, including re-opening King/Drew Hospital, the economy, and public safety. With gas prices and food prices at an all time high, and gang violence on the rise, we need to talk about what we will do for the constituents of L.A. County.

While I was disappointed by the low voter turnout on June 3, I am not at all discouraged by the results. The fact is; we were outspent by a six-to-one margin in an election that saw a 17% turnout. The opposition spent $97 for each vote it received. Put another way, they spent $5.5 million to receive 45% of 125,000 votes. Given the intensity and focused effort of the opposition, and the extraordinary volume of personal attack mailers against me, I view that number as their ceiling and not their floor.

Voters in November will evaluate us – not by how many negative hit pieces we mail, but by how many thousands of district residents we will help rise from the depths of poverty and dependency to find jobs for themselves, and a future for their families

So I am excited by our prospects. I will work as hard as I possibly can over the next five months and will continue to pound home the issues. Again, I value your friendship and support and greatly appreciate all the help you have given me. In looking forward, I ask for your continued support. Donations are needed now more than ever, so please visit our website at: http://parksforsupervisor.com/action/donate.php

We must have a Supervisor who will represent your best interests at heart. With your continuing support, I am confident I will be the next Supervisor of the 2^nd District.

Gratefully,

Councilmember Bernard C. Parks' Amazing Race Continues!

These pictures are from Council member Bernard C. Parks' full day of campaigning (Amazing Race) for Supervisor.



Picture 1. Council member Parks and former USC and current Arizona Cardinal Quarterback Matt Leinart meet on the campaign trail in Culver City to attend the practice of a youth football league they brought to the community.


Picture 2. and Picture 3. Council member Parks rides the bumper cars at the Kiwanis Carnival in Hawthorne.

Picture 4. Council member Parks greets people in the early morning hours at a bowling alley in Westchester.




Picture 5. Current 2nd District Supervisor Yvonne Braithwaite-Burke joins Parks on his campaign bus as they move from Koreatown to Culver City.




-Posted by the Bernard C. Parks for Supervisor Campaign