| SFV NOW Press Conference Hits Home A February 27, 2002 press conference called by SFV/NELA NOW PAC denounced 40th district assembly candidate Andrei Cherny's accusation that fellow Democrat Lloyd Levine was not pro-choice because he had supposedly worked for a "South-Central" assemblyman who had purportedly opposed requiring health insurance policies to cover contraceptives for women. Cherny's campaign manager admitted that the entire charge was a fabrication after our press conference. SFV NOW leaders Linda Pruett, Cynthia Conover, and Jan Tucker pointed out that Levine had 100% pro-choice ratings form CARAL and Planned Parenthood. Based on the resulting newspaper coverage, three assembly members, one L.A. City Council member, a State Senator, a famous actor, and the L.A. County head of the Democratic Party -- all of whom had been backing or remaining neutral -- all publicly switched their support to Levine and he went on to win the nomination by a margin of 55%-45%. Interestingly, the absentee ballots, most of which were sent in before the press conference, had Cherny winning by a scant 70 votes. |
The Valley's Voice for Choice San Fernando Valley NOW |
| SFV/NELA NOW Hosts Forum on Secession August 7, 2002 -- 7-10 p.m. -- Cal State U. Northridge University Student Union - Thousand Oaks Room SFV/NELA NOW is sponsoring a forum on San Fernando Valley Secession issues to take place on August 7, at CSUN. We are inviting a panel of community leaders from all walks of life who have a variety of viewpoints on the issues confronting Valley voters and voters throughout Los Angeles. In formulating its own positions on the critical secession measures which will appear on the November ballot, SFV/NELA NOW wants to hear the proponents and opponents of secession address the down to earth critical concerns of people who want their government to give them safety, security, and equal access to government services. Amongst the issues that SFV/NELA NOW will raise with the panel and other participants are a wide range of concerns that we have repeatedly fought over with city government over the years. Will there be a new responsive government under the new L.A. Charter and Neighborhood Empowerment councils if we stay in America's second largest city or will we get better service from a new city....or worse??? --SFV NOW alone opposed the L.A. City Council when it abolished the separate civil service designation of "paramedic" and merged it in with firefighters, as a subterfuge by fire department management to rid itself of the troublesome paramedics' union. We predicted that it would lead to attrition out of the department of women, but little did we know it would cause a total staffing crisis amongst paramedics. How will LA address this problem? What about SFV? --The Catholic Healthcare West takeover of Northridge Hospital, oone of only two emergency units that the LAPD takes rape victims to in the Valley, jeopardized their access to emergency contraception. How will this be addressed by LA and/or SFV? |