By Ramy Eletreby

Allegations Lodged About WeHo Campaign Electioneering

In a nail-biting finish to the March 6 West Hollywood elections, the Russian community pushed the incumbents to a decisive win over vigorous opposition.

On March 19, the City Council certified that incumbents John Heilman, Abbe Land and Sal Guarriello won the election, with Land garnering 2,635 votes, Heilman getting 2,532 and Guarriello snagging 2,220. Former Councilmember Steve Martin finished fourth of 10 candidates with 1,867 votes. City Clerk Tom West told IN that 22 percent of West Hollywood’s 22,388 registered voters turned out, which he said was the highest for any municipality in Los Angeles County.

But the contentious campaign also raised questions about possible voting irregularities, according to Land’s deputy Lisa Belsanti, who has been a volunteer poll watcher “almost every Election Day, practically since I was in diapers with my dad.”

On Election Day, Belsanti was a poll watcher for the Land-Heilman campaign at Plummer Park. She was shocked to see candidate Ed Buck, who lives and votes in the Laurel Avenue area, hanging out at Fiesta Hall, a polling place on the eastside. She took photos (which IN has seen) to document what she believes was electioneering: influencing or intimidating voters within 100 feet of a polling place.

“The photos show a concerted effort on the part of a candidate for City Council to influence and/or intimidate Russian speaking voters who went to vote at Fiesta Hall and the community center,” Belsanti told IN.

On March 5, Belsanti gave the photos with an accompanying narrative to City Attorney Mike Jenkins, Mayor Heilman and West as an official complaint.

“I’m not happy about it,” Belsanti said. “But I did not expect to see a candidate running around with free access to voters inside a polling place. It was horrifying.” -Karen Ocamb

Bob Hattoy Celebration of Life on March 21

On March 21, a memorial will celebrate “the inspiration, wit and wisdom of Robert Hattoy,” the highly regarded environmentalist and AIDS activist who died March 3. The memorial will be held at St. James Church, 3903 Wilshire Blvd. at 5 p.m., followed by a celebration. Torie Osborn has set up a fund at the Liberty Hill Foundation to continue work on issues Hattoy cared about. Donations should be mailed to the Hattoy Memorial Fund c/o Liberty Hill Foundation, 2121 Cloverfield Blvd., Suite 113. Santa Monica, CA, 90404.

L.A. County Board of Supervisors Settles Bathhouse Lawsuit

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) applauded the L.A. County Board of Supervisors for favorably settling a lawsuit by the owners of nine bathhouses and commercial sex venues (CSV) throughout the city. The lawsuit was originally filed on March 3, 2006, just three days after the L.A. County Department of Health Services (DHS) required new regulations to take effect in 11 L.A.-area bathhouses and CSVs. The group of sex club owners sought injunctive relief from the new public health ordinance, which required the venues to provide improved access for HIV and STD testing as well as prevention service providers.

“We’re glad that this silly lawsuit has been settled and applaud the County for sticking to its guns on this important public health outreach to potentially high-risk populations,” said AHF President Michael Weinstein, in a statement. “We think it was hard for anyone to believe that people were actually going to these establishments just for the sauna. Now it’s time to get down to the real business of prevention in these venues: the distribution of condoms and prevention materials, as well as provision of free, rapid HIV testing.”

Bakersfield Couple Says Hospital Discriminated Against Them

A lesbian couple in Bakersfield is accusing San Joaquin Community Hospital of discrimination after a security guard kept one of them out of the emergency room to be with their daughter who was being treated for a fever on March 11. Donna Jones, 40, and Sharolyn Takata, 38, are registered domestic partners, but when Takata’s biological daughter was being treated, Jones was told by the security guard to remain in the waiting room while he allowed other couples to enter the emergency room.

“Instead of being there to support her, I wasn’t allowed back,” said Jones to the Contra Costa Times. “How do you explain to your daughter the security guard is anti-gay?”

The security guard cited crowding concerns as the primary reason for not allowing Jones inside the emergency room. However, according to Takata, crowding was not an issue as there were a few male-female couples inside at patients’ bedsides as well as several empty beds near their daughter. When Takata requested that Jones take her place inside, the security guard also denied it, reports the Bakersfield Californian.

Takata and Jones are asking for the security guard to be fired.

Rally at Capitol for Queer Youth Advocacy Day

More than 400 LGBT youth and their allies will rally at the Capitol in Sacramento on March 26 in recognition of Queer Youth Advocacy Day (QYAD) to encourage legislators to provide safe schools for every California student. The youth advocates will participate in leadership training activities before they meet with the state lawmakers.

A youth-led event designed to educate and empower leaders dealing with sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination and harassment in schools and communities, QYAD will feature young speakers relating their daily experiences about ending bias against LGBT youth.

KTLK drops Harrison on the Edge

To the extreme chagrin of his fervent fans, Cary Harrison, the openly gay host of “Harrison on the Edge,” broadcast on KTLK 1150 AM, has been let go. The move was part of Clear Channel’s “makeover” following the departure of Air America founder Al Franken, who anchored the progressive talk network. Franken was replaced by the former Mr. KABC and Mr. KFI, Marc Germain.

“Harrison has been one of the most dynamic and effective activists in the country, generating thousands and thousands of citizen messages to the California Legislature and our U.S. Congress with his nightly ‘Activism A-Go-Go’ segment. This last October he was also instrumental in organizing a massive peace parade led by Arun Gandhi,” supporters from The People’s Email Network wrote in an e-mail blast urging people to go to their “action page” to protest the dismissal. For more information, go to www.peaceteam.net/goharrison.php

Christian Youth Rally Held in “Gayest City of America”

A two-day event called BattleCry was held in San Francisco March 9-10, featuring performances by Christian rock bands and inspirational speakers to allow young Christians a forum to speak out against destructive cultural elements such as sex on television, obscene music and violent video games. Sponsored by a Christian ministry in Texas, BattleCry drew a crowd of over 20,000 Christian teenagers to AT&T Park in what is often referred to as “the gayest city in America.” There were no major disturbances from protestors.

“People are welcome to come to the city to celebrate whatever, but I think they're dead wrong,” said Thom Lynch, executive director of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. “And I feel sorry for some of the youth there that they’re being inculcated with a religious belief that doesn’t allow for any variances ... at all.”

Logo Launches on Local Time Warner Cable

Logo, a division of MTV Networks owned by Viacom International, celebrated its launch on Time Warner Cable in the Southern California region with a star-studded bash on March 8 at L.A.’s new nightclub, Boulevard 3. Hosted by Wilson Cruz, the party featured such gay notables as Lance Bass, Queer as Folk’s Peter Paige and Robert Gant, and music by Dangerous Muse and Erasure’s Andy Bell.

While the LGBT channel had been available in parts of L.A. for several months, the official launch puts Logo in approximately 2 million homes throughout the L.A. area.

Michael Kearns to Receive L.A. Weekly's "Queen of Angels” Award

Openly gay playwright/actor/teacher/activist Michael Kearns uses art to address issues of social justice. Always exquisitely honest, Kearns engenders such trust that audiences are moved to change, grasping that they are witnessing their own inner-most secrets revealed in Kearns’ performances and plays.

On April 9, L.A. Weekly will acknowledge Kearns’ 28 years of outstanding contributions to L.A. culture and the local theater community with its prestigious “Queen of Angels” Award.

The presentation is part of The L.A. Weekly Theatre Awards ceremony at the Music Box @ Fonda, 6126 Hollywood Blvd. (near Gower). For ticket information, call (323) 993-3693.

California Transgender Leadership Summit Set for March 23-25 at USC

The second annual California Transgender Leadership Summit will take place on the University of Southern California campus March 23-25 and is expected to attract nearly 200 local, state and national leaders to begin planning the next phase of California’s transgender rights movement. During the free summit, community leaders will plan the campaign, network and participate in skill-building workshops while presenters will speak about the state and goals of the transgender rights movement today. For more information, visit www.transgenderlawcenter.org/summit2007.