By Ramy Eletreby

Act Now Against Meth Coalition Holds Vigil

On Feb. 10, the Act Now Against Meth Coalition held a candlelight vigil on the corner of Santa Monica and San Vicente Boulevards to demand that the government address the crystal meth epidemic. West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land and state Assemblymember Paul Koretz joined approximately 100 demonstrators in raising awareness about the dangers of methamphetamine. Coalition members gathered signatures for a petition to be presented to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. "Most of the government programs out there are for AIDS prevention services. There aren't any for crystal meth, so the reason for this petition is to tell the government to get involved," said Brad Estrin, of the Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team, one of the coalition sponsors. Other sponsors include The Wall Las Memorias, Midtowne Spa, Being Alive, Van Ness Intervention Team, and BiLatinMen.com.

To sign the petition, go to www.actnowagainstmeth.org.

Herndon Davis Celebrates His TV Talk Show

On Feb. 12, Herndon Davis hosted a party at iCandy Lounge in West Hollywood to celebrate the expansion of his TV talk show, The Herndon Davis Reports, airing nationally on the Dish Network via The Healthy Living Channel, #223. Guests included Palm Springs Mayor Ron Oden, and two-time best-selling author J.L. King, who wrote the controversial On the Down Low, which addresses homophobia in the black community. The Herndon Davis Reports is the world's first black, gay-focused, primetime TV talk show airing in 17 million households nationwide on cable/satellite television. Oden sermonized on the necessity of financially supporting black activists who assert their equality as human beings. Oden noted that the late Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks serve as models of passion and strength which Davis emulates in the current strife for sexual equality and gay marriage.

APLA/GMHC Launch MySexyCity.com

Looking for a fresh way to hook up Internet-savvy, quick-to-click youth ages 18-29, especially young gay and bisexual men of color, with information to help them make better sexual and lifestyle choices, AIDS Project Los Angeles and the New York-based Gay Men's Health Crisis launched a new interactive Web-site, www.MySexyCity.com on Feb. 14.

Developed by the Institute for Gay Men's Health, a collaborative APLA/GMHC think tank devoted to innovative research into HIV prevention and policy, MySexyCity.com features animated characters who engage the visitor in making choices in "true-to-life" situations, including sexually explicit oral sex and how to properly put on a condom.

The site uses a colorful, music-thumping, non-judgmental, harm-reduction model to help youth learn about the consequences of risky behavior.

An estimated 31 percent of young gay and bisexual men are living with HIV in the United States, APLA Executive Director Craig Thompson said during a Webcast demonstration, higher rates than the 20-30 percent rates in the 1980s and '90s. Additionally, a recent CDC report noted that almost 50 percent of black gay men are HIV positive. MySexyCity.com, Thompson said, "is one of the first attempts to use the Internet to reach young gay men of color." -- Karen Ocamb

Chavez Trial Date Set

The trial of the Alhambra couple accused in the October death of 2-year-old foster child Sarah Chavez is expected to start March 1 in Pasadena.

Frances and Armando Abundis say they don't know how Sarah got her fatal injury, a severed intestine the medical examiner said came from a human blow. The Abundises, Sarah's great aunt and uncle, had custody of her since April, when a court removed Sarah from the happy foster home of an L.A. lesbian couple, Corri Planck and Diane Hardy-Garcia.

Sarah was placed with the Abundises despite signs they abused her. The foster parents saw bruises on the toddler and reported that Sarah cursed at and tried to choke them. She also exhibited signs of molestation -- putting objects in her vagina. A recent probe of the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services found six to eight workers might have acted negligently in ways that may have led to Sarah's death.

The state separately investigated and faulted staff at Garfield Medical Center, who noticed signs of abuse but failed to act, in violation of state law. However, these staff members are now refusing to testify, and it's not known if the district attorney would forgo prosecution in exchange for their testimony.

In the pre-trial hearing, Frances Abundis' attorney, Alex Kessel, argued for dismissal, saying there's no evidence to tie her to the death. In the two-day window in which the injury must have occurred, Kessel noted that Francis' husband Armando spent time alone with Sarah. Additionally, Armando was stone-faced when the paramedics arrived the day Sarah died; Frances was crying uncontrollably. The judge ruled against Kessel.

The trial is expected to take three to four weeks. -- John Rabe, 89.3-KPCC

LB Councilmember Dan Baker Resigns

On Feb. 7, at the opening of the Log Beach City Council meeting, Councilmember Dan Baker announced his resignation from office effective the next day. In an emotional statement, Baker stated that he and very close friends and colleagues were victims of what he likened to a "witch hunt."

His resignation followed a recent front-page article in the Long Beach Press-Telegram that investigated Baker's real estate partnership in a $7.5 million investment with Steve James, president of the Long Beach Police Officers Association. The article raised questions about Baker's vote on a pay raise for police officers two weeks after the investment. Baker stated that there was "absolutely nothing improper with that as just about every legal mind who has spoken on the matter has said ... I personally am very certain that if something goes to the FPPC or is otherwise looked into there is absolutely nothing there to be of concern ... Yet I do have personal friends who are still under the microscope or having their personal and professional lives harmed unnecessarily and that concerns me greatly."

Baker, the only openly gay member of the Council, was elected to the Council by a special election in March 1999. Prior to that, he was an attorney and worked for the U.S. Customs Service as a federal law enforcement officer.

The City Council officially declared the 2nd District seat vacant at the Feb. 15 meeting and voted unanimously to hold a special election to fill the unexpired term. The election, expected to take place in June, will be a "winner take all" election in which the candidate receiving the largest number of votes will win and represent an area that includes the Port of Long Beach and a section of town deemed "the gay ghetto." -- Denise Penn

Koretz Denies Rumored Deal with Horton

Many gay Democrats were surprised when West Hollywood Assemblymember Paul Koretz endorsed Assemblymember Jerome Horton over Assemblymember Judy Chu in the State Board of Equalization (BOE) race.

"I really don't understand why Koretz is supporting Jerome Horton so strongly. Horton laid off more than 60 percent of all the votes in the assembly, including most of Paul's bills. They have nothing in common politically. There must be some sort of deal there," state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a Chu supporter, told IN.

Koretz, who is termed out this year, flatly denies there is a deal for him to become chief of staff if Horton wins the BOE seat, and then replace Horton if Horton wins a Senate seat, which would give Koretz a BOE credential in the 2008 race for Kuehl's seat.

"I've never asked; he's never offered." Koretz told IN. Koretz was chief of staff for BOE member Brad Sherman but is not keen on taxation issues. His focus will be on the 2008 race, not his "day job." He will not run for the West Hollywood City Council, though he reserves the right to change his mind. In the race to succeed him, Koretz endorsed former L.A. City Councilmember Mike Feuer over West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land because of Land's previous private votes on labor issues.

Koretz said he endorsed Horton because of their longtime friendship and because Horton is "highly qualified," having previously served on the BOE. This was the reason the West Hollywood Democratic Club voted a non-endorsement (Chu is better on LGBT issues), rather than pressure from him, as IN inaccurately reported.

Horton is not popular with many in the LGBT community. "We were extremely disappointed when Assemblyman Horton refused to vote for the marriage equality bill, even after he had committed to be the 41st vote if we got to 40. When we reached 40, and a member walked up to him, he shook his head no and refused to vote for the civil rights issue of the day," Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors told IN.

Koretz insisted, however, Horton was "playing a game of chicken" not eager to be the 41st vote. "I certainly am willing to cut him some slack as long as he wouldn't actually decide the issue. But if that bill had 40 votes, I just don't believe that ultimately he wouldn't have cast the deciding vote." -- Karen Ocamb

Kennedy Controversy Dogs Schwarzenegger

The California Republican Convention in San Jose Feb. 24-26 may ultimately be spun as a united party love fest, but the controversy leading up to the political gathering was fraught with hand wringing over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's openly gay chief of staff, Susan Kennedy. A week before the convention, under pressure from party leadership, the California Republican Assembly rescinded their call for a resolution to withdraw Schwarzenegger's re-election endorsement unless he fired Kennedy. Instead, the group spearheaded four resolutions openly challenging Schwarzenegger policies.

The "Susan Kennedy Resolution" reads in part: "Whereas, the appointment of said Susan Kennedy has damaged Republican morale and sent a strong message to Republican Party volunteers and members throughout the state that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger does not value the principals of the Republican Party, the ability of its members to govern, the years of service all Republicans have given to the Republican cause, and has especially damaged other Republicans running on the down ticket in the general election."

"I think it was a good spirit of compromise and allows policy issues that have been concerning Republicans in the state to be considered and aired," Mike Schroeder, author of the anti-Kennedy resolution, told the San Jose Mercury News about tabling the resolution. The four new resolutions criticize the budget, the bond proposal, support for a minimum wage increase, and judicial appointments.

Jeff Bissiri, president of the Log Cabin Club of California and a member of the state Republican Party's Resolutions Committee, was keenly aware of the proposed anti-Kennedy resolution. "A shrinking number of far right activists continue to posture and threaten to embarrass the governor at the convention with resolutions on a range of issues but central to them is his hiring of an open lesbian Democrat as his chief-of-staff," Bissiri told IN. "The LGBT community should not underestimate the hits the governor is willing to take on [Kennedy's] behalf. At the same time, in my opinion, a growing number of Republican Party faithful have had enough of the circular firing squad mentality of the far right. No statewide Republican candidate wants to see the governor removed from the top of the ticket or embarrassed by the convention and for good reason. Calls for a unified convention supporting the governor are growing, and as a member of the Resolutions Committee, that is the only message I will support."

Bissiri said a record number of Log Cabin members -- 14 delegates, some with seats on the Resolutions, Rules, and Executive Committees -- will attend the convention.

But the Kennedy controversy is far from over. According to the Los Angeles Times, Schwarzenegger intends to raise $120 million for the November election, about half for his re-election and the other half for the state party to help GOP candidates. One of his fund-raising tactics, the Times reported Feb. 16, is giving donors special access to Kennedy at private events, for which she is "to receive $7,500 per month from the campaign in addition to her $131,000 annual state salary." -- Karen Ocamb