By Ramy Eletreby

Community Celebrates Betty Berzon; GLASS Planning New Group Home

On Feb. 26, more than 300 community members celebrated the life of gay therapist, activist, and author Betty Berzon at a memorial service at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel. One of Berzon's proudest achievements was her involvement with the founding of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center in 1971. Berzon died Jan. 24 at the age of 78 after a long battle with breast cancer. Among those paying tribute were actress Judith Light, Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass), L.A. City Councilmembers Wendy Gruel and Bill Rosendahl. West Hollywood Councilmember John Duran also attended as a member of the Gay Men's Chorus, which performed.

On Feb. 22, about 30 people attended a planning meeting for GLASS (Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services) at actor Chad Allen's home to brainstorm fund-raising ideas aimed at purchasing a site for GLASS' newest group foster home, The Bettys' House. Named after two Bettys -- Betty Berzon and activist Betty DeGeneres -- GLASS conceived The Bettys' House last year and has raised $700,000 toward its goal of $800,000. "We currently have 51 gay adolescents in group care who range in ages from 13-16 -- all are victims of abuse," said GLASS Executive Director Terry DeCrescenzo, Berzon's surviving partner of 33 years. "It is impossible to run a group home and break even -- for every four children, we need one staff member."

AHF Closes Carl Bean AIDS Hospice

On Feb. 26, as a result of severe cuts in funding approved by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) was forced to close its Carl Bean House, L.A.'s only AIDS hospice and 24-hour residential HIV/AIDS nursing care facility. The 25-bed facility opened in 1992 in the West Adams District and offered L.A. residents, primarily from the African American and Latino communities, access to quality HIV/AIDS care and services.

Since last February, the Board of Supervisors approved reduced funding for the Carl Bean House from $1.7 million to $550,000, which AHF said in a statement, represented a 40 percent reduction in the facility's overall operating budget.

"Nineteen years ago, we fought an historic battle to create hospice and residential care facilities for people who were dying from AIDS and who were living on the streets in Los Angeles County," said AHF president Michael Weinstein. "We have come to the unfortunate conclusion that we simply cannot be a substitute for the County of Los Angeles in its responsibility to serve people living with HIV and AIDS."

IN will have more on this story in our next issue.

HIV Names Bill Clears California Assembly Committee

On Feb. 21, the California Assembly Health Committee voted in favor of Senate Bill 699, which would require HIV cases to be reported to local health officials by name rather than by code, and requires local health officials to report those names to the state Department of Health Services. Beginning October 2006, under the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, the government will allocate federal HIV/AIDS funds to state and local governments based on the number of HIV cases, rather than estimated living AIDS cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that the most accurate method of HIV test data collection is by name of the test subject. Currently, California uses a code-based system for HIV reporting, which will no longer be accepted by the CDC and could cost California up to $50 million annually in federal HIV/AIDS funding. Such funds are largely used to pay for medical care and drugs for low-income HIV/AIDS patients without health insurance.

SB 699 passed the Senate on Jan. 18 with a 33-0 vote and is currently sitting with the state Appropriations Committee before heading to Gov. Schwarzenegger's desk.

Gays Play a Role at GOP Convention

The California Republican Party faithful fretted for weeks before their convention in San Jose Feb. 24-26 over whether to punish Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for selecting openly gay Democrat Susan Kennedy as his chief of staff. Ironically, two openly gay Republicans helped squash the far-right rebellion.

"It became very clear early on that the activist trying to damage the governor with a series of embarrassing resolutions had a limited constituency at the convention," Jeff Bissiri, director of Log Cabin Republicans of California and member of the Party Resolutions Committee, told IN. "The most offensive of those resolutions, calling for the party to rescind its endorsement of the governor (sometimes referred to as the Susan Kennedy Resolution), was the first to be heard in the Resolutions Committee. Log Cabin member Brian Perry moved to oppose the resolution and I spoke in favor of his motion. The vote was unanimous and the resolution was killed."

Schwarzenegger's former opponent in the recall election, conservative state Sen. Tom McClintock, called for party unity, concerned that grievances over Kennedy and the governor's expansive budget proposals could affect turnout in down-ticket races, including his own race for lieutenant governor.

Judge Rob Sandoval Dies

Consider the times: It was 1978, the year after Anita Bryant and Rev. Jerry Falwell launched the right wing anti-gay crusade that continues today. At the behest of his boss, Los Angeles City Attorney Burt Pines, openly gay Rand Schrader recruited openly gay attorney Robert J. Sandoval into the ranks of the city's prosecutors.

At a time when exposure could mean the loss of a career, being openly gay was a courageous act. After a lifetime of embodying integrity, on Feb. 28 Superior Court Judge Rob Sandoval died at City of Hope Hospital; he was 56.

A 1976 graduate of the McGeorge School of Law, Sandoval served briefly as a prosecutor in Santa Barbara before being recruited by Schrader. "The sense was that a person who was openly gay wouldn't try for a position as a prosecutor, so they were recruiting homosexuals," Sandoval said in a 2003 interview with the L.A. Daily Journal.

In 1984 he was appointed a Municipal Court commissioner, and later a Superior Court commissioner where he served for 16 years. In 2000 Gov. Gray Davis appointed him to the bench.

"People loved him everywhere he had been," his longtime friend Superior Court Judge Michael Nash told the Journal. "The guy had a wonderful courtroom demeanor. He never got flustered. He had this firm but gentle way about him. You just couldn't help but like him ... [H]e proved himself to be the finest commissioners on the Los Angeles Municipal Court, and when he applied to Superior Court for commissioner in 1997, he was rated the number one person."

Four years ago, Sandoval survived a grueling bout with cancer of the liver and bone marrow, as well as lymphoma, with the help of his partner of 23 years Bill Martin, their adopted son Harrison (now 13), openly gay oncologist Arturo Molina, and pictures of Tahiti. "He kept saying, 'I've got to get through this. My Bill needs my help. My son needs my help. I've got to see my son grow up.' He was hell-bent on getting through it -- and he did," Martin told IN.

The family traveled extensively once Sandoval recovered, but the intense radiation and chemotherapy treatments took their toll, surprising him with a leukemia diagnosis in January. "This time it was harder for him to beat," Martin said. The chemotherapy was harder to tolerate, and he started having heart problems. He ended up in the hospital for his Feb. 23 birthday, surrounded by family and friends.

"It was a roller coaster ride," Martin said. "On Saturday night (Feb. 25) I brought him some short ribs -- which are his favorite -- and he ate real good. But his fever went up and down. Harrison and I stayed until 10:30. He was feeling so down. I crawled into bed with him and put my arms around him. He said, 'What will the nurses think?' I said, "I don't think they really care.' He was half-serious, but Rob was always about being respectable. His spirits were fighting, but I could tell that physically he didn't have a lot left."

The next day Sandavol suffered cardiac arrest and went into a coma. On Monday Martin got a call from ICU -- Sandoval's staff and 10 judges wanted to see him. "I told them that Rob might not make it. They're coming to say goodbye," Martin told the nurse. Sandoval died at 11:05 the next morning.

"I just want him here," Martin said, choking back tears. "My son is having a hard time. He's trying to be so stoic. He says, 'Pop -- he called Rob 'Dad' and me 'Pop' -- we have to be strong for each other. He's right -- we're strong and we're getting through it the best we can."

Sandoval's funeral is scheduled for March 8 at Forest Lawn in Glendale. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Lance Armstrong Foundation at www.livestrong.org. -- Karen Ocamb