Is the "Connected Non-Profit" Legacy LA on the move with "discretionary funding help" from Councilman Huizar?

Legacy LA meeting agenda from September 22, 2010.

"Is Legacy LA GRYD programing derided from established City of LA Recreation and Parks programs?"

"Why is Legacy LA conducting programing in a Recreation and Parks facility?"

Is this person the cousin of Legacy LA Executive Director Lou Calanche? Does Calanche' mom also work for Legacy LA? Sounds like nepotism reigns at Legacy LA.

Did Legacy LA just receive $200,000 dollars from Councilman Jose Huizar as stated to me by Hazard Park/ Ramona Gardens Community Member Lupe Andrade via Lou Calanche? What were the "political conditions" of this monetary gift if Calanche's comments to Andrade are true?

We get phone calls and documents..........

Two weeks ago, i received a phone call from a friend who forwarded my contact information to someone who wanted to discuss with me some information she had on the "Connected Non-Profit Legacy LA. Lupe Andrade, who father and brothers I have known for years, wanted to discuss some issues with Legacy after visiting their Hazard Park Armory location. It seems to Andrade that some of Legacy's practices were questionable to say the least, joining other community members who question Legacy's true purpose for being.

Legacy LA was plain and simply a political creation to award friends of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilman Jose Huizar. The original designated front people for Legacy LA, Jenny Krusoe and Carlos Alvarado have move on leaving Krusoe's Executive Director choice Lou Calanche, the chore of accounting for the public money allocated to Legacy and dispensing in form of patronage jobs. Make no mistake, Legacy LA is just a front for the politicos to deposit money and for what? That answer may become clear before March's elections.

Judging from the programs listed on the documents above, Legacy LA programing is a not-too-cheap rip off on existing Recreation and Parks programing. Is this by mistake or is there something sinister here? In the past, we have noted that Calanche has made statements regarding her goal to provide recreation programing in El Sereno, Lincoln Heights and Boyle Heights. Thus, the question here is whether Calanche had the blessings of the likes of Councilman Huizar and Mayor Villaraigosa to use awarded GRYD contract money in this way. (** We should note that the 2010 financial statement from Community Partners shows that Legacy LA received $358,200 in public money, page 32 of PDF) This should raise a red flag from the likes of AFSCME union reps who are facing further cutbacks in budgeted employee hours.

Then one should also note the "possible illegal usage" of the Hazard Park Recreation Center. It seems that Legacy LA has no permits to conduct programing at the facility. Most, if not all groups pay a fee for facility usage. Question here to Ms. Calanche is this, where are your copies of the paid for permits? And if there are no permits, who "in-house" set this up and how? Lastly what happen to the supposed programing that Calanche stated would be on-going at the Armory in a recent Eastern Group Publication story?

As the story stated above, Calanche makes the outlandish statement that they are expanding programing into Ramona Gardens, when the truth is that they have been attempting to recruit youth away from the Ramona Gardens Recreation Center. But then maybe there is another "political motive" for moving into space in Ramano Gardens. As Calanche stated to Lupe Andrade, part of the condition for receiving the $200,000 from Huizar, was to counter the popular community support for CD 14 Council Candidate Rudy Martinez. It seems that Huizar is willing to use his "discretionary money" to buy patronage and support.

That's if Lou Calanche is telling the truth.

Your thoughts..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14