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Life & Times Transcript
10/06/05 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- Olvera Street was a financial mess. Then this man was brought in to clean it up. Did he do it? Rushmore Cervantes>> It takes time. I mean, as we say, the problems have been here for years. You're not going to fix everything overnight. Val Zavala>> And then, the Red Cross is in need of a little help after some harsh criticism. We hear from both sides of the debate over whether the Red Cross is the best place for your donations. It's all straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> We often hear about government departments and programs that are inefficient, poorly managed and plagued with financial problems. Well, Olvera Street, the birthplace of Los Angeles, was one of those places. So about a year ago, a new manager was brought in to reform Olvera Street. How did he do? Hena Cuevas went back to find out. Hena Cuevas>> When Rushmore Cervantes accepted his new post last year, he inherited one of the city's worst financial messes. Rushmore Cervantes>> It takes time. The problems have been here for years. You're not going to fix everything overnight. Hena Cuevas>> The mess he was assigned to fix also happens to be the birthplace of Los Angeles, the landmark El Pueblo, a complex of twenty-seven historic buildings that include Olvera Street. This is where Los Angeles began in 1781 and it's estimated that more than two million people visit each year. But in 2004, serious questions started surfacing regarding the management of El Pueblo which is run by the city of Los Angeles. Laura Chick>> Olvera Street has been under-achieving and, again, not because of the tenants and the business owners, but because of the city not really managing it in the right way. Hena Cuevas>> We spoke with Los Angeles City Controller, Laura Chick, last year when she first got a phone call reporting serious problems at El Pueblo, rumors that money was missing, employees weren't being properly supervised and buildings were falling apart. Prompted by that call, Chick sent a group of auditors. She was shocked by what they found. Laura Chick>> Cash in different desk drawers, boxes of unpaid invoices, receipts all over the place, no sense of what was going on in terms of revenue from the parking lots which are busy parking lots. It was a mess. Hena Cuevas>> So she launched an audit. It painted a picture of widespread mismanagement at El Pueblo. Not only was money missing, but after years of neglect, most of the buildings were in desperate need of repair. Laura Chick>> To be performing the business functions and operations of a Los Angeles city department in the way that we found is not only embarrassing. It's disgraceful. Hena Cuevas>> But most worrisome was the fact that many of the businesses owed back rent totaling almost a quarter of a million dollars. Also the four parking lots which bring in half of the department's revenue weren't being properly supervised. There was no system in place to track how much money was coming in or where it was going. Who is being held responsible for this? Laura Chick>> The mayor of the city of Los Angeles is the person who is directly over general managers and the final buck stops at the mayor's door. I'm very hopeful that, in jumping on the audit recommendations, this is going to be turned around now. Hena Cuevas>> It was in late 2004 after the audit that then mayor James Hahn took action. He appointed Cervantes, a former stockbroker and long-time city employee, as general manager. Cervantes took over after the previous manager resigned. He was given twelve months to turn things around, so has he done it? Twelve months later, there are some visible changes at Olvera Street, such as the construction of a brand new handicapped access ramp, as well as some desperately needed public restrooms. However, Cervantes says the most significant changes aren't those the public can necessarily see. He has made significant improvements in the financial management of El Pueblo. Rushmore Cervantes>> To the average person coming in, they will not see it, but I think the important thing is to note that Laura Chick, the Controller, sees those things. She sees what's going on behind the administrative doors and it's important that the public know that the taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and smartly. Hena Cuevas>> And as promised, a year later Chick's auditors came back. Laura Chick>> It was wow, and it was so wonderful for me because, as the big bad auditor of the city of Los Angeles, I'm usually highlighting what's wrong. I got to circle back after a really bad situation a year ago and say things have gotten so much better. Hena Cuevas>> The most pressing issue facing Cervantes was to get the merchants who were past due to pay what they owed. He gave them an ultimatum. Either they paid or they had to leave. Rushmore Cervantes>> It was relatively easy. It was just a matter of just follow-up and doing what you say, and we were very serious. If they didn't pay up by a certain date, we were ready to have them evicted. Hena Cuevas>> His tough approach worked and the back rent was paid. As for the problem with the money from the parking lots, that function is now under another city department. New mechanical arms and ticket dispensers were installed to help track receipts. Laura Chick>> I think to have turned around, even though it's a small department, it was a mess. To turn something around like that from top to bottom in twelve months is fabulous. Hena Cuevas>> Cervantes' hands-on approach to the management of El Pueblo extends beyond the administrative. Rushmore Cervantes>> Right now we've done quite a bit with some of the minor repairs, working on some of the museums, repairing them, restoring them to a status where they can be shown or viewed. Hena Cuevas>> And it's not just the museum. The impact of years of neglect on all of these buildings makes fixing them a top priority. For example, last year when we visited this store, it had just suffered extensive water damage. Rushmore Cervantes>> "Now we just got to get an estimate as to product damage." Hena Cuevas>> The store now has a new ceiling, but that's not all. Cervantes wants merchants to know about the long-term plans for Olvera Street. Rushmore Cervantes>> "Obviously, we're not going to begin work in here for at least another twelve to eighteen months, but that's something to consider down the road as we start doing the seismic work here as well as the renovation." Hena Cuevas>> This includes a facelift for the stands along Olvera Street, as well as upgrades in electrical and plumbing. No more audits? Rushmore Cervantes>> No, there's always going to be audits. It's checks and balances. If we didn't have them, then people have a tendency to get lax. But if you know they're always there, then, you know, you're going to stay on your toes and make sure you do the right things. [Film Clip] Hena Cuevas>> And apparently, he must be doing something right, considering new mayor Antonio Villaraigosa offered to make his temporary position permanent. [Film Clip] Hena Cuevas>> Cervantes accepted. He says he wants to make sure he can continue to help this part of Los Angeles history reclaim its original glory. I'm Hena Cuevas for Life and Times. [Film Clip] Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> Since Hurricane Katrina, Americans have given more than a billion dollars to relief organizations. Now the lion's share of that has gone to the Red Cross, but now there is criticism surfacing that the Red Cross may not be the best place to send your donations. Toni Guinyard looks at both sides of the issue beginning with a vocal critic of the Red Cross, the head of Operation U.S.A. Toni Guinyard>> Mr. Walden, first of all, the money pit article. It got a lot of attention. Why did you write that? Richard Walden>> I thought it was very important because FEMA had put out a list which nobody asked them to do that included not only Red Cross and Second Harvest, who do good work, but eleven religious charities. They also gave the Red Cross an enormous leg up on the gold standard charities that we all knew respond to mass disasters in Africa or the tsunami. I'm including World Vision Care, Catholic Relief, Save the Children, versus -- Toni Guinyard>> -- the big charities that we've all heard. Richard Walden>> The brand names. And they know how to deal with mass care. So there was quite a bit of upset. It wasn't about jealousy or ego or any of that. It was that the Red Cross very honestly says that they do not work beyond the emergency phase, and the rest of us are all about rebuilding communities. Toni Guinyard>> Now they call themselves first responders. When there is a disaster or a disaster has been declared, Red Cross goes and gets immediate help to the people. But past that, you're saying -- Richard Walden>> Past that, they do not fund non-Red Cross organizations even if they have a gigantic amount of money left over like they did on 9/11. H.T. Linke>> The article itself is full of misinformation and we're just trying to provide people with the right information so they can make the right decision. People have donated money to us with the belief that it's going to go to the victims and we've said very clearly that it is. When people donate and say I want this to go to Katrina or Rita victims, that's where it's going to go. It's not going to go to some other fund. It's not going to be spent anywhere else. One of the things the Red Cross does is we honor donor intent and we're very serious about it. We won't take your money unless we absolutely know that you understand how we're going to use it and, once we've taken it, we're going to come back to you to say this is how the money was used. We're going to honor donor intent. If a donor wants their funds to go for Katrina and Rita, that's where it's going to go. Richard Walden>> At the end of the day, they're going to be billing the government for some of the core services like those hotel and motel vouchers which they've admitted to being over a hundred million dollars and they've admitted getting reimbursed for it. Toni Guinyard>> You're referring to, in the case of the Katrina victims, that FEMA is supplementing or paying for some of the hotel vouchers for the emergency housing. Why is that such a big deal? Richard Walden>> They make it a secret -- Toni Guinyard>> -- they who? Richard Walden>> FEMA and the Red Cross is, in my view, colluded to keep some things that are obvious to professionals in the field from the donating public because they're afraid it will depress donations to the Red Cross. One of them has always been about donated blood being processed and resold not for profit, but it's resold at high prices to hospitals. Secondly, FEMA does consider the Red Cross a first responder and does reimburse some, but not all, of their activities. Toni Guinyard>> A FEMA spokeswoman confirms that, under normal circumstances, the agency reimburses the Red Cross for the cost of transient or temporary housing for eligible evacuees, but only if the evacuee registers for FEMA assistance and no other housing is available. FEMA also reimburses for so-called invitational travel, the cost of transporting Red Cross workers who have been called up to staff-designated emergency operation centers. H.T. Linke>> Well, I think anytime money is in play, people may have some issues over how it's being distributed or spent or donated. Richard Walden>> They don't build houses. They don't provide medical care as opposed to first aid. They don't provide those kinds of things that people are going to need to rebuild. Toni Guinyard>> And what is your argument? That they should be providing that? Richard Walden>> When they have a large -- when any of the major relief groups has a surplus of funds beyond the emergency phase, there's a continuum into the rebuilding phase. The Red Cross says that's not our mission. We say that's fine, but you're the world's greatest fund raisers and, if you have the capability of attracting seventy-five percent of the money and virtually all the media -- even pop-up ads on every single website known to man pop up. Even if it's a negative story about the Red Cross, there will be a donate button that comes up in the middle of that piece. Because you have the ability, skill and sophistication to do that kind of fund raising, ought not you change your policy then so that, if there is a surplus, you look about the communities that your own chapters are part of and give them some funds to give out to other community groups working in your area? Not to relief agencies. None of us want a penny of their money, but we want to know that, when we make a fifteen thousand dollar contribution to a community clinic, people who have more money than Operation U.S.A. can come in and say that was a good idea. Let's give them some money too. H.T. Linke>> One of the things that people don't realize about the Red Cross is, we don't rebuild the houses. We're not going to do that kind of work. That's not what we do. There are other agencies that do that and do it better than we do. Habitat for Humanity, for example, is a good example of that. What the Red Cross does is focus on peoples' emergency urgent needs. What do they need right now? That's why we're providing financial assistance to those 529,000 people, to give them what they need right now before things like FEMA money, state money or local programs can all kick in. We're trying to deal with their emergency needs and give them that bridge that they need to get to the point where those other resources will kick in. Richard Walden>> They're the masters along with Salvation Army of shelter and tracing and doing the kind of quasi governmental work, but the rest of us are very good at community rebuilding and we're good at evaluating what the needs are of the next phase. We want all of us to be able to work alongside the Red Cross instead of facing this impenetrable and, I believe, arrogant bureaucracy that they've become. H.T. Linke>> I think it's unfortunate when donors maybe get the feeling that their money is not going to the right place and, if there's any donor out there that feels that way, I want to assure them that the Red Cross is going to honor donor intent. We are spending their money as they intended to help the victims of Katrina and Rita. We've already spent five hundred twenty-one million dollars just putting emergency funds in peoples' pockets. That's cash in hand. If that's not helping people, if that's not spending the money the way the donors wanted us to, I don't know what is. Toni Guinyard>> Clearly there is going to be a public relations hit for the Red Cross on this. I'm sure they're feeling it now and people being hesitant about donating. Do you have a concern that that's going to trickle down to all of the nonprofits, yours included? Richard Walden>> Well, that has been the historical reason that charities cover for each other. Toni Guinyard>> We've talked a lot about the Red Cross and other nonprofits, but what about Operation U.S.A.? What are you doing at this point? Richard Walden>> Well, our little nonprofit which does not have a billion dollars -- we've collected about seven hundred thousand -- has already made over five hundred thirty thousand dollars in cash grants to thirty-six clinics in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi with an eye towards getting them back and dealing with the needs of evacuees. Toni Guinyard>> Richard Walden, Operation U.S.A., thank you so much for opening our eyes and teaching us a few things, and thanks for spending a little time with Life and Times. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Larry Mantle>> Welcome to FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm Larry Mantle of 89.3 KPCC. Our first film this week, "In Her Shoes", is directed by Curtis Hanson and stars Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine. [Film Clip] Larry Mantle>> I'm joined this week by critics Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com and Andy Klein of City Beat and Valley Beat. Henry, what did you think of "In Her Shoes"? Henry Sheehan> Well, this is the "dreaded chick flick", you know, that all men are terrified of, but I have good news for everybody. I mean, not only does this fulfill the expectations of a chick flick, but it also has a broad appeal for a whole audience. This movie is directed by Curtis Hanson, a wonderful director. I think "LA Confidential" is probably his most famous movie. But his last movie was "Eight Miles", a music success story, an old-time story that he gave as much depth to as he could, and that's what he does for this comedy drama with Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette as a pair of mismatched sisters who go their separate ways for a while before they ultimately reconcile and, of course, you know they're going to reconcile. What Hanson does is, he gives real human depth and detail to what's going on between these two characters, both to the characterizations themselves and the comedy romance itself. He also keep showing MacLaine under control which is in and of itself worth seeing. This is a good movie. Larry Mantle>> Andy, do you agree? Andy Klein>> Absolutely. I was one of those dreading this because it did sound like it was going to be like "Steel Magnolias" or "Fried Green Tomatoes" which is just not my bag. To my great surprise, I laughed, I cried, I did all those things. Again, it is hard for me to pin down what it is in Curtis Hanson's work that he seems to be able to pull off these genres that frankly, you know, I don't think he should be able to do, but he does. "LA Confidential" was in a genre I loved, but the last three films have all been things that seem to me kind of soft and, you know, just material that shouldn't work. I think a lot of it is that, when he's directing ensemble casts, he's really terrific. Larry Mantle>> Next up is the animated feature "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit". Animator Nick Park brings his claymation figures to their first ever feature length film. [Film Clip] Larry Mantle>> Well, Andy, we've been waiting a long time. Those of us fans of Wallace & Gromit get a feature length version. How does this play off? Andy Klein>> Very, very well. This is really more of the same and I had some worry about that because the others have maxed out at about a half hour, "Close Shave", "Wrong Trousers" and "Grand Day Out". But in fact he manages to sustain it for what's roughly an hour and a half. In this story, Wallace and Gromit are running a pest control outfit called Anti-Pesto and they're rounding up rabbits that are munching everybody's vegetables, but because they're humane, they just keep them in the basement. Wallace does an experiment that unfortunately creates a were-rabbit that terrorizes the neighborhood just like it's a hundred feet tall or something. It's very funny stuff. There's jokes all over in the background that's really dense with little jokes that maybe kids wouldn't get, but they're great for adults. It really is just like the earlier ones. The animation is great. Gromit is amazingly expressive for somebody who doesn't have a mouth, so it's terrific. Larry Mantle>> Do you agree, Henry? Henry Sheehan>> To a large extent, ninety percent. As Andy says, in the background, it's wonderful especially when they have a lot of rabbits running around and just no more than a cocked eyebrow or something like that or even a glance at the camera and it looks hilarious. My only problem with the movie was they seemed to have been a little nervous about filling out a feature and the beginning of the film has a lot about Wallace's invention. They're much more sophisticated and grandiose than they are in the shorts and I didn't think that was necessary and I got a little impatient with the way they worked out. But once they got past that, I just fell in love with the movie and it's just wonderful. Larry Mantle>> And were the inventions, at least -- because in the shorts, the inventions were pretty funny. Henry Sheehan>> They're funny, but they're much more sophisticated which I think goes against the grain of the cottage-like English attitude that so made the shorts rewarding. I just think they overstepped their own creativity there. Larry Mantle>> And finally, our film "Good Night, And Good Luck", takes us back to the Tiffany era of CBS News and particularly acclaimed journalist, Edward R. Murrow. This is the second feature to be directed by George Clooney, who has a smaller role in the film. David Strathairn stars as Murrow. [Film Clip] Larry Mantle>> Well, Henry, what did you think of "Good Night, And Good Luck"? Henry Sheehan>> I thought this was a good movie in a genre I usually don't trust, which is the historical recreation, the docudrama or whatever. It's set in 1953 and 1954 when Joseph McCarthy, the senator from Wisconsin, was conducting the witch hunts, going after supposed communists in the State Department who, of course, weren't there. A lot of people who know about McCarthy know that it's ultimately brought down by the Army-McCarthy Hearings. But before that, the CBS journalist, Edward R. Murrow, took him on in a rather lonely crusade. David Strathairn plays Murrow here. George Clooney who directed the film plays Fred Friendly, his famous producer. The film is really good at evoking the backstage aura of a big high-pressure news organization. Everybody's smoking and wearing the black suits. And the historical footage is cut in beautifully. This is a black and white film, very well shot. Just very engrossing and there's a lot of suspense to it because, even though in a way we know how it turned out, in another way we don't know about the less known lives that were ruined and that we see ruined in this movie. Larry Mantle>> What did you think, Andy? Andy Klein>> I loved this movie. I thought it looked great. It was totally absorbing. He keeps it down to about ninety minutes, which is very rare for this kind of thing. He also makes a great casting decision by not having an actor playing McCarthy, but just using clips of McCarthy which already apparently most audiences think is over the top. But, you know, that was the guy. It's filled with parallels to what's going on right now and I don't think that Clooney actually went out of his way to find these parallels and shove them up front. The fact is that there's a lot of it there. You watch the McCarthy Hearings and you start thinking of Bill O'Reilly. I mean, the manner is not dissimilar. So I thought this was really good at being political without really ramming it down peoples' throats. Larry Mantle>> We thank you for joining us for another FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm Larry Mantle of 89.3 KPCC joined by critics Andy Klein of City Beat and Valley Beat, and Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com. Please join us again next week for our next edition of FilmWeek on Life and Times. Val Zavala>> And, of course, you can hear a full hour of FilmWeek on KPCC every Friday morning at eleven a.m. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks so much for watching. We'll see you tomorrow. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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