INSIDE INGLEWOOD- In the June 27 edition of the city’s “official” paper, Inglewood Today, owner Willie Brown laid down a thick layer of libel that could get the city sued.
Brown spent half a page stating that Inglewood's only independently owned newspaper, the Morningside Park Chronicle, is owned by former council members. He also stated that the Chronicle “is not a legal newspaper.” (Full disclosure: I am the editor-in-chief to the Chronicle.)
And, Brown made the patently false statement that the publisher of the Chronicle “… said newspapers don’t need to be licensed! Really!”
Really. Whether Brown is insincere or incompetent may well be decided in a civil court of law. And as the City of Inglewood is the primary source of funding to Brown’s paper, his statements may contribute to the city’s ongoing financial woes.
Inglewood Today is paid monthly out of the city’s funds, and the City of Inglewood has a staggering structural deficit.
A call made to the City of Inglewood Department of Finance provided the first clue that something was clearly wrong with Brown’s statements. Sherry Jones answered the simple question regarding newspaper business licenses: “The City of Inglewood does not require business licenses for newspapers.”
Chief Assistant City Attorney Kenneth R. Campos corroborated Jones’ statement. “The City [of Inglewood] does not issue licenses to newspaper entities.”
Inglewood Today owner Willie Brown has no business license for his newspaper. Nevertheless, he elected to engage in a political attack that was funded by tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars in an attempt to destroy a legal business. Such behavior may well have violated criminal and civil laws and statutes.
Owing to the intimate and on-going financial and political relationships between Brown and Inglewood's mayor, James T. Butts, there could be a number of entities named in a lawsuit.
(Randall Fleming is a veteran journalist and magazine publisher. He has worked at and for the New York Post, the Brooklyn Spectator and the Los Feliz Ledger. He is currently editor-in-chief at the Morningside Park Chronicle, a monthly newspaper based in Inglewood, CA and on-line at www.MorningsideParkChronicle.com. Views expressed and/or conclusions reached by Mr. Fleming are his and do not necessarily reflect those of CityWatch.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 11 Issue 70
Pub: Aug 30, 2013