A Farewell From City Times Readers

With the announcement last month that City Times would cease publication after today’s edition, readers wrote and called with their reaction. Here are some of their comments:

ADRIANNE SHROPSHIRE

Community organizer, AGENDA

“It is not unusual to see reporters, note pads in hand, hanging around corners in south Los Angeles. Nor is it unusual to see news vans racing through the crowded, narrow streets that make up South-Central, southwest or southeast L.A. However, those reporters are usually rushing to cover some violent act that does not represent life in south Los Angeles. In contrast, reporters for City Times rushed to get the real stories, the stories that spoke of the realities of life in south Los Angeles. City Times will be missed by all of us who relied on the paper to bring us reports from the sectors of our city that we rarely hear about in any positive way. It will be missed by young people who can no longer turn to the Sports section and see themselves or their friends. It will be missed by those of us who surf the Billboard looking for something to do east of the Westside. And it will be missed by people in Koreatown who want to know what’s happening in South-Central, by people in South-Central who want to know what’s happening in East Los Angeles, and by people in East Los Angeles who want to know what’s happening in the Crenshaw district.’

*

RUDY CORDOVA

Senior vice president, Pico Union Residents for United Community

“It would be a shame to have this section of the paper close. Without this we don’t know what’s going on in this section of the city. It keeps me informed of what’s happening in other areas of Los Angeles besides Pico-Union. It’s a way of networking and coming together with other communities. The paper is read. It’s really sad to hear this. It’s sad. It’s really going to cause major problems. You have a very viable paper there. Closing it is going to affect a lot of people.’

*

JIMMY DODSON

President, Leimert Park Merchants Assn.

“City Times was one of the reasons I never missed the Sunday paper and why I started subscribing to The Times. It was crucial to a community like ours. The reason why The Times started it was because inner-city, minority communities were not getting coverage. The Times addressed it by coming up with City Times, which was terribly successful. The first thing I looked for was Crenshaw area news, then on to the Sports section, then other communities. I could read about their problems and their solutions. In terms of editorial merit, it was extremely successful. I hope they find a way to bring it back.’

*

H. COOKE SUNOO

Community Redevelopment Agency project manager for Wilshire Center-Koreatown

“City Times recognized that many different neighborhoods comprise the core of the city, and gave readers perhaps the only vehicle to see the composite pieces of individual neighborhoods. If I as a Korean American looked through City Times, I immediately would see that Central Americans and others also comprise the section of the city I’m interested in. With City Times, the Los Angeles Times recognized that the future of our city is in the future of our neighborhoods. It helped communities strengthen our own identities, thereby strengthening the social and economic fabric of the city.’

*

MIKE JARAMILLO

Employment director, Chicana Service Action Center

“It’s going to be a heartbreak. It’s going to hurt. City Times--You needed it.’

*

HIND BAKI

Spokeswoman, Good Samaritan Hospital

“I was so sad to hear about City Times. It’s one of my favorite sections of the paper. I read about things I never knew. This is the heart of L.A.’

*

MARK RIDLEY-THOMAS

Councilman, 8th District

“The elimination of City Times is a great loss for its readership. We have lost a great microphone, bridge and showcase. Born out of the civil unrest of 1992, it served in terms real and symbolic as a golden microphone for the community. It gave people a voice. City Times helped residents feel they were taken seriously, paid attention to, and empowered. City Times also served as a bridge across Central City neighborhoods. The staff was bright, energetic and reflected the diversity of the communities it covered. Each week, communication flowed across blocks and streets to diverse audiences. People were more informed and sensitive to the concerns of others. It enhanced our human relations. The newspaper was also an urban showcase that balanced the bad news with the good--good news and good people making a difference. It put a human face on the information. The closing down of City Times is Los Angeles’ loss. Regretfully, there is no comparable replacement.’

*

ROSARIO MARIN

Huntington Park councilwoman and chairwoman of the state Council on Developmental Disabilities

“I read with deep sorrow the decision to close the City Times section of your newspaper. While I may understand the fiscal realities that necessitate such action, I was disheartened by the severe void of coverage that this closure will leave. City Times was probably the best way to let people know what was happening at the local level. Not a money-maker for the Los Angeles Times, it indeed served as the information conduit for many of us in local government. Time and again I heard comments about what was happening in our city from many sources because they read it in City Times.’

*

FRANCISCO ANGUEIRA JR.

Los Angeles resident

“I just heard and I’m concerned about it. I read it every Sunday. I’ll miss it, especially all the information that I have gotten. Lots of people are no longer going to find out about lots of important events that are going on in the community.’

*

FRANKIE COLMANE

Los Angeles resident

“I started reading City Times almost a year ago. I am from France and have lived in Los Angeles for 3 1/2 years. Most of my friends come from another country or another state in America. They often dislike L.A. and think of it as being superficial. Every time I hear the complaint, I want to give them a copy of City Times. This paper has a heart. . . . The City Times, to me, was trying to create an understanding between communities and to reflect their taking actions to improve their living conditions, which is priceless in today’s shaky world. Showing people who believe in their own power to change their lives or at least improve them and who do it in such a positive way is, to me, one of the best ways to strengthen our weakening faith in tomorrow.’

*

CHANCHANIT HIRUNPIDOK

Executive director, Thai Community Development Center

“City Times gave a voice to the Thai community and others that didn’t have a chance to articulate their concerns and needs. It was a valuable resource for those of us trying to build communities in such a fragmented city. Los Angeles is such a vast expanse, but City Times sheds light on what we all have in common, and helps to give identities to communities that would otherwise be anonymous. I often read it more eagerly than Page 1 of The Times.’

* GABRIELLE SANCHEZ-GOYEN

LAPD community volunteer, Rampart and Northeast divisions

“City Times is the first section I read every Sunday. [The closing] is really unfortunate because it’s the only part of The Times that focuses on inner-city neighborhoods on a regular basis. It’s a loss. Usually you only see crime statistics or what’s going wrong in these neighborhoods. City Times focuses on positive things. It made me feel good when events that we’ve held and activities in the neighborhood are publicized. It’s really nice when you see something you recognize in the paper.’

*

KATHERINE MILLER

Country Club Park resident

“I will really miss this section. I read it cover-to-cover every week. One of the greatest strengths of the City Times has been its personalized reporting of high school athletes and athletics. It has been really helpful for their motivation and self-esteem. In these days of affirmative-action bashing, I believe the City Times has served a vital service in a megalopolis like Los Angeles. Isolation of the “haves” from the “have-nots,” of one community from another, cannot help but exacerbate the problems we face each day. I hope the City Times can be continued. It needs to be distributed across this city to all communities.’

*

LARRY FONDATION

Los Angeles resident

“Since its inception, City Times has admirably filled a gap in the coverage of the Los Angeles central city neighborhoods. The reporting was something I looked forward to; the news was something I could not get elsewhere. I will miss it. Best wishes to the dedicated staff.’

*

MARK A. KROEKER

LAPD deputy chief, commanding officer, LAPD South Bureau

“Every Monday morning on my way into the office I would wield my police car [into the City Times parking lot], pick up a copy and read it right on the hood of my car. It seemed to be the only place I could find out some things. I got addicted so I’m going to be going through withdrawals. I guess I’ll have to go through it cold turkey. It’s sad to see it go. I was hoping it could expand instead of disband.’

*

DAMIANA CHAVEZ

Los Angeles resident

“The cuts that The Times is making, especially the decision to kill City Times, have been like a death in the family. I want you and your staff to know how very much I’ve appreciated the consistently positive community input you’ve given the paper. You put into City Times what truly affects the community; your reporters always said, “Yes, things are bad but look at what some people are doing about it.” The articles and letters that your readers wrote were from the heart. I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss City Times. Thanks so much for a job well done.’