Lynwood : 27-Member Committee on Race Relations to Be Named

The Lynwood City Council has approved the establishment of a 27-member committee on race relations and selected two councilmen to serve on it.

Mayor Pro Tem Paul H. Richards, who first suggested the committee for the predominantly Latino and black community of 50,000, was chosen as chairman. Councilman Louis J. Heine was also chosen.

Twenty-five other members are expected to be selected by Sept. 5. They will come from a cross section of the community and will include representatives from businesses, churches and schools. The committee will also include young people.

“The establishment of (the) special committee to review the status of race relations in Lynwood is a critical step in preserving this great community,” Richards said in a prepared statement. The group will identify problems and recommend solutions, Richards said.

Black City Council members said they have been accused of racism after they voted to rename a major boulevard after Martin Luther King Jr.

Richards said the decision to rename Century Boulevard after the slain civil rights leader was made according to proper governmental procedure. He said the five-member council, made up of three blacks and two whites, was unanimous in its decision to honor King by renaming the boulevard.

In April, after the council voted 3 to 2 to rename the boulevard, a number of residents protested the decision. Recall petitions against two of the councilmen were rejected by the city clerk because they were not properly filled out.