Series of Projects to Heal L.A. Listed by Private Group

Community Build, a private recovery effort launched by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) after last spring’s civil unrest, announced Monday an ambitious program of economic and human development projects designed to revive depressed South Los Angeles communities.

Among the projects in planning stages are a Ben & Jerry’ ice cream plant in South-Central, a home-ownership program supported by the Federal National Mortgage Assn., or Fannie Mae, and a television and film production facility. Another project, the Community Build Record Label, already has produced a rap song entitled “ Out of the Ashes .”

Not all of the projects are funded, and the group is seeking public and private help.

But its announcement of a plan that couples social and economic programs positions the group to play a key role in recovery efforts, alongside the more high-profile RLA, originally known as Rebuild L.A., the private group created by Mayor Tom Bradley and headed by businessman Peter V. Ueberroth.

“The reason we are here is to be able to answer our children and grandchildren when the question is raised ‘When our city was at its greatest risk, what did you do?’ ” said Executive Director Brenda Shockley at the announcement ceremony at the California Museum of Science and Industry.

So far, the group has won a $3-million Department of Housing and Urban Development grant, which requires it to provide $1.5 million in matching funds.

It also has received a commitment of $10 million from the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust to build affordable housing.

Community Build leaders have stressed that the program emphasizes community-inspired projects, unlike RLA. Waters has been highly critical of RLA and its approach, but on Monday she downplayed any competition between the two organizations.

“At some point, you have to get away from confrontation,” she said. “This is a huge community, and it needs a lot. There is room for everybody with good ideas who wants to invest in the community.”

Waters brings political clout to Community Build: She was one of the first African-American politicians in California to come out for President Clinton and served as a co-chair of his campaign. She also led a group of Community Build leaders who met with Vice President Al Gore in March to discuss goals.

In April, Clinton named Commerce Secretary Ronald H. Brown to coordinate federal recovery efforts in Los Angeles, and Brown has stated that one of his tasks is to reconcile the objectives of RLA and Community Build.

Despite lingering economic problems at the federal level, Los Angeles is positioned to reap substantial benefits from Clinton’s urban agenda, Waters believes.

“It would be ideal if the federal government said ‘We got $15 billion here,’ (for Los Angeles) but that ain’t gonna happen,” she said. “But because of my role, the president’s commitment to Ron Brown and his urban agenda, I think we are in a good position to get the resources.”

Other Community Build projects announced Monday include:

* Conversion of a vacant 352-room Inglewood hotel into housing units for senior citizens, a health clinic and retail and office space.

* A summer youth employment program to be linked to the Los Angeles Community Development Department.

* A job-training support program that will provide tutors, mentors and a small stipend to participants.

* A center to assist organizations and individuals in obtaining grants.

The TV and film production facility, being developed with several industry production companies in South-Central, would include four sound stages to provide up to 400 jobs to skilled craftsman and apprentices, Shockley said. The facility would be rented to studios and independent production companies.

Shockley said negotiations on the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream plant are in the latter stages. She read a statement from Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen expressing excitement over the project and said potential locations for the plant already are being scouted.