WATTS : Harris Still Wants Old Post at Hospital

Sweet Alice Harris has been named to the city’s Rent Adjustment Commission. And no sooner had the City Council confirmed her selection than the founder and director of Parents of Watts was talking about returning to her first love--the board of Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in Willowbrook.

Harris, 58, served a dozen years on the hospital board but was asked to move to another commission when Richard Riordan became mayor in July. Moving to reappoint the city’s commissions, Riordan plucked Harris from the hospital panel and moved her to the rent control board.

But all along, Harris made it clear that the Rent Adjustment Commission is not her first preference. Harris disclosed that she recently ran into Riordan and Deputy Mayor Rae James and asked to be returned to the hospital board. While Riordan’s final decision apparently has not been made, Harris insists her return to the hospital board is a done deal.

“It’s Martin Luther King all the way,” she said. “That’s my community. I love it.”