Sheila Halfon

The way Dr. Robert E. Litman sees it, the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center's problems could be resolved if the board of directors stopped engaging in "self-destructive" behavior. The noted psychiatrist who co-founded the pioneering center about 30 years ago claims that "useless management jerks have (squandered) all of the agency's money" in recent years. "It has been one mistake after another," Litman said of the board members. "They are incompetent."

The way Dr. Robert E. Litman sees it, the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center's problems could be resolved if the board of directors stopped engaging in "self-destructive" behavior. The noted psychiatrist who co-founded the pioneering center about 30 years ago claims that "useless management jerks have (squandered) all of the agency's money" in recent years. "It has been one mistake after another," Litman said of the board members. "They are incompetent."

The financially struggling Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center may get a new lease on life if plans for Family Service of Los Angeles to acquire its assets go through, according to officials at the two agencies. The boards of directors are negotiating to make the suicide center a division of Family Service, a move that could take place as early as July, Tony Lufrano, president of Family Service, said this week.

Investigators with the Los Angeles County Mental Health Department have been ordered to conduct surprise inspections at the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center, which has been rocked by allegations of mismanagement and a walkout by half of its crisis-line counselors. Mental health officials hope to determine whether the 24-hour suicide prevention crisis line is functioning properly.

Advocates of government-supported shelters for battered women and children Friday applauded the surprise resignation of Frank Grimes as director of Gov. Gray Davis' office of Criminal Justice Planning. Grimes, a Los Angeles police officer for 32 years and a charter member of Davis' administration, quit the $112,000 position without advance notice effective Friday, saying he was returning to his home state of Massachusetts to work on an undisclosed "project that is very close to my heart."

People often ask Sheila Halfon what success stories she's had running Haven House, which has served for 40 years as a sanctuary for battered women and their families in the San Gabriel Valley. "I tell them that every phone call I get from a woman coming out of denial, whether it's emotional, physical, sexual or financial, is a success story," she said. "Seeking help makes all the difference in the world."

While the mission of Haven House -- which has been serving battered women and their families since 1961 -- is unambiguous, its exact location must remain a secret. So, too, will the names of any of the women residing there. There is too much danger, said Haven House executive director Sheila Halfon, in certain people knowing too much. Danger for the women, their children and their families. Danger for the Haven House staff members who counsel, assist and support them.

The City Council emerged from a 90-minute closed session on Tuesday and, in a statement read by Mayor Rick Cole, somberly chastised one of its members--Councilman Isaac Richard--for abuse of city employees. Then the flamboyant councilman, who moved to approve the statement of repudiation, sheepishly apologized for acting "inappropriately" at times toward city staff, one of whom filed a sexual harassment complaint against him last week.

It was 1977 and domestic violence just didn't exist in the San Fernando Valley. Or so Jacquie Gordon and Cheryl Cornell were told repeatedly before they opened Haven Hills, the San Fernando Valley's first emergency shelter for battered women. "Nobody talked about it," Gordon said. "The mind-set was that it was happening in poverty areas. Nobody really believed that it could happen in an affluent area because the women would have money and they could just leave.

T he upcoming holidays, occasions for festive gatherings of families and friends, can be sad times for those who are homeless, out of work or ill. Many of the agencies that provide assistance and care go all out to brighten the season for children, the elderly and the needy. Volunteers and donations make it possible. We couldn't include every agency, so if you don't see your neighborhood or area of interest listed, contact county or city volunteer agencies.

As the holiday season continues with festive gatherings of families and friends, many Southern Californians would like to remember those less fortunate--people who are ill or shut in, families that cannot afford to celebrate. Local nonprofit organizations that serve those in need are grateful for volunteers and donations. We couldn't print the names of every agency, so if you don't see anything in your neighborhood or field of interest, contact your local county or city volunteer agencies.