

[Video via LAist]

The announcement that LA was going to receive Promise Zone designation that would allow the city advantages when applying for federal grants was briefly applauded, then rapidly questioned. Why didn't areas that are historically underserved—South LA, Skid Row—get pulled in to the Zone? It's been explained as a mayoral conspiracy or a leadership failure on the part of South LA leaders, but yesterday Mayor Garcetti himself appeared on Tavis Smiley's PBS show of the same name to discuss with the host how South LA was left out (federal requirements to apply stipulated that the area had to have won a previous planning grant; South LA communities did not fit the bill). Garcetti elaborated that this actually is going to translate to money for the entire city. Because the Promise Zone provides an increased chance of getting grants (not actual money—yet), he is "darn determined" to get some of that government dough applied to the areas that need it most. We're not sure that's going to change anyone's mind, but there you have it.

· Video: Why South L.A. Wasn't Included In $500 Million Grant To Combat Poverty [LAist]