Los Angeles native General Jeff was once known for being a producer, rapper and DJ on the West Coast. After getting his official break in the business by comedian Russ Parr (better known as the parody rapper Bobby Jimmy) General Jeff went on to become the 3rd member of the group Rodney O & Joe Cooley appearing on the Me and Joe and 3 The Hard Way albums. After working in the Hip-Hop industry, General Jeff turned to activism and has been working for the past 7 years to improve living conditions for the Los Angeles Skid Row community, insomuch that he’s often referred to as the “Mayor of Skid Row.”
On September 18, the State of California selected General Jeff to be a member of the Office of Health-Equity Advisory Committee, making him a State appointed official. In addition to his selection, General Jeff is also 1 of 3 finalists that are being considered for Chair of the Committee. General Jeff will be serving alongside other selected members that include esteemed Doctors and Spiritual Advisors to reduce health and mental health disparities in vulnerable communities (according to the OHE-AC official web page).
General Jeff released an exclusive statement AllHipHop.com about his recent selection by the State of California:
“It is an honor to be recognized by the State of California for my efforts to improve the Skid Row community. When I started in 2007, it was an intimidating and extremely daunting task which I knew would require the majority of my time.
Knowing that I would not be financially compensated for my efforts not only was a choice I was willing to make in order to prove my sincere intentions to help the less fortunate, but it also confirmed my foresight of the long and lonely road that would need to be traveled.
With all things considered and to now be recognized by the State of California, the implications are too numerous to list. That said, there is now proof that a resident from Skid Row can be at the bottom of life’s totem pole and still rise to great political heights without a funded effort or sustained backing. What is also evident is that even with this accomplishment, there is still a long ways-to-go in this journey to forward Human evolution.
The true hope while working to improve the environmental conditions, policies and infrastructure is that many other Skid Row residents will be motivated to help themselves instead of waiting for others to do for them….In other words “a hand UP and not a hand OUT!!!”
General Jeff
Skid Row community activist-
ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS (2007-present)
(3-Term) Resident Director- Central City East/ Skid Row
Board of Directors
Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (2008-Present)
Former VP, Outreach and Communications (2011-2012)
Co-Chair- Skid Row Community Advisory Board for the
Department of Mental Health (2012-2013)
Chair- “Skid Row Public Space Task Force”
(2013)
