
Hawthorne Press Tribune
Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - July 19, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............3
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................7
Classifieds............................3
Entertainment......................2
Food.......................................5
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Lawndale..............................4
Legals............................. 4,6,7
Looking Up...........................7
Pets........................................8
Weekend
Forecast
Five-Year-Old Makes a Stand to
Help Families of Fallen Officers
Hawthorne Police Department officers had the pleasure of meeting 5-year-old Theresa Ann this week. Theresa runs a lemonade stand @lovewithlemons to raise money for the families of fallen officers.
This big-hearted little girl made such an impression that Chief Fager actually gave her a set of his chief stars. Photo: Hawthorne PD.
LAX Entry-Level Construction
Program Is Building Momentum
By Rob McCarthy
The Los Angeles International Airport
is recruiting applicants for a program that
trains airport-area residents to step into
careers in the local construction industry.
The third HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness
Program class is preparing to start
classes in August. The partnership with Los
Angeles Trade Technical College, Los Angeles
Southwest College, and the Los Angeles/
Orange Counties Building and Construction
Trades Council is a workforce development
program aimed at local residents. Special
emphasis is placed on finding recruits from
economically disadvantaged cities within
the South Bay.
HireLAx teaches skilled craft labor that
is badly needed to support the multibilliondollar
capital improvement program at
LAX, according to organizers. “We have
seen the incredible impact that HireLAX
can have on the lives of its graduates,
and we are proud to know that these
men and women are helping build the
LAX of the future,” said Samson Mengitsu,
the chief operating officer with
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). “Hire-
LAX changes lives, and we hope that our
neighbors who are interested in a construction
career will take the chance and apply.”
A mandatory orientation will be held
on Saturday, Aug. 25, from 7 a.m. to noon
at Los Angeles Southwest College. The
eight-week program begins on Monday,
Sept. 10. Applicants must RSVP to attend
the orientation session.
Residents of Inglewood, Mar Vista, Westchester,
Hawthorne and Lennox are eligible
for the 30 trainee slots. Register immediately
for next month’s orientation online at
hirelaxorientation2018-08-25.eventbrite.com
and wait for an email with instructions.
Within a few days of registering you
will receive an email with further information
regarding applying for the program.
Failure to fill out this paperwork in advance
will delay your application and may result
in you not being fully screened on the day
of orientation.
To be accepted into this LAX-area workreadiness
program, applicants must show
proof of residency, be at least 17 1/2 years
old, and have a strong interest in the construction
industry. A California identification
card and Social Security card are musts, too.
Contractors performing work on LAWA
projects must meet or exceed 30 percent
local participation with a workforce that
reflects the diversity of Los Angeles. The
HireLAX program trains local residents
to earn these jobs. Under the HireLAX
framework, program graduates will be connected
with union apprenticeship programs
and contractors so they can begin their
construction careers at LAX.
Since its launch last year, two HireLAX
classes have graduated, and approximately
two-thirds of the graduates are now in union
apprenticeship programs and have earned local
construction jobs. Of the graduates, 100
percent are working locally. Additionally,
approximately one-fourth are women and
two-thirds of the program participants are
African Americans. Previous involvement
with the criminal justice system is not a
barrier to this training opportunity.
The HireLAX program was developed
within the framework of LAWA’s Project Labor
Agreement, which is a partnership between
the airport authority, its contractors and the
local construction unions. The PLA requires
contractors and unions to refer local workers
to the project, and outreach to persons who
have not previously qualified to be employed
on construction projects -- especially minorities
and women. The LAWA PLA and the
HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program
are managed by Pasadena-based Parsons
Corporation. The nonprofit Flintridge Center
is providing recruitment and case management
assistance for the program.
Those interested in participating in the
HireLAX program must attend a mandatory
orientation and participate in an application
process. The mandatory program orientation
and registration will be held on Saturday,
Aug. 25 at Southwest College. Those with
questions should contact Christina Watkins
at (424) 646‑7192 or cwatkins@lawa.org. •
Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne