Hawthorne Press Tribune The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - July 21, 2016 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................4 Classifieds............................3 Community Briefs...............3 Film Review..........................2 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Legals................................ 5-7 Obituaries.............................2 Police Reports.....................2 Sports....................................8 Weekend Forecast Friday Sunny 84˚/68˚ Saturday Sunny 86˚/69˚ Sunday Sunny 83˚/67˚ Teacher Runs Across America in Support of NYRR Mighty Milers New York City elementary school teacher and NYRR Ultrarunner of the Year Award winner Keila Merino will attempt to become the fastest female to cross the United States by foot according to the Guinness World Records, as she runs across America and raises awareness and funds for New York Road Runners’ flagship free youth running program, Mighty Milers. The record-breaking attempt began July 1 in Los Angeles, with a goal of finishing in less than 69 days in New York City, just ahead of the first day of the new school year. Merino is on the steps of City Hall in L.A. right before she begins her Run Across America. Photo by David Wiskowski Wiseburn School Board Grapples with Little League By Haleemon Anderson After months of contentious debate and no resolve, the Wiseburn School Board agreed last week to effectively suspended Little League activities within the district. After hearing from disgruntled parents and other community members affiliated with the league, Board President Israel Mora said the Board would suspend the district’s facilities-use agreement with Little League until further notice. This is the third meeting in as many months where the board fielded grievances about Little League during public comments. Complaints run the gamut from nepotism to elections and financial misconduct. Board member Nelson Martinez reminded the audience that in previous discussions, the board has asked for an audit of financial documents from the teams representing Hollyglen, Wiseburn and Del Aire. Because the school district’s baseball fields are used by these teams, the board’s decision essentially shuts down the league’s try-outs, practices and games until a resolution is achieved. Superintendent Tom Johnstone remained optimistic about an affable outcome, saying Little League is currently on summer/fall hiatus anyway. “Our fields shut down in August, for maintenance,” he said. “There is time to resolve this.” Little League typically takes sign-ups in the fall, with scheduled try-outs and training happening in January through early spring. Proposed solutions to the current impasse included suspending the program and barring or limiting the number of managers, coaches and parents on governing boards. Getting rid of Little League all together was also proposed. Other leagues have lost their charters, it was pointed out, and have been replaced by Babe Ruth and Pony programs. This extreme measure would destroy 13 leagues, said Jerry Flory, administrator over District 37. “The charter is a federal charter,” said Flory, explaining that rules and by-laws of the leagues are set at that level and are not easy to circumvent. Still, he added, “Little League is a community affair. These other programs expand the boundaries. It becomes no longer community-based. We need to keep this league alive.” Flory said he had overturned a recent election, and was waiting for results of the new election. He said he has authority to suspend league operations and he can address nepotism on the governing boards. “I’ll give 30-day notice and I can take care of family members on the board,” Flory said. “We want this to happen right,” said Mora, referring to the various suggestions offered to get Little League back on track. “Otherwise, let them know they won’t get on our fields,” Mora said firmly. In other business, Deputy Superintendent Chris Jones introduced Quan Tran, a new staffer who will oversee the district’s computer network. The hire brings Tran into the fold, after consulting for three years through a contract arrangement with ICC. Tran will spearhead “future-ready” initiatives and technology purchases. Johnstone said, in a later interview, that the district often loses people even after a long stint, due to the nature of contract positions. “Tran is in charge of the nuts and bolts of out entire network system, including servers and software,” Johnstone said. In addition, he will handle all troubleshooting and ordering. The district maintains an extensive Qualbooks inventory, with every student from third through eighth grade having a Chromebook, linked to the internet. “He really is the brains and general of our operation,” Johnstone said. Tran will be assisted by a staff of one full-time and one half-time equivalent personnel. Doug Johnson, president of National Demographics Corporation (NDC), gave a presentation on the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA), specifically looking at voting practices and procedures in board elections. Johnson’s company assesses potential for liability, and helps boards to evaluate their current elections’ procedures for violations of the CVRA. With recent litigation having netted millions in settlements from city councils and school boards throughout the state, many governing boards are moving away from electing board members through an “at-large system.” A nearby example: Palmdale City Council went to trial on the issue and lost. They were found in violation of the voting rights act. Four years later, and at a cost of more than 4.5 million in tax-payer dollars, Palmdale ultimately changed their elections to the by-district system. The CVRA was written to encourage “bydistrict” elections. Johnson said his company represents 250 schools, over 100 which have already made the switch. Superintendent Johnstone clarified that the move is designed to “make sure minority groups that may not be represented on the board are getting their fair shake.” Johnson acknowledged that Wiseburn is actually not at risk currently, as the board is reflective of the community it represents. Nevertheless, Wiseburn School District will be moving toward adopting the “by-trustee-area” model in upcoming elections. Johnstone announced that the Wiseburn Teacher of the Year will be feted at the annual celebration, to be held, Friday, Sept. 16. Summer school ends July 22; the first day of school for the 2016-17 academic year will be Monday, August 29. The next regular board meeting will be held Thursday, August 18 at 6 p.m. •
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