Hawthorne Press Tribune
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 60, No. 42 - October 18, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............3
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................2
Classifieds............................3
Entertainment......................2
Food.......................................5
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Legals............................. 4,6,7
Pets........................................8
School Board.......................5
Weekend
Forecast
Bradford Honored by Council
Senator Steven Bradford received a proclamation from the Hawthorne City Council for his outstanding service to the South Bay Community. Senator Bradford gave a legislative briefing on
accomplishments of the current year. Photo: City of Hawthorne.
City Council, Treasurer and Clerk
Seats Up for Grabs on Nov. 6
By Derrick Deane
On Nov. 6, voters will have the chance to
decide if they wish to keep incumbents Angie
Reyes English and Olivia Valentine on the
Hawthorne City Council or to vote in a new
person to represent the city.
Valentine was selected to fill current mayor
Alex Vargas’ seat following his November
2015 win. Her selection was hotly contested
following a drawn-out nomination process that
took three special meetings to finally conclude.
Valentine has served on the City Council for
six years and will seek to extend her place at
the dais through 2022. She has fostered local
business growth by producing the annual
Hawthorne Business Expo, launching the Taste
of Hawthorne food and music festival, and cofounding
the Hawthorne Economic Development
Council to help promote the city. Valentine is
endorsed by Inglewood Mayor James Butts,
Assemblymember Autumn Burke, Mayor Pro
Tem Hadir Awad, Councilman Nilo Michelin,
and Torrance Mayor Pat Furey, among others.
English is a veteran of Hawthorne municipal
government. She served as City Clerk for four
years before joining the City Council in 2009.
English frequently championed job and business
growth in the city along with health and
family welfare and safety. She has sponsored
the Earth Day/Service Provider Fair for the past
nine years, connecting residents with service
representatives and businesses in town. English
has been endorsed by Valentine, Awad, State
Senator Steven Bradford and Butts.
Two challengers seek to unseat these incumbents.
Alex Monteiro is a fixture at City
Council meetings and is very involved with
various groups in the community. He is a
member of the Hawthorne School District
Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Hawthorne
President Council, and has been President of
the Hawthorne Lions since 2008. He also serves
as President of the Board of Directors for Moneta
Gardens Improvement, Inc. Monteiro is
endorsed by Michelin, former City Clerk Norb
Huber, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and
President of North Hawthorne Neighborhood
Association Ruben Sanchez, among others.
The other challenger is no stranger to the City
Council race. Jason Gromski is an aerospace
engineer and has been the President of Hawthorne’s
Ramona Neighborhood Association.
He was one of 13 candidates who applied to
fill Vargas’ vacated seat that ultimately went
to Valentine.
Gromski is running on the platform of continuing
to increase business and job growth
in the city and strengthening public safety in
conjunction with the Hawthorne Police Department.
There were no immediate endorsements
noted on Gromski’s campaign website or
Facebook page.
Meanwhile, the City Treasurer seat is also
up for grabs in November. Incumbent David
Patterson will look to win reelection against
challenger Ryan Richard.
Patterson was elected as the first African
American treasurer in the history of Hawthorne
in 2013. He has spearheaded financial transparency
and recently transformed the way the City
invests its money. Patterson states that he has
helped save the City thousands in banking fees
and his investment methods are expected to
multiply tenfold in return for Hawthorne. He is
endorsed by Michelin, Awad, Bradford, and the
Los Angeles Democratic Party, among others.
His challenger, Ryan Richard, is a recent
graduate from Whittier College and a former
board member of the Hawthorne Business
Expo. Richard, a political science major, currently
serves as Deputy Political Director for
the California Young Democrats Black Caucus.
He is endorsed by Valentine, Furey, Monteiro,
Don Harris, former City Treasruer Thierry
Lubenec, Gardena Mayor Tasha Cerada, and
Hawthorne Mayor Alex Vargas.
The vacated seat for City Clerk is the final
opening on the November ballot. Long-time
City Clerk Huber retired earlier this year after
nine years of service.
Dr. Paul Jimenez is running for the vacant
seat and is endorsed by Huber, Michelin, Vargas,
Monteiro, and Neil Gafney, along with other
community members.
Jimenez will contend with Pastor John Jefferson
for the seat. Jefferson was honored last
year as Veteran of the Quarter for his years of
dedicated community service in Hawthorne and
his military service in the Air Force. Jefferson
currently serves as senior pastor at Del Aire
Baptist Church and is a community organizer
at the Los Angeles County Department of
Children and Family Services.
In one final twist, there may be another City
Council opening up after Nov. 6. Councilman
Michelin is running for a spot on the El Camino
College District Board of Trustees. Should he
defeat opponent James Law, Michelin would
vacate his seat on the City Council.
Much like how Vargas’ vacancy led to a
special election, one of the City Council’s first
post-election duties may be to fill in Michelin’s
seat, either by a special election or, as they
did with Valentine, a special meeting to pool
a majority vote on their choice of candidates.
There was much controversy the last time
a special meeting vote was held as Katrina
Manning, who had finished third in the
election, ultimately did not get a seat on the
City Council. •
Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne