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 - October 30, 2014 It’s a Ghoulish Time of Year South Bay residents are decorating their houses, and their children, and themselves, for our national day of candy feasting. Have a safe Halloween and enjoy your tricks and treats! Photo by Marcy Dugan, marcyduganphoto.com Inside This Issue Calendar...............................3 Classifieds............................3 Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................2 Finance..................................2 Food.......................................8 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Legals................................ 6-7 Looking Up...........................4 Police Reports.....................3 Sports....................................5 Weekend Forecast Friday Partly Cloudy 68˚/58˚ Saturday Partly Cloudy 65˚/54˚ Sunday Partly Cloudy 69˚/53˚ Hawthorne City Council Receives Favorable Quarterly Financial Report By Nancy Peters who purchase their water from Cal Water. The Hawthorne City Council requested The drought emergency measures that are updated financial information on an ongoing mandatory for citizens to follow, or risk fines basis when the new Director of Finance up to $500 are on the city website and will was hired. On Tuesday, October 28, Rickey be distributed with invoices to homeowners. Manbahal reported that the 2013-2014 books The Drought Emergency measures follow the were now closed and for the first time in state-mandated regulations. Californians are eight years the general fund is showing in expected to stop washing down driveway and the positive. The unaudited projections for sidewalks; watering of outdoor landscapes that 2014-15 are also are also on track as budgeted cause excess runoff; using a hose without with expenses at $14.9 million for the first a shut-off nozzle to wash a motor vehicle; quarter of this fiscal year within the $62.5 using potable water in a fountain unless million budget for the year. Revenues are the water is recirculated. The State Water up in Licenses and Permits (+22.3 percent) Conservation Board requires that cities adopt particularly and from July 1 to September their measures and do not develop their own 30, the revenues received total $6.8 million. drought emergency programs. The Council members asked for less money The city reimbursement policy is now spent in contracting services, rental services, amended so those who were receiving a stipend and to eliminate pagers and certain staff cell for monthly expenses for city business now phones when appropriate to save money. requiring an expense report to be reimbursed Mayor Pro-Tem Olivia Valentine requested for actual necessary expenses and using a that the budget for 2015-16 be prepared credit card to prove those expenses. Ethics with economic development and earthquake training is also required of all elected officials, insurance noted as necessary budgeted items. appointed commissioners, and staff who spend In addition, Manbahal pointed out that the city dollars. expenditures for the airport and sewer funds The City Council adopted the month of correct to the positive when grant funds are October as “Down’s Syndrome Awareness” received, but that occurs after the work on month. the sewers and roads is completed. So that is In support of Proposition “P” on the a big ticket item that makes the budget look November 4th ballot, for the tax measure different than it actually is. benefitting the Los Angeles County Parks, Another savings is to distribute the budget the City Council adopted a resolution. on a portable hard drive rather than printing Conversely, the request by Valentine to copies for the Council, staff, and citizens. oppose State Proposition 47 was passed by Copies of the budget can be viewed by the a vote of 3-0-2 (abstention by Mayor Chris public on the city website or printed copies or Brown and City Council member Angie a portable hard drive can be purchased from the City Clerk’s office when the 2015-16 budget is ready for distribution. It was also suggested that the printing of a pamphlet be considered for the public to see a snapshot version of the budget numbers when the 2015-16 budget is finalized, including a capsule of the 2014-15 budget as of the mid-year review. A few resolutions were passed. Of particular interest to the public is the Drought Emergency declaration for those Reyes-English), after Mrs. Reyes-English declared that she is in support of Proposition 47 which, if passed in the general election, will allow certain felonies to be reduced to misdemeanors and change sentences for certain incarcerated individuals. An ordinance was adopted after its second reading to prohibit the possession of open containers of alcoholic beverages in designated public places to be an infraction of city Municipal Codes, excluding any serving of these beverages by a licensed purveyor in an open air, sidewalk restaurant. New camera equipment was approved for the City Council Chambers at City Hall so that the public will be able to view streaming meetings in high definition, with a fourth camera added so that all business conducted at the podium can be viewed as well as that on the dais. The topic of how to address the growing population of feral cats throughout the city was discussed at length so that the public understands that humane methods by Animal Control, which is part of the Hawthorne Police Department, will be the goal. Citizens must understand that property owners and not the city can act on how animals are removed from places throughout the city and the city cannot arbitrarily become involved. The next meeting of the City Council will be held on Wednesday, November 12 at 6 p.m. in lieu of the regular second Tuesday, which is November 11 and a federal holiday when City Hall is closed and all official business is not conducted on that day.• Hawthorne Boulevard Traffic Mobility Improvement Project The week of October 27 will have periodic single lane closures along Hawthorne Boulevard in both the northbound and southbound lanes. Also only two open lanes will be available for traversing the northbound and southbound lanes between 135th Street and 139th Street. •
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