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 - November 16, 2017
Wiseburn Education Foundation
Debuts Engineering Hackathon
Over 120 fifth through eighth grade students from Wiseburn Unified School District (with several shown in the photo) participated in the First Annual Engineering Hackathon Challenge at Dana Middle
School on November 4. Collaboration, teamwork and problem-solving were a major focus of the day. Engineers, STEM professionals and Da Vinci Science High School students led the younger students
through the engineering process of building a moving vehicle capable of carrying communication and emitting noise or sound. The day culminated with an awards presentation. Photo provided by
Wiseburn Education Foundation
City Council Thanks Residents for
Passing Measure HH Tax Increase
By Derrick Deane
comments, stating, “Along with the relief that
In the final meeting before Thanksgiving,
the City is getting, we do have to be responsible.
the Hawthorne City Council gave thanks to the
The reason this resounded with the community
community for passing Measure HH last week.
is that they realize we’re doing things differently
Measure HH will raise the total city tax rate
here. We’re doing things right--by the book. We
to 10.25 percent. The three-quarter-of-a-cent
debate things, sometimes ad nauseam, but in
increase will bolster the City of Hawthorne’s
the end we make cumulatively good decisions
general fund and stave off a pending bankruptcy.
for the City and the residents.”
“I’m humbled to thank our residents for their
Vargas continued, “This is simply an effort
consent, passion and intelligent questions during
to get the City of Hawthorne back on track. I
the past four months and their participation in
thank those who supported this and those who
this election process, exercising their rights
didn’t will see that there will be transparency
regardless of how they voted,” City Manager
when this get translated over into the general
Arnie Shadbehr said. Measure HH passed 69
fund and put to use.”
to 31 percent with 2,743 residents voting in
Meanwhile, one topic that has come onto the
favor while 1,239 voted against.
radar of several councilmembers is the litter
“I would like to thank the residents
along the 105 freeway and in shopping areas.
for understanding what was at stake,”
The issue eventually led to Vargas directing
Councilmember Olivia Valentine said. “It
Shadbehr to contact CalTrans to coordinate
seemed that most people knew what was at
a clean-up along the onramps and off-ramps
stake and that we will now be able to move
that lead to and from Hawthorne.
the City forward and not live in fear of not
Valentine has been championing an ordinance
being able to provide basic services because
that would require businesses in the city to
of an ongoing deficit.”
provide and maintain a cleaning schedule that
The general fund helps fund police, fire,
would include high-pressure cleaning as well
senior services, paramedics, anti-gang units,
as graffiti and litter removal. The ordinance
parks and recreation and many other services.
would also call for cleaning building facades,
On a $100 sale of taxable goods, the new total
stairways, elevators, and external landscaping
tax will add 75 cents to the bill.
where applicable.
Despite the measure passing, Councilmember
“This is all about a good shopping experience,”
Nilo Michelin suggested a cautious approach
Valentine said. “It was brought to my attention
moving forward. “The residents [got] it, but now
during a meeting with residents this past summer
the City needs to get it,” Michelin said. “We
that some were complaining about our stores
got to this place because we have a spending
and others saying that they don’t shop in our
problem and that needs to be taken care of
stores because they are always dirty.”
and if we don’t take care of that spending
Violations as the ordinance currently
problem, guess what--we’re going to be back
stands would be prosecuted as an infraction
to more structural deficits. We owe it to the
or misdemeanor depending on what the City
police department, we owe it to the employees,
Attorney decides. “By requiring a cleaning
to take care of this spending problem. The
schedule, this ordinance has enforceable
people did their part, but now the City has
standards to which the shopping center owners
to do its part.”
would have to adhere,” Valentine said. “This
Mayor Alex Vargas agreed with Michelin’s
would be something that in my view would
be enforceable because it would be something
that our Code Enforcement officers could ask
to see. A schedule would be something tangible
that they could look at and easier to enforce
that something nebulous like, ‘When was the
last time you cleaned?’”
Vargas called into question the fact that Code
Enforcement officers already have the ability to
cite violations. “It’s just another tool that Code
Enforcement can use,” Planning Director Brian
James said. “Realistically, what they would be
enforcing is the litter--the actual trash buildup
or uncleanliness. The schedule would simply
be a tool, so we wouldn’t be ticketing for that.
It more, ‘Your lot is dirty, you said you would
clean it at this time. Get on it or we’re going
to cite you.’”
Vargas still found the ordinance redundant,
as he could simply direct the City Manager
to have Code Enforcement check in on a
commercial area and keep ticketing until that
business finally cleaned up. “One of the things
that Code Enforcement officers have found
in the field is that when they go to enforce,
many times businesses are about to send their
personnel out or there’s a rush in customers
and they’ve diverted their staff to deal with
the customers,” James said.
Councilmember Angie Reyes English did
not seem to think the ordinance was necessary,
stating that the City needed to be sensitive in
trying to attract prospective businesses to the
community. “We’re trying to entice businesses
to come our way,” she said. “I think a more
stringent way of practicing a standard brick and
mortar business is just going to get that much
harder that they have to keep checking their
schedule to see whether or not it’s sweep day ,
power wash day, pick-up day. We have a great
department that already does its enforcement
and considering the City is getting larger and
more enforcement efforts are having to be put
out there, I want ultimately to tread lightly.” •
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................5
Classifieds............................3
Film.........................................4
Food.......................................5
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Legals............................2, 6-7
Pets........................................8
Obituary.................................3
Sports....................................4
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