The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Daily News on a Weekly Basis - Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - August 17, 2017
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................5
Classifieds............................3
Community Briefs...............2
Food.......................................8
Finance..................................3
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Legals................................ 6-7
Looking Up...........................5
Pets........................................4
Police Reports.....................7
Seniors..................................2
Sports....................................8
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Sunny
70˚/64˚
Saturday
Sunny
71˚/64˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
71˚/63˚
Spectrum SportsNet LA Hosts
Summer Skills Baseball Clinic
Last week, Spectrum SportsNet LA hosted boys and girls from local South Bay communities, in partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, for a summer skills
baseball clinic at Inglewood’s Darby Park led by SportsNet LA analysts and former Dodgers Nomar Garciaparra and Jerry Hairston, Jr, analyst and former Dodgers executive Ned Colletti and SportsNet LA
studio host John Hartung. Garciaparra, Hairston, Colletti and Hartung instructed the kids on the basic fundamentals of the game, including hitting, throwing, base-running and infielding. Photo Provided
by Charter Communications
Inglewood Gives Go-Ahead to
Bring Clippers Westside
By Haleemon Anderson
will be home to the LA Rams when it opens
The city of Inglewood voted Tuesday to
in 2019.
move forward on plans to build an arena for
Councilman Eloy Morales (District 3)
the Los Angeles Clippers, mere blocks from the
described the ambitious plan to bring both
court which once housed the Showtime Lakers
professional football and basketball to the
championship team at the Great Western Forum.
city. “Los Angeles tried and they weren’t able
The unanimous vote came after more than
to do it,” he said, explaining that the ENA is
an hour of contentious public comment, as
simply a mechanism to open discussion on the
a procession of residents and local business
potential for the arena. Morales added, “We’re
owners lined up to express either disdain or
gonna make a tough decision,” referring to the
support for the project. The city acted on
impending vote.
a revised version of the original exclusive
Clippers representative Chris Meany tried to
negotiating agreement, amended to reduce
assuage concerns that residents would be evicted
impact on residences and businesses. Chief
or relocated to make way for construction. He
among the complaints was access to jobs and
pointed to the amended version of the ENA
housing, and the threat of eminent domain
that reduces the “study area” of the project.
being invoked to acquire land.
“It excludes areas occupied by legal residences
The first to speak, Derek Steele, a resident
and churches,” said Meany.
since 2008, referenced a list of constituent
Lina Patel expressed outrage at the Council’s
groups, from youth to seniors, who could be
readiness to move forward with the plans.
impacted by the construction. “The people of
Her family-owned business, the Rodeway Inn
Inglewood deserve the home court advantage,”
and Suites, sits directly in the proposed area
said Steele. “Displacement is still an issue
for the arena. “This ENA deprives us of our
in this community,” he added, imploring the
constitutional right,” said Patel. “Please reject
Council to stabilize rent prices and institute a
this revised ENA.”
home-buying programs for young professionals.
Mayor James T. Butts, Jr. ultimately addressed
Veteran Alphonse Parker, Jr., questioned
the meeting. “…Are you kidding me?” he
whether the Mayor and Council are being
said, expressing incredulity at community
mindful of job creation in Inglewood, as they
opposition to the project. “That land has sat
negotiate contracts related to the project. “Are
for 25 to 30 years, generating no taxes, no
these agencies in Inglewood?” asked Parker.
income, no nothing.”
A representative from advocacy group Uplift
Butts also reiterated the Council’s aim to
Inglewood said community members do not
safeguard the community’s interest. “Our
want to be defined by what they are against.
infrastructure and our recreational structure is
“We are for affordable housing, jobs, a living
being developed like never before. That is why
wage and competition,” he said. “We are
we have engaged Buxton,” he said. The Mayor
demanding that you use that land responsibly-
pointed to the Buxton Partnership, an agency
-and an arena is not responsible.”
enlisted by the City to examine community
The land in question is adjacent to the
demographics and spending habits. He said their
southwest corner of Century and Prairie, directly
information will be vital to small businesses.
across the street from the large site currently
The Mayor also acknowledged that eminent
under construction for the NFL stadium that
domain is a tool at disposal to any city in
development proceedings. He stopped short
of denying its use. “I won’t [prohibit] the use
of any tool that will benefit the community,”
said Butts.
Other issues also plague the start-up
agreement. In June, The Forum issued a
statement opposing the proposed arena and
accused the City and the Clippers of backroom
dealing. In addition, the Clippers are still bound
to their current home, the Staples Center in
downtown Los Angeles, until 2024.
Resident Curtis Mitchell, who has lived in
Inglewood over 40 years, commented on the
position taken by the Madison Square Gardenowned
Forum. “This is not the White House-
-this is the round house,” he said, suggesting
that decisions made on the East Coast hold
no sway in Inglewood.
Ultimately, the decision allows the City
and Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer (under the
auspices of developer Murphy’s Bowl LLC), to
begin the arduous process of public comment,
design and rendering, local environmental
impact and state environmental quality act
(SEQA), among other tasks.
In final public comments after the affirmative
vote, Steele returned to the podium to express
his hope in the Council and the project. He
asked the Council to bring rent control to
Inglewood. “Many of us have campaigned
for you and supported you,” he said. “People
want to be able to stay here and participate
in the progress that they helped to institute.”
In other business, Councilman Alex Padilla
(District 2) moved approval of City sponsorship
of the upcoming 4th Annual District 2 Picnic
and Chili Cook-off on Saturday, September 9
from noon to 5 p.m. at North Park.
City Treasurer Wanda M. Brown and
Councilman Ralph L. Franklin requested the
meeting be adjourned in honor of Gloria J.
Austin and Willie James Glenn, respectively. •