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 - September 14, 2017
Ballet Folklorico Macias Gears
Up for Heritage Festival
The colorful group Ballet Folklorico Macias performed last year at the City of Inglewood’s Hispanic Heritage Festival and will be back again at this year’s event this coming Saturday. The group practices
at Veteran’s Memorial Building on Tuesdays and Thursdays, providing instruction in the art of Mexican folk dance to youth and adults. Photo Provided by the City of Inglewood Parks, Recreation and
Library Services
Housing Trust Fund Approved Amid
Community Concerns About Affordability
By Haleemon Anderson
The Inglewood City Council adopted a
resolution establishing a Housing Trust Fund
during this week’s meeting, taking action to
address affordable housing in the community.
The program boosts federal, state and local
efforts to provide housing for extremely low
and very low-income households, including
homeless families. The relatively new funding
source was established under Title I in 2008,
and state guidelines for implementation were
published in 2015.
Housing has become a hot-button issue in
the city, with residents severely divided. Many
are cautious that the massive construction boom
will price-out existing tenants. Others see new
development as an opportunity to create jobs
and raise income levels. And while construction
continues at a pace on the NFL stadium for the
LA Rams, the City of Inglewood has begun
initial planning on a basketball arena for the
LA Clippers.
In fact, Mayor James T. Butts, absent on
the dais, was in Sacramento working on SB
789, according to Councilmember Ralph L.
Franklin. The bill seeks to loosen some of
the most stringent aspects of the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Members of the Uplift Inglewood Coalition
showed up in force at the meeting, voicing
their continued opposition to the basketball
arena, and conflating the issue with housing.
The nonprofit organization has consistently
represented the position that rising housing
costs will force many longtime residents out
of Inglewood.
Chris Shaw circulated copies of letters
addressed to Senator Steve Bradford and the
Inglewood community at large, urging other
legislators and Bradford, who authored the bill,
to vote no on SB 789. The group is planning a
meeting today (September 14) to address rent
stabilization and affordable housing.
Cathy Duffy said Uplift Inglewood is opposed
to bypassing CEQA. “We want the community
to be driven at a sustainable pace,” she said.
Willie A.G. spoke in support of the Council’s
work. “I support SB 789 100 percent,” he said.
New development will bring businesses and jobs,
he insisted, noting the impact of renovations
on The Forum and Hollywood Park. He added
that the City would be “bankrupt,” if those
projects had not gone forward.
Melvin Howard had a different viewpoint,
“SB789 is a detriment,” he said. “The
environment is more important than a stadium.”
Councilmember Eloy Morales took umbrage
with the community dissent. “There will be
a complete CEQA review,” he said, adding
that the idea that SB 789 subverts CEQA is
“completely false.”
Morales explained the amended CEQA,
authored by Bradford, limits the time that
lawsuits can come into play, allowing the City
to complete the arena in time with the Clippers’
contract ending at Staples Center in 2024. “It
takes two years for the environmental impact
report, two years for judicial review and public
comment and two years for the build-out,”
Morales said.
There is precedent for the CEQA to be
amended as such, particularly in sports and
entertainment venues. The same protocol was
used in the construction of Staples Center and
other local entities, according to Christine M.
Robert, an Inglewood resident and supporter
of the development.
Councilmember George W. Dotson talked
about the rebounding local economy. “Inglewood
is growing. After 40 years, where we are now
is one of the best places we’ve been,” he said.
“We disproved people,” said Councilmember
Alex Padilla, “with the Rams, the development
of Hollywood Park and now the Clippers.” He
recalled the many naysayers who didn’t have
a vision for Inglewood. “Now we have FedEx
coming. We’re getting jobs for Inglewood
residents. Our jobless rate was 27.5 percent.
Now it’s 5.5. Now we have the number one
concert venue in the state.” Padilla also noted
more housing will be developed at the defunct
Daniel Freeman Hospital site, with 200 new
homes planned.
In other business, the Council introduced a
permit parking district at 97th, 98th and 99th
streets between La Brea and Myrtle avenues,
and approved an MOU between the Housing
Authority and the South Bay Workforce
Investment Board (SBWIB) to authorize
joint resource and infrastructure costs. Also, a
public hearing was set for September 26 at 2
p.m. to consider an amendment to municipal
zoning codes regarding marijuana and cannabis
regulations.
The Inglewood City Council meets every
Tuesday, unless otherwise noted, at 2 p.m.
in the Council Chambers on the ninth floor,
Inglewood City Hall. •
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................5
Classifieds............................3
Community Briefs...............2
Food.......................................5
Finance..................................7
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Legals............................... 6-7
Pets........................................8
Police Reports.....................3
Seniors..................................2
Sports....................................4
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
AM Clouds/
PM Sun
70˚/63˚
Saturday
Sunny
70˚/63˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
70˚/63˚