The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 68, No. 38 - September 19, 2019
Young Musician Wows the Town
We think it’s safe to say that Pedrito Fregoso is a child prodigy! This young man plays the harp and the trumpet, and he sings! His great performance over the weekend was just one of the highlights during Hispanic Heritage Month. Photo: City of Inglewood
Wiseburn from page 3
have gone out of their way to mentor students.
“The engineers were really impressed with
the students,” Kaneda said, adding that the
event provided “a lot of learning and a lot
of fun.” Board Vice President/Clerk Roger
Banuelos thanked de Seriere for his work and
commended the students for “capitalizing on
the opportunities made available to them.
Peter Burnett Elementary Principal Hugo
Rios then spoke briefly, mentioning a recent
professional development workshop opportunity
for Wiseburn’s elementary principals that
focused on enhancing collaborative strategies
that teachers can implement daily.
Action and consent items passed during the
55-minute meeting included funding for three
school crossing guards, which Silvers said “is
a great investment in the safety of our kids.”
He mentioned the contentious situations that
can arise on District streets at school drop-off
and pick-up times.
Also, acting co-administrators Maria Garcia
and Ted Okasinski were approved at Dana
Middle School to fill the void in the absence
of Principal Kiana Clark, who is out on
maternity leave.
Meanwhile, Tsubaki had her promotion to
Senior Executive Assistant to the Superintendent
ratified. “A long, long overdue promotion,”
Silvers said. “Wendy is a great employee who
understands the Wiseburn community and is
able to facilitate teamwork and implement
the District’s vision and articulate that. She
has a unique skill set. Silvers also touted
Tsubaki’s “patience, hard work, perseverance
and dedication.”
The Board additionally approved Annie
Aung to take over as Coordinator of
Facilities and Educational Services. Aung was
a main cog in the construction of Wiseburn
High School and will continue oversight of the
building on Douglas Street, as well as help in
the Superintendent’s office with instructional
support.
During his comments, Silvers reported a
“good liftoff to the school year,” citing the
positive comments he received on the kick-off
motivational talk that renowned speaker Dr. Luis
Cruz made prior to the first day of classroom
instruction. Cruz spoke about the need to
educate all students, and how collaboration and
professional development among educators are
cornerstones of success. Silvers reported that
the District’s opening day barbecue was also a
success, and he congratulated all involved in the
school-site back-to-school nights, lauding the
“passion” of the teachers and calling Wiseburn
“a community that supports each other.”
In her remarks, Kaneda reiterated that she was
“delighted to be able, through my employer,
to collaborate with the District” and touted
her Boeing co-workers who were, she said,
already looking for future opportunities to
mentor students. Kaneda also mentioned that
the District is on firm financial footing. “Yes,
we are in the business of education,” she said,
“but we have to be fiscally responsible, with
budgets to meet, to offer the best education
that we can.” She added that the Board has
had “hard decisions that we had to make, but
everything turned out okay.”
Board members welcomed all to another
school year and praised Cruz’s presentation.
Banuelos spoke about the opportunity to make
classroom visits and noted how this the first time
in 10 years he has not had a child attending
Peter Burnett. Member Dr. Neil Goldman
thanked the teachers and administrators for
making the back-to-school nights successful,
saying it has been a “good start to the year.”
The next Wiseburn School Board meeting is
on the docket for Thursday, Sept. 26. •
City Council from front page
least under certain conditions. A local triplex
owner, she explained that she began renting
her one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment
as a vacation property in 2014, has paid an
annual business license, and remitted a 12
percent transient occupancy tax (TOT) totaling
about $18,000 to the City over that period.
But she recently heard from the Planning
Department that she will not be allowed to
renew her business license because she was
told short-term rentals are prohibited by
Hawthorne’s municipal code. In her research,
she learned the code states that accessory
dwelling units cannot be used as short-term
rentals. Planning further elaborated that
dwelling doesn’t include the transient public.
Ravitch now has only until the end of the
year to operate and asked the Council allow
the handful of responsible short-term rental
business owners to continue as long as they
pay their TOT and business licenses. She
suggested that to avoid the potential problems
short-term rentals elsewhere can pose, that
the ordinance could require the owner to be
on the premises.
Realtor Amie Shepard supported Ravitch,
noting that Hawthorne does not have the
airbnb issues of other area beach cities and
that this model provides travelers a “creative
way” to get a “feel of the environment” and
what the local neighborhoods look like. Later
during his report, Councilmember Mike
Talleda expressed his support for Ravitch.
“If we were going to approve airbnbs – and
we should – it should be the model you
[Ravitch] represent,” he said, adding that
she is “serious, on the premises and has a
track record.” Councilmember Alex Monteiro
then confirmed that he wants to look into a
short-term rental ordinance.
The meeting reports also included an announcement
from City Clerk Dr. Paul Jimenez
of mock elections at the Ainsworth Center
on Sept. 28/29 to test out the new voting
cycle and format before the next election
in 2020. He invited neighborhood associations
to contact his department if interested
in 45-minute Q & As. Jimenez as well as
several of the Council members praised last
month’s successful and very well-attended
(500-600 people) North Hawthorne Community
Picnic.
Mayor Pro Tem Olivia Valentine singled out
the Hawthorne Arts Complex where artists
recently opened their studios to the public to
showcase live/work space. She described it
as “one of those events that puts Hawthorne
on the map.”
Monteiro spoke of various upcoming
events, including a free vision screening at
the Hawthorne Senior Center on Sept. 21,
the Oct. 17 Holiday Assistance Program at
the Hawthorne Memorial Center, and Oct.
26 Health Fair & 5K at Hawthorne High. He
also mentioned his role as a delegate on the
South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Homeless Services Task Force. Speaking
of Hawthorne’s inroads made in the area of
homelessness, Mayor Alex Vargas suggested,
“We should invite [Los Angeles Mayor Eric]
Garcetti to see what we’re doing” and how the
task force is complete with police resources
and psychological personnel.
Earlier in the meeting during a special
presentation that included a video recap,
both Vargas and Valentine lauded the success
of last month’s National Night Out and
how the event brought all of Hawthorne’s
different communities together in seamless
and united fashion. More than 200 residents
attended the Hawthorne Police Departmenthosted
festivities. •