Lawndale Tribune
The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale
A Celebration Fit for Dr. King
State Board of Equalization member Jerome E. Horton, whose district includes Lawndale, rode in the 34th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in neighboring Gardena this past Monday as part of one
of the longest-running celebrations of Dr. King in the region. Photo: Board of Equalization
Council Opens 2018 with Business Focus
By Haleemon Anderson
involves the entire region. Officially called the
The Lawndale City Council opened
2018 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count,
proceedings for the new year with a focus
the three-day event is seeking 8,000 volunteers
on business, hearing from a representative of
to gather information on homelessness in the
the Los Angeles County Business Federation
county. Counts will be taken on the street,
during public comments. Kevin Harbour
at shelters and other institutions.
said the organization, known as BizFed, is
Resident Gary Adams asked that the
seeking to bring cities into its membership
Council investigate suspicious activities at
in the coming year. “We represent over 325
the Hofmann Community Center. Adams also
businesses,” he said. “We help you reach your
asked for an audit of Lawndale’s senior lunch
goals in the most cost-effective and productive
program. He questioned agenda item F.3 and
way possible.” Harbour added that BizFed is
asked for specific itemization of claims and
celebrating its 10th anniversary later this year,
demands to be paid.
and invited the Council to attend the event.
Library Manager Jose Parras announced
Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles said he will
the deadline is this week to sign up for the
discuss the organization with the city manager.
Helping Hands project. Parras noted two new
“I’m excited about the possibility of the City
displays at the library. A Mexican folk art
joining BizFed,” said Pullen-Miles. “It could
exhibit will be on view beginning Jan. 25.
be a good investment.”
The library will also have an information table
The mayor also spoke about the new tax
with literature and other materials especially
bill recently signed by President Trump.
related to veterans.
“There’s a lot in it to hate,” said Pullen-
Pam London brought up a perennial problem
Miles. The one caveat might be the so-called
on the streets of Lawndale: unsightly motor
“opportunity zones.” The bill allows for the
homes. While the City recently passed an
identification of particular “census tract”
ordinance restricting such vehicles, London
areas, where cities may encourage increased
observed many are still visible, parked in
business development.
driveways. The vehicles are often inoperable,
A county representative announced
she said. She requested that the City follow
Lawndale will participate in a homeless count
up on open cases of motorhomes, which may
on Jan. 24 from 8 to 11 a.m. She said the
be under code violation.
event is still in need of volunteers. Participants
The public safety report, given by Lt. John
will meet at the community center for day-of
Burcher, focused on the hazards of driving
training before going out into the community.
while using a mobile device. He cited statistics
Councilmember Jim Osborne noted the
saying one-quarter of car accidents involve
homeless count is not just for Lawndale, but
cell phones. He said both calling and texting
are at fault, and increase by four times the
potential risk for accidents. Surprisingly, he
noted statistics suggesting a larger number
of accidents involve adults using cell phones,
rather than younger drivers aged 16-18.
In other comments, Councilmember Pat
Kearney said he is looking at what El Segundo
did in proposing a three-quarter-cent sales
tax increase from the current 9.50 percent to
10.25 percent. The tax measure is proposed
to help mitigate expanding budget deficits
due to pension costs.
Consent calendar items included disposal
of the Ford cargo van; claims by residents;
payments of claims and demands of $1.4
million. All were passed unanimously.
Osborne reported on the recent Donate
Life event. He noted one woman who had
been a donor twice -- first giving a kidney
to a family member and then donating a
portion of her liver to a child. “It was very
moving,” he said.
Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Reid wished
everyone a happy new year, saying, “I’m
really looking forward to this next one.”
Pullen-Miles reported he attended the
Gardena Martin Luther King Day parade. He
also attended the Donate Life event, saying
it was very moving to hear the testimonies
of participants.
The Lawndale City Council will hold its
next meeting on Monday, Feb. 5, at 6:30
p.m. in the City Hall council chamber, at
14717 Burin Ave. •
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................5
Classifieds............................3
Film.........................................2
Finance..................................4
Food.......................................5
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Legals............................... 2, 6
Looking Up......................... 7
Pets........................................8
Politically Speaking............7
Seniors..................................2
Sports....................................4
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Partly
Cloudy
62˚/48˚
Saturday
Sunny
60˚/44˚
Sunday
Sunny
62˚/46˚
AND lAwNDAle News
Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - January 18, 2018