January 9, 2014 Page 3 “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” ~ Nelson Mandela 14-1150ps_sby-ie-14-007 ©2013 lacmta Metro Makes it Possible From the recently completed Mulholland Bridge to the groundbreaking of the Crenshaw/LAX light rail line and more, Metro is building and funding hundreds of projects to improve mobility throughout Los Angeles County’s 88 cities. For more information, visit metro.net/projects. Public Hearings on Bus Service February 5–13 Proposed Metro bus service changes for June, 2014 will be discussed at public meetings held February 5–13 in Downtown LA, San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Westside and the Gateway Cities areas. For details, visit metro.net. Improved Silver Line Service The Metro Silver Line is now faster and more frequent. Rush-hour weekday service runs every 4-6 minutes, Sunday service runs every 20 minutes and route changes in Downtown LA make for faster travel times. See the new timetable at metro.net. Get Free Credit for Metro ExpressLanes Help friends and family get through tra;c faster using Metro ExpressLanes. Receive $10 in toll credit for every new sign-up referred. The lanes are toll-free for carpools and motorcycles, and available for a toll to solo drivers. Open your account at metroexpresslanes.net. The New Metro Store is Now Open Shop an array of cool merchandise for transit fans at the Metro online store. From cute toddler t-shirts to the classic logo mug, there’s something for the whole family. Check it out at metro.net/metrostore. metro.net @metrolosangeles facebook.com/losangelesmetro City Offers Students Program to Learn About Local Government By Cristian Vasquez Through the City of Inglewood’s City Treasurer Student Intern Program, middle and high school students throughout the community are given the opportunity to learn firsthand how local government functions. “We speak about the purpose of the City Council and resolutions along with other areas of the City’s government,” Inglewood City Treasurer Wanda Brown said. “Then we tour at least three different departments. We usually tour sound insulation, ITC Information, Technology and Communication and we also tour the Police Department. Then we focus on what I do as the Treasurer.” The City Treasurer Student Intern Program has been a formal program for eight years. Prior to that, students interested would simply show up and take part in the same type of activities. Now, the five-week program requires participants to meet once a week at the City Treasurer’s office for a two- to three-hour period. “Part of my goal is also to teach them not to get into financial trouble,” Brown said. “They are going to school and will graduate and start making money, so I teach them what they need to know like the importance of a budget, the importance of living within their means and the importance of having good credit. We also talk about the basic principles of money growth, interest rates and the amount of time it takes money to double depending on the interest rate. We also talk about the importance of personal savings and what credit rating agencies are and how they will follow them the rest of their lives.” The students learn the duties of the Mayor and City Council, the City Treasurer and the City Clerk. They learn about the City charter, Council resolutions and their purpose, as well as Council ordinances and their purpose. Among the obligations of the City Treasurer, students learn about payment of all bills, appointment of deputies and responsibilities, investment of idle funds for the City of Inglewood, the Inglewood Housing Authority and the Inglewood Public Financing Authority. Students also learn about the Treasurer report procedure for investment selection, investment policy, banking responsibilities, committee responsibilities, audit function and map signing and purpose. “The types of students I normally get are students involved with the honors program,” Brown said. “They tend to be the more applied students.” Brown works with Assistant City Manager Michael D. Falkow, who teaches a session on ITC and gives students the overview of the police station. Generally Brown makes the flyers describing the program and places them in the lobby at City Hall and in the library, which has resulted in students showing interest and registering for the program. Students range from middle school to high school age. However, this year they were all seniors in high school except for one. “It was a very good class. They were all basically on the same level,” Brown said. “In order to maximize our time, we focus on middle school and high school since they will graduate soon. I also ask them to teach their brothers and sisters what they are learning.” Brown is also looking to start a similar program that would work with parents to teach them the same principles of finance. The program would take place Saturdays, but it would be a three-week course that runs for two hours. The program would also aim at teaching grownups how to keep their finances in order. No start date has been established, but Brown hopes it can begin in early March. Participating in the 2013 City Treasurer Student Intern Program were the following students: Jasmine Perez, Javier Canche, Raekwon Morgan, Bryanna Molina, Roberto Rivera, Ivette Flores, Susana Carlos, Paul Aninyei and Vanessa Medina. They all received certificates at the December 10, 2013 City Council Meeting with Treasurer Brown, Mayor James T. Butts and members of the Council. • Hawthorne Happenings News for the ‘City of Good Neighbors’ From City Clerk Norb Huber Historical Society to Meet – Monday, January 13 You are invited to the first meeting of the new year for the Hawthorne Historical Society on Monday, January 13 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Hawthorne Museum located at 12622 Grevillea Avenue, across from the library. Besides working to maintain the museum. the HHS coordinates annual events that help to build civic pride. New members are always welcome. Hawthorne’s history is rich, it needs to be preserved. Save the Date State of the City Luncheon to be hosted by Chamber of Commerce Thursday, March 28 has been selected as the date for the annual State of the City Luncheon to be held at the Memorial Center. Mayor Chris Brown will give his initial State of the City speech to a large gathering of business and civic leaders. Luncheon tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased from the Chamber. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Remembrance Monday, January 20 will be a holiday for most people. The message of peace and equality still ring clear every January when we think of what Dr. King brought to America. I remember the day I was sitting in front of our black and white television when a CBS news bulletin interrupted the afternoon program and told us that Dr. King had been shot. I grew up in rural, small town America. We did not have a diverse population, so I hardly knew what this assassination meant. But, now looking back, I know what all the freedom marches were about and why we had the race riots during the 1960’s. We have come a long way from those days. Dr. King’s legacy continues on today. I would hope that every day we could respect each other as fellow humans on this journey through life. Cold? We have had such good weather that it’s amazing to think of how cold it is back in the Midwest and Eastern part of the USA. We shiver when we wake up to 50 degree weather. What would we do with below zero temperatures? What California really desperately needs is some rain. Our snow pack in the mountains is at about 20% of normal. Unless we get some wet weather, the summer water levels in our reservoirs will be at record lows. Golf Anyone Another save the date announcement: The annual Hawthorne Parks and Recreation Foundation Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, March 24 at Coyote Hills Golf Club in Fullerton. Get your foursome together now. More information will be forthcoming. Upcoming Events • Tuesday, January 14: Regular Meeting of the City Council – 6 p.m. City Hall • Monday, January 20: Dr. Martin Luther King Day Holiday – City Hall closed •
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