Lawndale Tribune AND lAwNDAle News The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - May 8, 2014 Inside This Issue Calendar...............................3 Classifieds............................3 Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................6 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Food.......................................5 Legals.................................2,7 Looking Up...........................7 Pets........................................8 Politically Speaking............4 Police Reports.....................2 School Spotlight..................3 Seniors..................................6 Sports....................................4 Weekend Forecast Friday Mostly Sunny 69˚/57˚ Saturday Sunny 71˚/59˚ Sunday Sunny 78˚/61˚ Congresswoman Waters Hosts ‘Women in Business Roundtable’ At the Hawthorne Memorial Center, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43) welcomed approximately 250 women entrepreneurs and business owners to her “Women in Business Roundtable” on Friday, April 25. “I truly appreciate all of the participants and chambers of commerce that came out to give women a helping hand in starting up, or expanding their businesses,” said Congresswoman Waters. “Today, women business owners play an important role in our economy and that’s why supporting them is so important here in California and across our country. We must continue to seize opportunities to break new ground for women in both the public and private sector.” Shown (L-R) are Lisa Fimiani, Executive Director, Friends of Ballona Wetlands; Congresswoman Maxine Waters ; and Day Scott, Nature Education Coordinator, Wonders of Wetlands Program. Photo courtesy of the Office of Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Protest Against Coast Guard Aims to Save Floating Classroom By Dylan Little Animo Leadership Charter High School students, along with students from inner cities across the Los Angeles area, will gather on Saturday, May 10 at 1001 S. Seaside Ave. #20 in San Pedro to protest the United States Coast Guard’s attempts to shutdown City2Sea’s free educational trips. Students from Animo Leadership Charter High School, like many others throughout Los Angeles, have enjoyed free scientific expeditions to sea for the last few years with the nonprofit organization, City2Sea. The trips were shut down in June 2013 by the Coast Guard, who has yet to prove the legality of its actions. Because of this, the students have lost a full year of learning marine science on their “Cruising Classroom.” The trips were usually three hours long with a lesson plan on marine science aligned with the classroom work they needed to master in order to graduate high school. Animo students were the first students to help City2 Sea to develop this hands-on program. “We have been doing this for 10 years but mainly out of Redondo Beach,” City2Sea co-founder and Executive Director John Sakacs said. “One of my priorities has always been to make these trips at no cost to the kids since we work with Title I, low-income students.” The dilemma was ignited when a former 52-foot commercial boat was donated to City2Sea in July of 2012 to be used as a floating classroom. Members of the USCG met with Sakacs in June 2013 where they informed him that he was required to obtain a commercial license (COI) for the vessel, Streamliner, as it carries “passengers for hire,” or face severe penalties. Sakacs denies ever having charged a consideration [“fee” in USCG lingo] to go on a trip or asked anyone else to pay for the costs of a trip. “We asked right from the beginning that they please provide us any proof that shows that we charged anyone so we can solve this and they haven’t because we haven’t,” Sakacs said. “They haven’t produced any evidence of it because they can’t.” Initially, the USCG sent two representatives to board the vessel and inspect to see if it was used for commercial purpose. Sakacs was then invited to speak with USCG representatives during an informal meeting where he spoke about his organization and how it operates. “One guy mentioned that we take donations, which all nonprofits do,” Sakacs said. “He went as far as saying that even if we take donations for off water expenses such as marketing or computers, that it is still considered a passenger for hire. That’s the key word and I don’t know how it is interpreted that way.” City2 Sea is a small 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Redondo Beach that is dedicated to introducing and educating inner-city kids to marine life. Since City2Sea begun its efforts, it has introduced thousands of inner-city youth to the importance and beauty of the Pacific Ocean. Sakacs is unwavering in that City2Sea has never charged the inner-city teenagers or the Title I schools they work with, a fee to attend or participate. “We believe that all children should have access to a great education and the ocean,” Sakacs said. “We were so excited to be able to offer this free, hands-on learning experience to the local children that can’t afford to pay for a trip.” To help or join the protest on May 10, persons interested can contact Sakacs at: john@city2sea.org or visit www.city2sea.org. Animo students will be carpooling from the school at 9 a.m. • “We believe that all children should have access to a great education and the ocean,”
Lawndale 05_08_14
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