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 - June 18, 2015 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................4 Classifieds............................2 Community Briefs...............2 Film Review..........................4 Finance..................................3 Food.......................................8 Legals............................2, 6-7 Letters...................................4 Looking Up...........................5 Police Reports.....................6 Seniors..................................7 Sports....................................5 Weekend Forecast Friday Partly Cloudy 73˚/63˚ Saturday Partly Cloudy 75˚/64˚ Sunday Partly Cloudy 77˚/64˚ Summertime Reading Available A great place to take the kids in summertime is the Lawndale Public Library at 14615 Burin Avenue, open Tue-Wed 1-8pm, Thu-Fri 11-6, and Sat 10-5. To see a list of events and programs at the library, visit http://www.colapublib.org/libs/lawndale/index.php. Photo by Peter Thornton, jp.thornton58@gmail.com City Council Allocates Grant Money for Fireworks Safety Plan By Nancy Peters With 4th of July activities and accompanying fireworks to celebrate the country’s Independence Day just around the corner, the Lawndale City Council heard recommendations and the rules and regulations from the Sheriff’s Department during the routine Public Safety report on Monday, June 15 at the regular Council meeting. Acknowledging that illegal fireworks are being heard already, the Sheriffs recommended that citizens call 911 or the FIREWORKS hotline at (888) 654-FIRE (3473) to report any suspicious activity with illegal fireworks. The Sheriff’s Department will have added deputies and added patrol cars in Lawndale during the holiday weekend, especially on July 4th to mitigate any issues, make arrests, squelch use of any illegal fireworks and keep citizens as safe as possible. The City Council allocated a recommended portion of the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program Funds, an annual grant, to supplement any expenditures for Sheriff’s Department assistance during the holiday weekend. The grant is only a fraction ($5,482) of the costs (somewhere in the range of $20,000) to suppress illegal fireworks’ sales, possession, detonation, and use. Fines, from $500 to $1,000, and imprisonment can accompany any arrests made involving illegal fireworks or any irresponsible activity with “safe and sane” fireworks. Sheriff’s deputies will be on high alert for illegal activities. The consent items on the agenda were all unanimously approved, including a maintenance contract with Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc., for the Community Center elevator ($21,546 for a three-year term); approval of a new vendor (American Guard Services) for school crossing guards for a two-year term in the amount of $193,152 to be on duty during school hours for the Lawndale Elementary School District when their new school year begins in August 2015; and funding the Parks and Recreation fundraising Fireworks Sales booth. In addition, an item was approved to waive fees and allow the use of the Harold E. Hofmann Lawndale Community Center for a program called Senior Business Development Conference to be sponsored by the California State Board of Equalization on September 24, 2015. The approval of the JAG program funds also included the allocation of $6,935 for the Youth Parade expenditures, mostly for the presence of the deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department during the event. The JAG program is specifically designed to be used for improving the effectiveness of crime prevention and safety programs involving law enforcement agencies and city/municipalities. The City Council voted to authorize a resolution be presented by staff at the next meeting to oppose the Senate Bill that is currently in committee after the Assembly Bill 718 was passed in the California Assembly. The bill would remove jurisdiction from cities to prohibit and/or illegalize the presence of parked vehicles within the city limits when parked on city streets and occupied for the purposes of resting and sleeping by occupants. In other words, persons would be allowed, by state law if the bill passes in the Senate and is signed by the governor, to use their parked vehicles as a “residence” on any street in any city in the state. Currently, Lawndale has an ordinance that prohibits parked vehicles from being occupied for any purpose or parked in the same space for longer than 72 hours. The City Council will formally approved their opposition by resolution on July 6. Lawndale CityTV was awarded First and Second Prize in the Sports Programming Category from SCAN (States of CA and Nevada) Chapter of NATOA (National Association of Telecommunications and Advisors). Tiffany Israel, City Attorney, was recognized by the International Lawyers Association for the Amicus Service Award in assisting with the litigation involving an alleged discrimination suit presented before the US Supreme Court. Two vacancies on the Youth Advisory Committee have recently been announced. Any students from 6th to 12th grade who reside in the city of Lawndale may apply for consideration to be appointed by contacting the City Clerk’s office or completing the application on the city’s website. Two vacancies on the Beautification Committee and one vacancy on the Senior Citizen’s Advisory Committee are also in need of applicants to be considered for appointments. The city website contains the application for completion and the City Clerk’s office can assist with any questions. Following in a 70-year tradition, the Cub Scouts from Pack 290 led the City Council meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Council members and Mayor Robert Pullen- Miles thanked the leaders and the scouts for their continued service and presence in the Lawndale community since 1940. The Lawndale Public Library of the County of Los Angeles will have a program on Tuesday, June 23 at 1:30 p.m. entitled “Do You Have Medicare and Medical Questions” for senior citizens and on Wednesday, July 8 at 6:30 p.m. a Social Security Workshop will be held for those approaching their eligibility to collect Social Security benefits. Both programs will be held at the library on Burin Avenue and 147th Street as part of the Civic Plaza location. The next meeting of the Lawndale City Council will be held on Monday, July 6 at 6:30 p.m. •
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