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 - September 1, 2016 Healthy Parenting Workshop Lawndale moms, grandparents and caregivers completed a six-week Healthy Parenting Workshop at Lawndale Library. Since the inception of the Choose Health LA Kids program, spearheaded by Lawndale Elementary School District, hundreds of families in Lawndale, Hawthorne and Inglewood have been empowered to adopt healthier and more active lifestyles. Back row (standing): Instructor Francis Villalpando, Maria Fernanda Heredia, Claudia Lissette Camarena, Gloria Palacio, Karen Duke-Sagastome, Antonia Meza, Esperanza Haro, Jaqueline Leanos, Adriana Ramirez and instructor Julia Roblero. Front row (sitting): Velia Hipolito, Patricia Villa, Yesenia Salazar, Zuelen Roblero, Luisa Tecun and Teresa Garcia. Photo Courtesy of Lawndale Elementary School District. Diversity Looks A Lot Like Home By Haleemon Anderson When the Lawndale City Council chose Bernadette Suarez to fill a vacant seat earlier this spring, no person of Latin descent and certainly no one that young had ever sat on the Lawndale Council. History was being made, but for Lawndale it just felt like business as usual. Suarez was already serving the second half of a four-year term as city clerk when Larry Rudolph passed suddenly, leaving the council one vote shy of quorum. To fill that seat, the council simply appointed one of its own, a native Lawndalian with deep roots and strong family ties. “It was definitely an honor,” said Suarez, who was sworn in with her parents in attendance, amidst a council chambers brimming with supporters and well-wishers. “To see that support, I was kind of in awe,” she added. Suarez said that being one of the youngest, and the only Mexican-American serving on to the council, represents a lot of things for this community. Lawndale’s population is 65 percent Hispanic, she noted. “It’s a pretty small [town] and many of the families have been here a while; It just felt right.”Suarez admits there are big shoes to fill in the wake of Rudolph, who had been on council for close to thirty years. She says it’s comforting to think that the most elder member of the council is being replaced by the youngest member. “From a millennial perspective,” said Suarez, “it’s exciting to think about being around to see what major developments will take place over the next 30 to 35 years in Lawndale and the rest of the south bay.” The Suarez family settled in the area in the 50s, just before Lawndale incorporated as a city. “I think it must have been an ideal location,” Suarez said. “Affordable, close to the beach and perfect weather.” It was far away enough from Los Angeles and the commotion of the big city. The Suarez’s thought it was nice place to raise a family, and raise they did. Suarez falls in the middle of ten siblings, all of whom went to Leuzinger, Lawndale’s sole high school. In fact, both her mother and father and their many siblings also went to Leuzinger. “My family still has friends from school who live all around the South bay,” Suarez said. Suarez got her first taste of civic engagement watching her mother. “Dad was working fulltime,” she said, “and Mom took care of us. She was always present, guiding us through school. She decided to get involved.” Sandra Suarez was active at her children’s’ elementary schools; she eventually went on to reactivate the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) at Leuzinger, which had been dormant for years. By the time her mother had been elected board member at Centinela Valley Union High School District, the younger Suarez was fully engaged. “I guess I was the one to take after her.” She remembers walking her neighborhood while still in elementary school, campaigning for a young man, only 19 years old, who was running for the school board. “It shaped my childhood,” she said. “I’ve always been aware of what’s going on, especially at the local level.” Suarez says she is transitioning well into the new post, and admits there is a lot to learn. “I feel like everyone new starts off in that position,” she says. “I was lucky to come on council at the time I did, when everything is stable. We have a balanced budget and a lot of major projects completed.” Looking ahead, Suarez will have the opportunity for greater input in two development projects—the proposed Lawndale teen center, which will break ground in 2017, and the already underway development of the lot at Redondo Beach and Hawthorne boulevards. “We are waiting on those [plans] to finalize,” said Suarez, who sees the potential for a space that will accommodate family dining and still be inviting to foot traffic and the fast casual dining attractive to the youth market. Once the mixed-use space is approved, it will be a draw for commuters passing through and for the traffic expected from the NFL stadium coming to Inglewood in 2018. “It’s an ideal location, right next to the freeway, so we’ll see,” said Suarez, who is very interested in encouraging foot traffic. “It’s one more place to generate revenue,” Suarez said. “That could be good for the city” One of the major challenges Suarez sees is the perennial thorn in the municipal side- -parking. “It seems simple,” she says, but Lawndale is a high rental area, so space is at a premium. Other challenges facing Lawndale are common to other south bay cities, like road maintenance, and the California drought. Suarez believes the city is solid enough to take those things in stride. The Metro project is another thing, though. “It’s up in the air,” she says. “[LA] is trying to pass the tax measure, so it’s on hold.” Suarez points out that some local cities are actively opposing the rail cutting through their territory, but Lawndale is taking a more measured approach. “I think it’s inevitable,” Suarez said. “Lawndale’s main concern is getting it as noise proof as possible and getting it under our terms.” As a young millennial, Suarez is definitely helping to move the community of Lawndale into the 21st century. When asked if she will run for election when her appointed term expires in 2018, her response is, “Definitely.” She thinks Lawndale can grow, and keep its small town feel. “That’s what makes it so great.” • Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................9 Classifieds............................3 Entertainment......................7 Finance..................................5 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Legals......................4,8,10-11 Looking Up...........................9 Pets......................................12 Police Reports.....................3 Seniors..................................6 Sports....................................5 Weekend Forecast Friday Sunny 74˚/65˚ Saturday Partly Cloudy 74˚/63˚ Sunday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 72˚/62˚ Councilmember Bernadette Suarez
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