TORRANCE TRIBUNE January 14, 2016 Page 3 16-1213ps_sby-ie-16-008 ©2016 lacmta “In a unanimous yes vote, the Torrance Mayor and members of the City Council approved the 2016 Grant Funding for Non-Profit Services Agencies.” Regional Connector Project Closures If you work or live in Downtown LA, please note that the Gold Line Little Tokyo/ Arts District Station is closed for track relocation. A free bus shuttle takes passengers between Union Station, Little Tokyo/Arts District and Pico/Aliso Stations. Plan ahead to avoid delays. For more information on closures in the Downtown LA area, visit metro.net/regionalconnector. Go Metro in the New Year The New Year is starting and it’s a good time to consider going Metro. Regular Metro riders can save as much as $10,000 a year on gas and parking. Plus, they can relax on their commute to work! Plan your trip at metro.net. Watch Metro Motion’s Latest Show Metro’s Emmy-winning news and feature show has returned with a look at Metro’s new Division 13 maintenance facility, an overview of new Silver Line Express service, plus much more. Check your local cable listings to see when “Metro Motion” airs in your area, or view the episode online at metro.net/metromotion. Take a Tour of the Expo Rail Line It’s easy to explore destinations like Olvera Street, the new Broad Museum and Exposition Park on Metro. Learn how to get started with a FREE guided rail tour of the Metro Expo Line. You’ll get useful tips on how to plan your trip, buy a pass, and ride the Metro rail and bus system. To reserve your spot, visit metro.net/tours. metro.net @metrolosangeles losangelesmetro Earbuds Plugged into Driving Law for 2016 By Rob McCarthy Listen up if you’re a driver who likes to wear earbuds to talk on the phone or listen to your music downloads while you’re behind the wheel. A new law for 2016 says you have to have one ear free, or you’re going to be ticketed. California Vehicle Code Section 27400 already existed before Jan. 1 of this year. It needed some clarification that the popular earbuds worn in both ears pose a traffic danger for drivers of motorized and nonmotorized vehicles alike, according to Officer Siara Lund with the California Highway Patrol’s division office in Glendale. Drivers of four-wheeled vehicles aren’t the only ones affected by the 2016 headset-earbud traffic law. Bicyclists are under the same restrictions and will be cited the same as drivers and motorcyclists, Lund told me. “The way that we can tell obviously is if both earbuds and headsets are in, the officer will pull that driver over,” said Lund, adding that the headset law for 2016 isn’t new. It just added language to the existing law that wearing two earbuds while operating a car, motorcycle or bike is illegal. The Southern California Automobile Club explained on its web site that the change in law was done to “ensure drivers and bicyclists can hear sirens, horns, and other safety alerts while driving.” There are exceptions for drivers of heavy machinery and garbage trucks who require noise-cancelling headsets for protection. Drivers of emergency vehicles, such as a fire engines or ambulances, are exempt. Wearing hearing aids while driving is permitted, the law says. The CHP and local law enforcement have the discretion to begin enforcing the headset and earbud restriction immediately. In the past when new traffic laws, such as handsfree cell phone use, became law, the CHP and police departments issued warnings to drivers who were caught talking or texting on their cell phones. Will that be the case if an officer spots a driver or cyclist bee bopping down the road without a free ear? No, said Lund, because the ban on headsets and earplugs has been law in California for a decade. No doubt, many California drivers were surprised to hear that one of the new traffic laws for 2016 involved earbuds. They probably presumed, like I did, that the tiny in-ear listening devices for cell phones and iPods were outlawed a long time ago. Enforcement of the new “old” traffic law means this for drivers who insist on wearing their headphones or earbuds in both ears or covering them: The next sound they hear could be the whoop of a police siren, which isn’t music to any driver’s ears. Pleading ignorance of the new laws may not result in a warning instead of a ticket. So, here are other traffic laws for 2016 that California drivers and vehicle owners are expected to know, courtesy of the Automobile Club of Southern California and the California Highway Patrol: Slow vehicles on the highway - Bicycles are added to the law about slow-moving passenger vehicles on the highway. All vehicles, including cyclists, should pull over safely to let faster traffic pass on a highway. Any slow-moving vehicle that is holding up five or more vehicles must use the next available turnout or available area to let traffic pass. Electric bicycles - An electric bicycle with a maximum speed of 28 miles per hour can only be operated by a person 16 years or older, and a helmet must be worn. The new law also creates safety restrictions for See Earbuds, page 10 See City Council, page 10 Burkley & Brandlin LLP A T T O R N E Y S A T L AW Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation 310-540-6000 *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization Social Services Agency Grant Program Approved By Cristian Vasquez In a unanimous yes vote, the Torrance Mayor and members of the City Council approved the 2016 Grant Funding for Non-Profit Services Agencies. The recommendation by the Parks and Recreation Commission and Community Services Director John Jones was to approve funding for six non-profit social services agencies in the amount of $20,000 form Feb. 11 to Dec. 31, 2016. “When this item came before us last year I asked staff to work with the commission and try to improve any processes if possible on the vetting of the organizations to which we are giving money,” Councilman Tim Goodrich said. “Just trying to avoid a situation where we are handing this money out by default and make sure that there is a competitive process. I’m sure you guys will come up with a plan in order to publicize it.” The six non-profit social services agencies approved include: Cancer Support Community, $5,000; South Bay Children’s Health Center Association, $2,500; Healthcare & Elder Law Programs [H.E.L.P.], $5,000; South Bay Literacy Council, Inc., $2,500; Switzer Learning Center, $2,500 and Torrance-Lomita Meals on Wheels, $2,500. On Sept. 1, 2015 the council gave approval to 2015-2016 Non-Profit Social Services Grant Program, as recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Grants Committee. The program included changes that revised the application process, modified grant criteria, pre-determined funding levels and a transparent scoring system for the grant review process. “We have a whole list of eligibility requirements that are included in this year’s grant program, some of them are from years past,” Jason Minter from the Community Services Department said. “Just to mention a few of them: they must be Torrance-based or provide services to Torrance residents, we do vet [vetting] all applicants to make sure the have a current 501(C)3 license and we will also verify them through the California Revenue Tax Code.” The most recent application period, which opened Sept. 16, 2015 and closed Oct. 6, 2015, netted nine applications that were accepted as complete for a total request of $32,500. By Oct. 14, 2015 the Grants Committee began reviewing the rating process and other criteria. “We want to make sure that the projects or the programs that we are funding are ongoing and not just for operating costs or administrative; that it is actual programs that help people directly,” Minter said. “We also want to make sure that it’s happening during the fiscal year. One of the other areas that we added was that we will be doing a six month check up just to see how the funding is being spent instead of waiting until the end of the fiscal year.” The nine applicants were categorized as either a health services or human services organization. Of all the applicants, Casa de los Angelitos, Family Promise of South Bay and Project NEEDS were not awarded grant money. “We definitely had fewer applicants this year than in years past; I believe we were
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