The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 6, No. 11 - March 10, 2016 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................9 Classifieds............................4 Crossword/Sudoku.............4 Film Review..........................4 Legals....................................8 Real Estate...................10-12 Sports....................................5 TerriAnn in Torrance..........6 Weekend Forecast Leadership and Community Commitment Award Winner Kim Turner, Torrance Transit Director, was awarded the Leadership and Community Commitment Award at the 19th Annual Black History Celebration on Feb. 24 at the Torrance Marriott Hotel. From Left to Right: Eddie Harris, James Lee, Dana Rush, Leilani Kimmel-Dagostino, Kim Turner and Art Estrada. Photo by Gilbert Watson. • City Reaches Agreement With Fiesta Parade Floats By Cristian Vasquez A unanimous vote by members of the Torrance City Council approved an agreement between the city and Fiesta Parade Floats for the design, construction, entry, display and operation of the Torrance Float in the upcoming Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. The authorized approval included the authorization to spend $150,000 for costs associated with the float, once a $25,000 contribution from the Torrance Rose Float Association is received. “The City of Torrance first participated in the Pasadena Tournament Roses Parade in 1914, then again in 1947 and 1948, and has had an unbroken string of floats in the parade since 1958,” states the staff report signed by Councilmen Kurt Weideman, Gene Barnett and Michael Griffiths. “Fiesta Parade Rose Floats has been the City of Torrance’s float builder for the past 20 years. The Torrance Rose Float [TRFA] and City have a good working relationship with Fiesta which has garnered awards for Torrance for Torrance 15 times for an overall prize winning rate of 75 percent.” Among those awards was this year’s Princess Award for the most beautiful float in the parade not exceeding 35 feet in length. This year the city council, TRFA and FPF embraced a different approach in order to determine this year’s float design. “I think one thing that came out of that meeting [Citizen Enrichment And Development Committee meeting] that was interesting and my colleagues can chime in if they wish, is the fact that this year instead of having Mr. [Tim] Estes showing us the design, the Rose Float Association is going go to the school district and ask for conceptual designs: it will be a project, if you will,” Councilman Kurt Weideman said. “It will be a design contest to bring more youth into the organization and process because the theme for this year is Echoes of Success.” On May 19, 2015 the council approved funding for the float in the amount of $125,000 each year for the 2016 and 2017 Rose Parade, so long as the TRFA contributed $25,000 each year. Through various fundraising efforts and community outreach, volunteers with TRFA have been able to increase their contribution to the float each year. On Feb. 2 staff received an official response from Estes, President of Fiesta Parade Floats, agreeing to continue its partnership with the city. That led to the Feb. 23 meeting where members of TRFA, the City Council Citizen Development and Enrichment Committee met and unanimously recommended the agreement move forward. “The City of Torrance receives many benefits by participating in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade. It is estimated that 41.8 million households in the United States watch the live Friday PM Rain 65˚/51˚ Saturday Sunny 63˚/51˚ Sunday Mostly Sunny 64˚/55˚ See City Council, page 8 Board Approves Professional Development Services By Cristian Vasquez The Torrance School Board approved to have independent contractor Solution Tree Inc. provide professional development services to school leadership teams in schools throughout the district. Approval will allow for a series of “consulting and professional development engagements” that are designed for school leadership teams and based on the outline described in the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) Supplemental Grant, Section B, Goal 4.7, which is intended to “develop high frequency of Professional Learning Communities at all levels to maximize student learning and provide targeted academic support during the school day,” states the staff report on the board agenda. LCAP funding was set in place to allow districts more control when responding to student needs. Simultaneously, LCAP makes school districts more accountable in providing any necessary programs that will allow students to achieve success. “The research is very clear that collaboration, the focused collaboration of teachers on campus, talking about student work, looking at common assessments is what makes possible student achievement,” TUSD Chief Academic Officer Dr. Tim Stowe said. “That is why we are really committed to this process. The reviews See School Board, page 3
Torrance_031016_FNL_lorez
To see the actual publication please follow the link above