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The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance
Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 7, No. 37 - September 14, 2017
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................2
Classifieds............................6
Crossword/Sudoku.............6
Torrance High
Centennial Photos..............4
Legals.................................6,7
Politically Speaking............3
Real Estate...........................8
Sports.................................3,5
TerriAnn in Torrance..........4
Weekend
Forecast
Concert of the Century Reunites
Torrance High Bandmates
Saturday, September 9 saw the long-awaited, historic reunion of the winners of the 1968 National Battle of the Bands with Symbols of Tyme--featuring legendary Ambrosia co-founder/guitarist/vocalist
David Pack wearing the bandana—along with other alumni on stage at Torrance High School Auditorium. Photo by TerriAnn Ferren.
Council Honors Local Educator After
More Than Four Decades of Service
By Cristian Vasquez
When Leonard Hernandez was hired at
the Switzer Learning Center as a teacher’s
assistant in 1972, he had one goal in mind:
to become a teacher. During Tuesday night’s
Torrance City Council meeting, Hernandez,
now the principal of the center, was recognized
Torrance Police Department DUI
Checkpoint Nets One Arrest
The Torrance Police Department Traffic
Unit conducted a DUI/Driver’s License
checkpoint on September 8 in the 3400
block of Torrance Boulevard between
the hours of 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. Checkpoints
are placed in locations that have
the greatest opportunity for achieving
drunk and drugged driving deterrence
and provide the greatest safety for officers
and the public.
A major component of these checkpoints
are the deterrent effects it has on those who
might drive alcohol or drug impaired, bringing
about more awareness and encouraging
everyone to use sober designated drivers.
Throughout the evening, 1,269 vehicles
passed through the checkpoint, which
resulted in the following:
• 1,000 Vehicles Screened
• One DUI-Alcohol suspect arrested
• Four Drivers cited/arrested for operating
a vehicle while unlicensed
• Four Miscellaneous traffic citations issued
Drivers are encouraged to download
the Designated Driver VIP, or “DDVIP,”
free mobile app for Android or iPhone.
The DDVIP app helps find nearby bars
and restaurants that feature free incentives
for the designated sober driver, from free
non-alcoholic drinks to free appetizers and
more. The feature-packed app even has
social media tie-ins and even a tab for the
non-DD to call Uber, Lyft or Curb.
Drivers caught driving impaired can expect
the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail
time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension
and other expenses that can exceed
$10,000 not to mention the embarrassment
when friends and family find out.
– Source: Torrance PD
upon his retirement.
“I’d like to thank Mayor Furey for supporting
the Switzer Center, the City Council,
Heidi [Councilmember Ashcraft]…thank you
very much for all of the years of supporting
us,” Hernandez said. “We have a long
relationship with the City of Torrance going
back many years, as you can imagine, and
we’ve had many mayors support us in our
graduations and fundraisers.”
Students are commonly referred to the
Switzer Center by their home school districts
after several unsuccessful attempts at a public
school program. At Switzer, students are
placed in classrooms with no more than 12
kids per one special education teacher and
teacher’s aide. All teachers are credentialed in
special education. The facility also provides
students with a licensed psychologist and
licensed speech and language pathologist,
as well as behavior specialists certified in
crisis prevention intervention.
“To see the changes in the students
that we have, with the struggles that they
have, on our graduation day it is amazing to
have these students fulfill a goal,” Hernandez
said. “Students are required to give a
speech and if you heard some of their
speeches, you would cry. We often cry about
their being proud of their success and their
family seeing them.”
Located in Torrance, the Switzer Learning
Center is a special education, nonprofit
campus that provides enrichment classes,
therapeutic services and programs tailored
for students with autism. It has the capacity
to serve students from third grade to age
22 with either moderate to severe learning
disabilities, behavioral disorders, emotional
issues and/or attention problems.
“My dream was to be a teacher and when I
became a TA, it was by chance that it was in
special education--I wasn’t that aware about
special education,” Hernandez said. “Once I
became part of the Switzer Center and realized
what their commitment and their work
was, and I started the high school program.
It was amazing.”
Throughout the years, the Switzer Center
has established partnerships with districts
throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area,
including the South Bay’s Centinela Valley
Friday
AM Clouds/
PM Sun
70˚/63˚
Saturday
Sunny
70˚/63˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
70˚/63˚
See City Council, page 7