August 29, 2019
VOL. 34, No. 34
SAMAIYA KIRBY SETS THE FAA RULING CONFIRMS WITH MAYOR BUTTS AND OTHER CITY OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN SAYING. EXAMPLE FOR COLLEGE-BOUND HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
By Francis Taylor, Asst. Publisher/Editor
Inglewood resident Samaiya Kirby is a senior in high school and while school is just getting underway, she already has her sights on
By Marla Matime
college after high school graduation. Samaiya realizes that college is an important investment in her future and in order to fulfill her dream of becoming a neo natal nurse, college is mandatory. With the help and support of her father Darnell Kirby, she understands that the amount of time and effort she spends preparing for college can help to ensure that she is accepted at the college of her choice and can ease the transition from living at home with her parents to living on a college campus where self-discipline is essential. Samaiya has decided to attend an historically black
The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday reaffirmed that housing cannot be built on the site of the proposed LA Clippers arena in Inglewood. “The FAA does not support the reintroduction of single-family or multi-family residential uses on the Noise-Impacted Parcels,” David F. Cushing, the FAA’s Manager in the LAX office, wrote to Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts. “Such residential redevelopment would
increase residents’ exposure to aircraft noise and is inherently inconsistent with the intent of the City’s land acquisition/noise mitigation program, approved and funded by the FAA,” Cushing wrote in the August 26 letter. Cushing noted that the FAA has paid millions over the years for former residents in the area to relocate and escape the unhealthy jet noise. The FAA letter deals a blow to attempts by Uplift Inglewood and the Madison Square Gar-
den Co., which owns the Forum, to kill the proposed arena by claiming that the land should be used for housing. With MSG’s financial backing, Uplift Inglewood has sued the city, claiming it violated the state’s Surplus Land Act by failing to solicit proposals for affordable housing on the parcel before signing an exclusive negotiating agreement with the Clippers. But Cushing’s letter, sent in 4 response to a July 17 update
FINGER-WAGGING ON INGLEWOOD I S E N T I R E LY MI SPL ACE D
4
ON THE INSIDE •News •Community •Health / Fitness / Wellness sponsored by Centinela Hospital •Real Estate •Business •Sports/Entertainment
By Mayor James T. Butts
Before Alix Ollivier (Opinion, July 15) decided to chide the city of Inglewood about our supposed fiscal management, he should have done research – or perhaps contacted us for information. Had he done so, he would not have recycled a series of common misrepresentations in his column, “SoCal are spending big instead of preparing for the next economic downturn.” So
let’s set the record straight. Ollivier wrote that Inglewood borrowed $53 million money to pay shortterm bills instead of long-term obligations. That is not accurate. This was a refinancing of existing debt and a reimbursement to the general fund reserves for a prepayment of accrued unfunded liability prior to the refinancing. Here is the chronology of what Inglewood did:
On Nov. 14, 2017, the city issued a pension obligation bond refunding to legally decrease certain portions of the prior 2005 pension obligation bond. By that transaction we also reimbursed the city’s general fund for advances we had made to pay CalPERS that otherwise would have been paid by our pension tax levy. The refunding has also 3 enabled the city to save
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August 29, 2019
EYE ON THE CITY
PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE
LET’S NOT FORGET AUGUST 28, 2014 Five Years Later, Obama’s Tan Suit ‘Controversy’ Seems More Ridiculous Than Ever For the last 25 years INGLEWOOD TODAY has reported the news in and around the City of Inglewood and it has always been our aim to present the best of what this community has to offer. With the continued support of our advertisers and our weekly readers, who we would like to gradually re-direct to our online edition, we hope to continue publication as the City of Inglewood enjoys the transformation that has been brought about by Mayor Butts and his colleagues on the city council. My message has taken many forms over the years from commenting about local events and developments to statewide and national issues that impact our readers directly or indirectly. Lately, I have been moved to remark on the machinations of our POTUS. Sadly and unfortunately he offers considerable fodder for examination and criticism. Five years ago, as I prepare this message, the nation was appalled that President Obama had the audacity to wear a tan suit to a nationwide press briefing. America collectively spent the last few days
of August that year lambasting him and everyone was weirdly personally offended by it. Republican pundits and cable news shows went ballistic and many were describing Obama’s tan suit as unpresidential! No one would have imagined then that the next president would be known for presiding over a climate crisis that is accelerating, a national debt that has ballooned, an explosion of hate crimes and rampant racism, a trade war that is destroying us, or our allies no longer trusting us while we have immigrant babies dying at the border. And what if Obama made creepy comments about his own daughter, paid off a porn star or stood up for Russia at the G7 conference… At this point, the common refrain of, “Can you imagine if Obama did this?” comes up so frequently during the Trump era that it just sounds like a tree falling in the forest. But, that the tan suit is one of Obama’s most memorable controversies speaks volumes about how much we expected of him while he was in office compared to the amount of chaos we are enduring since Trump has occupied the White House. Give me the tan suit any day of the week!
RAMS GET FIRST PRESEASON
WIN OVER BRONCOS
In the only preseason game at the Coliseum, there wasn’t a lot of excitement or scoring against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, a theme that has remained consistent for the Rams through three preseason games as they continue to sit starters. The Broncos didn’t exactly light it up either, and that allowed the Rams to post their first win of the preseason, winning 10-6 in front of 66,899. But the big talk of the night wasn’t even about the Rams, it was about Colts quarterback Andrew Luck announcing his sudden retirement. It was the first question asked of Rams coach Sean McVay. “He’s the epitome of class,” McVay said. “He’s been a great player, great competitor. I don’t know enough to really have any more of an opinion other
GEORGE DOTSON
ALEX PADILLA
JAMES BUTTS
ELOY MORALES
RALPH FRANKLIN
AROUND THE CITY CITY OF INGLEWOOD:
FORUM HELPS KELSO ELEMENTARY WITH GIVEAWAY EVENT
The Forum and The Madison Square Garden Company hosted a festive backto-school giveaway event on Aug. 22 at neighboring Kelso Elementary School,
wood community, the Forum is proud to continue to partner with local community organizations and schools.” – Rich Constable, Executive Vice Presi-
directly across the street from the iconic venue. In celebration of a new school year, leaders from the Forum and MSG teamed with Inglewood educators to distribute more than 450 back-to-
dent, Government Relations and Public Affairs, The Madison Square Garden Company Mari Morales Rodriguez, Founder of One-For-All, and her team of volunteers did an amazing job putting together their Back to School Summer Event at St. John’s Church. Several local families, residents and business owners attended the w e l l - at t e n d e d event and they were treated to some great food, games, and entertainment. Council Member Padilla said the best part of the event for him was Mari’s organization helping 25-soon-to-be local college students with their tuition. One-For-All, with the help of generous donors, handed out scholarships to help pay for the enormous cost of attending college. The students were very excited to be receiving the scholarships and thankful to everyone who made it possible.
school kits, notepads, and backpacks to eager students. Since its grand reopening in 2014, the Forum has been a committed supporter of the Inglewood community, hosting numerous community events, such as graduation ceremonies, turkey giveaways, canned food drives, toy giveaways, and much more. “The Forum was excited to join with Kelso to assist the school’s students in being better prepared to learn. As a long-standing member of the Inglethan I have a lot of respect for him. He’s been a great player and I hate for our game to lose such a great player due to injuries. He’s only been playing for so many years but he certainly made his
presence known in this league.” The Rams have just 23 points through three preseason games, but none of it surprising or a reason to sound the alarm. Even Rams back-up quarterback Blake Bortles didn’t play, which McVay explained. “He did a really good job of establishing himself as the clean No. 2,” McVay said. “It’s not a situation where he hasn’t played a lot of football, but when you look at it what’s really to gain? Let’s start to get ourselves in the mindset and mentality of what are we going to do toward the season. A lot of this stuff we’re running is very different in terms of concepts and different things we want to run and do.” Brandon Allen started and played most of the night, throwing a 51-yard pass to Michael Thomas on the opening drive that stalled in the red zone, and he couldn’t finish a drive with a first down at the 2 early in the third quarter. But he put up decent numbers anyway, converting 12 of 19 passes for 162 yards.
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August 29, 2019
102.3 RADIO-FREE KJLH PLANS FREE
EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT: FEATURING A LINEUP OF POWERFUL SPEAKERS AND VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR MEN OF ALL AGES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. Inglewood, CA, August 21, 2019: 102.3 Radio-Free KJLH is set to present the 3rd Annual Men’s Empowerment Summit on Saturday, September 7th, 2019 on the beautiful campus of California State University Dominguez Hills from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM. With the goal of inspiring and empowering men of color from Southern California’s diverse communities. KJLH will leverage its heritage of community service in partnership with Senator Steven Bradford to provide a platform where men can engage in frank discussions, garner information and come away inspired. We begin the day with a prayer from Bishop Jawane Hilton (Carson Mayor ProTem), Welcome from our Partner Senator Steve Bradford and our Host Dr. Thomas Parham, President of California State University Dominguez Hills. Immediately following the sessions will begin covering a variety of topics of interest to men of all ages. Such as Entrepreneurship: “Be Your Own Boss”, “Building Generational Wealth” to Mentoring: “Each One Teach One”. We will address issues of Mental Health within our community, Relationships: “Keeping it Real & Raw”, and “Man Up”: Father’s Rights. Of note, is the program for Veterans and Member Services presented by Metro and the Red Cross. We delve into Black Excellence; “Breaking Generational Barriers with Technology” to the role of religion, being inspired with “Spread The Word” On site. As the presidential election looms large a special panel has been added this year: 2020
Stay Woke: From Civic Engagement to Empowerment. Featuring guest panelist: LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, LA City Council President Herb Wesson, Senator Steven Bradford and an invitation has been extended to Congressional Black Caucus Chair, Congresswoman Karen Bass. The Police Reform: Our Lives Do Matter will feature a panel of legal experts alongside law enforcement, political, and community advocacy experts that will address and discuss pertinent issues such as sentencing disparities, police violence against young males, crime and recidivism within our community, and much more. In addition to the panel discussions, there will be free health screenings courtesy of Aids Health Care Foundation and Watts Health Care. A job fair presented by South Bay One-Stop Business & Career Centers and a very special session known as Legends of the Game, moderated by sports casting legend Jim Hill. This session presents a panel of some of LA’s top sports legends in a discussion of inspiration and encouragement. Men in attendance will walk away motivated, ready to do their best in their various fields. There will be a live broadcast with Guy Black. Come early for a free breakfast to get you physically set for your mental workout. For information on the KJLH Men’s Empowerment summit tune into 102.3 FM or go to our website and click through to www. kjlhradio.com or call the office of KJLH at 310-330-2200.
Continued from page 1: Finger-Wagging on Inglewood is Entirely Misplaced
costs – not incur them – by being able to pay the CalPERS annual unfunded liability due upfront with discounted savings accruing to the city. CalPERS was paid and the bond issue is being paid as was it was designated to be paid: by the pension tax levy. We prepaid debt. We did not add to our debt. Ollivier also took a swipe at Inglewood over pension reform – without ever investigating what steps we already had taken – writing: “instead of shelling out excessive salaries, Inglewood needs to make pension reforms.” Inglewood, in fact, took the lead on accomplishing the most robust unfunded liability reform of any city in Southern California, large or small. We conducted unprecedented negotiations with six unions to end lifetime retiree medical benefits, saving the city $135 million over 30 years. Lastly, Ollivier took issue with salaries in Inglewood, but he never made the argument that the people earning those salaries had not performed exceptionally well. Yet the results of their work speak for themselves: In the past eight years, the city has lowered its crime rate to historic levels – with fewer murders this year than Torrance and other neighbors in the South Bay. Our unemployment rate has dropped from over 17% to just over 5%. Of the 3,000 workers that are on the NFL stadium project, over 1,200 of them are Inglewood residents. Our bond rating (which was as recently as 2011 just above junk level) has been increased by both Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s to A+ and AA-, respectively. Between 2017 and 2024 we
will bring $10 billion in development to the city, with projects that include the Rams, the Chargers and the Clippers as well as the new headquarters of the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, which relocated from Marina Del Rey; the relocation of the NFL Networks from Culver City; the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which is locating the Frank Gehry-designed home for its youth headquarters in our community. Ollivier’s finger-wagging suggests that Inglewood is the passive beneficiary of others’ largesse, when in fact, this economic transformation has been brought about by the hard work of a business-oriented leadership team that gets outstanding results. The general fund reserves have increased by nearly 500% in seven years. Moody’s as long ago as 2016 rated Inglewood No. 1 in liquidity (a ratio of reserves compared to its annual spending) of all the cities they rate nationwide. These are some of the reasons that local elected officials along with dignitaries from countries around the world frequently call and visit our city asking how we’ve accomplished what we’ve done. Ollivier turned day into night by inferring that the city by prepaying its accrued unfunded liability (thereby avoiding accruing interest charges) and refinancing its pension obligation bonds (to pay a lower interest rate) and then reimbursing the general fund reserves was somehow irresponsible. Ollivier would do better to hold us up as an example to follow. Because that would be the truth.
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APPLE
OFFERS HACKERS
$1 MILLION
By Harmony Wortham
As we all know, women have innate private investigator capabilities. We were born with detective skills. Those of us who are mothers in addition to being women; well, we have super powers that even scientists still can’t explain. If you aren’t working in a field conducive to your use of said magic, your time has finally come. Apple is currently offering a $1 Million reward to anyone who can hack an iPhone as part of the company’s newly–expanding bug bounty program. Apple limited its bug bounty program to a restricted list of friendly hackers previously and the highest reward was $200,000. They’ve now opened up the reward to everybody but it will only pay out $1 Million for the hacker(s) that can gain remote access to the very core of Apple’s iOS software without needing the phone’s owner’s assistance. For the first time, the program will include all Apple platforms,
including iOS, iCloud, tvOS, iPadOS, watchOS and macOS. The tech giant’s head of security engineering Ivan Krstic shared the news at a conference in Las Vegas on Thursday. The astronomical number being offered for whoever can hack the phone is a clear indicator of the iPhone’s software vulnerabilities worth on the black market. Good luck to anyone who can send Apple back to the drawing board. They need to make sure they continue to fix all the bugs in order to allegedly “help protect” our identities and information that has been “privately” stored somewhere in the clouds of the over priced mini computer like devices they sell us and convince us to believe they are phones.
CLASSIFIED
INGLEWOOD OFFICE * RETAIL * MEDICAL SPACE SPACES FOR LEASE OFFICE * RETAIL * MEDICAL 1035-1041 Prairie Av Inglewood Near historic Inglewood Forum Major Street Frontage * High Traffic Counts Est: 880sq * 900sq * 1606sq * 2145sq $1sf to $2sf (very flexible lease terms) HOLLYPARK PLAZA
August 29, 2019 Continued from page 1: Samaiya Kirby Sets the Example for College-bound...
college and has visited the university complex in the City of Atlanta. At the same time, she has decided to investigate other black colleges to determine which would be the best for her academic achievements, college admission test scores and available student financial aid. She will learn which characteristics are most important in a college, including atmosphere, size, location, degree programs offered, career training, etc., before making a decision about where to apply. Samaiya considers herself to be a dedicated and hard-working student, although she admittedly does not do well on standardized tests. To improve her test taking skills therefore, she plans to discipline herself to endure the hours of testing without being distracted and losing focus. At the same time, she will be well served to further develop her notetaking skills. She understands that when she gets to college, the notes she takes on what the professor says will be fundamental to her success, both on exams and in her future career. Samaiya has been advised that college has more content in shorter periods of time than high school, with bigger exams over more content. Therefore, being organized and managing time effectively is crucial. Maintaining a calendar to keep track of assignments and exams will alleviate a lot of stress, and will also allow her to manage time in a way that schedules daily study time. Daily study will help her to be successful in classes and prevent hectic “cram-sessions” the night before an exam; while learning to balance school, social life and other obligations will help her avoid feeling overwhelmed by the college experience. Samaiya understands that unlike high school, one of the perks of college is that you get to choose whether or not you go to class. She is already in the habit of regularly attending class, has learned what it
means to be disciplined and predicts that she will not fall into the trap of sleeping through early college classes or skipping them altogether. Samaiya is preparing for numerous reading assignments when she enters college and has been told that some instructors require the completion of reading assignments before each class. She has decided to frequently practice reading for the same amount of time that is allotted to complete the college entrance exams to practice staying focused. At the same time, she is advised to learn how to read more efficiently by scanning the material for key points. Samaiya has already accrued volunteer service hours in a hospital environment which is how she decided to become a nurse. She has been advised to increase her extracurricular activities and assume leadership roles in those organizations to embellish her college admission applications. Her past volunteer work, community service and leadership experience will give her an edge when applying for scholarships and will also provide valuable work and social skills that can help with her future career. Samaiya is evaluating which college she would like to attend and is focusing on the acceptance requirements of the colleges that are of interest; their scholarship and student aid programs, and the nursing program that she wants to pursue. She is doing her ‘due diligence’ now, at the beginning of her senior year, so that she is in the best position to submit her college entrance applications in the first quarter of 2020. Samaiya is taking an AVID course that is designed to prepare her for the college experience and she has sought out some college graduates to get any advice that will help in her quest to become a Neo Natal Nurse! INGLEWOOD TODAY will update this story when we hear from Samaiya upon her acceptance at the college of her choice.
FREE Document Shredding and Donations Event
When: Where:
Saturday, September 28, 2019
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
On Grevillea Avenue off Manchester Blvd. (in front of Inglewood High School)
DRIVE THROUGH DROP OFF
Bring all of your non-working household appliances, computers, tablets, phones, TV's and any other electronic devices that you would like to get rid of. We will also accept gently used clothing, shoes, accessories and bicycles. NO FURNITURE ACCEPTED! *NOTE: Document shredding is limited to Inglewood Residents Only, ID IS REQUIRED (3 boxes or bags per car ONLY) Tax compliant donation receipts will be provided
For more information, please contact the City of Inglewood Public Works Department at (310) 412-5333.
Continued from page 1: FAA Ruling confirms with Mayor Butts....
from Mayor Butts about the arena plan, made it clear that the FAA considers the idea of building housing on the site unacceptable. Cushing referred to FAA relocation grants that allowed residents to escape the health impacts of aircraft noise, which has been recorded at 65 decibels – about the level of a hair dryer or vacuum cleaner. The parcel is in a part of the flight path where the jets are at their lowest altitude over Inglewood. As part of its eligibility for the grants, the city committed to promoting only commercial uses for under the flight path. To that end, Cushing said plans for the Clippers to build an 18,500-seat basketball arena on the city land was compatible with the FAA’s noise rules. “By your letter, the City intends to ensure future compatible land-use of the NoiseImpacted Parcels by developing them for commercial-use and excluding residential uses,” Cushing wrote. “Specifically, the proposed NBA basketball arena project appears to be a compatible land-use for the Noise-Impacted Parcels.” Cushing wrote the FAA would need additional information about the proposed arena’s height and configuration to make sure it didn’t pose a hazard for planes descending to LAX, which is two miles to the west. The FAA made a similar request of the Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who won FAA approval by sinking the stadium 100 feet below ground level so that it would conform to FAA height requirements. The bowl of the new Clippers Arena would be below grade as well. Butts hailed the FAA letter as confirmation of what he and other city officials have been saying all along. “We have long been focused on providing more affordable housing to the citizens of Inglewood, and have added or approved more than 600 units over the past seven years to do just that,” Butts said. “But the FAA’s finding confirmed what we knew to be true – this land cannot be used for housing, period.”
PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER/ EDITOR Willie Brown VICE PRESIDENT Gloria Kennedy ASSISTANT EDITOR Francis Taylor ASSISTANT PUBLISHER Francis Taylor CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Francis Taylor Harmony Wortham QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER Gloria Kennedy Inglewood Today Weekly is a legally adjudicated newspaper of public circ ulation, published weekly by Ads Up Advertising, Inc. News and press releases may be submitted for consideration by mail to 9111 La Cienega Boulevard, Suite 100, Inglewood, CA 90301 or by email to itnetworks@msn.com.
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