4 La Vista News Hermosa Beach holds oil drilling discussions By Mai Nojima Circulation Editor The City of Hermosa Beach invited its residents to express their thoughts concerning the potential oil drilling by E&B Natural Resources in Hermosa Beach on Sept. 12 and 23. The first meeting in the Clark Building focused on what the residents want for Hermosa Beach in the future. Representative from the urban planning firm CZB facilitated a discussion among residents, which included various interactive exercises and discussions that were focused on what kind of lifestyle residents want. “We want to see how decisions, such as oil, will fit in to the quality of life in Hermosa,” Hermosa City Manager Tom Bakaly said. Representatives from Kosmont Companies, who are in charge of the Cost/Benefit analysis and Health Impact Assessment for Hermosa Oil, held the second meeting at the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre. At the meeting, the public provided its opinion on what should be in the Cost/Benefit Analysis and Health Impact Assessment. The analysis will evaluate the potential fiscal impacts on the city under the proposed oil settlement, which is set to be presented in January. The Health Impact Assessment will identify potential health consequences from the oil production. “The things we are doing to ed-
ucate the public are not required by law,” Hermosa Beach Mayor Patrick Bobko said. “We want to educate people more so they can make the best decision possible.” A representative from Kosmont Companies also spoke at the meeting about what the residents will expect to gain or lose with the implementation of oil drilling. If voters choose to leave the oil-drilling ban, there will be a $17.5 million settlement payment that the city will have to fund. If voters choose to repeal the oil drilling ban, potential oil and gas reserves, royalties and costs to the city will be considered. “There is big cost that is associated with the drilling that will affect the royalties that is going to be paid to the city,” committee chair of Keep Hermosa Hermosa Stacy Armato said. The HIA gave an overview presentation on health issues pertaining to Hermosa oil drilling. HIA will be investigating potential is-
sues over the course of the next few months and McDaniel Lambert, a company that specializes in environmental risk, will write the investigation. “We are responsible for not only the land we live on, but also the ocean, and the oil drilling can affect the health and well being of our oceans,” Hermosa Beach resident Chris Miller said. Keep Hermosa Hermosa is an active group hoping to ensure a safe and green future for Hermosa Beach by keeping E&B Natural Resources out of the city. “Right now, it is a big informational process,” Keep Hermosa Hermosa representative Kevin Sousa said. “We are trying to get the youth involved. We have them informed on how an oil processing plant will affect their lives.” The final vote for the oil issue will be held next November. “Ultimately, what matters is that the residents get to vote on this issue,” Bobko said.
Lisa Valicente/ La Vista
DRIPPING DANGERS: Hermosa Beach resident and spokesperson for Keep Hermosa Hermosa Kevin Sousa (left) and other Hermosa residents participate in an exercise at a meeting in the Clark Building on Sept. 12.
September 27, 2013
Annie Gense/ La Vista
ACTIVISTS SPEAK OUT: Los Angeles Director of Community Programming for Interactive-Activism Katie-Jay Scott (left) spoke to Mira Costa Model UN students about the survivors of the Darfur genocide.
I-Act speaks to MUN students By Madeline Taylor Staff Writer Three spokesmen from the nonprofit organization InteractiveActivism spoke to Mira Costa’s Model United Nations classes on Sept. 17. Katie-Jay Scott, Los Angeles director of community programming, spoke to the students about her work with survivors of the Darfur genocide. I-Act aims to support 300,000 Darfurian refugees that are living in 12 different camps along the weapon-protected borders of Chad and Darfur and do not receive any government support. “We have no hope inside of these refugee camps,” Darfurian refugee Abdul said in an I-Act video interview. “The international community is our only hope.”
“The team was not in Iraq to win, but to inspire the world and the other refugees at home,” physical therapist for the team Dr. Alexandra Nuttall-Smith said. Scott and Nuttall-Smith informed MUN students on how to get involved in the program. “It’s so easy to get involved,” junior Remi Dayton said. “You can help by donating money or gently used soccer equipment, and I am definitely interested.” I-Act encouraged the Costa students to do their part to better the lives of the Darfurians. The students’ contributions add to the help the Darfurian United Academy already gives to the refugees. “I really encourage the students to help with the cause,” Model United Nations advisor Bob Timberlake said. “Their interest will help the refugees thrive.”
Teacher contracts will reopen By Kellie Mullin Staff Writer The Manhattan Beach Unified School District and the Manhattan Beach Unified Teachers Association are planning to begin negotiations concerning the teacher contract proposals for 2013-14. According to the proposals, MBUSD is looking to change teacher evaluation procedures and the school calendar, while MBUTA is hoping to alter working hours and distribution of assignments for its Union members and discuss the release time provisions and how to respond to students leaving school for religious purposes. Both MBUSD and MBUTA proposed that higher salary and benefit adjustments should be addressed. “All the items that are reopeners are items that we’d like to see some resolution on,” MBUTA President Shawn Chen said. “Salary is at the top of our list.” According to the proposals, the overall
goal of these contract reopeners is to maintain a sound budget focused on maximizing student achievement. This includes creating a learning environment with sufficient teachers and resources. “My main hope for negotiations is that we can sit down and quickly find a common ground,” MBUSD Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews said. “I also hope that we can have this conversation between adults in a way so that students are not impacted at all by our negotiations.” The fiscal impact has yet to be determined from the finalization of the contracts. The passing of Proposition 30 on Sept. 3 is expected to generate over $6 billion in revenue for California’s school systems. According to Chen, this may create more leeway in the discussion for raising teacher salaries. “It’s the first time in about seven years that there has been an increase in funding,” Chen said. “This should affect the negotiations if common sense prevails.”
Second lockdown drill proves successful By Alex Wycoff Staff Writer The Mira Costa administration held a second morning lockdown drill on Sept. 13 to fix security inconsistencies that occurred in the first Sept. 12 drill. During the first drill, many teachers ignored the lockdown and didn’t lock their doors, and security did not respond to the red cards posted in some teachers’ windows, which indicate an injured student. “It wasn’t up to our standard the first time, but the second drill was as perfect as I could have expected it to be,” Costa Prin-
cipal Dr. Ben Dale said. Despite the need for two lockdown drills, the Costa administration and security have assured both students and staff that the campus is safe. “We didn’t do a full mock-up drill because it wasn’t the protocol.” Dale said. The administration scheduled the drills so that teachers and students could adjust to proper lockdown procedures in the new math and science building. “If teachers and students prepare properly, it could help save their lives tremendously,” School Resource Officer John Loy said.