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The Inglewood City Council meeting on May 13 moved right along, with all members in
sync on agenda items. Everything was approved including:
An agreement with the County of Los Angeles for Inglewood to continue using
24-hour ballot boxes
An agreement with the South Bay Work Investment Board to provide work
experience opportunities within City departments
An amended contract to provide funding for the City’s nutritional program
After approving a work schedule for Inglewood Police, Mayor James T. Butts, Jr. took a
moment to acknowledge their efforts in arresting a man suspected of killing a beloved
educator. “I want to thank the police department for the great job they did during the
tragedy Friday before last at Spartan College.” He added that Inglewood has seen “10
years of real progress in crime rates and we want that to continue.”
Councilwoman Gray announced a monthly meeting of Inglewood Commissioners set for
May 14 at 5:30p.m. The meetings are open to the public. The council approved funding
for her annual Unity Day Celebration at Darby Park on July 26.
Councilwoman Dionne Faulk addressed street construction projects causing heavy
traffic delays in her District 4. “I want to let everyone know, in District 4 that we had
complaints about 2 nd Avenue not being able to merge onto Century Blvd. Public Works
came out and now they can access Century a little easier. Thanks to our Public Works
department.
“I also want to give you an update on the Crenshaw Blvd. project. It needed to happen
because Crenshaw Blvd. was a hot mess! It will be looking a lot better by the end of the
year.
The L.A. Clippers generously donated over $100,000 to the last graduating class of
Morningside High School. Remaining Students at Morningside will be moved to
Inglewood High School in the fall, due to a decline in enrollment. Faulk said the funds
will be used to purchase lettermen’s jackets and prom tickets. The councilwoman
acknowledged members of the Morningside Monarchs High Alumni Association by
name for making the donation happen.
“Everything was spoken about except our police contracts,” Councilman Eloy Morales
said. They are one of the departments that are most affected … in terms of how their
lives are impacted. I’ve gotten to know most of the officers over the years. We have a
special department, it’s all about improving every part of our city.” Morales also
announced that trees are being serviced in his District 3. “In my neighborhood they are
doing all of the streets. In the past, we used to do one street, then skip a street. This
is a credit to our staff and the Public Works Department.”
District 2 Councilman Alex Padilla thanked fellow councilmembers for wishing him a
happy belated birthday before moving on to acknowledge 2 dear friends who passed
away within the past week. “One was a volunteer, Laura Mendez, who helped with my
campaign back in the day. We developed a friendship more in the realm of a family. We
would go out to dinner with her and her husband, Stella and I.
“The mayor and I had the honor and privilege of knowing our friend Frank, Padilla
continued. “We called him Francisco. He was my Panamanian ‘brother from another
mother.’ He was my first mentor at the Santa Monica Police Department. He went to
work at LAWA (Los Angeles World Airports) with the mayor, at the police department
there.”
An emotional Mayor Butts also commented on the sad loss of their friend Frank. “Frank
and Juan—they’re twins. They were born one day before me. He and Juan are two of
the best people you could ever meet in life.” Switching gears, the mayor announced
that a new broadcast studio will be built at Hollywood Park to provide live coverage of
the 2028 Olympics. This is the first new studio in the County of Los Angeles since the
1950s,” he said. “We are now an international city.”
