Author: Emilie St. John

California landlords could be required to provide refrigerators and stoves under a proposed state law. The new law is being proposed by South Bay lawmaker Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) under Assembly Bill 628 which was approved by the Assembly 54 to 10 during a vote held April 7. “A working stove and a working refrigerator are not luxuries – they are a necessary part of modern life,” said Assemblymember Tina McKinnor. “By making these necessary appliances standard in rental homes, California can provide all of its residents with a safer, more affordable and more dignified place to call home.” According…

It is being reported that a Southern California nonprofit based in Long Beach, California, is facing state scrutiny for allegedly misappropriating $11 million in state funds. The Foodbank of Southern California has been around for five decades and is being accused of misspending the state funds on a lavish lifestyle, including trips to Las Vegas, cars, jewelry and issuing funds to members of its board of directors. “For at least the last decade, the Foodbank’s officers, directors, and vendors worked together to divert millions of dollars of state and federal funds away from these most vulnerable communities, into their own…

The former executive assistant to Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. was ordered to pay $217,4040 in a recent ruling in her ongoing wrongful termination lawsuit against the City. Judge Lia Martin ruled on March 5 that she granted evidence and monetary sanctions against Melanie McDade in the amount of $217,404 and also bars her from introducing any new evidence in her lawsuit where she alleges she was terminated after ending her sexual relationship with Butts. The City’s attorneys lauded the sanctions as “decisive” where they allege McDade committed loan fraud when she purchased a new home with documents the…

INGLEWOOD – The City of Inglewood has set a Mar. 25 Public Hearing seeking community input on the reallocation of nearly $1.1 million in federal funds related to the COVID pandemic. The City of Inglewood is an entitlement city of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) funding. As an entitlement city, the City, through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Division, must comply with federal regulations for the use of these funds. On June 14, 2022, the City adopted the Citizen Participation Plan to provide for and encourage citizens…

Senator Laura Richardson (D-South Bay) proudly announced Linda Evans as the State of California 2025 Woman of the Year (WOTY) representing the 35th Senate District. Linda Evans has spent nearly four decades serving the public in the Department of Transportation for the City of Los Angeles. Courtesy photo “I carefully selected Linda Evans, a lifelong resident of the 35th Senate District, because she has consistently demonstrated excellence in our community, her honorable service within the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and her unmatched professional dedication to managing 502 miles of traffic signals and signs for over 10 million residents and visitors…

WESTCHESTER – Inglewood Assemblymember Tina McKinnor will host her 3rd Annual Emergency & Disaster Preparedness Fair at Westchester YMCA on Saturday, Mar. 8 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. McKinnor urges the community to come out and take advantage of receiving important emergency preparedness information in light of the recent wildfire disasters that devastated the communities of Altadena and Pacific Palisades. https://www.instagram.com/2urbangirls/reel/DG388KJy2zz/ McKinnor will bring together first responders, healthcare providers, communication providers, insurance providers, local business leaders and non-profit organizations to give residents important tools necessary to safely respond to an emergency or natural disaster. Safe-T-Proof will also be at the…

INGLEWOOD – Three students from Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) received recognition during the City’s Black History Family Festival held Feb. 22. The annual K-12 Art Expression Showcase, themed “African Americans and Labor,” showcased how students interpret history through powerful and thought-provoking art along with the annual speech contest where winners received cash prizes sponsored by the Inglewood Education Foundation and the Los Angeles Rams. Each year the district receives hundreds of speech submissions from students across all grade levels which are then read by a panel of committee members who determine the winners. “I want to thank my commissioners…

DOWNEY – The Downey Police Department announced the arrest of three Long Beach men in connection with an armed robbery that occurred on Jan. 11. “On February 13, 2025, Downey Detectives, in collaboration with the Long Beach Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, executed several search warrants at locations in Long Beach and Inglewood. All three suspects were apprehended during the execution of the search warrants, and several pieces of evidence indicating their involvement in the crime were located,” said the department in a statement. The men have been identified as Christian Javier Trujillo Culqui, 30,…

TORRANCE – A body was discovered on the southbound 110 Freeway in Torrance Tuesday afternoon. A 2UrbanGirls reader provided video footage of the crime scene which appears to show a homeless encampment erected alongside the freeway. https://www.instagram.com/2urbangirls/reel/DGzEkZ7SVTm/ Because of the rising costs of housing, it is not uncommon to see people living on various freeways around the southland. https://twitter.com/2UrbanGirls/status/1763214358442876962 The person’s identity is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin. Story is still developing.

LOS ANGELES – A five-member City Council committee Tuesday advanced a motion that intends to extend worker protections for fast food employees. In a 4-0 vote, the Economic Development and Jobs Committee approved the motion, which aims to provide fast food workers with more stable scheduling, paid time off, among other benefits. It would also mandate a six- hour paid training period to educate these workers on their rights. Councilman Adrin Nazarian, a member of the committee, was absent during the vote. The motion now heads to the City Council for a vote. If approved, council members would instruct the…