Author: Emilie St. John

Inglewood residents continue to inundate Congresswoman Maxine Waters office with complaints about the three post offices in the city. Locations are in Morningside Park, Downtown Inglewood, and Crenshaw-Imperial which are regularly closed to the public and paying customers with post office boxes and on the surface appears that nothing is being done to solve the problem. Post office boxes cost $97 every six months to receive mail for both residents and businesses that are interrupted by the intermittent staffing at the locations. Delivery service in Inglewood has slightly improved with mail delivery resuming during business hours whereas last year it was…

LOS ANGELES (2UG) – Community organizer Sade Elhawary has earned the endorsement of Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor in her bid to succeed Reggie Jones-Sawyer as the area representative for Assembly District 57. “Assemblymember Tina McKinnor is a role model as a leader in civic engagement, Democratic Party organizing, and now as a legislator who fights for the people. I’m deeply honored to have earned her support,” Elhawary stated. In a rare move, the press release announcing the endorsement didn’t include a quote from McKinnor as to why she’s supporting Elhawary. Elhawary works with the Community Coalition, commonly known as CoCo South…

COMPTON (SBE) – Compton College celebrated the renaming of its library in honor of the first Black woman elected to its Board of Trustees during Community Day held April 22. Mrs. Emily B. Hart-Holifield was the longest-serving board member in the college’s history. Her name was placed on the exterior of the library and then removed after the district went under the control of El Camino College. Mr. Benjamin Holifield smiles widely as his wife’s name is restored to the Compton College Library. (Photo: Compton College) The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) stripped the college of its accreditation in 2005 citing…

INGLEWOOD (SBE) – Inglewood City Clerk Aisha L. Thompson started a new podcast “Let’s Chat” which was released to the public April 25. The taxpayer-funded podcast kicked off with Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr., Councilwoman Dionne Faulk and Housing Protection Director Yakema Decatur. Viewers didn’t learn anything new from Mayor Butts outside of the city will embark on a new first-time homebuyer program with the goal of helping 300 prospective homebuyers which would be funded in part due to the city’s development agreements. Councilwoman Dionne Faulk and Thompson are both up for reelection next year. They both mentioned the…

Newly elected District 1 Councilwoman Gloria Gray will hold a community swearing in April 29. The event is scheduled to take place on the South Lawn of Inglewood City Hall from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. No RSVP is needed. During the city council meeting held April 18, Gray confirmed she will be sworn in by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Gray also shared with the public that her liaison will be Alicia Smith who previously served in the same capacity for former Councilman George Dotson. “That was a HUGE battle to bring back Ms. Smith,” said an insider with…

The Gardena City Council unanimously approved a moratorium prohibiting significant tobacco retailers from establishing in the city during the March 28 regular city council meeting. Proposition 31 was placed on the ballot soon after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 793, the Legislature’s bipartisan effort to crack down on e-cigarettes and other products popular with kids. The law banned the sale of certain flavored tobacco products in stores and vending machines, including menthol cigarettes, but with exceptions for hookah, premium cigars and loose-leaf tobacco. Despite passage last November, little is being done to enforce the ban, particularly in Los Angeles County. https://pdj.gyo.mybluehost.me/2023/04/anti-tobacco-advocates-fail-to-take-position-on-state-bill-ab-935-to-put-new-tobacco-restrictions-in-place/ The…

The South Bay Cities Council of Governments Homeless Services Task Force will continue discussing a possible RV Encampment Pilot Program during their May 3 meeting. On September 13, 2022, the Board of Supervisors (Board) directed the Chief Executive Office -Homeless Initiative (CEO-HI) to consult with the Directors of Public Works (DPW), Public Health (DPH), Regional Planning (DPP), Health Services (DHS), and the Acting Director of Mental Health (DMH) and, in coordination With the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LASD), the St. Joseph Vehicular Homeless Outreach Program (VHOP) and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to provide an updated assessment…

With California voters supporting the ban on flavored (menthol) tobacco sales throughout the state, one manufacturer has rolled out “non-menthol” cigarettes that some argue are no different than menthol products. In local 7-eleven throughout Los Angeles County, they continue to sell Newports, but they are marketed as “non-menthol”. The only problem is the stores are hiding the products behind rolling potato chip carts. If they were “non-menthol” why would they need to be hidden from public view? There’s supposed to be a ban on menthol, flavored tobacco but my local @7eleven is now selling NON menthol behind the chips 🤔…

Newly elected Inglewood Councilwoman Gloria Gray was sworn into office in front of an over-capacity crowd in council chambers on April 7. The following day she held a ‘Campaign Team Celebration’ in Los Angeles’ Whipp Social Club where she thanked her supporters for her win in the March 7 runoff against former Councilman George Dotson. “For all of those who generously gave their time and resources, I treasure the effort they provided during my campaign and this is just a way to say thank you,” Gray stated. Gray’s term in Inglewood began on April 10, however, she has retained her…

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. made a late-night announcement Wednesday that after community uproar, the city will not use eminent domain to take the property where Vons grocery store is located. “The City Council and I understand that any construction on the Vons site would be disruptive to businesses, residents, and employees. We have identified an alternative location for the MSF building. To put it succinctly, we heard you.” – James T. Butts City consultants released the Draft Business Relocation Plan on Feb. 1 which identified that nearly 50 businesses would be disrupted due to the Inglewood Transit Connector Project.…