[ Hermosa Beach... ]
HERMOSA BEACH
Centennial badges are being used
Hermosa Beach police officers are wearing special badges to commemorate the city’s ongoing centennial celebrations.
The new badge is based on the original Hermosa Beach six- pointed “marshal” badge worn in 1907.
The star is incorporated into the 2007 badge. The badges will be worn through Jan. 14, 2008, when the celebration ends. Officers will then return to wearing the current oval badge.
The Hermosa Beach Women’s Club and the Hermosa Beach Police Officers Association funded the badges, which were created by V&V Manufacturing in Industry.
Hermosa Beach firefighters also are sporting centennial badges.
HAWTHORNE
State chief praises middle school
One day after calling for a stronger focus on closing the achievement gap among students, state schools chief Jack O’Connell visited Hawthorne to shine the light on a campus he said is doing things right.
“This is a school that’s really moving in the right direction,” O’Connell said of Bud Carson Middle School, where test scores have continually increased as the achievement gap has narrowed.
“Your student population really reflects the future of California.”
Principal Patricia Jordan attributed the 950-student school’s success, in part, to what she called her “pride and joy” — an academic and behavioral intervention program that offers extra help to any student that needs it. She also pointed to their math support classes, taught by every teacher there, in which every student gets extra, daily practice in math.
Bud Carson’s API score — the state’s assessment of a school’s overall progress — has climbed more than 200 points in recent years, moving from 464 in 1999 to 689 in 2006. Its black, Latino and socioeconomically disadvantaged academic subgroups have exceeded their growth targets by more than 150 points, its English-learners group by nearly 60.
“Our work is not yet done, but we’re off to a good start,” Jordan said. “We want all of our students above the bar.”
District officials, including Superintendent Don Carrington and trustees Christina Chiappe, Nilo Michelin and Hugo Rojas all participated in the Wednesday morning discussion with O’Connell, who made similar stops at four other schools.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Tagger to be surrounded by walls
A prolific tagger who caused more than $70,000 in damage to buses, trains and passenger stations in Los Angeles County is headed for prison.
Bryant Mangum, 27, entered into a plea deal and remains in custody in Los Angeles pending transfer to a state lockup, according to sheriff’s officials. Mangum was arrested Nov. 21 after a search warrant was served at a residence in the 1200 block of West 84th Place, where he lived with his grandmother, said Sgt. Augie Pando of the sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau.
At the home, deputies found hundreds of gummed labels, also known as “slap tags,” with Mangum’s name on them, along with several cans of spray paint, two 5-gallon drums of paint, books containing exemplars of his tagging, and a tool chest containing tagging paraphernalia, Pando said.
Mangum, also known as “Sight,” is affiliated with a group called UPN, which stands for “Ur Property Next,” Pando said.
“Upon learning that he was facing between eight and 30 years in state prison for his 45 documented felony vandalism cases, Mangum pleaded guilty and accepted an offer of eight years and four months in the state prison system,” Pando said.
DOCKWEILER BEACH
Sewage spill closes the shoreline
Dockweiler Beach was one of three stretches of shoreline closed Wednesday due to a raw sewage spill, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Dockweiler Beach is closed from Ballona Creek to a quarter-mile south of Ballona Creek. Will Rogers Beach is closed 100 yards on both sides of the point of discharge to the Pacific Ocean.
Venice Beach is closed from the Marina del Rey channel entrance to the Pacific Ocean to a quarter-mile north of the channel. All three beaches will be closed at least until this afternoon.
Los Angeles sanitation department workers responded to the Will Rogers Beach discharge at 12:03 p.m. Tuesday, completed cleanup work at 12:40 p.m. and notified the county Department of Public Health at 3:30 p.m., according to county officials.
Culver City public works workers responded to discharges leading to Ballona Creek and Venice and Dockweiler beaches at 3 p.m. Tuesday and completed cleanup work at 4 p.m.
Recorded information on beach conditions is available by calling the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health hotline at 800- 525-5662 or online at www.lapublichealth.org/beach.
LOS ANGELES
Initiative targets resin pellets
A newly launched initiative aims to reduce the number of plastic pellets washing into area storm drains and local waterways, officials for the Los Angeles-area water-quality agency said Wednesday.
The resin pellets, the raw material for plastic products, can make their way to beaches and streams. When eaten by fish and birds, the pellets lodge in the animals’ digestive tracts and cause slow starvation, according to Francine Diamond, the chairwoman of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.
“When managed appropriately, resin pellets are not a threat to water quality or aquatic life,” Diamond said. “However, when allowed to enter our waterways, they become very problematic. They blight our world-famous beaches and, in turn, endanger our coastal economy.”
A comprehensive list of businesses that make, transport and use the pellets is being compiled, according to the water quality board, which said unannounced inspections will be conducted to determine if businesses have adequate practices in place to keep the pellets from leaving the site and reaching bodies of water.
The businesses also will be advised of water regulations and permit requirements, water board officials said.
State law permits the water board to impose fines up to $10,000 per violation per day, and the state attorney general can seek civil or criminal sanctions.
SAN PEDRO
Mascot is honored on 15th Street
A short stretch of 15th Street in front of San Pedro High School will be renamed “Pirate’s Cove” at a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. today in honor of the school’s mascot.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn will unveil the new honorary street designation, which was requested by the San Pedro High School Pirate Booster Club.
The announcement will be made on the front steps of the high school at 1001 W. 15th St.
— From staff and news services
Correction
An article Wednesday wrongly attributed information about a $10,000 contribution to Los Angeles school board candidate Richard Vladovic from former Mayor Richard Riordan. Vladovic was the source of the information.
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