TORRANCE TRIBUNE April 14, 2016 Page 7 TerriAnn in Torrance Vera Jimenez – KTLA’s Remarkable Meteorologist By TerriAnn Ferren Whether I am getting ready for work, or planning a picnic, inevitably I find myself tuning into the local television newscast, hoping the weather will cooperate. Have you ever wondered about the weather forecasters? I remember growing up, they were called ‘weathermen’, and when women began doing the weather, they were called ‘weathergirls’. Hum. Times have changed, thank goodness, and we now call the professionals who inform us about our weather and climate, ‘Meteorologists’. Last week, I met with a special Meteorologist and Traffic Reporter who lives in the South Bay. Sixteen-year veteran, Vera Jimenez works for our local KTLA Channel 5 News, and reports on the traffic and weather during the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows. Vera has always impressed me when she reports the weather because of the enthusiasm and passion in which she describes the clouds, the wind, and the pressure off the coast. Often I have wondered if she reads a script, or if she really knows her stuff. I was about to find out that Vera is the real deal. We met at her restaurant in Hermosa Beach, the Fish Shop, which she owns along with her husband, Brian, and another couple. It was a great place to meet and the food was amazing. Talking over grilled shrimp and fish tacos, I found out that Vera was born in Mexico and came to California when she was 3 years old. She is the youngest of six children, three girls and three boys, raised by her mom, a widow. Vera was raised in Garden Grove by her mom, who still lives in the house where she grew up with her brothers and sisters. “I went to Bolsa Grande High School and from there I went to Santa Ana College and then [graduating with honors] Long Beach State,” Vera said. Interestingly, Vera majored in Religious Studies. Her passion was writing; specifically about Southern California’s melting pot – and the way to do that, she decided, was through peoples’ traditions. “Through their traditions you also find out where the similarities are - and that is what I wanted to learn. It is what brings us together instead of what divides us,” Vera added. “I was actually an English major but the program was impacted, so instead of waiting around for classes to open, I was filling my schedule with whatever was available in electives and I picked one class and thought it was really interesting and the more classes I took in this particular program, the more I realized that I didn’t know that much,” Vera said. Each class she took opened up her eyes further, which led toward Religious Studies. She told me she learned a lot, has no regrets, and wouldn’t change her path for the world. “When I was going to school I thought this is a gift I am going to give myself and I will find a way to make ends meet somehow – and that is sort of what I did,” Vera said. As Vera and I munched on delicious fish tacos with mango salsa, we chatted and I asked her how she went from majoring in Religious Studies to weather? Turns out, she landed a job with KFWB-AM radio as an airborne traffic reporter working overnights and holidays – riding in a helicopter. She told me it was a challenge in the beginning because she has a fear of heights. “When I first started to work in radio, I wasn’t really trained for it. I didn’t have a voice for it. [But] I had a really great boss that never had the heart to tell me - actually until I got my first job [in TV],” began Vera. Vera put herself through college, avoiding any college loans, by working nights and holidays, reporting traffic, which is where she honed her skill as a reporter and journalist. Vera landed her first job in television at age 29, and hasn’t looked back. She told me most people in television begin right out of college in a small city, but that wasn’t her path, “If I worked in TV, I wanted to work in the back. To me, working in front of the camera was all about hair and make-up and I had no interest in that.” She then told me she nailed her first job in television by putting on make-up and straightening her hair. “To this day, that is really the most difficult part of the job,” admitted Vera. What I found interesting is that she wears her own clothes on television. I was under the impression that news people had ‘wardrobes’. Vera just celebrated her 6th year working at KTLA. Her first television job was at ABC doing afternoon traffic, then, morning traffic. She also worked for six years at CBS doing the early morning news (5 a.m., 6 a.m., and 8 a.m.). It was at CBS where she began doing the weather. “I started doing ‘fill in’ weather and I realized that I had to go back to school. I couldn’t pretend to know what I was talking about – I really needed to know what I was talking about,” Vera said. Just as her airborne experience was invaluable learning about traffic, she decided she needed additional training in weather as well. Vera told me, “When I stopped being an airborne reporter and I was back in the studio in ABC it made me a better reporter because I could see it [the traffic]. I knew it. So when I started weather, I needed that similar training and the only way I was going to get that was to go back to school.” So she enrolled in Mississippi State’s 3-year on-line program. Vera told me it was difficult and grueling but she faced the challenge. “You know people always laugh at us in California because they think that we don’t have weather, but we do,” Vera said. “We have a lot of weather. We have micro-climates – and micro-climates are even harder than one area – I mean in the middle of the country, the weather is very tricky because one degree can mean the difference between a hard freeze and a soft freeze - and that can kill someone’s crops.” I learned for us, in the South Bay, it’s not that severe, but - for example, east of PCH [Pacific Coast Highway] can be 80 degrees, but go west of PCH and it’s socked in, damp, and you need a sweatshirt. Those differences make us a ‘microclimate’. The valleys, Inland Empire, the coasts - from Malibu to Huntington Beach, are completely different and make up our ‘microclimate’. I learned from Vera that what happens in Manhattan Beach is different than what happens in Palos Verdes, because of the shape of our coast. What happens in the coastal basin is different than what happens in the coastal basin of Orange County, so our topography has a huge impact in our weather. “So when I am forecasting - I ask – what is the weather story and who is it going to impact the most?” Before each broadcast, Vera studies and compiles the weather information herself and checks the National Weather Service daily for maps and information. Sometimes, she shares those maps with her viewers while explaining a specific weather pattern, always remembering most people are interested in their 7-day forecast. Vera told me when she first began in television; her mom wouldn’t watch her because she didn’t want to see her make a mistake. Never mind she couldn’t understand much of the forecast, speaking and understanding mostly Spanish. Hopefully, now she watches regularly. Vera told me she got into weather through traffic, “You follow the opportunity. You try to put a map together as to what you want to do, but at the same time life offers opportunities - pay attention. If this opportunity is presenting itself it must be for a reason. Let’s take a look.” She explained that that is how she and her husband, Brian, who she met on a blind date, became partners in owning the Fish Shop. At the end of our meeting, after I left the Fish Shop, it dawned on me Vera didn’t even hint at her awards and accomplishments. Vera has earned two Emmys, three Golden Mikes, and three Golden Pylons. This truly professional meteorologist and traffic reporter has skills enough for ten people. And her humble demeanor reveals the honest love of her work, and the people around her. The South Bay is lucky to call Vera Jimenez one of our own. Check out her spot-on reports on KTLA Channel 5, at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. I will be tuning in! • Vera Jimenez, KTLA Meteorologist and Traffic Reporter. Visit us online: www.heraldpublications.com Like Us on Facebook “Vera has always impressed me when she reports the weather because of the enthusiasm and passion in which she describes the clouds, the wind, and the pressure off the coast.” PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLISH YOUR PUBLIC NOTICES HERE ABANDONMENTS: $125.00 ABC NOTICES: $125.00 DBA (Fictitious Business Name): $75.00 NAME CHANGE: $125.00 Other type of notice? Contact us and we can give you a price. For DBA’s email us at: dba@heraldpu blications.com All other legal notices email us at: legalnotices@heraldpublications.com Any questions? Call us at 310-322-1830 Order to Show Cause for Change of Name Case No. YS028315 Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles Petition of: Diane L. Goldwater for Change of Name TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: Diane L. Goldwater filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Marissa Skye Goldwater to Marissa-Skye Xena Levanah Goldwater The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: Date: June 3, 2016, Time: 8:30, Dept.: M The address of the court is: 825 Maple Avenue Torrance, CA 90503 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: Torrance Tribune Date: MAR 30, 2016 STEVEN R. VAN SICKLEN Judge of the Superior Court Torrance Tribune Pub. 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28/2016. HT-25055 Chef Shafer from page 3 dinner event to raise funds in support of its programs for K-12 students and other district initiatives at Torrance Unified School District. The Western-themed dinner, to be chaired by Terry Furey, will take place on Saturday, April 30th at the Torrance DoubleTree Hotel, and includes a reception with silent auction, raffles and opportunities drawings. A full BBQ dinner will follow, along with dancing and a live auction featuring vacations, unique entertainment experiences, and other special auction items. Western attire is encouraged. Tickets to the 2016 Round Up for Education Dinner are $125 each. To purchase tickets, become a sponsor, or for more information, visit http://www.TorranceEducationFoundation. org, phone (310) 972-6418, or email Admin@TorranceEducationFoundation.org. – Provided by Torrance Education Foundation.• Film Review from page 4 The title- Louder Than Bombs– suggests an epic, grandiose drama, but instead, what Trier creates is a meditative and restrained film that is not at all loud or brash. It is a psychological trip that leads back to the celebration of one’s own uniqueness coming together to fulfill the family dynamic. There is no doubt that Joachim Trier took a risk with Louder Than Bombs, but I believe his creative vision has the potential to pay off tenfold. Rated R for language, some sexual content, nudity and violent images, 109 minutes. Now playing at Laemmle’s Royal Theatre and Sundance Sunset Cinema. • Follow Us on Twitter @heraldpub
Torrance_041416_FNL_lorez
To see the actual publication please follow the link above