The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 5, No. 26 - June 25, 2015 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................7 Classifieds............................2 Crossword/Sudoku.............2 Film Review..........................2 Food.......................................5 Legals....................................6 Real Estate...........................8 Sports....................................3 TerriAnn in Torrance..........7 Weekend Forecast Torrance Certified Farmers’ Market Celebrates 30 Years The Torrance Certified Farmers’ Market celebrated its 30th Anniversary on June 16 – it was the first in the South Bay. City of Torrance Community Service Director John Jones thanked the many dedicated vendors and Farmers’ Market Manager Joyce Chan also thanked the many volunteers and customers. Pictured (L to R) are Torrance Community Services Director John R. Jones, Danny Hashiba from Orange County Produce, Volunteer Toni Sargent, Torrance Councilman Mike Griffiths, Councilwoman Heidi Ashcraft, Mayor Patrick J. Furey, Farmers’ Market Manager Joyce Chan, Councilman Gene Barnett, Volunteer Gundrun Kimmel, Torrance City Clerk Rebecca Poirier and former City Clerk Sue Herbers. The Torrance Certified Farmers’ Market is located in Wilson Park, 2200 Crenshaw Blvd. and open on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 8am to 1pm. Photo by Chris Nishimura. Friday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 72˚/62˚ Saturday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 72˚/63˚ Sunday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 72˚/64˚ Council Renames Pueblo Recreation Center In Honor Of Ruben Ordaz, Jr. By Cristian Vasquez I would have to try something to keep it In a unanimous vote the Torrance City Council going and I’m going to try but I’m just not moved to adopt a resolution to rename the that young anymore. He [Ruben] was very Pueblo Recreation Center, the Ruben Ordaz well-known and very well-liked because he Community Center. was a good man.” “An application came forward to the City For many years Ruben Ordaz advocated for Council’s Public Facilities Naming Committee the Torrance neighborhood once known as Del and they have reviewed the application that was Amo and La Rana [the frog] due to a now gone requesting that the Pueblo Community Center be pond that was full of frogs. Challenges with named after Ruben Ordaz in memory of him and poverty, crime and a lack of adequate recreational all the efforts he had done for the community space motivated Ordaz to take action, which and the city,” Community Services Director transformed the area into a safe community. John Jones said. “Ruben has recently passed “To see the community the way it was before and had done some significant contributions to motivated him [Ruben] to do something,” Irene the community and the city. He was a major Ordaz said. “We did have drugs there so we all effort with that community in pushing forward got together to work with the police, everybody, that community center. He was also essential in the development of Pueblo Park.” During the Jan. 13 council meeting Torrance Mayor Patrick J. Furey appointed Councilman Gene Barnett to serve as chair of the City Council Ad Hoc Naming of Public Facilities Committee. Councilmembers Heidi Ann Ashcraft and Kurt Weideman were also appointed to the committee, which presented the application after receiving public comment regarding the facility’s name change. “Ruben meant a lot to that community,” Barnett said just before the council’s vote of approval. “I think it would be a nice tribute for a man who did a lot not just for his neighborhood but for the broader city.” Ruben Ordaz died on March 21 at the age of 87 but left behind a legacy of community service and dedication to the neighborhood and city that he was born in, and which he refused to leave. “He did a lot for the community and was always involved in the community,” Ruben’s widow Irene Ordaz said. “He always looked out for the community and the kids and I really miss that. [Councilman] Gene Barnett said to make the community livable for the kids. That is what motivate him the most, was the kids. So I said let’s do it and we got involved with the community and we did it. “He was very proud of his community; he was born there and never wanted to leave,” Irene Ordaz said. “We even talked about it a few weeks before he passed, to move with out daughter, but he never wanted to leave.” Ruben Ordaz, who served as President of the Pueblo Homeowners Association, was dedicated to ensuring that neighborhood kids and families had the safe space to grow and engage in recreational activities. Ordaz’s fundraising efforts led to the creation of the See City Council, page 4 School Board Awaits Governor’s Signature To Approve Final Budget By Cristian Vasquez As members of the Torrance School Board await Governor Jerry Brown to sign the budget, scheduled to happen by June 30, Deputy Superintendent Administrative Services Dr. Donald Stabler gave a presentation on what the board can expect the district’s budget to look like for the next three years. Dr. Stabler’s budget presentation included yearly assumptions, a multi-year projection for the unrestricted general fund and an overview of SB858 requirements, also known as the district’s state-mandated reserves. “Assumptions are different levels of funding that we expect to get for different types of programs, whether it’s the LCFF [Local Control Formula Funding], whether it’s the base program or supplemental,” Dr. Stabler said. “All assumptions are based on the governor’s May revise of what he did on different funding that we would get, as well as different programs that we would have to put money into such as technology. Those are assumptions that go into putting our budget together.” Not many changes expect from the Governor’s May revise; however, the district is ready for anything that might not reflect the budget that they were expecting. Two of the assumptions addressed in Dr. Stabler’s presentation include LCCF and Local Control Accountability Plan [LCAP]. LCCF replaced the K-12 finance system for the 2013-2014 budget package and “creates See School Board, page 6
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