The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance
Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 7, No. 43 - October 26, 2017
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................8
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................2
Legals....................................8
Pets......................................12
Real Estate.....................9-11
Sports....................................5
TerriAnn in Torrance..........6
Weekend
Forecast
Torrance Memorial 39th Annual
NICU Halloween Reunion Event
Joyce Payne (Joy the Clown) from Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s Clowns on Rounds entertained the youngsters during the 39th annual Halloween-themed festivities last Saturday at the hospital’s
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The event was a reunion of former patients born prematurely or ill at birth who received care at NICU. Photo Courtesy of Torrance Memorial. •
Council Approves Agreement with New
Vendor for Parking Citation Services
By Cristian Vasquez
Based on a recommendation from Finance
Director Eric E. Tsao, the Torrance City
Council on Tuesday approved a consulting
services agreement with Data Ticket, Inc. in
the amount of no more than $130,713 for
parking citation services.
This agreement will be in effect for a threeyear
See City Council, page 4
School Board Approves MOU Between
Torrance Unified and Counseling4Kids
By Cristian Vasquez
Members of the Torrance School Board
on Monday unanimously approved a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) between
the Torrance Unified School District (TUSD)
and Counseling4Kids. Through the MOU,
TUSD will be capable of expanding mental
health services to its students and their families
with support from Counseling4Kids’
services. The MOU will create the ability to
“supplement services provided by District
staff and interns in response to schools
asking for additional support with behavioral
and mental health issues,” states the
staff agenda presented to the Board.
“The MOU will allow us to take direct
referrals from school staff for clinicians
to provide counseling to students either on
school campuses, in the student’s home or
in their clinics.”
Counseling4Kids is a metal health
services provider that works with children
in the Los Angeles County foster care
system. This non-profit found its start
due to the lack of mental health providers
available to treat children in need of
healing. In the beginning, it provided 25
clients--through eight counselors--treatment
to heal victims from the trauma caused by
abuse and neglect. Today there are enough
therapists to provide in-home therapy sessions
on a weekly basis for kids between
the ages of three and 18 who suffer from
period beginning November 1, 2017 and
ending October 31, 2022, with the option of
a two-year extension if the City of Torrance
approves said option. If the extension is approved,
the contract’s price tag will increase
at the beginning of each year based on the
Consumer Price Index for all Urban Wage
Earners Consumers (CPI-W) for the Los
Angeles-Riverside and Orange County area.
“We have a contract currently with the City
of Inglewood--Inglewood has a contract with
Duncan Communications and so they are
partners and they are providing the service
for us currently,” said Assistance Finance
Director Ken Flewellyn. “We did reach out
to them to make sure that they received copy
and notice that we were going out for an
RFP [Request For Proposal].”
Torrance’s contract with the City of
Inglewood for parking citation processing
services dates back to 1988, but is set to
expire October 31. The mandatory RFP was
sent out July 14, 2017 to attract bid proposals
for a new contract, and the City received
seven responses--none from Inglewood. “I
am not quite sure whatever the reasoning
was, but they [City of Inglewood] wouldn’t
respond…but fortunately for us, we were able
to receive seven proposals,” said Flewellyn.
While the City of Inglewood did not reply
to the RFP, it did reach out to Torrance and
agreed to work with the latter on the transition
phase into the new vendor. Councilman
Tim Goodrich had questions regarding the
difference in pricing and what services the
new vendor provided. Flewellyn assured the
Council that the exact same services would be
provided, with the additional benefit of having
to use less staff, at a $34,000 savings each
year. Staff visited the City of Long Beach to
experience working with the parking citation
system and left with a positive evaluation.
“I for one, am really looking forward to
the technology that the new vendor, if we
approve them, will provide for us,” said
Councilman Mike Griffiths. “Technology has
really taken a hold of the ability to do this
work and I think that is what has driven the
cost down considerably.”
Also on Tuesday, the Council approved
a recommendation by Community Services
Friday
Sunny
76˚/63˚
Saturday
Sunny
78˚/62˚
Sunday
Sunny
76˚/63˚
See School Board, page 4