COMPTON 11.09_WorldDesign 11/7/11 10:42 PM Page 6

6A THE COMPTON BULLETIN Perrodin asks for Council pay cut, transparency for finances

By Chris Frost now asking the Council to take a 25 percent pay and purchase orders from every department for the City Manager had the right to use revenue re- Bulletin Staff Writer cut to show solidarity with our employees.” the last five years. serves without the permission of the City Coun- Perrodin said he wants to demonstrate that “At one time anything that cost $5,000 or more cil. COMPTON—Mayor Eric J. Perrodin wants Compton is an ethical and transparent city. required Council approval,” Perrodin said. “In “City Attorney Craig Cornwell and I are work- answers for the city’s fiscal crisis, and is asking “It has been insinuated that certain people the past people took advantage of that. We in- ing on a resolution that requires the city manager for pay cuts from council members, a complete spent money without the approval of the Coun- creased it to $25,000, but then the council re- to get Council approval, before spending reserve accounting of general fund expenses and in- cil or city manager,” Perrodin said. “Sometimes, duced it to $4,999.” funds,” Ewell told The Bulletin. “Talks are also creased transparency. the city manager did things that were not kosher.” He instructed Ajobiewe to bring back every underway with a bank to establish a line of credit, Perrodin made the comments at the Nov. 1 The mayor also asked that all funding from the purchase order for the city, even if it was for one which will improve the city’s ability to pay its bills City Council meeting, after media reports de- general fund that is not authorized by the city penny. on time.” tailed the city's financial woes, and the Council charter be eliminated. “I need you to give me a time frame to get this Ewell feels Compton is “too important to fail,” approved a round of layoffs earlier this year. “I am a big history buff, and we need to learn done,” Perrodin said. “I am going to ask the state and efforts continue to improve the short-term “It is tough when someone takes a pay cut, and from the past so we do not commit the same mis- auditor to perform an independent audit, and and long-term financial prospects for the city. worse when someone has to lose their job,” Per- takes in the future,” he said. those documents are going to be necessary.” “I want our residents to offer feedback as well,” rodin said. Perrodin asked City Controller Stephen Ajo- At the City Council meeting on Oct.18, in- Perrodin said. “If you have ideas call my office at “I have been quiet about this issue, but I am biewe for a complete report of the city finances terim City Manager Lamont Ewell reported that 310-605-5597.”

Compton Community American Wings comes to Hub City Block club College District celebrates accepting applications for Oktoberfest Special Trustee Advisory By Chris Frost Committee Members Bulletin Staff Writer COMPTON—As summer From staff reports gives way to autumn, the 136th Street Block Club COMPTON—The Compton Community College District stopped to celebrate their is currently accepting applications for the Special Trustee Ad- community on Oct. 29, with visory Committee. Interested applicants may obtain an appli- its second annual Oktoberfest. cation beginning Nov. 9 at www.district.compton.edu, or by The event featured food, calling 310-900-1600, Ext. 2000. Applications must be sub- music, home-cooked meals, a mitted to the Office of the Interim CEO by Dec. 9, at 4:30 p.m. train ride for the kids, card There will be an information session for potential appli- games and old fashioned cants on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. in the CCCD Board- neighborhood camaraderie. room, 1111 E. Artesia Blvd. The club covers the area Advisory Committee members will be appointed by in- from Central Avenue to Elva. terim Special Trustee Thomas Henry. The committee will The group works together to provide advice and recommendations on matters pertaining build a positive message in the to district policy and operations. Members will also promote community. community awareness of and support for the district’s efforts “This event took about a to positively impact quality instruction, fiscal stability, educa- month to put together,” Block tional mission, and ultimately accreditation. Club Coordinator Brenda As outlined in AB 318, the Special Trustee Advisory Com- Bolton said. “We wanted to do mittee members will be provided with a wide range of re- something for our children, sources to enable them to assist in addressing issues affecting and everybody pitched in and the district. The Special Trustee Advisory Committee will donated money to bring the meet a minimum of four times per year. All committee meet- train ride here today. They are ings are open to the public. having a great time.” The Special Trustee’s Advisory Committee of the Comp- Neighbors contributed food ton Community College District is organized exclusively to and beverages to the event, provide advice to the special trustee regarding policy matters she said, and it was a tremen- that affect the district and its operations; promote commu- dous success because of their nity awareness of the district’s efforts, focus on quality in- efforts. struction, educational mission, fiscal stability and, ultimately, “This is the second year of accreditation; foster community support for the district. the 136th Street Block Club,” The Special Trustee Advisory Committee will consist of President and Founder Ginell seven members. Of the seven members, four may be residents Butler said. “There was a club of communities served by of the Compton Community Col- in the past, but people lost in- lege District; one may be a current or former community col- terest. The new club inspired lege educator; and one may be an ECC Compton Center some of the former members student who is active in the Associated Students’ Organiza- to get involved again, and this tion or another recognized student group. Four members will party is a celebration of our serve a two-year term, while three members will serve a term efforts.” of one year. No member shall receive compensation or bene- The club works hard to fits for service on the committee. Members serve at the re- reach out to other neighbor- quest of the interim special trustee and may be removed at hoods and try to inspire them special trustee’s sole discretion. to organize on their own. Applications for consideration are welcome from the busi- “We also reach out to our ness, labor and professional communities; representatives of neighborhood seniors with social service and nonprofit organizations (including food giveaways and events in- churches and other recognized religious organizations); as volving the well as representatives of civic organizations or taxpayer Photo by Shon Smith of D'Angelo's Photos County Sheriff’s department,” groups. Councilmember Janna Zurita welcomes American Wings owners Doris and Emmy to Comp- Butler said. “It is a lot of work, District board meetings are usually held the third Tuesday ton. American Wings is located at 1900 N. Long Beach Blvd. next to the Compton Swap but we need to keep them en- of each month and are open to the public. Meet. gaged.”

NEWS BRIEFS

Report: Officer charged in death gets OC hospital evacuated because of Neo-Nazis rally in Southern water on a daily basis to keep the tree fresh, L.A. pension gas-like odor Crider said. The tree is scheduled to arrive in POMONA—Neo-Nazis were outnumbered Washington, D.C. on Nov. 28, with a lighting LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles officials are SANTA ANA—Patients are being returned by counter-protestors at a rally in Southern ceremony at the front of the U.S. Capitol on calling for a review of the pension paid to one to a small Orange County hospital that was California where both sides ended up yelling at Dec. 6. It will be decorated by 5,000 ornaments of the two Fullerton police officers charged in evacuated because of a gas-like odor. City each other under the watchful eyes of police. handmade by California residents, and House the death of a mentally ill, homeless man dur- News Service reported that rescuers and hospi- About 75 members of the National Socialist Speaker John Boehner and a child from Cali- ing a violent arrest. The Los Angeles Times re- tal staff were able to evacuate Santa Ana's Movement gathered on Nov. 5 near Pomona fornia will light it. ported Sunday that Jay Cicinelli, a former Los Western Medical Center in about 20 minutes City Hall. The group is opposed to illegal im- Angeles Police Department officer injured on Saturday night. Between 75 and 100 people migration and California's version of the Hundreds protest banks in LA the job, receives $39,625 annually as a disabil- were inside at the time of the evacuation. Capt. Dream Act, which allows undocumented stu- ity pension. Cicinelli lost an eye when he was Ben Gonzales of the Santa Ana Fire Depart- dents to access financial aid. Mark Gluba, a city LOS ANGELES—Several hundred protest- shot during a traffic stop in 1996. After leaving ment said that hazardous materials crews were spokesman, told the Los Angeles Times that ers marched through the financial district in the LAPD, Cicinelli was hired by the Fullerton trying to determine the cause of the odor. the Detroit-based neo-Nazi group was con- Los Angeles on Nov. 5 to protest the banking Police Department, where he went on to earn Gonzalez said patients were being returned to fronted by several hundred protesters. Gluba industry as part of “Bank Transfer Day,” a $88,544 a year on top of his benefits from LA. the emergency room within about two hours. said except for demonstrators and counter- grassroots movement that has been champi- The board of the L.A. Fire and Police Pen- protestors screaming back and forth, the event oned by the nation’s Wall Street sions Department will vote soon on whether to Feds bust phony document manufac- was generally peaceful and no one was ar- protests. Organizer Jacob Hay said that before review his award. Cicinelli and Officer Manuel turing operation rested. Saturday’s march, several dozen people gath- Ramos have pleaded not guilty in the killing of ered at California Plaza for an en masse cancel- 37-year-old Kelly Thomas. LOS ANGELES—The suspected Los Ange- Christmas tree for US Capitol on way lation of their accounts at , les ringleader of phony document manufactur- from Calif. , Chase and other large banks in ers has been indicted with more than a dozen favor of credit unions and smaller institutions. Coast Guard searches for boat lost off SONORA—A 65-foot white fir tree selected California others for producing bogus Social Security cards, driver’s licenses and immigration cards as the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree was cut Two violent incidents at Occupy Los SAN DIEGO—The U.S. Coast Guard is for distribution nationwide. Federal grand jury down and removed from a picturesque setting Angeles worry police searching for two fishermen reported lost and indictments unsealed on Nov. 3 allege 45-year- in the Sierra Nevada mountains on Nov. 5, adrift some 60 miles off the Southern Califor- old Alejandro Morales Serrano is behind sev- then loaded on a truck for the 4,500-mile jour- LOS ANGELES—Two violent incidents at nia coast. Coast Guard spokesperson Allyson eral false document manufacturing networks ney from Northern California to Washington, the otherwise peaceful Conroy said on Nov. 6 that a family member of in the MacArthur Park area of Los Angeles and D.C. When crews arrived at the tree Saturday encampment at City Hall are causing concern one of the men contacted authorities after re- elsewhere. The indictments say Serrano’s oper- morning they found it covered in snow, said among law enforcement officials. Police said ceiving a message that the fishing vessel was ation manufactures raw materials that are then Jeff Crider, a spokesman for U.S Capitol one woman was arrested for setting another out of fuel. The 23-foot center console fishing used to manufacture false documents on a Christmas Tree Tour, a nonprofit project over- person’s clothes on fire and another for hitting boat left Ensenada, Mexico, Saturday morning. large scale from California to Nevada, Oregon, seen by the U.S. Forest Service. The Stanislaus a man over the head with a tent pole. Police A Coast Guard cutter and two aircraft were Texas, Illinois, and Michigan. The Los Angeles National Forest tree was selected based on its Commander Andrew Smith told the Los An- dispatched Saturday afternoon and searched FBI office said in a news release that more than shape, fullness and color, officials said. Work geles Times story that he was troubled by the through the night. Conroy said the fishermen 300 federal and local law enforcement officers crews boxed it up on Sunday, with a portion two felonies on the same lawn in the same day, did not have any survival equipment on board on Nov. 3 executed dozens of arrest and search encased in Plexiglas so that people can view it and it raises concerns about the camp’s future, with them. warrants in Los Angeles and Riverside coun- during its upcoming nationwide tour. A blad- which Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has said ties, Northern California, Illinois and Texas. der bag attached to its base will be filled with “cannot continue indefinitely.”