The water treatment facility at Penmar Park will allow stormwater to be captured and used to irrigate the Venice area park, its golf course and Marine Park in Santa Monica.

The $23.6 million project is the second phase of the stormwater capture system. The first phase involved the construction of the tank.

The funding for the treatment facility comes from the $500 million Proposition O bond measure that was approved in 2004 for clean water projects. The system is expected to be completed in 2017.

“Securing our future against drought means taking every step we can to conserve water now,” Garcetti said. “By capturing and reusing stormwater for irrigation, the Penmar Park Water Quality Improvement Project will help us reduce our dependence on imported water, and give us a model for stormwater projects in L.A. for years to come.”

“Every drop of water we conserve is a down payment on a sustainable future,” Bonin said. “By collecting, treating and reusing water here at Penmar, we are showing what that sustainable future can look like throughout Los Angeles and California. I am very proud to work with Mayor Garcetti to make L.A. a leader in water conservation and forward-thinking environmental stewardship.”

“This project is a great example of what can be done when departments collaborate to achieve water conservation and cleaner rivers, lakes, and beaches,” said Heather Repenning, a member of the Public Works Commission.

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It helps the low-income homeowner maintain his or her dwelling with minor repairs and with reduced-cost building materials and supplies from a restore, according to Erin G. Rank, president and chief executive officer for Habitat’s Greater Los Angeles affiliate now based here at 8739 Artesia Blvd.

“We have a special fund to make home repairs for veterans and a fund to repair or replace mobile homes if owned by the qualifying occupant,” Rank said.

Called “Habitat for Heroes,” the veterans’ program seeks to assist, engage, mobilize and educate military members and veterans about the program and services.

“The ReStore was established in 2004 to provide a self-sustaining funding source and to provide our local communities with low-cost building and home improvement materials,” Rank said, adding that many of the items are sold at about half the retail cost.

Also for sale at the ReStore is used furniture and home appliances donated to Habitat.

Board members of the nonprofit, established in 1990, said that people were calling, asking if they could donate used items, but we could not accept them.

“The ReStore also helps the environment by keeping building materials and used items out of area landfills,” Rank said. “Building materials make up about half the tonnage taken to landfills.”

Some of the materials and building supplies, such as paint and lumber, may be used in constructing a home if it gets quality approved by cities where homes are being built.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles and its ReStore moved to Bellflower last year from Gardena, where is was in rented quarters.

“When the Bellflower site became available, we decided it would be less expensive to own our own buildings,” Rank said.

An affiliate office and ReStore is located in Torrance.

As of July 1, both ReStores are open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Ian McGough is manager of the Bellflower store.

The ReStore will pick up donated items free of charge, except for a $5 fuel fee.

Since its founding in 1990, the local Habitat chapter has built or repaired more than 1,000 homes locally and internationally.

The organization is nationwide and has about 1,600 affiliates in the United States and in 70 other countries.

On May 16, Habitat began building six units in Downey and also has built homes in Culver City, Long Beach, Lynwood, Norwalk and Montebello.

In some cities, Habitat for Greater Los Angeles acts as a community housing development organization, which allows cities to allocate federal funds as loans for construction, to be repaid by the sale of the homes.

The latest project is in Bellflower where the City Council June 27 allocated a loan of $250,000 in federal funds for construction of six units at 8809 Ramona St. to the local Habitat affiliate, Partnership Housing Inc.

The loan is to be repaid with proceeds from the sale of the units to occupants.

Six three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhomes will be built on the currently vacant 1,690-square-foot site Habitat representative Darrell Simien, director of real estate, told the City Council.

Habitat was founded by a Christian group in 1976 but serves all low-income residents and accepts volunteer work from the entire community.

Rank has a $20 million annual budget with funding from the ReStore, cities using federal funds and private individuals, businesses and corporations.

She has a nine-member staff and help from more than 10,000 volunteers including in the ReStore and construction of the homes.

Prospective homebuyers their families must perform up to 500 hours of what Habitat calls “Sweat Equity,” working on the building, must be low-income eligible, but with good credit and able to make a small down-payment, must take two Habitat education programs and be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

“I started with Habitat as a volunteer and enjoyed the work and accepted when the board offered me a full-time position,” Rank said. “I was the [L.A.] chapter’s first paid staff member.”

The Habitat for Humanity for Greater Los Angeles board is composed of 23 members from the business and faith communities in the area. The current chairman is Bill Blake, senior vice president of Zurich North America, an insurance company.

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The three-alarm fire on June 14 gutted the warehouse in the 3500 block of Fruitland Avenue that housed Gemini Plastic Enterprises, authorities said.

Magnesium, copper, zinc and lead were among the explosive materials present at the business, along with chemicals and propane, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said.

The fire sparked a series of strong explosions that sent a thick plume of noxious smoke over the region and resulted in evacuations.

In the aftermath of the blaze, a unified command was established that includes personnel from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Los Angeles County Fire Department Health Hazardous Materials Division.

“Since June 30, 16 households were moved from their previous temporary accommodations to new hotels or motels,” a statement released by the joint command staff said.

“All displaced households were offered free public transportation cards, food and water provided by the Food Center, Tzu Chi Water Company and Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis’ office. Further, the Los Angeles Dodgers donated free tickets to an upcoming baseball game to all displaced residents.”

The first residence for re-occupation was approved July 2 by the Department of Public Health and Unified Command.

“The returning household was greeted by representatives from the city of Maywood, L.A. County Fire Department,” as well as the Department of Public Health and the EPA, the statement said.

“Residents were provided a ‘Welcome Home’ gift basket by [the city] in celebration of their re-occupancy.”

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Commerce, toured the site June 22 and went to 52nd Street to see some of the homes that were directly impacted.

The congresswoman wanted to better understand how this incident occurred, and, more importantly, to figure out how to help prevent any similar future incidents in the community, a Roybal-Allard spokesperson said.

She requested the tour and a briefing from the Unified Command.

Immediately after the briefing and site tour, Roybal-Allard and her staff took part in a community resource fair at Maywood Academy to provide an update and resources to the families affected by the fire, the spokesperson said.

Four more residences were approved for re-occupation on July 3, the same day that all outdoor cleanups were completed and 14 of the properties were signed off by cleanup and assessment teams.

Four more residences were approved for re-occupation July 5 and it is anticipated that eight more will be cleared in the next two days.

According to the Unified Command:

• 37 households have been temporarily relocated, including four on the south side of East 52nd Street.
• 172 people remain temporarily relocated.

• All outdoor soil sampling, which was conducted at 24 parcels, including seven parcels on the south side of East 52nd Street, has been completed.

• Outdoor cleanup is nearly complete on three parcels not yet cleared for reoccupation.

• All indoor sampling has been completed.

• And nine residences have been identified as requiring indoor cleaning, and all have been cleaned up, but officials are awaiting verification sampling results to return before clearing the homes for re-occupancy.

Authorities opened a community information center last week for residents and businesses affected by the fire.

The center, at the corner of Everett Avenue and East 52nd Street in Maywood, is open daily and can be reached by calling (323) 267-3843. More information is available at publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/fire.

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The board approved Arnold’s hiring at the June 28 school board meeting after a comprehensive screening and interview process. Arnold assumed the position July 1, replacing Dave LaRose, who announced his plans to retire in late February.

“We had a number of amazing candidates to choose from, and the board was unanimous in choosing Dr. Arnold,” school board President Steve Levin said. “He is a terrific, charismatic, leader who will lead [the district] in the right direction, deepening our commitment to the values and strategies which make this a great school district.”

Arnold had been serving as the assistant superintendent of educational services in the Los Alamitos Unified School District in Orange County.

He earned his bachelor of arts degree in English from UCLA, received a master’s in organizational leadership from Harvard, and a doctorate in education from USC.

Arnold is no stranger this part of Southern California. He is a graduate of Beverly Hills High School and began his career in education as an English teacher in the Los Angeles Unified and Santa Monica-Malibu Unified school districts before becoming a school principal at Crenshaw Arts Tech Charter High and Los Alamitos High School.

He also served as assistant principal at Fountain Valley High School, one of Orange County’s largest enrolled schools with more than 3,600 students.

Arnold and his wife, Claire, have two children, Isabella Juliet, 4, and Anthony Othello, 2. An active family, they enjoy traveling, eating out and outdoor adventuring whenever they get a chance.

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After all, a class of new officers was graduating from the Los Angeles Police Academy, ready to begin their careers in law enforcement.

But Police Chief Charlie Beck was somber as he officiated over Friday morning’s graduation ceremony at police headquarters downtown.

Pointing to a mourning band on his badge honoring the memory of five Dallas police officers killed the previous night in a shooting, Beck said, “to think that members of a fine police department such as Dallas P.D. were targeted because of the uniform they wear, because of the job they do, because of the love they have for American freedom is beyond belief; it is beyond sad.”

“Ten thousand Los Angeles police officers … put on mourning bands today,” Beck told the graduates. “But these mourning bands are a symbol that cannot express the pain in our hearts.

“And the pain is not just about personal loss; it’s not just about the loss of another law enforcement officer; it’s not just about the attack on American institutions,” Beck said. “It’s much more than that. It is a symbol of a breakdown, of a schism that has occurred within our society, where we have done what societies do when they are in trouble: we have separated, we have broken into tribes.”

Five officers died and seven others were wounded in the shooting Thursday night in Dallas that occurred during what was supposed to be a peaceful protest by members of Dallas’s black community over police shootings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, this week that left two black men dead.

Beck called for the country to have a dialogue that does not break down along racial lines.

“We must move beyond that,” Beck said. “This is not about black lives; not about brown lives; not about blue lives. This is about America.”

Mayor Eric Garcetti also spoke at Friday’s graduation ceremony.

“The officers who died in Dallas didn’t just die as heroes — they lived as heroes.”

At least two local law enforcement agencies took steps to help protect their officers in the wake of the Dallas shootings.

The Glendale Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department patrol personnel were under orders to pair up Friday.

The Sheriff’s Department order was made “under an abundance of caution,” said Deputy Guillermina Saldana of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

Glendale Police Chief Robert Castro also issued an order for two-officer patrols as a precaution, as there are no known threats to Glendale police, police Sgt. Robert Willam told the Glendale News Press.

“Today is another tough day for law enforcement,” Castro wrote in a department-wide email. “I want you and your families to know that I am proud of the outstanding work and sacrifices by each of you everyday. There is no greater worry for me, as your chief, than your safety and health.”

In a tweet earlier in the day, Beck called the killings a “tragedy beyond belief.”

“Blue lives matter, they are willingly given and senselessly taken,” Beck wrote on Twitter.

Messages of sympathy and condolences also were tweeted by police departments in Anaheim, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, and Long Beach, the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Garcetti tweeted, “Our hearts are with all of the victims and their families in Dallas. The horrific violence against @DallasPD is an attack on our democracy. All Americans must unite against hate, join together in peace+justice.”

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris said in a statement that “the horrific tragedy in Dallas is a grave reminder of the dangers our law enforcement officers face each day in service of their communities.”

“I pray for the officers who lost their lives, for their grieving families and our law enforcement brothers and sisters in Dallas,” said Harris, who was scheduled to address the first meeting of the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board Friday in downtown Los Angeles.

“Last night’s unspeakable violence reminds me of these words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.’

“Violence only increases distrust and anger,” Harris added. “I know firsthand that the relationship of trust between law enforcement and the communities we are sworn to serve is reciprocal. We honor the courage and sacrifice of law enforcement as we continue the important national dialogue around reforming our criminal justice system.”

Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic Hope, said Thursday he was “praying for the families of the law enforcement victims who were killed in Dallas.”

“We don’t support or condone any violence against anyone,” Ali said. “That’s not the way of the civil rights movement.”

Ali had helped organize a rally earlier Thursday calling for justice for the families of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile who were killed in officer-involved shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota this week.

The shootings in Dallas occurred during a march protesting the same killings.

Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson said the Dallas shootings will only widen the division between law enforcement and minority communities.

“We stand for peace and justice in our communities, fair, equitable and constitutional policing and stern measures to curb police misconduct,” Hutchinson said. “But violence in any form against police officers simply deepens the fear, tensions and polarizations between police and minority communities. We are all the losers.”

San Pedro Congresswoman Janice Hahn called the Dallas massacre “a grim reminder of their bravery and the sacrifices our law enforcement officers make every day.”

“My heart is broken for the victims’ families,” Hahn said. “As every family member of a police officer will tell you, every day they live with the fear that their husband or wife, son or daughter, may not come home.”

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents the LAPD rank-and-file, issued a statement that said in part:

“Our prayers and deepest sympathies go to the families and friends of the Dallas Police officers and Dallas Area Rapid Transit officers who were killed and injured in last night’s abhorrent acts of violence.

“We also pray for the recovery of those officers who are severely injured so that no more families have to feel the pain and anguish of losing their loved one,” the protective league said in a statement. “To hunt, target and murder law enforcement officers who were working to protect the safety and the First Amendment rights of protesters is pure evil.”

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Former photographer Gary McCarthy received the Merit Award for best news picture and former intern Jaivon Grant won the Merit Award for best youth writer.

Gary McCarthy

The National Newspapers Association is an association of more than 200 African-American-owned community newspapers from around the country.

Larry Taylor

Larry Taylor has been elected to the board of directors of the African-American Board Leadership Institute.

Taylor has served as a practice leader and senior consulting manager for Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche, two professional services firms. He has more than 40 years of consulting, training, auditing and management experience in the manufacturing, service, government and international assistance sectors.

Larry Dozier

Larry Dozier, of the Dozier Family singing group, has been selected to serve as pastor at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Watts. He preached his first sermon on July 3.

He currently serves as an executive with the United Methodist Men at the national level. He has extensive experience speaking to men’s groups and at other church functions. Dozier’s background is in communications, as he retired in 2008 as the official spokesman of the U.S. Postal Service in the Los Angeles basin.

Compiled by Anne Artley.

Cheers! features the everyday accomplishments of everyday people in South Los Angeles. To submit an item, send an email (with picture) to newsroom@wavepublication.com.

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Cecilia Renee Withers
Central Avenue
“Yes. I don’t do fireworks. … There are a lot of dry areas around here and I don’t want to see anybody’s house burning up.”

Carol Merriweather
Jefferson Park
“Absolutely. I just think they are dangerous. My daughter got burned on her neck from fireworks that were set off this weekend. She was just watching.”

Rolando Medina
Jefferson Park
“Yes. … The penalties should not be too harsh, but there should most definitely be some restrictions on them.”

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Chuck Kronenfeld
Norwalk
“A little bit, but I don’t intend to change any of my summer plans.”

Princess Surjopolos
Norwalk
“I do worry a lot. I am concerned about the increase in terrorism.”

Paul Apodoca
Norwalk
“It’s always on my mind. If you see something, say something.”

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Several dozen people joined the rappers outside police headquarters in downtown Los Angeles where the graduation ceremony was held, featuring Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck as speakers.

After the ceremony, the rappers met with Garcetti and Beck privately and then addressed the media at a news conference.

“If you are a human being and you have ears and eyes to see, this is a day of change,” The Game said during the news conference following the meeting.

“I think that we need to take responsibility as a human race and accept the role as peace-givers and people that distribute love and change throughout this city,” he said, adding that he believes Los Angeles can be a “flagship” for cities around the world, and a showing of peace and unity here will resonate around the world.

“I know that together we can unify Los Angeles,” he said.

The Game and Snoop Dogg both said they were unaware there was an LAPD recruit graduation scheduled, and they only planned to gather at police headquarters in a show of unity. But the ceremony made the gathering more pointed, as a sign of building relationships with officers as they prepare to go on duty for the first time.

“This is even better because now these students that are about to hit the streets can know that there is some sort of dialogue going on and they don’t have to be fearful,” Snoop Dogg said. “And they can do their jobs and know that when you stop somebody you’re a conversation away from sending them home or taking them to jail, but the conversation is key.”

Snoop Dogg said the idea behind the gathering outside police headquarters was “not to bash the police but to come up here and get some dialogue and some communication.”

“We all represent the same cause and we all want to go home to our families,” he said. “Today was a first step of many steps. We are here to show love and support to the police force in Los Angeles and get some understanding and communication, and we feel like this is a great start.”

Garcetti called it an “extraordinarily powerful meeting.”

“If we can, on the streets, say that peace and love is the only way forward — the lives we can save,” he said.

Beck, standing alongside The Game and Snoop Dogg, said, “It doesn’t look like my usual public safety press conference does it? It’s not.”

“We are too violent a society. Violence begets violence. It is time to put down our arms and start the dialogue. We have to go forward from today as human beings, as Americans, as partners. Put aside the things that divide us and come together on the things that bind us — our desire to leave Los Angeles a better place than we found it, our mutual desire to have our kids grow up in a place where they can’t expect violence at every turn.

“I couldn’t be prouder to stand in front of you today and say we are on that path in Los Angeles, but it’s going to take everybody. It’s going to take leadership and it’s going to take hard work.”

Snoop Dogg told reporters earlier outside LAPD headquarters he wanted to ensure that rookie officers — like those who graduated today — “know who they’re dealing with.”

“A lot of times these officers hit the streets in communities where they have never encountered a gang member or someone who had a different kind of background,” he told KNX Newsradio. “Today it’s a bunch of guys up here who come from those communities who want to show them we’re cool, we’re peaceful. We’re here in love.”

He said the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department does a better job of training its deputies for work on the streets, because they generally begin working in the county jail.

By contrast, LAPD officers are often sent into gang-plagued neighborhoods straight out of the academy.

“They’re scared, they’re nervous, and when they encounter someone, they automatically feel they must use violence as opposed to communication,” he said.

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After opening ceremonies, there is a survivor’s lap around a track, followed by an evening luminaria  ceremony in which bags of sand with lighted candles are placed around the track in memory cancer victims.

The event is open to the public free of charge to spectators. There is food for purchase, cancer information booths and live entertainment.

Information: Robin Snow at (562) 404-1287.

Other upcoming events include:

Friday, July 8

Political fundraiser: Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-South Gate; and union official Maria Elena Durazo speak at a breakfast fundraiser for Bell City Councilwoman Ana Maria Quintana from 7:30 to 10 a.m. at Mole de Los Reyes, 6242 Maywood Ave., Bell, to kick off her campaign for the March 2017 municipal election.

Teen art programs: The Norwalk Library, 12350 Imperial Highway, offers art programs for young people 3 to 17 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Each week features a new visiting artist who will teach those present something about mosaic tiles, origami, headdresses or something else they can make. (562) 868-0775

Library market: A farmers market is open in the Bruggemeyer Library parking lot, 318 S. Ramona Ave., Monterey Park, from 4 to 8 p.m. It features fresh and organic fruits, vegetables and flowers grown at California farms. Also available are hummus, breads and tamales, raw honey from Energy Bee Farms, peaches from Arnett Farms and a wide selection of Asian vegetables from Vu Produce of Fresno. (626) 307-1388

Rabies clinic: Low-cost vaccinations ($6) are given at a pet clinic from 4 to 7 p.m. on the Norwalk City Hall lawn, 12700 Norwalk Blvd. Microchipping services and flea control products also are available and dog licenses can be renewed. All dogs must be on a leash. (562) 929-5711

Saturday, July 9

Downey market: A farmers market offers fresh produce and other items from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Downey Avenue between Second and Third streets in Downey. Parking is available in the city’s parking structure there or on marked spaces on surrounding streets. (562) 904-7284

Monday, July 11

Bellflower market: A farmers market operates from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Simms Park, 16614 S. Clark Ave., Bellflower. Fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, breads, sprouts, honey and more are available. (562) 866-7510.

South Gate market: Harbor Area Farmers Markets sponsors a farmers market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at South Gate Park, Tweedy Boulevard and Walnut Avenue. Fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, fish, eggs, honey, baked items and gardens plants are available. (323) 774-0159

Dance class:Michael Trusnovec, a principal dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Co., hosts a master class on modern dance for intermediate and advanced dance students from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Rio Hondo College, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. (562) 692-0921

Junior golf: Youngsters from 7 to 17 may participate in the Pico Rivera Junior Golf Club at the Pico Rivera Golf Course, 3260 Fairway Drive, from 5 to 6 p.m. Cost is $10 per week or $30 for the month. (562) 692-9933

Park concert: The city of Whittier’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services conducts a free concert at 7 p.m. at Central Park, 6532 Friends Ave., featuring Blackburn County, a country band. Pets, barbecues and alcoholic beverages are not allowed. (562) 567-9400

Tuesday, July 12

Farmers market: The Norwalk Committee on Aging conducts a farmers market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Excelsior High School south parking lot, on the south side of Alondra Boulevard west of Pioneer Boulevard. Fresh fruits, flowers, vegetables and fish are available.

Wednesday, July 13

Fresh produce:The Huntington Park Farmers Market offers fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and other items from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Salt Lake Park, 3401 E. Florence Ave. (323) 584-6218

Pet vaccination: A low-cost vaccination clinic for dogs and cats is offered by the city of Santa Fe Springs from 5 to 8 p.m. at Santa Fe High School, 10400 Orr and Day Road. Rabies vaccination and flea control products are available. (562) 409-1850

Golf program: Women in Business conduct a golf program from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Lakewood Country Club, 3101 Carson St. Cost is $15 for lessons and shooting a few holes. Food is available for purchase. RSVP to Vivian Hansen, ceo@NorwalkChamber.com or Jodee Kilroy at advertise@lakewoodchamber.com

City Hall concert: The Norwalk Parks and Recreation Department conducts a free concert at 7 p.m. featuring Como La Flor Band, a Selena tribute, on the north lawn of the Civic Center, 12700 Norwalk Blvd. Those attending may bring blankets, lawn chairs and food, but food also is available for purchase. (562) 929-5702

Twilight concert: Downey’s free Twilight Summer Concert series at 7 p.m. at Furman Park, 10419 Rives Ave., features Knyght Ryder, playing music of the 1980s. Those attending may bring blankets and lawn chairs and food, although Miss Downey and members of the Downey Rose Float Association are selling snacks as a fundraiser. (562) 904-7238 

Thursday, July 14

Coloring club: The Norwalk Library, 12350 Imperial Highway, conducts a coloring club called Color us Happy from 1 to 2 p.m. Coloring is a no-pressure art form that helps people unwind from a day at the office. Materials are provided. (562) 868-0775

Paramount concert: The Paramount Parks and Recreation Department conducts a free concert by Mariachi Divas, an all-woman band, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Paramount Park, 14400 Paramount Blvd. (562) 220-2121

Concert in Bell Gardens: The Bell Gardens Parks and Recreation Department hosts a free concert at Veterans Park, 6662 Loveland St., at 7 p.m. featuring 1980s music by Past Action Heroes. Those attending may bring lawn chairs and dance to the music. A food booth is available. (562) 806-7650

Parnell Park concert: The city of Whittier’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services conducts a free concert at 7 p.m. at Parnell Park, 15390 Lambert Road, featuring Heartache Tonight, an Eagles tribute band. Pets, barbecues and alcoholic beverages are not allowed. (562) 567-9400

Saturday, July 16

Toxic wastes: The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County conduct the free disposal of hazardous household wastes and electronic wastes not appropriate for regular trash pickup from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in parking lot C at Cerritos College, 11110 Alondra Blvd., Norwalk. Accepted are used motor oil, paint, household cleaners, televisions and stereo sets, computers and printers, small electric appliances and cellular telephones.Not accepted are large appliances, tires, hazardous materials or explosives, ammunition, radioactive materials and weapons. (888) 238-0172

Cancer benefit: A 24-hour Relay for Life fundraiser begins at 9 a.m. in South Gate Park, 4900 Southern Ave. in South Gate to benefit the American Cancer Society. After opening ceremonies, there is a survivor’s lap around a track, followed by an evening luminaria ceremony in which bags of sand with lighted candles are placed around the track in memory of cancer victims. The event is open to the public free of charge to spectators. There is food for purchase, cancer information booths and live entertainment. (800) 227-2345

Items for the Community Calendar may be submitted in care of Wave Newspapers, 3731 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 840, Los Angeles, 90010 or by email to dwanlass@wavepublication.com. Please include a daytime phone number.

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