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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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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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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Those were the responses by those attending a town hall meeting called by the leaders of the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of South Los Angeles that was conducted June 30 at the Community Coalition’s offices on Vermont Avenue.

Hundreds of parents, students and other constituents provided feedback to coalition officials on how its seven-member organizations can work together to decrease the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol among youth and remove barriers to residents’ health and well-being.

The substance abuse coalition serves County Service Planning Area 6, encompassing South Los Angeles, Watts, Crenshaw, Compton, Lynwood, Paramount, Athens, Florence and Hyde Park.

In polling conducted at the town hall, respondents identified liquor stores, gangs, inadequate after-school youth activities and support services as barriers contributing to crime in their neighborhoods.

Tyra Goodman, administration director of the Community Coalition, said, “We talk to the community, conduct surveys and assessment, ask people what would help prevent access and availability of alcohol to youth and what would change social norms around illicit drug use, particularly marijuana.

“We ask them what would be beneficial, especially regarding the Substance Abuse and Control grant we’re working on with the county”” Goodman added.

Professor Cheryl Grills conducted one such outreach effort for the substance abuse coalition in April and May of this year and found overlap with the town hall’s poll results.

The Loyola Marymount University professor surveyed almost 1,000 high school students and parents, identifying risk factors and the assets and resources supportive of South L.A. youth and residents.

“Risk factors or barriers “interfere with health and well-being while protective factors improve them and support resilience — they almost inoculate us,” Grills said.

Grills’ survey found that “gangs and access to and availability of alcohol and marijuana at liquor stores and marijuana shops, respectively, are top barriers, followed by litter and graffiti, and dirty or unsafe parks.”

South Los Angeles residents packed the Community Coalition’s headquarters June 30 for a town hall meeting to discuss alcohol and substance abuse problems in the community, particularly as they pertain to young people. (Photo courtesy of Fifth Avenue Times)

Half of the adults and one-third of the youth respondents said that the presence of marijuana shops in the community send a message that “it’s ok to use [marijuana] since it’s [almost] legal.”

“Access and availability of alcohol and marijuana … increase the likelihood that youth and residents will get involved in criminal or gang activities or substance use and abuse problems,” Grills added.

The assessment also asked youth what they want after school and what they want from their schools.

During after-school hours, “South L.A. youth said they want recreational and enriching opportunities; academic and career work readiness and essential life skills programs that can promote positive health and personal development.”

“Notably, the youth said they want non-traditional school hours, in addition to school wellness services; programs for family and community violence; intern apprenticeships; work experience; and adult mentoring — not a generic or ‘one-size fits all’ high school educational experience,” Grills said.

The professor said the small sample limits the “generalizability of findings for the SPA 6 area,” but “if you are going to talk about prevention or any kind of service, you must have holistic solutions and be able to do multiple things that get at the meat of what makes healthy people and communities.”

Goodman agreed.

“Issues are linked,” she said. “Homelessness, mental health and substance abuse, for example, are factors in community health and well-being.  You can’t focus on just one area.”

Juana Rosa Cavero said the Advancement Project’s “justice equity neighborhood index measures the need for justice equity in communities that are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system.”

“We talk about investment in communities of high need,” Cavero said. “We need to invest the dollars the most in those communities. They have high levels of unemployment, violent crime, poverty and residents lacking a high school diploma.

“If we are able to work on this and change those current conditions, we could change the outcomes of our communities. Eventually, we can completely and radically transform the criminal justice system so it works best for our communities,” she said.

Each of the providers in the substance abuse coalition contracts separately with Los Angeles County to do comprehensive prevention services, Goodman said.

“They have their own work programs,” she added.

“The county recently renewed [Community Coalition’s] $2.1 million grant for environmental services and [comprehensive prevention services] funds. As the leader of the [substance abuse] coalition, we receive both grants,” Goodman said.

“We use the [environmental services] funds to work with residents in the area of nuisance abatement. In our comprehensive prevention service programs, we have a youth group that meets at Fremont High School. We conduct preventative activities and discuss alcohol and marijuana abuse prevention. We make referrals to our partner agencies,” she added.

“In regard to Proposition 47, we are trying to inform and substantiate the resources and services needed to help with issues of recidivism and rehabilitation to make certain that people are not returned to the streets with nothing to do or with no resources or services.”

“These are services the community thinks would be helpful: making sure that you serve those people who return home. We want to make this information available to our council districts and make presentations to neighborhood councils,” Goodman added.

The six other coalition members are the Avalon Community Center, MJB Transitional Recovery, People Coordinated Services, South Central Prevention Coalition, Volunteers of America and Watts Healthcare Corporation.

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Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, acknowledges the step that has been taken cosmetically to correct the gender and racial criticism the Academy has received and how it still protects the white male dominance of the industry.

The skewed attitudes and policies toward minorities are still at play and this will not change “until there is a massive restructure of the Academy board, membership and voting procedures as well as the creation of more opportunities for minorities in front of and behind the cameras,” Hutchinson said.

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the appointment last week of new members who are 46 percent female and 41 percent people of color. Although the appointments took a large step in diversifying the Academy, they produced only a slight change overall demographically.

Should invitees accept their invitations, the Academy’s percentage of female members will rise from 25 percent to 27 percent and members of color will rise from 8 people to 11 percent overall.

Every year, a new list of filmmakers, actors and other members of the film industry are invited to join the Academy. However’s this year is notably the largest and most diverse.

“We’re proud to welcome these new members to the Academy, and know they view this as an opportunity and not just an invitation, a mission and not just a membership,” Isaacs said.

The newcomers include actors Idris Elba (“Beasts of No Nation” “Pacific Rim”), Regina King (“Ray” “Jerry Maguire”), Loretta Devine (“Crash” “I Am Sam”), Nia Long (“Keanu” “Boyz N The Hood”), and Anika Nona Rose (“For Colored Girls” “Dreamgirls”).

Stars took to Twitter to share the excitement regarding their new membership status.

“Thanks everyone for all the well wishes – my invite from the academy. I was shocked by it, I did not see it coming.” Devine said.

“Thank you @TheAcademy for inviting me to the class of 2016. I’m inspired and honored. Wow!” Long said.

“I’d like to thank @TheAcademy! … for welcoming me (& so many fabulous artists) to the class of 2016,” Rose tweeted.

Amma Asante, Melvin Van Peebles, and Julie Dash are a few directors who were added to the branch of directors.

Dash said she is optimistic regarding what the new class means for the Academy as a whole.

She thanked the Academy and others via Twitter for “taking action beyond the debate, [and] for boldly shaping the future.”

Newcomers to the music branch included artists such as Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq, and Will.i.am.

O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson (writer, actor), Keenan Ivory Wayans (writer, director), Ryan Coogler (writer, director) along with 15 others were invited to join the Academy by multiple branches and will have to select one branch upon accepting membership.

Members of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable and other civil rights leaders were not impressed by the Academy’s efforts. They referred to the increase in numbers as “tokenism” and insist that the organization is still “so white.”

“The ramp up in numbers seems impressive only in comparison to the dismal numbers of minority and women voting in prior years,” the group said in a statement.

In a press release issued as part of the announcement, Isaacs said: “This class continues our long-term commitment to welcoming extraordinary talent reflective of those working in film today. We encourage the larger creative community to open its doors wider and create opportunities for anyone interested in working in this incredible and storied industry.”

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The move was applauded by local activists and members of the South Los Angeles community.

“Cynthia McClain-Hill is a well-respected and tough-minded community leader and attorney,” said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, author and political analyst, in a statement. “Her appointment is a strong signal that Mayor Garcetti takes seriously the continued need for police reform and is willing to ensure strong oversight of LAPD reform and change. McClain-Hill is a good pick for that.”

McClain-Hill will replace Robert Saltzman, who has served on the commission since 2007. The City Council must approve the nomination, and McClain-Hill said she would not comment on her appointment until it was approved.

As the managing director of Strategic Counsel PLC, McClain-Hill leads the firm’s regulatory, land use and environmental law practices. She has served on a variety of public sector boards and regulatory commissions, including the California Coastal Commission, the California Fair Political Practices Commission and the CalEPA Environmental Justice Advisory Working Group.

If McClain-Hill’s appointment is confirmed, she would be one of two black commissioners, as well as the panel’s third female member. Her appointment comes at a time when the commission is making an effort to reduce shootings by LAPD officers.

Melina Abdullah, a local organizer for Black Lives Matter, said that given McClain-Hill’s track record on civil rights, she is hopeful that the attorney can “reshape the relationship” between the black community and the police force as “cooperative rather than adversarial.”

Abdullah said McClain-Hill attempted to recall Daryl Gates, then-chief of the LAPD, following the 1991 beating of Rodney King by LAPD officers. She also published a political newsletter geared to the black community.

“If she was willing to confront Gates, we’re hopeful she’ll hold [Chief] Charlie Beck accountable,” Abdullah said.

Abdullah expressed gratitude that Garcetti took into consideration a request from Black Lives Matter last July that he nominate “a real community leader” for the position. She said the group had the support of other organizations such as California Faculty Association, The Row Church and several area pastors.

Activist Najee Ali also applauded Garcetti’s actions.

“Mayor Garcetti demonstrated true integrity and political courage for the appointment of someone who fought tooth and nail against him in her support of former mayoral candidate Wendy Gruel,” he said in a statement. “This mayor has the character to put aside political grudges for the best interest of our city.”

As part of the Police Commission, McClain-Hill will take part in supervising the force of 10,000 officers and setting LAPD policies. She also will help decide whether officers demonstrate appropriate use of guns and other uses of force.

Despite her praise of Garcetti, Abdullah said she would like to see more transparency regarding the nomination process. Although the mayor responded to the concerns of Black Lives Matter, Abdullah said he did not engage the community by initiating a forum or dialogue. That was the case, she claimed, not only for the nomination of McClain-Hill, but also for all the commissioners.

For example, Abdullah cited the nomination and successive appointment of Matthew Johnson last year; despite the fact that activist Aqeela Sherrills had the “unanimous support of black L.A. as far south as Watts.” Black Lives Matter led a month-long campaign to get him appointed.

The Rev. Kelvin Sauls of Holman United Methodist Church specifically thanked the mayor for regarding the community, even if that did not come in the form of direct engagement with the public.

“We’re grateful to Mayor Garcetti for allowing African-American leadership from Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, civil rights activists and pastors to have input on the selection of our new police commissioner,” he said in a statement. “We’re ecstatic about the appointment of McClain-Hill.”

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Parents can’t count on their children eating meals at school and many times that means parents have to go hungry so their kids can eat.

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state Department of Education and the Department of Public Health, is providing about 300,000 free snacks and lunches this summer at 48 county parks in 15 school districts.

There are also 1,539 sponsors that include several community action agencies, head start centers and boys and girls clubs.

Lunch and snacks are served between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. The exact times change depending on location.

The parks taking part in the program serve areas within geographical borders where at least 50 percent of elementary, middle or high school students are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.

One of the parks is Franklin D. Roosevelt Park in the Florence-Firestone area of South Los Angeles.

County employees who oversee the free summer lunch program at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in South Los Angeles are, from left, Veronica Cortez, recreation service leader; Charlotte Robinson-Perkins, recreation services supervisor; and Donna Fulbright, recreation services supervisor. (Photo by Jacqueline Fernandez)

Every Monday through Friday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. the park serves free lunch in the Community Room. Children up to 18 years of age are invited to join.

“This summer is going great,” said Donna Fulbright, recreation services supervisor for the county Department of Parks and Recreation. “We have four new county libraries that have joined us. We are averaging 4,000 meals a day and that’s our best so far.”

A county dietician reviews the menu to make sure everything is in compliance. It’s a daily meal plan that doesn’t contain too much sugar or sodium with everything measured for optimal nutrition.

“I’ve been coming since last year,” said Marina Rodriguez, a local resident. “I’m low income and my husband lost his job. I babysit for my daughter and I bring three of my grandkids to the park.

“I come an hour before so they can play and get hungry and I can even take them to the pool. It’s great. It really helps me a lot. I save so much money and I know it’s healthy food. I can’t get this anywhere else,

Food waste is also minimized in the program. Each unit is provided with a “goodie box.” Food items a child doesn’t want can go in the box so other children have the opportunity to eat it. If there is still food leftover after the lunch hour, the box is put out again during snack time.

Veronica Cortez, a recreation service leader for the county, got her start volunteering at the summer lunch program.

“The parents are very grateful for the lunch,” Cortez said. “Some come every year and others have no idea and get excited when they find out about it. We accommodate kids with allergies as well. Parents just need to fill out a form with the child’s information.”

Hummus and pita chips are the new lunch items this summer. Most of the children weren’t familiar with those foods, but Cortez says the kids enjoy squeezing the hummus tube.

“The string cheese with the juice and cookies is another hit,” she said. “Also the pizza. They think it’s a Lunchables pizza, so they have fun spraying the sauce. Those are their favorite meals.”

The 2016 free Summer Food Service Program concludes Aug. 5. For information, visit www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks.

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The council voted to move ahead with a five-year, $31 million contract with Taser International Inc. to purchase about 7,000 body cameras and 4,400 stun guns. The agreement will include equipment replacement and upgrade, as well as video storage for footage taken by the cameras.

A little over $23 million will go toward providing police officers with Sprint cell phones that they can use to review and manage their body camera video footage and perform other police duties while on the go.

The plan also includes about $4 million toward infrastructure costs for the body camera program.

City officials say the cameras, which officers can wear on their chest, will likely be given out to police officers by fiscal year 2017-18.

Los Angeles Police Commission officials say the cameras will make interactions with police officers more transparent, leading to fewer complaints from the public and potentially reducing incidences of excessive force or abuse by police officers.

Mayor Eric Garcetti, who pushed for outfitting all Los Angeles police officers with body cameras, said the council action “is an investment in my vision of a Los Angeles Police Department that leads in transparency and accountability — values that protect officers and everyday Angelenos, and that are fundamental to policing in the 21st century.”

This is a historic moment for the LAPD, and I am proud of the leadership shown by everyone who played a part in getting us to this day,” he said.

The city received a $1 million U.S. Department of Justice grant to help pay for the program.

City Council members initially put the issue on hold due to concerns about staffing costs, and it was further delayed in April when Councilman Mitch Englander called for more study of the plan’s costs and contracting process.

Englander told City News Service that following a cost-benefit analysis, he now believes the body camera plan will not only increase transparency and safety for police and the public, but “will also save taxpayer funds, as well.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California has opposed the body cameras as long as city officials maintain their policy of not releasing video footage to the public, even to a victim’s family.

“A lot of the public support for body cameras hinges on the widespread belief that the public will get to see the videos, but that’s just not true,” Catherine Wagner, an attorney with the ACLU of Southern California, told City News Service.

“The LAPD does not plan to release the videos.”

Wagner said the proposed purchase of the body cameras “was a big opportunity for public officials to weigh in on the policies that will govern this program,” especially through the Public Safety Committee, but that did not take place.

“One of the most troubling things here was that the city has spent a lot of time looking at the financial aspect” of the body camera plan, but did not look into “how the technology will actually be used.”

Police and city officials have argued that the video footage should be treated like any other police evidence, which is typically not disclosed except when required in court or if it serves the department’s purposes, according to Wagner. But she said body cameras were not necessarily proposed solely for use in investigations, but rather as a way to promote transparency and accountability.

Wagner noted the money spent on body cameras is “on a whole different scale of expenditure of public funds.”

“It’s a new technological tool that has been touted as changing the nature of police transparency and accountability, and as a tool for improving public trust,” she said. “If people think these body cameras will improve transparency and accountability, they’re mistaken. It’s money down the drain.”

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