L.A. DIGEST
Staff and Wire Reports
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — To help uplift spirits during the Christmas season, PVJOBS partnered with the Los Angeles Police Department Dec. 12 to give away toys and food to about 1,000 community members in need.
Co-sponsored by PVJOBS, the toy and food drive took place at the South Park Recreation Center in South Los Angeles and was coordinated by the LAPD’s nearby Newton Division.
The toy and food drive was organized as a drive-through event to meet social distancing guidelines. A steady line of cars were wrapped around the block as drivers awaited their turn to drive up and receive the donated items.
LAPD and PVJOBS staff and volunteers handed out a toy for each child per family as well as food and COVID care packages.
“Our toy and food drive was such a great event for everyone,” said Laura Padilla, executive assistant for PVJOBS. “We were able to impact so many families in our community through this event.”
LAPD Officer Gabriel Flores helped organize the annual event on behalf of the department. He said the LAPD holds the event each year as a meaningful way to reach out to neighborhood residents.
“Our mission is to bridge the gap between the precinct and the community,” said Flores, who represents the LAPD Newton Division’s Community Safety Partnership initiative. “Through events like these, people can see us in a different way. It shows them that we’re human.”
The food packages were provided by the Office of Ninth District City Councilman Curren Price, and toys were donated by OKK Toys.
Other community partners were Avalon Carver Community Center, Community Safety Partnership South Park, GRYD, Porsche Downtown Los Angeles, Resilient, Soledad Enrichment Action and Volunteers of America.
Forum launches
line of merchandise
INGLEWOOD — In time for the holiday season, the Forum has launched its first-ever merchandise line at www.shop.thelaforum.com. The online store includes various Forum-official items such as tees, sweatshirts, mugs, totes and hats.
The new designs found on all merchandise were created by the Forum internal creative team and showcase the iconic venue’s famed exterior.
The Forum team is excited to launch this merchandise line while looking forward to bringing back live concerts and events and welcoming fans back to the beloved venue as soon as possible. In the meantime, official Forum swag is the perfect gift for any concert-lover.
In the spirit of keeping Forum fans and concert-goers safe, the venue is running a special offer of a free Forum branded mask with all purchases of $75 or more (does not apply where discount codes are being used).
College president gets
contract extension
COMPTON — The Compton Community College District Board of Trustees approved a one-year contract extension for its president/chief executive officer at its Dec. 8 meeting. The contract for Keith Curry, who has served as the district’s permanent CEO since 2013, was extended through June 30, 2024.
“Dr. Curry is an energetic administrator and innovative educator who will continue to lead Compton College and its students on a path of excellence,” college district Board President Sonia Lopez. “In this unprecedented year, his dedication to Compton College is evident in his tireless work to ensure Compton College students’ basic needs are fulfilled, in addition to having access to academic support resources to be successful in college.”
Under Curry’s leadership, highlights from the past year include implementing Guided Pathways to ensure students set goals and stay on course to achieve their goals in a timely fashion and providing a full menu of free resources to students during the pandemic to support online learning and basic needs.
“I make it my mission to help Compton College students succeed” Curry said. “I personally understand the struggles many in my community face to obtain an education. The Compton College faculty, staff and I are here to ensure that the residents of the communities served by the Compton Community College District have access to a quality higher education.”
Fire damages
vacant home
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — A fire inside a reportedly vacant home was extinguished Dec. 13 in the South Park area of South Los Angeles.
The blaze inside the home at 206 E. 53rd St. was reported at 5:18 p.m., according to the L.A. Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.
The department dispatched 33 firefighters to the scene, Stewart said. The flames were knocked down in under 15 minutes.
Firefighters also stopped the fire from spreading to a nearby building. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remained under investigation, Stewart said.
