Inglewood City Council will convene on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, to deny claims submitted by the family of a young child who drowned in the city’s pool, spend a combined $600,000 for leased city vehicles, purchase cement, approve a pilot shuttle service and set a Public Hearing for the Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center Project- Certification of the Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
On September 8, 2019, 9-year-old Zavire Portis was reported missing after his mother stopped at Centinela Park. The body of Portis was found the next day at the bottom of the park’s swimming pool. Claims have been submitted on behalf of Portis’ estate, mother and father which the city will formally reject.
Related: Special Needs Child Drowns in City of Inglewood Pool
A review of the city’s warrant register, shows three checks made out to Enterprise Rent A Car, totaling over $500,000, for the leases on (48) vehicles. On a separate staff report, the city will issue a final payment of $51,329.24, payable to Enterprise Fleet Management on (22) vehicles.
The city will enter into an agreement with Rideco, Inc, a Canadian company that incorporated with the State of California on May 12, 2020, to provide a pilot shuttle program allegedly for Inglewood employees who work at LAX Airport. The agreement is for one year, with the option to extend for four additional years. The total contract value is $1.2 million and was presented by Transportation Demand Manager Tunisia Johnson and authorized by Assistant City Manager/Public Works Director Louis Atwell.
Unbeknownst to Inglewood taxpayers, the money earmarked for the city’s 2020 Earth Day Festival was transferred to a protest related to the death of George Floyd without informing the public. The city paid $6,000 to radio jock Guy Black, back in March this year, to emcee the event and then paid him another $4,900 to emcee the protest/rally held at the Forum on June 6, 2020. According to the event organizer it was “common sense” that since the Earth Day event was cancelled it was repurposed to the Divine9 so they could have a platform to “speak”. It is unclear why event organizer Sharis Rhodes didn’t pay for Black’s services.
Related: Inglewood taxpayers subsidize George Floyd protests held at the Forum, City Hall
It is these types of payments that caused former Councilmembers Judy Dunlap and Mike Stevens to consistently vote “no” when it came time to approve payment of the city’s bills. The city never formally cancelled Earth Day activities so how was authorization given to pay Guy Black for the same services twice?
Finally, the city’s Economic and Community Development Department has submitted the long awaited EIR related to the proposed Clippers arena by Department Director Chris Jackson.
2UrbanGirls hasn’t had a chance to read the entire document, however, it is noticeable that our PW Director/Asst. City Manager Louis Atwell has refused to sign the document and of course someone has forged City Manager Artie Fields signature on the document. Good indicators that something isn’t right, and city hall staffers are allowing fraud to take place in order to preserve their outrageous salaries, is a closer look at Christopher Jackson’s signature, which has slightly changed too.
If Artie Fields don’t step up and put and end to these shenanigans we will definitely see the Department of Justice paying Inglewood City Hall a lengthy visit.
View the Clippers arena EIR by clicking here.
5 Comments
TWO THINGS
First, it’s NOT illegal to sign the city manager’s name if he is aware his name is being signed and gives permission.
Second, does Zavire Portis really have an estate? He was 9 years old and I doubt he owned any property.
Glad the city is DENYING the money grab.
Zavire’s mother was clearly negligent and was not properly caring for her son. It’s a tragic story, but it’s not the city’s fault.
If someone was signing “for” Artie Fields then it would have that persons signature and “for” next to it like they did for Atwell. Nice try though ?
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Why do you refer to “Edward Vincent Park” as “Centinela Park”?
that’s what it was called before Dorn changed the name.