About Town Redondo: City budget, Obagi court wins, RUHS business classes
City to hold Pride flag-raising June 6
The City of Redondo Beach will hold an LGBTQIA+ Pride flag-raising ceremony June 6 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. The city council voted Tuesday night, May 31, for city staff to make plans for the event. The council previously approved a Pride flag to be flown in the month of June.
RUHS business and finance classes debut strong
Redondo Union High School’s first year of a new business and finance pathway is nearly complete.
“We were hoping to fill at least one section (class),” said Dr. Susan Wildes, assistant superintendent, educational services for the school district. “We got six, for a total of 202 students.”
The classes are taught by Mike Soohoo.
The six sections are business, entrepreneurship and personal finance; marketing, finance and business management; statistics, AP statistics and economics.
Wildes showcased Soohoo and a group of his students at the May 23 school board meeting. The program was instigated by David Witkin, an eight-year school boardmember who was termed out of office in March.
Witkin suggested the business classes as a use for the district’s pandemic relief funds.
Wildes quoted Benjamin Franklin, in describing these classes.
‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’”
Councilmembers seek input on budget decisions
The Redondo Beach City Council is asking residents to share their thoughts on what they would like city money spent on next year.
City staff has submitted a fiscal 2023-24 budget, for which the council now reviews its 77 “decision packages.”
A public hearing was held Tuesday night on the budget, as part of the regular city council meeting. The hearing resumes June 6.
The council is scheduled to adopt a new budget June 20.
Obagi wins reversal; State Bar prosecutor replaced
The State Bar Prosecutor in the Zein Obagi, Jr. alleged misconduct case has been replaced. The Bar took the action May 23. City Councilman Obagi told the Easy Reader earlier this year that the charges were the result of a “bad prosecutor.”
Prosecutor Charles Calix has been replaced by Andrew Vasicek.
The State Bar does not comment on personnel changes such as this.
In related news, an April 14 ruling by the hearing judge in the State Bar trial was reversed on May 25, after Obagi asserted it was an “error of law and abuse of discretion.”
The ruling clears the way for the trial to resume. No date has been announced; a status conference is set for June 5. The trial initially began April 18.
The case against Obagi stems from a financial complaint from a former client, and a subsequent malpractice suit Obagi filed against his original attorney for the first seven of 12 State Bar counts.
RBUSD board discusses block schedule for Adams
The Redondo Unified School District board May 23 discussed a possible to change to a block schedule at Adams Middle School, to match that of Parras Middle School – which operates like the high school.
District Board Chair Rachel Silverman Nemeth and Boardmember Dan Elder spoke in support of the change, as well as Raymur Flinn, a boardmember who talked about her experience with a daughter who went through the block program at Adams Middle School, and another who had a regular, no-block schedule at Parras.
Boardmember Rolf Strutzenberg said he leaned toward the longer classes and would like to hear from teachers. His children are not yet in middle school.
It was the first time the board had discussed the matter in open session. ER