• Inglewood Mayor James Butts was elected to represent the Southwest Sector on the Metro Board
• Torrance Mayor Pat Furey was elected to Chair of the City Selection Committee which is the body that makes appointments to regional agency boards
• Manhattan Beach Councilmember David Lesser was elected to the Library Commission representing Supervisorial District #4
• Rolling Hills Estates Councilmember Judy Mitchell was re-elected as an alternate to LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission)

Gardena Municipal Bus Lines is freshening up the look of its fleet in a new marketing campaign designed to boost ridership. Soon, the 1970s-style white city buses with their characteristic green-and-yellow stripe will no longer be seen crisscrossing the South Bay and into downtown Los Angeles.

Instead, the 65-bus fleet is being repainted with big splashes of emerald green and a giant, assertive "G." GTrans is the rebranded name of the modernized bus system.

I was able to help out at the first giveaway for the Rain Barrel Program at J. Serra High School in Gardena on January 10th 2015. It turned out to be a busy day as there was a good mix of volunteers from Serra High School and South Bay Environmental Services Center filling out registration forms and loading rain barrels into local residents' vehicles. All available rain barrels were given away to South Bay residents. It even rained, so I enjoyed interacting with participants and volunteers alike, eager to put these rain barrels into action. 

Rain barrels are useful water conservation tools. West Basin staff, Gus Meza gave me insight into their benefits, "collecting and reusing rainwater reduces the amount of water flowing into storm drains, local waterways, and ensures that every drop of water is being used efficiently." 

Each barrel is 55 gallons in capacity, 24 inches in diameter and 40 inches tall. They come in black or Terra-Cotta.  If you are interested in getting one, call (310) 371-4633 to register for the next event.