Local News in Brief : Chamber Plans Santa Program

The annual Santa’s Sleigh program in Lawndale will be sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce this year with volunteer help from a local civic group, the South Bay 25 Club.

The fate of the program, which gives children an opportunity to visit Santa Claus during the Christmas season, had been in question since August, when the Lawndale City Council refused to renew the chamber’s $25,000 contract to put on four events, including Santa’s Sleigh.

A council majority--Harold E. Hofmann, Larry Rudolph and Dan McKenzie--said the chamber should become self-supporting. Chamber officials said the city’s $25,000 allocation covered only the chamber’s expenses in putting on the events. Of that amount, $1,726 was used last year for candy and supplies for Santa’s Sleigh.

Chamber Director Jerry Enis said the chamber will seek donations from local businesses and service clubs for the program.

Laura Calderwood, president of the South Bay 25 Club, said the City Council has offered the club $2,500 for supplies, but members will not decide whether to accept the funds until they examine a written agreement being drafted by the city.

Meanwhile, chamber officials reported that seven contestants have signed up for the chamber’s Nov. 19 Miss Centinela Valley Contest, which was renamed when funds for the former Miss Lawndale Pageant were denied by the City Council.