Sister City Car Donation Barred

Hermosa Beach’s beleaguered Sister City Program suffered another setback Tuesday when its request to donate a used police car to impoverished sister city Loreto, Mexico, was rejected by the City Council.

Earlier this year, the group was criticized by Councilwoman Kathleen Midstokke in the wake of allegations that local students had been poorly supervised during its annual exchange trip to Mexico. Last month, the council withdrew the city’s $1,000 annual contribution, complaining that the organization had not accounted adequately for last year’s grant.

George Barks, who directs the 22-year-old volunteer program, said he has directed his treasurer to turn its books over to the city as soon as the organization’s own audit has been completed. He added that the council has promised to reconsider its decision to withdraw the $1,000 as soon as the books are made available.

Barks said he believes the council has been hard on nonprofit organizations in general this year. He noted that the council canceled a $9,000 city contribution to a Los Angeles County Bar Assn. program that seeks to solve disputes before they reach the lawsuit stage.

And, he said, Mayor Roger Creighton has been a longtime critic of the Sister City Program, philosophically and politically.

Several years ago, a council decision to donate an ambulance to Loreto prompted Creighton to file a taxpayer lawsuit, which he lost.

“He doesn’t agree with the program, and he lost a lawsuit that cost him a lot of money,” Barks said.

It was Creighton who led the 4-1 opposition to the organization’s request Tuesday, saying that although the city has two surplus 1983 Chevrolet Malibus in its police fleet, the cars could bring in $1,800 apiece if they were auctioned.

If the program wants a vehicle to send to Loreto, Creighton said, it should buy one at auction for the full price, with donations. “Eighteen hundred dollars from an affluent community like Hermosa Beach shouldn’t be difficult to raise,” he said.

Councilman Chuck Sheldon, who cast the dissenting vote, charged that the council was confusing the needs of Loreto and the program.

“We’re not talking about helping the sister city organization--we’re talking about helping Loreto,” Sheldon said. “We’d never get the same use out of $1,800 that Loreto would get out of a police vehicle.”