Hollywood : Sentenced to Service

Drunk drivers, “taggers” and others convicted of misdemeanors will continue working off their sentences by beautifying Hollywood, thanks to a decision last week by the Community Redevelopment Agency.

Pending final approval by the City Council, the community-based Hollywood Beautification Team is slated to receive $50,000 to help fund its second year of operation. In the team’s program, misdemeanor offenders join volunteers in picking up litter, erasing graffiti and planting trees in residential and commercial areas of Hollywood.

“The Hollywood courts deserve a lot of praise for working with the community and making sure that court referrals are specifically available for the community to use,” said volunteer team director Sharyn Romano. According to Romano, the court weekly provides about 150 referrals, who work five days a week, eight hours a day.

The nonprofit program was begun in January, 1992, with $24,200 in seed money from the CRA, and later sustained with an additional $85,000 in agency funding. For fiscal year 1993-94, the project is scheduled to receive $155,000 in federal and city grants. More than 800 volunteers, in addition to the court referrals, work in the program. The organization also pays homeless youths between 16 and 23 to help beautify Hollywood.