Chamber of Commerce Elects New President

Board members of the troubled Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday elected a new president to take the place of Joseph James Catallo, who resigned last week after being arrested on charges of possession of a handgun and possession of a controlled substance.

The new president is Meg Roi, publisher of the California Crusader newspaper, a weekly that covers Torrance, Hawthorne, Inglewood and surrounding areas. Ike Mbelu, of Icon Architects, was chosen as president-elect.

In recent months the chamber has been plagued with problems. Earlier this year, its executive director quit after being charged with grand theft and forgery.