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EspañolSOUTH GATE, CALIFORNIA
'South Gate' is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County. In 2005 the city had an estimated total population of 103,547.[6] The "City of South Gate" was incorporated on 20 January 1923 by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors[7].
In 1990, South Gate was one of ten U.S. communities to receive the All-America City Award from the National Civic League.[8]
South Gate includes the Hollydale community, sometimes incorrectly referred to as a separate city.
Geography
South Gate is located at (33.944264, -118.194903).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.4 km² (7.5 mi²). 19.1 km² (7.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.60% water.
The Los Angeles River runs through the eastern part of South Gate.
Government
Elected officials (as of August 2006):
★ Mayor: Bill De Witt
★ Vice Mayor: Gil Hurtado
★ Council Member: Henry Gonzalez
★ Council Member: Gregory Martinez
★ Council Member: Maria Davila
★ Treasurer: Rudy Navarro
★ Clerk: Carmen Avalos
Scandal and corruption
From 2001 to 2003, then-city treasurer, Albert Robles, along with three accomplices on the city council, accepted bribes and in turn gave taxpayer dollars to friends and relatives to perform city contracts. The three accomplices formed a majority of the five member city council, so they could effectively run the city any way they wanted. For example, in 2002, Robles was arrested on felony threat charges but was appointed by the city council to the deputy city manager position and had his legal bills covered by the city. The city council gave themselves a 2000% pay raise, and cut the pay of city clerk Carmen Avalos by 90%, after she complained about corruption and election fraud in the city to the California State Secretary.
On 28 January 2003, voters recalled Robles along with his political allies, former Mayor Xochitl Ruvalcaba, former Vice Mayor Raul Moriel, and former city councilmember Maria Benavides.[9]
Robles was convicted of bribery in July 2005.
In November 2006 he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, ordered to pay the city of South Gate $639,000 in restitution, and was immediately put into custody.[9]
In March 2006, Rudy Navarro, who was elected to replace Albert Robles as city treasurer, was caught making a false statement on his biography as posted on the city's official web site. He claimed that he earned a degree from San Diego State University, when he actually had not completed all the requirements.
[9]
[9]
[9]
South Gate's recent political history has been characterized by political observers and editors as having elements of ''Third World Politics''.
The most complete account of the South Gate corruption scandal can be found in journalist Sam Quinones' book, ANTONIO'S GUN AND DELFINO'S DREAM: True Tales of Mexican Migration (Univ. of New Mexico Press, 2007). See www.samquinones.com.
Finances
South Gate was $150 million in debt in 2005.
On June 5, 2007, the city reported that it is facing a severe financial crisis [2].
Economy
South Gate's commercial activity is concentrated in the following zones:
★ Tweedy Mile (from Long Beach Boulevard to Hunt Avenue)
★ Firestone Boulevard (from Alameda Street to Garfield Avenue)
★ Garfield Avenue (at Firestone Boulevard; at Imperial Highway; and from McKinley Avenue to Century Boulevard)
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 96,375 people, 23,213 households, and 20,056 families residing in the city. The population density is 5,048.9/km² (13,084.6/mi²). There are 24,269 housing units at an average density of 1,271.4/km² (3,294.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 1.65% White, 0.19% African American, 9.93% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 94.69% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 23,213 households out of which 58.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% are married couples living together, 18.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 13.6% are non-families. 10.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 4.15 and the average family size is 4.37.
In the city the population is spread out with 35.6% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 26 years. For every 100 females there are 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $35,695, and the median income for a family is $35,789. Males have a median income of $25,350 versus $19,978 for females. The per capita income for the city is $10,602. 19.2% of the population and 17.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.2% of those under the age of 18 and 12.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Demographics History
The South Gate area was inhabited by the Gabrielino/Tongva Indians before development by Spanish ranchers.
South Gate developed during the 1920s and 1930s as an industrial city (primarily in "metal-bashing" industries) and its blue-collar community was predominantly non-Hispanic white.[14] During the 1940s and 1950s, South Gate was one of the most fiercely segregationist cities in Southern California; gangs of white youths were known to prowl the streets looking for blacks who dared to cross over from neighboring Watts. One of the most infamous clubs of the area at that time was the Spook Hunters. As a result, members from different black gangs formed the Devil Hunters which responded in kind. [15]
After the Watts Riots in 1965, many young non-Hispanic white families began to flee South Gate for other areas.[16]
Since the 1970s, South Gate has had a large Hispanic community, which became dominant in the 1990s as working-class Hispanics and immigrant Latin American families filled the vacuum left by white flight.
Notable natives and residents
★ Araya, Tom — bass guitarist and vocalist of the rock band Slayer
★ The Tender Box — Indie rock band
★ Cepek, Dick - off-road hall of fame parts supplier and racer
★ Cypress Hill — Latino rap group
★ Griffin, Doug — former Major League Baseball player
★ Harvey, Doug — former Major League Baseball umpire
★ Lombardo, Dave — drummer and founding member of the rock band Slayer
★ Mellow Man Ace — Afro-Cuban rap artist
★ Mata, Lorenzo — basketball center for the UCLA Bruins.
★ Nen, Dick — former Major League Baseball player
★ Robles, Albert — former South Gate mayor convicted of bribery, money laundering, and depriving the electorate
★ Romar, Lorenzo — Washington Huskies Head Basketball Coach
★ Rozelle, Pete – former National Football League Commissioner
★ Seaborg, Glenn T. — 1951 Chemistry Nobel Laureate
★ Robert Pineda - Played In Baseball College World Series 1998 Culver Stockton Missouri
★ Smith, Roger — actor, writer, and producer
★ Sullivan, Niki — late guitarist of rock and roll band The Crickets
★ Jamie Conde — current stunt actor
★ Randy Molina - current member of the Stanford Baseball team
★ Octavio Auggie Ojeda - Major League Baseball Player
Libraries
South Gate hosts the following two branches of the County of Los Angeles Public Library:
★ Hollydale Library
★ Leland R. Weaver Library
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
Most of South Gate is served by the Los Angeles Unified School District public school system. A small section of South Gate is served by the Paramount Unified School District. Hollydale Elementary School - South Gate, CA - school overview [17]
Los Angeles Unified School District
LAUSD primary schools
★ Bryson Avenue Elementary School (Opened 1931)
★ Independence Elementary School (Opened 1997)
★ Liberty Boulevard Elementary School (Opened 1932)
★ Madison Elementary School (Opened 2005)[18]
★ Montara Avenue Elementary School (Opened 1988)
★ San Gabriel Avenue Elementary School (Opened 1932)
★ San Miguel Avenue Elementary School (Opened 1989, partially a math and science magnet school)
★ Stanford Avenue Elementary School (1-5, Opened 1924)
★ Stanford New Primary Center (K, Opened 2004)[19]
★ State Street Elementary School (Opened 1932)
★ Tweedy Elementary School (Opened 2004)[20]
★ Victoria Avenue Elementary School (Opened 1925)
LAUSD middle schools
★ South Gate Middle School (Opened 1941)
★ South East Middle School (Opened 2004)[21]
★
★ To be opened: South Region Middle School 4 in 2012 [3]
LAUSD high schools
★ South Gate High School (Opened 1932)
★ South East High School (Opened 2005)[22]
★
★ To be opened: South Region High School 9 in 2012 [4]
Paramount Unified School District
★ Hollydale Elementary School
★ Paramount High School
Private schools
Private primary schools
★ Lollypop Lane Preschool and Kindergarten
★ Redeemer Lutheran School
★ Saint Helen Elementary School
Private high schools
★ Academia Betel
★ Faith Christian Academy
Continuation Schools
Odyssey Continuation School
Colleges and Universities
★ Career College of America
★ South Gate Satellite Campus, East Los Angeles College
Trivia
★ The A.R. Maas Chemical Company began operating in South Gate in 1922.
★ Firestone Tire and Rubber Company built its South Gate factory on a former bean field and produced its first tire there on 15 June 1928.[23]
★ In 1936 the General Motors plant went into production in South Gate with 1,000 employees.[23]
★ South Gate has 4 area codes : 323, 562, 310, and 424 (overlay to 310 area code).[25]
★ A dramatic incident occurred at the last city council meeting after the 2003 recall election: The mayor, Xochitl Ruvalcaba, punched then 67 year old councilmember Henry Gonzalez as he reached for a ''speaker's card'' that she refused to hand-over for review; she later accused him of trying to fondle her breast during the public city council meeting.[26][9]
★ Was officially home to the 16th World Science Fiction Convention, "Solacon", in 1958. Solacon was physically in Los Angeles, but (by mayoral proclamation) technically in South Gate, California, to fulfill their bid slogan of "South Gate in 58."[28]
References
1. Meet the City Council
2. Incorporation Dates of California Cities
3. South Gate city, California - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder
4. USPS - ZIP Code Lookup - Find a ZIP+ 4 Code By City Results
5. Number Administration System - NPA and City/Town Search Results
6. U.S. Census 2005 estimate
7. http://www.cityofsouthgate.org/southgategardens.htm
8. http://www.ncl.org/aac/past_winners/past_winners.html
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. South Gate: Mexico Comes to California; How an All-American Town Became a Barrio
15. Black Street Gangs in Los Angeles: A History (excerpts from Territoriality Among African American Street Gangs in Los Angeles) Alonso, Alejandro A.
16.
South Gate: Mexico Comes to California; How an All-American Town Became a Barrio
17. PUSD: Schools : Hollydale
18. LAUSD Facilities Services Division: Project Details: South Gate New ES #6, 47.08402
19. LAUSD Facilities Services Division: Project Details: Stanford New PC, 47.07402
20. LAUSD Facilities Services Division: Project Details: South Gate New ES #7, 55.98027
21. LAUSD Facilities Services Division: Project Details: Southeast Area New MS #3, 55.98028
22. LAUSD Facilities Services Division: Project Details: Southeast Area New HS #2, 55.98034
23. http://www.cityofsouthgate.org/thenewcity.htm
24. http://www.cityofsouthgate.org/thenewcity.htm
25. http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/Static/telco/reports/area+code+info/ac310pubmtgs/areacodechange-310npa_overlaymap.pdf
26.
27.
28. http://www.nesfa.org/data/LL/LongListNotes.html#1958
See also
★ Albert Robles
★ Seaborg Home
External links
★ CityOfSouthGate.org - South Gate's official Site
★ SouthGateHS.org - South Gate High School's official website.
★ SouthEastHS.com - South East High School's official
★ SouthGateChamber.org - South Gate Chamber of Commerce official website.
★ [http://www.samquinones.com/ www.samquinones.com -- website of journalist Sam Quinones
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