October 18, 2018
VOL. 31, No. 88
Annual Comment on City of Inglewood Excerpts from Moody’s Investors Service
LAST CALL FOR STARBUCKS LADERA HEIGHTS IS OCTOBER 21ST Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
By Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
The City of Inglewood has a population of 10,116,705 and a population density of 2,493 people per square mile. Inglewood has a solid credit position with an A1 rating. The financial position of the city is robust and the cash balance as a percent of revenues of 41.9 percent is stronger than the U.S. median. Moreover, the fund balance as a percent of operating revenues of 46.4 percent far surpasses other Moody’s rated cities nationwide and saw an impressive increase from 2011 to 2014. Overall, the economy and tax base of the City of Inglewood are strong and are largely consistent with its A1 rating. The total full value of $7.2 billion is materially above the U.S. median. Full value per capita of $65,555, matches the U.S. median and rose between 2011 and 2014.
With a relatively new drive-through Starbucks at the corner of LaBrea and Centinela and another inside the Ralph’s market across the street, Starbucks Corporation, operator of the popular coffeehouse chain, has announced that the last call for coffee at their Ladera Heights location at 5301 W. Centinela Ave. will be Oct. 21st. Regulars at the popular coffee shop have known about the closure for some time and many have speculated that one of the reasons Starbucks decided to close this location was in response to the numerous complaints they have received from the mostly male regular patrons
who usurp the patio seating area with chess and domino games, loud music and aggressive and disrespectful remarks directed at female patrons. “It is not surprising that the Ladera Starbucks will close,” said one regular patron who chose not to be identified, “I have been coming here every day for years and there have been many problems that store management has had to deal with. The customer cited heavy management turnover, fights, stabbings and even gun fire on the patio; domino and chess players who dominate the tables and chairs and subject other patrons to
loud music; individuals subjecting nonsmokers to odorous cigar smoke; and, cat calls and whistles to attractive female patrons. With all of the problems they have encountered, as well as a declining customer base that can get their morning, afternoon and evening coffee more conveniently from the drive-through across the street, it became obvious to the regular patrons that Starbucks probably had plans to close the Ladera Starbucks for some time. There has been much speculation among the ‘patio regulars’ about what type of enterprise will occupy the corner space that is situated across from a T.G.I.
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INGLEWOOD SOUTH BAY
NAACP BRANCH 1043
FIRESIDE CHAT WITH MAYOR JAMES T. BUTTS Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
The Inglewood South Bay NAACP Branch 1043 will host a Fireside Chat with Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts on the Inglewood South Bay NCAA Talk Radio Show, hosted by Erick Holly, president of the Inglewood South Bay Branch and Fred Shaw, 1st vice president of the branch. The program will be aired on Friday, October 19, 2018. At 8:00 p.m., on The Accelerated Radio Channel via Internet radio accelerated at acceleratedradio.net. The mayor will provide an overview of the accomplishments, the challenges and the opportunities that precede and will follow the election on November 6, 2018.
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