Campus hosts two marquee events on same day

Tim Toton Roundup Reporter

The Los Angeles Pierce College Farm Walk and Topanga Vintage Market will share the campus on April 27, but running both events on the same day is causing confusion about parking, security and costs.

Parking and shuttle buses

Dr. Leland Shapiro, chair of agriculture, is under the assumption that they’re going to have market parking on the other side of campus and the Foundation for Pierce College will finance shuttles.

“When they asked me if we could do the same day I said, ‘Well, I need parking Lot 7 for me,’” Shapiro said.

Foundation Financial Manager

Kathy Zanghi agrees there will be shuttle buses to help with parking, but disagrees with where visitors park.

“First come – first served,” Zanghi said.

Floriya Borzenkova, the senior program director for the Foundation, said they were planning to make market patrons park in Lot 1 but said they cannot control where someone parks their car.

“We just have to put some signs up that say, ‘Additional parking this way. Shuttle buses available,’” she said.

Topanga Vintage Market cofounder Lori Wolf Rotblatt said she wasn’t comfortable telling her patrons they might be shuttled from a parking lot to the market.

“The shuttle idea is not our idea,” she said. “At this point we will follow.”

Health and safety

Organizers agree the cost of security is higher because officials are being cautious.

“Last year I paid $750 for sheriffs. Now they want to charge me $2,200 and I don’t have any money,” Shapiro said.

But the Foundation maintains that the Agriculture Department is raising money and can therefore pay.

“The new procedures, according to the [Los Angeles Community College District], is that everybody that does anything has to pay,” Zanghi said.

Shapiro said the sheriffs are hired here anyway, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

“We have a contract with them,” he said. “Why am I paying for time and a half for seven hours of security for a fundraiser for the college? It doesn’t make sense.” at Tehran University.

Zanghi said Paul Nieman, director of Facilities at Pierce is responsible for the [Farm Walk] security and they’re going to have volunteers with radios tuned in with the sheriffs.

“They’re worried -- I understand. I’m not knocking that down because I want everybody to be safe. But it should be paid for by the college, not my department,” Shapiro said.

Money raised and spent Shapiro said all the volunteer workers at Farm Walk have meetings every month for a whole year to put it on.

“It was a huge cultural change, but it went fast,” Hoshiar said. “I can’t believe it’s already been two decades since I’ve been here.” I’m giving back to my community.”

The final event of the meeting provided an opportunity for faculty to question the three candidates.

Foundation considers downsizing staff

Jessica Boyer Roundup Reporter

The board of the charitable arm of Pierce College is considering laying off an employee to save funds.

The Board of Directors for the Foundation for Pierce College met Wednesday, April 16 in the Student Services Conference Room to discuss the future of the organization. They were unable to come up with a resolution and will resume the discussion at the next meeting on Thursday, May 15 at 4 p.m.

“We might want to consider laying Kathy [Zanghi] off,” said Donna “Obie” Slamon, board chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “I don’t want to do that, possibly she can collect unemployment and she had said she would be willing to volunteer, come in and work because her job is pretty vital here.“

Zanghi is the account manager for the Foundation and opted to be laid-off by the Board in order to save funds.

“I can do the same, if it comes but this way, we can save money in the general funds, if it comes to this,” said Floriya Borzenkova, senior program director for the Foundation.

Borzenkova and Zanghi are the only paid employees of the Foundation, costing about $5,775 so far in April from the general funds.

The Foundation currently has about $11,000 in the general funds, said Zanghi.

The Foundation’s general fund relies on certain grants and donations including the Amgen Foundation Grant that brings in $9,600 per year. They also have a restricted fund where the funds are allocated to specific programs at the college.