HAWTHORNE CITY COUNCILMEMBER HAIDAR AWAD DONATES CITY COUNCIL SALARY TO COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORTS

HAWTHORNE, California— While the novel coronavirus continues its sweep across the United States, state and local officials are tasked with keeping their constituents safe as communities begin the slow process of opening back up. Finding inventive ways to supply residents with ample protective gear and sanitization products has become a top priority.

During a recent Hawthorne City council meeting, Councilmember Haidar Awad pledged his city council salary to help with COVID-19 relief efforts. Awad earmarked his budgeted salary starting January 2020 for COVID-related issues, such as purchasing masks for the residents of Hawthorne. The monies will be kept in a city fund and be allocated to replenish the supply and disperse face masks accordingly. Awad continues to defer his city council salary as he has done since assuming office in December 2015.

This comes at a time when municipalities and cities are faced with a lack of proper protective gear to outfit its citizens as restrictions and stay-at-home orders begin to loosen. In an effort to support the city’s reopening efforts and discourage further spread of the coronavirus, Councilmember Awad recently announced that he secured a COVID-19 testing center that opened May 6th.

The new COVID-19 testing center is now taking appointments and is located at the Betty Ainsworth Sports Center in Hawthorne. These tests will also be available to the neighboring communities of Lawndale, Lennox, El Segundo, West Athens, and other South Bay cities.

Awad joined other local officials to offer up words of encouragement to his constituents, “This new testing center is a vital component to reopening Hawthorne, Los Angeles County, and California as outlined by Governor Gavin Newsom’s six indicators to modify the Stay at Home order,” Awad said, “Hawthorne is an ideal location for such a center, and I’m encouraged to have brought COVID-19 testing to our residents who have had limited access until now.”

Signup for appointments online: https://lhi.care/covidtesting Signup by phone: (888) 634-1123

All County of Los Angeles testing sites: https://covid19.lacounty.gov/testing/

For more up-to-date information, please visit: www.haidarhawthorne.com