We often need their help. Now they want ours.

The firefighters at Fire Station 1 in Redondo Beach have entered a nationwide contest to win a new kitchen.

The Rescue Remodel contest pits firehouses from around the country against each other, and the station with the most votes will receive a kitchen renovation valued at $25,000. The contest is sponsored by Ikea, the Swedish home furnishing giant, and The Family Handyman, a home improvement magazine.

Votes can be cast by visiting rescueremodel.com and be made until Feb. 28. There are five firehouses competing and by Tuesday afternoon the Redondo Beach station was in third place with 20,310 votes. Palos Fire Protection District Station #1 in Palos Park, Illinois ,was in the lead with more than 53,800 votes.

But support for the Redondo Beach station has been building thanks, in part, to social media. Links to a video the firefighters put together - a rendition of Rihanna's "We Found Love" called "We cook our food in a hopeless place" - have been posted on Facebook and Twitter.

In a letter posted on the Rescue Remodel website, Steve Hyink, Fire Division Chief of Operations, said the kitchen was there when he was assigned to the station 28 years ago. It has survived leaky roofs and floods. Each time firefighters save up enough money for a remodel, something more important needs to be fixed, or more life-saving equipment needs to be bought. Redondo Beach Fire Station Number 1 was built in the early 1950s and designed to last 40 years, Hyink wrote.

"We don't like to ask for help, but it would really be appreciated if we could just get some cabinets and a new counter," Hyink added.

The
Redondo Beach Fire Department has three stations, including the
harbor patrol facility in King Harbor.

Councilman Buscaino's motion to decrease the parking meter rates in San Pedro and Wilmington by 50 percent is meant to provide immediate relief to businesses who are suffering from tough economic times and are concerned that the current rates will deter customers form patronizing their businesses.

Former Councilwoman Janice Hahn's motion to remove the meters is still in committee. Buscaino is working on identifying additional funding that can replace the more than $500,000 in revenue when the meters are removed.

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Sorry, but the merchants I talked to today do not find Joe Buscaino's proposal to lower parking to 50 cents acceptable. They want the meters out and the two-hour limit strictly enforced. Best December in years under those conditions. Might just work for the long term.

By the way, it might be good to let Joe Buscaino know how you feel about his flip flop on the parking issue. Most effective means is by telephone. The numbers are: Downtown City Hall (213)473-7015
Harbor District Office (310) 732-4515

So is Buscaino's honeymoon over? Already?

We're awaiting the response from the council office and will post it when we have it.

Our questions: Will city officials really allow the meters to be completely removed? Won't other smaller communities in the sprawling metropolis then only demand the same? What are the chances of a parking structure being built anytime soon to relieve some of the pressure anticipated with the coming waterfront developments and the arrival of the USS Iowa?   

Meter rates in downtown San Pedro spiked in 2009 as part of a citywide budget measure, increasing the hourly rates from 25 cents to $1. It's been a thorn in the side of merchants and customers alike ever since.

"I was pleased the President addressed the end of the Iraq war and how we should use that money to invest here at home. The President did an excellent job of describing an American economy that provides equal opportunity while asking for shared responsibility. As he explained, an economy in which a few reap vast wealth while everyone else struggles isn't a country built to last.

"The President also reminded Congress that we have to work together to get things done. I had the pleasure of sitting with my Republican friend Ted Poe last night. Together we have started the bipartisan PORTS caucus which will advocate for safer and more economically vibrant ports which are crucial to creating jobs here in San Pedro and across the country."

Republican Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) had this perspective:

"The American people should be disappointed that instead of conducting a serious discussion with the nation, President Obama instead demonstrated his political agility by taking a stand on both sides of every major issue.

"He profusely praised the military yet he is the strongest advocate for cutting the military. He pledged himself to an 'all of the above' policy to make America energy independent but just a few days ago nixed the Keystone Pipeline, one of the country's most important energy projects. He bragged about bailouts early in the speech and by the end of the speech proclaimed there should be no more bailouts. He puffed out his chest on Iran yet was demonstrably absent when not too long ago the Iranian people marched for democracy in the streets of Tehran.

"The fact the president's speech was filled with new agenda items is certainly reason for skepticism. Although he'd like us to, we should not forget, in his first two years as President, the Democrat party controlled both houses of Congress when he could have enacted any of the agenda items he advocated this evening. Yet he chooses to skirt responsibility and place blame everywhere else but on himself for his policy failures.

"Perhaps most disturbing was the President's attempt to pit Americans against each other along economic lines. President Obama has put the American people $5 trillion more in debt even while there's been a shameless enrichment of political cronies under this administration. It's enough to make Ulysses S. Grant blush.

"This speech was a missed opportunity. The country needs leadership and statesmanship and tonight we got political posturing."

Motorists are encouraged to use alternate travel routes.

"I thought, 'history is happening right before our eyes, and I need to let our kids know about it,'" Chiodo said. "I thought that we could find a way to perhaps donate some money -- do a good deed for a great cause as a way of 'paying it forward.'"

Abby Rusher, 5, of Des Moines drops coins into a bucket at the USS Iowa battleship display at Cornell Elementary. WHO radio's Van and Bonnie will broadcast from the school Wednesday to help the students raise money for the ship's restoration. / Holly McQueen/The Register

"I don't want to put a dollar amount on how much we'd like to raise, as these are little kids we're dealing with and I don't want them to feel bad if we set an amount and don't reach it," (the principal) said. "But I can see us raising $1,000. This is a great school community and a great community overall, and very generous."

Jensen was on her way back from the market on Dec. 23 when her motorcycle collided with a driver making a U-Turn on Sepulveda Boulevard in Manhattan Beach. She was taken to Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, where she died a short time later.

Jensen was a single mother and lived with her two sons in North Redondo Beach. Shaun, 23, is a full-time student and cares for his older brother Alex, 25, who is mentally disabled. They have no other family members to rely on.

Jensen worked as a nurse for many years, but went on disability after a bad motorcycle accident several years ago. She had no life insurance, and the brothers are now struggling to pay bills and the rent.

But good Samaritans from across the South Bay have come to their aid. A story in today's Daily Breeze spotlighted the relationship Shaun and a local business owner who lost his son two years ago have forged since Jensen's death.

And for those who may have read about the Jensen brothers and are interested in helping, you can send an e-mail to Pam Drake at HelpJensGuys@gmail.com. Drake is a close friend of the Jensen family and is working to organize a benefit BBQ and motorcycle run.

A fundraiser dinner at the Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach is also being planned. We'll have more information when it becomes available.

Here's a sample of the comments:

As a business owner in the downtown Torrance area I read your article with great interest. Over a year ago I spoke to Mayor Scotto regarding the parking problem and I was told that there was no parking problem. I invited him to come sit at my shop and see for himself what the businesses were dealing with regarding the lack of parking. He never showed up. Every time they add another restaurant with no parking lots they refer to the abundant parking in the underground parking structure. If the Mayor had to drive around for 10 minutes before he could find a place to park, why didn't he park in the underground structure that he wants all of us to park in? I know I speak for other business owners that parking meters are not wanted and would kill whatever business we have now. I have asked customers if they would continue to come to Torrance if parking meters were installed and they all said no. If they would enforce the existing parking laws that would help.

Incidentally, it should be noted the mayor deliberately drove around to see just how long it would take him find a spot.

Here's another:

I read with interest your article in the Daily Breeze today regarding the parking dilemma in Old Torrance. Instead of going through the effort and expense of parking meters, why not ticket the parties parking beyond two hours? This would also eliminate the smokescreen if revenue was really at issue.

By the way, I received another email from a property and business owner in San Pedro who said merchants and their employees park in prime street spots there - but only in December when metered parking is free.

So what's the solution?

Have your say in our poll here (scroll down to see it).

And feel free to leave a comment.

On Saturday members of two South Bay families along with dozens of others help decorate the Donate Life Rose Parade float.

The locals participating were:

*Tammy Rusznak of Torrance, a kidney recipient who received the organ from her sister, San Antonio, Texas resident Tracy Meinert on July 16, 1986.

*The Arellano family of Carson, who honored their late son and brother, Eddie Arellano. The family donated his organs - the donation helped four people who needed transplants - after he died.

Eddie's mom Clementina Arellano, dad Emiliano Arellano, sister Ana Arellano Binder and brother Victor Arellano helped decorate a floragraph on the float honoring him.

The float includes 72 floragraphs of organ donors like Eddie.

More about the parade is here.

Here's more on the film from Warren Miller & Co:

Narrated by California native and Olympic Gold Medalist Jonny Moseley, Like There's No Tomorrow follows more than a dozen professional skiers and snowboarders to exotic locations on five continents. Watch as world-class athletes hit the slopes of some of the world's most inspiring snowy landscapes; from the striking Himalayas in Gulmarg, India to the southern hemisphere's highest peak in Portillo, Chile to the legendary powder of Squaw Valley, Calif.

Tickets are $20.50 apiece. After the film, moviegoers can use their ticket stub toward a buy one, get one lift ticket offer at participating mountain resorts and discounts at Sport Chalet. For tickets, call (1-800) 523-7117

Torrance is one of 240 cities nationwide where the film will be screened.

Check out the trailer: