La Mirada Blog
Articles by Tony Aiello
NLMUSD Board President Hengler Voted Out of Office
Norwalk~The evening started with seven candidates, including four incumbents, hoping to capture one of four opens seats on the Norwalk-La Mirada School District Board of Education- when it ended the president was voted out of office.
In what some would call an upset, board president Ed Hengler, 80, a retired educator and on the panel since 1997, was ousted Tuesday night by challenger Sean Reagan, 38, a teacher at Cal High in the Whittier High School Union District. Hengler finished in sixth place.
Incumbent Margarita Rios, 43, a police sergeant for the Los Angeles School District led all candidates with 2,128 votes and incumbent Darryl Adams, 52, a teacher, finished second with 1,965 votes.
Reagan was third with 1,758 votes and incumbent Ana Valencia, 46, a teacher, received 1,637 votes, rounding out the field of winners.
Challenger Salvador Limon, 26, a special education teacher received 1,460 votes finishing fifth, 177 votes shy of Valencia. Mark White, 53, a field technical engineer, placed seventh with 959 votes.
At one point during the night, it appeared another incumbent might be in trouble when Limon pulled within less than 100 votes of Valencia, but she was able to hold him at bay.
Leading up to the election, Hengler criticized Reagan for running for a spot when his own child doesn't even attend school in the district. Reagan lives in Norwalk and has stated child care convenience as the reason his child attends school in Cerritos and not in the NLMUSD.
Voter turnout was poor. The district area has a registered voter base of over 60,000 and there are 19,000+ students enrolled in the NLMUSD, yet it appears well under 10 percent of people turned out to vote.
Table courtesy County of Los Angeles Registrar Recorder
Road Closure Scheduled for Valley View Avenue 10/25-10/28
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La Mirada~Valley View Avenue will be closed between Rosecrans Avenue and Gannet Street from 7:00 PM on October 25th to 5:00 AM on October 28th.
Businesses within the closure will be open and accessible during this period.
The Valley View Grade Separation Project, a shared effort by the Cities of La Mirada and Santa Fe Springs, Caltrans, and BNSF Railway, has made significant progress over the summer months and construction crews have successfully completed excavation work and construction of the new BNSF Railway bridge, which will separate railroad activity from pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic.
The project is ready for another major milestone as crews work to move the railroad tracks onto the new bridge this weekend.
The track relocation is scheduled to take place over this weekend and will require Valley View Avenue to be fully closed during that time.
Motorists traveling southbound on Valley View can get around the closure by turning westbound on Rosecrans, left on Marquardt, left on Borate, right on Anson, continue on to Gannet and back to Valley View.
Motorists traveling northbound can turn left on Gannet, continue on to Anson, left on Borate, right on Marquardt, right on Rosecrans and back to Valley View.
Follow detour signs and drive safely as motorists attempting to get to the Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet will also be in the mix.
For questions you may call (562) 926-6334 or you can visit www.vvgs.org for more information about this project.
UPDATED: Brush Fire Spreads to Home on Fairhope Drive
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| Smoke rises from a home in La Mirada Wednesday afternoon. Photo courtesy @maand3 |
La Mirada~Los Angeles County firefighters earlier battled a structure fire originally reported at the 8300 block of Los Coyote Drive in Buena Park near Los Coyotes Country Club.
Inspector Mora of the LA County Fire Department told the La Mirada Blog the incident originally started as a brush fire and was reported at 12:13 p.m. today.
The fire spread to the backyard of a home on Fairhope Drive in the unincorporated area of Orange County west of Beach Boulevard and firefighters were quickly on scene with sufficient personnel, said Mora.
It appears just the one home has been affected with fire seen coming through the attic at one time.
No injuries have been reported and the cause is currently under investigation.
Grand Opening for New Model Homes Scheduled for November
La Mirada~Brandywine Homes marked the start of construction on The Orchards housing development with a groundbreaking ceremony last month. The new residential development on Alondra Blvd. will include 41 single family homes.
“We are very excited about the enhancements this new neighborhood will bring to our community,” said Mayor Steve De Ruse who lives nearby, “I have watched this site since 1975 and I know all my neighbors and everyone who knows about this are really waiting for this project and are really excited about it.”
“Brandywine has a record of building quality neighborhoods throughout our region, and I’m certain The Orchards project will meet these high standards,” De Ruse added. “This neighborhood will be an important addition to the supply of quality and attractive homes in La Mirada.”
The two-story, Craftsman-style homes will range from approximately 1,300 to 2,000 square feet. Each home will offer three or four bedrooms, two and one-half to three and one-half bathrooms, two-car attached garages and will feature private fenced rear yards. A new decorative block wall, perimeter landscaping, and street and sidewalk improvements will also be completed as part of the project. Four model homes will open in mid-November.
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| Mayor Steve DeRuse tells the gathering he is very excited about the new new community currently under construction in La Mirada. Photo Bishop Imaging |
This was the last ceremony for former City Manager Tom Robinson who told the La Mirada Blog, “We are very pleased to see the Brandywine project move ahead. It’s been four years in the making (with Brandywine). We are pleased we have gone through the various steps of the process that were necessary and get this project moving. I think we’ll see some real high-quality product that people can live in and enjoy for many years to come.”
“La Mirada is an excellent place to live and raise a family, and these homes will be a fine addition to our community,” said Robinson.
Brandywine indicated that a grand opening for the model homes is scheduled to be announced for mid-November.
For more information about the model homes and new neighborhood visit: livetheorchards.com.
For additional photos of the groundbreaking ceremony visit our Flickr feed here. Photos courtesy Bishop Imaging.
Fire Guts Strip Mall Just North of City Limits
South Whittier~A fire broke out at an aging strip mall early this morning in South Whittier across the street from the La Mirada city limits.
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| A vacant pet store is one of many businesses fully engulfed in this exclusive photo sent in by La Mirada Blog fan @MsDaizzzy. |
No one was injured in the three-alarm blaze that started shortly after 3:00 a.m. at the northeast corner of Leffingwell Road and La Mirada Boulevard in unincorporated Los Angeles County.
No one was injured although a firefighter reportedly received minor burns.
Authorities believe the fire started in a laundromat on the property. A liquor store and a pet store were also among the five businesses damaged. Neighbors on the scene told the La Mirada Blog the former reptile and fish store was vacant.
Los Angeles County firefighters knocked down the blaze by 5:30 and a few hours later trash bins and bulldozers were already on scene.
The fire was first reported on our La Mirada Blog Twitter feed by @andygmz416 at 3:30 a.m.
The cause of the blaze is unknown at this time and is currently under investigation.
See additional exclusive photos of the aftermath cleanup on our Flickr feed here.
Superior Grocers Opening La Mirada Location
La Mirada~Superior Grocers will be hosting a grand opening for their latest store to open this Saturday, September 28th at 7:00 a.m. in La Mirada, at 12710 Valley View Avenue at Imperial Highway.
The independently owned Santa Fe Springs based chain opened its first store in Covina in 1981 and today is the largest independently-owned chain of grocery stores in Southern California, operating over 40 stores in Southern California, with most in Los Angeles County.
The new store is expected to offer an extensive produce selection, full-service bakery, full-service meat and in-store restaurant.
The company’s website indicates they are committed to being active partners in the communities they serve.
Get a sneak peek of the Saturday grand opening specials here.
The building was the former Vons La Mirada that opened in 1968 and closed March 27th, 2010. It was then replaced by Bestway Supermarkets until July of this year.
Three Former La Mirada Rival Musicians Now Playing Together
La Mirada~At this year’s la Mirada Olive Fest, three musicians who once competed against each other growing up in La Mirada will perform as The Groovetones at this year’s la Mirada Olive Fest, Saturday September 21st from 11-4 at Regional Park.
This is the second year in a row the band has played at the festival.
Guitarist Steve Gage was born and raised in La Mirada and started playing the guitar when he was eight years old. He took guitar lessons at the old La Mirada Music Box from 1964-1967 and started playing in various bands since when he was about 10.
In 1968 at 12 years old, Gage played at the old La Mirada Movie Theater on Halloween and at Pepe's Pizza Parlor in La Mirada.
He also played at the first and third La Mirada Regional Park 4th of July event 1972 and 1974 with a band called Audio and continued playing shows, with Johnny Winter, Eric Burden and the Animals, Mountain with Leslie West and Corky Lang and the Zombies.
Today, he still lives in La Mirada and currently plays in a Jimi Hendrix Tribute band called Crosstown Traffic.
Drummer Rick Morton was also born and raised in La Mirada and his first performing band was Elipse, with all members being from La Mirada.
They played at three different Fiesta de Artes, two shows at the La Mirada mall and one at the La Mirada Stadium.
Morton also played in a battle-of-the-bands for the opening of the old La Mirada Civic Theatre, and the opening of the Kling Teen Center.
The members of Eclipse changed and the band became Slyder, playing for the opening of Roberts Department store and at a dance-a-thon for Muscular Dystrophy at the La Mirada Mall.
Morton attended Eastwood Elementary, Los Coyotes Junior High, and La Mirada High School and lived in La Mirada until recently.
Bass player Steve Bravin moved into La Mirada in 1959 and went to Mesa Elementary School, Benton Middle School, and La Mirada High School.
He played music with a lot of friends in the area, and ended up in a band called Fuze, with all members from La Mirada. They played the Fiesta de Artes Battle of the Bands and won first place.
Gage still lives in La Mirada.
The Groove tones are set to perform at the Olive Fest at 12:30 p.m.
Seven File for Four Spots on Norwalk-La Mirada School Board
Norwalk-Three candidates will challenge incumbents for four available seats on the Norwalk-La Mirada Board of Education in the local and municipal elections on November 5th.
Incumbents Ana Valencia, Ed Hengler, Margarita Rios and Darryl Adams have all filed necessary papers for re-election.
The three challengers include Sean Reagan, Salvador Limon and Mark White.
Four of the seven have listed teacher as their main occupation. Hengler is a retired teacher and White lists Field Technical Engineer and Rios, a parent, as their occupations.
New Web Page Offers Updated Construction News
La Mirada~It seems everywhere you turn these days there is some kind of construction going on in the La Mirada area.
The City of La Mirada has responded by adding a new Capital Improvement Projects page to the city's website to provide information and photos of the numerous infrastructure improvements underway throughout La Mirada.
Located on the city's homepage under the Reference Links section, the Capital Improvement Projects page offers information on neighborhood street improvements, Interstate 5 Freeway mitigation projects and the Santa Gertrudes Avenue sidewalk improvements.
Information will be updated regularly to show each project's progress through the latest news and photos. Future projects will also be highlighted.
To access the page click here.
La Mirada Little League Junior All-Stars Fall Short in Title Game
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| La Mirada Little League looks to return to the Junior World Series, currently competing in the Western Regional at Kindsfather Field in Vancouver, WA. |
UPDATE: 8/7/13 18:36 The La Mirada Little Junior All-stars lost tonight 2-1, in the championship game of the Junior League Western Regionals in Vancouver, Washington.
La Mirada led through three 1-0, but Arizona scored in the fourth to tie it at one apiece. The scored remained tied until Arizona scored in the bottom of the 7th to win the game.
The loss ends La Mirada's hopes of returning to the Junior League World Series.
Congratulations from the La Mirada community to the 2013 La Mirada Little League Junior All-Stars-Southern California Champions-for a fantastic season!
UPDATE 8/6/13 16:27 Vancouver, WA~As reported here first on the La Mirada Blog on our Twitter feed this morning, La Mirada beat Alaska 4-0 today in a semi-final game at the Western Regionals in Vancouver, WA.
The win catapults LMLL into the championship game, one win away from returning to the Junior League World Series in the league's tenth anniversary season of when the juniors won the title in 2003.
La Mirada will play in the championship game tomorrow (Wednesday) against Arizona (Rio Rico Little League) at 5:00 p.m. with the winner going to the big show in Tyler, Michigan.
La Mirada suffered their only defeat of this tournament to Arizona this past Monday, losing 7-0.
Check our Twitter channel tomorrow afternoon on this page, or at twitter.com/lamiradablog for exclusive updates.
UPDATE 8/6/13 5:12 The Junior All-Stars lost to Arizona yesterday 7-0, but still managed to make the final four at the Western Regional in Vancouver, WA.
LMLL will play Alaska today at 10 a.m. and if they win will play in the championship game tomorrow (Wednesday).
The La Mirada Little League Junior All-stars include: Jake Bale, Isaiah Carreon, Kendall Gaines, Jose Gutierrez, Kevin Kendall, R.J.Lan, Zane Palermo, Nicholas Rios, Justin Scroggin, Jonny Sholty Tony Valentin and Chad Wilson.
UPDATE 8/3/13 12:20 The Junior All-Stars took one more step to returning to the World Series, beating Montana earlier today 22-0.
LMLL will next play Monday vs. Arizona (Rio Rico Little League) at 10 a.m.
The La Mirada Little League Juniors are playing in their 10th anniversary season of when they won the national title.
Vancouver, WA~The La Mirada Little League Junior All-Stars beat Utah tonight 12-2 in pool play at the Junior League Western Regional Tournament at Kindsfather Field in Vancouver.
La Mirada next plays this Saturday at 10 a.m. vs. Montana.
Be sure to follow our network including our Twitter feed here for continuous updates.
Get the full schedule and other information at the tournament website here.
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