La Mirada Blog
Articles by Tony Aiello
Crossroads Center to be Developed
New Walgreens Will Spur Development at Stagnant "Unsightly" Center;
VIDEO: See residents address commission here.
La Mirada~Something is finally happening at the Crossroads Center in La Mirada, at least part of it.
No, really.
At its last meeting, the La Mirada Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit to allow for a drive-thru as part of a new 13,650 square foot Walgreens 
retail pharmacy to be built on the southern portion of the site-which is mostly vacant- located at Telegraph Road and Imperial Highway.
"It's good to finally be at this point," said Ruben Arceo, director of community development for La Mirada, "we're excited."
The city has made numerous attempts to develop the center.
"Look for grading to begin this summer", says Tab Johnson, partner, associated with Rich Development, who owns the property, "we should have everything done by the fourth quarter of this year."
Jeanette Garcia who lives across the street on Goldendale Drive calls the property a "dumping ground."
"They told us 10 years ago that a Home Depot was going in there. It's looked like this since. We open our front door and this is what we see. There are always people dumping mattresses, furniture, dogs, puppies, you name it. And, in the summer we have the skateboarders. I've been going to the meetings so I can find out if this is really going to happen or not." she said.
"I am very excited and am looking forward to this. I really want something done there. We want to spend money in our city. Unfortunately, La Mirada does not have a lot of shopping options, but this will very convenient."
New Development Coming to Crossroads Center
La Mirada~Something is finally happening at the Crossroads Center in La Mirada.
No, really.
After what seems like a hundred years, partial development will happen at the site with a new 13,650 square foot Walgreen's retail pharmacy opening, maybe by Christmas of this year.
"I'm excited about this", says Jeanette Garcia who live across the street on Goldendale Dr.
In recent years, parts of the property have been described by some as a "dumping ground."
"Look for grading to begin this summer", says Tab Johnson, partner, associated with Rich Development, who owns the property.
VIDEO: http://youtu.be/T16xIwdpAK8
UPDATED: Power Line Falls, Catches Tree on Fire
La Mirada~An aging power line fell from its pole early evening tonight, about 5:50 p.m., in the backyard of a home at 14626 Hardaway Drive in La Mirada.
After a brief tree fire, power was disrupted in the area. No injuries reported.
Officer Sanchez of the La Mirada Sheriff's Station told us, "we received a report of a power line down, and Edison is on the scene to fix the problem."
We are getting reports electricity has been restored, however residents can expect sporadic outages as Edison continues repairs through the night.
Here is our video with a couple of residents who witnessed the incident: Watch Video
UPDATE: From Lauren Bartlett, Southern California Edison spokeswoman, "187 customers in La Mirada are without power in La Mirada at this time. The cause is under investigation and crews cannot estimate at this time when power will be restored. The area affected by the outage is Gardenhill Drive to the north; Mansa Drive to the south; Biola Avenue to the east; and Estero Drive as the western boundary"
Council Establishes Two New Speed Lmits in La Mirada
La Mirada~After a recent city traffic and engineering survey, and a recommendation from the City's Public Safety Commission, the La Mirada City Council adopted a resolution with an ordinance that will change the speed limits for two streets in La Mirada.
A 35 mile per hour speed limit is now set for Alicante Road, between Santa Gertrudes and Hillsborough Drive. Previously at 40 miles per hour, neighborhood and pedestrian activity justify the decrease, according to a city report.
Also, 35 miles per hour limit will now be the set limit on Phoebe Avenue (also down five), between Alondra Boulevard and Firestone Boulevard, this decrease attributed to the collision rate reflected in the study, and increased traffic exiting from driveways at slower speeds (trucks).
5 Freeway Project Closures To Begin This Week
UPDATE: Inclement weather have forced the closures to this week May 6-10
Santa Fe Springs~Caltrans will close up to two lanes on both sides of the 5 Freeway between Carmenita Avenue and Valley View Avenue from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday this coming week
Motorists are urged to exit at Rosecrans Avenue or Valley View Avenue to avoid delays.
The work is part of the $110 million I-5 Widening and Alondra Boulevard Bridge Project.
The overnight work involves placing concrete median barriers and re-striping the lanes.
Caltrans is constructing one carpool lane and one general purpose lane in each direction from North Fork Coyote Creek Bridge to Marquardt Avenue, reconstructing the Alondra Boulevard and North Fork Coyote Creek overcrossings, and realigning and upgrading adjacent frontage roads.
Also this week, the southbound Carmenita Road off-ramp will be closed from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Thursday for work involving the $380 million Carmenita Road Bridge Project which eventually, will be widened from its existing two lanes to ten.
All this work is part of the 5 Freeway South Corridor Improvement Projects from the Los Angeles/Orange County line to I-605.
For more information call (855) 454-6335 or visit www.I-5info.com
Garcia Takes Over the Helm as Mayor of La Mirada
La Mirada's First Family
From the La Mirada Lamplighter Newspaper!
La Mirada~Gabe Garcia took over tonight as mayor of La Mirada replacing outgoing mayor Steve Jones after one year.
Garcia was joined by many family, friends and others, to congratulate and wish him well.
Garcia was elected to the city council in March 2009. Previously, he was elected to the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District's Board of Education for three consecutive terms from 1993-2005.
Garcia becomes the first Latino mayor in the city's 52-year history.
In La Mirada, mayor's serve one-year terms on a rotating basis, with council members basically, taking "turns" as mayor. So, the evening was mostly a ceremonial, nominating and voting process, with Garcia beginning his first stint at the helm.
Officially, the vote was 5-0.
Councilman Steve DeRuse was voted in as mayor pro tem.
Norwalk-La Mirada School Board of Education President, Darryl Adams presented a certificate of recognition to outgoing Mayor Steve Jones, thanking him for his contributions to the school district and the community saying, "You have been an exemplary model of what a leader is all about-leading with consistency."
Captain Pat Maxwell of the Norwalk Sheriff's Station also thanked Jones for his support on behalf of all the men and women at the station, and presented him with a $250 check for the charity of his choice. Jones said he would donate the money to the California School Project organization.
After the meeting, we asked Garcia if he has any priorities for his first term as mayor.
"First, the fiscal health of the city, second, would be the strategies in dealing with the loss of redevelopment, and attracting new businesses to our shopping centers with new incentives," he said.
Another “Original” Resident Bolts La Mirada for Wisconsin
La Mir
ada~Neighbors and family gathered this past Sunday to say goodbye to long-time La Mirada resident Audrey Floud, 91, who is moving away after living in her La Mirada home for over 55 years.
She and her husband Bill, who died in 1997, are the original owners of her home on Los Fuentes Road.
Dozens of friends stopped by the home of Jack and Nancy Jenkins, their next door neighbors, who hosted the gathering. They have lived next door since 1956-moving in shortly after the Floud's. Many years ago, they had a gate constructed that connects their adjacent homes through the back yard wall, which they still utilize today.
In 1953, Andrew McNally's famous olive-producing La Mirada land was sold to subdivision developers for 5.2 million dollars, one of the largest real estate transactions in California at the time. From 1953-1960 La Mirada had grown from a mere 100 homes to over 8,000. By 1960, the city was incorporated.
Today, there are still nearly a dozen original owners or "settlers" on Los Fuentes, many who stopped by for the party. Many of them have been the only occupants in their La Mirada homes since they were built in 1955-and most are still here.
Now, there is one less.
The Floud home will go up for sale, as Audrey is moving to Wisconsin to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Michele and Mark Johnson, and their family, where they run a RV Campground Resort.
We asked the high-spirited 91-year old how she and her husband ended up in La Mirada.
"Back then, my husband and I both worked at the LA County Hospital on State Street in Los Angeles."
She was a nurse and he was an ambulance driver.
La Mirada Baseball Begins League Play With Big Win
La Mirada~The La Mirada high school baseball team began its defense of the Suburban League title yesterday by beating the Bellflower Bucaneers 7-0, behind a strong pitching performance from Ali Anthony and assists from a shaky Bucaneers defense.
La Mirada shared the title with Mayfair last season, with both teams finishing 10-2. The Matadores have won 12 of the last 13 league crowns.
As in recent years, the Matadores this season have battled a tough pre-league schedule, so they entered league play with a losing record.
After getting out of a couple of jams early, Anthony settled down and pitched a complete-game shutout. He gave up just 3 hits, allowed three walks, and had four strikeouts-two looking. He also hit two batters.
Anthony also starred at the plate going 3-4 and driving in 2 runs.
The game got off to a precarious start when Anthony gave up a leadoff single to Brandon Polizzi in the first inning. A stolen base and fielder's choice followed, and the Bucs had a runner on third with one man out. Then, Bellflower's Victor Zepeda hit a sharp ground ball to La Mirada shortstop Austin Rojo who recorded the out with a nice play of knocking down the ball and holding the runner. Ali struck out the next batter to end the inning.
In the third inning, Ali this time gave up a leadoff triple, again to Polizzi. He responded by retiring three straight batters, one on a called third strike. In the bottom of the frame, Ali drove in a run with a single, and the Mats went up 2-0 after scoring in the previous inning.
La Mirada Garage Band Rockers From the 70’s Still Making Noise; Musician From La Mirada Opens For His Favorite Band
Profile of one of the Many Musicians from the La Mirada Garage Bands of the 1970's
La Mirada~The culture shock and tumulus times of the 1960's and 70's in our Nation, brought with it the rise and influence of rock and roll music in our society. Back then, garage bands were seemingly everywhere in La Mirada. Many of these performers, once kids growing up in La Mirada, now perform today as adults, mostly for the love of it. This is the story of one of those people:
When someone fulfills one of their lifelong dreams, it can't help but a put a smile on your face.
That's exactly what musician Don Brennan did this past February 24th, when he opened for his all-time favorite band America at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.
"It was a dream come true, a huge thrill," said Brennan, in a recent phone interview with the La Mirada Blog.
Don Brennan was born and raised in La Mirada with his siblings Billy, Tom, Don, Edward and Jane. His parents, watched the progress of their home being built on Rio Blanco Drive in 1955, and they still live there today.
Brennan reflected on being raised in La Mirada, "As a kid, I didn't know any different at the time, but looking back, growing up in La Mirada was just great. Back then it was a new suburban community, but still had rural areas and wide-open spaces. It was the perfect balance of family homes, parks, family run businesses, and open fields to play in."
"The La Mirada Mall was great and is where I met my wife of almost 29 years now. I have so many good memories of La Mirada, like going on Saturdays to see the latest beach movie at the "Walk-In" as we called the theater back then. Also, we loved riding bikes to the La Mirada Bowling Alley, passing the construction site and anxiously awaiting for that new Love's Restaurant to open, the smell of the "Karmel Korn", watching Marlo Thomas light The Angel Tree, Engineer Bill at the Market Basket, and playing in Regional Park before it was a park," he recalls.
He attended St. Paul of the Cross Catholic School for first through eighth grades, and, in 1970 attended Neff High School, graduating in 1974, "Going to Neff from St. Paul was definitely a culture shock," he said.
He was saddened when Neff was shuttered in 1981 and ultimately demolished, "I rode my moped over and grabbed a brick of what was the left of the administration office. I still have it around here somewhere," he said from his home.
Today, Don lives in Chino with his wife Pam-they met at the old Woolco department store in La Mirada.
UPDATED: Assault on Police Officer Sparks Short Pursuit
La Mirada~A La Mirada man led authorities on a brief pursuit through Buena Park and La Mirada last evening, ultimately crashing his car and being taken into custody.
The crash occurred on Stage Road about 7 p.m. just west of Biola Avenue, and shut down the road for approximately two hour
s as officials investigated.
Jeremy Cass, 25, of La Mirada was booked at the Buena Park Police Department for striking a police officer with his vehicle-a felony.
Lt. Gary Worrall of the Buena Park PD told the La Mirada Blog, "A motor officer noticed a small truck being driven erratically in the area of Beach Blvd and Artesia. When the officer attempted to make contact with the driver, he rammed the officer with his vehicle, striking him twice. A pursuit then ensued through the north end of Buena Park and portions of La Mirada. He is being held for assaulting a police officer."
The pursuit lasted about ten minutes, with the vehicle crashing on Stage.
The Biola Chimes is reporting Cass stole the vehicle from his girlfriend earlier and that also a technique to end the pursuit was executed by the Buena Park PD.
Lt. Rivera of the Norwalk Sheriff's Station said the vehicle was not officially reported as stolen. He said La Mirada units were involved once the pursuit entered the city limits.
Rivera said, "We have arrested this individual in the past. Also, the Whittier Police Department had some "activity" with him earlier in the day regarding a family disturbance."
Update: According to records, it appears Cass was sentenced to 180 days in jail on November 17, 2011 at Downey Municipal Court for an unknown felony charge. It appears he served apporoximately 110 days and was released last month on February 12th. He currently remains housed in the Central Mens Jail without bail, awaiting his arraignment Wednesday March 15th in Santa Ana.
Photo: Buena Park and La Mirada police personnel at the scene of the crash moments after it occurred.
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