La Mirada Blog
Articles by Tony Aiello
New ID Policy at La Mirada High Begins Today
New ID policy has some concerned
La Mirada~Students attending La Mirada High School beginning this year, will be required to wear an ID around their neck at all times, while on campus.
The lanyards, with a plastic badge holder attached at the end, hang around the students neck to display their ID.
 |
| Incoming La Mirada freshmen Julian Hernandez and A.J. Aiello show off their new ID lanyards. |
Michelle Millan, Executive Secretary to the Superintendent of the School District told us, " This is a school-based decision. La Mirada is the only high school out of the four, to implement such a policy at this time".
Ron Carroll, Assistant Principal/Discipline at La Mirada, sat down with us recently, "The ID must be appropriately displayed at all times. This will help us with daily operations. The purpose in having students display their ID is to assist in providing our students with a more safe and secure environment."
When asked what the student's response has been, Carroll replied, "Very positive".
Seniors seem to be having the biggest issue with it, since they have went three years without having to wear something around their neck, and now they have to. A lot of students are expressing dismay, but that is usually the case when there is change.
"This is actually nothing new. We have always had an ID policy in place. Students have always been required to carry their ID's on them", said Carroll.
Some wonder if this is an impossible policy to enforce, fearing the school administration will be spending much of their time dealing with lost and forgotten ID's.
"I have heard those concerns", said Carroll, "but we are confident after a period of time, everyone will settle in. There is a demerit process-that has always been in place-for violators".
Most parents we talked to seemed to be in favor, "Anything that makes my son safer, or give the perception he is safer, is ok by me", said parent Maria Perez.
According to the student handbook, the policy will allow school personnel to easily identify those who should be on campus and those who are unauthorized.
I asked Carroll if there was an issue of not having enough security to handle the huge student population, and this was just a way to make securities job easier. "Absolutely not, the security personnel at La Mirada have always had complete control. This just gives them another tool"
At this time the school is "requesting" that teachers wear the lanyards. The school is looking into union/legal complications of requiring the teachers to wear them.
Carroll did not indicate whether the ID's would be required at after-school events.
Time to Say Goodbye to an Old Reliable Friend
 |
| Mike and Lupita Lopez say goodbye to a car that has been with Mike-in La Mirada-since 1954. |
La Mirada~ Mike Lopez of La Mirada summed it up in a few words, "Boy, I sure hate to see her go."
The "her' he is referring to is his beloved 1951 Studebaker Starlite, which has called Lopez' La Mirada garage, home, for 55 years.
Lopez says he literally, "bought the car from a little old lady in Pasadena. I then drove it to work and back for the next 20 years."
After purchasing the automobile in 1954, Lopez bought his then brand-new La Mirada home in 1956, and the car has been with him every step of the way, until now.
The car with its legendary "panoramic view" back windows, has been a familiar sight in this La Mirada neighborhood for many years,especially when it was in its prime.
"She never once broke down on me during all of these years", Lopez said.
It has had a few paint jobs over the years, and remains in excellent condition; and it still runs.
However, the last 10 years or so, the car has mostly had garage duty, with only occasional outings.
Now, his daugter Marcy and her husband Richard of Corona, have purchased the car and it's time for it to move on to a new generation within the family.
Deadly Station Fire Providing Spectactular Views for LM
 |
|
A plume of smoke from the Station Fire in the Angeles Forest can be seen from Marquardt Avenue in La Mirada on Sunday |
La Mirada~If you have lived in Southern California long enough, you must have wondered at one time or another; what if the Angeles Forest really caught on fire some day.
That day seems to have arrived, let's just be thankful that so far, wind has not been a factor.
The deadly-still out of control-Station Fire, which originated in La Canada on Wednesday, has now consumed more than 85,000 acres, as it continues to travel wildly, in all directions.
Two LA County firefighters lost their lives Sunday, and 21 homes have burned. Another 10,000 homes are currently in danger, including homes in the Sunland and Tujunga areas.
The fire continues to threaten Mt. Wilson, which can be seen from La Mirada, year-round on a clear day. Mt. Wilson is the home of radio, TV, and emergency transmission towers, communication equipment, and the Mt. Wilson Observatory.
This fire has provided La Miradians with a sight few have seen.
"I have lived here for 55 years", said La Mirada resident Edgar Macias, "And I have never seen a fire like this one. Yesterday, it looked like a volcano erupted."
With little wind in the Southern California area the last few days, La Mirada has not been affected with smoke by this fire, so far. Officials continue to advise residents to stay indoors however, and avoid outdoor activity, if possible.
Matadores Have Busy Week; Showdown with St. Paul Friday
La Mirada~You can tell the regulsr season is almost here as the La Mirada High School varsity football team held it's annual picture day recently and a offense/defense scrimmage was played this past Friday.
Picture Day was the usual chaos, with a little heat wave mixed in to make things interesting. Also, registration for school seniors was Friday, and the team also finished up 'two-a-days' on Thursday, making for a busy week.
A scrimmage on Friday proved interesting when a group from St. Paul High School was seen in the stands videotaping the practice. Athletic Director Kim Brooks apparently gave the OK for the taping.
La Mirada opens this Friday in Week 0 at St. Paul beginning at 7:00 p.m. Like many other teams playing in Week 0, La Mirada will not have the advantage of playing a scrimmage against another opponent, besides itself, before the season begins. However, this means the Mats will have a bye week during the season; with extra time to rest and prepare for their next opponent.
100 on-field tickets for this Friday's game are available for $10. Contact Diane Gramajo to purchase your on-field tickets at 562-569-1432.
.
City Council Meeting Highlights
La Mirada~Let's catch up on some recent City Council activity:
July 14
-Presented David and MaryJo Harbaugh with a 50th Wedding Anniversary certificate and two tickets to the La Mirada Theatre.
-Adopted ordinance adopting water conservation requirements and amended Titile 6 of the La Mirada Municipal Code (Which means you will be busted for wasting water. We will show new "water laws" soon on the LM Blog).
July 28
-Recognized and presented former advisory board members Randy Grisham, Sylvia Grotz, Kathy Keithly, Chris Pflanzer, and Jennifer Zwish with a plaque for their years of dedicated service to the La Mirada community.
August 11
-Recognized and presented Carmen Martinez, La Mirada, a certificate for her 100th birthday.
-Recognized and presented Ginny and Lynn Fairbrother with a 50th Anniversary certificate and two tickets to the La Mirada Theatre.
-Adopted resolution authorizing traffic improvements on Heflin Drive adjacent to Gardenhill Elementary School to accomodate a new school exit gate.
August 25
-Recognized and presented awards to the winners of the La Mirada Photo Contest (see story).
-Conducted a public hearing and adopted resolution amending the current licensing fee schedule to include cats, and increase licensing fees for dogs.
Special Half-Price Offers for Advertising on the La Mirada Blog
La Mirada~ The La Mirada Blog Internet Newspaper is currently offering half-price deals on all its packages for new advertisers.
Go to our "Advertise Wtih Us" page and check how you can get the word out to La Mirada and beyond, about your Business, Organization, Foundation, Non-Profit, Church, Sports League, whatever, at a reasonable rate. These rates won't stay this low!
 |
| Tony Aiello, La Mirada Baseball Assc.- circa 1972 |
The La Mirada Blog continues to grow by leaps and bounds everyday as we strive to be La Mirada's #1 news source-our commitment to you.
Oh, did we mention? The La Mirada Blog Internet Newspaper has over 1,200 "fans" on Facebook now.
All being run by someone who was born and raised, who wrote about and followed La Mirada news as a kid, and still lives in La Mirada. How can you go wrong with that?
We are proud to say we have been covering "local" news on the Internet for La Mirada, long before anyone even knew what it was. Many, many, years of volunteering by many people, has allowed us to continue to grow.
So act now by calling 562-746-8214 or 928-486-WORK or email news@lamiradablog.com, to advertise on the La Mirada Blog-La Mirada's News Source.
The La Mirada Blog has been serving the residents of La Mirada since 2003.
Urquidi Gets Jump on Competition
 |
| Photo Courtesy Andres Delfin |
La Mirada~Wasting no time, Norwalk-La Mirada School Board Candidate, Jesse Urquidi, had a campaign kick-off & mixer at the Holiday Inn Thursday night.
Around a hundred people showed up-including some La Mirada Kiwanians-for a night of food, conversation and fun.
Numerous local dignitaries were spotted in the crowd including, Norwalk Mayor Cheri Kelly (whom I had a lenghty conversation with); NLMUSD Board Member Lorraine Neal; former NLMUSD Board member and current President of the La Mirada Symphony, Pat Ruiz; former NLMUSD Board Member and new La Mirada High School teacher, Leonard Shryock; and current Tanla President, Laura Williams.
Urquidi faces five other challengers for four spots in this November's election.
Field Set for Norwalk-La Mirada School Board
Norwalk~With the filing deadline having passed, there will be six candidates vying for four spots on the Norwalk-La Mirada School Board of Education this November 3rd.
Incumbent John Johnson, an unexpected winner four years ago, has not filed for re-election.
Of the six candidates, three incumbents have filed: Daryl Adams, Ed Hengler, and Ana Valencia.
The three challengers are Jesse Urquidi (Engineering Project Manager), Chris Pflanzer (Parent/Business Owner), and Margarita Rios (Police Detective/Parent).
Look for the La Mirada Blog to endorse four candidates in October.
Derrick Williams Update
La Mirada~Recently the La Mirada Blog spoke with Derrick Williams, La Mirada basketball star now attending the University of Arizona.
Williams told us that he finished up a little summer school activity, has returned home to La Mirada, and is getting ready for the first day of school, August 24th.
Williams, who originally signed a letter-of-intent to play with USC, decided not to play there when the team began to unravel after the Tim Floyd front-office situation.
Of course, Floyd was seen on the LM campus as early as Williams' junior year in high school, and was directed here by someone in the La Mirada hierarchy.
Bottom line, we don't get to see Williams play just up the freeway this season, something that disappoints him very much.
Of course, being in the PAC-10, he will make visits when UOA comes to play USC and UCLA. Besides, Arizona is not that far away.
A 3rd of July I Will Never Forget; Dog is Killed as Fireworks Explode
FLASHBACK
The following is a re-post from a story I wrote in 2009 after witnessing a dog get killed on July 3rd of that year at La Mirada Blvd and Foster Road after the very young dog ran frightened from the fireworks show at Regional Park after the family had brought the dog to the event earlier in the day.
The La Mirada Blog is recommending dogs not to be taken to the annual celebration at Regional Park.
We all know parks and dogs go hand in hand, but this is one exception. The crowd is to large and dogs simply don't like fireworks.
Please do NOT take your dogs to Regional Park for the 3rd of July celebration, there are simply to many things that can wrong.
If you are worried about your dog staying home alone, you simply can't go the event.
Read this story I wrote six years ago, and I hope it makes you and others aware of the increased possibility of mishap.
Story originally written July 26th, 2009
Frustration, Joy, Despair; All in One Day
La Mirada~A friend, we'll call him MP, recently told me, "Tony, you have to write a La Mirada book someday."
Well, add another chapter.
An opinion piece, me? I don't do these any more, but I absolutely feel compelled in this instance.
Finally after over two weeks, I am able to write this story. As I said, over two weeks has passed now, and this year's 3rd of July event is now fading into distant memory for most.
Not so fast.
I worked the Kiwanis of La Mirada booth during the middle of the day; helping the club barbeque and prepare tri-tip sandwiches to be sold to the crowd. It was the most pleasant part of my day. What a line we had around 6 p.m. What a blast!
I had some interesting thoughts and observations throughout the day, but one that kept bothering me was the fact that many people had brought their dogs to this event.
People, I know dogs love parks, but this is simply an event you cannot bring your dogs to. During the day maybe, but still, there were way too many people to have your dog there, even during the day. And I had to wonder how many of those people were going to bring their dogs home for the evening. This worried me.
As a general rule dogs don't like fireworks. This is common knowledge. Sure, there are some exceptions, but for the most part they dislike fireworks and loud noises. In fact special precautions must be taken for your dog during the 4th of July, even at your own home. Guess what? You can't have both. You can't own a dog and go see the fireworks show. Someone needs to monitor the dog at home. It's a simple as that.
This bothered me all day after seeing dog after dog nervously looking around at the overwhelming crowd.
After finishing up at the booth I wandered over to the family's blanket to relax and watch the fireworks show. Fireworks really don't do much for me, but it's that family, quality factor thing.
At 9:07 p.m. the lights went out in the park and the show was about to begun. Just as the first projectile exploded, a little black dog went frantically racing by our blanket; leash still attached. You could barely see him because of his color and because of the darkness of the night.
I heard people laughing and it sickened me. This dog was obviously traumatized and bolted from its owners grasp. How did this happen? Who would be so irresponsible to let this happen? My worst fear was coming true.
Our blanket was located behind one of the softball diamonds, with our backs to the parking lot and Foster Road. The dog ran towards the lot and Foster Road. It was running so fast in the dark, and I immediately gave chase. I ran as fast as I could. I just wanted to get to the dog and let him/her know, it was OK.
Recent posts
