La Mirada Blog
Articles by Tony Aiello
The Olive Fest Has Arrived Again in La Mirada
La Mirada~It’s olive season in La Mirada and that means it’s time for the 5th annual La Mirada Olive Fest Saturday, September 20th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at beautiful La Mirada Regional Park.
What began as the La Mirada Blog Fest in 2010, the event has quickly become the ultimate La Mirada community celebration held every third Saturday of September.
"These early years are our first steps in bringing back some really prestigious events from the past in La Mirada such as the Fiesta de Artes and Celebration in the Park," says Olive Fest and La Mirada Blog founder Tony Aiello.
The free event will feature craft vendors, an art walk, food from local vendors and restaurants and representatives from community businesses and organizations.
Live entertainment on-stage will be continuous for the duration of the Fest performed by La Mirada-based groups and performers.
Added this year is a car exhibit and a kids-activity area with crafts provided by Home Depot and other community groups.
For more information email lmolivefest@gmail.com and visit the Facebook page here.
Buena Park to Shut Down La Mirada Boulevard for Three-Day Festival
Buena Park~City Council members here recently voted to allow La Mirada Boulevard to be closed for three days for the 31st OC Korean Arirang Festival and La Mirada officials say it is impractical and may have a negative impact on surrounding neighborhoods.
The Korean cultural celebration, which will feature a wide variety of shows and food, is taking place September 26th through the 28th on La Mirada Boulevard. The roadway would be closed to traffic between Beach Blvd. and Alondra Blvd. from 10 p.m. on Thursday Sept. 26, to 6 a.m. on Monday Sept. 29, with westbound lanes not expected to be open until 10 a.m. on Monday.
The closure is entirely within Buena Park, but it is right at La Mirada’s southern boundary.
La Mirada city officials say serious traffic issues are expected to result from the Buena Park decision and major traffic impacts are expected to result from the closure throughout the weekend according to a statement released to the La Mirada Blog.
La Mirada city officials have repeatedly expressed concerns to Buena Park that a closure for such an extended period of time will create an extreme hardship for the traveling public and result in parking and noise issues in the surrounding neighborhoods.
They urged Buena Park to consider a more suitable location for the event that wouldn’t have such potential negative impacts on motorists and local residents. These concerns went mostly ignored, the statement read.
“La Mirada city staff spoke against the closure at Buena Park’s City Council meeting when this item was discussed,” says La Mirada City Manager Jeff Boynton.
“Additionally, we sent correspondence to Buena Park officials reinforcing our concerns and requesting Buena Park consider an alternate location for the event.”
The Buena Park City Council voted to approve the event’s La Mirada Blvd. location anyway, on a 3-1 vote, with Councilwoman Elizabeth Swift voting against the closure.
Kelly Oh, Arirang Festival Foundation of Orange County representative told us, “We are trying to comply with the city’s (La Mirada) concerns. We will be providing quality programs and shows and we hope La Mirada residents will enjoy it as well.”
This past October, the 30th annual event took place in Buena Park within the confines of the McComber Shopping Center at the southeast corner of Beach Blvd. and Malvern Avenue.
EXCLUSIVE: School District Superintendent Reflects with La Mirada Blog
Dr. Ruth Perez, The Superintendent of the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District for the five past years, recently announced she is leaving the district to become Deputy Superintendent at the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the Nation with an enrollment of over 600,000 students.
Her first day at LAUSD will be September 15th and her last day at NLMUSD will be September 11th.
She came to NLMUSD in 2009 after a nationwide search to replace Ginger Shattuck who retired after 15 years on the job.
She served as chief academic officer at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District in North Carolina the previous three years.
In her new role she will work directly under the tutelage of LAUSD Superintendent Dr. John Deasey and will oversee area superintendents in the district and will be in charge of instruction and leadership.
Perez spoke with me over the telephone Wednesday morning.
Decision: “I didn’t seek out this position. The opportunity came to me. It really wasn’t about the money. Financially, it’s not much difference. This is a lifetime opportunity. When in a lifetime do you get a chance to have an impact on 650,000 kids? It took me a while to decide after prayer and reflection. I truly loved every day I showed up work here (NLMUSD). This is a phenomenal district. It’s hard to leave; I have a good gig here and I love serving the two communities.”
Accomplishments: “We have a hard working, emotionally-connected, dedicated staff that has achieved a lot these last five years. As a leader, you provide the focus and everyone else does the work. Our graduation rate has continued to climb, the dropout rate continues to decline and our English Learner Program is one of the top performing (in the State) at 84% (efficiency). I feel so good about our district.”
Future: "I am honored, and go into my new job humbly. I’m leaving a wonderful district, but look forward to new challenges. It’s all about giving to needy kids. I know from personal life experience that a solid education is the ticket to get out of poverty; to turn kids into contributors. That’s how our country works.”
La Mirada Little League Hosting Players From Japan
La Mirada~Players from La Mirada Little League and Isehara, Japan will take part in an exhibition contest at Behringer Park in La Mirada beginning at 5:00 p.m. tonight.
The game is part of a week-long schedule of activities for the Japanese youngsters that are visiting in La Mirada. The program, organized by former city councilman Pete Dames and co-sponsored by the City of La Mirada has been in existence for over 30 years.
The players will be attending a Dodger game and visiting the Grand Canyon during their stay and on Saturday at 4:00 p.m players from LMLL, LMBA, and Japan will play on teams consisting of players of all leagues "mixed-up" as part of their farewell games activities. Those games will also be played at Behringer.
Water Main Break Affecting La Mirada Residents
La Mirada~Around 9:00 p.m. tonight a water main break occurred just east of the Mansa/De Alcala intersection in La Mirada affecting an unknown amount of residents at this time.
081214 13:20 UPDATE: Suburban Water Systems is finishing up the repair of the break and their office has told the La Mirada Blog that all residents affected by the outage should see normal water pressure restored within three hours.
La Mirada Chamber Welcomes Two New Members
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Two new members of the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce are flanked by board members: Octavio Duran (Edco) Director of Sales; Anna Li (Edward Jones Investments) Financial Advisor; Lori Hopkins (Popular Community Bank) Vice President & Bank Manager; Gil Reyes (Sugar & Spice) Owner; Dustin Dahl; Mark Gay (Synergy Homecare) Owner; David Cassidy (Simple Signal) I.P. Director; Richard Trujillo (Trujillo & Daughters Insurance Agency) Owner. |
La Mirada~A grand opening celebration was held recently at the new location of Sugar & Spice Bakery and Deli as the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce welcomed the eatery as one of it newest members.
Another new member, Synergy HomeCare and franchisee Mark Gay was also introduced as a new member.
Synergy HomeCare opens the door to peace of mind by providing the high quality care your older loved ones deserve.
A longtime fixture in the community, Sugar & Spice is now owned by Gil and Irene Reyes and is located in the Home Depot shopping center at 12240 La Mirada Boulevard. The sandwich shop features Boars Head meats and cheeses and a nice array of gourmet sandwiches, pastries, baked goods, salads and a soup of the day.
There is always a wide variety of gourmet specialty cakes and cupcakes for sale at the shop which also specializes in custom orders for both-including orders for cupcakes of 100 or more!
Sugar & Spice opened in La Mirada on March 17, 1981 on the corner of La Mirada Boulevard and Leffingwell, when Barbara Moncrief of La Mirada outgrew her kitchen at home baking specialty cakes. The bakery has made cakes for Hollywood production parties and more.
For more information about the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce call (562) 902-1970 or e-mail info@lamiradachamber.org.
Cause of Death in La Mirada Unknown at This Time
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| Police arrive at the scene in La Mirada on Wednesday. Photo La Mirada Blog Twitter |
La Mirada~Police responding to a call Wednesday morning apparently discovered a man dead in La Mirada on Borego Drive.
Lt. Beggs of the La Mirada Sheriff Substation said there is no further information available at this time.
Deputies responded to the home at around 9:30 a.m. and around 11:30 a coroners official arrived on the scene.
Alondra Bridge Set to Open in Mid-September
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| Work continues on the Alondra overpass at the 5 freeway. Photo courtesy CHP Santa Fe Springs |
La Mirada~The California Highway Patrol office in Santa Fe Springs is reporting on their Twitter feed that the Alondra bridge at Interstate 5 will be open to the public in mid-September.
Also, the intersection of Marquardt Avenue, Alondra and Firestone Boulevard will be closed for approximately one month effective August 4th.
Latest La Mirada News Bites #1
New hours for the La Mirada Community Sheriff's Station
The La Mirada Community Sheriff's Station will now be open one hour earlier on the weekends. The Station weekend hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Station is located at 13716 La Mirada Blvd. To report a crime call (562) 902-2960.
Convicted felon, gang associate arrested in La Mirada
A male suspect was arrested on July 11 by Sheriff's Deputies from the La Mirada Special Assignment Officer (SAO) Team.
The incident occurred on the 12600 block of Edderton Ave. when the suspect was approached by SAO Deputies for questioning during a special patrol operation. The ensuing investigation led to a search of the suspect's vehicle, where Deputies discovered narcotics and dozens of stolen valuables.
The stolen items recovered included laptops and computer equipment, iPods, sunglasses, numerous phone charger cables, cd cases, and bundles of jewelry.
Further investigation revealed that the suspect had and a prior felony conviction and is believed to have local gang ties.
The suspect was charged for multiple offenses including possession of burglary tools, stolen property, ammunition by a felon, narcotics and paraphernalia, and possession of a taser by a felon.
La Mirada’s De Leo drafted by NHL’s Winnipeg Jets
Chase De Leo of La Mirada was chosen in the fourth round (99th overall) of last month’s NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets.
The move comes one year after De Leo’s childhood friend Eric Comrie was selected in the second round (59th overall) by the Jets in the 2013 draft.
Hundreds attend La Mirada summer concert opener
Summer entertainment at La Mirada Regional Park got off to a great start last Thursday evening as the annual Concerts Under the Stars series held its first performance of the season.
Roughly 1,200 La Mirada residents gathered at Regional Park with lawn chairs and picnic blankets to see Beatles tribute band Sgt. Peppers play an energizing set featuring many of the legendary British band’s most famous songs.
Voters Will be Asked to Fund New School Bond Proposed by NLMUSD
Norwalk~Voters in La Mirada and Norwalk will have a chance on November 4th to decide the fate of a $375 million bond that will upgrade all district schools, after the Norwalk-La Mirada board approved the issue by a 6-0 vote this past Monday.
Member Ana Valencia was absent reportedly due to illness.
The measure, which would need a 55 percent voter approval rate, calls for the repair of “classrooms, leaky roofs, school security upgrading, fencing, fire safety, science, math and computer lab technology, and physical education and athletic facilities and also calls for the removal of asbestos and the repair of educational facilities to improve education at every school.”
In addition, the ballot measure, which – if passed by voters – will go toward building a “new performing arts center, infrastructure to support technology, performing various renovations and modernizations to all district sites and providing electronic devices for all classrooms.”
Proposals for new football stadiums at Norwalk and Glenn High ($44 million each) are included, along with $9 million earmarked for Goodman Stadium improvements at La Mirada High.
“The District has been diligent in asking for and receiving input regarding this prospective bond measure, and what our stakeholders expect from it,” said NLMUSD Superintendent Dr. Ruth Pérez.
“All funds are earmarked for classroom and school improvements as we continue with our mission to ensure Norwalk-La Mirada students are accomplished 21st century learners and are successful in college and their prospective careers.”
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