Community
CITY: La Mirada Continues to Progress in 2014
La Mirada City officials are looking forward to building on recent accomplishments in 2014 as the City continues to provide a safe community, improve its fiscal position, improve its aging infrastructure, attract new businesses, and maintain the community’s high quality of life.
“2013 saw the City make considerable progress towards many of its strategic goals, such as ensuring a safe community, improving its infrastructure, and promoting a strong local economy,” says City Manager Jeff Boynton. “We will continue on that course this year.”
The City continues to recover from the Great Recession, state grabs of local tax dollars, and the loss of redevelopment in recent years. City officials are encouraged by recent economic signs in which sales, property, and transient occupancy (hotel users) tax revenues grew over the last year. The FY 2013-14 budget, adopted last June, held a slight surplus and the City maintains modest reserve levels. 
Though encouraged by improvements to the economy, the City remains committed to its prudent fiscal management practices and conservative approach to revenue forecasting. Basic services continue to be delivered with a lean workforce of some 65 full-time employees, about a 33 percent decrease from five years ago. Hourly City employees were reduced by a similar amount over this time. The City continues to make extensive use of contracted services to achieve cost efficiencies while meeting the community’s needs.
More Changes for LM Blvd/Imperial Intersection
La Mirada~A car wash, not a car wash. There is a long-term lease for the car wash to remain a car wash for a very long time. Any changes would trigger a rezoning process which scares a lot of perspective builders away. One thing for sure it is certainly in the top 5 of La Mirada community eyesores.
McDonald’s appears to still be in the picture. It is possible Carriage will be torn down to be replaced by McDonald’s. There are a lot of things possible at this time. McDonald’s could go elsewhere in center, or they could not build at all. It’s just that the name keeps coming up.
Owners of the Crossroads center, Rich Development are tight-lipped but have told us they hope to lease out three stores currently being built between Walmart Neighborhood Market and the Bank of America. We have heard a cell phone provider is going in. Also have heard the possibility of a Bistro.
Popular Spaghetti Dinner Renamed in Honor of a Great Community Friend
Great food, tons of prizes, great cause! Mark your calendar and stop on by!
JUST ADDED: A Barbershop Quartet and a Beauty Shop Quartet from La Mirada High School's VAPA program will be part of the entertainment lineup.
La Mirada~The popular annual Spaghetti Dinner, hosted by La Mirada Kiwanis and Meals on Wheels (MOW), will be held Friday evening, January 24, 2014. This year the event will be named the Lou Piltz Memorial Spaghetti Dinner in honor of the beloved member who gave so much to his community throughout his life.
Lou’s personal career in the City of La Mirada was in the original Hiram’s Market where he made a mark as a great manager and customer pleaser. His political career included membership on several commissions and ultimately as councilman and mayor. His service career was endless including many years as a KIwanian, hours of comfort and support for wayward boys, tutoring of elementary school children, and computer lessons for the older folk.
Children were his love, and he learned magic to amuse them at schools and other community events. Lou was a favorite member and faithful servant at the La Mirada Temple Beth Ohr. Humility and humor were his personal trademarks.
New Year Ushers in New Operating Hours for Community Sheriff Station
La Mirada~On Jan. 1, 2014, the La Mirada Community Sheriff's Station implemented new operating hours. The new hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends. The Station will be closed on all major holidays, except the 4th of July.
The La Mirada Community Sheriff's Station opened in 2001 to provide residents and businesses access to law enforcement and safety resources that were offered at Norwalk Sheriff's Station. The Station was remodeled in 2008 to enhance service to the community.
Public Safety services available to the public include vehicle releases, non-emergent police reports, Sheriff's calls for service, custody exchanges, Juvenile Probation services, District Attorney requests, and Detective interviews. Other services include bicycle licenses, garage sale permits, preferential parking permits, vacation and security checks, no-cite requests, citation corrections, Animal Control requests, and Live Scan fingerprinting.
Contact the La Mirada Public Safety Team at the Community Sheriff's Station by calling (562) 902-2960. During non-operating hours, calls are forwarded to the Norwalk Sheriff's Station. Residents should call 911 for all emergency related calls.
La Mirada Chamber of Commerce Pre-Holiday Mixer
La Mirada~The community is invited to get into the spirit of the season at the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce Pre-Holiday Mixer Thursday night December 5th from 5-8 p.m. at the Imperial Medical Plaza Building, 15651 E. Imperial Highway in La Mirada.
There will be at least 15 businesses participating with each business serving food & drinks. Each adult will be given a "passport" to take to each business and the business will sign off. A free raffle ticket for each adult will be given for every business that signs the passport (15 max).
The La Mirada Chamber of Commerce will also be selling single raffle tickets at $1.00 per ticket.The raffle will have over $1,200 in prizes including an ipad, which is the grand prize.
The Chamber is sponsoring the Heights Christian Schools-La Mirada Campus and all money raised will be donated to the school.
City’s Annual Toy & Food Drive Ongoing Until December 16th
La Mirada~Help those in need this holiday season during La Mirada's annual Holiday Toy & Food Drive. Through Dec. 16, donations of new, unwrapped toys and nonperishable food items will be collected at the following City facilities: Activity Center, Resource Center, Community Gymnasium, Community Sheriff's Station, Splash! and at City Hall.
Donations will help provide holiday food boxes for La Mirada families in need this holiday season. Donated items will be distributed to the following local organizations: Beatitudes of Our Lord, La Mirada Volunteer Center, St. Paul of the Cross, and Interfaith Food Center.
For more information, call (562) 902-3160.
Keeping Tradition Alive; La Mirada Rotary Club Lends a Hand to Families During the Holidays
 |
ROTARY ASSISTS GOOD SAM PANTRY – La Mirada Rotary Club President Sean Bracey presents $700 worth of turkeys, canned goods and other items to Carmen Rawson of the Good Sam Pantry at Beatitudes Church in La Mirada. The donation was one of several Rotary activities during the holiday period to assist needy families in the local area. |
La Mirada~The Rotary Club of La Mirada has been serving the community for over 50 years, and this year is no exception as the club is conducting three activities during this holiday season to assist local needy families.
The first two projects were held in the days leading up to Thanksgiving and the third will be held prior to Christmas.
Rotarians donated $700 in turkeys, canned goods and other food items to the Good Sam Pantry at Beatitudes Church in La Mirada. Rotarians purchased the food at the new Walmart Neighborhood Market, located at Imperial Highway and La Mirada Boulevard, on the morning of Thursday, Nov. 21. The food was distributed to needy families that afternoon by volunteers at the Good Sam Pantry.
Rotarians also arranged for the purchase of $750 worth of turkey dinners from Polly’s Pies located at Beach Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue in La Mirada. The food was served by youth volunteers to hundreds of local residents at the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Foster Road Elementary School. The project was a joint effort by La Mirada Rotary, Kiwanis, Living Faith Church, Calvary Chapel and Polly’s Pies.
WEEKEND READ: Office Manager of LM Meals on Wheels Marks 30 Years With Group
La Mirada~Family, friends, and colleagues gathered this past Saturday, on a beautiful La Mirada fall late afternoon, at the home of Gary & Diane Smith to celebrate Robin Miller’s 30 years of service as the office manager for La Mirada Meals on Wheels.
Guests were greeted by light entertainment, food & drinks, and picture-perfect weather.
After some volunteering for the City of La Mirada and the La Mirada Volunteer Center (then at Kling Center), it was 1983 when Miller was asked by then Meals on Wheels office manager Pat Blanford if she was interested in the job.
She became the office manager for the program in December of that year-and has been there ever since. She has been with Meals on Wheels for 30 of its 38 years
 |
| Marcy Mannan and Robin Miller are the office team for La Mirada Meals on Wheels which has been serving the community since 1975. Miller recently celebrated 30 years with the organization. Photo Tony Aiello |
of existence.
The Board of Directors presented her with a gift certificate to a RV resort and an engraved necklace as a show of appreciation.
The Meals on Wheels (MOW) program debuted in La Mirada on April 1, 1975 established and modeled after a similar program in Whittier. The program offers a daily hot meal delivery service to the elderly, disabled and temporary and chronically ill residents, along with maintaining a year-round relationship with them.
This assists in allowing them to remain self-sufficient in their own homes. Meals on Wheels also helps family members of clients have peace of mind in knowing that their loved ones are being looked after each day.
The meals were originally prepared at the old La Mirada Community Hospital. When the hospital closed, Whittier Hospital offered to prepare the meals. Then in 2009, Miller and others negotiated with Portofino Ristorante Italiano of La Habra to take over the preparation, offering a respite from “hospital food.” Special diet meals are also prepared.
The meals are driven to their destinations by a volunteer work force that uses their own vehicles and fuel. As part of her office duties, Miller organizes the volunteers and their routes.
Foster Road Hosts Thanksgiving Dinner for Community
|
| THANKSGIVING MEALS – Hundreds of local residents enjoyed a early Thanksgiving meal at Foster Road Elementary School in La Mirada. The Rotary Club of La Mirada joined with several other organizations to provide funding for the dinner |
La Mirada~Foster Road Elementary School hosted a Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday, Nov. 21 for about 500 residents of La Mirada, including the school’s students and their families.
La Mirada Mayor Steve De Ruse, Mayor Pro Tem Lawrence Mowles, Councilman Steve Jones and City Manager Jeff Boynton were all on hand to welcome families to the 15th annual Thanksgiving Dinner. Principal Dr. Jean Maddox said the dinner is Foster Road’s way of saying “thank you” to the community that supports the elementary school year round.
“This dinner is really about thanking the community for supporting us,” Maddox said. “It also teaches students about service and modeling gratitude for what we really do have.”
Students from El Camino High School and Southeast Academy acted as servers to the guests, who dined on turkey, mashed potatoes and corn. The Foster Road PTA was also selling delectable desserts, such as pumpkin pie, as a fundraiser.
Maddox said the dinner started 15 years ago as a way for the school to recognize their students and parents. The event started to grow, however, when the students – who moved on to middle and high school – came back for the annual feast.
Recent posts
