News
La Mirada Voters to Cast Their Ballots for City Council
La Mirada~In one of the most interesting La Mirada City Council election in recent times, La Mirada voters will hit the polls with seven candidates vying for three seats.
Two incumbents, Steve De Ruse and Larry Mowles are up for re-election and Steve Jones decided to not seek a fifth term.
The other candidates include Tony Aiello, Founder & Editor of this website: Ed End Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Economy and Efficiencies Commission; Dale Nowicki, an attorney; Michael Saenz, a business consultant; and John Sarega, a commercial property owner and father of current Councilman Andrew Sarega.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. To find the polling location in your precinct visit: http://www.cityoflamirada.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=5742
Part 1 Crime Rate in La Mirada Hits 30-Year Low
La Mirada~In 2014, the City of La Mirada achieved its lowest Part 1 crime rate in nearly 30 years and city administrators are attributing the historically low crime rate to a strong partnership between residents, businesses and the La Mirada Public Safety Team.
According to a recent crime analysis of surrounding communities in southeast Los Angeles and northern Orange County, La Mirada experienced the lowest number of major crimes last year. This is consistent with recent years, as major crimes have decreased by 49 percent in La Mirada since 2005.
Overall, there were 707 Part 1 crimes reported in La Mirada in 2014. Part 1 crimes include homicide, theft, burglary, automobile theft, robbery, assault, and arson. This was a significant drop compared to 2013 when there were 905 reported. The large decrease in Part 1 crime was due primarily to the drop in property crimes including burglaries, petty thefts and vehicle thefts.
"The City continues to have one of the lowest crime rates in the region with fewer calls for service and less criminal activity," says City Manager Jeff Boynton. "The La Mirada Public Safety Team continued to work cooperatively with residents other agencies to reduce crime and enhance the quality of life in La Mirada."
Throughout the year, the Special Assignment Officers worked with the Los Angeles County Probation Department to monitor probationers. Deputies worked with the District Attorney to ensure criminals were prosecuted and remained out of La Mirada for the longest extent possible.
City Council Candidates Forum This Thursday Night
La Mirada~The 2015 La Mirada City Council race has proven to be one of the most interesting in recent memory as seven candidates are battling for three seats.
Residents will have a chance to get to know the candidates a little better as the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce in association with IQ Air will host a Candidates Forum Thursday, February 12th from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
The seven candidates include Tony Aiello, Founder & Editor of this website: Ed End Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Economy and Efficiencies Commission; Incumbents Steve De Ruse and Larry Mowles; Dale Nowicki, an attorney; Michael Saenz, a business consultant; and John Sarega, a commercial property owner and father of current Councilman Andrew Sarega.
As of the writing of this article, all candidates are expected to attend.
Rick Bee, Senior Director of Alumni & Friends Development at Biola University will be the moderator and local attorney Gene Gleason will lead the Invocation Prayer.
The event will be held at the IQ Air facility located at 14351 Firestone Boulevard in La Mirada and there is no cost for residents to attend.
Carriage Update: “Ball in McDonald’s Court”
La Mirada~The fate of the fabled Carriage Restaurant in La Mirada is still up in the air as McDonald’s now has to decide if they still want to build after the completion of a recent traffic study has called for a new traffic signal.
Owner of the property Rich Development Co. of Santa Ana wants to replace the coffee shop with a McDonald’s restaurant.
After waiting months for the completion of the study from the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Traffic Division, La Mirada City Planner Gabriel Bautista told the La Mirada Blog it indicates a traffic signal would have to be installed at Wicker Drive and Telegraph Road; which is just north of the site.
Bautista said the cost of the new signal is estimated to be $250,000-$300,000 and McDonald’s would be responsible for a significant part of that cost.
The city as well as other tenants of the Crossroads Center would chip in for the new signal as well.
However, McDonald’s is now deciding if they still want to go through with the project and the “ball is in their court,” said Bautista.
If they do decide to move forward, the next step would be an approval from the La Mirada Planning Commission. The commission would only be approving the proposed drive-thru by McDonalds; the Carriage site is already zoned for restaurant use.
Bautista said he does not expect to hear from McDonalds until perhaps March, but that could change.
The Carriage has been closed since December 2nd when an early morning fire ripped through the eatery’s kitchen, destroying it.
It is still unclear if owner Louis Liu will be able to fund a rebuild if the McDonald’s deal falls through.
Chamber of Commerce to Host “Meet the Candidates”
La Mirada~The Chamber of Commerce will host a “Meet the Candidates” forum at their monthly Tuesday breakfast at the Holiday Inn January 6th from 8:00-9:30 a.m.
The candidates will be given a few minutes to speak and will handle a few questions from the audience. Cost is $15.
At the time this article was written, all candidates are expected to attend including Ed Eng, Dale Nowicki, John Sarega, Tony Aiello, Steve DeRuse, Larry Mowles, and Mik Saenz.
The Holiday Inn Select is located at 14299 Firestone Boulevard adjacent to the 5 freeway in La Mirada.
Seven File for Three Seats for La Mirada City Council
La Mirada~Three seats are for grabs in the 2015 La Mirada City Council election and seven individuals have filed for a chance at a seat.
Councilman Steve Jones, first elected in 1998, has decided to retire and not seek a fifth term in a city with no term limits.
The two other seats available are Steve DeRuse and current Mayor Larry Mowles, both are seeking a second term after winning the seats of longtime Councilmen Hal Malkin and Pete Dames four years ago, after they retired.
DeRuse and Mowles will go up against challengers Ed Eng, executive director of the Los Angeles County Economy and Efficiencies Commission; Michael Saenz, a business consultant; Dale Nowicki, an attorney; current Councilman Andrew Sarega’s father, John, a commercial property owner, and the founder and editor of this website, Tony Aiello, a La Mirada native.
Two Killed in Collision on First Avenue
 |
| Fire department personnel cut the victims out of both vehicles but both died at the scene. Photo courtesy Bayli Zaharis |
Whittier~Two people died in a head-on collision early New Years Day at First Avenue and Candlelight Drive just outside of the La Mirada city limits.
The accident occurred about 1:30 a.m. in the unincorporated area of Whittier.
An unidentified woman in her forties and and a man in his twenties died at the scene.
The cause of the violent crash is still unknown as officials investigate.
Christmas Crime Hits La Mirada
Two separate incidents including one involving the World Cup House
La Mirada~Sometime this past Saturday night or early Sunday morning a Christmas display was vandalized at the World Cup House on Alondra Boulevard in La Mirada.
La Mirada Blog fan Stacey Brooks told us via Facebook. “Last night someone came by and trashed one of our Christmas displays. It was a ramp that my husband Josh spent a lot of time making. On Christmas Eve we buy ice and pack it on there so the neighborhood kids can go sledding. The children love it. It brings a sense of community that is hard to find in this day and age. This is a photo of an officer helping us flip it over. We are going to see if we can fix it, but the damage is done. Our family, including our two very young sons, is heartbroken.”
Since then, with the help of neighbors the display has been fixed.
The home was the source of a bit of controversy this past summer when the city ordered Josh to take down his World Cup display which included large flags representing each country.
This caused an outrage on this websites Facebook page and the city allowed the Brooks to reconstruct their display.
MORE CRIME: On Monday night, a thief broke into a car in the vicinity of Biola/Mansa/Bora and stole over $200 worth of Christmas gifts.
Blog fan Melaina Edgemon said “sometime between 10:00 p.m. Monday and 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, someone broke into my car and stole all the holiday gifts I had purchased for my family,” that included toys, slippers, slippers and movies.
17:08 12/24/14 STILL MORE CRIME: On Wednesday afternoon, Christmas Eve Day, Blog fan Laura Barba said her youngest son's bike was stolen outside CVS on Rosecrans, "They cut the lock and stole the bike within the five minutes-the time he was in the store. It's a neon green fixie with white tires and black rims. If anyone sees it please message us with info."
Fire Destroys Carriage Kitchen
|
| Area firefighters knocked out the blaze at La Mirada's most famous and last, coffee shop within two hours. Photo courtesy Randy Duarte. |
La Mirada~A fire broke out in the early morning hours at The Carriage Coffee Shop at 14871 Imperial Highway.
Nobody was hurt and the building was unoccupied when the fire started in the kitchen of the 49-year-old eatery about 3:30 a.m.
The first reader on our La Mirada Blog Facebook page reported the incident live at 4:15 a.m.
Later in the morning, owner Louis Liu told the La Mirada Blog he doesn’t know how the fire started as he allowed us inside to snap a few photos.
The kitchen appears to be destroyed. Cost estimates are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair.
Officials continue to investigate the incident.
Residents who consider the diner a cultural icon stormed city hall this past March to protest a decision by the owners of the property, Rich Development Co., to
 |
| The kitchen of the fabled eatery seems destroyed. Photo (c)La Mirada Blog 2014 |
replace the diner with a McDonald’s.
Because of the traffic concerns expressed by residents at that meeting in the form of a petition, the La Mirada Planning Commission suggested a traffic study be executed to address these potential issues.
The final draft of the study has been completed since August and has been sent to the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Traffic Division for final approval.
That final approval has still not come however and the decision on the fate of The Carriage has been delayed–not appearing on either the October or November commission agendas.
The next meeting is scheduled for December 18th.
Area Residents Invited to Participate in Free Tire Recycling Event
La Mirada~The cities of Cerritos, Downey, La Mirada, Norwalk, Pico Rivera, and Santa Fe Springs are hosting a FREE used tire collection event this Saturday November 8th from 9am-1pm at La Mirada Community Gym Parking Lot.
All residents of these cities are welcome with proof of residency required.
You can help ensure that all used tires are collected safely and recycled. Residents can transport up to 9 tires maximum per trip and multiple trips are okay. Please bring passenger and light truck tires only. NO semi-truck, construction equipment or agricultural tractor tires are accepted.
Tires from businesses and non-profits will not be accepted. ALL tires must be removed from the rims.
Help keep our cities clean and green. For more information about this event please call 562-902-2385 or 562-944-4766.
The La Mirada Community Gym is located at 15105 Alicante Road in La Mirada.
Recent posts
La Mirada Election Update
News Bites August 2024-Community Heroes Edition
Parents defend swimming coach amid abuse allegations
