News
La Mirada substitute teacher makes bail, court appearance set for May 22
Downey~Taylor Welch, the 22 year old substitute teacher from La Mirada who was arrested this week for allegedly exchanging sexually graphic images with a 13-year-old female has posted bond, law enforcement officials have confirmed.
Welch, who substituted at Hutchinson Middle School was slated to appear in Downey Superior Court on Thursday.
After posting a $140,000 bail bond, he was released from county jail and is scheduled to appear in court on May 22.
Overnight Lane Closures on I-5 for La Mirada and Santa Fe Springs This Week
Overnight closures of the 5 Freeway will take place Monday through Friday of this week.
The closures will be between Valley View Avenue and Carmenita Road from 10 p.m.to 5 a.m.
Caltrans will continue its work of creating two extra lanes in both directions as part of the I-5 Widening project.
For more information call (855) 454-6335 or visit www.I-5info.com
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
La Mirada Carnival This Weekend at Benton
La Mirada~A weekend of rides, tasty carnival food, and entertainment is approaching at the annual "4 La Mirada Kids" Carnival April 20 through 22 at Benton Middle School. The fun filled weekend features a variety of activities for the entire family. A Battle of the Bands contest will also be held on Friday and Saturday evening beginning at 7 p.m.
Pre-sale ride tickets are available for $10 at the La Mirada Resource Center. A percentage of the proceeds are returned to local schools and organizations that sell the pre-sale tickets.
The Community Foundation sponsors the carnival to raise funds for youth groups and community organizations that provide a variety of educational, cultural and extracurricular opportunities. Volunteers donate thousands of hours each year to make the carnival a success.
An all-new Battle of the Bands will take place Friday and Saturday from 7-10 p.m.
For more information, call Community Services at (562) 943-7277.
Disney Purchases La Mirada Regional Park
La Mirada~Walt Disney Co. officials announced today that they have purchased La Mirada Regional Park in La Mirada.
City Hall was flooded with calls earlier, so we were unable to get confirmation from city officials, however, while on hold, “It’s a Small World” played in the background.
Later, reached by telephone, City Manager Jeff Boynton confirmed the deal, “We are excited to have Disney aboard. Even though Regional is a county park, we have ensured this deal will benefit us. For one, the pirate statue at the entrance of Splash! will be replaced by one of Mickey Mouse.”
Plans have already been approved for the park to be converted to a Disneyland spinoff-a smaller, more affordable amusement park.
When asked about the parking concerns for adjacent residential neighborhoods, Boynton said, “We will worry about that later.”
Disney officials have refused to comment, instead waiting for the press conference to be held by Donald Duck at the La Mirada Kiwanis Duck Race Saturday at Splash!
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.
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