News
STATE CHAMPIONS!
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| Players surround La Mirada High head coach Mike Moschetti after winning their first state title. The Matadores beat Campolindo 27-3 on Saturday, December 19th to capture the CIF Division 3AA championship. Photo Rich Lawce |
Last Remaining Remnant of La Mirada Landmark Appears to be on Chopping Block
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| The last trace of Valley View Farms, the Van Dam home, has been fenced off for apparent demolition. |
La Mirada~The home of the Van Dam’s, one of La Mirada’s pioneer families, has been scheduled for demolition a family spokesperson has told the La Mirada Blog.
Cornelius Arie Van Dam opened Valley View Farms on the northwest corner of Rosecrans and Valley View Avenues in 1954 and it quickly became one of the few dairies that produced, processed, and distributed its own milk.
Born in the Netherlands, he was on the forefront of the dairy industry in southeast L.A. County in the 1950’s
Other than Olive Lawn Mortuary that opened in 1928, Valley View Farms is really considered La Mirada’s first business.
Shortly after opening, Van Dam opened a drive-thru retail outlet to sell his milk and other products to the new, burgeoning population of La Mirada.
The “Cash-n-Carry” as it was called, is thought to be the first drive-thru dairy store in Southern California.
The dairy operation was a huge hit for school field trips, where children learned everything from raising cattle to the production of milk; some even witnessing the birth of a calf. His pastureland and fields were a haven for neighborhood kids.
The last of the Valley Views Farms herd was shipped to Idaho in March of 1995 and the land was ultimately developed with industrial buildings, ending an era in La Mirada.
This was a big cultural shock for this small town; however La Mirada’s most famous modern-era home, where Van Dam and his wife Florence raised their family remained, to this day.
He told us in 2005, “It was just too much, all at once, we wanted to keep the house.”
Van Dam died in late 2007. Florence remained at the home until earlier this year when she was moved to a “wonderful living facility” because she was having small issues moving around and about.
Public Hearing Regarding Luxury Condos Continues at City Hall
La Mirada~The public hearing regarding the proposed construction of 33 luxury condominiums on La Mirada Boulevard will continue tonight at city hall.
On October 27th, the city council continued the public hearing on a 5-0 vote after residents and council members expressed concerns about traffic, land use, and other impacts the project may have.
Tonight, The Olson Company, the developer of the project, is expected to address concerns related to the company's plans to build 33 luxury condos/townhomes on 2.72 acres located at 12000 La Mirada Boulevard.
The plan calls for 30 duplexes and three detached units to be developed and they are expected to fetch from 
$600,000-700,000 apiece.
The property is currently occupied by two buildings including a closed pre-school.
The city council meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.
112415 11:30 UPDATE: The city council voted 4-1 in favor of the proposed project with Andrew Sarega being the lone no vote. A second reading is due in January.
CONTEST: Enter Now to Win a Family 4-Pack to Phantom Projects 2015-16 Season From the La Mirada Blog
La Mirada~We are pleased to announce a contest in which you can win a family 4-pack to Phantom Projects of La Mirada's 2015-16 season at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, a $260.00 value!
Simply fill out the form below and tell us what the performing arts means to your community and your family.
You will be automatically entered a drawing with the winner being announced Monday. November 16th, just in time to attend Lois Lowry's Number the Stars showing Thursday, November 19th.
Winners will also be able to attend the remainder of the Phantom season including To Kill a Mockingbird, The Center of the Universe, and The 10th Annual Young Artist Project.
Spread the word and enter now!
Check out this video of the cast of Number the Stars receiving a gift from author Lois Lowry.
Business Landscape Changing in La Mirada
Dunkel Bros. Machinery Moving is….Moving.
The La Mirada-based company will be staying in town, but will be relocating to 14555 Alondra Blvd after the California Department of Transportation purchased its current facility on Firestone Blvd. for the I-5 Widening Project, it announced last year.
The firm is best known for the well-publicized move of the Space Shuttle Endeavor from LAX to its new home at the California Science Center two years ago.
They will be renovating the building on Alondra that was built in 1968 and utilizing it as its corporate headquarters. The building is 237,089 square feet building and sits on 12+ acres.
The building originally was scheduled to be demolished but the previous owner (Heitman LLC) received an offer from Dunkel they couldn’t refuse.
The 2015 holiday season may be the last chance for area residents to view the company’s famous light display that adorns the 5 freeway every year.
Full Steamed Buns Ahead
Plans to build a McDonald’s at the site of the iconic Carriage Coffee Shop are moving forward according to City Community Development Manager Alison Moore.
A fire broke out in the kitchen in December of last year and shuttered the eatery permanently.
Many people have commented and speculated publicly on this website’s Facebook page, the fire last year seemed suspicious at a time when the closure of The Carriage seemed imminent.
Moore told us indications from the developer, Rich Development, reflect that there should be “activity” on the site soon.
Diving Right In
Pacific Diving Academy USA, Inc. currently located in Santa Fe Springs will be moving to La Mirada after purchasing the former 24-Hour Fitness facility located on La Mirada Blvd.
The non-profit organization was founded in 1996 by Andy and Amy Kwan. Along with a world class dry-land diving facility, their training center houses a full size gymnastics spring floor, numerous gymnastics apparatus, dance studio, and a weight training center.
The company purchased the building outright. Kimco Realty Corp. are the owners of most of the remainder of the Theatre Center.
The City currently contracts, with the academy for some of their classes.
The former LA Fitness gym next to IHOP is currently undergoing a renovation you can see when you drive by.
POWER OUTAGE INFO
There is a power outage currently affecting residents and businesses in the Biola/Stage area of La Mirada.
So Cal Edison website is reporting power should be restored by 7:30 a.m.
La Mirada Blog and Gateway Guardian Announce Partnership
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| Stories from the La Mirada Blog will begin appearing in the Gateway Guardian newspaper this week as recently announced by Blog Founder/Editor Tony Aiello and Gateway Publisher Melinda Kimsey. |
La Mirada~Gateway Guardian Newspaper Inc., based in Artesia, will begin a partnership with the La Mirada Blog as they expand their coverage into La Mirada, recently announced by Publisher Melinda Kimsey.
The Gateway is a bi-weekly paper that currently covers the cities of Artesia, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens & La Palma.
La Mirada Blog stories will begin appearing exclusively in this weeks edition.
"I am excited and proud about the prospect of the Blog being available in print," said founder and editor Tony Aiello, "We were one of the first to provide local news on-line. My inspiration of course, was local print newspapers."
"The La Mirada Blog website model has been extremely successful, nobody informs residents as efficiently as we do. But also, there is room and a need for print newspapers in smaller communities, it's just that simple. This is just another way of getting our stories in front of more eyes and keeping people informed."
The Gateway newspaper can currently be picked up for free at key locations throughout its distribution area including Artesia, Cerritos and Hawaiian Gardens city halls.
You can also get the the Gateway delivered straight to your home for $25.00 a year by sending in the form located inside the paper or you may call (562) 522-8776.
The Gateway Guardian is also available on-line at gatewayguardiannews.com.
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