News
Latest La Mirada News; City Council Bypasses Sarega Again
TICKER: The old traffic signals from the 1960’s have been removed and upgraded at Imperial/Telegraph. Shabuya Restaurant looks like it’s about to open soon. The Habit Burger Grill also looks like it will be opening soon. Receiving reports Oxman’s Surplus may start selling guns. City reporting eviction notice will be served at the end of the month to marijuana dispensary at Green Hills Shopping Center South. It appears The Flag Man may have been evicted from his home at De Alcala/Valley View. The City Council is considering banning smoking in all La Mirada parks. K-Grill cuisine has opened at Roseview Center North.
Council Reorganizes
John Lewis and Andrew Sarega were sworn in as the newest La Mirada City Council members March 28th at the reorganization meeting after their recent election victories. The council elected Ed Eng as the new Mayor and Larry Mowles as the Mayor Pro-Tem. Sarega was bypassed for a third time, sparking a war of words at the meeting, with Eng and Councilman Steve DeRuse saying Sarega is “unqualified” to lead the city. Sarega, disappointed, said that the Mayor position in La Mirada is mostly ceremonial. Traditionally, La Mirada Mayors have “taken turns” being Mayor since the city was incorporated in 1960. The only other time a councilperson was bypassed, as far as we can tell, was Ken Jones in the late 1970’s.
La Mirada Jazz Band
The 8-Bit Jazz Heroes is a duo out of La Mirada that arranges and performs jazz versions of classic video game music. They’re currently booking about three to four gigs a week and have a residency every Wednesday night at Eqeko Peruvian Cuisine in Santa Ana. They are also working on their first EP. They just finished performing at BeachCon, a CSULB gaming convention. Check out their website and Facebook page.
Relay for Life La Mirada
The event will take place May 20-21 at Splash! Aquatic Center benefiting the American Cancer Society. The relay is partnering with Clothes for the Cause. This year they need as many donations as possible. Here is a link to their Facebook Event Page.
Where: IQ Air Headquarters at 14351 Firestone Blvd. in the parking lot on Saturday April 8th taking donations until 1:00 p.m. or call (949) 463-6061 for early Saturday pickup.
Jacks Leads La Mirada Expansion
La Mirada~IMPACT Properties, a premier real estate agency with more than $128 million in transactions, recently announced its expansion into Los Angeles County with the opening of a new office in La Mirada to meet market demand.
In addition to the agency’s headquarters in Orange County, the new space doubles IMPACT’s footprint in Southern California.
Don Jacks, a real estate veteran with more than 20 years of experience, was tapped by IMPACT Properties’ founder and CEO Aaron Zapata to lead the new office which offers residential listings, foreclosures and property management services.
Seasoned Real Estate Professional Takes Helm of New Office
With more than two decades of experience selling homes in communities throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, Don Jacks will lead the new La Mirada office, effective immediately. Jacks is ranked in the top three percent of REALTORS® nationwide, and is a real estate coach for one of the leading real estate coaching and training companies in the world and brings his coaching experience to help his agents succeed.
A proud father of four, Jacks has coached youth soccer since 2000 and is a founding member and president of the La Mirada Soccer Association, serving the soccer needs of more than 1,000 children in the community.
“As a local resident, I am invested in this community and look forward to leading the L.A. office,” said Jacks. “IMPACT’s approach to achieving results for our clients with unparalleled customer service and innovative marketing tools drew me to the agency. I look forward to working with the team of agents and the community to support their real estate needs.”
IMPACT Properties’ new office is located at 16700 Valley View Avenue, Suite 300 in La Mirada.
Latest News From The Hall
Extra Revenue is Always a Good Thing
The City Council recently reviewed its annual mid-year budget report. The report showed an improving economy as key revenue sources remain stable with some expected to exceed budget estimates. Overall, General Fund operating revenues for the current year are expected to reach $43.8 million, which is $2.1 million over the budgeted amount. General Fund operating expenditures are projected at $30.9 million, which is slightly below the budget. These figures do not include fund transfers for capital improvement projects. The estimates reflect ongoing efforts to manage costs even with conservative budgeting.
The mid-year report also emphasized the City’s continued commitment to maintaining public safety as a top priority and ongoing investment in local infrastructure. At mid-year, Measure I revenues were $2.22 million. Revenues are projected to reach $6.10 million at year end, an increase of $425,000 or 7.48 percent above the conservative budget estimate. This funding source is used for neighborhood infrastructure repairs, and the third phase of improvements is currently in progress. The one percent Measure I sales tax ends on March 31, 2018.
Fire Causes Major Damage at Hillsbourough Area Home
La Mirada~Firefighters responded to a structure fire at the 16000 block of Blackburn Drive last night around 7:00 p.m.
A portable heater in a garage is the possible cause of the fire that caused damage to other rooms of the home.
Damage is reportedly over $200,000.
No injuries were reported.
Biola University Announces Winners of 2nd Annual International Screenwriting Competition
La Mirada~Biola University’s Cinema and Media Arts Department is excited to announce the winners of its second annual international screenwriting competition. In its second year, the Cinema and Media Arts department received a record amount of entries, a few of which hailed from Nairobi, Kenya and Zhejiang, China. There were ten semi-finalists and four winners, who were awarded scholarships of up to $10,000.
This year’s winners include Donald J. Schaffer, Jr. in first place with his script “The Boy and His Treemendous Companions,” Abigail McCoy in second place with her script “Let Her Go,” Anna Heistand in third place with her script “The Forgotten,” and Taylor Hein in fourth place with her script “Bridges.” Bios and headshots of these talented finalists are featured on our website.
Our semi-finalists, who received a copy of Stephen V. Duncan’s essential screenwriting book A Guide To Screenwriting Success, include Andrew Brewster’s “After Yesterday,” Jesse Creaseman’s “The Untitled Film,” Quinn Kilhenny’s “Count The Hours,” Maralisa Ortiz’s “Boxed In,” Elizabeth Rockhill’s “The Sound of Color,” and Merlin Senthil’s “Open Tents.”
Over Half of La Mirada Residents Will Not be Voting in City Council Election
 |
| On August 3, 2016 the La Mirada City Council was served with a demand letter from MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund) stating the city was in violation of the California Voter Rights Act and had to change from an at-large election system to a by-district election system. The district boundaries are depicted above. |
La Mirada~The City Council election will take place on March 7th and over half of the residents will not be able to vote.
Let me try to explain this to you without confusing you more.
Traditionally, La Mirada has used an at-large voting system. Depending how many spots were available, the top vote-getter(s) from all of La Mirada would win the election.
Those days appear to be over.
This past Summer, the Mexican legal Defense & Education Fund (MALDEF) sent a letter to the city demanding they change their voting system to by-district rather than at-large, alleging all areas of the city have not being represented, citing the California Voting Rights Act of 2001.
Rather than face a legal challenge in which the city could ultimately lose and spend thousands of dollars in the process, La Mirada officials complied with MALDEF”S request and changed their voting system, creating five electoral districts, but still had to pay $30,000 in costs to settle.
It continues to get confusing.
Two incumbents terms are up this March, Andrew Sarega and Pauline Deal.
Choosing from multiple district boundary submissions, the council last year approved a map that has Sarega and Deal in the newly formed District 2.
This created an open spot for District 1, which currently has no council member residing within its boundaries. Competing for that spot are myself, Jim Emmerling, Diane Gramajo and John Lewis.
Only Districts 1 and 2 will be participating this March.
Districts 3, 4 and 5 will have an election in March 2019 when Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Eng, Larry Mowles and Mayor Steve DeRuse’s terms are up.
So, this March 7th, three out of every five La Mirada residents will not be participating in the election.
Valley View Avenue Interchange Project Update
Construction on the I-5 widening of the La Mirada segment has begun. As of Wednesday, January 18, Valley View Avenue is reduced to one lane in each direction over the freeway crossing and the southbound I-5 freeway Valley View Avenue off-ramp is closed. These restrictions will remain in place for approximately three years. The Valley View Avenue southbound freeway on-ramp will remain open during this first phase of construction, but will be temporarily closed in about a year.
Caltrans is warning motorist to expect delays and use alternate routes. Portable changeable message signs have been placed in the vicinity to notify the motoring public.
Additional information is available on the City of La Mirada’s website, Caltrans website and my5la.com.
City of La Mirada Election March 7th
The City of La Mirada will be holding a by-district election on Tuesday, March 7 to fill two City Council seats. Members of Districts 1 and 2 will be elected in March 2017, while Members of Districts 3, 4, and 5 will be elected in March 2019.
The last day to register to vote in the March 7 election is Monday, February 20. Registration forms will be available at City Hall, the La Mirada Library, the Post Office, or may be requested by mail by calling the Los Angeles County Elections Registration Request Line at (800) 481-VOTE (8683).
For general questions about the election, contact the City Clerk’s office at (562) 943-0131.
Resident Robbed at Gunpoint When She Arrives Home
La Mirada~A home invasion robbery occurred sometime Tuesday morning when a resident returned to her home in the Green Hills area.
The La Mirada Blog has learned a woman returned home with her son and found two men inside the home on Grayville Avenue.
The woman’s purse was taken after one of the men pointed a gun at her and demanded it. The suspects then fled the scene.
No injuries were reported and authorities are investigating. Anyone with information about the incident are encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Department at (562) 863-8711.
Winter Storm Pounds La Mirada
 |
| La Mirada Creek is a roaring river in this photo taken at Creek Park by Blog fan T. Jackson on Sunday January 22, 2017. |
The final storm in a series of three, pummeled La Mirada yesterday with over three inches of rain and a steady downpour for most of the day.
La Mirada Creek Park overflowed its banks at Creek Park but the flood control channel functioned like it should. Many spectators were out at the park to look at the rare scene.
Damage was reported throughout La Mirada with many downed trees. A retaining wall was destroyed when part of a backyard gave way along La Mirada Boulevard, just north of Rosecrans Avenue spilling mud and debris onto the sidewalk making it impassable.
Many storm-related photos were sent in by readers. You can view the photos photos on our Facebook page our Twitter page.
Recent posts
City Recognizes Public Safety Poster Contest Winners
La Mirada Library Events November 2024
