Matadore Boys Bow Out of CIF; Girls Play Thursday
UPDATE: The softball team beat Beckman, 7-0 Thursday to advance to the second round. They will play Los Altos Tuesday, May 22nd at La Mirada High beginning at 3:15 p.m.
La Mirada~The La Mirada High baseball season came to an end this afternoon, losing to Damien High, 5-2 in a wild-card game of the CIF Division 2 playoffs.
Also, in Division 2 action, the La Mirada softball team (12-0 in league) will take on Beckman (Irvine) Thursday, May 17th at La Mirada High beginning at 3:15
La Mirada Girls Claim Suburban Title
UPDATE: The team also won the regular season finale on Thursday May 10th vs. Cerritos at La Mirada, 5-4, again in extra innings, to finish the Suburban League campaign undefeated at 12-0. The Lady Mats finished 21-7 overall. They await their first round opponent in the CIF-SS playoffs which will be announced at 12:30 PM PT on Monday, May 14th at www.cifss.org.
From The La Mirada Lamplighter!
La Mirada~When La Mirada softball head coach Richard Trujillo scouted Cerritos for the first time this season on Apr. 27 against Norwalk, he hinted that he could have a secret weapon when his Matadores played Cerritos. Trujillo stuck to his word as La Mirada paid a visit to Cerritos this past Tuesday with the Suburban League championship at stake.
That secret weapon was freshman pitcher Valer
ie Alvarado and she was just as hot as the weather was on this early May Southern California day. Alvarado pitched eight and two-thirds innings and struck out 16 of the 34 batters she faced as the Matadores snuck past Cerritos 3-1 in 11 innings. After watching Cerritos and Mayfair share the league title last season, the Matadores reclaimed what had been theirs outright from 2001-2008. La Mirada, the eighth ranked team in the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section Division II poll, improved to 20-7 overall and 11-0 in the league.
Trujillo replaced senior Ambar Hickman with Alvarado with one out in the bottom of third following a walk to sophomore designated player Lilianna Herrera. Alvarado would strike out two of the three batters she faced in the frame as well as two in each of the next three innings. She fanned three in the seventh and eighth innings and never allowed a Cerritos runner to reach third base during her time in the circle.
"Whether you see her or not, she's effective," Trujillo said. "And that makes Ambar that much more effective. We still haven't counted [senior] Jenevie Rivas out but when they're not touching Val, why change?"
Refuse Hauler Will Pay for Street Sweeping Services if City Extends Agreement
City expected to approve $60,000 mailing program; other news from recent city council study session and regular council meeting
La Mirada~The city is claiming it will save $238,000 per year by approving a three-year extension to its current 10-year agreement that went into effect on July 1, 2009 with EDCO Disposal for refuse services in La Mirada
EDCO has proposed to find a new company for street sweeping, and pay for it, in exchange for the three-year extension of its original deal slated to end in 2019. Now their agreement will be extended to 2022.
For street sweeping services, the city has contracted with R.F. Dickson Co. for the past 48 years-currently under the terms of a five-year agreement set to expire next month on June 24th.
The new street sweeping company would be approved by the city and would be bound by current specifications and level of services.
City of La Mirada Public Works Director Steve Forster told the La Mirada Blog it is expected that Dickson would be one of the applicants when EDCO searches for a new street sweeping provider.
The City of La Mirada, even in these tough economic times, allocates funding for social service agencies that provide services to residents in La Mirada.
"This is money that comes out of the general fund," said City Manager Tom Robinson.
The agencies submit their request through an application process, and then are scrutinized by the city's Community Services Commission. The commission then provides their recommendations.
La Mirada Weekly Crime Summary
CRIME REPORT
April 30-May 6
Residential Burglary-Two residential burglaries were reported last week. A burglary was reported on the 14800 block of Valeda Dr. Jewelry and miscellaneous documents were taken. An incident was reported on the 12800 block of Gabbett Dr. A side porch door was pried open. Jewelry, flatware, and a television were stolen from the home.
Other Structure Burglary-A burglary to a business was reported on the 14500 block of Alondra Blvd. Cash was stolen from the location. A burglary to a storage shed was reported on the 14100 block of Angell St.
Vehicle Burglary Five vehicle burglaries were reported last week. An incident was reported on the 12000 block of Santa Gertrudes Ave. A driver's side window was shattered. No loss from the vehicle was reported. A window smash burglary was reported on the 13300 block of Beach Blvd. Cell phones and cash were taken. A burglary was reported on the 16100 block of Rosecrans Ave. A tote bag containing paperwork was stolen.Two vehicle burglaries were reported on the 13000 block of Santa Gertrudes Ave.
Sign Up to Receive Alerts from the Sheriff's Department-Go to www.nixle.com and sign up to receive information from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Residents can use Nixle to stay informed of critical alerts and community news. Additionally, residents can choose how they receive this information - by SMS (text message), email, over the Web or by mobile application. Sign up now to be informed of what is going on in the community
Baritone Highlights Last Free Concert of the Season for La Mirada Symphony
La Mirada~On Saturday, May 12, 2012 the La Mirada Symphony will present the last concert for the Season - the annual POPS - at the La Mirada Theatre of the Performing Arts at a 3:00 p.m. matinee and a 8:00 p.m. evening concert.
The program," Music of the Spheres", will include compositions by Richard and Josef Strauss, Gustav Holst, John Williams, Bart Howard and Jimmy Van Huesen and Sammy Cahn from concert halls and screen to lift one 'out of this world'. Especially familiar to both young and adult will be Star Trek Through the Years and Suite from Star Wars. Highlighting the evening will be Baritone Ryan Reithmeier who will delight the audience with Fly Me to the Moon and Come Fly With Me from the Swing Era.
Ryan is returning for a third guest appearance with the La MIrada Symphony. He is a versatile singer-actor who performs in a variety of styles and genres from Opera to POPS. He earned a Master of Music Degree at Cal State University Fullerton and is currently an adjunct professor of voice at Vanguard University of Southern, California.
La Mirada Drama Tackles Bullying, Prejudice, Violence
NEW PRODUCTION TACKLES SCHOOL BULLYING, PREJUDICE AND RACISM, THROUGH INTERACTIVE PEER-THEATRE AND PANEL DISCUSSION
La Mirada~This Thursday May 10, Phantom Projects Theatre Group will continue its crusade of offering perspective and support through original theatre productions when it brings back The Center of the Universe to the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts at 10:00 a.m. as a field trip performance for local schools, and at 7:00 p.m. with a public performance. The production, which features an all-youth cast and a post-show discussion, tackles the bullying, prejudice, racism, and violence through a multi-media live theatrical production.
Phantom Projects has been bringing educational productions to Southern California schools since 1997, but it was the tragic events at Columbine High School in 1999 that brought The Center of the Universe to national acclaim when it debuted in 2000 as an attempt to not only provide solutions but to create an avenue of discussion for California teenagers through its post-show discussion.
The drama is written by former La Mirada School teacher Bruce Gevirtzman and is directed by La Mirada graduate Steve Cisneros.
1,200 La Mirada Lamplighter Newspapers stolen from Newsroom Office Prior to Distribution
Cerritos~Members of the Cerritos Sheriff's Department are investigating the theft of 1,200 undelivered community newspapers from outside the office of Los Cerritos Community Newspaper on early Friday morning.
According to Brian Hews, Publisher of both the Los Cerritos Community Newspaper and La Mirada Lamplighter, over 1,200 printed newspapers of Friday's edition of the Lamplighter were stolen from the front of the Lamplighter office located at the corner of Artesia Boulevard and Shoemaker Avenue in Cerritos.
Hews said that their home-delivery person, Eddie Garcia, leaves the papers at the office at aroun
d 4 am in the morning with other business delivery drivers taking those papers between 7 am and 9 am.
"Our Sports Editor Loren Kopff took the Cerritos papers at 7:30 am, and said the Lamplighter papers were in front of the office when he left. Maria Gonzalez, Lamplighter Marketing Consultant, arrived at the office at 8:30 am and saw that the Lamplighter papers were gone, so they were obviously taken between 7:40 and 8:30", said Hews.
Citizen Task Force Reviews City Infrastructure Needs
La Mirada~Addressing La Mirada's aging infrastructure and the nearly $200-million needed to complete the improvements was discussed by the Citizen Task Force on City Finances and Operations at its third meeting on April 30.
The City is currently facing the challenge of replacing many infrastructure items that have been in place for over 50 years. At the same time, there is no available funding to complete the improvements. Funding has diminished in recent years as state and federal governments have reduced their support of local government. The State's grab of more than $50 million in Redevelopment Agency funds has compounded the issue.
"La Mirada faces the challenge of funding nearly $200-million of infrastructure improvements in future years," says City Manager Tom Robinson. "La Mirada needs locally-controlled funds that are protected from State takes to fix streets, roads, storm drains, and sewers before they deteriorate further and become even more expensive to repair."
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
