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.”
National Signing Day: 16 La Mirada Student-Athletes Sign Letters of Intent to Play College Ball
Earlier this month, under a rainbow of blue, white and yellow balloons, 16 La Mirada High School student-athletes signed their letters of intent on National Signing Day Feb. 1, making official the colleges and universities they will attend in the fall on full athletic scholarships.
As their friends, family and fellow students cheered them on, 10 members of the 2016 CIF State Champion football team, and six members of the 2016 State Champion girls soccer team declared their intention to continue their athletic careers at schools that stretch from the Ivy League to Hawaii.
“There is a lot of Matadore pride today,” LMHS Principal Lisa Reed said. “This is a real testament to all the hard work and dedication of our students, who not only excel on the field, but also in the classroom. Our teachers and coaches work together to instill a student-first culture that starts on the first day of school and continues until graduation day. Congratulations to our amazing kids!”
Looking for La Mirada Garage Bands to Perform at Carnival
Organizers for the “4 La Mirada Kids” Carnival are looking for middle school and high school La Mirada garage bands to perform at this year’s event scheduled for May 5th-7th at Benton Middle School.
Audition dates are Saturdays, March 4th,18th, 25th and April 1st from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Auditions will be held at 15751 Lone Ridge Place in La Mirada.
Interested bands are to call (310) 252-3114 and leave a message. Someone will call you back to schedule an audition time.
Electric drums will be provided along with all amps and PA, just bring your instruments.
Audition Dates
Saturday, March 4th 9:00AM – 1:00PM
Saturday, March 18th 9:00AM – 1:00 PM
Saturday, March 25th 9:00AM – 1:00PM
Saturday, April 1st 9:00AM – 1:00PM
Over Half of La Mirada Residents Will Not be Voting in City Council Election
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| 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.
Dulles Elementary Students Win Golden Ticket with Production of the Musical âWilly Wonka, Jr.”
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Dulles Elementary students held two performances of the musical “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka, Jr.” at Benton Middle School on Jan. 27 and 28. |
Adorned by top hats, green wigs and golden tickets, Dulles Elementary School students heralded the arrival of the “Candy Man” and brought to life the timeless characters of Charlie Bucket and the Oompa-Loompas during two performances of the musical “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka, Jr.” held recently at Benton Middle School.
The two-act musical, adapted from Dahl’s beloved children’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder, highlighted the talents of 60 Dulles Elementary K-5 students and incorporated musical numbers, choreography, elaborate set changes and star turns for its featured players.
“This is a very exciting night for the Norwalk-La Mirada community,” Dulles Principal Shanti Gallegos said. “This is an opportunity for all Dulles Dolphins to participate in a musical and it has been an extraordinary learning experience for our students as they develop skills in leadership and the arts. This was a total community effort, and I would like to thank the District, the Dulles school staff and PTA, the Center Stage Theater and all of our Dulles families for their hard work and dedication.”
“Willy Wonka, Jr.” is Dulles’ inaugural music production, designed to give all students, from kindergarten to fifth-grade, an opportunity to enhance their appreciation of art, as part of Dulles’ science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) curriculum.
“The musical production of ‘Willy Wonka’ perfectly encapsulates all of the positive qualities of the Norwalk-La Mirada educational experience, providing a rich cultural climate for our students to excel in, while engaging parent and community participation,” NLMUSD Superintendent Dr. Hasmik Danielian said. “Congratulations to Shanti Gallegos, the Dulles PTA and our budding thespians for putting together such a wonderful show.”
From Maddi’s Closet Event Raises $47,000 to Fight Children’s Cancer
Nearly 150 area residents joined the fight against children’s cancer at a fundraiser sponsored by From Maddi’s Closet at Dodger Stadium recently.
“From Maddi’s Closet’s dinner event at the Stadium Club at Dodger Stadium raised over $47,000 to assist with patient support programs,” says President and Founder Donna Holmes. “We greatly appreciate the support of the individuals and organizations that contributed in so many ways to making this event such a life-changing gift for these children.”
The “Knock it Out of the Park” themed dinner was the major fundraiser for From Maddi’s Closet in 2016 in its efforts to help children fighting cancer. In recent years, the local non-profit group has donated more than $361,000 to help with children’s cancer research and provide emotional and financial support to thousands of patients and their families.
After a delicious Stadium Club dinner, attendees enjoyed an exclusive Stadium tour, which included access to the Vin Scully Press Box, the 5th floor Memorabilia Aisle, the Dodger Awards Hallway, the Dugout, Bullpen, as well as a walk around the playing field. The group also enjoyed a special reception with former Dodger players Wes Parker and Mickey Hatcher.
Participants donated generously to supply special needs equipment for young patients. Silent and Live Auctions of items supplied by businesses and individuals were also an important means for raising funds during the evening.
“Childhood cancer is the number one disease-related killer of children in our country, and we appreciate our local community’s strong support for the fight against this terrible disease,” says Holmes.
Several major awards were presented at the event to individuals and organizations that have championed efforts to fight children’s cancer.
Is La Mirada Now a Divided City?
Forty years ago, I began my career as a realtor in La Mirada. A home was about $53,000. Today, they’re around $500,000. Life is about change. Change is inevitable and our City Council election on March 7, 2017 is no exception.
In the past, candidates had to appeal to the entire city to get elected. I know, because I go way back to the days of Lou Piltz. Where church retreats, the Kiwanis Club, Little League games along with Easter Egg Hunts and festivals, was the way to show your commitment to our city.
But this past summer the Mexican-American Legal Defense Education Fund (M.A.L.D.E.F) threatened the city with a major lawsuit, if they didn't create a Latino District. The way state law was written our Council had no choice but to comply.
The result is La Mirada has five new Council Districts. Districts 1 and 2 will be up for election in March. The Latino District is #1 and despite District #2 having a healthy 41% Latino population, no Latino chose to run.
MALDEF had claimed a plethora of complaints by Latinos that no Latino could win a City Council seat in La Mirada. MALDEF’s problem is that our current Mayor Steve DeRuse is Latino! MALDEF’s goal was to only elect Latinos and they failed.
So there it is in a nut shell. Council seat #1, might elect a Latina and Council seat #2, has no Latino candidate.
Finally, please vote on March 7, 2017.
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.
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