La Mirada Crime Report 7/30/12-8/5/12
The following is the crime report for La Mirada July 30-August 5th, 2012:
Residential Burglary A residential burglary was reported on the 14700 block of Jalisco Rd. Computers and currency were stolen from the home.
Other Structure Burglary A commercial burglary occurred on the 13900 block of Imperial Hwy. A television was stolen from the business.
Vehicle Burglary Two vehicle burglaries were reported last week. A burglary was reported on the 14200 block of Firestone Blvd. Various clothing and other items were taken from the vehicle. A burglary occurred on the 14300 block of Firestone Blvd. A briefcase, laptop, and boots were stolen from the vehicle.
Grand Theft Four grand thefts were reported last week. An incident was reported on the 14900 block of Tacuba Dr. The incident is currently under investigation. A theft was reported on the 11800 block of Goldendale Dr. A decorative display item was stolen from the residence. An incident was reported on the 14400 block of Firestone Blvd. A theft reported on the 14800 block of Beach Blvd. is currently under investigation.
Grand Theft Vehicle A vehicle was reported stolen from the 14400 block of Industry Cir.
3rd Annual La Mirada Blog Fest to Showcase La Mirada Talent
A celebration of the La Mirada Community and its Heritage; Art Exhibit Added This Year; Last Year as Blog Fest
La Mirada~The 3rd Annual La Mirada Blog Fest will take place Saturday August 18th, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at La Mirada Regional Park, 13701 Adelfa Drive in La Mirada.
This free grassroots event-which is changing its name to the La Mirada Olive Fest in 2013-is a celebration of La Mirada’s rich heritage and its history.
The festivities will feature live music with three bands, and an art exhibit with almost all of the performers and artists connected to La Mirada.
A meet-and-greet with La Mirada Legends, influential people from La Mirada’s past, is also scheduled. Residents and fans will have the opportunity to sit down and talk with these amazing people.
Other community organizations are expected to attend and a raffle will also take place for attendees to participate in. Prizes include: four tickets to Knott's; 2 tickets to Dodgers; 2 custom-made candle sets; 2012 edition last Blog Fest poster in frame and a custom necklace set by Sharden Creations.
The art exhibit will include a display by the Arts Colony of La Mirada, along with artists Angela Langseth, Amanda Palmer, Mario Lopez, Sharden Creations and more.
Also scheduled to be at event are Temple Beth Ohr with an “Ask the Rabbi” booth from 12-2; the La Mirada Lamplighter; La Mirada Symphony; Friends of La Mirada Library; the La Mirada Memoirs Book and more.
Scheduled Musical Acts
The Groovetones-11:15 a.m.-1:00 p.m.-Carl Agnello, drums; Steve Bravin on bass; and Steve Gage on guitar and vocals. They played at last year’s Blog Fest after forming exclusively for our event and were featured on the front page of the Whittier Daily News. Gage and Carl Agnello both played at the very first La Mirada 4th of July event in 1974 and played at Los Coyotes and Neff High school dances back in the early to mid seventies. Bravin has lived in La Mirada since 1959, played with different bands including Fuze and won first place at the La Mirada Fiesta De Artes in the seventies. The Groovetones are a classic rock band that plays numbers from The Animals, The Hollies, Robin Trower, Be Bop Deluxe, The Yardbirds, Johnny Rivers, The Beatles, The Byrds, and a host of one-hit wonders, playing what you love and grew up on.
Don Brennan-1:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m.-Don was born and raised in La Mirada. He played with Steve Gage of The Groovetones, in the 80’s with a band called Audio, playing all around Southern California. He formed The Naked Eye with former La Mirada neighbor Michele Barr and they have released 3 CD’s and won Best Folk at 2006 OC Music Awards. He released solo album in 2008. Won best Acoustic Artist at 2008 Star Music Awards. Married 29 years to Pam who he met at the old Woolco in La Mirada. He specializes in finger-style acoustic guitar. Opened for America at the Coach House and featured in the La Mirada Lamplighter earlier this year. Currently plays all over So Cal. Website: www.donbrennan.com
Local Fundraiser Helps La Mirada Families in Need
Whittier~Grab some dinner and help the less fortunate by attending a fundraiser for the Interfaith Food Center at KFC this Tuesday evening.
Interfaith Food Center (IFC) is a non-profit organization located in Whittier that has for 28 years been the primary provider of food services to the neediest residents of Whittier and La Mirada.
Founded in 1983, their mission is to alleviate hunger and food insecurity by providing supplemental food services to the hungry, disadvantaged, disabled and homeless population of the City of Whittier and its adjacent unincorporated area, and the City of La Mirada.
They distribute 3 million pounds of food annually, seeing an average of 260 families each day they are open – this totals over 51,000 visits last year, and assistance with over 500,000 meals.
The Interfaith Food Center/KFC Fundraiser will take place on Tuesday, August 14th between 4-9 p.m. at KFC, 16161 Leffingwell Road in Whittier (Leffingwell & First Ave).
Interfaith Food Center will receive 20% of all Pre-Tax Sales when presented with a flyer to a store salesperson.
For additional information, including how to download flyer, contact Amy Catt at the Interfaith Food Center at 562-903-1478 or at acatt@interfaithfoodcenter.org or Richard Hopkins KFC/Whittier at kfcwhittier@gmail.com.
IFC is one of the largest food pantries in California, serving more than 1,000 households on a weekly basis from a 5000 square foot warehouse/distribution facility equipped with commercial refrigerators and freezers and a walk in cooler unit to properly handle & store food donations.
Annually, IFC places more than two million pounds of food in the hands of struggling families and individuals. Food is obtained from the Los Angeles Regional Food bank, local markets, churches, community organizations, and individual donors.
La Mirada to Eliminate Assistant City Manager Position
La Mirada~To cut costs, the City of La Mirada recently announced it will not fill the Assistant City Manager position left vacant by Kevin Prelgovisk’s retirement last month.
Prelogovisk previously served as the City’s Administrative Services director, overseeing the City’s annual budget. That position will remain eliminated as well.
City Manager Tom Robinson told us that he does not anticipate the Assistant City Manager will be occupied in the future.
The elimination of the position will save the city $136,000 a year; however other city staff members will have to take on a larger workload and additional responsibilities, according to a city statement.
Our dig into public records show in 2011-12, Prelogovisk earned $6,280.66 on a biweekly basis-roughly $150,000 a year. He also received a $275 monthly car allowance.
Former assistants to the city manager, Jeff Boynton and Anne Haraksin will be upgraded to Deputy City Managers, and Personnel Manager Cristina Cota will assume resp
onsibility for overseeing risk management duties, according to the statement.
Two members of the City’s finance staff, Judy Quiñonez and Melissa Pascual, have been upgraded to senior accountants, and given additional responsibilities in the supervising of the City’s finances, in Prelgovisk’s absence.
“La Mirada lost an excellent assistant city manager due to Kevin Prelgovisk’s retirement, but during these difficult economic times we must seize opportunities to reduce the size of local government,” said City Manager Tom Robinson. “I am confident that the employees involved in these adjustments to La Mirada’s ongoing downsizing of staff will perform their new duties very well.”
John Warren Recognized for his Volunteer Efforts to Sheriff Patrol
 |
| John Warren, center holding plaque, was recognized recently at a city council for his community service. He is surrounded by his VOP colleagues. Also in photo, Mayor Gabe Garcia, front left; Norwalk Sheriff Station Captain Pat Maxwell, back center, and to his right, La Mirada Lieutenant Pat Valdez. |
La Mirada~At last week’s meeting, the city council recognized Sheriff’s Department volunteer John Warren for his dedicated service to the community and presented him with a recognition plaque.
Warren is part of the Volunteers on Patrol (VOP) team at the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station and was recently selected as the Sheriff’s Region 3 Volunteer of the Year.
The VOPS serve as a valuable resource to La Mirada’s Public Safety Team, acting as the eyes and the ears of the Sheriff’s Department. They identify suspicious activities, report crimes in progress, and identify dangerous situations.
John joined the U.S. Air Force after graduating high school at a time when the nation was embroiled in the Vietnam War.
After his time in the military he completed the Police Academy; however he then enjoyed a 32 year career with Unified Grocers.
John volunteered for the Red Cross for about 15 years. He was a CPR and Advanced First Aid Instructor, coordinating a Red Cross first aid team.
John joined the Norwalk VOP team about three years ago and has logged 2,248 hours through June 2012. He works close to 40 hours a week patrolling La Mirada, Norwalk, and the Unincorporated County area.
Also, he currently serves as a Volunteer Training officer for VOP and has trained more than 25 volunteers. He also sits on the Norwalk Station Volunteer Board of Directors and has implemented programs with tools to aid volunteers in scheduling and tracking their time.
John and his wife Debbie live in Whittier, they have one son and tw
La Mirada Crime Report July 23-29, 2012
The following is the crime report for La Mirada July 23-29, 2012
Residential Burglary-Two residential burglaries were reported last week. A burglary was reported on the 12600 block of Biola Ave. It's unknown if any items were stolen from the home. A burglary occured on the 14900 block of Tacuba Dr. Various electronics, laptops, and jewelry were taken.
Grand Theft-A grand theft was reported from the 14200 block of Artesia Blvd. The incident is under investigation.
Grand Theft Vehicle-Four vehicle thefts were reported last week. A vehicle was stolen from the 16100 block of Rosecrans Ave. The vehicle was recovered two days later by the La Habra Police. A van was reported stolen from the 14000 block of Foster Rd. The van was recovered by Century Sheriff's Station the same day. A vehicle was reported stolen from the 13900 block of El Moro Dr. The vehicle was recovered the same day. A vehicle was taken from the 15500 block of Talbot Dr. The vehicle has not been recovered.
Church has Stained Glass Potrait Refurbished
 |
| Workers put the finishing touches on the stained glass portrait of Jesus at the Fountain of Life Lutheran Church in La Mirada. |
La Mirada~If you have taken a walk along Biola Avenue just north of Biola University, especially at night, you more than likely have seen it-the large stained glass portrait of Jesus that adorns the front of the Fountain of Life Community Church.
For the first time ever, repairs had to be made recently, to the towering twenty foot glass mural, which is comprised of 13 large segments pieced together.
The church, located at 13518 Biola Avenue in La Mirada is the former Mt. Olive Lutheran Church established in La Mirada in 1957-three years before La Mirada’s incorporation as a city.
The name change came about when the church merged with Hope Lutheran Church of Whittier in 2008.
The church is also home to the La Mirada Community Garden, located in the rear of the property.
The portrait, which is 54 years old, is original to the building and reportedly has survived a fire and numerous earthquakes.
According to church Secretary Betty Emery, the rendering has begun to show its age in recent years, saying the
sectionals had become loose in their casings, and the church was concerned they would fall out.
A company in Pasadena that specializes in stained glass repair was contacted and they extracted the pieces, then restored and reinstalled the sections securely.
|
| The view from the inside of the church |
“Now we are good for another 50 years,” said Emery.
Apparently, there is quite a demand in the industry for these types of repairs and installations at churches, “We had to wait almost two months for their business, because so many other churches have had the same problem,” said Emery.
With the installation now complete, evening walkers along Biola will once again be able to view the illuminated portrait.
For more information about the Fountain of Life Community Church, including their service times, call (562) 941-4610.
Sheriff Volunteers to Host Fundraiser
La Mirada~The Los Angeles County Sheriff Volunteers on Patrol (VOPS) serving La Mirada will be hosting a Goodwill Donation Drive fundraiser this Saturday, August 4th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the city hall parking lot at 13700 La Mirada Boulevard.
Residents can donate used clothing , housewares, furniture and other miscellaneous items to VOPS. The VOPS program will receive funds in return for the amount of merchandise they collect, per trailer load.
The VOPS serve as a valuable resource to La Mirada's Public Safety team and act as the eyes and the ears of the Sheriff's Department. They identify suspicious activities, report crimes, and identify dangerous situations.
For more info, contact the La Mirada Community Sheriff's station at (562) 902-2960.
3rd Annual La Mirada Blog Fest Brings the Community Together
La Mirada~The 3rd Annual La Mirada Blog Fest will take place Saturday, August 18th at La Mirada Regional Park in La Mirada
Transformation of a Neighborhood: Breezewood, A Redevelopment Success Story
|
| This Google Maps aerial shot shows the Breezewood Village, with Green Hills Shopping Center to the left. Dulles Elementary School can be seen on the bottom right. Imperial Highway is on top and is north. "It was a cesspool up and down the street"-former city manager Gary Sloan |
Check this story out in the print edition of this weekend's La Mirada Lamplighter!
La Mirada~The State of California may have did away with city redevelopment agencies (RDA’s), but a great example of how the system was designed to work, is represented well in La Mirada.
The Breezewood Village Residential Community-an RDA project- hosted their 10th Anniversary celebration last Thursday night. It was attended by Breezewood residents and staff, along with numerous representatives from city hall including city council members Steve DeRuse and Steve Jones.
California's approximately 400 municipal RDA’s were eliminated as part of a cost-saving measure by the state last year. The repercussions and details of this action, and the affect it will have on cities, is still currently being worked out in court.
In 1999, the city, along with its RDA, used its eminent domain power to tear down the 30-unit apartment building on the site that also included five duplexes.
The area is bordered by Imperial Highway to the north, Breezewood Drive to south and east, and the Green Hills shopping center to the west.
At the time, the dwellings suffered from the influx of drugs, prostitution, high crime, and child neglect among other things, and really was an undesirable and unsafe area of La Mirada-all within 500 feet of Dulles Elementary school.
One of the worst units on the property was owned by former Cerritos city council member Sherman Kapee.
After the property was condemned, the LA County Fire Department used it for training, and literally burnt it down.
Recent posts
City Recognizes Public Safety Poster Contest Winners
La Mirada Library Events November 2024
