POLITICS: Inside the Recent City Council Forum and the Candidates
Although mail-in ballots hit La Mirada mailboxes yesterday, it's relatively early in the local election cycle and some general consensus around the major issues affecting local government can still be heard.
The La Mirada Blog recently found such a consensus in force, as the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce hosted four candidates running for La Mirada City Council-District 2, at a Candidates Forum October 2.
The four--Michelle Velasquez-Bean, a college educator; Chris Pflanzer, a former school board member and business owner; John Sarega, long-time local businessman and real estate professional; and Dan Siwak, military veteran and Law Enforcement specialist--got on board with the challenges the city faces--some of which have persisted through multiple administrations and previous City Councils. The candidates seemed to basically agree: (more)
La Mirada Football Falls to Downey/Recycling Event/Meet School Candidates
La Mirada lost against Downey back in October of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday as Gateway League play got underway.
The Matadores took a blow against the Downey Vikings, falling 45-7 at Goodman Stadium. The Matadores haven't had much luck with the Vikings recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.
Downey was led to victory by Oscar Rios and Bernardo Blanco. Rios threw for 277 yards and four touchdowns while completing 73.1% of his passes, while Blanco rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries.
La Mirada's defeat dropped their record down to 1-5, 0-1 in league play. As for Downey, their record now sits at 5-1. (more)
News Bites October 2024
From our X feed: Well over one hundred people packed the Activity Center this past Wednesday for the City Council District 2 Candidates Forum.
Michelle Velasquez-Bean, Chris Pflanzer, Dan Siwak and John Sarega shared their vision and ideas with the captivated and engaged audience.
The winner will serve the remainder of the term of former Mayor Andrew Sarega, who resigned earlier this year in May.
Great job by organizer Tammye McDuff and everyone involved in producing this event-there was a lot of positive La Mirada energy in the room.
Only residents living in District 2 can vote in this race.(more)
La Mirada Election Update
It’s official.
Four candidates will face each other in the Special Municipal Election for La Mirada City Council-District 2 on November 5th.
The nomination period ended on August 9th with four candidates successfully filing their papers, Michelle Velasquez Bean, Chris Pflanzer, John Sarega and Dan Siwak.
A fifth candidate, Jorge R. Alvarez, pulled papers, but they were not returned.
This is somewhat of a rare occurrence in La Mirada as it will be the second City Council election in the same calendar year. (more)
News Bites August 2024-Community Heroes Edition
La Mirada Kiwanis Club Members Honored as 2024 Women of the Year
La Mirada Kiwanis Club members Dr. Cathy Alvarez and Patty Miller were recognized recently for their valuable contributions to the community as 2024 Women of the Year award recipients.
Dr. Alvarez was honored by California Assemblywoman Blanca Pacheco as a Woman of the Year for her years of service to the community.
Cathy is a retired educator and school counselor, who served in the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District for many years. She is a member of La Mirada Kiwanis Club, Norwalk 605 Kiwanis, La Mirada Ebell, Norwalk-La Mirada PTA Council, the La Mirada Community Foundation and the Community Services Commission.
Cathy volunteers at elementary schools for Read Across America and at a local senior center where she entertains others with music, singing and creating crafts. (more)
Parents defend swimming coach amid abuse allegations
Two parents of young swimmers took the podium up at last week's La Mirada City Council meeting to defend U.S. Olympic artistic swimming coach Hiea-Yoon Kang, who was suspended from her coaching position at Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center amid a reported investigation into allegations of abusive behavior against athletes.
Kang, who established and coached the world-renowned La Mirada Aquabelles, is the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, as first reported by the Orange County Register.
New Goodman Stadium Opens at La Mirada High School
Hundreds of students, staff, residents and local dignitaries celebrated at La Mirada High School this past Thursday evening at the grand opening ceremony of the new Goodman Stadium, marking the completion of the school's latest athletic facilities project.
The stadium, part of a larger project to upgrade the school's athletic space, includes a new synthetic track and turf fields for football and other sports events and satisfies all CIF requirements. It will have a seating capacity of 8,145. (more)
The Market by Superior calling it quits in La Mirada
The La Mirada Blog has learned that The Market by Superior, located at 12721 Valley View Avenue at Imperial Highway, is closing its doors at the end of June.
Superior Grocers is one of the largest independently-owned chains of grocery stores in Southern California, beginning its operations in 1981 with one store in Covina at a former Smith's (Food King) location. (more)
News and Happenings Around Town May 2024
Free Symphony Concert-The Pops are Back
On Sunday May 19, the La Mirada Theatre stage will come alive with the voices of Natalie Salins and James Salazar as they embark on a musical journey through Hollywood at the highly anticipated pops concert.
Both artists will be on stage with the symphony in an unforgettable afternoon of some of the best music from cinema, showcasing their unique styles and chemistry.
This concert is a must-see for anyone who appreciates the powerful impact of skilled vocalists sharing their art. (more)
SWPL Championship Sunday at Biola University
The biggest men's amateur tournament in SoCal reaches its zenith at the Southwest Premier League (SWPL) Championship Sunday hosted at Biola University’s Al Barbour Field May 19.
The SoCal Premier League’s Brent Freeman Friendship Cup Final will kick off at 4 p.m. PT with a matchup between Monsters FC and Desert FC.
The Raul Briones Cup Final will wrap up festivities in the evening at 7 p.m. kick off pitting tournament finalists La Familia FC and Lobos FC. (more)
