“Top My Workout” (TMW) opened in Long Beach during November of 2019, and now they have a Los Alamitos location, 10832 Kyle St., Unit D, where the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce held a Ribbon Cutting during the company’s recent Grand Opening.
Co-owners are Chad Seltzer and Shayline Robancho. The Coaches include Chad Seltzer, Mark Acosta, and Tommy Staup. Their Massage Therapist is Alexander Celik.
They offer Scientific Programming for competitive weightlifting and powerlifting for the Community, which includes in-person and virtual coaching.
“Without either of the values of scientific programming and community, our Barbell Club would not be what it is today,” said the owners. “We thrive off of our athletes’ successes and sense of community and want everyone coming here to feel at home, whether they are here for training or simply want a place to go, Top My Workout is a team and family of ‘lifters’.”
They also have a podcast called, “Top My Podcast” where Coaches Chad, Mark and Tommy discuss a variety of topics ranging from weightlifting and powerlifting to sleep, recovery, and nutrition. “Plus, lots of fun banter.”
Seltzer said that Top My Workout’s mission is to build a community around strength, confidence and results. “We use scientific programming based on cutting-edge research and proven outcomes as a vehicle of our athletes’ results to mold them into a stronger, more confident version of the amazing individual they were when they first joined us.”
All members are referred to as, “Athletes” whether they are competitive athletes or not. “We cater to every level of athlete and to people in all walks of life. This is not your typical open gym concept. We have athletes come in with an expertly-crafted program to tell them what, how, and why they’re training in the capacity they are for the day,” Seltzer explained. “Coaches are on-site at all times to modify programming as needed, give cues for improved form and injury reduction, as well as to keep the TMW machine well-oiled throughout athlete training sessions.”
Coaches keep sessions fun and with high-energy so athletes can perform at their best. “And, did we mention? – we have a lot of fun here.”
Enjoy Gummy Bears? So do the folks at Top My Workout – as that’s their logo – a Gummy Bear. Here’s the Gummy Bear logo story:
Although Candy is generally frowned upon in the fitness world, Top My Workout sees it differently. “Ever feel dizzy, lightheaded, or start yawning even though you felt AMPED at the beginning of your workout? That’s because your body is likely low on glucose,” said Seltzer. “The human body can digest and transport one-gram of glucose/sugar per minute during resistance training, as the body uses glucose to fuel muscles to contract and lift mass. With that in mind, each Gummy Bear, or two, will refuel the body in 60-seconds – so you can ‘Lift on’!”
Hours are Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Top My Workout adheres to all CDC health and safety measures.
For more information, call 562-270-5082.
A Los Angeles labor lawyer gave the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce an overview of how much employment law has changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic Thursday at their monthly networking meeting.
“Since COVID, guidelines have changed rapidly, sometimes weekly, sometimes day-to-day and sometimes, hour-to-hour, attorney Ashley N. Lopeztello told the Chamber at its virtual May networking meeting Thursday.
So much so, said Lopeztello, that it’s been really hard for businesses, especially small businesses, to keep up with the changes.
While California has been a “trendsetter” during the pandemic, she said not so much with the reopening. Lopeztello did tell business owners to watch for a preview of what to expect on June 15 when a new “Emergency Temporary Standards” declaration is expected to be issued by state.
Lopeztello said the rules and regulations will change again when the state issues new standards associated with the lifting of pandemic restrictions expected to be announced June 15 by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“They will be replacing regulations with more regulations,” she said.
Lopeztello gave Chamber members attending the meeting a primer on existing standards and what they mean for business owners, including what workers can demand under COVID rules and the standards all businesses must provide for in terms of employee safety.
She gave employers checklists on what to do if an employee were to test positive with COVID, whether in the office or not. Lopeztello said “you have to know what to do when they tell us they’ve contracted COVID.”
Three or more cases within the same office is considered an outbreak, she said.
Lopeztello reviewed testing protocols with the employers and procedures, compensation rules and various reporting requirements.
For example, Lopeztello told employers that under current emergency standards, they must contact their workman’s compensation carrier within three days of any employee’s positive COVID test.
Moreover, she said face coverings and vaccinations were also an issue. For instance, if an employee refuses or chooses not be vaccinated, employers must provide them with an N-95 mask for protection.
She warned employers not to get trapped by only following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). She said they only issue “guidance” and employers should follow federal, state and local laws, in that order.
While the courthouses themselves are still closed, lawsuits can be filed, she said, and California leads the nation in COVID employment litigation. Of the approximately 2,500 lawsuits filed, she said 584 of them were filed by California employees.
There are specific regulations that employers must utilize if employees are afraid to return to the office, Lopeztello told the Chamber.
In addition, she outlined to employers the specific protocols they must follow regarding having employees return to the office and those surrounding vaccinated, and non-vaccinated employees.
“I know it’s really difficult to keep up,” she said.
Lopeztello is an attorney at the California Labor Law firm of CDF Labor Law where she provides litigation and advisory services to public and private clients. She provided a website where employers can receive basic information: www.cdflaborlaw.com/coronavirus.
The Chamber also received a video presentation from Chuck Landon of Landon HR consulting, regarding human resource issues surrounding pandemic issues.
Finally, Chamber Chairwoman Nesi Stewart announced that next month, the Chamber will take its first steps to return to in-person meetings, saying the June meeting will be held under the trees in Rossmoor’s Rush Park.
The GFWC Woman’s Club of Cypress installed their officers for the 2021-2022 club year at a ceremony and luncheon held at the Peat’s residence on May 12, 2021. Mayor Jon Peat officiated the installation of officers.
The Woman’s Club of Cypress is a non-profit organization that has been an integral part of the Cypress Community for over 55 years. They have been supported of many philanthropic projects in the community. They are part of an international woman’s organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of o thers through volunteer services.
Officers installed are: President – Bonnie Peat, 1st VP/Dean – Ginger Osman, Co 2nd VP/Membership – Joan Larsen and Judy Wagner, Secretary – Amber Enriquez, Treasurer – Maria Sterk, financial Secretary – Sue Goodman, Communications Secretary – Michelle Stockham,
Program Chairman – Marellen Yarc, Parliamentarian – Carole Stone and Publicity – Mary Kamhi.
Cypress High teacher Susan Fried was an Honorary Bat Girl at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim game on Mother’s Day. She was also honored as a breast cancer survivor who is campaigning for the importance of regular and self-exams for early detection of cancer.
The Angels released the following statement about Susan. “Susan is a beloved friend and science teacher to so many students at Cypress High School. Her former students include the Marketing and Entertainment Coordinator, Mandi Ortiz and Angels Infielder David Fletcher.”
As a student favorite, Mrs. Fried has been teaching for 23 years and coaching women’s volleyball and basketball on campus for than a decade.
She was nominated by Mandi Ortiz. She began teaching the cancer unit in her class the day after she was diagnosed. After one day of trying to teach the unit, while holding her news in, she decided that keeping it a secret wasn’t going to do anyone any good – she decided to invite her students and community on the journey with her and provide them with the most direct lesson on the cancer unit possible.”
The Los Alamitos Unified Board of Education is due to vote next week on coursework for an already approved ethnic studies elective at Los Alamitos High School. But the district is “still assessing” whether that meeting will be held in-person or virtually, according to Superintendent Dr. Andrew Pulver.
Meanwhile, Pulver said full implementation of social justice standards adopted at the Board’s last meeting could take years.
The standards, billed as a supplemental framework for K-12 teachers to make schools “more inclusive, equitable, and safe for all students by reducing acts of bullying, prejudice, and minimizing conflict,” were approved in a unanimous vote during the May 11 virtual meeting that lasted six hours.
Safety concerns prompted LAUSD to move that Board meeting online after law enforcement reported “social media chatter” suggesting a potential for violence. In a phone interview on Friday, Pulver said the goal is to hold the June 1 meeting in-person but cautioned no decision had been made yet.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” Pulver said noting he’s been in touch with local law enforcement. He said people have contacted the district with concerns about the safety of student speakers.
The optional ethnic studies course at Los Alamitos High School and the social justice standards have sparked passionate and sometimes heated debate from supporters and opponents at Board meetings over the past few months.
Students, parents and some Board members in their public comments have said ethnic studies and the social justice standards are necessary to meet the needs of LAUSD’s increasingly diverse student body who want to see themselves in their lessons and want new resources to better address intolerance on campuses.
Other parents and members of the LAUSD community question how programs will be implemented with some expressing fears it could lead to indoctrination of children using critical race theory, which they say creates divisions.
The district has repeatedly said its efforts are not related to critical race theory which examines how laws and policies in the United States have impacted opportunities for people of color. LAUSD said its focus is on “culturally responsive instruction” that was developed to be more inclusive and reflective of students.
A Human Relations Task Force (now called the Human Relations Advisory Council) was formed, a consultant was hired and, more recently, a Teacher on Special Assignment (T.O.S.A) on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was appointed.
“Slow Rollout” Expected for Social Justice Standards
Now nearly three years later, an ethnic studies elective is due to be offered in the Fall of 2021, but according to Pulver, it will take years before the social justice standards, which are not mandated, are fully implemented with staff.
“This is not a one and done,” Pulver said. He described a “slow rollout” of the standards for staff, and likened it to the five to seven years it took to fully implement Cognitively Guided Instruction, an elementary-level mathematics professional development program.
Pulver stressed the focus right now is getting students back in class full-time again for the 2021-22 school year, with added social and emotional health support. He said that will happen for the upcoming school year which starts in August.
The social justice standards were first introduced at public a workshop in March and come from learningforjustice.org, formerly tolerance.org, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
During that presentation in March, Deputy Supt. Ondrea Reed explained the potential next steps after approval would include the T.O.S.A. possibly holding trainings at school site staff meetings during the end of this academic year, the offering of Culturally Responsive Instruction programs during teachers’ upcoming summer trainings and adding it to the many offerings in the district’s 5-year professional development plan.
Pulver said that he is not aware of any funding that could be used to implement the standards and said funding was never a motivation in their development.
At the May 11 Board meeting, Board members emphasized their faith in teachers and the importance of how the standards would be presented to staff.
Board member Diana Hill had a message for parents that they are part of a partnership as this effort unfolds.
“We have extraordinary staff and I believe that our staff will be trained properly and I believe that things will be put out as they start to roll out into schools and stuff. But if there are things that don’t sit right with parents, we want to know what those are. And a lot of the times I believe that they are misunderstandings. … We have to be able to continue to communicate about those things.”
If there’s one thing for sure horse racing has done for the city of Cypress, it has preserved more than 150 acres of real estate on which the Los Alamitos Race Course currently operates for future development.
Voters in 2018 gave their approval for conditional development of the property under a ballot measure entitled Measure A, the Cypress Town Center & Commons project.
Under the proposition approved by voters, LARC will have the discretion to continue operating until it decides otherwise, but the measure did provide the authority to develop certain parcels not being utilized.
By re-zoning of the 150-acre plus tract included in Measure A, Cypress voters overwhelmingly approved the Town Center and Commons Specific Plan 2.0 that included six land use districts, including: a 17.5-acre Town Center District for retail, entertainment, restaurant, commercial and residential uses, 17-acre Public Park District and 3-acre public park overlay, 73.6-acre, single-family Residential District, and 24.1-acre Senior Housing/Medium-Density Residential District, among other provisions.
One of the parcels included in Measure A designated a 9-acre parcel which could only be used as a park. LARC owner Dr. Edward Allred had already donated to the city of Cypress and it currently being developed into Lexington Park, slated to open this fall.
The other was a 7-acre parcel formerly used by a Cypress company, United Healthcare, for its overflow parking facility which will now be transformed into a Melia Homes development with 135 town homes.
At their meeting this past week, Cypress officials gave final approval, in a unanimous vote, that authorizes Melia Homes to begin construction within this 7-acre tract.
The Melia Homes 135 multi-family townhome development project will employ some of the architectural elements of the state’s most famous architects, said city planner Alisha Velasco.
In a presentation to the council before the vote for final approval, Velasco recapped what has been a multi-year project of preparation since voters approved the Cypress Town Center project.
Velasco said the project has received all necessary environmental and local authorizations to begin construction and she said that city officials are excited to learn the project’s architecture could mimic an early 20th century master.
“The architectural element was independently reviewed by city planners,” said Velasco, noting the staff “found that this style (developed by Melia) is reminiscent of a famous California architect named Irving Gill.”
Gill was known in the early 1900’s for “large windows with white exterior walls, and wood elements,” she said, adding that these distinctive elements “were really his signature style.”
There are 66 units within the interior of the property, said Velasco, which are two-story in height, and Velasco said these units are surrounded by 79 three-story perimeter units.
“We are excited to be back in Cypress,” said Chad Brown, Vice President of Development for Melia Homes. “And to be very clear,” he said, “we’re not looking to flip this (development) to anybody else.”
“We (Melia) are going to build and sell these homes ourselves,” he told the Council.
Brown said his company had reviewed and agreed with all of the “conditions” placed on the development by the city of Cypress. Brown noted that the city’s staff had taken into account their company’s construction needs and that the company was satisfied with all of the conditions listed in the proposed conditional use permit.
“This is a specific area of the town center portion that was allowed to be developed while the racetrack still operates,” said Brown. “And I know that the racetrack continues to desire to operate for the foreseeable future,” he added.
Therefore, said Brown, “we appreciate setting the standard. We think that our design is very representative of a high-quality architectural style.” Brown called the architectural style incorporated into the Cypress development project “timeless.”
Frank Sherren, a top LARC official, appeared during the public hearing to echo the facility’s support of the project.
“We’re so excited to finally get something developed on our property that is within the vision of the residents that voted for Measure A and approved the Cypress Town Center & Commons plan,” he said.
In 2020, the council voted 3-2 to authorize Shea Properties to develop a 13.3-acre mixed use development project along Katella Ave. that, at a point, is very near to the Melia Homes tract.
Brown told the council they have been in touch with Shea and are monitoring their project as well.
“We have been in communication with them (Shea) since June when their project came forward,” said Brown. To the extent appropriate and possible, Brown said Melia will work to coordinate traffic flows, pedestrian walkways, bike paths and other features to ensure an overall integration of the area development between the two projects.
“I want to share that we recognize the importance that this project has with regards to being [the] first [Measure A development to break ground],” said Brown.
With attorneys putting the final touches on an agreement to make her a partner at the Orange County civil engineering firm where she worked, Melanie Hohman decided to walk away and never look back.
That was more than a decade ago, and Hohman said while her decision was made to save one of her two boys, it put her on an unlikely path to a life filled with passion, purpose, and pastry.
Hohman, who made her home in the Seal Beach area during her college days, returned this week to speak to an oceanside meeting of the Seal Beach Chamber, where she also reunited with friends in Los Alamitos.
The former engineer began slowly, telling the Chamber what changed her life and how she walked away from a corporate job in 2010 into a fate of uncertainty, only to find happiness and tremendous fulfillment in her unlikely odyssey.
“I know this sounds crazy,” Hohman began, but she recalled her last meeting with her boss before a partnering agreement was signed. “I told my boss that I am going to quit engineering and I don’t want to be a partner,” she said.
With 15 years’ experience at this well-known OC engineering firm, Hohman told the group that the new status would have immediately resulted in a “massive increase in my pay.”
“My boss thought I was crazy, my mother thought I was crazy. My husband thought I was crazy, everyone thought I was crazy,” she said.
Yet deep down, Hohman said she knew her baby boy desperately needed her more than she needed a job.
When her second son Bradley was born, Hohman said “he was incredibly ill, and the little guy had a lot of respiratory issues. He would get little blue lips and I would take him to the hospital,” she said.
Hohman said Bradley would suddenly lose oxygen throughout his body, prompting emergency trips to urgent care.
Thus, Hohman said she began to use her skills to find answers for her son.
After digging around, Hohman said they were finally referred to a pediatric allergist in Costa Mesa who figured out it was something she was eating that was making her baby Bradley very ill.
“It took them a while to realize that it wasn’t environmental, it was actually what I was eating that was making him incredibly ill,” she said.
“I was excited because I had been to seven doctors and nobody knew what they were prescribing for Bradley were the worst things for him,” she said, noting medications only made it worse.
Hohman said that until then, Bradley’s body “was riddled with eczema” and he would scratch his face so much during the night that “he would have little drops of blood on his blanket.”
So, said Hohman, she sewed tiny gloves out of socks to soften the scratching.
Through additional testing, Bradley was eventually diagnosed with severe food allergies, Hohman said. His doctor determined that Bradley could not eat anything that contained wheat, eggs, dairy, soy, and several fruits and vegetables.
Since she was still nursing, Hohman said her doctor told her to immediately change her diet. “No dairy, no eggs, no peanuts, no soy, no gluten, no coconuts, no tomatoes, no pineapple,” she said.
“I basically ate chicken and rice,” she told the group.
Occasionally, she said, “I had a bit of beef,” because “I needed to provide protein to my body.”
Within two weeks, however, as she continued to nurse him with her radical diet, Hohman said Bradley “went from having a body riddled with eczema to a healthy baby,” just that quick, she said, “and I am not exaggerating.”
The discovery of how radically what she alone ate affected her baby had caused a mindshift in Hohman.
“I realized how much food matters,” she said. From then on, the family developed a limited, yet protective diet for baby Bradley as he soon found the path to a healthy childhood.
“The saddest day came on his first birthday,” she said. According to Hohman, Bradley obviously could not have a birthday cake because, at best, he would have a severe reaction that could again threaten his life.”
Instead of a cake, Hohman said she decorated a cantaloupe to resemble, a cake knowing that he would have only a mild reaction to it and one “that we could treat with medication.”
In that moment, she apparently discovered why she left engineering, or at least, knew in that her engineering skills were needed elsewhere.
Bradley, and kids like him, should have real birthday cakes and she was determined to make it happen.
“I really began to get serious about trying to develop a recipe that would not only taste good, but most importantly, look and taste like a birthday cake.”
“I know I am not the only one in the world to have a son with severe food allergies,” said Hohman, “and so I wanted to start this business to share what I have learned and provide something for those kids and adults who have limited options in their diet.”
The Hohman family gave birth again, this time to an entrepreneurial idea. Hohman said she surmised that there were so many kids just like Bradley that needed her help, “and I was determined to make a difference.”
“Sensitive Sweets,” the business, was born.
“I wanted to start this business to share what I have learned and provide something for those kids and adults who have limited options in their diet. “I work hard to provide the most basic element of a birthday party,” she said, “the cake.”
“I couldn’t sleep, I literally couldn’t sleep,” she said. Once the idea took hold her mind, Hohman said the idea of helping others affected with allergies “fueled my passion.” “I am passionate about this business,” she told the Chamber, “and if you have the passion, you can do anything.”
“It wasn’t easy,” she said. In fact, Hohman said her sweets business was not an instant success; it took a year of bad recipes before she made any progress at all.
“My poor husband,” she said. “I used him as a guinea pig.”
Some of the delicious gluten-free, nut-free pastries developed by Melanie. Courtesy photo
For almost a year, she said, her husband sampled her “awful” recipes. In fact, Hohman described them as “hideous and horrific,” even if she did so with a smile.
Even while facing more defeats than success in her business, Hohman said he absolutely fell in love with entrepreneurship and thanks her lucky stars she walked away from an exceptionally good job.
Her loving husband Gregory dutifully tried every single recipe. But then, after a year, she said, they began to taste better. And better.
Then came her “Eureka” moment. Without using dairy, soy, nuts or any of the foods that cause allergies, Hohman said she eventually developed a finger-licking “delicious” recipe for birthday cakes.
Goal achieved, but she did not stop there. Being an engineer, Hohman has been able to leverage her self-gained knowledge of allergy-free sweets into a growing line of safe, allergy-free pastries.
Later, she learned her oldest son Luke was on the autism spectrum and also later diagnosed with ADHD.
“How I ended up with two kids that have special needs, I have no idea,” said Hohman, but I do feel it added once again another element to how important our diet is and how important this business is for me.”
Hohman said she continues to study food allergies, autism and now ADHD (Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder), learning how foods affect them. “Diet is so connected to the brain,” Hohman told the Chamber.
Her bakery “Sensitive Sweets,” now sells safe (gluten free, nut free) pastries throughout the country from its location in nearby Fountain Valley. As busy as she is, Hohman said she offers an open ear to listen to any parent, or any adult, anywhere who wants or needs her help.
“I just want to let you know that if someone calls or emails me, I will spend 45 minutes on the phone with them because I want there to be awareness that diet is directly connected to the brain… 100%,” she said.
“We found out that 33 percent of autistic kids can’t digest gluten. Who would have thought that” she asked? “I’ll tell you, if you have an elderly family member who is sick or if you have a child or a neighbor or a nephew or friend with some kind of autoimmune disorder, tell them to research it,” Hohman advised her audience.
After more than a decade in business, Hohman’s “Sensitive Sweets” continues to expand. She remembers fondly her days in Seal Beach and does business here too.
Ron Jahncke, President of the Chamber, said during his introduction of Hohman, that she supplies pastry products to his coffee shop in Seal Beach.
Hohman said her youngest son Bradley is “doing amazing” and her oldest son Luke is now at the top of his class, on no medication (though his doctor suggested Ritalin) and is a standout pitcher on the Newport Harbor baseball team.
Despite her success, the raw emotion Hohman must have felt throughout her ordeal seems never far from the surface as she was nearly overcome near the end of her story.
“I think things happen for a reason,” she said, fighting back tears, but “I think I was blessed greatly by what happened with my kids.”
“I wouldn’t change any of it,” said Hohman. “I went from working in a corporate situation to opening up my own business and we are happy and successful,” she said.
“I deal with the people that nobody wants to deal with, and I love it,” she said. “I absolutely love it.”
(Editor’s Note: Anyone with child or parent that may need help can email her at me*****@*************ts.com)
The City of Los Alamitos has been presented with the state’s Award of Excellence from the California Park & Recreation Society for the Serve Los Al event.
The presentation came Monday at the city’s regular meeting. The award was presented in the category of Creating Community, and the city also received an Award of Excellence in the category of Digital Media. This award went to the Los Alamitos Recreation & Community Services Department’s social media, marketing, and communications department.
Serve Los Al is an annual event in collaboration with the City of Los Alamitos and its non-profit organizations, including the Los Alamitos Unified School District, the Joint Forces Training Base, the Los Alamitos Area Chamber of Commerce, churches, and local sponsoring organizations such as Southland Credit Union, MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital, Republic Services, Epson, and Cottonwood Church.
The Serve Los Al committee meets on a monthly basis and shares information and resources to work together to serve the needs of the Los Alamitos community. The City hosts four donation drives per year to help support the city’s non-profits in an effort to benefit families in need in Los Alamitos.
The Los Alamitos Recreation & Community Services Department strives to create quality of life for its community on a daily basis. During an unprecedented time in history when the community was unable to participate in traditional recreation activities, the Recreation & Community Services Department quickly adapted to the changing needs to keep the community engaged and safe through social media. The City was able to provide an array of educational, fitness, and leisure activities with over 100 video demonstrations on the Department’s YouTube channel. They also hosted contests, themed weekly content, and even a popular Drive-By Los Alamitos Zoo.
The CPRS awards program is the highest recognition an agency can receive and Los Alamitos credits the award to the staff, instructors, volunteers, community non-profits, and partners that made this happen. The City is honored to receive this award.
CPRS Executive Director Stephanie Stephens states, “These agencies represent the finest in initiatives addressing community issues, recreation programming, park planning, facility design, and marketing and communications in California. Park and recreation agencies throughout the state provide families, individuals, and groups access to the serenity and inspiration of nature; spaces and places for play and exercise; opportunities for directed and self-directed recreation; positive alternatives for youth to reduce crime and mischief; and activities that facilitate social connections, human development, therapy, the arts, and lifelong learning. CPRS and our award sponsors, RJM Design Group, Inc., Little Tikes Commercial and SVA Architects, are proud to recognize excellence in park and facility design, community initiatives, recreation programs, and marketing and communications.”
CPRS is a membership organization with just over 4,000 members representing the 535 local parks and recreation agencies throughout the state. The mission of CPRS is to advance the profession and its members through education, networking, resources, and advocacy. Learn more at www.cprs.org.
A Cypress man who founded the Center for Law & Military Policy will appear on a national news show focusing on accountability in the U.S. military that will air on May 30, a production company in New York has announced.
According to Morgan Fallon, the Executive Producer of the CNN show “United Shades of America,” Dwight D. Stirling, Ed.D., J.D., will appear on the May 30 show entitled “Thank you for your service.”
Stirling is an attorney and a Feres Doctrine Scholar. He also serves as a Major in the U.S. Army’s JAG Corps.
Since founding the military think tank, Stirling has become a recognized authority on military justice around the nation.
Stirling said his work is “dedicated to strengthening the legal protections of those who serve the nation in uniform.”
Producers say Stirling will be interviewed on the segment by the show’s host, W. Kamau Bell.
The segment will focus on accountability in the U.S. military, they said.
According to Stirling, the segment “looks at how service members are treated as second class citizens under the law.” The show will air on CNN Sunday, May 30 at 7 p.m. PST.
In this past year of pandemic, Orange County alone has experienced over 5,000 deaths resulting from Covid-19, five times the average seasonal flu mortality rates. Over 250,000 plus symptomatic cases resulted in hospitalization, skilled nursing facility care or some form of quarantined isolation. Most of these individuals over the past year endured, or succumbed, to Covid-19 deprived of the comforting support or vigilant advocacy of family or friends.
Beyond the accounting of costs the pandemic has imposed on our population as a whole, we are only beginning to account for the personal damages that have accrued as a result of the isolation and separation of patients from their loved ones particularly in the hospital setting where strict ‘no visitation’ policies have been in place for almost the entire duration of this pandemic.
This emotional toll of separation, suffered in silence by most who have been hospitalized and isolated during this pandemic, can be as damaging and as heartbreaking for the patients and their families as the more gruesome and well described course of the disease itself.
The imposition of blanket ‘no visitor’ policies by hospital systems in Orange County and across the state beginning in March of 2020 were certainly an understandable precaution, supported by CDC and California Department of Public Health guidelines. Particularly in the early months, when the novel coronavirus was a largely unknown entity rapidly spreading, hospitals took the unprecedented step of closing their doors to outside visitors almost entirely.
Since then, the Centers for Disease Control have established tested guidelines for effectively reducing the spread of the virus in institutional settings and established the value of mask wearing and other personal protective precautions. Hospital staffs have implemented those guidelines to great effect. And now with the availability of vaccines as an additional layer of protection for the inoculated and those they come into contact with, reasonable protections for patients and staff can be assured, and those hospital doors are beginning to open again across OC for those who wish to visit their loved ones and attend to them inside the hospital setting for the first time in a year.
The first hospital in OC to resume visitor privileges was UCI Medical Center in Orange. A teaching hospital and a Trauma 1 emergency center, UCI Medical Center sets the standard in many ways for other hospital systems. In March of this year UCI was the first to allow two visitors a day, one at a time, for short periods of time, now expanded to two at a time for visits of any length from 11AM to 6PM. Visitation with Covid patients is still by video chat only. Other hospitals have followed with similar visitor policies, all of which closely shadow CDC and CDPH guidelines. But hospital administrators are quick to point out that each hospital ultimately determines access requirements and the conditions of visitation based on its own circumstances.
Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach opened its doors to visitors on April 22 from 8:30AM to 6:30PM; two at a time if from same family. Hoag rightfully refers to its visitors as “support persons,” respecting the important role family, friends and patient advocates play in the overall well-being and recovery prospects of the patient. Acute care patient visits, including Covid-19 patients, are handled on a case-by-case basis at Hoag. Children may accompany a parent entering the ER there. Even pets may be allowed if they are service animal certified, Hoag’s website affirms.
Los Alamitos Medical Center which only began loosening its visitation policies on May 3rd now extends to its patient visitors one of the most liberal visitation policies among the 25 hospitals of Orange County with hours extending from 8AM to 8PM. Typically, visitation is limited to one person at a time, no limit of visitors per day, and no particular time limit per visitor. But as LAMC Communications Director Jennifer Bayer told me recently “exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis for visitors of patients with disabilities who require support from family members…or for compassionate care cases. The idea here is to maintain social distancing even in the hospital setting.”
There are varying exceptions to visitation rules at every hospital I contacted, based on the condition of the patient as well as the medical condition of the visitor seeking visitation, whom staff will screen before allowing admittance. These variables are often in flux and any persons contemplating visiting a hospital should call ahead to know what to expect, and what will be expected of them. Hospital visitation policies in OC do vary, and some have yet to open their doors to visitors, generally making exceptions only for end-of-life, postpartum care, or pediatric cases. Most of the county’s medical centers have now adopted relaxed guidelines, though none have yet returned to full pre-pandemic visitation levels.
It should be noted that despite the CDC’s recent relaxing of guidelines on mask wearing among the public at large, NO hospital in the OC area allows the removal of approved masks by any visitor at any time during their visitation. In fact, most hospitals will require visitors to use only an approved hospital mask upon entrance, one they themselves will provide. UCI Med Center’s Communications Director John Murray explains that the maintenance of a strict masking policy at UCI Med Center is actually pursuant to current emergency orders from Cal/OSHA for Aerosol Transmissible Diseases. “With regards to masking, along with other worker protective measures, we follow Cal/ OSHA guidelines to reinforce our masking policies. And so far, those requirements have not changed, anywhere inside our hospitals or clinics,” Murray emphasized.
But the good news is many other areas of hospital visitation policy have now loosened to welcome visitors, incrementally at first, but with every indication the doors will open further in coming days. The long year of Covid has receded and with it the grim stories of patient isolation and lonely deaths for Covid and non-Covid patients alike are diminishing, leaving some hard lessons the pandemic has taught us. One of those lessons is that patients confined to hospital beds deprived of their loved ones and caregivers are less likely to thrive, not as likely to rally back to health, as those who have the benefit of personal contact with visiting family members. The taxing work of hospital nurses and staff who have attended to patients mostly in isolation this past year are to be commended for their professionalism and often for their compassion. But in the last analysis, theirs is the kindness of strangers. Nothing can replace the comfort, the reassurance and the watchful vigilance of loved ones on behalf of the hospitalized patient.
This pandemic has placed us all, in a very real sense, 6 feet apart. And this distancing has no doubt saved lives. But if hospitals have now figured out how to protect the safety of their frontline staff and their workplaces from this pernicious vector called Covid-19, then we surely can apply those protective protocols to a caregiving public when they seek access to their hospitalized loved ones.
They constitute legitimate partners in the recovery of hospital bound patients debilitated by their infirmities and too often incapable of advocating well for themselves. Every visitor of a patient is a potential advocate for better care. Many among staff at hospitals, nurses and doctors understand the bigger role visitors from the outside play in the well-being of patients, and welcome a return of visitors, as does LAMC Hospitalist Dr. Lily Mulroy. “There is significant medical value in having family and friends present with the patient. Patients will respond better to therapies when they have the assurance of family around them.” Dr. Mulroy said she has lived through the heartbreak of patients struggling alone in the hospital. “Every single patient I have seen in the last year suffer or die alone has affected me. No one should be alone in a hospital.”
The public should welcome and embrace the newly renewed opportunity to visit loved ones in our hospitals, respect its limitations at present, and take every advantage of the invitation to support the hospital bound patient in every way possible. Visitation policies are evolving and specific conditions at every hospital are in flux at this time, so be sure to check each hospital website for current visiting restrictions. Every hospital has them. But among the hard lessons learned from this pandemic, certainly in the hospital setting, has been the recognition that, for the patient, those connections to family and friends are the very basis of a healing outcome and need to be maintained. Your local hospitals want you to know their doors are open once again. For now, just be prepared to mask up.
Note: John Underwood is a former editor of the News Enterprise, an independent journalist and a producer for Los Al TV.
Join the Cypress Chamber on Tuesday, June 8th at 9:00AM for a Free Virtual Networking meet-up. Our special guest speaker in June will be LinkedIn business marketing expert Tracy Lindley who will share how she uses her own LinkedIn Account to effectively acquire business leads and contacts.
LinkedIn is a well-respected resource for business people of all kinds to interact and connect. As Tracy says, she has “cracked the code” to build her own business using LinkedIn and will share some of her ideas and strategies for our attendees. After her presentation Tracy will answer questions as time permits.
Tracy is a professional voice actor with a home studio based in the Midwest who has had the pleasure of working with clients like Hewlett-Packard, RealtorDotCom and Amazon Pharmacy. These companies, and more, are clients she met and began a business relationship with by using her free LinkedIn profile. Her e-course, The LinkedIn Edge, has helped hundreds of freelance professionals grow their businesses using her same methods.
Attendees will also have an opportunity to introduce themselves and their business and meet other attendees during the networking portion of the program after the speaker has finished.
Virtual attendees at the Chamber Breakfast can also provide a door prize to help promote their business. A drawing for the prizes will be held at the end of the ZOOM session for those participants still on the line.
ZOOM Reminder: For security purposes, you must PRE-REGISTER on ZOOM to attend Chamber Events. Here’s the link: https://www.cypresschamber.org/events/details/virtual-networking-breakfast-2389
Near the end of a six-hour long virtual meeting, the Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education voted 5-0 to adopt a social justice framework to give teachers new tools to tackle bullying, intolerance and incidents of racism in their increasingly diverse classrooms.
Exactly when or how the supplemental materials will be presented to teachers is not yet clear.
The board’s unanimous vote came after a series of last-minute changes to the standards were made. Some were proposed by staff, others by board member Diana Hill, who asked to replace some wording to make community members “feel more comfortable and give them more reason to trust really what we’re doing and why we’re doing [it].”
Both suggested changes seem to address some of the concerns expressed by opponents including their issues with the source of the standards, learningforustice.org, formerly tolerance.org, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center that critics claim is politically left-leaning.
The public discourse over the district’s proposed standards and an ethnic studies elective at Los Alamitos High School had become increasingly divisive over the past few weeks.
Security concerns forced last week’s meeting to be moved online after the Los Alamitos Police Department discovered “social media chatter” indicating “special interest groups” from both sides of the political spectrum were interested in converging on the meeting.
The virtual board meeting, which began at 6:30 p.m. on May 11, lasted until after 1:00 a.m. the next day with roughly 170 public comments read on the record by trustees and Supt. Dr. Andrew Pulver. According to a LAUSD summary, 73% of the comments expressed general support for the district, its ethnic studies elective and/or social justice standards. The standards consist of 20 “Anchor Standards and Domains” in four categories: Identity, Diversity, Justice and Action. (The curriculum for ethnic studies will be voted on June 1.)
Proponents and opponents clash during the protest.
Prior to the meeting, opponents held a protest outside the district headquarters on Bloomfield. A crowd of between 100 to 200 people, some waving flags and banners, showed up. Some were upset that the district was considering the standards. Others said the district wasn’t being transparent enough. A table was set up to collect signatures for a school choice ballot measure.
The rally featured many people picking up the microphone to address the crowd, some speakers were conservative activists and others were LAUSD parents and grandparents.
Matt Simmons, a parent who said he had a son and a daughter enrolled in LAUSD, said the board and administration were “making it very difficult” for opponents to be heard and accused them of changing the rules at the last minute for the crucial meeting where they voted on the new standards.
He said the board was “focused on a narrative and not the truth.” He and other parents suggested they’d take their children out of LAUSD schools if the social justice standards were approved.
The protest became tense when a few people in favor of the standards showed up. Despite shouting matches and a warning from Los Alamitos Police officers, the rally ended peacefully well before the board meeting began.
Changes made before Adoption of Social Justice Standards
The May 11 meeting included a presentation from Supt. Pulver outlining examples of how some of the items in the social justice standards could be incorporated into lessons.
Before the board discussed the standards, Deputy Supt. Ondrea Reed announced the removal of two pages of the proposed standards. Both pages referenced the “teaching tolerance” section at tolerance.org, a site of much contention during public debate.
At a previous meeting, Dr. Pulver said that the standards were to be considered a stand-alone item and the district would not be using any additional resources from the website. It has come under fire by opponents claiming it promotes facets of “critical race theory,” an academic discipline examining systemic and institutional racism. Dr. Pulver has repeatedly said the district is not using critical race theory in any of its efforts.
“We did remove the front and back pages,” of the published standards, said Reed, “as there was a bit of misinformation about some of the additional resources and content on learningforjustice.org and teaching for tolerance.”
“They [the removed resources] are not being proposed for action,” she said. According to Reed, the social justice standard voted on by the board “only includes the anchor standards and learning outcomes for students K-12.”
In addition to this exclusion, board member Diana Hill sought to “wordsmith” what the board was about to approve, acknowledging it was coming very late in the debate.
“I think for some members of our community, some tweaks that we could make to the anchor standards might really make [community members] more comfortable and give them more reason to trust really what we’re doing and why we’re doing it,” Hill told the board.
Later she said: “Maybe I should have let people know this ahead of time,” said Hill, “but this is our time to discuss and we have always made adjustments” to pending curricula said Hill.
Hill again decried any suggestion that we (LAUSD) “are looking at indoctrinating our students.” “That is absurd,” she said. Nevertheless, Hill suggested word changes would reverse some potential “negative connotations.”
For instance, Hill pointed out part of a section of the standards under “Identity” that reads: “’Students will recognize traits of the dominant culture’…” “That could be a bit inflammatory,” Hill said. She suggested that instead it should state recognition of “dominant cultures,” arguing history has seen many dominant cultures.
Hill also suggested where the standards suggest students will “negotiate” identities that the standards use the word “navigate” instead.
Board President Marlys Davidson, who taught American History for 25 years in LAUSD, gave examples of “navigate” and “negotiate” used in context.
“It’s how you move through something, how you navigate through difficult … surroundings and where you place yourself along the path,” Davidson said.
“I could see that and I did not look at it that way,” Hill responded. “I think it is a great point.”
Hill said the dialog about how people interpret words differently is really important.
“That’s one of those things out there that’s difficult right now,” Hill said. “It’s that these words – the syntax of them – are being taken in very different ways. And I want to be really clear about what we are trying to put forward.”
While other board members supported the word changes, Supt. Pulver reminded them that there could be copyright issues involved because the standards are published by another organization.
Yet, he said the spirited debate would nevertheless serve as specific direction to the staff on how the board wants the standards framed for teachers.
“If we can’t actually change the words, we can certainly take a look … because these are subtle changes, we can use this guidance as how we roll out professional development for our staff, as well,” Pulver said.
Board Members Share Their Thoughts
During an hour-long discussion, each of the board members expressed their positions before the vote, touching on issues brought up by concerned parents.
Board member Chris Forehan said he’s been “listening carefully to our school parents and students” during the debate. “I am not voting for critical race theory,” he noted. He said the board had been “working with experts in the field,” and “listening carefully” in order to approve standards that can “minimize conflict and continue to reduce acts of bullying and prejudice.”
Board member Meg Cutuli said the effort was about making people feel safe on campuses after teachers asked for additional tools to teach about tolerance. “I do not see this as a huge philosophical shift to indoctrinate children. I see this as another support for the safety of our children in their classrooms and on their playing fields,” Cutuli said.
But Cutuli also stressed the board wants any standard designed to reflect Los Al Unified, which she described as a “forward-thinking community.”
“We want it to be balanced,” Cutuli said, acknowledging as with all of the professional development standards utilized within the system, this one too must be moderate. If not, she said, “we’re not going to be representing our community.” Cutuli recognized that a lot of this will rest on how the supplemental materials will be presented to staff, which she said would be done “thoughtfully in an inclusive way.”
Newer board member Scott Fayette spoke directly to parents who felt they were not being heard by explaining that, as a new trustee, he learned about rules that can lead to a misconception that board members are not listening or have already made up their minds.
“I learned that we’re not allowed to comment,” he said, “and we’re also supposed to not show any emotion, keep our faces blank, so we don’t prejudice the speaker or the audience.”
Fayette shared he had similar feelings of not being heard when he was in the audience at meetings. “But now that I’m on the other side I can tell you it’s not true, we do listen.”
A little later he explained: “We listened. We made some changes. We removed the link to the [tolerance.org] website because we don’t support everything that they said. Los Al has a strong and long history of going out and creating our own policy and procedures,” said Fayette.
At one point, Fayette admitted he didn’t really like the name of the standards.
“Social justice is a loaded political word,” Fayette said. “Politics should have nothing to do with education. As soon as you add politics it becomes muddied, because left, right, center — everybody wants what’s best for the children.”
He also brought up a situation he witnessed in a classroom as a parent volunteer. A student was being bullied for his Cuban heritage. When the student told the teacher, Fayette said the teacher “panicked and literally ran away.”
“We have to give [teachers] the tools and the resources so that they have strategies to deal with these difficult situations,” he said. He expressed confidence in LAUSD’s “incredible teachers” to implement the standards.
Board President Marlys Davidson said it was the responsibility of the Board of Education to listen to parents and the education community. “We have received numerous emails and letters expressing diverse opinions.”
“I think if people remember you came here because you thought this was a very good place for your children to grow up, nothing has changed,” she said. “We are working as hard as we can to get to the truth and find the best programs, but the social justice standards and this ethnic studies curriculum…is the heart of what our community needs,” said Davidson.
Parents React
In interviews in the days after the vote, parents expressed a variety of responses.
“I am thankful for the board’s decision to adopt social justice standards in our classrooms. Creating a more inclusive and accepting environment will undoubtedly benefit every student at LAUSD,” LosAl@Home parent Steve Miller wrote in a text message. Miller has spoken out in support of the district’s efforts at numerous meetings. Miller said he has no concerns with how the standards will be implemented “because we trust teachers with so many other aspects of impacting our children, it’s a non-issue.”
“Our family could not be more proud that the Los Alamitos Unified School Board voted unanimously to implement the Social Justice Standards. These grade-specific standards give both teachers and students necessary tools to foster acceptance and create safe spaces in our classrooms and our community,” wrote LAUSD parent Natalie Chang.
LAHS alumna and LAUSD parent Nicole Suffel wrote: “Teaching kids to be kind and accepting and how to support one another and learning about other cultures etc. should always be the right thing to do and I really don’t understand how this is even up for debate. I know many of our teachers have always taught our children to be kind, open-minded people and this will just provide them with more ideas, support and resources to continue to do so.”
Other parents had different reactions, including Staci Muller who spoke at the protest prior to the meeting.
“I don’t agree with the board and Dr. Pulver’s decision. They did not do their due diligence as evidenced by the changes in verbiage after midnight the night of the decision. They’re okaying only a few paragraphs from tolerance.org, a site they don’t want teachers to use? … Makes zero sense,” Muller wrote in a text message.
Muller said she has met with Dr. Pulver and is attempting to offer alternative social justice standards to the district that she says are more neutral. She’s still debating whether to take her two children out of the district but is also exploring running for public office.
LAUSD parent David Ryst is focusing on how the standards will be rolled out. “Now that it’s been approved, I need some transparency about what that process is going to look like,” he said in a recent interview. Ryst has been vocal about his concerns with the proposed social justice standards saying he sees some good things in them, but also a lot of things he says could divide people. “This isn’t all good and we need to take a closer look and adjust accordingly.”
Sothy Chhe is a Weaver Elementary parent and has been closely following the district’s efforts for months. He says the district’s roll out of the ethnic studies course and social justice standards sparked confusion and consternation among parents.
For instance, the district released a FAQ sheet only weeks after parents started asking questions.
While Chhe supports the ethnic studies elective, he’s concerned with some of the language in the social justice standards and wants to know more about what will be taught in the classroom.
“Everyone’s got the best intentions. I think we all want the same thing in terms of inclusion. The real challenge is, how do we get there? I think that’s really where the debate is,” Chhe said in a phone interview.
He’s hoping the district will survey parents about the standards to both educate them and get them more included in the process. While Chhe has concerns, he said he hopes LAUSD will learn from this experience.
“It was a rough start to get there but I think there is going to be a positive impact and it will be a win-win situation,” Chhe said. “There’s a second chance here.”
Kori and Daren De Leon, a Seal Beach couple, has been named 2021 “Heroes of the Heart” of Los Alamitos High School by interim Principal Dr. Gregg Stone.
The announcement came at Tuesday’s meeting of the Los Alamitos Unified School District.
The couple attended the meeting via Zoom with their son Tyler, a standout linebacker for the Griffin football team that has signed a scholarship agreement to play for and attend the prestigious West Point Academy.
“I talked to Tyler a few weeks ago,” said Stone, “and I said Tyler, here’s the deal. I need to get your parents to a school board meeting, but I don’t know how to do it because it’s a secret.”
Tyler complied and the three appeared via Zoom before the board as Dr. Stone announced that they had been selected as the Griffin “Heroes of the Heart.” Not only did the de Leons’ receive the title, but they were also honored with what is likely one of the last poetic compositions penned by the interim principal, known for his prolific creative abilities.
Stone came out of retirement to again lead the school after an unexpected vacancy and will go back into the retirement in July when Christiana Kraus becomes the high school’s new principal.
While the printed word can hardly suffice for Dr. Stone’s timing, intonation and delivery, his words still ring powerful in the mind of those who hear them.
He first recounted the de Leons’ history of giving “at every level of the district; elementary, middle and high school. So, I want to talk about them; about what it means to be a volunteer.”
His poetic delivery recounted the couple’s “giving of hundreds of hours each year to support our students, helping out at sporting events, carnivals, choir shows in the light,” and also “giving your time and talent into the wee hours of the night.”
It means serving on committees, booster clubs, fundraisers and donating snacks, meals, money and more, said Stone. It means working weekends, holidays and during summer break.
“It’s not about giving back to the community, it is simply what one should do,” he proclaimed.
“If you do any one of these things, you’re a hero. But when you do all of these things, year after year, for 20 years, you are a hero of the heart,” he said in making the announcement.
Dr. Stone said Daren and Kori de Leon “have been mainstays in our schools for over 20 years. At times they were a shoulder to cry on. At other times, he said they were there to celebrate with cheers.
“They saw the need, jumped in with both feet,” he said, reminding the online audience of the many various roles the couple has played, noting, for instance, handing out programs, taking tickets and for Daren making the “inflatable Griffin” on display for every game.
“It was never just what’s in it for my child,” said Dr. Stone of the de Leons, “but they wanted to be able to serve all. Their volunteering was out of the sense of duty,” he said.
Put simply, Dr. Stone thanked them for “hearing your call.”
“Thank you so much,” said Kori de Leon. “We could not have asked for a better school, a better district for all of our children,” she said.
“I can only say to those of you watching on camera and those of you watching that this district (LAUSD) is special. It is unique. And it cares,” she said. “At one point, I spent quite a few Tuesdays at school board meetings,” said de Leon, “and I fell in love with our district all over again.”
“We are so grateful to everybody, thank you so much,” she said.
“Don’t you know that somebody who gives heart and soul to the district is going to turn it around and thank everybody else,” said Board President Marlys Davidson. We are a great district because of our families,” she said. “You make all the difference.”
A local Eagle Scout, Kiran Trivedi, has initiated a blood drive with the American Red Cross to avoid a blood shortage.
“At this moment, the situation is critical – blood donations are dropping,” said Trivedi in a message he is distributing to urge donations. “If this continues,” he says, “we could face a potential blood shortage and patients could face delays in care. They need your help now.”
According to Trivedi, the pandemic crisis has lasted for more than a year.
But, he said, “thanks to generous blood donors like you, patients have still been able to undergo life-saving surgeries, survive chronic illnesses, and recover from traumatic accidents.”
The Eagle Scout is urging potential donors to reach out to the American Red Cross at 1-800- REDCROSS to schedule an appointment. “Help can’t wait,” he said.
The Cypress School District will be returning to full-time instruction at their six elementary schools, Superintendent Anne Silavs announced this week in a letter to parents.
Silavs, who is the current Orange County Supt. of the Year, is proud that CSD did not close during the pandemic, even if they altered routines and protocols to adhere to the California Department of Health’s COVID protocols since the onset of the pandemic.
In the letter, Silavs said the district polled parents in March “regarding preferences to the 2021-2022 school year in the event that schools would still be required to comply with COVID-19 safety requirements, particularly those concerning physical distancing.”
Nearly 1,600 parents responded, said Silavs, indicating that 75 percent of them indicated a preference for a regular, full-time schedule.
Since then, Silavs said there “have been many positive developments in the fight against COVID-19, including increased access to vaccines for those 16 and older, and declining case rates.” Her letter also noted that the state has signaled that it will move beyond its “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” on June 15 if positive trends continue.In addition, she said state laws that enable school districts to offer alternative school schedules will expire, “and it doesn’t appear they will be extended, based on current publich health conditions.”
“In light of this information, the district is planning a full return to our regular school schedule for all students when the 2021-22 school year begins on August 19,” the superintendent told the parents. She said the Cypress School District Board of Trustees had approved a “traditional” school schedule for an additional year.
“We know how incredibly challenging the last 14 months has been for our entire school community, and we are thrilled at the prospect of restoring our school program to include many of the student experiences we highly value as part of a well-rounded public education.”
In addition, the Anaheim Union High School District, to which Cypress School District feeds its elementary graduates, also announced its intention “to safely transition to an in-classroom instructional model five days a week when the 2021-22 school year begins in August.”
“There may [also] be unique circumstances where students are better served with one of our independent studies models (Cambridge Virtual Academy, Polaris Independent Study, or Katella/Kennedy Independent Study Programs),” said a letter to parents.
Although a variety of factors will determine what the 2021-22 school year will look like, including following all CDC, California Department of Public Health, and Orange County Health Care Agency guidelines to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families, the District is determined to ensure a sense of normalcy for our students in the Fall, the district letter noted.
In its 36th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Malachi Nelson of Los Alamitos High School as its 2020-21 Gatorade California Football Player of the Year. Nelson is the second Gatorade California Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Los Alamitos High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Nelson as California’s best high school football player.
Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award to be announced in May, Nelson joins an elite group of past state football award-winners, including Emmitt Smith (1986-87, Escambia High School, Fla.), Matthew Stafford (2005-06, Highland Park High School, Texas) and Christian McCaffrey (2012-13 & 2013-14, Valor Christian High School, Colo.).
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound sophomore quarterback led the Griffins to a 6-0 record this past season. Nelson passed for 1,513 yards and 23 touchdowns, completing 73.9% of his throws and averaging an astounding 13.2 yards per attempt. He threw for 376 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns in one half against Huntington Beach High. A 2020 MaxPreps Sophomore All-American, Nelson was the Golden Gun Accuracy Challenge winner at the Elite 11 Los Angeles Regional last June. He is ranked as the nation’s No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Rivals.com.
“Malachi blew us away with his growth from last year,” said Dan O’Shea, head coach of Corona del Mar High School. “I figured we could rattle him or their offense, but he never blinked and literally did not have one ball off target to his wide receivers all night.”
Nelson has maintained a 3.72 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his junior year of high school fall.
Through Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Nelson has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of their choosing. Nelson is also eligible to submit a 30-second video explaining why the organization they chose is deserving of one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants, which will be announced throughout the year.
Following a traumatic year fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the top executive of Los Alamitos Medical Center paid tribute to its employees to celebrate National Hospital and Healthcare Week.
“The past year has been a devastating time for our country, and for the world, but against all odds, you have remained a stalwart and steadfast force against COVID, helping to keep our community safer. Now more than ever, you truly make a difference in the lives of our community,” said CEO Kent Clayton.
Since 1921, hospitals across the country have been celebrating National Hospital and Healthcare Week. The event has grown over the past 100 years to become the nation’s largest health care event. It is a celebration of the history, technology and dedicated professionals who make hospitals and healthcare facilities beacons of confidence and care.
“This week is specifically set aside for us to celebrate you, our hard-working staff, and to thank you for supporting the health of our community through your time, dedication and compassionate care. Without the work you do, the healing that we see every day would not be possible,” Clayton said.
National Hospital and Healthcare Week also coincides with Nurses Week, he said, and “I want to express my gratitude to each of our nurses – for your tireless effort, your expertise, and for your care and compassion with our patients.”
Clayton said everyone at Los Alamitos Medical Center is grateful for its nurses, “and we are humbled by the hard work you do every day. Nursing is one of the most rewarding careers, but also one of the most challenging.”
“On behalf of our governing board, physicians and administrative team, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your role in making miracles happen each and every day.
Your efforts truly make a difference,” said Clayton.
A spokesperson for Los Al Medical said an entire week of celebratory events have been planned to help the institution celebrate.
The sound of artillery fire will echo across communities surrounding Joint Forces Training Base (JFTB) on Saturday, May 15, commemorating the change of command of the California Army National Guard’s 100th Troop Command.
The traditional artillery salute by three M119A3 howitzers of the Cal Guard’s Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery Regiment, will highlight the formal ceremony at which Col. Zac Delwiche will relinquish command to Col. David M. Church.
The ceremony will get underway at 10 a.m.
Test firing of the artillery will take place Saturday morning between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. in conjunction with ceremony rehearsals.
For additional information, please contact Col. (CA) Richard Lalor at (562) 795-2096 or via email at ri******************@**il.mil, or Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman at (805) 458-3825 or via email at cr*******************@**il.mil.
Also, U.S. Marine Corps aviation units will be utilizing Los Alamitos Army Airfield (LAAAF) from Tuesday, May 11, through Sunday, May 16, for training exercises utilizing MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters, base spokesman Col. Richard Lalor has announced.
Residents of communities located near Joint Forces Training Base may hear the sound of these aircraft arriving and departing the airfield. The majority of flight operations will take place during published tower hours. However, some flight operations may occur outside regular hours, he said in a statement.
These operations are part of a large composite training unit exercise of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) based at Camp Pendleton. The exercise replicates deployment operations of an MEU and is designed to enhance the integration and collective capabilities of the 11th MEU, while providing the opportunity to conduct realistic ship-to-shore training.
Efforts will be taken to minimize inconvenience to our neighbors.
For additional information, please contact Col. (CA) Richard Lalor at (562) 795-2096 or via email at ri******************@**il.mil, or Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman at (805) 458-3825 or via email at cr*******************@**il.mil,
The Cypress city council approved a three-year plan last week that provides approximately $1.5 million in aid to a group of nonprofit organizations in the city, most of it in indirect contributions.
Recreation Manager Jeff Draper said city staff had calculated the projected in-direct assistance to nonprofits in the city for fiscal years 2021-24 as approximately $1.1 million.
In addition, he said staff had also analyzed nonprofits who had filed applications to received direct financial aid related to the pandemic.
Following the onset of COVID, the city approved $300,000 in one-time, direct aid to the nonprofit sector as part of the city’s overall aid package to the community.
Newly installed Council member Anne Hertz, who is an executive with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Anaheim-Cypress, recused herself from the meeting and literally left the dais before the discussion began.
The BGCGAC had requested $200,000 from the city.
According to Draper, city officials investigated the balance sheets of the organizations before making the award recommendations, saying the projected dollar amounts were based on a variety of metrics and specific factors that were explained to the council.
Draper said nonprofits receiving funding must use those proceeds to benefit citizens of Cypress, they also must be used in a way to demonstrate they are filling service or delivery gaps caused by the pandemic and/or used to enhance service deliveries caused or necessitated by the state’s stay-at-home order.
In addition, Draper told the council that the nonprofits specifically cannot use the city provided funds for sponsorships, payroll or other operational activities. Also, he said, nonprofits cannot use the funding to pass through to other organizations or support any operations outside Cypress.
Mayor Pro-Tem Stacy Berry said she was happy the city was in a position to help struggling nonprofits, yet she asked city staff about the conditions and reports required of the organizations receiving funds.
Draper said each of the seven nonprofits that are being funded will have to file reports with the city demonstrating how the funds were used.
Council member Frances Marquez moved to award the grants, and Berry seconded, yet recused herself from voting on the grant to the Children’s Advocacy Council because of her role in that charity.
According to Draper, the city recommendations were as follows:
Of the $200,000 requested by BGCGAC, they should receive $138,000 from the program, AYSO Cypress 154 requested $166,752 and should receive $63,252, the Cypress Chamber of Commerce requested $42,700 and should receive $31,800, the Woman’s Club of Cypress requested $100,000 and should receive $24,000, the Mount Calvary Lutheran Church requested $20,000 and should received $20,000, Cypress Girls softball requested $17,000 and should received that amount and the Boy Scouts Troop 670 requested $5,000 and will receive that amount under the recommendations.
The Council was expected to finalize the program with a final vote at their May 10 meeting.
Also this past week, the Cypress council finally agreed on a name for its latest park, a sports park under construction on Lexington Drive.
Cameron Harding, Director of Recreation and Community Services, basically told the council that they had no more time to think about a name. “It is imperative,” said Harding.
He said the city’s park contractor “needs a name to start fabricating a sign” so the new park can open on time this fall.
Harding said also that a commission studying names had selected four options (from 187 suggestions) for the Council to consider, including Cypress Sports Park, Lexington Park, Thoroughbred Park and Cypress Park.
In addition, Harding told the council that, for now, the city has basically abandoned the idea of finding a “naming rights” sponsor. He said it was due to several reasons, mainly that the park may not be able to provide sufficient spectator info, which such deals generally require 100-acre parks (this one is nine acres) and that coming out of a pandemic may not be an ideal time to find such a sponsor.
Still, council members had their own naming ideas.
Council member Paulo Morales first asked Harding not to totally abandon the naming rights issue, and he threw out the names of a former officer and even celebrity golfer Tiger Woods.
Marquez thought the park should be named “Ed Allred Thoroughbred Park” to honor the man who donated the property.
Hertz suggested indigenous heroes and those who could be traced back to the original Spanish land grant on which the city is largely built.
Berry thought injecting the word “sports” into a name would give people the impression that it was not also a general park, “for everyone,” and suggested Lexington Park from those presented.
Peat said he had no strong preference and said he could vote for Lexington.
After some discussion, the council finally came to a consensus over the name Lexington Park and voted unanimously to award it that name.
Lexington Park is a 9-acre park located at the corner of Lexington Drive and Cerritos Avenue and is scheduled to open this fall.
In other action, the Cypress council:
• Approved a request from Chief of Police Mark Lauderback to approve a $709,223 state tobacco enforcement grant that will provide three year of funding for school resource officers at Cypress High School, Lexington Junior High and Oxford Academy as well as provide for outreach and tobacco sales enforcement.
• Agreed to reduce a park development fee for the 7-acre, 135 townhome development application filed by Melia Homes and Los Alamitos Race Course in lieu of a land donation.
• Approved the first reading of an ordinance related to a settlement agreement that provides for a ban on camping or storage of personal belongings on public property that are enforceable when readily available shelters are available within a specified distance.
The Los Alamitos Unified School District has announced their graduation ceremony plans for all schools within the district.
District Supt. Andrew Pulver announced earlier this year that the district was considering a series of alternatives and monitoring all pandemic guidelines to ensure students would be able to have graduation ceremonies in 2021.
The district this week announced plans for elementary, middle and its high school. According to the district, here are the plans:
5th Grade Promotions: (On Laurel Field at District Office)
• Monday, June 7 @ 12:00PM – Lee
• Monday, June 7 @ 2:30PM – Rossmoor
• Monday, June 7 @ 5:00PM – LAE
• Tuesday, June 8 @ 12:00PM – Weaver
• Tuesday, June 8 @ 2:30PM – McGaugh
• Tuesday, June 8 @ 5:00PM – Hopkinson
Middle School Promotions: Santa Ana Bowl (602 N. Flower St., Santa Ana, 92703)
• Thursday, June 10 @ 3:00PM – McAuliffe
• Thursday, June 10 @ 7:00PM – Oak
LAHS Graduation: Santa Ana Bowl
• Friday, June 11 @ 6:30PM
