Each year the Cypress Senior Citizens Commission recognizes the outstanding contributions of a senior by presenting them with the Grace Lachina Outstanding Senior Recognition award in April.
In order to be eligible to receive the award, nominees must meet the following criteria:
1. Nominees must be a resident of Cypress, 50 years of age or older, been active in the City of Cypress and made outstanding contributions to the senior community.
2. The nominee’s contribution(s) must be above and beyond the criteria of their normal duties.
3. Each nomination must be made on the attached application form outlining the nominee’s accomplishments and related activities.  If more room is needed, please attach additional sheets to the application.
Nomination forms are available at the Cypress Senior Center, Cypress Community Center, and online at www.cypressrec.com.  Nominations must be received by Friday, Feb. 26 by 5 p.m.

The Woman’s Club of Cypress (WCC) celebrates its 50th anniversary on Wednesday, March 2 at Old Ranch Country Club (3901 Lampson Avenue) in Seal Beach with special guest California Federation of Women’s Clubs President Chris Herzog.
Open to members and guests, the celebration will begin at 10 a.m. with a short general meeting. A special program and luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. The cost is $33 person, with reservations due by Feb. 19.
Club President Veena Narain is excited to be part of the planning for the March 2 celebration, “It’s wonderful to be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Woman’s Club of Cypress. I am happy to be a part of this organization of hard-working, civic-minded women.
Our members are enthusiastic about volunteering to help others, whether it’s in our own community or overseas. I think we are especially fortunate to have two founding members, Bobbie Bloch and Gloria Livingston, still attending our meetings and events.”
The general meetings of the Woman’s Club of Cypress are usually held on the first Wednesday of each month, at 10 a.m., at the Cypress Community Center.
For tickets to the 50th Anniversary Luncheon or information about the nonprofit organization or upcoming meetings and events, contact Veena Narain at v_narain@yahoo.com or 714-236-0173.

Outgoing Los Al Chief Todd Mattern was honored for his 29 years of police service on his last day of active uniformed service with a “Walk of Honor” on Jan. 22.
About 50 people lined the City Hall walkway to surprise, congratulate Mattern on his retirement and to say goodbye. Several officers from the Seal Beach Police Department were also in attendance, as many knew Mattern having worked with him during his time with the police department.
Mattern was the eighth Chief of Police for Los Al, but the first to rise through the ranks to lead the organization.
On Jan. 28, the Los Alamitos Police Officers Association is hosting a retirement party for Mattern at the Old Ranch Country Club at 5 p.m.
Anyone with questions about the event can contact department secretary Catherine Howard at 562-431-2255 x.401.

A proposed change in street parking throughout Los Al was heavily opposed by residents in attendance at a city council meeting on Jan. 19.
Many business owners showed up voicing concerns over employees’ inability to park if the proposed changes went into effect.
A move towards two- and three-hour parking in areas where there are currently no restrictions was on the city council’s consent calendar.
When pulled for discussion, worries over the impact to local businesses arose.
“You’re going to run your businesses out of town,” said Judy Klabouch, owner of Green Street Interiors. “We need those spots.”
A town hall meeting to be scheduled for sometime in February was the result of the proposed change. Residents are encouraged to attend and voice their opinion.
The city council agreed with business owners concerns and suggested the issue was going to take time to get right.
“It’s a solution looking for a problem,” said councilmember Warren Kusumoto.
The city’s method of announcing the item on the agenda was releasing a map of the effected area.
Some areas listed were proposed to change from eight hour or all day parking to limited two hour or four hour parking.
Creating circulation of customers was a reason behind the proposed change.
However, several business owners said it will effect their employees because they are the ones that use the street parking.
“It’s not convenient and it’s not business friendly,” said Jill Wilson, owner of Shenandoah at the Arbor.

Cypress Mayor Mariellen Yarc delivered her State of the City Address and presented Business of the Year awards at the Cypress Community Center on Jan. 20.
Yarc’s speech recounted many of the City’s accomplishments in 2015, which include: City Council adoption of a strategic plan and a balanced budget; improvements in transparency and communication with the community; a new farmers market; new business and retail centers under construction; and the ongoing success of community recreation programs. Yarc also highlighted the accomplishments of Cypress’ school community.
Yarc’s address focused on the theme “Balance is the Key to Life.”  She highlighted the efforts that contribute to ensuring that Cypress is a thriving, balanced community in which to live, work and play. Additionally, Yarc recognized Oxford Academy student and Cypress resident Dan Ta, for his many accomplishments including recently being selected as one of Orange County’s 100 Most Influential.
Three businesses were also honored during the event with the Annual BRACE, AGENT, and SPIRIT Business of the Year Awards.
The recipient of the BRACE Business of the Year Award was Christie Digital Systems.  In attendance to receive the award was Anna Escudero, Senior Director of Human Resources.  Christie has called Cypress home since 1994.  They provide state of the art visual and audio equipment and display solutions for companies like AMC Theatres, Boeing, Fox TV Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, and Starbucks.  In addition to being a global leader in its field, Christie is also a generous corporate citizen, providing sponsorships and donations for innovations in the arts, culture, education and the environment.
The AGENT Business of the Year Award was awarded to Kaeser Compressors. Keith Baker, Branch Manager, was in attendance to receive the award.  Kaeser Compressors provides compressed air systems and services. They are the preferred choice of many top automotive restorers and fabricators featured on television shows, including Stacey David’s Gearz on Velocity TV and West Coast Customs featured on Fox Sports.
The recipient of the SPIRIT Business of the Year Award was Hansen Auto Body & Paint. Chuck Hansen was in attendance to accept the award.  Hansen Auto Body & Paint is a family-owned business that has been providing Cypress with the highest quality auto body repair services for more than 55 years.
Yarc concluded the event with a quote, “As Albert Einstein said, ‘Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving.’ And my colleagues and I will do everything possible to keep Cypress moving in the right direction.”
For more information regarding the City of Cypress, the BRACE, AGENT, and SPIRIT programs, other City services for the business community, or for information on how to relocate your business to the City of Cypress, please contact Redevelopment Project Manager Steve Clarke at 714-229-6728.
A video of the Mayor’s State of the City Address can be found on the City’s website at www.ci.cypress.ca.us.

At its Jan. 19 meeting, the Los Alamitos City Council voted 5-0 to approve the appointment of Eric R. Nuñez to replace retired Police Chief Todd Mattern.
Chief Nuñez has served with the La Palma Police Department since 1991 and has been their chief for the past five years.  Nuñez took over the top position of the Los Alamitos Police Department on Monday, Jan. 25.
Nuñez, 53, has a Master’s degree in Leadership from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of La Verne.
He is an adjunct staff instructor at the Golden West Criminal Justice Training Center, teaching police recruits topics like cultural diversity, racial profiling, and ethics.
Last year, he authored an article for the Journal of California Law Enforcement entitled, “Recruiting for Emotional-Social Intelligence: Enhancing Leadership, Performance, Community Trust, and Saving Lives”.
The new chief was selected among several applicants following an extensive recruitment process that was initiated last fall and included multiple interviews, one of which was with a panel of local community leaders.
Nuñez and his wife, Molly, have four children, ages 8 – 25, and next month they are expecting their first grandchild.  Of his selection, he said, “My family and I are so very excited to become part of this incredible community and for me to take the reins of this extremely well managed police department utilizing my leadership background and police futuring interests to provide a solid platform for Los Alamitos PD to take policing and community service to the next level,” said Nuñez.
“I look forward to working with our business community, non-profits, Los Alamitos Unified School District, elected officials, and of course our residents to continue to make Los Alamitos a safe and vibrant place to live, work, educate, and most importantly, enjoy with our families.”
A ceremony to welcome the new chief, with Mayor Richard Murphy administering the Oath of Allegiance, was held on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at the Los Alamitos Community Center.
Outgoing Chief Todd Mattern, who has been with the City of Los Alamitos since 1986, retired last October but has remained with the Police Department as the interim chief during the recruitment for the new chief.  His official last day was Jan. 24.

After a strong bond campaign, led by current Board of Education member, Diana Hill, the Los Al School District’s Board of Education responded by authorizing placement on the November 2008 ballot, Measure K, a general obligation school construction bond.  As passed by the voters, Measure K provided $126 million for a wide array of District facility needs, with every campus receiving improvements by having classrooms and facilities repaired, upgraded, and modernized as necessary, along with $2 million for technology needs and $2 million for athletic projects.
Measure K was authorized under Proposition 39 and contained a number of requirements, including the provision by the District of a complete and detailed list of all projects to be undertaken with bond funds. Proposition 39 also included a Citizens’ Oversight Committee, which has had the responsibility of oversight, monitoring, and informing the public of how the District has done throughout the process.  This Committee has always confirmed that we have been “On Time and On Budget.”  The original bond campaign was led by Hill, who’s now on the Board of Education.
Going beyond
But like all things “Los Al,” the District was able to set an aggressive construction project schedule that allowed them to apply for and receive $24 million in matching state funds.  In addition, the District spent 10 percent less on soft costs (i.e., architectural, engineering, construction management) than the average normally dictates, which allowed more funds to go to hard construction and much more than the original project.  These additional funds enabled the District to add air conditioning to the sites, modernize all kitchens, add new classrooms at several sites, add a new weight room for all the PE and athletic students at LAHS, provide an All-Weather Track and Field Complex, upgrade the Oak Middle School fields, and modernize the District Auxiliary Offices.
Currently, all but the last two completed projects have been closed out with the California Division of State Architect, and the District has also increased its financial ratings during the financial processes.  The District’s bond rating was increased by Standard & Poor’s from “AA-” to “AA” and was affirmed by Moody’s Investors Service at “Aa2”.  The rating agencies cited a stable tax base, strong finances, and effective management, which helped to attract a large number of investors, allowing for lower final interest rates.  The District restructures the original series of bonds which will save taxpayers over $2 million in interest.
“The District is proud to be good stewards of the public funds as we remain well respected among investors and able to provide so much more to our community and the public tax payers,” commented Patricia Meyer, Los Alamitos USD Deputy Superintendent.  “We were committed to achieve more than we promised in the 2008 bond campaign in order to provide students with the environment and tools they need to achieve further academic success, and we have done just that!”
The Los Alamitos Unified School District, which serves the cities of Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, and the communities of Rossmoor and Surfside, is a nationally recognized leader in providing top quality education.  The achievements have been accrued by the District as a result of the long history of visionary leadership from the District’s Board of Education, as well as from teachers, staff members, parents, and members of the District communities.  During its long history, the District has benefited from a community that supports its educational institutions by establishing high standards for academic achievement, while at the same time providing the means required to meet and even surpass those expectations.

The Cypress Recreation and Community Services Commission is accepting nominations for its annual Volunteer Service Awards.
The awards provide an opportunity to extend recognition to those Cypress residents who have contributed in such areas as recreational activities, youth sports leagues, auxiliary groups, community activities, or volunteer work that promotes the arts within Cypress An awards reception will be on Tuesday, April 19, at the Cypress Community Center. Nomination forms are available at the Cypress Community Center, 5700 Orange Avenue, and on the City’s website, www.cypressrec.com.  Nominations must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, March 4. For more information, call 714-229-6783.

The 2016 Rossmoor Community Festival will be held on Sunday May 1 at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rush Park, 3021 Blume Drive, Rossmoor.  Join in and experience the rides, games, many vendors, food trucks, live entertainment, dog parade and car show.
Sign-ups for the free car show can be made by contacting Lee Lindquist at leelindquist@socal.rr.com – trophies awarded in many categories  Dress up your dog for the famous dog parade, sign up on site, no entrance fee – great prizes.
Check out their website http://rossmoorfestival.com for entertainment,  non-food and food vendor applications and sponsorship opportunities.  For more information call 562-799-1401 or send an email to festival@rossmoor-rha.org.
This event is co-sponsored by the Rossmoor Homeowners Association and the Rossmoor Community Service District.

In less than 30 days, Los Alamitos will officially prohibit cultivation of cannabis by medical marijuana patients within the city limits as well as the use of medical cannabis, either for commercial or personal use.
It was a race against the clock as Los Al’s City Council held hearings in December and January for the new city ordinance, which needs to take effect before March 1, 2016.
The reason for the March deadline is due to three State bills passed last year by California Governor Jerry Brown dubbed the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA).
In the Act, it requires cities to clearly prohibit cultivation use by March 1 through the City’s Zoning Code or give up licensing power to the State.
The Act sets up a dual licensing program, which allows cultivation of medical cannabis as well as commercial medical cannabis activities if both a State and local license are acquired.
By adopting the new ordinance, Los Alamitos takes control of medical marijuana regulation in the city by prohibiting “any permit, license, or other entitlement for any activity for which a State license is required under the MMRSA,” as stated in a city staff report.
Also, by passing the ordinance, Los Alamitos retains the option to modify the law and adopt new regulations in the future.
The delivery of medical cannabis is also prohibited by the ordinance. That includes any deliveries that begin or end in Los Alamitos.
At a public hearing on the issue during a planning commission meeting in November, a representative of the police department disclosed that in 2013 there were six robberies related to medical marijuana deliveries in Los Alamitos.
The MMRSA has a deadline of Jan 1, 2018 to adopt regulations on delivery of medical marijuana.
Before the ordinance came across the city council, it was introduced through a public hearing held by the planning commission on Nov. 18 of last year.
Following the hearing, the planning commission passed a resolution to recommend that the city council adopt the ordinance.
Los Al City Council’s first reading of the ordinance took place on Dec. 14 and the second reading took place Jan 19.
Thirty days after an ordinance’s second reading, the ordinance comes into effect as law.
In the city’s staff report, it states “citywide prohibition is proper and necessary to avoid the risks of criminal activity, degradation of the natural environment, malodorous smells and indoor electrical fire hazards that may result from such activities.”
Cypress
Currently, the City of Cypress prohibits the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the city.
What is not prohibited is the cultivation of medical marijuana.
Cypress is also under the upcoming deadline of March 1, and held its first hearing of an ordinance prohibiting the cultivation of marijuana within the city limits on Jan. 11.
The city council voted 5-0 in favor of the ordinance at its first hearing. The second hearing is set for Jan. 25.
If unanimously favored again, the ordinance will come into effect 30 days after the second reading.
La Palma
The city council held it’s second reading of an ordinance titled “Cannabis Related Businesses” on Jan. 19.
La Palma also looks to retain its control on the regulation of marijuana cultivation and marijuana dispensaries.
La Palma already banned any form of cannabis activity including cultivation by qualified patients back in 2008. The ordinance is just a way of reasserting those bans by amending the city’s zoning code to reflect that.

Development of outside seating for restaurants in Los Alamitos will soon require a permitting process that could take as little as 10 days for areas 300 square feet or smaller.
Any outdoor seating larger than that will require a conditional use permit, which takes at least 30 days to process and planning commission approval to obtain.
“It’s a more customer friendly process,” said Los Al’s Director of Community Development Steven Mendoza about the new permit process.
At Los Al’s City Council meeting on Jan. 19, a Zoning Ordinance amendment that sets forth the new permitting process was an item on the consent calendar.
The new ordinance is an effort from the city to “incentivize and encourage outdoor dining,” reads the city’s staff report.
The new process will require an administrative use permit, which requires “detailed and fully dimensioned plans, architectural drawings, elevations, floor plans, landscape plans,” to obtain.
Every year the permit would have to be renewed and a fee would have to be paid.

The Los Alamitos Museum Association has selected two honorees for the Honored Citizen Award.   The first honoree is Dr. William C. Poe, V, who was born in Long Beach and raised in Los Alamitos. The second honoree is Mary Holzgang.
Poe decided early in life that he would be a Doctor of Dental Surgery.
All his life Poe has been involved in a myriad assortment of sports activities.  Reflecting this desire, Poe was Captain of the football team at both Pine Jr. High School and Los Alamitos High School, where he graduated with honors.
Remaining steadfast in his quest for a doctorate, Poe earned his DDS degree from the University of Southern California.  Continuing his education, he recently received his Fellowship from the prestigious Las Vegas Dental Institute, the world’s premier post-graduate dental teaching center.
Staying close to home, Poe is a charter member of the Los Alamitos Football Foundation, as well as being past president of the Los Alamitos Rotary and the Los Alamitos Youth Center.
He has always been a member of the local Chamber of Commerce and became Principal for a day.
He has been honored as Chamber of Commerce’s Los Alamitos Man of the Year, 1998.  He is presently President of the St. Hedwig Pony Baseball League.  Los Alamitos is fortunate in having Dr. Poe in their midst.
The Museum’s second honoree Mary Holzgang was born in Los Angeles and moved around extensively during her formative years.
Mary graduated from Dorsey High school, went on to spend a year at UC Berkeley and finished college at UCLA.
Mary moved to Los Alamitos with her family in 1971 and like most parents joined the LAAYSO, PTA, Girl Scouts and Campfire Girls.  Community involvement has always been a priority in her life.  Eventually, Mary was elected as a member of the Los Alamitos Unified School Board, a responsibility she thoroughly enjoyed for nine years.
She, too, as well as Dr. Poe, was a member of the Los Alamitos Youth Center and clearly remembers Dr. Poe calling out bingo numbers at the Youth Center.   In 1997, she received her Ham Radio License and volunteers monthly at the Queen Mary’s Wireless Radio Room.  She is also active with the Senior Ministries at Good Shepherd Church in Los Alamitos.
Mary’s most enjoyable and successful volunteer activity was the Front Porch Project for the Los Alamitos/Rossmoor Library.
As President of the Friends of the Library, Mary and friends were able to raise funds to landscape the front of the library.  Mary also helps set up for the Outdoor Book Sales held every other month.
She is most prolific in her volunteerism and assuredly keeps the momentum alive.
The Honored Citizen event will be held at the Los Alamitos Museum on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. The Museum is located at 11062 Los Alamitos Boulevard in Los Alamitos.
For more information, please call 562-431-8836 or call 562-430-5721.

Enrollment is up and local non-profit The Youth Center in Los Alamitos is looking for more volunteer tutors for their new Rossmoor After School Club and Academic Learning Services (R.A.S.C.A.L.S), for children ages pre-kindergarten to 5th grade.
Elementary school children from the Los Alamitos Unified School District are provided homework help along with outdoor sports and competitions, obstacle courses, arts & crafts at R.A.S.C.A.L.S. Currently the program has 18 students and space is limited to 25 per day.
When one young student, Alistair Wu, 5, of Los Alamitos started the program a few months ago, he was not fluent in English since he primarily lived in a Dutch and Chinese language environment in the past four years, said his mother Yuping Mao, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at California State University, Long Beach.
“The tutors and children at R.A.S.C.A.L.S. have been extremely helpful to provide extra English learning and practicing opportunities for him,” she added.
The R.A.S.C.A.L.S. tutors accomplished this by reading books to Alistair every day, and helping him with his homework. “Now he is much more comfortable with speaking English and is more confident in interacting with other children,” said Mao. “He’s doing better at school academically and socially.”
“We’ve definitely seen his improvement in leaps and bounds,” said R.A.S.C.A.L.S. Staff Member Allison McCabe, who is one of Alistair’s tutors. “It’s rewarding to see how in just a short time, we helped him to read and write better. I’m studying to be a teacher, and it makes me happy to see his improvement, and hopefully my helping him is beneficial to the both of us.”
“We highly appreciate the effort that all the staff members in R.A.S.C.A.L.S. program made to help Alistair grow, and all the supporters of Youth Center to make this program happen,” added his mother.

The Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF) received a check for $8,168 from the Young Americans on Sunday, Jan. 10 during the finale performance of the performing arts workshop conducted that weekend.
The Young Americans workshop was facilitated by LAEF and was part of the “Turn Up The Music” campaign, which helps raise funds for arts programs and foundations. Over 120 students in grades 3-12 participated in the workshop and were mentored by 40 Young Americans in dancing, singing and acting. Students put on a 45-minute performance on Sunday displaying all the new talents and skills they had learned in the workshop.
“We are so grateful to the Young Americans for their amazing mentorship to the students of Los Alamitos USD this past weekend. We are pleased to present this workshop biennially and it was a pleasure to see a passion for the performing arts ignited in all participants,” said LAEF Executive Director, Carrie Logue.
LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District.
LAEF enhances educational excellence in the community by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to Pre-K to 12th grade students.
For additional information on LAEF, please call 562-799-4700 x80424 or visit www.LAEF4kids.org.

Cypress Mayor Mariellen Yarc delivered her State of the City Address and presented Business of the Year awards at the Cypress Community Center on Jan. 20. Mayor Yarc’s speech recounted many of the City’s accomplishments in 2015: City Council adoption of a strategic plan and a balanced budget; improvements in transparency and communication with the community; a new farmers market; new business and retail centers under construction; and the ongoing success of community recreation programs. Mayor Yarc also highlighted the accomplishments of Cypress’ school community.

Oxford Academy PTSA and residents of Cypress turned out in force at Monday night’s City Council meeting to oppose developer City Ventures’ application to build a high-density housing project half a block from the Oxford Academy campus. After nearly three hours of public comment from the standing-room-only crowd, the council conditionally denied the application by a 3-2 vote. Citing an advocacy committee reportand resolution adopted by the school’s PTSA unit, Oxford Academy principal Ron Hoshi and PTSA president Jon Hultman shared their concerns for student safety.