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 le**********@******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 fe******@**********ha.org.
This event is co-sponsored by the Rossmoor Homeowners Association and the Rossmoor Community Service District.
Annual Rossmoor Fest coming up
Los Al bans marijuana cultivation
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.
Regulations for outdoor dining to change
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.
Los Alamitos’ honored citizens
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.
Youth center looking for volunteers
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.
Young Americans make LAEF donation
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.
New football coach for Los Alamitos High
After an extensive interviewing process among a pool of high caliber candidates, Los Alamitos High School recently announced the hiring of Ray Fenton as the new Head Football Coach.
Coach Fenton has been the head coach at Fountain Valley High School the past three years. There, Fenton took over a team with a losing record of 11-19-1 over three seasons and lead them to two CIF playoff appearances, including a second place finish in the Sunset League this year.
Coach Fenton is excited to start a new era at Los Alamitos High School. A long time community member, growing up just three miles from campus, Coach Fenton feels back at home with a new found sense of Griffin Pride.
Fenton has a long and successful career as a high school football coach. With 19 years of head coaching experience, he has earned one CIF championship at Cypress High School, one State semifinals berth during his time coaching in Nevada, three CIF semifinal berths, and nine league championships. He has garnered two State Coach of the Year honors in both California and Nevada, as well as two Orange County Coach of the Year honors for coaching football and track & field.
Coach Fenton believes that the foundation for a great football program is built at the “grass roots level.”
His consistent work in the community has earned him recognition as Citizen of the Year for the City of Cypress as well as receiving the Heroism Award for the City of Henderson, NV.
Coach Fenton is most proud of the hundreds of long lasting relationships he has with his players and their families. “My proudest moments are when former players walk into the office just to hang out with me,” said Fenton.
Cypress Mayor Yarc delivers 2016 State of the City address
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.
Griffins survive Oiler pressure to maintain league lead
Leads were hard to come by in the Sunset League basketball showdown between Los Alamitos and Huntington Beach. The Oilers were able to erase a six point lead in the final four minutes, but their last second shot fell short and the Griffins held on for a 64-63 win on Friday at Huntington Beach High. The win kept the Griffins (4-0 in league) atop the league, ahead of Edison and Newport Harbor, both 3-1. The Griffins struggled to get things going and Head Coach Eddie Courtemarche said the Oiler defense forced them to make some adjustments. “They did a good job of taking the right angle on the press,” Courtemarche said. The game went back-and-forth most of the night. Huntington Beach’s SheaSueda make a steal and layup on the Griffins defensive end to give the Oilers a 50-48 lead late in the third. But Griffin guard Connor Laines drove the length of the court and was fouled on his layup attempt in the final seconds. Hit both free throws to tie the game 50-50 at the end of the third. In the fourth the Griffins began to stretch out a small lead. Laines grabbed an offensive rebound, scored and was fouled. He hit the free throw to give the Griffins a 55-53 lead. Guard Cary Makiyama followed with two free throws to push the lead to 57-53. EyassuWorku made a steal and coast-to-coast driving layup to give Los Alamitos a 59-53 lead. After an Oiler three-pointer, Los Al guard Pepe Garcia made a baseline drive for a layup and foul. He converted the free throw to give the Griffins a 62-56 lead. When Jacob Eyman hit a baseline jumper, the Griffins led 64-58, but the Oilers went on run from there. They hit two free throws to cut the lead to 64-63, with 8.2 seconds left. The Oilers fouled with 6.9 seconds left, and when the Griffins missed the free throw, Huntington Beach had one last chance. However, the Oilers’ baseline jump shot fell short at the buzzer. The Griffins are back home on Wednesday (Jan. 27) against Marina at 7 p.m. They will be at Edison on Friday at 7 p.m. in a key game.
Oxford Academy PTSA successfully advocates to defeat high-density housing project
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.
Cypress opens league play with two wins
The Cypress High girls soccer team opened Empire League play with two wins, topping Tustin and Western High with consecutive shutouts. The Centurions had a second-half goal from Tatum Gee to get past Tustin, 1-0, at Tustin High. On Friday, the Centurions travelled to Western High and shutout the Pioneers, 4-0, to improve to 2-0 in Empire League play. Against Western, Cypress had two goals from Jenna Dages and one each from Chloe Gallegos and Rachel McClure. The Centurions improved to 8-5-4 overall. Cypress coach Nicole Woiemberghe said they played a tough pre-league schedule to help prepare for league play, but that didn’t help them with the emotional urgency that is often needed when it comes time for league rivalry play. The Centurions won the league title last year with a 10-0 record, so they expect that league foes will be ramping up their efforts in order to try and prevent a repeat title for the centurions. “We kind of have that target on our back,” Woiemberghe said. However, if the Centurions can match the intensity of opponents, they certainly have the ability to make a run at another title. Their back line is anchored by seniors Madison Nelson and Madison Tanos. Up front, the Centurions have a ton of speed on the attack. Leading the front line, are Dages, Gallegos and Gee. The Centurions are solid from front to back and with many returning players, they have continuity and they play well together. “Overall, we have a very talented group,” Woiemberghe said. The Centurions have some quality games under their belt so far this season and they are the No. 4 ranked team in the most recent CIF-SS Division 3 poll. Earlier this season, the played Mater Dei, the No. 5 team in the Division I poll, to a 2-2 tie. They also have wins over good teams such as Foothill and Canyon of Anaheim. The Centurions were at Pacifica on Tuesday (past our deadline) and will host Valencia on Thursday (Jan. 22) at 3 p.m. They will play at rival Kennedy on Jan. 26, at 3 p.m. Pacifica finished second in league last year, with Valencia third and Kennedy fourth.
Los Al boys soccer finishes strong against Fountain Valley
Kevin Herring scored two late goals to help the Los Alamitos boys soccer team to a 4-2 win over Fountain Valley, at Fountain Valley High on Jan. 13. The win, combined with a win over Newport Harbor on Friday, put the Griffins into a tie with the Barons for second place, both at 3-1. The Griffins had taken a 2-1 lead at halftime on goals by senior Anthony Mejia and freshman Brian Chung. But Fountain Valley was able to tie the game at 2-2 on a penalty kick with 26:00 left in the game. But the Griffins were able to keep pressure on the Baron defense and with about 16:00 left in the game, they got the ball into the goal box area. Senior Aron Rudich got off a strong shot toward the goal, but it hit a Baron defender in front of the goal. Herring controlled the rebound and was able to get an open shot on goal. He hit the top right corner from about 15 yards out, to give the Griffins a 3-2 lead. About six minutes later, the Griffins padded the lead on a long throw in from the left side. The ball skipped across a header attempt to the right side of the goal. Again, Herring controlled the ball out of the air and lined up for a shot. As the goalie and defenders tried to move in front of the shooting lane, Herring punched a low ground ball back across the goal that found the left side of the goal for a 4-2 lead. The Griffins ability to capitalize on re-starts (throw-ins, free kicks) was a big reason they were able to get the edge on the Barons, who were 2-0 coming into the game. “I think we were pretty effective on those opportunities,” Head Coach Donovan Martinez said. The field at Fountain Valley is grass, that is patchy and uneven, so it was a challenge for the Griffins, who are now used to playing a practicing on their home turf field. Martinez said that Fountain Valley was able to use long kicks up field to counter attack and create opportunities for themselves. He credited his defense for adjusting to those attacks to hold the Barons to just one goal from the field. Goaltender Alec Lazar was credited with six saves. Julian Guerrero, Adam Havstad and Rudich were all credited with assists. The Griffins followed up the win over Fountain Valley with a 1-0 win over Newport Harbor on Friday. Herring had the goal and Lazar was credited with three saves. The Griffins will play at Huntington Beach on Friday (Jan. 22) at 5 p.m. and then at Marina on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Dr. Randi Carp, former Los Al choir director, passes away
Dr. Randi Carp, who led the Los Alamitos High School choir program for 16 years, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 6.
Carp succumbed to breast cancer after battling the disease for many years. Carp began her teaching career in 1975, and headed the LAHS choir program from 1992 to 2008.
Under Dr. Carp’s direction, the program grew to be nationally recognized as one of the finest programs in the country. Carp also taught locally at California State University, Fullerton and at the University of Southern California.
“Randi’s contributions as a choir director at Los Alamitos High School are legendary. She loved what she did and set high standards that brought out the best in her students. It was that passion and the belief in her students that made her one of the most beloved teachers at Los Al,” said current LAHS Choir Director David Moellenkamp.
“She impacted the lives of countless students during her time here and throughout her entire career. Her legacy will stand the test of time and will live on through the voices and the lives of all the students and parents she touched,” Mollenkamp said.
Among her many noteworthy accomplishments while at Los Alamitos, she took the Xpressions concert choir to London and won the Heritage Festival for Concert Choirs in 2004.
In 2005, she directed the school’s SoundFX choir as they became backup singers for former Styx lead singer Dennis DeYoung during a performance in Cerritos.
Carp also took three choirs to China to perform in Shanghai, Beijing, and the Great Wall of China in 2008 as part of a musical salute to the Olympics.
She was also named LAHS’s Teacher of the Year in 2005.
In 2008, she relocated to the East Coast where she remained active in choral music as a teacher and as a much sought after adjudicator and clinician. Services on the East Coast are pending, and a memorial concert is being planned locally, with details to be announced at a later date.
Randi is survived by her devoted husband Dave, father Jerry Carp, mother Carole Carp, brother Edward Carp, and sisters Wendy Carp Gallo and Sue Lowenthal, as well as a host of loving friends and appreciative students.
In lieu of flowers please donate to cancer.org.
Sewer project approved for Los Al/Rossmoor
The Board of Directors of the Rossmoor/Los Alamitos area Sewer District has recently approved a major Sewer Repair Project that will affect several locations in Rossmoor and Los Alamitos for the total cost of approximately one million dollars. The District manages and maintains the entire sewer system in Rossmoor, Los Alamitos, and the Rossmoor Shopping Center, and parts of Seal Beach and Cypress. The 55 linear mile long system of sewer mains is approximately 65 years old and is starting to show its age.
The Sewer District has a contractor who inspects and cleans the entire system annually. In a recent CCTV video of a portion of the system, the professional engineer who advises the district determined that many of the sections needed replacement, repairs or insertion of a new lining. The project will involve 18 locations, many of which are in the Rossmoor Highlands area on Rossmoor Way, Pine St., Reagan St. and Cherry St. The construction contractor, who has been selected by the Board, will post notices at all locations affected by the construction. The work will commence soon and will last approximately four months.
The current Board of Directors consists of Bill Poe, Joel Rattner, Jim Bell, Van Jew, and Linda Habermehl. Any questions about the project should be directed to the District General Manager, Susan Bell at 562-431-2223.
New Chamber of Commerce board
At its Networking Breakfast on Jan. 8, the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce inducted a new Board of Directors. Listed below is the new board: Chairman of the Board Ryan McLaughlin, First Vice Chairman, Budget & Finance Emil Jorge, Second Vice Chairman & Community Development Dave Boyer, Secretary
Dawnette Palmore, Past Chairman of the Board Josh Wilson, and Chief Executive Officer Johnnie Strohmyer. The next Chamber Networking Breakfast is on Feb. 5. District Superintendent Dr. Sherry Kropp will be the guest speaker.
Landry Fields’ jersey retired by Los Al High School
The Los Alamitos High School Basketball program recognized the 2006 CIF Basketball Championship team at a ceremony held in the Los Alamitos High School gym on Tuesday, Jan. 5.
Most of the team members and many of their families were present for the celebration, which included retiring the high school jersey of Landry Fields.
Current Head Coach, Eddie Courtemarche, served as the master of ceremony and described the achievements of that team, including how they worked together as a team, and embodied the essence of playing for teammates versus self, and their incredible run to the CIF title.
The coach of the CIF Champions, Russ May, also addressed the audience and shared his coaching experience and the tremendous talent and character his team had that has become the foundation of Los Alamitos basketball. Landry Fields, who was a member of the 2006 CIF Championship team, went on to play collegiate basketball at Stanford University where he had an excellent career. He was later drafted into the NBA where he has played for the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors. After a framed jersey that will be on permanent display in the school gym was presented to Mr. Landry, he addressed the audience and thanked his coaches, teammates, supporters, and family.
“It was a wonderful experience for all of us and heartwarming to hear Landry talk about the amazingly positive experience he had as a student at Los Alamitos High School,” said Superintendent Dr. Sherry Kropp.
Oxford beats rival, open league with 2-0 record
The Oxford Academy Lady Patriots girls basketball team began Academy League play this past week with road contests versus Sage Hill of Newport Coast and Whitney High of Cerritos.
The Lady Patriots were tested in both games but persevered and came out with victories in both games to start out League play with a 2-0 record.
This stretches the Lady Patriots overall win streak to six games and gives them an overall record on the season of 12-3 r, which is good enough to be ranked #3 in Division 5A of the CIF Southern section.
Against Sage Hill, the Lady Patriots girls basketball team had never beaten the Lightning’ at their gymnasium.
The Lady patriots finally broke the streak by winning 63-56 as the game was a tough fought battle at the Peter Ueberroth Gymnasium located on the Sage Hill campus in Newport Coast.
The game initially looked to be a cake walk for Oxford as the team jumped out to a 14-1 lead with 9 of the points coming from Center Austyn Masuno.
But Sage Hill fought back and used an aggressive defense to create turnovers and go on 17-3 run to take an 18-17 lead midway through the 2nd quarter.
Oxford responded with a 9-0 run sparked by 8 points from Guard Angie Gagnon and the Lady Patriots went into halftime with a 30-24 lead.
In the 2nd half, Sage Hill went to a full court press to put additional pressure on the Lady Patriot ball handlers.
The tactic backfired on the Lightning as Oxford Guards Mylee Madrazo and Sophia Chan effectively broke the press and found ways to get the ball down low to Power Forward Ashleigh Perez.
Perez converted four layups catapulting Oxford to a commanding 47-33 lead to end the 3rd quarter.
However, Sage Hill wasn’t done as the Lightning came storming back behind sisters Kenna and Kerry Knollenberg who scored 11 and 10 points in the 4th quarter, respectively. Sage was able to whittle the Oxford lead down to 59-56 with 30 seconds remaining. But the Lady Patriots held on and hit some clutch late free throws to hold on to a 63—56 victory.
Oxford Academy was led by Austyn Masuno who finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Angie Gagnon had a career high game scoring 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.
Ashley Perez scored 14 points and all in the last 10 minutes of the game. Mylee Madrazo kick started the Lady Patriot offensive attack by dishing out a team high 6 assists.
On Friday night, the Lady Patriots went back on the road to take on their fiercest academic and athletic rival, Whitney High of Cerritos, who Oxford had not beaten in 5 years.
The gymnasium was packed with students and alumni who came back to celebrate Homecoming and it made for a lively environment for the home team Wildcats
To start the game, Oxford didn’t seem intimidated by the large opposing crowd or impacted by their recent lack of success versus Whitney as the Lady Patriots took a 16-4 lead with 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter.
Whitney struggled with Oxford’s full court press resulting in transition baskets.
But the Wildcats settled down and with the crowd support rallied back using double teams on defense to frustrate the Lady Patriots who didn’t score a FG for next 10 minutes.
In fact, Oxford who averages over 56 points a game managed to score only 2 points in the 2nd quarter.
Whitney was powered by Nicole Lee scoring 11 first half points and from 6 rebounds from freshman Justine Wu.
The Wildcats went on a 21- 2 run to finish with a 25-18 lead at halftime leaving the Lady Patriots stunned.
In the second half, Whitney’s opening possession resulted in a Justine Wu three point basket to stretch the Wildcats lead to 10 points.
Oxford continued to struggle to score and only managed 6 points in the 3rd quarter.
Wu converted another 3 point basket late in the quarter and Whitney maintained a commanding 31-24 advantage to end the 3rd quarter.
Oxford was in unfamiliar territory as this was only the 2nd time in 14 games this season that the Lady Patriots started the 4th quarter from behind.
Coach David Clifton made adjustments including installing a 4 guard line up to pressure Whitney’s perimeter game and to spread the floor on offense for the Lady Patriots.
The additional guard on the floor was junior Celine Tran who sparked the defense and the Oxford held Whitney to a single field goal in the 4th quarter.
The small line up also opened up the inside for freshman center Austyn Masuno who immediately went to work and scored 4 quick points.
Then on Oxford’s next possession, Angie Gagnon hit a 3 point shot to cap a 7-1 run and close the Wildcat lead to 32-31 with 4 minutes left.
Whitney managed to score 2 free throw to go back up 34-31, but Tran making the most of her minutes drilled a baseline jumper to cut the lead to 34-33.
This was followed by 4 more points from Masuno to cap an Oxford 6-2 run giving the Lady Patriots a 37-33 lead.
But Whitney wasn’t done yet as freshman Christine Hamakawa drilled a 3 pointer with 10 seconds left to cut the lead to 37-36.
In desperation the Wildcats had to foul Masuno who calmly converted a one and one and the bonus to close out the game and securing a 39-36 victory for the Lady Patriots.
Top scores in the game for Oxford were Austyn Masuno with 18 points, while Angie Gagnon 9 points by converting three 3 point baskets.
Whitney was led by 16 points from Nicole Lee while Justine Wu contributed 9 points.
Whitney has dominated the Academy League over the past 7 years winning 5 league titles and in four of those years the team was undefeated in league.
Despite the loss to Oxford, the Wildcats are still expected to be near the top of the league and can revenge their loss as the teams meet up again on Thursday Jan. 28 at the Oxford Gymnasium.
Council to discuss parking regulations
All day street parking has become the preferred choice for employees in the commercial area of Old Town East and the Medical Center area. Los Alamitos is taking steps toward management of its existing parking availability. The Los Alamitos City Council will be discussing proposed parking regulations at their meeting on Jan. 19. at 6 p.m. For more information, call Steven Mendoza at 562-431-3538 ext. 300, or email sm******@***************os.org.
Southland, Griffins Grill support Matt Herrick
Are you excited for the NFL Playoffs? Come out to Griffins Grill on Saturday, Jan.16 to watch the games and enjoy delicious food and drinks. 20 percent of all sales all day will support the Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF). In addition, the Southland Credit Union Cash Booth will be at Griffins Grill and everyone is invited to grab some cash. All you need to do is make a $20 donation to LAEF and you will get 15 seconds in the booth to grab as much cash as you can, which will be yours to keep. Proceeds from this event will support Matt Herrick’s campaign for King of Hearts.
Southland Credit Union has generously sponsored the Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF) King and Queen of Hearts campaign at the Archduke level of $5,000 for two years running. LAEF is tremendously grateful to Southland for their support of education in our community. Proceeds from this campaign support STEAM Fairs on all district campuses as well as the district-wide STEAM Showcase on May 21. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math.
Matt Herrick, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Southland Credit Union, has joined LAEF’s Royal Court as a candidate for King of Hearts. Matt is also the co-owner of Griffins Grill restaurant in Los Alamitos. Matt is a resident of Rossmoor and has a son who is in 7th grade at Oak Middle School. He is very appreciative of how our district is educating and empowering his son and is pleased to give back by running for King of Hearts.
Southland Credit Union is a not-for-profit banking institution founded in 1936. It is one of the top performing Credit Unions in the country with 55,000 member-owners and over $575 million in assets. Headquartered in Los Alamitos, Southland supports many local charities and events, including the Los Alamitos Race on the Base, Los Alamitos Winter Wonderland at the Plaza and the Seal Beach Christmas Parade. Southland Members benefit from a full spectrum of competitive banking products, convenience, and exceptional service with nationwide access. Membership to Southland Credit Union is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Orange County or the surrounding communities.
For more information on Southland Credit Union, visit their Los Alamitos Branch at 10701 Los Alamitos Blvd. or www.SouthlandCU.org.
LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence in our 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. To learn more about the King and Queen of Hearts campaign, visit www.LAEF4kids.org/kingandqueen.
Interactive science museum at CSULB
A group of Weaver students spent their winter break visiting the Science Learning Center at CSULB. This little known “hands-on” museum encourages personal discovery through direct physical contact with exhibits. The kids received a personal tour from Director Jim McKibben and got the opportunity to touch dinosaur dung, play with a snake, make their hair stand up with static electricity, and see an underwater vehicle used to monitor sharks. 