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Los Al teacher makes quarterfinals in America’s Favorite Teacher contest

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Los Al teacher makes quarterfinals in America’s Favorite Teacher contest

This is a brief update on Los Alamitos High School Teacher David Barker who has now qualified for the Quarterfinal round in the Reader’s Digest ‘America’s Favorite Teacher’ Contest.

Barker, who teaches math, pre-calculus, finite, advanced math, trigonometry, and is an advisor for the popular Los Al Live and its “Improv” show.

“I made it to quarterfinals, thanks to help from everyone. The contest continues and here is how the rest of the contest works. You have to be number 1 in each round to go one so daily votes are needed and appreciated,” he said.

Translation, even if you voted for Mr. Barker, please vote again because apparently the voting starts over for each round. Supporters can vote at www.americasfavteacher.org/2024/david-barker.
• Quarterfinals May 6 – 16th
• Semifinals May 16 – 23
• Finals May 23 – 30

“I care more about my students than the material I teach. I want them to learn the math I teach, but I want them to know I care,” he says on his contest page.

Ryan Seacrest visits Los Al with Griffin co-hosts

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Ryan Seacrest visits Los Al with Griffin co-hosts

On Thursday, April 25, 2024, Ryan Seacrest, alongside co-hosts Sisanie and Tanya Rad, both former Los Alamitos High School graduates (Sisanie, Class of 2001, and Tanya, Class of 2005), returned to their alma mater as part of Ryan’s “20th Anniversary Thank You Tour.” This tour commemorates Seacrest’s 20-year tenure as the host of mornings on iHeartMedia’s KIIS Los Angeles (102.7).

Seacrest with students at LAHS.
Courtesy photo

The visit began with a lunchtime rally, where Seacrest, Sisanie, and Tanya Rad engaged with students, reminiscing about their time at Los Alamitos High School and celebrating the legacy of the KIIS-FM radio show On Air with Ryan.

The excitement continued as they joined the Griffins for a gathering, taking photos, distributing t-shirts, and sharing nostalgic conversations.
In a gesture of generosity, Ryan Seacrest and his team donated $5,000 to Los Alamitos High School.

The visit was a heartfelt celebration of community, gratitude, and the enduring bond between Ryan Seacrest, his co-hosts, and their high school alma mater.

RWC presents donation to Youth Center

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RWC presents donation to Youth Center

Courtesy photo
Rossmoor Woman’s Club President Sue Goldberg, left, and club member Michelle Wittenberg right, presented a check for $1,200 to The Youth Center Executive Director Linna Lumme at the Center’s A Night Among the Stars banquet on April 26. The donation was in addition to two $500 scholarships the Rossmoor Woman’s Club presented to A Night Among the Stars award recipients, students recognized for their commitment to community service.

Tanya Doby named District 70 Woman of the Year

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Tanya Doby named District 70 Woman of the Year

Courtesy photo
Los Alamitos former Mayor and current Council member, Tanya Doby, center, is surrounded by her husband Josiah, right, and Assembly member’s District Representative Michelle Schuetz, left and other well wishers and presenters, including Police Chief Michael Claborn, at the Council’s April 15 meeting. Tri Ta, who was in session, sent a video message congratulating Doby for her hard work, agressiveness and style while working on behalf of the citizens of Los Alamitos.

Housing projects will prompt serious infrastructure needs

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Housing projects will prompt serious infrastructure needs

There is no outside study stating that 18% in salary is warranted to any non-public safety employee in Los Alamitos.

There is no outside financial report showing the city can afford to provide an 18% increase in salaries for nonpublic safety employees over the next 5 years.

Cities use outside consultants to make these calculations based on accurate financial reports, comparative salaries and job duties in equal size cities with equal size budgets.
Your city manager has not provided you with those studies.

The City Manager is sticking his hand into the cookie jar and taking taxpayer money without providing any FACTUAL basis for entering into a long-term contract to fund city employees.

The City Manager presented a 2021-22 Financial Report replete with dozens of financial errors;
• A $10 Million error in reporting income
• A $3.6 M error in reporting expenses
And for some reason $700,000 is missing – either through incompetent reconciliation of financial records or outright theft.
The City Manager and Finance Director cannot explain how in one year the $22 Million in pension deficit magically decreased by $7 Million in this financial report. No payments were made.

(Note: The Finance Director responded to the question of “how much is the unfunded pension debt today?” His response was $26,000,000. If, and only if, the City manages to “beat CalPers investment returns”, the “$26,000,000 pension debt”, will be retired in 12 years. )

In fact the calculation prepared by the Finance Director to set aside $260,000 a year was modified to set aside $50,000 a month, or $600,000 a year. An error of more than 100%.
The public cannot trust any financial information coming out of Los Alamitos.

Public Request for copies of financial reports from the City investment institutions are ignored by the City Clerk, and the City Manager refuses to provide back up documents for warrants paid. There is no way for the public or council members to verify the accuracy of any financial report prepared by the Finance Director.

The Finance Director has failed to explain why there is a 1.3 million difference in the market value of his investments, and the cost he paid for them.
Why did the City Manager and Finance Director remove almost 80% of the city’s investment from Local Agency Investment Funds?

The result of these investment decisions appears to be an overall loss in excess of $1 a year for at least 2 years. The same investment lost was not recognized by LAIF had the City investments been managed by LAIF.

Nefulda, Hasselbrink and Doby voted against an outside audit to rectify the 2021-2022 errors.

It is highly suspect that the State Controller’s office decided to do an audit of the City’s financial report anyway, and the City Manager chose NOT to disclose the existence of the State audit to the public or council members.

Residents should know if an audit is pending, and the City Manager should not make wild financial decision until that audit is cleared.

Hibard and Murphy pointed out numerous errors in the latest budget proposal presented by the City Manager and Finance Director and asked for corrections, BUT the same three council members who did not want to audit the 2021-22 financial report, voted to submit the budget to funding agencies without first correcting the errors and seeking council approval. Who in their right mind advises elected officials to approve a budget with known errors?

I do not object to the salary increases to the police department. They are underpaid based on competitive salaries in other police departments. To keep your Police staff, you need to provide them with competitive salaries and benefits.
However, bulking up nonpublic safety employee salaries in not only unnecessary, it is reckless.

The city almost declared bankruptcy around 2018. The City Manager proposed a voter approved tax increase and used a public relations campaign to convince residents to approve the new tax based on the promise the funds would go to the police department.
Rossmoor residents are paying extra taxes because they are in the same zip code but receive none of the benefits of that tax.

Rossmoor is seeking a new zip code to eliminate their tax burden, and that will result in the lowering of sales revenues to Los Alamitos.

The city’s website demonstrates that its Financial Director has failed to provide the 2022-2023 financial report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. It is almost a year behind its due date. There is no way for the council to determine its actual revenue and expenses in the absence of that Report.

Given the fact that the 2021-22 Financial Report contained numerous errors and is under State audit, and the 2022-23 Report has to be reconciled with the 2022 Report, it is unconscionable to approve 18% salary increase for non-public safety personnel over the next 5 years.

Let the State finish its audit; find the missing $700,000; produce the 2022-23 and 2023-2024 Financial Reports , and conduct an audit by an independent municipal audit firm to establish accuracy of the documents, BEFORE entering into a 5 year contract promising 18% raises that the City cannot honestly say it can afford to pay.

Except for the Police Officers Memorandum of Understanding, this 18 % salary increase is a grift on the taxpayers.

Carol Churchill
Los Alamitos

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Prepare for Serious Impacts from High Density Housing Projects in Los Alamitos and Seal Beach

A few years ago Los Alamitos faced a financial crisis threatening bankruptcy, to which the City Council responded by asking residents to vote to tax themselves – the same Council whose policies had helped create the crisis. Seal Beach residents are likewise facing substantial cost increases to replace deteriorating infrastructure adjacent to their housing projects, and have already proposed increases of 140% to water rates to upgrade existing pipes.

Whether you are for or against new housing in your neighborhood, your finances will be covering the costs of expanding the infrastructure needed to support hundreds of new housing units and thousands of new residents. As population pressures increase, so do demands for costly municipal services: police, fire, social services, streets, lighting, water, gas, electrical lines.

Further, cities must budget for salaries, insurance, and the income needed to cover pensions for retired and disabled city employees. If city revenues do not keep up with escalating salary and maintenance demands, of course residents’ taxes will rise.

Set against this compelling financial reality are two projects that you must pay attention to NOW: Los Alamitos Lampson Project (247 units) and Seal Beach Old Ranch (167 units).
Why? These projects are located next to each other and will produce substantial pressures on Lampson Avenue with severely increased traffic congestion and will add to what is an already high rate of fatalities on the street. These projects will require the expansion of storm drainage systems, sewer systems, and significant expansions of water, electric, and gas delivery systems. Of course, the costs will be passed on to all residents through higher fees and taxes.

Project 1 – The Los Alamitos project replaces twelve acres of open space with 247 units along the boundary of the Joint Forces Training Base. The Los Alamitos Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) was released on April 24, 2024 and written by the developers. Obvious financial conflicts of interest were “overlooked” by Los Alamitos City Management and Members Nefulda, Doby and Hasselbrink.
Seal Beach will have to expand its sewer system for the Lampson project and its residents must consider the costs being passed on to them caused by Los Alamitos City Council’s failure to require “Pay As You Build”.

Project 2 – Seal Beach released the Notice of Preparation and Scoping Meeting for Old Ranch Country Club (ORCC) in January 2023. The new facilities will include 167 housing units, 25,000 square feet of medical office space, and a 150 room hotel – the increase in congestion of all kinds is obvious. Seal Beach employed environmental consultants that do not share the same conflict-of-interest concerns as Los Alamitos.

The combination of these two projects will add at least 414 housing units to Lampson, which has two lanes on each side of the roadway. Both projects are within 1/4 of a mile of each other and directly impact the College Park East (CPE) community. Obviously, the congestion explosion will also impact the surrounding cities of Rossmoor (Seal Beach Blvd) and West Garden Grove (Valley View). These streets are the main arteries to/from the housing tracts and the 405 Fwy.

Please take the time to send written comments/suggestions/objections on your city’s Draft Environmental Impact Report before the due date. Discuss the cumulative effects of the Los Alamitos Lampson Project and the Seal Beach Old Ranch Country Club Project.
Include suggestions to improve public safety, air pollution, traffic congestion, emergency service response time, pedestrian and bike safety, public health/welfare concerns re the flight path of the Joint Forces Training Base – and demand YOUR City Council requires developers to Pay As You Build. No New Taxes or Fees.

Christine Arfwedson
Los Alamitos

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AAUW Academic Achievement Awards 2024

David N. Young
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AAUW Academic Achievement Awards 2024

Joan Pylman and Gail Ross, Co-Administrators of the La Palma-Cerritos Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), awarded Academic Achievement Awards to two women from Cerritos College at their April 18, 2024, meeting at the ABCUSD Adult Education Center in Cerritos. CA. At this 31st Annual Recognition and Awards Program, Karissa Guzman and Paola Mayoral Jimenez received Certificates of Recognition for their outstanding academic achievements and involvement in service activities at Cerritos College and in their communities. Each of the women will receive a scholarship of $1,500 upon confirming their enrollment at a four-year college or university in the Fall of 2024.

Dr. Etelvina De La Torre, Interim Executive Director of the Cerritos College Foundation, came to the meeting and offered her congratulations to the two award winners. The Cerritos College Foundation worked jointly with the La Palma-Cerritos Branch of the AAUW to gather names of qualified nominees for the Academic Achievement Awards. The
Branch’s Academic Awards Committee then selected the winners and will provide the scholarship funds in the Fall.

Other members of Cerritos College who spoke at the meeting were Harvey Chew, Cerritos College Counselor, who nominated Re-Entry Student Karissa Guzman, and Dr. Carlos Aguirre, Director of MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement) program at Cerritos College, who nominated Paola Mayoral Jimenez.
Karissa, is a 26-year-old “Re-entry student,” who maintained a 4.0 GPA while completing five Associate of Art degrees in Mental Health and Behavior Sciences at Cerritos College. She plans to work on a double major in Psychology and Sociology, complete requirements for a Master’s degree in Clinical Therapy or Marriage and Family Therapy, and become a children’s therapist for foster children. She was a member of Phi Beta Honor Society. Karissa supports herself by working as a babysitter but still found time to volunteer as a tutor and worship leader at her church.

Paola, is a 19-year-old “Transfer student,” and is a first-generation Hispanic woman seeking a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) career. She had a 3.56 GPA at Cerritos College with a major in Aerospace Engineering. She was a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and a member of MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement) program, and NCAS (NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars) program, in which she competed in their Engineering Design Challenge. She was a past Chief of Staff of ASCC (Associated Students of Cerritos College).

Karissa and Paola received the congratulations and Certificates of Recognition from Benjamin Montelongo, 36th Senate District Representative for Senator Janet Nguyen, and Joe Pak, 67th District Representative for Assembly Woman Sharon Quirk-Silva. They also received Certificates of Recognition from 45th Congressional Representative Michelle Steele, State Senator District 30 Bob Archuleta, and County Supervisor 4th District L.A. Janice Hahn.

For more information about the Academic Achievement Awards at Cerritos College, contact Awards Chairperson Joan Pylman at 562-865-6592.

Griffin volleyballers fall to Friars in CIF-SS playoffs

David N. Young
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Griffin volleyballers fall to Friars in CIF-SS playoffs

The Los Alamitos High boys volleyball team’s season came to an end with a 25-19, 25-17, 21-25, 25-12 loss to Servite High in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs on Thursday at Los Alamitos High School.

After losing the first two sets, the Griffins adjusted the lineup and it helped stave off defeat as they battled back to win the third set and keep the match going. But Servite had answers as well, as they turned the tide in the fourth set and pulled away.

After dropping the first two sets, Griffin Coach Katie Kelly said they made a change in their game plan, putting more control in the hands of senior setter Gunnar Totorp on the attack. The plan worked as the Griffins jumped out to an early lead and held off Servite to win the third set.

“I think that [Gunnar’s] energy was contagious in the third set, his leadership was continuous in the third set and everyone could kind of lean on him and rely on him,” Coach Katie Kelly said.

But the Friars were able to adjust themselves and regain control in the fourth set. SErvite was the third place team out of the Trinity League, behind Mater Dei and Santa Margarita, but they were the No. 7 team in the final CIF-SS Division 2 poll. Los Alamitos finished the regular season as the No. 10 team in the same poll.

However, as a league champion, having tied Fountain Valley for the Wave League Championship, the Griffins had the home court advantage. The Griffins ramped up their pre-league schedule this season, scheduling games against top 10 ranked teams in the nation.

“I’m really proud of these boys, we had a tough schedule this year, we played some of the best teams in the nation for high school boys volleyball,” Kelly said.

Los Alamitos will face another challenge next year, as the Griffins graduate eight seniors this year. Totorp, Isaac Igo, Ian Pokorny, Jette Estes, Adrian Parra, Enzo Kerley, Josh Beeny and Noan Debie will all be graduating this year.

Heavy rains having an impact on Rossmoor’s Urban Forest

David N. Young
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Heavy rains having an impact on Rossmoor’s Urban Forest

Heavy rains early in 2024 have had a definite impact on Rossmoor’s prized urban forest, but despite the deluge, not a single tree has been lost Arborist Mary Kingman reported to the Rossmoor Community Services District Board at its April meeting.

Kingman, who has been the community’s arborist for 11 years, provides an urban forest report to the board every quarter which is highly anticipated.

“We did have a lot of severe weather in the first three months of the year,” Kingman told the board, including data in her report that demonstrated the community experienced more than 12 inches of rain in February alone.

“Despite that, we only had five limb failures,” said Kingman, “and only three of those were weather-related.”

“We had zero complete tree failures,” she added, attributing the district’s proactive nurturing plan for preventing what could have easily been a greater impact, she said.

“We could attribute that record to more supplemental trimming that we’ve been doing for trims,” she said, “and I’ve been backing the trees both by driving and walking and it really makes a difference to have that extra attention paid.”

Answering a question from Director Tony Demarco, the board’s 1st Vice President, Kingman said that while the urban forest “loved the rain,” the extra growth was going to prompt some extra pruning and trimming this summer.

“I’m sure certain trees more than others are going to expand and grow much more,” said Demarco.

“That’s correct,” said Kingman, “so we will probably during the summer be doing a lot of clearance trims so raising the crowns on the street and sidewalk side for that reason.

“They’re gonna experience a lot of growth,” said Kingman, thus the need for extra trimming.

Nevertheless, “the trees are just way happier and healthier with all the water,” she said.

“Aren’t we all,” echoed board President Michael Maynard.

Kingman reported other data to the board, saying that in the first three months of 2024, they trimmed 183 trees within Rossmoor’s urban forest, 14 trees were removed while 48 new ones were planted.

In addition, she said 62 residents filed requests for various tree services.

Kingman said the district held its Arbor Day Celebration April 5, with the local Boy Scouts providing the flag salute and the Girl Scouts participating in planting the new tree. The arborist thanked the Rossmoor Woman’s Club for donating the funds necessary to purchase and plant the tree.

In addition, Kingman said they did an “animal hunt” for the kids, hiding stuffed animals in trees for the kids to find. Instead of toy prizes, she said kids got plants.

“The kids were excited about the plants and that’s refreshing that they were really more excited about getting plants rather than plastic toys.”

Race on the Base marathon returns after long absence to JFTB in Los Alamitos

Ted Apodaca
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Race on the Base marathon returns after long absence to JFTB in Los Alamitos

Several local people made impressive runs in the Race on the Base, as it returned to the Joint Forces Training Base on April 13. The 5K, Gabriel Rojas, 17, of Lakewood was the top finisher with a time of 16 minutes and 34 seconds. Second place was Evan Weitzman, 13, of Newport Beach in 19:38, followed by Aaron Nevarez, 40, of Norwalk, with a time of 19:48.

Fourteen-year-old Nicholas Romines, of La Palma, took sixth overall with a time of 20:02 and two Los Alamitos residents also finished in the top 10. Brian Rogers, age 22, and Tyler Tanimura, age 13, finished eighth and ninth respectively with times of 20:08 and 20:57.

Shane Stipancic, 34, of Cypress was 12th overall and second in his age division, with a time of 21:34. Mai Studebaker, 50, of Westlake Village, was the top female finisher with a time of 21:59. She was followed by Andrea Bates, 41, of Newport Beach, who was 21st overall with a time of 23:34. The 3rd place female was 40-year-old Camille Hambly of Garden Grove, who finished the course in 25:29.

Brandon Dunn, of Los Alamitos was 20th overall with a time of 23:23 and Carl Paat, 44, of Rossmoor was 22nd overall with a time of 23:38. A few Cypress residents were close behind. Ron Tanimura, 52, was 24th overall in 24:17, followed by Larry Hardaway, 43, 27th in 24:31 and Giovanni Velasco, 29, 30th in 24:42.

Scott Conley, 51, of Los Alamitos was 36th overall with a time of 25:11 and Steve Graves, 61, of Cypress was 39th overall with a time of 25:24. Ken Choi, 56, also of Cypress took 43rd overall with a time of 25:36. Garrett Kohls, 46, of Los Alamitos was 46th overall with a time of 25:48.

In the Reverse Triathlon, Todd Corley, 44, of Westlake posted the top time at 55 minutes, 41 seconds for the three events. Nate Koch, 37, of Long Beach took second with a time of 56:18. Brenden Panis, 35, of Anaheim was the third finisher with a time of 57:11.

Michelle Jones, 54, of Carlsbad was the top female finisher and fourth overall with a time of 58:13. Sixty-two-year-old Ricki Reincke of Long Beach was the second female finisher with a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes, 9 seconds and she took 30th overall. Emily Murray, 48, of Los Angeles was the 3rd place female and took 38th overall with a time of 1:16:29.

Some of the local highlights included Cypress resident Jason Lucero finishing in a time of 1:11:01. Lucero, 52, was fourth in his age division wave. Mike Gibbs, 65, of Los Alamitos had a solid time of 1:15:20, taking fourth in his wave age division.

Rebecca Trevino, 63, of Cypress took second in her age division wave and seventh among women in her wave.

Submitted by the City of Los Alamitos

The City of Los Alamitos Recreation and Community Services Department was proud to present the return of the Universal Waste Systems (UWS) Race on the Base on Saturday, April 13, 2024, after a four-year hiatus. The event was hosted at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, and it featured the popular Reverse Triathlon and 5K Run/Walk, allowing participants of all ages to showcase their physical prowess. At the forefront of the event was Recreation Manager Jason Bruton and Recreation Coordinator Alix Anderson. Thanks to the meticulous coordination between City staff, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Fox and the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, and the event Title Sponsor UWS, this exciting event welcomed back new and returning participants to the military installation.

The lead up to the action-packed event began a day before race day on Friday, April 12, with bib and packet pick up at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A final opportunity to register for this historical City event was available on race day, Saturday, April 13, starting at 5:30 a.m. Simultaneously, the Transition Area opened its gates and allowed athletes participating in the Triathlon to prepare their gear for the race ahead. With the final few registrations trickling in at the crack of dawn, the buzz of anticipation began to fill the military base.

With the sun struggling to peer through the unending wave of dense clouds, the first wave of the Reverse Triathlon kicked off at 7:00 a.m. Athletes began the sequence of swimming, biking, and running. Meanwhile, shortly after, at 7:15 a.m., the 5K Run/Walk commenced with every participant exhibiting their race day laces in every color imaginable. The day continued seamlessly with the second wave of the Reverse Triathlon participants taking off at 8:30 a.m. ensuring an exciting morning for all spectators.

An array of vendors kept the excitement rolling throughout the day offering everything from health and wellness services to community outreach initiatives. Attendees had the opportunity to engage with the following vendors:

• Strides of Faith

• Ohana Water Polo

• Braithwaite Chiropractic

• Yoga Six of Cypress

• Los Alamitos Police Department Pink Patch Project

• Dignity Memorial

A shoutout of appreciation goes out to the 45 amazing and overly dedicated volunteers who showed up and selflessly gave their time and energy to ensure smooth operations the day before, during, and after the event. A special thank you also goes out to Sunburst Youth Academy who showed up in full force with the Presentation of the Colors and volunteering throughout the event. Further, the return of this much awaited event could not have happened without the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base as well as the generous support of the title sponsor Universal Waste Systems. Their contributions not only helped revive this spectacular event but also helped elevate the experience for all involved. Participants were rewarded with a race shirt and a special finishing medal, with additional medals awarded to those who placed overall or within their age division.

With an impressive turnout of 3,000 attendees, including 1,200 race participants and a multitude of spectators, the event showcased the City of Los Alamitos Recreation and Community Services Department’s tenacious dedication to creating quality of life for the community. Special guests Mayor Jordan Nefulda and Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Fox welcomed the crowds and started the races with great encouragement to the athletes. Specialist Angel Demelis performed a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem. The most memorable moments of the day came as participants crossed the finish line, relieved and proud of the accomplishment they just achieved. The smiles on their faces and the gratified look receiving their finisher’s medals made for a perfect snapshot of the day.

The day was a celebration of community spirit and the unwavering commitment to push the boundaries and reach new personal physical heights. As the event drew to a close, there was no doubt it would return, eagerly welcoming both familiar faces and new challengers. Race on the Base was back!

The Recreation & Community Services Department strives to continue providing safe and exciting events for all residents to gather. For more information about upcoming events and programs, please visit www.cityoflosalamitos.org/recreation or contact the Recreation and Community Services Department at (562) 430 – 1073.

RWC’s Spring Garden and Outdoor Living Tour

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RWC’s Spring Garden and Outdoor Living Tour

The fundraising event on Sunday May 19 will features six Rossmoor homes, two elementary schools, floral demonstrations, a plant sale, raffle and more.

“Every garden, big or small, has its own story to tell,” says Garden Tour Chair Yolanda Vargas.  Indeed, several of the gardens literally tell stories. One, a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat, is inspired by the owner’s many antiques collections as well as her pilgrimage on the famous Camino de Santiago in Europe. Another home employs murals, plants and statuary in homage to its owner’s late spouse and in appreciation for friends and family who’ve helped her through her grief.

Other gardens are all about lifestyle choices — stunning pools, bars and barbecue areas for family-oriented entertainers, a putting green and hot tub for retirees seeking low-maintenance.

In a first this year, the tour includes vegetable and herb gardens tended by pupils at Richard Henry Lee and Rossmoor elementary schools under auspices of the Orange County Master Gardeners Program. Eager students plan to show visitors just how much produce they can grow in well-organized, compact spaces. The Lee students also plan to distribute seed packets to visitors and children at both schools will hand out a variety of master gardener tip sheets.

The self-guided tour, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., includes an outdoor market place at Arbor Village featuring complimentary refreshments, a plant sale, raffle baskets and music by harpist Julio Montero, beginning at noon. Cynthia McElwee of Heaven Sent Design Floral Studio in Anaheim Hills is scheduled to demonstrate flower arranging at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Tickets, which contain addresses and a map to all the homes, are $20 per person. They may be purchased in advance from any club member, from a selection of local merchants or on the club website, rossmoorwomansclub.org. Tickets will also be for sale the day of the tour at the outdoor marketplace, which will be directly behind Flags With a Flair in Arbor Village, 10651 Los Alamitos Blvd., Los Alamitos.  (Tickets purchased online must be picked up at this site on the day of the event.)

All net proceeds go to fund student scholarships and to support local charities in the Los Alamitos/Seal Beach and Long Beach areas.

Merchants selling tickets are Brita’s Old Town Gardens, 225 Main St., Ste A, Seal Beach; Cinnamon Stik, 10641 Los Alamitos Blvd., Los Alamitos; Prep Kitchen Essentials, 12207 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach; and McNally Electric, 10792 Los Alamitos Blvd., Los Alamitos.

The Rossmoor Woman’s Club, founded in 1958, is a social and philanthropic organization affiliated with the international General Federation of Women’s Clubs. The club is based in the northwest Orange County community of Rossmoor but membership is open to anyone.

Mental health problems through the eyes of students

David N. Young
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Mental health problems through the eyes of students

There is little question that mental health has perhaps become, or is becoming, the seminal issue of our time and it’s good to watch solutions appear through students’ eyes.

Mental health issues and the sorted products thereof have wrapped the nation in fear and quite literally have begun to alter the nation’s psyche, especially among students.

Students, however, are finally having their say. A collaborative effort between government agencies, mental health services and an organization of county governments created a virtual statewide film festival, allowing students from high schools across California the opportunity to make short films to compete in a “Directing Change,” competition.

“Directing Change is part of statewide efforts to prevent suicide, reduce stigma and discrimination related to mental illness, and to promote the mental health and wellness of students,” the organization claims on its website.

David N. Young, courtesy photo

“These initiatives are funded by counties through the Mental Health Services Act (Prop 63) and administered by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA), an organization of county governments working to improve mental health outcomes for individuals, families and communities.”

Within Los Alamitos Unified, the task fell to Conner Brown, the one-time filmmaker to put down his camera to teach filmmaking and media at Los Al High School. “Mr. Brown’s class” has become a hit, as students learn to act, produce, record, do special effects, etc.

After all, we are increasingly evolving into a storytelling world, so it stands to reason that students are so eager to express themselves.

But this competition was different, and his classes embraced it.

“This event is so important on so many levels,” said Brown.

“First of all, it takes a real look at mental health issues that teenagers face, addressing them head-on and giving students a safe space to reflect and discuss with each other the issues they face,” he said.

“Secondly, it is a great opportunity for the advanced film students to be challenged to create a video with such a serious underlying tone. And these students absolutely rose to the occasion,” he said.

“We had six submissions this year and all of them were quite impressive. Each tackling different subjects of mental health, from suicide prevention to eating disorders, to the importance of reaching out to a friend,” said Brown.

Students in the Advanced Film Program at LAHS created engaging and powerful PSA’s that hopefully lead to discussion and positive change. This is Los Al’s first time to enter the competition, says Brown.

Two of these submissions have already been selected as category winners by the annual film contest, “Directing Change.”

The first winning video “Beyond the Surface”, was created by LAHS Senior Emily Fitzgerald, Junior Kyan Whiten, and Junior Jessica Bae. It won 1st place regionally in the “Mental Health” category.

These student filmmakers have managed to pack powerful images and stories in these short films, which are just over one minute long. Fellow students acted, wrote, and produced the entries, said Brown, amplifying their impact.

In the film, a female athlete pretends there is no problem only to be seen bubbling up from underwater, gasping for air as she reveals she’s really not ok.

Additionally, the second winning video “Hot Pot”, created by LAHS film students Charlize Fan (Senior), Isabella Kira (Junior), Kolyana Si (Senior), and Shilah Shurki (Senior) won 1st place statewide in the “Through the Lens of Culture” category.

In this video, a teen and his dad go through dinner awkwardly, not knowing how to break the ice on what the dad could sense was threatening his son.

Both of the winning short films will be played at the Directing Change Award Ceremony scheduled for May 21 at the United Theatre on Broadway in Los Angeles. Brown said both films still have the potential to earn the top spot in their respective categories.

Perhaps there is no better way for parents to peer into the minds of their children than to view their ideation of mental health on film. This Wednesday, April 24, from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m., the Lecture Hall at LAHS, parents and supporters of the Los Al School system will have their chance.

Brown said the school has scheduled a “Screening” for all of the films.

“This is the first year Los Alamitos High School has entered this film festival,” said Brown, “and immediately they are making a name for themselves as one of the top schools competing.”

“The students have enjoyed the process of making and submitting these films as they continue on their journey to become great filmmakers,” he added.

“We hope that the community shows up to support these young filmmakers and their work,” said Brown. “We will be showing the videos the students made as well as having a question and answer panel with the students as well as mental health experts.”

Frankly, the short films created by students were fascinating for many reasons. Not only are they lifelines thrown by the students themselves, but they demand respect for the mastery of craft it took to produce them.

Thanks to LAEF and Los Al Unified, students at every school now have parlors of safe harbor with counselors to help. Obviously, that’s a great start.

Now if we listen to the messages students themselves are sending in ways that transcend otherwise awkward conversations, it’s just another big step along the road to wellness.

For parents and community members who cannot make the public screenings and discussion on Wednesday, Brown said the films will be made public after the competition in May.

It’s always helpful to see problems through the eyes of those most affected, especially when it is our next generation of leaders who are directing change.

LAEF STEAM gives more than $80K in grants

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LAEF STEAM gives more than $80K in grants

The Los Alamitos Education Foundation granted more $80,000 to Los Al schools for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math) needs this school year.

Popular purchases this year included Makey Makey Stem kits and 3D pens. Makey Makey kits make inventions simple by attaching alligator clips to an object that allows the user to control any computer program with any object. 3D pens are devices that use heated or warm plastic, extruded from the pen’s nozzle, to create three-dimensional objects.

At Lee Elementary, a STEAM grant funded a complete class set of Makey Makey STEM sets and 3Doodler Start Pens. 4th graders used Makey Makey kits and their knowledge of circuits to make controllers for a piano application. In addition, students made controllers for previously coded maze games. While 5th graders used 3Doodler pens to design bubble wands. The students then had the opportunity to test their wands bubble solution! Lee Makerspace teacher, Melissa Chambers shared how thankful she is for the STEAM grants which make it possible for “every student to have their own materials!”

“Seeing grant funds putting materials into the hands of students and especially knowing that teachers are able to give every student their own tools aligns with LAEF’s vision to provide enrichment opportunities for all students,” said Carrie Logue, LAEF’s executive director. “We could not be more grateful to our donors that understand our vision and support STEAM education.”

At Rossmoor Elementary, a STEAM grant bought Makey Makey STEM sets for their STEM Lab and the Knights already put them to good use. Rossmoor fifth-graders coded their own games and then built corresponding controllers using the Makey Makeys. Last week they completed the projects and students tried out each other’s games, while also writing feedback about what they liked best about the game and invention and also had the opportunity to make suggestions for any improvements.

“It is so fun to see the elementary students excited with STEAM,” said LAEF Donor Relations and Development Manager Lauren DeNinno. “The creativity and collaboration at Rossmoor Elementary school last week was infectious. All of the students were so proud of not only their own projects, but also those of their peers!”

To date, LAEF has donated more $530,000 to support STEAM programs and staff across Los Alamitos Unified School District.

The STEAM donations are due in large part to the support from LAEF’s major donor group, the Los Al Leadership Circle. The LALC consists of the distinguished, significant supporters of LAEF’s visionary work. Members of the LALC provide the critical donations that bring LAEF’s support of Los Al kids to the next level. To learn more about how to become a member of the LALC, visit www.LAEF4kids.org/LALC.

LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to children in grades Pre-K to 12. LAEF impacts all students by providing significant funding for student mental health/wellness and STEAM instruction, as well as igniting new programs and providing valuable resources. For more information, visit www.LAEF4kids.org or call (562) 799-4700 Extension 80424 today.

Seal Beach offers Junior Lifeguard Program this summer

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Seal Beach offers Junior Lifeguard Program this summer

Summer registration for the Seal Beach Junior Lifeguard program opens in May, and hopeful participants need to pass a swim test before registering.  There are swim tests scheduled for 7-8 p.m., Friday, April 26 Friday, May 3 from at McGaugh.

The program is set to run for seven weeks from June 17-August 2 and meets Monday-Friday from 9am to Noon on the beach in Seal Beach.

Seal Baech Junior Lifeguards is one of the largest recreation programs in Seal Beach and has a long history of developing a love for the ocean among kids aged 9-17 in Seal Beach and surrounding communities.

The summer program is taught entirely by Seal Beach Lifeguards and promotes ocean safety through fun activities like surfing, boogie-boarding, ocean swimming, paddleboarding, and beach games.  Junior Guards also learn lifeguarding skills, basic first aid techniques, and are introduced to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

“Seal Beach Junior Guards is one of the best programs out there to introduce kids to the ocean in a safe and fun way,” said Matthew Corb, of the Seal Beach Junior Lifeguard Program.  “It’s become a summer tradition in Seal Beach, and we are always looking to bring new kids in and share our love for the ocean.”

For more information, email ju*************@*********ca.gov.

Forgotten Hollywood talk at Cypress Chamber breakfast

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Forgotten Hollywood talk at Cypress Chamber breakfast

The Cypress Chamber of Commerce will welcome Cypress based author and broadcaster Manny Pacheco as our guest speaker at our May Networking Breakfast. Our event will be held Tuesday, May 14th at the Residence Inn by Marriott at 4931 Katella Avenue, Cypress/Los Alamitos starting at 7:30 a.m. Manny Pacheco has authored three books, the “Forgotten Hollywood” series, highlighting many of the unsung character actors from the golden era of Hollywood who are often “forgotten” in other film books. Manny will share some of the historical anecdotes and stories he has collected for his book series. His books will also be available for sale and personalizing after the event.

A longtime Cypress resident, author Manny Pacheco has enjoyed a growing acclaim through his Forgotten Hollywood book series, included in the library collections of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Hollywood Heritage Museum, and American Film Institute. A Southern California television and radio personality for over three decades, Manny was on NBC’s Santa Barbara and co-hosted the Daytime Emmy-nominated In Studio on KCOP. Manny is also an adjunct professor at Mt. San Antonio College, Rio Hondo College and Fullerton College. He is currently a weekend traffic anchor on KNX 1070AM/97.1FM News Radio.

Reservations are highly recommended to secure your spot for the monthly breakfasts and can be made online. Cost of the breakfast is $25.00. Early Bird Registration is $20.00.  Attendees are also encouraged to bring a door prize to promote their product or service.  The program will include time for live networking, self-introductions, a breakfast buffet, as well as our guest speaker.

The Chamber networking breakfasts, which are open to the public, are held on the second Tuesday of every month. Space will be limited. To assure your seat, pre-register on the chamber website:  https://www.cypresschamber.org/events/details/2024-may-networking-breakfast-2726

Ammunition Pier ready for duty at Naval Weapons Station f

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Ammunition Pier ready for duty at Naval Weapons Station f

A significant milestone was reached at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach on April 9 as the guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) became the first ship to pull into the installation’s newly constructed ammunition pier, according to a press release issued by the Navy this week.

In the statement issued this week, Weapon’s Station Commanding Officer said the Navy takes great pride in announcing the completion of the project.

“This project was well over a decade in the making,” said base commanding officer Capt. Jessica O’Brien. “I’m incredibly proud of all the Navy and contractor personnel who took part in the design and construction of this great new pier, and I’m especially proud and humbled to be here today and see it all come together.”

The new pier replaced an older ammunition wharf originally built in 1954, and brings new and improved capabilities to the fleet.

“This new expanded pier facility provides destroyers and other fleet assets with expanded logistical capacity to arm faster and more efficiently,” said O’Brien. “This shore infrastructure is vital for the warfighting readiness of the Surface Force and our Navy.”
The previous ammunition wharf was only able to support one destroyer-sized ship at a time. The new pier will allow dual ship operations, along with the ability to support much larger vessels such as general-purpose amphibious assault ships (LHDs and LHAs) nearly three football fields long.

“Our new LHD and LHA capabilities will be significant,” said Roosevelt Simmons, Executive Director of Navy Munitions Command Pacific, CONUS West Division Unit Seal Beach. “We should see an increase in the volume of ships coming in, and we will also see an improved flexibility to support the fleet.”

“The planning process for this project started back in 2011, with construction starting at the end of 2019,” said Jazmin Atencia, station Plans, Programs & Readiness Integrator. “All construction should be completed by this summer. We still have a little bit of work to do, including some final pile driving and support building construction.”

Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach is the primary munitions installation for the Navy’s Pacific Fleet surface ships. Its primary role is to store and maintain Navy and Marine Corps munitions and load and unload Navy ships and larger Coast Guard vessels with the weapons they need to conduct their missions.

Harmony Games unifies kids with and without disabilities

David N. Young
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Harmony Games unifies kids with and without disabilities

The Boys and Girls Club of Anaheim Cypress snd the Special Olympics organization joined forces on Saturday to stage the Harmony Games, which are selected competitions designed to allow kids with and without disabilities to compete.

“The Boys and Girls Club of Anaheim Cypress and the Special Olympics Organization as collaborative partners to demonstrate our commitment to embrace the diverse population we serve,” said Jeri Barber, BGCAC Program Director.

“We desire to find equitable resources for all to participate and find inclusive spaces where all feel valued, safe and supported,” she said.

Erika Gary, interim CEO of the BAGCAC, said “we are so excited for this day with Special Olympics. We as a club have always believed that all kids, regardless of their abilities, deserve a safe place to learn to play.”

Gary thanked sponsors like U.S. Bank, OC Soccer Club (OCSC), Raising Cane’s, the Caterina Club, and others for believing in such a worthy endeavor.

“For OCSC, contributing to our community through participation in events like the Harmony Games: A Unified Family Play Day at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Anaheim-Cypress is what we love to do. It’s all about fostering unity, support, and growth among our youth and instilling values that extend far beyond the playing field,” said Dan Rutstein Orange County SC President of Business Operations.

The Special Olympics Organization selected the local club as only one of two Boys and Girls club to pilot this experimental program, it said in a statement earlier in the week.
Brian Richter, Assistant VP of Partnerships for Special Olympics, attended the event Saturday and said the local club was always in tune with inclusion.

“From the get go, they saw the possibilities and not the obstacles,” he said, “and they were always interested in finding solutions.”

“This is a new venture for us as we’re looking for a way to integrate our programs and bring more inclusion into the Boys and Girls Clubs,” he said.

“Today is really about introducing some of their club members and families in this community to this concept and letting them recognize this is fine, this makes sense,” he said.

“In the long-term, what we want to do is really bring inclusion, unified activities so that it isn’t a one-time thing.”

Two Cypress officials attended the event including former Mayor and Council member Anne Hertz-Mallari and Council member Frances Marquez.

Until recently, Hertz-Mallari served as CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Anaheim Cypress and was instrumental in merging the local club with Anaheim.

“I’m very happy to be back here today to see the kickoff of this wonderful program,” she said. Hertz left the position after being named CEO of the nonprofit organization WeCare in Los Alamitos.

In an interview during the event, Gary explained the event in more detail.

Courtesy photo

“So unified means in this case, it’s all kids of all abilities, learning and playing together. And really, with the Special Olympics program, they have a lot of resources that they’re offering the club, especially in fostering leadership skills with youth of all abilities,” she said.

“The purpose of today is to kick off that partnership that we’re going to be making with Special Olympics. It’s also outreach to let families know that this is a safe, inclusive place,” said Gary.

Activities like Bocce ball, Cornhole, and other games played on Saturday are sports designed for collaboration, said Gary. “You can play from a wheelchair, use a walker or sit down,” she said.

“These activities are really adaptive,” said Gary.

Courtesy Photo
The Harmony Games brought together kids with and without disabilities for spirited competition and unified play.

“These are things we’re learning from Special Olympics,” said Gary. “We’re going beyond sports like soccer, baseball, football and things like that.”
Gary, a longtime employee before being named Interim CEO, said merging the two clubs has paid huge dividends.

“ We’ve been really successful since merging,” said Gary. “We’ve more than doubled in size,” she said, adding that “we’ve been able to leverage the strengths of both clubs as well as the partnerships available in both cities,” she added.

“With Anaheim, there were a lot of great resources and companies that have such a commitment to to service and everything. And then in Cypress, we, you know, it’s such a strong community, and there’s a lot of businesses and community support here. So being able to put that together just is more resources that we can give to our kids,” she said.The event was held at Cedar Glen Park in Cypress.

Cypress to give back purchase price for five subsidies in housing development

David N. Young
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Cypress to give back purchase price for five subsidies in housing development

The Cypress City Council effectively traded a 1.1-acre tract of former redevelopment agency land to a Seal Beach development company that once employed City Manager Peter Grant, dismissing concerns about the transactions since the employment was 17 years ago.
The action came at the Council’s last meeting in March.

At issue is a “narrow and deep” tract of land located at 5732 Lincoln Ave. in Cypress that the city apparently purchased a decade ago in 2013.

In a presentation by Planning Director Alicia Velasco, she said the tract is approximately 100 feet wide by 515 feet deep. It’s located on the south side of Lincoln Avenue between the post office and an RV storage facility. This property was purchased by the city’s redevelopment agency in 2003, she said.

“It was envisioned that it would be part of a larger future affordable housing site with the goal of maybe an adjoining property to get that with located on Lincoln Avenue that didn’t happen,” said Velasco.

“And, because redevelopment funds were used to purchase the property, the state said to spur affordable housing the property needed to be disposed of by cities, or at least in the process by October of 2023,” she added.

The city’s planning official said not only did the state say that the city needs to dispose of the property but then also has a rule called the surplus land Act which outlines the process that the city must use to dispose of these types of properties.

“The goal of the surplus land act is to spur affordable housing development. So as part of that, the surplus land act I’ll go into a bit of background on what that is, it is state law, and it requires that cities must offer their properties to land housing sponsors, projects must restrict the units to 25% affordable and below income bracket,” she said.

She said on June 12, 2023, the City Council declared the Lincoln Avenue property surplus.

And then right after that on June 14, a notice of availability was issued and submitted to over 100 housing sponsors and it was also posted on the state website for surplus land.
According to Velasco, only three entities responded, including Olson, Affordable Housing Partners and one other companies. She said only Olson ultimately “submitted an actual, qualified proposal.”

Several asked questions like why not award the tract to Habitat for Humanity to make all of the tracts on this property affordable.

Michael Valentine, OC CEO for Habitat for Humanity, appeared at the meeting to say they have already built 22 homes in Cypress, cutting the ribbon on the latest just last week.
“I understand there’s a property that was part of the Surplus Lands Act and we were, I guess, our organization was informed but during a time we had a transition in leadership, so we missed out on this one,” said Valentine.

Velasco said after posting, there were three responses, one from the Olsen company, one from Affordable Housing Partners and then lastly from the Link Companies. Only the Olson company submitted an actual qualified proposal, she said.

“Affordable housing sponsors withdrew their application and the other stopped responding to our request for information,” said Velasco.

Olson has been in business for more than 35 years and has completed more than 100 public/private partnerships, Velasco told the Council.

“The proposed project consists of 20 units which will be for sale. Five of those will be restricted to households in the low-income brackets. The units will be two bedroom, two bathroom and roughly 1200 square feet.

There will be at least 8500 square feet of open space on the property as part of the project and the project does meet all zoning requirements. This project was presented to the city council in November of last year. It was then submitted to the state for review and approval the state has to repeat review the surplus land at projects like I mentioned, the state reviews not only the project, but also the process that the city went through. The state did approve the process and the project in January,” said Velasco.

She said the purchase and sale agreement includes the following terms: the sale price of the property is $1.62 million. The city would then contribute those proceeds to the project as a subsidy for the five low income units.

Each affordable unit requires roughly a $625,000 subsidy $325,000 coming from the city and $300,000 coming from the Olsen company. The homes must remain affordable for 55 years which is a requirement of state law, said Velasco.
Olson will apparently build 15 additional units on the remainder of the land for market-rate housing with no additional payments to the city.

In an email to the Council before the meeting, local activist George Pardon was incredulous about the transaction, reminding the Council that City Manager Peter Grant was once employed by the Olson.

“I was very surprised to read that the city is basically giving this property to Olson Urban Housing so they can provide 25% of the units in the affordable category,” said Pardon. “To my knowledge, previous builders in Cypress that have included affordable housing in their projects such as Bonanni and Melia were never given property,” he said.

“In fact, Melia Homes paid the school district $1.8 million per acre for the property at Moody and Orange and 50% of those units are in the affordable category. If the City was going to give away the property, did the city consider providing the property to Habitat for Humanity? Habitat has built at least one project in Cypress and 100% of those units are in the affordable category,” he said in the email.

“I do recall from a LinkedIn account that I found regarding Peter Grant a number of years ago, Mr. Grant served as the Director of Development for Olson Homes from January 2005 to December 2006,” he said.

Council member Frances Marquez again expressed concern that the city needed to enforce a conflict-of-interest system where conflicts of interest, or the lack thereof have to be documented for qualifying transactions.

“Mr. Mayor, I disclosed to the council in November that I had 17 years ago been employed by the Olson company. Marquez has known that for months and to insinuate that that’s a revelation that you received over the weekend is appalling,” said Grant.
“Councilmember Marquez you know better,” he added.

“I can tell you with all confidence that there is absolutely no conflict of interest,” said City attorney Fred Galante.

“Excuse me, I don’t remember hearing that and it wasn’t emphasized in the presentation to us,” said Marquez, noting that this is just another example of why the city needs to implement a conflict-of-interest system so that key city officials can document potential transaction conflicts, or the lack thereof, for qualifying transactions.

“Please, please do not accuse anybody on city staff of unethical behavior,” said Minikus.
“I have a right to ask questions,” said Marquez.

In addition, she said the Cypress School district’s minority enrollment is 80% and 43% of students are economically disadvantaged and are eligible to participate in the Federal Free and Reduced meal program, indicating a growing population that need affordable housing.
“I just feel like we’re opening the door to free land knowing full well that there are developers who have built in the city without, you know, when they had to purchase the property. I just would like for us to reconsider,” she said.

Mayor Pro-tem Bonnie Peat made the motion to approve the purchase and sale agreement with Olson and also agreed with Marquez and Council member Anne Hertz-Mallari to look for ways to perhaps work with Habitat for Humanity to add affordable homes in the city.
All three Council members attended Habitat’s most recent home ribbon cutting last week and Peat said while the Lincoln tract may not have been right, the city still has high hopes for Habitat for Humanity.

“Habitat for Humanity offers great things for us,” said Peat, noting that the city will continue that dialogue as well.

Rossmoor Woman’s Club presents scholarships

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Rossmoor Woman’s Club presents scholarships

Nina Lynes, Los Alamitos High School Student of the Month for April, was honored at the Rossmoor Woman’s Club’s monthly luncheon on April 10.

The club presented her with a certificate of recognition and $1,000 scholarship check.
As a Girl Scout for 13 years, Nina has completed numerous projects, including building and donating a lending library to the McGaugh Elementary School preschool. She has been a member of the California Scholarship Federation for the past four years and recently became a member of National Honor Society. In addition, Nina has participated in the French Honor Society since her junior year and currently holds the position of co-president. She was also a member of the girls’ tennis team from freshman to junior years.
Nina plans to attend UC Davis in the fall, majoring in International Relations.

The Rossmoor Woman’s Club, founded in 1958, is a social and philanthropic organization affiliated with the international General Federation of Women’s Clubs. The club is based in the northwest Orange County community of Rossmoor but membership is open to anyone. Among other things, the club raises money to support local charities and to fund scholarships for LAHS students through two major fundraisers: the annual Rossmoor Garden Tour, which is coming up on May 19, and Holiday Home Tour in December. For more information, go online to www.rossmoorwomansclub.org.

H.O.P.E. volulnteers partcipate in food distribution

Edna Ethington
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H.O.P.E. volulnteers partcipate in food distribution

Approximately 130 members of families in need came to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Bank for North Orange County on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at St. Irenaeus Church to receive food that had been purchased by H.O.P.E. and food that were donated by parishioners, businesses, and individuals. The official time of the Food Bank is 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on the first and third Saturdays of the month, but H.O.P.E. volunteers were in the Education Building of St. Irenaeus Church before 7:00 a.m. preparing to register families for the Food Bank and setting up tables for the food distribution outside.

Many family members came early and waited outside the building with their shopping carts to carry the food they would receive. As families arrived, they received a numbered ticket that was used, by lottery, to select which persons would be going into the Education Building in what order. In the Education Building, people then registered for the Food Bank and received another ticket so they could go to tables to select the food that they wanted.
Families could select shelf stable food, fresh produce, frozen foods, and bakery products that had been collected by H.O.P.E. volunteers from businesses including Second Harvest, Pizza Hut, Costco, Olive Garden, and other businesses. Parishioners of St. Irenaeus Church and students from John F. Kennedy High School and St. Joseph High School helped to distribute the food this week. Students from other local schools have helped in the past.
H.O.P.E. members thank everyone who donated funds or who volunteered to serve others at the April 6, 2024, Food Bank.

They pray that people will continue to support the H.O.P.E. Food Bank with food donations or monetary donations to Help Other People Everyday! H.O.P.E. volunteers are already collecting food for their next Food Bank distribution of food on Saturday, April 20, 2024, from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the Education Building at St. Irenaeus Church. Volunteers are always welcome to come and help with food distribution.

H.O.P.E. invites anyone who would like to help raise funds to purchase items not provided by USDA to come to the H.O.P.E. Fundraiser at Knott’s Berry Farm on Saturday, April 27, 2024, with cocktails at 6:00 p.m., Dinner at 7:00 p.m., and Dancing with Entertainment by the Ohio Trio Plus Band until 10:30. p.m. Tickets will be available at the Church Patio area on the weekends of April13-14 and April 20-21 for $65.00 each, or contact Val Cordova at 714-917-5798, or Bob Sgobba at 714-994-0743 for tickets.

Cubicles to cabbages: Giving back to the Giving Farm in Orange County

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Cubicles to cabbages: Giving back to the Giving Farm in Orange County

Sitting in a cubicle on virtual meetings on a late Friday afternoon is quite a contrast to harvesting fresh vegetables early the next morning. But that is exactly what Amy Ray did. The Associate Director of Network Pricing and Healthcare Economics for UnitedHealthcare in Cypress put away her laptop and made a Saturday morning journey along with 15 of her co-workers to help people in need at the Community Action Partnership of Orange County’s Giving Farm located at Westminster High School.

Ray and her co-workers of the California-based UnitedHealth Group Employee and Community Engagement Committee gave their time to help the cause that morning. Together, they rolled up their sleeves, donned black knee length work boots and gloves, and made their way to the cabbage field where they helped cut the stem on volleyball size heads of cabbage to place in bins. They moved on to work in the Farm’s orchard and harvest ripe oranges. In total, their labor of love resulted in four bins of cut cabbage and 39 milk size crates of oranges to feed Orange County’s vulnerable populations and senior communities in need of fresh healthy food through the Orange County Food Bank.

Working a farm seems odd in Orange County today, but the local area has a rich history rooted in agriculture. As the County became more industrialized and residential, Orange’s County agricultural industry dissipated. This effort is a revival of farming in the local community for all the right reasons.

“At Community Action Partnership of Orange County, our mission is to end poverty, and each leafy green cabbage and juicy orange harvested at the Giving Farm for the OC Food Bank represents hope for families struggling to put nutritious food on their tables,” said Gregory C. Scott, president and CEO of Community Action Partnership Orange County. “It is through the commitment and dedication of volunteers like Amy and colleagues from UnitedHealthcare that our organization is able to help vulnerable people throughout the county. Whether it’s at the food bank, at our community food drives, or at the Giving Farm, we’re thankful and grateful for their generosity and support of our mission.”

The Giving Farm is able to donate 300,000 lbs. of produce each year to those in need.
“Helping harvest the cabbage and oranges at the Giving Farm makes us feel like we are putting in our time and some physical effort to make the community a better place,” said Ray. “We are able to give back to people in need, to help curb food insecurity, and support our community in any way we can and help people live healthier lives.”

In addition to growing cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, celery, and avocado, the Giving Farm will soon be growing squash, butternut, spaghetti, acorn, and watermelons. The Farm also raises cows, pigs, and goats that support the Agriculture and Science program.

One of the volunteers, Adam Lautoa, a Medicare Trainer for UnitedHealthcare, expressed enthusiasm for volunteering at the Giving Farm. This volunteer project serves as a sort of homecoming for him. Lautoa is a 2007 graduate of Westminster High School. “I love volunteering,” said Lautoa. “At first, I thought we were distributing the food, but I am super thrilled that we are working on the Farm. My sister was part of the Future Farmers of America program here, too.”

“Volunteering on the Giving Farm is a tremendous experience,” said Ray. “I plan to come again.”

If your company, organization, civic group or family and friends are interested in supporting the work of the Giving Farm, you can follow this link to sign up and help harvest fresh food to support the vulnerable in Orange County.

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