Anne Hertz-Mallari, a member of the Cypress City Council and long-time nonprofit executive has been named Executive Director of We Care, one of the area’s largest nonprofits.
Hertz-Mallari, a longtime executive with the Boys and Girls Club of Cypress and later the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Anaheim-Cypress, has resigned her position to accept the new job, the organization has announced.
“The Board of Directors of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Anaheim-Cypress has announced the retirement of CEO Anne Hertz-Mallari, effective January 2024. Mallari has served in the position of CEO for the past 17 years. Under her leadership, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Anaheim-Cypress has grown from one location serving 65 children a day to 16 Clubhouses and 2 Teen Centers located within the Anaheim, Cypress, La Palma, and Stanton communities. Mallari has announced her retirement from Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Anaheim-Cypress,” the organization said in a prepared statement.
“During her time with the organization, Anne oversaw substantial growth and expansion,” said Chuck Emanuele, Chairman of the Board of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Anaheim-Cypress.
Meanwhile, the We Care Board of Directors released its own statement, saying the We Care Board “is excited to announce that Anne Hertz-Mallari will join We Care as the new Executive Director beginning February 5, 2024.”
“We are excited to have Anne on board. Anne has a history of success in developing and implementing innovative approaches and solutions to serve underserved families. She is particularly skilled at the strategic planning, marketing, public relations, fundraising, and community engagement needed to develop resources and leaders for long-term sustainability and success of the mission of We Care,” said We Care Board President Scott Miller.
We Cares Mission Statement provides “The purpose of We Care is to offer a variety of vital resources and provide a safety net that will equip families in our community for self-sufficient futures.”
In deciding to join We Care, Hertz-Mallari said in the statement “now, more than ever, families need supportive services to help them overcome the economic impacts of rising housing prices and overall cost of living increases, while still adapting to the long-term impact of the pandemic on the social and emotional well-being of themselves and their loved ones. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead We Care in meeting its crucial mission in our communities.”
The nonprofit executive attended the Los Al Chamber meeting at Epson America on Friday where she personally announced her position at the meeting of local business people.
We Care will hold the 17th Annual From the Heart Fundraiser on April 27, 2024 at the On The Greens Center located at the Navy Golf Course, 5660 Orangewood Ave, Cypress, CA. Information will be available on the We Care website starting on February 1, 2024, at www.WeCareOrangeCounty.org.
Now that Cypress has formally voted to redistrict their city, they are under time pressure to produce suitable districts called for in the settlement agreement the Council has approved (see related story).
Following the Council’s vote to switch to by-district elections, Cypress City Clerk Alisha Farnell issued a public notice outlining dates and times for six public hearings called to get citizen input on drawing the maps that will now presumably govern future elections.
According to the Settlement Agreement signed by the city, they must select an electoral map no later than Feb. 26, 2024, and identify the two districts that will elect Council Members in November 2024.
The other three districts will elect Council Members in November 2026. This approach preserves the City’s current Council Member election sequence and respects the terms voters elected Council Members to serve in the November 2020 and November 2022 elections, city staff confirmed in its staff report.
According to Farnell’s notice, the by-district electoral meeting schedule has been set as follows:
• Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 at 6 p.m.
• Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 at 6 p.m.
• Monday, Feb. 12, 2024 at 6 p.m.
• Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 at 6 p.m.
• Monday, March 11, 2024 at 6 p.m.
“The public hearings will be held at 5275 Orange Avenue, Cypress, CA in the Council Chambers. At the January 22 and January 29 public hearings, the public is invited to provide input regarding the composition of the districts. Following the second public hearing, draft maps of potential City Council election district boundaries will be published on or before February 5, 2024, for consideration and public input at the third and fourth public hearings.”
Farnell said that at the February 12 and February 26 public hearings, the public is invited to provide input regarding the content of the draft maps and the proposed sequence of elections.
She said all interested persons are invited to attend the public hearing(s), in person or virtually, and are invited to express opinions or submit information. The public may also provide comments in writing prior to the public hearing(s) via email to the City Clerk’s office (ci*******@*******ca.org) by 3:00 p.m. on the day of each hearing to allow sufficient time for comments to be included in the online agenda packet. Instructions for participating in the public hearing virtually will be published with each City Council agenda, at least 72 hours prior to each meeting, available online at https://www.cypressca.org/government/city-council-meetings.
Information about district elections, why the city is making this change, and the process is available on the city website at https://www.cypressca.org/government/district-elections.
According to the notice, for questions, residents are asked to contact the City Clerk’s Office at (714) 229-6685. Accommodation requests should be made at least three working days prior to the hearing so reasonable arrangements can be made.
St. Irenaeus’ Bridge of Light Ministry will “turn the light on” human trafficking to honor those who have suffered and survived this heinous crime on Tuesday, February 6th from 6:55 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The evening will start with Taize Prayer in St. Irenaeus Catholic Church located at 5201 Evergreen Ave., Cypress, CA 90630.
This will be followed by an on-site candlelight procession and prayer vigil. Then walkers will return to the church for a brief educational program to raise awareness about human trafficking in our midst. We will discuss how human trafficking affects every community via the commercial exploitation of adults and children, the online vulnerability of our youth, and how human trafficking is connected to child marriage, which is legal in 40 states in the U.S., including California.
We are honored to have Rima Nashashibi, the Founder and President of Global Hope 365, as our featured presenter. Global Hope 365 is a local nonprofit dedicated to ending child marriage, human trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence. Rima is an internationally recognized speaker, political and community leader and activist. She was listed in the Orange County Register Newspaper OC’s top 125 most influential people in Orange County and was the winner of the Los Angeles Times B2B Publishing Inspirational Woman of the year in the nonprofit executive category.
Join in fighting human trafficking by participating in Bridge of Light Ministry’s Solidarity Walk and Prayer Vigil, uniting with others to honor victims and survivors. If you have any questions, please contact Monica Kovach, Bridge of Light Ministry Chair (part of Health Ministry) at 310-490-6113.
Whether you were a president, prime minister or preacher’s son, legendary singer Johnny Cash treated you with the same dignity.
According to promoters of a new multi-media experiential stage show, Cash is “one of the most important, influential, and respected artists in the history of recorded music. From the monumental live prison albums to his extraordinary series of commentaries on the American spirit and human condition to a mesmerizing canon of gospel recordings to his remarkable and unprecedented late-life artistic triumphs of will and wisdom, his impact on our culture is profound and continuing.”
The legend of Cash, a country music star who passed away 21 years ago, endures as a musical experience packaged by the singer’s son, John Carter-Cash, will hit the Segerstrom stage on Jan. 21.
The show is entitled Johnny Cash – the official concert experience and brings songs and stories from the “Man in Black” to the stage in a way that audiences haven’t seen or heard before.
The show contains video of Johnny from episodes of The Johnny Cash TV Show projected on a screen above the stage, a live band and singers will accompany him in perfect sync.
Promoters said in a statement that “this concert experience will showcase iconic performances from the TV show and highlight the spirit of the legend by revisiting some of his memorable words and anecdotes. Cash will perform some of his biggest hits, including “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Ring of Fire,” and “I Walk the Line,” and share stories of people he met along the way whose causes he championed – the working man from all walks of life. Plus, onstage, male and female singers will split vocal duties, performing their own takes on Cash hits,” The music never stops in this concert event.
While many of the performers and musicians selected for the show were too young to have ever experienced a live Johnny Cash concert, the event features Debbie Horton, the only female ever to play lead guitar on stage with Cash.
Horton, who grew up a fan of Cash, happened to convince her parents while visiting Nashville to bring her to a church where Cash worshipped, hoping he would happen to be there, Horton said in an interview this week.
As fate would have it, she met Cash as a child and ultimately became a lifelong acquaintance of the “Man in Black.” Even as a global superstar, she said Cash’s enduring legacy is built around his sincere humility.
“He validated everybody,” she said. “He would be with presidents, and then he would be with the bums on the street; I mean, he treated everyone equally, you know,” said Horton. Cash “wasn’t a person of like… I’m a star kind of guy…I knew him for over 20 years still, that persona still rings true,” said Horton.
Debbie Horton, a longtime friend of Cash and the noly woman ever to play lead guitar for him. Courtesy photo
“I was backstage with Cash at many, many shows,” she said, “and this was a time when you did not have to pay for a VIP experience or to have a picture with him.” The story that I love the best, he told this story in an interview one time. They asked Johnny, ‘What do you do when people come to your table if you’re out to dinner and you know they want to autograph something how do you handle that?’ and he said, ‘I just put my foot down and I give it to them and I’m nice too because I…appreciated where it all came from’ and he never forgot that’… he never forgot that,” says Horton.
Deep down, says Horton, Cash was like many of his southern counterparts who started off just wanting to sing gospel on the radio.
“It’s so funny, all those guys from that era, Johnny Cash, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, they all had this real deep gospel faith, they were like preachers, you know they should have been preachers…and I’m not the first one to say that,” she said. “They all loved gospel music so much and that was from their humble roots and all that.”
She said the show will also feature on-screen narration by Cash’s only son, John Carter
Cash and “really cool” multi-media that manages to make Johnny Cash the star of the show.
“My father’s music has resonated deeply with fans around the world and we’re looking forward to bringing this music experience to cities across North America,” says Cash. “I will help narrate the evening and share some intimate stories from my father’s personal life and career in music,” said Carter Cash in a statement.
“Johnny Cash is one of the most important, influential, and respected artists in the history of recorded music. From the monumental live prison albums to his extraordinary series of commentaries on the American spirit and human condition to a mesmerizing canon of gospel recordings to his remarkable and unprecedented late-life artistic triumphs of will and wisdom, his impact on our culture is profound and continuing,” he said.
The North American tour launched in Fayetteville, AR and continues across 85 U.S. cities. Horton said she was hired directly by Carter Cash to play lead guitar in the show. “The Johnny Cash Concert experience has attracted large and very enthusiastic audiences at every show,” says Horton.
JOHNNY CASH – The Official Concert Experience is produced by GEAlive, Quatro Entertainment, Maple Tree Entertainment, the Estate of Johnny Cash, John Carter Cash, and Sandbox Succession. For more information, visit www.JohnnyCashConcertExperience.
Tickets start at $29. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. For info, www.scfta.org • Box Office 714.556.2787.
Los Alamitos High’s boys soccer team forced overtime with goal in the closing minutes of regulation, but eventually suffered a 3-2 loss in the extra period against Corona del Mar, on Friday at Corona del Mar High.
Corona del Mar led 2-1, with the game dwindling down to stoppage time, when the Griffins used a short corner kick to set up shot from an angle by Nishimoto. The shot hit a defender in front of the goal, then bounced around a mass of players in front of the goal box.
The ball came out in front, near the top of the box and senior Enoch Gonzalez got off hard shot that found its way through traffic and into the net to tie the game up 2-2.
The loss dropped the Griffins to 7-9-1 overall and 0-1-1 in Surf League play. Corona del Mar is 1-1-0 in Surf League and 4-4-4 overall. The Griffins had some early pressure, notably a solid shot from Jack Nishimoto from the top of the goal box that glanced just high off the crossbar.
The Sea Kings began to take control of the game flow, putting pressure of their own on the Griffin defense. They too, had some quality attacks, including a nice crossing pass and shot back against the grain that went just wide of the goal.
The game remained 0-0 at halftime, but the Sea Kings struck first in the second half. A sliding defensive steal attempt by the Griffins resulted in a penalty kick for the Sea Kings, which was converted for a 1-0 lead. But a few minutes later, the Griffins were on the attack and Corona del Mar was called for a hand ball penalty in the goal box.
Los Alamitos was awarded a penalty kick of their own and Nishimoto converted the shot to tie the game, 1-1. Around the 58th minute, the Sea Kings again took the lead, this time on a crossing pass that was headed back to the far corner for a 2-1 lead.
After the Griffins sent the game to overtime, the Sea Kings ended the contest when a shot from top of the box, in front of the right post, went across the goal and slipped inside the left post. The Griffins find themselves tied for third with Edison. Corona del Mar is second behind Newport Harbor, which is 2-0.
The Griffins host Newport Harbor on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and will play Fountain Valley at home on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
In 2020, Debbie Marcusson and Terry Schumacher, who lived across from the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, started a Lego Holiday Collection during Covid as a zoom display to share some festive cheer.
In 2021, Debbie and her wife, Terry, moved to a house in Huntington Beach, and that’s when the village expanded into their garage. Each year, Debbie has added more elements—a winter area with Santa’s workshop, elf house, gingerbread house, and a motorized ski resort. The village includes a town with houses, businesses, a motorized trolley, and even a Loop Roller Coaster that transformed part of it into an amusement park a year ago. Most structures are LEGO sets with some modifications, but she has also added custom builds, like the working ski lift.
Marcusson, a California State University of Long Beach Chancellor’s Office employee, and Schumacher ,a local Police Department volunteer, share their festive LEGO village with the community, spreading joy during the holiday season. People of all ages, especially LEGO fans, enjoy the display.
“Hopefully, it inspires others to create their own traditions that bring family, friends, and the community together,” said Marcusson.
You can tour their display on Thursday, December 21st and Friday, December 22nd from 5:30pm to 8:30pm and on Christmas Day Monday, December 25th from 5:30pm to 9pm at 5121 Skylark Drive in Huntington Beach, just off Bolsa Chica and Robinwood. Look for Emmitt Lego in their front yard. Contact Debbie with any questions at: 714 581-3836.
Photo by David N. Young
The Los Alamitos Show Choir performs at Rush Park in Rossmoor Friday for the annual Chamber of Commerce holiday breakfast. Under the direction of David Moellenkamp, the show choir has become a favorite of the community and is celebrated across the nation. During Moellenkamp’s tenure as Director of Choral Activities at Los Alamitos High School, the choirs have been named Grand Champions over 175 times, including 17 National Grand Championship titles.
The newly installed commander of the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos continued his community relations assault this week with the official lighting of the first ever official Christmas tree at the 80-year-old base.
“I want to show the local community that we are about a community relationship,” said Lt. Col. Dan Fox said in an interview with ENE Saturday evening before the event.
With a tree donated by the City of Los Alamitos, the 30-foot tree sat in a trailer hitched to a military jeep in the median to the main entrance of the base. Connected also was a trailer filled with large, gift-wrapped packages.
Photo by David N. Young Santa and Mrs. Claus wave the service members, families and guests just after Staff Sgt. Pearl Jardinasso flipped the switch and the humvee mounted tree lit up.
Even as a military band played military and holiday songs, Fox milled around the large area on the base speaking with members of the public.
Even so, Fox said he wanted to ensure that the “fun” event was steeped in military tradition.
“Even in a fun environment of a tree lighting,” said Fox, “I want to add to the holiday spirit, which is what the purpose of the tree lighting is, but we did it with our military attributes to show the community how we do things,” said Fox.
“Too many people see the military base from the outside only and probably have no idea what goes on in. I think that they’re probably curious as to what all happens in and within the limits of what I am able to show, I would like for them to be able to see what I see; what soldiers, sailors and service members at large do when they come to work,” the commander said.
Fox said he would be listening for a while before developing a more permanent community relations plan.
He also had a surprise for one service member Saturday.
“To begin this tradition, and to continue on every year after, we’re going to select an honorary service member from the base to do the honors of lighting the tree,” he said.
Now addressing the public, Fox said “everyone knows this was a surprise. I didn’t let her know she was doing this. I selected her because she pretty much spearheaded the decorating of the tree.”
He recognized Staff Sgt. Pearl Jardinasso and asked her to come forward.
“I asked who wanted to volunteer to decorate the tree, and she jumped all over it, and with very little guidance, put all that together. So she rounded up everyone with the ‘bah humbug’ spirit and made them get to work,” said Fox.
“You get to do the honors of lighting the tree,” the commander told her.
“Honestly I’m very humbled, but it’s that none of this could have happened without the cooperation of everybody on base,” she said. “It was a collective event so I cannot take any credit for it,” the staff sergeant said. “I thank you,” said Jardinasso.
Los Alamitos Mayor Tanya Doby and Council member Shelley Hasselbrink attended along with key staff members representing the city.
Repeated discussions behind closed doors by the Cypress City Council to discuss the potential of changing the voting system within the city did not violate the state’s open meetings law, an Orange County Superior Court has ruled.
Californians Aware, a statewide group promoting open government filed suit against the city in 2022, alleging the city had a responsibility to citizens to discuss the issue in open session, though the Brown Act did provide “a basis for meeting in closed session,” it was not required as a first step.
Superior Court Judge Erick L. Larsh has ruled, however, that “there is no evidence that the members of the Cypress City Council did not comport themselves in conformance with the Brown Act,” according to a press release issued by the city early this week.
The ENE has requested a complete copy of the judge’s ruling and also reached out to Californians Aware for comment but have not heard back.
Californians Aware’s lawsuit originally argued that the City Council was not authorized to meet in closed session because there was no actual threat of litigation after the original demand letter was issued by the Malibu law firm of Shenkman and Hughes.
After the City Attorney’s office pointed out that the letter from SVREP specifically threatened “to seek judicial relief”, Californians Aware pivoted to arguing that the decision to reject the threat of litigation was somehow a policy decision that should have been made
in open session. Judge Larsh was not persuaded, city said in their statement.
The City of Cypress prevailed in the lawsuit filed by Californians Aware that alleged the City Council failed to follow California’s open meeting law, the Brown Act, when it reviewed a threat of litigation during closed session with the City Attorney.
The lawsuit accused the City Council of violating the Brown Act when it reviewed a threat of litigation arising from a threat by the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP) threatening to sue the City for allegedly violating the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) unless the City transitioned to district elections. The CVRA claim is currently subject to a separate lawsuit, the statement said.
“While I am pleased that Judge Larsh rejected Californians Aware’s ill-conceived lawsuit and its efforts to make Cypress taxpayers pay for their lawyers,” said Cypress Mayor Anne Hertz-Mallari, “I am deeply troubled that special interests from outside Cypress continue to use the legal system to blindly pursue an agenda that threatens our community and our democracy.”
The statement was issued before Monday’s meeting when Council member Scott Minikus was elected Mayor for 2024 and Hertz-Mallari gave no further explanation of how a redistricting lawsuit threatens our democracy.
“As we head into 2024, Mayor Hertz-Mallari continued in the statement, “I am glad the City Council can refocus on serving the community and ensuring Cypress continues to be a great place to live, work and play.”
Cypress City Attorney Fred Galante added, “The City of Cypress is committed to complying with the Brown Act and embodies transparent and responsive government. We’re pleased that the court recognized that and vindicated the City completely.”
Currently, the city is in mediation on the redistricting lawsuit. Without explanation to the public, and now with the court’s blessing, the city continues to conduct itself in execution session on the issue, meeting for its first mediation session on the redistricting lawsuit in early November, according to plaintiff attorney Kevin Shenkman.
Though the city protested a report by ENE in September that they voted in secret to discuss mediating the redistricting lawsuit, Shenkman confirmed that city officials indeed met with a court-appointed mediator during the first week of November.
While the Nov. 1 session in Encino had to be cancelled because the court-appointed mediator was sick, Shenkman confirmed the two sides met with a second mediator the same week. He provided no details on what transpired.
The Rossmoor Community Services District and visiting elected officials joined each other on stage during the district’s annual WinterFest event to officially light the neighborhood’s Christmas tree.
“On behalf of the Rossmoor Community Services District Board of Directors, we welcome you to our annual Christmas festival and Tree Lighting Ceremony,” said General Director Joe Mendoza in introducing the event.
Photo by David N. Young Rossmoor residents clap as the community tree lights up.
“At this time, we’re going to have a little ceremony for the tree lighting, and I would like to introduce our president of the Rossmoor Community Services District Tony DeMarco.
DeMarco was the Master of Ceremonies for the event, and he was joined on stage by Director Jo Shade. Shade introduced Los Al High School student Mesa Valley, who performed the national anthem.
“Good evening, Rossmoor family and friends. What a great crowd we have out here tonight,” she said.
DeMarco thanked State Sen. Janet Nguyen, who also attended the event.
“I’m very excited to be here. I’ve represented Rossmoor since 2014, “ said Nguyen, and I’ve been here at every one of these.”
The state Senator also thanked the staff and volunteers helping to produce the Rossmoor annual WinterFest event.
“Without them, we don’t get to enjoy these kinds of festivities,” she said. “Merry Christmas, Happy holiday. Enjoy, be safe. And if you can help a little bit, let’s help somebody else who might not be able to get that Christmas gift. We would all appreciate it,” said Nguyen.
Assembly member Tri Ta attended the first WinterFest event since being elected to the post. He is the former Mayor of Westminster serving now in the State Assembly in a district which includes the community of Rossmoor.
“So happy to be here,” said Tri Ta. “Rossmoor is in my assembly district. It’s my honor to serve you in Sacramento. I want to thank the leadership of the board president and the vice president and the rest of the Rossmoor CSD and the many other nonprofit organizations who
“So Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah and happy holidays to you and your family,” he said.
Shade also thanked the Hopkinson Elementary school choir, the Rossmoor Elementary choir, St. Hedwig Choir, Lee Elementary Choir, Weaver elementary Choir, McAuliffe and Oak Middle School Choirs, the Impact Dance Center and the hula group for all contributing the WinterFest entertainment.
DeMarco thanked title sponsors Dr. Kenneth Huh of MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach along with Brad and Jenny Simon from the Simon Law Group for being the event’s title sponsor.
DeMarco thanked other sponsors, including Friday Night Lights, Rossmoor Homeowners Association, Tomlin Real Estate, Jones & Meyer, CR&R, OCFA, OCSO, Braithwaite Chiropractic and The Youth Center.
Today, Thursday, Dec. 7, is the first day of Chanukah, which ends Dec. 15.
The 20th Pre-Chanukah Menorah Lighting was held Sunday evening, Dec. 5, in Eisenhower Park. The park was already beginning to fill up before the sun set, before the ceremony officially began at 5 p.m. Most participants wore jackets. Many wore scarves.
Perhaps 500 people attended this year’s event. “We completely ran out of hot coco and cups,” wrote Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, of Los Alamitos/Cypress Chabad, in a Dec. 4 email.
“We also gave away over 500 donuts. We usually plan for 500, and this year people got there early and we gave away all our menorah kits. I would estimate at 500,” Marcus wrote.
(Last year, Marcus put the crowd size at 300 to 400.)
Several members of the audience waved small Israeli flags.
This year’s event included a prayer for Israel.
The four-member Los Angeles band Emotional Intelligence performed live music, including “Blowing in the Wind” and “Light One Candle,” a Chanukah song from folk singers Peter, Paul, and Mary, as well as original songs.
Students from Hebrew High distributed free donuts, menorah kits, dreidels and chocolate coins.
Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, of Los Alamitos/Cypress Chabad, greeted the audience. Marcus told the audience that people asked if the menorah lighting would go forward this year.
“When they go dark, we go bright,” Marcus said.
“We are awake, we are alive, we are alight,” he said.
“Light attracts,” he said.
“Give yourselves a round of applause for being the light and goodness that will save this planet,” Marcus said.
Seal Beach Police Chief Michael Henderson attended this year’s event. “We are so grateful to our Jewish community,” Henderson said.
Marcus gave an unscheduled prayer for Israel.
Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal and Assemblymember Diane Dixon also spoke briefly. Lowenthal described them as friends, though they are from different districts and different parties. Lowenthal is a member of the state’s Jewish Caucus.
He spoke briefly about anti-Semitism. He said there was one difference between anti-Semitism and other “isms.” “Anti-Semitism is about blame,” Lowenthal said.
He also said the California Legislative Jewish Caucus was not going to hide.
Dixon said she was honored to be there with him.
Dixon asked if she could be an honorary member.
“I stand with Israel in love an honor,” she said.
After Emotional Intelligence performed “Light One Candle,” Rabbi Marcus said that 20 years ago, they had a smaller menorah.
The current menorah is 9 feet high.
Nine families lit each of the candles of the menorah. The middle candle is the Shamash (the service candle). The Reyngold family lit the Shamash, Dennis and Clair Singer lit the first candle, the Roth family lit the second candle, the Prince family lit the third candle, Mercedes Neves-Hatchwell lit the fourth candle, Richard Wolpow and Tali Bercovitz lit the fifth candle, the Posner family lit the sixth candle, the Erman family lit the seventh candle, and the Rubin family lit the eighth candle.
Marcus encouraged everyone to spread light and goodness when they went home from the ceremony. He asked the audience for applause for the Hebrew High students who gave the coffee, the donuts, and the dreidels.
According to Chabad.org (not to be confused with Los Alamitos /Cypress Chabad), in the second century BCE, the Seleucids tried to force the Israelis to worship according to the ways of the Seleucids. The Maccabees took up arms in the defense of their way of life.
“The Chanukah victory allowed Jews to practice freely, and Jewish education was finally permissible once again, therefore, there is a custom to give Chanukah money ‘Gelt’ to help pay for a Jewish education the Chanukah chocolate coins are a sweet tribute to the Chanukah Gelt,” according to the Seal Beach menorah lighting program.
Sometimes you can just feel it in your bones when another human is truly committed to what they say.
For years, Art Garcia, the owner of Maderas Steakhouse in Los Alamitos, has been faithful to the troops. Nearly every time troops are deployed for new missions overseas; Art is at the base serving them with either breakfast or lunch.
When troops return, he and his team are there as well, with home cooking and refreshments to welcome them back, but mostly, to let them know we, as a people appreciate what they have done for us.
His latest victory, however, is worthy of some note.
When I was at the base for the Regional Military Affairs Committee meeting last week, Art was there. As I waited to interview Lt. Col. Fox, there was Art, waiting to see him as well.
For many years, Art Garcia, in addition to his other well-meaning pursuits with the troops, has been fiercely dedicated to serving the most wounded of the wounded confined to the spinal cord injury unit at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Long Beach.
Men and women whose service injuries are so severe that they are strapped to beds, in many cases cannot move. “Men and women who have lost legs, lost their mind, but served for us,” said Art. “They need to enjoy Christmas.”
Art said he showed up to serve in Vietnam, but the war was ending so since then, he said
God put it on his heart to do everything possible for those who have served and especially those who have paid a price to keep us safe.
He began many years ago by working with Boeing to feed veterans and then began offering free meals to homeless veterans at his restaurant.
But after a call to serve some needed veterans at a VA Hospital, “I never served Christmas dinner at my restaurant again. I saw there was absolutely no Christmas at the VA Hospital and I said to myself, ‘this is where they need Christmas.’”
Since then, Garcia has been serving hundreds of filet mignon meals at the VA Hospital. With his crew of volunteers and Bethany Baptist Church Christmas Carolers, Garcia delivers steak dinners to the spinal cord unit, the psychological rehab unit and throughout several buildings where our most wounded veterans live.
“Sometimes it’s not pretty,” he warns volunteers, noting it can be emotional yet truly rewarding to feed wounded veterans on Christmas. “This is not a trip to Disneyland,” he says wryly.
But then COVID hit, and he was banned from the VA Hospital.
“I didn’t stop,” he said, noting that he still prepared more than 200 meals and brought them to the facility and made sure they were delivered as Christmas carols were sung in the hallway so the brave men and women would know they had not been forgotten.
“It’s been a battle since COVID,” he said, noting he has been “lobbying anyone” who might be able to help him regain access to the VA Hospital at Christmas. “I’d even call their 0mothers if I thought it would help.”
Now, back to Garcia’s appearance at the Regional Military Affairs committee, where he finally did get a word with Lt. Col. Fox. Fox most recently worked at the Pentagon, so his Rolodex is likely broad.
Garcia said he asked Fox like he has asked hundreds of others over the past four years, to try to reopen access to the wounded vets at Christmas.
And like the parting of Red Sea, Garcia said he “got a call seven days ago. They said you can come back in. No restrictions. I was really moved,” said Garcia. “I was really moved,” he says again, his voice trailing off.
His one-man war over the past four years has paid off. The steak dinners are headed back to the VA Hospital this Christmas, and this would-be warrior for good could not be happier.
Persons who want to volunteer can sign up at Maderas on Katella, and those who want to donate $25 for a prime filet mignon meal for a wounded veteran can call (562) 598-0401 to donate.
He’s hoping to feed 250 wounded service members this year, but what he truly wants is to simply find a way to say thank you from the bottom of his heart to these men and women and all those they represent.
Indeed, one can truly feel it when someone is committed to what they say. For this one Los Al businessman, his one-man war for good has been won by sheer persistence and a devotion to service beyond self
Quietly, yet efficiently, a small army of dedicated government employees engaged in what can only be described as a logistical ballet, wages war against one of the world’s most dreaded pests every day.
Operating from a proverbial Medfly Village, an enclave of metal buildings built in 1996 in a remote corner at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, the teams of state and federal workers are engaged in a battle with the wild Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Medfly), considered one of the world’s most dreaded pests.
Program Director Ian Walters. dnyphoto
Medfly program director Ian Walters, who has been with the program since its inception in the early 1990s, directs the attack like a general on a battlefield.
On the job, he walks briskly through the elongated rows of incubation units, refrigeration trailers, and testing chambers, checking with technicians, scanners, and processors along the way.
“The Medfly Preventative Release Program (MPRP)is a cooperative program of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),” said Walters during an extensive visit with ENE.
“The Medfly is one of the world’s most significant pests,” he said, “and that’s because it consumes about 250 different kinds of fruit, nut, berry, and vegetable crops, about 170 of which are grown in California and are protected by the program.”
Coiled electrical cords power the small compressors that keep the pupae alive as they emerge within one of the incubation units at JFTB. dnyphoto
In this role for more than three decades, Walters has become the de facto lord of the Medflies program, guiding a delicate environmental and logistical ballet that results in the targeted release of nearly 100 billion sterile male fruit flies over southern California each year.
Walters said the state has battled the Medfly since the 1970s, engulfing then-Gov. Jerry Brown in a showdown with the federal government over spraying the toxic pesticide Malathion to bring the infestation under control.
According to a New York Times Retro Report, the state declared victory against the Medfly in 1990, but two months later, more wild Medflies were found, prompting some to believe the pest had established a small, but firm foothold in the state.
Though some state officials deny it, James R. Carey, Distinguished Professor of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, said the Medfly is here to stay.
Medfly pupae, after being treated with orange dye that will eventually show up in traps after the flies complete their lifecycle, are added to the pupae before they are shipped to the Medfly program at Los Alamitos. dnyphoto
“The Medfly is really established throughout the state,” he told the Times. “There’s absolutely no question, but they’re very low populations and so what the state has done is really suppressed them, but they haven’t contained them,” said Carey.
“I do not agree with his assertion,” notes Walters, saying the breakthrough in the fight against the Medfly came with the development of SIT (Sterile Insect Technique), which of course, lies at the heart of the preventative release program.
Today, the release of millions of sterile male fruit flies lies at the heart of the state’s strategy to keep the Medfly at bay.
As the SIT technology emerged, state agriculture officials switched strategies, to an environmentally friendly pesticide. The program began with a test in 1992, he said, then built the Medfly Village on the base in 1994 and when the results were positive, announced the Preventative Release Program in 1996.
After they arrive at the facility, they are processed into specially designed trays. Here, a worker adds a gelatin pad that will act as food and water for the pupae as they take four days to emerge as Medflies. dnyphoto
According to Walters, most flies have a life cycle of approximately 30 days. Yet, in that span, the male and female will mate, and the only way to stem the flow of wild Medflies into the environment is to have willing male Medflies ready to mate, yet sterile so there are no eggs.
Therefore, since flies have a 30-day life span, it takes an effort seven days a week, 24 hours a day and 365 days a week of strategically releasing sterile males into the environment to prevent outbreaks of wild and virile Medflies.
Walters said the Medfly is critical to control because it destroys the crops by injecting their eggs under the skin of fruits and vegetables and other crops. “The female will have her eggs fertilized and she will lay her eggs under the skin of the fruit,” said Walters.
“The female Medfly has an ovipositor, an appendage on the tip of the abdomen that will pierce the skin of the fruit. The female will lay the eggs under the skin of the fruit and those eggs will hatch and become larvae. The larva will consume the fruit,” he said.
With a $10 million annual budget, Walters said the program saves billions in losses.
Even as new flies are being processed to be sent into the environment, workers in the lab analyze Medflies caught in more than 100,000 traps around the state by using UV light to ensure the flies have the orange dye. Otherwise, the potential wild flies are sent out for further inspection by higher powered microscopes. dnyphoto
“If Medflies were to become established in California, it would have a devastating impact,” said Walters. He said experts predict it would result in an estimated $2 billion in losses.
He said the losses would include direct losses from loss of crops, loss of export market, increased use of pesticides, and other cultural impacts.
Therefore, he said, “the program is charged with keeping the Medflies from gaining a foothold in the agriculturally rich SoCal and L.A. basin.”
The Los Al program serves an area of approximately 1,800 square miles within Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
The process of supplying 175 million sterile male Medflies each week is intricate and fascinating. The process from fly production to release over the skies of SoCal is intricate and always in motion.
How the Medflies are processed at Medfly village at JFTB is equally fascinating and how they are safely released into the skies owes its prowess to endurance and ingenuity.
Walters said the process starts at Medfly production facilities in Hawaii and Guatemala. It is truly a complex network that keeps the aerial Medfly preventative release program flying.
“We (CDFA) don’t keep a breeding colony of flies here in California. Because we don’t want to risk that any of those wild flies escape the facility and start an infestation,” said Walters.
Accordingly, all the current production is done offshore at one of these two facilities, he said. There are four stages in a fly’s life, said Walters, including egg, larvae, pupae, and emergence (adulthood).
Once processed the Medflies are sent to the chiller refrigerated trucks where they are chilled for release in the sky by special devices on USDA contracted airplanes. dnyphoto
Once the larvae reach the pupae stage, the last stage before adulthood, Walters said production workers “apply a marker dye to the pupae that will fluoresce under a UV light so we will be able to differentiate that sterile fly from a wild fly.”
The marker dye will only become critical to researchers when the Medflies complete their life cycle and end up in traps.
While still at the production facilities, after the dye is applied to the pupae, they are collected and put in special plastic bags and sent to USDA lab facilities for irradiation.
The bags are zapped with gamma rays and eventually loaded onto commercial cargo carriers that arrive daily from Guatemala and Hawaii. The radiation is measured so that the Medflies will eventually emerge from the pupae sterile, but the rays have no other impacts.
Walters said special couriers pick up the pupae and deliver them to the labs within the Medfly village at JFTB, where workers methodically process the incoming supply.
After a quality control check, the pupae are taken from the bags and put on special racks of layered trays, complete with two gelatin bars in each tray that will supply the incubating pupae with food and water.
Walters said the Guatemala Medflies are slightly smaller, so it takes 46 trays to house one million Medflies while the Hawaii Medflies take 56 trays to make a million fly “stack.”
A pilot from one of four USDA contracted King Airs from Dynamic Aviation does a routine flight check near the World War II era hanger utilized by the Medfly program. dnyphoto
The stacks are then taken to one of many “incubation chambers” in the village of container-size buildings. Walters points out small, computer-type compressor fans that are placed above each stack.
“This supplies air to the entire stack to keep the flies alive until they emerge,” he said.
It takes about four days for the flies to emerge from the pupae, he said, and on the third day, the sterile males get a bath of fly cologne, yes cologne of sorts, to make them more attractive to the waiting females.
After an overnight bath of ginger root oil, the Medflies are prepared for their trip into the wild. By giving the Medflies a scent of ginger root oil, scientists believe the sterile male Medflies will have a better than even chance of attracting a female, said Walters.
By releasing millions of sterile males into the population of wild flies, the population of wild flies that could fertilize the eggs is theoretically held at bay. For three decades, the program has worked and is beginning to attract worldwide attention.
Workers roll the chilled Medflies onto the tarmac to be loaded into special carriers that release the Medflies at 2000 feet. dnyphoto
The last stop for male Medflies is a trip to one of several refrigerated trucks located in Medfly Village, where technicians slowly induce a “chill coma” by lowering the temperature just to the point of inactivity.
By the time the flies are loaded onto the planes and are ultimately released, they will be awake and ready for their missions to mate.
A few hundred feet from the village sits an aging World War II-era hanger, which the program uses as a flight staging area.
“The aerial releases are conducted by Dynamic Aviation Group, Inc. (DAG) a private release operator under contract with USDA,” he said. The release program uses a fleet of four Beechcraft King Air, Model 90 turboprop planes.
Special devices and chutes have been retrofitted into the planes that hold the trays and can release the flies over the designated area. All planes fly with a crew of two, said Walters, to ensure proper release.
He said Medflies are released seven days a week, with at least three to four flights per day. A large map of the 1800-mile target area sits on the wall of Walters’ office that is divided into quadrants.
Pilots check the special metal devices that have been designed to safely release the flies in midflight. dnyphoto
Flight controllers, such as Irma Zamora, Release Operations Supervisor, stay in constant touch with each flight to coordinate the Medfly release. In addition, the program uses “Flight Aware” to track each flight and is stored for backup if questions ever arise, said Walters.
Two months ago, when wild Medflies were found in Leimert Park in Los Angeles, the Los Al-based Medfly program was in the news again.
After two wild Medflies were found, authorities immediately set up a 69-square-mile quarantine area covering parts of Central L.A., Culver City, and South L.A.
Walters said the Medfly team scrambled to target the area to pepper the affected area with sterile males. “We were able to ramp up quickly and then drop 125,000 sterile males per mile to ensure there was no breakout,” he said.
Another small army collects samples from more than 100,000 traps across the area, said Walters, and couriers daily deliver those traps to Medfly Village for inspection.
“They have a microscope and a UV light,” said Walters. Looking at those traps are really cool,” he said.
Another Medfly flight heads for the runway at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos.
“The marker dye will fluoresce on the sterols, but if they don’t detect the marker dye then they have a suspected wild fly,” he said, which raises alarm bells. The suspect fly is then sent out immediately for a secondary inspection.
Thus, the battle against the Medfly goes on, around the clock, every day of the year. While government workers across oceans create billions of flies for release, another group is testing the traps every day to complete the cycle of protection against the dreaded fly.
“The program has proven to be a success, both in preventing and eradicating infestations when they do occur,” said Walters.
“I am proud of the work that has been done by the program and I personally derive great satisfaction in the fact that we have contributed to efforts to protect agriculture in California.”
Like the new sheriff walking in at high noon, the newly appointed commander of the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos told a group of military and community officials Tuesday he means business and plans big changes to the base.
Lt. Col Dan Fox has been reassigned from his Pentagon job with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to assume command of a base that he suggested is in need of significant revitalization.
The 1940’s base occupies exactly half of the entire land area of Los Alamitos and this California native told a group of regional military officials Tuesday that his new job is to “nest” the base with surrounding communities.
“The big bosses up in Sacramento sent me here to bring a little bit more beautification to this base,” said Fox, knowing also “that we have to reinvigorate our community outreach programs and make the linkage between our soldiers, sailors, and Marines that work here on this base nested with the local communities.”
Moreover, Fox announced that the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin, had planned to visit Los Alamitos to tour the base last Friday, but had to cancel because of the war in Israel.
”He (Secretary Austin) called me the other day,” said Fox, “I’m looking forward to seeing you but I can’t make it. You’ve probably seen what’s going on in the news,” he said.
Nevertheless, Fox said he understands his mission at JFTB and that he planned extensive collaboration with neighboring communities to carry it out.
“As far as community outreach, I’ve had the honor to work with many of the local leaders,” he said, including representatives of the city of Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Cypress and others.
While Fox said he could not yet remember all of their names, he said “I’ll get better at it.”
Fox said with some certainty the “Race on the Base” will return as well as offering the swimming pool and other facilities on the base to local teams.
“We’re exploring the possibility of having more interaction with the city of Los Alamitos and being able to provide more community interaction,” he told the community and military offiials.
“There’s been some changes in in policies that have that have come up,” said Fox, “so I’m not a politician, I tell people to directly but I don’t have authority to say certain things so I’m I am doing what I can to get it an agreement that we can all benefit from,” he noted.
“I do the best I can to work with everybody,” said Fox. “I am all about the win-win. If you win and I don’t lose, that is also a win-win. I am here to manage the space, but as it is a fairly significant portion of the City of Los Alamitos and also the adjacent community, what happens here reflects on you or impacts on you and therefore, this is your base,” said Fox. “Although it is not,” he quickly added, tongue firmly in cheek.
The City of Los Alamitos voted at their most recent meeting to approve the new requirements for developers that resets their standards for residential development.
After hearing from its consultant and Ron Noda, Deputy City Manager and Director of Development, the Council voted unanimously to approve changes to its park development standard set forth in the so-called Quimby Act.
“Basically, the Act is to assist local government in mitigating the impact of property development by providing parks and recreation services,” Noda told the Council.
“The Quimby Act was passed by the State of California in 1975,” he added, explaining that the Act set forth the parameters and standards cities must adhere to meet desired park development goals.
Currently, he said, there is a parkland standard of 2.5 acres of parks for every 1,000 residents within a city. Currently, he said there are 18.4 acres dedicated to public parks in the city.
“We’re a little behind the times,” said Noda, when asking the Council to consider updating the standard.
“When you do the math, with how many residents we have, we are in need of more park space,” he said. Currently, said Noda, the city “does not have enough green space to accommodate our residents.”
Working with the SCI Consulting Firm, Noda said they have raised the standards and adjusted fees for developers which will hopefully make the city much greener.
Under the act, the city can accept land donations (as cited in their standard) or collect fees in lieu of land, he said.
“That’s what the Quimby Act fees are for,” said Noda, adding that the updated schedule will allow the city to create more park space for residents.
The Council voted unanimously to approve the first reading of a resolution to create the new standards and fee schedules.
In other action at the November meeting, the Council approved an annual bonus for City Manager Chet Simmons as is allowed in his agreement with the city.
The Council’s vote was not unanimous, however, as Council members Trisha Murphy and Emily Hibard abstained. “I see room for improvement,” said Murphy in casting her vote.
Both members have been critical of financial errors and miscalculations in material presented to the Council, so much so that the city has implemented an “accelerated” warrant schedule to allow the city to deal with the questions before the meetings after errors were being brought up in meetings.
The city now apparently works on any routine questionable financial matters beforehand, to deal with them out off-camera, and before their regular meetings.
The Council also honored Nurse Practitioners during Nurse Practitioners Week and honored Joseph Luck and Mason Peat, owners of Lucky Pete’s Barber Shop as part of their ongoing Business Spotlight program.
Photo by Ted Apodaca
Grand Marshals for this year’s Seal Beach Christmas Parade were Joe and Ana Woyjeck, parents of fallen firefighter Kevin J. Woyjeck. Kevin was one of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighters who died in the fire in Yarnell AZ in 2013. For more on the Kevin Woyjeck Foundation, visit explorersforlife.org.
The Orange County Fire Authority has reported working two major fires in the City of La Palma in the past couple of weeks.
According to Capt. Greg Barda, OCFA Public Information Officer, firefighters battled a structure fire of a two-story home that eventually burned to the ground.
Upon arriving at the scene, “our crews began an aggressive fire attack,” said Barta in a video-taped statement. However, due to the volume of the fire, “we ended up making that a defensive attack against the fire.”
Barta later clarified that an offensive fire attack is when we have firefighters inside the structure on fire and on the roof, where they cut holes for “toxic smoke” to escape the burning structure “to make the environment more tenable.”
A defensive operation, he said, is “when we use firefighters off the building, off the roof and fight the fire from the exterior. We do that to protect the safety of our firefighters and protect the exposed buildings nearby.”
Barta said the home was a complete loss and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.
The OCFA was reportedly assisted in the fire by the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACOFD), Anaheim Fire Department, Fullerton Fire Department, and La Palma Police Department.
No injuries or loss of life have been reported.
Also this week, the OCFA reported being back in La Palma to fight a commercial structure fire.
Crews were dispatched at 1:30 a.m. to the 5900 block of Fresca Drive, where an exterior pallet fire extended into the one-story structure, the Orange County Fire Authority reported.
They had the exterior fire under control at 2:02 a.m. and the interior fire under control at 3:38 a.m.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
“The optimist sees the donut; the pessimist sees the hole.” – Oscar Wilde
For too long, is it possible that the state’s military leadership has viewed the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos as the hole and not the donut.
Let’s face it, as proud as most people are to have one of the few remaining military bases in southern California nearby, the base has been allowed to become a shadow of its former self.
Older residents in the community tell me they remember when the base was a jewel. Entrances had palm-tree lined boulevards, its grounds filled with manicured lawns, landscaping, buildings painted, roads smooth, etc.
Not so much today. Let’s face it, problems exist and frankly, there are some rugged areas on the base, though deep pride remains.
It was particularly disappointing to note that bickering among state and federal bureaucrats, albeit military, apparently caused a potential huge economic shot in the arm to leave the base.
Armed with a $30 million appropriation to build a new facility, the state’s Office of Emergency Services negotiated for two years trying to win approval to build a new facility on the base, where it exactly should be. ENE spoke to former OES officials involved to confirm the failed negotiations. OES has announced they are moving to Santa Ana to construct a new facility there.
Though they may leave behind a small contingent, using a standard economic multiplier, this could amount to a loss of more than $200 million economic stimulus to the Los Al area. In addition, the same issues have reportedly prevented new structural investments in other programs on the base.
Granted, while we can certainly understand there are legitimate state vs federal issues, both the state and federal governments operate with the people’s money so why can they not be more sensitive to what’s good for the base and the overall community rather.
Though problems remain, the base does an excellent job of supporting a variety of military deployments, cooperative endeavors and other special missions. Let’s face it, the digital transformation of society is changing institutional value across the spectrum and military bases are not immune to change.
It is exciting, then, to listen to Lt. Dan Fox, who has deployed here from the Pentagon as the base’s new commander (see related story). He appears to be a straight-talking leader ready to engage the community and ready to push the limits with his bosses in Sacramento.
During his address to regional military leaders last week, Col. Fox brimmed with excitement and acknowledged the need for “beautification” and purpose to the base.
More critically, his remarks seemed to indicate how valuable community outreach remains to the success of the JFTB mission, seemingly acknowledging that additional community events will provide value both to the base and the community.
His Pentagon experience leaves him with the benefit of understanding how politics works at the highest levels, and hopefully, this California native is now happy to be home and eager and equipped to revitalize a base that he is obviously very proud to command.
Perhaps we can attribute it to generational change, but what is generally a rather routine meeting provided a glimpse at an exciting future of military inclusion into the community.
Also attending, Capt. Jessica O’Brien, the first female commander of the Seal Beach Naval weapons station, brimmed with excitement and she announced many innovative plans for community involvement that will be announced soon.
Commander Lisa Starkey, who commands the local Coast Guard Station, announced that the nation’s first-ever 370-foot Coast Guard cutter that was recently launched, will be headed here.
It is an truly an exciting outlook for the regional military units and for the surrounding communities that support them with so much pride.
Therefore, we can only hope that Lt. Col. Fox’s interest in community outreach will build sufficient support to send a message to higher ups that JFTB needs a bit of love. There is no question that this community is exceptionally proud of having a military base in their midst.
Our local military leaders are ready to step up with exciting visions for the future, so we extend our support to Col. Fox as he takes on the big brass in Sacramento in an effort to reinstitute community programs and opportunities lost because of mindless bureaucratic infighting.
We see the donut, not the hole and hope decision makers will as well.
Pageant of the Masters, Laguna Beach’s renowned theatrical celebration of art through the magic of living pictures, is pleased to announce its theme for the 2024 production: À La Mode: The Art of Fashion. Tickets for the 2024 Pageant of the Masters will be available to the general public starting December 1, 2023, both online at www.PageantTickets.com and by phone at (800) 487-3378. Performances will run nightly July 6 through August 30, 2024.
The eagerly anticipated 2024 Pageant of the Masters production will mesmerize audiences with a captivating journey through history’s most iconic fashion trends and spectacles, brought to life through the artistry of living pictures, unforgettable music and engaging storytelling. From the opulent grandeur of royal courts to the contemporary glamor of today’s catwalks, À La Mode: The Art of Fashion will unravel the narrative of attire through the ages, revealing its inherent power and significance.
As preparations for next summer’s show begin, numerous artworks are under consideration for the Pageant of the Masters’ living pictures. These encompass a broad spectrum of artistic influences, ranging from French painters like James Tissot and Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, who captured the elegance and sophistication of their respective eras, to the modern, vibrant style of contemporary British artist David Hockney. Even the legendary Hollywood designer Edith Head, known for her impeccable sense of style and pioneering work in costume design, may serve as a source of inspiration for this production. More details about the 2024 Pageant of the Masters will be announced in the coming months.
The 2024 Pageant of the Masters production À La Mode: The Art of Fashion will run nightly July 6 through August 30, 2024. Advance tickets go on sale December 1, 2023 starting $40 per person. To stay up to date on all things Pageant of the Masters and Festival of Arts, follow the Festival on social media at @FestivalPageant and visit www.foapom.com.
The Festival of Arts, a non-profit 501(c)(3), has long been a local leader that has helped with the growth and development of the community and the arts in Laguna Beach. Established in 1932, the Festival of Arts’ mission is to promote, produce and sponsor events and activities that encourage the appreciation, study and performance of the arts. The Festival of Arts produces two world-class events: The Festival of Arts Fine Art Show and the Pageant of the Masters. Together both shows attract over 200,000 visitors each year.
The Los Alamitos High boys basketball team topped neighboring Cypress, 87-77, in a non-league game that is becoming an impressive pre-league showcase of two strong programs.
Los Al was led by Junior Samori Guyness with 22 points. Kedric Delaney had 19 points, Isaiah Wempe added 10 and Jordan Taylor chipped in nine.
The Centurions were led by Michael Wright, who had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Ryan Gov had 16 points and Jonah Kim added 14. Hayden Roberts had 13 points and King Birdsong chipped in 11, hitting three shots from three-point distance. Cypress High was scheduled to host La Habra on Tuesday and will be hosting Canyon High of Anaheim on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Los Alamitos will be at Etiwanda High tonight at 6:30 p.m. and will play at Wilson High of Long Beach on Friday at 7 p.m. They will host Long Beach Poly on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
