Home Blog Page 59

Saddle up for Los Al Racecourse Halloween Carnival Oct. 21

For Event-News Enterprise
-
0
Saddle up for Los Al Racecourse Halloween Carnival Oct. 21

Saddle up for a great time as Los Alamitos Racecourse dresses up for its annual Halloween Carnival with a fun-filled night for the entire family on Sat., Oct. 21.

Staged on the track’s large grandstand area facing the finish line, the Halloween Carnival provides a safe, enclosed place for all to enjoy the spirit of the season. The night will feature more than 20 kid-friendly carnival games, the track’s popular costume contest, pony rides and more.

The Halloween Carnival will begin at approximately 6 p.m. and continue until 9 p.m. Admission is only $3 and kids 17 and under are admitted FREE. Los Alamitos also features free general parking. The Halloween Carnival is held in conjunction with the live horseracing program.

The Los Alamitos Halloween Costume Contest promises to be a big highlight with seven different age categories offering cash prizes throughout the night. The annual costume contest attracts hundreds of participants each year, making it one of the largest costume contests in Orange County.

Everyone who participates in the costume contest will receive a goody bag filled with candy. The age categories for the costume contest include the 2 and under division; 3 and 4-year-olds; 5 and 6-year-olds; 7 and 8-year-olds; 9-11-year-olds; 12-15-year-olds; and 16 and up. The cash prizes for each category include $200 for first, $150 for the second, and $100 for third. It is sure to be a hit. The winners of each divisional category will qualify for the $500 grand prize.

In addition to a big variety of carnival games, other fun activities include pony rides, football toss, and a photography booth. Individual game tickets will be available on the night of the event for 50 cents each (some games may require more than one ticket). Proceeds from the Halloween Carnival will benefit The Youth Center of Los Alamitos.

Courtesy photo
The Los Alamitos Halloween Costume Contest promises to be a big highlight with seven different age categories offering cash prizes throughout the night.

“This is one of our favorite events to put together each year,” said Orlando Gutierrez, the track’s marketing director. “Our goal is to see hundreds of smiling faces and wonderful costumes the entire night while also providing a safe environment for our guests and all at an affordable price. We are excited that the proceeds from the Halloween Carnival will benefit The Youth Center.”

Located in the city of Los Alamitos, the mission of the Youth Center is to transform children’s lives one family at a time through collaborative, social, educational, and recreational programs. The Youth Center is a nonprofit organization.

The evening’s festivities will feature live Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred racing starting at approximately 6:20 p.m. Los Alamitos Race Course conducts live horse racing every Saturday and Sunday night. The Cypress track also hosts two weeks of daytime Thoroughbred racing starting on Friday, December 8. Los Alamitos Race Course is located at 4961 Katella Avenue in Los Alamitos. For more information, please call 714-820-2800 or visit LosAlamitos.com.

Griffins open league play with win over FV

Ted Apodaca
-
0
Griffins open league play with win over FV

The Los Alamitos High football team opened up Sunset League play with a 49-10 win over Fountain Valley on Thursday at Huntington Beach High.

Griffins quarterback Alonzo Esparza threw for 203 yards with five touchdowns and the Griffin defense kept the Barons in check, despite some early opportunities. The defense also had an interception return for a touchdown and a kickoff return for another touchdown.

The Griffins (4-2, 1-0) will next face Newport Harbor (3-3, 1-0) who are coming off a 59-14 win over Huntington Beach. The two teams will face off on Friday at 7 p.m. at Newport Harbor High.

McAuliffe Principal kisses a goat

For Event-News Enterprise
-
0
McAuliffe Principal kisses a goat

Photo by Nichole Pichardo

McAuliffe Middle School’s Principal, Mr. Eddie Courtemarche, found himself puckering up to a goat during lunchtime last week. The “kiss” marked the grand culmination of the school’s annual fundraising campaign, where students surpassed their lofty goal of raising over $50,000.

But that’s not all. McAuliffe Middle School students managed to raise enough funds for staff to participate in an ice bucket dump and a dance-off.

For those with a keen memory, this unusual tradition might seem somewhat familiar. Last year, McAuliffe Middle School Principal Dr. Ryan Weiss-Wright made headlines by planting a smooch on a pig in a similarly eccentric fundraiser. It’s clear that the school’s commitment to creativity and camaraderie knows no bounds.

Residents come up to “Celebrate Los Al” Sept. 16

David N. Young
-
0
Residents come up to “Celebrate Los Al” Sept. 16

The City of Los Alamitos Recreation and Community Services Department held the MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach Celebrate Los Al event on Saturday, September 16, 2023.

Courtesy photo

The fun-filled all-day event centered around the short strip of Pine Street between Florista Street and Katella Avenue in Los Alamitos. The day was split in two starting with the Universal Waste Systems Race Los Al 5K/10K at 7:30 a.m. followed by the Street Fair from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Activities included a race through the streets of Los Alamitos, beverage garden, Los Al Carnival, game booths, stage performances, Veterans Recognition, Pine StrEATS restaurant food tasting, Public Safety Fair, and a family friendly Glow Run.
The day began with the Universal Waste Systems 5K/10K race early Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. with approximately 300 participants, however, participants began to fill the streets about one hour prior.

Courtesy photo

Senator Janet Nguyen and Mayor Tanya Doby kicked off the race. The start and finish lines were located at the intersection of Florista Street and Pine Street and featured a race announcer, music, snacks, coffee from Other Side of Coffee Co, and burritos from Nick’s Deli. The race kicked off without a hitch as runners took the streets of Los Alamitos looping through Los Alamitos Boulevard, Cerritos Avenue, and Bloomfield Avenue. At the end, every participant also received a Race Los Al medal and were invited to return for Street Fair later that afternoon.

Courtesy photo

Following Race Los Al, Serve Los Al took place on Friday, September 15 and Saturday, September 16. Serve Los Al is a community wide service event where volunteers within the community help at local non-profit organizations and other projects such as Park Clean Up and window washing at Royal Oak Mobile Home Park. Saturday morning started with an Assembly at 8:30 a.m. at the Oak Middle School Outdoor Amphitheater.

Courtesy photo

At the Assembly, volunteers received a volunteer t-shirt and were provided with snacks and burritos from Nick’s Burritos. Water was also provided for volunteers thanks to Golden State Water. Senator Janet Nguyen and Mayor Tanya Doby gave a speech to the volunteers, thanking them for their service and the Assembly commenced with a group photo. After the Assembly, volunteers dispersed to their project sites to help make a difference in our City. There were approximately 60+ volunteers on Saturday and another 20 on Friday.

Courtesy photo

The event turned out to be a great success and it is events like Serve Los Al that really exemplify the togetherness and heart of our community.

As Celebrate Los Al continued on, the finishing touches were applied to the event area. Autumn’s warm colors swept through the grounds filled with leaves, pumpkins, and straw bales. Vendors neatly arranged their table as the first wave of visitors began to make their way into the event at 4:00 p.m. They were im

Los Al Chamber honors public service “heroes” for 2023

David N. Young
-
0
Los Al Chamber honors public service “heroes” for 2023

With the Community Center at Rusk Park in Rossmoor literally filled to the brim, community leaders gathered this week to resume what has become one of the most revered celebrations of the year for the area, the annual Heroes Appreciation Dinner.

“Thank you for being here,” said Los Al Chamber President Nesi Stewart, who in a sense paid tribute to the many in the community who had come to honor public servants from a wide variety of local agencies and institutions.

“Those you are honoring here today consider themselves ordinary people who get up and go to work just like you and me. The difference with our honorees is that someone saw something extraordinary in them and the way they do their jobs,” said Stewart.

In addition, Stewart asked the crowd for a moment of silence to honor Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, a 30-year-old training officer killed outside the Palmdale Sheriff’s station two days before the event.

“He thought of himself as an ordinary person but didn’t get to go home,” she said.
Rossmoor Community Services District Board of Director and Vice President, Michael Maynard, welcomed the group to Rossmoor.

“Thank you for coming here and thank you for recognizing within your own teams within your own community,” said Maynard.

“How powerful and safe we feel because of what you do for us each and every day,” he said.

For the first time in the event’s growing, yet short history, the group presented a bouquet to Stacy Roberts, the widow of retired OCFA Fire Chief Ron Roberts, who served the fire service for decades before an unexpected death shortly after his retirement.

“This is by far, the hardest speech I’ve ever had to write,” said Los Alamitos City Council woman Shelley Hasselbrink, who has served as Chairman of the OCFA.

“He dedicated 42 years of his life to the fire service in the state and in the community,” said Hasselbrink. “Chief Roberts passed away 125 days after his well-deserved retirement when he was starting to enjoy the prime of his life,“ she said.

“Today, we honor him and his legacy imprinted in our local fire stations,” she added.
Stacy, his widow, was brief. “Ron was the best, you all know that,” she said, “and that’s all I have to say.”

Los Al Unified Supt. of Schools, Dr. Andrew Pulver, served as master of ceremonies for the event. He introduced many of the honored guests in the room before moving on to the naming of this year’s heroes.

Pulver told the group that the Chamber invites each of the respective public agencies and organizations who participate in the Heroes Appreciation Luncheon to select their own honorees using internal criteria. They are then communicated to the Chamber for the Awards ceremony.

In addition to the Chamber, several local elected officials, or their representatives, were on hand to also honor this year’s heroes. They include;
• Officer Mark Magrann, California Highway Patrol.
• JFTB 40th Infantry Division, Staff Sgt. Patricia Estrada.
• 79th Sustainment Command, JFTB, SPC Rachel Galbreath.
• Los Al Medical Center, Johnny Ra, RN, RNFA.
• Los Al Police Department, Corporal Angelo DeGossett.
• Naval Weapons Station, Seal Beach, Master-at-Arms, First Class Petty Officer Jonathan Trevino.
• Orange County Fire Authority, Firefighter Paramedic Kyle Clifford.
• Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Justin Meneses.

Pulver then joined the entire assembly as they gave all of this years’ honorees a rousing standing ovation to show “love and gratitude” for their dedication to service.

Under the direction of Director David Moellenkemp, the Los Alamitos High School Show Choir performed several tribute numbers for the Heroes and one saluting the Chamber and its President Nesi Stewart.

Special Angel Demelis, a singer with the 40th Infantry Division band, and a Downey Unified music-teacher in real life, got the event off to a star-spangled start with a stirring rendition of the National Anthem.

ALUC makes it real, will now review Los Al permit apps in disputed areas

David N. Young
-
0
ALUC makes it real, will now review Los Al permit apps in disputed areas

The somewhat obscure governmental agency whose mission it is to police land use near Orange County airports met Sept. 21 to determine, among other things, how to handle the city of Los Alamitos’ inability to overrule its finding that three of the potential homebuilding sites in their approval housing element were inconsistent with approved land use around an airport.

“Housing elements” are simply plans California municipalities must file with the state to identify potential future housing sites to construct a target number of new homes determined by the state or its designated agency.

During the debate over whether the city of Los Alamitos should, or should not overrule the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC), several alternatives were suggested that would occur if the city failed to overrule a ruling that found three of the potential homebuilding sites in the city’s approved housing element were “inconsistent” with the standards of land use around an airport.

The Los Al City Council voted 3-2 to overrule ALUC, however, this is a rare vote that required four votes to pass, so it failed.

“On August 21, 2023, the City of Los Alamitos (City) held a public hearing to overrule the ALUC but a motion to do so failed.

As a result of the City’s failure to overrule, the ALUC may impose requirements on the City to submit all subsequent actions, regulations and permits to ALUC for consistency review until the City’s general plan is revised or the specific overrule findings are made,” wrote ALUC Executive Director Lea Choum to the other Commissioners.

In an executive office building next to John Wayne Airport, the group met last week to decide how to handle the city’s failure to overrule their findings of inconsistency.

Jeff Stock, Orange County Counsel to ALUC, told the commissioners they had three options.
The first option would have required the city to submit “discretionary actions that must be submitted: development agreements and amendments, administrative use permits, conditional use permits, site development permits, tentative and vesting parcel and tract maps, variances, and zoning consistency reviews. The submittal of the above discretionary actions does not excuse the City from continuing to separately submit all general plan amendments, specific plan amendments, zoning ordinance/map amendments to ALUC pursuant to the Public Utilities Code.”

Basically, said Stock, “Option 1 is for all of the main discretionary options while Option 2 deals with a much narrower scope that deals only with those three problematic sites.”
Option 2 will require the city to only submit items for the three affected areas that were found inconsistent in the housing element.

Option 2 reads “ALUC requires that the City submit the following discretionary actions, related to the three sites listed below, to the ALUC for a consistency review with the AELUP for JFTB, Los Alamitos, until the City’s general plan is either revised and re-submitted to ALUC for review or the City makes the requisite overrule findings related to its general plan.
Site 6 located at 4655 Lampson Avenue.
Site 7 Laurel Park APN 241-241-35.
Site 10 located at 5030-5084 Katella.”

Option 3 presented to the ALUC board was “to take no action at all.”
Almost immediately, the commissioners signaled they would prefer Option 2, which only requires the city to submit plans for the three areas found inconsistent to the housing plan.
Ron Noda, Development Services Director for the City of Los Alamitos, attended the hearing but did not speak to the ALUC board. “We are with the city of Los Alamitos but we will not be commenting, thank you,” Noda said to the ALUC commissioners.
Commissioner Alan Murphy said he preferred Option 2 because it “mostly affects the areas we are concerned about.”

Both he and Commissioner Schelly Sustarsic, who is a city Council member from Seal Beach, said Option 3, which was “taking no action,” was not acceptable to them.

Stock said under the scenario of Option 2, “the protocol would be similar to when a city would be submitting a general plan specific plan or zoning change to this commission. So there would be one of these items that would perhaps normally be either signed under some sort of delegated authority like a conditional use permit.”

“Perhaps it would also be something that the city would have otherwise taken to its planning commission or even a City Council for approval. Prior to receiving that approval. Whether it’s the district discretionary signing, planning commission or city council approval, it would need to be submitted to this commission for review,” said Stock.

“So staff would then take an initial look, it would create a staff report for those items and make recommendations similar to our normal course of business. And then this commission would ultimately decide whether or not those individual actions were consistent or inconsistent. And then the state would go back to the city in similar fashion where they can then move approval,” said Stock.

Asked about the timeframe, he suggested most it could be done within the mandated 60-day period allowed by law.”

The ENE has reached out to the City of Los Alamitos for comment but had not heard back as of press time.

Los Al Council gives city manager more authority

David N. Young
-
0
Los Al Council gives city manager more authority

The Los Alamitos City Council raised the authority of its city manager to spend up to $100,000 in some cases without Council approval, though the vote was not unanimous.
Actually, the Council resolution that contains the changes passed upon first reading but will only take effect after it survives the entire process of approval, which is expected.
Inflated prices and changes in project development were among the factors cited during the ongoing discussion in hiking the city manager’s authority and other changes in purchasing policy.

“The City’s procurement regulations, policies, and procedures are codified at Chapter 2.60 (Purchasing System) of the Los Alamitos Municipal Code (the “Purchasing Ordinance”). The Purchasing Ordinance was last amended in 2021. City Staff recommend the proposed amendments to the Purchasing Ordinance based on their experience working with the existing code and following a review of purchasing regulations in surrounding jurisdictions. The proposed Ordinance is intended to streamline the procurement process and provide anticipated gains in efficiency,” the staff report said.

While the policy is complex, it generally raises Simmons authority from $50 – $100,000 to approve purchases of supplies, equipment and services. The policy also delegates other authorities to the purchasing staff and does detail emergency operational procedures.
“This is on the agenda because of a number of projects moving forward and we have to put this in place also as a control measure,” said Finance Director Craig Koehler.

Further, he said “The updated coordinates adds language to better explain when exceptions would actually apply. These proposed modifications will better align with the opportunities to result in increased efficiencies to workflow and more efficient operations for the city.”
“Obviously, we go through our policies very frequently and try to identify ways that we might be able to actually gain some efficiency or be able to pick up a little bit of speed with the way that we do our work internally,” the city manager agreed.

“What we’re finding with all this is that every time we go to do a project, it takes about eight months from the time that you authorize the amount of money for us to go out and do something to go through the RFP process to go through the award process. We think that we can move faster than that. And so this item was put together in consultation with the bench standing committee,” he added.

Council member Emily Hibard, who voted against the change, said while she liked the proposed efficiencies offered by the change, “my challenge on this particular one is the struggles we’ve had with our finances.”

During her brief time on the Council, Hibard said the city’s financial statements had been pulled three times for various issues or concerns.” Hibard went further to name some specific accounting errors that have been made obvious and said “because of these mistakes I’ve seen in my short time on the Council, this is unfortunately not a policy I can get behind.”

Trisha Murphy, another Council member who has been critical of accounting errors, stopped short of voting against the measure but did abstain from voting at all. Murphy had requested during an earlier meeting to have that authority reduced from $100k to $80k, a request apparently rejected by the ad-hoc budget standing committee.
“Why is it the budget standing committee would be the one to make the decision,” she asked.

“That is a question for the budget standing committee,” said Simmons, “but I can say just anecdotally that the budget standing committee has more interaction with the budget and finances and more frequently than the council.
Murphy did not vote against the new policy, but she did abstain from voting at all. Mayor Tanya Doby, Mayor Pro-tem Tanya Doby and Council members Shelley Hassellbrink voted for the change.

Los Al Police Department to add canine unit – police chief

David N. Young
-
0
Los Al Police Department to add canine unit – police chief

Now with a full complement of officers and new equipment, the Los Alamitos Police Department will soon have its own canine unit, Police Chief Michael Claborn announced at this week’s city council meeting.

“The first step is getting the program into full effect,” Claborn told the Council, “next will be our procedures and then we’ll get the equipment and then we’ll be able to do and select the canine itself.”

“As far as the canine program, I want to mention some of the benefits that this would bring to our city,” the police chief said.

“The obvious or the operational benefits that this would have. And the most obvious being the apprehension of suspects.”

“So the ability to send a canine into a situation that would be dangerous for an officer themselves to go into. And this is done to save lives,” said Claborn.

“Officers should not put themselves in those situation. That we could use canine for. Another would be the ability of a canine to search large areas in a fraction of the time that it would take an officer to do so,” said Claborn.

“If you could try to imagine a large warehouse in a city that had an alarm pole. We would need several officers from multiple agencies to be able to come in and search that area when a dog would be able to do it by itself and a fraction of the time,” he added.

“And the most obvious benefit being the apprehension of a suspect, missing persons, narcotics detection, or even particle searches. Dogs nowadays can find not only handguns, but there are even canines that have been trained to be able to find pieces of electronics of thumb drives,” the police chief said.

For search warrants for kids, and things of that nature that suspects will hide, canines have been trained to be able to locate those as well,” he said.

“And we’re not proposing this, but some districts have utilized canines for a locker search at schools because there’s no expectation of privacy there to have a dog walk up and down the hallways.,” the chief said.

“The one obvious benefit would be the community engagement aspect. Just think of any possible community event that you could have. And the dog immediately becomes a star of the show. At any and every event,” smiled Claborn.

He said having a canine unit could also save the city from workers’ compensation issues, having dogs search spaces and areas that could put an officer in a situation where they could be injured, probably in the ceiling. spaces inside of under a house or areas that could pose a threat.

“These are a hidden benefit and one that helps with issues every agency is struggling with these days, recruitment and retention,” said Claborn, “and being able to advertise that we actually have a canine officer here in the city of Los Alamitos would be a huge benefit to them.”

Council members were supportive of the idea.

“I think it’d be a great program for all the reasons that you shared,” said Hibard.
“I think this is an incredible program,” said Murphy, and “I’m so glad you pursued it so I’m all for it.

Truth and transparency in Cypress?

David N. Young
-
0
Truth and transparency in Cypress?

Let’s face it, truth and transparency can sometimes be difficult to find, especially in government.

The latest saga began in June of 2021 when longtime Council member Stacy Berry unexpectedly resigned her seat on the Cypress City Council.

Results of the 2020 census revealed that the city’s Asian population was nearing 40 percent. Voices immediately were heard that the seat should go to Carrie Hayashida, an Asian candidate who finished third in 2020 with nearly 6,000 votes.

At the July 12, 2021, Council meeting, people spoke in favor of appointing Hayashida to the seat or call a special election.

Instead, the previous Council instituted a process wherein they picked Scott Minikus. After interviewing all candidates, including Hayashida, they chose a retired Long Beach law enforcement officer to fill the seat.

Not long thereafter, the city received a demand letter from Shenkman & Hughes, a Malibu law firm representing the Southwest Voter Registration Project, alleging the city was in violation of the California Voting Rights Act.

Cypress denied the allegation and for the past two years, the city has held more than 15 executive sessions regarding the lawsuit, never once discussing the matter in open session.
There has been such a lack of transparency that CalAware is suing Cypress. In addition, the website of the First Amendment Coalition in Sacramento suggests the draconian cuts Cypress has made to oral communication periods are flat-out “unconstitutional.”

Still, residents try to be heard and deserve to know what its leaders are doing.
The ENE reported on Sept. 13 that the city had voted in closed session to meet with the plaintiffs and a court-approved Encino mediator on Nov. 1.

David N. Young

Makes sense. Once the State Supreme Court ruled against the City of Santa Monica in their CVRA challenge on Aug. 29, Cypress and their legal team may have seen fewer promising legal avenues to pursue as the legal bills mount.

In light of the Santa Monica ruling, the city could either continue the lawsuit and potentially spend more taxpayer funds, knowing they will likely lose, or perhaps the city could move to mitigation and reach a potential settlement.

There may be more legal options, but Cypress seems to now be in a legal box of its own making and has no one but themselves to blame.

If the city goes to mediation, what’s the harm in being honest and open with residents? After all, they have a right to know. Do not confuse them by sending accusations before the facts that have everyone pointing fingers at everyone else but themselves.

And the truth is, Cypress should realize that citizens simply want and deserve to know.
Instead of limiting oral communications, why not schedule full-on listening sessions with residents? Making citizens feel comfortable with being open about government would be hard, but what is happening today is clearly not sustainable, so why not try?

There was no earth-shattering and sensitive information in the Sept. 13 report, as intimated by the city, only general vote totals (not even mentioning who voted for what) that routinely get reported out of closed session. Victimizing and intimidating the press is a diversion and people know it.

Interesting also that the attorneys in the case issued a letter that is also printed here. We understand and appreciate their position.

When Fred Galante, the city’s legal counsel submitted it to the ENE via email, he included comments that, among other things, suggested generic inaccuracies and requested a retraction. The comments were immediately refuted by Kevin Shankman in a separate email a few minutes later.

“To be clear, I join with Mr. Galante in the letter attached to his email. I do not, however, join in the second paragraph of his email below. I do not know whether the 9-13-23 story ‘contained several factual errors and inaccuracies,’ as Mr. Galante asserts, and therefore I cannot request a ‘published correction’ or ‘full retraction’ of that story,” said Shenkman.

We stand by the story.

Just think, all of this may have been avoided had the city simply spent $200,000 to have a special election to fill Stacy Berry’s seat to let citizens decide.

Our political climate is unhealthy. Not just in Cypress. Everywhere. We all know it.

Local government’s top priority should be to act responsibly to its citizens, not constantly treat them like they are on simply a ‘need to know’ basis. Granted, it may take extra time and patience to enhance civic engagement, but going forward we have no choice but to find a way to change.

Not only in Cypress. We must find a way back to the public interest in our neighborhoods, cities, and communities. It may take a new generation of leaders but hopefully not.

In Cypress, every citizen has an equal share of civic ownership in the outcome of the districting lawsuit. Therefore, citizens deserve the truth. Openness. Future generations will have to live with whatever the outcome, so the stakes are indeed very high.

We need level-headed leaders who say, ‘Here is the kind of community we want to build, and here’s how we can get there.’ Together. The City Council would be amazed at how effective a listening strategy could be if they tried it. Investigations, silencing, and finger-pointing simply lead to more of the same.

What remains clear for now, however, is that too often, when you tell the truth in Cypress, there can sometimes be a huge price to pay. We can only hope that this changes with whatever comes next.

Youth Center transitions to State of the Art after 50 years of partnership

For Event-News Enterprise
-
0
Youth Center transitions to State of the Art after 50 years of partnership

By Janae Roberts

The Youth Center announces a historic transition to a state-of-the-art facility, marking the culmination of a remarkable 50-year partnership with the City of Los Alamitos. Founded in 1952, The Youth Center’s journey began with a humble concrete pad on Katella Avenue, generously donated by William C. Poe, Jr., which later evolved into a beloved community hub for countless activities and events.

Having served over a million children since its inception, The Youth Center stands as the oldest nonprofit in Los Alamitos. Its enduring commitment to youth empowerment and community support has been evident through its continuous adaptation to meet the evolving needs of the community.

The new Youth Center, located at 10761 Los Alamitos Blvd., has been meticulously designed by MA Architects and Kemp Bros Foundation. This cutting-edge facility boasts a library, game area, research lab, kitchen lab, art space, a versatile movie room that transforms into a wellness room, and a study hall. Its innovative layout allows rooms to adapt to various functions, enriching the experience for the youth it serves.

The construction of this remarkable center was a labor of love, taking a year and a half to design, obtain permits, and build. The project embodies the unwavering support of the community and the tireless dedication of The Youth Center’s Board of Directors, volunteers, and generous supporters.

Lina Lumme, CEO of The Youth Center, expressed her gratitude, saying, “We are incredibly grateful to our generous community, hardworking volunteers, and our dedicated board of directors. We owe special gratitude to the City of Los Alamitos for 50 years of partnership, which has made this smooth transition possible.”

Notable supporters who played a pivotal role in realizing this dream include Bii by Timken, Cal Custom Interiors, Carrie Townsend Foundation, Chad Kidder, Dunn-Edwards, Epson of America, Eric Dashbach, Jason Von Arx, Kenny Brandyberry, Kemp Bros, Pat Adams, Rotary Club of Los Alamitos & Seal Beach, Run Seal Beach, Seal Beach Lions Club, Sir Speedy, Southland Credit Union, Talley Foundation, the Christina Family, the Bates Family, the Frankenberg Family, Tonnage Industrial, and Women Helping Youth.

Their unwavering commitment to youth well-being has been instrumental in making this new chapter possible.

Nathaniel Epstein, President of The Youth Center’s Board of Directors, remarked, “The Youth Center has reached a significant milestone in its history. This new facility represents an exciting new chapter for us, and we are profoundly appreciative of all the individuals and organizations who have supported us throughout this journey.”

With its new home in place, The Youth Center is poised to continue its mission of providing essential resources and support to local youth, creating a vibrant and nurturing environment for the next generation.

For more information about The Youth Center and its programs, please visit www.TheYouthCenter.org.

Janae Roberts is Youth Programs Supervisor

Should have mentioned “fencing” in story

For Event-News Enterprise
-
0
Should have mentioned “fencing” in story

Pacific Airshow concerns

Shame on you, News Enterprise, for writing a front page story about the Air Show but failing to mention that they are fencing the ENTIRE beach from north of the pier to Beach Blvd and charging $25 per person to sit on the beach.

This is not like in previous years where they had a small fenced area for grandstands, tents, cabanas, etc.  This fence is along the bike path for the entirety of the beach.  No more taking your beach chair and umbrella and walking out on the sand to watch the show for free.

You are doing a dis-service by touting the show without warning people of the hugely increased cost to attend this year.  Think of the families showing up with their towels and umbrellas, expecting a day at the beach to watch the show, like in previous years.

Here is the map of the ticketed sections:

https://pacificairshowusa.com/tickets

It also says to buy early online to avoid higher prices at the gate!  But I can’t find what that price might be.

Shame on you.

Martha Zehnder

1715 Electric Avenue

Seal Beach, CA  90740

562-884-1118

ma****@*****aa.com

 

Furor over “leaked” closed session info

David N. Young
-
0
Furor over “leaked” closed session info

JOINT STATEMENT

Dear Editor,
While it is unusual for the attorneys for the plaintiffs and defendant to jointly address the media prior to the adjudication of the case, here we feel it is in the public’s interest that we do so in order to address a recent reporting of the voting rights litigation between Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, et al. and the City of Cypress.

The Brown Act requires that most actions a city council takes are transparently deliberated, discussed and voted upon in public, because the public has the right to know not only the decisions a city council makes, but also the discussion, consideration and debate leading up to those decisions. Still, the Brown Act allows city councils to deliberate in private “closed session” concerning some topics, such as real estate and labor negotiations and pending or threatened litigation.

We both recognize the importance of frank discussion in closed session when it comes to pending or threatened legal actions. In certain circumstances, discussing legal strategy in an open forum could put a public agency at a disadvantage when negotiating a settlement or making arguments in court.

On September 13, 2023, the Event-News Enterprise reported vote totals of a closed session legal discussion which were not reported out of closed session by the city attorney. This information is restricted to the elected officials, attorneys and city staff and should not have been revealed. The Event News Enterprise’s decision to report on closed session votes is regrettable.

We are both committed to fair and impartial elections and while we may disagree about whether the California Voting Rights Act has been violated, we both hold that law in high regard and agree that Cypress must abide by it. The disclosure of confidential closed-session information has the potential to disadvantage the City and present an obstacle to frank, productive discussion in closed session and between litigants working to explore potential resolutions that benefit the public.

We call on the Event-New Enterprise to carefully consider the impact of its decision to report closed session discussions and votes and to ensure future coverage of this issue is accurate, fair and thorough.

Kevin Shenkman
Shenkman & Hughes PC
Fred Galante
Attorney for the Defendant
City of Cypress

In response to the City of CypressDear Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and Council Members,

The First Amendment Coalition (“FAC”) is a nonprofit public interest organization dedicated to advancing free speech, more open and accountable government, and public participation in civic affairs. I am writing on behalf of FAC to protest the City’s conduct after the Event-News Enterprise published newsworthy information of public concern. As the Supreme Court and numerous decisions have confirmed, the First Amendment guarantees the right of the press to report the news no matter how inconvenient or embarrassing it may be to those in power, and the press may publish information of public concern even if someone within the City broke the law in disclosing it.

As reported in the Event-News Enterprise on September 13, the City has been sued by the Southwest Voter Registration Project under the California Voting Rights Act. In the same story, it was reported that the City Council twice voted in closed session, once 3-2 and once 5-0, to participate in mediation in an attempt to resolve the lawsuit.

Today’s City Council agenda includes an item contending that “the Event-News Enterprise’s decision to report on confidential closed session votes is regrettable and inconsistent with ethical journalism principles” and recommending “an investigation into the disclosure of the closed session information to the Event-News Enterprise.” I also understand the Mayor has publicly accused the Event-News Enterprise of “reckless reporting,” and the City Attorney demanded “a full retraction” without stating any specific errors.

I write to protest any veiled threats to intimidate the press arising from allegations of unethical or reckless behavior or plans to conduct a leak investigation. I presume the City is familiar with the following principles, but I will describe them in the interest of avoiding misunderstanding and upholding freedom of the press.

The First Amendment was designed to “preserve an untrammeled press as a vital source of public information.” Grosjean v. Am. Press Co., 297 U.S. 233, 250 (1936). From the earliest days of this nation, the “right of free public discussion of the stewardship of public officials” has been “a fundamental principle of the American form of government.” New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 275 (1964).

As the Supreme Court has confirmed, the “Constitution specifically selected the press” to “play an important role in the discussion of public affairs,” and “the press serves and was designed to serve as a powerful antidote to any abuses of power by governmental officials and as a constitutionally chosen means for keeping officials elected by the people responsible to all the people whom they were selected to serve.” Mills v. Alabama, 384 U.S. 214, 219 (1966).

Therefore, the First Amendment “gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. The Government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people.” New York Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713, 717 (1971) (Black, J., concurring).

An attack on the press “muzzles one of the very agencies the Framers of our Constitution thoughtfully and deliberately selected to improve our society and keep it free.” Mills, 384 U.S. at 219. The government’s function is to serve the people and defend the Constitution, not to “sit as some kind of journalism review seminar.” Fletcher v. San Jose Mercury News, 216 Cal. App. 3d 172, 187 (1989) (citation and quotation marks omitted). By condemning a newspaper as “unethical” or “reckless” simply for reporting the news and by demanding a retraction without naming any specific errors, the City’s actions undermine respect for press freedom.

Assuming a city official or employee committed a violation of law by disclosing matters discussed in a closed session, the First Amendment protects the Event-News Enterprise’s right to publish information of public concern. Bartnicki v. Vopper, 532 U.S. 514, 535 (2001) (noting “a stranger’s illegal conduct does not suffice to remove the First Amendment shield from speech about a matter of public concern” and holding media outlets could not be punished for publishing contents of illegally recorded conversation); Landmark Commc’ns v. Virginia, 435 U.S. 829, 837-38 (1978) (upholding media’s right to publish information about “confidential proceedings of the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission”).

As the Court of Appeal has explained, the business of the press is “obtaining and publishing newsworthy information through routine reporting techniques,” and “ordinary news-gathering techniques ‘of course, include asking persons questions, including those with confidential or restricted information.’” Ass’n of L.A. Deputy Sheriffs v. L.A. Times Commc’ns LLC, 239 Cal. App. 4th 808, 819 (2015) (quoting Nicholson v. McClatchy Newspapers, 177 Cal. App. 3d 509, 519–20 (1986)).

If the City decides to investigate whether any conduct of its own officials or employees resulted in unlawful disclosure of information, it must bear in mind that California’s reporter shield law guarantees absolute immunity against any demand by the city, civil or criminal, for “the source of any information” obtained or published by the Event-News Enterprise or “any unpublished information obtained or prepared in gathering, receiving or processing of information for communication to the public.” Cal. Const., art. I, § 2(b); see also Cal. Evid. Code § 1070(a); Miller v. Superior Ct., 21 Cal. 4th 883, 899 (1999); New York Times Co. v. Superior Ct., 51 Cal. 3d 453, 461 (1990); McGarry v. Univ. of San Diego, 154 Cal. App. 4th 97, 119–20 (2007); O’Grady v. Superior Ct., 139 Cal. App. 4th 1423, 1456–66 (2006).

In addition to immunity against discovery, California and federal law prohibit the issuance of a search warrant for or any search for and seizure of unpublished information, work product, or documentary materials of the Event-News Enterprise related to this matter. Cal. Penal Code § 1524(g) (citing Cal. Evid. Code § 1070); 42 U.S.C. § 2000aa; Citicasters v. McCaskill, 89 F.3d 1350, 1355 (8th Cir. 1996); Morse v. Regents of the Univ. of Cal., 821 F. Supp. 2d 1112, 1121 (N.D. Cal. 2011).

Thank you for your attention to these matters. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
FIRST AMENDMENT COALITION
David Loy
Legal Director

Cypress Mayor “Disappointed”

Dear Editor,

I was disturbed to read an anonymously sourced story that reported information from confidential closed session City Council meetings in violation of state law and misled the community about the City’s legal proceedings concerning a California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) complaint.

In a highly unusual move, even the plaintiff’s attorney, Mr. Kevin Shenkman, stood with the City Attorney in criticizing the story. Mr. Shenkman denied that either he or his client were the sources for the story. Both the plaintiff’s and City’s attorneys condemned the anonymous source of the information disclosed in violation of state law and the newspaper’s regrettable decision to politicize the City’s process for responding to the CVRA complaint. The Event-News Enterprise’s reporting of confidential closed session votes is regrettable, inconsistent with ethical journalism principles, and makes an already difficult situation more divisive.

It is a rare thing indeed for both sides of a lawsuit to stand together against those who would disrupt the judicial process. The joint statement from otherwise opposing attorneys underscores the seriousness of disclosingconfidential information from a closed session meeting. Government Code Section 54963 clearly prohibits revealing information from closed session. If neither the plaintiff nor their attorney were the source for the story, then sadly it appears likely that a member of the City Council broke the law.

It is appalling, to me personally and to the citizens we serve, that a Council Member may have put politics before the law by brazenly violating the sanctity of closed session proceedings. These actions not only undermine the City’s efforts to adhere to state law, they jeopardize our ability to negotiate in good faith on behalf of the residents of Cypress.

The City Council is obligated to uphold the law and ethically bound to work for residents in an honorable and transparent manner. Despite clear directives from our federal and state constitutions, a Council Member mayhave decided the law does not apply to them.

The disclosure of confidential closed session information and the Event-News Enterprise’s reckless reporting do more than disrupt a legally proscribed process, they alsobreach the public trust. Elected officials have a responsibility to honor the rule of law and the oath we take when we become Council Members.

Mayor Pro Tem Minikus and I have called for a full investigation into this matter to ensure that our residents are protected. Cypress deserves a City Council that actsin good faith and puts the law ahead of personal political agendas.

Cypress Mayor Anne Mallari

Sent from my iPhone

 

Minikus to appear before Cypress Chamber

David N. Young
-
0
Minikus to appear before Cypress Chamber

The Cypress Chamber of Commerce will host Cypress Mayor Pro Tem and Cyber Security Pro Scott Minikus as our guest speaker at the October Networking Breakfast. Our event will be held Tuesday, October 11th at the Residence Inn by Marriott at 4931 Katella Avenue, Cypress/Los Alamitos starting at 7:30 a.m. Scott Minikus currently works for the Cyber Security Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under the Department of Homeland Security as a Chemical Security Inspector and is assigned to a Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Team. He will share his expertise at our breakfast event to help the audience understand the importance of Cyber Security and how to make our businesses and personal computing more secure and reduce risk of compromising activity.

Scott Minikus is a Cypress resident and currently serves on the Cypress City Council as Mayor Pro Tem. He retired after 25 years in law enforcement as a sergeant with the City of Long Beach before joining the Department of Homeland Security. CISA is the operational lead for federal cyber security and the national coordinator for critical infrastructure security and resilience. CISA was created in 2018 for collaboration and partnership across all sectors to reduce risk to the nation’s cyber and physical infrastructure. CISA’s mission is to lead the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to our cyber and physical infrastructure.

Mayor Pro Tem Minikus also honorably served in the United States Navy aboard the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and completed two tours of duty in the Persian Gulf. He has volunteered for a number of local organizations including Department of Homeland Security’s Peer Support Team, his church and as a coach for the Champion Baseball league. He currently serves on a variety of local and regional boards and committees as part of his role on the city council.

Each Chamber breakfast attendee will also have an opportunity to stand to introduce themselves and share a little about their business before the program begins.
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, and our speaker’s program.

The Chamber breakfasts, which are open to the public, are held on the second Tuesday of every month. Space will be limited.
To assure your seat, please pre-register on the chamber website: cypresschamber.org.

Griffins rebound, need to get past Huntington Beach for league title

Ted Apodaca
-
0
Griffins rebound, need to get past Huntington Beach for league title

The Los Alamitos High girls volleyball team swept Newport Harbor in three sets, 25-19, 25-9, 25-20 in a Sunset-Surf League match on Thursday at Newport Harbor High. The win put the Griffins at 2-1 in league play and 22-3 overall, as the league season hits the halfway point and playoff seedings begin to come into focus.

The Griffins were led by Katy Foley with 15 kills and Elon Milroy, who added eight kills. Sammy Maxwell had 26 assists and Asley Repetti had 16 digs to also spark the Griffins. Prior to the win over Newport, the Griffins took down Edison, 25-23, 24-14, 25-22, again led offensively by Foley, who had 13 kills. Sammy Maxwell had 26 assists and Kaia Herweg had nine digs on defense.

But if the Griffins want to take home at least a share of the league title, they will have to deal with Huntington Beach High, which is 3-0 in league and topped the Griffins in three sets, 31-29, 25-19, 25-10 in the league opener on Sept. 15 at Huntington Beach High.

The Griffins will host the Oilers on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in a match that will likely decide the Surf League Championship. The Griffins will be looking to maintain their momentum heading into the match with two more crossover matches in the Sunset Conference. Head Coach Dave Huber said that their play against Edison and Newport was much more steady and he is hopeful they can carry that over into their next meeting.

“Thankfully we did that, played pretty consistent, so hopefully that consistency shows up the next time we play the Oilers,” Huber said in an Instagram post with Set Point, after the win over Newport Harbor.

The Griffins played Marina High out of the Sunset-Wave League on Tuesday and will be at Corona del Mar on Thursday at 5:45 p.m. for another Sunset-Wave crossover match before the home match against HB on Tuesday.

LAHS Cross Country team takes 1st in 3 divisions at Chaffey Invitational

For Event-News Enterprise
-
0
LAHS Cross Country team takes 1st in 3 divisions at Chaffey Invitational

By Amy Candiotty

The Los Alamitos High School Cross Country Team ran their third race of the season at The Chaffey HS Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 23. The Griffins raced against 18 teams from the surrounding area. The Griffin freshman, sophomore, and junior girls all came in first place. The boys freshman team came in second place missing out on first by only one point.

The Griffin girls shined! Freshman Caris Homa (20:31) led her team to first place followed by Riley Kuhlendahl (21:18.0), Maddie Heenan (21:18.2) and Bella Castellon (21:18.8) all of whom were only separated by tenths of a second. The sophomore team was led by Chelsea Estrada (18:56) who also set a course record followed by Phoebe Grimshaw (19:53).

The junior girls dominated the race scoring only 16 points when 15 points is considered perfect. The girls won first through fourth and sixth places, dominating by 51 points. Junior Stevie Holguin (18:12) also set a course record for her division, followed by Olivia Bettinger (18:37), Alejandra Reyburn (18:47), Trista Candiotty (19:29), and Thalia Griffith (19:44). Senior Kaitlyn McQuillen (18:44) led her division followed by Ruby Flaim (18:50).

The Los Alamitos boys had great times. Freshman AC Wellsand (17:13), led his team to second place followed by Jonathan Vazquez (17:42) and Samuel Pareti (17:43). Sophomores Matthew Mayhue (16:39), Charlie Nelson (17:22), and Travis Regnier (17:30) helped their division place fourth.

The juniors Garret Bantle (17:10), Jaxon Nguyen (17:52), and Daniel Li (18:11) secured sixth place for their team. Senior Lon Monk (16:08) raced an impressive time along with his teammates Paul Dunbar (17:36) and Gavin Ordinario (17:47).
Head Coach Mark Celestin was excited about the two course records set and emphasized how great both the boy’s and girl’s teams did in achieving lots of personal bests. The Griffins continue to improve as they head into the second half of the season.
Junior Stevie Holguin was asked how it felt to set a course record?

“It was so much fun to put my training to the test and run a tough race,” Holguin said.
The top senior boy, Lon Monk set a PR at this race and said, “setting a PR means your training has paid off, and I’m happy to have beat my Woodbridge time from last week.”
The Griffins next race is in two weeks at the 41st Annual Asics Southern Cal Invitational in Oceanside.

Pacific Airshow to fill local skies Sept. 29 – Oct. 1

David N. Young
-
0
Pacific Airshow to fill local skies Sept. 29 – Oct. 1

The Pacific Airshow scheduled from Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, including what it calls “its best lineup yet,” flies through the skies of nearby Huntington Beach next week featuring world-renowned military and civilian aviators.

Now in its seventh year, the three-day festival attracts approximately 3 million live spectators. The three-day spectacle in the sky will feature over five hours of programming each day, showcasing a wide selection of aircraft pushing the boundaries of speeds and skills.

Military officials confirm the Los Al Army Airfield at the nearby Joint Forces Training Base will be used to stage the various aircraft involved so residents can expect extra noise, and amazing sites as the world-renowned aircraft fly at low altitudes.

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team, and Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be headlining alongside F-15 combat pilot Tom “Lark” Larkin and the 122nd Fighter Squadron F-15s from the Louisiana Air National Guard, according to the Pacific Airshow.

Additionally, the Red Bull Air Race World Champion Matt Hall will be joined by Australian aerobatic pilot Emma McDonald for her United States debut, flying their MX and Extra 300 aircraft. The U.S. Army Golden Knights and U.S Navy Parachute Teams will help kick off the show followed by appearances by the Opener Blackfly and Red Bull Bo-105 Helicopter, flown by Aaron Fitzgerald.

“Every year we try to outdo ourselves, and we’re confident that 2023 will be our most incredible, action-packed lineup of all time,” said Kevin Elliott, Pacific Airshow’s Executive Director. “Millions of people look forward to the annual Pacific Airshow and we aim to make it an unforgettably epic experience for all.”

The full list of 2023 Pacific Airshow performances includes:
• U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
• Canadian Forces Snowbirds
• U.S. Army Golden Knights
• U.S. Navy Parachute Team
• U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo
• U.S. Navy F-35C Demo
• U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler Demo
• U.S. Navy F/-18 Super Hornet Demo
• U.S. Air Force F-35A Demo
• U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight – P-51D Mustang – Steve Hinton Jr
• U.S. Air Force KC-135
• U.S. Air Force F-15 x 4 159th FW Louisiana
• U.S. Air Force B-52 Flybys
• FedEx B757 Flybys
• Lyon Air Museum C-47 “Willa Dean”
• Ace Maker T-33 2-ship
• Matt Hall & Emma McDonald MX and Extra 300
• Mike Goulian – Extra 330
• Sammy Mason – Edge 540
• Tom Larkin – SubSonex Mini Jet
• Red Bull – Bo-105 Helicopter – Aaron Fitzgerald
• Jet Waco- Jerrod Lindemann
• Opener Blackfly
• OC Fire Authority water drops 2 Bell 212s plus CH-47

“We’re encouraging everybody who’s coming to Pacific Airshow this year to purchase a ticket. We want to ensure they have the opportunity to see the airshow and have the best experience possible,” added Elliott.

The Pacific Airshow is continuing to redefine the airshow experience, now with expanded general admission and premium tickets available. To purchase tickets, please visit www.pacificairshow.com and follow Pacific Airshow on social media @pacificairshow.
About Pacific Airshow

Launched in 2016, the Pacific Airshow is the largest airshow in the United States by attendance. The three-day event features the best military and civilian flight demonstrations from teams all over the world.

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, Royal Air Force Red Arrows and Canadian Forces Snowbirds have all performed over Surf City USA. The family-friendly weekend has become an annual tradition for residents and visitors from as far away as Europe and Asia, delivering more than $105 million in economic impact to the City of Huntington Beach alone and even broader economic benefits to the County of Orange and Southern California.

With lot purchase, Cypress plans on Baroldi Sycamore Park improvements

David N. Young
-
0
With lot purchase, Cypress plans on Baroldi Sycamore Park improvements

The City of Cypress has recently approved the purchase of a residential home and an accompanying one-acre lot for $2.7 million at 6612 Cerritos Ave. that it plans to use to expand Baroldi Sycamore Park.

According to a staff report and presentation made by City Manager Peter Grant, the city “approached the sellers for all the family, descendants and spouses about the opportunity to grow their legacy in the community.”

“Earlier this year, the Baroldi family listed 6612 Cerritos Avenue, a 39,000 square foot parcel which borders the Park to the west, for sale,” he said. “Recognizing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand the Park, the City Council directed staff to engage the family regarding purchasing 6612 Cerritos Avenue,” he added.
“Undeveloped land adjacent to a park is rare, especially in fully developed cities,” said Grant.

Grant said “We were able to reach an agreement…and recommend to you to acquire the parcel for $2.7 million combined with a little bit of city right of way” already owned by the city.

The City Manager said the property is about one acre in total and “will provide the opportunity for the council and the neighborhood and the community at large to explore opportunities to expand Sycamore Park.

Currently, he said, the park is in “passive use” as a park with play equipment and shade structures which largely serves the neighborhood via on-street parking, the city official said.

“It’s really easy to find it’s right on Cerritos Avenue just before you leave Cypress on your way into Buena Park,” he said.

Baroldi Sycamore Park (6616 Cerritos Avenue) was created in 1970 when the Baroldi family subdivided its 22-acre dairy farm and donated 1.2 acres for a park. The neighborhood park features a picnic pavilion and barbeque, playground equipment, a sand play area, open space, and a meandering walking path, according to the staff report.

The Council authorized the city manager to finalize all documents, including $15,000 for closing costs.

The purchase requires the appropriation of $2,715,000 from the District’s General Fund reserves for future park improvements. A portion of these reserves ($2.2 million) were a one-time transfer from the City’s General Fund budget surplus in February 2018. The remaining $515,000 are accumulated District fund balances set-aside for capital improvements, the staff report said.

At the most recent meeting of the Council during oral communications, local businessman turned activist Bob Youngsma, who along with 40 of his neighbors are suing the Council, questioned the purchase price and he complained the minutes of the last meeting did not adequately reflect the transaction.

“You should be turning over a document that says here’s the minutes. I don’t see it. I also want to complain about a certain item that happened,” said Youngsma. “You decided to buy a piece of property for $2.7 million. I did a little investigation on that property. And found out Cypress already owns 8860 square feet of property on the west side and the south side of that property which boxes that property in,” he said.

“Cypress then went to residential people to appraise the property, not a commercial property seller that was selling it,” he said. “Cypress had a big controlling factor over that property,” claimed Youngsma, adding that Cypress claimed that even though the city said it wanted it for a park, it never acted on using the property it already owned there to provide access to its existing park.

“I have a park across the street from my house with terrible, terrible sidewalks and Cypress is an expert in grinding and patching and not fixing sidewalks. And guess what? You go and spend $2.7 for a piece of property but you can’t fix the sidewalks that are dangerous,” he asked?

Lions donate $25,000 to Youth Center to help relocate library

For Event-News Enterprise
-
0
Lions donate $25,000 to Youth Center to help relocate library

By Lina Lumme

The Youth Center (Los Alamitos) is thrilled to announce a remarkable contribution of $25,000 from the Lions Club of Seal Beach, fortifying their efforts to enhance education and literary engagement among young minds. This substantial gift will be allocated towards the establishment of a vibrant library within The Youth Center’s new premises, located at 10761 Los Alamitos Blvd. in Los Alamitos, CA. “The Seal Beach Lions Club has supported The Youth Center for nearly 25 years. We are honored to help them build an amazing center for youth”, said Scott Newton, Lion member.

The acquisition of the new property in 2022 marked a significant milestone for The Youth Center, setting the stage for a meticulously designed facility tailored to facilitate their esteemed after-school reading program. A paramount emphasis on fostering a “literary focused” environment for students in grades K through 8 underscores the organization’s commitment to nurturing a lifelong appreciation for books and reading. “When the Lions learned that The Youth Center would finally have their own building, we really wanted to be part of it so raised funds and made our largest single donation ever”, shared Scott Newton, a Lion member.

At the heart of this endeavor is the goal to encourage children to dedicate a minimum of 30 minutes each day to reading, enabling them to acquire knowledge and cultivate a deep affection for literature. A progressive reward system has been conceived, wherein students will amass points for every book they read. These points can subsequently be redeemed to obtain a free book, empowering students to build their personal libraries and extend their literary horizons beyond the confines of the program.

The Youth Center expresses its profound gratitude to the Lions Club of Seal Beach for their generous gift which will turn the vision of the new location into a tangible reality. The Lions Club’s unwavering support embodies the spirit of community collaboration and underscores their commitment to nurturing the educational and cultural enrichment of the youth.

The Seal Beach Lions Club, renowned for their steadfast service to the communities of Seal Beach, Rossmoor, and Los Alamitos since 1939, stands as a testament to the enduring power of altruism. With an impressive roster of over 400 members, the club proudly holds the distinction of being the largest Lions Club in the United States.

Operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Youth Center is poised to transition to its new location in October 2023. This significant move not only underscores their growth but also solidifies their dedication to providing an enriching environment that empowers young minds to thrive through the magic of reading and learning.
For further information, please contact Lina Lumme, The Youth Center CEO at 562-493-4043 or Li**@************er.org. For more information, visit www.theyouthcenter.org.

Learning what’s behind a business name – Subway of Los Alamitos

Loreen Berlin
-
0
Learning what’s behind a business name – Subway of Los Alamitos

Subway Franchisee Mark Hernandez, in Los Alamitos, shares the story behind his Subway Restaurants and how it all began.

His parents, with his four brothers, plus himself and his one sister came to Southern California from Texas in 1969 – for a two-week vacation – and never went back.
“So, technically, we’re still on vacation,” he smiles, “We only had the clothes we were wearing and whatever we had in our car.”

Hernandez said that for three-months, he and his family lived in his mother’s cousin’s garage. “I was young; very young.”

After the first three-months, his parents found jobs and were then able to rent a house, where they lived for approximately the next year. “Then, my parents found a home in Santa Ana, which they purchased and we lived there for 28 years,” he said.

“My parents spoke Spanish, but I had to learn that here, as I had only wanted my mother to speak to me in English when I was younger; now I can speak both languages and speak to my Hispanic customers in Spanish – Spanish I learned here.”

In 1972, the Hernandez parents purchased a Mexican/Italian restaurant, also in Santa Ana.
“At the age of 7-years-old, I also worked in the restaurant. We attended a private school, where my dad would pick us up after school and take three to four of us boys and my sister to help out at the restaurant. After we did our homework on the restaurant’s preparation table in the back of the restaurant, we’d then help customers with whatever they needed.”
Hernandez shared that his specialty was making tacos. “I would make the taco shell in the hot grease and then put the ingredients inside of the taco shell and hand it up front to be given to the customers.”

The family did that for a few years until his parents sold the restaurant.

Fast-forward and he says he has now come full-circle – ending up back in the restaurant business. “It’s the circle of life.”

Hernandez said that the Subway, 10535 Los Alamitos Blvd., in Los Alamitos, was his first restaurant, where he’s been for four-years now.

“Before, that, I was involved with Subway at Corporate as a business consultant in Los Angeles County for eight years; from there, I came to Orange County and became a District Manager for the Development Agent of Subway; they are the people who purchase the areas for the different Subway restaurant locations.”

The person Hernandez was working for in Los Angeles, operated 21-restaurants at the time; Hernandez worked with him for seven-years and then was offered the Subway restaurant in Los Alamitos.

Hernandez has been in the restaurant business for more than 28-years; before Subway, he was also with Jamba Juice and one year ago, he also purchased the Subway in Buena Park at Valley View Street on Orangethorpe Avenue at 6122 Orangethorpe.
Both of Hernandez’s Subway Restaurants have recently been remodeled to look modern, bright, airy and more efficient.

Now, the menu board features numbered selections, which makes guests’ choices easier and it’s more efficient for staff as well, cutting down the wait time for orders to be delivered to the customers.

Once settled in Los Alamitos, Hernandez said he joined the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce and also got to know the people within the community; people from the Chamber, Los Alamitos High School and Police Chief Michael Claborn to show support for the police department and to be part of helping other people within the community; wanting to not only get involved but to give back to the community.

“I want to find out what the needs are in the community and how I can help,” he said. “What I get out of the Chamber is that it gives to me and I therefore want to give back and make myself available wherever I can.”

Hernandez said that for many people, their dream is to own their own business; “To me, this is ‘my’ dream.”

Both Subway restaurants offer dine-in, curbside pickup and no-contact delivery.
The Los Alamitos Subway restaurant may be reached at 562-430-9774 and the Buena Park location may be contacted at 657-239-0459

Cypress Police Foundation sets “Night at the Races” fundraiser

David N. Young
-
0
Cypress Police Foundation sets “Night at the Races” fundraiser

The Cypress Police Foundation has announced “A Night at the Races” fundraiser to be held Saturday, Oct. 14, at 5:30 p.m. at the Los Alamitos Racecourse in Cypress.

“The Cypress Police Foundation partners with citizens, businesses, and philanthropic organizations to provide resources to the Cypress Police Department that are not included in the annual budget,” said Foundation President Dr. Don Pettinger.

“This increases the Department’s ability to serve at its highest level in improving public safety, decreasing crime and making Cypress a safer place to live, work and visit,” he added.

The Night at the Races is just one of the events sponsored by the Police Foundation that allows the public to enjoy members of the police department and community in a FUN atmosphere, said Pettinger.

A ticket includes Entry to the Vista Terrace, free parking, Vessels Club entry and a visit from a handicapper and jockey, he said.
In addition, there will be a silent auction, food and fun.
For tickets, visit Cypress Police Foundation at www.cypresspolicefoundation.wildapricot.org or email ma***********@***il.com.

1...585960...321Page 59 of 321