The Cypress Chamber of Commerce will welcome Col. Richard Lalor from the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base as our guest speaker at our November Networking Breakfast. Our event will be held Tuesday, November 9th at the Residence Inn by Marriott at 4931 Katella Avenue, Cypress/Los Alamitos starting at 7:30 a.m. and will follow all current protocols for attendee safety. Col. Lalor will share an update on the bold new initiative to build a solar energy station at the base to meet the Federal requirements for alternative energy for military bases.
Col. Rick Lalor is Commander, Joint Medical Command, California State Guard and the Public Affairs Officer for our local base. He will give us an update on a variety of initiatives currently underway at the JFTB as well as discuss the future solar power project and what that will mean to the base moving forward.
Colonel Lalor received his commission in the California State Guard in 1998 and has had numerous assignments within the California Military Department. He also studied Journalism at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education from Curry College, Milton, Mass. His military education includes the Military Police Officer Branch Orientation Course, Military Police Officer Advanced Course (Phase 1) and Reserve Component Public Affairs Officer Qualification Course through the U.S. Army Institute for Professional Development.
Each attendee will also have an opportunity to stand and 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 here. Cost of the breakfast is $25.00. Attendees are also encouraged to bring door prizes to promote their product or service. The program will include time for networking, self-introductions, breakfast, our guest speaker and a question and answer session if time permits.
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, pre-register on the chamber website: https://www.cypresschamber.org/events/details/november-networking-breakfast-2412
This article was released by the Cypress Chamber of Commerce.
The Aquarium of the Pacific honors and thanks veterans and active military personnel and invites them to visit the Aquarium on November 11, 2021, with free admission in celebration of Veteran’s Day.
During their visit, they can see more than 12,000 animals and over 100 exhibits, including Coral Reefs: Nature’s Underwater Cities, featuring a green sea turtle, glowing reefs, and flashlight fish. They can also interact with animals such as sharks, lorikeet birds, moon jellies, and rays.
To receive free admission, veterans and active military personnel should make an online reservation in advance and can visit the Aquarium’s Veterans Day webpage for more information. General admission tickets are available for purchase for the general public. For a discount on additional tickets, military personnel may purchase guest tickets at their local MWR/ITT office.
Advance reservations made online are required for everyone, including those receiving free admission, and no walk ups will be available. T-Mobile is the event sponsor.
For information, call (562) 590-3100 or visit aquariumofpacific.org/events/info/veterans_day
The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is a community gathering place where diverse cultures and the arts are celebrated and where important challenges facing our planet are explored. The Aquarium is dedicated to conserving and building nature and nature’s services by building the interactions between and among peoples. Home to more than 12,000 animals, Aquarium exhibits include Coral Reefs: Nature’s Underwater Cities, Pacific Visions, Shark Lagoon, and the June Keyes Penguin Habitat. Beyond its animal exhibits, the Aquarium offers educational programs for people of all ages, including a variety of First Wednesdays programming featuring guest speakers. The Aquarium offers memberships with unlimited FREE admission for 12 months and other special benefits. To make a donation to help support the Aquarium, please visit Pacific.to/donate. To visit, advance reservations are required for everyone and can be made at aquariumofpacific.org or by calling (562) 590-3100. The Aquarium of the Pacific is located at 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802.
A spokesperson for Southern California Edison said this week that approximately 10,000 households in West Orange County will be affected by the transition to time-of-use (TOU) billing rates.
According to Ron Gales, Senior Communications Advisor for SCE, beginning in November, about 7,300 households in Cypress served by SoCal Edison will be switched to “Time-of-Use” (TOU) rates, along with 2,200 in La Palma and about 780 in Seal Beach.
“They are among some 347,000 households in Orange County that SCE will transition to TOU rates next month,” he said in a statement.
Readers will want to know: Will they benefit from this change? What options do they have? Those questions are addressed in this story about TOU rates from our Edison web site. Please feel free to run the story in your publication, either partially or in its entirety, along with the attached infographic.
He said one consumer affairs observer called it “one of the most sweeping changes to how [Californians] pay for energy.”
According to Edison’s website, here is what happens:
1. TOU rate plans benefit customers who can shift some or most electricity usage away from times of day when electricity costs more to deliver. Examples include using energy-intensive appliances, charging electric vehicles or programming smart thermostats to adjust home temperatures before or after the 4-9 p.m. “On-Peak” period.
2. TOU rate plans help keep California golden: When customers shift energy usage to morning and midday hours, they tap into an abundance of energy on California’s electric grid coming from cleaner, renewable resources and help to make sure it doesn’t go to waste.
3. They ease pressure on California’s electric grid at key times of day. The renewable energy production from large-scale solar farms, which feeds California’s electric grid during morning and midday hours, declines in the late afternoon, just as the collective demand for power from customers across California increases. To compensate for the decrease in solar production, conventional sources of energy (more costly, not as clean) get ramped up. This transition stresses the electric grid until later in the evening. Customers switching energy usage to “Off-Peak” hours helps relieve that pressure.
Shifting energy use to morning and midday hours taps into cleaner, renewable resources.
4. SCE offers three TOU options for residential customers. Plans include “On-Peak” periods of 4-9 p.m. or 5-8 p.m. and a TOU “Prime” rate plan specifically for customers with plug-in EVs, residential batteries or other clean energy technologies. SCE’s Rate Plan Comparison Tool can help compare options while SCE’s Appliance Energy Use Cost Calculator shifting appliance use to Off-Peak hours.
5. SCE notifies customers by mail before switching their plans. Customers being switched should receive a notification letter from SCE by U.S. mail 60-90 days before their scheduled transition date and a reminder letter 30 days before. Customers who provided SCE their email address and agreed to be contacted may be notified electronically. The notification letter includes a comparison of what customerspay each year currently and what they would pay under TOU rates. Review the comparison carefully to see if you are benefitting from your new rate.
6. Residential customers switched to a TOU plan now through April get 12 months of bill protection. If you pay more on a TOU rate plan for the first 12 months than you would have paid on your previous tiered rate plan, SCE will provide you a one-time bill credit for the difference. (Does not apply to TOU Prime.)
• TOU rate plans benefit customers who can shift electricity usage away from times of day when electricity costs more to deliver.
7. Residential customers can opt out before their scheduled transition date. Simply return the reply card included with their notification letter, or complete the online form, or phone SCE’s dedicated TOU line at 877-287-2140. Customers can also choose to opt out after their scheduled transition date.
8. Some SCE residential customers will not be switched to TOU rate plans, including those:
• Located in state-defined hot climate zones who are enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) or Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) programs.
• Enrolled in the Medical Baseline program.
• Who’ve notified SCE that they are people with disabilities.
• Who’ve opted out of TOU rate plans during previous transition periods .
• Who started service after Oct. 1, 2020.
However, joint customers of SCE and a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) will be included.
Christmas is just around the corner! The Giving Tree Project is an annual outreach to care centers by St. Irenaeus Health Ministry that has gone on for the last 36 years. Our goal is to show residents, no matter their faith, that they are not forgotten during the holidays. Due to continued pandemic precautions, our Giving Tree Parties will be cut back, but St. Irenaeus Health Ministry will provide gifts for each resident. We also plan to give appreciation gifts for the staff at each of the care facilities we serve. These are hard-working essential workers and compassionate heroes. The facilities that St. Irenaeus Health Ministry serves are: Harvest Retirement in Buena Park, Sunrise La Palma, Karlton Residential Center in Anaheim, Health Care Center Orange County in Buena Park, and Anaheim Terrace Care Center (Genesis). Since each care facility resident will receive a gift, in addition to homebound parishioners, we need 406 gifts. Due to health concerns, we will buy the gifts rather than ask parishioners to purchase and donate them.
This is a significant financial commitment, so we are again asking the whole community, as well as St. Irenaeus parishioners, for monetary donations to purchase gifts. Checks should be made out to St. Irenaeus Church, with “H.M./Giving Tree” written on the memo line, and dropped off or mailed to St. Irenaeus Church, 5201 Evergreen Ave., Cypress, CA 90630. The deadline for receiving donations is Tuesday, November 30th. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Dagarag at 714-826-0760, extension 124. Donations can also be made on the St. Irenaeus website, Health Ministry/Giving Tree button.
Residents at long-term care facilities look forward to gifts and holiday cheer. So, please consider donating to this project. It’s like giving a “virtual hug” to these older adults, many of whom get few visitors. Thanks to the leadership of Jennifer Dagarag, R.N. (Co-Health Ministry Facilitator), JoAnn Pyne (Co-Facilitator), Grace Francis (Chair of Care Facilities Ministry), Karen Nerrie (Chair, Giving Tree Committee), and your generous donation, the 2021 Giving Tree Project will be successful again this year.
“Nothing could be more thrilling than welcoming students back to campus” said Cypress School District Supt. Anne Silavs in her most recent newsletter as the system is now operating with full, in-person classrooms.
The Cypress School District Superintendent is the current Orange County Superintendent of the Year.
“Following an unprecedented year and a half, nothing could have been more thrilling than welcoming all our students back to campus this fall for in-person learning,” she said in the newsletter.
Silavs said two major changes have been made to “support both the academic and social-emotional needs of our students during this transitional period,” she said.
The first of the changes is “Differentiated Instruction,” she said.
“While our district successfully provided three different school schedule options last year to meet the needs of students and their families, we know none of those options was a substitute for the high-quality educational program we traditionally provide our students,” said Silavs in the newsletter.
“To fill any gaps that may have occurred and to accelerate learning, teachers are using student assessment results to pinpoint areas for growth and tailor instruction to meet individual student needs. Teachers are also using computer-adaptive programs to differentiate instruction and support individualized learning,” she said.
The other change, said Silavs, is “Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS).”
“Our schools and classrooms provide students with consistent, predictable structures that promote academic achievement, emotional development, and social competence,” said Silavs.
“Unfortunately, not every student was able to attend in-person instruction and benefit from these important structures last year. As a result, some essential school habits and behaviors may have been lost or forgotten. To recalibrate schoolwide expectations and reestablish systems to promote a supportive learning environment and positive student behavior, school teams are participating in training and professional development in these areas to ensure our students’ school success,” she said.
“In addition to these districtwide efforts, many great things are happening in each of our neighborhood schools which make Cypress School District the best place for students to learn and grow,” she added.
Meanwhile, at its most recent meeting of the Cypress Board of Trustees, the board;
• The Board approved subscriptions with Learning Genie, Inc. for software to streamline the collection and tracking of child assessment data and reporting to the state’s Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) assessment during the 2021/22 school year at a total cost of $1,672.
• The Board authorized filing a Notice of Completion for the 2021 Corporate Avenue Tenant Improvements project by M.P. South, Inc. at a total cost of $2,321,166.12.
• The Board approved a five-year lease agreement with Quadient Leasing for a replacement postage meter at a total cost of $12,019.20.
• The 1979 “Gann Initiative” requires districts to formally adopt an annual appropriations limit based on appropriations from the previous fiscal year with adjustments for changes in cost of living, population, and other factors. The Board adopted Resolution No. 21/22-7 showing the actual appropriations limit for 2020/21 of $28,639,606 and the estimated appropriations limit for 2021/22 of $29,520,611.
• As required by Education Code, the Board certified its review of the district’s final revenue and expenditure figures for 2020/21. General Fund revenues for 2020/21 totaled $48,602,120 versus total General Fund expenditures and transfers out of $49,712,980. The General Fund closed 2020/21 with an ending balance of $9,633,584. Funding for 2021/22, given the adjustments to the ending balance from 2020/21, along with designated carryover amounts, is adequate to fund the approved programs for the 2021/22 school year. The full report is available online.
• The Board adopted updated strategies for meeting the district’s 2021/22 goals. The 2021/22 Goals and Strategies may be viewed on the district website.
Los Alamitos High’s girls cross country team finished second in the Surf League standings as the Sunset Conference held its finals on Saturday at Huntington Beach Central Park.
Sophomore Kaitlyn McQuillen led the Griffins with a seventh place overall finish in a time of 18 minutes, 42.7 seconds over the three-mile course. Sophomore Hallie Muniz was the second finisher for Los Alamitos at 12th overall, in a time of 19:14.3. The Griffins were just five points behind Surf League champions Fountain Valley who had 72 points.
Huntington Beach was first overall and took the Wave League title with a score of 56 points. They were also led by a sophomore, Makenzie McRae, who finished the course in 17:49.8 and was first overall. Seniors Quinn Roldan and Claire Lewis were 3rd and 4th overall for Huntington Beach.
The varsity girls team had graduated several key runners from last year, so Head Coach Mark Celestin said there was some uncertainty how they would fare with new runners stepping up.
“We’re a brand new team and they really ran well,” Celestin said of the girls varsity.
Freshman Olivia Bettinger was the third Los Al finisher in 18th place in a time of 19:21.7. Senior Chrysti Takayesu followed in 19th overall with a time of 19:22.0. Freshman Trista Candiotty was the fifth scorer for Los Alamitos with a 21st overall finish in 19:27.3.
Also notable was another Los Al freshman, Sydnie Lobo, who finished 24th overall with a time of 19:28.3.
In the boys varsity race, Los Alamitos took third in the Surf League falling just one point shy of Edison. Newport Harbor won the Surf League and took second overall. Fountain Valley took first place overall and won the Wave League title as the Barons finished nearly 30 points better than Newport at 45 overall points. Fountain Valley had four runners finish in the top 9 overall.
When the overall standings are divided into Surf and Wave League groups, scoring finishes change, which allowed for Edison’s top runners to lower their score enough to take second. Essentially about 6/10th of a second kept the Griffin boys from qualifying for CIF prelims.
“The boys had a great season, I know they’re disappointed with the finish, but they had a great season,” Celestin said.
Los Alamitos was led by junior Daniel Mastick who finished the course in 16:05.8 to take 10th overall. The Griffins grouped together four finishers to close the gap. Senior Michael Sandoval finished 17th overall with a time of 16:19.8. Right behind him was junior Zachary Nakada at 18th in a time of 16:22 and senior Tyler Austin at 19th in 16:33.9. Senior Aaron Ibarra rounded out the Griffins’ scoring five with a 21st overall finish in a time of 16:38.7.
In the girls junior varsity race, Los Alamitos ran away with the overall title as well as the Surf League championship. All five of the Griffins scoring runners finished in the top 10 overall, as they compiled just 19 points, with second place Laguna Beach scoring 45. The Griffins were led by Kiana Low, who took 1st overall with a time of 20:50.7.
She was followed by Yuki Bengs, who took 3rd overall in a time of 21:19 and Bailey Nadell who finished 6th overall in 21:35.3. Sierra Erlandson was 8th overall with a time of 21:43.1 and Lauren Kim rounded out the five scoring runners with a 10th place overall finish in 21:52.1.
In the boys junior varsity race, the Griffins took second place in the overall standings and second place in the Surf League finals. James Fayette led Los Alamitos with a second place overall finish in a time of 17:00. Junior Sean Macdonald was the second Los Alamitos finisher in 6th place overall, with a time of 17:33.9.
Juniors Joshua Gonzalez (17:48.3) and Kenji Swun (17:49.6) were 11th and 12th overall as the third and fourth finishers for Los Al and Luke Rettich rounded out the Griffins top 5 finishers in 14th overall in a time of 17:50.7.
In the Frosh/Soph race, Los Alamitos again won the Surf League title and was the top finishing team in the overall standings. Seven Griffins finished in the top 10 overall, as follows:
Place Name, Grade
1 Ruby Flaim, 10
2 Hayden Nguyen 9
3 Milly Verdugo, 10
7 Bryn Pagett, 9
8 Thalia Griffith, 9
9 Natalie Lobo, 11
10 Amanda Ferguson,10
The Griffins also won the boys Frosh/Soph Surf League title and were the top overall finishing team. They had six runners finish in the top 11 overall, as follows:
Place Name, Grade
1 Charles Villegas, 10
6 Gavin Ordinario, 10
8 Jaxon Nguyen, 9
9 James Sells, 9
10 Isaac Parhami, 10
11 Lon Monk, 10
The girls varsity had six runners post times good enough to qualify for CIF-SS Preliminaries. They are Kaitlyn McQuillen, Hallie Muniz, Olivia Bettinger, Chrysti Takayesu, Trista Candiotty and Sydnie Lobo. They will be joined by Ruby Flaim, who won the frosh/soph race and posted a qualifying time. Two members of the boys team posted finishes to qualify for CIF-SS Prelims, Daniel Mastick and Michael Sandoval. CIF-SS Preliminaries will be held on Nov. 13 at Mt. San Antonio College.
The Long Beach Ballet continues its annual holiday tradition, for the 39th year this December, of presenting The Nutcracker at the Terrace Theater at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center for five performances from December 17 to 19. As always, the beloved production bursts with special guest performances and additional surprise treats the entire family will love. In 2018 and 2019, Goldstar audiences voted the Long Beach Ballet’s The Nutcracker as the “best-loved” production in the nation.
The Long Beach Ballet’s Artistic Director David Wilcox has pulled out all the stops for this 39th production of the classical tale. This production boasts a full symphony orchestra, a flying sleigh, a real live horse, on-stage pyrotechnics, and a cast of over 200. Former Disney designers Elliot Hessayon and Scott Schaffer created the enchanting scenery, Australian artist Adrian Clark designed the detailed costumes, and renowned magician Franz Harary created the special effects.
Tickets are on sale now. For complete information, visit www.LongBeachNutcracker.com.
The Long Beach Ballet is one of the only ballet companies in Southern California which performs The Nutcracker with a full symphony orchestra and is one of only two ballet companies in the country that use two harps for their production to ensure the performance sounds exactly as Tchaikovsky intended it to sound.
Wilcox is excited to present a special rendition of the beloved Holiday tale. A former ballet virtuoso himself, he now brings his power, strength, grace and artistry to the production, which features both new surprises and classic entertainment. “I like using the beauty of the classical art form of ballet, which has taken 500 years to develop to the level that it is today, to form a production that’s enticing and exciting. It has pyrotechnics, it has magic; it’s got everything I can think of to make it thrilling. This production is not just for people who like ballet. You can hate ballet and you’ll still like this production,” he adds.
The Long Beach Ballet’s Nutcracker has been seen by millions of people worldwide, including live audiences totaling more than 400,000 in Long Beach, 70,000 in Pasadena, hundreds of thousands throughout Asia (as performed by the Chinese Guangzhou Ballet), and millions more on television.
Performances begin with a half-priced Preview Performance (full symphony) on Friday night, December 17th at 7:30 p.m. Show times are Saturday, December 18th at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sunday, December 19th at 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm at the Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, located at 300 E Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802.
Tickets can be purchased at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center Main Box Office, and online through the Long Beach Nutcracker website, www.LongBeachNutcracker.com. Family-friendly ticket prices range from $34.00 – $78.00 with a special VIP Package also available. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more.
The Long Beach Ballet is one of Southern California’s leading classical ballet institutions. The academy’s reputation is based on excellence, dedication and passion for the art. Students from this academy have gone on to join companies like San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, and the Dresden Ballet. For more information visit: http://www.longbeachballet.com/.
Hospitalization can be emotionally challenging for young children and their families, and missing out on traditional childhood activities like trick-or-treating can add to those challenges. To ensure hospitalized children at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach didn’t miss out on this Halloween tradition, hospital employees came together to bring it to life on Friday, Oct. 29.
Dozens of patients, dressed in costumes, trick-or-treated throughout several large decorated conference rooms, stopping at different Halloween-themed booths to collect toys, games and prizes.
Upon entering the conference room, patients were greeted by cosplay characters, Captain America and Captain Carter from Marvel Studios’ What If…?, as well as pet therapy dogs dressed in costume.
Courtesy photo
This special event is coordinated by the Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Program at Miller Children’s & Women’s, whose mission is to help make the hospital experience more positive for children of all ages.
“We do this event, so our patients don’t miss out, because if they weren’t in the hospital, they would be participating in Halloween events at school or in their neighborhood,” says Rita Goshert, director, Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Program, Miller Children’s & Women’s. “We make sure to bring that experience into the hospital to help normalize the environment for them.”
Courtesy photo
But the Child Life Program doesn’t do it alone. Representatives from across the hospital participate to make this day special for children and their families.
“We’re so fortunate to have a hospital full of nurses and employees who have dedicated their careers to caring for children, and understand the importance of special events like this,” says Goshert. “Even if just for a few hours, this helps distract patients from their illness and truly makes a difference in the experience they have in the hospital.”
Jodi Balma, Professor of Political Science at Fullerton College in California, came as a guest speaker at the La Palma-Cerritos Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) on Thursday, October 21, 2021, at the La Palma-Community Center in La Palma. Professor Balma is also an active member of the League of Women Voters of North Orange County.
She came prepared with her laptop computer and a Power Point Presentation with statistical information about Voter Suppression and Restrictions on the Right to Vote. She is an excellent speaker and showed why she has been selected as Fullerton College’s Outstanding Teacher in 2021, and one of six Outstanding Teachers selected by the Orange County Department of Education for 2022.
Professor Balma began by saying that five of the 27 Amendments to the United States Constitution dealt with protecting voter rights for U.S. citizens. They are Amendments 15, 19, 23, 24, and 26.
Amendment 15 prohibits denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous servitude.
Amendment 19 prohibits denial of the right to vote based on sex.
Amendment 23 grants the District of Columbia electors in the Electoral College.
Amendment 24 prohibits revocation of voting rights due to non-payment of a poll tax or any tax.
Amendment 26 prohibits denial of voting by U.S. citizens of 18 years of age and older because of age.
In spite of the prohibitions by these amendments to protect the voting rights of U.S. citizens, there are still problems that can still exist when state governments create their own laws regarding voting in their states.
After the Supreme Court rulings in Shelby County v. Holder (2013), and Brnovich v. the Democratic National Committee (2021), suppression did occur in 2012-2016 when people who had not voted in the last election were purged. In Texas, two million voters were purged after the Shelby ruling, and in Georgia, 1.5 million voters were purged. Some other state laws made it harder for people of color, poor people, and young people to vote.
Purges occurred under both Democrats and Republicans. Both parties also used re-districting with gerrymandering to their parties’ advantage in the past and continue to do so in the present.
Professor Balma said that citizens in the United States need to feel that each vote is important and believe in voter efficacy that each vote will count. According to the Joint Statement from the Elections Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council and the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Executive Committees, the November 3, 2020, election was “the most secure election in American history,” with only 491 cases of absentee ballot fraud, or 0.00000044% of billions of ballots cast. Voter integrity was achieved with mail-in ballots, ballot tracking, signatures of voters required, text notification of votes received, secure drop off locations, voting centers in cities, and post-election audits.
Balma gave two examples of restrictions for some citizens that may stop them from exercising their right to vote by state law. 1) If a state requires that a driver’s license be used as the required form of identification and the person does not have a driver’s license, that person may not be allowed to vote. 2) If a native American does not have a mailing address for his home, and only has a P.O. Box address, that person may also not be allowed to vote. Professor Balma said that there is new act that is being considered by Congress that would restore provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
According to Wikipedia, the law that is being considered is the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 (H.R.), in honor of the late Georgia Representative and voting right activist, John Lewis. If this proposed law is passed, it would restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that required preclearance by the Federal government of changes to voting laws and expand control over changes in state voting laws. The House of Representatives passed this law on August 24, 2021, but it still needs approval by the Senate, and a signature by President Biden.
Professor Balma encouraged everyone to protect their right to vote and vote at every election.
For more information, contact Program Co-VP Karen Cox at 562-519-0596.
The 18th annual Long Beach Jewish Film Festival celebrates the best in Jewish films from around the world. The Film Festival will kick-off with a special in-person Premiere Night event on Wednesday, November 3, with a screening of the 2019 fashion documentary Mrs. G, followed by guest speaker Wendy Manasse.
Mrs. G is a documentary about Mrs. Lea Gottlieb, a Holocaust survivor who established a small factory in Israel in 1956 to design swimwear and beach outfits. This was the start of what became the Gottex swimwear empire, which was the leading exporter of swimwear to the United States and valued at $60 million in 1991.
Manasse, a local fundraiser, philanthropist, and self-proclaimed cheerleader, spent her first career as a fashion designer, making her mark in swimwear. Over that time, she grew from a designer to merchandiser and ultimately to president of design and development for a multitude of top swimwear labels that included Jantzen and Catalina, and worked with fashion icons Anne Cole, Oscar de la Renta, and Ralph Lauren.
As a former board member at Jewish Family & Children’s Service Long Beach (JFCS) she created and underwrote “RUNWAY: the beauty of helping others,” a fashion show fundraiser benefiting JFCS for seven years. Manasse is deeply connected to the CSULB and Long Beach City College fashion departments.
“Lea Gottlieb was brilliant! She created engineered prints like a true artist–making each suit a masterpiece … and her concept to add incredible matching cover-ups and sportswear to each collection changed the future of how both manufacturers and customers created and bought swimwear,” said Manasse.
In addition to the film screening and talk, Jewish Long Beach and Alpert JCC leaders will announce their plans to “Dream With Us” as the two iconic Long Beach-area agencies continue their landmark integration process.
After the premiere night, Long Beach Jewish Film Festival continues virtually streaming five films from varying genres over the span of three weeks from November 3 – 21.
MOVIE SELECTION (Descriptions from IMDB):
November 3–7
MRS. G, 2019, DIRECTOR: DALIT KIMOR
(Documentary)
Mrs. Lea Gottlieb, the legendary designer, founder, and owner of the Gottex swimwear empire. The film follows her complex relationships with her two daughters, and her unbridled passion, for which she paid a heavy price.
Language: Hebrew, English Subtitles
November 6–10
PERSIAN LESSONS, 2020, DIRECTOR: VADIM PERELMAN
(Drama/War)
A young Jewish man pretends to be Iranian to avoid being executed in a concentration camp.
Language: German/French, English Subtitles
November 10–14
KISS ME KOSHER, 2020, DIRECTOR: SHIREL PELEG
(Romantic Comedy)
When two generations of Israeli women fall for a German woman and a Palestinian man, chaos follows. What happens with lovers who don’t fit but do belong together?
Language: Hebrew/German, English Subtitles
November 13–17
THEY AIN’T READY FOR ME, 2020, DIRECTOR: BRAD ROTHSCHILD
(Documentary/Social Issues)
The story of Tamar Manasseh, the black rabbinical student who leads the fight against gun violence on the south side of Chicago. Tamar’s identity and personality combine to make her a force to be reckoned with.
Language: English
November 17–21
LOVE IN SUSPENDERS, 2019, DIRECTOR: YOHANAN WELLER
(Romantic Comedy)
Tami is a widow in her 60s and Beno is a widower in his 70s. They are both still suffering from the loss of their loved ones, but disregarding their differences in lifestyle and personality, they eventually fall in love.
Language: Hebrew, English Subtitles
There are limited tickets available to the In-Person Premiere Night to be held at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Jewish Long Beach Campus (3801 E. Willow St., Long Beach), November 3. Please buy tickets by October 30, or until capacity is met. $18 per person/$15 for AJCC members. All visitors will have to present proof of vaccination before entering the building.
Film Festival Pass – includes streaming for all five films, plus admission to Premiere Night and VIP Lounge: $65/$50 for AJCC members. Individual films are available for $15/$12 AJCC members. Visit https://alpertjcc.org/filmfestival/ for the official selection.
AJCC and Jewish Long Beach provide programming for all ages and stages of life. Known as “Your Center for Life,” The Alpert JCC provides a gathering space in which all are welcome to pursue early childhood education, after-school programs, fitness programs, aquatics activities, and summer camp, as well as to engage in Jewish life, culture, and education.
With the 2021 Veterans Day rapidly approaching, family, friends and local officials paid homage this past week to a Los Alamitos High School graduate, who truly gave his life for his country.
“Today, with great honor, we at Honoring Our Fallen announce the official designation of the interchange of Interstate 605 and Katella Avenue in the County of Orange as the “United States Army Sergeant Thomas R. MacPherson Memorial Interchange,” said Laura Herzog, the group’s Executive Director.
Herzog pushed for the dedication and organized this week’s ceremony.
On the grounds of Los Alamitos High School, they gathered to dedicate a highway sign that will soon be installed on the exit closest to the school to honor MacPherson’s courage, sacrifice and valor on the 9th anniversary of his death.
“I’m just overwhelmed by all the people that I see on here thank you so much for coming out and honoring Tommy and supporting our family,” said his mom, Diona “Didi” MacPherson. “You just can’t even know what it means to us,” she told the assembled group.
“When he (Tommy) graduated from high school, he told his dad and I, that he was going to join the Army,” said Mrs. MacPherson, who is now a Gold Star Mother.
“We’re like, … okay,” she haltingly said. “And so he’s going to be an Army Ranger; he’s kidding, right?”
He enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 2007 and completed One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning, Ga., as an infantryman. After graduating from the Basic Airborne Course there, he was assigned to the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program also at Fort Benning.
Indeed, the Los Al graduate had made good on what he’d told his parents, he was an elite Army Ranger. Now he wanted to serve.
MacPherson was a team leader assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. When there were tough missions, MacPherson was ready to serve.
According to records, MacPherson quickly served a deployment in Iraq and later, a deployment in war-torn Afghanistan. MacPherson became a leader and went back to Afghanistan not once, not twice, but for three additional combat deployments.
On Oct. 12, 2012, he was caught in a firefight during combat operations in Ghanzi Province. The Army says MacPherson was again leading, this time he led an assault against an enemy position when small arms fire took his life. Tommy was 26 years old.
“Since his death, I’ve learned a lot about Tommy that I would have probably never known had he not been killed,” Mrs. MacPherson told the assembled well-wishers. “I’ve just heard how the guys really respected him, and they loved him, and he was a good leader,” she said.
“Who would have thought” she incredulously said? “Tommy growing up in Sunday school, his teachers and everybody, and just to be able to hear those things about him was heartwarming for a mom,” she said.
“And I thank God that I had him for 26 years because I got to watch this crazy kid grow into a wonderful young man,” his mom said. “He got married, he had a child; he left me a little Brayden Thomas who’s now 10. He became respected at his work and, I think, what else can a mom ask for.”
“I’m blessed in that way,” Mrs. MacPherson said on a recording of the ceremony.
MacPherson is survived by his wife Claudia and their son Brayden of Tacoma, Wash., his parents, Troy and Diona of Long Beach, and siblings Jessica (Lozano) and Timothy.
According to a report filed by Patch at the time of MacPherson’s memorial service on Oct. 26, 2007, MacPherson’s father Troy said his sudden death was stunning.
Speaking inside Cottonwood Church filled with floral arrangements of red, white and blue, his voice broke as he spoke, the contemporary report said.
“This is surreal. I should not be speaking at Tommy’s memorial service,” his father Troy MacPherson is reported to have said to the hundreds gathered in the Cottonwood Church sanctuary. “He should be speaking at mine.”
“Tommy” MacPherson attended Lee Elementary, McAuliffe Middle, and graduated from Los Alamitos High School in 2004, according to school records. He attended Cypress College before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 2007 to fulfill his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger.
Known for frequently wearing his “Ray-bans,” Tommy was remembered as an outgoing boy who developed as a courageous leader once he joined the military.
MacPherson died a decorated combat veteran. His awards and decorations include the
Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the U.S. Army Expert Rifle Marksmanship Qualification Badge.
MacPherson has also been awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Campaign Stars, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the NATO Medal.
Sgt. Thomas R. MacPherson, 2004 Los Al graduate, lost his life in Afghanistan and posthumously awarded a Purple Heart. Coutesy photo
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service and Purple Heart. As a Ranger, Sgt. Thomas R. MacPherson selflessly lived his life for others and distinguished himself as a member of the Army’s premier direct action raid force and fought valiantly as he served his fellow Rangers and our great Nation.
“His sense of duty and sacrifice lives on not only through his family, but also in his community and today we are honored to let his hometown know,” said Herzog, who thanked State Sen. Bob Archuleta, who represents the area where the sign is to be erected, for his assistance.
“You must remember Tommy as he was because that’s why he touched our hearts,” said Archuleta. “That young man who grew up to serve this distinction, the Bronze Star Medal is not put out there just to give it out. This is valor, this is bravery, this is the call of duty. This is sacrificing himself for everyone else,” the state senator said.
Archuleta said as a former airborne paratrooper, and whose sons serve, including one as a Ranger, he thanked the family for MacPherson’s service to our country. “He grew up to serve with distinction. God Bless You and thank you for giving us a paratrooper and an American who believed in God and country,” said Archuleta.
Los Alamitos Unified School District officials also attended the service and said they were honored to host it on school grounds.
“I can recall when his body was brought back here to the family, when they landed on the base,” LAUSD Supt. Dr. Andrew Pulver said during his Superintendent’s report last Tuesday after attending the Freeway sign dedication ceremony.
Pulver was an administrator in the system then.
According to accounts, MacPherson’s flag-draped coffin was flown with full military honors to Joint Forces Military Base in Los Alamitos on October 25, 2007. Photos from the military ceremony at JFTB show hundreds of troops, veterans and military leaders standing at attention on the tarmac as MacPherson’s immediate family stands arm-in-arm awaiting his flag-draped casket.
“They had the formal procession, and we had all of our students from high school and came out to really greet the fallen soldier,” he said, remembering when MacPherson’s body was flown to Joint Forces Training Base.
Like the respect shown then, he said this week’s ceremony was indeed solemn but also, very hopeful.
Sgt. Thomas MacPherson’s sign is expected to be installed by Feb. of 2004.
“It was really a wonderful ceremony, and we were very proud to have it here,” said Pulver.
“Today was absolutely astounding,” said LAUSD President Marlys Davidson, who also attended the Freeway dedication ceremony. In 2007, when MacPherson was killed, Davidson said she was still teaching American History at McAuliffe Middle School.
“I remember students waiting along the route, very patiently, until the hearse carrying MacPherson’s body finally rolled past. The students were very respectful,” she said, “with one hand over their hearts and the other carrying an American flag,” the board president said.
“It deeply affected them,” she said.
Davidson praised the fallen soldier’s mother, Didi. “Her positiveness and her willingness to speak about the world is a refreshing and a reminder of integrity. I can’t even imagine what it means to live with that every day. We are so proud of him and his family’s service,” she said.
Mrs. MacPherson also remembered the sacrifice of Kevin Woyjeck, another Los Al High graduate, who died at 21 fighting wildfires in Arizona, and before Tommy was killed, she said she remembered always pausing to say a prayer when passing Woyjeck’s memorial freeway sign.
Mrs. MacPherson said both families have been drawn together by their shared sacrifices.
Officials say the 605 Freeway sign, which is the exit for Los Alamitos, including the high school, was expected to be installed before February of 2020.
“I would like to personally thank Senator Archuleta for working with me to make this a reality. I had been working for years to accomplish this and your tireless efforts working this memorial through to its completion even through the difficult times of our state and nation currently makes us proud,” said Herzog.
“As our motto states ‘A Hero Remembered…Never Dies,’ this memorial interchange will honor Tommy and his family’s sacrifice every day,” she added.
“On behalf of the State of California, this certificate is a very, very small token to say thank
you,” said Archuleta, presenting a certificate to Didi and Timothy MacPherson on behalf of U.S. Army Ranger Sgt. Thomas MacPherson.
Children in the U.S. ages 5 to 11 could get a COVID-19 vaccine in a matter of weeks.
“If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval and the recommendation from the CDC, it’s entirely possible if not very likely that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the first week or two of November,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC News on Sunday.
This week, a vaccine advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration met to discuss approving a lower-dose version of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in elementary school-age kids. After that, the FDA will decide if the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks of COVID-19. An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will then meet Nov. 2-3 before the CDC issues its own recommendations.
On Friday, the FDA released its analysis of Pfizer trial data. It showed the company’s mRNA-based shots “appeared highly effective at preventing symptomatic infection of COVID-19” in 5-to-11-year-olds and did not cause any unexpected safety issues, according to the Associated Press. This week, Moderna reported its vaccine produced a strong immune response in younger children during trials but it has yet to seek FDA approval for it.
On Oct. 20, the Biden Administration unveiled its plans for getting vaccines to the estimated 28 million 5-to-11-year-olds in the U.S. That includes shipping millions of doses and kid-size needles for doctor’s offices, hospitals, pharmacies, and school and community-based clinics. The shot for younger kids is a smaller dose and is packaged in special orange-capped vials to distinguish them from the adult dose.
Local education officials respond
“While we will continue to assist the OC Health Care Agency (OCHCA) with its efforts to share information about voluntary COVID-19 vaccinations, we are not hosting school-based vaccination clinics for students or community members,” Orange County Superintendent Al Mijares said in an Oct. 21 post on the OC Department of Education (OCDE) website.
“For families who choose to get their children vaccinated, we believe the safest manner is through licensed and fully-staffed facilities. Above all, we recognize that families are responsible for making important health care decisions on behalf of their children with guidance from licensed medical professionals,” Mijares said.
In the past, OCDE partnered with OCHCA and local school districts to establish on-campus vaccination clinics for staff. More than 20,000 doses were given to school employees seeking the shot. But with schools open full-time across the county, OCDE said it “will defer to local health officials and medical providers to host COVID-19 vaccination clinics for children and families.”
Los Alamitos Unified School District Supt. Andrew Pulver said last week that the district has not set any plans yet in the effort to vaccinate younger children.
Los Alamitos USD has nine campuses including six elementary schools.
“We may look to partner with a vaccine clinic or provider as more information becomes available (i.e. Albertsons/Vons, CVS or some other agency) as I know that was an option shared last spring,” Dr. Pulver wrote in an email but added: “We will wait and see what options are available. Any such partnership would be outside of school hours and would require parents/guardians to initiate.”
California is mandating all K-12 students get inoculated once the COVID-19 vaccines receive full FDA approval for their age groups. So far, the Pfizer vaccine has full approval for people 16 and older. The deadline to get vaccinated for 7th-12th graders could be July 1, 2022, according to the Governor’s office.
According to the CDC, children are at lower risk for severe complications from COVID-19 but they can become ill and infect others. Around 35,000 children in Orange County, from newborns to 17 year-olds, have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and two have died from it, according to OCHCA.
There are roughly 455,000 elementary school aged children, ages 5-11, in the county.
The mere prospect of sharing one or more political representatives with Long Beach and/or any part of Los Angeles County sent a throng of residents to the podium at a special meeting called by the Rossmoor Community Services District (RCSD) on Tuesday.
Following the testimony of citizens and RCSD Directors opposed to current redistricting maps, the board voted 4-0 to approve a resolution that has already been sent to the redistricting officials drawing the lines.
“We resolve that the Rossmoor Community Services District remain in an Assembly, State Senate, and Congressional District that is not shared with the City of Long Beach, and instead in Orange County based districts so that the concerns of our community and electorate can be adequately addressed,” the document states.
“The Rossmoor Community Services District has separate interests from the City of Long Beach and Los Angeles County, despite geographical closeness,” the resolution states.
The special meeting was called to inform residents of a pending change in their representative status, said Dr. Jeffrey Barke, President of the District’s board.
“The California Redistricting Committee (CRC) needs to hear from Rossmoor,” he said. “I don’t think I can even think of a scenario where it is good for us to be in a district with Long Beach,” the board President said in his opening.
A procession of speakers began with Dean Gross, a longtime conservative official from Los Alamitos, who has been keeping up with the CRC’s work.
“The assembly’s proposed district as of October 19, shows that Los Alamitos and Rossmoor will be part of Long Beach. These maps change daily. And what’s happening in the changing is that they’re getting feedback and input from citizens, from businesses who say this isn’t going to work,” said Gross, a former Los Al mayor.
“If you notice on the bottom of one map of the Senate District, again it has Cypress as part of Hawaiian Gardens, Los Alamitos area. It’s probably down into Long Beach, all the way over to San Pedro, and those portions. Also, the district includes offshore Catalina and a couple of the [other] islands,” he added.
Gross explained in detail the changes in redistricting maps and expressed bewilderment to the mixing of Orange County and L.A. county in some potential new districts.
“They are making a mess of it” that “we are going to have to live with for the next ten years,” he said.
Some area residents who spoke said they had hurried over to the hastily called meeting to offer their opinion. Almost to a person, they passionately objected to sharing any representative borders with either Long Beach or Los Angeles County.
“I haven’t gone into this as deeply as I need to, but it looks like a blatant attempt to gerrymander a conservative enclave to neutralize its votes on the part of Long Beach,” said Rossmoor resident Diane Rush. “I’m just saying anyone on the fence about redistricting, the recent past is full of red flags and we definitely don’t want to be a part of L.A. County or Long Beach.”
“And even though they’re trying to say we are actually a part of them already, and we share common needs, nothing could be further from the truth,” she said.
“When you go across the border from the 605 [Freeway], you find out that when you are in Orange County the feeling is totally different,” said Betty Chen, who has lived in Rossmoor since 1988.
Los Al resident and Congressional candidate (47th District) Emily Hibard, who’s said she is a “third generation” business owner in L.A. County, said “it is a blessing to live on this side of Orange County. I am absolutely opposed to being sucked into Long Beach and being represented by L.A. County.”
“The rules that we have to deal with in LA County are night and day,” she said.
Angie Epstein was clear and direct.
“My comments are simple and easy to understand,” said Epstein. “For those living in Orange County, we should never have an elected official representing our community that is also representing a different city, even different county…the representation we receive should be reflective of our community in Orange County,” she said.
Residents were up in arms about the latest proposed maps of marking the districts and “communities of interest” that will be represented by the various political units. The U.S. constitution mandates that officials perform a detailed census every 10 years, then use the results of various population changes to redraw representative districts.
How districts are drawn are themselves drawing more scrutiny.
In California, state law mandates that a Citizens Redistricting Commission be seated each decade, composed of 20 Republicans, 20 Democrats, and 20 who belong to neither party. According to the commission’s website (www.wedrawthelinesca.org), more than 5,000 people applied for the current selection process.
The actual selection of members from the large pool of applicants is done by lottery to keep the system as independent and impartial as possible, according to their site.
Tracy Stearns said “we moved here two years ago because we did not want to live in L.A. County. I own a business in L.A. County and we’ve been there for more than 30 years and seen exactly what representation has done for us there.”
She said L.A. and Orange counties have “different goals” and that “I just don’t think anything good can come” from common representation.
Laura Tanner ignited the group by saying “I’m a person that believes if we don’t want this, what are we going to do about it?”
Instead of sitting back, Tanner said he would put together a group to create premade emails and letters, even put stamps of them, and go out to places like “Friday Night Lights” where “thousands of people” would gather.
“A vinyl sign can be made in 24 hours, we get a table, get a chair, make a friend and sit there for four hours, get signatures and even have a laptop so they can send emails,” she said as many in room began to offer assistance.
“Let’s make it easy for them (residents who want to oppose the current boundaries),” said Tanner. “We need boots on the ground” and “to make a commitment to get on your street, knocking on your neighbor’s door,” she said.
Just to be clear, noted Director Nathan Searles, “this is not a map of annexation.” We are not becoming a part of L.A. County or Long Beach” he said, “but I do understand the concerns.”
“I too have concerns,” he said, including homelessness and the freeway.
Nevertheless, Searles said he hoped to get along with whomever represents Rossmoor in the various political subdivisions undergoing change. “We are going to have to have a cooperative relationship with our neighbors no matter what is decided,” he cautioned.
“I agree that we all need to act together and make noise,” said Director Tony DeMarco. “There’s a reason they’re doing this,” he suggested, noting the commission is “appointed” and not elected. “That’s what’s going on here and that’s just my opinion,” he said.
Director Jeffrey Rips said, “I agree with much of what has been said and I don’t have much to add.”
“We don’t want change, we want to be who we are, and for nothing else,” that’s enough.
“I think the resolution is well written and I’m supporting it,” said Rips.
“Although we are adjacent to Long Beach, we have nothing in common,” said Barke. “We have very different policy and quality of life issues,” he said.
The RCSD President said in Long Beach, there are more renters, less single-family homes contrasted to Rossmoor. He said demographics are completely different.
Free and reduced lunch prices in Long Beach are awarded to 65 percent of students, said Barke, compared to 17 percent in Los Alamitos Unified School District. “Free and reduced lunches are used in the education community as a measure of income levels,” he said.
Barke said everything from education to public safety could be affected so like-minded representation was critical. The community needs to rally quickly, he said, or be stuck in the districts as currently drawn.
“We have now until December,” he said, when the districts will get a final vote. “And then that will be final. No appeal. No change. No whining. No should have, could have, would have. Now is the time to follow Laura Tanner into battle to make sure our voices are heard,” he said.
One resident, Merida Swanson, complained about the notice of the special meeting “being incomplete,” with an incorrect time and left off one of the discussion topics.
To “regain the public trust,” the RCSD should be more transparent and improve the informational aspects of their website, she urged.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” said Barke. “I struggled on our website to find a link,” he said, noting that they were looking for someone to make changes to the site.
In a related story, the Rossmoor Homeowners Association (RHA) also is sending a letter to the CRC opposing any change to representation districts.
In a letter posted on their website, the RHA said “the RHA board of directors, a 13-person panel elected by the association membership, voted a resolution on October 20, 2021, in the form of this letter to assert our opposition to any change in our Legislative district. We invite your commission to take a trip down to Rossmoor and learn something about our unique community, which is fiercely independent, bipartisan, law abiding and highly educated.”
The RHA letter was signed by the Association’s president, Art Remet, all officers and the entire board.
William “Will” Brandenberger got hooked on haunted houses around the time he was learning to read.
The Los Alamitos High School senior recalled being in kindergarten at Rossmoor Elementary when he saw something intriguing through the fence from the schoolyard. He could not stop staring as a man and woman put up an elaborate Halloween display in their front lawn.
“They would set up during my school day and I spent hours watching them,” Will said in a recent interview.
That home belongs to Mike Hearn, who became locally famous for his cemetery-themed display featuring dozens of zombies and monsters that amused kids for nearly two decades.
At six-years-old, inspired by Hearn, Will was determined to set up his own haunted house. It became a passion that over the years lead to frequent visits to Hearn’s house and a piling up of spooky décor and gory animatronics in Will’s parents’ attic.
“I would ask for Halloween decorations for Christmas,” Will shared. As he got older he started saving up his own money to purchase custom-made macabre props and eerie decorations, some costing hundreds of dollars each.
Trips to local theme parks fueled Will’s creativity as he crafted a story to bring together the skeletons, fake corpses, and warning signs drenched in wax in what today is WaxWorks Home Haunt, an attraction that encompasses his family’s entire front yard and driveway. It’s inspired by a maze with a similar name at Knott’s Scary Farm.
Will has been staging a version of the eye-popping display for about six years, adding new items and features annually, and treating his Rossmoor neighbors to a frightfully fun time.
Will estimates it attracted a thousand visitors last Halloween.
But as Will prepares to graduate from high school and head to college, he’s saying this will be his last year putting it on.
On Monday, Will and his good friend, fellow Griffin and partner in scaring, Blake Brennan, were setting up projectors to simulate flames, adjusting lasers, and testing a loud speaker blaring scary music as they prepared to welcome people to a preview night of WaxWorks.
Courtesy photo Visitors at a preview night of WaxWorks Home Haunt, a Halloween attraction at the Rossmoor home of teenager Will Brandenberger.
The clouds were grey, rain was falling and an eerily realistic prop of a man’s bloody torso hung from a hook outside Will’s garage. The two teens had huge smiles on their faces as they worked.
“I want people walking away amazed,” Will said.
Will and Blake are both part of the experience and bring the fictional story of WaxWorks to life. Will plays Augustus Scratch, a deranged doctor who inherited his father’s burned-out wax museum where visitors end up becoming victims on display. Blake is the sculptor who shapes the wax figures. Together they lead people on a five-minute tour through the ghoulish scenes eliciting screams along the way.
‘It just gave me chills’
Hearn, the neighbor who first inspired Will with his Halloween decorations, visited as the boys were setting up on Monday. Hearn said that he stopped doing his own Halloween attraction in 2013, a few years after his wife died of cancer, according to the OC Register.
“She loved Halloween,” he recalled. Decorating was something they loved to do together but Hearn said it just wasn’t the same after her death.
“I do miss it,” Hearn said but added he’s loved seeing Will carry on the Halloween tradition.
“When I first came over, it just gave me chills,” Hearn said of seeing Will’s decorations.
“You’re the reason why it’s here,” Will said to Hearn gesturing toward his display.
Hearn has helped Will along the way and even gifted him his first animatronic. The life-sized witch named Agatha that asks, “where’s the beef?” was positioned next to the front door of Will’s house by something the teens called a laser swamp.
“That’s my favorite,” Blake said of the “swamp” which utilizes seven strategically-placed lasers and fog machines to create a murky mirage.
Will’s mother Amy Brandenberger said she and her husband think it’s great their son is so passionate about his Home Haunt.
“We’re supportive,” she said. “It’s fun for us too.”
“I used to have cute, whimsical Halloween decorations and it’s transformed to this,” she said, musing at the creepy display.
“I think this is better,” Will responded with a grin as he tinkered with a fog machine.
Will and Blake dream of becoming designers for theme park attractions one day.
For now, Will hopes his years creating spine-tingling memories for neighbors will motivate someone else to carry on the tradition.
“It’s a legacy I hope to leave to inspire another kid, like Mr. Hearn inspired me.”
When the oil spill recently shook our world, the Bolsa Chica wetlands were spared but Talbert Marsh to the south wasn’t so fortunate,” said Patrick Brenden, Bolsa Chica Conservancy CEO. “We needed to do something to help our neighbors at the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy because they would be in emergency reaction mode, trying to deal with the intrusion of oil into the Talbert Marsh.”
“When we launched the Oil Spill Emergency Response Fund, our goal was to provide a conduit for donors to contribute to organizations that were directly impacted by the oil spill,” he said. “We presented a $10,000 check to the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center and a $5,000 check to Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy. This is a great example of how we can all work together in the face of adversity.”
Debbie Wayns, Operations Manager of the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center, said, “We’re so grateful for the donation, which will be used for indirect costs from the spill, including housing for over 200 birds that could not be released until the environment was deemed safe and clean as well as increased utility bills & other costs.
“These incredible donations exemplify the OneHB spirit. When times are challenging, the HB community comes together and offers help wherever help is needed, ” said Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr.
“The Visit HB team was stoked to help spread on our social media platforms, the Bolsa Chica Conservancy’s online request for donations to two nonprofit organizations directly impacted by the recent oil spill,” said VisitHB CEO Kelly Miller. “This is another win-win example of how HB’s Tourism industry works with our community partners, especially in time of crisis.”
You can learn more about these Local Groups at: http://www.bolsachica.org, http://www.hbwetlands.org and http://www.wwccoc.org.
The 50th Anniversary tour of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” an exclusive Southern California engagement, arrives at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts (SCFTA) on November 9 – 14. “What’s the Buzz” all about? Ask Alvin Crawford who rules as the conniving High Priest of Jerusalem, Caiaphas. He has the scoop on Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s re-imagined Masterpiece of musical theater.
The 50th Anniversary show is as much a celebration of the original concept album’ as it is a musical production. The buzz being that this “JesusChrist Superstar” is a Rock Concert within a Musical.
Back in1970, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice couldn’t get the backing needed to stage a show so they released the music as an Album. Nicknamed ‘The Brown Album,’ it won Grammys and topped the charts, opening the doors to Lloyd-Webber and Rice’s visionary production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Crawford says “This Musical show’s format, conceived within the ‘Brown Album,’ was a new way of telling stories in theater.”
Alvin Crawford. Photo by Matthew Murphy
He continues, “Back in the day, JCS was controversial, using pop songs and unconventional casting to look at history through modern lens. And that’s an example of how big it was then and why it remains fresh today. Our company is similar, we are multicultural, all ethnicities, colors and sizes. On stage we are a reflection of what the world looks like. This was a deliberate decision by Director Timothy Sheader. He along with Choreographer Drew McOnie have made the show a dance and music celebration. In our version there are powerful dances and an exciting fresh take on the music. It’s kind of a Rock Concert and Dance Show all wrapped into one.”
Crawford, with his deep, rumbling voice is ‘Heaven Sent’ in the role of Caiaphas, as a critic commented “Alvin Crawford is strong as the scheming Priest, a deep-voiced anchor.” Crawford concurs, saying “It’s Interesting how I came to play Caiaphas, I’m a Bass and most of my adult life I’ve been told that I should play Caiaphas. So when my agent offered me an audition, I said ‘Oh, yeah, let’s do it!”
Crawford’s height also contributed to his suitability for the role. Crawford commented, “I’m a very tall man so I’ve played Fathers, Kings and yes, High Priests, who are looked on as villains but I like to think of them as misunderstood. Take Caiaphas, he’s a little jealous. He views Jesus as the new kid on the block with a multitude of followers and he sees the Pharisees’ losing their power to this person. The Priests make the decision in song that ‘Jesus Must Die.’ Caiaphas and his cohorts go down into history and story as the antihero’s. My character is a villain and I’m O.K. with that. To play a villain, you have to find the humanity in the man. Villains act out when they are hurt. The most important thing is staying true to my character. I’m a singer/actor but above all I’m a truth teller.”
In “Jesus Christ Superstar” the choreography is much heralded. Crawford explains, “Our production is a little different then what you’d normally see. Even such unlikely characters as Caiaphas and the High Priests are integrated into the show through motion. Normally, Authority types like the Priests have boring discussions around a long table. We, Priests, have the discussion but we incorporate it into a celebratory dance. When our lines are finished, our staffs are turned around, becoming mikes as we sing. And ‘JCS’ fans go ‘Ooooh, as we literally lay into songs with messages.
The music is celebrated through dance. Every player, from band members to ensemble dancers to the Man, moves the show through motion and tells the tale in song. “Everything’s All Right” as the 90 minute musical grooves like a Rock Concert. Crawford says “From the 1st chord at the top of the show the audience goes wild with excitement. On stage the Band plays on raised platforms, slightly behind the action so they are like characters but not really. The show’s music is celebrated through dance. Singing and dance supersede dialogue enlightening viewers in interesting ways. It’s in the way dancers glorify Jesus before turning on him in the mob scene. It’s a dance language that’s unique, powerful and explosive.”
“Jesus Christ Superstar” celebrates its 50th Anniversary in the 21st Century with present-day attitudes, awareness and slang. Dark and intense costumes, lighting, the use of instruments, hand-held mikes and Jesus strumming on a guitar as he sings seem designed to humanize the Divine. The Musical, like the Brown Album, is theatrical camp rolled into a dance and musical masterpiece. Crawford describes it more simply in three words “Powerful, Effervescent, and Emotional. The power of the production is seen through the audiences’ reactions, a shimmer comes from our production and it brings out memories and emotions in all who see it.”
“Jesus Christ Superstar” is at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts November 9-14. For tickets and information in person; The Box Office, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, Ca. 92626; phone, 714-556-2767; Online, SCFTA.org.
Audience advisory from SCFTA : The updated COVID-19 policy requires ticket holders to provide proof of full vaccination against CoVID-19 to attend all indoor performances and events at the Segerstrom Center. This means at least 14 days after your final vaccine dose.
To enter the theater, please bring proof of vaccination, either your physical vaccination card, a picture of your vaccination card, or a digital vaccination record.
Those under 12 and anyone without proof of being fully vaccinated must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours (3 days) prior to entering the theater.
Masks are required at all times for all patrons and visitors regardless of vaccination status in all indoor spaces at SCFTA.
Performance ticket holders who do not comply with these policies will not be admitted.
In parting, Alvin Crawford commented “as we ease out of this pandemic, it’s nice to know that this masterpiece of theater can be experienced in just 90 minutes.”
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is proud to celebrate National Veterans and Military Families Month this November with a series of free concerts outside on the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza designed with service members in mind. Each Sunday, gather family and friends then head to the Plaza for an afternoon of live music curated and emceed by Air Force veteran and radio personality, Bubba Jackson.
Bubba shares, “I am very very excited about being back. Segerstrom has made a commitment to jazz and it gives us an opportunity to share my background and wealth of music experience as a jazz lover and Veteran. It is great Segerstrom is providing this community venue as a chance for everyone to get out of their homes and come together to enjoy a good time!”
Kicking off the series of concerts to thank our Veterans all month long, pianist and composer Ron Kobayashi Quartet returns to Argyros Plaza featuring bassist Baba Elefante, drummer Steve Dixon and vocalist Andrea Miller on Sunday, November 7 at 1:00 p.m. Based in Orange County, the group has performed with a variety of musical artists over the past decade at clubs, concert halls and festivals across the country. They have recorded numerous CDs together, receiving airplay around the world.
Continuing the series, on Sunday, November 14, Yolanda Johnson and Her All-Star Band hit the stage. Yolanda Johnson, aka Creole Woman, is a seasoned powerhouse vocalist, songwriter, and entertainer based out of Southern California with deep roots in New Orleans, Louisiana. With her repertoire of jazz, blues, and New Orleans second line, her specialty is getting crowds on their feet. Yolanda Johnson is joined on stage by her All-Star Band, a group of heavy hitters who have each played with top name acts around the world.
Yolanda Johnson and Her All-Star Band features Bill “Capt Swoop” Pitman on bass; Norm Weatherly on keyboard & synth; Billy Butler on drums; Vernon Neilly on guitar; Kenneth Rice on sax and her authentic beautifully costumed New Orleans Indian Dianne White.
Closing the free concert series on Sunday, November 21, Scotty Barnhart Quintet featuring vocalist Natalie Jacob. The Scotty Barnhart Quintet, featuring vocalist Natalie Jacob, comes to Segerstrom for a swingin’ afternoon of jazz standards, selections from the Great American Songbook, bossa nova, and more! Natalie is excited to make a return appearance to the Argyros Plaza Stage and to perform live with Scotty Barnhart, the producer of her soon-to-be-released debut solo album. Scotty is the Director of the Count Basie Orchestra (CBO) and is joined by Tamir Hendleman (piano), and current and former CBO members Trevor Ware (bass) and Roy McCurdy (drums).
Grab a bite to eat at George’s Café or bring your own picnic, just be sure to pack your beach chairs and blankets!
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also offering 50% off tickets for veterans and military families as well as active military & peace corps members for the following November shows: ABBA The Concert (November 2) Laura Benanti (November 11-13), Postmodern Jukebox (November 18) Jazz Vocalist Veronica Swift (November 20), Parsons Dance Company (November 20) and Steve Tyrell (November 20). Segerstrom Center for the Arts and producers of Jesus Christ Superstar are offering a block of complimentary tickets on November 11, the Veteran’s Day evening performance. The discount is available by phone or at the Box Office with a valid military ID (discount limited to four tickets, subject to availability, and some seating restrictions).
Segerstrom Center reaches thousands of active service men and women and their families annually in partnership with Camp Pendleton’s Deployment Readiness program. These family performances and workshops with ArtsTeach artists provide unique ways of strengthening family bonds that boost and maintain the morale of soldiers and their families both at home and abroad.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, VP of Education Talena Mara shares, “For many years, Segerstrom Center has been honored to serve the soldiers and families associated with Camp Pendleton. In each circumstance in which we have provided programming, we have enthusiastically reconfirmed what we already knew; when families engage in the arts together – whether it is through music, theater, visual arts, or dance – they are better able to lift one another’s spirts and strengthen the family bond that helps them pass successfully through even the most challenging separations and difficulties. We often have the privilege of helping them celebrate a return back home to their families as well! Segerstrom Center is, of course, extremely proud and pleased to do our part in serving Camp Pendleton in these ways to honor both the soldiers and their families’ dedication and service to our nation.”
Los Alamitos jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, as the Griffins handed Huntington Beach a 49-14 loss in a Sunset League football game on Friday at Huntington Beach High.
The win moved the Griffins to 8-1 and 4-0 in league play. They clinched at least a share of the league title and can take the championship outright with a win over Newport Harbor (3-6) on Friday. Los Alamitos essentially put the game away early in the second quarter after Deandre Moore ran for an eight-yard touchdown that gave the Griffins a 21-0 lead.
On the Oilers’ ensuing possession, Makai Lemon intercepted a pass on the first play and the Griffins re-took possession at their own 35 yard line. Los Al was eventually forced to punt, but the Oilers botched the reception and the Griffins recovered the ball at the Huntington Beach 12.
One play later, Nygel Osborne ran for a 12-yard touchdown and the Griffins expanded their lead to 28-0. Osborne finished the night with 129 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Jeremiah Jimenez added 76 yards on six carries and the Griffins compiled 205 total rushing yards.
Quarterback Malachi Nelson threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns on 12 for 18 passing. Lemon had 105 yards receiving, with touchdown catches of 61 and 22 yards. Lemon’s 61-yard touchdown came on a two-play drive, late in the second quarter and extended the Griffins’ lead to 35-0.
Huntington Beach was able to score a touchdown with 25 seconds left in the half to cut the lead to 35-7 at the break, but the Griffin defense kept them in check for the night. Lemon finished the night on defense with two interceptions and Isaiah Dorsey had another interception that he returned for a touchdown. Tyler Mclachlan and Brian Jurado each had two sacks as the defense kept plenty of pressure on the Oiler quarterback.
Newport Harbor is 2-2 in league play and played a strong pre-league schedule with losses to teams such as Trabuco Hills and Yorba Linda. The Griffins will host the Sailors on Friday at 7 p.m. at Westminster High.
“Our CBD Hub was created by the people at Koi CBD to provide a fun and local place to purchase high-quality CBD-infused products from a knowledgeable and friendly staff,” said Owner CEO Brad Ridenour. “This CBD Hub is the first of its kind in the area to offer a wide-variety of hemp and CBD-infused products and we offer everything from beverages, topicals, tinctures, pet products and hemp apparel, as well as other items, along with our Bitcoin ATM inside the store.”
Ridenour said that all of the Koi products are vigorously tested in their labs to make sure they’re compliant with all standards and regulations.
“ We also carry items from other highly-reputable brands of CBD products including seltzers, teas and coffees; dog shampoo and hemp merchandise to name a few and all of our staff members have been through comprehensive CBD training so they can educate customers on items that will best serve their needs.”
Ridenour said their facility opened pre-Covid but that people are just now learning about their location, with communities and local businesses opening back up, to serve customers. “We offer exclusive discounts for Hub Members on top of our already fair prices.”
The legality of CBD products can be confusing. As part of a simple explanation, CBD products made from certain cannabis plant varieties are only legal in States where marijuana is legal because of the potential THC content.
CBD and THC are derived from the same cannabis plant; however, the two compounds have distinct properties, separating them from each other. THC is associated with the high feeling or psychoactive effects and CBD is more well-known for health benefits by reducing inflammation, and offering pain relief from autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
CBD products made from the hemp-variety plants are legal throughout the United States as long as they contain less-than 0.3-percent of THC and don’t make any medical claims.
A hemp plant is defined as Cannabis sativa, a subspecies of the cannabis plant, that contains less than 0.3-percent THC.
Ridenour shared that, since opening, their company has been participating in events throughout the City of Los Alamitos and is planning to have a booth at the Annual Los Alamitos “Winter Wonderland Festival” as well.
The MemorialCare Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Long Beach is sponsoring The Winter Wonderland to be held at St. Isidore Historical Plaza, 10961 Reagan St., in Los Alamitos, set for Saturday, Dec. 4 from 4 to 7:30 p.m.
Decorate your home for the Spooky Season! The Los Alamitos Recreation and Community Services Department would like to invite all City of Los Alamitos residents to participate in the 2021 Halloween Decorating Contest sponsored by Ganahl Lumber.
No registration is required; all decorated homes will be judged on Tuesday, October 26. Homes must have displays and lights turned on for the duration of 6:00pm – 8:00pm to be eligible. Judges will select 1st and 2nd place winners in each of the Los Alamitos neighborhoods.
Award signs will be distributed to each winner for display in front of their homes within the same week. A list of the winning homes will be also be posted on the City’s website. For additional information, please contact the Los Alamitos Recreation and Community Services Department at (562) 430-1073.
