Amid an assemblage of a virtual who’s who in political power in west Orange County, Los Alamitos city officials delivered a powerful accounting of the “state of the city” this week at the Joint Forces Training Base.
Military officials joined elected officials from the county and many area cities Wednesday as city officials gave an accounting of the city’s progress.
“We are going to try something new,” said Mayor Richard Murphy to an overflow crowd gathered in the banquet room of the 79th Sustainment Theater Command at JFTB.
He deferred much of his allotted time to other members of the council, each of whom reported on one of five key areas, including community, financial responsibility, partnerships, safety and leadership.
Throughout the delivery, they focused on two major themes; “My Los Al” and “Small city, big voice.”
“The people of this city,” said council member Tonya Doby, have a “passion” for Los Alamitos. She spoke about the “community.” Doby said Los Al retains a “small town feel,” which she said reflects a “passion” felt by most residents who make the city their home.
Los Alamitos is a place “where we are better together,” she said, reading through a list of activities, such as Race on the Base, national night out and others that “foster a sense of community.” Doby also referred to a recent fire in Rossmoor wherein businesses, nonprofits and community members all came together to “rally around” the affected families. “It is true passion and compassion,” she said. “We give to those who may not be able to give back.”
These are just a few of the reasons that make Los Al ‘my Los Al,’ she added. “Having our own police department give us a level of public safety we consider to be top notch,” said council member Dean Grose. “Every hour of every day, these men and women in blue serves their citizens,” he said, thanking Chief Eric Nunez, as Grose gave an update of safety in the city.
“Like most of the state, Los Alamitos saw a slight uptick in part one crimes in 2019,” said Grose, while traffic incidents were down twenty percent.
Grose also introduced relatively new school resource officer Kevin Steinhauser, “who looks forward to serving for several more years.”
He also pointed out that recently retired Orange County Fire Division Chief Ron Roberts was back at work for the city, advising the city on how “to prepare for natural disasters.” He also noted that the Governor’s Office of Emergency Management was located at JFTB, helping to keep the area and state safe.
While all citizens want to maintain the same quality of life, few think about “how police get paid, roads get paved and how we produce events,” said council member Mark Chirco, who serves on the city’s fiscal sustainability committee. “It’s a really big topic,” he said, adding “we want to ensure that we remain a little oasis” as he spoke about financial responsibility.
Chirco presented a snapshot of the “economics of the city,” adding some perspective to the city’s overall, and challenging, financial position. Chirco briefly explained the city’s situation, noting that without further action, the city will incur unsustainable budget deficits by 2025.
He said details of the proposed fiscal responsibility plan is listed on the city’s web site, noting that “we will need to take extraordinary measures to mitigate the budget deficits.”
Nevertheless, he explained in very broad terms the city’s revenue sources and said that city officials were “very encouraged” following a series of community meetings wherein citizens expressed an overwhelming desire to take actions necessary to maintain the city’s quality of life.
The depth and breadth of the city’s partnerships and relationships gives the “small city” a “big voice” in the affairs of Orange County, said council member Shelley Hasselbrink, who also recently assumed the Chair of the Orange County Fire Authority.
First of all, she said Los Alamitos has “the largest number of nonprofit organizations, per capita, in all of Orange County, promoting a “service” culture. “They serve us with their time and expertise,” she said.
She said partnerships with organizations such as ‘nationally recognized’ OCFA, West Cities Communications, JFTB and many others promote the “small city, big voice” concept.
These relationships are “so vital in our professional and personal lives.”
Programs like “Serve Los Al,” “Race on the Base” and others accentuate these relationships, she added.
Finally, she said having the Los Alamitos Unified School District is a “premium,” providing “open spaces” and excellence in instruction to the overall community. With 10,000 students in 9 schools and 1,700 employees, “we are better together,” she said.
As a result of these relationships and partnerships, the city not only does the “small city” have a “big voice,” said Hasselbrink, but they make “being a part of our overall village a great place to live, work, serve and play.”
Mayor Murphy gave an overview of all the accomplishments, including notable street enhancements, updates to the medians and other paving projects overlaid with funds provided by the state’s gas tax. He said many new ramps were installed in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Also, Murphy said the city has embarked on a three-year street sign replacement program and noted that construction was nearly complete on the first new hotel (Marriott Fairfield Inn) to be located in the city in three decades.
Finally, Murphy noted the excitement with which Epson would soon move into their new Los Alamitos location, bringing with them 600 employees. “They have a great reputation as community partners,” he noted.
He also noted the construction of a new central plant at Los Al Medical Center, 107luxury condos and the Olsen project that will provide housing for 125 new residents.
Murphy said many new restaurants had been established in the city and a new Starbucks coffee shop is under construction. “You can never have enough Starbucks,” he quipped.
Chief Eric Nunez recognized the many VIP’s in attendance, including military officials, elected officials from Buena Park, Cypress, Seal Beach, La Palma, and Placentia.
He also recognized representatives from Congressman Alan Lowenthal’s office, Supervisor Michelle Steel’s office, and Senator Tom Umberg’s office along with agency officials from Orange County Fire Authority, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Los Al Unified School District, the Rossmoor Community Services District, West Cities Communications District, Orange County Transportation Authority and he thanked the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce.
Major General Eugene LeBoeuf, Commander of the 79th Sustainment Command, thanked the city and its residents “for the sacrifice and the contribution you make on a daily basis to help our soldiers accomplish their mission.”
“Without your support,” he said, “we would not have our national guard and reserve soldiers. Your support doesn’t go unnoticed.” Since last year, said Gen. LeBoeuf, the command had deployed more than 2,000 soldiers to six hotspots around the globe.
Joint Forces Training Base Installation Commander Gen. Michael Leeney also welcomed the group, saying he looked forward to continuing many of the initiatives started by Gen. Nick Ducich before he was transferred to Washington. Leeney is no stranger to JFTB, saying he has more than more than 15 years of experiences being associated the base in various commands, including a previous stint as JFTB Commander.
“We look forward to working very closely with the city,” said Leeney.
Chet Simmons, Los Alamitos city manager, shared the master of ceremonies with Nunez.
