Highlights of the past year were the focus of the Los Alamitos State of the City Address on Jan. 27, but it was a video produced by the staff and students at Los Alamitos High that stole the show.
It was a song and dance number set to the music of the Meghan Trainor hit song, “All about that Bass.” The chorus of the song was altered to “All About Los Al, ‘Bout Los Al, Go Griffins!” The video included the students, sports teams, and even a singing and dancing Principal, Joshua Arnold.
The school gave the original version to city staffers who added some highlights of the city, including the City Council doing the wave across the chamber Dais. The video is viewable on YouTube. While the video provided the best entertainment, Mayor Richard Murphy provided the city highlights.
Notables for the city in the past year included the opening of 96 new businesses, a ranking of 9th best cities for families and successful parks and recreation activities for the community. Among them would be the annual Winter Wonderland event, Fourth of July celebration, Trunk or Treat Halloween event and the Easter Egg Hunt.
“Recreation and community services is really what this city is all about,” Murphy said.
Winter Wonderland, in it’s second year, drew a huge crowd this year, and grew to include a full street of food, entertainment, child play activities and the return of the snow play area. The Christmas Tree lighting also gave the community a focal point of the holiday season.
“Winter Wonderland was just beyond belief this year,” Murphy said.
Murphy noted that the city also issued 369 new building permits last year, saw an increase in property values of $106 million and a 40 percent reduction in Part 1 crimes. The Los Alamitos Police Department continues to work on self improvement, as noted by Murphy, who said that all of the sworn officers on Los Al PD now hold bachelor’s degrees and three have attained their master’s.
Murphy also said the city was able to pay down its pension liability in the past year, paving the way for a better fiscal situation for upcoming years. Last year also saw the completion of phase I of Los Alamitos Medical Center’s expansion. Murphy said the start of phase II speaks to the continued growth potential of the city. Murphy closed his remarks by noting the contribution of the many volunteers within the community, who work to keep the city moving in a positive direction. He noted the volunteer group who spent many years trying to save the St. Isidore Plaza as part of the city’s heritage. That group was finally able to secure purchase of the property from the Diocese of Orange, and insure that local residents will maintain control of its future.
“It shows what a small group of committed citizens can do,” Murphy said.
Link to LAHS video: