Norwalk
NORWALK CANDIDATES CLASH ON CRIME, GANG MURDERS, CITY SPENDING PRIORITIES
NORWALK — The five candidates running for two Norwalk city council slots openly clashed on several issues on Monday during a lunch time debate sponsored by the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce. Challengers Enrique Aranda, Candy Martinez, and Darryl Adams aggressively challenged longtime incumbents Cheri Kelley and Mike Mendez over the issues ranging from nearly two [...]
POLICE INVESTIGATING MOTIVE BEHIND DEATH OF NORWALK MURDER VICTIM
2013 started off with a violent murder in Norwalk just 36 hours into the New Year. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives are continuing their investigation regarding the homicide of an adult male that occurred at the 14000 block of Gard Avenue. “Detectives have learned that on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at approximately 4:00 AM, [...]
HOMELESS PERSON SET ON FIRE IN LA COUNTY FOR SECOND TIME THIS WEEK
LOS ANGELES — For the second time in one week, a homeless person has been set on fire in Los Angeles County. The victim is a 67-year-old woman, who was sleeping on a bench outside a Walgreen’s store ear Van Nuys Blvd. and Sherman Way shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday. A witness said he saw a man come [...]
CERRITOS COLLEGE SWEARS IN 4 TRUSTEES AFTER HISTORIC DISTRICT ELECTION
NORWALK — It was a historical night for Cerritos College on Wednesday when four newly elected Trustees took the official “Oath of Office” and began to get down to business. With more than 200 people gathered, four newly elected trustees were sworn into office by Superintendent Dr. Linda Lacey. Newly elected trustees, Marisa Perez, Carmen [...]
INCUMBENTS FACE TOUGH COUNCIL CAMPAIGNS IN NORWALK, CERRITOS, LA MIRADA
Three hotly contested city council elections officially got underway this week in Norwalk, Cerritos and La Mirada. Last Friday was the final day in which hopefuls for the March 5, 2013 Municipal Elections had to finalize their nomination papers with local city clerks. Here is a rundown of the candidates: NORWALK: FOUR CHALLENGERS HOPE TO [...]
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: ATM THEFT SUSPECT WANTED IN CERRITOS, NORWALK
Norwalk Sheriff Detectives are reaching out to the local community in efforts to identify a theft suspect from the Cerritos and Norwalk areas who targeted automatic bank machines. In a statement to members of the media on Thursday morning, the thefts took place between June 22 and June 26 between 1:45 and 6:30 p.m., at [...]
FAMILIES, DETECTIVES STILL SEEK TRUTH IN THREE TEENS’ 1984 STABBING DEATHS
More than a quarter-century after three South Gate teenagers died of wounds they received in a stabbing attack that occurred in the dry San Gabriel River during what was supposed to be a night of fun at Golf 'N' Stuff on the Norwalk-Downey border, the crimes remain unsolved---but the families and law enforcement continue searching for answers.
BELLFLOWER WILL WAIT FOR ITS MASCOT ‘TIL THE COW COMES HOME
Belle the Cow, the massive bronze mascot of the City of Bellflower, finally has a home—a spot near the trailhead of the city’s bike-and-pedestrian path, where Woodruff Ave., Flora Vista St. and Flower St. intersect—and tentative plans are to move her in within the next six months, according to a story by Arnold Adler in [...]
BELLFLOWER, NORWALK BECOME THEIR CITIES’ RDA SUCCESSOR AGENCIES
The cities of Bellflower and Norwalk have officially become successor agencies to their now-defunct redevelopment programs and are charged, under the law enacted through Assembly Bill X1 26,, with winding down redevelopment activities and paying off contractual and financial debt obligations of those projects. Both cities, as required, set up a payment plan to meet [...]
STATE TAKING 365 PRIVATE LAND PARCELS TO WIDEN SANTA ANA FREEWAY
An estimated 365 parcels of private property will be taken by the state of California to accommodate a $1.6 billion, six-mile widening of the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) from Orange County line east of Valley View Avenue in La Mirada northwest through Santa Fe Spring, Norwalk and Downey. Most of the affected property owners have [...]
LINGLE IS BELLFLOWER’S INTERIM CITY MANAGER DURING SEARCH FOR REPLACEMENT
BELLFLOWER (via Herald American)—Assistant City Manager Lee Mingle will serve as Bellflower’s interim city manager while a consulting firm searches for a replacement for Mike Egan, who has resigned effective Aug. 25 to become city manager in Norwalk. Mingle joined Bellflower in August,1995 as the city’s first public safety coordinator, heading up the city’s Public [...]
MARY THOITS AMONG 27 SENIORS HONORED FOR LIVES OF VOLUNTEERISM
Mary Thoits of the Long Beach City College Senior Studies Center is among 27 seniors honored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe on the 46th annual Older Americans Recognition Day for the contributions they make to the quality of life by volunteering.
NEW FRET TO NORWALK YOUTH: NO PLACE TO PRACTICE THE DULCIMER
The Golden Strings, a youth ensemble of fretted mountain dulcimer players, needs a place to practice or it might have to disband. “They won’t be running around getting into trouble," says Morrison Elementary School teacher Lori Knight, "but they will be missing a chance to work together and learn skills which will help them throughout life.”
ANOTHER NORWALK COUNCILMAN, ANOTHER OUT-OF-COURT SEXUAL HARRASSMENT SUIT SETTLEMENT
A third lawsuit alleging sexual harassment by a Norwalk City Council member has been settled out of court. Melody Baca, a former senior service coordinator at the Norwalk Senior Center, will receive $100,000 in worker’s compensation, according to her attorney, William Crosby of Orange County, who also handled two other recent sexual harassment cases against [...]
IT’S SHAPING UP AS A VERY FAT TUESDAY
Happy Mardi Gras … and it is shaping up as very Fat Tuesday: there are elections in Bellflower, Cerritos, Lakewood and Norwalk, and the Long Beach City Council will convene in special session to consider it’s response to Monday’s vote by the Redevelopment Agency to transfer all its properties and assets to the City. In [...]
BACK FROM MILITARY DEPLOYMENT, RODARTE RUNS FOR NORWALK COUNCIL
Former Norwalk planning commissioner Marcel Rodarte, who returned some 30 days ago from a six-month stint with the U.S Air Force Reserves in Germany, is mounting a campaign for the City Council in the March 8 election. He has announced the endorsement of Assemblyman Tony Mendoza (D-Norwalk). “I am honored to receive the endorsement of [...]
NORWALK, DOWNEY TO BEGIN 2011 WITH PART-TIME CITY MANAGERS
The cities of Norwalk and Downey will be led by part-time city managers for the immediate future, saving both cities some money while still receiving experienced managerial talents. Downey City Manager Gerald Caton, who had planned to retire at the end of 2011, has advanced his full-time departure by 12 months, thus saving the city [...]
TODAY IS FIRST FILING DEADLINE FOR THREE CITY COUNCIL RACES
Paperwork is coming due for candidates to appear on the ballot for March 8 city council elections in Norwalk and Paramount, but fields in the races have already begun to expand. According to state law, the regular filing deadline is Friday, unless an incumbent does not run, in which case the deadline is extended to [...]
NORWALK CITY COUNCIL PURSUING AN OFF-COLOR ORDINANCE
Owners of commercial, office or industrial buildings in Norwalk have received a warning from the city council: don’t even think about painting your structures orange and black for Halloween or even red and green for Christmas. City staff has been ordered to come up with a proposed color ordinance that would regulate what colors are [...]
NORWALK COUNCIL RIPPED FOR HOLDING MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE EVENT ON 9/11
The Norwalk City Council has received significant negative public feedback for a city-sponsored celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day. There were many objections, but the biggest was that the Independence Day, which is actually Sept. 16, was held on Sept. 11—the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, PA. During [...]
FOR NOW, ANYWAY, RESIDENTS OF NORWALK MUST KEEP ON THE GRASS
Drought or not, the City of Norwalk still does not permit the use of synthetic turf. The planning commission has postponed its debate on the use of phony grass to Sept. 22. Until at least then, all homes are required to have some type of natural landscaping—natural grass, shrubs and flowers, although definitely not rows of vegetables—in front yards and side yards abutting streets. [...]
NORWALK COUNCILMEMBER WANTS TO CAN THE PLANNING COMMISSIONER THAT HE APPOINTED
NORWALK — The City Council will consider a request from Councilman Rick Ramirez to dismiss his appointed Planning Commissioner Marcel Rodarte at the April 6 council meeting. “It’s absolutely a political move,” said Rodarte, who is expected to run for City Council in March 2011. Rodarte said he has contacted the city attorney and believes [...]
