Winner of Fourteen LA Press Club Awards from 2012- 2017.
www.lmlamplighter.com 6 DelivereD to 10,000 homes every week Serving La Mirada and ten surrounding communities August 28, 2026 70, No. 43 • LMLAMPLIGHTER.COM la miraDa, ca.,• NovemBer 22• Vol. , 2019
CALTRANS REROUTED TRAFFIC WITHOUT INFORMING CERRITOS, ILLEGAL MOVE WILL COST THE CITY OVER $5 MILLION BY BRIAN HEWS
The City is claiming that the during the construction period. rerouting has caused over $5 “Caltrans has failed to coorHews Media Group-Los Cer- million in damage to the streets, dinate thus far, and any further ritos Community News has ob- increased pollution in the area, lack of communication or contained a letter, dated September increased traffic noise, and in- sultation with the City and its 6, 2019, addressed to Caltrans creased the safety risk of resi- residents is unacceptable.” Southern California faces new pressure as Lake Mead falls to 27% capacity, The City blasted Caltrans for from the city of Cerritos that dents. Lake drops 22%; deeper cutthe possible if drought blasts the Powell state agency forto reroutFurther letter states that persists. establishing a detour route on ing tractor-trailer traffic through Caltrans is in violation of the southbound Carmenita between the City due to I-5 construction project’s final Environmental the I-5 and Artesia Blvd., and projects. Impact Report which obligates eastbound Artesia Blvd. between Shockingly, the rerouting was the agency to coordinate with cit- Carmenita and the I-5. “Neither stretch of Carmenidone without notifying the City. ies to minimize adverse impacts
ta or Artesia is a city designated truck route, commercial vehicles over 6,000 pounds are strictly prohibited on the streets, per City Municipal Code.” The Caltrans rerouting of trucks has caused severe damage and increased traffic at peak hours, the extensive damage alone is estimated “to cost $5.2 million to repair,” and the “average daily traffic on said streets has significantly increased and
flows onto arterial streets.” The City then cited the numerous safety hazards caused by the rerouting of traffic, concerns that have been voiced by Cerritos residents in calls and emails to both HMG-LCCN and the City. The rerouting on Carmenita takes large trucks by two schools, Stowers Elementary and Carmenita Middle school in addition
See CALTRANS page 14
ARTESIA HIGH STAFF-MEMBER RECEIVES AWARD OF VALOR FROM LAKEWOOD BY THOM MARTIN
action, jumping out of her car grabbing the boy and helping the The City of Lakewood held woman. its annual Award of Valor lunShe took them to Artesia High cheon on Nov. 6 to thank the men School, where they received medCalifornia relyassistance on Colorado Riverultimateand womenSouthern of the Los Angelescitiesical and were County Sheriff’s and pipelines ly transported to the hospital. waterDepartment imported through and aqueducts. Fire Department, as well as the Because of herasselfless acIf drought continues, cuts could be as high community volunteers who pro- tions, the City of Lakewood re40% among California, Arizona, and Nevada. tect and serve Lakewood. cently awarded Bridget with the That means higher costs and tighter supplies Bridget Perrizo, a staff mem- Mayor’s Award at theforcity’s anber at Artesia honored nual Awards theHigh waterwas millions of us depend on. of Valor ceremony. when she helped two people that "I always wondered what I was being attacked by a dog. would do when faced with a situBy Brian Hews through the Colorado River Aq- have to be replaced with increas- 2028. THEtoCOLORADO RIVER Bridget, was headed back ation like this one," CRISIS said Perrizo. ueduct before entering a regional ingly expensive and constrained California will rework from lunch when she spot- "By the grace of God, I had the A federal order requiring Cali- system that supplies communities imported supplies. The new fed- duce its use approxited a dog attacking a woman and There courage to take action. is less water in I'm so fornia to reduce its use of Colora- throughout Los Angeles, Orange, eral action comes as the Colorado mately 12%. Arizona young boy. The dog had knocked glad that both the mom and son do River water by approximately Riverside and San Diego counties. River’s two massive reservoirs faces a 31% reduction the Colorado River, them to the ground and they were are okay, and I'm so honored to 12% is putting renewed attention For communities with access have fallen to extraordinary lev- and Nevada approximately and the this reductions screaming for help. receive award.” on something Southern California to groundwater, the shrinking Col- els. Lake Mead is just 27% full, 28%. And those may not be Bridget immediately took TRASH at a condominium complex Hawaiian Gardens. Waste Resources ahead may be greater cities havepiles beenupconfronting for orado River in also illustrates why The whileCity Lakechose Powell has dropped to the last cuts. See HERO page 15 Incorporated as their new hauler, who said they would immediately begin trash pick up. Photo Brian Hews. years: the cost and vulnerability maintaining local wells, pumps, approximately 22% of capacity. If reservoir levels conthan anything we have of relying on imported water. treatment facilities, reservoirs and California, Arizona and Ne- tinue falling, the federal faced before. The Colorado River is one pipelines has become increasingly vada have agreed to collectively government’s new 10-year of the major sources of imported important. Every gallon that can reduce their Colorado River with- strategy allows mandatory - JB HAMBY water serving Southern California. be reliably produced locally is a drawals by approximately 3.2 milCalifornia Colorado River Commissioner Water travels hundreds of miles gallon that does not necessarily lion acre-feet through the end of See WATER, Page 4 BY BRIAN HEWS “Poor leadership, no foresight included several default letters, on the situation, typical of this which, under California’s Public While rotting trash is accumu- City Council,” former Hawaiian Resource Code Section 49000, lating in many parts of Hawaiian Gardens Mayor Rey Rodriguez starts the clock on termination. Gardens, Mayor Myra Maravilla told HMG-LCCN. City staff even went the extra and the City Council finally conThe staff report included in step and attempted to work with than the required 55% support, ducted a hearing, waiting an en- last week’s meeting presented CWS to cure the breaches and Final bond sale is projected authorizing the district to issue up tire week, and allowing the trash clear evidence that CWS was in defaults starting in March of this to require nearly $120 to $258 million in bonds for conto accumulate even more, to once violation of its contract with the year, each of which gave CWS million in principal and struction, modernization and imagain discuss terminating CWS’ City, but Mayor Maravilla and the steps to resolve the defaults. $8.04 million Tetra Tech agreement advances design interest payments as district provements at district schools. contract. Council were apparently afraid to In addition to the default no- completes $258 million for Under treatment of two contaminated groundwater wells. Rather than borrowing the the Ralph M. Brown pull the termination trigger, leav- tices, the City also attempted to voter-approved borrowing entire $258 million at once, ABC Act, Maravilla and the City Coun- ing residents driving by stinky arrange meetings with CWS but program. er citywide study examined 18 divided the authorization into four cil Vincent could have sent out a notice piles of trash for the foreseeable CWS did not attend most meetBy Medina Downey wells affected by PFOS equal $64.5 bond and held a meeting within two and future. ARTESIA HIGH staff-member Bridget Perrizomillion received theissues. Award of By Brian Hews PFOA with a combined ca- ings. Series A was issued in July days to address the situation. The voluminous staff report Valor from Lakewood for saving two in a dog attack. The Downey City Council pacity of approximately 13,900 2019, Series B in October 2022 See TRASH page 15 on Tuesday approved an $8.04 gallons per minute. The study ABC UNIFIED — Nearly and Series C in September 2024. million professional services evaluated water quality, well eight years after voters approved Together, those three issues acagreement with Tetra Tech Inc. pumps, centralized treatment a $258 million school construc- counted for $193.5 million of the • $8.04 million contract to design major water-treatment alternatives, pipelines and treattion bond, ABC Unified School voter-approved authorization. • Two regional treatment facilities improvements aimed at remov- ment technologies including ion District is preparing to borrow the Series D would bring the dis• 18 wells studied ing PFAS contaminants from the exchange and granular activated final $64.5 million — a transac- trict to the full $258 million authocity’s groundwater supply. • 13,900 GPM combined capacity carbon. It also developed capition currently projected to require rized by voters. The agreement is part of tal, operating and life-cycle cost • Design/construction support approximately $119.6 million in $64.5 Million Borrowed, Downey’s systemwide PFAS estimates and examined potenprincipal and interest payments Nearly $120 Million Repaid through 2029 treatment program and calls for tial future treatment for 1,4-diover its life. Preliminary financing docthe development of two regional oxane. The ABC Unified Board of uments included in the Aug. 18 treatment facilities serving city Tetra Tech’s proposal deEducation is scheduled to consid- board agenda provide taxpayers groundwater wells. Tetra Tech scribes the current project as ing-water quality. The firm’s er authorizing the Series D gener- with a detailed look at how the fihas worked with Downey since implementation of two regional work includes engineering and al obligation bonds at its Aug. 18 nal borrowing is expected to work. 2020 to evaluate PFAS contami- PFAS treatment facilities intend- design as well as permitting co- meeting, completing the district’s Under current estimates, ABC nation and develop the treatment ed to provide Downey with a ordination and construction-re- Measure BB borrowing program. would issue $64.5 million in Sestrategy, which is now moving reliable long-term groundwater Voters approved Measure BB into the design phase. An earli- supply while protecting drinkin November 2018 with more See DOWNEY, Page 5 See ABCUSD, Page 5
TRASH WILL FINALLY GET CLEANED UP IN HAWAIIAN GARDENS
DOWNEY APPROVES $8 MILLION PFAS WATER-TREATMENT CONTRACT
ABC Unified Moves to Borrow Final $64.5M Under Bond Measure BB, Taxpayers Face $120M Repayment