Winner of Fourteen LA Press Club Awards from 2012- 2017.
www.lmlamplighter.com 6 DelivereD to 10,000 homes every week
la miraDa, ca., NovemBer , 2019 Serving La Mirada and ten other surrounding communities • January 16,22 2026 • Vol. 69, No. 51 • LMLAMPLIGHTER.COM
Exclusive CALTRANS THE CITY OVER $5 MILLION Artesia’s CityREROUTED Council TRAFFIC WITHOUT INFORMING CERRITOS, ILLEGAL MOVE WILL COSTLCCN La Palmaflows Faces Significant onto arterial streets.” BY BRIAN HEWS Approves $193,000 for 2026 The City is claiming that the during the construction period. ta or Artesia is a city designated The City then cited the nurerouting has caused over $5 “Caltrans has failed to coor- truck route, commercial vehicles Legal Exposure From Hews MediaBenefit Group-Los Cer- million in damage to the streets, dinate thus far, and any further over 6,000 pounds are strictly merous safety hazards caused by Community Grants ritos Community News has ob- increased pollution in the area, lack of communication or con- prohibited on the streets, per the rerouting of traffic, concerns Multi-Claimant Lawsuit that have been voiced by Cerritained a letter, dated September increased traffic noise, and in- sultation with the City and its City Municipal Code.” Several Artesia community
The Caltrans rerouting of tos residents in calls and emails trucks has caused severeCouncil dam- examines to both HMG-LCCN and the employment-related claims age and increased traffic at peak City. while approving study of on Carmenita The rerouting hours, the extensive damage water sewer rates alone is estimated “to cost $5.2andtakes large trucks by two schools, million to repair,” and the “aver- Stowers Elementary and CarmeBriannita Hews age daily traffic on said By streets Middle school in addition has significantly increased and The La Palma See CityCALTRANS Councilpage met14 in closed session this week to review a significant legal matter involving multiple claims filed against the city. During the closed session, the council reviewed an existing lawsuit involving claims of physical and emotional BY THOM MARTIN injury brought action,byjumping out two of her car more than dozen grabbing and helping the individuals. While the cityboy officials did not The City of Lakewood held details, woman.the number of claimants disclose its annual Award of Valor lunthem to Artesia High and the natureShe of took the allegations strongly cheon on Nov. 6 to thank the men School, where they received medsuggest the case involves current or and women of the Los Angeles ical assistance and were ultimateformer city employees, a type of litigation County Sheriff’s Department and ly transported to the hospital. that often carries heightened financial Fire Department, as well as the Because of her selfless acPart 5 risk for municipalities. community volunteers who pro- tions, the City of Lakewood reEmployment-related lawsuitswithcan tect and serve Lakewood. cently awarded Bridget the expose cities to substantial beyond Bridget Perrizo, a staff mem- Mayor’s Award atcosts the city’s anany potential settlement or ceremony. judgment, ber at Artesia High was honored nual Awards of Valor [ See ARTESIA, page 12 ] including extended legal defense, when she helped two people that "I always wondered what I back pay, benefit adjustments, was being attacked by a dog. would do when faced with a and situprocurement, transparency, andwas conflicts administrative disruption. city Bridget, headed back to ation like this one,"For said aPerrizo. By Brian Hews of interest. work from lunch when shewith spot-an "By the grace of God, had the annual general fund I budget By controllingted thea dog JPA’sattacking operations, a woman and courage to take action. I'm so of roughly $11 million, even a single receiving bids, and managing public young boy. The dog had knocked glad that both the mom and large employment case can consumeson a Six weeks ago, Los Cerritos them to the ground and they were areshare business through his own private okay,ofand I'm soresources. honored to meaningful available Community News launched High Stakes, screaming for help. this award.” Cases receive involving multiple claimants Dirty Water, Red Flags, a multi-part infrastructure, Garza blurred — and in Founded by working Bridget immediately took some cases erased — the legal separation TRASH piles up at a condominium complex in Hawaiian Gardens. The City chose Waste Resources are particularly concerning investigative series revealing that for See HERObecause page 15 firefighters, including one required between a public agency and a liability can escalate quickly, with Incorporated as their new hauler, who said they would immediately begin trash pick up. Photo Brian Hews. years Central Basin District Four Director from Santa Fe Springs, OC private enterprise. damages and legal fees compounding Juan Garza quietly operated the California Bomberos helps aspiring That private control, combined with as claims proceed individually or Cities for Self-Reliance Joint Powers recruits overcome financial Garza’s renewal of his contract as the JPA’s collectively. Such litigation can also Authority, a taxpayer-funded agency, barriers to fire, EMT, and executive director while simultaneously trigger closer scrutiny of internal through Bellflower-based Six Heron, paramedic careers. serving as an elected water official for management practices, workplace BY BRIAN HEWS privatelynoowned public-relations and Central “Poorhis leadership, foresight included several default letters, Basin, placed his seat on the policies, and supervisory oversight. Public on the situation, typical of this By Brian Hews government-relations firm. which, under California’s Central Basin Municipal Water District in The council did not report any action While rotting trash is accumu- City Council,” former Hawaiian Resource Code Section 49000, Garza’s decision to personally run a legal peril. following the closed session, which lating in many parts of Hawaiian Gardens publicly Mayor Rey Rodriguez starts the clock on termination. funded joint powers authority Partthe One documented how Garza used typically indicates the matter remains A nonprofit founded by Orange Gardens, Mayor Myra Maravilla City staff even went extra told HMG-LCCN. through his private firm — which for histopersonal Six Heron email, company ongoing. While details were not disclosed County firefighters including and the City Council—finally con- one who The staff report included in step and attempted work with years was not licensed with the City cellphone, and trained working in Santa Fe Springs ducted awhile hearing, waiting an enlast week’s meeting presented CWS to cure the breaches and Bellflower P.O. Box as due to attorney-client privilege, the of Bellflower raised red in March of this — helping tireisweek, andaspiring allowingfirefighters, the trash EMTs, defaults starting clear evidence that CWS—was in immediate See DIRTY WATER, page 16 ] [ See LAWSUIT, page 7 ] flags under California law governing and paramedics overcome the financial to accumulate even more, to once violation of its contract with the year, each of which gave[ CWS again discuss terminating CWS’ City, hurdles that often stand between thembut Mayor Maravilla and the steps to resolve the defaults. contract. Council were apparently afraid to In addition to the default noand careers in public safety. Under the Ralphestablished M. Brownin pull OC Bomberos, 2020,the termination trigger, leav- tices, the City also attempted to Act, awarded Maravillamore and the City40 Couning residents driving by stinky arrange meetings with CWS but has than scholarships cil could have sent out a notice to students enrolled in collegepiles fireof trash for the foreseeable CWS did not attend most meetBy Brian Hews and held a meeting within two future. ings. ARTESIA HIGH staff-member Bridget Perrizo received the Award of academies and emergency medical days to address the situation. The voluminous staff report Valor from Lakewood for saving two in a dog attack. training programs across Southern See TRASH page 15 As another vintage Taco Bell prepares California. In 2025 alone, the organization to close in the Bay Area, the moment distributed nine scholarships of $1,000 serves as a reminder that the fast-food each to candidates pursuing careers in chain’s story did not begin in Northern fire service and emergency response. California, or even in the corporate The group was founded by Andrew campus where its earliest building now Robles and Gabriel Flores, both Orange sits. It began in Downey, where the first County Fire Authority firefighters. Taco Bell opened in 1962 and quietly Flores, who worked in Santa Fe Springs launched what would become one of the while attending a fire academy part time largest fast-food brands in the world. in Inglewood before being hired as a The closing drawing attention, as firefighter, said the experience shaped his reported by the Mercury News, is the understanding of how financial pressure Taco Bell in Lafayette, one of the last can derail otherwise capable candidates. remaining Mission-style Taco Bell Fire academy and paramedic THE ORIGINAL Taco Bell building, first opened in Downey, was relocated to buildings in the Bay Area. Opened in the Irvine several years ago as part of an effort to preserve the fast-food chain’s historic [ See TACO BELL, page 7 ] [ See BOMBEROS, page 10 ] first restaurant. Courtesy Livingmividaloca.com 6, 2019, addressed to Caltrans creased the safety risk of resiorganizations received from the city of Cerritos that dents. thousands through the blasts the state agency for reroutFurther the letter states that city’s Community Benefit ing tractor-trailer traffic through Caltrans is in violation of the Grant Program. the City due to I-5 construction project’s final Environmental projects. Impact Report which obligates By Shockingly, Brian Hewsthe rerouting was the agency to coordinate with citdone without notifying the City. ies to minimize adverse impacts The Artesia City Council, at its January 12 meeting, reviewed the results of its 2025 Community Benefit Grant Program and approved a new round of grants totaling $193,400 for the 2026 funding cycle. The grant program is funded through community benefit agreements with the city’s three licensed cannabis businesses and provides financial support to nonprofit organizations serving Artesia residents. During the meeting, representatives from organizations that received grants in 2025 delivered presentations detailing how their funding was used and the outcomes of their projects. Following
residents is unacceptable.” The City blasted Caltrans for establishing a detour route on southbound Carmenita between the I-5 and Artesia Blvd., and eastbound Artesia Blvd. between Carmenita and the I-5. “Neither stretch of Carmeni-
ARTESIA HIGH STAFF-MEMBER RECEIVES
An exclusive five-part LCCN investigation AWARD OF VALOR FROM LAKEWOOD revealing how Central Basin Director Juan Garza turned the Cardroom Cities’ Joint Powers Authority into his own operation — and the conflicts and liabilities he engineered for himself in the process.
When the Board Was on Notice: How Inaction at Central Basin Created Personal Board Liability
OC Bomberos Helps Aspiring Firefighters With Cost to Enter the Fire Service
TRASH WILL FINALLY GET CLEANED UP IN HAWAIIAN GARDENS
Bay Area Taco Bell Closure Revives Story of the Chain’s Downey Origins Where It Began