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la miraDa, ca., NovemBer 22• Vol. , 2019 Serving La Mirada and ten surrounding communities • June 19, 2026 70, No. 34 • LMLAMPLIGHTER.COM
CALTRANS REROUTED TRAFFIC WITHOUT INFORMING CERRITOS, ILLEGALCerritos MOVE WILL CITYDeficit OVERas$5City MILLION FacesCOST $10.6 THE Million BY BRIAN HEWS
The City is claiming that the rerouting has caused over $5 million in damage to the streets, increased pollution in the area, increased traffic noise, and increased the safety risk of residents. Further the letter states that Caltrans is in violation of the project’s final Environmental Impact Report which obligates the agency to coordinate with cities to minimize adverse impacts
during the construction period. “Caltrans has failed to coordinate thus far, and any further lack of communication or consultation with the City and its 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-
ta or Artesia is a city designated flows onto arterial streets.” Warns Financial Model Is Unsustainable truck route, commercial vehicles The City then cited the nu-
merousstaff safety hazards caused by over 6,000 pounds are strictly cades,” wrote. Flat revenueon growth, prohibited the streets, per theThe rerouting of traffic, concerns budget follows three slowing auto sales, City Municipal Code.” that have been voiced by City Cerristudy sessions held by the tos residents in calls and emails The Caltrans rerouting of Council, rising costs and deferred including a final worktrucks has caused to both HMG-LCCN infrastructure needssevere dam- shop on June 8 in which and coun-the age and increased traffic at peak City. force difficult budget cilmembers directed staff to rerouting Carmenita hours, the extensive damage moveThe forward with aon single buddecisions ahead. alone is estimated “to cost $5.2 get takes large trucks by two scenario rather than a schools, previmillion to repair,” and the “aver- ously Stowers Elementary and Carmediscussed dual-budget apBy Brian Hews nita Middle school in includaddition age daily traffic on said streets proach that would have has significantly increased and ed a potential voter-approved CERRITOS — The Cerritos Transactions and Use Tax. page 14 See CALTRANS City Council will hold a June Under the adopted approach, 22 public hearing to consider the city assumes no new revethe Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget, nue sources and instead relies on facing a projected $10.6 million expenditure reductions, reserve ABC THEATER STUDENTS SHINE AT MACY AWARDS: ABC Unified School District theater deficit and an unsustainable fifunding, and operational changes students, directors and staff celebrated a dominant performance at the 2026 Spirit of the Macy Awards, nancial outlook. to close the budget gap. earning top honors for productions from Artesia, Cerritos, Gahr and Whitney high schools. Nevaeh For decades, Cerritos enCity officials estimate a limSalinas of Urinetown captured Best Actress honors and advanced to represent the region at the National joyed BY THOM MARTIN action, out of herap-car a reputation as one of ited hiringjumping freeze could save High School Musical Theatre Awards, known as the Jimmy Awards, on Broadway. Courtesy ABCUSD. Southern California’s most grabbing the boy and helping proximately $1.7 million duringthe The City of Lakewood held the woman. financially stable cities, supupcoming fiscal year. Anothits annual Award of Valor lun- er $3.7 Shemillion took them to Artesia High ported by strong retail activity, in savings would cheon on Nov. 6 toand thank the men come School, where they received medautomobile sales, redevelfrom deferred maintenance and womenrevenues. of the Los Angeles ofical were ultimateopment-era However, cityassistance facilities and landscaping. County Sheriff’s Department and ly Additional transportedreductions to the hospital. city staff is now warning that the include Fire Department, as well as the a 20 percent Becausecut ofinher selflessEd-acrevenue sources that fund the non-Arts approximately 34 inches of community volunteers pro- ucation tions, the City of Lakewood city’s extensive services,who facilHistoric El Niño winters programming, staffing,rerain, more than double its nortect and serve Lakewood. cently awarded Bridget at thethe ities, community programs and marketing initiatives with have doubled Los Angeles mal yearly total. The storms By Brian Hews Bridget Perrizo, a staff memMayor’s Award at the city’s anare no longer keeping pace with Cerritos Center for the Perrainfall totals, and scientists triggered widespread flooding, ber at Artesia High was honored nual Awards of Valor ceremony. rising costs. say another powerful Pacific landslides and coastal damage See CERRITOS, Page 7 when helped comes two people that "I always wondered what I Theshe warning in the ABC Unified School District pattern is taking shape. throughout Southern California. was beingFiscal attacked by 2026-27 a dog. would do when faced with a situYear Homes were destroyed, roads theater students, directors and proposed Bridget, was headed back to ation like this one," said Perrizo. collapsed and beaches suffered staff celebrated a dominant per- budget, where staff states that By Brian Hews work from lunch when she spot"By the grace of God, I had the formance at the 2026 Spirit of the “overall, revenue growth has severe erosion. ted a dog attacking a woman and courage to take action. I'm so remained relatively flat over the Macy Awards, earning top honFifteen years later, another young The dog had knocked glad that both the mom and son For most Southern Califor- powerful El Niño arrived. The ors for productions from Artesia, past fourboy. years.” them groundnotes and theythat were are okay, and I'm so honored to nians, rain is something that ar- winter of 1997-98 brought a Cerritos, Gahr and Whitney high Theto the report rives a few days at a time before similar barrage of storms that schools. screaming forsales help.tax receipts receive this award.” fourth-quarter disappearing But his- flooded Bridget immediately took declined 2.2 percent year over TRASH pilesforupweeks. at a condominium complex in Hawaiian Gardens. The City chose Waste Resources neighborhoods, washed The Spirit of the Macy Awards See HERO page 15 tory shows that a powerful Incorporated as when their new hauler, who they and would immediately begin trash pick up. Photo Brian outsaid roads caused billions recognizes excellence in Hews. high year, largely due to slowing El Niño develops in the Pacific of dollars in damage statewide. automobile sales. The trend is Ocean, California’s weather can Once again, rainfall totals in school musical theater through- significant because sales tax Authorities say an out Southern California, honoring change dramatically. parts of Southern California ex- outstanding student performers, di- remains the city’s largest recur- altercation involving Scientists say the current El ceeded 30 inches. ring revenue source, accounting several juveniles escalated rectors, choreographers, musicians Niño has the potential to become for roughly one-third of annual into gunfire outside Cerritos and productions. Schools compete revenues. BY BRIAN HEWS “Poor leadership, no foresight included several default letters, Chick-fil-A before the in a variety of categories, with top Many of the city’s largest suspect fled. on the situation, typical of this which, under California’s Public performers earning opportunities While rotting trash is accumu- City Council,” former Hawaiian Resource Code Section 49000, sales tax generators are located advance to national recognition. within the Cerritos Auto Square, lating in many parts of Hawaiian Gardens Mayor Rey Rodriguez tostarts the clock on termination. LCCN Staff Report ABCUSD students earned nu- including AutoNation Toyota Gardens, Mayor Myra Maravilla told HMG-LCCN. City staff even went the extra merous awards and nominations, Cerritos, Cerritos Acura, Cerriand the City Council finally conThe staff report included in step and attempted to work with two productions ducted a hearing, waiting an en- last week’s meeting presented including CWS to cure the breachesthat and tos Nissan Infiniti, Kia of CerCERRITOS — A 15-yearwere named among the Top 10 tire week, and allowing the trash clear evidence that CWS was in defaults starting in March of this ritos, Lexus of Cerritos, Jaguar old boy was fatally shot outside the of Year. The district also Land Rover Cerritos, Penske to accumulate even more, to once violation of its contract with the Shows year, of each which gave CWS a Chick-fil-A restaurant near ensemble Buick GMC, Penske Chevro- Los Cerritos Center Saturday again discuss terminating CWS’ City, but Mayor Maravilla and the received steps to recognition resolve the for defaults. contract. Council were apparently afraid to performances, In additionacting, to the choreogradefault no- let, Norm Reeves Honda, Norm afternoon, Under the Ralph M. Brown pull the termination trigger, leav- phy tices, City also attempted andthe technical theater achieve-to Reeves Ford, and Norm Reeves prompting Act, Maravilla and the City Coun- ing residents driving by stinky ments. an ongoing arrangeThe meetings with CWSthe but Hyundai. awards reflect While revenue growth has homicide cil could have sent out a notice piles of trash for the foreseeable strength CWS did not attend performing most meetof ABCUSD’s expenditures continue Bridget investigaand held a meeting within two future. ings. ARTESIA HIGH staff-member Perrizo received the Award of arts programs and the dedication of slowed, DURING A STRONG EL NIÑO, warmer Ocean staff watersreport can to rise. tion by the days to address the situation. The Pacific voluminous Valor from Lakewood for saving two in a dog attack. students, teachers and theater staff strengthen and redirect the jet stream, increasing the chances of frequent According to the budget reSee TRASH page 15 Los Angewinter storms across California. Some of the state’s wettest and most who spent months preparing pro- port, operating expenditures in- les County ductions for competition. destructive winters have coincided with powerful El Niño events. creased by approximately $2.7 Sheriff’s Leading the district’s accommillion while capital project Department. one of the strongest on record, Those two winters remain plishments was Nevaeh Salinas, spending increased by approxDeputies raising a question that hasn’t the benchmark for what Califor- who portrayed Hope Cladwell in imately $8.6 million. Much of responded been seriously asked in years: nians call a “Super El Niño.” Artesia High School’s producthe increase was attributed to the to reports of Could Los Angeles once again El Niño occurs when ocean tion of Urinetown. Salinas earned emergency failure of the city’s a shooting Darnell Jones receive 30 inches or more of rain temperatures in the equatorial Best Actress honors and advanced C-4 water well and the resulting at approxiin a single season? Pacific become unusually warm, to represent the region at the Na- need to purchase imported water mately 4 p.m. June 13 in the area The possibility may sound altering weather patterns around tional High School Musical Theof Gridley Road and 183rd Street, while repairs were completed. far-fetched in a region that av- the globe. In California, strong atre Awards, better known as the Perhaps the most striking adjacent to the popular shopping erages roughly 14 inches of rain El Niño events often increase Jimmy Awards which will take statement in the report appears and dining district. Upon arrival, annually, but it has happened the odds of a wetter winter by place this month at the Minskoff in the section discussing the deputies found the victim sufferbefore. steering more Pacific storms to- Theatre on Broadway in New York city’s long-term outlook. ing from a gunshot wound. During the legendary El The teenager, later identified City, where she will join some of “We cannot sustain the proNiño winter of 1982-83, downthe nation’s top performers comgrams, services, and facilities town Los Angeles recorded See RAIN, Page 4 peting for national honors. residents have enjoyed for deSee TEEN , Page 5 Hews Media Group-Los Cerritos Community News has obtained a letter, dated September 6, 2019, addressed to Caltrans from the city of Cerritos that blasts the state agency for rerouting tractor-trailer traffic through the City due to I-5 construction projects. Shockingly, the rerouting was done without notifying the City.
ARTESIA HIGH STAFF-MEMBER RECEIVES AWARD OF VALOR FROM LAKEWOOD
Could Los Angeles See 30 Inches of Rain? El Niño Raises the Possibility This Winter
ABCUSD Productions Score Big at Spirit of the Macy Awards
Teen Killed Outside Cerritos Chick-fil-A; Authorities Continue Search for Suspect
TRASH WILL FINALLY GET CLEANED UP IN HAWAIIAN GARDENS