Lakewood CommunityNews History of Lakewood’s city motto

and widely recognized and appreciated, including:

• Well-maintained streets, trees and public infrastructure.

• Beautiful neighborhood parks.

• Recreation for all.

• Volunteerism by residents and businesses.

• Public safety.

Lakewood Run offers healthy fun for a good cause

This article originally appeared in the City of Lakewood’s eMagazine “Lakewood Connect.”

Times Change. Values

Don’t. The Lakewood motto adorns dozens of monument signs at the entrances to the city. Although some think that this motto dates back to the city’s incorporation in the 1950s, the motto actually was coined in 2003 when Lakewood was approaching its 50th anniversary. At that time, city leaders wanted to update the city’s original slogan of “Tomorrow’s City Today.”

That moniker dated back to the 1950s when Lakewood was America’s largest planned community—with a design that truly embodied the future of America’s suburban cities. But 50 years later, in 2003, “Tomorrow’s City Today” seemed antiquated.

So Lakewood city officials set about crafting a new motto or values statement. City staff worked with communications consultants and generated the phrase “Times Change. Values Don’t.,” which was presented to and approved by the Lakewood City Council. The motto was unveiled to Lakewood residents and broadly welcomed during the 50th anniversary year in 2004 as a reflection of the community’s civic pride and unity.

At the time, the description of the motto spoke of timeless community values that were central to Lakewood’s identity

Importantly, and with great relevance today, diversity and tolerance were also listed as essential Lakewood community values in 2004. They were included because Lakewood was becoming one of the most diverse cities in California, and city leaders wanted to acknowledge, embrace and celebrate that, as continues to be the case today.

Students of history may raise their eyebrows a bit at the inclusion of “diversity and tolerance,” because when Lakewood homes were first built and sold in the early 1950s, racial and ethnic diversity and tolerance were not embraced or celebrated in most of America’s suburban communities, including in the area that would later become the City of Lakewood.

(Cont'd on Pg. 3)

Project sites needed for Volunteer Day

Recipients of Volunteer Day aid can be seniors or persons of any age who, because of a disability or limited means, need some neighborly help to make their Lakewood yard or home exterior a little nicer.

Work at suggested sites can include gardening, yard cleanup or minor painting.

Avid runners, fitness athletes, families and kids are all welcome.

Rain or shine, the 2022 Lakewood Run returns the morning of Saturday, March 5, 2022 when deputy sheriffs, recreational runners, families and kids gather at the starting line in front of the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station to run the event’s 5K/10K course for time or do the 5K walk.

Check out the Lakewood Run website at www.lakewoodrun.com and register online now at www.lakewoodrun. com/registration

Your support of the Lakewood Run funds the Soroptimist International of Lakewood/Long Beach Live Your Dream program to assist women who provide the primary financial support for their families by giving them resources to improve their education, skills and employment prospects. Proceeds also benefit high school girls through the Dream It, Be It program that provides access to professional role models and career education.

In addition, Run proceeds help local organizations such as Lakewood Meals on Wheels, Su Casa~Ending Domestic Violence, Friends of the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station Fund, and 9-9-9 for Kids (a program benefitting foster children in L.A. County).

Early registration will be $40 for the 5K Run/Walk or $45 for the 10K Run through Jan. 31.

From Feb. 1 through March 4, the 5K Run/Walk fee is $45, and the 10K Run is $50. On race day, registration fees are $50 and $55.

On the day of the event, registration begins at 6:30 a.m. The 5K and 10K runs start at 8 a.m. Pre-registered runners can also pick up their race packet on Friday, March 4 from 5-8 p.m. at Lakewood Center mall at Center Court near Macy’s.

Professional timing will be used. Medals will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in each category of the 5K and 10K running events. All finishers for the 5K/10K will receive finisher medals.

For participants and spectators, the day includes a fitness expo and displays of public safety equipment and programs. There is also live entertainment and special giveaways from Lakewood-area businesses.

To inquire about group rate entries or to get more event information, email info@lakewoodrun.com. ♦

Volunteers helping to clean up a neighbor’s yard.

One of Lakewood’s enduring traditions is Volunteer Day, when residents of all ages come together to help their neighbors in need.

This year’s Volunteer Day commemorates 25 years of helping make our community a better place.

The Volunteer Day program is looking for project sites for its Saturday, April 9 clean-up and fix-up event. More than 500 volunteers will fan out that day to locations throughout Lakewood to donate a morning’s work to help their neighbors in need.

If you, or someone you know, may qualify for consideration as a project site, please submit your suggestion online at www.lakewoodcity. org/volunteerdaysite or call the Burns Community Center at 562-925-7512.

Project sites must be located in Lakewood.

The proposed project sites are reviewed by city staff for eligibility and suitability. ♦

What’s ahead in Lakewood for 2022?

By Mayor Jeff Wood

will be different this year is the level of repair and renovation activity that residents will see at our parks and community facilities.

I hope 2022 is off to a good start for you and your family.

Let’s hope this year we finally turn the corner from a dangerous virus to something much less threatening. As of now, it’s too early to tell. But until then, we need to remain vigilant and follow the advice and guidance of our scientific experts and medical and public health professionals.

Please know that the City of Lakewood will remain vigilant too, doing everything as a local government to help our residents and businesses.

The City of Lakewood will continue with our expanded hours and safety protocols with our DASH transit service to help seniors and the disabled get to medical appointments and other services. We will also continue to adapt quickly and creatively to public health rules and provide as many community events and services as possible, even during the pandemic.

We’ll do as many events in person as we can, but we will be ready to “go virtual” when needed for safety reasons.

One upcoming example is the Lakewood Youth Sports Hall of Fame, which we weren’t able to hold last year, but we’ve found a safe and creative way to hold this year…and to do so in person, outdoors. Details coming soon on that.

We’ll try to keep community life as normal as possible during this abnormal time. One area of community life that

Thanks to Lakewood residents passing Measure L in 2020, our city is back in good financial shape and is able to make repairs and renovations that had been put off for several years because of state funding takeaways from Lakewood and other cities. With Measure L, Lakewood now has locally controlled funding to make needed repairs and keep our city looking good and working well.

Our local dollars are getting stretched even further by funds we’re receiving from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Examples of Measure L/ ARPA projects in Lakewood to be completed or started this year include:

• New tot-lot and school-aged playground at Boyar Park.

• Renovations of the Palms Park community building and Weingart Senior Center.

• Renovations to the restrooms at Rynerson Park.

• New picnic shelters and totlot playground at San Martin Park. State Assembly Member Anthony Rendon assisted this project with state grant funds.

• HVAC, electrical, and roofing improvements in the community buildings of several parks.

• Landscaping in a droughttolerant design at over a dozen street medians across the city to beautify those roadways.

• Pedestrian safety study of 28 crosswalks to determine if enhancements such as flashing pedestrian signs, stop signs or traffic signals are warranted to increase safety.

Our city water system will continue investing in its infrastructure too, completing work on a new well to provide even more reliability to our service.

Lakewood now has one of the most technologically advanced water systems in the region, with smart meters for residents and advanced computerized monitoring for our professional staff that lets them identify and solve many problems before they make an impact on service to customers.

New in June 2022, will be Lakewood’s first-ever districtbased city council elections. Traditionally, council members in Lakewood, as in most smaller cities, were elected by the entire city.

Now, because of state law, each council member will be elected by residents of a particular area (or district) of the city. Lakewood will have five districts, with three of the districts electing council members this coming June. The other two districts will hold their elections in 2024. Existing council members will continue to serve until their current term is up, and they can then run in the district where they reside if they wish. While a change for Lakewood, I am confident that council members will look out for the interests of the entire city along with their local district…and keep Lakewood in great shape for the future.

The year ahead will see many new businesses opening up or expanding in Lakewood. While only 6% of Lakewood’s land is devoted to commerce, our city remains an attractive place for many business owners and entrepreneurs to locate and invest their time, money, hard work and talent.

Last year saw major investments from companies such as Timmons Subaru on Cherry Ave., Farmers & Merchants Bank at the corner of Lakewood and Del Amo, and Dave’s Hot Chicken at Candlewood and Clark, to name just a few.

In 2022, look for the construction and opening of a large-scale Walmart fuel station at their superstore on Carson St. Also look for an inter- esting concept at Lakewood Center, with the Galactic Challenge interactive space wars experience (kids of all ages may enjoy that). And, I was happy to join in early January at the grand opening of Coco’s Lip Smacking Cupcakes at Candlewood and Paramount, just one example of a creative entrepreneur starting a busi- ness in our community.

As you can see, Lakewood has a lot to look forward to in 2022, as I am sure you and your family do as well. On behalf of my Lakewood City Council colleagues, I wish you the very best in the year ahead! Happy New Year everyone! Happy New Year Lakewood! ♦