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Official publication of the Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce | 30,000 Circulation - Delivered to every home in Lakewood
Volume 42 Number 7
Vicki Stuckey honored as her council term ends
Lakewood City Council honors Vicki L. Stuckey at Lakewood Celebrates.
At a “Lakewood Celebrates” community reception on June 14, Council Member Vicki L. Stuckey was honored as she winds down her two years of service on the Lakewood City Council, which will end on July 12. Stuckey was unanimously appointed by the City Council on Sept. 8, 2020 to fill the remainder of the council term vacated by the retirement of Council Member Diane DuBois on Aug. 31, 2020. Stuckey’s council service was groundbreaking as she is the first African American council member in Lakewood’s history. Because of Lakewood’s new
by-district council election system, Stuckey was ineligible to run for a full council term in 2022 because she lives in a part of the city that will not have a district election until 2024. An initial district map proposed by Lakewood’s demographic consultant would have allowed Stuckey to run in 2022 but would have delayed the eastern portion of Lakewood from having a district election until 2024. A Lakewood council member has never come from the eastern portion of the city. Stuckey proposed moving eastern Lakewood’s election to the first round of district elections in 2022, even though it meant
she had to leave the council in 2022 and could not potentially run for a seat until 2024. A 30-year resident of Lakewood, Stuckey previously had served 19 years on Lakewood city commissions, including four years on the Community Safety Commission and 15 years on the Planning and Environment Commission. She served as chair of the latter commission four times. “Vicki had just retired in 2019 after working 34 years for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, rising through the ranks from a deputy to ultimately serving as captain of the Altadena Sheriff’s Station,” said Mayor Steve Croft at Lakewood Celebrates. “So perhaps the stars were aligned to have Vicki become more available to help guide the city she loves just when Diane DuBois retired.” “And while she’s reached the completion of this council term, I am sure this is nowhere near the last we’ve seen of Vicki in Lakewood community life,” said Croft. “Vicki has been active in Lakewood organizations, including the Pan American Association and the board of the Lakewood Re(Cont'd. on Pg. 3)
Rogers, Croft and Chase ahead in council races
With over 7,900 Lakewood ballots counted by the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters as of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, preliminary results continue to show that Todd Rogers, Steve Croft and Cassandra Chase are ahead in the election for three seats in the city’s first-ever bydistrict council election. More ballots remain to be counted. Here is the vote count and percentage for each candidate in the three district elections: District 1: • Todd Rogers: 77% (2,539 votes)
• Michelle Hamlin: 23% (738 votes) District 2: • Steve Croft: 47% (1,400 votes) • Laura Sanchez-Ramirez: 31% (934 votes) • Gregory Slaughter: 22% (656 votes) District 5: • Cassandra Chase: 53% (888 votes) • Veronica Lucio: 47% (781 votes) This is a general election, with no runoff, and the top votegetter for each district will be declared the winner for that district. You can check the L.A. County Election results for the statewide primary election at results. lavote.gov. Starting this year, Lakewood is converting from its traditional system, where all five council
members were elected at-large by the entire city, to a new district system where each council member is elected by the residents in one of five districts in the city. Residents in newly created Districts 1, 2 and 5 are electing council members based on the June 7, 2022 election. In 2024, voters in Districts 3 and 4 will elect new council members. District 1 is in the southwest portion of Lakewood. District 2 is in the northwest portion and District 5 encompasses the eastern portion of the city. Maps of the districts and additional information about the new district election system is at www.lakewoodcity.org/districtelections. Council Members Ariel Pe and Jeff Wood will continue to serve as at-large members un(Cont'd. on Pg. 2)
July 2022
Report illegal fireworks
Look for this seal for approved fireworks that are safe to use in Lakewood.
To help the City of Lakewood combat the use of illegal fireworks, residents are encouraged to report an active or known address of illegal firework use. Undischarged illegal fireworks can be forfeited to the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station or any L.A. County Fire Station. Know when to call the city’s Illegal Fireworks Tip Line vs. the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station: Call the Tip Line: 562-8669771, ext. 7233 (SAFE) or use the Lakewood Connect App or email service1@lakewoodcity. org if: • Someone in your neighborhood typically lights fireworks around a certain time; for example, 8 p.m. every Saturday. • There’s a known location in your neighborhood with the regular use of illegal fireworks. Call the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station: 562-623-3500 non-
emergency line if: • You just witnessed someone lighting off illegal fireworks. • You heard the location that actively uses illegal fireworks just set off a firework. REMINDER: The use of ‘Safe and Sane’ fireworks are ONLY legal on July 4th from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. ALL fireworks, including ‘Safe and Sane,’ are considered illegal before or after July 4th. If a firework does not have a State Fire Marshal ‘Safe and Sane’ approved seal on the packaging, that firework is classified as dangerous and is prohibited in Lakewood or anywhere in California. Safe and Sane fireworks do not explode, go into the air, or have sound that travels far. The problem of illegal fireworks use has grown in recent years throughout California and the nation. “It doesn’t matter whether a community allows or disallows ‘safe-and-sane’ fireworks. The problem of illegal fireworks is the same in both types of communities,” says Lakewood City Manager Thaddeus McCormack. “Despite the challenges, Lakewood is known throughout Southern California as a city that does everything it can to deter and reduce the use of illegal fireworks,” says McCormack. ♦