Winner of Fourteen LA Press Club Awards from 2012- 2017.
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CALTRANS REROUTED TRAFFIC WITHOUT INFORMING CERRITOS, ILLEGALHMG-CN MOVEINVESTIGATION: WILL COST THE CITY OVER $5 MILLION ta or Artesia is a city Hang designated onto arterial streets.” BY BRIAN HEWS The City is claiming that the during the construction period. ‘Megataxers’ $516flowsThe Million City then cited the nurerouting has caused over $5 “Caltrans has failed to coor- truck route, commercial vehicles Hews Media 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 in Bonds on Pasadena Unified 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 tained 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.
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
sultation 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-
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS CELEBRATION AT ARTESIA CEMETERY ALTER DE OFERENDAS: Alter of offering at the Artesia Cemetery, the cemetery hosted a movie night and over 150 visitors attended, and enjoyed discounted meals, drinks and a movie.
Carpenters Memorabilia at Downey Library By Tammye McDuff To honor the career of Richard and Karen Carpenter, one of the greatest music duos of our time, the Downey City Library has established the Carpenters Collection.
Long Beach, where they were both enrolled. That group was also short-lived. Phenomenal success was just around the corner, though. Richard and Karen signed a contract with A&M record in 1969. Their first single, "Ticket to Ride,"
Appeals Court Dismisses Lawsuit by Gaming Tribes Against Cardrooms By Brian Hews
Last week, the California Fourth District Court of Appeals affirmed a San Diego Superior Court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit brought by several gaming tribes against Southern California cardrooms; the Gardens, Commerce, and Bicycle Casinos are included in that list. TRASH piles up at a condominium complex in Hawaiian Gardens. The The CityCourt choseheld Waste thatResources the tribes Incorporated as their new hauler, who said they would immediately begin trash pick up. Photo Brian Hews.
See CASINOS page 12
City Municipal Code.” The Caltrans rerouting of The pattern of trucks has caused severe damviolating Government, age and increased traffic at peak hours, the and extensive damage Education, Elections alone is estimated “to cost $5.2 Codes mirror those million to repair,” and the “averHMG-CN has exposed age daily traffic on said streets inside other Districts. has significantly increased and
BY BRIAN HEWS AND THE IRISHMAN
that have been voiced by Cerritos residents in calls and emails officials a conflict ofand interest to both in HMG-LCCN the position, opening political comCity. mittees acting as on treasurers in The rerouting Carmenita charge of the cash. takes large trucks by two schools, Finally, we exposed blatant Stowers Elementary and Carmeconflicts of school interestin between nita Middle addition firms donating large sums of CALTRANS page 14 cash to theSeebond committees, and then landing lucrative contacts for construction after the bond passes. Now we look into Pasadena Unified, but first, some background. Everjumping play checkers? 2016, action, out of Inher car San Francisco School grabbing the boyUnified and helping the District woman. not only passed PropositionShe A for authority to issue tookthe them to Artesia High School, where they received med$744 million in public school ical assistance andofwere bonds, at a cost wellultimateover $1 ly transported to the Billion, the Board hospital. also placed Because Nofonher Proposition the selfless ballot to acaltions, the City of Lakewood relow non-citizen voting in school cently elections. awarded Bridget with the board Mayor’s Award N at the city’s paranProposition allowed nual Awards of Valor ceremony. ents, legal guardians, and care"I always wondered what I takers of children to vote in would do when faced with a situschool board elections and bond ation like this one," said Perrizo. elections. "By the grace of God, I had the Professor Keith Shirey courage to take action. I'mproso vided profound insight, “Plato’s glad that both the mom and son greatest lessons is honored that virtue are okay,ofand I'm so to must be caught, it cannot be receive this award.” taught.” Confucius also advised, HERO 15 “If your plan isSeefor onepage year,
ARTESIA HIGH STAFF-MEMBER RECEIVES HMG-CN’s exposé has outlined the malfeasance of the AWARD Megataxers and OF theirVALOR school FROM LAKEWOOD board allies in passing bonds. BY THOM MARTIN We have outlined the corruption in Bassett Unified’s $50 The bond, City of Lakewood million with a cost to held taxits annual Award of Valor lunpayers of $96 million; Citrus cheon on Nov. 6 to thank the men College’s $298 million bond, and women of the Los Angeles with a cost of half billion; DuCounty Sheriff’s Department and arte $79as million bond, Fire Unified’s Department, well as the with a cost of $148 million; Incommunity volunteers who proglewood Unified's $240 million tect and serve Lakewood. bond, with Perrizo, a cost ofa nearly half Bridget staff membillion. ber at Artesia High was honored Allshetold, $670 in when helped two million people that bonds, over $1.3 billion in costs was being attacked by a dog. to taxpayers. Bridget, was headed back to Wefrom have revealed work lunch when sheschool spotted a dog attackingusing a woman and board members illegal young boy. The dog had knocked processes to approve bonds, them to the ground they were rubber-stamped byand their chosen screaming law firms. for help. Bridget immediately took We have found violations of the State’s Education Code and Elections code. Exposed District
See MEGATAXERS page 12
TRASH WILL FINALLY GET CLEANED UP IN HAWAIIAN GARDENS DOWNEY NATIVES Richard and“Poor Karen Carpenter's music BY BRIAN HEWS leadership, no foresight memorabilia on display now through of Apriltypical 2022. of this onthe theend situation, While rotting trash is accumu- City Council,” former Hawaiian lating in many of Hawaiian Gardens Mayor In 1963, theparts Carpenter family was a modest hit,Rey but Rodriguez their next Gardens, Mayor Myra Maravilla told HMG-LCCN. moved to Downey, where Rich- release, "Close to You," was a and and the Karen City Council finally con- number The staff included in ard attended Downey one report best-seller, with ducted a hearing, waiting an enlast week’s meeting presented High School. They helped form over one million copies bought. tire instrumental week, and allowing trash clear evidence CWS several was in an trio inthe1965, During thethatnext to accumulate even more, to once violation of its contract with the which won a battle of the bands years, the Carpenters achieved again discuss terminating CWS’ City, but Mayor Maravilla and the at the Hollywood Bowl. fame with a string of top-40 hits contract. Council were apparently afraid to The group was signed to and sold-out concerts around Under the Ralph M. Brown pull the termination trigger, leava recording contract, but their the world. They were three-time Act, Maravilla and the City Coun- ing residents driving by stinky songs were never released. After Grammy winners, made numercil could have sent out a notice piles of trash for the foreseeable disbanding, Richard and Karen ous television appearances, even and held a meeting within two future. formed a new the vocal group at debuting their own television sedays to address situation. The voluminous staff report California State University,
See CARPENTERS page 12
included several default letters, which, under California’s Public Resource Code Section 49000, starts the clock on termination. City staff even went the extra step and attempted to work with CWS to cure the breaches and defaults starting in March of this year, each of which gave CWS steps to resolve the defaults. In addition to the default notices, the City also attempted to arrange meetings with CWS but PICO RIVERA CONSIDERS NAMING RIGHTS FOR MINI-PITCH CWS did not attend most meetings. HIGH staff-member Bridget into Perrizo received the Award of THE PICO RIVERA Council, at ARTESIA their last meeting, considered entering a naming rights contract Valor from Lakewood for saving two in a dog attack. for their new mini-pitch soccer field with the Roldan Brothers; Christian, Alex, and Cesar. Christian and
See TRASH page 15
Alex are both pro soccer players; Cesar is L.A. Galaxy coach. All are from Pico Rivera. See page 4.