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Winner of Fourteen LA Press Club Awards from 2012-2018. Serving Cerritos and ten other surrounding communities • December 3, 2021 • Vol. 36, No. 3 • loscerritosnews.net
Cerritos College Students Lead Effort to Break Free From Plastic
Whittier Union Students Named to State, Regional Choirs
CC becomes the first community college in California to adopt a plastic-free policy. NORWALK~The Cerritos College Board of Trustees adopted a Break Free From Plastic resolution, making the campus the first community college in California to adopt a policy to abandon the use of plastic products. More than 70 percent of the world’s plastic ends up in landfills, incinerators, or drifting in waterways. The Cerritos College Geography Club laid a strong foundation to help end the use of plastic products on campus. In 2018, former Club president Salvador Uribe and his successor Raul Leon, in 2019, helped lead student efforts to raise awareness about plastic’s negative impact to the environment. Current Club leaders Gisselle Delgadillo and Hector Ledesma brought the final resolution to the Board at its November 17 meeting. “What motivated me was the lack of awareness of the effects petroleum has on the environment and everyone around. I hope to bring further awareness to this issue on campus,” said Gisselle. “I want to make a positive change in the community. The campaign was the perfect opportunity for me to take action and show others that even if the odds are stacked against us, change can and will be made,” said Hector. Cerritos College is the first California community college to join 390 campuses across the country to commit to PostLandfill Action Network’s Break Free From Plastic pledge: 1. Establish a purchasing policy that eliminates campus and food vendor procurement of all non-essential, non-compostable, single-use disposable plastics. The goal is to keep accessibility and affordability at the forefront of decisionmaking to ensure that accommodations are made for all users of the system 2. Commit to monitoring plastic-free alternatives in future procurement decisions and policies regarding items that cannot currently be eliminated due to a lack of viable alternatives 3. Invest in education, resources, and infrastructure to assist in the Plastic-Free Campus transition Cerritos College will create an action plan to implement the new policy. “We are incredibly proud of our student leaders who sponsored and drove this initiative. This is a great example of how education, passions, and community impact can intersect in powerful ways,” said James Cody Birkey, president of the Cerritos College Board of Trustees. “When it comes to sustainability, we really should be putting student voices first – they have the most at stake. The Break Free From Plastic campaign aligns with our Green Cerritos campus initiative and reinforces the College’s dedication to creating a sustainable campus environment through conscious decision-making strategies. We are beyond the talk, it's time for action.”
Metro Will Require Contracted Law Enforcement to be Vaccinated By Brian Hews
CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL Choir Teacher Dan Hawkins and senior Calvin Monsivais during the Southern California Vocal Association choir event on Nov. 20. WHITTIER – The California High School music program is receiving accolades throughout California and beyond, with four Cal High choir members being recognized for their exceptional singing talents and being named to prestigious state and regional honor choirs. Cal High senior Calvin Monsivais has been named to the Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA) High School Honor Choir, while seniors Randall Pineda and Deanne Fonseca, along with sophomore Roxie Navarro, have been named to the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Western Region Honor Choir. Monsivais will lend his skill as a bass singer to SCVA’s 62-member SATB Honor Choir. Pineda was selected to ACDA’s 81member Gospel SATB Honor Choir, while Fonseca and Navarro were selected to ACDA’s 91-member High School SSAA Honor Choir. SATB choirs consist of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass singers, while SSAA choirs consist of soprano and alto singers. “This is a tremendous achievement for the Cal High music program. Making Honor Choir for a singer is comparable to athletes being selected for CIF all-star teams,” Cal High Choir Teacher Dan Hawkins said. Monsivais was selected to SCVA after
a rigorous audition which saw him perform a variety of music skills, such as singing scales and displaying tonal memory, performing an Italian-opera aria, and sightsinging a music exercise with only one minute to prepare. Monsivais made his debut with SCVA during its High School Honor Choirs Weekend, held Nov. 20 at the University of Redlands. “Being selected to participate in the SCVA Honor Choir was truly a gift,” Monsivais said. The SCVA Honor Choir consists of high school students from across southern California. Honor Choir members with the highest audition scores are eligible to participate in the All-State Honor Choir, which combines students from southern, central and northern California, for a spring performance. Monsivais is waiting to find out if his scores qualify him for the choir. Fonseca, Pineda and Navarro were chosen for the ACDA Honor Choir after auditioning via an audio submission. Along with performing scales and a solo song, the students learned and performed a portion of a song that will be included in the ACDA final performance, to be held in March 2022. ACDA Honor Choir members are chosen from across California, Hawaii, Arizona, Utah and Nevada.
La Mirada Residents Celebrate 70th Wedding Anniversary
PLATIMUM ANNIVERSARY: Howard and Lola Leggett with La Mirada Mayor Ed Eng are congratulated on their 70th wedding anniversary during the November 23 council meeting. They have lived in La Mirada since 1960.
Yesterday, the Los Angeles County Metro Board of Directors approved an amendment by Supervisor Janice Hahn which requires the law enforcement that contract with Metro to be vaccinated for COVID-19. “During this pandemic, public safety also means keeping the public safe from this virus,” Supervisor said Supervisor Janice Hahn Janice Hahn. "Metro staff and bus drivers are already required to be vaccinated and the law enforcement officers and deputies who are charged with keeping our riders safe need to be vaccinated as well.” Metro currently contracts with three law enforcement agencies: the LA County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Long Beach Police Department. Sheriff Villanueva has so far refused to enforce the LA County employee vaccination mandate in his department and just 53% of his department’s employees are currently vaccinated. Metro’s staff will come back to the Board of Directors in early 2022 with a recommended approach to implement this new requirement. They will be considering whether the entire contracted law enforcement agency must have an employee vaccination requirement in place or if just the individual officers and deputies who patrol Metro buses and trains will need to be vaccinated
The La Mirada City Council recognized residents Howard and Lola Leggett and congratulated them on their 70th wedding anniversary during the November 23 council meeting. Howard and Lola first met in 1948 on a blind date. They dated for three years and got married on November 11, 1951. In December of 1960, they purchased their lifelong home in La Mirada, where they raised their three children. Howard was employed in the aerospace industry and Lola was a schoolteacher. Howard and Lola credit their 94year longevity and 70-year marriage to a very strong faith and active lifestyle. All three of their children frequently return to La Mirada to be with their parents. Howard and Lola have two grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. The City’s Anniversary Recognition program recognizes La Mirada residents on their 50th, 60th, 70th wedding anniversaries. For more information, contact the Community Services Department at (562) 943-7277.