January 7, 2022 La Mirada Lamplighter eNewspaper

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CALTRANS REROUTED TRAFFIC WITHOUT INFORMING CERRITOS, ILLEGAL MOVE WILL California COST THERedistricting CITY OVER $5Further MILLION PUNKED:

BY BRIAN HEWS 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.

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 CarmeniPhoto by Brian Hews

LET IT SNOW THE SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS received over four feet of snow from the last storm to hit Southern California. This picture was taken this past Sunday from a street in the city of Orange.

Commerce

Mother Honored for Bringing Awareness to the Dangers of Street Racing By Tammye McDuff In 2014, Lili Trujillo got the phone call every parent dreads. Her 16-year-old daughter Valentina was killed in a street racing crash. Wanting to prevent other kids and parents from going through that horrible pain, Trujillo started a nonprofit organi-

zation to bring awareness to illegal speed racing called ‘Speed Racing Kills’. The City of Commerce recently honored Trujillo and her friend Lori Argumedo, who lost a 23-year-old niece to street racing, for their advocacy to prevent street racing at their December City Council meeting. Trujillo made it her mission

to do all she could to prevent another parent from losing a child and by mentoring and creating awareness among the youth of Commerce of traffic safety and the dangers of street speeding and racing. The organization actively speaks and holds presentations at high schools, colleges, and

See RACING page 12

Crash Kills Reckless Driver in Cerritos

Greater Los Angeles TRASH piles up at a condominium complex in Hawaiian Gardens. The City choseCount Waste Resources Homeless Incorporated as their new hauler, who said they would immediately begin trash pick up. Photo Brian Hews. Resumes

flows onto arterial streets.” Isolates Hawaiian Gardens The City then cited the nu-

ta or Artesia is a city designated truck route, commercial vehicles over 6,000Hews pounds are strictly By Brian prohibited on the streets, per CityOn Municipal Code.” December 8, 2021, the The Caltrans rerouting of California Redistricting Comtrucks has caused severe dammission drew a draft map of the age and increased traffic at peak Congressional districts, placing hours, the extensive damage tiny Hawaiian Gardens, 78% alone is estimated “to cost $5.2 Hispanic, with affluent White million to repair,” and the “averand highly Asian Orange Counage daily traffic on said streets ty cities in the new 45th Conhas significantly increased and gressional District. The Commission used the same twisted logic in the Senate and Assembly Districts. "Are you kidding me?" said Hawaiian Gardens Councilwoman Myra Maravilla. In the beginning, the ComBY THOM MARTIN mission set its guidelines stating it wanted to put groups of CaliThe City held fornians livingofinLakewood "communities its annual Award of Valor lunof interest" on equal footing cheon on Nov. 6 to thank the men with cities and counties when it and women of the Los Angeles came to drawing the lines. County Sheriff’s Department and The Commission also stated Fire Department, as well as the itcommunity wanted tovolunteers follow the Voting who pro-

merous hazards causedvotby Rights safety Act and empower the rerouting of traffic, concerns ers in communities that have that been voiced by Cerribeenhave historically discriminated tos residents in calls and emails against. to both HMG-LCCN and They did neither with the the City. one-square-mile City of HawaiThe rerouting on Carmenita ian Gardens, approving districts takes large trucks by two schools, that appear punitive and that Stowers Elementary and Carmefurther isolate the City and its nita Middle school in addition residents. Communities of interest? See CALTRANS page 14 The 45th Congressional District has cities that do not match Hawaiian Gardens; highly Asian communities of Buena Park, Fountain Valley, Westminster, and Garden Grove. Voting Rights Act? The raaction, jumping outCongressioof her car cial makeup of the grabbing the boy and helping the nal District is only 23% Latino, woman. which would dilute the level of She took themthat to Artesia High representation Hawaiian School, where they received medGardens will have in Congress. ical assistance and were ultimateAccess to bilingual resources ly transported to the hospital. and topics that matter most to Because of her selfless acSeethe HAWAIIAN pagere16 tions, City ofGARDENS Lakewood cently awarded Bridget with the Mayor’s Award at the city’s annual Awards of Valor ceremony. "I always wondered what I would do when faced with a situation like this one," said Perrizo. "By the grace of God, I had the courage to take action. I'm so glad that both the mom and son are okay, and I'm so honored to receive this award.”

ARTESIA HIGH STAFF-MEMBER RECEIVES AWARD OF VALOR FROM LAKEWOOD

tect and serve Lakewood. Bridget Perrizo, a staff member at Artesia High was honored when she helped two people that was being attacked by a dog. Bridget, was headed back to work from lunch when she spotted a dog attacking a woman and young boy. The dog had knocked them to the ground and they were screaming for help. Bridget immediately took

Are You Unknowingly Being Tracked by an Apple AirTag?

See HERO page 15

By Tammye McDuff TRASH WILL FINALLY GET CLEANED UP IN HAWAIIAN GARDENS BY BRIAN HEWS

“Poor leadership, no foresight on the situation, typical of this While rotting trash is accumu- City Council,” former Hawaiian lating in many parts of Hawaiian Gardens Mayor Rey Rodriguez Gardens, Mayor Myra Maravilla told HMG-LCCN. and the City Council finally conThe staff report included in ducted a hearing, waiting an en- last week’s meeting presented tire week, and allowing the trash clear evidence that CWS was in A CAR with a blanket covering dead driver is to MANGLED accumulate even more, to once violation of itsthecontract with the among the carnage at South and Bloomfield. The city's COW bus again discuss terminating CWS’ City, but Mayor Maravilla and the was also slightly damaged. contract. Council were apparently afraid to Under the Ralph M. Brown pull the termination trigger, leavAct, Maravilla and the City Coun- ing residents driving by stinky was killed when ended truck, accil One couldperson have sent out a notice piles ofthe trashdelivery for the foreseeable aand FedEx box truck and several cording to the sheriff’s departheld a meeting within two future. other vehicles crashed Wednesment. days to address the situation. The voluminous staff report day morning in Cerritos. About six vehicles were inThe crash was reported at volved in the collision, the Los about 10:30 a. m. near Bloom- Angeles County Fire Departfield Avenue and South Street. ment said. At least one person A driver split lanes and rear- was trapped in wreckage.

Every year, the Los included several default letters, Angeles Homeless Services which, under California’s Public Authority [LAHSA] compiles Resource Code Section 49000, and analyzes the data that starts the clock on termination. hundreds of volunteers collect City staff even went the extra within their own communities. step and attempted to work with as housing place- and CWSEven to cure the breaches ments reach new heights, 2020 defaults starting in March of this Greater Los Angeles Homeless year, each of which gave CWS Counttoshowed an unprecedentsteps resolve the defaults. ed rise in homelessness. Justnoa In addition to the default few years into also a decade-long tices, the City attempted to investment with Measure H,but arrange meetings with CWS LA’s homeless services CWS did not attend mostsystem meetings. is preventing and ending homelessness for more people Seebut TRASH than ever before, the page hous-15 ing crisis, economic disparities and the never-ending pan-

See HOUSING page 12

By Brian Hews

Bluetooth technology and emit a digital signal that can be detected Ever heard of an Apple by devices running Apple’s moAirTag? An AirTag is a 1.26-inch bile operating system. Those dedisc with location-tracking capa- vices then report where an AirTag bilities that Apple started selling has last been seen. earlier this year as a way “to keep The device is connected to track of your stuff,” users attach Apple’s location-tracking netit to their keys, wallet, purses and work, called “Find My,” trigger backpacks in case they misplace alerts to unknown iPhones they or lose them. travel with. The device is a puck-shaped Privacy groups sounded gadget that's 0.31 inches in alarms about the coin-sized locaheight. All-in-all, it's about the tion-tracking devices when they size of a piece of staff-member Mentos candy.Bridget werePerrizo introduced. Now ARTESIA HIGH received thepeople Awardare of It willfrom be able to fit intofor most wal-twoconcerned those fears are being Valor Lakewood saving in a dog attack. lets, although it won't fit as nicely realized. as if it were as thin as quarter or In recent months, people have the shape of a credit card. posted on TikTok, Reddit and The device is equipped with

See AIRTAG page 11


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