Community News page 8
Chalk Talk School Events, page 2 - 3
The Community Paper of Record
Vol. 56, No. 18
Serving the San Gabriel Valley Since 1966
September 04, 2019
NORMS Celebrates Its First Anniversary in El Monte by Julie Carlson, Contributing Writer El Monte
With its iconic orange and white sawtooth sign shining against the blue sky, NORMS kicked off their one year celebration with an awards ceremony and a long line of hungry patrons waiting to get in. The event at 10620 Valley Blvd began with an opening from Mayor Andre Quintero who said, “I would like to thank you, Mike Colonna [President of NORMS], and the NORMS family for all the work that they’ve done this last year.” “I said when we just opened NORMS,” Quintero continued, referring to last year’s Grand Opening ceremony. “I would be here at 3 o’clock in the morning on the Saturday right after it opened and sure enough I was here with my mom and my dad, and with our assistant city manager, at the time, Alma Martinez. And guess who was serving the folks that were here at 3 o’clock? Mike Colonna.” The crowd gave a warm applause to Colonna who stepped up to the podium. He discussed the importance of being a part of a community, the diversity of the restaurant’s employees, and how 70% of NORMS original hires were still there. He
Courtesy Photo
even quipped the restaurants famous catchphrase: “NORMS ‘Is Where Life Happens.’” “It’s not about a pretty building, which we have,” Colonna said. “It’s not about great food, which we have. It’s not about affordable prices. You can still get an affordable breakfast for $8 bucks that will fill you up.
It’s really about the people. That’s what makes a business successful -- the relationship with the city, the community. The police department has been tremendous in supporting us and keeping the area safe. I think we’ve helped improve the entire corner...we have many, many years to go so, we need your support in the
future and I greatly appreciate it.” Along with the Mayor, Councilmember Victoria Martinez-Muela is also a big fan of NORMS. She stated a number of reasons why she loves visiting the establishment: being in El Monte and being open Norms Anniversary continued on page 15
Harumi “Bacon” Sakatini Details Story of Internment During WWII
by Julie Carlson, Contributing Writer El Monte
Set against the majestic mountain range of the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming are the army-style barracks located on the 1,500-acres of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center. These barracks are where detainees of Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants lived behind barbed wire fencing during World War II. Looking out of his barrack with cots stuffed with hay and a single light bulb hanging from a ceiling, that he shared with his family, Harumi Sakatini, wondered at the tender age of 13, why us? Now at the age of 90, as he travels around and lectures on his internment time, he provides answers to that question through his poignant PowerPoint presentation. On Monday, August 19, the La Historia Society hosted Sakatini at the El Monte
Photo Courtesy
Senior Citizens Center on 3129 Tyler Avenue. Sakatani was born and grew up in El Monte. His family later moved to West Covina where they had a strawberry farm, but that all changed when President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 after Japan
bombed Pearl Harbor. At the time, “relocation” centers for 117,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants living in the United States were created to protect them from harm from anti-Japanese sentiments or prevent espionage, it was said.
“There were instructions placed on buildings and telephone poles,” Sakatani said showing an image on screen of the Executive Order 9066. “You see those words aliens and non-aliens? They were used during Internment continued on page 15