Food Trucks return in April: Your March 2013 Los Alamitos Community Calendar
March 13, 2013 in City Council Meetings, Commissions, Community Calendar & Bulletin Board, News you can use, Planning & Community Development, Traffic, Your reporting and comments By: Dave Emerson
(3/21/13 Update: On again, off again, now it’s nothing until April. Details in comment # 5 below.
(3/7/2013, Los Alamitos, CA) (updated 3/13) Update: Maybe it was Pope Francis’ first miracle: The U.S. Bank on Katella apparently got their parking lot construction under control sooner than expected!
So, contrary to prior reports, we can expect the following food trucks from 5:30 – 8:30 Thursday night, 3/14/2013:
- Fresh Fries
- GarlicScapes
- Taco Maria
- Rancho A Go Go
There’s lots more going on around town this month from that Open House 3/19 for a planned trucking complex on Katella to a Traffic Commission Meeting tonight to several interesting changes (including 2 food trucks!) to the annual Spring Carnival & [formerly "Easter. . .] Egg Hunt at Cottonwood Park on Saturday, March 30th. Check it out:
- Tonight, 3/13/2012, Traffic Commission, 7 pm to work on traffic related Capital Improvements Projects for the next ten years among other things.
- Thursday, 3/14: Food Trucks return to St. Izzy’s & US Bank despite construction of solar panels in the Bank’s parking lot.
- Los Alamitos City Hall closed on Friday, 3/15 and 3/29
- Sunday, 3/17: Happy St. Paddy’s Day! Join local author, historian, (& celebrity?) Larry Strawther at 3 p.m. Los Al history talk & book signing at the Los Al-Rossmoor Library Call (562) 430-1048 to reserve a seat.
- Monday, 3/18: Los Alamitos City Council Meeting 6 pm .
- Tuesday, 3/19: Cypress Prologis Trucking Terminal Project will hold an open house from 7:30 – 9:30 pm at the Former Cypress Golf Course Clubhouse, 4921 Katella (on your left behind 24 hour fitness center as you head north at the Race Track’s main entrance) to discuss the project. Just what Katella needs: more truck traffic? You won’t want to miss what I expect to be a full court PR Press.
- Wed., 3/20: Cable Television Commission Meeting (Student Commissioner still needed, minimum age 16)
- Thursday, 3/21: Food Trucks return, hopefully (stay tuned)
- Monday, 3/25, Joint Commission Meeting to continue discussion on the General Plan, 6-8 pm.
- Wednesday, 3/27 OC Sanitation District Public Hearing on proposed rate increases. 6:30 p.m. in the OCSD Board Room, 10844 Ellis Avenue, Fountain Valley, California. You may protest the proposed rate changes at the public hearing or you may file a written protest by sending a letter to OCSD, 10844 Ellis Avenue, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 or an email to rates@ocsd.com. A valid protest letter or email must include your name, your property’s parcel number (from your tax bill or click here) and a statement of protest.
- Thursday, 3/28: Food Trucks?
- Friday, 3/29: Time to call Consolidated at 562-347-2100 to schedule April 3rd monthly free Hazardous Waste pickup for Los Alamitos residents & businesses.
- Friday, 3/29, Good Friday
- Saturday, 3/30, Spring Carnival at Little Cottonwood Park, with the Flip Truck & Pulp Fusion available for purchase. (scroll down for details)
- Sunday, 3/31, Easter Sunday
- Monday, 4/1 April Fools! What (if anything) will we post? What comment might you post? You have been warned! Will you remember? Will I?
- February 22, 2014. Save The Date, start training. Race on the Base 2014. (added by request via reader comment below).
That’s what I’ve got so far, but this is your community calendar, where you can post in a comment events that might interest our community, as well as your diplomatically stated perspective on some of the issues that will be coming up this month.
Parking is limited, plan to arrive early or be prepared to walk.
Hey Dave,
You left off February 22, 2014. Save The Date, start training. Race on the Base 2014.
Oops! Addition made! That reverse tri-athalon is unique enough I might just shrug off running 5k on concrete to give it a try.
In case you didn’t notice, we’ve already added several events to our March calendar.
Open house at the newtruck terminal on Katella!
Everyone from Los Alamitos is invited especially our city council. Reminds me of the line in the “Godfather”, when Don Corleone asks, “Why do I deserve this generosity?” It also reminds me of the old saying, “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”
So why the invitation? Because Cypress/developer needs a light at Enterprise or somewhere close along Katella to facilitate future development (not only the truck terminal) to the interior of the Race Track property.
If my memory on the city council serves me, the specific plan for the Race Track property only allows for 5 or 6 access points along Katella, only 3 of which can be signaled. Cypress needs Los Alamitos’ consent to allow another signal or change to the specific plan..if my memory serves me.
It seems to me there are two questions that need to be answered by the city of Cypress:
1. How do you address the concerns of those in Carrier Row?
2. How do you compensate aka. mitigate the citizens of Los Alamitos for the added traffic and wear and tear on our city streets?
The first specific plan for the race track property in the early 1980′s called for office uses and a hotel along Katella. Retail was to be at the corner of Cerritos and Walker. At that time the Los Alamitos City Council sued Cypress over the proposed specific plan and the result was a negotiated Traffic Mitigation Agreement. In the late 1990′s (when I was on he council) Cypress changed the specific plan without Los Alamitos approval to allow retail (COSTCO)along Katella and to provide a basis for their failed eminent domain suit against Cottonwood Christian Center. This change in the Specific Plan was a Per Se material breach of the traffic mitigation agreement with the City of Los Alamitos.
Unfortunately I could not get the then council majority of Poe, Jempsa and Bates to declare a material breach and re-negotiate the traffic mitigation agreement to include a portion of the potential sales tax revenue for the increased traffic. Alice Jempsa summed up the majority position when she said in a closed session meeting, ” If we sue Cypress,then who would we sit next to at the League of Cities meetings?”
The current city council needs to keep in the front of their collective minds that, they represent the citizens of Los Alamitos. Cypress has a problem. Until sufficient benefits are offered there is no need for OUR councilmembers to solve Cypress’ problem.
Again from the “Godfather”.. Mayor Kusumoto to Mayor Narain,”Its nothing personal Prakish, its strickly business”.
Today, at the start of school, and for every 15 minutes, a student at the Los Alamitos High School will be pulled from class. These students (all voluntary participants) will have died in a alcohol related fatality. The program Every 15 Minutes is put on every two years at LAHS.
The program is an outstanding one that has a deep effect on the students at LAHS. The program will continue tomorrow with assemblies for the students.
The program in Los Alamitos is put on by the Youth Center. If you are looking for a worthy cause to donate to, one that makes a visible difference in the lives of our children, please consider donating to this program.
You can learn more about the program at: http://www.theyouthcenter.org/every15minutes.htm
Just in from Rancho’s Chris Rocke. Our Los Alamitos Thursday night “Picnic at the Plaza (or at least in the US Bank paarking lot) Food Trucks are taking the rest of the month off.
No trucks tonight, 3/21/2013
No trucks next Thursday, 3/28/2013
Hopefully the trucks will return Thursday, April 4, 2013.
We’ll update as news is available. Regrettably, the relationship between the trucks and St. Isidore’s seems to have hit some bumps in the road.
But we’ve still got Nick’s, Hoff’s, Gourmet Pie, Katella Deli and about 40 other great places to eat in and around Los Alamitos. Without setting foot in Seal Beach!
Dave E with a reminder: No Los Al food trucks tonight, 3/28/2013
I’m told, however, that St. Isidore’s still has their fundraiser with beer, wine, and tacos plus a band, if you want to stop by after public comments at 6 pm tonight at the Los Alamitos City Council Special Meeting to consider legal options to Cypress Truck terminal project in closed session.
The food trucks plan to return next Thursday night, August 4, 2013.