Weekly Local Media post: No on A: 4; Yes: 2

May 22, 2013 in 2013 Issues, Cypress, Cypress Mesaure A, LART ("Los Al Race Track" property), Local Media review & reporting, Your reporting and comments

One of 3 lakes slated for destruction by Measure A.

One of 3 lakes slated for destruction by Measure A.

(Los Alamitos/Cypress, 5/22/2013)  It’s Wednesday, so it’s time for our weekly post where you get to report and comment on anything of local interest in any media.

One of our readers in Cypress was so excited about today’s News Enterprise that she unknowingly wrote my intro for this week’s column before I’d even my N-E.

Her e-mail arrived in my inbox early this morning:

Today’s News Enterprise (May 22, 2013)-

Front page : “Recording causes stir at meeting” … Chris Frost quotes a lot from Council Member Bailey in article, but also many other people, including Mayor Warren Kusumoto.

The Guest Column is titled: ”Bailey did disservice to all local residents” – great piece by Carol Biri.

Letters to the Editor: There are 4 of them; 3 are Read the rest of this entry →

Sylvias booed: Your reporting/comments on Monday’s 2 Los Al Council Meetings

May 20, 2013 in Decency, Your reporting and comments

bigrigs(5/20/2013, Los Alamitos) Updated 11:30 pm:  The regular meeting was over in about 2 hours, but not before a very interesting Oral Communication time with several twists.  See the first comment below for details. 

Then add your comments, or your report on the regular agenda items of either of the two meetings.

(Click here for agenda of the 5 pm Budget Workshop, followed by agenda item detailed reports and attachments.)

Click here for agenda of the 6pm regular meeting, followed by agenda item detailed reports and attachments.

Click here for  the despicable hit pieces passed out in some Los Al neighborhoods,the subject of much discussion, as you’ll see in the comments below.  Please, be  Read the rest of this entry →

N-E reveals conflict between LAUSD and youth sports over field fee increase

May 15, 2013 in 2013 Issues, City Budget, Local Media review & reporting, Parks and Recreation, Schools, Your reporting and comments

(5/15/2013, Los Alamitos) (Weekly Wednesday local media reporting & comments post)  Three things caught my attention in today’s News Enterprise, and two of them related to a controversy that’s been brewing for several weeks, when our School Board announced their intent to dramatically raise the field use fees charged to local youth sports groups such as AYSO and Friday Night Lights.

The District’s Athletic Fields have deteriorated badly, and the district is dramatically raising use fees to finance renovation and upkeep to avoid deterioration this time around.  The groups that use the fields haven’t had their fees raised for ten years, according to super-volunteer  Pete Carvajal, who wrote an excellent Guest Column on the subject that appears on page 4 of today’s N-E.  Pete’s headed up volunteer proprams for both Rossmoor School, AYSO, and also chaired Los Al’s Parks & Rec Commission, so he probably has as balanced a perspective as anyone on this.  As usual, Pete is both  Read the rest of this entry →

Backpedaling continues in Cypress, but is it enough? (Weekly Media Post)

May 8, 2013 in LART ("Los Al Race Track" property), Local Media review & reporting, Your reporting and comments

Cypress Wetlands 040 (2), Lois Waddle

Part of the Cypress Golf Course’s “back 9″ slated for homes under Measure A. Photo by Lois Waddle

Breaking News from the Citizens for Responsible Development.  Details to follow in a separate post, or in your comments below.(Los Alamitos/Cypress, 5/8/2013) Lots of local news for you to report and comment on again this week, much focused on Cypress’ double barreled issues,  Proposition A and the ProLogis Development, the result of last year’s Proposition L.

The photo on the left is one of several lakes on the “back 9″ of the old Golf Course, the area Proposition A wants to rezone from “Public/Semi Public” use to allow residential and local retail.  Proposition A also includes another ten acre parcel north and west of Costco which would be zoned for light industsrial, although the owner has offered some supposedly binding changes.

I’d still like to see it stay the way it is.

I’m off to a Traffic Commission tonight, so at this point I’ll let you report and respond to whatever you found of interest today or recently in any media relating to our town.

Click “read more” to post your report or comment Read the rest of this entry →

May Calendar: Los Alamitos Council Meeting this Monday, 5/20; Food trucks all month

May 6, 2013 in Community Calendar & Bulletin Board, Cypress, Your reporting and comments

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA(Updated 5/16/2013:  Food Truck lineups in comment below, next Los Al Council meeting this Monday, Cypress the following week)

(Los Alamitos)  The big news is another special City Council Meeting a week from today (Monday, May 6) with a 5 pm session to appoint or reappoint Traffic and Cable TV Commissioners followed by a 6pm Budget session.  Click here for the agenda for both meetings, followed by an extensive Staff Report.

Then on to the good stuff on Thursday as Food Truck Thursdays return to the U.S. Bank parking lot on Katella just east of Los Alamitos Blvd. from 5-8:30. Trucks this week include:  Read the rest of this entry →

Your 5/1/13 weekly media report: Prologis everywhere!

May 1, 2013 in LART ("Los Al Race Track" property), Local Media review & reporting, Your reporting and comments

schoolinlosal(5/1/2013, Los Alamitos) This weekly post is for you to comment and/or report on media items of  interest to West Orange County residents.

This morning, before I’d even gotten beyond the Register’s  Sports Section (DUCKS BEAT REDWINGS!!!!) or seen the News Enterprise I received the following e-mail from a dedicated Cypress community activist:

Hi everyone,

 I get the OC Register every day and have access to the online version and, good news, both versions have the latest ProLogis trucking story.  The hard copy is even better with a map of the area, etc.  The story is on Page 1 of the Local section of the OC Register, continues front & center on page 3.
This story does a really good job of telling our concerns about the project – so even though the title of the article may be about “developers cutting projects’ scope”, the article itself is great in that it talks a lot about the negative impact the facility would have on local school children….. the school district officials are speaking out now, in part, I think, Read the rest of this entry →

Your weekly media comments & reports post, 4/24-30, 2013

April 24, 2013 in 2013 Issues, Local Media review & reporting, Your reporting and comments

(4/17/2013, Los Alamitos)  It’s Wednesday, time once again for our weekly post that lets YOU let the world know what you’ve seen or heard of interest & what YOU think about it!

Once again we start with the only print weekly delivered to every home and business in Los Alamitos, our own News Enterprise.

The good news, at least where I live, is that the N-E seems to be arriving earlier every week, but I’m actually preparing this early, so I haven’t seen it yet!

I’m guessing our OC Breeze will arrive today as well, and I’m interested in how  Read the rest of this entry →

Update & your reporting/comments on tonight’s 2 Cypress City Council meetings (4/22/13)

April 22, 2013 in City Council Meetings, Cypress, LART ("Los Al Race Track" property), Your reporting and comments

maskstobreath

4/22/13 update:  Looks like the good folks at Cypress City Hall may be getting a bit nervous.  Earlier today one alert  citizen noticed this addition to the  City of  Cypress website:

 Speakers and members of the audience are asked to please observe meeting decorum by using courteous and professional language at all times, refraining from clapping, whistling, etc. in response to a speaker’s comments, and allowing speakers to provide comments without interruption.

That addition prompted this response from one Cypress resident:

City Hall wants ORDER:

 The most important thing of all is:  Keep the Citizens in Line.  No loudness.  No righteous anger.  Keep your emotions in check.  (Never mind that the residents have just been blind-sided.)    These remarks [quoted above]  are in BOLD on the Cypress website now! Is this ‘normal’ for cities to sometimes reinforce these ‘rules?’  Can these rules be enforced?   Where is the line between our Freedom of Speech and City Hall’s need for ORDER ??

An informed community member had the following wise reply (& advice):

If the city code has a piece in it that includes decorum (and they all do) then they have a right to enforce it. At the same time, a speaker has the right to invite the audience to interrupt them with “clapping if they agree” and then it would NOT be an interruption or lack of decorum as they have been invited to participate.

Sounds like it may be an interesting City Council meeting in Cypress  tonight!

If you make it there or catch some on cable TV, please scroll down to the comments section to report what you saw and what you thought.  Also any Read the rest of this entry →

There they go again! Your local media reporting post, 4/17-23

April 17, 2013 in 2013 Issues, Local Media review & reporting, Your reporting and comments

N E front page march 6(Los Alamitos, 4/17/2013)  I haven’t seen today’s News Enterprise yet, but I’m hoping it will include the following letter from your humble blogger.

If it doesn’t, it’s not Editor Ted’s fault, since I was a little tardy sending it in.

Regardless, it expresses an urgent concern for those of us who don’t want a second logistics facility build to the north of the one we’re already fighting.

Read it & act.

Then  Read the rest of this entry →

Dean Grose’s excellent idea: Your reporting on tonight’s City Council Meeting

April 15, 2013 in 2013 Issues, City Council Meetings, Your reporting and comments

council and audience 3 13 2013(Los Alamitos, 4/15/2013)  Today, sadly, was  a day that once again tore at our hearts (See “In Memorium.  Again.”).   So I hope you’ll excuse me & my lovely wife  for  seizing an opportunity to have dinner with our son in Westwood instead of attending Los Alamitos’ Regular City Council meeting.

After all, our tradition is for you to report on these events, so if you were there or caught it on LosAlTV3, or plan to watch it Tuesday morning or evening, please scroll down & report on what you saw & thought.

On the way back from Westwood, around 7:40, I noticed a group of around 15 people congregated outside the Council Chambers.

Around 9 I caught a bit on TV as the meeting was winding down with Council Member comments

Troy Edgar implied there was a fair amount of controversy, which I wouldn’t have guessed from the agenda, although there has been disagreement on that minutes matter.

One would think the events of the day in Boston  might spur people to try to work together.  Perhaps they did, because Troy then he had words of praise for Mayor Kusumoto, which seemed like a step in the right direction.

What impressed me, however, was a remark from Council Member Grose as  Read the rest of this entry →