News
Lakewood Community 30,000 delivered to Lakewood and portions of Long Beach
Official publication of the Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce
www.lakewoodnews.org
Volume 30 Number 3
March 2014
L.A. County needs a new Sheriff and Youth Hall of Fame honors Lakewood’s got the “good guy” for the job new batch of athletes John Paul “J.P.” Crawford received top honors as Athlete of the Year at the Lakewood Youth Hall of Fame awards event February 24 at The Centre at Sycamore Plaza. Along with Crawford, a total of 65 athletes and teams were honored at the 33rd annual banquet, a tradition recognizing the accomplishments of Lakewood’s student athletes.
Lakewood is a tight knit community. We make it a point to get to know our neighbors and city officials. If you’re new to the area, and are not already familiar with Todd Rogers, let me take a moment to introduce you. Todd Rogers has been a Lakewood resident since 1986. Along with his wife Sally, they have raised two sons here and he considers Lakewood home. It was none other than Rogers, in the 1990s, which led the effort for an independent Lakewood Unified School District. He
organized Lakewood residents to improve their community’s schools by demanding more local control. The effort was met with a tremendous amount of political push back, which led to the State Board turning down the initiative in 2001. Rogers has continued his efforts in educational reform and in 2008 founded the Lakewood Education Foundation, the nonprofit organization provides direct support to students and teachers. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $274,000 in
grants to Lakewood classrooms. The process however, gave way for an opportunity that Rogers couldn’t pass up - an open city council seat. In March 2001, Todd Rogers proved overwhelmingly to be the perfect candidate. He was re-elected in March 2005, March 2009 and March 2013, running unopposed, he returned to office for an additional fouryear terms. He also served terms as Lakewood mayor in 20042005 and 2009-2010. He was reelected in 2013 and his current (Cont’d. on pg. 10)
2014 Lakewood Economic Forecast Luncheon tickets on sale now
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - J.P. Crawford, Lakewood High School – Baseball PERFORMERS OF THE YEAR Badminton - Michelle Seang, Lakewood High School Baseball - Kyle Carpenter, Mayfair High School Basketball - Jarrod Sheffield, Mayfair High School Cross Country - Ellis Newton, Mayfair High School Football - Fou Fonoti, Michigan State University (Mayfair HS) - Jarid Joseph, Lakewood High School - Keith Walker, Mayfair High School Golf - Jacqueline Wang, Saint Joseph High School Gymnastics - Marissa Martinez, Saint Joseph High School Sand Volleyball - Tyler Jackson, Long Beach State Univ. (Lakewood HS) Soccer - Carolina Ornelas, Cerritos College (Artesia HS) - Jenna Pillon, Saint Joseph High School Softball - Janel Hayes, Lakewood High School Swimming
John Paul “J.P.” Crawford - Daniel McArthur, Lakewood High School Track and Field - Jacob Orozco, Lakewood High School - Michael Perez-Rogers, Long Beach State Univ. Volleyball - Megan Kruidhof, Lakewood High School Water Polo - Ryan Dorris, Lakewood High School Wrestling - Chris Bartholomew, Mayfair High School DISTINGUISHED NOMINEES Baseball - Javier Alvarez, Lakewood High School Basketball - Lauren Hong, Saint Joseph High School - Michele Pennala, Saint Joseph High School Cross Country - Sarah Hernandez, Lakewood High School - Kala Kopecek, Saint Joseph High School Football - Tytus Simmons, Artesia High School (Cont’d. on pg. 4)
Special additions to Lakewood’s 60th Anniversary event Keynote speaker Dr. Robert A. Kleinhenz is Chief Economist at the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation.
Keynote speaker Donna Davis is the Regional Adminstrator, Region IX, for the Small Business Administration.
Sonia Southwell, Community Development Director for City of Lakewood.
The Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and the City of Lakewood will host the 2014 Economic Forecast Luncheon on Wednesday, March 26, from 11:30am to 1:30pm, at The Centre at Sycamore Plaza in Lakewood. The event is designed to provide essential tools to help you survive
and prosper in the ever-changing global economy. Keynote speakers will address city, regional, state and national economic issues. This year’s keynote speakers are, Dr. Robert A. Kleinhenz, the Chief Economist at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, and Donna Davis, SBA Regional
Administrator Region IX. In addition, Lakewood’s Community Development Director, Sonia Southwell, will present the city’s future development opportunities. The event’s Master of Ceremonies will be John Kelsall, President/CEO for the Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are available through the Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce. The luncheon price is $35 for chamber members and $45 for non-members. Sponsorship and marketing opportunities are available to promote your business. Registration and networking will begin at 11:30am, and the program will start promptly at noon. For more information, please call the chamber at 562-531-9733.
Lakewood Community News #24 Lakewood Center Mall Lakewood, CA 90712 (562) 531-9733
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An author’s book signing of the new Lakewood commemorative photo book and the sale of two special Lakewood collector’s pins have been added to the list of attractions at the city’s 60th birthday Open House on Friday, March 21 at The Centre at Sycamore Plaza at 5000 Clark Avenue. The recently-released 127-page nostalgic collection of Lakewood photographs, with detailed captions, will be available for signing by its well-known author, longtime Lakewood resident D.J. Waldie. The book will be available for $15. Past Lakewood historical books will also be available for sale, including The Lakewood Story and the first edition of the awardwinning Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir. On sale for $1 will be a 60th anniversary collector’s lapel pin, and for $2 there will be a special “Lakewood Incorporator” pin (a replica of the metallic pin distributed to original Lakewood
residents in 1954 after the city’s successful incorporation election). More collector’s pins will be made available at future city events throughout 2014. “The commemorative photo book should be a nice addition to the coffee table or bookshelf of any Lakewood home,” said Mayor Steve Croft. “It has some classic and (Cont’d. on pg. 7)