City Council - Regular Meeting

We call to order the regular meeting of the City of La Mirada City Council, August 2, 5, 2026. Call to order. We can open up with the invocation from Pastor Joe Marsha from La Mirada Christian Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by the Arts Colony of La Mirada. Please proceed.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your unconditional love, infinite wisdom, and endless grace. We also thank you for this evening and for the men and women who lead and serve La Mirada. Grant your blessing upon every member of La Mirada City Council, staff, public servants, and first responders. We pray every word that's spoken and every decision that's made pleases you and benefits the city of La Mirada. And finally, Lord, we thank you for guiding the La Mirada Little League All-Stars to the Junior League World Series Championship. Father, we could not be prouder of this city and these boys and everyone that made it happen. It's in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Okay, remain standing. Right hand over your heart. Ready, begin.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

Thank you. Roll call, please.

Council Member B? Here. Council Member E?

Here.

Council Member Lewis? Here. Mayor Pro Tem DeRose? Here. Mayor Otero?

Here. Item 5.1, recognition of the 2026 La Mirada Little League All-Star Juniors League Baseball World Series Champion Team. Mr. City Manager, I'll take it from here if you don't mind, sir. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we've been here for a very, very special occasion. As you can tell by this piece of iron sitting here next to me, that'll be the La Mirage version of the Stanley Cup. We'll rotate it and everyone will have a chance to hold it and breathe on it and look at it and be very, very proud. Gentlemen and family and Garner guests here, Ms. Clerk, will you please read the honor guest here for recognition, please?

With us this evening, we have Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School Board President, Dr. Rob Cantio. Vice President, Becky Langenwalter. Board Member, Narcis Brasov. Board Member, Mark Copeland. Student Board Member Kaden Kang. And Superintendent Tanya Magana. We also have with us this evening the Superintendent of Whittier Union High School District, Dr. Monica Oviedo. And Field Deputy Ivan Sulik of Supervisor Hahn's office. And Daniel Aguilar.

And you can't forget the one and only Ben Webster is way back there. What a journey, family. What an incredible journey here today. To the parents, thank you. Each parent here, thank you very much for what you've done. Not only did you play an active role in creating this child, obviously, standing before us, one parent there, or some grandparents, somebody, somewhere, took a ball in the back and played with these young men. And they got the spark in them to love America's game. To take the passion, to have the dedication that I know sometimes requires a parent's force of whatnot. We know that to get here, it's not to show up and you throw a ball and you play. There's hitting coach, batting coaches, strength conditioning, so much footwork that goes in, so much skill that goes into this. And it's clearly evident that when these young men went on this journey to take this undefeated season, and not only represent this community, but represent our country, You could tell that they were legit. They were legit. From watching them play, from their footwork, from their stutter step to get their footwork right, to getting their glove in the dirt where it belongs. I'm sure you guys learned that in T-ball. The glove belongs in the dirt. I'm sure most of you started fielding with playing with a kitchen mitt of sorts to get the ball used to you in your hand. And here you are today. Parents, thank you for traveling with them. for taking on the expenses with them for missing work. Because when we were watching you on TV, you guys were savages, you were there. And I gotta say it, the moms you represented, you ladies were representing all of our ESPN plus. To the coaching staff, You young man, your skill set, your dedication to fundamentals was clearly evident. When you saw a double play come through, your mechanics were there. They were just snap, crackle, pop. There was no hesitation where the ball needed to go. Your baseball IQ was pretty stellar, so much that the announcers were commenting on it. And that's a direct reflection on the coaching. Coach, the environment you made for these young men to not only play baseball but develop as young men will stay with them for the rest of their lives. The journey, the things you taught them that they'll take with them on and off the field will make them better men, better husbands, and maybe better fathers one day because they got to know you and play under your toolage. Thank you for that. Thank you for the environment which you provided for them. Thank you. So gentlemen, I understand that you guys had a very spirited time in the hotel rooms from time to time. Little birdie said that when the parents are trying to enjoy themselves, they kept getting called. Could coaches please come to the hallway? Please come to the hallway. And rest assured that there's no penal code violations or any of that going on. It's just boys being boys and being loud and being boisterous. And I guarantee you, it's those times you guys had with each other, the tomfoolery, the call it what you want, it's something you're going to remember forever. It's the times off the field you're going to remember forever. Coach created an environment for these young men that they only played America's sport, but they also had time between games to enjoy themselves and just be young men, just enjoy themselves. Here in the tail where day before a game, you guys are jumping off cliffs into water. Who does that? You know, most coaches have their kids on lockdown, going over watching you do the situation. What do you do here? They got the pitcher and catcher grilling them on what they're going to do, how they're going to do it. But not this coach. The environment paid off. Because there was more in baseball about life than about being responsible young men. Now, I got to tell you, boys, that last game, extra innings. My wife is sitting right there. We were in San Diego for a concert, and I was yelling my head off in the room. She was telling me, you need to calm down. I said, you don't understand what's going on here. I have Councilman Lewis texting me, and he didn't have ESPN+, so I'm going play by play. So he's telling me, hey, when they win this, we're going to, I said, pump your brakes real quick. I said, it's basis loaded. Taipei's got zero hours and it's basis loaded. Let's get our rosaries out and start praying.

Let's start praying.

And the Hail Mary's works. For those of you that watched. There were so many opportunities for you gentlemen to crumble. There were so many opportunities to get mad at one another, to take it out on one another, and just implode, and you didn't. Maybe you did off screen or off camera, but on camera, I'm telling you, bases loaded, no outs. Who pulls that off? You guys did. You guys pulled it off. I have never seen a performance, maybe when Yankees were talking trash to the Dodgers, the Dodgers came back and beat them in their home, in their stadium. That was a good comeback. You guys fought them off, and you fought on, and you did not give up. You did not. Next inning, you know, it goes in, and everyone's doing the international tiebreaker. This is bunt. Put him in a position to run. Put him in a position to run. And then the strategy changed. And I think that's when the tempo changed for the game, and I think Taipei wasn't ready for that. Nobody was ready for that. When the coaching staff decided to say, where's he at? He's swinging for the fences. Where?

He's going for it.

Amazing because when you got that hit and we put people on base, Taipei didn't know what to do. They got the wind knocked. Their wind was gone at that point. It was no longer just Bon advance the runner and let's go because even the announcers were saying it's going to be more than one run to win this. Someone has to put more than one run in because otherwise we're going to be here all day. And so I had the opportunity to meet the coaches, and I asked them, hey, who made that call? I mean, seriously, who made that? Because you're throwing it all in. You're putting all your chips in. Let's go. We're going to get 21. We're going to get it. And I was surprised but pleased to hear that for this team, it's a consensus. The coaches get together. They put their heads together. They say, hey, what do you think? And they vote. And whoever gets outvoted, okay, you get outvoted. But they live with it. And what was amazing to hear is that the coaches, you guys said, no, let's all do it. There was no deviation. We're going for it. We're going big or go home. You guys went big, and you're home when you're here. We are so incredibly proud of you. That out there, once you guys won, the demand for parade, of this, of that, calls are coming in. Talking to Matt, parade, I said, I've never put on a parade. I've won many parades in my life. I've been stuck at a corner stop and don't stop for Lakers and Dodgers all my career, and I've seen it, I've never put one on, never have put one on. But like true to form in this community, I'm telling you, the community came together like magnets, not like breaking apart, but magnets attracted to each other. Everybody was volunteering to help. What can we do? How can we do this? The help was there. Again, talk to the city manager and say, this is the vision, this is what we wanna do, go. And our staff, how'd y'all like that double-decker bus? I saw that, I was like, oh, that was legit. I mean, that's like, that's Dodger level right there. Of course, no champagne and no stuff going on there. I don't think so. Some of the coaches, I don't know. But it was legit. We're proud of you. Your community's proud of you. Gentlemen, your nation is proud of you. Let that... Let that sink in. You not only represented this amazing town, the state, you represented the country on the world stage. Believe it or not, the world was watching. There are people who follow this internationally. They were watching you battle. They were watching you fight. They were watching a first baseman make an incredible catch that the game before he reached over. Yeah, he's like 6'8". Of course he does. If you follow the series and the journey of this team, like Coach said, every player had a role to play at different times. And your role was so crucial. From just putting the ball in play. Get the ball in play. Know your role. Put it in play. We can win with singles. Just put the ball in play. People did that. And those who swing for the fences won for the fences. The last few innings of that last game, sorry outfield, you guys were probably picking daisies in the outfield because it was all infield battle. The last pitcher and catcher, you guys face some significant adversity. And you'll learn some of it's self-imposed, right? But there's, I don't know if you guys follow these stoics or stoicism, but one of the, I think it was Marcus Aurelius put it in so many words that you can't control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to it. And you guys acted like professionals who were highly trained and dedicated. You can coach a lot of things in life, but you can't coach heart and tenacity. And parents, you raised some young men here with some heart and tenacity and drive like none other, otherwise I wouldn't be here today. So thank you again for what you did for representing this community, this state, this country on the world stage. And now I'm gonna stop bloviating and we're gonna get on to passing out some certificates. I think you have so many certificates here, you're probably going to need a new trophy room to display them all. But we're going to call the boys up one by one. We have a city photographer. We'll get pictures of this as well. Coach, we'll make all the photos available to you all so you can push them out to your family or team moms. You guys can take care of that stuff. And with any further delay, let's get this going, shall we? Mr. City Manager.

Okay, first we will call up lead president, Aaron Adler.

Congratulations. What did you put? What do I do?

Thank you families, especially .

There it is, no? That's all, that's all.

Thank you to this group. Thank you to Ray. Thank you to the coaching staff. Thank you to this group. Amazing group of young players. Quite a journey, right parents? We started in Norwalk, then we played in La Mirada, then we played in Mission Viejo, then we played in Bend, Oregon, which was a great town. If you're going, go to Bend, Oregon. It's very nice there. Then Michigan, obviously, was just crazy. It was muggy. It was slightly rainy. Thanks for all the parents that made that trip. That's what makes our league special, is the parents and the players. But especially the parents. And I see them all here. Most of them made that trip. Thank you so much. And that means a lot to me. So thank you, coaches. And thank you, team moms. Team moms that ruled the roost. And our board members as well. Our board members worked hard from the very day one to get this season going. So I appreciate it. Thank you.

Next up is manager Ray Hargey.

Take a picture first.

Congratulations. Wait, do you want to dress the crowd, or are you good?

That's me.

All right, I got you. Just really quickly, one more time, I do want to thank our city and our community for coming around together. This was, it was emotional. I mean, for me, all the stuff, you know, and being online and being everywhere in town, everybody, you know, overly confident, it's just how I live, but for our city and our community, I am so thankful to each and every one of you guys. Our city staff that came out here, and they had a big part in this as well, right, and Our high school, Mr. Webster and Jimmy Zurn, allowing us to go practice on the field. It's the best facility in the country, in my opinion. I get to coach there, right? So it might be a little biased, but I think it's true. Our District 29 people over here, Shirley and Gary. We got to be with a lot of districts. We have the best people running our district, so we are very thankful to you guys. Even though you don't let me play music at the games, I still love you. And then for my president and his first lady over here, Erin and Monica, there's nothing that we can do. We couldn't do it without you guys, so thank you guys for all the sacrifices that you guys make. I mean, I couldn't imagine doing what you guys do. I'm on the board, and they'll tell you I rarely show up to stuff, so... and then you know we have some unsung heroes we have uh tara who's our our player agent sacrifices everything he's there all the time and michael gonzalez also the sacrifices Without that group of people. So for our city, we're just very lucky. We're very proud to be from here. Everybody that knows me, if you see me, when I wear a hat, it's always L.M. It's different colors. I was like, where do you get all these? I've been coaching here for 14 years, right? I just wear a different one every time. So for everybody, for you guys, all of you guys, thank you guys. We really, really appreciate it. We love you guys, and thank you for supporting us because, man, I'm about to start crying. Let's go!

Next up, Coach Ernie Jaime.

First of all, I want to thank, like Ray said, he pretty much covered it all. He's kind of shy sometimes, you can tell. But you pretty much covered everything. I want to thank, first, my wife, my son, Alonzo. He was a game changer for a while. Also, my parents, they went to Oregon. Hey, shout out to them. They're awesome. But overall, the whole community, like Coach said, I've been coaching like 10 years. And this is just like the cherry on top, right? Because the boys have been working super hard. And we just balled out. We have a lot of talent here. And I'm just excited to be part of it. I told the mayor the other day, we have like a Ferrari. The coach said a Ferrari. We just said, don't crash. Take it and don't do nothing dumb and you're gonna be good. So overall, boys, super proud of you guys. And again, Sydney, thank you guys and let's go.

Next up is coach Anthony Ortega.

I don't know about speech, but thinking of the parents, it was rough. It was hot. Wherever we went, it was hot. We went to Oregon, hot. Came back here, hot. Michigan, it was cloudy and ugly, hot.

So, hot.

Thanks for everyone for the ride. This is, I love to represent the city. Like Ray said, you know, whatever you wear is LM. We, certain people were born here, raised here. We love this town and it's our home. And thank you for everybody. This is a fun trip and we'll see these boys here a couple more years for the high school championship.

Next is coach Ricky Rios.

He's not here. Ricky's out recruiting more students to play. He's currently in Tennessee looking for some talent.

He'll be back. Next are our team administrators. We'll begin with Heidi Haraghi.

Heidi! Heidi! Heidi! Heidi! Heidi!

Thank you to the parents. I mean, we're a family, right? We talk about it on group chats, and we're always coordinating where we're going to be and how we're going to cheer on the boys. You've been for this parade.

Where are you going to be?

Are you going to be at the end or the front? Yeah. Boys, I mean, they're a handful. They're a handful. But we all came together, picking up the uniforms and up our laundry at the end of the night or whatever it was. The kids didn't get fed. Nico was making sure that everybody was fed, everybody was taken care of, nobody had any injuries. So we were all in it as a team. So this La Mirada community is just the best, and we're a family.

Just for awareness, what's going to happen at the end, the boys, we're going to be here. You're going to come around and stand behind us and take a picture. The city will take pictures of that. I know some of you out there want your iPhones. That's cool. Get your iPhones out. But we're going to take that picture right back here. You guys get your certificates. Eventually, we're going to come on back.

Next is Monica Salas.

Hold on. ESPN had her front and center all the time.

I just want to thank everybody that's involved, our whole team, our league. We are a big family, and I love you guys. Thank you.

Next is... Next is Adam Brewer.

Next is Nathan Dowland.

Next is Lucas Galleta. Next is Noel Jaime.

Next is Noah Hargi.

Next is Blake Leal. Next is Jayden Lopez.

hello hello Jeremiah Ortega. Ryan Rios. And last but not least, Jaden Valdez. I'm not bored. Can someone at the end hold this? Or they'll get their faces. It doesn't happen without you. Everyone knows that.

Absolutely. Don't hide your pretty faces.

Look in the middle right quick. One, two.

Okay, attendees here, we're gonna change the medium a bit.

We're gonna do our council comments.

If you want to stick around, you can. If you want to hear a comment, you can. It'll be quick. If you want to step outside and enjoy the agua frescas and everything that's out there, we're going to get your feelings. But we're going to go on with our comments. And so I'll give you a couple minutes if you're going to do your thing.

Stick around for five minutes. My bad, I'm sorry.

Just five minutes, the mayor screwed up. You were doing that. I know, I know, and I screwed it up. Okay, we're gonna get on with our comments. We're gonna change up a little bit. We're gonna go to item number nine. Council comments, I'll start to my far right. Councilman Lewis, please go.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I wanna congratulate you all for the win, the World Series. We haven't seen that in a long time, and this is gonna be remembered for a very, very long time. So everybody but the players, let's give them a round of applause. It was very, very exciting. I'd like to say I watched it, but as the mayor was saying, I kept texting the mayor saying, what's happening now, what's happening now? But I said, in the middle of a store, and he's going, they're on third, they're on fourth, they're on fifth, there's a double play, and I'm like, oh my God, this is great. I'm going crazy just going in circles in the middle of the store. but uh my hat's off to you it's you know it's going to be a long until hopefully next year we see you guys back again but it's been a long time since it's happened and it's great for the city and and as the mayor said you know the world was watching and you guys came through so our hats off to you and once again thank you for everything you have done for the city of la morada you have made us look great la morada strong so thank you i appreciate it

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. You know, you're gonna carry something with you the rest of your life. You guys are champions. Whatever you do, wherever you go, you will always be champions. So this isn't the end, this is the beginning. So take all of this and be a champion in everything you do from here on out because you've been positioned to be champions. Take it to the next level and the next level and the next level. And the thing that you take with you is what your coaches gave you, teamwork. You never succeed without being part of a team. That team has to work together, it rolls together, it stays together. and your coaches gave you that. Remember that. You're gonna be a part of a team when you leave here, when you grow, college, whatever you do. Teamwork, be a part of that team, and bring that championship mentality into that team, and you will always succeed. God bless you guys, and thank you for making La Mirada proud.

Thank you, Dr. Mayor Portem, Dr. Drews. I'll go to my extreme left, Councilwoman Bean.

Thank you, Mayor Otero. Part of our requirements as elected officials is to share with you all, for transparency's sake, the places that we've traveled and the events that we represent in the City of La Mirada. So last week, I want to share with you that a team of La Mirada attended the monthly Contract Cities board meeting, and that team included city staff and city manager, myself, and Commissioner Alan Peters. Among the few honored guests who completed the City Officials Academy, hosted by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, so congratulations to Ellen Peters, every year that meeting has a theme for the meeting. And like the Mayor Pro Tem was talking about, the theme of that meeting was team. So it was really wonderful and I was so grateful that the entire La Mirada team wore La Mirada jerseys. And I want to point to, and they all know that I've done this many times, to that side wall there. And you can see the city's vision and mission statement and the city values. And on that wall, the value that I want to point out that's listed there and framed is teamwork. La Mirada Little League, you not only exemplified teamwork in your outstanding victory this season, you all demonstrated the greatest dedication to faith, tradition, and unity that we have seen in a long time. You are La Mirada, and as the Mayor Pro Tem said, you are champions for life. Great teammates rally around each other and work through challenges, even when they are painful and emotional ones, even when the path is hard, because great leaders, and that's all of you young, inspirational leaders, great leaders know that through the challenges, waiting on the other side is the championship. Boys, parents, coaches, you have made a city proud. You have made La Mirada proud. And we couldn't be more grateful to you for sharing the victory, your story with us. Mrs. Ong, Ryder, you are loved and cherished and he's right here with us. Thank you and good night.

Thank you, Councilman Bean. Dr. Eaton. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I've been mayor three times, never been in a parade before. Yeah, so now I know what it takes. But you know, when I think of champion of the World Series, you know what that means? You're the best of the best. You really are. You're the best of the best. And your families is proud of you. The whole entire city is proud of you. And more importantly, everyone up here says something pretty similar. Remember La Mirada and remember what got you there. Teamwork, trust, and the people, your coaches, everybody that got you here. Don't ever forget what they did for you in your life. Honestly, to get to a World Series and winning the whole thing requires something different. I call it the X factor. It's something, almost the ability to endure pain more than other people, and also that focus. That focus of backing everything out and just seeing the ball coming. I don't play baseball, just so you know. I just don't. I've never swung a bat before. I always get nervous because it's like a rock coming at you. So I never play. But to get to where you've been, winning the World Series is just amazing. But I just want to let you know the journey has just began. You're world champions now, but it's how you carry yourself as a champion that really matters. So be a champion, inspire people, and help others live to new heights. Congratulations.

I think I've spoken enough for today, so my comments will be limited to nothing tonight. Thank you very much. So that being said, we're gonna move around this agenda. We'll move to item 5.1, we completed that. We'll move to item 6.1 if that's okay. Do you wanna let the crowd take their leave if they wish to? We're gonna appoint somebody to the senior council. If you wanna stick around and hear it, you're welcome to hear it. If you don't, we're not gonna get offended if you want to go ahead and leave. So we gave you a few minutes and then we'll continue with the meeting. If not, we'll see you outside.

Public comment, yeah.

You got it, okay. Are we ready for item 6.1? OK, I think we're good.

Item 6.1, Mr. City Manager. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of the City Council. Joseph Hong applied to serve on the Senior Council and was interviewed by Senior Council Chair Mary Hall and Senior Council Member Mary Doss. A resident of the Somerset Glen senior apartment community, Mr. Hong expressed a strong interest in serving his community. He moved to La Mirada in 2025 after living abroad in Singapore and Korea, where he worked as a project developer before retiring. His background includes volunteering for a hot lunch delivery program in Seoul, Korea, and providing translation assistance, both locally and abroad. He's eager to help connect senior community members with information and services to enhance their quality of life. So with that, it's recommended the City Council appoint Joseph Hong to the Senior Council for a term ending in June of 2027.

Administrative Managers, for the record, we will appoint him today, but he'll be taking those at a later date, is that correct? That's correct. Okay, so item 6.1, any comments or questions on the dais? So moved. We got a first, can I get a second, please? Second. I got a first, and we got two seconds, so we'll take one of them, and we'll call, please.

Council Member Bean? Aye. Council Member Ng?

Aye.

Council Member Lewis? Aye. Mayor Pro Tem DeRose? Aye. Mayor Otero?

Aye. Moving on to item seven, public comment. Anyone wishing to address the council, please approach, state your name, and I think we have the shot clock going, so please be cognizant, thank you.

Good evening, Honorable Mayor, members of the City Council, and the wonderful La Mirada community. My name is Octavio Duran. I'm Director of Market Development for EDCO, and a proud 40-year resident of La Mirada. I am joined here tonight by our La Mirada Field Representative, Candy Soto. As your exclusive waste hauler, EDCO is proud to be a family-owned and operated company. For us, being a true community partner is at the heart of everything we do. We were absolutely thrilled to join today's celebration to include having an EDCO truck join these champions on their historic parade from Beringer Park to City Hall. To keep the celebration going throughout the city, two residential trash trucks will be running for the next month featuring large side stickers congratulating our world champions. What these young athletes achieved is truly historic. Capping off an undefeated postseason with an epic 10th inning 6-3 victory over Asia Pacific to bring home the World Series title. That title has brought immense pride to the La Mirada community. The league president isn't here, but to the team manager, team of administrators, coaching staff, thank you for your incredible leadership. On behalf of the entire Edco family, Candy and I are proud to present a cheque for $1,000 to help support the continued success of La Mirada Little League. Wow. Thank you.

For you guys that don't know, me and Octavio, we actually served on the La Mirada Soccer Association board together for years. So to get this check from him and Edco, awesome. I didn't know it was going to come from him. So, man, we're buddies from way back. So thank you so much. We appreciate it, man. Thank you. Thank you.

Good evening, La Mirada City Council. My name is Raymond Fernandez and everybody knows Octavio. We are a part of the Board of Directors for the La Mirada Rotary Club and we are inviting you all and folks here on camera or in viewership to September 3rd at Gondolas. La Mirada Rotary Club is inviting you all or whomever can make it to attend an event where we will be presenting another $1,000 check to the La Mirada Interact Club an extension of Rotary for all that they do. So if you have any questions, please contact myself or the La Mirada Rotary Club and then we'll give you all the details. But it'll be on Thursday, September 3rd, 5.30 to 8 p.m. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Anyone else public comment? Anyone online?

No hands are raised.

Okay, then public comment is now officially closed. Move on to Consent Calendar 8, 8.1 through 8.8.

Move the staff section.

Second. First, I have a second. Roll call, please.

Council Member V? Aye. Council Member Ng?

Aye.

Council Member Lewis?

Aye.

Mayor Pro Tem DeRose?

Aye.

Mayor Otero?

Aye. Reports have already been done. City Attorney announcements? City Manager, any announcements? No announcements, Mr. Mayor. Anyone from the theater, anyone else out there, any announcements? Okay, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you very much. Have a good day.