LOS CERRITOS Winner of Fourteen LA Press Club Awards from 2012- 2017. Serving Cerritos and ten other surrounding communities • December 25, 2020 • Vol 35, No. 17 • loscerritosnews.net Lakewood Organ Donor to be Honored Jan. 1 BY BRIAN HEWS spread the lifesaving message of organ, eye and tissue dona- An organ donor from Lake- tion to an international audi- wood will be among those hon- ence. Although the 2021 parade ored by OneLegacy and Donate is canceled due to COVID-19, Life as part of the Tournament Donate Life and the OneLegacy of Roses 2021 TV special, “The Foundation will keep the tradi- Rose Parade’s New Year Cel- tion alive with a 25-foot floral ebration presented by Honda.” sculpture, honoring 21 deceased The local donor, Adrian donors from across the nation. Jimenez, was 22 when he passed “Lifesaving transplants away from meningitis. His fam- would not be possible without ily donated his lungs, liver and generous donors and their fami- kidneys to three people. lies, who, in the midst of tragedy Adrian’s mother, Maria Jime- as they lose a loved one, find the nez, said that he was thoughtful, courage to say yes to donation,” outgoing, passionate, charismat- said Tom Mone, chairman of the ic and had an enthusiasm for life DONATE LIFE: Artist's rendition of the only physical float in this year's Rose Parade. The float is eight Donate Life Rose Parade float that shined through everything committee and CEO of OneL- feet wide by twenty-five feet long with bees making a honeycomb that have floralgrams of people who he did. have donated their organs after an untimely death. egacy, the nonprofit organ, eye “He had a genuine and conta- and tissue recovery organization gious smile, and I have no doubt serving the greater Los Angeles $192.5 Million Mobile COVID Testing Site at Cerritos High that he continues to smile know- area. “We are proud and grate- ing that he was able to help oth- ful to honor Adrian, and all these ers,” she said. “Organ donation donors, whose acts of kindness Awarded for Whittier is the greatest gift anyone could have given others a second ever give.” chance at life.” Narrows Dam Safety Since 2004, OneLegacy has The Donate Life floral sculp- been the lead sponsor of the Do- BY TAMMYE MCDUFF nate Life Rose Parade float to See ORGAN DONOR page 3 This week, Congress- women Grace F. Napolitano Artesia Mayor Holds Drive-Up Xmas Event (D-El Monte), Linda T. Sánchez BY TAMMYE MCDUFF (D-Whittier), and Judy Chu nesses and restaurants together. (D-Monterey Park) announced “We recruit volunteers from Ar- they had secured $192.5 million With Chuck Berry’s rendi- tesia, sponsors donate food and for the Whittier Narrows Dam tion of ‘Run, Run Rudolph blast- gifts, and we gather. We have Safety Project in the FY2021 ing through the December chill, done this for six years, but with dancing snowmen, reindeer and COVID things are different.” Omnibus Appropriations bill. MOBILE COVID TESTING: a test of a mobile van is being St. Nicholas waved as hundreds Trevino met with London’s “We are proud to have se- conducted at CHS. If successful, the testing will be scheduled every of Artesia kids participated in a Pub owner Raj Patel a few weeks cured $192.5 million in federal Monday after Jan. 4, 2021, you must have a reservation. funding for this vital dam safety long standing Christmas tradi- ago to try and come up with an project, an enormous victory for San Gabriel Valley residents BY TAMMYE MCDUFF students and families healthy.” and millions more throughout ABCUSD has taken precautions our region,” Napolitano said. A pilot run of a mobile van above and beyond that of other “Since first learning about flood testing site for COVID-19 was districts of their size, the district risk concerns over a decade held at Cerritos High School, part has only seen 31 confirmed cases ago, I have encouraged the of the ABC Unified School Dis- of COVID since March 2020. Army Corps of Engineers and trict, Monday, December 14th. Curative was founded in Jan- my colleagues in Congress to Curative Crew was ready to be- uary 2020 with the initial aim of make Whittier Narrows Dam gin testing at 8:30 am, set up in developing a new test for sepsis. the top budgetary priority and I the parking lot on Bloomfield Av- The company pivoted to COVID- am grateful they have listened to enue across from Heritage Park. 19 testing in early March of 2020 our calls. Local students, families and as supply chains became strained “Restoring the Whittier individuals, over 230 people in to- and the need for new testing pro- Narrows Dam is a matter of life tal, were able to get a COVID-19 cess arose. ARTESIA MAYOR Rene Trevino (middle-seated) along with and death for the communities test at CHS. Pending the success With a testing booth that odd- volunteers from Artesia, sponsors, and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s I represent, including the City of the pilot program, the mobile ly resembles the Tardis from Dr. Department prepare for fun and festivities for Artesia families. of Pico Rivera where the Dam site will be in place every Mon- Who TV series, each test is FDA is located. That is why I have day, beginning January 4, 2021. approved and has a 24-48 hour worked closely with my col- “We are glad to bring another process and result delivery time. tion in Artesia. alternative idea. Patel made calls leagues over the past decade way to get tested to the commu- The site will begin to take res- Every year, newly appointed to neighboring restaurant own- to ensure the U.S. Army Corps nity,” said ABCUSD Superin- ervations around December 28th. Artesia Mayor Rene Trevino, ers, and even though they have of Engineers has the funding it tendent Dr. Mary Sieu, “we are To sign up and make a reservation along with Linda Gonzales, put been hard hit by closures, local needs to begin this critical proj- hopeful that this testing site will for a test visit https://cur.tv/Cerri- on a Christmas party for the restaurants were able to raise ap- See WHITTIER NARROWS page 12 play a vital role in keeping our tosHigh kids of Artesia, bringing busi- See XMAS PARTY page 14 Food Network Star Got the Shot $330,000 in Help Everyone Safe Virtual Tours Back Home Long Beach youth will Kaiser-Downey frontliners Hahn gives businesses Car came off ramp going Smithsonian offers tours Gahr star Faria inks compete in baking show. receive COVID vaccine. and families relief. 100 mph into house. and student events. contract with Angels. Page 2. Page 3. Page 4. Page 7. Page 8. Page 10 . 2 Los Cerritos Community News - LosCerritosNews.net To advertise call 562-407-3873 DECEMBER 25, 2020 Long Beach Teen to Compete in Food Network’s “Kids Baking Championship” BY LAURIE HANSON favorite baked goods are ANYTHING with pecans.” Namiah’s go-to for him Cooking up creativity this holiday are pecan cookies sometimes made with season is one local teen who will be chocolate chips. competing in the Food Network’s “Kids Though her mother, Ashley, loves her Baking Championship” premiering baking, too, she tends to focus more on Monday, Dec. 28 at 9 p.m. eating healthy and working out, accord- For 13-year-old Namiah Phillips ing to Namiah. But humorously, Namiah pushing the limits of her passion for says her mother is “one way or another baking started at home while trying to in for a rude awakening [because] there satisfy her father’s sweet tooth with is nothing that can match the warm good- anything “made with pecans.” The 8th ness of baking!” grader who attends Franklin Benjamin Namiah loves getting feedback from Middle School Wildcats, is a bit of a anyone on her sweet treats including that Renaissance kid who got her start as an of her 5-year-old brother, Daely. The el- athlete, turned chef making meals for dest of three children, she also likes to her family, then became a baker with in- make goodies for her middle brother, terests in modeling, acting and more. Kingston, as well. “It is a huge collaboration of people “It all makes me happy to see that my and resources that got me started and family and friends love my baking!” she where I am today,” said Namiah, who said. started baking at the age of 10. Her parents raised her and her sib- LONG BEACH RESIDENT 13-year-old Namiah Phillips on the set of Kids Baking Her interest developed by watch- lings with the sentiment, “When you’re Championship, Season 9. Phillips will be competing in the show which premiers Dec. ing Food Network, Netflix shows, and not doing what you’re doing with pas- 28 at 9 p.m. The 8th grader has been baking since the age of 10 and loves making pecan YouTube cooking videos. Though her sion, it’s a waste of time.” By allowing creations for her family. passion began with cooking, it was after all their children to autonomously pursue viewing a baking video that her interests their interests, Namiah has been able to were sparked and shifted towards that. It use the family’s kitchen to her heart’s de- field, where she thrived on the competi- plied to the Food Network’s “Kid’s Bak- led her to create sweet treats for her fa- sire.