News and notes from Cerritos

CERRITOS -- The Cerritos City Council recently awarded a $89,900 contract to Superior Pavement Markings of Cypress to make bikeway improvements that are part of the Citywide Bikeway Master Plan.

The project, which has been completed, included installing new signage and striping to provide for new bike lanes throughout the city's arterial streets. The project also included removing conflicting signage and re-striping existing bike lanes.

Cerritos received a $220,000 grant from Los Angeles County for the project.

ELECTION: The Cerritos City Council has approved an ordinance moving the date of the city's General Municipal Election from the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of odd-numbered years to the second Tuesday of April in odd-numbered years.

This will make the city's next General Municipal Election on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.

The nomination filing period for the April 11, 2017 Cerritos General Municipal Election will be Monday, December 19, 2016 through Friday, January 13, 2017. The last day to register to vote in the April 11, 2017 Cerritos General Municipal Election is Monday, March 27, 2017.

ASSISTED-LIVING: Vintage Cerritos, the for-rent assisted living care facility, has a new owner and the facility has been renamed The Grove at Cerritos.

The previous owner, Avalon at Cerritos, LLC transferred the sublease and operations of Vintage Cerritos to Welltower Inc., a Delaware firm and an S&P 500 company. The facility houses units ranging from studios to two-bedroom layouts.

Of the 147 units, 105 are reserved for seniors in the low to moderate income category as determined by the State of California.

Welltower's plan is to acquire 19 West Coast properties operated by Vintage Senior Housing, LLC – including Vintage Cerritos – for $1.15 billion.

HOLIDAY DONATIONS: This holiday season, residents are invited to donate to local community programs, including "Toys for Tots," the Salvation Army Angel Giving Tree Program and the Artesia-Cerritos Community Christmas Program sponsored by community volunteers.

The annual "Toys for Tots" program sponsored by the United States Marine Corps in cooperation with the City of Cerritos provides gifts to local underprivileged children. Clubs, families and individuals are encouraged to donate dolls, crafts, toy cars, building blocks, books and other items for infants and children. Possible teen items include notebooks, games, curling irons, blow dryers, books or CDs. New, unwrapped items are requested to help make sorting and delivery more efficient.

Toys for Tots donations can be dropped off now through Wednesday, December 14 in one of the Toys for Tots bins at Cerritos City Hall, Cerritos Library, Heritage Park, Cerritos Senior Center at Pat Nixon Park, Liberty Park, Cerritos Park East, Cerritos Olympic Swim Center and Cerritos Sheriff's Station. Marines stationed in Seal Beach will deliver the toys to several agencies serving local children.

The Salvation Army Angel Giving Tree Program helps brighten Christmas for children of needy families. To participate, pick out one or more tags between now and Friday, December 9 from the Angel Tree located in the Cerritos Senior Center. Each tag (for infants through 12-year-olds) will list the child's age, gender, clothing size and toy request. New clothing and/or a new, unwrapped toy for the child, along with the original tag, should be brought to the Cerritos Senior Center on or before Wednesday, December 14.

Monetary donations and grocery store gift cards are also being sought for the annual Artesia-Cerritos Community Christmas Program (ACCCP), to help provide a brighter holiday season for hundreds of local disadvantaged families. Donations for this year's program will be accepted through Friday, December 16 at the Cerritos Senior Center at Pat Nixon Park and Holy Family Catholic Church in Artesia (18708 S. Clarkdale Avenue).

Donations of checks or money orders can be mailed to the Artesia-Cerritos Community Christmas Program (ACCCP), P.O. Box 4803, Cerritos, CA 90703.

For more information about any of the holiday donation programs, call the City's Community Participation Division at (562) 865-8101.