Mounted Sheriff’s personnel in Lakewood

Lakewood recently got the benefit of extra Sheriff’s personnel on patrol, specifically with three Deputies on horseback patrolling the Nature Trail, San Gabriel River bed and even riding down the streets of Lakewood neighborhoods in that area.

“The mounted Deputies that we had last week were just one more way to enhance our public safety resources,” said Lakewood’s Public Safety Director Josh Yordt. “They made a good presence in the river area and on the Nature Trail, and add to the daily patrols that we already have there. We’ll continue to look for any other good ideas that will keep Lakewood one of the safest communities in the region.”

Learn about the extra steps Lakewood takes for public safety

Memorial Day event on May 26

Lakewood residents are invited to join in the city’s annual tribute to the men and women who have sacrificed their lives while serving in the United States armed forces, as well as to honor the members of local veterans organizations who have died during the past year.

The Memorial Day ceremony will take place on Monday, May 26 at 11 a.m. at the Lakewood Veterans Memorial Plaza at Del Valle Park, located at Woodruff Avenue and Henrilee Street.

See full details on the May 26 event

Council Recap: More intersections get new traffic signals

Over the past year, Lakewood has secured a state grant of $2.2 million to upgrade the traffic signals at 12 of the busiest intersections in the city.

The grant has turned out to be sufficient in size to carry out additional work, and so last night, the Lakewood City Council approved the use of the remaining grant funds for traffic signal upgrades at five more busy Lakewood intersections.

The intersections are: 

• Candlewood St. at Clark Ave.
• Candlewood St. at Bellflower Blvd.
• Del Amo Blvd. at Bellflower Blvd.
• Del Amo Blvd. at Bloomfield Blvd.
• Carson St. at Nectar Ave.

The traffic signal upgrades are part of Lakewood’s ongoing efforts to enhance traffic safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Additional steps the city has taken include:

• Paying for a second Deputy Sheriff dedicated to traffic safety patrol and enforcement.
• Organizing “maximum traffic enforcement days” in Lakewood where traffic deputies from other cities come to Lakewood periodically for a day to focus on distracted driving, speeding and other problem areas so that drivers and pedestrians in Lakewood stay focused on safety. The city does extensive public outreach around those days so that the effort is educational for all motorists.
• Installing state-of-the-art crosswalk technology to protect pedestrians at busy crossing areas.

Pan Am Association honors 15 Lakewood scholars

The Lakewood Pan American Association's annual scholarship program awards scholarships for college or trade school ranging from $750 to $2,000 to high school seniors who reside in Lakewood. Applicants must excel academically, demonstrate good citizenship and be active volunteers in their school or community.

Congratulations to the 2025 scholarship recipients:

• Cassidy Alvarez (Lakewood High School)
• Olivia Brown (Mayfair High School)
• Talon Camarillo (Lakewood High School)
• Roan Gutierrez (Saint John Bosco High School)
• Cali Koepke (Los Alamitos High School)
• Sofia A. Moe (Millikan High School)
• Aoife Niles (Wilson High School)
• Adanze Nnodim (Mayfair High School)
• Mischa Jill Obias (Artesia High School)
• Ejiro Ojose (Mayfair High School)
• Ethan Overholt (Lakewood High School)
• Isabella Powell (Saint Joseph High School)
• Andrew Ricaldai (Saint John Bosco High School)
• Ava Suppiphatvong (Saint Joseph High School)
• Avery Vasquez (Lakewood High School)

Scholarship winners served as Pan American Ambassadors during Lakewood’s week-long celebration of Pan American friendship in early May.

Learn more about the Lakewood Pan American Association

Zoom Room (VIDEO)

Check out all the ways your pup (and you!) can have fun and learn at the Zoom Room!

Watch the CityTV video

Summer recreation catalog coming soon

The 2025 Summer Recreation Catalog will be delivered to Lakewood homes over the Memorial Day Holiday weekend and posted online beginning Thursday, May 22. 

The catalog offers many fun, family-friendly opportunities along with information on special events and programs such as Block Party, Concerts in the Park, summer camps and the aquatics program.

Priority mail-in registration and online registration for Lakewood residents begins on Thursday, May 22. Online registration is fast, easy and convenient at lakewoodca.gov/ecatalog.

Most classes and activities begin the week of June 16.

For more information call 562-866-9771, ext. 2408.

Lemonade Day application deadline May 31

Kids are encouraged to sign up by May 31 for the 2025 Lemonade Day Lakewood project, a fun hands-on program designed to teach third to fifth grade students how to start, own and operate their own business—a lemonade stand—while learning about financial literacy, self-reliance and entrepreneurial skills. 

Each “graduate” of the program will have the opportunity to participate in the official Lemonade Day by operating their own lemonade stand at designated locations on Saturday, Aug. 9. Lemonade Day Lakewood participants will each donate a portion of their lemonade stand profits to a non-profit organization of their choice. 

Last year, the Lakewood Jaycees, a premier leadership training and civic organization for young adults since 1952, coordinated the local launch of this nationally recognized program and 15 local young entrepreneurs completed the program.

Apply by May 31 to be a part of the 2025 Lemonade Day program at lakewoodca.gov/LemonadeDayapp.

Recycle your old tires

Bring your used tires to a free Waste Tire Collection Event at the Hawaiian Gardens City Hall parking lot on Saturday, June 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tires will be accepted and recycled free of charge. 

Collection guidelines:

• Tires accepted from LA County residents only.
• Rims will be accepted.
• No tires from businesses.
• No oversized or tractor tires.

If you transport 10 or more tires per trip, please contact Los Angeles County a week ahead at (626) 430-5540 to request a tire transport form.

Hawaiian Gardens City Hall is located at 21815 Pioneer Blvd., Hawaiian Gardens. 

L.A. County provides free tire recycling events for residents to drop off waste tires to be recycled. Check the website https://cleanla.lacounty.gov/tire-recycling/ for future events

Dumping is illegal; bulky item pickup is free and easy

To keep Lakewood clean and attractive, the city encourages residents to report anyone dumping in alleys and parkways. 

It’s a violation of the law, and the city will pursue illegal dumpers. 

• If you see dumping in action, get the license plate number and description of the perpetrators, and call the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station business line at 562-623-3500. 
• To report material that’s already been dumped, call City Hall at 562-866-9771, ext. 2140. 

Lakewood residential trash customers have plenty of options for disposing of large and bulky items free of charge, so there’s no reason for anyone to illegally dump. It’s irresponsible, against the law, and costs taxpayers time and money to pick up.

How to get a free bulky item pickup

May is National Water Safety Month

As summer approaches, it's important to keep in mind that unsupervised water play can lead to tragedy. A child can drown in a matter of seconds without making a sound.

Whether at a public pool or at home, here are some tips to keep children safe:

• Learn to swim! Both you and your child should register for swim classes if you don't know how. The first session of summer swim lessons will take place Monday, June 16 to June 27 at Mayfair and McCormick Pools. Online swim lesson priority registration begins at 7 p.m. on June 7 for residents and on June 10 for non-residents. Register at lakewoodca.gov/ecatalog.
• Teach children what to do in a water emergency. They should yell for help, throw life-saving equipment in the pool, call 9-1-1, etc.
• Weak or non-swimmers should wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
• Never leave a child unsupervised around water. Assign an adult or responsible teen to serve as "water watcher" to maintain constant line of sight and supervision around any water environment, including a pool, tub, toilet or even a bucket of water.

Mark your calendar for the Save A Life event coming Saturday, July 12 at Mayfair Pool for more education including life jacket fitting, CPR demonstration, free swim lesson and more.