Lakewood, California
Thursday, February 4, 2016
City Hall closed Monday, February 15
Lakewood City Hall
Lakewood City Hall will be closed on Monday, February 15 in observance of Presidents' Day.

Trash service will operate on the regular schedule, but there will be no DASH service or street sweeping on this day and no makeup sweep. More     
Save $70 on your annual property tax
'Homeowners' Exemption' form due February 15
Assessor of L.A. County

L.A. County Assessor Jeffrey Prang reminds residents to file for the "Homeowners' Exemption" to save $70 a year on their annual property taxes. An owner only needs to apply one time, and the exemption is then deducted from your property taxes every year automatically.

To receive the $70 exemption, you must own the home and it must be your principal residence. Apply using Form BOE-266 (Claim for Homeowners' Property Tax Exemption) from the County Assessor's website. 
 
To receive the full exemption for a tax year, homeowners must apply no later than February 15 after the January 1 tax lien date. 
Mayor's Prayer Breakfast tickets on sale
Dustin Plunkett is keynote speaker at March 1 event
Mayor_s Prayer Breakfast

Tickets are now available for Lakewood's 39th Annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday, March 1 at 7:30 a.m. The event will be held in the Weingart Ballroom of The Centre at Sycamore Plaza, 5000 Clark Avenue. Tickets are $20 per person and tables of nine are available for $180. Advance reservations are required by Friday, February 19, 2016. Reservations can be made online at www.lakewoodcity.org/mpbtickets, in person at city hall or by mail.

This year's keynote speaker is Dustin Plunkett, a longtime Lakewood Special Olympics star athlete who then became a 2015 World Games Board Member and ESPN analyst. Dustin will share how he overcame tremendous difficulties in his life with both courage and compassion.

The public is invited to join Lakewood Mayor Jeff Wood and the Lakewood City Council, along with a diverse gathering of religious leaders, members of local churches and synagogues, civic and business leaders, representatives from community organizations, as well as local school officials as they come together in a celebration of faith, unity and community spirit. More 
Soon to be the new Speaker of the Assembly
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon

The public is invited to a Community Roundup Breakfast featuring Lakewood-area Assembly Member Anthony Rendon on Friday, February 19 at 8:30 a.m. at The Centre at Sycamore Plaza. The event is hosted by the Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and the Boeing Company.

The forum is for business and community members to hear from Assembly Member Rendon, who was recently elected by his legislative peers to become the next Speaker of the Assembly in Sacramento.

Rendon is the first Speaker of the Assembly to ever come from Lakewood. He lives in Lakewood and represents the 63rd Assembly District, which includes the cities of Bell, Cudahy, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Lynwood, Maywood, the northern portion of Long Beach, Paramount, and South Gate.

The event is hosted by the Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and the Boeing Company. Tickets are $15, which includes breakfast. To RSVP, contact the Lakewood Chamber office at 562-531-9733. More 
Fun approach to presenting annual report on Lakewood
_Selfie Madness_ video

Lakewood's CityTV team pokes fun at the popular trend of "selfie" photos in the Lakewood Annual Report video.  The video documents a pretend outbreak of "selfie madness" in Lakewood, in which dozens of residents quit school or their jobs to constantly take photos of themselves at parks, events and other happenings throughout Lakewood.  Click here to watch "Selfie Madness in Lakewood" now.   

Re-broadcasts of the Annual Report video and the full State of the City program from January 25, including remarks from Mayor Jeff Wood and other speakers, runs on CityTV Channel 31 from now until February 27 (on Sundays and Thursdays at 12:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.). CityTV can be seen on channel 31 on TimeWarner Cable and Verizon FiOS and streaming live on the city's website at www.lakewoodcity.org/citytv. 
Common tricks burglars are using
See something_ say something

No community, including Lakewood, is immune to crime such as home burglaries. Here are some increasingly common tricks that burglars use...and tips you can use to protect yourself.
  • Make your home look occupied when you are away, even for a few hours. Leave a few lights on. Put a talk-radio station on loudly enough to be heard at the front door and side windows. Leave a car in the driveway. With the Super Bowl approaching, thieves know many homeowners are away at parties.   
  • Don't leave your garage door open. This advertises your belongings to anyone passing by. A thief may have quick access while the door is open, and see the inventory of things to take later when you are not home. Put a lock on your garage door.
  • "Knock-knock" burglars. If no one answers, the burglar enters the rear yard and breaks into the house. They may also knock on the doors of adjacent homes to make sure there are no nearby witnesses before they strike. If you see someone knocking on doors up and down a block, or especially if they go into a backyard after knocking, call 911 immediately.
More 
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