NORWALK
FOCUS College Town An aging yellow sign leading into the city trumpets Norwalk as the “Home of Cerritos College,” even though part of the college is in the city of Cerritos. But Norwalk has proudly claimed it as its own. The college, which first set up shop in 1956 with borrowed classrooms and 197 students, is celebrating its 30th anniversary serving the cities of Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, La Mirada and Norwalk. It is home to 18,000 students. And the college, it is pointed out, was not named after the city of Cerritos. Before moving to its present location, it was called Excelsior Junior College. A contest was sponsored by the Board of Trustees to rename the college at its new campus. They decided upon “Los Cerritos,” the name of one of three Spanish ranchos that once occupied this corner of the Southeast area. “Los” was later dropped and simply shortened to Cerritos. City Services City Hall 929-2677
12700 S. Norwalk Blvd.
Police (business) 863-8711
12335 Civic Center Drive
Fire (business) 863-0214
12110 Adoree St.
Fire (business) 868-5212
11317 Alondra Blvd.
Post Office 868-3247
14011 S. Clarkdale Ave.
Library 868-0775
12350 E. Imperial Highway
In Emergency, Dial 911 Government City Council: Robert White (mayor), Margaret Nelson (mayor pro tem), Cecil Green, Grace Napolitano, Rod Rodriguez
City Manager: Richard Streng
Fire Chief: John Englund
Sheriff’s Commander: Robert Pash
Area Lawmakers Congress: Esteban E. Torres, Democrat, 34th District; 8819 Whittier Blvd., No. 101, Pico Rivera 90660; (213) 695-0702
State Assembly: Wayne Grisham, Republican, 63rd District; 13710 Studebaker Road, No. 202, Norwalk 90650; (213) 929-1797
State Senate: Paul B. Carpenter, Democrat, 33rd District; 5400 Orange Ave., No. 203, Cypress 90630; (714) 952-3201
County Supervisor: Peter F. Schabarum, District 1; Hall of Administration, 500 W. Temple St., No. 856, Los Angeles 90012; (213) 974-4111
Statistics Population: 89,113
Area: 10.9 square miles
Incorporation: Aug. 26, 1957
Median household income: $26,079
Median home value: $66,512
Median age: 28.4 years
Racial/ethnic mix: white, 74.8%; Latino, 42.6%; black, 2.4%; other, 22.7%
(Total is more than 100% because racial/ethnic breakdowns overlap) Statistics: Donnelley Demographics (1985 estimates)
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