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)