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| 1983 article from the Southeast News highlighting my work on the Norwalk city history book. I was the PIO for the City back then, and 30 some years later, I am BACK in the GREAT community of Norwalk on behalf of the Los Cerritos Community News.! www.loscerritosnews.net. |
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Note: I am proud to officially announce that I have been hired as the full time reporter to
to cover Norwalk for the Los Cerritos Community News. Thanks to LCCN Publisher Brian Hews, and Editor in Chief Jerry Bernstein for bringing me "back home" where my professional career began 30 years ago.
Please visit the Los Cerritos Community Newspaper at www.LosCerritosNews.net
By Randy Economy
Staff Writer
Los Cerritos Community News
www.LosCerritosNews.net
“Norwalk is our city…”
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know how the song ends. Norwalk to be “proud.”
It was 40 years ago, when at age 11 (1971), legendary Norwalk Mayor Robert E. ”Bob” White told me that “you can take the kid out of Norwalk, but you can’t take Norwalk out of the man. Once you are part of Norwalk, it becomes part of your heart and soul.”
Fast forward to 2011, and those words have been ringing in my ear all week long.
I am BACK doing what I love most, being a “working” journalist, and I am back where the road began for me and countless others right here in Norwalk.
 Image via Wikipedia |
| ...and Cerritos College... |
On Monday I began working full time for the Los Cerritos Community Newspaper Group, and with Publisher Brian Hews, and Editor-in-Chief Jerry Bernstein. This is the greatest job in America, and this newspaper is the heart and soul of our community.
My “beat” will be Norwalk.
I will be covering news out of Norwalk City Hall, Cerritos College, the Norwalk-La Mirada
Unified School District, the Norwalk’s Sheriff’s Station, the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, Little Lake City School District, and everywhere between Lakeland Road and into the proud neighborhoods located south of Alondra. I will also help get the word out about “everyday” life in Norwalk. Service clubs, churches, society functions, going to get you all covered.
I am no stranger to Norwalk. I started my career as a “working” journalist here in 1982, when at age 22, I was named the youngest city editor at the former Norwalk Herald
American Newspaper. I took over the reins from former Norwalk editors John Tisdale, Steve Eames, and John Echeveste Sr., the original “Mr. Norwalk” back in the day.
After working with the Norwalk Herald American, I ended up becoming the
Public Information Officer for the City of Norwalk. I was the author of the city of Norwalk’s pictorial history book, help launch the city’s local cable television programming, oversaw the Norwalk Now Newsletter and the Norwalk Annual Calendar.
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| I am looking forward to covering the new Norwalk City Council! |
I also “know” politics, and understand how city halls, school boards and how colleges boards of trustee work on behalf of “the taxpayer.” My job here at the LCCN is simple,
to report the “news,” not to “make the news.” Everyone needs to be reminded of the important “role” community newspapers play in our Democracy.
A great local community newspaper tells the story of the community day in and day out.
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| Ruben Vives. Local LA Times Reporter now the owner of a Pulitzer. |
I am also keenly aware on how a “local beat reporter” can uncover the biggest news
stories in America, by just “doing his job.”
My friend Ruben Vives, one of dozens of local “beat reporters” for the
Los Angeles Times, was awarded the coveted “
Pulitzer Prize for Public Affairs” on Monday for his historic coverage of the corruption at Bell City Hall.
Ruben and fellow LA Times Reporter Jeff Gottlieb went to Bell City Hall one day and asked to see copies of “real checks” that were being written to the city manager, chief of police, city councilmember’s, “part time city attorney” and to dozens of other vendors and department heads.
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| Randy Economy |
Ruben and Jeff were pushed aside by the Bell
City Clerk, the Bell
City Attorney and the Bell
City Manager for weeks on end.
The LA Times threaten to sue the
City of Bell if they didn’t grant their “public document” request.
What they ended with was a Pulitzer Prize. I now get goose bumps when I think of Ruben and Jeff.
On Monday, after it was announced that they won the Pulitzer, Ruben and Jeff and every local “beat reporter” at the LA Times broke open the champagne bottles and made a toast, to the “next City of Bell story.”
Their groundbreaking work now makes all of us as journalists appreciate our “role” here in our community.
Great to be back in the hood, keep you posted.
Got news?
Drop me a note to
randy@cerritosnews.net
Image via WikipediaNote: This guy who is alleged to have shot and struck an LAPD helicopter is my "Idiot Crook Of the Week here in Los Angeles County." Amazing. For his stunt, he has a $2.24 Million bail. LMAO.
