[rha] 605 South Ramp Closure, RWC Garden Tour, Brainwashed?, Grad Parade

Published: Mon, 05/11/26

Updated: Thu, 05/14/26

Community Calendar

Rossmoor CSD Board Meeting: Tuesday, May 12th 7:00 pm Rush Park

RHA Board Meeting: Tuesday, May 19th, 7:00 p.m. - On Zoom

Rossmoor Red Cross Blood Drive, Wednesday, April 22nd, 9:00-3:00, Rush Park

Rossmoor's Get Shredded & Food Drive, Saturday, July 25th 8:00 - Noon, Lee School

Hi -

Our weather should cool just a little this week under mostly sunny skies, ending up at about 74 degrees most days.

Very comfortable and nice. There is a lot going on as the end of the school year approaches and summer activity reservations begin to fill up, so lets get right to it.

TYC Leadership Academy - Registration Open

The Youth Center's Leadership Academy is slated for the afternoon's of July 13-17. Held at They Youth Center on Los Al Blvd, this Academy is for students 15 -18 and helps attendees prepare for life after high school. From interviews and goal setting to some basic budgeting and cooking, the program brings in community leaders to teach life lessons. It's a terrific program and limited scholarships are still available. Sign up today

Kids Night Out - Friday, May 15th

Support Rossmoor Events - Join the RHA

CERT Academy Dates Set

The next CERT Academy will be held on Friday, July 31& Saturday, August 1 and Friday, August 7 & Saturday, August 8.

This four day class at JFTB covers the 20 hour FEMA CERT course and you'll get a chance to put those new skills to use after lunch on 8/8 in a full exercise.

The course shows you real life emergency first aid and light search and rescue - exactly what you need top help yourself, your family and friends if a natural disaster hits our area. The course also helps you get prepared for keeping your family safe and fed if an emergency creates a shortage of food or requires your family to shelter in place for a number of days. It's a great refresher even if you already have these things in place.

You can sign up now for this class or if you can't make these dates, you'll be on the list for the next scheduled academy. It's a win win

Rossmoor Graduation Parade, Saturday 5/30

Registration is open for the 2026 Rossmoor Graduation Parade.

This is the 7th edition of the parade that Covid started and the students and community adopted. On Saturday, May 30th from about 11:30 to 12:30, a vehicle procession will tour Rossmoor passing by each of the four elementary schools, and Rossmoor Park on its way to a reception being hosted by the Los Alamitos, Cypress & Seal Beach Rotary Club.

If you have a graduating student from Los Al or any other area high school, please join in the procession by registering (it's free) here on our website.

If you just want to watch the parade, please plan to gather along the parade route and join the hundreds of other well wishers for this very quick event.

We want to thank the RHA Title Sponsor, Financial Partners Credit Union, for their support along with the dozens of volunteers that are organizing this year's event. If you'd like to make a contribution to help cover the costs of the parade, you can do so here

Did you see this...

Rossmoor Woman's Club - Garden Tour Sunday

The RWC is hosting their 22nd Annual Garden Tour on Sunday, May 17th. This is a fun event that showcases some of the area's best gardens and is one of the two big RWC fundraising events of the year. Show your support for the RWC, their LAHS student scholarships and community support by purchasing your tickets here

Have you renewed for 2026?

The Griffin Gazette...

Are both sides ‘brainwashed’?:
How the algorithm feeds the partisan fire

Jaya Eapen, Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Griffin Gazette looks at how social media is often a breeding ground for students’ political socialization, but recently, it’s been a mess of anger and hatred for “the other side.”

The Instagram battle between @progressively.petty and @dont.poke.the.elephant rages.

In epic bursts of anger, the two shoot comment after comment, firing after every new insult thrown. While these two perfectly punny handles are fabricated, the sentiment is not.

Previously a place of conversation and connection, for the past year, social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X have become war zones of heated arguments between angry commenters一the cause of it: “the algorithm.”

Social media algorithms are defined as a process of deciding which posts get viewed by consumers by analyzing individual likes and dislikes, working to prioritize content that uses will interact with.“The algorithm” seems perfect一handpicking media perfected to your unique likes and dislikes. But in reality, it’s isolating users to one side of the platform, and pushing forward the idea of “selective exposure,” the practice of specifically choosing media sources that align with one’s own beliefs and focusing on a narrow perspective.

For a generation with 51% of its population getting their news from social media, as stated in a World Press Institute report, the impact of the algorithm on teens’ political socialization is concerning. Consumers are often forced into an online “bubble” where their opinions are reinforced by ideologically oriented programming, feeding the fire between an already polarized political landscape.

Algorithms often choose the media with the most likes, views and shares to present to users一but this media tends to be more opinionated, showing teens extremely left-wing or right-wing content which students use as their only source of political information. With media sources sending extreme opinions to the top, moderate influencers and news tends to get pushed back, never reaching Americans.

“We have made it all but impossible for people to gain status for sharing and voicing the moderate views that many of us think our country needs right now,” said Chris Bail, founder of Duke University’s Polarization Lab in a...

Click here for the rest of the story.

Photo credit: Jaya Eapen

605-Katella Construction Update - Week of 5/11/2026

Please always check the OCTA website for the latest information on closures and detours.

605 South Loop Ramp Remains Closed through May 15th

Crews are performing paving and striping activities on the southbound I-605 Katella Avenue loop on-ramp. This is requiring an extended closure of the on-ramp. Additional extended on-and-off-ramp closures at the interchange are expected through summer 2026.

Northbound I-605 On-Ramp Update

Nightly closures of the northbound I-605 on-ramp are anticipated this week. Crews are expected to install overhead sign structures along northbound I-605. This work will require intermittent nighttime closures of:

Northbound I-605 two outside lanes

Northbound Katella Avenue straight off-ramp to eastbound Katella

Northbound Katella Avenue loop off-ramp to westbound Katella

When:

Continuing Monday, May 11, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and expected to continue through May 2026.

What:

Westbound Katella Avenue - Crews will continue construction activities on westbound Katella Avenue behind k-rail between I-605 and Epson Way in preparation for a new bike lane. Activities include excavation and placement of aggregate base through mid-May.

Eastbound Katella Avenue - Over the next few weeks, crews are anticipated to start construction on eastbound Katella Avenue behind k-rail. Work will include electrical installations, sidewalk construction, and removal of existing roadway to prepare for the new bike lane. More information will be shared in upcoming communications.

Retaining Wall Construction Progress - Progress on the construction of a new retaining wall along the northbound I-605 Katella Avenue on-ramp continues. Crews are expected to complete construction of the new retaining wall as early as next week. Following completion, a settlement period will begin and is anticipated to last a minimum of four weeks.

This work may be loud. The schedule is subject to change due to weather or unforeseen operational issues.

The Wrap Up - 5/1/2026

Most weeks during the school year, Los Alamitos School District Public Information Officer Nichole Pichardo recaps the week at the District's schools. These videos are a great way to stay in touch with what's going on with our students and in our District.

It’s been another busy week full of great moments across our Los Al USD!

This week’s Wrap-Up highlights Mrs. Megan Avalos being named an Orange County Teacher of the Year, the PTA Council Honorary Service Awards, a student-led Eagle Scout project for students at Hopkinson, and Griffin Games at LAHS.

You’ll also see American Sign Language students visiting the California School for the Deaf, middle school “smoothie bikes,” the Oak STEAM Fair, and spring activities across our elementary schools.

Check out this week's Wrap Up !

Join Your Neighbors - Be Part of the RHA

Community Groups & Resources

Our community has a number of great ways for you to engage with your neighbors in hobbies and activities. While these are not RHA groups, they are great resources for you and your family members. Check them out.