Mayor Cathy Warner
Welcome to Whittier! As a long-time resident of Whittier, I am pleased to serve a second term as Mayor of the City. I have deep respect for all the individuals who make up our great community. My continuing goals for the City of Whittier are to: 1) enhance public safety, 2) support proactive economic development, 3) maintain the infrastructure and 4) insure support for community programs.
Please visit our new and improved website. The updated version went online in April 2011 with a fresh, new look that better personifies Whittier. The website now has ample features and capabilities to better meet the information needs of our community. More importantly, the functionality has been expanded to allow for more eGovernment services and access to City information, 24-7. I invite you to explore the website and send us your comments or suggestions on how to improve it.
Over the next year I will work with my fellow Council members and City staff to continue to support the men and women of the Whittier Police Department, improve our business environment, and find opportunities to maintain our City’s high quality of life by supporting infrastructure capital projects and community programs. It is my hope that the fiscal prudence and careful planning that has been done over the last five to six years will serve as a strong foundation from which our City can weather the recession and encourage a local recovery.
We are living in interesting times that present serious challenges and significant opportunities for our community. I hope that you will join me in working to ensure that Whittier is successful in overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities for the benefit of ourselves and future generations of Whittier residents.
Cathy Warner
Mayor
The following information was contributed by the Whittier Historical Society. Quaker Family The eye-catching Quaker family symbolizes the importance of Whittier’s ancestry. Today the residence of the original Quaker family, Jonathan and Rebecca Bailey, can still be seen at 12501 Camilla St Unlike most towns, which are named after their founder, Whittier honors the American Quaker poet, John Greenleaf Whittier. When he was asked for the gift of his name, he penned a dedication poem. Friends Church The Friends Church embodies the dynamic role of religion in the daily lives of the Quakers. As soon as the land for Whittier was purchased in 1887, the Quakers, led by Jonathan Bailey and Aquilla Pickering built their church. Completed in August, 1887, it stood at Wardman St and Comstock Ave Today a new Friends Church, the largest in America, thrives at Philadelphia St and Washington Ave. Pio Pico Hacienda The Pio Pico Hacienda remains an historical tribute to the beloved last Mexican governor of California. You can visit the hacienda at the intersection of Whittier Boulevard and 605 Freeway between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Farmlands and Oil Wells Initially the Quakers depended upon agriculture to support them. In 1897, just 10 years after Whittier’s founding, a group of its enterprising citizens developed oil wells, which greatly expanded the local economy. Whittier College The early beginnings of Whittier College developed from the Quakers emphasis on education. Established as a private liberal arts college, it was the town’s first school of higher learning. Originally it stood on the land now functioning as American Savings’ parking lot. Its new location is at the corner of Painter Ave and Philadelphia St Today Whittier College proudly salutes its illustrious alumnus, Richard Milhous Nixon. First Schoolhouse In 1885, Evergreen School was built along El Camino Real by neighboring ranchers. When the Quakers founded Whittier, Evergreen School was outside the new town’s city limits. Thus in 1889, the industrious Quakers built a new school and respectfully.
Other Facts of Whittier:
Mayor Cathy Warner
Cathy Warner was first elected to the City Council in 2004 and was reelected to the City Council in 2008. She has lived in Whittier since 1948, her family has been here since 1920. She and her husband Dave have seven children and 21 grandchildren. Cathy attended John Greenleaf Whittier & Longfellow Elementary Schools, Dexter & East Whittier Junior High Schools and graduated from California High School. She received an A.A. Degree from Fullerton Junior College and a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She and her husband practice periodontics in their Whittier-based office. She has previously served on the City’s Cultural Arts Commission for 2 years, the East Whittier City School District Governing Board for 2 years, the Whittier Union High School District Board of Trustees for 12 years, and the Tri-Cities ROP Governing Board for 6 years. She has also been a member of the Project Area Committee for the Whittier Blvd. Commercial Corridor Redevelopment Project Area.
City Council Appointed Organizations:
City Council Committees:
Contact Information:
E-Mail: cathywarner@earthlink.net
Mayor Pro Tem Owen Newcomer
Owen was reelected for a third term on the Whittier City Council in April 2008. He previously served as a trustee to the Whittier City School District for eleven years.
Owen retired in June 2005 as a Political Science Professor at Rio Hondo College where he had been teaching since 1975. Owen now teaches part-time at Rio Hondo College. He earned his undergraduate and Master’s Degree from California State University, Northridge in Political Science, and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Southern California. He is the author of Governing California and Los Angeles.
Owen is the Secretary for the Los Angeles Division of the League of California Cities. Supervisor Don Knabe appointed Owen to the Los Angeles County Homeless Services Authority Commission.
City Council Appointed Organizations:
City Council Committees:
Contact Information:
E-Mail: newcomer_cityhall@charter.net Telephone: 562-693-0123
Council Member Greg Nordbak
Greg has served on the Whittier City Council since his election in 1994. He was re-elected in 1998, 2002, and 2006 and served as Mayor Pro Tem in 1996-98, and Mayor, 1998-2000, 2005-2006, and 2010-2011.
Greg serves as Chairman of the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority (www.WQA.com) and serves on the Advisory Boards of Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, and Arts for Education at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center. He is a former Board Member of the Whittier Rio Hondo Aids Project (WRHAP), the Whittier Boys and Girls Club, Skills Foundation and the American Red Cross, Greg is also active in youth sports. He has served as President of the Friends of La Serna as well as a past member and President of the La Serna High School Touchdown Club. He is a past Board member of Whittier Girls Softball, Whittier Area Youth Soccer and Murphy Ranch Little League. Greg is also a member of the Whittier Rotary Club. Greg and his wife, Donna, have made Whittier their home for the past 28 years. They have two children, Tom (28), a police officer, and Amanda (23), a student at California State University, Fullerton.
City Council Appointed Organizations:
Contact Information:
E-Mail: greg@nordbaks.com
Council Member Joe Vinatieri
Joe Vinatieri was reelected by the voters of Whittier to serve a four-year term in April 2008 after having been elected to a two-year term in 2006. Joe was born and raised in Whittier, attended Whittier schools and is employed in Whittier as an attorney at Bewley, Lassleben and Miller. Joe and his wife, Sandy, are proud parents of three children, Sarah, Joe and Susie, who attended Whittier schools. Joe’s local community involvement includes Member of the Board, Whittier Area Chamber of Commerce; Member, Whittier Union High School District Bond Oversight Committee; Member of the Board and Incorporator of Foundation, Whittier High School Alumni Association and Educational Foundation; Institutional Representative, Boy Scouts of America – Pack and Troop 219; and Member of the Board and past Vice-President, YMCA of Greater Whittier. Joe was on the Social Services Commission for the City of Whittier from 1984-1988 and was a Volunteer counseling youth offenders at Fred C. Nelles School for Boys for 10 years. Joe is a member of Plymouth Congregational Church.
City Council Appointed Organizations:
Contact Information:
E-Mail: jvcc@bewleylaw.com
Council Member Bob Henderson
Bob was elected to the City Council in 1976 and served until 1984. He served as Mayor Pro Tem from 1980-82. He was then re-elected in 1990, 1994, 2002, and 2006. Bob served as Mayor from 1992-94. An Uptown Whittier business owner, Bob owns Hendersons Insurance. He is also an active member in the Joint Powers Authorities relative to the hills.
City Council Appointed Organizations:
City Council Committees
Contact Information:
E-Mail: bob@hendersonsinsure.com
CHAMBER |
COMMUNITY |
FOLLOW US
WHITTIER AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
|
