La Puente

Patricia McIntosh and her fellow La Puente residents have seen more than their fair share of city turmoil in recent years: Government officials accused of sexual harassment and excessive travel expenses. The threatened loss of municipal insurance. But when McIntosh got wind of a proposal to change the name of her beloved San Gabriel Valley city, the 82-year-old president of the La Puente Valley Historical Society had to speak out. "That's ludicrous," she said. "It'd be like coming in and saying we'd like to change the name of California.

Patricia McIntosh and her fellow La Puente residents have seen more than their fair share of city turmoil in recent years: Government officials accused of sexual harassment and excessive travel expenses. The threatened loss of municipal insurance. But when McIntosh got wind of a proposal to change the name of her beloved San Gabriel Valley city, the 82-year-old president of the La Puente Valley Historical Society had to speak out. "That's ludicrous," she said. "It'd be like coming in and saying we'd like to change the name of California.

A storm drain will be installed under Del Valle Avenue, from Temple Avenue to the Puente Creek flood control channel, under a $395,985 contract awarded by county supervisors to Miramontes Construction Co. Completion is scheduled for September. Officials said Del Valle Avenue has experienced severe flooding during storms.

Filmmakers and history buffs protesting the planned demolition of part of a West Hollywood movie studio once owned by Mary Pickford say they may turn to next door Los Angeles for help in preserving the place. That strategy was revealed during a noisy demonstration Sunday outside The Lot studio at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Formosa Avenue by opponents of the proposed razing of production buildings built in the 1920s and '30s. Passing motorists honked their horns in support of about 50 pickets carrying signs such as "Tell WeHo No" and "Save the Last Silent Era Film Studio.

This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home, and this little piggy is going to a hearing later this month in Department 37 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court for almost single-handedly destroying the image of La Puente. Whaaaaat? Well, no, I didn't know that La Puente even had an image until now, and, between the two of us, I didn't know where La Puente was until I went there. For your information, it is 18 miles east of downtown L.A., 3.

The La Puente High School Class of 1977 will hold a reunion at Mile Square Park, Fountain Valley, beginning at 10 a.m. Aug. 23. Information: Rhonda Gallardo at (714) 993-3839.

Joe V. Alderete, elected to the La Puente City Council in 1988, has been named to a one-year term as mayor. He had been the junior member on a council of longtime veterans until last week's election, when three incumbents were swept from office. "Now, I'm a veteran," Alderete, 62, said. Alderete, who was born and raised in the city, retired last year after 22 years as supervisor of operations for the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District. He replaces Max E.

Rep. Esteban Torres (D-La Puente) will conduct a community meeting on ground-water contamination in the San Gabriel Valley at 7 tonight at La Puente High School Theater, 15615 E. Nelson Ave. Torres said he has invited officials from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and state and regional agencies to report on what they are doing about contaminants in ground water.

A community meeting on Los Angeles County services and the proposed 1992-93 budget will be held by Supervisor Gloria Molina on Wednesday. Those who want to speak can call (213) 974-1311 or sign up at the meeting, which will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bassett Park Multi-Purpose Room, 510 N. Vineland Ave., La Puente.

Reelected Councilmen Francis Palacio and Louis Guzman were sworn in at Tuesday's La Puente City Council meeting, and Palacio was chosen by his colleagues to serve a one-year term as mayor. Palacio has been mayor several times before. Incumbent Councilman Max Ragland, who also was reelected last week, was absent Tuesday. Holdover Councilman Charles Storing was named mayor pro tem.

On a football field in the middle of a French-speaking city on the other side of the continent, the greatest passer in the history of professional football blew big puffs of air from bloated cheeks. "To think that a skinny little Mexican kid from La Puente could be in this position, I could barely hold it all in," said Anthony Calvillo, his voice cracking. In a crowded living room in a Downey cul-de-sac, a family cried for him. "Endure and fight," said his brother Mario, tears blotting the shoulder of his souvenir jersey.

Now that the Rio Ruiz drama is over (he's not leaving to play for the 18U national baseball team), La Puente Bishop Amat Coach Steve Hagerty wants everyone to focus on his team's game against No. 1-ranked Anaheim Servite on Friday night at Cerritos College. "We're facing one of the best defenses around," Hagerty said. Last week, Bishop Amat defeated Los Angeles Garfield, 14-0, with quarterback Ruiz and receiver Adam Alcantara both not starting because they missed practice to play baseball.

During City Council meetings, the insults fly. City Hall has been a revolving door as administrators depart, often not on good terms. Sexual harassment claims have been filed; council members all but stage coups to serve as mayor. But La Puente hit a new low this summer when the economically pressed town of 40,000 was warned that it has until the end of next year to clean up its act or risk losing its insurance, without which it cannot operate. The only other California city to face a similar fate is Maywood, which ended up laying off virtually all its employees and disbanding its Police Department.

It's astounding that people have paid me for some 35 years to watch and report on high school sports. It's more privilege than job because there's nothing like chronicling the stories and accomplishments of teenage athletes in Southern California, where future college and professional icons are raised and tutored. I witnessed another moment of wonder Friday night at Dodger Stadium. There was Rio Ruiz, an extraordinary baseball-football standout at La Puente Bishop Amat, hitting a two-run home run into the seats down the right-field line in the third inning, then touching home plate and pointing his fingers toward the sky as a salute to Austin Lacy, his former football teammate who died earlier in the day at the age of 18 of an undisclosed illness.

Rk. School, playoff division; previous ranking in parentheses 1. EDISON SS-1 (9-1) def. Huntington Beach, 2-0; Newport Harbor, 9-3; at Los Alamitos, Wednesday (1) 2. BISHOP AMAT SS-4 (6-2) vs. St. Monica, Monday (2) 3. VISTA MURRIETA SS-1 (9-1) def. Murrieta Valley, 12-4; Temecula Valley, 12-7; at Chaparral, Monday (5) 4. VALENCIA SS-1 (6-1) def. Golden Valley, 10-0; vs. Hart, Wednesday (7) 5. LONG BEACH WILSON SS-1 (7-3) def. Compton, 26-0; Palos Verdes, 5-2; at Lakewood, Tuesday (8)

A man was shot at by two gang associates after he tried to stop them from tagging a wall in La Puente, authorities said. The man was driving by an apartment complex in the city about 8:30 p.m. Sunday when he saw two men spray-painting a wall. He pulled his car up behind theirs, but before any exchange of words, the vandals got into their car and drove off, authorities said. The man, 36, drove away in the opposite direction; but before long, the men made a U-turn and started chasing him, authorities said.

A local youth baseball program that amassed a debt of more than $5,000 in order to buy uniforms and other equipment has received a financial pinch-hit from the city. The City Council voted 3-0 Tuesday to award $5,000 to La Puente Valley Youth Programs, a nonprofit organization that operates baseball leagues for more than 400 youths age 7 to 18. Councilmen Charles Storing and Joe Alderete abstained from the discussion and the vote because they are members of the organization's board of

With less than 1% of its land still available for residential development, La Puente is approaching its capacity for housing construction, according to a housing analysis by city planners. The analysis projected that at most, 660 more housing units can be built on remaining undeveloped property. Based on the study, which the City Council adopted into the city's general plan Tuesday, poor people have the greatest need for new, affordable housing in La Puente.

It's called a vise grip. Rio Ruiz, La Puente Bishop Amat's junior quarterback, doesn't simply shake your hand. He crushes it, leaving an indelible impression on those greeting him for the first time. "My dad told me if I ever meet someone and they want to shake my hand, then I shake it hard and look them straight in the eye and ask them how are they doing," Ruiz said. "That's my thing now. Everyone knows me from my handshake. " Yes, the handshake gets people talking, but so does Ruiz's skills as an athlete.