June 5, 2012 – During a fundraiser luncheon on May 31, Rancho Los Alamitos (RLA) presented Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and his wife, Julie, with its inaugural Cottonwood Award. In a nod to the historic site itself, whose name translates from Spanish to “Ranch of the Little Cottonwoods,” the award was instituted by the RLA Foundation to recognize cultural and community leaders for their support of the rancho and its educational initiatives and cultural preservation efforts. “Julie and I are very honored to receive the first Cottonwood Award from RLA,” Supervisor Knabe said in a statement. “We are proud to have supported the [RLA] Foundation’s restoration of this amazing Los Angeles County landmark.” With RLA’s long-term transformation project nearing its completion, the site will showcase its restored barns and gardens as well as its new Rancho Center during its grand re-opening from noon to 5 p.m. on June 10 at 6400 E. Bixby Hill Rd. For more information, call 562/431-3541 or visit www.rancholosalamitos.com. Pictured, from left, are: Jim Hankla, RLA boardmember and Grand Preview Lunch co-chair; Pamela Seager, RLA Foundation executive director; Beverly O’Neill, former Long Beach mayor and founding boardmember; Julie and Don Knabe; Preston Hotchkis, RLA Board chairman and Bixby scion; Jerry Miller, RLA boardmember and Grand Preview Lunch co-chair; and Randy Gordon, president and CEO of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)