By Glenn Barnett
Someone once said that there is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about. One resident defining what Alhambra cares about is Lewis (Lew) McCammon.
Lew was raised in Alhambra in the 1950s and is an active part of our civic affairs. He went to school at Martha Baldwin Elementary and San Gabriel High School, graduating in 1961.
Lew then enrolled at UC Riverside and became a student activist, protesting against the war in Vietnam, served in the Civil Rights movement and advocated for 18-year-olds to have the vote. He then worked for scientific companies on projects like electronic instruments for space craft skins, the evaluation of radar systems, and the new technology of laser beams for anti-ballistic missiles. He would continue on to serve as a high school science, math, and history teacher.
Lew’s interest in Alhambra went far beyond just his schooling. He was nurtured by his father, a member of the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce, who worked at C.F. Braun, an international petrochemical engineering company, located at Mission and Fremont on a site now known as “The Alhambra”.
Lew’s first involvement with Alhambra’s civic affairs was a court case he initiated after being served with an overnight parking ticket. Although he lost that case, it wasn’t long before he took on another challenge: his opposition to a proposed 64-foot high-rise building on East Main Street.
That fight teamed him with another activist, Marisol Grier. Together, they faced off with the developer. Lew spoke to the Planning Commission and City Council on the issue, and the Planning Commission voted against the 64-foot building.
Later, Lew became involved with the HCDA Citizen Advisory Committee, a volunteer organization that serves to advise the City Council on the dispersal of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds, with the goal of improving neighborhood services, infrastructure, and affordable housing.
Lew has also been active in historic preservation of local landmarks. Vice Mayor Adele Andrade Stadler says of him, “Mr. McCammon works to inspire others by example. He has engaged with city council on a variety of issues that have profound effects on our residents. As a former educator, he does his research but leads with his heart.”
His activist partner, Marisol Grier, said “There are people who show up for a city, and then there are people who become the reason a city finds its way. That’s Lew McCammon. The room gets quiet when he speaks. Everyone in that chamber knows they are about to learn something that matters.”
Lew is the type of man who does not seek credit for the extraordinary things he does. When Alhambra kept hitting a wall with the state on its Housing Element, Lew showed the city its path forward. Lew has a gift for making everyone know they matter. I know Lew as a husband, a father, a neighbor, and a friend. Lew, Alhambra is better for your caring about all of us.
