Ceremony to honor fallen day-care children

Greg Risling

COSTA MESA -- A memorial plaque honoring the two children who died at a

day-care center last May will be dedicated at a ceremony later this

month.

Sheryl Hawkinson, who runs the Southcoast Early Childhood Learning

Center, said she would like to invite the public to the event, which is

scheduled for Jan. 22.

“We thought we should shoot for sometime on the weekend when people

aren’t working,” she said. “I think this [ceremony] will mean a lot to us

here at the school and the public.”

The plaque will be placed at the corner of Santa Ana Avenue and Magnolia

Street, the point where a Santa Ana man drove his copper-colored Cadillac

through the crowded playground. Two children, 3-year-old Brandon Wiener

and 4-year-old Sierra Soto, were killed. Five others were injured.

The driver of the Cadillac, 39-year-old Steven Allen Abrams, is charged

with two counts of murder and may face the death penalty. His next court

date is Jan. 14.

The plaque has both of the slain children’s names on its granite face.

Their favorite figures, a shooting star for Sierra and a teddy bear for

Brandon, are prominently displayed on the plaque, which was donated by a

local business.

Hawkinson was informed by the city of Costa Mesa last month she could

finally put up the plaque that had been sitting in a classroom for two

months.

The delay was partially due to the controversy surrounding a protective

wall that was erected shortly after the tragedy. Some neighbors contended

the concrete wall was a safety hazard and protested its presence.

However, the city granted an encroachment permit that allowed the wall to

remain.

City officials also had to consider whether the plaque, which measures 12

by 14 inches, violated city standards. They determined the plaque wasn’t

like other city monuments and sent a letter of approval to the school.

Hawkinson also wanted to wait until Sierra’s mother, Cindy Soto, returned

from a five-week vacation in Europe.

There was a tremendous outpouring of support after the tragedy. Many

people stopped by the day-care center and left flowers, cards and

candles. It was for those reasons, Hawkinson said, that the ceremony will

be a living thank-you card from the center’s staff.

“There really hasn’t been a right moment so far to thank people for their

help,” Hawkinson added. “We hope this can be a way to show our

gratitude.”