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HEWS MEDIA GROUP

COMMUNITYNEWS

Serving Cerritos, Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens, Norwalk, Lakewood, Pico Rivera, La Mirada, and La Palma • 45,000 HOMES EVERY FRIDAY • APRIL 13, 2012 • Volume 26, No. 13 • LosCerritosNews.net

County Supervisors Demand Audit of Assessor Office By Randy Economy randy@cerritosnews.net

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os Angeles County Assessor John R. Noguez was taken to task on Tuesday over the way he has been handling his office by angry members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. During a tense and vocal exchange with Noguez, Supervisor Zev Yaroslasky questioned him about recent fluctuations in property tax estimates and even questioned Noguez about how he conducts his “math.” Noguez has estimated in December that the county’s property tax base would grow by $18.7 billion but last week changed the number to $5.1 billion. It could have result in $50 million less in revenue for the county in these dire economic times. During his motion on Tuesday, Yaroslavsky said “it is imperative that the Board of Supervisors, the governing bodies of other local public agencies, and the public have confidence in the Assessor to accurately, efficiently, and impartially administer the property assessment process. The public must be ensured that adequate controls are in place to safeguard the reliability and integrity of

UNION DEMANDS CENSORSHIP OF H.G. COUNCILMAN BRUCE By Jerry Bernstein editor@cerritosnews.net

H Assessor John Noguez appearance at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Meeting this past week sparked outrage.

the system.” “However, in recent days, questions have arisen about this very process,” Supervisor Yaroslavsky quipped. “Property tax is the largest source of local revenue for Los Angeles County and for most, if not all, other local jurisdictions (in-

cluding cities, schools and special districts). For this reason, trends in the growth of assessed valuation of properties in Los Angeles County are followed closely by budgetwriters at all agencies,” he stated. In December of 2011, the Assessor is-

[See ASSESSOR AUDIT page 9]

NORWALK DETECTIVE LAUDED FOR HELPING LOCAL RESIDENT WITH AUTISM By Randy Economy randy@cerritosnews.net

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eroes are alive and well at the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station, and on Tuesday leaders from the Medic Alert Foundation recognized Detective Mark Christiansen for coming to the aid of a local Norwalk resident who recently found himself in a dire situation. Flanked by Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, Norwalk Mayor Cherie Kelley, and several of his colleagues, Detective Christiansen was presented with a Extraordinary Meritorious Service Award from Tom Levin, a member of the Board of Directors of MedicAlert. Christiansen was all smiles standing on the steps of the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station Randy Economy Photo Headquarters and was lauded for caring for Norwalk Sheriff's Detective George Christiansan adult MedicAlert member with autism en is congratulated for his heroic efforts by Los who had wandered away from his home, Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. located not too far from where the ceremothe patient's needs. Medic Alert’s emerny took place. “Detective Christiansen's recognition gency response team worked with Detecand response to the member's MedicAlert tive Christiansen to ensure that the member ID enabled him to instantly access the was safely returned home,” Sheriff Baca docTODAY_AD10X3:Layout 6/14/11 10:58 PM said Pageduring 1 member's medical history 1and to identify the presentation.

N e e d to S e e a

The Medic Alert Foundation Extraordinary Meritorious Service Award honors first responders who have recognized the MedicAlert medical ID and contacted Medic Alert’s 24/7 Live Emergency Response Service Center to access vital medical and identification information to provide the best care and services for members of MedicAlert Foundation. Detective Christiansen has described his actions after receiving a call about a man wandering the campus of Norwalk High School: "School security advised me that the individual was cooperative, however unable to speak. I initially tried to get him to write down his name or any information regarding who he was. He was unable to perform this task either," explains Detective Christiansen. "While attempting to communicate with the individual, I noticed his Medic Alert Bracelet. I called the number and provided the information to the operator. The operator provided me with an address for a nursing facility. The nursing staff stated he had never walked away from the

[See MARK CHRISTIANSEN page 10]

awaiian Gardens AFSCME Vice President Joseph Colombo accused Councilman Barry Bruce of violating council standards covering councilmembers conduct of decoH.G. Councilman rum and standards of BARRY BRUCE procedure that were adopted by the council. He said the council should set an example for the community and follow its own rules. He accused Bruce of being out of control. Councilman Reynaldo Rodriguez angrily responded that if the majority was going to move ahead and censor Bruce it might as well censor him too. “We have a union member who controls the staff and government. They, the union, got you elected and walked the streets to get you

[See H.G. COUNCILMAN BRUCE page 10]

Artesia City Council Questions Orange Line By Jerry Bernstein editor@cerritosnews.net

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he Artesia City Council, at its Apr. 9 meeting questioned the proosed Orange Line, a rapid transit system that will connect Artesia and Cerritos with downtown Los Angeles. The councilmember specifically wanted to know if the line is constructed, will a station be built in Artesia? Mayor Pro Tem Sally Flowers asked if there was any consideration where the line would start and end. Michael Kodama with the Orange Line Development Authority answered the current analysis has it startng at downtown Los Angeles south to Santa Ana-Anaheim in Orange County. He added there was a

[See ARTESIA CITY COUNCIL page 10]

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