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HEWS MEDIA GROUP • Candidate for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize

Los Cerritos APRIL 5, 2013 Serving Artesia, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, La Palma, Lakewood, Norwalk, and Pico Rivera  45,000 Homes Every Friday  Volume 28, No. 14  LosCerritosNews.net

SIMULATED TERROR:

Gahr High School Scene of ‘Active Shooter’ Exercise

DIRTY WATER:

‘PAY TO PLAY CULTURE’ TRICKLING OUT AT CENTRAL BASIN

By Randy Economy randy@cerritosnews.net

I

t was just a drill, but the flash grenades, smoke, gun fire and television news crews made the scene at Richard Gahr High School in Cerritos on Tuesday feel like a major breaking news story that millions have watched being played out far too often in recent years on school campuses across the United States. On Tuesday, hundreds of law enforcement officials, civilians, residents, community safety volunteers, business leaders, members of the clergy and students converged on the campus to conduct what Cerritos Sheriff Captain Keith Sweenson referred to as a “real possible scenario that we hope we never have to be actually handle but need to be prepared to deal with.” During the past two months Sweenson and other top brass at the Cerritos Sher-

RANDY ECONOMY PHOTO

espite repeated claims at Board meetings of promoting transparency, embattled Central Basin Municipal Water District Board Director Leticia Vasquez is using her newfound -and possibly illegal - majority voting bloc status to benefit longtime personal associates

See SIMULATED TERROR page 7

Terror Members of the Cerritos Sheriff’s Station participate in drill in the quad at Richard Gahr High School this week. Captain Keith Sweenson called the exercise “a total success.”

See DIRTY WATER page 10

Director Vasquez wastes no time in approving contracts for political friend and fiancé’s law firm. By Randy Economy and Brian Hews randy@cerritosnews.net publisher@cerritosnews.net

D

City of La Mirada Honors Vaniah De Rojas Vaniah De Rojas (left), an Administrative Analyst for the City of La Mirada, was honored as a Distinguished Woman of the Year by Assemblyman Ian Calderon (right) on March 30. The event, which was held at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, recognized the achievements of women in the 57th Assembly District. De Rojas holds a Masters degree in Business Administration, is active in Habitat for Humanity, and sponsors the summer program for Women’s Transitional Center.

NITROUS OXIDE RAID CENTERED ON CERRITOS Raids also took place in Norwalk and Huntington Park. By Randy Economy randy@cerritosnews.net

A

dditional details have emerged over a serious crackdown on the sale of the dangerous drug known as nitrous oxide at 26 different locations including two key targets in Cerritos and Norwalk two weeks ago. “Operation No Laughing Matter,” commenced on Friday, April 22 and targeted illegal Nitrous Oxide distribution centers in a three county area that included Los Angeles County, Orange County and Riverside County. One of the locations targeted was BPG Performance at 16303 1/2 Piuma in an industrial park that is just yards from the Cerritos Iron Wood 9 Golf Course and ad-

jacent to the 605 and 91 Freeways. Los Cerritos Community Newspaper witnessed several armed officers converge on the tiny business at around 4:55 p.m. on the day the massive operation commenced. Sheriff’s Captain Mike Parker told LCCN that the Cerritos location of BPG Performance was a “significant focal point of the investigation.” While conducting the raid at the Piuma Street business, approximately 24 nitrous oxide tanks that weighed about 64 pounds each, and arrested one suspect. Parker also said that a large group of other prospected buyers of the dangerous drug actually inquired if they could make purchases while the raid was actually taking place at BPG Performance in Cerritos. “We had Federal officials wearing flak jackets and carrying guns who were asked

See CERRITOS RAID page 7

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8/16/2011 10:16:36 AM


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