HEWS MEDIA GROUP
Winner of Fourteen LA Press Club Awards from 2012-2018. Serving Cerritos and ten other surrounding communities • September 24, 2021 • Vol. 35, No. 48 • loscerritosnews.net
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Freedom of Information Act
Documents Show Central Basin Directors Attempting Extortion & Harassing Employees THE HMG-CN exclusive documents show Leticia Vasquez and Martha Camacho using associates to harass employees. BY BRIAN HEWS
LASD CAR SHOW AT CERRITOS CIVIC CENTER MONEY FOR AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY SCHOLARSHIPS: A menagerie of hot rods and motorcycles rolled into the Cerritos Civic Center for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s annual car show this past Saturday. Co-organizer retired LASD Sergeant Scott Graham stated, “With all the negative things going on in law enforcement the past couple of years, this car show is just one way to put a positive spin on the department."
'Duplex Law' Signed by Gov. Newsom BY BRIAN HEWS Gov. Newsom signed two controversial bills this week, both heavily lobbied by homebuilder groups, both meant to ease the housing crisis in California. The first, Senate Bill 9, makes it possible to build duplexes, or higher, on a lot meant for a single-family house. The second, SB 10, allows those near public transit corridors, such as bus and train lines, to build up to four units on one lot. There is an already growing
movement of cities across California and the country to rethink traditional single-family neighborhoods to tackle high housing costs. City zoning laws regulate what can be built where. There are a number of zones, the most familiar are residential and commercial. Mixed-use zoning — such as the complex across from Mainpalce Mall in Santa Ana, ground-floor retail businesses and residential units in the highrise above. Single-family zoning refers to a residential area where only
See HOUSING page 12
Artesia Waste Roundup Draws Over 500 Cars
Photo by Brian Hews
SMILE! Employees of US Clean take a break to mug for the HMGCN camera. The time was around 1 pm, and already over 500 cars had dropped off items. The well organized roundup was at Artesia Park with protective material taped on the ground. Residents pulled up, popped the trunk, and the employees took the waste.
Big Jack Back at the Citadel
16 feet tall, spanning 15 feet in diameter and weighing 1,500 pounds Jack is waiting for picture-takers. Page 4.
5th Annual LASD Motors Car Show BY TAMMYE MCDUFF A menagerie of hot rods and motorcycles rolled into the Cerritos Civic Center for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s annual car show this past Saturday. Co-organizer retired LASD Sergeant Scott Graham stated, “With all the negative things going on in law enforcement the past couple of years, this car show is just one way to put a positive spin on the department”. The LASD Motorsports 5th Annual Car Show was held September 18, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the LASD’s Cerritos Station, located on 18135 Bloomfield Avenue. This is the first year that the car show has included motorcycles, but the star of the show was the refurbished 101-year-old La Bestioni from New Jersey. This vehicle is one of eight in a series of bigger-than-lifechain drive race cars that were seen on the race tracks in America and Europe at the turn of the century, a salute to the fire breathing monsters that haunted the roads and tracks in some of
See CAR SHOW page 12
Cerritos Pool Opens September 26
Leticia Vasquez-Wilson was elected to the Central Basin Board (CB) in 2012, taking her seat in January 2013. Since then, she has committed several questionable acts; some call them gross malfeasance, her latest act shooting a video calling the city of Downey’s water undrinkable, which triggered a lawsuit against the Commerce-based agency. Since being elected in 2018, Martha Camacho-Rodriguez has glommed onto Vasquez and become her ally. The two are now in a minority position on the CB Board and have become increasingly more abusive to staff. But no one knew the level of abuse the two have been hurling on staff; that is until now. Hews Media Group-Cerritos News has obtained, via a public records request, disturbing emails between long-time CB staff and Vasquez-Wilson and
Camacho-Rodriguez, documenting a shocking pattern of harassment so harsh that employees fear for their safety and endure constant threats and intimidation. The threats and intimidation have carried over to some CB staff homes; pictures obtained from sources by HMG-CN show by Vasquez-Wilson and Camacho-Rodriguez associates Rodolfo Cortes Barragan and Downey’s Juan Joey Martinez harassing employees at CB staff residences. Not satisfied with intimidat-
See CENTRAL BASIN page 13
Lite Rail Board Votes for Artesia to Paramount Line BY BRIAN HEWS
The Cerritos College Board of Trustees proposed revisions to the vaccine mandate policy during their meeting on Sept. 15, 2021, attempting to compromise on the best way to implement the COVID-19 vaccine mandate during their meeting. Trustees disagreed about the best course of action and received backlash for the mandate from the community. President Jose Fierro explained how the vaccine man-
The Eco-Rapid Transit Board of Directors completed its review of the Metro Draft West Santa Ana Branch Environmental Impact Statement and unanimously voted to support "Alternative 1," the one-seat ride to Union Station. The Board of Directors also recommended inclusion of a station in Little Tokyo as this station provides access to Downtown destinations, the Metro Regional Connector and offers the ability to transfer to destinations in East Los Angeles and eventually Whittier. Board Chair and Artesia City Councilmember Ali Sajjad Taj stated, "This is an important step in the process of bringing this important rail line to our communities." For 20 years, the Eco-Rapid Transit Joint Powers Authority have been working together to bring rail transit to Southeast Los Angeles. This $9.8 billion 19.4 mile light rail line would connect communities from Artesia to Downtown Los Angeles. Now it is becoming closer to
See CERRITOS COLLEGE page 12
See LITE RAIL page 12
College Trustees Approve Vaccine Mandate BY VINCENT MEDINA
After major renovation on the pool and its equipment, the pool will open Sunday. Page 6.
Norwalk Takes the Mayor's Cup 51-7 win was the first time since 2017 that the Lancers had won the Mayor’s Cup over John Glenn. Page 10.