HEWS MEDIA GROUP
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Winner of Fourteen LA Press Club Awards from 2012-2018.
Serving Cerritos and ten other surrounding communities • December 10, 2021 • Vol. 36, No. 3 • loscerritosnews.net
Is Cerritos Mayor Pro Tem Vo Under Investigation for Sending Racist Texts? By Brian Hews
A
wide-ranging investigation by the LA Times has uncovered "a trove" of racist text messages exchanged by more than a dozen current and former Torrance police officers. Cerritos Mayor pro tem Chuong Vo is a long-time Torrance police officer; he did not answer emails from HMG-CN asking him about the story. The Times examined some of the contents of secret texts which prosecutors said went on for years. The texts could jeopardize hundreds of criminal cases
where the officers either testified or made arrests. And the heat is getting turned up; California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said Wednesday his office would investigate the department in the wake of the scandal. According to district attorney's office records reviewed by The Times, the officers' comments ran the gamut of homophobia, joking about "gassing" Jewish people, assaulting members of the LGBTQ community, using violence against suspects and lying during an investigation into a police shooting. Vo has lied to the public in the
See CHUONG VO page 13
Campaign Committee for La Mirada Councilman Sarega Concealed Donations, Fined by FPPC The committee, started by Sarega's friend, failed to report donations in a timely manner, and helped Sarega beat his opponent. By Brian Hews In July 2017, a Hews Media Group-Community News investigation found Residents for a Better La Mirada, a campaign committee that affected the 2017 La Mirada City Council election,
was funded by Stelian Onufrie. Onufrie, a friend of current La Mirada City Councilman Andrew Sarega, whose Congressional campaign Sarega managed, poured $6,500 into RBLM, big bucks for a City Council campaign. Just weeks later, documents show the money was used to slam District 1 candidate John Lewis and District 2 candidate and incumbent Pauline Deal using extremely unflattering direct
See SAREGA page 13
Norwalk Lands $8.5M Grant for Hermosillo Park
HERMOSILLO PARK will get a major facelift including a new community recreation building & an outdoor plaza. Story on Page 9.
LOCAL SERVICE CLUBS HELPING FAMILIES THANK YOU! This past Wednesday both the La Mirada Rotary and Kiwanis held events to continue serving the youngest of the city. The Kiwanis went to Kohl’s where 40 children were gifted $100; Rotary met on the opposite side of town, leading 45 youngsters on a shopping spree at Marshalls, who were gifted $125 each.
Areas Cities Build 'Pallet Units' to Help Homeless Population By Brian Hews Cities are finally finding ways to deal with their homeless population. Redondo Beach built 15 Pallet Cities in December 2020; Riverside put up 20 in March 2020. Now Torrance is ready to start its housing complex. In June, the City Council approved a temporary housing complex made up of 64 square foot, pre-fabricated houses from Pallet, a Washington-based company. Is this something Cerritos or other cities should consider? The complex will be at Civic Center, fenced and monitored by two security guards 24 hours a day, located between the Police Department and the courthouse for maximum security. The city plans to build 40 units, all equipped with HVAC, with a separate showering area. Purchasing the homes and preparing the site for their installation will cost nearly $632,000; it will cost nearly $1.7 million annually to run. The complex will have a case manager, a program manager, a residential aide, and a person to
See PALLET page 13
La Mirada Rotary & Kiwanis Provide Clothes and Toys to Needy Youngsters By Tammye McDuff La Mirada might be known for its business-friendly environment, but it should also receive recognition for giving back. The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) named the City of La Mirada as "Most BusinessFriendly City." The City was also a finalist among four cities with less than 50,000 people. La Mirada’s business-friendly climate, business-friendly processes, and “dedicated to service” philosophy earned the City this prestigious recognition. Dedicated to service is not only a business motto but one that applies to residents. During the pandemic, city officials, service, and religious organizations gave back to the community in unprecedented ways from weekly food drives to spectacular drive-through events. But it didn’t stop there. This past Wednesday both the La Mirada Rotary and the La Mirada Kiwanis held events to continue serving the youngest of the city. The Kiwanis of La Mirada members met at Ruby’s Diner for coffee and early Wednes-
day then transitioned to Kohl’s Department Store where 40 children were gifted $100 each and guided through the store with chaperones, ensuring that the kids chose warm clothing and appropriate sizes. Kiwanian, Chamber member and local realtor Amy Brick remarked, “We had a great time helping the Kiwanis Club of La Mirada take some very sweet, deserving kids shopping at Kohl’s this morning and breakfast was provided by Ruby’s in Whittier!” La Mirada Rotary met on the opposite side of town, leading 45 youngsters on a shopping spree at Marshalls. The Rotary was accompanied by La Mirada Interact Club, the Sheriff’s Department and the Fire Department. President Raymond Fernandez stated, “It was a very successful ‘Clothes for Kids’ shopping event. Each child received $125 for warm clothing. We were able to offer wrapped toys and lunch courtesy of Chic Fil-A. Santa gave back to us as well, handing La Mirada Rotary a nice donation check on behalf of the Knights of Columbus.”