LOS CERRITOS
Winner of Nineteen LA Press Club Awards from 2012-2021 Serving Cerritos and ten other surrounding communities since 1985 • July 17, 2026 • Vol. 41, No. 37 • LOSCERRITOSNEWS.NET
Three Months Before DOJ Subpoenaed New York Times Reporters, Central Basin Subpoenaed LCCN Publisher A taxpayer-funded lawsuit forced Los Cerritos Community News to spend thousands of dollars defending rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. LCCN Staff Report Last week’s subpoenas served on New York Times reporters triggered a national debate over press freedom. For Los Cerritos Community News, however, that debate had already become reality. Just three months earlier, Central Basin Municipal Water District, acting through its outside attorneys, Los Angeles-based Buchalter, served LCCN Own-
er-Publisher Brian Hews with a sweeping subpoena. A subpoena is a legal order requiring someone to provide documents or testimony in connection with a legal proceeding. In this case, the subpoena sought years of communications with district officials and others connected to Hews’ investigative reporting, forcing the newspaper to retain private First Amendment counsel. The Justice Department subpoenas sought testimony from four New York Times journalists following reports about security concerns involving the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One. Federal agents reportedly delivered some of the subpoenas directly to the reporters’ homes.
[ See SUBPOENA, page 12 ]
Artesia Set to Approve $881,000 Street Safety and Road Improvement Project Traffic-calming upgrades move forward, but proposed miniroundabouts have been removed for further study. By Brian Hews ARTESIA — A proposed $880,900 roadway improvement project that would rehabilitate streets and add pedestrian safety
improving pedestrian safety at several of the city’s busiest intersections. City staff recommended awarding the construction contract to Onyx Paving Company, Inc., the lowest responsive bidder among eight contractors. Although the company’s original bid included construction of two mini-roundabouts, the proposed contract excluded those features following recommendations from the Public Works Committee.
La Mirada’s Historic McNally Olive Press Returns Home
War on the Middle Class
Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Cuts Federal Loan Options, Leaving Parents to Pay More
City honors Harry Scott’s determination and Dunkel Bros.’ extraordinary donation that returned the historic olive press to La Mirada.
By Brian Hews
Roadway improvements include Elaine Avenue from 183rd Street to South Street; Grayland Avenue from 183rd Street to South Street; 186th Street from
LA MIRADA — A rusted, 19th-century olive press that once helped produce olive oil on Andrew McNally’s famed Windermere Ranch has returned home after spending nearly two decades at a museum in eastern San Diego County, thanks to the efforts of local historians and one generous industrial moving company. At a recent City Council meeting, the City honored Dunkel Bros. with its Community Spotlight Award for donating the transportation of the massive historic press back to La Mirada, where it once played a key role in the city’s early agricultural economy. The recognition also highlighted the years-long work of Historical Preservation Advisory Council member Harry Scott, who tracked down the historic equipment, negotiated with its owners, and coordinated its return. The olive press originally operated on Andrew McNally’s Windermere Ranch,
See ARTESIA, Page 6
See OLIVE, Page 6
IMPROVEMENTS Streets included in Artesia’s proposed roadway improvement project are highlighted in blue.
enhancements throughout neighborhoods surrounding Artesia Park has been continued until the City Council’s August meeting. The project combines state and local transportation funding to rehabilitate aging streets while
DUNKEL BROS. owners and staff, joined by Historical Preservation Advisory Council member Harry Scott, Councilmembers John Lewis and Ed Eng, and members of the transportation team, pose atop and around the historic Windermere Ranch olive press after it was loaded for its journey back to La Mirada. Dunkel Bros. donated the transportation of the massive 19th-century press at no cost to the City, earning La Mirada’s Community Spotlight Award for helping preserve an important piece of the community’s agricultural history.
CAPPED: The Parent Plus loan will be capped at $20,000 per year, this was a crucial loan for parents of college students, loans were not capped before Trump’s Big Bill.
New borrowing caps leave many middle-class parents searching for private financing as the price of higher education continues to climb. By Brian Hews For many American families, paying for college just became significantly more difficult. Sweeping changes to the federal student loan system that took effect July 1 are shifting more of the financial burden from the federal government to parents, particularly those with children attending four-year universities. While students’ annual federal loan limits remain largely unchanged, the amount parents can borrow through the federal Parent PLUS loan program has been sharply reduced. The result, higher education experts say, is that many mid-
dle-class families may now have to turn to private lenders—or pay out of pocket—to bridge the gap. The changes are part of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which eliminates several federal repayment options, ends the Biden administration’s SAVE repayment plan, and places new caps on Parent PLUS and graduate student loans. For decades, Parent PLUS loans allowed families to borrow up to the full cost of attendance, minus any financial aid received. Beginning July 1, new Parent PLUS loans are capped at $20,000 per student per year and $65,000 per family over a lifetime. That may sound like a substantial amount until compared with today’s college costs. A student attending a California State University can expect annual expenses of roughly $30,000 to $38,000, including
See COLLEGE, Page 4