LOS CERRITOS
Winner of Nineteen LA Press Club Awards from 2012-2021 Serving Cerritos and ten other surrounding communities since 1985 • June 19, 2026 • Vol. 41, No. 33 • LOSCERRITOSNEWS.NET
Cerritos Faces $10.6 Million Deficit as City Warns Financial Model Is Unsustainable Proposed budget includes $153 million in spending, $143 million in revenue and significant capital improvement costs. By Brian Hews
ABC THEATER STUDENTS SHINE AT MACY AWARDS: ABC Unified School District theater students, directors and staff celebrated a dominant performance at the 2026 Spirit of the Macy Awards, earning top honors for productions from Artesia, Cerritos, Gahr and Whitney high schools. Nevaeh Salinas of Urinetown captured Best Actress honors and advanced to represent the region at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, known as the Jimmy Awards, on Broadway. Courtesy ABCUSD.
Could Los Angeles See 30 Inches of Rain? El Niño Raises the Possibility This Winter Historic El Niño winters have doubled Los Angeles rainfall totals, and scientists say another powerful Pacific pattern is taking shape. By Brian Hews
For most Southern Californians, rain is something that arrives a few days at a time before disappearing for weeks. But history shows that when a powerful El Niño develops in the Pacific Ocean, California’s weather can change dramatically. Scientists say the current El Niño has the potential to become
ABCUSD Productions Score Big at Spirit of approximately 34 inches of the Macy Awards rain, more than double its normal yearly total. The storms triggered widespread flooding, landslides and coastal damage throughout Southern California. Homes were destroyed, roads collapsed and beaches suffered severe erosion. Fifteen years later, another powerful El Niño arrived. The winter of 1997-98 brought a similar barrage of storms that flooded neighborhoods, washed out roads and caused billions of dollars in damage statewide. Once again, rainfall totals in parts of Southern California exceeded 30 inches.
DURING A STRONG EL NIÑO, warmer Pacific Ocean waters can strengthen and redirect the jet stream, increasing the chances of frequent winter storms across California. Some of the state’s wettest and most destructive winters have coincided with powerful El Niño events.
one of the strongest on record, raising a question that hasn’t been seriously asked in years: Could Los Angeles once again receive 30 inches or more of rain in a single season? The possibility may sound far-fetched in a region that averages roughly 14 inches of rain annually, but it has happened before. During the legendary El Niño winter of 1982-83, downtown Los Angeles recorded
Those two winters remain the benchmark for what Californians call a “Super El Niño.” El Niño occurs when ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific become unusually warm, altering weather patterns around the globe. In California, strong El Niño events often increase the odds of a wetter winter by steering more Pacific storms toSee RAIN, Page 4
By Brian Hews ABC Unified School District theater students, directors and staff celebrated a dominant performance at the 2026 Spirit of the Macy Awards, earning top honors for productions from Artesia, Cerritos, Gahr and Whitney high schools. The Spirit of the Macy Awards recognizes excellence in high school musical theater throughout Southern California, honoring outstanding student performers, directors, choreographers, musicians and productions. Schools compete in a variety of categories, with top performers earning opportunities to advance to national recognition. ABCUSD students earned numerous awards and nominations, including two productions that were named among the Top 10 Shows of the Year. The district also received recognition for ensemble performances, acting, choreography and technical theater achievements. The awards reflect the strength of ABCUSD’s performing arts programs and the dedication of students, teachers and theater staff who spent months preparing productions for competition. Leading the district’s accomplishments was Nevaeh Salinas, who portrayed Hope Cladwell in Artesia High School’s production of Urinetown. Salinas earned Best Actress honors and advanced to represent the region at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, better known as the Jimmy Awards which will take place this month at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway in New York City, where she will join some of the nation’s top performers competing for national honors.
CERRITOS — The Cerritos City Council will hold a June 22 public hearing to consider the Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget, facing a projected $10.6 million total budget deficit and an increasingly uncertain financial outlook. For decades, Cerritos enjoyed a reputation as one of Southern California’s most financially stable cities, supported by strong retail activity, automobile sales, and redevelopment-era revenues. However, city staff is now warning that the revenue sources that fund the city’s extensive services, facilities, and community programs are no longer keeping pace with rising costs. The warning comes in the proposed Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget, where staff states that “overall, revenue growth has remained relatively flat over the past four years.” The report notes that fourth-quarter sales tax receipts declined 2.2 percent year over year, largely due to slowing automobile sales. The trend is significant because sales tax remains the city’s largest recurring revenue source, accounting for roughly one-third of annual revenues. Many of the city’s largest sales tax generators are located within the Cerritos Auto Square, including AutoNation Toyota Cerritos, Cerritos Acura, Cerritos Nissan Infiniti, Kia of Cerritos, Lexus of Cerritos, Jaguar Land Rover Cerritos, Penske Buick GMC, Penske Chevrolet, Norm Reeves Honda, Norm Reeves Ford, and Norm Reeves Hyundai. While revenue growth has slowed, expenditures continue to rise. According to the budget report, operating expenditures increased by approximately $2.7 million while capital project spending increased by approximately $8.6 million. Much of the increase was attributed to the emergency failure of the city’s C-4 water well and the resulting need to purchase imported water while repairs were completed. Perhaps the most striking statement in the report appears in the section discussing the city’s long-term outlook. “We cannot sustain the programs, services, and facilities residents have enjoyed for decades,” staff wrote. The statement represents one of the strongest acknowledgments
in recent years that Cerritos can no longer rely on the revenue growth that historically funded its high level of municipal services and amenities. The budget follows three study sessions held by the City Council, including a final workshop on June 8 in which councilmembers directed staff to move forward with a single budget scenario rather than a previously discussed dual-budget approach that would have included a potential voter-approved Transactions and Use Tax. Under the adopted approach, the city assumes no new revenue sources and instead relies on expenditure reductions, reserve funding, and operational changes to close the budget gap. City officials estimate a limited hiring freeze could save approximately $1.7 million during the upcoming fiscal year. Another $3.7 million in savings would come from deferred maintenance of city facilities and landscaping. Additional reductions include a 20 percent cut in non-Arts Ed-
See CERRITOS, Page 7
Teen Killed Outside Cerritos Chick-fil-A; Authorities Continue Search for Suspect Authorities say an altercation involving several juveniles escalated into gunfire outside Cerritos Chick-fil-A before the suspect fled. LCCN Staff Report
CERRITOS — A 15-yearold boy was fatally shot outside a Chick-fil-A restaurant near Los Cerritos Center Saturday afternoon, prompting an ongoing homicide investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies responded to reports of a shooting Darnell Jones at approximately 4 p.m. June 13 in the area of Gridley Road and 183rd Street, adjacent to the popular shopping and dining district. Upon arrival, deputies found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The teenager, later identified
See TEEN , Page 5