By Brian Hews
The more things change the more they remain the same. The circus rolled into Cerritos City Hall on Wednesday night. Yep. You can’t make this stuff up.
It was the annual Cerritos Mayoral Transition.
San Juan Capistrano have their “swallows” that return like clockwork each and every year and, well, here in Cerritos we hold a lavish, dragged out city council love fest where people travel from far distances to shower plaques, prizes, awards, certificates, even yellow fire-man jackets and hats to the lucky guy or gal who is going out of office as mayor.
It is like a time honored passage here in Cerritos. For generations, as winter turns into spring, the back patting goes into full swing at the annual transition.
Incoming Mayor Bruce Barrows promised that the meeting would be over in a timely matter. Barrows must have had his fingers crossed behind his back, because this meeting seemed like it would never come to an end.
And nobody checked for convicted felons at the party either. I am sure Edwards was very proud to receive a “certificate of service” on behalf of a state senator from representative Mario Beltran who was convicted in March 2007 for filing a false police report in a case involving visits to a prostitute in a seedy downtown hotel, later passing out drunk in the hallway.
Then there was the mayor of La Palma who was shadowed by a local busy body gadfly/former reporter who wrote an article bashing Tony Medoza’s wife and was fired over it. “I brought along this guy with me tonight,” a befuddled La Palma Mayor Steve Hwangbo told an embarrassed Edwards.
After sitting there for two hours, finally the residents got their first glimpse of incoming City Councilman George Ray.
Los Cerritos Community Newspaper is a fan of George Ray. We supported his election. Ray knows what it is like to run a business and make payroll, unlike some on city council, including the new Mayor.
But he could not stop Council-woman Chen. In an arrogant maneuver, Ray was upstaged when Chen barged into his moment in the spotlight by demanding that the two “take our oaths together.”
It was embarrassing and awkward for Ray and his family. They were forced to watch from a distance instead of being allowed to be by his side to capture this important moment.
Carol Chen stole George Ray’s special moment. As she giggled next to Ray, she awkwardly took her Oath of Office with her left hand instead of her right hand like all elected officials normally do here in the United States of America.
Chen also suffered from political amnesia. She showed Cerritos residents just how happy she was to be re-elected to the council. How? This past Tuesday she held her campaign celebration at the Muse Chinese Restaurant in Artesia that was attended by more than 55 people.
That’s right readers, she held her campaign celebration in Artesia.
Muse is located in the same center that was built by Zion Enterprises, a company that gave $5,000 in late campaign cash to Chen. This was documented in this paper Feb 22, with campaign statements online.
We got an email Tuesday night telling us of the dinner. Just to make sure, I called the restaurant Tuesday night, asked what time the Chen party was tomorrow night, and the employee politely laughed and said, “it was tonight, they just left.” . Reporter Randy Economy called a few minutes later and was told the same thing. When contacted by LCCN, Chen denied the dinner, denied knowing the developer, and even said she did not know where Muse was.
The more thing change the more they remain the same.
I feel it is worth reporting.
In the future, folks will have some background when they research whatever occurs in that future. It may well be a significant link.
If someone didn’t investigate the lights they saw moving round in the Watergate, then the sixth floor would have been just another unremarkable casualty in the opposition party’s decline.
Chen’s behavior and the questionable relations she maintains are certainly worth reporting.
Friday, March 15, 2013.
Mayors Transition:
Home run slam for the Cerritos Republican Slate. Felt sorry for the ( 2 ) Democratic Councilpersons, as the ( 3 ) Cerritos Republican Councilpersons, acted like a huge bedmates Heard of Elephants at a dehydrated lakefront! Let analyze data, this election portfolio produced a very small turnout of voters, still costing the city aprox — $160K— for this special election hoopla & TRASHING THE ENVIRONMENT!
Council’s Boutonniere’ said it all (( Calla Lily Lapel) AKA: Flowers for Funerals!!!!
Repulsed how Mr. G Ray made the Residents feel like ***RICE MANURE***, as stated that only a M-I-C-R-O- element of residents were upset at the City. Well excuse me, many residents are upset over:
• Broken and Cracked sidewalks and gutters.
• Tree Roots breaking Garage Driveways and Plugging personal sewers.
• Crumbling Arterial Walls at the toot of $26K for repairs PER HOMEOWNER!
• Menopause Overnight Parking Ordinance
• Restrictive RV Parking Witch Hunt.
• Empty Binder of appointees to commissioners.
• Empty Council Chairs, as council travelgate was brought to the forefront by Clint Eastwood’s TV Skit.
• Vacant pedestrian SIDEWALK tree wells.
• Over 50% of the street trees are blocked by City’s Grand Forest Effect.
• Scare and bullying of the hi speed train mapping thru the city.
►► http://cerritospublicworks.blogspot.com/
These above issues are not a by-product of the recession, as many were photographed prior to the recession. Recession is only being used as Prosthesis to deflect the issues crumbling the city.
Carol Chen must have stated million times, Chinese this and that; and stated how the election Humbled Her. Humble my foot, she and other CCC have abused the system and are not following true nature of Public Servants, nor representing all 100% of the residents. Carol is only interested in her chosen absentee ghost’s mailers!! Thank God, we did not have to hear about Crawley’s- Edward’s Military Poster Men, as digestion of Military “Ga- Ga”, is not universally welcomed in a global attended chambers. Instead of the scavenger hunts for military personnel, let’s have Quarterly Townhall Meetings, so the transparency flows from all the attendees and bridge to each councilperson!
Carol and Bruce ended, well allot will unfold over the next 2 yrs, hmmmmm, new chess player, same political wardrobe! (2) Bases are held, (3) bases are off Seeking other political photos shoots!
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Sunday, March 17, 2013,
TO: Open Letter to CCC
RE: Cerritos Failing Business Climate & Reckless Chamber of Commerce..
Nothing to brag about, in past (4) decades, only one store remaining in Cerritos Pallet, –S E A R S– and no restaurants. Many stores and restaurants have moved out of Cerritos and relocated in to nearby cities or county.
1. Many residents purchased in to Cerritos}: Master Planned City | Clean | bountiful of Staple Stores; today the city does not have the day to day staples. 42,000 Cerritos residents are shopping and dining outside of 90703. Our three (3) malls are not being maintained, compared to}: Long Beach Town Center | Rossmoor Center | South Coast- Fashion Island | these malls are being maintained to Industry Standards of ((Heartland of America)); where many of our (3) malls are failing in visual maintenance appearing. People shop where stores are upbeat and feel secure.
2. Three (3) of the most noted luxury cars parked on many 90703 Driveway Garages: Mercedes | BMW | Cadillac | all have to be purchased or repaired outside of Cerritos; therefore tax change income is leaving the city.
3. Cerritos is home too probably the highest number of RV Size Side yards Homes, yet we have to purchase our RV’s and boats in Orange County.
4. Almost every home in Cerritos has computers, yet we have to drive to Anaheim or Huntington Beach to shop at Fry’s Electronics for computer wares! More tax money leaving the city.
5. CCPA- (21-23) yrs ago, remember during the planning stages; arguing debates over permitting soft gambling at the center, to improve the Red Ink. Well today, soft gambling capitalized in Hawaiian Gardens. Our sea of red ink is growing and more and more performances are being cancelled, almost 50% less shows annually.
6. With all of the remodeling or tear downs in 90703, we have to shop Los Alamitos or Buena Park for a lumber store.
7. For a Prime Rib or steak dinner, common pancake breakfast; have to dine in Lakewood Mall, Los Alamitos or Rossmoor. Cerritos does not even have a White Table Cloth Steak House anymore………nor elegant dining and dancing.
8. Simple staples as a grocery store chain, have to shop in Lakewood, Long Beach or Cypress. Yes, we have Target and Wall-Mart Grocery, but neither is a full service grocery store. Target Grocery is not the Gemco’s Lucky Grocery Store from the 70’-80’s, nor FEDCO GROCERY.
9. Gas stations have mostly fled 90703; Cerritos was too restrictive over the convenience store aspect; so again, residents for the most part, purchased gas in one of the nine (2) surrounding cities. Decades been promised a full service Car Wash, today, nothing!
10. Surrounding cities have capitalized on furniture stores, as most stores are located in nearby surrounding cities and no more in Cerritos.
11. Medical treatment is not found in Cerritos, as again, we have to flea in to } Lakewood | Los Alamitos | La Palma.
12. Cerritos has a City Wide Pride Contest (CWP) for the 15,000 homes yearly. Yet we have to shop PLANT NURSERIES in: Lakewood | Downey | Huntington Beach | or Yorba Linda’s Super Home Depot Garden Stores.
13. City has forevermore lost its equal diversity and we are suffering from lack of diversified staple stores, which we once had. This is leaving a permanent mark on the past Republican Councils which were too restrictive in creating a cancerous environment for Cerritos Business Climate. Cerritos is being boycotted by many vendors, small stores and contractors.
14. Drive thru fast food take out, well again, we have to dine outside of Cerritos. How nice it would be to have a (In- Out- Burger) or drive thru (Starbucks) or a Parking Lot Hamburger Restaurant with car hop’s at the car’s windows.
Lot of taxable money is trickling out of Cerritos; therefore the city is not able to repair our breached Public Works. Councils have been abusive, over stepped their power of authority, pointed fingers at abandoned RDA, limited Grants and so forth….Hmmm, these breached public works and fleecing of Staple Stores, started back in the 90’s and today, we are in the………. POOR HOUSE…………..
►► http://cerritospublicworks.blogspot.com/
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