Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido
By Mayor Mark E. Pulido
The 16th annual Festival of Friendship will be held on Saturday, February 7 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Los Cerritos Center. Each year I look forward to this event, which is a celebration of our City’s rich diversity and the friendships that bring our community together.
The popular festival is presented by the City of Cerritos and the Let Freedom Ring Committee, in conjunction with the Los Cerritos Center. Once again this year, the event will feature a variety of cultural entertainment on various stages, with local groups performing an assortment of ethnic songs and dances. Our town’s diverse population brings a cultural richness to the community that is celebrated at this event through dance, music and educational displays.
Cerritos is a community with people of many cultural backgrounds from around the world. Through the Festival of Friendship, the City of Cerritos is proud to showcase the cultural traditions of these diverse groups and to recognize the many different people who live, work and play together in Cerritos.
The groups who will be generously sharing their cultures at this year’s Festival of Friendship include Da’ Hawaii Seniors Club, Afro-Caribbean Dance Revue, Cerritos Folk Dancers, Amor de Mexico, Cerritos Chinese-American Senior Citizens Association, Chinese Culture Association of Southern California, PHILSELA, Oriental Moo-Do School, Liberty Park Tot Lot, JC Culture Foundation, Adaptive Recreation, Praise Dance, Chinese Yun-Chi Dance Association of America, Na Ipo Hula, Whitney High School Shanti Club, Southern California Phil-US Veterans Association, Filipino Cultural School, Four Seasons Autoharp, Ray Shine Choir, Puniwai Hula Halau, Dancefit Direct, Susana Elena Classical Spanish & Flamenco Dance, Emerald Isle, Filipino Seniors of Cerritos and Island Vibes.
The performances will be presented on three different stages: the Forever 21 Stage, the Sears Stage and the Nordstrom Stage & Children’s Area. Attendees can visit each stage to receive a special commemorative gift. For more information about this year’s Festival of Friendship, call the City’s Recreation Services Division at (562) 916-1254.
I can proudly say that Cerritos is a great example of people from diverse cultural backgrounds living together in harmony. It is rewarding to be mayor of a highly diverse City where our residents enjoy learning about the many cultures of the world and celebrating those cultures with events such as the Festival of Friendship. Please join us at this colorful event next month!
Many former patrons of the Los Cerritos Mall, have abandoned shopping at the center due to the racism being played out during the festival of friendship. The festival does not represent all countries throughout the world, only depicts a certain group of Cerritos residents. USA is about all diversity, not just portion called China areas.
Furthermore, Mark, you took a vow during your campaign election to be transparent. So why isn’t the Let Freedom Ring committee, televised on television, is this is one of many groups which is not being televised, plus this committee is being sponsored by Cerritos Residents, as billed to the annual budget.
Cerritos Chamber of commerce, is made up the all ethnics, so why isn’t is trumped in the festival also.
This editorial fails to mention the cost of this festival, billed to the city:
• Staffers
• Committee
• Sheriffing
Many old time residents are fuming, the MLK-Festival of Friendship are being misused and only appropriated for campaign election periods. Mark, how many hand shakes and fliers will you be distributing, during this festival period?
Mark, do you want your children to only know the performers of this festival, or would you want your children to be raised in an environment, where they are exposed to all WORLDWIDE CULTURES?
Facebook.com/Mark-Pulido
Maybe your lack of diversity is illustrated in the low number of likes on your facebook page, when the city has over 45,000 residents.
Los Cerritos Mall is partially correct, as this is an excel. caused, but needs to be amended to be inclusive of the world cultures.
City council elections in March. Diversity tossed out the window. Drive your local hoods and check out the campaign signs. See what ethnic group lives in what house and who votes for who. Little diversity when voting in Cerritos. Even if you abuse your term in office, as long as we come from the same ethnic group I am either voting for you or I am not voting.
Chinese – Officer Vo (Appointed to commission by frequent communist China visitor Councilman Carol Chen)
Chinese – DisGRACEd HU (revoked escrow license by state of California http://www.dbo.ca.gov/ENF/pdf/f/fe_Hu.pdf)
Filipino – Double Dipping PULIDO (http://articles.latimes.com/2006/feb/24/local/me-union24/2)
Filipino – Oops got my attorney license suspended YOKOHAMA (http://www.lawyer.com/frank-yokoyama.html)
Indian – SOLANKI the Grocer (Appointed to commission by frequent communist China visitor Councilman Carol Chen)
White – Vote form me because I miss the FREE Food and World Travel EDWARDS (too many articles to link on this news site)
Korean – Banging another dude’s wife Kang (https://www.loscerritosnews.net/2013/01/25/controversial-ad-in-los-cerritos-community-newspaper-targets-cerritos-city-council-candidate-about-marital-affair/)
A diverse population Cerritos has. Ethics in their politics not so much.
http://cerritos.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=15&clip_id=3394&meta_id=81594
Mayor Mark Pulido (D)
RE:Cerritos dog park.
Why wasn’t the meeting on Tuesday January 13th 2015, advertised to the public to attend? You promised transparency, it’s not in hard task, to identify all the dog owners in Cerritos, ( Via Public Lic Records ) or advertised in the newspaper of an upcoming event as popular as a Cerritos dog park. Why was this meeting hidden in the Sheriff’s Conference Rm and not the council chambers? You had a city council meeting on 1/8/2015, you or staff or City Mgr could of informed the public of this Special Meeting held by Parks and Recreation, as you always have time for Whitney HS comments or recognizing this/that and everything for your election pool.
Where is the democracy in the city, as this meeting was not even televised or recorded on Cerritos television 3? Ashamed at the shenanigans being played, regarding this proposed dog park.
Mark Pulido, this type of non disclosure almost landed you in prison, over the hiding-diverting of funds, when you were employed as a State Of Calif Staffer, working for state elected employee.