By Brian Hews
Back in 2013 during the Los Angles Mayor’s race, HMG-CN was alerted that mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel may have been campaigning on city time.
HMG-CN subsequently requested Greuel’s daily calendar for the preceding 18 months.
It took almost 100 days to get the documents but when HMG-CN finally got them, it was clear she was campaigning on company time and several articles were published setting off a fire storm in the LA mayor’s race.
Former Councilwoman Ruth Galanter filed a complaint to the Ethics Commission based on the HMG-CN findings.
Former campaign manager for Zev Yaroslavsky Jack McGrath called out the LA Times saying, “this comprehensive political story I should have been reading in the Los Angeles Times. We count on your paper, with substantial resources to investigate allegations such as these reported in the Cerritos newspaper.”
Greuel responded to the furor over the articles by holding a press conference.
To the horror of all journalists at the press conference, Wendy Greuel’s political operative, John Shallman, began handing out old personal documents related to HMG-CN personnel.
In one move, Greuel had threatened the entire media of Los Angeles with an act that said, “if I am elected and you write anything bad about me that is true, I will find a way to hurt you.”
Fast-forward to this week. HMG-CN published a story on council candidate Chuong Vo taking donations from shady lawyers. Lawyers who tried to frame two Costa Mesa city councilmen for drunk driving because talks had broke down between their law firm and the Costa Mesa police union.
The two lawyers were also embroiled in a fraud and malpractice lawsuit for overbilling, with one lawyer billing over 70 hours in one day and the other 4,735 hours in one year.
On top of that, Artesia Councilman Ali Taj told HMG-CN he was not endorsing Vo, even though Vo had Taj on his campaign website.
So what does Chuong Vo do after the story broke online?
Vo said everything in the story was fabricated, threatened HMG-CN, then produced old documents related to HMG-CN personnel.
Just like Wendy Greuel.
Just like Greuel, Vo is telling local media, “if I am elected and you write anything bad about me that is true, I will find a way to hurt you.”
Strong words made stronger by Vo, who is a Torrance detective licensed to carry a gun.
During his statement, which was laced with anger, Vo did not mention the fact that the donations came from lawyers with a very checkered past or that Councilman Taj had denied his endorsement on the website.
Vo just said everything was fabricated and blasted the newspaper.
Vo said in his statement that this was a “hit piece.”
It was not, I have never met Vo. My initial intention was to simply report who was donating money and how much each candidate was receiving.
Going over Vo’s statements, I immediately recognized the two lawyer’s names. I read the LA Times and OC Register every morning and live in Orange County, the Costa Mesa councilman story is a very high profile case in the OC, I knew who the lawyers were.
Suffice it to say I was shocked that Vo took donations from them, and large donations at that.
Mr. Vo also went on to say that HMG-CN “has been a problem in the community for years.”
I agree with that.
We’ve been a problem to Carol Chen and Bruce Barrows exposing their numerous $200 dinners, trips all over the U.S., and unauthorized diplomatic trips to China on Cerritos taxpayer’s dime.
After those HMG-CN travel exposes, the city placed a travel policy on its website.
We’ve been a problem to the Central Basin Water District while exposing the Calderons. We’ve certainly been a problem to the La Mirada Football Boosters Club.
In the meantime, this “problem” has continued what a community newspaper should do: publish press releases and advertising for free for nonprofit organizations that help the community; publish the Cerritos Crime Report for free, written by Linda Long who does a great job, every week to keep residents informed; invite youth organizations to come to the office to see how a newspaper is run; act as watchdog to city hall; stimulate the local economy and generate tax dollars for the city of Cerritos.
Promoting the city, creating safety awareness, community outreach, and generating revenues for the city.
That, Mr. Vo, is a nice problem to have.
Just hate it, when police use their power of authority, to scare residents. Watched him many times on Planning Commission, he brags about his service being Torrance Cop, because no substance upstairs. Cops which behave as pigs deserve to be called pigs. Wendy did the same, and voters were smart and elected most gracious Eric Garcetti, which never once uses his dad or education as background, nor his catholic-Jewish gene pool, in order to prove a point. Matter of fact, Mr. Garcettii, peoples mayor never gets upset compared to the Cerritos PIG COP.
Chamber forum is —Calla lily white group—-, in it for the power trip. If they been here and listened to the long term residents, we had a great business base, but with lack of even diversity, grocery stores and good restaurants, closed and relocated to nearby cities. Now we have to travel to surrounding cities, to shop, gas and by grocery staples. Cerritos Chamber of Commerce, just another layer of bureaucracy and placement dinner card for past mayors to hang their hat and brag, like Jim Edwards did at this Forum. Grace Hu also made the Cerritos Chamber part of her speech, isn’t it illegal to be councilperson, member of the Chamber and own multiple real estate stores in same city, as Grace Hu was using her council and chamber, to flush real estate business to her Remax.
Opening statement made by the Chair to the Cerritos Chamber Of Commerce was in error. He stated Chamber remains neutral in all decisions. Well, remember multiple times, during the La Cuetsa Villas and other retirement projects, low cost housing in Cerritos, Chamber addressed the CCC, stating no, we need housing for young and first time homeowners, to rejuvenate new blood back to the city. Well Chamber took a stance and played politics.
Interesting how Councilperson/realtor, has missued her LADY POND, to bait/lure the men in the city: Barrows, Ray, Solanski, Vo, Edwards.
Cerritos was once a beautiful smiling face city, proud master planned community of faces/ villages. Dairy Valley had limited name power, but naming it Cerritos, it now had a positive name attached to dreamland full of promises.
Cerritos became the TOP hero city for all of the region, as it supported shopping and housing. Lurking over the city history was the seeds for communist china to be cultivated in corrupt school district, which sported Chinese savior, Whitney School, entranceway to all national universities.
Rest is downhill history, Cerritos non- educated voters; choose the wrong candidates in to power, creating vying by race card politics.
Now voters trust in all politicians, CCPA is at an all time low, trees are condemning homesites, especially in a city where the budget is falling in to bankruptcy.
This policeman story, only adds fuel to the fire, as depics why police nationally are killing innocent people, especially young black youths of America. This policeman not only killed the motion of the night, but has aided tarnishing his Communist Chinese race, plus furthermore divided the city. This out-of-control behavior at the forum, has resurrected memories from the Cerritos Baptismal Party from the 70’s, where Cerritos was found guilty of excessive battery and force on to innocent minority racial family.
Cerritos is a dying flower on the vine, with no return in site.
Yes, Barrows-Chen-Edwards-Hu-Wong-Hughlett-Knabe-Crawley-Gallucci Slates, all created a war zone of unethical politics in to a city which is dying to decay and rot.
God knew what he was doing, when he dropped the 2 planes from the sky, it was a call from heaven, the city has gone corrupt.
Ahaha! Mr. Vo, take this as an opportunty to save yourself and us; the voters, from those pesky mailer’s we get every election, spare us from those wretched campaign calls that always interrupt my dinner and put a stop payment on that case of campaign buttoms you ordered because you (Mr. Vo),single handedly destroyed your own campaign before it really began. The wicked always get aggerivated when they are up to no good. I suggest you join “Team Ram Road of Cerritos”, aka (Team: Rich A-holes Manipulating Real estate prices, pocket listings and are Overpaid by tax dollars Associated by the ongoing and never ending Dynasty of Cerritos). That’s Carol Chen’s club. They are always accepting new members.
Vo attacking the newspaper sounds like Bruce Barrows on steroids.
He is coming across sort of like a hired gun, an enforcer of sorts. I mean if he is accepting money from people trying to frame government officials this is some scary stuff for you.
When he calls a legally established newspaper, exercising the first amendment a “problem” is he really saying this town isn’t big enough for the two of you?