Election 2015: New Councilmembers in Cerritos, La Mirada, and Commerce

By Brian Hews

With canvassing left to be done by the Cerritos City Clerk, unofficial results show incumbent Councilman Mark Pulido, former Mayor Jim Edwards and newcomer Naresh Solanki winners in this past Tuesday’s election.

In La Mirada, unofficial results show newcomer Ed Eng, along with incumbents Stephen DeRuse and Larry Mowles winners.

With two seats open in Commerce, newcomers Oralia Rebollo and Hugo Argumedo; incumbent Denise Robles lost.  Argumedo was the top vote-getter.

Cerritos residents also overwhelmingly approved Measure A, which would raise the city’s hotel bed tax from 6 to 12 percent, with 70.33 percent voting in favor.

The hotel bed tax is projected to generate an extra $600,000 to help pay for general city The tax is charged on rooms in only one hotel, the Sheraton Cerritos Hotel, and only hotel guests would pay the increase tax.

In Cerritos Pulido, who won a second term as councilman, tallied 3,417 votes; Edwards received 3,053 votes and Solanki received 2,533 votes.

Behind Solanki by 61 votes was Frank Yokoyama at 2,472 votes. Grace Hu was 96 votes behind at 2,437.

Chuong Vo, who could not seem to recover after an expose by HMG-CN revealed he took donations from lawyers who tried to frame two Costa Mesa City Councilman, along with dishonestly posting an endorsement by Artesia Councilman Ali Taj for months on his campaign website, tallied 1,732.

Sophia Tse garnered 1,597, Sam Ahmad 511, and Manny Sethi 210 votes.

In La Mirada, Ed Eng tallied 1,841, De Ruse 1,636, with Mowles garnering 1,521 votes.

In Commerce, Argumedo tallied 510 votes, Rebollo 499, and Robles 440. Newcomers John Diaz garnered 360 votes, Sonia Rodriguez 257, and John Soria 247 votes.