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Bruce Barrows.
Cerritos’ Elayne Shiohama, who was also involved in the attack with Barrows against HMG-CN, attacks a fellow Women’s Club member with the same trumped-up email.
Staff Report
During City Council campaigns, very few cities in Southern California see more dirty politics than Cerritos.
Candidates who cycle back through every two years – virtually shutting out newbie candidates – frequently spend tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, to try and win a job that pays very little.
This year, the vitriol has increased due to strong cases made by HMG-CN challenging Article IV of the Cerritos City Charter regarding term limits that should ban Barrows from running for office in 2017.
But candidate Bruce Barrows has taken his oft-professed hatred of HMG-CN a step further, which should call into question his competence to sit as a City Councilman when faced with any kind of pressure.
HMG-CN obtained an email sent this past Monday by Barrows to his campaign list that was not only laced with Donald Trump-style hate-filled words, but contained several defamatory and libelous statements perpetrated against HMG-CN meant to damage the reputation of the award-winning newspaper and Publisher Brian Hews.
Barrows email stated in part, “if we were to believe the false headlines written by “Fake News Hews” in the Los Cerritos Community News, it would be easy to believe that the City Clerk and the City Attorney allowed me to run for City Council illegally. Nothing could be further from the truth. However it seems that this paper specializes in “Fake News”, maliciously creating lies and falsehoods, and refusing to print a retraction even when proven wrong. They (may be again fined) for using a[n] ex-employees email address [Jerry Bernstein] to attack residents.”
The statement perpetrated several lies:
It all started with a February 17 email sent by HMG-CN; it was the first Article IV report to be published.
Cerritos resident Elayne Shiohama.
Long time Barrows supporter Elayne Shiohama received the email from HMG–CN and immediately forwarded the email to Barrows claiming that Hews had attacked her.
Shiohama was out for revenge, she was part of an investigative report by HMG-CN and Brian Hews, outlining excessive spending on trips taken by the Cerritos Fine Arts and Historical Commission, of which Shiohama was a member.
But it was clear, and clear to Barrows, that in the email Hews did not “attack” Shiohama; it was actually Shimohama who was hurling insults.
Then Shiohama told Barrows that Hews was covertly using Bernstein’s email to attack people.
Barrows, in his haste to discredit HMG-CN, sent out his defamatory and libelous email claiming Hews attacked Shiohama hiding behind Bernstein’s email.
Barrows defamatory email to his campaign base.
But Barrows failed to check the origination of the email, which was [email protected], and not Jerry Bernstein.
HMG-CN Demands Retraction-
Hews subsequently received the email from a source and immediately asked for a retraction from Barrows.
Barrows’ attorney, Seal Beach based Patrick Stacker, who, according to Barrows’ campaign finance documents, gave $1,000 to his campaign, and, like Barrows, is a member of the Cerritos Optimists, replied to Hews acknowledging the libelous email and agreeing to a retraction.
Stacker sent an email back saying, “We are working on a retraction, Bruce is going to retract it but he is going to do it in his normal email blast whenever that might be in the near future.”
Barrows’ attorney acknowledging the defamation and agreeing to a retraction.
An indignant Hews said, “There is a pattern here. This is a candidate for Cerritos City Council who a couple years ago assaulted a resident because the resident did not agree with him. The issue went to court and they settled.”
Hews continued, “Now, in his lust for the yet another stint on City Council, and to get back at me, he recklessly sent out this email with libelous and defamatory statements intended to inflict damage on my reputation.”
Hews finished, “Barrows declared a couple years ago after the State demanded money back from the City, that the ‘worst thing is that the City goes bankrupt.’ He has no control when things don’t go his way, who knows what other things he might he do.”
Ret. Bruce Barrows is bringing down the city’s reputation to level of : South Gate, Carson, Compton, Cudhay, Not only is Cerritos name tarnished, now the reputation of the City Clerk/ City attorney to the level of possible corruption, nation witnessed this in the City of Bell unfold around 2010.
Sad Ret. Elayne Shiohama. name is ruining the good faith of the ABCUSD Teachers and Federation of Teachers, since she is Wallowing in swine mud too.
Residents and voters are sick of his questioning Prop H, so residents are ripping down political campaign signs at large for Vo-Barrows slate, creating piles of poster board trash on street corners, etc.
Prop H has forevermore lowered the barr, for the good faith of both councilpersons Barrows-Edwards, public has lost whatever kindle of trust they had for politicians.
Katherine Chu, Pres. of Woman’s Club, should pf proceeded with the Forum and vent the dirty campaign laundry, instead of wrapping the dead fish for recycling over yrs/ yrs.
What ever happened to the respect, dignity honesty and truthfulness of candidates for public office.
The foundation of democracy, as laid out in the Constitution, is under attack by corruption and self serving interest of SOME public servants and office seekers who have no problem ignoring the truth while claiming that lies are the truth.
We can not allow Cerritos to become a reflection of the corruption of the Trump mentality and we must demand a respectful debate of the issues affecting our City so that together we can solve the serious problems at hand.
Let’s start by appointing a THIRD PARTY INDEPENDENT VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE to Audit the Cities finances and investigate any leads that may expose the real motives for any candidates with a compulsion to be re-elected.
Finally, stop attacking the freedom of the press just because it may expose truths that you may not like. Without freedom of the press, Democracy is dead.
Barrows attorney Stacker & Witt and Commissioner Arballo, all neighbors in the ostentatious Shadow Park HOA.
Back in mid 70’s Councilperson Robert Witt, resigned from city council, he was that bad & pompous.
Stacker Esq web site states he specializes in Trust Law, what does Trust Law have to do with governmental Tort & governmental laws and propositions which this is hovering around Prop H.
False news is a Rhino Trump slogan in order to appease nation for news worthy stories. Prop H is about laws and related stories spinning off of this is newsworthy city gossips; & not Barrows Fox News cronyism.
Edwards-Crawley had an exchange of emails, over saluting a resident with half peace symbol, via emails. Then we had journey of census rages from the chambers & Crawley sleeps today in medical nursing facility. Some of this Prop H heated exchanges orig in Shadow Park per Crawley and Edwards HOA supporters.
Bruce Barrows is the king of spreading false news stories, or fake news stories, why doesn’t he come clean and tell about the alleged bodily assault-battery attack on to a Cerritos residence in 2012; and tell the voters about the investigation and the judicial hearing witch followed in Bellflower Courts, between Barrows and Cerritos Resident . Barrows was upset and jealous over the Water Board Candidate seeking term, so assaulted the victim on the city council exterior foyer balcony.
http://lmlamplighter.com/mayor-pro-tem-barrows-battery-hearing-results-in-mandate-from-judge/
Cerritos city council was so embarrassed over this crime, council refused to censor councilperson Barrows.
Conflict of interest, Barrows seeks legal representation from his own city club ( Cerritos Optimists club), in which Barrows and Stacker Esq are both members of. Many Optimist club members are fearful Prop H will bring harm to the elite club.
https://www.facebook.com/CerritosOptimists/
Many PTA members for ABCUSD are shocked at their own kindergarten teacher: Ret. Elayne Shiohama caught up over this shuffle of words and dialog. Some trustee appointees are suggesting an investigation which s being spear headed by many parents in the district, since Elayne was an employee of ABCUSD, when she was appointed to Fine Arts Commission by Barrows and may have over stepped her appointee boundaries by too much travels, paid for by taxpayers of Cerritos.