By Cerritos Mayor Frank Aurelio Yokoyama
Throughout my time living in and serving the City of Cerritos, I’ve always found joy in celebrating others and elevating their accomplishments for all to witness. Last week, this column paid homage to Cerritos Sheriff’s Station deputies, Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics, and boys whose quick decisions led to the recent rescue of a toddler at Don Knabe Regional Park. Details of their lifesaving actions were shared during a press conference in the City Council Chamber on April 10, and City Proclamations were bestowed upon these heroes at the City Council meeting that evening. This was an incredibly proud day for our City, and emphasizes our long-standing commitment to recognizing the accomplishments and talents of our community members and partners.
A proclamation is a formal public statement often commissioned by government entities. In Cerritos, we also present Certificates to various persons, teams, and community groups. The practice of recognizing others in this fashion dates back several years. The City Council dedicates time nearly every meeting to this tradition, as well as in other pubic settings where we have the opportunity to connect with our honorees directly. From heroic acts and community service to academic and athletic achievements, we are pleased to recognize these deserving individuals and organizations.
As a proud alumnus of Whitney High School, I was thrilled to join my City Council colleagues last week in recognizing the 2024-2025 Division IV State Champion Girls Basketball team. The Whitney Wildcats’ victory marks the first State Championship in the school’s history and just the second State Championship for a team from the ABC Unified School District. We applaud these young women for their determination, dedication, and commitment to excellence.
The City Council and our Recreation Services Division also had the opportunity last week to recognize members of the Cerritos Girls Intermediate All-Stars Youth Basketball team for their Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation (SCMAF) Open “A” Division Championship win. The team showed perseverance in winning all three games to secure the championship.
In addition to the above accomplishments, we are pleased to showcase the volunteer work of our community members. For his Eagle Scout project, Jeffrey Nishida built an emergency supply cabinet for Ronald McDonald House Orange County. In addition, he raised $6,000 to help stock the cabinet with first aid supplies and emergency food rations. Jeffrey worked alongside 20 scouts and adults, dedicating 250 hours of service to this project.
As these recognitions exemplify, fantastic things are happening every day in our community. The Cerritos City Council looks forward to celebrating more individuals, teams, and businesses and continuing this great tradition of recognition. You can watch these presentations during our meetings and view summaries in our City Council agenda reports, found at cerritos.gov/agendas.
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