Cerritos Candidates Meet in Second Candidate Forum

By Jerry Bernstein
Candidates seeking election to the three Cerritos city council open seats Mar. 8 campaigned for votes Jan. 1 at the second candidate forum sponsored by the Artesia-Cerritos Woman’s Club.
Questions included their position on selling the Performing Arts Center, council salaries, Governor Brown’s decision to close down Redevelopment Agencies, and Cerritos neighborhoods infrastructure. They were also asked about the unincorporated area on the west side of the city off 166th Street across from the Cerritos College parking lot.
Kiran Rami, a first time candidate for city council said if elected she would bring a young mother’s perspective to the council. She said thus far the city has done very well for its residents. If elected her focus will be to continue on that path and to work with all the city departments to ensure its continuance. Unfortunately, she had to leave after her introductory remarks in order to teach an opening class at Long Beach City College where she is an instructor. She hoped residents would vote for her on Mar. 8, saying she was number one on the ballot.
Former Mayor Grace Hu said she feels her past experience in city government and her business expertise could be helpful to Cerritos during the current recession and state financial crisis. Responding to the question about selling part of the Performing Art Center she said when she was on the council she voted for the Center. At that time we had approximately $4 or $5 million to promote it. She said it was felt the Center would bring more business to the city. Now times have changed and she would like to review all the programs involved with the Center before making a final decision.
Harshad Mody , a resident of Cerritos since 1981, said he is looking forward to serving Cerritos. He said he was 65 year old, retired, and would be a full time councilmember. He said he was there to listen to the people and his doors will be open to everyone.
Turning to the Performing Art Center he said we need somebody to look at the Center in detail. “We should be making money and he feels the city doesn’t have the right direction in running it. He also said he believes the city needs to pay more attention to the needs of the neighborhoods.
Mayor Joseph Cho said many Cerritos residents are concerned about overgrown trees, broken sidewalks, and community safety. He said the city is in better shape than some of its neighbors but it is not immune from the state’s financial crisis and the national recession. He opposes the governor’s proposal to close all Redevelopment Agencies by July 1, stating it would hurt all cities. On the question of the Performing Arts Center he said for the past several years the city has made changes to reduce costs. He said their new director has proposed several ideas. He is not in favor of selling any part of the Center. Concerning the unincorporated area on the city’s west side, he said the area is not part of Cerritos but county.
Mark Pulido said he was not in favor of selling the Performing Arts Center. He said it’s a magnet that attracts new business to the city, supports our youth and is the center of the Town Center. He asked who would benefit by doing so. Turning to what makes Cerritos a good place to live, he said it is its neighborhoods. It’s time to reinvest in our neighborhoods. This includes tree trimming, fixing broken sidewalks, and repairing potholes.
Chris Fuentes said he believes there is a crisis developing. “We talk about the Redevelopment Agency going away. This is something we’ve known about for a long time. He critized the city for moving ahead with the Cuesta Villa project with ABC when it knew it didn’t have all the money on hand to fund it. He said the council and school board voted for it, and described it as a subversion of the redevelopment program. He said the Governor “wisely” put the breaks on it.
He described the city administration as “very top heavy,” criticized salaries for top executives and management as excessive and accused the city of taking rank and file employees and putting them on a part time basis, with no chance of becoming full time employees where they can earn benefits. He compared Cerritos with the city of Bell where a strong city manager and a rubber stamp council led he city down the road of corruption.
Turning to the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, he said he did not believe in selling it but favored a public-private partnership to run it. On the question of the Westside, he indicated the rest of the city receives service, but the only time the city listens to the Westside is during a city council election.
Councilman Bruce Barrows said if re-elected he will continue his support to keep Cerritos a vibrant city and provide residents the high quality service they and the business community have come to expect from the city. He said in the coming months city will need strong leadership. He stated during the past four years Cerritos has experienced economic growth. He cited the new Nordstrom Department Store, Forever 21 and Apple openings as examples of the city bringing in new business. He said the council and city administration is continually working to bring new business opportunities to Cerritos. Barrows is not favor of selling the Performing Arts Center, saying when it was first planned it was described as an economic engine that would bring new business to the city. He said it would be a big mistake to sell it. It benefits the entire community.”
On the question of the unincorporated area off 166th Street Barrows said the city has no jurisdiction in that area. It is under Los Angeles County jurisdiction. It is a county island.