Randy Economy

New Cerritos.Us website is full of whimsy and VIBRANT colors. What do you think?

2009-11-07T02:52:00.000-08:00

www.Cerritos.US

The City of Cerritos has revamped our communities website.

The new features include HOT and WILD colors, and a crisp contemporary design.

The website also offers enhanced accessibility for visitors with disabilities and is multi languaged....which is a huge plus for our diverse community.

The City’s website is now organized into main categories such as Residents, Businesses, Government, Visitors and News/Info.

Each section offers fly-out navigation menus to provide quick and convenient access to information.

The home page of the website also features Top Stories, a Calendar of Events, and direct links to such frequently visited pages as City Council, City Classes/eConnect and TV3/City Videos.

Love watching the many Cerritos city commish meetings..?then this section of the site is a "must stop!"

Pages within the new website also include sections titled More Info and Featured Links which highlight relevant telephone numbers and links to related pages. Photos of the community are featured throughout the website.

Check it out...and its a nifty tool for everyone who wants more data on our hometown of Cerritos.

Tell me what you think? RREconomy@aol.com

Randy Economy

Los Cerritos Community News: Pico Rivera elects Poltical Rivals to City Council. Camacho IN, Beilke OUT!

2009-11-06T23:33:00.000-08:00

Gus Camacho IN...
...Ron Beilke OUT
in Pico Rivera

By Randy Economy

(Pico Rivera)-- Controversial City Councilman Ron Belike was tossed out of office on Tuesday in one of the nastiest campaigns this city has ever seen.

Beilke failed in his re-election bid while his political archrival incumbent David Armenta and challenger Gustavo Camacho, a political ally of his, cruised to election victories. He trailed Armenta and Camacho by more than 500 votes and finished in a distant 5th place. Former Mayor and Councilman E.A. "Pete" Ramirez landed in 3rd followed by challenger Marty Morones.

Trailing behind Beilke was challenger Luis Alvarado, a Republican political advisor, and community member Raul Riesego finished last.

Ironically, Belike who is Camacho’s political mentor convinced him to enter this particular campaign as his “running mate.”

Camacho and Armenta are political opposites and rivals, and both will be sworn into office in a couple of weeks.

Voters will head back to the polls next April to elect one additional City Council Member for the seat that was previously held by former Mayor Gracie Patricia Smith. She resigned earlier this Summer citing “personal family issues.” It was revealed shortly afterwards that Gallegos-Smith was actually on Felony Probation for Criminal Insurance Fraud during the entire time she was a member of the Pico Rivera City Council.

POLITICAL HIT PIECES DOMINATED CAMPAIGN
Residents were bombarded with nasty negative political mail in this campaign. When all of the campaign expenses are tallied, it is expected that more than $125,000 to $150,000 was actually spent on this campaign.

Belike is still facing possible prosecution by the Los Angeles County District Attorney Office of Public Integrity on public corruption charges.

Many involved in the Pico Rivera campaign charged that City Manager Chuck Fuentes is “too political” and the former three-person voting bloc - of Beilke, current acting Mayor Bob Archuleta and the former councilwoman Gallegos-Smith, - was not good for this community of 60,000 working class residents.

The new city council will consist of Archuleta, Armenta, Camacho and Councilman Gregory Salcido and one vacancy.

MEASURE TR WINS
Measure TR also was approved by voters on Tuesday in Pico Rivera.

It will lower the city's Utility Users tax from 5 percent to 4.5 percent and change the city's ordinance to include wireless communication devices.

Opponents of the measure called it misleading, saying it expands language of the city's ordinance to include wireless communication devices - like cell phones and voice-over-Internet - currently being taxed illegally.

Los Cerritos Community News: INCUMBENTS PULIDO and CHEN back in; Newcomer JAMES KANG defeats longtime Incumbent David Montgomery

2009-11-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

By: Randy Economy

A political shock was sent through the ABC School Board election on Tuesday as longtime incumbent David Montgomery was defeated by newcomer James Kang.

Incumbents Mark Pulido and Olympia Chen were both reelected.

Kang won on the strength of a huge Vote-By-Mail effort.

Montgomery, along with Pulido and Chen were financially backed by the ABC Federation of Teachers Political Action Committee. Montgomery trailed all night long to Kang as the votes were reported.

Kang had the backing of Cerritos Mayor Pro-Tem Joseph Cho and many Cerritos city commissioners and other local community leaders. He finished in 2nd place with 3,492 votes.

Top vote getter was popular incumbent Mark Pulido who received 4,029 votes. Pulido told his supporters on Wednesday, “These are truly challenging times, so the work continues in ABC Unified. I am ready to get right back to work to ensure the best possible education for all our children.”

Pulido was also supported by the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and several Democratic Party clubs, groups and leaders. He also serves as the District Director to California State Senator Alan Lowenthal.

Olympia Chen, the current President of the Board of Education finished in the 3rd place slot with 3,292 votes. Chen has been a member of the Board for the past 12 years. She worked tirelessly in this campaign, in spite of recently suffering a stroke earlier this year.

Montgomery came in 4th with 3,038 votes, and Cerritos resident David Shaffer trailed with 2,827 votes.

This is the second ABC campaign effort by Shaffer. He had the backing of many current and former elected officials including former Mayors Grace Hu and John Crawley. “I want to thank all of my wonderful friends and supporters in this campaign,” he said on Wednesday.

Pulido will now set his sight on his next campaign, for the Cerritos City Council in March 2011. He announced that he would be a candidate for the Cerritos City Council at the Cerritos Republican Club’s Candidate Forum earlier last month.

Kang campaigned on a platform of improving Academic Performance test scores by closing the achievement gap; increase PTA involvement with workshops that educate parents; maximizing the District budget for students to retain the most effective educational programs, and to limit the amount of time a school board member could serve to three consecutive terms four year terms.

Does ONE VOTE REALLY MATTER? It DOES in ARTESIA, CALIFORNIA. Proposed business tax increase now behind by ONE SINGLE VOTE!

2009-11-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

ONE SMALL VOTE!!!!

The voters of Artesia are literally split down the middle on two local measures that appeared on last Tuesday's ballot.

Measure Y, would create a new Business License tax based upon income is now losing by ONE VOTE, and the other one, Measure S is now winning by 18 votes.

So, the next time so one asks you if ONE vote really matters in an election, just remind them about this campaign here in Artesia, California.

BTW...

There are still more votes to tally here in Artesia, so both of these measures are still yet to be decided.

Artesia is the home to the world famous "Little India" Shopping District, and has some of the GREATEST East Indian resturants ANYWHERE in Southern California!

ARTESIA CITY SPECIAL MUNI MEASURES

S - TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX -
YES   479 50.96%
NO   461 49.04%

Y - BUSINESS LICENSE TAX -
YES 475 49.95%
NO   476   50.05%

TOTAL PRECINCTS 4
PRECINCTS REPORTING 4
100.00%
REGISTRATION 6,594

--Randy Economy

BELLGARDENS ELECTION THRILLER: INCUMBENT DANIEL CRESPO CLOSES GAP on Challenger LUIS ARIAS. STAY TUNED...224 Ballots LEFT to COUNT!

2009-11-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

The race for the 3rd and final slot in the Bell Gardens City Council election has seen a huge shift in the late votes posted this afternoon by the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters Office, and this election is far from being decided.

According to my "inside" sources at the Reg. of Voters Office, another 224 late ballots still need to be processed and counted for this Bell Gardens City Council campaign.

If the late voting trend continues, look for Councilman Crespo, to eek out a narrow victory over his rival Luis Arias.

Incumbent Councilman Crespo, a Deputy Probation Officer, now finds himself only 24 votes behind challenger Luis Arias. After election night, he trailed by almost 60 votes.

BELL GARDENS CITY GEN MUNI COUNCILMEMBER

VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

PRISCILLA FLORES 1,299 20.15
SERGIO INFANZON 1,102 17.09
LUIS A ARIAS 1,059 16.42
DANIEL CRESPO 1,035 16.05

CRISTINA GARCIA 955 14.81
JAVIER SANCHEZ 835 12.95
M C VIURQUIZ 163 2.53

TOTAL PRECINCTS 8 PRECINCTS
REPORTING 8
REGISTRATION 11,273

Stay Tuned....

FLU VICTIM: Ailing Rep. Linda Sánchez will vote on healthcare bill say THE HILL BLOG

2009-11-05T22:23:00.000-08:00

This is from THE HILL web blog's Bob Cusack.

Our local Congresswoman Linda T, Sanchez has the Flu...big time...but she is planning to cast a critical vote for the much hyped health care bill this coming weekend.

Get well, Lin..drink plenty of WATER...use lots of hand sanitizer...adn gets lots of rest!
Randy Economy

Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), who has missed every vote this week, will be in the House chamber on Saturday to support the Democrats' healthcare reform bill.

The congresswoman and her son both have the flu, according to Sánchez spokeswoman Marsha Catron.

Catron added in an e-mail, "She will be there to vote for the Affordable Health Care for America Act -- so that all Americans will have access to quality, affordable health care and so that women will no longer be discriminated against nor denied coverage.”

House Democrats need every vote they can get. At least a dozen Democrats are vowing to reject the bill while few, if any, Republicans will support it. Earlier this year, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) returned to the House from rehab to vote for climate change legislation. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), recovering from back surgery, also came back to the lower chamber to register his yes vote on the climate measure, which passed 219-212.

James "Jimmy" Beilke and Paul Puente charged with one count petty theft for stealing campaign signs of Councilman David Armenta. Both face 6 months in jail and fines

2009-11-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

By Randy Economy
PICO RIVERA - The son of a City Councilman is being charged with petty theft for allegedly offering to pay three others to steal campaign signs belonging to his father's political opponent Councilman David Armenta, officials said.

Armenta easily won reelection on Tuesday by receiving top vote. Several hundreds of his campaign signs were stolen during this past campaign. (See above).

James "Jimmy" Beilke (right), 18, and Paul Puente (above), 20, of Pico Rivera were charged Thursday with one count each of petty theft, officials said. Beilke is the son of City Councilman Ron Beilke.

Voters in Pico Rivera tossed the elder Beilke out of office Tuesday. Ron Beilke still faces possible criminal charges himself by the Distirct Attorney's Office on political fraud charges.

If convicted, James Beilke and Paul Puente could each face up to six months in county jail and/or a fine of up $1,000, law enforcement officials disclosed.

Tabulating Democracy: Los Angeles County Recorder Dean Logan keeps the vote machines countin' well after election day

2009-11-05T02:59:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES COUNTY'S
DEAN of DEMOCRACY!

Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder Dean Logan has announced that six additonal voting updates will be posted over the next 3-plus weeks.

These ballot UPDATES will determine the outcome of the Artesia Ballot Measures Y and S, as well as the final winners in other close local city council races. Remember how long it took to determine if ABC School Board Member Maynard Law won his seat a few years back....

http://www.lavote.net/ will be listing the updated results on the following days:

CANVASS UPDATE SCHEDULE*
UPDATE 1 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6 2:00 pm
UPDATE 2 TUESDAY NOVEMBER 10 2:00 pm
UPDATE 3 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13 2:00 pm
UPDATE 4 TUESDAY NOVEMBER 17 2:00 pm
UPDATE 5 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 20 2:00 pm
UPDATE 6 MONDAY NOVEMBER 23 10:00 am

So, stay tuned.

Remember...it's not over, till Dean Logan says it's over!

Long Beach PD: 2 Teens arrested in murder of Long Beach Wilson HS student Melody Ross

2009-11-05T00:52:00.000-08:00

Breaking News in the Melody Ross Murder Case!

(Long Beach) - Long Beach Police Department Detectives have arrested the suspects believed to be responsible for the senseless murder of Melody Ross and the attempted murder of the 18-year-old and 20-year-old male victims.

The murder of Ross has been local and national headlines here in our community for the past week.

The suspects responsible for this murder are a 16-year-old male resident of Long Beach and a 16-year-old male resident of Bellflower.

Since both suspects are juveniles their identity cannot be released. Detectives from the Homicide Detail will present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office tomorrow to file charges.

Homicide Detectives are seeking more outstanding suspects and are asking for any additional witnesses to come forward. If you can help us with this case, please contact Detectives Scott Lasch and Malcolm Evans at (562) 570-7244.

Again, my heart goes out to the many friends and family of Melody Ross.

Great job Long Beach Police Department for finding these two suspects. I hope justice is served here.

-Randy Economy

Justice for Ernestine and Lamar Matthews: Man Convicted of Murdering Elderly Cerritos Couple

2009-11-04T23:48:00.000-08:00

My hearts go out to all of the wonderful Cerritos friends and family members of the Matthews family here. Justice has been served. Rest In Peace!
RrE

NORWALK – A Norwalk Superior Court jury convicted a 34-year-old Carson man last Friday for the 2004 double murder of an elderly Cerritos couple.

Deputy District Attorney Islam Ramadan of the Norwalk Branch Office said Anthony Deondrea Cain was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. Jurors found true the special circumstances of murder in the commission of a robbery and multiple murders.

Cain also was convicted of two counts of residential robbery and one count of residential burglary. Jurors additionally found true the allegation that the defendant personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon, scissors, as to all but one count.

Judge Dewey Falcone ordered the jury to return on Nov. 2 to begin the penalty phase. Cain faces a maximum penalty of death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case was co-prosecuted by Ramadan and Deputy District Attorney June Chung. Ernestine and Lamar Matthews, both 75, were found slain in their home on Feb. 11, 2004. Sheriff’s deputies arrested Cain, a felon and relative by marriage, days after the murders.

Ernestine Matthews was a former teacher for the Compton Unified School District. Her husband was a retired probation officer.

KNABE: WE Need to Return to a “Business As Usual” Climate Here in Los Angeles County

2009-11-04T19:36:00.001-08:00

Today, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor Chairman Don Knabe delivered the "State of Los Angeles County" Address before 1,400 community and business leaders here in Long Beach.

I wanted to post his remarks, in full, so you see what is facing our beloved LA County. Click the link below for full text.

Thanks, Don for your leadership. We need to all elect MORE people like DON KNABE to public office in the future!
RrE

knabe.com

Supervisor Don Knabe's 2009 State of the County Speech

It's great to be back here for the third year, and to have the continued support of the community by having each of you here today. I want to start by thanking the Color Guard from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. As you know, our County Fire Department has had a difficult year, with the tragic deaths of firefighters Ted Hall and Arnie Quinones on August 30, 2009, while battling the Station Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains. Our County firefighters continue to fight vigilantly every day to keep our communities safe. Please join me in giving them a round of applause.

I want to thank Mayor Mario Guerra from the City of Downey for his words of inspiration and his successful work with colleagues on the council and in city management to help revitalize a city that, not too long ago, faced the loss of several major manufacturers.

For the entire "State of the County" Address go to www.KNABE.com

Also, This is a great excerpt from the 30-plus minute address:

"We all know the phrase “business as usual” and I’m sure that after the financial roller coaster of the past year – getting back to business as usual is something we all wish would happen sooner rather than later.

A quick history lesson… it may surprise you to learn who the phrase “business as usual” is attributed to. One of my heroes actually. It was first said on November 9, 1914, by Britain’s then-Secretary of State for War, Winston Churchill. It was a belief followed by the British people in the early years of World War One. In order to maintain a stable and functioning economy, it was necessary to not accept negativity or a loss in progress. In other words, people should think of the war as "business as usual." The implication was that a morale-eroding change in behavior is a victory for the enemy.

We need “business as usual” because we face battles of our own in Los Angeles County today. Our enemies are numerous… the recession, the negative climate towards business and innovation. Our enemies are numbers too… numbers like this one… 12 point seven percent – the current unemployment rate in our County, a rate that’s even higher here in Long Beach."

ELECTION POST: WHITTIER DAILY NEWS ASKS IF PICO RIVERA HOUSE OF CARDS ARE ABOUT TO COLLAPSE

2009-11-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

The Editorial Board over at the Whittier Daily News has posted a fascinating look at the results of the nasty city council election over in Pico Rivera. The WDN did an INCREDIBLE job covering this local city council campaign. APPLAUD, SALUTE, CONGRATS! For the FULL editorial...go to http://www.whittierdailynews.com/ and look in the "Opinion Section."
RrE

Our View: Pico Rivera in flux

Posted: 11/04/2009 05:06:11 PM PST

Is the house of cards that is the city government of Pico Rivera ready to fall? Could the removal of the king, Ron Beilke, be enough to cause a collapse?

These are questions that were ruminating throughout the city Wednesday after the surprising election results. Voters ejected Beilke, who came in fifth in the race for two seats, and instead elected his protege, 37-year-old newcomer Gustavo Camacho. The other seat was retained by Beilke foe, incumbent David Armenta, who was the top vote-getter, according to semi-official returns posted Wednesday by the Los Angeles County Registrar- Recorder/County Clerk.

As for the inability of other anti-Beilke challengers to come on board, it appeared that Pete Ramirez, Marty Morones and Luis Alvarado split the challenger vote. Perhaps with one solid candidate a new majority could've come to fruition. But for now, that's water under the Beverly Boulevard bridge.

Again, it appeared that Beilke lost because of hubris. After getting the 1-cent sales tax to pass last year, a few cards were removed from the house. Gracie Gallegos-Smith, a council ally, quit before it was revealed she had a felony conviction on her record but never told the public. A special election for her seat is set for April. Stay tuned.

Next, there was the ticket-fixing scandal, something which Beilke and hand-picked City Manager Chuck Fuentes defended. The voters, you know, didn't see the merits of allowing certain city officials to be on a list in which they get off scot-free on parking tickets, while everyone else pays the fine.

It will be interesting to see whether Camacho votes like a Beilke clone or thinks things through independently. Frankly, he refused to show up for an editorial board meeting so he has been unwilling to express his views on the issues. Come to think of it, Beilke didn't show up either.

Is Chuck Fuentes safe? No one knows. It was the clear position of the other challengers that the city needs a new city manager and also needs to trim administration costs. With the trading of positions on the council, that seems less likely. At least not right now.

No, the people of Pico Rivera will most likely have to wait until April, when a fifth council member is elected, to break future 2-2 tie votes on the City Council.

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/

ABC SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION : MARK PULIDO THANKS VOTERS/COMMUNITY FOR RE-ELECTION WIN!

2009-11-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

(Thanks for the note, Mark...
Congrats on winning...
Randy Economy Photo)

Dear Randy,

Yesterday was Election Day and today the results are in.

I am honored that the voters of the ABC Unified School District re-elected me to the Board of Education for a third term. I am grateful for the opportunity to give back to my hometown community. Most of all, I feel fortunate and blessed to have such a loving and supportive family with me on this journey of service. I thank my loving wife Gloria and our wonderful children Malia and Mark Jr. for their love, support and inspiration. I could not do this without them!

I want to thank all of the voters, supporters, parents, teachers, community and business leaders, elected officials, friends and family who generously gave their support, financial contributions, volunteer energy and votes to help me get re-elected to the school board. I want to thank each and every one of you for all of your love and support during this campaign and over the years. It means so much to me and my family!

These truly are challenging times, so the work continues in ABC. I am ready to get right back to work to ensure the best possible education for all our children. Please stay in touch if I can ever be of any assistance.

On behalf of my family, we wish you and yours all the best as we near Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season!
Love,

The Pulido Family
Mark, Gloria, Malia and Mark Jr.

PS: Please pass along my NEW WEBSITE: http://www.markpulido.com/

I will indeed....
randy

POST ELECTION: Pasadena City College Trustee candidate Steven Gibson thanks supporters

2009-11-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a great note from STEVEN GIBSON (left) who was a Candidate for Pasadena Community College Board of Trustees, Area 1. The campaign was won by Geoff Baum (right) Thanks, Steven! RrE

Randy:

I want congratulate Geoff Baum for winning the election in Area 1. The voters indicated their choice clearly and strongly.
I am proud and happy for the support I received from voters, activists and organizations in the PCC district. I feel my message was heard that PCC deserves a Board that is more engaged and in touch with students, staff and the community. While the incumbent was successful in Area 1, the two other contested elections resulted in the success of the challengers Berlinda Brown and Tony Fellows. This result of having 2 of the 3 contested races being won by challengers indicates the will of the voters to make a change in the PCC Board of Trustees away from the status quo.

While I will not be joining the PCC Board, I intend to remain active in PCC's
future and continue my activities promoting the success of students from the PCC District and encouraging sustainability. The next Leaky Pipeline forum will take place at Jackie Robinson Center on Thursday, November 12 at 7pm.

STEVEN GIBSON
Pasadena

HOTEL/BUSINESS ELECTION TAX MEASURES: A MIXED BAG OF RESULTS IN CITIES ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

2009-11-04T18:15:00.000-08:00

By Randy Economy
Hotel bed taxes were on the ballot in Artesia, Irwindale, Rancho Palos Verdes, Pico Rivera, and Pomona yesterday, and the results were a mix bag.

The Irwindale measure imposing a new 10 percent bed tax passed with an overwhelming 85 percent to 15 percent margin, but in the tony South Bay enclave of Rancho Palos Verdes, a hotel/motel bed tax increase from 10 percent to 12 percent was defeated by a narrow 51 percent to 49 percent margin.

Locally, there was also a hotel tax on the ballot in Artesia. Measure S would have doubled the tax to 12.5% a night, was trailing by 10 votes. There are still a few dozen provisional ballots remained to be counted as of Wednesday at the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters Office in Norwalk from Artesia, so the outcome is not "officially" known.

Another business-related measure in Artesia was also too close to call. Measure Y, which would significantly increase business taxes, trailed by 12 votes. Artesia has had lots of close local votes over the years and this campaign is no exception.

Irwindale, Pico Rivera and Pomona all passed measures to restructure their utility taxes. Redondo Beach's attempt to repeal a utility tax exemption for power generator AES Corp. failed by a 53 percent to 47 percent margin. AES remains exempt from the city’s 4.75 percent utility tax.

HOT DOG KING of PICO RIVERA DUMPED! COUNCILMAN RON BELIKE THROWN OUT OF CITY HALL! Incumbent David ARMENTA and challenger GUS CAMACHO win nasty campaign

2009-11-04T01:51:00.000-08:00

DAVID ARMENTA 1,754 21.59%

GUS CAMACHO 1,605 19.75%

EA "PETE" RAMIREZ 1,190 14.64%
MARTY MORONES 1,176 14.47%

RON BEILKE 1,110 13.66%

LUIS ALVARADO 931 11.46 %

RAUL RIESGO 360 4.43%

VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

The Drama continues at Pico Rivera City Hall.

Controversial incumbent Ron Belike was tossed out of office on Tuesday in one of the nastiest campaigns this city has ever seen.

Beilke trailed in his re-election bid while his political archrival incumbent David Armenta and challenger Gustavo Camacho (his political ally) cruised to election victories.

Beilke trailed Armenta and Camacho by more than 500 votes and finished in a distant 5th place behind runner up E.A. "Pete" Ramirez, and challenger Marty Morones. Trailing behind Beilke was challenger Luis Alvarado and Raul Riesego.

Ironically, it was Belike who convinced Camacho to enter this campaign. Little did he know at the time, that Camacho would end up taking his place on the City Council after all the votes were counted.

Voters will head back to the polls next Spring to elect one additional City Council Member for the seat that was previously held by former Mayor Gracie Patricia Smith was resigned when it was revealed that she was serving on the City Council on Felony Probation for Insurance Fraud.

Residents were bombarded with nasty negative political mail in this campaign. Belike is still facing possible prosecution by the Los Angeles County District Attorney Office of Public Integrity on corruption charges.

Many in Pico Rivera are charging that City Manager Chuck Fuentes is too political and the former three-person voting bloc - of Beilke, current acting Mayor Bob Archuleta and the former councilwoman Gallegos-Smith, - was not good for this community of 60,000 working class residents.

The new city council will consist of Archuletta, Armenta, Camacho and Councilman Gregory Salcido and one vacancy.

Look for Armenta and Salcido to be one voting bloc, and Archuletta and Camacho being on the opposite political side.

Randy Economy

BREAKING NEWS: VOTERS TOSS INCUMBENT DAVID MONTGOMERY OFF OF ABC SCHOOL BOARD. Winners include Mark Pulido, James Kang and Olympia Chen

2009-11-04T01:21:00.000-08:00

DAVID MONTGOMERY OUT...

...JAMES KANG IN!

By: Randy Economy
Another big poltiical shock tonight was the defeat of longtime ABC School Board Member David Montgomery. He lost his bid for another 4 year term. He was soundly defeated by Cerritos community leader James Kang.

Kang won this camapgin on the strength of a huge Vote-By-Mail effort. Montgomery trailed all night long and never gained momentum as the ballots were being tallied. Montgomery's entire camapaign was financed by the ABC Federation of Teacher Political Action Committee. Kang's campaign was not endorsed by any Union, and was considered a "political outsider" in this election.

Top vote getter was popular incumbent Mark Pulido, and Olympia Chen, who currently serves as President of the Board of Education here. Pulido will now set his eyes on his next campaign, for the Cerritos City Council in March 2011.

Challenger David Shaffer, who was heavily backed by the Cerritos Republican Club, and Cerritos Councilwoman Carol Chen, and former Mayors John Crawley, and Grace Hu finished last with almost 17% of the vote.

Sometimes campaigns never really end, just the office changes.

MARK E PULIDO    4,024    24.13%

JAMES KANG         3,492    20.94%
OLYMPIA CHEN    3,292    19.74%

DAVID MONTGOMERY 3,038 18.22%

DAVID N SHAFFER 2,827 16.96%

VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

Registration 51,678

Precincts Reporting 36

Total Precincts 36

% Precincts Reporting 100

Seen: Eastside Cerritos Campaign for Mark Pulido Voter Rosemary Economy..with the "Sign of the times....!" W2G Mark!

INCUMBENTS BOB HUGHLETT and BOB EPPLE and Challenger SHIN LUI Win CERRITOS COLLEGE TRUSTEE race. Defeat spells trouble for Incumbent Carmen Avalos' bid for Assembly in '10

2009-11-04T00:37:00.000-08:00

BREAKING NEWS:
Cerritos College Trustee Carmen Avalos has been defeated in her bid for reelection. Avalos is already running for State Assembly next June for the seat currently held by Assemblyman Hector De La Torre, a political ally of hers.

The Avalos defeat has sent a political shockwave throughout East Los Angeles politics. My take: Avalos took a HUGE risk in RUNNING in this election. It's hard to run for 2 offices at once.

Avalos was soundly beaten by political-newbie/ Professor Shin Liu of Cerritos. Liu took an early lead in the voting, and never looked back.

Taking the top two seats were popular incumbents Bob Hughlett (above) and Bob Epple (left).

Instructor Tom Chavez trailed the field and finished in a close 5th behind Avalos.

This is a huge upset win for Shin Lui. Stay tuned.

BOB HUGHLETT 8,491 23.55%**
BOB EPPLE 8,179 22.68%**
SHIN LIU 6,741 18.69%**

CARMEN AVALOS 6,497 18.02%
TOM CHAVEZ 6,152 17.06%

VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

Registration192,786

Precincts Reporting 132

Total Precincts 132
% Precincts Reporting 100

ARTESIA VOTERS SAY YES TO MANALO, FLOWERS and LYONS and NO to NEW BUSINESS LISCENCE AND HOTEL TAX INCREASES

2009-11-04T00:21:00.000-08:00

ARTESIA WINNERS
MANALO, LYONS AND FLOWERS!

The voters of Artesia have re-elected Councilman Victor Manalo, Councilwoman Sally Zuniga Flowers, and elected former City Councilman John Lyons to the City Council here. Voters also said NO to Ballot Measures Y and S that would have doubled the City's Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax and would have also imposed a new Business Liscence Fee Structure on all local businesses. Businessman Indu Patel finished 4th in the race. More details to follow.

Randy Economy

ARTESIA CITY GENERAL MUNI - COUNCILMEMBER

Candidate VotesPercent

VICTOR MANALO 663 32.63%**
SALLY FLOWERS 630 31.00%**
JOHN P LYON 558 27.46%**

INDU0 PATEL 181 8.91%

VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

Registration 6,594

Precincts Reporting 4

Total Precincts 4

% Precincts Reporting 100

LAST Updated: 00:01 11/04/2009

November 3, 2009 - Los Angeles County Consolidated Elections

PASTOR BARRY BRUCE and REYNALDO RODRIGUEZ cruise to big win in HAWAIIAN GARDENS CITY COUNCIL ELECTION. Incumbent Michi Canada also wins. Schultze finishes in 7th

2009-11-03T23:54:00.000-08:00

BREAKING NEWS:
VOTERS IN Hawaiian GARDENS ELECT BARRY BRUCE, REY RODRIGUEZ and return Incumbent Oyama-Canada.

Hawaiian Gardens has elected two new residents to ths City Council in challengers Pastor Barry Bruce (pictured) and Reynaldo Rodriguez. Also reelected was Incumbent Councilwoman Michi Oyama-Canada. Incumbent Councilwoman Betty J. Schultze was defeated in her bid to win another term and finished in 7th Place. Bruce won a huge victory here and his election will be talked about for years to come. More to follow.

Randy Economy

HAWAIIAN GARDENS CITY GEN - COUNCILMEMBER:
Candidate VotesPercent

BARRY BRUCE                    478      19.48%**
REYNALDO RODRIGUEZ   455     18.54% **
M A OYAMA-CANADA       357     14.55 %**

TERESA MACIAS              226        9.21%
VALERIE MASON             216          8.8%
C MARTINEZ                    167         6.81%
BETTY J SCHULTZE       165          6.72%
MARY M CANOY            116          4.73%
DONALD W ROWE         112          4.56%
GRANT WINFORD         102           4.16%
LUZ C BARRIGAN          60           2.44%

**DENOTES ELECTED WINNERS!

VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3
Registration 4,085
Precincts Reporting 4
Total Precincts 4
% Precincts Reporting 100

Candidate Traffic Jam in HAWAIIAN GARDENS CITY COUNCIL Election. Incumbent Canada and challengers Barry Bruce and Valerie Mason lead in Early Return

2009-11-03T22:39:00.000-08:00

Two challengers are doing well after the early returns in Hawaiian Gardens City Council Election Results. Incumbent Michi Oyama Canada is currently on top, followed by Paston Barry Bruce and Valerie Mason. Incumbent Betty J. Schultze trails in 5th Place. The top 3 vote getters are elected.

HAWAIIAN GARDENS CITY GEN - COUNCILMEMBER:
"Candidate VotesPercent
M A OYAMA-CANADA 117 17.75
BARRY BRUCE 109 16.54
VALERIE MASON 92 13.96
R O RODRIGUEZ 70 10.62
BETTY J SCHULTZE (Inc.) 52 7.89
C MARTINEZ 51 7.74
DONALD W ROWE 43 6.53
GRANT WINFORD 39 5.92
TERESA MACIAS 37 5.61
MARY M CANOY 35 5.31
LUZ C BARRIGA 14 2.12

VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3
Registration4,085
Precincts Reporting1
Total Precincts4
% Precincts Reporting25"

Rosie Vasquez getting "dumped" in Montebello. Barajas, Molinari, Gomez take early lead: MONTEBELLO CITY GEN MUNI - COUNCILMEMBER 3 ELECTED

2009-11-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

MONTEBELLO CITY GEN MUNI - COUNCILMEMBER:
Candidate Votes Percent
W M MOLINARI 776 18.15
A R 'ART' BARAJAS 610 14.27
FRANK A GOMEZ 565 13.21
G 'JOE' VENEZIANO 539 12.61
R 'ROSIE' VASQUEZ 472 11.04
JAMSHID J JAVAHERI 433 10.13
NANCY CADENA-PEREZ 406 9.49
JORGE MANZUR 278 6.5
RICHARD GARCIA 197 4.61

VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3
Registration27,542
Precincts Reporting3
Total Precincts19
% Precincts Reporting15.79"

Kang Cruising, Montgomery Losing: ABC UNIFIED SCHOOL - GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER

2009-11-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

CHALLENGER JAMES KANG CRUISING TO WIN in EARLY VOTING for ABC School Board. Incumbent David Montgomery on verge of losing seat.

ABC UNIFIED SCHOOL - GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:
"Candidate VotesPercent

JAMES KANG 2,224 25.3
MARK E PULIDO 1,918 21.82
OLYMPIA CHEN 1,672 19.02

DAVID MONTGOMERY 1,501 17.08
DAVID N SHAFFER 1,474 16.77

VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3
Registration51,678
Precincts Reporting3
Total Precincts36
% Precincts Reporting8.33"

Carmen Avalos behind challenger Shin Liu for CERRITOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER

2009-11-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

Incumbent Carmen Avalos trails challenger Shin Liu for Cerritos College Board in early returns.

CERRITOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE - GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER:
"BOB HUGHLETT 4,747 24.05
BOB EPPLE 4,503 22.81
SHIN LIU 3,881 19.66
CARMEN AVALOS 3,438 17.42
TOM CHAVEZ 3,171 16.06

VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3
Registration192,786
Precincts Reporting5
Total Precincts132
% Precincts Reporting3.79"

Artesia Tax Measure Losing; Flowers, Manalo, Lyons in front for Council seats

2009-11-03T20:49:00.000-08:00

Incumbents Sally Flowers, Victor Manalo and former councilman John Lyon is leading for Artesia City Council. Both proposed local tax measures are currently being defeated.

ARTESIA CITY COUNCIL 3 ELECTED
SALLY A FLOWERS   268    32.25

VICTOR MANALO       263    31.65

JOHN P LYON                219 26.35

I (INDU) PATEL              81    9.75

VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

MEASURE S Hotel TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX -
YES     163   43.24
NO     214   56.76

MEASURE Y Business Lisence Taxes
YES     168   44.68%
NO       208   55.32%