Remembering Michelle Wright Alonzo: She Taught Life Lessons with a Loving Heart

I wanted to share a few thoughts about the passing of my friend Michelle Wright Alonzo who left this Earth this weekend all too soon.

Michelle and I, and so many others here on the East Side of Cerritos literally grew up together starting at the age of six, seven, and eight.
 

 Michelle had a heart of gold and her spirit touched me at a young age and I also considered her to be like a "kid sister" and a true friend. We both struggled in our adult years with health issues, but we never lost our sense of humor or sense of where we came from and the values we learned from our parents as youngsters. Michelle was an amazing teacher here in the ABC Unified School District, but the lessons she taught to so many about life through her compassion and struggles will inspire generations to come. Words cannot describe the sorrow I feel. Keeping her in my Thoughts and Prayers this week and I ask you to do the same.

Being Thankful Today. BTW, the GPS doesn't always work around Anaheim

Thanksgiving, 2014.

Today was another day when I paused, thanked God for the many Blessing's that have been bestowed upon me and to be with loved ones.

I am also reminded that life is a gift, a precious gift that cannot fit into a box but can only be felt in one's inner soul.   I also was reminded to never trust Mapquest or Verizon Navigator.

My mom, and a dear family friend went to Anaheim today to celebrate Thanksgiving, it ended up being like Mr. Toads Wild Ride over at Disneyland.  (Is Mr. Toad's Wild Ride STILL at Disneyland, or am I out of touch?)

We got lost, totally lost, and we have the magic of GPS to thank for the big misadventure.

Sure, we had the right address to where we were headed, after all, Anaheim is only six miles from Cerritos.

Residential streets in Anaheim actually look identical and many of the street names are identical with the exception of the tiny word etched on the end of the street type.  Yep. Watch the Avenue, Street, Circle, Court, Way, Lane, Drive, East Anaheim, West Anaheim, N, S, W, E, it was all a blur today.

Needless to say....we arrived very late.....like the last one's to arrive.  We did however find a lovely home on the end of a street that had the same street number and street name.  Nah, we didn't crash that party but maybe next year we might just pop into that unsuspecting fancy two story ranch styled home.

We still laughed at being SO lost and SO late....it was a Thanksgiving I will never forget.

Life is good.

I wonder what ever happened that that family recipe for "Stacked Pie" that I made with Debbie Wilson at my casa in Cerritos back in 1978?  That's another story I have tucked in my "Turkey Day Memory Bank."

What are you #thankful for today?  Hit my comment section.

BREAKING EASTER EARTHQUAKE NEWS: AFTERSHOCKS CONTINUE ONE HOUR LATER

The Easter Earthquake aftershocks are continuing one hour after this major event here in the Southern California, Baja Mexico Boarder.  News reports are starting to report that major damage has occured, and that buildings have been destroyed at the epicenter.

If you have any photos from the earthquake, please send them to me at RREconomy@aol.com

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WHITTIER DAILY NEWS: POLITICAL CORRUPTION EDITORIAL HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD IN MONDAY EDITION

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 POLITICAL BAD BOYZ AND GIRLS OUT OF CONTROL ALL OVER SO CA!

I want to give a huge "SHOUT OUT" to the EDITORIAL BOARD over at the WHITTIER DAILY NEWS/SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE and PASADENA STAR NEWS  for an AMAZING EDITORIAL in MONDAY'S EDITION that deals with  CORRUPTION that PLAGUED many local CITY HALLS in our region for the past TWO PLUS YEARS.

Pico Rivera, Vernon, Temple City, La Puente, Monterey Park, Inglewood, and many other cities that have elected officials are under criminal indictment.

HERE is a snippet of the EDITORIAL...and the link is below. 

Remember, it is UP to the PEOPLE to hold our elected officials responsible for their bad behavior. Remember, just because you win an election, doesn't give you the keys to the public cash register.    We have laws and lots of checks and balances. Sadly, many of our local city halls are totally out of control and these greedy corrupt POLS are being indicted...one by one.
Randy Economy

Our View: DA keeping officials honest

From the Editorial Board of the Whittier Daily News/Pasadena Star News/SG Valley Tribune:
 
For the most part, government acting in the open is based on the honor system. Remedies for violations of the Brown Act, the state's open meeting law, are few and far between. At best, the illegal action can be declared null and void and the item taken up again in public. The same goes for the California Public Records Act, where jumping up and down and calling out the violation is as good a remedy as any in the law.


That's why the District Attorney's Office is absolutely critical in keeping the sun shining on the business of local government. Without that arm of the law - both as a deterrent against future cheats and to ferret out wrongdoing - local government would literally get away with even more secrecy and obfuscation than normal.

Lately, the Office of Public Integrity under Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley has been working overtime to keep our local elected officials honest, even if that means leveling criminal corruption charges against bad actors. The DA's Office is acting as the public's partner in requiring elected officials reveal matters of economic interest, campaign spending and any other information that should see the light of day and if it doesn't, could make for ethical and legal conflicts or end up influencing an election outcome.

Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_14675387#ixzz0iE8rVuIr

Two officials from Pico Rivera are under investigation by the DA: City Councilman Bob Archuleta, for allegedly failing to report campaign gifts; and former Mayor Ron Beilke, who was charged with two felony counts and six misdemeanors. Beilke is charged with perjury for signing a 2008 statement of economic interest that prosecutors say is a lie. Beilke allegedly used $3,464 in free movie passes - adding up to 433 visits for himself and four guests - from Krikorian, after voting on a contract with the movie theater chain.


Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_14675387#ixzz0iEDCgJxN



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Econo-My-Scene: Fixing California Begins with Paging Art Gallucci!

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This is my weekly column for the Los Cerritos Community News for this weekend, and focuses on my solution to fix California, once and for all. Your thoughts? RREconomy@aol.com.
Randy Economy

I have been thinking a lot about the fiscal mess we are facing here in California, and what in the world WE can offer up as a solution to rescue our beloved Golden State.

I can’t sit and watch California fall into the Pacific Ocean from our ineffective and out of touch politicians in Sacramento any longer. We gotta’ get a plan, man. Wait. I got it.

It’s time to send in reinforcement. Not the National Guard or the Army into Sacramento. I have a better idea. We need to send in Cerritos City Manager Art Gallucci to fix Sacramento.

Let’s face reality; no one up THERE really has a clue on how to run our State. Actor Dude is toast, we all know that. The 30-Year-Olds running the State Assembly are all too young and too inexperienced to fix anything, and the termed out State Senate cares more about “leaving Sacramento,” collecting their pensions, instead of hanging around to fix the mess they created when they were first elected to the State Assembly six years earlier.

Yep, time to send in the “A” Team to Sacramento for the next 6 months to lead us out of this fiscal dark forest.

Can you imagine what California could accomplish under the tight, fiscally creative reign of Art Gallucci? Can you imagine what could get accomplished on the Floor of the State Assembly or Senate with Galluch’ runnin’ the joint.

First of all, we would understand how big our budget crisis “actually” is, instead of the current system of drawing numbers out of a hat everyday in the State Capitol Basement Cafeteria that determines how much California is in debt on that particular day.

We need to have Art’s vast experience and keen knowledge to help fix California.

Art Gallucci has created a legacy of success here in Cerritos that is recognized all over America and the World. He is The Prince of Bloomfield. The King of the Golden Library. The Wizard of 183rd. Get my drift.

For his ENTIRE adult life, Art Gallucci has dedicated it to the people of this community.
I first met Art in 1970, in the trailers at Cerritos City Hall on Pioneer Blvd. Art was hip, young, 25-ish. I was like 9 years old back then. My parents Dick and Rosemary Economy immediately fell in love with Art. He was "an up and comer" in a city that was nothing but cows, a billion flies, and a Field of Dreams 7 miles wide!

Art’s first job was to oversee the construction of all of our Parks here in Cerritos. Voila, A Masterful job.

Elected officials come and go here due to voter mandated term limits, but Art is the cement that holds Cerritos together year in and year out. He literally helped build Cerritos, park by park, house by house, waterfalls, and shopping centers, and center medians, and the world’s largest Auto Mall that has been our fiscal “Saving Grace.”

Art is the Man who listens to ALL the People of our community. Trust me, if you call City Hall and ask to speak to the City Manager, you will get Art on the phone ASAP. He is Cerritos. He is sophisticated, yet unassuming. He is sharp on his feet, and is someone every local city manager aspires to become. He is a Diplomat amongst sometime shaken egos, and speaks with pride and knowledge.

Having to balance a City Council and a city staff, law enforcement agencies, employee unions, 55,000 residents, and an amazing wife (Joann) and family is a tough gig. Art makes it look fun and actually enjoyable. Just think of what he could do to get Sacramento under control?

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CHU Smack Down: BETTY & JUDY head to Congressional Run Off in East Los Angeles!

EAST LA

Congressional SMACKDOWN!

Let's face it. Judy Chu and Betty Tom Chu cannot stand each other.

The two Monterey Park, California political rivals have been waiting for a "Political SMACK DOWN" for years, and now it is about to become a reality.

Democrat Judy Chu beat her two main party rivals tonight in State Senator Gil Cedillo and upstart Emanual Pleitez to earn a spot against Republican winner Betty Tom Chu. Cedillo's campaign was plagued with controversy from "day one" when it was revealed that he had spent tens of thousands of campaign dollars on personal travel, gifts for staff members, and dinners in 5-Star Hotels all over the world. Pleitez is a former Cerritos resident and went to grade school at Leal Elementary School here. He is young, bright, and did amazingly well garnering more than 13% of the overall vote. Pleitez, at 25 years of age, literally stopped Cedillo's campaign in the tracks, and provided a positive "alternative" choice for the many Latino voters in the East Los Angeles/San Garbriel Valley district. Cedillo's campaign was managed by local Democrat Louis Reyes.

Both of the Chu's will face off in an early Summer Special Election that sends the victor to Washington, DC to serve out the Unexpired Term of former Rep. Hilda Solis. Solis, who is now the US Secretary of Labor.

Betty Tom Chu urged voters to voters to "Vote for the Right Chu" and sent out a doctored up pic of Judy Chu with "pimples" and other facial flaws. Not to worry. I can't wait for the "Ugly Betty Tom Chu" hit piece to appear during the next several weeks.

This is going to be a "cat fight" fer ser.

32nd Congressional Race: Judy Chu is Mopping The Floor Over Gil Cedillo

Judy Chu is dumping State Senator Gil Cedillo tonight for Congress in the 32nd Congressional District Special Election.

It's not even close.

With 14% of the vote counted, Chu leads Cedillo by 30% of the total vote.

Chu will face Monterey Park City Councilwoman Betty Tom Chu in a Run Off Election to be held early this Summer. Cedillo's campaign was plagued with controversy over his lavish spending of campaign funds on "personal travel" and gifts for staff members, and lavish dinners.

Judy Chu is the current Chair of the California Board of Equalization, and had a text book campaign that focused on local issues, experience, and being an effective "problem solver."

RESULTS

JUDY CHU DEM 6,388 41.98
GIL CEDILLO DEM 2,628 17.27
BETTY CHU REP 1,938 12.74
EMANUEL PLEITEZ DEM 1,233 8.1
TERESA HERNANDEZ REP 1,202 7.9
DAVID A TRUAX REP 1,036 6.81
FRANCISCO ALONSO DEM 293 1.93
BENITA DURAN DEM 174 1.14
C M AGRELLA LIB 161 1.06
NICK JUAN MOSTERT DEM 66 0.43
S LYSENKO DEM 55 0.36
RAFAEL F NADAL DEM 43 0.28


Registration 245,787
Precincts Reporting 22
Total Precincts 222
% Precincts Reporting 9.91

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