Cerritos Republican Club News
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January thru July 2014
CRC BBQ Meeting
July 8, 2014
The annual CRC BBQ was held at Shelter 1 of Cerritos Park East. It was good to have many members attend this festive occasion and share the delicious food cooked on the spot. Candy Yee took these pictures at this event.
Bob Pacheco, the son of immigrant parents, is a former State Assemblyman. He was appointed to the City Council in Walnut last year.
Bob gave some tips on how to recruit young people to join the Republican Party. Get them to volunteer in election campaigns to meet their school civics requirements. Invite the promising ones to Conventions.
Let Freedom Ring Celebration
July 4, 2014
Candy Yee has more pictures which can be viewed in this Google Plus album.
April General Meeting
April 8, 2014
At the April General Meeting, Dr. Greg Berg, Manager of Community Safety Services in Cerritos, was the guest speaker who talked about how safety has been ensured in the City of Cerritos. Cerritos is one of 42 cities who have contracted with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for public safety.
Cerritos is the only city that owns a Sheriff's Station which serves as headquarters for L.A. County Sheriff's Department personnel serving Cerritos and the City's Community Safety Division. It has a Sheriff's service counter, a communications center, and meeting rooms on the main floor. The high tech communications center handles about 250 911 calls daily for the Sheriff's Department. On the lower floor, there are a training/briefing room, booking and custody areas, holding cells and lockers. About 75 Sheriff personnel (62-65 sworn officers) work in this facility with three watch commanders at a cost of $12.5 million.
Dr. Berg then discussed crime statistics in Cerritos. This is an issue that always comes up in a City Council election year. Candidates will always say that they are concerned about crime and will make it a primary issue. Greg pointed out that historical annual data always show crimes are not escalating, as some candidates may assert. You can confirm this by visiting the Safer Cerritos website. He told us that every week there is a staff meeting where weekly crime statistics are reviewed with "crime maps." They are looking for areas with more crimes than "normal" and asking why and what can be done to address the situation currently and in the future. This may result in more patrols in the mall or the effected area or communications to the particular neighborhood. So this is an ongoing tactic to prevent crime in Cerritos.
Greg talked about a number of tips to prevent crimes, especially burglary. When going to a gym or fitness center at night, don't put your purse or wallet in the trunk. Take a copy of your driver's license and medical card with you. When shopping, try to hide your purchases from easy view by a person passing by. Secure your doors and windows at night. If a stranger appears at your door, don't leave them at an open door by themselves. Double pane windows and home alarm systems are proven deterrents. When on vacation, alert a trusted neighbor and/or arrange for a Vacation Security Check by the Cerritos Volunteers on Patrol.
John Wong introduced himself as a candidate for the office of Los Angeles County Assessor. In 2010 he ran second to John Noguez with over 600 thousand votes. He has been on the Assessment Appeals Board for 18 years and has helped reduce over-valuations by over $100 billion thereby saving property owners lots of money. He is the only candidate with a real estate broker background (almost 30 years). He asked for our support. His website is John Wong for LA County Assessor at www.assessorla.com.
Ron Nehring, a candidate for Lieutenant Governor, is a longtime Republican Party leader. Under his leadership, the California Republican Party raised over $73 million, retired $4 million in debt, and instituted a wide array of professional management and financial reforms. He looks upon the Republican Party as being the party of free market. California's tax system needs to be business friendly. We're driving away businesses to other states. He notes that California education is ranked near the bottom nationally and proposes to give parents and students a wider range of options when choosing a school. We need good systems to identify good teachers and legislation to speed the dismissal of bad teachers. His website is Ron Nehring | Lieutenant Governor at www.ronnehring.com.
Donna Hollingsworth Armstrong, a Deputy District Attorney for more than 13 years, is running for L.A. County Superior Court Judge Office No. 138. She has prosecuted over 100 cases, including 20 murders. She has worked hard to deter crime and violence, including child abuse, domestic violence, sex crimes, and elder abuse. She believes that her life experiences will allow her to always uphold the law, evaluate a case dispassionately, and be fair to both sides. Her opponent is a Democratic criminal attorney. Her website is Armstrong for Judge at www.armstrongforjudge.com.
Jim Yee announced a Fundraiser for Todd Rogers for Los Angeles County Sheriff. It will be held at Arte' Cafe on May 6 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Todd is currently Los Angeles County Assistant Sheriff and Mayor of the City of Lakewood. He was the Captain of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Departments Carson Station from 2003 to 2009. He believed that the community would be able to help law enforcement. At Carson he required every deputy to work with local residents to identify, prioritize and develop solutions for quality of life concerns. He introduced a strategy called Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), which helped At-Risk youth steer away from a life of crime. During his tenure there, crime rates dropped, and the Carson city officials have endorsed his candidacy. Todd proposes to install LEAD in all Sheriff stations. Todd is a man of high integrity. His website is Todd Rogers for Sheriff 2014 at www.rogers4sheriff.com.
March General Meeting
March 11, 2014
At the March General Meeting, Phil Hawkins talked about the Central Basin Municipal Water District (CBMWD) and its water issues. Central Basin serves 24 cities with a population of 2 million people and is divided into five divisions each headed by a Director. Phil is the Director for Division V of the Central Basin Municipal Water District which includes Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Paramount, and Signal Hill. Among the Services and Programs of the CBMWD are imported water supplies, water recycling, conservation, water quality, education, outreach, and legislative affairs.
Southern California gets about 30% of its water from the California Aqueduct (northern California), 30% from the Colorado River Aqueduct, and the rest from groundwater. Changes in Federal laws allowed CBMWD to "store" water in Lake Mead which can be sent to southern California via the Colorado River Aqueduct. This aqueduct is 242 miles long and can deliver up to 1.3 million acre-feet of water per year from Lake Mead. The State Water Project generates electricity and delivers water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta via the California Aqueduct. More than 20 million people get their water from the delta. It provides irrigation for more than 7 million acres of farmland mainly in the San Joaquin valley.
Phil stated that, with respect to the drought declared by the state, Central Basin Municipal Water District is well situated. We should be able to survive the drought this year with the water that is stored in underground above ground reservoirs. This is even with zero water from the State Water Project, which has already declared that no water would be available. However, we should still exercise water conservation as a habit so as to not waste water.
Phil next turned his attention to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). The Delta is an estuary fed by the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers with the water originating from the Sierra Nevada. The water supplies the economies in the San Francisco Bay area, the Central Valley, and Southern California. The problem is that several fish and plant species are declining due to deterioration of the Delta. Consequently, federal regulations have put limits on Delta water deliveries. Changes in the way water currently flows are needed to conserve the habitat of area and ensure reliable water supplies. In particular, after years of studying and planning, the desired alternative is to build two parallel 30 miles long, 40 feet diameter gravity driven tunnels underneath the Delta for conveying water at 9000 cubic feet per second southwards to the South Delta Pumping Plant, as shown in the picture from a BDCP brochure. This $24.7 billion project is to be funded by public water agencies and state and federal funding.
Phil then turned his attention to the California Water Bond of 2014, which has been dubbed the "Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act." It was first proposed for the November 2010 ballot, withdrawn and placed on the 2012 ballot, and finally placed on the November 2014 ballot as AB 1331. If approved, it will allow the state to borrow $11.1 billion to "overhaul the state's water system." Currently there are many legislators who believe that it would not pass as written. In the State legislature, amendments are being proposed to make the water bond more palatable with an "aquapocalypse" date of June 26 to approve amendments to the current bond on the November ballot.
[Editor notes] As the bond stands, it would include
- $455 million for drought relief projects, disadvantaged communities, small community wastewater treatment improvements, and safe drinking water revolving fund.
- $1.4 billion for "integrated regional water management projects."
- $2.25 billion for projects that "support delta sustainability options."
- $3 billion for water storage projects
- $1.7 billion for ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration projects in 21 watersheds.
- $1 billion for groundwater protection and cleanup.
- $1.25 billion for "water recycling and advanced treatment technology projects."
Phil pointed out that the third and fourth items are for specific to northern California and would not guarantee another drop of water for southern California.
February General Meeting
February 11, 2014
At the February General Meeting, Adam Abrahms, Los Angeles Regional Vice Chair of the California Republican Party, talked about “The State of the California GOP.”
Yes, the California Republican Party is in bad shape. No elected state official and not much prospect for one in the near future. Democrats are registering faster than Republicans. In fact, there will be more Decline to State than Republicans. The California GOP was $1.4 million in debt, but is now debt-free. However, there are only four paid staff. Everyone else, including Adam, is a volunteer. Adam makes a living as an attorney representing small employers against unions. He fights the same unions that have a strangle hold on Sacramento. He likes to call himself an "Industrial Democracy Technician." Also known as a "Union Buster."
Adam talked about how Andy Vidak was successful in winning the State Senate seat for the 16th District by addressing the concerns of the heavily Hispanic population where Democrats had a 56% voter registration. So the voters obviously crossed over party lines to support Andy.
The California GOP has three goals:
- Target ten winnable House seats to oust Nancy Pelosi. Use Asian and Latino inclusion campaigns.
- Build a base of Republicans in local offices. Local Republicans have been able to do this successfully.
- Stop/kill the Democratic supermajority in the State legislature.
Adam also mentioned how to get support from the California GOP. Must demonstrate a "winnable" situation in order to get substantial financial support, which is very limited in the first place. In response, a few members voiced the opinion that, when candidates ask for support, they won't get any. The California GOP won't listen.
Joan Pylman, Membership Chair, announced the results of membership renewals. We have 93 paid members. She also announced that the 2014 Club Directory had been printed, and each family was entitled to one copy. Additional copies are available for one dollar each.
January General Meeting
January 14, 2014
At the January General Meeting, Soo Yoo, newly elected Member of the ABC Unified School District Governing Board, was the guest speaker. She talked mainly about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). A consortium of governors and education commissioners developed these standards in math and English language arts, and adoption by states began in 2010. With these standards, "...parents, teachers, and students would have a clear understanding of the expectations in reading, writing, speaking and listening, language and mathematics in school...." [www.corestandards.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions]. By adopting these standards, all students would be able to move to another state and "...still get a good education..."[ibid.]. In simple terms, the objectives of the standards are to cover less, but cover deep to prepare students for careers or college. [Editor's note: Minnesota has adopted only the standards for English language arts. Alaska, Texas, Nebraska, Virginia, and Puerto Rico have not adopted any standards.]
In school fiscal year 2013-2014 District funding for implementing CCSS is devoted to site level training for 38 teachers in TK-K and 1st-2nd grades, 38 teachers in 3rd-4th and 5th-6th grades, and 30 math teachers in 7th-8th, 9th-10th, and 11th-12th grades. [Editor's note: $4.25 million is devoted to implementing Common Core Standards in the 2013-2014 Budget approved by the Board on June 5, 2013.].
Soo Yoo said that the Board is going forth on re-districting of ABCUSD trustee areas in compliance with its settlement of the California Voting Rights Act suit. [Editor's note: In the settlement the District agreed to transition to elections by Trustee area for the Board's November 2015 election and to pay the plaintiffs' attorneys fees in the amount of $140,000.].
The last item that Soo Yoo spoke about was a new bond ($348 million) that is being proposed by the District for either the June Primary or the November Election. Public information meetings are being scheduled.