From the Mayor's Desk: January 30, 2026

As we approach the 70th anniversary of Cerritos’ incorporation this spring, the City Council and our employees look forward to gathering with our residents and businesses to celebrate. 

The groundwork for the City's platinum year has been months in the making, and in February will reach a fun milestone. That’s when we'll reveal the selected cow name as part of the Milking Time: A Tribute to Dairy Valley art sculpture. The name will be announced at the City Council meeting on February 9, and we intend to recognize the participants who submitted the winning name at the City Council meeting on February 26. 

Milking Time is a series of bronze sculptures that will include a farmer, his son and daughter, the family dog, and—of course—a cow, reflecting Cerritos’ agricultural roots and the enduring values of family and community. The sculptures will be installed at the Cerritos Civic Center. A special thank you to those who participated in the cow naming contest. It’s gratifying to have such community involvement for a project that carries a lot of historical significance. 

Cerritos was incorporated on April 24, 1956, as the City of Dairy Valley. On January 10, 1967, the name was officially changed to Cerritos.  In our early days, this pastoral community included many dairy farms, cows and chickens, dirt roads, and sugar beet fields. People were few, with more than 100,000 cows outnumbering humans by nearly 30 to one. Since our founding, Cerritos has seen remarkable growth and become a hallmark for excellence in public service. While the landscape has changed and there are far fewer cows, Cerritos has long shared in our community’s prideful heritage. You see this through our events, library archives, and recently branded materials of our new merchandise line. There’s more to come during our 70th anniversary year.

Stay tuned for additional information on our anniversary year and follow along as we reveal the name of the cow sculpture. Learn more about the naming contest at cerritos.gov/cow and the City’s history at cerritos.gov/history.