From the Mayor's Desk: March 27, 2026

The start of the spring season brings exciting changes to the City of Cerritos, as well as a chance for me to reflect on the past year in my role as Mayor of my hometown of Cerritos.

While my time on the City Council is continuing, my term as Mayor will conclude at the Mayoral Transition on Wednesday, April 8. This event is part of a Special Meeting of the Cerritos City Council, during which the City Council will make nominations and selections of a new Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem.

Looking back on this period, there is no shortage of memories that I’ll forever hold dear.  I cannot possibly summarize in just one column all the significant things accomplished. So, I’ll take this opportunity to reflect on a portion of my tenure and key initiatives that I was fortunate to have supported in my role.

Our City is committed to enhancing public safety, the first goal in our Strategic Plan. As Mayor, I have enjoyed working with my City Council colleagues, safety personnel, and Neighborhood Watch volunteers to reduce residential burglaries. For the 2025 calendar year, there were 37% fewer residential burglaries than the year prior. This is thanks to a number of factors, including working alongside the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to prioritize residential burglary alarm calls with a reduction in deputy response times to an average of 7 minutes each incident. The City also contracted with Southwest Patrol to employ three full-time patrol units. We’ve also added dozens of Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras at high-volume intersections to help identify potential suspect vehicles. Cerritos is proud to become the first City in Los Angeles County to operate a drone program to support patrol operations. From a volunteer perspective, we continue to receive strong support from our Volunteers on Patrol unit. Additionally, our Neighborhood Watch Program has recruited 12 more block captains and 50 new members.

Our open spaces and parks continue to be popular destinations for residents and visitors. Last summer, I was honored to support the opening of 12 new pickleball courts at Liberty Park and Cerritos Park East. Our facilities also play host to several educational classes and activities. This includes new events approved by the City Council like Santa’s Sleigh Day at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA). We also hosted the annual Festival of Friendship at the CCPA for the first time, helping to grow community engagement and cultural enrichment.

The City has prioritized strengthening economic development. Last year, I was honored to cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening, renovation, and relocation of several businesses including Chubby Cattle, Golden Star Technology, and Baskin-Robbins. Featuring our businesses at ribbon cuttings or during our monthly Business Spotlight creates a positive environment in which they can thrive.

I had the opportunity to discuss many of these accomplishments before approximately 325 people at last year’s State of the City Address inside the CCPA Sierra Room. This was one of my proudest moments as your Mayor, as it was hosted by the City for the first time and free of charge, allowing businesses, residents, and City staff to learn about our many accomplishments. There, we introduced our Strategic Plan theme: Cerritos in Progress, which continues to guide the work of the City Council and staff.

The accomplishments over the past year in the City of Cerritos are not possible without the support of many. In my final column on April 3, I look forward to expressing my gratitude for your contributions to our beautiful community.