September 20, 2019 Hews Media Group-Los Cerritos Community Newspaper eNewspaper by Hews Media Group-Los Cerritos Community Newspaper

LOS CERRITOS

Winner of Fourteen LA Press Club Awards from 2012- 2017.

86,000 Homes Every Friday • September 20, 2019 • Vol 34, No. 13

HMG-LCCN EXPOSÉ RESULTS IN SEC CHARGES AGAINST MONTEBELLO UNIFIED AND TWO DISTRICT OFFICIALS BY BRIAN HEWS Hews Media Group-Los Cerritos Community News has learned that the Securities and Exchange Commision has filed charges against former Montebello Unified Chief Business Officer Ruben Rojas alleging fraud, misleading investigators, defrauding bond purchasers, mail fraud, and assisting the MUSD with the ongoing fraud in the sale of municipal bonds in 2016. The SEC asks to restrict Rojas from any further municipal bond offerings, impose civil penalties, and "grant such other and further relief, including equitable, as the Court may deem just and proper." In addition, the SEC filed an order against MUSD and Montebello Superintendent Anthony James Martinez.

BELLFLOWER TAKING CHARGE OF HOMELESS ISSUES IN THE COMMUNITY

Those documents stated that, "Martinez signed one of the misleading bond offering documents, a misleading letter to LACOE, and false closing certificates that were provided to bond and disclosure counsel and the underwriters in connection with the offering." Martinez was ordered to "cease and desist" on any matters concerning securities and must pay a $10,000 penalty. SEC investigators point to the audit firm of Vasquez and Vasquez, LP, that raised serious questions in 2016, to Montebello's Board and

management regarding allegations of fraud and internal controls issues at the District. This was first reported by HMG-LCCN in March 2017, which triggered the SEC investigation. At the time, Pico Rivera Assistant City Manager Ben Cardenas was Board president and current Commerce City Manager Edgar Cisneros was vice-president. Vasquez constantly warned the MUSD Board Members and Martinez, both in open and closed sessions but the

LA MIRADA HIGH TEACHER IN LINE FOR BIG AWARD

MUSD, President Cardenas, Vice President Cisneros, and Board Members Joanna Flores and Lani Cupchoy, along with Rojas and Martinez failed to act. Former Board Member Hector Chacon was not involved in the defraud scheme. Rojas Suspect From the beginning of his employment, Montebello Unified School District's (MUSD) Chief Business Officer Rueben Rojas has been a lightning rod of controversy. It was first reported by Hews Media Group-Community News that Rojas had a very troubling employment background, which included lying to both Governor Brown and the MUSD on his resume. The wide-ranging exposé revealed

See SEC page 6

HMG-LCCN EXCLUSIVE

COMPTON UNIFIED LOSES CVRA LAWSUIT, HIT WITH OVER $200,000 IN ATTORNEY’S FEES

BY TAMMYE MCDUFF At a special City Council meeting held Monday, September 16, 2019, the Bellflower City Council voted unanimously to enter into a settlement agreement regarding the growing homeless situation in the community. The unanimous vote authorized Mayor Sonny R. Santa Ines to enter into a Settlement Agreement with plaintiffs in the Orange County Catholic Worker v. Orange County, et al. pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. The lawsuit provides a framework by which public entities can provide temporary shelter for homeless individuals. Bellflower is the first city in Los Angeles County to consider this litigation as part of a solution to address homelessness. The City Council anticipates that the City’s agreement with the plaintiffs in this matter will help move homeless individuals from the streets into appropriate temporary housing while also allowing the City to enforce various regulations. The Orange County case arose from homeless individuals who alleged that

LA MIRADA HIGH SCHOOL welding teacher Brent Tuttle (r), with television personality Mike Rowe, is a semifinalist in Harbor Freight's Tools for Schools award.

respect for the dignity of these fields and for the intelligence and creativity of people who work with their hands, this program was created to foster and shine a light on excellence in skilled trade classrooms across the United States. Believing that access to quality skilled trades education gives high school students pathways to graduation, opportunity, good jobs and a workforce the country needs, the Program aims to stimulate greater understanding, support and investment by

Compton Unified School District, which encompasses Compton, parts of Carson, Long Beach, Paramount, Willowbrook, and Lynwood, is home to over 160,000 people, a large majority, 103,330 (64.3%), are Hispanic or Latino; eligible Latino voters comprise over 47% of the population. In addition, according to the California Department of Education, of the nearly 23,000 CUSD students, 78.7% are Hispanic or Latino. Yet the entire CUSD Board - President Micah Ali, VP Satra Zurita, Clerk Charles Davis, and members Mae Thomas, Margie Garrett, and Sandra Moss - are all African-American, and it has been that way for over a decade. In fact, very few Latinos have been elected to the CUSD Board of Trustees. Since 2003, only two Latinos have been elected, the last Latino to serve was in 2009. It was not for lack of trying, thirteen

See HOMELESS page 7

See AWARD page 3

See CVRA page 13

BY BRIAN HEWS

BY TAMMYE MCDUFF La Mirada High School welding teacher Brent Tuttle was selected as one of fifty semifinalists for the 2019 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, Tuttle is now in the running for prizes totaling $1 million to be awarded Oct. 24, 2019. Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a program of The Smidt Foundation, which is dedicated to the advancement of skilled trades’ education in America. With a deep

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CITY OF CERRITOS TO HOST MOCK ELECTION EXPERIENCE AT LIBERTY PARK The City of Cerritos will host a Mock Election Vote Center site at Liberty Park II located at 19033 Studebaker Road in Cerritos on Saturday, September 28 and Sunday, September 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents are encouraged to attend to obtain hands-on experience with Los Angeles County’s new Voting Solutions for All People (VSAP) program, which will be implemented for the Cerritos General Municipal Election and Statewide Primary Election on Tuesday, March 3 2020. For more information, call (562) 9161254 or visit lavote.net/mock-election.

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IHOP REOPENS IN NORWALK

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

KAISER PERMANENTE OFFERS FREE FLU SHOTS STAFF REPORT

IHOP OWNERS, Norwalk city officials, and Norwalk Chamber staff and members at the ribbon cutting. Photo by Tammye McDuff. BY TAMMYE MCDUFF The Norwalk Chamber of Commerce joined with IHOP executives and HR Director John Long as they officially opened the new IHOP Norwalk on September 18th. The new IHOP building has tons of natural lighting, with an abundance of comfortable seating options. The former restaurant, which was on the same property, has been demolished, making way for new business opportunities and plenty of parking. State and Senate representatives came out to wish the new IHOP good fortune, including District representative for Senator Bob Archuleta, Tony Perez, who said “I remember when I was a kid going out to eat at the local International House of Pancakes was a big deal and it is where I discovered there was more than one type of pancake syrup!”

“I just want to thank everyone for coming out today,” said Long, “this is a great addition to our restaurant family. We have over 1700 locations worldwide and we are thrilled to be in Norwalk once again with our brand new store.” To the delight of everyone attending the ribbon cutting, management bought breakfast for the entire group and even added a bit of entertainment courtesy of Tony, senior server of IHOP. Owner Dan Ashoori also commented, “ Don’t forget to bring in the kids and grand kids for the all new Addams Family inspired menu. And for a limited time, kids 12 and under eat free from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm. We are very happy to be endorsing the new animated Addams Family Movie in theaters October 11th.” The new location is at Address is 12623 Norwalk Boulevard in Norwalk, adjacent to City Hall.

Kaiser Permanente is holding seasonal flu vaccination events for its members at 50 locations across Southern California beginning Saturday, Sept. 21, where they can receive free influenza vaccinations. The health care organization is urging its members and the general public to get vaccinated early this flu season, as that is the most effective prevention against contracting the disease that plagues millions each year. Flu shots for local Kaiser Permanente members will be offered from 8:30am to 4:30pm at the following locations: •Garden Medical Offices 9353 Imperial Highway Downey, 11am to 1pm •Cerritos Medical Offices 10820 E 183rd Street, Cerritos •Cudahy Medical Offices 7825 Atlantic Ave., Cudahy •Whittier Medical Offices 12470 E Whittier Blvd., Whittier Every year, millions of people get the flu and thousands of individuals end up in the emergency room or hospitalized. It’s highly recommended that the most sensitive populations, along with those with chronic health conditions, get vaccinated. Please visit kp.org/flu or call the flu hotline number at 1-866-706-6358 for information about Kaiser Permanente flu locations across Southern California.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

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PLANS FOR SPENDING ABC BOND FUNDS MOVING FORWARD STAFF REPORT The ABC Unified School District Board of Education held a special meeting this past Saturday, September 7, 2019 which included a presentation by Generation Ready about creating Culturally Proficient Schools as well as a presentation by Toan Nguyen, Assistant Superintendent – Business Services, and Ryan Carter, Bond Program Manager, about the next steps in implementing the Measure BB bond. The bond implementation presentation included updates on the quick-start projects already in progress. These projects include the installation of security cameras, improved shade shelters, new playground equipment with rubberized surfaces, and water bottle filling stations at all District elementary schools. The Board of Education then considered two conceptual scenarios for the implementation of future projects. The two scenarios were as follows: • Scenario 1 focused on completing projects that were site-specific by grade level. All high schools, all middle schools or all elementary schools would be completed as indicated in the facilities master plan. • Scenario 2 would focus on scopebased projects throughout the District. The projects would take place at school sites across the District at every grade level campus. After careful consideration, the Board of Education determined that Scenario 1 would have the least amount of impact on students’ instructional time on District campuses and that it would maximize the

AWARD

Continued from page 1 public entities and others in skilled trades education. This award honors excellent teaching in skilled trade’s instruction. For every ten skilled trade workers retiring there are only three newcomers that can fill their spots. Harbor Freight believes that trade skills teachers are heroes that just don’t get enough recognition for their hard work and dedication. The one million in prize awards will recognize 18 outstanding skilled trades’ teachers and programs at U.S. high schools. Three first place winners and their schools will receive $100,000; $30,000 to the teacher or teaching team and $70,000 to their high school trade skills program. Fifteen second place winners will receive $50,000.

funds provided through Measure BB. The Board of Education also decided it was best to next work on the District’s high schools. Two high schools will also see projects come to life with work beginning in 2019 and ending in 2022. The remaining high school campuses, along with the ABC Adult School, will see work start in 2021 and conclude in 2024, after the second bond series is sold. “I am excited that we have started projects at our elementary schools, and that we are moving forward with a plan for our high schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Mary Sieu. “The Board of Education made an important step in determining a strong and safe future for our students.” Last November, voters approved Measure BB, a $258 million bond to improve and enhance the schools in the ABC Unified School District. The first round of bonds, Series A, in the amount of $64,500,000 was sold on July 10, 2019, at an interest rate of 2.73%, much lower than predicted. Projects to be funded were laid out in the Facilities Master Plan put together by the Facilities Ad Hoc Committee and presented to the Board of Education in January 2018. “I believe the Board’s decision is consistent with what the voters approved last November,” said ABCUSD Board of Education President Ernie Nishii. “This plan addresses both short- and long-term plans, that are sound and based on the facilities plan. Our elementary schools get immediate health and safety improvements within two academic years. Then, we are making structural advances at our high schools to nimbly meet future challenges. It’s truly exciting to be part of this transformation.”

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ABC UNIFIED PARTNERS WITH BABY2BABY

PARTNERSHIP: From (l-r) Katie Placido, Tracy High School’s Teen Parent Program; Kendall Fujioka, Coordinator of Pupil Support Services; Tina Porter, ABCUSD Social Worker gather needed items for students and families at Baby2Baby.

STAFF REPORT The ABC Unified School District is proud to partner with Baby2Baby, bringing needed supplies and resources to its families and students. Baby2Baby, a non-profit organization providing basic necessities to children ages 0-12 in need, has already made an impact with ABCUSD families by supplying items for the Tracy High School Teen Parent and Child Development Programs. The District staff has put together “baby bundles” for new teen parents. These “bundles” not only included the essentials for new babies – such as diapers, wipes,

bottles, and blankets – but also school supplies. The partnership is part of the District’s Community Resource Team, or CRT. The CRT is a group of agencies that partner with the District to offer resources and support to our students and families. CRT agencies offer a wide range of specialized services to meet the diverse needs of the children, youth, and families in our community. For more information or to volunteer or donate, visit baby2baby.org. Baby2Baby is located at 5830 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA., 90016, phone is 323-9332229, email is info@baby2baby.org

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A series of earthquake preparedness seminars focused on creating a safer Los Angeles County and sponsored by the Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed) is now underway. In the aftermath of this summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 7.1 earthquake in Ridgecrest and widespread destruction caused by wildfires in surrounding areas, BizFed in partnership with Optimum Seismic has curated an educational series to help local business leaders prepare for imminent natural disaster in Los Angeles County. Presentations will examine steps that can be taken now to create more resilient businesses before disasters strike. In observance of National Disaster Preparedness Month in September and the California Shakeout on October 17,

this series is a result of collaboration between the Los Angeles County Business Federation, Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, Southern California Association of Governments, and Optimum Seismic, Inc. are partnering on this educational workshop series about actions businesses can take to avoid devastation from earthquakes. Key presenters in the program include the Los Angeles Office of Emergency Services and the Office of Sustainability. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Increasing public awareness of how businesses can use earthquake engineering to make our cities safer is the major goal of these seminars,â&#x20AC;? says Ali Sahabi, a general engineering contractor who is chief operating officer of Optimum Seismic, Inc., â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a great deal at stake,â&#x20AC;? says Sahabi. â&#x20AC;&#x153;USC researchers estimate the eight-county region of Southern California could suffer property damage of $113 billion in a major earthquake, with additional business-related impacts of $68 billion or more.â&#x20AC;?

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lion in an industrial region within Anhui province of China to mass produce fuel cell stacks for other companies. Following in Mingtianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s footsteps, Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. has been receiving supplies of fuel stacks from the industrial park to mass produce hydrogen vehicles that will launch in 2020. Not only has transportation began using fuel cells in China, but also in the U.S. In 2015, The University of California Irvine launched its very first emission-free hydrogen fuel cell bus in their transportation system for university students. Projects such as these show the success of the ever-changing research behind fuel cell technology and how its real-life application at even a smaller level can impact many lives. Companies, organizations, an environmental agencies should all take into consideration the harmful impacts of oil and gas in inflicting environmental degradation and adopt technologies such as the fuel cell to establish a â&#x20AC;&#x153;hydrogen economy."

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Recovery from a major earthquake that directly hits our densely populated urban area will take years, if not decades,â&#x20AC;? adds Sahabi. â&#x20AC;&#x153;FEMA estimates 40% of businesses that close their doors as a result of disasters will never reopen.â&#x20AC;? The seminar dates and locations are: â&#x20AC;˘Wed., Sept. 25 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ganahl Lumber Center, 2600 Del Amo Blvd, Torrance â&#x20AC;˘Thurs, Oct. 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Southern California Association of Governments, 900 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1700, Los Angeles â&#x20AC;˘Wed., Oct. 23 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Los Angeles Valley College, Monarch Hall, 5800 Fulton Avenue, Valley Glen â&#x20AC;˘Wed., Nov. 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; South Pasadena Library, 1100 Oxley St, South Pasadena. Lunch will be provided beginning at 11:30 a.m. The program begins at 12 p.m. and concludes at 2 p.m. To reserve your seat, register at https://bizfedlacounty.org/resiliency.

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SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

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LA PALMA

Steel Cheetos, Assault Police Officer - 5400 block of Orangethorpe Ave. – Two subjects reportedly stole food from the business. Police located and detained two subjects, who were positively identified. Police arrested a 25-year-old Cerritos resident for shoplifting and trespassing and a 38-year-old Buena Park resident for shoplifting, trespassing, and assaulting a police officer. Throwing Bottles at Cars – Orangethorpe/Valley View – A male subject was reportedly on the center median and throwing water bottles at passing vehicles. Incident handled by Buena Park Police Department.

CERRITOS

Burglary Two lockers were broken into at 17900 Blk Studebaker Rd, doors were broken and money was taken. Two residential burglaries occurred, 19300 Blk Alburtis Ave - rear door shattered; 13000 Blk La Jara Cir - lock shattered. A restaurant was broken into at 17100 Blk Norwalk Blvd-front door shattered, cash box emptied; and a storage facility at 10800 Blk Artesia Blvd was broken into, the door was broke, it is not known what was stolen Grand Theft Personal documents were taken from a person at the Los Cerritos Center, the suspect was arrested; Goodyear Tires were stolen from a business at 18000

Blk Valley View Ave; a " High Dollar Purchase" was taken from a shopper at the Los Cerritos Center; a cellphone was stolen from person at 18000 Blk Studebaker. Grand Theft Auto Four cars were stolen from the Nissan dealership on Crusader, three cars have not been recovered. Two other cars were stolen from the Los Cerritos Center and from in front of a restaurant at 18400 Blk Gridley Rd. Seven Week Rolling Crime Report Part one crimes 2018 average 36.5, 2019 average 33.1, a 10% drop. Part one crimes include homicide, rape robbery, burglary, and petty theft. 2018-'19 miscellaneous crimes, which include arson, forgery, sex felonies, sex misdemeanors, simple assault, narcotics and vandalism were exactly the same at 8.9. Alarm calls were slightly up from 2018, which was 45.8 compared to 47.7 in 2019. Calls for service for 2018 was 323.4 ,for 2019 it was 317.1, a decrease of nearly 2%. The sheriff station stresses that this is preliminary information for data is not final and subject to change

LA MIRADA

Notable Arrests • Thirteen suspects were arrested throughout La Mirada for various warrants and narcotics violations.

Robbery • A cell phone was reported stolen during an argument on the 14200 block of Firestone Blvd. Aggravated Assault • A victim was reportedly shot during an early morning incident on the 14200 block of Imperial Hwy. The victim took himself to the hospital and was treated for a graze wound to the arm. No other injuries or incidents were reported at the location, the case is under investigation. Residential Burglary • A bag with a laptop was reported stolen on the 14300 block of De Alcala Dr. Other Structure Burglary • An afternoon burglary was reported on the 15700 block of Rosecrans Ave. A garage was broken into. • An early morning burglary attempt was reported on the 15600 block of Imperial Hwy. • Several bottles of cologne were reported stolen during a late night burglary on the 15800 block of Imperial Hwy. • Three lockers were broken into during a daytime burglary on the 13300 block of Beach Blvd. Vehicle Burglary • An early morning burglary was reported on the 14000 block of Highlander Rd. • An early morning burglary was reported on the 14300 block of Firestone Blvd. • A purse was reported stolen during a daytime window smash burglary on the 15800 block of Imperial Hwy. Grand Theft • Various packages were stolen during a daytime theft of an unlocked trailer on the 16000 block of Heron Ave. Grand Theft Vehicle • Two sedans were reported stolen on the 14700 block of Alondra Blvd. • Two trailers were reported stolen on the 14400 block of Industry Cir. • A stolen truck was recovered on the 14300 block of Alondra Blvd.

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Centerpointe Forrest Gump – A subject who had been previously warned regarding trespassing came back to the same location. The subject had previously been escorted off the property. Police made contact and arrested a 30-year-old subject for trespassing. Get Out of My House – 5200 block of Los Encantos Cir. – A female wanted a male subject to leave. Police arrested a female subject for domestic battery and transported her to Orange County Jail. Some Parent's Kids – 5500 block of Orangethorpe Ave. – Two males were reportedly engaged in a physical fight. The parties were separated. The subjects were determined to be brothers. Parties advised and will comply and were released to their parents. Who Turned Out the Lights? Walker/La Luna – A loud explosion was reportedly heard and the lights went out briefly and smoke was seen. Power lines were determined to be down and on fire. OCFA and Southern California Edison were notified and responded. Edison shut down power in the area. New Tint Needed – 8200 block of Walker St. – A vehicle’s window was reportedly smashed in the parking lot of the location. Also, a petty theft from a vehicle report was taken. Police checked the parking lot for any additional victim vehicles but did not locate any. Don't Fight Cops When Drunk – 7700 block of Valley View St. – A male subject was reportedly heard screaming. Police made contact with a semi-uncooperative subject. The subject had been drinking and was determined to likely fight the police. The subject was arrested for resisting/obstructing and officer and battery on an officer and was transported to Orange County Jail.

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SEC

Continued from page 1 that everywhere Rojas was employed, allegations of fraud followed, with his subordinate employees eventually figuring out that Rojas possessed a complete lack of knowledge in the most rudimentary business practices, a fact the SEC pointed out. As a consequence, many of Rojas' employees resigned, were fired, or placed on leave due to his incessant harassment. Within one or two years at each position, Rojas would leave or be fired; and he would not include those employment stints on future employment resumes or worse, lie about his success at the positions all together. The same scenario is took place at MUSD when Rojas united with Cardenas, Cisneros, and their Board allies to take MUSD down a similar path of corruption. At the time, HMG-LCCN has exclusively obtained letters from the accounting firm of Vasquez and Company LLP (Vasquez), the firm retained to audit the school district, that warned of an ongoing financial scandal of immense proportions being guided by Rojas. The letters accused Rojas and his management team of, among other things, fraudulent financial transactions, abuse, waste, and handing out sole-source contracts to family and friends. The letters also implicated certain MUSD Board members, including Cardenas and Cisneros, along with Rojas, using highly questionable stall tactics to delay the public release of Vasquez' findings of waste, fraud, and abuse. The letters paint a picture of Rojas firing those that questioned him, some in crucial positions at MUSD, in a wideranging plan to conceal blatant financial improprieties. Most disturbing, the letters showed that then-Board President Benjamin Cardenas deliberately misled everyone at MUSD declaring at the Dec. 7, 2016 Board meeting that "an audit was needed" knowing Vasquez was nearly done with

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their audit. Cardenas, who earns a hefty six-figure annual salary with Pico Rivera, called for the audit to implement his strategy and deflect attention away from Vazquez' findings. Those findings would eventually implicate Rojas, Cardenas, and his allies on the Board in and trigger the SEC investigation. The letters were all written in 2016, dated December 1, December 9 and finally December 29. First Letter The December 1 letter, signed by Margaret J. McBride, Principal at Vasquez, was sent exclusively to then-Board President Cardenas. The letter did not mince words and implicitly indicated they had found fraud linked to Rojas and wanted to meet with the Board in closed session. The one-page letter stated, "it has come to our attention that the district has recently terminated it's Chief Executive Officer, former superintendent Susanna Contreras, and Chief Financial and Operations Officer Cleve Pell." "We also understand that in recent months the District has experienced the departure of other individuals in key financial management positions." The positions included the Budget Control and Accounts Payable Manager, Fiscal Services Manager, Chief Information Technology Officer, and the Controller. The involuntary departures were specifically meant to interfere with any financial audit looking for fraud. The letter went on, "accusations regarding Mr. Rojas' qualifications and integrity have been publicly aired (the HMG-CN exposĂŠ on Rojas), and we also have been independently made aware of other allegations of impropriety." The letter ended with a request to meet board members in a closed session to "discuss the impact of the (new fraud revelations) on our ability to complete the audit." The letter was ignored by Cardenas, Rojas, and Interim Superintendent Martinez, as documented by the SEC. Six days later, during the Dec. 7 Board meeting, Cardenas and his allies imple-

mented their deflection strategy to draw attention away from Vasquez' findings as outlined in the first letter. At the meeting, Cardenas suddenly called for an "audit of the MUSD" even though Vasquez was nearly done and the State mandated deadline was in eight days. Board President Lani Cupchoy and Board member Joanna Flores quickly agreed with Cardenas. Interim Superintendent Martinez also agreed with the new audit. The second letter was sent two days later, this time to all MUSD Board members and MUSD attorney Rick Olivarez, on December 9, with URGENT in bold at the top of the letter. Bride stated, "we previously wrote to Mr. Cardenas regarding a meeting with the Board of Education in closed session, we have not received a response to that letter." The letter strongly implicated fraudulent cover-up and financial improprieties by Rojas and his team. Aiming her comments at the Board, McBride stated, "certain audit procedures have been delayed due to the actions of the District management." McBride called for, "other audit procedures (fraud investigations, related party transactions, and no-bid contracts) to be expanded as new information has come to our attention." The letter closed with McBride saying, "we reiterate our request for a meeting with the Board to obtain authorization to expand our audit procedures, complete the audit, and render our opinion." Once again, Cardenas, Rojas and Martinez ignored the letter, and Cardenas' Board allies refused to meet with Vasquez in closed session. The third letter was sent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; once again to all MUSD Board members and MUSD attorney Rick Olivarez â&#x20AC;&#x201C; by Ms. McBride on December 29. This time the letter went much further, strongly implicating Rojas' financial improprieties and a cover-up by his Board allies in an effort to keep the corruption from public view. McBride wrote, "On December 22, Rojas stated that he had been directed

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

by the Board to terminate the services of Vasquez. Rojas gave no reason for the termination and stated that another firm would be retained to the conduct the audit." McBride stated that the District will incur higher fees, miss the deadline for California, and was in danger of missing Federal deadline. "We asked if Mr. Rojas advised the Board of these facts and he declined to answer." The letter then addressed the Board and slammed Rojas and his team. "It is important that we inform you (the Board) at the time of our termination we had revised our risk assessment of the district to 'high risk' and accordingly expanded our audit procedures to include the areas of fraud, related party transactions, and competitive procurements." Translation: Rojas was handing out checks to family members and friends using no-bid sole-source contracts. "The higher risk was due to numerous factors including communications from several sources alleging fraud in the Business Office, the high-level of turnover in top management, and the inability to communicate with Mr. Rojas." The letter went on to describe how Vasquez and McBride had been chasing Rojas and his team since October 20, 2016, "to perform procedures concerning risks and allegations of fraud, information technology controls, and litigation exposure." The sources in the Business Office were likely MUSD Superintendent Susanna Contreras and Chief Financial and Operations Officer Cleve Pell. Fourteen days later, on Nov. 4, 2016, the Board placed Contreras and Pell on administrative leave. The letter also pointed at Interim Superintendent Martinez as complicit in the cover up. "The call from Mr. Rojas to terminate (Vasquez) occurred within 45 minutes of our request directly made to Martinez for additional documents as part of our expanded audit procedures." The letter then went on to implicate that Cardenas and his Board allies Cisne-

See SEC page 12

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

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SATURDAY FARMER'S MARKET IN LAKEWOOD

ST. IRENAEUS’ FIESTA STARTS THIS FRIDAY

FARMERS MARKET manager and hummus merchant Haz Alqawaqneh, above, at the Lakewood Farmer's Market open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lakewood Center, just south of the El Torito restaurant.The market now has up to thirty merchants including farm fresh fruits, vegetables and juices; unique jewelry, crafts and cosmetics; and Salvadoran and Mexican fresh foods, such as tamales and pupusas.

FOOD AND FUN: Lots of fun rides, good food and live bands begin this Friday at St. Irenaeus Fiesta. St. I's is located at 5201 Evergreen Avenue in Cypress.

SUPERVISORS HAHN, SOLIS DIRECT FUNDING TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IN GATEWAY CITIES STAFF REPORT This week, Los Angeles County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis directed almost $2 million in county funding to an innovative program coordinating homeless services in the Gateway Cities region. “Since we started funding this program, we Supervisor have been able Janice Hahn to lift over 2,000 people off of the streets of the Gateway Cities and into housing,” said Supervisor Hahn. “The homelessness crisis demands attention at every level of government, and I appreciate the Gateway Cities Council of Government’s willingness to put resources to work, connect people to stable housing, and be part of long-term solutions. I am more than happy to do everything I can to support their efforts.” The creation of the Gateway Connections Program in 2011 was widely considered to be the first attempt at addressing homelessness through a coordinated, regional effort of a group of cities, in partnership with Los Angeles County. The mission of the program is to identify homeless encampments in the 27 cities that make up the Gateway region of the County, conduct intensive outreach and connect homeless individuals and families to supportive services, temporary housing, and permanent supportive housing. “Homelessness is a crisis, and to end homelessness we must work together to identify creative solutions. That is why I

HOMELESS

Continued from page 1 various public entities in Orange County – including the County of Orange – violated their constitutional rights when enforcing various anti-camping, anti-loitering, and other similar laws. These matters arose after the Ninth Circuit’s decision

am allocating $156,438 for a three-year term from the First District’s Homeless Prevention Initiative Fund to support the Gateway Connections Program,” said Supervisor Solis. “The County, in partnership with local cities, must extend a helping hand to uplift our sisters and brothers who are experiencing homelessness. In my District, the Gateway region includes the cities of Bell, Bell Gardens, Commerce, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Industry, Maywood, Montebello, Pico Rivera, South Gate, and Vernon. This region saw a 12% increase in its homeless population, where nearly one-third of the individuals experiencing homelessness are women, and more than half are Latino/Hispanic. The Gateway Connections Program has led to regional partnerships between the Gateway Council of Governments (COG), Gateway cities, the County, and homeless service providers. To tackle homelessness effectively, we must treat our neighbors humanely by offering them wraparound services that will help them get back on their feet. We cannot stop until everyone can rest in a bed of their own.” Over the next three years, the Gateway Cities Council of Government will receive $635,750 annually for the Gateway Cities Connection Program from both the First and Fourth District’s allocation of Homeless Prevention Initiative funds totaling $1,907,250. The First District’s allocation is set at 25% of the annual contract total while the Fourth District will allocate the remaining 75%. The contract term will be for three years with two option years contingent on available funding from the Homeless Prevention Initiative funds.

regarding Boise, Idaho in 2018. “I want to thank my colleagues for taking this bold and necessary action,” stated Mayor Ines. “I know that there will be some controversy surrounding it, but I firmly believe that this is the right path for the City of Bellflower to take.” The final Settlement Agreement will be considered at a hearing scheduled for September 23, 2019.

BY EDNA ETHINGTON St. Irenaeus Church will be holding its annual Church Fiesta this weekend. The fiesta will feature live music, rides, games, cash prizes, a silent auction, Bingo games and food of all kinds. St. Irenaeus Church is located at at 5201 Evergreen Avenue in Cypress. On Friday at 6:00 p.m. till 11:00 p.m., Blues, Rock, Swing and Country songs will be performed. On Saturday, from 2:00 to 10:00 p.m., there will be a Musical Group, two dance groups, a 90’s band, and the popular Knyght Ryder 80’s band who will perform. Finally, on Sunday, from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m. there will be original rock music, a Mariachi band, Oldies, Rock and Roll, and country mu-

sic entertaining everyone throughout the days and nights. For families, young adults and older people, who enjoy riding carnival rides, there will be as many as 12 different rides that they can choose if they all fit in the church grounds. The rides include Star Flyer, Skydiver, Zipper, Kamikaze, Dizzy Dragon, Crystal Lils, Tilt A Whirl, Super Slide, Orient Express, Dragoon and Jalopy Junction. Come and have some fun while trying these rides. The unlimited ride wristband presale cost will be $25, and $35 at the Fiesta. There will be a special price of $25 for the unlimited ride wristband on Saturday, September 21, from 2 to 6 p.m.

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SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

LBS FINANCIAL DONATES SUPPLIES TO WHITNEY HIGH

DONATING: (l-r) Whitney staff Dr. Larry Natividad; LBS staff Derrick Ronquillo, Ashley Ramirez, Oscar Velasco, SVP Heather Summers, Whitney staff Craig Spratt, Valerie Diaz, John Briquelet, principal; Cassandra Alves, and Daezsha Williams. BY HEATHER SUMMERS Last Friday was a great day at Whitney High when LBS Financial Credit Union delivered thousands of school supplies along with eight new banners to help initiate a successful start to the 2019-2020 school year. Mr. John Briquelet, principal of Whitney High, provided LBS with a wish list at the beginning of the summer. On September 13th, the Credit Union delivered thousands of dollars in supplies along with eight Distinguished School banners. During the summer, LBS Financial promoted its school supply drive for Whitney High School with Credit Union members at their Cerritos branch location and on their website. Members donated school supplies from the provided wish list the school developed. Internally, the Credit Union promoted two jeans days with staff, encouraging do-

nations to wear jeans. Donations from the staff jeans days went toward the Credit Union’s school supply drives and was combined with a special budget set aside for the school. "We could not be more excited or more appreciative to have the support of LBS Financial,” said Principal of Whitney High School, John Briquelet. “The many boxes of school supplies they provided us will benefit both our students and staff, and the banners they created to commemorate Whitney's eight California Distinguished School Awards will permit us to proudly show who we are as a school and a community." This is the Credit Union’s ninth year of adopting a school in ABC Unified School District. LBS Financial also adopted two additional schools in Bellflower Unified School District and Long Beach Unified School District and also delivered their supplies last week.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

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REVIEW: SUSHIHOLIC - A LA MIRADA FAVORITE BY TAMMYE MCDUFF Established in 2013, La Mirada’s Sushiholic prides their menu in serving ‘nofrills, lip-smacking Japanese fare’, with fresh fish delivered daily. The restaurant is owned and operated by the Kim family, self proclaimed, genuine sushi-holics. Customers are greeted at the door by Lim with a respectful bow and "Irasshaimase", which roughly translated means ‘Welcome to the store, come on in!’ “We work hard to craft no-frills Japanese cuisine without the pretentiousness,” says Manager Andy Kim, “whether you're a traditionalist or a non-sushi person, our food is for you. We don't serve what doesn't get us hooked ourselves. This kind of dedication to an addiction is what sets up apart.” HMG had the opportunity to drop in on this La Mirada favorite and it was a pleasant surprise. The restaurant has a dozen tables and at lunch time during the week, the place was packed.

If you are a traditionalist, then you must try the Edomae-style sushi and sashimi. If you love sushi rolls then try the ‘Pink Lady’ or the lip smacking ‘Love Love’ roll. If you have a sweet tooth then order the ‘Sweet Hawaiian’ or ‘Mango Salmon Roll’. If you are not one to touch raw fish, not to worry the menu has numerous items to choose from. The teriyaki selections are made from scratch, meat is trimmed by hand, and the sauce is whipped up fresh every morning. “Thanks to the gracious support of our customers, our little restaurant has been thriving for the past several years. Food is our passion and sushi is the name of our game,” says Kim, “our commitment to you and our craft is serious. Your satisfaction makes our hard work and dedication effortless. We thank you for your continued love and support.” Sushiholic is located at 15749 E Imperial Hwy, La Mirada, in the Green Hills Plaza shopping center on the corner of Imperial Highway and Santa Gertrudes.

MORIAWASE - CHEFS CHOICE OF SASHIMI

HOT MAMA ROLL - Real crab and avocado topped with salmon and spicy mayo.

SUSHIHOLIC WHERE: 15749 E Imperial Hwy, La Mirada, CA 92604 HOURS: Monday-Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., Closed Sunday. WEB: Sushiholic.info PHONE: (562) 943-0100

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SPORTS

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SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

WEEK THREE FOOTBALL GAHR’S OFFENSE HITS A ROAD BLOCK AGAINST NORTH TORRANCE, WINNING STREAK SNAPPED AT TWO BY LOREN KOPFF @LORENKOPFF ON TWITTER You can’t catch what you can’t tackle and for Gahr High’s defense, it got a taste of North Torrance High’s Stephen Bradford. In just one half of play, Bradford, who entered the game with 388 yards on 56 carries, touched the ball for all 10 of the Saxons’ rushing attempts in the first 24 minutes and gained 109 yards as North Torrance crushed the Gladiators 41-7 last Friday night at Dr. Hanford Rants Stadium. For Gahr, it was the first loss of the season for a team that is young, inexperienced and didn’t have too many expectations for the 2019 campaign. And despite trailing 7-0 after the first quarter, the turning point in the game came in the second quarter when the Gladiators turned the ball over on consecutive possessions. North Torrance would score on all four of its second quarter possessions to put the game away. “I don’t think they got themselves ready for the task,” said Gahr head coach Greg Marshall of his team. “This is a much better football team than the last two teams we’ve played. They came in with the same type of attitude and intensity, and that’s not going to work against [North Torrance]. That’s a good football team with a good offense.” After the Gladiators gained negative yardage on its first drive, Bradford put the Saxons up 7-0 on an eight-yard run with 8:33 left in first quarter. Gahr put together its best drive of the game, going 30 yards in 10 plays. But on the

GAHR HIGH junior quarterback Rashaad Willis (right, #3) attempts a pass to junior running back Johnny Robinson IV in last Friday night’s home game against North Torrance High. Robinson caught a pair of passes for nine yards and Willis completed 14 of 22 passes for 109 yards in Gahr’s 41-7 loss. PHOTO BY ARMANDO VARGAS, Contributing photographer.

11th play and facing fourth and 19 from the North Torrance 39-yard line, junior punter Abraham Delgadillo gained five yards on a fake punt. Gahr would have the ball for over 14 minutes in the first half and seemed to be moving the ball at times. But with the score 14-0, junior quarterback Rashaad Willis was intercepted by Blake Banks at the North Torrance 20-yard line. A pair of long passes and a five-yard run by Bradford led to a 30-yard touchdown

pass from Trevor Keenan Lagarde to Aries Revolinski. Then on Gahr’s third play of the ensuing possession, a fumble at the North Torrance 37-yard line would eventually lead to a 62-yard touchdown reception to Banks and a 28-0 lead with 2:40 remaining in the first half. By halftime, the Saxons, despite being penalized 10 times for 76 yards, had already complied 337 yards of offense. In contrast,

the Gladiators were held to 47 yards by Willis and 25 yards on the ground. “We were just flat all night,” Marshall said. “We weren’t executing on offense and we weren’t tackling on defense. We were missing our assignments on defense and obviously they have a good running back and you have to gap control that guy or he’s going to go crazy. Basically, that’s what happened.” The Saxons began the second half

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AREA’S TOP GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAMS TO COMPETE IN FINAL REGULAR SEASON TOURNAMENT BY LOREN KOPFF @LORENKOPFF ON TWITTER Of the seven area girls volleyball teams, three have consistently moved on to the CIF-Southern Section divisional playoffs over the past two decades. Ironically, all three will be among 20 teams participating in the Bellflower-Valley Christian Girls Varsity Volleyball Classic today and Saturday at Bellflower High and Gahr High. Cerritos wrapped up a five-match road trip with a sweep over Artesia High this past Tuesday to move to 9-4 overall and 2-0 in the 605 League. The Lady Dons have posted seven sweeps this season including four out of the last five matches. They hosted John Glenn High on Sept. 19 and will face Bellflower, Trinity Classical and Valley Christian High today in pool play action of the tournament. Cerritos will also host Pioneer High on Tuesday in the first of four straight home matches and is knocking on the door of the Division 4 top 10 poll. Gahr has been on a roll and following a sweep over Bellflower last Friday, has won four in a row to improve to 6-2. Included in the winning streak were sweeps over Downey High last Thursday and Dominguez to begin San Gabriel Valley League action. Gahr will have pool play matches against CAMS, Peninsula High and St. Joseph High today. In addition, the Lady Gladiators visited Lynwood High on Sept. 19 and will visit Paramount High on Thursday.

Valley Christian, the ninth-ranked team in Division 4 breezed past Maranatha High this past Tuesday in the Olympic League opener, yielding 31 points in the process. The Lady Defenders then were swept by Vil- HMG-CN Sports Editor lage Christian Loren Kopff High this past Wednesday and will take a 10-6 overall mark into today’s pool play matches against Bellflower, Cerritos and Trinity Classical. V.C. will also host Heritage Christian High on Tuesday and travel to Whittier Christian High on Thursday. In other volleyball action, Artesia High saw its brief two-match winning streak end against Cerritos and fell to 6-12 overall, 1-1 in the 605 League. The Lady Pioneers will host Whitney High today and visit Glenn on Tuesday. Glenn scored 26 points in a three-set loss to Whitney last Friday and faced Oxford Academy this past Tuesday while Norwalk High lost all three of its pool play matches in the Whittier Tournament last weekend. The Lady Lancers (4-13) began Suburban League action on Sept. 19 at Mayfair High and will entertain La Mirada High on Tuesday and Bellflower on Thursday. Whitney remained tied for first place

in the 605 League with Cerritos following back to back sweeps against Glenn and Pioneer. The Lady Wildcats (8-4 overall) will host Oxford Academy on Tuesday in preparation for a first-place showdown at Cerritos on Sept. 27. FOOTBALL Beverly Hills High (1-2) @ Cerritos (2-1)-After falling to Portola High 46-24 on the road last Friday, Cerritos hopes to rebound against a more favorable opponent in Beverly Hills. Last season, the Dons defeated the Normans 42-6, the last of their three wins they would get in 2018. Beverly Hills is riding a two-game losing streak in which it has scored 14 points. This will be the fourth straight road game for the Normans, who racked up 436 yards on the ground in an opening-season win at Sotomayor High. Cerritos counters with junior running back Moises Vargas, who leads the team with 335 yards on 39 carries and junior quarterback Nick Lightell, who has passed for 555 yards and 11 touchdowns and has gained 113 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Gahr (2-1) @ Sunny Hills High (2-1)The schedule won’t get easier for Gahr, which was blasted by North Torrance High 41-7 last Friday. The Gladiators face

NEWS & NOTES FROM PRESS ROW

a team that has won two in a row and defeated Brea Olinda High 17-10 last Friday. Sunny Hills does most of its damage on the ground as Jun Ahn has rushed for 466 yards on 70 carries with three touchdowns, and Vince Silva has gained 184 yards on 16 touches with four touchdowns. But the Lancers can also show it can be powerful through the air as Luke Duxbury has passed for 503 yards with five touchdowns. Glenn (2-2) @ Western High (3-1)The Eagles have been alternating wins and losses through the first four weeks and dropped a 66-14 setback to Bell Gardens High last Friday. Now, Glenn faces another huge test when they face the fourth-ranked team in Division 10. Western has not allowed a point in its last three games, but offensively, has already accumulated over 1,400 yards. Isiah Del Toro has completed over 64 percent of his passes for 936 yards and eight touchdowns while also leading the ground attack with 215 yards on 32 carries and a touchdown. Glenn junior quarterback Matthew Huxtable has completed 44 passes in 86 attempts for 890 yards and seven touchdowns. However, senior running back Edwin Udengwu, who came close to 2,000 yards last season, did not play in the Bell Gardens game and has 328 yards on 50 carries with four touchdowns. California High (4-0) @ Norwalk (2-2)-This game was played on Sept. 19 and after an 18-point loss to Pacifica High in its first game followed by a 26-point

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SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

605 LEAGUE CROSS COUNTRY CLUSTER MEET #1

UNDERCLASSMEN ENABLE CERRITOS TO SWEEP IN DOMINATING FASHION IN LEAGUE’S FIRST CLUSTER MEET BY LOREN KOPFF @LORENKOPFF ON TWITTER In just the brief existence of the 605 League, the Cerritos High girls cross country team is showing that it is the team to beat for now. In last season’s inaugural league cluster meet, the Lady Dons edged Whitney High by seven points and went on to win the second cluster meet as well as the league finals. This past Wednesday at Knabe Park, the Lady Dons had the top three runners and seven out of the top 11 as Cerritos picked up 19 points, easily defeating Oxford Academy (63 points) and Pioneer High (66 points). Juniors Sofia Vasquez (20:35) and Samantha Chang (20:41) and freshman Sydney Romero (21:20) paced the Lady Dons with freshman Camille Lara finishing in fifth place with a time of 21:38 and freshman Sofia Padilla claiming the eighth spot at 22:16. “In the first week of summer, I was excited to see how strong our incoming freshmen class was,” said Cerritos head coach Jason Watanabe. “Last year’s

NEWS AND NOTES

Continued from page 10 shutout win, Norwalk has been involved in one-score contests the last two weeks. The Lancers fell to Long Beach Jordan High 20-13 last Friday and will have their hands full with the sixth-ranked team in Division 11. The Condors have allowed 16 points and blanked three opponents. In contrast, Norwalk has allowed 20 points in the first half this season. California has rushed for 741 yards with 11 different players having at least one carry while Giovanni Miranda and Noah Castillo have combined to throw for 570 yards and seven touchdowns. But, two other players have completed two passes for 86 yards and one touchdown. In addition, the Condors have sacked opposing signal callers 14 times. Senior Sergio Martinez is Norwalk’s big yardage gainer with 430 yards on 73 rushes and four touchdowns while senior Daniel Onopa has added 187 yards on 42 carries and a touchdown. Ontario Christian High (3-1) @ Valley Christian (2-2)-It’s rivalry time for V.C. and its defense will get tested as the Knights have won two straight contests by a combined score of 95-14. Ontario Christian is led by Alexander Terriquez (352 yards, 64 carries, four touchdowns). However, three other running backs are all within 23 yards of 200 yards and have combined for nine touchdowns. The Knights are pretty much one-dimensional as two quarterbacks have completed 10 passed for 150 yards. The Defenders blasted Van Nuys High 49-6 last Friday night and are seeking their first two-game winning streak. Against the Los Angeles City Section school, senior Brayden Garner rushed for 207 yards on nine touches and scored four touchdowns.

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freshmen were already a solid class, but the timing of these new freshmen was perfect since we graduated a big portion of our varsity team. The interesting thing is that I think these freshmen have a lot to learn about racing and I even have more (freshmen and sophomores) who are starting to move up. It was also great to see Sofia Padilla bounce back after a few setbacks. She has shown the talent and work and is beginning to see it in races.” Sophomore Tara Wang rounded out the top 10 with a time of 22:31 and junior Kyli Joe was right behind her at 22:34. Whitney finished in fourth place with 85 points and freshman Ella Cantena as its top runner. She came in 12th place with a time of 22:35 while junior Kritka Pantha finished in 15th with a time of 23:08 and two spots later was freshman Kayla Vicencio at 23:44. Artesia High had two runners-junior Alexa Fernandez (16th, 23:13) and junior Marissa Hernandez (22nd, 24:45) while John Glenn High did not have a participant. Of the 28 runners who competed, five were seniors and seven were freshmen, making the next three years competitive in the league. “I think Pioneer has been impressive so far this season,” Watanabe said. “They have progressed, and I think that they’re a team I am keeping an eye on. Oxford is another team that I was

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watching since track and will not count out. I think our 1-4 has been consistently solid this year, however, I want to do a bit more hill work with the underclassmen in preparation for the second cluster at La Mirada to ensure they can carry it over to a tougher course. Regardless, based off the workouts from our girls, I think that they will be able to maintain this momentum as long as we can stay healthy.” The Cerritos boys, who finished in third place in the two cluster meets as well as the league finals last season, had three harriers finish in the top five and picked up 32 points, easily knocking off Oxford Academy by 27 points and Pioneer by 31 points. Junior Anrei Giordano took the third spot at 17:50, followed by sophomore Michael Rafael (17:50) and junior Jayson Malhi (17:53). “Last year, one of the things I told the boys is that it might be a rough year since most of them were sophomores and inexperienced,” Watanabe said. “That experience helped them with their confidence coming into this meet and helped them learn how to approach a race better. They’ve worked together and have had to race together since their freshmen year. We still have a lot of work to do, but I was happy with how they handled themselves today.” Sophomore Bryce Hojo finished in ninth place with a time of 18:12 and

two positions later was junior Chris Amaro (18:20). Whitney took the fourth spot with 69 points and had sophomore Lorenzo Rodriguez come in second place with a time of 17:30, seven seconds being Nathan Garcia of Pioneer. Whitney senior Eric Kim came in 10th place at 18:15 while junior Jeffrey Fernandez was 14th at 18:44. Glenn had five runners with senior Vidal Reynoso crossing the finish line at 19:43 and freshman Javier Reynoso at 20:29. The lone Artesia runner was senior Aiden Acance (24:07). Just like the girls, the boys are also going through a youth movement with two seniors finishing in the top 10 and a total of 12 of the 33 runners who competed. “The league should definitely be getting tougher over the next few years,” Watanabe said. “Pioneer, Oxford and Whitney have new coaches and so it was a little tougher gauging how teams would perform and what strategies they would employ. However, I think it adds a lot of excitement. Oxford especially has made great improvements and have a new and energized boys coach. With us having no seniors on our varsity team as well, it will be exciting moving forward.” The second cluster meet will be on Oct. 2 and the league finals will be back at Knabe Park on Oct. 30.

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GAHR

Continued from page 10 with six straight runs from Toa Ortega, the last being a 19-yard touchdown run. Gahr responded with a 15-yard score from junior running back Johnny Robinson IV, capping an eight-play, 80-yard drive that took 4:21. It was the only time the hosts would touch the ball in the third quarter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the first time for a lot of these guys; we have a very young team,â&#x20AC;? Marshall said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen that, so thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an adjustment. We just werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t motivated to play tonight.â&#x20AC;? Ortega would see the ball seven straight times on the ensuing drive but on the first play of the final stanza, senior defensive end Robert McClain recovered a fumble. Gahr would be stopped on downs after running six plays and when it got the ball again, Delgadillo was short on a 35-yard field attempt with 2:29 left in the game. Willis was 14 of 22 for 109 yards and completed nine straight passes in one stretch. Senior wide receiver Daniel Mitchell caught four passes for 58 yards while Robinson IV, the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading rusher this season, picked up 121 yards on 19 carries, most of which came

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against North Torranceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s backups. On defense, senior lineman Devan Coleman had four tackles while junior defensive back Sean Harbin, junior lineman Anakin Larrabee and junior outside linebacker Kyle Nwosu all had three tackles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The problem was some of our younger linemen really didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take on to the task of blocking those guys,â&#x20AC;? Marshall said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And then we had some pass routesâ&#x20AC;Śwe canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just run it. We were trying to run it a little bit. We have to mix it up, and we were tying to mix it up. But the protection broke down and we got behind the sticks.â&#x20AC;? After three straight home games and a bye, the Gladiators will hit the road for the first time when they visit Sunny Hills High tonight. The Lancers are also 2-1 and are coming off a 17-10 victory at Brea Olinda High last Friday. Sunny Hills has averaged over 273 rushing yards a game, led by Jun Ahn (466 yards on 70 carries and three touchdowns), Vince Silva (184 yards on 16 carries and four touchdowns) and David Harris (108 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown). Luke Duxbury has thrown for 503 yards and five touchdowns and has completed over 62 percent of his passes. This will be the first of two straight road games, with the other one being against Mayfair High before Gahr begins San Gabriel Valley League action against Downey High on Oct. 3. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was good to play a team [and] say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;now you guys know what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to run intoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;,â&#x20AC;? Marshall said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a wake-up call; they needed to experience it. Now, if we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make that adjustment against Mayfair and come out with the same type of intensity and execution, then weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to have problems.â&#x20AC;?

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Continued from page 6 ros, Flores and Cupchoy were also in on the cover-up. "In our letter to Cardenas on December 1, and again in our letter to the Board dated December 9, we requested a meeting to go over the audit findings and expanded (fraud investigation) procedures, that request has not been granted." McBride angrily ended her letter stating, "Vasquez will retain our working papers (audit documents) for seven years, however the audit documents are the property of Vasquez." At the January 19 meeting, the Board voted to hire San Diego based Christy White and Associates to audit MUSD, paying White $88,000. The recommendation to hire White was made by Rojas. One observer told HMG-CN, "No doubt a few board members and a few administrators, along with a pocketful of select vendors working at MUSD, were more than interested in seeing the Gil Vasquez & Associates audit stopped. Today the SEC sent out a press release. The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Montebello Unified School District ("Montebello" or the "District"), its former Chief Business Officer, and its Superintendent of Schools with defrauding investors by failing to disclose fraud and internal controls concerns raised by the District's independent auditor. According to the SEC's complaint and order, immediately before and concurrently with the District's sale of $100 million of general obligation bonds in December 2016, Montebello's independent auditor repeatedly raised concerns about allegations of fraud and internal controls issues to the District's Board of Education

and management. In response, Montebello allegedly refused to authorize the fees needed for the audit firm to complete its audit and instead decided to terminate the audit firm. The offering documents for Montebello's December 2016 bonds failed to disclose this information to investors and instead included a copy of the District's audit report from the prior fiscal year, which included an unmodified or "clean" audit opinion from the firm. The SEC alleges that Ruben Rojas, Montebello's former Chief Business Officer, helped prepare the misleading offering documents and also concealed the audit firm's concerns by providing deceptive updates about the status of its pending audit to various gatekeepers, including the disclosure lawyers who worked on the bond offering. The SEC's order found that Anthony Martinez, Montebello's Superintendent of Schools, signed the final bond offering document and made false certifications in connection with the bonds. The SEC's complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, charges Rojas with violating the antifraud provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Securities Act of 1933, and seeks permanent and conduct-based injunctions as well as a financial penalty. Montebello and Martinez agreed to settle with the SEC and consented to the SEC's order without admitting or denying the findings. Montebello was ordered to cease and desist from future violations of the antifraud provisions of the Act. Martinez was ordered to cease and desist from future violations of the Act and also ordered to pay a $10,000 penalty.

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CVRA

Continued from page 1 Latino candidates have thrown their hat in the ring since 2009 but were denied “due to the discriminatory at-large CUSD system and the persistence of racially polarized voting in the District.” And the current board has recently fought hard to keep it that way, spending hundreds of thousands of tax-payer dollars on high-priced lawyers defending the indefensible, until last week when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ralph Hammock finally ruled against them. This past Sept.10, the CUSD became the latest school district to abandon atlarge elections in favor a system where candidates represent specific neighborhoods, but they did not do it without what some would call a dirty fight. The victorious California Voting Rights Act lawsuit was filed by lead attorney Mike Baller on behalf of CUSD residents and plaintiffs Lizette Arevalo, Francisco Orozco, and Monica Rincon. Their scheme started in December 2017 when the CUSD Board adopted a resolution to change election dates, choosing the latest permissible dates possible. The resolution also extended by one year all Board members who were elected in November 2017 and intended to extend the terms for those elected in November 2019. After that action, plaintiffs Arevalo, Orozco, Monica Rincon had seen enough, enlisting the help of Baller who sent a letter October 9, 2018 notifying CUSD that their at-large election system violated the CVRA. According to court documents, the CUSD board never responded to the letter. But the letter served its purpose; under the Elections Code, the CUSD was now mandated to announce within 45 today days its intention to change the election system, if they did not, a lawsuit could be filed on the 46th day. Following their scheme, the CUSD Board, 44 days after they received the letter, adopted a resolution announcing its intention to convert to district elections, but only after conducting the November 2019 election. Board members up for reelection this year are President Micah Ali, Clerk Charles Davis, and Sandra Moss. The next day Baller sent a second demand letter to the district pointing out that even if it carried out its announced

intention to change to a district election system, the November 2019 would violate the CVRA. Once again the CUSD never responded to the letter. But the newest resolution started the clock, giving the CUSD Board ninety days to take specific actions to implement its purported plan to convert its elections to a district system. True to their scheme, the CUSD Board did “absolutely nothing” to implement the district system within the ninety days. Indeed,” wrote Baller, “ the public record does not disclose any actions whatsoever taken by the CUSD to implement its purported conversion plan during that period.” Seeing enough, Baller filed the CVRA complaint on April 29, 2019; two months later CUSD lawyers filed a weak response “specifically denying each and every allegation in the complaint,” while not citing any case precedents. In his judgement, Judge Hammond handed Baller and the plaintiffs a huge victory ruling that the CUSD violated the CVRA, specifically Sections 14027 and 14028 of the California Elections Code. Hammond cancelled the upcoming November 2019 election, dealing a blow to President Ali, Clerk Davis and Board member Moss’ attempt to skirt the system and run for reelection under the at-large system, holding on to their seats for another four years. The three were ordered to run in March 2020 when the turn-out will be much higher than the 8% average they have enjoyed for years. In the biggest victory, Hammond ordered the district to convert to trustee-area district voting by March 2020, “establishing a district map clearly showing the boundaries of each district.” “Defendant shall take all reasonable steps to secure approvals for the trustee area elections including, but not limited to, seeking actions of the Los Angeles County Board of Education, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and any other governmental boards or agencies.” Then Hammond slammed the CUSD, ordering the district to pay $200,000 in attorney’s fees, making the CUSD Board’s scheme to retain their seats while violating the CVRA cost taxpayers over $210,000.

Los Cerritos Community News - LosCerritosNews.net

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File Number 2019235831 THE FOLLOWING PERSON(S) IS (ARE) DOING BUSINESS AS: FCI MANAGEMENT 13850 CERRITOS CORPORATE DR. UNIT CERRITOS, CA., 90703. Registered Owner: FAITH COM INC. 13850 CERRITOS CORPORATE DR. UNIT CERRITOS, CA., 90703. THIS BUSINESS IS CONDUCTED AS AN CORPORATION. The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 7/2019. I declare that all the information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000). /S/ PATRICIA WATTS. This statement was led with the County Clerk of Los Angeles on AUGUST 22, 2019. Notice - In accordance with Subdivision (a) of Section 17920, a Fictitious Name Statement generally expires at the end of five years from the date on which it was led in the of notice of the County Clerk, except, as provided in Subdivision (b) of Section 17920, where it expires 40 days after any change in the facts set forth in the statement pursuant to Section 17913 other than a change in the residence address of a registered owner. A new Fictitious Business Name Statement must be led before the expiration. Effective January 1, 2014, the Fictitious Business Name Statement must be accompanied by the affidavit of identity form. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State or Common Law (see Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). LCCN 9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27/19 County of Los Angeles Department of the Treasurer and Tax Collector Notice of Divided Publication Pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code (R&TC) Sections 3702, 3381, and 3382, the Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector is publishing in divided distribution, the Notice of Sale of Tax-Defaulted Property Subject to the Tax Collector's Power to Sell in and for the County of Los Angeles, State of California, to various newspapers of general circulation published in the County. A portion of the list appears in each of such newspapers. Notice of Public Auction of Tax-Defaulted Property Subject to the Tax Collector's Power to Sell (Sale No. 2019A) Whereas, on Tuesday, July 30, 2019, the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles, State of California, directed me, KEITH KNOX, Acting Treasurer and Tax Collector, to sell at public auction certain tax-defaulted properties. I hereby give public notice, that unless said properties are redeemed, prior to the close of business on the last business day prior to the first day of the public auction, or Friday, October 18, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, I will offer for sale and sell said properties on Monday, October 21, 2019, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, to the highest bidder, for cash or cashier's check in lawful money of the United States, for not less than the minimum bid, at the Fairplex, Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, 1101 West McKinley Avenue, Building 7, Pomona, California. I will re-offer any properties that did not sell, for a reduced minimum bid, on Tuesday, October 22, 2019.

``as is`` and the County and its employees are not liable for any known or unknown conditions of the property, including, but not limited to, errors in the records of the Office of the Assessor (Assessor) pertaining to improvement of the property. If the TTC sells a property, parties of interest, as defined by R&TC Section 4675, have a right to file a claim with the County for any proceeds from the sale, which are in excess of the liens and costs required to be paid from the proceeds. If there are any excess proceeds after the application of the minimum bid, the TTC will send notice to all parties of interest, pursuant to law. Please direct requests for information concerning redemption of tax-defaulted property to the Treasurer and Tax Collector, at 225 North Hill Street, Room 130, Los Angeles, California 90012. You may also call (213) 974-2045, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, visit our website at tt.lacounty.gov or email us at auction@tt.lacounty.gov. The Assessor's Identification Number (AIN) in this publication refers to the Assessor's Map Book, the Map Page, and the individual Parcel Number on the Map Page. If a change in the AIN occurred, the publication will show both prior and current AINs. An explanation of the parcel numbering system and the referenced maps are available at the Office of the Assessor located at 500 West Temple Street, Room 225, Los Angeles, California 90012. I certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed at Los Angeles, California, on August 23, 2019.

The minimum bid for each parcel is the total amount necessary to redeem, plus costs, as required by R&TC Section 3698.5. If a property does not sell at the public auction, the right of redemption will revive and remain until Friday, December 6, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Beginning Saturday, December 7, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time, through Tuesday, December 10, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, I will re-offer for sale at online auction at www. bid4assests.com/losangeles any unimproved properties that did not sell or were not redeemed prior to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, on Friday, December 6, 2019. Prospective bidders should obtain detailed information of this sale from the County of Los Angeles Treasurer and Tax Collector (TTC) at http://ttc.lacounty.gov/. Bidders are required to pre-register at 225 North Hill Street, Room 130, Los Angeles, California and submit a refundable $5,000 deposit in the form of cash, cashier's check or bank-issued money order at the time of registration. The TTC will not accept personal checks, two-party checks or business checks for the registration deposit. The TTC will apply the registration deposit towards the minimum bid. Registration will begin on Monday, September 16, 2019, at 8:00 a.m. and end on Friday, October 4, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Pursuant to R&TC Section 3692.3, the TTC sells all property

KEITH KNOX Acting Treasurer and Tax Collector County of Los Angeles State of California The real property that is subject to this notice is situated in the County of Los Angeles, State of California, and is described as follows: PUBLIC AUCTION NOTICE OF SALE OF TAX-DEFAULTED PROPERTY SUBJECT TO THE POWER OF SALE (SALE NO. 2019A) 2577 AIN 7011-029-044 LOPEZ, ELBA LOCATION COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES $13,880.00 2580 AIN 7024-008-029 HAMMER, WILLIE AND KIMI A TRS HAMMER FAMILY TRUST LOCATION COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES $15,160.00 2581 AIN 7025-003-011 LOGAN, OSCAR B AND ELIZABETH B LOCATION COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES $29,357.00 2749 AIN 8024-019-008 BURTON, ALFRED J TR ALFREDO J BURTON TRUST LOCATION COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES $10,305.00 2758 AIN 8047-004-022 RINGO, ELVIRA N LOCATION COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES $54,597.00 CN964119 538 Sep 20,27, Oct 4, 2019

CITY OF CERRITOS STATE OF CALIFORNIA NOTICE TO BIDDERS

PURCHASE, INSTALLATION AND PROGRAMMING OF TWO (2) LCD PROJECTORS FOR THE CERRITOS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS

PRINTING AND MAILING OF THE CERRITOS NEWS, CERRITOS LIBRARY NEWS & CERRITOS LIFELONG ENRICHMENT COMBINED NEWSLETTER, AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PROGRAM

BID NO. 1389-19 Sealed bids will be received at the Office of the City Clerk of the City of Cerritos, 18125 Bloomfield Avenue, First Floor, Bloomfield Avenue at 183rd Street, Cerritos, California, 90703, until 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 8, 2019, for the Purchase, Installation and Programming of Two (2) LCD Projectors for the Cerritos City Council Chambers. Bids will be publicly opened at Cerritos City Hall at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, October 8, 2019. Bids must be made on the form provided for this purpose, addressed to the City Clerk, City of Cerritos, 18125 Bloomfield Avenue, First Floor, P.O. Box 3130, Cerritos, California, 90703, marked “Bid for the Purchase, Installation and Programming of Two (2) LCD Projectors for the Cerritos City Council Chambers, Bid No. 1389-19”. Two (2) copies of the entire proposal must be delivered in a sealed envelope or package. One copy shall be marked as “Original” and must contain an original signature. No bid will be accepted unless it is made on a proposal form furnished by the City and has the bid number and project name clearly identified on the outside label. The City of Cerritos reserves the right to reject any and all bids, or portions of any and all bids or waive the informality in a bid not affected by law. Bid specifications are available online at www.cerritos.us/BUSINESSES/bid_and_contract_opportunities/bid_listings.php

BID NO. 1388-19 Sealed bids will be received at the Office of the City Clerk of the City of Cerritos, 18125 Bloomfield Avenue, First Floor, Bloomfield Avenue at 183rd Street, Cerritos, California, 90703, until 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 8, 2019 for the printing and mailing of the Cerritos News, Cerritos Library News & Cerritos Lifelong Enrichment Combined Newsletter and Community Services Program. Bids will be publicly opened at Cerritos City Hall at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, October 8, 2019. Bids must be made on the form provided for this purpose, addressed to the City Clerk, City of Cerritos, 18125 Bloomfield Avenue, First Floor, P.O. Box 3130, Cerritos, California, 90703, marked “Bid for Printing and Mailing of The Cerritos News, Cerritos Library News & Cerritos Lifelong Enrichment Combined Newsletter and Community Services Program, Bid No. 1388-19.” Please contact the City of Cerritos Communications Division at (562) 916-1320 to obtain specifications and contract documents. No bid will be accepted unless it is made on a proposal form furnished by the City and has the bid number and project name clearly identified on the outside label. The City of Cerritos reserves the right to reject any and all bids, or portions of any and all bids or waive the informality in a bid not affected by law.

For additional questions please contact Support Services at (562) 916-1318.

Bid specifications are available online at www.cerritos.us/BUSINESSES/bid_and_contract_opportunities/bid_listings.php

Dated/Posted/Published: September 20, 2019

Published at Los Cerritos Community Newspaper 9/20/19

Los Cerritos Community News - LosCerritosNews.net

To advertise call 562-407-3873

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

Ashley Chapman

Published at Los Cerritos Community Newspaper 9/13, 9/20, 9/27 and 10/4/19

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

To advertise call 562-407-3873 Public Hearing Instructional Materials Compliance

A Public Hearing will be held at the ABC Unified School District Office on Tuesday, October 1, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. as part of the School Board meeting. The location of the Public Hearing is in the Boardroom at 16700 Norwalk Boulevard, Cerritos, California. The Public Hearing is held in compliance with State guidelines to determine the adequacy of instructional materials in the District. Published at Los Cerritos Community Newspaper 9/20/19 TSG No.: 8755705 TS No.: CA1900285408 APN: 8037-029-005 Property Address: 14026 AVENIDA ESPANA LA MIRADA, CA 90638 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 01/24/2013. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On 10/24/2019 at 10:00 A.M., First American Title Insurance Company, as duly appointed Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust recorded 02/04/2013, as Instrument No. 20130178999, in book , page , , of Official Records in the office of the County Recorder of LOS ANGELES County, State of California. Executed by: RAYMOND R. FONTES AND GUADALUPE FONTES, HUSBAND AND WIFE, AS JOINT TENANTS, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH, CASHIER'S CHECK/CASH EQUIVALENT or other form of payment authorized by 2924h(b), (Payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States) Behind the fountain located in Civic Center Plaza, 400 Civic Center Plaza, Pomona CA 91766 All right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State described as: AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN THE ABOVE MENTIONED DEED OF TRUST APN# 8037-029-005 The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 14026 AVENIDA ESPANA, LA MIRADA, CA 90638 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said note(s), advances, under the terms of said Deed of Trust, fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is $ 599,233.21. The beneficiary under said Deed of Trust has deposited all documents evidencing the obligations secured by the Deed of Trust and has declared all sums secured thereby immediately due and payable, and has caused a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be executed. The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the County where the real property is located. NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property. You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder’s office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that information about trustee sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call (916)939-0772 or visit this Internet Web http://search.nationwideposting. com/propertySearchTerms.aspx, using the file number assigned to this case CA1900285408 Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney. Date: First American Title Insurance Company 4795 Regent Blvd, Mail Code 1011-F Irving, TX 75063 First American Title Insurance Company MAY BE ACTING AS A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED MAY BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE FOR TRUSTEES SALE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL (916)939-0772NPP0360516 To: LA MIRADA LAMPLIGHTER 09/20/2019, 09/27/2019, 10/04/2019 APN: 8034-030-032 TS No: CA05000329-19-1 TO No: 190815986-CA-VOI NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE (The above statement is made pursuant to CA Civil Code Section 2923.3(d)(1). The Summary will be provided to Trustor(s) and/or vested owner(s) only, pursuant to CA Civil Code Section 2923.3(d)(2).) YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED July 14, 2016. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On October 15, 2019 at 10:00 AM, behind the fountain located in the Civic Center Plaza, 400 Civic Center Plaza, Pomona CA 91766, MTC Financial Inc. dba Trustee Corps, as the duly Appointed Trustee, under and pursuant to the power of sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust recorded on July 18, 2016 as Instrument No. 20160834849, of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los Angeles County, California, executed by MONISH P. BANDODKAR, A SINGLE MAN, as Trustor(s), in favor of MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., as Beneficiary, as nominee for CITIBANK, N.A. as Beneficiary, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, in lawful money of the United States, all payable at the time of sale, that certain property situated in said County, California describing the land therein as: AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN SAID DEED OF TRUST The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 12203 SANTA GERTRUDES AVE, 69, LA MIRADA, CA 90638 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said Note(s), advances if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligations secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of this Notice of Trustee’s Sale is estimated to be $433,702.34 (Estimated). However, prepayment premiums, accrued interest and advances will increase this figure prior to sale. Beneficiary’s bid at said sale may include all or part of said amount. In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier’s check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the California Financial Code and authorized to do business in California, or other such funds as may be acceptable to the Trustee. In the event tender other than cash is accepted, the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee’s Deed Upon Sale until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. The property offered for sale excludes all funds held on account by the property receiver, if applicable. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder’s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. Notice to Potential Bidders If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a Trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a Trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property. You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder's office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same Lender may hold more than one mortgage or Deed of Trust on the property. Notice to Property Owner The sale date shown on this Notice of Sale may be postponed one or more times by the Mortgagee, Beneficiary, Trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that information about Trustee Sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call In Source Logic at 702-659-7766 for information regarding the Trustee's Sale or visit the Internet Web site address listed below for information regarding the sale of this property, using the file number assigned to this case, CA05000329-19-1. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. Date: August 27, 2019 MTC Financial Inc. dba Trustee Corps TS No. CA05000329-19-1 17100 Gillette Ave Irvine, CA 92614 Phone: 949-252-8300 TDD: 866-660-4288 Myron Ravelo, Authorized Signatory SALE INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ON LINE AT www.insourcelogic.com FOR AUTOMATED SALES INFORMATION PLEASE CALL: In Source Logic AT 702-659-7766 Trustee Corps may be acting as a debt collector attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained may be used for that purpose.Order Number 63845, Pub Dates: 09/06/2019, 09/13/2019, 09/20/2019, LA MIRADA LAMPLIGHTER

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ES-TATE OF BRADLEY SMART aka BRADLEY FITZGERALD SMART Case No. 19STPB08392 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be inter-ested in the will or estate, or both, of BRADLEY SMART aka BRADLEY FITZGERALD SMART A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Robert L. Cohen in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Robert L. Cohen be appointed as personal repre-sentative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtain-ing court approval. Before taking certain very im-portant actions, however, the personal representa-tive will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or con-sented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A HEARING on the petition will be held on Oct. 7, 2019 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 99 located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal rep-resentative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in Cali-fornia law. YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as pro-vided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Petitioner: Robert L. Cohen LAW OFFICES OF ROBERT L. COHEN INC 8081 ORANGETHORPE AVE BUENA PARK CA 90621 CN963775 SMART Sep 13,20,27, 2019

Los Cerritos Community News - LosCerritosNews.net

NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE T.S. No. 17-31209-BA-CA Title No. 17-0002324 A.P.N. 7050-002-005 ATTENTION RECORDER: THE FOLLOWING REFERENCE TO AN ATTACHED SUMMARY IS APPLICABLE TO THE NOTICE PROVIDED TO THE TRUSTOR ONLY PURSUANT TO CIVIL CODE 2923.3 NOTE: THERE IS A SUMMARY OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT ATTACHED. YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 08/06/2004. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. A public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash, (cashier's check(s) must be made payable to National Default Servicing Corporation), drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state; will be held by the duly appointed trustee as shown below, of all right, title, and interest conveyed to and now held by the trustee in the hereinafter described property under and pursuant to a Deed of Trust described below. The sale will be made in an "as is" condition, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the note(s) secured by the Deed of Trust, with interest and late charges thereon, as provided in the note(s), advances, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, interest thereon, fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee for the total amount (at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale) reasonably estimated to be set forth below. The amount may be greater on the day of sale. Trustor: Ho Keun Lee and Young In Lee, Who are married to each other Duly Appointed Trustee: National Default Servicing Corporation Recorded 08/23/2004 as Instrument No. 04 2163702 (or Book, Page) of the Official Records of Los Angeles County, California. Date of Sale: 10/11/2019 at 11:00 AM Place of Sale: By the fountain located at 400 Civic Center Plaza, Pomona, CA 91766 Estimated amount of unpaid balance and other charges: $89,092.28 Street Address or other common designation of real property: 11331 Gonsalves Street, Cerritos, CA 90703 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address or other common designation, if any, shown above. If no street address or other common designation is shown, directions to the location of the property may be obtained by sending a written request to the beneficiary within 10 days of the date of first publication of this Notice of Sale. If the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee, and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The requirements of California Civil Code Section 2923.5(b)/2923.55(c) were fulfilled when the Notice of Default was recorded. NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property. You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder's office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that information about trustee sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call 714-730-2727 or visit this Internet Web site www.ndscorp.com/sales, using the file number assigned to this case 17-31209-BA-CA. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. Date: 09/11/2019 National Default Servicing Corporation c/o Tiffany and Bosco, P.A., its agent, 1455 Frazee Road, Suite 820 San Diego, CA 92108 Toll Free Phone: 888-264-4010 Sales Line 714-730-2727; Sales Website: www.ndscorp.com Rachael Hamilton, Trustee Sales Representative A-4704621 09/20/2019, 09/27/2019, 10/04/2019

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Cerritos Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing at a regular meeting on October 2, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. on the following matter: Review and consideration to waive full reading of and adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE CERRITOS PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDING THAT THE CERRITOS CITY COUNCIL APPROVE DEVELOPMENT CODE AMENDMENT 2019-5, A REQUEST TO AMEND CHAPTER 5.35 AND CHAPTER 22.40 OF THE CERRITOS MUNICIPAL CODE TO PROHIBIT THE SALE OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES IN THE CITY OF CERRITOS.* *Pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this project is categorically exempt from CEQA review. This public hearing will be conducted in the Council Chambers of the Cerritos City Hall, Cerritos Civic Center, Bloomfield Avenue and 183rd Street in Cerritos, California 90703. The meeting will also air live on Cerritos TV3 and will be streamed over the City of Cerritos website at www.cerritos.us. A copy of the related staff report will be available for download from the website by 6:00 p.m. on the Friday prior to the public hearing. If you challenge the above mentioned item and related actions in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Cerritos Planning Commission at, or prior to, the public hearing. Any person interested in this matter may contact the Department of Community Development at (562) 916-1201 for additional information and/or appear at the hearing in person or by agent and be heard. Dated: September 20, 2019

/s/Robert A. Lopez

Robert A. Lopez Secretary to the Planning Commission

Published at Los Cerritos Community Newspaper 9/20/19 NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE AND OF INTENTION TO TRANSFER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE LICENSE(S) (UCC Sec. 6105 et seq. and B & P 24073 et seq.) Escrow No. 19-2260-DK NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a bulk sale of assets and a transfer of alcoholic beverage license(s) is about to be made. The name(s) and business address(es) of the Seller(s)/Licensee(s) are: KBND ENTERPRISE INC, 12573 CARSON STREET, HAWAIIAN GARDENS, CA 90716 Doing Business as: BONG YI KOREAN RESTAURANT All other business names(s) and address(es) used by the Seller(s)/Licensee(s) within the past three years, as stated by the Seller(s)/Licensee(s), is/are: NONE The name(s) and address of the Buyer(s)/Applicant(s) is/are: HANLA CORPORATION, 12573 CARSON STREET, HAWAIIAN GARDENS, CA 90716 The assets being sold are generally described as: FURNITURE, FIXTURES, EQUIPMENT, TOOLS, GOODWILL, TRADENAME, LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS, LEASEHOLD INTERESTS, ALL TRANSFERABLE PERMITS AND LICENSES, AND ALL INVENTORY OF STOCK IN TRADE and is/are located at: 12573 CARSON STREET, HAWAIIAN GARDENS, CA 90716 The type of license(s) and license no(s) to be transferred is/are: 41-ON-SALE BEER & WINE EATING PLACE, License #: 41603005 And are now issued for the premises located at: SAME The bulk sale and transfer of alcoholic beverage license(s) is/are intended to be consummated at the office of: ACE ESCROW INC, 6871 BEACH BLVD, BUENA PARK, CA 90621 and the anticipated sale/transfer date is OCTOBER 25, 2019 The purchase price or consideration in connection with the sale of the business and transfer of the license, is the sum of $120,000.00, including inventory estimated at $5,000.00, which consists of the following: DESCRIPTION, AMOUNT: CASH $120,000.00; ALLOCATION - SUB TOTAL $120,000.00; ALLOCATION TOTAL $120,000.00 It has been agreed between the Seller(s)/Licensee(s) and the intended Buyer(s)/Applicant(s), as required by Sec. 24073 of the Business and Professions code, that the consideration for transfer of the business and license is to be paid only after the transfer has been approved by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Dated: 09-16-19 KBND ENTERPRISE INC, Seller(s)/Licensee(s) HANLA CORPORATION, Buyer(s)/Applicant(s) LA2362491 LOS CERRITOS COMMUNITY NEWS 9/20/2019

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA CONTY OF LOS ANGELES Stanley Mosk Courthouse 111 North Hill Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 # 19STPB07432 Estate of DOUGLAS MILTON MATTHEWS aka DOUG MATTHEWS, deceased. NOTICE is HEREBY GIVEN that STEVE MATTHEWS has filed herein a petition for probate of the Estate of DOUGLAS MILTON MATTHEWS, deceased, and for the issuance of of Letters of Administration reference to which is hereby made for further particulars, and at the time and place of the hearing has been set as Friday, the 18th day of October, 2019 at 8:30 AM, in the courtroom of said court at Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dated September 19, 2019 Steve Matthews, 15029 Domart Ave, Norwalk CA 90650 Published at Los Cerritos Community Newspaper 9/20, 9/27, and 10/4/19

Los Cerritos Community News - LosCerritosNews.net

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SEPTEMBER 20, 2019