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Hawkins cleans up in ‘dirty’ water board race; Wins over Mendoza, Gray

Water Board Member Phil Hawkins

Central Basin Water District Board incumbent Phil Hawkins scored an impressive win in Tuesday's election. Randy Economy Photo

By Brian Hews

It was called the “dirty water campaign” but in the end, voters returned incumbent Phil Hawkins back to serve another four years as a Director of the Central Basin Water District.
Hawkins score an impressive win and garnered 41.61% of the total vote versus current California State Assemblyman Tony Mendoza and Cerritos community member Jay Gray.

Voters were bombarded with countless political mails that painted Hawkins as being involved with a “corruption probe” at Central Basin.
Mendoza was blasted by Hawkins in a last minute mailer to voters that portrayed the termed out assembly member as a “gangster,” who was under investigation for “money laundering” for campaign tactics that allegedly took place during the campaign between him a defeated California State Assembly candidate Rudy Bermudez.

Hawkins said that Mendoza was “misstating the truth” about current residential water rates offered by Central Basin for his “own political gain.”

In another twist, Gray was involved in an incident on Monday night at Cerritos City Hall in which he claims he was roughed up by current Cerritos Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Barrows after a city council budget session. (See additional coverage by LCCN). This was the first attempt for public office for Gray.

Here are the results of the election:

*Phillip D. Hawkins 8,053 41.61%
Tony Mendoza 7,244 37.43%
Jay W. Gray 4,057 20.96%

153 out of 153 Precincts Reporting

  • FFL says:

    Finally we may be RID of Tony Mendoza for a while! He was one of the WORST assemblymen in Sacramento and that is saying a LOT. He had an air of arrogance about him that was OPPRESSIVE.. hopefully he is now RETIRED like his buddy Calderon! But they are good liberals and like bad pennies they will be back to plague us in the future…

  • Ron Dossey says:

    Good try Jay Gray. Keep up the good work, and please try again.

  • Bob says:

    wonder what political office Mendoza will try next? Maybe get a real job? Jay Gray??? He needs all his time to make himself a nuisance at Cerritos Council Meetings. These 2 should never hold public office.