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273 Mayors “confer” in Washington, DC.
By Brian Hews
Los Cerritos Community News has learned that three members of the Cerritos City Council travelled to Washington DC this week to attend the United States Conference of Mayor’s 81st Winter Meeting and that local tax payers are on the hook to pick up the bill of the three well-traveled elected officials.
The US Mayor’s Conference began on Thursday in the nation’s Capital and Cerritos was well represented by current Mayor Jim Edwards, Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Barrows and Councilman Joseph Cho.
Only a hand full of cities from Southern California sent their Mayor’s to attend the conference that according to documents received by Los Cerritos Community Newspaper included the mayors of Los Angeles, Anaheim. Beverly Hills, Corona, Fontana, Irvine, Monrovia, Redondo Beach, Rialto, Rosemead, Santa Monica, Thousand Oaks and Upland.
This year only 273, 1.4%, of the cities from throughout the nation sent a representative to the event. There are currently more than 19,000 municipal governments in the United States.
Edwards, Barrows and Cho are planning to attend lavish receptions, dinners, events and workshops and will rub elbows with some of the most power politicians and high profile celebrities including Vice President Joe Biden, music superstar John Legend, The Roots, rapper MC Hammer and singer MARIO.
The conference will be televised live via CSPN and Live Streamed on the internet. Several mayors will take to Twitter during the conference to give their “followers” a minute by minute update of their trip.
Cover of MC Hammer
“Obligatory “I’m with @VP Biden!” tweet. I dig this dude & he’s great for America’s cities.#USCM2013,” tweeted West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon.
Kansas City Mayor Sly James told his twitter followers that he was “Hangin with Hammer at the Plenary Luncheon before VP #Biden speaks.#MCHammer #uscm2013.”
The US Mayor’s Conference touted the event as an opportunity to “Focus on Job Creation, Fiscal Cliff Agreement and Sequestration, Gun Control, Threat to Tax-Exempt Financing, Sandy Response, Immigration, and so much more…”
One Mayor who represents a city in Southeast Los Angeles County told LCCN that their city “can’t afford to attend these junkets anymore.”
“Enough is enough. Everyone who has a brain knows that attending this conference was about getting a free trip to the Presidential Inauguration Weekend,” stressed the mayor who did not want to be identified.
None of the following local cities sent representatives to the US Mayor’s Conference including the mayors of Long Beach, Artesia, Bellflower, Norwalk, Downey, Lakewood, Lynwood, Bell, Bell Gardens, Commerce, La Palma, Buena Park, La Mirada, Cypress, Los Alamitos, and Pico Rivera.
Don’t forget that they rack up EXTRA FREQUENT FLYER POINTS….and the ROOM SERVICE is 24/7. I bet all these idiots end up spending an ENTIRE week PARTYING and attending all the Presidential Gala Bull Shit….
“Enough is enough. Everyone who has a brain knows that attending this conference was about getting a free trip to the Presidential Inauguration Weekend,” stressed the mayor who did not want to be identified.
It’s another “In Your Face, Residents of Cerritos.” This city council has absolutely no shame. ZERO…
Everyday these council members are in DC the city of Cerritos is an additional $24,000 in the red for the CCPA and Magnolia Power Plant.
Maybe LCCN could print a debt counter on the front page every week.
JUNKET TRIPS:
My opine, Cerritos is Bedroom Community w/ real estate Location, Location. No brainer, intersection of freeways and 3 malls. Why do three (3) wondering Grandpas need to attend stated meetings; when the city has Million-Million Dollars (+) of non-repaired public works projects? Cerritos is not work force hub, nor hood of custom historical homes on tour……………..
Let’s face facts, Cerritos is a deposit of menopausal : (Real estate- municipal Horticulture)…..City has lost THE BLING!!! We are product of Socialism-Dictator HOA Mentality, which has failed to max! We can thank SPHA for the GOP Influence…..
Know getting old, but oddly remember when former Mayor (Laura Lee) era, recommended that all travel by Council and Commissioners, be put in slow MPH drive & abort multiple representations by council-staff-commissioners. Still see councilpersons attending this, that and yonder…well hello Socal Valley; Cerritos is not Pasadena-LA City-Long Beach Port-nor international amusement park capitol “Anaheim”! Cerritos parade is not Madonna or Vatican Pope.
MAYORS CONFERENCE: is only for Photo Shoots; upcoming campaign resumes & travel to meet/greet personal what-evers! City is floating in red ink, why does the city pay to join these membership fees? Where is transparency, as the CCC must agenda all memberships, yearly & open for dialog? CCC must stop branding Cerritos in order to advertise photo shoots in future campaigning.
When I attended “work force” travel meetings, detailed written summaries were always followed, in order to bring back educational inspirations to my team colleagues. OPEN INVITATION: to all CCC/commissioners, PLEASE hold public study sessions & or Town Hall Meetings, to discus their travel logs with the public, (minus the Hotel Bed Bugs) & no stipends or pay for these hearings!
Additionally, repulsed at the hundred and hundred Foreclosed Cerritos family Homes, city unemployment over 8%, as the gull these TRAVELING STOOGES…… and what about our (CM/2 ACM) who have okayed these junket trips? Inauguration is rip off, after sweating the Physical Cliff, repeat of Yr. 2008 & almost day 600 as B- Rating per Bloomberg Data!
If peoples of the city do not restrict Junket travel, future elected/appointee’s pool, will only be retirees and wealthy, who are not part of the work force labor force, which have FT job.//jm (1/19/13