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Hews Media Publisher Resigns Cerritos Commission Seat Citing Mayor pro tem Vo Appointment

STAFF REPORT • JUNE 26, 2020

Hews Media Group Publisher Brian Hews announced this week that he will resign his position on Cerritos’ Economic Development Commission.

Hews was appointed by Councilman Frank Yokoyama and has been on the commission for over three years, including a stint as chair, but indicated that the appointment of Melinda Kimsey by Mayor pro tem Chuong Vo caused the resignation.

Hews stated, “I’ve been in business here in Cerritos for almost 20 years, Cerritos is a great city, but I can’t in good conscience serve with a woman like Kimsey.”

Hews published an article in 2016 reporting that Kimsey falsely accused a teacher of sexual harassment and pedophilia, putting Larry Costa “through two years of hell,” lying in court, and then finally recanting the entire story, paying a $20,000 fine.

 

Cerritos Resident Melinda Kimsey Fined $20,000 for Falsely Accusing Teacher of Pedophilia

 

 

She also accused two other principals of “allowing the abuse to happen.”

“In my opinion, Chuong Vo should resign his City Council seat,” said Hews, “to appoint someone who abused a person for over two years using  false allegations is contemptable, and Vo is a cop. If he can turn a blind eye to what she did, what other things will he ignore as an elected official?”

“People forget that Kimsey was also involved in a failed recall in Artesia, working with a corrupt political operative with ties to trash haulers,” said Hews.

“And Vo appoints her to a Cerritos commission?”

 

 

 

  • Cerritos Resident says:

    Interesting timing with this announcement of Hews resignation from the Cerrritos Economic Development Committee. Please note Hews was appointed May 28th – the same night as Ms. Kimsey and yet it took him a month to figure out it bothered his conscience. The resignation is posted AFTER the Cerritos city council Announces they’re going to disband the committee. Is that behavior- you can’t fire me if I quit first?
    Can you quit a team you vary rarely attended?

    Well like I once said “Thank God nothing lasts forever!”

  • OMG says:

    Interesting comment since Hews is the only one who doesn’t live in Cerritos and served on the commission that’s like you owning a business in Orange and serving on an Orange commission after handling your business all day and then going for three more hours not getting home till 9 o’clock at night. Hews would do that four times a year for $98 per month. Do the math Hater, I’ll make it easy for you $1200 a year each meeting last two hours so that’s eight hours so you’re paying Hews who has 30 years business experience $150 an hour. Add some more hours because he would always report on the economic development commission report and his paper. You people who love to pick on this guy are pathetic… you’re the only city who doesn’t like him… just as Pico Rivera and the El Rancho Unified School District how much they like him (we do) ask Montebello and the Montebello Unified how much they like him…. Ask Hawaiian Gardens… Ask Artesia, ask Bellflower, ask La Mirada… anybody on the council there except for Andrew Serega…ask Central Basin… you don’t know what you have! This guy is the reason Cerritos has a travel policy now where before it was abused… and mostly by Republicans like Carol Chen and Bruce Barrows and people like Janet Beach and her crowd…. Never mind the countless articles about Cerritos every week in his paper that bring attention to nonprofits while also stimulating the local economy…. I would be glad to have Mr. Hews up here in our city….So go back in your hate hole troll!

  • Outside the Box says:

    In the past there’s been other local Commissioners who have lived outside of the city of Cerritos . Also there’s been numerous city council people who did not live in the city of Cerritos..

    Local congresswoman, she does not live in the district either. Entire state, this is more common practice.

    Going to be a day when our city council will not be from the city of Cerritos, we will be voting for Council people from other cities. Cerritos and many other cities, running out of qualified candidates within. Reality, it may not be the best interest for the residents to be voting for local candidate, cities need qualified candidates and we’re not producing that out of many cities statewide. Demographics and housing markets are changing statewide.

    Sure does not look good, plus sends a bad message, when voters elect criminals to our Council: councilperson who was convicted of real estate corruption, a council person who flea bargained for voter fraud, councilperson who committed battery on to voter, council person who was convicted of Licensing Laws fraud and now a commissioner who made up false stories and was fined.

    If the readers remember, back in the 70s, State held an election, passing a special proposition, allowing staff to live outside the city they were employed out of.

  • GAB says:

    Interesting how his tiff is about another news publisher. hmm

    • OMG says:

      A publisher? Melinda Kimsey? HAHAHAHAHA! She’s a tool for the Repubs here in Cerritos. Her “paper” is all Cerritos press releases and is 8 pages with no advertising….and its funny you just gloss over she ruined three people’s lives for two years…what a freaking hypocrite…