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Editor’s Note: We received Mayor Pulido’s column today for online publication. We will publish the column in print next Friday June 27.
Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido (left) recognized Cerritos crossing guards, thanking them for their dedicated service during this past school year and over the many years of service to the community.
By Mayor Mark E. Pulido
As the father of two young children attending schools in Cerritos, their safety is of the highest importance to me and my wife Gloria. Thanks to the work of the crossing guards in the city, I can rest assured knowing that the children of our community are in good hands while navigating the streets around their schools. The work that our crossing guards perform throughout the year is invaluable in helping to ensure the safety of all of the children and families in our community.
There are 26 crossing guards in the City whose years of service range from months to 33 years. Regardless of their number of years served, their spirit and professionalism contribute to the City’s outstanding reputation. Our crossing guards are part of the unsung, everyday heroes who help make Cerritos safe and livable for all.
I recently had the honor of recognizing our crossing guards and thanking them for their dedicated service during this past school year and over the many years of service to the community. It was my privilege to acknowledge them for protecting the lives of the students in our community and the parents and guardians who accompany them to and from school every day.
The crossing guards who work for the City of Cerritos and their years of service are: Angie Bednar, 33 years; Rita Santos, 25 years; Maureen Siegrist, 19 years; Dominic Bianco, 18 years; Gene Hanners, 17 years; Dan Clark, 14 years; Manuel Da Silva, 14 years; Lattimore Crain, 14 years; Patricia Knight, 13 years; Gloria Vargas, 13 years; Joanne Feuer, 12 years; Jim Hauser, 12 years; Michael Wheeler, 11 years; Lynden Lischer, 10 years; Igmedio Agustin, nine years; Georgia Tanaka, eight years; Roger Estrada, eight years; Catherine Corbett, seven years; Barbara Murphy, seven years; Gary Bozeman, seven years; Trina Burrell, six years; Victor Aguilar (substitute guard), six years; Donna Vena (substitute guard), three years; Mark Hayes (substitute guard), three years; Rick Breckenridge (substitute guard), three years; Edward Johnson (substitute guard), two months.
In addition to relying on the exceptional service of our crossing guards to keep our children safe, the Cerritos Sheriff’s Station/Community Safety Center offers the following pedestrian safety tips for children:
The next time you see a crossing guard, please thank them. They truly deserve it!
TO: Mayor Mark Pulido.
Hmmmm, allot of dirty secretes not told in this article. This is a great article, please audit the following and update the residents. CANDY COATED STORY OUTRAGES ME!!!!
https://www.loscerritosnews.net/2014/06/20/cerritos-mayor-mark-pulido-honors-city-crossing-guards/
1. You state Cerritos crossing guard term is anywhere from months, to over 30 years, so why does the City train crossing guards, vacate to outlying city permanent positions as guards?
2. Over the past three decades, multiple community safety directors have promised benefits, insurance, full time status for crossing guards, but all directors have out right lied ? Money, staff received pay raises and during this time, we have 3 City Managers and 2 Sheriff Chief? Salary for crossing guard is $10-$15 Per Hrs, where Managers are bringing in over $180K yr.; Sheriff Captains are $300K ea.
3. Why are they denied insurance and access to credit unions?
4. Why after servicing over 600 hours in a year, they are termed out ea. Calendar year?
5. Most cities do not have split shift hours and guard work the full hour, so why does Cerritos shifts end in 5 or 10 minutes increments, and get paid less minutes for service?
6. Why is there a double standard for men vs. women for clothing?
7. Why are they denied auto expense account, when car is part of their job, when staffers are reimbursed for car allowance?
8. Why don’t they have cell phone compare to others Cerritos staffers, when they are fighting traffic and pedestrians?
9. Why has there been ongoing feud between ABC and City of Cerritos, pertaining to Crossing Guards?
10. Why is City of Cerritos continuously interviewing for Crossing Guards, as other cities, crossing guard job is for life?
11. This is a city job, so why are so many school principles downright mean spirited towards crossing guards?
12. When Cerritos crossing guards calls for Sheriff Backup, why are the sheriffs non- responsive to their requests?
13. Why don’t crossing guards have bathroom privileges, when they are fighting: 100+ degree heat and rain/frost in mornings?
14. City PW are less then perfect, as may photos depict where they have to stand on dirty sidewalks, cracked curbs and gutters?
http://cerritospublicworks.blogspot.com/
Resident of Cerritos 40 Yrs.
It is a shame that crossing guards have worked 10, 15, 20, 30 plus years without health benefits, while the city council past and present have their medical benefits paid with tax dollars.
With this age of technology why are crossing guards not provided with cell phones or other equipment to contact emergency services/first responders? So much for the city’s concern about safety.
1. —–CROSSING GUARDS——–
City is too cheap to put a ring on it. They want a cash cow for free, will all of the benefits of being married.
Great job, if you have a ( car +-house) paid for, retired, live in subsidized housing project, and have free medical and life insurance. Since the crossing guards have to have commercial auto insurance, pay for their own gas & transportation bills, the guard has to have supplemental income from 401K and SS Inc. This job has put many prior crossing guards in red ink, hence they quit. Many are too old and fragile to properly protect themselves nor the childrens’s safety.
Also, many locations have no bathroom privileges, so carry mobile truckers urinals in car.
When you are driving around following cities, wave to the crossing guards, as many guards are former Cerritos guards.
• Anaheim;
• Long Beach;
• Garden Grove;
• Torrance;
• Anaheim;
• Newport;
• Huntington Bch;
2.—–VOLUNTEER ON PATROLS——
Hidden secrete. If the volunteers are killed or injured on the job; their own private medical insurance is null and voidable. Read the fine print of most insurance policies. Most have resigned from this position.
3.—–MEMO——
Many of my ( neighbors, friends, and family ) have tried aboves and resigned. City is not all that great, compared to Jim Edwards ( Ret. CCC) boasted how great the city is. Other cities have changed and offered FT employment, w/ equal benefits and perks, operating on far less annual city budget. Cerritos is flooded w/ Red Ink from the CCPA subsidization.