_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________
Current Cerritos Planning Commissioner Chuong Vo.
By Brian Hews
Hews Media Group-Community News has obtained Cerritos city council candidate finance documents that once again show candidates willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars to be elected to a city council job that pays $1,500 per month.
The documents also show one candidate, current Cerritos Planning Commissioner Chuong Vo, collecting thousands of dollars in donations from very suspect individuals.
With the current filing period ending Jan 17, 2015, Grace Hu leads all candidates with nearly $47,000, followed by Naresh Solanki $38,000, Sophia Tse $37,000, Chuong Vo $23,000, current Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido $17,000, former Cerritos Mayor Jim Edwards $8,000, Manny Sehti $5,000, Sultan Ahmed $3,500, and Frank Yokoyama $600.
No statements were filed by former ABCUSD Board Member James Kang.
Several candidates have loaned themselves substantial amounts of money to support their campaigns.
Tse loaned her campaign almost $26,000, Pulido over $13,000, Edwards $10,000, Yokoyama $8,000, Hu $7,000, with Sehti, Solanki and Vo each giving their respective campaigns $5,000.
Chuong Vo is a Torrance Police Detective who is heavily supported by current Cerritos Councilman Bruce Barrows and Cerritos Mayor pro tem Carol Chen.
Chen is giving Vo a campaign office rent-free in her building at 11306 183rd St. in Cerritos.
Vo leads all candidates in third party donations with over $18,000.
But it is where those donations came from that will place a magnifying glass on Vo and his financial judgment.
Vo received $2,500 from Deiter Dammeier and Saku Ethir who are partners in a law firm implicated in a high-profile lawsuit filed by two Costa Mesa councilmen.
Ethir was also suspended from the State Bar in 2013.
The Costa Mesa councilmen allege members of their city’s police union, along with Dammeier and Ethir’s law firm, harassed and intimidated them.
The police union, private investigator Chris Lanzillo and Dammeier and Ethir’s Upland-based law firm were all named in the civil suit filed in August 2013.
The suit accuses investigator Lanzillo and the law firm of intimidating the Costa Mesa city councilmen and planting a GPS tracking device on the car of one of the councilmen after contract negotiations between the city and its police union broke down.
That GPS device led Lanzillo to a bar from which he tailed one of the councilmen and falsely reported him to police as a drunk driver, according to the lawsuit.
“So Vo, a police detective, is collecting campaign money from two lawyers who are being sued for taking part in a scheme to frame two city councilmen because negotiations between the police union they represented and the city broke down,” said one candidate who did not want to be identified, “this shows a complete lack of judgment by Mr. Vo.”
The police association fired Dammeier and Ethir soon after the Lanzillo 911 call reporting a possible drunk driver.
Vo Contributors Sued for Malpractice and Fraud
In 2013, a Sacramento-based police union lobbying firm alleging malpractice and fraud relating to overbilling practices sued Dammeier and Ethir.
According to the lawsuit, Ethir had billed for a total of 4,275 hours in one year (11 hours for every day of the year) and Dammeier billed for more than 70 hours in a single day.
In addition, Ethir billed in 2012 on days he was suspended by the State Bar from practicing law, and neither Ethir nor Dammeier told anyone of Ethir’s suspension, according to the lawsuit.
Connections to Cerritos Mayor pro-tem Carol Chen
Vo’s connection to Cerritos Mayor pro-tem Carol Chen is also evident in the campaign filings.
Vo received $6,000 from Charles Zhang President of Zion Enterprises based in San Clemente. HMG-CN reported in March of 2013 that Zhang gave Chen $5,000 in late contributions for her 2013 Cerritos council campaign.
Zhang is a developer of three large shopping, residential, and retirement projects in Artesia.
Zion Enterprises’ website says they “develop incredibly diverse products, from commercial medical office buildings, to big box anchored retail sites, to residential senior condominiums.”
Zhang’s projects included the Artesia Oasis Plaza a retail shopping center, Artesia Grace Court, a residential development, and Artesia Senior Housing.
Vo also received $3,000 from Si Vi Ton from Monterrey Park, $2,000 from Shen Yen a resident of Cerritos, $250 from Carol Chen and $200 from Cerritos Councilman George Ray.
Bogus Website Endorsement
Vo’s website boasts major endorsements from retired Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, Carol Chen, Assemblywoman Young Kim of the 65th District, Cerritos Councilmen Bruce Barrows and George Ray, Artesia Councilmen Ali Taj and Tony Lima, former Cerritos Mayor Bob Hughlette, and ABC School Board Member Soo Yoo.
All were sent emails asking for comment. As of the time of this article posting, only Artesia Councilman Ai Taj responded.
Bringing into question the endorsements Vo exhibits on his website, an irate Councilman Taj told HMG-CN, “I am very surprised at this. I have endorsed only two candidates for the Cerritos City Council race, Mayor Pulido and Sophie Tse. My endorsement does not include the above mentioned candidate Chuong Vo.”
Others endorsing on Vo’s website are Nick Kim, Cerritos Planning Commissioner; Becky Lingad, Cerritos Planning Commissioner; Larry Sagert, Former Cerritos Planning Commissioner; Brad Beach, Cerritos Parks and Recreation Commissioner; Jack Reidy, Cerritos Parks and Recreation Commissioner; James Fong Yee, Ph.D, Cerritos Parks and Recreation Commissioner; Robert D. Buell Cerritos Economic Development Commissioner; Rosalinda Law, Cerritos Economic Development Commissioner; Philip H. Hickok, Cerritos Property Preservation Commissioner and Retired Judge; Samuel Chu, Cerritos Property Preservation Commissioner; Waldo Arballo, Cerritos Property Preservation Commissioner; Elayne Shiohama, Cerritos Fine Arts and Historical Commission; Gordon Hom, Cerritos Community Safety Committee Member; Victor Gau, Cerritos Community Safety Committee Member; K.Y. Ma, Cerritos Community Safety Committee Member; Matt Kauble, Cerritos Community Safety Committee Member; Jennifer Hong , Cerritos Let Freedom Ring Committee and Laverne Tancill, Friends of Arts Education Trustee.
Other campaign documents show that Grace Hu, who has the most cash on hand, has not taken one dollar in donations. Similarly, Frank Yokoyama has $8,000 in the bank with no donations.
Campaign Statements for Each Candidate can be found by clicking links below.
Candidate VO: Photos are worth million words. Photos Dont lie. He is 100% for asians in the city . Represent Mainstream only and not all of the community, he is typical cop mentality. Photo reminds me of some farm town in China hoods. VO (R)| No Blacks- No Handicap- No Gays- No redheads- 2 Blonds | 99% Asians | 100%Asian Kids| No Spanish….. http://www.vo4council.com/vo4council_kick_off How would you feel if you were one of the minority residing in Cerritos or raising a family in Cerritos and were not even asked to participate in this grp photo? This photo is being passed… Read more »
Fifty years, the Republicans in Cerritos have maintained elite society. Torrance PD are being brown nosed by now CERRITOS Group, to maintain financials and mob like ruling. Wonder how many Cerritos residents are Torrance Police Officers?
Vo
Barrows
Hughlett
Knabes
Hu
Chen
Ray
Crawley
Edwards
Solanski
Woods
Pylman
Buells.
Same possie locks the basketball hoops, courtyards at Sunshine Park, to maintain Elite Park Goers.
Carol Chens:—–ELEVATION INVESTMENTS——, Los Cerritos Mall, fingerprints are all over his candidates financials. https://www.loscerritosnews.net/file/2015/02/VO.pdf Hmmmm, Paddlefords, Artesia Multi- millionaire Residents, sit on the Cerritos Economic Commission and big players for HIS campaign contributions, PLUS, big real estate owners in city where he was planning commissioner. Hidden deals w/City of Artesia and Cerritos? Puzzled, why do appointed Cerritos Commissioners and Councilpersons, contribute to his campaign, reads like continuance power trips. MOST ALL REPUBLICANS AND CHINESE REPUBLICANS. Politcal Parties are not to entre in to local campaigns, sure see this bullseye. Reading above contributors, this list is all about political party paybacks.… Read more »
Mr Vo, Your Torrance PD coworker, has cause nothing but embarrassment to his homesite, near the intersection of Anza-Lomita, my home area for decades. His home is always targeted by spray painters taggers, over ill agreements between your police department and his parolee. Mr Vo, T Police Department has created a lot of issues over the illegal wiring transmitters near the intersection 190th and Prairie. This has been an ongoing issues with the Torrance Police Department since the park was designated from Farm to city. Torrance has paid money out for restitution, but your PD created issues. Mr Vo, You… Read more »
Commissioner C Vo has an out of control temper, ignited &exploded at Chambers Forum. 2 minutes shouting match, slamming the newspaper. Vo thinks he’s holier than God; just because he has a policeman’s badge. Showed his true colors, council race is over blood. Wow, sure demonstrated attitude over the 1-2min opening statement allotment, plus his body language was abusive to former Mayor Grace Hu & no respect for woman which had the floor. Vo is above law! He sure is insecure about the money being reported to clerk, sure rattled and killed the CHAMBERS. Appears to be bad money used… Read more »
Cerritos Government has morphed into a social political group for Republican cronyism,, losing focus on its main purpose for Cerritos Charter & role model; Story has circulated the entire South Bay, inclusive Torrance City Hall- Torrance Unified School. In addition, the Torrance facility for UCLA area also upset. Torrance Chamber of Commerce is upset at the Cerritos Chamber for allowing this conduct. Employment or party affiliation must not enter in to local politics, or city is in spin off from Bell Politics. Vo, Barrows, Chen, Hughlett, knabe, Hu, Edwards, Ray, Solanki have lost focus on what they are suppose to… Read more »
Let’s put out all the evidence in front of us, shall we? Exzhibit A: Chuong Vo LIED about his endorsements Exhibit B: Chuong Vo then later removed the false endorsements from his website after his false friends were found out to be lies but some great reporting. I don’t know about you;ladies and gentlemen, but when my cat keeps scratching the curtains and then frantically runs away after I discover what she’s doing.. I know she’s possibly guilty of doing something she wasn’t supposed to. Exzibit C: Chuong Vo is doing business with some questionable people such as these OC… Read more »
Email us here [email protected]
Hi Voters. Only time when any of these candidate remember voters- residents, when they run for office or looking for potential real estate contract listings or need public votes to push more crap thru to ABC. Bingo, bingo, soon as they take oath, they forget about us ( AKA:3 F’s ). Find us, finger us and forget us!!! Over the next 4 yrs in term, decisions are 100% based on following their money trail to their hind-end wallets/ stomachs, as these gutter slick politicians don’t give dam about us or the city. Please tell us one councilperson from Cerritos, over… Read more »
Can any elected policeman, judge or attorney, practice fair n balance resolutions, as their career background, can polarize politics and the subject be debated? One appointee, ( Ret. Judge)on CPPC is prime example; his dialog scares living hell out of his colleagues and audience. Former Frank Y is another one of the planning commissioner, his dialog was gift wrapped as attorney-at-law, instead of coming from homegrown resident of Granada Park, Cerritos. BTW: Is candidate FY or his parents, M/M Y, part of the United HOA, nothing has been disclosed? United HOA gave endorsements/supporters this week. Most of Vo endorsements/ supporters… Read more »