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May 11, 2026
LCCN Staff Report
Los Cerritos Community News has earned a nomination for Best Investigative Reporting from the Los Angeles Press Club for its five-part investigative series “High Stakes, Dirty Water, Red Flags,” marking the newspaper’s ninth Press Club nomination in the past 15 years.
LCCN was nominated alongside some of Southern California’s largest news organizations and investigative teams. Other finalists include Jason Henry of the Los Angeles Daily News for “Mold, rats and neglect: a year of inspections at Men’s Central Jail reveals ‘horrific’ conditions,” Semantha Raquel Norris of The San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol Newspaper for the “Silicosis Series,” and Beau Yarbrough of both the San Bernardino Sun for “Why did the 2015 San Bernardino mass shooting happen?” and The Press-Enterprise for “San Jacinto Unified investigates, reports board member to district attorney.”
The nomination places Los Cerritos Community News as the only weekly community newspaper recognized in the category.
“High Stakes, Dirty Water, Red Flags” examined whether Central Basin Municipal Water District Director Juan Garza’s simultaneous roles as a Central Basin director and Executive Director of the California Cities for Self-Reliance Joint Powers Authority created incompatible public offices under California Government Code section 1099.
Part One focused on the structure and operations of the California Cities for Self-Reliance Joint Powers Authority, a taxpayer-funded agency operated through Garza’s privately owned Bellflower-based firm, Six Heron. The reporting documented how bids, contracts, and agency operations were routed through Garza’s private infrastructure, including his company email, cellphone, and Bellflower P.O. Box.
Part Two examined how those operations intersected with Garza’s public authority at Central Basin. The reporting showed that the JPA represented Bell Gardens, Commerce, Compton, and Hawaiian Gardens — all cities located within Central Basin’s service area — while Garza simultaneously voted on water rates, infrastructure, and regional policy decisions affecting those same cities.
Part Three shifted from conflicts to legal consequences, examining Government Code section 1099, California’s incompatible office statute, and whether repeated renewals of Garza’s JPA employment contract triggered automatic forfeiture of his Central Basin seat. The reporting also explored quo warranto proceedings, Attorney General opinions, and Metropolitan Water District governance.
Part Four focused on Central Basin’s response after the issue became public. Despite extensive reporting, repeated questions, and public notice, the board took no public action to seek an independent legal review or refer the matter to an enforcement authority. LCCN later learned the board discussed the issue in closed session and concluded that no action was warranted.
Part Five examined the consequences that can arise once a board is placed on notice of a potential incompatible office issue and continues taking official action without resolving it. The reporting explored taxpayer litigation exposure, quo warranto actions, continuing governance decisions after notice, and the legal consequences of board inaction.
The Los Angeles Press Club awards recognize outstanding journalism throughout Southern California across newspapers, television, radio, magazines, digital outlets, and independent media organizations.
LCCN Owner-Editor-Publisher Brian Hews, who authored the series, said, “It’s an honor to be nominated alongside such outstanding journalists and news organizations. We are the only weekly community newspaper on the list, which makes this recognition even more meaningful for our readers and our small newsroom.”
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