A Political Power Grab Disguised as a Water Protest

 

Cerritos, California - A group of activists are hoping to subvert Cerritos' own democracy with a recall election that would occur either during the regular November election or as a standalone election - so maybe three to four months before the regular election. 

Under the guise of a non-partisan Political Action Committee, they cite the water rates increase to target two Cerritos City Councilmembers. The group, called Concerned Citizens of Cerritos PAC (CCCP), is attempting a candidate recall. Recalls are a process often associated with serious misconduct. This recall, however, is simply political. The group cites Cerritos' water-rate increase as its primary justification. The recall effort, which is now collecting signatures, targets only two councilmembers: Lynda P Johnson and Frank Yokoyama. CCCP's website states they are recalling them because they "voted to approve the rate increases without modification." 

That claim raises an obvious question: water-rate increases and budgets are approved by a majority vote of the entire City Council. In this case, not one councilmember voted against it.

Naturally, I had some questions about the recall effort. 

#1 - Why target these two councilmembers?

This recall effort first came to my attention in April, when I happened upon a post in a few Cerritos groups on Facebook: 'Cerritos Public Square' and 'Cerritos, California Neighborhood Group', which eventually led me to a PAC called Concerned Citizens of Cerritos, and their website. 

In one Facebook group, someone named Raj asks "Is there more coming?" Presumably, he means are there other recalls coming.

To which the Cerritos Public Square page itself responds, "depends on how the other 3 behave going forward....😀"

Later, I obtained access to a Google Drive page that spelled out their reasoning. My friends, these are not intellectual firebrands. This interaction revealed that their strategic focus was essentially partisan. Some argued to also target Mark Pulido, but figured he would eventually win his primary bid for Assembly District and likely win the general election, too. Ultimately, if successful the CCCP intends to sneak in members of their club to become councilmembers. That's the game. 

However, they can't just go out there and say that because it sounds ridiculous, and dare we say - ethically egregious. So, they go with this water rates increase thing, and scapegoat Yokoyama and Johnson despite the entire City Council voting for it.

#2 - How bad are these water rates? 

The water rate increase seems to be the centerpoint of their campaign. In nearby Artesia, the average water bill falls between $80-$120. In Norwalk, it's between $75-$105. Lakewood - they're between $70-100. So what's the average rate in Cerritos these days? $65-70. Even after the increase, Cerritos residents continue to pay less for water than their neighboring communities. I should add as a caveat that Cerritos bills water utilities every two months, so the average I listed might be lower.

But here's the thing these guys don't seem to understand: money doesn't grow on trees. 

The cost of doing business goes up over time. Cerritos needed that rate increase to provide relatively low-cost water to the public, while not going bankrupt. 

Consider these quick facts: 

• According to Cerritos Water, approximately 70 percent of water pipelines in Cerritos were installed between 1966 and 1974. These pipes are over 50 years old, and so the City is facing $23 million in critical infrastructure repairs. 
• The City's own engineers are recommending that at least one square mile of pipeline per year be replaced to prevent any major failures. This has not been happening.
• The Cerritos Water and Sewer Funds have been operating a deficit for years, surviving only on subsidies from the General Fund.
• The revised water rates phase out those subsidies over a five-year period so that the General Fund can focus on regular services. 

The only meaningful accusation that a reasonable person can levy upon the City of Cerritos was that they were being fiscally responsible when the water rate was increased. And again, even with that increase - Cerritos STILL pays less for water than their neighbors!

#3 - Wait, so if the petition goes through and those two council members are recalled, how long until the next election? 

 

Get this: roughly three months. Can you believe it? A group of right-wing activists, people who would probably call themselves fiscally conservative, want to blow anywhere from $100,000-200,000 on a recall (according to the City Clerk), when they can just try running a candidate in their next election like normal people.

To me that was the worst part of this fiasco, as it just doesn't make any sense on many levels- logically, mathematically, fairly, democratically. It wasn't until I dug deeper into the campaign's internal discussions that I understood the rationale. They're not grounded on fair democratic elections, or math, or even logic.

This whole scheme is intended to sneak their candidates in who have historically lost due to their unpopular or extremist views. If you're a Cerritos resident, you know who I'm talking about. If you're one of the majority of people who elected the current City Council, you probably read or even heard some of the views of other candidates and thought, "Oh hell no" and made your decision to vote for someone else. They're playing dirty politics, and are more than willing to move against the majority of their neighbors in order to force a candidate through, even if for a couple of months.

#4 - What happens if I regret signing the petition?

Perhaps you've reconsidered your decision to sign the petition. Maybe they convinced you to sign their petition by  saying that it is to reverse the water rates increase, and now it's clear this move is purely to undermine the original vote of the people of Cerritos. Now you're rightfully angry, but you also signed the petition. 

Don't worry. There's a solution! Go to the City Clerk's office and fill out the Initiative to Recall Petition Signature Removal Form. 

You'll have to file a physical form in person, because the City of Cerritos requires a wet signature. That's how you do it. So, if you feel like you've been duped by con-men and con-women into signing a recall petition over bogus reasons, fill out the form. If we respect the republic, fill out the form. 

And if you happen to encounter petition circulators, ask questions. Ask why only two councilmembers are being targeted. Ask why waste the City's money on a recall election when the regular election is already approaching. Ask whether a recall is the best use of public funds. And if you happen to film the interaction if you can, please send that video to the Eye On Pioneer, and let's get the word out. 

An informed electorate is the best defense against bad ideas, regardless of political affiliation. And so, in the coming weeks, the Eye On Pioneer will be publishing several videos from experts, workers, and residents about their thoughts on this recall effort. 

Don't let a manufactured water crisis wash away a fair election. 

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