10 area cities face council races in November

By Arnold Adler, Contributing Writer

NORWALK — The deadline to file nomination papers for area city council elections set for Nov. 3 was Aug. 7, but the deadline was extended to Aug. 12 in Cudahy, Downey, Maywood, Montebello and Pico Rivera, when elected officials eligible for another term chose not to seek re-election.

In Alhambra, Councilman Jeff Malone filed in District 3 and will be opposed by Chris Olson.

Councilman David Mejia filed in District 4 along with challengers Sasha Perez and Karsen Luthi.

In Bell Gardens, two seats are up for re-election. Councilman Pedro Aceituno has filed for re-election. The second seat is open because of the previous resignation of Jennifer Rodriguez. However, Rodriguez has filed to claim one of the seats. Others who filed are Jorge Chavez, Maria Pulido and Christian Mendez.

Council members are elected at large.

In Bellflower, Councilman Ray Hamada, appointed to represent District 1 to replace the late Ron Schnableleger, is unopposed for a four-year term. Mayor Pro Tem Dan Koops has filed for re-election in District 2 and is also unopposed.

Filing for election in District 4, which currently has no council representative, are Roger Graham, Victor Sanchez, Tonia McMillian, Stephen Amicon and Luis Melliz.

In Cudahy, filing for two at-large council seat are incumbent Jose Gonzalez and challengers Steve Sanchez, Maria Jimenez, Patricia Covarrubias and Daisy Lomeli. Councilman Chris Garcia is not seeking re-election.

In Downey, Mayor Blanca Pacheco filed for re-election in District 1 and will be challenged by Alexandria Contreras. Seeking election in District 3, in the northwest part of the city, are Dalejuan Peevy, Eric Pierce and Catherine Alvarez. Councilman Rick Rodriguez did not seek re-election in District 3.

Filing for candidacy in District 5, a city-wide district, are Mario Trujillo, Carmela (Carry) Uba, Arturo Gonzalez and Juan Martinez. Current District 5 Councilman, Alex Saab, can’t seek re-election due tio term limits.

In Lynwood, incumbents Sal Alatorre and Aide Castro are termed out of office. Alatorre is running for city treasurer against the incumbent, Gabriela Camacho. A third treasurer candidate is Armando Morales, a city spokesperson said.

City Clerk Maria Quinonez has filed for re-election and was unopposed as of Aug. 10.

City Council candidates who filed as of Aug. 7 are Edwin Jacinto, Patricia Carr, Linda George, Rita Soto, Oscar Flores, Rowland Becerra and Lorraine Moore.

Two council seats are open as Mayor Aide Castro did not seek re-election. The city votes at large.

In Maywood, incumbent council members Ramon Medina and Carlos Alvarez will be opposed by Jessica Tolles, Frank Garcia and Carmen Perez in an at-large contest.

City Clerk Geraldo Mayagoita and City Treasurer Gloria Viramontez are not seeking re-election.

Filing for the city clerk’s post are Flora Aguiluz and Ceasar Flores. Filing for city treasurer are Maria Villatore Montes, Mary Mariscal and Gabriela Bernal.

In Montebello, incumbents n David Torres and Jack Hadjinian will be challenged by seven candidates, including Joseph Sanchez, Fernando Vasquez, Rosemarie “Rosie” Vasquez, Scarlet Peralta, Joellaann Valdez and Byron Jackson.

The filing deadline is extended  to Aug. 12 as incumbent Irma Barajas did not seek re-election.

City Clerk candidates are Dillon Arreola, Johnny Gomez, Alexandra Briseno, Robert “Bob” Tapia and Christopher Jimenez.

In Pico Rivera, filing for three at-large council seats included incumbents Brent Tercero and Monica Sanchez and challengers Eric Lutz, Luis Alvarado, Andrew Lara and John Mireles. Councilman Gregory Salcido is not seeking re-election.

In Santa Fe Springs, incumbents Joe Angel Zamora and Mayor William Rounds filed for re-election. They are being challenged by Jay Sarno and Blake Carter.

In addition, voters in Bell Gardens and Bellflower will decide on proposed sales tax increases. Both cities are seeking to increase the sales tax by three-quarters of a cent. A simple majority is needed to approve the tax increase.

Lynwood also has a ballot measure calling for a 3% tax on for-profit hospitals in the city, a spokesperson said.