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Coordinates: 33°52′6″N 118°4′3″W / 33.86833°N 118.06750°W / 33.86833; -118.06750
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{{Short description|City in California, United States}}
{| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
{{For|other uses of the Spanish word "Cerrito" or "Cerritos"|Cerrito (disambiguation)}}
|+<big>'''Cerritos, California'''</big>
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
|-
{{Infobox settlement
| align=center colspan=2 |
| name = Cerritos, California
{|
| settlement_type = [[List of municipalities in California|City]]
|-
<!-- Images and maps ------>
| align=center width=135 | [[Image:Cerritos City Seal (color).gif|110px|Official seal of Cerritos, California]]
| image_skyline = Cerritos Library 1.jpg
|-
| image_caption = [[Cerritos Library]] in 2004
| align=center width=135 | City [[Seal (device)|seal]]
| image_flag = Flag of Cerritos, California.jpg
|}
| image_seal = Cerritos City Seal (color).png
|-
| nickname =
|'''City [[nicknames]]''':
| motto = "A City With Vision", "Progress Through Commitment", "A History In Progress", "A Prestige Address"
|''"The Freeway City" <br> "The Geographic Center of Southern California"''
| image_map = File:Los Angeles County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Cerritos Highlighted 0612552.svg
|-
| align=center colspan=2 | [[Image:mapcerritos.gif|300px|Cerritos, California]]
| map_caption = Location of Cerritos in Los Angeles County, California.
| pushpin_map = Los Angeles#California#USA
|-
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within [[Greater Los Angeles]]##Location in California##Location in the United States
|<b>[[List of counties in California|County]]</b>
| pushpin_label = Cerritos
|[[Los Angeles County, California]]
<!-- Location ------------->
|-
| coordinates = {{coord|33|52|6|N|118|4|3|W|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
|<b>[[Mayor]]</b>
| subdivision_type = Country
|John F. Crawley
| subdivision_name = United States
|-
| subdivision_type1 = State
|<b>[[Pro Tempore|Mayor Pro Tem]]</b>
| subdivision_name1 = [[California]]
|Paul W. Bowen
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in California|County]]
|-
| subdivision_name2 = [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles]]
|<b>[[City council|City Council]]</b>
<!-- History -------------->
|Jim Edwards<br>Gloria A. Kappe<br>Laura Lee
| established_title3 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|-
| established_date3 = April 24, 1956<ref>{{Cite web
|<b>[[Mottos]]</b>
|url=http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc
|"A City With Vision"<br>"Progress Through Commitment"<br>"A History In Progress"<br>"A Prestige Address"
|title=California Cities by Incorporation Date
|-
|format=Word
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | '''[[Area]]'''<br> - Land<br> - Water
|publisher=California Association of [[Local Agency Formation Commission]]s
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | [[1 E8 m²|8.9 sq. miles / 23 km²]]<br>8.6 sq. miles / 22.3 [[km²]]<br>0.3 sq. miles / 0.7 [[km²]]
|access-date=August 25, 2014 |url-status=dead
|-
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103002921/http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc
|<b>[[Elevation]]</b>
|archive-date=November 3, 2014
|34 feet above sea level
}}</ref>
|-
<!-- Government ----------->
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | '''[[Population]]'''<br> - Total ([[as of 2000|2000]])<br> - [[Density]]
| government_type = [[Council–manager government|Council–manager]]
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | <br>51,488<br>5,987/[[square mile|mi²]]
| governing_body = {{Collapsible list
|-
| title = City council<ref name=co>{{Cite web
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | '''[[Time zone]]'''<br> - summer ([[Daylight saving time|DST]])
| url = http://www.cerritos.us/GOVERNMENT/city_council.php
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | [[Pacific Standard Time Zone|PST]] ([[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]-8)<br>[[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]] ([[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]-7)
| title = City Council
|-
| publisher = City of Cerritos
| '''[[Latitude]]'''<br>'''[[Longitude]]'''
| access-date = May 17, 2015}}</ref>
| 33°51' N<br />118°5' W
| Lynda P. Johnson
|-
| Chuong Vo
| align=center colspan=2 | '''Official website:''' http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/
| Frank Aurelio Yokoyama
|}
}}
| leader_title1 = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name1 = Bruce W. Barrows
| leader_title2 = [[Mayor pro tem]]
| leader_name2 = Naresh Solanki
| leader_title3 = [[City manager]]
| leader_name3 = Robert A. Lopez<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cerritos.us/GOVERNMENT/city_organization/appointed_city_officials.php|title=Appointed City Officials|publisher=City of Cerritos|access-date=February 2, 2015}}</ref>
<!-- Area ----------------->
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_06.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 30, 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi = 8.86
| area_total_km2 = 22.94
| area_land_sq_mi = 8.73
| area_land_km2 = 22.60
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.13
| area_water_km2 = 0.34
| area_water_percent = 1.48
| area_metro_sq_mi =
| area_metro_km2 =
<!-- Elevation ------------>
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=GNIS>{{Cite GNIS|241229|Cerritos|access-date=October 11, 2014}}</ref>
| elevation_ft = 46
| elevation_m = 14
<!-- Population ----------->
| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes =
| population_total = 49578
| pop_est_as_of =
| pop_est_footnotes =
| population_est =
| population_density_sq_mi = 5680.99
| population_density_km2 = 2193.45
| population_metro =
| population_density_metro_sq_mi =
| population_density_metro_km2 =
<!-- Time zone ------------>
| timezone = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific]]
| utc_offset = −8
| timezone_DST = [[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]]
| utc_offset_DST = −7
<!-- Codes ---------------->
| postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code = 90701, 90703
| area_code_type = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| area_code = [[Area code 562|562]]
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS]] code
| blank_info = {{FIPS|06|12552}}
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature IDs
| blank1_info = {{GNIS 4|241229}}, {{GNIS 4|2409431}}
| website = {{URL|www.cerritos.us}}
}}


'''Cerritos''' is a planned [[suburb]] of [[Los Angeles County, California]], [[United States]] on the American west coast, and is one of several cities that constitute the [[Gateway Cities]] of southeast Los Angeles County. The current [[United States Office of Management and Budget |OMB]] metropolitan designation for Cerritos is “Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA". As of [[2005]], the City had a total population of 55,000.
'''Cerritos''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ə|ˈ|r|iː|t|oʊ|z}}; Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in [[Los Angeles County, California]], United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the [[Gateway Cities]] of southeast Los Angeles County. It was [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] on April 24, 1956. As of 2019, the population was 49,859. It is part of the [[Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, California Metropolitan Statistical Area]] designated by the [[Office of Management and Budget]].


==History==
== History ==
[[File:Portrait_of_Don_Juan_Temple,_an_early_owner_of_the_Ranch_Los_Cerritos_in_Long_Beach.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Don [[Juan Temple]] purchased [[Rancho Los Cerritos]], covering modern day Cerritos, in 1843.]]
Cerritos was incorporated on [[April 24]], [[1956]] originally as the '''City of Dairy Valley''', its name symbolizing the more than 400 dairies, 100,000 [[cows]] and 106,300 [[chickens]] found within its limits. The cows outnumbered the City's 3,439 residents by 29 to one. At its peak, the City produced more dairy than any other place in the nation, surpassing even the entire state of [[Wisconsin]].
Cerritos was originally inhabited by [[Indigenous peoples of California|Native Americans]] belonging to the [[Tongva]] (or "People of the Earth"). The Tongva were called the "Gabrieleños" by the Spanish settlers after the nearby [[Mission San Gabriel Arcángel]]. The Tongva were the largest group of indigenous peoples in [[Southern California]] as well as the most developed in the region.<ref name="book">
{{cite book
| last = Cenovich
| first = Marilyn
|author2=Audrey Eftychiou
| title = Cerritos At 50: Celebrating Our Past and Our Future
| publisher = The Donning Company
| year = 2006
| isbn = 978-1-57864-349-3
| pages = 11–19}}</ref>
The Tongva lived off the land, deriving food from the animals or plants that could be gathered, snared or hunted, and grinding acorns as a staple.<ref name="book"/>


Beginning in the late 15th century, Spanish explorers arrived in the New World and worked their way to the California coast in 1542. The colonization process included “civilizing” the native populations in California by establishing various [[Spanish missions in California|missions]]. Soon afterward, a town called El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula ([[Los Angeles]] today) would be founded and prosper with the aid of subjects from [[New Spain]] and Native American labor.<ref name="book"/>
Two years later, Dairy Valley voted to become a chartered California city. As land values and [[property taxes]] in California rose in the early 1960s, [[agriculture]] became increasingly unprofitable in southern Los Angeles County, and development pressures increased dramatically. In a special election held on [[July 16]], [[1963]], residents voted to permit large-scale residential development. As a reflection of its newly suburban orientation, the City's name formally changed to "Cerritos" on [[January 10]], [[1967]], after the nearby Spanish land grant [[Rancho Los Cerritos]], which figured prominently in the region before California became a state. The name "Cerritos" is [[Spanish language|Spanish]] for "Little Hills."


One soldier, [[Manuel Nieto (soldier)|José Manuel Nieto]], was granted a large plot of land by the
[[Image:Dairy Valley.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Dairy Valley, now Cerritos, California in the mid-1960s.]]
Spanish [[King Carlos III]], which he named [[Rancho Los Nietos]]. It covered {{convert|300,000|acre|abbr=off|sp=us}} of what are today the cities of Cerritos, [[Long Beach]], [[Lakewood, California|Lakewood]], [[Downey, California|Downey]], [[Norwalk, California|Norwalk]], [[Santa Fe Springs]], part of [[Whittier, California|Whittier]], [[Huntington Beach]], [[Buena Park]] and [[Garden Grove, California|Garden Grove]].<ref name="book"/>


The rancho was divided five ways among Nieto's heirs during the [[nationalization]] of church property by the Mexican government, with Juan José Nieto retaining the largest plot, called [[Rancho Los Coyotes]]. Nieto called the area of Rancho Los Coyotes "''cerritos''" or "little hills".
Cerritos is a prime example of the "fiscalization" of California politics after the [[tax revolt]] of the 1970s and the passage of [[Proposition 13]]. With [[property tax]] increases effectively banned by Prop. 13, and most citizens already feeling that their [[income tax]]es and [[payroll tax]]es were too high, the only way for California cities to raise long-term tax [[revenue]] was to create as many commercial zones as possible to take advantage of the percentage of county sales tax allocated back to [[municipalities]]. This means that one cent of every taxable dollar exchanged in Cerritos (taxed at a rate of 8.25%) would go back to the City in the form of sales tax revenue. Cerritos was one of the first cities in Los Angeles County to develop large-scale retail zones and achieved stunning success. Crucial to this strategy was the development of the Cerritos Auto Square, the world's largest auto mall, which generates more than $10 million in annual sales tax revenue today. The sudden large influx of tax revenue fundamentally changed the mentality of the local leaders and many of its residents. Sales tax revenue is the lifeblood of the City and thus guides strict policies that protect against any compromise to this vital source of income.


After the [[Mexican–American War]], the rancho would eventually wind up in the hands of the Los Angeles and San Bernardino Land Company, which encouraged development and rail lines to be built by [[Henry E. Huntington]] and his [[Pacific Electric Railway]] company. It was through rapid development, combined with improved transportation systems, that the modern-day city of [[Artesia, California|Artesia]] was formed in Rancho Los Coyotes in 1875, and from it, the city of ''Dairy Valley''.
Since emerging as an agricultural community in the first half of the 20th century, the current [[progressive]] nature of the Cerritos government and the unusually strong tax-base is best reflected in its facilities. In 1978, Cerritos dedicated the nation's first solar-heated [[City Hall]] complex. In 1993, the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors, attracting patrons throughout the state. In 1994, the City unveiled the Cerritos Towne Center project that combines office, retail, lodging, fine arts and dining in an open-air location. In 1997, the City opened the Cerritos Sheriff's Station/Community Safety Center to provide public safety services. In 2002, the City rededicated its public library. The assessed valuation of the City of Cerritos is nearing the $6 [[billion]] ($6,000,000,000) mark.


Cranford Airport, a small general-aviation airport, was built around 1946 and consisted of two 2,300-foot runways, one oriented north–south & the other northeast–southwest. Each runway had a parallel taxiway, and a ramp along the south side of the field had two building hangars. The former airport site is on the northwest corner of the intersection of South Street & Carmenita Road. Cranford Airport closed at some point between 1953 and 1954.<ref>[http://www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_LongBeach.htm#cranford] [[Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields]]: California: Long Beach area</ref>
[[Image:Pioneer And South Street Historical Photo.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The north end of the corner of Pioneer Boulevard and South Street in the 1910s.]]


The city of Dairy Valley was incorporated on April 24, 1956, as a reaction to nearby Artesia's rapid [[urbanization]]. The city's name symbolized the more than 400 dairies, 100,000 cows and 106,300 chickens found within its limits. The cows outnumbered the 3,439 residents by a factor of 29 to 1. The chickens outnumbered the residents by over 30 to 1. The first business license in the new city was for Walter Marlowe's "Dairy Valley Egg Farms".
Between [[1970]] and [[1972]], Cerritos was the fastest growing city in California. The population exploded from 16,000 to 38,000. Since the 1980s, Cerritos has attracted a large number of middle- and upper-middle-class [[Philippines|Filipino]], [[Korea|Korean]] and [[China|Chinese]] immigrant families, making it the city with the second largest Asian/Asian-American population in the nation (after [[Monterey Park, California]]). The "A-B-C" ([[Artesia, California|Artesia]]-[[Bellflower, California|Bellflower]]-Cerritos) region, as well as the neighboring cities of [[Hawaiian Gardens, California|Hawaiian Gardens]], [[La Mirada, California|La Mirada]], [[Lakewood, California|Lakewood]], [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], [[Norwalk, California|Norwalk]] and [[Signal Hill, California|Signal Hill]], are considered one of the most ethnically diverse and rapidly growing areas in the world. According to a study by CSU [[Northridge]], Cerritos was named the most ethnically diverse city of its size.


Two years later, Dairy Valley voted to become a chartered California city. As land values and [[property taxes]] in California rose in the early 1960s, agriculture became increasingly unprofitable, and development pressures increased. In a special election held on July 16, 1963, residents voted to permit large-scale residential development. As a reflection of its newly planned suburban orientation, the city's name was formally changed to Cerritos on January 10, 1967, after the nearby Spanish land grant [[Rancho Los Cerritos]], which figured prominently in the region, and after [[Cerritos College]] in neighboring [[Norwalk, California|Norwalk]].
On [[August 31]], [[1986]], [[Aeromexico Flight 498]] on approach to [[Los Angeles International Airport]] collided with a small Piper aircraft over Cerritos. Eighty-two people died, including 15 people on the ground. Four houses were initially flattened when the DC-9 fell backwards out of the sky, and then eight more were destroyed by the subsequent fire before firefighters could bring it under control. The City is building a memorial, to be located in a sculpture garden at the Civic Center, to honor the victims of the crash. The memorial is expected to be completed in February 2006.


Cerritos is a prime example of the "fiscalization" of California politics after the [[tax revolt]] of the 1970s and the passage of [[Proposition 13]]. The only way for California cities to raise long-term tax revenue in light of Proposition 13 was to create as many commercial zones as possible to take advantage of the percentage of county sales tax allocated back to [[municipalities]] as sales tax revenue. Cerritos was one of the first cities in [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]] to successfully develop large-scale retail zones, such as the [[Los Cerritos Center]] and [[Cerritos Auto Square]]. City leaders reinvested funds into the community with large public works projects and an increasing number of community services and programs.
With large capital projects, memorials, and art programs, the theme of the Cerritos Millennium Library, "Honoring The Past - Imagining The Future," aptly describes the philosophy of the Cerritos experience of today.


The current [[progressivism|progressive]] nature of the Cerritos government and the unusually strong tax base is best reflected in its facilities. In 1978, Cerritos dedicated the nation's first solar-heated [[City Hall]] complex. In 1993, the [[Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts]] opened its doors. In 1994, the City unveiled the [[Cerritos Towne Center]] project, combining office, retail, lodging, fine arts and dining in an open-air location. In 1997, the city opened the Cerritos Sheriff's Station/Community Safety Center to provide public safety services. In 2002, the City rededicated its [[Cerritos Millennium Library|public library]]. In 2006, the City celebrated its [[golden anniversary]] with memorials and the unveiling of a sculpture garden. The assessed valuation of the city is $7,177,428,066.<ref name="cerritos.us">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cerritos.us/_pdfs/state_of_the_city_2011.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=May 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720230445/http://www.cerritos.us/_pdfs/state_of_the_city_2011.pdf |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Government==
[[Image:Cerritos City Hall 1.jpg|300px|right|thumb|A pop jet fountain that children play in graces the City Hall.]]
Cerritos operates under a [[council-manager government|Council/Manager]] form of government, established by the Charter of the City of Cerritos in [[1958]]. The five-member City Council acts as the City's chief policy-making body and as members of the '''Cerritos Redevelopment Agency'''.


Between 1970 and 1972, Cerritos was the fastest-growing city in California;<ref>{{cite web
===City Council===
| url = http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/atoz/history.html
Since [[1997]], elections to the City Council have been held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in March of every odd numbered year. Prior to 1997, elections were held on the third Tuesday in April of every even numbered year. In making the transition, the elections that would have been held in April of [[1996]] were postponed to March of 1997 (giving the 5 members serving at the time an extra 11 months of service). The Council members are elected by Cerritos voters to serve four-year, overlapping terms (3 council members are elected in the year prior to a presidential election and 2 council members are elected 4 months after a presidential election). Council members who serve two consecutive four-year terms are not eligible, for a period of two years, to seek reelection or be appointed to the Cerritos City Council. The [[Mayor]], selected by the Council, is its presiding officer and serves a one-year term. In the Mayor's absence the Mayor [[Pro Tempore]] assumes his or her responsibilities.
| title = History of Cerritos
| access-date = October 20, 2006
| date = June 22, 2006
| publisher = City of Cerritos
}}</ref> the population skyrocketed from 16,000 to 38,000. Since the 1980s, Cerritos has attracted a large number of [[Filipino Americans|Filipino]], [[Korean Americans|Korean]], [[Taiwanese Americans|Taiwanese]], [[Indian Americans|Indian]] and [[Chinese Americans|Chinese]] immigrant families.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://menu.ci.cerritos.ca.us/collections/local_history/cl_lhStory9.htm
| title = Chapter 9, 1987–1996 - A Decade of Difficulties and Satisfaction
| access-date = October 21, 2006
| last = Cenovich
| first = Marilyn
| year = 1995
| work = The Story of Cerritos: A History in Progress
| publisher = City of Cerritos
| pages = Chapter 9
}}</ref>


On August 31, 1986, [[Aeroméxico Flight 498]], on approach to [[Los Angeles International Airport]] from [[Mexico City]], was struck by a small [[Piper aircraft]] that had strayed into a Terminal Control Area without clearance from Air Traffic Control. The Piper crashed into Cerritos Elementary School's unoccupied playground, but the [[Douglas DC-9]] fell inverted (upside-down) and plowed into dense residential zones, immediately flattening four houses. The resulting fire destroyed eight more houses before firefighters could bring it under control. A total of 82 people died, including 15 people on the ground. A sculpture in the [[#Cerritos Sculpture Garden|Cerritos Sculpture Garden]] memorializes the incident.
The City Council is directly responsible for the employment of only three individuals: the [[City Manager]], [[Clerk]]/[[Treasurer]], and the City [[Attorney]]. The first two are considered employees of the City, and the latter is considered an ouside contractor.
*The City Manager ensures the City's policies are implemented and oversees the City's five departments: Administrative Services, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Community Development, Community & Safety Services and Public Works. With the exception of the three individuals positions mentioned above, the City Manager has ultimate oversight responsibility over all city employees.<br>The current City Manager is '''Art Gallucci'''. Having served since [[1990]], he has been the longest serving City Manager for the City of Cerritos.
*The City Clerk/Treasurer is the Election Official, custodian of the City's records and serves as Clerk of the Council. The treasurer's responsibilities include disbursing all checks written by the City.<br>The current City Clerk is '''Josephine Triggs'''.
*The City Attorney's responsibilities include representing and advising the City on all legal matters.<br>The current City Attorney is '''Anthony Canzoneri'''.

Advisory boards, made up of individuals appointed by the Council, provide guidance in determining how to meet the City's needs and include the following: Economic Development Commission, [[Fine Arts]] and Historical Commission, Parks and [[Recreation]] Commission, Planning Commission, Property Preservation Commission, Community Safety Committee, Let Freedom Ring Committee, and the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts Board of Directors. Commissions and the Performing Arts Board of Directors are composed of 5 commissioners (one commissioner appointed by each council member). Committees are composed of 10 committee members (two members appointed by each council member). Individuals serving on the City's commissions and committees are not considered employees, and must be residents of the City.

===Cerritos Redevelopment Agency===
The Cerritos Redevelopment Agency was established on November 19, [[1970]]. The Redevelopment Agency's primary purpose is to prepare and execute plans designed to address blighted areas within the City.

The Cerritos Redevelopment Agency has two project areas: the Los Cerritos Project Area, which is located in the western half of the City and encompasses 940 [[acres]], and the Los Coyotes Project Area, which is located in the eastern half and encompasses 1,600 acres. Both project area plans will expire in May 2016.

The Cerritos Redevelopment Agency's primary purposes in establishing the Los Cerritos Project Area was to remedy and alleviate blighted conditions associated with undeveloped and unproductive vacant land, inadequate or total lack of street improvments, and the existence of substandard and incompatible uses and structures.

The Agency's primary purpose in establishing the Los Coyotes Redevelopment Project Area was to promote sound new community development that is viable, both physically and economically, within the project area's boundaries. It is a response to the need to correct problems with circulation, land use incompatibility, structural dilapidation, and to assist the private sector in providing the type of development that will maximize the development of property and prevent the reoccurence of [[blight]].

===Sheriff/Community Safety===
The [http://www.safercerritos.com/sheriff2.html '''Cerritos Sheriff's Station/Community Safety Center'''] provides safety services to Cerritos residents around the clock. Located in the Civic Center, the Station houses the City's Community Safety Division and [[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department]] personnel. The station was constructed by a [[referendum]] in [[1996]], and inaugurated in [[1997]].

In 2004, an extension of the [http://www.safercerritos.com/CSC/safety_center1.html Cerritos Sheriff] opened in the [[Los Cerritos Shopping Center|Los Cerritos Center]] mall in order to increase a visible presence at the shopping destination.

There are also two [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/gallery/firestation2.html firefighter stations] located at both the east and west ends of town. The fire stations are operated by the County of Los Angeles under contract with the City.


==Geography==
==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|8.9|sqmi|km2|2}}; {{convert|8.7|sqmi|km2|2}} of it is land and {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2|2}} of it (1.48%) is water.
Cerritos is located at 33°52'6" North, 118°4'3" West (33.868314, -118.067547){{GR|1}}.


Cerritos lies along the [[Los Angeles County]] and [[Orange County, California|Orange County]] border. The cities bordering Cerritos on the Los Angeles County side include [[Artesia, California|Artesia]] in the center, [[Bellflower, California|Bellflower]], [[Lakewood, California|Lakewood]], [[Norwalk, California|Norwalk]], [[Santa Fe Springs]] and [[La Mirada]]. [[Buena Park]] and [[La Palma, California|La Palma]] border the city on the Orange County side. Other cities in the region include [[Cypress, California|Cypress]] in Orange County, and [[Hawaiian Gardens]] and [[Long Beach]] in Los Angeles County.
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the City has a total area of 23.0 [[square kilometer|km²]] (8.9 [[square mile|mi²]]). 22.3 km² (8.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.04% water.


The former postal ZIP code of Cerritos was 90701 and was shared with the city of [[Artesia, California|Artesia]]; however, it was later changed to the exclusive 90703 to accommodate the increasing number of new addresses in the city during the mid-1990s.
Cerritos lies along the [[Los Angeles County]] and [[Orange County]] border. The cities bordering Cerritos on the Los Angeles County side include [[Artesia, California|Artesia]] in the center, [[Bellflower, California|Bellflower]], [[La Mirada, California|La Mirada]], [[Lakewood, California|Lakewood]], [[Norwalk, California|Norwalk]], and [[Santa Fe Springs, California|Santa Fe Springs]]. [[Buena Park, California|Buena Park]] and [[La Palma, California|La Palma]] border the City on the Orange County side. Other cities in the region include [[Cypress, California|Cypress]] in Orange County, and [[Hawaiian Gardens, California|Hawaiian Gardens]], [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], and [[Signal Hill, California|Signal Hill]] in Los Angeles County.


===Climate===
The former postal [[zip code]] of Cerritos was 90701 and was shared with the City of [[Artesia, California|Artesia]]; however, it was later changed to an exclusive 90703 as a result of the increasing number of new addresses in the City during the mid-1990s.
{{climate chart
|Cerritos, California
|46|68|2.95
|48|68|3.01
|50|69|2.43
|53|73|0.60
|58|74|0.23
|61|78|0.08
|65|83|0.02
|66|85|0.10
|64|83|0.24
|58|79|0.40
|50|73|1.12
|45|69|1.76
|source=Weather.com / NWS
|float=right
|clear=left
|units=imperial
}}


Cerritos, as well as most of coastal [[Southern California]], generally has a [[Mediterranean climate]]. Summers are warm to hot, and winters are mild, rarely falling below freezing. [[Precipitation]] occurs predominantly during the winter months.
There were talks of merging Cerritos and Artesia in the late [[1960]]s to create one larger Cerritos. Both city councils were in favor of the merger, but when 69% of the Artesia voters cast their ballots, 1,362 voted "no" and only 1,140 voted "yes." Many Artesians feared being part of a newer community and losing their historic identity. Others worried that their established homes would be overrun by the Cerritos Redevelopment Agency.


Cerritos also has a unique "semi-marine" climate pattern within Los Angeles County. The fog that typically covers the beach cities rarely reaches Cerritos, but the breeze that comes along the [[San Gabriel River (California)|San Gabriel River]] from the Pacific Ocean has a significant cooling effect. As a result, Cerritos is rarely affected by the smog, [[Santa Ana winds]] and smothering heat of the [[Los Angeles Basin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/library/history/chapter1.html|title=City of Cerritos - Home Page|website=www.ci.cerritos.ca.us}}</ref>
==Climate==
The average temperature is 70 degrees [[Fahrenheit]] (21.1 °C).


== Demographics ==
The City of Cerritos, as well as most of [[Southern California]], has a [[Mediterranean]] climate. The name derives from its similarity to the climate of areas along the Mediterranean Sea, which supports much of the same natural vegetation. Only three other areas of the world share these characteristics: the Southern tip of [[Africa]], Central [[Chile]], and parts of Southern and Southwestern [[Australia]]. Summers are warm to hot, and winters are cool, rarely falling below freezing. [[Precipitation]] in Cerritos occurs predominantly during the winter months.
{{US Census population
|1880= 166
|1960= 3508
|1970= 15856
|1980= 53020
|1990= 53240
|2000= 51488
|2010= 49041
|2020= 49578
|estyear= 2022
|estimate= 47475
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015 }}</ref>
}}
The [[2010 United States census]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0612552|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715024041/http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0612552|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2014|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Cerritos city|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref> reported that Cerritos had a population of 49,041. The population density was {{convert|5,537.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of Cerritos was 11,341 (23.1%) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (16.6% non-Hispanic White),<ref name=quif>{{Cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0612552.html|title=Cerritos (city) QuickFacts|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=March 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318064634/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0612552.html|archive-date=March 18, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> 3,388 (6.9%) [[African American (U.S. Census)|African-American]], 131 (0.3%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 30,363 (61.9%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 138 (0.3%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1,822 (3.7%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]] and 1,858 (3.8%) from two or more races. There were 5,883 [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] residents, of any race (12.0%).


The census reported 48,937 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 86 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and 18 (0%) were institutionalized.
Even within Southern California, Cerritos has a unique climate pattern: "semi-marine." The fog that typically covers the beach cities rarely reaches Cerritos, but the breeze that comes along the [[San Gabriel River]] from the Pacific Ocean has a significant cooling effect. Cerritos is rarely affected by the smog, "[[Santa Ana Winds]]," and smothering heat of the [[Los Angeles Basin]].


There were 15,526 households, out of which 5,724 (36.9%) had children under the age of 18, 10,843 (69.8%) were married couples living together, 1,884 (12.1%) had a female householder with no husband present and 628 (4.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 278 (1.8%) [[POSSLQ|married couples]], and 64 (0.4%) gay married couples or partnerships. 1,801 households (11.6%) were made up of individuals, and 1,005 (6.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15. There were 13,355 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (86.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.40.
==Demographics==
As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of [[2000]], there are 51,488 people, 15,390 households, and 13,650 families residing in the City. The [[population density]] is 2,306.2/km² (5,974.0/mi²). There are 15,607 housing units at an average density of 699.1/km² (1,810.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the City is 26.90% [[Race (U.S. Census)|White]], 6.67% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[Race (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.28% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 58.44% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.19% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 3.75% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 3.78% from two or more races. Approximately 10.39% of the population is [[Hispanic American|Hispanic]] or [[Race (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.


The population was spread out, with 10,013 people (20.4%) under the age of 18, 4,065 people (8.3%) aged 18 to 24, 11,134 people (22.7%) aged 25 to 44, 15,158 people (30.9%) aged 45 to 64 and 8,671 people (17.7%) 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
There are 15,390 households out of which 40.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.9% are [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.9% have a female householder with no [[husband]] present, and 11.3% are non-families. Nearly 8.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 3.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The [[average]] household size is 3.34 and the average family size is 3.54.


There were 15,859 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,790.8|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}, of which 12,711 (81.9%) were owner-occupied, and 2,815 (18.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.1%. 39,392 people (80.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 9,545 people (19.5%) lived in rental housing units.
In the City, the population is spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 31.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The [[median]] age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.3 males.


The median income for a household in the City is $73,030, and the median income for a family is $76,944. Males have a median income of $50,103 versus $37,421 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the City is $25,249. About 5.0% of the population and 4.0% of families are below the [[poverty line]]. Out of the total population, 5.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Cerritos had a median household income of $91,487, with 5.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/00,0612552|title=Census data|website=www.census.gov}}</ref> Males had a median income of $50,103, versus $37,421 for females. The [[per capita income|per-capita income]] for the city was $25,249. About 5.0% of the population and 4.0% of families were below the [[poverty line]]. Out of the total population, 5.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.


According to [[Mapping L.A.]], Korean (17.1%) and Chinese (11.2%) were the most common ancestries in 2000. Korea (26.5%) and the Philippines (16.7%) were the most common foreign places of birth.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://maps.latimes.com/neighborhoods/neighborhood/cerritos/ | title=Cerritos }}</ref>
==Economy==
Employment within the City of Cerritos is primarily located in two districts, '''Los Cerritos Center''' and '''Cerritos Industrial Park'''. Businesses found in the Industrial Park provide jobs in light manufacturing and assembly of electronic and automotive parts, among other things. [[United Parcel Service]], the City's largest employer with a staff of 5,000, is located in the Industrial Park. Los Cerritos Center provides for more than 2,500 full and part-time positions and the Cerritos Auto Square employs 1,900 people. Retail and industrial trades are responsible for the City's $2.6 billion taxable retail sales and the $6 billion assessed property valuation.


== Economy ==
Other companies that have headquarters in Cerritos include: Delta Dental, Bunn Corporation, [[Xerox]] Corporation, Advanced Data Processing (ADP), [[Cingular]] Wireless, Izusu, and [[Memorex]].
The two major sources of revenue for Cerritos are a retail sales tax and interest income from its general fund.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cerritos.us/GOVERNMENT/_pdfs/combined_financial_program_1011_approved.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=May 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807140232/http://www.cerritos.us/GOVERNMENT/_pdfs/combined_financial_program_1011_approved.pdf |archive-date=August 7, 2011 }}</ref>


Employment within Cerritos is primarily in two districts, [[Los Cerritos Center|Los Cerritos Shopping Center]] and Cerritos Industrial Park. Businesses found in Cerritos Industrial Park provide jobs in light manufacturing and assembly of electronic and automotive parts, among other things. [[United Parcel Service]], the city's largest employer with a staff of 6,000, is in the park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/atoz/statistical_profile.pdf|title=City of Cerritos - Home Page|website=www.ci.cerritos.ca.us}}</ref> In 2010, Los Cerritos Center provided for 4,450 full and part-time positions, and the Cerritos Auto Square employs 2,160 people.<ref name="cerritos.us"/> Retail and industrial trades are responsible for Cerritos' $2 billion taxable retail sales and $7.2 billion assessed property valuation.
According to the California State Board of Equalization, Cerritos residents are the second highest retail spenders in California (second to [[Beverly Hills]]) averaging $36,544 per resident.


According to the [[California State Board of Equalization]], Cerritos residents are the second-highest retail spenders in California (second to [[Beverly Hills]]), averaging $36,544 per resident. Applied Development Economics, in a presentation for the Cerritos Economic Commission on February 14, 2006, stated total annual household spending on retail is about $365 million a year with new car dealerships, grocery stores, department stores, service stations and eating places having the strongest demands.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20031212103108/http://cerritos.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2#Economic Cerritos TV3]</ref>
===Cerritos Auto Square===
[[Image:Cerritos Auto Square.jpg|300px|right|thumb|A Cerritos Auto Square gateway sign on the South entrance.]]


A business survey conducted by Applied Development Economics in February 2006 revealed the total consumer breakdown in Cerritos is: 25% from residents from other parts of [[Southern California]], about 21.9% from Cerritos residents, 18% from commuters, 16% from neighboring communities, 13% from business to business/employee transactions, 10% from residents of [[Orange County, California|Orange County]], 5% from households from outside of Southern California, mainly to purchase vehicles from the Auto Square.
The '''Cerritos Auto Square''' is a planned [[motorcar]] retail mall combining all auto dealers within the City into one, large three-block center accessible through two freeways.


=== Cerritos Auto Square ===
During [[1979]], the Cerritos Redevelopment Agency worked on the improvement of Studebaker Road, and in October ''S & J [[Chevrolet]]'' broke ground for the first auto dealership in the Cerritos auto mall, directly west of the [[Interstate 605|605 Freeway]], between 183rd and South streets. In [[1988]], the Los Cerritos Redevelopment Agency purchased the 8.5 [[acres]] from the ''General Telephone Company'' and spent $1.2 million for road improvements, landscaped medians and parkways, rocky waterfalls, and decorative street lights. The site was soon the new home of ''Moothart [[Chrysler]]-[[Plymouth automobile|Plymouth]]'' and ''Victory [[Pontiac]]-[[GMC]]''. Eventually it would be joined by other dealerships in buildings that featured a distinctive "[[New Orleans]]" style. The Auto Square, the world's largest with 27 dealerships, provides the City with approximately $10 million a year in sales tax, and is the single largest source of revenue for Cerritos. In 2004, the Auto Square sold 52,856 automobiles, totaling over $1.2 billion in sales.
{{Main|Cerritos Auto Square}}


The [[Cerritos Auto Square]] is an [[automobile|auto]] mall combining all auto dealers within Cerritos into one large three-block center accessible through two freeways.
It is interesting to note that due to existing California laws, [[BMW]] and [[Mercedes Benz]] cannot have an Auto Square location despite a high demand for such cars because an Auto Square location would make both dealers come within 10 miles of existing BMW/Mercedes Benz dealerships.


=== Los Cerritos Center ===
Current capital projects for the Auto Square include:
{{Main|Los Cerritos Center}}
#The construction of a parking structure located on the grounds of the ''Power [[Toyota]]'' dealership
#The construction of a new [[Jaguar automobile|Jaguar]]/[[Land Rover]] dealership adjacent to [[Valley Christian High School (Cerritos, California)|Valley Christian High School]].


Since September 1971, the Los Cerritos Center has been an integral source of retail tax revenue. The total gross lease area is {{convert|1288245|sqft|m2|0}} and is the city's largest tax revenue source, producing $800 per square foot in 2015.
===Los Cerritos Center===
[[Image:Los Cerritos Center Mall.jpg|300px|right|thumb|An eastern entrance to the Cerritos Mall.]]
Since September [[1971]], the '''Los Cerritos Center''' has been an integral source of revenue. Prior to the arrival of the mall, shopping in Cerritos was centered around several neighborhood shops anchored by supermarkets. The total gross lease area is 1,288,245 square feet and is the City's second largest retail-revenue source, producing $485 per square foot ($368 million total) in sales a year. The tax revenue generated from the Los Cerritos Center totals to approximately $3.7 million a year.


=== Cerritos Towne Center ===
Accessible by two major freeways (and close to [[Interstate 405 (California)|Interstate 405]], [[Garden Grove Freeway|Highway 22]] and [[Century Freeway|Highway 105]]), constant population growth in surrounding communities, new management under the [http://www.macerich.com/pages/leasing/detail/demographics/index.jsp?center=26 Macerich Company], and close proximity to the auto mall help explain the steady increase in popularity.
{{Main|Cerritos Towne Center}}


[[File:Cerritos traffic light.jpg|thumb|right|The Towne Center has a decorative paving at the intersection.]]
The history of the Los Cerritos Center dates back to September 1971 with the [[Phase]] I opening of the corridor from ''The Broadway'' department store (currently [[Macy's]]) to ''Orbach's'' (currently [[Mervyn's]]). The mall was one of the first completely covered, air conditioned shopping centers in the state. Phase II followed in [[1972]] with the opening of the wing from Orbach's to [[Sears]]. In [[1981]], Phase III welcomed the opening of [[Nordstrom]] and its wing. In November [[1993]], Phase IV was completed when the Palm Court Cafes debuted in the Center with 14 eateries.


The Cerritos Towne Center is a [[Power center (retail)|power center]] that combines offices, retail, hotel and entertainment facilities in one master planned project. The Towne Center includes the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/atoz/cerritos_center.html|title=City of Cerritos - Home Page|website=www.ci.cerritos.ca.us}}</ref> a 203-room [[Sheraton Hotel|Sheraton hotel]] and more than one million square feet (93,000&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup>) of office space. The retail portion of the project includes several anchors and specialty shops.<ref>[http://www.vestar.com/newsite/Assets/PropertyAssets/CerritosTC/Photos/p_97-046-01%20blockbuster%20mus.jpg Cerritos Blockbuster Music] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050906105335/http://www.vestar.com/newsite/Assets/PropertyAssets/CerritosTC/Photos/p_97-046-01%20blockbuster%20mus.jpg |date=September 6, 2005 }}</ref> The project is bounded by 183rd Street to the south, Bloomfield Avenue to the west, Shoemaker Avenue to the east and the [[Artesia Freeway]] (Route 91) to the north.
The most recent design (Phase V) was completed in [[1994]] and included three themed corridors. At that time, skylights were added to take advantage of the Southern California sunshine, and marble and stone were added to the walkways, along with benches and landscaping. [http://www.shopcerritos.com/photos/avenue.jpg '''The Avenue'''] houses merchandise, a movie theatre and stores for the family, [http://www.macerich.com/controller/r5i/psm/file/view?id=25490 '''The Grand Hall'''] holds fashion shops and boutiques, and [http://www.shopcerritos.com/photos/garden.jpg '''The Garden'''] focuses on specialty shops in entertainment as well as the [http://www.shopcerritos.com/photos/palmcort.jpg '''Palm Court Cafes'''] food court. Presently, the City is in the talks with the Center for a restoration of the mall which will include a new department store (to replace [[Robinsons-May]]) and a parking structure set for [[2006]].


=== The Magnolia Power Project ===
In [[2004]], 13 million shoppers visited the mega mall with [[December 23]]rd marking the biggest day of the year with 96,956 visitors. The Los Cerritos Center attracts thousands of people a day and is the most financially successful mall in the Southeast Los Angeles region.
The uncertainty of availability of electricity in California prompted the city of Cerritos on February 13, 2003, in conjunction with the cities of [[Anaheim]], [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], [[Colton, California|Colton]], [[Glendale, California|Glendale]] and [[Pasadena]], to participate in the Magnolia Power Project, which authorized the construction of a 310-[[megawatt]] power plant in Burbank.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/comnews/faqmagnolia.html|title=City of Cerritos - Home Page|website=www.ci.cerritos.ca.us}}</ref> Cerritos receives 10 megawatts, or 4% of the total output, to power public facilities, park lighting, traffic signals and water wells. Excess power (approximately five megawatts) is sold to public and/or private agencies.


===Cerritos Towne Center===
===Top employers===
According to the city's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref name="cafr2014">{{cite web|url=http://www.cerritos.us/GOVERNMENT/_pdfs/CAFR_2014.pdf|title=City of Cerritos CAFR}}</ref> the top employers in the city are:
[[Image:Cerritostrafficlight.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Towne Center has special traffic light gantries.]]
On the site of the former "Golden Triangle" section in the middle of Cerritos, debate as to what to place in the final, large undeveloped parcel of land persisted through the 1970s and 1980s. Rejected plans for the area included: making it an upscale shopping center similar to [[Newport Beach]]'s Fashion Island (upscale stores were on the decline at the time, however), a donut-shaped shopping mall (declined because it would rival the Los Cerritos Center), or a [[Polynesian]] cultural center complete with artificial ocean and erupting volcanoes (high costs, potentially polluting, and lack of public support stymied such a proposal).


{| class="wikitable"
The final and most acceptable decision was the '''Cerritos Towne Center''', which combines [http://www.17777ctc.com/ offices], [http://www.vestar.com/newsite/Assets/PropertyAssets/CerritosTC/Photos/p_97-046-02%20theater.jpg retail], hotel and entertainment facilities in one master planned project. The Towne Center includes the [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/atoz/cerritos_center.html Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts], a 203-room [[Sheraton Hotel]] and more than one million square feet (93,000 m²) of office space. The retail portion of the project includes several anchors and [http://www.vestar.com/newsite/Assets/PropertyAssets/CerritosTC/Photos/p_97-046-01%20blockbuster%20mus.jpg specialty shops]. The project is bounded by 183rd Street to the south, Bloomfield Avenue to the west, Shoemaker Avenue to the east, and the [[Artesia Freeway]] (Route 91) to the north.
|-
! Rank
! Employer
! No. of employees
|-
| 1
|[[United Parcel Service]]
|6,000
|-
| 2
|[[ABC Unified School District]]
|3,500
|-
| 3
|[[AT&T]]
|1,200
|-
| 4
|[[Southern Wine & Spirits]] of Southern California
|1,100
|-
| 5
|City of Cerritos
|552
|-
| 6
|[[Crown Bolt]]
|400
|-
| 7
|[[Nordstrom]]
|400
|-
| 8
|[[College Hospital]]
|400
|-
| 9
|PMI
|350
|-
| 10
|Norm Reeves Honda of Cerritos<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.normreeveshondacerritos.com/|title=Los Angeles Honda Dealer - (888) 756-9874 - Norm Reeves Honda Cerritos|website=www.normreeveshondacerritos.com}}</ref>
|350
|-
|}


== Arts and culture ==
Capital projects in the Cerritos Towne Center for the 2005-2006 [[fiscal year]] include: 1) A parking structure to be added to an expanded cineplex, 2) the construction of two additonal anchors and 3) construction on a grand office building on the site of the current Farmer's Market. Upon completion, the office building will be the largest structure in the City.


The Cerritos Fine Arts and Historical Commission has an "Art in Public Places Program" whereby the city commissions artists to create sculptures and fountains to be displayed in public points of interest, commercial property and gateways into the city. ''[[Los Cerritos Community News]]'' serves the city.
===Local Revenue===
The two major sources of revenue for Cerritos are from retail sales tax and interest income from the City's General Fund. Revenue sources ([[Fiscal year|FY]] 2005-2006) for the City of Cerritos is broken down to include:
*37.2% from general fund taxes
**Sales taxes
**Business licenses
**Documentary
**Transient occupancy
*16.4% from use of money and property
**Interest income
**Commissions
**Ground rent
**General site improvments
**Facility rental
*11.6% from fees from services
**Trash collection
**Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts box office
**Recreation and registration fees
*8.5% from intergovernmental sources
**Reimbursement from other agencies
**Motor vehicles in lieu
**Library grant
*14.6% proprietary
**Water sales
**Interest income
*7.3% from miscellaneous sources
*4.4% from special/restricted revenue sources
**Gas tax
**Proposition A and C funds


===The Magnolia Power Project===
=== Tournament of Roses Parade ===
Since 2002, the City of Cerritos has participated in the [[Tournament of Roses Parade]] held every New Year's Day in [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]]. Floats in the parade are awarded prizes in the Tournament of Roses Parade.<ref>[http://www.cerritos.us/RESIDENTS/recreation/events/rose_parade_floats.php#:~:text=2002%3A%20“Fun%20for%20Everyone”,complete%20with%20music%20and%20steam. Tournament of Roses® Parade Floats - City of Cerritos]</ref>
In early [[2001]] the uncertainty regarding the statewide supply of electricity resulted from several factors, including record demand levels driven by economic growth; a relative lack of natural gas availability for electricity generation; reductions in available [[hydroelectric power]] supplies from the [[Pacific Northwest]]; the complexities of California's [[deregulation]] process of [[1996]], which resulted in limitations of retail rates without corresponding restrictions of wholesale costs; a frequent lack of generation capacity within the state; possible market manipulation; and ultimately unsuccessful business decisions made by the state's public utilities and outside suppliers.


=== Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts ===
Although the State of California was able to negotiate contracts in an attempt to safeguard a reliable supply of power, these supplies were procured at very expensive rates. This short-term purchase has contributed to the State's budget problems in the early years of the 21st century.
{{Main|Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts}}


The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) features live performances in music, magic, comedy, dance and drama. The 154,000-square-foot (14,300&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup>) arts center has movable seats, floors, ceilings and stage areas, with a theater that can transform into six distinctive seating configurations, ranging in capacity from 921 to 1,800 seats. The facility also houses three additional meeting and banquet areas. The CCPA was designed by architect [[Barton Myers]].
This uncertain state of availablity of electricity in California over the past five years prompted the City of Cerritos on February 13, 2003, in conjunction with the cities of [[Anaheim, California|Anaheim]], [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], [[Colton, California|Colton]], [[Glendale, California|Glendale]] and [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]], to participate in the '''Magnolia Power Project''', which authorized the construction of a 310-[[megawatt]] power plant in the City of Burbank.


The cost of the CCPA had reached over $60 million by the end of construction and scheduling. It was designed to serve as a cultural icon for people in the community and formally opened its doors on January 9, 1993, with a four-day performance by [[Frank Sinatra]].
Operational since [[July 2005]], Cerritos receives 10 megawatts from the project, or 4% of the total output. The electricity generated from the plant powers public facilities, park lighting, traffic signals and water wells. The City plans on selling the excess power (approximately 5 megawatts) to public and/or private agencies. [[Southern California Edison]] continues to provide power to residents and businesses.


The CCPA collected four awards for design shortly after its opening and has been named one of the top grossing theaters in its category in the United States.
The Magnolia Power Plant provides a locally controlled, clean, reliable and lower-cost electricity resource for Cerritos and the other participating cities at a time when California continues to face long-term electricity supply uncertainty.


=== Cerritos Millennium Library ===
The operational costs of the power plant (amounting to $764,600 a year) is expected to be recovered by project revenues.
{{Main|Cerritos Millennium Library}}
[[File:Cerritos_Library_exterior_(2175178271).jpg|alt=Library building with a tall Christmas decorated with snowflakes and a bow at the top|thumb|Cerritos Library with a Christmas tree]]
The Cerritos Library originally opened to the public on September 17, 1973, with a "First Ladies" theme (in recognition of former [[First Lady]] [[Pat Nixon]]'s home in the community). Eight years later, the city made its first renovation to the library for $6.6 million. {{convert|21,000|sqft|sqm|abbr=on}} were added for $5.4 million, and the remaining $1.2 million was spent on furniture and equipment.


In the late 1990s, Cerritos recognized the ever-changing innovation in [[information technology]] and the internet, and plans for a second renovation were approved.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/library/libhistory.html#The+Library+Today|title=City of Cerritos - Home Page|website=www.ci.cerritos.ca.us}}</ref> During the reconstruction, all materials were moved off site to temporary trailers in the parking lot of the Cerritos Towne Center for two years. The second renovation and expansion was completed on March 16, 2002.
==Transportation==
The City of Cerritos owns a fleet of federally funded circulators known as the [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/where/COW-van.html '''Cerritos On Wheels'''] (or COW). The acronym, "COW," is a nostalgic tribute to the City's origins as Dairy Valley. For a fare of 50 cents, the COW provides access to points of interest. The COW also connects to the Long Beach Transit, [[Orange County Transportation Authority]], Norwalk Transit or Los Angeles MTA Buses at overlapping stops on the border of the City. [[Wi-Fi]] Internet access is also accessible on the buses. The COW vans run on propane fuel, providing an environmentally sound alternative to conventional gasoline.


At the time of its rededication, the newly renamed Cerritos Millennium Library was the first building in North America to be coated in [[titanium]] panels. This $40 million library features an elaborate interior design with themed reading rooms in a variety of old world and ultramodern styles. A third floor was added to include several conference rooms and an outdoor terrace.
In conjuction with the COW, the City also provides a Dial-A-Ride service for its disabled and elderly commuters.


The Cerritos Library holds a [[Smithsonian Affiliations|Smithsonian Affiliation]]. It was awarded the [[American Library Association]]/[[American Institute of Architects]] "[[National Blue Ribbon Schools Program|Award of Excellence]]" in 1989. It was also honored with ''Reader's Digest's'' 2004 Best Library Award.
Cerritos is directly served by three major California freeways:
*[[CA-91|Highway 91]] (The Artesia Freeway) cuts through the center of the City.
*[[Interstate 605]] (The San Gabriel River Freeway) runs along the west side between the Los Cerritos Center and Auto Square.
*[[Interstate 5]] (The Santa Ana Freeway) grazes Cerritos at the northeast border.


===Cerritos Sculpture Garden===<!-- This section is linked from [[Aeroméxico Flight 498]] -->
The major thoroughfares in Cerritos are Artesia Boulevard, Bloomfield Avenue, Carmenita Road, Del Amo Boulevard, Norwalk Boulevard, Pioneer Boulevard, Shoemaker Avenue, South Street, Studebaker Road, and Valley View Avenue.
[[File:Cerritos Air Disaster Memorial.JPG|thumb|right|150px|The Cerritos Air Disaster Memorial in the Cerritos Sculpture Garden. The sculpture is a memorial for [[Aeroméxico Flight 498]].]]
The Cerritos Sculpture Garden was dedicated on March 11, 2006, and included a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by representatives from Cerritos' [[Sister City|sister city]], [[Loreto, Baja California Sur]], Mexico. It is in the Civic Center and is designed to house approximately 20 sculptures to be phased in over the coming years. At the time of the dedication ceremony, three sculptures were already in place:


* The Air Disaster Memorial, by sculptor Kathleen Caricof, honors by name all the victims of the [[Aeroméxico Flight 498]] disaster on August 31, 1986.
The nearby [[Port of Los Angeles]] and [[Port of Long Beach]] are major ports of entry from the [[Pacific Ocean]] for importing and exporting goods.
* A replica of the [[Statue of Freedom]] that sits atop of the [[United States Capitol dome]].
* Elements Fountain, by artist Jane DeDecker, depicts female embodiments of the four elements [[allegory|allegories]] (earth, water, wind and fire) over a reflecting pool.
The garden was made to be able to accommodate future sculpture installations in a lush [[landscape]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cerritos.us/VISITORS/art_in_public_places/cerritos_sculpture_garden.php|title=City of Cerritos - Cerritos Sculpture Garden|website=www.cerritos.us}}</ref>


== Parks and recreation ==
[[Airports]] that serve Cerritos include: [[Los Angeles International Airport]] (LAX), [[John Wayne Airport]] in [[Orange County]], [[Bob Hope Airport]] in [[Burbank, Los Angeles County, California|Burbank]], [[Ontario International Airport]], and the [[Long Beach Municipal Airport]].


=== Cerritos Olympic Swim & Fitness Center ===
===Orangeline MAGLEV===
The Cerritos Olympic Swim & Fitness Center provides year-round, indoor recreational, instructional and competitive swimming and gym.
The City of Cerritos is a member of the [http://orangeline.calmaglev.org/default.php?sp=1 Orangeline] Development Authority and a strong advocate for the creation of the 33-mile long Orangeline magnetic-levitation (MAGLEV) rail line, which will connect [[Downtown Los Angeles]] and the business districts of [[Orange County]]. The MAGLEV rail will be the only rail service in Cerritos and will travel at speeds exceeding 250 miles per hour and will stop at various points of interests throughout [[the Southland]]. It is expected to have a positive impact in reducing commute times and traffic in the exceedingly congested region. Cerritos is a leader in the Orangeline Corridor Development Project in conjunction with 14 other Southern California cities.


The Swim Center was used by Olympians for swimming practices during the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in Los Angeles.
Funding for preliminary engineering and environmental studies for the Orangeline has been secured by local US Representatives in August of [[2005]]. On [[August 10]], 2005, [[President Bush]] signed a Transportation Act ("TEA-LU") designating the Orangeline as a high priority project. The enactment of the final federal transportation reauthorization bill is expected to provide $286 billion over six years. The Authority desires to secure funding through private sources to expedite deployment of the Orangeline. The Orangeline is projected to be completed by 2011.


==Arts and Culture==
=== Pat Nixon Park ===
{{Main|Pat Nixon Park}}
The Cerritos Fine Arts and Historical Commission has an [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/gallery/artwork.html "Art in Public Places Program"] where the City commissions artists to create sculptures and fountains to be displayed in public points of interest, commercial property, and gateways into the City. Local [[landmarks]] and public art pepper the cityscape, lending a distinct cultural identity to its residents.


The [[Pat Nixon Park]] is a recreational park that pays tribute to the late First Lady [[Pat Nixon]] on the site of her childhood home, which was destroyed by fire in 1978. The city of Cerritos undertook the project of building a senior center in 1993 to create a state-of-the-art public facility dedicated to its seniors with social events, services, life-enriching programs and clubs.
===Tournament of Roses Parade===
Since [[2002]], the City of Cerritos has participated in the [[Tournament of Roses Parade]] that is held every New Year's Day in [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]]. The City's [[2003]] float entitled, "Learning Can Be Magical," was awarded the Judges' Special Trophy for Showmanship and Dramatic Impact. In [[2004]], the City entered a float entitled "Rhapsody in Blue" which was awarded the Craftsman Trophy. For its [[2005]] float, "Families Make a Community," it was awarded the Tournament Special Trophy for exceptional merit in multiple categories.


=== Community and neighborhood parks ===
The City's [[2006]] Rose Parade float celebrated the Tournament of Roses Parade theme of "It's Magical" with a float entitled [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/gallery/float06.html "Magical Music Machine"]. The concept of the float salutes the wide variety of musical entertainment offered by the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in addition to commemorating the City's 50th anniversary.
[[File:Heritage Park, Cerritos, California.jpg|thumb|right|Heritage Park]]
[[Heritage Park (Cerritos, California)|Heritage Park]], a community park in the center of the city, pays tribute to [[American Revolutionary War|revolutionary America]] and the founding of the country. It re-opened to the public in 2002 with a refurbished colonial-themed play island and [[moat]].


Liberty Park, another community park in the western end of town, underwent massive renovation and re-opened to the public in February 2005. It features an updated community center, fitness center, rubberized jogging track and children's playground. Camp Liberty, a children's [[amphitheater]] within Liberty Park, has also been updated.
===Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts===
[[Image:Cerritos Performance Center.jpg|250px|right|thumb|The Cerritos Performing Arts Center box office.]]


[[Don Knabe Community Regional Park]] houses the Cerritos Sports Complex, the skate park and outdoor swimming pools. The unique characteristic is an artificial lake complete with sporting fish. [[Los Angeles County]] maintains 75% of Regional Park and Cerritos oversees the remaining 25%.
The '''Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts''' (CCPA) features performances in music, magic, [[comedy]], dance and drama. The centerpiece of the Cerritos Towne Center since 1993, the 154,000 square foot (14,300 m²) arts center is known to be a sophisticated theater. With movable seats, floors, ceilings and stage areas, the theater can transform into six distinctive seating configurations, ranging in capacity from 921 to 1,800 seats, ideal for dance, [[cabaret]], theater, solo, [[jazz]], classical and popular music events.


The city also has 18 neighborhood parks near residential tracts, an executive golf course and two community [[gym]]nasiums on the [[Cerritos High School|Cerritos]] and [[Whitney High School (Cerritos, California)]] campuses.
The adjacent Sierra Room features a smaller setting ideal for fashion shows, guest speakers and presentations. In addition, the facility houses three additional meeting and banquet areas.


== Government ==
The decision to build the CCPA was originally brought before the City Council in 1984. The plan was to either create a large theater to rival the Long Beach Terrace, Orange County Center, and [[Los Angeles Music Center]], or to build a modest community center and recital hall. Initial fears included having an audience of 300 people rattling around in an enormous [[white elephant]], but once the decision was made to proceed with the construction of a world-class performing arts center, it received unamious backing from the City Council.
Cerritos operates under a [[council–manager government|council–manager]] form of government, established by the charter of the city of Cerritos in 1958. The five-member city council acts as the city's chief policy-making body and as members of the Cerritos Redevelopment Agency.


=== Local government ===
As construction on the CCPA continued through the late 1980s, the cost of the project more than doubled the $17 million originally budgeted for the center. This was mainly due to the addition of artwork and state-of-the-art seating, lighting, and versatile rooms. The City Council elected to have a broad [[venue]] for the CCPA's opening season.


==== City Council ====
Towards the end of construction in the early 1990s, the creation of the CCPA had reached over $40 million. The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts would serve as a cultural icon for people in the community and formally opened its doors on [[January 9]], [[1993]] with a four-day gala performance by the late [[Frank Sinatra]].


The mayor, selected by the council, is its presiding officer and serves a one-year term. In the mayor's absence, the mayor [[pro tempore]] assumes his or her responsibilities. City Council elections were held on a Tuesday after the first Monday in April until the 2017 election. Effective with the 2020 California Primary election, the elections will be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in March of even-numbered years. Council members are elected to a four-year term and at-large. The mayor is Naresh Solanki.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/citygov/officials.html| title = Appointed City Officials| access-date = October 22, 2006| date = April 28, 2005| publisher = City of Cerritos}}</ref>
The CCPA collected four prestigious awards for design shortly after its opening and is named one of the top grossing theaters in its category in the United States.


==== Emergency services ====
===Cerritos Museum===
The Cerritos Sheriff's Station/Community Safety Center provides 24-hour safety services to Cerritos residents. Located in the Civic Center, the station houses the city's Community Safety Division and [[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department]] personnel. The station was constructed by a [[referendum]] in 1996 and inaugurated in 1997. In 2006, the city council approved the construction of a {{convert|5000|sqft|m2|-2|adj=on}} expansion to the sheriff's station, at a cost of $400,000.
In [[2004]], in an attempt to underscore the importance of life-long education, the City of Cerritos studied the feasibility of a world-class '''Cerritos Museum''' with an emphasis on civilization, history, science, technology and art. Slated to be located at the southeast corner of Bloomfield Avenue and 183rd Street, the Museum will have artwork from famous painters such as [[Degas]] and [[Rembrandt]]. In association with the [[Smithsonian]] Institute, part of the exhibits will be rotating and seasonal, and at the same time, display a permanent City collection. It will be located near the same Civic Center as the Cerritos Millennium Library, Cerritos Towne Center, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Cerritos City Hall, Cerritos Sheriff Station, and Cerritos High School.


Fire protection is provided by [[Los Angeles County Fire Department]] Station 30, the headquarters for Battalion 9, with ambulance transport by [[Care Ambulance Service]].
In [[2004]], the State of [[California]] planned to issue a $15 billion deficit reduction bond sale and take one-quarter of cities' sales tax revenue to secure the bond payments in order to pay the State Debt. The State promised, but did not offer a constitutional guarantee, to pay back the funds with future property tax proceeds in a scheme called the "triple flip." Under the triple-flip, Cerritos would lose nearly $6.5 million annually in sales tax revenue to the State, which is equal to 8.6 percent of its operating budget.


===Public services===
Due to uncertainty with the state's budget and its impact on the City, construction on the Cerritos Museum has been placed on hold until FY 2005-2006.
The [[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department]] operates the Cerritos Sheriff's Station and Community Safety Center, which was built into the Cerritos Civic Center. The {{convert|28000|sqft|sqm}} facility, built by the city, has a complaint/dispatch area, an 18-bed jail, administrative and detective personnel offices and a community meeting room.<ref>"[http://www.lasd.org/stations/for3/cerritos/index.html Cerritos Sheriff's Station and Community Safety Center] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127074338/http://www.lasd.org/stations/for3/cerritos/index.html |date=January 27, 2010 }}." [[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department]]. Retrieved on January 21, 2010.</ref> The sheriff's department operates the Lakewood Station in [[Lakewood, California|Lakewood]], serving Cerritos.<ref>"[http://www.lasd.org/stations/for3/lakewood/index.html Lakewood Station] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230224813/http://www.lasd.org/stations/for3/lakewood/index.html |date=December 30, 2009 }}." [[Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department]]. Retrieved on January 21, 2010.</ref>


The [[Los Angeles County Department of Health Services]] operates the Whittier Health Center in [[Whittier, California|Whittier]], serving Cerritos.<ref>"[http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/phn/docs/HealthCenter/whittier.pdf Whittier Health Center] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527190101/http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/phn/docs/HealthCenter/whittier.pdf |date=May 27, 2010 }}." [[Los Angeles County Department of Health Services]]. Retrieved on March 18, 2010.</ref>
===Cerritos Millennium Library===
[[Image:Cerritos_Library_1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Cerritos Library on Christmas Day.]]
The Cerritos Library originally opened to the public in September 17, 1973. Eight years later, the City made its first renovation to the library for $6.6 million. Twenty-one thousand square feet (2,000 m²) were added for $5.4 million, and the remaining $1.2 million was spent on furniture and equipment. The 1981 renovation also included a multipurpose room, which the local school district utilized to teach students about the local history of Cerritos.


The [[United States Postal Service]] operates the Cerritos post office at 18122 Carmenita Road.<ref>"[https://archive.today/20120723215829/http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/24398?p=1&s=CA&service_name=post_office&z=Cerritos Post Office Location - CERRITOS]." ''[[United States Postal Service]]''. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.</ref>
In the late 1990s, Cerritos recognized the ever-changing innovation in technology and plans for a second renovation were approved.


===State and federal representation===
The City sought advice from a team of top library experts, including librarians at [[Harvard University]]. During the reconstruction, all materials were moved off site to temporary trailers in the parking lot of the Towne Center for two years. The second renovation and expansion was completed on March 16th, 2002.[[Image:Cerritos Millienium Library Rendering 3.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A model of the Cerritos Public Library.]]
In the [[California State Legislature]], Cerritos is in {{Representative|casd|36|fmt=sdistrict}}, and in {{Representative|caad|67|fmt=adistrict}}.<ref>{{Cite web
| url = https://statewidedatabase.org/gis/districtscomp.html
| title = California Districts
| publisher = UC Regents
| access-date = January 5, 2023
}}</ref>


In the [[United States House of Representatives]], Cerritos is in {{Representative|cacd|45|fmt=district}}.<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|45}}</ref>
At the time of its rededication, the newly renamed '''Cerritos Millennium Library''' was the first building in North America to be coated in [[titanium]] panels (like the [[Guggenheim Museum Bilbao]]). This $40 million library features an elaborate interior design, with themed reading rooms in a variety of [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/gallery/library/old_world.html Old World] and [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/gallery/library/young_adults.html ultramodern styles]. A third floor was added to include several [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/gallery/library/conference_center2.html conference rooms] and an outdoor terrace.


== Education ==
The library is the first "Experience Library" and welcomes 2.1 million visitors a year. The interior utilizes neon lighting, stainless steel, marble, wood, and glass. Computers for basic Web surfing and catalog access are scattered throughout the library.


=== Primary and secondary schools ===
The Cerritos Library currently holds a Smithsonian Affiliation. It has been awarded ''American Library Association/American Institute of Architects'' "Award of Excellence" back in 1989. It was also honored with ''Reader's Digest's'' 2004 Best Library Award.


==== Public schools ====
==Education==
The majority of Cerritos is under the jurisdiction of the [[ABC Unified School District]]. A small portion on the west side of the city bounded by Palo Verde Avenue on the west, the San Gabriel River on the east, Artesia Boulevard on the north and South Street on the south is under the jurisdiction of the [[Bellflower Unified School District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06037_los_angeles/DC20SD_C06037.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Los Angeles County, CA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|pages=10-12 (PDF pp. 11-13/19)|access-date=November 22, 2023}}</ref>
[[Image:Cerritos High School.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The north entrance to Cerritos High School.]]
The majority of Cerritos is under the jurisdiction of the [[ABC Unified School District]]. In 1965, Artesia (founded in 1875), Bloomfield (founded in 1885), and Carmenita (founded in 1902) School Districts unified and became known as the ABC Unified School District.


Children in the ABCUSD portion of Cerritos attend a neighborhood elementary school (kindergarten to 6th grade) before going to a middle school (7th and 8th grade) and then a high school (9th to 12th grade) unless admitted to [[Whitney High School (Cerritos, California)|Whitney High School]], which covers 7th to 12th grade. Whitney High School is ranked as the best school in California, ahead of neighboring Oxford Academy, and 27th nationwide according to a 2012 [[U.S. News & World Report]] study.
There is a small portion on the west side of the City bounded by Palo Verde Avenue on the west, the San Gabriel River on the east, Artesia Boulevard on the north, and South Street on the south that is under the jurisdiction of the [[Bellflower Unified School District]] [http://www.busd.k12.ca.us/].
[[File:Cerritos_College_Cerritos_CA.jpg|alt=Sign for college with Cerritos College logo of a C within a C. Sign is in a pedestrian plaza with buildings in background.|thumb|Cerritos College, Cerritos CA]]


==== Private schools ====
Children in Cerritos attend a neighborhood elementary school before going onto a larger middle school or high school. The area is served by several high schools, one adult school, and one [[community college]]. [[Cerritos College]] is named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a ranch that served prominently in the region in the 19th century. The college serves as part of the inspiration for the renaming of the City from Dairy Valley to Cerritos.
[[Valley Christian High School (Cerritos, California)|Valley Christian High School]] is one of the largest private Protestant schools in Los Angeles County.


=== Colleges and universities ===
Eighty-five percent of high school graduates go on to higher education. Ten percent of the total population has an [[associates degree]], 26% get a [[bachelors degree]], and 11% get an advanced degree.
Cerritos is also serviced by [[Cerritos College]] and [[Fremont College]].


=== Education of citizens ===
==Parks and Recreation==
Eighty-five percent of high school graduates go on to higher education. Ten percent of the total population have an [[associates degree]], 26% have a [[bachelor's degree]] and 11% have an advanced degree.
===Cerritos Senior Center at Pat Nixon Park===
The [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/gallery/sencenter.html '''Cerritos Senior Center'''] pays tribute to the late First Lady. [[Patricia Nixon]], wife of the 37th President of the United States, [[Richard M. Nixon]], lived in [[Artesia, California|Artesia]]. However, due to boundary changes, the site of her old home (the Senior Center) is now in Cerritos.


== Transportation ==
The City of Cerritos undertook this project in [[1993]] to create a state-of-the-art public facility dedicated to its seniors, age 50 or older, with social events, services and life enriching programs. The Senior Center also provides intergenerational activities, [[English as an additional language|English as a Second Language]] (ESL) classes and a variety of club opportunities. The Senior Center also hosts an annual citywide Holiday Boutique, a Senior Health Fair, Grandparents Week and Monte Carlo Night.
The city of Cerritos owns a fleet of federally funded buses known as the '''Cerritos On Wheels''' (or COW),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cerritos.us/RESIDENTS/transportation/cow.php|title=City of Cerritos - Cerritos on Wheels (COW)|website=www.cerritos.us}}</ref> which has stops throughout town. The acronym "COW" is a tribute to the city's origins as Dairy Valley, when cows outnumbered residents. The propane-fueled COW also connects to the [[Long Beach Transit]], [[Orange County Transportation Authority]], [[Norwalk Transit (California)|Norwalk Transit]] and [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority|Los Angeles MTA]] buses at overlapping stops on the borders of the city. [[Wi-Fi]] internet access is also accessible on the buses.


In conjunction with the COW, the city also provides a [[Dial-A-Ride]] service for its disabled and elderly commuters.
===Cerritos Olympic Swim & Fitness Center===
[[Image:Olympic Swim Center 3.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The Swim Center seen from the outside.]]
The [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/swimcenter.html '''Cerritos Olympic Swim & Fitness Center'''] provides year-round, indoor recreational, instructional and competitive swimming. The Fitness Center offers a multi-max station, treadmills, stair climbers, lifecycles and locker room facilities.


Cerritos is directly served by three major California freeways:
The swim center underwent renovations in late [[November 2005]] with pool recementing and skylighting updates.
* [[California State Route 91|SR 91]] (the Artesia Freeway) cuts through the center of the city.
* [[Interstate 605]] (the San Gabriel River Freeway) runs along the west side between the Los Cerritos Center and Auto Square.
* [[Interstate 5 in California|Interstate 5]] (the [[Santa Ana Freeway]]) grazes Cerritos at the northeast border.


The major thoroughfares in Cerritos are Alondra Boulevard, Artesia Boulevard, Bloomfield Avenue, Carmenita Road, Del Amo Boulevard, Norwalk Boulevard, Pioneer Boulevard, Shoemaker Avenue, South Street, Studebaker Road and Valley View Avenue.
The Swim Center was used by Olympians for swimming practices during the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in Los Angeles.


The nearby [[Port of Los Angeles]] and [[Port of Long Beach]] are major ports of entry from the Pacific Ocean for importing and exporting goods.
===Neighborhood Parks===
Cerritos has 18 neighborhood parks located adjacent to most of the housing stock.


Airports that serve Cerritos include [[Los Angeles International Airport]] (LAX), [[John Wayne Airport]] in [[Orange County, California|Orange County]], [[Bob Hope Airport]] in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], [[Ontario International Airport]] and the [[Long Beach Municipal Airport]].
The 18 neighborhood parks include:
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/bettencourt.html '''Bettencourt Park'''] (technically in the city of La Palma, but is maintained by Cerritos under a joint powers agreement)
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/brookhaven.html '''Brookhaven Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/ecology.html '''Ecology Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/elranchoverde.html '''El Rancho Verde Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/friendship2.html '''Friendship Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/frontier.html '''Frontier Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/gridley.html '''Gridley Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/jacob.html '''Jacob Park'''], [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/gallery/jacob.html another photo]
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/gonsalves.html '''Joe A. Gonsalves Park'''] (formerly called Carmenita Park, renamed in 2000 in honor of the former city council member and assembly member)
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/loma.html '''Loma Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/seniors/senior_center2.html '''Pat Nixon Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/rainbow.html '''Rainbow Park'''] (technically in the city of La Palma, but is maintained by Cerritos under a joint powers agreement)
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/reservoir.html '''Reservoir Hill Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/rosewood.html '''Rosewood Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/saddleback.html '''Saddleback Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/satellite.html '''Satellite Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/sunshine.html '''Sunshine Park''']
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/westgate.html '''Westgate Park''']


== Notable people ==
===Community Parks===
* [[Troy Aikman]], [[American football]] [[quarterback]] for the [[Dallas Cowboys]] and member of the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hollandsworth |first1=Skip |title=The Real Troy Aikman |journal=Texas Monthly |date=December 1998 |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/the-real-troy-aikman/}}</ref>
The "central park" of the City is '''Cerritos Park East''' (CPE), a municipal park where the yearly "Let Freedom Ring" Independence Day celebration takes place. The event in CPE is one of the largest "Let Freedom Ring" celebrations in the country. The Olympic Swim and Fitness Center is located on the grounds of CPE.
* [[Marcelo Balboa]], [[Major League Soccer|MLS]] [[Colorado Rapids]] and [[United States men's national soccer team|US national soccer team]] member.<ref>{{cite news|last1=McLeod|first1=Paul|title=U.S. Soccer Team's Marcelo Balboa Would Be Famous Anywhere Else|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-04-sp-2645-story.html|access-date=May 5, 2017|newspaper=LA Times|date=July 4, 1991}}</ref>
* [[Bret Barberie]], former second baseman for the [[Florida Marlins]], once married to TV news star [[Jillian Barberie]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Jillian Barberie Gets Married|year=2006|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1212600,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930230126/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1212600,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 30, 2007|author=Marla Lehner|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date=December 2, 2008}}</ref>
* [[Johnny Chan]], professional poker player.<ref>{{cite web|title=WSOP Player Profile|url=https://www.wsop.com/players/profile/?playerid=262|website=WSOP|access-date=May 5, 2017}}</ref>
* [[Morris Chestnut]], actor.
* [[Robby Gordon]], a [[NASCAR]] [[Sprint Cup Series|Sprint Cup]] driver, was born and raised in Cerritos. He lives in [[Orange, California]].
* [[Rickey Cradle]], [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] baseball player for the Seattle Mariners.<ref name="Keisser 2013">{{cite book | last=Keisser | first=B. | title=Baseball in Long Beach | publisher=Arcadia Publishing Incorporated | series=Sports | year=2013 | isbn=978-1-62584-066-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ua52CQAAQBAJ | access-date=May 5, 2017}}</ref>
* [[Ben Howland]], [[UCLA]] men's basketball head coach.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/ben_howland_230817.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130412011700/http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/ben_howland_230817.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 12, 2013|title=Ben Howland Bio - UCLA Official Athletic Site|date=April 12, 2013|work=archive.is|access-date=June 11, 2018}}</ref>
*[[Jimmy Kim]], [[taekwondo]] practitioner and instructor who won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the [[Taekwondo at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Summer Olympics]] in Seoul, South Korea.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-12-sp-327-story.html|title=On an Olympic Kick : Taekwondo Expert Hopes for the Gold in Martial Art|last=BOXALL|first=BETTINA|date=August 12, 1988|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 11, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref>
* [[Eddie Lewis (American soccer)|Eddie Lewis]], professional soccer player.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lagalaxy.com/post/2010/10/20/la-galaxy-midfielder-eddie-lewis-retire-following-2010-mls-season|title=LA Galaxy Midfielder Eddie Lewis to Retire Following 2010 MLS Season|date=October 20, 2010|website=L.A. Galaxy}}</ref>
* [[Roger Lodge]], host of the reality show ''[[Blind Date (U.S. TV series)|Blind Date]]'' and radio sports announcer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jeffpearlman.com/roger-lodge/|title=Roger Lodge {{!}} Jeff Pearlman|website=www.jeffpearlman.com|date=October 6, 2015 |language=en-US|access-date=June 11, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Shane Mack (baseball)|Shane Mack]], former MLB baseball player.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wagner|first1=Dick|title=Gahr High's Bergeron Puts Emphasis on Fundamentals : Baseball: Even with a successful record, the coach has never lost sight of the basics.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-04-hl-2821-story.html|access-date=May 5, 2017|newspaper=LA Times|date=April 4, 1991}}</ref>
* [[Justin H. Min]], actor.
* [[Nakoula Basseley Nakoula]], filmmaker of ''[[Innocence of Muslims]].''<ref>{{cite news|title=Journalists at the Cerritos, Calif., house of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, who officials said helped create a controversial video.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/09/14/world/director.html|access-date=September 14, 2012|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 14, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Pat Nixon]], [[First Lady]] and wife of President [[Richard Nixon]]. Her family owned a [[Market garden|truck farm]] formerly in Artesia, but now in Cerritos. Her childhood home was at what is now [[Cerritos Senior Center at Pat Nixon Park|Pat Nixon Park]].<ref name="Hendricks 2015 p. 316">{{cite book | last=Hendricks | first=N. | title=America's First Ladies: A Historical Encyclopedia and Primary Document Collection of the Remarkable Women of the White House: A Historical Encyclopedia and Primary Document Collection of the Remarkable Women of the White House | publisher=ABC-CLIO | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-61069-883-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KqeXCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA316 | access-date=May 5, 2017 | page=316}}</ref>
* [[Max Park]], an expert [[Rubik's Cube]] solver<ref>{{Cite news|last=McDuff|first=Tammye|date=June 16, 2016|title=Cerritos Resident is North America's #1 Rubik's Cube Champion|url=http://www.loscerritosnews.net/2016/06/16/cerritos-resident-is-north-americas-1-rubiks-cube-champion/|access-date=August 9, 2020|work=[[Cerritos Community News]]|publisher=Hews Media Group}}</ref>
* [[Lela Rochon]], actress.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PTsDAAAAMBAJ|title=Jet|date=October 27, 1997|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Jorge Salcedo (soccer)|Jorge Salcedo]], NCAA soccer coach at [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Jorge Salcedo Named UCLA Men's Soccer Head Coach |url=https://pac-12.com/article/2004/02/06/jorge-salcedo-named-ucla-mens-soccer-head-coach |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831175025/https://pac-12.com/article/2004/02/06/jorge-salcedo-named-ucla-mens-soccer-head-coach |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 31, 2018 |access-date=January 4, 2020 |work=Pac-12 News}}</ref> and [[LA Galaxy|L.A. Galaxy]] team member.<ref>{{cite web |title=LA Galaxy Profile |url=https://www.lagalaxy.com/starmap/jorge-salcedo |website=LA Galaxy |publisher=lagalaxy.com |access-date=January 4, 2020}}</ref>
*[[Jae Park]], former lead guitarist and vocalist of DAY6 (Korean Rock Band). He's now a solo artist who goes by eaJ.
* [[Kirsten Vangsness]], actress and writer.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://recorderonline.com/news/vangsness-ready-to-make-a-mess/article_ad2bba82-6d02-11e7-96db-bbb4bcb93653.html?mode=jqm|title=Vangsness ready to make a 'Mess'|work=Porterville Recorder|access-date=June 11, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Jim Zorn]], former NFL coach and quarterback.
* [[Chad Allen (actor)|Chad Allen]] - Actor


== In popular culture ==
[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/gallery/heritage.html '''Heritage Park'''], a community park in the center of the City, pays tribute to Revolutionary America and the founding of the country. It had a grand re-opening to the public in [[2002]] complete with a refurbished [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/heritagepark.html colonial themed play island] and [[moat]].
According to the [[Internet Movie Database]] (IMDb), the following productions have either been partially or entirely filmed in Cerritos:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/List?locations=Cerritos,+California,+USA&&tv=on|title=IMDB Filming Location|website=[[IMDb]] }}{{Dead link|date=June 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
{{Div col}}
* ''Almost There!'' (TV series, 1988)
* [[I'm Ready (Sam Smith and Demi Lovato song)|I'm Ready]] (music video, 2020)
* ''[[Wayne's World (film)|Wayne's World]]'' (1992)
* ''Imminent Contact'' (1992)
* ''Until Tomorrow Comes'' (1992)
* ''McAllister Affair'' (TV series, 1992)
* ''[[Coneheads (film)|Coneheads]]'' (1993)
* ''[[She's All That]]'' (1999)
* ''The Flip Side'' (2001)
* ''[[Anokha]]'' (2004)
* ''A Modest Proposal'' (2006)
* ''Illegal'' (2007)
* ''Eli's Liquor Store'' (2007)
* ''The First Time'' (2007)
* ''[[Thunder (Boys Like Girls song)|Thunder]]'' (music video, 2008)
{{div col end}}The main setting of ''[[Star Trek: Lower Decks]]'', the ''California''-class [[starship]] ''USS Cerritos'', is named for the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/star-trek-lower-decks-cerritos-name-meaning-explained/|title='Star Trek: Lower Decks Cerritos name meaning explained|website=[[Screen Rant]] |date=July 15, 2020 |access-date=August 6, 2020}}</ref>


In the [[Apple TV+]] show ''[[Mythic Quest]]'', the character David Brittlesbee lives in and commutes to Los Angeles from Cerritos in Season 3<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCune |first=Melody |date=November 24, 2022 |title=MYTHIC QUEST Recap: (S03E04) The Two Joes |url=https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/mythic-quest-recap-season-3-episode-4-the-two-joes/ |website=Geek Girl Authority}}</ref>
[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/gallery/liberty.html '''Liberty Park'''], another community park in the western part of town, underwent massive renovation and reopened to the public in February 2005 and features an updated community center, fitness center, rubberized jogging track, and children's playground. '''Camp Liberty''', a children's amphitheater located within Liberty Park, is slated to be renovated during the 2006-2007 fiscal year.


== Sister cities ==
'''Cerritos Regional Park''' houses the [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/soccerkids.html '''Cerritos Sports Complex'''], the [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/skatephoto.html '''skate park'''], and outdoor swimming pools. The unique characteristic is an artificial lake complete with sporting fish. [[Los Angeles County]] maintains 75 percent of Regional Park and Cerritos oversees the remaining 25 percent.
* {{Flagicon|Brazil}} [[Itapetinga]], [[Bahia]], Brazil<ref>[http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/CA Sister Cities International] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116164532/http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/CA |date=January 16, 2008 }}</ref>


== See also ==
[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/cityserv/recreation/golfcourse.html '''Iron-Wood Nine'''] is the local executive golf course. The driving range is lighted and offers the option of hitting off grass or mats. The course also rents out clubs and hand carts.
{{Portal|Greater Los Angeles}}


* [[Cerritos Auto Square]]
===Public gymnasiums===
* [[Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts]]
Organized sports and activities are available at two community gymnasiums, built through the cooperation of the City of Cerritos and the ABC Unified School District. Each gym contains 2 full-size [[basketball]] courts, 2 [[volleyball]] courts, and 6 [[badminton]] courts. They are located on the [[Cerritos High School|Cerritos]] and [[Whitney High School (Cerritos, California)|Whitney high school]] campuses.
* [[Cerritos College]]
* [[Cerritos Library]]
* [[Cerritos Senior Center at Pat Nixon Park]]
* [[Cerritos Towne Center]]
* [[Cerritos Veterans Memorial]]
* [[Los Cerritos Center]]


==Major Capital Projects==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
According to the City Manager's budget for FY 2005-2006, several major capital projects will be undertaken by the City of Cerritos within the next year. These include:
*Civic Center Sculpture Garden and Park ($1,250,000)
*Cerritos Senior Center expansion ($1,200,000)
*Liberty Park improvements ($1,100,000)
*Swim/Fitness Center renovation ($450,000)
*Veteran's Memorial at the Civic Center ($330,000)
*Cerritos Park East running track ($325,000)
*Groundwater system at the Corporate Yard ($125,000)


== Further reading ==
==City Image==
* [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/library/history/contents.html The Story of Cerritos: A History in Progress] by Marilyn Cenovich
[[Image:Cerritos Fountain.jpg|300px|thumb|right|A Cerritos waterfall; part of the City's beautification plans.]]
* [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/atoz/history.html History of Cerritos]
Well-maintained public right-of-ways are often cited as one of Cerritos' unique characteristics as a planned community. Prime examples of this come in the form of strictly enforced [[ordinances]] and customs. Some include:
* [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cerritos3sep03,1,4110493.story?ctrack=1&cset=true A Los Angeles Times article on Cerritos]
*Meandering sidewalks, which help maintain a park-like environment.
* [http://www.vestar.com Images from Vestar's website: The Cerritos Towne Center development company]
*"Little hills" located on public and commercial property so as to reinforce the idea of ''cerritos'' and maintain [[aesthetics]].
* [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/citygov/budget/budget05.pdf The Cerritos 2005–2006 budget]
*A public artwork fund in which local business must contribute to if they choose not to commission a piece of art on their premises (equal to one-half of 1% of the assessed total value of the property site).
* [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/citygov/budget/letter.html The City Manager's Letter to the City Council 2005]
*Cleaning pet waste.
* [http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/12/11/sprj.ws.wifi.city.ap/ CNN Article On Wireless Network]
*Constructing landscaped medians on all major roads.
* [https://archive.today/20130131200810/http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204%257E21474%257E2866777,00.html Press Telegram Article On 2006 Capital Projects]
*Keeping trash cans out of sight until trash day.
* [http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/comnews/PressReleases/2006/sculpture.html Cerritos Sculpture Garden press release]
*Replacing parkway trees at no cost and meticulously maintaining lawns of neglectful residents.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050129010045/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5072/is_47_24/ai_97616281 Los Angeles Business Journal article on Cerritos]
*Conducting a yearly competition, the City Wide Pride program, to recognize outstanding property upkeep.
* Eftychiou, Audrey. <u>Cerritos At 50: Celebrating Our Past and Our Future</u>. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 2006.
*Citing owners of inoperable vehicles who keep their cars within public view.
* [http://www.cerritos.us/_pdfs/state_of_the_city_2010.pdf 2010 State of the City Presentation]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*Having strict and limited sign-posting ordinances.
* [http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9655054&CFID=15729487&CFTOKEN=39271809 August 16, 2007 Edition of The Economist feature on Cerritos]
*All utility lines placed underground to prevent [[blight (urban)|blight]] and damage.
*Prohibiting [[Billboard (advertising)|billboard]] advertising.
*Restricting store signage that is not lit well at night and fall on top of an opaque background.
*An ordinance that outlaws drive-through windows.
*No [[parking]] on all City streets between 3am and 5am every day (waved the week of Thanksgiving and the second half of December). This ordinance is intended to discourage abandoned vehicles, and encourage residents to park their cars either in their garages or their driveways. Exceptions are given to households with 5 or more vehicles. Each household is allowed up to 30 days of overnight parking per year.


==External links==
==Trivia and Quick Facts==
{{Wikivoyage|Cerritos}}
[[Image:Towne Center Gore Area 2.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The Cerritos Towne Center Gore Area seen from the 91 Freeway at night.]]
{{Commons category|Cerritos, California}}
*According to the California Association of Realtors (CAR), the [[median]] price of a single-family home in Cerritos is approximately $690,000 as of August 2005.
* {{Official website}}
*The last dairy building in Cerritos was demolished in March 1989.
* [http://www.cerritos.org/ Cerritos Chamber of Commerce]
*The name "Cerritos" was voted in on January 10th, 1967 in order to establish a romantic tie to California's past. Other names that were considered were "Los Coyotes" (turned down because of a negative connotation, though more historically accurate), and "Freeway City" (lacked the sophistication and class that the Cerritos Chamber of Commerce desired).
*[https://map.chronicle.rip/Artesia_Cemetery Artesia Cemetery deceased records and online map] at Chronicle Cemetery Map
*Cerritos has the first and largest deployment of a wireless-fidelity Internet network ([[Wi-Fi]]) in the world. The coverage area completely encompasses all 8.9 square miles and allows subscribers with a wireless [[Ethernet]] card to access the Internet from anywhere within the city boundaries.
*[[Troy Aikman]] a famous former football player, lived in Cerritos until the age of 12.
*The most celebrated audience member has been His Royal Highness [[Prince Charles]] of [[Wales]], attending a performance of ''[[Henry VI]]'' by the Royal Shakespeare Company, in November 1994.
*A limited edition replica of the [http://beyonddc.com/images/photos/va/rosslyn/freedompark07-statue-freedom.jpg ''Statue of Freedom''] located on top of the [[US Capitol]] building is going to be placed in the Cerritos Sculpture Garden at the Civic Center. The replica will be on an elaborate pedestal and is only one of three replicas that the artist will make. The artist will keep possession of one of the replicas and the other will be in the [[Newseum]] in [[Arlington, VA]].
*The City of Cerritos has received the title of "Tree City USA" for the seventh straight year by the National Arbor Day Foundation. The honor is given to select cities throughout the country for their outstanding community forestry programs and commitment to their urban forest. Among the program requirements are the existence of a tree commission, a current tree ordinance, a comprehensive forestry program and an [[Arbor Day]] observance.
*The City of Cerritos has an active [[sister city]] relationship with the City of [[Loreto, Baja California Sur]], Mexico. The program is administered by the City Manager's Office.
*According to the [[Internet Movie Database]] (IMDB), the following productions have either been partially or entirely filmed in Cerritos:
**[[Wayne's World]] ([[1992]])
**[[She's All That]] ([[1999]])
**[[Coneheads]] ([[1993]])
**[[Pee-Wee's Big Adventure]] ([[1985]])
**"Almost There!" (TV series [[1988]])
**Until Tomorrow Comes ([[1992]])
**"McAllister Affair" (TV series [[1992]])
**Anokha ([[2004]])
**Goldengirl ([[1979]])
**Imminent Contact ([[1992]])
**People Like Us ([[2005]])
**Restive Planet ([[2004]])


{{Geographic location
==References==
|title = '''Destinations from Cerritos'''
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/library/history/contents.html The Story of Cerritos: A History in Progress] by Marilyn Cenovich
|Centre = Cerritos
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/atoz/history.html History of Cerritos]
|North = [[Norwalk, California|Norwalk]]<br />[[Artesia, California|Artesia]]<br />[[Norwalk, California|Norwalk]]<br />[[Santa Fe Springs, California|Santa Fe Springs]]
*[http://beyonddc.com Link to an image of the ''Statue of Freedom'']
|Northeast = [[La Mirada]]<br />[[Santa Fe Springs]]
*[http://www.vestar.com Images from Vestar's website: The Cerritos Towne Center development company]
|East = [[Santa Fe Springs]]<br />[[La Mirada]]<br />[[Buena Park]]<br />[[La Palma, California|La Palma]]
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/citygov/budget/budget05.pdf The Cerritos 2005-2006 budget]
|Southeast = [[Lakewood, California|Lakewood]]
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/citygov/budget/letter.html The City Manager's Letter to the City Council 2005]
|South = [[Lakewood, California|Lakewood]]
*[http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/12/11/sprj.ws.wifi.city.ap/ CNN Article On Wireless Network]
|Southwest = [[Lakewood, California|Lakewood]]
*[http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204%257E21474%257E2866777,00.html Press Telegram Article On 2006 Capital Projects]
|West = [[Bellflower, California|Bellflower]]

|Northwest = [[Bellflower, California|Bellflower]]
==External links==
}}
*[http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/ City of Cerritos Official Website]
{{Cerritos, California}}
*[http://www.cerritos.org/ Cerritos Chamber of Commerce]
{{Los Angeles County, California}}
*[http://www.cerritoscenter.com/ Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts]
{{Greater Los Angeles Area}}
*[http://www.cerritosautosquare.com/ Cerritos Auto Square]
{{Gateway Cities}}
*[http://www.shopcerritos.com Shopping in Cerritos]
*[http://www.shoploscerritos.com/ Los Cerritos Center Website]
*[http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&&csz=Cerritos CA &Get%A0Map=Get Map Yahoo! Map of Cerritos, CA]
*{{Mapquest|address=|city=Cerritos|state=CA|zip=90703|country=US|text=Cerritos, CA 90703}}
{{Mapit-US-cityscale|33.868314|-118.067547}}


{{authority control}}
{{Cities of Los Angeles County, California}}
[[Category:Cities in Los Angeles County]]


[[de:Cerritos]]
[[Category:Cerritos, California| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:Gateway Cities]]
[[Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California]]

Latest revision as of 22:40, 9 January 2025

For other uses of the Spanish word "Cerrito" or "Cerritos", see Cerrito (disambiguation).

Cerritos, California
City
Cerritos Library in 2004
Cerritos Library in 2004
Flag of Cerritos, California
Flag
Official seal of Cerritos, California
Seal
Motto(s): 
"A City With Vision", "Progress Through Commitment", "A History In Progress", "A Prestige Address"
Location of Cerritos in Los Angeles County, California.
Location of Cerritos in Los Angeles County, California.
Cerritos is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Cerritos
Cerritos
Location within Greater Los Angeles
Cerritos is located in California
Cerritos
Cerritos
Location in California
Cerritos is located in the United States
Cerritos
Cerritos
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 33°52′6″N 118°4′3″W / 33.86833°N 118.06750°W / 33.86833; -118.06750
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyLos Angeles
IncorporatedApril 24, 1956[1]
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager
 • Body
City council[2]
  • Lynda P. Johnson
  • Chuong Vo
  • Frank Aurelio Yokoyama
 • MayorBruce W. Barrows
 • Mayor pro temNaresh Solanki
 • City managerRobert A. Lopez[3]
Area
[4]
 • Total
8.86 sq mi (22.94 km2)
 • Land8.73 sq mi (22.60 km2)
 • Water0.13 sq mi (0.34 km2)  1.48%
Elevation
[5]
46 ft (14 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
49,578
 • Density5,680.99/sq mi (2,193.45/km2)
Time zoneUTC−8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP Codes
90701, 90703
Area code562
FIPS code06-12552
GNIS feature IDs241229, 2409431
Websitewww.cerritos.us

Cerritos (/səˈriːtoʊz/; Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of 2019, the population was 49,859. It is part of the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, California Metropolitan Statistical Area designated by the Office of Management and Budget.

History

[edit]
Don Juan Temple purchased Rancho Los Cerritos, covering modern day Cerritos, in 1843.

Cerritos was originally inhabited by Native Americans belonging to the Tongva (or "People of the Earth"). The Tongva were called the "Gabrieleños" by the Spanish settlers after the nearby Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The Tongva were the largest group of indigenous peoples in Southern California as well as the most developed in the region.[6] The Tongva lived off the land, deriving food from the animals or plants that could be gathered, snared or hunted, and grinding acorns as a staple.[6]

Beginning in the late 15th century, Spanish explorers arrived in the New World and worked their way to the California coast in 1542. The colonization process included “civilizing” the native populations in California by establishing various missions. Soon afterward, a town called El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula (Los Angeles today) would be founded and prosper with the aid of subjects from New Spain and Native American labor.[6]

One soldier, José Manuel Nieto, was granted a large plot of land by the Spanish King Carlos III, which he named Rancho Los Nietos. It covered 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) of what are today the cities of Cerritos, Long Beach, Lakewood, Downey, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, part of Whittier, Huntington Beach, Buena Park and Garden Grove.[6]

The rancho was divided five ways among Nieto's heirs during the nationalization of church property by the Mexican government, with Juan José Nieto retaining the largest plot, called Rancho Los Coyotes. Nieto called the area of Rancho Los Coyotes "cerritos" or "little hills".

After the Mexican–American War, the rancho would eventually wind up in the hands of the Los Angeles and San Bernardino Land Company, which encouraged development and rail lines to be built by Henry E. Huntington and his Pacific Electric Railway company. It was through rapid development, combined with improved transportation systems, that the modern-day city of Artesia was formed in Rancho Los Coyotes in 1875, and from it, the city of Dairy Valley.

Cranford Airport, a small general-aviation airport, was built around 1946 and consisted of two 2,300-foot runways, one oriented north–south & the other northeast–southwest. Each runway had a parallel taxiway, and a ramp along the south side of the field had two building hangars. The former airport site is on the northwest corner of the intersection of South Street & Carmenita Road. Cranford Airport closed at some point between 1953 and 1954.[7]

The city of Dairy Valley was incorporated on April 24, 1956, as a reaction to nearby Artesia's rapid urbanization. The city's name symbolized the more than 400 dairies, 100,000 cows and 106,300 chickens found within its limits. The cows outnumbered the 3,439 residents by a factor of 29 to 1. The chickens outnumbered the residents by over 30 to 1. The first business license in the new city was for Walter Marlowe's "Dairy Valley Egg Farms".

Two years later, Dairy Valley voted to become a chartered California city. As land values and property taxes in California rose in the early 1960s, agriculture became increasingly unprofitable, and development pressures increased. In a special election held on July 16, 1963, residents voted to permit large-scale residential development. As a reflection of its newly planned suburban orientation, the city's name was formally changed to Cerritos on January 10, 1967, after the nearby Spanish land grant Rancho Los Cerritos, which figured prominently in the region, and after Cerritos College in neighboring Norwalk.

Cerritos is a prime example of the "fiscalization" of California politics after the tax revolt of the 1970s and the passage of Proposition 13. The only way for California cities to raise long-term tax revenue in light of Proposition 13 was to create as many commercial zones as possible to take advantage of the percentage of county sales tax allocated back to municipalities as sales tax revenue. Cerritos was one of the first cities in Los Angeles County to successfully develop large-scale retail zones, such as the Los Cerritos Center and Cerritos Auto Square. City leaders reinvested funds into the community with large public works projects and an increasing number of community services and programs.

The current progressive nature of the Cerritos government and the unusually strong tax base is best reflected in its facilities. In 1978, Cerritos dedicated the nation's first solar-heated City Hall complex. In 1993, the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors. In 1994, the City unveiled the Cerritos Towne Center project, combining office, retail, lodging, fine arts and dining in an open-air location. In 1997, the city opened the Cerritos Sheriff's Station/Community Safety Center to provide public safety services. In 2002, the City rededicated its public library. In 2006, the City celebrated its golden anniversary with memorials and the unveiling of a sculpture garden. The assessed valuation of the city is $7,177,428,066.[8]

Between 1970 and 1972, Cerritos was the fastest-growing city in California;[9] the population skyrocketed from 16,000 to 38,000. Since the 1980s, Cerritos has attracted a large number of Filipino, Korean, Taiwanese, Indian and Chinese immigrant families.[10]

On August 31, 1986, Aeroméxico Flight 498, on approach to Los Angeles International Airport from Mexico City, was struck by a small Piper aircraft that had strayed into a Terminal Control Area without clearance from Air Traffic Control. The Piper crashed into Cerritos Elementary School's unoccupied playground, but the Douglas DC-9 fell inverted (upside-down) and plowed into dense residential zones, immediately flattening four houses. The resulting fire destroyed eight more houses before firefighters could bring it under control. A total of 82 people died, including 15 people on the ground. A sculpture in the Cerritos Sculpture Garden memorializes the incident.

Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.9 square miles (23.05 km2); 8.7 square miles (22.53 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (1.48%) is water.

Cerritos lies along the Los Angeles County and Orange County border. The cities bordering Cerritos on the Los Angeles County side include Artesia in the center, Bellflower, Lakewood, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs and La Mirada. Buena Park and La Palma border the city on the Orange County side. Other cities in the region include Cypress in Orange County, and Hawaiian Gardens and Long Beach in Los Angeles County.

The former postal ZIP code of Cerritos was 90701 and was shared with the city of Artesia; however, it was later changed to the exclusive 90703 to accommodate the increasing number of new addresses in the city during the mid-1990s.

Climate

[edit]
Cerritos, California
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Cerritos, as well as most of coastal Southern California, generally has a Mediterranean climate. Summers are warm to hot, and winters are mild, rarely falling below freezing. Precipitation occurs predominantly during the winter months.

Cerritos also has a unique "semi-marine" climate pattern within Los Angeles County. The fog that typically covers the beach cities rarely reaches Cerritos, but the breeze that comes along the San Gabriel River from the Pacific Ocean has a significant cooling effect. As a result, Cerritos is rarely affected by the smog, Santa Ana winds and smothering heat of the Los Angeles Basin.[11]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880166—
19603,508—
197015,856352.0%
198053,020234.4%
199053,2400.4%
200051,488−3.3%
201049,041−4.8%
202049,5781.1%
2022 (est.)47,475−4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

The 2010 United States census[13] reported that Cerritos had a population of 49,041. The population density was 5,537.6 inhabitants per square mile (2,138.1/km2). The racial makeup of Cerritos was 11,341 (23.1%) White (16.6% non-Hispanic White),[14] 3,388 (6.9%) African-American, 131 (0.3%) Native American, 30,363 (61.9%) Asian, 138 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 1,822 (3.7%) from other races and 1,858 (3.8%) from two or more races. There were 5,883 Hispanic or Latino residents, of any race (12.0%).

The census reported 48,937 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 86 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and 18 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 15,526 households, out of which 5,724 (36.9%) had children under the age of 18, 10,843 (69.8%) were married couples living together, 1,884 (12.1%) had a female householder with no husband present and 628 (4.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 278 (1.8%) married couples, and 64 (0.4%) gay married couples or partnerships. 1,801 households (11.6%) were made up of individuals, and 1,005 (6.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15. There were 13,355 families (86.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.40.

The population was spread out, with 10,013 people (20.4%) under the age of 18, 4,065 people (8.3%) aged 18 to 24, 11,134 people (22.7%) aged 25 to 44, 15,158 people (30.9%) aged 45 to 64 and 8,671 people (17.7%) 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

There were 15,859 housing units at an average density of 1,790.8 units per square mile (691.4 units/km2), of which 12,711 (81.9%) were owner-occupied, and 2,815 (18.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.1%. 39,392 people (80.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 9,545 people (19.5%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Cerritos had a median household income of $91,487, with 5.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[15] Males had a median income of $50,103, versus $37,421 for females. The per-capita income for the city was $25,249. About 5.0% of the population and 4.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

According to Mapping L.A., Korean (17.1%) and Chinese (11.2%) were the most common ancestries in 2000. Korea (26.5%) and the Philippines (16.7%) were the most common foreign places of birth.[16]

Economy

[edit]

The two major sources of revenue for Cerritos are a retail sales tax and interest income from its general fund.[17]

Employment within Cerritos is primarily in two districts, Los Cerritos Shopping Center and Cerritos Industrial Park. Businesses found in Cerritos Industrial Park provide jobs in light manufacturing and assembly of electronic and automotive parts, among other things. United Parcel Service, the city's largest employer with a staff of 6,000, is in the park.[18] In 2010, Los Cerritos Center provided for 4,450 full and part-time positions, and the Cerritos Auto Square employs 2,160 people.[8] Retail and industrial trades are responsible for Cerritos' $2 billion taxable retail sales and $7.2 billion assessed property valuation.

According to the California State Board of Equalization, Cerritos residents are the second-highest retail spenders in California (second to Beverly Hills), averaging $36,544 per resident. Applied Development Economics, in a presentation for the Cerritos Economic Commission on February 14, 2006, stated total annual household spending on retail is about $365 million a year with new car dealerships, grocery stores, department stores, service stations and eating places having the strongest demands.[19]

A business survey conducted by Applied Development Economics in February 2006 revealed the total consumer breakdown in Cerritos is: 25% from residents from other parts of Southern California, about 21.9% from Cerritos residents, 18% from commuters, 16% from neighboring communities, 13% from business to business/employee transactions, 10% from residents of Orange County, 5% from households from outside of Southern California, mainly to purchase vehicles from the Auto Square.

Cerritos Auto Square

[edit]
Main article: Cerritos Auto Square

The Cerritos Auto Square is an auto mall combining all auto dealers within Cerritos into one large three-block center accessible through two freeways.

Los Cerritos Center

[edit]
Main article: Los Cerritos Center

Since September 1971, the Los Cerritos Center has been an integral source of retail tax revenue. The total gross lease area is 1,288,245 square feet (119,682 m2) and is the city's largest tax revenue source, producing $800 per square foot in 2015.

Cerritos Towne Center

[edit]
Main article: Cerritos Towne Center
The Towne Center has a decorative paving at the intersection.

The Cerritos Towne Center is a power center that combines offices, retail, hotel and entertainment facilities in one master planned project. The Towne Center includes the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts,[20] a 203-room Sheraton hotel and more than one million square feet (93,000 m2) of office space. The retail portion of the project includes several anchors and specialty shops.[21] The project is bounded by 183rd Street to the south, Bloomfield Avenue to the west, Shoemaker Avenue to the east and the Artesia Freeway (Route 91) to the north.

The Magnolia Power Project

[edit]

The uncertainty of availability of electricity in California prompted the city of Cerritos on February 13, 2003, in conjunction with the cities of Anaheim, Burbank, Colton, Glendale and Pasadena, to participate in the Magnolia Power Project, which authorized the construction of a 310-megawatt power plant in Burbank.[22] Cerritos receives 10 megawatts, or 4% of the total output, to power public facilities, park lighting, traffic signals and water wells. Excess power (approximately five megawatts) is sold to public and/or private agencies.

Top employers

[edit]

According to the city's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[23] the top employers in the city are:

Rank Employer No. of employees
1 United Parcel Service 6,000
2 ABC Unified School District 3,500
3 AT&T 1,200
4 Southern Wine & Spirits of Southern California 1,100
5 City of Cerritos 552
6 Crown Bolt 400
7 Nordstrom 400
8 College Hospital 400
9 PMI 350
10 Norm Reeves Honda of Cerritos[24] 350

Arts and culture

[edit]

The Cerritos Fine Arts and Historical Commission has an "Art in Public Places Program" whereby the city commissions artists to create sculptures and fountains to be displayed in public points of interest, commercial property and gateways into the city. Los Cerritos Community News serves the city.

Tournament of Roses Parade

[edit]

Since 2002, the City of Cerritos has participated in the Tournament of Roses Parade held every New Year's Day in Pasadena. Floats in the parade are awarded prizes in the Tournament of Roses Parade.[25]

Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts

[edit]
Main article: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts

The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) features live performances in music, magic, comedy, dance and drama. The 154,000-square-foot (14,300 m2) arts center has movable seats, floors, ceilings and stage areas, with a theater that can transform into six distinctive seating configurations, ranging in capacity from 921 to 1,800 seats. The facility also houses three additional meeting and banquet areas. The CCPA was designed by architect Barton Myers.

The cost of the CCPA had reached over $60 million by the end of construction and scheduling. It was designed to serve as a cultural icon for people in the community and formally opened its doors on January 9, 1993, with a four-day performance by Frank Sinatra.

The CCPA collected four awards for design shortly after its opening and has been named one of the top grossing theaters in its category in the United States.

Cerritos Millennium Library

[edit]
Main article: Cerritos Millennium Library
Library building with a tall Christmas decorated with snowflakes and a bow at the top
Cerritos Library with a Christmas tree

The Cerritos Library originally opened to the public on September 17, 1973, with a "First Ladies" theme (in recognition of former First Lady Pat Nixon's home in the community). Eight years later, the city made its first renovation to the library for $6.6 million. 21,000 sq ft (2,000 m2) were added for $5.4 million, and the remaining $1.2 million was spent on furniture and equipment.

In the late 1990s, Cerritos recognized the ever-changing innovation in information technology and the internet, and plans for a second renovation were approved.[26] During the reconstruction, all materials were moved off site to temporary trailers in the parking lot of the Cerritos Towne Center for two years. The second renovation and expansion was completed on March 16, 2002.

At the time of its rededication, the newly renamed Cerritos Millennium Library was the first building in North America to be coated in titanium panels. This $40 million library features an elaborate interior design with themed reading rooms in a variety of old world and ultramodern styles. A third floor was added to include several conference rooms and an outdoor terrace.

The Cerritos Library holds a Smithsonian Affiliation. It was awarded the American Library Association/American Institute of Architects "Award of Excellence" in 1989. It was also honored with Reader's Digest's 2004 Best Library Award.

Cerritos Sculpture Garden

[edit]
The Cerritos Air Disaster Memorial in the Cerritos Sculpture Garden. The sculpture is a memorial for Aeroméxico Flight 498.

The Cerritos Sculpture Garden was dedicated on March 11, 2006, and included a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by representatives from Cerritos' sister city, Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. It is in the Civic Center and is designed to house approximately 20 sculptures to be phased in over the coming years. At the time of the dedication ceremony, three sculptures were already in place:

  • The Air Disaster Memorial, by sculptor Kathleen Caricof, honors by name all the victims of the Aeroméxico Flight 498 disaster on August 31, 1986.
  • A replica of the Statue of Freedom that sits atop of the United States Capitol dome.
  • Elements Fountain, by artist Jane DeDecker, depicts female embodiments of the four elements allegories (earth, water, wind and fire) over a reflecting pool.

The garden was made to be able to accommodate future sculpture installations in a lush landscape.[27]

Parks and recreation

[edit]

Cerritos Olympic Swim & Fitness Center

[edit]

The Cerritos Olympic Swim & Fitness Center provides year-round, indoor recreational, instructional and competitive swimming and gym.

The Swim Center was used by Olympians for swimming practices during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Pat Nixon Park

[edit]
Main article: Pat Nixon Park

The Pat Nixon Park is a recreational park that pays tribute to the late First Lady Pat Nixon on the site of her childhood home, which was destroyed by fire in 1978. The city of Cerritos undertook the project of building a senior center in 1993 to create a state-of-the-art public facility dedicated to its seniors with social events, services, life-enriching programs and clubs.

Community and neighborhood parks

[edit]
Heritage Park

Heritage Park, a community park in the center of the city, pays tribute to revolutionary America and the founding of the country. It re-opened to the public in 2002 with a refurbished colonial-themed play island and moat.

Liberty Park, another community park in the western end of town, underwent massive renovation and re-opened to the public in February 2005. It features an updated community center, fitness center, rubberized jogging track and children's playground. Camp Liberty, a children's amphitheater within Liberty Park, has also been updated.

Don Knabe Community Regional Park houses the Cerritos Sports Complex, the skate park and outdoor swimming pools. The unique characteristic is an artificial lake complete with sporting fish. Los Angeles County maintains 75% of Regional Park and Cerritos oversees the remaining 25%.

The city also has 18 neighborhood parks near residential tracts, an executive golf course and two community gymnasiums on the Cerritos and Whitney High School (Cerritos, California) campuses.

Government

[edit]

Cerritos operates under a council–manager form of government, established by the charter of the city of Cerritos in 1958. The five-member city council acts as the city's chief policy-making body and as members of the Cerritos Redevelopment Agency.

Local government

[edit]

City Council

[edit]

The mayor, selected by the council, is its presiding officer and serves a one-year term. In the mayor's absence, the mayor pro tempore assumes his or her responsibilities. City Council elections were held on a Tuesday after the first Monday in April until the 2017 election. Effective with the 2020 California Primary election, the elections will be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in March of even-numbered years. Council members are elected to a four-year term and at-large. The mayor is Naresh Solanki.[28]

Emergency services

[edit]

The Cerritos Sheriff's Station/Community Safety Center provides 24-hour safety services to Cerritos residents. Located in the Civic Center, the station houses the city's Community Safety Division and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department personnel. The station was constructed by a referendum in 1996 and inaugurated in 1997. In 2006, the city council approved the construction of a 5,000-square-foot (500 m2) expansion to the sheriff's station, at a cost of $400,000.

Fire protection is provided by Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 30, the headquarters for Battalion 9, with ambulance transport by Care Ambulance Service.

Public services

[edit]

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department operates the Cerritos Sheriff's Station and Community Safety Center, which was built into the Cerritos Civic Center. The 28,000 square feet (2,600 m2) facility, built by the city, has a complaint/dispatch area, an 18-bed jail, administrative and detective personnel offices and a community meeting room.[29] The sheriff's department operates the Lakewood Station in Lakewood, serving Cerritos.[30]

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Whittier Health Center in Whittier, serving Cerritos.[31]

The United States Postal Service operates the Cerritos post office at 18122 Carmenita Road.[32]

State and federal representation

[edit]

In the California State Legislature, Cerritos is in the 36th Senate District, seat currently vacant, and in the 67th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Sharon Quirk-Silva.[33]

In the United States House of Representatives, Cerritos is in California's 45th congressional district, represented by Democrat Derek Tran.[34]

Education

[edit]

Primary and secondary schools

[edit]

Public schools

[edit]

The majority of Cerritos is under the jurisdiction of the ABC Unified School District. A small portion on the west side of the city bounded by Palo Verde Avenue on the west, the San Gabriel River on the east, Artesia Boulevard on the north and South Street on the south is under the jurisdiction of the Bellflower Unified School District.[35]

Children in the ABCUSD portion of Cerritos attend a neighborhood elementary school (kindergarten to 6th grade) before going to a middle school (7th and 8th grade) and then a high school (9th to 12th grade) unless admitted to Whitney High School, which covers 7th to 12th grade. Whitney High School is ranked as the best school in California, ahead of neighboring Oxford Academy, and 27th nationwide according to a 2012 U.S. News & World Report study.

Sign for college with Cerritos College logo of a C within a C. Sign is in a pedestrian plaza with buildings in background.
Cerritos College, Cerritos CA

Private schools

[edit]

Valley Christian High School is one of the largest private Protestant schools in Los Angeles County.

Colleges and universities

[edit]

Cerritos is also serviced by Cerritos College and Fremont College.

Education of citizens

[edit]

Eighty-five percent of high school graduates go on to higher education. Ten percent of the total population have an associates degree, 26% have a bachelor's degree and 11% have an advanced degree.

Transportation

[edit]

The city of Cerritos owns a fleet of federally funded buses known as the Cerritos On Wheels (or COW),[36] which has stops throughout town. The acronym "COW" is a tribute to the city's origins as Dairy Valley, when cows outnumbered residents. The propane-fueled COW also connects to the Long Beach Transit, Orange County Transportation Authority, Norwalk Transit and Los Angeles MTA buses at overlapping stops on the borders of the city. Wi-Fi internet access is also accessible on the buses.

In conjunction with the COW, the city also provides a Dial-A-Ride service for its disabled and elderly commuters.

Cerritos is directly served by three major California freeways:

  • SR 91 (the Artesia Freeway) cuts through the center of the city.
  • Interstate 605 (the San Gabriel River Freeway) runs along the west side between the Los Cerritos Center and Auto Square.
  • Interstate 5 (the Santa Ana Freeway) grazes Cerritos at the northeast border.

The major thoroughfares in Cerritos are Alondra Boulevard, Artesia Boulevard, Bloomfield Avenue, Carmenita Road, Del Amo Boulevard, Norwalk Boulevard, Pioneer Boulevard, Shoemaker Avenue, South Street, Studebaker Road and Valley View Avenue.

The nearby Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach are major ports of entry from the Pacific Ocean for importing and exporting goods.

Airports that serve Cerritos include Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Ontario International Airport and the Long Beach Municipal Airport.

Notable people

[edit]
[edit]

According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), the following productions have either been partially or entirely filmed in Cerritos:[54]

  • Almost There! (TV series, 1988)
  • I'm Ready (music video, 2020)
  • Wayne's World (1992)
  • Imminent Contact (1992)
  • Until Tomorrow Comes (1992)
  • McAllister Affair (TV series, 1992)
  • Coneheads (1993)
  • She's All That (1999)
  • The Flip Side (2001)
  • Anokha (2004)
  • A Modest Proposal (2006)
  • Illegal (2007)
  • Eli's Liquor Store (2007)
  • The First Time (2007)
  • Thunder (music video, 2008)

The main setting of Star Trek: Lower Decks, the California-class starship USS Cerritos, is named for the city.[55]

In the Apple TV+ show Mythic Quest, the character David Brittlesbee lives in and commutes to Los Angeles from Cerritos in Season 3[56]

Sister cities

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on November 3, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  2. ^ "City Council". City of Cerritos. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  3. ^ "Appointed City Officials". City of Cerritos. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  4. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  5. ^ "Cerritos". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d Cenovich, Marilyn; Audrey Eftychiou (2006). Cerritos At 50: Celebrating Our Past and Our Future. The Donning Company. pp. 11–19. ISBN 978-1-57864-349-3.
  7. ^ [1] Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: California: Long Beach area
  8. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "History of Cerritos". City of Cerritos. June 22, 2006. Retrieved October 20, 2006.
  10. ^ Cenovich, Marilyn (1995). "Chapter 9, 1987–1996 - A Decade of Difficulties and Satisfaction". The Story of Cerritos: A History in Progress. City of Cerritos. pp. Chapter 9. Retrieved October 21, 2006.
  11. ^ "City of Cerritos - Home Page". www.ci.cerritos.ca.us.
  12. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Cerritos city". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  14. ^ "Cerritos (city) QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  15. ^ "Census data". www.census.gov.
  16. ^ "Cerritos".
  17. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 7, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ "City of Cerritos - Home Page" (PDF). www.ci.cerritos.ca.us.
  19. ^ Cerritos TV3
  20. ^ "City of Cerritos - Home Page". www.ci.cerritos.ca.us.
  21. ^ Cerritos Blockbuster Music Archived September 6, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ "City of Cerritos - Home Page". www.ci.cerritos.ca.us.
  23. ^ "City of Cerritos CAFR" (PDF).
  24. ^ "Los Angeles Honda Dealer - (888) 756-9874 - Norm Reeves Honda Cerritos". www.normreeveshondacerritos.com.
  25. ^ Tournament of Roses® Parade Floats - City of Cerritos
  26. ^ "City of Cerritos - Home Page". www.ci.cerritos.ca.us.
  27. ^ "City of Cerritos - Cerritos Sculpture Garden". www.cerritos.us.
  28. ^ "Appointed City Officials". City of Cerritos. April 28, 2005. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
  29. ^ "Cerritos Sheriff's Station and Community Safety Center Archived January 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Retrieved on January 21, 2010.
  30. ^ "Lakewood Station Archived December 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine." Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Retrieved on January 21, 2010.
  31. ^ "Whittier Health Center Archived May 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Retrieved on March 18, 2010.
  32. ^ "Post Office Location - CERRITOS." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 6, 2008.
  33. ^ "California Districts". UC Regents. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  34. ^ "California's 45th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC.
  35. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Los Angeles County, CA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. pp. 10-12 (PDF pp. 11-13/19). Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  36. ^ "City of Cerritos - Cerritos on Wheels (COW)". www.cerritos.us.
  37. ^ Hollandsworth, Skip (December 1998). "The Real Troy Aikman". Texas Monthly.
  38. ^ McLeod, Paul (July 4, 1991). "U.S. Soccer Team's Marcelo Balboa Would Be Famous Anywhere Else". LA Times. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  39. ^ Marla Lehner (2006). "Jillian Barberie Gets Married". People. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
  40. ^ "WSOP Player Profile". WSOP. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  41. ^ Keisser, B. (2013). Baseball in Long Beach. Sports. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-62584-066-0. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  42. ^ "Ben Howland Bio - UCLA Official Athletic Site". archive.is. April 12, 2013. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  43. ^ BOXALL, BETTINA (August 12, 1988). "On an Olympic Kick : Taekwondo Expert Hopes for the Gold in Martial Art". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  44. ^ "LA Galaxy Midfielder Eddie Lewis to Retire Following 2010 MLS Season". L.A. Galaxy. October 20, 2010.
  45. ^ "Roger Lodge | Jeff Pearlman". www.jeffpearlman.com. October 6, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  46. ^ Wagner, Dick (April 4, 1991). "Gahr High's Bergeron Puts Emphasis on Fundamentals : Baseball: Even with a successful record, the coach has never lost sight of the basics". LA Times. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  47. ^ "Journalists at the Cerritos, Calif., house of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, who officials said helped create a controversial video". The New York Times. September 14, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  48. ^ Hendricks, N. (2015). America's First Ladies: A Historical Encyclopedia and Primary Document Collection of the Remarkable Women of the White House: A Historical Encyclopedia and Primary Document Collection of the Remarkable Women of the White House. ABC-CLIO. p. 316. ISBN 978-1-61069-883-2. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  49. ^ McDuff, Tammye (June 16, 2016). "Cerritos Resident is North America's #1 Rubik's Cube Champion". Cerritos Community News. Hews Media Group. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  50. ^ Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. October 27, 1997.
  51. ^ "Jorge Salcedo Named UCLA Men's Soccer Head Coach". Pac-12 News. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  52. ^ "LA Galaxy Profile". LA Galaxy. lagalaxy.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  53. ^ "Vangsness ready to make a 'Mess'". Porterville Recorder. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  54. ^ "IMDB Filming Location". IMDb.[permanent dead link‍]
  55. ^ "'Star Trek: Lower Decks Cerritos name meaning explained". Screen Rant. July 15, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  56. ^ McCune, Melody (November 24, 2022). "MYTHIC QUEST Recap: (S03E04) The Two Joes". Geek Girl Authority.
  57. ^ Sister Cities International Archived January 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Cerritos.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cerritos, California.
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