Yokoyama named Cerritos mayor as Fil-Ams gain majority in city council

The City of Cerritos’ first all-Asian City Council poses after the 2025 swearing-in ceremony. From left: Jennifer Hong, Mayor Pro Tem Lynda P. Johnson, Mayor Frank Aurelio Yokoyama, Mark E. Pulido and Sophia Tse. Photo from Mayor Pro Tem Lynda Johnson/Facebook

CERRITOS, Calif. – Filipino Americans gained a foothold on Cerritos politics this week with the installation of Frank Aurelio Yokoyama as mayor, Lynda P. Johnson as mayor pro tem and Mark Pulido as council member, marking the first Filipino majority in the five-member City Council.

The installation of two other council members – Taiwanese Americans Jennifer Hong and Sophie Tse – also marked the first all-Asian City Council in the ethnically diverse city, where 62 percent of residents are of Asian heritage. Additionally, this is the first time the Cerritos City Council has had a female majority, with Johnson, Hong and Tse.

The special council meeting and installation ceremony were held at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, attended by some 700 local officials and community leaders from neighboring cities in Southern California, and family and friends of the council members.

Foremost among the guests was California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the first Filipino American to hold that significant post. He administered the oath of office to Councilman Pulido.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta /  FILE PHOTO (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

In brief remarks, Bonta commended Cerritos’ progress and emphasized the shared responsibility of public service, particularly within the Filipino American community.

San Gabriel Mayor John Wu administered the oath of office to Councilwoman Hong while the oath for Councilwoman Tse was jointly administered by ABC Unified School District School Board President Ernie Nishii and Deputy Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer Toan Nguyen.

Located southeast of Los Angeles, Cerritos is known for its master-planned neighborhoods, award-winning library and schools and robust parks and recreation system.

Yokoyama and Johnson were selected by their peers at the start of their first council meeting following the March 4 Cerritos municipal elections, in which Pulido, Hong and Tse were elected.

The new council members succeeded outgoing Mayor Naresh Solanki, Mayor Pro Tem Chuong Vo and Councilmember Bruce W. Barrows. Solanki, Vo and Barrows were recognized for their nearly 40 years of collective service to Cerritos during a special City Council meeting on March 19.

“I am grateful for the unanimous support and trust of my fellow Councilmembers in this selection, and honored to serve as Mayor of my hometown of Cerritos,” said Yokoyama.

Cerritos Mayor Frank Aurelio Yokoyama / Photo from City of Cerritos website

“Throughout its history, Cerritos has continually elevated our service to residents and embraced the needs and makeup of our diverse community. As we prepare to celebrate our 69th year as a City, I’m pleased to serve on a Council that will represent many firsts: Cerritos’ first all-Asian-American City Council, including three members of Filipino ethnicity, and the first majority female City Council. I’m proud to serve as the first Japanese-American Mayor of the City of Cerritos. Together, we will serve the diverse needs of all residents and build upon this City’s strong foundation,” Yokoyama added.

A Cerritos resident since 1976, Frank Aurelio Yokoyama was first elected to the Cerritos City Council in 2017 and became Mayor Pro Tem in 2019. He was reelected to the City Council in 2022 and became Mayor in 2025.

Yokoyama previously served as a Cerritos Planning Commissioner from 2011 to 2013. He has achieved Level I – Leadership in the League of California Cities Mayors & Council, currently serves as President of the National League of Cities Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials. He has served on the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Executive Administration Committee since 2020 and is the SCAG Regional Council District 23 Representative.

Yokoyama is a local businessman, an attorney and a youth sports coach. He graduated from UC Berkeley Business School and Harvard Law School.

Mayor Pro Tem Lynda P. Johnson was elected to the City Council in April 2022 and was named mayor pro tem in 2025. She has been a resident of Cerritos since 1971. Johnson served as a governing member of the ABC Unified School District Board of Education from 2011 through 2017.

A 38-year employee of the County of Los Angeles, Johnson was a paralegal with the LA County District Attorney’s Office for 20 years. She also served as the field deputy to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva from 2021 to 2022. Currently, Mayor Pro Tem Johnson serves as the special assistant to Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

For his part, Councilmember Mark Pulido thanked all those who supported his eighth electoral campaign – either for board member of the ABC Unified School District or for the City Council – since 2001.

“It is truly a new day for our beloved hometown Cerritos. I am excited about the possibilities. We are truly blessed in this community. We have our share of challenges. We have a lot of work ahead of us,” Pulido said. “I have great hope and faith that we will work well together and get the job done. I look forward to making a brighter future together for the people of Cerritos and for future generations to come. The voters spoke, and we listened. Now let’s get to work, to serve the people.”

Cerritos Councilmember Mark Pulido at the White House. CONTRIBUTED

A Cerritos resident since 1973, Councilmember Mark E. Pulido is a two-time former mayor of Cerritos and former president of the ABC Unified School District Board of Education.

Beginning in 2001, he served three terms on the Board of Education, including Board president from 2007-2008. He was first elected to the Cerritos City Council in 2011, and served until 2020. During that period, Pulido was reelected in 2015, served as mayor in 2014-2015 and 2018-2019. After sitting out due to term limits, Pulido was elected to the City Council again last March 4.

Pulido, a former president of the UCLA Student Council, worked nearly three decades in local, state and federal government, as Assembly consultant to the California Speaker, State Senate District Director, and most recently as District chief of staff to Congressman Alan Lowenthal (Ret.).

Councilmember Jennifer Hong, a businesswoman, previously served the City as a former member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, former chair and member of the Planning Commission, and former chair and member of the Let Freedom Ring Committee.

Councilmember Sophia M. Tse was elected to the Cerritos City Council last March 4. A resident of Cerritos since 1983, Tse began her career in public service as an elected official with the ABC Unified School District Board of Education in 2007. She was reelected four times, serving three of those terms as Board of Education president.