The "disputed" crossing where Central Basin's recycled water line needs to be relocated. By Brian Hews Publisher | Follow X January 23, 2026 Rather than sending its power division, LADWP rolled out its water side to negotiate right-of-way issues tied to the rail project. A decision by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has pushed Central Basin Municipal Water District toward a multimillion-dollar financial exposure it did not create, stemming from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Southeast Gateway light rail project and its impact on a recycled water pipeline owned by CB.

February 25, 2026 COMMERCE — The City of Commerce City Council voted unanimously to place a ¼-cent sales tax measure on the June 2026 ballot, asking voters to approve what officials are calling the Commerce Essential Services Protection Measure. City leaders say the proposal is intended to protect local revenues and diversify the city’s funding sources as the Commerce Casino — a major contributor to the city’s general fund — faces potential regulatory changes.

December 15, 2025 Last week, Los Cerritos Community News revealed that for more than four years, Central Basin Director Juan Garza has quietly operated the California Cities for Self-Reliance Joint Powers Authority, a publicly-funded agency, through Bellflower-based Six Heron, Garza’s privately owned public-relations and government-relations firm. Part One of High Stakes, Dirty Water, Red Flags exposed how Garza used his own email, cellphone, and Bellflower P.O.

By Brian Hews Publisher | Follow X December 12, 2025 Compton Mayor Emma Sharif is already on the front page this week for a separate developing controversy. But her role in another major governance failure is equally damning: as chair of the California Cities for Self-Reliance Joint Powers Authority , Sharif directly presided over — and failed to stop — the transformation of a public agency into a private operation controlled entirely by Central Basin District 4 Director Juan Garza.