Gardena council candidates won't face incumbent

By Sandy Mazza Staff Writer
Article Launched: 08/08/2008 11:53:05 PM PDT


Candidates for a Gardena City Council seat in the November special election are breathing easier, as a sitting councilman who pulled nomination papers did not file them by the Friday deadline.

Four people filed papers to be on the ballot for the seat vacated by former Councilman Oscar Medrano, who relinquished his post in March, two days before he was arrested and subsequently charged with 12 counts of child molestation. He pleaded guilty to two of the charges on June 27 and was sentenced to eight years in state prison.

The winner of the special election will serve out the remainder of Medrano's term, which expires in 2011.

Councilman Ron Ikejiri pulled papers last month, saying that he believed Councilman Steve Bradford was going to run in the race. Both are up for election in March 2009 and, if they had won a seat in November, could have run for mayor next year without risking their council posts.
Neither councilman filed papers, however.

Three of the candidates have run for council seats before, and there is one newcomer - Shannon Lawrence - who is backed by Bradford and Councilwoman Rachel Johnson.

Tasha Cerda, Dan Medina and Mina Semenza have been on the ballot in previous years. Medina came in third behind Medrano for two seats last year.

Medina, 61, is a spokesman for the Normandie Casino and a longtime member of several service clubs, including the Elks, Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary, and a youth sports coach.

"I'm confident in my credentials and my pro-civic activity I've been doing since 1980," Medina said. "I've been doing volunteer work since before some of the campaigners were born."

Cerda, a 36-year-old insurance agent, is president of the Holly Park Homeowners Association and a resident advocate. She is a former chairwoman of the volunteer Rent Mediation Board, and has led community protests against the expansion of Purche Avenue Elementary School, the opening of a Numero Uno Market that wasn't complying with city codes and a jet-fuel pipeline through the city.

"I have stood firm against irresponsible development, kept the residents alert to the presence of sexual predators, and continually stood firm against negligent property owners," Cerda said in a written statement. "I enjoy being an advocate."

Lawrence, 30, is a policy analyst in the Los Angeles Mayor's Office with a background as a union organizer. He is also a member of the Planning and Environmental Quality Commission.

"I've been knocking on doors for the last few weeks, and one of the responses I've been getting is that they've been waiting for me to run," Lawrence said. "I think people will vote on who they think is the most qualified for the seat and, from what I'm hearing, that person is me."

Semenza, 64, is a Realtor, a former planning and environmental quality commissioner, and is president of the YWCA of Gardena Valley.

"I work every day promoting home ownership in our city," Semenza said. "I feel like I want to make a difference."