First Filipina American to sit as Mayor of City of Cerritos

Cover image: City Council of Cerritos from left to right Mayor Pro Tem Mark E. Pulido, Councilmember Jennifer Hong, Mayor Lynda P. Johnson, Councilmember Sophia M. Tse, and Councilmember Frank Aurelio Yokoyama (Photo: Joe Cobilla Jr.)

CERRITOS, California — In a historic shift for one of Southern California’s most diverse cities, Lynda P. Johnson was sworn in as the Mayor of Cerritos on April 8, 2026, making her the first Filipina-American to hold the position since the city's inception in 1956.

During its annual Mayoral Transition last April 8 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, the City Council selected Johnson as Mayor, and another Filipino-American Mark E. Pulido as Mayor Pro Tem. The selections were preceded by the recognition of outgoing Mayor Frank Aurelio Yokoyama, who will continue his term as Councilmember.

“I am grateful to my City Council colleagues for their selection and for the opportunity to serve as the first Filipina Mayor for my hometown of Cerritos. I grew up here when there were still dairy farms and cows. Looking back, I’m proud to have witnessed our City’s extraordinary progress and now be helping contribute to our high-quality services, amenities, and a strong business climate,” Johnson said, during her acceptance speech before some 450 guests who attended the event.

“As we enter the 70th anniversary of our City’s incorporation, I’m excited to work alongside my colleagues, our residents, businesses, and staff in strengthening our service to the community," said Johnson, who has lived in Cerritos since 1971.

In an interview with the The Filipino Correspondents Network (TFCN) in the sidelines of the annual city council event, Johnson said " I am so excited, so delighted and actually very proud as the first Filipina American to serve the city of Cerritos and for me, especially, living here since 1971 and it's me coming full circle, starting as a second grader here and as the only Filipino student in my class and now serving residents of 50,000 in the City of Cerritos."

"I want to thank the community for placing their trust in me and I am very honored that you are here tonight as well," Johnson said.

Johnson was elected to the City Council in April 2022 and served as Mayor Pro Tem from 2025-2026. She served as a Governing Member of the ABC Unified School District Board of Education from 2011 through 2017.

She’s a member of numerous external boards, including the League of California Cities Public Safety Policy Committee, the Southern California Association of Governments Community, Economic, and Human Development Committee, and a Board Member At-Large for the National League of Cities Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials.

A 39-year employee of the County of Los Angeles, Johnson was a Paralegal with the L.A. 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 Johnson serves as the Special Assistant to Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

Johnson attended ABC Unified School District schools, including Patricia Nixon Elementary School, Haskell Junior High School, and Artesia High School.

Mayor Pro Tem Mark E. Pulido, on the other hand, has been a Cerritos resident since 1973. He is a two-time former Mayor of Cerritos and former President of the ABC Unified School District Board of Education.

Pulido 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.).

Aside from Johnson and Pulido, the newly reorganized Cerritos City Council includes Councilmember Jennifer Hong, Councilmember Sophia M. Tse, and Councilmember Frank Aurelio Yokoyama.

Cerritos, formerly known as Dairy Valley, was incorporated on April 24, 1956. After it changed its name, the city was transformed from an agricultural area into a thriving commercial and residential community. The city is also best known as the home of the world's largest auto mall, the Cerritos Auto Square.