Huntington Park : Council Elects Loya Mayor; Cunningham Next in Line
- Share via
Huntington Park Councilman Richard V. Loya, who was elected to the council last year, was named mayor this week and veteran councilman William P. Cunningham became mayor pro tem for the fifth time.
Council members voted unanimously Monday to promote Loya and Cunningham to the ceremonial posts. The posts are rotated among council members yearly and the mayor pro tem is usually promoted to mayor.
Loya told Monday night’s standing-room-only audience that as mayor his top priorities would be fighting crime, graffiti and gangs and supporting education. He also promised to work to limit council terms and create a task force to study community health concerns.
Not all council members were happy with the selections. Councilman Luis M. Hernandez was overlooked for mayor pro tem for the third consecutive year despite lobbying his colleagues for nomination.
Council members said they would not vote for him because he was fined for campaign violations in two municipal elections. Hernandez ultimately cast his vote for Cunningham.
“I had a justifiable attempt to get it. But, hey, I didn’t have (the) vote,” Hernandez said.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
