CERRITOS – Businessman/attorney/sports coach Frank Aurelio Yokoyama is one of the ten candidates competing for the three open seats on the Cerritos City Council in the March 3 election.
Also in the running are incumbent Mayor Mark Pulido, police officer Chuoug Vo, business owner Grace Hu, businessman James Kang, local businessman Sam Sultan Ahmed, business owner Naresh Solanki, businessman Maninder Sethi, nurse practitioner/educator Sophia Tse, and retired educator/administrator Jim Edwards.
Yokoyama is a former member of the Cerritos Planning Commission, a real estate broker, an attorney, a local business owner and a youth sports coach for basketball and soccer. As a planning commissioner, he reviewed and approved plans for new businesses and home improvements to strengthen the local economy and increased property values for Cerritos residents.
He previously ran for the City Council in 2013, finishing third out of seven candidates for two open seats.
Yokoyama was born in Fort Benning, Ga. to Tom and Chit Yokoyama while his father was serving in the Army. Growing up, Yokoyama played SEYO sports with the Southeast Japanese School and Community Center. He graduated from UC Berkeley Business School and Harvard Law School.
He and his wife, Wendy Sung-Hee Ha, have two children, Makenna and Maddox, who are attending Leal Elementary School. The Yokoyamas have been very active volunteering their time in the school’s PTA and Whitney High School Foundation Board. Their children played SEYO basketball.
He is endorsed by Rep. Alan Lowenthal, Mayor Pulido, Cerritos City Councilmember Joseph Cho, and numerous other elected officials in Cerritos, Artesia and Norwalk as well as ABC School Board members.