THE AEROMEXICO DISASTER : Tragedy in Cerritos Unleashes Violent Blow to Model City

For nearly two decades, the city of Cerritos has been on a roll.

It was among the fastest-growing communities in California in the 1970s, and everything city officials touched seemingly turned to gold. A mix of progressive planning and rigid zoning laws created a model municipality with a national reputation for its parks, well-groomed homes and solar-powered City Hall.

As a result, said longtime Cerritos Councilman Barry A. Rabbitt, “we have always been the envy of other cities.”

That was until Sunday, when a DC-9 jetliner slammed into a housing tract on the city’s east side after a collision with a single-engine light plane. The dead included at least 18 Cerritos residents.

“It’s just like everybody has been saying, ‘This just can’t happen in Cerritos,’ ” said Mayor Don Knabe, who was touched by the tragedy not only as the city’s top elected official but on a personal level as well. The home of a longtime family friend, Dennis McIllwain, was one of 16 either destroyed or damaged.

McIllwain had left his home in the 13400 block of East Reva Circle shortly before the crash Sunday to pick up his sister. His 16-year-old son, Jeff, was also away at church, but his wife, Linda, remained home.

As of Monday afternoon, coroner’s investigators were still searching for McIllwain’s wife.

“It was the longest night of my life,” said Knabe, who spent Sunday night with McIllwain. “Nobody slept. I don’t think anybody in this city slept.”

The mayor first learned of the disaster when he stepped outside after a church service and saw the smoke from the crash site.

After touring the devastated neighborhood Monday, Knabe said: “This is going to stick with this city for a long time.”

Cerritos, a city of 55,000, is not accustomed to this kind of violent jolt. There is little crime to speak of, the schools are good and its residents are reasonably well-off. Among cities its size, Cerritos ranks second in the nation with a median family income of $31,313. The city celebrated its 30th anniversary recently.

The closest thing resembling municipal controversy here recently was an almost two-hour discussion by the City Council on the merits of adding a bathroom at a proposed city park.

“We are spoiled at times because we have so much as compared to other cities that have so many problems,” said Fran Evans, an 18-year resident of the city. “That’s why an event like this hits us so hard.”

Another reason may be a smugness Cerritos residents have developed since a group of dairy farmers banded together and formed the city. Because of its spotless past, some simply believe the city is immune to trouble.

“A lot of people here think that the real world ends at the city limit,” said Randy Economy, a second-generation city resident, whose parents’ home was only two blocks from the crash site. “They believe that this kind of thing could never happen here, not in a million years.”

It is the city’s image that has drawn residents like Wayne Nelson to Cerritos. Nelson said he and his wife Sue bought their home on Ashworth Place seven years ago because they wanted their two boys to grow up here.

“In this area all you hear is ‘Cerritos, Cerritos, it’s the place to be.’ ” Nelson said. “So we came and haven’t been disappointed. It’s clean, and for the most part, it’s real quiet.

“I guess that explains why I plan to stay,” he said, staring across at his house, one of those damaged in Sunday’s crash. “As soon as I can get my insurance agent out here, we plan to rebuild.”