Submitted by the Culver City Unified School District
The CCUSD Family is mourning the loss of former CCUSD Board of Education member Julie Lugo Cerra, who passed away on Monday morning.
Cerra, the District’s first Latina Board member, served on the Board from 1985 to 1993, including two stints as Board president.
She helped lead the charge to annex the Fox Hills area into CCUSD. Culver City annexed the Fox Hills area in the early 1960s when it was an undeveloped area, but CCUSD neglected to follow suit, leaving the area in the Los Angeles Unified School District. As Board president, Cerra helped parents organize and worked with LAUSD bring Fox Hills students into CCUSD.
“If Fox Hills wants to be a part of Culver City schools, it’s our responsibility to help them,” she said at the time.
Cerra was also part of the Board that laid the groundwork for the reopening of El Marino Elementary School and the creation of the District’s Japanese Immersion Program. El Marino reopened in 1994 to house the District’s two elementary school Language Immersion programs that help students to master grade level content while learning to speak, understand, read and write in both English and the target language – Spanish or Japanese.
“Julie was an amazing mentor to me,” said Culver City High School Assistant Principal Kelli Tarvyd. “She focused on what was best for the the student. Even after retiring from the Board, she served on committees at CCHS and helped guide grants.”
A native of Culver City, Cerra was appointed the official Culver City Historian in 1996 and was the producer and host for the popular cable program, “Local History, Legends & Lore.” She was an accomplished author whose published works, include” Culver City: Heart of Screenland,” “Images of America: Culver City, CA,” “… Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble,” as well as the Teachers Resource Manual for Culver City Schools and associated video, “Glimpses of Culver City, Heart of Screenland.”
Cerra’s dedication to historic preservation is reflected in her many accomplishments and appointments. She served on the California Historic State Capital Commission as well as the Culver City Cultural Affairs Commission, where she served as chair during the Commission’s inaugural year. She was a member of the Culver City Historical Society, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Los Angeles Conservancy, Los Californianos, Historical Society of Southern California and the Southern California Genealogical Society.
Cerra studied sociology as well as art and behavioral sciences at UCLA and California State University at Northridge.
“There will be no services as was her wish,” said he daughter, Michele Lachoff. “Mom didn’t really ‘believe’ in funerals as she firmly believed we should do things for our people when we can enjoy the time together and they can feel the love instead of waiting to share our appreciation till after they are gone.”
“She will join her parents and husband Sam and be spread at sea through the Neptune Society of which she always proudly declared to be a ‘card carrying member.’ So next time you are near the Pacific Ocean send your best, and to honor Julie, please do something for someone you love: share a meal, an adventure or a conversation. If you’re looking to make a donation – please consider a donation in her name to the Culver City Historical Society which was near and dear to her heart from the very start – or to any cause that is meaningful to you personally – mom was all about doing the things that are important to you most of all.”
CCUSD extends its deepest condolences to Julie’s family and friends.
