Chuong Vo Joins California JPIA Executive Committee

Chuong Vo, mayor pro tem of the City of Cerritos, has been appointed to the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority’s (California JPIA) Executive Committee to fill the vacant seat of Sylvia Munoz Schnopp, who concluded her council member term with the City of Port Hueneme in December 2020.

“The California JPIA provides a unique service for our members: a service that prioritizes a partnership between the program and the members,” said Vo, who was drawn to a leadership role by the California JPIA’s commitment to teamwork, cooperation, and collaborative decision-making. “There is a delegate from every single agency for whom the California JPIA provides service. You don’t find that with a typical insurance agency.”

Vo continued, “Every member agency has a vote and a say in how the California JPIA’s service is provided, which solidifies the partnership between the members and the California JPIA. The California JPIA can pull ideas and best practices from more than 120 agencies. That experience is invaluable.”

Elected to the Cerritos City Council in 2020, Vo began his local service on the Cerritos Community Safety Committee and Planning Commission. In addition to his role as delegate to the California JPIA, he is liaison to the ABC Unified School District and Cerritos Community College, as well as alternate delegate to the Los Angeles County City Selection Committee, Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts 2, 3, 18, and 19, and Southeast Los Angeles County – Workforce Development Board’s Board of Directors. Recipient of an American Red Cross Hometown Hero Award, he also is a member of the Cerritos Optimist Club and the Kiwanis Club.

A police officer for the City of Torrance possessing more than 20 years’ experience in public safety, Vo received a South Bay Medal of Valor Lifesaving Award in 2015 for reviving an elderly gentleman who suffered a heart attack outside Cerritos Elementary School. Vo—who was off duty while dropping off his son—took control of the situation, established a perimeter, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until the gentleman regained consciousness, and remained with him until paramedics arrived. Vo visited the gentleman later that day at a local hospital to see how he was doing.

In a resolution, the Torrance City Council and Mayor Patrick J. Furey commended Vo who, they said, “by his quick thinking, leadership, and compassion, exemplified the highest traditions of the Torrance Police Department’s core values of service, excellence, and pride, and definitely exceeded what is routinely expected through his heroic actions.”

Vo assumes his responsibilities as a leader of the California JPIA in the footsteps of his mentor and former Cerritos Mayor Carol Chen, who served on the Executive Committee from January 2014 through March 2017.

“The California JPIA is pleased to welcome Chuong Vo to serve on the Executive Committee,” said Chief Executive Officer Jon Shull. “He understands the challenges associated with not only maintaining our current members but also recruiting new, risk-aware members who will strengthen the pool’s resources.”

Providing innovative risk management solutions for its public agency partners for more than 40 years, the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (California JPIA) is one of the largest municipal self-insurance pools in the state, with more than 120 member cities and other governmental agencies. Members actively participate in shaping the organization to provide important coverage for their operations. The California JPIA provides innovative risk management solutions through a comprehensive portfolio of programs and services, including liability, workers’ compensation, pollution, property, and earthquake coverage, as well as extensive training and loss control services. For more information, please visit the California JPIA’s website at cjpia.org.