News & Politics
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DON’T EXPECT DRAMA IN SCHOOL BOARD SEARCH TO REPLACE BARTON
Dr. David Barton’s resignation Wednesday from the Board of Education of the Long Beach Unified School District puts an unexpected item on the agenda—and perhaps atop the list of priorities—at the Board’s next meeting on Feb. 7: finding a replacement. Although there is a Board of Education election scheduled for April, voters will not determine [...]
LB CITY GIRL: ONLY BUSINESS FRIENDLINESS WILL SOOTHE MY RAGING GRANNY
Although the Raging Grannies protested in 2010, they stayed far away from the site where Tesla Motors considered building a production line to replace Downey Studios, where workers reported illnesses they suspected were caused by contamination from the former NASA plant--the future home of Tierra Luna Marketplace.
DOWNEY SPACE CENTER’S SMITHSONIAN EXHIBIT OPENS TODAY
"Suited For Space," an exhibit borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution, opens at the Columbia Memorial Space Center on Feb. 1. The Center's focus on space flight and engineering is a perfect fit with the Smithsonian, which has a huge collection of space-and-flight related material.
WHAT SECRETS WAS LB COUNCIL KEEPING FROM PUBLIC IN CLOSED SESSION?
When the Long Beach City Council went into closed session on January 10, it cited "existing legislation" as its legally permitted reason. Problem is, the case it cited had already received a final judgment from the California State Supreme Court on Dec. 29. So ,,, what gives?
CALIFORNIA’S NEW DISTRICTS SCARE OLD COOTS OUT OF CONGRESS
Veteran Representative Jerry Lewis of Redlands, the impeccably coiffed "dentured servant of the Inland Empire," was among three Republican congressmen from California who retired last week---consequences of the state's new redistricting process and plain, old age.
SUJA GETS CHALLENGER ON FRIDAY-THE-13TH DEADLINE FOR COUNCIL CANDIDATES
LONG BEACH (Via LBReport.com)—On Friday the 13th and, let’s hope only coincidentally, the final day for candidates for this year’s Long Beach City Council elections, the fields for races in the 2nd, 4th and 6th districts—were finalized. The biggest surprise heading into the final day was the emergence of a homeowners-group challenger to Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal in [...]
DOWNEY COUNCIL FINALLY SPEAKS TO FAMILY OF MAN KILLED BY COPS
DOWNEY (Via DowneyBeat.com)—For the first time, the Downey City Council addressed the family and friends of Michael Nida, a 31-year-old South Gate resident who was unarmed and not involved in any crime when he was killed by a Downey Police officer Oct. 22 while out on a date with his wife. Mayor Roger Brossmer said [...]
FOSTER’S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS: WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FACTS
It’s apparent to us, and we believe it’s quietly apparent to more than a few others, that Mayor Bob Foster fears certain facts about the current state of the City of Long Beach. Now in his second half decade in office, Mayor Foster’s 2012 State of the City message [text as prepared for delivery, click [...]
POOR RICHARDSON’S ALMANAC: IN TODAY’S ENTRY, GARAMENDI ENDORSES JANICE HAHN
Poor Richardson’s Almanac—the ever-expanding catalogue of Greater Long Beach-area Congresswoman Laura Richardson’s never-ending woes—received its latest entry from RollCall.com, where Kyle Trygstad reports: Congressman John Garamendi, a Democrat from a Northern California district, has announced his support for Janice Hahn in her attempt to win the congressional seat that Richardson currently occupies. It is the second endorsement Hahn [...]
IT’S ANOTHER BUMPER CROP OF CONGRESSMEN-TURNED-LOBBYISTS
The shackles came off this week for early 100 ex-Members of Congress who left office in 2010. They are now free to cash in on their government "service" by lobbying on Capitol Hill. Said former Congressman Brian Baird of Washington state: "Yee-haw!"
HERE’S WISHING YOU HOT DOG OF A NEW YEAR—WRAPPED IN BACON, OF COURSE
DOWNEY (Via DowneyBeat.com)– There are fundamental questions one must ask oneself while trying to make sense of this mortal coil. What is the meaning of life? Do I matter? And, finally, “Got Bacon?” Papas and Dogs, a small, brightly decorated new gourmet hot dog joint at 8740Firestone Boulevard in Downey can now answer that third important query. [...]
POOR (LAURA) RICHARDSON’S ALMANAC: LITTLE MONEY, LOTS OF ANGER
The latest entries into Poor Richardson’s Almanac—an ever-expanding catalogue of Greater Long Beach-area Congresswoman Laura Richardson’s never-ending woes—come from the New York Times and Politico.com … oh, and local newsman Theo Douglas, who e-mailed a heads-up about the stories, as well as links to them. NY Tmes reporter Eric Lichtblau describes Richardson as “among the [...]
THAT THING YOU DON’T HEAR IS THE SOUND OF RECALLING JAMES JOHNSON
In a Dec. 23 press release that left major questions unanswered, the Committee to Recall James Johnson announced it has “suspended” its current effort to recall 7th dist. Councilman James Johnson because unnamed “financial backers” did not keep their word to fund the effort. The announcement isn’t a surprise; the group’s website hasn’t been updated since Sept. 29 [...]
BELLFLOWER HS COACH PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO MOLESTING STEPDAUGHTER
A girls’ basketball and track coach at Bellflower High School pleaded not guilty today to 20 felony counts for allegedly molesting his stepdaughter over a five-year period. Bryan E. Shepherd, who turns 48 next week, was ordered to remain jailed in lieu of $720,000 bail. He is due back in Bellflower Superior Court on Jan [...]
LB COUNCIL STANDS UP FOR ZONING LAWS, ENCOURAGES COLLABORATION, KILLS SECOND+PCH PROJECT
The Long Beach City Council killed the proposed Second+PCH development late Tuesday evening with a 5-3 vote that supported master planning over spot zoning, laid groundwork for long-polarized community factions to collaborate on revised development standards and bore no resemblance to the alliances that had come to characterize this panel of governing officials. After more [...]
