Community News
THE PEOPLE ARE NOT PLEASED: PROTEST COP KILLING OF UNARMED MAN
From small children on scooters to elderly anti-war activists, some 150 people marched more than two miles to Downey City Hall to protest the shooting death of an unarmed man, Michael Nida, by a Downey Police officer last fall.
TRAGEDY (POLICE SHOOTING) & COMEDY (LITERALLY) ON GREATER LONG BEACH RADIO–LISTEN HERE
It’s a tragedy-and-comedy edition of Greater Long Beach Radio with Dave Wielenga, the collaboration between GreaterLongBeach.com and the Cal State Long Beach internet radio station KBEACH.org that creates weekly hour of interviews and insight into our city’s most-important stories. The program, recorded at Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. in the studio of KBEACH.org, on the bottom floor of the [...]
FRIENDS OF UNARMED MAN KILLED BY DOWNEY POLICE WILL MARCH AGAINST BRUTALITY & PROFILING SATURDAY
DOWNEY—Friends and family of Michael Nida, the unarmed and innocent man fatally shot last Oct. 22 by a Downey Police Department officer wielding an MP5 machine gun, are inviting people to march two miles with them Saturday—from the site of the shooting at Paramount Blvd. and Imperial Highway to to Downey City Hall—to protest racial profiling [...]
IS TRIAL OF MAN SHOT BY LBPD OFFICERS STRATEGY TO REDUCE CIVIL DAMAGES?
Jonathan Cabrera, still recovering from the bullet wounds he received last May 14 when Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) officers opened fire into the apartment he shared with his wife, went on trial Thursday (Jan. 26) on a felony charge of obstructing or resisting a law enforcement officer. “The only reason for this felony charge is the City [...]
POLICE-SHOOTING INVESTIGATOR TESTIFIES ON GREATER LONG BEACH RADIO TONIGHT, EVE OF CLIENT’S TRIAL
The police officer-turned-private investigator examining the shooting of Jonathan Cabrera by Long Beach Police Department officers who sprayed bullets into his apartment on the night of May 14 will discuss his findings and their significance on Greater Long Beach Radio with Dave Wielenga on KBEACH.org at 7 o’clock tonight. Thursday morning, Cabrera goes on trial before [...]
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.
HAVA•GREATER•WEEKEND: SOCAL’S FIRST PARKLET OPENS TODAY AT NOON
[EDITOR'S NOTE: HaveAGreaterWeekend is your preparedness guide for the most-important days of your life---the weekend. Suggestions are welcome, so long as you send them at least three weeks before the event---and never forget who makes the final call.] If you are anywhere but Fourth Street’s Retro Row today at noon, consider yourself doomed to a [...]
GAS COMPANY INSTALLING ECO-FRIENDLY GARDEN AT DEMONSTRATION BUILDING
[ Story by Matthew Guhit ] DOWNEY (Via DowneyBeat.com)—In an effort to reduce energy and water usage, the Southern California Gas Co. hired landscapers to renovate the front of its building on Firestone Boulevard in Downey, dubbed the Energy Resource Center. “We needed to make it a showcase for energy efficiency,” Southern California Gas Co. spokeswoman [...]
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 [...]
THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN(S)
LAKEWOOD (Via the Herald American)— Capt. Merrill Ladenheim is the new commander of the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station, which patrols 24 square miles filled with 240,000 residents in the cities of Artesia, Bellflower, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood and Paramount. The 26-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will oversee 250 sworn officers and 50 civilian [...]
FREEDOM’S JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR A DOWNEY TRAVEL AGENCY CLOSING
DOWNEY (Via Downey Patriot)—Freedom Vacations travel agency will move out of the downtown Downey location it has occupied for more than 20 years to become a home-based business—but not for the reason you probably think. “We don’t want to commute anymore,” said owner Robert Zavala, a former president of the Downey Chamber of Commerce, who [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
SPECIAL HOLIDAY SONGS TO SING ALONG WITH THE CITY COUNCIL TONIGHT
Just in time to rescue the holiday spirit—but probably too late for justice—the Greed+WTF group has created a slim volume of holiday verse dedicated to the Long Beach City Council's vote tonight on the Second+PCH project. C'mon, everybody! Sing along!!
VICTIM OF DOWNEY COPS ATTRACTING MORE VOICES FOR POLICE REFORM
DOWNEY (Via DowneyBeat.com)—A collection of anti-police activists and reformers from outside of Downey are slowly coalescing around the family of Michael Nida, a married father of four who was unarmed and on a date with his wife when he was shot and killed by Downeypolice Oct. 22. Nida’s family members and closest friends began speaking [...]
BEYOND GREATER:* CONGRESSMAN IS NUTSY FOR NAZI REFERENCES
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Via Rollcall.com)—Freshman Rep. Allen West is stirring things up by comparing the Democratic Party to Nazis again. In an interview with several reporters Thursday, the Florida Republican blamed Democratic messaging for a recent poll that showed Americans blame the GOP more for Capitol Hill gridlock. “If Joseph Goebbels was around, he’d be very [...]
MEMORIAL FOR SEAL BEACH SHOOTING VICTIMS BECOMING PUBLIC POLICY
SEAL BEACH (Via Seal Beach News)—As the Seal Beach City Council plans a public memorial for the people killed and traumatized by the Oct. 12 shooting spree at the Salon Meritage it is also codifying those plans into a citywide policy on public memorials. Two months to the date after the tragedy, the council used its Dec. [...]
TRIBUTE OR NUISANCE? DOWNEY AND THE DILEMMA OF ROADSIDE MEMORIALS
Roadside memorials like the one in Downey dedicated to Michael Nida, the innocent and unarmed man shot to death by a Downey Police officer in October, present touchy dilemmas for cities, which are legally required to maintain public rights-of-way within their borders.
JUDGES’ NEW PARKING LOT IS A BEAUTY, BUT THE $1.156-MILLION BILL IS A BEAST
The 8,500-square-foot parking structure just built for judges at Norwalk Superior Court is beautiful—according to the Norwalk City Council/Redevelopment Agency, which has approved the finish project … and it has come in $51,000 under budget. That’s good news, although maybe not quite as indicative of financial frugality as it sounds. The new venue for the [...]
PRETTY GOOD, FOR HUMANS: WARREN HIGH ROBOTICS TEAM BEGINS WITH A WIN
During their first major tournament, one of three robotics teams from Warren High School in Downey has won top honors at a Las Vegas tournament and qualified for the world tournament. Warren’s Columbia 1 Team captured the Nevada Winter Championships on Dec. 3 and earned entry to the VEX Robotics High School World Championship in [...]
GREATER LONG BEACH GIFT GUIDE: IT’S WHAT WE GOT YOU THIS YEAR
Long Beach is crawling with interesting and unique places to pick up something for everyone on your list, and holiday shopping can actually be an interesting way to explore the city in all its quirky weirdness. To get started, check out this list of unique Long Beach shops.
LBPD OFFICER SHOT IN LEG BY OWN GUN DURING STRUGGLE WITH SUSPECT
According to information provided by the Long Beach Police Department, an officer who was physically struggling to take a resisting suspect into custody just before midnight Thursday was accidentally shot in the leg by his own gun when the suspect struck one of the officer’s handguns, causing it to fire. The suspect, a 21-year-old parolee named Ajay Steward, who was not [...]
‘OCCUPY THE PORTS’ TARGETS SSA MARINE FOR MONDAY MORNING PROTEST
SSA Marine, the gigantic international shipping-industry company that is majority-owned by investment and banking firm Goldman Sachs, will be the target of protests on Monday (Dec.12) by Occupy the Ports, Protesters will convene at Harry Bridges Park (beside the Queen Mary) at 5 a.m.
CITY ATTORNEY GATHERING INFO ON LUMACHI’S FATAL TRIP TO FLORIDA
LBReport.com has learned that the City Attorney’s office is in the very preliminary stages of gathering information about the trip to Florida in which Shaun Lumachi, publisher of LBPost.com, was part of a three-person group on official business for the City of Long Beach when he was killed in a Dec. 3 car crash near Key West. [...]
ESTRO JEN AND LB ROLLER DERBY ON GREATER LONG BEACH RADIO TONITE
Estro Jen, one of the founders of Long Beach Roller Derby, will be the featured guest on this evening’s edition of Greater Long Beach Radio with Dave Wielenga to discus how this sport has gone from instant success to what may be sudden death. Catch the show live at 7 p.m. via your computer or [...]
JOHN DIXON’S DEATH SILENCES ANOTHER ECHO OF PRESS-TELEGRAM’S GLORY DAYS
John Dixon, whose 15 years as sports editor of the Independent, Press-Telegram (I,P-T) were arguably the greatest in that department’s history as well as the best of his four decades at the once-great Long Beach daily newspaper, died Tuesday afternoon at age 86. Dixon suffered a heart attack and stroke about a month ago. After [...]
FIRST OCCUPY LONG BEACH PROTESTER CONVICTED FOR REFUSING TO LEAVE PARK
Jonathan Glen Davidson of Cerritos on Monday became the first protester associated with the Occupy Long Beach movement to be convicted under the city ordinance that prohibits anyone from being in a public park after its 10 p.m. closing time. According to a press release from the City Prosecutor’s office, the jury deliberated only 23 [...]
UNCONFIRMED E-MAIL WITHDRAWS CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF DOWNEY BUSINESS
Someone claiming to represent the families of the man shot and killed by a Downey police officer investigating a reported ATM robbery, sent an e-mail message to GreaterLongBeach.com Wednesday evening retracting a call for a boycott of businesses in Downey. GreaterLongBeach.com is attempting to confirm the accuracy of this e-mail message. On Wednesday morning, GreaterLongBeach published a story, via [...]
FAMILY OF MAN KILLED BY DOWNEY COPS WANTS CITY BUSINESS BOYCOTT
Via DowneyBeat.com: Family members of Michael Nida, who was shot to death by Downey police on Oct. 22 after twice running from them, are calling for a boycott of Downey businesses. Police said that on the night of the shooting they were looking for suspects of an armed robbery at a nearby ATM when they stopped Nida as he [...]
GREATER LONG BEACH RADIO THIS MORNING AT 11: SECOND+PCH AND ‘FOR LOVE OF LIBERTY’
Environmental consultant Heather Altmanand documentary filmmaker Frank Martin are among the guests on this week’s edition of Greater Long Beach Radio with Dave Wielenga, which goes live this morning at 11 and will be rebroadcast this evening at 7 on KBEACH.org. The ever-controversial Second+PCH hotel/retail/residential development will likely get an up-or-down vote from the Long [...]
IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE … WELL, CERTAINLY NOT THANKSGIVING
The final countdown toward Thanksgiving has begun, and the anticipation is almost palpable. Families across America will soon gather at one of their homes, eat a mid-afternoon dinner---and give thanks that it's almost December, when the really good holidays arrive.
FACING DEEP DEBT, LB ROLLER DERBY BEGINS RAISING FUNDS TO SAVE ITS LIFE
At the height of its popularity, Long Beach Roller Derby finds itself in a deep financial hole that threatens to shut it down. But the women who compete in the hard-hitting roller skating bouts are battling back by establishing a fundraising campaign on kickstarter.com. The two-year-old league’s debt has mounted from expenses that include rent [...]
YES, COMPTON SCHOOLKIDS LOOKED AT SASHA GREY—BUT ONLY FOR THE STORIES
Officials at Emerson Elementary School in Compton are being asked to do some explaining as mortally offended parents demand to know why former porn star Sasha Grey was allowed to commit the sin of reading to a classroom of first-graders. Grey visited Emerson on November 2 as part of the Read Across America program. At [...]
IN THE END, TRADITION RETAINS HER CROWN AT MISS LONG BEACH PAGEANT
Kristin Bopp, a 23-year-old student at Cal State Long Beach whose extensive experience as a beauty pageant contestant includes the Miss Greater Lakewood title of 2010, was selected Miss Long Beach on Sunday evening at the Grand Events Center. The crowning brought a dramatic—and traditional—conclusion to an event that had returned to the public’s radar this [...]
‘SUJAPALOOZA’ CANCELLED VIA E-MAIL BY ITS MUM’S-THE-WORD PROMOTER … BECAUSE IT MAY RAIN
The same somebody who employed the message board of a political website Friday to announce a Sunday-night concert/demonstration/costume party to criticize and mock Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal deployed an e-mail this evening to call the whole thing off. “Event cancelled due to high chance of rain,” read the e-mail—from somebody who says his name is [...]
‘SUJAPALOOZA’ PROTEST CONCERT CALLED FOR SUNDAY AT ROSE PARK, 6 PM
A free concert—dubbed “SujaPalooza” in reference to Long Beach Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal—is being planned for Sunday night from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Rose Circle Park (8th Street at Orizaba Ave), according to a notice posted by a group called Conscious Cinema on the politically progressive website Democracy For America/Orange County. “Conscious Cinema [...]
MICHAEL NIDA’S FAMILY CALLS FOR FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OF DOWNEY POLICE, FILES FINANCIAL CLAIMS
DOWNEY – While the family of the late Michael Nida—killed Oct. 22 by a Downey Police officer who claimed he matched the description of robbery suspects—called for a federal investigation into the Department, their attorney, Brian Claypool, filed a total of $15.1 million in claims against the City of Downey and said the family planned [...]
BELLFLOWER’S LATEST STAMPEDE FOR SCHOOL BOARD ENDS TODAY
Eight candidates are seeking three seats on the school board of the Bellflower Unified School District, but incumbents in the Downey and Paramount Unified School Districts are unopposed. The flurry of interest surrounding the available seats on the Bellflower Unified board is rather typical for the district, which has a history of campaign histrionics that [...]
DISTRICT ATTORNEY: LBPD COPS WHO KILLED DOUG ZERBY ‘ACTED LAWFULLY’
VIA LBREPORT.COM: Concluding its investigation of the evidence, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office announced today that the two Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) officers who shot and killed Doug Zerby on Dec. 12, 2010, while he played with a water nozzle on the porch of a house in Belmont Shore actually and reasonably believed [...]
PROMOTER SAYS CITY’S DEMANDS WEAKENED ZOMBIE WALK, LEFT HIM 40K IN DEBT
In an interview with Logan Crow that will be featured tonight on 'Greater Long Beach Radio with Dave Wielenga,' the promoter of last Saturday's (Oct. 29) Zombie Walk charges that incessant demands and fees by the City of Long Beach diminished the event and left him $40,000 in debt. Listen tonight at 7 p.m. on KBEACH.org
LBPD INVESTIGATING HALLOWEEN NIGHT ASSAULT AS POSSIBLE HATE CRIME
LBReport.com has learned that a Halloween-night assault (Oct. 31) in the area of 4th Street and Cherry Ave. is being actively investigated by Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) violent crimes detectives as a possible hate crime. LBPD Public Information Officer Nancy Pratt tells LBReport.com that on Oct. 31 at roughly 8:10 p.m., LBPD responded to [...]
LARRY ALLISON’S DEATH AT 77 ENDS 54-YEAR-CAREER AT PRESS-TELEGRAM
Larry Allison, who at one point or another during a 54-year career with the Press-Telegram did just about every job in the newsroom, died Sunday evening. According to the Press-Telegram website, Allison died after a two-week battle with pneumonia. He was 77. Allison’s career at the Press-Telegram began in 1957 and included stints as a [...]
LAWSUIT CHARGES DOWNEY OFFICIALS CONSPIRED TO FORCE FORECLOSURE
DOWNEY (Via the Downey Beat)—Lamberto Colon, the former owner of a car dealership parcel, is suing the City of Downey for $4.1 million, claiming city officials conspired to force him into foreclosure by dragging their feet on several proposed developments at the site until they fell through. The 8-acre site at 9715 Firestone Blvd. is [...]
TODAY’S PEACE & JUSTICE SUMMIT CONSIDERS RE-ENTRY ISSUES OF EARLY-RELEASED PRISONERS
The Long Beach Community Peace & Justice Summit convenes this morning in the Seaside Ballroom of the Convention & Entertainment Center, where challenges and opportunities presented by the early release of perhaps 30,000 prisoners in California will be identified, discussed and, perhaps, even solved. Admission is free, and not only open to the public, but [...]
HUNDREDS HONOR LIFE OF INNOCENT MAN SHOT AND KILLED BY DOWNEY COP
SOUTH GATE (Via the Downey Beat)—On what would have been his 32nd birthday, more than 200 people gathered for a candlelight vigil Tuesday in front of the home in Hollydale where Michael Lee Nida was raised. They mostly reminisced about the many dimensions of their friend—the basketball coach, skateboarder, rap fan, drywaller, kick boxer, father and dedicated husband—but [...]
SECOND MAN SHOT AND KILLED THIS MONTH BY DOWNEY POLICE UNARMED
A 31-year-old father of four was unarmed Saturday (Oct. 22) when he became the second man this month to be shot and killed by Downey Police officers. According to a report by the Los Angeles County Sheriff, the death of Michael Lee Nida of South Gate occurred after he twice escaped and ran from Downey [...]
IF YOU’RE NOT OCCUPIED, LONG BEACH IS AVAILABLE THREE TIMES THIS WEEKEND
According to a press release, Occupy Long Beach will stage three marches this weekend—two Saturday, one Sunday—to emphasize the lopsided distribution of wealth among the people of the United States and to confirm the continuing commitment of its members in Long Beach. The first march is scheduled for Lincoln Park—part of downtown’s civic center complex—on [...]
COUNCIL VOTES TO SEND CITY’S MEDICAL MARIJUANA ORDINANCE UP IN SMOKE
LBReport.com has learned that in an Oct. 11 closed session, the City Council voted 8-1 (Rae Gabelich dissenting) to direct the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance that, if enacted, will repeal the city’s current medical marijuana ordinance — and ban medical marijuana collectives/dispensaries in Long Beach — with the understanding that the issue may [...]
A GREATER CALIFORNIA: MIKE EVANS SEES IT GROWING IN YOUR FRONT YARD
California native plant expert and missionary Mike Evans---a sort of Johnny Appleseed to the salvia set---will share simple instructions (and very good reasons) for replacing a grass lawn with a garden of indigenous plants at 6:30 p.m. on November at the Groundwater Treatment Plant. The free event is co-sponsored by GreaterLongBeach.com and the Water Department.
OCCUPYLONGBEACH: IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL–THAT IS, UNTIL THE 10 PM CURFEW
OccupyLongBeach deployed its first official occupation Saturday at Lincoln Park, where approximately 300 people convened, marched, demonstrated and dispersed without any of the conflict that seemed to have been foreshadowed in prickly press releases from the social-justice movement and the Long Beach Police Department.
8 DEATHS MAKE SEAL BEACH SALON SHOOTING WORST IN OC SINCE 1976
BY PAIGE AUSTION / BELMONT SHORE PATCH Eight people were killed and one critically wounded Wednesday afternoon—the worst human carnage in Orange County since a 1976 shooting in the Cal State Fullerton library—when a heavily armed gunman wearing body armor opened fire at the Salon Meritage in Seal Beach, police said. Shortly after the shootings, [...]
OCCUPYLONGBEACH ARRIVES AT LINCOLN PARK … FINDS IT OCCUPIED
The way OccupyLongBeach worded its Facebook post, I thought an occupation of Lincoln Park was scheduled for Sunday. Alas, this was just an organizing and planning meeting. I got there as the group was finishing its introductions and deciding on an official mission statement.
LA PALMA COPS SUE CITY, COMPLAIN TO STATE AND TAKE THE INITIATIVE
LA PALMA (Via Los Cerritos News)—The La Palma Police Association has filed two lawsuits against the city, registered an unfair labor practices complaint with the state and is gathering signatures for an election initiative that would earmark some of the city’s utility tax for public safety—money that currently goes to the general fund. The flurry of [...]
DOWNEY’S POLICE MEMORIAL IS A VIVID DEPICTION OF ABJECT SORROW
DOWNEY (Via the Downey Beat)—With hundreds on hand as witnesses, the city on Thursday unveiled a memorial to fallen police officers, with a special emphasis on Officer Wayne Presley, the only Downey officer killed in the line of duty. The bronze statue in front of the Police Department depicts a kneeling officer in a sorrowful [...]
VAL LERCH FINDS LIFE AFTER CITY COUNCIL: WORKING FOR LAURA RICHARDSON
There was relief in the voice of former Long Beach City Council member Val Lerch Friday when he was hired as a field representative by Congresswoman Laura Richardson, ending well over a year without a job. "It's been a long and difficult time," said Lerch, "But politics is what I truly enjoy."
A COUPLE OF SANTAS HAVE ALREADY SAVED CHRISTMAS IN BELLFLOWER
Summer just ended, but it’s already beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Bellflower. Not in the commercialized way—there aren’t enough stores still open along downtown Bellflower Blvd. to commercialize Christmas … or unfortunately, any other time of year. No, the way in which Bellflower is beginning to look a lot like Christmas is [...]
EVERYDAY PEOPLE POWERING A MOVEMENT IN SUPPORT OF KELLY THOMAS
The Downtown Fullerton Plaza was bustling with life Saturday, a heart-wrenching contrast to the man---Kelly Thomas---who had brought all these people to this place, but an encouraging development, too.This was not an angry crowd, but one united by a desire that justice be done.
IS DISTRICT ATTORNEY TRYING TO MISLEAD PUBLIC IN KELLY THOMAS BEATING
In public pronouncements about the case of Kelly Thomas, the homeless schizophrenic who died in July after being beaten by six Fullerton police officers, the Orange County DA’s office has sometimes given the impression that the office is on the side of the police---even though the police are the criminal suspects. This is unusual. Usually the DA is on the side of the people, and against the alleged criminals.
KELLY THOMAS’ DAD PRESENTS MEDICAL RECORDS HE SAYS PROVE HIS SON WAS MURDERED BY FULLERTON POLICE
LOS ANGELES (Via OC Register)—The father of Kelly Thomas, the mentally ill transient who died five days after a July 5 altercation with six Fullerton police officers, displayed medical records Wednesday that he and his attorneys contend prove his son was effectively “murdered” by police assault. Ron Thomas, a former Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy, and [...]
HARBOR COMMISSION’S UNANIMOUS VOTE TO BUY WORLD CENTER STILL ISN’T OVER
LONG BEACH (Via LBReport.com)—If you missed the big moment—couldn’t be there for the Long Beach Harbor Commission’s special meeting Tuesday or couldn’t stop texting while the panel rolled through the only item on the agenda—maybe the 4-0 vote authorizing the Port of Long Beach’s purchase of the Long Beach World Center office/retail property seems as though the [...]
ONE QUESTION … FOR LATE-ARRIVING LONG BEACH NATIVE SARAH BENNETT
The back story: When Sarah Bennett arrived in Long Beach from Los Angeles via Orange County back in—well, see, Sarah’s not sure precisely which year she finally got here, but figures it was four or five of them ago—either 2006 or 2007, she knew she had arrived. Sarah admits that her earliest clues were related [...]
BIXBY PARK NEIGHBORHOODS SAY PUBLIC-SAFETY CUTS HURTING RESTORATION
In a letter to council member Gary DeLong and Suja Lowenthal, seven neighborhod associations say cuts in public safety measures at Bixby Park are contributing to increasingly flagrant illegal behavior at Bixby Park, including public drinking and drug use, drug dealing, overnight camping, littering and loitering, and a gang fight during a children’s theater festival.
STATE TAKING 365 PRIVATE LAND PARCELS TO WIDEN SANTA ANA FREEWAY
An estimated 365 parcels of private property will be taken by the state of California to accommodate a $1.6 billion, six-mile widening of the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) from Orange County line east of Valley View Avenue in La Mirada northwest through Santa Fe Spring, Norwalk and Downey. Most of the affected property owners have [...]
JENSEN’S PLANE CRASH RECOVERY CONTINUES: HE’S GETTING STRONGER, GIVING THANKS
Mike Jensen, the lone survivor of a March 16 private plane crash at the Long Beach Airport that killed the five other passengers, posted an online update on his recovery Tuesday—the first one on the site in 2 ½ months. Jensen gave the new accounting of his condition on CaringBridge.org, which his family has been [...]
LB COUNCIL ALLOTS 90 MINUTES FOR 5 BUDGET ISSUES, BUT MAKES TIME TO KISS KNABE’S BUNDT
LONG BEACH (via LBReport.com)—Someone inside City Hall has crammed five of the most-significant subjects in City of Long Beach budget debate—police, fire, code enforcement, libraries and parks—into a special Council meeting … that will last only 90 minutes … and begins at 3 in the afternoon. Yes, this afternoon. Such curious scheduling obviously raises some [...]
DOWNEY COUNCIL DELAYS SMOKING-BAN DISCUSSION, BUT MEMBERS TALKING
DOWNEY — The Downey City Council probably won’t discuss a possible citywide outdoor smoking ban until its meeting Aug. 23, but Councilman Mario Guerra has made sure his opposition is known. Guerra said it would be too costly to enforce the ban, but a full discussion was halted on a 2-1 vote with Mayor Luis [...]
ROYBAL-ALLARD, LOWENTHAL AND LARA MEET CONSTITUENTS TOGETHER THURSDAY
The City of Downey’s representatives in three government legislatures—United States Congressional Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, state Senator Alan Lowenthal and Assemblyman Ricardo Lara—have synchronized their calendars and will be at Downey City Hall on Thursday at 6 p.m. for a meet-and-greet with constituents. Admission is free. Downey Mayor Luis Marquez gets the credit for putting all [...]
LBPD PRISONER DIES WHILE IN CUSTODY
EDITOR’S NOTE: GreaterLongBeach.com received a press release from the Long Beach Police Department on Friday, Aug. 5, at 5:42 p.m. reporting that a prisoner of the LBPD had died while in custody nearly 24 hours earlier. This is the complete press release: On Thursday, August 4, 2011, at approximately 7:00 p.m., a Long Beach patrol [...]
LONG BEACH AND PARAMOUNT SEAL DEAL ON JOINT WATER-WELL PROJECT
The objective of the joint project is to reduce both cities’ reliance on the faraway---and increasingly expensive---water sources tapped by the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), which transports water from Central California via the aqueduct and from the Colorado River.
DOUGLAS DISCUSSES ‘BLOOD ON THE SHARROW’ ON GREATER LONG BEACH RADIO
Theo Douglas, the award-winning reporter who wrote this week’s GreaterLongBeach.com investigative update and analysis of the 2009 shooting of Belmont Shore bar patron Ernest Rodriguez by Long Beach Police Department officer Jonathan Steinhauser, discusses the story tonight on Greater Long Beach Radio with Dave Wielenga at 7 o’clock. The program is available online at the KBEACH.org [...]
BLOOD ON THE SHARROW: BALLAD OF A POLICE SHOOTING IN BELMONT SHORE
After two years and two investigations, Long Beach citizens still haven't been told what happened the night a police officer answered a drunk-and-disorderly call in Belmont Shore's restaurant/bar-and-retail district and shot the unhappy customer five times. Will the victim's lawsuit finally reveal the truth?
TIMELINE FOR DOWNEY APARTMENTS INCLUDES ENTIRE YEAR OF DOWNTIME
They were wearing hard hats, but each of Downey's five city council members took only one swing of a sledgehamer at a publicity event that ceremonially initiated the demolition of the Verizon building to make way for downtown apartments. Actually, that's about the pace of the project, which will take a year off in September to raise more funds.
ON GREATER LONG BEACH RADIO: COUPLE WHOSE CASTLE WAS BLASTED BY LBPD
Jonathan Cabrera and Elizabeth Bustamante were just back from church and preparing for bed just before midnight on May 14 when Long Beach Police Department officers opened fire on them in their central-city home, wounding Cabrera. On this week's Greater Long Beach Radio, the couple recounts the horrific details of that night and shares their hopes for transforming it into a positive experience.
A WIDE, WILD RANGE OF “STEWARDS” MAKE 2ND DISTRICT A SPECIAL PLACE
(UPDATED TO EMPHASIZE CEREMONY IS TONIGHT): A diverse assortment of more than 50 residents, groups, businesses and city staff will be honored by Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal as Stewards of the Second District this evening at Bixby Park Band Shell. The 7 p.m. event is open to the public. Honorees range from Jewels, Long Beach’s [...]
LINGLE IS BELLFLOWER’S INTERIM CITY MANAGER DURING SEARCH FOR REPLACEMENT
BELLFLOWER (via Herald American)—Assistant City Manager Lee Mingle will serve as Bellflower’s interim city manager while a consulting firm searches for a replacement for Mike Egan, who has resigned effective Aug. 25 to become city manager in Norwalk. Mingle joined Bellflower in August,1995 as the city’s first public safety coordinator, heading up the city’s Public [...]
HEAR CLIPPED-AWAY CANDIDATE MIKE KOWAL ON GREATER LB RADIO
Mike Kowal, who was eliminated as a candidate for the 8th district seat on the Long Beach City Council when district boundaries were redrawn to exclude his longtime residence by a half-block, explains his reaction and his plans on the new episode of Greater Long Beach Radio with Dave Wielenga. The show is available 24/7 or as a downloadable podcast.
LATEST REDISTRICTING MAPS WOULD KEEP CITY OF DOWNEY WHOLE
DOWNEY (via Downey Patriot)—As opposed to the first round of draft maps, new visualization maps released by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission keep the city of Downey intact in each proposed congressional, state assembly, state senate and board of equalization district. Preliminary maps had prompted angst among city officials who believed they isolated Downey from [...]
COMPTON BUDGET MEANS LAYOFFS, LAWSUITS, MAYBE INSOLVENCY, ANYWAY
[EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was written by Abby Sewell of the Los Angeles Times] COMPTON (via Los Angeles Times)—After a chaotic meeting full of reversals, the Compton City Council late Tuesday apparently moved to approve dozens of layoffs to avert a potential government shutdown. The council, acting as the redevelopment commission, voted 3 to 2 [...]
BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES/LB FIRST IS BUILDING STEERING COMMITTEE
Fourteen people have been elected to two-year terms on the steering committee of Building Healthy Communities/Long Beach, a 10-year initiative that will spend millions of dollars in the central and west parts of the city to improve health through support changes in policy and awareness of healthy foods and physical activity. Seven slots on the [...]
BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES GROUP ELECTS STEERING COMMITTEE TODAY
Members of Building Healthy Communities/Long Beach are gathering downtown at St. Luke’s Church this morning to eat a continental breakfast and to elect 21 people to their steering committee—that is, to guide the group toward the best ways, places and programs to spend millions of dollars in grants during the next two years. The Building [...]
RENE CASTRO RE-ELECTED UNOPPOSED TO CHAIR LB GRIP ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Rene Castro was re-elected as chair of the Long Beach Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Project (LB GRIP) Advisory Committee without opposition during the group’s meeting Monday night at the Center For Working Families, located on Atlantic Avenue at 19th Street. But new faces were elected to the other offices—Claudette Powers as vice chair and [...]
EIGHT AREA MAYORS URGE LOWENTHAL TO RESCIND SUPPORT OF KILLING RDA
Mayors from eight cities in the 27th State Senate District of Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, are urging him to rescind his support of eliminating redevelopment agencies to help balance the state budget, saying that would cost millions to California cities. That legislation has been made part of the current budget signed by Gov. Jerry [...]
FAMILY OF UNARMED MAN KILLED BY DEPUTIES PETITIONS BELLFLOWER COUNCIL
Sheriff's Deputies opened fire on 23-year-old Dexter J. Luckett on June 16 at about 10 p.m. in the parking lot behind his apartment while he was being detained---and ordered to put his hands on the hood of a patrol car. Luckett was hit by three bullets and died at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.
DOWNEY COUNCIL NEGOTIATES SPENDING LIMITS FOR CAMPAIGN ORDINANCE
The Downey City Council has moved closer to adopting new campaign reforms that would reduce the size of campaign spending by regulating contributions given to candidates. According to the ordinance, written by city attorney Yvette Abich Garcia, candidates in Districts 1 through 4 who accept the voluntary expenditure limit would have a $1,500 per person [...]
DOWNEY’S SECOND HOOKAH BAR IN THREE WEEKS OPENS TODAY
The Hookah Time Cafe, the second hookah bar to open in Downey within the last three weeks, will celebrate its grand opening Friday, according to its website. The latest hookah bar is at 8323 Firestone Blvd., next to Leeds mattress store. Its owners also appear to operate the Custom Cuts barbershop in South Gate. Mosaik [...]
DID RICHARDSON USE STAFF TO CAMPAIGN AND FETCH DRY CLEANING?
Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Long Beach/Carson) is alleged to have forced her congressional staff to work on her campaign and perform personal errands by a not-for-profit legal watchdog group that is asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation to begin a criminal investigation.
SKED FOR DOWNEY FIREFIGHTERS: TWO DAYS ON, THEN FOUR DAYS OFF
Hoping to promote continuity among regional fire departments while increasing the efficiency of local firefighters, the Downey Fire Department is about to begin an 18-month trial of the “48/96” shift schedule—that is, firefighters will work two consecutive 24-hour shifts, then take four consecutive days off. The change begins June 29—this Wednesday—and comes just two weeks [...]
FUNDRAISER TONIGHT AT PIZZA PI FOR FIRED LB HILTON HOUSEKEEPERS
A fundraiser for the Fired Hilton Five—the handful of housekeepers who allege their April 20 firing by the Long Beach Hilton was retaliation for speaking up about their working conditions—will be held this evening at Pizza Pi, 649 E. Broadway, Long Beach, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Pizza Pi will donate 15 percent of food [...]
43RD LONG BEACH POLICE AWARDS AT CARPENTER CENTER JUNE 22
Brave or unselfish acts of heroism and dedication to community safety during the past year will be recognized at the 43rd Long Beach Police Awards Ceremony on June 22—that’s a Wednesday—at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the campus of Long Beach State beginning at 5 p.m., according to a press release from the Long [...]
IT TAKES JUGGLING, BUT DOWNEY BUDGET WON’T CUT PROGRAMS OR SERVICES
After a public hearing on June 28, the Downey City Council is expected to approve a $143.6 million budget that will plug a $1.7-million deficit by using the city’s reserves, but will not reduce any city programs or services, although 34 budgeted and/or unoccupied jobs will be permanently eliminated. The city’s reserves are projected at [...]
HOW NOW, BRONZE COW? BELLFLOWER COUNCIL IS UDDERLY CONFUSED
Although it’s been less than two years since the Bellflower City Council voted to spend $95,000 on a slightly larger-than-life bronze sculpture of a dairy cow, now that the big ol’ bovine—nicknamed “Belle”—is about to come out of the foundry, nobody seems to remember where they intended to put her. City Manager Mike Egan has been doing [...]
SUNDAY FUNDRAISER AT CURLEY’S CAFE TO SAVE LBUSD MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS
A dinner to help raise the $380,000 needed to restore middle school sports programs to the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) will be held June 5—that’s this Sunday evening—at Curley’s Café in Signal Hill. The suggested donation is $35; all proceeds go to the Long Beach Education Foundation. The event is presented by Progressive [...]
CRIME, CRIME, EVERYWHERE A CRIME?
From a Naples office building to a man strong-armed in downtown Long Beach to a business in Bixby Knolls, burglaries topped this morning’s front-page news on LBReport.com. Police continue to investigate all three crimes. Have a nice Memorial Day Weekend!
ON QUEEN’S 75TH, GREATER LONG BEACH RADIO CONSIDERS LONG, STRANGE TRIP
Tonight's Greater Long Beach Radio show looks back on the Queen Mary’s first Atlantic crossing in 1936 and the long, strange trip that has transformed her from majestic British liner to unlikely icon of a gritty Pacific Rim seaport and unsuccessful tourist attraction. Also, how Long Beach might still save her queen. At 8 p.m. on KBEACH.org
GREATER LONG BEACH PUBLISHER DAVE WIELENGA HONORED BY HOPE AND FREEDOM FILM FESTIVAL
GreaterLongBeach.com publisher Dave Wielenga, whose career as a journalist spans nearly four decades and a variety of specialties but has never strayed far from Long Beach, will being honored Saturday during the Hope and Freedom Film Festival at the Art Theatre. “I would like to take the opportunity to recognize you for your work in [...]
GREATER LONG BEACH RADIO: HERE’S AN EARFUL OF WHAT YOU’VE MISSED
Did you miss Dave Wielenga's interview with Long Beach Post publisher Shaun Lumachi about the effects a media outlet owned by a city councilman and Chamber of Commerce advocate could have on local journalism? Inside is a link to that show and others on Greater Long Beach Radio.
DOES THE RISE OF THE LB POST MEAN THE FALL OF JOURNALISM IN LONG BEACH?
The Long Beach Post, the fastest-growing information outlet in town, was co-founded and is co-owned by City Councilman Robert Garcia and Chamber of Commerce government affairs consultant Shaun Lumachi. As other news organizations struggle, what does that mean for for the city?
AGAINST LONG ODDS, GARCIA GUARANTEES: ‘ARMORY PARK IS GOING TO HAPPEN’
Four years since the high-flying proposal for Armory Park had its wings clipped by a collapsing economy, a city that's amputating its way through a budget deficit and the veto of the city traffic engineer, the project has its mojo back ... ummm, "mojo" means "money," right?
LONG BEACH STATE TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE DIES IN SINGLE-CAR CRASH
Long Beach State track and field athlete Cameron Gillett, 21, died Friday morning after crashing his gray 1998 Nissan Altima into an embankment on a northbound 605 Freeway offramp in Long Beach, Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the LA County coroner’s office said. The crash happened about 2:20 a.m. at the East Carson Street offramp when [...]
JENSEN’S RECOVERY FROM PLANE CRASH ADVANCES FROM BURN UNIT TO REHAB
Mike Jensen, the lone survivor of a March 16 private plane crash at the Long Beach Airport that killed the five other passengers, has been moved from the intensive care burn unit at the UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange to begin rehabilitation, according to a website being used by his family to provide updates on his [...]
WIND-WHIPPED FIRE ON WETLANDS—NEAR OIL TANKS—KNOCKED DOWN BY LBFD
It took more than an hour for the Long Beach Fire Department to quell two blazes that originated this morning on wetlands property near the intersection of 2nd Street and Pacific Coast High—and near oil storage tanks that presented the potential for disaster. LBFD Public Information Officer/Firefighter Matt Dobberpuhl says multiple calls came in at [...]
ATTENTION SPRING BREAK KIDS: CURFEW MEANS NO EASTER PARADING AFTER 10
The Long Beach Police Department says it will enforce the city’s curfew law—and the city prosecutor’s New Parent Accountability Program Too (PACT)—during the upcoming Spring Break, which will close Long Beach Unified School District campuses April 25-29. LB Muni Code section 9.58.010 states: “It is unlawful for any minor under the age of eighteen (18) years to remain [...]
“GREATER LONG BEACH WITH DAVE WIELENGA” ON K-BEACH THURSDAY @ 8PM
GreaterLongBeach.com publisher Dave Wielenga will debut as host of a weekly public-affairs radio program---the okay-maybe-we-could-have-put-a-little-more-creativity-into-the-titled “Greater Long Beach, with Dave Wielenga”---in partnership with Long Beach State’s online station, K-BEACH (www.kbeach.org) on Thursday at 8 p.m. That’s tomorrow.
DOWNEY COUNCIL SELLS CITY LAND TO ATTRACT A NEW FIAT DEALERSHIP
DOWNEY—With gasoline prices ever increasing, the Downey City Council has agreed to sell four acres of city-owned property at 9715 Firestone Blvd., near the San Gabriel River to Paul Antepara, who plans to open a Fiat dealership by July. The selling price is $3.8 million for the property, once occupied by a Suzuki dealership and [...]
DOWNEY MEDICAL CENTER CALLS PENDING FPPC FINE A ‘PAPERWORK SNAFU’
Downey Regional Medical Center, which has been struggling to emerge from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection it received in September 2009, is facing a $200 fine by the Fair Political Practices Commission this month after allegedly failing to report a $5,000 payment to a political consulting firm last year. According to a statement of violation released by [...]
OF SOLDIERS’ HEADSTONES, AND THE STONE-HEARTED WHO WOULD STEAL THEM
As plans are made to provide a headstone for a Civil War veteran buried at Artesia Cemetery in Cerritos for more than a century, a worker at Downey Cemetery begins to replace one of four headstones stolen this week from the graves of more-recent veterans.
PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR JENSEN IS BREATHING ON HIS OWN
Mike Jensen, the lone survivor of a March 16 private plane crash at the Long Beach Airport that killed the five other passengers, is breathing on his own and speaking, according to a website established by his family to provide updates on his recovery. “Super Mule is great, the [breathing] tube is out and of [...]
JENNY OROPEZA CENTER TO BE DEDICATED AT CESAR CHAVEZ PARK
The community center at Cesar Chavez Park will be officially named after the late state Senator Jenny Oropeza during a 3 p.m. ceremony Thursday at Cesar Chavez Park. Oropeza’s husband, Tom Mullins, will speak at the dedication, the kickoff event in the 10th annual Cesar Chavez Day celebration presented by Councilmember Robert Garcia, along with [...]
TALK-SHOW HOST LARRY MANTLE AT ‘LONG BEACH READS ONE BOOK’
The centerpiece of this year’s edition of the Long Beach Reads One Book program—the 10th anniversary of the nationwide project by StoryCorps—is tonight at the Centre Theatre: a program that will include the Dave Isay, the editor of this year’s book selection, “Listening is an Act of Love.” The event runs from 7 p.m. to [...]
7/ELEVEN ROLLS THE DICE AND CRAPS OUT TWICE IN BID FOR PARAMOUNT STORE
The Paramount City Council has upheld a decision by the Planning Commission to deny the request of a 7-Eleven convenience store to operate in a vacant 2,450-square-foot site at 14139 Downey Ave.—the northwest corner of Downey and Rosecrans avenues, across from Paramount High School. Council members agreed with a Planning Commission ruling of Jan. 11 [...]
CENSUS: DOWNEY’S LATINO POPULATION GROWS FROM 32.3 TO 70.7 PERCENT
The City of Downey’s population increased only slightly to 111,772 people during the last 10 years but the number of its Latino/Hispanic residents (78,996) has dramatically increased—from 32.3 percent in 1990 to 70.7 percent in 2010. In comparison, the number of White residents in Downey continues to decline and now represents 17.7 percent of the [...]
K-BEACH RADIO TO REVIEW, DISCUSS TODAY’S 2ND+PCH MEETING TONIGHT AT 6
GreaterLongBeach.com publisher Dave Wielenga will be among the in-studio guests this evening when Long Beach State’s online radio station, K-BEACH, presents a special feature on today’s 3rd District neighborhood meeting on the proposed Second+PCH project. The program begins at 6 p.m. and is accessible online at www.KBeach.org. It will also be available as a podcast. [...]
BEER & POLITICS RETURNS ON APRIL FOOL’S DAY IN BIXBY KNOLLS
Keeping a promise he made in a one-question interview with GreaterLongBeach.com last December, Mike Clements is reviving Beer & Politics, the monthly thirst-quenching public-issues forum he’d been hosting in taverns around town—until he became 7th district councilman James Johnson’s chief of staff. Although Clements said then that he expected Beer & Politics to be back [...]
WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NEW NAMES …
The streets of Downey are suburban, almost obliged to be indistinctive, and yet driving them has begun to feel more and more … meaningful? Or maybe … inspirational? And then again, there’s always … corny? Well, at minimum, let’s hope it’s unforgettable—because committing all the new street names to memory is a challenge. Lately, the [...]
BILL BY LAKEWOOD HIGH CIVICS CLASS REACHES ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE
Lakewood High students who proposed AB 1174---which would prohibit adults from soliciting minor-aged children going to and from public schools---are raising money for an April 13 trip to Sacramento to testify before the Education Committee.
MEDICAL, EMOTIONAL UPDATES ON CRASH SURVIVOR MIKE JENSEN ON WEBSITE
Updates on the condition of Mike Jensen, who survived Wednesday morning’s private plane crash at the Long Beach Airport but remains hospitalized with critical injuries, are being periodically provided on a website designed for such purposes. Jensen was among five high-profile Greater Long Beach businessmen—all in some way associated with land acquisition, development and management—who [...]
LBPD OFFICER SHOOTS, KILLS WOMAN WHO ALLEGEDGLY WAS SLASHING A MAN
A woman who was allegedly attacking a man with a sharp object was shot and killed by a Long Beach Police Department officer Thursday after a Taser strike and verbal warnings failed to stop her violence. The dramatic confrontation occurred around midday on the 3100 block of Pine Ave., where the officer responding to a call arrived [...]
RELAX, EVERYBODY! DOWNEY IS KEEPING ITS EYE ON THE NUCLEAR MESS IN JAPAN
The City of Downey issued a press release Thursday night claiming that its public-safety workers are monitoring the nuclear crisis in Japan and “collectively working to address the public’s concern surrounding the potential impact to .. California and the Western United States.” Whew! That’s a relief! Here’s the text of the press release: “The City [...]
TOO SOON? ARE COMMENTS ON POLITICAL FALLOUT FROM PLANE CRASH IN BAD TASTE OR FAIR TOPIC FOR DEBATE?
Reaction to Wednesday’s stunning plane crash at the Long Beach Airport—which took the lives of five men, including a few with high and sometimes controversial public profiles—has basically fallen into three categories: 1) expressions of grief and sympathy; 2) discussions of political implications; and 3) calls for those in category 2 to cool it. The people [...]
TOM DEAN, MARK BIXBY AMONG DEAD IN FIERY LONG BEACH AIRPORT CRASH
Tom Dean, one of the most controversial influences on Long Beach politics, and Mark Bixby, from one of the oldest families in the city’s history, are among five people who were killed at about 10:30 this morning when a private plane crashed on takeoff from Long Beach Airport, according to multiple media outlets. Also confirmed [...]
SO YOU WANT TO COMMENT ON EIR FOR THE SECOND+PCH PROJECT? HERE’S HOW!
Want to lodge an official comment on the Second+PCH revised Environmental Impact Report (EIR)? You don’t have to hurry—hell, the 45-day comment period, which began when the document was released March 10, doesn’t close until April 25. Then again, you know how you are. And don’t forget you have to look it over first. So [...]
A DOWNEY BUSINESS CONTINUES AS STATE’S TOP TAX DELINQUENT
A Downey business continues to earn the dubious honor of being California’s largest sales tax delinquent, according to a list published by the state’s Board of Equalization today. The company, which did business as Calif. Target Enterprises, Inc., allegedly owes the state more than $18.1 million in unpaid sales tax. A lien was filed against [...]
IF INCUMBENTS WIN, BELLFLOWER COUNCIL STAYS WHITE, MALE, OVER 50
Three incumbents, two who have served on the Bellflower City Council for more than 20 years, are seeking re-election March 8. If voters return them to office, the increasingly ethnically diverse city’s five-member council will continue to be entirely composed of white males over 50 years old. The incumbents are Councilman Randy Bomgaars, first elected [...]
DOWNEY MEDICAL CENTER TO OPEN URGENT-CARE CLINIC THIS SPRING
Downey Regional Medical Center is constructing a primary, urgent care clinic focused on relieving pressure on emergency rooms by providing affordable, preventative health coverage to thousands of uninsured and underserved residents of southeast Los Angeles County. “Last year, we spent over $25 million serving nearly 13,000 indigent patients in our emergency rooms,” said Dr. Natalie [...]
WHAT ARE YOUR DEEPEST DESIRES FOR THE NEW LIBRARY IN NORTH LONG BEACH?
What do you like in a neighborhood public library? For me, it’s books, but I know a dude who goes just to get shhhushed by a secondarily degreed professional trained in information and library science. Anybody with other ideas and passions for libraries is welcome to suggest and confess them Saturday in North Long Beach [...]
STAR PARKER’S COMMENTS ON FOX REMIND US WHY WE DIDN’T ELECT HER
Former Republican congressional candidateS tar Parker was on Fox News today, checking in with her solution to the ongoing boycott of Wisconsin legislative sessions by a group of Democratic state senators: “we should fire them.” Parker’s comment was typical of the half-cocked cracks and loose command of the facts that characterized her opportunistic campaign for [...]
HOW DID COUNTY AUDITOR WHO DIED AT WORK GO UNDISCOVERED FOR A DAY?
A Los Angeles County employee who died in an office cubicle at a county building in Downey on Feb. 11, but was not found until the next afternoon, was working overtime alone, and the lights were automatically turned off to save energy, a county spokeswoman said Friday. Rebecca Wells, 51, who was an auditor for [...]
STEVE HORN, FORMER CSULB PRESIDENT AND CONGRESSMAN, DIES AT 79
Steve Horn, whose long record of consensus-building leadership in the Greater Long Beach area extended from academia to the halls of congress, died today at his home from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 79. Horn was married for 57 years to Nini Moore Horn. They have two children, Marcia Horn and Steve Horn, Jr., [...]
A VALENTINE’S DAY PROTEST THAT ALL IN LOVE IS STILL NOT FAIR
The Center, Long Beach’s gay and lesbian community center, is joining with 10 other Los Angeles County gay and lesbian and equality groups on Valentine’s Day to hold what’s being called a Peaceful Protest for Marriage Equality at the East Los Angeles County Clerks office. The Feb. 14 event is part of a nationwide day [...]
DOWNEY’S COLUMBIA SPACE CENTER—FROM MAJOR TOM TO MAJOR TURNAROUND
Nine months after opening, the Columbia Memorial Space Center was caught between a rocket and a hard place. The legacy of Downey’s role in out-of-this-world exploration was pulling a Major Tom---circuits dead and something wrong. But it's in major turnaround.
BELLFLOWER COUNCIL CONSIDERS BIG CUTS IN WAKE OF UTILITY TAX FAILURE
A smorgasbord of cuts, ranging from employee layoffs to closing the municipal swimming pool and selling Caruthers Park for a residential housing project, is under study by the City Council. Possible decisions on some are expected at the next regular meeting Feb. 14. As directed by council, City Manager Mike Egan laid out a list [...]
THERE’S HELL TO PAY—WELL, $3 MORE—FOR PARKING TOO LONG IN DOWNEY
Overstaying your welcome—that is, the parking limitations on curb signs and parking meters—just got more expensive in Downey, where the city council has signed off on a state-mandated $3 increase on all parking citations. Although it will cost the Downey Police Department $5,700 to replace its parking citation inventory and the city will collect the [...]
CITY AUDITOR RUNS THE NUMBERS THAT QUALIFY HER FOR BOSTON MARATHON
City Auditor Laura Doud qualified for the Boston Marathon today, lopping 32 minutes off her personal best to finish the Phoenix Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon—that’s 26 miles, 385 yards—in 3 hours and 50 minutes. “It was just one of those days where everything lined up perfectly,” marveled Doud, 44, during a telephone interview from Phoenix [...]
PAROLEE ARRESTED AT MOM’S HOUSE ON CHARGES OF STEALING FROM CHURCHES
A 52-year-old man on parole for a burglary conviction was arrested Monday at his mother’s house in Downey on charges of stealing money from church donation boxes. Peter Manuel Galindro, 52, allegedly pried open collection boxes at churches in Burbank and Glendale. The stolen money had been earmarked for Haitian relief efforts, officials said. READ [...]
STATE GRANT FINALLY COMES THROUGH FOR LONG-PLANNED BELLFLOWER PARK
BELLFLOWER—Work on the long-planned $2.3 million Palm Linear Park—a 3.5-acre swath along the south side of the Artesia (91) Freeway—is moving again following the funding of a long-delayed state grant of $1.8 million. The park site is a strip of surplus state land leased from the Department of Transportation and extending along the north side [...]
WHERE CRIME OCCURS IS NEWSWORTHY—ESPECIALLY WHERE CRIME OCCURS
In our opinion, two things shouldn’t go unnoticed concerning the Long Beach Police Department’s Jan. 4 news conference, where it released citywide 2010 crime data that showed significant drops in categories including murder (lowest number since 1971), gang-related murders and gang-related shootings. The first thing to notice is Police Chief Jim McDonnell’s intellectually honest response to [...]
LBPOA BLOCKS RELEASE OF LIST OF OFFICERS WHO FATALLY SHOT SUSPECTS
The December deaths of two suspects who were shot by Long Beach Police Department officers has apparently prompted an investigation by the Los Angeles Times, which is seeking the names of all LBPD officers involved in fatal shootings since 2005. But the Times reports that the Long Beach Police Officers Association (the union that represents [...]
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HELP COUNT LONG BEACH HOMELESS POPULATION
Volunteers are needed to assist the City of Long Beach in its every-other-year count of homeless people—an assessment that is required of all jurisdictions that receive federal funds for providing supportive services to homeless people. The count is on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011, but volunteers must sign up for a one-hour orientation/training session that must [...]
ON THE CANINE-TH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, CUB SCOUTS WILL GIVE TO ANIMALS
Bearing backpacks and pulling wagons full of supplies, Cub Scouts from Pack 658 will deliver some basic supplies today to the animals sheltered at Long Beach Animal Control’s P.D. Pitchford Companion Village. The items in these care packages—towels, blankets, toys, food and leashes—were collected during a month-long call for donations called “Howls For Towels” that [...]
SIGNS OF LIFE—THAT IS, A BREAKING NEWS STORY—AT LBREPORT.COM
A pulse has been detected on the website of LBReport.com, which on Sunday began to emerge from a brief coma—publisher Bill Pearl called it a “hiatus”—in encouragingly characteristic fashion: that is, it broke a story. Acting on an independent tip, LBReporter Sharon Katchen was first with news of the Long Beach Police Department’s second fatal [...]
LBREPORT.COM IS SUDDENLY GONE, BUT PUBLISHER INSISTS NOT FOR LONG
Bill Pearl, who essentially founded Internet news reporting in Long Beach when he launched LBReport.com in 2000, insists he is not through—that the website’s sudden disappearance Friday will only last a few more days. “I’m not going away,” Pearl said Saturday in a telephone conversation from his home. “This is going to be a very [...]
FURUTANI’S APPOINTMENT PUTS HIM AT CENTER OF PUBLIC PENSION ISSUE
Assemblymember Warren T. Furutani, whose 55th District cuts across multiple cities in Greater Long Beach, announced via press release today that he has been appointed chair of the Committee on Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security (PERSS) by Assembly Speaker John Perez. The committee’s jurisdiction includes oversight of the public retirement administration and investment strategy, [...]
SOME TIPS FOR NOT LOOKING STUPID AT THE AKC DOG SHOW THIS WEEKEND
The American Kennel Club has been holding its national championships in Long Beach for five years now, so there’s really no excuse for not knowing how to behave when you attend this year’s event today and Saturday at the Convention Center. Just in case you haven’t been—and this will be your last chance for awhile; [...]
LBREPORT.COM SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR THE BEST AND WORST OF 2010
Who should be Long Beach’s Civic Superlatives and Posterior Posterities of 2010? And why? LBReport.com wants to know—especially the why—for a feature will attempt to wrap a year that is fast slipping away. Personally, one of GreaterLongBeach.com’s nominees for a Civic Superlative would be LBReport.com, itself. Long Beach’s oldest on-line news source turned 10 years [...]
PRESSURE FROM AQUA-OLDSTERS SAVES THEIR WATER AEROBICS CLASS
The 315 seniors who packed a meeting of the ABC School Board earlier this month have stopped the cutback of their water aerobics program. Superintendent Gary Smuts, who had promised the aqua-oldsters that he would explore all possibilities to save their program, came through after considerable discussion with the City of Cerritos. According to Smuts, [...]
VIOLENT CRIME IS DOWN IN COMPTON, ACCORDING TO LA SHERIFF’S REPORT
Violent crimes in Compton have dropped dramatically from a year ago, according to a report detailing crime statistics for the unincorporated communities and 42 contract cities policed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Most notable were decreases in homicides in the Compton Station area, which includes Compton and nearby unincorporated areas, and Century Station [...]
SATURDAY’S CLEANUP AT BIXBY PARK MAY BE THE BEGINNING OF RESTORATION
The latest call for a community cleanup of a Long Beach public space—this one set for Saturday, from 8 a.m. to noon, at Bixby Park—is not just another call for a community cleanup of Long Beach public space. Claudia Schou, a resident who formed Friends of Bixby Park, which is co-sponsoring the event with the [...]
GREATER LONG BEACH PUBLISHER INTERVIEWED ON IMAGINE THIS RADIO
Greater Long Beach publisher Dave Wielenga is among the featured guests on the current episode of Imagine This Radio, a weekly online interview program hosted by Antonio Ruiz of The Creativity Network. Wielenga, 55, who has been covering local news, arts, sports and culture since 1972 for the Press-Telegram, OC Weekly and the late District [...]
OH CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! UHH … COULDYA PLEASE SAVE THE SENIORS WATER AEROBICS PROGRAM?
Like a ship’s captain steering bravely into dangerously angry whitecaps, ABC School District Superintendent Gary Smuts promised a roiling sea of 315 white-haired seniors this week that he would explore all possible avenues to save their water aerobics program. The adult water aerobics class—one of the ABC Adult School’s best-attended but most-expensive classes—is among several programs threatened [...]
JENNY OROPEZA’S LIFE REMEMBERED, CELEBRATED AT PUBLIC FUNERAL
Family members were joined Monday afternoon by current and former state lawmakers, local officials, political allies and neighborhood advocates at a public funeral, recalling and celebrating the 53-year life of Jenny Oropeza. Oropeza, most widely known for a long political career that began with two terms as student body president at Long Beach State and [...]
JONATHAN JAQUES CHILDREN’S CANCER CENTER RECEIVES $50,000 GRANT
The Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center at Long Beach’s Miller Children’s Hospital has received a $50,000 grant from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to help child survivors of cancer cope with the various enduring effects of their treatment. “Unfortunately, what it takes to get children cancer-free can leave them with longstanding problems,” said Jayme Palumbo of [...]
TOY LOAN CENTER—LIKE A LIBRARY, BUT WITH TOYS—OPENS IN COMPTON
The program allows registered children to borrow toys much like they would a library book. Lending centers are housed at parks, schools, recreational facilities, libraries, housing projects and even a homeless shelter.
GOING TO THE DOG PARK? HOPE YOU AND POOCHIE HAVE READ THE FINE PRINT
Workers at Rio San Gabriel Park in Downey are putting the finishing touches on a new dog park—and hey, where do you think you and that mutt of yours are going? There’s a lot more to taking your dog to a dog park—this one, anyway—than simply taking your dog to a dog park. For instance: [...]
NORWALK COUNCIL RIPPED FOR HOLDING MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE EVENT ON 9/11
The Norwalk City Council has received significant negative public feedback for a city-sponsored celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day. There were many objections, but the biggest was that the Independence Day, which is actually Sept. 16, was held on Sept. 11—the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, PA. During [...]
ANTHONY PIGNATARO: IF ROD WRIGHT IS A GONER, THERE GOES A RARE MODERATE
At a time of ideological polarization, Wright is as moderate as they come. When you look at his district, which stretches in a crooked arc from the poor areas of Inglewood and Compton through Long Beach and San Pedro to the rich Republican Palos Verdes Estates, this isn’t too surprising.
COMPTON COUNCIL VOTES TO CENSOR TV COVERAGE OF ITS MEETINGS
The Compton City Council has voted, 3-1, to censor the public-access television broadcasts of its meetings, editing out public comments. Councilman Dr. Willie O. Jones was the lone dissenter. Councilwoman Yvonne Arceneaux was absent. The Sept. 7 agenda item was identified as a “minute motion” on the agenda, and there was no staff report or supporting documentation in the [...]
COME FOR THE QUICHE, STAY FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES
Dan Pressburg’s candidate brunches have become a unique and reassuring tradition in Long Beach politics, an opportunity to meet candidates for elective office over quiche, bacon, sausage and orange juice on the patio of a historic home that used to be a local dairy and creamery. Pressburg, an unflagging activist in North Long Beach, basically [...]
SHE’S BAAAACCKK!! CERVANTES RETURNS TO COMPTON COUNCIL, MAD AS EVER
The Compton College board member asserts she did nothing wrong in soliciting a would-be arsonist to strike the Compton Bulletin again. “I’m tired of being lied on. Retards, even the retards know that it was an electrical fire. So we know that nobody set that fire,” Cervantes said. “That was just a figure of speech referring to what they (the paper) deserved.”
SLOT MACHINES IN A 98-CENT STORE
Downey police confiscated five slot machines from a local 98-cent store last week and charged the store owner and an employee with illegal gambling. Members of the Downey Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team seized the electronic slot machines and two “coin-push” machines containing more than $900 from the 98 Cents+ Mart at 13258 Woodruff Ave. [...]
WHEN BELLFLOWER COULDN’T AFFORD ANNUAL CAR SHOW, ANYMORE, THE NOON LIONS STEPPED IN AS SPONSOR
It’s still possible to enter a vehicle in the Bellflower Boulevard Car Show, on the very day of the 12th annual version of the event is held … well … on Bellflower Boulevard. That didn’t look very likely a couple of years ago, when a budget crisis forced the City of Bellflower to cut back [...]
THE COMPTON BULLETIN LAUNCHES ITS FIRST-EVER SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE
The Compton Bulletin has become one of Southern California’s most dynamic community newspapers under the leadership of editor Allison Jean Eaton, but it isn’t immune to economic conditions that are threatening print journalism everywhere. So for the first time in its history The Bulletin is launching a subscription drive. Throughout the months of September and [...]
DOWNEY PLANNING COMMISSION UNANIMOUSLY OPPOSES MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES
The City of Downey moved closer to prohibiting medical marijuana dispensaries from operating in the city when the Planning Commission on Wednesday agreed with city administrators that the benefits of marijuana collectives to residents are “far outweighed” by the violent crime that oftentimes besiege the clinics. The Commission unanimously approved a resolution that formally recommends [...]
COMPTON FALLS FOUR DAYS SHORT OF A MONTH WITHOUT A MURDER
Compton was only four days away from an entire calendar month without a murder—something that hadn’t happened since November 2009, and before that, January 2006—when two people were killed in separate incidents on Aug. 27. Just one day before, on Aug. 26, Compton Sheriff’s Station Operations Lt. Brian Meeder had told The Bulletin that the [...]
DOWNEY PLANNING COMMISSION MAY REQUEST MARIJUANA DISPENSARY BAN
During its meeting this evening, the Downey planning commission will consider asking the City Council to revise the city charter to permanently bar medical marijuana dispensaries from operating in the city. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. Citing federal law that still makes it a crime to grow, use or possess marijuana, city [...]
FOR NOW, ANYWAY, RESIDENTS OF NORWALK MUST KEEP ON THE GRASS
Drought or not, the City of Norwalk still does not permit the use of synthetic turf. The planning commission has postponed its debate on the use of phony grass to Sept. 22. Until at least then, all homes are required to have some type of natural landscaping—natural grass, shrubs and flowers, although definitely not rows of vegetables—in front yards and side yards abutting streets. [...]
ANTHONY CLARK HATED STREET-SWEEPING TICKETS SO MUCH HE WENT PRO
The Press-Telegram’s so-called special report Sunday on street sweeping in Long Beach—which contrasted the miles of roadways the machines clean against the millions in revenue the parking tickets glean, just like the many not-special reports that have preceded it over the years—made me marvel again at the enduring attraction of this topic. I wrote pretty much [...]
ARTESIA’S LITTLE INDIA HIT WITH A RASH OF ROBBERIES DURING PAST MONTH
Stores in Little India have been hit with two burglaries and an armed robbery in the past month, but Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Graig Knapp told the Artesia City Council this week that he doubts the incidents signal the beginning of a crime wave. Knapp detailed the crimes during a report at the Aug. [...]
JUST-FIRED DOWNEY CITY ATTORNEY QUITS LAW FIRM TO FOCUS ON BELL
Ed Lee, who the Downey City Council fired as city attorney last week (July 29) because of the controversial work he did as city attorney for the City of Bell, has resigned from the Best Best & Krieger law firm—so he can “focus his efforts” on assisting Bell. As Bell’s city attorney, Lee helped draft [...]
CVEKTO & BUTTS PEN BALLOT ARGUMENT AGAINST BELLFLOWER UTILITY TAX
Joe Cvetko, a former Bellflower city councilman, will team with John Butts, a roofer and the former host of a cable-access show called “Bellflower B.S,” to write the ballot arguments against a proposed five-year, two-percent utility tax hike. Both are long-time and high-volume critics of the current council. The measure was placed on the Nov. [...]
DOWNEY CUTS TIES WITH CITY ATTORNEY WHO REPRESENTED CITY OF BELL
A divided Downey City Council voted 3-2 Thursday to terminate its contract with the law firm Best Best & Krieger, which is representing the City of Bell through its current turmoil. Council members who voted for termination of the contract praised lead counsel Ed Lee but said they were concerned of “guilt by association. Lee, [...]
MANY COMPTON RESIDENTS SAY THEY FEEL SAFER UNDER SHERIFF’S DEPT
Carolyn Blake said she and her adult children ride their bikes down her street at ease, free of fear. Ten years ago when the Compton Police Department policed the streets, she said, that simply wasn’t possible. “Before, we could go nowhere,” said Blake, who’s called Compton home since 1958. “We’ve come too far to turn back.
NORWALK CITY COUNCIL BANS CHARITY CAR WASHES
The council has had the charity car washes on its radar since last October, noting that water is often wasted as it is allowed to flow from hoses, carrying dirt from the vehicles into public drains.
EMACIATED HORSE ABANDONED IN GUTTER
Animal control officials are searching for the person who dumped a severely emaciated horse in a street gutter in South Gate early this morning. The horse was discovered on the 5400 block of Gardendale Ave. near Gardendale Park. “SEAACA officers received a call at about 6:10 a.m. stating there was a full-size horse laying in [...]
VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR LB’S HUMAN DIGNITY ASSISTANCE TEAM
The City of Long Beach Human Dignity Program is now recruiting volunteers for the 2010-2011 Assistance Team. The program teaches volunteers how to assist victims of hate crime and bias incidents in the City of Long Beach. The effort is part of the City’s Human Dignity Program, founded in 1999 to ensure that all residents [...]
LONG BEACH GETS $25,000 NEA GRANT TO DESIGN PORTABLE PERFORMANCE SPACE
The City of Long Beach will receive a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, which along with sums from the Long Beach Arts Council and others, will help fund a national competition to design a portable space that can be moved throughout the City. Long Beach is one of 21 communities nationally [...]
AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND LATINO WORSHIPPERS FIND NEW LIFE TOGETHER IN A CHANGING NEIGHBHORHOOD
The Black choir clapped and swayed, propelled by the organ’s groove and drums’ beat, as gospel music filled the tiny New Life in Christ Church on Compton Avenue. The rhythm came naturally, but when it was time to sing, the choir had to turn to sheet music to keep from stumbling over the Spanish lyrics. [...]
WARREN HIGH COULD FACE PENALTIES FOR BOOSTER CLUB’S $22,500 PAYMENTS TO FOOTBALL COACHES
DOWNEY – CIF bylaws may have been broken and penalties could be levied by CIF on Warren High School’s football program after former head coach Chris Benadom and his staff received possibly illegal stipends during the 2009 season. During his second year as head coach, Benadom and his staff may have broken CIF Bylaw No. [...]
NEW SIGN IN COLLEGE PARK WEST POINTS TO ANOTHER DIFFICULT SPRING FOR COYOTE-HUMAN COHABITATION
Three weeks after a coyote alert was called in East Long Beach, officials from Long Beach and Seal Beach are about to post a warning banner at the entrance to the College Park West neighborhood (above). But coyotes are clever (right), not to mention more than a little bit deserving of our sympathy, cornered as [...]
DISQUALIFIED FOR HER FRIENDSHIP BRACELET? THAT’S MY STORY (ON SPORTS ILLUSTRATED WEBSITE)–AND I’M LINKING TO IT
BY DAVE WIELENGA / SI.COM Remember the story of the college softball player who hit the game-winning homer and blew out her knee as she trotted around first base, but was carried to second, third and home by opposing players — even though she represented the decisive run in a game that determined the championship? [...]
GET ME OUT OF DOWNEY? NOT SO FAST…SO OFTEN…OR SO EXPENSIVELY, SAYS CITY’S MAYOR
Lily Tomlin: “Take me out of Downey.” Tom Waits: “I’m gonna get you out of Downey.” —Scene from Robert Altman’s 1993 film, “Short Cuts.” Downey Mayor Anne Bayer doesn’t like to travel, and apparently, she doesn’t like it when her colleagues on the City Council travel either. Bayer vented to the Herald-American last week that [...]
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EGRETSNOTREGRETS.COM—ONE YEAR LATER, STILL “KILLING A BUNCH OF BIRDS WITH ONE STONE”
It was one year ago today that Heather Altman—an environmentalist at both work and play—laid out the first installment of her vision for a new local order by debuting her ultimatum-y sounding blog, EgretsNotRegrets.com. Results from the first 365 days are mixed. Egrets? The great-and-snowy coastal birds are still here. Regrets? Ditto. The darkly haunting [...]
CHECK OUT THIS LAKEWOOD COUPLE’S LITTLE BIT OF MID-CENTURY HEAVEN…
A Lakewood couple’s imaginative and oh-so-cool remodel of their small mid-century home is currently featured on the home design website, Apartment Therapy, as well as making me feel … ohhh, sorta lame. My home is a stucco box of about the same size and vintage as the one that Kristen James and Mike Dunn moved into a [...]
SUPERVISOR KNABE ALLOTS $2.5 MILLION TO REHAB SAN GABRIEL RIVER BIKE PATH
CERRITOS – A $2.5 million project to rehabilitate portions of the San Gabriel River bike path in Cerritos and Lakewood will continue, Supervisor Don Knabe has announced. “It is important that the bike paths along our riverbeds are safe,” said Knabe of a project that will be paid for in Fourth District Capital Improvement funds. [...]
BELLFLOWER TRYING TO REDEVELOP ITS ECONOMY WITHOUT RIPPING OUT ITS HEART
The City of Bellflower’s time capsule of a downtown is both heartwarmingly quaint and heartbreakingly … well without a heartbeat. Bellflower Boulevard’s well-preserved architecture and its embalmed business district can probably both be traced to its citizens’ long opposition to creating a Redevelopment Agency, an orientation rooted in their suspicion that eminent domain might be used [...]
‘UP IN SMOKE” AT ART THEATRE TONIGHT: HELP DISTRICT WEEKLY’S UNPAID FREELANCERS WITH A HAZY TRIP DOWN MEMORY LAME
How did 420—otherwise translated as April 20 or 4/20…or more to the point, today—become known internationally as the day to celebrate the healing/relaxing/inspiring/cotton-mouthing/squinty-eying/Snoop-Dogging characteristics of cannabis? Why do we so anxiously await Fatty Tuesday? Contrary to many myths, 420 has nothing to do with police code for pot-smoking, the number of active chemicals in marijuana, Hitler’s [...]
link=”http://greaterlongbeach.com/15/04/2010/downey-civic-theatres-red-carpet-1-million-a-year-in-losses”]
DOWNEY CIVIC THEATRE’S ‘RED CARPET:’ $1 MILLION A YEAR IN TAXPAYER LOSSES
The Downey City Council has put out a call for someone to manage and operate the Civic Theatre in hopes of getting more programs and bringing in more revenue. After several months of study, Community Services Director Thad Phillips and a subcommittee composed of Councilmen Roger Brossmer and David Gafin have recommended leasing the facility [...]
DOWNEY’S BIG BOY, NEE HARVEY’S/JOHNIE’S BROILER, RECEIVES PRESIDENT’S AWARD FROM L.A. CONSERVANCY
The new Bob’s Big Boy in Downey has been honored with the President’s Award from the Los Angeles Conservancy, a prestigious recognition that confirms the restaurant’s triumphant comeback after it was decimated in an illegal demolition three years ago. [In the Nov. 18, 2009, issue of The District Weekly, Theo Douglas wrote about the special [...]
GO RIGHT AHEAD AND SUPPORT THE SECOND+PCH PROJECT—BUT HOW ABOUT WAITING UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS?
As posted earlier, the Second + PCH development team has ramped up efforts to generate support in advance of the soon-to-be-released Environmental Impact Report (EIR). I believe that, in principle, the Second + PCH people have it exactly right: you need to make your voice heard. You need to speak out. I just find their [...]
MARCHESE ACCUSED OF TRYING TO GET NON-PROFIT WETLAND GROUP’S MAILING LIST FOR HIS CITY COUNCIL CAMPAIGN
TOM MARCHESE Tom Marchese not only lopsidedly lost his battle for re-election to the Board of Directors of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust (LCWLT) Tuesday night, but questions raised about his ethics in a letter from the organization’s esteemed founder may have cost him any realistic chance to be elected to the Long Beach City Council on April 13. Don May, [...]
