The Long Beach Health Department will offer a free H1N1 flu vaccine at a special clinic from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday in the El Dorado Park Senior Center, 2800 Studebaker Road.
Appointments are not needed.
H1N1 flu vaccine is recommended and will be available for residents over 6 months of age. One dose is required for patients over the age of 10. Two shots are needed for children 9 and under, but those doses should be at least three weeks apart.
"The Health Department encourages everyone to get the H1N1 flu vaccine to reduce the likelihood of becoming ill with influenza or spreading the disease to others," Dr. Helene Calvet, city health officer, said in a news release.
The vaccine is free of charge and paid for by federal grant funding.
The Long Beach Health Department has given more than 16,000 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine since November.
In addition, more than 100,000 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine were supplied to about 200 private providers and clinics in Long Beach.
The Health Department will continue to offer free H1N1 flu vaccine at the immunization clinic located at its headquarters, 2525 Grand Ave.
Clinic hours vary each week, and an appointment is required.
To make an appointment, call 562-570-4103 between 8:30 am and noon or 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays though Fridays.
Appointments can also be scheduled online by going to http://lbdhhs.genbook.com.
More information on H1N1 flu may be obtained by logging onto the Health Department's web page at www.longbeach.gov/health, or by calling 562-570-4103.
Mark Twain Elementary School, 5021 East Centralia St. in Long Beach, will dedicate its new garden from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 19. The event will feature a meet and greet, dedication ceremony, garden tour and refreshments. The garden was established by garden coordinator Lisa McCarthy, Principal Ellen Ryan and other volunteers.
Seventh District City Council candidate James Johnson plans to open his campaign headquarters, 3550 Long Beach Blvd., to the public at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The candidate is challenging incumbent Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga in the April election. Also in the race are two community activists, Jill Hill and Jack Smith.
Johnson encourages guests to RSVP at James@johnsonforcitycouncil.com or (562) 355-2331.
State Sen. Jenny Oropeza wants to eliminate fees businesses tack onto debit-card transactions.
Many merchants add surcharges to every swipe, sometimes in hopes of recovering fees they must pay to banks as a condition of accepting the cards.
Oropeza, D-Long Beach, on Tuesday introduced Senate Bill 933, which would bar retailers from imposing the premiums.
"Right now, there is a protection against this type of arbitrary charge for the use of credit cards," Oropeza said. "All we want to do is extend this protection on the use of credit cards to debit cards."
Oropeza said she found it unconscionable retailers would tack on flat fees for products struggling families need, such as jugs of milk and other necessities, particularly in a dour economy.
"We don't want to have them incumbered by a fee that is fairly arbitrary," she said. "It's really a regressive kind of charge."
Oropeza cited another concern: A plan to place unemployment payments on debit cards.Deducting fees from those cards, she said, would nickel and dime those already struggling from a job loss.
Oropeza did not know the range of fees charged to debit-card users. Tuesday's Wall Street Journal reported that many businesses charge about 25 cents a transaction, rather than a percentage of a sale. Some businesses charge more, others less.
Debit card use is soaring. More than half of transactions nationwide are paid for with plastic, and since 2006 more than half of those transactions have involved ATM cards.
Merchants also pay fees for accepting credit cards but they cannot legally charge customers a premium on those fees under California state law.
Oropeza realizes that retailers will likely pass any fees they must pay banks or creditors onto consumers, but she would rather see costs reflected in prices, which are more transparent.
"If the market will bear a higher price, the retailers will increase their prices, and that's pretty straight forward, and the consumer knows what to expect," she said. "But if there are these hidden charges there's a real opportunity for a ripoff."
Oropeza's bill has the backing of the Consumers Union and Consumers Federation.
Representatives from the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Retailers Association, groups that advocate for businesses that would be affected by the bill, could not be reached for comment.
A date for the first policy hearing on Oropeza's measure has not yet been set.
Long Beach Heritage will present its preservation awards, the non-profit organization's lagest annual fundraiser, later this month.
Heritage will give 10 awards to individuals and organizations committed to restorating, rehabilitating and saving properties integral to the city's history and character.
The winners are:
- Mary Kay Nottage, director of Long Beach Heritage.
- The Cooper Arms Homeowners Association for the restoration of the downtown building's lobby.
- Pamela Seager and the Rancho Los Alamitos Foundation for the restoration of the Ranch Los Alamitos Native Garden.
- Daniel Walker, president of Farmers and Merchants Bank for the restoration of the original bank lobby downtown.
- Todd and Alexandra Cooper for the rehabilitation of a home at 260 Bennett Ave.; Mary Meyer for the rehabilitation of a home at 177 St. Joseph Ave.
- Sherron Leno for the rehabilitation of a home at 748 Daisy Ave.
- Gina Maguire, president of St. Anthony's High School, for restoration of the school.
- Ellen Calomiris and the Rancho Los Cerritos Foundation for the reconstruction of the rancho's water tower and tank.
- Louise H. Ivers for the Cultural Resource Study "Long Beach - A History Through its Architecture."
The event will take place Feb. 18 in the Queen Mary's Grand Salon. A no-host bar and silent auction will begin at 6 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $105, which includes parking. Tables of 10 are $1,000.00. About $55 of each ticket is tax-deductible.
To order tickets, call (562) 493-7019 or visit www.lbheritage, which accepts PayPal.
"Soldiers on the Streets," a documentary about two U.S. soldiers who return from Iraq and struggle to reintegrate into society, will be screened Tuesday at the U.S. Veterans Initiative, 2001 River Ave., Long Beach.
"When Todd Newton and Luis Pinto returned from Iraq, they were fortunate to find work using the skills they acquired during their military service," according to a synopsis of the film provided by the In Their Boots organization. "Todd found work as a truck driver and Luis got a job as a paramedic. But for these two veterans, their civilian work triggered haunting reminders of their experience in the war zones of Iraq.
"Unable to tolerate the sight of injured people, Luis quit his job. Todd asked his superiors to give him shorter routes - assignments less likely to remind him of the treacherous routes he drove in Iraq. Todd's routes grew shorter and shorter until he was out of work. Soon both veterans were homeless."
A reception will take place at 5:30 p.m. The screening will begin at 6:30 p.m. A question and answer session will follow.
The event is free and open to the public, however, reservations are required. RSVP at http://bit.ly/soldiersonthestreetrsvp, (310) 204-0448
A college student and retail worker plans to kick off her campaign for mayor at 3 p.m. Saturday at Shades of Afrika, 1001 E. Fourth St.
Stevie Merino, who attends Cerritos College, is Mayor Bob Foster's only challenger in the April 13 election. Foster is a retired Southern California Edison executive seeking a second term.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation is running Merino's campaign. Her campaign manager has told the Press-Telegram that the candidacy is serious and not to be taken by voters as a college project.
Merino, 21, helped lead last year's protests against the California State University system fee hikes. She previously attended Cal State Long Beach.
Her stated platform includes a mix of local and national issues, some within the purview of City Hall, some not. The candidate wants a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, free public colleges, free healthcare and a tax on the wealthy.
She also pledges to address what she considers racism among police, making Long Beach a "sanctuary city" for immigrants and raising "taxes on oil companies and big corporations" who do business here.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13, which represents workers in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, has endorsed L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn for lieutenant governor.
Hahn, the sister of former L.A. Mayor Jim Hahn and daughter of the late County supervisor Kenneth Hahn, represents the San Pedro area. She is seeking the Democratic nomination for the state's second-highest office on June 8.
"Councilwoman Janice Hahn, from day one, knew the issues of the port and making sure working men and women had quality jobs," said George Lujan, president of ILWU Local 13. "She knows how ports are supposed to be operated and we are excited to support her in her bid for lieutenant governor."
Hahn has longstanding ties with harbor-area labor groups. The ILWU chapter represents close to 20,000 part- and full-time longshore workers, who load and unload cargo at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The local is the West Coast's largest.
The state's No. 2 position is unfilled. In November, former Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, who was facing term limits, won a Northern California Congressional seat.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger named state Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, to the post, but the appointment has not been confirmed. The state Senate plans to hold confirmation herings next week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday.
Regardless of what happens with his nomination, Maldonado is expected to run in the Republican primary for the seat in June. Other expected GOP contenders include state Sens. Sam Aanestad of Grass Valley and Dean Florez of Shafter.
For the Democratic nomination, Hahn is expected to face Sen. Dean Florez of the Central Valley.
A Long Beach Towne Center barbecue restaurant damaged in a Jan. 15 fire will soon be back in business.
Lucille's Smokehouse will reopen Feb. 2, said Craig Hofman, president of the Lucille's and Hof's Hut chain of restaurants.
The eatery at 7411 Carson St. was closed at the time of the 4:46 a.m. fire. No one was inside at the time.
The fire affected an area between the ceiling and roof and firefighters opened holes in the roof to extinguish it. The sprinkler system was also activated.
In all, about 40 Long Beach Fire Department personnel worked on the fire and resulting cleanup over a four-hour period, an LBFD spokesman said.
None of the firefighters who responded to the call was injured.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, a Long Beach Fire Department public information officer said Tuesday.
The couple behind the Long Beach Basket Brigade, which delivers food to the needy on Thanksgiving, is organizing an effort to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti.
The fund-raiser will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 31 at El Dorado Community Center, 2800 Studebaker Road. The "40 in 4" event, which seeks to raise $40,000 in four hours, will feature performances by the Elm Street Band. Weather permitting, there will be a bounce house and face-painting for children.
Kym and Jeff Livesay, who put on the Basket Brigade, are doing the 40 in 4 event in conjunction with the American Red Cross. For more information or to volunteer, contact Kym Livesay at 562-900-3574 or KLivesay1@msn.com or search for "40 in 4" on Facebook.
