August 2008 Archives

The Long Beach Meth Task Force will be hosting a community forum on methamphetamine featuring the video "Meth Inside Out: Brain and Behavior," 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, at the St.Mary Medical Center.

 

The film was produced by the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Program  and The Eyes of the World Media Group, and the program is being presented by the Long Beach Meth Task Force, which is composed of service providers from several Long Beach area public and private agencies.

The video presentation will be shown free of charge, and will be held at St. Mary Medical Center's Health Enhancement building, 1055 Linden Ave., Room A. For more information, call the Center for Behavioral Research and Services at 562-495-2330.

 More than 50 people have joined the volunteer ranks for the  Veterans Services Center at the Los Alamitos-based Joint Forces Training Base, but more are needed.

The JFTB Volunteer Corps is seeking members interested in providing support and services to veterans

. The new Veterans Services Center opened because military officials  recognized the need for immediate services being available in one central location to enable military families to get the help they need for a successful transition back into civilian life.

The new center is designed to help resolve problems, including mental health, financial, housing, drug dependencies, education, employment, child care, mortgage concerns, physical health and transportation.

Volunteers should be willing to work a minimum of two hours per week and not to exceed four hours per week. They do not need prior military experience.

The next volunteer orientation is scheducled for 9-11:30 a.m., Sept. 27, at the Veterans Services Center in Building 244. The base is located at 11200 Lexington Drive, Los Alamitos.

Seal Beach City Manager David Carmany had some good news Friday.

He announced that receipts from January through March sales were 8.9 percent greater than the same period last year.

"A onetime use tax allocation accounted for the spike," he explained.

Second District Councilmember Suja Lowenthal is inviting district residents to enjoy a free Friday evening, Aug.22, at the Long Beach Museum of Art.

The Museum of Art, 2300 East Ocean Blvd., will be free 6 to 8:30 p.m. Parking is available next door to the museum.

 RSVPs are strongly encouraged, organizers said. Call Lowenthal's office at (562) 570-6684.

 

The 38th Annual Huntington Beach Surf Contest is set for Sept. 13 and 14, bur the registration deadline is Aug. 25.

Registration is now being accepted on the 5th floor of City Hall at 2000 Main Street. The fee is $30.

 The event -- pegged for the south side of the pier -- is open for all ages, and all competition will be freestyle. However, the contest is open only to residents of Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Sunset Beach and Westminster.

 An identification will be required at the registration, organizers said..

 

Heated complaints have surfaced over "horrific events" during the weekend in a Belmont Shore neighborhood near the Second Street bars.

Several residents on Covina Avenue are placing the blame on Legends, but owner Gene Rotondo says it ain't necessarily so.

Neighbors met to discuss their options "to curb the violence and property damage that has become a regular occurrence when the bars begin to close and the often over-served patrons filter out onto our streets," one resident complained.

Five police units responded to complaints, but no arrests were made.
The residents said that problems with intoxicated patrons are not only linked to Legends, but to other Second Street bars. They contend security is needed at Legends.

Rotondo said he's seen no evidence that Saturday night's disturbance was linked to Legends patrons.

Smolarcorp will be publishing a North Long Beach Anthology of local writers and artists, the downtown Long Beach creative firm disclosed Monday.
The company reports that it was recently awarded an Atlantic Connected Corridor grant for the project.
Submissions from local artists and writers are now being accepted at www.bookbyauthors.org
Ryan Smolar, owner of the firm, said the project is designed to embrace an area that's "disenfranchised and isolated" from the mainstream of the city.
"We also hope it will be a way of developing community pride," Smolar added Monday.
Rachel Potucek, project manager, added: "We welcome writers and artists of all skill levels, interests and backgrounds and all written genres, including transcribed oral histories, short stories, essays and poetry."

 

Mayor Bob Foster made a stop on his Parcel Tax Approval Tour at the monthly meeting of the Alamitos Beach Neighborhood Association at Bixby Park Thursday night.

Foster proposed the tax to leverage a $571 million bond that would go to build and repair a frayed city infrastructure, including roads, alleys, storm drains, sidewalks and park and public safety facilities, not to mention a new main library. The measure will be on the November ballot, where it must receive two-thirds approval to pass.

The mayor has staked a significant amount of his political capital on the measure and is planning a major campaign to push for passage.

The City Council made Foster's pitch for the tax much more difficult when Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske went against her contemporaries. Schipske was the lone councilperson who refused to support the mayor in declaring that a "fiscal emergency" existed. That means the tax measure now requires the two-thirds approval, rather than the simple majority in the case of an emergency.

If Thursday night's appearance at the Alamitos Beach gathering is an indication, Foster will go all out for the measure. Foster spent nearly an hour presenting and defending his plan to the residents, who seemed generally supportive.

Foster says residents see everyday the need for upgrades to the city's deteriorating streets, alleys, curbs and public buildings. By failing to keep up with even routine maintenance in recent years, Foster said the costs for his plan have jumped nearly 50 percent. And he fears if the city waits any longer it could reach "what I call a death spiral, where things get so bad you can't fix them."

As an example, Foster pointed out that it costs 20 times as much rebuild a road, which is required if it becomes degraded enough, as to repair it. In Long Beach's 815 miles of street, 23 percent have a failed rating and 37 percent are rated fair to poor.

Degraded infrastructure also drives away businesses and lowers property values, Foster said.

"You cannot build wealth without infrastructure," Foster said.

Mike Wilson, president of the Alamitos Beach group, said he was amazed Foster would take time to talk to his small neighborhood association, which may underscore how seriously Foster is taking his campaign.

A packed house of about 70 residents packed the meeting room for the event. In addition to the mayor, the meeting also drew Second District Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal, Phil Hester, head of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine, Craig Beck, director of Development Services and Mike Conway, director of Public Works. Or as Wilson called them, "the big mucky mucks."

Lowenthal spoke and answered questions about parking, a moratorium on splitting bedrooms in the community, the clustering of sex offenders in the area, the repair of the Bixby Bandshell, parking and parking.

Lowethal spoke about a three-phased plan to relieve parking in the perennially congested area. These include everything from painting parking hashmarks on the street to tighten parking, to encouraging businesses to allow parking during their off hours, to more enforcement against illegally converted garages and unregistered vehicles.

In one particularly ambitious project, community members went out and mapped the lengths of all the red striped curbs in the neighborhood in the hopes that they can be tightened to make more room for cars.

Although the meeting ran nearly an hour longer than scheduled, it seemed residents still had plenty of questions that will have to wait until the group's next meeting in September.

So here's the thing. I'm not trying to defend Michael James for what he said that was deemed offensive to women at the latest meeting of the Central Project Area Committee.
I'll let him do that.
For those who don't know the story, James, a former member of CPAC and a critic of lots of things, was essentially kicked out of a recent meeting of the group that advises on how Redevelopment Agency money is spent.
CPAC is now considering whether and how to condemn James and his comments.
The group's leadership has made no secret it doesn't want to see James again. He can be disruptive, combative and flamboyant. He is seen as someone who distracts the committee from its mission.
But here's the thing. James was on his way to making a valid point in a discussion about how to properly memorialize the late Bob Lee, a CPAC member who James says was his friend.
James says those who oppose him jumped on him before he had even finished his opening remarks.
"What everyone assumed I was saying was wrong," he said.
Here's when things went sideways.
James' first line out of the box was, "Now, I have nothing against women ..."
James says that's when everyone jumped on him.
Now, it's several days later and James may be "remembering with advantages" as Shakespeare called it. But he insists he wasn't making a point about gender at all but one about artistic merit and media.
He says his comments were going to be, "Now, I have nothing against women designers and men designers who reach out and try to reach out and work in a new medium."
CPAC is considering memorializing Lee with a commissioned bench at a bus stop.
James thinks that's ludicrous, in part because Lee never used public transportation and was a major opponent of the Blue Line on Long Beach Boulevard, where Lee owned property.
As James said at the meeting, memorializing Lee with a bus bench "Is like putting a memorial at sea for a guy who never owned a sailboat."
James wanted to create a sculpture of one of Lee's beloved Cadillacs, rather than the painting of the bench by an artist, in this case a female artist.
Once the catcalls began, and chairman Annie Greenfield chastized him and city employee David White threatened to leave the situation devolved and James dug himself deeper into a hole when he talked about women being unable to design cars, and so forth.
But the tumult raises interesting questions about freedom of speech, propriety and the democratic process.
There's no doubt that James can be disruptive and distracting to some of the work the city and CPAC consider. He is like Albert poking the lion.
In the aftermath of the CPAC uproar, James says his boss told him to let it go and remain quiet. But James doesn't do quiet well.
So, here's the thing. Aren't the Michael Jameses of the world, lack of sensitivity and occasional boorishness notwithstanding, part of what democracy is about? Isn't it about the exchange of ideas?
Sure sometimes it's rowdy and bawdy and confrontational and even hurtful. But that can lead to good things. That's the whole point.
Sure, Michael James may turn over the cart and mess up people's hair. But sometimes he is making good and valid points.
Carol McCaferty, an activist and former CPAC member, said she left the group because she was tired of it "rubber stamping" city staff proposed projects, much of which she thought was subpar.
One CPAC member at the meeting suggested the group should separate the man from the message, saying he thought James idea was valid, but that was quickly dismissed.
In the aftermath of James' outburst, CPAC Chairwoman Annie Greenfield took the Press-Telegram to task.
"The story should not have been about inappropriate comments of one person - it should have been a positive story about how neighborhood people work, with Redevelopment staff, and are committed to making Long Beach a better place to live."
So, here's the thing. Love them, hate them. Agree, disagree. Democracy isn't meant to be orderly and kempt. It's messy. It was born from passion and revolution. Certainly there's a line between being politic and being boorish. Absolutely there needs to be a balance between conformity and anarchy.
Was Michael James inappropirate? Probably. Unfortunately, his worthy point got lost in the froth.

 

Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske will be hosting a community forum Monday to discuss coyotes and other wildlife.

Staff members from California Fish and Game and Long Beach Animal Care Services will be on hand for the 6 p.m. Aug. 18 forum  in the El Dorado Senior Center Bridge Room on 2800 Studebaker Road. 

Joseph Torres from California Fish and Game will be present information on "Living with Wildlife,"  with an emphasis on the coyote population.  

For more information about wildlife in Long Beach, visit http://www.longbeach.gov/acs/tips/wildlife/default.asp. And for details on the meeting,  contact Schipske's office at 562-570-6932 or district5@longbeach.gov.  

 

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The election for the Belmont Shore Residents Association board is set for Sept. 11, but the candidates will be announced during Thursday's 6 p.m. meeting on Aug. 14 at the Bay Shore Library.
There are four board member slots and seven at-large positions up for election.
Boardmember candidates must be an association member for a month before the Sept. 11 election.
The entire September 11th meeting will be devoted to the election.
All Belmont Shore residents and residential property owners are eligible to vote in the election provided they are paid-up association members.
 The one-year membership fee is $10. New members can join and vote the day of the election, but must show proof of residency.

Councilman Dee Andrews will present a Sixth District evening at the Museum of Latin American Art , 628 Alamitos Ave., on Friday, August 15, from 6 to 8. Residents will receive free admission and parking and can purchase refreshments. The art of Cubans Wilfredo Lam and Carlos Luna is being featured.

 

Walking is a great way to stay healthy, so doctors preach.
And while not all areas are that pedestrian friendly, Long Beach is in fairly good shape -- sidewalk-wise, that is.
WALK SCORE has ranked Long Beach as the #8 most walkable city in the country.
Downtown Long Beach scores the highest rating in town, while Belmont Shore comes in second.
The company's link -- http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/Long_Beach -- provides a listing of ratings from throughout the city, along with a helpful map. 

Residents interested in the latest developments in Cambodia over the border dispute with Thailand about land near an 11th-century Hindu temple can hear a first-hand account of negotiations at a public forum, Thursday, August 14 at 6 p.m. at Mark Twain Library, 1401 Anaheim St.

His Excellency Chan Tani, the secretary of state of the office of the Council of Ministers of Cambodia, will be on hand to talk about the state of negotiations and to answer questions.There will also be a presentation on the dispute.

Preah Vihear, a temple from the height of the Angkor Empire period in Cambodia's history, was recently granted World Heritage status by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, and like temples at the Angkor Wat complex is a significant historical and archeological ruin from the 11th century.

Although Thailand has abided by a court ruling ceding the temple property to Cambodia, surrounding land remains in dispute and both countries sent armed forces to the area. There is also fear that residents in the area have been cut off from necessities and are in need of humanitarian aid.

 

Commercial vehicle drivers could encounter a close scrutiny by law enforcement in Huntington Beach.
The Police Department has joined forces with other local law enforcement agencies to participate in an on-going high visibility commercial traffic enforcement.
On July 22, commercial enforcement officers from the California Highway Patrol, Anaheim, Cypress, Brea, Tustin and Irvine and Huntington Beach police departments, the State Air Resource Board, conducted a commercial vehicle checkpoint at Bolsa and Springdale in Surf City.
 The 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. checkpoint resulted in 91 commercial vehicles being inspected with only 12, or 13 percent, found to be in full compliance with the regulations relating to commercial vehicleskkkkkkk, city officials reported.
 Seventy-nine trucks, or 87 percent,) had one or more violation.
 Officers issued 71 citations, and 14 vehicles were placed out of service until their safety violations were repaired, authorities said.
Seven vehicles were towed.

Some 300 campers and 125 volunteers should be getting a break on parking fees.
They'll be attending Camp del Corazon, a medically supervised summer camp located in Catalina Island for children with congenital heart disease.
The non-profit organization provides all services to the children free of charge, since many of the families bear high medical care costs.
While Camp del Corazon will be hosting the campers and  volunteers from Aug. 25 through Sept. 2, they will need to leave an estimated 60 vehicles near the boat launching location.
Camp del Corazon is requesting a fee waiver of the $5 daily parking fee -- a request that 4th District Supervisor Don Knabe plans to seek Tuesday, Aug. 12. from the Department of Beaches and Harbors. The total amount of the fee waiver is $3,000.

 

 

Work for a new state-of-the-art lifeguard/paramedic station at Avalon is underway.

The new station -- to be completed by April--  will be a 2-story, 7,005 square foot facility with a two bay apparatus area for a paramedic truck, utility vehicle and watercraft trailers, and living quarters for up to eight lifeguards.

The Long Beach Rowing Association will be hosting this year's U.S. Rowing Masters National Championship, starting Thursday, Aug. 14, at Marine Stadium
Over 1,300 competitors are expected, ages 21 to 80-plus, representing 83 rowing clubs from 24 states and some international cities. The competition ends Sunday, Aug. 17.
There are 200 events will be held over the four days. All races are 1000 meters on the 6 - lane buoyed course. Qualifying heats begin at 8:00 a.m. every morning, and finals for the 50 daily events will be in the afternoon until 5:00 p.m.
Events, according to organizers, include all Olympic rowing categories: single sculls, double sculls, quadruple sculls, eights (with coxswain), fours (with and without a coxswain), and pairs.
 Rowers will race in events with age categories for men, women, and mixed (men and women), based on the average age of the rowers in the boat.
 Some events are lightweights only, with 160 pounds maximum for men and 130 pounds maximum for women.

 There will also be parent/child events in double sculls. Competitors are limited to a maximum of six events each.
The association is hosting the event in cooperation with Long Beach and US Rowing.
For more information or to volunteer, contact the Long Beach Rowing Association at http://www.longbeachrowing.org/ for for entry information and schedule: https://www.regattacentral.com/index.jsp?tab=regattas

Sailing isn't one of the "big" athletic events at the Olympics -- in most newspapers or television sports programming.

But there are several great Web sites opening up new avenues that enhance available coverage of the sport, and local enthusiast Tom Shadden's recent email helped to pinpoint two sources:  http://olympics.ussailing.org/Olympics.htm, and sail-world.com.
They provide a rich variety of information and photos of the Olympics on water.

Los Angeles County Public Library is holding a Fine-Free Week for borrowers to return all overdue items -- books, DVDs, magazines and other library materials -- without paying fines, beginning Monday.
The grace period ends at 5 p.m. Aug. 17.
"The purpose of fine free days is to encourage borrowers to ... receive a fresh start," said County Librarian Margaret Donnellan Todd. "We want to ensure that children and families can read and use the library."
Library patrons with unpaid fines on record can visit also any of the county library's 84 branches to receive a 50 percent reduction on fines owed, if paid in full during that week.
However, charges for lost or damaged materials will not be waived.
The purpose of Fine-Free Week is to promote the return of needed library materials, heighten awareness of the importance of reading and literacy and encourage families to use the County Library.
For branch listings or additional information, visit the library's Web site at www.colapublib.org or call (562) 940-8415.

 

 

 

A generally positive and upbeat gathering of the Central Project Area Committee hit a rough patch midway through the proceedings and nearly brought a premature halt to the monthly meeting.

Former CPAC member Michael James was pitching his idea for an a memorial to late CPAC member Bob Lee, who died unexpectedly a few months ago.

While making his impromptu presentation, James who has been known for his antic behavior in the past, made several marks that a number of members felt were demeaning and degrading to women. While some members tried to laugh off some of James' remarks, others were not happy.

One of those most offended was David White, the Redevelopment Project Officer who regularly attends the meetings representing city staff.

White interrupted the presentation after James made one of several remarks White felt was inappropriate.

"You need to apologize to the women here," White said, noting that he was particularly offended for one of his co-workers, Erica Martin, who was in the room.

James continued and made another remark that led White to threaten to leave the meeting, in which he was scheduled to provide a lengthy slide show summing up ongoing projects in the area.

"You need to leave," White said as he went to pick up his suit coat.

James relented, grabbing a model of a car he had brought as his idea for Lee's memorial and stomping out.

White, still seething, began to rapidly go through his presentation.

"We do a lot of work and we don't need to be insulted like that," White said.

Eventually, White calmed down, began his presentation once again and for the next hour gave a detailed presentation of the work the Redevelopment Agency is doing in the Central Area to remove blight, improve businesses, brighten streetscapes, provide affordable housing, increase and upgrade park space and other efforts.

After White's presentation, Alan Tolkoff, a longtime CPAC member and former board member praised the work and noted that that was what CPAC is about. He was dismayed at what he saw as outlandish behavior by James.

"It doesn't take many people to blow up a meeting," Tolkoff said, reiterating several times that James was no longer a PAC member and not representative of the group and what it does.

The Central Project Area Committee is made of leaders of neighborhood groups. They advise the Redevelopment Agency and its board on uses of tax money given to the RDA to improve the city, its businesses and neighborhoods and remove blight.

During his presentation, White went through about 40 projects, the agency is engaged in. These ranged from $180 million plans like the Shoreline Gateway, which would build a 35-story high-rise on Ocean Boulevard, to facade improvements

One of the visitors at the meeting was John Edmond, the chief of staff for Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews.

Edmond asked to speak to the PAC.

Talking about James presentation, Edmond said, "It was hateful, it was unacceptable and it wasn't funny.
Edmond ask that the PAC consider drafting a resolution rebuking James and his comments. The membership decided to look into the propriety of such and action and address it at the next meeting.

Field trip
Members of the West Eastside Community Association should bring comfortable shoes for their monthly meeting Thursday Aug. 7 at 6:30 p.m.  The group will meet at the auditorium at Lee Elementary school and then head on out for a tour of the Long Beach Police Department communication center.
The tour is being held in lieu of the regular meeting. Erin Allen, a dispatch operator, will lead the tour.

The Huntington Beach Police Department's next Citizen Acadeny class is scheduled to begin mid-September.

 The class allows citizens to experience training by all details within the department,  including SWAT, Narcotics, K-9, Patrol, and others.

  The academy class lasts for 12 weeks and involves "hands-on" training and a way for citizens to get answers to all of their police related questions.

  This class will be held on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

  Applicants must be either be a Huntington Beach resident or work in the city.

 All interested can find the Citizen Academy application at dboldt@hbpd.org, or call (714) 960-4540.. 

Neighborhood and civic nonprofit groups looking to engage in environmental projects have a possible funding source.
The Patagonia outdoor clothing and gear company is providing grants between $3,000 and $8,000 to groups looking for ways to preserve and protect the environment or habitat that produce measurable results, and force the government to abide by its own laws. Efforts should be quantifiable, with specific goals, objectives and action plans, and should include measures for evaluating success.
The deadline to apply is Aug. 31.
Information is available at www.patagonia.com/grants or by phone or e-mail to Hans Cole of Patagonia (805) 667-4652, hans_cole@patagonia.com

City Attorney Legrand Clegg II retires Tuesday (Aug. 5) after 31 years of public service, during a special council meeting ceremony.

The meeting begin at 5 p.m.. in the Council Chambers, 205 S. Willowbrook Ave.

Clegg  was born in Los Angeles, but raised in Compton. He attended Compton schools from elementary school through high school and graduated from Centennial High School. He received an associate arts degree from Compton Community College, a bachelor's degree from UCLA, and a law degree from Howard University School of Law.

Clegg's first two years with the city were as an administrative assistant in the city manager's office, followed as personnel director.

He later worked as an attorney for the Legal Aid Foundation, and he followed that as a private law practitioner  in 1974. And he served as co-counsel to the Compton Unified School District from 1976 to 1977. He was appointed to the position of Deputy City Attorney for the City of Compton in 1977.

Clegg then served as chief deputy city attorney from 1981 through 1993, when he was appointed city attorney. He was elected city attorney in April of 1995, and is currently serving his third term as an elected official.

Long Beach Animal Care Services wants to improve the health and wellness of animals that are under the care of the Animal Control shelter. Monday, Animal Care Services announced its  promotion of  "a toy for each animal" --- especially chew toys like the Kong Classic that help keep animal's minds and bodies engaged, leading to greater health and a higher rate of adoption. The new program for collecting all sizes of red, rubber KONG Classic toys for shelter dogs in the Animal Village facility.  The  toy is indestructible and safe, according to city officials, adding the toys can be easily cleaned and disinfected after each use. Purchase all sizes of Kong Classic toys directly online or at any pet store. Drop the toy(s) off at the P.D. Pitchford Animal Shelter (ask for Long Beach Animal Care Service) or have them shipped directly to 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach, CA 90815, or contact  Debra Brubaker, Public Health Associate (562) 570-7387.  City officials said they're  working closely with  registered rescue organizations, including the Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA ) to obtain toys for the dogs and cats housed at the Village.  Donations to the Friends of Long Beach Animal's Toy Program, will also go towards the purchase of Kittie Woofer balls or the KONG Classic toys.

Residents of the Sixth District will get a chance to get wet and wild as the pool at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 1950 Lemon Ave., will be open for a free swim party Saturday, August 2 from noon until 4 p.m.

The event is being sponsored by the Sixth District City Council office. In addition to the free admission, there will be free hot dogs and refreshments.

Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews will reportedly be on hand. No word whether he'll don the trunks, but it would be worth the price of admission if he does.

 

The Planning Commission has approved a Conditional Use Permit for the operation of a 6,300 square foot retail truck parts store at 609-665 W. Cowles St. in the First District.
The applicant, One Stop Truck Parts, Inc., met with the Magnolia Industrial Group (MIG) to discuss concerns with the existing truck storage lot and the proposed truck parts store, according to a staff report, which added that -- as a result of that meeting -- additional operational conditions were added to help mitigate the concerns.
The area is zoned General Industrial, and it's  1.4 acres in size and is improved with a 12,600 square foot warehouse building, a small guardhouse, a 1,440 square foot mobile office unit and paved truck storage lot.
The applicant proposes to modify 6,300 square feet of the warehouse building to operate a retail truck parts store..
According to the staff report, about 860 square feet of the floor area is identified as customer area with the remaining 5,440 square feet serving as truck parts warehousing. The remaining portion of the warehouse will continue to serve truck operations, the staff report added.
One of the concerns raised by the MIG dealt with potential parking impacts, the staff noted.
However, there are 15 on-site parking spaces along Oregon Avenue, and the owner plans to add 11 more spaces, including three for trucks.
The proposed hours of operation for the store are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
 Operational conditions at include a ban against on-site installation of parts or truck maintenance, and a requirement of on-site loading/unloading of inventory for the store instead of blocklnq the street.

 

 

 

 

 

A group of recent graduates from the Neighborhood Leadership Program will work with residents of the Coolidge Triangle neighbhorhood area Saturday, August 2, with the planting of Chinese Flame Trees, beginning at 7 a.m. At 352 E. Neece Street.

The tree planting is the final project of a nine-member team from the program that teaches residents and activists how to become community leaders and effectively generate neighborhood interaction amd involvement and access city resources for projects.

Ninth District City Councilman Val Lerch, volunteers, members of the Coolidge Triangle Association, the Long Beach Green Party, and other civic activists and students will be on hand.

Residents interested in helping are invited to attend. There will be an orientation, coffee, and pastries at 7 a.m. Followed by the tree planting. A volunteer lunch will be held at 11:30 a.m. at Rosa's Mexican Restaurant, 6800 Long Beach Blvd.

Information is available by calling Michael Bush, at (714) 642-6669.

 

The 1st Annual Alamitos Bay Beach Water Polo Tournament set for Aug. 9 and 10 will feature a special firefighters versus police officers exhibition game.
The tournament will be anchored in the bay at Ocean Boulevard and Bay Shore Avenue, and the exhibition game is set for Saturday, Aug. 9 at 6 p.m.
Visit www.shoreaquatics.com for registration forms or call Rob Webb at (562) 786-1872.
All teams from age group to masters are welcome and the deadline to register is Aug. 7.
The event is organized by Long Beach Shore Aquatics, in conjunction with the Long Beach Sea Festival Association.

Just a quick reminder that the Huck Finn Fishing Derby will be held on the Huntington Beach pier this Saturday, Aug. 2, from 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon.

The event is free for children up to the age of 15. Registration will be held from 8 - 9 a.m. on the pier.

Many sponsors have donated prizes, according to organizers. Awards will be given for the top three largest fish in each category, for overall winners, and best dressed Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher. Registration forms may be obtained at the pier at the event.