September 2008 Archives

If you can somehow tear yourself away from whatever you're doing, the Neighborhood Resource Center, 425 Atlantic Ave., is staging a Time Management Workshop, Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m.
Raul Garcia, a corporate education liaison, and Frank Nainoa, a manager of professional development, will make the presentation put on by the University of Phoenix.
The presentation will focus on ways to manage time, set priorities and how to identify and eliminate procrastination and time wasting.
So, don't be late.
RSVP to the Neighborhood Resource Center at (562) 570-1010 or Sharron_Hinkey@longbeach.gov

Residents of the Central Area can learn about developments at the Port of Long Beach Tuesday night, Sept. 30, at the first of the port's fall rotation of "Let's Talk Port" community meetings.
Tuesday's event will be at the Community Center at Ernest McBride Park, 1550 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. at 6 p.m.
The workshop will consiste of an overview of port developments, including air quality, economic outlook and security, followed by a question and answer session with port officials.
Future meetins will be on Monday, Oct. 20 at the El Dorado Park Senior Center, 2800 Studebaker Rd. at 7 p.m., and Wednesday, Nov. 12 at Cabrillo High School , room 309, 2001 Santa Fe Ave. at 7 p.m.

 

The Wrigley Area Neighborhood Alliance (WANA) will stage its annual elections Thursday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Academy 2750 Pine Ave.
Candidates will have a chance to speak before the election.
Phil Hester, Director of Parks, Recreation & Marine, will speak update his department's plans for Wrigley, including dog parks, mini-parks and tot lots. Also former City Councilman Mike Donelon and former Wrigley resident John Case will discuss skate parks.
Admission, childcare and parking are free.

Several neighborhood groups in the Wrigley Area are joining forces on Saturday for an event they are labeling "Take Back Earl Street."
Earl Street is a struggling area that runs north-south between Long Beach Boulevard and Pacific Avenue.
The Saturday event will be staged on the 2100 block of Earl Street just south of Hill Street. It will begin at 10 a.m. with a clean-up and continue after noon with a block party.
The South Wrigley Neighborhood Advisory Group and Wrigley Association are helping stage the event with the LBPD West Patrol Division, Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews' office and about 50 business and civic groups and agencies.
This is the third of a series of quarterly events encouraging peaceful and productive relations among neighbors and the Long Beach Police Department. Similar events were held at Locust Street and Pine Avenue.
The event is designed to foster relations between residents and police, encourage the formation of Neighborhood Watch and get the residents engaged with each other.
"We want to keep people involved," Andrews said. "We want people to know we're here and we're watching."
Because of the neighborhood's crime issues, Andrews says there's a lot of fear on the block.
"We want this street to be as safe as any other in the city," Andrew said.
The block party with feature skateboard and bike ramps, hula hoops, tether ball, basketball, a bounce house, fire truck, face painting and arts and crafts. There will also be free food and information for a wide array of community groups and services.

Historic groups and preservation projects can learn about how to win grants from the Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association Wednesday, Sept. 24 between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Neighborhood Resource Center.
Navy Heritage is one of the foremost local organizations supporting preservation efforts and hands out grants annually ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.
Application materials are available on-line http://www.calfund.org/receive/special_grant_programs.php  The deadline is Oct. 17 for a letter of intent to the California Community Foundation and Dec. 12 for a full proposal.
This free workshop will be presented in English with Spanish and Khmer translation available
Information: (213) 413-4130 ext. 242.

 

If you wanted to see some of the effects of the scourge of "the pipe" on the Central Area, it was on display at Ernest McBride Park Thursday night.
If you wanted to see a message of hope from those who gave up much of their lives to the California Department of Corrections, to the streets and all the other dark places drugs lead to, that was there too.
What you didn't see were the teens and young adults who most need to hear the messages of their elders.
For those in attendance, the fifth annual presentation of the "Recovery Awards," given to residents who are battling back from addiction, was a rousing success.
Before a packed house of about 150 at the community room at McBride Park, more than 20 recipients were honored.
All were offered a chance to talk about their experiences and most did. They spoke, some soft and barely audible, others loud and animated. Some messages tender, others, but all sharing the same torment - addiction.
They talked of their lives, in jail, in dope houses, on the streets. Most thanked God, thanked recovery groups like the East Side Early Bird Attitude Adjustment 12-step program, and they thanked their families.
There was William Wood, known around the neighborhood as Minneapolis, who received a standing ovation several times.
Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews, said Wood is an example of the miracle of recovery. According to Andrews, Wood shot heroin for 35 years before cleaning up.
When Luteae Wishing received her award, a person in the crowd yelled out, "That's recovery there. That's Shine's girl."
There was Won Do, who said in the depths of her drug use, even her parents dog turned its back.
"So I sold him to the dope man," Do said, to a chorus of laughter.
Freddie Cornelius took his turn to apologize to those he had hurt, including his mother in the audience. He said he regretted to he had to go to his father's grave to issue that apology.
There was Alpha Sales, who said "I receive this (award) in the name of my mother, who didn't live to see me get out of the alley."
Andrews, who is in recovery himself, said to the group, "I do a lot of functions, but nothing means as much as this, because drugs have knocked on everyone's door."
As happy as he was with the messages and the turnout, Andrews said the next step is to reach out.
"We've got to get these kids in there," Andrews said. "That's a message that hits every doorstep. We've got to let (youth) hear what we've gone through. We're going to push to get the young kids to hear that message."

A two-story commercial art-deco structure  -- at 2640 E. Anaheim St., known as the Palace Hotel building -- has been nominated as a city landmark.

The building -- located at the southwest corner of East Anaheim Street and Ohio Avenue -- is rectangular and capped by a flat roof with stepped parapet. The exterior walls are constructed of unpainted brown brick with off-white glazed terracotta bricks accenting the stepped parapet.

The property has been in use as a hotel with ground floor commercial space since its construction in 1929 and remains largely unaltered, according to Jan Ostashay, Long Beach's historic preservation officer.

"The 2642 address corresponds with the Palace Hotel, which city directories indicate has been the name of the second story residential portion of the building since its construction," Ostashay noted.

"Besides the Palace Hotel upstairs ground floor retail occupants have included a drug store, billiards hall, restaurant, men's shop, appliance shop, among other businesses over the years," she added in a recent preliminiary report to the Cultural Heritage Commission.

 "Given its continued use and relatively intact design elements, the property maintains a high level of physical and historical integrity of design, materials, workmanship, setting, location, feeling and association," Ostashay said.

 The property, she added, is eligible for listing as a city landmark, and the commission will review the recommendation at its Oct. 15 meeting.

 

The New Zealand culture will be celebrated this weekend (Sept. 20-21) in downtown Huntington Beach near the pier.

 

The Second Annual Taste of New Zealand, a sister city event, is scheduled from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Sunday. It is co-sponsored by the city of Huntington Beach and Waitakere City, NZ.

 

Organizers said the event will feature food tastings, Iron "Kiwi" chef demonstration, a fashion show, a rugby tournament on the beach, New Zealand and local artists, wine tasting, restaurant special and a drawing for a trip for two to New Zealand.

 

The Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce will be a co-sponsor  for the first Green Expo, which takes place Saturday, September 20, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., at the Huntington Beach Central Library.

 

 The event, co-sponsored with the Huntington Beach Economic Development Department, will include informed speakers, vendors, hands-on product demonstrations, product samples, instructional seminars, educational workshops, informational booths and exhibits showcasing the most recent ideas and technologies to help teach what individuals can do to protect the environment, according to organizers. 

 

Visitors will be able to learn about important "green issues," including waste reduction, energy efficiency, water conservation and quality, utilizing recycled materials, reducing greenhouse gases, and producing organic products, organizers said

 

For more information, contact the HB Chamber of Commerce at (714) 536-8888 or online at www.HBChamber.com, or visit www.HuntingtonBeachGoesGreen.com.

 

Friends of Colorado Lagoon will mark the 24^th annual Coastal Cleanup Day by hosting a

9-10 a.m. beach cleanup Saturday (Sept. 20), followed by a 10 a.m.-12 noon planting of native plants.

 

There will be educational booths, refreshments and prizes, according to organizers.

 

Volunteers are advised to dress casually --- "for a day at the beach" --- and wear closed-toed shoes for the planting. The event starts at the Wetlands and Marine Science Education Center at the corner of Appian Way and Colorado Street in Long Beach.

 

 Seems some forgetful writer, OK, so it was me, failed to include some basic info in a recent story about an upcoming Restoration Fair being hosted by the Rose Park Neighborhood Association. So here goes:

 The event is Sunday, Sept. 20,  from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Luther Burbank Elementary School, 501 Junipero Avenue. The event will feature speakers and information on historic restoration and guidelines for exterior changes in historic districts. There will also be about 50 vendors on hand who deal in all things old and aging. Like the brain of the old journalism prof who would have flunked his student for dropping the where and when.

 

 

There are 11 board positions up for election of the Belmont Shore Residents Association, and association president Mike Ruehle is recommending a slate for Thursday's balloting: 

 

In an email sent out Monday, Ruehle's recommended slate is: president: Ruehle; vice president: Terry Endersen; treasurer:Christopher Van Horn (new); secretary: Jeff Miller; and at large: Tim Clark (new), Aileen Colon (new), Charles Folks (new),  John Forstrom,  Marvin Jones,  Larry Jordan (new) and Jim Lazarus.

 

Ruehle also noted in his newsletter this week that the candidates are "all a mix of retired residents and working family members."

 

He added: "None of the above candidates are Second Street commercial property owners." That's important for the residents to know, he said in a telephone interview.

 

Ruehle also noted that the association ranks have grown, thanks to the upcoming election:

 

"Of particular interest," he added in his newsletter, "is the high number of new members that have only recently joined the BSRA in August.  Many of the new members are either city employees, city staffers, elected officials ... or people who have spoken before City Council in support of alcohol licenses and entertainment permits for Second Street bars."

 

 

 

 

 

The Dana Neighborhood Library is turning the big 5-0, and marking the event Saturday, Sept. 13.

To mark and celebrate 50 years of library service to the California Heights/Bixby Knolls residents, a full day of free crafts, activities and refreshments will be offered 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a special cake cutting ceremony and musical recital at noon.

 The Friends of the Long Beach Public Library will also host a day-long used-book sale with proceeds to benefit the Dana Library.

The branch library is located at 3680 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach. For more details about the event, call (562) 570-1042.

Davik Teng, the Cambodian girl brought to the United States for life-altering open-heart surgery by a Long Beach nonprofit earlier this year and whose journey was chronicled by the Press-Telegram, will be featured on network television this weekend.

She will be one of four children spotlighted Sunday at 3:30 p.m., on KABC Channel 7 in a one-hour show titled "Imagine -- A Celebration of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles."

The documentary, produced and paid for by Childrens Hospital, will examine Davik's journey from rural Cambodia to repair of a ventricular septal defect, or hole, in her heart. Childrens Hospital donated its facilties and staff for Davik's operation.

Hearts Without Boundaries, the nonprofit that helped save Davik and is now working to bring a young boy to the states for a similar surgery.

 

It's not Oprah, but it's recognition nonetheless. Fresh off an appearance on the popular daytime talk show that honored 150 Olympic athletes, players on the Olympic silver medalist United States women's water polo team will be available to meet members of the public at Ground's Bakery and Cafe, 6277 E. Spring St., Monday, Sept.8 between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The U.S. women was a dominant presence in Beijing before falling to the Netherlands 9-8 in a tough gold medal game.

 

Mayor Bob Foster is continuing his road show to pitch for a bond to improve the city's infrastructure through a parcel tax with a pair of meetings with community groups.

On Sunday, Sept. 7, the mayor will address the North Long Beach Community Action Group from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. at the North Long Beach Substation,  4891 Atlantic Ave. He will also field questions from property owners.

On Monday, Sept. 8, Foster and City Manager Pat West will meet with members of the Wrigley Association at Veterans Park Community Center, 101 E. 28th St. Foster and West will be available at 7:30 p.m. The community meeting will begin at 6:45 p.m. with a mixer, followed by a general meeting from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Foster and West will also be available for questions. 
Foster proposed the tax to leverage $571 million 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.

 

 

A bank teller at a Washington Mutual Bank branch in Seal Beach surrendered an undisclosed amount of cash Thursday morning, after a robber handed her a note, police said.

The 11:52 a.m. robbery, at 13962 Seal Beach Blvd., reportedly involved a male with a large build, about 6-foot and between 30 and 40 years. No weapon was spotted, but the suspect was wearing a zip-up hooded jacket, according to police.

The bank notified the police department, but officers were unable to locate the suspect, police said. No vehicle was seen or heard leaving the area, they added,.

Anyone with details should call police Det. Gary Krogman, at (562) 799-4100, Ext. 1110.

 

Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske will be walking her 5th District again this weekend.

She spent some of her Labor Day Weekend, spreading the word about the hazards of the West Nile Virus. Her district has been hit hard by the mosquitos, and she's taking a pro-active approach in alerting residents.

Besides sounding the alarm, the councilwoman quipped that she's getting good exercise with the door-to-door effort.

Last weekend, rsidents also had other issues they wanted updates on, Schipske recalled.

"They talk about a lot of other things," she said, adding that the residents attempt to keep on top of the issues facing their neighborhods and district.

This weekend, she will be near Studebaker Road, north of Spring Street, near  Petaluma Avenue, at about 10 a.m..