August 2009 Archives

 The Aquarium of the Pacific is inviting kids from across the area to participate in a tile-painting project Saturday, August 29 at the aquarium, 100 Aquarium Way, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 Youngsters will be asked to paint marine sea life scenes on floor tiles that will be installed at the new Nordstroms in the Los Cerritos Center when it opens in May, 2010. The tiles will adorn the children's and infants clothing areas in the store.

 About 200 children, ages 5-12, are expected to attend and will be guided and learn about the painting and glazing process by Seattle-based artist Charlie Bigger. Each child will also be able to put his or her name and age on the work.

 The cost is $40 per child with all proceeds going to the aquarium. Refreshments and entertainment will be provided. Those interested can call 562-437-3474 to reserve tickets. Space is limited.
 The children's tiles will be unveiled when Nordstrom at Los Cerritos Center opens at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 7, 2010.

 In advance of some proposed changes to service that could be introduced in February, Long Beach Transit will be playing host to several community meetings to discuss its plans.         
Two of those meetings will be Wednesday, Aug. 26, at First Congregational Church, 241 Cedar Ave. from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. 27, at Whaley Community Center, 5620 Atherton Street, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

There will be a public hearing, Monday, Sept. 28, at City Council Chambers, 333 W. Ocean Blvd. from noon until 2 p.m.

In a notice, Long Beach Transit said it is "experiencing increased demand for transit services in our community. Examples include service to and from CSULB , service in downtown Long Beach , North Long Beach and the Artesia Blue Line Metro Station and some parts of East Long Beach , where service does not currently exist."

If the Transit's board of directors approved the proposals, they will take effect February 14, 2010.

We need your help to get the word out to your constituents so they may comment on these  

Comments can also be made by calling (562) 489-8545, or made by e-mail to servicechange@lbtransit.com , or mailed to Long Beach Transit, ATTN: Service Change, PO Box 731, Long Beach, CA 90801. All comments must be received by 5 p.m. Monday, October 5. Community organizations can contact Bill Smith at wsmith@lbtransit.com or 562-599-8504 to request a presentation on the changes.

Long Beach Transit says among it proposals it is considering:

Adjustments to Atlantic Avenue Service: to add service on Atlantic south of 6th Street, where there is currently none and connecting to Transit Mall. At north end of Atlantic, minor changes to Route 62 will be made, resulting in more frequent service.

Adjustments to Orange Avenue Service: extending service on Alamitos Ave. south of New York Street to 1st Street, where there is currently none. Also re-routing service through Transit Mall and changes at the north end of Orange Ave.

Realignment of Passport Service:  change to serve Cal State Long Beach student housing and businesses in the Traffic Circle instead of Los Altos Market Center, which is served by other routes. Also consider a revised Passport Route B between CSULB and downtown.

The dog days of August can only half-stop the West East-Side Community Association. Although vacations and a dearth of activities led to cancellation of the group's montly meeting, it will still stage its monthly clean-up on Saturday Aug. 22 at 2522 E. 15th St. As usual, the event begins at 8 a.m. and will conclude with a barbecue.  Water and gloves will be provided.  And people willing to bring and use trucks are especially welcome.

It's been debated, wrangled over, disputed, taken to court and EIRed, not once, but twice. And still it's a subject that can raise the temperature of residents in the neighborhoods in Alamitos and Belmont Heights and around Colorado Lagoon.

The "it" in this case is the (some say dreaded) Termino Avenue Drain Project. After nearly two decades of often heated battle and controversy, the $22.6 million project is slated to start turning dirt in October. And for those who want to get in their final licks or hear what could be the last words, figuratively, that is, on the project, there will be a public meeting Wednesday, Aug. 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the auditorium at Wilson High School.

 Residents will have a chance to learn about the upcoming construction phase of the project that will install a a storm drain to relieve flooding problems in 596 acres of watershed that naturally flow into Colorado Lagoon. Construction is scheduled to start Oct. 13 and will take about two years to complete and prompt temporary street closures.
The meeting is sponsored by Third District Councilman Gary DeLong, Fourth District Councilman Patrick O'Donnell and the Department of Public Works.

 Residents and environmentalists initally feared the project would not be able to handle tidal flushing and cause flooding in nearby neighborhoods. Also there was fear that more contaminated sediment would flow into the already environmentally damaged and polluted lagoon. The issue eventually went to court where a judge ruled that planner needed to re-examine data.

 The result is a new project, with a second EIR, that was passed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in June. Community groups including Friends of the Colorado Lagoon brokered a deal that purportedly not only drains flood-prone areas along Redondo Avenue and Anaheim Street into Colorado Lagoon, but includes diversion and filtration systems that will actually help restore the lagoon.

  If your interested in a little light reading before the meeting, the Draft EIR, all 500 pages is available to the public.

Below are the staffing counts of sworn Long Beach police officers, according to information provided to Belmont Shore Residents Association president Mike Ruehle, who gained the details through a recent Public Records Act request.

Year------Budget----Actual

2000------908--------896

2001------913--------907

2002------950--------914

2003------968--------921

2004------975--------938

2005------995--------936

2006------998--------961

2007------1020------994

2008------1020------968

2009------1020------?

2010------932--------?

Long Beach officials announced on Wednesday new rules for noticing of public hearings.

Beginning Thursday, the required noticing radius has been expanded to 750 feet around the subject site, but a 1,000-foot noticing radius will be mandatory for city or institutional projects.
In addition to property owners, all occupants -- both residential and non-residential -- must also be given notice.

 Signs must now be posted with a 30" x 40" notice poster, which will be provided to project applicants by the city.

 All Planning applications submitted on or after Thursday will be subject to these requirements. Projects submitted prior to this date will be subject to the previous noticing requirements.

For more information, please call the Department of Development Services at 562.570.6194 or visit http://lbds.longbeach.gov.

City officials said the new requirements were made with the goal of increasing community awareness about public hearings, and in an effort to increase public engagement and participation in the planning process.

 Mayor Bob Foster and leaders in the Cambodian community will be gathering Wednesday to tell local residents about the importance of standing up and being counted.
The Cambodian Complete Count Committee and the mayor will meet at 11 a.m. at Mark Twain Library, 1401 E. Anaheim St. to explain the importance of every resident in the city being accounted for in the 2010 U.S. Census.
Several communities, including Cambodians, have historically bee under-counted in the Census. Because government money for programs that help Cambodians are often based in part on the number of residents, city officials want residents to make sure they respond to questionnaires and talk to Census workers in the field.

Residents interested in what the future of Long Beach Boulevard might look like are invited to a joint meeting of the Planning Commission and the Central Area Project Committee on Thursday, August 6 , at 5 p.m. at City Council Chambers, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.

Consultants will give a Power Point presentation on some of the possible scenarios, especially concerning housing along the thoroughfare as well as addressing issues of parking and other development obstacles.

Residents and committee members will also have the opportunity to offer input.

Whether you've been hard-hit by the recent economic downturn or just want to get some tips on how to live better for less, the Neighborhood Resource Center has a program that may be of interest.

 On Monday, August 10 at the NRC, 425 Atlantic Avenue, is presenting a program it calls Downsizing Your Life, Learning to Live Well of Less at 6 p.m. Among the presenters offering suggestions on about saving money on everyday items,
creating an inexpensive healthy home environment and
living well with will be Kathy Estrada, from the Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy Homes program, Mercer of Food Finders and Dale Whitney from the Harbor Area Farmers' Market.

The event is free and Spanish and Khmer translation is available.

Information is availabe by calling 562-570-1010.

First District Councilman Robert Garcia sent out the following message to constituents about an upcoming meeting in Willmore City:

 Dear Friends,

I want to invite you to an important community meeting this Thursday night, August 6, 2009, about the expansion of Drake Park.

As you may know, the Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine Department has been working on the expansion of Drake and Chavez parks into an integrated greenbelt, creating one of the largest recreation areas in the region, and bringing much needed green space, along with pedestrian and bicycle routes, to our district.

Several community meetings have been held over the last couple years to offer residents a chance to hear about the plans and offer feedback. The final community project planning meeting is this Thursday from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the Drake Park Community Center, 951 Maine Ave.

This is one of the biggest projects to take place in our community in many years, and we really want everyone's voice to be heard. Please don't miss this opportunity to participate!

Please contact my office if you have any questions: district1@longbeach.gov, 570-6919

See you Thursday.
 
Robert Garcia
Councilmember, First District

The Long Beach Housing Development Company is reaching out to help local residents in danger of facing foreclosure with a series of free workshops that will discuss a number of issues, including foreclosure scams and home owners' rights.

The following is a list of the dates, times and places of workshops in each of the City Council Districts.

Council District 1: Wednesday, August 26, 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m., Cesar Chavez Park, 401 Golden Ave.
Council District 3 & 4: Wednesday, August 12, 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m., College Estates Park, 808 Stevely Ave.

Council District 5: Monday August 3, 6:30 pm - 8 pm, El Dorado Park Senior Center, 2800 N. Studebaker Rd.
Council District 6: Wednesday, August 19, 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m., McBride Park, 1550 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.
Council District 7: Wednesday, September 2, 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m., Silverado Park, 1545 W. 31st St.
Council District 8: Wednesday, September 9, 6:30 p.m. - 8 pm, North Division Police Substation, 4891 N. Atlantic Ave.
Council District 9: Wednesday, August 5, 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m., Community Grace Brethren Church, 5885 Downey Ave.

Reservations required.  Call (562) 570.6949 to reserve your space, or email info@lbhdc.org.

For more information go to www.lbhdc.org, or call LaVerne Duncan at (562) 570.3824.