S IGNA L T R IBU N E Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill VOL. XXXVIII NO. 17
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
April 22, 2016
After final ballot count, Andrews and Austin to remain in office Gray and Pearce are heading into a run-off election to represent the 2nd District. Cory Bilicko Managing Editor
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The City of Long Beach is looking to hire a new airport director, who may be chosen around the time that a study on the proposal for a controversial federal customs facility will be completed. Bryant Francis left the job in March after serving the city for a little over a year, and before him, Mario Rodriguez held the position from 2009 until 2014. Balancing the concerns of the residents who live in flight path with the needs of the airlines and other stakeholders is one of the roles of an airport director. In this photo from December 2010, Joe Sopo (left) and Mike Kowal (center) present Rodriguez (right) with a framed plaque of a yard sign, a tongue-in-cheek reminder of what was a serious community push from before Rodriguez’s time to limit airport expansion.
Just in the nick of time Around the same time a study on the controversial federal customs facility will be completed, LB hopes to hire a new airport director. CJ Dablo Staff Writer
Long Beach is looking to hire a new airport director again, and this time, the choice to fill the job
will be made right around the time a study on a controversial federal customs facility is due to be finished. The director will be in charge of a staff of 80 employees and will have to navigate the needs of residents who live on the flight path of the planes as well as the airport tenants and other stakeholders involved with the operations. A city spokesperson acknowledged this week that the applica-
tions for the director of the Long Beach Airport (LGB) will be accepted until Sunday, May 8, and interviews will be expected to commence in June. She confirmed that city officials hope the new director can start no later than August. City Manager Pat West will be the final decision maker on the individual who will be chosen to manage the airport operations, according to Kerry Gerot, see DIRECTOR page 15
Finding ‘the golden ticket’ Local veterans will have access to secure housing with the VASH program. Denny Cristales Editorial Assistant
Veterans who have nowhere to sleep may get the opportunity to shelter themselves and have a roof over their heads– permanently. The
Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program has been specifically designed to assist homeless veterans and their families in securing affordable and permanent housing. The program is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). HUD is already providing assis-
tance for veterans through its Housing Choice Voucher plan that allows homeless veterans to rent privately owned homes. “We hope it’s going to have a very positive effect on veterans and that it will enable to get them housed faster,” said Nick Ippolito, assistant chief of staff for LA County 4th District Supervisor Don see VETERANS page 18
Dee Andrews
Long Beach’s most recent election season has yielded a run-off election, a victory by 20 votes and some history-making. The Long Beach city clerk’s office completed a final count on April 18 of remaining ballots from last week’s primary election, determining that two incumbents have won re-election and one race will head into a run-off. Dee Andrews will serve a third term as councilmember for the 6th District after launching a write-in campaign against three other candidates whose names were on the ballot: Robert Harmon, Erik Miller and Josephine Villaseñor. Andrews is the first councilmember in the city’s history to be re-elected to a third term without a run-off. He joins the ranks of former Mayor Beverly O’Neill and former 4th District Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell as the only Long Beach officials to be re-elected as write-ins. “I have always been grateful for the support of my community, but today I am truly humbled,” Andrews wrote in a statement shortly after receiving official news of his win. “Our campaign earned the support of residents in every corner of the 6th District because we worked hard for the past eight years and my neighbors want me to continue to do the hard work. I look forward to continuing to fight for the needs of the 6th District. Thank you to all who supported me.” Al Austin has won a second term as councilmember representing the 8th District after narrowly– by 20 votes– avoiding a run-off with Wesley Turnbow, who came in second place in a three-candidate race that also included Laurie Angel.
Al Austin
Eric Gray
Photos from Facebook.com
Jeannine Pearce
see ELECTION page 6
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