S IGNA L T RIBUN E Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
VOL. XXXVIII NO. 7
February 12, 2016
SH water rates to increase 40% by 2020 Three new police officers also join city’s force. Micayla Vermeeren Staff Writer
Water rate increase At its Tuesday, Feb. 9 meeting, the Signal Hill City Council heard a proposal to amend the Municipal Code Section 13.04.130 to raise water rates by 8 percent a year for the next five years. Beginning in fiscal year 2016, the rate increase would help the City maintain adequate funding to accommodate operating costs and the water depreciation reserve. The specific rate increase was generally agreed upon by Signal Hill residents in a series of community-outreach workshops on Jan. 12 and 27. An alternative rate schedule that would increase the rates 18 percent the first year and 4 percent annually for four years thereafter was introduced as well, but it received far less support. Signal Hill Public Works Director Steve Myrter presented a slideshow with analysis of past costs and upcoming projections to validate the need for such a raise. In response, Signal Hill City resident Maria Harris questioned whether monthly payments referenced in the proposal were predetermined rates or examples and why the raise is needed if the minimum monetary reserve for water distribution is being exceeded. Residents need to be cautious of their money “being pecked away by a little bit of this, a little bit of that,” Harris said before proposing a maximum limit for the reserve to quell the potential for future rate increases.
Denny Cristales | Signal Tribune
More than 450 people, including elected officials, faculty and community members, attended the LBCC 2016 State of the College address on Feb. 5. LBCC President Eloy Ortiz Oakley highlighted the college’s students, many of whom were in attendance, during his speech.
Embodying the Viking spirit
LBCC’s 2016 State of the College address put the spotlight on student achievement and work ethic. Denny Cristales Editorial Assistant
Martel and Markel Cooper are twin brothers and first-generation college students at Long Beach City College who grew up in the area. The Cooper mindset of discipline and competitiveness was apparent in their studies, said Superintendent Eloy Ortiz Oakley of the two brothers in his Feb. 5 speech at the 2016 State of the College address. Markel said of his brother Martel, "If he got an A+, and I got an A-, I would be mad for hours." It's just how they were wired.
Oakley praised recent student achievements and accolades, along with collegiate plans in regard to bond measures, projects and statistics, during the 2016 LBCC State of the College address on Friday, Feb. 5 in the school's gymnasium. The address included speeches from LBCC District Trustee Douglas Otto and Academic Senate President Karen Kane. Assemblymember Patrick O'Donnell, Long Beach Councilmembers Al Austin and Rex Richardson and board member of LBUSD Felton Williams were among those present at the event. In the presence of Oakley and 450 inside a packed gymnasium of elected officials and community members, the twins were being spotlighted. The Coopers are now on track to transfer this spring with AA degrees in kinesiology. Oakley called them unique,
but in that same regard, he also respectfully labeled them the typical embodiment of the LBCC Viking spirit. It was an afternoon of student recognition. Appropriately, it was a student who inaugurated the start of the college address by flaring her trumpet to the tune of the National Anthem. Otto made some remarks about enrollment at the address. He said the state budget cuts since the 2008 recession presented challenges for LBCC, as it was forced to make tough decisions about its identity and students. "Those challenges remain today," Otto continued. He said state funding has still not returned from its peak in 2008. Across the state, Otto claimed community-college enrollment has decreased, down from 2.78 million to 2.1 million. He said there is room in the college for more stu-
Photo courtesy of LBCC
LBCC President and Superintendent Eloy Ortiz Oakley delivers a speech on the school’s current status and future during the State of the College address on Friday, Feb. 5 at the college’s gym.
dents, but there is a lack of support from the state. see COLLEGE page 10
see COUNCIL page 11
Tobacco report: California failing in reducing smoke-caused death, disease Local City officials disagree with the low ratings in a recent ALA Tobacco report. Cory Bilicko Managing Editor
A recent report by the American Lung Association (ALA) has given
Signal Hill an “F” rating and Long Beach a “C” on policies for smokefree outdoor air, smoke-free housing and reducing sales of tobacco products. Signal Hill City Manager Charlie Honeycutt said that although he respects the mission of the American Lung Association and what they are
trying to accomplish through their report card, he believes that the grade assigned to Signal Hill is inaccurate. “The City was not made aware that the American Lung Association was preparing the report card, nor were we given an opportunity to review their draft report to correct any errors that the ALA made in their reporting,”
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Kelly Colopy, director of the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, said Long Beach has been a leader in tobacco control and continues to receive scores at or above many cities in Los Angeles County, adding that it was one of the first cities to pass a no-smoking ordinance in
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Honeycutt said. “The ALA didn’t recognize that the City of Signal Hill has adopted the public health codes of Los Angeles County and the state. Recognition of these codes would have resulted in a higher grade for Signal Hill. I welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the ALA on future report cards.”
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