S IGNA L T R IBU N E Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
VOL. XXXVIII NO. 31
Judge rejects BNSF’s objections to previous EIR ruling Port of LA must comply with CEQA before railway project can move forward. Cory Bilicko Managing Editor
Claiming it as a win for local residents, Long Beach officials are celebrating a California Superior Court judge’s final decision Tuesday on a proposed $500-million railyard project that would be located near the west side of the city– a ruling that rejects a railway company’s objection to a judgment by the same court earlier this year. After a battle that has lasted more than a decade and involved more than three years of litigation, Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Barry P. Goode issued his final opinion in the case challenging the Port of Los Angeles’s approval of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway’s Southern California International Gateway (SCIG) project, a proposed railyard facility that would load cargo from trucks onto rail lines closer to port docks, allowing the railroad company to increase capacity and efficiency and purportedly give a boost to the port’s competitiveness within the international-trade industry. On March 30, Goode ruled that the Port of Los Angeles and BNSF had violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in their environmental analysis of the SCIG project. Goode’s decision required that a new environmental-impact assessment be conducted before the port and BNSF could continue with the project’s development. BNSF then objected to that decision, arguing that the court see SCIG page 15
July 29, 2016
City leaders discuss ‘need for action’ at meningitis research fundraiser event LGBTQ Center officials announce free vaccines and preventative measures. Denny Cristales Editorial Assistant
A desire for action and support from the Long Beach community served as the informal theme for a fundraiser event last Friday in an attempt by local officials to raise awareness about meningitis in the wake of a recent outbreak in Los Angeles County. The office of Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) hosted a community fundraiser event on July 22 at Hamburger Mary’s restaurant with support from councilmembers Lena Gonzalez and Jeannine Pearce, the nonprofit Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride and the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach. There are currently 22 confirmed cases of meningitis in the county– six of which have been present in Long Beach since May. “The recent meningitis outbreak is a public health concern for all residents, including those who identify as LGBTQ,” said Sen. Lara, who represents the 33rd District, in a press release from his office. “I am proud to collaborate with local leaders and organizations to raise awareness and encourage individuals to get vaccinated.” Lara was not present during the event because of traffic, according to Jesse Melgar, his communications director. Hamburger Mary’s, located at 330 Pine Ave., donated 50 percent of all food and drink proceeds from the fundraiser to the LGBTQ Center for meningitis research. A total of $1,068 was raised, confirmed Porter Gilberg, executive director of the center, via email with the Signal Tribune on Wednesday. Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In most cases, the infection is caused by a virus, but bacteria and fungus are among other triggers, as well. First District Councilmember Gonzalez pointed out that three of the meningitis cases in Long Beach involve gay or bisexual-identified men. She said it’s important to understand that resources in the city, namely the Long Beach Health Department, are there to provide help in dealing with the meningitis issue. “There’s so many things we can do
Photos by Denny Cristales | Signal Tribune
Ismael Salamanca, director of Health & Wellness Services with the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach, said there have been six confirmed cases of meningitis in Long Beach since May. He said those who get vaccinated are secure for five years.
During a community event at Hamburger Mary’s on Friday, July 22, Porter Gilberg, executive director of the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach, said it is critical for people to join together and support those, specifically LGBTQ people, who are being impacted by the recent meningitis outbreak. Gilberg urged people to get vaccinated at the center.
to highlight the issues in this community,” she said during the event. “It’s sad to see that these things are happening, but, at the same time, if we don’t get educated, we are not going to get better... We can incorporate technology, we can talk to each other, we can collaborate, we can make
sure the mayor is championing a lot of the issues, as well– being the openly gay mayor that he is and being so supportive of the measures we have been doing.” Gonzalez said an agenda item will be introduced on Aug. 2 during the city council meeting that will ensure Long Beach will be making coordinated efforts to combat meningitis. Second District Councilmember Pearce, who was in her first week in office, touted the LGBTQ Center’s mantra of “sharing is not always caring” in response to the meningitis outbreak. “Even though we love sharing, and we teach our kids– though not with us tonight– that sharing is caring, I’m told that sharing is not always caring,” she said. “So, let’s make sure that we know that cigarettes and e-cigarettes we can kind of keep to ourselves. Food and drink, while we are all toasting and enjoying it together and sharing a bit– just buy your friend an additional drink. They’ll love you more than sharing it. And kissing, I mean, I’m just going to leave it there.” The germs that cause meningitis can spread person-to-person through respiratory and throat secretions, such as saliva or spit, and close contact with
someone, according to the LGBTQ Center. The center also provided the following risk factors for meningitis: Bad habits Smoking, drinking alcohol, lack of sleep, improper nutrition and stress all serve as risky habits that decrease the potency of the immune system. Sharing items such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chap-stick or lip gloss may also be harmful due to the potential traces of saliva that may spread bacteria. ‘Sharing is not always caring’ Keeping direct contact with an infected person and sharing food utensils, such as forks, spoons and chopsticks, and drink cans, such as bottles and cups, and even straws may transmit the bacteria person-to-person. Direct contact Kissing, coughing and sneezing are all forms of direct exposure to saliva, which helps spread meningitis. The center encourages people to practice sneezing into sleeves. A distinction Ismael Salamanca, director of Health & Wellness Services at the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach, see MENINGITIS page 9
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