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“Alabaster,” spray paint, acrylic and pen on linen canvas by Fin DAC See page 8
Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and the City of Signal Hill
VOL. 37 NO. 3
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
June 19, 2015
Eyesore no more
‘Nuisance’ homes bordering two cities closer to demolition
CJ Dablo Staff Writer
The Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association’s (BKBIA) mayoral-appointed advisory board is now non-existent, since the Long Beach City Council voted to eliminate it during its last meeting. However, the effects of this decision may also be non-existent, according to Blair Cohn, executive director of the BKBIA. “That was a redundant ‘commission’ set up prior to the BKBIA being formed and was never dissolved with the formation of the BKBIA,” Cohn wrote in an emailed response to the Signal Tribune on Tuesday. “The commission was rediscovered when Mayor [Robert] Garcia’s office set out to resurrect all commissions and get people involved.” In a phone interview later, Cohn explained that the redundancy was basically an oversight. “I guess what you’d call it is a glitch,” Cohn said. “So, way back, this is when [former 8th District Long Beach City Councilmember] Jeff Kellogg was in office, and when there was talk of trying to organize the area, before the BID (business-improvement district) was put together, there was a commission [to get it] started. Since Jeff could not appoint members, he had the mayor do it as a formal
Long the bane of their neighbors, the vacant homes on the 2900 block of Hill Street are closer to meeting their maker, or, more likely, their wrecking ball. The Long Beach City Attorney’s office acknowledged this week that they are moving forward with plans to demolish the two homes that were built more than a decade ago without permits. Located at 2910 and 2914 Hill St., the houses have long been considered to be a nuisance by many of their neighbors and officials in both the cities of Long Beach and Signal Hill. Long Beach Deputy City Attorney Kendra Carney acknowledged in a phone interview this week that the problems with these particular homes have been unique. “I don’t know what the original developer knew about the lack of utilities there or the obstacles to obtaining them there,” Carney said. “But I think that… most professional developers do their homework prior to starting a development and certainly obtain the right legal documents before they break ground.” The original developer, Wayne Ballinger, sold the homes years ago. According to Carney, 6 Angels LLC purchased the homes “as is.” Brian Angel, a spokesman for the company, declined an interview request from the Signal Tribune. Superior Court Judge Michael Vicencia issued a ruling on May 8 against 6 Angels LLC and fellow defendant B.D.R. Inc. in favor of the City of Long Beach, authorizing the City to demolish the homes. The ruling notes that 48 hours after the City posts a written notice of its intention, the City may utilize the bonds posted by 6 Angels and B.D.R. to recover the cost of the demolition. The ruling was stayed 30 days after the May 8 deadline. Carney confirmed that, although the property owners have the ability to get rid of the houses on their own, the City is already working with a contractor to move forward with the demolition now that the 30-day hold has passed. She said there are still several steps that have to be followed, in-
see BKBIA page 15
see HOMES page 15
Courtesy BKBIA
The Long Beach City Council has dissolved the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association’s mayoral-appointed advisory board, but the move is merely a “ministerial” one, according to Jonathan Kraus, chief of staff for 8th District Long Beach Councilmember Al Austin.
Community leaders say BKBIA board’s dissolution to have no real impact
Cory Bilicko
Managing Editor
File photos
Photos from previous years show the homes located at 2910 and 2914 Hill St., which were built more than 10 years ago without the necessary permits, according to Long Beach City staffers. Now the City is taking steps to demolish the houses, which have been vandalized and deemed a blight to the neighborhood.