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S erving B ixBy K nollS , C alifornia H eigHtS , l oS C erritoS , W rigley Vol. 33 No. 18
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Your Weekly Community Newspaper
First LA County Bike Summit focuses on transportation alternatives, citywide efforts and a more bikeable future
C ity
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S ignal H ill october 7, 2011
Stephanie Raygoza
Former LB councilmember re-enters political spectrum
Staff Writer
Stephanie Raygoza Staff Writer
The first annual Los Angeles County Bike Summit offered an all-day exhibit of the different supporters and cities that are paving the way to create a bike-friendlier county starting with its host city, Long Beach. The conference, coordinated by the RENEW LA County initiative and the LA County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) on Sept. 30, provided a platform for city staff, elected leaders and bike enthusiasts to learn about the different initiatives being taken through supportive infrastructure, bicycle master planning, and enforcement and education programs to achieving a bike-friendly future. see BIKE SUMMIT page 15
Stephanie Raygoza/Signal Tribune
Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster welcomes elected leaders and bicycling advocates to the first annual Los Angeles County Bike Summit at the Long Beach Convention Center on Sept. 30.
Val Lerch will be facing new constituents, this time as field representative for 37th District U.S. Representative Laura Richardson. The former councilmember and vice mayor of Long Beach began his new position on Sept. 23, according to greaterlongbeach.com. Lerch, who served his last term as 9th District councilmember and vice mayor in 2010, had stayed busy as an active member of the North Long Beach Community Action Group until recently being hired as a staffer for Richardson. Lerch said he and Richardson began talking about the job a few months ago when she was in town, according to greaterlongbeach.com. He also said that this is what he truly enjoys: the political game and the atmosphere of politics. He declined initial interview requests by the Signal Tribune. Richardson is serving her fourth term as U.S. representative for the district that encompasses the cities of Long Beach, Carson, Compton and Signal Hill.
SH residents urge tight zoning ordinance on tattoo businesses CJ Dablo Staff Writer
The Signal Hill City Council on Tuesday had a chance to weigh in on a debate between advocates of tattoo businesses and the Signal Hill citizens who insist on keeping these businesses far away from churches, schools and homes. At its Oct. 4 meeting, four members of the City Council sided with the residents who pressed for a zoning ordinance amendment that would effectively limit how many tattoo shops can come to Signal Hill; however, the Council referred the item back to the Planning Commission before they will vote on the ordinance. Councilmember Michael Noll was not present at Tuesday’s meeting. A federal appeals court last year determined that a municipal ban on tattoo shops violated the First Amendment. Since that decision was made, Signal Hill has received requests from potential owners interested in setting up shop in the city. The request would require a change to the City’s zoning ordinance. The City is only obligated to accomodate tattoo and body-piercing studios and place reasonable restrictions on the shops’ hours of operation, their location and certain operation standards, according to James Kao, an associate planner for the City’s com-
muunity development department. “So we’re not mandated to provide [a] high-profile location or a site that is vacant and move-in ready, or even a site that is developed. Somebody can easily buy property and build a brand new studio,” Kao added. Residents and potential business owners have passionately debated the issue over several months in public workshops held during the City’s Planning Commission meetings. So far, the debate has focused on tattoo businesses. In a vote of 3-2, the Planning Commission in September recommended to change the zoning ordinance to permit tattoo and body-piercing salons to operate in specific commercial and industrial zones. The controversy centered on just how close these businesses could operate near areas described to have a “sensitive land use.” These areas included churches, schools, parks and residential zones. It became a matter of just where a tattoo shop can operate. Should a tattoo business operate 500 feet away from these sensitive areas, 1,000 feet away from these areas or somewhere in between? City staffers drew a hypothetical map of the city where tattoo businesses could feasibly operate if they complied with a zoning ordinance that required these shops to be located at least 500 feet away from the sensitive areas that
included churches, schools and homes. They then drew a hypothetical map with the zoning ordinance that kept tattoo and body-piercing businesses at least 1,000 feet away from these sensitive areas. At the 500-foot mark, they anticipated that they could accommodate up to 12 businesses. At the 1,000foot mark, that number dwindled down to seven. Scott Charney, the director of Community Development, stressed that these maps were theoretical maps. After the Planning Commission last month recommended that the ordinance should be set at 500 feet, tattoo artist Tiffany Garcia said that the ordinance at that level was stricter than what other cities have adopted. “It seems a little bit extreme for me. I’m pleased that it may limit the number of tattoo shops occupying Signal Hill, but as far as available spacing goes, it’s extremely limited,” Garcia said in an interview prior to the City Council’s vote on Tuesday. Garcia acknowledged that she was interested in establishing a shop in the city. She was the only potential business owner who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting. But Signal Hill residents like Bob Mendoza said Tuesday that a number of residents opposed the ordinance that had been recommended by the Planning Commission. Mendoza said he see COUNCIL page 14
CJ Dablo/Signal Tribune
Tattoo artist Tiffany Garcia asked civic leaders to consider changing the zoning ordinance surrounding tattoo and body piercing shops during the Signal Hill City Council meeting on Oct. 4, 2011. Several residents asked that these shops be permitted to be established 1,000 feet away from key areas that included schools, parks and residential zones. Garcia, who said she was considering starting a tattoo business in Signal Hill, requested a zoning ordinance that would allow shops to be established within 500 feet of these sensitive areas.