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“Hermosa Beach Sunset” by Cory Bilicko
Serving BixBy KnollS, California HeigHtS, loS CerritoS, Wrigley and tHe City of Signal Hill Vol. 33 No. 43
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
(562) 989-7330
March 30, 2012
As precautionary measure, county health officials inform local residents about how typhus is spread Nick Diamantides
Budget balancing, business growth and community infrastructure among city problems debated during fourth district council candidate forum
Staff Writer
Not many people in Los Angeles County get endemic typhus fever, but those who do contract it experience a sickness that makes them wish they would have followed some simple precautions. According to the Los Angles County Department of Health, the symptoms, which begin six to 14 days after exposure, include severe fever, headache, body chills, and aches and pains throughout the body. Some victims also develop rashes on various parts of their body. Endemic typhus is also called murine typhus, fleaborne typhus, and shop fever. Because the disease has symptoms similar to other illnesses, it can be incorrectly diagnosed unless a specific blood test is performed. Currently, there are antibiotics that effectively kill the bacteria that cause the disease. Angelo Bellomo, director of environmental health for the county health department, explained that endemic typhus is caused by two different types of bacteria: Rickettsia felis and Rickettsia typhi. “Rats, opossums,
Diagrams from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health brochure entitled “Answers to Your Questions About Endemic Typhus Fever” Stephanie Raygoza/Signal Tribune
From left: incumbent Patrick O’Donnell, Daryl Supernaw and John Watkins listen to a question posed by an audience member at the March 22 forum for candidates seeking the fourth district seat on the Long Beach City Council. Stephanie Raygoza Staff Writer
see tYPhUs page 7
LB Cares provides behind-the-scenes support for local groups helping people Nick Diamantides Staff Writer
Some of the private organizations that provide vital services and programs to the people of Long Beach rely on an invisible
means of support. That assistance comes from a group of volunteers calling themselves Long Beach Cares. “We exist primarily to support and promote the Long Beach Department of Health and Human
Courtesy Dennis Keith
From left: Long Beach Cares members Lori Brault, Nancy Lewis, and Theresa Marino say their organization provides assistance to groups that do not have nonprofit status but do good work in their communities.
Services,” said Long Beach Cares President Nancy Lewis. “We also spend a substantial amount of our time helping private organizations that do a lot of good in their communities but do not have nonprofit status.” Founded in 1993, Long Beach Cares has worked quietly behind the scenes to educate the public on the importance of the health department and to enable small organizations to meet myriad needs in various communities. “We act as the fiscal agent for groups that have emergency funding for women, children, seniors, and homeless people,” Lewis said. “Some of the things those small organizations do are related to the programs of the health department, and some are not.” Theresa Marino, Long Beach Cares vice president, described one of the groups the organization helps. She explained that the health department’s nursing division has a program called Senior see LB cArEs page 14
Balancing Long Beach’s ever shrinking budget, promoting business growth and enhancing local community infrastructure were some of the hot-topic issues discussed during the March 22 fourth district candidate forum hosted by the Stearns Park Neighborhood Association. The forum, which was conducted at Tucker Elementary School, allowed incumbent Patrick O’Donnell, who is running for a third term as a write-in, and challengers Daryl Supernaw and John Watkins to provide their platforms and address issues within the city. Each candidate was given seven minutes to introduce himself to the crowd of over 60 in attendance. Candidate breakdown O’Donnell, who dropped out of a bid for state assembly in early January, said he is running for a third term because constituents have asked him to run. “They know me,” said O’Donnell. “With me, you know what you’re getting.” At the time of his write-in announcement, the councilmember had said he would raise the bar for his re-election effort and make the push more challenging. In addition to maintaining a focus on the budget, he said he would continue to host his monthly meetings to reach out to the community, ensure that zoning
requirements are changed to open up more opportunities for business growth and continue to help get business license fees lowered. He also said the City has shortened the timeline for opening up a new business to increase the presence of small businesses. O’Donnell is a high-school teacher who has taught government for more than 18 years. The husband and father of two said he would also maintain his focus on improving community parks and the modernization of the Long Beach Airport. “I’m working to represent my community [and] listen to your concerns,” O’Donnell said. Supernaw touted his background in business and marketing as his reason for running for office. “I feel this is a critical time in our city’s history to elect councilmembers with strong business-management skills,” Supernaw said. The Stearns Park resident is the founder of the Atherton Corridor Neighborhood Association and is a member and former chairman of the Long Beach Sustainable City Commission. Some of his goals if elected include building a strong sense of community throughout the district, creating even more transparency with city government proposals and actions, and achieving all this while being nonpartisan. In reference to O’Donnell’s write-in campaign, Supernaw see 4th district page 14