Signal
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“Rainbow Edges,” by Tina Linville
Salvaged objects and materials, nylon, thread, acrylic paint and mediums
See page 8 for more information.
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Pet Section Pages 10 –11
VOl. 34 NO. 45
SERVING BIXBY KNOLLS, CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS, LOS CERRITOS, WRIGLEY AND THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
Early hopefuls throw in hats for state, mayoral elections in 2014
Sean Belk Staff Writer
Although the next election for city and state offices isn’t until next year, political contenders in Long Beach have already advanced campaigns in recent weeks. Tonia Reyes-Uranga, a Democrat and former Long Beach City councilmember who represented the 7th District from 2002 to 2010, has recently formed a campaign-finance committee and filed a statement of intention to run in the 2014 election for a chance to represent the newly drawn 70th Assembly District, according to the California Secretary of State website. Bonnie Assemblymember Lowenthal is now termed out after winning a third two-year term in the November 2012 election against Martha Flores-Gibson, who has announced her intention to run for the Long Beach 3rd Council District. Reyes-Uranga, who has launched a campaign website, may run against
Patrick O’Donnell
4th District Long Beach City Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell, also a Democrat, who has also filed paperwork to form a campaign-finance committee in a potential bid for the same assembly seat. Since O’Donnell was re-elected to the City Council last year, he would ultimately leave an open council seat if elected to the state legislature. Democratic 9th District City
Councilmember Steven Neal, who will come to the end of his first term next year after being elected in 2010, has also filed paperwork to form a committee to raise money in a potential run for the 64th Assembly District, which is being vacated by Assemblymember Isadore Hall in November 2014. see CANDIDATES page 4
CJ Dablo Staff Writer
CJ Dablo/Signal Tribune
Long Beach resident Reggie Kindle takes a short break from his workout at Hilltop Park in Signal Hill. Kindle, like many area residents, takes the initiative to exercise in the city known for its panoramic views. The Riverside Community College student is exercising in Signal Hill during his spring break to stay in shape post-basketball season before he transfers to Johnson & Wales University in Colorado.
expressed concerns with professional trainers and other forprofit exercise groups who have set up shop in the public parks. On any given week, local residents on their regular jog might
Nonprofit’s Just-A-Buck franchise has bottom line of employing people with disabilities
Tonia Reyes-Uranga
Possible changes to Signal Hill park ordinance highlight popularity of outdoor fitness programs
Signal Hill may have a good problem with its parks– they’re just too popular with the people who want to stay in shape. City officials are preparing to propose several changes to the current park ordinance at next month’s Council meeting, but there are still outstanding issues of just how to manage the varied interests of the groups, especially among those who have staked their claim on the parks for their exercise routines. Mayor Michael Noll praised the department that is responsible for organizing regular patrols of the city’s green spaces and that regularly monitors activity in the parks all around Signal Hill. “I think the recreation department is doing an excellent job, but we do have to fine-tune some things,” Noll said in a telephone interview this week. The mayor
see boot camps or outdoor yoga classes in session in addition to the kids and adults on the basketball courts for a friendly pickup game. Presently, there is no per-
Sean Belk/Signal Tribune
The International Symbol of Access, also known as the wheelchair or handicap symbol, is seen next to the entrance of Just-A-Buck, a dollar store franchise that was purchased last year by a nonprofit in Downey that provides services to people with developmental disabilities. The retail store, located at 141 E. Willow St. in Long Beach, hires persons with disabilities to help them enter the labor force.
Sean Belk Staff Writer
At Just-A-Buck, tucked away in the Wrigley Marketplace at Willow Street and Long Beach Boulevard, patrons can browse through a wide selection of seasonal and everydayuse items, all of which are priced at just a dollar apiece. Upon closer inspection, however, customers may also find that it’s not your typical bargain retail outlet. Atop isles packed with cleaning products, party favors and novelty merchandise, signs indicate that the owner is The Arc of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, a nonprofit organization located in Downey that has provided services to individuals with disabilities since 1956. Unlike some nonprofit thrift stores that primarily rely on goods from donations, such as Goodwill, Value Village and The Salvation Army, the twist with Just-A-Buck is that the store runs like a franchise business and purchases its own products like any other retailer. All proceeds from sales then go to The Arc to benefit people with physical and developmental disabilities. What also makes the store unique is that the 3,900-square-foot
Weekly Weather Forecast AprilApril1216,through 2013 Friday
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April 12, 2013
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Two the Root Beauty Supply 3549 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach (562) 595-6149
retail establishment, purchased as a franchise by The Arc last year, also serves as a job-training ground to employ people with disabilities and help them enter the labor force. Typically known as a “social enterprise,” in which a nonprofit and a for-profit become partners, the venture, however, is considered the first of its kind, according to Arc representatives. There are other locations of JustA-Buck, which first started in New York, owned and operated by government agencies that employ people with disabilities. For instance, Solutions at Work, a county-operated organization in Cleveland, Ohio, first purchased a franchise as a test project to employ people with disabilities and now operates three locations. The Long Beach store, however, is the first in the nation to be owned and operated by an independent nonprofit agency, said Jeffrey Stephens, director of the The Arc’s employment center. “It’s never been tried before,” he said. “It’s never been done anywhere in the nation [in which you] have an independent nonprofit go after a for-profit retail store that’s not a thrift store.”
see JUST-A-BUCK page 14
Bixby Knolls Car Wash & Detail Center
Full service wash • Fast exterior wash 6 self-serve wash bays with air dryers (3)
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Owners for 35+ years
577 E. Wardlow Rd. @ Atlantic • 562-595-6666