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SERVING BIXBY KNOLLS, CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS, LOS CERRITOS, WRIGLEY AND THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL

Long Beach city officials push for turnstiles and safety measures along Blue Line

June 7, 2013

‘Somebody in this room’ could be future mayor

Your Weekly Community Newspaper

Former LB mayor gives civic lessons and life advice to third-graders

Leonardo Poareo

Editorial Intern

Providing life advice as well as insight into governing a city, former Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill spoke to Jahneen Nadeau’s third-grade class at Los Cerritos Elementary School last Tuesday morning. O’Neill, whose grandniece is in the class, served as mayor of Long Beach for three terms, from 1994 to 2006. To get

elected for a third term, voters had to vote for her by writing her name on their ballots. Although a popular mayor, O’Neill told the children she wasn’t always so confident that she could actually fulfill mayoral duties. “People had asked if I would run, and I said, ‘No, I don’t think so– I don’t think I can do it,’” O’Neill said. “I learned something– you can’t ever say ‘can’t’ see O’NEILL page 10

CJ Dablo/Signal Tribune

A train bound for Los Angeles approaches the Willow Blue Line Station in Long Beach. Electric turnstiles are not currently installed at any of the Long Beach stations. A Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) spokesman says there are safety concerns with installing turnstiles at a number of stations. CJ Dablo Staff Writer

There’s an endless variety of people who board the trains at any one of Long Beach’s eight stations along the Blue Line. On a Sunday afternoon, Richard Vargas, 51, sat at the Willow Blue Line Station. He was on his way home to Koreatown after his sister dropped him off at the station. He had spent the day at her home in Orange County to celebrate his mother’s birthday. At a bench close to the parking garage, 78-year-old Carmen Saucedo of West Covina sat alone next to a tiny pink bag on wheels. Dan Brown, 29, finished his day out in Long Beach. He was also on his way home to Los Angeles. A couple of miles north of the Willow Sta-

tion, Eric Holiman also waited at the Wardlow Station. He was also hoping to catch one of the northbound trains. The 54-year old Long Beach resident on his way to work waited only a few minutes before the train headed for downtown LA stopped at the platform. Holiman wasn’t pleased to hear about any recommendations to add turnstiles at the station when he was asked to offer an opinion. “All it’s going to do is slow down the process of boarding the train,” Holiman said. “It’s going to be a madhouse.” None of the eight stations in the city has any kind of physical barrier or gate that stops a person from getting a free ride on Metro’s Blue Line. Right now Long Beach City offisee METRO page 4

Leonardo Poareo/Signal Tribune

Former Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill visited Jahneen Nadeau’s third-grade class at Los Cerritos Elementary School on Tuesday.

SH Council seeks to require that political-action committees file financial statements with city clerk Sean Belk Staff Writer

The Signal Hill City Council voted 4-1 during its June 4 meeting to have the city attorney draft an amendment to the City’s election code, requiring all political action committees (PACs) and independent expenditure committees (IECs) that attempt to sway public opinion during election cycles file campaign financial statements with the city clerk. Mayor Michael Noll, who was targeted in fliers before the March 5 municipal election this year along with

Weekly Weather Forecast

Sunday

Vice Mayor Ed Wilson and former Councilmember Ellen Ward, brought forward the proposal at the end of the May 21 Council meeting under “new business,” calling the mass mailers “smear tactics.” The item was brought back for formal approval and to give city staff further direction. Signal Hill’s elections and campaign-finance law that was last amended in 1993 only regulates candidates running for Council, city treasurer and city clerk offices. The ordinance requires that candidates report campaign expenditures with the

June 7 through June 10, 2013

Friday

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Monday

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77°

Low clouds, then sun

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Mostly sunny and cool

Lo 62°

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city clerk and that financial statements be made available upon public request. The ordinance also limits campaign expenditures to about $500 per election cycle. PACs and IECs are currently not covered under the law. Councilmember Lori Woods, who ran against Noll, Wilson and Ward in the last election, however, cast the lone dissenting vote, stating that the City may have trouble enforcing the proposed ordinance amendment. “I don’t know how you possibly enforce something like this,” she said. “My thought is that, if any organiza-

tion, any PAC, has enough money that they’re going to probably also have enough legal clout to bypass our whole system and ignore it, basically thumb their nose at it.” Woods said she would rather have the City spend resources on “strengthening” the existing code and make campaign financial statements available on the City’s website. Woods also questioned how much would be spent on amending the ordinance, to which the city attorney replied that it would be about $3,000 to $5,000. City Manager Ken Farfsing said

other cities have imposed such laws, including the City of Cypress, adding that if PACs choose not to file with the City, it would at least show voters something about their legitimacy. “If a PAC does not file with the City it sends a strong message to the voters that there’s something they don’t want to disclose,” he said. “Where I live, I want to at least be able to know that.” The city attorney said provisions of the existing code would give voters and the City the ability to bring legal

Approved Watering Sched-

see COUNCIL page 15

Watering is approved on the following days:

Monday, Thursday, and Saturday before 9:00 am and after 4:00 pm

For more information, call the Water Conservation Hotline: 562-989-7350


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