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“Barrel of Monkeysâ€? Acrylic on paper by Sergio PiĂąa See page 9
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SERVING BIXBY KNOLLS, CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS, LOS CERRITOS, WRIGLEY AND THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
Vol. 35 No. 46
April 18, 2014
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
LB city clerk releases updated tally for April 8 election Vote-by-mail, provisional ballots included in new unoďŹƒcial report
CJ Dablo Staff Writer
There were several close calls in last week’s Primary Nominating Election in Long Beach held on April 8, and candidates in several races for public office didn’t know until this week whether they had won enough votes to take office or whether they needed to continue their campaigns in preparation for a General Municipal Election on June 3. As the Signal Tribune reported last week, the Long Beach City Clerk’s office estimated that about 9,000 vote-by-mail and provisional
did not change the standings of the frontrunners. Candidates had to win the election with a lead of “50 percent of the vote plus one� over their opponents to avoid the need to run in the June election. Three candidates very narrowly kept that necessary lead. Roberto Uranga, a candidate running for the city-council seat in the 7th district, held on to 50.9 percent of the vote. He finished with 2,950 votes out of 5,796. Joan Greenwood trailed Uranga, finishing with only 1,428, or 24.64 percent of the vote.
ballots that were received on April 7 and April 8 had not yet been tallied. The city clerk’s office finally released an updated tally reflecting those votes this week. Results noted
in this report are still unofficial since the city clerk has not yet certified the election.
The City saw another low voter turnout at last week’s election. Only 49,870 out of the 285,029 registered voters (17.5 percent) cared to fill in a ballot this time. Although they had the potential to change who won the election, the 9,000 or so ballots that were tallied several days after Election Night
see VBM page 12
CJ Dablo/Signal Tribune
Workers sit ready to help tally the ballots on the night of the Primary Nominating Election at organized computer workstations at the Long Beach City Council Chamber on April 8.
Proposal to charge fees for new Signal Hill youth programs sparks more debate about Measure U
Sean Belk/Signal Tribune
Roy Mercado (far left), coach for the City of Signal Hill’s Community Services Department, instructs children participating in the City’s after-school program at the basketball courts of Signal Hill Park on Wednesday, April 16.
Sean Belk Staff Writer
Debate about a controversial ballot measure, known as Measure U, continued this week as Signal Hill city officials raised concerns that the initiative would impact the City’s ability to charge fees for new after-school and summertime youth recreation programs. The City Council voted unanimously (3-0) at its April 15 meeting to advance a fee resolution to recover costs for new and existing recreation programs that would be offered by the City’s community-services department to youth ages 3 to 14. Mayor Ed Wilson and Councilmember Tina Hansen were both absent for the agenda item. Fees would range from $2 per day to $12 per day per participant, generating an estimated $92,000 annually to partially offset operational costs for the current Afterschool Recreation Club (ARC) and Itty Bitty Day Camp in addition to newly proposed “tween� summer day-camp programs, according to a staff report. The Council typically considers fee resolutions when adopting the City’s budget in mid-June, but staff recommended the Council consider the fees prior to the June 3 election because of “uncertainty� created by Measure U, the staff report states. According to city officials, if voters pass the measure, also known as the Taxpayer’s Right to Know and Vote initiative, the City would have to get a citywide
Historic memorabilia, personal storytelling to highlight SH’s 90th-anniversary event Ashley Fowler Staff Writer
The City of Signal Hill turns 90 this year and will host an anniversary reception featuring historical displays, a birthday cake from Rossmoor Pastries, champagne and live jazz. Attendees will also have the opportunity to speak with the city’s nonagenarians, several of whom have been residents since the City was incorporated in 1924. The event will take place at 6pm on Tuesday, April 22 at the Signal Hill Park Community Center, 1780 E Hill St. The anniversary reception is one of two events planned to celebrate the City’s 90th birthday. The second event, a festival in the park, will take place from 2pm to 8pm on Saturday, June 21. Councilmember Lori Woods has been in charge of putting together the City’s anniversary festivities. She said that the event on Tuesday will be casual. Woods did not describe an event that will include a sitdown dinner. Instead, she opted for standing cocktail tables throughout the community center to “create an atmosphere where people will want to mingle and share their stories of
Weekly Weather Forecast
see COUNCIL page 5
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Saturday
Low clouds, then sunshine
68°
Clouds, then sunshine
Low clouds, then sunshine
Low clouds, then sunshine
Mostly sunny with high clouds
Lo 55°
Lo 57°
Lo 58°
Lo 56°
Lo 57°
73°
Monday
April 18 through April 22, 2014
Friday
69°
Sunday
see ANNIVERSARY page 15
69°
Tuesday
65°
This week’s Weekly Weather Forecast sponsored by:
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et “A Gourmg Giftin & Baking Company�
Photos courtesy City of SH
Signal Hill’s 90th-anniversary event on Tuesday, April 22 will feature artifacts (including vintage photos such as these) from the city’s history that Councilmember Lori Woods has been compiling. The above photos show some of Signal Hill’s first police officers, Shell Hill and a water tower located near Junipero Avenue between Panorama and Skyline drives. (Plans for the structure were approved in September 1935, and construction was completed in 1936. In 2002, it was removed as part of the reservoir project.)
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