SIGNAL T
Vol. 36 No. 4
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“Split Personality” Acrylic on canvas by Bruce Barlow See page 8
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SERVING BIXBY KNOLLS, CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS, LOS CERRITOS, WRIGLEY AND THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
June 27, 2014
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
JetBlue pushing for international flights at LB Airport A voice in court
Sean Belk Staff Writer
Years from now, airline passengers may be able to fly from Long Beach to, possibly, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico– that is, if JetBlue Airways gets its way. The airline has expressed interest in establishing international flights at Long Beach Airport (LGB), but discussions about the controversial change are only in “preliminary” stages, an airport official confirmed with the Signal Tribune. News broke two weeks ago about JetBlue’s quest for opening up international travel at Long Beach Airport. According to an Orange County Register article published on Saturday, June 14, JetBlue’s new president, Robin Hayes, discussed the airline’s intentions at a promotional event in Los Angeles last Friday. Such a change would require a threeyear-plus process, involving the construction of a federal inspection services (FIS) facility for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is mandatory for all international airports. Kerry Gerot, Long Beach Airport spokesperson, said the airport is not planning to bring up an item for Long Beach City Council approval any time soon, adding that the public will have File photo plenty of opportunity to weigh in on the Airline travelers walk on the grounds of the Long Beach Airport terminal last December. JetBlue Airways has expressed matter at City Hall and community interest in offering international flights at the airport, but such a change would require a three-year-plus process, meetings if and when the endeavor involving the construction of a federal inspection services (FIS) facility, which is required by the U.S. Customs and see AIRPORT page 13 Border Protection agency.
Cherry Avenue’s makeover to begin soon…really! CJ Dablo Staff Writer
Cherry Avenue is about to undergo a major facelift. The longawaited plans to improve the street are close to a reality, now that Signal Hill officials have approved a contractor to take on the first phase of the makeover project. The undertaking is a collaboration between the Cities of Signal Hill and Long Beach and Caltrans, but Signal Hill is the lead agency overseeing the project that affects both cities. Cherry Avenue near Pacific Coast Highway is a critical thoroughfare between Signal Hill and Long Beach. About 60,000 to 65,000 vehicles go through that intersection every day, according to David Roseman, Long Beach’s city-traffic engineer. It’s also one of the more dangerous places to travel. Roseman added that the corFile photo ner of Cherry Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway is the 14th-most Traffic near the intersection of Cherry Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway can get conaccident-prone intersection in the city, noting that 64 accidents have gested at peak commuting hours. The Cities of Signal Hill and Long Beach, along with happened there in the last five years. The project will improve traf- Caltrans, are collaborating on a project to widen the avenue within the next few months. fic flow and efficiency, as well as safety, Roseman said. According to a staff report from Signal Hill Public Works Direc“This has been a long time coming,” Myrter acknowledged in a teletor Steve Myrter, the City of Signal Hill has already allocated to its capi- phone interview on Tuesday. The public-works director explained that tal-improvement program more than $2.85 million for Phase I of the there will be two lanes in both the northbound and southbound directions Cherry Avenue widening project. Last week, Signal Hill officials chose to of Cherry to ease the traffic congestion. His staff report summarized a numaward the bid for construction to Griffith Company in the amount of over ber of the changes to Cherry Avenue. The street will be widened on the $1.5 million. west side by 10 feet, then new asphalt will be installed throughout the The project is fully funded by federal and state grants, not city funds, entire width of Cherry from 19th Street to 230 feet south of Pacific Coast according to the staff report. see CHERRY page 12
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Meeting the challenges of troubled youth in foster care Ashley Fowler
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Staff Writer
t’s not news that LA County’s foster care system is overwhelmed with more than 28,000 children in need, but programs like CASA of Los Angeles (Court Appointed Special Advocates) hope to supplement support for troubled youth and help them succeed. Karen Butler, a volunteer with CASA, says that more volunteers are needed to help children navigate the legal landscape of the system and she knows from experience. “That’s an enormous number of children and youth, and obviously there are a lot of needs,” Butler said. “It’s a staggering challenge to all the systems that interface with these children. The people who are hired to do this have such high caseloads that it’s extremely difficult for them to get to know any one child.” So far, Butler has been an advocate for one boy. She took on the now 18-yearold’s case in November of 2011. He has been in the foster-care system since he was 3.
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ASA is a national court advocacy program pairing individual children with volunteers to monitor and speak up for children who may get lost in the shuffle– an individual judge may be responsible for more than 600 foster-care cases. “Besides being a voice for that child, especially if they are younger or unable to express themselves, we try to help them make some sense of what’s going on around them,” Butler said. “For example, every kid has a judge, a social worker, an attorney, a doctor, a teacher, sometimes family members are involved, but most of those people change pretty rapidly.” Butler says that more recruitment is necessary to better serve the abused and neglected children in the area. There are currently only about 500 CASA volunteers working with children in LA County. “We start by looking at their living situation, their school situation and really get to know that child in every way,” Butler said. “That’s the first big step, and then we make recommendations to the court regarding how the system and the community can best serve and support the child.” Butler said CASA volunteers focus on three keystones when making recommendations to the court– safety, a permanent plan and the child’s well-being. CASA volunteers also serve secondarily as mentors. They attend school meetings and facilitate sibling outings. “Every phone call, every email, every visit, every meeting is recorded, and, if necessary, can become part of the court,” Butler said. see FOSTER CARE page 12