“Algunas Observaciones sobre la Meteorología Cabalística” Sculpture by Pedro Friedeberg See page 10
VOL. 36 NO. 42
SERVING BIXBY KNOLLS, CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS, LOS CERRITOS, WRIGLEY AND THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
March 20, 2015
Financial approaches reveal key differences among 4th District LB Council candidates
Sean Belk/Signal Tribune
Sean Belk/Signal Tribune
Larry Forester, far right, who was selected as Signal Hill’s new mayor on Tuesday, March 17, is sworn into office after being re-elected to a fifth term in the March 3 general municipal election. Also sworn in are Councilmember Tina Hansen, second from left, who was re-elected to a sixth term, and Larry Blunden, far left, who ran unopposed for city treasurer.
Forester named mayor of Signal Hill despite concerns about past conduct Sean Belk Staff Writer
The Signal Hill City Council selected Larry Forester as the City’s new mayor on Tuesday, March 17 though he was nearly passed over for the year-long figurehead position because of concerns about his past conduct. Forester, who was re-elected to the Council during the March 3 municipal election and who served as vice mayor for the past year, was slated for the mayoral nomination, which, historically, has been rotated among councilmembers each year. However, in a surprise turn of events, outgoing mayor Ed Wilson asked him to willingly “forego” the mayor position, pointing to an incident last year in which Forester made racial remarks to a resident at a local restaurant. At a Council meeting last October, Signal Hill resident Andrea Webster said Forester confronted her at Delius Restaurant in Signal Hill because she is opposed to the Conservation Corps of Long Beach opening a charter school for adults in the city. Webster, who is black, had claimed that Forester said she is “prejudice [sic] against [her] own kind.” The Conservation Corps of Long Beach, of which Forester is a board member, has since withdrawn its charter-school proposal after receiving criticism from residents about potential traffic and public-safety impacts. In light of the restaurant incident, Wilson proposed moving forward with a “code of conduct” for elected and appointed city officials that now includes a “manual of procedural guidelines” for Council and commission meetings. The City has requested public comments on the document before being brought back to Council for approval.
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At the Council meeting this week, Wilson asked Forester to “lead by example” and decline to take the mayoral nomination because of the incident last year. “Though you gave an apology at the Council meeting in October regarding your inappropriate, insensitive, deeplytroubling racial-slur remarks to a resident, shortly afterwards, you were at the same restaurant making snide remarks regarding this same individual,” Wilson said. “We do not need to tarnish our repulation, our image and our legacy.” Councilmember Lori Woods joined Wilson in his sentiments and nominated Councilmember Tina Hansen as mayor instead, stating that, while Forester welcomed her to the Council and has been a mentor, he should not be “the voice that speaks” for the City. She noted that there have been other incidents raised about his behavior in the past as well. “I do not know how the Council has handled those past incidents, but this latest incident, in my opinion, was too volitile, too high-profile, too egregious to be ignored or explained away,” Woods said. “Any conduct by an individual that brings discredit to other elected officials and the agency they represent cannot be allowed to stand.” Woods also noted that Forester, who has lived with HIV since 1994, has admitted that medications have likely contributed to his unpredictable behavior and temperament. However, Hansen, who was also re-elected to another four-year term on the Council, defended Forester, stating that he has been a “mentor” and “friend” for more than 20 years. Hansen, who is serving her sixth term on the Council,
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CJ Dablo Staff Writer
There is already a lot of money riding on who will claim the parttime “temp” job to represent Long Beach’s 4th District. Campaignfinance reports for both January and February were posted earlier this month on the City of Long Beach’s website, and the available reports do offer insight into the spending and fundraising habits of the candidates vying to become the newest city councilmember. Contenders Herlinda Chico, Richard Lindemann and Daryl Supernaw are looking to distinguish themselves in their attempts to fill the vacancy left behind by Patrick O’Donnell, who resigned from the Council soon after winning his bid for a seat on the California State Assembly last November. The special municipal election is scheduled for April 14. There isn’t much time left for candidates to get noticed. In a phone interview, Jeffrey Adler, a political consultant based in Signal Hill, predicted that much of the campaign expenditures will take place within two weeks of the election, around the time when vote-bymail ballots become available. He described what he thought the priorities should be for a solid election strategy. “Especially in an election without an incumbent…it’s all about name
Weekly Weather Forecast Friday
Saturday
77°
Sunday
81°
March 20 through March 24, 2015
Monday
84°
identification and who does the best job of reaching voters and turning them out at the polls,” Adler said, adding that “small groups of voters make a big difference in a low turnout.” So far, Herlinda Chico has vastly outpaced her opponents in both fundraising and expenditures. She raised $27,262.67, and her expenditures have totaled $21,660.68, according to her latest report for the calendar year-to-date figures. Chico’s contributors are a mix of individuals, businesses and other special-interest groups. Labor unions, Democratic clubs and the political-action committees (PACs) designated as “recipient committees” on the campaign-finance report were Chico’s biggest donor group. For the statement period, these recipient committees contributed $16,850. For this election, Chico is heavily relying on professional help to run her campaign. She has spent more than $13,000 on campaign consultants. Chico stressed the importance of having a “strong team” behind her. “Having worked on several campaigns, I know that if I was going to do this, I was going to be very serious about running a campaign,” she said in a phone interview. “And that’s why I hired the people that I did.” Chico’s fundraising efforts began much earlier than those of her opponents, and she raised a significant amount in the prior calendar year. As see FINANCES page 13
see MAYOR page 14
80°
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL THRIFT STORE
From left: Daryl Supernaw, Herlinda Chico and Richard Lindemann speak at a candidate forum hosted by the East Anaheim Street Business Alliance in February The three candidates have followed different strategies in spending and fundraising in the race to represent Long Beach’s 4th District.
Tuesday
81°
Partly sunny and pleasant
Mostly sunny and nice
Very warm with some sun
Very warm with some clouds
Partly cloudy
Lo 59°
Lo 56°
Lo 56°
Lo 56°
Lo 56°
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