“Seascape,” acrylic painting by David Hocking
VOL. 36 NO. 45
SERVING BIXBY KNOLLS, CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS, LOS CERRITOS, WRIGLEY AND THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
See page 7
April 10, 2015
Trudging the campaign trail
irsty for more
Tuesday’s election to determine
Area officials waiting for further details from Gov. Brown’s strict plan to reduce water
one-year LB councilmember Cory Bilicko
Managing Editor
It will be a winner-takes-all election on Tuesday, April 14 when 4th Council District voters in Long Beach choose from among three individuals vying for the seat vacated by former councilmember Patrick O’Donnell after he was elected to the State Assembly last November. The special election, which will determine the new councilmember who will serve from May 2015 to July 2016, will not include a runoff and is expected to cost the City of Long Beach about $200,000, according to the city clerk’s office. The 4th District, which includes about 27,000 registered voters, stretches from Los Altos on the east to Cambodia Town on the west, encompassing sections of Pacific Coast Highway and Anaheim Street, which includes the Zafaria business corridor. The three candidates who have qualified for a place on the ballot are: Herlinda Chico, a public-affairs specialist; Richard Lindemann, a retired retailsales manager; and Daryl Supernaw, a business consultant. Although both Chico and Lindemann are registered Democrats, a recent letter the City’s police and fire department unions sent on stationery with Mayor Robert Garcia’s letterhead Herlinda Chico inaccurately indicates that Chico is the “only Democrat running” in the special election. Despite confirmation from the Los Angeles County RegistrarRecorder/County Clerk Office that Lindemann is indeed a registered Democrat, nowhere on his campaign website is that party affiliation stated. Instead, it reads, “I am a fiscal conservative/social liberal, living an ecofriendly lifestyle.” Supernaw’s party affiliation on record is “decline to state,” according to the County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Office. Campaign finances According to the city clerk’s website, Chico has been surpassing her oppoRichard Lindemann nents in campaign contributions and spending. Chico’s April 2 campaign statement indicates that her total contributions for the calendar year to date are $47,755.67 and her total expenditures for the same period are $51,523.81. Her contributors include individuals, businesses and other special-interest groups, and her largest donor groups are Democratic clubs and the politicalaction committees (PACs) designated as “recipient committees” on the campaign-finance report. She has spent more than $13,000 on campaign consultants and has emphasized having a “strong team” behind her. Daryl Supernaw “Having worked on several cam-
Courtesy Calif. Department of Water Resources
Gov. Jerry Brown (far left) announces his plan to mandate a 25-percent reduction in water usage throughout California at a press conference earlier this month at the Phillips Station Snow Course, about 90 miles east of Sacramento. CJ Dablo Staff Writer
Although earlier this month, Gov. Jerry Brown announced that he would mandate a statewide reduction in water usage by 25 percent, there are still no details available for the impact on cities like Long Beach and Signal Hill. Brown released his overall plan for statewide cuts to water consumption on April 1, the day of the annual snow survey at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about 90 miles east of Sacramento. In his press statement, Brown noted that this year’s survey reveals the lowest snow pack ever recorded. His mandate as outlined in his press release also includes other programs to help save water. About 50 million square feet of grass will be replaced with drought-tolerant landscaping. The State will create a program to provide rebates to those who want to replace their old appliances with energyefficient models. Cemeteries, campuses and golf courses will be required to drastically cut water usage. New home owners will be prohibited against irrigating their outdoor spaces with potable water unless their homes have water-efficient drip systems. Watering “ornamental grass” on the median dividers on public streets will also be banned. Signal Hill Public Works Director Steve Myrter told the Signal Hill City Council on April 7 that the State Water Resources Control Board is essentially responsible for implementing Brown’s restrictions. (See sidebar.) “The governor issued this mandate, but it wasn’t clear how to impose it,” Myrter said last Tuesday, explaining that there is “no direction” on how the Board will restrict water retailers. Officials in both cities already declared their programs to see DROUGHT page 12
Signal Hill Public Works director recommends various water-conservation measures
Cory Bilicko
Managing Editor
Water usage was the topic to which the most time was dedicated during the Signal Hill City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 7, as Public Works director Steve Myrter gave a presentation on Gov. Jerry Brown’s executive order B-29-15, which calls for mandatory water conservation. Myrter began by outlining Brown’s order, which, for the first time in state history, directs the State Water Resources Control Board to implement mandatory water reductions in cities and towns across California to reduce water use by 25 percent. The Governor’s office calculates that this reduction amounts to about 1.5 million acre-feet of water over the next nine months, or nearly as much as is currently in Lake Oroville. Myrter explained that the executive order mandates that the State water board: impose restrictions to achieve a 25-percent reduction; partner with local agencies to replace 50 million square feet of lawns with drought-tolerant landscapes; prohibit irrigation with potable water of ornamental turf on public street medians; ensure that landscaping for construction on new homes or buildings only utilize drip irrigation systems; have water purveyors report to the State Water Resources Control Board monthly systemsee WATER page 13
Weekly Weather Forecast Friday
69°
Partly Sunny Lo 54°
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
see ELECTION page 8
A pril 10 through April 14, 2015 Tuesday
71° 73° 73° 76°
Low clouds, then sun
Lo 56°
Low Clouds, then sun
Pleasant with sun
Lo 57°
Lo 57°
Nice with clouds and sun
The p pe erfect match. Save with th h auto and home.
Lo 57°
This week’s Weather Forecast sponsored by:
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