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“Nocturne,” oil on wood by Kevin Peterson
SIGNAL
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VOL. 37 NO. 25
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“Venice,” photograph by Nicolas Alvarado See page 12
Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and the City of Signal Hill SERVING BIXBY KNOLLS, CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS, LOS CERRITOS, WRIGLEY AND THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
Vol. 36 No. 25
Your Newspaper YourWeekly Weekly Community Community Newspaper
November 20, 2015
November 21, 2014
Army Corps of An American in Paris Authorities investigating recent ‘arson’ Engineers, LB
CSULB student among those killed in Paris attacks remembered ‘bright light’ Hill Street homes fires atasunoccupied
to launch East San Pedro Bay restoration study
Cory Bilicko
“She’sBelk my little firecracker,” he said. “She’ll alwhose life ended tragically under circumstances Sean Though the homes, located at 2910 ways be here. She’ll always be in my heart, and I that were not directly related to her own life. Staff Writer Hill St. and 2914 Hill St., are techni“The attacks in Paris two days ago only seem think she’s going to be in everyone else’s heart too. cally located in Long Beach, the origiBeach Fire always in my heart. I loveDepartment you, baby.” to confirm what many You’reLong ust two days after a sethis week contin(LBFD) authorities After hearing from the speakers, the assemblednal developer never received easements of us already know: that ries of orchestrated teruedfiled to investigate “arson”and fires two out of the ballroom ontoatthe plazafor utilities. In addition, the City of Sigwe live in a very uncer- group rorist attacks in Paris, long-unoccupied homes on candles. Hill Street, nal Hill has rejected building driveways the student union, to light tain world,” Taylor said. outside France killed 129 peoBilicko on HillCory Street, which is located in Sig“Even the most innocent according to city officials. ple on Friday the 13th, Managing Editor nal Hill, determining that driveways on among us are at risk when In the meantime, the homes’ propthe student union at Cal State such a sloping street would tooof dandoing nothing more than indsayare Delrossi, who taughton Gonzalez erty owners still hanging to After more than 15 be years adLong Beach was spilling over living our daily lives. in the her empty high-intensity-training exercise gerous and may cause a car accident. hopes that houses, which the vocacy by the City of Long Beach with students, faculty, family, That’s all Nohemi GonclassesBeach at the declared university,a was amongWithout or driveways, the City City of Long public andutilities community groups, a study will friends and media for a vigil zalez was doing when she those mourning at Sunday’s vigil. has refused to grant soonBeach be underway to determine nuisance before one of the homesSheof Long honoring the local student who found herself in the midcharacterized the event as one of unityoccupancy permits, and buildings if reconfiguring thetheLong Beach caught fire in 2012, won’t be demolhad perished among the viodle of some senseless act among those in attendance. have remained unoccupied. Breakwater is possible. lence. ished next year. of violence that had noth“The feeling at the vigil was that of ‘coming to- Last week, Long Beach Mayor Robert on Wednesday, Nov. Gar12, California State University– Since the two-story homes, located ing to do with her.” getherness,’” Delrossi told the Signal Tribune this cia and Brig. fire. Gen.According Mark Toytomet Long Beach (CSULB) hosted both homes caught a of Long Beach and Sigon the border Taylor introduced week. “The students, staff and alumni are all on difat thefrom Army Corps of Engineers’ a vigil on Sunday, Nov. 15 as a statement the LBFD, the fires nal Hill, were built more than 10 years several other speakers, ferent paths, but that night we were united. Hearing Southruled Pacific Division Headquarremembrance of Nohemi Gonan arson. have stories remained theago, morethey personal fromvacant, friends mainly and familyhave been Facebook.com including: CSULB Presiters in know San Francisco on individNov. 12 zalez, the 23-year-old industrial “We don’t if it was an because the original Wayne dent Jane Close Conoley; was heartbreaking. Such adeveloper, young, beautiful bright to discuss the study, the purpose design student from El Monte Nohemi Gonzalez was a Cal State Long but it was a criminalof Ballinger, wasI never legally CSU Chancellor Tim- light Nohemi was. am blessed that Ipermitted got to witnessual or individuals, which is to examine the state of the who lost her life while having Beach design major studying in France said LBFD spokesperson Jake othy P.Sean White; French Belk/Signal Tribunethat tofirst-hand.” construct the properties, according to start,”ecosystem in San Pedro Bay and dinner at the La Belle Equipe for a semester. Gonzalez was among those Consul-Générale in Los Fires that broke out on Wednesday, killed Nov. 12 at two long-unoccupied homes, located on Hill Street on the border Delrossi, who leads classes at the Student RecLong Beach city officials. in the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris. the Long Beach Harbor to establish bistro when the coordinated see ARSON page 18 Angeles fire Christophe authorities. Lem- reation and Wellness Center, said Gonzalez had of Signal Hill and Long Beach, have been declared “arson,” according to Long Beach what, if anything, can be done to mass shootings, suicide bomboine; CSULB Design Department Chair Martin attended her classes on a voluntary basis a couple improve it. ings and hostage-taking took place. Gonzalez had Herman; CSULB ASI President Jose Salazar; Gon- times a week for the last few years. One possibility is to alter or been attending Strate College of Design during a zalez’s stepfather, Jose Hernandez, and other fami“She lovedtoexercise,” Delrossi said. “Always remove some part of the strucsemester-abroad program. She was expected to rely members; and design students Alex Schumacher, in the front row, always smiling, even when she got Sean Belk to California in December. ture of the breakwater, which was turn home Angela Hickman and Tanya Flores. Members of the all tangled up in the choreography of the exercises. StaffCarmen Writer Taylor, CSULB vice president of Student constructed decades ago in part to Bob Cole Conservatory also performed songs. We would exchange glances and laugh about her protect the Navy fleet stationed in Affairs, led the opening proceedings of the event. Though warmer waters in the Pacific Ocean earlier this Tim Mraz, who was Gonzalez’s boyfriend of four clumsiness, but it never slowed her down.” Long Beach but has dramatically “Cal State Long Beach may be a large urban year showed signs that an El Niño may bring wet weather years, also addressed the assembly. Struggling to Delrossi described the difficult time she had saychanged the local ecosystem, inlocated inCalifornia a big city, this but when weclimate lose touniversity, drought-stricken winter, experts hold back tears, but comforted by Gonzalez’s step- ing goodbye to her student before her trip to France. cluding water circulation and tidal a member of our campus community, it affects us said last week at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long father, Mraz explained how he referred to Gonzalez “A few weeks before her departure to Paris, she flow, according to Garcia. all,” she said. “It diminishes the whole, and we are Beach that an El Niño, if it develops at all, will likely be as “Pocahontas,” because of a tattoo on her left arm, The mayor said the Army Corps less because of this loss.” and how she, in turn, called him her “John Smith.” “weak.” see GONZALEZ page 13 will determine if ecosystem restoTaylor described Gonzalez as an innocent victim Managing Editor
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Experts say ‘weak’ El Niño won’t bring much relief to drought-stricken California this winter
Experts made their predictions and answered questions ration is possible without damaging during a live webcast on Thursday, Nov. 13 in front of the existing properties, including the Aquarium’s Science on a Sphere (SOS) platform, which port and coastal residences. began screening a new show in the Aquarium’s Ocean SciLong Beach and the Army Corps will share the costs of the project, ence Center last Saturday about El Niño, a global weather named the East San Pedro Bay Ecophenomenon. system Restoration Study, which is The six-foot-diameter SOS presents near-real-time data expected to begin in early 2016 and from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administratake three years to complete. The tion (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space cost-share agreement will be signed Administration (NASA) satellites and other monitoring at a special ceremony in Long systems, showing sea-surface temperature, sea height, Beach in coming weeks, according cloud patterns and storm systems, according to the Aquarto city officials. ium. “I can’t thank the Army Corps An El Niño, named after “The Christ Child” since it hits enough for working with us to start around Christmas time, occurs when “trade winds” that this important and groundbreaking normally blow from east to west lessen or reverse while study,” Garcia said. “Improving the ocean temperatures along the equator in the Pacific Ocean coastal experience and ecosystem rise at least 0.5 degrees Celsius above normal for three in our city is a win for residents consecutive months, NOAA National Weather Service [and] visitors and will be a boost to the Long Beach economy.” Science and Operations Officer John Dumas explained. The study will focus primarily “Right now, we’re .8 degrees above normal,” he said. on restoring the aquatic ecosystem. “So it’s a weak El Niño condition.” Officials willSean evaluate opportuniBelk/Signal Tribune Dumas added that, while ocean temperatures have ties for kelp,Administration eelgrass and (NOAA), wetlands for Bilicko/Signal the National Tribune Oceanic and Atmospheric been slightly above normal, large clouds have stayed in John Dumas, National Weather Service science and operations officerCory presentation on predictions of an El Niño thisinwinter a live Gonzalez, webcast onthe Thursday, Nov. 13 at the Aquarium of the Pacific. A crowd of mourners in the plaza outside the student unionaat Cal State Long Beach Sunday afternoon honorduring of Nohemi the western Pacific,gathers and “atmospheric response” has gives page on 13 a The event place as theon Aquarium the RESTORATION Aquarium’s Science 23-year-old industrial-design student who lost her life in the attacks ontook Paris, France Nov. 13.debuts its new show about the weather phenomenon that displays onsee Sphere (SOS) platform (right). see EL NIÑO page 15 November 20 through 21 through Weekly Forecast November November 25, 2015 Weekly Weather Weather Forecast November 25, 2014
Friday Friday
Bundts-giving
BriefSunny morning & warm shower
82° 71° Lo 52° Lo 52°
Saturday Saturday
Sunday Sunday
Monday Monday
Plentywith of Delightful sunshine some sun
Plesnt with Mostly sunny plenty of sun and nice
Plenty of sunshine Sunny
LoLo52° 53°
LoLo53° 51°
79° 71
73° 75
72° 77 Lo 51° Lo 52°
Tuesday Tuesday
e holiday gi they won’t return.
Mostly sunny
Sunny
66° 79 Lo 52° Lo 51°
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