Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill with 30,000 issues every Friday
VOL. XLI NO. 6
In this issue NEWS
City announces purchase of Atlantic Avenue property for future homeless campus
The campus, to house a year-round shelter, is scheduled to open 2020. See Page 5
COMMUNITY
Finding a migrating whale mother and her baby
Two gray whales were spotted near the shores of Long Beach on a Harbor Breeze Cruises tour. See Page 6
Preparing for landing
Marines, Seabees begin months-long project to repair Catalina Airport Runway. See Page 8
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
www.signaltribune.com
35 DAYS LATER
February 1, 2019
When the government shuts down, but philanthropy doesn’t Local federal workers get helping hand from City of LB, residents and businesses. Cory Bilicko Staff Writer
Local federal employees– such as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers at Long Beach Airport (LGB)– returned to their paid work status this week, after President Donald Trump and Congress ended what is, to date, the longest government shutdown in United States history. Lasting 35 days, the deadlock, which spurred from Trump’s insistence on funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, ended Jan. 25. It was good news for the hundreds of thousands of people across the country who were affected by the shutdown, many of whom had missed two paychecks. In an effort to make up for that lost pay, the City of Long Beach has stepped in to assist those who have faced sudden financial challenges resulting from the shutdown. Last week, officials announced the City would extend relief opportunities to federal workers concerned about paying utility bills, parking citations and other billing services by providing them
with payment-arrangement assistance. “We are in the middle of the longest federal government shutdown in history,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, in a Jan. 17 press release. “It’s important we help provide support to our fellow public servants in their time of need.” This week, Kevin Lee, public-affairs officer for the City of Long Beach, said it is unknown just how many federal workers have taken advantage of the City’s offer since such calls for assistance are not tallied. “We help many people who are in need of temporary support throughout the year and were happy to provide assistance to those affected by the shutdown,” Lee wrote Wednesday, in response to the Signal Tribune’s emailed questions. “How the individuals are supported depends on what their needs are. If it is verified that the need is there, often, options include: delaying their payments until a further date when they can pay; waiving late fees within that time; and making sure their utilities don’t get shut off within that time. This is not the case every see SHUTDOWN page 11
Fallen police officer Sgt. Don Campbell remembered Anita W. Harris
Fundraising campaign to help Campbell’s family reaches nearly half its goal.
Staff Writer
On the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 16, retired police Sgt. Don Campbell parked in front of the Long Beach Police Department’s (LBPD) east-division substation at Willow Street and Grand Avenue. He then shot himself in the chest around 10:47am and died at the scene. Campbell had retired a little more than one year ago, in December 2017, after 28 years of police service, during which he received several commendations. The following day, fellow retired LBPD officer John McBride set up a fundraising campaign to support the wife and children that the 60-year-old Campbell left behind in Lakewood. “Sgt. Campbell was in the process of having a room addition built
for himself and his beloved wife, Terri, at the time of his passing,” McBride states on the GoFundMe site. “We would like to assist his wife in finishing this project, as well as help offset funeral costs.” The campaign– the Sgt. Don Campbell’s Family Relief Fund– has raised about $23,500 as of Jan. 31, almost half its goal of $50,000, with contributions by 181 people. The Long Beach Police Officer’s Association (LBPOA) says it will also hold a memorial service for Campbell on Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Arbor Road Church in Long Beach. According to the LBPOA, Campbell began with the LBPD after graduating from the Police Academy in November 1989, working in a variety of assignments, including patrol officer, field officer, narcotics enforcement, gang detail and SWAT
(special weapons and tactics). Campbell was also the lead instructor for LBPD’s first AR-15 (rifle) certification course and a certified “less lethal” instructor. In June 2000, the LBPD promoted Campbell to the rank of Sgt., at which time he returned to the patrol bureau and was assigned to the South Division Community Policing Team. A year later, in 2001, Campbell returned to the LBPD’s special-enforcement section (SES) as a supervisor and then to gang enforcement in March 2003, where he continued to work for 14 years until he retired at the end of 2017. “Throughout his career, Don amassed approximately 100 commendations from peers, supervisors, other law enforcement agensee OFFICER page 2
Courtesy LBPOA
Retired Long Beach Police Department officer Sgt. Don Campbell, who died Jan. 16