March 4, 2022 | Vol. XLIII No. 9

Page 1

Signal Tribune

Sugarplums and swans take center stage at Bixby’s new children’s ballet school

Your Weekly Community Newspaper

VOL. XLIV NO. 9

see page 6

Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill

Friday, March 4, 2022

WAR

Yellow and blue lights lit up the Aquarium of the Pacific and other Long Beach landmarks on the night of Feb. 28 to mimic the colors of the Ukrainian flag in support of the country as they fight against invading Russian forces.

Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune

NONPROFIT

CITY COUNCIL

Social enterprise coffee shop plants roots in Wrigley The coffee shop will provide employment opportunities to people experiencing homelessness

Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune

A Formula D drift car takes a turn at high-speed during a practice run at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sept. 14, 2021.

Spectators in street takeovers could face misdemeanors under new ordinance

L

m E ma iD Maggio a M naging idE tor

ast month, the Wrigley neighborhood ushered out memories of Fox Coffee House and opened its arms to Wrigley Coffee—a social enterprise coffee shop that provides employment opportunities for people experiencing homelessness. The coffee shop is run by Family Promise of the South Bay, a nonprofit that assists families experiencing homelessness with case management services, transitional housing and transitional employment with the goal of securing permanent housing and employment for those they assist. The idea for Wrigley Coffee came to fruition when Executive Director Andrew Nishimoto was perusing the Wrigley neighborhood. The nonprofit had just secured the lease for a home in the neighborhood— courtesy of the City Church of Long Beach—to use as transitional hous-

Karla M. Enriquez iD ig tal idE tor

fine-tunes its supply chain needs. In addition to traditional staffing, up to three people experiencing homelessness will be trained at the shop on a rolling basis. The training program will last a flexible 90 days. “The hope is to eventually move them into a space where they can continue to grow and learn their skills,” Nishimoto said, noting that

In an effort to deter illegal street takeovers from happening in Long Beach, the city council on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that would penalize spectators at the events. Violation of the ordinance would be punishable as a misdemeanor or infraction at the discretion of the City prosecutor. The ordinance states a person would be considered “present” at a street race or “reckless driving exhibition” if they are within 200 feet of the location of the event or the site of preparations for either event. Councilmember Cindy Allen noted that in order to prevent bystanders from being caught in the crosshairs of the ordinance, the “extent

see WRIGLEY COFFEE page 8

see STREET TAKEOVER page 2

Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune

Family Promise of South Bay Executive Director Andrew Nishimoto poses for a picture from behind the register of the coffee shop on Feb. 9, 2022. ing. Nishimoto, who previously worked for a nonprofit that runs a social enterprise landscaping company, saw the shuttered facade of Fox Coffee House and started to wonder if workforce development could be the “missing piece” in their nonprofit’s services. “After some evaluation […] we identified that having a trauma-informed employment space for our families, to develop some of the

skills needed to thrive in the workforce—was necessary,” Nishimoto said. The creation of the shop was a community effort. Rose Park Roasters helped the nonprofit with the build-out process and donated equipment to get them started. The Merchant donated cups and plates. Solid Coffee Roasters, which have three locations across the Los Angeles area, will provide beans and flexibility while Wrigley Coffee

FOOTBALL ON SUNDAYS 20 BEERS ON TAP / HAPPY HOUR DAILY 2:00-5:00 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK AT 11 A.M. @JIMMYESBARANDGRILL

JIMMY E’S BAR + GRILL

2591 CHERRY AVE, SIGNAL HILL, CA / (562) 612-3456 / JimmyEsBarandGrill.com


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