Friday, July 16 | Vol. XLIII No. 29 by Signal Tribune

Signal Tribune Your Weekly Community Newspaper

VOL. XLIII NO. 29 CRIME

INSIDE: Long Beach Youth Chorus kicks off season with string of events see page 6

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

Friday, July 16, 2021

COMMUNITY

Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune

The statue of Martin Luther King Jr. at MLK Park on July 15, 2021. After being vandalized with a swastika and SS bolts on July 2, 2021, the City has repaired security cameras and is offering a reward for information about the culprit.

City offering $8,000 reward for information about vandalism of Martin Luther King Jr. statue

Mother and daughter from Gabrieleno/ Tongva tribe fight to save their sacred plant from American consumerism Kristen Farrah Naeem

Emma DiMaggio

N Staff Writer

Managing Editor

The City of Long Beach is offering an $8,000 reward for anyone with information that could lead to the identification and conviction of whoever is responsible for the recent vandalism of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue at MLK Park. “This was absolutely both a racist, horrible, disgusting act on our Martin Luther King statue in King Park,” Mayor Robert Garcia said. “This is especially offensive and hurtful to the Black community and to all those that respect and love Dr. King’s message that resonates not just in our community but across the country and the world.” The Anti-Defamation League offered an initial $3,000 reward for information. The Long Beach City Council boosted the reward by an additional $5,000 from general funds at its Tuesday, July 13 meeting. “This is one of the steps we’re taking to demonstrate the seriousness of this act,” said Councilmember Suely Saro, who proposed the fund allocation. see MLK STATUE page 9

ext time you smell the scent of burning sage, think about who’s burning it and where they got it from. Tightly-wound bundles of the dried plant have become an innocuous sight in smoke shops and at booths lining the Venice Beach boardwalk. But consumerism has never been what the Native American tradition of burning sage is about. “We sage to […] clean up the energy around us and to help us have good thoughts, and the smoke carries all of that impurity up to the Creator,” Kimberly Morales Johnson of the Gabrieleno/Tongva tribe said. This plant has been used for spiritual cleansing by Native American tribes in what is now known as California for generations. But its recent popularity in American capitalist culture is devastating the species. “White sage is a California plant that the Southern California tribes use as part of like cleansing rituals, and is a very integral part of the culture. And because of that—that history and that identity the plant has—it’s been taken by the larger culture in general, the larger mass media, and you can buy it at places like Whole Foods and stuff like that,” Jason Steinhauser, a horticulture student at Long Beach City College, said

Kristen Farrah Naeem | Signal Tribune — Courtesy Kimberly Morales Johnson

(Top) A Tongva elder lets sage smoke blow across four acres that are soon to be restored and opened to the public. (Bottom) Confiscated white sage that hasn’t been damaged by mold is salvaged and wrapped into bundles by Kimberly Morales Johnson and her daughter.

Cultural appropriation and commodification

The recent interest in white sage divorces the use of the plant from its origins, as do the many depictions of burning white sage that appear in popular culture. “We’ve noticed within the past three to five years that, you know, it’s everywhere. It’s in movies, it’s in ‘Grace and Frankie.’ It’s on Instagram. There was a see WHITE SAGE page 8

WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM • COMMUNITY • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021

STREET VENDORS

T-shirts for a cause: Local Hearts Foundation launch latest effort to help street vendors tions throughout 2020 and 2021. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, reported crimes against street vendors rose nearly 337% from 2010 to 2019. “They all hurt,” Rodriguez said of street vendor attacks. “But when it happens at home, that bums you out just a little bit more.”

Karla M. Enriquez Digital Editor

For over a year, Local Hearts Foundation Executive Director Tito Rodriguez, also known as “Hood Santa,” has embraced the role of defender of street vendors. He helped kick start the local “Defend Eloteros” (corn vendors) movement after a series of attacks and robberies against street vendors in Long Beach in 2020. “It truly takes a community to assemble and work together to bring the change we want,” Rodriguez said. On Saturday, July 10, the organization dropped its second t-shirt, designed by renowned tattoo artist Big Sleeps with all proceeds going toward the fight to defend street vendors. Royal blue and white letters in Big Sleep’s signature style adorn the black t-shirt with the organization’s mission statement declared: “Protect Our Eloteros”; “Respetar” (respect); “Paleteros” (ice cream vendors); “Defend x Love”; “Tamaleros” (tamal vendors); “The Hustle”; “Fruteros” (fruit vendors); “Is Real 2021”; “Floreros” (flower vendors) ; “Viva la Raza.” A list of partners enlisted their help to make the t-shirts possible including restaurant Dirt Dog LA, Grizzly Griptape and Diamond Supply among others. There is a goal to raise $25,000 in t-shirt sales. Almost a year after its first t-shirt drop, Local Hearts has continued its large presence in advocating for local street vendors—the latest is a vendor named Maura from Paramount. Under the scorching sun of the latest heatwave, Rodriguez met Maura, who was selling fruit. After he asked how sales were she responded, “Mijo, bien despasito” (very slow). Maura told Rodriguez that she works for another person and her wage

Tito Rodriguez sits down with local officials to advocate for street vendors

Courtesy HJ Chong

(Above) Local Hearts Foundation Executive Director Tito Rodriguez and tattoo artist Big Sleeps wear the latest t-shirt design in support of street vendors. The t-shirts went on sale on Saturday, July 10. (Below) Rodriguez holds out a sign in support of street vendors in July 2021. was based on sales. “If she’s having a crappy day, she’s not going to make any money,” Rodriguez said. “She’s out there all day.” In an Instagram post by Rodriguez, he announced that proceeds from the t-shirt drop will go toward the purchase of Maura’s own fruit cart.

A history of giving: Tito Rodriguez and Local Hearts defend street vendors

In May, Rodriguez came to the aid of Eliu Ramirez—a street vendor who was harassed by a woman and four children—by hosting a buy-out. As reported by local outlets, Ramirez was cited by police after calling to report the incident for not having the proper license to operate. As Ramirez’s story gained traction, the Long Beach Police Department

issued a statement saying the citation was voided as it went against the department’s practice. “I’ve felt great emotionally since,” Ramirez said in Spanish. “I’m very grateful to the community and Local Hearts, they have helped me a lot.” Rodriguez and the foundation have helped a long list of street vendors who have found themselves in similar situa-

What started as Rodriguez driving down the streets of L.A. County to distribute hand sanitizer and pepper spray to vendors has evolved into conversations with members of Long Beach City Council advocating for a program to protect street vendors. Rodriguez asked that the City issue vendors permits to assure they won’t be ticketed in the future and to figure out a way to have vendors go paperless to make them less vulnerable to theft. An item proposing the creation of the program passed in June. Rodriguez went a step further and sent a letter to L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon advocating for the protection of street vendors. The letter resulted in a Zoom meeting with the L.A. District Attorney’s Office. What comes of the meetings and program is yet to be seen. Rodriguez and his team, however, hope their work will change the life of at least one more street vendor—one t-shirt sale at a time. “There’s got to be a way to protect these hardworking people that are out there in 100-degree weather selling fruit and ice cream,” Rodriguez said. To purchase the street vendor t-shirt, visit mrbigsleeps.com. For more information on the Local Hearts Foundation visit their website at localheartsfoundation.org or follow them on Instagram @localheartsfoundation.

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SH CITY COUNCIL

‘Wear a mask’: Signal Hill cautions residents about COVID-19 Delta variant Anita W. Harris Senior Writer

California lifted its health restrictions last month after a successful vaccine rollout and associated dip in new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. But now a new variant of the virus is causing a surge in positive tests. “COVID continues to be a serious health concern for all of us,” Signal Hill City Manager Hannah Shin-Heydorn said during the July 13 City Council meeting. According to the CDC, viruses constantly change through mutation. The Delta variant, as the latest widespread mutation is called, appeared in the U.S. in March, having first emerged in India earlier this year. Nearly 90% of seniors and nearly 70% of those 16 and older in L.A. County have received at least one dose of the vaccine, Shin-Heydorn said. However, only 77% of seniors and 61% of all L.A. County adults have received both doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that require two doses for full protection, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health (LACDPH). Though 10.7 million first doses have been administered, only 4.8 million second doses have—a gap of 6 million. Shin-Heydorn said that in Signal Hill, 89.4% of seniors and 72% of those 16 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Signal Hill has seen 1,150 confirmed cases since April 2020—or about 10% of the 11,700 population—with five additional cases added since last month, Shin-Heydorn said. Eight residents have died of COVID-19 since last year. Countywide new cases jumped by 1,100 on July 13 alone, representing a 500% increase since June, Shin Heydorn said. “These variants are a serious threat to adults who are not fully vaccinated, especially those who are high-risk,” LACDPH states on its variant fact sheet. Shin-Heydorn advised residents to do their part in slowing the spread by following the “simple steps” of getting vaccinated, wearing masks and frequently washing hands or using hand sanitizer. Mayor Edward Wilson noted that there have been over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases countywide per day over the past five days. Hospitalization rates have also increased proportionally, according to LACDPH. “The trend is up,” Wilson said. “And it’s up significantly.”

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WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM • OPINION • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021

FROM OUR ONLINE READERS: LETTERS, EMAILS, COMMENTS AND STATEMENTS

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

In response to: ‘A Very Long Beach Vaccine Incentive: ‘Joints for Jabs’ offering free cannabis joints at pop-up clinic next week’:

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Dang, can I get my 3rd jab yet!? – @junkieslbc via Instagram

”

In response to: ‘Cannabis businesses now allowed to share manufacturing space in Long Beach’:

“

File Image | Pexels

Who is gonna perform oversight on this?

The class of 2020 also ‘pressed on.’ Where’s our in-person ceremony? The following is a guest column by class of 2020 David Starr Jordan High School graduate Jennifer Lopez. For many of us, the year 2020 was one of the hardest years of our lives. For me and some of my peers, it meant juggling many things on top of school like taking care of my siblings and making sure they were fed and paying attention in class while also trying my hardest to complete my own assignments. Without the motivation of my friends I struggled a lot at first. It was hard to focus with distractions like kids playing or yelling next door. I also had to work after school and then go home to finish my homework and make sure my siblings were ready for the next day. Sometimes, it could be really draining trying to manage all these things. But I stayed strong and pushed through in order to graduate, despite having all our senior activities taken away by the COVID pandemic, including an in-person graduation ceremony. When it was our time to graduate, my classmates and I received a pre-recorded YouTube video announcing our names and a drive-thru graduation rushed by staff trying to move us quickly through. It was a great experience for some of

us, but what about the families that had no car and therefore could not participate in the drive-thru? Some of those families had to wait until everything was over in order to get an empty diploma frame. Just like the class of 2021, the class of 2020 worked really hard to graduate considering the conditions we were all in. A post from Jordan High’s Instagram account congratulating this year’s class stated in part, “you pressed on and made it happen. Jordan is so proud of you!” We also “pressed on,” trying to comprehend and fully process what was happening around us. I understand that due to the circumstances from a year ago we were not able to have an in-person graduation, but as I started to see high schools across the state allowing their classes of 2020 to return for a proper graduation ceremony, I hoped we would be honored with similar ceremonies as well. For example, the Downey Unified School District held joint graduation ceremonies for its classes of 2020 and 2021. Buckingham High School in Vacaville finally held an in-person graduation ceremony for its class of 2020 this May. When I messaged Jordan High School’s Instagram page a few weeks after the Long Beach Unified School

”

– @donaldcolleenmc via Instagram

In response to: ‘Training rooted in preventing police misconduct is one step closer to coming to Long Beach after council vote’:

District announced in-person graduation ceremonies, asking if they had something similar planned for the class of 2020, the response was, “we do not have anything planned at this time.” And they were right, nothing was planned for us, not at this time, not in tomorrow’s time and maybe not in the future. One of the many things school taught us to do was speak up for what we want and that is what we are doing right now. We are standing up for ourselves for not receiving a proper way to end our high school journey. The day after the class of 2021 held its graduation last week, I emailed some LBUSD board members, my council representative and even the school principal to ask if anything could be done to receive an in-person ceremony. I have yet to receive a response. We even started a hashtag campaign (#jhsclassof2020reunited) trying to bring awareness. Now I am taking this publicly to make our voices heard. It may be too late for the class of 2020 to be recognized for our hard work, for closing one of the hardest chapters of our lives, but I can only hope school leaders listen to their students next time.

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Are they getting more funding?!?!? How are we paying for the coordinator? That should come out of the police funding that already exists. Teachers do more with less funding. – @cello_azul via Instagram

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In response to: ‘Woman killed while walking in crosswalk in Long Beach; driver sought’:

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So freaking sad rest in power queen.

”

– @y_yo_la_peor_de_todas via Instagram

Signal Tribune MANAGING EDITOR

Emma DiMaggio

DIGITAL EDITOR

Karla M. Enriquez

PHOTO EDITOR

Richard H. Grant

LEGALS COORDINATOR

Katherine Green

SENIOR WRITER

Anita W. Harris

STAFF WRITER

Kristen Farrah Naeem

COLUMNIST

Claudine Burnett

The Signal Tribune welcomes letters to the editor, which should be signed, dated and include a phone number to verify authenticity. Letters are due by noon on the Wednesday before desired publication date. The Signal Tribune reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, language and space requirements. Letters must be 500 words or fewer. The Signal Tribune will publish no more than one “pro” letter and one “con” letter on a particular topic in a single issue. The Signal Tribune does not print letters that refer substantially to articles in other publications and might not print those that have recently been printed in other publications or otherwise presented in a public forum. Letters to the editor and commentaries are the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Signal Tribune or its staff. Although the editorial staff will attempt to verify and/or correct i nformation when possible, letters to the editor and commentaries are opinions, and readers should not assume that they are statements of fact. Letter-writers will be identified by their professional titles or affiliations when, and only when, the editorial staff deems it relevant and/or to provide context to the letter. We do not run letters to the editor submitted by individuals who have declared their candidacies for public office in upcoming races. This policy was put in place because, to be fair, if we publish one, we would have to publish all letters submitted by all candidates. The volume would no doubt eliminate space for letters submitted by other readers. Instead, we agree to interview candidates and print stories about political races in an objective manner and offer very reasonable advertising rates for those candidates who wish to purchase ads. The Signal Tribune is published each Friday. Yearly subscriptions are available for $100.

1860 Obispo Avenue, Suite F , Signal Hill, CA 90755 (562) 595-7900 www.signaltribune.com newspaper@signaltribune.com

WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM • NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021 EDUCATION

California walks back order banning unmasked students from campuses

City News Service Southern California Local News

LIVES LIVED

Paula Duncan 89 Lisa Tyra 55 Veronica Statzer 57 David Cook 56 Jonathan Glasgow 62 Rose Ann Albert 82 OkYea Kim 73 Frank Leon 69 Michelle Stueve 63 Oscar Hernandez 51 The families were assisted by McKenzie Mortuary. For more details on service dates and times, contact (562) 961-9301

asks will be required for students and staff at California school campuses this fall, but revised guidance issued by the state means local districts will determine how to enforce the mandate if students refuse to comply. Long Beach school officials said they would be developing specific guidelines. “We’re committed to full-time, in-person instruction when the new semester begins,” said Chris Eftychiou, spokesman for the Long Beach Unified School District. “We appreciate that the newest guidance supports our commitment to in-person learning. As we approach the Aug. 31 start of the new school year, we’ll continue monitoring masking guidance in partnership with Long Beach Health and Human Services before establishing more specific protocols.” California health officials on Monday revised their guidance regarding the use of face coverings on school campuses. The state rules initially banned children who refuse to comply with the mask-wearing mandate from campuses, but it later abruptly scrapped that order and left enforcement up to individual school districts. “UPDATE: California’s school guidance will be clarified regarding masking enforcement, recognizing local schools’ experience in keeping students and educators safe while ensuring schools fully reopen for in-person instruction,” the California Department of Public Health tweeted Monday, July 12. The department’s initial update Monday stated that: “Schools must exclude students from campus if they are not exempt from wearing a face cov-

ering under California Dept. of Public Health guidelines and refuse to wear one provided by the school.” Last week, Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s Health and Human Services secretary, said masks would remain a requirement for campuses statewide— despite federal guidance stating that fully vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear face coverings in school buildings. The Los Angeles Unified School District did not immediately comment on Monday’s statements from the CDPH, but the district recently approved a contract amendment with the United Teachers Los Angeles union that also requires mask-wearing. When the LAUSD begins its fall semester Aug. 16—offering in-person instruction for all students—masks will be required for “all students, staff and visitors” over age 2 at district sites and on buses, according to current rules.

Local school districts can decide whether to mandate masks. LBUSD will “continue monitoring” guidance before setting specific protocols. The LAUSD’s current practices also include instruction and reinforcement of proper hygiene, with hand-washing breaks built into daily schedules. The district will also maintain physical distancing, with the “standard goal” of six feet.

The CDPH’s latest mask guidance:

• Masks are optional outdoors for all in K-12 school settings. • K-12 students are required to mask

Mark Savage | Courtesy Long Beach Unified School District

A young girl stares into the camera at LBUSD Alvarado Elementary School, 1900 E. 21st St., Signal Hill on March 29, 2021.

indoors, with exemptions per CDPH face mask guidance. Adults in K-12 school settings are required to mask when sharing indoor spaces with students. • People exempted from wearing a face covering due to a medical condition must wear a non-restrictive alternative, such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge, as long as their condition permits it. • Schools must develop and implement local protocols to provide a face covering to students who inadvertently fail to bring a face covering to school to prevent unnecessary exclusions. • Consistent with guidance from the 2020-21 school year, schools must develop and implement local protocols to enforce the mask requirements. • Additionally, schools should offer alternative educational opportunities for students who are excluded from campus because they will not wear a face covering. Public schools should be aware of the requirements in AB 130 to offer independent study programs for the 2021-22 school year. • In limited situations where a face covering cannot be used for pedagogical or developmental reasons, such as communicating or assisting young

children or those with special needs, a face shield with a drape can be used instead of a face covering while in the classroom as long as the wearer maintains physical distance from others. Staff must return to wearing a face covering outside of the classroom. Guidance by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is billed only as a set of recommendations designed to “supplement—not replace” local rules and regulations. It recommends multiple layers of infection prevention, such as encouraging vaccinations, social distancing of at least three feet between students along with mask-wearing by students and staff who are not vaccinated. “We applaud the CDC’s commitment to ensuring that schools are fully, safely opened for in-person instruction,” Ghaly said last week. “Masking is a simple and effective intervention that does not interfere with offering full in-person instruction. At the outset of the new year, students should be able to walk into school without worrying about whether they will feel different or singled out for being vaccinated or unvaccinated—treating all kids the same will support a calm and supportive school environment.”

LB CITY COUNCIL

Long Beach looks to create beach access for persons with mobility limitations

Emma DiMaggio Managing Editor

ong Beach residents and visitors with mobility limitations may soon have access to one of the City’s greatest assets: the beach. At the direction of Long Beach City Council Tuesday, staff will look into the feasibility of launching a pilot program that would install mobility mats on the sand to facilitate beach access for persons with mobility limitations. “Despite significant efforts by the City to ensure that all Long Beach residents feel welcome and have access to all city facilities and resources, one area is not yet accessible to everyone—our wonderful beaches are not accessible to residents with mobility limitations,” Councilmember Suzie Price said. Residents and visitors who rely on wheelchairs, walkers and other mobility support devices are unable to traverse Long Beach’s sandy ocean strips due to uneven terrain that hinder the use of such devices. “I have lived on the beach in Long Beach for 11 years and during that time I have never been able to get to the water on my own,” Kim Vuong, who has

Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune

A man sits and poses for a picture on a temporary accessibility walkway while the new rainbow-colored lifeguard tower is unveiled on June 10, 2021. The previous tower had burned down in March 2021. cerebral palsy, said through a tablet. “I cannot use my walker in the sand.” Mobility mats, also known as access mats or beach mats, could solve this problem. The long strips of synthetic mesh create a firm, stable surface on which to cross the beach. The mats are portable and can be rolled up. “I see the mobile mat as the first of many steps, not the only step,” said Deaka McClain, commissioner on Long Beach’s Citizens Advisory Commission of Disabilities (CACOD). “It is no longer enough to just do the min-

imum, to just be ADA compliant. We need to expand the conversation and action to make our city more inclusive and accessible.” In Long Beach’s most recently reported Census, 7% of residents under 65 years old reported having a disability. Vuong, who is the secretary of CACOD, said mobility mats would also benefit Long Beach’s aging population and parents who use strollers. “I would implore you to please lay out actionable and swift steps at our

beaches as soon as possible,” CACOD Chairperson Nubia Flores Cedeño said. “These are long overdue and already in use in our neighboring cities.” This past April, Venice Beach rolled out mobility mats to help those with difficulty crossing the sand—the eighth mobility mat installed on Los Angeles County’s coastline. Orange County followed suit in May, installing its first mobility mat in Huntington Beach. “Frankly, I’m ashamed that we didn’t bring this item earlier,” Price said. The City will study the feasibility of implementing a pilot program at the Granada Beach ramp, though staff are free to identify potential sites at other beaches and parks. Staff are expected to report back on the item in 30 days. “For years we as a city, shamefully, have discarded the fact that people with mobility limitations and other disabilities have not been able to enjoy the main feature of our city, which is the beach,” said Councilmember Mary Zendejas, who uses a wheelchair. “[The pilot program] will ensure that everyone—not just someone or some of our residents, but everyone—will be able to live, work and play in their own city.”

WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021

WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM • ARTS • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021 CULTURE

Long Beach Youth Chorus kicks off season with string of events, debuts ‘Songbirds’ for elementary students

Karla M. Enriquez Digital Editor

ith its Summer Choir Camp and Recruitment Drive, the Long Beach Youth Chorus (LBYC) will kick off its new season on a high note despite setbacks in 2020. Fresh off a performance at the Mayor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony, LBYC started 2020 with plans for a regular season. However, much like the entire world it was blindsided by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. By mid-March of last year, the youth chorus had canceled rehearsals and postponed its scheduled April cabaret. By May, its artistic director announced he was leaving. “It was a challenge,” said Executive Director Stan DeWitt, noting that rehearsals eventually resumed virtually. Finding innovative ways to keep going, the choir recorded clips of themselves and sent them to LBYC where staff created cohesive videos. “We were so proud of our kids who

really did a great job getting [the videos] done,” DeWitt said. “It was a struggle for both us and for them, but they did it and it came out really well.” Also successful was LBYC’s search for its new artistic director, hiring Stevie J. Hirner, a doctoral student at the University of Southern California. Hirner is a graduate teaching assistant in the Thornton School of Music and serves as the lead conductor for the Apollo Chorus at USC. With Hirner in the team and the state fully reopened, the Summer Choir Camp is slated to take place from August 11 to 13. The camp will have vocal clinics with Dr. Joshua Palkki from California State University, Long Beach, Yu Hang, doctoral student at USC and Ernest Harrison, artistic director for Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. Tuition for the camp is $50 for non LBYC singers and $25 for existing singers. Additionally, the LBYC registration has opened with the debut of Songbirds, a program for young musicians in second to fourth grade.

Courtesy Stan DeWitt

The Long Beach Youth Chorus performs with the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. The Long Beach Youth Chorus will start its new season with new artistic director Stevie J. Hirner.

Songbirds will focus on music fundamentals like music reading and exploration as well as vocal technique. Tuition for either Songbirds or the Chorus is $100 for the season. “Hopefully those kids as they get older they will go into the older courses,” DeWitt said. DeWitt noted that one of the things that pushed LBYC to return to in-person rehearsals is enrollment. “Coming out of the pandemic we

had two classes of seniors who graduated, so we’ve lost those kids, and we lost a few who decided that they could not hang in with the Zoom rehearsals,” he said. The main motivation for LBYC’s in-person season kick off however, is the youth. “It’s nice to be able to do stuff together again,” DeWitt said. “We’re looking forward to our in- person rehearsals again where we can actually

be in the same room and they can all be working together because they really missed that.” For those looking to support LBYC, the organization will host its first mini golf tournament on July 31 at Golf N Stuff in Norwalk. For more information on the Long Beach Youth Chorus visit the website here or follow them on Instagram @ longbeachyouthchorus.

Movies be gin at dusk. Remember to bring a lawn chair, blanket, picnic style dinner, family and friends!

Frozen II El Dorado 6/21 Grace 6/23

Chavez 6/25

Secret Life of Pets 2 Bixby 6/28 Veterans 6/30 Silverado 7/2

Abominable Orizaba 7/7 Signal Hill 7/9

The Croods: A New Age Ramona 7/12 Davenport 7/14 Wardlow 7/16

Toy Story 4 Stearns 7/19 Admiral Kidd 7/21 King 7/23

Sonic the Hedgehog Signal Hill 7/26

MacArthur 7/28 Coolidge 7/30

Trolls World Tour Seaside 8/2 De Forest 8/4 Somerset

8/6

Dolittle McBride 8/9 Heartwell 8/11

Scherer 8/13 Signal Hill 8/14

The Lion King Cherry 8/16 College Estates 8/18 Houghton 8/20

Onward Pan Am 8/23 Drake 8/25 Whaley 8/27

WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM • ARTS • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021 THEATRE REVIEW

Long Beach Shakespeare Co. mixes love and murder in “Pat Novak for Hire” and “The Thin Man” Anita W. Harris Senior Writer

In one of two double-feature radio-plays this month, the Long Beach Shakespeare Company (LBSC) dramatizes two love-related murder-mysteries with “Pat Novak for Hire” and “The Thin Man,” based on a Dashiell Hammett novel. Each entertains with distinctive characters and dialogue amid greed, gunshots and declarations of love. Joe Montanari confidently directs LBSC’s six-member cast from the KBRD radio station inside the Helen Borgers Theatre in Bixby Knolls as they read from scripts and create sound effects such as the gunshots, bar scenes, fistfights and footsteps running through rainy alleys. In “Pat Novak for Hire,” Pat Novak (Matt Brown) sets the stage with a description of his office on the seedy San Francisco waterfront, complete with the sound of seagulls and moody keyboard music composed by Montanari and performed by Sarah Hoeven. Novak is a boat repairman who does gritty detective or other work for a fee. He is hired by the alluring Leigh Underwood (Hoeven) who wants him to “frighten” a man named Dixie Gillian (Nick Bosy) by brandishing a gun. The best thing about the piece is that its dialogue drips with double-entendres and slightly weird metaphors and similes, such as, “I’ll dirty you up like a locker-room towel,” and “She walked with the nice, easy swing of a satisfied leopard,” followed by, “For a small leopard, she had pretty good spots, too.” Aside from some sexism, some of the dialogue—originally written to air on radio beginning in 1946 in San Francisco and nationwide in 1949— might sound somewhat racist today, such as “like trying to follow a grain of rice in a Shanghai suburb” or “Jocko was more at home than a vulture in Calcutta.” But the dialogue overall creates a fun, hard-boiled detective feel. Jocko (Montanari) is Novak’s hard-drinking Irish friend whom he solicits to help figure out who shot Dixie while Novak was trying to scare him. The plot becomes more complicated in terms of who killed whom and why when secret microfilm gets thrown into the mix. After the cast performs a clever radio commercial for the Historical Society of Long Beach, one of LBSC’s sponsors, we move onto “The Thin Man,” a more upper-crust murder-mystery involving sleuthers Nick and Nora Charles, reminiscent of the rich married couple on television’s “Hart to Hart.” Former detective Nick (Montanari) and his wife Nora (Jo McLachlan) get drawn into a mystery during their friend Arthur’s (Brown) wedding at a swank Manhattan hotel when the groom reveals someone has been trying to shoot him and new wife Jane (Amy Paloma Welch). “Shots don’t mean a thing,” Nick says reassuringly. “Unless they hit you.” Nick and Nora agree to take the couple’s place as newlyweds at a fancy hotel, first having to convince a skeptical bellhop named Honeymoon Harvey (Bosy, in one of his most entertaining parts) that they were just married. Soon they meet an array of similarly

Courtesy Long Beach Shakespeare Company

Cast of Long Beach Shakespeare Company’s “Pat Novak for Hire” and “The Thin Man” radio plays. From left: Sarah Hoeven, Nick Bosy, Amy Paloma Welch, Jo McLachlan, Matt Brown and Joe Montanari. colorful characters: Bingo, a cabaret dancer who loves Arthur; the hissing Snaky Simon (Bosy), who knew Jane before she married Arthur; and George the Germ, a germaphobe and possible linchpin to the whole mystery. Overall, LBSC’s double-dose of

murder-mysteries in “Pat Novak for Hire” and “The Thin Man” offers a charming summer diversion. The talented performers seem to enjoy their characters’ strange personas and various accents, executing their roles confidently and cleanly. And seeing

these radio plays performed offers an intriguing behind-the-scenes glimpse into how they were first heard on “the wireless” more than 75 years ago. Long Beach Shakespeare Company’s “The Thin Man & Pat Novak for Hire” tickets can be purchased at LB-

Shakespeare.org for $25 per household for unlimited streaming through Aug. 1. Also available to stream through Aug. 1 is another LBSC double-feature, “Ellery Queen & Dick Tracy,” reviewed by the Signal Tribune last week.

The Signal Hill Police Department Proudly Presents

Summer Concert Knyght Ryder August 3, 2021 6:30 PM FREE Family Fun and Music! Brought to you by the Live Music

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Signal Hill Park - 2175 Cherry Avenue For more information call the Community Services Department (562) 989-7330

WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM • COMMUNITY • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021

WHITE SAGE

continued from page 1 girl who was roller skating down the beach waving a white sage smudge stick up in the air,” Kimberly said. Native American people who harvest the plant traditionally develop a close relationship with it, showing it care, gratitude and a deep respect. “It’s beyond my comprehension how somebody could just take this plant that we’ve revered for so many centuries as sacred to, you know, a movie scene,” Kimberly said. On the Morales Johnsons’ Instagram page @protectwhitesage, they shared a gif from the Netflix series “Dead to Me” in which a white actress is seen dramatically waving a sage smudge stick around a room after killing someone in a hit-and-run. “And kind of done in a very sarcastic way like ‘Oh this is gonna clean me of anything wrong.’ So it’s cultural appropriation, but it’s also desecration to our culture,” Kimberly said. “It’s sad. It’s like another way of waiving discrimination or like a racist event in our faces—’Ha, look what I’ve got,’—you know what I mean? It’s tough. It’s really tough to see what has become of it.”

Ecological damage poaching white sage

Kimberly remembers gathering wild sage with her father in the 1980s and 1990s. “We would sing songs to the plant, and we’d always have an offering to the plant,” Kimberly said. “It’s a reciprocal relationship so the plant was given a drink of water, thanked.” But that’s not how bundles of sage found in stores and online are gathered. Oftentimes those looking to sell sage harvest it illegally from federally-protected areas, cutting off large parts of the plant without regard for its health. “These wild crafters will go into the wilderness areas and just hack it down,” Steinhauser said. Just chopping off parts of a white sage plant can kill the whole bush. Its leaves must be taken sparingly, and only at the right time of year. “We never gathered too much from one plant. We never gather when a plant is blooming. There’s a lot of rules to how we gather to keep the plants sustainable, and it’s done in a very respectful way,” Kimberly said. Kimberly and her daughter Samantha Morales Johnson started an Instagram page to educate the public on the cultural appropriation and over-har-

Courtesy of Kimberly Morales Johnson

(1) Kimberly and Samantha Morales Johnson are members of the Gabrieleno/ Tongva tribe who are spreading awareness about white sage poaching. (2) One of three duffel bags full of white sage confiscated by federal Fish and Wildlife authorities at Etiwanda Nature Preserve. (3) Confiscated white sage that was illegally cut in Etiwanda Nature Preserve.

vesting inherent in the wide-scale use can sell for $30 a pound in Los Angeles of white sage. on the black market. The person who “In my viewpoint as a Native per- stuffed the duffel bags had poached son, white sage should never be sold,” over $9,000 worth of white sage. Kimberly said. When Fish and Wildlife authorities Kimberly and Samantha have a re- gave them the duffel bags, they told lationship with the California Depart- them that only two weeks prior they ment of Fish and Wildlife authorities had confiscated another 500 pounds of at Etiwanda Nature Preserve, where the poached plant. white sage is constantly poached. In August of 2020, Fish and Wildlife Once the authoriat Etiwanda confisties confiscate white cated 1,500 pounds sage from those who In August of 2020 of white sage, acillegally cut it, they cording to Kimberly. the Fish and give it to Kimberly The confiscated Wildlife authorities sage was eventually and Samantha. “They contact us distributed to Native at Etiwanda because we’re the American students at Nature Preserve the Sherman Indian local tribe, and they know that we’ll disconfiscated 1500 High School in Rivtribute it in a good who practiced pounds of White erside, way to our relatives wrapping it into bunSage, which can dles. to be used in the way that it’s supposed to Besides the ecobe sold for $30 be used,” Kimberly logical harm and cula pound on the said. tural appropriation Kimberly and SaLos Angeles black of harvesting wild mantha remind the white sage, Kimmarket. public that if white berly and Samantha sage is sold or adveralso warn people that tised as “wild gathered” that means it poachers don’t care if the sage plants has been poached. they sell have mold growing on them. In one incident in May, Fish and “If you are burning something that’s Wildlife authorities confiscated three dried up, moldy, you’re most likely inlarge duffel bags completely filled haling something that is not good for with illegally cut white sage. The bags you,” Kimberly said. weighed over 100 pounds each. Kimberly and Samantha were Grow it yourself crushed when authorities handed over Kimberly and Steinhauser believe the confiscated white sage to them. that if someone wishes to use white The fact that this many plants had sage, they should develop a personal been damaged for money was bad relationship with a white sage plant enough, said Kimberly. But the white that grows on their own property. sage within the duffel bags had been “In my perfect world, everybody kept tightly packed together until it who wanted it would have a white sage grew mold and began to smell. plant growing that they could gather The mother-daughter duo had to from, that they could develop a relasort through the hundreds of pounds of tionship with, and not have to buy it white sage to save as much of it from from anyone,” Kimberly said. rot as possible. Steinhauser sells potted white sage “The next day, I remember I called plants that people can bring home and an elder from another tribe and I said, care for. He can be contacted through ‘I feel like I was at a six hour funer- his Instagram page, @heyitsjaystein. al last night.’ We had to try to save as “In my viewpoint, it’s Grandmother much of this white sage as we could, White Sage, and so I treat it like an anbefore it started to ferment and smell cestor. So we care for plants, we tend and go bad. And we cried, my daughter to plants. The white sage that I have and I, we cried because it was so sad growing in my yard is held in a very what happened to this plant,” Kimberly high regard, because this is a grandsaid. mother,” Kimberly said. “This is the descendant of a plant that has seen my Black market industry ancestors for years and years.” According to Kimberly, white sage

OVER 200 SALES IN SIGNAL HILL

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WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM • NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021 LB CITY COUNCIL

Pet of the week:

Lilo

Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune

During the July 6, 2021, Long Beach City Council meeting, tenant organizer Abraham Zavala speaks during the public comment section. This was the first meeting to have an in-person public comment since March of 2020.

In-person council meetings are back, but remote public comments may remain an option

Emma DiMaggio Managing Editor

fter returning to in-person meetings last week, the Long Beach City Council will study the feasibility of allowing telephonic public comments to increase accessibility and spur on civic engagement. During the pandemic, Long Beach City Council transitioned to virtual meetings where residents could call in telephonically to share comments with the council. When in-person meetings returned last week, residents were required to attend meetings in-person to give their comments. “As we move back to holding in-person city council meetings, it’s important that we ensure our public comment process is available to everyone,” Councilmember Suzie Price said. Price noted that it can be difficult

for people with disabilities to attend meetings in-person. The same goes for residents who are unable to attend meetings in-person due to work or school schedules, transportation needs, childcare or the time needed to wait for their item to be called on. When council agendas are long, it can take hours of waiting for members of the public to give their comments. Last year, meetings often ended in the late hours of the night. One meeting on Aug. 11, 2020 lasted 6.5 hours. Another on June 14, 2020 lasted seven hours. On Jan. 21, 2020, a meeting lasted a whopping eight hours. If a resident wants to comment on an item at the end of the agenda, they have to wait until the council arrives at that item. There are few time-certains during council meetings and the order of items is often rearranged, leaving residents guessing how long they must wait until they can comment. The council does occasionally move up items if

they know they have a large number of commenters. During Tuesday’s meeting, Price noted that multiple commenters with mobility limitations had to leave before they discussed the item on telephonic comments. The item came to discussion around 9 p.m. “As we all know, public comment is the opportunity for our residents to participate in the decision-making of their city,” Councilmember Mary Zendejas said. “Thus, it is crucial that we look for ways to make it easier and more accessible for everyone to provide their thoughts, concerns and ideas at our city council meetings.” The city clerk may face budgetary restraints in allowing telephonic public comments, as additional staff will need to coordinate the system. The clerk will study the feasibility of implementing the option for remote commenting, though the council did not mention when the study will be completed.

It’s said that if you dream of an orange cat, you might be craving a new hobby or a new sweetie pie. We think it’s the latter. Lilo is a 1-year-old orange fellow whose family had to give him up, and he needs a new someone to love him. Lilo is likely the cat of your dreams, whether you dreamed of an orange cat or did not! By the way, if you adopt an adult cat any day in July, your fee will be waived—one more reason to take Lilo home! Shelter adoptions are conducted through appointment, so contact PetAdopt@longbeach.gov to meet Lilo. Ask for ID#A658751. (This rescue is encouraged by the usual suspects.)

Blackbird Cafe has food to go! Everyday from 7am - 2pm.

Visit Blackbirdlb.com to see our Menu

Call (562) 490-2473 to place your order

We’re fully reopened! Blackbird has food to go until 2 p.m. We’re excited to see you.

MLK STATUE

continued from page 1

Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune

The statue of Martin Luther King Jr. at MLK Park on July 15, 2021. After being vandalized with a swastika and SS bolts on July 2, 2021, the City has repaired broken security cameras in the area and offered a reward for information about the culprit. Parks, Recreation and Marine has since removed the graffiti.

On July 2 around 3 p.m., Long Beach police officers were dispatched to MLK Park, where a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. was vandalized with spray-painted graffiti of a swastika and thunderbolts. The graffiti has since been removed by Parks, Recreation and Marine. So far, the Long Beach Police Department has no suspect description or workable leads. City-run cameras were present at the scene of the vandalism, but the camera pointed at the statue was broken and did not capture the suspects. City Manager Tom Modica said that the camera had since been repaired and the City will work to install additional lighting in the area. Councilmember Suzie Price suggested the City reach out to the County Board of Supervisors to increase the award for information in the hopes of incentivizing tips from potential witnesses. “I really do hope that the perpetrator is caught and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” she said.

We appreciate your continued patronage! 3405 Orange Ave. LB 562.490.2473 • blackbirdlb.com • @BlackBirdCafeLB

WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM • LEGAL NOTICES • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021

EYE ON CRIME CRIMES REPORTED BY THE SIGNAL HILL POLICE Thursday, July 8

8:41 a.m., Intoxicated person, 900 block Las Brisas Way 2:22 p.m., Grand theft – motor vehicle, 900 block E. 33rd St.

Friday, July 9

7:53 a.m., Auto burglary, 1000 block E. 32nd St. 10:48 a.m., Battery, 1800 block E. Willow St. 12:05 p.m., Robbery, 700 block E. Spring St.

Saturday, July 10

6:33 a.m., Auto burglary, 1000 block E. 32nd St. 9:00 a.m., Grand theft – motor vehicle, 700 block E. Spring St. 2:05 p.m., Robbery, 2400 block Cherry Ave. 3:25 p.m., Grand theft – motor vehicle, 2400 block Cherry Ave. 7:14 p.m., Indecent exposure, Lewis Ave./E. Willow St. 10:34 p.m., Disturb by loud/unreasonable noise; offensive words in public; vandalism; disorderly conduct, intoxicated drug with alcohol, 3500 block E. PCH (suspect arrested)

Sunday, July 11

11:42 p.m., Possessing paraphernalia, 3200 block E. 19th St. (suspect arrested)

Monday, July 12

6:49 a.m., Burglary, 3100 block Orange Ave. 8:09 a.m., Grand theft, 1600 block E. Willow St. 8:14 a.m., Grand theft, 700 block E. Spring St. 10:58 a.m., Burglary, 2700 block E. Willow St. 2:40 p.m., Auto burglary, 2400 block Cherry Ave.

Tuesday, July 13

10:11 a.m., Grand theft, 1500 block E. Burnett St. 10:31 p.m., DUI, Walnut Ave./E. Willow St. (suspect arrested)

Wednesday, July 14

1:51 p.m., Identity theft, 1900 block E. 21st St. 7:27 p.m., Possessing paraphernalia, Coronado Ave./E. 19th St. (suspect arrested)

LBPD reporting area is too extensive to report here.

CITY OF SIGNAL HILL TST6483 NOTICE OF ORDINANCE ADOPTION Ordinance No. 2021-06-1522 was introduced by the Signal Hill City Council at their meeting of Tuesday, June 22, 2021 and adopted by the City Council at their meeting of July 13, 2021. A summary of the ordinance is as follows: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, ADJUSTING COMPENSATION FOR CITY CLERK AND CITY TREASURER IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE LAW

TST6464 / 2021 132045 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT The following person is doing business as: EVERYDAY DELIGHTS, 1267 Willis St. Ste 200, Redding, CA 96001. Mailing address: 2644 E. 4th St., Apt 3, Long Beach, CA 90814. Registrant: ACCELER WIRELESS LLC, 1267 Willis St., Ste 200, Redding, CA 96001. This business is conducted by: a Limited Liability Company. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. Signed: Sean Westfall, Owner-member. The registrant has begun to use this fictitious business name. The registrant began using this fictitious business name in May, 2021. This statement was filed with the county clerk of Los Angeles County on June 11, 2021. NOTICE: This fictitious business name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed prior to that date. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (see section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune: June 25 & July 2, 9, 16, 2021 TST6470 Case No. 21TRCP00204 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, 825 Maple Ave., Torrance, CA 90503 PETITION OF: David Garcia JR TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioners: David Garcia JR has filed a petition with this court for a decree changing his name as follows: Present Name: David Garcia JR to Proposed Name: David Garza 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: August 20, 2021; Time: 8:30a.m., Dept. B. The address of the court is the same as above. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county, THE SIGNAL TRIBUNE, 1860 Obispo Ave., Ste. F, Signal Hill, CA 90755, July 2, 9, 16, 23, 2021 _________ Gary Y. Tanaka, Judge of the Superior Court Dated June 23, 2021

TST6480/Order No: 9979 Auto Lien Sale On 8/2/2021 at 638 GIANO AVE LA PUENTE,CA a Lien Sale will be held on a 2011 FREIGHTLIN VIN: 1FUJGLDR6BLAV7150 STATE: CA LIC: XP07019

TST6481/Order No: 9980 Auto Lien Sale On 8/2/2021 at 638 GIANO AVE LA PUENTE,CA a Lien Sale will be held on a 2013 VOLVO TRUC VIN: 4V4NC9TH6DN568415 STATE: CA LIC: XP66666

NEED TO PUBLISH A LEGAL NOTICE? SEND US AN EMAIL AT LEGALNOTICES@ SIGNALTRIBUNE. COM

A copy of the full text of the ordinance is available in the City Clerk’s Office and on the City’s website: www.cityofsignalhill.org

OUR TEAM CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT DBA’S, NAME CHANGES, FICTICIOUS BUSINESS NAMES, AUTO AND PROPERTY LIENS.

_______________________ Carmen R. Brooks City Clerk

GIVE US A CALL AT (562) 595-7900

The ordinance was adopted by the following vote:

AYES: MAYOR EDWARD H.J. WILSON, VICE MAYOR KEIR JONES, COUNCIL MEMBERS TINA L. HANSEN, LORI Y. WOODS

NOES: NONE

ABSENT: ROBERT D. COPELAND

ABSTAIN: NONE

Published in the Signal Tribune newspaper on July 16, 2021. Posted at City Hall, Discovery Well Park, Reservoir Park, and Signal Hill Public Library on or before July 16, 2021.

CITY OF SIGNAL HILL TST6479 NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, the City Council of the City of Signal Hill will conduct a public hearing at 7:00 p.m. via video/teleconference, to consider an amendment to the Signal Hill Municipal Code Section 13.04.130 – Public Utilities-Water Rates, related to the Low Income Water Discount and updating maximum household income set by the Department of Housing and Community Development: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA,AMENDING SIGNAL HILL MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 13.04.130, REMOVING SUB-SECTION E: AND ESTABLISHING SECTION 13.04.131: LOW INCOME WATER DISCOUNT AND UPDATING MAXIMUM HOUSEHOLD INCOME SET BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – STATE INCOME LIMITS AND PROPOSE AN ADJUSTMENT TO THE DISCOUNT AMOUNT APPLIED TO THOSE RESIDENTS THAT MEET THE LOW INCOME STANDARD SET FORTH IN SECTION 13.04.131 ALL INTERESTED PERSONS are hereby invited to participate in this public hearing to present written information, express their opinions, or otherwise present evidence on the above matter. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE ORDER N-29-20 to “stay at home” to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus, you are encouraged to participate and provide comments during the public hearing in one of the following ways: • Call (408) 638-0968 (audio only) on the date and time of the meeting and enter the meeting ID 881-4793-6648, press # when prompted to provide participant ID, and enter passcode 374778. If you would like to make a public comment, please notify the meeting host by pressing *9 on the telephone keypad; • Visit https://zoom.us/j/88147936648 on your desktop computer or laptop and enter passcode 374778; or • Download the app from the app store if you are using a smart phone and enter meeting ID 881-4793-6648 and passcode 374778 when prompted; • You may submit comments prior to the meeting date by email to cityclerk@ cityofsignalhill.org, or by mail to the attention of City Clerk, 2175 Cherry Avenue, Signal Hill, CA 90755. If received prior to the publication of the agenda (on or before July 21, 2021), staff will incorporate the comments into the staff report. Ifreceived after the publication date, staff will read the comments aloud during the public hearing. • The City is not responsible for meeting disruptions or technical difficulties; however, if you are disconnected, please repeat the steps above. IF YOU WISH TO LEGALLY challenge any action taken by the City on the above matter, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City prior to or at the public hearing. FURTHER INFORMATION and associated documents on this item may be on this item may be obtained from the City Clerk’s office by calling the City Clerk at 562989-7305 or by emailing kboles@cityofisignalhill.org. _____________________________ Carmen R. Brooks City Clerk Published in the Signal Tribune newspaper: Posted in accordance with S.H.M.C. Section 1.08.010 on or before:

July 16, 2021 July 16, 2021

CITY OF SIGNAL HILL TST6484 NOTICE OF ORDINANCE ADOPTION Ordinance No. 2021-06-1523 was introduced by the Signal Hill City Council at their meeting of Tuesday, June 22, 2021 and adopted by the City Council at their July 13, 2021 meeting. A summary of the ordinance is as follows: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, AUTHORIZING AN INCREASE IN HEALTH BENEFITS FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND RATIFYING PREVIOUSLY AUTHORIZED BENEFITS The ordinance was adopted by the following vote:

AYES: MAYOR EDWARD H.J. WILSON, VICE MAYOR KEIR JONES, COUNCIL MEMBERS TINA L. HANSEN, LORI Y. WOODS

NOES: NONE

ABSENT: ROBERT D. COPELAND

ABSTAIN: NONE

A copy of the full text of the ordinance is available in the City Clerk’s Office and on the City’s website: www.cityofsignalhill.org _______________________ Carmen R. Brooks City Clerk Published in the Signal Tribune newspaper on July 16, 2021. Posted at City Hall, Discovery Well Park, Reservoir Park, and Signal Hill Public Library on or before July 16, 2021.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR

RETIREMENT PLAN? If you have questions about your pension, 401(k) or profit sharing plan, call the Western States Pension Assistance Project at (866) 413-4911 to get free legal advice. Funded by the U.S. Administration on Aging, WSPAP staff provides free legal assistance to anyone with a question about their retirement plan.

CALL US TODAY 1.866.413.4911

WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM • LEGAL NOTICES/ NEWS • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021

CRIME

CITY OF SIGNAL HILL TST6485 NOTICE OF ORDINANCE ADOPTION Ordinance No. 2021-06-1521 was introduced by the Signal Hill City Council at their meeting of Tuesday, June 22, 2021 and adopted by the City Council at their meeting of July 13, 2021. A summary of the ordinance is as follows: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, ADJUSTING COMPENSATION FOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE LAW The ordinance was adopted by the following vote:

AYES: MAYOR EDWARD H.J. WILSON, VICE MAYOR KEIR JONES, COUNCIL MEMBERS TINA L. HANSEN, LORI Y. WOODS

NOES: NONE

ABSENT: ROBERT D. COPELAND

ABSTAIN: NONE

CITY OF SIGNAL HILL

Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune

A member of the Long Beach Communist Party USA tapes a Black Lives Matter sign on their car in preparation for the May Day car caravan.

TST6486 NOTICE OF A WORKSHOP July 27, 2021 7:00 P.M. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on July 27, 2021, the City Council of the City of Signal Hill, California, will conduct a public workshop at 7:00 p.m. via video/teleconference to review the 2017 Manual of Procedural Guidelines for the conduct of City Council and Constituent Body/Commission meetings. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE ORDER N-29-20 to “stay at home” to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus, you are encouraged to participate and provide comments during the public workshop in one of the following ways: • You may participate via teleconference: call (408) 638-0968 (audio only) and enter meeting ID: 881-4793-6648, press # when prompted to provide participant ID, and enter passcode: 374778; • You may participate via www.zoom.com. To join the meeting via Zoom, enter the following meeting ID: 881-4793-6648 and passcode: 374778; or • You may submit comments by email to the City Clerk at cityclerk@cityofsignalhill.org no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27 and your comment will be read into the record. For further information, contact the Office of the City Clerk at (562) 989-7305. All interested persons are hereby invited to attend. __________________________ Carmen R. Brooks City Clerk Published in the Signal Tribune newspaper: Posted in accordance with S.H.M.C. Section 1.08.010 on or before:

July 16, 2021 July 16, 2021

CITY OF SIGNAL HILL TST6482 NOTICE OF ORDINANCE ADOPTION Ordinance No. 2021-06-1521 was introduced by the Signal Hill City Council at their meeting of Tuesday, June 22, 2021 and adopted by the City Council at their meeting of July 13, 2021. A summary of the ordinance is as follows: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, ADJUSTING COMPENSATION FOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE LAW The ordinance was adopted by the following vote:

AYES: MAYOR EDWARD H.J. WILSON, VICE MAYOR KEIR JONES, COUNCIL MEMBERS TINA L. HANSEN, LORI Y. WOODS

NOES: NONE

ABSENT: ROBERT D. COPELAND

ABSTAIN: NONE

VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM

Black people targeted by hate crimes more than any other group in Long Beach

Kristen Farrah Naeem Staff Writer

ccording to data collected by Los Angeles County, Black people in Long Beach were victimized by hate crimes more than any other group in the city during 2018 and 2019. “We predicted that in 2020 there was going to be a record low number of hate crimes, because everyone was staying at home and there were many, many fewer opportunities for people to interact at all,” said Marshall Wong of the L.A. County Human Relations Commission. “Sadly, that is not the case. It appears as though we had received, perhaps more hate crime reports in 2020 than we had in the past decade.” The largest number, 38%, targeted African Americans, Wong said in regards to Long Beach hate crimes in 2019. The same was true of L.A. County in 2019, where African Americans were disproportionately targeted for racist hate crimes, Wong told the Long Beach Human Relations Commission on Thursday, July 8. “African Americans were, again, the largest group of victims. Even though African Americans comprise only about 9% of L.A. County residents, they made up almost half of racial hate crime victims,” Wong said. In 2018 there were 12 hate crimes reported in Long Beach, rising to 16 in 2019. In both 2018 and 2019, six hate crimes were committed against African Americans each year, with 12 committed overall. In one incident that occurred on March 3, 2019 an African American woman was working at her job as a security guard for a shopping center, when she approached a white couple that had double parked another vehi-

cle. When asked to move their vehicle, the white female of the couple began to yell a racial slur repeatedly at the security guard. The white male of the couple exited the vehicle and yelled “You [expletive] [expletive]! I’ll [expletive] you up, you

“It appears as though we had received perhaps more hate crime reports in 2020 than we had in the past decade.” --Marshall Wong of the L.A. County Human Relations Commission [expletive] Black [expletive]!” He then proceeded to punch the victim in her forearm. The perpetrator then got back in his vehicle and began circling the parking lot, yelling a racial slur at the victim each time he passed her. The victim recorded the incident on her cell phone and reported it to LBPD. A witness also corroborated her

account. In another incident that occurred on April 30, 2019 two Black 14-year-olds were sitting on their grandmother’s porch when they were harassed and threatened by a group of three Latino males, ages 14, 16 and 21. According to a written statement shown during Wong’s presentation, the suspects threatened and yelled racial slurs at the two Black children. One suspect then used his hands to break the front gate of their grandmother’s home. The children became frightened and ran inside the house to take shelter. One of the suspects walked up to the closed front door and punched it so hard he shattered a glass pane. During his presentation, Wong said the number of hate crimes with evidence of white supremacist ideology rose from zero to four from 2018 to 2019. “Most frequently this is the use of swastikas or other hate symbols and graffiti,” Wong said. Wong said that the County would be finished compiling hate crime data from 2020 by November to December of 2021. Victims of hate crimes in Long Beach can contact the Long Beach Police Department at their nonemergency line (562) 435-6711 or call 911.

DRIVEN TO BE THE BEST

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WWW.SIGNALTRIBUNE.COM • FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021

Sitting in traffic to go to a Galaxy match? That’s a red card. The free Galaxy Express fan shuttle from Long Beach Transit keeps you from losing your mind in traffic so you can direct that passion toward your favorite squad. Get free match day rides to Dignity Health Sports Park every 10-20 minutes starting 90 minutes before kickoff, with returns up to 45 minutes after the final whistle. Pick up Galaxy Express at Harbor Gateway Transit Center or Metro A-Line, Del Amo Station.

Upcoming matches:

7/30

8/4

LA Galaxy vs Portland Timbers 7:00 p.m.

LA Galaxy vs Real Salt Lake 7:30 p.m.

For more information visit ridelbt.com/galaxy.

8/8 LA Galaxy vs Vancouver Whitecaps FC 5:00 p.m.