SIGNAL TRIBUNE Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill
VOL. XLII NO. 47
ARTS
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
www.signaltribune.com
COMMUNITY
November 13, 2020
COMMUNITY
Jose Loza is using his art to spark conversations about public safety Emma DiMaggio Production Manager
Artist Jose Loza is using his artwork to spark new conversations about the meaning of public safety in a time when many feel disillusioned by government decision-making. “I think the political system, the city, counts on that apathy or disinterest that occurs,” Loza said. Loza has already made a physical imprint on Long Beach. His murals dot the city, highlighting migrant narratives and creating space for conversations that he said have long been silenced or ignored. As protests sparked across the country, he found new se Loza Art by Jo meaning in local advocacy, in budget deliberations and in the renewed conversation about public safety. During this year’s budget deliberations, advocates voiced disdain for the Long Beach Police Department’s $239 million budget subsuming nearly 70% of the city’s general fund. At the same time, other services bore the brunt of the year’s budget cuts. Library hours were cut across the city to save money, something Loza grappled with in his work. “Right here in my community, we have the Michelle Obama Library and honestly, it’s a jewel for the neighborhood. People go there see LOZA page 4
Karla Enriquez | Signal Tribune
Volunteer Fanny Montoya sorts donations for victims of Hurricane Eta at Honduras Kitchen on Monday, Nov. 9.
Honduras Kitchen mobilizes aid for victims of devastating Hurricane Eta Karla M. Enriquez Online Editor
Lissette Mendoza | Signal Tribune
Surya Pinto (left) and Nichole East (right) are the two women behind the Reasons to Love Long Beach Instagram page which aims to create community and showcases all things local including the people, small businesses, the history and awareness of the city’s ongoing issues.
TWO MORE REASONS TO LOVE LONG BEACH Lissette Mendoza
W
Managing Editor
hether it’s featuring a small business, organizing a beach cleanup, showing some local history or calling out local political injustices to viewers, Reasons to Love Long Beach is cultivating community through their Instagram page @reasonstolovelongbeach. Originally the page was started almost a decade ago by Wes Boyce as a platform to showcase the local nightlife scene, the page promoted alternative events including shows, bar specials, events – but that was put to a halt once the COVID-19 pandemic hit. A stay-at-home order was put in place and all nightlife events were canceled while bar and venue locations were forced to shut down. Although the account has evolved since the last decade, the premise is still the same. “It’s promoting the rad people and rad businesses that we have here in our city,” Nichole East said,
Come checkout our expanded outdoor dining and carhop service! * Dining Room Closed
now one of the current main content curators for the RTLLB page. East who was producing local history segments known as “Let’s Learn Some Sh*t” for the past three years on the page, brought on her friend and former coworker Surya Pinto, to assist in curating new content. The two met while working together in Orange County and became friends. However, they both ended up leaving what became a toxic work environment for them. With both having art and marketing backgrounds, East being experienced with event production and coming from the tattoo industry and Pinto being knowledgeable in project management and having a background in art, they decided to propose marketing ideas to several Long Beach businesses. They proposed ideas to over 150 businesses, to no avail. “It was hard, we were kind of like, going through it,” Pinto said. Right as they were on the verge of finally securing a marketing job with a cannabis company, the Black see REASONS page 2
The images of children and women being evacuated from inundated homes is a reality Honduras and other Central American countries have been grappling with since Hurricane Eta made landfall on Tuesday, Nov. 3 with a Category 4 rating. According to La Tribuna, one of Honduras’ major daily newspapers, as of the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 10, the number of reported deaths due to the hurricane stood at 58. The same article reported eight persons missing as of Nov. 10. In a November 3 bulletin issued at 7 a.m. Eastern time, The National Hurricane Center listed maximum sustained winds near 145 mph and stated that it expected 15 to 25 inches of rain in many parts of Honduras. Approximately 2,082,885 persons in Honduras have been affected by Hurricane Eta as of publishing time and 88,034 persons have been evacuated, according to The Permanent Contingency Commission of Honduras (Comisión Permanente de Contingencias) or COPECO, Honduras’ National Emergency Response Agency. Seeing all of this unfold from home, Rafael Larios III, who runs Honduras Kitchen in Long Beach, put together a donation drive that began making the rounds on social media late last week.
see HONDURAS page 2
We’re bringing back the classic CARHOP service! Here’s how it works: • Park in our lot • Call 562-612-3456• Ask for a carhop Enjoy #JimmyEs in the comfort of your car!
Mon 11am Fri -8 Satu pm 12pm rday -8pm