Signal Tribune Your Weekly Community Newspaper
Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill
www.signal-tribune.com
VOL. XLIII NO. 6
February 5, 2021
COMMUNITY
CRIME
‘THESE WORKERS DESERVE DIGNITY’
Long Beach man arrested in critical injury of Signal Hill police officer
Protesters rally in solidarity with essential workers against Kroger Co.’s planned closures of North and East Long Beach grocery stores Lissette Mendoza Managing Editor
City leaders, union representatives, community members and workers gathered at a local Food 4 Less on Wednesday, Feb. 3 condemning the Kroger Co.’s announcement that they will be closing two local grocery stores over temporary hazard pay. “After all the hard work I’ve done to feed the needy families, and everything and risk my life and my family’s lives at home, and they don’t want to pay $4 extra an hour, for four little months, and then it’s over, what is the reason for this,” Robert Gonzales, a 26-year employee with Kroger said. On Monday, Feb. 1 grocery company Kroger announced it will be closing two of its local stores — a Ralph’s location in East Long Beach and a Food 4 Less in North Long Beach — in response to a city ordinance requiring a $4 “hero pay” salary boost for some workers. The ordinance was passed unanimously at a city council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and applies to companies with 300 or more workers overall and more than 15 employees per location.
“This hero pay is a basic $4 increase for a limited amount of time to support the hard working men and women that are in all of our grocery stores and supermarkets across the city,” Mayor Robert Garcia said. This temporary salary boost is set to be in effect for four months. Addressing the City’s decision, the Kroger Co. stated, “As a result of the city of Long Beach’s decision to pass an ordinance mandating extra pay for grocery workers, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close long-struggling store locations in Long Beach.” “The irreparable harm that will come to employees and local citizens as a direct result of the city of Long Beach’s attempt to pick winners and losers, is deeply unfortunate,” Kroger Co. said. “We are truly saddened that our associates and customers will ultimately be the real victims of the city council’s actions.” The Kroger Co. reported over $2.6 billion in profits during their last three quarters from Feb. 2 to Nov. 7, according to a Brookings Institution analysis, of which they used $989 million for stock buybacks. Meanwhile Kroger Co’s average hourly wage nationwide for its cashier employees is $10. As of Jan. 1,
City News Service Southern California Local News
Lissette Mendoza | Signal Tribune
Jose Rocha stands in solidarity with union representatives and grocery workers at a North Long Beach Food 4 Less on Wednesday, Feb. 3 to denounce its closure by its parent company Kroger. The closure was announced after city council approved a temporary hazard pay for grocery workers on Jan. 19. 2021, the minimum hourly wage in Long Beach for employers with 25 or fewer employees is $13. For employers with 26 or more employees
the minimum hourly wage is $14. On Wednesday, Jan. 20, one day after the council approved the see KROGER CLOSURE page 2
SMALL BUSINESS
Sweet Grass Sugarcane Juice to open storefront in Bixby Knolls Kristen Farrah Naeem Staff Writer
Kristen Farrah Naeem | Signal Tribune
Johnny Chhom, owner of Sweet Grass Sugarcane Juice holds one of his signature beverages, the Dragonfruit Cane.
Stuck at home during the summer of 2020 after the pandemic closed his office workplace, the seasonal heat made Johnny Chhom nostalgic for a refreshing drink popular in Cambodia— sugarcane juice. “I’m very familiar with it, and not many people are. And I felt like it could’ve been a niche product that I can serve to people without much people knowing what it is,” Chhom told the Signal Tribune. Chhom is the son of Cambodian immigrants, and combined his back-
ground with his entrepreneurial spirit to launch the brand Sweet Grass Sugarcane Juice. “I like to solve problems, and so it was a very hot summer, everybody’s stuck at home, and I thought ‘you know what would be really good right now? An ice cold beverage,’” he said. Chhom first began selling his sugarcane juice out of his apartment in June of 2020 and quickly began growing his brand through social media and pop-ups in Signal Hill. Sweet Grass’ Original flavor see SUGARCANE JUICE page 3
An auto theft suspect who allegedly caused critical injuries to a Signal Hill police officer by ramming a gate with a vehicle stolen from an auto dealership was held without bail Wednesday, Feb. 3, authorities said. Ricky Allison, 25, of Long Beach was booked on suspicion of various crimes, including attempted murder, grand theft auto and commercial burglary, according to the Long Beach Police Department. The Signal Hill officer was critically injured when Allison allegedly rammed a vehicle through a gate while attempting to flee from officers at an auto dealership in the 2800 block of Cherry Avenue about 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to the LBPD, which is assisting Signal Hill police in the investigation. Allison allegedly entered the dealership property by scaling a fence, then gained access to a vehicle once inside a secured area. “The suspect then began to flee from arriving officers by recklessly driving the stolen vehicle and colliding with several objects and an unoccupied vehicle on the property,” according to a statement released by the LBPD. The Signal Hill officer, who has four years with the department, suffered serious injuries to his upper and lower body when the suspect drove through a gate before fleeing west on 28th Street, according to Long Beach police. The officer’s name was not released. About 90 minutes after police responded to the scene, officers learned of a single-vehicle crash about five miles away, in the 6700 block of Gaviota Avenue. The driver fled on foot, and the registration information for the vehicle abandoned at the scene matched the one stolen from the dealership earlier that morning, police said. Shortly afterward, detectives found Allison, who matched the description of the auto burglary suspect, near Artesia Boulevard and Orange Avenue and took him into custody, according to Long Beach police, who said the injured officer was hospitalized in critical but stable condition.