Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill with 30,000 issues every Friday
VOL. XLI NO. 33
In this issue NEWS
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
LB City Council conducts first hearing on FY 2020 budget
www.signaltribune.com
August 9, 2019
Council also approves three charter-commission appointments. Cory Bilicko Staff Writer
Long Beach, other SoCal police agencies respond to recent mass shootings
Page 3
Long Beach mayor files for state lieutenant governor in 2026 election Page 7
Long Beach residents question FY 2020 budget during community meeting
Page 8
LA County adopts ‘socially conscious’ animal-shelter practices
Page 9
In its first meeting in the Bob Foster Council Chambers in the newly opened City Hall, the Long Beach City Council conducted a short regular meeting on Aug. 6 to receive three charter commission appointments and reappointments approved by the Personnel and Civil Service Committee. The council then proceeded into a hearing to review and discuss an overview of the proposed Fiscal Year 2020 budget. Second District Councilmember Jeannine Pearce was absent from the hearing, Mayor Robert Garcia said, because of a medical issue. Garcia called the $2.8-billion budget “balanced and responsible,” and he added that the city’s pension liability is also in good shape. “When this body was elected, our unfunded pension liability was about $1.8 billion, which is what we walked into,” Garcia said. “The unfunded liability today is at about $1 billion. So, it’s absolutely going in the right direction.” He also said Long Beach continues to maintain a double-A rating from independent rating agencies. The mayor then identified homelessness as the main challenge the city faces but added that the budget dedicates $30 million toward that issue. He also said the budget continues to invest significantly in public safety, particularly because of Measure A, the 2016 ballot initiative that voters approved as a 10-year sales tax to fund public infrastructure and public-safety services. The measure, Garcia said, has allowed the city to preserve 121 public-safety personnel and restore 41 related positions, see COUNCIL page 14
Lissette Mendoza | Signal Tribune
Bernie Sanders, Democratic presidential candidate, addresses over 5,000 supporters at Long Beach City College on Tuesday, Aug. 6 2019.
Bernie Sanders draws thousands at LBCC during SoCal visit
Sebastian Echeverry Managing Editor
As the 2020 election season continues to heat up, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders hosted a rally at Long Beach City College’s LAC (LBCC) campus on Tuesday to discuss his views on a number of hot-button topics. Over 5,000 people crowded the
LBCC quad, according to Marlene Drinkwine, vice president of Business Services for LBCC, to hear Sanders explain what he would do about climate change, corporate spending, gun control, immigration and other topics if elected president. This is not the first time a presidential candidate has made an appearance on the LBCC’s LAC campus. In June 2016, then dem-
ocratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton held a rally in the school’s gym where 3,000 supporters attended. Before Sanders took to the podium, norteño singer Omar Ruiz and his accompanying band greeted guests with lively Mexican music as they approached the stage. Long Beach City College see SANDERS page 14
Bixby Knolls restaurants continue to (r)evolve
Hortencia’s closes but Tokyo Guild opens, with bagels and Texas BBQ coming soon. Anita W. Harris Staff Writer
Photos by Paul Harris
Site of the former Hortencia’s Mexican & Seafood Restaurant at 3502 Atlantic Ave., currently being converted into a Texas-barbeque eatery
Gentrification has hit Bixby Knolls hard with several new restaurants and breweries opening just within the past faew years along Atlantic Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard between Wardlow Road and San Antonio Drive. But some don’t stay for very see RESTAURANTS page 15
Signal Hill Community Foundation Presents
Concerts in the Park
WEDNESDAYS at 6:30 PM 2175 Cherry Avenue, Signal Hill
July 10
Stone Soul • Motown
July 17
The Bobby Barron Band Jazz/Swing
July 24 - SPONSOR NIGHT
The Emperors • Classic Rock
Join us from July 10 – August 14 for live music and family fun at the annual Concerts in the Park! Food trucks will be available. For more information, please call 562-989-7330. This ad is sponsored by
July 31
The Pac Men • 80’s Music
August 7
Pop Vinyl • Pop Rock
August 14
The Trip • Rock & Roll