Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill with 30,000 issues every Friday
VOL. XLII NO. 30
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
www.signaltribune.com
July 17, 2020
Systemic racism and reorganization dominate Signal Hill City Council discussion Black councilmember Edward Wilson calls out what he says was systemically racist action by a white councilmember.
Anita W. Harris Staff Writer
Amid other agenda items during its July 14 virtual meeting, the Signal Hill City Council engaged in a heated discussion on systemic racism and council organization. After the meeting approached the five-hour mark, the council voted to adjourn and postpone several agenda items to a special meeting next week.
Racism resolutions Almost as a prelude to its racism discussion, the council agreed to adopt the Obama Foundation Mayor’s Pledge that former president Barack Obama created on June 3, following the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd at the hands of that city’s police department. Signal Hill City Manager Han-
Anita W. Harris | Signal Tribune
Councilmembers Tina Hansen and Edward Wilson at a previous Council meeting
nah Shin-Heydorn read the pledge, which notes that police kill more than 1,000 people each year in the US, with Black people being three times more likely to die that way than white people. The pledge calls for city councils to introduce “common-sense limits on police use of force,” including reviewing and reforming police use-of-force policies and seeking input and getting feedback from diverse voices on police experiences. The council then agreed to approve a resolution standing up for equality and condemning systemic racism that Councilmember Edward Wilson had requested at the council’s last meeting on June 23. The adopted resolution mentions Signal Hill’s “troubled past” regarding racism, including Ku Klux Klan meetings on the hill and the 1981 hanging of African-American student Ron Settles in a Signal Hill jail cell. The resolution goes on to state that the City believes in liberty see SH COUNCIL page 7
Sponsered: Jimmy E’s is OPEN for OUTDOOR DINING and TAKEOUT , featuring a brand new outdoor patio and newly expanded and covered al fresco seating, perfect to take the heat off during this Summer. If you would like to stay in the comfort of your own car, a retro carhop service is also available on-site. Also perfect for the heat is one of Jimmy’s 20 beers on tap or one of their signature cocktails. Sixty-four ounce growlers are also available to-go for $15. Feel free to bring one of your furry friends to join you on the dog-friendly patio and treat them to a healthy meal from Jimmy E’s new dog menu.
Take-out and outdoor dining guests can take advantage of newly offered discounts ranging from 5% off $25, 10% off $50, and 20% off $100, as long as they mention the discount to their server. The family-style restaurant features an assortment of American, Italian and Greek-styled entrees consisting of burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, greek pitas, melts, tacos, pasta, pizzas, salads, soups and desserts. Jimmy E’s is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is closed Sunday and Monday. Visit Jimmy E’s official website here . To contact them for takeout call them at 562-612-3456.
City Council approves extension on eviction moratorium until the end of September The City Council also discussed how to deal with fireworks and a new inclusionary affordable housing plan. Daniel Green Production Manager
At its July 14 meeting, the Long Beach City Council discussed the eviction moratorium, a new location for Fire Station 9, fireworks and road construction.
Illustration by Emma DiMaggio
At the July 14 City Council meeting, the councilmembers voted to approve an extension to the eviction moratorium.
Moratorium The Long Beach City council voted to approve an extension to the moratorium on evictions until the end of September and expanding the eviction ban to extend to the Tidelands. The original motion on the floor called for an extension of 30 days and would require the City Council to return to vote on any further changes to the eviction ban’s end date. Councilmember Jeannine Pearce supported the original motion calling for an additional 30 days, but due to recent events, she stated that she
would be willing to help a longer extension. “We know that this week the government has shut down more businesses [and] more people are going back on unemployment,” said Pearce. “This situation is not exactly what it was a week ago.” Councilmember Rex Richardson supported the idea of extending the moratorium past 30 days. One of the reasons he cited is the City Council meetings’ schedule, which does not meet during the last week of the month. “This has been a full discussion, and I think we’re going to end up with a unanimous vote like we have on just about every one of these eviction moratoriums,” Richardson said. “I don’t know that we need to come back and re-litigate this every three weeks, because again, we don’t have a fourth meeting.” Councilmember Stacy Mungo suggested a temporary restructuring
of the Council’s meeting schedule to have the Council take the second week of the month off instead of the last week. Councilmember Daryl Supernaw made a friendly motion to send a letter to the federal and state government to forgive mortgages for property owners, which Pearce accepted. Fire Station 9 The City Council voted to grant the City Manager authorization to enter into a lease agreement for a temporary location of Fire Station 9 for three years. Under the new lease, Fire Station 9 will operate out of 2019 East Wardlow Road until a permanent location is found. The new site will include a three-year contract with a monthly rent of $10,300. According to Austin, Fire Chief Xavier Espino said that the new site see LB COUNCIL page 4