Nov. 9, 2018 | Vol. XL No. 46 | Part 1

SIGNAL TRIBUNE Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill with 30,000 issues every Friday

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VOL. XL NO. 46

IN THIS ISSUE Conversing with a basketball legend

Recognizing those who served In 22nd recognition of Annual Long Beach

VETERANS Veterans DAY Day, PARADE the

Hall of fame coach, player to have jersey retired at LBSU

“A Salute To Those Who Served”

Signal Tribune Saturday, Novemberhas 10, a 2018 Parade begins at 10am South and to Atlantic and Harding series ofAtlantic military-related content this week.

Pages 9 to 18

Photo courtesy Long Beach State University

NEWS

Councilmembers not present for roll call before voting was done may be their ‘justification,’ city attorney says.

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COMMUNITY The muertos vivén for one night Event organizers hosted a Dia de Los Muertos celebration last week for the Hispanic holiday.

Page 8

OPINION

A look at bygone days

Columnist Claudine Burnett provides a local look at Armistice Day.

November 9, 2018

Election 2018

VETERANS

Group claims four LB officials possibly violated city code during voting session

www.signaltribune.com

Glenn McDonald, a former Long Beach State University men’s basketball athlete (pictured here in this undated photo from the ‘70s) and women’s basketball coach who retired in September from the college after 35 years, will have his No. 20 jersey retired during halftime of the 49ers men’s homecoming game against Menlo College Nov. 10.

Despite accomplishments in the NBA, overseas and WNBA, LBSU recognizes McDonald as a mentor for students, colleagues say.

Denny Cristales Managing Editor

W

hen Long Beach State University’s (LBSU) athletic director, Andy Fee, gave Glenn McDonald a call about a month ago to discuss routine matters regarding the college’s athletics, one of the last things McDonald said he expected was a suggestion to have his No. 20 jersey retired in the LBSU rafters.

While McDonald isn’t the type of person to boast his accomplishments, his resume speaks for itself: a standout LBSU men’s basketball athlete from 1971 to 1974; a 1976 NBA Champion with the Boston Celtics; a Europa Cup champion with Sweden; a player and coach with the Philippines men’s basketball team; the head coach for the LBSU women’s basketball team from 1991 to 1995; an assistant coach with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, with whom he helped guide to back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002; and 35 years influencing students at LBSU. McDonald will have his jersey retired Nov. 10 during the men’s basketball homecoming game against Menlo College at the college’s Walter Pyramid.

His No. 20 jersey will join the likes of Ed Ratleff, Lucious Harris and Bryon Russell, all nestled in the rafters of the Pyramid.

“It’s definitely an honor for your jersey to be retired,” McDonald told the Signal Tribune Nov. 5. “And the fact that they talked about me not just as a basketball player, but with me being on the campus for so long and the contact I’ve had with so many students and students in general. I’ve been there 30 years on campus, so I love the fact that I’m getting honored as a basketball player, but I even more enjoy that they are looking at me as a human being and what I’ve done for the students.”

I

n his three decades with LBSU, McDonald’s biggest accomplishment is resonating with his students, Ratleff told the Signal Tribune Nov. 6.

Ratleff, whose No. 42 jersey hangs in the Pyramid seemingly waiting for his former teammate and fellow coach’s uniform to join it, said McDonald had a talent to bring out the best from his players.

Page 6

REGISTRATION BEGINS NOV. 13

see MCDONALD page 5

Democrats win big in House, across state Four LB council-generated measures pass, but opponents say ‘corruption wins.’

Cory Bilicko Staff Writer

It was a big day for Democrats Tuesday, as the blue party regained control of the House of Representatives, including sending California’s 47th District Congressmember Alan Lowenthal of Long Beach to a fourth term. Californians moved their Democratic lieutenant governor into the state’s top spot, in a defeat over Republican John H. Cox in the gubernatorial race. State Senator Ricardo Lara, whose 33rd District encompasses Long Beach and Signal Hill, won the seat of state insurance commissioner, over Steve Poizner, who ran as a no-party candidate.

And incumbent Patrick O’Donnell beat out his Libertarian opponent, Honor “Mimi” Robson, to regain his seat representing the 70th District in the State Assembly.

That partisan victory streak, however, seemed to end at the borders of Long Beach, where party affiliation rarely plays into conversations about local politicians, and where some otherwise termed-out Democratic and Republican city leaders have banded together to successfully pass four measures that will change

the city charter and ensure they will have their names on the next ballot.

As of Tuesday, voters in Long Beach will no longer have the opportunity to write in the name of a well liked but termed-out candidate, and elected officials who have already served two terms will now have the advantage of seeking a third term with their names printed on the ballot.

Measure BBB, which the current city council placed on the ballot this year to amend the charter, changes term limits from two, with the option to seek additional terms as a writein, to three terms with no write-in opportunity.

As of press time, the measure passed with 47,233 votes– or 55.62 percent of those voting– in favor, according to LAVote.net. A total of 37,693, or 44.38 percent, voted against the measure.

After the council introduced BBB this past summer, along with three other charter-amendment measures, those leaders claimed it was an attempt to close a loophole in the charter’s existing language by removing a provision that permitted write-in candidates to seek an unlimited see ELECTION page 23

Photo by Diana Lejins

On Election Night, opponents of the four measures the Long Beach City Council placed on the ballot converse while watching results come in. Pictured from left: Juan Ovalle, outreach director for People of Long Beach (POLB), and Carlos Ovalle, executive director of POLB.

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NEWS

Signal Tribune

November 9, 2018

Long Beach Hospitality Alliance claims four LB officials possibly violated city code during hotel-safety ordinance voting session Councilmembers not present for roll call before voting was done may be their ‘justification,’ city attorney says.

Sebastian Echeverry Production Manager

Four Long Beach councilmembers, who stepped out during a vote a few weeks ago, may have unwillingly violated a city code, according to a local alliance group.

The city council decided the next step of a hotel-safety ordinance during a council meeting on Oct. 23.

The ordinance amended the municipal code by adding Chapter 5.54, which related to hotel-worker safety precautions.

Councilmembers Jeannine Pearce, 2nd district, Lena Gonzalez, 1st district, Rex Richardson, 9th district, and Roberto Uranga, 7th district, all voiced their concerns over the agenda item before a vote could be made.

A series of questioning between the four councilmembers and other ity officials ensued. Before the council voted on the ordinance, Pearce, Gonzalez, Uranga and Richardson excused themselves and stepped out of the council chamber.

The councilmembers’s actions displayed during that meeting raised concern from the Long Beach Hospitality Alliance (LBHA).

The LBHA published a press release on Nov. 1 claiming that the four councilmembers who did not vote on the hotel-safety ordinance and left their posts may have violated a city code.

The press release quotes Long Beach Municipal Code 2.03.050-B, which reads “councilmembers are required to cast votes except when a conflict of interest exists and abstention is required by state law. Every member of the council who is present when a roll is called shall vote for or against the question, unless excused by a majority of the members present, prior to the calling of the roll on such question.”

Pete Hillan, a LBHA spokesperson, told the Signal Tribune during a phone interview Nov. 6 that residents should expect elected officials to “show up and do their jobs.”

“You expect good governance no matter where you might stand on the issue,” he said. “I think that’s a question for [the councilmembers] to answer. That’s a question that I think a lot of Long Beach voters and citizens are asking, ‘Why did they abandon their duties?’”

Long Beach City Attorney Charles Parkin told the Signal Tri-

“

You expect good governance no matter where you might stand on the issue [...] That’s a question that I think a lot of Long Beach voters are asking, ‘Why did they abandon their duties?’

– Pete Hillan Long Beach Hospitality Alliance

bune during a phone interview Nov. 6 that the LBHA is making code-violation claim based on a very specific portion of the municipal code.

In terms of code 2.03.050-B, the councilmembers were not in violation because they were not present when the roll call was made before the votes were cast, according to the city attorney.

“The issue here is they weren’t present in the chamber when the role was called,” Parkin said. “That, I assume, would be their justification for not voting.”

Parkin explained that the City does not usually stop and call back councilmembers during meetings to vote on agenda items.

“This is, I will be the first to admit, very unique,” he said. “To my knowledge, it’s never happened before where four of them intentionally leave the meeting so that they

”

won’t vote or don’t vote on an item.”

Perkins said that it is up to the city council to make up penalties or restrictions for members that leave if they wish to address it moving forward.

“Some people argue a much broader view of ‘present,’” he said.

“If you announce ‘present’ at the roll call at the beginning of the meeting, I think some people would suggest, ‘Well then, you are there for the meeting and you need to vote on every single item.’ But I think everyone has to admit that that isn’t the practice of our city council.”

The Signal Tribune reached out many times to the offices of Pearce, Gonzalez, Uranga and Richardson through phone and email to clarify their motives for not voting and leaving their seats. They did not offer a response by press time.

There were moments through-

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out the discussion portion of the ordinance during the Oct. 23 meeting, however, where the four councilmembers displayed possible reasons for abstaining their votes.

The two main points Richardson, Pearce, Uranga and Gonzalez mentioned were the speed at which the ordinance was developed and the lack of outreach efforts made to small businesses about the ordinance.

“I feel very uncomfortable moving forward with an ordinance that would dictate something for those hotels– 50 rooms or less,” Pearce said during the meeting.

Richardson and Uranga also said they felt the ordinance was fasttracked, and that by putting it up for a vote during election season would make residents feel it was politically driven.

Gonzalez put forth a substitute motion to receive and file the ordinance and to conduct more small hotel and motel outreach efforts. Richardson made a substitute-substitute motion to consult with smaller hotel businesses and bring back the original hotel-safety ordinance to the council after elections because he said residents may assume the ordinance is politically driven.

Councilmember Al Austin, 8th district, did not support the substitute motions because he felt the council had been criticized in the past for not acting swiftly for hotel-worker safety.

“This ordinance reflects the will of this entire council to provide greater protections for women in the hotel industry,” he said.

All nine councilmembers voted on both those motions, but they failed to pass. Before the original hotel-safety ordinance was voted on, Pearce and Gonzalez excused themselves from their seats, followed by Uranga.

Richardson asked Councilmember Suzie Price, 3rd district, for a “friendly amendment” to be added that would give the council an outline of how the ordinance would be implemented. Price declined Richardson’s request. Shortly after, Richardson stepped away from his seat.

The hotel-safety ordinance passed with a 5-0 vote. A second hearing of the ordinance will take place on Nov. 13.

“You may have another episode of them walking out on the 13th,” Hillan said. “It would be interesting to see what they do.” ✦

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November 9, 2018

COMMUNITY

Let’s do a mitzvah every day

Signal Tribune

3

Some choosing to stay positive, as local community continues to process Pittsburgh shooting, which left 11 dead in late October.

Paige Pelonis Multimedia Editor

In the same weekend that a deadly shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh rocked the Jewish community nationwide, individuals in the Long Beach area were coming together to train and become part of a new program called Real Resiliency.

“This is all of our work to do,” Kimmy Maniquis, executive director of California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ) told the Signal Tribune Monday. “We feel like we keep encountering these types of tragedies far too often for marginalized communities, whether it’s the Jewish community, the LGBTQ community, the black community and immigrants– every community right now that is pretty vulnerable.”

Maniquis said CCEJ recently launched the Real Resiliency program to provide educational models for young people to gain skills like building empathy and social-emotional learning and to learn about social justice. She said training new volunteers during that weekend in this type of community-building work was reassuring that there is a stable commitment to CCEJ’s continued efforts to build bridges across all communities.

“I think we are just very fatigued by policies, and violence that isn’t physical violence that results in death, but violence in a way that tries to erase people, that discounts people’s experiences, like everything that’s happening with immigrants right now,” Maniquis said.

“To see that elders in the Jewish community have been taken so violently felt like this culminating violent act around months of tragic news that just keeps coming in.”

She said the training is typically very time-intensive and requires lots of personal reflection and growth from the participants.

“Being able to witness some of [the participants’] process was really, for our staff, reassuring,” Maniquis said. “That weekend was really sad, and when we came back together on Monday, it was like we laid the cards out in front of us and tried to be in community together.”

The Long Beach community came together the Tuesday following the shooting at a memorial service at the Alpert Jewish Community Center (AJCC), where speakers included Jewish Congressman Alan Lowenthal, who represents Long Beach and Signal Hill. He also addressed the shooting in a written statement: “I am a proud Jew. I won’t be intimidated by the anti-Semitic attacks on members of our community. We are resilient, we are strong, and we are unafraid. As we mourn our brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh, join me in pledging to fight back against hatred wherever we find it.”

AJCC Executive Director Jeffrey Rips told the Signal Tribune that he doesn’t think there is a clear “collective decision” at this point for how community organizations are going to move forward in the wake of the Pittsburgh events, but he thinks a lot of individualized reflection is happening during this time.

“It’s a time for people to think individually and perhaps collectively on, ‘What can I do to make the world a better place?’ Rips said. “I think encouraging and promoting our individuals to make sure they are doing that is clearly happening.”

Rips said he thinks, from an organizational perspective, continuing to review how security is addressed is the next necessary step.

“

There is a need for folks to be “in community” and also to mourn immediately following events like this.

– Kimmy Maniquis Executive Director CCEJ

“I don’t pretend to have an answer, but it does make me angry,” he said. “That institutions have to spend money on security as opposed to spending money on their mission– that makes me angry. We have to do it, that’s the life we live in, but how great would it be to spend more money on senior lunches than on security guards?”

Maniquis said there is no formal plan in place for how CCEJ, as an organization, responds to events like the shooting. She said she would like to move toward larger-scale and more coordinated efforts in this area, because, no matter where a tragedy might occur, members of the local community feel the impacts.

“I think this is the time that we need to start to unpack what targeting looks like across all vulnerable communities and start thinking about creative ways to combat it,” she said. “There is a need for there to be some exploration into what solidarity looks like across communities, what allyship looks like across communities, and for us to grapple with those areas where we haven’t always had each other’s backs.”

Although he said he personally was not shocked by the shooting because of where society is today, Rips said the range of emotions for the local community went from shock and surprise, to sadness and anger.

“There is a need for folks to be “in community” and also to mourn immediately following events like this,” Maniquis said. “Sometimes we see an issue impact our own community and don’t always make the connections as to how those very things that motivated that level of hate impact other communities as well.”

Rips also said events like what happened in Pittsburgh and others like it “heighten people’s concern.”

“As diverse as Long Beach is, we are that diverse here [at the commu-

”

nity center],” he said. “All religions, races cultures, everything, they’re here. We have this warm and wel-

coming environment for everyone, and people might start questioning, ‘Should I still go there– now I’m concerned, because it’s a Jewish institution.’”

Rips said approximately 400 people filled the AJCC at the memorial service, and he expects 300 to attend the weekend’s Jewish Film Festival, which runs through Sunday afternoon (more information is available at alpertjcc.org).

He said the shooting will likely not be directly addressed at the festival, but he anticipates the topic to be in the air, especially for those

who have not been together since the memorial service.

Following the service where the theme was “don’t let them die in vein,” Rips said he has heard a lot of people who have said they just want to find one thing they can do to try to make the world a better place.

“I talked to a mom yesterday who didn’t go into a lot of details with her kids because she didn’t want to scare them,” Rips said. “But she said, ‘Let’s do a mitzvah everyday.’

You should do a mitzvah, a good deed, everyday.” ✦

22nd Annual Long Beach

VETERANS DAY PARADE “A Salute To Those Who Served”

Saturday, November 10, 2018 Parade begins at 10am South and Atlantic to Atlantic and Harding

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Signal Tribune

November 9, 2018

COMMUNITY

November 9, 2018

McDonald

Signal Tribune

5

continued from page 1

“The players seemed to gravitate toward him,” he said in a phone interview. “They like him. He gets a lot of respect. [...] Some of the players that he coached back in the day, they still go to his house, they still call him, everything. It’s amazing the wonderful man that he is and the great things that he does for the university and the people around there.”

Before coaching and teaching intramurals, McDonald joined LBSU in 1971 via basketball scholarship.

A young boy from Kewanee, Illinois, McDonald’s first experiences with basketball began on the playground, where the gravel served as a precursor for the career that was yet to come. Although developing into his own as a player as a 12 year old, McDonald still did not have experience playing with an organized Photo courtesy Long Beach State University team.

After his tenure in the NBA and playing and coaching overseas in Sweden and When one day his mother returned the Philippines, Glenn McDonald (left) coached the Long Beach State Univerfrom California after visiting her sity women’s basketball team from 1991 to 1995. Later, McDonald served as sister-in-law, she announced to Mcassistant coach with the Los Angeles Sparks in the early 2000s, when the team Donald and his three sisters that won back-to-back championships in the WNBA. they were moving to the Golden State.

Photo courtesy Glenn McDonald Glenn McDonald (center), a Long Beach State University alum who spent 35 “I didn’t want to leave,” he said. lems that no one knows about, be- between the Boston Celtics and the years at the college as an athlete and coach, played two seasons in the NBA “So, I’m looking at the TV, and the cause they mask it as much as they Phoenix Suns. with the Boston Celtics, with whom he won the 1976 NBA Championship, and Watts riots are going on. ‘You’re can,” McDonald said. “You start During Game 5 of the series, the a few games with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1970s. telling me we’re moving there?’ I talking to them, and they tell you. contest went into triple overtime. said, ‘I’m not moving there.’ And There were some kids that were When forward Paul Silas fouled out she said, ‘No, you’re moving there, homeless, but they made it through of the game, McDonald was sure that you have to go to college when you bune Nov. 6 that, aside from doing because you’re the man of the because they want to get their educa- it was his teammate’s turn to go in. house, and I need you there with me.’ go to college. You have to go to all the “dirty work” as a player with tion.

There were some families that “Then all of a sudden [coach] That was a first for me, and I had just school.’ He sat down with me, and his athletic ability, his contributions were just broken up, and one weeksays, ‘Mac!’ Then with no hesitation, started playing sports. I was play- we had a long discussion about that,” to young folks is what defines him end they’re here, and the other weekI was ready to go.” McDonald said. ing basketball, football [...] and my McDonald said. “[...] Finally I real- as a man. end they’re over there. So, my main The seldom-played McDonald ized what was going on and found “He’s an outstanding man with mother loved that I played sports, so thing was to just know the kids, talk scored six crucial points in the pemy punishment to her for moving to out that I had to get my butt in gear character and a love for his commuto them, share experiences I’ve had, riod to propel the Celtics to victory.

California was that I wasn’t going to before this whole thing blows up, nity and people,” Pondexter said. and I’m not going to go any place.”

“He cares about how he makes peo- because I was in a broken home. My Boston would go on to win Game play sports. So, I During his LBSU ple feel. I think the world of him. I father was gone. I didn’t even meet 6 of the NBA Finals and become would just play on stint from 1971 to love Glenn McDonald. [...] He had a my real father until I was 50 years champion. the playgrounds. I “It didn’t hit me until I got home 1974, McDonald lot of options, but the option he made old. It’s just one of those things that wouldn’t get with I represent a you want them to understand that that night what I had actually done initially didn’t get was to give back to young people.” organized teams.” you can get through whatever you during that game and how critical it whole lot of guys much playing time, McDonald said that he developed The punishment have to get through. You just have to was during that game,” he said. “I sometimes “not close bonds with college students didn’t last long. with that No. 20, go after it.” couldn’t sleep the rest of the night, going in at all or over the years.

As he was primed just thinking about what happened. but it just so only during the last “I talk to them about life in generto enter Jefferson cDonald is perhaps rememTo this day, whether it be during happens that my two minutes of the al, and it’s amazing how so many of High School as a bered nationally as one of the NBA playoffs or the finals, clips game.” these kids, they have so many probfreshman, one of number and my Under the heroes of the 1976 NBA Finals head the local players see MCDONALD page 22 name will be on the coach Jerry Taron the playground inquired if Mcback of that jersey kanian, the defenHome Improvement sive-minded LBSU Donald would when it goes up. men’s basketball be trying out for team one game basketball at the More than 15 years of experience in the allowed an opposschool.

During – Glenn McDonald California Heights Historical Neighborhood, ing player to sinthat time at JefferLB State alumn Bixby Knolls & Virginia Country Club gle-handedly drop son, teams were

BY JOSEPH WILSON about 36 points on organized into A, B and C squads, the latter reserved the team, suffering a crushing loss. cell (562) 644-5225 On the bus ride home, one of the for lower-level players. office (562) 803-5009 “I said, ‘Nope, not trying out for players told Tarkanian, who was Lourdes (Kenna) E. Gonzalez frustrated at the 49ers’s lack of deno team,’” McDonald recounted.

Project Manager “[...] And he told me, ‘You probably fense, that, “Well, Glenn can guard FREE ESTIMATES! Interior– Exterior wouldn’t make the team, anyway.’ that guy.”

Servicing The next time the two teams met So, all that night I was thinking, “Quality is not an act. It’s a habit!”

‘This guy is telling me I can’t make for a rematch, McDonald kept that LB & SH since 1978 References available upon request License # 886957 the team?’ And he’s telling me I can’t same star player down to single fig– the year Kobe Bryant even make the C team. All I thought ures, finishing with six points that Lockwas in your contest. born!price about was what he said.”

“So, that‘s where the playing time Playground banter quickly turned before May 10th. into motivation, as McDonald went became more excessive,” he said. “I Call for details. straight for basketball try-outs when almost never came out of games behe joined Jefferson High School, ul- cause I would always be in there and • Hundreds of local because they needed me because of timately making the A team. references As a starter for the men’s basket- my defense. I was considered one of the top defensive players of the naball team throughout high school, • Over 35 years experience colleges, such as institutions from tion at the time.”

• Bixby Knolls resident Decades later, McDonald brought • Hundreds of Maryland and Kansas, began rehis defensive mindset to the LBSU LoCaL referenCes cruiting McDonald. Among them • Licensed & fully insured women’s basketball team from 1991 was Long Beach State.

(General & Worker’s • oLiability ver 40 yearsComp) Opting to join what is now his to 1995 as head coach. experienCe Lock “A-rated” in your price From coaching, McDonald began alma mater, McDonald, the first in • Bbefore ixBy KnoLLs resident his family to attend college, said, at teaching intramural sports, such as May 10th.

• BATHROOMS on angieslist.com LiCensed • B onded • insured the time, he had no idea that being basketball and tennis. It was someCall forusdetails.

Check out at • KITCHENS a “student athlete” meant honoring thing that he continued to do until his “A-rated” on angieslist.com NextDoor.com the first part of the term– being a retirement this past September.

• Hundreds of local petes-plumbing.com • LANDSCAPING LINES Check us out at NextDoor.com Echoing Ratleff’s statements, student. He said he thought college Contractor’s 629882 ContraCtor’License s LiCense ##629882 references athletes simply played their sport Roscoe Pondexter, a former teammate of McDonald’s on the ‘70s and called it a day.

• Over 35 years experience “My coach said, ‘Wait a minute– LBSU teams, told the Signal Tri-

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OPINION

Signal Tribune

November 9, 2018

Thoughts

from

the

Publisher

By Neena Strichart

Residents from Long Beach and other neighboring cities will tomorrow have the opportunity to honor our country’s veterans at the Long Beach Veterans Day Parade. Taking place at 10am, and starting at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Harding Street (near Houghton Park), the 22nd annual parade will honor three very important gentlemen: Grand Marshal, Terry Gelling, and Centenarian Grand Marshals LTC. Sam Sachs (age 103) and LTC. Guy Autore (age 104). Within the parade line-up, you will see floats, marching bands, military vehicles and units, veteran groups, service organizations, local political representatives, ROTC corps, scouting troops, equestrians and other participants. Those involved in the festivities are sure to bring out the patriotism in all of us.

The Signal Tribune will also be taking part– my hubby Steve will be driving our logo-adorned SUV while I sit in the passenger seat waving to the bystanders. In the back seat will be our grandson Carson Cooper, a boy scout from Long Beach Scout Troop 74. I believe Steve and I have participated in the parade since the inaugural event.

If you have never attended the Long Beach Veterans Day Parade, please plan to this year. It is definitely an event worth experiencing. See you there.

And… for the sixth year running, our staff has had the honor of creating and publishing the commemorative program that will be available free to all parade participants and viewers. With articles about the history of each branch of the military, local veteran-related stories, tributes to the grand marshals and details regarding the beautiful veterans mural located at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Harding Street, we are sure that recipients of the program will hang on to the book for years to come. We thank the sponsors of the parade and the advertisers for making the publication possible. Those who cannot attend, take a look online at our website to see a copy of the parade program, signaltribune.com. Also, on our website will be a videoed version of the parade that will be created by Bill Pearl at lbreport.com. He is a gifted videographer, and thanks to Rock For Vets (musicistheremedy.org) for sponsoring this visual and audio production. The finished product will be available on Bill’s site, as well, at lbreport.com.

On our end, I want to thank our staff members, who worked so tirelessly to create such a special program: Design/Production Manager Sebastian Echeverry; content creators Denny Cristales, Paige Pelonis, Sebastian Echeverry and Rachael Rifkin; advertising sales reps Neena Strichart (me) and Sharon McLucas.

A big thank you also goes out to Val Lerch, chair of the 22nd Annual Long each Veterans Day Parade. His diligence, support and availability helped make our job much more stress-free than it might have been.

Troops Throughout the Ages

By Neena Strichart

We owe our country’s freedom To those who fought and gave So selflessly and valiantly Their actions were so brave.

These soldiers, Men and Women, Protected land and shore.

To them we owe deep gratitude For now and evermore.

Why we celebrate Nov. 11 The morning of Nov. 7, 1918, at 9:06am, the Long Beach Daily Telegram received a United Press wire– the Great War in Europe had ended. The armistice took effect on Nov. 11 at 11am– the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918. In 1926, Nov. 11 would officially become a U.S. holiday.

In 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans.

But festivities in Long Beach began on Nov. 7 with news of the German surrender. The war was over! The newspaper staff immediately got on the telephone and spread the news throughout the town. The bathhouse siren roared, automobiles everywhere began to honk their horns, street cars and trains set bells and whistles going. In an amazingly short time, the streets were jammed with autos and trucks draped with flags.

Businesses closed. Thousands of people, despite the influenza-forced ban on public gatherings, paraded down the streets yelling, weeping and waving flags.

A semi-official parade began at 2pm from the corner of 4th and Pacific. One automobile in the procession had a representation of the Kaiser’s goat mounted on the hood; another carried the Kaiser’s coffin. Patriotic adults distributed packages of firecrackers to kids on the street. At 3pm, three German flags were burned.

Cecil W. Ayers, formerly a member of the British Royal Flying Corps, was part of the celebration, but it nearly killed him.

During the festivities, Ayers rode about Long Beach in an automobile of the British Ambulance

Photo courtesy Claudine Burnett via Long Beach Public Library

Pictured is Armistice Day, as celebrated on Sept. 9, 1919.

Service, waving a large flag and shouting with his friends. A few hours later, Ayers experienced what the Los Angeles Herald described as a “mind lapse” that led him back to the war and the battle trenches of France. He had been severely wounded during the war when his airplane was shot down in a battle with German aircraft. In addition to suffering from shell shock, Ayers’s spine was injured by the fall and, to make matters worse, he had lost his wife to influenza three weeks before armistice was declared. He was just one of the many who would suffer from this new form of illness called “shell shock,” now recognized as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

An “official” celebration to commemorate the end of World War I had to be delayed because of the influenza quarantine. “Victory Day” was eventually held on Sunday, Dec. 8.

3,500 people thronged the Municipal Auditorium for the three-hour

program. Allied nations were represented by speakers from Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia and America.

Another celebration was held the following year, when 400 men and six women were welcomed home to Long Beach on Sept. 9, 1919. All were given bronze medals following a parade, in which the latest war veterans were honored.

That evening, eulogies were spoken for those that died. The weather-stained city-service banner, which had flown over the city since the war started, was retired. Attached to the banner was a mammoth gold star inscribed with the number 50, signifying the number of local men who gave their lives in the war. A blue star bore the numbers 2,437, showing that 2,437 Long Beach men and women had stood willing to die, if necessary, in the cause of humanity.

The first local casualty was Donald Edward Erickson (July 3, 1896-June see BURNETT page 20

LETTERS, EMAILS, WEBSITE COMMENTS AND STATEMENTS Continuing Borgers’s legacy through theatre Thank you so much for supporting the Long Beach Shakespeare Company (LBSC) and Bixby Knolls in general.

Glad to see that the Signal Tribune is still a strong supporter of Bixby Knolls!

I’m so proud of the LBSC and all that they continue to add to the Long Beach community. [“Helen is our magic: Long Beach Shakespeare Company renames theater after late artistic director Helen Borgers,” Nov. 2, 2018] Douglas Orr Former Vice President, Long Beach Shakespeare Company Website comment

With never-ending thanks... from the Staff of the Signal Tribune

S IGNA L T R I BU N E

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Neena R. Strichart

ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS

Barbie Ellisen Katherine Green Sharon McLucas

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Stephen M. Strichart

STAFF WRITERS

Cory Bilicko CJ Dablo Anita W. Harris

MANAGING EDITOR

Denny Cristales

CULTURE WRITERS

Adam Buchsbaum Ava Homa Rachael Rifkin

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Paige Pelonis

EDITORIAL INTERN

Lissette Mendoza

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Sebastian Echeverry

COLUMNISTS

Claudine Burnett Blair Cohn

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 i­nformation 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 with a circulation of 30,000. Yearly subscriptions are available for $50.

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November 9, 2018

OPEN THANKSGIVING Open 7 Days a WeekDAY

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Chili & more. beer, wine ALSO...Salads, Bloody Marys, mimosas, Also...

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Wine Tasting! » » » » »

Signal Tribune

Table 301 Tuesday, November 13th 7pm - 9pm $30.00/person + tax and tip Family style appetizers & nibbles. Try different tastes with

different sips & discuss with Wes

» Attendance limited to 28. Call for reservations.

Wes Hagen is back in the LBC! Wes is formally from Clos Pepe and is the wine maker for J. Wilkes. Wes is trying out a new format that he calls “Sips and Quips,” & it will be held on our front patio where Wes will hold court over this laid-back event.

FYI, his other choice to name it was “Small Plates and Winemaker

(562)436-4344 301 The Promenade North Long Beach, CA 90802 www.table301bistr0.com

OUR PLANET DAY What Conservation festival Who Hosted by the Aquarium of the Pacific When Saturday, Nov. 10, from 9am to 5pm Where Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way. More Info Find out what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) does at this annual event. The event will feature interactive booths where participants can learn more about a variety of NOAA programs, the ocean, and weather. Learn how NOAA, a government agency, works to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment to help protect people and property and to conserve and manage coastal and marine resources. Activities are free with purchase of general admission. Call (562) 590-3100 or visit aquariumofpacific.org.

WRITE RIGHT What Writers meeting Who Hosted by The California Writers Club of Long Beach When Saturday, Nov. 10 from 3pm to 5pm Where Meet at the Ruth Bach Neighborhood Library, 4055 Bellflower Blvd.

More Info The club’s October speaker Nancy Cole will talk about “Adding the Element of Surprise: How to Keep the Reader Engaged in Your Work.” Cole retired after a 25-year career in radio and now writes mystery works. The meeting is free. Visit calwriterslongbeach.org or email info@calwriterslongbeach. org.

Day celebration with an on-site tennis clinic. Contact Steve Weaver at weaversww@gmail.com or call (562) 505-0462.

COMMUNITY COFFEE What Neighborhood meeting Who Hosted by The Good Neighbors of North Long Beach When Tuesday, Nov. 13, from 7am to 8:30am Where Spires Restaurant, 1935 Del Amo Blvd.

More Info The guest speaker this month will be Christine Baumgartner, host of The Perfect Catch.

She will be talking about the psychology of male and female relationships. Email Val Lerch at vallerch@ gmail.com.

COFFEE WITH A COP What Neighborhood meeting Who Hosted by the Signal Hill Police Department When Tuesday, Nov. 13 from 8am to 10am Where Signal Hill Police Department, 2745 Walnut Ave. More Info The public is invited to get to know their local police officers through informative conversation. Questions and neighborhood concerns are welcomed. There will be free hot beverages. Visit local. nixle.com/alert/6888206/ or call (562) 989-7200.

FISH FARMS What Lecture Who Hosted by the Aquarium of the Pacific When Tuesday, Nov. 13 from 9am to 6pm GIVE THANKS Where Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way. What Food drive More Info The Aquarium of the Pacific will feature Who Hosted by the Performance Plus Tire & Auto- guest speaker Scott Nichols, founder of Food’s Fumotive Superstore ture. Nichols will discuss aquaculture, or fish farmWhen Sunday, Nov. 11 from 8am to 2pm ing, and share photographs and recipes demonstrating Where Performance Plus Tire & Automotive Super- why seafood should be at the center of people’s diets. store, 3910 Cherry Ave. Admission for this event will cost $5. Call (562) 590More Info Performance Plus is looking for volunteers 3100 or visit aquariumofpacific.org. to help with its 21st annual Thanksgiving Day Food Drive. Volunteers will be packing boxes for families SEW WHAT? in need and be treated to live music from the Jazz An- What Meeting gels, hot rods for viewing and donuts and coffee. Peo- Who Hosted by The Long Beach Chapter of the Emple can also help out by donating to Performance Plus broiderers of America, Inc. Tire to purchase food and by dropping off non-per- When Friday, Nov. 16 at 11am ishable food to the store before the drive. Call Joyce Where Long Beach City College, 1305 E. PCH Feldman at (562) 506-0938.

More Info The event will feature Marilu Morency teaching a needle-weaving technique to create neckWHERE VETS AND FISHIES COME TOGETHER laces. Email Christa Barry at barrychen99@gmail.

What Conservation festival com.

Who Hosted by the Aquarium of the Pacific When Sunday, Nov. 11 from 9am to 6pm GENE MACHINE Where Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way. What Seminar More Info In celebration of Veterans Day, the Aquari- Who Hosted by the Questing Heirs Genealogical Soum of the Pacific invites veterans and military person- ciety nel to enjoy the aquarium with free admission. Call When Sunday, Nov. 18 at 1:15pm (562) 590-3100 or visit aquariumofpacific.org.

Where The Lakewood Masonic Center, 5918 E. Parkcrest St. CELEBRATE VETS More Info Members will share information about What Tennis clinic their relatives who served in the military Contact Liz Who Hosted by the Long Beach Wounded Warrior Stookiesberry at (562) 760-3027 or visit qhgs.info.

Tennis Clinics When Sunday, Nov. 11 from 10am to 2pm Where VA Long Beach Healthcare Ctr., 5901 E. 7th St., West Parking Lot E. More Info All veterans are invited to a Veterans

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CULTURE N 9, 2018 The muertos vivĂŠn for one night on Pine Avenue Signal Tribune

ovember

Lissette Mendoza Editorial Intern

The City of Long Beach hosted the 5th annual Dia De Los Muertos event Nov. 2 in downtown Long Beach. Sponsored by 1st District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez, the family-friendly event featured live bands, including La Misa Negra, Mexica and Mariachi Colibri. Handmade altars dedicated to loved ones were also on display throughout Pine Avenue. Many attendees joined in the festivities by dressing in traditional Mexican clothing and painting their faces as sugar skulls.

Photos by Lissette Mendoza | Signal Tribune

Nov 3 - Dec 1 562-494-1014 LBPlayhouse.org

5021 E. Anaheim St.

SALUTING OUR VETERANS

November 9, 2018

Signal Tribune

9

Becoming an iconic parade for veterans

Courtesy Long Beach Veterans Parade Committee

Courtesy Long Beach Veterans Parade Committee

The following excerpt is from the 2018 Veterans Day Parade book.

N

ow in its 22nd year, the Long Beach Veterans Day Parade has grown from humble origins into a familyoriented event that attracts close to 10,000 people. Themed “A Salute to Those Who Served,” the parade is a way we all can honor our veterans, from all branches of the military and from all eras.

“When we first started out, it was very small. It was very local. But over the years, it has grown beyond anything we had ever imagined. In 1996, we started the parade,” Val Lerch, chair of the Veterans Day Parade Committee and former Long Beach councilmember, said. “It’s not only grown in size; it’s also grown in notoriety as one of the best parades in the region for veterans.

We were the only veterans parade when we started– now there’s about two or three other ones– but we own it. It is our parade, our day. And it’s just grown into an institution known as the Veterans Day Parade.”

The Long Beach Veterans Day Parade has grown far beyond anything former City Councilmember Jerry Shultz imagined back in 1996. His original goal was to create a patriotic event in Long Beach. He formed a committee of activists in north Long Beach, and they came up with the idea of having a parade.

“This year, we have two centenarian grand marshals,” Lerch said. “One of them is 103, and one of them is 104. That’s unique within itself. It’s well-rounded.

We have about five floats in the parade. When we started out, we didn’t have any floats. It was just a group of marching people. Now we have floats in the parade, more and more people and more and more veterans. This year, we’ve got at least five fly-overs from different

Sunday Nov. 11 Monday Nov. 12

organizations. [...] As the notoriety grows, so do the amount of people that want to be in the parade.”

The first two years, the parade was held on Labor Day weekend.

In 1998 it was moved to Veterans Day weekend.

“We put it on to show appreciation to the veterans,” Lerch said. “And through the years, I’ve heard many Vietnam veterans, in particular, saying, ‘When we came home, people spat on us. People called us baby killers. But this parade shows that the majority of Americans did appreciate and do appreciate what we do.’ For veterans, it’s to have that sense of being appreciated, being honored and being respected.” ✦

Our greatest treasure is our freedom . men and women

TO THE WHO PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY WITH COURAGE AND VALOR, THANK YOU.

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Signal Tribune

SALUTING OUR VETERANS

Veterans Day spotlight: USS Long Beach

November 9, 2018

Courtesy Val Lerch

Wikimedia Commons

Pictured is a 47-foot scale model of the USS Long Beach. The USS Long Beach was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser in the United States Navy, the world’s first nuclear-powered surface combatant and the third Navy ship named after the

city of Long Beach. The vessel was the sole member of the Long Beachclass and the last cruiser built for the United States Navy to a cruiser design. All subsequent cruiser classes were built on scaled-up destroyer hulls or, in the case of the Alba-

ny-class, converted from already existing cruisers. The USS Long Beach launched July 14, 1959 and was commissioned Sept. 9, 1961.

The ship deployed to Vietnam during the war and served numerous times in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. By the 1990s, nuclear power was deemed too expensive to use on surface ships smaller than an aircraft carrier. The USS Long Beach was decommissioned on May 1, 1995. Former Long Beach Councilmember Val Lerch and the Port of Long Beach salvaged the model upon discovering it in a shed, where it was deteriorating, according to Lerch. The Port of Long Beach refurbished the model, and it is used for local veteran-related events. The first picture (top right) is how the vessel, in model form, appears present day. The second and third photos (top left, bottom) is the actual cruiser during the 1960s.

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Wikimedia Commons

November 9, 2018

SALUTING OUR VETERANS

Signal Tribune

11

Honoring vets through art Rachael Rifkin Staff Writer

E

very person who’s served our country has a story, but the individual experience often gets lost in the enormity of war. The Long Beach Veterans Mural was created to honor our local veterans and share their stories, one person, one face, at a time.

Located in north Long Beach, the mural faces the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Houghton Park. It has also been the starting and finishing point for the annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade since it was unveiled on Veterans Day in 2006.

Designed by former Long Beach resident and artist Art Mortimer, the mural depicts images of military men and women from all branches of military, from the Civil War to the present.

The Long Beach mural program, which is part of the Parks, Recreation & Marine Department, commissioned Mortimer to complete the mural.

“After I got input from the community, I looked for photographs and images that related to the subject,” said Mortimer. “I went to the historical society, got people’s personal photographs and talked to veterans. I always look for pictures that I have some connection to.

“The mural displays all six logos of the armed forces, and a large flag serves as the backdrop for the mural. Starting from the far left, there is an image from 1940 of two Civil War veterans and two army officers saluting. In the center of the mural, there is a group of Civil War veterans standing with a drum that reads “Long Beach Calif. G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) Martial Band.”

To the right of the Civil War veterans, there are three men celebrating the end of WWI. The man in the center holding the flag and the sailor on the right have switched hats. At top center there are two female pilots. The female pilot on the left is Loretta Foy, who served in the Women Airforce Service Pilots in WWII. To the right of Foy is a family picture of Paul Bice, who served in the South Pacific and the Middle East, and his mother.

Next to the female pilots are two armed servicemen on their base in Korea during the Korean War. They are surrounded by the medals that were awarded to servicemen during Vietnam. Below the female pilots there is an image of Cliff Chaffee, a career Navy man, posing with his biplane in 1937. In 2006, 91-year-old Chaffee served as Honorary Grand Marshall of the Veterans Day Parade.

Next to Chaffee is a group of veterans at the dedication of the Long Beach Vietnam Veterans Memorial. To the right of the group of veterans is former city councilmember Jerry Shultz, a Vietnam veteran and the driving force behind the Long Beach Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

“It’s such an honor to have my picture on the mural, especially when you

have kids. It’s always nice to be recognized for your service, especially as a Vietnam vet,” said Shultz. “We didn’t exactly have a welcoming party when we returned. I served my country, I did my time and I was lucky that I returned.”

To the right of Shultz sits the USS Long Beach, a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser that reminds us of Long Beach’s once strong naval base. Tuskegee Airman Aaron Herrington is next

to the USS Long Beach. The Tuskegee Airmen were America’s first black military airmen. Herrington graduated from the U.S. Army Corps as a second Lieutenant. After the war, he and his wife Maycie settled in Long Beach.

The last image is of PFC George Torres, the first Long Beach marine to die in Iraq. He and his parents lived only a block from the mural.

“One of my favorite images was the picture of PFC George Torres,” Mor-

timer said. “That was really special because he was related to Dora Cortes, one of the ladies from the redevelopment agency. She took me to her cousin George’s house to meet his parents. His parents were from Mexico, and this had been such a blow to them. The Marines had sent back his belongings, and his parents hadn’t opened the box yet. But they opened it for me. It was very emotional for them. His Purple Heart medal was in there.”

Cortes was delighted to find out that George was one of the veterans selected to be in the mural.

“It’s an awesome feeling to know that my cousin is in the mural and has affected so many people,” Cortes said.

“When I walk by with somebody, I get to say, ‘Hey, that’s my cousin.’ It makes me a proud American and makes me proud of my family and my culture.”✦

Join the Segerstrom Family at our traditional Tree-Lighting Ceremony

CELEBRATE THE SEASON T H U R S D AY, NOVEMBER 15, 2018 Town Center Park at 6:30pm, adjacent to The Westin South Coast Plaza South Coast Plaza’s annual tree-lighting ceremony includes a performance

by Orange County School of the Arts. Enjoy a celebration of the holidays with snow, refreshments and a special visit from Santa.

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SALUTING OUR VETERANS

21 st A nnuAl V eterAns D Ay P ArADe

Signal Tribune

A Salute to Those Who Served

November 11, 2017

November 9, 2018

The Long Long Beach V The T

his mural is a tribute to Long Beach veterans in the U.S. armed services. It is painted on the side of a building facing Houghton Park, in north Long Beach on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Harding Street. It is directly across the street from a Vietnam veterans memorial in the park. This intersection is the starting and finishing point for Long Beach’s annual Veterans Day Parade and is a fitting location to honor Long Beach veterans.

The mural depicts historical images of Long Beach veterans of many conflicts, from the Civil War through Iraq, as well as medals honoring veterans for bravery and service. These images are arrayed against a patriotic banner flowing the length of the wall.

T

his image is of three servicemen on their base in Korea during the Korean War. The soldier in the center is the uncle of one of the veterans who helped with the planning and research of the mural. This image is flanked by two medals awarded to U.S. servicemen for serving in Vietnam.

T

his historical image (right) is of a military band of Civil War veterans. The writing on the bass drum reads “Long Beach Calif.

G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) Martial band.” It is painted from a historical photo taken some time after the Civil War.

O

n the left is the USS Long Beach, a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser. Long Beach has a long history as the site of a large Navy Base, now closed, and the city is home to many Navy veterans. On the right is a portrait of Aaron Herrington, who was a Tuskegee Airman and Long Beach resident. The Tuskegee Airmen were a squadron of AfricanAmerican pilots who performed heroically and very successfully in Europe during WWII, escorting U.S. bombers and in aerial combat with enemy fighters. They never lost a bomber.

Photos courtesy ArtMortimer.com