grunion gazette 11-3-11

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VOL. 34 NO. 44 NOVEMBER 3, 2011 Follow us on

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MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS DRIVE ................ Page 5A

BUG THREATENS CITRUS TREES ................. 1A

IT’S WILSON VS. POLY FRIDAY .................. Page 1B

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS SUNDAY. TURN CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR.

A PINCH OF SALT ........................... Page 2A

MUSICAL NOTES ............................ Page 29A

EYE ON ART .................................. Page 27A

ON WITH THE SHOW ..................... Page 28A

PROFILES IN DINING ....................... Page 18ACO

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By Ashleigh OldlandEDITOR

To cope with the grief of los-ing her daughter, Rachel Llanos set out on a mission to help other parents and children receiving care at Miller Children’s Hospital of Long Beach. It’s been just more than a year since Llanos founded Quarters for Quality, a drive for spare change that is donated to Miller Children’s Pediatric Supportive/Palliative Care Program. Llanos said the collected quarters have added up to about $15,000 and garnered attention for the hospital and helped secure separate grant money for palliative care. From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. next Thursday, Nov. 10, Llanos will be hosting the second annual Quar-ters for Quality benefi t at Miller Children’s Hospital. The event is open to the public, and Llanos said it is a chance for the com-

munity to donate to the cause, learn about palliative care, meet some of the patients and staff at the hospital and have some fun. There will be face painting, mu-sic, refreshments, arts and crafts and a large coin collection bin at the event. “I want people to understand there is more to do to support kids who have chronic diseases,” Llanos said. “We will have a gi-ant can in the conference room and people are going to come in a dump quarters inside so they can hear the clinking and see it fi ll up… We’ve had many commu-nity groups, schools, businesses, helping collect quarters, and they

are going to be here, and I am so grateful for their support.” Llanos’ daughter, Kellie, passed away on April 13, 2010. She was 5 years old, just a few days shy of her sixth birthday, and from birth had suffered from a chronic ill-ness called Trisomy 13 — a chro-mosomal abnormality that led to her death. Kellie had been in and out of the hospital for most of her whole, short life, and in her fi nal few months, Llanos said pallia-tive care allowed her daughter to live comfortably in the family’s home, surrounded by her mother, father and older brother.

Mom Collects Quarters In Memory

—Gazette photo by Harry SaltzgaverThis toddler, dressed as a lion, was part of Sunday’s children’s costume contest that preceded the Howl’oween Dog Parade down the red carpet on Park Avenue.

WHY ARE YOU STARING?

(Continued on Page 34A)

By Harry SaltzgaverEXECUTIVE EDITOR

Legacy Partners, owner of the World Trade Center, has invoked its right to ex-tend its due diligence period with the Port of Long Beach by 15 days for the potential sale of the building. Commissioners and port management have been working for more than a year to fi nd a new headquarters to replace the aging administrative building on port land. That building has been deemed vulnerable to earthquakes, and port staff has outgrown the space available, with some staff work-ing in modular buildings in the parking lot. At fi rst, the port had plans to build a new headquarters across the street from the current building. But Mayor Bob Foster vetoed that plan in the fi scal 2011 budget process, saying it was too expensive. At the end of August, port offi cials had entered escrow to buy the 27-story offi ce building and move its headquarters there. However, on Oct. 10 the Harbor Commis-sion deadlocked 2-2 over continuing to pursue the purchase, with Commissioners Rich Dines and Doug Drummond arguing against the plan. The tie vote came after Susan Wise, commission chair, recused herself from

Port, WTCDeal StillUp In Air

—Gazette photo by Harry SaltzgaverThis entry, called Prairie Dogs, carried two of more than 600 dogs that were part of the record-breaking Howl’oween Dog Parade on Sunday in Belmont Shore. The event was put on by Justin Rudd’s Community Action Team.

THAT’S HOW WE ROLL

By Jonathan Van DykeSTAFF WRITER

One of three potential sites for the El Do-rado Dog Park continues to come under fi re from stakeholders in the area — and that increasing contingent will be pushing for a different location. There are three potential spots that will go before the Parks and Recreation Com-mission on Nov. 10: An area called the

Azteca maintenance yard, an area north of Spring Street and south of Horseshoe Lake and an area north of the archery range. Groups representing the El Dorado Na-ture Center, El Dorado Audubon Society and, most recently, the Community Gardens have come out against placing a dog park at the Azteca site — the spot has boundaries right next to the gardens and nature center. “We don’t object to a dog park at El Do-

rado — not in the least,” said Joan Criswell, board member for the community gardens. “We object to the Azteca site.” She said that it is very likely that there will be runoff from the dog park that will go straight into the community gardens — contaminating the soil from feces and urine left by the dogs. “We fl ood every time when it rains,” she

Groups Growling Over Dog Park Location

(Continued on Page 35A) (Continued on Page 35A)

A | GRUNION GAZETTE | November 3, 2011

By Stephanie MinasianSTAFF WRITER

Keeping residents fi t and healthy is the stated mission of the YMCA of Greater Long Beach, and the organization is continu-ing to put forward new programs and fi tness tool kits, thanks to a large continuation grant it recent-ly received. YMCA has strived to make ad-ditional high-impact environmen-tal and policy changes in the city since 2009, when it began partici-pating in the Pioneering Healthier

Communities Initiatives, offi cials here said. The initiatives focused on giving residents the opportu-nity to change their lifestyles for the better, according to Melissa Wheeler, Healthy Communities director of the YMCA of Long Beach. “The YMCA of the USA re-ceived this large grant from the center, and it was distributed amongst 30 YMCAs, and we were one of them,” Wheeler said. “We received $20,000, and started working toward policy changes

and infrastructure changes with this.” The $20,000 grant is currently going towards the construction of walking loops in fi ve parks across the city, including Heartwell, Scherer, Whaley, Wrigley and Drake parks. Each walking loop will be marked with signs and mileage, and allow residents to have a meeting place to socialize, in addition to a trail to walk or jog along. Wheeler said the YMCA of Long Beach, and other organiza-tions working on this project, par-ticipated in community events to discover what changes and new additions residents wanted to see take place in their neighbor-hoods. “We wanted to try to get input from residents,” she added. “We heard nothing but great responses and recommendations from the community. The walking loop trails will lead into residential and business districts, as well, which will help to promote more community engagement.” Wheeler said the county’s RENEW program has provided grant funding for the Long Beach Health Department to work alongside the Long Beach Alli-ance for Food and Fitness and the YMCA to encourage better eat-ing habits by removing any and all unhealthy snacks in city de-partment vending machines, and place more drinking fountains in more public areas. “This will take out all of the sugared and sweetened bever-ages, along with things that carry trans fats exceeding a specifi c level,” she said. Rethink Your Drink is a project that aims to provide fresh water to the public throughout the city, and will start with the Long Beach Unifi ed School District, Wheeler said. “This project will make drink-ing water more readily available,” Wheeler added. “We are starting with the school district, and plan on making drinking fountains more accessible, placing more water bottles in vending machines or maybe providing reusable wa-ter bottles to the students.” For additional information about all of the YMCA’s healthy initiatives and projects, visit the fi tness organization’s website at www.ymca.net/healthier-com-munities.

Grant Helps YMCA’s New Programs

November 3, 2011 | GRUNION GAZETTE | PAGE 5A

Both sides of the proposed Second+PCH development will be present at the next meeting of the Belmont Shore Residents Association at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Bay Shore Li-brary, 195 Bay Shore Ave. David Malmuth, Second+PCH developer, and Heather Altman, environmental specialist, will speak about the project and an-

swer any questions. Michael Beckman, the new Long Beach Police Department East Division Commander, also has been invited. There also will be a status re-port on the BSRA’s Tree Planting Initiative. For more information about the group, visit www.shoreresidents.com.

Second, PCH Discussed At BSRA

By Harry SaltzgaverExECuTIvE EDIToR

Just as the fall season wrapped up for Long Beach middle school sports, a campaign has begun to raise the money to keep the pro-gram alive for another year. Middle school sports was one of the victims last March, when the Long Beach unified School District board was forced to cut nearly $60 million from its 2011-2012 budget. When a coalition of coaches and parents went to Su-perintendent Chris Steinhauser to ask what could be done to save the team sports, the superinten-dent offered to match what the group could raise. To keep all of the middle school sports alive, it would cost $380,000, he said. “The community did just an outstanding job last year,” Stein-hauser said Tuesday. “They stepped up right away. You can see how much they care by how they rallied around, not just the championship games (see story, Page 8B), but the regular games, too. This program doesn’t just teach sports, it teaches important life lessons. It’s just so impressive to see how everybody has rallied around this cause.” The necessary $190,000 was raised in less than nine months through the Long Beach Edu-cation Foundation. First Lady Nancy Foster became an ardent supporter, and brought in a num-ber of large donations, including $40,000 from one private philan-thropist, another $40,000 from AES Alamitos (the power plant people) and $20,000 from British Petroleum. “The rest was raised through

grassroots support,” said Judy Seal, executive director of the Education Foundation. “It was everything from fundraisers to in-dividual donations online.” Almost literally the day after that first $190,000 was raised and the 2011-2012 sports season guaranteed, work began to raise the money to finance the 2012-2013 season. Steinhauser had said that the fundraising would be nec-essary for two years, and nothing has changed to alleviate that need, Seal added. But this year, there is time to take a more measured approach, according to Mike Murray, vice president of the foundation board in charge of programs and fund development. And there is some new blood in the effort in the person of Damon Dunn, a busi-nessman and former pro football player who already had partnered with the school district to cre-ate the Future Business Leaders Academy. “We’ve formed the Save our (Middle School) Sports Commit-tee,” Murray said. “Nancy Foster and Damon Dunn have agreed to serve as co-chairs. We’re already planning an event Feb. 8 where we’ll have Ty Willingham, Ron-nie Lott and Damon on a panel talking about the importance of youth sports… We’re looking to mirror last year’s campaign. It’s a community-wide effort.” Seal said that more than 3,000 children participate in middle school sports. She said that there are many other efforts trying to restore other programs — the campaign to find instruments for music programs being prominent

right now — but that the middle school sports program is an im-portant one. Murray said more information about the February event will be

available as the date gets closer. In the meantime, people can do-nate directly to the Save our Mid-dle School Sports fund at www.lbschools.net/foundation.

Middle School Sports In Second Round “This program doesn’t just teach sports, it

teaches important life lessons.”

—Chris Steinhauser

SleepCenter“The Mattress Specialists”

SleepCenter“The Mattress Specialists”

a | gRUNION gaZeTTe | November 3, 2011

By Ashleigh OldlandEditor

the lights may go out — at least partially — on a Long Beach holiday tradition.

Long Beach’s Parks, recreation and Marine department this year cut some funding for the float-ing wooden pyramids that light up around thanksgiving every

year — the vast majority of the trees in the Bay will remain, but the trees that normally float in the duck pond off Willow Street and Studebaker road as well as the

ones in the pond at Heartwell Park off Carson Street didn’t make the cut. John Keisler, business opera-tions manager for Long Beach Parks, recreation and Marine, said his department’s mainte-nance budget has been paying for the pond trees at El dorado and Heartwell parks, but could no longer sustain the cost. “over the past few years, the department has been forced to make significant cuts, or find al-ternative ways to fund non-essen-tial programming,” Keisler said. Fifth district Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske said Christmas just won’t be the same without the trees on the east side of Long Beach, so she is organizing a $2,000 fund-raising effort to get the four trees on the chopping block turned on by thanksgiv-ing. “We usually display two on the pond on Willow (Street) and two in the pond at Heartwell Park,” she said. “if we want to have them this year we will have to raise money for it… these decorations have been in the east side of Long Beach for years, and the people on the east side of the city want the same Christmas and celebra-tion as Alamitos Bay.” Schipske said many of her resi-dents look forward to seeing the trees floating on the water each year, adding that the tradition is a unique part of Long Beach cul-ture. “At night, it is really stunning to see them there,” she said. “We know these are tough budget times, but i am hopeful people will step up and raise the money in the next two weeks.” the vast majority of the trees on the Bay dot the Alamitos Bay from the tip of the Peninsula up to Appian Way. other trees have tra-ditionally been placed in El dora-do and Heartwell parks, rainbow Lagoon and rainbow Harbor. there’s also one on the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier and at the Station 34 lifeguard station.

trees on the Bay is a tradition that began in Long Beach when resident don May decided in 1949 to send a traditional Christ-mas tree floating out into the bay on a raft. By 1953, the live tree was replaced with a wooden frame, stabilizing the lights. today, there are more than 60 floating installations used each year. Each tree costs $1,750, in-cluding lights, storage, installa-tion and removal. At first, the city footed the bill for the program. But by the mid-1970s, a group called the trees in the Bay Committee formed to keep the trees in the upper bay lit; and the Alamitos Bay Beach Preservation Group as well as the Peninsula neighborhood group jumped in later to have the trees stretch down to the bay beach. Several other community groups — including neighborhood asso-ciations, the Convention & Visi-tors Bureau and downtown Long Beach Associates — also contin-ue to help defray the cost of the lights. Keisler said Parks, recreation and Marine needs help to pay for the placement and maintenance of the trees in the duck pond at Wil-low Street and Studebaker road as well as the trees at Heartwell Park off Carson Street — the units are lit at dusk and stay on through New Year’s day. He said the Fifth district Council office is spearheading the fund-raising effort. to donate money to maintain trees, send a check to Partners of Parks at 1760 N. Studebaker rd. Long Beach, CA 90815. indi-cate the check is for “El dorado Christmas Lights.” or, call 570-3209 for more information about how to contribute to the cause.

Fifth District Fights For Floating Trees “People on the east side of the city want the same Christmas and celebrations as

Alamitos Bay.”—Gerrie Schipske


Wine BLAST 2011 takes place from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 9 on the 14th floor suite of Keesal, Young and Logan, 400 Ocean-gate. The evening includes live and silent auctions, hors d’oeuvres and of course, wine tasting. Tickets are $60 in advance and $70 at the door. Visit www.lb-blast.org. BLAST (Better Learning for All Students Today) helps at-risk students through collabora-tion and innovative approaches to mentoring and learning.

Wine Blast 2011Next Wednesday

By Jonathan Van DykeSTAff WriTer

Percussion and peace will in-tertwine at Promenade Park this weekend. Organizers of the Peace & rhythm: Community Drum Cir-cle event said they are seeking to rally residents around the ideas of peace and community — using the arts. The idea originally was to have a free concert sponsored by a grant from the Los Angeles Arts Commission that was given to the Arts Council for Long Beach, said eric Leocadio, executive director of event partner Catalyst Network for Communities. “Then together, we decided to create more of a community ex-perience,” he said. “it’s still a free concert, but we’ve tried to build some things around it to make it more of a gathering.”

The centerpiece of the event will be a performance by female percussion group Adaawe. “They’re an international and diverse group of seven women,” Leocadio said. “Their style of drumming is djembe. Adaawe is a word from Ghana, Africa, and it is a word that talks about women singing at night about the joys and sorrows of life. “They are a world-class drum-ming group that has performed alongside great musicians, so they should be pretty entertaining.”

Peace Mother Geeta Sacred Song, who is a Mayan peace sha-man, will open the event with a community blessing. The Sirena Serpentina fire-dancing troupe also will be performing. To augment the music and dance, there will be live painting by Tinderbox, drum making and arts and crafts by the Long Beach Depot for Creative reuse and desserts and drinks from Sistah’s Soul food. “The idea is to come together as a community to promote peace

and to take more of a pro-peace stance against things like bully-ing in schools, discrimination and domestic violence — and other issues like that,” Leocadio said.

Peaceful Drum Circle Invites Community WHAT: Peace & RhythmWHEN: 4-7 p.m., Satur-day, Nov. 5WHERE: Promenade Park (near The Prom-enade and First Street)COST: Free


The first public meeting about a plan to restore the Los Cerritos Wetlands will take place next week in Seal Beach. A joint powers group, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority, holds title to some of the wet-lands and has contracted for the conceptual restoration plan. That plan will not include the portion of the wetlands still in private hands — Studebaker Properties, LLC in Long Beach, however. “We’re working to obtain ac-cess to that private property, but we do not have access at this time,” said Mark Persico of the city of Seal Beach and a member of the LCWA. “So we will con-centrate on the property already in the LCWA hands in Seal Beach and the parcel now owned by the

city of Long Beach (behind the Marketplace shopping center).” Much of the money for the study comes from the Los Ange-les and Lower San Gabriel Riv-ers and Mountains Conservancy. The engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol has won the consulting contract and will facilitate the workshop, scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. next Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Seal Beach Senior Center, 707 Electric Ave. This will be the first of six planned public meetings to both explain the process and get pub-lic feedback about the restoration plan components. Representa-tives from Moffatt & Nichol, subcontractors and the Wetlands Authority will be at the meeting. Visit www.lcwetlands.org.

Los Cerritos Wetlands Meeting

—Gazette photo by Geronimo QuitorianoLa Strada restaurant owner Lisa Ramelow, dressed as Marilyn Monroe, rappels down the Hyatt Regency Saturday for Over the Edge to raise money for Special Olympics Southern California.

HANG ON


—Photo courtesy of Allyson NoelSTANDING TOGETHER. The Noel family poses in front of their Christmas tree last year. Elizabeth is to the left of Kaitlin.

By Jonathan Van DykeStaff Writer

the burden of continual illness can test just about any family, but it also brings out the best in people, said allyson Noel. about 10 years ago, allyson and her husband Walter Noel welcomed a pair of identical girl twins into the world: elizabeth and Kaitlin. Since then, there have been complications and hospital bills have piled up, she said, as well as good memories. from 5 to 10 p.m. next Mon-day, Nov. 7, at Michael’s On Naples ristorante (5620 Second St.), the community will rally around the family and enjoy food and refreshments to help raise some money for the Noel family. allyson and Walter had the twins on the one-year anniversa-ry of their marriage. it was a joy-ous time, allyson said, but about a week later they noticed that the girls were acting sick. Doctors diagnosed the twins with GerD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) — a disease where the acid and contents of one’s stomach do not stay down. a procedure called nissen fundoplication was performed on each girl when they were 4 months old. the procedure helps control the internal give and take between the stomach and the esophagus, allyson said, and eventually the child is supposed to grow out of the disease. the procedure gave relief to Kaitlin, but elizabeth still strug-gled and since then has required more surgeries during the course of her 10-year life, allyson said. additionally, she has developed complications with her platelets

and white blood cell counts that have depleted her immune sys-tem and she was diagnosed this year with clostridium difficile. “She’s only attended four days (of school this year) and those four days she hasn’t lasted the entire time,” allyson said. “She wants so badly to go.” elizabeth is receiving the care of Long Beach and UCLa doc-tors, who are working to help her, allyson said. those trips are get-ting expensive, though — medi-cine for 10 days can cost $360. allyson said she and her family very much appreciate the support from their friends and the owners of Michael’s. During the evening event, 50% of the proceeds from pizzettes, beer and wine will be donated to the Noels. the family and those around them have been very inspired by elizabeth, allyson said. “She’s very social and misses her friends terribly,” she said. “She is just so strong, patient and tolerant of all of this. But she’s ready for this to be over.” allyson said elizabeth loves fashion and music, and her big-gest passion is ballet, which she had practiced since she was 4. “Her sister Kaitlin is very sup-portive,” allyson said. “they’re in the same class and she brings back her homework.” the twins also have a 5-year-old brother named Jackson. ally-son said the family is used to try-ing to help others, so it is odd to have the shoe on the other foot. “it’s kind of hard to be on the receiving end, but it is needed,” she said. “We appreciate it, and even more than the money, it’s nice to see how people care.”

Restaurant Reaches OutFor Suffering Youngster


—Gazette photo by Geronimo QuitorianoA zombie couple lurches along the streets of downtown Long Beach during Saturday’s Zombie Walk Street and Music Fest.

ZOMBIE LANDBy Stephanie Minasian

Staff Writer

When Sherri Gonser was laid off from her teaching job in June, she said it was like going through a divorce. “even though i’ve never been divorced, i assume this is what it would feel like,” she said. “it felt like a hard kick in the stomach.” after eight years of teaching middle school in the Long Beach Unified School District, she was let go of her fifth grade teaching position at Longfellow elementa-ry School. But, things are looking up for Gosner and more than 50 other former LBUSD teachers, who are spending the next several

months in a no-cost, single-sub-ject credential program offered by California State University, Long Beach. the former teachers will be able to take their exams and earn their credentials in foundation-level math and general science through CSULB, which will make them more diverse in their capabilities and become more employable to school districts. “first off, it gives me a bet-ter solid foundation for teaching my elementary science,” Gosner said. “Secondly, it now allows me to teach middle school classes. right now, i can teach up to sixth grade, but this will allow me to teach up to eighth grade. it gives me additional certification and credentials that makes me more marketable.” Designed by CSULB faculty from the College of Natural Sci-ences and Mathematics, the pro-gram is being covered through grants to the university, in addi-tion to CSULB’s Mathematics and Science teacher initiative funding and support from the Pa-cific Gateway Workforce invest-ment Network. “teachers who complete the courses and already have a mul-tiple or single-subject credential in a different subject will have a secondary credential that au-thorizes them to teach a range of areas inside their subject, such as algebra and geometry or intro-ductory life science and physical science,” said Jeet Joshee, dean of the College of Continuing and

Professional education. Karen Hardy, who taught fifth grade at Dooley elementary School, also was one of the many teachers to lose their jobs this year. She said she also is looking forward to the new opportuni-ties that might greet her next fall, when she vies for a new position in the district. “By becoming credentialed in other areas, it will put us on a sec-ond rehire list,” Hardy said. “So, we can also be rehired to a middle school. it just gives us more op-portunities to find a job.” the program is comprised of four three-unit, upper-division undergraduate classes. three of the classes focus on content, and the other is centered on instruc-tional methods at the middle and high school levels. Students will participate in field experiences, which will supple-ment the methods course and en-gage them in teaching with K-12 students in whole-group, small-group and individual learning settings, CSULB officials said. all of the students for the program were placed into either math or science, based on a lot-tery draw. Both Gosner and Har-dy were picked for the science program, which they say is what they were hoping to get. “i love science much more than i love math,” Gosner said. “and, our professor is phenomenal.” the group meets twice a week. CSULB is planning to bring an-other cohort of former teachers to take part in the spring program.

Laid-Off Teachers Go To Class


By Ashleigh OldlandEDITOR

If you are a homeowner in Southern California, it’s more than likely you have a citrus tree fl ourishing in your backyard. But the health of California’s fruit trees is in danger, say experts from the Citrus Research Board. A tiny pest, called the Asian citrus psyllid, is what’s threaten-ing fruit trees in the Long Beach area as well as other parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties, as well as San Diego, said Citrus Re-search Board President Ted Bat-kin. Psyllids can be carriers of a fatal tree disease called Huang-longbing (HLB), which destroys the taste of the citrus fruit and juice and eventually kills the tree. There is no cure for HLB. While no psyllids in California have been found to carry the dis-ease, Batkin said it might only be a matter of time before the disease reaches California. Already, he said HLB is a devastating prob-lem in areas such as Asia, India and Mexico as well as inside the United States in places such as Louisiana, South Carolina, Geor-gia and Florida. Psyllids preceded the arrival of HLB in those areas. “In Florida, they have both the pest and the (HLB) bacteria, and the pest came fi rst,” Batkin said. “Florida homeowners and even some commercial fruit growers are losing 10-15% of their trees per year.” He said the best way Califor-nians can protect their backyard citrus is to inspect for the pests. “We want to encourage home-owners to do their part and in-

spect for the pest before it’s too late,” he said. “There’s no way to prevent them, just like aphids on rose bushes, but you can treat for them and lower the probability (of HLB) and try to prevent the HLB bacteria from getting in and spreading.” If the pysllid population is al-lowed to grow, Batkin said the likelihood and severity of an HLB problem increases. “We are trying to lower the populations of the psyllids, to lower the chances of HLB,” he said. “This is a very serious prob-lem, if you care about orange, lemons, grapefruits, limes and other fruits.” Currently, treatment of the pest is happening throughout Los An-geles by the California Depart-

ment of Food and Agriculture. Residents can volunteer to help control and contain the spread of the pests by placing yellow sticky traps in their yards — those traps will be examined by food and ag-riculture offi cials. “By cooperating to allow a trap to be placed on a tree or allow for treating of psyllids, residents are helping to not only protect their backyard citrus trees from a dis-ease that kills trees, but they are also helping protect their neigh-bor’s trees,” Batkin said. “Because this pest can travel easily, it’s im-portant that the entire community step up to fi ght against this pest.” The Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program is offering the following tips to California homeowners concerned about

their citrus plants: inspect your citrus trees each month, or when-ever tending to the trees; plant only certifi ed, disease-free trees from reputable nurseries; do not bring any plant material into Cali-fornia from other states or coun-tries; do not move citrus plants out of quarantined areas; and dry or double bag plant clippings be-fore putting them in green waste recycle bins. For more information, or to re-

port a psyllid fi nding, Batkin said it is important to report the prob-lem quickly. Call (800) 491-1899 or 575-5451. Detailed descriptions and pho-tographs of the psyllids (in each of their life cycles) are available online at the website www.cali-forniacitrusthreat.org. The website also includes a map that shows where psyllids have been found in Southern Cal-ifornia in the past several years.

Tiny Pests Threaten California’s Citrus Trees

70%OffUp to ON OUR FINEST HAND

MADE QUALITY RUGS


Geophysical surveying and the development at Second+PCH will be discussed at the next meeting of the Belmont Heights Community Association starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, at the Belmont Heights Methodist Church, 317 Termino Ave. Signal Hill Petroleum will give a brief presentation on their survey process and what kind of information their booming trucks uncover. Third District Councilman Gary DeLong will be on hand to discuss proposed redevelopment of the SeaPort Marina Hotel as Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway, and listen to residents’ comments about the project. For more information, call 438-4687 or visit www.mybel-montheights.org.

BHCA Looks AtSecond, PCH By Jonathan Van Dyke

STAFF WriTer

One of Long Beach’s worst rated waterways continues to re-ceive good news after a Tuesday City Council vote. The council approved another part of Phase 1, Part 2, of a full-scale restoration of the Colorado Lagoon — which during the last decade had consistently been labeled for having some of the worst water quality in the state by environmental watchdog Heal the Bay (a report this summer showed marked improvement). “The first part (of Phase 1) was about water quality improvement, and the second part is for sedi-ment improvement,” said eric Lopez, who is the manager of the Tidelands Capital Project Pro-gram. “There are contaminants that need to be removed through-

out the Colorado Lagoon.” Water quality has been im-proved in the Colorado Lagoon during the last year by diverting or closing off different storm drains that emptied into it — along with the installation of trash-separating devices and diversion systems. About three feet of sedi-ment also was removed from the culvert connecting the lagoon and Marine Stadium. Now, sediment at the bottom of the lagoon needs to be removed and treated, Lopez said. That sed-iment has been divided into three parts — the western arm, central basin and northern arm. The City Council approved about $3.986 million for dredging the western arm on Tuesday. right now, the council only voted on the western arm because that is what money is available through grants — $700,000 from the State Coastal Conservancy through a partnership with the

National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, $1.1 million from the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles rivers and Moun-tains Conservancy, $1.8 million from the State Water resourc-es Control Board and another $300,000 from the State Coastal Conservancy. There will be no impact to the city’s general fund. The contract was awarded to AiS Construction Company, and it is expected to generate about 90 direct and indirect construction-related jobs. Pre-construction and a treat-ment demonstration should begin soon — with neighborhood in-troductions occurring within two or three weeks, Lopez said. The process will involve removing 20,000 cubic yards of sediment. “The process is to dredge the material in the wet, place it on a protective platform where it would get partially de-watered and then treat it to stabilize the

contaminants,” Lopez said. “The main contaminant of concern is lead.” Once the sediment material is treated, it will be transported to a specially confined disposal spot at the Port of Long Beach. Of-ficials said they expect the treat-ment process for the western arm to be completed by the end of June 2012. There is $3.3 million set aside from the State Water Board to use on dredging the central basin and northern arm. it likely will take an additional $2 or $3 million to complete that dredging, Lopez said, and the City Council has authorized city management to continue to look for funding. Of-ficials have begun to reach out to the Los Angeles County Depart-ment of Public Works and Cali-fornia Department of Transporta-tions as possible contributors. re-vegetation efforts will begin after the dredging, Lopez said.

City Okays More Colorado Lagoon Cleanup


By Stephanie MinasianStaff Writer

after learning about Khmer Girls in action (KGa) from her friends at school, Poly High School junior amanda em decid-ed to spend her afternoons volun-teering with the nonprofit group, which empowers young women of Southeast asian decent. em is now in her third year with KGa, and says she has learned how to address the issues facing her peers at school and across the community. “We take action,” em said. “We coordinate and get things ready for events, and do analysis of the details we collect on issues. We decide what we can do to fix these issues.” KGa focuses on leadership development for its high school girls, who learn how to channel their well-being in a holistic man-ner, according to program coor-dinator Justine Calma, who said one of the main goals of KGa is to develop sisterhood and healthy relationships. “i see the struggles these girls deal with every day,” Calma said. “a lot of them worry about how to make more money to help their families with rent, or translate for their parents to housing officials — at only 14 years old, some-times. What if they didn’t have to worry about this?” each year, girls can move up into the program, and receive community organizing skills, Calma added, which allows them to head out into the city to evoke the positive changes they wish to see manifest. in the past year, the members of KGa teamed up with Univer-

sity of California, Los angeles, to conduct and analyze a survey of 500 of their peers to discover the issues that affect the quality of life for the young people in Long Beach. “We found that nearly all youth in Long Beach were dealing with similar things,” she said.

the survey showed that nearly half of the youth displayed symp-toms of depression, including the feeling of loneliness, fear and in-somnia. She added that they dis-covered 54% of the Cambodian youth in the survey felt that their peers dealt with issues of discrim-ination in finding jobs, education

and language access. “We see our youth as leaders and change makers,” Calma said. “a lot of the decisions around schools and youth policies are not made by our youth. We want them to be at the center of deci-sion-making. there needs to be opportunities and resources for their empowerment.” after learning the results of the survey, KGa developed a new program called Youth at the C.O.r.e. (Creating Opportunities and resources for empowerment) to allow adults and community leaders to include, and stand with, its youth. “Wellness is our platform,” Calma added. “When we build

leaders, we take a holistic ap-proach. We want them to succeed personally and academically, be strong leaders and educate them on their own level.” to continue their outreach ef-forts for change, KGa is hosting an informational hearing from 3 to 6 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Commu-nity Center in Martin Luther King Jr. Park. the asian & Pacific is-lander Legislative Caucus and the White House initiative for asian americans and Pacific islanders are sponsors of the hearing. “it’s really important to us,” em said. “these issues affect ev-eryone — we all go through the same problems.” for more, visit www.kgalb.org.

Khmer Girls In Action Fight For Youth Rights

–Photo courtesy of KGASTANDING TOGETHER. KGA youth organizers lead a small group discussion during a community listening session.

Dedicated to the memory and spirit of a pioneering animal advocate: Helen Sanders


The Long Beach Mozart Festi-val will host its 40th annual Sun-day Brunch along with a concerto competition beginning at 1 p.m. this Sunday, Nov. 6, at the Uni-tarian Universalist Church (5450 Atherton St.). The Concert Competition Fi-nals Recital will begin at 2 p.m. and is free. A $30 donation is suggested. Make reservations by calling 498-1346. The Long Beach Mozart Fes-

tival is a volunteer collaboration of California State University, Long Beach, First Congregation Church of Long Beach, Cove-nant Presbyterian Church and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach. The festival pro-vides scholarships and other op-portunities to gifted young vocal-ists and musicians as well as free music events for the community. Visit www.longbeachmozart-festival.org.

Mozart Festival Hosts 40th Brunch

By Stephanie MinasianSTAFF WRiTeR

Led by the music of 15 march-ing bands, Long Beach will rally in the streets of North Long Beach to thank its men and women who have served in the armed forces Saturday, during the annual Vet-erans Day Parade. This year’s parade — the 15th annual — will be at least one-third larger than last year, accord-ing to event coordinator Martha Thuente, who said she is thrilled about all of the interest in the pa-rade this year. “We can’t figure out why there is so much excitement this year, but we love it,” Thuente said. “There is a great deal of interest, and we are very happy to have all of the people come out to sup-port.” More than 15,000 people were estimated at last year’s parade, and organizers are anticipating a large turnout Saturday, as well. The parade will commence at 10 a.m., on the corner of Hard-ing Street and Atlantic Avenue. it then will head south on Atlantic Avenue, make a U-turn at 59th Street and and head back north to

Harding Street before it disbands at the corner of Houghton Park. Before and after the street pa-rade, there will be live music, food and vendors for the public at Houghton Park. Vendors include city departments, veterans groups and crafts and gifts for sale. “There will be musical enter-tainment before and after the pa-rade,” Thuente said. “There will be everything from merchants selling products and services, lots of city departments, who will be passing out information about programs available through the city.” A ceremony to honor this year’s grand marshal, Brigadier General Roger W. Teague, who is vice commander of the Los Angeles Air Force Base and works in the space and missile systems divi-

sion, will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the park. “This is to honor veterans,” said former Ninth District City Coun-cilman Val Lerch, who serves as chair of the parade. “This is a celebration. Memorial Day is to remember those lost, but Veterans Day is a celebration of the service of the men and women who do-nated their time and efforts to this nation. it’s a time when we need

to say thank you for the very fact that we can go out on the street on a Saturday to cheer and watch bands.” Musical acts include Rock for Vets, a music therapy program for military veterans to participate in as a way to heal after serving their duties, Lerch said. There also will be music from bluegrass and folk bands performing at the park. “They sang for us last year, and

this year, i heard they will be in a flat-bed truck and perform along the parade route too,” he said. Parking for the event will be available along the side streets to the east and west of Atlantic, between Artesia Boulevard and South Street. Parade-goers also may park in the designated lots along Atlantic, which are acces-sible from Lime or Linden av-enues.

Veterans Day Parade Takes Long Beach StreetsWHAT: Veterans Day ParadeWHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5WHERE: Atlantic Avenue and Harding StreetCOST: Free


By Harry SaltzgaverExEcutivE Editor

open it, and they will come — especially if they are performing artists eager to ply their craft in front of an audience. that’s what happened when the Long Beach Playhouse decided to cut back the number of its own productions on the Studio the-atre stage, then decided to offer the space to other theater compa-nies and producers. the response was almost overwhelming, said Andrew vonderschmitt, the Play-house’s artistic director.

“the collaborative is some-thing i’ve wanted to do for a long time,” vonderschmitt said. “But pretty much as soon as word got out, they were busting down the doors. it was booked in less than two weeks.” For years, the Playhouse pro-duced eight shows on its Main-stage downstairs and another eight on the Studio stage upstairs. that meant that there was theater pretty much all the time at the Anaheim Street landmark, and the Playhouse crew never took a break.

“We’d go from closing one season one weekend to opening the next season the next weekend,” vonderschmitt said. “it was tough.” So vonderschmitt and Lauren Morris, the managing director who left that post this week, con-vinced the community theater’s board to pare back the schedule and allow more focus on the plays that were produced. the Main-stage season went from eight to seven plays, and the Studio sea-son was cut to five plays. “that left the Studio essentially dark for five months,” vonder-

schmitt said. “that opened the door to creating the collabora-tive.” the series, officially called the collaborative in the Studio the-atre, includes eight productions from seven different companies. two theater troupes — the new Long Beach repertory theatre and the older, itinerant Alive the-atre — are mounting plays that run for three weekends, while other shows are one-weekend productions. Long Beach repertory will open the new series on Nov. 11 with “talking With …,” a series of 10 monologues written by Jane Martin. Fred Ponzlov, an experi-enced actor, producer and teacher, said the collaborative offered the perfect way for his group to pres-ent its work to the public for the first time. “We’ve been looking for a per-manent home, but we were ready to begin,” Ponzlov said. “this is a group of professional actors who live in and around Long Beach who want to work together… our company ranges in age from 18 to 84, so we can do plays that per-haps a younger company like cal rep can’t do. And i don’t think you can ever have enough the-ater.” Ponzlov said it remains his goal to find a permanent home for his company, but that it is difficult in Long Beach to find the right mix

of performance space, location and parking. the Alive theatre, formed in 2008, likely would agree. that group has made mov-ing around a signature, perform-ing at other theaters, in the histor-ic Lafayette building (where the Long Beach Poppin’ Play Festival is being mounted now) and else-where. Alive theatre will start 2012 on the Studio stage with “orson’s Shadow,” and return at the end of February with “Boom!” by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb. comedy is the dominant theme of the other five productions, from Laughing Stock development’s improv and sketch comedy holi-day show dec. 16 and 17 to the comedy Battle royale, which ends the collaborative season April 13 and 14. All of the productions have the advantage of using the Long Beach Playhouse’s established box office for ticket sales, as well as the venue’s lobby, parking lot and other amenities. Avid theater-goers can buy season packages for all eight productions. “community has always been the focus of the Playhouse,” vonderschmitt said. “Working with the community, encouraging participation of the community, is in our mission statement. this is an extension of that.” For a schedule or for tickets, go to www.lbplayhouse.org.

THESPIANS UNITE

Playhouse Goes Collaborative


By Harry SaltzgaverExEcutivE Editor

Nurses at Long Beach Memo-rial Medical center conducted a strike authorization vote last Wednesday and thursday after contract negotiations stalled, and union officials announced last weekend that a strike has been authorized. But no strike has been called yet. the union must give the hospital a 10-day notice before a strike begins. the contract with the california Nurses Association (cNA), which represents nearly 2,000 nurses at Memorial and Memorial Miller children’s Hospital, expired on Sept. 30. Memorialcare made its last and best offer to the union on oct. 24, according to Myra Gre-gorian, vice president for human resources, but has not received a response. “We’re disappointed that they have called a strike vote,” Grego-

rian said last week. “We’re sched-uled to meet with them again Nov. 1 … we offered to meet with them every day this week and over the weekend, but they declined.” the cNA has represented nurses at Memorial for a decade, and has negotiated three previ-ous contracts. the nurses went on strike in 2002, during the union’s first negotiation on their behalf. “i’d really like to make the dis-tinction between the nurses, who are a valued part of our team, and the union,” Gregorian said. “the issue is with this third party en-tity, the union.” Negotiations on the latest con-tract began in July. A federal me-diator was called in for meetings on Sept. 29 and 30, and again for the last meeting on oct. 17. Gregorian said that Memorial-care’s last offer includes a mini-mum of a 3% salary increase, with various qualification cat-egories earning more. A range of

health care options could mean a decrease in some employees’ costs, while the maximum in-crease would be $18.28 per pay period for full family coverage. “We feel that given the uncer-tain economy, health care reform and all the rest, this is a very gen-erous offer,” Gregorian said. While compensation remains an issue, staffing concerns are the biggest problems with the con-tract, said Jared Nakawatase, a registered nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit at Miller chil-dren’s Hospital and a member of the union’s bargaining team. the issue is a practice called floating, where nurses are moved from one area in the hospital to another to cover shifts, breaks or other staffing. Nakawatase said nurses are being asked to do jobs they are inadequately trained for. “We have a disproportionate number of new, young nurses,” Nakawatase, who has been a

nurse for three years, said. “then they are being floated into units without the necessary competen-cy… it can take six months to a year to have a solid grounding in an icu, for example, and they’re sending some in who only get a four-hour orientation. they call it a just in time orientation. i call it just in time to kill someone.” Gregorian disputes that claim, saying nurses are never asked to cover a job outside of their com-petency. All staffing ratios set by

state standards are being met, she added. Gregorian said management has begun preparing should a strike occur, contracting with a replacement firm that can provide replacement nurses to continue operations at the medical center. Nakawatase said the strike au-thorization vote did not mean a strike was inevitable, and noted that the union might wait to give notice to Memorialcare that a strike is on the way.

Memorial Nurses Say Strike If No Contract


By Larry HillRESTAURANT WRITER

Utopia, 445 E. First St., 432-6888. • Hours: Open noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday. Lunch is served from noon to 4 p.m. • Location: Located in the East Village at the corner of Linden Avenue and First Street. There is street parking nearby and public lots within a short walk. • Food/Drinks: The menu is extensive. There are plenty of interesting appetizers including Garlic Shrimp, the Mediterranean Platter (kalamata olives, walnuts, Feta cheese and pita), Calamari and Fried Artichoke Hearts. Salads include the Spinach Salad, Grilled Vegetable Salad, Utopia Salad and Caesar. The Spinach, Utopia, Greek and Cae-sar can be topped with grilled chicken, shrimp or scallops if you desire. Seafood entrées include Samba Salmon (pan sautéed salmon with

Brazilian raspberry samba sauce over rice), Cameron Sabrosos (jumbo shrimp, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic cream sauce and pesto linguini), Salmon Diligente (pan-fi red salmon topped with creamy garlic-dill sauce), Carib-bean Scallops (scallops, shallots, capers and garlic drizzled with brandy balsamic reduction), Lin-guini Alcachofa (artichoke hearts, rosemary, brandy cream sauce with grilled shrimp) and Cajun Scallops. Meat dishes include Havana Pork (grilled pork tenderloin with wild mushrooms in a Dijon brandy sauce), Himalaya Treat (grilled lamb chops with garlic mint sauce), Beef Marsala (ten-derloin, green onions, garlic, sun-dried tomato paste, wild and domestic mushrooms sautéed in

Marsala wine), Cordero Special (grilled lamb chops with sautéed tomatoes) and Ginger Beef. Poultry dishes include Bangkok Ginger Chicken (grilled chicken breast with carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms in ginger wine sauce) and Bombay Curry. Pasta dishes include Penne Ar-rabiata, Fettuccine Alfredo and Linguine Pesto. The pasta dishes can be enhanced with grilled chicken, shrimp and scallops. Utopia also offers a lunch menu including Teriyaki Salmon with Fresh Ginger, Linguine Puttan-esca, Chicken Parmesan, Bombay Curry and Pollo Picata. • Atmosphere: The atmosphere is unique. The dining rooms fea-ture local artists. Utopia offers a warm, inviting ambiance where you can linger and relax if you

prefer. Friday and Saturday eve-nings, there is solo piano from 7 to 9 p.m. • The Taste: Jennifer and I met Maryann and Chris for an end-of-the-week dinner. We talked with Kamran for a time, refl ecting on the changes to the East Village over the years and how Utopia helped pave the way. We ordered dinner and Caesar salads all around. The salads were crisp, tangy with anchovies and

garlic, and classic in fl avor. We were all pleased. Jennifer opted for one of the eveing specials: pumpkin ravi-oli with sage butter topped with grilled chicken. It was beauti-fully presented and quite in keep-ing with the season. The grilled chicken added a nice grill fl avor to ease the rich undertone of the dish. Jennifer was very pleased with the overall effect. I opted for the Himalaya Treat: Lamb Chops with garlic mint sauce atop a lightly curried rice pilaf. Sauteed vegetables, yellow and green squash and broccoli, accompanied the dish. The lamb was done to a perfect rare and nicely fl avored. The garlic mint sauce is more a chutney and is very deftly applied so as not to cover the fresh lamb fl avor. Fan-tastic. Chris ordered the Cajun Scal-lops. He thought they were great. Large scallops were grilled and placed in a pool of rosemary cream with a dusting of Cajun spice, green onions and mush-rooms. Mashed potatoes and sauteed veggies accompanied his dinner. Maryann opted for Cameron Sabrosos: jumbo shrimp with capers and sundried tomatoes in garlic cream. It is a signature dish and quite tasty; one I’ve had on many occasions. We fi nished with a seasonal dessert of sliced pumpkin topped with melted sugar crème brulee style and vanilla ice cream. It is not overly sweet, which I enjoyed quite a bit. Utopia remains the East Village anchor and destination. It is one of our favorite Long Beach eater-ies. • Price: Lunch for two is $15 to $25. Dinner for two is $25 to $50+ with wine.

—Gazette photo by Doreen GunnessDINING DESTINATION. Utopia on First Street and Linden Av-enue is a must-visit dining destination in the East Village.

Utopia Anchors East Village Dining

2 Medium Pizzas $18.99+tax

2 Large Pizzas $21.99+tax

2 X-Large Pizzas $24.99+tax

November 3, 2011 | GRUNION GAZETTE | PAGE 19ANovember 3, 2011 | GRUNION GAZETTE | PAGE 19A

Editor’s Note: Once a month, we present an abbreviated compila-tion of restaurant listings. For a complete list of Gazette restau-rants, see the Dining Guide at www.gazettes.com.Gazette Dining Guide guidance on price: $ Thrifty; $$ Night Out; $$$ Splurge

AmericanAT LAST CAFE

204 Orange Ave.437-4837

This neighborhood cafe between Oc-an Boulevard and Broadway boasts the “Best Chef” winner from Orange Coast Magazine preparing comfort food with fresh ingredients. Open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Go to www.jmchefcatering.com for informa-tion about catering. $

BEACHWOOD BBQ131 1/2 Main St., Seal Beach

210 E. Third St.493-4500, 436-4020

Beachwood BBQ offers slow-smoked ribs, chicken, brisket, homemade sausag-es and pulled pork. The menu also fea-tures fish, salads and sandwiches. Large selection of craft beers. Delivery and catering menus available. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. $

BLACKBIRD CAFE3405 Orange Ave.

490-2473 Offering a California fresh menu for breakfast and lunch. Menu includes tra-ditional, homemade breakfast fare along with coconut French toast and peanut butter pancakes. An extensive vegetarian menu along with burgers, sandwiches, soups & chili. Coffee drinks. Open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. $

THE BULL BAR3316 E. Seventh St. (at Redondo)

433-6282 The Bull Bar has it all — plasma TVs with every NFL game, live music on weekends, 18 beers on tap, mouth-watering food menu, $1.50 tacos all day

every day. $CHUCK’S COFFEE SHOP

4120 E. Ocean Blvd.433-9317

Near Belmont Plaza Pool, Chuck’s has been locally world famous since 1964. Open for breakfast and lunch all week, Chuck offers many combination breakfasts, lean burgers, salads and sand-wiches. Home of “The Weasel.” $

CLAIRE’S AT THE MUSEUM Long Beach Museum of Art

2300 E. Ocean Blvd.439-2119

Bluff top, indoor and outdoor dining with fabulous views of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island and the Queen Mary. Serving limited breakfast and full lunch weekdays, full breakfast and lunch on weekends. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thurs-day, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat. and Sun. $

COFFEE CUP CAFE3734 E. Fourth St.

433-3292 Healthy to hearty are your options at this Fourth Street eatery. Spice up break-fast with a chicken chile verde omelette or lunch on a fresh-roasted turkey sand-wich, juicy burgers or large crispy salads. Breakfast and lunch seven days a week. $

THE CROOKED DUCK5325 E. Second St.

433-0221

A casual neighborhood grille serving

delicious comfort food. “Duck Chili,”

Biscuits & Gravy, Corned Beef Hash,

Huevos Rancheros, Burgers, Sandwiches,

and the World’s Best Meatloaf are just the

beginning. Daily Specials. Beer & Wine.

Happy Hour 3-6 p.m. Tues-Fri. Brunch

Menu Sat. & Sun. Open 8 a.m. Tues-Sun

(Closed Mondays). $-$$DALE’S DINER

5096 E. PCH 494-5118

An original ’50s diner complete with table-side jukeboxes and vintage auto seat booths. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For the whole family. Don’t miss the burgers and malts, old-fashioned oatmeal or chicken pot pie. $

DOGZ BAR & GRILL5300 E. Second St.

433-3907 The newest addition to Second Street

is home of the 20 oz. pint that is “too cold to hold” at 28 degrees. In addition to a large selection of specialty sausagez and hot dogz, they also offer a Not Dogz, Kids and Late Night Menu. Open 7 days. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon - Fri; 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Sat & Sun. $

EGGS ETC. 550 Redondo Ave. 433-9588

Offering good old-fashioned country breakfasts and lunch. Daily specials. Pa-tio dining. Open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. $



e.J. MaLLOY’S3411 e. Broadway, 433-3769; 4306 atlantic ave., 424-5000

E.J. Malloy’s is a pub with attributes of the original 1920s restaurant, along with a secluded patio surrounded by ivy-covered walls. Specialties include corn-

fed beef, chicken and fish. Breakfast served Saturdays and Sundays. Open all week for lunch, dinner. Full bar at the Atlantic location. $$

gaSLaMP6251 e. P.C.H.

596-4718 Spend your evening sipping unique martinis, savoring imaginative entrees and enjoying the sounds of local musical guests every evening. Open Tuesday thru

Sunday. Reservations, walk-ins welcome. Happy hour, banquets and special events. $$

KDB10 aquarium Way

308-7529 KDB, located at The Pike, serves the best in classic American cuisine, includ-ing gourmet pizzas and pastas, fresh salads, BBQ, hamburgers and signature entrees. kdblongbeach.com. $

KeLLY’S5716 e. Second St.

433-4983 A Long Beach favorite since 1958 where the intimate dining room compli-ments the menu of steaks, prime rib and seafood. Full bar serving all the popular martinis as well as classics. Piano bar, en-tertainment nightly. Bar opens at 4 p.m., dining room at 5 p.m. $$$

LaSHeR’S3441 e. Broadway

433-0153 The winner of numerous awards, Lasher’s is in a restored California Bun-galow. Dinner features home-style re-gional American cuisine, including grilled steaks, fresh fish and rack of lamb. Beer, wine and cocktails, patio dining avail-able. Dinner Tues.-Sun. Sunday brunch is served 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. $$-$$$

LegeNDS5236 e. Second St.

433-2723 The grand-daddy of sports bars has re-opened with the same great menu; award-winning chili, clam chowder, Buffalo wings and ribs. Now with two levels for the ultimate in sports viewing. Catering available. $

THe LOCaL SPOT 6200-B e. PCH

498-0400 From the owners of Eggs, Etc. this restaurant features a variety of burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, wraps, salads and smoothies with an emphasis on healthy food. Open for lunch, dinner 11 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. $

NaPLeS RIB COMPaNY5800 e. Second St., Naples

439-RIBS Widely known for the best Baby Back ribs in all of Long Beach. Naples Rib Company is more than just great barbe-cue. Swordfish, prime rib, choice steaks, tri-tip, sandwiches and innovative salads round out a menu that offers something for everyone. Family owned and operated for 20+ years. Offering take-out specials, banquet room up to 60 and full-service catering. Open 4 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sunday. $$

PROSPeCTOR2400 e. Seventh St.

438-3839 Since 1965 the Prospector has been serving mouth-watering USDA Prime steaks, lobster and fish. There are daily specials, a happy hour and entertainment in the lounge. Breakfast specials from $2.50. Don’t miss the end-of-the-month specials. Open 11 a.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. weekends. $$

QUeeN MaRY1126 Queens Highway

877 313-2726 With seven unique restaurant and lounge options, historic ambience and scenic location in Long Beach Harbor, the Queen Mary is the perfect place to relax and dine this summer. www.Queen-Mary.com. $$ - $$$

THe ReeF880 Harbor Scenic Dr.

435-8013 Steaks, seafood and pastas top the menu, and the view of the Long Beach skyline can’t be beat. Open for dinner and Sunday Champagne brunch. Large banquet facilities. $$

SCHOONeR OR LaTeR241 Marina Dr.

430-3495 The ultimate dockside dining experi-ence for breakfast or lunch, with great patio dining. Great food, friendly staff and exceptional ambiance. $

SHOReLINe gRILL429 H Shoreline Village

435-8835 A waterfront dining restaurant featur-ing casual Mediterranean cuisine plus your American favorites. Satisfy your hunger with a burger and fries or go for something more exotic like a garlic chicken panini. Open for breakfast daily from 7:30am to noon, lunch and dinner. Serves beer and wine. $

CalifornianBONO’S

4901 e. Second St.434-9501

Christy Bono’s eatery offers eclectic menu of international bistro fare. Serv-ing lunch & dinner every day with a full bar and stunning fiberoptic water wall. Patio dining. Happy hour 2:30-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri. www.bonoslongbeach.com. $$

FORa5730 e. Second St. Naples

856-9494 Chef and proprietor Hans Till spends

(Continued from Page 19A)

Dining Guide



much of his time selecting the best organ-ic, high quality and freshest ingredients. Combined with his vast experience and love of food and wine, you will taste a difference. Dinner Tuesday through Sun-day. $$-$$$

NICO’S5760 E. Second St., Naples

434-4479 Nico’s is one of the best fine-dining spots in Long Beach. Great bar area now made better with an amazing late-night small-plate menu. Friendly service and creative menu choices make it a local fa-vorite.. Valet parking available. $$—$$$

TAVERN ON 25110 E. Second St.

856-4000 A gastropub featuring a variety of burgers, sandwiches, salads and more made with organic, natural and sustain-able ingredients. Also features a variety of craft beers and wine. Open 11 a.m.- 11 p.m. Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $

UTOPIA445 E. First St.

432-6888 Located in the East Village Arts Dis-trict, this European-style cafe offers a variety of salads, pasta, seafood and chicken dishes creatively prepared and served in an intimate setting. Work of lo-cal artists displayed. Open from noon to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 5-10 p.m. Sat-urday. Closed Sunday. Wine bar. www.utopiarestaurant.com. $$

ChineseME SOO HUNGRY5372 E. Second St.

987-1688 Using the freshest quality ingredi-ents and recipes from various regions of China, which have been adapted and used over the past 33 years in their family’s restaurants, as well as adding their own American flair. Open Tues.-Sun. $

FrenchDELIGHTFUL CREPES CAFE

1190 Studebaker Road594-9400

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Savory and dessert crepes plus sandwich-es, soups, pastas and salads. Kids’ menu also available. Full coffee and tea menu, smoothies. Catering and delivery. $

Greek ATHENS WEST

303 Main St., Seal Beach431-6500

Are you paying too much for Greek food? Then you haven’t tried Athens West in Seal Beach where items are $10 or less. Offering Greek favorites like lamb chops, spanakopita & homemade avgolemono soup. Seafood kabobs and vegetarian favorites like falafel & humus are also on the menu. Heated patio. Greek beer and wine served. Open 11 a.m. daily 7 days a week. Athenswest.com $

GEORGE’S GREEK DELI135 Pine Ave.; 437-1184

5316 E. Second St.; 433-1755 Offering a variety of traditional Greek dishes, superb service, award-winning

wines, Friday night slow-roasted lamb special, Saturday night belly dancing, banquet room and catering. Hours for Pine location: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.;10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fri. and Sat. Hours for Shore location: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; 11 a.m. to midnight Fri. and Sat. $$

IndianKAMAL PALACE

Marina Pacific Mall493-0255

Behind the AMC Theaters on the lower level, Kamal Palace offers a large selection of Tandoori, curries and veg-etarian dishes. Open all week for lunch and dinner. A daily luncheon buffet is $8.95 and features more than 20 items. $$

IrishCLANCY’S

803 E. Broadway437-1836

The original Irish pub in Long Beach. Lunch served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Corned beef and cabbage and daily specials. Harp, Bass and Guinness on tap. $

GALLAGHER’S PUB & GRILL2751 E. Broadway

856-8000 Fun and exciting neighborhood pub with Irish hospitality, Irish beers, tra-ditional Irish fare, burgers and daily specials. HD plasma big screens with surround viewing to watch your favorite

sporting events. Happy hour 4-7 p.m. Monday-Friday. Patio. Full bar. Enter-tainment. www.gallagherspub.com. $

O’MALLEY’S140 Main St., Seal Beach

430-0631 An authentic Irish pub where locals meet to enjoy cheers and good food around the open fire. Serving everything from traditional Irish dishes to American cuisine. Open 7 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. every day. Winner of the Perfect Pint award. Full bar and patio. $$

ItalianBUONA GENTE

5205 E. Second St. 438-8763

Located in the heart of Belmont Shore, Buona Gente features a wide selection

of authentic Italian specialties, from ap-petizers, homemade bread to pizzas and pasta dishes. A great selection of wine is available including Buona Gente’s pri-vate label bottled in Napa and Sonoma counties. Don’t miss the famous tiramisu. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. $$

DOMENICO’S5339 E. Second St.

439-0261 A tradition in the Shore since 1954, Domenico’s features traditional Italian food. A star is the original Domenico’s salad and famous creamy garlic salad dressing. Lunch and dinner all week. $$

FINBARS ITALIAN KITCHEN620 P.C.H., Seal Beach

430-4303 Casual neighborhood restaurant fea-


Dining Guide



turing New York-style macaroni, salads, chicken and seafood using three genera-tions of family recipes. Pizza and pastas also featured Open 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. all week. Premium well drinks. $$

FRANCELLI’S3404 E. Fourth St.

434-3441 Francelli’s features thick-crust pizza, as well as a complete variety of Italian dinners. The lunch menu starts at $4.95. Hot and cold sandwiches, beer and wine, catering available. Open seven days a week. $

LA TRAVIATA301 Cedar Ave.

432-8022 Located in the historic Willmore Building. If luxury, elegance and deca-dent dining interests you, then this is the

place. Live opera singers perform on the weekend nights.New banquet room now open. $$-$$$

MICHAEL’S OF NAPLES5620 E. Second St.

439-7080 Contemporary Italian cuisine in a modern atmosphere. Rooftop dining available. Open seven days a week for dinner and a special lounge and wine bar Enoteca menu. Catering for large parties. Full bar now available. Michael’s On Naples is dining at its finest. michaelson-naples.com.$$$

MICHAEL’S PIZZERIA5616 E. Second St.

987-4000 This authentic pizzeria makes its own cheese and sauce and offers diners a menu of appetizers, salads and brick-oven pizzas from an Italian-made wood-fired oven. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. $

PAPALUCCI’S4611 E. Second St.

434-4454 Beautiful food, simply prepared and shared with family and friends. Pizza, pasta, calzone and other specialties pre-pared daily from 11 a.m. All-you-can-eat specials from 5 p.m. to closing. Beer and wine; carry out available, too. $$

PORKY’S PIZZA4418 E. Seventh St.

433-8888 Finally, a Porky’s Pizza serving the Shore, Belmont Heights and Los Altos. Offering made from scratch pizzas with fresh ingrediants, wings, salads and garlic knots. Catering, delivery, pickup. 2-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. www.porkysonline.com. $

RUSSO’S5856 Naples Plaza

433-1616 Naples neighborhood family ristorante

and bar serving homemade pasta dishes, steak, seafood, pizza and mouth-watering desserts. Full cocktail bar. Open seven days at 5 p.m. Patio dining available. Great for holiday gatherings. One block from the canals in Naples. Take out or delivery. Catering and private banquet room. $$

THE PIZZA PLACE1431 E. Broadway

432-6000 A garden cafe to sample specialties such as lasagna, tortellinis, manicotti and Pasta Primavera. There are 26 pizzas to choose from. Beer and wine, desserts, cappuccino or espresso. Delivery avail-able. Open from 11 a.m. to midnight. www.thepizzaplaxe.biz. $$

Z PIZZA4612 E. Second St., 987-45005718 E. Seventh St., 498-0778

Z Pizza offers healthy, creative cuisine to go with a blend of taste and tradition. 29 toppings to choose from. Salads,

sub sandwiches and daily pasta specials. Catering, delivery. 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. www.zpizza.com. $

JapaneseAKI SUSHI

1628 Seventh St.436-8180

Sushi and other Japanese cuisine, plus beer and wine are available. Daily spe-cials. Open daily for lunch and dinner. $

MediterraneanBOUBOUFFE

5313 E. Second St.433-7000

The latest addition to Second Street dining features specialties from around the Mediterranean from Algeria to Mo-rocco. Patio dining. Open seven days for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Catering. $

OPEN SESAME MEDITERRANEAN GRILL5201 & 5215 E. Second St.

621-1698 Mediterranean cuisine can be found on Second Street. Specialties including ap-petizers, salads, pita sandwiches, vegetar-ian and kabob combination plates. Lunch and dinner daily. Dine in or take out. Patio seating. Beer, wine, catering. Order online at opensesamegrill.com. $$

Mexican BAJA SONORA

2940 Clark Ave., 421-51203502 Atlantic Ave., 981-1950

Fine fresh Mexican food and lots of it is what you can expect at Baja. Their 2 lb burrito and famous deep-fried hard tacos will have you coming back for more. Open for lunch and dinner seven days. Catering, beer and wine also available. $

SeafoodFISH TALE

5506 Britton Dr.Los Altos Market Center

594-8771 The oldest seafood restaurant in Long Beach, the Fish Tale features high qual-ity seafood, as well as chicken, steak, ribs and salads. Lunch and dinner daily.



Dining Guide

Happy Hour, Monday through Friday 3-6 p.m.www.fishtaleseafood.com. $$

GLADSTONE’S330 S. Pine Ave.

432-8588 Gladstone’s Long Beach is a water-front restaurant offering views of the Queen Mary and Shoreline Harbor. Fea-turing a variety of fresh fish and sushi, live lobster, crab and more. Outdoor seat-ing available. Crabby Hour is from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Quarter Deck Lounge. Private Room available for special events.$$

PIKE BAR & GRILL1836 E. 4th St. (just west of Cherry)

437-4453 Serving fresh seafood, clam chowder in a casual atmosphere. Open for lunch & dinner. Daily specials offered. Break-fast served on weekends. Entertainment nightly. Full bar. $

ThaiBAI-PLU

2119 Bellflower Blvd.343-2661

Newly opened, serving a large selec-tion of Thai and Sushi cusine in a modern atmosphere. Traditional, vibrant dishes, budget-freindly Thai and affordable su-shi. Beer, wine, catering. $

STAR OF SIAM2109 E. Broadway

439-1564 Star of Siam boasts more than 20 years of culinary delights where traditional Thai cuisine is maintained and celebrat-ed. World class beer and extensive wine list. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. except Tuesdays. Prices start at $4.75. Patio din-ing. www.starofsiamonline.com. $

YOUR HOUSE2838 E. Pacific Coast Hwy.

498-4949 Authentic Thai cuisine with over 100 items to choose from. Also serving Thai fusion sushi from the traditional to the ex-otic. Open for lunch & dinner, including a great happy hour from 3-7 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Beer & wine, catering available. $

VegetarianSTEAMED ORGANIC

VEGETARIAN CUISINE801 E. Third St.

437-1122 This casual hipster vegetarian restau-rant offers nutrition for the body & soul. Use fresh locally grown organic produce. Anything on the menu can be made vegan. Offers both take out and back-yard cafe-style patio. Has outdoor seat-ing. Hours: Open 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30-9:30 Friday & Saturday, Noon-5 pm. Sunday. $

VietnameseNEW PHO LONG BEACH

1036 E. Anaheim St.432-3133

Family owned and operated. Special-izing in Pho noodle soup. Choose from beef, chicken, shrimp and special filet mignon. Open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. $

PHO AMERICA1826 Pacific Ave.

218-0204 Authentic Vietnamese cuisine with a large selection of Pho, rice, vermicelli and vegetarian dishes plus boba drinks. Open all week. Dine in, take out and ca-tering. Credit cards accepted. $



Dining Guide

—Gazette photo by Harry SaltzgaverKenny Nagakawa portrays Tome Hamade last Saturday during the Historical Society’s 10th Annual Historical Cemetery Tour at Sun-nyside Cemetery.

Bangkok Cuisine

INORANGECOUNTY2009

INORANGE

COUNTY

2008

FROM THE BEYOND


By Stephanie MinasianStaff Writer

the final leg of the streetscape project along Long Beach Boule-

vard has finished on time and un-der budget, Long Beach redevel-opment agency (rDa) officials said this week.

the $4 million project to beau-tify and spruce up the corridor of Long Beach Boulevard between Del amo Boulevard and 56th Street was paid for by a bond fi-nanced through the rDa from the american recovery and rein-vestment act of 2009 (arra). Construction started in Novem-ber 2010, but talks in community meetings of improving this cor-ridor of Long Beach Boulevard began in 2005-2006. “the schedule for construc-tion was met,” said tony foster, rDa’s North Project redevelop-ment Officer. “there were engi-neering efficiencies prior to com-mencement of the construction. these efficiencies reduced the cost of the project by the tune of a half of a million dollars. With

those savings, we invested it back into the project.” the leftover $500,000 was put into revamping the sidewalks be-tween 53rd Street south to Del amo Boulevard, foster added, which was not originally in the scope of the project. the sidewalks are now compli-ant with the americans with Dis-abilities act, and were widened to reach 10 feet across. “the Long Beach redevelop-ment agency’s investment in in-frastructure will help revitalize a key corridor that extends through the heart of the city,” said Mayor Bob foster in a release. “By com-pleting this on time and saving money, the rDa is proving their commitment to proactive man-agement and fiscal responsibility,

allowing them to apply surplus funds back into the project for even more improvements in the neighborhood.” New lampposts and streetlights now help to illuminate the seven-block stretch of the boulevard, and were designed to replicate the art deco-style of the 1920s. the area was dimly lit prior to the streetscape, but the new lights were put in place to also encour-age pedestrian activity after sun-set, especially in the Virginia Vil-lage portion of the area, foster said. Sticking to the retro feel of the design, five new art deco bus shelters were installed to provide commuters some protection from the elements. “there also are new medians that were treated with attractive landscape,” tony foster said. “We planted drought-tolerant na-tive plants, and installed sustain-able irrigation systems for it.” the medians also provide the area with one-way couplets for ellis and 56th streets, which help to alleviate traffic congestion by providing calming circulation and increased parking in the area. “the response we’ve gotten from this project has been over-whelmingly positive,” foster said. “it’s been this catalyst, which is turning the area around… all of these things are really directed to increase livability and to enhance the economic viability here. We find that these public improve-ments stimulate private property owners to improve their places all on their own. it also shows that the city is interested and invested in this area and no part of the city goes unnoticed.”

Long Beach Boulevard Streetscape Complete


Dear I won’t say who, because you know who are. I am sitting in school thinking of you this week because it is Red Ribbon week. It is that week when we learn about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. During my math class, my teacher said that alcohol is equiv-alent to a drug in that it’s addic-tive, harms your body and chang-es your priorities. Is that why I know you love me, but some days

it doesn’t feel like it? You’ve gotten into some bad situations where I could have called 911, but I didn’t — I was too afraid I would lose you all together. Some of these incidents are almost too embarrassing to write — like when you drive un-der the infl uence, or when you ditch someone you say you love for your precious beer. Did it ever occur to you that you could kill your loved ones or

even lose your driver’s license? Because of my experience with you, I have vowed that I would never drink in my life. I don’t know if that’s going to be possi-ble because alcohol is all around us. But I will try. In the meantime, if you (the reader) might be thinking that Red Ribbon Week at Rogers Middle School is kind of dumb, I hope my words will make you think differently. Drugs and al-

cohol can kill your body. The difference is that alcohol is legal and that’s how teenagers get their hands on it before they even start doing drugs. Back to I won’t say you. One week of listening to the dangers of these substances got me thinking how I could lose you any dayYou

probably won’t see this because you don’t read my column, but I have to say it. I never had the guts to say this to your face, but now I’ve said it out loud. All because of Red Rib-bon Week.Zoe Mena is a seventh grader at Rogers Middle School.

Red Ribbon Week Exposes Alcoholism


By Julian BermudezGazette arts Writer

a few weeks ago, i was invited to participate in an “artists’ Boot-camp” designed to “help the Long Beach arts community inspire fresh thinking, open doors and el-evate the scene from within.” Coordinated by GLOBaL (Greater Long Beach arts Lab) — the arts Council for Long Beach’s planning group for “Oc-tober is arts Month” — the three-hour evening event featured six fast-paced sessions geared to-wards visual and performing art-ists, musicians, writers and arts activists here in Long Beach. these sessions included “Mar-keting essentials,” “Grant seek-ing,” “Creating art spaces,” “Partnering with Long Beach schools” and “Meet the Media,” just to name a few. the event was well attended, with a good mix of people repre-senting the arts in Long Beach. interestingly enough, however,

as i sat in on a few sessions — not to mention sitting on my own panel — it became very clear that when it comes to the visual arts, many artists and curators aren’t taught the crucial aspects of man-aging themselves as their own business. Having studied both fine art and art history, i don’t recall ever having to take a business manage-ment class specifically tailored for artists as a requirement. Understandably, in an ideal world such as that imagined by academia, artists and curators should be allowed to focus on creating and/or exhibiting art. they shouldn’t be bothered by the mundane aspects of account-ing, marketing, scheduling, plan-ning and fundraising. However, we don’t live in an ideal world where artists are giv-en the freedom to create as they wish (and make a living doing it). Nor do we live in a world where young, wide-eyed curators get

paid a decent salary — let alone get to be called curators — right out of university. instead, these creative individu-als are cut loose from the umbili-cal cord of their institutions only to discover the harsh reality of the myriad inner workings of their chosen profession. artists need to have a busi-ness plan. they need to map out their career in a strategic way that includes showing at galler-ies, understanding basic art laws, meeting prospective patrons, be-friending curators, learning how to let someone else write their press releases, and disseminating information (invites, news up-dates, etc.) in a timely manner. the same goes for curators. their business plan needs to in-clude understanding the relevance and limitations of their degree. they need to understand dis-tinct differences (culturally and financially) between museums

and galleries. Prior to graduat-ing, they should be encouraged to intern someplace. and would-be curators need to be mentored on how to move up in their careers. education is essential. experi-ence is crucial. Yet up-and-com-ing artists and curators cannot be expected to know how it all works. and, that’s why GLOBaL’s “artists’ Bootcamp” was so im-

portant. it fills an essential educa-tional need. it’s not perfect. in fact, it might make sense for GLOBaL to in-clude more curators, gallery own-ers and educators, next year. However, until academia makes business management a require-ment, artists and curators will have to fend for themselves. to learn more about GLOBaL, visit www.globallb.com.

Business Plan Essential To Artists

the next foreign trip hosted by the Long Beach area Chamber of Commerce will visit south africa March 8-20, 2012. the trip is open to non-mem-bers as well as members. it de-parts from LaX and includes 20 meals, 11 breakfasts, four lunches, deluxe hotel accommo-dations, tours and sightseeing, taxes, surcharges and transfers. a three-day side trip to Victoria

Falls also is available. the price is $4,799 per person, double occupancy. a deposit of $670 is due by Nov. 20. Call 436-1254 or visit www.lbchamber.com/southafrica. the Chamber has 13 other in-ternational trips scheduled for 2012. For an overview of the upcom-ing trips, send an email to [email protected]

Chamber To Host South Africa Trip


After writing/reviewing/lectur-ing about theater since 1983, we’ve “been-there/done-that/seen-it” for more than 25 years. As such, on the subject of the-ater, one thing seems certain. At rock bottom, it’s not “the what” that often counts, it’s “the how.” Take Musical Theatre West’s knockout production of “Hair-spray,” for example. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a teenager who identifi es with the show’s shenanigans; a middle-aged par-ent who remembers the outra-geous hijinks of your kids; or a senior who dismisses the rebel-lious ’60s. Everything about this MTW production is so outstand-ing it rocks clear up to the raf-ters. Based on John Waters’ campy look at our culture fi ve decades ago, “Hairspray” was adapted

into a Tony Award-winning musi-cal in 2002. With book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Mark Shaiman, and lyr-ics by Shaiman and Scott Witt-man, it deals with big dreams (equality), big girls (overweight), and big hair (ratted up to ridicu-lous heights). Under the superb direction of Larry Raben, outstanding musi-cal direction of Dennis Castel-lano, and sharp choreography of Lee Martino, MTW’s over-the-top cast is so dynamic it could transform the dictionary into a musical.

Everyone loves a plot where the good guys win and the bad guys lose, especially when social injustice and racial equality are involved. Wind it up with a happy ending, and the audience jumps to its feet with applause. The cast is a knockout! Victoria Morgan makes her MTW debut as Tracy Turnblad, the exuber-ant, zoftig teenager who loves to dance. Naive and optimistic, she’s determined to be a Miss Teen Age contestant on Corny Collins’s TV show and nothing can stop her. She’s also in love with Link (Der-ek Klena), the school dreamboat. Jim J. Bullock plays Edna, Tra-cy’s mother, following the show’s tradition of having a male in the part. (Former actors have includ-ed Harvey Fierstein and Bruce Vilanch). “Hairspray” is full of MTW favorites, and it’s a genuine treat to see so many of them perform together in the same show. Barry Pearl is terrifi c as Wilbur (Edna’s adorable little husband and Tra-cy’s Dad). While big Edna takes in laun-dry, Wilbur keeps busy inventing goofy stuff that no one wants. Their duet, “You’re Timeless to Me,” is a priceless routine remi-niscent of vaudeville. Tracy Lore is a riot as Velma Van Tussel — the egocentric, wicked mother of stuck-up Am-ber, played by Lauen Smolka. Vain Velma is the producer of

MTW’s “Hairspray” Knockout



Ladies and gentlemen, Tony DeSare. That was about all Steven Reineke, the Long Beach Sym-phony’s Principal POPS! con-ductor, got to say the other night during the LBSO season-opening POPS! concert at the Arena — and all he had to say. The evening, dubbed “American Songbook,” belonged to the singer. Which is not to say that the orchestra didn’t have a lot to do. They did. Whether featured in their own instrumental numbers or serving as accompa-niment, the LBSO showed itself in top form, despite a slightly too amped string section. One of those instrumental num-bers, Louis Prima’s “Sing, Sing, Sing,” was a highlight, thanks mainly to Timm Boatman’s stel-lar work on the drums. Else-where, as in Nelson Riddle’s clas-

sic arrangement of Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” it was the superb saxophones in the spotlight, notably David Hill on tenor and Brian Scanlon on alto. But Tony DeSare was the star of the show, and he performed the bulk of the material on a generous program. That program consisted of standards by the likes of Har-old Arlen, Irving Berlin, Henry Mancini and Jule Styne, more contemporary songs by Bruce Springsteen and Prince, and a few by DeSare himself. The DeSare songs held their own in such ex-alted company, passing the time pleasantly enough while not be-

ing particularly memorable. But he is one talented son of a gun. In addition to his skill as a singer, he displayed impressive piano chops. In Berlin’s “I Love a Piano” he snuck in a little boogie, a little stride and a little Gershwin Rhapsody, all of it tasteful and appropriate and all of it dazzling. He even played a solo at one point, “Autumn Leaves,” that was quirky, Latinish and equally daz-zling, and about as far away from the version by the late Roger Wil-liams as you could ever hope to get. As a singer, DeSare has a very pleasing baritone in the Sinatra-

Damone-Connick tradition. It’s not as distinctive a sound as Si-natra’s (who’s is?), and his high notes aren’t as thrilling as Ol’ Blue Eyes in his prime, but he certainly gets around from top to bottom without showing signs of strain and he has a winning way with his material. For at least one listener, the ballads (“Night and Day,” Man-cini’s underappreciated “Two for the Road” and “My Funny Valentine”) were more attractive than the up-tempo stuff, but ev-erything was performed smoothly and with professionalism. And, thanks to the Arena’s big screens, we got to see that winning smile and that terrific hair. Reineke also got to play a little piano, and I think that’s a first for us. All in all, it was another very successful evening at the POPS!

DeSare Steals Show At POPS Concert

The rock group Parachute will visit Westerly School this Fri-day, Nov. 4, to guide students through creative process in re-cording their Top 15 radio hit “Something to Believe In.” Sixth through eighth grade students will spend time with the band, who will use recorded and live audio and video elements to explain how a song is produced. Parachute toured with the Goo Goo Dolls last summer and now are headlining their own tour.

Parachute VisitsWesterly School

Corny Collins’s show and she has the contest rigged so her daughter will win, or so she thinks. Her sponsor (JP Sarro) has other plans, as does Corny himself (portrayed by the multi-talented David Engel, who is al-ways a hit). Tubby Tracy believes that black and white kids should be allowed to dance together — not segregated as they are in her school and community. One of them, Seaweed Stubbs (Todrick D. Hall) is a hellava dancer. He falls in love with Tra-cy’s best friend Penny (bashful Erin Watkins), and before long the entire school is dancing on stage at the same time regardless of color. Gwen Stewart is ter-rific as Motormouth Maybelle, Seaweed’s mother. “Hairspray” continues at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 8 Saturday and 2 and 7 Sunday through Nov. 13 in the Carpen-ter Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. Call 856-1999, ext. 4, or visit www.musical.org.


“Hairspray”


Made From Scratch Foodies Deborah Hirt and Rod-

eric Reiswig have decided to turn their life-long passions for cook-

ing into a business — Scratch Baked Goods at 3950 E. Fourth St. opened Tuesday, Nov. 1. So named simply because “ev-erything is made from scratch,” the bakery features an assortment of pies, cakes, tarts, cookies, can-dy and drinks such as soda and

French pressed coffee. The busi-ness also features indoor seating and wireless Internet. Hirt, a Long Beach resident who says she fell in love with baking when she received her first Suzy Homemaker Oven as a young girl, said she knew it was time to reinvent herself as an en-trepreneur after her youngest son started college this year. Reiswig, who has been a pastry chef for more than a decade, said Scratch Baked is meant to serve classic American baked goods. “We use fresh ingredients and grow our own herbs in the store, and it is all about old American cooking and using what is avail-able rather than processed foods,” he said. He said customers shouldn’t miss trying the peanut butter cup tartlet or the donut muffin, two very unique items sold at Scratch Baked. He added that the business features freshly baked bread. Visit www.scratchbakedgoods.com (under construction) or call 987-1500.

What’s That Aroma? Just shake the jar, breath in the fragrance, and Donna Schilder said you can immediately feel a “rush of pleasure that will put you in a happier place.” Schilder’s Long Beach-based online business, Happy Scent, has been gaining attention nationally — recently featured in The New York Times and Wall Street Jour-nal and “That Morning Show.” She has operated the business online for nearly five years, in ad-dition to her work as a leadership and business coach. Being a leadership coach is what inspired Happy Scent, which are pocket-sized plastic containers that can be opened and shaken to release fragrances such as banana, lavender and jasmine. Schilder said she realized that her clients — many of whom live stressful lives — needed a simple way to relax. “I was doing a workshop about involving your senses, particular-ly smell,” Schilder said. “Smell and emotion and memory are all located in the same place in your brain… Smelling something that reminds you of grandma’s kitch-en can help you get calm.” Schilder said she uses the ocean breeze scent to help her sleep at night, while peppermint helps her stay alert in the afternoon. Also, she said the product can be used as a weight-loss tool — smelling banana, peppermint or apple can be an appetite suppressant. Happy Scent comes in multiple sizes and fragrances (each canis-ter maintains its aroma for about six months of use). Visit https://happyscent.com.

Season’s Eatings A food truck event for a good cause takes place next Thursday, Nov. 10. Broadway Business owners in Heights Village are hosting the event, Season’s Eatings, to ben-efit MemorialCare Breast Center at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Heights Village is a volunteer group of business owners and managers who want to bring awareness to the Broadway and Redondo Avenue area bordering Belmont Heights, Bluff Heights and Bluff Park neighborhoods. The food trucks, including In-dia Jones, Greenz on Wheelz, CoolHaus, Vizzi Trucks, Global Soul, Crepen Around and Temaki Truck, will serve food curbside at locations in Heights Village on Broadway (three blocks east and three blocks west of Redondo Avenue). The event takes place between 4 and 8 p.m., with stores open late. For more details about the event of Heights Village, email Sidney Cramer at Spa Sidney at [email protected].



Residents of Long Beach help people all year through a variety of activities. Listed below are the results of some projects, as well as more opportunities to reach out to others. All during November, the Seal Beach Animal Care Center will donate 20% of all adoption fees to the Seal Beach Victims Fund. The center is at 1700 Adolfo Lo-pez Dr. Another fundraiser for the Seal Beach Victims Fund, “Love to Seal Beach,” runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, in the U.S. Bank parking lot at 10942 Pine in Los Alamitos. There will be a band, barbecue and an opportunity drawing. It’s sponsored by Keller Williams Realty and the Los Alamitos Po-lice Officers Association. The first Gala Fundraiser for the Paul Duncan Stop the Bul-lying Fund begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Hilton Long Beach, 701 W. Ocean Blvd. The event is hosted by the Long Beach Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. The deadline for buying tickets ($50) has passed, so check to see if tickets are still available: 590-0808.

Eighth District Councilwoman Rae Gabelich is hosting a birth-day party to help raise money for the Uptown Dog Park in Scherer Park. The party starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at Expo, 4321 Atlantic Ave. MP Triple J Band will provide the music and appetizers will come from restau-rants in Bixby Knolls and North Long Beach. Tickets are $25 and RSVPs are required. Call 570-6685 or visit www.longbeach.gov/district8. A casino night to raise money for Haven’s Heart begins at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Sky-links Golf Course, 4800 E. Ward-low Rd. Tickets are $30 at the door and the money raised will be used to provide services and cash grants to families struggling with chronically ill children at home. Call 426-7500. The Patchwork Indie Arts and Crafts Festival, set for Nov. 6, is looking for volunteers to help stage the event. Volunteers get lunch, merchandise discounts and a goodie bag. To volunteer, send an email to [email protected]. The Rock Bottom Brewery will raise money all day Tuesday,

Nov. 8, for the Pacific Shores Hematology-Oncology Founda-tion which helps individuals and families facing cancer and blood disorders. All day long, advise your server that you are there to support the foundation and 10% of your total bill will donated to the foundation. Then, starting at 5 p.m., brew master Haley Price will be tapping a Winter Wheat beer. Donations will be accepted for complimentary beer until the keg runs dry and after than 10% of your total bill will be donated to the foundation. The Rock Bot-tom Brewery is at One Pine Ave. Meals on Wheels is inviting everyone to donate money by coming to the California Pizza any time Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 6417 E. PCH. Bring in the flyer available and www.mealson-wheelsoflongbeach.org and 20% and CPK will donate 20% of your order to Meals on Wheels. Team Miles of Smiles is team-ing with 2nd Street Beauty for an autism fundraising night of pam-pering from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednes-day, Nov. 9, at the 2nd Street shop at 12410 Seal Beach Blvd. in Seal Beach.

MIYAMO Move MIYAMO, a retail business that emphasizes the “think glob-al/shop local” mantra, has moved from its location on Fourth Street to a new space in Parkview Vil-lage at Bellflower Boulevard and Carson Street. Owner Judy Montooth said the new location features the same “exciting and appealing mer-chandise, presented in fresh and savvy ways, affordably priced.” MIYAMO sells clothing, repur-posed furniture and gift items.

She said the relocated business now has a greater focus on com-munity, featuring more products that have give back programs for charitable causes. For example, the store carries TOMS Shoes, which provide a pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair of TOMS sold. The store will celebrate its new location with a grand open-ing celebration Saturday, Nov. 5. From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. there will be a free gift with purchase. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. there will be complimentary champagne and appetizers. Call 421-9838 for details.


Business

Foot Massage ................ $25/hr.Whole Body Massage ... $40/hr.


Calendar listings should be mailed to 5225 E. Second St., Long Beach, CA 90803 or email [email protected]. Please include time, date and place of the event along with the cost (if any) and a contact phone number or Web site. A complete calendar is at www.gazettes.com.

Nov. 4 - Music by the Collective Duo, 9-11 p.m., Utopia, 445 E. First St.Nov. 4 - Music by Alastair Greene, 9:30 p.m., El Dorado Restaurant, 3014 N. Studebaker Rd., free.Nov. 4 & 5, 18 & 19 - Poppin’ Play Festival, 6 and 9 p.m. Fri., Sat., Lafayette Embassy Ballroom, 528 E. Broadway, $18, $15 for seniors and students, wwwalivetheatre.org.Nov. 4-Nov. 12, University Players: “Executive of Justice,” 8 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Sat., 6 p.m. Sun., Nov. 6, no who on Nov. 11, Studio Theatre at CSULB, 1250 Bellfl ower Blvd., $15, $12 for seniors and students, 985-5526, www.csulb.edu/depts/theatre.Through Nov. 5 - University Players: “Almost, Maine,” 8 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Sat., Players Theatre, CSULB, 1250 Bellfl ower Blvd., $15, $12 for seniors and students, 985-5526, www.csulb.edu/depts/theatre.Through Nov. 6 - International City Theatre: “The Robber Bridegroom,” 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Center Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., $37-$44, 436-4610, http://ictlongbeach.org.Through Nov. 6 - “Snooty and the Beast,” 7:30 p.m. Fri., 4:30

and 7:30 p.m. Sat., 7 p.m. Sun., All American Melodrama Theater, Shoreline Village, $20, $18 for seniors, students and military, $14 for ages 12 and younger, 495-5900, www.allamericanmelodram.com.Through Nov. 13 - Musical Theatre West: “Hairspray,” 8 p.m. Thurs., Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sunday, extra show 7 p.m. Nov. 6), Carpenter Center, 6200 Atherton St., $20 and up, 856-1999, ext. 4, www.musical.org.Through Nov. 19 - “To Kill a Mockingbird,” 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Long Beach Playhouse Mainstage, 5021 E. Anaheim St., $24, $21 for seniors, $14 for students, (low price previews Oct. 20 and 21), 494-1014, ext. 1, www.lbplayhouse.org.

Nov. 7 - Langetwins Family Winery Wine Dinner, 7 p.m., Café Piccolo, 3222 E. Broadway, $49.95, 438-1316.

Nov. 3-5 and 10-12, Wilson High Drama Department presents “The Laramie Project,” 7 p.m., 4400 E. 10th St., $10 adults, $5 for students, 433-0481, ext. 6153.Nov. 4 - US Vets Veterans Day Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Hilton Hotel, 701 W. Ocean Blvd., $75, www.usvetsinic.org.Nov. 4 - Rock Band Parachute visits Westerly School, 12:15 p.m., 2950 E. 29th St.Nov. 5 - Metropolitan Opera Live HD Showing of “Siegfried,” 9 a.m., Art Theatre, 2025 E. Fourth St.,

$21, www.arttheatrelongbeach.com.Nov. 5 - Harvest Table and Culinary Workshop, 9:30 a.m., Rancho Los Alamitos Ranch and Gardens, 6400 Bixby Hill Rd., $55, 431-3541, www.rancholosalamitos.orgNov. 5 - Veterans Day Parade, 10 a.m., Houghton Park to 56th Street and back, 884-279.Nov. 5 - Women’s Group Craft Fair, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Los Altos United Methodist Church, 5950 E. Willow St.Nov. 5 - Long Beach/Izmir, Turkey Sister City Festival, noon-9 p.m., Recreation Park, 4900 E. Seventh St., $10, www.smyrnagrove.com.Nov. 5 - Andy Street Community Association presents “A World of Thanks’ Giving,” 2-5 p.m., Community Grace Brethren Church, 5885 Downey Ave.Nov. 5 - Bring Your Drum for Peace and Rhythm featuring Adaawe, 4-7 p.m., Promenade Square Park near First Street, www.artslb.org.Nov. 5 - Centro Shalom Banquet Honoring Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, 6 p.m., Petroleum Club, 3636 Linden Ave., $75 at the door, 432-3188.Nov. 5 – Gay and Lesbian Chamber Stop the Bullying Fundraiser Banquet, 6:30 p.m., Hilton Long Beach, 701 W. Ocean Blvd., $75, 590-0808.Nov. 5 - Eighth Dist. Council-woman Gabelich’s Birthday Party to Benefi t Uptown Dog Park, 7 p.m., Expo, 4321 Atlantic Ave., $25, RSVP required to 570-6685 or www.longbeach.gov/district8.

Nov. 5 - Astronomy Night at the Pier in Seal Beach, 7-9 p.m., www.BogartsCoffee.com.Nov. 5 & 6 - “Straight Talk” cable TV show on with City Auditor Laura Doud and Hank Feldman Owner of Performance Plus Tire, 9 a.m., 7 p.m. Sat. and Sun. LBTV Channel 3 and FiOS Channel 21, and 10 a.m., 8 p.m. Sat. and Sun., Charter Channel 101, www.StraightTalkTV.com.Nov. 6 - St. Anthony High Open House, 1 p.m., 620 Olive Ave., 435-4496, www.LongBeachSaints.org.Nov. 6 - Long Beach Mozart Festival Brunch and Concerto Competition, 1 p.m., Unitarian Universality Church, 5450 Atherton St., brunch $30, concert free, RSVP to 498-1346.Nov. 6 - South Coast Interfaith Council Festival of Music, 3-5 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church, 759 Linden Ave., free will offering.Nov. 6 - Choral Concert with 49er Chorus and CSULB Collegium Musicum, 4 p.m., Cal. Heights United Methodist Church, 3759 Orange Ave., free will offering.Nov. 6 - Young Artist Violin Concert, 4 p.m., Seal Beach Center for Spiritual Living, 500 Marina Dr.,

Seal Beach, free.Nov. 6 – Garage Theatre Inducted into University Players’ Wall of Fame after “Execution of Justice” performances, 7 p.m., CSULB, 1250 Bellfl ower Blvd., free for alumni, 985-5526, www.csulb.edu/depts/theatre.Nov. 7 - Bixby Knolls Supper Club, 6:30 p.m., The Mirage Café, 539 Bixby Rd., $16.99, www.bixbyknollsinfo.com.Nov. 8 - All Day Fundraiser for Pacifi c Hematology Foundation, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m., Rock Bottom Brewery, One Pine Ave., www.pacfi cshoresfoundation.org.Nov. 9 - Wine Blast 2011, 6-9:30 p.m., Keesal, Young and Logan, 400 Oceangate, $60 in advance, $75 at the door, www.lbblast.org.Nov. 9 - Autism Fundraising Event, 5-8 p.m., 2nd Street Beauty, 12140-F Seal Beach Blvd., 598-1660.Nov. 9 - Lecture: The New Face of the Arctic with Henry Pollack, 7 p.m., Aquarium of the Pacifi c, 100 Aquarium Way, $5, free for members, seniors and students, 590-3100, www.aquariumofpacifi c.org.Nov 10 - Long Beach City College Senior Center Tour: Lucille Ball Tour to Hollywood


—Gazette photo by Jesse LopezThe Long Beach Symphony Orchestra packed the Long Beach Arena on Saturday for the fi rst POPS! concert of the season.

AT THE POPS!

NIGHT OUT

WINE TASTE

EVENTS


“She was referred to palliative care so that she could pass away at home,” Llanos said. “I didn’t want her to pass away at the hos-pital… I focused on her just be-ing her, and they helped me with her pain meds so she could feel the best she could feel under the circumstances.” Although she’s doing it a few cents at a time, Llanos said she knows the money she raises will help other families and fulfill a

promise she made to Kellie. “Every time I collect a quarter, it represents quality of life for a child,” she said. “It makes me happy. I know Kellie is smiling, and she knew I am doing some-thing right… I told my daughter I was going to do this for her.” Llanos said her goal for Quar-ters for Quality is that it will be similar to the March of Dimes. In addition to hosting an annual fundraiser for Quarter for Qual-ity, Llanos organizes a Quarters for Quality run-walk at El Do-rado Park — the second annual is

set to take place in March at El Dorado Park. “I am putting collection cans everywhere they let me,” she said. “It is so important for families to know this program exists — it gives you quality time with your child who is suffering. Your child is able to live day by day, forget-ting they are sick.” For more information about the fundraiser, or to find out how you can get an official Quarters for Quality coin collection bin, call Miller Children’s Hospital at 933-5437.


Quarters

Nov. 1, Nov. 8, 2011

Council Ratifies Fire Contract

—Gazette photo by Jesse LopezThis group got into the spirit of Halloween and Comic Con last weekend at the Long Beach Convention Center.

WHO’S LAUGHING NOW?


the debate because she and her husband both have offices in the World Trade Center. That recusal was recommended by City At-torney Robert Shannon. Legacy now is attempting to fight that decision. A tie vote, if not resolved would mean the deal is dead once the escrow or due diligence peri-od ends because there would not be affirmative action on the port’s part, according to Dominic Hol-zhaus, the principal deputy city attorney in charge of the Harbor Division. But Legacy Partners had the right to extend escrow on their own by 15 days if they had not been able to collect all of the estoppels — explanations of tenant leases — to show ongoing revenue. That’s exactly what happened, according to managing partner Gregg Hall. But it’s also true that Legacy is using the time to seek a second opinion on whether Wise can vote on the World Trade Cen-ter deal. “We honestly do not know how Commissioner Wise would vote, how she feels,” Hall said. “We truly want the Harbor Commis-sion to make the best decision for the port… Right now, a person in favor of the deal, Vice Presi-dent (Thomas) Fields, can’t even agendize a request to further ex-tend the due diligence period… We have to unlock that recused vote to get a fair decision.” Legacy first sent a letter disput-ing the advice to keep Wise out of the debate on Oct. 19, a week after the 2-2 vote. Shannon said then he stood by his advice. The final arbiter of conflict of interest issues in California — short of the courts — is the Fair Political Practices Commission, and Monday Legacy decided to appeal to that body for a ruling. At the same time, they sent a sec-

ond letter to Shannon asking that he help extend the discussion un-til a final ruling is offered. Legacy’s letter to the FPPC says it has an active interest and thus has standing to request a rulling. It notes that Wise, an at-torney, is a subtenant to her hus-band’s law firm, which is a World Trade Center tenant, and that the proposed sale would not signifi-cantly impact Wise one way or the other, meaning she had no conflict. Most of the letter argues that leaving Wise on the sideline is unfair to the parties involved. It also asks the FPPC to rule quick-ly, before the extended escrow runs out. “While we do not know how President Wise would vote, we believe that the commission’s decision will be more transparent if she does vote,” the letter says. “A transaction of this magnitude should have a definitive resolu-tion and not be determined by the mere possibility that there could be a conflict of interest.” Tuesday, Shannon said that the FPPC was not required to offer an opinion. He added that he still believes his opinion was correct, and that he saw no need for fur-ther action on his part. Wise, contacted while travel-ing on port business, declined to comment on the purchase, the headquarters debate or the con-flict of interest issue. She and Commissioner Dines are with top port management in China for a major shipping industry meet-ing, and are not due back until Nov. 9. That means the next full com-mission meeting will not take place until Nov. 14. Hall said that Legacy is more than willing to further extend the due diligence period and participate in whatev-er studies, financial or otherwise, were necessary for the commis-sioners to be comfortable making a final decision.


Trade Center

—Gazette photo by Harry SaltzgaverSeveral thousand people lined Park Avenue from Livingston Park to Second Street to see the Howl’oween Dog Parade and children’s costume contest.

RED CARPET AWAITS

said. “We object for the health of our garden and for the nature cen-ter and their natural features.” Criswell said beyond the con-tamination concerns, that she and other members enjoy the tranquil-ity of the gardens, which could be disrupted by having an active rec-reation area so close. Nature Center and Audubon officials already have gone on record with their concerns for in-creased traffic and dogs so close to the preservation efforts at the nature center — including con-cerns of mixing domestic and wild animals so close together. Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske hosted a get-together for interested parties last weekend and walked the three potential areas. “Based on that meeting on Sat-urday there is a lot of concern about that lot (Azteca),” she said. “(The area north of Spring Street) seems to be the preferable spot (for those who attended).”

Members of the Friends of El Dorado Dog Park have come out in favor of the Azteca yard, said Mary Matthiensen, president of the organization. She said they want the dog park further back from the road in a more natural, park-like environment and that they think an installed parking lot will provide a diversion for potential flooding into the com-munity gardens. George Chapjian, Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine director, said he and staff heard from all interested stakeholders on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and will take each group’s pros and cons for the three sites into consider-ation for the staff report. There also have been reports that most or part of the Azteca land might have been promised to community gardens or the nature center, but Chapjian said he and staff have been unable to find any such documentation yet. “Everybody is passionate on this issue,” he said. “But I think it’s time to take it to the commission and have a

decision made there.” He added that he was unsure yet what the staff recommenda-tion would be — but there likely would be a recommendation when the issue goes before the commission. Fourth District Councilman Patrick O’Donnell will be host-ing the Let’s Meet for the Mutts event at 10 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 6, at the proposed Azteca site (7600 E. Spring St.). He said he wants it to be informal and a place for interested parties to meet and talk about the prospects of a dog park — but he will not be weighing in on where it should go. “The circumstances here are very odd and they are shifting ev-ery day,” he said. “I just want to say that we need to work together on finding a solution and getting a dog park in this part of the city.” For maps of the three proposed sites, visit www.LongBeach.gov/park. The Parks and Recreation Com-mission meeting begins at 9 a.m. next Thursday, Nov. 10, in the El Dorado Park Senior Center.


Dog Park

Today’s ObituariesBeall, RobertBlack, William OlanBuckner, Donald K.Burke, Leslie G.Canas, Ophelia F.Carpenter, MadelineCassidy, Kenneth N.Cominetti, Pamela C.Edinger, Linda H.Garoute, Leroy

Hassel, Kenneth W.Larson, John H.Jensen, Gwendolyn R.Keys, Michael FrancisMazza, Anna MayNovak, AbelRoberts, LillianRobinson, CliffordStory, John R.Thomas, Noriko

To submit material, call: Kurt Eichsteadtat 562-209-2094, e-mail to

[email protected], go online towww.gazettes.com or fax to 562-434-8826

ROBERTS, Lillian, 1919-2011Lillian Roberts, 92, of Los Angeles, passed away Oct. 12. She was born in Shreveport, La., and was a licensed vocational nurse. She is survived by her daughter, Marguerita Sellers. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

GAROUTE, Leroy, 1924-2011Leroy Garoutte, 86, of Long Beach, passed away Oct. 12. He was born in Missouri and worked in carpentry. He is survived by his daughter, Pamela Dees. Interment is at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

STORY, John R., 1973-2011John R. Story, 37, of Carson, passed away Oct. 14. He was born in Torrance and worked in a comic book warehouse. He is survived by his sister, Shela. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

CARPENTER, Madeline, 1932-2011Madeline Carpenter, 79, of Harbor City, passed away Oct. 10. She was born in Santa Monica. She is survived by her daughter, Kay Manzella. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

MAZZA, Anna May, 1913-2011Anna May Mazza, 97, of Fullerton, passed away Oct. 6. She was born in Ohio. She is survived by her daughter, Joanne Ryan. Interment is at Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

CASSIDY, Kenneth Nelson, 1942-2011Kenneth Nelson Cassidy, 68, of Cypress, passed away Oct. 12. He was born in Missouri and worked as a beauty shop manager. He is survived by his son, Brandon. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

KEYS, Michael Francis, 1964-2011Keys worked for 19 years in the film industry. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Long Beach City College Foundation. There will be a memorial service from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 at El Dorado Park Golf Course, 2409 Studebaker Rd., Long Beach.

BURKE, Leslie G., 1938-2011Leslie G. Burke, 73, of Cerritos, passed away Oct. 6. She was born in Nebraska and is survived by her daughter, Leslie. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

JENSEN, Gwendolyn Renee1931-2011

Gwendolyn Renee Jensen, 80, of Dana Point, passed away Oct. 9. She was born in Indiana and worked as a dog groomer. She is survived by her daughter, Donna Beattie. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

EDINGER, Linda H., 1948-2011Linda H. Edinger, 63, of Long Beach, passed away Oct. 10. She was born in Stockton and was legal secretary. Interment is at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Long Beach. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

THOMAS, Noriko, 1926-2011Noriko Thomas, 82, of Long Beach, passed away Oct. 5. She was born in Japan and worked as a housekeeper. She is survived by her son, David. Interment is at Los Angeles National Cemetery in Los Angeles. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

NOVAK, Abel, 1926-2011Abel Novak, 85, of Tustin, passed away Oct. 11. He was born in Romania and worked as the manager of a tool and die company. He is survived by his friend, Susan Cook. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

CANAS, Ophelia F., 1923-2011Ophelia, F. Canas, 87, of Huntington Beach, passed away Oct. 6. She was born in Santa Ana and was an aerospace assembler. She is survived by he daughter, Margaret. There was a service at Faith Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach. Interment is at Good Shepherd Cemetery in Huntington Beach. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

BLACK, William Olan, 1924-2011William Olan Black, 86, of Carson, passed away Oct. 14. He was born in Texas and worked as a metal finisher in automotive production. He is survived by his daughter, Pat Hecker. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

LARSON, John H., 1924-2011John H. Larson, 87, of Seal Beach, passed away Oct. 12. He was born in Long Beach and was an attorney. He is survived by his wife, Mildred. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

BEALL, Robert, 1936-2011Robert Beall, 75, of Long Beach, passed away Oct. 5. He was born in San Francisco and worked as a high school principal. He is survived by his wife, Jerri. Interment is at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cypress.

HASSEL, Kenneth William, 1961-2011Kenneth William Hassel, 50, of Moreno Valley, passed away Oct. 14. He was born in La Jolla and is survived by his mother, Susan. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

BUCKNER, Donald K., 1931-2011Donald K. Buckner, 79, of Lakewood, passed away Oct. 10. He was born in Fullerton and worked as a carpet warehouseman. He is survived by his son, Donald. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

ROBINSON, Clifford, 1943-2011Clifford Robinson, 67, of Long Beach, passed away Oct. 10. He was born in Hosston, La., and worked as a school custodian. He is survived by his wife, Constance. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.

COMINETTI, Pamela Christine1954-2011

Pamela Christine Cominetti, 56, of Long Beach, passed away Oct. 6. She was born in Vancouver, B.C., Canada and was an artist. She is survived by her son, Eric Schwartz. Interment is private. The family was assisted by McKenzie Mortuary.


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