Belmont Beacon
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015 - FEBRUARY 15, 2015
belmontbeacon.com
Port Aims to Boost Clean Power, Speed Cargo Delivery Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Jon Slangerup on Thursday unveiled ambitious plans for congestion-beating smart systems for cargo movement and an all-out push to achieve energy resilience for port operations with wind turbines, solar cells and other clean technologies, in his firstever “State of the Port” address. Speaking to a record audience of nearly 900 at the Long Beach Convention Center’s Pacific Ballroom, Slangerup summed up the Port of Long Beach’s achievements in 2014 then gave his expectations for 2015 and beyond, setting high goals for himself and the Port. Slangerup’s address followed welcoming comments by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, Harbor Commission President Doug Drummond and Harbor Commission Vice President Rich Dines. Appointed just last July, Slangerup said the Port is making tremendous strides in its efforts to compete with other seaports by modernizing terminals, roadways, bridges and
Cherry Ave. to be Widened from PCH to 19th St.
W
Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Jon Slangerup
railways, with its $4 billion capital improvement program this decade. The first phase of the $1.3 billion Middle Harbor Terminal Redevelopment project will be completed this summer and Port tenant Long
– Courtesy photo
Beach Container Terminal and its parent company Orient Overseas Container Line will begin operations this fall, increasing overall Port container Please see page 3
Gang Member Sentenced to Prison for Long Beach Shooting On Jan. 30, a 23-year-old gang member was sentenced to 12 years in state prison after he was convicted of a shooting in 2013, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced. Raymond Rene Rodriguez of Long Beach pleaded no contest to one felony count of assault with a firearm in case NA099187. The defendant also admitted gun and gang allega-
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tions. Deputy District Attorney Rachel Hardiman, who prosecuted the case, said that on Mar. 22, 2013, Rodriguez got into a fight with another man near Del Amo and Long Beach boulevards in Long Beach. During the physical encounter, Rodriguez pulled out a gun and shot at the man who was armed with a knife, the prosecutor said. A stray bullet from the gun struck
a boy who was with his family at a nearby gas station, the prosecutor added. The child was immediately taken by authorities to a hospital for medical treatment. Following the shooting, the defendant fled the scene. More than a year after the incident, police located Rodriguez and arrested him in connection with the shooting. The case was investigated by the Long Beach Police Department.
ork will begin this week on the widening of Cherry Avenue from 19th Street to Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), in the City of Long Beach south of Signal Hill. The cities of Signal Hill and Long Beach have worked closely together to bring this project to fruition. The project's $6.7 million budget is entirely funded by Federal Highway Administration and State Transportation grants received by the City of Signal Hill. "I'm proud that we are working collaboratively with the City of Signal Hill on this important project," said Mayor Robert Garcia. "Not only will it benefit commuters and residents in both cities, it will also improve and beautify our infrastructure." The City of Signal Hill has taken the lead role on the funding, planning, and construction of this important project that will greatly improve the overall traffic flow through the intersection of PCH and Cherry Avenue while also reducing cut-through traffic in the adjacent residential neighborhoods. "The project is a great example of our ongoing partnership with the City of Long Beach," said Signal Hill Mayor Edward Wilson. Improvements include the addition of two new travel lanes from south of PCH, by 330 feet, to 19th Street, as well as a new dual-use lane for southbound traffic going Please see page 4
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Call for Entertainers To Perform at the Annual Long Beach Pride Festival May 16, 17
P
erform at the second color photos. largest event in Long -Recent bio of the perBeach with up to 80,000 former or group in attendance! At the 32nd An-YouTube website link(s) nual Long Beach Pride Festi- of your performance is preval on May 16th & 17th. ferred. Other options include Long Beach Lesbian & .mp3, .mp4, .wmv, .mov. Gay Pride, Inc. will be acUpload electronic procepting promotional motion package (the packages from artists above items) to our interested in performLong Beach Pride The ing on the 2015 Main Dropbox Account. Second Stage, Fiesta Caliente, E-mail info@longLargest Country, Dance or beachpride.com to reUrban Soul Entertainquest access. Event ment Venues. E-mailed promoin Long Entertainers Arttion packages will not ist Submission Inbe accepted. Beach! structions: Mailed PromoThank you for tion Package: considering perform-Complete Artist ing for our 2015 Event! You Submission Form have two options to submit -Audio CD your promotional packages. -Promotional DVD Promotional packets must -3 black & white and 2 be submitted by Feb. 19, color photos 2015. If mailed please make -Recent bio of the persure it is postmarked by Feb. former or group 19, 2015 Please Mail Promo Kits to: Electronic Promotion LBLGP, Inc. Package (preferred method): Entertainment Commit-Complete Artist Submis- tee (please indicate stage prefsion form (download from erence), 1017 Obispo Ave., our website www.longbeach- Long Beach, CA 90804 pride.com). Note: Packets will not be -3 black & white and 2 returned.
Hearing Through a Hearing Dog Camille Jenkins and her hearing dog, Rico, will be speakers (Rico barks at loud noises) at the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) Long Beach/Lakewood Chapter on Thursday, Feb. 12, 6:30 p.m., Weingart Center, 5220 Oliva Avenue, Lakewood, CA 90712. Jenkins received Rico from the Sam Simon Foundation, a rescue dog training program for people with hearing loss. Rico will show the audience how he helps Jenkins to “hear” the door bell ringing, phone ringing, tea kettle boiling and much more. Camille Jenkins grew up with normal hearing, but lived in a hearing impaired world as her mother, an aunt and an uncle were severely hearing impaired and wore hearing aids. They all had children who had normal hearing. A year after graduate school Camille's hearing began to drop. She started wearing one hearing aid at age 28 and two at 35. She was a very successful hearing aid user for 20+ years working in sales and corporate recruiting. In 2007, Camille and her husband’s beloved dog Molly died at the age of 15 ½. Later that year, they began to consider having another dog. Camille had heard of “hearing dogs” so she started exploring the option of having a dog that could help her. Her search led to The Sam Simon Foundation in Malibu which rescues dogs from shelters and trains them for people with hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, moderate physical limitations due to injury, or veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Rico came to his “forever home” with Camille May 1, 2008. You can see/hear/read captioned video about Camille and Rico on www.samsimonfoundation.com (Go to the hearing dog section, choose video part 2). Rico is special-
ly trained to alert Camille to sounds such as door knocks, telephones, alarms, etc. As a Certified Hearing Dog, Rico goes almost everywhere with Camille. Rico has traveled to 17 states including Hawaii. He is a big hit wherever he goes. TSA and flight attendants love him. By 2009 Camille's hearing had dropped substantially. She bought state-of-the-art powerful hearing aids, but still was not hearing as well as she needed for her personal and professional life. Thus it was time for Camille to consider a Cochlear Implant (CI). CIs were not new to Camille because in 1992 her aunt was implanted and in 1993 her mother was implanted. After months of heavy research, Camille chose MEDEL’s implant, and her left ear was implanted in July 2010. She continued to use a hearing aid in her right ear until January 2014 but then received an implant in her right ear. Camille is very excited about now being bi-lateral implanted as she hears better than she has in 30+ years! BUT, she still needs Rico for all the time she isn’t wearing her CIs. Besides, now he is a member of the family. No reservations are necessary and admission is free. All meetings are Captioned with CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) and the hearing induction loop. For more information, please call (562) 438-0597 or visit www. hlalongbeachlakewood.org. Light refreshments are served. Hearing Loss Association, Long Beach/Lakewood Chapter is a support group offering education on coping skills and resources to people with hearing loss to help survive in a hearing world. HLAA meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at the Weingart Center, 5220 Oliva Avenue, Lakewood, CA.
FEBRUARY 9, 2015 - FEBRUARY 15, 2015 | 3
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Port Aims to Boost Clean Power Continued from page 1
capacity by 10 percent, while continuing to reduce air pollution with the terminal’s near zero-emissions operations. Slangerup addressed congestion which has slowed cargo movement lately. He noted the reasons things have slowed down on the docks: Bigger ships, bigger alliances, chassis shortages, loading procedures, rail car shortages and labor negotiations all came together to cause the “perfect storm.” “Congestion is the single toughest issue we face,” Slangerup said. “And if we don’t fix it immediately, we will drive business away permanently.” One way to address the issue of improving cargo flow in the long term, Slangerup said, is to initiate a “smart system” that will provide all the links in the supply chain with the timely data they need to optimize efficiencies – from how ships are loaded to how
cargo owners track the movement of their goods. “We have a choice,” Slangerup said. “We can watch our business go elsewhere, or we can come together to change the way our supply chain works by using the latest information technology to efficiently move containers from origin, through the ports, aboard trucks and trains, and to their destination.” Slangerup also brought forth his ideas for an “Energy Island” program to explore solutions to the Port’s increasing need for electricity. As the Port adds more and more zeroemission equipment, the need for electrical power grows. En-
ergy Island is a concept that would bring sustainable power technologies into the Port, helping to satisfy Port needs and to serve as a resource to the community in emergencies. Given the Port’s track record of success with its groundbreaking Green Port Policy -- which turns 10 years old this month -- Slangerup said the Port should aim high to make Energy Island a reality. “Our Port has long demonstrated our ability to deliver economic growth and environmental stewardship. These are two faces of the same coin,” said Slangerup. An archived webcast of the State of the Port is available at www.polb.com/stateoftheport.
2nd Saturday Art Walk Street Fair Check out the local art galleries, boutiques and restaurants that stay open into the late evening during the 2nd Saturday Art Walk! Linden Ave. is closed to traffic and transformed into a street art fair with local artists. Art Walk hours are from 4:00 p.m to10:00 p.m. and admission is free. Parking is available in nearby structures and parking lots for a nominal fee, or free on nearby streets. The greatest attraction of this event is its unique items combined with all mediums of art with hands-on workshops. For more information, call (562) 682-9735 or e-mail findyourart@earthlink.net
Long Beach Office 3780 Kilroy Airport Way Suite 360 Long Beach, CA 90806 Ph. (562) 472-0071 Fx. (562) 689-0071 Los Angeles Office 5701 South Eastern Avenue Suite 100 Los Angeles, CA 90040 Ph. (323) 727-1144 Fx. (323) 727-9198 www.heger-industrial.com Lic. #00814086
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Long Beach Playhouse Hosts the American Association of Community Theatre's California State Festival The Long Beach Playhouse announces the three American Association of Community Theatre's (AACT) member theatres that will participate in the 2015 California State Festival (AACTFest) on Feb. 14. All three participating companies are from the San Diego area: -New Group West, San Diego – “I Am My Own Wife,” by Doug Wright. -Patio Playhouse, Escondido – “Gidion's Knot,” by Johanna Adams -PowPac, Poway's Community Theatre, Poway – “I Do, I Do, I Do,” by Robin Hawdon The shows will start at 1:30 p.m. and feature all three hourlong performances. An awards ceremony and reception gala will follow at 8 p.m. in the Playhouse gallery/bar. One of the participating companies will move on to the Regional Fest in Flagstaff, AZ in March to vie for a spot in the National Fest in June in Grand Rapids, MI. "It is a very exciting venture and such an honor to host the AACTFest in our Studio theatre," said Andrew Vonderschmitt, Executive and Produc-
AACTFest and Long Beach Playhouse join together - Photos courtesy of Facebook
ing Artistic Director of the Playhouse, "we're looking forward to the challenge and to making new friends in the field." In addition to performances, attendees will have the opportunity to attend artistic and informative workshops, designed for directors, auditioners, and anyone interested in learning about the AACTFest experience. These workshops include: 10 a.m.: Audition Intensive presented by Gregory Cohen 10 a.m.: Directing Community Theatre Actors presented by Dennis Gilmore 12 p.m.: How to Go to AACTFest presented by Gil Savage and Liz Lydic (FREE) 12 p.m.: The Art of Directing - from Good to Great presented by caryn desai 12 p.m.: Finding the Message in the Movement present-
ed by Tracy Freidman Tickets for performances are $15 for all three shows. To attend the workshops and/or the Gala reception, separate tickets are available for $30. Or attendees can choose the all-inclusive package for $40, which provides all-access to the entire day of theatre, workshops, and celebration. AACTFest is the festival process that culminates in a national theatre festival. It is sponsored by AACT and is held in odd-numbered years. AACTFest presents a forum for community theatres from AACT's 10 regions to enter productions for adjudication and advancement from the state level to the regional level and finally, to the national level. All events take place at the Long Beach Playhouse. Tickets can be purchased online at:http://www.lbplayhouse. org/show/aactfest-2015-studiocollaborative-season/ or by calling the box office at (562) 494-1014. AACTFest is part of the Long Beach Playhouse Collaborative Season, offering outside theatre companies and other performing arts organizations in the community the opportunity to produce their own productions in the Playhouse's Studio Theater. AACT is a national organization dedicated to supporting and developing community theatres throughout the United States.
Cherry Ave. to Be Widened Continued from page 1
straight on Cherry Avenue or turning right at PCH in addition to the existing right-turnonly lane. The project also includes demolition of old concrete paving, a new traffic signal, improved storm water drainage and new asphalt paving. A new center landscaped median is also planned along Cherry Avenue from 19th Street to 20th Street. Hours of construction will be limited to weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Lanes on Cherry Avenue will need to be reduced to one lane in each direction from Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) to 19th Street during the next four months. It is recommended that motorists use alternative routes in lieu of driving through the intersection of PCH and Cherry Avenue. Both cities are working closely with Long Beach Transit to minimize impacts to bus patrons, as Cherry Avenue is used as a bus route. Long Beach Transit encourages customers to plan ahead for possible delays due to construction by taking an earlier bus or looking for alternative bus routes. The Cherry Avenue widening project is expected to take four months to complete. For more information, please contact the City of Signal Hill Public Works Department at (562) 989-7351 or visit www. cityofsignalhill.org, which contains a link to up-to-date project information, including recommended detours. Meanwhile, the City of Long Beach is continuing to work on Cherry Avenue street improvements between Ocean Boulevard and PCH. This project also has been coordinated with the City of Signal Hill, and is expected to be completed on schedule in March 2015.