Belmont Beacon
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014 - NOVEMBER 30, 2014
belmontbeacon.com
VOLUME 1, NO. 30
Millions of illegal immigrants now have Long Beach a chance to live American Dream Airport by jennifer schlueter receives prestigious Helen Putnam Award for Excellence
of stainless steel sheet piles coated to prevent rust in the marine environment. The 47 ½ foot sheet piles will be driven into the ground using silent piler technology, which also limits vibration and liquefaction. The project will also install accessible and code-compliant sidewalks, stairs for accessing gangways, ladders that lead to private slips, a new guardrail, and
On Tuesday, November 18, the Long Beach City Council was presented with the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in Public Works, Infrastructure and Transportation by the League of California Cities for the new concourse at Long Beach Airport, which provides a unique and innovative space for travelers and serves as an ideal gateway to the City. “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the City, the community, and airport tenants, Long Beach Airport is known internationally as an outstanding airport,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “With the receipt of the Helen Putnam award, our Airport is now an even greater source of pride for our City.” The concourse blends LGB’s rich history with a contemporary sensibility and maintains its reputation as the beloved hometown airport. Designed to sustain LGB’s convenience, new features include a consolidated security screening area, spacious boarding lounges, and an expanded food and beverage program with favorite local restaurants. Councilwoman Stacy Mungo accepted the award on behalf of the City in September at the League of California Cities Annual Conference. “I am proud of Long Beach and our airport team for earning this prestigious award.
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March for immigration rights in San Bernardino - Photo by Erika Paz
Last Thursday, in his immigration speech, Obama promised to increase the budget for law enforcement at our Southern border to prevent illegal crossings and to speed up deportation of “those
who do cross over.” Additionally, he promised to “make it easier and faster for high-skilled immigrants, graduates and entrepreneurs to stay and contribute to our economy;” however, he emphasized that
felons and gang members should not have the chance to take advantage of American life, but rather be deported. Obama asked Congress Please see page 2
Naples seawall replacement set to begin The City of Long Beach will begin constructing new seawalls this week along one portion of the Rivo Alto Canal in Naples Island. The section stretches from the Ravenna Bridge to the eastern portion of The Toledo Bridge, about 1,900 linear feet between the north and south sides. This project is the first phase of a multiphase replacement of the public seawalls surrounding the island. “The repairs in this portion
of Rivo Alto Canal are imperative to maintaining the integrity of the island, which is an asset the City aims to preserve and enhance for future generations,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “This investment preserves a beautiful area of our city that provides aquatic recreation in the canal as well as a wonderful right-of-way for the public to enjoy as pedestrian space.” The new seawalls will consist
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Former Beverly Hills mail room worker pleads guilty to tax fraud A resident of South Gate, California, who formerly worked for Ikon Office Solutions West, Inc., a provider of office supplies and related services, pleaded guilty today to making a false statement on his 2009 tax return. Eduardo C. Partida, 42, entered his guilty plea in federal court before United States District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez. Partida pled
guilty to a one-count information charging him with subscribing to a false 2009 tax return. According to the plea agreement, while working for Ikon Office Solutions during the years 2005-2009, Partida was assigned to work at the Hilton Worldwide business office in Beverly Hills. Partida worked in the mail room of the Hilton business office and his duties
Naples seawall replacement set to begin Continued from page 1
a new storm drain. “This project is truly a feat of modern engineering,” said Councilmember Suzie Price. “The City has been working diligently alongside residents to bring this project to fruition. I am very pleased to see construction beginning to preserve and enhance this unique part of Long Beach. Phase one, budgeted at $9 million, is being financed with Tidelands Operations Funds, and has a completion date of June 2015. During construction, the sidewalks on this portion will be closed to the public. Visitors can complete a full circle of the island by passing through the alleyways. Other sidewalks on the island will not be impacted. The waterway will remain open until December 15, allowing the annual boat parade to pass through. Afterward, the canal will close to all motorized vessels with the exception of
boats owned by canal residents. In 2009, an engineering study determined that some portions of the seawalls have “significant risk of ‘global’ failure due to their present deteriorated condition, if the site experiences a ‘moderate’ near-source earthquake.” The study divided the public seawalls into 6 phases, with the first phase addressing the areas that are in the most severe condition. The Rivo Alto and Naples Canals were constructed in the early 1900s in the delta of the San Gabriel River, which is the area that is now Alamitos Bay. The existing vertical concrete seawalls were built in the late 1930s after the Long Beach earthquake in 1933. Subsequent repairs were made in the late 1960’s. For more information, please contact Rachael Tanner, public liaison, at Rachael.Tanner@longbeach.gov or 562.570.6999.
included ordering office supplies, handling shipping and receiving, and fixing office machines. Beginning as early as November 2005, Partida misappropriated toner cartridges from the Hilton business office and sold them for personal profit. Partida was paid by checks for the misappropriated toner cartridges and deposited the checks into one of three bank accounts held in his name. Partida used the proceeds from the checks to pay for personal and family expenses. As a result of the misappropriated toner cartridges, Partida ad-
mitted that he received unreported income totaling approximately $240,990 for the calendar years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 resulting in a tax loss to the government of at least $49,000. The specific count to which Partida pleaded guilty resulted in unreported income for the 2009 tax year of approximately $14,600 and a tax loss of $2,235. Partida is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Philip S. Gutierrez on February 23, 2015. The statutory maximum sentence he can receive is three years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
Hope for illegal immigrants Continued from page 1
to get out of its gridlock and work together on this and other topics instead of against each other. After all, “our history and the facts show that immigrants are a net plus for our economy and our society,” the President added. Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, a proponent of Obama’s immigration measures spoke to the President in a video on YouTube last Wednesday: “Like their American criminal counterparts, they commit murders, sexual assaults, kidnaps, thefts, engage in violent gang activity and murder police officers. The problem I have is I can’t tell which ones are good and which ones are evil, and neither can you. By their very definition, they are undocumented, untracked, untraced and unaccounted for.” Representative Sam Farr, DCarmel, calls the plan “a good first step,“ but worries, that “it does not go far enough to protect our local economy by ensuring that the agriculture industry has access to a stable workforce.” Senator Barbara Boxer applauds “President Obama for stepping up and taking bold and constitutional action to bring people out of the shadows, thereby strengthening our economy and keeping families from being torn apart.” She believes that “these steps will increase border security
and hold people accountable by requiring them to undergo background checks and pay taxes.” According to the Los Angeles Times, lots of immigrants from different backgrounds celebrated Obama’s policies. Citlali Gomez, a 34-year-old Mexican immigrant, who has been in the US for 12 years, has always lived in fear of being discovered, told the paper: “We’re going to leave the darkness. We’re going to stop being scared.” She wants “a better live” and is optimistic that she can take up her old profession as a nurse instead of cleaning houses, like she did here. Another immigrant, 27-yearold Martha from El Salvador, no qualifies for relief. “Finally. This means I’m going to be able to get an internship. This means I’m going to be able to get a real job,” the paper quoted her, teary eyed and happy. S.J. Lee, a Korean who stayed in Los Angeles after his tourist visa expired, and founded a family. He tells the LA Times reporter: “The president’s reassurances give us a bit of hope because he’s showing that he cares. He understands this is not an issue affecting just Latinos.” Governor Jerry Brown praised Obama and said that he “stepped up for hard-working families across America.”
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Board of Pharmacy recommends eliminating cigarette and tobacco sales in pharmacies The California Board of Pharmacy recommends that pharmacies and stores that contain pharmacies no longer sell cigarettes and tobacco products. At their October 29, 2014 meeting, board members unanimously approved a policy statement that recommends the elimination of tobacco product sales in pharmacies. The statement reads: “The California State Board of Pharmacy recognizes that pharmacists are health care providers and pharmacies are in the business of improving customer health; therefore the board recommends that pharmacies and chain stores that include pharmacies eliminate the sale of tobacco, e-cigarettes and tobacco products, as these products are known to cause cancer, heart disease, lung disease and other health problems.” Board President Stan Weisser said board members could not justify the sale of tobacco products, which have been proven to contribute to patient health issues and death, in the public health setting of a pharmacy, or even in a store that contains a pharmacy. “The Board of Pharmacy’s paramount mandate is to protect consumers. This recommendation sends a clear and consistent message that combining tobacco sales and a pharmacy within the same business is not in the best interests of public health,” Weisser said. Weisser said the tobacco product recommendation coincides with the board’s development of regulations which will allow a pharmacist to furnish nicotine replacement products to assist with smoking cessation. “In the near future, California pharmacists will play a greater role in providing health care and tobacco products have no place in that,” he said.
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The California State Board of Pharmacy protects and promotes the health and safety of California consumers by pursuing the highest quality of phar-
macist care and the appropriate use of pharmaceuticals through education, communication, licensing, legislation, regulation and enforcement.
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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Brown administration calls for extension of Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Children’s health advocates in California are praising the Brown Administration for joining the call on Congress to take quick action to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which expires in September 2015. In a letter dated October 30th, California Secretary of Health and Human Services Diana Dooley on behalf of the Brown Administration responded to an inquiry from Congressional leaders about the importance of CHIP by “strongly encourage[ing] Congress to act early and extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).” Specifically, the letter notes that “Renewal of federal CHIP funding is extraordinarily important to California’s fiscal stability and the ability to continue to offer cost-effective, affordable coverage for children and pregnant women….The loss of such funding
would put gains in children and infants’ health coverage at risk.” CHIP is a critical program that supports Medi-Cal coverage for families and pregnant women and ensures kids throughout California have access to comprehensive, quality health coverage they need. Together CHIP and MediCal have cut the rate of uninsured children in California by half in ten years—from 10.3 percent in 2001 to 5.1 percent in 2011. On behalf of the California Children’s Health Coverage Coalition, Pete Manzo, President of United Ways of California said, “We applaud Governor Brown, Secretary Dooley, and Medi-Cal Director Toby Douglas, for letting Congress know the value California holds in continuing the federal investment in the important Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). We hope Congress responds by quickly fully funding CHIP for four years.
“For sixteen years, CHIP has been a lifeline for California’s working families, giving children access to comprehensive, affordable health coverage. CHIP, along with Medicaid, has brought health coverage rates for children to a historic high,” added Alex Johnson, Executive Director of Children’s Defense FundCalifornia. “Unfortunately, unless Congress takes action quickly, there will be no new federal funding for CHIP after next September, jeopardizing the health of millions of children in California and across the nation.” “CHIP helps children stay healthy so they can succeed in school and keeps coverage affordable for families, protecting them from the financial instability caused by unexpected medical bills,” said Suzie Shupe, Executive Director of California Coverage & Health Initiatives. “This is not the time to mess with suc-
cess, and we cannot afford to lose ground in our efforts to get all California kids covered.” Kelly Hardy, Senior Director of Health Policy at Children Now said, “Renewal of CHIP funding is also critical to California’s financial health – if Congress does not act, California would lose well over $500 million in federal funds in 2016 alone. For better fiscal certainty so that California can meet the health care needs of our kids, we hope Congress hears this loud, and growing, urgent call to extend funding for CHIP now and not wait to address funding right before the funds run out.” “By renewing funding for this proven, bipartisan program we can continue to provide California’s kids with the coverage and quality care they need to succeed in school and in life,” added Wendy Lazarus, Co-President and Founder of The Children’s Partnership.
Long Beach Airport receives prestigious Helen Putnam Award for Excellence Continued from page 1
The modernization of Long Beach Airport is an example of what local government can accomplish when the community and City work together,” Councilwoman Mungo said. “I hope every resident will consider Long Beach for the travel and share their experience and impressions of our fresh, functional terminal with their
friends and neighbors.” The concourse features a resort-like atmosphere that allows travelers the ability to relax in an open atrium, or enjoy spacious seating areas flanked by floor-toceiling windows that offer expansive views of the airfield and spectacular sunsets. “The new concourse pro-
vides a roomier, more secured area for TSA inspectors to perform pre-boarding inspections while continuing to offer ease of use by the traveling public,” said Reginald Harrison, Acting Airport Director. Modern conveniences include an iPad tablet bar where people can check email or order food to be delivered to their seat, USB plug-ins and electrical outlets conveniently placed among the seating areas to recharge electronic devices, and free Wi-Fi throughout the airport. The League of California Cities noted LGB’s ease of use, while accommodating nearly 3 million annual passengers. About Long Beach Airport: Long Beach Airport (LGB), located in Long Beach, CA, was founded in 1923, making it the oldest municipally owned airport in California. Throughout its 91year history, LGB has been a source of substantial economic activity and business opportuni-
ties, as well as a leader in maintaining a sustainable, environmentally responsible operation. LGB hosts four airlines offering non-stop service to several U.S. cities and serving nearly 3 million commercial airline passengers annually while supporting a healthy general aviation community with approximately 300,000 annual operations. For more news, pictures, videos and announcements of what’s happening, “Like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @LBAirport. About the Helen Putnam Award: Established in 1982 by the League of California Cities, the California Cities Helen Putnam Award for Excellence program recognizes outstanding achievements by California’s 482 cities. These winning cities have made unique contributions to community residents and businesses, contributions which have resulted in lower costs or more effective delivery of services.