Friday, July 17, 2015

Los Altos Center UPDATES

Los Altos Center updates
Juice Bar coming to 
Los Altos Center West
A new juice bar will be opening in August in the former Los Altos Hole Mole storefront. 

Located in the Los Altos Center West at  2125 N. Bellflower between Ecco's Pizza and Blue Water Salon (just down from See's Candy) the new juice bar will called  Local Press Juicery.   Long Beach's new juice bar is set to open in August.


Across Bellflower, work continues on Long Beach's first Pieology in Los Altos Center South between Wells Fargo Bank and Pick-up-Stix.  Pieology is also scheduled to open in August. 

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Life without the noise ordinance????

 Firestorm over Councilwomen Stacy Mungo's
Prop 13 comments at airport vote 


Having the winning votes to start the process for an International Terminal was not enough for 5th District Councilwomen Stacy Mungo on Tuesday night, the councilwomen added what many consider "insult to injury" of the homeowners. Her  comments have practically gone viral on social media sites.

 After over 2 hours of testimony from homeowners against the airport from all over the city-including her own neighborhood- Mungo told the audience:

 "I want all of you to stay in the homes you're in, but quite frankly if you moved, the city would actually increase its property tax revenue. Because of Prop 13 and your protections, we are not making a decision to get rid of you or move you and... I'm a budget director and I just have to tell you the facts."


So what do home sales under the flight path of an airport without a noise ordinance look like?  Well the blue dots on this Zillow map show all the Auction, Pre-foreclosed and foreclosed homes in the Inglewood flight path of LAX ( the LAX jets take off over the ocean).   Click on:


This is not the first time the Councilwomen took on airport advocates.  When Eight District Councilman Al Austin called for a city moratorium on the international airport until the 4th District Special Election had occurred,  Mungo  in a March 2015 Council statement by her, which she read from prepared text, in which she called voting for the moratorium "pandering to the crowd" of homeowners in the audience. 

Full Story Click on LBReport

Monday, July 6, 2015

NEIGHBORHOOD ALERT

NEIGHBORHOOD ALERT
Long Beach City Council Vote on International Terminal
JULY 7 - Meeting starts 7:00 PM .

WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF THE CITY COUNCIL ALLOWS A FEDERAL CUSTOMS FACILITY AT LONG BEACH AIRPORT INVITING INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS???



1. The City  could not restrict a Federal Customs Facility to one airline.

2. For the first time-multiple international operators -passenger and cargo -could seek flight slots that are currently restricted under the Noise Ordinance. Until now, Long Beach has never faced challenges from international carriers to our Noise Ordinance. Everytime the Noise Ordinance has been challenged in court- it has lost and been weakened. 

3. International carriers that seek slots beyond what the Noise Ordinance allows would have an incentive to go to court to strike down the local ordinance over a Federal facility. The Noise Ordinance is the only thing protecting Long Beach from unlimited flights at any time of the day and night by commercial and private flights.    

OUR CITY COUNCIL'S FIRST PRIORITY MUST BE TO PROTECT AND DEFEND OUR CITY'S PROTECTIVE AIRPORT NOISE ORDINANCE. NOT TO TAKE ACTIONS THAT INVITE NEW RISKS, ON JULY 7.

The City Management is asking the Council to approve hiring an "industry expert" to tell the city if the flights are "feasible"

OF COURSE IT IS FEASIBLE!! THE FIRST QUESITON FOR THE COUNCIL TO ASK - AND ANSWER.. IS WHETHER ALLOWNG INTERNATIONAL  FLIGHTS WOULD HELP OUR ORDINANCE OR CREATE NEW RISKS?

AN "INDUSTRY EXPERT'' IS THE LAST PERSON TO ASK ABOUT PRESERVING AND DEFENDING WHAT PROTECTS OUR ORDINANCE!

FOR THE SAKE OF PROTECTING  OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND HOME VALUES, WE MUST SPEAK UP NOW.

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO:
 l . Visit the Neighborhoods First Website and sign up 
( Click on NHF)

2. Visit the Neighborhoods First  FACEBOOK PAGE 
(Click on: NHF FACE BOOK)
-LIKE AND SHARE OUR PAGE TO SPREAD THE WORD.

3. ALERT YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO WHAT'S TAKING PLACE. TAKE YOUR SEAT AT CITY HALL ON THE 7TH !

4. E-MAIL YOUR MESSAGE TO THE MAYOR AND ALL COUNCIL OFFICES PRIOR TO TUESDAY'S MEETING. VISIT LBNF WEBSITE FOR ADDRESSES.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
1. Q: Wouldn't this bring the city more revenue?
A: The Airport is forbidden by federal law from using Airport revenue (landing fees and the like) to provide funds for citywide police, fire, parks, libraries and " infrastructure. The city receives spin-off revenue from sales tax (about a penny on the dollar) from souvenirs and food and may receive more sizable hotel room tax if airport users stay in LB hotels, which most don't. The City's largest general fund revenue source is property tax revenue...OUR neighborhood homes, OUR investments.

Q; Do you hate the airport?

A: LBHUSHZ & Neighborhoods First fought for - and won -- a right-sized Airport terminal when others tried to supersize it (which would have destroyed our airport's features that travelers like.) We like our airport as it is. We want to keep it that way. We oppose a corporate dictated international airport that could hurt our neighborhoods, harm our quality of life and reduce our home values.

Q: Shouldn't we be business friendly?
 A: Every family home is a family business. Families count on their home's value for their children, their grandchildren and for equity as needed. The Airport impacts all or parts of five of nine Council districts. lf any LB Council incumbents think out of town corporate interests should lump the interests of countless LB family businesses, they deserve an education at the next election.





Saturday, July 4, 2015

4th of July Los Altos Bike Parade

4th of July Los Altos Bike Parade-

 a neighborhood tradition


Councilman Daryl Supernaw showed up to video tape the parade and posted this on his Facebook page:

The Great Los Altos Bike, Scooter and Unicycle Parade

Posted by Daryl Supernaw on Saturday, July 4, 2015