LB Post can't get it right

The LB Post just can't get it together when it comes to reporting on East Long Beach

In July, when the Long Beach Post wrote about the new CSULB off-site parking at the Los Altos Gateway Center's (Lowes/Kmart center) the publication misidentified  the center as the Los Altos Center and stated that the center's Kmart had closed. We cut them slack since they were under new owners. ( Click on Correcting the LB Post)

But now, new ownership is no longer a valid excuse.

An October 15, 2018 LB Post article about Long Beach being a bike friendly city was nothing more than a thinly veiled attack on East Long Beach and our council representatives.

The piece by LB Post writer Brian Addison, Long Beach recognized as one of the nation’s most bike-friendly cities,  is more about attacking 4th District Councilman Daryl Supernaw and 5th District Councilwomen Stacy Mungo.  

Addison it appears did no research into his piece as he takes quotes out of context to attack the popular Supernaw.  Then again, if he did do research, the article is purposely fake because the truth does not support his writing.

Traffic Engineer Widstrand 

First, Addison writes about the repaving of Atherton at the Traffic Circle over the summer.  The plans for the repaving of the street had been long done by time the work began. After the road was removed and was torn up and ready to be repaved and stripped, the Long Beach Traffic Engineer Eric Widstrand's department came up with new plans and money to implement them. 

Councilman Supernaw explained  the Atherton Street story at his monthly community meeting in August 2018.  The Traffic Department presented its new Atherton street plan-as the street was being torn up. The new plan was to remove a traffic lane on Atherton to put in diagonal parking for CSULB students all the way down Atherton and add a bollard bike lane.  Supernaw informed them that at the late stage of work, the community had not been given notice or had input into the new plan and that the Traffic Department would have to hold a community meeting to get input from the residents. The Traffic Department refused to hold a meeting and continued to press Supernaw.  Supernaw told them to hold a meeting.

However, that was not the end of the Atherton matter. Somehow various social media posts started showing up bashing Supernaw from the biking community.  When Fourth District neighborhood leaders contacted Supernaw wondering what was going on, Supernaw had no idea how the Long Beach biking community was informed about  an internal City Hall matter between the Traffic Department and the 4th District Council Office, especially since 4th District residents had been denied a community meeting by the Traffic Department and had no input.  

Councilman Supernaw

Supernaw told his August community meeting audience that he was also concerned about equity of spending the added new money in Los Altos for this "new" Traffic Department Plan when the already planned and approved bike boulevard along 15th Street in the West Fourth District was under funded and not what the residents who wanted the upgraded bike boulevard  were promised.

Now months later and the LB Post version of the truth appears.

Mr. Addison's narrow LB Post version of the real story about a Councilman truly representing his whole district is this:

"Supernaw rejected a road diet on Atherton which he called “an 11th hour proposal” that “grossly favored one neighborhood over another … An elaborate treatment of Atherton would simply be salt in the wound.”

That misrepresentation however is just part one.  Addison has more "Long Beach recognized as one of the nation’s most bike-friendly cities"  news.

In the same paragraph, Addison adds an out of context quote from a Long Beach Business Journal (Sept 25-Oct 8) feature about business in the 4th District. Addison writes:

"To add on top of it, Supernaw is fighting for car-centric businesses, telling the Long Beach Business Journal last month, “We had heard this is a bicycle-friendly city. Well, evidently the private sector didn’t get the memo, because all these [new establishments in my district] are drive-throughs, and they are packed all the time"

The LBBJ published the entire Supernaw interview in its signature Q and A style in its Talking Business with the City Council feature.  The section that Addison hacks from was asking the Councilman about plans to attract business  the district. Supernaw, a business consultant by trade reports that the private sector research and investment is the driving force behind the multimillion dollar developments in the 4th District especially in the Traffic Circle retail areas.  

Supernaw noted in the interview, as he has at his community meetings, that all the Traffic Circle free market private investments built so far, banks, drug stores and restaurants-all have determined that drive-through service is needed. Supernaw's point he has made often in community meetings is that while downtown planners during the Land Use Element  insisted that the car-oriented business model is dead, all of the private sector money in the Traffic Circle is investing in drive-through service.

In addition Addison writes "To add on top of it, Supernaw is fighting for car-centric businesses".

What the LBBJ interview actually quotes Supernaw saying is:

"It’s not that we’re going out and attracting these [businesses]; it’s just that the free market is bringing them in. We want to support these businesses that come in."

Reading the entire LBBJ quotes from that part of the interview and you can see how Addison gets it so wrong:

LBBJ: What sorts of businesses do you feel your district has a need for? Do you have a plan to attract such businesses?

 Supernaw: The private sector does a pretty good job of research, and the investment dollars seem to be there. The circle area traditionally was service sector, with restaurants and whatnot. That went away for a little while and now it is coming back very strong. . . 

The fact that there are so many drive-throughs is so unique. We had heard this is a bicycle-friendly city. Well, evidently the private sector didn’t get the memo, because all these establishments are drive-throughs, and they are packed all the time.

It’s not that we’re going out and attracting these [businesses]; it’s just that the free market is bringing them in. We want to support these businesses that come in. Also, banking is a real big one. We have that both in Los Altos and the circle area now. I am fortunate enough to have two branches of F&M Bank in my district, on the Anaheim corridor and in Los Altos. They do a great job. It just kind of sets the tone that this is a viable banking area.

For more information click on

LBBJ :Talking Business 

Finally, as Addison might put it  "To add on top of it" , that same day October 15th Addison writes about a new restaurant going in on PCH just blocks away from the Traffic Circle and all the  car centric development Addison blames on Supernaw.

In this LB Post article Addison gleefully makes note in the title of the article about the restaurant he is looking forward to opening as "Long Beach’s first vegan fast food drive-thru":

Opening of Long Beach’s first vegan fast food drive-thru, Plant Power, pushed to end of year

Screen shot of  Vegan drive-thru story from Long Beach Post

So why does Addison and the LB Post appear to dislike East Long Beach so much? 

Perhaps Mr. Addison's writings on how East Long Beach opposed the International Airport and the Land Use Element are a clue?

 For more information click on
Addison on the LB International Terminal

LB Post Addison on the Land Use Element

At least Mr. Addison will like our East Long Beach  free market private investment vegan restaurant drive-thru even though it is only for cars and not bikes.

For more information click on

LB Post Addison: LB Bike Friendly

LB Post Addison: LB first vegan drive-thu