Councilman Daryl Supernaw deserves reelection

Councilman Daryl Supernaw deserves reelection to a final term

The Los Altos Center Adjacent Neighborhoods enthusiastically endorses our popular and effective District 4 Councilman Daryl Supernaw for reelection.

Councilman Supernaw's thank you to LB Post readers for selecting him as the Top Civil Servant

Councilman Supernaw has proven himself to be an outstanding honest representative for our neighborhoods,  District 4, and Long Beach.

His commitments to fostering economic growth, enhancing public safety, working on homeless issues, and his famous focus on constituent services alone would be worthy of a reelecting Supernaw to a final third term. 

 But there is so much more.

• Supernaw fought to hold airlines responsible for regularly violating the Long Beach Airport Noise Ordinance. His efforts also eventually led to the safe closing of loopholes airlines used that financially hurt the airport. 

• Supernaw fought to bring back funding for restoring Engine 17 at Stearns Park's Firehouse 17 resulting in quicker 911 emergency response times. 

• Supernaw brought forward an ordinance that was passed to give the LBPD more tools to fight street takeovers.  

• Supernaw worked to acquire “project vouchers” for the new 76-unit residential building at the corner of PCH and Loma. The $41 million project was built to provide single apartments for previously unhoused, low-income residents. Without the vouchers, the project would not have been feasible.

• Supernaw’s office is the only council office that acts as a clearing house for homeless issues in its own district. Supernaw encourages residents to contact his office regarding the Fourth District homeless population to coordinate available services.

• After the Animal Service Center was added to District 4, Supernaw successfully proposed an amendment to the 2024 Long Beach City Budget for funds to eliminate the backlog of current and former shelter animals needing spay or neutering. The backlog was eliminated this summer.  . Supernaw's office also paid for new industrial-grade washing machines to wash blankets and towels needed in caring for the animals. 

To read how  Supernaw's opponent is trying to take credit for  Supernaw's Animal Shelter support CLICK ON:  

Fact-checking Herlinda Chico on the Animal Shelter 

• After the sacred Indigenous Peoples site of Puvungna at CSULB was added to  District 4, Supernaw has proposed and is working to have the city create a Native American Commission.  Once instituted, Long Beach will be one of the few municipalities with dedicated Native American representation within a city government.

• After the rest of El Dorado Park was added to  District 4, Supernaw worked with city staff to jump-start the long-stalled upgrades to the El Dorado Duck Pond.  The pond re-opened this spring.

• Supernaw addresses local neighborhood concerns with public and private projects ensuring residents' questions are answered and residential input is considered. Examples include Supernaw hosting meetings about the new CSULB dorms on Atherton; Sports Basement taking over the Los Altos Sears: and working with neighborhoods regarding city-proposed street makeovers.

• Supernaw’s office is renowned for both its service to residents and its fiscal efficiency.  Unlike other council offices, Supernaw does not hire local political party insiders but instead hires competent professionals. With a productive and lean professional staff, Supernaw’s average yearly office budget operation savings is 46%. Those funds are then invested back into District 4 sidewalks, street repairs, and community events.

• Committed to full representation and communication, Supernaw’s seasoned professional staff includes the longest-serving council office chief-of-staff.   The efficient staff is Long Beach's most competent city council staff.  

• In addition to his famous weekly newsletter and monthly community meetings, Supernaw is a regular featured guest at neighborhood, HOA, and other community meetings. 

Councilman Supernaw’s honesty, approachable demeanor, willingness to listen to and respond to constituents, and his ability to collaborate with colleagues have made him an effective and respected leader.

Yes! Supernaw deserves re-election to a final third term. 

From LB4D News:

• City of Los Angeles Political Machine attacks Supernaw with negative political mail

Former Los Angeles County labor union leader Ron Herrera has formed a Political Action Committee (PAC) in Long Beach to support Herlinda Chico’s campaign to unseat Fourth District Councilman Daryl Supernaw.

City of Long Beach form 410 (click to enlarge) 

A close-up of form 410 that has Ron Herrera as the Principal officer of PAC

Herrera is remembered for his part in the October 2022 Los Angeles City Council Racism Scandal.  The scandal became national news.  It ultimately led to Herrera's resignation from the presidency of his union as well as the resignation of Los Angeles City Councilmember and City Council President Nury Martinez.  Three other Los Angeles City Council members were caught up in the scandal. 

 

The fallout from the scandal brought to light a second Herrera city council scandal. Herrera was involved in a plot to buy the votes of political clubs and non-profits for political endorsements to re-elect Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell. 

In September 2024, Herrera turned his attention to Long Beach. 

Herrera filed paperwork in Long Beach to form a PAC called “Neighbors for a Safer CD 4 to Support Herlinda Chico 2024”. The Herrera PAC mailed out two political mailers last week to support Chico. The Herrera's mailers targeted two different political demographics in the Fourth District.  

Herrera’s PAC has six contributors. The four contributors that contributed $5,000 each all have Los Angeles addresses listed on the campaign paperwork. 

In addition to the Los Angeles donors, Long Beach District 7 Councilman Roberto Uranga gave $1,000 to the Herrera PAC. Uranga and his wife are close personal friends of Chico.

Long Beach City College and Long Beach Unified’s connection to Herrera PAC

Cordoba Corporation and JT Construction of Los Angeles both contributed $5,000 each to the Herrera PAC to support Herlinda Chico’s campaign.

Cordoba Corporation's $5,000 contribution to Herrera's OAC (click to enlarge)  

What is the connection of  Los Angeles engineering company Cordoba Corporation to the Long Beach District 4 City Council race?  

The answer is Long Beach City College and its Board Trustee Herlinda Chico. Herlinda Chico was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2020.

According to Cordoba’s website and the Long Beach City College (LBCC) website, Cordoba handles the construction management for LBCC’s two bond measures, Measure E and Measure LB.  

LBCC website about Cordoba being the Bond Management Team

Taxpayer Bonds are big business, and this year, the LBCC Trustees placed another almost billion-dollar bond titled Measure AC on the November 2024 ballot.

Chico ran for the Long Beach City College Board after first being defeated by Supernaw in 2015.  Since being elected to the LBCC Board, Chico politicized her trustee position on the Board for her political career (see links below).

Despite the backing of both the Long Beach Political Machine and now the Los Angeles Political Machine, Chico has tried to cast herself to voters as “NOT A POLITICIAN” like in this ad:

Los Angeles’ JT Construction also gave $5,000 to the Herrera PAC.

JT Construction's $5,000 contribution to Herrera's PAC  (click to enlarge)

What is this Los Angeles company's connection to Long Beach?

According to the Construction Journal, JT Construction has done bond-related work for the Long Beach Unified School District.   Current Fifth District Councilwoman Meagan Kerr was a former Long Beach Unified School District Board Member. Kerr and her husband who are close personal friends of Chico have both endorsed and contributed to Chico’s campaign.

Long Beach City College is in Kerr’s District 5 council district. 

The Herrera scandals with the Los Angeles City Council

The Herrera Racism Scandal that led to his Los Angeles downfall began with a backroom deal meeting at Herrera’s headquarters. The meeting included powerful LA City Council members and Herrera over controlling the Los Angeles City Council redistricting process. 

The Los Angeles scandal became a national story when audio of the meeting was released that included numerous racial and homophobic comments and slurs. 

Herrera was forced to resign after the audio was released.

After Herrera’s resignation, his union demanded the resignations of the Los Angeles City Council members involved with Herrera noting the wide range of racist remarks made by the meeting participants:

“Racism in any form has no place in the House of Labor. It is unconscionable that those elected to fight for our communities of color would engage in repulsive and vile anti-Black, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Asian and anti-Oaxacan remarks that pit our working communities against each other. These sentiments will not be tolerated by our organization or those who we represent .“

An audio of the secret Herrera 2021 meeting was released online and to the Los Angeles Times.  During the meeting's discussions, racial and disparaging remarks were made about the black adopted son (at the time 8 years old) of white City Councilman Mike Bonin and his husband Sean Arian.  

The meeting hosted by Herrera included Los Angeles City Councilmember and City Council President Nury Martinez and Los Angeles City Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon.

Bonin became a topic in the meeting.  Herrera, Martinez, and De Leon all make racial comments. The scandal made national headlines and rocked the Los Angeles Political Machine. CNN reported:

"Much of the conversation focused on maps proposed by the city’s redistricting commission and the councilmembers’ frustration with them, as well as the need to “ensure that heavily Latino districts did not lose economic assets” in the once-in-a-decade process, according to the Times.

The councilmembers then discussed Councilmember Mike Bonin, a White man. In clips of the leaked audio posted by the Times, Martinez is heard recounting a conversation and says “Bonin thinks he’s f**king Black.”

According to the Times, Martinez says Bonin appeared with his son on a float in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade and he “handled his young Black son as though he were an accessory.” The boy is 8 years old, according to a Facebook post by his father.

The Times reported that Martinez also said of Bonin’s child, “Parece changuito,” or “He’s like a monkey.”

“They’re raising him like a little White kid,” Martinez said in the audio released by The Times." 

"I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I’ll bring him back.”

While the Martinez comments toward Bonin and Arian's son took center stage in the scandal's first reporting, the distraught parents released a statement that included Herrera and De Leon’s statements in the meeting. The statement stated that as parents they are “equally angry and disgusted by the ugly racist comments about our son from Kevin de León and Ron Herrera, who should also resign their posts, and by the tacit acceptance of those remarks from Gil Cedillo.”

Following Herrera’s resignation, Martinez resigned, first as City Council President, then from the City Council.   

Cedillo who had just a few months left in office after a June election loss refused to resign.

De Leon also refused to resign causing a firestorm of protests for months at Los Angeles City Council meetings. 

 

A second audio recording of Herrera and former Los Angeles City Council member Mitch O’Farrell and a union staffer surfaced shortly after the racist audio.  The second audio revealed a Herrera plot to keep O’Farrell in office by paying off progressive non-profits and local Democratic clubs to endorse O’Farrell’s re-election over his progressive challenger.  O'Farrell ended up losing the race. 

For more information click on:

·     Fact-checking Herlinda Chico on the Long Beach Animal Shelter

·     Herlinda Chico campaign mailers attacking Supernaw  funded by Los Angeles racist scandal leader Ron Herrera

·     Herlinda Chico keeps lying to Long Beach

·     Long Beach candidate Herlinda Chico lies to voters again

·     Herlinda Chico's real job

·     Herlinda Chico out as Long Beach Field Deputy for L.A. Supervisor Hahn’s office

·     Long Beach City College Foundation's Hall of Fame  political scandal

·     Long Beach Political Machine connections to Melahat Rafiei run deep

·     Long Beach’s former Animal Services Manager Staycee Dains takes a leave from her Los Angeles Animal Service position after a scathing report

·     Supernaw's bid for re-election will be a rerun of  the 2015 election

·    Long Beach Redistricting Commission’s “independence” is in question with maps drawn by connected political consultant

·    Soon-to-be federal felon's political firm has ties to  Herlinda Chico 

·     Supernaw's bid for re-election will be a rerun of  the 2015 election

·     Supernaw wins

·     Chico put down $7,732 on a $305,000 home -then borrowed  $20,634 on the home-then stopped paying on the home loans for months

·     Chico’s political consultant lied to police about being a Congressman

·    Chico flip-flops(again) on Airport

·    Long Beach Business Journal endorses Supernaw and blasts his opponent in a scathing editorial

·    Supernaw announces major endorsements in Long Beach City Council 2024 re-election campaign launch

·    Long Beach Councilman two for two in readers' polls

·    Supernaw's bid for re-election will be a rerun of  the 2015 election 

·    Supernaw wins

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Contributions to the Re-Elect Daryl Supernaw for City Council 2024 campaign can be made at this link:

https://www.efundraisingconnections.com/c/DarylSupernaw/

His website is here: 

https://supernaw2024.com/

 

Los Angeles DA candidate John McKinney hosts community meeting at District 4 Pizza

Los Angeles DA candidate John McKinney hosts community meeting at District 4 Pizza

Deputy District Attorney John McKinney will be hosting a neighborhood meet and great at District 4 Pizza on Saturday December 2, 2023 from Noon to 2 pm.

McKinney is running to replace his boss embattled Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon. 

One of the DA offices most successful prosecutors who has tried and won every one of the almost 40 murder cases. On his website he states:

"In all, I have tried nearly 40 murder cases. I gave a small piece of myself to each one. Every killer I prosecuted was convicted. Every victim’s humanity was affirmed in the courtroom." 

In his 25-year career as a prosecutor in the Los Angeles County DA’s Office includes

• ·      Victim Impact Program
• ·       Juvenile Court
• ·       Hardcore Gang Division
• ·       Major Crimes Division

 For more information on his positions and campaign CLICK on

Victims’ Rights

Public Safety

Campaign website

Sports Basement coming to Los Altos Center vacant Sears building

 

LACAN UPDATE   
 Sports Basement coming to Los Altos Center vacant Sears building

Friday 10/27/23 9:45 pm

The Bay Area regional sporting goods retailer Sports Basement will be moving into the Los Altos Marketcenter's   (aka Los Altos Center South)  vacant Sears building. The huge retail building includes three stories and a basement.

Los Altos Village neighborhood has been abuzz about workers working inside the long vacant Sears space for the last several weeks.  In his popular weekly newsletter,  Fourth District Councilman Daryl Supernaw wrote in the Friday October 27, 2023 edition   that he "will be meeting with the building owner and the new tenant next Tuesday to get all the details." 

 

LB4D News spoke with the onsite workers and confirmed that the new tenant will be Sports Basement. The Long Beach location will be Sports Basement’s thirteenth location, the second in Southern California.

The new Los Altos Marketplace Sports Basement is expected to open in the Spring of 2024.

Founded in 1998 with its first store in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, the company has grown to twelve stores. Eleven Sports Basement’s stores are in the Bay Area. Last year it opened its first Southern California store in Fountain Valley.

Sports Basement is unique in the sporting goods industry because it embraces numerous retail strategies for a one stop shopping experience.  Building on a corporate culture of “community” and “fun,” stores are in repurposed buildings and are unique to that local community.   

Its massive stores in repurposed buildings sell in-line major brands, close-outs, and discontinued items as well as used goods (marketed as “pre-loved). The stores have a discount warehouse feel that reflect its “best brands at basement prices” company moto. 

photo courtesy of Sports Basement 

Like Trader Joe’s, Sports Basement custom builds most of its display shelves, racks, and signage.  It has its own metal and wood shop.

Sports Basement also rents sports and event equipment. Unlike REI and the long defunct Sports Authority and Sports Chalet’s rental focus on mainly skiing and camping equipment rentals, Sports Basement has numerous categories of “outdoor” equipment rentals. Rentals include a wide variety of sports equipment (from skies to pickleball) and sports clothing, plus travel (think car accessories and luggage) and a selection of outdoor event items as single rentals or whole everything-you-need packages.

The store also offers state-of the-art bike and snow shops offering tuning services.

The retailer also takes tradeins of customers “pre-loved” sports equipment for resale in its stores. Customer “pre-loved” items that do not meet the company’s reselling standards are accepted then donated. 

Online shopping for all store merchandise and rentals with in-store pickup available.

Shoppers will find lounge areas throughout the store and a  free-of-charge Community Space to hold group meetings or birthday parties. Using that space, stores offer speaker events, fitness classes, movie nights, fundraisers. Each store’s community space has a different name and theme like “The Dairy” in the retailers San Francisco’s Presidio store. Depending on the location, the Community Spaces range in occupancy from 50- 300 people. The Sports Basement website explains:

 Sports Basement is a hub for local clubs, non-profits, and corporate partners. Our stores, in all their reclaimed glory, transform into whatever our community needs them to be. We serve as meeting halls, call centers, movie theaters, art galleries, yoga studios...we could even be a wedding venue if you want. And you can reserve any of our community spaces at select stores, for free, by clicking the buttons below - it's as simple as that because being a part of our communities should be the easiest thing in the world.

The Dairy Community Space photo courtesy of Sports Basement 

Fostering a sense of community, Sports Basement supports sports participants group meet-ups for in-person and virtual events:

Join us at your local store for a run group, ride group, or a fitness class. Looking for more? Check out our full list of in-person and virtual events below.

Sports Basement’s loyalty program has a one-time $25 lifetime membership buy-in cost.  Called the “Basementeer’s” program, it offers 10% discounts on all purchases and 10% of the purchase price to the customer’s choice of school or charity.  When the Fountain Valley store opened, memberships in the Basementeer’s program was offered for free.

 

The Los Altos Center was part of the original Lloyd Whaley built Los Altos Village planned community.

Buildings within the Los Altos Marketplace have different property owners  with the Sears building being one of them.  Originally a Walkers Department Store when the center opened in 1955, it was rebranded a Broadway Department store after Walkers was bought by Broadway Department stores a year later. A third story was added to the building in 1964. In the 1990’s, the then Los Altos Center was redeveloped as a Redevelopment Agency project. At that time Sears bought the Los Altos Broadway property and again remodeled it.

Redevloped store mix from the 1990's    photo from LB4D News

After rival Kmart Corporation bought Sears in 2005, a slow decline began with the ultimate demise of both retailers after declaring bankruptcy in 2018. The ensuing bankruptcy left only 11 Sears open today.

This month in Burbank, the local Sears re-opened in its former Burbank Town Center space as the 12^th retail space.  Unfortunately, according to the reviews, the “new” Sears looks like a close-out bankrupt clearance store.  The other three California Sears are located in Whitter, Stockton, and Concord. 

District 4 Pizza opens at Los Altos Center

 

District 4 Pizza opens at Los Altos Center

Monday October 2, 2023 9:30 pm 

District 4 Pizza at the Los Altos Center officially opened on Monday October 2, 2023 after a trial Family and Friends night the week before.  A Grand Opening is in the works. 

District 4 Pizza is the latest concept from Long Beach restauranters Ian Molson, Nevi Maddy and Ryan Mcintyre. Located at the long-time Ecco’s Pizza location at 2123 N Bellflower Blvd., District 4 Pizza is across the street from Moston’s very successful Kennedys Restaurant and Bar in the Los Altos Center South.

D4 Pizza partner Ian Moston with District 4 Councilman Daryl  Supernaw in D4 meeting room

The menu features traditional and upscale pizza and Italian fare along with unique menu items.

Appetizers include traditional mozzarella sticks, calamari, hot wings, onion rings and fries, but also some unexpected offerings like truffle fries and crispy brussels sprouts. 

Then they have some surprises like Mac’d up Pepperoni and Cheese  and Whipp it Good  which is whipped ricotta, hot honey, crostini and pecorino cheese).

“Cheesus Crust”

 Along with traditional pizzas (a cheese called “Cheesus Crust” ; a meat called “I Heart Meat”; a sausage called “Sausage King of Chicago; and a vegetarian called “Haight-Ashbury”), the District 4 menu includes several house specialty pizzas.

Those house specialties including: “Elote” (roasted corn, chicken asada, cilantro crème, parmesan, chili powder and fresh limes); “Sleepy Time” (homemade beef Bolognese, mozzarella, bechamel sauce, ricotta, parmesan and basil); Fung-Guy (bun shimeji and shitake mushrooms; cremini, mozzarella, gorgonzola and truffle oil); and the Pistachio (parmesan,  rosemary, red onion , pistachios).

The pizzas come in come in four sizes and there is a gluten friendly 12” cauliflower crust available with topping choices.

There is also a small selection of salads, sandwiches and six main traditional Italian meals.  The alcohol selection of includes numerous beers, a choice of wines and lots of soft drinks.

The inside has been totally revamped from its Ecco’s Pizza days.  The dining area has been unified and upgraded with the large dividing wall in the middle with the elevated booths removed. Outside seating along Bellflower Blvd. is available. 

A number of large televisions surround the dining area. 

The old arcade area has been expanded with modern games. The private party room has been updated and features a “Greetings from Long Beach” graphic with local landmarks.  

Expanded Arcade 

Refreshed Private Party Room

Greatings from Long Beach graphic in Private Room

 District 4 is currently open 4 pm- 10 pm, but will eventually open from 11 am- 10 pm.