Hof's "Los Altos Star" being repaired

Hof's "Los Altos Star" mystery solved

by LB4D Blog

They mystery of the Hof's Hut "Los Altos Star"  has been solved.  Los Altos Hof's Hut Manager Jairo Torres told LB4D Blog that after the blog brought it to his attention that the new star-burst topper placed on top of the new Hof's Hut sign was missing he emailed the corporate office.

Torres was told that the star will be returning after it is repaired.  Apparently a few of the lights on the starbursts "arms" were not lighting properly when it was first installed, so it was taken down to be repaired.

Torres said those repairs should be completed in two weeks and "The star will return".

Mobil station gas fire CLOSE CALL

 Quick work by LB Fire Department avoids potential catastrophe at Los Altos Mobil station

The Los Altos Mobil Station at Bellflower and Stearns and a wide area was saved from a major catastrophe early this morning according to today's newsletter from 4th District  Councilman Daryl Supernaw.

According to the Councilman's newsletter, this morning ( October 16) at approximately 3:30 am, the semi-truck with a gas tanker that was filling up the underground gas storage tanks at the Mobile Station at the corner of Bellflower and Stearns Streets caught fire due to an "electrical problem" under the semi-truck's hood.

The Councilman credit's the "quick and full-scale" response of the Long Beach Fire Department  with averting a catastrophe which Supernaw called  " the potential for being a lot worse" in his newsletter.

The Councilman's newsletter reports that the following LBFD resources responded to the early morning fire:

"Engine 22, Engine 14, Engine 4, Truck 17, Rescue 10, Foam 12, HazMat 24, Arson Unit 1 and Battalion Chief 2 for total of 28 fire personnel"

        

For the complete story of this fire and another apartment building fire last week in the 4th District see the Councilman Supernaw's weekly newsletter here:  Supernaw's Weekly

Los Altos PIEOLOGY Grand Opening

 Los Altos Pieology Grand Opening Wednesday 10/7/15

After a soft opening this week, the Los Altos Pieology will hold its official grand Opening on Wednesday October 7, 2015.  The official ribbon cutting will be at 10 am.

 Pieology will occupy the former Baja Fresh (which lost its lease) space at the Los Altos Center South and will become  Long Beach's first Pieology Pizza restaurant.

 

The franchise chain has over 30 Southern California locations and features custom made-to-order "hand crafted" pizza's cooked in an open-flame oven and promised in around five minutes from ordering.

The chain does not currently offer alcohol.

Pieology will face a tough Los Altos area pizza market with long time local family favorite Ecco's Pizza across Bellflower, CSULB student favorite Deli News across Stearns and Toppings Custom Pizza at the Traffic Circle Center.

For the menu click on: PIEOLOGY

Los Altos Pieology

(Long Beach Bellflower)
2092 N. Bellflower Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90815
562.430.5890

New Hof's Hut sign lights up Los Altos skyline

New Hof's Hut sign lights up Los Altos skyline

On Monday, the Los Altos Hoff's Hut got a new sign that is making a big impact on the Los Altos skyline.

The 50's -style red sign features a retro Atomic-style starburst above it.

 At night the red appears to fade away to give the sign a  black appearence under the new bright glow of the neon-like lights as the starburst shines  above Bellflower Blvd.

The new sign is a great indicator that the always busy Los Altos Hof's Hut is being invested in as the owners Hofman Hospitality Group company continues to expand its other restaurants. Lucille's BBQ took over the PCH/Second Hof's Hut in a remodel and the 2nd Street Hof's Hut became a new high-end Saint and Second branded  restaurant.

Hofman  Hospitality Group franchises Spin! Neapolitan Pizza . The Spin  restaurants in both Los Alamitos and Huntington Beach closed.

For more information Click on HHG and Saint and Second

Youtube Video of E Long Beach Rally

Eleven minute YouTube Video shows Target parking lot and crowds at illegal Car Rally

A YouTube video that shows the Los Altos Target parking lot on Saturday 9/12/15

5,000 out of control in East Long Beach

Thousand of race cars and motor cycles in ELB Kmart/Lowes and Target parking lot take LBPD by surprise

An estimated 5,000 people with race-style cars and motorcycles  cars showed up at the 5th District Kmart and Lowes Center overwhelming the Long Beach East Division as helicopters and units responded to the out-of-control event late Saturday Night.

Vehicals  from the event just north of the 405 border between the 4th and 5th District's were heard racing up and down Bellflower Blvd through the 4th District south into the 3rd District as LBPD helicopters flew overhead. Race cars and crowds then spilled over into the Target/Trader Joes lots-then across the street to the Hoff's Hut parking lot.

Local residents coming North on Bellflower indicated that it took over an hour to get from PCH and 2nd Street to Los Altos. 

In the event of an emergency-fire or medical, the consequences could have been catastrophic. 

A source close to Councilwomen Mungo's 5th District Council office contacted by LACAN stated the three East Long Beach Council Offices were not contacted by the LBPD East Division Command until 2 hours into the event- past 11:00 pm. (LB Report.com has the LBPD explanation here: LBR )

Social Media reports that participants from the impromptu event at various 4th and 5th District establishments told residents it was a  Paul Walker Birthday Tribute. Walker was the Fast and Furious movie star killed speeding down an LA street . He would have turned 42 Saturday Sept 12th. 

The event appears to have been spread by Twitter and Instagram and other social media platforms including this Twitter hastag feed:
TWITTER.

Pictures of cars (see below) and short video began appearing all over internet feeds. One video shows a motorcycle burninout its tires in one of the shopping center parking lots causing white smoke in engulf the area.

Long Beach Police converged on the area closing off major parking lots along the Bellflower corridor as speeding cars could be heard well into the night.  Social media reports that the Bellflower exits from the 405 were closed by law enforcement.
Photos below from Social media:

Photo posted on Nextdoor site showing LBPD closing Target lot

New Target coming to Bellflower Blvd.

Shuttered Ralph's to become a scaled down Target at Bellflower/PCH and 7th

Local media is reporting that the former Ralph's at Bellflower/PCH and 7th Street will become a TargetExpress.  The 3rd District location is across from the VA Hospital and CSULB was announced by Mayor Garcia and 3rd District Councilperson Suzie Price last week. While a new smaller Target version is expected, by time it opens the name will not be TargetExpress. 

(click on TargetExpress)

Designed for neighborhoods, TargetExpress and CityTarget locations are smaller versions of regular sized Target stores .  There are currently under 15 nation-wide.   However, the new Long Beach location will most likely never be called TargetExpress as reported locally.

According to  a Target Corporation  press release last month, the TargetExpress brand is now gone. Current TargetExpress and CityTarget's are slated to be "re-branded" with the standard "Target" name starting this October.  

(Click on Target ReBrand and SF Chronicle)

Target is not short on concept stores. The fourth type of store is operates is "Super Target". Those "super" stores (like the one in Seal Beach) are bigger with wider isles and more selections-especially in food.  

A fifth type of  Target called "Greatland Targets"  were changed into the Super Target format.

The smaller TargetExpress concept has not been universally welcomed into neighborhoods. In March of this year, residents in the historic South Park neighborhood of San Diego protested the opening of a TargetExpress claiming that it would change the historic charm of the neighborhood. 
(Click on Target Protest)

The "Fresh Fare" band Ralph's at Bellflower/PCH and 7th Street closed in October of 2014 after 40 years in that location.

In the same shopping center, the former sports bar Pete's at the Beach -which also closed-is currently being remodeled into a new restaurant.  The space had gone through several re-do's as a sports bar trying to cater to the ever-changing tastes of the close-by CSULB students.