Southwest adds Long Beach flights

Southwest announces two additional Long Beach flights


Southwest announced today an additional two flights from Long Beach after the airline picked up two of JetBlue's unused flight slots. Its press release included:

"Between Sept. 5 and Oct. 31, 2018, Southwest will operate two additional nonstop flights on weekdays between Long Beach and Sacramento. The carrier will now offer four-weekday roundtrips between the two cities. Additionally, the carrier will add three-weekday flights between Long Beach and Las Vegas. This service complements its existing weekend service between both cities."

To view the Southwest Press Release click on: SOUTHWEST

See's Candy closed until August

 Los Altos Village See's Candies closed for remodeling into a Quantity Discount format

The Los Altos Village See's Candies Store has closed for a remodel into a See's Quantity Discount Store.

The Los Altos See's has been a local icon since it opened over 60 years ago in 1957.   The remodel is expected to be completed in August of this year. 

In addition to the regular See's Candy store with the traditional candy counter to order your own candy selections, See's Quantity Discount stores offer individual discounts to employees of qualifying business and government agencies and offer bulk sales and discounts on site. The Quantity Discount Stores also service fundraising and business gifts.

Reportedly the remodel of the Los Altos Village store will include added storage for offering bulk sales by expanding into the now-closed shoe repair store to the rear of the current store that opens into the back parking lot.

Currently, the closest See's Quantity Discount store is in Anaheim next to the Fullerton Towne Center.

For more information click on:

 See's Quantity Discount 

See's Anaheim 

Join your neighbors for a park clean-up!

Whaley Park neighborhood clean-up 

Sunday, May 6th

Local residents have organized a neighborhood clean-up of  Whaley Park this Sunday, May 6th at 10:30 am.  Garbage bags and gloves provided.

Interested neighbors are asked to meet at the Whaley Park Community Center 5620 Atherton St. at 10:30 am.

Those interested in lunch after the clean up are invited to join the clean-up crowd at Great Mex for lunch at 11:30 am.

Cinco de Comic: FREE COMIC DAY

Amazing Comics celebrates May 5th's Free Comic Day as Cinco de Comic

Los Altos Center's Amazing Comics will again celebrate the nation-wide Free Comic Book Day this weekend.  The annual event falls on the first Saturday of May, so this year it is being billed as "Cinco de Comic".

The first Free Comic Book Day was the brainchild of a Concord comic store Flying Colors Comics. First celebrated in 2002 to coincide with the weekend opening of the Spiderman movie.  The date has changed, but since 2005 has always been the first Saturday in May.  Movie theaters have coordinated May "comic" related movies to the May weekend.  

Participating comic book store retailers give away specially printed copies of free comic books during the day. Retailers are charged by the comic publishers from 12–50 cents per copy for the comics they give away during the event.

The special day books being released include: Spiderman; Dr. Who; a special Avengers issue; and a special DC "Top Secret" issue. 

Amazing Comics is located at 5555 E. Stearns in the Los Altos Center North.  Click on COMICS

For a full list of the special day comics that will be issued on May 5th Click on:  

Free Comic Book Day

CSULB President to meet with Los Altos residents

You are invited to a neighborhood meeting with

CSULB President
Dr. Jane Conoley

The Los Altos Center Adjacent Neighborhoods will host a meeting with CSULB President Dr. Jane Conoley on  Wednesday, March 28th at 4:15 pm at the Los Altos Public Library.

The meeting will focus on the Los Altos Village neighborhoods relations with the University including ideas for cooperation and both negative and positive feedback.

This is a great opportunity for starting a neighborhood dialogue with President Conoley.

   

Please invite your neighbors and plan to attend this important opportunity for a dialogue with President Conoley.

The Los Altos Center Adjacent Neighborhoods

email :    LosAltosCAN@gmail.com

Twitter : @lb4thBlog

Blog:   losaltoscenterneighborhoods.blogspot.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LB4D-1829395627348561/

YMCA plans(?) and new Traffic Circle restaurants

What does the Los Altos YMCA have to hide?

Fourth District Neighborhood leaders took part in the Council of Neighborhood Organization (CONO)  and Mayor Garcia's 4th District Round Table discussions on the Land Use Element (LUE)  on Wednesday, February 28th, 2018.

In attendance was Los Altos YMCA Executive Director Brandi Collato who dropped a bombshell at the meeting saying that the YMCA wants their property zoned for mixed-use four-story development.  

When asked "Why?" by neighborhood leaders at the meeting, Collato gave the answer of "equity", referring to the current office development on the corner of Atherton and Stearns.  

Collato could not, or would not, explain why the YMCA wants (in the eleventh hour before the Tuesday City Council vote) to change their zoning into mixed-use that would allow apartments. When Collato was pressed for a reason, she would not stray from her one-word answer.  Her "equity" answer implied that because the business building on the corner is 4-stories, the YMCA property should be allowed to be developed for four-stories. 

That long-time four-story business building is currently "non-conforming"  to the two-story zoning for all the corner properties. The LUE changes the 2-story current zoning for the 4 story building to match its current height.

When  Collato stated the YMCA wanted a zoning change to "mixed-use" 4 stories for "equity" with the business building, the Los Altos Village neighbors pointed out that the "equity" is that the LUE matches the current actual land use to the zoning.

So the question remains why the YMCA wants the zoning on its land changed to a use that would allow four-story apartments.  By changing the LUE to allow four-story apartments it would do exactly what the Los Altos Village neighbors feared when the August LUE Maps came out- giving incentives for the YMCA to sell the land to developers.  

The YMCA sits just north of the CSULB property in an area of the early Gabrielino/Tongva village of Puvungna.  In the 1990's, CSULB had proposed a commercial development along the Bellflower Blvd. property which sparked a years long court battle between the University and Native American groups supported by the ACLU that was dubbed the "Indian Wars".  When Robert Maxson became CSULB President, he abandoned the commercial plans and thus ended the court battle. In 2005, the CSULB Student Senate passed a resolution supporting the Gabrielino/Tongva claims and access to their lands on CSULB. In 2016, CSULB became the first university to allow the reburial of Native remains. The remains were originally dug up during the initial excavations for the new campus and stored on campus. 

Similar battles and concerns were fought over the other retail centers along Bellflower Blvd between the campus and the 405.

To support keeping the YMCA land as it is, please email your comments to Councilman Daryl Supernaw and Mayor Robert Garcia.  Also, the vote on the Land Use Element by the Long Beach City Council is this  Tuesday, March 6th, 2018 at the Long Beach City Hall.  The meeting is at 5 pm.

Emails:

district4@longbeach.gov

mayor@longbeach.gov

A brief history of Puvungna in East Long Beach at CSULB

Traffic Circle to get more new restaurants

The land is private land and city officials have no say as to the type of restaurants that the developer eventually attracts to his new buildings.  The Public Hearing is to address the criteria that local ordinances require for drive-thur service. 

The latest development proposals come on the heels of multi-millions of dollars of major private development of the Traffic Circle.  New Two banks, two new fast food restaurants, and two new retail drug stores have all been opened.

All of the new establishments have included drive-thru service for automobiles in the high-automobile intense area.

The millions in private investment dollars to the Traffic Circle come as Development Services Department continues to eye the area for a "pedestrian village" complete with hundreds of apartments.

To support keeping the Traffic Circle area as it is, please email your comments to Councilman Daryl Supernaw and Mayor Robert Garcia.  Also, the vote on the Land Use Element by the Long Beach City Council is this  Tuesday, March 6th, 2018 at the Long Beach City Hall.  The meeting is at 5 pm.

Emails:

district4@longbeach.gov

mayor@longbeach.gov

Fox meets with Mayor and does not file

Fox decides not to file paperwork for Mayor race after 2-hour meeting with Mayor

CONO Executive Director Robert Fox announced in a community email that he would not run for Mayor after a two-hour meeting with Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. 

Fox had pulled nominating papers for the race on Thursday, January 11th. The deadline for filing was Friday, January 12th at 5:00 pm.

In his email ( see below). Fox describes items discussed by the Mayor and himself.  It is not clear from his email who called the meeting.

In the email, Fox keeps his political options open. Fox lives in the 2nd District where a Recall Petition is currently being circulated to force a recall election for 2nd District Councilwomen Jeannie Pearce.

This is the Fox email sent on Friday, January 12th at 6:31 pm:

Today with filled out paperwork in hand ready for the City Clerk I met privately with Mayor Robert Garcia for over 2 hours.   Since I pulled the paperwork to run for Mayor a day ago, the landscape had changed in the City.   I so appreciate your support and faith in me. 

My goal has always been to represent the desires and will of you all.  Our purpose in opposing the LUE galvanized this City. Our unanimous opposition to Rent Control was one of our critical issues. 

In discussion with Robert today if I did not run for the Mayorship he would pull the LUE off of the February calendar.  In fact, he would have a Traffic Element done on the LUE, an outside legal consultant review all aspects of the State laws from 2017 and those proposed for 2018 and how they might impact the LUE. 

These are great accomplishments.  However, there is more.  The Mayor will announce tonight the formation of Mayoral/ CONO sponsored Roundtable meetings in each council district so that we can actually alter the maps ourselves and create a new General Plan.  Staff will not be in charge but will be present to WRITE DOWN and RECORD, all recommendations for alteration. 

We will have a new General Plan designed by the people. 

Robert Garcia will also pronounce in his announcement tonight his opposition to Rent Control and some reasons for his position. 

I took my ego out of this equation and tried to find a way to forestall the LUE from February, find inclusion in the alteration before it goes to Council and to assure that we get a review of traffic, parking, and legal consequences before finalizing this new General Plan Document.   

You all will have a place at this table in your council district. 

We spoke on many more issues, and have come to a meeting of minds on most all of the subjects we discussed.   The Mayor promised to keep his word as he is a man of integrity.   I am grateful for the sincere and forthright meeting with Robert. 

These basic points of our intentions are secured now.  I wish to thank all of you who supported my effort to effect these enormous agreements and positive decisions for the People of Long Beach. 

Although I will not be running for Mayor right now, I have every intention of keeping my hand in the political stream.   As always we must be firm, committed and keep the best interests of Long Beach in our hearts.   This polite yet forthright conversation yielded great rewards for us all. 

I hope you will not be too disappointed that I put our principles and purpose before my desire to run for Mayor. 

New days dawn, and I will not disappear.   I look forward to your continued support and your thoughts and cooperation as we move forward with this new inspiration. 

Thank you so much. 

Robert Fox 

Remember we need 5 votes on City Council to change the City.