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November 23, 2021
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Vol. 32 No. 52
City opts out of marijuana sales
l.B. names new fire chief
Page 4
Page 13
DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2021
Tentative pact reached in $131M lawsuit tion from a court judgment filed against the city a year ago. T he City Council must Long Beach officials have approve the tentative agreement. reached a tentative settlement City officials said the council with a developer who had filed a would next Tuesday ratify a $131 million lawsuit against the “non-binding letter of intent” city in the hope of ending a that will spell out the agreement, three-decade-long legal battle. and set a date of no later than The agreement, if finalized, Aug. 15, 2022, to sign a formal could clear the way agreement. for the construction “We looked at all of two 13½-story of the alternatives,” apartment buildings said Maria DiConza, in Long Beach — the a partner at O’Meltallest in the city. veny, one of the conIf not settled, the s u l t a n t s . “ We suit could cost the wouldn’t want the city $150 million or to have to pay MaRia DiCoNza city more with interest $150 million.” City consultant and penalties. Aside from the City officials and $75 million payment, representatives of the settlement is contwo consulting firms hired by tingent on the city agreeing to Long Beach to help negotiate allow Haberman to build the two with the developer agreed that 13½-story buildings on Shore some type of tax increase might Road, between Monroe and Linbe needed to construct the neces- coln boulevards, instead of three sary infrastructure, such as sew- buildings that the developer had ers and roads, to support the new previously planned. apartment buildings. If the buildings were conCombined, they would add 266 structed, they would be the tallapartments to the city’s real est in the city. City Hall is six stoestate market. ries. The luxury Allegria Hotel is The agreement calls on Long nine stories. There are two Beach to make a payment to the 10-story buildings in Long Beach, developer, Sinclair Haberman, of one at 26 W. Broadway and the $75 million — a 50 percent reducContinued on page 16
By JaMEs BERNstEiN jbernstein@liherald.com
Christina Daly/Herald
loNg BEaCH HigH School closed Tuesday, after an increase in coronavirus cases, and switched to virtual instruction for the remainder of the week before winter break.
L.B. High goes virtual after spike in Covid cases By BRENDaN CaRpENtER bcarpenter@liherald.com
Long Beach High School closed Monday and shifted to online instruction for the rest of the week. As of press time Wednesday, 52 cases of Covid-19 had been confirmed at the high school out of just over 1,300 students. That was a clear increase over the beginning of the school year: There were 21 cases from September through Oct. 21.
“It was clear today that shifting to remote instruction at the high school was the best way to ensure that all students got sufficient instruction this week,” Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Gallagher wrote in a districtwide email. “The Covid positivity numbers at the high school have been higher than recent ones, for sure, but never more than 1 percent of the total student population per day.” There were 100 students and faculty in quarantine at
the time of the closing, most of whom had not tested positive themselves, but who had been exposed to family members who were positive. Some 387 students were absent Monday. Gallagher said that a combination of positive tests, other illnesses and fear of getting sick all could have been factors in the absences. “I want to emphasize that even at the high school, we still have had little evidence Continued on page 16
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e looked at all of the alternatives.