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S erving B ixBy K nollS , C alifornia H eigHtS , l oS C erritoS , W rigley Vol. 32 No. 44
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Your Weekly Community Newspaper
April 8, 2011
Late senator and Long Beach advocate SH Council defends decision for new library bond, warns honored with community center Stephanie Raygoza
redevelopment fight not over
Editorial Intern
CJ Dablo
In the same spirit and dedication exuded from late Senator Jenny Oropeza upon unveiling the park she had lobbied to be named after her hero, Cesar E. Chavez, community leaders and members, family and friends gathered last Thursday to celebrate the life of the beloved Long Beach advocate to dedicate the community center in Cesar Chavez Park in her honor. The Jenny Oropeza Community Center was unveiled during the 10th annual Cesar Chavez Day celebration to hundreds in attendance that included: Senator Ted Lieu, who took Oropeza’s seat when she died last year; Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal; Assemblymember Tony Mendoza; First District Councilmember Robert Garcia; and Second District Councilmember and Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal. “Jenny Oropeza did so much for this community, and now they get it to be named after the person that worked so hard to make this park and this community a much better place for the residents of this area,” Mendoza said. “She is the reason why I’m in politics.” Garcia administered the event by providing a brief background on what
Staff Writer
Signal Hill’s leaders did move quickly over the last few weeks to safeguard key redevelopment projects, including a criticized plan for a potential new library, officials acknowledged at the City Council and Redevelopment Agency (RDA) meetings on Tuesday, April 5. City leaders, however, justified that
the actions they’ve taken on behalf of their redevelopment projects had kept the city’s property tax dollars for local projects. “Our vote allows us to keep the money in the community,” said Councilmember Ed Wilson. “The money that is already being generated, it gets to stay in Signal Hill, and, you know, I’m going to vote that way every single time. If I can keep the money here, see council page 12
Stephanie Raygoza/Signal Tribune
Sharon Oropeza, mother of Jenny Oropeza, and her daughter, Lynne, at the unveiling of the plaque located in front of the community center, named in honor of the former First District councilmember.
Oropeza represented to the Long Beach community, in particular the first district to which she was elected, along with presenting her fellow leaders and colleagues as they spoke sincere words regarding her work and efforts. “Today is a happy day,” Lieu said. “She loved serving her constituents, and sometimes she knew she was not
feeling well and yet she came up, and because of her service, she would fight for her constituents. As a result of her service she passed some of the most progressive legislation in the areas of health, in the areas of environment. We are a greener, healthier, more compassionate state because of Senator see oropeza page 11
CJ Dablo Signal Tribune
Signal Hill resident Frank Virga (left) was named Signal Hill’s “Outstanding Older American” by Mayor Larry Forester at Tuesday night’s Council meeting.
Burroughs Elementary staff share memories of their school that will soon close Rachael Rifkin Staff Writer
The Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education approved budget cuts in February that have forced Burroughs Elementary School to close at the end of this academic year. Burroughs, with just under 300 students, has been selected for its low enrollment numbers. It is for that very reason that it is such a special place, according to former and current staff members, who shared their memories of the school with the Signal Tribune. “I have worked with the district for 29 years and at Burroughs for 23 years. When I first came here, the
Teacher Resource Center wasn’t here. The bungalows weren’t here. It was just the school. For years they had school carnivals. That was fun. I enjoyed those. During the summer, we sometimes had student workers help out. That was nice. I like working here. I’m used to the classrooms. The teachers are always satisfied with my work. And it’s not only the teachers, but the parents. They like to see the school clean. I do my best to keep it up. Nobody was expecting that this was going to happen– I wasn’t anyway. We all feel sad. What shouldn’t have happened, happened. I’m not sure where I’m going from here. Right now I’m just preparing.” Custodian William R. Faulk, Jr.
“I’ve been here since 1987. As far as I know, William [Faulk, Jr.], and I have been at Burroughs the longest. I love it here. It’s a wonderful school. The kids are great, and the people I work with are beautiful people. We get a lot of compliments from parents and visitors from other schools. They tell us that everyone here is so welcoming and very warm-hearted. “I remember when I started here, we had the whole, entire playground. The bungalows and the Teachers Resource Center were not there. We had a lot of good fun. We played kickball, baseball. I had a lot of good kids over the years, but I remember this one girl in particular. She was see burroughs page 11
Courtesy Burroughs
Burroughs Elementary’s Room 10 in front of the school’s new mural, in 2009