Beachcombing

Hurry! Tomorrow is the deadline to mail/email/fax us your completed “Best of Long Beach” ballot, found on page four of this issue and be eligible for $6,000 in gift certificates or gift cards with a minimum value of $25. A prior ballot was posted in our Feb. 14 issue.

Now in its 19^th year, this contest would not be possible without the support of these sponsors: Aquarium of the Pacific, Belmont Athletic Club, Belmont Pet & LaunderPet, Buonos Pizza, Emery & Emery DDS, Harbor Breeze Yacht Charters and Cruises, Hof’s Hut, Home Instead Senior Care, International City Theatre, J&L Fine Jewelry, LBCC Senior Studies, Long Beach Playhouse, Long Beach State Athletics, TLD Law, (Jennifer N. Sawday), Tom’s Automotive and Wags to Whiskers.

Please remember them when filling in your ballot!

Thanks to a “breaking news” story that was posted online last week we received another inquiry about making donations to the Beachcomber. Although we are not a 501c3 (non-profit) organization, it has been noted that other local online news outlets have a donations option, so we set up this feature online.

The Beachcomber does not receive the same high level of advertising support found in another local weekly publication that sucks up to City Hall and avoids tackling controversial topics versus our pledge of honesty, integrity and transparency.

Donors can specify the amount, whether one-time, monthly or annual and choose between using a credit card or mailing a check. Additionally, they can specify where they’d like their donation dollars applied in these categories: Annual Recognition Program, Arts & Entertainment, Community Events, Contests, Distribution Increase, Historical Features, Investigative Stories, Journalism Interns, Local News & Features, Puzzles, Restaurant Reviews and Sports.

We were not surprised to see a few initial donations that specified “Investigative Stories” in consideration of the huge response to Stephen Downing’s online story “Anatomy of Campaign Fraud in Long Beach,” which also appears (updated) on page one of this edition.

Click the “Support Local Journalism” button on the home page at www.beachcomber.news to make an online donation or you can mail a check to “Beachcomber, PO Box 15679, Long Beach, CA 90815-0670” and specify “donation” in the memo line. Thanks for considering this option.

We also have subscription choices. For $52 annually we’ll mail you 26 issues of the Beachcomber, but the majority of those dollars go to the postal service. For $26 annually we’ll email you a digital link to the most recent issue of the newspaper. These options can be found under the “Subscription” tab at www.beachcomber.news.

Our online poll is now asking “How will you (or did you) vote on Measures A & B in the March 3 election?” Thus far, most readers are giving thumbs down on both measures. You can email comments to letters@beachcomber.news and click on the “results” option to see how others voted.

The prior poll asked, “How would you rate Alan Lowenthal as your congressman?” Forty-nine percent responded “failure/poor,” 45 percent responded “excellent/good” [corrected from typo in print edition] and six percent indicated “average/undecided.” These results seem to mirror the emails we received on his job performance. The Beachcomber supports Republican John Briscoe for Congress.

Please vote “no” on Measures A & B on March 3. Stop the City Hall tradition of bloated salaries/benefits, campaign violations, fraud, censorship, stonewalling, wasteful spending on road diets/bike lanes while ignoring needed infrastructure/street repairs and other, more important citizen needs.

Long Beach already has the highest sales tax rate in California, which is driving customers to nearby cities. It is past time for this city to live within its means, just like the rest of us.

Vote for Robert Fox in the 2^nd District and Juan Ovalle in the 8^th District to bring honesty, integrity and transparency to city government. They will bring a common sense approach to local government as well as put a stop to the city’s long-standing practice of raping and pillaging its residents.

publisher@beachcomber.news