Bits N Pieces

New Library Sunday Hours

The community is invited to enjoy new Sunday hours at El Dorado Neighborhood Library, 2900 Studebaker Rd., from noon to 4 p.m. In addition, hours at the Main Library at the Long Beach Civic Center have been extended on Thursday nights, from 7 to 8 p.m.

The El Dorado Neighborhood Library is the fourth library to feature Sunday hours, joining Bay Shore, Burnett and Michelle Obama Neighborhood Libraries. The city council approved the library hours in the Fiscal Year 2016-17 budget.

“Our goal is to provide Sunday hours that could best serve the residents of Long Beach,” said Glenda Williams, director of Library Services. “The El Dorado Neighborhood Library served more than 108,000 patrons, and nearly 130,000 materials were checked out last year.”

For more information on El Dorado Neighborhood Library and its services, visit www.lbpl.org/location/el_dorado or call (562) 570-3136.

Long Beach Public Library, founded in 1896, serves a diverse urban city of close to half a million people. The Long Beach Public Library system includes main library, eleven other unique neighborhood libraries and a vibrant online presence. With an emphasis on providing free and equal access to information and support for lifelong-learning, the library offers books, media, downloads, databases, internet access, family learning centers and a variety of events ranging from story times to cultural programs. For more information, visit www.lbpl.org or call (562) 570-7500.

New Vascular Surgery Director at Memorial

One of the world’s preeminent leaders in developing devices to treat vascular disease has been named medical director of Vascular Surgery for MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Memorial.

Rod White, M.D. is recognized globally for significant contributions in endovascular surgery, an innovative, less invasive procedure for conditions affecting blood vessels, such as an aneurysm, which involved swelling or “ballooning” of blood vessels. Endovascular surgery treats blood vessels to enable proper flow of blood from and to the heart.

Widely considered among the most important endovascular surgery pioneers, Dr. White spearheaded testing and first human deployment of an aortic stent graft with Dr. Thomas Fogarty in 1996. Stenting has since replaced open surgery as the most common method of aortic intervention.

Dr. White has authored more than 250 articles and 200 book chapters. He co-authored and edited 12 books on vascular surgery, including Vascular Surgery: Basic Science and Clinical Correlations. His current focus is on endovascular applications for carotid disease and thoracic aneurysms.

With an emphasis on research to ensure unparalleled patient care and best possible clinical outcomes, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute’s care team of 500 physicians, nurses and staff uses the most advanced techniques, evidence-based practices, medications and ideas to treat adults and children with all forms of cardiovascular diseases.

From headline-grabbing research into the heart disease of ancient Egyptians, to targeted gene therapy likened to a scene out of “Star Wars,” to broad-based educational and outreach efforts concerning heart and vascular disease, the team is committed to remaining ahead of the innovation curve.

In his role Dr. White will lead Long Beach Memorial’s vascular surgery program, continuing his surgical practice and acting as a mentor, faculty member, educator and researcher throughout MemorialCare Health System.

Car Care, Lifestyle App

Celebrity and “car guy” Adam Carolla has partnered with Long Beach marketing and tech agency, Creative Productions, to bring an all-new car care mobile app to car owners everywhere – Adam Carolla’s Car Genius. The creation of the app is an entrepreneurial tech venture developed by Creative Productions, who has spent more than 20 years in the automotive industry working to understand consumers’ unique wants and needs.

“There was a gap in the marketplace for this type of product and we’re filling it,” according to Deborah Castro, partner and chief marketing officer.

“With approximately 250 million cars on the road and 79 percent more than six years old, we have an aging population of cars that need TLC and we want to help owners save money and make them last,” stated Carolla, who not only brings his expertise and unique perspective, but also a huge following of one million listeners who download his daily podcast, making it The Guinness Book of World Records #1 Most Downloaded Show on the Entire Internet.

Carolla’s Car Genius enables consumers to save up to six cars in one household, along with an insurance card, maintenance history, and reminders. A key feature of the app is the ability for users to look up any make, model, and model year dating back to 1987 and save it in their profile – this places owners in the driver’s seat when they are planning their next parts purchase or scheduled service. It is intended to build trust between customers and repair shops, dealers or retailers because owners will know what parts and service their cars are due for in advance – the brand’s mantra is Smart Car Care for Everyone.

Hellbusch CIPP Certified

TLD Law Senior Associate, Michael Hellbusch, Esq. recently became a  Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) in U.S. private-sector law. The CIPP certification comes from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), which is the largest and most comprehensive global information privacy community and resource. The IAPP is responsible for developing and launching the only globally recognized credentialing programs in information privacy.

As a certified information privacy professional, Mr. Hellbusch has gained subject-matter background and training in U.S. federal laws for the protection of personal data, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act, HIPAA, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. In addition, he has certified knowledge of U.S. federal regulatory laws likes the CAN-SPAM Act, the Telephone Consumer Protect Act including the Do Not Call regulations. Moreover, he has earned a breadth of knowledge in California and foreign-state privacy laws and data breach notification laws.

Long Beach Is One of Top 50 Green Fleets Nationwide

The City of Long Beach Fleet Services Bureau has won another Green Fleet award. The city’s fleet was recently named one of Heavy Duty Trucking magazine’s Top 50 Green Fleets for 2016, for adopting green, sustainable practices, policies and technologies. Long Beach was one of only three recipients in California and one of only three cities nationwide to be recognized.

“We are doing everything we can to continuously lower our carbon footprint and become even more efficient,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “Our fleet is a great example of how we save energy, and save money in fuel costs.”

In July, the city’s fleet was ranked the 12th best government fleet in the United States, according to Government Fleet Magazine Leading Fleets 2016 competition. The city’s fleet was also recognized as one of the Top 50 Government Fleets in North America for 2015, and was ranked the No. 1 North American Government Green Fleet in 2008.

“We use alternative and renewable fuels and a state-of-the-art fuel management and telematics system to make the city’s fleet as efficient and sustainable as possible,” said Dan Berlenbach, fleet services bureau manager.

The Top 50 Green Fleets list includes government, private, for-hire, vocational and delivery fleets.

More than half of the city’s new vehicles are alternatively fueled, and more than half of the city’s total fuel purchases in the last fiscal year were for renewable fuels.

The City of Long Beach recently converted its diesel and natural gas vehicles (more than 18 percent of its total vehicle fleet) to renewable fuels. By using renewable diesel and renewable liquefied natural gas (RNG), the city expects a reduction of more than 6,000 tons of carbon emissions a year. A total of 393 vehicles are powered by renewable fuels, out of 2,185 vehicles in the city’s fleet.

In 2003, Long Beach became the first city in the United States to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) for its street sweepers. In October 2015, street sweepers and refuse trucks transitioned to using RNG as a fuel source.

The city’s fleet was also recognized with the Civic Innovation Award for Operational Efficiency for its “Future Fleet” from the city’s Innovation Team in October 2016.

Lee Named Associate Director at Rancho

Pamela Young Lee has been named associate director for the Rancho Los Alamitos Foundation by a unanimous and enthusiastic vote of the board of trustees effective October 1, 2016.  Lee will provide support for Pamela Seager, executive director, as the institution moves through Phase III of the seismic strengthening of the ranch house, organizational development and other projects.

Lee, who has been with the Rancho for more than 20 years, began her career as curator of the Mission Inn in Riverside in 1982 where she organized and completed the very first inventory of their collections and implemented conservation of paintings and sculptures. She was one of the first employees hired by Seager for the Rancho in 1986 where she played a key role in the master planning process.

She was recruited away from the Rancho in 1995 to become director of creative resources at Walt Disney Imagineering where she worked for six years before assuming the chief curator position at the California Historic Society in San Francisco. She rejoined the Rancho in January of 2005 as site curator at Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens.

Given her past experience both with the Rancho and beyond, the staff, board and volunteers are delighted that Lee has accepted the new position. She is well suited for the role and is very familiar with all aspects of Rancho operations.

Property Tax Deadline Extended to December 12

Joseph Kelly, Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector, reminds property owners that the first installment of the 2016-17 property taxes becomes delinquent if not received by 5 p.m. Pacific Time or United States Postal Service (USPS) postmarked on or before Dec. 10, 2016. Since Dec. 10 falls on a Saturday, the delinquency date is extended to Monday, Dec. 12, 2016. “To avoid late penalties, taxpayers should not wait until the statutory deadline; please pay early,” says Treasurer and Tax Collector Kelly.

Taxpayers can obtain the amount due on any parcel from the Treasurer and Tax Collector’s website at ttc.lacounty.gov or by calling the toll-free Property Tax Automated Telephone System at (888) 807-2111, where information is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.