Bits 'n' Pieces

Paying for Unsafe Loads

The Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office has settled one of the city’s largest criminal cases against a trucking company for illegally hauling unsafe loads over Long Beach streets and freeways.

Defendant Western Maritime Express, Inc. will pay a total of $333,435 to settle charges that it violated weight limits and failed to have proper permits for overweight loads from June 2016 through April 2017. Specifically, Western Maritime Express, Inc. was ordered to pay a total of $213,435 in court fines and fees to the Los Angeles Superior Court and $120,000 in restitution to the City of Long Beach for damage to roadways.

“This is the second time we have had to file a major case against a trucking company for carrying unsafe loads,” said Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert. “Although it appears most trucking companies comply with highway safety laws, we need to reinforce the message that egregious violators will be caught and prosecuted. And they will be held accountable.”

In addition to the payments, Western Maritime Express, Inc. pleaded “no contest” to 40 misdemeanor counts and three infraction charges, alleged in two separate cases. Western Maritime Express, Inc. representatives will also meet with enforcement officials in an effort to improve compliance with weight rules in the future.

The Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office takes overweight trucking cases seriously because of the potential harm to motorists and the public. Since roads are engineered to specific weight limits, overweight vehicles create potholes and damage to roads that can cause accidents. Moreover, overweight vehicles cannot stop quickly if traffic comes to an abrupt halt, potentially endangering the lives of motorists. Finally, those trucking companies who haul illegal, unsafe loads may enjoy an unfair advantage over trucking companies who adhere to weight limits and absorb higher costs; consequently, strict enforcement of weight laws promotes fair competition.

In April 2012, City Prosecutor Haubert settled a case with Pacific Coast Container, Inc., an Oakland-based trucking company, which was ordered to pay a total of $460,000 in fines and restitution. In that case, Pacific Coast Container, Inc. was convicted on 47 misdemeanor counts. One of the charges was for transporting a load more than 19,000 pounds over the legal limit.

The present case was handled by Deputy City Prosecutor Pooja Kumar.

Public Works Dept. Donates to Local Nonprofit

The City of Long Beach’s Department of Public Works in partnership with Waste Management, Inc. presented the Long Beach Rescue Mission with 457 pairs of shoes and 120 sweaters that were donated during the Long Beach Marathon.

Last month, the city’s Department of Public Works asked Long Beach Marathon participants to donate gently used running shoes and clothes at the event. The city’s recycling contractor and a sponsor of the event, Waste Management, Inc., collected shoes during the Marathon Expo on Oct. 6 and 7 and at the finish line on Oct. 8.

The Long Beach Rescue Mission will distribute the donated items to underserved men, women and children of the community.

The Marathon Shoe Recycling program, sponsored by Public Works, will become an annual event, allowing marathoners the opportunity to donate gently used shoes and clothing. This new effort promotes reuse and recycling while helping community members in need.

Revised Land Use Element Maps Released

On Nov. 10, the City of Long Beach released revised Land Use Element (LUE) maps for community review. These new maps are an update from maps released in August 2017. The new maps reflect a reduction in density of 686 acres through height-reduction and modified land-use designations. To provide a clearer understanding of the adjustments made to develop the new maps, the city will distribute summaries of the revisions for each city council district.

Specifically, the revised maps include the following categories of land use:

  • 44 percent of the city’s land is comprised of single-family neighborhoods, which will see no changes under the revised maps.
  • Approximately 19 percent of the acreage includes regional serving uses such as Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach and other infrastructure.
  • 16 percent of the city’s acreage would be planned for public and private open space and parks.
  • Approximately six percent of the city would be planned for neighborhood-scale mixed-use projects along corridors, which combine retail and office uses with housing opportunities.
  • Approximately five percent of the city includes existing multi-family residential buildings.
  • Five percent of the city would include job generating uses in industrial or neo-industrial areas.
  • Two percent of the city would be planned for Transit Oriented Development along rail transit corridors.
  • Two percent of the city’s land use includes the Downtown area, which remains an important driver of jobs and housing.
  • One percent of the city would be planned for traditional commercial or retail shopping centers.

The revised LUE maps will be considered by the city’s planning commission on Dec. 11. The city will take input regarding the revised maps via email at LUEUDE2040@longbeach.gov.

The community is encouraged to visit www.longbeach.gov/lueude2040 to obtain more information about this effort. Maps available on the website include the revised maps, a map of existing land uses and previous versions of the maps from August 2017 and February 2017 for comparison purposes. A list of LUE frequently asked questions can be found at: http://www.longbeach.gov/globalassets/city-news/media-library/documents/....

POA Donates $10,000 to Todd Cancer Institute

The Long Beach Police Officers Association (LBPOA) in partnership with the Long Beach Police Department joined the growing ranks of law enforcement agencies participating in the Pink Patch Project to raise funds for cancer treatment and research.

The project began in the Seal Beach Police Department in October 2013 when the officers wore pink police patches on their uniforms in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Additionally, they sold patches as a fundraiser and gave the proceeds to the National Law Enforcement Cancer Support Foundation. The next year, Irwindale Police Department expanded awareness through a large social media campaign. To date, over 200 public safety agencies from around the country have participated, with each giving their proceeds to a leading cancer charity.

This year, the Long Beach Police Officers Association raised $20,000 in funds from the sale of commemorative pink patches and pink patch pins. The association elected to split the proceeds between The City of Hope and Memorial Hospital’s Todd Cancer Institute.

HHS Working to Prevent Hepatitis A Outbreak

A large Hepatitis A outbreak in California has prompted Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. to declare a state of emergency. The outbreak has primarily affected persons experiencing homelessness and some illicit drug users. Hepatitis A spreads when the virus is ingested after coming into contact with objects, food, or drinks contaminated by the feces of an infected person. This can happen when an infected person does not wash his or her hands after going to the bathroom and touches other objects or food. It can also be spread through sex or by sharing drug paraphernalia.

To date, there are no local cases in Long Beach; however, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) continues to enhance prevention efforts by increasing education and vaccinating those at-risk.

“The Health Department continues to work diligently to outreach, educate and offer the vaccine to the at-risk population,” said Dr. Anissa Davis, city health officer. “We are taking a proactive approach to prevent local cases from occurring.”

A group of about 35 staff members from different bureaus and programs have been trained to respond to communicable disease outbreaks, in case the need for workers exceeds everyday capacity. Members from this cohort have assisted with vaccination clinics as well as outreach efforts.

The Long Beach Health Department continues to proactively plan for potential outbreaks and remains confident that prevention efforts have played a part in avoiding an outbreak in Long Beach.

Long Beach Health Officials urge residents to learn more about hepatitis A by visiting www.longbeach.gov/HepA or by calling the Public Health Information Hotline at (562) 570-7907.

Grant for Drug Impaired Driving Prevention

The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services has been awarded a $239,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) that for the period of one year will fund the city’s special projects and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic-related deaths and injuries. These projects will be implemented through the city’s new Marijuana Education Program.

The Marijuana Education Program serves those who live, work and play in Long Beach by seeking to be an unbiased and trusted resource for health and safety information related to marijuana and by ensuring that everyone can make informed decisions about marijuana use. Program activities will include: participation in outreach events, distributing educational materials, online presence and social media campaigns and partnering with local businesses to reach target audiences. The program will be a resource for youth and their parents, current users and curious adults.

According to the 2013-2014 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) National Roadside Survey, 22.5 percent of weekend, nighttime drivers tested positive for illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter drugs that could cause driving impairment. More than 15 percent tested positive for illicit drugs and more than 12 percent tested positive for the active drug in cannabis, THC (delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol), which is a 4 percent increase from the 2007 survey.

Long Beach is a leader in promoting active transportation and livability initiatives. In May 2016, Long Beach City Council adopted the goal of Vision Zero: to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries among all road users by 2026. The Marijuana Education Program, funded by the OTS grant, will be a key contributor to the realization of this goal.

Currently, the Marijuana Education Program is conducting a survey to better understand behaviors and perceptions of marijuana and prescription drugs. The community is encouraged to take the survey by going to: www.surveymonkey.com/r/CPDULB

Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For more information, contact Morgan Venter by calling (562) 570-4204, or visiting: http://www.longbeach.gov/health/services/directory2/marijuana-education-.... Follow the Marijuana Education Program on Facebook at @LBHealthDeptMEP.

New Associate Chief Medical Officer at MemorialCare

MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach has named Graham Tse, M.D., as its new associate chief medical officer. Dr. Tse has worked in the Cherese Mari Laulhere Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Miller Children’s & Women’s for more than 17 years.

In his new role, Dr. Tse will be responsible for upholding MemorialCare’s culture of safety, ensuring California Children’s Services standards are met, promoting collaboration between hospital administration and the medical staff and assisting in identifying and implementing evidence-based best practices.

With more than 750 pediatric physicians on staff at Miller Children’s & Women’s, communication is essential between the medical staff and hospital administration. Many of MemorialCare’s initiatives represent a culture of change. Dr. Tse will assist in facilitating these important initiatives ensuring that concerns and issues of both sides are heard and valued while working toward the common goal of outstanding patient and family centered care.

After attending McGill University in Montreal for his undergraduate education, Dr. Tse received his medical degree from the University of Ottawa. He is board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric critical care. Additionally, Dr. Tse is a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Canada. He has extensive experience teaching at Miller Children’s & Women’s and has received numerous awards, including Physician of the Year.

Perfect Score in Municipal Equality Index

For six years in a row, the City of Long Beach has been named one of the best cities in the nation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) inclusion in municipal law and policy. Long Beach was one of only 68 out of 506 cities nationwide to achieve a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index (MEI).

Long Beach has long recognized LGBTQ rights in its municipal laws and policies. Examples highlighted in the 2017 report include the Non-Discrimination Laws pertaining to Employment, Housing and Public Accommodations; City Contractor Non-Discrimination Ordinance; Workplace Inclusiveness Training; Trans-Inclusive Healthcare Benefits; the City’s Enumerated Anti-Bullying School Policies; Non-Discrimination in City Employment; the Human Rights Commission; the Police Department’s LGBTQ Liaison; city leadership’s public positions regarding LGBTQ equality; the City Council’s pro-equality legislative and policy efforts; and the city’s LGBTQ leadership.

This year the City of Long Beach received a new record score of 100, plus ten bonus points. Cities are rated on a scale of 0-100, with bonus points awarded for items which apply to some, but not all cities.

Eleven other cities in California received perfect scores. When considering total scores plus bonus points, Long Beach tied with the City of San Diego for fourth highest ranking in the State, scoring only lower than San Francisco, West Hollywood and Los Angeles.

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans. The report is available at www.hrc.org/mei.

$2.2 Million in Grants

For childhood cancers, clinical trials are not the exception; they are the standard of care, with each patient receiving either the best-known treatment or one that may prove to be better. To allow more kids access to clinical trials, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, has awarded 39 infrastructure grants totaling $2.2 million to institutions across the country, including MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Long Beach.

“The majority of childhood cancer patients are treated on a clinical trial,” said Kathleen Ruddy, CEO of St. Baldrick’s. “Research relies on enrolling large numbers of patients on clinical trials to ensure results are meaningful and advancements are made. Funding from St. Baldrick’s will ensure more kids have access to clinical trials, giving them a better chance at survival and a future with less long-term effects.”

Infrastructure Grants are awarded based on the need of the institution and its patients, anticipated results of the grant and local participation in St. Baldrick’s fundraising events and activities. These grants give institutions the resources they need to do more research.

This series of grants brings the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s funding total to more than $25.7 million awarded in 2017. Since 2005, St. Baldrick’s has awarded more than $232 million in lifesaving childhood research grants to support the most promising childhood cancer research, no matter where it takes place.

Category:

Add new comment

Beachcomber

Copyright 2024 Beeler & Associates.

All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced or transmitted – by any means – without publisher's written permission.