Bits 'n' Pieces

Artist Donates 120 Pieces of Work to CSULB

Celebrated artist Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld gifted California State University, Long Beach with 120 pieces of artwork, launching a long and fruitful partnership with the university.

Kleefeld’s work has appeared in numerous museums and galleries around the world. The award-winning poet, writer and visual artist has a vast body of work which incorporates a reverence for wilderness and span expressionist, abstract and figurative styles.

“Carolyn’s impact on California art has been nothing short of remarkable and we are delighted that the University Art Museum will be part of her lasting legacy, as well as provide us with the opportunity to showcase her work and that of other significant artists,” said President Jane Close Conoley.

Cyrus Parker-Jeannette, dean of the College of the Arts, said the partnership will help expand students’ understanding of the role art plays in culture; Kleefeld’s legacy will be celebrated for years to come.

“A profound circle has magically manifested,” said Kleefeld of the new relationship with the university. “When my parents, S. Mark and Amelia Taper, came to this country from England with my brother, sister and myself, we first stayed for some time at the Biltmore Hotel in Long Beach and later my father began his extensive housing for veterans there. So, now for my life’s work to be part of the Long Beach community is a destiny fulfilled.”

Water’s Budget & Rate Setting Process Begins

Long Beach Water’s budget and rate setting process for Fiscal Year 2019-20 began at the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners meeting on April 18. This workshop kicked off a series of budget and rates workshops that will last through June, when the Board of Water Commissioners will adopt the water and sewer budgets for FY 2019-20 and establish the corresponding water and sewer rates for FY 2019-20.

The adoption of water and sewer rates for FY 2019-20 are subject to a subsequent Proposition 218 public hearing and approval by the City Council. All meetings are open to the public to attend and will be held at Long Beach Water’s Administration Building at 1800 E. Wardlow Road. 

The budget and rates workshop schedule is as follows:

• Thursday, May 2, 9 a.m.: Full budget including Capital Improvement Program, revenue and rates
• Thursday, May 30, 9 a.m.: Review of full budget and rates
• Thursday, June 13, 9 a.m.: Rate adoption by the Board of Water Commissioners

Visit lbwater.org to view the budget workshop Board presentation that will be available two days before the regularly scheduled meeting. 

MemorialCare Partners With Angels Baseball

MemorialCare and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Angels Baseball) jointly announce MemorialCare as the team’s Official Healthcare Partner. MemorialCare, a leading Southern California award-winning health care system, has four premier hospitals and more than 200 care locations in Long Beach and Los Angeles and Orange counties.

“We are excited to welcome MemorialCare to the Angels Family as our new Official Healthcare Partner,” said Angels Chairman, Dennis Kuhl. “Our organizations each share a commitment to promote, improve and preserve health, strength, fitness, mobility and healthy living in the communities we serve, and I look forward to all the wonderful things we will do together as Partners.” 

The multi-year partnership focuses on positively impacting the health and wellness of Angels fans and the larger Orange County and Los Angeles County communities by raising awareness of health issues such as cardiac health, cancer and other life-altering conditions. Community outreach will include Initiative Nights at Angel Stadium that support and raise funds for specific health issues, MemorialCare sponsorship of the annual Angels 5K and Health Expo, and volunteer days with employees of the Angels and MemorialCare at local charities.  MemorialCare will also offer healthy living workshops, health screenings and other programs that advance healthy and active lifestyles to Angels employees.

“With this partnership we will delight children at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach with visits from Angels players, participate jointly in mission-driven fundraisers that support the communities we serve, and have a strong brand presence at the games,” said Barry Arbuckle, PhD, president & chief executive officer, MemorialCare. “Like the Angels, our 14,000 affiliated physicians, nurses and other clinical and support staff and volunteers, as well as thousands of philanthropic supporters, understand how staying active, enjoying time with family and friends, and being outdoors create healthier communities.”

Professor Wins International Award

Coleen Sterritt, professor in the sculpture program at Long Beach City College (LBCC), has been awarded the prestigious International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Educator Award for 2019.

The International Sculpture Center (ISC) established the “Outstanding Educator Award” program in 1996 to recognize individual artist-educators who have excelled at teaching sculpture in institutions of higher learning. An exemplary career combining personal studio practice and measurable academic performance resulted in the unanimous vote for Sterritt, making her the first community college faculty member to win the award.

Sterritt will be the subject of a feature article in the International Sculpture Center’s award winning publication Sculpture magazine, as well as on the ISC website at www.sculpture.org. She will be presented with an award at an upcoming ceremony.

RIP: Charlie the Sea Otter

The Aquarium of the Pacific is mourning the loss of Charlie the southern sea otter, who passed away on Monday, April 22. Aquarium staff members had been carefully monitoring Charlie as he was showing signs of slowing down but was still active and alert until he passed away. At 22 years old, he was the oldest living southern sea otter at any zoo or aquarium. Wild male southern sea otters typically live ten to fourteen years and females twelve to eighteen years, but can live up to twenty years or more in a zoo or aquarium environment.

Charlie arrived at the aquarium in 1998 before the facility opened to the public as one of its original charter animals. Orphaned during 1997’s fierce El Niño storms, Charlie was found stranded as a pup in Northern California and was rescued. After going through a rehabilitation program, otter experts determined it was not possible to release him back into the wild, as he had not learned survival skills from his mother as sea otter pups typically do.

Despite his age, Charlie still enjoyed playing in ice and his ice toys. This was apparent when the aquarium had an otter birthday party for his twenty-second birthday last month. Charlie was beloved by the Aquarium’s staff, members and the public for his kind nature and intelligence. He was the first otter in the world to give a voluntary blood sample, which aided in his annual physicals and medical exams.

In addition to his role as an animal ambassador living at the aquarium, Charlie had also contributed to scientific research. From 2011 to 2013 he participated in a study of how sea otters perceive sound at the University of California, Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Lab. The study’s results could inform decisions made by government agencies regarding ocean noise. To participate, Charlie learned to enter a specialized acoustic testing environment, listen for sound signals and respond to researchers, notifying them whether or not he had heard the sound by touching his nose to a target or remaining still.

Charlie’s fans and supporters can pay tribute to him at the Aquarium on Sunday, April 28. From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Aquarium visitors will be able to fill out a card in Charlie’s memory that will hang from the railing at the Sea Otter Habitat all day (Aquarium admission is required). For those wishing to make a donation in Charlie’s name, they can visit https://support.aquariumofpacific.org/IMOCharlie.

Chamber Hires Government Affairs Manager

The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (The Chamber) welcomes Christine Bos as its new Government Affairs Manager. Bos, started on April 15.

Bos will work closely with Senior Vice President Jeremy Harris as part of the training and transition plan for Harris to succeed Gordon as president & CEO on July 1, 2020. Before joining The Chamber, Bos served as the Senior Administrative Officer with the United States Department of State in the Office of Foreign Missions. She was responsible for maintaining relationships with various federal agencies and municipal offices to facilitate the exchange of information.

In her role as government affairs manager, Bos will manage The Chamber’s public policy and advocacy programs; serve as the staff liaison to The Chamber’s Government Affairs Council and political action committees; and assist with communications for these programs. She will draw upon The Chamber’s strategic initiatives and public policy platform documents in order to best serve the membership and Long Beach area business community.

Bos is a graduate of University of Southern California (USC) with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. She makes her home in Long Beach with her husband Trevor.