Bits 'n' Pieces

Man Convicted for Storm Drain Dumping

Antonio Palma Pineda, 53, of Cypress, has been convicted for illegal dumping into the Bouton Creek storm drain in Long Beach. He was sentenced to serve six months in county jail, pay restitution of $1,963 to the City of Long Beach for clean-up costs and pay court fines and penalties of $2,310. In addition to illegal dumping, Pineda was convicted of contracting without a license.

Pineda will also serve three years on probation, during which time he could be sentenced to an additional year in county jail if he violates probation. Superior Court Judge Lori R. Behar pronounced the sentence.

“Our storm drains lead to the ocean and toxic materials dumped into the storm drain can cause illness to people and destroy our environment,” said Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert. “We live in a coastal community and crimes like this affect all of us.”

Pineda was caught after a Long Beach Transit driver observed Pineda dumping a white liquid into the Bouton Creek Storm Drain located near Atherton Street and Clark Avenue. The creek drains into Los Cerritos Channel, then directly into the Pacific Ocean. A Long Beach fire engine was sent to investigate and fire fighters also observed Pineda dumping latex paint and drywall debris over a fence and into the creek. Long Beach Fire Department Environmental Investigator Tye Johnson investigated the case.

“We encourage anyone who sees illegal dumping to report it immediately,” said Deputy City Prosecutor Brendan Boyes, who is assigned to handle environmental crimes. The city prosecutor’s office has stepped up prosecution of environmental cases since the office received a $50,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in 2011.

O’Donnell Intros 2 Bills

Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell recently introduced Assembly Bill 2687 to dedicate more state revenue to clean up abandoned oil wells within the Long Beach tidelands and Assembly Bill 2860, which will extend funding for the deployment of zero- and near-zero emission heavy-duty vehicle technology to ensure clean air around our ports and beyond.

AB 2687 eliminates a $300 million limit on the Oil Trust Fund, a fund that saves revenue for cleaning-up oil wells on the tidelands when they cease operation. In 2014, the state reached its saving limit, leaving a projected short fall of more than $500 million.

The funding dedicated towards the deployment of zero- and near-zero emission heavy-duty truck technology under the California Clean Truck, Bus and Off-Road Vehicle Program is set to expire next year. AB 2860 will extend that funding for five more years.

Since its establishment in 2014, the program has been successful in helping California meet its carbon emission reduction goals.

Both bills await referral to its first policy committee.

SMMC Certification for Advanced Stroke Center

Dignity Health – St. Mary Medical Center announced that it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Advanced Thrombectomy Capable Stroke Center Certification. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

St. Mary underwent a rigorous on-site review where The Joint Commission (TJC) experts evaluated the hospital’s compliance with national disease-specific care standards, as well as with Advanced Thrombectomy-specific requirements. Clinical practice guidelines and performance measures were also assessed.

Established in 2002 and awarded for a two-year period, TJC’s Disease-Specific Care Certification evaluates clinical programs across the continuum of care and addresses three core areas, compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.

“St. Mary Medical Center is pleased to receive Disease-Specific Care Certification from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” stated Carolyn Caldwell, SMMC Hospital President. “The certification provides us with the framework to create a culture of excellence for those in our community and I’m very proud of the dedication of the hospital’s staff and physicians who ensure our stroke patients receive the best possible outcomes.”

Support for Adolescent Gym

The Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach Auxiliary pledged $500,000 to support an adolescent rehabilitation gym in the future Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach. This is another principal gift as part of a $60 million philanthropic campaign to support the capital and programmatic needs of this transformative state-of-the-art facility currently under construction on the corner of Atlantic Ave. and 27th St.

Three rehabilitation gyms – an infant, developmental and adolescent gym – will take up a complete wing of the 80,000-square-foot, four-story Children’s Village. The gyms will connect to each other and allow the care team to share resources, improve group treatments and offer access to new types of space and equipment.

“We have supported various programs that care for younger patients, but we wanted to do something for teens, since they often are overlooked,” says Linda Dilday, president, Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach Auxiliary. “We fell in love with the vision for the adolescent gym. We know that a hospital isn’t the coolest place to be for a teen, but the rehabilitation team is creating a space that will offer teen patients moments of happiness and fun while receiving therapy.”

To better serve patients who need specialized physical, occupational and speech therapy, these new rehabilitation gyms will help young patients increase their mobility and build confidence. Specifically, in the adolescent gym, patients 11-years-old and older will have many equipment options, including treadmills, elliptical machines and weight machines to choose from. The gym will have an athletic, industrial feel with exposed ceilings and upbeat music that plays while patients exercise.

“Because the rehabilitation needs of a 2-year-old widely differ from the needs of a teen, it was important that we designed a space for older kids, where they felt supported and comfortable being surrounded by peers of their own age,” says Graham Tse, M.D. chief medical officer, Miller Children’s & Women’s.

The adolescent gym will have floor-length windows that face out to the unified outdoor therapy yard, which will have a giant play structure, a track for walking, running and biking, rock wall and much more.

Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach Auxiliary is a philanthropic group, which volunteers and organizes fundraising events to support Miller Children’s & Women’s. Working by their motto, “Have a Heart and Help a Child,” the auxiliary will raise funds for the adolescent gym by hosting its annual designer fashion show and an annual holiday shopping fair, as well as running the hospital’s gift shop.

Since its inception, the Auxiliary has donated more than $15 million to Miller Children’s & Women’s. Past gifts include support for the Surgical Center, General Pediatrics Playrooms and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Family Center.

“The auxiliary has made a profound impact on children’s health care for our community,” says Sharon Thornton, president, Miller Children’s & Women’s Foundation. “They are an amazing group of women, who have supported us since we opened our doors 50 years ago.”

The Children’s Village will house a range of additional services, such as a laboratory, pharmacy and imaging, as well as pediatric doctors in more than 36 specialties. Learn more about opportunities to support this new state-of-the-art building by visiting millerchildrens.org/Village.

Impact Award Winners

The Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office announced the winners of the 9th Annual IMPACT Awards. “We are so fortunate to have people in the community partnering with us to create innovative solutions to public safety problems,” said City Prosecutor Doug Haubert. “They are making Long Beach a better and safer city.”

Each year City Prosecutor IMPACT awards are bestowed on individuals and groups who have made “a positive, significant impact in the City of Long Beach in the past year.”

The recipients include:

• Long Beach Justice Lab and Melissa Mojica, LMFT, for partnering with the City Prosecutor’s Office to develop the Priority Access Diversion (PAD) program, to connect incarcerated persons with critical social services.
• Long Beach Branch NAACP and President Naomi Rainey-Pierson, for assisting with the City Prosecutor Internship Program and partnering on Law Day activities.
• Forgotten Children, Inc., for partnering with the City Prosecutor’s Office to provide counseling, housing and other services to victims of human trafficking.
• Long Beach Police Sgt. Norma Carrillo, Detective Rodney Brown and Technologists Jesse Macias and Marcus Briones, for their assistance with complex high-tech investigations.
• Attorney Robin Perry and the Long Beach Bar Association, for taking leadership role in clearing old convictions for Long Beach residents
• Long Beach Police Department Vice Unit, for combating sex trafficking in California and for connecting victims to social services.
• Long Beach Unified School Board Members Dr. Felton Williams and Jon Meyer for efforts to reduce chronic truancy, improve educational outcomes and improve the lives of Long Beach students.
• Brittany Gentle, Fare Compliance Officer, Los Angeles Transportation Authority and the Long Beach Police Department Metro Unit, for improving public safety on the A Line (formerly Blue Line).

In addition, the Kim Maddox IMPACT Award was given to Long Beach Police Resource Officer Gabriel Betanzos. Officer Betanzos is being recognized generally for his work to keep Long Beach neighborhoods safer and specifically for his continuous and extraordinary personal efforts assisting a chronically homeless man stay connected with supportive housing.

 IMPACT awards were presented on Feb. 13. Awardees were chosen by prosecutors and staff based on efforts made by persons during the preceding year.

Car Wash Sold

Clean Wave Express Wash has announced its flagship, state-of-the-art car wash will be constructed at 11031 Los Alamitos Blvd., the former home of Rossmoor Car Wash, which served the community for over 62 years.

Once in the tunnel, the new owners promise and unequaled customer experience. Brad Hooper, the former managing partner of Rossmoor Car Wash and a partner in the Clean Wave Express model said: “The car wash industry has changed so much in just the last 10 years. Customers today lead busy lives. When it comes to keeping their cars clean, they expect a clean and dry car in the shortest amount of time. Being environmentally conscious and a good neighbor in their community are top concerns as well.

“All this delivered by utilizing the best parts of technology in a highly professional and courteous way. It is what Clean Wave Express Wash will be all about,” Hooper said.

The new wash is expected to open sometime in the summer of 2020. In the meantime, future customers can keep track of the progress and pre-opening offers by visiting the company’s website: Cleanwaveespresswash.com.