Letters to the Editor

Court Goes Rogue

On August 28, I wrote in this paper that the ICE raids at Andres Car Wash and Coast Hand Car Wash weren’t law enforcement – they were terror in drag. And I asked: where was the follow-up? Where was the crime-scene response from Long Beach authorities to investigate who overstepped their bounds and violated constitutional rights? That was the moment when our city needed clarity, accountability and courage.

On Sept. 9, the unthinkable happened. The Supreme Court, from its so-called shadow docket, reversed a lower court’s order protecting Long Beach residents – and others – from racially and ethnically driven stops. ICE’s roving raids – long criticized as profiling disguised as policing – are now tacitly permitted. Racial appearance, language, workplace, accent… factors previously barred from suspicion-based stops can again be used. Without explanation. Without debate. On a whisper of emergency power.

Justice Sotomayor blasted it in a blistering dissent: “We should not have to live in a country where the government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish and appears to work a low-wage job.”

In my earlier op-ed I urged treating lawless raids as crime scenes – gather evidence, document violations, preserve solidarity. That approach still matters; if anything, it is more urgent now – but Long Beach must adapt:

Know Your Rights, Then Stay Ready. Teach our workers to invoke rights and document encounters. In Long Beach, with its immigrant workforce and port economy, we must plan for the real possibility of mass detentions, not just sporadic ones. That means quick legal response networks, mobile monitoring and rapid-response communication rooted in our neighborhoods.

Demand Transparency from Elected Officials. The court has removed judicial protection, putting even more weight on civic oversight here at home. Our City Council, city attorney and district attorney must demand internal logs, body-cam video, stop-data and post-operation reviews whenever local resources are touched by federal raids.

Mobilize Legal Pressure Strategically. The litigation that drove Judge Frimpong’s injunction is still alive. Long Beach advocates should push it forward and rally support from unions, churches and civic organizations until the Constitution is restored.

Reframe Public Accountability as Emergency Response. We called it a crime scene before. Now it’s a constitutional emergency. That means emergency audits, emergency public hearings and emergency declarations by the Long Beach City Council – bold actions that define our city as one unwilling to be a staging ground for lawless dragnet policing.

Until the Supreme Court respects the Constitution, these moments demand less complacency and more resilience. We cannot wait for a fully reasoned opinion – especially one that may never arrive. We must act in our own defense, doubling down on preparation, documentation and public pressure.

And here’s the larger point: Long Beach can and should lead. We, the people, and our elected leaders have the chance to provide the example that other municipalities can follow – by standing up to overreach, by protecting workers, and by proving that a city’s loyalty belongs to its residents, not to a rogue federal operation.

The message remains: protests, rights awareness and community organizing aren’t optional. Until the rule of law is restored, they are our lifeline – and Long Beach can show the nation how it’s done.

Stephen Downing

Land Use Bill

SB79 is the most egregious land use bill ever to have been passed in our state. [May 2 issue: “Senate Bill 79 Could Be a Housing Showdown for Long Beach vs. State Government.] The bill passed by one vote in the Senate and two votes in the Assembly. It now moves on for signature to the governor’s office.

While many cities and groups opposed the bill, Long Beach elected not to. On June 18 I met with Kristina Duggin (she is on the Legislative Committee along with Megan Kerr and Roberto Uranga) asking for two things:

1. Get the Planning Department to prepare a map of what areas would be affected.

2. Request they discuss the bill in committee and agendize the item at council to oppose it. As of August, they still had not met to discuss the bill.

On Aug. 12 I pulled a speaker card at the council meeting and spoke of the most egregious bill moving through the State Legislature. I asked the City of Long Beach to write a letter of opposition. I had also sent the council a letter explaining the bill the day before. The city did not oppose the bill.

I sent out an eastside voice newsletter (to approximately 300 residents) asking the community to provide comments to the State Legislature using links provided in the document.

There is a Sept. 5 memo that does provide a city map of areas that will be affected. Most of the city will be subject to this bill with an outcome that 5-7 story buildings can be built in the neighborhoods. Descriptions will erroneously state the areas affected are near transit lines but in fact, with the half-mile radius, it will affect most of the Long Beach neighborhoods.

If you Google and read the various news articles about this, they provide the rationale that SB79 will create more housing, and we have a housing shortage. The truth seems to be we do not have a shortage of market rate housing – but we do have a shortage of low-income housing.

Please alert the public that this bill has passed. All we can do to stop it now is to send letters to the governor.

Corliss Lee

RIP Robert Redford

I was 25 years old when I met Robert Redford in 1975. He was shorter than I had imagined. More handsome. Soft spoken and patient.

He had come to Congress to meet members who were on the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee to lobby against the Kaiparowits Power Project proposed by Southern California Edison. My boss was a member of the committee and represented the vast public lands of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. A moderate Republican, she actually listened carefully to environmentalists about the damage this coal powered plant would cause.

A short while before Redford visited her congressional office, I was able to take photographs of him and Dustin Hoffman acting down the street on the set of “All the President’s Men.”

When I got the word he wanted to talk with the congresswoman, as her press secretary, I was delighted to spin the story to the press corps.

On the day of his visit, the hall outside our office was filled with staffers and reporters. I greeted him and took him inside her office where we sat and talked and waited for almost an hour because she had decided to get a massage in the Women’s Lounge and make him wait. I was embarrassed. I made up a story that she had a meeting in the Capitol and was running late. He didn’t seem to mind. We talked about the power project and he took several minutes to look at the photos I had taken and to autograph them with “Happy Days – Robert Redford.”

She finally arrived, sat at her desk and pulled out her compact to powder her nose, as Redford patiently explained why he was there. I wanted to yell at her “Haven’t you seen ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ or ‘The Way We Were’?”  She just smiled at him and then thanked him for coming. Their interaction was just minutes.

He was gracious and thanked her for her time. I walked him to the door wanting to apologize. He smiled and said “See ya kid.” Feeling the drama of the moment, I couldn’t resist whispering “Bye Hubbell.”

Gerrie Shipske

Fun City

Guess which California city is less fun than Oakland but more fun than Bakersfield! Give up? It’s Long Beach, the 86th most fun city in the U.S. (This according to WalletHub’s list of the most fun cities in America 2025.)

So, what’s fun about Long Beach? Long Beach can boast miles of bike lanes, which are often dangerously placed on the most congested streets in the city. There’s even a path along the beach on which to walk, run, or bike – if you don’t mind your nose burning from the pollutants spewing from the port traffic.

The Jack Dunster Marine Biological Reserve (if you can find it) also makes for a scenic walk, this time through a wonderland of bark chips and sprinkler heads, plus what the city describes as a “bluff-like retaining wall made of interlocking concrete blocks.”

Pine Avenue has wonderful outlet shopping, if you are adept at dodging bullets. And of course, there’s the famous Second Street in lovely Belmont Shore, which now sports a wide variety of banks. They’re mixed in with an occasional restaurant, though the sales tax Long Beach adds to the bill – one of the highest in the state – might give you indigestion.

Do you like to surf? Too bad. Unfortunately, due to the breakwater still in place 80 years after the end of the war, there are no waves on which to surf – only a lonely, stagnant beach.

Disney had attempted to locate a waterfront theme park in Long Beach, but our ever-astute city officials declined the offer, fearful of increased traffic and probably just too much fun.

Aside of the Queen Mary, which the city continually contemplates sinking, Long Beach displays another rusty and abandoned seafaring vessel: a Russian submarine. However, it’s no longer open to the public, unless you are a raccoon.

And if you’re not worn out yet from all this frivolity, then you can enjoy the added fun of playing Hide and Seek with our elusive Congressman Robert Garcia as he tries to hide from us, his constituents, and we then try to seek out where and when his secret, invitation-only Town Hall meetings might be.

So, are we having fun yet?

Merry Colvin