Letters to the Editor

Community Hospital

What a failure on the part of the mayor and the City Council. [Former Patients Tell Family and Friends ‘Never Go to Community Hospital’, 12/3/21 issue.]

The true victims are the people who used the wonderful hospital as it was before these buddies of the mayor took over [who] obviously did not have any medical know how.

I too had a bad experience there. As a result, my doctor said he wouldn’t refer anyone there again and good thing he didn’t.

Dixie Miller

LBPD Officers Charged

Officers Dedier Reyes and David Salcedo committed multiple crimes in February 2018. [Two LBPD Officers Arrested, Criminally Charged, Page 1, this issue.]

LBPD knew immediately about the crimes but took almost a year to investigate and submit the case to the district attorney in January 2019.

It then took the district attorney nearly three years to file criminal charges against the two officers on Dec. 3, 2021. It took nearly four years to investigate and file criminal charges against two Long Beach police officers each known to have a long history of violent misconduct.

It’s absolutely outrageous that it takes four years for criminal Long Beach police officers to be charged for their crimes. The fact that it takes that long for LBPD to weed out its own violent criminals is criminal in itself.

The questions I have include:

1. Following the firing of the first two Torrance Police Officers in August 2020, why was it necessary for LA County District Attorney George Gascón to question whether text messages from the fired officers had been checked? George Floyd’s murder had occurred just four months prior to these firings and demonstrations against police brutality were occurring worldwide.

2. Why isn’t it standard practice during investigations to check text messages of officers accused of misconduct? Why did DA Gascón have to insist it be done?

3. Why did it take a year (August 2020 to August 2021) for Torrance Police Department to notify Long Beach Police Department about misconduct committed by its officer(s)?

4. California Attorney General Bonta announced Dec. 9 that he had launched an independent review of the Torrance Police Department. Why isn’t Long Beach Police Department included in Attorney General Bonta’s investigation?

5. Has Long Beach police officer Schroeder been suspended with or without pay?

Michael Ruehle

Something ought to be very clear to all of us, the depth of corruption in the worst police department in California is possible only because of the depth of corruption in City Hall, including the city attorney’s office, the city manager and everyone behind the dais.

Carlos Ovalle

Goodbye 5th District

Now that the council districts have been redrawn, I am no longer a resident of the 5th Council District. To those who encouraged me to be a candidate again for the 5th Council District, I want to say I am grateful for your support.

Those residents above Spring Street and east of Studebaker will remain in the 5th and be joined with Bixby Knolls, Cal Heights and Los Cerritos. You will have an opportunity to elect a new council member and I will make an endorsement once all candidates have been announced.

Again, thank you for your support and friendship. Stay tuned as I decide how best I can continue working to make Long Beach a great city in which to live and work.

Gerrie Schipske
Former Councilwoman

Streets of Shame

My personal selection of a street of shame is the well traveled stretch of thoroughfare known as Studebaker Road.

Many comments have been made by others. I would like to acknowledge that this road is indeed one of the worst maintained roads in Long Beach. It needs to be resurfaced completely not just pot-hole repair.

The entire foundation must be replaced or it will suffer the same erosion that promptly affects patch-work repair of individual pot-holes. The foundation beneath the pot hole cannot support the thin layer of asphalt they use to fill the hole! Bring some experts in to instruct our repair crew and spend the money it takes to repair the streets with lasting renovation.

L. Gresko
Belmont Shore

Attaboy

I’m a new resident in Long Beach moved in Fourth of July and I want to say thank you for your newspaper. The Beachcomber is truly good journalism on a local level and every community should be so lucky as to have something like the Beachcomber.

Sadly, print journalism is a trouble all over America. Ninety percent of what most American read and see today comes from a half dozen media giants. It is great to live in a community that has a paper like yours. Thank you.

Mark Tabbert