Another Thanksgiving Day in Paradise

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

Send a photo to your friends and relatives.

FBI & SBPD Get Together on Armored Car Training

On  November 10 the Seal Beach Police Department, in conjunction with the FBI and the California Armored Car Association hosted a seminar at the police station.

The program was designed to familiarize law enforcement robbery and homicide investigators with the personnel and equipment associated with the armored car industry.  The industry is suffering from an increase in both robberies and the killing of their guards.—

They brought five armored cars to demonstrate how our officers should investigate them during armored car robberies and the killings of their guards.  The 60+ police officials present complimented the program.

“Even in the best of times, departmental resources seldom seem adequate to guarantee the level of public safety and public service expected by the community,” said Chief Jeff Kirkpatrick.  “We appreciate being able to take advantage of these external resources.”

City Service Calendar for November and December

• Seal Beach City Council Meetings:  December 13th & January 10th.
  

November

• Thanksgiving Day Holiday – City Hall Closed:  Thursday, November 25th & Friday, November 26th
  

• Annual Holiday Tree Lighting:  Saturday, November 27th, 4:00 p.m., Eisenhower Park
  

December

• 30th Annual Holiday Parade:  Friday, December 3rd, 7:00 p.m., Main Street
  

• Breakfast With Santa:  Saturday, December 11th,  8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., Eisenhower Park
  

• West County Connectors Project Open House:  Tuesday, December 14th, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Council Chambers
  

• City Hall Closed:  Friday, December 24th – Friday, December 31st
  

Thanksgiving Holiday
Wishing you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!  Just a reminder that City Hall will be closed in recognition of the holiday next Thursday, November 25th and Friday, November 26th.

Holiday Closure
Just a reminder that City Hall and the Maintenance Yard will be officially closed from Friday, December 24th, through December 31st, and reopen for regular business on Monday, January 3rd.  Public safety operations will continue as normal with police, fire, and marine safety personnel.

Here are the details of the BP/Arco clean-up in Seal Beach

This is a four page letter from the Orange County Health Care Agency to ARCO confirming OCHCA’s receipt, approval, conditions, and comments about the excavation workplan at the ARCO site that WUSB received from Jan Sledge, Executive Asst. to City Mgr Dave Carmany.

Its a lengthy document but we believed that those living in the area affected want to know all they can about what will affect the value of their homes as well as their health.

Excavation was proposed in the Revised Corrective Action Plan (CAP) dated July 19, 2010 that was approved by OCHCA on August 10, 2010. OCHCA is also requesting that ARCO prepare a workplan to conduct soil vapor sampling in the Bridgeport area before the dual phase extraction activities begin.  The sampling must include soil probe in the streets and alleyways and as many of the subslab probes as ARCO is able to gain access to.  The soil vapor sampling workplan must be submitted to OCHCA by December 15, 2010.

To read the letter completely go to:file:///Users/billhalpin/Desktop/ARCO%20Station%20%236066%20-%20Excavation%20Workplan.pdf

Little love for tax increases by California Voters…but?

A new poll done by Greenberg Quislin and Rosner   http://www.greenbergresearch.com/index.php?ID=2548 found that California registered voters see no easy solution for the state’s budget woes. They want the new governor to focus on cutting spending – with little support for tax increases – but their highest priority is protecting spending for health care and education.

They do not want to cut services that they think are important to the state. Indeed, they want to increase spending on K-12, college and universities and health care.

By nearly three to one they believe the budget can best be reduced by cutting waste and inefficiency rather than cutting programs like health care and education.

There are some other great revelations that the independent pollsters felt came out of the research that was published in the L.A. Times on Friday November 18.  For full text go to: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-poll-20101119,0,1562210.story – -and read the story by Cathleen Decker.

Something for a Rainy Day

BEACH CLEANUP is rain or shine in Seal Beach tomorrow November 20. From 8 a.m. to Noon at 15 First Street, Seal Beach. We will have FREE Yoga 9 to 10 a.m. under a canopy or two if necessary due to rain and its taught by Karen Kazanci, owner of Leaping Lotus Yoga http://leapinglotusyoga.com/ And please bring canned food for “New Life Beginnings” www.newlifebeginnings.wordpress.com – if it is raining and you just want to drop off cans of food, please drive into the parking lot, pull by the blue canopies on the left of the parking lot on the grass and we will gladly take them from your car for New Life Beginnings – they need our help.

Kim Masoner Save Our Beach

SEE THE USA….IN A DIFFERENT WAY…AND THEN YOU’LL SAY….HOORAY!

This phenomenal group of photos was sent to me by a young pilot who likes the way flying was done in his Great Grandfather’s Day….flying “Low and slow!”  Low and slow pilots have learned to take the time to enjoy the trip.  Not unlike old car enthusiasts enjoy getting off the freeway and taking the small country roads.

If you haven’t done it…  you haven’t experienced the pure joy and pleasure of flying low and slow with the side window or door open
in a Piper Cub.

Look at these pictures of a trip from Corona, California to the Mississippi River…small farms in the heartland… New England,  New Jersey, the Statue of Liberty.   A trip where you land every hour or so and take time to talk to the locals…some of whom might wonder who this traveler was that dropped into their back acreage to say hello. to If you have, it will stir up a lot of pleasant memories.

Where you look up and bridges and statues instead of down and usually the autos below you are going faster than you are.

Enjoy the view!

http://www.vintageflying.com/page24.html

Trip Statistics:
Number of days on the adventure:   32 days
Number of statute miles flown:   6,906 miles (the GPS kept track)
Number of legs:  75 legs
Longest leg: 1 hour, 58 min.
Shortest leg: I’m pretty sure it’s my left leg
Flight time:  104 hours, 14 minutes (the GPS kept track)
Gallons of fuel:  445.49 gallons
Engine mechanical problems: NONE
Airframe mechanical problems: NONE
Total number of photos taken: a bunch!

Long Beach Community Food Drive Kicks Off

Mayor Bob Foster, Food Finders, Friends of Long Beach Animals and We Love Long Beach are partnering together in this year’s Long Beach Community Food Drive with a goal to collect 100,000 pounds of food.

Barrels will be placed in several locations throughout the city to collect canned or packaged food as well as pet food to help out needy families and pets in Long Beach. Donations will be accepted starting today until Jan. 31, 2011. “Long Beach residents and businesses have always responded generously to our request for donations,” said Mayor Foster. “This year’s food drive goal is to collect 100,000 pounds of food, which would provide three meals a day to approximately 2,547 families for a week.”

Food Finders will collect from locations and then distribute the donated food to more than 100 organizations in Long Beach. “Many families won’t be able to have festive dinners or toys for the kids this year without our help,” said Arlene Mercer, Food Finders executive director. “Once again, we are asking for canned and packaged food as well as pet food. This year, we are also asking for monetary donations to help Food Finders purchase turkeys and hams to be given to Long Beach families.”

Additonally The Friends of Long Beach Animals will be collecting and distributing the donated pet food to owners who are finding it a challenge to provide for themselves and their pets. “It is a tragic reality that some pet owners are forced to consider the relinquishment of their pets due to the lack of household funds needed to properly feed and care for their animals,” said John Gonzales, president of the Friends of Long Beach Animals. “We ask that everyone include a pet food item with their donation. Helping our neighbors and their pets during difficult times will make Long Beach a better place.”

The newest partner in the food drive is the nonprofit We Love Long Beach. “The Long Beach Community Food Drive is the perfect chance for all of us to work together and make a difference in the lives of families and individuals throughout our city,” said Scott Jones, co-founder/director of We Love Long Beach. “We’re once again grateful for the partnership between Food Finders, the Mayor and Friends of Long Beach Animals. One hundred thousand pounds! Let’s do this!”

For a complete list of suggested items and drop-off locations, visit www.longbeach.gov/mayor.

Additional collection sites will be added in the coming weeks. About Food Finders Food Finders, Inc. is a multi-regional food bank that serves as a conduit between the donors, service agencies and people in need. The non-profit provides food to feed the impoverished and hungry people, and referral services in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. For more information, visit www.foodfinders.org.

About Friends of Long Beach Animals Friends of Long Beach Animals is a non-profit organization committed to saving animals’ lives through spay/neuter programs. They are dedicated to responsible pet ownership, education and humane treatment of all animals. www.friendsoflongbeachanimals.org

About We Love Long Beach We Love Long Beach is a non-profit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to know and serve the people, the neighborhoods and the city of Long Beach. Through service learning education, neighborhood events, service projects and strategic partnerships, WLLB is fostering active citizenship in the lives of people throughout the city. www.welovelongbeach.org

Up To Date Election Night Results For Orange County

ELECTION NIGHT RESULTS

Orange County uses a central location for tallying votes. All ballots are tabulated in the Registrar of Voters Tally Center located at 1300 S. Grand Ave., Bldg. C, Santa Ana.

The vote counting procedure is open to public viewing. Unofficial results are available throughout the evening of the election in the Registrar of Voters office beginning at approximately 8:05 p.m. and continuing until all precinct ballots have been tallied. Results may also be obtained by calling the Registrar of Voters office at (714) 567-7600 or visiting our web site www.ocvote.com

When you get to this site you need to click on “Election Results” and then click on “Enhanced Election Night Reporting” that will take you to the November 2, 2010 Election Results – don’t forget to “refresh” every once in awhile to get the updates.