15 Foot Surf for Seal Way

Seal Beach Lifeguards have projected surf as high as 15 feet for Sunday morning.

This just after the berm came down?

Fortunately the tides are not predicted to be very high.

Beach front residents will be watching closely.

Famous Cookbook Now In Belmont Shore

Long Beach, CA and Shenzhen, China – Last October, at its annual charity event, Captivating International launched the sale of its first published cookbook titled, “Our International Kitchen.”

100% of the proceeds benefit the Seng Girls’ Vocational Training School and Home (SGVTS) Project in Northern China. It supports and offers a new life for a girls’ school in China.

This bilingual book was initiated by a group of Captivating International volunteers in Shenzhen who, at the time, embraced China as their home.

The cookbook committee, made up of 6 ladies, includes Lynn Velez (nee Mutke), a Wilson High School and San Diego State University grad currently living in Shenzhen.

“This book is a testimony of their willingness to give back to a country that has given them and their families so much,” commented Valerie Kingsland and Lisa Sommerville of Apostrophe Books in Belmont Shore.”

“Our committee saw a need to create an English/Chinese cookbook, featuring recipes from all over the world, submitted by people in our immediate community” said Lynn Velez.  “It does take a village to raise a child and the ‘Shenzhen Village’ has exemplified this through the publication of the cookbook, which is now helping to support over 120 girls at SGVTS.”

For more than two years hundreds of people volunteered their time and expertise by translating and test-cooking recipes, photographing the cooked dishes (and the girls) …  and, diligently proofing the cookbook.  The book would not be the work of art it is today without the volunteer design team who turned it into a “coffee table book.” Print Ninja, a Columbia, MO – based printing company, is to thank, as well, for donating their services and covering the majority of the printing costs.

The Seng Girls’ Vocational Training School and Home is a place of safety and promise for girls from extremely disadvantaged circumstances.  Located in the southern part of China’s Qinghai Province, the SGVTS was established in 2005 by a family who had a passion to see girls from ‘at-risk’ circumstances given the chance to achieve their dreams. The SGVTS is a registered vocational training school and operates with the full cooperation of local and provincial governments of Qinghai.  It is central to the vision and dreams of a Chinese registered non-profit organization called LOVEQTRA.  Captivating International, www.captivating.org who partners with LOVEQTRA to see these impoverished girls reach out for a better tomorrow, fully funds the operating costs of this program and its strategic development.

Apostrophe Books www.apostrophebooks.net is located in the heart of Belmont Shore at 4712 E. 2^nd Street, Long Beach Ca 90803. Phone: 562-438-7950.

Lynn Velez Email: lvelez@whalenasia.com

(Editor’s apology: We were not able to upload the photo of the book. It’s beyond beautiful.  Go by Apostrophe to see it.)

New iPads Waiting in Seal Beach…why?

Well the headlines said that Apple has again scored big with the new iPad and CEO Tim Cook said over 3 million were sold just on Friday!  Similarly AT&T said that it was a single day record for IPad sales.

All that may be true and I believe it when they say ultimately there will be 150 million sold and several more Zillion dollars will be added to Apple’s overall company value.  However, when I went into the new Seal Beach store, “Mac-fusion”, at 304 Main Street (next to the Abbey) on Saturday they still had new iPads to sell and were expecting more to be delivered Saturday and Monday.

It seemed to me that more of the people were getting their existing Macs upgraded and/or serviced than were walking out with the new iPads.

I will admit that the one I saw being displayed had striking graphic performance.  Apple calls it the Retina display: like the one on the iPhone 4S, it’s a very, very sharp screen. It’s four times as sharp as the iPad 2 — in fact, it’s the sharpest ever on a mobile device. This screen has 3.1 million pixels, which is 1 million pixels more than on a high-definition TV set.

In principle, all those pixels and the color saturation means now photos, videos, maps and text should look unbelievably good — and the apps that have been rewritten for the new screen do. Apple’s own apps, like Photos, Maps and iBooks, are very sharp and clear.  So are Apple’s inexpensive, newly enhanced iPad apps — iMovie, GarageBand, the Numbers spreadsheet and the Pages word processor. Its hard to believe the difference it makes.

What else is new:

-A tiny microphone now appears on the on-screen keyboard. Tapping it lets you speak to type, exactly as on the iPhone 4S. The recognition is fast and accurate

–       A 5-megapixel back camera that takes far better photos than the iPad 2 did. You‘ll get1080p hi-def videos now, and a stabilization feature lends a hand when yours is shaky or moving.

In this reporter’s opinion nothing else compares with it.  Not really surprising….its an Apple product, after all.

In addition to the superior graphics it has a quad-core processor and those things alone I’m sure will trigger many millions of sales over the next few weeks.

Why are the new iPads available in Seal Beach?  Maybe some of the Apple fans haven’t found out about the neww Seal Beach store yet? (12 years experience but less than 30 days in Old Town)  Undoubtedly they will when they start calling and emailing to find out who has new iPads to sell and the only spot is in our town!

Let’s hope when they come to Seal they take the walk to the Pier and find out there’s more to “Mayberry by the Sea” than just Apple sales and service.

Although I will admit it’s a pretty snazzy store.

The passing of a legend

Last week there was a celebration of life for a Wilson High School Teacher, a friend to many of us, Bob Gruneisen.

Bob passed from this life in a manner that many of us might envy.

He had a small cut on his leg that wasn’t healing and Frank Addleman encouraged him to go see a doctor.  He did and the doctor said it was quite serious and asked him to go to a hospital for a more in depth review.  The hospital told Bob that yes the leg was serious, however, something even more serious was found. He had a very aggressive form of leukemia and while he could take some very strong chemo treatments…they did not have a good record against the type of leukemia he had and there was much sickness along with the treatments….but if he didn’t take them death was imminent.  Perhaps 7 days.

Bob opted for the 7 days.  During that short time he wrote his own epitath and made arrangements for his family and those few friends that he expected to come to his memorial at the Long Beach Yacht Club.  After all, he was 78 and your circle of pals diminishes with age. At least, so he thought.  Humble to the last.

I hope he was able to look down and see the approximate 500  people who showed up at the Long Beach Yacht Club.

Over 75 people wrote their thoughts in the “Legacy” section of the Press Telegram. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/lbpresstelegram/obituary.aspx?n=joseph-robert-gruneisen-bob&pid=155873115

At one point during the remarks, one of the speakers sked if everyone in the audience who’d had Bob as a teacher or had competed in swimming events against him or his team would raise their hand.  Over 90% of the hands went up.

The Long Beach Lifeguards had two rescue boats outside ….Bob’s nephew is a guard….and they shot giant plumes of water up in the air for 5 minutes.  It was a striking display.

By and large the majority of those in attendance were men and women who had Bob as a teacher and much younger than his older gang from Belmont Shore days.  And such a turnout tells us the importance of a good teacher to our children and grandchildren…if we didn’t already know.

Just a few of the comments from the many in the Legacy section:

Neil Conkings said “Mr. Gruneisen was my favorite teacher at Wilson. (class of ‘69) My friends were on the swim and water Polo teams, so myself and my girlfriends were around him a lot. He even talked me into handing out trophies at one of the swim events. Several years back I saw him again at the Wilson Alumni golf tournament at rec park and was so happy to have some time to chat with him. He was a great man and will be sorely missed.

Theresa Bixby said, ”I met Bob when I was training with the US Women’s Waterpolo team. He let me train with the Wilson boy’s swim team to keep in shape. He always had such a great smile and a natural joy for life. It was contagious. He had that twinkle in his eye… I never knew exactly what ‘twinkel in the eye’ meant until I met Bob.”

Steve Nott said “ I attended Bob’s celebration of life with more that 400 others @ LB Yacht Club. I will always carry with me that when the question was asked: “Who here was coached by Bob or coached with or against him?” and it seemed like almost every hand went up!  Also, his nephew summed up Bob’s finest qualities: a great listener; very caring; extremely kind. He will be missed, and he most definitely had a wonderful life.

Phil Poland said “I met Bob a few years ago when we were sometimes in the same foursome playing golf at Rec Park. I found him to be a really great guy and very friendly. I learned that he had been a teacher at Wilson High School and had taught History to one of my younger friends. We never got around to discussing our common interests such as being Porsche owners or times spent in Hawaii. I envied his handsome looks, slim build and eternal tan. A real gentleman that I regret not having the opportunity to know better.”

Barry Wood said “Bob was a gentleman. He coached me for 3 years in water polo with Pete Archer. What a great team-those two were. And I could call him a friend after polo. I would sit with him at Wilson-Newport games and he would come to our reunions. What a great guy. He will be missed…..

Jodi Pelegrino-Sewell, the daughter of his close friend Ed Sewell said ,“You were a great influence in my life, Mr. G. When I was in high school and at my lowest, you raised my head up with your direct honesty and your gracious generosity. When I felt like less than nothing, you treated me to a full day at a Long Beach day spa. I’ve never forgotten that. Thank you, God, for Mr. Gruniesen. I loved him.”

And lastly, Lew Gordon summed it  up.  He said, “ I don’t remember any of my teachers other than Mr. Gruneisen. He was a wonderful teacher and a very nice man.

Grundoon….we’ll never forget you.

Seal Beach Victims Fund

Our City staff has been working around the clock to be sure all services that are needed at this very sad time are available to those who need them.

The Police Department has done a very efficient job from the arrest, through the investigation and in comforting the grieving.  The City Manager and her staff have put grief counselors into place, manned the phones and kept the City running during a most stressful time.  The website has been updated and gives the up-to-date information on what you can do should you need help or want to offer help.

This coming week there will be more chances to reach out to each other.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday Von’s Pavilion is offering to match all donations that are brought to the market in Seal Beach on PCH and Main and at the Los Alamitos store.  They have offered to match up to $25,000.  If contributing to the fund to help the victims is a way you would like to help, what better way than to double your gift by handing it in at Von’s?  The City, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Watson & Associates (shopping center owner at site of the incident), have jointly formed the “Seal Beach Victims’ Fund”.

While no doubt several other funds will be established to assist the victims’ families, we are encouraging those who would like to donate funds to contribute directly to the Seal Beach Victims’ Fund and deliver your donation to Von’s Saturday or Sunday (so your donation will be doubled) and to the Chamber of Commerce from Monday on.  Additional details regarding this fund can be found in a press release on the City’s website.

Von’s will match our donations up to $25,000.

http://www.sealbeachca.gov/tragedy.aspx

SEAL BEACH IS CRYING!

To see a headline that said “Seal Beach Massacre”  seemed to me to be an oxymoron. To the people that live here.  Our first thought – that has to be a misprint?

Unfortunately it wasn’t.  It seems that random acts of violence know no bounds.

It been said that the accused gunman was in a custody battle for his 7 year old son.  The first thing one thinks is….who will take care of the boy now?

And what of the sons and daughters, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, mothers and fathers, and friends of: Victoria Ann Buzzo, 54, David Caouette, 64, Laura Lee Elody, 46, Randy Lee Fannin, 62, Michelle Daschbach Fast, 47, Michelle Marie Fournier, 48, Lucia Bernice Kondas, 65 and Christy Lynn Wilson, 47?

The only survivor, Hattie Stretz, 73, mother of Laura Elody, remains in critical condition at Long Beach Memorial.

That’s hundreds, maybe thousands of broken hearts that are left to heal.

Does man’s inhumanity to his fellow man and woman know no bounds?

When does angst become terror?  When does different thinking become so bizarre that it should require hospitalization or incarceration.

I have friends in Long Beach who today must be going through hell.  They’ve had someone threatening them for over two years and cannot get a restraining order…but as many know a restraining order means nothing if someone is on a suicide mission.  The man accused of the crime, Scott Dekraai, however, was wearing a bullet proof vest.  So we must assume it was not a suicide mission.

My son asked me what is happening in this world?  Is this the way it was when I was growing up?  My guess is that it probably is pretty much the same except that now there are so many more people in the world, so many more guns, so much more news coverage – – that people in the Congo yesterday were hearing about a place called Seal Beach for the first and only time they will in their life.

There is no way we can control anger through legislation.  Could we control or reduce it with medication? Probably if, and that’s a big ‘if’ we were allowed to treat the person with the problem.

All I know is that Seal Beach IS CRYING and I think we’ll be crying for quite a while.

Bolsa Chica Land Trust Prevails…Yahoo!

NEWS FLASH – About 9 p.m. last night, we received the following “News Flash”  from the Bolsa Chica Land Trust …California Coastal Commission Denied the Coastal Development Permit for the Shea Homes Project at Bolsa Chica.

The BCLT fight against building these homes on coastal wetland property began in 2000.  May sound like a long time but we must remember that the BCLT and the Amigos de Bolsa Chica struggled with other developers, including California Coastal Communities, for over 35 years to save the lower Bolsa Chica Wetlands…now one of the most significant ocean restoration projects in the United States.  Had the California Coastal Commission not denied this project Shea that would have been allowed to put 111 houses on the Upper Bolsa Chica Wetlands.

Thanks so much to all the Bolsa Chica Land Trust members, friends and supporters who showed up at the hearing. Your presence made a difference for our beloved Bolsa Chica!!

In denying the CDP for this project, commissioners mentioned that this land was part of a larger ecosystem, something the Land Trust has  argued since this project was first proposed about 10 years ago. Other commissioners mentioned the lack of enforcement regarding the un-permitted fill on the property. This is another issue the Land Trust has raised for years. This fill, the BCLT believes, covered then existing wetlands!

It is a very happy day for most of us who value all of Bolsa Chica!

(Editor’s Note)  It’s also a rallying cry for people all over the state to do all they can to protect the ocean front for our progeny. This denial means that if the Shea Company wants to build houses on this site they have to go back to the drawing boards. It was a close vote….6 to 5 but fortunately wiser heads prevailed.

The make up of the CCC is often changed when the Sacramento Administration changes.  Hard to believe but politics does dictate how much of our heritage can be saved.   Why Shea wants to build 111 houses, when the company that built homes on a small portion of the lower wetlands is in bankruptcy is surprising but there are always those that see asphalt as an improvement over land in its natural state.

Seal Beach supporters of  the existing land use plans for the DWP property should take note and perhaps consider a “Seal Beach Land Trust” to help save that jewel?

DWP SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED BY PERSICO- 1ST MEETING MONDAY SEPT 19

“WHAT’S UP IN SEAL BEACH” RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING LETTER THURSDAY EVENING.

Dear Community Members,
You are receiving this email because you’ve expressed an interest in the Department of Water and Power Specific Plan Amendment project. Attached is a schedule outlining the review process for the DWP project.

The first meeting of the DWP Advisory Committee is on Monday, September 19 at 6:30PM in the City Council Chambers.  There will be numerous opportunities for the you to review and comment on the project. Please review the schedule to see what topics will be discussed at the various meetings.

Thank you for your interest in this project.
Regards,
Mark H. Persico, AICP, Director of Development Services
City of Seal Beach – 211 Eighth Street, Seal Beach, CA 90740
(562) 431-2527 Ext. 1313

What follows is the information contained in the attachments to the email sent by Mr. Persico:

Attachment #1

CITY OF SEAL BEACH DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER SPECIFIC PLAN   ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGENDA Revised Start Time – Sept 19, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.

ROLL CALL AGENDA APPROVAL
By Motion of the Advisory Committee, this is the time to notify the public of any changes to the Agenda or re-arrange the order of the Agenda.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
At this time, members of the public may address the Advisory Committee regarding any items within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Advisory Committee, provided that the Advisory Committee may undertake no action or discussion unless otherwise authorized by law.
AGENDA ITEMS
1.    Approval of minutes of the February 17, 2010 Committee Meeting
2.    Discussion of Hotel Studies

a.Peer Review Study (Kosmont Companies September 2011)

b. PKF Study 2009
3.    Receive and File:

a.City Council staffr eport and project timeline, September12,2011

b. Draft Environmental Impact Report Project Description

Attachment #2

Also attached was the following Schedule for future meetings on the feasibility studies for  the  project:

NOTE IF NO TIME IS SHOWN…NO MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR THAT DAY.

-Sept 19 Hotel Study/Draft EIR            6:30 p.m.

-Nov 8, Draft EIR released for Public Review

-Nov 15 EQCB  on Draft EIR            6 p.m.

-Nov 16 Archaeology Section of Draft EIR 6 p.m.

-Nov 17 Draft EIR & Land Use Change  6:30 p.m.

-Dec 23  COMMENTS DUE ON Draft EIR

-Feb 1, 2012 “FINAL” EIR released for Public Review

-Feb 6, 2012 Technical Review of Subdivision Map – 6 p.m.

-Feb 8, 2012  Street Tree Removal and Tree selection – 3 p.m.

-Feb 8, 2012 Final Project Recommendation  6:30 p.m.

-Feb 15, 2012 Planning Commission (1^st Hearing)  Final EIR & Project Review  7:30

-Feb 22, 2012 Open Space and Parks Issues  6 p.m.

-Feb 29, 2012 (2^nd Hearing) Final EIR & Project Review            7:30

-March 12, 2012 (City Council – 1^st Hearing)  Final EIR and Final Project  7 p.m.

-March 26, 2012 (City Council – 2nd Hearing)  Final EIR and Final Project  7 p.m.

All Meetings will be in the City Council Chambers * = Dates & Times are subject to change please check City website for most recent information

“WHAT’S UP IN SEAL BEACH” APOLOGIZES IT CANNOT GO INTO MORE DETAIL ON THE MEETINGS…but we urge the citizens to stay active during the next 7 months.  The outcome of this project is of singular significance to the future of Seal Beach.

PLEASE CONTACT Mark Persico (562) 431-2527 IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION.

Seal Beach 96th Anniversary Honors Local Legend

On Sunday, October 2, The Los Al H.S. marching band, the Los Al “Jazz Band 1” and the Seal Beach Jazz Trio will be playing a concert to honor our 96^th Anniversary.

This concert will also honor local educator Chuck Wackerman who has enriched all our lives and our children’s lives for over 55 years.

Chuck Wackerman

Chuck began teaching in the Seal Beach school district in 1956 and we…and our children… have been the lucky recipients of his legendary skills teaching our kids ever since.

The concert will begin at 4 p.m. and continue until 6 p.m.

Richie Sebastian will be directing the Marching Band and John Rush is the director of Jazz Band 1. The Seal Beach Jazz Trio are an outstanding added attraction.

SEAL BEACH’S FAMOUS JAZZ TRIO

The City of Seal Beach has planned a 96^th Founders Day Celebration and not only will this event  commemorate our 96th anniversary but acclimation of the thousands of Seal Beach and Los Alamitos students it will also honor our  legendary local instrumental music educator, Chuck Wackerman, who for over five decades has enriched the lives of thousands of Seal Beach/Los Al students and music lovers.

Everyone is invited and the concert is free. Please bring your own chairs.

Mr. Wackerman received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Science in Music Education from the University of Southern California. He taught elementary, junior high and high school band, orchestra and jazz bands in the Seal Beach and Los Alamitos school districts. For nine years Chuck directed the jazz combos for the Orange County High School for the Arts. At both the middle and high school levels and has developed award winning jazz ensembles.

This year our honoree was inducted into the California Jazz Alliance Hall of Fame and recognized by CSULB Jazz Orchestra for outstanding contributions to jazz education.  He began with the Seal Beach Unified School District in 1956 and when Seal Beach unified with Los Alamitos even more children had the marvelous opportunity to be under his tutelage. We will honor and recognize him for his work with our children. We encourage all former students to attend and they will have a chance to reunite with old friends and listen to great music.

Chuck has served as an auditioner, band manager and a director for the California School Band Orchestra Assoc. Junior High Jazz All Stars. He received the Irene Schoepfle award for his contributions to music education in Orange County. He also has been awarded the Jazz Educator of the Year from the Fullerton College Jazz Festival. Currently he is teaching jazz band at McAuliffe Middle School in Los Alamitos. Mr. Wackerman’s Jazz Groups have always been great musical examples at jazz festivals thru out CA. He was a Master teacher for nearly two dozen student teachers from Cal State Long Beach. His own children are also entrenched in Musical Careers and Chuck has certainly been a pioneer and role model for jazz education in California. Chuck is celebrating his fifty fourth year of teaching instrumental music.

So, you think you know everything about Mr. Wackerman. Well, he came from a musical family himself.  He grew up in Alhambra.  His mother was a pianist and his father was a jazz fan so he listened to a lot of jazz.  When he was ten years old he decided he wanted to play the trumpet so he went into a that small local music store and got a used trumpet for $20 which included ten free lessons. The rest is history.

This is an opportunity for all former students of Mr. Wackerman to come and celebrate the 96th anniversary of Seal Beach with him.

Chuck is not a ‘spring chicken’ but  just to be clear his is much hounger than Seal Beach. Our town  was incorporated in 1915 with a Joy Zone that covered several blocks that included a roller coaster named “The Derby” and the Jewel City Cafe where the dance floor was built with springs underneath so that dancers could sway.  This 96th celebration is a harbinger of things to come in 2015 when our 100th anniversary arrives.  Libby Applegate assures us that all the volunteers working with her on Founder’s Day Committee have big plans for that special birthday.  Until then we’ll have  smaller celebrations each October until 2015.

In the meantime Y’all come down to the pier on Sunday Oct 2. and add your name to the list of volunteers to help plan our centennial when the Joy Zone will return once again.

This is an opportunity for all former students of Mr. Wackerman to come and celebrate the 96th anniversary of Seal Beach with him.

For more information: Please go to www.sealbeachfoundersday.com,  Seal Beach Community Services Dept.  562 431-2527  Ext. 1306  or  Carla Watson  e-mail: carlawatson@verizon.net

SAVE OUR OCEAN…AND WINS OOODLES OF PRIZES SATURDAY

Join us at the last celebration of summer cleanup next Saturday September 17th – it’s going to be an awesome day.  We’re going to be part of over 80,000 volunteers cleaning the whole coast of California!

LOCATION: 15 1st Street, Seal Beach – anytime from 8 a.m. to Noon!

Our sponsors have provided awesome prizes, INCLUDING A BRAND NEW BIKE BUILT BY STATE BICYCLE!   Register for the walk or the cleanup and then when you’re done registering, go to the contest page and enter yourself in to win the bike and much more!!  The way this works is – the more people you recruit to volunteer, the higher your chance to win!!! By doing it that way, you get to do more good for our coast, AND it’s good for you too!

So come volunteer, register to win awesome prizes like a bike and a day at Burke Williams Spa or tickets for your family to go to Disneyland, the Aquarium or Pretend City – and join in all the fun!

Thanks again for your contribution to keeping our beaches beautiful ~

Kim Masoner, Founder
www.saveourbeach.org

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