By Rachael Rifkin
Special to the Signal Tribune
Former Signal Hill City Treasurer Robert Magid had an insatiable passion for life that touched everything he did, which included anything from real estate and publishing the Long Beach/Signal Hill newspaper The View From the Hill to local activism. He passed away March 4 at the age of 73 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease.
The longtime champion for justice grew up in Long Beach before settling in Signal Hill with his wife, England native Josephine “Joey” Magid. Bob and Joey Magid, who met on a blind date, were married 44 years and had two daughters, Amy and Mandy.
Magid began his career in real estate before transitioning to the news business.
“He was hired as a manager when Lakewood Tarbell opened, and after about three or four years he became a corporate officer for Tarbell,” said Joey. “The newspaper started through real estate advertising. He did a four-page flier with a couple of recipes in it and everybody seemed to enjoy it. And it just got bigger and bigger. He loved it.”
Magid eventually left real estate so he could devote more of his time to The View From the Hill. The self-described “no-bad-news newspaper” featured in-depth discussions of city government and local issues as well as a column ‘written’ by his dog, Maggie. “It was a column written from a dog’s perspective that gave owners tips on how to take care of their dogs,” said Joey. The newspaper ran from 2000-2006.
Magid got his own first-hand look at local government when he replaced former city treasurer Gayle Girard in 1997.
“Gayle had gotten ill and passed away. Bob came in to help the city. He continued Signal Hill’s tradition of having very excellent city treasurers,” said Signal Hill City Manager Ken Farfsing.
Magid was elected to the position in 1999 and served as city treasurer until March of 2003, when he was ousted by Emerson Fersch by less than 20 votes.
Often described as a character, Magid was an enthusiastic man who had many interests. “Anything he liked, he would take up. And he went whole hog for it as long as it held his attention,” said Joey.
He was a gay rights activist and a self-taught pianist that could often be caught playing piano at local hotspots. He used to perform in community theater and was an extra in “The Pirates of the Caribbean” and the TV show “Medium.” He could easily whip up an excellent meal for a group of 20 people and loved to write poetry.
“He would write about anything from an egg to a flower. You could just give him anything and he would write a poem about it,” said Joey. “In fact, one year he made a poetry book and everybody got it for Christmas. Everybody.”
He was also a doting husband, father and grandfather, who was always there for his family, cheering from the bleachers come rain or shine.
“He was a gentle man. And I think that’s the way he would like to be remembered. As a very kind, very loving man,” said Joey.
Services for Robert Magid are tentatively planned for May or June.
