Jerry Caliguiri
Caligiuri served as an aide for the 7th, 8th and 9th council districts.
According to LBReport.com, Caligiuri was “stricken suddenly” on Nov. 1 while at a Long Beach Kiwanis group meeting. He was rushed to a hospital but did not survive.
Just days before his death, Caligiui had received the 2017 Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Democrat of the Year Award for the 70th Assembly District.
Caligiuri was also active in the organization Neighborhoods USA (NUSA), having served on its national board of directors. In May 2016, he traveled to New Orleans with a Long Beach delegation that included NUSA awardee Doug Haubert, who is the city prosecutor for Long Beach, for a NUSA event where Caligiuri was elected to the group’s national governing board.
“Jerry was a good friend,” Haubert wrote in an email to the Signal Tribune Thursday. “I’m shocked and saddened to hear of his passing. He cared a lot about Long Beach and was devoted to neighborhood improvement. He was active, not only in his own neighborhood, but with Neighborhoods USA, which worked to improve communities across the country. He will be missed by many.”
Seventh District Councilmember Roberto Uranga said Caligiuri’s passing is a great loss to the city of Long Beach.
“He was passionate about the communities he served and a volunteer extraordinaire,” Uranga wrote in an emailed response to the Signal Tribune Thursday. “We should all be thankful for his service to our community.”
Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, also emailed a statement Thursday regarding Caligiuri and his involvement in the city.
“I am sure that I am one of hundreds and hundreds of people who are shocked and saddened by the passing of Jerry Caligiuri,” Cohn wrote. “I would see him everywhere, literally everywhere, around town and involved with so many things. It was always ‘Jerry, you old son-of-a-gun!’ and he’d give me that big laugh in return. I teased him as being the Last Man Standing, since he had worked with and for so many people in town. His contribution to the community is apparent, as is the way he befriended and touched so many people’s hearts. To say he will be missed is an understatement. I am really upset by his passing but will always remember him walking to and from community meetings of some type.”
John Royce, membership coordinator for the Historical Society of Long Beach, said Caligiuri was one of those local souls whose presence was often felt and appreciated by those working and volunteering in the Long Beach community.
“I’ve long said that our council offices should function as a citizens’ windows into the inner workings of local government,” Royce said. “As a council office staff member, Jerry fulfilled that duty well, connecting active community members to the people and resources that helped facilitate their goals. He wanted us to be successful in our missions to improve the community he shared with all of us.”
Royce added that, when he himself was president of the California Heights Neighborhood Association (CHNA) and Caligiuri worked in the office of 7th District Councilmember James Johnson, Caligiuri encouraged the CHNA to enter the Neighborhoods, USA (NUSA) Neighborhood of the Year competition at their annual national conference, just one of many organizations with which he was active.
“Jerry traveled to Indianapolis to cheer us on as we took first place in our category and the grand prize, 2012 NUSA Neighborhood of the Year,” Royce said. “He then joined us in Sacramento on his own dime for our recognition by Assembly Member Bonnie Lowenthal on the State House floor, just as proud of our accomplishment as we were. Jerry’s kind, gentle and dedicated soul will be missed by all who had the privilege of crossing his path. I can assure that even those who didn’t know Jerry benefitted from his presence in our local community.”
Eighth District Councilmember Al Austin II said he is saddened to learn of the passing of a dear friend and pillar in the Long Beach community.
“Jerry Caligiuri epitomized caring and service to community through his untiring volunteer efforts with the YMCA, Kiwanis, Lions Club, Dem Party and many other organizations,” Austin wrote in an email to the Signal Tribune Thursday afternoon. “He was quietly responsible for so much good in our city. Jerry lived every day with a purpose, and he made a lasting impact. Jerry encouraged me to consider running for city council back in 2001. He recruited me for the Fairfield Family YMCA board, and he volunteered on all of my campaigns. He had a profound influence on me personally. I will personally miss his calm and caring advice.”
Fifth District Councilmember Stacy Mungo has a familial connection with Caligiuri.
“Jerry was a selfless man and community servant whose warmth and impact lives on,” Mungo wrote in an email Thursday. “He volunteered for so many impactful community movements: the YMCA, Lions Club, local politics and more. Above all else, he was a good man of high character who was friendly and helpful to everyone he met. He was a friend, a neighbor, a resource and my cousin.”
