Honoring Angela
Angela Bowen
Angela was a staunch advocate and activist for queer rights– literally putting her own life on the line, fighting for equality. Angela and her wife Jennifer Abod were very supportive in my first campaign for councilwoman. I remember being invited to their home to sit on their porch– just to talk.
Dr. Angela Bowen fought Alzheimer’s disease and passed away on July 12, 2018, at 82. Angela is survived by two sisters, two daughters, a stepdaughter, a foster daughter, a granddaughter and, of course, her beautiful wife Jennifer Abod.
Angela, my dear friend, you will be greatly missed.
Lena Gonzalez
Councilmember
First District
Long Beach
Hot topic
Summer is here, and temperatures are on the rise! While you enjoy the great outdoors, we want you to be safe when a heat wave strikes. Whether you are at the beach or in a garden, here are a few important tips:
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of non-caffeinated fluids.
• Check on family, friends and neighbors who do not have air-conditioning.
• Slow down, stay indoors and avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day (3pm to 4:30pm).
• Download our “Emergency” app for severe weather alerts, including excessive heat watches, warnings and heat advisories.
Make safety your top priority this summer and share this checklist with family and friends to keep all your loved ones protected. It’s an easy step you can take to show how much you care.
Lauri Rhinehart
Vice president
Humanitarian Services
American Red Cross
Down for the count?
A regional convening of the California 2020 Census is kicking off in Long Beach on Thursday, Aug. 2, which will be the start of planning activities for ensuring the accurate and complete counting of all State of California and Long Beach residents.
As we enter a new budget year for the City, I am meeting with neighbors to talk about their biggest budget priorities in 2019 and beyond. In order to tackle our biggest challenges, it is important to look at all opportunities for funding to help address what we care about most. The 2020 Census count plays a large role in this to help determine federal dollars that help fund citywide needs such as major street infrastructure projects and programs that address homelessness. Those allocations and our ability to champion for our causes are determined through data.
The Census count is performed every 10 years and, under current funding figures, for every person not counted in the 2020 Census, our City loses approximately $2,000 in federal funding annually.
Let’s galvanize as leaders in our community, whether through your church, school, nonprofit and business association, to make sure we do not lose out on this opportunity and that everyone counts.
For more information on the California Census 2020, [visit census.ca.gov/events] or contact the Mayor’s Office at (562) 570-6801.
Stacy Mungo
Long Beach councilmember
Fifth District
A care-less move?
The Trump Administration’s latest attack on unionized Medicaid home-care workers is completely unjustified and unnecessary. It seeks to hurt home-care workers and, in doing so, jeopardizes the health of vulnerable Americans who rely on them. Many aged, blind, disabled or infirm Americans would not be able to live at home without the services of home-care workers. The California Department of Justice will continue to fight to protect our vulnerable loved ones and the workers who make their living at home possible. We urge the administration to withdraw this rule.
Xavier Becerra
Attorney General
California
For a song?
I went to the Chorus America conference in June, and as I sat in a symposium on how to make our choruses open and inclusive for everyone, regardless of socio-economic status, it hit me– we’ll never be open to everyone if we have a large tuition. So then I thought, “Why not make tuition $0?”
In reality, that won’t work either, because if people pay zero for something, they won’t value it enough to stick it out every week.
We talked about the idea at our advisory board meeting last week and decided that we will reduce the minimum tuition to $100 for the entire 2018-19 season. If parents want to offer more because they have the means to do so, that’s great too. But we are specifically asking for nothing more than the $100. We are also going to offer shuttle/van service to and from rehearsal from a central location, one downtown and one in north Long Beach.
The bottom line is that we want to make the Long Beach Youth Chorus affordable and accessible for every child in the city of Long Beach and the surrounding communities. We will even be able to offer aid for children whose families have a struggle even paying the minimum. In addition, we will be expanding our vision statement this season to expressly state that we are seeking to become a chorus that promotes peace, love and justice through music.
This means that those of us behind the scenes have to work harder raising funds in order to make ends meet. We’ll be holding a few fundraising events this season, and we’ll be asking for your help when that time comes. But we all believe in this project and are not afraid to think outside the box to make it happen.
If you can help us get the word out about this, we would be greatly appreciative. Registration is at longbeachyouthchorus.org/registration.
Stan DeWitt
Minister of Music
Grace First Presbyterian Church
