At its monthly meeting on Monday, Oct. 1, the Wrigley Association hosted various speakers who provided updates on crime, road work and other improvements in the neighborhood, which includes parts of both the 6th and 7th council districts of Long Beach. A representative from Vice Mayor Dee Andrews’s office also spoke about a recent scandal between that elected official and 1st District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez.
Crime update
Long Beach Police Department Officer Delmy Hughes, the resource officer for the division that includes the Wrigley neighborhood, presented a crime update, indicating that property crimes have increased lately. She said auto burglaries have been on the rise and that there had recently been a “rash” of thefts of catalytic converters in the area. There was also an incident involving a minor who had broken numerous car windows.
“I think there were approximately five window smashes along Maine Avenue, like, two weeks ago,” she said. “The good news is that on Friday, [Sept. 28], we were able to detain a suspect who was responsible for a large amount of burglary-type crimes in our area. This young gentleman was 14 years old, lives in a different city. That day, he decided to hit five different areas along Atlantic [Avenue]. Officers responded to the area. We flooded the area and were able to contain him and subsequently take him under arrest.”
Hughes encouraged residents to install security cameras on their properties, if possible, because, without a description from an eyewitness or video footage, police are not able to do much in response to reports of crime.
Hughes also provided information on a recent occurrence near Polytechnic High School.
“This was a couple of weeks ago,” she said. “We had to put the school on lockdown because there was an incident that happened outside of the school, right on [Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard] and 16th Street. We were getting conflicting statements that somebody possibly had a gun and they possibly ran onto the campus. So, we had to shut the campus down, and we had to do a protective sweep of the entire school.”
In closing, Hughes mentioned that the public is invited to the upcoming Commander’s Leadership Forum on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 6pm, at the West Division Station, 1835 Santa Fe Ave.
6th district
Lou Baglietto, special advisor to Vice Mayor Dee Andrews, who represents the 6th district, began his presentation by joking that “It’s been a relatively quiet week at the vice mayor’s office,” alluding to the recently surfaced scandal between Andrews and 1st District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez. As reported in the Signal Tribune, Andrews allegedly threatened Gonzalez by warning her to “watch her back” or she’ll get hit by a bus.
“He had a policy disagreement with her,” Baglietto said. “He spoke in a way that she did not understand what he was saying. She assumed he was threatening her, which [could not be] further from the truth. He apologized to her, if there was any misunderstanding, which is on an audio recording, which can be found [online], and the city attorney asked the senior city prosecutor to do an investigation. There was an investigation. Vice Mayor Andrews talked to Councilwoman Gonzalez. That was it.”
Baglietto said that some media outlets had misreported the incident. The Signal Tribune asked Baglietto exactly what aspect of the reports were incorrect.
“I think anytime you use the word ‘kill’– there was a quote specifically– ‘You’ll get hit by a bus and killed.’– I think that would be incorrect,” he said. “That word was never used.”
Baglietto explained that Andrews clarified his remark in his apology.
“He doesn’t own a bus,” Baglietto said. “He doesn’t know how to drive a bus, so it would not be him doing it.”
Regarding improvements in the district, Baglietto said that there is a considerable amount of repaving work underway in the Wrigley area and that residents should be mindful of and heed the signs posted about the construction.
“You’re seeing a variety of postings of ‘no parking anytime’ for a period of days,” he said. “We’ve had some calls into the office about that. Please, if you see a sign, obey the sign. Do not park in your driveway the night before, because you may not be able to get your car out of the driveway and into the street because of the construction work.”
Baglietto added that the public-works department begins all such projects with tow trucks to move vehicles interfering with the road work. He also said the 6th-district newsletter includes information pertaining to which streets are being repaved.
He also informed those in attendance that a potential property-based improvement district (PBID) is being considered for the business corridor along Pacific Avenue in the 6th district.
“We are beginning to put together a game plan [that] will invite people from your leadership in Wrigley, [the Wrigley Area Neighborhood Alliance], some of the other groups that are involved along Wrigley corridor, along Pacific Avenue, to try to figure out a game plan to go forward,” he said. “[The] Economic Development [Department] has kind of posted a long calendar of what things would have to happen. It’s actually not as simple as you might think, but there are some community events we might want to do to help get the businesses enthused about having a PBID, get the community out on Pacific Avenue, so we will be posting more information sometime this month.”
7th district
Shane Mckeithen, field deputy with 7th District Councilmember Roberto Uranga’s office, spoke next and gave some updates on construction. He said the roundabouts located on Daisy Avenue at 25th and 28th streets are expected to be completed by Oct. 4. He also said that he had been asked why the roundabouts were designed in an oval shape.
“I followed up with the traffic engineers, and they determined that it was due to the fact that Daisy Avenue itself is a double-wide road, so they had to find a different method than the usual traffic circle,” Mckeithen said. “The oval design was the best suited design for these locations, as it allowed ample room for the drivers while maintaining its purpose of traffic safety.”
Mckeithen also noted that a fence has been erected on East Wardlow Road, east of the 405 Freeway overpass, in an effort to address residents’ concerns regarding encampments that have been forming in the area.
“This was a collaborative effort between our office, the water department and the public-works department,” he said. “We were able to move a fire hydrant, which was previously not allowing for anything to be done in the area.”
He explained that moving the hydrant allowed for the fence to be installed and that residents have called the district office to express gratitude for being able to walk with their children more safely through the area.
He also spoke about the intersection of Willow Street and Daisy Avenue, where a traffic light will soon be installed and a new crosswalk has been delineated. The expected date for the traffic light is Oct. 22 or sooner, Mckeithen said.
Wrigley Association meetings take place the first Monday of each month at 7pm in the social hall in Veterans Park, 101 E. 28th St.
