The Signal Hill City Council recently made some important decisions about the basketball courts in Signal Hill Park and restrictions on the location of tattoo parlors in our city. We of Signal Hill Community First— a new nonprofit organization— played an important role in soliciting community input on those two issues.
With these actions, we introduce Signal Hill Community First. Signal Hill Community First is comprised of local leaders, dedicated to make positive changes based upon the needs of our community. Our goals include improving the quality of life within Signal Hill, protecting property values, and safeguarding the cost of living in this small city from hidden taxes and rate increases. Signal Hill Community First accomplishes this through:
• Inspiring and empowering residents to engage in City affairs
• Achieving greater transparency and open government
• Achieving greater fiscal responsibility to keep public services costs down
• Helping create new revenue sources
• Ensuring that all impacts of development are included in project costs
• Ensuring fairness, responsiveness, efficiency, and effectiveness in City operations
Already, we have started the journey to make Signal Hill a better place to live and work by providing a voice for strong public participation. We surveyed over 500 individuals and asked them their opinions regarding new City plans and ordinances that affect the community’s quality of life. By giving Signal Hill residents a voice, we helped save what the community believes to be an important community asset, the basketball courts, from destruction and demolition.
In addition, through the use of informal surveys we gave voice to the community that said it did not want tattoo parlors popping up within 500 feet of our homes. Hundreds of residents made it overwhelmingly clear that they wanted more restrictions on tattoo parlors than were approved by the Planning Commission. Signal Hill Community First presented this information to the Planning Commission and the City Council, and we appreciate the Council listening to the residents and doubling the minimum distance to 1,000 feet from the nearest homes.
We believe citizen participation directly leads to ethical and responsible City decisions reflecting the will of the people. Signal Hill Community First welcomes every person to join this effort.
To learn more about Community First, please visit our website at signalhillfirst.org. We hope to inspire and empower the community to participate in City affairs and make Signal Hill an even better place to live, work and play.
Maria Harris
Guidance Committee member
External Communications
Signal Hill Community First
