New Year, Now What?

There are many sayings about a new year, many resolutions, blank pages to be written.  When you're a Realtor, the page is never really blank, though, as the work doesn't stop.  The efforts made the prior year are all building to work for the next year, whether it's through referrals, lead generation, or by getting your clients ready to make or accept an offer.  It's even following up with those who closed in the past to see how you might be of service now, with resources, event information, staying in touch.

I did wipe the white board in my office clean in honor of the new year, but not until I set my 2015 goals based on my 2014 work.  And then I started to fill it up.  Which of my clients are looking to buy and which are going to sell?  What is the time frame and the price range, what leads do I have, where will I get more, who do I call, text, email or write to today, tomorrow...whom have I referred and where are they in the process, are they getting the service they should, who needs to hear from me, who is waiting for a resource or information, how may I be of service?

But, this is a blog about Long Beach and the area, as well as real estate.  Before I do too much more writing on that previously blank page, let me share some of the holiday highlights that happened while living in Long Beach this last month. 

If your new year includes buying a house or selling a house, let me know and let's add you to my office white board as a valued and active client.

 Views from a high-rise condo for sale on Ocean Blvd.  Interested in seeing it?



I listed this house, open escrow and closed it, all within 14 days in December.  Need someone who can work like that?

Christmas Eve candlelight service included singing on the steps of the church

A walk around Naples Island on Christmas Eve, or anytime during the holidays, is a must

CHILL at Queen Mary with a 6 year old is too much fun

Living in Long Beach: Neighborhood connections

How do you connect with your neighbors?  The organization We Love Long Beach has been trying to answer - and promote - that question for several years now.  This year one of the ways was with a Citywide Pumpkin Carving and Chili Party, with hosts in 30 different neighborhoods around the city.

We sponsored the one for our neighborhood, La Marina Estates.  I used both NextDoor.com and the La Marina Estates Facebook page to get the word out.  I supported one of the young neighbors by paying him to distribute 263 flyers to the neighbors.  Phone calls, emails and street conversations ensued, showing lots of interest.  Signs were put up the week of the event, reminding neighbors to come on over.  Pumpkins were donated through We Love Long Beach, as well as others purchased for the event at Pa's Pumpkin Patch.

On the day of the event, October 25th, we had more than 40 neighbors join us for a couple of hours, with children as young as 2 years old and neighbors well into their 80's who attended.  The turkey chili was a hit, with some toppings and cornbread available.  Several neighbors brought desserts to share, many pumpkin themed.  Two representatives from the LBPD East division stopped by to tell us about a recent rash of burglaries in the area and how to stay connected, safe, and informed.

Although pumpkins and carving tools were supplied, neighbors also brought their own, taking advantage of my plug "make the mess at our house".  Neighbors shared tales of when they first moved in the neighborhood, back in 1956, with neighbors who moved in 6 months ago.  We talked about Long Beach real estate, then and now, about former home owner associations and what we can do moving forward with Community Watch.

All the while, pumpkins were being carved, children were playing and connections were being made.  There was even talk about next year's event, and what else can we do to stay connected.  Next up?  A Community Watch meeting, which we'll host at our home.  I love living in Long Beach and being part of a thriving neighborhood.  How do you connect?

Lovely Long Beach

Long Beach offers, well, a beach, of course, but also views, bays, parks and lots of trees.  No wonder Long Beach real estate is constantly in demand.

 Queen Mary, July 4, 2014

A sunset, November 2013

 Belmont Pier, May 2014

El Dorado Park, September 21, 2014

 Duffy in Alamitos Bay, 2014

 Sunset over Alamitos Bay from Tantalum, 2013

THUMS Islands: A Different Kind of Long Beach Real Estate

One of the purposes of this blog, aside from bragging about this awesome city and telling you about Long Beach real estate, is to let you in on the stories behind various Long Beach landmarks and history. 

If you look off the coast, in San Pedro Bay, you will see 4 artificial islands that look like wonderful vacation destinations.  The have colorful towers, waterfalls, and palm trees.  They look FUN!  They're much closer than Catalina.  Makes me quote Tina Fey and say, "I want to go to there."

one of the THUMS Islands

We cannot go to there, though, as these are actually oil islands, working oil islands that are tapped into the Wilmington Oil Field, one of the 10 largest oil fields in the country.  They are in production 24/7.  We would be arrested if we tried to enter the islands.  Not very friendly of them.  On occasion, though, there are sponsored tours of the islands, but contact your City Council member for more information on that.  I took these photos while on a boat in the bay on July 4th.

As a group they are called THUMS Islands, with the name standing for the consortium of oil companies who built them in 1965:  Texaco, Humble Oil (now Exxon), Union Oil, Mobil Oil and Shell Oil.  And speaking of Catalina, the boulders that rim each of the islands are from Santa Catalina Island.  The THUMS Islands were designed by theme park architect Joseph Linesch, who also worked on the design of Disneyland.  Occidental Petroleum bought the islands in 2000.

Each island has been named after an astronaut who died in the line of duty:  Island Grissom, Island, White, Island Chaffee and Island Freeman.  Island Grissom is the closest and has waterfalls and the most sculptured screens.  Island Freeman is the largest at 12 acres, the others are about 10 acres each.

Not only are the oil operations camouflaged by the screens and colorful structures, but they are sound-proofed with wellheads and pipelines below the surface to enhance the appearance of the skyline and harbor.  Ah, come on, I do want to go to there!

While the islands may not be friendly to us, they have each been certified for commendable wildlife habitat management and environmental education programs.  Approximately 25,000 barrels of oil are produced daily from 735 active wells on the islands.  Part of the net profits generated from the sale of the oil is funneled to the City's Tidelands Fund.

Island Grissom


Houses on the peninsula and along Ocean have a view of THUMS.  If you're interested in living in view of these, let me know.  We can work something out and maybe I'll figure out how to get you a tour of one.  Maybe.

28% Customer Satisfaction? Not here.

I wrote the following post for LinkedIn and, although it's not Long Beach centric as this blog typically is, it does apply to real estate and other interactions in life.  Let me know what you think.

As the fodder of comedian's jokes, airlines have struggled with their customer service perception - or lack of - since airline deregulation in the late 1970's. Once airline travel moved from the elite to the masses, the issues began and only heightened in the age of such online agencies as Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia, pushed into warp speed by websites such as Yelp, Kayak, CheapFlights, CheapTickets, GetMeThereFree, etc. Okay, the last one doesn't exist, but I think you follow me.

The current environment, where weather delays, misplaced bags, a surly gate agent or a sideways glance from a flight attendant sends passengers raging on Yelp, Facebook, Twitter or a letter to the Department of Transportation, makes consistent customer service a challenge. It's so difficult that a major carrier has set 28% as its goal for customer satisfaction. They are either discounting the other 72% as not particularly valid complaints or they only think they can only make 28% of their travelers happy. And that's the goal, not necessarily what is actually happening. Either way, it's not a good story.

Most businesses - dare I say any - struggle with customer service issues when the number of employees in contact with customers increases. Look at the recent press on the Comcast phone call. I know someone who supervises customer service agents at Comcast and that's not the type of service you would get on her watch - if she knows about it. However, she can't control what happens with every individual, on every call. Airlines have tens of thousands of employees. A great plan for phenomenal customer service in Dallas might not translate to that overworked gate agent in Scranton when one flight is delayed for weather, there is a creeping mechanical delay on another, a flight crew went illegal on their hours to cancel yet another and all she has is a mass of screaming, unhappy passengers in front of her.

All she can do is communicate facts, stay calm, keep them updated and be empathetic. Will that please 50% of them? 28% of them?

When we can get to the one on one interaction, where most of what is happening is under our control, we can get pretty close to 100% satisfaction with our customers if we do the basics: communicate facts, stay calm, stay in touch, be empathetic. In the real estate business there is much that is out of our control when it comes to the loan funding, the behaviors of the party on the other side of the transaction, the unexpected news at a home inspection. We can still keep our customers satisfied and feeling valued when we communicate facts, stay calm, stay in touch and are empathetic.

We don't have dozens of angry passengers screaming at us, when making 28% of them happy would seem impossible, but we do have one or two clients in front of us who might be making a lifetime investment and are scared to death when they hear their loan approval is delayed. My goal is 100% customer satisfaction by not only going beyond expectations, by delighting my clients, but by doing the basics: communicating facts, staying calm, staying in touch and being empathetic.

Come to think of it, that could work in our personal relationships as well as our professional ones. Think about applying that to your partner, spouse, sibling, parent, child, friend, insert-relationship-here.

Communicate facts, stay calm, stay in touch, be empathetic.

Guaranteed to keep more than 28% satisfied and engaged.

Nothing says summer like a pool

Probably of no surprise that California, Florida, Arizona and Texas have 60% of the more than 8.5 million pools in the United States.  A Google search on just how many pools are in California, Los Angeles County or Long Beach got me... nowhere reliable.  Closest I could get was an article on laist.com that said there were 43,123 pools in the LA Basin, with Beverly Hills having 2,481 and Long Beach with 2,859.  I counted close to 60 in our little neighborhood alone, using Google maps one day.

The exact number doesn't matter - there are a lot!  You likely either have one or live within a soccer ball's kick of one.  Interesting factoid in the article is that the typical LA area pool has an oval shape and measures around 16 feet by 33 feet.  Public pools tend to have square edges.

Having a pool means making a commitment.  Making a commitment to the maintenance and safety of it.  Some of that can be handled by employing a pool service for weekly checks, cleanings and regular maintenance.  That cost varies with the neighborhood and services.  You can expect to spend an average of $80 a month. 

You can also be your own pool boy, cabana service optional, by educating yourself on pool maintenance and doing your own chemicals and cleaning.  There are some excellent local pool suppliers, like East Long Beach Pool & Spa Supplies on Woodruff or ABC Pools & Supplies in Los Alamitos.  These guys know what they're doing, can analyze your water and can get you on track.

Safety issues span from having a required fence around the pool, to a lock on the gate, a drain that won't trap hair or loose suits, to making sure that children in the pool are watched at all times.  Also recommended is a pool safety kit:  a first aid kit, a flotation device, a pair of scissors to cut caught hair, clothing or a pool cover, a charged phone by the pool to call 911.  If you have a pool, everyone in the home should know how to swim.  The Internet is full of great tips and resources to help you and your family enjoy your pool.  One of the best sites I found was www.poolsafely.gov.

Aside from going IN the pool, there is also a lot to be said for being AROUND the pool.  Dining al fresco with a refreshing drink in your hand, looking at the cool water is a treat.  Turning on the pool light at night lights up the backyard with a tropical glow.

Owning a home with a pool is a commitment in itself.  You have to do the maintenance (or hire that pool boy), keep it safe, and maybe have your backyard become the neighborhood kids' favorite place to play.  It's not for everyone, but it's for at least 2,859 people in Long Beach. 

Would you like to own a home with a pool?  Let me help and maybe you'll be swimming in your own pool for that Labor Day barbecue.

Long Beach Summer 2014

We live in a city on the water with free resources and free cultural events throughout the neighborhoods.  Take advantage of this wonderful place we call home.  Long Beach… it will surprise you.

 

MUSIC

Long Beach Municipal Band:  A Summer Festival of Music

This is the band’s 105^th year!  Join them for free concerts this summer.  All concerts start at 6:30 p.m.

http://www.longbeach.gov/park/recreation/lb_municipal_band.asp

Whaley Park                       5620 Atherton Street                     July 1, 8

Los Cerritos Park              3750 Del Mar                                      July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Marine Stadium                Appian Way                                        July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

Bluff/Bixby Park                Ocean and Junipero                        July 15, 22, 29

El Dorado Park                   2800 Studebaker                              July 11, 18, 25, Aug 1      

 

PORT TOURS

The Port of Long Beach offers both boat and train tours of the port, complimentary to the public.  The train tours are rare and fill up fast.  The Harbor tours, by boat, are offered May through November 1 on the 1^st and 3^rd Saturday of the month, at 10:00 a.m.  They also offer sunset cruises the 2^nd and 4^th Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. through August and starting at 6:30 p.m. in September.

 

Harbor cruises fill up fast and are reserved by registering online the 1^st Monday of the month, at noon.  August tour registration begins Monday, July 7^th at noon.  July cruises and waitlists are full.

http://www.polb.com/community/tours/harbortours.asp

 

MOVIES

Free, family movies are offered throughout the city.  All movies start at dusk.  Pack up the family and bring the popcorn.

http://www.longbeach.gov/park/movies_in_the_park.asp

“Frozen”                              Whaley Park June 20 (Sing-a-long), Pan American June 23, Scherer June 25, Bixby June 27, DeForest August 25, El Dorado August 27 (Sing-a-long)

“The Nut Job”                    Admiral Kidd June 30, Orizaba July 2

“Monsters University”   Coolidge July 7, Stearns Champions July 9, Chavez July 7

“The Lego Movie”            Somerset July 14, McBride July 16, Houghton July 18

“Free Birds”                        Signal Hill July 21, Veterans July 23, Heartwell July 25

“Despicable Me 2”           Davenport July 28, Drake July 30, Wardlow August 1, Grace August 18

“Smurfs 2”                          Cherry August 4, King August 6, College Estates August 8

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2”   Seaside August 11, Ramona August 13, Signal Hill August 15

“Planes”                               MacArthur August 20, Silverado August 22

“The True Story of an American Legend”               PG-13                    Blair Stadium July 19

 

 

MORE     check out http://100daysofsummer.org or 100daysofsummer@longbeach.gov

Peace and Quiet - walking in Long Beach

As the second largest city in LA County, there are many things to see and do here, many things to entertain visiting family.  But what about the times we just want quiet?  Natural beauty?  A great place to take a walk?

The peninsula in Long Beach separates Alamitos Bay from the ocean and has the bay side and the ocean side.  Both sides are great for taking a quiet walk.  There is a boardwalk on the ocean side, fronting the homes facing south.  Around sunset you'll see people wander out to the boardwalk with glasses of wine, toasting the end of another day.  You can follow the boardwalk north and connect with the bike and walking path that goes past Belmont Plaza and along the beach, below the bluffs.  Ocean, islands, birds, people, skyline and you.

El Dorado Park has walking trails and gives you the escape to green trees, grasses and rolling landscape.  The El Dorado Nature Center has a 2 mile trail and lots of small animals like turtles and ducks, for a special stroll.  It's an easy walk, so good for younger kids and for those a little less mobile who still want to get out.

El Dorado Regional Park East is very large, with lakes and a sidewalk walking trail.  You could also stop and have a picnic here.  Both the Nature Center and the East park have restrooms.

If you want a little challenge with your walk, then try going up and over Signal Hill, with a reward of a gorgeous view from the top at Hilltop Park.

The San Gabriel bike trail can also accommodate walkers and runs the eastern length of the city, all the way into Seal Beach.  Stop at the end for refreshment at River's End Cafe or keep on walking over to Main Street, but I've digressed into Seal Beach!

On the west side of town there is DeForest Park, running along the Los Angeles River from 63rd Street to the Long Beach Blvd. bridge.  There are wetlands and forest on the southern end of it, with facilities on the northern end.

And how about a stroll through a neighborhood?  Past the historic homes in Rose Park, Cal Heights, Bluff Park; past the rolling lawns of Park Estates or Virginia Country Club; past the well-manicured lawns in so many neighborhoods.  Let me know some of your favorite walks.  Of course, if you are looking to buy or sell a home, then please walk my way and I'd be happy to help you out.  I'm never too busy for your referrals.  After all this talking about walking, I think it's time to take a walk in my own neighborhood.

Purple Haze - The Jacarandas

Those purple blobs you can see when you're in the final approach to LGB, flying over east Long Beach.  Those tinges of purple in the trees.  Those messy flowers dropping onto your car.  It's time for the jacarandas to bloom!

The jacaranda mimosifolia, shortened to Blue Jacaranda or just jacaranda, is a tree found mostly in the tropics and subtropic regions, like Central and South America, the Bahamas, South Africa, and Australia.  But Southern California is dotted with them, especially in the tree-lined neighborhoods of Long Beach, where they were imported by the horticulturist Kate Sessions early in the last century.

 

The photo above was taken this morning at the intersection of Clark, Stearns and Los Coyotes.  The trees should be in full bloom in early May and last for a few weeks.  They also bloom in the fall, but nothing as full as the spring bloom. Check out this shot I took last year of Fidler, just south of Stearns:

 

Pretty spectacular, isn't it?

But the trees are very messy.  V.E.R.Y. messy and you know this if there is one on your property or you've parked under one.  The blossoms are oily and difficult to clean up.  You can see the mess on the street above, but it's almost beautiful enough to overlook the aftermath.

Do you want to live on a street with jacarandas, like the one above?  How about a house with one in the yard?  Let me know and I'll be happy to help you find your happy home.  Do you have a favorite spot to view the jacarandas?  Please let me know where or send me some photos to post.

Long Beach, it will surprise and delight you.

 



Should I stay or should I go: Bay Area versus Long Beach, CA

Not so long ago a friend was discussing the benefits of staying in her townhouse in San Jose versus moving to Southern California.  She and her husband both have jobs that can be worked from about anywhere on the west coast, as long as there is an airport within 30 miles or so.

I love the Bay Area and all it has to offer.  There are redwoods within an hour's drive, there are wineries, universities, culture, fine dining, ambience, history, great public transportation, traffic, congestion, chilly summers, flights delayed due to low clouds, high priced real estate, just about everything you could wish for in an urban area.

This friend got married 6 years ago and moved into her husband's townhome.  They still have a room of unpacked boxes for when they move into a house.  It's safe to say they should move, but where can they stay convenient to their jobs, where can they actually afford a house and still have discretionary income for travel and events?

My answer?  Long Beach.

It became a very interesting discussion, via text, about the pros of living in this city by the sea and addressing each of her very valid concerns:

Her:  Can you get rid of a few million people?? [addressing the congestion issue]
Me: Considering there are less than half a million people in Long Beach, I can't.  Long Beach with 467,000 people is California's 7th largest city.  San Jose is the state's 3rd largest with 984,000.
Her:  Talking about LA in general and the traffic
Me: SJ Mercury article from Nov 2013: SJ ranks 5th worst in country for traffic while SF bay area is 3rd worst.  LA is 2nd - not much difference AND you can buy a 3bed/2bath home in a nice neighborhood for $600K
Her: really?
Me: Closest international airport is less than 25 miles away, about 10 miles closer than SJO to SFO, although you can take public transportation to SFO from SJ.  The Long Beach Airport is  terrific with lots of non-stop destinations and is less than 5 miles from the East side.  Orange County?  About 18 miles.
Her:  Okay, let me talk to [husband's name] and maybe you can start sending me some listings.

There are certainly many more areas to compare, but this was enough to pique her interest.  I'll be showing her some homes in May.  Stay tuned!

Any areas you would like me to compare for you?

Sunday in Long Beach

While my posts typically focus on something historical or interesting about Long Beach and the area, today I'm just going to share one of the reasons it's so great to live here.

March 16, 2014:  The temperature reached a high of 90 degrees on this winter day.  A little warm for me, but also a perfect day to head toward the water.

My husband and I had the same craving for an umbrella drink and an ocean view about mid-afternoon, so we set out for Seal Beach, one of our favorite spots.  Seems everyone else had the same idea and parking was not to be found.  Also, there are not a lot of options in Seal Beach to get a water view and a cocktail.  The Hangout was packed and River's End has just a tavern license - that won't work when you are looking for something with rum.  All the other great places on Main Street lack the view, although are excellent options when that's not the goal.

Like a V8 commercial I realized that the perfect spot was actually in Long Beach: Boathouse on the Bay.  There are several restaurants along Marina Drive that can give you gorgeous water views of Alamitos Bay and serve up fine drinks and food.  We chose Boathouse, as we hadn't been there since the change from McKenna's on the Bay to Boathouse on the Bay, AND they had a steel drum band playing!

It was a perfect setting - with the sweet notes of the pans, we sat outside on the patio watching the boats on the bay, sipping potent mai tais, talking about how very lucky we are to live in Southern California, and in Long Beach, specifically.

Last evening was also our monthly date night and we decided to continue the afternoon's theme by heading to Tantalum, another excellent restaurant on Alamitos Bay.  And another round of mai tais.  No steel drums, but a glorious sunset view from our table and postcard scenes as the sinking sun turned the palm trees, passing Duffy boats and lone sculler into silhouettes.

Florida is nice, the Caribbean entices, Hawaii calls, but right here in Long Beach we have tropical breezes, steel drum melodies, umbrella drinks and the relaxing sound of waves on the shore.

Long Beach, it will surprise you.

Long Beach Naval Station

In 1943, the US Naval Dry Docks were established on a large portion of Terminal Island, that mass of land that sits between Long Beach and San Pedro.  The name was changed to Terminal Island Dry Dock in 1945 and then to Long Beach Naval Shipyard (LBNSY) in 1948.  The LBNSY became part of the larger Naval Station, which included fuel storage, Marine barracks, a prison, a hospital, an airfield and training facilities.

At its height the Naval facility employed over 17,000 civilian employees and was a vital contributor to the Long Beach community.  Navy housing throughout the city, but especially on the west side, grew to support the thriving shipyard and related Naval installations. 

While in service the Naval Station was home to the U.S.S. Missouri and the U.S.S. New Jersey.  The conversion of the famous hospital ship "Hope" was also done here.  The base served as a receiving center at the start of World War II and a demobilization center at the end of it.  The shipyard closed in 1950, but was reactivated for the Korean conflict in 1951.  In 1974 the base was downgraded to a support facility, but upgraded again in 1979 to a Naval Station.

While open, many social activities also occurred around the base and the many Navy and Marine families stationed in the city.  My cousin's wedding reception was held at the Officers' Club on the base in 1976 and my aunt did all her shopping at the Commissary until it closed.  Sailors would flock to the Pike on their leave, with tattoo parlors and bars doing great business, thanks to the Naval Station.

A slowing economy and the downsizing of the military complex slated the Naval facilities for closure in the late 1990's and it officially closed in 1997.  The former LBNSY grounds are now part of the Port of Long Beach and little remains to remind us of the important contribution the Navy had to the city.

In Bluff Park, at the corner of Ocean Boulevard and Paloma Avenue stands a reminder:  The Lone Sailor, which was dedicated in December 2004.  The sailor, with his duffel bag, looks out to sea.  The statue honors all the men and women who served in the military and pays tribute to those who made Long Beach their home.

Long Beach Neighborhoods: La Marina Estates

In 2009 I wrote an essay about the La Marina Estates neighborhood that was featured on the "Everything Long Beach" website.  Here's an updated version of that essay.

Tucked between the CSULB campus and the flood channel, La Marina Estates is an enclave of mid-century tract bungalows fringed on the south by three blocks of large, custom homes.  When entering the neighborhood you are impressed with the pride of ownership shown in the many homes that have been renovated and those with beautiful landscaping.  What you can’t see right away, what is more a feeling you get when you enter the neighborhood, is the sense of belonging and caring in these 263 homes.

The community of La Marina Estates is filled with every generation and demographic: a few original owners, who have raised their children and grandchildren here, remain.  There is a family in their 20’s, just starting out in a rental home, owned by a neighbor down the street.  There is the retired college president who participates in one of the neighborhood book clubs, the Buddhist monk who gives Saturday morning mediation classes and the stand-up comedienne; the university art history and math professors, a famous author who has lived in the neighborhood more than 50 years, the fire fighter and the retired actress whose grandsons are famous on the Disney Channel and beyond.  A hairstylist who grew up a few blocks away on Bixby Hill works just half a mile away and another neighbor commutes on the Blue Line to downtown LA every day.  The retired school librarian gets together with the active city librarian; there is a pet therapist and a VA nurse, a former city manager, many small business owners, sales professionals, marketers, corporate managers, engineers and stay-at-home moms.

Neighbors know not only the names of the many dogs that live here, but their human companions, too.  You can hear them greet each other in the evenings, as they go for their walks.  The empty-nesters bring in the trash cans of their neighbors who are busy working full time and taxiing their children from school to soccer, tennis, theater rehearsals or water polo.  A neighbor in the hospital or a coyote sighting in the neighborhood has the keyboards of La Marina buzzing to get the word out via email or nextdoor.com to the book clubs, the Bunco group, the golf groups and the parents, organizing meal deliveries or making sure small pets are protected.  Women in the neighborhood meet monthly to play Bunco and collect an annual donation for local charities.  There’s the group of women that meet at 6:30 a.m. every morning a walk before heading off to their jobs.  Neighbors embrace the “think globally, act locally” mantra by supporting local charities like the neighborhood schools, Campfire, Cameo, Pathways to Independence, Long Beach Basket Brigade, local church missions and various cancer research organizations.

In the last year the neighborhood has pulled together to form La Marina Estates Community Action, a group that has had a Community Watch meeting, planted 125 trees along Palo Verde and sponsored a Candidate Forum for the 3rd District of the City Council, attended by all 5 candidates.  2014 activities are still in the planning stages.

La Marina Estates is a caring enclave that is as pretty inside as it is outside, another wonderful neighborhood that makes Long Beach a great place to thrive.

Houses do not come up for sale very often in the neighborhood and some of the sales are done privately, off the market.  There is almost a waiting list to get in.  I am working with buyers who want to move here by knocking on the doors of those houses that fit their wish list.  Sometimes there are not any houses for sale.  At this moment, there are two.  Few people want to leave La Marina Estates.

How may I help you get into the neighborhood of your dreams?

 

DONOT take my DONUT!

There was a Planning Commission meeting tonight and the biggest topic - or at least the sweetest - was the discussion about the fate of the giant donut located at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and 7th Street.  Once a harbinger of the Chapman Angel Food Donuts chain, it is currently incorporated into the Original Grind and is one of the survivors of the many kitschy novelty signs that were erected in the early 1950's.

 

 

Dunkin' Donuts is coming to Long Beach and they've bought the location.  Plans have been to demolish the current building and rebuild a newer, shinier, pretty place, sans le grand donut.  A Facebook page was created to "Save the Giant Donut" and, as of this evening, it has almost 1,600 "likes", including mine.

 

Sometime in the late 1950's a young Katie spoke her first sentence, inspired by that giant donut, startling her mother and grandmother who were in the car with her:  "Why not stop and get some donuts?"  Now, how could they possibly even think of removing it, with that bit of Long Beach history attached?

 

Well, tonight Dunkin' Donuts has committed to saving the donut and incorporating it into their plans.  Said a spokesman for Dunkin' Donuts, "We don't want to be known as the guy who killed the donut."  Wise guy.

 

There are other giant donuts around Long Beach; 2657 Santa Fe, 1907 Carson Street and 3860 Long Beach Blvd.

 

The most famous giant donut is in Inglewood at Randy's Donuts and has appeared in many movies and TV shows.  So their donut is more famous, but we have more in Long Beach.  And ours inspire babes to speak.  Why not stop and get some donuts, indeed?

It Sounds Like a Jungle

No, you're not imagining it.  You really are hearing a flock of tropical birds here in East Long Beach.  That loud squawking is the sound of the feral parrots of Long Beach, most of which are the South American Mitred Parakeet, also known as the Mitred Conure. 

They've been seen in the East Long Beach neighborhoods, most notably Belmont Shore, since the 1980's and their population is estimated to be between 200 and 500 in the flock.  Some days I think they are all in our peppertree, given the noise and the mess they make.

They eat a little bit of everything, from persimmons to eucalyptus flowers, the bright red berries of the peppertrees to seeds.  And they leave a mess, so I suggest not standing under the tree they're in, and definitely don't park under it!  Below are the pepper berries left in our drive way after a 5 minute visit from our local flock this morning.

 

Although usually heard in the early morning or near dusk, they can also be heard midday, even when flying high above the neighborhoods.  Their friendly calls carry long distances and they announce their arrival when they find a tree that looks like a lunch buffet to them, then squawk their goodbyes as they all leave the tree at the same time.

 

A good place to spot the flock is in the tall palm trees at Ocean Blvd and Livingston Street.



If you want to know more about the parrots, there is a study called The California Parrot Project.  If you happen to see the parrots, they want to know and you can report the siting at their website:  http://californiaparrotproject.org/ 

Parrots in our peppertree, East Long Beach, January 24, 2014

Matriculating in Long Beach - World Class?

My mother graduated from Long Beach's Wilson High School and my father has a night school degree from Long Beach Polytechnic High, so I have a little history with Long Beach schools, although I never attended any.  My nephew attended Minnie Gant Elementary School, Stanford Middle School and was graduated from Wilson High, now attending the big Stanford in Palo Alto.  And his mother is a teacher at Marshall Middle School.  Those are my personal credentials on the topic of education in Long Beach, now let's get to the facts.

An international study recently put the Long Beach Unified School District among five of the world's highest performing school systems.  The article can be read in full here Study ranks LBUSD among Top 5 in World

One of the key factors is the pathways programming that ties learning to future professions.  The newly opened McBride High School has educational tracts that focus on forensics, health-medical and engineering.  There are no school boundaries for these pathway schools, allowing opportunities for children from all over the district to attend the schools that best fit them.

Every year 8th graders visit with representatives of the 9 high schools in the district at High School Information Day.  They find out what each high school emphasizes in their curriculum and then apply for the school of their choice.  Although not everyone can be assigned to the school of their choice, much effort is put into matching as many as possible.  Some of the high schools even offer "shadow days" when the 8th grader may spend up to 2 days shadowing a high school student to get a feel for the campus and pathway.

Every school in California is required, by law, to publish an "accountability report" by February of each year.  This allows parents and other interested parties to check class size, ethnic diversity, teacher credentials and much more.  The LBUSD site has all of the reports posted, for each school.

Greatschools.com gives Long Beach a city rating of 6 out of 10 for the schools, although 4 of the elementary schools are ranked a 10, 4 of the middle schools are ranked 8 or higher, with two high schools currently ranked at 7.  The new McBride High School opened its doors just last fall and is too new for any rankings.

The 2007 movie "Freedom Writers" was based on the book by former Wilson Classical High School teacher Erin Gruwell, who wrote it about her time as an English teacher at Wilson.  In late 2014 Hill Classical Middle School will begin a transformation into a pathways driven high school modeled after the California Academy of Mathematics and Science, one of the state's top-performing high schools.

There is also the Long Beach College Promise:  A combined effort of LBUSD, Long Beach City College and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) to improve access to college through tuition-free semesters, guaranteed admittance to qualified students and access to college prep and guidance as early as elementary school. 

To complement the classroom work, most sports are represented throughout the LBUSD.  There is a strong sports tradition in Long Beach, with the high schools holding CIF Championships in several sports over the years.  Olympians have also come from the Long Beach schools, competing for the USA in water polo, baseball, track, swimming, volleyball, triathlon, rowing.

Long Beach is a great place to raise your family, with active and challenging schools, diversity and athletic opportunities.  Which Long Beach school would you like your children to attend?