Wrigley Association

Wrigley Association Meeting - 8/4/08 (Check out the coverage)

Agenda

Pacific Baptist Church-

Pacific Baptist Church at Magnolia and Wardlow has put in plans for a major expansion of their programs and buildings. Church leaders will be at the Wrigley meeting to explain these changes and solicit feedback from the neighborhood. Some area residents are concerned about the impact of the added traffic and pollution in the neighborhood not just on Sundays but throughout the week, others are excited to see a good neighbor and positive force in the community expand. Come to our meeting and ask some questions so you can form your own educated opinion on what will be a major development for that corner of our neighborhood.

We will also discuss pollution at this meeting with the Coalition for Clean Air speaking on Clean Truck Plan and Port Pollution; Tonya Reyes Uranga speaking on behalf of AQMD.

A speaker from the Port also speaking on the Clean Truck Plan and Cleaning up the Air. Our children have far higher than average asthma and cancer rates, come find out what we can do about it.
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Residents air pollution fears
By Brenda Duran, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 08/04/2008 10:33:51 PM PDT

LONG BEACH - Residents of the Wrigley area voiced their concerns about air pollution Monday, after hearing a panel discuss health risks and efforts under way to reduce emissions from both the Long Beach (710) Freeway and Port of Long Beach.

At the Wrigley Association's monthly meeting held at Veterans Park, more than 50 residents gathered to hear speakers Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga; Candice Sung Kim of the Coalition for Clean Air; Rick Cameron, director of environmental planning for the Port of Long Beach and Jon Zerolnick of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy.

The brief panel discussion focused on the potentially serious health risks from diesel exhaust and port pollution such as cancer, premature births and effects on lung capacity of children and teens, as well as current legislation SB 974.

The bill, which was recently approved by the Assembly, would charge shippers and retailers a fee of $30 on containers passing through the Port of Long Beach, as well as the ports in Los Angeles and Oakland, with the money going toward cleaning the air and building infrastructure. If signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the fee would go into effect in January.

During the panel, Reyes Uranga and Kim both cited several studies from various organizations that have shown that living close to various forms of diesel and port emissions has led to cancer cases in many communities.

Both panelists said the area's issues of pollution have not shown any signs of improvement and need to be taken seriously because diesel exhaust continues to be extremely hazardous to public health.

"We have it pretty bad here," said Reyes Uranga.

On the other hand, Cameron who spoke on behalf of the Port of Long Beach, went on to assure residents the port is currently working on a variety of programs to help reduce pollution.

Cameron cited both the fuel incentive program and the Clean Trucks Program - an initiative to cut diesel pollution from harbor trucks by 80 percent within five years - as two ways the port is playing a proactive role in reducing pollutants in surrounding areas.

However, the efforts cited by Cameron were not enough for Zerolnick. He told residents sustainability would be hard to achieve on such programs because the focus needs to elsewhere.

"The solution is to shift the responsibility where it belongs, to the trucking companies," said Zerolnick. "It's the only way to pave the pathway to sustainability."

Zerolnick said many truck companies are bearing all the costs of the trucks and fuel on truck drivers, many of whom are low-income immigrants who cannot be held accountable for the environmental impact of their trucks.

"It's about accountability," said Zerolnick.

Wrigley Association President Annie Greenfeld agreed, saying she would like to see the Port of Long Beach officials do more to reduce pollution.

"We've got more pollution than we know what to do with," said Greenfeld. "The port contributes an awful lot, if they plan on growing these efforts are not going to make a dent."

Others, like resident Rick Linder, said officials need to focus more on the national transportation infrastructure, as well as looking into the latest fuel technology as alternative ways to curb pollution.

But the health risks highlighted by the panelists remained his biggest concern.

"I'm probably going to have five years off my life taken off because of the air here," said Linder.

brenda.duran@presstelegram.com, 562 499-1297

Who we are:

The Wrigley Association is a neighborhood association dedicated to improving the lives in the Wrigley area of Long Beach. The general meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 P.M. at the Veteran's Park Social Hall, 101 East 28th Street. (If the first Monday is a holiday, meeting will be held on the second Monday of the month). Child Care and parking are free. www.neighborhoodlink.com/longbch/wrigley/

Wrigley in the News - (Food swap is fresh start for Wrigley)

The following article was on the front page of the Press Telegram today! Join us August 4th at 630pm or on any first Monday with your home grown harvest.

Food swap is fresh start for Wrigley

Article Launched: 07/13/2008 10:13:31 PM PDT

[http://www.presstelegram.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=2020091]

A garden produce swap previously practiced on Wrigley residents' porches has moved to Veterans Park in Long Beach . The "Wrigley Neighborhood Food Exchange" preceded the July 7 Wrigley Association meeting and will continue the first Monday of every month.

In a scene reminiscent of an old trading post, Wrigley District residents recently swapped food from their gardens at Veterans Park .

The effort aimed at building community spirit, providing relief from high food prices and reducing waste took place before the July 7 Wrigley Association meeting and will continue the first Monday of every month at the park.

About 10 residents, who were informed about the gathering by newsletter and blog, showed up to share fruits, vegetables, herbs and seeds.

Some walked away with fresh oregano and green tomatoes, others chard and parsley.

Though the event was the first official "Wrigley Neighborhood Food Exchange," residents in the 2-square-mile neighborhood bounded by the Los Angeles River , Long Beach Boulevard , Pacific Coast Highway and the San Diego (405) Freeway, had been informally sharing harvests of lemon, thyme, pineapple, sage and other edibles for awhile.

"We've done a lot of casual trading, mostly on my porch," said resident Sasha Kanno, who promoted the exchange online. "We just leave them or ride bicycles with the baskets, and we'll just cruise around the neighborhood and drop off and pick up stuff."

One of the attractions of swapping food is knowing from where it came - neighbors.

Sometimes the produce falls from trees on public property, but most of the items are overflow from residents' yards.

"It's mainly to see things not go to waste," said Gavin McKiernan, a member of the Wrigley Association board. "My daughter's growing tomatoes now in the back with my wife ... I love tomatoes, but there's no way we're going to go through them all."
Or, as Kanno put it, "When the produce is ready, you need to go for it" before it spoils.

Internet trading will continue between the monthly gatherings for that reason.

"People just e-mail, `I've got lemons,"' McKiernan said.

Bringing the event to the park was also intended to boost attendance at the Wrigley Association meetings. The group has 260 paying members, making it one of the largest of its kind in the city.

The atmosphere at the swap was described as casual and friendly, not a place for hard-nosed haggling.

"You bring what you got, and if somebody else has what you want, you work it out from there," McKiernan said.

When residents have little or no food to bring, they can take items home as long as they give back in the future.

"It doesn't have to be an even exchange," Kanno said. "You can go on the honor system, and basically I am not keeping score."

The next food exchange will take place at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at Veterans Park , 101 E. 28th St. The Wrigley Association meeting will follow at 7 p.m.

For information, visit chalkboardco-op.blogspot.com.

john.canalis@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1273

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Wrigley Association