Overhead Cables in our Neighborhood

Thank you to all of you who signed the petition asking for change/removal of the overhead cables in Rose Park!

Below I am pasting the emails that have been sent/received on this topic.

I am encouraged by the responses from our government representatives but disappointed that Verizon has not replied to me.

I'd like to know any suggestions you supporters have for moving forward on this. Obviously I am going to watch for the promised changes but the next move is toward burying these cables in the near future.

Ask your neighbors and friends to email me or comment on this blog so we can continue increasing our petitioner numbers.

Here is the letter to Vice Mayor Lowenthal:

Dear Vice Mayor Lowenthal,

The Rose Park Neighborhood Association would like to bring the following issue to your attention.We have received numerous complaints from residents about the thick cables hanging on the utility poles in our neighborhood. These cables were installed by Verizon. We believe that the blight this causes in our neighborhood could not have been foreseen by the city of Long Beach and some action should be taken so that we can once again see the sky above us.

The properties of these cables that are unacceptable are:

They are very thick and unsightly
There is additional equipment hanging in the middle of the cables
There are loops of wires hanging off the poles
They are strung down the street (not in the alley) in many places
The weight of these additional cables may cause damage to our utility poles

Our neighborhood association is comprised of two historic districts. We believe that these overhead cables should not be allowed within a historic district.Our attempts to contact Verizon have been unsuccessful and we appeal to you for assistance in the removal/burial and maintenance of these cables.

Photographs of our neighborhood cables can be viewed on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/RoseParkNeighborhoodAssociation Please take a moment to view these photographs. None of them were taken from an alley.

Thank you for your kind assistance.

Best Regards,
Emily Stevens
Rose Park Neighborhood Association

And the response:

Hi there, Emily. Thank you sending this to me. I agree with you. Let me research what we can do to improve this.
suja

NEXT RESPONSE:

Emily --
Per Suja's request our office has discussed this with the City Manager's office to see who would address this concern.
Ultimately what we found out is that this is a State issue. Verizon's practices are allowable by the Public Utilities Commission. Long Beach Public Works' Department has received complaints from other neighborhood in the City but we do not have any jurisdiction over this practice, however resident's can express concerns directly to Verizon via their Government Affairs Director.
I checked in with him and he said that it was fine to release his information to residents.

Mike Murray Director - Government/External Affairs Verizon 562-435-9594 office mike.murray@verizon.com

You can also express your concern to Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal's office, again since this is a State issue. District Office:110 Pine AvenueSuite 804Long Beach CA 90802Tel: (562) 495-2915Fax: (562) 495-2983

Best Regards,
Mark MagdalenoField Deputy
Office of Dr. Suja Lowenthal Vice MayorCouncilmember, 2nd DistrictCity of Long Beach

MY REPLY:

Hi Mark,

Thank you for the response. I have received so many complaints about this it is incredible. I even received an email from someone in Orange county.

I will write to the departments/people you suggested and I will encourage others to do the same.

I have been told that other neighborhoods in Long Beach are burying their cables. How can we accomplish that? If we cannot get our cables buried due to the expense, can we have support from the city council or the mayor's office to ask Verizon and other cable providers to tidy these up?

Thank you all for your time and guidance.
Sincerely,
Emily Stevens
RPNA

NEXT RESPONSE:

Hi there, Emily. I am in support of burying the cables or at the very least tidying them up.
suja

THEN I SENT THE ORIGINAL LETTER TO MIKE MURRAY AT VERIZON:
I have not received a response from him.

THEN I SENT THE ORIGINAL LETTER TO ASSEMBLYMEMBER BONNIE LOWENTHAL:

HER RESPONSE:

Hi Emily,I have asked my caseworker Chris Wilson to follow up with you. It sounds terrible. Please keep me informed.
Thanks for reaching out.
Bonnie

CHRIS WILSON CALLED ME AND THEN SENT THIS RESPONSE:

Emily,
I appreciate your patience. Verizon’s fiber and cable teams have inspected the area and will be responding to the cabling issues. The "looped" cables will be brought into line with a "snowshoe" device that will tighten up the cabling. Additionally, cabling throughout the district that needs tightening and/or adjusting will be attended to. This work is underway and will take a few months based on resources and materials that will need to be coordinated and ordered. It is an aerial cabling environment and cables will still run between poles but we're going to everything we can to respond to as many issues as possible while maintaining the integrity of the network and service quality. The team leaders will be providing updates to the local Director as well as myself on the progress. He will also be checking the area out periodically as well. As you know , undergrounding cabling is generally handled with the residents working in conjunction with the City.

Once again, thank you for your patience and bringing this issue to us.
Christopher Wilson
Case Manager & Field RepresentativeOffice of Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal
110 Pine Ave, Ste 804
Long Beach, CA 90802
Phone - (562) 495-2915
Fax - (562) 495-2983www.assembly.ca.gov/lowenthal

Verizon Cables in our Neighborhood

I have decided to document the cables in Rose Park so I drove around today and took pictures. These are only seen from the streets, I didn't go down any alleys. It's outrageous that these cables have been strung around our neighborhood.
I'll have a petition at the book signing this Saturday for anyone who feels the same way.


I've been doing alot of walking in Rose Park for a couple of weeks now taking sidewalk pictures and distributing flyers for the 7th Street Business group. Even though I was concentrating on the sidewalk cracks and potholes I found so many beautiful homes and serene streets. People said hi to me everywhere I went and I was enjoying myself tremendously. Then I hit Orizaba St. and suddenly there were all these verizon cables and wires hanging down slanting telephone poles!
I've noticed them before and people in the neighborhood have mentioned them but wow they are really bad in some areas.
I met a Verizon representative at the 7th Street Sampler and I told him about my concerns.
It would be great if I knew the spots in the neighborhood where the residents had complaints.
Email me if this is your concern too. I'd like to see if we can do something about cleaning this up and making sure they are safe.

The Culture of Restoration

The Culture of Restoration
(Or what makes Long Beach special and why I couldn’t wait to move back here from Laguna Beach)

I grew up in dairy country in upstate New York. That’s right-where all the snow banks are!
The area is home to all kinds of people and all kinds of architecture. But I just saw old buildings, or so I thought then.

Moving to Long Beach in the late 1970’s, I encountered beautiful art deco and mid-century buildings framed by palm trees and bathed in glorious sunshine. It was magic. It still is magic – for me.

What fuels this wonderful aura of Long Beach is the cumulative effect of rows of grand commercial buildings and modest historic bungalows, combined with the vibrant locals and the history of their surroundings.

When I bought in Rose Park in the mid-90’s I knew nothing of California bungalows, I (incorrectly) called them cottages. Over many, many years I learned the distinctions in style and craftsmanship. It doesn’t make me an aficionado, but it does make me appreciative.

It takes commitment to both home and neighborhood to actively restore one’s property. We sustain our homes for ourselves and for future generations. When we are gone others will occupy our houses, making them their homes.

For a time I lived in a tract home in the ‘top of the world’ neighborhood of Laguna Beach. Everyone there seemed to stay inside their home, or backyard. No one seemed to walk around the neighborhood.

Oh yes, they jogged every morning, but no one seemed to walk to visit their neighbors or go to the store. Getting around was dependent on a car and whether or not tourists were jamming the roads.

The Laguna Beach house I lived in has been re-modeled several times. In fact, it is hard to find that house as it, and most of the homes in the area, have been re-built in different styles. Laguna is a beautiful place but it doesn’t support my warm, lingering memories like Long Beach.

Liveable Streets

There is much opinion about liveable and walkable communities. Liveable sounds great but. . . .what is liveable for some might be an obstacle or burden to others. We have a major transportation corridor running through the Rose Park neighborhood. As I learn more about our history, 7th St was central to this area being annexed to the City of LB in 1908, and has shaped the area's development. Does the current state of 7th St. add or subtract from our neighborhood's "liveability". What do you think? While you are pondering this question check out a couple of sites that reflect how other communities are responding to this question.

http://www.livablestreets.com/about/

http://cityrepair.org/

Yoga in Rose Park

Every Saturday morning at 11 AM the Yoga Dude www.yogadude.net teaches yoga in Rose Park. He is joined by Kate Chou who teaches Qigong, the Chinese healing practice. Qigong uses Tai Chi like motions to bring the healing energy of Chi from the earth and from the sky into the body bringing a general sense of well being and healing to specific parts of the body.

In addition to the regular Saturday morning session, special yoga and Qigong sessions are held on auspicious days, as the solstices, the equinoxes and New Years day.

Join us to strengthen your body, mind and spirit.

Behind the Scenes of Long Beach's Restoration Trade Fair

The Restoration Trade Fair comes just once a year - in September. But there is work all year long. Since the 2010 event we have been working on our tradefair website. You'll see if you click on this link or go to www.rpna-tradefair.org to find the latest changes.

We are making the tradefair website a go-to site for those restoring their homes in historic districts. Check out the Vendor page that offers a wide range of craftsmen and artisans. And if you need further inspiration click on the Exhibitor link to discover our local resources for residential restoration.

If you'd like to participate or volunteer for Tradefair 2011 please email info@rpna-tradefair.org.

Warm regards,

Gretchen Swanson, Event Coordinator

Rose Park Sidewalk Survey

Hello neighbors. Our sidewalks are in a sad state. Lots of people have complained to me about them and so I checked around and found out that AARP actually has a survey for neighborhoods to use to document the state of their sidewalks. Some RP residents have been participating in the survey and we've gotten some pictures and reports. You can see the pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/rpna/sets You need an invite temporarily until it's finished but just email info@rpna.org and I'll send you one.
When the survey is complete the RPNA will submit it to our council office for review and ask for some action.
This isn't the only project we are working on but I'd really like to have some input from all of you about what issues are important TO YOU.
Thank you!
-Emily Stevens
President RPNA