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$30,000 cost to L.B. for tornado's damage

ByBradAltmtn
A 130,000 price tag wu placed
Thursday on the eoit to Long
Beach .to pick up debris, fix dam-
aged sidewalks and remove 125 UJH
rooted trees on city-owned property
in the path of last Sunday's
tornado.
But city officials have no idea
what homeowners will have to pay
to replace damaged fences, roofs,
vehicles and windows in the path of
the twister that ripped a 3\4-mile
swath from the Pacific Ocean to
the residential Wrigley District
Insurance company spokesmen
said the tornado was placed in the
Insurance firms honoring homeowners9 claims
same category as a windstorm and
persons with standard, broad or
comprehensive homeowner insur-
ance policies are completely
covered, minus a deduction of $50
to $250.
Immediately after the freak
tornado, the city fire department
placed a $750,000 figure on damage
to property, including 50 homes and
.businesses and 25 vehicles. No later
estimate has been made. Assistant
Chief Eugene Nagel said Thursday.
Cleanup by the Public Services
Department has cost $4490, said
Charles SUdmore, deputy director.
A total of $2,950 has gone to labor
and $1.440 to sidewalk replacement,
be saM.
"We'll be 100 per cent through
with cleanup by Friday except for
tree stump removal," he said.
Removing the stumps is expected
to take two weeks or longer.
The park department is spend-
ing $24,068 to remove and replace
125 fallen trees, said Chance Hill,
the department's director. He said
labor costs total $15,600, equipment,
$6,593 and the new trees, $1.875.
Homeowners who will have
damages repaid under insurance
policies would need additional
coverage for such perils as earth-
quakes, landslides, floods, tidal
waves, backed-iip sewers, war and
nuclear radiation, said Diane Ko-
walski, spokeswoman for the West-
ern Information Service in Santa
Ana.
Allstate Insurance Company's
regional office in Santa Ana has
received 50 tornado-related claims,
mostly for "broken fences and
missing shingles,"'said claims
manager Jack Cotter, who added
that the company is covering
bsses.
Al Garza, chief of the policy
service bureau of the State Insur-
ance Department in Los Angeles,
said if a claim is rejected, the
homeowner can file a complaint
with that state office and the
insurer will be asked to justify its
action.
City-owned trees that fell on
private property were removed at
no cost by the park department,
but a city attorney, calling the
tornado "an act of God," said the
city is not liable for homes dam-
aged by municipally-owned trees.
"There's no way we could have
done anything beforehand to pre-,
vent a healthy tree from falling on
private property," said Deputy City
Attorney Bob Shannon. "There was.
no negligence or fault on the city's
part"
Homeowners have 100 days to
file tornado-related claims. Shan-:
non said the city attorney had not
received any by Thursday after-
noon.

INDEPENDENT
FRIDAY, MAY 13,1977 SECTION 6-Poge B-l

Including recallee
8 in Lakewood
file for council -Frederick R. Yoongren, 28, of
By Kris Sherman 6612 Centralia St. Youngren. a
Stiff Writer
deputy probation officer for Los
A field of eight candidates, in- Angeles County, has lived in Lake-
cluding recalled Councilman Don- wood for 20 years. He is a graduate
ald R. Plunkett, met the Thursday in criminology-corrections from '
deadline of filing nomination Long Beach State University and is
papers for the July 19 special elec- working on a master's degree in
tion to fill Pluntett's vacant seat on public administration at Fullerton
the Lakewood City Council. State University.
Several of the candidates ap- Youngren is married to the for-
peared in the city clerk's office just mer Linda DeVries of Lakewood. v.
minutes before noon in a last- -Jenny "Angel" Mercer, of
minute rush to file. Deputy City 5874 Candlewood St. Ms. Mercer, a
Clerk Alene Hyatt said seven per- waitress, did not file a candidate's
sons who had taken out nomination statement of qualifications and
papers failed to return them by the could not be reached for further
deadline. information.
She said the official list of -Beverly "Bev" Brons, 54, of
candidates will be drawn up Mon- 6003 Deerford St. Mrs. Brons, who
day after verification of the regis- lists herself as a community
tered voters' signatures on each advocate-bookkeeper, has been ac-
candidate's nomination papers. tive in the Lakewood Coordinating
Under the California Elections Council and the Torchbearers of
Code, each candidate must have Lakewood.
submitted the signatures of at least Last summer she spearheaded
•FOR SALE: one skyscraper. The downtown Long Beach home office. The banking and office building at 444 W. 20 registered voters to qualify for a
spot on the special election ballot. Operation End of Rope, a grass-
- branch of the Bank of California is among 33 branches on Ocean Blvd. will probably be sold to another bank, The candidates, listed in the roots effort of area residents fight-
the market as part of a belt-tightening process in the officials indicated. - Staff Photo by CURT JOHNSON order in which they filed, are: ing skyrocketing property taxes,
-Robert W. Baker, 54, of 4917 and was appointed to a county
Minturn Ave. Baker, a Lakewood property tax reform committee by
Bank of Cal. selling 2 L.B. branches resident for 25 years, served on the
council from the city's incorpora-
tion in 1954 until he was defeated
Supervisor James A. Hayes.
Mrs. Brons and her husband,
Herb, have lived in Lakewood for
• for re-election in 1972. more than 26 years. They have a
Ocean Boulevard skyscraper included in 'tightening' .Baker is a registered engineer
and a senior community improve-
daughter, Niktt, and two grandchil-
dren.
-and profitable," Huret declared, "but to stay ment analyst for Los Angeles -H. Brooks Cope, 44, of 6051;
By John Sheehan deal — employes, banking operation, physical County. He is married and the
SuffWrter plant, the works." competitive we needed even more branches in father of four. Coldbrook Ave. Cope, who lists bis
_ Huret said that rather than dosing opera- Long Beach. -Paul E. "Gene" Zeltner, 51, occupation as attorney, is senior
Two Long Beach offices of the Bank of tions, the banks purchasing the branches would "Unfortunately, there weren't the re- of 2828 Flangel St. Zeltner is a credit manager and general coun-
California — including one of Ocean Boule- simply change names. sources to do that, so we're refocusing on those former commander of the Lake- sel of Craig Corp. ;
vard's newer skyscrapers — are among 33 "We've had good response from other markets which can be sustained," he said. wood sheriff's station who retired Cope, a Lakewood resident for
branches up for sale in a major "tightening banks," Huret said. "We've had inquiries about "We've come to the conclusion we can't from the Los Angeles County Sher- 12 years and father of six, has been
up" of the firm's operations. (sale oD that (Ocean Boulevard) property for a compete with the Bank of America on every iff's Department in 1974 after 26 involved in several community
Bank of California, seventh largest in Cali- year." street corner," the bank's chairman and chief years' service. organizations and has experience in
fornia and a subsidiary of BanCal Tri-State According to the county assessor's office, executive officer said. He has been involved in several family and youth counseling. Ac-;
Corp., said it plans to sell 33 of its 74 California assessed valuation in 1976 of the Ocean Boule- community organizations and cording to his statement of quali-
branches to other banks. Deadline for purchase vard building was $1.57 million, which means Chauncey E. Schmidt, brought into Bank served as a member and chairman fications, he also has spent 10 years '•
offers is June 15. market value of the property is about $6.28 of California 16 months ago to improve opera- of the city's Community Safety analyzing and solving business,
The two branches are in East Long Beach, million. tions, explained, "Our branch system was put Committee. Zeltner and his wife of problems. ;
at 600 Redondo Ave., and at 444 W. Ocean together over the past 20 years, and the mar- 31 years, Pat, have lived in Lake-
Blvd., which stands as one of the city's skyline Assessed valuation of the Redondo Avenue kets ban changed." (Turn to Page B-5, Col. 1) :
attractions. property was $76,500, giving it a market value wood for more than 20 years.
They and 15 other Southern California of $306,000.. Schmidt said he didn't know how much the
sale would bring but said that the 33 branches
'Heart and soul9 of
branches are being placed on the market in the "Long Beach was not singled out specifi- have a total $254 million in assets, including
wake of a continuing retrenchment, bank offi- cally," Huret said, explaining that extensive $167 million in loans, and that their deposits
cials said. analyses of the. level of deposits, services pro- total $309 million.
"Everything is included in the sale," ac- vided for customers and overall geographic
Huret said it was premature to comment
cording to Robert Huret, a senior vice presi-
dent in San Francisco. "Whoever purchases the
Long Beach branches gets everything in the
outlook were determining factors in selecting
those branches to be sold. •
"The Long Beach branches were attractive
on whether Bank of California might someday
return to Long Beach.
SEADIP gets approval
An amendment to the zoning ordinance creating a planned develop-
ment district in Long Beach was approved by the Planning Commission
Seal Beach school Supt. Dressier Thursday.
If the City Council approves the change in the ordinance, Long Beach
will have a new zoning district and a set of development policies and
He's retiring — from job, not world standards which will permit a mixture of building styles, densities,
commercial areas and business and industrial development on property
larger than 40,000 square feet.
Describing the proposed amendment as the "heart and soul" of the
By Bob Sanders Born in Kansas, he came to He succeeded the district's "Well, I intend to take a rest Southeast Area Development and Improvement Plan (SEADIP), commit-
Staff HHtrr Southen Caifomia when he was 6 longtime superintendent. Jerry N. and then do some traveling," he tee chairwoman Jan Hall urged its approval.
and has never left, except for Euro- McGaugh, and moved the offices says. "First the United States and Actual zoning changes in the 1,500-acre SEADIP area will come before
"I'm not really retiring," says pean service with the Navy during into the then-new.McGaugh School then Europe. the commission June 2 after the council has created the new zoning
Marx Dressier, stepping down as World War II. at Bolsa Avenue and Seal Beach "I would like to go back and district and approved general development and use standards.
superintendent of the Seal Beach A graduate of Excelsior High Boulevard in the summer of 1956. see some of the places I 'visited' The establishment of a planned development district will allow devel-
School District after 31 years with School in Bellfiower and Whittier When he announced his retire- during the war." opers to submit preliminary and final plans to the Planning Commission.
the district, 22 of them as superin- College, which he attended on a ment as of January 1978, it came as This time he'll go with his wife, They will no longer be required to get City Council approval for projects.'
tendent. baseball scholarship, Dressier re- no surprise to the board members. Betty, instead of the Navy- SEADIP is a proposed development of "Naples-like" character south
"I'm just retiring from this ceived his master's degree in After that he plans to get a of Seventh Street and east of Marine Stadium.
job." "They have known for some
At the relatively young age of school •administration from USC. time that I was getting ready to part-time consulting job. Homeowners, developers and planners have agreed on a plan for the
After World War II he came (o 'hang them up,' " he says. "I just "I'm not going to sit back in a addition of 2,900 homes and the development of 86 acres for commercial
55, Dressier is the dean of elemen- wanted to give them a lot of time to and light industrial use. They have included greenbelts, open space and
tary school district superintendents Seal Beach as a physical education rocking chair," he says. recreational facilities in the plan, which will create a new community
in Orange County from the stand- teacher and four years later went pick a new superintendent"
point of service. into administration. After "retirement" what? (Turn to Page B-5, Col. 1) within Long Beach.

People Talk
F.C Anderson
HISTORY, still making up its mind about Pan-
< tho Villa, calls him variously predator, patriot, ban-
• dit, savior, bringer of the death, deliverer of justice
- and bread.
If history were to ask what name 79-year-old
• Juan Farjas of Long Beach has for Pancho Villa, the
' answer would be amlgo. And the word would come
from the heart.
- i Juan Farjas was 15 when he enlisted in Villa's
forces. That was 64 yean ago in time, but only
yesterday in his mind. He still hears the hpofbeats
along the trails from Juarez to Mexico City, still
smells the leather of saddles and the smoke of battle,
still feels the dust, sweat and pain. He is in his teens
again, and the eyes of an old man glint with the
idealism of a boy looting on a hero named Pancho
Villa.
The moment fades. Time reclaims the once erect
Figure, a bit stooped now, and leads him back into the
auditorium at Hughes Junior High School to join the
117 graduates of citizenship classes conducted by
Long Beach City College.
It is a cool night, this Wednesday.in May. But
the words issuing from the stage are warm with love
for America. One can hear the kindling of hopes and
dreams and bask in the pride the graduates nave in
the land of freedom they have adopted. When their
naturalization examinations are complete the new
land will adopt them as full members of the family.
THE GRADUATES look forward to the examina-
tion!. They have been well prepared by their teach-
ers, Larry Simon, English instructor, and Mike
Shapiro, attorney.
The certificates they receive confirm their
knowledge and comprehension of the Constitution, the
C ' "eges and responsibities of citizenship. The
ledge they acquired was a product of sacrifice
and hard study. The graduates have jobs, families
and duties outside City College, and attendance at
evening classes at Jordan, Lakewood and Pacific
Coast campuses of LBCC wasnt always easy for
them. But they went, investing in their classes the
spirit and dedication and faith they had brought with
them to the United States.
I am a native-bom American and love my coun-
try. I think I love it even more after I attend a
citizenship class graduation. To see one's land
through the eyes of the foreign-born is a revelation,
reminding the native-bom bow often they take their
liberties, privileges, duties and opportunities for
granted.
We're blessed with what we have, and doubly
blessed by the infusion of new enthusiasm and faith
represented by the citizenship class graduates. Just
thmk-37 countries giving us 117 new reasons to hope.
Wednesday night's graduation was my third. The
sponsoring Soroptimist Club has been at it 20 years. •
The club deserves the community's thanks. It also
deserves a better audience turnout than was evident
Wednesday night. Those Long Beach citizens who
weren't there missed an outstanding show. The coun-
try never looked better.
FOR WENDY: Wendy Kuder is 4 years old and
lives at 3166 Senasac Ave.—when she's home. She
isn't at home now; she's in Harbor General Hospital,
Torrance, receiving treatment for leukemia.
Wendy is a brave little girl, cute as a bunny's
nose, bright as the gleam in an angel's eye. I know.
Wendy and I have been friends since she was 3.
Last time I saw Mr. and Mrs. Donald Kuder's
little girl I gave her a doll. This time I'd like to give
her the prayers and get-well cards of "People Talk"
readers. Will you help me by telling God and Wendy
that you care?