Long Beach Needs A Jacaranda Fest

Taking Advantage of Those Lavender-Blue Droppings


The hugely financial successes of the Long Beach Gay and Lesbian parade and festival and the Grand Prix races prove that “if you build it they will come.” Tourists hunger for something different and fun and they don’t mind spending money to get it.

So why doesn’t Long Beach take advantage of the fact that it is home to one of the largest growths of the lavender-blue Jacaranda mimosifolia tree and host an annual parade and festival in celebration?

Long Beach wouldn’t be the first city in the world to host a Jacaranda Festival. Grafton, Australia has been throwing a giant party to celebrate the magnificent spectacle of their 6,000 trees in full bloom, since 1935. The week-long celebration brings thousands of people from all over Australia and the world to join in hundreds of activities that include: a carnival, music festival, a volleyball tournament, golf, crew races, gardening exhibits, pipe bands, foods, canoe races, quilting contests, antiques, car show, fun walk and fun race, arts and crafts exhibits, and the Jacaranda Ball.

Although the jacaranda is actually a native of Brazil, its blooming is also celebrated in the African capital city of Harare in Zimbabwe with an international Jacaranda Blues Festival. Pretoria, South Africa, whose nickname is “Jacaranda City” naturally boasts a jacaranda fest to celebrate its 68,000 trees.

In the United States, Southwest Florida has been hosting a Jacaranda Festival for 18 years. And this very month, Maui, Hawaii is putting on its first annual jacaranda celebration.

Come on Long Beach. While some residents bitterly complain about the lavender-blue droppings on their streets and lawns that appear each May and June from the jacaranda trees, some of us believe this wonderful annual event could be turned into something great. After all, folk-lore has it that if you are walking underneath the Jacaranda tree and one of the trumpet blossoms falls on your head you will be favored by fortune.

Gerrie Schipske’s 3 R’s for A Great City Government.

Running a city should be like running a business or raising a family. First, you take care of the basics. Police. Fire. Code Enforcement. Streets. Libraries. Then you pay for the luxuries.

Long Beach has done the big-ticket spending to attract new corporations and tourists. The Aquarium of the Pacific. The Long Beach Convention Center. The Pike Project. Now it’s time to take care of the people who are already here.

Gerrie Schipske has a big vision of the little things that make a big difference in people’s lives. Streets without potholes that shake your car and sidewalks without cracks and bumps that cause you to trip. Libraries that are open because we should care as much about the people who use these services as we do the million dollar consultants that are constantly hired by the City. Hiring enough police officers because they keep our neighborhoods safe and we are tired of watching the news on television feature crime after crime in Long Beach. That’s how you run a great city…by taking care of business for the people and companies who make Long Beach great.

Gerrie Schipske is proposing 3 R’s to make Long Beach great:

· Reform Wasteful Spending. No more million dollar consultants to do the work City management is already paid to do. Investigate why Long Beach is currently spending more to service the debt of the City than it spends on the entire Police Department budget. Institute a pay-cut for the Mayor and City Council every year the budget has a deficit.

· Reduce Crime. Stop making the Police Department beg for the necessary funds to hire enough police to keep our neighborhoods safe. Fund public safety…without raising taxes. Do everything possible to drive the gangs out of Long Beach. Enforce “zero tolerance” throughout our city and in our schools.

· Restore the Quality of Life in All Our Neighborhoods. Make certain that our neighborhoods are free from noise and air pollution. Remove the blight that exists in several areas of Long Beach by strong Code enforcement. Assist residents with renovation grants.

The 5th Council District needs a Councilmember who’s not afraid to stand up for what’s right. Because a great city is worth fighting for.

Gerrie Schipske for Long Beach City Council.
5th District.
Putting Basics First.
http://www.schipskeforcouncil.blogspot.com/
schipskeforcouncil@yahoo.com
Telephone: 201-1296

Putting Basics First.

Gerrie Schipske for City Council.

Putting basics for neighborhoods before big-ticket spending.


A big vision for the little things. Long Beach has done the big-spending projects to attract corporations and tourists. Now we need to take better care of the people who are already here. Gerrie will focus on the basics. Police. Fire. Streets. Parks. Code enforcement. Libraries. She’s the right Councilmember to fix the potholes, improve our parks, reopen our libraries, clean up our neighborhoods and hire enough police to keep our neighborhoods safe.

A strong leader who gets things done.
Gerrie was the coalition builder who brought the Police Department and the community together to strengthen how the crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence are handled. She raised $40,000 to save senior health care services and launched a non-profit organization called Long Beach Cares and a website called RXforLongBeach.org that helps residents obtain free prescription medicine.

A fiscal watchdog who protects taxpayers. Gerrie will work to cut wasteful spending on frills and luxuries to pay for more police and to restore our libraries…without raising taxes. She will be a tough budget hawk who does her homework, pores over the budget line by line, and stands up against excessive red tape and bureaucratic spending. She’ll work to cut expensive consultant studies and to reduce the City’s debt and use the savings for our priority…a safer Long Beach.


Gerrie Schipske for Long Beach City Council. 5th District.
Putting Basics First.
http://www.schipskeforcouncil.blogspot.com/
schipskeforcouncil@yahoo.com
Telephone: 201-1296