Home Sales Rebound Statewide, But Continue Declining In L.A. County
Sales of single-family homes in California rebounded in February after declining to the lowest level in 10 years in January, according to the California Association of Realtors (CAR). Statewide closed escrow sales of single-family detached homes totaled 399,080 units, an increase of 11.3% from January. Sales in Los Angeles County declined by about 2.5%, however. “Lower interest rates and stabilizing home prices motivated would-be buyers to get off the fence in February,” CAR President Jared Martin stated. Mortgage rates reached their lowest point in a year, improving housing affordability, he noted.
Long Beach Transit Launching Shuttle Service To UCLA
In a one-year pilot program, Long Beach Transit (LBT), the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Westwood Business Improvement District are partnering to provide a daily commuter shuttle between Long Beach and UCLA’s Westwood campus. The shuttle bus will depart three times a day on weekday mornings from two different Long Beach stops, with three return departures from Westwood in the afternoon. Tickets are $7 for a round trip and $4 one-way. Monthly passes cost $120, with discounted prices available for seniors and customers with disabilities. The pilot program is the result of a series of public meetings held by LBT in 2017 and 2018. “The community asked us for service to Westwood and UCLA so they could get out of their cars,” LBT President and CEO, Kenneth McDonald said. “Struggling with traffic on the 405 is not fun and we’re piloting this service to measure demand.”
Kimberley Holtz To Lead Survey Division At Port Of Long Beach
Kimberley Holtz has been appointed to lead the survey division at the Port of Long Beach (POLB). According to POLB, this division “checks depths in the harbor to support safe navigation and assists port operations in areas such as utility marking, property rights and construction projects.” The release further noted that Holtz “is the only person who is both a Licensed Professional Land Surveyor and a Licensed Geologist in the State of California.” Holtz has spent over a decade in the public sector, previously working for the city’s public works and energy resources departments, as well as in various positions within the Orange County government. (Photograph courtesy of POLB)
Longtime LBCC Sculpture Professor Wins Educator Award
Coleen Sterritt, a sculpture professor at Long Beach City College, is the winner of the International Sculpture Center’s 2019 Outstanding Educator Award. She is the first community college educator to win the award, which was previously only given to university professors, according to statement from LBCC. Reagan Ferragamo Romali, superintendent-president of LBCC, stated that “the award is a true testament of Coleen’s talent as an artist and as an educator.” Sterritt has served as a professor and faculty coordinator for the school’s sculpture program since 1998. Her sculptural work has been exhibited internationally, and is included in collections at institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art. She has been teaching since 1983. (Photograph courtesy of LBCC)
CSULB Student Among Winners In National Performing Artist Competition
Cade Gotthardt, a Long Beach resident and California State University, Long Beach student, is a winner of the 2019 Yamaha Young Performing Artist (YYPA) competition. Gotthardt is one of only 11 musicians nationwide to earn the prestigious distinction, which is awarded to young musicians studying in the United States who show exceptional talent in jazz, classical and contemporary genres, according to a press release. Gotthardt is a jazz trumpeter who plays in the university’s award-winning Concert Jazz Orchestra and is expected to graduate from CSULB this spring. This year’s YYPA winners each receive an all-expenses-paid trip to an award celebration weekend at Ball State University in Indiana, where they will perform in front of thousands of attendees and participate in workshops designed to help them jump-start their careers. (Photograph by Keith White)