Illustration by Bob Aul

​Oh, how the mighty and whitey have fallen off the Long Beach map.

Jesse James brought fame, a showroom and a burger joint to a little corner of town he ran his hot rod shop West Coast Choppers and filmed his old reality show Monster Garage.

In late 2009, the city returned the favor by re-naming Oregon Avenue, which was between Anaheim and 12th streets, West Coast Choppers Place. Like James' reputation as a family man, that could change.
More >>

Photos courtesy of Long Beach Police Department

Ponce

​UPDATE, JAN. 19, 1:30 P.M.: From the Los Angeles Times: "Long Beach police said they believe that Ponce is responsible for other killings, including two in the Long Beach area. Authorities did not release details on those two cases but said the slaying occurred in the downtown Long Beach area and that one involved a woman."

UPDATE, JAN. 19, 10:39 A.M.: Two convicted felons who belong to the Nuthood Watts street gang and are already behind bars now have something else in common: arrests for a laundry list of murder counts, special circumstances allegations and sentencing enhancements for one of the worst mass killings in Long Beach history. At yesterday afternoon's press conference, Police Chief Jim McDonnell announced that David Cruz Ponce, 31, of Lancaster, and Max Eliseo Rafael, 25, of Los Angeles, were each charged with five special circumstance murders in the case involving the gunning down of three men and two women at a homeless encampment next to the 405 freeway on Nov. 2, 2008.
More >>

​Despite today's blog posts from yours truly, not all stories from the long holiday layover involved homeless men being fatally stabbed, Christmastime murder-suicides or New Year's Eve party stabbings. Take the inspiring tale of U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Evans. Six years ago, the Long Beach man was jobless, homeless and hopeless, living with his wife and daughter out of a car. Over the holidays, Evans launched a charity to help others now in the predicament he found himself in after the Internet company he worked at went bust.
More >>

Facebook

Cervelli (left) and Bufford.

More >>

​CORRECTION, DEC. 12, 9:50 A.M.: No, it was not a bank of dead batteries that prevented filmmaker Chris Paine and his new documentary Revenge of the Electric Car from showing up as advertised (by . . . gulp . . . me) at the Art Theatre in Long Beach Sunday. As it turns out, that event was Dec. 4.

My apologies to Paine, the Art and the many, many pissed off folks who apparently shared their displeasure about the missing film and filmmaker with staff and management and the historic theater.
More >>

Doug Zerby

​Almost exactly a year after Long Beach police gunned down Doug Zerby, his supporters are gathering for a rally. More >>

flickr user Belentxo

​An Orange County native meshed her three passions -- surfing, art and other cultures -- to create an exhibition that will be on display starting Sunday at the Max L. Gatov Gallery on Cal State Long Beach's campus. More >>

OCSD

​A Long Beach parolee was arrested this morning in Wednesday's Rossmoor home invasion that had a 90-year-old woman held at gunpoint, tied up and robbed.

The names of those involved have not yet been released, although the Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) has revealed the suspect is 23, was picked out of photo lineup by the victim and was arrested at his home around 3 a.m.
More >>

UPDATE, DEC. 7, 5:56 P.M.: The employee who died in the elevator accident this morning has been identified as 48-year-old Annette Lujan, according to a Daily 49er story. The story says she worked in the Office of University Research at the Foundation, where the accident happened, for nine years.More >>

​A distraught 26-year-old woman who had been arguing with her boyfriend plunged 75 feet to her death from a Queen Mary walkway to the chilly waters of Long Beach Harbor Monday night. The unidentified woman's 40-year-old boyfriend and two police officers were reportedly treated for hypothermia after jumping in after her. A swift-water expert in a wetsuit also tried unsuccessfully to save her.
More >>