TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to report on the feasibility of the annexation of Sunnyside Cemetery property.
DISCUSSION
Sunnyside Cemetery was founded in 1906 and is the final resting place for many notable Long Beach residents including Stearns, Rhea, Walker, Clark and Civil War Veterans. In 1994, the California Department of Consumer Affairs seized the cemetery property and the endowment fund following the theft of approximately $500,000 from the its protected endowment funds. A group of volunteers formed the "Friends of Sunnyside" to continue the maintenance of the cemetery until December 1998 when the Dept. of Consumer Affairs, the Attorney General and the Los Angeles Superior Court returned the Title of Cemetery property and an endowment fund to Sunnyside Cemetery, Inc., a newly formed not for profit. This was a significant milestone for the historic cemetery, which was granted a Certificate of Landmark Designation by the City in June 2000.
Sunnyside Cemetery, Inc. feels the City should annex Sunnyside to the Long Beach Municipal Cemetery and maintain the two adjacent properties as one cemetery. During 2000, the Cemetery began discussions with the City of Long Beach regarding the potential transfer for the Cemetery, including the related Endowment Fund, to the City. The City expressed serious interest and issued the Cemetery a number of pre-transfer requirements that the Cemetery has completed. Having complied with the City's requirements for a transfer, Sunnyside Cemetery, Inc. is requesting the transfer of the Cemetery to City ownership.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
Councilmember Tonia Reyes Uranga
Seventh District
Councilmember Gary DeLong
Third District
Councilmember Patrick O'Donnell
Fourth District