>Jack C. Smith: Independent Citizen Activist, Co-Founded Better Balance for Long Beach, <nobr>Co-Organized</nobr> Christmas Store "Shopping With Dignity"

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Jack C. Smith: Independent Citizen Activist, Co-Founded Better Balance for Long Beach, Co-Organized Award Winning, Heartwarming One-Day Christmas Store "Shopping With Dignity"

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UPDATE: A memorial service and reception are scheduled for Mr. Smith on Sat. Jan. 14, 1 p.m. at LB's First Congregational Church, 241 Cedar Ave. in Long Beach. An online effort is also underway to cover the costs and continue his legacy with a 2017 One Day Christmas Store in his honor. Details are in coverage here.

(Dec 16, 2016, 11:05 a.m.) -- LBREPORT.com is saddened to report the death of Jack C. Smith, the broad-smiling, never-tiring, well-spoken, independent citizen activist who devoted countless uncompensated hours to advancing solutions to civic issues within political constraints when possible, but didn't flinch at speaking inconvenient truths to power when necessary.

Mr. Smith passed away at his downtown residence on either late Wednesday night or early Thursday (Dec. 14 or 15) after appearing in seeming good health hours earlier at a DLBA Christmas Party on Wednesday. According to Mr. Smith's Facebook page, he would have turned 65 in January.

[Scroll down for further.]

Friends of LB Animals
Christmas Gift Boutique

Mr. Smith co-founded Better Balance for Long Beach, an independent grassroots group that politely embarrassed City Hall officialdom into cleaning up and adding amenities to a neglected street median (stretching along 14th St. from Chestnut Ave. to just east of Locust Ave.) that residents called "14th St. Park."

Mr. Smith (along with Dan Pressburg, Annie Greenfeld Wisner, Jan Kelleher, Paul de Jung, among others) learned that the area's low income and working class residents were afraid to walk outside after dark (gang shootings) and their children feared walking to nearby Washington Middle School (passing crazed vagrants and drug dealing), so they hatched a plan. Mr. Smith (says Mr. Pressburg) came up with the name "Better Balance for Long Beach" and the group announced it would begin holding picnics in the park (offering free food, paid-for out of pocket by group organizers) to show citywide solidarity with neighborhood residents. The unspoken message was a poke in the eye: officials inside City Hall (visible a little over a mile due south) weren't paying attention.

Then-1st district Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal got the message...and swiftly informed multiple department heads that she wanted the chronic nuisance conditions abated and overdue amenities added. And it happened.

Mr. Smith and Better Balance then followed with a Christmas-gift giveaway in 14th St. park, which Mr. Smith and Better Balance developed into LB's "One Day Christmas Store -- Shopping With Dignity."

The One-Day Christmas Store was a well-organized event (requiring annual detail-work and planning) that gave families of limited means an opportunity to "shop" for familymembers, choosing from among items purchased with generous donations from multiple individuals and businesses. The uplifting event won national recognition in 2011 from Neighborhoods USA, and went on to receive plaudits from U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the CA Assembly, L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe and the City of Long Beach. Mayor Bob Foster and his wife Nancy were among the event's early, longtime supporters, along with Michelle Molina (who gifted books to encourage children to read.)

Dec. 2012: (left to right) Better Balance for Long Beach co-founder Jack Smith alongside long time community volunteer Gary Shelton

Mr. Smith was a 7th dist. Council candidate in the 2010 election cycle, typically offering well-thought-out proposals in an uphill race against better-funded establishment candidates (in which James Johnson prevailed.)

On Oct. 11, 2016, Mr. Smith delivered what would be his final Council words. On October 4, Mayor Garcia responded to increasing visible vagrants, anti-social behaviors and neighborhood impacting crimes by staging a City Council "study session" on homelessness. This gave city staff an opportunity to tell taxpayers what City Hall was doing and let various influential groups say what they were doing and wanted done (who then thanked the Mayor for the opportunity.) After much talk, the "study session" ended with no firm commitment to do much more than is being done now (which obviously isn't sufficient since the problems have persisted and grown.)

A week later, Jack Smith came to the City Council Chamber. He waited over an hour and half to speak for 180 seconds during public comment on non-agendized items. Mr. Smith stated in specific terms what he believes City Hall should do regarding the homeless. He spoke in polished prose. He was polite but didn't flinch at stating political incorrectitudes. He stressed the necessity of focusing on behavior and not status, to listen to the homeless (not just to "service providers," "experts" and city staff) and cited the need for political will.

To hear Mr. Smith's final Council words, click here.

Councilmembers offered no comments or supportive words in response and Mr. Smith exited the Council Chamber.

Arrangements are pending.