Long Beach Race: Most Have Learned to Live With Noise, Inconvenience

There has been car racing through the streets of Long Beach for a weekend a year since 1975, so this weekend’s activities in connection with Sunday’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach are not likely to catch a significant segment of the community by surprise.

Nor, according to promoter Chris Pook, is the race a major bone of contention for Long Beach residents and businessmen, if ever it was, even though it is noisy, crowded, and does mess up downtown traffic, at least somewhat, for the better part of a week.

“Resistance (initially) was very small but very noisy,” Pook said. “The situation today? Obviously, there are some who do not like the event, but I’d still bet that 98% of the community supports the event. It’s more than well-received. People are proud of it.”

Well, sure, but you have to keep in mind that Pook, besides being a promoter, is the man who dreamed up the Long Beach GP and that proud papas tend to believe that all the world thinks as highly of their precious offspring as they do. So maybe that 98% is a tad on the high side.

But if the information turned up in an altogether unscientific survey--random phone calls to Long Beach residents and merchants--is indicative, some folks really are proud of the event and lots more are cheerfully willing to put up with some inconvenience for the greater glory of civic and economic advancement.

And the economic impact, most believe, is significant, an idea championed by the Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach. Pook and his friends estimate that this weekend’s racing will pump $25 million into the Long Beach economy, which, they say, makes it second in that department on the Indy car schedule only to the Indianapolis 500, a month-long extravaganza.

David Reece, for one, is a believer.

“I hear the noise but it’s not a problem,” he said. “It brings in money so I think it’s a good thing.”

Henry F. Morrison is an avid supporter, too.

“I’m glad that it’s going (on),” he said. “I’m glad people enjoy it. I think any big event like that is good for the city. Anything that brings (positive) attention to the city helps the residents.

“All you ever hear about is gang violence. This is different. If you hear about something that excites people, it helps. . . . Anything that adds to Long Beach in the long run is worth it, even though it inconveniences some people.”

Most folks, though, tend to tread the middle ground, taking a live-and-let-live approach.

Victoria Sawtelle, office manager of an environmental consulting firm about a block from the temporary track, admitted to being on the cutting edge of the inconvenience, but only for a day.

“It used to be worse when I worked in Torrance and had to drive through Long Beach to get there,” she said. “But here, I’ll just figure on taking a little longer to get to work Friday morning and a little longer to get home Friday night. We’re not open on weekends, so Saturday and Sunday will be no problem for us.

“The people who deliver to us have more of a problem than we do, because of the congestion. Sometimes they can’t get in.

“But it’s not a major inconvenience here. You can hear the noise but it’s more like a drone, and I’ll just plan not to go out to lunch or to the bank on Friday.

“And it probably does downtown good. Long Beach has gotten a name because of it.”

Iona Hawks, who uses public transportation, was most concerned about getting to church Sunday morning.

“If Ocean is closed, I don’t know how the bus will go, how I’ll be getting to church,” she said.

She was relieved to learn that Ocean Boulevard will not be closed to traffic. And otherwise, she said, she has learned to live with the race.

“It’s not widely publicized but they invite seniors to take a bus trip to San Diego (on race day) and I have tenants that have gone out of town, but I never have. I’ve been through it all. The race has been here a lot of years. You don’t even hear the noise after you get used to it. It’s not as bad as the construction.”

Ronald Janus agreed.

“There’s a slight inconvenience with the traffic--I live on a corner with a red light--and the noise is a little bit of a problem. But it’s never affected me. If I had something to do Sunday, I wouldn’t stay home (because of traffic congestion).”

Janus, in fact, has been to some of the motorized festivities.

“I went to time trials,” he said. “I think it was the second year. I found it interesting because I’d never been to anything like that. But it’s not something I’d want to go to year after year.”

Even one person who professed a personal dislike for the race, Anthony Myers, said he put up with it for the good of the community.

“I don’t particularly care for it,” he said. “It’s loud and kind of obnoxious. It doesn’t particularly interfere with anything I want to do but it’s something I would avoid. I make it a point not to go downtown just before or just after the race.

“But I wouldn’t recommend that it not be held. It’s good for the city. It brings in income.

“I spent a little time in Europe and I was surprised that people knew of Long Beach, because of the Grand Prix. But I wish it were because of art galleries or music conservatories or things like that. I just wish the city were known for something more cultural than an auto race.”

Scott Laslo, general manager of the Long Beach Plaza shopping mall not far from the course, knows only what he has been told, because he has been in that job for less than a year and has yet to experience a Grand Prix weekend. He said he has been told no horror stories.

“We know (the area) will be crowded but, from what I can gather, it doesn’t seem to impact us from a shopping standpoint,” he said. “It’s sort of an average weekend for us. I’m told that some of the people (attending the race activities) use our parking structure and that does impact our customers, but I haven’t heard a lot of negatives.”

According to Sgt. Mark Pickens of the Long Beach Police Department, race-related congestion is minimal these days, and the community is used to it.

“It’s old hat by now. Routine,” he said. “There’s a lot of traffic, but nothing we don’t expect. It’s busy, but nothing out of the ordinary. And we’ve been gearing up for several months. Complaints (from residents) are very minimal now because everyone’s become accustomed to it. And the street closings are minimal, too, because they’re all down below Ocean.”

According to Pook, the people who run the city have warm feelings, too, toward his baby.

“The City Council is very supportive,” he said. “Our relationship is very positive.”

Pook’s contract with the city runs through next year’s race and he is hopeful of taking the event into the next century.

“We’re in the midst of negotiating a new (contract) through the year 2000,” he said.

And so, it would seem, all is well with the Long Beach Grand Prix and the people who allow it to use their fair city.

Alas, even in the rosy world of race promoting, there are some who don’t go along with the program.

Said one accountant, asking not to be identified because some of the other people in the firm do business with the Grand Prix folks: “It’s a pain in the neck because it takes longer to get around. I’m in tax preparation and this is our busiest season so I can’t take a couple of days off and stay home. And Ocean Boulevard is just one huge mess, trying to move all that rerouted traffic.”

Stronger still was another accountant, the retired Fred O’Brien.

“I’m out of the noise and I’m glad,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, they can dump it in the ocean.”

Ah, well. Even Pook had to admit there were some who do not like the event.