Results tagged “Long Beach City Council” from Press Corps

The District Weekly reported over the weekend that Terry Jensen, a former Redevelopment Agency board member who gained recognition last year for opposing the Measure I infrastructure parcel tax, plans to run against Councilman Gary DeLong in the 3rd District. Jensen certainly gained a following among gadflies and council critics, but will he have enough support -- financially and otherwise -- to unseat DeLong?

Read the District's story here, and stay tuned for a follow-up by the Press-Telegram as well.

 

 

 

The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce today announced its opposition to a City Council proposal to hold a Charter Amendment Committee meeting to consider increasing the Port of Long Beach transfer to the Tidelands Fund. The Port now gives 10 percent of its profits, but that transfer is expected to drop in half in the next couple of years.

The council voted x-x tonight not to hold a Charter Amendment Committee meeting on the issue yet, but to have a study session first to talk about some of the potential legal issues that have been raised by the State Lands Commission. Below is the full text of the press release from the Chamber of Commerce.

Long Beach Chamber Statement On Convening A Meeting Of The Charter Amendment
Committee

Randy Gordon, President and CEO of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
released the following statement regarding the City Council Agenda Item 27
09-1018 on convening a meeting of the City Council's Charter Amendment
Committee:

"The Chamber opposes to tonight's City Council agenda item requesting the
Charter Amendment Committee to review ways to increase the current level of
investment by the Port of Long Beach. Currently, our Port transfers 10% of
the tidelands fund to the City to pay for tidelands-related services which
has amounted to $16 million so far this year.

The Chamber agrees with the authors of this motion that during difficult
budget times, it is important to re-examine all funding sources and ensure
they reflect the changing economic environment.

But re-examining ALL funding sources should not mean re-examining the
funding sources that actually work and then pick their pockets. Instead,
re-examining sources that drain funding is a more productive way to approach
our fiscal problems.

How about re-examining out of control costs associated with public employee
pensions?

How about re-examining increasing fees on businesses?

How about re-examining ways to actually retain and attract businesses?

How about re-examining ways to streamline current city staffing levels -
instead of just eliminating vacant positions?

How about re-examining ways to stabilize public safety funding?

The "what we should be re-examining list" goes on and on. The bottom line
here is that re-examining ALL funding sources is not the intention of this
motion. Instead, this is yet another political power grab at one of the few
departments in this city that can actually run itself responsibly.

It is also important to understand that the Port of Long Beach is the only
port in the US that annually transfers funds to its governing City. And,
since 1990, our Port has invested over $790 million into the City of Long
Beach which would average out to approximately $41.5 million per year.

Increasing or making changes to the tidelands transfer will take away from
the Port's ability to invest in the areas that this Council and vocal
members of our community urge the Port to invest: things like environmental,
security and transportation programs.

Speaking of the environment, the Port has made major strides to improve its
footprint through progressive policies such as the Green Port Policy and
Clean Air Action Plan. Taking additional tidelands funds away from the
Port's operating revenue will impede the Port ability to fund these programs
and accomplish their environmental and security program goals.

Finally, increases or changes to the tidelands transfer will send the wrong
message to the shipping industry. Funds used for the transfer come from
leases, wharfage fees and other fees paid by terminal operators and the
shipping industry. These funds have are collected and are designed to be
reinvested in the port through capital improvements and environmental
programs.

By taking away funds needed to invest into the port, you send the message to
industry that the City of Long Beach is not business friendly or committed
to making sure that we have a state-of-the-art, environmentally-friendly
complex.

I urge the City Council to take the spirit of the well intentioned motion
and focus it on areas that deserve review.

Let's let the Port do its job by providing the needed economic job-creation
and annual investment already in place so that we can focus on other areas
that need re-examining."

Mayor Bob Foster's office confirmed today that he has signed the budget approved by the City Council last week without using his line-item veto. Tonight, the council is expected to give final approval to the $2.5 billion budget for the 2010 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

In approving the budget, Foster didn't dispute the council's restoration of $169,000 in city contributions for the operating costs of the Long Beach Museum of Art. Foster had recommended eliminating the entire $569,000 city contribution after the museum wasn't able to pay off $3 million in bond debt this month, which the city then had to cover.

The council meets at 5 p.m. tonight. Watch the meeting online at www.longbeach.gov.

Things must have gotten backed up at City Hall because of the budget over the last couple of weeks. The agenda for next Tuesday's City Council meeting isn't just a government document -- it's a book! Forget "War and Peace." "Don Quixote"? That's light reading.

If any last-minute items are added to the agenda this afternoon (and they almost always are), the agenda will have at least 50 items on it. And I thought we were going to be finished with late-night meetings for a while after the council approved the budget last week.

For the most part, however, there isn't anything of great controversy on the agenda, though you never know for sure what might stir up trouble into you're sitting in the Council Chambers. Twenty-one items are on the consent calendar, which is passed with a single vote, and many of the other actions are for various contracts. Fairly routine stuff.

One big controversial issue could be an item from council members Rae Gabelich, Gerrie Schipske and Tonia Reyes Uranga to have the Charter Amendment Commitee (which is essentially the mayor and the full council) consider charter reforms to bring in more money. That includes but is not limited to, the agenda item notes, revising the Harbor Department transfer to the General Fund. That means the council members want more money from the Port of Long Beach. This discussion has been touched on many times before, and grabbing that extra cash requires walking a thin legal tightrope. The Harbor Department is certainly likely to resist.

By coincidence, earlier Tuesday, at 3:30 p.m., the Charter Amendment Committee will meet to discuss creating a charter-required "rainy day" fund to ensure that when extra money is on hand, part of it is saved for tough economic times -- like now. The council would have to put the fund on the ballot for voters to consider.

The council starts its regular meeting Tuesday at 5 p.m. Click here to go the city clerk's Legistar program that will allow you to see all of the meeting agendas with their backup documents.

The Long Beach City's Council's Economic Development and Finance Committee doesn't usually draw a crowd, but Monday's meeting may be different.

Two politically charged and controversial issues -- an Equal Benefits Ordinance for domestic partners such as gay couples and potential regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries -- are going before the committee, which meets at 4:30 p.m. in City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.

The Equal Benefits Ordinance, proposed by Councilman Robert Garcia, would require that city contractors that already provide spousal benefits to their employees also include domestic partners in their benefits plan. Part of the reason for the ordinance is to give benefits to gay couples. Garcia is one of two openly gay council members. The council voted in July to send the matter to committee, where it was supposed to be discussed in August, but it may have been delayed because of the council's budget talks.

The second issue going to the committee has its own kind of controversy.

Medical marijuana dispensaries are popping up more and more around Long Beach, but they are unregulated and nobody knows exactly how many there are. Their numbers have been estimated at up to 40. The council voted unanimously Aug. 4 to have City Attorney Robert Shannon report within 60 days about the feasibility, legality and enforcement of ordinances on medical marijuana collectives and cooperatives, which are also known as dispensaries or clubs.

The Economic Development and Finance Committee will vet the issue Monday and then could make recommendations to the full council, though the council wouldn't have to support the committee's plan. The committee members are council members Rae Gabelich, Gary DeLong and Tonia Reyes Uranga.

Police Chief Tony Batts was interviewed on "Straight Talk with Art Levine" recently and warned about cutting the Police Department's community outreach budgets. Under budget cuts approved by the City Council on Tuesday, the police are losing their ability to do crime prevention and intervention, and now will be focusing mostly on suppression.

It's essential that the public views police as part of the community, otherwise "police departments will only be looked upon as an occupying army," Batts told Levine.

On hiring his replacement when Batts goes to Oakland, it would be "a tragedy" to hire from outside of the department he said, because he has many capable deputy chiefs and commanders. Departments should only hire externally when a department wants a change, he said.

Watch the full interview below: 

Councilman Gary DeLong seemed to surprise everyone in the Council Chambers moments ago when he announced he would vote against a new contract with the Long Beach Police Officers Association that would save the city millions of dollars.

After months of negotiations between POA and city officials to get police officers to forgo some pay raises, POA President Steve James called DeLong's vote a "slap ... in the face" and Councilman Patrick O'Donnell said DeLong was "grandstanding."

DeLong said he couldn't support the contract because it doesn't contain reforms of the city's costly pension program. Other council members thanked police officers for reopening their contract and reducing their pay raises even though they didn't have to.

The new contract will give officers an 11 percent raise spread out over five years instead of the nearly 9.3 percent raise they were due Sept. 30. The deal, which was overwhelmingly approved by POA members, will save the city $7.6 million this year and $15 million over the next five years.

"Your comments are the epitome of the dysfunction we've dealt with," James told DeLong. "Don't slap these people (police officers) in the face. This needs to pass with a 9-0 vote. They deserve it."

DeLong responded that he had tried to reach James on Monday to inform him of his decision and that he doesn't like to "blindside" people, but O'Donnell interrupted DeLong, saying: "Why didn't you tell us?"

As DeLong and O'Donnell began to argue and Mayor Bob Foster tried to silence O'Donnell for speaking out of turn, O'Donnell shouted out: "This is grandstanding."

The council approved the POA contract 8-1, with DeLong dissenting.

A few minutes ago, more than 100 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents 3,800 city of Long Beach employees, took their seats in the Council Chambers of Long Beach City Hall. The union had a rally and march beforehand and are here to put pressure on the City Council to give them a good contract.

City officials have been negotiating pay concessions with five different unions that have contractual pay raises going into effect at the end of the month. Two weeks ago, the Long Beach Police Officers Association announced it had approved a deal that will give officers an 11 percent raise spread out over five years instead of the nearly 9.3 percent raise they were due Sept. 30. The deal, which the council will vote on today, will save the city $7.6 million this year and $15 million over the next five years.

However, the IAM is unhappy with the progress of its negotiations. Union officials say they have offered city management a deal that would save Long Beach $8.5 million, but that city officials say it isn't enough. So, the IAM will be protesting today what they say is a budget that will be balanced on the backs of city workers.

To eliminate the $38.3 million general fund deficit, city officials are banking on $18 million in savings through employee concessions in the form of forgone pay raises. If the city can't reach a deal with its unions, that may mean further layoffs or citywide furloughs.

In a surprisingly quick and efficient budget hearing this afternoon, the Long Beach City Council approved the 2010 fiscal year budget that includes $38.3 million in general fund cuts.

After last week's budget negotiations during which council members found agreement on which programs to restore, there were few arguments and little prosthelytizing today. The council unanimously approved the remaining budget measures and threw out a few new restorations, including fully restoring Marine Rescue Boat 3, which had been slated to be cut.

The council is now in closed session discussing union negotiations (which aren't exactly going great -- see an earlier post from today) and later is scheduled to vote on a new police contract that will save the city money this year.

Read the full story later today at www.presstelegram.com.

The deadline is here. The Long Beach City Council must approve a budget tonight, or City Manager Pat West's proposed budget will automatically go into effect, per the City Charter.

Check out this Press Corps blog and the Press-Telegram news page for updates throughout the evening about the city workers' rally, council votes and the budget plan that is ultimately approved. It could be another late night tonight, but we will keep you informed.

The council will have a budget hearing at 3:30 p.m., followed by a closed session at 4:30 p.m., the regular council meeting at 5 p.m. and a final budget hearing scheduled to begin no later than 7 p.m. If you're really interested, the meetings are open to the public and can be viewed live on Charter Communications Channel 8, Verizon FiOS Channel 21 or online at www.longbeach.gov.

Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents 3,800 city of Long Beach employees, are planning to rally at 4:15 p.m. today at Cedar Avenue and Broadway, then march to City Hall, 333. W. Ocean Blvd., to protest the budget before the 5 p.m. meeting. City officials have been negotiating pay concessions with five different unions that have contractual pay raises going into effect at the end of the month.

Two weeks ago, the Long Beach Police Officers Association announced it had approved a deal that will give officers an 11 percent raise spread out over five years instead of the nearly 9.3 percent raise they were due Sept. 30. The deal, which the council will vote on today, will save the city $7.6 million this year and $15 million over the next five years.

However, the IAM is unhappy with the progress of its negotiations. Union officials say they have offered city management a deal that would save Long Beach $8.5 million, but that city officials say it isn't enough. So, the IAM will be protesting today what they say is a budget that will be balanced on the backs of city workers.

To eliminate the $38.3 million general fund deficit, city officials are banking on $18 million in savings through employee concessions in the form of forgone pay raises. If the city can't reach a deal with its unions, that may mean further layoffs or citywide furloughs.

Read this article in English here.

Tal vez leyeron en mi columna hoy que entre los programas que podrían terminar en el presupuesto de Long Beach, uno es el "simulcast" en español para ver las juntas del Ayuntamiento Municipal en la television.

Los consejeros Robert Garcia y Tonia Reyes Uranga, quienes son los dos latinos del consejo, dijeron el martes que estaban preocupados que este programa, lo cual cuesta $37,000, podría terminar y pidieron que el gestión del gobierno municipal traten de salvarlo. Sin embargo, el ayuntamiento no tomó ninguna acción official para salvar el programa.

El "simulcast" proporciona intérpretes de español durante las juntas del ayuntamiento que transmiten en television, y parece que es un programa muy popular. El Oficial Secretario Larry Herrera reportó que un estudio que hicieron hace unos anos mostró que 4,000 hispanohablantes usan el "simulcast" para ver las juntas en español cada semana.

El ayuntamiento tiene sus últimas juntas para aprobar el presupuesto el próximo martes a las 3:30 de la tarde y continuando a las 7 de la noche. La junta ocurre en El Palacio Municipal (City Hall), 333 W. Ocean Blvd.

You may have read in my column today that among the proposed Long Beach budget cuts is an end to Spanish language simulcasts of council meetings.

Council members Robert Garcia and Tonia Reyes Uranga, the two Latinos on the council, raised concerns Tuesday about eliminating the $37,000 program and asked city management to find a way to save it. However, the council took no formal action to save the program.

The simulcast provides Spanish interpreters during the council meeting television broadcasts, and apparently is quite popular. City Clerk Larry Herrera reported that a study conducted several years ago showed that 4,000 people use the simulcast service each week to watch council meetings.

Speaking of Spanish speakers, I've translated this entry into Spanish so they can learn about this as well. Click here for that blog entry.

As Long Beach City Council members went through some of the most collaborative negotiating and compromising that I have seen to come up with a viable budget plan Tuesday, an entertaining exchange occurred between Mayor Bob Foster and Councilman Gary DeLong, chairman of the Budget Oversight Committee.

After DeLong sat down and ticked off a long list of the revised budget restorations that had been agreed upon, Foster asked: "Mr. DeLong, do these balance?"

"Within $12,000," DeLong replied.

"I guess that's good enough for government," the mayor quipped, half-jokingly.

The sad thing is, when it comes to government accounting, Foster was probably right.

When times are tough, common sense says to put that extra cash in the bank, under the mattress, in the cookie jar or wherever else people squirrel away money.

Well, times couldn't be tougher for the city of Long Beach, as officials try to pass a budget that has the largest general fund deficit - $38.3 million - in the city's history.

In the middle of seemingly endless budget talks Tuesday, the City Council approved a measure that would give Long Beach its own cookie jar. Maybe a better term would be a safe, because it would come with a lock to which only the people of Long Beach would hold the key.

The proposal by council members Val Lerch and Gary DeLong is to create a City Charter amendment requiring a "rainy day fund."

Under their proposal, whenever the city's revenue growth exceeds 5 percent over the previous year, half of that money would be placed in the fund. In lean fiscal times, the city could withdraw up to 50 percent of the rainy day fund in one year, but no more than the amount of the revenue decline from the previous year.

The council unanimously approved having the Charter Amendment Committee consider the feasibility of implementing the fund when it meets Sept. 22. The council would have to approve placing the fund on the election ballot, likely in 2010, and Long Beach voters would decide whether to approve the charter amendment. 

After pulling his proposal from this week's City Council agenda, 6th District Councilman Dee Andrews will return it to the council the first week of October, his chief of staff, John Edmond, told me. The item had been removed from the agenda because of expected time constraints as the council took on budget issues this week.

The parking plan would allow the city to designate certain parking lots as places where the homeless could park and live in their cars. The lots would provide security and social services to help people get back on their feet and into real housing. Andrews' proposal, which he announced to help "economic refugees" who are down on their luck during the recession and aren't the traditional homeless.

Of course, the idea has stirred up some opposition and concern from residents about having these parking lots in their neighborhoods, which will surely lead to a contentious council meeting. The council's first meeting next month is scheduled for Oct. 6.

It wasn't heated debate, fiery dialogue or hot tempers that stoked the fires of Monday evening's Budget Oversight Committee meeting and City Council budget workshop. It was the air conditioning system, or lack thereof.

Apparently, the AC wasn't turned on for the meetings that began at 5 p.m. and ended close to 8:30 p.m. True, it is unusual for a meeting to take place in the council chambers on a Monday night. The chambers are tall and spacious, and the crowd was small, both of which probably helped the situation. But by night's end, the room was hot, humid and uncomfortable on a day when the high temperature reached 91 degrees in Long Beach. I know I was sweating, and I wasn't one of the city staffers sitting in the hot seat (no pun intended, really) as council members asked them rapid-fire questions about the budget.

Maybe that's why council members Gary DeLong and Patrick O'Donnell disappeared midway through the 6 p.m. workshop (both are part of the Budget Oversight Committee and had been there since 5 p.m.). Councilman Dee Andrews disappeared later as well, as did Mayor Bob Foster, ironically just shortly after he responded to Councilwoman Rae Gabelich, who had been complaining about the members being absent during an important budget meeting. He told there was nothing he could do to make people stay, and apparently that included himself.

Let's just hope the AC is on tonight, when budget discussions very well could go on for hours. My guess is the meeting could approach midnight. So, a plea to whoever is in charge of that "on" switch at City Hall: Sitting through hours of city budget meetings can seem like hell, but please don't make the room temperature feel like it.

Sixth District Long Beach City Councilman Dee Andrews has pulled his agenda item for Tuesday night that would have asked the city attorney to craft an ordinance allowing the city to designate parking lots where the homeless could live in their cars. Andrews said in a press release this afternoon that he plans to revisit the issue after the council completes its budget process. The council must approve a budget by Sept. 15. Andrews' item had been scheduled for Tuesday night in a meeting that was wedged between budget meetings and scheduled to last only an hour.

 

From Andrews' statement:

 

"This issue requires much consideration from our City Councilmembers and due to the time needed for the Budget, this will not allow Council the proper amount of time to deliberate on this important issue", said Councilman Andrews. "I will be bringing this item back to Council after the 2010 Budget is passed", continued Councilman Andrews.

 

 

Ron Nelson, executive director of the Long Beach Museum of Art, sent out an e-mail over the last few days trying to rally support to attend Monday night's City Council Budget Oversight Committee meeting as the council considers whether to support Mayor Bob Foster's proposal to eliminate funding for the museum's administration. A few members of the Museum Foundation's board and other supporters were there, but as you can read in my article today, committee chairman Councilman Gary DeLong didn't have the most sympathetic words for Nelson.

The museum director is also hoping to rally support before the council goes into closed session today at 5 p.m. to discuss the museum's property lease and other issues. Confused about why Foster would want to cut the museum's funding? It's a case of everyone showing up to eat a seven-course meal, but no one wanting to foot the bill. Read an in-depth account of the standoff in the following file: Museum of Art.doc.

Soon, the council may make a decision in an open meeting. They have about two weeks to do it, because the Sept. 15 deadline to pass the budget is growing ever closer.

Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske has announced on her Facebook page that she will have a campaign kick-off and fundraiser Sept. 12.

So far, Schipske only faces one challenger in next April's election, Mike Hedges, president and CEO of Pacific Striping in Signal Hill. Hedges is a political newcomer that so far hasn't drawn much attention to himself. Schipske, on the other hand, is a master at getting her name and face in the media, stirring up controversy and mobilizing her constituents.

A controversial figure, Schipske is often at odds with other council members, city management and especially Mayor Bob Foster. But she also has earned a reputation as one of the most active and responsive council members, staying in touch with East Long Beach residents and responding to their concerns. She maintains a blog as well to keep her constituents informed.

So far, I would consider Schipske a lock for a second term, but it is still very early in the campaign. Who knows what challengers might surface in the coming months, or what Hedges might bring to the table. While Schipske has much going for her, there is also enough controversy in her political history and a few decisions that have upset residents to become ammunition for challengers to use against her.