Results tagged “Robert Garcia” from Press Corps

City Council members Tonia Reyes Uranga and Patrick O'Donnell are endorsing Third District Long Beach Unified School Richard Lewis, his campaign announced today.

Lewis seems to be the chosen one for this seat to replace Michael Shane Ellis, who resigned. Council members Robert Garcia, Suja Lowenthal and Val Lerch, and the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce have also endorsed Lewis in the Dec. 29 special election.

Lewis, a financial controller, is a member of the Downtown Long Beach Associates' executive board and president of the East Village Association.

First District Councilman Robert Garcia will lead a community effort Saturday to improve parking on the west side of the city.

Garcia and his staff will lead 1st District community groups and resident volunteers to survey all red curb areas that may be unnecessary and to identify potential locations for new bicycle racks.

"This is an opportunity to create more parking, support greater use of bicycles, and to improve the air quality and the quality of life in our community," Garcia said. "More parking spaces means less time driving, and more bike racks encourage more biking."

Participants will meet Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Birdcage Coffeehouse on 4th Street, just west of Pacific Avenue. A free lunch will be served.

Neal Coonerty, Supervisor, Santa Cruz County

Dave Cortese, Supervisor, Santa Clara County

Ken Yeager, Supervisor, Santa Clara County

Ruth Uy-Asmundson, Mayor, Davis

John Heilman, Mayor Pro Tempore, West Hollywood

Pete Aguilar, City Councilmember, Redlands

David Benavides, City Councilmember, Santa Ana

Ryan Coonerty, City Councilmember, Santa Cruz

Kevin Dowling, City Councilmember, Hayward

Marlen Garcia, City Councilmember, Baldwin Park

Robert Garcia, City Councilmember, Long Beach

George Gastil, City Councilmember, Lemon Grove

Todd Gloria, City Councilmember, San Diego

Lamar Heystek, City Councilmember, Davis

Lindsey Horvath, City Councilmember, West Hollywood

Kevin McCarty, City Councilmember, Sacramento

Bill Quirk, City Councilmember, Hayward

Jose Medina, Trustee, Riverside Community College

Rachel Norton, Commissioner, San Francisco USD

Steve Ngo, Board of Trustees, City College of San Francisco

Viet Tran, Human Relations Commission, Riverside

Gary Alford, Chair, Fresno County Democratic Central Committee

Sergio Carrillo, CDP Regional Director, Region 17

Nick Caston, First Vice Chair, Sonoma County Democratic Central Committee

Robert Dobrich, Vice Chair, El Dorado County Democratic Central Committee

Lawrence DuBois, Chair, Placer County Democratic Central Committee

Cynthia Ellsmore, President, Sierra County Democratic Central Committee

Robert Golling, President, Rocklin-Roseville Area Democrats

Bruce Harmon, Vice President, Butte County Democratic Central Committee

Kimberly Haswell, Vice Chair, Placer County Democratic Central Committee

Jay Hubble, Vice Chair, Fresno County Democratic Central Committee

Leslye Janusz, Chair, Auburn Area Democratic Club

Robert Kalonian, President, West Hollywood Democratic Club

Ryan Loney, Vice Chair, Yolo County Democratic Central Committee

Ted Perle, California Democratic State Central Committee

Judy Pipkin, Voter Registration & Community Services Director, Santa Clara County Democratic Party

Mia White, President, Silicon Valley Young Democrats

I've gotten several responses since last week's column offering to answer the public's questions for city officials or about Long Beach government. But I wanted to use this blog to remind our faithful readers about this opportunity. If there's anything you've always wondered about in Long Beach, or maybe there's a specific issue or project you're interested in, then e-mail me at paul.eakins@presstelegram.com and I will get your questions answered. At least, I will include answers to as many questions as I can in this monthly feature for my column, 333: Inside City Hall.

Really, your question can be anything, serious or quirky. Heck, if you want to ask fashionable 2nd District City Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal where she buys her clothes or ask 1st District Councilman Robert Garcia about why he is such a Superman fan, feel free.

 

 

The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce released a statement today in support of a proposal by City Council members Robert Garcia and Gary DeLong to begin investigating how to increase the number of locals who receive affordable housing. About 60 percent of the city's affordable housing residents were already living in Long Beach. Here's the full statement:

Randy Gordon, President and CEO of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
released the following statement today regarding Councilmembers Robert
Garcia and Gary DeLong's proposed housing preference:

"It is a policy priority of the Long Beach Chamber to support responsible
housing policies that help attract and retain Long Beach businesses.
Specifically, the Chamber is committed to supporting efforts, such as the
proposed housing preference, which will increase workforce housing
opportunities for Long Beach residents."

"The Chamber supports Councilmembers Robert Garcia and Gary DeLong's
upcoming request of the City Attorney and City Manager to return to the
Council within 60 days to report on approaches to strengthen the local
housing preference program in new and existing residential developments."


"When housing developments open, the City of Long Beach conducts an outreach
effort to local residents before opening up the new housing to applicants
who do not live in Long Beach. According to Garcia and DeLong,
approximately 60% of new units go to people who live or work in Long Beach
at the time of application. This leaves 40% of Long Beach's workforce
housing stock to residents who do not live or work in Long Beach. Long Beach
residents deserve better."

"The Chamber looks forward to working with Councilmembers Garcia and DeLong
to create a stronger housing preference for Long Beach residents and
workers. City resources should serve Long Beach residents first."

Long Beach City Council members Robert Garcia and Gary DeLong want to examine giving preference to more local residents in affordable housing developments. They announced today that at next week's council meeting they will be asking the council to approve having city staff report on the feasibility of stronger local presence.

According to a press release from DeLong and Garcia, 60 percent of affordable housing in Long Beach goes to local residents, but they would like to see more. No changes to the current affordable housing system would be implemented at Tuesday's meeting. It would only be the first step in the process of possibly changing Long Beach's policy.

See the full council agenda here.

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.

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.

I'm still catching my breath after covering last week's news about Police Chief Tony Batts leaving for Oakland, so here is something that the City Council approved last week -- their committee appointments.

Snoozing already? Sure, committees aren't the sexiest things in the world, but they do serve a purpose, as gatekeepers to much of the legislation that ends up before the council. Mayor Bob Foster made the committee appointments, and most members are on three or four committees, not including the Charter Amendment Committee that is headed by the mayor and on which every council member sits. However, Councilwoman Rae Gabelich sits on five committees.

Councilman Gary DeLong will continue as chairman of the Budget Oversight Committee, supported by council members Patrick O'Donnell and Suja Lowenthal, which could be considered one of the most important ones right now during Long Beach's budget crisis.

Many of the committee appointments seem quite appropriate. Who better to head the Housing and Neighborhoods Committee than man-of-the-people Councilman Dee Andrews? And of course, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd district council members are on the Tidelands and Harbor Committee, since they're the only ones whose districts include a shoreline or port areas. Unlike the other council members, who each leads one or two committees, newcomer Councilman Robert Garcia doesn't have such a role, but he is a member of the Federal Legislation Committee, the State Legislation Commitee and the Tidelands and Harbor Committee.

Click the following link and see the entire committee list for yourself:

Council committees.pdf

The proposed equal benefits ordinance is the subject of discussion at Beer & Politics tonight. The ordinance would require that contractors that do business with the city of Long Beach provide the same spousal benefits to domestic partners (including gay couples) as they do to married couples.

It's a controversial and fascinating issue. Will this cost businesses more? Should the city dictate how businesses are run? Does it really matter when you're talking about a basic civil right and equality? The free forum will feature guests Councilman Robert Garcia, who proposed the law, and John Greet, "Our Liberty" columnist for LBPost.com.

The discussion begins at 7 p.m. at Smooth's Sports Grille, 144 Pine Ave. If you can't attend, then watch it live online here. You can even submit questions for the guests online.

The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce has shifted its position on the equal benefits ordinance proposed by First District City Councilman Robert Garcia. The ordinance would require that businesses that provide spousal benefits also must provide benefits for domestic partners in order to get a city contract.

The council was to consider approving creation of the ordinance tonight, but facing some criticism, Garcia has changed his recommendation to have it sent to the council's Economic Development Committee for review. The Chamber first declared itself neutral on the ordinance, but now is supporting Garcia's new recommendation.

From the Chamber's press release:

Today, after many conversations with our business community, elected
officials and Councilmember Garcia, the Chamber is in full support of the
Councilmember's decision to seek further review of this issue by introducing
it in the Economic Development Committee of the Long Beach City Council.
This process allows the Chamber and other interested stakeholders more time
to be a part of the process of the EBO's development.

The Chamber reserves its right to take a position on the final draft of the
EBO once it is brought back to City Council for consideration.

The council meets at 5 p.m. today in City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.

Fifth District Long Beach City Councilman Gerrie Schipske posted over the weekend on her blog -- www.gerrieschipske.com -- that a proposed equal benefits ordinance should be sent to committee before the council votes on it. The ordinance would require that companies that contract with the city of Long Beach and provide spousal benefits also must provide benefits for domestic partners. The idea was proposed by 1st District Councilman Robert Garcia to ensure that gay couples have the same benefits as others, at least among businesses the city is paying for services. Other cities and the state have similar equal benefits ordinances in place. Garcia and Schipske are the two openly gay members of the council, but Schipske had some concerns. Here's an excerpt from her blog:

As far as I can see, every city that has adopted this ordinance did so after several public hearings and with input from the business and gay and lesbian communities before the ordinance was crafted.

In fairness to everyone, we need to do the same: refer it to a council committee and the Human Relations Commission for public hearings and in-put. That way we can work out the details in public -- such as the dollar threshold for the requirement to kick in.

As I wrote about in today's paper, former 7th District Councilman Mike Donelon also has voiced concerns. He wrote a letter to the editor that ran in the Press-Telegram as well about the issue. Tuesday's council meeting (5 p.m. at City Hall) should be a lively and engaging one, and I'm sure members of the public and council members will have interesting perspectives on the matter.

First District Councilman Robert Garcia, who represents parts of downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, will be speaking at two upcoming community forums, starting with one tonight (Thursday, July 9).

This evening's event will take place during the West End Community Association at 7 p.m. in Cesar Chavez Park's community room, 4th Street and Golden Avenue. Next Wednesday, Garcia will be the guest speaker at the Willmore City Heritage Association's meeting at 7 p.m. in the Willmore Community Police Center, 9th Street and Daisy Avenue.

Topics will include Public Safety, Parking, Pacific Avenue Renovation, the Drake Park expansion, historic preservation and business renovations in Willmore, and the West Gateway. Garcia will also take questions and comments from the audience, and his staff will take down any neighborhood concerns or suggestions.

In a city that prides itself for its "green" efforts, it's no surprise that a proposal by council members Robert Garcia and Patrick O'Donnell to have City Manager Pat West examine how Long Beach can reduce its permitting fees for residential solar panels was met with enthusiastic support.

The council on Tuesday night unanimously approved the recommendation, which stemmed from a Sierra Club study of how much California cities charge for solar panel permits. Long Beach charges $599, which is far below the $750 amount that the Sierra Club said was an exhorbitant charge and that some cities even exceed. Still, it wasn't at the $324 level that the Sierra Club says is all it should cost for cities to recover their expenses.

Read an article about that Sierra Club study here.

If you want your voice to be heard on one of the city's biggest public projects, don't forget to send them to the state by 5 p.m. today.

State officials has been seeking feedback on an environmental report they did on the proposed courthouse project. Slated for completion by 2012, the new courthouse would be a 545,000-square-foot building with 31 civil and criminal courtrooms, county office space, retail space and a basement that will include a sally port or controlled-entry space and an in-custody holding facility.

The state and the Redevelopment Agency are hammering out the terms of a land-exchange agreement that would give the agency 415 W. Ocean Blvd., site of the current courthouse, for future development in exchange for the vacant property bordered by Broadway, Maine Avenue, Third Street and Magnolia Avenue.

While ultimate approval belongs to the state, the agency and the community have been able to inject their views about the project's design. This is one of those opportunities.

First District City Councilman Robert Garcia has been beating the drum on this:

More than 100 residents responded to Councilman Robert Garcia's call for public comments on the new Long Beach Courthouse project currently being planned by the State Administrative Office of the Courts. The number of letters represents more than five times the number of attendees at the only public meeting held by the State on this project, which occurred last Monday, at which fewer than 20 residents were present.
The campaign began just a week ago, and the letters were sent today, just in time for the 5pm deadline.
"The Courthouse project will have a huge impact on our community, and we want to ensure the impact is positive," said the Councilmember. "We want a building that is environmentally responsible, physically inspiring, and well-managed. We want to make sure local jobs are created and public safety protected." 

Garcia has posted a form letter outlining these issues at www.robertgarcia.com for residents.

Members of the public can alter, delete or entirely rewrite the letter and put their names on it. After the letters are submitted on the Web site, Garcia said he will forward all of them to the state Monday.

For a copy of the report, visit www.courtinfo.ca.gov/programs/occm/projects_lalongbeach.htm or contact Jerome Ripperda at jerry.ripperda@jud.ca.gov 

In the newly erupted controversy of a local skate park that has drawn criticism from one U.S. senator as being among the worst misuses of federal stimulus funding, 1st District City Councilman Robert Garcia continues to fire back.

He announced today the creation of a new page on his Web site to muster support for the 14th Street Skate Park project and where the public can find information about the plans. You can see two Press-Telegram stories about the project and the controversy here and here.

Earlier this week, Garcia released the following statement in response to the criticism of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.:

The Long Beach 14th Street Skatepark is an essential recreational facility for young people in one of the most vulnerable and densely populated areas in the country. Residents have strongly advocated for the park for many years. The park will bring jobs and an improved quality of life to Long Beach, and offer positive activities to youth who might otherwise be left to fend for themselves on the streets. I'd like to personally invite Senator Coburn to visit our community and to tell the kids who want and need this park why he wants to take it away from them.

Despite Senator Coburn's very visible opposition to federal spending on everything from bridges and wilderness protection to medical research and alternative energy, his state receives about $1.36 for every dollar it pays in Federal taxes, while California gets back just 78 cents on its tax dollar. In fact, Oklahoma receives from the Federal government approximately 1,000 dollars more per person on average than does California. This is just more evidence that Tom Coburn is out of touch and that his grandstanding about the stimulus bill is worse than irrelevant - it's patently hypocritical.

This is a park we can all be proud of, and I'm proud to let Senator Coburn know that it's going to get built whether he likes it or not.

At this morning's Downtown Long Beach Associates board meeting, newly minted 1st District City Councilman Robert Garcia introduced his staff members to business owners and downtown stakeholders and said he's looking forward to working with the organization.

"I just want you to know that I am a 100 percent downtown guy," said Garcia, who previously sat on the DLBA board as a residential adviser. "I own a loft downtown, I shop, I eat in downtown restaurants almost every night. This is where I live, so for me downtown is not just a place I go to to experience but it's my neighborhood.

"So what you guys do here every day ... is very important, not just for the whole city, but for what happens in my everyday life and what happens to the life of my neighbors..."

Garcia, who called himself an optimist, also said "there's great things happening in downtown regardless of our challenges."

Among the many items that went before the Long Beach City Council in a busy and long-running meeting Tuesday was a resolution in support of the state propositions that will be on the ballot next week.

The council voted 4-3 to support the resolutions. Council members Suja Lowenthal, Patrick O'Donnell, Dee Andrews and Tonia Reyes Uranga voted in favor, while council members Robert Garcia, Gerrie Schipske and Rae Gabelich dissented. Vice Mayor Val Lerch abstained, as he usually does on resolutions about ballot measures or similar issues. Lerch has said a non-partisan governmental body like the council shouldn't take a position on issues going before voters, just as it shouldn't back political candidates. Councilman Gary DeLong was absent from the vote.

Will the council's vote make a difference? Polls show voters are likely to reject the propositions May 19. Only Garcia articulated Tuesday why he couldn't support the legislation -- he said he can't support Prop. 1D, which would shift First 5 Children's Commission funding to general health and human services programs for children, and he called the Prop. 1E mental health measure "draconian."

Read up on all of the propositions at the California League of Women Voters voter guide site. It's an objective site that shows the arguments on both sides of each proposition.

It's always interesting watching a newcomer step into the role of council member. When Robert Garcia was sworn in Tuesday to represent the 1st District, several questions crossed my mind.

Will he tend to vote with the council majority? Or will he join agitators such as council members Gerrie Schipske and Tonia Reyes Uranga in what is often a quite vocal minority? Will he target a barrage of questions and comments at city staff, like the aforementioned agitators, or will he be the silent type, like Councilman Dee Andrews? Maybe he'll be an activist on his specific issues, the way Councilwoman Rae Gabelich is, or he may become that unknown x-factor whose vote could go either way, like Vice Mayor Val Lerch's sometimes is.

His first day on the job, Garcia had a lot of big decisions to make, and the public saw a councilman who was willing to go with the majority or the minority.

In closed session, and for the first vote of his career, Garcia voted with the minority -- Schipske and Uranga -- to release confidential documents about the controversial Los Cerritos Wetlands land exchange. But in open session, Garcia joined the majority in voting to implement employee furloughs, while Schipske and Uranga voted against them because they wanted to postpone the vote.

We've also got to give Garcia credit for sticking around through all of the major and contentious votes Tuesday. Typically, newly inaugurated council members take off immediately for a celebration, but Garcia stayed until almost 9 p.m. despite his planned 7 p.m. party.

So, what do you think Garcia's political future and role on the council will hold?