UNITE HERE says it has identified more than 20 alleged incidents including "interrogations, threats, and surveillance in a heavy-handed effort," increased security patrols in employee areas, the "threat of lost wages, hours and employment from management" and "repeated interrogation of workers by management about organizing activities including a 2-hour interrogation of one worker by the General Manager."
In a media release, Hilton General Manager Kristi Allen responds: "We have not seen the allegations and cannot comment at this time about them although the hotel will cooperate with the NLRB'S investigation and comply with the legal process."
The City Council approved a revised sex offender ordinance late Tuesday night, but in an odd face-off, City Prosecutor Thomas Reeves said he won't prosecute the law.
The council meeting went late, and as I was filing other stories I missed part of the discussion, so look at the Press-Telegram Web site Wednesday (I can't promise the time, but I'll try to get the story up as quickly as possible) or at Thursday's paper for a full report on the discussion.
It was a bit strange, to be sure, just like the whole sex offender residency issue. I'll boil the situation down for you.
Last winter, neighbors of 1149 E. First St. were alarmed to learn more than a dozen registered sex offenders were living in the apartment building. Their representative, Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal, had the city attorney's office create a law to restrict where sex offenders live in Long Beach and to limit how many can live in a building. The law was passed by the council, then challenged on its constitutionality and the city suspended enforcement of the law, but last month a lawsuit was still filed by 35 sex offenders against the ordinance.
So, the city attorney's office rewrote the law, eliminating its retroactive effect, which means it won't apply to the 800 registered sex offenders living in Long Beach, nor any others who were convicted before the law takes effect 31 days after the mayor approves it. The law also has several other changes, such as limiting to one the number of sex offenders than can live in a single residential unit, such as an apartment, rather than in an entire apartment building as originally written. Furthermore, it eliminates the creation of "child safety zones" of 300 feet around places where children gather.
However, the ordinance keeps certain provisions, such as requiring that sex offenders live at least 2,000 feet from schools and parks. It also restricts property owners from knowingly renting to sex offenders in the restricted areas.
City Attorney Robert Shannon says he will still use civil penalties against those who violate the ordinance, but without Reeves on board, there won't be any criminal penalties for violators.
Some people say it needs to come down to return our beaches to their former glory. Others say it is the only thing protecting Long Beach's coast from storms and high waves.
Whatever your opinion on the Long Beach breakwater, you can learn more about a study being conducted on possible changes to the sea wall Wednesday (Nov. 19).
The third and final breakwater workshop will take place Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way. City officials don't just want to inform the public, but they want your input as well.
The workshop will include a brief overview of the Breakwater Reconnaissance Study being conducted, a review of public discussion from the previous two breakwater workshops, and small breakout group discussions. If you missed the first or second breakwater workshops, you can get up to speed by visiting the Breakwater Reconnaissance Study Web site and reviewing materials from the other workshops.
Parking at Wednesday's workshop is $6 at an adjacent structure.
The forum will include 2nd District City Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal and representatives from the Redevelopment Agency, Downtown Long Beach Associates and the Downtown Residential Council, a new coalition of neighborhood and homeowners associations.
The meeting comes at the heels of public outcry over the state of downtown, including Pine Avenue, a once-booming commercial street with more than two dozen empty storefronts in the heart of downtown.
"What I like to do is initiate an honest dialogue with stakeholders in downtown that results in everyone rowing in the same direction and working together toward a common goal," Lowenthal said. "In talking with city and downtown stakeholders, it became pretty evident that we all needed to know where everyone is -- really be on the same page with the various efforts to addressing retail and economic development."
Lowenthal said the meeting will focus on the thinking behind the city's retail plan.
"People weren't sure what was being done," she said. "They see empty storefronts and there's a perception that nothing's being done.
"Well, there's a story behind that empty storefront and I think that's a story that needs to be part of this dialogue, giving the history and the foundation of the retail strategy and the evolution of the retail strategy that the city is working on and what the city can do better through the assistance of these residential stakeholders."
The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. at 500 E. First St. in Long Beach.
That's right. By the Nov. 4 general election, when Long Beach voters shot down the Measure I infrastructure improvement parcel tax (which required a two-thirds vote), the campaign supporting it had raised $719,620, according to campaign finance reports filed yesterday at the City Clerk's office.
From Oct. 30 to Nov. 4, in the last days berfore the election, the Rebuild Long Beach campaign raised an additional $65,500 on top of the $657,000 it had raised over the previous two or three months.
This last infusion of money came from 11 mostly large contributions, including $5,000 from the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach; $13,333.34 from Lyon Apartment Companies of Newport Beach and $6,666.66 from essentially the same contributor, Lyon Management Group; and $10,000 from KUD International LLC, as well as $5,000 from its president and CEO, Marvin Suomi.
Meanwhile, the City Clerk's Web site doesn't list any new contributions for the No on Measure I campaign, presumably because it didn't raise any more money past Oct. 29. Its last reported contributions were a comparatively miniscule $5,368.
To see the full campaign finance summaries and contribution lists, go to the City Clerk's campaign finance site.
Mayor Bob Foster was absent from last night's meeting, apparently giving up council gadflies for koalas and kangaroos. A member of his staff told me today that he left over the weekend for Australia and New Zealand to talk about energy and climate change.
I'm awaiting more details of the trip, and the staff member couldn't tell me whether Foster would be at next week's meeting. If Foster misses next week too, he will go more than a month without presiding over a council meeting.
Foster won't be at next week's meeting either, I have been told. Also, I've learned that the travel and hotel expenses of the trip are being funded by the non-profit California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy, which sends local government officials on one or two such trips each year.
The council doesn't meet on the last Tuesday of each month and didn't meet Nov. 4 because of the election. This month, there are only two meetings, yesterday and next Tuesday. The last time the council met before this week was Oct. 21, and if Foster misses next week, he won't be back on the council dais until Dec. 2.
But Foster's involvement in the global energy discussion does seem to fit in with Long Beach's goals. City officials have been making efforts to "green" Long Beach over the past couple of years and have expressed their desire to make it a leader in conservation.
Mayor Bob Foster announced today that he has appointed attorney Susan Wise to the Harbor Commission.
"Susan will be a great addition to the Harbor Commission," Foster said in a statement. "Her intellect, experience and problem-solving skills will be invaluable as she participates in the decisions that will greatly impact the Port of Long Beach."
The City Council must confirm the mayor's appointment to make it official.
Wise would replace Doris Topsy-Elvord, who retired at the end of June after serving five years on the commission. Wise will serve a six-year term.
The five-member commission oversees a $1 billion budget in one of the nation's busiest ports.
Wise has been an attorney for almost 34 years with experience in both commercial and civil cases, and as a Superior Court mediator, according to the mayor's office. She is a partner with Long Beach-based Wise Pearce Yocis & Smith.
A 3rd District resident who has been in Long Beach more than 30 years, Wise has been active in the community, volunteering on the board of directors for the Children's Clinic, the YMCA of Greater Long Beach, Long Beach Bar Foundation and the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership.
In case you missed my column last week, the field of likely candidates for the 1st District City Council seat -- soon to become available when Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal takes office in the state Assembly next month -- has grown.
Now, five people have said they will run or are considering running for Lowenthal's position representing neighborhoods north and west of Downtown.
So, who should we be watching? Though it's early in the race -- heck, the race hasn't even started yet and the runners are still warming up -- a couple potential candidates stand out.
Just to be clear, I am by no means endorsing any candidate. This is just an objective analysis of the field so far.
- One obvious contender is Evan Braude, an attorney and president of the Long Beach Historical Society who represented the 1st District from 1986 to 1994. He has the political experience, local connections and of course, he is in a 20-year relationship with Lowenthal, which I would imagine ought to get him her endorsement. Because term limits were enacted during his second term, Braude can still serve out the remaining two years of Lowenthal's term and serve one more four-year term. Braude has only said he is considering running, not that he will for certain.
- Then there's Robert Garcia, the president of the North Pine Neighborhood Alliance who professionally has moved up through the Long Beach City College ranks. Formerly the college's director of media and public relations, Garcia recently was named the interim dean of student affairs. Garcia has been very visible in the community and seems well-positioned to build support, though like Braude, he hasn't officially announced his candidacy.
Three other candidates appear less politically connected and may have a harder time getting their campaigns off the ground, but each has his own advantages.
- Last week I reported that the Rev. Misi Tagaloa of the Second Samoan Congregational Church is running for 1st District as well, and though he hasn't been involved in local politics, I imagine having a sanctuary full of backers and possible campaign volunteers will give him the manpower to spread his message -- the political one, not the spiritual one.
Two other announced candidates have a clear disadvantage -- when they announced their intent to run, they weren't actually 1st District residents yet, though both said they intend to move there from their 2nd District homes.
- One is Bill Grisolia, a homeless advocate, musician, former restaurant owner who ran for the 37th Congressional District last year against about a dozen candidates in a race that went to now-Congresswoman Laura Richardson. Grisolia didn't fare particularly well in that race, but at least it gave him some campaign experience.
- The final candidate is Harvey Cochran, whose only real qualification for the 1st District seat is that the gadfly hasn't missed a council meeting in almost two years. He usually makes comments to the council on several issues, eating up anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes of meeting time, often belaboring the point and annoying both Mayor Bob Foster and members of the audience. But his comments also often exhibit a deep knowledge of Long Beach history and city policies. Of course, Cochran too must move into the 1st District, and his admitted mental disability -- he is bipolar and occasionally can be heard talking to himself at council meetings -- may turn off voters.
What do you think, my good blog readers? Who will be a frontrunner in this race? And do you know of anyone else out there considering a run for the 1st District?
Local housing advocates are expected to be back at the City Council meeting Tuesday to again discuss Long Beach's Housing Element plan after concerns were raised last month. But a key housing supporter, Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal, won't be at Tuesday's meeting, her chief of staff Niki Tennant tells me.
Lowenthal is in Sacramento for training after voters elected her to the 54th Assembly District last week. She will take office in early December.
Whether council members will suggest adding housing advocates' recommendations to the Housing Element remains to be seen. Advocates say they aren't happy about city staff members' response and feel their issues haven't been addressed after the council last month directed staff to work with them, as I reported in today's Press-Telegram.
The crew of the Queen Mary congratulated the president-elect with signal flags that spell out "It's Obama" from its mast head and plans to keep the flags flying through Veterans Day.
"The Queen Mary is an iconic image to America and the world," QM General Manager Jay Primavera said in a statement. "We felt it was appropriate that this historic ship send out its own message of congratulations on this historic occasion to the President Elect."
Primavera also extended an invitation to the first-family-in-waiting.
"Knowing that President Elect Obama's chance of taking an extended holiday in the next few months is going to be difficult, we want he and his family to know that they are most welcome stay aboard the Queen Mary as our guest if they would like the chance to take a cruise without having ever to leave the harbor."
About the Bloggers
Paul Eakins reports on Long Beach City Hall, and local and regional
politics. A newcomer to the Press-
Telegram, he previously has covered
local and state government and politics in San Diego County, Mexico
and his home state of Kansas.
E-mail Paul at paul.eakins@presstelegram.com.
Kris Hanson reports on the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles,
covering environmental issues, economic triumphs and
pitfalls and trade trends of America’s largest port.
He also writes a weekly column “On The Waterfront”,
appearing Tuesdays, and also produces an occassional video
and column titled “On The Job,” which follows the hard-working
men and women who keep Southern California’s economy humming.
E-mail Kris at kristopher.hanson@
presstelegram.com.
Karen Robes came to work for the Press-
Telegram
in April 2002 as a beat reporter, covering the cities of
Lakewood, Bellflower and Paramount. She now covers business,
specifically redevelopment, tourism and small businesses.
She also writes Eye on Redevelopment, a monthly column that
appears in the Business Monday section.
E-mail Karen at karen.robes@presstelegram.com.
