April 2009 Archives

Looks like Long Beach is going to see $1.58 million in improvements to the mouth of the Los Angeles River, which is located in the city ---- thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which has allotted nearly $184 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District for projects in Southern California and Arizona.

From the city, which issued a release this morning:

The Corps will dredge material that flowed down the L.A. River and has been deposited in the Federal Navigation Channel. The project, which began in 2007 as a result of the heavy shoaling in 2005 but was suspended due to a lack of funding, will allow for safe navigation.

"Continuing the work on this project is critical to the safe navigation of vessels within the estuary and those that support the City of Avalon on Catalina Island," Magness said.

Economists estimate the work will create about 16 jobs directly related to the work and an additional 28 jobs in industries supplying or supporting the construction, performing operations and maintenance activities, and selling goods and services to the workers and their families.

"These additional funds will further support the dredging work that has been done, ensure vessels have a safe route of passage and continue to encourage tourism, a major economic driver for Long Beach," said Mayor Bob Foster.

"This work will complete the last portion of the estuary channel that we were not able to dredge in 2008," Magness said.

State Sen. Jenny Oropeza, D-Long Beach, will swear in newly-elected 1st District City Councilman Robert Garcia at Tuesday's council meeting, Garcia told me today.

Oropeza endorsed Garcia during the campaign (he was elected April 7), but Garcia said he asked her to do the honors for other reasons as well. Oropeza is a former 1st District councilwoman herself and still a 1st District resident, she and Garcia both served as student body president at Cal State Long Beach, and they have become close, Garcia said.

"She's someone I admire and I think she's really done good work, and was a strong supporter of mine as well," Garcia said.

He will be sworn in at 5 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.

City Attorney Robert Shannon told me this week that when the City Council discusses in closed session Tuesday whether to release confidential documents related to the controversial Los Cerritos Wetlands land swap, each council member's vote will be released after the meeting.

While the council's votes in closed session meetings often aren't revealed beyond "the council approved it," Shannon said the wetlands deal is such a high-profile and contentious issue that he will report the final closed session vote results.

The documents in question were withheld because of attorney-client priviledge from a public records request by environmentalist Tom Marchese. The 377 pages of e-mails and other documents that Marchese did receive revealed what some critics say are questionable negotiating methods by Director of Public Works Mike Conway. Read about that here.

However, Marchese noticed the gaps of the withheld documents and has specifically asked for those to be released, now that the terms of the deal have been made public.

Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman, who is seeking the Republican nomination in the 2010 gubernatorial election, is scheduled to come to Long Beach on May 12, according to the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Web site.

From the Chamber's Web site: "As CEO of eBay, Ms. Whitman grew the company to more than 15,000 employees, nearly $18 billion in revenue, and a network of 12 million users in California alone. Come and hear how she would bring fiscal health back to our state's economy and provide leadership during these challenging times."

She will be speaking at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Call 562-432-8128.

Visit www.megwhitman.com for more.

What's happening with the Long Beach Airport's modernization plan? How does the airport impact the city, positively and negatively? What's going to happen with JetBlue and the Boeing C-17 program?

These are a few of the issues that will be discussed Tuesday night at Beer & Politics, a monthly discussion forum. The event will begin at 7 p.m. at Gallagher's Pub & Grill, 2751 E. Broadway. The speakers at the event will be 3rd District City Councilman Gary DeLong, 7th District Councilwoman Tonia Reyes-Uranga and Airport Director Mario Rodriguez.

Check it out. Beer & Politics is always a lively discussion.

Sixth District City Councilman Dee Andrews is hosting his monthly town hall meeting Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. at Ernest S. McBride Park, 1550 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. Free parking is available and refreshments will be served.

The city's budget -- and more significantly, impending budget cuts -- will be the topic of discussion. While Andrews has his town hall meetings every month, this month's gathering is one of several community meetings planned around Long Beach over the coming weeks to discuss the city's budget.

Long Beach officials have estimated the city will have a $54.8 million general budget deficit in the next two fiscal years, beginning in October. That's more than 13 percent of the current $404 million general fund, which pays for basic services such as police, firefighters, libraries, parks and street repairs.

So, now's the time to hit some of these community meetings, make your voice heard and weigh in on what programs should be saved or cut.

Workers will gather downtown L.A. from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 25 to honor those killed or injured on the job in recent months - including port truck driver Pablo Garcia.

Garcia was pinned between a truck chassis and forklift the night of Jan. 28 while picking up a container on Pier A in the Port of Long Beach. The father of three died a short time later.

Saturday's march and community forum is organized by the University of California Los Angeles' Labor Center and designed to draw attention to working conditions in industries across the board. Speakers will also highlight upcoming legislation and reforms designed to address safety.

Garcia's family will join others in a procession of about 30 cars and trucks to a MacArthur Park, 675 South Park View Street in Los Angeles.

For more, visit here.

The Long Beach City Council is scrambling to make room on a crowded May 12 city council agenda to consider an appeal by the City of Riverside of the Harbor Department's $750-million Middle Harbor redevelopment plan.

Riverside appealed the port's recent approval of the project on Friday, saying the plan's environmental impact report (EIR) didn't adequately address increased rail traffic expected to be generated by the expanded and modernized Middle Harbor in coming years.

The project is expected to at least double cargo volumes through Piers E, D and F by 2020, while reducing emissions in half from 2005 levels through the use of cleaner equipment and fuels.

The nine-member council has 30 days to consider the appeal, and by majority vote can declare the EIR "inadequate," which would effectively force harbor planners to take the project back to the drawing board and make considerable changes.

Councilmembers had briefly considered putting the appeal on the May 5 agenda, but are swaped that evening with the swearing-in of new First District Councilman Robert Garcia, as well as a closed-door hearing on the wetlands project.

The council is also expected to hold a hearing May 5 on the controversial homeless center planned for East Long Beach.

Smooth's Sports Grille, the unofficial center of Long Beach politics and business where the city's who's who often congregate, isn't open for lunch any more, owner John Morris said. He even had to lay off a few of his staff members.

The restaurant at 144 Pine Ave. stopped serving lunch Monday, but is still open for the nighttime crowd. I have to say the transformation of Smooth's at night is amazing. A chilled restaurant and sports bar early in the evening, the place starts to fill up as the night goes on. Many a young Pine Avenue Partier can be seen making his or her way up to the rooftop terrace to dance.

Morris explained that Pine Avenue is saturated with restaurants, citing 7,000 restaurant seats along the business corridor. He said the lunch business has been a "rollercoaster" for some time. The fact is, he isn't alone among downtown restaurants closing their doors for lunch.

I'm sure all the politicos, City Hall mucky mucks and business power suits will still spend some of their evenings at the restaurant -- many election parties have been held there, after all. But the Long Beach power lunch at Smooth's, at least for now, is over.

Starting Monday, Greater Long Beach bus passengers will see some new changes to the way they travel when Long Beach Transit rolls out 25 new 40-foot-long Hybrid Gasoline-Electric buses next week.

The new eco-friendly coaches - which was introduced by Mayor Bob Foster and LB Transit CEO/president Larry Jackson earlier today - will reduce carbon dioxide by 13 percent and carbon monoxide by 68 percent per coach when compared to a diesel bus, according to Long Beach Transit.

These buses will be part of Long Beach Transit's 98-mile service area, which incluses Long Beach, Lakewood and Signal Hill and parts of Artesia, Bellflower, Carson, Cerritos, Compton, Hawaiian Gardens, Norwalk, Paramount and Seal Beach.

Read more about these new buses in tomorrow's Press-Telegram.
 

On Friday, Captain Jerry Aspland, former ARCO Marine President and President Emeritus of the California Maritime Academy, will share his perspective on today's business and education landscape as it relates to international trade at the International Business Association Lunch at the Westin.

The Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event will be at 11:30 a.m. at the Westin Long Beach Hotel, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. Call 562-432-8128.

Meet artist Wyland for an exclusive book signing at 8 p.m. today (Wednesday) at Tracht's, restaurant at Renaissance Long Beach Hotel in celebration of Earth Day and the completion of his record-breaking rooftop "Earth -- The Blue Planet" mural at the Long Beach Sports Arena.
 
The event at 111 E Ocean Blvd. is free and open to public. Proceeds from book sales go towards the Wyland Foundation - a nonprofit dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving the world's oceans, waterways, and marine life.

Tracht's is toasting the accomplishment with special organic cocktails and an organic Earth Day menu from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Call 562-499-2533 for more.

As I reported today, the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce has launched a letter-writing effort to get the public to put pressure on City Hall and ensure JetBlue stays at Long Beach Airport.

Stymied by lawsuits and other delays, terminal improvements have gone nowhere and JetBlue executives are getting impatient. In case you missed it, here's the link to the chamber's advocacy site with a form letter. The Chamber will eventually send all of the letters to Mayor Bob Foster and the council.

I'm told by the Chamber that they've received a good response since the story came out today, increasing their signatures from 132 Tuesday to 204 as of this afternoon.

Meanwhile, JetBlue has had little more to say about the issue since CEO Dave Barger made controversial statements to an aviation blog last month. Today, JetBlue denied my request for an interview with Barger, issuing the following statement:

We remain committed to our home in Long Beach for the time being. Our
Customers enjoy the airport's convenient features every day, and it's
home to more than 500 Crewmembers and many more Business Partners. Yet
there are airport improvements that were promised before we began flying
that have never been made. We're dedicated to improving the environment
our Crewmembers work in and our Customers experience every day, and
expect the city to honor their previous commitments. Recent public
comments by Dave reflect our long-standing views on this matter.

The fate of the airport has become a fascinating story through its years of development, and I get the sense that we are reaching its climax. The questions remain: Will the airport improvements move forward, and will JetBlue stay or go?

LOS ANGELES COUNTY  -- The Board of Supervisors is set to oppose the reduction in the production of the C-17 from the nation's defense budget.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has proposed ending  purchases of the C-17 Globemaster III Transport Jet, which is manufactured by Boeing at its Long Beach plant.

In a motion to be considered by the board Tuesday, Supervisor Don knabe states:

 "The C-17 is a key component of our nation's ability to effectively deploy strategic military assets in critical locations around the world in an efficient manner. It is the last wide-bodied military aircraft in the country and has performed brilliantly in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, is crucial to fight terrorism around the globe, and has conducted countless humanitarian missions.

"Under the current proposal, the C-17 will not be purchased after 2010, and without additional orders, the C-17 line will close. At a time when the federal government is pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into efforts to protect jobs and shore-up the economy, it is counterproductive to cut a program that employs 5,000 people at the C-17 plant in Long Beach and another 30,000 people at supplier facilities across the nation."

Crankyflier.com, the airline industry blog that first reported on JetBlue's concerns about lack of progress on improvements at the Long Beach Airport and then was derided by City Council members Tuesday, has posted a response to the council.

He shoots down some of the council members' claims about how he had gotten the information and how local media had obtained it. The blogger provides an interesting perspective, and you can check it out here.

Today I wrote a column setting the record straight about some of the council members' comments as well.

If you want to listen to the whole council discussion, go to the city's video archive of the meeting, then click on item No. 15.

 

The Coast Guard is warning boaters to avoid trips off the Southern California coast if possible through early Saturday as winds approaching 50 miles per hour sweep across the Santa Barbara Channel.

The "Gale Warning" advises that winds between 40 and 53 mph are imminent or occurring off the coast of Long Beach and as far north as Point Mugu.

The warning ends late Friday, but high winds could persist through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Those planning a trip at sea are advised to notify family and friends of their float plans or fill our a float plan at www.floatplancentral.org.

For more, visit the Coast Guard's new blog at www.uscgla.blogspot.com.

 

City Auditor Laura Doud has said she models herself after Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick. Today, she issued the following statement about Chick's appointment to the newly created position of state inspector general:

I commend Governor Schwarzenegger for recognizing the importance of creating the position of Inspector General to oversee the estimated $50 billion that is expected to benefit California state and local governments.    He has made an excellent choice in Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick to fill this post.  She has been aggressive in her oversight of taxpayer dollars and highlighting deficiencies in Los Angeles City operations. 

The City of Long Beach takes seriously its responsibility to ensure that grant funds issued to the City are used as intended and for the maximum possible benefit.  The good news for the citizens of Long Beach is that we already have the necessary audit functions in place to detect and prevent the misuse of public funds, including federal stimulus funds.   

I wholeheartedly support the newly appointed Inspector General, Laura Chick.  I look forward to continuing to work with her in enhancing transparency and accountability in local governments' use of federal stimulus funds.   

Members of the National Association of School Psychologists today presented Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Lakewood, with the "Government and Professional Relations Special Friend of Children Award."

The award is given to an individual or group outside of the profession that supports political action and advocacy on behalf of children in order to improve education and mental health services for children, youth, and their families.

Sanchez earned the honor for her leadership on legislation affecting children, including the Increased Student Achievement through Increased Student Support Act.

"It is truly an honor to receive this award," Sánchez said.  "For years, I have fought to ensure that students receive the support they need to succeed in school because I know that teachers cannot do the job alone.  By recognizing the social, emotional and behavioral needs of students, we can help them to live up to their full potential."

Coasties stationed on Terminal Island have launched a new blog detailing their experiences patrolling and protecting 320 miles of Southern California's splendid coastline.

Check it out at www.uscgla.blogspot.com and leave comments.

Coast Guard personnel headquartered on Terminal Island are responsible for a vast oceanic expanse stretching from Orange County to San Luis Obispo and including all of the Channel Islands.

"We will use this blog to keep the community informed about what we are doing here at Sector Los Angeles - Long Beach, but we also welcome all feedback," said the Coast Guard's Stephanie Young. "Protecting the waters here in Southern California is a team effort and everyone in this community is part of that team."