The Long Beach City Council has been in its closed session since 4 p.m. this afternoon to talk about the city's negotiations to get pay raise concessions from the Police Officers Association and other employee unions. The city needs employees to forgo scheduled pay raises to cut $23 million from a $43.3 million budget deficit.
That's not unusual. The council's been having these closed sessions regularly for months. What is unusual is that everyone from City Manager Pat West to finance director Lori Ann Farrell to Mayor Bob Foster's chief of staff Becki Ames is sitting outside of the council lounge in the regular council chambers with all of us plebes.
West and Ames confirmed that only Foster, City Attorney Robert Shannon and the nine council members -- perhaps minus Patrick O'Donnell, who was absent at the budget meeting earlier -- are in that closed session meeting. West said this is unusual, noting that he is usually in on every closed session.
So what's being said in there? Is the city going to reach a deal with its unions? Can the council come to agreement? Or will negotiations break down?
Oh, to be a fly on that wall.
Paul Eakins reports on Long Beach City Hall, and local and regional
politics. A newcomer to the Press-
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.
Karen Robes Meeks came to work for the Press-
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