December 2010 Archives

The Sacramento home of Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Long Beach, which famously was foreclosed in 2008 before the bank returned it to her, has dropped to a $349,000 sale price. That's almost $200,000 less than she paid for the home in 2007.

In October, we reported that the home was put up for short sale, which means her lender gave her permission to sell the home for less than what she owes. She bought the home for $535,001 in 2007, and in October it was listed for sale at $399,000.

Check out the full listing, and see photos of the inside and the outside of the home, here.

The Long Beach City Council won't meet Tuesday because of the Christmas holiday. The council cancelled the meeting last week.

The council also won't meet next week because it doesn't have a meeting on the last Tuesday of the month. The council's next regular meeting will be Jan. 4.

Assemblyman Warren Furutani, D-Lakewood, has been appointed chairman of the Assembly Committee on Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security (PERSS). The committee oversees "the public retirement administration and investment strategy, classified school employees, public employee collective bargaining and judges' retirement law," according to a a statement from Furutani.

That's a powerful position during a key moment in California history, as the state and many local governments grapple with ever-deepening budget deficits, which in many cases are caused by unsustainable employee pensions. A study by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research that was released in April calculated that California's three main employee pension systems will have a $500 billion shortfall. Long Beach alone is expected a $1.2 billion shortfall by 2041.

"I'm honored to serve as chair of the Assembly Committee on Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security. This is a critical role since pension reform is a key priority as we work to resolve the structural budget deficit California faces every year," Furutani said in a statement. "I am eager to oversee our country's largest pension system while continuing to protect working families and ensuring government accountability through transparency. I look forward to working with Governor-elect Jerry Brown, Speaker John Pérez and the leadership in California as we work towards economic recovery during these tough budget times."

Furutani's 55th District includes Carson, Wilmington, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Lakewood and a wide swath of Long Beach. He has served on the committee since 2009 and was previously appointed vice chairman. His other committee assignments include the Assembly committees on Transportation, Utilities and Commerce, and Labor and Employment.

Tuesday's City Council meeting had an emotional moment, when three sisters who were killed in a fire in an illegally converted garage were remembered.

Family and friends of the sisters, Jasmine, Jocelyn and Stephanie Aviles, were at the meeting, where the council unanimously voted to name a section of Long Beach's municipal code that addresses illegal garage conversions after the girls. The ordinance will be known as "Aviles Law."

Following the Dec. 14, 2007, fire, the city cracked down on illegal conversions. Fire officials said Tuesday that since 2007 Long Beach has cited more than 550 illegal conversions with fines totalling almost $200,000.

The long-awaited terminal modernization of Long Beach Airport is moving forward.

On Tuesday the City Council unanimously approved a $24.7 million contract, plus a $3.7 million contingency amount if needed, with Edge Development Inc. for the construction of the first phase of terminal improvements at Long Beach Airport. The project which is being paid for with airport funds, will break ground next week and is expected to be finished by May 2013.

Check out the video below to see the airport's future.

The public can now see what kind of impact a proposed plan for Long Beach's downtown will have on the area and weigh in on it.

An environmental impact report for the Long Beach Downtown Plan is available for public review through April 4. The controversial plan creates a 25-year vision for downtown and will fast-track new developments, removing some environmental reporting requirements and streamlining the approval process. The development plan would allow 5,000 new residential units; 1.5 million square feet of new office, civic, cultural, and similar uses; 384,000 square feet of new retail; 96,000 square feet of restaurants; and 800 new hotel rooms.

Housing advocates have criticized the plan for not providing new affordable housing and say that thousands of low-income downtown residents could be displaced. They demanded that the city delay the release of the EIR so that they could conduct their own study on the community and financial impacts of the downtown plan. The City Council decided last month not to delay the EIR's release, but to extend the public review period from 60 days to 115 days. The advocates' study is expected to be completed by Feb. 15.

The draft EIR is available for public review online at http://www.lbds.info/planning/environmental_planning/environmental_reports.asp. Copies are also available at the Long Beach Main Library, 101 Pacific Avenue, and at City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd., on the fifth Floor. The draft EIR is also available for purchase on CD-ROM for $20.

Written comments should be sent to:
Steve Gerhardt, AICP
Long Beach Development Services
333 W. Ocean Blvd., 5th Floor
Long Beach, CA 90802
Fax: (562) 570-6068
E-mail: dtcommunityplan@longbeach.gov

Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster will give his state of the city address on Jan. 11. It will take place at 7 p.m. in the Center Theater at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. Tickets are available now by calling 562-570-5089 or online at www.mayorbobfoster.com.

The mayor's office released the following statement today:

Mayor Bob Foster will deliver the 2011 State of the City on January 11 at the Center Theater/ Long Beach Performing Arts Center.  All Long Beach residents are invited to attend for free, but you must reserve a ticket for admission.  Tickets are expected to go quickly as this year's venue is smaller than previous years.

"I'm delighted to invite the Long Beach community to the 2011 State of the City at the Center Theater," said Mayor Bob Foster.  "The State of the City has been an opportunity for our City's residents and community leaders to join together to reflect on the past and look forward to the future of Long Beach."

This will be the Mayor's fifth State of the City.

Attendees can reserve their tickets by calling 562-570-5089 or through www.MayorBobFoster.com.  Residents are encouraged to reserve their tickets as soon as possible as there are a limited number of seats in the Center Theater.  The Center Theater's capacity is smaller than the last year's venue, Terrace Theater.  The State of the City was moved to Center Theater due to construction at Terrace.  Two tickets may be reserved per address.

As I reported last week, three Long Beach City Council members are seeking a ban on plastic bags at Tuesday's meeting. Today we laid out the pros and cons of the proposal.

The biggest opponent of the ban, the American Chemistry Council, has sent a letter to Mayor Bob Foster and other city officials asking them not to allow the ordinance to pass. Read that letter below.
 
American Chemistry Council letter.PDF

This just came through the city's e-notify system, so move fast if you want to go to Saturday's American Kennel Club dog show here in Long Beach. Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal has free tickets that she's giving away. Below is her release.

Vice Mayor Lowenthal just received free tickets to tomorrow's activity called the AKC Meet the Breeds.  Doors open at 8:00 am.  If you are interested, please contact our office at 562-570-6684.  Tickets are limited.  You will need to make arrangements to pick them up before 4:30 pm.

December 4-5Celebrating the 126th year of the American Kennel Club, the 2010 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship has something for everyone.

The 2010 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship features thousands of dogs, hundreds of vendors, and tons of fun for the whole family! Top show dogs from across the country and the world will descend on Long Beach this December to compete for the prestigious title of AKC/Eukanuba National Champion. In addition, the AKC Meet the BreedsŽ event will have all AKC recognized breeds on display with puppies and adults ready to greet the public with wags and puppy kisses. There will be competition, demonstration rings with a variety of educational presentations, AKC registered dogs at the AKC Meet the Breeds and Vendor booths.

For more information, go to www.akc.org/aenc/

The Long Beach Planning Commission today will consider rejecting a proposed teen counseling center, approving a new medical office and taking four roadways out of service at the recently sold Public Service Yard. The commission meets at 5 p.m. in City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.

The commission is being asked to deny a conditional use permit for a teen counseling center at 420 Grand Ave., citing the owner's past problems and violations at the property. According to a city report, the applicant, Gloria Calixto, changed the proposed use for the building from adult counseling to teen counseling after a Notice of Public Hearing was mailed to nearby properties. In 2006 and 2007 for one year the owners used the building as a homeless shelter and boarding house without a permit, the report says. The building was also cited for fire code and building violations, had multiple complaints from neighbors about noise and other problems, and ultimately was declared a nuisance property and was closed by the city, the report says.

In other business, Development Services is recommending approving a conditional use permit for the conversion of 40 percent of a residence at 401 E. Carson St. into a medical office.

Officials also want the commission to vacate four streets that run through the city's Public Service Yard and that haven't been open to the public for 30 years. About 13.4 acres of the yard were exchanged this year for 37.77 acres of the Los Cerritos Wetlands in a closely watched transaction.

The commission will end its meeting with a study session on the Long Beach 2030 Create Long Beach Cultural Arts Master Plan.

Read the full meeting agenda:
Planning Commission agenda Dec. 2, 2010.PDF

Long Beach's electoral system may be on the verge of a transformation.

At the Elections Oversight Committee meeting, council members Robert Garcia, Gary DeLong and Gerrie Schipske all expressed interest in changing the city's election process, as have other council members before. Several possibilities came up Tuesday.

Long Beach could switch to odd-year elections, which most of the neighboring cities use. The benefits would be that Long Beach wouldn't have to piggy-back with the state primaries in June, which would give the city races more prominence and could save money by consolidating precincts.

Or, Long Beach could alter its April/June election calendar to put it in sync with the state's June/November elections, potentially saving the city money but also pushing local races to the bottom of the ballot.

Another option is to do away with runoff elections altogether, instead implementing instant runoff voting, in which voters rank their favorite candidates to find a winner in a single election.

Now we understand why Mayor Bob Foster raised over $300,000 in his re-election bid in April, despite facing only a 21-year-old avowed socialist with no financial backing of which to speak.

Assistant City Attorney Heather Mahood told the City Council's Elections Oversight Committee on Tuesday that because of a court ruling, the Long Beach Campaign Reform Act can't restrict candidates from transferring their campaign funds to another campaign.

That means that Foster, who has formed a committee to run for state treasurer in 2014, can transfer all of the money he had left over to the new account. That appears to be his intent. Mahood said that Foster's attorney contacted the city attorney's office to clarify that he can do just that, though he must do so by the end of the year.

The Campaign Reform Act was approved by Long Beach voters as Measure M in 1994. Its main purpose was to set limits on campaign contributions, and those rules are still in place.