I'm mad as hell...and so should you be

We just had a press conference called by Mayor Foster to showcase the budget he was presenting to the City Council.

First of all, councilmembers could not get a copy of the budget until 1/2 hour before the conference which is unreal.

Secondly, during the presentation is was announced that two fire stations would be on "light force company" -- which means a station would be closed part of the day. When the press asked which fire station the acting chief responded that Station 18 would be one of them. I gasped and said out loud: "Over my dead body."

Following the meeting I sent the email below to the Mayor, City Manager and my colleagues on the Council:

I thought it disrespectful for the budget not to be given to Councilmembers prior
to the press conference. Giving it 1/2 hour before doesn't count and I did not
appreciate to hear from budget staff they were ordered by the Mayor not to give
Council the documents until 1/2 hour before.

Additionally, it is unacceptable that a proposed cut in service at one of the fire stations in my district would be presented at the press conference WITHOUT having the courtesty to tell me prior to the conference. I specifically asked the City Manager in advance if my station was being targeted, and Pat, you told me and my Chief of Staff "no" -- which I transmitted to my residents.

Residents express concern about 2nd and PCH development

At my invitation, the developer of 2nd and PCH came and gave a presentation to the Lakes, Ponds and Wetlands Taskforce last night. I have seen the presentation before and because it is located in SEADIP I though it would be helpful if the group most concerned about the future of SEADIP also had an opportunity to view the presentation and ask questions.

It is a dramatic presentation and no doubt everyone agrees that the corner at 2nd and PCH need to be fixed. But it doesn't conform with the vision nor the requirements of SEADIP. The buildings are over 35 feet and the density is more than allowed.

When asked if the developer knew about SEADIP and the recent community engagement by the City about what to do in that area of Long Beach, the developer said "yes" but that he disagreed with that vision and that he had another vision "as do others in that area."

He has every right to his own vision but until this city grapples with the fact that it has a zoning and use plan for that area that conflicts with his vision we are headed for a bumpy road -- which by the way is also not allowed in SEADIP.

Stay Tuned for Budget

Today readers, you and I will learn at the same time what the FY 2010 budget looks like and what the Mayor is proposing in terms of cuts or additions.

That's because instead of giving the Council the budget directly, it is being released during a press conference.

This game playing has to stop. We either are working together as Council and Mayor or we're not. Protocol calls for the budget to be given to the City Council by the Mayor not also copied during a press conference. I was in city hall yesterday and I asked for a copy but couldn't get one.

So let's see what surprises are in store today.

We need to look at redevelopment

The Orange County Register has an interesting editorial (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/redevelopment-agencies-tax-2506919-state-cities) that bears reading by everyone in Long Beach.

The state is about to take more redevelopment money from Long Beach to make up a short-fall.

Ok. Most people don't know what redevelopment money is -- it is a portion of your property taxes that instead of going to the city or the school district is siphoned off into a redevelopment agency that is not elected and can run up a great deal of debt which in turn means that portion of your property taxes will continue to go to the redevelopment agency as long as it has debt.

In some instances, redevelopment has done good things. But essentially has been a piggy bank for developers and in areas where no redevelopment area exists -- such as the 5th Council District -- well no redevelopment money goes there at all. So we must rely upon general fund money to pay for our streets, sidewalks and improvements, while other areas get redevelopment money plus general fund money.

It is past time to look at the impact of Long Beach having 18,000 acres in redevelopment -- around 40% of the city. That tax increment -- that portion that is siphoned off -- needs to get back into the general fund -- if we don't do that the state will continue to use it as their slush fund account.

Just asking...is the port blocking tidal flow?

Thought it needed to be asked yesterday in the presentation on the breakwater study: we had a breakwater in the 1950, 1960, and 1970's and waves. What we didn't have were two ports (Los Angeles and Long Beach) sticking out in the ocean (because they had to be built on landfill).

So the obvious question is -- are the ports the cause of lack of tidal flow? And if they are, shouldn't they help pay for the impact on making our beaches so miserable because of the trash that won't flow away and the stagnation caused because water is trapped inside the breakwater?

The consultant did admit that could be a possibility but it wasn't part of the study.

Well, it needs to be! We are concerned about the impact upon air quality caused by the ports and we should be concerned about the impact upon water quality as well.

P.S. I also pointed out that it was Councilman Dan Baker who first tried to get a study of what to do about the breakwater but it was shot down 8-1 after Mayor O'Neil said that due to national security concerns the breakwater cannot be taken down. I asked in yesterday's meeting if national security was still an issue and no one answered.

The key to all of this is getting our Congressional electeds on board to help find a way to clean up the water and restore our beaches.