In the pocket of the people.

The fun phrases being thrown around: "union lackey, in the pocket of the unions, union slave..." That's how some people are describing the Mayor and City Council.

I understand that these same people don't like the Mayor and Council's support of collective bargaining or the pension levels that the city is currently obligated to pay (and which need to be addressed by both state and local levels). But name calling doesn't elevate the discussion.

Now the latest I have heard is that the only reason I support using Schroeder Army Hall for a police substation is because the police union wants it.(They omitted the 7 other council members who voted for it as well.)

Really? My understanding is that when this issue was first raised, the Councilman from the 4th District stated that the POA didn't want the east station to move out of the 4th Council district and that they wanted a substation in the 4th and not in the 5th (which is just actually blocks away).

At no time have I ever talked with the police union about Schroeder Hall. Ever.

The proposal to use that surplus army property as a police substation was made by a citizen's committee which approved the city's application for that use. (The committee approved that use instead of the other applications which also included transitional housing units.)

That property -- which is in great condition -- will save the City of Long Beach millions of dollars because of the value of the land and the fact that the buildings do not need to be demolished. The current police substation next to Krispy Kreme is bursting at the seams and is costing the city thousands in rent.

And yes, the 800 pound gorilla is still in the room -- accepting the property from the army requires that the city accommodate the homeless -- which the city is still working on in order to minimize impacts on the surrounding community.

I don't know if people notice my votes on the council. But I am in no one's pocket except the people who elected me.