So After the Main Library's Roof Is Replaced -- How Is Park Being Replaced

The good news is that the roof of the main library is being fixed because even though it was meant to be park area or more precisely garden space, it leaked over the years.

The bad news is that the reason the roof of the main library that way in the early 1970's was because when the civic center and library were built, it reduced the amount of park space available at Lincoln Park.

In my research on the history of Long Beach I found a letter to the editor that outlines the concerns of some residents when Lincoln Park was taken for a civic center and main library. Ironically the writer was correct but no one listened:

The architect of the new main library is quoted as partially justifying the building's design on the basis of the thought that, "it provides more area for landscaping than the park it replaces."

Such a statement is surprising from a man who is in the business of designing things for people's use. Whether or not there is more landscaping than existed in old Lincoln Park is of no interest to those who realize that it takes more than landscaping to make a park.

Old Lincoln Park was the visible center of downtown, the social center for a large
number of citizens, and the 90-year-old repository for gigantic trees, donated benches, statues, cannons and outdoor markets.

It was accessible to everyone from the street, its users had full view of the activities of the street and in the park, it was reasonably safe because of its visibility from the street, and it had large chunks of lawn for snoozing or ball playing and lots of benches arranged for conversation or idling.

The new landscaping on the roof of the library is not a park; it has lost the vital connection with the street and will never be the center of anything except perhaps
crime. Access is by long flights of stairs or the crowded elevator in the City Hall lobby.

The seats are not arranged for comfortable conversation and face in, with no possible view of the active street nor the ocean. The little patches, of grass on the raised steps are of no use for any kind of activity, and there is no view into the area day or night from the street or plaza, a prime incentive for crime.

Finally, I'm sure the new landscaping which replaces the old park costs many times as much to maintain as did the old park.The city and its architects have, in the name of progress, destroyed Lincoln Park,one of the few things that was successful in the downtown and replaced it with plentiful landscaping whose only virtue is its stunning appearance from the upper floors of the City Hall. FRANK COLE, Long Beach

Land Swap Has Problems -- Still

Quietly, a memo was put in my in box from City management informing council that it has been discovered that the Orange County District Attorney filed a complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the discharge of mineral oil possibly containing Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) from transformers formerly located within the Los Cerritos Wetlands property currently owned by LCW Partners, LLC.

Wait, this wasn't done recently. This was done in 2008 and the owners of the "wetlands" property never disclosed this during negotiations. It wook a call from the EPA on August 17, 2009.

The EPA has required the owners to submit a PCB Assessment Workplan because there are two sites known with PCBs and ten other sites needing assessment.

So here's what being recommended by city staff: "...prudence suggests that the city should not consummate the exchange and enter the chain of title while this enforcement action continues, and thereby be identified as a Potentially Responsible Party under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).

You think?

How about requring staff to complete due diligence to see if there are other hazards and liabilities lurking out there before the deal is done?

I for one am asking the City Attorney to hold a closed session so we can "confer" with our negotiators on this mess, I mean real estate transaction. I am also asking the City Auditor, Laura Doud to look at this issue from the standpoint of financial liability.

You Saved Station 18

Thanks for the wonderful participation of residents in the 5th Council District who called, sent emails, signed petitions and turned out for the open house last Sunday at Station 18 -- the Council on a 9-0 vote approved restoring Firestation 18 and several other cuts to fire, police, library and recreation services!

Your efforts are most appreciated.

The work on the city's financial situation is far from over. We still need to look to remove inefficiencies, redundancies, and out dated services, programs and personnel in all city departments.

I am hopeful Mayor Bob Foster will not veto the restored cuts.

Remembering 9-11

I had the honor of being asked to speak at the 9-11 memorial arranged each year by LB Fire Fighter Gary Biggerstaff. Several hundred people crammed into Bennett street to see the crosses Gary had placed on his lawn as he has each year since the attack on the World Trade Center. Several young people sang. The crowd sang along.

The crosses with names help us remember the fire fighters and police who died that day. Gary does an incredible job helping us to remember the sacrifices that were made that day.

My remarks were brief, as I told people that on that day some ordinary people did some very extraordinary things and that what struck me the most about that day was that people who did not know each other had to rely upon each other and that perhaps we needed to remember this as we look around at the people who were gathered today --that the things that divide us in this country pale in comparison with the things that unite us.

I also added that 47 people from California died that day --including Dorothy Dearaujo, 82, of Naples, who was known as the neighborhood artist, drawing the area's boats, shops and homes in detailed water colors. An avid traveler, Dearaujo visited France, Australia, Italy and Brazil. She earned a bachelor's degree in art at California State University, Long Beach. She was survived by a son, Tim whom she had been visiting i Boston before she boarded United 175 that crashed into the south tower.

On that day, Dorothy and others boarded airplanes with strangers and no one knew what was going to happen on those flights. We never know what is going to happen on a given day. Perhaps we need to live our lives like it will be the last day or the last time we see people. Maybe we'd all be a little nicer, a little more civil, a little less critical.

Station 18 Open House -- Great Turnout -- Residents Are Angry About Cuts

Residents packed Fire Station 18 today to tour the station and to talk with firefighters. They picked up all the remaining signs that say "Save Station 18." They signed a petition opposing any cuts in service at Station 18. Most importantly they stopped to talk about their anger that a closure in Station 18 would even be proposed by the Mayor and the City Manager.

One resident remarked: "Why does downtown always view this section of the city as the golden goose? We pay taxes but everytime they need some place to cut, they do it over here. They need to get a grip or the goose may just fly away."

I am hoping the mayor and city manager are listening.

Open House for Station 18 this Sunday

Reminder: Open House at Station 18 this Sunday, Sept. 13 at noon. Come by and talk to the firefighters and sign a petition in support of keeping Station 18 open.

Council Worked Together Last Night on Budget

It was truly amazing to participate in the council deliberations last night. We worked together without rancor or nasty comments on restoring some of the cuts made to the budget by Mayor Foster and City Manager West.

Granted we were there til midnight and we still have more to do. But we made progress on restoring cuts to fire and police, library, recreation and infrastructure. Looks as if Station 18 will remain open all day long. But it isn't over yet.

We knocked back a proposal to go forward with digital billboards in redevelopment areas (again).

Four of us worked over the weekend on finding sources of revenue to restore cuts. Those four are: me, Councilmembers Gabelich, Uranga, and Garcia. We brought the proposals to the budget hearing and placed them on an overhead slide so the public could see what we were proposing.

The Council Budget oversight committee comprised of Councilmembers O'Donnell, Lowenthal and DeLong also had a list of restorations -- surprisingly our restorations matched in many places with the major exception that our 4 restored cuts to the Police Department.

Was the process perfect? No. But for the first time since I have been on the Council, there was deliberation, discussion and compromise in a professional, respectful manner. And that was worth the price of admission to the event.

My new book is published!

I just received a box from my publisher (Arcadia) and inside were several copies of my second book: "Early Aviation in Long Beach." (My first was "Rosie the Riveter in Long Beach.")

Each book took a year to research and to write.

I discovered lots of interesting historical facts about how Long Beach was the center of early aviation in the U.S. mostly due to Earl S. Daugherty (for whom our airport was named in 1930 at the opening of the Women's Air Derby Race).

Facts:

• Long Beach Day was featured at the Second Los Angeles International Air Meet in 1910. The LB Trophy for altitude was won by Arch Hoxsey who later in the meet tried to break his record and spun out of control.
• Long Beach was the site of the landing of the first transcontinental flight in 1911. Cal Rodgers flew from New York to Pasadena (crashing many times along the way in his Vin Fiz -- a replica of which is in the Smithsonian). The LB Chamber gave him $1,000 to get him to continue his flight from Pasadena and land in the water near the Pine Avenue Pier. Which he did, making aviation history. A year later, steps from his historic landing, he hit a bird, crashed and broke his neck.
• Ameila Earhart came to Long Beach to watch the air rodeo organized by Earl Daugherty in 1920. She asked for her first ride in an airplane and was taken up by Long Beach Poly High school graduate, Frank Hawks.
• It was one of Long Beach's first Aviation Commissioners, John Montijo, who taught Earhart how to do aerobatics and to fly solo. Earhart then flew in the Long Beach Air Rodeo with Daugherty and Hawks.
• Charles Lindbergh flew to Daugherty Field several times and was able to make an emergency landing after midnight because Long Beach had a light on its field -- a fact he thanked and lauded Long Beach for many times.
• Long Beach housewife and first woman licensed pilot, Gladys O'Donnell beat Amelia Earhart in the 1929 Women's National Air Derby.
• O'Donnell and Earhart were two of the organizers of the 99ers -- the first woman pilots organization.
• The Long Beach Municipal Airport - Daugherty Field Terminal was slated to open the day of Pearl Harbor. After the attack it was painted over and camouflaged and equipped with hot showers in order to house soldiers. In 1945, the pastel colors were returned and the terminal has been largely unchanged since.

There's a lot more in the book.

Voters Aren't Getting Their Money's Worth

Yeah, we met practically all day yesterday in City Council. And even though Dee Andrews' idea to allow homeless to sleep in their cars was mercifully taken off the agenda which would have lengthened the meeting probably until past the 11 pm at which it finally ended, we have yet to hold a budget hearing at which time councilmembers can vote on restoring the cuts made by Mayor Foster and City Manager Pat West.

What you did see was a whole lotta of disrespect going on and a mockery of the process.

While some councilmembers discussed the transfer of RDA funds and other aspects of the budget, others got up out of their seats,walked around, chatted with staff and themselves, and one even clapped after the City Auditor finished her presentation. A vote was switched (after prodding that the wrong vote had been cast) at the last moment so the WestPac couldn't get another chance to review a proposal that impacts their funds.

Makes one wonder if some have already decided and why we even bother to go through this charade every budget year.

The budget deadline is September 15th. Let's see how many more times between now and then a budget hearing is cancelled.

Interesting Information

Long Beach Airport

A recent US Department of Transportation survey determined that Long Beach Airport has the lowest fares of the top 100 airports in the nation. That's beause we charge air carriers the lowest fees to operate.

Rubber Duck Tours and Americans with Disabilities

In response to my request, the new Rubber Duck tour operations are assisting disabled customers to board the vessel for tours with an attendant who can help load a wheelchair. If that is not feasible, they can be picked up from land to the water dock in Shoreline Village which will eliminate the stair climb and allow staff to lower the individual into the vesse. In such cases, the tour route will be reversed and require the customer to provide 24-hour advanced notice.

City Requirements for Notices of Public Hearings to Change Effective August 13

Beginning August 13, new requirements for noticing of public hearings will take effect in the City of Long Beach. This will result in increasing community awareness about public hearings and an in effort to increase public engagement and participation. Changes taking effect include:

• The required noticing radius has been expanded to 750 feet around the subject site; for City or institutional project to 1,000 feet.
• In addition to property owners, all occupants (both residential and non-residential) must also be given notice.
• Site must now be posted with a 30" x 40" notice poster.

Last Summer Concert a Wonderful Success

Tonight we held the last concert of the summer at Good Neighbor Park on Studebaker and Barrios under the trees and near the lit gazebo to listen to the steelband music of Panjive.

Panjive is local and gave an outstanding concert. You can log on to their website and listen to what you missed: http://www.panjive.com/sound.htm

It was fun to watch the little kids come out in front of the band and dance to the music.

I really appreciate the contribution of Partners of the Parks which paid for the music and last year helped pay for the gazebo and benches. Signal Hill Petroleum donated the lights in the trees.

It was a nice way to end the summer.

Long Beach -- We Can Do Better Than Downey

See Press Telegram editorial about TESLA, Downey and Long Beach by clicking here

August 30, 2009 -- Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske today challenged Long Beach residents to make sure the City of Downey does not beat out Long Beach in the race to get TESLA Motors to locate its plant and bring 1,000 jobs. "I just learned that the Mayor of Downey is asking residents to send letters to TESLA in support of the electric vehicle company choosing their city over the City of Long Beach, " says Schipske who has been a vocal proponent of Long Beach doing more to encourage the electric vehicle manufacturer to the city. "We can do better than Downey and we need to let TESLA Motors know why they should come here."

Schipske prepared the following letter which she encourages residents to mail to Elon Musk, President of TESLA Motors, Main Corporate Mailing Address: 1050 Bing Street, San Carlos, CA 94070 or to email it to her by cutting and pasting it into an email (at district5@longbeach.gov) and she will forward it to him personally:

Dear Mr. Musk:

The residents of the City of Long Beach are excited at the possibility that your company will re-locate to Long Beach, bringing 1,000 or more jobs dedicated to the assembly of the Tesla S2, a four-door, all-electric family car that is projected to cost about $50,000 after a $7,500 federal tax credit. We understand that production would start in about two years, and when the plant is up to speed about 20,000 cars would be produced annually.

Long Beach has many advantages over other cities: our proximity to major freeways; the excellent workforce training available through Long Beach Community College; advanced technology education at California State University at Long Beach; and our enterprise zone that provides tax credits for hiring workers that can save thousands of dollars on your business' California income taxes.

The specific location in Long Beach you are considering (the Boeing 717 hangars) is directly across the street from Douglas Park, which when completed will include hotels, restaurants, retail and office complexes that would be available as your presence in Long Beach grows.

Additionally, Long Beach is committed to sustainability and lessening our dependence upon fossil fuel as demonstrated in the City's establishing an Office of Sustainability, the Green Port Plan and the annual 5th Council District's Solar and Sustainability Conference and Tour.

TESLA's presence in Long Beach would be a "win-win" for both your company and our city.

We look forward to rolling out the red- or better yet, the green-carpet when you make your decision to come to Long Beach!

Sincerely,


(please insert your name and address)

" The City of Long Beach needs every new job it can create, reminds Schipske. "Our City faces cuts in Police, Fire, Library and Parks and Recreation services. We cannot afford to lose this opportunity to bring an exciting job creator to Long Beach."
#30

Great historical site of photos of Lakewood Plaza

Check out the photography exhibit at the Huntington Musuem (www.huntington.org).

More specifically, see the photos of Lakewood Plaza when it was built in the early 1950's: http://mediabank.huntington.org/fmi/iwp/cgi?-db=Maynard%20L.%20Parker%20Negatives%2C%20Photographs%20and%20Other%20Material&-loadframes

I live in Lakewood Plaza and although my house has been modified, I see many houses that still very close to the original designs.

Remembering Senator Ted Kennedy

When I won the Democratic nomination for Congress in 2000, I met a lot of interesting and wonderful people.

Among them was Senator Ted Kennedy and his wife Victoria.

I was invited to a small gathering at his Washington, DC home for those supported by the Human Rights Campaign. As my partner, Flo and I walked around the home, we saw the usual display of family photos seen in any home -- except these family photos were of the Kennedy family!

The Senator asked us several times if there was anything he could get us, as he padded around in black tennis shoes that were worn on the sides. This giant bear of a man, this political giant took time to make certain people were comfortable in his home. I was touched, especially when he motioned Flo and me to sit on the couch with him.

Before we left his home, he asked me if his son, Congresswoman Patrick Kennedy was treating me "okay." Patrick was then the Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and decided which candidates received money and support. I'd like to think it was no coincidence that Patrick later came out to the District to campaign for me.

Stockton

Went away for the weekend to Stockton to see Sequoia and friends who were renewing their 45th wedding vows.

It was hot up there. Beautiful in Sequoia.

The ceremony was sweet and included all their children and their grandchildren and friends. Afterwards the kids jumped into the pool and the adults sought shade and talked about how quickly everyone had grown.

There are lots of foreclosures in Stockton. Their local newspaper is as thin as ours. People are struggling to make ends meet. Their city is facing financial crisis. Drastic cuts are being made in the city.

But for a moment, we all just focused on family and the weather.

Community Meeting, C-17 Rally and Parking Tickets

What an interesting week.

We had a council meeting but the budget hearing that would have allowed the city council to start taking public action on the budget was canceled.

A community meeting at the El Dorado Senior Center with 80 people who came to talk about the budget and proposed cuts to police and fire services. People are not happy. And they want something done with the high costs of public pensions. Unfortunately, we can't address that problem in the next four weeks we have to pass the budget. But we will bring it forward and engage the public and the unions so we can make changes in the next budget.

Today, I attended a rally at Boeing to encourage Congress to fund 15 C-17's. Also there were Congressmembers Laura Richardson and Ed Royce, Supervisor Don Knabe, the Mayor of Los Alamitos, Troy Edgar. We all spoke about the importance of keeping over 5,000 jobs in Long Beach and the significance of the C-17 in military and commercial operations as an excellent cargo plane. CBS news was there. Please send letters to Senators Boxer and Feinstein because the funding for 15 planes needs their support.

Parking tickets. I once in a while get a letter or email from a resident who has received a parking ticket and wants me to get involved and get the ticket waived. As I explain, it is not appropriate for a councilmember to use their office to interfere with tickets. I am sure that doesn't make anyone happy. But the other day, I received an email from a young man who received a parking ticket downtown out front of the military recruiting center where he had gone inside to sign up for the military. When he came out the parking enforcement person was writing the ticket for an expired meter -- which was the right thing to do. He explained he had been inside signing up to serve his country and should be given some slack. But he was given the ticket -- as he should have been. I told him to send me the parking ticket and I would pay it. Which I did. It was least thing I could do.

Take poll on Saving Station 18

See www.savestation18.com and take the poll to let the Mayor and City Council know if you agree that Fire Station 18 on Palo Verde and Wardlow should be closed.

Someone cancels scheduled budget meeting last night without council approval

Readers -- remember back just a month ago when the Council voted 8-0 to approve a schedule of public budget workshops?

Come on, it wasn't that long ago.

Just click on this magic link and you too can read once again how the City Council (I was there and voting) approved a budget workshop schedule that included a workshop August 18th at 7:00 pm. http://longbeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=429644&GUID=73371C4F-6E0C-4DF9-9B0C-6BFEDEF4D940&Search=&Options=

I sat and watched an audience filled with city staff as 7 pm came and went but no budget meeting.

So who canceled the budget workshop scheduled by the city council? I am trying to find out and so should you.

Listen to TESLA President Tell About The Poor Treatment He and His Company Have Received

I invite readers to log onto the following link http://www.lbreport.com/news/aug09/tesla3.htm and to listen to a taped interview Bill Pearl did with TESLA Motors President after the Mayor and City management denied my reports that their treatment of this possible source of over 1,000 jobs has been less than stellar.

After my blog last week and the news article in local press, a memo was hurriedly released at City Hall allegedly showing all the wonderful things the city had done to try to recruit companies to Long Beach. The trouble is the memo trashes TESLA (which the President of the company found insulting and inaccurate)and basically provides nothing to refute the claim of TESLA that they are and have been treated "like second class citizens." The ONLY letter the city sent to TESLA was telling them about a potential E-Vehicle Mall. No thank you for being interested in bringing jobs; no follow-up confirming the so-called high level meetings; no detailed explanation (as had been sent to other companies) about tax credits and other opportunities for their business if they re-located to Long Beach.

I didn't start a "spat" as the local press termed it. Nor was I "grandstanding". I was simply following up with the fact that the Mayor and City Manager handed out a budget document and showed it on the screen for viewers that stated TESLA Motors was a potential source of revenue for the FY 2010 budget.

I met with the City Manager immediately after and asked what had been done to get them there and was told staff had decided a movie studio would be better and they had told Boeing that fact. I called the TESLA President because I am concerned that should the movie studio not happen, we could have an electric vehicle manufacturer/assembler -- and I didn't want us losing both.

Sadly, what I found out and what you can hear for yourself in the taped interview with Elon Musk, President of TESLA Motors, is that he is still waiting to hear that someone besides me wants his company in Long Beach.

TESLA President Says He Has Been Treated As a "Second-Class Citizen" by City

All the sound and fury coming from the 14th Floor of City Hall doesn't negate the fact that at a time cuts in fire and police services are being proposed by the Mayor and City Manager, the President of TESLA Motors, a company that can bring 1,000 jobs to this City states that he and his company have been treated by these same folks as a "second-class citizen."

Remember when recently the public and local media demanded to know why Jet Blue disclosed it was unhappy with the City of Long Beach? Well, just like the Jet Blue issue, the issue about what the City has or has not been doing to encourage business to come to the vacant Boeing hangers across from Douglas Park and to bring jobs is not a "private matter" as the Mayor would like to make it out to be. Nor is it just a matter between Boeing and TESLA anymore than the continuance of the C-17 plane a matter just between Congress and Boeing -- otherwise why did the City spend so much money in lobbyist fees to help Boeing on that issue?

The Mayor and City Manager made it a "public matter" when they included TESLA Motors and Long Beach Studios in the FY 2010 budget ( the same budget that proposes cutting fire and police) as potential sources of revenue that will help the City reduce its deficit. The public is entitled to learn what the Mayor and city staff are doing or not doing to make sure those sources of revenue are real.

So I stand by the facts of my conversation with Elon Musk, President of TESLA Motors last week:

· TESLA President Musk stated (and wrote to me in an e-mail) that he feels TESLA has been treated as a "second-class" citizen by the City of Long Beach;

· TESLA has been trying to relocate to Long Beach on the Boeing property (not Douglas Park but across the way in the large hangers) and to bring 1,000 jobs to the City; and

· TESLA Motors recently received a $465 million dollar loan from the US Department of Energy to build its electric vehicle and has been attempting to talk with the Mayor and the City Manager but calls have not been returned because city staff have made it clear that the Mayor wants a movie studio. Well, so do I, but we are now in danger of not having either business . No discussion has taken place about having both businesses on the property.

Ironically, last Friday, the Mayor and the City rolled out the "red-carpet" for a Korean company that also makes electric vehicles to encourage them to bring 400 jobs . (To date, that same "red-carpet" has not been rolled out to TESLA even though city officials know that other cities, like Pomona, are actively courting the company and recently hosted a visit by the cross-America TESLA roadster.)

City council members are asked by City staff to come and meet potential businesses that want to re-locate to the Boeing property and to personally encourage them to be here. That's why I talk with Boeing Realty almost weekly, meet with New Castle Partners who are trying to develop Douglas Park and have met with the people behind the movie studio and have spoken with the President of TESLA. I want to do everything possible to bring jobs to Long Beach including letting the public know why we may lose them.