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.

Queen Mary Listed As Over-Rated Tourist Attraction..

Yahoo Travel has an article on line about the "Most Over-Rated Tourist Attractions" -- unfortunately they included the Queen Mary...http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-29489009;_ylc=X3oDMTE1dDB2bmFrBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEX3MDMjcxOTQ4MQRzZWMDZnAtdG9kYXltb2Q-

U.S.'s Most Over-Rated Tourist Attractions

By Andrew Harper......

RMS Queen Mary

Long Beach, Calif.

What do you get when you cross a Ramada Inn with a rusty old ship? The RMS Queen Mary, the once-proud jewel of the Cunard Line, which now lies permanently docked in Long Beach as a hotel, convention center and floating haunted house (paranormal tours are available). They should have given poor old Mary an honorable burial at sea.

That area of Long Beach is such prime property that with the right development and vision could be a major economic engine for Long Beach...

City to Host Korean Electric Car Company

Ah...could this be another reason no one reached out to the american company TESLA Motors...


MEDIA ADVISORY
and Photo Op

City of Long Beach Greets
Electronic Vehicle Manufacturer

Friday, August 14, 4:00 pm

City officials will greet executives from a Korean electric car company that is touring the City of Long Beach as it seeks to establish a Headquarters/Research and Development site in Southern California.

CT&T Motors, which currently has manufacturing facilities in South Korea and China, expects to hire more than 400 people and projects annual sales of $500 million within four years of opening its Southern California Headquarters.

The City of Long Beach benefits from its location and a strong, diverse workforce, and is using a host of incentives to recruit manufacturers to the city to improve its economic base by generating jobs and tax revenue.

WHO:
Young Gi Lee, CT&T President and CEO
Robert Swayze, Manager, Economic Development and Cultural Affairs
Bill Allen, President and CEO, Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation

WHAT:
The photo op will feature one CT&T e-Zone Electric Vehicle, which are sold in more than 15 countries, including the United States. According to CT&T, this is the only Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) that have passed the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards crash test standards for front impacts and the European New Car Assessment Program standards for side impacts.

WHEN:
Friday, August 14, 2009, 4:00 pm

WHERE :
City Hall Plaza, directly in front of City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.

# # #

Ed Kamlan
City Manager's Office
City of Long Beach
333 W. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
562.570.6814
edward.kamlan@longbeach.gov

"You're the first official from Long Beach to tell me the City wants TESLA to be there."

Even though the Mayor and City Manager have included in the current budget projections TESLA Motors as a source of revenue for the City of Long Beach, I have been unable to get specific information from the City Manager about what exactly has been done to attract TESLA Motors to relocate to Long Beach to produce electric vehicles.

And because the Council rejected my proposal last year to establish a "red team" that would pull out the stops to attract new jobs to Long Beach, I called the President of TESLA Motors, Eldon Musk yesterday afternoon on a hunch that nothing has been done to get TESLA here.

I was shocked when Mr. Musk told me "you're the first official from Long Beach to tell me that the city wants TESLA Motors to relocate there to produce electric vehicles."

That's right. No one has even bothered to reach out to TESLA.

Mr. Musk told me that the Mayor won't return his calls because lower level staff at the City have made it clear the Mayor doesn't want any other business courted for the Boeing property except a movie studio. Really. This matches what the City Manager told me when I asked why nothing had been done to reach out to TESLA and the City Manager said "staff decided a movie studio would be better at the property."

I don't recall the City Council directing staff to do this...which is why I put the issue on the agenda last Tuesday. Someone has to publicly explain why we might lose the 1,000 jobs TESLA would bring.

Oh, that's the other part of my conversation. Mr. Musk says they want to come to Long Beach and manufacture 20,000 electric vehicles and produce 1,000 jobs. But they are looking elsewhere because no one at Long Beach seems interested.

I asked him what he needs. He didn't ask for land, or redevelopment money as I had been told by staff that he had. He said the biggest problem will be getting through City Planning and Building and environmental review but because they are building electric cars they believe that will be a plus.

I asked him if he was aware that the airport area is in our "enterprise zone" and that TESLA could receive tax credits for every person hired at a Long Beach plant. He said "no one told us."

Who is TESLA? According to their website:

Based in California’s Silicon Valley, Tesla Motors is the only automaker in the world manufacturing and selling highway-capable EVs. The company's goal is to produce increasingly affordable cars to mainstream buyers – relentlessly driving down the cost of EV technology. Tesla also sells patented powertrain components to other automakers.

Oh and by the way, the US Department of Energy thinks TESLA has a bright future which is why...

Tesla gets loan approval from US Department of Energy

Electric vehicle manufacturer will use loans to build an assembly plant for Model S sedan and another facility to manufacture electric powertrains.

June 23, 2009

SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) —Tesla Motors has received approval for about $465 million in low-interest loans from the US Department of Energy to accelerate the production of affordable, fuel-efficient electric vehicles.

Tesla will use $365 million for production engineering and assembly of the Model S, an all-electric family sedan that carries seven people and travels up to 300 miles per charge.

The Model S has an anticipated base price of $49,900 after a $7,500 US federal tax credit. It has lifetime ownership costs equivalent to a conventional car with a sticker price of $35,000, thanks to the lower cost of electricity vs. gasoline and a relative lack of service and maintenance. Tesla expects to start Model S production in late 2011 in a state-of-the-art assembly plant employing about 1,000 workers.

Tesla will use $100 million for a powertrain manufacturing plant. The facility will supply all-electric powertrain solutions to other automakers, greatly accelerating the availability of mass-market EVs. The new facility will employ about 650 people.

Tesla is in the final stages of negotiation for facilities in California.

Gee, just think if this kind of nonsense continues, Long Beach may soon have its own version of the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car."

Police Chief Tony Batts Leaves Long Beach Day After Budget Presentation

I just received news that Long Beach Police Chief Tony Batts is leaving Long Beach just the day after he presented a budget to the City Council that included serious cuts to police services.

He will be the new Police Chief of Oakland.

First of all, good luck to Chief Batts. Oakland has serious problems and they need serious help.

Secondly, I understand our City Manager knew about his potential leaving and failed to tell the City Council -- especially as we listened to the outgoing Chief's serious cuts to a department he will no longer command.

So, now the City of Long Beach needs to get in place a new Police Chief that will stand up to management and not allow his department to be cut.

www.savestation18.com

Take a look at www.savestation18.com to see the latest on why closure of our Station 18 is a bad idea of Mayor Foster. His proposals to cut fire and police services in the upcoming budget are wrong...dead wrong.

I am having a community budget meeting next week on Wed. August 19th at 6pm at the El Dorado Senior Center, 2800 N. Studebaker. Come out and give the City Manager an ear-full about what you think about cutting police and fire services.

Parks Are Being Spruced Up

The group of young people I had assigned to the 5th Council District are making a lot of progress in sprucing up our parks at Heartwell, Wardlow and Pan Am. Painting, cleaning, and landscaping is happening every day this summer.

My staff aide, Matthew McHale is supervising their work.

Things are looking good.

If It's Good Enough for Portland, Maine...

Portland, Maine faces cuts to their city budget and decided that it would reach out to the residents to ask for donations to fund those items that are not core services.

I think it is a great idea. Not only does it involve residents in deciding if non-core services are going to be provided in our city, but it also gives people information on what these "little extras" actually cost.

You can go online http://www.portlandmaine.gov/donations/giftcatalog.asp and take a look at their "gift catalog.

Rude treatment of elected officials is wrong...

It was embarrassing last Tuesday to watch the City Auditor Laura Doud struggle to get acknowledged by the Mayor so she could address the City Council about her concerns regarding the proposed land swap we were getting ready to vote on.

Both Councilwoman Gabelich and I pointed out that Auditor Doud wanted to speak. She was finally acknowledged even though other council members kept talking.

Instead of being given professional courtesy as an elected official, she was brushed off and told to make it quick because "everything had already been said."

Well, folks, everything hadn't been said. She hadn't weighed in on her concerns.

Later, she was criticized for not haven spoken earlier. Really? Many people spoke out against the transaction and asked for a 30 day delay to get more information. Did any of that matter on the outcome of the vote? Nope.

I encourage the Auditor to review the real estate sales transaction agreement and the accompanying disclosures and valuations of the properties and publicly report her findings. I am sure the taxpayers will want to hear what she has to say.

My vote on the wetlands: the facts.

I voted against the proposed swap of land that is not fully documented wetlands for prime industrial property owned by the City of Long Beach for a number of reasons based upon my research and the in put of many residents who were concerned that the taxpayers of this City were not being protected in this real estate deal.

Here's why:

• It may have been a good idea, but it went terribly bad.
• The entire deal was cloaked in a false alarm of urgency. City Council was told by city staff that negotiated the deal that if it was not done in December, it would be "fatal." Of course, it wasn't.
• The truth is that this deal didn't hatch out of thin air. The developer specifically established a Limited Liability Corporation to purchase the property which he then immediately began offering to some of the City electeds and staff about two years ago.
• Although usually wetlands are purchased and restored by environmental and the state conservancy, E-mails between the developer and City staff indicate that the developer doesn't particularly like or trust the state conservancy or the State Coastal Commission so instead it was decided to have the City of Long Beach obtain his property which would then require the City to clean it up and restore it in order to sell it to another party.
• The developer refused to allow the City to complete a delineation of the property to determine what really is there.
• An independent appraisal was never obtained on the value of either the wetlands area or the City's Public Service Yard for which it was swapped. These were done in-house or old ones were used. (A deal this significant and we couldn't even hire an independent appraiser?)
  
• The value of the LLC's property holdings near Second and PCH really amount to little on the surface. The real value is in the oil and minerals beneath the land which the developer refused to sell to the City and is now marketing them to another company.
• Wetlands may be "priceless" but the costs of cleaning them up is not; it is very costly. Where will the City get the money to clean it up?
• The Public Service Yard which is being given to the developer for his wetlands, is contaminated and will require $2.8 million to clean up. Where will the City get the money to clean it up?
  
• The City will be required to vacate the Public Service Yard and to relocate to the Oil and Gas Property on Spring at a cost estimated by the City Manager at $5 million.
• Until the relocation, the City will pay the developer rent to stay on the property. With what money?
  
• The apparent proposed use of the Public Service Yard is for a trucking yard which currently is not allowed under the City's moratorium. But that can be lifted at any time and polluting trucks can be brought into the neighborhood.
  

Other disturbing facts surround this land deal:

• The voters were asked to give over their hard earned money with a parcel tax last year. (Which I opposed.) They were told that it would be used to fix their streets, sidewalks and other things (that the City should have been fixing). But Measure I also included a small reference to the fact that the funds could be used to restore the wetlands? Hardly infrastructure repair?? Voters saw through the proposal which is why City property had to be found to swap for the wetlands property because the City did not have that source of cash.
• The City received a valid offer to purchase the Public Service Yard at a price higher than the value of the current swap agreement. Magically, that developer withdrew his offer on the PSY and was offered City Hall East (at a price much lower than its value) and an agreement that the City would close its Main Library and relocate it there and pay rent. That freed the PSY to be swapped, instead of being purchased. Also magically, escrow has never closed on City Hall East and it has been recently discovered that the Main Library doesn't have to be closed after all and could be repaired at a fraction of the cost that was being used to force its closure.
• E-mails exchanged between the owner of the wetlands property and the City negotiator indicate that the owner was told by City staff that he had " 5 or 6 in pocket" concerning the deal even before the vote was taken publicly. Other e-mails referred to those not in pocket as "loud talkers."
• The economy worsened from December 2008 until this month and the value of both the wetlands land and the oil underneath have plummeted while prime industrial land has not.
• The City Council declared a fiscal emergency a few weeks ago because it does not have one spare dollar to spend on anything not related to the core services of public safety.
• Despite City Auditor Laura Doud telling the Council that the deal was flawed and that there are too many unknown risks, it ignored her. (I will blog more on the rude treatment Auditor Doud received at the Council meeting.)
  

Also consider this:

• The City Attorney confirmed before the vote on the deal that language requested by a councilman expressing the "intent" of the City Council that the land be open and preserved, had absolutely no binding effect. And why would it? The City has refused to place a restrictive covenant on the land before its purchase because the developer doesn't want the value diminished (wetlands is worth much less than land that can be commercially developed). So the language is meaningless and does nothing to assure that the land won't be developed by some future city council that is cash strapped because it has sold off its assets or made other unwise real estate transactions when it could not afford to do so.
• Why the urgency on the transaction? The owner said the deal would be off if the City didn't approve. And there is this little matter of another development at 2nd and PCH that needs PCH to be widened by acquiring land, part of the same land in question. Without the street widening traffic cannot be mitigated. So many people had an interest in getting this done now.
• Well, then, the deal should have been called off, especially until the City hired its own real estate broker and retained an independent appraiser and environmental specialist who would have made damn sure that we didn't buy anything without complete and full disclosure of just what we were getting ourselves into.
  

Budget Questions

I have read the entire city budget -- all 600 pages -- and I have a number of questions:

• Why are some department heads still slated for salary increases?
• Why is any management position slated for a salary increase?
  
• What are the exact positions (with salary and benefits) that are being cut?
  
• How many of those are currently not filled positions?
  
• Are any of the lay-offs resulting in people being moved from General Fund departments to Special Enterprise departments?
• How many people in management are being laid off?
• How many people making over $100,000 annually are being cut?
• What is the exact amount fore casted for revenue from the businesses listed in the budget as "revenue?" (i.e. TESLA, LB Studios, Vespa Motors, etc.)
  
• How much sales tax did the City give away to Best Buy?
• Why would the Mayor and City Manager propose cutting positions from parking ticket collections when it is a revenue producing department?

These are just for a start...there will be many more and I hope you will send me your questions as well.

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.

Ok. I won't quit.

When the news came out this week that the City of Long Beach is about to release a $100,000 study done on the breakwater and the water quality off the shore of downtown Long Beach, I became discouraged because quite honestly the City does not have the money to do what is necessary to change the breakwater.

I expressed this discouragement in my blog and then was contacted by a constituent who said: "Please don't quit on us!"

Well. He's right.

If the breakwater needs to be removed to improve wave action and water quality in order to bring an economic stimulus back to Long Beach which is supposed to be a beach front community, then we need to fight for it!

The findings indicate that something could be done to improve both the wave action and the water quality. But the reality is that unless the U.S. Congress directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (who oversee all breakwaters) to get involved and unless the Congress funds further study and the work that needs to be done, the breakwater and the miserable water quality will remain.

So, let's get going and bombard our Congressional representatives to do the right thing for Long Beach.

See the contact information by emailing them (click on their names) and join me in sending Congresswoman Laura Richardson, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, Senator Barbara Boxer and Senator Dianne Feinstein e-mails with the following message:

Dear Long Beach Area Congressional Representative:

No doubt you have heard that Long Beach has a problem with the quality of the ocean water that comes to our beaches. A recent study indicates that the breakwater off-shore could be reconfigured to allow greater tidal action and disbursement of pollution.

This would clean up the water and increase use of the beaches which would bring an economic stimulus to Long Beach.

We urge you to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete a full study on the feasibility of reconfiguring the Long Beach breakwater and to appropriate such funds as necessary to complete the study.

Cleaning up the ocean water and beachfront in Long Beach would provide an important boost to our local economy. We ask that you help Long Beach.

Breakwater study is a heartbreaker

Breakwater study done. (http://www.longbeach.gov/citymanager/ga/breakwater/default.asp) Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

Good news. Well the study shows that removing a portion of the breakwater could help clean up the water and improve waves slightly.

Bad news. To do anything beyond the study will cost the City of Long Beach millions and millions of dollars. Oh, then there is the issue of whether or not the Army Corps of Engineers even approves doing anything -- and since they control the breakwater they call the shots.

So let's say they say "yes" -- well, the City of Long Beach has to commit to paying 1/2 the costs of the further study which amounts to @ $3.8 million. Then there's the cost of the actual work which could hit tens of millions.

What is missing in the entire study is the fact that people have seen photographs of the shoreline in the late 1940's and 1950's and we had waves. Oh and we also had the breakwater. What we didn't have was the Port of Long Beach sticking way out in the ocean blocking tidal flow.

Nope. We're not taking the Port down. But seriously folks we don't have the money to do further studies or to pay to take a portion of the breakwater down and it isn't likely the feds are interested in taking the breakwater down (things everyone knew when this initial study was ordered) -- so do we all feel better now?

Wetlands Swap Should End

Dave Wielenga of The District Weekly called me earlier this week to ask if I knew that the owners of the "wetlands" being considered for swapping for valuable city property -- the public service yard in the First Council District -- were selling the oil and mineral rights underneath the property?

(see article: http://thedistrictweekly.com/2009/daily/writing-shotgun/exclusive-tom-dean-sellling-mineral-rights-to-los-cerritos-wetlands/?dsq=13113743#comment-13113743)

No.

Unreal. I originally brought this issue up earlier in the process of why the oil and mineral rights were not being included in any deal, especially since we know that the property will have to be cleaned up because of oil contamination. Was told the owner didn't want to sell them.

I guess that was before the Wall Street Journal just ran a story that crude oil will drop to $20 a barrel by the fall because of a glut and it must seem like the right time to bail out of the oil business.

Ok. Then that should put the city in a great position to get these rights. Afterall, we can use the monthly income which is at @$400,000 both for increased revenue and for paying to clean up the site.

Better yet. Stop this madness. We don't have any money. We just declared a fiscal crisis. The State doesn't have any money to buy the land from us.

The "wetlands" aren't going anywhere. The only value of the property is what is underneath and that's about to be sold to someone else.

Air Toxic Hot Spots

Don't know about you. But I am running into more and more people lately with seriously allergies and coughs. People are complaining about the air and with good reason.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has released its 2008 Annual Report on the AB 2588 Air Toxics "Hot Spots" Program. The Air Toxics "Hot Spots" Information and Assessment Act of 1987 requires local air pollution districts to prepare an annual report and to provide it to local health officiers.

You can view the report which provides a summary of major program activities during the calendar year 2008 and activities planned during 2009.:

http:www.aqmd.gov/prdas/AB2588/AB2588.html

Welcome Home 1498th Transportation Company

It was my distinct honor to welcome home the men and women from the 1498th Transportation Company as they came off the airplane at Long Beach Airport. Mayor Bob Foster and Vice Mayor Val Lerch were also there. We shook the hands of each and every man and woman who came off the plane in uniform and with backpacks -- some of which had stuffed animals peeking out which provided an interesting contrast of warriors returning with soft personal items that probably brought a touch of home while they were in Iraq for a year.

The 1498th Transportation Company was activated on November 2002 at Riverside as part of the Army National Guard Division Redesign Study strategy.

They were sent to Iraq in 2008 and then sent again last year.

The unit is commanded by Major Caroline Morales (who holds a juris doctorate) and looked incredibly young for such a serious position.

The greeting and ceremony brought tears to my eyes. Thank god not one person in the company was injured or killed. The look on the faces of their families was priceless to be able to witness.

We owe them our gratitude for a job well done.

Youth Start Sprucing Up 5th District Parks

Cleaning and repairing the restrooms, benches and tables and improving the landscaping around community buildings in the 5th Council District parks are at the top of my “to do list” this summer and in order to help me get the work done, I has requested that a half dozen youth be assigned to my “sprucing up our parks” project.

Long Beach has received funding through the federal Recovery Act 2009 to employ young adults, ages 14 - 24, 20 - 25 hours a week beginning July 13 through August 31 for up to 200 hours explains Schipske. I have coordinated a work plan with the City’s Parks, Recreation and Marine Department that will allow 5 to 8 youth to work with me to fix up Pan Am, Wardlow and Heartwell parks this summer.

We started on Monday and the young workers made a lot of progress in one day on the first building we're working on in Pan Am Park.

Working on improving the parks will give these young people not only a summer job but a way to make a real difference in the community in which they live.

The Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network will provide wages, worker’s compensation insurance, a job coach and all required administrative procedures. The Summer Youth Employment Training Program is administered by the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network’s Youth Opportunity Center.

Bright Spots This Week

The financial news on the city's budget was devastating.

But I did have several bright spots this week:

• Worked with an Eagle Scout on his project to prepare his neighborhood to get ready for an earthquake
• Joined my council colleagues in approving a permanent prohibition on second stories and demolition of homes in the Ranchos PD-11. The residents worked very hard on this proposal and are to be commended.
• Met the 8 young people who are working with my staff on sprucing up our 5th District parks -- painting, cleaning, landscaping. They started today painting in Pan Am park. It's going to be a great experience for them improving parks; they can come back and show their friends how they made things better in their community.
• Getting some great e-mails from constituents who are very pleased with the level of service my office is providing.
• Walking door to door on several streets and learning how many people actually get updates from me and know what is going on in the city.
  

We all need to start reading up on government finances

I recommend to readers that you go on line to the following link: http://www.californiacityfinance.com/ if you want to know about government finances.

This is no easy topic, especially right now. And lest anyone not believe we are in deep financial trouble, just read the following email I received from the City Manager today:

Potential State Impact to Long Beach of $44 million from State Budget Raids

Long Beach has learned that proposals being discussed at the State Level could impact the City of Long Beach up to $44 million in Fiscal Year 2010. While no State budget has been approved and the negotiations are ongoing early Wednesday evening, raids on local government funds continued to be discussed at the State Level. These potential raids include:

$8 million in Gas Tax

• An illegal raid of up to $8 million in Gas Tax funds, which are used for local street projects and to fund critical transportation operations such as Street Light Power, Engineering/Project Development, Street Tree Maintenance, Street Markings/Signs, Potholes crews, and Traffic Signals Operations and Maintenance.

$10 million in Prop 1A Borrowing of Local Government Property Tax

• The State would borrow eight percent of the property tax revenues received by cities, counties and special districts.

$6 million in RDA Funds

• An illegal raid of $6 million or potentially more from the Redevelopment Agency, which would not have to be paid back.

$20 million in Low-Moderate Income Housing Set-aside dollars

• One proposal is to raid the entire amount of housing set-aside next year. These funds are used to increase, improve, and preserve the supply of housing for low- and moderate-income households and provide loans to those in danger of foreclosure. These dollars also leverage significant other investment in workforce housing – a recent project funded with housing set-aside dollars leveraged other funds by a factor of 10.

The League of California Cities and the Community Redevelopment Association have threatened immediate lawsuits to strike down the Gas Tax raid and Redevelopment raids, should the State Legislature enact these proposals.

We will be dealing with how to respond to these cuts, if implemented, during budget deliberations. We will keep you apprised of further developments.


PATRICK H. WEST
City Manager

Issue of Equal Benefits Goes to Committee and Citizen Human Relations Commission

Glad that my colleague Robert Garcia agreed to my suggestion that the proposal to require benefits for the domestic partners of employees employed by companies doing business with the City of Long Beach needs to be studied and vetted before we take any action and that the proper places to do so are the Council Committee on Economic Development and the citizen Human Relations Commission.

There are a number of issues that need to be reviewed before the Council instructs the City Attorney to draft an ordinance: who has to comply; can religious organizations be exempted; what is the dollar amount that triggers compliance; does this include the workers at the hotels and other businesses which lease city owned land; what is the appeal process if a company is rejected on the basis they don't provide benefits; what types of benefits will be mandated -- in most ordinances on this topic it isn't just health benefits that need to be provided -- it's sick leave, family medical leave, etc.

I look forward to the study and the discussion. It will make much better law in the long-run.

Struggling with Equal Benefits Ordinance Process

When Councilmember Robert Garcia approached me last Sunday afternoon to co-sponsor an ordinance that would be placed on the Council Agenda to mandate Equal Benefits for any business doing business with the City of Long Beach, I asked that we sit down and discuss exactly what was being proposed and also discuss the timing of doing something like this in the current economy. Councilmember Garcia told me we would talk but that he would go ahead with it without my co-sponsorship.

And he did the next day by placing it on the agenda with another co-sponsor for July 14, not the 21st.

So I have had to do extensive research on the concept and what other cities have enacted. As far as I can see, every city that has adopted this ordinance did so after several public hearings and with input from the business and gay and lesbian communities before the ordinance was crafted.

In fairness to everyone, we need to do the same: refer it to a council committee and the Human Relations Commission for public hearings and in-put. That way we can work out the details in public -- such as the dollar threshold for the requirement to kick in. Several cities set it at $50,000 and above -- some set it lower. Also in Minnesota, only employers with 51 employers or more (considered to be large employers) would be required to comply. They also exempt religious organizations. We also need to hear from the City Attorney about how we word the ordinance so not to conflict with our legal responsibility to select the lowest bidder -- which is now causing New York City problems.

The concept is right. The City should not do business with businesses that discriminate against their employees with domestic partners. And since it costs the same for an employer to provide health care benefits to the spouse of an employee as it would for the domestic partner of an employee it is only fair.

That being said, I believe the City Council has an obligation not only to propose law but to get as many people who will be impacted by that law involved. The Council has done this on fire sprinklers, lobbyist registration, second story moratorium, large trucks and many other proposed code changes. It just makes for better law. It just makes sense.

So I will be asking that we refer the matter to the Council Committee on Economic Development and the citizen Human Relations Commission so that the Council can support an ordinance that will really be effective.

Residents Angry About Proposed Water Rate Increase...and Lack of Enforcement for Overwatering

The letter just started to hit my district. You know. The one that says because we have a shortage of water, the Water Commission is going to raise water rates.

Oh that one. Try explaining to anyone why if Long Beach has conserved more water than any other jurisdiction, it is now being rewarded by higher water rates.

Also, as I walk the district (and respond to many emails), people are mad as hornets over the Water Department's advertising campaign encouraging people to turn in those who waste water. In some instances this has turned into an instant neighbor feud. In others, residents complain to me that when they report offenders, the overwatering continues. (That's because there are no teeth in the water shortage/conservation effort. No fine. Just stern warnings.)

I am voting against any increase in Water rates and for real penalties for overwatering.

Walking and Talking

I am out in the 5th District again walking and talking to neighbors. The feedback is positive. Residents like my outreach and communications efforts. They also like this blog and the fact that I "fight for them" when I ask questions and probe further when proposals are brought to council.

Don't get me wrong. Residents still want their sidewalks fixed and their trees trimmed and speeding stopped on their residential streets. They also expect prompt responses from police and fire. They support our local libraries and the programs in our parks.

They do not want additional taxes or for the city to spend money on non-core services.

If I hear anything different, I'll let you all know.

P.S. It is hot out here on many of the streets where residents had the city trees removed. I've asked a couple of them if they a new tree and usually the answer is "no" because they don't want one more thing to take care of.

All Extra Money Should Go Into General Fund

Last night Council considered a very complex financial transaction that essentially "tenders" 30% of the pre-pay natural gas contracts we agreed to with Merrill Lynch.

Doing so will return about 25 million to the Gas and Oil Department. More importantly it will not increase the cost to the consumer.

In the memo to the Council was a proposal to use some of these new funds to pay for the relocation of the Public Service Yard which is a necessary component of the proposed wetlands and land swap. The council approved my motion that removed that provision so that any additional funds from the tendering of 30% of the bonds will go to the General Fund and not to pay to move the Public Service Yard -- which we can wait to do until we are financially solvent.

Alcohol in the Parks -- Redux

After a meeting with park protection activists and Phil Hester, Director of Parks, Recreation and Marine Department I think we may have worked out a compromise that protects the parks but allows alcohol in specific places (actually reduces the number of places originally proposed) and under very specific circumstances (i.e. weddings, corporate picnics, Octoberfest, etc)

These park protection activists worked years ago to keep alcohol and a sports park out of El Dorado Park and are concerned that the latest proposal would open all the parks to alcohol and would create serious problems -- especially since we have cut the number of Park Rangers.

Mr. Hester is taking the changes back to the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department and then to the City Council.

It was a good meeting. Let's hope we get a good resolution to this issue.

Contact City Manager About Fire Station Cuts

Okay. So I have heard it now not less than 5 times that coming soon to your local city council meeting are proposals to "brown out" several fire stations -- two of which are in my council district.

If I were a worrying sort, I'd say the timing is suspicious right before the start of campaign season. But I am giving the powers that be the benefit that they are "putting everything on the table" and not targeting a specific district.

So help me tell the City Manager and the Mayor to take it off the table.

The 5th Council District has three fire stations: 5, 18 and 19. Click here to see them:
http://www.longbeach.gov/fire/station_locations.asp

I understand the plan is to shut down one station in the morning and one in the evening.

Let me tell you why that is wrong and so very dangerous. The majority of calls for service in my district are for paramedics. If you even add 3 minutes to a response time because the station is closed and another has to respond, you are wasting precious minutes especially for those who are in cardiac arrest.

For three years I have called for establishing a paramedic subscription program that would bring in funds at the same time help our residents by waiving their co-pay. Many, many cities are doing this.

You can contact the city manager at: patrick.west@longbeach.gov and the Mayor at Bob.Foster@longbeach.gov. Tell them it is a bad idea to cut fire services.

Nyet on Using Gas Contract Money For Public Service Yard

In the spirit of Obama being in Russia, I thought I would say "no" in a different language.

I know that some are a twitter (and are twittering) that the cost of moving the City's Public Service Yard can be paid for out of an arrangement involving our natural gas contracts.

So again. "Nyet." "No."

For you see, the cost of moving the Public Service Yard is about $500,000 and stands in the way of closing the land swap deal in which the city gives the public service yard to the owner of the "wetlands properties" -- thus necessitating the City to move out of the Public Service Yard at a cost of $500,000.

Yes. I am most interested in saving the wetlands. But I am more interested in saving the City of Long Beach from financial ruin or cutting fire and police or other necessary services because we don't have the money.

Use the $500,000 to keep our fire stations open. Use the $500,000 to make certain we have enough police on the streets. Use the $500,000 to restore the Library's budget that has been so cut this year and next.

You have to ask yourself why in this economy and with all of the problems the city and state faces, we are focusing on spending money for anything that isn't our core service.

LB Health Care Reform Town Hall Sobering

I was invited to speak at a town hall on health care reform sponsored by St. Mary Medical Center. Congresswoman Laura Richardson and several other speakers also talked about the need to reform our current health care system.

While most of the speakers focused upon changing the financing of health care, I spoke on the need to deal with the delivery system.

Below are some of my remarks:

"As the first Registered Nurse Practitioner to sit on the Medical Board of California, the agency which licenses and disciplines the 117,000 plus physicians in my state, I need to share with you my perspective on how the current health care system is taking its toll on these physicians and putting the medical profession at odds with the nursing profession and how if these problems are not addressed, we will not be able to ensure that every American has access to health care.

More and more doctors say they want to leave the profession in the next few years. Many others say they wouldn’t recommend the profession to their own children. The suicide rate among male physicians is 40% higher than among the general male population and 130% higher among female physicians than among the general female population.

Those who remain in medicine are mad as hell.

Who can blame them? Doctors are under constant attack from about everyone, for trying to do what they spent many years in training to do.

Doctors note that they are no longer the “captain of the ship” in health care. The medical profession no longer provides the autonomy nor the prestige once given, as insurance companies pay doctors pennies on the dollar for the care they provide and managed care company clerks place limits on the type of care they can give. Doctors spend too much time filling out forms and focusing upon billing problems; time that could be better spent with their patients or their own families.

They agonize as they watch helplessly as some of their seriously ill patients struggle to get insurance companies to cover their health care needs or to pay for the prescription medicine that could save their lives.

The government tells doctors whom they must treat and fines them if they don’t. Patients sue when they don’t like the outcome of the care they receive resulting in malpractice insurance coverage costs taking more of their income.

We began having a shortage of physicians in this country beginning in the 1980’s -- just about the time managed care arrived and began undercutting how doctors practice medicine. To fill this shortage, my own profession provided advanced clinical training for nurses who became nurse practitioners. Although paid far less than physicians, nurse practitioners nonetheless provide primary care in many health care settings.

Many physicians perceive expanding the “scope of practice” of non-physicians to allow health care professionals such as nurse practitioners to diagnose, treat and prescribe, as a further attack on the status of medicine and are waging battles in several states to stop the expanded authority of nurse practitioners. This despite the fact that most studies show that nurse practitioners can safely and effectively provide 80% of all primary care.

The medical community recently sounded the alarm against the a new “Doctor of Nursing Practice” that moves nursing in the direction of other health professions such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, psychology, physical therapy and audiology which all offer clinical practice doctorates.

Expanded scope of practice for non-physicians has been the only means of meeting the need of providing access to health care in many communities.

We need to bring the medical and nursing professions together to discuss how we can work collaboratively to expand access to patient centered primary care in this country.

In some health care settings, that may involve physicians and nurse practitioners working in “multidisciplinary teams” with the “understanding of the distinctive roles, skills, and values of all team members” – as the American College of Physicians just stated in its policy monograph about nurse practitioners in primary care.

But it may also require that in some health care settings, nurse practitioners substitute or replace primary care physicians in order to provide access to primary health care; a possibility that the American College of Physicians strongly opposed in the same monograph.

This independent role of nurse practitioners (which is already allowed in several states: AK, AZ, DC, IA, ID, MT, NH, NM, OR, WA) obviously requires acknowledgement that appropriately trained nurse practitioners can safely and effectively provide such care and that they can access other health care resources such as admitting privileges at hospitals, adequate malpractice insurance and equitable reimbursement for the care provided.

Our health care system must acknowledge and value that each profession, by its training, has a different focus on patient care. Nurse Practitioners are often sought by patients because of our abilities to spend more time with patients and our holistic approach in caring for patients and their families. Physicians have extensive clinical training and experience and are consulted when the patient’s condition requires advanced care. Using a combination of medical and nursing professionals expands the sources of care in all communities.

Medicine and nursing must not be at war with each other over whom should care for patients, especially at a time when such care is so needed in our country.

We need to bring about a change in our health care system that not only benefits patients but those who provide the care."

Note: My remarks are my own and not to be construed in anyway as reflecting the California Medical Board.

Some things you can't do in Long Beach...

Thought I would post a partial list of the "most common life-safety and quality of life Long Beach Municipal Code Violations" otherwise known as the list of things you cannot do in Long Beach. If you see any of these violations, please call my office at 562.570-6932 and we'll send out Code Enforcement to cite the offender:

• Discharge fireworks
• Obstruction/storage blocking ingress and egress
• Locked, latched, chained exist doors prevent egress
• No exit sign
• Inoperable smoke detector or fire extinguisher (for business)
• Excessive fuels (over 5 gallons) stored in dwellings or garages
• Weeds or unsightly debris visable to public view
• Abandoned, boarded up buildings
• Broken windows
• Overgrown vegetation
• Junk in front or side yard
• Trash cans stored in front or side yard visible from street
• Graffiti
• Garage conversion
• Extension cords used as a substitute for permanent wiring
• Spitting/discharging mucus from nose or mouth on sidewalk or public place
• Vandalism
• Possession of alcohol in public park
• Juvenile (under 18) curfew violation -- 10 pm to 6 am
• Shed, add-on, non-permitted room used as dwelling
• Unsafe housing
• Possession of a shopping cart
• Loud music
• Storing, selling, displaying vehicles for sale on street
• Repairing, painting, displaying automobiles on street
• Living in the parks
• Canopies in driveways or front area or side area

Inside the C-17

Wow, what an experience I had yesterday --thanks in part to Congresswoman Laura Richardson. You see she was visiting the Boeing plant to talk to executives and workers about the importance of continuing the C-17. I attended because Boeing is in my district (and the Mayor and Vice Mayor were not available).

We had several briefings and then went to the plant to view a plane being assembled and then on to a finished plane where we entered the cockpit and the two of us sat in the pilot and co-pilot seats. (No, I don't know which was which...)

Anyway I credit Laura for my access because she made certain that I was included up front and she acknowledged my being there several times. (This is something Asssemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal is also very good at doing when she attends an event and there are other elected officials.)

We also met with several of the suppliers -- companies which provide parts and other services to make the C-17 happen. They and the employees at Boeing amount to 30,000 jobs across the US directly related to the C-17.

The Air Force continues to say privately it wants the C-17 as its cargo plane -- because of problems with the C-5. However, when the budget comes, AF doesn't put a request in for it. So the House of Representatives added a request for 15 planes.

Currently, most of the planes being purchased are for commercial uses in the Middle East. The C-17 requires little crew, is reliable and can carry a ton (actually many tons) of cargo and personnel.

Long Beach needs the C-17. So does the U.S.

Nominate Your Good Neighbors

It's that time of the year when I ask residents to nominate organizations, youths or adults who have earned the title "Good Neighbor." That means they went out of their way to do something special that qualifies them to be called a "Good Neighbor."

You can click here and go on line and complete the nomination form.

Please don't nominate yourself because the nomination needs to come from someone else who thinks you deserve to be honored and I have to announce you nominated yourself.

I need the forms completed not later than August 31st so that I can give out the awards at the 3rd Annual Good Neighbor Festival and Picnic on Saturday, September 26th at 10 am until 3 pm in the Good Neighbor Park at Studebaker and Barrios.

By the way, this year's festival and picnic will be a lot of fun: free food and drink, music by The Elm Street Band, pie eating contest, penny arcade, info booths, free bike helmets, games for kids, and a sidewalk chalk art contest.

So mark your calendars and enjoy.

Back in Long Beach -- after Metropolitan Water District Tour

Vacation is over. Back to business in Long Beach. Several issues are brewing -- allowing alcohol in the parks; the proposal wetlands land swap; the $3 million debt of the Musuem of Art; the growing City deficit with threatened state take aways.

Yesterday I went on a day long tour of Diamond Valley Lake in Riverside County to view a portion of the water system maintained by the Metropolitan Water District which provides most of Long Beach's water.

5th District resident and neighborhood activist, Phyllis Ortman, led the tour. She is employed by MWD and has to be the most knowledgeable person on water issues that I have met.

It was very hot down there in Riverside. Diamond Valley Lake has a visitors' center and the Western Center for Archeology and Paleontology -- which is worth the trip.

The excitement of the day was when the wind whipped up and blew my hat off into the treatment basin. Yes, it had to be fished out and for a brief moment as the hat floated on the water it looked like I may have gone overboard too.