Press Telegram Does Excellent Analysis of Benefits of Tesla Motors vs. LB Studios

Click here to read a great article in Press Telegram today about Tesla Motors vs. LB Studios coming to the Boeing property.

My biggest concern at this point is that neither a movie studio nor Tesla Motors will locate in Long Beach.

The Mayor of Downey called me and told me the very same story of why Downey would prefer Tesla Motors over the movie studios that are there. Bottom line: Tesla can create jobs in a very short period of time. He's pretty confident that Downey will get Tesla. Afterall, he and his City Council assembled a "red team" and aggressively marketed Tesla Motors. (Sadly, I couldn't get the City Council, Mayor nor the Chamber of Commerce to assemble a "red team" on this one.)

So when the dust settles and Tesla and LB Studios become (or don't become a reality for Long Beach) I do hope the Press Telegram will do an in-depth analysis of what went wrong so it doesn't happen again.

Making it on the top ten list.

Was stunned that I was included in the list of the top 10 most powerful people in Long Beach compiled by LBPOST.com.

Really.

There are a lot of people in this town, some known, some unknown who are very powerful both in a good way and in a bad way. Power has many meanings.

I have received some very nice calls and emails (some from my council colleagues and one from someone who is also on the list) about being on the list.

I do appreciate the mention but I also realize I wouldn't be on that list without the help and support of a lot of people (staff, family, friends, constituents). I'd list them all but there are way more than 10.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Scheduled for LB Rosie the Riveter Park and Interpretive Center

The City of Long Beach will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the Rosie the Riveter Park and Interpretive Center, on Monday, October 26, at 10 am at the park site at Conant Street and Clark Avenue (adjacent to Fire Station 19). The ceremony will celebrate the development of the park and interpretive center dedicated to the women who worked at the Douglas Aircraft plant during World War II. Named by the City Council in 2006, the park is near the original site of where thousands of women assembled bombers and cargo planes during the early 1940s.

"The park and interpretive center will provide the community a living memorial to a significant part of Long Beach's history," said Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, whose district includes the park. "We are excited about bringing this era to life and providing a focal point for visitors to learn about the history of our city."

Drew Satariano, President of the Parks and Recreation Commission added, “The Parks and Recreation Commission is honored to be a part of developing this gateway into Long Beach's past through this wonderful project.”

The park will be designed in two phases. The first phase includes a walking path with interpretive signs and a guided tour by cell phone that takes visitors to the 1940s when Long Beach helped with the war effort. A memorial featuring reproductions of scenes from the National World War II Memorial and a Victory Rose Garden are tucked in a grove of trees. It will provide a tranquil spot where visitors can reflect upon the sacrifice of those women and men who served in the military and civilian organizations. A compass rose, long used by aviators to navigate their way, will be featured and will be a replica of the one that was in the main lobby of the Administration Building of the Roosevelt Naval Station in Long Beach. A walk through of a life-size sculpture of two women riveters takes visitors to the interpretive center located in the Long Beach City College Foundation building behind the park. The interpretive center will feature memorabilia and displays provided by The Boeing Company, successor to McDonnell Douglas Corporation.

The second phase includes an additional walking path that is comprised of memorial pavers donated by those wishing to honor a loved one: a "Rosie," a member of the Women's Air Service Pilots (WASP) or any branch of the US military. A concrete sculpture outlines a B-17 bomber to provide an amphitheater and garden for public events. Historic benches, lighting and banners will complete the park.

The park design was led by NUVIS Landscape Architecture and Planning with input from the Rosie the Riveter Taskforce and The Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Foundation, a non profit organization formed to support the park and interpretive center.

Funding for the first phase was made possible through a grant given to the City of Long Beach by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe specifically for the park and donations raised by The Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Foundation.

For more information about the Rosie the Riveter Groundbreaking event, please call Josh Butler, Office of Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, at 562.570.6932.

Welcome to the World Layne Mancini!

Wow. Now I remember why I loved working in the Newborn Nursery and the NICU. Newborns are wonderful and it is amazing to watch them transition in a matter of seconds from being in utero to being in the world.

I was blessed to be at the birthcenter at Memorial Medical Center yesterday and today to greet the newest member into my extended family. Layne Mancini came in yelling and ready to cuddle with her moms, grandmas, aunts, uncles, grandpas, and greatgrandparents --all visiting, waiting, hoping. Then she came into the world and it obviously won't be the same for all of us.

Quite honestly there is nothing more special than a new baby at Christmas time...can't wait. It's been a while (my kids are in their 20's) since we've had a baby around.

News from City Hall

El Dorado Nature Center Stream Restoration:

Created in 1969, the El Dorado Nature Center is a 102-acre public environmental, education and recreation center. It contains two lakes, connected by a half-mile stream. During the 40 years that the Nature Center has been in existence, vegetation has grown to shade and clog the stream. Stream banks have eroded and silt and debris have accumulated on the stream bottom. The resulting wider and shallower stream does not provide healthy aquatic or riparian habitat and is eroding into the walking trail.

The City Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine has been working with stream restoration experts on a plan to transform the stream into a thriving ecosystem closely modeled on natural streams.

The Nature Center stream restoration is being funded by grants under the Safe Neighborhood Parks, Clean Water, and Coastal Protection Bond Acts of 2000 and 2002, and mitigation paid by Mc Donnell Douglas for violations under the Clean Water Act. Construction is expected to take approximately four to six months, during which time the walking trails adjacent to the stream will be closed.

Busiest Intersections in Long Beach:

The City Traffic Engineer, David Roseman, has listed the following information on the busiest streets in Long Beach:

1. 7th Street
2. Ocean Boulevard
3. Lakewood Boulevard
4. PCH
5. Cherry Avenue
6. Carson Street
7. Anaheim Street
8. Willow Street
9. Del Amo Boulevard
10. Spring Street

Top accident prone intersections:

1. Traffic circle
2. PCH and Cherry
3. LB Boulevard and Wardlow
4. 7th Street and Martin Luther King Avenue
5. Pramount and South Street
6. Los Coyotes Diag and Bellflower Blvd.
7. PCH and LB Blvd
8. 7th Street and Redondo Ave
9. Alamitos Avenue and Anaheim St.
10. Atlantic Ave and Artesia Blvd.

Number of Construction Permits in District 5:

The Development Services Department (aka Planning) reports that 175 construction permits were taken out in the 5th Council District this past August and 755 inspections were completed by Development Services of properties/businesses.

60-foot high wireless pole not appropriate for neighborhood

I have just received notice that T-Mobile wants to construct a 60-foot-high wirless telecommunications monopole disguised as a pine tree located at 3401 N. Studebaker .
It was scheduled for the Planning Commission and then the City Council.

I have told Planning staff I am opposed to the placement of such a high pole in essentially a residential area. I understand the item will not be taken up at the October 15th Planning Commission meeting because T-Mobile wants a chance to meet with the community.

As soon as I learn of a date for such a meeting, I will let residents of that area know so they attend and make their views heard.

Charter Amendment Could Open Up Bargaining Process

I am placing an item on the Council agenda (Public Pay Bargaining Sunshine Requirements) that requests my colleagues to refer to the Charter Amendment Committee (which is the full city council) a proposal that would go before the voters next April to open up the process utilized by the Council in negotiating wages, benefits and working conditions with our public employees.

The public is clamoring for transparency and input --not only of what the City negotiates but how much it costs the city for the agreements over the life of the agreements.

Collective bargaining is regulated by state law -- the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act which is found in the Government Code. Enforcement of this law is done by the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), the same agency which regulates labor laws for teachers, faculty members and employees of public universities and schools.

Currently, state law requires that the collective bargaining process for employees in higher education and employees in school districts provide for the "sun shining" of initial proposals for negotiations, including re-openers as well as proposals that arise later in the course of bargaining. The laws also require a delay after the proposals are presented at a public meeting to allow the public to become informed and provide input regarding the proposals. Additionally, in the case of schools districts, the Superintendent must disclose the costs of the contract and certify that the costs of the contract can be met by the school district during the term of the agreement.

Opening up the process to the public is needed. There isn't any reason that our City Council cannot do the same as is required by the Long Beach Unified School District.

Read below and see what the school district must do: (you'll see why we need to do the same)

Government Code Section 3547 provides:
(a) All initial proposals of exclusive representatives and of public school employers, which relate to matters within the scope of representation, shall be presented at a public meeting of the public school employer and thereafter shall be public records.
(b) Meeting and negotiating shall not take place on any proposal until a reasonable time has elapsed after the submission of the proposal to enable the public to become informed and the public has the opportunity to express itself regarding the proposal at a meeting of the public school employer.
(c) After the public has had the opportunity to express itself, the public school employer shall, at a meeting which is open to the public, adopt its initial proposal.
(d) New subjects of meeting and negotiating arising after the presentation of initial proposals shall be made public within 24 hours. If a vote is taken on such subject by the public school employer, the vote thereon by each member voting shall also be made public within 24 hours.
(e) The board may adopt regulations for the purpose of implementing this section, which are consistent with the intent of the section; namely that the public be informed of the issues that are being negotiated upon and have full opportunity to express their views on the issues to the public school employer, and to know of the positions of their elected representatives.

Government Code Section 3547.5 provides:
(a) Before a public school employer enters into a written agreement with an exclusive representative covering matters within the scope of representation, the major provisions of the agreement, including, but not limited to, the costs that would be incurred by the public school employer under the agreement for the current and subsequent fiscal years, shall be disclosed at a public meeting of the public school employer in a format established for this purpose by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
(b) The superintendent of the school district and chief business official shall certify in writing that the costs incurred by the school district under the agreement can be met by the district during the term of the agreement. This certification shall be prepared in a format similar to that of the reports required pursuant to Sections 42130 and 42131 of the Education Code and shall itemize any budget revision necessary to meet the costs of the agreement in each year of its term.

Nothing in the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act which governs labor relations of municipalities prohibits the City from adopting the same requirements for public disclosure and input.

In fact, the California Supreme Court commented on the school district approach favorably: "Thus, although the public is excluded from actual negotiating sessions . . . its opportunity to be fully informed and to express its views is preserved." San Mateo City School District v. PERB, 33 Cal.3d 850, 864 (1983).

I hope my colleagues and the voters agree to open this up.

Long Beach Studios

If the news is correct, it appears that Long Beach Studios -- a new movie company -- will locate on the Boeing property in the 5th Council District.

Let's cross our fingers because this is about the 7th time I have been told the deal was on --only for it to be off again.

But this is exciting news if it is for real. Finally, the empty Boeing 717 property will be occupied and hopefully LB Studios will bring much needed jobs to Long Beach.

I am still hopeful something can be worked out to bring TESLA Motors to Long Beach as well --maybe to the Douglas Park property that sits vacant but has all the environmental clearances needed to go full steam.

Bottom line --"Long Beach is good enough, and smart enough, and doggone it people like us!! (To use the words of movie star and now US Senator Al Franken.)

Long Beach Airport Capital Improvement Plan

For all you readers interested in what the City is planning on doing to improve the parking and terminal at the Long Beach Airport, I have posted to the right of this article, the presentation given to the City Council last Tuesday from the Airport Director, Mario Rodriguez, on what is planned for the parking and terminal improvements.

It has been a slow process because of the two law suits filed against the City -- one by the Long Beach Unified School District and the other by the PTA. Both law suits were unsuccessful.

So now the City can proceed with improving airport parking and the terminal. Funds will come from airport passenger fees -- no general funds will be used.

Long Beach Airport Quiet Home Program

Last Tuesday, the Council received a final briefing on the Airport's Quiet Home Program.

Look to your right on the blog and you can read the powerpoint presentation that we reviewed on this program.

Funds for making homes and schools quieter in the higher CNEL paths are obtained from airport passenger fees -- not the City general funds.

If you need more information, please contact my council office at: 562 570-6932 or contact the Airport staff person coordinating the effort: sharon.diggs-jackson@longbeach.gov.

Long Beach Chamber Sends Positive Appeal to Tesla Motors

Thanks so much to all the readers who contacted the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, urging them to help recruit Tesla Motors to Long Beach.

You can read the very positive message, sent today by the Chamber's Executive Director, Randy Gordon, to the right of this posting. Just click on the document and it will enlarge to full screen.

I sent my thanks to Mr. Gordon and the Chamber. This was the positive boost we've needed to encourage Tesla to come to Long Beach.

Video not working

Oh, well the best laid plans...the video put up pointing out Long Beach can offer tax credits and Downey cannot in the battle to woo Tesla, crashed and is down...but Tesla got the point.

One more push to get Tesla to come to Long Beach

Haven't heard officially what decision Tesla Motors has made about where it will locate its plant that will produce the Model S and create 1,200 jobs. Also have not heard a peep out of our city officials about what is being done to recruit this job maker.

So I am doing one more push of letter writing and a 30 second video on You Tube showing why Long Beach should be selected over Downey. The mayor of Downey was a nice guy to take a gift basket to Tesla, but Long Beach has a great site at the Boeing property and we can give a tax credit in the enterprise zone for every job created...better than a gift basket wouldn't you say.

Residents Deserve An "Autopsy" To Find Out The "Cause of Death of Tesla Deal"

November 23, 2009-- Gerrie Schipske, councilwoman for Long Beach’s fifth district, has been outspoken in her desire to keep alive the possibility of Tesla Motors locating its plant in Long Beach.

She personally contacted Elon Musk, President of Tesla to ask him what the City of Long Beach was doing to encourage his company to locate there. She also mounted a letter writing campaign called "Long Beach -- We Can Do Better Than Downey."

She used her blog to prod Long Beach officials to actively market the City to get Tesla here. So today upon learning that Tesla has signed a letter of intent with Downey to locate a plant which will manufacture 20,000 electric vehicles and produce 1,000 jobs she issued the following statement:

"The taxpayers of Long Beach deserve a full explanation about who or what killed the deal to bring Tesla to Long Beach. How did we lose this revenue producing opportunity to Downey? Long Beach has so much more to offer to a business than most southern California locations -- we have manufacturing space at the Boeing site, nearness to freeways, an airport, a port, railroad, convention center, training programs at our local community college and most importantly a workforce ready and willing to work. We also have an enterprise zone that provides tax credits for employers. And just recently the City announced it won the 'Most Business Friendly City Award' in Los Angeles County.

So what went wrong?

Anyone who has worked in corporate America knows how important it is to develop positive relationships in order to do business, which is exactly what the City of Downey did and the City of Long Beach did not do.

Unlike the City of Downey, which marshaled its Mayor and Council to actively court Tesla through calls, letters, ads and personal outreach, Long Beach apparently treated Tesla as a 'second-class citizen' according to comments made to me and to the press by Tesla President, Elon Musk. (It would be interesting to examine how much time and effort was really expended by Long Beach officials and staff in recruiting Tesla.)

I would like to congratulate the City of Downey for getting Tesla, and thank them for helping to keep these important types of jobs in the region."

We've Got Trouble, Right Here in Long Beach City, Starts With T and Rhymes with P and its stands for PCBs

Ya got trouble,
Right here in Long Beach city!
With a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "P"
And that stands for PCBs.
We've surely got trouble!
Right here in Long Beach City!


With apologies to Professor Harold Hill of Music Man fame, we apparently do have trouble right here in Long Beach City.

Seems like the US Environmental Protection Agency got tipped off by the O.C. District Attorney back in 2008 that there might be some hazardous things called PCBs a lurking over on the 33 acres owned by LCW Oil Operations -- yes, that same bundle of joy being adopted by the City of Long Beach in a land swap labeled "wetlands."

Remember that infamous day when city staff told the City Council, you need to hurry up and do this deal or the owner will walk away? Now or never was the battle cry from the council dais.

Well it is now many months later and we just find out that the owners of that parcel knew way back in February 2009 that the EPA wanted the land checked out for these hazardous substances and that EPA suspects several areas of the land have contamination.

So I am putting an item on the Council agenda (again) asking for full disclosure of what EPA found on the property, why it wasn't disclosed to the Council during negotiations and how the City can protect itself from winding up with property that is going to cost a bundle to clean up.

If you'd like to learn more...please go on line directly to EPA website's and feast your eyes on all the reports and letters about the problems on this property.

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.

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.