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.