2014 Year Of Seismic Change In Long Beach Leadership political change Posted: Wednesday, December 31, 2014 6:00 am By Harry Saltzgaver, Executive Editor Long Beach likely will look back to 2014 as the year everything changed for a long time to come. Thanks in large part to a term-limit law Long Beach voters passed two decades ago, a majority of the City Council members who took their seats in July were brand new. There also was a new mayor, although Robert Garcia had some experience as the First District City Council representative before taking the center seat on the dais. Perhaps more importantly, the changes were in most cases a generational shift. The average age of the City Council dropped by more than 10 years, and the attitudes followed suit. That younger leadership had plenty to deal with, as this retrospective of 2014 shows. Political Seismic Shift Long Beach’s election cycle is set up so that all citywide offices are up for election the same year that five of the nine City Council seats are decided. Mayor Bob Foster ended 2013 by announcing that he would not seek a third term as a write-in candidate, further opening up what already had been a crowded field. Foster waited until nearly the end of February to endorse his vice mayor, Robert Garcia, to replace him. Garcia gave up an almost certain second term as First District councilman to join a field of nine, including Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, longtime community leader Doug Otto and millionaire Damon Dunn. That left the First District seat open. Lena Gonzalez, a Garcia staffer would best a field of four there. Schipske had completed two terms in the Fifth, and Gary DeLong had completed his two terms in the Third District, opening those seats. Stacy Mungo defeated Carl Kemp in a runoff for the Fifth District while Suzie Price overwhelmed a field of five for the Third District seat. Council members with higher ambitions opened up the Seventh and Ninth District seats. James Johnson decided to try for the fulltime City Attorney job instead of a second term in the Seventh, ultimately losing to Charlie Parkin. Steve Neal thought he saw a chance to go to the state Assembly, but lost in the primary. A familiar name, Uranga, was back in the Seventh District seat, although this time it was Roberto Uranga instead of his wife, former Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga. Former chief of staff Rex Richardson moved up to the big chair in the Ninth District. Two other candidates had to wait until June for a first indication of their future. Patrick O’Donnell ran against fellow council member Suja Lowenthal and Republican John Goya to replace Bonnie Lowenthal in the state Assembly — ultimately defeating Goya in the November general election and leaving his Fourth District seat open at the end of the year (a special election is set for April 2015). Police Chief Jim McDonnell jumped into the race for Los Angeles County Sheriff in January, and nearly won the job in June with more than 49% of the vote in a five-person race. He had to wait until November to make it official. It took less than two weeks for City Manager Pat West to appoint then deputy chief Robert Luna the new police chief. There were new faces on the governing bodies for the Long Beach Unified School District and the Long Beach City College District, as well. Megan Kerr and Diane Craighead won terms on the LBUSD board, while Sunny Zia and Virginia Baxter joined the LBCC trustees. Financial Recovery Mayor Foster took the opportunity to present a proposed fiscal 2015 budget a week before relinquishing his title to Garcia. Foster had good cause — it was the second budget in a row without service cuts after six years of deficit budgets. Foster claimed victory over skyrocketing pension costs with new agreements sharing more costs with employees as part of contracts with all the city’s unions. Capital projects also moved forward, largely on the strength of oil revenues. Each City Council district doled out more than $1 million for infrastructure, and several citywide projects moved forward. Along the beach, the Tidelands Fund was flush with oil money, and projects on the drawing boards for years moved forward, although several proved controversial (see Waterfront section). Days after the Fiscal 2015 budget was approved by the new City Council, crude oil prices began their precipitous plunge. As the year ended, city officials were scrambling to provide adjusted revenue forecasts based on the current new reality of oil sell-ing around $56 a barrel. While oil prices were a concern, the rest of the economy continued its recovery, with higher property values, lower unemployment and a better sales tax revenue forecast. New businesses moved in, most notably with Mercedes Benz taking over the former Boeing 717 plant and the Douglas Park industrial park booming. Part of the new city budget was the revitalization of the Economic Development Department, and expectations that former Redevelopment Agency land would be released by the state early in 2015. A New Civic Center After the opening of the George Deukmejian Courthouse last year, city officials began considering a similar public-private partnership approach to build a new civic center, including a new City Hall and Main Library. Mayor Foster championed the approach, saying it was the only way the city could afford new buildings. A new City Hall was needed, officials said, because the current building had been deemed a risk in case of an earthquake. The library and its roof also was considered at risk. Despite opponents seeking alternatives including a retrofit, the proposal moved forward with requests for qualifications and a request for proposals. Earlier this month, the City Council approved moving forward with a proposal from a group called Plenary Edgemoor Civic Partners. Public meetings, designs and permit approvals are expected to take all of 2015 and beyond. More Big Projects Over on Terminal Island, the replacement for the Gerald Desmond Bridge began to come out of the ground. The new bridge will be the second tallest cable-stayed bridge in the country, and have 200 feet of clearance to allow larger cargo ships. Construction will cost about $1.3 billion, with federal, state and Port of Long Beach sources of funding. It is expected to take at least two more years to complete. Also at the port, the Middle Harbor Terminal Redevelopment project continues its march toward completion. That multi-year project will create the largest, greenest and most technologically efficient terminals in the country, port officials said. But Harbor Department administration no longer is on port property to oversee the projects. The administrative headquarters building has been abandoned because it is both too small and at risk during an earthquake. The port purchased a building near the Long Beach Airport and moved there temporarily, with a promise to return downtown. Earlier this month, the Harbor Commission voted to participate in the Civic Center project by including a new headquarters building. In north Long Beach, work has begun to underground utility lines in preparation for a new North Branch Library. After more than seven years of debate and controversy, the city took possession of Schroeder Hall, a former Army Reserve base on Willow Street at Grand Avenue. It will be renovated to become the new home of the East Division of the Long Beach Police Department. In central Long Beach, the historic Hamilton Bowl was recreated as Chittick Field with a lighted football/soccer field, an all-weather track and more. Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews vowed to continue the upgrades. A Historic Drought Long Beach and the rest of California suffered through a severe drought in 2014. The city imposed water use restrictions in late February, then tightened those restrictions in November. At the same time, larger rebates to replace lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping were offered. A summit of water experts late in the year concluded that California residents needed to make permanent lifestyle changes to use less water going forward. More efficient water use was addressed as part of the Parks, Recreation and Marine budget. The council set aside more than $1 million to replace antiquated irrigation systems. Although not directly related, the Water Commission also increased water and sewer rates, at least partially because of higher prices for imported water. Waterfront Projects A city icon, the Belmont Plaza Pool, started 2014 shuttered and slated for demolition. Plans for a replacement facility drew many comments and a concerted effort by swimming, diving and water polo supporters to build a competitive facility. Ultimately, the new City Council approved plans for a $104 million aquatic center with indoor and outdoor pools, a separate diving well and enough seat for major events. $60 million has been set aside and the old building demolished, but there is some question where the city will find the rest of the construction money in 2015. Another Tidelands-funded project, erosion control along the city’s bluffs, became a summer-long controversy. Residents convinced then-Third District Councilman Gary DeLong that the use of shotcrete (sprayed concrete) to stabilize the bluff was a serious mistake, and DeLong convinced the rest of the council to stop the work for further review. That review left Bluff Park in mid-construction for most of the year. In December, the new council decided to complete the erosion control with shotcrete at an additional cost of $1.3 million. One part of the project, a handicap-accessible path down the bluff west of Junipero Avenue, was completed. Tidelands money also paid for new and refurbished bathrooms at several spots along the beach, as well as the first phase of another Naples seawalls repair program. A second path along the beach dedicated to pedestrian use also proved controversial, but started construction in November. The next phase of the Alamitos Bay Marina rebuild also moved ahead. Transitions In addition to all the political shuffling, several people left the Long Beach stage in 2014. In city government, Jon Slangerup was tapped as the next executive director of the Port of Long Beach. Assistant city manager Suzanne Frick left the coast to become chief administrator in Ketchum, Idaho. Mario Rodriguez, the airport director who guided Long Beach’s modernization, flew off to Indianapolis. Director of Technology Services Curtis Tani retired, as did Civil Service Director Mario Beas. On the obituary page, former City Councilman Ray Grabinski died in November in Arizona. In the business world, John Bloeser of Bloeser Carpet One and the Fish Tale restaurant died in September. Nien-Ling Wacker, founder of Laserfiche, passed in October. Realtors Bernie Jones and George Pabst died in 2014, as did Belmont Shore property owner and Long Beach Yacht Club regular Bud Lorbeer. From a previous generation, Jim Hoffman and Otto Ross died (Ross was 102). Vincenzo Cristiano, founder of the venerable Nino’s Italian Restaurant, also passed. Sports fans mourned the loss of Poly graduate and baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, as well as professor and columnist Dan Barber. Jim Stangeland, Richard “Dick” Perry and surfing legend Bruce Jones made 2014 their last. Downtown Developments Long Beach’s core continued to remake itself in 2014. A $10 million redo of the venerable Long Beach Arena created something called the Pacific Ballroom, which immediately became a popular spot for special events. The Promenade development matured, with more businesses, a park space and other activity. North Pine Avenue got a major boost with the opening of Millworks’ building and new efforts to energize the mixed-use area. Sports played a role downtown in 2014, with a World Series of Beach Volleyball stop and a giant-screen party to watch the World Cup soccer finals. Bike Fest returned, and the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon celebrated its 30th anniversary. History was celebrated, too, with First Congregational Church celebrating its 100th birthday. And the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Festival marked its 50th anniversary. Uptown Excitement North Long Beach turned corners in 2014, particularly in the Ninth City Council District. Steve Neal made way for his chief of staff, Rex Richardson, to become the next City Councilman, but did not stop working for the area. Neal was critical in starting the Uptown Business Improvement District, which formally began business on Jan. 1. And he was given credit for keeping plans for the North Branch Library on track. Groundbreaking for that project was in October, with Richardson presiding. While the city worked on the library project, the Long Beach Unified School District launched a $150 million rebuild of Jordan High School. The first phase of that project was done last summer, then construction crews slowed down to let school begin. Shortly after taking office, Richardson unveiled a participatory budgeting process that will give residents a say in how discretionary infrastructure money is spent. That process is supposed to end next summer. In Bixby Knolls, the business association capped another successful year by moving its offices to the Expo building, a former Redevelopment Agency property taken over by the city and being used as a centerpiece for Bixby Knolls activities, including First Fridays. The Long Beach Historical Society continued to solidify its presence on Atlantic Avenue with new exhibits and events. Harry Saltzgaver can be reached at editor@gazettes.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 14:14:19 +0000
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