Gerrie Schipske's Blog

Grace Clements Art Once in LB Municipal Airport Hangs in Florida Gallery

2013-06-17T02:09:00.000-07:00

WPA artist, Grace Clements, who designed the tile mosaics on the floor of the Long Beach Municipal Airport and murals on the walls of the terminal (which were painted over in 2005), apparently did other pieces of art for the Long Beach Municipal Airport.

I found three of them and they are now owned and displayed at the Florida International University Wolfsonian Gallery.

So how did they leave the Long Beach Municipal Airport and wind up owned by Michael Wolfson? I am trying to find out and to see how they can be brought back to Long Beach where they belong.

Grace Clements was a 28 year old artist who was part of the post surrealist movement. Her art was patterned after German expressionism and cubism. She participated in several public arts works that used murals in different media such as tiles, collage and paint. Her theme in the LB Airport was communication (aviation and navigation). The tile mosaics were assembled in Los Angeles by workers and then installed in the LB Airport. Scheduled to open on December 8, 1941, Clements was reported to be working inside the airport terminal when word arrived that the grand opening would be cancelled because of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Spirit of '45 Kiss

2013-06-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

Iconic Spirit of '45 "Kiss" Statue

to Appear at Flag Day Ceremony,

U.S. Capitol Flown Flag to Be Raised

Entertainment by High Tide Quartet, Classic Movie Yankee Doodle Dandy to be Shown

Long Beach will celebrate Flag Day with the placement of new US flags along Clark Avenue between Willow and Carson and with the raising of the Stars and Stripes over the El Dorado Community Center. The flag is special because it was briefly flown over the U.S. Capitol and provide by Congressman Alan Lowenthal. The event is free and open to the public.

At noon, there will be a brief ceremony and music followed by the 1932 musical, Yankee Doodle Dandy that featured the tune You're A Grand Ole Flag. Refreshments and small US Flag souvenirs will be provided.

WHERE: El Dorado Community Center - 2800 Studebaker Rd.

WHEN: Friday, June 14th, noon - movie begins at 1:30

FEATURING: The iconic "Kiss" life-sized statue depicting a sailor kissing a woman based on the famous photo taken in Time Square at the end of WWII. The statue will be on hand courtesy of the Spirit of '45 Foundation.

Special performance by the High Tide Quartet, flag raising by the United States Army National Guard and Boy Scout Troop 205. Following the ceremony, guests will receive souvenir flags and bookmarks, and enjoy refreshments provided by CareMore, followed by a special showing of the movie classic Yankee Doodle Dandy in the Bridge Room from 1:30-3:30 pm.

Information about the history of Flag Day, and how to properly display a flag are posted at: Flag Etiquette.

For more information contact the office of Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske at 562-570-6932,

district5@longbeach.gov.

5th District Streets to Be Repaired or Slurry Sealed

2013-06-13T06:20:00.005-07:00

Street to be repaved: Harvey Way

Street to be slurried: Rosina

I am pleased to announce that street repair and slurry sealing is underway on a number of residential streets in the 5th district. This marks the first time since I took office in 2006 that the City has funded slurry sealing of streets.

Slurry sealing is like car wax: it is used to protect streets that are in good condition from deteriorating. The slurry seal which is made from emulsified asphalt (a mixture made from oil and fine sand aggregate) is typically applied to a street once every 7 to 8 years.

The Public Works Department carefully reviewed the streets in the City and recommended that the following streets in the 5th be slurried:

Click here for map

Torin from Claremore to Lama

Claremore from Spring to Cramer

Cramer from Armourdale to Julian

Armourdale from Cramer to Garner

Julian from Garner to Rosina

Rosina from Claremore to Marna

Claremore from Rosina to Wardlow

The following streets because of their serious condition are being repaved:

Centralia from Whitewood to Bellflower

Harvey Way from Faculty to Clark

Faculty from Carson to Harvey

Arbor Road from Lakewood Blvd to Bellflower Blvd.

The total funding for these projects: $1.1 million.

FY13 CD5 Residential Street Improvement and Slurry Seal Program

As more funds become available for street repair, more streets will be repaved or slurried in the 5th Council district.

Should you have any questions, as always, feel free to contact me: district5@longbeach.gov.

Analysis on Long Beach Airport and Airline Industry Raises Flags...And It Should

2013-06-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

Long Beach Airport (Photo credit: Konabish ~ Greg Bishop)

Long Beach Airport (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I received the following memo today from the Long Beach Airport Director, Mario Rodriguez. He provides an analysis of the airline industry and the impact of some of the financial situation in the airline industry and how that is impacting Long Beach Airport.

The analysis is interesting and I am glad to receive it. However, I am concerned about the last several paragraphs in the memo that refer to the City's noise ordinance and the resolution restricting flights to forty-one a day. His analysis indicates that this limitation has produced "the unintended effect of restricting entrance to the market." He also states that "reduced flight usage has an effect on the rate base of our airlines and the revenues of our concessionaires and rental care companies -- not to mention our local travel industry partners that depend on this lift."

This part of the memo concerns me greatly. The tone indicates that sometime down the line, the City will need to change the ordinance and resolution to accommodate the changes in the airline industry.

We do not need excuses to either do away with the Noise Compatibility Ordinance or to increase the number of flights per day. The impact of doing either would seriously harm the property values of the homes surrounding the Long Beach Airport who "depend on a stable, quiet neighborhood" as guaranteed by the Noise Compatibility Ordinance.

I have expressed my concerns to Airport senior management that while this memo is informative that it should not be interpreted in any way that would suggest the City Council wants or will weaken the Noise Compatibility Ordinance which protects our neighborhoods.

Airport Analysis

Flag Day in Long Beach

2013-06-11T00:45:00.000-07:00

It was reported in 1915 in the Daughters of the American Revolution summary from its Gaviota Chapter (Long Beach) that “there is a United States Flag in every school room in the public schools of Long Beach and the West Point salute is known by every school child and given on ‘Flag Day.’” The local DAR Chapter also reported visiting local businesses with a copy of the California Flag Law.

To many, June 14^th has always been more than a day marked on our calendars as “Flag Day.” It has been one of the most important of our patriotic days. For it is the day that celebrates that on June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag.

There are numerous stories about citizens celebrating our nation’s flag and helping turn June14th into a national day of recognition for the Stars and Stripes.

Two teachers are significant in recognizing the “birthday of the Flag.” The first annual recognition of the flag's birthday dates back to 1885, BJ Cigrand, first organized a group of Wisconsin school children to observe June 14 - the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes as the Flag's Birthday. Cigrand, now known as the “Father of Flag Day,” continued to publicly advocate the observance of June 14 as the flag's “birthday”, or “Flag Day” for years. Just a few years later the efforts of another school teacher, George Balch, led to the formal observance of “Flag Day” on June 14 by the New York State Board of Education.

Since 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14, Americans have commemorated the adoption of the Stars and Stripes by celebrating June 14 as Flag Day. Prior to 1916, many localities and a few states had been celebrating the day for years. Congressional legislation designating that date as the national Flag Day was signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1949; the legislation also called upon the president to issue a flag day proclamation every year.

This week Long Beach will celebrate Flag Day with the placement of new US flags along Clark Avenue between Willow and Carson and with the raising of the Stars and Stripes over the El Dorado Community Center. The flag is special because it was briefly flown over the U.S. Capitol and provide by Congressman Alan Lowenthal. At noon, there will be a brief ceremony and music followed by the 1932 musical “Yankee Doodle Dandy” that featured the tune “You’re A Grand Ole Flag.” Refreshments and small US Flags will be provided.

Copies of flag etiquette and the history of the US Flag can be obtained by calling my office at: 562 570-6932 or going on line to: http://www.longbeach.gov/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=36781

Sizeable Revenues Are Welcome But Should Be a Lesson

2013-06-07T23:32:00.000-07:00

Below you can read a memo sent by the City Manager that outlines proposals for spending an approximate $56 million in what is characterized as "one time money" -- meaning the source may not be available in coming years.

The large amount of money comes from primarily two sources -- oil revenues (because the per barrel remains way above $90) and the dissolution of redevelopment by the State and court.

The revenues are welcome and will provide a source of funds for needed infrastructure repair and purchasing updated systems for financial management and human resources management.

There are some areas not covered in the memo that need addressing:

Unfunded liabilities -- the City's go forward obligations on pensions and health care benefits
Restoring the materials budget for the City's Library system which was nearly decimated in prior budgets
Disaster preparedness -- the need to make certain all City facilities have supplies and equipment (back up electricity) in the event of a major earthquake

The funds will be discussed by the Council so there is plenty of time to respond to the proposals.

What should be instructive in all of this exercise to spend this large sum of money is the fact that all these very years in which redevelopment was in place -- capturing 42 percent of the City and the tax increment in 42 percent of the City -- the rest of the City was going without those property taxes. While it was a well intended effort to reduce blight, the fact remains that the City's general fund lost $9 -20 million dollars a year in taxes. These taxes are now being restored to the City because of the dissolution of redevelopment.

Blight in Long Beach still needs to be dealt with strict code enforcement and holding land owners and businesses responsible.

Redevelopment and the taking of tax increment were allowed without a vote of the taxpayers. The lesson that should be learned is that this should never happen again.

146391097 Long Beach CA City Manager Memo to City Council Re Spending 56 8 Million in One Time Revenues

Health Alert!

2013-06-01T01:17:00.001-07:00

Hepatitis A Health Alert - 'Townsend Farms
Organic Antioxidant Blend' (Frozen Berry Mix)

Today the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health announced a multi-state investigation concerning an outbreak of Hepatitis A, potentially associated with “Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend” (frozen berry mix). The Long Beach Health Department advises consumers and residents to avoid eating this product, which at this time is only known to have been sold and distributed at Costco. There have been a few confirmed cases in California, but none currently in Long Beach.

Please follow the following consumer tips:

1. Do not eat ‘Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend’ and discard any remaining product from your freezers.

· Even if some of the product has been eaten without anyone in your home becoming ill, the rest of the product should be discarded.

2. Hepatitis A vaccination can prevent illness if given within two weeks of exposure to the contaminated product.

If you consumed this product in the last two weeks and have never received a Hepatitis A vaccine, contact your health care provider to find out if you should be vaccinated.

If you don’t have a health care provider (usually your doctor) contact the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services at 562.570.4302.

If you have already received the Hepatitis A vaccination in the past, or if you have actually had Hepatitis A, you are unlikely to become ill with the disease.

3. Contact your health care provider right away if you develop any of these symptoms:

Yellow eyes or skin

Abdominal pain

Pale stools

Dark urine

4. Wash your hands thoroughly right after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and before preparing, serving, or eating food.

For more information, please log onto www.longbeach.gov/health, or contact the Long Beach Health Department at 562.570.4302.

Join me for a Bike Tour of the 5th District

2013-05-31T23:36:00.001-07:00

Join us for a 5th District "Know Your Neighborhood by Bike" Tour on Saturday, June 8th from 10:30am - 12:30pm

Join Councilwoman Schipske on
June 8th!

Dear District 5 Residents:

We hope you'll mark your calendars to join us on Saturday June 8 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm for an easy, short, informative, and fun tour of District 5 by bike!

The purpose of this tour is to:

Enjoy our beautiful district by bike on an easy, safe, short ride.
Receive basic bike safety information from Bike Long Beach's "Share Our Streets" road safety campaign.
Learn "hands on" safety tips from the upcoming "Street Savvy" adult bicycle education classes.
Learn how easily a bike can help you achieve your fitness and money saving goals.
Learn how easy it can be for your children to ride their bikes to school.
Learn about new bicycle infrastructure coming to the 5th District.
Meet other district residents passionate about making it a safer and more fun environment for all modes of transportation.

There are limited spaces available for this tour - only 25. Children may attend the ride but they must wear a helmet and be accompanied by an adult.

Register for the Bike Tour here
Please contact Rebecca in the Office of Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske with any questions at (562) 570-6932.

For those who do not have bikes we will have 10 available to borrow for free from Bikestation courtesy of Bike Long Beach (please reserve with your place on the tour).

Please note the bikes need to be picked up prior to the ride and returned right after at Bikestation. Bikestation is located in downtown Long Beach at 110 West Ocean Blvd. Please contact Rebecca for more information.

The meeting location for the tour will be sent to you after you've confirmed your RSVP! If you'll be joining us on the tour please remember

Your bike helmet, especially if you are a new or infrequent rider.
Water, a sunscreen and to dress for the weather!
Make sure to have your bike in good repair!
Please note the tour may be rescheduled if we run into weather challenges.

The "Know Your Neighborhood by Bike" Tours are brought to you byBike Long Beach and courtesy of a grant by Metro

To see all of Bike Long Beach's "12 Tips for a Safe Trip"

please click here

Directions

How to Remember the Real Meaning of Memorial Day in Long Beach

2013-05-24T14:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Memorial Day was established originally in 1867 as Decoration Day in remembrance of those who gave their lives during the US Civil War.

In Long Beach, the GAR -- Great Army of the Republic -- veterans of the Civil War celebrated this day.

Because the South refused to honor the celebration it was changed to honor all Americans who died in battle. (Several states still do not recognize the day.)

The wearing of red poppies for Memorial Day was made popular during WWI by a woman named Moina Michael who after reading the poem "In Flanders Field" by John McCrae, made it a national campaign to wear a silk poppy in honor of the American soldiers who gave up their lives.

The National Holiday Act of 1971, moved Memorial Day from May 30 to the last Monday in May.

This coming Monday, take a moment to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service of our county.

Locally, you can visit Rosie the Riveter Park located at Clark Avenue at Conant Street and read the memorial banners of the 15 Long Beach men who gave their lives in the service of our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Use your cellphone to listen to a narration of their lives. Take a moment and reflect on their sacrifice.

Enjoy your holiday.

Sincerely,

Gerrie

Medical Marijuana -- We're Still Waiting for the Court

2013-05-22T13:53:00.001-07:00

English: Medical marijuana neon sign at a dispensary on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. 日本語: アメリカ合衆国ロサンゼルスのベンチュラ・ブルバードにある医療用大麻を取り扱う薬局の看板。 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The City of Long Beach continues to wait for the courts to come to some type of clear conclusion regarding the issue as to whether or not medical marijuana collectives can operate in the City. We understand there may be a ruling in July.

As a reminder, the City Council voted 8-1 (Gabelich opposing) to ban these collectives in the City after one court ruled that we could not regulate them. And if you cannot regulate a business, you cannot allow the business to operate.

A separate court ruled that cities can ban these collectives but did not address whether or not the cities could regulate them. That is the question for which we are awaiting an answer.

What these courts have yet to address is the federal issue which is hitting the City of Oakland very hard as federal agents continue to close these operations because federal law still classifies marijuana as illegal.

Even though every council member except Gabelich voted to ban (and many of these same people took campaign/officeholder contributions from the collectives and their lobbyists) I continue to receive nasty comments and emails about how I have stopped people from getting their medical marijuana and how I should be turned out of office.

I also receive my harshest comments from members of the LGBT community who somehow feel that because I am gay that I should be automatically pro-medical marijuana.

I guess I should be flattered that some believe I am so powerful that I single handedly caused the ban on medical marijuana collectives in Long Beach (even though 7 others voted for it) -- and maybe I could pander to that idea.

Nope. I would rather be straight (no pun intended) about my position: if and when the courts rule that Long Beach can regulate non-profit medical marijuana collectives in a manner that is consistent with state and federal law, then I will support them being here.

You Gotta Give Them Hope..

2013-05-18T09:52:00.003-07:00

There are two things I haven't made much of over the past seven years on City Council. I haven't made much of the fact that I am the first openly gay elected official in Long Beach (was first elected in 1992 to LBCC Board of Trustees) because I am who I am and that "am" includes a lot of things, not just the gender of the person I love. And, the second matter is that this is the age of "gotcha politics" however I have found that sometimes it is best to let slights go by the wayside and not expose the smallness of others.

But as we are in "LGBT Pride" week and the City is getting ready to open up Harvey Milk Park, I thought that enough is enough.

Several weeks ago, the Mayor and the Vice Mayor held a public news conference on top of the Civic Plaza to raise the "Pride Flag" in solidarity to show the Supreme Court that Long Beach supported the overturning of DOMA and Prop 8.

I was purposely not invited to this event. Instead, a member of the news media called and gave me the invitation. When asked why I wasn't invited, the Mayor's office responded that it "had been on Facebook." I attended anyway and neither the Mayor nor the Vice Mayor had the courtesy to introduce me as even being there let alone as the only member on the Council who actually has a 33 year relationship that will be impacted greatly by the court's decision. I took it in my stride and then that evening helped organize a rally in the Civic Center Plaza on behalf of Marriage Equality.

Then it happened again. An invitation was sent announcing the opening the Long Beach's Harvey Milk Park on May 21st. I wasn't sent an invitation by the Mayor or the Vice Mayor who are hosting this event. A kind staff person at City Hall sent it to me because she knew I had not been invited to to the flag ceremony.

When I asked the Vice Mayor (who by the way I had nominated for that position at his request), why I had not been invited, he also dismissed me saying "it was on Facebook" and then blamed his Chief of Staff who I understand was sent to my office to "apologize."

Mistakes do happen so let's give him the benefit of the doubt. But the following is no mistake.

I asked to be able to speak at the opening as the first openly gay elected in Long Beach and because I had suggested that the park include a place to honor local LGBT leaders which apparently is also happening. I thought it would be appropriate. The Vice Mayor responded that I could not speak because the City Parks and Recreation Department had a policy that only the Mayor and the councilperson for the district could speak.

Funny, I always invite the Mayor and City Council to all of my events and if they attend ask them to speak because these are public parks and that is professional courtesy.

Well, you guessed it. The City Manager confirmed "no such policy exists." If it did, representatives of the Harvey Milk Foundation would not be able to speak at the opening this Tuesday.

I know this is campaign season and obviously someone thinks he will get "political Brownie points" if he keeps me out of public events. But that kind of smallness doesn't reflect what Gay Pride is about or what Harvey Milk worked so hard to achieve.

When the City of San Francisco opened up the first Harvey Milk Plaza in 2001, all openly gay electeds were invited to speak because it was understood that the "soapbox" Harvey Milk used when he talked was more than a prop, it was a statement to focus on how important it was for our community to be heard and not silenced. (I understand there is a copy of that soapbox in the Long Beach Harvey Milk Plaza.)

Harvey Milk's most famous line was "you gotta give them hope." I am hopeful the inclusiveness Milk advocated will catch on here in Long Beach.

City-wide I Love My Public Library Collection Drive Raises $1K for Long Beach Libraries

2013-05-18T08:42:00.001-07:00

Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske's annual "Library Round Up" that encourages residents to "round up spare change" was expanded this year city-wide. The city-wide I Love My Public Library collection drive netted $1000 in total donations which will be presented to the Friends of the Long Beach Public Library at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

In February the Long Beach City Council voted to place collection boxes in every Long Beach Public Library to raise funds to help with purchase of books and materials for The City's libraries. The City has had to cut back on the materials and events budget of our libraries for the past several years, and the I Love My Public Library collection drive helps fill in that gap.

"When we started this annual drive to raise money for the Library's summer reading program, in the Fifth District with local businesses and the Ruth Bach and El Dorado Neighborhood Libraries, it was a way to help the two libraries provide materials that budget cuts would not have otherwise been possible," explained Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, "this year when the entire City Council voted to make this spare change drive, a city-wide event, it demonstrated how important our libraries are to the entire community."

Library Round Up collection boxes were placed at the library for the months of February - April (National Library Month). Patrons of The City's libraries donated money by adding their spare change to the collection boxes when they visited.

"We're thrilled to have the support of the entire City Council for our Libraries, which in turn supports our community's residents," said Long Beach Public Library Director, Glenda Williams.

The funds collected by the Friends of the Long Beach Public Libraries will be disbursed appropriately. Friends of the Long Beach Public Libraries also hosted a series of events during this same time period entitled: I Love My Public Library, to encourage residents to show their support of public libraries by getting involved in helping our local libraries.

The I Love My Public Library fundraising effort at all Long Beach libraries was a great success.

In past years, the spare change collected was donated to the Friends of the Long Beach Public Libraries which in turn contributed funds to restore an entire paperback book collection and hosted several children's events.

Libraries collected $800.09, and an additional $200 was donated through other sources.
Libraries collected as follows:

Main Branch: $109.79
Alamitos: $52.40
Ruth Bach $74.40
Bay Shore $94.27
Brewitt $31.56
Burnett $ .53
Dana $55.20
El Dorado $134.05
Bret Harte $65.60
Los Altos $63.67
Mark Twain $53.00
North $65.62
Outside Donations $200.00

Donate to Your Local Library

More information about the I Love My Library project, please contact the Office of Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske at 562-570-6932, or Director of the Long Beach Public Library, Glenda Williams, at 562-570-6016. For more information on how to make a donation to the Friends of the Long Beach Public Library, go to: Friends of the Long Beach Public Library.

BSNF Offers Package of Mitigation Efforts on SCIG Project -- We Need a Public Discussion at Council

2013-05-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

English: Four BSNF units (a GE C44-9W is leading) with a double-stack train descending Tehachapi Pass, between Caliente and Bakersfield, CA. Deutsch: Vier BNSF-Loks (eine GE C44-9W voraus) mit einem "Double-Stack"-Containerzug fahren den Tehachapi Pass hinunter, zwischen Caliente und Bakersfield, Kalifornien. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The following was sent to all Council members about BSNF Rail Company's proposals to attempt to mitigate the impact of their proposed rail yard project which will sit adjacent to the residents of west Long Beach, who are already greatly impacted by pollution and noise.

The package appears promising, however, it needs to be placed on a public Council agenda so that the Council can discuss in the open each of the proposals and vote on each. This will also give the public a chance to talk on the issue.

All of this is too important to the quality of life of our residents to have it done behind closed doors and without the public being able to weigh in.

SCIG Long Beach Council May 13 2013

Stats and documents you need to read I received this month

2013-05-11T17:17:00.002-07:00

Crime Time (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have received a number of memos and reports on city issues that I think you will find of interest. Just click below and it will take you to the document.

Quarterly Crime Stats -- 2012 and 2013.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/140628731/quarterlypolicecrimestatistics10-15-12

http://www.scribd.com/doc/140628718/Quarterly-Police-Crime-Statistics

Plans to put Wifi into the Parks.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/140628692/Parks-Wifi-Plan

Infrastructure budget for 5th Council District 2012 and 2013.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/140628669/Infrastructure-Budget-12-and-13

Breakdown of funds sources for employees.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/140628635/Generalcitysupportfromenterprisefunds-1

Responses to my survey on City Hall, infrastructure parcel tax and stopping "pay to play" contributions.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/140621582/Responses-export-Survey-on-City-Hall-and-Infrastructure-2013

Survey Says...No Support for Rebuild of City Hall or Infrastructure Tax But a Big YES for No More Pay to Play

2013-05-10T08:02:00.001-07:00

100_1686 (Photo credit: sugarsharrk)

In a recent survey I sent out to my email subscribers on the proposed plan to rebuild City Hall and the Main Library, 217 responded. Although not scientific by any means, it does take the pulse of residents throughout the City on this issue and the issue about whether or not there is any support for an infrastructure parcel tax.

Little support for rebuilding City Hall or infrastructure parcel tax. Lots of support to end "pay to play" campaign contributions -- by prohibiting contributions from contractors, developers and those bidding or doing business with the city.

You can view the results on line (without the additional comments) at http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e7elzkj1hg1xokte/results.

If would like the results and all of the additional comments click here.

Responses_export Survey on City Hall and Infrastructure 2013

Schipske Thanks Councilmember Dee Andrews and City Manager Pat West for Completion of New Site for MHA – This Clears the Way for the Eastside Police Station Now Located in 4th Council District to be Moved Permanently into the 5th at Schroeder Army Hall

2013-05-10T03:28:00.003-07:00

May 9, 2013 – Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske today thanked 6^th District Councilmember Dee Andrews and City Manager Pat West for their recent efforts to locate a homeless services program run by Mental Health America to a location on Long Beach Blvd., and issued the following statement on the announcement that escrow has closed on the Long Beach Blvd., property:

“For more than 6 years, the City Council has grappled with how to best accommodate Mental Health America – a homeless services provider – in order to meet the requirements of the federal government as a condition to receive 4.6 acres of surplus Army property once known as Schroeder Army Hall at Willow Street and Grand Avenue. Initially a site adjacent to the City’s Public Health Department was selected. After community concern about the selection, additional sites were reviewed.

Three years ago, I brought a property to the attention of City Management as a possible alternate site. Unfortunately, it was not immediately available but through the efforts of both Councilmember Dee Andrews and City Manager Pat West the property is now owned by the City of Long Beach and will used to satisfy the federal mandate that in order to receive surplus property, the City must accommodate a homeless services provider.

The result of these efforts means that the Eastside Police Substation, now located in the 4^th Council District in leased property, will be moved to the 5^th Council District and placed permanently in the Schroeder Army property. This will relieve the crowding at the current site and the City will no longer have to pay a very large lease payment.

I want to thank Councilmember Dee Andrews and the City Manager Pat West as well as most of the other council members who did not use this sensitive situation for political purposes but supported finding a sensible, humane solution to helping the most vulnerable of our residents so that the City could receive this surplus military property.”

Don’t Mitigate or Mediate. Move the Project to protect the people of Westside Long Beach.

2013-05-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

English: The Port of Los Angeles, 1913. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There is no doubt that the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles need on-dock rail facilities so that cargo can be quickly loaded off gigantic ships directly onto rail cars that can then take the goods to trucking facilities and distribute throughout California and the rest of the nation. The construction and operation of such a facility will create needed jobs in the region.

The key word in this discussion is “on-dock” – meaning as close as possible to the ships. Placement anywhere elsewhere requires off loading to trucks which then take cargo to rails which then takes them again to a truck facility.

An off dock rail project is being proposed on the Westside of Long Beach on property owned by the Port of Los Angeles. This project -- Southern California International Gateway Project (SCIG) – is being proposed by BSNF Railway Company. A second project is being proposed by Union Pacific Railway Company.

An online map and data tool released recently by the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal EPA) and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) that "presents the nation’s first comprehensive screening methodology to identify California communities that are disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution and presents the statewide results of the analysis using the screening tool."

Westside Long Beach is among those communities.

The City Council never took a vote on whether or not to support a major rail yard adjacent to the homes and schools on the Westside of Long Beach. As far as we got was to direct City staff to send a letter to the Port of Los Angeles objecting to the lack of any measures to reach zero emissions of the railroads and the pollution, light and sound impact on the area with additional trucks and trains.

The City of Long Beach letter was sent and ignored by the Port of Los Angeles (which owns the property for the project) so the City Council then took a vote in closed session to direct the City Attorney to appeal the Environmental Impact Report on the Southern California International Gateway Project (SCIG).

Yesterday, I received a curious letter from Los Angeles City Councilmember Joe Buscaino who represents the area containing the Port of Los Angeles. Buscaino’s letter states that he has been talking with the City of Long Beach which indicated that it has requested “mediation” on this project. His letter urged the Mayors of both Los Angeles and Long Beach to engage in mediation.

Mayor Bob Foster, without the approval of City Council or the City Attorney (which is our legal spokesperson) told LA Councilmember Buscaino that the City wanted to “mediate” instead of outright oppose the impact on our residents.

Really? Besides being a blatant violation of the City Charter which only gives the City Council authority to direct the City Attorney about litigation, no one has bothered to bring the residents into this process and ask them what they are willing to “mediate” about. (Hell, the Long Beach City Council doesn’t even know what he wants to mediate about.)

If “mediation” is about putting up a sound wall and getting a pot of money for new windows and air filters, these measures will do little to lessen the assault of this type of facility in the backyards and school yards of the Westside.

Instead, the City of Long Beach with a vote of the Council should continue its opposition to the EIR and take a look at the potential of putting such a project on Pier S in the Port of Long Beach.

This location would bring the railroad cars closer to the cargo ships and out of the neighborhoods. Such a project could be a joint effort of the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and would require the two major railroads to work together and not build competing facilities. It would create construction and operation jobs.

Most importantly, it would start a real commitment toward stopping the “disproportionate burden” of pollution on our Westside residents and the rest of Long Beach.

Please Take My Survey on Whether or Not the City Should Build a New City Hall

2013-04-28T03:14:00.001-07:00

As I indicated in my previous blog, City management has just sent out a Request for Qualifications to find a developer who might be interested in building a new City Hall.

Please take a moment and take my survey on this issue and issues related to banning political contributions from those who bid on this project or get the contract. Also let me know what you think about a potential parcel tax.

I appreciate you taking time to be engaged in city issues.

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e7elzkj1hg1xokte/start

The Civic Center Belongs to the Taxpayers

2013-04-26T15:58:00.002-07:00

Long Beach city management today (April 26) released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) inviting interested parties to submit their qualifications to develop, construct and operate a new Civic Center.

I am puzzled why the City is sending this RFQ out before it has verified with another seismic expert the one report we have that indicates there is $170,000,000 in repairs needed for City Hall. The Council was told there would be a peer review to verify the repairs are required and at the amounts stated. Doing it after the fact seems not logical and appears that this train is already out of the station on moving to get rid of the current city hall.

The other troubling aspect to this announcement are the comments by the Council member of the 2nd District whose district the Civic Center is in, which neglects to mention anything about concern for the taxpayers. At a time when we have huge unfunded liabilities and services which need to be restored, concern about rebuilding a very expensive building because is " design lacks human scale, is difficult to access and does little to assert the importance and value of the public realm" seems rather out of touch with what this City is experiencing.

The Civic Center is not the plaything or the design project of one particular council member. "Visioning" what a civic center should look like or whether or it not it should be rebuilt belongs to the taxpayers of the entire city -- and this discussion has yet to take place.

Finally, one of the major reasons I tried to get my colleagues to discuss prohibiting contributors from contractors and those bidding on contracts is because of this specific potential "trough" of public funds to build a new Civic Center. We need to make certain that any decisions concerning this issue are free from political contributions.

Why I Voted Against the Sale of 100 Long Beach Blvd...City Hall East

2013-04-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

I was the only councilperson who voted against the sale of the building and parking lot at 100 Ocean Blvd last week. (www.lbeport.com published the vote and the council agenda item and in the interest of saving space I am linking the article http://www.lbreport.com/news/apr13/100lbbl2.htm).

This property was originally "sold" to the City of Long Beach for a value of $10 million from Southern California Edison when our current mayor, Bob Foster, was a Senior VP of SCE. Actually the building was given to the City in exchange for a promise that Long Beach would never leave SCE and go off and run its own electricity utility. SCE valued the building at $10 million and told the City if it ever broke its promise not to run an electricity utility, the City would have to pay SCE $10 million for the building.

For a brief time and about $1.5 million in refurbishing costs, the City used the building to house the police department while the old building was totally redone. When no longer needed, the City put the building out for sale and got an offer of $5 million. But the potential owner backed out when a plan to move the City's Main Library to that building and for the City to lease the building from the new owner got squashed when a couple of councilmembers (oh it may have just been me) and the community rose up and said...NO.

A few years later, the building again sold for $4 million but that deal never went through.

So last staff recommended another bidder and proposed to sell the property for $2.1 million.

My objections to the sale are numerous:

1) our insurance company valued replacement of the property at $35 million -- so either we buy way to much insurance or we just had a fire sale...

2) The performance requirement placed in the agreement gives the buyer $1 million dollars if somehow the city doesn't close escrow. Even the Assistant City Attorney had to admit when I asked that this was an abnormally high amount.

3) The City was selling the property "as is" but was giving certain warranties on the property and was reimbursing the seller for vandalism done on the property before the sale was even negotiated.

4) The City never put the property out for the entire real estate community to bid because management claimed it gave the city better control over what we want done with the property. Well, someone needs to go back to real estate school because the city could have required the same use of the property through a restrictive covenant.

5) And on the topic of restrictive covenant, after the vote I found out that indeed (a little real estate pun) the city was insisting a restrictive covenant that the property be used for residential apartments and some retail space. But low and behold, it is only for 10 years, which then the owner I presume will take this gem of a deal and flip it into condominiums.

6) The Council received several letters from attorneys representing another bidder alleging the City Council violated the Brown Act and that the City should have set aside appropriate time for an administrative appeal from the other bidder. I thought we might want to wait until some of this legal stuff was worked out before we went ahead.

Honored As Attorney of the Year by Women Lawyers of Long Beach

2013-04-22T21:07:00.001-07:00

Was deeply honored tonight by the Women Lawyers of Long Beach as "Attorney of the Year." I am grateful to be honored by my peers and am extremely proud to be a graduate of Long Beach's own Pacific Coast University School of Law.

The group asked me to speak tonight and I did on re-imagining Long Beach. Below is my speech:

Thank you so much for inviting me tonight.

When Stephanie asked me to speak I immediately panicked thinking I would have to discuss a complex topic such as the 2700 pages of the Patient Protection Act and Affordable Care Act. Please don’t tell my students in my legal class at CSULB that I haven’t read the entire law yet...

I was relieved when she told me I could talk about Long Beach...or better yet...how to Re Imagine Long Beach.

I love Long Beach. I was born here over on 7^th Street at what was once the US Naval Hospital.

My parents came here by chance. My dad who was from New Jersey was 18 and in the Marines when he met my mom at the Pike in 1947. My mom was 17 and had come here with her family of 13 to escape the poverty of a coal mining town in Pennsylvania. They married in 1949 at St. Lucy’s on our Westside.

My maternal grandmother was a Gold Star mother and lived on Santa Fe Avenue.

As a kid we shopped on Pine Avenue and only subscribed to the Independent Press Telegram when we moved to Orange County.

I came back to Long Beach in 1977 by choice – having worked for the CIA and then the US Congress. Since then I have been involved in one way or another with Long Beach – met my partner, Flo Pickett here and we will be celebrating our 33^rd year together. Adopted our three children. Served in public office and appointive office here. Worked in our local hospitals as a Registered Nurse. Opened a law practice downtown. Taught at CSULB. And proudly wrote three books on the history of Long Beach.

So Long Beach is a topic near and dear to my heart.

You know the bible says at Proverbs 29:18 – where there is no vision, the people perish..and so I want to talk a moment to talk about how we as women lawyers can re-imagine, and put forth a vision of how we can make Long Beach the best city it deserves to be.

Before I start -- Let me give you some numbers I want you to remember – and for those of us who are in advancing years – this is a test often given in a doctor’s office.

25, 55, 60 and 22.

Repeat after me: 25, 55, 60 and 22.

From the very beginning, people have migrated to this area – this town we call Long Beach because of the opportunities it offers. Our native settlers – the Tongva now known as the gabriellenos – flourished here because of the abundance of fish in our ocean and fresh water in our artesian wells and the small game that lived among the grasses that grew tall. The tongva in fact located one of their holy places over what is now Rancho Los Alamitos.

The Mexicans and then the Spanish treasured this land because it nourished cattle and provided wide open spaces for farming.

When the Civil War ended in this country, thousands traveled by train to settle in what was first called American colony, then Willmore City and then Long Beach in hopes of a healthier environment, a chance to grow citrus crops and an opportunity to make their fortunes with land development. That is why Long Beach has more than 1500 Civil War veterans buried in the two cemeteries on Willow and Orange.

A woman came and offered to install electricity in 1895. She did and then went on to construct the electrical system for the state of Arizona. A giant in the ship building industry relocated from Toledo Ohio in the early 1900s which spurred the development of a port and the interest of the US Navy. We were known as the fastest growing city in the US.

The Walk of a Thousand Lights and electric trolleys attracted visitors and real estate buyers. Shortly after, Pres Theodore Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet to visit and Long Beach turned out 50,000 strong to show its support.

Our long beach accommodated the early aviators and the first transcontinental flight landed over near Seaside and Linden in 1911. Amelia Earhart learned how to fly solo and do aerobatics in Long Beach. Charles Lindbergh often visited as stayed at the Wilton.

The The discovery of oil 1921 gave this city a wealth unknown to local government. It brought thousands in search of work and wealth and the city expanded facilities and opportunities. The possibilities were endless.

When the US Army decided to build Douglas Aircraft in the late 1930s, thousands more flocked to the city looking for that opportunity. More than 45,000 people worked each day building airplanes and 10,000 building ships. The war brought even more and when it was over people stayed.

Long Beach went through a series of transitions as the military eventually left. We lost a shipyard, a naval station and a naval hospital. Commercial aviation could not take up the slack and so many people left to Long Beach by choice and by chance.

In the 1970s, rezoning allowed the building of cheap, over sized apartment complexes which destroyed our neighborhoods.

The riots in 1992 brought home the fact that the City failed to deal with the racism that had been an under current in this town for many years. After all this city sent more Japanese to the camps than any other. It segregated its African Americans to one specific area of the city and allowed the Klu Klux Klan to parade on Ocean and meet in its municipal auditorium.

So we have slowly recovered and improved– much more slowly than other cities because the lack of a wide job base. Our school system has been recognized for its excellence and once again tourists are coming from all over the US to see this magnificent city by the sea flanked by our Aquarium. Last weekend, thousands came to watch our Grand Prix.

So remember those numbers I gave you a few minutes ago: 25, 55, 60 and 22

Let’s talk about what they mean.

25 is the percentage of people living in Long Beach at or below the poverty level.

55 is the percentage of children living in Long Beach at or below the poverty level.

60 is the percentage of violent crimes committed in Long Beach are committed in three areas of the City – Downtown, Central and North Long Beach.

22 is the percentage of people in Long Beach who vote in a City wide election – that amounts to about 33,000 out of 450,000 residents and out of 191,000 registered voters who bother to vote and the majority of these voters don’t live the areas of the city impacted by violence and poverty.

So if I were to reimagine Long Beach – I would envision a city that utilizes the talents and gifts of everyone to make this city the best it deserves to be and ask them to strive to be the voice of those who have given up trying.

You don’t need to be a genius to look at those numbers to see the connection between poverty and crime and lack of civic engagement. We can’t afford to live in a city that is this divided. I don’t want to live in a city that is so divided and we need to find a way to bring it together.

So as I stand before you, I would say that you perhaps more than any other organization have the opportunity to help with this vision. You all – we all as lawyers have been given an incredible gift and talent – that is the law. We know it. We know how to utilize it. We know how powerful it is.

I am asking all of you to find one thing that you can do to make this city better. Just one thing. Doesn’t have to be big – because often it is the little things that matter the most. But please walk out of here with those numbers in your head and think of one thing you can do to change those numbers.

I am not a religious person – but I would say that my patron saint of re-imaging a situation and making it better – would be St. Francis of Assisi who lived in the late 1100’s. He was the son of a wealthy merchant and according to the Catholic encyclopedia was: Handsome, gay, gallant, and courteous.

He also did what most young adults do – he rebelled against his father’s wealth and gave it away. (I have to tell you I so hoped my kids would rebel and become rich..but oh well.)

Francis gave away everything and worked among the poor. His girlfriend, Clare, also dedicated herself to acts of charity and both became the founders of religious orders..and by the way never married.

He became beloved for his work among the poor, his spirit of humility and his peacemaking – he refused to go to war. We know him today as the person who also loved animals and blessed them and for introducing the crèche – the nativity scene at Christmas.

But what I also know him most for is his peace prayer – a prayer I keep on my computer at home and that I feel re-imagines and provides a vision for all of us of how things can be –

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred, let me sow love

where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light

where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console

To be understood as to understand

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving, that we receive

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned

It is in dying that we are born again.

Amen.

Why Are They So Scared of Transparency?

2013-04-16T23:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight, with Mayor Foster’s behind the scenes urging, the seven other members of the City Council killed any consideration of several political reforms I put on the agenda.

The reforms – which are in place in several other cities (San Jose, Santa Ana, Los Angeles), would:

1. Make the Mayor and City Council members disclose if they are communicating with a lobbyist or contractor or developer at council before a vote on an issue impacting that lobbyist or contractor or developer. This would let the public know of communications that effect votes.

2. Make the text messages and emails generated by the Mayor and the City Council on their personal phones and computers public records if the contents are about official city business.

3. Ban political contributions from lobbyists, contractors, developers and those bidding on business with the city. The federal and state government and several cities have this ban in place.

Let me be clear. My proposal was to send these items to the Council Elections Oversight Committee so they could be discussed and worked out. This council wouldn’t even let the ideas be discussed.

What a contrast between this Mayor and the Mayor in San Jose, Chuck Reed who made open government a major platform of his administration. Mayor Reed posts his calendar on line as does his Chief of Staff and all of the Council members. Mayor Reed called and got the City Council to enact policy three years ago making elected officials' personal email and text messages about city business public records subject to disclosure.

How sad that several of the council members who wouldn’t let these items get further discussed are the first to tweet and facebook and email how much they support transparency in government.

Taxpayers deserve to know what their elected officials are doing and who they are communicating with. Playing the game that as long as the communication isn’t on a city phone or computer that no one should see it, is insulting to voters who understand that technology makes it possible for instantaneous conversations and that those conversations should be public.

What is so special about elections in Long Beach that we can’t step up and ban contributions to political campaigns and officeholder accounts from lobbyists, contractors, developers and those bidding doing business with the City? The federal and state levels and several California cities ban these contributions to prevent the practice and appearance of “pay to play.” Long Beach needs to do the same.

Since the Mayor would not allow discussion of the issue after it was killed and no councilmember dare speak why they were against these political reforms, the public was not given the opportunity to hear, just what they were all so scared would happen if we made these communications public and stopped the flow of political contributions. Democracy perhaps?

Why We Need Political Reform in Long Beach.

2013-04-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

magnifying glass (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Heard through the grapevine that some are “freaked out” by my proposals to reform political contributions and private communications with lobbyists and contractors. The proposals will be on the Council agenda this Tuesday and I encourage you to let me and the other Councilmembers what you think about them.

Simply put, it is time that the City of Long Beach prohibit taking political contributions from contractors, potential contractors and anyone doing business or applying to do business with the City. The City also needs to proactively put in place requirements that electeds disclose text messages and emails on their private cellphones and computers that are related to the conducting of city business during a council meeting and any other time.

These proposals are part of my continued push to make local government more open, transparent and accountable. In the past, I have pushed very hard to register lobbyists and to prohibit gifts from them. I also proposed that City Council members disclose at the beginning of a vote whether or not he/she has had contact with anyone who has expressed an interest in the council agenda item. This is a requirement made for the State Coastal Commission and I pushed for it to be enacted for votes on the Medical Board of California, on which I serve. Unfortunately, the council rejected that proposal.

I have also advocated for putting online the calendars of the Mayor and City Councilmembers. To date, only a couple of Councilmembers put their calendars on line. The public deserves to know who we are communicating with that may have an impact on our votes.

We wouldn’t be the first city council to put these reforms in place: The Mayor and City Council of San Jose have their calendars on line as well as their key staff persons’ calendars. The Mayor and City Council of San Jose are required to disclose before a vote if they have received a text or email during the council meeting on an agenda item. And most recently, the Mayor and City Council of San Jose are now required to disclose texts and emails from their private cellphones and computers if the contents are related to conducting official city business. This last reform came as a result of the City being sued and the court ruling that these communications are public records.

The federal and state governments prohibit political contributions from contractors and/or bidders on contracts. Many other cities prohibit contributions from potential and current contractors. It took the voters of the City of Los Angeles to put that requirement into law. But certainly our Council could step up and put them in place without a ballot measure.

Because the details of both proposals need to be worked out, I am recommending that they be referred to the Council Committee on Elections Oversight with a return to Council within 120 days. I know we can do this.

Why We Can’t Put a Gate Between El Dorado Park Estates and Hawaiian Gardens

2013-04-10T03:40:00.000-07:00

This map shows the incorporated areas in Los Angeles County, California. Hawaiian Gardens is highlighted in red. I created it in Inkscape using data from the Los Angeles County Website (Los Angeles County Incorporated Area and District Map (PDF). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In response to an increase of residential and auto burglaries in El Dorado Park Estates, some residents have asked why the City of Long Beach cannot install a gate on Pioneer Blvd., that would prevent criminals in Hawaiian Gardens from entering the area.

First let me respond that the Long Beach Police Department is working very hard both overtly and undercover to stop the crime in the area. Long Beach Police Commander Paul LeBaron has also been in numerous discussions with the LA County Sheriff’s command staff about coordinating efforts to make certain that criminals in Hawaiian Gardens are apprehended.

Police also tell me that while there is a criminal element in Hawaiian Gardens, it isn’t responsible for all the crime that occurs in our area. That being said, the issue of access to El Dorado Park Estates has been something hotly discussed long before I came to City Council.

When El Dorado Park Estates was originally constructed, the north end of Ritchie/Claremore was closed and barricaded. At the time the 605 Freeway was constructed, Long Beach granted a petition by Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) to open Ritchie/Claremore to Pioneer to permit freeway access.

In 1994, frustrated by traffic coming into El Dorado Park Estates, residents pressed the City to block Pioneer Blvd., so that access would be limited. The court ruled that Long Beach did not have the right to close a street that would affect Hawaiian Gardens, stating that the closure . . . promotes the health and safety of some of (Long Beach's) own citizens by interfering with the rights of others.

The City of Long Beach appealed the ruling but in 1998 the higher court also denied any efforts to block off traffic from the north stating about Pioneer Blvd., that: "(1) it provides motorists, including residents of El Dorado Park Estates, direct access to the 605 Freeway; and (2) it provides motorists, including residents of El Dorado Park Estates, a direct link to regional facilities such as shopping centers in Cerritos and Lakewood, employment centers in Long Beach and in the surrounding communities, and the Long Beach Airport."

Three years ago, I asked our Traffic Engineer to study traffic on Pioneer Blvd., to determine if more were coming in than going out. He completed the study and found that the traffic flow north and south was 50-50.
Many residents of El Dorado Park Estates use Pioneer Blvd., to exit the area and access the 605.

I understand the frustration of residents and we will continue to work closely with the LBPD, but there are few circumstances under which a court would change that ruling and allow one city to block off access to a public road.

Why Agenda Item on Using Outside Experts to Analyze City Payroll Systems

2013-04-08T22:15:00.001-07:00

Since joining City Council in 2006, I have pushed consistently for City Management to procure an automated time keeping system: A system that makes city employees check in every day when they come and when they leave. Most major organizations that employ close to 5,000 have a system. The City of Long Beach does not.

Such a system gives an employer important information -- such as who is at work and who isn't; who works their full shift and who doesn't. It also protects the employer because it documents when lunches are taken -- failure to do so puts the company at risk for a law suit from many employees who contend they never received their lunch break. (see below under related articles).

This automated system also gives the employer the ability to make schedules and assignments.; to track vacation and sick leave, etc. Employees are given a card to swipe or a code to use on the telephone. The system tracks work and ensures the employees are actually there at work doing their jobs for the number of hours they claims.

The City of Long Beach does not have such a system. Time keeping is done on green sheets of paper each week that are hand-written and given to staff whose job it is to put the information into a computer program.
The information is then sent to a payroll company that processes paychecks.

If we were to have an earthquake tomorrow. No one could tell how many city employees were actually at work.

That is insane in this day and age of technology.

Finally a year or so ago, City management put out a request for proposals for a human resources system. What they got back were program after program that offered numerous bells and whistles. Sadly, the City had not clearly indicated what it actually was seeking and so it received proposals that were all over the place. Consequently, the City pulled the RFP and nothing was selected and the manual costly system stayed in place.

ADP Government Services were one of the responders to the RFP and contact my council office saying that I should know what happened in the process and why there were serious problems. I met in my council office with two ADP representatives who explained that it was clear to them the the City did not have the expertise to clearly specify what kind of system was needed and that moreover, the City could not tell how much current systems used by the City cost. The reps felt (and I agreed) it was important that the City know what our current system costs to determine how to select and new one that should save the city money. However, it you don't have a benchmark, you can't set a goal.

ADP Government Services reps indicated that they contract with another company who can do a study to determine the "total cost of ownership" of current systems. In other words, they can determine how much per employee it is costing the city per month to track employees' work, to manually input time sheets and then to get a paycheck processed.

I sent this information to the City Manager and I did not hear back. So I met with Councilman Gary DeLong and told him of the possibility for the City to get an analysis done so we could determine a benchmark as we go out for a new system. Councilman DeLong and I met again with ADP Government Services and city staff from Financial Management, Information Technology and the City Manager's office. It was understood from that meeting that City staff would work with ADP to have the no cost analysis done.

Several weeks later, I chaired a meeting of the Civil Service and Personnel Committee and asked for an update. I was told that our Financial Management Department had indicated it would not participate in this analysis.

Councilmember Gary DeLong and I decided to place the issue on the Council agenda so that the entire City Council could decide should the city avail itself of a no cost analysis of the costs of our current systems.
City management thereupon (that's a big legal transition word) went to the City Attorney and prevailed on him to write a memo in opposition of the proposed analysis on the basis that it would supposedly give ADP an advantage on future RFPs.

Really? This is very interesting in light of City Management's recent actions: 1) without an RFP it used Management Partners to identify efficiencies needed and then asked for $500,000 for Management Partners to do a more thorough study -- all without ever asking for other companies to bid on this effort; 2) without an RFP it spent $80,000 for a "feasibility study" of a tunnel between the new courthouse and the jail. It gave that work to AECOM which had already examined this issue some time ago and then the City Manager gave AECOM another $986,000 to design the tunnel (that would not be built) that AECOM had studied and found "feasible." There wasn't an RFP or any other company given a chance to bid on the design.

So let's be clear on what Mr. DeLong and I are proposing:

The City needs an analysis by experts in the field of human resources systems to determine what it is costing the city currently to process time keeping, payroll, leaves, vacations, etc.
ADP Government services will contract with a third party to conduct the analysis. All the information obtained will be public and available to the City as well as other companies who bid to provide the actual new systems that will be needed.
The City is under no obligation to select ADP for any system purchase.

Also full disclosure:

I have no financial interest in ADP Government Services.
I have never received nor would accept any political contribution from anyone associated with ADP.
All my meetings with ADP representatives have been posted on my calendar and held in City Hall.
I don't really care which outside experts conduct an analysis of our current systems and how much they are costing the taxpayer. I just want it done so we can start implementing costs savings and efficiencies into City Hall that should have been done years ago.

P.S. No one inside City Hall can tell me how much it costs the city/taxpayers to keep track of employees' time and to process paychecks.

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