2026-09-22 - City Council

05:54If there are any members of the public in Zoom that would like to speak on the consent calendar, items on the agenda, or second public comment, please use the raise hand feature. If dialing in, please press star 9 now.

10:08Councilmember Duggan, we have a quorum.

10:11Thank you very much. Before we begin, I want to take a moment of special privilege to acknowledge that today, September 22nd, is the 4th anniversary of my son's passing of cancer about 4 years ago.

10:30It is also the date that I fell ill with my stroke. So I've been a 4-year survivor of a stroke and I feel really blessed to be here with you today.

10:48So with that, who's given the flagpole here? Councilmember Allen, please lead us with a moment of silence.

10:57Yes, and thank you, Vice Mayor, and just know that we always are you and your family are in our hearts.

11:03Today we are declaring an emergency for El Nino and I want to take a moment of silence and let's focus on preparation and safety.

11:12And I'm hoping for the best, but I also realize that this could be a serious situation.

11:18I want to recognize those affected by past incidents and all of our public works, first responders and partners, volunteers, and everyone who keeps us safe.

11:27Now if you are able, stand up and face the flag.

11:46Thank you, Councilmember. We are anticipating we're going to have a long meeting today, so please bear with me if we move a little quicker than we normally do.

12:18Today we have three presentations and I'd like to begin with our presentation this evening with the seeds of resilience.

12:30Allison, please step forward.

12:31Good evening, Vice Mayor and City Council. My name is Allison Bruzelhoff, Executive Director of Rancho Los Cerritos, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to share about Seeds Resilient, the story of Long Beach.

13:00With me, we have the founding organizations of this initiative. We have the Tiat Society, Rancho Los Alamitos, Historical Society of Long Beach, the Arts Council for Long Beach, and also the library offices of the city and Rancho Los Cerritos.

13:16Seeds Resilient began as an idea when we thought about how to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States while deepening our understanding of the people who shaped Long Beach.

13:29We recognize the significance of this national milestone while also knowing that 250 years cannot encompass the full history of this region.

13:39Long before the founding of the United States, indigenous people including the Gabrielino Tongva lived and stewarded this land. Across generations, many other communities have made Southern California home, shaping this region through migration, labor, culture, and civic life.

13:56We wanted this commemoration to make room for those histories. The idea grew through conversation with our partners across Long Beach and became a citywide collaboration you see today.

14:07Together, we invited local artists and storytellers to share their histories and connections to Long Beach.

14:13With city funding for the micro grants, we were able to bring these ideas to life today.

14:19Just outside these chambers at the Civic Center Plaza, you can experience their work through art, performance, storytelling, and interactive history projects.

14:29But Seas of Resilience has also extended beyond a single exhibit or event. It has given us all the opportunity to think about what we preserve, what we carry forward, and what we leave for our future generations.

14:43Thank you all for your support.

14:45Thank you very much, everybody. In my haste to move the meeting along, I forgot that we have a special meeting to airhole this evening.

15:05Can you please read the the initiate the opening of a special meeting, please.

15:19All right, item one report from city manager recommendation to adopt resolution to ratify the city manager's proclamation of local emergency due to the impacts of Hurricane Marie and the imminent and proximate threat to safety of persons and property within the city due to the development

15:38of the 2020-2026, 2027 El Nino event and winter storm season citywide. Thank you. Can I have a motion to say on this one, please. Okay, what I would like to do is go ahead and work through this special meeting so we're going to continue on with our agenda.

16:01City manager, do we have a report? Yes, we have a verbal report. So, we have called this special meeting to really address the city manager's proclamation of local emergency related to the El Nino and what we're expecting to be a very impactful storm

16:15season over the next over the next several months. I think we saw the first part of it with Hurricane Marie and we saw the damage that happened along the coast.

16:23But we're expecting this to be an emergency that is going to affect the entire city. We are a city at the end of two rivers that are the flood control for most of the cities north of us.

16:34We have enormous amounts of trees and storm drains and all these different ways that get affected or all these different things that get affected during an emergency and during a storm.

16:46Long Beach is very prepared and practiced for this. We normally go into operational planning for storms, but we're expecting El Nino to be bigger than what we've seen in recent memory.

16:57It could be a lot more storm. It could be a lot more rain. It could be a lot of flooding. It could also be down power lines, down trees, life and safety issues as well as property damage.

17:07So, recognizing that, we have been busy at work on the coastal areas preparing for some of these storms. We have another potential hurricane polo coming this weekend, coming potentially on Monday and Tuesday, which we're preparing for.

17:22But this declaration of an emergency allows us to line up with the state. The governor has also declared a statewide emergency, which is going to help us with the permitting and state resources potentially.

17:33And this allows us to now be prepared and work throughout the storm season.

17:38We will be reporting back to you under the municipal code every two weeks, unless you give us a different cadence.

17:44So, we'll start with every two weeks to begin with, to come back and give you updates on what we've done, what we've spent, how the planning is going.

17:51And then, one of the benefits of this is it allows us to be a little bit more nimble in bringing on contracts, bringing on personnel, moving personnel to where we need them, and also to assist, to request assistance from other entities.

18:07Lastly, I do want to say that we do need the community's help on this as well. So, the city is responsible for public infrastructure, but you are responsible for your own private property.

18:17And we really need everybody to take that seriously. The time to prepare is now, not when it starts raining, not when water comes close to your home.

18:25Go get sandbags, have a family emergency plan, get five days of provisions that you can be self-sufficient for five days.

18:34Sign up for Alert Long Beach. So, please take this very seriously throughout the city, not just in the coastal areas, as we're going to need your help to get through this, what could be a very dangerous storm season.

18:46Thank you, City Manager. Just an important note that, you know, preparation for future events is very important.

18:55So, if we are prepared now, would be better in the future to be able to address any emergency that comes forward to us.

19:03Any comments from Councilman Tony? Councilman Rick Tony?

19:09No, I just appreciate our preparedness for this, right? Thinking ahead of time of what we might need.

19:16And so, I appreciate the city and the City Manager's Office for taking this step so we can be prepared to protect the city and our residents.

19:23Councilmember Duggan?

19:25Yes, thank you, Vice Mayor. I do appreciate the city moving forward with this local emergency declaration now, rather than waiting until hurricane polos on our front door, at our front door.

19:43I think it's important that our residents understand the seriousness of what El Nino can bring.

19:50NOAA currently says there is greater than 90 percent chance of a very strong El Nino this fall and winter,

19:57and a 75 percent chance that it reaches historic strength.

20:04With the Governor declaring the statewide emergency yesterday to begin staging resources and preparing communities before severe weather intensifies,

20:16I think that was a great segue for us to do the same, so I'm appreciative of that.

20:21Our Peninsula community took the brunt of Hurricane Marie,

20:27and I do want to recognize again the City employees who worked so hard around the clock to protect life and property.

20:36Our Marine Bureau maintenance crews worked shifts of 12 hours and 16 hours for days and days, and they're still working now.

20:45I also want to thank our lifeguards, firefighters, police officers, emergency communications, public works crews, and everyone involved in the emergency response.

20:57What we saw during Hurricane Marie, that was not a normal coastal storm, and in two days, portions of the Peninsula Beach, it dropped by more than eight feet in height.

21:13That's massive. Across Southern California, some beaches lost hundreds of feet of width.

21:21We lost so much on our beaches.

21:25We had tens of millions of dollars in city infrastructure at risk, and tens of millions of dollars more of private property under threat.

21:35More than half a mile of publicly accessible beach and boardwalk used by thousands of people in Long Beach is now damaged, inaccessible, or vulnerable.

21:49People came from all over to use our beaches and use our boardwalk.

21:53We need to think about this in two different ways.

21:58First, what do we need to do to get through the next several months? And I know that we're working on that right now.

22:08Second, what does protecting our coastline look like over the next 10, 20, and 30 years?

22:16The city already has longer-term concepts in design that would restore habitat altered over generations by jetties, channelization of the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers, port activity and oil production.

22:30Restoring dunes, habitat, and other natural coastal systems provides an environmental and public access benefit, with the added benefit of providing more protection for the Peninsula.

22:43But these projects are going to take time. Right now, we also need the flexibility to act quickly when conditions change.

22:51Along the coast, we will continue to be concerned about high tides, erosion, and wave events.

22:59Citywide, our concerns this winter will be major rain events, overwhelming storm drains, flooding streets, bringing down trees, disrupting power, and creating emergencies across Long Beach at the same time.

23:16That's why I support declaring the emergency before those impacts occur.

23:23It doesn't mean that we need to activate emergency powers and spin down resources, but we need to take this seriously.

23:33And we continue to see the hurricane activity in the Pacific Ocean with Hurricane Polo possibly generating large southern swells that could threaten our Peninsula community and our coastline again.

23:45There are a lot of variables for it to see the effect like we saw with Hurricane Marie, but we need to be ready.

23:52The state's declaration emphasizes staging resources, fast tracking preparedness work, and reducing delays before severe weather arrives.

24:03And I think that's what Long Beach needs to do.

24:07So my understanding is that once we get through the next month or so, the threat of large swells from the south drop and the threat of major rain events and king tides increase.

24:20Hurricane Marie showed us how quickly conditions can change and how much is at risk.

24:27So this declaration gives our city the ability to prepare earlier, coordinate with the state and regulatory agencies, and move resources more quickly when they are needed.

24:38So, again, I support this declaration and I appreciate everyone who has already been working to prepare Long Beach for what will probably be a very challenging winter.

24:52Thank you, Vice Mayor.

24:54Thank you, Vice Mayor.

24:56I want to thank the city manager for taking this so seriously.

24:59And also a big thanks to Councilman Duggan.

25:02I know how much you've been advocating strongly to get this done.

25:06We saw what happened in the peninsula recently with El Nino and we know that the impacts could be much greater in my district.

25:15We saw the flooding of the beach parking lot.

25:18We saw water coming all the way up to the beach pass.

25:22And several of the high rises are also are subject to all that flooding.

25:29So there's just there's a lot of issues to be concerned about.

25:32So this local emergency will give us the tools and the flexibility as they come.

25:38And I'm committed to ensuring that resources go where they're most needed.

25:42So thank you so much for everyone.

25:45I absolutely support this declaration and a very, very supportive and thankful of everyone who's going to be working so hard in the future to keep our residents safe.

25:57Thank you, Council Member.

26:01Council Member Kern.

26:02Yes, thank you.

26:03And thank you to my colleagues for their comments already.

26:06I want to thank the city manager for number one, taking this so seriously, but also acknowledging that this dangerous weather pattern will also impact our inland and lower lying neighborhoods within the city.

26:16We all know streets that flood when we have a big storm.

26:19Sometimes we make light of it that there's a kayak in the street or a skimboard or some of those when we get an off storm.

26:25But we know that there are neighborhoods that are absolutely susceptible to flooding and damage.

26:30So preparing our infrastructure, yes, absolutely along the coast and all of that.

26:35I agree with all of what my colleagues have said, but also knowing that there are neighborhoods inland that can be greatly impacted.

26:41So being prepared for water intrusion in our streets, our gutters, our alleyways into our garages, underground parking structures.

26:48We know in some neighborhoods that when we have a big storm that we flood up over the parkway and up to school entrances as well and working with our education partners and making sure that there is safe access.

27:01And that we have the ability within this emergency to work with our business associations and local businesses to prepare and get them ready as well.

27:09So I appreciate the forethought and appreciate that we will have these conversations early to prepare as many residents and businesses as possible.

27:16You've got some comments from the council? None? Take a vote.

27:44Motion is carried.

27:46Thank you. We're going to go back to our regular agenda.

27:49We have another presentation from our long rescues.

27:52Yeah. Thank you so much.

27:59Good evening, Vice Mayor, council members, the nonprofit community who's out here tonight and our supporters and everyone out here tonight.

28:07My name is Carrie Aldridge.

28:08I'm the director of Long Beach Gives, and we are in September.

28:13And here in Long Beach, September is for one thing, and that is forgiving.

28:17So we are back for an eighth year as Long Beach Gives.

28:21Long Beach is Long Beach gives our citywide online campaign to build awareness and funds for nonprofits who serve Long Beach every day.

28:31The campaign kicked off on September 17th this year.

28:34We have had unstoppable momentum, and it is culminating this Thursday on Long Beach Gives Day, September 24th.

28:41This year, you will find three hundred and three nonprofits who are running a campaign on LongBeachGives.org.

28:48And as of this moment right now, they have already raised over one million dollars for those three hundred and three nonprofits.

28:57You can go to Long Beach Gives any time of year and you can learn about the programs and services of these nonprofits.

29:08They carry sixteen different cause categories.

29:12These nonprofits share their missions, their stories, and supporters this time of year can donate and help raise funds for year-round impact.

29:20Since 2019, this collaboration of nonprofits has raised, including the million so far, over fourteen million dollars that have gone directly back to the citizens of Long Beach.

29:33We continue to break records this year.

29:38With funding uncertainties, with community members needing more services now than ever, we look forward to raising more for our nonprofits than ever before.

29:47I am here with our amazing nonprofit community to share about the opportunity to be a part of this community-wide movement and to say thank you.

29:55Thank you to the Council for supporting Long Beach Gives, but more importantly, thank you for recognizing the role that the nonprofits play in every neighborhood of our city.

30:07Long Beach Gives is not only about raising funds, but it is about building a sustainable nonprofit sector for our city for years to come.

30:17If we want strong nonprofits in five years from now, ten years from now, we have to build something bigger than an individual grant to individual organizations.

30:28We have to build and strengthen a nonprofit community that works together.

30:33There was a beautiful example of this collaboration outside here tonight. I hope you guys all saw it.

30:40Each year, Long Beach Gives, organizations from across Long Beach come together. They share resources, they share audiences, stories and ideas.

30:50They are not competing for attention. They are creating something bigger than themselves together.

30:56This is one of the pillars that Long Beach Gives was built on.

31:00Yes, we raise money, but the bigger goal is to create a sustainable nonprofit for our Long Beach.

31:08We share our spaces, we collaborate with businesses, we encourage peer-to-peer fundraising and individual giving activities for community members.

31:18Currently today, there are almost 900 individual fundraisers or teams across the city raising money for nonprofits that they believe in.

31:29Long Beach Gives is an opportunity for organizations to meet each other, to learn from one another and to collaborate.

31:35And because sustainability isn't just one donor, one grant, one business or one campaign, it is created by a network.

31:44And when these networks are strong, nonprofits are stronger.

31:48And when nonprofits are stronger, the safety net of our city is stronger.

31:52These organizations feed our neighbors, they mentor our children, they care for our seniors, support people experiencing homelessness, protect animals,

32:01create art, protect our environment and step up during some of the hardest times in people's lives.

32:07Sometimes we don't see the safety net until we really need it, but it is here in our city doing the work every single day.

32:15So if you're looking for a way to get involved, introduce a nonprofit to a business.

32:21Share the work that's happening in your district, which I know many of you have.

32:25Thank you for the videos, at least five or six of you put out.

32:28Spreading the nonprofit's word, we do appreciate it. Invite the organizations to the table, to the discussion.

32:35They're the ones on the streets.

32:36Long Beach Gives may bring us together for one week, but the relationships that we build have and will strengthen our nonprofits and our city for years to come.

32:46So thank you. Thank you for believing in this work.

32:49Thank you for supporting our nonprofits.

32:51And thank you for helping us build a stronger, more sustainable nonprofit community in Long Beach.

32:57Now we're going to go raise $3 million for nonprofits in 2026.

33:01Thank you very much.

33:06It's about the ninth to year that you made quite a bit of progress already in September.

33:12And we're going forward with more fundraising in the future.

33:17I have a special request to take a photo opportunity with Long Beach Cares as well as with the Resilience.

33:24So we can please meet the city council. But front we want to have it all come in.

36:13It's always great to acknowledge the great work that is taking place on the community.

36:54OK, our next item is City Manager for the Employee of the Month.

36:59All right. Thank you very much, Mayor and Council.

37:13This is something we do every every excuse me, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Vice Mayor.

37:19We're having disruptions. I can't speak if I'm going to be booed.

37:25We're having disruptions. I can't speak if I want to be booed.

37:29This is the first warning to the audience. Please keep your comments to yourself. Thank you.

37:37Thank you. So we get to do this every couple of months to honor our city employees.

37:43They do so much for us. They're the ones out there doing the really hard work that allows this body to set policy and us to implement that on your behalf.

37:52And so we do want to go through the various ones from June, July and August and September as well.

38:01So I'll read a brief file of each one. We'll take a photo.

38:04And so we're going to start with our Department of Public Works for June.

38:09This goes to the one, the only Bill Pittman, our senior engineering tech to in public work.

38:15This recognition is presented in anticipation or appreciation of Bill's excellence over more than 20 years of dedicated service to the city of Long Beach and its residents.

38:29Bill has consistently worn so many hats during his tenure.

38:32He currently supervises planning an entitlement team of private development, overseeing project reviews and conditions of approval.

38:39He also serves as the city's right of way specialist and citywide authority on property lines and boundaries, providing findings relied on by the city's legal and law enforcement groups.

38:48To say Bill is a high value asset to the city is an understatement.

38:51Thank you very much. And let's honor Bill.

38:53Next up from our airport department is Clerk typist three Celeste Opiana.

39:32Celeste demonstrates outstanding support to Long Beach Airport.

39:37She's been with LGB since twenty seventeen, having previously worked in marketing and customer service with Long Beach Transit as a clerk typist in our public affairs office.

39:46Celeste serves as the administrative foundation for the airport's communication efforts, handling procurement for vendors and managing logistics and supplies for events.

39:57Her can do spirit and passion for customer service experience bolsters the airport's mission of connecting with and serving our community.

40:04Please join us in recognizing Celeste step from our library arts and culture department.

40:36Unfortunately, she could not be attending today is Eileen Hunter administrative analyst three Eileen is an outstanding employee who has served with the city for over twenty five years.

40:51She manages the library's budget, fine finances, grants and facility needs across all twelve locations. She also supervises the maintenance team, supports the safety officer and responds to public records requests.

41:04Eileen juggles his responsibilities with professionalism, positivity and a stellar work ethic.

41:10Beyond her daily work, she volunteers as treasurer for the library staff association and leads administration administration's monthly book club with her fantastic sense of humor and genuine care for coworkers.

41:22Eileen exemplifies excellence and dedication to the city of Long Beach. Congrats to Eileen.

41:32Next up from our fire department is deputy fire marshal Angela Samayoya. Angela has served with the Long Beach Fire Department since twenty seventeen and was promoted to deputy fire marshal in twenty twenty three.

41:52Coming from the San Bernardino County Fire Office, Office of the Fire Marshal in her current role. Angela serves as a certified unified program agency, otherwise known as Koopa, ensuring environmental compliance and protecting the health and safety of our community.

42:09Angela supervises trains and coordinates Koopa operations and fire prevention personnel, continually improving processes, streamlining operations and enhancing customer service known for her strong leadership and collaborative approach.

42:22And commitment to mentoring staff. She is a trusted leader within the fire prevention bureau.

42:27Her dedication, leadership and commitment to serving both her team and community make her especially deserving of its recognition.

42:34Let's thank Angela. For the fire department on the sworn side is fire captain Jacob Atwood.

43:10Captain Jake Atwood began his career with the city of Long Beach as a harbor patrol officer in nineteen ninety eight before becoming a Long Beach firefighter in two thousand two.

43:24Throughout his career, he has served as the firefighter, fire engineer and fire captain, consistently demonstrating professionalism, leadership and dedication.

43:35As fire captain of Fleet Services, Jake oversees fleet operations, ensuring emergency vehicles remain safe, reliable and mission ready.

43:43He also leads the Engineers Academy mentoring and developing future leaders. His technical expertise and commitment to improving operations directly supports the safety and effectiveness of personnel in the field.

43:55Congratulations to Captain Atwood on being named sworn city manager employee of the month and his dedication, leadership and commitment to serving both his team and the community make him exceptionally deserving of his recognition.

44:05Let's bring up Jake. Next up for August is Parks, Rec and Marine General Maintenance Assistant Hilton Reynolds.

44:42Hilton consistently goes above and beyond coordinating complex projects and enhance the community experience in our Long Beach marinas.

44:55A master at multitasking and prioritizing his workload, he fosters exceptional communications between city staff, contractors and marina customers.

45:03His forward thinking approach and meticulous nature helps prevent problems before they arise.

45:07With his positive demeanor, efficiency and dedication, Hilton is a true team player who helps the PRM maintenance bureau complete projects that elevate the marina experience.

45:17He is a public servant of the highest caliber in deserving of this recognition for outstanding service to our city.

45:23Welcome up Hilton. And our last two are for the month of September.

45:52The next up is Human Resources Department Secretary Patricia Lopez. Our HR team is in the house.

46:02All right. Patricia does an amazing job in her position and goes above and beyond in supporting the chief and other team members, ensuring we manage a significant volume of correspondence and documentation.

46:16Her extraordinary support for the labor relations team, dedication and reliability makes her a standout employee.

46:22She takes initiative, manages all of her assigned tasks meticulously and continues to seek out ways to support and be helpful to the team.

46:29Patricia impresses us every day with the critical role that manages an enormous volume of deadline driven work and requires engaging with internal and external stakeholders.

46:38She does it all without hesitation, a smile on her face and supports us with caffeine and kindness when we need it the most.

46:44Thank you very much, Patricia. This recognition is from the Community Development Department Acting Executive Assistant Patti Acorn.

47:20Patti currently serves as the director's executive assistant, a.k.a. the knower and doer of all things while continuing to manage many of her previous duties.

47:28She manages an incredibly busy schedule and navigates signature and document review for commissions, city council, contract, legal, escrow, financial and other documents.

47:39Patti also handles hundreds of public records requests, working with the requesters who often need immediate assistance.

47:44Even when faced with difficult situations or personalities, she remains calm, kind and effective.

47:50She also has supported the administrative and financial services team with reimbursements, purchases and accounting needs.

47:56And when something breaks, Patti knows how to fix it, earning her reputation as the office MacGyver.

48:02With more than 20 years of professional experience, her empathy, perseverance and creative solutions keeps Department of Community Development on track, always with a kindness and a smile.

48:12Thank you very much. And let's bring up Patti. Thank you, mayor and council.

48:35Our employees really appreciate the ability to be recognized for the work they do.

48:39And I think it's important to recognize them for all the things that they do.

48:42I know this takes a little bit of time, but we do it rather than every month we bundle it.

48:46So we come to you once about every four months and take the time to honor them for their service.

48:50So appreciate that. And let's hear it again for all of our employees.

49:00Thank you. And on behalf of the City Council, congratulations to all the awardees for this month's employees.

49:06We want to we don't underestimate the great work that you do for the city.

49:10At this point, I'd like to also like we can make the close of a special meeting and to continue on with our agenda.

49:18Our report from closed session. Thank you, Vice Mayor. There is no report from closed session.

49:25OK, Miss report you are giving a few seconds to have people clear out the room.

49:54OK, we're not with each other. We have to contact counter.

49:58We have a request to pull item 17.

50:01So let's take a vote on items one through 21 with the exception of item 17.

50:08Also a point. I'm also a vice mayor. I'm going to pull a 10 as well.

50:12Ten. OK, I don't think before we take the vote.

50:16We have any further comment. Yes, we have two speakers for public comment.

50:20We'll Samwise Gamgee and F.B. Please line up at the lectern and be prepared for your time. Samwise and F.B.

50:27And we also need a motion a second on consent.

50:31We have a motion a second before the speakers step up.

50:56OK, so first of all, fuck ice, fuck Israel, free Palestine.

51:02And before I get before I get kicked off the podium for being off topic, let's do some consent calendar agenda items.

51:11So items one through four all kind of begin the same way.

51:17Increase appropriations to the general fund and the city manager department by varying degrees of money.

51:24So they're all about increasing appropriations specifically for districts three, five, eight and seven.

51:31So this means the money is going to be increased for a specific purpose in the city manager's office and that it's funds that were originally allocated to these specific districts.

51:42Like, is that right? Is that what it means?

51:46I feel like transparency should include these proposals being more comprehensive to the general public.

51:53So, yeah, just if somebody could explain to me what the hell any of these agenda items actually mean, or maybe it's just me like maybe I'm just illiterate.

52:03So maybe we need more money for the library and the library literacy program.

52:08And while you're explaining that, go ahead and also explain what approve the minutes actually means.

52:17This seems to come up over and over like we're approving of what which minutes does this include minutes spent for the city council members to shuffle down off their thrones for a photo op something that they very easily could do outside of meeting time.

52:36Can like these those minutes, the minutes from a lot from the city manager, we're talking about agenda items.

52:47Yes. Sorry, I got disrupted for a minute.

52:53So I got thrown off from what I was saying.

52:56Can those minutes be deducted from the time that the council members are asking their redundant questions and thanking each other for asking questions.

53:07So jumping back to one to four.

53:12If the city manager department needs funds. Why doesn't it just come from Tom Modica is $380,000 a year salary.

53:23I did hear a comment on the hot mic last time that this council cannot be reminded enough how much Tom Modica makes.

53:32I agree. You cannot be reminded enough because it is insane that an unelected public official is making that much money.

53:41And I'm supposed to believe that they can sympathize with the common people of this city and make good decisions for our budget.

53:48Like that's fucking insane. I don't agree with that. So it's real. All right.

54:06Good evening, white supremacist and Tom Modica, the leader. All I all I see on the on the consent calendar is just another condensed consent calendar with large sums of our tax dollars being moved around by Tom Modica and his friends, the city council members with zero transparency to the public.

54:33We all saw how you all fumbled the city's budget. And now you want us to believe once again that you're going to, you know, approve minutes like our friend here was mentioning some large sums of money that the city doesn't understand how you break it down because you want you won't give us that information.

54:53Shame on you, you worthless pieces of shit. You will continue to be spoken to this way because we're not stupid. We know that you don't listen to us.

55:05We can we can see that by the actions that you take. And I'm sorry that expletives offend you and a fumbled city budget does not fuck you all free Palestine and fuck Israel.

55:19Piece of the shit that concludes public comment on consent. Okay. Take a vote from items one to twenty one is minus.

55:31I don't see that man is 10 councilman.

55:44Motion is carried. Thank you. I'm dead, please.

55:51That's a member Allen item 10 is a report from city manager recommendation to execute all documents necessary to amend contract with meet Long Beach to provide a marketing program for conventions and tourism support economic development initiatives that position the city of Long Beach as a destination.

56:07For entertainment, sports and tourism and support small businesses for a revised total contract amount not to exceed four million eight hundred thirty nine thousand one hundred ten citywide.

56:18All right. Thank you. I do have a couple of questions for the city manager. Can you clarify how much money is coming from the sap funds versus Thailand funds?

56:29Before we move forward, can I have a second, please? Thank you. Before we move forward, can I have a second? I can take a verbal. Thank you.

56:42I'm sorry about that, Vice Mayor. Hi. Yes, I'm happy to answer that. So the total breakdown is four thousand five hundred twenty four one hundred and ten dollars from SAP and three hundred and fifteen thousand from Thailand's four million five hundred and twenty four one hundred and ten dollars.

57:04So four million five hundred twenty four thousand one hundred and ten dollars in SAP and three hundred and fifteen thousand from Thailand's. OK. Three hundred fifteen thousand from Thailand's. OK. And is this the first time that we're amending this contract in FY twenty five.

57:18We included a five percent structural increase to the meet Long Beach's annual budget. And so this is what that is reflecting.

57:28We did come back to extend the contract term and we changed and we updated some of the contract language.

57:37However, we did not true up to account for the five percent structural that city council had approved.

57:43So we needed to come back and make that, I guess, administrative change to get them up to what has been approved for a total contract amount.

57:52OK, great. Thank you, Deputy City Manager. I also I wanted to see what is the do you know what the exactly what the funding is intended is intended to be used for?

58:02Oh, the five percent is just to in FY twenty five was to account for ongoing increase operational costs because they had not had an increase of their contract in many years, especially during COVID.

58:16We had challenges with budgeting or with incoming SAP funds due to COVID impacts.

58:23And so we saw FY twenty five is an opportunity to provide an increase into their annual budget to account for operational increases as we see even with our own budget today.

58:34OK, good. I'm an assistant city manager. Sorry about that. That's OK.

58:38And then is this is this some of this money going to be used for the vibe city branding?

58:44So this is going toward their operational budget, which does include however they choose to allocate funding to marketing and attraction for the city of Long Beach.

58:55We do not know specifically or we do not oversee how they allocate within their budget.

59:00It could be used to promote vibe city. But for the most part, the campaign has been complete.

59:08OK, and then could you clarify is the vibe city is that a tourism branding or a city branding?

59:13Yes, it is intended for tourism and attraction of events, tourists, musical festivals, that sort of thing to visitors to Long Beach.

59:23That's all my questions. Thank you very much. Thank you.

1:00:00Okay, now we go to item 17. Item 17, a report from Police Department. Recommendation to

1:00:06receive and file the application of Seven Heights Beer and Wine Market for an original

1:00:11application of an ABC license at 2001 East South Street and determine that the application

1:00:16serves the public convenience and necessity. District 9. Thank you. Councilmember Rex Horney.

1:00:23Thank you Vice Mayor. So good evening everyone, good evening council members. I'm speaking

1:00:27today in strong opposition to the recommendation from staff regarding the original type 20

1:00:32alcohol license application for Seven Heights Beer and Wine Market at 2001 East South Street.

1:00:37The staff recommendation before us asked this council to determine that issuing the

1:00:40license serves the public convenience and necessity. I completely disagree with that

1:00:45statement. There's absolutely no evidence that adding another alcohol license at this

1:00:49location or transitioning one serves a public necessity in a community that's already inundated

1:00:53with liquor establishments. North Long Beach and District 9 are severely oversaturated with

1:00:57alcohol outlets. District 9 holds the second highest number of type 20 licenses citywide

1:01:02and with 21 active licenses across markets and bodegas and the highest number of type

1:01:0721 off sale general licenses, type 21 are the ones that are beer, wine and spirits.

1:01:11And we have 32 of those licenses and half of those licenses are held by liquor stores.

1:01:16Right at this specific location in census tract 5705.02 state guidelines allow a maximum

1:01:21of four off sale licenses yet seven already exist. Furthermore, this site is within 600

1:01:26feet of crossroads church, sits less than 1100 feet from an L super and a half a mile

1:01:31from the Superior Grocer is both full service grocery stores already providing beer, wine

1:01:35and spirits. Moreover, this site sits less than 500 feet from a nightclub and a thousand

1:01:39feet from another bar. There is no lack of access. There is an over concentration. Prior

1:01:45to joining this council and throughout my term, constituents have made it abundantly

1:01:48clear that do not want additional liquor establishments in their neighborhood and

1:01:51that they want to decrease the number of liquor establishments already in the community.

1:01:55Our community wants greater variety along our commercial corridors, retail, personal

1:01:58services and family restaurants that enhance our quality of life, not more alcohol outlets.

1:02:04I want to acknowledge that we have received several letters by email and online public

1:02:08comment in opposition from residents and neighborhood leaders. Therefore I would like

1:02:12to change the motion on item 17 to read this. I move to the city objective the license

1:02:17issuance note the over concentration of liquor stores in the city, the detrimental impact

1:02:22on communities and the lack of need for this facility because a full service grocery store

1:02:26is present adjacent to the location. And based on those factors, we oppose the license

1:02:30and transmit that opposition to ABC. Thank you. And I ask my colleagues for your support

1:02:35and keeping North Long Beach safe and encouraging better uses of our neighborhood serving commercial

1:02:39corridors. Thank you. Before we get to you, do you want to report first? Or do you want

1:02:49to please comment? I can let Councilwoman Threshen speak. Okay. All right. Thank you

1:02:58so much vice mayor. I wasn't sure if the staff had a report. I think I don't, okay.

1:03:04So thank you so much for pulling this item. Councilwoman Rix Odie, while this is located

1:03:11in the ninth district, it is on our border of both the eighth and the ninth district

1:03:16because directly across the street is the eighth district. So I have a couple questions.

1:03:24I was wondering, Mr. City manager, which division is responsible for conducting the analysis

1:03:30and making the recommendation for the ABC license? It would be PD, the societal crimes.

1:03:40Okay. Thank you so much. And thank you for being here. I was wondering when we look at

1:03:45other jurisdictions across the region or even the state, is it typical for the police

1:03:52department to have this role, especially given its impacts on economic viability within

1:03:58communities and how it's interconnected with economic development strategies such as restaurants

1:04:04or other establishments that might fit better with the liquor license? Any other experiences

1:04:10with other jurisdictions that might have a different way of handling who's responsible

1:04:14for this? So thanks Councilmember Threshen took. So PD and community development do work

1:04:23together on these matters. Actually, most of the alcohol control is within community

1:04:29development, but ABC being a law enforcement agency at the state level, it is PD that interacts,

1:04:37does the interface with ABC? That is the typical arrangement, but that is not the only arrangement.

1:04:43So there are other cities, City of Los Angeles and City of Santa Monica do have a different

1:04:50model where that's run out of planning in those cases. There's plus and minus as the

1:04:58different models. We don't have a whole report for you tonight, but I hope that answers

1:05:03your question.

1:05:04And I will add one thing is when we looked at this several years ago, we were a little

1:05:08bit of a unique outlier in that most cities just run this through their police department

1:05:11or community development. And it goes straight to ABC. Many years ago, the council asked

1:05:16that we have this ability to bring it to the council so that we can get other community

1:05:20input just like we're hearing tonight. And so that is something we do. That's extra

1:05:24is to bring it to the council because it is a recommendation to ABC and they take

1:05:28a various amount of public input is the council meeting the main place that this public discussion

1:05:37takes place. So meaning, I know that many members in the community were notified and

1:05:44may have received notices, but there is no other community meeting or community form

1:05:49regarding it. So that's up to ABC. In this case, there is no other community meeting

1:05:53or community forum ABC at their discretion for other license types sometimes does hold

1:05:59proceedings, but that's at the discretion of ABC, not necessarily the discretion of

1:06:05the city.

1:06:06Okay. Thank you. So I too am quite concerned about this license. As you can imagine, my

1:06:13colleague has already outlined where you can access beverages of this sort within the

1:06:18community. This is a highly residential area as well right within that area. And I just

1:06:26want you to know that I have received a notice from several of the neighborhood associations.

1:06:32I can specifically name them off all of which oppose and are not interested in seeing this

1:06:37license be supported the heart neighborhood, North Village, Ridgewood, Lindbergh. In addition

1:06:43to all of those neighborhood associations, we have also received letters from members

1:06:49of the community who have expressed their concern as well. Given that it's already,

1:06:55you know, a site that has a use that some would say is out of proportion to what is

1:07:00happening in the neighborhood. And then to add an ABC license would continue, I think,

1:07:06to move us in the wrong direction for where we'd like to see this particular commercial

1:07:11court or go in the neighborhood. So with that, I also will not be able to support,

1:07:16but I will be able to support the changes that Councilwoman Rix Odie has suggested in

1:07:21terms of opposing this license. Thank you.

1:07:26There is one member of the public signed up to speak on his ID item. Tony Aldana, if

1:07:35you can line up with the lectern.

1:07:48Hello. Part of me, I'm going to have to read through my notes because I forgot my glasses.

1:07:53So I'm not going to be the most effective speaker, but please pay attention to what

1:07:57I have to say. Hello, honorable vice mayor and esteemed council members, ABC and city

1:08:04manager. My name is Tony Aldana. I've recited the ninth council district. I represent a

1:08:09section of your constituency that requests denial of the type 20 application to ABC

1:08:16to the business, which already appears to be operating in that location. They have

1:08:20posted that they're a smoke shop and a liquor dispenser, even though I don't know what

1:08:26was the seven 11 licensed grandfather to them. Anyhow, it's a blight. It's a blight on our

1:08:33community of the application does not serve any public convenience. And in addition, there

1:08:40are too many alcohol vendors and it does not serve any necessity to our community.

1:08:47I have to ask is it supply that dictates the demand or is it demand that drives the supply?

1:08:55It's detrimental to the health of my community members. In fact, approval will have a negative

1:09:01impact on our community, undermine the public safety and reduce the overall quality of

1:09:07life and wellbeing of both district eight and district nine residents. It's right on

1:09:12the border and it just seems to be an impacted situation yet because it has been one, does

1:09:21not mean that alcohol, just because there was an alcohol vendor under that location

1:09:26does not mean that there should continue to be another alcohol vendor. There are 11

1:09:32alcohol vendors within a square mile of that location 11. Now that includes supermarkets,

1:09:38nightclubs, bars, and also to the extent that, uh, I want to say that, um, another alcohol

1:09:46vendor would be detrimental. There are three rehab and alcohol treatment centers in that

1:09:53area. So it's already a note to take that maybe alcohol vendors are not the best thing

1:10:00for our neighborhood. Um, I formally oppose the applicant and I hope that you take this

1:10:08into consideration. Um, it is a community sentiment and the perpetual disregard and

1:10:17inequality to the residents of our community to have more alcohol vendors in our community.

1:10:23We do not need another one. We do not want another one. I may be speaking for a select

1:10:29amount of community members, but our voice should be heard. We ask, we plead, we beg

1:10:35for you to do not approve this license. It it's, it's not good for our community. We

1:10:42need to improve the health of our community members and not encourage or approve businesses

1:10:49that take away from the health of our community. Any comments from any more, any, uh, online

1:11:02or? There's no speakers online that includes public comment for this item. Okay. We'll

1:11:06be right behind the rail. Uh, any further comments from the city council, uh, vice mayor

1:11:11wrong. I just wanted to clarify, uh, just so everybody knows. So, uh, the vote we're

1:11:14taking, we're going to take is going to be for my amended motion, correct? To, to have

1:11:18the city transmit an opposition to ABC. Correct. Thank you. Yeah. So the vote will be to deny

1:11:27the application. Okay. Let's go for a vote. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Come from point

1:11:44of, point of clarification. You are, if you are in opposition, um, to the license transfer,

1:11:49you will vote. Yes. If you are not in opposition, that's your motion. So my motion is to ask

1:11:54the city to transmit an, uh, to be in opposition to oppose the transfer of the license to ABC.

1:12:00Okay. Thank you for the clarification. Motion is carried. Okay. Thank you. That, that completes

1:12:11the, uh, consent calendar. Let's go back to our regular agenda. Item 22, please. Oh,

1:12:20wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. General public comment. Yeah.

1:12:26We have five speakers signed up for general public comment. If I call your name, please

1:12:34line up at the lectern and be prepared to speak. Ted Zellmer, Dave Shukla, Samwise Gamgee,

1:12:39FB, and Lourdes Dixon. If you can line up at the lectern. Our first speaker is Ted

1:12:46Zellmer and then Dave Shukla, Samwise Gamgee, FB, and Lourdes. Get back home before dark.

1:12:57I was attacked the other day by a homeless guy from behind and from the roads and PD

1:13:06showed up. I did not press charges for fear of retaliation. And the guy that sits on

1:13:11his bench was a just crazy scene. So I emailed what you're looking at. Two public works,

1:13:21Jeff Williams for the mayor, Steve Smith at the port, Trent Newton with the, with

1:13:27the barges and Todd Leland, Jake Heflin, Kelly Armstrong, and some others regarding our issues.

1:13:38And I want to thank Christina for opening up the doors so we can address sea rise issues,

1:13:43which you didn't mention. Sea rise is here. That last page you're looking at of my presentation

1:13:51that was not during the storm. That's just what we're seeing every day inside our harbor

1:13:56now. So what you have in front of you has been blessed by engineers. And I was this

1:14:02weekend out there with all the residents and the peninsula. And I was there last week when

1:14:07we had the catastrophe setting up on Friday, they're all days, Saturday, Sunday. And I

1:14:14was the last non-resident of the peninsula to be evacuated that Monday. I work well

1:14:23with all of our city staff out in the field doing things, public works and all. And I've

1:14:27got a history with that. So what you're looking at, we've got the barges and the panels would

1:14:37be about 30 by 25 foot wide, but we can split them up 12 foot so they're manageable and

1:14:45simply package them all together. But we have the assets to immediately create an artificial

1:14:52reef coming from the entrance to our harbor, heading back towards Long Beach to block all

1:15:02the waves coming ashore right now that's really costing our taxpayers a lot of money.

1:15:09With that said, working with Naples Homeowners Association, they were going to put cement

1:15:13walls around their property, but at the end of the peninsula, the mouth of our marina,

1:15:22we need to address matters to control our sea level rise. And if we don't, we're soon

1:15:30to lose our Olympic venue. Anyway, taking up taxpayer dollars, want to thank you all.

1:15:38And that's why I did not press charges this last week because I did not want to take

1:15:43up taxpayer dollars arrested in the knucklehead. And for fear of repercussions, you do not

1:15:49want to have a homeless guy arrested that attacked you. Thank you very much. Now I

1:15:54get to go home for dark. Next speaker, Dave Shukla. Thank you, Chair Oranga and City

1:16:09Council members. Nice to see you all after the heat and humidity during budget season.

1:16:14I'd like to address you all on the relationship between city policies and impacts experienced

1:16:18by the public. As we've already heard and has been mentioned, the city of Long Beach

1:16:24following the state of California has just announced a state of emergency ahead of the

1:16:28winter storm season due to El Nino. But after Hurricane Marie, it's an interesting mix

1:16:35of being proactive with preparedness and reactive with respect to whose property and suffering

1:16:40in this town leads to any actual policy change. As you may know, I've addressed this body

1:16:48scores of times over the last decade about the link between continued use of fossil fuels

1:16:55and climate impacts like supercharged storms such as Hurricane Marie. This was Hurricane

1:17:00Marie 2.0. The first one in 2014, along with the similarly named Hurricane Maria, in 2017

1:17:07have definite climate attribution. These events are at least three to four times more likely

1:17:12than they should be. And what were once 500 or 1000 year storms are now becoming 50 or

1:17:18100 year storms. They're becoming much more frequent, much more larger magnitude. And

1:17:24of course, they're much more likely. I'd like to note for the record that two weeks

1:17:30ago, Hurricane Maria didn't even make landfall, all the damage the SoCal coast was just from

1:17:37storm surge and from sea wave swell. Now these impacts along with floods, wildfires,

1:17:47disease vector drift, humidity, and of course, unnatural heat. These are worse here in Long

1:17:54Beach because of 100 years of fossil fuel friendly policies in Long Beach. It isn't

1:18:02just that there are global impacts because of climate change. There are also local impacts.

1:18:06The city of Long Beach itself bears a significant historical and current burden for its oil

1:18:13and gas policies and oil and gas exploitation. So do other policies like channelization of

1:18:21the rivers but the lion's share is burning fossil fuels. God, I've got so much right.

1:18:31You know, the oil and gas department of the past two years has become a money loss, not

1:18:34a money maker for this city. It's going to continue to be that way. And we're not even

1:18:37talking about all the unfunded liabilities just to meet SB 1137 just to keep the public

1:18:42safe from known health and environmental risks from oil and gas drilling. This city

1:18:49needs to change, not just replacing fossil fuel use with renewables, not just dealing

1:18:59with known pollutants and making polluters pay, but most of all the social and political

1:19:04decisions that led to these problems in the first place. And it's not just at the UNFCCC

1:19:09level.

1:19:15The next speaker is Samwise Gamgee. Free Palestine. The genocide of the Palestinian people continues.

1:19:33We're coming up on the three year anniversary, at least the anniversary since Israel massively

1:19:38escalated their ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians, since we all know or we all should know that

1:19:44this has been going on since Israel was created about 78 years ago. And why do we continue

1:19:49to bring this up? Because it's important. It's a humanitarian crisis, but also because

1:19:54this city council is heavily, heavily invested in weapons manufacturing. And where do weapons

1:20:00made in the USA end up? Typically in the heads and hearts of black and brown people

1:20:05overseas or dropped on top of camps and cities on black and brown people overseas. This

1:20:12council and the mayor are championing Andoril Industries, a known weapons manufacturer that

1:20:18is responsible for building autonomous killing machines. They're building by the Long Beach

1:20:22Airport, a reminder that this company has ties to GKN, the company responsible for

1:20:27the chemical leak that caused the displacement of about 50,000 residents in Garden Grove.

1:20:32Those residents are at their own city council meeting tonight, giving their city council

1:20:35health for not getting that company the hell out of their city ASAP. And I wish them the

1:20:40best of luck. But yeah, this council is frothing up the mouth to get more weapons manufacturing

1:20:45into the city with all this space beach bullshit. This council has approved two contracts with

1:20:50General Dynamics IT in the past few months alone. General Dynamics is the sixth largest

1:20:54weapon manufacturer. Last time I mentioned the genocide in Sudan that this situation

1:20:59is so dire that the women have begun. And this is a trigger warning because I know that

1:21:03this is an upsetting subject. But women have begun taking their lives to avoid being raped.

1:21:08And the destabilization feeling this genocide is caused by the UAE. And who do you think

1:21:12supplies weapons to the UAE? We do munitions, radar and air defense valued at around $23

1:21:19billion. These problems are connected. Our country is culpable. And you want to bring

1:21:23more weapons manufacturing to Long Beach, making us even more directly responsible for

1:21:28these atrocities around the world. You can't ask why these problems are your fault or have

1:21:32anything to do with you as you continue to approve all these contracts with literal

1:21:37weapons manufacturers. This is exactly why we wanted you to adopt the civil and human

1:21:41rights screening policy. So you can stop wasting our tax money on this shit. And speaking

1:21:47of a waste of money, let's talk about Long Beach vibe city. This is like there's a reason

1:21:52why Mayor Rex Richardson, when pressed on this, could not define the vibe. It's because

1:21:56he doesn't know what the fuck it is. You can't be a fucking fascist white supremacist

1:22:01and begin to understand what actually makes Long Beach good. In a word community, I've

1:22:06lived in Long Beach a long time. I thought it was fiercely pro LGBTQIA. I thought it

1:22:12was a place that valued diversity and its immigrant citizens. But man, was it a fucking

1:22:16rude awakening after I saw ICE tear through our city and kidnap all of our immigrant

1:22:20neighbors while our local PD ran security. So do your fucking job free Palestine. Next

1:22:29speaker FB. Hey, good evening, white supremacists. The ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people

1:22:42continues. The convicted felon and alleged pedophile, the president of the United States

1:22:48of America is welcoming none other than the giant genocidal maniac and war criminal himself,

1:22:54Benjamin Netanyahu to New York this Thursday. This murderous psychopath has warrants out

1:23:01for his arrest by the ICC. And yet he is still welcomed by Donald Trump and his war criminal

1:23:08pedophile protecting administration. I'm not surprised by the actions of this president

1:23:14because this because all of the presidents of this America have either been slave owners,

1:23:20murderers or war criminals. Same shit on both sides of the elephant and the donkey.

1:23:27The America, this America represents complicity and genocide of the Palestinians and a contributing

1:23:33factor in various genocides such as the Congo and Sudan and all across the world. ICE is

1:23:41murdering and kidnapping immigrants and citizens in our streets and neighborhoods. Lynchings

1:23:46of our black community in America are being determined as suicide rather than properly

1:23:52being investigated. And on a local fascist level, the city council refuses to distance

1:23:59Long Beach from companies that have ties with the pedophile supporting administration

1:24:04such as DHS, ICE and Israel. These companies are LexisNexis, General Dynamics Information

1:24:12Technologies, CTW government, Gov Inc. Connection, Andrill, a weapons manufacturer that has direct

1:24:20ties to Israel that's committing a genocide and floc as mass surveillance. As we speak,

1:24:28there are residents in Garden Grove City right now demanding that their elected representatives

1:24:33hold GKN aerospace accountable for the chemical spill that evacuated 50,000 residents from

1:24:40their homes and they still have no answers. All of this is a side effect of white supremacy.

1:24:50Fuck you all. Fuck ICE. Fuck Israel. Fuck the Epstein class. Fuck the Democrats. Fuck

1:24:57the Republicans and all you local liberals that fucking stand for nothing except your

1:25:02spineless pieces of shit lives. Fuck you, Tom Modica. I can't leave without saying

1:25:07that. Free Palestine, protect black workers, free Congo, free Sudan, free Lebanon, free

1:25:14Yemen and all who suffer by the hands of our white oppressors. Fuck you all and free

1:25:20Palestine. Pieces of shit. Land on the right side of history this time. Losers.

1:25:29Next speaker is Lourdes Dixon. Lourdes, if you're in the audience, please come to the

1:25:41lectern. Seeing no further public comment, concluded. Thank you very much. That closes

1:25:50for a comment. Go to next slide. Communication from Councilwoman Thresh Entook, recommendation

1:25:59to direct City Manager to work with the Director of the Office of Police Oversight and the

1:26:04Long Beach Police Department, Chief of Police, to provide a joint, comprehensive presentation

1:26:09regarding the 2024 Office of the Police Oversight Annual Report, the 2025 Complaint Investigation

1:26:15Review, the resulting recommendations and the current tangible status of the Long Beach

1:26:20Police Department's implementation. Thank you. We have a motion to second, Councilmember

1:26:26Thresh Entook. Thank you so much, Vice Mayor. So, good evening, colleagues and to the members

1:26:33of the public. Today, I'm bringing forth a request to elevate levels of transparency

1:26:39and local public safety through a joint presentation with our Office of Police Oversight and the

1:26:44Long Beach Police Department. Over the past year and a half, these two agencies have

1:26:49engaged in a series of productive and thoughtful collaboration designed to refine our public

1:26:55safety practices. That work deserves to be brought directly into the public record so

1:27:00residents can see how our local system is continuously improving. The timing of this

1:27:06item is especially critical. In recent months, our residents have witnessed aggressive federal

1:27:11immigration enforcement operations that bear no resemblance to accountable policing, with

1:27:17masked agents in unmarked vehicles operating without local accountability, spreading fear

1:27:23in our neighborhoods and among residents. The City of Long Beach categorically rejects

1:27:28that approach. We have chosen instead a different path, building on years of community policing,

1:27:34transparency and civilian oversight. But before I outline this specific request, I just want

1:27:40to walk through some of the history and the mission of the Oversight Office, review the

1:27:45substantial work that has already been completed and how this ongoing work continues to strengthen

1:27:51our departments and our communication among them. First, I want to take the moment to

1:27:57thank Chief Wali Heebish for his steadfast commitment to protecting our communities and

1:28:02doing the hard and noble work of engaging with the Office of Police Oversight. I'd

1:28:07also like to thank the Director of Office of Police Oversight Francine Carridge for

1:28:13her work and dedicated leadership of conducting the hard and very necessary work of identifying

1:28:19areas for improvement. So let's move into reminding us of the role of the Office of

1:28:25Police Oversight. So this division was created by Long Beach voters to establish an independent

1:28:31civilian lens on local law enforcement. With operations officially starting in the fall

1:28:36of 2023, the OPO's core mission is centered on systematic accountability. The Office

1:28:43is authorized to audit internal affairs investigations for thoroughness and timeliness, review complaint

1:28:50intake, analyze policing trends, and evaluate departmental policies and training. It also

1:28:57has the authority to observe critical incident responses and conduct independent reviews

1:29:02when requested, really unprecedented in its nature. Civilian oversight is not about finding

1:29:09fault for fault's sake. It is about building better systems by grounding police practices

1:29:15and evidence, transparency, and community values. The OPO helps ensure that our department

1:29:21remains responsive, fair, and humane. The commitment to operating in the open is what

1:29:28makes our local department trusted and is why bringing together the joint work to this

1:29:34council is so important. So let's talk about some of the work that has been done. Over

1:29:40the course of 2025, the Office of Police Oversight generated two substantial bodies of work,

1:29:46all of which were written and shared with this council and the public. The first was

1:29:51the 2024 annual report, which established key ground works for civilian oversight and

1:29:57focused heavily on critical incident protocols. It yielded six major recommendations. These

1:30:04included creating a dedicated family liaison officer who could help families and be compassionate

1:30:12when there is a point of a tragic incident, standardizing handcuffs inspection protocols,

1:30:19and establishing clear guidelines for scene preservation. Chief Hevesh and the department

1:30:24formally agreed with all six recommendations. That agreement was a meaningful statement

1:30:30of values. And over the past year, those responses that were transmitted, we want

1:30:36to make sure that the public is clear and understands and has an update on how those

1:30:41ideas are moving forward in daily practice. So let's talk a little bit about the complaint

1:30:46investigative review that OPO did. This was their second body of work and it was published

1:30:53last October. This was an independent audit of over 100 closed internal affairs cases,

1:31:00encompassing nearly 800 alleged policy violations. The audit's findings were both affirming

1:31:07and instructive. Oversight staff concluded that 92% of administrative investigations

1:31:13were thorough and agreed with the department's findings and 89% of the alleged violations.

1:31:19At the same time, the review highlighted key systematic challenges, noting that formal

1:31:24investigations took nearly 296 days to complete. The review yielded 12 additional recommendations

1:31:32that covered important topics such as domestic violence response protocols, in field citations

1:31:39of case law, accessible plain language letters for complaintants, and internal affairs manuals.

1:31:47So as we move into the next slide, the status of those recommendations. In January, the

1:31:54chief transmitted the department's formal response to these 12 newer recommendations.

1:31:59And the department fully agreed with 5 recommendations, agreed in principle with 3, and determined

1:32:05that no action was required in 4 others. The spectrum of agreement, conditional agreement,

1:32:10and disagreement is not a breakdown in the system. It is the entire point of the civilian

1:32:15oversight. Healthy, transparent dialogue on policy is far better than public trust

1:32:22than uniform agreement behind closed doors. Where recommendations are accepted, the public

1:32:28deserves to see tangible timelines. Where recommendations are declined or accepted

1:32:33in principles such as cases involving legal toiling under state law, our residents deserve

1:32:39to hear the department's operational perspectives out in the open. So that brings me to where

1:32:46I'd love to see us be able to have a presentation by OPO as well as the Long Beach Police Department.

1:32:54Bringing this to light is an important sunshine for all of us. It places the data, the progress,

1:33:02and the ongoing dialogue squarely in the public record. Specifically, this item I'm

1:33:07requesting that the city manager work with the police oversight commission and the chief

1:33:11of police to return with a joint public presentation no later than December 8, 2026. And in that

1:33:20presentation, first of three things. One, an overview of the findings of both oversight

1:33:26reports. What were those findings and what was recommended? Second, an operational insights

1:33:32on recommendations that were declined or accepted in principle. What has happened

1:33:37since then? And then finally, a status update across all accepted recommendations with

1:33:43a focus on concrete implementation milestones and timelines. Our local model works because

1:33:50it operates in the light. I respectfully ask for your support, colleagues, so that

1:33:54we can keep building on the gold standard of public trust and public safety in our city.

1:34:00Thank you. Thank you, Council Member. Council Member Simeon. Thank you. Ongoing transparency

1:34:13regarding law enforcement is really important, especially due to the current climate that

1:34:21we are living through. I appreciate the framing of this recommendation, specifically as a

1:34:27joint and collaborative effort between the two offices, and I look forward to the presentation

1:34:33when it comes back to us. Happy to support this item. Thank you, Council Member. Council

1:34:39Member Sorrow. Yes, I'm in support of this item. Thank you, Councilwoman Thrashenchuk

1:34:45for bringing this forward to make sure that the public is continued to be updated on

1:34:52the commission and how it's working in coordination with Long Beach Police Department. As a former

1:35:00chair and member of the former commission, the citizen police complaint commission,

1:35:06it's been a transition to understand how it works and compared to what it's been for

1:35:12many years. So I too look forward to seeing the report as well and how it's working and

1:35:18the ways that it can improve as well. Thank you. Thank you. Any comments from the comments?

1:35:26There is no public comment on this item. Council Member Soty. Thank you, Vice Mayor.

1:35:33I also want to join my colleagues in saying that I'm, thank you, Council Member Thrashenchuk

1:35:38for bringing this forward. I also was, along with Councilwoman Sorrow, we were actually

1:35:43on the original version of this, the Citizen Police Complaint Commission years ago. It

1:35:48was the first commission I was ever on. And I know that as the Councilman Thrashenchuk

1:35:53brought forward and discussed, we had a voter initiative, right, where you all decided that,

1:35:59hey, the process that we had previously did not provide the necessary transparency and

1:36:04clarity and oversight over police department operations. And so voters wanted something

1:36:11different. And so it's really important that we make sure they were shining a light on

1:36:14the work of OPO, talking about the ways in which they are working collaboratively along

1:36:19with our police department. And like I said, again, as Council Womens and Dayhouse, I really

1:36:23appreciate the framing here. I think sometimes if we're all being honest, the thought around

1:36:28this is that the oversight can be adversarial, right, an adversarial experience to our police

1:36:33department. And I think what we're trying to present here is clear transparency, clarity

1:36:38around operations and what can and cannot be done only bolsters and helps the rigor

1:36:44and helps people to have confidence in the work that we are doing in the city and within

1:36:48our police department. So I'm looking forward to that collaborative presentation.

1:36:51Thank you, Council Member. Any other comments? Okay. No, Council Member, please.

1:37:16Motion is carried.

1:37:17Thank you. Next item, item 23, please.

1:37:22Communication from Councilman Supernaw, recommendation to request City Manager to work with the Director

1:37:26of Public Works and or any other necessary staff members to provide an update at the

1:37:31next City Council meeting on street sweeping operations. The update should include current

1:37:36personnel or equipment issues preventing consistent completion of street sweeping

1:37:40routes and, if needed, recommended City Council-directed solutions that could assist with improving

1:37:46current conditions citywide.

1:37:48Thank you. Council Member Supernaw, please.

1:37:54I believe Council Member Zainte has made the motion, but I'll go ahead and speak if you

1:37:58want.

1:37:59Yes, you are.

1:38:01Okay.

1:38:03Okay. Well, I'm going to read something because at the request of the City Manager, I'd like

1:38:06to make a motion to amend the current recommendation from receiving the update at the next Long

1:38:11Beach City Council meeting to receiving the update at a Long Beach City Council meeting

1:38:16in 30 days. All other requests in this recommendation are to remain the same. The intent of this

1:38:24item is to highlight and elevate the current interruptions of service happening and to

1:38:29get some acknowledgment that the issue is being worked on and that there is a solid

1:38:34plan in place to address the interruptions in the future.

1:38:39As mentioned in the Item Council offices, or at least CD4, are not proactively notified

1:38:45of open routes, and it's becoming a cycle of gathering information to share with residents.

1:38:51In all transparency, I didn't realize it was going to be the first day of fall when

1:38:55this item came forward, but we are entering leaf season, and we also have a west style

1:39:01outbreak in the City. Two issues that depend on consistent streets keeping to alleviate

1:39:09these issues. I'd like to -- well, I appreciate -- I do have a second on this, I guess. We

1:39:15sorted that out, and I'd appreciate any input on the City Manager or anything he can share

1:39:20right now as to the plans in place, and hopefully we can streamline the presentation coming

1:39:26forward. Thank you.

1:39:27Absolutely. So we appreciate the additional time. We understand that this is urgent.

1:39:31This gives us a chance to look a little deeper in some of the issues, but we do want to

1:39:34give an update. This is something that we're actively working on, and Josh can fill in

1:39:38a little bit more, but we are fully budgeted for street sweepers, and we have a full complement

1:39:44hired, but we've had a number of long-term illnesses and outages. And so when those

1:39:48employees go out, it's a small crew that does this. There's about five that are out

1:39:52right now, and it is impacting our ability to get everything swept. It's a little bit

1:39:56different than refuse in that we can't just go and do it the next day. You have a four-hour

1:40:01window or in some cases a two-hour window, and if you miss that, you have to wait an

1:40:05entire week to be able to do that. The notifications, that is sort of a result of P, W, and energy

1:40:14and environmental services with that reorganization. That was one group that was giving those before

1:40:18to council offices, and there we realized with the split, we've been doing it for refuse

1:40:22and not with street sweeping, so we're looking to replicate that. The team has already jumped

1:40:27into action on this as of a couple weeks ago. We have an active hiring list. We did interviews

1:40:31today -- or, I'm sorry, this last week, and I brought a number of people into interview,

1:40:36and then we are doing interviews again, and so we are going to over-budget and over-hire

1:40:41for this short period of time in order to bring on additional staff to deal with the

1:40:45workload until our permanent employees return. So we're happy to get that out, and we'll

1:40:50do a memo fairly soon, and then we can come give a short presentation in 30 days if you'd

1:40:54like. All right, thank you, I see a manager. Councilmember Sabina? Happy to support this

1:41:03item. I know that street sweeping continues to be one of the biggest issues in my district,

1:41:11so happy to see what the report back will be and see how we can help all of our neighborhoods

1:41:19with the street sweeping situation. Thank you. Councilmember Allen? Yeah, thank you,

1:41:25Councilmember Super and Offer bringing this forward. We're hearing similar concerns of

1:41:30missing street sweeping in District 2, and this is important because residents plan around

1:41:36street sweeping days to move their cars, and in neighborhoods like in District 2 that

1:41:43are already tight, this can take a real effort. So when the street sweeper doesn't come,

1:41:48it can be very frustrating. So thank you so much, and I look forward to hearing the

1:41:51report back. Thank you, Councilmember. Yes, thank you, Vice Mayor. I appreciate Councilmember

1:42:00Super now for bringing this forward. I have a question about whether or not we can also

1:42:06include better understanding the times that street sweeping is set up. I think that it

1:42:15can be really difficult when some streets are starts at 5 a.m., and people may not

1:42:22be able to find parking and have to wait in their car sometimes, so I'm wondering if

1:42:27that can also be reviewed as well in consideration, if it could even be moved up to the next

1:42:34hour like 6 a.m. I have a few residents who have street sweeping that starts that early,

1:42:40and it'll make it a little easier for them to move their car. Yeah, absolutely. So part

1:42:47of what we're also underway with now is a street sweeping optimization effort to understand

1:42:53how do our routes work today. They haven't been updated in many years, and we want to

1:42:58do a full analysis to understand which routes start when and how can we look at optimizing

1:43:04everything we do, including should we have 2-hour windows, 4-hour windows, what makes

1:43:09the most sense, and what would allow us and our sweepers to do a better job out there

1:43:13for the community. Yes, that would be wonderful, and the other question I have is people obviously

1:43:20want to make sure they move their car so they don't get fined. So if you can make

1:43:23sure to clarify, what is the current fee for if you get a ticket, and how much is

1:43:30it being increased to given the recent budget approval? So as part of the FY27 proposed

1:43:40budget, the fee for not moving your vehicle for street sweeping will be increased to $100

1:43:46per -- Oh, no, no, $75, right? Oh, I'm sorry. The $100 is the -- right, the traffic safety.

1:43:54I'm getting on my citation. Yeah, you were talking about safety earlier about mobility.

1:43:58Yeah, apologies for that. The traffic safety items are going up to the $100. The street

1:44:06sweeping citations are increasing to $80. It's currently $75 and increasing to $80.

1:44:14Correct. And the $100 fine that was changed was for traffic violations, which are, again,

1:44:23if you can share. Correct. Related to the traffic safety elements, folks parking within

1:44:29red curbs or other unsafe behavior, not related to street sweeping. I apologize for the confusion.

1:44:36I'm still in budget mode. Sorry. I know. That's why I want to make sure we just raise

1:44:40this again, because I have a lot of people who have been confused about how much the

1:44:47different violation or, you know, ticket price or ticket fee, sorry, has increased. Thank

1:44:57you.

1:44:58Okay. Councilmember Rick Shorting.

1:44:59I was just going to add for this particular item, are we also going to include the sweeping

1:45:03for bike lanes as well as part of the report back on how to address service interruptions?

1:45:10We can include that as well. We do have two sweepers and two sweepers, the actual mini

1:45:15sweepers themselves and the MSOs or our motor sweeper operators operate those vehicles as

1:45:21well. So we can include both of those within the report. Okay. Excellent.

1:45:27Okay. Councilmember, any other comments from the City Council? Councilmember Thrasher.

1:45:35Thank you, Vice Mayor. Since we're talking about bike lanes, we would also make sure

1:45:41that the medians would be included as well. We can include information on the medians.

1:45:48They are handled a little separately. So our signed and noticed areas for street sweeping

1:45:54along the gutter, that's for people to move the vehicles. We do have a pretty finite time.

1:45:59Our medians, our beach parking lots and others, those are handled on overtime and other means,

1:46:04but we can certainly provide more details for how all of that is broken down as part

1:46:08of the report.

1:46:10Thank you.

1:46:15Okay. Councilmember, are there any other comments?

1:46:17There's no public comment on this item.

1:46:19Okay. No further comment. Okay. It's over.

1:46:30Motion is carried.

1:46:32Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair, for bringing this item up. Item 24, please.

1:46:39Communication from Councilwoman Sorrow, Councilwoman Zendejas, Councilmember Rixodi. Recommendation

1:46:44to request City Manager to direct Department of Health and Human Services in coordination

1:46:49with other appropriate City Departments to prepare and present a Long Beach specific

1:46:54presentation in 60 days of the current and anticipated community impacts of H.R. 1, the

1:47:00Federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act with a particular focus on changes to Medi-Cal and

1:47:06CalFresh.

1:47:09Thank you. I have a request to go and point a comment first. Do I need point a comment?

1:47:18There are five speakers for this item. When I call your name, if you can please line

1:47:22up at the lectern. If you are in Zoom, please be prepared to unmute yourself when your

1:47:26name is called. It is Sathaya San, Alisa Nichols, John Fay, and Kaia Beth, and Connie

1:47:37Lo. Can I get the first speaker at the podium?

1:47:46Good evening, Vice Mayor and City Council members. My name is Sathaya San. I serve

1:47:52as Chair of Cambodia Town. I'm here tonight to strongly support item number 24 regarding

1:47:59the local impact of H.R. 1. I would like to first thank Councilwoman Dr. Suleis Sorrow

1:48:06for bringing this item forward along with co-sponsor Councilwoman Mary Zendejas and

1:48:14Councilwoman Dr. Jony Rick Addis for requesting that the Department of Health and Human Services

1:48:22present on the local impact of H.R. 1. Long Beach is home to one of the largest Cambodian

1:48:30American communities in the country, many of them elders, refugees, and immigrants who

1:48:37rely on Medi-Cal for their health care. Our community has already lived through enormous

1:48:43upheaval and displacement. We know what it means to navigate systems that are confusing

1:48:52under resource and we know how much harder that become for people managing language

1:49:00barriers or limited literacy. The change is coming through H.R. 1, new reporting and

1:49:11renewal requirements, work and community engagement requirements, and shift for certain members

1:49:18from managed care to fee for service Medi-Cal will directly affect how our residents access

1:49:30the care they depend on. Cambodia Town is committed to standing with our community through

1:49:36this transition, but we can only do that effectively if our series understand what's

1:49:44coming and partner with our organization, like ours, to help residents prepare. I request

1:49:53the City Council member to support item number 24 so that Long Beach can get a clear picture

1:50:00of how this federal changes will affect our residents, our clinic and community partners,

1:50:08and so we can start preparing now before January 2027 rather than reacting after people have

1:50:16already lost coverage or access to care. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight

1:50:23and thank you for bringing this up. Next speaker is Lisa. Please unmute yourself.

1:50:33Good evening, Council members and Vice Mayor. I'm Dr. Elisa Nicholas, a pediatrician and

1:50:46CEO of TCC Family Health. Sorry I can't be with there in person. We're a non-profit

1:50:51community health center with 13 sites in Long Beach and one in Bellflower serving 40,000

1:50:58patients in the greater Long Beach area in 175,000 visits. We provide comprehensive

1:51:04primary health care and wellness services to all ages in the Long Beach area. I am

1:51:10here to support item 24 which requests the Department of Health and Human Services to

1:51:15present a report on the local impacts of this feared HR1 on the health and well-being

1:51:21of those in our community and those that I serve. I thank Councilwoman Dr. Suely Sorrow,

1:51:28Mary Zendahus and Dr. Joni Rix-Ody for bringing this forward. A local assessment will help

1:51:36identify the potential challenges and gaps related to access to care. Continuity of care,

1:51:42prioritization, referrals, reimbursement and navigating the Medi-Cal system. We are

1:51:46already seeing some of these things happening. People are not signing up for things. We

1:51:53are seeing that people are not getting their medications. They're not coming in for their

1:51:57chronic care. It is only going to get worse. And not only that but CalFresh is being hit

1:52:03hard and our families who already are struggling to put food on the table. We have 30% of

1:52:09our families have food insecurity by the end of the month. This will affect not only

1:52:14the community health centers but the hospitals and those other support systems, especially

1:52:20the Public Health Department. We now know that we have more low-income residents in

1:52:27Long Beach that are at risk of losing their Medi-Cal. The coverage losses mean that they

1:52:32would get delayed primary and preventive health care. The policies in place put pressure

1:52:37on us and all the other nonprofit community health centers and private practices in the

1:52:42community that serve this population. And we know that these cuts can have long-lasting

1:52:49effects not only on the families but on the businesses that serve them. We respectfully

1:52:54urge you to support 24 and to direct the Department of Health and Human Services to

1:52:59report back to City Council on these impacts. I've been working in this community for over

1:53:0530 years. We have made such progress in caring for those families in the various communities

1:53:11that we've served through the years. And to see it being stepped backwards with dropping

1:53:17immunization rates, dropping visits, it's really heartbreaking. And I hope we can all

1:53:22work together to address these issues and change this unkind situation that is facing

1:53:28us. I thank you for all you do. And again, I'm sorry I'm not there.

1:53:34Thank you. Next speaker is John Faye. Good evening, Vice Mayor Arranga and members

1:53:48of the City Council. It is my pleasure to speak in support of Councilwoman Dr. Sulisaro's

1:53:52request to help inform and prepare the downstream impacts of H.R. 1 on the health of our community.

1:53:59In early 2025, California's health insurance coverage rate was 95% because of the passage

1:54:05of the Affordable Care Act and state legislative initiatives around Medicaid expansion and

1:54:10the establishment of covered California. It did not happen overnight and it took years

1:54:15for the state to work with counties, community partners, hospitals, health care providers

1:54:21and cities to assist in educating our community members to their new eligible health coverage

1:54:26and benefits. This transition meant patients now had access to primary care providers

1:54:32to help them with preventative screenings and management of diseases. With the passage

1:54:36of H.R. 1, California is expected to lose $30 billion in federal funds supporting

1:54:41Medicaid health services. Beginning in 2027, patients that gained health coverage over

1:54:48the past 12 years will lose insurance due to confusing new Medicaid work requirements

1:54:53and enrollment changes and as a result struggle to manage conditions like diabetes, heart

1:54:58disease and cancer. Last month, the L.A. Times reported that 2.2 million Californians

1:55:04will lose health insurance coverage over the next four years and Southern California

1:55:07will bear the brunt. Councilwoman Dr. Sulisaro's call for action is asking this community

1:55:13to come together, be informed of the health care changes related to H.R. 1 and find ways

1:55:18to work together to help inform our Long Beach residents. Thank you.

1:55:26Next speaker is Kaia Beth in Zoom. Please unmute yourself.

1:55:29Hi, good evening. My name is Kaia Beth. I'm the Health Justice Manager at ORELE, and

1:55:38I'm here to provide public comment and support of item 24 regarding the local impacts of

1:55:42H.R. 1. ORELE focuses on building power within local immigrant communities, advocating with

1:55:49undocumented folks so that way they have access to programs like Medi-Cal and food

1:55:53benefits. H.R. 1 cuts are detrimental to all of our community members, not just because

1:55:58some folks have been stripped from their benefits, but potentially also the lack of

1:56:01support that will be available to community members in navigating the complexities with

1:56:06government funded programs. H.R. 1 worked as intended by putting resources against each

1:56:11other at the state level, all at the expense and on the backs of our immigrant communities.

1:56:16Federally, it has stripped benefits from our community in having access and then also

1:56:21created additional barriers for our folks to get critical and lifesaving care. It's

1:56:25important for Long Beach to understand whether local providers are prepared to face the

1:56:29consequences that come with H.R. 1, and most importantly, identify the specific challenges

1:56:34community members will face while navigating these changes. This will also then help the

1:56:38city identify where gaps and access are widening and hopefully work towards filling these

1:56:43gaps with access to government funded programs. I urge the City Council to support item 24

1:56:49and ensure that the city understands the local impacts of these changes and work with

1:56:54their community partners to help residents navigate them. Thank you.

1:57:02Thank you. Next speaker is Connie Lowe. Please unmute yourself.

1:57:11Hi, my name is Connie Lowe. I'm the Director of Health Access for Asian Americans Advancing

1:57:17Justice Southern California. I'd like to thank Dr. Suvi Saro for bringing forward

1:57:23this recommendation and Councilwoman Mary Zendes and Dr. Joni Rix-Ody for their support

1:57:30in this. I really want to emphasize how important this motion is. Because although H.R. 1 will

1:57:41have significant negative effects on the entire country and the entire state, Long Beach

1:57:46actually is in a very unique position that warrants additional study. And that has to

1:57:52do with the large number, specifically, of Cambodian refugees in the city of Long Beach.

1:58:00One of the biggest changes as part of H.R. 1 is that many categories of qualified non-citizens

1:58:08will no longer be eligible for federally funded Medicaid and will switch over to the

1:58:14state funded system and then potentially lose coverage. And a large percentage of that

1:58:21is refugees. And currently, DHCS has, as part of their roles, they share the numbers

1:58:28with us, 127,275 people as part of their enrollees who are categorized as refugees.

1:58:37We suspect that number is larger than it should be. Folks that came over as refugees

1:58:43and never adjusted their status with DHCS, even though they have long since received

1:58:47their green cards. Additionally, there's a messaging problem, right? People who identify

1:58:52as refugees, but who have since long naturalized, who have since received their green cards

1:58:56and no longer have the legal status of refugees, but are hearing the messaging that refugees

1:59:01will no longer have access to federally funded Medicaid. What does that mean for them? So

1:59:06in terms of understanding who are the people who might be losing coverage, who are the

1:59:11people who might experience the chilling effect of this messaging that is unclear to

1:59:17folks about what are the changes that are actually happening, this is why the city of

1:59:22Long Beach needs additional study to better understand the impacts on the residents of

1:59:28Long Beach that is unique from what is happening at the state level and what is happening

1:59:32at the federal level. So thank you so much for considering this. And I really, really

1:59:37hope that in 60 days we'll be hearing about the results of such a study. Thank you.

1:59:45Thank you. That concludes public comment on this item.

1:59:47You have quite a record. I want to also mention that we did receive some matters, some support

1:59:58from Assemblymember Northall.

2:00:00Thank you, Vice Mayor. I want to thank all those who made public comment in person, as well as virtually appreciate it, as well as the letter of support that came in for the item for Senator Lena Gonzalez, Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, LA Care Health Plan, TCC Family Health, United Cambodian Community.

2:00:27And so I do have a presentation. I know that it's many of the things that was mentioned in public comment will also be covered here to make sure that we do understand how urgent this situation is.

2:00:44So tonight, this agenda item asks that the Health and Human Service Department to return to the City Council within 60 days with a presentation on the local impacts of HR1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, particularly the changes coming to Medi-Cal and CalFresh.

2:01:01We are in an affordability crisis where people are struggling to cover basic living costs, rent, food, electricity, gas, and health care.

2:01:12Next slide, please. As a former recipient of Medi-Cal and CalFresh, formerly Food Stamp, and also having been a health policy advocate and a labor organizer for health care workers, health care access is deeply important to me and has been part of my work before I came to the City Council.

2:01:33My belief is very simple. Health care is a fundamental part of a healthy, thriving community. People should be able to see a doctor get preventative care, fill a prescription, and receive treatment when they need it.

2:01:47I believe in Medi-Cal for all. I believe that health care should be treated as a basic need and that our system should be structured around people getting the care they need rather than people having to decide when they can afford to get sick or using emergency services as their safety net.

2:02:03This is the perspective I bring to this conversation, but at the same time, tonight's item is not asking the City Council to determine federal, state, or local health care policy.

2:02:14It's asking us to understand what is changing and what those changes could mean for all residents in Long Beach to remain covered under Medi-Cal in Long Beach.

2:02:28Next slide. So we're asking for a presentation on the current anticipated local impacts, specifically on Medi-Cal and CalFresh.

2:02:40We know that the federal government has enacted these changes and California is now implementing them with more changes coming the beginning of next year.

2:02:49What we do not yet have is a complete picture of what those changes will look like on the ground here in Long Beach.

2:02:56But I want to make sure we understand who may be affected, what our health care providers are preparing for or need to prepare for, what our community organizations are seeing on the ground, as well as our clinics and health navigators, and where there may be gaps or disruption that residents will need help navigating.

2:03:18Next slide.

2:03:21HR1 is changing eligibility reporting and enrollment requirements for Medi-Cal, including new community engagement requirement for certain adults.

2:03:32There are also changes affecting certain immigrant population, as we heard from public commenters.

2:03:38Beginning January 1st, 2027, some Medi-Cal members will move from managed care into the fee-for-service Medi-Cal.

2:03:47I want to emphasize that this does not mean those members simply lose Medi-Cal.

2:03:52It changes how they receive their care.

2:03:54They may have to find a provider who accepts fee-for-service, and some services that are available through managed care will not be available in the same way.

2:04:03So there's going to be significant changes as well coming to CalFresh, including new work and community engagement requirements for certain recipients.

2:04:16So let's just take a little step back, because I think that we need to be reminded of what it was like before the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

2:04:28Before the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans were uninsured.

2:04:33And if you had a preexisting condition, obtaining affordable coverage could be extremely difficult.

2:04:40And when someone did not have insurance, even a routine doctor's appointment could become something they delayed because of cost.

2:04:47And we've seen how it's impacted people's lives.

2:04:49You have a symptom, but you are worried about the cost of the appointment.

2:04:53You need a screening, but you do not have coverage.

2:04:55You need medication, but you are trying to decide whether you can afford the prescription.

2:05:00So people waited, and sometimes they waited until they had to go to the emergency room.

2:05:06And that's the reason why the emergency system became a safety net for many.

2:05:13But yet we know that's expensive and ineffective, and we know that's going to be costly to the city because of the amount of services that our rapid response team will need to provide.

2:05:27So the Affordable Care Act has completely changed that, well, tremendously changed that. The ACA expanded Medi-Cal, created health insurance marketplaces, provided financial assistance to people to obtain coverage and expanded access to preventive services.

2:05:44So between 2013 and 2014, approximately 2.7 million people gained access to Medi-Cal coverage, and nearly 1.7 million people were to determine eligible for coverage through Covered California.

2:05:59For me, this is so important because we should remember what expanded coverage actually means.

2:06:04It means somebody who previously did not have a doctor may have a doctor now.

2:06:09It means somebody can get treatment before their condition becomes an emergency.

2:06:13So, Shirley put, when delayed care, serious illness occur and more intensive treatment is needed.

2:06:22But at times, unnecessary, you know, intensive treatment could have been prevented had healthcare been provided to begin with a preventative care.

2:06:37So moving on, so lastly, what does this mean for Long Beach?

2:06:43So as I said earlier, the federal government have made these changes and California is responsible for implementing many of them.

2:06:51And but our residents are the ones who ultimately have to navigate them, but they don't have to do that alone.

2:06:58And we can make sure that we can rebuild a coalition as we heard about that.

2:07:03That L.A. Care had just recently announced called Keep L.A. Covered Coalition, and I hope that when we hear in our report coming back that we are part of it and making sure that we're engaging all the community partners and hospitals and clinics and healthcare services in this process.

2:07:24So these are the practical questions that I have is who in Long Beach could be affected and are affected. How will these changes affect our immigrant communities as well as our undocumented community?

2:07:37What are our hospitals and clinics preparing for? What are healthcare providers seeing?

2:07:43And as far as challenges and gaps needed, what are community organizations hearing from the residents they serve and what are their needs?

2:07:55And when we talk about CalFresh, what could these changes mean for household food security?

2:08:02So these questions are that is that is is that we need local information to answer in a stakeholder mapping in order to coordinate with all potential partner because we know that resources is limited and that it's really important.

2:08:18We bring together talent, knowledge and skills to keep people covered in California. I mean, sorry, Long Beach, California.

2:08:25So in closing, regardless of where somebody stands on the broader healthcare system, we have a responsibility as a city to understand

2:08:33how these major changes are going to occur in health care, access to health care, as well as food assistance programs as well and how they'll affect people living here.

2:08:44So let's make sure that we tighten the safety net and not widen the holes in the safety net. So I ask my colleague for your support. Thank you.

2:08:53Thank you, Councilmember. Councilmember Rixoni. Thank you, Vice Mayor. And thank you, Councilwoman Sorrow for leading this item and for that excellent overview of sobering picture of where we've come from.

2:09:08I think it's important sometimes, you know, as we have gone through, you know, changes to our health care system, policies, COVID, all of that, sometimes we forget what it used to be.

2:09:19And so I think, as Councilmember mentioned, you know, on July 4, 2025, Federal HR, the one big beautiful bill, became law and made sweeping changes to our social safety net.

2:09:30Starting October 1st of this year, full scope Medi-Cal eligibility narrows for non-citizens.

2:09:35And then starting January 1st of 2027, we faced a six month eligibility redeterminations, reduced retroactive coverage and new work requirements.

2:09:43And at the same time, federal cuts to SNAP and CalFresh will worsen hunger across California.

2:09:48So as I agree with our Councilwoman, the Long Beach cannot wait until residents lose or change coverage of food support and then react.

2:09:55This is why item 24 matters.

2:09:57It directs our Health Department, Health and Human Services Department to complete a comprehensive 60 day local assessment in partnership with our local hospitals, clinics, our federally health qualified centers, our federally qualified health centers, often referred to as FQHCs, community-based organizations, and LA County.

2:10:12Health and Human Services would lead the work, but this is not just City Hall. We're doing this in partnership with our safety net health hospitals, community clinics, our FQHCs, food pantry, CBOs, community health workers, LA County, and residents who depend on these services.

2:10:26The point is simple. Let's get ahead of the crisis and form a plan. Do not wait for coverage losses and hunger to spike.

2:10:32Let's understand the local impact now and prepare a real coordinated response.

2:10:37And we aren't the only jurisdiction doing this.

2:10:39As many of you know, my day job, I work at UC Irvine, and our health system will be working with our FQHCs and the Orange County Health Care Agency to assess the impact of HR1 and their health care system in Orange County.

2:10:51I think we all understand what is at stake and the need to go into this with eyes wide open so we can serve our residents and protect our residents in the best ways possible.

2:10:59As part of this assessment, I would also ask staff to explore a few areas as part of this 60 day assessment.

2:11:04One related to food insecurity would be for us to look at how the city will help local organizations prepare for spikes in emergency food demand.

2:11:13When we think of in-person outreach, I know part of this will be looking at the automated county tools.

2:11:19So there's automated county tools like real time income verification streamline processes for, you know, our tech savvy residents may be able to go online and check some of these things, right?

2:11:28But investing in local ground game of trusted community health workers bridges that equity gap for folks who may not be able to access the information that they need.

2:11:37And thinking about, you know, how do we access or potentially have funding to deploy trusted community health workers alongside those county digital tools to allow people to find out the information that they need about their change in status.

2:11:50I'm thinking about data privacy and trust, you know, are we thinking about targeted privacy messaging for immigrant mixed status and refugee households that are facing serious barriers to access and communication.

2:12:00Thinking about our health care metrics, you know, how might we track the uncompensated care and local hospitals and FQAC that might impact our ability to recover funds, perhaps through our associated clinics.

2:12:16Thinking about the city and county alignment, starting on March 1, 2027, the federal HR1 mandate requires adult Medicare beneficiaries aged 19 to 64 to verify their eligibility every six months instead of once a year, doubling the administrative touch points for residents.

2:12:32Direct alignment with LA County is critical to establish shared data triggers and early warning systems that alert local navigators before residents mid-year renewal deadline hits.

2:12:43Coordinating these semi-annual workflows directly prevents procedural coverage drops, ensuring vulnerable communities members stay continuously enrolled while protecting local safety net hospitals from sudden uncompensated care costs.

2:12:55So how are we working directly with our LA with LA County on that six month renewal workflow.

2:13:00A success outcome of this evaluation means we have the tools to form an actionable policy response.

2:13:06Residents know where to turn, trusted messengers are funded, privacy fears are addressed, health care costs are ideally measured, and the city and county are not working in silos.

2:13:16That helps to protect families and fortify our local safety net.

2:13:19The federal changes are already projected to hit California hard.

2:13:22The state estimates ongoing budget impacts to be between $637 million and $1.6 billion from the Medicare, Medi-Cal delivery changes alone.

2:13:33Locally, that means rising uncompensated care for our safety net hospitals, FQHCs clinics, and intense pressure on emergency food pantries and TBOs.

2:13:41Item 24 helps long-beached measure and prepare for that fiscal pressure instead of paying more later.

2:13:46For these reasons, I urge my council colleagues to vote yes on item 24.

2:13:50Thank you, Vice Mayor. The forthcoming impacts that Medi-Cal and CalFresh and Food Assistant enrollees will face as a result of these sweeping federal changes make it necessary to prepare what is sure to be a crisis starting January 1st.

2:14:14Especially among our most vulnerable communities, including our families with small children, our seniors, and my own community, the disability community.

2:14:27I appreciate that we are preparing for this prior to any impact to the city and want to thank my colleagues for asking me to sign on to this very important item.

2:14:39This is especially timely given that other entities are also looking into the impacts.

2:14:46I hope that the report looks at the issues as a whole and alongside what other entities like L.A. County suspect might be impactful and very supportive of this request and look forward to the report back to better understand the local effects and what our residents will be experiencing.

2:15:09Thank you, Council Member. Any member of the report are coming?

2:15:15Council Member Ngo.

2:15:18Oh, we already did that. I'm sorry.

2:15:23Yes, Vice Mayor, thank you so much for extending the opportunity.

2:15:31So first, I want to thank all of my colleagues for all of the comments regarding this very, very important topic.

2:15:38As I look at this matter, we've hit on food, we've hit on hospitals, we've hit on issues related to health.

2:15:46One of the things that I am curious about and, Mr. City Manager, you may be able to help me here.

2:15:52Given that we may have residents who wait a lot longer in order to access care and then will need emergency services, thereby dialing 911 within our community.

2:16:03If they do not have the level of reimbursement, let's say, from Medi-Cal, for example, does that have an impact on our system and our ability to be able to collect from families that may be very vulnerable but yet need access to the emergency services?

2:16:22So we respond with our emergency services and then there's a billing system that happens afterwards and our billing policy definitely recognizes that not everyone has the ability to pay.

2:16:32We do the collection efforts that we can and then we do make some decisions on what to write off and what to continue to collect.

2:16:38So we can talk a little bit about that as well.

2:16:40Well, so thank you for that and definitely know that we respond no matter what and that billing is a separate matter.

2:16:49As we consider what impact this will have not only on the quality of life of our residents in terms of having access to medical care, food, and safety.

2:16:59For example, we might want to do a stress test on what our repayment is from these sources and if they are not available, how that might impact our budget as a city just to have that information and understand what that impact might be.

2:17:15And I will point out that Medi-Cal and Medi-Care already have contracted rates that pay way lower than what the actual full cost recovery rate is.

2:17:24So even when we do get it reimbursed, it's at a much lower level due to the contracted rates.

2:17:29Thank you. I appreciate adding that analysis, too.

2:17:34Thank you, customer. Do you have any comments for the food council?

2:17:38And then Vice Mayor, if I can clarify, so there were a number of things that were added to the report.

2:17:42So I just want to make sure with the maker of the motion that those are included and that is a lot to report on in 60 days.

2:17:49I think our goal will be our best to bring back what we have in 60 days and then be able to tell you what might take a little bit longer to add some of those things.

2:17:56But we would be able to report back with what we know.

2:17:59Yes. I was asked if you can include those considerations, but know that you have 60 days.

2:18:07The goal is to make sure that we get the report back in December, a month before we see that the changes go into effect in January.

2:18:17As I would like to make sure that this is an ongoing conversation in the early stages of implementation to make sure that we're providing the right information as well as then appropriate education in response to the information we receive.

2:18:32Thank you.

2:18:33And Councilmember, I thank you, Mayor for your clarification.

2:18:41Any further comment? No? Okay. Go for vote.

2:18:57Motion is carried.

2:19:04Thank you. Next item, please.

2:19:05Report from Community Development, recommendation to execute Mills Act historic property contracts with property owners of six historic properties, Districts 1, 2, 3, and 5.

2:19:16Okay. I have a motion and a second. Is there any?

2:19:24No public comment on this item.

2:19:26No further comment in your report, Mayor? No?

2:19:31No, none unless you need one.

2:19:33Okay.

2:19:35Thank you, Vice Mayor. The Mills Act has been a very positive tool for historical preservation and providing positive tax benefits to our residents.

2:19:49I have had residents suggest some points of improvement that we should consider, but may or may not be feasible.

2:19:58Specifically, the homeowners from the historic Cooper Arms that have had their application denied due to the current requirement of 100% of ownership participation before multi-owner historic property can or may apply.

2:20:19They have said that the 100% participation requirement has become a barrier to achieving the purpose of the Mills Act, which is to preserve our architectural heritage.

2:20:34Historic Cooper Arms is a large condominium, so the 100% participation is a challenge that they feel is impossible to overcome. Question for staff, can you please speak to the 100% threshold and its intention?

2:20:52And also, if you can speak to what would be required to actually change that? Thanks, Council Member. So the Mills Act goes back many years and our experience over the course of decades informed the current policy.

2:21:16When I joined the city about 11 years ago, the program had been paused during the 2008 Great Recession, and I worked with other staff here to bring it back, and we adopted certain best practices, which were intended to avoid some problems in the past.

2:21:36So there's a different large condo building in your district, actually, that has many owners and some of them were in the Mills Act and some of them were not, but the city has to enforce the provisions of the Mills Act.

2:21:53The condo building is just one building, so it has to be enforced against the condo building as a whole, and that created a number of administrative, legal and financial problems for the city.

2:22:08So we imposed a 100% participation requirement on a going forward basis. We have had some condo buildings that have been able to comply with that.

2:22:17As you know, we've had some that have had difficulty. So, in a moment, Allison's going to tell you more about what we're going to do next calendar year to study this issue.

2:22:28It came up this year, we were already through the application process, you don't change rules while people are applying, but we're committed to re-studying that next year.

2:22:40At the same time, I have to just be clear there. Without talking about any individual application if we get a letter from someone saying I don't want to be part of this contract and I'm going to sue you if you impose it on me.

2:22:56That puts the city in a position where we're not going to enter into that contract because of a risk management consideration.

2:23:03But we are going to study this issue next year, as well as an upcoming study session that Allison's going to tell you about.

2:23:10Yes, thank you so much. So we will be hosting a study session before the Cultural Heritage Commission on our Mills Act program later in October, October 27th.

2:23:23So we welcome public and community input at that time. Staff will be coming with some initial findings and research to share with the Cultural Heritage Commission, which is the recommending body to the Council related to historic preservation work, including Mills Act contracts

2:23:40for us to be able to consider potential future changes to the program.

2:23:44So we've been looking at what other cities have been doing, some of the equity analyses and best practices for how to continue ensuring that our Mills Act program meets both our historic preservation goals and our equity goals of the city.

2:23:56So the October 27th study session will be helpful next step in informing the additional analysis that staff will do on future changes to the program.

2:24:06Thank you so much for sharing that, both Director Coons and Allison. And the Mills Act is a great, great program.

2:24:16And I'm so happy that we have certain ones in my district as we do and throughout all of the city.

2:24:24But I encourage my colleagues to support this item. Thank you.

2:24:32And Councilmember, Councilmember Kerr. Okay. Any other comments for the City Council? No comments? Let's take it to vote. Motion is carried.

2:25:02Thank you. Next item, please.

2:25:04Item 26, report from financial management, recommendation to adopt a resolution approving the issuance by the Board of Public Utilities Commissioners, senior gas revenue short term obligations issued pursuant to the terms of a senior indenture and credit agreement,

2:25:18and certain related documents which provide for a revolving line of credit and an amount not to exceed $60 million to finance various capital projects citywide.

2:25:28Thank you. Any public comment on this? There are two speakers for this item, Dave Shukla and SD. Can you please?

2:25:44And Vice Mayor, we do have a presentation. It may be helpful to have the presentation for all three and then do the public comment. Okay. Go ahead. Proceed.

2:25:52Okay. If we can pull up the presentation and I will turn to our finance director, Kevin Riper.

2:25:58Good evening, Vice Mayor and members of the council. I'm joined by Assistant City Treasurer and debt manager, Jesse Ortega.

2:26:09I'm going to cover all three parallel items, 26, 27 and 28 are all proposed revolving lines of credit for the gas fund. That's item 26, the general fund. That's item 27 and the sewer fund.

2:26:30That's item 28. The purpose of the recommended lines of credit is for short term financing of the FY 27 Capital Improvement Program for those three funds, the general fund standing in for the general capital projects fund,

2:26:50the general services fund, the Tidelands operating fund, any fund on the city side, because the first and the third are, of course, utilities department enterprises, any fund that would need short term capital financing for the CIP that you adopted a couple of weeks ago.

2:27:09The gas fund revolving line of credit is proposed at $60 million. That's what the utilities department needs. The general fund is proposed at $50 million and the sewer fund at $45 million.

2:27:23The two utility lines of credit would be three years and the general fund line of credit would be due to be repaid if used in just one year.

2:27:33The financing team to put together all three of these proposed revolving lines of credit at the same time in order to hold down cost of issuance is our usual bond counsel.

2:27:48That's QTAC Rock, Cannon Public Finances at the Municipal Advisor. Wells Fargo Bank won the RFP for the lowest interest rate, most attractive terms for the three lines of credit.

2:27:59And then they have their own attorneys, Chapman and Cutler is the second law firm involved.

2:28:08The purpose, as I said, of the three lines of credit for the utilities and for the city side capital program is bridge financing, which would be used if needed until long term financing can be put in place.

2:28:22We have a long history and long beach of doing long term debt financing for long live assets like the capital improvement program.

2:28:31A second advantage is that the proposal, the proposed lines of credit would offer significant financial flexibility by allowing us to short term finance until we can do long term take out financing.

2:28:45And I should have put it in the city council letter, but I forgot the city's formal debt management policy calls for financial flexibility. The second item, the second priority, the second main purpose of the city council's debt management policy is financial flexibility.

2:29:03And these three lines of credit, especially on the city side, the utilities department has their own financial and debt policies. But on the city side, this would allow for our construction schedules to be met for whatever capital projects.

2:29:17The Public Works Department gets going immediately in fiscal year 27 and having this line of credit, if we need it, instead of using idle cash, which is what I've been recommending for the last four years, would allow us to hold down on construction delays and get ahead of any cost increases.

2:29:35In other words, the proposed lines of credit are a backstop if we don't have enough idle cash that would allow the capital improvement program for fiscal year 27 to get going.

2:29:48You wouldn't have to wait. A couple of important limitations. I keep saying capital improvement projects. This proposed financing has nothing to do with the operating budget.

2:29:59The proceeds could not be used to finance operations. They can only be used to finance capital projects. Can't be used for operating needs.

2:30:09And finally, there's an interesting feature of a general fund revolving line of credit that I think merits a little additional explanation as shown on this slide.

2:30:25It's a lease back structure, which means that the city pledges properties as security and it leases them to the Finance Authority of Long Beach and the Finance Authority of Long Beach, leases them back to the city and the city repays the Finance Authority of Long Beach and the amount of debt service.

2:30:43But the important part about pledging properties in order to allow that legal structure to be in place is that the city maintains its ownership and operational control and responsibilities over the pledged properties throughout.

2:30:57This is not like when you take out a home mortgage and if you fail to pay, the mortgage provider can come and take your home. That can't happen here. All that Wells Fargo has is a leasehold interest in the pledged property behind this revolving line of credit.

2:31:17The leasehold interest that Wells Fargo Bank holds is simply an encouragement to the city. In the extremely unlikely event the city didn't repay on time, the leasehold interest is an encouragement to the city to resolve the amount owed and to pay in order to free up the leasehold interest.

2:31:36The three pledged properties that are proposed for the general fund revolving line of credit add up to $50 million in insured value and they are the natatorium, the pool facility at Silverado Park, the Lincoln parking garage and the Broadway parking garage.

2:31:51We chose those three, we recommended those three because they happen to add up to $50 million.

2:31:56We don't want to pledge $75 million worth of property for a $50 million line of credit.

2:32:01And for the sewer and gas enterprise, the last bullet on this page, they don't have to pledge property because they are pledging their stream of revenue from sewer and gas service charges.

2:32:14That concludes the staff report. And Mr. Tag and I are happy to answer any questions.

2:32:22Thank you for your report. We had to put a comment on this. Yes, well, Dave Shukla and SD, we've learned about the podium. Hello again, Vice Mayor Yeronga and city council members.

2:32:42Have you ever seen those signs that say everyone wants a revolution but no one wants to do the dishes. Everyone seems to want to do general public comment but no one wants to actually talk about agenda items or decisions that involve the city's finances.

2:32:58I oppose this item in detail and in the general idea. First of all, Long Beach utilities is the only combined municipal utility in the state of California that is led by Gas and Oil Department, and one of the only such authorities in the state that does not include electricity at a time when everything should be on electricity.

2:33:16We need to get off this narcotic. That's the TLDR of my public comment. I mean, natural gas is not safe. It's not reliable. It's not cost effective.

2:33:30Natural gas use in homes is increased to is linked to increased levels of childhood asthma and long term respiratory problems, lifelong respiratory problems.

2:33:42And I speak from experience, I, through AmeriCorps joined the city of Oakland in 2023 when they announced their sustainability department when they announced that they were going to ban natural gas and new construction, and thereby mitigate the need for reinvesting

2:33:58in infrastructure such as this. And we're not just talking about cost effective and better appliances like induction stoves or heat pumps. We're talking about taking gas mains out of streets, taking entire neighborhoods off that narcotic.

2:34:16What is the city of Long Beach doing? It's asking for more. Well, first of all, I mean, in specific, it's asking for an increased line of credit so that we can manage the interest on existing projects which won't serve us through their useful life since we're going to have to get off that narcotic and the infrastructure provided for it.

2:34:39I worry, especially with the little last sentence in the staff report that ultimately the short term financing is envisaged to be replaced by long term bond obligations, that no one's going to be interested in those bonds in 10 to 20 years when everyone has to get off that narcotic.

2:35:01And when things like sea level rise, heat, and other climate impacts make the use of such infrastructure even more hazardous than it already is. Fun fact, there isn't a single gas pipeline in the city of Long Beach that doesn't leak at the average rates of 5% to 15% by volume.

2:35:22That all just goes up in the air, it gets breathed in by kids, it gets breathed in disproportionately by folks on the west side in central Long Beach. And, you know, I mean for a fraction of the cost we could completely replace the entire crap system with electrics.

2:35:46Good evening. Yeah, so we're here talking about taking out three lines of credits totaling $155 million for sewer and gas.

2:35:59That was the shortest presentation I've ever seen, like breaking down the cost of these. I wasn't discussed there's an origination fee for each of these lines of credit, totaling $441,000 just to take it at one time fee.

2:36:13And then there's an interest rate on the use balance and an unused balance, quarter percent on the unused, ranging from 3.4 to 4.3 on the use balance.

2:36:22So even if we don't, if you don't use it, it's going to cost 416,000 per year annually if I'm understanding correctly.

2:36:31If you use the max, then it's going to be 6.2 million. So even if you don't use it, looking at $857,000 just for taking it out.

2:36:42Now, this is a revolving line of credit, so open end, so potentially could be used again. And again, I didn't really see an end date on it except for on the general fund it referenced 2036.

2:36:54And, yeah, going to be planning to pay it off with municipal bonds, 30-year bonds. So just kicking the can down the road, not going to pay it off, just pay more.

2:37:06It's going to cost millions more. So that seems like a short-sighted solution, doesn't actually remove the debt.

2:37:13And then moving on to Wells Fargo. This is who we're financing through. Wells Fargo does not have a good reputation.

2:37:23They've got a history of union busting, racial discrimination, weapons and genocide funding, $500 million on credit for Palantir, $500 million loan for Elbit Systems.

2:37:37Wouldn't be surprised if they're funding Andorral as well. Climate change, they were the first ones to back out of the net zero commitment after the inauguration of Trump's second term.

2:37:492025, they were the fifth largest financer of fossil fuels. So I choose where you bank matters. I choose not to bank with Wells Fargo.

2:37:59I'm a firm believer in the BDS movement, divest, boycott and sanction. And so this feels like a tax on me, on the citizens, that's going to be paid directly to Wells Fargo to fund those things that I don't believe in.

2:38:15Got a few seconds. So just as we had the seeds of resilient celebration out there, reminder that we are occupying Tongva land. History of this land goes back before the 1500s and I believe land back for indigenous people here and in the West Bank in Gaza, free Palestine.

2:38:36That concludes public comment on this item.

2:38:41Thank you. I don't have any comments. Thank you so much for the presentation, Mr. Riper.

2:38:56If we do not issue these bonds, we've been relying on what you determined to be loose cash. Given that there may not be as much of that available, does that mean we will not be able to proceed as quickly with several of our capital related projects?

2:39:14It's possible. The phrase I've been using for the last four years is idle cash, meaning cash that has not yet been invested or spent.

2:39:25That idle cash has been spent down steadily in great part because the public works department is going great guns on the CIP.

2:39:34Also in the general fund, idle cash has declined because we've been steadily releasing reserves in order to balance the budget each year.

2:39:45So there's less idle cash than before, which is why I'm recommending piggybacking on the process.

2:39:53The utilities department was going to go through anyway with this general fund revolving line of credit as a contingent financing mechanism.

2:40:00If we need it, we would use it.

2:40:04I didn't put it in the CCL because it hadn't happened weeks ago when I wrote the CCL.

2:40:10But it's possible that idle cash is going to be required in the coming fiscal year for storm and disaster response.

2:40:20And if we don't do this revolving line of credit to keep the capital improvements program going, then there would be obviously less idle cash to the extent we have to spend idle cash on disaster response and infrastructure repair.

2:40:37So that's the second reason that came up literally in the last couple of weeks.

2:40:42Thank you for that reminder.

2:40:43You'll have to excuse me.

2:40:44In my house, we consider it loose change.

2:40:46I don't know that we have idle cash.

2:40:48So that was the first thing I was thinking of.

2:40:51So then I noted here that this is three year short term when you talk about the takeout of the long term bond is the intent to what's our schedule for the plan long term bond within that three years at the end of that three years.

2:41:11Are we already on a schedule to go ahead and issue new long term bonds?

2:41:23The general fund revolving line of credit is only one year, so the plan would be a year from now, maybe to sell the third tranche of Measure A bonds, but I'll be back to you, the city manager and I will be back to you in November with the second tranche of Measure A bonds to repay ourselves and fund already completed or ongoing capital projects.

2:41:49We might need to issue the third tranche in a year.

2:41:56If we had enough idle cash built back up within a year, then we could pay off this revolving line of credit with that.

2:42:03It's too early to tell, but eventually we'll need to issue some long term debt for the long term capital, long live capital projects that the Public Works Department is undertaking beginning in fiscal year 27.

2:42:16Okay, so you'll be back in November, at least with some sense of what those total numbers look like in terms of how much we would have outstanding based on what we vote on today, what we need going forward and what you might issue in long term bonds for the general fund potentially in November, we'll at least be able to start that conversation.

2:42:35Correct.

2:42:37Thank you.

2:42:41Thank you, Council Member. So we're here for the comment. This week are clear is for items 26, seven, and eight 23, three votes on this one.

2:42:55I have 26, please.

2:43:08It appears we have one speaker for 28. Is that right, Madam Clerk?

2:43:12Correct.

2:43:14Okay.

2:43:15We have to take the public comment.

2:43:19Okay.

2:43:25I have Councilman Duggan, are you an aye? Councilman Super not. Motion is carried.

2:43:33Item 27, please.

2:43:34We will have the same mover and seconder.

2:43:49There's no public comment, no discussion. We'll go straight to a vote. Motion is carried.

2:44:14Thank you.

2:44:15Okay, we had a public comment.

2:44:17Yes, Dave Schuchla. If you can come to the lectern for public comment.

2:44:22Getting my steps in today. Hello again.

2:44:37Not a fan of the bond financing. I think 30 years from now we'll look at all of this as a mistake.

2:44:42Most of my comments were covered in the public comment on agenda item 26.

2:44:51But as it specifically relates to the sewer fund, these are funds that are supposed to pay for critical city services.

2:45:03If we have to take money out of that to cover our obligations to Wells Fargo or anyone else,

2:45:10and we're hit with storm surge or something even worse that affects water and sewage flows in the city,

2:45:20which has happened before in your tenure council members recently, we can have problems.

2:45:28There's got to be a better way of doing this.

2:45:30And it's unfortunate that alternative means of financing, particularly for replacing existing infrastructure independence on fossil fuels through revolving funds, green infrastructure funds.

2:45:45There are other financial mechanisms which this city through its long, long history with oil and gas has just been myopic about.

2:45:53And eventually we're going to pay the price for that. Thank you.

2:45:58Thank you for your comments.

2:46:02Please. Motion is carried. Thank you.

2:46:22I know 29 report from Health and Human Services recommendation to execute an agreement.

2:46:28All necessary documents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security FEMA resilience to accept and expend funding in an amount not to exceed two million eight hundred ninety six thousand forty six to maintain bio watch field operations for bio threat detection citywide.

2:46:45Thank you. We have a motion to second any point of comment on this.

2:46:51There's no public comment on this item because members commission council member.

2:47:00Thank you, Vice Mayor. I support this item.

2:47:04I just want to state publicly how proud I am of the work that we have done as a city to ensure that we are conducting bio watch not only for ourselves but other jurisdictions as well and look forward to continuing to propel this great work that we're doing.

2:47:20Thank you.

2:47:21Thank you. Council member.

2:47:23I agree with my council colleague Councilwoman direction took.

2:47:27I'm pleased to see we're able to continue the work but also to provide that service to our local jurisdictions as well.

2:47:33So thank you for your work.

2:47:35Can you hear any further comments from our council?

2:47:38Hearing none.

2:47:40Motion is carried.

2:47:49Next item please.

2:47:51Report from Public Works recommendation to find the project exempt from CEQA under state CEQA guideline categorical exemption accept the filed notice of exemption.

2:48:00Adopt plans and specifications and award a contract to all American asphalt for the Anaheim Street corridor improvements project for a total contract amount not to exceed twenty million seven hundred fifty one thousand fifty three.

2:48:13And execute all documents necessary to enter into the contract districts one two three and six.

2:48:20Thank you.

2:48:22Do we have a four on this.

2:48:24We do.

2:48:25We'd like to give a short presentation here.

2:48:27So turn it over to our public works team.

2:48:29Thank you. All right. Good evening again Vice Mayor and council.

2:48:35So we are here to talk about the Anaheim corridor project.

2:48:41It is a total of four miles.

2:48:43Two of the segments were recently completed in twenty twenty three.

2:48:47But the corridor does expand from the L.A. River to PCH.

2:48:51The scope includes a full complete street project with access medians landscaping ADA improvements pavement restoration and bus stop improvements.

2:49:02The objective of the project is to address safety accessibility and upgrade our infrastructure.

2:49:08So we select our projects in part based on data.

2:49:15And you can see here on the collision heat map there's a number of collisions along the Anaheim corridor.

2:49:20The intent and the objective of this project is to help address some of the collisions that are happening along the Anaheim Street corridor.

2:49:27A little more data. This breaks down and analyzes the various intersections along the corridor and helps show in a graph form where the priority areas are to help address fatal and severe injuries.

2:49:44So the medians will be placed intermittently in areas where crashes have historically occurred the most.

2:49:51There's a lot going on on this slide.

2:49:56The intention is to represent that there's a lot of work that's happening out there.

2:50:00We have medians. We have crossings. We've got signals. We've got RFBs or rectangular rapid flashing beacons.

2:50:07We've also shown here the upcoming speed safety system device that will be located along the corridor.

2:50:14There will be improvements spanning from the L.A. River all the way to PCH.

2:50:19Also represented in this slide are the two segments shown in pink that were completed in twenty twenty three.

2:50:26So I've said control to access medians a couple times. You may be wondering what does that mean.

2:50:33Shown here or represent on this slide is a graphic representation of how we control those access medians to cut off the left turning vehicles thereby creating more safe environment for all user groups.

2:50:48So in partnership with some of our local associations we've selected this landscaping implant palette that we're pretty excited about implementing out there.

2:51:00You'll see in a couple slides what that looks like. Here's an existing condition along Anaheim at the Gaviota intersection.

2:51:11And here's what it will look like once the improvements are made creating a safer environment for all user groups and of course the nice landscaping.

2:51:21I'll show you one more time because it's always fun. Before and after.

2:51:32Some additional improvements along the corridor include the emergency vehicle preemption roadway resurfacing.

2:51:40I'd mentioned that rapid flashing beacons and we'll also be expanding some of our bus stops as many of our street and corridor improvements require a pretty significant funding stack.

2:51:53We've got 14 different funding agencies to put all this together and to aggregate the thirty one million dollars necessary to complete the project.

2:52:02As noted we've already completed a couple of the segments back in twenty twenty three.

2:52:10We reconnected with the community because there were there was a couple of years in between.

2:52:14We're now here before you to award the contract to begin the second phase of the project.

2:52:20If all goes well this evening we'll begin construction here shortly and wrap things up in spring twenty twenty eight.

2:52:27If anybody would like more details we've got a pretty robust project website.

2:52:34That concludes staff presentation. I'm available to answer any questions.

2:52:42Thank you Director. Councilmember Saro.

2:52:47Yes thank you Vice Mayor. Thank you Director Hickman for the brief report.

2:52:52This has been a little over 10 years in the making.

2:52:57I know that it's began with Mayor Robert Garcia and is now going to be complete with under Mayor Rex Richardson.

2:53:05And during this time I think the final funding we received to be able to complete the project funding was from Congress member Alan Lowenthal.

2:53:14So really appreciate them as well as all the work you and many of the other team members put in to finalize the design.

2:53:21And now for this bidding to to prove the contract which we've been waiting for to start construction.

2:53:28You know this is so significant. It's been a significant investment in the Anaheim quarter and the residents.

2:53:34Well probably you know we're going to go through some construction.

2:53:38Can't wait for it to be started and then complete it.

2:53:42But I also in addition to the website want to remind everyone that we also have an upcoming Anaheim quarter improvement project community meeting this Tuesday.

2:53:53Next week September 29 6 to 7 p.m. at MacArthur Park Community Center.

2:53:58So this is going to continuously been an ongoing education and information process for residents and business owners as well to learn more about the project and to ask questions and hear about what to expect moving forward.

2:54:11Thank you very much.

2:54:16Just thank you to the team congratulations Dr. Saro and those whose district this runs through.

2:54:21We know that the team has been working on major corridors throughout the city.

2:54:25Artesia Market Studebaker Clark really taking into consideration safety for all on the roads.

2:54:31I know people say just repave it.

2:54:33And we know that this is an example of really taking into consideration again the user experience on those corridors and making it safer for everybody who's who's using it.

2:54:41So thank you to the team and look forward to it happening.

2:54:44Thank you Councilmember any further comment on it.

2:54:48No public comment on this item.

2:54:51Vice Mayor we're going to need two votes on this one for the CEQA exemption and the other for the contract.

2:54:59We have two votes.

2:55:00The first one.

2:55:01First vote motion is carried.

2:55:14Okay second vote please.

2:55:17Motion is carried.

2:55:29Thank you very much.

2:55:31I think it was that item next item please. Item 31 report from Public Works recommendation to adopt specifications and award a contract to drop mobility for operation maintenance and modernization of the bike share program for a total contract amount not to exceed twenty five million six hundred eighty one thousand one hundred and seventy and execute all documents necessary to enter into the contract citywide.

2:55:56Thank you.

2:55:58Do we have a report on this.

2:55:59We do.

2:56:00Excuse me.

2:56:03I need a motion and a second.

2:56:04Sorry.

2:56:11Okay motion by Rick Sorey second my question.

2:56:15Go ahead.

2:56:16Thank you.

2:56:17We do have a fairly extensive presentation here.

2:56:19This is a big contract and a big investment that we're bringing to the city council.

2:56:23This is also something we're taking very seriously since we've had a protest from a local vendor who has been with the city of Long Beach for a number of years.

2:56:31And so when those occur we put out a lot more information than we do on other types of procurements to really answer the questions and to go through it so that the council understands the RFP and exactly you know why we're recommending what we're recommending and also to address some of the concerns that we've heard.

2:56:47So we will go into a fair amount of detail on this and then be able to answer questions with our team.

2:56:52So I'll turn it over to Josh Hickman our Public Works director.

2:56:55Right. Good evening again. So the city has operated a public bike share system since 2016 and we're excited to be here tonight to talk about the expansion and modernization of that system and fleet.

2:57:15A little bit about our current bike share program. We do have 480 working city owned pedal only bike fleet.

2:57:24We also have about 250 or so vehicles that are currently out of service and pending maintenance.

2:57:31We operate our current fleet using two different contracts. One is with pedal movement for operations and maintenance.

2:57:39The others with mobility cloud for the necessary hardware and software to run the program.

2:57:45In 2025 we did see over 79000 rentals across the entire fleet. That's important to note that this system and this fleet and this overall program is managed using proper funds and not general funds.

2:58:05Our local riders mirror the national trends towards electric fleet and electric vehicles. So as part of this RFP release and as part of what we're doing is to try to modernize and get into that local trend as well.

2:58:19So what you see on the slide before you is the average trips for pedal bike versus e-scooters and e-bikes.

2:58:28As noted the national trend is increasing upwards towards the e-bikes. So the goals for the RFP when we released it were to introduce electric bikes scale for the 2028 games create a safer street environment for all user groups.

2:58:48We also wanted to expand our ridership growth in both North and West Long Beach. We want to create a more informed planning and provide more transparent costs allowing for overall program stability.

2:59:04We did run this RFP process through our standard competitive citywide process to give you a little more details as to how that rolled out here. We released the RFP in December of 2025. We received four proposals in March of 2026.

2:59:23There was a review effort that took place in the spring of 2026 followed by the notice of intent to award in May of 2026. We did receive a protest after multiple extensions to the protest period and we did receive a protest from pedal movement.

2:59:42And that was reviewed by our purchasing agent and determined that there is no basis to support the protest and it was ultimately denied on June 29, 2026.

2:59:53The evaluation results shown in the table on the slide show that drop mobility.

3:00:00They received the highest base score and despite the metal movement receiving the local preference they still came in second place with 89% followed by lift at 73% and blue sky at 58%.

3:00:16So diving a little bit deeper into the RFP responses, Drop Mobility scored the highest in three out of the four criteria.

3:00:28Those being the method of approach, the communications and reporting category, and the reasonableness of cost category.

3:00:35So the cost was one of four weighted criteria and the first cost was, as proposed, includes the startup, the capital cost, and everything required for the first year of operation.

3:00:45The first year costs for Drop Mobility are approximately $5 million less than the next competitive proposal. Drop Mobility's proposal allows for existing bike infrastructure and parking infrastructure to be utilized and does not require additional costs for hubs or any sort of electrification to operate and roll out the bikes.

3:01:10A little bit more about Drop Mobility, they were founded in 2017. They operate across multiple municipalities and campuses across 17 different states.

3:01:24They've recently helped with the transition from SOB platform bikes, similar to what we have today, while keeping the city owned equipment in service. So we're excited about this opportunity. It allows us to keep our existing fleet in service while we continue to roll out and deploy the new fleet, which is represented here with the retrofit kits that extend the life of our existing pedal bikes.

3:01:48There were some concerns about New Orleans and what had happened there. We have received confirmation that New Orleans is expanding the Drop Program, the Drop Contract to continue rolling out and deploy additional vehicles in New Orleans.

3:02:05Surge experience for major events, including the 2025 Super Bowl and two full-time employees do already reside in Long Beach and they're looking at a locally staffed model with 16 positions in year one and Drop has committed to interviewing and potentially hiring folks that are currently employed within the city that currently operate our bike share program.

3:02:29So how does this work? Drop service model is set in different ways in different municipalities and different cities. The RFP that we put out there allowed either option. We wanted to see who could bring the services and the fleet that's necessary to expand and modernize our fleet.

3:02:51So we allowed some flexibility in how the proposers were willing to do that. Drop proposed in this case for the city to and we have selected that they would operate in the full service model.

3:03:03So as shown on this slide, they do operate in two different ways. I know that was part of the concern as part of the protest. We have the hardware and software only option and then we have the full service operator option.

3:03:17And to be clear, we intend or we recommend moving forward with the full service operator. So what does this allow us to do? This allows us to deploy 700 class 1 pedal assist e-bikes in the first year of operation.

3:03:37This is increasing our total fleet size and capacity with new e-bikes. We're also able to augment and take 150 of the existing bikes.

3:03:48These are the pedal bikes that we have today and retrofit them with new controllers so they can work on the new platform.

3:03:56We're excited to be able to harness all of the assets that we have today and continue to reinvest in them.

3:04:03Every bike is GPS tracked and internet connected. There's also bike locks to be able to lock these things up in multiple different locations, not specifically at some of the hubs.

3:04:16Hubs are nice. They are able to allow some charging capacity, but they do take up space within the right of way and they do require additional infrastructure and needs.

3:04:26Bike share access and equity for all the bike share and program would continue. This is the $5 a month for 90 to 90 minutes a day program that will continue under this new partnership.

3:04:45There would also be, as noted here on the slide, a number of other options including partnerships with the multi-service center, cash and non-smartphone payment options, multilingual app.

3:04:59What we're looking at doing and potentially exploring in the future is adding some cargo e-bikes for families or folks that were trying to pick up larger packages as well as adaptive hand cycles for those with mobility related issues.

3:05:15The new contract structure we wanted to represent here, what does the current contract look like today versus what's being proposed. The new contract will allow the city to pay for all of the different costs that are incurred as part of the program

3:05:33with visibility into those costs for service, but also allowing us to scale as we roll out and deploy a larger fleet across all of the city.

3:05:43If all goes well, we're able to expand from that 700 bikes in year one up to a total of 2,500 in future years.

3:05:53So our current contract, which has been in operation from 2017 until now, we have a fixed contract amount for the operations maintenance regardless of the number of fleet deployed.

3:06:03We have a separate software contract with Mobility Cloud for the SOB platform, so we actually have to manage two separate contracts.

3:06:11We do have limited visibility into the overall program cost. This new contract will give us a little more visibility into our total project costs.

3:06:20And the replacement parts for the current fleet are no longer available, and that's why the fleet has actually shrunk over the last few years.

3:06:28We continue to decline every time we need another part, that bike gets brought back to the warehouse and can no longer be deployed.

3:06:36So we want to make sure that we're in the program, we should be expanding the program rather than shrinking the program.

3:06:43So the new contract does allow for one consolidated contract for equipment, software, operations and maintenance.

3:06:49Allows for variable operating costs to ebb and flow as the fleet is deployed.

3:06:54And able to scale up as we go from hopefully the 700 plus 150, scale that up to 1,500 and eventually 2,500.

3:07:04The program revenue would be applied to the invoices directly, so that just helps streamline our internal operations.

3:07:12The drop manufactures its own bikes and controllers, so the parts and the supplies do come along with that contract.

3:07:19It again just allows us to operate a little bit more efficiently.

3:07:23There are provisions within the RFP and the future contract where the management fee will be reduced if the fleet does fall below a certain level.

3:07:32Giving us again more authority and ownership as to how we operate the program.

3:07:38We've also requested tonight as part of a separate item to amend the current contract with pedal movement.

3:07:46The current contract does expire on September 30th.

3:07:49We are recommending a three month extension to the end of the calendar year.

3:07:53This will allow us to keep the current SOBE pedal fleet in service through the end of the year.

3:08:00It will allow us the same scope, everything we've been doing thus far.

3:08:05It will allow us to continue that for the next few months.

3:08:08It is funded through, again, this is Prop A funds, not general funds.

3:08:12So we do have capacity to be able to operate with both operators at the same time while there's some time for transition and rolling out and standing up the new program.

3:08:22The monthly rate for the extension has been static for the last three years.

3:08:28We have continued to go through different efforts to amend the contract.

3:08:33This extension here does increase the monthly rate by 12.5% as requested by pedal movement.

3:08:39So as noted, the goal of this extension would to ensure that there's no gap in service.

3:08:47We would continue with the current vendor pedal movement through the end of the calendar year.

3:08:53And then come January of 2027, we would begin operating with drop and we'd begin transitioning and we would begin the deployment of the new e-bikes that would show up in the early 2027.

3:09:07The table on this slide helps break down the ridership and how we would be scaling up the fleet itself over the next few years.

3:09:20We currently have, or we'll be looking at deploying in 2027, 700 pedal assist e-bikes.

3:09:28We're also looking at retrofitting the current pedal bikes, so 150 of them.

3:09:33So as of year one, we'd end up with 850 bikes.

3:09:37In year two, we'd be looking at adding additional, an additional thousand bikes there.

3:09:42And then as noted previously by year three, we could have up to 2,500 bikes, both e-bikes, 2,000 e-bikes and 500 pedal assist bikes deployed throughout the city.

3:09:54So how are we doing this? We're doing this in year one.

3:10:01We already have Prop A funds that are appropriated for this program and for this initial rollout.

3:10:09We would be looking for, and we've already submitted for an ATP grant in the amount of just over $5 million or so.

3:10:17This will allow us to invest further in the capital that's necessary for the bikes, the docking stations, et cetera.

3:10:25This would then be augmented with future Prop A to get us a full 2,500 bike fleet.

3:10:40A little bit on the fiscal impact. So more bikes for less money is really the big takeaway here.

3:10:45The current contract, the way that it's currently in place today is based on the pedal movement extension.

3:10:53And with our current fleet of 450 bikes, we spend about $2.5 million annually.

3:10:59And the total of our current contracts with pedal movement, the software, the parts, et cetera, over a three-year period is approximately $8.5 million.

3:11:09So this is the three-year cost of the current contract should we maintain status quo, which would afford no new bikes and no new capital investment.

3:11:19Alternatively, the item before you this evening is a new drop mobility contract, operations and maintenance locked in for three years.

3:11:27The 700 e-bikes we've talked about, the retrofit bikes we've talked about in year one, the cost would be $1.9 million.

3:11:35Over three years, we're looking at $5.7 million for the new program and the added fleet that comes along with it.

3:11:43So the next steps to deploy all this, we want to execute the contract.

3:11:50We'd transition from the current vendor to the new vendor.

3:11:53We'd finalize the program name and brand.

3:11:56We did highlight here Long Beach Bike Club.

3:11:59That's just kind of a working title here.

3:12:02We'd finalize and stand up the new website.

3:12:05Again, we have a kind of a working item here.

3:12:08We'd order the new e-bike fleet, launch the program in early 2027.

3:12:13And then we continue to expand leading up to the 2028 games where we anticipate there'll be a number of folks visiting Long Beach that will want to use our different mobility options.

3:12:23That concludes staff presentation and I'm available with my colleagues to answer any questions.

3:12:30Thank you.

3:12:31Do we have any more comments on this?

3:12:33We do have 10 speakers for this item.

3:12:37If I call your name, please line up at the lectern.

3:12:40If you're in the Zoom, please be prepared to unmute yourself when your name is called.

3:12:44First speaker is Alina, and then Dylan Ambrose, Justin Harris, Nick Russo, Val Stevens, Josh See, Amber Watson, Dylan Baker, Jeff Coats, and Evan Kelly.

3:13:00If you heard your name, please line up at the lectern and be prepared to speak.

3:13:05First speaker again is Alina, and then Dylan Ambrose.

3:13:09So we have 10 people at 10 minutes each.

3:13:17Madam Clerk, is it 10 or 11?

3:13:19On my screen it says 11. I don't know if that's correct.

3:13:21It's including the council members who are signing up to speak also, so it's 10 from the public.

3:13:27So it is three minutes each.

3:13:30Okay, thank you.

3:13:3110 minutes.

3:13:36Please proceed.

3:13:38Hi, Vice Mayor.

3:13:39Hi, council members.

3:13:40Thank you for your time.

3:13:41I really appreciate it.

3:13:42I know it's been a very long night, and I would appreciate your guys' continued attention to this topic.

3:13:50I could tell that the theme of tonight is community.

3:13:55Outside in the courtyard we have the seeds of resilience, you know, encouraging community and the people of this area and this neighborhood.

3:14:05Pedal movement has been resilient in maintaining the bikes throughout the city.

3:14:12The HR1 impacts.

3:14:16Pedal movement has provided a service to the residents of Long Beach who may need financial assistance and who may use our bikes as a means of transportation.

3:14:32And we have people of all kinds of backgrounds who use the bikes all throughout the city.

3:14:37They're blue.

3:14:38I'm sure you have seen them all over the place.

3:14:40I love seeing them ever since I started working them, working for pedal movement.

3:14:45And furthermore, Anaheim has just done an e-bike buyback program.

3:14:52So, you know, there is some concern about the e-bikes.

3:14:57And again, back to the health, you know, people who potentially could get into accidents, this, you know, it's everything is connected and everything affects our community.

3:15:09Another topic, but just to show that everything is related, our pedal bikes, they're not run on natural gas.

3:15:20So, you know, that was a topic earlier as well of, you know, the natural gas and our bikes, you know, give the community a way to enjoy the bike path and enjoy the neighborhoods throughout.

3:15:32And when that Anaheim corridor project comes up, it will give them a way to maybe navigate through the construction.

3:15:41So, you know, it is a learning curve and pedal movement has been with the city for a very long time and they continue to learn.

3:15:49We will continue to learn and we will continue to grow with the city as well.

3:15:54And that's what we aim to do.

3:15:56And we owe it to ourselves and our neighbors as pedal movement, a business and a community from a long beach to support each other.

3:16:07Thank you.

3:16:12Next speaker is Dylan Ambrose and then Justin Harris.

3:16:15Hi, I'm Justin Harris.

3:16:20Dylan's not here yet to go home, be with his family.

3:16:24So I've gone for a while.

3:16:25Oh, time has started.

3:16:27Hi, my name is Justin Harris.

3:16:28I'm a VP of cultural engagement for pedal movement.

3:16:32Thank you, council and vice mayor for being here, opening up the space.

3:16:36I just wanted to speak on the importance of pedal movement being in our community.

3:16:41We've been here for over 10 years doing what I consider serious work,

3:16:49making sure that we're educating the public, we're providing alternative parking spaces for people at events, repairing bikes for free.

3:16:57All of this has been possible through us being a part of the bike share program and also the ridership has increased because we do these events,

3:17:07because we engage with people as individuals and not just as riders, but actual people that are part of our community.

3:17:14So I believe that it is important to make sure that we protect jobs, but we also protect integrity as well.

3:17:21And there are a lot of questions over the procurement of this bid that went out.

3:17:26And we had a lot of questions and, you know, we appreciate people giving us the feedback that they did.

3:17:33But at the end of the day, we are local.

3:17:36We know our community and I feel that if people are able to understand what we bring to the table that maybe they didn't understand before,

3:17:47they would have a little bit more comprehension of what we put into the community because we always put it right back in.

3:17:54And whenever it comes to the bike share program, I also feel that there's a lot more that we didn't really get to share because we're always willing to answer questions that folks have.

3:18:05So I don't know if we necessarily got to answer all the questions that people had.

3:18:10So part of the protest was to give people a chance to have a little bit more context as to what we offer.

3:18:17And I hope that more of you are getting a chance to hear our story in the community and how we affect individuals,

3:18:26as well as even whenever there's events that are going on that the city didn't always have staff to be at. We would fill in and table for the community or for the city because that's and it wouldn't be an extra charge.

3:18:39This is something that we do because we were already going to be there or because we want to promote the blue bikes as a service and not just as another amenity that the city has because we've been on the ground.

3:18:52We operate the Go Active Hub. So we also get a chance to do a lot of downtown activities.

3:19:00We get to talk to a lot of people that don't always have the resources to get their own bikes.

3:19:04So we get them set up with the bike share for all. And we get to know these stories.

3:19:08We get to know these people. We get to know these neighborhoods.

3:19:11We've helped the program expand because we know where these neighborhoods are in need.

3:19:16So again, yeah, thank you for your time and hope that you all reconsider and vote no.

3:19:22Next speaker is Nick Russo and then Val Stevens.

3:19:28Good evening, Vice Mayor and council members.

3:19:36I know we've been seeing each other a bit in the last couple of weeks, and I appreciate you giving me some additional time and an opportunity to speak tonight and have your attention for a few more minutes.

3:19:47I'm Nick Russo, CEO of Petal Movement. Our organization was born here in Long Beach more than 10 years ago.

3:19:54And today we employ 27 people, 17 of which are Long Beach residents.

3:19:59I'm asking you to vote no on item 31, not because I'm asking you to award this contract to us, but because the city did not follow the rules established.

3:20:10A speaker earlier mentioned that you can't change the rules in the middle of the process.

3:20:16That was a quote from somebody that was presenting on another item, and that seems to be what has happened in this case.

3:20:22The RFP made two qualifications mandatory, three years of experience operating bike share programs and a proven track record managing fleets of at least a thousand vehicles.

3:20:32The city has agreed in writing that both are mandatory.

3:20:35However, drops largest system in New Orleans is operated by Blue Crew, a local nonprofit who are fantastic and we like them a lot.

3:20:43Kansas City system says on its own website that it runs day to day operations and that drop is the technology fender.

3:20:50Last Friday's memo calls that the same structure that we proposed and it isn't.

3:20:56We operate Long Beach bike share today and drop does not operate in New Orleans or in Kansas City other than to provide equipment.

3:21:04The memo also stated that drop quote unquote has since confirmed its fleet numbers.

3:21:10Unfortunately, qualifications should be judged on what the bidder submits by the deadline, not on what it supplies after being challenged on what it had submitted in the first place.

3:21:20In June, the city wrote that it quote regrets its use of ambiguous language with regard to the minimum qualifications.

3:21:29Friday's memo now argues that no proposal asked about the rule during the question period and no addendum changed it.

3:21:37That in fact proves our point. Nobody asked about the minimum qualifications because every bidder apparently read the requirement the same way.

3:21:45And if no addendum changed it, it should have been applied as written.

3:21:49The only party that read it differently was the city's purchasing department and it never disclosed this to anyone.

3:21:55Every time the city defends this, the whole continues to get deeper.

3:21:59Your own RFP gave local businesses this 10% preference because the city has decided local businesses matter.

3:22:05Long Beach has worked hard to attract new companies, keeping the ones that grew up here just as much is just as much the city's job.

3:22:13We know every station, neighborhood and major event the system has run through.

3:22:17Handing that to another outside vendor less than two years before the Olympics is a serious risk and it's being taken on qualifications the vendor didn't meet as written.

3:22:26It's a slap in the face to local businesses who are already struggling and I would urge you to vote no on item 31. Thank you very much for your time.

3:22:39Next speaker is Val Stevens and Josh C and Amber Watson.

3:22:44I am Val Stevens. I live in Bixby Knowles. Thank you Vice Mayor. Thank you council members for your time tonight.

3:22:50I admire all of your stamina. This is a lot.

3:22:54So I want to mention a couple of issues I had with the report that the gentleman read earlier.

3:23:00First thing I think I noticed was that drops proposal was to have 16 employees operating this contract whereas we currently have 19 within the city.

3:23:08I think my CEO said 27 overall and drop also boasts a lower cost.

3:23:14So what that tells me is that their employees will work more for less money and I guess I just want to question whether you all think that that will be a productive equation.

3:23:24The other thing I noticed was the mention of the bike share for all program which is something that I administer personally in my position with pedal movement.

3:23:33I work downtown at the bike shop which is sort of our customer facing operation there.

3:23:41The only error was that the the current bike share for all program allows 180 minutes a day.

3:23:48So if that's going to change with the new program that would be a reduction in service for our members and that service is specifically what I wanted to talk about today.

3:23:57So again I work in the downtown bike shop as an extension of pedal movements operation of this contract.

3:24:03I want to emphasize the importance of having a centrally located in person option for bike share particularly members of bike share for all the plan specifically for low income community members to receive assistance with navigating the program and administering their accounts.

3:24:17Many of these members in addition to requiring financial assistance in order to utilize the bike share system need one on one in person assistance with navigating an online application which is the only avenue available to become a bike share for all member.

3:24:31Many of our members are elderly disabled or housing insecure.

3:24:36I now have long standing personal relationships with these individuals I know their stories and I'm in a unique position to provide the personal touch and compassionate assistance to enable them access to this program in a cityscape that is not especially walkable especially for

3:24:50elderly and disabled individuals affordable mobility options are crucial especially for those affected by income inequality and out of control cost of living.

3:24:58Our community members use this program to get to their medical appointments to access resources to buy their groceries to live their everyday lives without the integration of the downtown bike hub with the bike share program this piece of our community will be at

3:25:10risk of losing access to this final resource.

3:25:12So again I guess I just want to highlight sort of the community touch that pedal movement has provided for a long time.

3:25:21And I think that concludes my comment. Thank you very much.

3:25:28Next speaker Josh Vice Mayor City Council. I'm Josh Calhoun. I'm the GM at pedal movement of the bike share operation. So my day to day for the last three and a half years has been pouring my soul into this program.

3:25:44I'm here to express my strong opposition to item 31. It proposes awarding a three year contract of almost $26 million to a company headquartered outside of the city of Long Beach pedal movements a local Long Beach business.

3:25:58And I've broadly operated this bike share system for nearly 10 years. Our operations currently support 19 full time employees 17 of which are based directly in Long Beach.

3:26:08My plan today was to come up and read all their names and tell you where they live. That seemed like envision privacy transitioning this contract to an out of town provider removes vital services from local management.

3:26:22Sorry and hands on community oversight maintaining this contract with a local business ensures that local jobs the expertise and taxpayer investment remain within Long Beach.

3:26:34Our residents and workers deserve a transparent process that pride prioritizes reliable service and supports the local economy.

3:26:41I strongly urge you to vote against the wording this contract to an out of town provider and continue to support local business operations. Thank you.

3:26:56All right. My name is Evan Kelly. I'm an owner one of the owners of pedal movement and EPA vision. I've been a business owner in Long Beach since 2007.

3:27:11I want to thank all the council people for being here. Director Hickman there's a you've heard there's a couple issues or several issues with the proposal and our process.

3:27:25I'd like to point out a couple other issues in the presentation. It was talked about a status quo versus the new contract but pedal movement provided a new contract that was not talked about in here.

3:27:40They talked about status quo but we responded to an RFP with a new contract. That's not what was presented but was presented with status quo versus their contract instead of our contract versus their contract.

3:27:53They also talked about employment and hours. They're talking about a new system of bicycle of e bikes. This requires a battery rebalancing which is its own job as opposed to just equipment rebalancing which is you pick up the bikes and move them around town right.

3:28:15But they're talking about battery rebalancing which is basically you go you find bikes that have a dead battery and put a new battery inside of it a charged battery. This is a whole like hundred percent more workload that they are planning to do with less employees for less cost.

3:28:32So we're not sure how they plan to do that. Let's see what else.

3:28:42So yeah we started this we were operating in Long Beach and in 2017 City of Long Beach approached us pedal movement to take over the bike share program because it was being mismanaged by cycle hop.

3:28:57So we've gone through this project before of fixing something that was broke and that's kind of what we're seeing now is leading into something that's not really plausible in our eyes and we've been running this thing for almost 10 years.

3:29:15And to speak on that there's not a lot of bike share programs that have lasted 10 years.

3:29:19Most of them fail and we have been here and managing through the thick and thin with Long Beach with covid with riots managing a building downtown that's made of glass.

3:29:35And one of the other issues is that I lost my place. Sorry. Anyways we've been here for 10 years and we've been here for nine years and we're looking to keep operations and anybody can buy more hardware.

3:29:56They're selling hardware but they also want to take operations which they've never done. They're a pilot program and we've been here. Thank you.

3:30:02Next speaker is Amber and then Dylan Baker and Jeff Coates. Hi. Good evening mayor vice mayor and members of the council and neighbors here tonight.

3:30:15My name is Amber Watson. I am the VP of growth and innovation at Drop Mobility and I've spent my entire career working in this industry.

3:30:23I'm one of drops earliest employees and I was a founder in the electric bike space myself.

3:30:29I want to first thank you for selecting Drop Mobility and running such a fair RFP process.

3:30:36We were selected and are excited about the future of bike share here in Long Beach and we really believe in the potential drop operates nationwide in a partnership approach.

3:30:50We believe in locally branded systems and our entire philosophy is about supporting municipal public transit and bike share.

3:30:58I want to directly address the claims that we do not operate our own systems.

3:31:03We work in more than 65 cities across 17 states. To date we've delivered over 10,000 bikes.

3:31:09We operate from the East Coast to the West Coast and everywhere in between.

3:31:13Our systems include Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts, a large system that we directly operate to the capital of region and New York.

3:31:23Ithaca, New York where we directly operate, New Orleans and Louisiana and then right here in California in Sonoma and Marin counties.

3:31:30We directly operate the Redwood bike share system, Irvine right up the street.

3:31:35We directly operate Fresno, Rialto, Santa Clarita and soon to be launching in East LA.

3:31:40We're really proud of what we've built and we're proud to bring the benefits of bike share including electric pedal assist bikes here to Long Beach.

3:31:48Our company is led by a mission driven team made up of people just like me who have spent their careers dedicated to building bike share.

3:31:57We on our team have worked at nearly every major operator in this industry and three of my colleagues are Long Beach residents themselves.

3:32:08My colleague Dylan Baker who's here tonight will speak after me.

3:32:12He's a long time Long Beach resident and actually helped launch the original so be system here and our main distribution center is right up the street in La Mirada.

3:32:24So getting spare parts will no longer be a problem.

3:32:27We are here because we know and care deeply about the city.

3:32:31We look forward to continuing to well to making investments in the city and the community just like we do in other markets that we work.

3:32:38And we look forward to employing local staff including many of the folks who have spoken here tonight.

3:32:45We have a track record of hiring from previous systems if we take over operations and the city will be no different.

3:32:54We also know that Long Beach isn't just planning for today.

3:32:59The city is getting ready to welcome the world in 2028.

3:33:02We're no stranger to hosting large events and we've gone through Mardi Gras Jazz Fest Super Bowls.

3:33:09Our equipment has seen it all and survived.

3:33:12Thank you. Your time's concluded.

3:33:17Hello. I'll keep it brief out of respect for your time.

3:33:25My name is Dylan Baker. I've lived in Long Beach for over 20 years and I'm a homeowner in District 1.

3:33:33I've worked in the bicycle industry for the last 16 years and multiple capacities.

3:33:40As I remember said, my first foray into micromobility was building and deploying the original fleet of Long Beach bike share about 10 years ago.

3:33:50I've worked with DROP for the last five years and I oversaw operations across the western region from our mountain towns in Colorado up to the Bay Area as well as President Valencia Rialto, some of the things that she also mentioned.

3:34:09The point for me is that as a longtime resident, I'm frankly extremely excited at the opportunity to reinvigorate our bike share system and provide the service that the city and its residents really deserve, you know. Thanks.

3:34:24Hi, good evening. My name is Jeff Coates and I am the director of special projects and launches at DROP Mobility.

3:34:38I'm very excited to share with you guys tonight how we can partner to build and launch the next level of bike share system here.

3:34:49I've been working in bike share since 2017. Before coming to DROP, I launched and ran the bike share system in New Orleans, Louisiana from 2017 up through 2023.

3:35:02New Orleans initially used exactly the same bikes that you have here in Long Beach, so I'm very familiar both with the legacy system bikes, as well as the next bikes that DROP will bring here along with next level charging infrastructure.

3:35:19So I strongly believe that the future is really bright here for bike share in Long Beach. The pedal bikes that exist are nice bikes, I like them, but the bikes themselves and the technology that is running them are both a decade old.

3:35:35And DROP will be able to bring new technology, new bikes, and state of the art charging infrastructure to take Long Beach to the next level.

3:35:45When we take over an existing model, as has been said, we are committed to hiring local, and generally that means the existing staff, if they are interested in continuing to run, and we will honor that here as well.

3:35:59Thank you for selecting us to work with you. I'm excited at this opportunity and look forward to working with the community and talking with all of the folks who want to work with us here. So thank you very much.

3:36:12Any further comments? Any further comments on the zoo one? That concludes public comment. Okay, from right behind the rail, we have a motion and a second.

3:36:32Thank you Vice Mayor, and thank you to all the folks that come out and and spoke based on your experiences, it really does help us as council members as we deliberate.

3:36:44I had a couple of questions just based on what we've heard from public comment as well as from the presentation that I hope kind of, you know, add some, add some additional light into the process.

3:36:55So, I think this is the question for our city manager.

3:36:58So you mentioned Tomonika, can you walk us through the procurement process for this particular RFP?

3:37:04Yeah, I'd actually like our public works team and purchasing to handle that. They were intricately involved in that and can answer a lot of questions.

3:37:11Yeah, could we please pull back up the slide deck on a few seconds. So I can give a quick overview.

3:37:44We also have our previous purchasing agent here that can help support and fill in all of the gaps that I may leave.

3:37:51But ultimately, this was a standard competitive citywide procurement that we do for many of our programs, many of our capital projects.

3:37:59You see me often on Tuesdays to award some of these contracts. It's run much the same way for this program.

3:38:06We released the RFP in December of 2025.

3:38:11This was after, you know, multiple conversations through city council about how we were going to move forward, how we were going to modernize our bike share system in our fleet.

3:38:20We released the RFP in December of 2025.

3:38:24We did receive four proposals. Those four proposals are shown here on the screen. They were drop mobility, pedal movement, lift bikes and blue sky energy.

3:38:34Those were the four proposals. We evaluated those four proposals.

3:38:38There's a panel process that we do. We select a number of people to sit on that panel.

3:38:43They go through all of the proposals, all of the attachments, all of the data that's provided and make a determination.

3:38:50And that's what you see here is the base score and then the final score once the local preference is added.

3:38:56Once that's all complete, that gets posted up on our Long Beach Bays website.

3:39:01We call it the notice of intent to award.

3:39:04That's the way that we communicate to the public who it is that we intend to award a project to.

3:39:10That's also when the community learns who it is that we intend to award to.

3:39:15In this case, drop mobility, and that was made public on May 15th in 2026.

3:39:21Pedal movement, we did extend the protest period. It's usually a couple of days.

3:39:27We continue to extend it a number of times. Pedal movement did submit a protest on November 9th.

3:39:34That's then when our purchasing agent and her team gets involved to go through the protest process.

3:39:43And that was all done through the month of June, and ultimately a determination was made on June 29th, 2026.

3:39:52You should be the next purchasing agent. That was really good, Josh.

3:39:59The only thing I will add, and I am Michelle Wilson Mason.

3:40:03I am the former purchasing agent, so I was the purchasing agent who oversaw the entirety of this procurement process.

3:40:09The only thing I will add is that up front in the procurement process, we do notify potential bidders.

3:40:15So in this case, we notified 116 potential vendors through our Long Beach Bias system.

3:40:22We also sent an email blast to 44 business groups.

3:40:26We put it in the Long Beach Press Telegram and the Long Beach Business Journal as well.

3:40:31So just a little bit about how we market each of our solicitations and this one specifically.

3:40:36But everything Josh spoke to is accurate.

3:40:40Well, two follow-up questions to that is, one, can you walk us through what happened as part of the protest period?

3:40:47And then two, I know some of the series of public comments from the pedal movement folks were around unfair assessments of the qualifications based on drop mobility.

3:40:59Could you address both of those questions?

3:41:04The first, the protest period.

3:41:06So there was a number of extensions.

3:41:09That was due to a couple of PRA requests that came in.

3:41:12So we wanted to make sure that everyone had the opportunity to submit protest with all the information that they needed to be provided.

3:41:19So that's what the extension we're for.

3:41:22We're, one, to make sure they were able to give us a complete comprehensive protest.

3:41:28And then we had to extend a couple of times to respond to the protest.

3:41:33There was a lot of documents included in that protest.

3:41:38I think it was 15 pages or so.

3:41:41So we had to look into each of the different allegations and make sure we responded to each one of them.

3:41:46So that was the extension period.

3:41:49And what was the second question?

3:41:51So one of the, I guess we call it a criticism of our process is that they thought that the assessment we made of the qualifications of drop mobility were unfair and not comparable.

3:42:01So could you address that, that concern that came up in public comment?

3:42:05I'll address part of it and then I will let Willie actually address the rest since he was part of the evaluation panel.

3:42:10Or we had an evaluation panel and it was Public Works and TID.

3:42:15So yes, as far as the process, there's evaluation criteria, which is laid out in the RFP.

3:42:23And then each of the evaluators is given a toolkit in which they assess each of the proposals based on the criteria that is broken down in the RFP.

3:42:33Those scores are then into the toolkit.

3:42:38Those actually turn out to be the scores that you see here in the TFF that was put out last week.

3:42:45So the percentages, the final percentages, we add the local preference after the final percentages.

3:42:50So that is what you're seeing in the final scores.

3:42:53But all of the evaluators evaluated each of the criteria based on what was listed in the RFP.

3:43:00So we did not see any unfairness or any outliers in any of the evaluations that we saw.

3:43:09And I don't know if you want to add anything.

3:43:13So I think the question really is like talk through the things that were actually brought forward in the letters.

3:43:18So please go through those and talk about what was alleged and then what we actually found in our review.

3:43:24So if you want to know a little bit more about the protest, one part of it was that we did not evaluate accordingly or fairly.

3:43:44So one of the things pointed out is that only one of the four evaluators added notes to the evaluation sheet.

3:43:51That isn't a standard process to add notes there.

3:43:53I actually added notes to it because I liked keeping track of what I was doing there.

3:43:57That was something that was pointed out.

3:43:59That was delivered during the PRA.

3:44:02The notes were consistent with the scoring.

3:44:06Then there is a lot on here.

3:44:09Give me a second.

3:44:18Minimum fleet size qualifications.

3:44:20So this is one that's been talked about a lot.

3:44:23So a thousand vehicles in the fleet in an urban environment comparable to Long Beach.

3:44:29The way that this was addressed is talking about what the response was in the protest was a thousand vehicles total.

3:44:40Pedal movement took this to mean a thousand vehicles in one location.

3:44:44I hear that there's also some back and forth when it comes to who operate the thousand vehicles and everything like that.

3:44:51I think it's worth pointing out we don't actually operate a thousand vehicles here.

3:44:54So we multiple times mentioned throughout the RFP that subcontractors are okay and things like that.

3:45:00So I think we evaluated all four proposers exactly the same when it comes to that qualification.

3:45:07And they were all deemed responsive.

3:45:10There's some concerns around equipment security and fleet availability and a lot of things mentioned about New Orleans.

3:45:19And I think there's probably some validity there where if you go back years there's probably some bikes vandalized, some bikes damaged.

3:45:28I think a good sign of a proactive operator is since they designed their own bikes and everything it went from two locking mechanisms, three locking mechanisms.

3:45:41Four locking mechanisms on the bike now.

3:45:44The rear of the bike is protected by a shroud, which isn't something that happened with the first generation of bikes launched in New Orleans and things like that.

3:45:50So we're pretty comfortable with that.

3:45:52And that was something we looked into during the evaluation process to how secure the bikes are.

3:45:56We actually have we had everyone come in and demo bikes for us.

3:46:00So drop pedal movement lift.

3:46:02The people who were invited to do interviews all came and did test rides with us and we examined all the bikes.

3:46:08They all have tamper proof locking mechanisms and the like.

3:46:15I think the biggest difference we saw, one of the things we requested is a hybrid parking model.

3:46:20Drop is the only proposal that actually provided a hybrid parking model.

3:46:27So what that means is instead of having a proprietary dock or whether it be charged or not charged, we can lock the drop bikes to our existing blue bike racks that you see throughout town.

3:46:38So they have the capability to do that and we can geofence them with GPS and everything like that to create a virtual docking system.

3:46:45This reduces the cost of implementing new bikes drastically.

3:46:49If we were to go with one of the other proposers who required a dock for each bike that was out there and the two to one ratio that's expected in the industry, we would be rolling out maybe 250, 300 bikes.

3:47:00We wouldn't we actually wouldn't have the funding to be able to roll out what the RFP called for, which is a 700 bike system.

3:47:06And then we can get into service levels and staffing.

3:47:12This one's really interesting to me.

3:47:13When we do the proposals on this, the frontline staff, the people who are actually maintaining the bikes, rebalancing the bikes, the batteries and everything like that exact number here.

3:47:24Drop is proposing 27,040 hours of frontline staff.

3:47:28The other proposal was 26,624 hours of frontline staff.

3:47:34One of the biggest differences there is in management staff.

3:47:38Drop is proposing three managers. The other one was proposing six managers.

3:47:42So there's there's a difference there, too.

3:47:44But as far as like I think everyone's in agreement of how much actual staff it takes to do the physical labor of balancing the bikes and moving the bikes and everything like that.

3:47:52And that's seen in the proposals.

3:47:54And I think I'll say that it also points to it was pretty clear in the RFP if we're getting numbers back that are within 1.5 percent of each other and the total number of hours running, I think is a really good sign.

3:48:09One of the big things that's different in this procurement versus the current way we run the bike share and as mentioned in the presentation is we are exchanging from a fixed fee to what we call a management fee deal.

3:48:26And we can see exactly how much money is being spent on every part of the bike share.

3:48:31So instead of saying, hey, here's 480 bikes and here's the flat fee you you collected when you had a 900 bikes, 600 bikes.

3:48:38We we now have visibility in every part of that and we built in a tiered structure in this in this process negotiating with drop about service level.

3:48:48So we are protecting ourselves if if there is a gap in service or they're not able to keep bikes on on the street, we're protected from a financial standpoint.

3:48:57The only other criteria that I see that was questioned was the three year minimum qualification.

3:49:08And we did find that drop was founded in 2017.

3:49:14So they met that requirement. All right.

3:49:18Thank you. If I have any additional questions, Vice Mayor, I'll keep that up.

3:49:22Thank you. Councilmember.

3:49:24Thank you so much, Vice Mayor.

3:49:26And thank you to all members of the public and various corporations and companies that came out to share perspectives and to give us a sense as to how you have received this experience to the city.

3:49:41City staff, thank you for being here and being very thoroughly prepared to be able to go into a level of detail.

3:49:49We typically do not when it comes to RFPs like this, but this one has consequences that run close to home.

3:49:58So trying to make sure that we make the right decision is something that means that we might have to take a little more time and go into some more details than we normally would.

3:50:09One of a couple of the things that are top of mind for me is how do we ensure that we are supporting local businesses and how can we be sure that we are circulating resources within our community that is mutually beneficial to the city, our residents and the community at large.

3:50:27So those are some of the things that go into my perspective on this. You have gone through the protest and I have a couple questions and some of them may be rapid fire just to get us through and make sure that we're all on the same page.

3:50:44Let's start though with that 1000 fleet. Would you kindly read within the RFP what the requirement is for eligibility regarding the 1000 fleet?

3:51:10Section 3.1 of the RFP notes the minimum qualifications, including quote proven track record managing fleets of at least 1000 vehicles in urban environments compared to Long Beach, end quote.

3:51:27And so most people or some people who read that took that to suggest that you had a comparable city that was the size of Long Beach or had conditioned similar Long Beach and that you were managing at least 1000 fleet items within that city.

3:51:42And since then the city has interpreted that to mean that this any company who responded, who at least could cumulatively state that they had overseen at least 1000 bikes or related fleet was an acceptable way to interpret that.

3:52:06Yeah, so I can I can touch on a little bit and then might need some assistance from our purchasing agent here. But ultimately, when we run these RFPs we do have a process for issuing a Denda and answering questions.

3:52:20So we have outlined within the RFP a timeframe to submit any comments or questions that any proposal or anybody has on on the item itself.

3:52:31So in this case, right, you speak in the process here, but I'm asking about what was considered levels of eligibility regarding 1000 because based on what I can see when I interpret that question.

3:52:46I don't think any company met the threshold of 1000. I don't see anywhere where we are able to suggest that any of the four companies have under their management 1000 fleet bikes or related equipment within one city.

3:53:04So, yeah, I think there's a lot of parts to that question. The answer to your specific question were any of the proposals. Did they submit information showing that they had 1000 fleet vehicles in one city, there was a proposal that that did meet that qualification.

3:53:23But as part of the protest the the how the 1000 was interpreted was protested and that was determined by our purchasing agent as part of that protest period to ensure that all four folks that had submitted were eligible to bid on this particular item.

3:53:44Right. But it sounds to me like it was because we piece together various cities to create that level of eligibility.

3:53:51Correct. It was based on the totality of fleet like you explained at the beginning. Yes. So that that gives me concern regarding, you know, who was even eligible for this RFP.

3:54:05When we came when it came to the RFP process of the the reviewers. Do we have any external reviewers were these all city of Long Beach reviewers. Yes, these were all for city employees.

3:54:18Okay. And in the RFP. One of the things that you all have been talking about here is that you really you requested a hybrid model. Was it clear in the RFP that a hybrid model was the preferred model for the city.

3:54:38The hybrid model was outlined as a model that was eligible for folks to submit on. We wanted to keep it open to different options that any of the vendors would propose seeing what the market would bear and what opportunities that were out there.

3:54:54We did specifically call for and note that hybrid was one of those options and something we were looking for. And then in terms of the analysis that you all did regarding employees versus managers.

3:55:09You take right now you've explained that you've taken a couple of proposals and put them side by side to determine whether, you know, one cost more or not regarding managers to employees given the experience of other bike share programs across the country.

3:55:27Did we use any standards from across the country to get a census to if it's a 700 fleet of bikes, how many employees and how many managers typically have those have other cities experience with their programs.

3:55:44Do we have any of that information when we conducted the analysis. So we don't have it from other cities. We have what we have from the proposals. So we can see the baseline of how all the four proposers propose their staffing models.

3:55:56And that gives me some concern because it just doesn't give us enough information to be able to confirm whether that's enough staff or not in order to run the programs accordingly in the RFP.

3:56:09Did we note that we had an interest in management fee transparency. Was it clear that that was a preferred way to receive information and to move forward with the most successful contract.

3:56:22Yes. Okay. Thank you. Did you receive any references from any other jurisdictions that potential contractors might have. Did you request any references. Did you have any such conversations with third party entity.

3:56:46Yes. And that was with all for all of the top to the top three. Yes. The top two. No three top three. Okay. And then can you tell me where drop mobility is headquartered Toronto Toronto or San Francisco.

3:57:02I'm not actually both Toronto and San Francisco. Okay. So one of the things that we've heard here tonight is the real emphasis on the both tangible and intangible benefits that we get from having a local organization.

3:57:25Currently in the city of Long Beach we don't have any requirements of any entity that has a contract with us to hire from our community to provide sponsorships the volunteer in our community.

3:57:36Is that the case. That's correct. There's no requirements. So with you know losing a company like pedal movement we lose all of that and from what I have gathered here potentially you know we lose 17 jobs within our community.

3:57:55We lose more than $40,000 in sponsorships and in kind support. Is there any way to be able to ensure that a new vendor would have the same kind of commitment to Long Beach.

3:58:12I think we the new vendor has committed to hiring locally. And so we do definitely encourage that with any of our vendors that are not headquartered in the city of Long Beach.

3:58:24Also it is usually when a new vendor takes over they sometimes agree to hire from the existing staff and I think the new vendor has agreed to do that as well.

3:58:38But as far as the requirement it's not a requirement but you know it is part of our mission.

3:58:45All right. I'll keep back up. Thank you. There is in the RFP there is a requirement that there is community to know community outreach.

3:58:56When you're like we're saying like $40,000 or things like that we actually built in community outreach that is required to the RFP is it defined beyond that term.

3:59:06It says community engagement outreach operator shall have the ridership growth plan included in the community outreach plan that targets new riders and underserved areas transit riders and infrequent users on equity program safety and safety system navigation outreach should be conducted throughout the city and be provided in multiple languages.

3:59:25There should be a minimum of four outreach events per year included in the plan.

3:59:29Okay. Thank you for that. That sounds like a good minimum. Thank you.

3:59:37I saw members in there.

3:59:41Thank you Vice Mayor and I want to thank everyone from the audience who came and get their public comment.

3:59:48I also want to thank my colleagues for their fantastic questions.

3:59:53Thank you very much.

3:59:55This still seems to be a little confusing.

3:59:58And I want to say that--

4:00:00The Federal Movement has definitely been a long-time stakeholder of District 1 and they have been, you know, such a big part of our community here in District 1 and Citywide.

4:00:15The Blue Bikes, the Blue Bikes are Long Beach. They represent us, that's Long Beach.

4:00:26But I also want to acknowledge that us as council members or myself and city management must also stay neutral and really focus on the issues.

4:00:39And I think the issue tonight has been allegations of this process not being fair and that's where my concerns lie.

4:00:52And I want to make sure that if we were to move forward, I want to make sure that all of us are on the same page, that we have dotted all our I's and crossed all our T's.

4:01:04I think that it's important to do that.

4:01:08So one of the things that I also wanted to say is thank you to the City Manager's Office for being able to reach out. I know Pedal Movement has been reaching out to our office, not only them, but also we've had residents reaching out as well to our office concerned about losing Pedal Movement.

4:01:30So I want to thank you for taking the time and trying to do as much as you can as also remaining neutral but providing all the facts.

4:01:44It does seem though that we are still not there yet. We're not clear on everything that has happened with the processes.

4:01:55So what I wanted to and, you know, through the communication with my office, one of the requests was to continue this item for 30 days to get a little bit more clarification to all of the questions being asked.

4:02:16My question to staff is what impact would this have and would 30 days allow any resolution between the city and the protest file or and also maybe in there you can also tell me what a normal period of process is.

4:02:35And if we have exceeded that process when under that process, just want to hear from you, please.

4:02:50Yes, Council Member Zendaya, just to answer the question, the impact of a 30 day delay, in effect, it would allow the pending contract with Pedal Movement to be expired by that time.

4:03:03So there still would have to be the issue of whether that it was going to be extension to prevent any type of interruption with services.

4:03:11Can you explain that in more detail so that residents also can understand it who are listening in?

4:03:27I can explain that part.

4:03:28So as far as the existing contract, the existing contract expires at the end of September.

4:03:34That's with Pedal Movement.

4:03:36Our intention with the two items and the recommendations before you this evening are to, one, extend the current agreement with Pedal Movement with the increased cost, as noted in the presentation, to allow us three months to transition to the new vendor who would take over starting in 2027.

4:03:55So those are the impacts that he's talking about.

4:03:59And then I would say that we are trying to expand the system to be able to get more ridership.

4:04:05We're also trying to be on a path where we can get additional grants and be able to get this rolled out by the Olympics.

4:04:10So not only are we trying to roll it out and expand into North and West Long Beach sooner, we're also trying to get ready for the Olympics.

4:04:17And so that is only about two years away.

4:04:20And so we do think we need to get started fairly soon.

4:04:23If there's questions that he'd like, we'd like to come back even faster than 30 days.

4:04:27We have provided a lot of answers, but I'd like to hear those today.

4:04:30We would recommend something shorter than 30 days, perhaps next council meeting or even the meeting after that if we need to.

4:04:37Or sometime when we're going to have the ability to answer those questions.

4:04:42So if you tell us what those are, we can try to get those answers either tonight or get those back soon.

4:04:50Councilmember, just to provide a little bit more clarity on the protest period again, the protest period is closed out.

4:04:56It was extended several times to make to ensure staff had adequate time to look at all allegations during the protests.

4:05:03But the protest period was was properly it was probably open and properly closed.

4:05:09Thank you. Thank you for that.

4:05:15I think that one of the things that I'll cue back up.

4:05:19Thank you. Thank you.

4:05:25I just like to revisit for a second the issue of local hires and specifically hiring existing employees of a middle movement.

4:05:38I'll just say I would expect that to be a robust effort and an earnest effort.

4:05:43And maybe we could have some measurables after the fact.

4:05:48And I think I heard Geofencing mentioned and this is kind of related that when e-bikes are dropped off currently by our vendors,

4:06:02they have access to the Go Long Beach app and they can go out and retrieve them.

4:06:08A very specific question came up today.

4:06:11And this is from a council district surrounded by five different municipalities.

4:06:17Do they go and grab those bicycles no matter where they are is kind of the question.

4:06:22Do we have that baked into the RFP or is that even covered?

4:06:26Short answer is yes.

4:06:28They do have GPS within each of the vehicles and they have the fencing available.

4:06:34The Go Long Beach app you're talking about and the Sobe app that we currently use today,

4:06:39those will all be replaced with new technology and new software as part of this proposal.

4:06:43Okay, so I'll just put it on the record that if they drift into another municipality,

4:06:48I'd hope they'd be picked up there too because our office will get the calls no matter what jurisdiction is in.

4:06:52Thank you.

4:06:59Thank you.

4:07:00Thank you, Vice Mayor.

4:07:03And thank you for the team for answering our questions so robustly.

4:07:07I appreciate it.

4:07:09So we talked a little bit about unfairness and I don't like that term,

4:07:13but when the TFF was dropped last Friday when I read it,

4:07:16something that stuck out to me that said the city regrets the use of ambiguous language.

4:07:19Mr. Modica, I talked to you about that yesterday.

4:07:23And so if we regretted the use of ambiguous language,

4:07:26that seems an admission that something in there had the opportunity to be misinterpreted

4:07:32by one or several of the folks who were responding to the RFP.

4:07:38And so I think my question then is if we're admitting that there was ambiguous language

4:07:45and we regret that there was ambiguous language,

4:07:47what was the decision-making process around choosing to continue with an award

4:07:53versus deciding to redo the RFP?

4:07:58If we're saying we had some confusion here,

4:08:01so could you talk a little bit about why the decision to award moved forward,

4:08:06even though we're saying we know that there was some ambiguous language in there?

4:08:09And so what we read earlier about the thousand bikes is what was referenced as ambiguous,

4:08:23but we were specific that it wasn't just the operator.

4:08:28It could be who they contract with as well.

4:08:30So because we didn't specifically say that in that line about the one thousand bikes

4:08:35is where we said it could be ambiguous.

4:08:37But the criteria was very clear in the RFP.

4:08:40So the four raters felt that confident in moving forward to make an award?

4:08:47Correct, yes.

4:08:49And we felt even more confident when we got the protest and really looked into all the numbers.

4:08:54OK, and to go back to Councilmember Supernaut's point about local hire,

4:09:00I think what I heard you say earlier in response to Councilmember Threshen took

4:09:03was that local hire of existing employees is encouraged,

4:09:08but it's not written in the contract, correct? It's not required.

4:09:14No, it's not required as part of the contract.

4:09:23And I think one of the things that's hard here is I love bike share programs.

4:09:31I utilize them in cities that I visit all the time.

4:09:33I have a track record of supporting multimodal in our community.

4:09:39I should be really excited about this.

4:09:41And I'm not tonight.

4:09:42It's really difficult because I'm disappointed in what feels like a missed opportunity

4:09:47around our current vendor over the last 10 years.

4:09:52That the bicycle master plan was approved, I believe, in 2018.

4:09:57And there has been an intentional effort by the city, our public works department,

4:10:00all of our departments to really build up bike ridership in the city

4:10:04and pedal movement has been an integral part of that over the last 10 years.

4:10:09As someone who goes to critical mass,

4:10:12which is a micro program in my neighborhood, pedal movement shows up.

4:10:17They fix bikes, they blow up tires, they ride along the way.

4:10:21It's, you know, anywhere from 25 bikers to 30, ages 2 to 70.

4:10:27That's not a big thing that someone who doesn't know us would necessarily see as important.

4:10:35And so I think the part that I'm in conflict with is the desire for us to move forward quickly

4:10:41because I think this is an incredible program.

4:10:43And the concern with the local hire component

4:10:49and not having set up potentially a local company for success in this RFP.

4:10:59And so it just doesn't feel great, and it should, because this is really exciting stuff.

4:11:05And it's stuff that we want to do.

4:11:07I have a couple more questions here.

4:11:09I'll queue up after my colleagues as well.

4:11:11Thank you for the answers.

4:11:14>> Here comes member Governor Rossello.

4:11:18>> Yes.

4:11:19I want to thank everyone for coming, both pedal movement as well as drop mobility.

4:11:26Staff are presenting on the RFP and answering our question

4:11:32and my colleagues for your comments and question.

4:11:36And I'm in agreement that I'm not ready to make any decision tonight.

4:11:42I actually wanted to see if the maker of the motion would entertain us postponing this item

4:11:50to next council meeting, which is Tuesday, October 6th,

4:11:54to resume the discussion given that while information was shared with us through the TFF

4:12:02and -- but I also, you know, hearing from both sides and also things that came up,

4:12:11I want to have a little bit more time.

4:12:13So would you entertain that motion?

4:12:16>> I would.

4:12:19So that would be a friendly to lay this over to -- or actually a substitute motion, correct?

4:12:25To lay this over until the October 6th city council meeting?

4:12:29>> Yes.

4:12:30>> I would accept that.

4:12:31>> Yeah.

4:12:32And I definitely hear the council needing additional time.

4:12:35I know I was pushing to try to get this done in the next week or two, but I understand that.

4:12:39So if you need more time, we can do that.

4:12:41We can postpone it for about a month.

4:12:43We'll have to work and bring an item back to at least, you know, do our vendors for the next,

4:12:48you know, month so that we don't lose service continuity with what we have,

4:12:51and we can figure out how to do that and as a compromise.

4:12:56>> As the seconder of the motion, I concur with that substitute.

4:13:03>> Okay.

4:13:08And so we have a substitute motion with a second.

4:13:12Is there a further discussion on this?

4:13:16Councilor Shabazz?

4:13:18>> And if I may, Vice Mayor, having the questions tonight, though,

4:13:21of what you'd like us to look at would be really helpful.

4:13:23So I think we've heard some of those.

4:13:25But if there are things tonight that we can work on over the next 30 days to bring that back,

4:13:29you also have, you know, both groups here, both pedal movement and drop,

4:13:32and they can voluntarily put more information towards you that we can share with you as well in the next 30 days.

4:13:38>> I'm sorry.

4:13:40November 6th.

4:13:42>> October.

4:13:43>> I heard you say November.

4:13:44>> I said October.

4:13:45>> Oh, you said October.

4:13:46Okay.

4:13:47>> So basically the next council meeting would be October 6th.

4:13:49>> Yeah.

4:13:50>> I'm sorry.

4:13:51I thought I heard you say November instead.

4:13:54>> No worries.

4:13:57It's late.

4:13:58>> Okay.

4:13:59So we have a substitute motion on the floor.

4:14:00Councilor Shabazz, did you have comments on there?

4:14:04>> Just for clarification purposes, would that be a friendly to the motion?

4:14:10Or would that be a substitute motion?

4:14:12>> It's a substitute.

4:14:14>> It's a substitute.

4:14:16>> I'm good.

4:14:22>> Okay.

4:14:25Can you please restate the motion?

4:14:29>> Yes, Vice Mayor.

4:14:34I understand that the motion is to continue this item 31 of the recommendation to adopt specification as outlined in the item in the agenda.

4:14:40And awarding the contract to drop mobility to continue this item to the next council meeting on October 6th with the goal that the city manager and team will return with responses to the questions raised here.

4:14:53>> Thank you.

4:14:55Councilmember Tricia, I still have you on the back of here.

4:14:58Any comments?

4:14:59>> Thank you, Vice Mayor.

4:15:00City manager has asked for questions or direction regarding preparing for the October 6th meeting.

4:15:08I am very interested in the exploration of robust community benefits that get explored with any new vendor that would come to -- or that would be awarded this contract.

4:15:20That would include local hire, any local small business plans to engage the community beyond four events, and any charitable and sponsorship activities that the company intends to put into the market.

4:15:36Also, we'll get to that matter I think in the next item, but this I believe will impact the extension of the current pedal movement contract, which may need to be modified.

4:15:51And so by October 6th, we may need to have a similar conversation regarding that contract so that it lines up with whatever our next steps are.

4:16:00>> Yes, and sorry if I misunderstood before, I thought it was a month that we were looking at, so if it's October 6th, we would recommend that you move this and the other contract over, and then we can work to make sure that we don't have service interruption.

4:16:12And if that -- that's only five or six days after the contract expires, so we would work with pedal movement on that, and make sure that then whatever action is, that would be retroactive so they don't lose service.

4:16:23But we would ask you to move both over to October 6th then.

4:16:28>> Thank you.

4:16:33>> Thank you.

4:16:34>> I looked over this proposal.

4:16:41I've heard it tonight, and I know we've -- it sounds like there's been a lot of extensive work on this RFP.

4:16:51I have to trust staff in what they've done, and it seems interesting that this point of a thousand, whether they have worked with a fleet, I think the answer was May.

4:17:08You answered the questions on that.

4:17:10So I just feel like we have an obligation to get the best deal for our taxpayers, for our community.

4:17:24I'm not sure about the -- I like the community benefit and events and volunteering, but that doesn't seem -- we need to get a deal that we can roll out for LA 28.

4:17:39That's a good deal, and we are now pressing -- we're up against a wall now.

4:17:45It's fine.

4:17:48We can, you know, get more questions answered, but I really think we have an obligation to our community to get the best deal and the best contract, and we went through an RFP process on this one.

4:18:05Great. Thank you. Personally, I still want to agree with Councilmember Nuggett in the sense that we have to look for our constituents, and we have, for me, the bottom line is cost.

4:18:24What is it going to cost us for this new contract?

4:18:28Based on the report that I saw or given earlier today, the original motion is the motion that I would support, so I'm not going to support the second motion.

4:18:42Any further comment?

4:18:48Oh, thanks, Mayor Ronda.

4:18:49I just wanted to say one additional thing.

4:18:52As far as for the report back, the other thing I wanted to do in addition, kind of talking about the community benefits, would be to learn -- so what would be the status of the bike share for all program if we went with the bike -- with the drop mobility contract?

4:19:05That program would continue under the new proposal.

4:19:12And so is that -- would that be -- I guess the question would be is that -- I think the question we have is, is that an assurance as in it's in the contract, or is that something that we've been told will happen but we don't know will happen?

4:19:24No, the city controls the assets, and the city controls the program, so it would continue regardless of the vendor that we've moved forward with.

4:19:33Thank you.

4:19:35Okay. So we are going to make a motion and second on the substitute motion, correct?

4:19:43I believe the original motioner and seconder agreed to the substitute motion, so they can remain the mover and seconder on the substitute, and we can take a vote on that.

4:19:55Okay. Take it, Tomo.

4:20:05I have a teacher.

4:20:14Motion carries.

4:20:15Okay. Thank you very much.

4:20:20Next item, item 32, please.

4:20:26Okay, we have a motion and a second. Councilmember Sashita?

4:20:50Thank you, Vice Mayor.

4:20:51I'd like to make a substitute motion to bring this back on October 6th.

4:21:00Okay. The seconder, you okay with that?

4:21:04You okay with that?

4:21:06I am.

4:21:08Okay. Any further comment from the council on this?

4:21:15Further comment?

4:21:18There is no public comment on this item.

4:21:21Okay, no public comment? Let's go follow.

4:21:23State's active motion.

4:21:34Motion is carried.

4:21:40Thank you. Item 33, no, 34?

4:21:4733.

4:21:5033.

4:21:54from Public Works Health and Human Services recommendation to adopt plans

4:21:57and specifications and award a contract to New Dynasty Construction for the

4:22:03construction of the 702 West Anaheim year-round shelter for a total contract

4:22:08amount not to exceed six million sixty five thousand three hundred fifty two

4:22:12and execute all documents necessary to enter into the contract and increase

4:22:17appropriations by two million offset by California Department of Housing and

4:22:20Community Development homeless housing and assistance program funds from Health

4:22:25and Human Services Department District one okay we have a motion and a second

4:22:31customer occurred we do have a brief staff report okay good evening again

4:22:46vice mayor and council members we're here to talk about the 702 West Anaheim

4:22:51year-round shelter project there's a an important milestone and important

4:22:56contract before you this evening so I know it's getting kind of late so I'll

4:23:00make this fairly brief here so in 2023 we did purchase the existing building

4:23:06we did some short-term improvements and we currently have an 81 bed shelter

4:23:10that's currently operating at this location the project before you this

4:23:14evening will renovate the facility and enhance the operation as a permanent

4:23:18year-round shelter and increase the capacity for from 81 up to 126 beds we

4:23:27did recently complete a roof repair project this was not the entire roof

4:23:31but a portion of the roof some of the goals of the project before you this

4:23:40evening is to create a new year-round shelter that supports our people

4:23:44experiencing homelessness we want to improve the parking areas improve the

4:23:49ADA accessibility include some interior renovations for HVAC restrooms and we'll

4:23:55show you a floor plan in a couple slides this is a fun image of the

4:24:04interior view of the main sleeping area as well as the exterior of the facility

4:24:08as part of the project we'll be installing new HVAC we'll be

4:24:13constructing new restrooms showers and increasing capacity as I had mentioned

4:24:18previously here before you is the floor plan of the renovated facility with the

4:24:26check-in areas sleeping locations and multi-porporous lounge as well as some

4:24:32showers and circulation space I'll turn it over to Paul from our Health

4:24:37Department talk through a little bit about our facility and how it operates

4:24:41so based on experience with some of the previous projects assessing our ability

4:24:49to maintain operations at the site while construction occurs that was

4:24:55identified to be extremely challenging it would drag on the process of

4:25:00construction longer and likely escalate costs so with that we've looked for

4:25:06potential opportunities to relocate the shelter as construction happens so we

4:25:12have identified 1827 spring East Spring Street this is the building that is

4:25:19identified to take over as PD storage and other processing of items there are

4:25:31a number of things that need to happen at this building and it was identified

4:25:35that a side of this building would be available for a year and would work good

4:25:40for work well for shelter operations as an interim while construction happens so

4:25:47we are looking to move the 81 beds over to the spring street site as

4:25:53construction happens over the the next year or so so the team is working on

4:26:01that we've gone out we've engaged with the surrounding businesses to inform

4:26:05them and let them know about what's occurring and the clicker is no longer

4:26:17working there we go so wanted to cover a few quick shelter operation items the

4:26:29shelter is maintained by the Health Department through the homeless services

4:26:35bureau and currently we're contracting with people assisting the homeless

4:26:39otherwise known as Pat to provide services for the 81 beds there funding

4:26:45for the project is services is funded through LA County Measure 8 as well as

4:26:52the state homeless housing and assistance prevention program and we

4:26:57will be supporting along with path as the site moves over to East Spring

4:27:02Street and back to Josh so the funding summary for this project we are looking

4:27:13at a total project cost of about 8.6 million dollars the funding available

4:27:19is 8.6 million dollars including some of the funding sources that Paul had

4:27:24just mentioned our goal is if this item before you this evening passes we will

4:27:31look at contracting over the coming months we'll then be working on the

4:27:35initial upgrades that are necessarily that are necessary to inhabit 1827

4:27:41Spring Street we'll wrap those up and late 2026 and get started at 702 Anaheim

4:27:48and late 2026 early 2027 and complete by the end of 2027 that concludes the

4:27:57report and available to answer any questions we have a motion and a second

4:28:06remember yeah I I'm happy to defer speaking first to council members in

4:28:18day house I think both of us have a vested interest in this but if she wants

4:28:21to speak to the improvements of the shelter I'm willing to let her speakers

4:28:25thank you I thought that opportunity and first of all thank you staff for

4:28:34that presentation on 702 West Anaheim year-round shelter has become a critical

4:28:41asset in our fight against homelessness I was proud to support this asset when

4:28:47it first came to us alongside mayor Richardson and in partnership with our

4:28:53county supervisor Janice Hahn facility upgrades have been along a long term

4:29:01part of this project and I'm pleased to see these improvements finally coming

4:29:06through especially regarding accessibility and renovations for the

4:29:12interior restrooms and the showers these improvements will help improve the

4:29:17dignity of those seeking shelter and I am in full support of this item I also

4:29:23want to thank councilmember Kerr for doing her part to ensure to ensure no

4:29:29delays in service thank thanks to the temporary relocation of emergency

4:29:35services to 1827 East Spring Street thank you councilmember this reflects

4:29:43the council's collective commitment to the issue of homelessness and all the

4:29:50district stepping up to do their part to be part of the solution thank you

4:30:02oh can I go okay thank you sorry thank you mr. vice mayor we know that

4:30:08homelessness is a citywide concern and we all have our role to play in being

4:30:11part of the solution we know residents continue to be deeply concerned about

4:30:15this issue throughout our city when the emergency was declared in the

4:30:18property was first purchased with the assistance of the county it was noted at

4:30:23the time that improvements would be necessary to ensure full utilization and

4:30:27any expansion of the property for the health and safety of those shelters

4:30:30there so that time has come I look forward to these upgrades at 702 to

4:30:35better serve our homeless population and provide improved accommodations to

4:30:39those in need I'm also glad to see us utilizing a current underutilized city

4:30:43asset in the fifth district to be identified as that temporarily support

4:30:47operations and serve our unhoused neighbors in the interim I appreciate

4:30:51the city's team both through public works and homeless services to ensure

4:30:55our business neighbors will remain informed throughout the duration of the

4:30:58project and the temporary relocation we appreciate you meeting with them and I

4:31:03ask the team I only ask have to ask I ask the team be mindful of the timeline

4:31:06to manage this project as efficiently as possible we know that that building is

4:31:12important part of our public safety infrastructure as well and but we know

4:31:18what happens with construction but I'm really begging you to keep close eye on

4:31:21our contractors to make sure they're moving as efficiently as possible as

4:31:24well as providing contact information of those to whom people can can give

4:31:30questions in addition to our office so those are my two asks but we are happy

4:31:34to be part of the solution thank you thank you vice mayor and to my

4:31:41colleagues I want to just say as chair of the public health and housing

4:31:45committee I am delighted to see the level of cooperation and support to

4:31:50ensure that we add more beds for those who are the most vulnerable in our

4:31:55community I look forward to supporting thank you okay thank you

4:32:01customers and they're not sure you're you're you're cute here you still any

4:32:08phone to comment on this no public comment on this item okay thank you

4:32:13let's stay a toolball motion is carried thank you okay thanks

4:32:29by the 34th please I believe yes um before we read the item I do want to

4:32:37request that we're asking this item to be withdrawn and we will reschedule it

4:32:41for October 6th maybe I have 34th to me the item 34 can I have more you to

4:32:47withdraw the item please okay I'll motion a second to withdraw item 34

4:32:56danceable we do have a one public comment on this item so the public

4:33:07comment would need to be on the withdrawal and return if you want to

4:33:11another night misspent in the service of the city I guess I have to come back in

4:33:19two weeks thank you I'd bear for your patience item 35 please oh we need a

4:33:29vote on withdrawing item oh sorry motion is carried okay I think we're

4:33:41back contract now 35 report from technology and innovation recommendation

4:33:48to allocate public education and government fee revenue to two of the

4:33:52three categories of cable access providers education and government

4:33:57receiving one hundred sixty three thousand two hundred forty three

4:34:01dollars and three hundred thousand twenty six and four hundred eighty six

4:34:06dollars citywide can we have more here in a second because remember I did I

4:34:16can't find my notes it's too many papers over here but it's alright it's

4:34:20late it's late um when I originally pulled this pulled this item earlier it

4:34:27was basically for us to you know a lot of times there are things that we do

4:34:31contracts agreements right that we've always done that we continue to do but

4:34:36you know based on the the budget circumstances we're in I thought it was

4:34:39prudent to at least examine this agreement that we had going forward and

4:34:43determine if what we have done in the past was something that we continue we

4:34:47should continue to do or we should reevaluate so I'm happy to see that

4:34:50once you've done that process we have found a equitable way of utilizing those

4:34:55those dollars to support our partners across you know and our educational

4:35:00partners but also be able to use some of those funds now in-house in the city to

4:35:05address some of our technology needs obviously those of you have been at

4:35:09council meetings the last couple of weeks have seen some of our technology

4:35:11concerns one of them we look at every single day up on the screen there so I

4:35:15am happy that we'll be able to use those funds toward our plan upgrades

4:35:19technology upgrades here in the council chambers so thank you I just got a

4:35:28notification right now that the feed froze on the on the internet so does that affect us?

4:35:36okay awesome somebody over there take a look and see your tablet froze I believe

4:35:44he's saying he thinks the zoom might have frozen yeah we aren't hearing that

4:35:53the zoom is not working from staff that's still online and monitoring those

4:35:57phone calls and TI has indicated that the zoom is still functioning okay

4:36:03okay so now let's move forward because of the record you already you just spoke because of a curve

4:36:13thank you because of our curve all right any further comments? no public comment on

4:36:20this item no comments are you coming for the city council anymore no I don't think it's

4:36:27no more motion is carried thank you very much item 36 report from city attorney

4:36:40recommendation to declare ordinance to effectuate the dissolution of the board

4:36:44of examiners appeals and condemnation and assign the duties of the BEAC to the

4:36:49Planning Commission read the first time and laid over to the next regular

4:36:53meeting of the city council for final reading citywide thank you motion a

4:36:58second please thank you motion a second from customer Alan is good okay the

4:37:12seconder customer curve good any for the comment no public comment on this

4:37:20item okay total motion is carried next item please 37 report from city attorney

4:37:34recommendation to declared ordinance setting the business license tax for

4:37:38adult use cannabis retailers at 8% of gross receipts for cannabis cultivators

4:37:43at $15 per square foot under cultivation and sunsetting the pilot tax program

4:37:49for all cannabis businesses read and adopted as red citywide we're also

4:37:54requesting that a council member introduce a friendly amendments to the

4:37:59recommendation of tonight's ordinance we ask that the text declaring the

4:38:03urgency thereof to make the ordinance effective immediately as an emergency

4:38:07ordinance be removed from the recommendation because said ordinance

4:38:11was adopted last week at its and is already in effect as the friendly as

4:38:18stated by the city clerk I agree to the friendly as stated by the city clerk

4:38:24thank you okay so I want your second any further comment no public comment on

4:38:33this item you're not thinking to vote motion is carried thank you next time

4:38:48please communication from councilwoman Zendee house councilwoman Kerr

4:38:52councilmember Ricks ode recommendation to request city manager through the fire

4:38:56department and financial management department to add one hundred and thirty

4:39:00one thousand nine hundred sixty nine in ongoing structural funding to support

4:39:04the enhancement of one paramedic assessment unit consistent with the

4:39:09fire department's established PAU deployment model with deployment to the

4:39:14determined to be determined by the fire chief based on operational need system

4:39:19demand and the geographical distribution of advanced life support

4:39:23resources further expanding ALS capability and strengthening the city's

4:39:28emergency medical response system citywide thank you we have a motion of

4:39:35a second you are speaking to your motion yes thank you vice mayor emergency

4:39:43medical response services provided by the fire department has become the

4:39:48greatest need in our city that the department provides as part of the FY

4:39:5525 budget process the City Council allocated funding for six months

4:40:02per paramedic assessment unit pilot program the fire department's

4:40:07evaluation of this program demonstrated measurable operational benefits

4:40:12including improved paramedic response times and more efficient utilization of

4:40:18advanced life support transport resources the item before us points to

4:40:25more data to support this fact specific to station one the experience learned

4:40:31from the PAU pilot program also supports this enhancement to downtown

4:40:37service area especially that I as a downtown representative fully support

4:40:44the item allows for discretion description for deployment from the fire

4:40:54chief so ultimately the enhancement will also be available to support citywide

4:41:00emergencies and medical responses finally as the City Council letter

4:41:06points out this enhancement does not increase the city's structural general

4:41:11fund deficit I believe this is the best use of the limited funds to support

4:41:17public safety efforts and I ask my colleagues to support thank you thank

4:41:23you councilmember councilmember Rick Sony thank you vice mayor and thank you

4:41:27councilwoman in day house for bringing this forward I think you encapsulate it

4:41:32well I think by converting our our firefighter MIT positions on engine one

4:41:36and downtown into the fire matter firefighter paramedics positions this

4:41:40strengthens our advanced life support coverage and high-demand areas while

4:41:42preserving the fire chief's operational flexibility we already know the outcome

4:41:46we want the pilot shows it works in fiscal year 25 PAUs cut average pandemic

4:41:51arrival times by over a minute while handling a significant amount of calls

4:41:55without needing the additional ambulance transport support success is faster

4:41:59advanced care downtown better support for first responders in support of our

4:42:02use of our existing dollars because this uses available structural funding it

4:42:06does not add to our structural general fund deficit and does not require any

4:42:11new revenue or one-time funds so happy to support this improve our public

4:42:17safety and improve our response across the city because this will impact this

4:42:20will have impacts for everyone so I've urged my colleagues to join us in

4:42:25supporting this item thank you councilmember councilmember Duncan I just

4:42:34can't look at how this budget came together without believing that there

4:42:39were some political games being played we told residents that public comment

4:42:43needed to be reduced by a hundred and fifty thousand dollars so we could

4:42:47preserve Monday library hours then on adoption night with only a couple of

4:42:53hours of notice the council was asked to increase parking citation fines cannabis

4:42:58taxes this to raise millions of dollars I understand that the mayor and the

4:43:04chair of the budget oversight committee worked with staff to develop those

4:43:08restorations and one of them was for a hundred and thirty one thousand dollars

4:43:13for park supplies and equipment then two days later the mayor the mayor vetoed

4:43:22that funding and recommended using the same amount for a paramedic assessment

4:43:26unit downtown a PAU downtown was this change last minute after a month of

4:43:35budget discussions or was the parks funding added back knowing it would be

4:43:39vetoed two days later either way it looks like parks funding was used to

4:43:45change the story from cutting the fire department to investing in public safety

4:43:49these discussions these decisions were never discussed or even mentioned to the

4:43:58public most of this council and a majority of the budget oversight

4:44:01committee acknowledged that we did not know about the millions of dollars

4:44:05shifted and reappropriated on adoption night until a couple of hours before the

4:44:10vote we had no meaningful opportunity to review the changes ask questions or

4:44:15engage with our communities I just don't think this is how our budget process

4:44:20should work I support investing in the fire department having a PAU downtown

4:44:29will be great to make sure that we have better response times but I would rather

4:44:38use this money to restore public comments so residents have more time to

4:44:42call out the city when this type of thing happens yeah thank you thank you

4:44:58councilman Zendejas I'm proud to sign out to this item that will increase

4:45:03response times will decrease response times across the downtown area and

4:45:07thereby improving emergency safety response across the city thank you any

4:45:16for the comment there's no public comment on this item okay sorry by

4:45:24smear I'm trying to cue up it's not led me I just want to say I really concur

4:45:29with the comments of my colleague again the budget process is flawed I think

4:45:34there's a lot of things that we can do to fix that I do agree that I support

4:45:39this item but I don't need to say everything you just said I agree with

4:45:42everything okay thank you for comments Bob any for the coming no tenable

4:45:51motion is carried thank you next matter please have 39 report from city clerk

4:46:06recommendation to execute amendment number two to the memorandum of

4:46:09understanding between the County of Los Angeles through its Department of

4:46:12Registrar Recorder County clerk for online access to the County of Los

4:46:16Angeles voter registration election management system okay we have a motion

4:46:22a second tell some of occur happy to support the clerk's recommendation

4:46:26Senator customer and sorrow yes happy to support this any important comments

4:46:34from any comments from the point no public comment yeah I don't have any

4:46:46public comment I'm just frozen on my screen right here so apologize for that

4:46:49okay thank you motion is carried thank you okay the agenda for tonight I was

4:47:12in second general comment for the comment ticket for the comment please

4:47:24there are three speakers Gilbert why Carolyn Essex and Ruby Arrington if you

4:47:30are still in the audience please make your way to the lectern Gilbert Carolyn

4:47:36and Ruby well my favorite vice mayor and City Council and the lovely neighbors

4:48:05of Long Beach I want to personally congratulate the City Council mayor the

4:48:16city manager and staff on balancing the FY 2027 budget I don't know why I go

4:48:25through these proceedings with you all but I understand that sharing truly is

4:48:31caring so I just want to respectfully remind you that planning is continuous

4:48:38balancing the budget does not end the work I hope you remember or stick a pin

4:48:44where the most difficult choices occurred and use those listens to get

4:48:51ahead of the next budget cycle while protecting and maintaining the assets

4:48:57and essential services we already have or or I will have to fast from these

4:49:05weekly proceedings okay we saw difficult conversations around fire department

4:49:12capacity library services and public works capacity we should not wait until

4:49:19the next deficit to determine what our minimum service levels levels should be

4:49:24or what resources are necessary to maintain them councilmember Duggan my

4:49:30prayers are with you and your district the residents impacted by the recent

4:49:36weather storm the area was already compromised by you know aging and

4:49:44deterioration so please use this time to treasure hunt for the peninsula I know

4:49:53resources are out there for you and I know you do too and I know that you're

4:49:58doing everything your power to coordinate and and everyone is rooting

4:50:03for you okay in your district so I have one question for probably the city

4:50:10manager when was the last time the city conducted a comprehensive inventory and

4:50:16condition assessment of its assets including the service capacity

4:50:20associated with maintaining those assets and is that information being used to

4:50:25inform the next five-year financial forecasts also I have questions about

4:50:32many of my neighbors who seriously need information on the city's relationship

4:50:37with ice and Israel how long would you not seek a remnant remedy because I

4:50:43don't see this ending and I suggest you pull them close and have a real

4:50:47conversation because like I said I don't see this ending and I believe it's

4:50:51your responsibility to resolve it we are traumatized coming here and having

4:50:57to hear some of the things that we have to hear because there is no thank you

4:51:09for your comments next speaker Ruby I'll keep this as quick as possible but I

4:51:18want to thank each and every one of you for all of the hard work and the

4:51:22service and thank you dr. Sully so for hosting our community cleanup well on

4:51:29that note our during our community cleanup we had someone bring a deceased

4:51:35dog to our neighborhood and dump them in the alley so during our cleanup the

4:51:42residents that were cleaning up were going to get the dog but of course

4:51:46animal services had to come into place well after that cleanup we removed the

4:51:53dog the graffiti and I'm walking down the street to let the neighborhood

4:51:58laundromat know that there were group the graffiti was removed and the

4:52:04homicide detective is walking with me shoulder to shoulder and I'm looking

4:52:11and I'm going okay homicide detective so I'm on my way to the laundromat to

4:52:15let them know that the graffiti is removed and the homicide detective is

4:52:21pulling up footage well fast forward it made me decide I'm going to walk my

4:52:28neighborhood I'm gonna walk my neighborhood and I'm going to talk to

4:52:33the residents a few days later a man two days later a man in a wheelchair just

4:52:42catches me I I saw him I started speaking with him I found out that he

4:52:47was a supervisor for 30 years fell with the mattress and became homeless after

4:52:532020 so I believe in less than two weeks he's not homeless anymore I copied his

4:53:00IDs I helped him to get his IDs that he needed for his health care I found out

4:53:07what he needed he had 98 rides so he left in a red Tesla I talked to his

4:53:13doctor made his doctor get out of their doctor's appointment and help him I said

4:53:18if you don't help him today he's not going to get services he's going to stay

4:53:23homeless so this man went from a supervisor to homeless but he just sent

4:53:27me a picture on my phone I'll have to email that to you dr. surly sorrow but

4:53:33I'm realizing that too many people are not going out touching the residents I

4:53:37was brought up where you touch people you touch their hand no matter how I'm

4:53:42from the Midwest no matter how dirty it is but you touch them to feel and

4:53:47understand and fast forward I had a manager that was homeless has she is

4:53:53homeless and she has two children and she keeps going to the shelter and they

4:53:58turn her away she has video footage she's first in line it so happens that

4:54:04the homie hookup is happening at the shelter so she's turned away because

4:54:09it's like oh come on come on so and so come on so and so and she's standing

4:54:13there and she's turned away so I'm I'm just we are announcements any

4:54:30announcements go as member Kerr yes thank you mr. vice mayor I'd like to

4:54:45invite residents to join me and my team at our next district 5 community meeting

4:54:48this Thursday September 24th at 6 p.m. at the Wardlow Park Community Center

4:54:52join us to hear from LBUSD superintendent David Zayed and

4:54:57lobby Public Library director Kathy de Leon as they share their important work

4:55:00and answer community questions this Saturday September 26th I invite all

4:55:04residents to participate in the 8th annual ranchos block taking place from

4:55:088 a.m. to 12 p.m. you have an option of a 9 6 or 3 mile route along the

4:55:13historic Crest Trail that connects the city's historic ranchos Rancho Los

4:55:17Alamitos and Rancho Los Cerritos along the way you can connect with your

4:55:20neighbors and learn about local history before reaching the endpoint and the

4:55:24celebration occurring at Rancho Los Cerritos in the 5th district and then on

4:55:29September 27th you're invited to visit Willow Springs Park for their next fall

4:55:32experience their day in the park and I invite the local community in

4:55:36celebrating Oktoberfest at Steel Craft on Long Beach Boulevard for their

4:55:40three-day celebration taking place Friday September 25th September through

4:55:44the 27th find food beverages music and activities all weekend long I look

4:55:48forward to seeing you out there thank you as we close out tonight's meeting

4:55:56I just wanted to share that I had a wonderful time at the hwpl peace walk

4:56:01this past Saturday in honor of International Day of Peace it was quite

4:56:06an inspiring event that brought out neighbors and we were able to share

4:56:10connection reflection and community engagement the organizers did a

4:56:13fantastic job carrying that momentum into this week we have a few important

4:56:18activities coming up in the district and I'm hoping residents will be ready to

4:56:22engage feel free to join me tomorrow evening at about 6 p.m. at Agua way

4:56:27we'll be talking about key district priorities and hearing from local

4:56:31residents this same group will be hosting a neighborhood cleanup at 5 to

4:56:368 1 Long Beach Boulevard on Saturday October 3rd starting at 9 a.m. then this

4:56:42Thursday September 24th from 6 to 7 30 p.m. we'll be talking about as I

4:56:47mentioned earlier the Delamo Boulevard project we'll be hosting this event at

4:56:52Shear Park 4600 Long Beach Boulevard Delamo as we all know is an important

4:56:57corridor in the 8th district and we want to make sure that we learn more

4:57:01about upcoming road quality to boost pedestrian safety and expand transit

4:57:06options and I want to make sure the public knows that tomorrow or no not

4:57:11tomorrow but September 24th on Thursday is the last day for Long Beach gives

4:57:16I'm glad to have seen the team out today for Long Beach gives and all the

4:57:20many nonprofits in our city that are looking to raise funds to do all the

4:57:25great work that our city deserves don't forget and make sure you find a charity

4:57:29to support before the deadline September 24th thank you

4:57:33thank you Mr. Vice Mayor the Bluff Park Neighborhood Association

4:57:42invites you to its community meeting and social on Wednesday September 23rd

4:57:46at Bixby Park Social Hall the meeting begins at 7 p.m. and you have the

4:57:52opportunity here updates from our state senator Alina Gonzalez so hope to see

4:57:58you there thank you to everyone who's signed up for a Greenport Harbor tour

4:58:02it is now at full capacity so we look forward to seeing all the registered

4:58:08guests there on Thursday September 24th from 6 to 7 30 see you there

4:58:16thank you Vice Mayor I want to thank everyone who joined us on September 17th

4:58:21at our for our port of Long Beach tour we had a great time for more

4:58:26information you can contact my office at five six two five seven oh six one

4:58:29three seven or district night at Long Beach gov to get connected to our office

4:58:33and if I heard about future events I would like to invite everybody out to

4:58:37join the College Square Neighborhood Association meeting on Tuesday

4:58:40September 29th from 7 to 8 p.m. it will be a virtual meeting learn about updates

4:58:45in the community and share your voice on issues that matter most for more

4:58:49information please contact College Square neighborhood at gmail.com or you

4:58:54can always contact our office at district nine at Long Beach dot gov and

4:58:57lastly I would like to welcome everyone to attend the Houghton Park Neighborhood

4:59:01Association meeting on Thursday October 1st from 7 to 8 p.m. at Houghton Park

4:59:06Community Center 6301 Myrtle Avenue I actually will be the speaker and

4:59:10talking about updates in the community and in Houghton Park for more

4:59:13information please contact our office again at 5 6 2 5 7 0 6 1 3 7 or district

4:59:199 at Long Beach dot gov. Thank you. I'd want to invite all of our district 1

4:59:29residents to our Long Beach Police Department South Division commander form

4:59:34tomorrow Wednesday September 23rd from 6 p.m. to 7 30 p.m. at the LPPD

4:59:43headquarters at 400 West Broadway also I would like to invite our neighbors to

4:59:50the North Pine neighborhood Alliance for neighborhood social on Thursday

4:59:56September 24th at 6 p.m.

5:00:00I would like to introduce you to the City Council members of the City Council members of the City Council.

5:00:07You will receive a call from 8 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 600 tacos at 940 Pine Avenue.

5:00:13Also join us for the ribbon-cutting for the newly renovated Drake Park Community Center located at 951 Main Avenue, taking place Saturday, October 3rd.

5:00:22Hope to see you out in the community.

5:00:28Once again, I just wanted to invite all those interested to attend the Anaheim Street Corridor Improvement Project Community Meeting next Tuesday, September 29th, from 6 to 7 p.m. in MacArthur Park.

5:00:42We'll see you there.

5:00:44Thank you and thank you for those announcements on behalf of the City Council.

5:00:49Have a good night. The meeting is adjourned.