Neighborhoods First

Schroeder Re-Use Meeting at Buffum Elementary February 27

By webadmin | February 26, 2008

Neighborhoods first in conjunction with the neighborhoods effected hosted a community meeting Wednesday, February 27 beginning 7PM at Buffum Elementary School, 2350 Ximeno Avenue, to discuss the proposed re-use of the Schroeder Army Reserve Base as a police station and a homeless services center.

All Neighborhoods First members were encouraged to attend, as well as residents who live in the neighborhood near the intersection of Willow Street and Grand Avenue, where the Army Reserve Base is located.

Please read the articles written by Bill Pearl at LBReport.com about the meeting by clicking here and clicking here.

The Press-Telegram wrote an article about the February 27 meeting in Friday’s edition: Click Here to read the article.

Topics: Council Action, Homeless Center | 1 Comment »

City Hosts Housing Meeting February 27

By webadmin | February 26, 2008

The City of Long Beach is hosting a 2008-2014 Housing Element Community Meeting from 6:30PM to 8:30PM, February 27 at Jackie Robinson Academy, 2750 Pine Ave. Topics will include state requirements for housing plans, the city’s housing element and regional and local housing needs. Attendees are also encouraged to provide input on programs and potential locations for new housing.Some of our members will be at another meeting that night. Please click on the link below to download the Long Beach Housing Survey in either the PDF or the Word Document format. You can fill out your responses and send them to our 6th District Representative, Annie Greenfield who will be at the meeting to submit comments. Send your completed surveys to annie at Annie@LBNF.org

Housing Survey PDF Housing Survey Doc

Topics: Council Action | 1 Comment »

Long Beach Port Neighborhood Forum Feb. 13

By webadmin | February 9, 2008

The Port of Long Beach is sponsoring community outreach meetings in neighborhoods throughout the city. The meetings provide a general explanation of port operations, give information on planned port improvements and receive public comment.

The next forum will be Wednesday, February 13 at 7 p.m. at Rogers Middle School, 365 Monrovia Ave. (just off of Appian Way). Please plan on attending this event, bring your neighbors and share with the Port staff your concerns about Port pollution and what Port expansion will mean to our city.

If you are unable to attend this month’s meeting, please check your calendar and plan to make the next meeting which is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12 at 7PM at the International Elementary School, 700 Locust Avenue in Downtown Long Beach.

Spread the word. Send a strong message that we stand for cleaner air and water for our city.

Topics: Port of Long Beach | 2 Comments »

Neighborhoods First Meeting

By webadmin | February 4, 2008

Our next monthly meeting is this Wednesday, February 6 at El Torito Restaurant, 3301 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach (just north of the 405 freeway) beginning at 7PM.

This month we will hear from John Morris, owner of Smooth’s downtown and his take on the Port of Long Beach’s Community Outreach efforts.

We’ll also talk about the Schroeder Hall Reuse Plans at Willow and Grand with Paul De Jung and finish our meeting with an update on the appeal of the proposed airport parking structure.

If you are a neighborhood representative, please prepare to give us an update on your area.

We welcome new members. Tell your friends and neighbors about our Wednesday meeting. If you have any questions, please leave us a message on the NF hotline: (562) 595-8865

See you Wednesday night!

Topics: Port of Long Beach, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Neighborhoods First supports Schipske’s Proposals

By webadmin | January 22, 2008

At tonight’s City Council meeting, Gerrie Schipske is proposing that the Port pay more for its impacts to Long Beach and its residents. She wants the Council to place a measure on the June 3 ballot which would increase the Port of Long Beach’s payments to the Tidelands Trust from 10 percent to 15 percent of the Port’s profits. She also wants to get the okay from the State Legislature for the Port to transfer another 5 percent of annual profits to the city general fund to help pay for vital neighborhood services.

Another proposal by Schipske would be to increase the tax on the bunker fuel cargo companies use to pollute Long Beach’s air while powering their ships docked at port. The money raised would help pay for programs to mitigate the harmful effects of bunker fuel usage, as well as pay for health programs needed by Long Beach residents who breathe the polluted air.

Neighborhoods First supports Long Beach Council Member Shipske’s ideas to counter the ill effects of the Port of Long Beach; supports any and all potential sources of revenue that would be available for repairing city infrastructure and for public safety needs, and urges all our members to attend tonight’s meeting to show her and other council members our support.

Neighborhoods First also urges its members to call their council member and tell them they need to support the proposed ballot measure:

1st District - Bonnie Lowenthal      570-6919
2nd District - Suja Lowenthal         570-6684
3rd District - Gary DeLong             570-6300
4th District - Patrick O’Donnell      570-6918
5th District - Gerrie Schipske         570-6932
6th District - Dee Andrews              570-6816
7th District - Tonia Reyes Uranga 570-6954
8th District - Rae Gabelich               570-6685
9th District - Val Lerch                     570-6137

If you have any comments, we’d love to hear from you. Please use our comment section below to share your opinions.

Topics: Port of Long Beach, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

New Year News for January

By webadmin | January 1, 2008

Happy New Year everyone. 2008 promises to bring change to our city. Let’s work to bring change for the better.

A more immediate need is a discussion about the proposed Homeless Center in the 5th District (Press-Telegram story linked here.) What do you think? Write us and let us know!

Topics: Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Council Meeting Dec. 4 - And Another Change

By webadmin | December 3, 2007

For Council Meeting Agenda CLICK HERE.

This week’s City Council Meeting will take up one controversial item – Item 16 proposed by the Mayor that would change the notification period for Council items to 12 days.

Under the Brown Act Public Meeting Law, the City must post items for Council action in advance of its meetings. Presently, the Council agendas are prepared on the previous Thursday. Some items are sneaked in on Friday, which do not appear on the agenda until it is updated the Monday before the meeting. Loosely defined we have a four-day notice requirement that can become a one-day notice for late items.

The Mayor wants to change all that. His proposal calls for the Council to put items up for consideration 12 days in advance of the meeting. Of course there is an escape clause (there always is) that would create an “expedite” list which would include pressing matters that could not wait.

This begs the question- which items are worthy of an expedite? How does something get expedited without a vote of the Council? Who has the power to decide?

Are you in favor of the change? Do you think this is too fast, too soon after the November 20 Consent Calendar vote? Decide for yourself and bring your opinion to the City Council. The meeting begins at 5PM December 4 at City Hall: 333 W. Ocean Blvd.

Feel free to leave your comments below. We would love to hear your “two-cents”, here!

Topics: Council Action | 3 Comments »

Thanksgiving, and a New Beginning

By webadmin | November 26, 2007

We hope you had a good Thanksgiving Holiday. Family, friends and good food are very comforting at this time of year.

The Neighborhoods First website team spent this holiday weekend to change to a new format. Our front page features a blog style. Let us know what you think by clicking and submitting your comments below.

With your help, we can make Long Beach a better place!

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

City Council Meeting Tonight

By webadmin | November 20, 2007

Public comments from Long Beach residents, however inconvenient it might be to Council members, should not be restricted.

Tonight at the Long Beach City Council, Agenda Item 22 seeks to limit the way residents can request or challenge Council decisions by limiting who can pull items from something called the Consent Calendar.

Normally, non-controversial items that enjoy unanimous support are placed on the Consent Calendar for a single vote of the Council. Sometimes an item on this list is of interest to the public and as such can be removed by request from a Council member, the Mayor, or from a resident.

If Item 22 passes, residents will no longer be able to request an item be removed from the Consent Calendar. Residents will then be limited to three minutes public comment on all of the Consent Calendar. Three minutes is very convenient to our elected representatives, but may prevent us from testifying on more than one item that may be on the Consent Calendar.

In the future, if the public wants to get an item removed from the Consent Calendar, they must contact a City Council member and get the member to request it be removed– a complicated task, to be sure.

Call your Council members today and tell them that we elected them to be fair and this agenda item, if passed will take more power out of the hands of Long Beach residents. Urge them to vote NO on Item 22.

If you don’t reach your Council member today, please join us at the City Council meeting where we will voice our concerns. The meeting is at City Hall, 333 West Ocean Blvd beginning at 5PM.

Topics: Council Action | 2 Comments »

Welcome to Our New Website!

By webadmin | November 7, 2007

We are Neighborhoods First- an organization made up of Long Beach residents, business and community leaders committed to improving the quality of life for all of Long Beach. We are very concerned about what is happening to our city and feel the need to organize and advocate for more reasoned decision-making from our elected representatives.

Why Neighborhoods First?

Sound planning decisions and a commitment to Public Safety, Schools, Libraries and infrastructure improvements are all essential to our future. In addition to that we need to add a neighborhood perspective. So, we are trying something new. In the past, no citywide member organization existed to draw attention to the needs of our neighborhoods and to hold elected officials accountable. Neighborhoods First will work to advocate for the neighborhoods’ viewpoint and provide needed balance to the discussion at City Hall.
Partnership with Neighborhood Associations

Each year, we will campaign for strong pro-neighborhood issues in Long Beach. We hope to collaborate with other City, County and State organizations on issues of importance to our common community goals. Join us by CLICKING ON THIS LINK and filling out the form! Together we can work to bring a better Long Beach to our doorstep!