Belmont Pool Rejection

Long Beach Development Services is asking the Planning Commission to recommend that the City Council approve a project which was rejected by the California Coastal Commission staff on Dec. 6.

Statements by City Manager Tom Modica and LBDS that the Belmont Plaza Pool Project has or can expect to have the approval of the staff and members of the Coastal Commission are misleading and untruthful.

In fact, all attempted revisions of a project that was appealed by two Coastal Commissioners have been considered “incomplete” and rejected by Coastal Commission staff.

Failure to report this fact does not merely put a positive spin on the matter for those boosting the pool project. It denies readers the ability to fully understand the legitimate concerns that the Coastal Commission staff expect the city to address – including the fact that sea rise will impact the current location making the pool’s foundation an illegal seawall as well as the demand that other sites be considered.

While city officials may choose to leave out this information, it is the responsibility of the press to accurately report the facts.