Bits 'n' Pieces

Fire Chief to Retire

The City of Long Beach announced the retirement of Fire Department Chief Michael A. DuRee. Since 1994, DuRee has served Long Beach in the department, starting as a firefighter, He worked his way through the ranks and has served as fire chief for the last six years. Chief DuRee was born and raised in the city and is a fourth-generation Long Beach firefighter and a fifth-generation city employee. He has served as: president of the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association, representing 31 fire departments throughout Los Angeles County; president of the California Fire Chiefs Association; and board member for the International Metro Chiefs Association.

“The city team is going to miss the chief tremendously. He is a popular figure throughout our city and really developed the culture and drove the work ethic of our amazing men and women of our Fire Department, who run toward danger every day to protect our community,” said City Manager Patrick H. West. “Though he has led so many efforts for our city, he would humbly, and proudly, tell you that it is his team that made it all happen. I thank the chief for his leadership, professionalism and for his great service to our city.”

Chief DuRee is a recognized fire service leader and has many accomplishments throughout his career, including developing key strategies that helped shape the culture and core values of the department. During his tenure in the department, DuRee: established the HEART team, which is integral to the outreach process to those in the city who are experiencing homelessness; improved the structure of the recruit selection process, leading to greater entry level diversity in the organization as well as greater levels of retention through the fire academy and probationary process; and reformed the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, adding Spanish-language and teen programs, with total community participation of over 2000 people throughout the city. He also enhanced the community services section of the department by developing and implementing a robust social media strategy.

Chief DuRee’s last day with the City will be Oct. 5, 2018. The city manager will conduct an internal recruitment for the position and announce the appointment of the next Long Beach Fire Chief prior to Chief DuRee’s departure.

3D Printing Introduced

A new collection of industrial-grade 3D printers at Long Beach State University will help students and faculty shape the futures of art, science and engineering.

“Now, you are part of the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution,” Dr. Christiane Beyer, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, said during a gathering to celebrate the arrival of the new technology to the campus.

Digitally-connected devices that compose the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles and 3D printers are among the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution, she said.

The Gerald M. Kline Innovation Space, funded by a donation from the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Student Excellence Fees, is housed within the University Library. Available technology includes 3D printers capable of processing information contained within digital design files to form, layer by layer, objects composed of plastics, carbon fiber and other materials.

“This is the future,” University Library Dean Roman Kochan said.

The Innovation Space also houses a laser-cutting system and a 3D Printer capable of forming objects composed of metal is expected to arrive in the near future.

More than 200 people, including campus President Jane Close Conoley and other leaders, attended Thursday’s celebration.

“I am so delighted to see this as yet another example of our library continually reinventing itself to better serve our students and our faculty,” Conoley said.

Romali Contract Approved

The Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees approved a new four-year contract this week for their Superintendent-President Dr. Reagan F. Romali.

“Dr. Romali’s accomplishments have been significant during the short one-year time period she has been with us at Long Beach City College,” said Board President Sunny Zia. “We are lucky to have her and are proud of the fact we were able to bring a leader with her level of knowledge and experience to our college district.”

“During the last year, Dr. Romali has dramatically decreased our budget deficit from $10.7 million to $300,000 -- without having to lay off employees or cut programs, has increased our summer enrollment, has increased our number of students graduating with honors and has significantly boosted employee morale on campus.”

The superintendent-president’s new four-year agreement, which runs through June 30, 2022, provides for an annual salary of $275,625, with a provision for annual increases consistent with the district’s other management and faculty employees. The agreement also provides health and welfare benefits, a $500,000 life insurance policy and several fringe benefits including mileage reimbursement and the payment of up to $7,500 for job-related expenses.

Prior to her arrival at LBCC last year, Dr. Romali served as president of Harry S. Truman College in Chicago where she led a team that more than doubled the college’s number of associate degrees awarded and almost tripled its number of certificates awarded. Prior to her service at Truman College, she served as vice president of business services at Moreno Valley College in California and as vice president of administrative services at Los Angeles City College.

International Guests

Goodwill Serving the People of Southern Los Angeles County (Goodwill SOLAC) hosted international guests on Wednesday, August 22 and Thursday, August 24, 2018. The delegation from Goodwill Korea spent the two days visiting store fronts, meeting with students and supported-employment work sites around the Southern Los Angeles County area. Goodwill Korea’s visit to Long Beach is part of an on-going effort to learn more about hiring people with disabilities in its retail stores and the larger community.

Janet McCarthy, president & CEO of Goodwill SOLAC said the visit provides an opportunity for the two organizations to learn from each other. “It’s always good to get a perspective outside of what we’re used to, particularly internationally and now we have some new friends halfway across the world”.

The information gathered by the delegation is expected to be shared with the Korean network aimed at raising awareness about disability rights in South Korea.

Disaster Relief Fund

The City of Long Beach and the Long Beach Community Foundation has announced the establishment of a disaster relief fund. The Long Beach Disaster Relief Fund will provide funding to organizations that offer relief to Long Beach residents in need of supportive services in the event of a disaster or major emergency.

Through a memorandum of understanding with the city, the foundation will administer the relief fund, allowing residents and businesses the opportunity to make donations to the fund on a year-round basis.

Approved nonprofit organizations and educational institutions may be eligible for reimbursement of certain services provided to Long Beach residents to reduce economic hardships resulting from natural and man-made disasters. In the case of a disaster or emergency, the City of Long Beach will be working closely with the foundation to identify impacted areas and the Foundation will be responsible for the administration of the Disaster Relief Fund to organizations and institutions within the identified impacted area who have provided assistance.

At the national level, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) exists for the purpose of helping people before, during and after disasters. The Agency has an overall responsibility for assisting residents and businesses nationwide with declared disaster-related losses. Similarly, the California of Office Emergency Services (Cal OES) was established to help coordinate aid to those impacted by disasters within the State of California.

The public can call the Foundation at (562) 435-9033 or visit www.longbeachdf.org to donate or learn more about the disaster relief fund.

For additional information on disaster preparedness topics, those interested are welcome to visit www.longbeach.gov/DisasterPreparedness and stay tuned to disaster preparedness news and information by following @LongBeachReady on Twitter and “Like” @LongBeachDisasterPreparedness on Facebook.

DLBA Promotes Metoyer

The Downtown Long Beach Alliance (DLBA) has named Austin Metoyer as its economic development and policy manager in an announcement made today by President and CEO Kraig Kojian.

Metoyer has been part of the DLBA team since February 2016 serving as its research and policy manager. During his tenure, Metoyer enhanced data collection with critical analysis leading to advocacy positions taken by the organization on such issues as minimum wage, housing and density. Metoyer also produced sector-specific information on the downtown retail, office and housing markets, which are published in DLBA’s quarterly report, Snapshot, and with more expansive data in its annual publication, Downtown Economic Profile.

“Austin has demonstrated great leadership and initiative and has proven his capabilities by his involvement in all aspects of the organization including conducting research, forming advocacy and building community coalitions, to recommending public policy initiatives and analyzing budgets,” said Kojian. “His contributions to our team have been invaluable, and I’m proud that he’s well-prepared, willing and extremely qualified to assume the roles and responsibilities associated with this expanded position.”

In his new role and broadened capacity, Metoyer also assumes the responsibilities related to serving as a liaison for downtown investors, developers, businesses and brokers through the recruitment, retention, planning and entitlement processes. DLBA’s economic development endeavors have expanded to include re-engaging a strong partnership with CSULB and overseeing projects such as the entrepreneur education series, small business grants, Woman-Owned Business Accelerator program and other projects to help foster Downtown’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Electric Scooter Rules

As many residents have noticed, the City of Long Beach has launched an electric scooter (e-scooter) pilot program, providing the city’s residents and visitors with even more shared mobility options. In light of this launch, the city reminds e-scooter users of the rules and regulations by which they must abide.

“Long Beach has been a proactive leader in active transportation, and this e-scooter pilot program is a part of the city’s multi-modal efforts,” said City Manager Patrick H. West. “By carefully initiating a pilot program where we can learn and observe what works, Long Beach has avoided what other cities have experienced where large numbers of scooters have been dropped into a community with no structured program regulation or permits.”

Only riders 18 years of age or older can utilize e-scooter sharing platforms, and they must comply with the following sections of the California Vehicle Code (CVC) and Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC):

• E-scooters must be parked upright in a position so that they do not block pedestrian traffic on sidewalks, bikeways or paths
• All riders must wear helmets, regardless of age. Riders can request a free helmet from each operator.
• E-scooters cannot be ridden on the sidewalk anywhere in Long Beach.
• When there is a bike lane present, scooters must ride within that lane.
• E-scooter riders cannot ride on private property.

The pilot program, which began August 1 and runs through Oct. 31, permits six operators to each deploy 150 e-scooters, citywide. To date, three of the six operators have launched their program. By providing an additional “green” transportation option, the goal of the city’s e-scooter pilot program is to reduce the number of short, single-occupancy car trips in Long Beach.

To learn more about the city’s e-scooter pilot program, the public can visit www.longbeach.gov/pw. For any questions or concerns, the community can reach a dedicated customer service hotline at (562) 908-3516 or by sending an email to LongBeachCallCenter@willdan.com.

Holiday Closures

City of Long Beach offices and services will adhere to the following schedule on Monday, Sept. 3, 2018. City Hall re-opens on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

Closed on Monday, Sept. 3:

• Animal Care Services and spcaLA (Animal Control Officers are available to respond to calls for service)
• Career Transition Center
• Center for Working Families
• City Hall
• Citizen Police Complaint Commission
• Code Enforcement services
• El Dorado Nature Center
• Fire Headquarters, Support Services, Fire Prevention, & Operations, including Marine Safety Administration
• Health Department and Health facilities
• Housing Authority
• Libraries
• Neighborhood Resource Center
• Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Center
• Park offices and community park facilities
• Police administration
• Street Sweeping
• Swimming pools
• Towing and Lien Sales
• Water Department (Water or Sewer Emergencies: 562/570-2390)

Open on Monday, Sept. 3:

• Fire Stations and Lifeguard Stations
• El Dorado Regional Park
• Main Police Station Front Desk
• Marina offices (Alamitos Bay Marina, Shoreline Marina, Rainbow Harbor)
• Refuse and Recycling Collection
• Gas Services Dispatch is open 24/7 for emergency calls 562/570-2140

Street Sweeping

There will be no scheduled street sweeping or enforcement of street sweeping violations on Monday, Sept. 3. Street sweeping will resume its regular schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

Parking Enforcement

Read your parking meter: Parking meters will be enforced on Monday, Sept. 3 unless the meter states “Exempt on Holidays.” The days and hours of enforcement are displayed inside the meters. Red, white and blue curbs are always enforced, even on holidays.

Refuse/Recycling

Trash and Recycling will be collected as scheduled on Monday, Sept. 3.

Towing and Lien Sales

The Towing Operations & Vehicle Storage Facility that is located at 3111 E. Willow St. between Temple Avenue and Redondo Avenue will be closed on Monday, Sept. 3. Normal business hours are:

• Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Closed Sunday and Holidays.

Vehicles and property are available for release outside of the hours listed above for an additional fee. More information can be found online.

Libraries

All Long Beach Public Libraries will be closed Saturday, Sept. 1 thru Sunday, Sept. 2, for the observance of Labor Day. All Libraries are closed on Mondays, per their normal schedule and will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 4. (The library catalog, downloads and databases are available 24/7.)

Questions can be directed to Kevin Lee, public affairs officer by calling (562) 570-6811 or emailing Kevin.Lee@longbeach.gov.