Letters to the Editor

Auditor Fraud Alleged

A must read [Page 1]. That is why we need to vote all incumbents out and start with honest, experienced, intelligent people that are not groomed to further their personal agendas and pocketbooks.

Christine Dosland

According to Laura Doud’s own bio, “The city auditor is the watchdog” of the city’s treasury, the person who assures the citizens that their city is running efficiently and effectively. The city auditor is also the check and balance of city government.” What is not mentioned is the city auditor has immense power and operates free of scrutiny.

As a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner with a law degree, it appears Laura Doud has utilized her background to further corruption and fraud of Long Beach taxpayers for over 15 years.

Mike Ruehle

Laura Doud has been the most effective auditors Long Beach has had in decades. I am saddened by the allegations against her. It is my hope these alleged improprieties are found to be without merit.

As auditor, she has operated independent of inside Long Beach politics because that is where an auditor must position themselves in order to be effective as an elected auditor. In providing oversight of governmental operations on the behalf of the taxpayers, she inherently subjects herself to retaliation and even political reprisal.

Simply reporting the whistleblowers one-sided claims and statements from candidates running for offices leaves the accused unfairly exposed. She has earned the right to an independent and fair investiga-tion free of biased journalism trying to bake guilt into their “reporting.”

Shirley Evans

Shirley, I congratulate you on supporting her, but I cannot for the life of me believe you said that. She has taken sides in every single proposition that the mayor and the machine has put on the ballot and approved every budget including higher and higher place budgets without having the extra 200 police officers we were promised from the passage of those ballots.

She has approved all of the John Molina projects or giveaways or whatever you wanna call them. Giving him Community Hospital and then giving him a contract saying the city would give him over $30 million at the end of the first year because he couldn’t make it work. Let’s not even bring up the Queen Mary fiasco where people have already gotten arrested.

She has not been an auditor. She has been a rubber stamp to all of the machine’s desires. We have got to stop voting for our friends who are people we admire and actually look at their records.

Charles Beckman

We trust Laura Doud as city auditor to monitor the business of the city and keep it honest. This is a shock to find the misappropriation of over one million dollars.

The Queen Mary contracts and the Community Hospital $30 million gift to the operators show corruption at the highest level.

The LB Police Officers Association gives hundreds of thousands to our elected officials and the city pays our millions in brutality claims.

Let’s make the council full time so they can oversee this stuff. We need a clean sweep of the city manager and staff.

Marshall Blesofsky

Well reported. Doesn’t look good. Hopefully truth and justice will prevail. So sad to see Long Beach’s continued deterioration! They all need to be kicked out of office and replaced.

Mike Kowal

I am so sickened by this. For years I thought she was honest. Then when she crossed the line to support the mayor, in his extension-of-term-limits con, BBB and then AAA, which gutted her offices authority to audit, I knew I had been duped.

Glad this is coming to light. If ever there was a need for the FBI to get into the Long Beach franchise on corrupt practices, lying, cheating, manipulating, bribery, extortion and intimidation, now is the time.

Robert Fox

Given that the LBPOA has contributed oodles of money to Doud, and that the Police Department itself needs to be investigated and audited, I don’t see anything coming from the LBPD’s criminal investigation. This really needs to go way higher, like the FBI.

There’s a reason none of the elected officials responded to the Beachcomber’s questions, and the comment that this type of payment scheme is widespread among all elected officials is a huge red flag. All of their financial dealings must be aired.

Carlos S. Ovalle

Community Hospital

I am a resident of the East Side of Long Beach and am very upset at what has been allowed to happen to Community Hospital. To close a hospital, for whatever reason, in the middle of the worst pandemic of a lifetime is sheer stupidity.

We tax-paying citizens of the East Side are now left with no emergency or hospital services when we need them the most, and now the remaining hospitals are overburdened and struggling to provide care to patients who are waiting 12 and more hours for medical attention – if they are able to receive care at all.

While other cities have set up temporary tents to provide more care, Long Beach closes a hospital.

And guess who has to pay for this mess? The hospital, not even open a year, was handed over to inves-tors with the brilliant stipulation: if it doesn’t work out, we’ll pay you back your investment – with taxpayer money, of course. We taxpayers have to pay for a hospital we don’t have.

I implore you, mayor and City Council, to do whatever it takes to reopen Community Hospital. This will not be the last emergency situation where hospital care will be needed.

This city needs to get its priorities in order. Is it not true that the purpose of government is to protect and care for its citizens? What’s going on here?

Merry Colvin

Streets of Shame

What is happening to Long Beach streets? They seem to be getting worse. In 2017 the city’s Pavement Condition Index (PCI) reportedly was “fair” or 62; now appears it has gotten worse – 58?

Measure A was to improve the streets across the city to an average of 80. Our state and county taxes were also increased for street improvements. Meanwhile the City of Los Angeles’ street PCI is 71 and Orange County streets 81. The city is also to issue a regularly updated Pavement Management Plan, but I have not seen any.

Jim Hines

I was in the back of an ambulance traveling north on Atlantic and I thought I was on a roller coaster ride

Charles Beckman

So many times, we hear of things that go wrong. I want to report something that went right.

Last week I noticed the Long Beach Pothole Patrol on my street (Chatwin Avenue south of Wardlow Road) They were filling in potholes as the name implies.

Without any request by me they pulled up to my sidewalk and made an asphalt ramp to bridge the rise of my sidewalk due to tree roots. I had painted the area with dayglow orange paint so walkers would not trip as it was about a 3-inch step.

I hope that someone on the “crew” reads this, as not all of our thoroughfares qualify as “streets of shame.” Good job guys and thanks.

Mike Folks

An important crosstown artery of 7th Street from Atlantic to the 710 Freeway has lots of potholes and deteriorated pavement that badly needs fixing and is a community a disgrace. From Atlantic to Long Beach Boulevard has an extremely rough washboard effect for very uncomfortable riding. This is due to a defective slurry coating several years ago that was never corrected.

Our community group has repeatedly reminded and pleaded with three different councilmembers (which included Mayor Garcia during his early council years) these years, with no action or success from the councilmember or Public Works.

I appreciate all the success and undercover info that you continue to provide the local community. Hope you don’t retire for a long time as Long Beach badly needs the Beachcomber.

Don Darnauer
Senior Citizen Commissioner