Measure A Recount

As the 8th district council member from 2004-2012, I remember the difficult budget times when we had to make unprecedented cuts to police, fire and other important citywide services and programs. Every department suffered. Every neighborhood suffered. There was the push to close our LB Health Department, dismiss our 100-year-old municipal band and penalize other departments with across the board cuts.

I recognized and publicly expressed my feeling that CLB did need to find another source of general fund revenue to meet the quality of life expectations of our residents. However, I also firmly believed that to get the public behind this support we should be transparent and forthright. In 2008, Measure I failed even though 52% of the voters supported it. To have a dedicated tax it has to pass by two-thirds. It would have cost property owners about $120 annually for the ability to buy bonds for infrastucture, etc. It lost. I still believe the need for another revenue stream exists.

Today, Measure A through the mayor’s many campaign mailers promised everything from added police and fire to the homeless to financing Community Hospital. Review your campaign mailers for the full list of promises. The truth is this additional revenue does not demand it be used for community services, but instead it will add to the general fund. The uses will be determined each budget cycle and will include the pension demands and current employee contracts. All quality of life projects and expenses will come after those city obligations.

That is why I joined in the recount efforts of Long Beach Reform Coalition (LBRC). Today, Dean Logan was given the opportunity to show his understanding of due process and abide by his own recount booklet issued in 2020, but he chose not to do so. LBRC was prepared to pay the full amount identified in his sanctioned booklet, but he denied that offer. So when Mr. Saltzgaver stoops to “The Opponents Stopped the Recount of Long Beach Measure” as his title in his Gazette article he is not supporting the public rights, but instead turning the story to better support the status quo. Another crazy day in Long Beach Politics.

Yes, a lawsuit is underway; the courts will eventually determine the legalities. Yet tomorrow, our own city council is being asked to support the county clerk declared outcome without reference to the recount challenge by LBRC hoping that life will go on. People will forget. And they can continue with their broken (yet supposedly justifiable) outcomes.

What can you as a Long Beach voter? Do tell all nine city council members how you feel about this process [and] stay involved!