* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:04:41] IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ITEMS NOT LISTED ON THE AGENDA, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE. IF DIALING IN, PLEASE PRESS STAR NINE. NOW. FIRST PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED TO A TOTAL OF 10 SPEAKERS, COMBINING BOTH IN PERSON AND ZOOM PARTICIPANTS. [00:19:45] IF [00:19:45] THERE [00:19:45] ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN ZOOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR, ITEMS ON THE AGENDA OR SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FEATURE. IF DIALING IN, PLEASE PRESS STAR NINE NOW. [00:20:38] OKAY. THANKS [CALL TO ORDER] FOR JOINING US FOLKS. WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND KICK OFF THE MEETING OF THE LONG BEACH CITY COUNCIL ROLL CALL PLEASE. [ROLL CALL] COUNCILWOMAN PRESENT. COUNCILWOMAN ELLEN. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN. HERE. COUNCILMAN SUBINA? HERE. COUNCILWOMAN KERR. PRESENT COUNCILWOMAN SORROW. PRESENT. VICE MAYOR ANG PRESENT. COUNCILWOMAN THRESH EC. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER RICK SODI. HERE. MAYOR RICHARDSON. HERE WE HAVE A QUORUM. ALL RIGHT. AND COUNCIL MEMBERS IN DEJAS IS, UH, REMOTE FROM, UH, MICHIGAN, AND THIS IS A MEETING AND A SPECIAL MEETING. TOM, YOU WANNA WALK US THROUGH WHY WE'RE DOING? WE HAVE BOTH. YES. UM, SO WE HAD ORIGINALLY SLATED TO HAVE, UH, POLICE AND FIRE AND DISPATCH, UH, TODAY. UH, BUT UH, SUNDAY NIGHT SOMETHING CAME UP THAT, UH, UH, PRECLUDED THE POLICE CHIEF FROM BEING ABLE TO BE HERE. SO IN DEFERENCE TO THAT, WE'LL MOVE THAT BACK, UM, ABOUT A WEEK AND WE'LL MOVE UP, UM, HUMAN RESOURCES. SO, UH, WE MADE THAT SWAP AND, UH, HUMAN RESOURCES IS READY TO GO TODAY AND IT'LL SERVE CONCURRENTLY IN A SPECIAL MEETING FOR BROWN ACT PURPOSES. GREAT. FANTASTIC. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER KURT, TO LEAD [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] US IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US TONIGHT, BOTH IN PERSON AND ONLINE. I'LL ASK THAT YOU JOIN ME FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE. THANK YOU. PLEASE STAND IF YOU'RE ABLE AND JOIN US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. LET'S BEGIN. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UH, WE HAVE NO PRESENTATIONS THIS EVENING. UH, LET'S HAVE A REPORT OUT FROM CLOSED SESSION, PLEASE. YES, THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, THERE IS A REPORT OUT CITY COUNCIL HAS SETTLED THE MATTER OF JONATHAN MIHA VERSUS CITY OF LONG BEACH. CASE NUMBER 25 24 STCV 0 8 1, UH, 8 506 IN THE AMOUNT OF $100,165,000. THE VOTE TO APPROVE WAS SIX ZERO COUNCIL MEMBERS, ZENDEJAS, DUGGAN AND SORROW WERE NOT PRESENT. IT DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE VOTE. THANK YOU. THAT IS ALL. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. I THINK, IS THAT CORRECT? I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN WAS IN THERE. NO. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. UH, WE'RE NOW GO TO, UH, WE'LL OPEN UP OUR CONTINUED BUDGET HEARING, SO WE'RE GONNA PASS IT TO OUR CITY MANAGER. NO, ACTUALLY, LET'S KNOCK OUT CONSENT CALENDAR. GET THAT OUT OF THE WAY. [CONSENT CALENDAR (1. – 10.)] CONSENT CALENDAR. IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT? THERE IS PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT. UM, AND WE'RE GONNA DO A VERBAL MOTION AND SECOND AND A ROLL CALL VOTE. ALL RIGHT. WE NEED A MOTION. AND SECOND VER OKAY. CD FIVE AND SECOND. SECOND WAS CD NINE, CORRECT. CD EIGHT. CD EIGHT. PUBLIC COMMENT. I WILL READ THE NAMES OF INDIVI INDIVIDUALS WHO'VE REQUESTED TO SPEAK. PLEASE FORGIVE ME IN ADVANCE IF I MISPRONOUNCE YOUR NAME. WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED. PLEASE COME FORWARD AND LINE UP TO THE PODIUM. IF JOINING VIA ZOOM, PLEASE USE THE RAISE HAND FUNCTION. IF DIALING IN, DIAL STAR NINE FOR PARTICIPANTS IN ZOOM. WHEN IT'S YOUR TURN TO SPEAK, WE WILL CALL YOUR NAME. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF, THE FIRST SPEAKER, FB GRAY AND ELLIE. HELLO AGAIN. UM, I'M SPEAKING ON ITEM, UH, SIX ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR THAT YOU CONSOLIDATED WITHOUT ANY TRANSPARENCY TO THE PUBLIC OF WHAT EXACTLY YOU'RE DOING. ONCE AGAIN, UM, IT BRINGS ME NO JOY TO COME HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE DOING YOUR JOB BECAUSE YOU NEVER DO. UM, AND YOU SHOVE THIS AGENDA, ITEMS AND CONSENT CALENDARS DOWN [00:25:01] OUR THROATS. I HAVE A FEELING YOU'RE GONNA TELL ME TO STAY ON TOPIC, NOT LIKE YOU DO ANYONE ELSE, UM, LEXINEXIS. IT'S THE, THE RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER TOM MOCA OR DE, UH, DESIGNEE TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT AND ANY NECESSARY DOCUMENTS AND INCLUDING ANY NECESSARY SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS WITH LEXINEXIS RISK SOLUTIONS. FLORIDA, INC. LEXINEXIS, AGAIN, COUNSEL, WE TELL YOU THIS ALL THE TIME, HAS TIES TO DHS AND ICE, THE SAME AGENCIES THAT ARE KIDNAPPING AND KILLING OUR NEIGHBORS AND OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY. WHY IS THIS EVEN IN HERE? WHY AM I OUTRAGED? AND YOU ARE NOT. WHY IS IT IN HERE? UM, ALSO, LEXINEXIS HAS TIES TO ISRAEL THAT'S CURRENTLY COMMITTING A GENOCIDE. UH, THIS, THEY HAVE CORPORATE TIES AND COMMERCIAL TIES IN ISRAEL. NOT ONLY ARE YOU BRINGING THIS B******T COMPANY TO EXTEND THE CONTRACTS, NOT JUST WITH THIS ONE, UM, GOVERNMENT INC. UH, ALL THESE CONNECTIONS WITH DHS AND ICE AND THE CURRENT TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, ONE CAN KIND OF COME TO A CONCLUSION AND SAY, WELL, YOU GUYS ARE JUST BASICALLY HELPING THEM. SHAME ON YOU. SHAME FREE PALESTINE, F**K ICE, F**K ALL OF YOU FOR NOT DOING YOUR JOBS PROPERLY AND PROTECTING US. PROTECT BLACK WORKERS. I DON'T KNOW IF I SAID FREE PALESTINE AGAIN, BUT IT DEFINITELY DESERVES IT. SHAME ON YOU. PIECES OF S**T. GREAT. YEAH. FREE PALESTINE FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA PALESTINE WILL BE FREE. LEXUS NEXUS IS A COMPANY THAT SIGNED A CONTRACT TO SELL INFORMATION TO ICE NEED. I SAY MORE, BUT I GUESS I WILL. UH, YOU GAVE OUR MONEY TO A CORPORATION THAT COLLABORATES WITH AND ENABLES ICE, AND NOW YOU NEED TO DISCUSS WHAT EXACTLY TO DO WITH THAT MONEY. AGAIN, ICE IS AN ENTITY THAT KIDNAPS OUR NEIGHBORS. YOU LET THEM RAVAGE OUR CITY. WHY DO WE WANNA WORK? WHY DO WE WANNA GIVE MORE OF OUR TAXPAYER MONEY TO THIS F*****G COMPANY? UH, YOU KNOW, WOMEN AT THE BRA, BRAZIL, SOUTH LOUISIANA ICE DETENTION FACILITY HAVE BEGUN RIOTING BECAUSE ICE AGENTS TOOK A WOMAN NAMED DANA FROM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT. THEY JUST TOOK HER AND WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE DOING INSIDE THESE CONCENTRATION CAMPS. RAPING, KILLING, TORTURING. AND I DO NOT SAY THESE THINGS LIGHTLY. I DON'T WANT TO BE SAYING THESE THINGS AT ALL, BUT PEOPLE ARE GONNA GET UPSET AND TRIGGERED BY THE WORDS I'M USING. AND THAT DOES MAKE ME SAD. I'M NOT TRYING TO HURT ANYONE, BUT I NEED YOU ALL TO UNDERSTAND HOW SERIOUS THIS S**T REALLY IS. AND EVERY TIME YOU GIVE OUR MONEY TO THESE PEOPLE, THESE PEOPLE THAT, AGAIN, WHAT ARE THEY DOING IN THERE? THESE ARE CONCENTRATION CAMPS. SO WHY DOES OUR TAXPAYER MONEY KEEP GOING TO THESE CORPORATIONS THAT ARE ENABLING AND FUNDING ICE? YOU KNOW, ALL THIS, UH, MISSING MONEY FROM THE BUDGET IS PROBABLY BECAUSE, UM, IMMIGRANTS CONTRIBUTE A LOT IN GENERAL, AND ESPECIALLY TO THIS CITY. SO I KNOW THAT THE BUDGET IS COMING UP A LOT TONIGHT. DO YOU THINK MAYBE THAT'S WHY THERE'S SO MUCH MISSING REVENUE IS BECAUSE YOU LET ICE RAVAGE THE F*****G STREETS AND THEN NOW YOU WANNA GIVE OUR MONEY TO THE VERY POLICE OFFICERS THAT RAN SECURITY FOR THEM? THAT MIGHT BE KIND OF A PROBLEM, RIGHT? BECAUSE, UH, IMMIGRANTS DO PAY TAXES AND SO DO WE. SO YEAH, WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT ALL THE POLICE THAT WERE STATIONED OUTSIDE OF HOTELS, MAKING SURE THAT ALL THEIR ICE BUDDIES GOT A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP, SO, YOU KNOW, THEY COULD SPEND ANOTHER DAY BEING WELL RESTED AND PILLAGING THROUGH OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. AGAIN, TAKING PEOPLE THAT WE KNOW AND LOVE TAKING PEOPLE, SCARING CHILDREN. YOU GUYS SAY YOU CARE ABOUT THE CHILDREN, RIGHT? THAT'S LIKE, THAT'S A BIG THING THAT LIKE, SEEMS TO COME UP A LOT OF THESE MEETINGS. YOU CARE ABOUT THE CHILDREN. SO WHY DO WE HAVE TO SIT UP HERE AND TELL YOU WHY YOU SHOULD NOT BE USING OUR TAXPAYER MONEY ON THESE COMPANIES? LIKE YOU GUYS CARE, RIGHT? AT LEAST A LITTLE, MAYBE SOMEWHERE INSIDE OF YOU, LIKE A LONG TIME AGO. YEAH, I KNOW WE'RE UNPREPARED. WE HAD LIKE A LOT OF COMMENTS TO GO THROUGH, SO THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THAT WE CAN MAKE OURSELF HEARD. SO F**K ICE, F**K LEXUS NEXUS, F**K ISRAEL AND FREE PALESTINE. HELLO. UM, JUST, UH, MOSTLY ECHOING, UM, WHAT MY, MY FELLOW COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE SAID BEFORE. I THINK THIS, UH, THIS DECISION MAKE A CONTRACT WITH LEXINEXIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE DECISION CONSIDERING THEIR, [00:30:01] THEIR CONTINUED COLLABORATION WITH ICE AND DHS, THEIR SELLING OF DATA TO THESE AGENCIES AND WHO KNOWS WHO ELSE. LIKE, THERE'S, THERE'S SO MUCH TALK OF DATA SECURITY GOING ON THESE DAYS. LIKE HOW, HOW CAN WE SECURE OUR DATA? HOW CAN WE KEEP OUR DATA FROM BEING BREACHED? AND THE ONLY SOLUTION THAT ANYONE'S HAS SEEMED TO FIND IS TO JUST NOT BE GIVING OUR DATA TO THESE COMPANIES WHO GIVE IT OUT SO FREELY. DON'T, DON'T GIVE IT TO THEM AND LIKE HO HOPE THAT THEY DO GOOD THINGS. AND THEN JUST DON'T, DON'T GIVE THEM, DON'T GIVE THEM OUR RESIDENTS DATA. IT SAYS THE AGENDA ITEM SAYS THAT THE INVESTIGATIVE SOFTWARE PLATFORM, UH, ACCRUENT FOR GOVERNMENT IS FOR USE IN CONDUCTING PROGRAM PARTICIPANT AND PROPERTY VERIFICATION SERVICES. UM, VERY VAGUE LANGUAGE IN THE AGENDA ITEM. I KNOW YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO RIGHT NOW, BUT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE, I'M SURE EVERYONE HERE AND ALL THE RESIDENTS WOULD, WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE A LITTLE BIT MORE DIRECT LANGUAGE ON WHAT THE MONEY IS ACTUALLY BEING USED FOR WHEN THESE KINDS OF CONTRACTS ARE BEING MADE WITH OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS. UM, YEAH, IF, IF WE'RE OVER BUDGET, WE, WE KEEP HEARING THAT WE'RE OVER BUDGET AND WE NEED TO MAKE CUTS. I KNOW THIS IS NOT THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR, BUT IT SAYS AN ANNUAL AMOUNT WITHIN THE AGENDA ITEM, WHICH SEEMS TO IMPLY THAT THIS IS GONNA BE A RECURRING THING. AND IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PLACES WHERE WE NEED TO MAKE CUTS TO THE BUDGET, GIVING MONEY TO A COMPANY THAT'S GONNA TAKE OUR RESIDENTS DATA AND THE CITY HAVING NO WAY OF SAFEGUARDING THAT DATA, UH, FROM FALLING INTO THE HANDS OF ICE AND DHS AND PUTTING OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN DANGER. UM, YEAH. CUT. CUTTING THAT CONTRACT SEEMS TO BE A PRETTY CLEAR WAY FOR THE CITY TO SAVE MONEY. SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. PUBLIC COMMENT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. NOW WE'RE GOING INTO OUR SPECIAL MEETING BUDGET HEARING ON HUMAN RESOURCES DEPART. WE'RE GONNA TAKE A MAYOR RICHARDSON, CAN WE TAKE A VOTE ON CONSENT? OH, YES, PLEASE VOTE. OKAY. DISTRICT ONE? AYE. DISTRICT TWO AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR, AYE. DISTRICT FIVE. AYE. DISTRICT SIX. AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT, AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NOW WE'RE IN BUDGET TIME, SO LET'S, UH, BEGIN CON, UH, BUDGET HEARING ONE HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT FROM FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION TO CONDUCT A BUDGET HEARING TO RECEIVE AND DISCUSS AN OVERVIEW OF THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT CITYWIDE. THANK YOU. UH, I WILL INTRODUCE BRYCE TYLER, OUR DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND HIS TEAM, UH, TO GIVE THE PRESENTATION. THANKS TOM. UH, GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. I'M JOINED HERE TONIGHT BY, UH, WITH SARAH GREEN, OUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT AN OVERVIEW OF THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT'S FISCAL YEAR 27 PROPOSED BUDGET DURING THIS PRESENTATION. UM, SORRY, CAN I GET A MOTION AND A SECOND PLEASE? MOTION. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. DURING THIS PRESENTATION, I'LL PROVIDE A SUMMARY OF THE KEY SERVICES HR PROVIDES HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR AND OUR FOCUS MOVING FORWARD AS WE PREPARE FOR FISCAL YEAR 27. BEFORE I BEGIN, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR COLLEAGUES FROM ALL DEPARTMENTS FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION. I ALSO WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE MY TEAM. THE HR DEPARTMENT IS COMPRISED OF DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO PUBLIC SERVICE. THE HR TEAM WORKS TOGETHER EACH DAY TO DELIVER THE BEST EXPERIENCE FOR OUR CITY EMPLOYEES, DEPARTMENTS, AND THE COMMUNITY. I'M TRULY PROUD TO WORK ALONGSIDE THIS TEAM OF HR PROFESSIONALS, AND I WANT TO THANK EACH OF THEM DIRECTLY FOR ALL THEY DO. AS ONE OF THREE INTERNAL SERVICE DEPARTMENTS FOR THE CITY, HR DELIVERS SEVERAL CORE SERVICES TO EMPLOYEES, DEPARTMENTS, AND THE COMMUNITY. ONE OF MY GOALS FOR HR IS TO CONTINUE BEING A TRUSTED BUSINESS PARTNER WITH ALL OF OUR CUSTOMER DEPARTMENTS SO THAT THEY MAY CONTINUE DELIVERING THEIR SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY. SOME OF THE CORE SERVICES WE PROVIDE ARE ASSISTING DEPARTMENTS IN THE RECRUITMENT, HIRING, AND RETENTION OF HIGHLY SKILLED WORKFORCE. THIS INCLUDES INVESTING IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF EMPLOYEES AND CREATING A WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT RESPECTS ALL EMPLOYEES, PROTECTING CITY ASSETS AND SUSTAINING RESOURCES BY IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE RISK [00:35:01] MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, ASSESSING AND IMPROVING, IMPROVING HR PROCESSES BY STAYING UP TO DATE WITH INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES AND EVOLVING TRENDS IN MERIT-BASED SYSTEMS, AND FOSTERING POSITIVE LABOR RELATIONS WITH OUR LABOR PARTNERS AND DEPARTMENTAL MANAGEMENT. NOW I'D LIKE TO SHARE SOME OF OUR HIGHLIGHTS. AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, ON MAY 6TH, 2025, WE OFFICIALLY COMPLETED THE MERGER OF THE FORMAL CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND HR INTO A NEW UNIFIED DEPARTMENT. SINCE THAT TIME, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF PROGRESS MADE ON IMPLEMENTING THE GOALS OF MEASURE JB. ONE OF THESE GOALS WAS TO CREATE A FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT HIRING PROCESS. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS SLIDE, IT USED TO TAKE SEVEN MONTHS OR LONGER TO FILL A CLASSIFIED VACANCY WITH SOME POSITIONS TAKING AS LONG AS TWO YEARS AS OF MARCH 23RD, 2026. THE AVERAGE TIME TO HIRE FOR CLASSIFIED POSITIONS IS 90 POINT, UH, TWO NINE BUSINESS DAYS. THIS IS A RESULT OF STREAMLINED RECRUITMENT ACTIONS AND MORE EFFICIENT PARTNERSHIPS WITH CUSTOMER DEPARTMENTS. ANOTHER POSITIVE RESULT FROM THE MERGER WAS THE REVAMPING OF THE CITY JOB REQUISITION, UH, WORKFLOW AND APPROVAL PROCESS. IN THE PAST, CLASSIFIED REQUISITIONS HAD AN AVERAGE APPROVAL TIME OF 20.61 DAYS, AND UNCLASSIFIED REQUI REQUISITIONS HAD AN AVERAGE APPROVAL TIME OF 19.32 DAYS FOR COMBINED AVERAGE OF APPROXIMATELY 21 DAYS. SINCE MARCH, 2026, WE HAVE SEEN A REDUCTION OF OVER 50% ON HIRING APPROVAL TIME WITH CLASSIFIED REQUISITIONS NOW AVERAGING 7.8 DAYS AND UNCLASSIFIED, UH, REQUISITIONS AVERAGING 9.7 DAYS FOR APPROVAL. SO THIS SLIDE CONTINUES TO SHOW SOME ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS. UH, A FEW TO POINT OUT INCLUDE THE STANDARDIZATION AND MODERNIZATION OF RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESSES. THIS INCLUDES REDUCING RECRUITMENT BACKLOGS. AT THE TIME WE MERGED, WE HAD A TOTAL OF 77 BACKLOGGED RECRUITMENTS. THOSE WERE RECRUITMENTS THAT HAD NOT YET BEEN STARTED. SINCE THAT TIME, WE HAVE COMPLETED 56 OF THESE BACKLOG RECRUITMENTS, OR ROUGHLY 73% WHILE WE CONCURRENTLY, UH, PROCESS NEW, UH, RECRUITMENT REQUESTS THAT COME IN AND WE CONTINUE WORKING ON, UH, COMPLETING THE REMAINING BACKLOG. WHILE, UH, COMPLETING THOSE NEW RECRUITMENTS, THE ELIMINATION OF DUPLICATIVE SYSTEMS PROCESSES TO HELP IMPROVE TRANSPARENCY, WE'VE ALSO, UM, UH, WE'RE SUPPORTING THE CREATION. WE SUPPORTED THE CREATION OF THE NEW CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND APPEALS COMMISSION, WHICH IS NOW ABLE TO FOCUS ON DISCIPLINARY HEARINGS AND APPEALS LEAVE MANAGEMENT PROCESS IMPROVEMENT, UH, FOCUS ON HELPING EMPLOYEES RECOVER AND RETURN TO WORK, AND CONTINUED PROGRESS TOWARDS COMPLETING THE DIGITIZATION OF PERSONNEL FILES PROJECT. THIS IS AIMED AT GIVE EMPLOYEES DIRECT ACCESS TO THEIR EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION. WHILE THERE'S STILL WORK TO BE DONE, THE PROGRESS BEING MADE IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND WILL RESULT IN MORE EFFICIENT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES FOR ALL WE SERVE. LOOKING FORWARD TO FISCAL YEAR 27, HR WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING SERVICE DELIVERY AND STREAMLINING BUSINESS PROCESSES TO BETTER SUPPORT CITY EMPLOYEES AND DEPARTMENTS. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY CONTINUING TO MEET THE GOALS OF MEASURE JB, INCLUDING EXPANDING THE USE OF LOCAL HIRING PREFERENCE POINTS IN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS. ENHANCED OUTREACH, UH, EFFORTS TO PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY WHICH HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED, INCREASED EMPLOYEE RETENTION BY STRENGTHENING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYEES, MODERNIZING PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS FOR BETTER INTEGRATION AND REDUCTION OF MANUAL PROCESSES, THE DELIVERY OF ACCURATE, RESPONSIVE, AND EQUITABLE SERVICE SERVICES IN ALL OPERATIONAL AREAS OF HR. SO FOR FISCAL YEAR 27, UM, I'M GONNA HIGHLIGHT SOME OF OUR PROPOSED REDUCTIONS. THE BUDGET PROCESS REQUIRED US TO TAKE A DEEP DIVE IN REVIEWING OUR CURRENT OPERATIONS, UH, TO FIND OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPLEMENT EFFICIENCIES. THE MERGER WITH THE FORMER CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT CREATED OPPORTUNITIES TO ASSESS OUR ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE TO ENSURE EACH BUREAU AND DIVISION, UM, IS ALIGNED WITH ITS FUNCTIONAL PURPOSE. THE PROPOSED REDUCTIONS REFLECTED IN THIS SLIDE ARE A VACANT POSITIONS. WHILE WE WILL NEED TO ADAPT AND REDUCE OR REDISTRIBUTE WORK AS APPROPRIATE TO MINIMIZE OPERATIONAL IMPACTS, WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO ENSURING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IS NOT NEGATIVELY AFFECTED. THE OPERATIONAL IMPACTS FROM THE ELIMINATION OF THESE POSITIONS MAY INCLUDE REDUCED CAPACITY FOR CITYWIDE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, SUPPORT SERVICES, AND POTENTIAL DELAYS IN INTERNAL PROCESSES. THIS WILL REQUIRE GREATER COLLABORATION WITH DEPARTMENTS TO DELIVER, TO DELIVER THESE SERVICES. OUR DEPARTMENT IS CURRENTLY EVALUATING EXISTING WORKFLOWS AND CAPACITY TO RED REDISTRIBUTE THE WORK WHERE [00:40:01] MOST APPROPRIATE. SO I WANNA COVER SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AND SERVICE IMPACTS. HR PROVIDES SEVERAL CITYWIDE SUPPORT SERVICES AND THOSE COSTS. SOME OF THOSE COSTS ARE INCLUDED AS PART OF OUR OPERATIONAL BUDGET. A FEW SERVICES TO HIGHLIGHT ARE, UM, OPERATING OUR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH CLINIC, AND THIS PROVIDES SEVERAL SERVICES TO EMPLOYEES AND CANDIDATES DURING THE PRE-EMPLOYMENT PROCESS. THE PURPOSE OF THESE, UH, SERVICES TO ASSIST EMPLOYEES IN STAYING HEALTHY, SAFE, AND TO RECEIVE TIMELY CARE AS NEEDED DURING THEIR CAREERS. WITH THE CITY WORKERS' COMPENSATION INFRASTRUCTURE, THIS MANAGES VERY COMPLEX CASES AND LOOKS FOR WAYS TO REDUCE RISK AND LIABILITY. OUR CITYWIDE ERGONOMIC ASSESSMENTS, THIS IS LED BY OUR CITYWIDE SAFETY TEAM, AND THESE ASSESSMENTS ARE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES TO IDENTIFY AND REDUCE POTENTIAL WORKPLACE RELATED INJURIES. OUR TALENT ACQUISITION WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE, THESE SYSTEMS ARE, UM, WHICH ARE USED FOR APPLICANT TRACKING AND MANAGING THE STEPS OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS AND OUR ANNUAL INSURANCE RENEWAL COSTS. THESE COSTS ARE FOR, UM, GETTING INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR THE VARIOUS LINES OF INSURANCE. WE NEED TO OPERATE A FULL SERVICE CITY. SO SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES IN FRONT OF US AS WE, UM, MOVE FORWARD INTO FISCAL YEAR 27. EARLIER I DISCUSSED SOME OF THE REDUCTIONS WITHIN OUR, UH, PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET. I ALSO WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO DISCUSS A FEW OF THE PROPOSED ADDITIONS. THESE ENHANCEMENTS WILL ASSIST IN PROACTIVELY MANAGING EMPLOYEE LEAVES AND ADDRESSING WORKPLACE SAFETY. SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL ENHANCE SERVICE DELIVERY BY ADDING ONE NEW ANALYST POSITION, UM, TO OUR RETURN TO WORK UNIT, UH, DIVISION, WHICH WILL HELP TRIAGE CASE MANAGEMENT OF EMPLOYEE LEAVES AND WORK DIRECTLY WITH DEPARTMENTS TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH ALL REGULATORY DEADLINES AND THE FUNDING FOR THE FLOOR WARDEN PROGRAM, WHICH HAS NOT HAD ANY BASIC UPGRADES TO EQUIPMENT SINCE, UH, THE MOVE TO THE NEW CIVIC CENTER IN 2019. AS WE MOVE FORWARD, OUR FOCUS WILL CONTINUE TO BE ON THE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE OUR SERVICE DELIVERY AND IMPLEMENT BEST PRACTICES. TO MEET THESE GOALS, WE WILL NEED TO CONTINUE TO REVIEW AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS. WHILE AUTOMATION AND TECHNOLOGY WILL HELP US, WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR EXISTING PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS WHERE POSSIBLE, EXPANDING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS TO ENSURE LONG BEACH RESIDENTS ARE AWARE AND WELL EQUIPPED TO COMPETE FOR JOB OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE CITY, STRENGTHEN WORKPLACE SAFETY AND EMPLOYEE WELLBEING THROUGH EDUCATION AND PROACTIVE RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, SUCH AS THE ANALYSIS OF DATA AND TRENDS TO SUPPORT INJURY PREVENTION PROGRAMS. SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UM, WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT WE'RE PROVIDING CITYWIDE THROUGH THE WORKFORCE REDUCTION PROCESS. THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET HAS IDENTIFIED SEVERAL, UH, REDUCTIONS OF POSITION POSITIONS CITYWIDE, WHICH REQUIRE US TO BEGIN THE REDUCTION IN FORCE PROCESS. IN SUMMARY, THIS PROCESS IS GOVERNED BY THE CIVIL SERVICE RULES, SPECIFICALLY SECTIONS 92 THROUGH 100. THE HR DEPARTMENT HAS NOTICED ALL LABOR UNIONS AND WILL BEGIN MEETING THIS WEEK TO DISCUSS THE IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET, UM, AND ALL ASSOCIATED REDUCTIONS IN FORCE. WHILE THIS MEET AND CONFER PROCESS IS UNDERWAY, THE HR DEPARTMENT HAS ALSO TAKEN SEVERAL PROACTIVE STEPS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO ALL EMPLOYEES. A FEW EXAMPLES INCLUDE, INCLUDE THE CREATION OF A REDUCTION IN FORCE EMPLOYEE PORTAL ON THE CITY'S INTRANET, WHICH PROVIDES SPECIFIC INFORMATION AND RESOURCES TO EMPLOYEES, SUCH AS THE REDUCTION IN FORCE FAQS AND INFORMATION ON THE EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. THE REDUCTION IN FORCE FAQS EXPLAIN HOW SENIORITY IS CALCULATED, HOW THE BUMPING PROCESS OCCURS, WHICH WOULD BE NECESSARY PRIOR TO ESTABLISHING AN ORDER OF LAYOFF. IT'S ALSO CREATED, UH, WE'VE CREATED AN ELECTRONIC FORM FOR EMPLOYEES TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS DIRECTLY TO HR REGARDING TOPICS SUCH AS SENIORITY CALCULATIONS AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. ON AUGUST 6TH, HR BEGAN HOSTING WEEKLY OFFICE HOURS FOR EMPLOYEES TO ASK THEIR QUESTIONS, UM, DIRECTLY TO HR TEAM MEMBERS. AND YESTERDAY WE SENT, UM, ALL EMPLOYEES INFORMATION ON IMPACTED CLASSIFICATIONS, BOTH FOR CLASSIFIED AND UNCLASSIFIED POSITIONS, UM, BOTH BY, UH, CITYWIDE AND BY DEPARTMENT. THIS INFORMATION PROVIDES A TOTAL NUMBER OF POSITIONS IMPACTED, AGAIN, BY CLASSIFICATION, BOTH CITYWIDE AND BY DEPARTMENT. OKAY, [00:45:01] SO THIS, UH, THIS SLIDE HIGHLIGHTS THE PROPOSED TIMELINE. UM, AS A ROADMAP FOR NEXT STEPS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET PROCESS, THE HR TEAM WILL CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, EDUCATIONAL AWARENESS AND SUPPORT. THIS INCLUDES FINDING PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR AS MANY IMPACTED EMPLOYEES AS POSSIBLE INTO VACANT POSITIONS PER THE CIVIL SERVICE RULES. AS A REMINDER, THE REQUEST FOR AN ORDER OF LAYOFF WILL NOT BE SUBMITTED TO THE CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND APPEALS COMMISSION UNTIL THE FISCAL YEAR 27. BUDGET HAS BEEN ADOPTED BY THIS COUNCIL. AFTER AN ORDER OF LAYOFF IS REQUESTED AND APPROVED, DIRECT NOTICES WILL BE PROVIDED, UM, TO THE IMPACTED EMPLOYEES. FOR EMPLOYEES IN CLASSIFIED POSITIONS WHO ARE LAID OFF. THEY WILL BE PLACED ON A PRIORITY LIST, WHICH IS SIMILAR TO AN ELIGIBILITY LIST. WHEN A VACANCY IN THAT CLASSIFICATION BECOMES AVAILABLE, DEPARTMENTS WILL FIRST NEED TO HIRE FROM THAT PRIORITY LIST BEFORE BEING ABLE TO HIRE FROM ANY EXISTING ELIGIBILITY LIST IN THE SAME CLASSIFICATION. AND THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. UM, YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, PRESENTATION WE'RE GONNA GO TO. SO WE'LL DO TWO PUBLIC COMMENTS. ONE WILL BE ON THIS HEARING, AND THEN WE'LL DO ONE ON, UH, SUBSEQUENT CLEARINGS. SO LET'S DO PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, FOR THIS HEARING. NO PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS ITEM. GREAT. WE'LL GO TO ANY COUNCIL QUESTIONS. MY INITIAL COMMENTS, UH, TWO THINGS. FIRST, UH, THANKS FOR, UH, FOCUSING ON THE UPDATE ON HIRING, AND IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE PROGRESS. I REMEMBER THE CHALLENGES WE WERE HAVING THREE YEARS AGO, SEVEN MONTHS PLUS IN HIRING, HAVING IT DOWN TO 90 DAYS. THAT IS, UH, GREAT PROGRESS. TREMENDOUS PROGRESS. UH, SO I KNOW THAT YOU CAME IN JUST AS THE BALLOT MEASURE, UH, TO CONSOLIDATE THE TWO DEPARTMENTS THAT TAKEN PLACE. AND YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB THROUGH THAT. UH, CONSOLIDATION. YOU HAVE, UH, THE SYSTEM IS WORKING. UM, I ALSO WANNA NOTE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HEARING GREAT FEEDBACK, UH, THROUGH THE LAST PROCESS OF, UH, BARGAINING. UM, WERE YOU, WERE YOU, WERE YOU THE HR DIRECTOR THROUGH THAT PROCESS? YES. OKAY. THROUGH THE PUBLIC SAFETY. YES. ALL RIGHT. SO WE GOT MORE WORK TO DO IN THIS, IN THIS ROUND. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO WORK IN GOOD FAITH, UM, THROUGH THIS NEXT ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS. IT'S DIFFICULT, BUT WE, WE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH. UM, AND THEN IN TERMS OF THE UPDATE ON THE WORKFORCE, I'M SURE YOU MAY GET SOME QUESTIONS. UH, ONE THING I WANT YOU TO JUST HIGHLIGHT IF YOU CAN, IS HOW YOU'RE WORKING WITH LB WIN ON PARTICULARLY THE 80 WRAP POSITIONS THAT THE WRAP PROGRAM IS CONTINUING WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE, AND WHAT OUTREACH HAVE WE DONE WITH THOSE WRAP WORKERS TO MAKE SURE THEY GET ACCESS TO THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTINUE, UH, SERVING IN THE PROGRAM? SO THAT WOULD BE MY QUESTION, AND THEN WE'LL OPEN UP TO THE COUNCIL ANY QUESTIONS THEY MAY HAVE. MAYOR, I, I'LL RESPOND TO YOUR QUESTION FIRST. SURE. SO, YEAH, WE ARE, UM, BEGINNING THE, THE PARTNERSHIP, NOT BEGINNING, BUT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, EVERYONE ON A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT INITIATIVES. ONE, TO START RAPID RESPONSE MEETINGS FOR EMPLOYEES. UH, WE AIM TO HAVE THAT, UM, STARTED NEXT WEEK. AND THAT REALLY IS NOT JUST PART, UM, PARTICULARLY LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES, UM, WITH VENDORS FOR THE WRAP PROGRAM, BUT JUST IN GENERAL PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR EMPLOYEES SHOULD THEY BE LAID OFF. SO REALLY JUST KIND OF SETTING THE STAGE FOR WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN TERMS OF COVERING A, A VARIETY OF TOPICS. AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THAT PARTNERSHIP CONTINUE WITH LB WIN. AND THEN SPECIFIC TO LB WIN, WE'RE ALSO, OR WITH, UH, THE WRAP PROGRAM, WE'VE ALSO REACHED OUT TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, RIGHT? AS THEY'RE BRINGING ON, UH, UM, NONPROFITS TO DO THIS WORK. AND SOME OF 'EM ARE NOT FROM THE LOCAL AREA. AND SO HOW CAN WE HELP CONNECT OUR EMPLOYEES, UH, TO THEM AS THEY NEED TO STAFF UP TO, TO RUN THOSE SITES? HOPEFULLY THERE'LL BE A GOOD PARTNERSHIP THERE. GREAT. YEAH, THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY THESE FOLKS HAVE. THE EXPERIENCE IN THE PROGRAM, THE PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE. THERE IS A NEED FOR THE WORKFORCE. SO THE MORE WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THAT PROCESS IS SEAMLESS, THE BETTER. AND I KNOW THAT YOU'RE DOING ALL YOU CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THE OTHER 120 OR SO WORKERS WHO ARE IMPACTED AND POTENTIALLY LAID OFF FIND OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH THE CASCADING PROCESS AND BUMPING. SO PLEASE KEEP US IN THE LOOP. UM, IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE AS MANY OF, AS MANY FOLKS AS POSSIBLE LAND WITH JOBS IN THE CITY, THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA, THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA FIND OUT THROUGH THIS PROCESS. ALRIGHT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RICK SOTE. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, AND THANK YOU DIRECTOR TYLER. UM, MY GOAL, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING FOR ME TO, TO HEAR KIND OF THE, THE FUNCTIONING OF HR, THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST YEAR. I KNOW MERGING DEPARTMENTS IS NEVER SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE EASY, RIGHT? IS YOU'RE TAKING IN WORKLOADS, TRYING TO ADJUST THAT WITH STAFFING. AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALL HAVE BEEN DOING THAT WITH CARE. UM, AND SO JUST KNOW THAT THAT IS NOTICED. UM, YOU KNOW, MY GOAL IN ASKING FOR THE HR PRESENTATION IS THAT I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES WE HAVE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE INTERNAL FACING, UM, AND DON'T GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF PRESENT LIKE THIS IN FRONT OF COUNCIL AND THE COMMUNITY, BUT YOU ALL ENGAGE [00:50:01] WITH EVERYONE, RIGHT? SO I THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO GET YOU ALL TO KIND OF SHARE YOUR VISION AND PERSPECTIVE AROUND THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING. AND I THINK IT'S TIMELY BASED ON WHERE WE ARE IN THE BUDGET, THE WORK YOU ALL ARE NOW DOING AND SUPPORTING OUR STAFF IS WE'RE LOOKING AT WORKFORCE REDUCTION, WHICH IS NEVER SOMETHING THAT'S EASY. UM, AND SO I THINK THIS IS TIMELY TO HAVE YOU BE ABLE TO, UM, REALLY PRESENT, UM, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, HOW WE'RE NAVIGATING THROUGH, AND THE SUPPORT THAT WE'RE OFFERING INTERNALLY TO OUR CITY STAFF. UM, CONGRATS ON THE SUCCESS AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED AROUND, UM, THE IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR RECRUITMENT PROCESS, THE REDUCTIONS IN THE TIME, RIGHT WHEN I CAME IN, THAT WAS A LOT OF THE CONVERSATION THAT WE HEARD, UM, INTERNALLY FROM CITY STAFF, RIGHT? AND EXTERNALLY FROM FOLKS WHO HAD APPLIED HERE AND JUST WANTING TO GET IN THE CITY AND NOT REALLY KNOWING HOW TO GET THEIR FOOT IN THE DOOR AND WHO TO TALK TO. UM, I ALSO PERSONALLY JUST WANNA SHARE THAT I KNOW THAT I HAVE MENTIONED TO YOU, UH, UH, DIRECTOR TYLER ABOUT THE, UM, THE TRAININGS, THE INTERNAL TRAININGS FOR CITY STAFF, RIGHT? AND HOW SOMETIMES I WOULD NOTICE, I WOULD FIND OUT THINGS KIND OF ANECDOTALLY FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO I FEEL LIKE YOU ALL HAVE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF EMAILING OUT AND COMMUNICATING THOSE KIND OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAININGS THAT I THINK A LOT OF OUR CITY STAFF, UM, UM, REALLY BENEFIT FROM AND THE COMMUNICATIONS TRAININGS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR BEING PROACTIVE. UH, RELATED TO THAT, UM, I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS RELATED TO HRS INTERNAL WRITTEN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AS THERE'S BEEN THINGS I'VE SEEN OVER TIME, I'VE HEARD OVER TIME, AND I DO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SOME OF THIS PREDATES YOUR TIME HERE, UH, UH, DIRECTOR TYLER. UM, BUT I FEEL THE NUMBER OF CONCERNS FROM CITY STAFF IN VARYING DEPARTMENTS. I THINK, UM, WITH THE REF, UM, PERSPECTIVE THAT THERE'S A LACK OF CLEAR DOCUMENTATION ON POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE GETTING CONFLICTING ADVICE, UM, FROM, FROM HR STAFF. UM, THE PERSPECTIVE, THERE'S A, THERE'S AN INAPPROPRIATE USE OF SOME OF THE CIVIL SERVICE RULES AND REGULATIONS, AND IT'S A SUBSTITUTE FOR REALLY CLEAR WRITTEN POLICY DOCUMENTATION. UM, AND THE PERSPECTIVE THAT THERE'S A NEED TO OFTEN ESCALATE THINGS TO HR LEADERSHIP THAT FEEL PEOPLE FEEL LIKE SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAND BE HANDLED, UH, AT LOWER LEVELS. UM, AND SO MY QUESTION FOR YOU IN THAT CONTEXT IS, DOES HUMAN RESOURCES MAINTAIN A COMPREHENSIVE SET OF WRITTEN POLICIES, PROCEDURES THAT, UH, LIKE A, A MANUAL THAT GOVERNS OUR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS? SO WE DO HAVE PERSONNEL POLICIES, UM, THAT ARE, UM, AVAILABLE, UH, FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DOES, UH, THAT'S ON MY TO-DO LIST IS TO REVIEW THOSE PERSONNEL POLICIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH, UM, OTHER CITYWIDE POLICIES IN TERMS OF ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS. SOMETIMES THERE'S OVERLAP IN POLICIES WHICH MAY ALSO CR YOU KNOW, CREATE THAT CONFUSION. BUT ULTIMATELY, I THINK IT'S ALSO CREATING, LIKE YOU SAID, THAT MANUAL THAT ESTABLISHES KIND OF THE CORE POLICIES OR EXPECTATIONS FOR EMPLOYEES. SO SOMETIMES THAT'S EFFECTUATED BY DEPARTMENTS IN TERMS OF HOW THEY COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR STAFFS, BUT ALSO INTERNALLY WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CLEAR AND THE GUIDANCE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING NOT ONLY TO MANAGEMENT, BUT ALSO TO EMPLOYEES. THAT SHOULD NOT BE SOMETHING, UM, WHERE THERE'S CONFUSION. SO THERE IS SOME WORK TO DO THERE, AND WE'VE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT AND WE ARE BEGINNING THE WORK TO MAKE SURE TO HAVE THAT ALIGNMENT WITH POLICIES AND ALSO BRINGING THINGS MORE MODERN WHERE POLICIES HAVEN'T BEEN UPDATED IN YEARS. OKAY. AND THEN FOR WHAT IS CURRENTLY IN PLACE RIGHT NOW, UM, IS THAT IF FOR THE MATERIAL THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, IS THAT AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW BY EMPLOYEES MANAGEMENT ELECTED OFFICIALS OR THE, OR THE PUBLIC? I KNOW SOMETIMES IN CERTAIN ORGANIZATIONS THOSE THINGS ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. WHERE DOES THAT INFORMATION LIVE? YES. SO THAT INFORMATION IS HOUSED ON OUR CITY INTERNET. UNDER THE HR PAGE. THERE'S A SECTION FOR THE PERSONNEL POLICIES WHICH, UM, LAY OUT EXACTLY SOME OF THE POLICIES I JUST MENTIONED EARLIER. UM, THERE ARE ALSO OTHER SPACES IN WHICH, UM, WE HAVE, ARE MAKING THAT PROGRESS OF MOVING THINGS OVER, LIKE CIVIL SERVICE RULES FROM, THERE WAS A SEPARATE WEBSITE THAT WE'RE CONSOLIDATING, BRINGING TOGETHER. AND ALSO, UM, WE WANT TO CREATE SOME, UH, SOME POINTING, UH, UH, TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS. IN OTHER SPACES, LIKE MOUS, SOMETIMES THE MOUS AND LANGUAGE WITHIN THE MOUS MAY SUPERSEDE A POLICY. SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EMPLOYEES HAVE ALL OF THAT INFORMATION AND POINTING 'EM IN THE DIRECTION SO THEY'RE NOT HAVING TO GO ON A SCAVENGER HUNT TO FIND THIS INFORMATION. AND I THINK THAT'S A LOT OF THE PERSPECTIVE I THINK THAT PEOPLE HAVE SHARED WITH ME, RIGHT, IS THAT THAT FEELING THAT IT FEELS SO DISPARATE THAT FOLKS GET CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE AND WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING. SO I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THAT THINKING ABOUT THIS AND RECOGNIZING THAT THERE ARE, THERE'S SOME GAPS, THERE'S ISSUES AROUND CLARITY, RIGHT? AND THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT JUST NEED TO BE UPDATED. UM, WHAT'S THE TIMELINE IN YOUR PERSPECTIVE FOR BEING ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT I THINK IS A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE RELATED TO GATHERING ALL THAT INFORMATION AND PUTTING IT IN ONE PLACE? UM, UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION AND, UH, HAVEN'T REALLY THOUGHT OF A SPECIFIC TIMELINE IN TERMS OF WHEN WE WILL GET TO IMPLEMENTATION, BUT DEFINITELY UNDERSTANDING THAT RIGHT NOW THE PRIORITY IS THE REDUCTION OF FORCE PROCESS. BUT I THINK TAKING SOME OF THE LESSONS WE'VE LEARNED THROUGH THIS PROCESS IS REALLY APPLYING THAT INTO THE UPDATES, UH, WITH PERSONNEL POLICIES OR JUST CLEARING UP WHERE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND. SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO EVEN IN THE INTERIM IS CLEANING UP SOME OF WHERE THE INFORMATION IS CURRENTLY HOUSED IN STREAMLINING THAT INFORMATION WITH TAKING SOME [00:55:01] OF THE STEPS THAT WE'RE TAKING RIGHT NOW TO MAKE SURE EMPLOYEES KNOW DIRECTLY, THIS IS WHERE YOU FIND THE INFORMATION. AND THEN JUST COMMUNICATING THAT OUT ACROSS THE VARIOUS TO THE VARIOUS AUDIENCES. SO MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE PROCESS, BUT ALSO TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT DURING, UM, POLICY, UH, REVISIONS OR UPDATES, WE WILL NEED TO ENGAGE IN THE MEET AND CONFER PROCESS BEFORE ANYTHING IS FINALIZED. SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING A HOLISTIC APPROACH AND NOT TRYING TO PIECEMEAL POLICY UPDATES AND REALLY LOOK AT PUTTING THINGS TOGETHER THAT HAVE LIKE THE SAME EFFECTS OR IMPACT, UM, TO MAKE THOSE UPDATES. AND I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT WHILE LOOKING AT UPDATES TO POLICIES, WE WANNA LOOK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT JUST HAVING A POLICY TO HAVE A POLICY REALLY ECHOING WHAT THE POLICY IS, BUT THEN PULLING OUT THE PROCEDURES AND MAKING SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE MULTIPLE POLICIES THAT CAN SPEAK TO THINGS, HAVE CONSOLIDATION WHERE APPROPRIATE. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I KNOW I'M OVER TIME. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN, THANK YOU DIRECTOR FOR YOUR WORK AND FOR THE PRESENTATION. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. UH, I SEE WHAT YOU DO AND, UH, APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER THO TOOK, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. UM, THANK YOU, UH, DIRECTOR, APPRECIATE, UH, THE PRESENTATION FOR TODAY AND ALL THAT'S BEEN ECHOED REGARDING ALL THE EFFORTS THAT THE CITY HAS MADE TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN MOVE FASTER, UH, WITH HIRING TOP TALENT HERE IN THE CITY. MY QUESTIONS, UM, REALLY RELATE TO, UM, I'M GONNA GO BACK TO SOME OF THE CORE SERVICES THAT, UM, YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PROVIDING TO THE CITY AND WANTING JUST TO UNDERSTAND HOW, UM, WE'RE GONNA GO ABOUT GETTING TO THOSE PLACES THAT WE WANT TO BE, UH, WITHIN THOSE CORE VALUES. SO, UM, FOR THE THIRD CORE VALUE, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU TALK ABOUT, UM, RETAINING WORKFORCE, PROVIDING FAIR COMPENSATION BENEFITS, UM, ENSURING A RESPECTFUL, UH, EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY WORKPLACE. UM, TALK WITH ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU INTEND, UH, TO ENSURE THAT THAT IS HAPPENING. YEAH, SO SOME OF THE THINGS WITH RESPECT TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS NOT JUST LOOKING AT AVAILABLE TRAININGS, BUT ALSO ENSURING THAT INDIVIDUALS, UM, WHO EXPRESS INTEREST IN DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THEIR CAREER ADVANCEMENT ARE GETTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE, UM, HIGHER LEVEL ASSIGNMENTS. AND THAT'S REALLY CREATING A, A SPACE WITHIN DEPARTMENTS THAT OPERATIONALLY, UM, FEASIBLE WHERE EMPLOYEES HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE AN EXPERIENCE OF SEEING WHAT THAT HIGHER LEVEL LOOKS LIKE AND REALLY MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE DIRECTLY PREPARED FOR THAT, UM, INVOLVEMENT. SO MAKING SURE THAT WE DO HAVE, UH, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO ALL EMPLOYEES, BUT ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WE LEAN ON OTHER TYPES OF TRAINING, WHETHER IT'S MENTORSHIPS, UM, OTHER TYPES OF THINGS THAT REALLY ESTABLISH, UM, THE, THE, THE REASON WHY EMPLOYEES WANNA STAY. MM-HMM . UM, WE TALK ABOUT, I KNOW SOME OF SOMETIMES THE CHALLENGES WITH COMPENSATION AND OTHER THINGS, BUT I ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO RAISE AWARENESS AROUND THE ENTIRE COMPENSATION PACKAGE FOR EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING BENEFITS AND NOT JUST FOCUSED ON SALARY. SO AGAIN, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO RAISE AWARENESS AND EDUCATE EMPLOYEES ON THOSE THINGS. SO ONE OF THE AREAS THAT I JUST WANNA SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME ON IS EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY WORKPLACE, UM, AND WANTED TO GET A SENSE OF DO WE DO ANY, UH, BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS AS TO HOW EMPLOYEES ARE FEELING OR FARING? HAVE WE CONSIDERED, UH, SOME LEVEL OF CLIMATE ANALYSIS TO GET A SENSE AS TO HOW UH, EMPLOYEES ARE FILLING WITHIN THE CITY? THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT, AND I THINK THAT IS, UH, UH, A STEP IN THE DIRECTION OF GETTING THAT GAUGE. BUT I ALSO SAY JUST REALLY THE COLLECTING OF DATA IN SOME OF OUR OTHER SPACES AND LOOKING AT TRENDS, UM, FROM OUR EEO COMPLAINTS OR GRIEVANCES AND OTHER SPACES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN START TO, UM, MAKE PROGRESS IN INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR THOSE THINGS TO BE FILED, REALLY TRYING TO BE PROACTIVE IN ADDRESSING ISSUES BEFORE THEY REACH THOSE LEVELS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DIRECTOR. I THINK BEING PROACTIVE IS REALLY IMPORTANT. UM, AND I LIKE THAT IT'S A CORE VALUE AND THAT JUST, I, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO OFFER THAT AS A RECOMMENDATION IS SOMETHING THAT WE CONSIDER. UH, EARLIER THIS YEAR I BROUGHT FORTH, UH, A MOTION, WHICH YOU ALL RESPONDED TO BEAUTIFULLY WITH A LOT OF DETAIL ABOUT WHO WORKS FOR THE CITY, WHERE DO THEY LIVE, WHAT ARE THOSE DEMOGRAPHICS, VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO HELP US UNDERSTAND, UH, WHO THE WORKFORCE IS HERE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS HOPING TO SEE MORE OF WITHIN THIS PRESENTATION IS SOME OF THOSE STRATEGIC GOALS, UM, THAT WE MIGHT HAVE IN MIND IN TERMS OF IDENTIFYING, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY FOLKS WE WANNA BE ABLE TO SEE FROM WITHIN THE CITY, APPLY FOR VARIOUS POSITIONS. UM, AND THERE'S OTHER THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE, UM, ENSURE THAT THOSE WHO, UM, HAVE VARYING LEVELS OF EDUCATION HAVE ACCESS TO THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE CITY. SO I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY MORE TO COME FROM ME ON THAT, BUT I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN US, UH, NOT ONLY DO WE TALK ABOUT THE FOCUS AND, AND WANTING TO, UM, HAVE THOSE CONNECTIONS, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE [01:00:01] REALLY WHAT OUR PLAN IS. HAS THE DEPARTMENT CONSIDERED A STRATEGIC PLAN, UM, TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE THINGS? UH, YES, I WOULD SAY THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS AGAIN, UM, THOUGHTS INTERNALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THOSE STEPS IN PLACE. I WOULD SAY ALSO TOO, ONE OF THE MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TRYING TO GET INFORMATION FROM SOME OF THE SYSTEMS THAT WE USE. WE DO LIKE FOR THE PURPOSES OF, UM, RESPONDING TO THAT REQUEST, WE DO HAVE DATA. WE SEE THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS WHERE I'D LIKE TO SEE US BEING ABLE TO UTILIZE THAT DATA MORE IS TO SEE WHERE INDIVIDUALS HAVE APPLIED MULTIPLE TIMES FOR POSITIONS AND FINDING WAYS THAT WE CAN, AGAIN, HAVE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ABOUT THE PROCESS AND OTHER WAYS TO REALLY, UM, EXPOUND UPON OPPORTUNITIES AND WHEN, UM, TO APPLY FOR THOSE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES. SO WE ARE CONTINUING THE WORK OF ASSESSING AND LOOKING AT DATA, AND I THINK JUST GENERALLY ONE OF OUR CHALLENGES REALLY TAKING SOME MANUAL ANTIQUATED SYSTEMS AND REALLY TRYING TO PULL THAT DATA OUT AND MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS THERE. BUT AGAIN, IT DOESN'T STOP THE, UH, PURPOSE OF LOOKING AT WAYS TO IMPROVE IN THOSE AREAS. OKAY. I'LL BE FOLLOWING THAT ACCORDINGLY. AND I JUST TOO WANNA JUST, UH, DOUBLE DOWN ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO MAY BE, UH, DISPLACED IN SOME WAY BY SOME OF THE CHANGES WE ANTICIPATE. UH, WITH THE BUDGET COMING UP, I, I'M VERY HOPEFUL AND EXPECT FROM THIS DEPARTMENT THAT WE WILL GET A FULL ANALYSIS OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO EVERY EMPLOYEE, UM, WITH THE CITY AND SORT OF WHERE THEY'VE LANDED, WHERE THEY FARED, AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO ENSURE, UM, THAT THAT LANDING IS AS SOFT AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN ALLEN? YES. UM, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN INTU. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR LINE OF QUESTION. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION ON DIRECTOR. SO I HAD A LOT OF THE, THE SAME QUESTIONS, UM, THAT YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, THESE REDUCTIONS HAVE BEEN REALLY DIFFICULT, UM, ON AFFECTED EMPLOYEES AND IT'S ALSO AFFECTS THEIR COWORKERS WHO HAVE TO THEN ABSORB, YOU KNOW, MORE WORK. UM, SO I KNOW THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT AND UNSURE TIME FOR OUR WORKFORCE AND I THINK, UM, IT'S GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE REALLY CLEAR COMMUNICATION AND UM, AND MEANINGFUL SUPPORT AND ANYTHING THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY TO DO TO, UH, ENSURE THAT, UH, EMPLOYEES REMAIN WITH THE CITY. AND, UM, AND, AND LIKE THE LINE OF QUESTIONING THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, TU HAD HAD ASKED YOU IS LIKE, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE MONITORING ALSO, UM, THAT WORKLOAD, UM, EMPLOYEE MORALE, UM, AND ALSO WHAT ARE THE SERVICE IMPACTS WHEN YOU HAVE, WHEN YOU PEOPLE DOING MORE. SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT AND UH, JUST TAKE ALL THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AS YOU MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU. WILL DO. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, WELL THAT CONCLUDES, UH, HUMAN RESOURCES. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU COUNSEL FOR THE DIALOGUE. UH, DO WE NEED TO VOTE TO CONTINUE THIS HEARING OR WE JUST MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE? UH, WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE, MARY. OKAY, GREAT. SO WE'RE GONNA CLOSE THIS HEARING AND MOVE ON TO AND OPEN UP, UH, THE HEARING ON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND, UH, DISASTER PREPAREDNESS EMERGENCY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS REPORT FROM FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION TO CONDUCT A BUDGET HEARING TO RECEIVE AND DISCUSS AN OVERVIEW OF THE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT CITYWIDE. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA START WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. ALL RIGHT. AND THEN MR. MAYOR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO FIRE DEPARTMENT AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO QUESTIONS? YEAH, WE'LL DO ONE PUBLIC COMMENT, THEN WE'LL TAKE COMMENTS. OKAY. SO WE'LL DO BOTH PRESENTATIONS. MAYOR, BACK TO BACK. MAYOR, MAYOR RICHARDSON. THEY WOULD LIKE US TO TAKE A VOTE FOR THE FIRST ONE SO WE COULD CLOSE IT OUT. CAN WE DO THAT? CAN WE GO BACK TO THE FIRST ONE? MAYOR, ROLL CALL. VOTE. OKAY. DISTRICT ONE? AYE. DISTRICT TWO AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR, AYE. DISTRICT FIVE? AYE. DISTRICT SIX? AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT, AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. NOW WE NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND [11. 26-55743 Recommendation to conduct a Budget Hearing to receive and discuss an overview of the Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications, Police, and Fire Departments. (Citywide)       Office or Department: Financial Management         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] TO, UH, DEBATE THIS HEARING. CORRECT. MOTION I HEAR TWO AND NINE. THANK IT. GREAT. ALRIGHT, LET'S PROCEED. ALL RIGHT, I WILL TURN THIS OVER TO OUR FIRE CHIEF DENNIS BUCHANAN. I WELL, GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THE LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT TO OPPOSES FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET FOR 129 YEARS. THE LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS SERVED THIS COMMUNITY THROUGH EXTRAORDINARY CHANGE. OUR EQUIPMENT TRAINING AND TECHNOLOGY AND RESPONSIBILITIES HAVE EVOLVED. OUR CORE COMMITMENT HAS REMAINED THE SAME TO ANSWER EVERY NINE ONE ONE CALL WITH URGENCY, PROFESSIONALISM, AND COMPASSION WHEN OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS US. MOST TONIGHT'S [01:05:01] PRESENTATION IS BOTH A REPORT ON THAT SERVICE AS WELL AS A CANDID DISCUSSION ABOUT THE DIFFICULT AND REAL BUDGET DECISIONS WE MUST ASSESS. I WANT TO BEGIN BY THANKING OUR FIREFIGHTERS, OUR LIFEGUARDS, AMBITS OPERATORS, DISPATCH PARTNERS, PROFESSIONAL STAFF, VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS. EACH PERSON BRINGS CARE AND COMMITMENT TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES. OFTEN UNDER DEMANDING CONDITIONS AND OUTSIDE PUBLIC VIEW, THEIR DAILY COMMITMENT EFFORTS STRAIN. EVERY PART OF THE CITY ORGANIZATION CONTRIBUTE DIRECTLY TO THE DEPARTMENT'S SUCCESS OF FULFILLING ITS MISSION OF SAVING LIVES AND HELP SUSTAIN THE TRUST OUR COMMUNITY PLACES IN US. AS FAR AS OUR KEY SERVICES, OUR 9 1 1 SERVICE MALL EXTENDS BEYOND STRUCTURAL FIREFIGHTING. OUR FIRST RESPONDERS ARE HEIDI TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED TO DELIVER VICTIM RESCUE AND EXTRICATION EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS MITIGATION, MARINE SAFETY, FIRE INSPECTION, AND CODE ENFORCEMENT AND SPECIALIZED CONTRACTUAL SERVICES. WE HAVE MULTIPLE RESOURCES THAT OPERATE, OPERATE AS ONE INTERCONNECTED SYSTEM THAT AS HEIDI RELI ON ALL PARTS. FOR EXAMPLE, BOTH BASIC LIFE SUPPORT AND PARAMEDIC. AMATEURS WILL RESPOND TO A FIRE OR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT WHILE STAFF ASSIGNED TO A FIRE ENGINE OR FIRE TRUCK RESCUE VICTIM FROM A STRUCTURED FIRE OR VEHICLE ACCIDENT AM IS WAY ON STANDBY IN PREPARATION FOR IMMEDIATE PATIENT CARE OR HOSPITAL TRANSFER WHILE FIREFIGHTERS ADDRESS INITIAL EMERGENCY. AS ANOTHER EXAMPLE, QUICK RESOLUTION OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS EMERGENCIES ENSURES NEIGHBORHOODS ARE SAFE FROM EXPLOSIONS, TOXIC FUMES, AND PROPERTY DAMAGE. OUR MARINE SAFETY PERSONNEL PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE TO CHILDREN AND ADULTS ALIKE. THEY ASSIST WITH NEAR DROWNINGS ARE THE FRONTLINE WITH VEHICLE AND WATER RESCUES AND SUPPORTS STRANDED BOATS ALONG THE CITY COASTLINE. THIS INTERCONNECTED SYSTEM IS IMPORTANT AS WE DISCUSS FIRE DEPARTMENT REDUCTIONS. WE NEVER KNOW WHAT COMBINATION OF EMERGENCIES WILL OCCUR ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. AND REDUCTIONS IN PERSONNEL IN APPARAT HAVE A DIRECT TIE TO RESPONDING QUICKLY WITH THE APPROPRIATE RESOURCES FOR THE SITUATION. REMOVING ONE RESOURCE DOES NOT AFFECT ONLY ONE STATION OR ONE NEIGHBORHOOD. IT CHANGES HOW THE ENTIRE SYSTEM MUST REPOSITION, ADAPT, AND SUPPORT EMERGENCY CALLS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE CITY. AS FAR AS OUR VOLUME IN FISCAL YEAR 25, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RECEIVED MORE THAN 67,000 9 1 1 CALLS IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, WHICH REPRESENTS A 185 9 1 1 CALLS EVERY DAY. I MUST EMPHASIZE THAT THIS IS NOT A ONE-ON-ONE RATIO OF THESE 9 1 1 CALLS. 80% OF CALLS REQUIRE MULTIPLE UNITS TO RESPOND DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THE EMERGENCY DRILLING DOWN FURTHER. 85% OF 9 1 1 CALLS WERE EMERGENCY MEDICAL CALLS TOTALING MORE THAN 57,000 CALLS OR 156 EMERGENCY MEDICAL CALLS PER DAY. 11% OF OUR CALLS ARE RELATED TO FIRE EMERGENCIES AND THE RE REMAINING 4% ARE GENERAL PUBLIC ASSIST REQUESTS. AS FAR AS FIRES, OUR FIRE ENGINES AND TRUCKS MITIGATED MORE THAN 2,200 STRUCTURE FIRES. AND ALSO THIS INCLUDES OUTDOOR FIRES WHERE OUR PARAMEDICS AND AMBIT OPERATORS TREAT AND TRANSPORT MORE THAN 31,000 PATIENTS PER YEAR TO LOCAL AREA HOSPITALS AVERAGING AROUND 89 PATIENT TRANSPORTS PER DAY. THE DEPARTMENT'S WORKLOAD VOLUME DEMONSTRATES WHY OUR BUDGET DECISIONS MUST BE GROUNDED IN ASSESSING OPERATIONAL RISK. EVEN A MODEST ADJUSTMENT TO OUR RESOURCES CAN AFFECT A WAY WE RESPOND TO THOUSANDS OF 9 1 1 CALLS BEFORE DISCUSSING REDUCTIONS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE WHAT OUR PERSONNEL HAVE ACHIEVED IN FISCAL YEAR 25. THE LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT CONTAINED 81% OF STRUCTURE FIRES TO THE ROOM OF ORIGIN. THAT MEASURE MATTERS BECAUSE EARLY CONTAINMENT OF FIRE CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DAMAGE TO ONE ROOM AND THE LOSS OF AN ENTIRE HOME BUSINESS OR ADJOINING PROPERTY. THIS MAKES A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIMITED DAMAGE AND A FAMILY OR BUSINESS LOSING EVERYTHING IN 2026. OUR ARSON TEAM HAS GREAT SUCCESSES HERE, INCLUDING THEIR ARREST OF MULTIPLE SERIAL ARSONISTS RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN 50 FIRES. ARSON INVESTIGATORS ARE KEY TO REDUCING 9 1 1 CALLS, ESPECIALLY FOR BRUSH FIRES THAT CAN QUICKLY SPREAD GIVEN THE RIGHT WEATHER CONDITIONS. AND ON THE EMS SIDE, YOUR SUPPORT FOR ENHANCED PARAMEDIC RESOURCES REDUCE OUTTA RESCUE EVENTS FROM 152 TO JUST 31 SO FAR IN CALENDAR YEAR 2026. AS A RESULT, MORE AMBI AM REMAIN AVAILABLE IN LONG BEACH TO RESPOND TO LOCAL PATIENTS, REDUCING THE NEED TO RELY ON UNITS TRAVELING FROM FURTHER AWAY AND IMPROVING OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE TIMELY MEDICAL CARE. WHEN RESIDENTS CALLED 9 1 1. AS YOUR FIRE CHIEF, I MAY A PRIORITY TO EXPAND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL YOUTH TO SUSTAIN OUR ONGOING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS. DESPITE [01:10:01] CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF MID-YEAR COST SAVING TARGETS, THE LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT CONTINUE OUR ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIP WITH NEARLY 1000 YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH THE DARREN ROCKET ACADEMY TO JOIN HIGH SCHOOL LEAPS PROGRAM AND THE JUNIOR LIFEGUARD PROGRAM FROM OUR YOUNGEST EIGHT YEAR OLDS IN THE JUNIOR GUARDS TO HIGH SCHOOL PATHWAY PROGRAM STUDENTS WE'RE CONTINUING TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS AN ACCESSIBLE AND REWARDING CAREER. I'M ALSO PROUD TO SHARE THAT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS WORKFORCE INNOVATION NETWORK, ALSO KNOWN AS WIN, WE LAUNCHED AN INAUGURAL FIRE CORPS COHORT CREATING A PAID PATHWAY FOR YOUNG ADULTS TO LEARN ABOUT CAREERS IN THE FIRE SERVICE. I'M ALSO PLEASED TO SHARE THAT WE RECENTLY SELECTED 24 CANDIDATES FOR OUR UPCOMING 2026 A FIRE RECRUIT CLASS, WHICH WILL KICK OFF ON AUGUST 24TH. 20 OF THE SELECTED CANDIDATES PARTICIPATE IN THE LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT PATHWAY PROGRAM, ATTENDING SCHOOL IN LONG BEACH OR LIVE IN THE CITY. THE CLASS ALSO INCLUDES FIVE WOMEN, THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF GENDER DIVERSITY IN ANY LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE RECRUIT CLASS. THANK YOU TO OUR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, CITY MANAGER AND CITY COUNSELOR FOR MULTIPLE YEARS OF INVESTMENT INTO OUR PATHWAY AND DIVERSITY EFFORTS. THIS IS ALSO A CREDIT TO YOUR LEADERSHIP. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S 9 1 1 RESPONSE DEPENDS ON MORE THAN THE PERSONNEL ARRIVING AT AN EMERGENCY BEHIND EVERY RESPONSE. OUR PROFESSIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE TEAMS PROVIDE A REPORTING, PURCHASING ACCOUNTABILITY AND COMPLIANCE THAT KEEP THE SYSTEM READY AND EFFECTIVE AMONG OUR ORGANIZATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THIS YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT STABILIZES PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TRAUMA INTERVENTION PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES COMPASSIONATE SUPPORT TO VICTIMS AND THOSE IN NEED DURING THE AFTERMATH OF A 9 1 1 FIRE OR MEDICAL OR MEDICAL EMERGENCY. UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE SUPPORT SERVICES BUREAU, WE'RE REPLACING 86 PATIENT CARE REPORTING DEVICES USED AROUND THE CLOCK DURING MEDICAL CALLS. THIS TECHNOLOGY ENSURES THAT PATIENT DISPOSITIONS AND RECORDS ARE RECORDED ACCURATELY AND CAN OFFICIALLY BE SHARED WITH HOSPITAL STAFF. THEN OUR BUSINESS OPERATIONS BUREAU OVERHAUL THE DEPARTMENT'S ACCOUNTING STRUCTURE BY RECATEGORIZE APPROXIMATELY A HUNDRED MILLION, 120 MILLION IN ANNUAL EXPENSES, IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY, ACCURACY, AND LONG-TERM DECISION MAKING. AND I ALSO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU WHO COMPLETED 8,450 STATE MAN MANDATED INSPECTIONS. THAT'S A 80, THAT'S A 97% COMPLIANCE RATE AND WE ACHIEVED A HUNDRED PERCENT COMPLIANCE ON ALL REQUIRED SCHOOL INSPECTIONS. THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS REFLECT THE CARE AND EXPERTISE OF VOLUNTEER AND STAFF TEAMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE FIRE DEPARTMENT. I'M GRATEFUL FOR THEIR SERVICE AND PROUD OF HOW THEY, HOW OF HOW THEY SUPPORT OUR FRONTLINE RESPONDERS AND COMMUNITY. WITH THAT, I WILL FOCUS ON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET PROPOSAL. SO FOR FISCAL YEAR 27, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS TASKED WITH IDENTIFYING 11.1 MILLION IN BUDGET REDUCTIONS, HONING IN ON THE GENERAL FUND, THE IMPACT OF THE 11.1 MILLION REDUCTION RESULTS IN A GENERAL FUND FUNDED AT $161.5 MILLION SUPPORTING 3 81 FIRE SWORN FTES AND NEARLY 86 PROFESSIONAL STAFF. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S PROJECTED TO BRING IN AROUND 43.5 MILLION OF REVENUE, WHICH REFLECTS NEARLY 27% OF OUR GENERAL FUND SPENDING BUDGET. THE DEPARTMENT ALSO MANAGES SPECIALIZED OPERATIONS THROUGH THAILANDS, COUPA AND OTHER DEDICATED FUNDING SOURCES. THESE FUNDS SUPPORT SERVICES SUCH AS MARINE SAFETY HAZARDS, MATERIALS REGULATION, AND OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES TIED TO SPECIFIC PROGRAMS OR GEOGRAPHIC AREAS. AS WE CONSIDER REDUCTIONS, WE DID NOT APPLY A SIMPLE CROSS THE BOARD APPROACH. WE EVALUATE EACH OPTION BASED ON FOUR OPERATIONAL PRINCIPLES. FIRST, WE ASSESS SYSTEM REDUNDANCY, WHETHER A REDUCTION POSE A RISK OF COMPLETELY ELIMINATING OR CREATING A SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE. SECOND, WE CONSIDER FIRE SUPPRESSION THREATS AND THE DIFFERING RISKS THAT EXIST THROUGHOUT THE CITY BASED ON GEOGRAPHY, BUILDING, COMPOSITION, DENSITY, AND ACCESS. THIRD, WE INCORPORATE COMMUNITY EQUITY LENS TO AVOID CONCENTRATING REDUCTIONS IN ANY ONE AREA OF THE CITY. AND FINALLY, WE PRIORITIZE KEEPING ALL FIRE STATIONS OPEN AND PRESERVING EMS UNITS BECAUSE THEY ARE CENTRAL TO MAINTAIN CITYWIDE EMERGENCY COVERAGE AND PATIENT CARE. NOW I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THIS FRAMEWORK DID NOT ELIMINATE THE IMPACTS OF THE REDUCTIONS, BUT IT HELPED US MAKE DISCIPLINE DECISIONS TO MINIMIZE RISK TO THE COMMUNITY. SO NOW WE WILL DIG INTO THE DETAILS OF BUDGETARY CHANGES AND REDUCTIONS. THERE ARE FOUR PROPOSED CHANGES TO OUR FIRE ENGINE DEPLOYMENT. FIRST, SOME GOOD NEWS MEASURE A HAS BEEN SCHEDULED FOR MANY YEARS TO ALLOCATE FUNDING IN FISCAL YEAR 27 TO CONVERT FIRE ENGINE 17 FROM AN OVERTIME STAFFING MODEL [01:15:01] TO 12 PERMANENTLY ASSIGNED POSITIONS. THIS FINANCIAL COMMITMENT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD IN FISCAL YEAR 27 AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL GAIN 12 NEW FIRE SWORN FTES PROVIDING ENHANCED STAFFING STABILITY FOR FIRE ENGINE 17 LOCATED IN COUNCIL DISTRICT FOUR TO MEET THE DEPARTMENT'S 11.1 MILLION BUDGET REDUCTION TARGET. THE DEPARTMENT SUBMITTED PROPOSALS ELIMINATING TWO FIRE ENGINES AND CONVERTING A THIRD FIRE ENGINE FROM A FULLY STAFFED MODEL TO AN OVERTIME STRUCTURE, WHICH WAS FEASIBLE IN OPERATING FIRE ENGINE 17 SINCE IT WAS RESTORED. AFTER ASSESSING 9 1 9 1 1 CALL, THOUGH ACROSS THE FIRE ENGINES, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PROPOSED PROPOSES ELIMINATING FIRE ENGINE 14, WHICH IS DISPATCHED TO APPROXIMATELY 2,200 ANNUAL INCIDENTS. CALLS CURRENTLY HANDLED BY ENGINE 14 WOULD BE ROUTE TO OTHER FIRE ENGINES INCLUDING FIRE ENGINE FOUR IN BELMONT HEIGHTS, ENGINE A IN BELMONT SHORE AND ENGINE 22 LOCATED NEXT TO CAL STATE UNIVERSITY OF LONG BEACH. AS AN IMPORTANT NOTE, FIRE STATION 14 WILL REMAIN OPEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO HOUSE EMERGENCY MEDICAL APPARAT. WE'RE ABLE TO QUICKLY RESPOND TO EMS EMERGENCY EMERGENCIES IN THIS AREA. AS PART OF THE 11.1 MILLION REDUCTION PLAN, THE DEPARTMENT PROPOSES REDUCING A SECOND FIRE ENGINE. GIVEN THE PROPOSED REDUCTION OF ENGINE 14. WE ASSESS OPTIONS BEYOND THE SOUTHEAST AREA OF THE CITY. OUR ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT ENGINES IN OTHER PARTS OF LONG BEACH RESPOND TO MORE THAN 6,000 INCIDENTS ANNUALLY. TO DISTRIBUTE THE OPERATIONAL IMPACT MORE EQUABLY AND AVOID PLACING THE FULL BURDEN ON A SINGLE HIGH DEMAND STATION, THE DEPARTMENT PROPOSES A ROTATING ENGINE CLOSURE MODEL OR WHAT WE REFER TO AS A ROLLING BLOCK BLACKOUT. EXCUSE ME. JUST AS A NOTE, THIS ITEM IS PROPOSED TO BE RESTORED UNDER THE MAYOR'S BUDGET RECOMMENDATION. LASTLY, THE DEPARTMENT PROPOSES WE TRANSITIONING A FIRE ENGINE, A FULLY STAFFED MODEL TO AN OVERTIME MODEL, WHICH SAVES THE DEPARTMENT APPROXIMATELY SEVEN $50,000. HOWEVER, IT WILL REQUIRE THAT, UH, APPROXIMATELY 1,406 CALLBACK SHIFTS BE FILLED OVER THE COURSE OF ONE YEAR. AND ON A STRUCTURED ONGOING BASIS, THIS CHANGE WILL REDUCE AN ADDITIONAL 12 FIRE SWORN FTES. AND COMBINED WITH THE TWO FIRE ENGINE REDUCTIONS PRODUCES APPROXIMATELY 8.5 MILLION BUDGET SAVINGS. AGAIN, I WANT TO BE CANDID WITH THE CITY COUNCIL. REDUCING FIRE ENGINES AND TRANSITIONING FIRE ENGINE INTO AN OVERTIME MODEL WILL REDUCE THE NUMBER OF UNITS AND PERSONNEL IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR SIMULTANEOUS FIRE AND RESCUE INCIDENTS. REMAINING ENGINES WILL ABSORB ADDITIONAL CALLS AND THERE MAY BE TIMES WHEN THE UNIT RESPONSE FROM FURTHER AWAY, WHICH WILL BE CALL WILL, WILL RESULT IN INCREASED RESPONSE TIMES. THESE ARE NOT THE REDUCTIONS THE DEPARTMENT WOULD RECOMMEND UNDER ORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES, THEY'RE MEASURES DEVELOPED IN RESPONSE TO THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE CITY'S FISCAL CHALLENGE. ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS ARE NEEDED BEYOND THE FIRE ENGINE SERVICE REDUCTIONS TO ACHIEVE THE DEPARTMENT'S 11.1 MILLION TARGET. THE DEPARTMENT ALSO PROPOSES TO ELIMINATE 4.5 PROFESSIONAL CLERICAL POSITIONS SUPPORTING THE FRONT DESK ACCOUNTING AND RECRUITMENT FUNCTIONS, AND PRODUCES NEARLY HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IN SAVINGS. OUR PLAN ALSO PRODUCES, I MEAN, OUR PLAN ALSO PROPOSES TO ELIMINATE FIVE SWORN ADMINISTRATIVES POSITIONS SUPPORTING RECRUITMENT COMMUNITY SERVICES IN SERVICE TRAINING, REGIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND BATTALION CHIEF RESPONSIBILITIES. ELIMINATING THESE POSITIONS TO ACHIEVE AN ADDITIONAL 1.9 MILLION IN SAVINGS. WE'RE ALSO PROPOSING TO TRANSITION TO FIRE SWAR PERSONNEL WHO ARE ALREADY DEDICATED TO SPECIAL EVENTS AND FILMING DUTIES TO BE FUNDED BY THE SPECIAL ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL FUND AND REIMBURSED TO SPECIAL EVENTS AND FILMING REVENUE AS PART OF THE FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET PROCESS. WE ALSO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO REALLOCATE FUNDING TOWARDS UNAVOIDABLE OPERATIONAL NEEDS, INCLUDING EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE, INVESTIGATIVE EXPENSES, OBSOLETE COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT, AND LIMITED BACKFILL FOR DUTIES ASSOCIATED WITH ELIMINATED POSITIONS. AS MENTIONED, OUR COMPLEX WORK REQUIRES SPECIALIZED FIELD EQUIPMENT ADHERENCE TO POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AND COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE AS NECESSARY FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS TO PERFORM THEIR DAILY DUTIES. IGNORING THESE ITEMS WILL PLACE OUR EMPLOYEES AND ORGANIZATION AT RISK AND ARE CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT INVESTMENT TO SAFEGUARD THEIR ORGANIZATION FROM RISK AND LIABILITY. IN ADDITION TO IDENTIFYING 11.1 MILLION BUDGET CUTS, THE DEPARTMENT'S ACTIVELY PURSUING COST RECOVERY WHERE APPROPRIATE. THIS INCLUDES ALIGNING AM AMBULANCE TRANSPORT FEES WITH THE REVISED LOS ANGELES COUNTY SCHEDULE AND INCREASING PORT REIMBURSEMENT BY 2.7 MILLION BASED ON DISCUSSIONS THAT OCCURRED IN DECEMBER OF 2025. THE GOAL IS TO ELIMINATE GENERAL FUND SUBSIDY OF THE 63 FTES [01:20:01] AND ALL RELATED EQUIPMENT TO ACHIEVE FULL COST RECOVERY, WHICH WAS NOT ACHIEVED WITH THE WITH THE 2.7 MILLION INCREASE, BUT MOVES THE DEPARTMENT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS A PROGRESSIVE DEPARTMENT. WE'LL CONTINUE LOOKING FOR GRANTS, PARTNERSHIPS AND TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES. HOWEVER, WE ALSO WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT EFFICIENCIES ALONE CANNOT FULLY OFFSET REDUCTIONS OF THIS MAGNITUDE. AS MENTIONED, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ONLY SUCCESSFUL IN ACHIEVING PARTIAL COST RECOVERY FOR THEIR FISCAL YEAR 27. PORT AND FIRE MOU AS THE MAYOR HAS SHARED, ENHANCE AND ELEVATE DISCUSSIONS HAVE OCCURRED AND RESULTING IN FULL COST RECOVERY FOR THE FORECASTED 30 30 MILLION MOU FOR SERVICES. THIS RESULTS IN ADDITIONAL 5.9 MILLION IN THAILAND'S COST RECOVERY FOR FIRE SERVICE DEDICATED TO THE HARBOR AND HIGHLANDS AREA ON TOP OF THE INITIAL, AGREED UPON 2.7 MILLION IN COST RECOVERY AS PART OF THE MAYOR'S RECOMMENDATION. 3.8 MILLION OF THE 5.9 MILLION IS PROPOSED TO RESTORE THE DEPARTMENT'S PROPOSED FIRE ENGINE REDUCTION THAT WILL RESULT IN A PERMANENT ROLLING ENGINE BLACKOUT AT VARIOUS FIRE STATIONS ACROSS THE CITY WITH THIS RESTORATION, OUR REVISED FIRE SWORN STAFFING WOULD BE 393 FIRE SWORN FTES INSTEAD OF OF 381. THE PROPOSED 11.1 MILLION REDUCTION WILL HAVE REAL OPERATIONAL AND COMMUNITY IMPACTS. ELIMINATION OF FIRE ENGINE 14 WILL REQUIRE ITS CALL LOAD OF 2,200 CALLS TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO OTHER FIRE ENGINES. IF THE ROLLING BLACKOUT ENGINE IS IMPLEMENTED AND NOT RESTORED, APPROXIMATELY 6,000 ANNUAL CALLS WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO ALL REMAINING FIRE ENGINES IN THE CITY. 1,406. OVERTIME SHIFTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE STAFFED ON AN ANNUAL BASIS FROM THE COMMUNITY LENS, LESS ENGINES IN SERVICE. THIS LIMITS THE ABILITY TO PULL AN ENGINE OUT OF SERVICE FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICE EVENTS. THE CITY WILL ALSO HAVE A SMALLER POOL OF IMMEDIATELY DEPLOYABLE FIRE ENGINES FOR SIMULTANEOUS FIRES, RESCUES, AND MAJOR EMERGENCIES. HOWEVER, DESPITE THESE CUTS, WE HAVE PRIORITIZED PRESERVING EMS AM RESPONSE AND CURRENTLY WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE A SERVICE LEVEL CHANGE TO THE AMIS SYSTEM AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THESE REDUCTIONS. MOST IMPORTANT, NO GENERAL FUND FIRE STATION WILL CLOSE IN FISCAL YEAR 27. LOOKING INTERNALLY WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, THESE CUTS MEAN THAT THE DEPARTMENT WILL HAVE LESS CLERICAL SUPPORT, A REMOTELY STAFFED HEADQUARTERS RECEPTION FUNCTION, AND REDUCE FIRE SWORN ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF WHO CAN PRIORITIZE PROJECTS FOR PREPAREDNESS POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION. WE'LL MANAGE THESE IMPACTS THROUGH ACTIVE DEPLOYMENT OVERSIGHT, MUTUAL AID OVERTIME WE'RE AUTHORIZED OPERATIONAL MONITORING AND REGULAR REVIEW OF RESPONSE DATA. WE'LL ALSO COMMUNICATE HONESTLY WITH THE COUNCIL IF THE IMPACTS EXCEED WHAT THE SYSTEM CAN SAFELY ABSORB. FOCUSING ON FIRE ENGINE 14 CLOSURE. THERE ARE SOME KEY DA, THERE ARE SOME KEY DATA POINTS RELATED TO ITS OPERATION THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE. NOVEMBER OF 2023 TO FEBRUARY OF 2025, FIRE STATION 14 UNDERWENT MAJOR CONSTRUCTION AND DURING THIS TIME, FIRE ENGINE 14 WAS, WAS REALLOCATED TO FIRE STATION ONE RIGHT NEXT TO CITY HALL. SINCE RETURNING BACK TO FIRE STATION 14, FIRE ENGINE 14 RESPOND TO APPROXIMATELY 2,200 CALLS IN A ONE YEAR PERIOD, 2000 CALLS OR APPROXIMATELY 87% OF THEIR CALLS WERE EMS CALLS. AND ABOUT 200 CALLS WERE FIRE CALLS. THIS IS A LOWER CALL VOLUME COMPARED TO OTHER ENGINES THAT RESPOND TO OVER 6,000 CALLS PER YEAR. AND LOOKING AT SYSTEM REDUNDANCY, ENGINE 14 IS SURROUNDED BY ENGINE EIGHT IN BELMONT SHORE ENGINE FOUR IN BELMONT HEIGHTS AND ENGINE 22 NEXT TO CAL STATE UNIVERSITY OF LONG BEACH, WHICH CAN ACCOMMODATE EXISTING NINE ONE ONE CALL VOLUME. AND THESE ENGINES BACKFILL ENGINE 14 WHEN IT WAS RELOCATED TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA AS PART OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S RISK ASSESSMENT. PRESERVING ENGINES ON THE BORDER OF THE CITY IS KEY AS THESE PREVENT GEOGRAPHIC GAPS AND ALLOW FOR MUTUAL AID AGREEMENTS TO BE FULFILLED. I WANT TO CLEAR STATE THAT FIRE STATION 14 IS NOT CLOSING. IT'LL CONTINUE TO OPERATE WITH BASIC LIFE SUPPORT. AMBULANCE 14 AND BATTALION CHIEF TWO, AND WE'LL ALSO MOVE PARAMEDIC AMBULANCE RESCUE FOUR TO FIRE STATION 14 AND IT'LL BE F, IT'LL BE RESCUE 14. NOW TO ENSURE PARAMEDIC SERVICE CONTINUES OUT THAT STATION, WHILE WE PLAN FOR DIFFICULT BUDGET DECISIONS AND SERVICE LEVEL CHANGES, THERE ARE OTHER CHALLENGES THE DEPARTMENT MUST FACE RELATED TO LONGSTANDING INFRASTRUCTURE AND FUNDING CHALLENGES, THE CAPTAIN, DAVID ROSA REGIONAL TRAINING CENTER STILL LACKS APPROPRIATE PERMANENT BATHROOMS AND LOCKER ROOM FACILITIES FOR WOMEN EMPLOYEES AND RECRUITS. [01:25:02] WE'LL NEED TO OB. WE WILL NEED TO RENT BATHROOMS AND LOCKER ROOMS FOR OUR WOMEN FIRE RECRUITS AND WE'LL HAVE TO ABSORB THIS COST IN OUR FISCAL YEAR 27. BUDGET MAINTENANCE COSTS ARE ALSO INCREASING AS FIRE FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE AGE. AND AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FUNDING LIMITATIONS ARE REDUCING OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT APPARAT EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING. THESE ISSUES MATTER BECAUSE READINESS DEPENDS ON THE CONDITION OF OUR FACILITIES, THE QUALITY OF OUR TRAINING, AND OUR ABILITY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN A CAPABLE WORKFORCE. WE'LL CONTINUE IDENTIFYING INTERIM SOLUTIONS, BUT LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY WILL REQUIRE CONTINUED ATTENTION AND PARTNERSHIP EVEN IN A DIFFICULT BUDGET YEAR. THE DEPARTMENT MUST CONTINUE PLAN FOR THE FUTURE. FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES ACROSS MULTIPLE AGENCIES MEANS THAT WE MUST WORK CLOSER TOGETHER TO PULL RESOURCES AND STREAMLINE EFFORTS THAT BENEFIT THE FIRE SERVICE ACROSS THE REGION. SPECIFICALLY, WE'RE WORKING WITH LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE TO EXPLORE A SHEED FIRE AND E EMERGENCY SERVICE, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING CENTER. THIS COULD EXPAND LOCAL WORKFORCE PATHWAYS WHILE ALLOWING BOTH INSTITUTIONS TO LEVERAGE FACILITIES AND RESOURCES. AS I PRESENTED BEFORE, THE LOS ANGELES EMS AGENCY ALSO CALLED LIMS A IS A GOVERNING AUTHORITY THAT ALLOWS ALTERNATIVE EMS DELIVERY MODELS TO BE TESTED IN ACCOUNTING. WE'RE ALSO EVALUATING ALTERNATIVE EMS DELIVERY MODEL MODELS THAT MAY BECOME AVAILABLE THROUGH THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMS AGENCY. AND AT THE STATEWIDE LEVEL, THE LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT IS LEADING THE EFFORT TO STANDARDIZE FIRE ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS AND PROCUREMENT. THE GOAL IS TO REDUCE MANUFACTURING DELAYS LOWER COSTS, AND IMPROVE LONG-TERM FLEET SUSTAINABILITY. AND FINALLY, WE ARE COORDINATING WITH THE COUNTY OF COUNTY AND CITY OF LOS ANGELES TO PURSUE ADDITIONAL MUTUAL AID RESOURCES IN PREPARATION FOR THE 2028 OLYMPIC GAMES. THESE INITIATIVES REFLECT THE WAY LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS OPERATED THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY, ADAPTING TO NEW CHALLENGES, BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS, AND PREPARING BEFORE THE EMERGENCY OCCURS. IN CLOSING, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL, THE LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS SERVED THIS COMMUNITY FOR 129 YEARS. WE ARE CONFIDENT IN OUR HISTORY AND LEGACY, BUT WE ALSO, BUT WE MUST ALSO BALANCE THE RESPONSIBILITIES, WORKLOAD AND RISK OF TODAY. AS WE FACE A SIGNIFICANT YEAR OF STRUCTURAL REDUCTIONS, WE MUST BE CANDID, THE PROPOSED REDUCTIONS ARE SEVERE. THEY WILL REDUCE FIRE ENGINE CAPACITY, PLACE ADDITIONAL WORKLOAD ON REMAINING PERSONNEL, AND LIMIT SOME OF THE DEPARTMENT'S ADMINISTRATIVE AND COMMUNITY SERVICE FUNCTIONS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE PUBLIC SHOULD KNOW THAT THIS DEPARTMENT HAS APPROACHED A CHALLENGE CAREFULLY. WE PRIORITIZE PRESERVING FIRE STATIONS AND AMBULANCE SERVICES. WE EVALUATED RISK SYSTEM REDUNDANCY AND EQUITY. WE PURSUE ADDITIONAL REVENUE AND COST RECOVERY AND WILL CONTINUE SEEKING OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS TO THE MEMBERS OF LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESILIENCE AND CONTINUED COMMITMENT DURING A PERIOD OF SUSTAINED CHANGE TO OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP AND CONFIDENCE IN THIS DEPARTMENT AND TO CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THE SERIOUSNESS OF THESE, OF THESE DECISIONS AND FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE WHO PROTECT LONG BEACH. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA PROCEED TO THE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. I AM JOINED, UM, TODAY WITH THIS PRESENTATION BY GABBY GILLICK, OUR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, AND MEGAN O'KEEFE, OUR ACTING ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER. THANK YOU MAYOR. MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THE DEPARTMENT OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS. PROPOSED 2027 BUDGET. THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET ITS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ARE FOCUSED ON ENHANCING THE TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE 9 1 1 CENTER AND PREPARING THE CITY FOR THE LA 28 GAMES AND OTHER PRE-PLANNED LARGE SCALE CITY EVENTS. WE'RE GONNA BE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF OUR GROWING COMMERCIAL AREAS AND PREPARING OUR RESIDENTS TO BE RESILIENT TO SEVERE WEATHER INCIDENTS, INCLUDING THE HEAT THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING, AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL FOR A SUPER [01:30:01] EL NINA THIS WINTER. AND OF COURSE, WE CONTINUE TO PREPARE OUR RESIDENTS FOR OUR MOST PROBABLE DISASTER AND EARTHQUAKE. KEY SERVICES OF THE DEPARTMENT INCLUDE DELIVERING NEIGHBORHOOD, DEVELOPING RATHER NEIGHBORHOOD RESILIENCY VIA OUTREACH TO RESIDENTS REGARDING DISASTERS, MONITORING AND REPLACE MONITORING AND RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES, MAJOR EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS, AND PREPARING CITYWIDE EMERGENCY PLANS AND GUIDANCE. WE PROVIDE 9 1 1 SERVICES FOR RESIDENTS TO ACCESS POLICE, FIRE, AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, PROVIDE FIELD SUPPORT TO SWAP DEPLOYMENT AND SPECIAL EVENTS. AND WE TRACK THE 9 1 1 INDUSTRY FOR TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS IN OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES. OUR ADMINISTRATION DIVISION OVERSEES A $31 MILLION CITYWIDE HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PORTFOLIO FOR TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT, UH, OPERATIONS, UH, ACQUISITION IN TERMS OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. UH, THIS PAST YEAR WE COORDINATED A SERIES OF SPECIAL EVENTS TRAINING COURSES FOR FIRST RESPONDERS AND CITY STAFF IN PREPARATION FOR THE LA 28 GAMES AND OTHER PRE-PLANNED LODGE CITY EVENTS FOCUSED ON TOPICS LIKE INCIDENT AND CROWD MANAGEMENT EVACUATIONS AND ALERT AND WARNING NOTIFICATION PRACTICES. WE ESTABLISHED A LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGER GROUP, INCLUDING CAL STATE LONG BEACH, LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, LOCAL HOSPITALS AND NEIGHBORING CITIES TO SUPPORT A UNIFIED APPROACH AS WE RESPOND TO DISASTERS THAT NO, NO BOUNDARIES. STAFF PARTICIPATED IN NUMEROUS COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS AND ENGAGED THE PUBLIC DURING NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH PEP PREPAREDNESS MONTH, GREAT SHAKEOUT EARTHQUAKE DRILL, THE TSUNAMI WALK AND FAIR AND READY LINE, READY LONG BEACH DISASTER PREPAREDNESS EXPO. AND WE LEVERAGE $800,000 IN HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT FUNDS TO ENHANCE THE TECHNOLOGY CAPABILITIES OF THE CITY'S EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, INCLUDING UPGRADING TECHNOLOGY AT WORKSTATIONS, VIDEO CONFERENCING AND TRAINING CAPABILITIES. THESE IMPROVEMENTS SUPPORT INTERAGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AND MAINTAINS THE OPERATIONAL READINESS OF THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER. NOW I'M TURNING TO THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OUR 9 1 1 CENTER. IN ADDITION TO THE 600,000 CALLS FOR SERVICE DISPATCHERS ANSWER EVERY YEAR, THE 1500 TEXT TO 9 1 1 MESSAGES RECEIVED AND THE 78 SWAT CALL OUTS TO SUPPORT POLICE OFFICERS IN THE FIELD. I WANNA HIGHLIGHT SOME ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OUR LONG BEACH 9 1 1 TEAM. IN THE PAST YEAR, WE COMPLETED HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND PREPAREDNESS TRAINING FOR ALL 9 1 1 DISPATCHERS. THIS TRAINING WAS DELIVERED BY THE DENISE AMBER LEE FOUNDATION TO BETTER EQUIP 9 1 1 DISPATCHERS TO IDENTIFY CRITICAL INDICATIONS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND HOW TO CONNECT CALLERS AND VICTIMS WITH APPROPRIATE RESOURCES. WE ALSO PROVIDED LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TRAINING FOR OUR 9 1 1 SUPERVISORY STAFF, FOCUSED ON ACCOUNTABLE LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS. WE UPGRADED OUR CITY'S 9 1 1 QUALITY ASSURANCE, OUR PROGRAM WITH THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY TO REVIEW EMERGENCY AND NON-EMERGENCY CALLS FOR SERVICE. THE QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM HELPS TO ENSURE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND CALL TAKING ACCURACY, IDENTIFY TRENDS THAT CAN BE CAPTURED IN TRAINING, AS WELL AS IDENTIFY EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE BY OUR DISPATCHERS. SINCE IMPLEMENTATION IN, IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, OVER 200,000 CALLS HAVE BEEN REVIEWED FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE WITH AN OVERALL PASSING PERCENTAGE OF 90%. AND BEGINNING JUST THIS WEEK, WE LAUNCHED A NEW CUSTOMER SERVICE FEATURE FOR 9 1 1 CALLERS. THIS FEATURE PROVIDES CALLERS WITH A CONFIRMATION NOTIFICATION VIA TEXT MESSAGE FOR NON-CRITICAL CALLS TYPES. THAT INCLUDES A STATUS UPDATE AND AN INCIDENT NUMBER FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. ADDITIONALLY, CALLERS WILL RECEIVE A TEXT MESSAGE ACKNOWLEDGING WHEN A DELAY IN SERVICE RESPONSE OCCURS DUE TO A HIGH VOLUME OF HIGHER PRIORITY CALLS. WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THESE TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE'VE PUT IN PLACE. WE BELIEVE THAT WE ARE AMONGST THE LARGEST OF CALIFORNIA CALL CENTERS TO HAVE ENACTED THESE TECH TECHNOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS IN CUSTOMER SERVICE ENHANCEMENTS. AND FINALLY, THE 9 1 1 TRAINERS AND TACTICAL TEAMS WERE BOTH RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING [01:35:01] PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION. THIS WAS THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR. OUR 9 1 1 TEAMS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE. OUR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF CONTINUES TO PROVIDE HUMAN RESOURCES AND FINANCIAL SERVICES TO THE DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS MANAGING THE CITY'S CITYWIDE HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM. ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THIS PAST YEAR INCLUDE DEVELOPED THE THE DEPARTMENT'S FIRST ANNUAL REPORT, WHICH HIGHLIGHTED THE EXCEPTIONAL WORK OF OUR STAFF, UH, THAT OUR STAFF PROVIDED IN 2025. AND OUR GOALS FOR 2026 MANAGE THE CITY'S 17, THE DEPARTMENT $17 MILLION BUDGET AND $38 MILLION CITYWIDE HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PORTFOLIO. AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM ONBOARDED 13 NEW DISPATCHERS AFTER AN EXTENSIVE POLICE LEVEL BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION. THIS COHORT INCLUDED SEVEN RECRUITS ASSIGNED TO THE POLICE COMMUNICATION CENTER AND SIX TO THE FIRE COMMUNICATION CENTER TO BEGIN THEIR YEARLONG TRAINING PROGRAM. IN TERMS OF OUR FY 27 REDUCTIONS, THE DEPARTMENT CONSISTS OF A TEAM OF OPERATIONAL STAFF, 90 90% OF WHICH ARE DEDICATED TO THE 9 1 1 EMERGENCY CENTER, WITH A BUDGET OF $17 MILLION TO SUPPORT 91 FTES. AS WE DEVELOP THE FY 27 BUDGET, OUR PRIOR, OUR PRIORITY WAS TO MAINTAIN CRITICAL PUBLIC SAFETY OPERATIONS, WHILE ALSO BALANCING OUR COMMITMENT TO THE OVERALL FINANCIAL NEEDS OF THE CITY. HOWEVER, THIS WAS INCREDIBLY CHALLENGED AS WE HAVE VERY, WE HAVE A VERY LEAN BUDGET AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE THAT SAID, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S, OFFICE AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOWING REDUCTIONS TO OUR GENERAL FUND. WE WILL RECEIVE ADDITIONAL MEASURE A FUNDS TO SUPPORT TWO JOURNEY LEVEL DISPATCHER POSITIONS, WHICH WERE PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED. FOR ELIMINATION, WE WILL ELIMINATE A HISTORICALLY VACANT PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER POSITION. THREE. AND FINALLY, WE WILL ELIMINATE A FIELD SECRETARY POSITION THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING ACCESS TO THE FACILITY, MONITORING ONSITE V VENDORS AND THE DEPARTMENT'S ACCOUNTS PAYABLE RESPONSIBILITIES. AND AS YOU SAID, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN. UM, THERE ARE IMPACTS TO THE REMAINING, UM, STAFF WHO WILL ABSORB THESE ADDITIONAL, UH, DUTIES, ANY AREA OF CHALLENGES. THE CITY'S COMPU, THE CITY'S COM COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH PLATFORM, OR CAD, WHICH SERVES AS THE COMMUNICATIONS HUB THAT LINKS 9 1 1 DISPATCHERS WITH RESIDENTS AND FIRST RESPONDERS IN THE FIELD IS OVER 30 YEARS OLD AND WAS LAST UPGRADED IN 20, IN 2 0 0 5 AND AGAIN IN 2012. THE SYSTEM IS IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT AND STAFF IS WORKING DILIGENTLY TO FUND THIS PROJECT. AND WE COMMUNICATE OFTEN WITH FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT WE CAN USE FOR THIS PURPOSE. OUR 9 1 1 INFRASTRUCTURE IS, IS FRAGILE AND IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO DISRUPTIONS DUE TO HUMAN IN HUMAN INTERVENTION, WINTER STONES, HIGH WINDS, OR OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. THE STATE IS WORKING ON A PLAN TO REPLACE THIS AGING TECHNOLOGY IN THE COMING YEARS. IN RECENT YEARS, AGAIN, AS UH, CHIEF BUCHANAN SAID, OUR FEDERAL HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT FUNDS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AND WE ANTICIPATE THOSE REDUCTIONS TO CONTINUE. THIS COMES AT A TIME WHEN WE ARE PREPARING FOR ADDITIONAL STAFF TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT, UH, ACQUISITION AND SUPPORT OF THE 9 1 1 GAMES AS WELL, AGAIN, AS OUR OWN CITY, UM, SUPPORTED LARGE SCALE EVENTS. THAT SAID, WE DO SEE OPPORTUNITIES DESPITE THE UNCERTAIN FINANCIAL CLIMATE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES LIKE THE QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM AND CUSTOMER SERVICE ENHANCEMENTS LIKE THE CALL CONFIRMATION TEXT MESSAGE THAT I SPOKE ABOUT EARLIER. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH STAFF AND LABOR REPRESENTATIVES TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO REDUCE OVERTIME, IMPROVE EMPLOYEE RETENTION AND ENHANCE OUR WELLNESS PROGRAMS. WE'RE ALSO EXPLORING AI BASED TECHNOLOGY TO ASSIST IN MORE RAPIDLY AND COST-EFFECTIVELY DEVELOPING DISASTER PREPAREDNESS TRAINING EXERCISES. ALTHOUGH FEDERAL FUNDS ARE UNSTABLE, WE WILL EXPLORE NON-FEDERAL GRANT FUNDS TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION THAT WE NEED. [01:40:01] AND FINALLY, WHILE WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FULFILL ALL COMMUNITY OUTREACH REQUESTS, WE WILL PRIORITY, WE WILL PRIORITIZE STAFF PARTICIPATION IN CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT AND COMMUNITY MEETINGS. THE DEPARTMENT REPRESENTS 42 YEARS OF SERVICE, UH, TO THE PUBLIC. THE LAST 11 OF THOSE BEING CONSOLIDATED. WE LOOK WITH PRIDE TO OUR PAST AND WE LOOK TO, TO THE FUTURE WITH A GREAT DEAL OF HOPE. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS MAYOR FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. ALL RIGHT, WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. WE'RE NOW GONNA TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT BEFORE WE TAKE IT BACK TO THE RAIL. TO THE CITY COUNCIL, LET'S ADMINISTER PUBLIC COMMENT PLEASE FOR THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS, PLEASE, UH, STEP TO THE PODIUM. PATRICK KAYLEE, ANNETTE DINE. GOOD EVENING COUNSEL. I WANNA MAKE IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT I DO NOT WORK NOR REPRESENT THE FIRE SERVICE OR THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION. UH, AND I DO LIVE IN THE AREA WHERE ENGINE 14 WILL BE REMOVED, IN FACT, PRETTY ADJACENT TO THAT DIRECT AREA. HOWEVER, I DO HAVE 12 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING 9 1 1 ACROSS FOUR DIFFERENT STATES. AND WITH ALL OF THAT, I CAN STATE UNEQUIVOCALLY, WHEN YOU REMOVE RESOURCES TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC HEALTH, NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS. UM, I HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATION. I HAVE WORKED SPECIFICALLY WITH HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES 9 1 1 EMS AND FIRE SERVICES ACROSS THIS COUNTRY. I'M GRATEFUL THAT THE EMS SERVICES WILL REMAIN WITHIN THAT STATION. HOWEVER, IN MY EXPERIENCES, AMBULANCES DO NOT CARRY FIRE SUPPRESSION OR RESCUE EQUIPMENT. NOW, AGAIN, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH WHAT LONG BEACH CARRIES ON THEIR AMBULANCES, BUT THERE'S NO WAY THERE IS A FIRE TRUCK INSIDE THAT AMBULANCE. WITH THE CONTINUED GROWTH OF THAT CONSTRUCTION, MULTI-HOUSING UNITS AND ADDITIONAL HAZARDS RELEGATED TO BOTH, UH, TRAFFIC EXTENUATING ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE 4 0 5 AND 6 0 5 INTERCHANGES, THE REDUCTION WITH RESOURCES IS DANGEROUS. LASTLY, EVEN MOVING TO AN OVERTIME MODEL AND A ROLLING BLACKOUT, WHICH IS BEING PROPOSED, YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER THE STRESS AND BURNOUT THAT IT WILL PLACE UPON OUR CURRENT RESPONDERS. SOMETHING I KNOW QUITE A BIT ABOUT AS I WROTE THE MOVIE CODE THREE, WHICH IS ALL ABOUT FIRST RESPONDER BURNOUT AND STRESS. THANK YOU. UM, WHAT I'M TRYING TO EMPHASIZE TO YOU IS I KNOW THAT IT IS A CHALLENGING FISCAL ENVIRONMENT, BUT WHEN YOU REMOVE RESOURCES DIRECTLY IMPACTING CITIZENRY FOR WHEN THEY ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE AND WHEN THEY'RE IN THEIR MOST DANGEROUS STATE, IT DOES NOT END WELL. ALSO, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT THE STATISTIC THAT THE FIRE CHIEF PROMOTED ABOUT 81%. FIRE SUPPRESSION IN THE ROOM OF ORIGIN IS OUTSTANDING. IT IS NOT THE NATIONAL STANDARD AND SOMETHING TO BE CELEBRATED. THE REMOVAL OF THESE RESOURCES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND WHETHER IT IMPACTED MY WHERE I LIVE DIRECTLY OR NOT, IS IMMATERIAL. YES, MY, WHERE I LIVE IS GOING TO BE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THE REMOVAL OF ENGINE 14, BUT WHETHER IT WAS THERE OR ANYWHERE ELSE WITHIN THE CITY, I WOULD BE OPPOSED TO IT BECAUSE, AGAIN, I'VE SEEN THE IMPACTS WHEN WE REMOVE RESOURCES DIRECTLY TO POPULATIONS THAT NEED THOSE ASSISTANCE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. WOO, KAYLEE. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. MY NAME IS KAYLEE. I AM A-C-S-U-O ALUMNI AND I'VE LIVED IN LONG BEACH FOR THREE YEARS. I WORK HERE, I DO A LOT OF ORGANIZING HERE, AND MY SISTER IS ALSO S-C-S-U-O-B STUDENT WORKING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING. AND I'M HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT PUBLIC EMERGENCY SERVICES DON'T GET CUT. RIGHT NOW, LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT IS AT RISK OF LOSING ENGINE 14, AND THE CITY OF LONG BEACH CONTINUES TO ATTRACT SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE, UH, STATE, ESPECIALLY AN AREA SURROUNDING FIRE HALL 14, LIKE BELMONT SHORE, AND ALSO IN SCHOOLS AROUND C-S-U-O-B AND A LOT OF VALUABLE PRECIOUS HOMES THAT ARE SURROUNDING THAT AREA. IF THIS YEAR'S BUDGET SEASON IS TO PRIORITIZE PUBLIC SAFETY, THEN WHY ARE WE CUTTING EMERGENCY PUBLIC SERVICES? YOU'RE SPREADING FIREFIGHTERS SO THIN, EXPECTING THEM TO MAKE, TO TAKE ON EMERGENCIES AT A TIME WHERE FIRES ARE MORE FREQUENT [01:45:01] AND LESS PREDICTABLE. IN THE PAST YEARS, WE HAVE SEEN NEIGHBORING CITIES FAIL TO BE PREPARED AND IN EMERGENCIES LIKE THE EATON FIRES AND THE PALISADES FIRES PUTTING SO MANY PEOPLE'S LIVES AT RISK. THAT IS WHY WE NEED TO MAINTAIN NOT CUT ENGINE 14 BECAUSE WE BELIEVE PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE OF LONG BEACH SHOULD FEEL SAFE AND SHOULD FEEL THAT THE CITY IS ABLE TO TO RELY ON THEM DURING A CRISIS. AND LASTLY, I JUST WANNA TAKE A COUPLE OF SECONDS, UM, TO DEMAND JUSTICE FOR KAIZEN WHO WAS WRONGFULLY ARRESTED BY LONG BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR A CRIME HE DID NOT COMMIT FREE KAIZEN AND PUT PEOPLE OVER PROFIT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AMEN. GOOD AFTERNOON, AND THANKS FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. AS WE HEARD FROM THE FIRE CHIEF, HE HAS PUT TOGETHER RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON REDUCTIONS THAT CONSTITUTE A VERY SEVERE SITUATION, THINGS THAT WOULD NOT BE MADE UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES. WHAT WE DIDN'T HEAR, THOUGH, IS REALLY THE RECOMMENDATION AS IT RELATES TO LOOKING THROUGH THE LENS OF GROWTH. WHEN WE REALIZE THAT THOUSANDS OF ADDITIONAL RESIDENTS WILL SOON OCCUPY THE 1200 UNITS IN DEVELOPMENT NEAR A SECOND, AND PCH, THIS CORRIDOR IS ALREADY GRIDLOCKED WITH EXISTING STORES, BUSINESSES, AND RESTAURANTS. THE ADDITION OF DENSELY POPULATED RESIDENTIAL UNITS WARRANTS KEEPING THE FIRE STATION ENGINE IN ITS CURRENT LOCATION AT STATION 14. PLEASE KEEP ENGINE 14 AT STATION 14 AND PURSUE A COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC SAFETY PLAN THAT SUPPORTS THE GROWTH UNDERWAY IN SOUTHEAST LONG BEACH. THANKS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU TO THE PUBLIC FOR YOUR TESTIMONY. THANK YOU TO BOTH OF OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS, UH, FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS. WE'LL NOW TAKE IT BACK BEHIND THE RAIL, JUST SOME COMMENTS, UH, I'LL START WITH, UM, UH, WITH, UH, DISASTER PREPAREDNESS. THANK YOU, UH, DIRECTOR HARRISON FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I KNOW THAT THIS DEPARTMENT IS PARTICULARLY CONNECTED, UH, AS A FRONT DOOR ON WHAT DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, WHICH HAS LARGELY BEEN FEDERALLY FUNDED. AND WE KNOW THE LANDSCAPE AROUND FEDERAL FUNDING HAS BEEN INCR LIKE UNSTABLE IN RECENT YEARS. UH, WE DO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE DO WANNA PUT A LENS ON THE MAJOR OF GAMES THAT ARE COMING IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, WHETHER THERE ARE NEW DOLLARS FROM THE STATE OR REGIONAL EFFORTS, OR IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT WE CAN SUPPORT LEVERAGING THIS MOMENT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED FOR LARGE SCALE EVENTS. PLEASE, UH, TAP IN WITH THE CITY COUNCIL AND OUR LEADERSHIP ON THAT. BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU TO OUR, UH, DISPATCHERS FOR THEIR SERVICE. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT, UH, CHIEF, THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, UH, FOR THE SERIOUSNESS THAT YOU BRING TO THE CONVERSATION. UH, THIS IS NOT A, A, YOU KNOW, A GREAT BUDGET YEAR. THIS IS A BUDGET YEAR. WE HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH CALLS. SO I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE YOUR LENS OF DATA, UH, EQUITY, YOUR APPROACH, THE FACT THAT YOU'RE CONTINUING TO FOCUS ON WHAT HAS BEEN WELL ESTABLISHED PRIORITIES OF THE CITY COUNCIL. UH, WE APPRECIATE SEEING THAT YOU ARE CONTINUING YOUR PROGRESS ON HIRING. WE'VE SEEN SOME SUCCESS THERE AND THAT YOU HAVE, UH, THE NEW ACADEMY BEGINNING TO THAT STARTS, UH, LATER THIS MONTH. SO CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT. UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, PARAMEDICS, UM, I KNOW IN RECENT YEARS, I MAY WANT YOU TO WALK THROUGH THIS. IN RECENT YEARS THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT, UM, THE INCREASED NUMBER OF MEDICAL CALLS THAT THE CITY HAS EXPERIENCED AND THAT, UH, WE NEED TO PUT MORE EMPHASIS ON RESCUES, BEING ABLE TO RESPOND. UM, AND I MAY WANT YOU TO JUST ELABORATE ON WHAT HAS BEEN ADDED AND WHAT YOU THINK THE SHIFT IN TERMS OF SHIFTING THE RESCUE TO ENGINE 14 TO STATION 14 WILL HAVE, AND WHAT THE ADDITIONAL RESCUES ARE THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED IN RECENT YEARS. I'M GONNA WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT. UM, ALSO, I APPRECIATE THAT WE, THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT ENGINE 17 BECAUSE IT WAS A FEDERAL GRANT AND THERE WERE CONCERNS WHEN YOU RECEIVE THOSE GRANTS ON WHETHER WE'LL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THAT SERVICE. SO WE ARE GLAD TO SEE THAT THROUGH MEASURE A, WE'RE ABLE TO MEET THAT COMMITMENT AND CHANGE IT FROM A ONE TIME FUNDED EVERY YEAR ON ONE TIME DOLLARS TO STRUCTURAL FUNDING. BUT THAT SHOULD BE A REMINDER ON WHY WE SHOULD NOT FUND STRUCTURAL SERVICES WITH ONE TIME DOLLARS. BECAUSE ONCE THE COMMUNITY'S USED TO THAT AND THE FUNDING GOES AWAY AND THE GRANT FUNDING GOES AWAY, IT SEEMS, IT SEEMS TO BE, IT WILL BE RECEIVED AS A TAKEAWAY FROM OUR COMMUNITIES. SO THE FACT WE'RE ABLE TO TRANSITION THAT, 'CAUSE THAT POTENTIALLY WOULD'VE BEEN ANOTHER LOSS WITH ENGINE 17 THIS YEAR. BUT BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO SHIFT TO MEASURE A, WE DON'T HAVE THAT LOSS. AND THEN LASTLY, [01:50:01] I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, AND THANK, BEFORE YOU RESPOND, I DO WANT TO THANK, UM, THE PORT. WE HAD, YOU HAD A SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM LAST YEAR. WE PICKED UP AND CONTINUED THOSE CONVERSATIONS. IT'S LED TO MORE RESOURCES THAT HAVE ALLOWED US TO STOP, UH, SHOULD THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPT THE MAYOR'S RECOMMENDATION, STOP THE VERY DISRUPTIVE ROLLING BLACKOUT, UM, FROM, YOU KNOW, OUR CONVERSATIONS, I KNOW HOW DISRUPTIVE THAT IS, NOT ONLY TO WORKERS, BUT JUST TO THE COMMUNITY TO NOT KNOW WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE ON WHAT DAY. IT WOULD BE CONFUSING. EVERY TWO WEEKS WOULD BE A DIFFERENT, UM, BLACKOUT. AND SO WE'RE GLAD THAT WE'RE ABLE TO RESTORE THAT. NOW, IN TERMS OF ENGINE 14, YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN WE LOST RESCUE 12 BACK IN 2010, MY FIRST YEAR WORKING ON CITY COUNCIL. IT WAS A BIG COMMUNITY PRIORITY TO RESTORE THAT. IT TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET THAT RESTORED. IT WASN'T, IT WASN'T EVEN THE FIRST ROUND OF MEASURE. IT WAS THE SECOND ROUND OF MEASURE A THAT WE WERE ABLE TO FINALLY RESTORE RESCUE 12. AND IT TOOK ABOUT A DECADE. MY COMMITMENT IS THAT WE KNOW THAT BUDGETS ARE CYCLICAL. WE KNOW THAT SOMETIMES IT'S GOOD YEARS, SOMETIMES IT'S NOT GOOD YEARS. THE LAST THREE MAYORS ALL HAD TO DEAL WITH IT. CITY COUNCILS HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH IT. WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE STABILITY THAT OUR WORKERS AND OUR RESIDENTS DESERVE BY CONTINUING TO EVALUATE MODELS THAT MEET THE NEEDS OF TODAY. UH, THAT MAY THAT MEAN, THAT MAY MEAN MEAN EVALUATING, UH, WHAT ARE FUNDING STRATEGIES FOR EMS FUNDING STRATEGIES FOR FIRE DISTRICTS AND FIRE SERVICES. WE NEED TO CONTINUE THAT DISCUSSION THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE KNOW ONCE WE GET THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT BUDGET AND WE'RE BACK ON STABLE TERRAIN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THIS IS GONNA CYCLE BACK OVER THE NEXT DECADE. THAT'S THE WAY IT WORKS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. SO WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IN THIS YEAR, WHAT ARE SOME LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS. UH, MY COMMITMENT IS THAT IF, IF ENGINE 14 IS ELIMINATED, WE WANT TO FIND A WAY TO RESTORE IT, BUT WE WANT TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT MAKES SENSE AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO INVEST IN THE PARAMEDICS, UH, THAT WE'VE INVESTED IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. SO MY ASK OF YOU IS, COULD YOU WALK US THROUGH, UH, THE PARAMEDIC STRATEGY? WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT SINCE WE'VE ADDED PARAMEDIC RESOURCES? HOW MANY HAVE BEEN ADDED AND HOW DOES THAT ALIGN WITH, UH, THE GROWING DEMAND THAT WE SEE ON MEDICAL CALLS? THANK YOU MAYOR, FOR THOSE QUESTIONS. I'M GONNA TRY AND ANSWER, THAT'S QUITE A FEW QUESTIONS YOU GAVE ME THERE, BUT WE'LL START OFF WITH THE PARAMEDIC. UM, SO AS YOU'RE WELL AWARE, A COUPLE YEARS AGO WE WERE RUNNING OUT OF RESCUES, AND LAST YEAR WE WERE OUT OF RESCUES. WHEN SOMEONE CALLED 9 1 1, IT OCCURRED 152 TIMES. AND THAT'S A COMBINATION OF NOT HAVING THE CAPACITY TO MEET THE DEMAND THERE. SO NOT HAVING ENOUGH RESOURCES. IN ADDITION, WE HAD SOME OTHER ISSUES WITH, UH, AT THE HOSPITALS WITH AMBI. PATIENT OFFLOADING TIMES WERE REALLY HIGH. SO WHEN YOU COMBINE ALL THAT, WE WERE, WE WERE OUTTA RESCUES. WE, WE APPRECIATE THE INVESTMENT FUND, UH, THAT YOU PUT INTO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO WE ADDED PARAMEDIC RESCUE TWO, THAT'S AT FIRE STATION TWO HERE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA THAT ADDED TWO ADDITIONAL PARAMEDICS OR ADDITIONAL AMBULANCES WITH TWO ADDITIONAL PARAMEDICS TO THE COMMUNITY. THEN WE USED DATA AND WE, WE LOOKED AT OUR PEAK TIMES WHEN PEOPLE WERE CALLING 9 1 1 AND NEEDED EMS CARE AND TRANSPORT, AND WE ADDED A PEAK LOAD UNIT ON A ONE TIME BASIS, WHICH IS SUPPORT THE CITY MANAGER AND THE INVESTMENT YOU GAVE TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND NOW THAT PEAK LOAD UNIT IS STRUCTURALLY FUNDED AND IT'S AT STATION 13 AS PEAK LOAD 13 IN THE WEST SIDE OF LONG BEACH. THAT HAS HELPED US TREMENDOUSLY. SO WE, WE WERE, WE HAD 152 TIMES WE WERE OUTTA RESCUES AND RIGHT NOW TO DATE FOR THIS YEAR, WE'RE DOWN TO 31. THAT MAKES A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WHEN SO MANY NEEDS IMMEDIATE CARE AND TRANSPORT. IN ADDITION, THAT PEAK LOAD UNIT HAS BEEN IN SERVICE SINCE DECEMBER OF 2025. SO WE'RE LOOKING AROUND NINE MONTHS. THAT UNIT, JUST THAT UNIT ALONE, HAS RESPONDED TO AROUND 2000 EMS CALLS AND HAS TRANSPORTED 8,000, I MEAN, 800 PATIENTS TO OUR LOCAL HOSPITALS. SO YOU CAN SEE THE IMPACT ON THAT. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. AROUND 85% OF OUR CALLS ARE MEDICAL. UM, AND THEN YOU'RE SEEING EVERY YEAR WE'RE INCREASING CALLS AROUND SEVEN 50 TO A THOUSAND CALLS EACH YEAR. SO YOU COULD SEE IF YOU'RE 85% OF YOUR CALLS ARE MEDICAL, HOW YOU NEED TO KEEP UP WITH YOUR CAPACITY. THAT'S WHY WE WERE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS, UH, ALTERNATIVE DELIVERING MODELS THAT WE CAN ADDRESS THAT HOPEFULLY THAT ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION, THAT, THAT DID. AND I, AND I THINK WE JUST NEED TO ADD A LITTLE COLOR TO, DESPITE THE DIFFICULT BUDGET YEAR THIS YEAR, WE'RE CONTINUING TO, UH, MAINTAIN OUR COMMITMENT ON PARAMEDIC RESCUES. NO ONE WANTS TO SEE CUTS TO AN A FIRE ENGINE, BUT TO SEE, BUT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF HAVING ADDED TO ADDITIONAL RESCUES IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, SH BEING, HAVING THE RESOURCES TO SHIFT TO AN AREA AT STATION [01:55:01] 14 WHERE WE KNOW THAT THE MAJORITY OF CALLS, 85% OF THE CALLS THERE ARE MEDICAL, THAT WE HAVE THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THAT COMMUNITY. I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR THAT COMMUNITY TO KNOW, BUT ALSO TO KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT TAKING THE EYE OFF THE BALL ON FIRE SERVICE. THE, THE DATA SHOWS THE GROWING DEMAND, THE CHALLENGES RECENTLY HAVE BEEN OVER THE LAST PAST FEW YEARS IS INCREASING DEMAND ON THE MEDICAL SIDE. AND THAT'S BEEN A STRATEGIC PRIORITY. AND WE'RE NOT TAKING A STEP BACK IN THIS BUDGET YEAR. BUT ULTIMATELY, LIKE I SAID, LONG-TERM, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO EXPLORE LONG-TERM MODELS, DEPLOYMENT MODELS, FUNDING MODELS, ALL OF THAT, THAT ALLOW US, YOU KNOW, AS BUDGETS CYCLE, YOU HAVE A LEVEL OF CONS, CONSISTENCY AND STABILITY THAT BOTH THE RESIDENTS AND THE WORKERS DESERVE. SO THANK YOU AND THANK YOU TO OUR FIREFIGHTERS AND OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR YOUR SERVICES. WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, UH, COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN. UH, YES, I'M I'LL YIELD TO MY, UH, BOC CHAIR, UH, COUNCILMAN JON, RICK SODI TO ASK HER QUESTIONS FIRST. GO FOR IT. WELL, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN ALLEN. UM, BUT I WOULD NOT HAVE MIND IF YOU ASKED YOUR QUESTIONS FIRST. UM, I JUST ACTUALLY JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. UM, UM, UH, I'LL START WITH YOU, UM, WITH DISASTER PREPAREDNESS. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, I WILL SAY, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, THRESH TOOK AN EYE OVER HERE LIKE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER WHEN WE SAW THE COMMENTS AROUND LIKE THE TRAINING ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO I REALLY WANNA, UM, UPLIFT THE, THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE DOING WITH OUR, UM, OUR 9 1 1 STAFF, THE TRAININGS YOU'VE BEEN DOING, THE INVESTMENT IN THEM. I KNOW THAT, UM, FOR A WHILE THERE, RIGHT, WITH THE, UH, WITH THE TRAINING, BUT ALSO WITH THE STAFFING, RIGHT? WE WERE HAVING A LOT OF CHALLENGES. AND SO I CAN SEE THE FRUIT OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING TO REALLY INVEST IN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS. AND SO I JUST WANT YOU TO SEE THAT I, I SEE THAT AND I, I CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE WORK THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING TO SUPPORT OUR STAFF THERE. UM, I ACTUALLY JUST HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. UM, 'CAUSE I, I OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE WE'RE IN A A, A BUDGET DEFICIT, EVERYONE'S GETTING CREATIVE ON THE WAYS THAT THEY'RE ADDRESSING, UM, THE REDUCTIONS. UM, AND SO I HAD A QUESTION AROUND, THERE WAS A SECTION IN THERE, UM, IN YOUR BUDGET THAT TALKED ABOUT ELIMINATING LIKE MAINTENANCE FOR EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND HONESTLY, I SAT THERE AND I WAS JUST LIKE, OH, WHAT EXACTLY IS THE MACHINERY THE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS HAS? SO I JUST WANTED TO KNOW, UM, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO THERE? UH, THANK, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER AND THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THAT OUR EFFORTS E EARLIER AS WELL. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NON-CRITICAL, UH, EQUIPMENT THAT MAY, THAT WE MAINTAIN OVER AT THE EOC AND THE 9 1 1 CENTER. UH, WE ARE A 24 HOUR OPERATION. UM, WE'RE ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT THE WELLNESS AND CARE OF OUR STAFF. THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE CAN DELAY IN TERMS OF CARPET REPLACEMENT, IN TERMS OF REPLACING, UH, APPLIANCES, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, GYM EQUIPMENT. WE CAN DELAY THAT AS WE WORK OUR WAY THROUGH THIS, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA AFFECT CRITICAL OPERATIONS OF THE CENTER. FANTASTIC. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S JUST WHAT I WANTED TO CLARIFY WAS WHAT, WHAT IT WAS THAT YOU WERE REFERRING TO, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CLEAR. YEAH. UM, AND THEN ADDITIONALLY, UM, THERE WAS A, UH, A COMMENT IN YOUR, IN THE, UH, BUDGET SECTION THAT SAID, UM, THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE PARTNERING WITH TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS ON THE MULTI-YEAR COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH. SO CAD, UM, REPLACEMENT, UH, REPLACEMENT PROJECT. UM, WHAT IS THE TAR, WELL, ACTUALLY, WHAT IS CAD? AND THEN WHAT IS THE TARGET FOR, UH, FOR COMPLETING THAT REPLACEMENT PROJECT? I'M GONNA ASK, UM, GABBY GILLICK TO JOIN ME IN ANSWERING THIS QUESTION, BUT CAD IS REALLY, SOMETIMES YOU MIGHT REF, OH, I REFER TO IT IN MY NOTES AS THE HUB IN THE 9 1 1 CENTER. IT'S THE, IT'S THE SYSTEM THAT TRACKS ALL OF THE MEN AND WOMEN, UH, OUT IN THE FIELD. THE EQUIPMENT, IT, IT CONNECTS THE CALLERS WITH OUR DISPATCHERS. IT IS THE HUB THAT JOINS EVERYTHING, UM, TOGETHER, UH, IN THE CENTER. OUR, OUR, UH, CAD UNIT, AS I SAID, UM, WAS FIRST INSTALLED ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO. WE DID SOME, UM, UPGRADES TO IT IN 2005 AND AGAIN IN, IN 2012. UM, NOW WE'RE SEEING THAT, UM, SOME OF THE NEWER TECHNOLOGIES, UM, THE CA SYSTEM IS NOT ABLE TO, UM, FACILITATE THEM BECAUSE IT'S AN OLD OPERATING, UH, SYSTEM. UM, SO IT'S, UH, IT'S A, IT'S A COMPLEX PROJECT. IT'S AN EXPENSIVE PROJECT, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SIX AND $8 MILLION FROM BEGINNING TO END, INCLUDING WE'RE GONNA NEED CONSULTING HELP TO HELP US IMPLEMENT THOSE, UH, THAT, THAT EQUIPMENT AND, AND THE OTHER TECHNOLOGIES ASSOCIATED, UH, WITH IT. AND IT'S A LONG PROJECT PROCESS AS WELL TO DEVELOP SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 24 TO 30 MONTHS TO IMPLEMENT THAT, INCLUDING TRAINING OF THE STAFF ON THE NEW SYSTEM AS WELL, AND THE MEN AND WOMEN OUT IN THE FIELD BECAUSE THEY USE THE SAME SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE AS WELL. AND THEN I'LL ADD, UH, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PROJECTS [02:00:01] THAT WE ARE UNDERGOING WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY THAT IS 20, 30 YEARS OLD WE'RE TRYING TO DO, THESE ARE MASSIVE PROJECTS. SO WE DID THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM FIRST. UH, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW WITH ALL OF OUR PERMIT SYSTEM FOR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. THAT'S NEXT. WE NEED TO WORK ON OUR HR SYSTEMS AND REPLACE THOSE. AND THEN THE CAD IS, IS ONE OF THOSE OTHER BIG ONES. AND SO, UH, THAT IS NOT A FUNDED PROJECT YET. IT TAKES A WHILE TO GET ALL THE DOLLARS TO START TO, TO DO THAT AND THEN FIGURE OUT HOW TO ACTUALLY PAY FOR THE REST OF IT. SO THAT IS ON OUR UNFUNDED NEEDS. IT ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO HAPPEN. THAT'S THE GENERAL TIMELINE. UH, BUT WE STILL NEED TO IDENTIFY THE RESOURCES TO MOVE FORWARD. AND THEN I WASN'T SURE IF YOUR OTHER COLLEAGUE WAS GONNA SHARE ANYTHING. UM, BASICALLY ECHOING WHAT DIRECTOR HARRISON SAID, IT'S GONNA BE, THE CAT SYSTEM IS BASICALLY THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM OF OUR ENTIRE OPERATIONS. IT'S WHERE ALL THE INFORMATION IS INITIALLY ENTERED AND THEN IT GO AHEAD, IT TRAVELS ALONG WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, POLICE DEPARTMENT AS THEY GO THROUGH THEIR INCIDENTS, UM, INVESTIGATIONS AND SO FORTH. SO IT, IT REALLY JUST HOUSES A LOT OF THE INFORMATION THAT IS JUST HAPPENING THROUGHOUT OUR CENTER. BUT WE ARE THE, UM, STARTING POINT OF WHERE THAT INFORMATION STARTS AND THEN IT JUST TRAVELS INTO THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS BASED ON THEIR INCIDENTS. UM, YOU DID ASK ABOUT HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE. IT WOULD TAKE ANYWHERE FROM 24 TO 36 MONTHS FOR THIS PROJECT TO BE COMPLETED. UNDERSTOOD. BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE, UH, FROM WHAT OUR CITY MANAGER SHARED, THAT WE ARE STILL WORKING ON ACCUMULATING THE FUNDING IN ORDER TO DO THAT. SO THAT IS IN, UM, BASICALLY IN A LINE OF SUCCESSION OF THE, OF THE, UM, TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION THAT WE NEED TO DO ACROSS THE CITY. UM, SO ONCE WE START, IT'LL BE 24 TO 36 MONTHS, BUT WE HAVEN'T ACTUALLY STARTED YET. UNDERSTOOD. OKAY. UH, NO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. THANK YOU AGAIN. COUNCIL CHIEF, THANK, OH, I WANTED TO ADD TO, UH, DIRECTOR HARRISON'S ON THAT CAD. THE CAD HELPS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FULFILL ITS MISSION. SO WE, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT 81% OF OUR, OUR STRUCTURE FIRES. WE CAN CONTINUE TO ROOM ORIGIN WHEN WE RECEIVE THAT DISPATCH INFORMATION FROM THE DISPATCHER THAT ALLOWS THE FIREFIGHTERS TO QUICKLY DAWN THEIR EQUIPMENT AND, AND RESPOND AND LEAVE THAT STATION WITHIN 60 SECONDS. AND THAT ALLOWS THE BATTALION COMMANDER TO GET ALL THAT INFORMATION ON THEIR MOBILE DATA TERMINAL TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THAT INCIDENT. SO THAT, TO HAVING THE UPGRADED CA SYSTEM, IT'S IMPERATIVE FOR OUR MISSION. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, AND THEN, UH, THANK YOU CHIEF FOR, UH, YOUR PRESENTATION. UM, I WILL SHARE THAT I HAVE A, A NEW STAFF MEMBER IN MY OFFICE, UM, AND HER, UH, IN READING. SO THIS IS HER FIRST TIME READING THROUGH THE BUDGET AND SHE ACTUALLY MENTIONED TO ME, UM, HOW IMPRESSED SHE WAS WITH THE FIRE'S BUDGET AND HOW CLEAR IT WAS THAT SHE WAS READING THROUGH IT. SO, UM, SO I ACTUALLY ONLY HAVE ONE QUESTION . UM, AND SO, UM, AND YOU MENTIONED THIS IN YOUR PRESENTATION AROUND THE OVERTIME MODEL TRANSITION. SO THIS IS THE PART WHERE IT SAID THE 12 SWORN POSITIONS ARE BEING REDUCED FROM THE PERMANENT BUDGET AS ONE FIRE ENGINE IS CONVERTED TO AN OVERTIME STAFFING MODEL. UM, AND THIS ENGINE WILL NOW BE STAFFED BY EXISTING PERSONNEL USING APPROXIMATELY 1,460 OVERTIME SHIFTS. UM, I IMAGINE THAT MOST PUBLIC, THE MOST OF THE PUBLIC, LIKE KIND OF HEARING THAT IS LIKE, OH, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF OVERTIME SHIFTS. LIKE WHY IS THAT THE BEST MODEL FOR THIS SITUATION AND WHY DOES THAT HELP US WITH OUR BUDGET, UM, OUR BUDGET DEFICIT? CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTEXT, UH, ABOUT WHY THAT CHOICE WAS MADE? YEAH, THAT, THAT CHOICE WAS MADE. I, I DID NOT HAVE ANY OTHER AREAS TO, TO REDUCE AND THERE'S OTHER POSITIONS I WANNA ELIMINATE. SO, SO TRANSITIONING TO A STRUCTURAL FUNDED ENGINE AND GOING TO A OVER OVERTIME STAFFING MODEL WILL SAVE ME SEVEN $50,000. UM, WE IMPLEMENTED THAT WITH FIRE ENGINE 17. SO FOR MULTIPLE YEARS, FIRE ENGINE 17 HAS BEEN STAFF OVER OVERTIME STAFFING MODEL. BUT I WANNA BE CLEAR THAT THE OVERTIME PERSONNEL ARE DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT. IT'S NOT JUST ON THAT SINGLE ENGINE COMPANY, IT'S JUST DISTRIBUTED OVER THE DEPARTMENT. THE REASON I DO THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, IF I HAVE ENGINE ONE, WHICH IS NEXT DOOR, AND IF I STAFF THAT WITH FOUR PERSONNEL OVERTIME, 365 DAYS A YEAR, YOU CAN IMAGINE THE AMOUNT OF, OF HAZARDS WE HAVE HERE ON THE OCEAN BOULEVARD, THAT WOULD BE NOBODY REALLY FAMILIAR WITH THESE HIGH RISES. SO I DO, I GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT THE UNIT IS PREPARED AND IT'S READY. SO WE'LL DISTRIBUTE THE OVERTIME THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENT SO WE HAVE SOME CONTINUITY WITHIN THAT CREW. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. NEXT, COUNCILMAN ROWLEY? YES. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I'LL START WITH, UH, CHIEF BUCHANAN. AND, UH, JUST FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU FOR WALKING US THROUGH, UM, SOME VERY DIFFICULT, UH, DECISIONS. AND ALSO I APPRECIATED THE COMMUNITY THAT SPOKE TO BECAUSE TRUST ME, THESE ARE TOUGH DECISIONS. I KNOW THEY'RE TOUGH DECISIONS FOR YOU. UM, AND IT'S REALLY TOUGH ON COUNCIL TO, UM, DURING THIS, THIS BUDGET YEAR. UM, I NEVER LIKE CUTTING PUBLIC SAFETY. UH, I I I'M ALWAYS WORRIED THAT WHEN, [02:05:01] WHEN WE HAVE BETTER TIMES AHEAD, CAN THAT, CAN THIS STUFF GET RESTORED AGAIN? SO, I MEAN, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE CONCERNS THAT I THINK WE ALL HAVE. AND SO WE TAKE THIS, UM, VERY SERIOUSLY. UM, MAYOR, I DO APPRECIATE, 'CAUSE I HAD THIS IN MY LINE OF QUESTIONING TO GO THROUGH WHAT WE DID WITH THE RESCUE, SO THANK YOU FOR THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. SO I'M NOT GONNA WASTE A LOT OF TIME ON THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE SPECIFICALLY CALL FOR, FOR, UM, FOR ADDITIONAL PARAMEDIC RESCUE CAPACITY, YOU KNOW, AND RESCUE. AND THE RESCUE TWO INVESTMENT THAT CHANGED ULTIMATELY INCLUDED RESCUE TWO TO A FULL-TIME 24 HOUR, UM, UNIT, UM, MAINTAINING THE PEAK LOAD AND RESCUE 13 AND ALSO ADDING A PARAMEDIC CAPACITY TO ENGINE 13. AND THE REASON I SEE ALL THAT, AGAIN, BECAUSE THE NUMBERS THAT YOU SAID WERE THOSE WERE HUGE. WHEN YOU LOOK AT, UM, THE IMPACT THAT THIS HAD YOUR OWN NUMBERS, WE REDUCED, FROM WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY, WE REDUCED ALL OF THESE OUTTA SERVICE 152 TO JUST 31. SO THAT DOES REALLY SHOW THE IMPACT, UH, OF THOSE RESOURCES. UM, AND SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, I REALLY, WE, I, I KNOW THE COMMUNITY REALLY ADVOCATED FOR THAT AND WE APPRECIATE THAT. UM, BUT AS WE LOOK AT THE REDUCTIONS THAT ARE STILL BEING PROPOSED, CHIEF, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN ANSWER THIS OR MAYBE THIS IS A CITY MANAGER QUESTION, BUT, UM, HOW HAS MEASURE LB PERFORMED AND, UM, COMPARED TO WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY PROJECTED? BECAUSE I THINK THAT, UM, WHEN VOTERS APPROVED THAT IN 2024, THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 15 MILLION AND ANNUAL REVENUE WAS ANTICIPATED. SO IS THERE ANYONE THAT CAN TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT'S, WHAT'S BEEN COLLECTED AND WHERE WE'RE AT AND IT'S HOW, HOW ARE WE USING THOSE FUNDS? YEAH, I CAN, UH, GIVE THE, THE TOP LEVEL AND THEN, UH, I BELIEVE OUR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR CAN COME AND TALK ABOUT THE REVENUE ESTIMATE. SO, UH, WHEN WE WENT TO, UH, VOTERS WITH MEASURE LB, UM, THAT WAS TO HAVE THE TWO POWER PLANTS TAXED AT THE SAME RATE AS ALL OF US AS RESIDENTS. UH, THEY HAD HAD AN EXEMPTION, IT WAS AN IDEA THAT THE CITY AUDITOR HAD LOOKED AT AND HAD A, HAD AN ESTIMATE, UH, THAT IT COULD GENERATE SOME DOLLARS. AND, UH, CITY STAFF HAD LOOKED AT THAT AS WELL. SO, UH, IT, IT IS ONE THAT WE DON'T HAVE, UH, A LOT OF GOOD FINANCIAL DATA SINCE IT'S PROPRIETARY DATA THAT THEY HAVE, UH, THAT THE CITY DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO. AND WE DID SOME ESTIMATES AND RAN THOSE BY, UH, THE POWER COMPANIES WHO WEREN'T OBVIOUSLY IN FAVOR OF THE TAX, BUT, UH, SORT OF CONFIRMED THAT THAT WOULD BE THE, OR APPROXIMATELY THE AMOUNT. UH, AND WE ESTIMATED ABOUT SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION THE FIRST YEAR AND MOVING UP TO 15 MILLION OR SO THE SECOND YEAR, UH, IT HAS BEEN DRAMATICALLY LESS THAN THAT. UH, IT HAS BEEN IN THE COUPLE MILLION RANGE RATHER THAN UP INTO THE 15 MILLION RANGE. AND SO THE CITY AUDITOR IS UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW INVESTIGATING AND ASKING FOR DOCUMENTS TO SHOW THAT WE'RE COLLECTING THE TAX AT THE RIGHT LEVEL. UM, AND, UH, THAT IS GONNA BE SOMETHING WE ARE ONGOING, UH, PURSUING TO BRING THOSE RESOURCES BACK. KEVIN, RIPER, ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD? UH, JUST THAT IT WAS A BIG FORECASTING MISS FOR REASONS WE DO NOT YET UNDERSTAND. AND IT WAS MY FORECAST BASED ON, UH, A, A STARTING POINT AND A LATER CONFIRMATION FROM SOUTHERN CAL EDISON THAT, UH, I WAS IN THE BALLPARK AND AS THE CITY MANAGER SAID, IT'S WAY LOWER THAN THAT, AND WE NEED THE CITY AUDITOR WHO HAS, UH, INVESTIGATORY POWER THAT THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT DOESN'T TO, UM, LOOK AT THE CONFIDENTIAL TAXPAYER INFORMATION THAT WE CAN'T GET OUR HANDS ON AND SEE IF THEY CAN, UM, PUT A FINGER ON WHY THE REVENUE SO FAR IS SO LOW. SO JUST TO, SO YOU ARE LOOKING INTO THIS, I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF SUS, I MEAN, THAT'S REALLY OFF THOSE PROJECTIONS, SO I SUSPECT THAT SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT THERE. SO I, I, UM, THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY THAT WE COULD BE USING TOWARDS, UM, SOME THESE EMERGENCY RESOURCES. SO I DO APPRECIATE YOU GUYS STAYING ON THAT. UM, WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THEN, UM, I WILL GO ON TO, UM, DIRECTOR HARRISON. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. DO I SEE YEAH, THERE, I SEE YOU BACK THERE. SORRY, MY EYES AREN'T SO GOOD. UM, SO, UM, I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU. UM, THANK YOU FOR, UH, YOUR REPORT ON OUR 9 1 1 OPERATORS. I WAS REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT, THOSE EMPLOYEES AND YOU OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, AND YOU HEARD HOW THEY WERE JUST SO OVERWORKED AND JUST TO HEAR HOW YOU TURNED ALL THAT AROUND AND WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY IS REALLY, IT'S REALLY HUGE. SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR SHARING THAT WITH US. UM, I'M ALSO GLAD TO SEE THE PREPARATIONS, UM, FOR LA 28, UM, ARE WE TAKING SO SERIOUSLY? AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AS WE ALL KNOW, WE'LL BE STEPPING ON THAT GLOBAL STAGE IN LA 28 AND, UM, THESE, THAT'S NOT JUST GONNA FALL ON ONE DEPARTMENT, IT'S GONNA FALL ON, ON EVERYONE. SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT, UM, WE'LL CONTINUE TO LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU AND, AND HOW WE'RE GETTING PREPARED FOR THAT. BUT, UM, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU, REGGIE, FOR ALL YOU DO. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SORROW. YES, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, I WANNA JUST START BY SAYING THAT, UM, I'VE BEEN REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FISCAL YEAR [02:10:01] 2027 BECAUSE WE WERE PROJECTED TO GO INTO A DEFICIT. THIS IS NOT UNFORTUNATELY A NEW NEWS THAT WE HEARD, BUT I THINK WHAT, UM, HAS BEEN SHARED IS WE DIDN'T EXPECT TO BE IN THIS LARGE OF A DEFICIT. SO I WAS ALREADY CONCERNED BEFORE AND OBVIOUSLY EVEN MORE CONCERNED BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT, BUT I THINK THAT WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT WE ARE BEING RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE IN HOW WE'RE GONNA BE ADDRESSING THIS DEFICIT BY TAKING THE STEPS THAT ARE NEEDED NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT SERVICES ARE NOT FURTHER CUT AND THAT WE DON'T DO FURTHER, UM, REDUCTIONS. SO THAT, I JUST WANNA START WITH THAT, THAT EVERY YEAR, UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ALWAYS LOOK AHEAD FOR. UH, AND UNFORTUNATELY, UH, THERE'S A VARIETY OF REASONS THAT'S BEEN SHARED AND WHY, UM, THE DEFICIT IS HIGHER THAN WHAT WAS EXPECTED, WHICH IS WHY I APPRECIATE THE INTENTIONAL APPROACH EVERY DEPARTMENT IS GONNA TAKE TO PRESENT TO THE COUNCIL ON HOW, UH, REDUCTIONS WILL BE DONE. AND SO I WANNA THANK YOU BOTH, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, DIRECTOR HARRISON AND CHIEF BUCHANAN, I DO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT, UH, THE PROJECTION ON JUST TIMELINING ON WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING. I KNOW THAT, UH, SOME OF THIS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S STRUCTURAL, IT COULD BE INDEFINITE, BUT IF YOU COULD JUST SHARE ON YOUR, BOTH OF YOUR END, WHAT IS YOUR PROJECTED TIMELINE IN PROPOSING THESE REDUCTION? UM, AND WHEN WE CAN REVISIT THE CONVERSATION AGAIN ABOUT RESTORATION. I KNOW THE MAYOR MENTIONED SOMETHING OF ITS SORT, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU BOTH AROUND YOUR SENSE OF, OF THIS REDUCTION, HOW LONG IT WILL LAST. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. UM, THE REDUCTIONS WERE GOING IN EFFECT OCTOBER 1ST, 2027. UM, AND AS WE GET THROUGH THIS FISCAL CHALLENGE, I, IT'S ALWAYS MY GOAL TO RESTORE THIS DEPARTMENT. UM, FOR EXAMPLE, IN 2009, I HAD, UH, 438 SWORN FTES SERVING IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND WE'RE, NOW, WE'RE DOWN TO 393, BUT WE KNOW THAT THE PRIORITY IS TO ADDRESS THE FISCAL CHALLENGE FOR THE CITY. AND ONCE WE ADDRESS THAT, UH, I, I, IT'S MY GOAL TO RESTORE THESE RESOURCES. SO I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER WHEN WE'LL DO THAT. UM, BUT I, THE, THE REDUCTIONS WILL GO, IN FACT, OCTOBER 1ST. YEAH. AND WE'LL ADD TO THAT, IT IS A STRUCTURAL REDUCTION. THIS ISN'T LIKE A ONE YEAR WHERE IT, IT'S NOT THERE AND THEN IT COMES BACK. UM, BUT, UH, OBVIOUSLY WE HEAR FROM THE COUNCIL AND OTHERS IF THERE'S WAYS THAT ADDITIONAL REVENUE CAN BE GENERATED. THE MAYOR TALKED ABOUT SOME THINGS WE SEE IN OTHER COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY, UH, LA COUNTY HAS DONE THIS. THEY, THEY HAVE RESIDENTS SAY, WE WANT A HIGHER LEVEL OF FIRE SERVICE THAN WHAT YOU'RE PROVIDING. SO THEY ASSESS THEMSELVES. AND SO IF THOSE THINGS WERE TO HAPPEN, UH, THERE WAS A POTENTIAL, UM, MEASURE THAT WAS BEING CIRCULATED, UH, DIDN'T GET ENOUGH SIGNATURES TO GET IN FRONT OF VOTERS. AND SO IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS AGAIN, THAT WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE RESOURCE THAT, UH, THAT COULD RESTORE THAT. UM, SO WE'LL LET YOU KNOW IF ANY OF THOSE COME IN. I CAN JUST ADD TO THAT, CONNECTING IT TO THE MEASURE LB CONVERSATION. IF THE AUDIT SHOWS THAT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THERE, THOSE WOULD BE STRUCTURAL DOLLARS. AND SO ANY OF THOSE WOULD ALLOW US TO MAKE THE CITY COUNCIL TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT PRIORITY RESTORATIONS. SO I I I, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT'S NOT INDEFINITE, IT'S REALLY BASED ON THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT'S SHARED, RIGHT? AS IT'S GONNA BE A REOCCURRING CONVERSATION. YES. UH, THE PROPOSAL IS FOR IT TO GO INTO EFFECT IMMEDIATELY. UM, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD THAT DISCUSSION THAT I'M, THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO SO BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE GONNA STOP SEARCHING FOR WAYS TO ADDRESS THE SHORTFALL. UH, THE OTHER, THE QUESTION I DO HAVE FOR YOU CHIEF, IS BECAUSE WE'RE, UM, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THAT WHAT ALL THE FIRE FIRE HAVE DONE AND THE SERVICE THAT, UM, HAS BEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, DONE FOR OUR CITY AND WANNA THANK THEM. THANK YOU ALL. UM, BUT BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA BE ELIMINATING, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN INVESTING IN PATHWAYS THAT ARE PRODUCING STRONG LOCAL RECRUITMENT PI PIPELINE AS YOU SHARE WITH THE FIRE CORPS AND PATHWAY PROGRAM. AND WE'RE ALSO, BUT AT THE SAME TIME NOW WE'RE GONNA BE REDUCING THOSE FIVE SWORN, UM, ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR RECRUITMENT, COMMUNITY SERVICE TRAINING AND INTELLIGENCE, AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATIVE BATTALION CHIEF FUNCTION. I'M JUST WONDERING HOW ARE WE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THESE REDUCTION DOESN'T, UM, UNDERMINE OR TAKE AWAY THE ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU, YOU MADE AND THE MOMENTUM YOU BUILT, UM, IN ORDER TO PREPARE FOR US FOR THE 2028 OLYMPICS, OR IN GENERAL, RIGHT. AT MAKING SURE WE'RE A SAFE CITY? YEAH, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. SO YES, I'LL, I'LL ADDRESS THE RECRUITMENT. UM, YEAH, I HAD TO ELIMINATE A FIRE CAPTAIN THAT WAS ASSIGNED TO RECRUITMENT AND [02:15:01] RETENTION EFFORTS. DONE A GREAT JOB. UM, LIKE WE SAID, 20 OUTTA 24 RECRUITS THAT ARE STARTING IN A COUPLE WEEKS ARE LOCAL YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN THAT HAVE BEEN RECRUITED BY THAT OFFICER. UM, BUT PART OF OUR BUDGET ALSO, WE HAVE 0.5 FTES, SO WE HAVE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PART-TIME RECRUITMENT OFFICER THAT WILL NOT BE A SWORN MEMBER TO CONTINUE THE, THAT WORK. UM, SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO PUT A LOT OF FOCUS ON THESE PATHWAY PROGRAMS. IN ADDITION, WE'LL LOOK AT THE WAYS THAT WE CAN SAVE MONEY TO STILL HAVE THESE, THESE DARREN ROCKET YOUTH ACADEMIES AND, AND OUR LARGE RESEARCH AND RESCUE ACADEMIES AND EXPAND FROM THERE. BUT OUR GOAL IS TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO OUR LOCAL MEN AND WOMEN. SO I'M WONDERING WITH THAT 0.5 FTE, THAT'S A LOT OF POSITION THAT GOT ELIMINATED FOR A 0.5. SO I'D LOVE TO SUGGEST IF THERE'S A WAY THIS MAYBE 0.5 COULD SPEND PART OF, UH, THEIR TIME TO PROBABLY BRING ON, UH, INTERNS THAT COULD HELP RE RECRUITMENTS THAT MAY BE INTERESTED IN DOING THE WORK SO THAT THIS PERSON ISN'T DOING IT ALONE. SO I LOVE TO SEE HOW WE CAN EXPLORE OTHER WAYS TO HELP IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, MEANWHILE HELPING TO BUILD CAPACITY FOR A VARIETY OF THESE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES. SO DID, YEAH. UN UNDERSTOOD. AND IN REGARDS TO THAT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, YEAH, WE HAVE THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WE HAVE THE FIRE CORPS INTERN. OKAY. AND SO, UM, WE'VE ALREADY HAD OUR SECOND COHORT, WE'VE HAD APPROXIMATELY AROUND 35 PARTICIPANTS, AND ONE OF THOSE INTERNS IS A CANDIDATE IN THE NEXT FIRE ACADEMY. OH, THAT'S GREAT. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK IN THAT AND, AND, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO JUST GROW THAT PROGRAM. GREAT. I JUST HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION. I KNOW I'M A LITTLE OVER IT OR SHOULD I CUE BACK AGAIN? MAYOR, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION. GO. OKAY, DIRECTOR, THIS QUESTION'S FOR DIRECTOR HARRISON. SO WE HAVE QUANTIFIED THE STAFF HOURS THAT WILL BE ABSORBED, JUST WONDERING IF WE ACTUALLY THIS'S A QUESTION. HAVE WE QUANTIFIED THE STAFF HOURS THAT WILL BE ABSORBED? UM, AND IS THERE A RISK THAT WE'RE SAVING 123,000 IN ONE POSITION, BUT WE'RE INCREASING THE WORKLOAD AND OVERTIME ELSEWHERE? SO I THINK IT'S GOING BACK TO THAT, MAKING SURE THERE'S WELLNESS FOR STAFF AND THAT THEY'RE, BECAUSE WE'RE ELIMINATING ONE, WE'RE NOT OVERWORK AND THEN HOPEFULLY NOT, UM, BURNING OUT THE EXISTING. SO YEAH. SO IN OUR REDUCTION, UM, PROPOSAL, UM, WE WERE AT ONE TIME ANTICIPATING THE REDUCTION, UH, OF TWO DISPATCHERS. UH, CITY MANAGER FOUND FUNDS FOR US IN MEASURE A TO RESTORE THOSE TWO POSITIONS SO THEY'RE NOT BEING ELIMINATED. OKAY. THE ONE POSITION THAT IS BEING ELIMINATED IS A HISTORICALLY VACANT POSITION BECAUSE WE HAVE CREATED OTHER POSITIONS THAT WE RELY ON TO DO THAT WORK. SO WE, WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE, UH, ANY OPERATIONAL, UM, ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. NO ADDITIONAL WORK THAT'S GONNA BE CREATED WITH THE ELIMINATION OF, OF, OF THOSE, OF THAT POSITION. I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT. THANK YOU FOR MAKING SURE TO CLARIFY. IT'S, I'M TRYING TO TRACK ALL OF THE REDUCTION AND THEN THE RESTORATION PROCESS AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I ALSO WANNA THANK OUR DISPATCHER, UM, EVERYBODY EMERGENCY SERVICES FOR ALL THEIR WORK AS WELL. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER THRASH, AND YOU'RE UP. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, SO I'LL START WITH YOU CHIEF BUCHANAN. UH, THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY AND FOR THAT PRESENTATION. UM, YOU KNOW, FOR BOTH PRESENTATIONS, WE GO THROUGH THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, WHAT WE'RE DOING, THE GREAT WORK, AND THEN HAVE TO GET TO A POINT IN THE POWERPOINT WHERE WE START TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THE CHANGES WILL LOOK LIKE, UH, FOR THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR. UM, IF THE CLERK WOULD QUEUE UP THE PRESENTATION THAT WAS GIVEN BY CHIEF BUCHANAN, UM, THAT WOULD HELP WITH MY LINE OF QUESTIONING ON, UH, SLIDE FOUR. UM, I LOVED, UH, ALL OF THE FRONTLINE SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT YOU LISTED. UM, I DON'T THINK PEOPLE GET TO HEAR THAT ENOUGH, BUT I MUST ADMIT, UH, YOU PROBABLY NEEDED ONE MORE BULLET. AND THAT BULLET WAS THOSE COUNTLESS LIVES THAT YOU'VE SAVED, UM, AND ENSURED THAT PEOPLE, UM, HAD ACCESS TO THE MEDICAL CARE AND SUPPORT WHEN THEY NEEDED IT. UM, SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT IS MY THANK YOU, UM, TO YOU AND TO ALL OF LBFD AND RELATED, UH, DEPARTMENTS, UM, THAT DO THAT WORK FOR OUR CITY. WHEN WE MOVE TO, UH, SLIDE SEVEN, I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, THAT BUDGET SUMMARY THAT YOU PROVIDED THERE. UM, AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M UNDERSTANDING, UM, THE LINE ITEMS AS PRESENTED. SO ON SLIDE SEVEN, YOU NOTED THE GENERAL FUND REVENUES, FOR EXAMPLE, GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES. UM, AM I TO UNDERSTAND, IS THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE GENERAL FUND REVENUES AS AN EXAMPLE, [02:20:02] REPRESENT, UM, REPRESENT RESOURCES THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO HAVE PAID FOR VIA SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED, UM, TO OTHER ENTITIES? TELL ME WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM AND HOW, HOW DO THOSE TWO LINES, UM, CONNECT WITH ONE ANOTHER? THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. AND I, I DO HAVE MY BUSINESS OPERATIONS BUREAU CHIEF, UH, VENTURA, MAR VENTURA, AND UH, SHE COULD PROBABLY ANSWER THAT QUESTION A LOT BETTER THAN I CAN. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. SO THAT, UM, AMOUNT THAT WE IDENTIFIED OF $43 MILLION IN REVENUE, UM, A BIG CHUNK OF THAT COMES FROM OUR AMBULANCE TRANSPORT REVENUE FEES. SO WE DO CHARGE PATIENTS VIA BLS OR A LS TRANSPORT AND THAT COMPOSES ABOUT 32 MILLION. UM, ABOUT ANOTHER 4 MILLION IS COLLECT VIA OUR FIRE PREVENTION FEE. SO WE HAVE INSPECTORS MAKING SURE BUILDINGS ARE SAFE. UM, THOSE BUILDING OWNERS ARE, BUSINESS OWNERS ARE CHARGED AND WE ARE ABLE TO GET REVENUE IN THAT WAY. SO THAT MAKES A BIG CHUNK OF THAT, THOSE FUNDS. VERY GOOD. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND THE SERVICES THAT WE ARE PROVIDING, THE RESOURCES THAT COME IN ACCORDINGLY. AND SO THEN THE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES REPRESENTS WHAT THE DEPARTMENT IS SPENDING FROM THE GENERAL FUND? THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD THAT CLEAR. UM, SO WHEN WE MOVE TO, UH, SLIDE 12 AND SLIDE 13, UM, WE REALLY START TO GET INTO THE IMPACT OF WHAT THE BUDGET IS PRESENTING US WITH, UM, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE BALANCE THE BUDGET AND YET CONTINUE WITH THE MANDATE THAT OUR STATISTICS SHOW US THAT 85 PLUS PERCENT OF THE CALLS ARE MEDICAL. OUR COUNCIL HAS MADE CLEAR THAT WE WANT TO INVEST, UM, IN MEDICAL SUPPORT, UH, FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THAT. CHIEF, YOU'VE ALREADY SPOKEN TO THAT. UM, AND SO ANY CHANGE WITHIN THAT INFRASTRUCTURE, NO MATTER WHERE IT IS IN THE CITY, IMPACTS ALL OF US. UM, AND THAT'S BECAUSE IF ONE UNIT IS MOVING TO ONE PART OF THE CITY, THAT MEANS THEY'RE NOT AVAILABLE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY. SO I WANT YOU, I, I WANT MY COLLEAGUES AND THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT ABOUT ONE PART OF THE CITY. IT IS ABOUT THE ENTIRE CITY AND ITS IMPACT WILL HAVE RIPPLES, UH, THROUGHOUT, UM, THE ENTIRE CITY. I DID NOTE THAT YOU, UH, NOTED THAT STATION 14, UM, WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND THAT THEY WERE TEMPORARILY REASSIGNED. UM, I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR THAT, UM, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THOSE, UH, FIREFIGHTERS WERE NOT IN ROTATION, RIGHT? SO WE STILL HAD THOSE FIREFIGHTERS IN ROTATION WITHIN THE SYSTEM AND STILL SUPPORTING, UM, THE SERVICE WITHIN THE CITY. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. UH, COUNCILWOMAN, WHEN WE RELOCATED FIRE ENGINE 14, WE MOVED THAT ENGINE COMPANY NEXT DOOR TO FIRE STATION ONE NEXT TO CITY HALL HERE. AT ONE TIME, STATION ONE HAD TWO FIRE ENGINES DUE TO THE CALL VOLUME, SO TWO ENGINES IN THE FIRE TRUCK, AND WE REDUCED ONE OF THOSE ENGINES DUE TO THE RECESSION APPROXIMATELY 15 YEARS AGO. SO WHEN WE MOVE ENGINE 14 TO DOWNTOWN, WE'RE ABLE TO NOW, UM, PROVIDE SOME RELIEF TO ENGINE ONE. AND SO ENGINE 14 DURING THAT TIME WHILE HE WAS HERE IN DOWNTOWN, RESPOND TO OVER 3000 INCIDENTS. OKAY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE BEEN, UM, LOOKING AT IS THAT YOU STATE HERE ON SLIDE 13 THAT ABOUT 87, 80 7% OF THE CALLS ARE EMERGENCY OR EMS RELATED. UM, HAVE WE DONE ANY MORE ANALYSIS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE SPECIFIC EMS EMERGENCIES MIGHT BE SO THAT WE CAN BE BEST PREPARED FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, HEART RELATED STROKE RELATED? LIKE, HAVE WE DONE, UM, MORE ANALYSIS, UH, TO HELP US EVEN BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW CAN WE BE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE BEST RESOURCES, UH, TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY ACCORDINGLY? YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. YEAH. SO I, I HAVE A-A-E-M-S TEAM WITH A, A MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND NURSES AND CLINICIANS, AND THEY LOOK AT THAT DATA AND THAT'S HOW WE DO OUR CONTINUAL EDUCATION. AND ALSO THEY WORK WITH LIM SSA, OUR LA COUNTY MERCY MEDICAL SERVICE AUTHORITY. AND SO THEY HAVE, WE REQUIRE TRAINING, AND IT'S BASED ON THE DATA THAT THEY RECEIVE FROM THESE INCIDENTS. SO ROUGHLY AROUND 20,000 OF OUR INCIDENTS REQUIRE A LS TRANSPORT THAT'S ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT. SO USUALLY THOSE ARE PATIENTS THAT ARE BEING TRANSPORTED, THEY HAVE A CARDIOVASCULAR, RESPIRATORY, OR NEUROLOGICAL COMPLICATION, AND THEY NEED TO BE TRANSPORTED BY PARAMEDICS. AND THEN AROUND 11,000 ARE BASIC LIFE SUPPORT. THOSE ARE MORE LIKE FRACTURES. THEY COULD BE TRANSFERRED BY EMTS. SO THEY USE THAT DATA TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET THE RIGHT, UH, CONTINUED EDUCATION AND THEY'RE READY FOR THE CALL. SO I GUESS MY FEEDBACK WOULD BE AS WE CONSIDER LEVELS OF DOWNSIZING, I WOULD WANNA MAKE SURE FROM AN ANALYSIS STANDPOINT, WE NOT ONLY KNOW THAT IT'S MEDICAL, BUT WE KNOW THE TYPES OF MEDICAL THAT ARE BEING, UM, YOU KNOW, COMING OUT OF CERTAIN COMMUNITIES. [02:25:01] SO WE HAVE, UH, THE BEST RESOURCES AVAILABLE AND THEN TO THE EXTENT THAT WE, UM, END UP HAVING SOME LEVEL OF REDUCTION IN SERVICE. UM, CHIEF, HAVE YOU PROPOSED ANY ONGOING MONITORING BIMONTHLY, QUARTERLY BASIS TO GET A SENSE AS TO HOW THESE CHANGES ARE IMPACTING THE OVERALL CITY? UM, YES. WE WILL CON, WE WILL CLOSELY MONITOR ANY, UH, REDUCTION IN THE SERVICES. SO WE'LL LOOK AT DATA ON A MONTHLY BASIS AND THEN WE'LL COMMUNICATE TO COUNCIL AND, UH, AND TO THE SENIOR MANAGER IN REGARDS IF WE CANNOT SAFELY ABSORB THESE REDUCTION. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE KNOWING THAT IT'S MONTHLY. UM, AND THEN I DO WANT TO, I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATED THE OPPORTUNITIES PAGE. UM, I'M DELIGHTED TO HEAR ABOUT THE, THE FIVE WOMEN WHO WILL BE IN THE CLASS. I'VE PERSONALLY TAKEN A TOUR OF THE FACILITY AND KNOW THAT IT'S NOT QUITE READY OR AS READY AS IT COULD BE. UM, FOR ALL OF OUR RECRUITS ON SLIDE TH UH, SLIDE 15, UM, YOU HAVE FOUR FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITIES. CHIEF, HAVE YOU ASSIGNED EACH OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO SOMEONE WITHIN THE DIVISION? IT'S THEIR GOAL THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR TO ENSURE THAT THIS, THOSE AGENDA ITEMS MOVE FORWARD. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION. ABSOLUTELY. SO THE LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP THAT IS WITH OUR SUPPORT SERVICES AND OUR BUSINESS OPERATIONS BUREAU, THEY'RE LEADING THAT EFFORT. UM, THE LIMS A LOOKING ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY MODELS, THAT IS WITH OPERATIONS, THAT'S DEPUTY CHIEF FARLEY, UM, THE STATE STANDARDIZING THE FIRE ENGINE THAT IS WITH ASSISTANT CHIEF KAREN ROD THAT'S LEADING THAT EFFORT. AND THEN ALSO PREPARATION FOR THE OLYMPICS. THAT IS WITH DEPUTY CHIEF FARTY AND ASSISTANT CHIEF RODI WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS. EXCELLENT. GLAD TO HEAR THAT. UM, SO, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, DIRECTOR HARRISON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. UM, YOUR WORK IS CERTAINLY THE, THE FRONTLINE AS WELL WHERE PEOPLE ARE CALLING IN AND GETTING CONNECTED WITH THE OPERATORS THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT INTO OUR CITY. UM, I TOO AM PLEASED THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN IT UPON YOUR DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE ALL TRAINED ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING. UM, I THINK YOU KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THAT ISSUE IS TO MYSELF AND COUNCILWOMAN RICK OTI. SO I ABSOLUTELY APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU FOR LETTING US KNOW THAT THAT ONE POSITION HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN, UH, VACANT. THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO KNOW. AND THEN MY ONE QUESTION IS RELATED TO YOUR OVERTIME BUDGET, YOU LIST THE TOTAL DOLLAR FIGURE THAT YOU ARE CONDUCT, THAT THE REDUCTION WILL BE, BUT WHAT PERCENTAGE DO YOU THINK THAT THAT REPRESENTS OF YOUR OVERALL OVERTIME BUDGET? A VERY SMALL AMOUNT. , OUR OVERTIME IS, UH, IS ABOUT ONE POINT, UH, $6 MILLION THANK YOU. ANNUAL. ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. WE, UM, PAY FOR THAT, UH, OVERTIME THROUGH OTHER PARTS OF OUR BUDGET, INCLUDING SOME OF THE STAFF VACANCIES, UH, THAT WE HAVE. SO WE'RE ABLE TO SHIFT FUNDS AROUND TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE DEPARTMENT, MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR DISPATCHERS. AND AGAIN, AS I SAY, WE'RE LOOKING TO TECHNOLOGY ADDITIONAL CLASSES COHORTS TO REDUCE OVERTIME FOR OUR DISPATCHERS IN WHATEVER WAYS IT IS THAT, THAT WE CAN. BUT THANK YOU. AND THIS IS WHERE, IF I CAN JUMP IN. YEAH. THIS IS WHERE BUDGETING IS SOMETIMES MORE OF AN ART THAN A SCIENCE. SO WE DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF PUTTING IN THE BUDGET EXACTLY HOW MUCH OVERTIME THAT THEY USE EVERY YEAR. THEY NEED TO DO BUDGET MANAGEMENT TO MANAGE THAT. SO HE'S GOT A VERY SMALL BUDGET FOR OVERTIME, BUT WILL, UH, POTENTIALLY EXCEED THAT AND WILL EXCEED THAT AMOUNT. BUT MAKE SURE THAT THROUGH BUDGET MANAGEMENT, THEY COME IN UNDER BUDGET AS A WHOLE DEPARTMENT. AND SO SAME QUESTION ABOUT THE MAINTENANCE. WE'RE CUTTING BACK ON SOME MAINTENANCE. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WHEN SOMETHING BREAKS, THEY DON'T HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO FIX IT AND IT COMES FROM SOMETHING ELSE. AS LONG AS THEY AS A DEPARTMENT DON'T GO OVER BUDGET. OR IF THEY DO, THAT'S WHERE THEY LET ME KNOW AND I COME TO YOU AND WE NEED TO FIND IT IN SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE BUDGET. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU MAYOR FOR MY TIME. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN, I THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATIONS. UH, DIRECTOR HARRISON, THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT YOUR CALL CENTER AND I APPRECIATE YOUR STAFF AND, UM, APPRECIATE THE OVERVIEW OF YOUR, UM, OF YOUR DEPARTMENT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. CHIEF. UM, YOU AND I HAVE SPOKEN OFTEN OVER THE PAST, UM, COUPLE WEEKS ABOUT THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND I DO APPRECIATE THE AMOUNT OF TIMES YOU MADE YOURSELF AVAILABLE TO, UH, TALK WITH ME ABOUT THIS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. BUT ESPECIALLY OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM WORKS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND THE MORE I LEARN, THE MORE I GROW CONCERNED ABOUT REDUCING OUR EMERGENCY SERVICES. OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT CONTINUES TO RESPOND TO MORE CALLS THAN IT HAS IN PREVIOUS [02:30:01] YEARS, PREVIOUS DECADES, WHILE DOING SO WITH FAR FEWER RESOURCES. IN DISTRICT THREE ALONE, WE HAVE MORE THAN 1200 HOUSING UNITS COMING ONLINE IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS. WE HAVE EXPANDED BATTERY STOR. WE HAVE AN EXPANDED BATTERY STORAGE FACILITY COMING ONLINE NEXT TO OUR, UH, A NATURAL GAS POWER PLANT. AND AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE PREPARING FOR LA 28, WHICH IS GOING TO BRING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO OUR CITY AND TO THE AREA. I UNDERSTAND THAT ENGINE 14 RESPONDS TO FEWER CALLS THAN OTHER ENGINES, BUT IT STILL DOES RESPOND TO 2200 PLUS CALLS PER YEAR. IF ENGINE 14 IS ELIMINATED, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE CALLS DISAPPEAR. THERE'S BEEN, UH, A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT MEDICAL CALLS, UH, VERSUS FIRE SUPPRESSION CALLS. UM, UNLIKE WHEN FOURTEENS WAS CLOSED AND OPERATIONS THERE WERE RELOCATED, WE'RE GONNA SEE RESCUE FOUR BEING RELOCATED FROM FOURS IN BEAUMONT HEIGHTS DOWN TO FOURTEENS. WE'RE ADDING ADDITIONAL, UM, STRAIN ON CITYWIDE RESOURCES BY ELIMINATING THE ENGINE. WE'RE NOT EVEN ADDING IN MORE MEDICAL TO MAKE UP FOR THAT RESCUE THAT'S COMING DOWN FROM FOURS. AND WE ARE PROPOSING TO REDUCE OUR FIRE SUPPRESSION CAPACITY. CHIEF, DOES THAT CONCERN YOU? AND AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, IS THE RECOMMENDATION RECOMMENDATION TO ELIMINATE ENGINE 14 AND OPERATIONAL RECOMMENDATION FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT? OR IS IT A RECOMMENDATION DRIVEN BY THE NEED TO MEET THE CITY'S BUDGET REDUCTION TARGET COUNCIL MEMBER? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT QUESTION. UM, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO MAINTAIN OUR RESOURCES AND TO EXPAND OUR RESOURCES, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THE PRIORITY IS TO ADDRESS THE CITY'S FISCAL CHALLENGE. AND I'VE BEEN DIRECTED TO REDUCE MY SERVICES FOR BY $11.1 MILLION WHEN, AS YOU SAW IN ONE OF THE SLIDES, I CANNOT COME CLOSE TO THAT TARGET WITHOUT IMPACTING OPERATIONS. AND WHEN I SAY OPERATIONS, I HAVE TO IMPACT THE COMMUNITY. THAT IS NOT, THERE'S NO WAY I COULD COME CLOSE TO THAT TARGET. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR BUDGET REDUCTION STRATEGY AND WE, AND WE REMOVED THE ENGINES FROM THE PORT IN THE AIRPORT AND WE LOOKED AT THE ORDER THAT I GAVE TO MY STAFF THAT WE'RE NOT CLOSING FIRE STATIONS, WE'RE GONNA MAINTAIN, WE'RE GONNA PRESERVE OUR EMS AMBULANCES 'CAUSE THAT'S WHERE MOST OF OUR CALLS ARE AT. WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE FIRE SUPPRESSION THREAT THROUGHOUT THE CITY, WHEN WE LOOKED THROUGH A COMMUNITY EQUITY CONSIDERATION, AND WHEN I LOOKED AT SYSTEM REDUNDANCY, 'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA CREATE A SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE, THAT IS THE REASON WHY I PICKED ENGINE 14. DO I WANT TO CLOSE ENGINE 14? ABSOLUTELY NO, I WANT TO KEEP THAT ENGINE IN SERVICE, BUT I, AND ALSO WE'RE ONLY TALKING ABOUT EMERGENCY MEDICAL ON A WEEKLY BASIS, YOU GUYS RECEIVE MULTIPLE NOTIFICATIONS OF FIRES THAT HAVE BEEN CONTAINED OR EXTINGUISHED BY THIS FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE ALWAYS GOTTA MATCH THE CAPACITY WITH A THREAT, JUST LIKE YOU SAID ABOUT THE BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM THAT'S COMING ON THE EAST SIDE AND ALL THE THREATS WE HAVE ON THE EAST SIDE. I WANNA MAINTAIN THOSE RESOURCES. HOWEVER, I NEED TO MEET THAT PRIORITY. AND THAT IS TO ADDRESS THE CITY'S FISCAL CHALLENGE. THANK YOU, CHIEF. UM, HAVING TO CUT MORE THAN 11 MILLION. UM, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE ALL BEING ASKED TO WORK WITHIN THE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, BUT WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THAT EMERGENCY RESPONSE CAPACITY IS BEING WEIGHED AGAINST OTHER CITY PRIORITIES WITHOUT COUNCIL CLEARLY SEEING THE TRADE-OFF. I'VE ASKED THE CITY MANAGER TO RETURN WITH AN ALTERNATIVE FUNDING STRATEGY SO THE COUNCIL CAN UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT REDUCED EMERGENCY RESPONSE IS BEING WEIGHED AGAINST, UH, CITY MANAGER. WHEN CAN WE EXPECT THAT ANALYSIS TO COME BACK, UH, TO COUNCIL? YEAH. UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO SHOW YOU SOME OF THE, UM, THE EQUIVALENCE OF WHAT ELSE, YOU KNOW, WOULD HAVE TO BE REDUCED OR HAVE TO BE IMPACTED PROBABLY IN THE NEXT WEEK. SO, UH, WE ARE CURRENTLY, WE TAKE NOTES, WE ANSWER THE ONES THAT WE CAN ON THE FLOOR AND THEN WE TAKE, UH, UH, WE COME [02:35:01] BACK IN WRITING. SO THAT'LL BE COMING BACK IN WRITING WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK. ALL RIGHT, THANKS. CITY MANAGER. UM, I THINK WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN AS A CITY TO MAINTAIN A BASIC LEVEL OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL SERVICES RESIDENTS EXPECT THEIR TAXPAYERS TO PROVIDE. THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO CAME OUT TONIGHT TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING ENGINE 14. WHENEVER THE CITY OR ANOTHER ORGANIZATION ASKS VOTERS TO CONSIDER A TAX INCREASE, THEY ARE NOT RUNNING IT ON A PLATFORM OF RESTORING PARK RECREATION PROGRAMS OR PAYING FOR PARADES IN CONCERTS. THEY'RE MAKING THE CASE THAT WHEN THERE IS AN EMERGENCY, RESIDENTS EXPECT THE CITY TO BE THERE TO HELP. WHEN REDUCTIONS ARE NECESSARY, WE SPREAD THEM EVENLY ACROSS DEPARTMENTS. IF PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE ARE TRULY OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY IN THE CITY, THEN OUR BUDGET DECISIONS SHOULD REFLECT THAT THE LOSS OF ENGINE 14 WILL HAVE A CITYWIDE RESPONSE IMPACT. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, CONTINUING THIS DISCUSSION WHEN WE CAN GET BACK SOME ALTERNATIVE ALTERNATIVE FUNDING STRATEGIES, UH, HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT WEEK. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATIONS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BERNO, UH, THANK YOU ALL AGAIN WITH, UH, DIRECTOR HARRISON. CONGRATULATIONS ON RUNNING A FANTASTIC DEPARTMENT LOCATED IN DISTRICT FOUR AT THE CORNER OF, UH, REDONDO AND SPRING. UM, I TRY TO GET BY WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION, UH, EVENTS TO, UH, SHOW MY APPRECIATION. AND WE'VE ALSO HAD DISPATCHERS AT OUR COMMUNITY, UH, MONTHLY COMMUNITY MEETING. SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, THE FIRE CHIEF, UH, CHIEF BUCHANAN, UM, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR MAKING YOUR FIRST BULLET POINT IN YOUR PRESENTATION. THE STRUCTURAL FUNDING FOR E 17, AS MOST PEOPLE KNOW, THAT'S BEEN A, A, A LONG TIME GOAL OF MINE TO GET THAT DONE. UM, BUT I WANT TO PUT IT IN CONTEXT AND I'D LIKE TO QUOTE ONE OF MY FAVORITE PEOPLE TO QUOTE, AND THAT'S MYSELF. IN A PREVIOUS, UH, BUDGET, UH, DISCUSSION, I, UH, UH, TOLD MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, UM, BE WARY IF YOU'RE EVER ASKED TO BALANCE A BUDGET BY REMOVING A PUBLIC SAFETY ASSET BECAUSE IT'S A VERY HARD LIFT, HEAVY LIFT TO PUT IT BACK. UH, NOW WE HAVE TANGIBLE EVIDENCE OF JUST HOW HEAVY THAT LIFT IS. SO, UM, ENGINE 17 WAS RESTORED IN 2019, SO IT TOOK SEVEN YEARS TO GET THE STRUCTURAL FUNDING FOR THAT. AND THAT INCLUDED, UM, THE ISSUE COMING BACK TO COUNCIL ONE TIME WHERE I HAD TO BRING AN ITEM FORWARD TO, UH, GO AGAINST THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION TO REMOVE FUNDING. AND I'M PROUD TO SAY I GOT, UM, A NINE OH VOTE TO GET THAT FUNDING IN PLACE AGAINST THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION. AND I, I GUESS I SHOULD PUBLICLY THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS URANGA AND RICHARDSON AND CINDY ALLEN FOR, UH, SUPPORTING ME IN THAT VOTE. UM, BUT THAT'S NOT COUNTING, UM, THE TIME THAT IT WAS OUT OF SERVICE BECAUSE IT WAS REMOVED FROM SERVICE BEFORE I CAME INTO OFFICE. I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE FOR 11 YEARS AND I STARTED WORKING ON THIS MY FIRST DAY IN OFFICE, SO IT TOOK ME FOUR YEARS JUST TO GET THE TEMPORARY, UH, RESTORATION. SO ANYWAY, I JUST WANNA EXPLAIN THAT, THAT, UM, I WASN'T KIDDING WHEN I SAID IT'S A HEAVY LIFT BECAUSE IT REALLY IS. AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO, UM, LOOK AT EVERY TIME. UM, WE'RE ASKED TO CONSIDER THIS. UM, ALSO, YEAH, IT'S LIKE DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN. I'VE DONE THIS MORE THAN ONCE, BUT SEVENTEENS, UH, WAS MY, MY BIG PROJECT TO BEGIN WITH. AND I'VE ALWAYS FELT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT COUNCIL FULLY UNDERSTANDS THE OPERATIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF LOO UH, REMOVING A FRONTLINE RESOURCE IN THE PAST. I DID THIS BY SHOWING, UH, THE FIRE, UH, RESPONSE STONES AND IF, UH, THE TECHNICIANS CAN PUT UP MY FIRST SLIDE FOR ME THERE. THAT'S THE MAP OF THE ENTIRE CITY, OKAY? IT'S LIKE A BIG JIGSAW PUZZLE. AND THAT ACTUALLY HAS COLOR CODED FOR THE, UH, BATTALION CHIEF AREAS AND, UM, SHOWS ALL THE RESPONSE, UH, ZONES FOR EACH OF THE FIRE STATIONS. AND, UM, THIS WAS A MAP I USED, WHICH I THOUGHT JUST, UH, UM, KIND OF A MILESTONE WE HIT BACK THEN WAS I SHOWED THE PROXIMITY OF ENGINE SEVENTEEN'S RESPONSE ZONE TO STATION TEN'S RESPONSE ZONE, AND THEY ABUT EACH OTHER. UM, WHEN YOU THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCES THAT LIKE THAT, I DON'T KNOW IF ENGINE 10 IS A [02:40:01] ABI ENGINE IN THE CITY AT THIS TIME, BUT IT'S CLOSED AS EITHER NUMBER ONE OR NUMBER TWO, AND IT'S BEEN THAT WAY FOR 60 YEARS. SO IT BEHOOVES YOU MAYBE NOT TO, TO, UH, REMOVE AN ADJACENT RESOURCE TO AN ENGINE COMPANY THAT'S BUSY. IT'S A DOUBLE WHAMMY. UM, NOT ONLY DOES STATION 10 NOT GET THE SUPPORT OF SEVENTEENS, BUT ENGINE 10 HAS TO CALL ON SEVENTEENS AREAS WHEN SEVENTEENS ISN'T THERE. SO THAT'S THE POINT I'M, UH, I TRIED TO MAKE BACK IN THE DAY, AND FORTUNATELY, UH, IT CAME TO FRUITION THAT WE GOT IT RESTORED. UM, NOW I HAVE ANOTHER MAP THAT SHOWS THE EAST SIDE EVEN GO TO THAT. OKAY, SO CHIEF, YOU REALLY INSPIRED HERE. YOU ACTUALLY, YOU CHANGED MY PRESENTATION WITH, WITH THE LINE YOU HAD TONIGHT AND YOU SAID THERE'S A SPECIAL EMPHASIS, UM, ON, ON THE FIRE RESOURCES THAT ARE ON THE BORDERS OF OUR CITY BECAUSE OF MUTUAL AID AND, AND WHATNOT. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THAT MAP, YOU SEE, I, I HAVE THREE FIRE STATIONS IN DISTRICT FOUR. IT'S, IT'S, UH, STATION 17, STATION 22, AND STATION FIVE. SO 20 TWOS IS AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF CAL STATE LONG BEACH AT ATHERTON AND PALO VERDE. UH, STATION FIVES IS ON WARLOW UP IN EL DORADO PARK. BUT LOOK AT THAT BORDER, THE EASTERN BORDER ALONG ORANGE COUNTY FOR THE FOURTH DISTRICT FIVE STATIONS, IT'S ALL 20 TWOS AND FIVES AN ENTIRE BORDER. SO THOSE STATIONS ARE, UH, OF GREATER IMPORTANCE THAN IF THEY WERE CENTRALLY LOCATED. I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOUR, YOUR, UH, POINT WAS CHIEF. BUT WHAT IS REMARKABLE TO ME, IF YOU LOOK AT 20 TWOS, NOT ONLY DOES IT HUG THE, UM, THE ORANGE COUNTY PORTER, BUT IT GOES ALL THE WAY TO SEAL BEACH. LOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT MAP, IT GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE SEAL BEACH PORTER. OKAY? AND THIS IS FROM THE CORNER OF ATHERTON, PALO VERDE. SO YOU GO ALL THE WAY UP, YOU CROSS ALL THESE STREETS AND YOU, YOU, YOU PASS WILLOW AND LOOK AT THE VERY TOP THERE. OH, THANK GOODNESS, THAT'S EIGHTEENS AREA. SO STATION 18 COMES OUT THERE, OKAY, PUMP THE BRAKES A LITTLE BIT, FOLKS EIGHTEENS DOES NOT HAVE A FIRE ENGINE. SO WE'RE REALLY COVERING THAT ENTIRE BORDER WITH THIS STATION. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UH, A, A FIRE RESPONSE AREA ADJACENT TO STATION 14, I THINK, UH, UH, 20 TWOS REALLY IS IMPACTED OR WILL BE IMPACTED. UM, ALSO THE UNIQUE PART ABOUT 20 TWOS, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS MAP TOO, UM, THAT AREA, UH, KIND OF IN THE CENTER THERE. LET ME LOOK, UH, AT MY NOTES HERE. 22 E, THAT'S ALL OF CAL STATE LONG BEACH, OKAY? IF YOU KNOW, UH, UH, SEVENTH AND BELLFLOWER THERE, THAT'S THE VA HOSPITAL RIGHT NEXT TO IT. OKAY? THAT IS IN 14TH AREA WITH THE HIGH RISE STRUCTURES THERE ON THAT CAMPUS. AND SO I'M GUESSING 20 TWOS WOULD INHERIT THAT. SO, UH, TO SAY IT'S, IT'S, UM, UH, GONNA BE IMPACTFUL, I THINK IS UNDERSTATEMENT. UM, ALSO, UM, 20 TWOS IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED WITH PROXIMITY, BOTH THE 4 0 5 FREEWAY AND THE 6 0 5 FREEWAY. UM, THEY HAVE A, A LOGO, WHICH IS GEESE FLYING, A FLOCK OF GEESE. AND THAT'S BECAUSE, UH, THEIR MOTTO IS EVERY TIME THEY GO FOR A RUN ON THE FREEWAY, IT'S LIKE A WILD GOOSE CHASE. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, PEOPLE IN AN ACCIDENT, IT'S REALLY HARD TO DESCRIBE YOUR POSITION OR WHERE YOUR LOCATION IS ON THE FREEWAY, AND IT TAKES A LOT OF SKILL TO GET ON THE RIGHT ON RAMP TOO, TO GET TO AN ACCIDENT SCENE. SO JUST A, A LOT OF, UH, PRESSURES THERE ON, UH, THAT, UH, STATION, THAT ENGINE COMPANY THAT WE'D LIKE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. AND THEN KIND OF THE IRONY I WOULD SAY IS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT REVENUE FROM THE HANES POWER PLANT FOR MEASURE LB. HOW ABOUT THIS, THAT BIG POWER PLANT IS IN 22 AREA . I, IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST, IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE, UH, THOSE, THOSE RESOURCES THAT ARE DEMANDED ON OUR STATIONS. AND I GUESS I, YOU KNOW, HATS OFF TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT I SAID IT MANY, MANY TIMES. IT'S REMARKABLE WHAT THEY DO WITH THE RESOURCES THEY HAVE. UM, ALSO I THINK I'D LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, BECAUSE THIS MAP HERE IS ANYTHING BUT STATIC, UM, THAT'S CONTINUALLY IN MOTION. AND CHIEF, I CORRECT ME ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT ON A, ON A STRUCTURED FIRE CALL THAT REQUIRES FOUR ENGINES TO RESPOND, IS THAT PROTOCOL ON THE WORKING STRUCTURE FIRE? THAT IS CORRECT. FOUR ENGINES, TWO TRUCKS, TWO PARAMEDIC AMBULANCE, AND THE BATTALION CHIEF. RIGHT? SO WE HAD, UM, NOT EVEN A STRUCTURE FIRE, BUT UM, ON THE 7TH OF JULY, UH, SOMEONE HAD SOME FIREWORKS, SOME ILLEGAL FIREWORKS LEFT OVER FROM THE HOLIDAY, AND THEY SET UP A FIREWORK IN, UH, MY DISTRICT, UM, NEAR STUDEBAKER AND STEARNS. WELL, THE VICTIM, YOU KNOW, HEARD THE EXPLOSION FELT A CONCUSSION. AND THAT WAS UNFORTUNATELY CALLED IN AS AN EXPLOSION. UM, THAT RESPONSE PROMPTED FIVE ENGINE COMPANIES RESPOND A HAZMAT UNIT OUT OF, UH, NINETEENS, UM, A FIRE TRUCK OUTTA SEVENTEENS AND I THINK A RESCUE UNIT OUT [02:45:01] OF NINETEENS. SO IN A HEARTBEAT, THESE RESOURCES CAN BE INVOLVED AND OUT OF THEIR SERVICE AREA VERY QUICKLY. AND I THINK COUNCIL SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT THIS IS, UM, ANYTHING BUT, BUT A STATIC MODEL HERE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. UM, I THINK THAT'S, UM, ALL I REALLY HAVE JUST, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN, UH, BROUGHT UP RESPONSE TIME. SO I WON'T HOLD YOU TO WHAT ANY OF YOUR PREDECESSORS HAVE EVER SAID. BUT WHEN WE DID RESTORE, UM, ENGINE 17, UH, IN 2019, I BELIEVE IT WAS CHIEF RU UH, DEGREE WHO SAID THIS WILL, UM, IMPROVE RESPONSE TIMES CITYWIDE BY HALF A MINUTE. UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY ESTIMATES ABOUT HOW IT WOULD INCREASE RESPONSE TIME CITYWIDE WITH THE, UM, REDUCTION OF, UH, ENGINE 14? NO, I'LL HAVE TO COME BACK TO YOU. UM, BUT I DO AM CONCERNED, YEAH, WHEN YOU REDUCE AN ENGINE 14 OR YOU ELIMINATE ENGINE 14, UM, YOU'LL HAVE INCREASED RESPONSE TIMES, JUST THE WAY YOU MENTIONED THERE. 'CAUSE NOW ON THE NORTH SIDE YOU HAVE ENGINE 22 COMING FROM A FURTHER DISTANCE AWAY, OR FROM THE SOUTH YOU HAVE ENGINE EIGHT COMING FROM BELMONT SHORE OR ENGINE FOUR FROM BELMONT HEIGHTS. FURTHER DISTANCE OBVIOUSLY INCREASES RESPONSE TIMES. UM, AND AS YOU ALL, AS YOU MENTIONED, THAT AREA IS VERY HARD TO NAVIGATE THROUGH AND IN THE BELMONT HEIGHTS AND BELMONT SHORE AREA, BUT WE HAVE TO COME BACK TO YOU WITH THAT DATA TO SUPPORT THAT. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KERR. UM, THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR ALL OF THE GREAT QUESTIONS. UM, I APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION TO DIRECTOR HARRISON. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED GOOD WORK. I KNOW WE WERE HAVING VERY DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT YOUR DEPARTMENT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO IN TERMS OF STAFFING, AND SO THE DEDICATED WORK THAT YOU AND THE NEW TEAM MEMBERS AND TEAM MEMBERS HAVE DONE HAS BEEN REALLY IMPRESSIVE. UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT CONTINUED GOOD WORK. UM, CHIEF, THANK YOU. WE HAD A BRIEFING JUST YESTERDAY. THERE ISN'T ANYONE IN THIS ROOM WHO WOULD ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, ARE WE OKAY WITH THE CUTS? NONE OF US ARE, NONE OF, I DON'T EXPECT ANY DIRECTOR TO SIT WHERE YOU'RE SITTING AND TELL ME THEY'RE OKAY WITH WHAT THEY'RE DOING. SO I APPRECIATE YOU AND, UM, YOUR TEAM THAT WORKED ON THIS, AND ALL OF THE DIRECTORS WHO HAVE BEEN SO THOUGHTFUL IN WAYS TO ADDRESS BUDGET ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS, UM, WITH THE UTMOST CARE AND CONSIDERATION OF RESIDENTS AND CONSTITUENTS IN MIND. UM, WE KNOW THAT EVERY DEPARTMENT IS TAKING ADMINISTRATIVE CUTS, UM, WHICH MEANS LESS SUPPORT FOR ALL OF YOU DOING THE WORK IN THE OFFICE RESPONDING TO US. UM, SO I JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, WE'VE HAD REALLY WONDERFUL SUCCESS STORIES ABOUT THE RESTORATION OF RESCUE 12 AND STATION 12, UM, FOR STATION 17. CONGRATULATIONS ON HAVING STRUCTURAL FUNDING. UM, WE, I'VE JUST ASKED HOW LONG IT TOOK. IT TOOK SIX YEARS TO GET TO A PLACE OF STRUCTURAL FUNDING, AND THAT'S A HUGE ACHIEVEMENT. BUT ALSO IN 20, UM, IN 2011, WE KNOW THAT WE LOST ENGINE COMPANY 18 IN THAT SAME AREA, AND IT BECAME AN A LS UNIT. IT IS SERVING THE COMMUNITY AMAZINGLY, AS ARE ALL THE SURROUNDING ENGINE COMPANIES. SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR MY RESIDENTS ON THAT SIDE OF TOWN WHO, DESPITE THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PUT AN ENGINE BACK IN EIGHTEENS, UM, THE DEPARTMENT HAS TAKEN EXTRAORDINARILY GREAT CARE OF THAT COMMUNITY AND MADE ADJUSTMENTS ALL ALONG THE WAY AND CONTINUE TO DO SO 15 YEARS LATER. UM, AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE IT'S NOT FUN, BUT IT SHOWS THAT WE'VE HAD TO MAKE THIS CHOICE BEFORE. UM, AND THE PROFESSIONALISM AND THE HIGH QUALITY CALIBER PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE IN THIS DEPARTMENT FIND WAYS TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT AND CARE IN SPITE OF IT. UM, I DON'T WANNA MAKE ANY OF THESE CUTS, UH, ACROSS THE BOARD. AND WE'RE GONNA TALK THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS IN EVERY DEPARTMENT, AND WE'RE GONNA SAY WE DON'T WANNA MAKE CUTS IN ANY OF THE DEPARTMENTS. UM, BUT I AM SO HEARTENED, UM, BY THE WAY, YOU'VE COME TO THE CONVERSATION OF PUTTING OUR RESIDENTS FIRST AND UNDERSTANDING THAT IN ORDER TO SERVE PEOPLE BETTER, WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO A BASELINE ON OUR BUDGET THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN SINCE BEFORE. COVID, WE'VE HAD ONE TIME FUNDS YEAR AFTER YEAR. UM, SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT GETTING TO WHAT OUR BUDGET ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE, WE HAVE BEEN BUOYED THANKFULLY BY AN INCREDIBLE INFLUX OF FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT WE CONTINUE TO SEE THAT HAVE RUN OUT. AND THE ONES THAT WE DE HAVE DEPENDED ON FAITHFULLY FOR MANY YEARS NOW ARE BEING REDUCED IN WAYS WE NEVER IMAGINED. AND SO WE'RE ALL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THOSE PIECES OF HOW DO WE BEST SERVE PEOPLE, MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF THE PIECES OF OUR BUDGET ARE NOT IMPACTING ANY PARTICULAR POPULATION OF PEOPLE IN OUR CITY MORE THAN OTHERS. THAT'S THE COMPLEXITY OF ALL THE DEPARTMENTS. SO I APPRECIATE, [02:50:01] UM, YOU COMING HERE TONIGHT AND ALL THE FOLKS WHO WILL COME AFTER US TO TALK ABOUT THEIR PIECE OF THE PUZZLE. AND OUR JOB IS TO DELIBERATE AND TALK ABOUT HOW DO WE COLLECTIVELY LOOK AT AND MAKE AN APPROPRIATE DECISION ON A BUDGET BASED ON THAT. SO I THANK YOU FOR COMING ARMED WITH FACTS, INFORMATION THAT WE CAN TALK TO RESIDENTS ABOUT THAT WE CAN ASK QUESTIONS. YOU. UM, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA GET ANSWERS BACK BOTH IN WRITING. WE KNOW YOU'RE ANSWERING THEM HERE TONIGHT, UM, BECAUSE THAT'S ALL PART OF THIS PROCESS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, WHICH DOESN'T FEEL GOOD FOR ANYONE. IT'S HEARTBREAKING FOR ALL OF US IN MANY WAYS. SO, UM, I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK YOU FOR, IN THE FACE OF CUTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED, AS THE MAYOR SAID CYCLICALLY, AND AS YOU MENTIONED, IT HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, SO IT HAPPENED AT EIGHTEENS, IT HAPPENED AT TWELVES, IT HAPPENED AT SEVENTEENS. UM, AND THERE'S BEEN GREAT SUCCESS IN RESTORATION, AND I WILL HOLD OUT HOPE, UM, THAT WE GET TO THAT PLACE AS WELL. UM, THE OTHER THING SPECIFICALLY JUST TO, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE THERE'S A QUESTION THAT CAN COME BACK IN WRITING. BOTH OF YOUR DEPARTMENTS HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK ON EMPLOYEE WELLNESS, ESPECIALLY IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND MAKING SURE, UM, THAT PEOPLE ARE BOTH PHYSICALLY SAFE, EMOTIONALLY SAFE, HAVE THE RESOURCES THEY NEED AND SUPPORTS THAT THEY NEED. UM, AS WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS, I KNOW WE'RE TAKING BITS AND PIECES FROM DIFFERENT, UM, DEPARTMENTS WITHIN FIRE. UM, I WOULD HOPE THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN THAT WELLNESS FOCUS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. AND IF THERE ARE WAYS THAT YOU THINK, UM, GRANT FUNDING AND YOU KNOW, THAT SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN HELP WITH, UM, TO EMPLOY, TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE KNOW THERE WILL BE INCREASED STRESS ON EVERYBODY WHO'S GONNA BE DOING A LITTLE BIT MORE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO INVEST IN THOSE PROGRAMS THAT WILL SUPPORT, UM, SOME OF THE STRESS AND BURDEN THAT COMES WITH THAT. SO, UM, POSSIBLY WHEN YOU COME BACK TO US, IF YOU COULD TALK ABOUT THE WAYS THAT YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO TRY AND ADDRESS WELLNESS, POTENTIALLY GRANT OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT CONTINUES IN THE DEPARTMENTS WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, WELL, THAT CONCLUDES, UH, OUR COUNCIL, UH, UH, DISCUSSION. UH, GREAT CLOSE COUNCIL MEMBER KERR. UM, AND TO OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS, GREAT JOB TONIGHT ON THE PRESENTATION. WE WISH THERE WERE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A DIFFERENT CONTEXT AND THERE WERE, YOU KNOW, RAINBOWS AND UNICORNS TO TALK ABOUT, BUT TONIGHT WE'RE TALKING DATA AND IMPACTS AND THINGS THAT WE CAN, WAYS THAT WE CAN, AS THE COUNCILWOMAN SAID SO ELOQUENTLY, UH, PROVIDE THE SERVICES WITHOUT CREATING TOO MUCH OF AN UNDUE IMPACT ON ONE, ONE COMMUNITY. BUT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE LOOKING AT A LENS OF DATA, UM, I CERTAINLY, I PARTICULARLY APPRECIATE, UM, YOU REINFORCING THE CYCLE PIECE. IT IS CYCLICAL. THESE BUDGETS ARE CYCLICAL. YOU KNOW, I, I WAS AT THE COMMUNITY BUDGET MEETING IN NORTH LONG BEACH AND I TALKED ABOUT HOW, UH, MAYOR O'NEAL, SHE HAD A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS TO CUT OUT OF A $400 MILLION GENERAL FUND. THAT WAS DEVASTATING OVER, OVER A THREE YEAR PERIOD. AND THEN WE KNOW MAYOR FOSTER, SIX OUT OF HIS EIGHT YEARS AS MAYOR, HE HAD REDUCTION SCENARIOS, PLUS PENSION REFORM AND THE GREAT RECESSION. AND THEN UNDER MAYOR GARCIA, WE DEALT WITH THE, THE, UH, WITH COVID-19 AND TWO YEARS OF REDUCTIONS. IN EACH OF THOSE SCENARIOS, THERE WERE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO HOW THEY WERE ADDRESSED, BUT I DO APPRECIATE HOW OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM, HOW LABOR IS AT THE TABLE, HOW THE COUNCIL IS THINKING ABOUT THIS FROM A, A REALLY INFORMED DATA-DRIVEN EQUITY LENS ON IMPACTS WITH AN UNDERSTANDING THAT WE ARE GONNA CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON REVENUE AND LONG-TERM FISCAL STABILITY. THE PAST FEW YEARS WE'VE HAD VACANCIES IN DEPARTMENTS, AND YOU CAN LEVERAGE THOSE VACANCIES TO FILL HOLES AND PASS A BUDGET. BUT WE'VE BEEN HIRING AND HR DID A GREAT PRESENTATION. HIRING MEANS YOU HAVE LESS FLEXIBILITY, YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS THE DEFICIT. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, ONCE IT IS STRUCTURALLY ADDRESSED THROUGH THIS PLAN, UH, YOU NOW FORECAST LONG-TERM FISCAL STABILITY THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD SINCE PRE PANDEMIC ERA. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THIS BUDGET. SO THANK ALL OF YOU. THIS CONCLUDES TONIGHT'S HEARING. WE'RE COMING BACK WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND POLICE DEPARTMENT AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT NEXT WEEK. UM, MEMBERS, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE TO CONTINUE THE HEARING OR VOTE. ROLL CALL. VOTE PLEASE. YES. AND JUST A REMINDER, UM, THAT IS CORRECT. THIS IS NOT, UH, YOUR VOTE DOES NOT INCLUDE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, RIGHT? OKAY. DISTRICT ONE, CAN YOU UNMUTE? [02:55:04] AYE. DISTRICT TWO? AYE. DISTRICT THREE, AYE. DISTRICT FOUR, AYE. DISTRICT FIVE, AYE. DISTRICT SIX, AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN, AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT, AYE. DISTRICT NINE, AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. OKAY. NEXT UP WE HAVE, UH, HEARING NUMBER 12, PLEASE [12. 26-55741 Recommendation to receive supporting documentation into the record, conclude the public hearing, and grant an Entertainment Permit with conditions for entertainment with dancing to Ascension Global Hospitality Group Inc. DBA Pure Ultra Lounge 217 Pine Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802. (District 1) Levine Act: Yes       Office or Department: Financial Management         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] REPORT FROM FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION TO SUP TO RECEIVE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION INTO THE RECORD, CONCLUDE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND GRANT AN ENTERTAINMENT PERMIT WITH CONDITIONS FOR ENTERTAINMENT WITH DANCING TO PURE ULTRA LOUNGE 2 1 7 PINE AVENUE, LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA 9 0 8 0 2, DISTRICT ONE. SO MOVED. I GET A SECOND. YEAH, THIS ONE REQUIRES A OATH, SO PLEASE STAND. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE GOING TO TESTIFY ON THIS ITEM IS YOUR RIGHT HAND. DO YOU, AND EACH OF YOU DO SOLEMNLY STATE THAT THE TEST TESTIMONY YOU MAY GIVE IN THE CAUSE NOW IMPEND BEFORE THIS BODY SHALL BE THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, SO HELP YOU GOD? YES, I DO. YOU MAY BE SEATED. OKAY. THE MAYOR HAS BEEN CALLED AWAY, SO WE'LL BE, UH, CONDUCTING THE MEETING FROM HERE ON OUT. UH, PLEASE MOVE ON TO DO THE PRESENTATION. ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE JUNIE SALCITO AND THIS TEAM TO TAKE US THROUGH THIS ITEM. UH, GOOD EVENING. UM, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL BEFORE YOU TONIGHT IS AN APPLICATION FOR ENTERTAINMENT WITH DANCING AT ASCENSION GLOBAL HOSPITALITY GROUP, INCORPORATED, DOING BUSINESS AS PURE ULTRA LOUNGE. THE ESTABLISHMENT IS LOCATED AT TWO 17 PINE AVENUE AND OPERATES AS A RESTAURANT READY TO EAT FOOD WITH ALCOHOL. THIS LOCATION HAS BEEN IN OPERATION SINCE JANUARY, 2024. ALL APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENTS, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, UM, DEPARTMENT SERV DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, POLICE AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT HAVE REVIEWED THE APPLICATION AND HAVE PROVIDED THEIR RECOMMENDED CONDITIONS AS CONTAINED IN THE HEARING PACKET. THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDED CONDITIONS IN ATTACHMENT A SHOULD BE NOTED FROM THE ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS. SECTION ONE ENTERTAINMENT APPLICATION SHALL BE RE RESTRICTED TO NO LATER THAN 2:00 AM MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, NIGHTCLUB LOUNGE ENTERTAINMENT CAN BEGIN AT 10:00 PM MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT IS PROHIBITED. TWO, THE ESTABLISHMENT SHALL REMAIN IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL SECTIONS OF THE LONG BEACH NOISE ORDINANCE, UH, LBMC, CHAPTER 8.803. THE PERMITEE MUST PROVIDE ALL RENTERS WITH A COPY OF THE APPROVED PERMIT, WHICH SHALL INCLUDE A COPY OF THE APPROVED CONDITIONS OF OPERATION FOR THE PERMIT. HE SHALL MAINTAIN FULL COMPLIANCE WITH ALL APPLICABLE LAWS, ORDINANCES, AND STATED CONDITIONS. IN THE EVENT OF A CONFLICT BETWEEN THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PERMIT AND THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT, THE MORE STRINGENT REGULATION SHALL APPLY. I, ALONG WITH COMMANDER BAUM, UH, KELLY FROM THE COMMANDER BAUM FROM THE LONG BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT, ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. THIS CONCLUDES MY STAFF REPORT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MY REPORT. UH, ANY FURTHER COMMENT ON THIS? NO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. OTHER TESTIMONY THERE? ANYBODY ELSE? NO PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ANY COMMENT FROM THE CITY COUNCIL? YES. THANK YOU, VICE MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS, UM, TO THIS BUSINESS. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE THIS BUSINESS AND DISTRICT ONE, UM, THAT BRINGS COMMUNITY TOGETHER. I KNOW THAT, UM, BABY BROS HAS BEEN A GREAT ASSET TO PINE AVENUE AND IT HAS BROUGHT A LOT OF, UM, COMMUNITY TOGETHER. A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN, UM, ABLE TO, UH, HAVE A LOT OF COMMUNITY EVENTS THERE AT BABY BROS. AND SO REALLY EXCITED THAT THIS IS FINALLY COMING THROUGH AND WANNA CONGRATULATE THEM, UM, ALSO, AND, AND THANK THEM AGAIN FOR THEIR HOSPITALITY DURING THE WORLD CUP. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL? OKAY, SEE NONE. DISTRICT ONE A. DISTRICT TWO, AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR? AYE. DISTRICT FIVE? AYE. DISTRICT SIX? AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN? AYE. [03:00:01] DISTRICT EIGHT. AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU. OKAY, I THINK WE'RE HEARING THE GENERAL COMMENT. [ PUBLIC COMMENT: Obtain speaker card from the City Clerk Opportunity to address the City Council (on non-agenda items) is available to the first 10 individuals, combined across in-person and remote participation, who submit a request to speak beginning 15 minutes before the meeting starts. Each speaker is allowed up to three minutes to provide comments. ] IS THAT CORRECT? YES. WE HAVE, UM, FIVE SPEAKERS. WE HAVE SIX SPEAKERS. WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED, PLEASE COME FORWARD AND LINE UP AT THE PODIUM FOR PARTICIPANTS IN ZOOM. WHEN IT'S YOUR TURN TO SPEAK, WE'LL CALL YOUR NAME, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. ELI GARCIA. CARLA JORDAN, ELMER GONZALEZ, RORY HERRERA, DR. MELISSA KING, AND IN ZOOM, CAROLYN ESSEX. LIHI. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. OKAY, THANK YOU. CONS, CITY MANAGER. MY NAME'S LIHI GARCIA. I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE 1930, AND I AM ALSO A RESIDENT OF LONG BEACH ON THE EIGHTH DISTRICT. AND AS YOUR PARTNER LABOR PARTNER, I'M REPRESENTING 3000, OVER 3000 EMPLOYEES. BUDGET DECISIONS SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON PROTECTING ESSENTIAL SERVICES WHILE PRESERVING THE JOBS OF THE EMPLOYEES WHO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES. BEFORE CONSIDERING LAYOFFS OR REDUCTION IN STAFFING, EVERY, EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO IDENTIFY COST SAVINGS THROUGH RESPONSIBLE BUDGETING, ELIMINATING UNNECESSARY EXPEDITIONS, IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AND PRIOR PRIORITIZING ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS. OUR EMPLOYEES ARE AN INVESTMENT, NOT SIMPLY A LINE ITEM IN THE BUDGET. REDUCING STAFF MAY CREATE SHORT-TERM SAVINGS, BUT IT CAN ALSO INCREASE WORKLOAD, REDUCE PRODUCTIVITY, DELAY SERVICES, AND ULTIMATELY COST THE ORGANIZATION MORE. IN THE LONG RUN, WE SHOULD LOOK FOR CREATIVE AND RESPONSIBLE SOLUTIONS THAT ALLOW US TO BALANCE THE BUDGET WHILE KEEPING EMPLOYEES WORKING. PROTECTING JOBS MEANS PROTECTING INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE, MAINTAINING SERVICES LEVELS, AND ENSURING THAT THE COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO RECEIVE THE SERVICES. IT DEPENDS ON IMBALANCED BUDGET SHOULD NOT SIMPLY BE MEASURED BY HOW MUCH MONEY IS CUT OFF. IT SHOULD ALSO BE MEASURED BY HOW EFFICIENTLY, EFFECTIVELY WE PROTECT THE WORKFORCE, MAINTAIN CRITICAL SERVICES AND POSITION THE ORGANIZATION FOR A LONG-TERM FINANCIAL STABILITY. I ALSO WANTED TO ADD TO THE HR PRESENTATION, UH, IN REGARDS TO WHY IT'S NEEDED. THAT'S IT. WE ASK FOR HR TO BE CENTRALIZING MORE AND HAVE MORE INPUT IN WHAT GOES ON IN THESE AGENCIES. UM, WE'VE HAD POLICIES THAT ARE OVER 30 YEARS OLD, UM, THAT HAVE NOT BEEN REVIEWED, HAVE NOT HAD AN, UH, AN UPDATE IN OVER 30 TO 40 YEARS. AND NOBODY IN THOSE, IN THAT TIMEFRAME HAS DECIDED TO ADVANCE THIS LANGUAGE OR UPDATE THE LANGUAGE BASED ON THE, ON THE WORKFORCE THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU. UM, IN ADDITION, I ALSO WANNA SAY IS THAT WE'VE HAD TO HAVE ME WITH THE HR DIRECTOR BECAUSE WE'VE HAD ISSUES IN THESE DEPARTMENTS WHERE THE MANAGERS HAVE GONE WILD, UH, ROGUE, AND THEY DON'T LISTEN TO THEIR AOS, THEIR AOS MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEY JUST IGNORE IT, AND THEY JUST ALLOW THINGS TO JUST GO THROUGH UNTIL COMPLAINTS ESCALATE. WHAT I WANT TO SEE IS WHEN SOMEBODY, WHEN YOU SEE A DEPARTMENT CONSTANTLY HAVING TO FILE GRIEVANCES OR HAVING TO CONSTANTLY FILE, UM, LEAVES BECAUSE OF, UH, WORKER COMPS ISSUES OR HAVING TO GO ON MEDICAL LEAVE FOR STRESS LEAVE, THESE ARE THINGS THAT THE HR DIRECTORS SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOOK AT AND SAY, HEY, WHY IS THIS HAPPENING IN THIS DEPARTMENT? WHY? WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT. WHAT'S, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT IS YOUR MANAGEMENT DOING? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING IN RESOLUTION, THAT HR STEP IN AND SAY, LOOK AT THE DATA. IT'LL TELL YOU WHY IS THERE'S BEEN SUCH AN INCREASE IN CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS AND NOT OTHERS. WHAT'S GOING ON IN THOSE DEPARTMENTS? WHAT'S WRONG THERE? DEAL WITH IT. ADDRESS THE ISSUES. I'M RUNNING OUTTA TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH, CARLA. JORDAN, GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL MEMBERS, VICE MAYOR AND TOM AND THE CITY TEAM. UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW ME, MY NAME IS CARLA PITA JORDAN. I AM NOW CURRENTLY AN I AM BUSINESS REP, A 23 PREVIOUS, UM, CITY OF LONG BEACH EMPLOYEE. I LOVED WORKING FOR THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. THAT'S WHY I AM HERE NOW. UM, I REPRESENT HARDWORKING PUBLIC SERVANTS WHO COME TO WORK EVERY DAY, COMMITTED TO SERVING THE RESIDENTS OF LONG BEACH, THE MOST VULNERABLE, UM, FOR THE EMPLOYEES I REPRESENT. THEY'RE NOT SIMPLY JOBS, THEY'RE CAREERS, THEY'RE FAMILIES AND LIVES BUILT AROUND SERVING THIS CITY. MANY OF THESE EMPLOYEES ALSO LIVE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. I THINK ABOUT 45% OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES LIVE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. THEY ARE ALSO YOUR NEIGHBORS, UM, YOUR FRIENDS AND MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY. THEY CARE VERY DEEPLY ABOUT THEIR WORK THEY DO AND TAKE PRIDE IN PROVIDING THE SERVICES THAT RESIDENTS DEPEND ON EVERY DAY. AT THE SAME TIME I AM, WE ARE IN NEGOTIATIONS OF A NEW CONTRACT WITH THE CITY. WHILE WE [03:05:01] ARE ALSO FACING THE POSSIBILITY OF MORE LAYOFFS WITHIN OUR UNIT, OUR BARGAINING UNIT, WHICH WE HAVE BEEN BATTLING FOR THE LAST THREE, FOUR YEARS THAT ARE GOING TO IMPACT THESE WORKERS FOR OUR MEMBERS. THIS UNCERTAINTY IS VERY REAL. I HAVE GOTTEN SO MANY PHONE CALLS FROM MY DE MY EMPLOYEES FROM AIRPORT DEEP E YOU KNOW, HEALTH DEPARTMENT FM, LIKE EVERY DAY MITIGATING THOSE PHONE CALLS AND THE UNCERTAINTY BEHIND IT. EVERY SINGLE POSITION THAT IS ELIMINATED IS A PERSON WITH A FAMILY. AND I'M TAKING THESE PHONE CALLS AND FUTURE, THE FUTURE AFFECTED TO THEIR FAMILY AND THEIR CHILDREN, YOU KNOW, AND THEIR MOMS THERE MIGHT BE TAKING CARE OF PARENTS. WHEN WE LOSE THESE EMPLOYEES AND PROGRAMS, WE LOSE MORE THAN SERVICES. WE LOSE EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN DEDICATING THEIR YEARS OF SERVICE AND THEIR LIVES TO SERVING THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. THESE ARE EMPLOYEES WHO KNOW THIS COMMUNITY, CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE THEY SERVE AND TAKE PRIDE IN DOING THEIR JOBS. WELL, ANOTHER NOTE I WANNA MENTION IS OUTSOURCING THESE JOBS IS NOT THE ANSWER. OUR CITY OF LONG BEACH EMPLOYEES ARE MORE THAN NUMBERS ON A BUDGET SPREADSHEET. AND I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LOT. YOU KNOW, I KEEP ASKING FOR NAMES BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY EACH MANAGEMENT'S LIKE A BUDGET. IT'S JUST A NUMBER. THEY ARE PEOPLE, THEY ARE PARENTS, THEY ARE NEIGHBORS, AND THEY'RE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO SHOW UP EVERY DAY TO HELP YOUR TO KEEP YOUR CITY RUNNING. I RESPECTIVELY ASKED THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL TO LOOK BEYOND THE NUMBERS AND CONSIDER THE HUMAN IMPACT OF THESE DECISIONS. PLEASE DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO PROTECT THE WORKERS WHO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY AND THE PROGRAMS THAT LONG BEACH RESIDENTS RELY ON. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO YOUR CONSIDER TO, FOR CONSIDERING THE PEOPLE BEHIND THESE DECISIONS. I ALSO ALSO WANNA KNOW ABOUT THE COMMENTS DR. JODY HICKS HAD MENTIONED ABOUT THE HR PRESENTATION. YOUR TIME HAS CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, ER GONZALEZ. GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS ER DAVID GONZALEZ, AND I'M A SPECIAL SERVICE OFFICER WORKING AT OUR LONG BEACH JAIL. I SPOKE WITH YOU PREVIOUSLY ABOUT THE WORKING CONDITIONS OUR SPECIAL SERVICE OFFICERS HAVE IN OUR JAIL, AND WHO ARE I AM MEMBERS AND WHAT WE FACE. I'M HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE THOSE CON CONCERNS HAVE NOT GONE AWAY. OUR CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE AND THE UNION, IAM REMAINS COMMITTED TO FINDING A FAIR AGREEMENT. ONE OF THESE ISSUES WE CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR IS THE COMPENSATION THAT REFLECTS THE ACTUAL WORK RESPONSIBILITIES AND HAZARDS OUR SPECIAL SERVICES OFFICERS HAVE SPECIFICALLY IN THE JAIL. WE ARE ALSO SEEING CHANGES THROUGHOUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE CITY'S NEWLY HIRED CLASS 100 HAS HIT THE STREETS, AND THE NEWLY HIRED POLICE OFFICERS HAVE BEGUN THEIR FTO TRAINING. AT THIS TIME, OUR JAILS IS EXPERIENCING AN INCREASE IN INMATE BOOKINGS DUE TO THE NEW OFFICER'S ARREST. THAT MEANS THE WORK AND RESPONSIBILITIES INSIDE OUR JAIL CONTINUE. REGARDLESS OF THE CITY'S CURRENT BUDGET CHALLENGES. THE SPECIAL SERVICE OFFICERS CLASSIFICATION HAS ALSO HISTORICALLY SERVED AS AN IMPORTANT PURPOSE WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. FOR MANY EMPLOYEES, IT HAS BEEN A STEPPING STONE TOWARDS BECOMING A POLICE OFFICER. THE JAIL PROVIDES EMPLOYEES WITH EXPERIENCE IN INMATE MANAGEMENT, REPORT WRITING, EMERGENCY EMERGENCY RESPONSE, DEESCALATION SEARCHES, RESTRAINTS, AND DEALING WITH SOME OF THE MOST CHALLENGING SITUATIONS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT MAKES A SPECIAL SERVICES OFFICER'S POSITION UNIQUE. WE ARE NOT SIMPLY FILLING A POSITION. WE ARE HELPING DEVELOP EMPLOYEES WHO MAY EVENTUALLY SERVE THE CITY AS POLICE OFFICERS, WE UNDERSTAND THE CITY HAS DIFFICULT BUDGET DECISIONS TO MAKE, AND WE ARE NOT ASKING THE CITY TO IGNORE THESE CHALLENGES. WE ARE ASKING THAT THE VALUE AND DEMANDS OF OUR WORK BE RECOGNIZED IN OUR CONTRACT. OUR MEMBERS CONTINUE TO SHOW UP TO DO THE JOB AND SERVE THE CITY. WE BELIEVE OUR WAGES SHOULD REFLECT THAT COMMITMENT. THANK YOU. RORY HERRERA. HELLO, MY NAME IS RORY HERRERA. I LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE AND I AM HERE AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF LONG BEACH FOR JUST ECONOMY. UH, I'M ALSO HERE TO SHOW SUPPORT WITH LES'S, UH, JUSTICE FUND THAT THEY'RE REQUESTING $3 MILLION FOR. UH, RIGHT NOW IT IS BEING PROPOSED THAT ONLY A MILLION DOLLARS WOULD BE GIVEN TO THEM, BUT IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT EMERGENCY SERVICES AND THOSE BEING THE PRIOR PRIORITY, WHY ARE THE IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR EMERGENCIES NOT INCLUDED IN THAT? BECAUSE THEY ARE FACING A NATIONAL CRISIS RIGHT NOW FACING ISV AND LONG BEACH IS NOT EXCLUDED FROM THAT. SO I AM ALSO HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR STRENGTHENING THE VALUES ACT, UH, [03:10:01] TO SAY THAT, UH, IF WE ARE GOING TO PRETEND LIKE WE ARE A SANCTUARY CITY THAT IS NOT GOING TO COLLABORATE WITH ICE, THEN WE SHOULD BE SHOWING THAT UP WITH OUR ACTIONS SUCH AS LBPD, NOT COLLABORATING WITH US, NOT ALLOWING THEM TO PROTECTING THEM FROM PROTESTERS WHO WANT TO SEE ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THESE, UH, CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW VERY UNDER-REGULATED AGENCIES. UH, AND FINALLY, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I AM SHOWING SOLIDARITY WITH THE CITY WORKERS, ESPECIALLY THE MEMBERS OF THE IAM AND BLACK WORKERS HERE WHO BLACK WORKERS HAVE A PETITION THAT'S BEEN GOING ON SINCE FEBRUARY, TRYING TO DEMAND JUSTICE MORE EQUAL PAY FROM THE CITY. SO WELL BEFORE THIS BUDGET IN THE, THE DEFICIT WAS FULLY ANNOUNCED TO THE PUBLIC AND THEY HAVE BEEN IGNORED. THE, THE UNIONS HAVE BEEN IGNORED FOR THE LARGE PART. UH, EVERY TIME I'VE COME HERE TO CITY COUNCIL, I'VE SEEN THEM COME AND ASK DURING NON AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO LISTEN TO THEM. AND I'VE NOT SEEN THOSE CALLS RESPONDED TO IN GOOD FAITH. SO I'M HERE TO, YOU KNOW, AMPLIFY THESE VOICES OF THE, THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY MAKE THE CITY RUN, WHICH IS NOT JUST THE CITY COUNCIL COUNCIL, NOT THESE ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS, BUT THE CITY WORKERS AND OUR IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE IN THE ALSO THE MOST VULNERABLE POSITIONS WHEN THESE CUTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DR. MELISSA KING. UH, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, MY NAME IS DR. MELISSA KING. I'M A ZAFAR BUSINESS OWNER AND A PUBLIC HEALTH WORKER. AND I'M HERE TONIGHT TO ASK YOU TO STRENGTHEN THE LONG BEACH VALUES ACT AND TO SHARE WITH YOU A RECENT STORY. A FEW BLOCKS FROM MY HOME, I RECENTLY OBSERVED A GROUP OF 12 MASKED AGENTS SURROUND FOUR WORKERS. THE AGENTS WORE TACTICAL VESTS AND CARRIED MILITARY STYLE ASSAULT RIFLES. THE MEN WERE FROZEN AND TERRIFIED. I WATCHED THEM BIND THE MEN'S HANDS WITH PLASTIC TIES, LINE THEM UP AGAINST A WALL AND MARCHED THEM INTO AN UNMARKED VAN. OVER ABOUT A 30 MINUTE PERIOD, THIS HAPPENED NEAR SEVERAL PUBLIC HEALTH CLINICS, MARKETS AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WITH CHILDREN WATCHING. IT WAS JUST ONE OF THOUSANDS OF KIDNAPPINGS THAT WE HAVE SEEN IN RECENT MONTHS. THESE WERE NOT LOCAL POLICE OR US MILITARY. WHAT I WITNESSED FELT A LOT MORE LIKE A PARAMILITARY PRESENCE. I HAVE LIVED IN NUMEROUS OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE THAT PRESENCE CREATES PERVASIVE FEAR IN CITIZENS, AND I NEVER IMAGINED IT BECOMING PART OF DAILY LIFE IN ARIA. I AM PAINFULLY AWARE THAT MY WHITENESS GAVE ME RELATIVE SAFETY TO STOP AND TO RECORD. MOST OF MY NEIGHBORS DO NOT HAVE THAT PROTECTION. AFTERWARD, AN OLDER MAN SAT DOWN ON THE CURB NEXT TO ME AND SHOOK HIS HEAD. HE REMINDED ME THAT VERSIONS OF THIS HAVE OCCURRED FOR CENTURIES. AS A PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONAL, I KNOW SAFETY CANNOT BE BUILT THROUGH TERROR. FEAR OF ICE IS DRIVING PEOPLE AWAY FROM OUR SCHOOLS, OUR HEALTH CLINICS, OUR WORKPLACES, OUR GROCERY STORES, AND THE VERY RELATIONSHIPS THAT KEEP ALL OF US HEALTHY. SO I ASK YOU TO PLEASE PLACE THE LONG BEACH VALUES ACT ON A FUTURE COUNCIL AGENDA. PLEASE WORK TO CLOSE THE SB 54 LOOPHOLES THAT PERMIT LOCAL COOPERATION WITH FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AND ESTABLISH REGULATIONS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY WHEN THE ACT IS VIOLATED. FINALLY, I UNDERSTAND THAT SIGN UP FOR THE IN-PERSON NON AGENDA. PUBLIC COMMENT WAS LIMITED TO FIVE PEOPLE AND THERE WERE MANY NEIGHBORS WHO SHOWED UP TODAY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PUBLIC PROCESS. SO I JUST WANTED TO LIFT THEM UP AND ASK ON THEIR BEHALF IF THIS POLICY COULD PLEASE BE REVISITED IN FUTURE MEETINGS. THANK YOU. WE HAVE CAROL ESSEX ON ZOOM. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. UH, GREETINGS FROM HOME. EVERYONE, UH, GLAD TO BE HERE AND GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK UP ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND MY COMMUNITY'S VERY URGENT CONCERNS. UM, DEAR MAYOR RICHARDSON, UH, VICE MAYOR , CITY MANAGER MONICA AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. THIS IS A REALLY GREAT CITY COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT. I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY [03:15:01] BONDING AROUND THIS BUDGET CRISES AND VOICES ARE BEING HEARD, AND I, UH, BELIEVE THAT WE WILL MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION. SO TODAY I'M ASKING YOU IN WRITING AND PUBLICLY THROUGH THIS PORTAL TO PLEASE, PLEASE UNDERSTAND AND TREAT STREET HOMELESSNESS AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS TOP TIER BUDGET PRIORITIES ALONGSIDE OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THIS REMAINS A VERY HIGH PROFILE ISSUE ALL ACROSS LONG BEACH. IT'S NEVER A GOOD TIME TO RETREAT FROM HOMELESS OUTREACH. IT'S NEVER A GOOD TIME TO REDUCE THE VERY SERVICES RESPONSIBLE FOR ASSISTING THE UNHOUSED ON OUR STREETS, CONNECTING THEM WITH CARE, AND MOVING THEM TOWARD PERMANENT HOUSING. WE'RE TALKING THOUSANDS OF OUR, UM, HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE IS ALREADY UNDER ENORMOUS PRESSURE CUTTING OUTREACH BECAUSE THE CITY FACES A BUDGET SHORTFALL RISK MAKING AN ALREADY SERIOUS SITUATION. WORSE. I THINK WE ALL REALIZE THAT I AM ASKING THIS COUNCIL AND THE CITY MANAGER TO EXAMINE EVERY RESPONSIBLE OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE, UH, AVAILABLE SAVINGS, APPROPRIATE SURPLUS FUNDS, UM, UNALLOCATED RESOURCES, OUTSIDE GRANTS, STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING AND OTHER LEGALLY AVAILABLE FUNDING SOURCES, AND PRIORITIZE THEM TOWARD THREE THINGS, STREET OUTREACH, PERMANENT HOUSING, AND CONTINUUM OF CARE. JUST RECENTLY I SAW THAT A GROUP OF CARING RESIDENTS HELPED A DISABLED FREEMAN MAN WHO APPEARED UNABLE TO CARE FOR HIMSELF. AND AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO GET HIM ASSISTANCE MET RESPONDED, AND HE WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL. BUT HERE'S A QUESTION THAT KEEPS BOTHERING ME. NO MATTER WHO IT IS, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THAT PERSON IS DISCHARGED? DOES HE ENTER RECUPERATIVE CARE OR DO WE EVENTUALLY FIND HIM BACK ON THE SAME SIDEWALK? THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RESPONDING TO HOMELESSNESS AND ACTUALLY RESOLVING HOMELESSNESS. SO DURING THIS BUDGET PROCESS, I URGE YOU DO NOT BALANCE THE BUDGET BY WEAKENING THE PATHWAY OUT OF HOMELESSNESS. UH, PROTECT OUTREACH, STRENGTHEN CONTINUUM CARE, EXPAND LOW INCOME AND PERMANENT HOUSING PATHWAYS, MEASURE THOSE OUTCOMES AND MAKE SURE STREET HOMELESSNESS REDUCTION IS ONE OF THE CITY'S HIGHEST PRIORITIES ALONGSIDE A PUBLIC SAFETY. THIS IS THE MOMENT TO TAKE OUR FOOT OFF. YOUR TIME HAS CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. THE GAS. THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND I WANNA THANK ALL THE SPEAKERS FOR, UH, YOUR PATIENCE THERE AND YOU'RE, UH, A VERY LONG BUDGET HEARING AND YOU'RE STILL HERE AND STATING YOUR COMMENTS, SO THAT'S VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. GOING BACK TO THE REGULAR AGENDA, WE'RE NINE OF 13, PLEASE [13. 26-55812 Recommendation to request City Manager to establish a Union Pacific Railroad Corridor Regional Coordination Framework for the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way and adjacent public property in Long Beach; and To evaluate, in coordination with City Attorney and Office of Government Affairs, the City’s retained municipal authority within the corridor and a regional legislative and regulatory strategy the City may lawfully advance to address rail corridor conditions and community quality of life impacts, including approaches to deterring repeat trespass paired with outreach and housing pathways; and to report back to the City Council within 120 days on implementation status and recommended next steps.       Office or Department: Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, Councilwoman, Eighth District         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCILWOMAN THRASH AND TUCK RECOMMENDATION TO ESTABLISH A UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD CORRIDOR REGIONAL COORDINATION FRAMEWORK FOR THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD RIGHT OF WAY AND ADJACENT PUBLIC PROPERTY IN LONG BEACH. AND TO EVALUATE THE CITY'S RETAINED MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY WITHIN THE CORRIDOR AND A REGIONAL LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY STRATEGY. NO, THE CITY MAY LAWFULLY ADVANCE TO ADDRESS RAIL CORRIDOR CONDITIONS AND COMMUNITY QUALITY OF LIFE IMPACTS, INCLUDING APPROACHES TO DETERIORATE REPEAT TPAS, PAIRED WITH OUTREACH AND HOUSING PATHWAYS, AND TO REPORT BACK TO CITY COUNCIL WITHIN 120 DAYS ON IMPLEMENTATION STATUS AND RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND? SO MOVED. I'LL OH, OH, I WAS GONNA, I'LL SECOND. CAN WE HAVE A MOVE, A MOTION AND A SECOND? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION BEFORE COMMENT? WE HAVE, UH, GRA POLITO IN ZOOM. I HAVE A PRESENTATION WHEN WE'RE READY. HUH. GRA CAN YOU PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF? YES, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. OKAY. UM, HELLO. GOOD EVENING. I LIVE IN DISTRICT EIGHT WHERE THIS, UM, UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD RUNS THROUGH AND I JUST WANTED TO BRING IT TO THE COUNCIL'S ATTENTION. AND I KNOW THAT MY COUNCILWOMAN IN DISTRICT EIGHT HAS ALSO BROUGHT IT TO YOUR ATTENTION, BUT I WANT TO, AS ONE OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS LET YOU KNOW THAT, UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHEN ACTION IS GONNA TAKE PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITY. UM, WE'VE [03:20:01] SEEN OVERGROWN VEGETATION. IT'S FIRE SEASON, WE'RE SCARED. UM, WE HAVE UNHOUSED ENCAMPMENTS ON THE RAILROAD. WE'RE AFRAID THAT PEOPLE CAN GET HURT UP THERE. WE ARE NOT SURE IF ANYONE IS EVEN ALIVE UP THERE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE SEE SOMETIMES WE SEE FIRES AT NIGHT AND WE SEE GRAFFITI ON THE WALLS. WE SEE ILLEGALLY DUMPED ITEMS. WE ALSO SEE THAT THE FENCING ON THE RAILROAD IS INADEQUATE, SO IT DOESN'T KEEP THOSE PEOPLE OUT OF THE RAILROAD. SO I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT WE NEED ACTION TO TAKE PLACE. WE WOULD LIKE YOU GUYS TO PLEASE CORRESPOND WITH THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD AND ALSO FEAR OF OUR CITY OFFICIALS CAN MAYBE GET SOME ACTION DONE ON THE VEGETATION. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA HAVE TO CALL OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT WHEN THERE'S A FIRE AND WE SEE THAT YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT REDUCING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE DON'T NEED TO REDUCE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE NEED TO REDUCE THE UNHOUSED ENCAMPMENTS THAT ARE GOING ON ON THE RAILROAD AND WE NEED TO STOP THE OVERGROWN VEGETATION. MAYBE WE COULD PUT IN SOME SUCCULENT PLANTS, SOME FIRE PREVENTATIVE ACTION WOULD, WOULD HELP. SO I JUST, I JUST REALLY FEEL LIKE, LIKE OUR VOICES NEED TO BE HEARD AT THIS TIME. WE'VE BEEN RESIDENTS HERE SINCE 2014 AND WE'VE SEEN IT CHANGE IN THE PAST FOUR TO FIVE YEARS. IT'S REALLY EMBARRASSING TO HAVE TO HAVE FAMILY COME OVER AND THEY POINT OUT THE GRAFFITI ON THE WALL AND THEY SAY, WHAT'S GOING ON IN YOUR COMMUNITY? THEY DON'T EVEN WANNA VISIT US ANYMORE. SO IT'S VERY, I FEEL VERY ASHAMED TO LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY AT THIS TIME. YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN CONTEMPLATING ON MOVING OUT BECAUSE OF THIS. SO IF YOU GUYS WANNA KEEP RESIDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY, PLEASE HELP YOUR RESIDENTS. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER , YOU HAVE A PRESENTATION YOU WANT MAKE ON THIS? I DO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, VICE MAYOR AND I'D LIKE TO THANK THE DISTRICT EIGHT RESIDENT GRACIELA FOR, UM, KICKING THIS OFF. SHE ACTUALLY, UM, IS SHARING A LOT OF THE FEELINGS THAT RESIDENTS HAVE WHO LIVE, UH, IN THIS AREA, INCLUDING MYSELF, COLLEAGUES. I WANTED TO BRING A BIT OF A PRESENTATION JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. THIS MEASURE IS ALL ABOUT HOW DO WE RESTORE STABILITY, ORDER, AND QUALITY OF LIFE ALONG THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD CORRIDOR. THIS FREIGHT LINE RUNS THROUGH THE HEART OF THE EIGHTH DISTRICT, UM, AND IS VITAL TO OUR REGIONAL AND NATIONAL COMMERCE. BUT THE FAMILIES, AS YOU HEARD HERE TODAY, WHO LIVE ALONGSIDE THE TRACKS EXPERIENCE A REALITY THAT IS VERY DIFFERENT. FOR YEARS. OUR RESIDENTS, I HAVE ENDURED PERSISTENT PUBLIC SAFETY HAZARDS, ENVIRONMENTAL BLIGHTS, ENCAMPMENTS, AND FIRE HAZARDS, RIGHT? OUR SIDE, OUR BACK DOORS. THIS ITEM ESTABLISHES A UNIFIED REGIONAL COORDINATION FRAMEWORK. ONE THAT ALLOWS US TO EXERCISE OUR LOCAL AUTHORITY IN A WAY THAT IS DATA INFORMED SERVICE FIRST AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE. BEFORE I BEGIN, I DO WANNA THANK THE CITY STAFF FOR THEIR DILIGENT WORK OVER MANY, MANY YEARS ON THIS ISSUE, UNION PACIFIC FOR THEIR CONTINUED COLLABORATION AND TO ALL OF OUR EIGHTH DISTRICT RESIDENTS WHO HAVE ENDURED AND LIVE WITH THESE EXPERIENCES EVERY DAY. THAT REALLY HELPED TO SHAPE THIS PROPOSAL. I WANNA EXTEND MY GRATITUDE TO ALL OF THE ORGANIZATIONS WHO SUBMITTED LETTERS OF SUPPORT AND RESIDENTS AS WELL. SO THIS ISSUE COMES BEFORE US TODAY BECAUSE THE STATUS QUO IS SIMPLY UNTENABLE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AS YOU'LL HEAR LATER ON IN MY PRESENTATION, THE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT FIRE AND POLICE ARE RESPONDING TO IS INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE'RE FINDING ALONG THE RAIL LINES IS INCREASING. UM, THIS UNION PACIFIC RAIL LINE RUNS THROUGH A SIZABLE PORTION OF OUR CITY FROM THE WEST AND NORTH LONG BEACH AND DISTRICT EIGHT ALONE. THIS RAIL LINE BORDERS 10 DISTINCT NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT THAT INCLUDES HOMES, PARKS, AND SCHOOLS THAT ARE JUST FEET AWAY FROM THIS AREA WHERE WE ARE SUFFERING LEVELS OF NEGLECT. AT A RECENT DISTRICT LISTENING SESSION, RESIDENT AFTER RESIDENT, JUST LIKE GABRIELA SHARED THEIR FRUSTRATION WHEN AN ISSUE ARISES BEHIND THEIR HOMES AND THEY ENCOUNTER A MAZE OF OVERLAPPING JURISDICTIONS AND DELAYED RESPONSES. OUR COMMUNITY IS NOT ASKING FOR PIECEMEAL FIXES. THEY ARE ASKING FOR A RESPONSE THAT IS CLEAR, EFFECTIVE, AND PREDICTABLE. THE PRIMARY CHALLENGE WE FACE IS JURISDICTIONAL DIVISION. THE RIGHT OF WAY IS PRIVATELY OWNED BY UNION PACIFIC AND HEAVILY REGULATED BY FEDERAL AND STATE ENTITIES. OUR MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY OPERATES WITHIN STRICT LEGAL BOUNDARIES AS WELL [03:25:01] AS A CITY. SO LET ME BE CLEAR ON OUR FIRST PRINCIPLE. UNION PACIFIC IS A PRIVATE CORPORATION, AND THE CITY OF LONG BEACH CANNOT AND WILL NOT ASSUME THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF MAINTAINING PRIVATE PROPERTY. INSTEAD, THIS POLICY ARCHITECTURE BRIDGES OPERATIONAL GAPS AND ALIGNS EXISTING MUNICIPAL RESOURCES AND FORCES A JOINT WORKING MODEL WITH UNION PACIFIC AND REGIONAL PARTNERS. TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS FRAMEWORK IS SO NECESSARY, WE MUST UNDERSTAND WHERE LOCAL AUTHORITY SITS. UNION PACIFIC OPERATES UNDER AN INTERSTATE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK OVERSEEN BY THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD, THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, AND THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC'S UTILITIES COMMISSION. THE CITY HOLDS NO PRIMARY AUTHORITY OVER RAILROAD PROPERTY OPERATIONS OR ACCESS TO THE RAIL LINE AREA. WE DO CONTROL OUR MUNICIPAL ROAD APPROACHES TO AND SURROUNDING PUBLIC STREETS TO THE RAIL LINE, AND WE SHARE AUTHORITY ON QUIET ZONES AND GRADE SEPARATIONS. OUR PROPOSED FRAMEWORK IS DELIBERATELY DESIGNED TO OPERATE WITHIN THOSE LEGAL BOUNDARIES. IT DOES NOT REGULATE RAILROAD OPERATIONS OR DICTATE PRIVATE ACTIVITY. IT ORGANIZES OUR MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENTS AND SETS A STRUCTURED STAGE FOR INTERAGENCY NEGOTIATION. EVEN WITHIN OUR LIMITED SCOPE. CITY DEPARTMENTS EXPEND IMMENSE RESOURCES ALONG THIS CORRIDOR, BUT OUR DATA SHOWS A COMPELLING STORY. JUST RECENTLY IN THE COMMUNITY, THE CITY PUT TOGETHER AN ANALYSIS AND SHOWED BETWEEN JUNE, 2024 AND JUNE, 2026, THE LONG BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO 164 CALLS FOR SERVICE WITHIN 50 FEET OF A, OF THE BUFFER ZONE THAT IS WITHIN THE TRACKS GENERALLY, UM, GENERATING MORE THAN 370 UNIT RESPONSES. THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY WERE EMERGENCY MEDICAL CALLS FOR SERVICE. THIS PROVES THAT THE CORRIDOR CREATES A SUSTAINED PUBLIC HEALTH AND EMERGENCY BURDEN ON THE CITY, NOT JUST A NUISANCE ISSUE. OVER A SIMILAR TIMEFRAME, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT HANDLED 60 CALLS FOR SERVICE AND ASSISTED IN NINE MAJOR CLEANUP OPERATIONS. MEANWHILE, OUR HOMELESS SERVICES BUREAU IDENTIFIED DOZENS OF UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS ALONG THE UPRR TERRITORY SUCCESSFULLY PLACING 41 PEOPLE INTO SHELTER AND SEVEN INTO PERMANENT HOUSING IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR ALONE. HERE IS A CRITICAL FINDING FROM OUR RESEARCH, EXCEPT FOR FIRE SPECIALIZED BUFFER ANALYSIS. THE CITY DOESN'T HAVE SEGMENT LEVEL OPERATIONAL DATA SETS FOR THE CORRIDOR PUBLIC WORK. PUBLIC WORKS ACTIVITY IS LOGGED DISTRICT WIDE, MEANING WE CAN'T DISAGGREGATE EXACT CORRIDOR COSTS. WE'RE DEPLOYING SIGNIFICANT CITY RESOURCES WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO TRACK THIS ON A SEGMENTED LEVEL. THIS BRINGS US TO THE CORE OF TODAY'S ACTION. WE CAN NO LONGER MANAGE A CONTINUOUS MAJOR RAIL LINE WITH FRAGMENTED MUNICIPAL TOOLS. THE FAMILIES LIVING ALONG THE GREEN FENCING DESERVE CLEAN, SECURE, AND PEACEFUL NEIGHBORHOODS. TO ACHIEVE THAT, I PROPOSE AN EIGHT POINT STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK WITH EVERY INSTRUCTION IN THIS, UM, DIRECT CITY DEPARTMENTS TO ORGANIZE, MAP, NEGOTIATE, ADVOCATE, AND BUILD A CLEAR, PREDICTABLE STRUCTURE FOR CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT. LET'S WALK THROUGH THOSE EIGHT COMPONENTS. COMPONENT A IS A TWO LEVEL REGIONAL GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE. WE'RE REQUESTING THE CITY MANAGER TO ESTABLISH AN INTERNAL WORKING GROUP COMMITTEE ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS WHILE EXTENDING STANDING INVITATIONS TO UNION PACIFIC, THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, AND ADJACENT CITIES WHO ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING THIS, ALONG WITH THE UTILITY COMPANIES WHO HAVE RIGHT OF WAYS WITHIN THIS AREA. THIS WILL BE SUPPORTED BY AN OPERATIONS COORDINATION TEAM TO MANAGE DAY-TO-DAY SEGMENT ASSIGNMENTS AND DATA RECONCILIATION. COMPONENT B EXPANDS PROPERTY ACCESS AUTHORIZATION BUILDING. ON OUR EXISTING POLICE AGREEMENT, WE'LL PURSUE AN UPDATED INSTRUMENT THAT ALLOWS THE HOMELESS SERVICES OUTREACH PERSONNEL TO ENTER THE UPRR PROPERTY SAFELY. UNION PACIFIC HAS EXPRESSED PUBLICLY OPENNESS TO THIS DURING OUR DISCUSSIONS, AND THIS MANDATE GIVES STAFF THE CLEAR AUTHORITY TO NEGOTIATE THOSE TERMS. COMPONENT C ESTABLISHES SEGMENT LEVEL INVENTORY AND MAPPING. USING OUR CURRENT GIS TECHNOLOGY AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S DATA BOUNDARIES, WE CAN MAP OWNERSHIP, FENCING, AND INCIDENT HISTORY ALONG EVERY SEGMENT. WE WILL BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN AN, AN INTERNAL OPERATIONAL MAP FOR OUR STAFF ALONGSIDE PRIVACY PROTECTION MAP FOR PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY, SO WE CAN SEE WHERE AND WHEN THINGS HAPPEN, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT ACTIVITY. [03:30:01] COMPONENT D CREATES A RISK-BASED OPERATIONS AND FIRE PREVENTION PLAN. THIS PRIORITIZES CORRIDOR SEGMENTS BASED ON MEDICAL CALL VOLUME, FIRE RISK, AND PROXIMITY TO HOMES AND SCHOOLS. IT IS QUITE SCARY, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TO LOOK OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW AND SEE SMOKE BILLOWING JUST BEYOND THE GATE BEHIND YOUR HOME. THIS INCORPORATES POST-OPERATION STABILIZATION, ENSURING THAT WE ARE CLEARING AREAS AND REINSPECTING AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE BREAKING THE CYCLE OF REOCCUPATION THAT IS HAPPENING OVER AND OVER AGAIN. COMPONENT E COMPARES A COMMUNITY REPORTING GUIDE WITH AN INTERNAL ESCALATION SYSTEM. RESIDENTS NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHO TO CALL FOR THE TOWN HALL. OUR STAFF CREATED A CONTACT GUIDE SPECIFYING UNION PACIFIC AND CITY RESOURCES. I RECOMMEND WE BUILD UPON THIS GUIDE BY PAIRING IT WITH CLEAR, WITH A CLEAR INTERNAL WORKFLOW. SO REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE CITY ARE PROPERLY TRACKED TO RESOLUTION AND RESIDENTS ARE NOTIFIED OF STATUS UPDATES AND COMPONENT F, WHICH ESTABLISHES A POOLED RESOURCE AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY MATRIX. WE NEED TO SAFEGUARD OUR CITY'S FINANCES. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT THIS EVENING. WE WANT STAFF TO EVALUATE THE FULL FISCAL FOOTPRINT OF ALL CORRIDOR ACTIVITIES, IDENTIFYING RESPONSIBLE PARTIES, GRANT ELIGIBILITY AND COST OPPORTUNITIES. COMPONENT G CALLS FOR REGIONAL LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY STRATEGY. LONG BEACH SHOULD CONTINUE TO ALIGN WITH THE REGION AND OTHER PARTNERS IN THE GATEWAY CITIES COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT TO ADVOCATE FOR STRONGER CORRIDOR MAINTENANCE STANDARDS AND RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES. FURTHERMORE, LET US EVALUATE LAWFUL APPROACHES TO DETER REPEAT TRESPASSERS WITH A FOCUS ON PAIRING ENFORCEMENT WITH DEDICATED OUTREACH AND HOUSING PATHWAYS. FINALLY, COMPONENT H PLANS FOR ENCAMPMENT RESOLUTION FUNDING. ROUND FIVE. I'M REALLY PLEASED TO KNOW THAT THE CITY IS ALREADY TAKING PROACTIVE STEPS AND HAS APPLIED FOR A 12 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS ERFA ROUND FIVE FUNDING TO TARGET ENCAMPMENTS ALONG THE RAIL LINE. WHILE AWARDS ARE NOT EXPECTED FOR SOME TIME. THIS DOES ESTABLISH A FORMAL CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR FULL AND PARTIAL OR ZERO FUNDING SCENARIOS, ENSURING THAT OUTREACH PROTOCOLS BETWEEN THE CITY AND COUNTY PARTNERS AND OTHERS IS DEFINED IN WRITING. SO COLLEAGUES, THIS FRAMEWORK MATTERS BECAUSE THE HUMAN, AS WE HEARD FROM OUR RESIDENT AND OPERATIONAL IMPACTS, AS WE ARE LOOKING AT OUR BUDGET, IMPACTS THIS THIS LINE, OUR REAL DAILY AND PERSISTENT ADOPTING. THIS RECOMMENDATION ESTABLISHES A GUIDED MULTI-AGENCY FRAMEWORK FOR LONG BEACH. IT DOES NOT OVERSTEP FEDERAL JURISDICTION, NOR DOES IT WRITE A BLANK CHECK FOR PRIVATE PROPERTY MAINTENANCE. WHAT IT DOES IS TRANSFORM A REACTIVE, FRAGMENTED RESPONSE INTO A PROACTIVE, DATA-DRIVEN AND COORDINATED MODEL. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR SUPPORT TODAY TO ADOPT THIS RECOMMENDATION AND ASK THE CITY MANAGER TO REPORT BACK IN 120 DAYS ON AN IMPLEMENTATION STATUS AND NEXT STEPS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. WELL DONE. UM, RICK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RICK MOONY. THANK YOU, VICE MAYOR. UM, THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN THRESH TOOK, UM, I'M IN SUPPORT OF THE GOALS OF THIS ITEM. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE MAP, THE UPRR, UH, RIGHT OF RIGHT IMPACTS THE COMMUNITY IN CD NINE, UH, AS WELL. UM, I I WANT TO UPLIFT THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A CLEAR PLAN OF ACTION FOR ADDRESSING THE SAFETY, HEALTH, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IMPACTS FROM THE RAILROAD CORRIDOR. I THINK THE COUNCILWOMAN LAID ALL THAT OUT QUITE NICELY. UM, I SUPPORT THE CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AND PRESSURE ON UNION PACIFIC REAL WORLD IN REGARDS TO THE OUTREACH MAINTENANCE NEEDED ON THE CORRIDOR. THEY REALLY JUST NEED TO BE DOING MORE TO SUPPORT LOCAL CITIES LIKE OURS, UM, THAT ARE IMPACTED BY THE SAFETY ISSUES ALONG THEIR CORRIDORS. UM, I WANNA THANK THE COUNCILMAN FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. UH, I THINK THIS UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD, UH, RAILROAD CORRIDOR REGIONAL COORDINATION FRAMEWORK IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF PROACTIVE REGIONAL THINKING WE NEED TO ADDRESS AND CHALLENGES THAT ARE FAR TOO LONG WHEN TREATED, I THINK IS SOMEONE ELSE'S PROBLEM. I WANNA UPLIFT THE ABSOLUTE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A CLEAR, ACTIONABLE PLAN OF, OF ACTION ADDRESSING THIS. UM, AND I THINK FOR MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, THIS ISN'T JUST A SET OF TRACKS. UH, IT'S A DAILY REALITY OF THE NOISE BLIGHT AND PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS THAT THE CURRENT KIND OF INFORMAL SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, UM, IS SIMPLY INSUFFICIENT TO HANDLE. UH, AND THE BURDEN IS PLACED ON OUR COMMUNITIES BY THIS PRIVATELY HELD YET LOCALLY CONSEQUENTIAL, UM, SYSTEM. AND, UH, RIGHT NOW, THIS JUST DEMANDS A, A COORDINATED, TRANSPARENT AND ACCOUNTABLE RESPONSE. UM, I'M ENCOURAGED BY THE, THE MENTION OF THE POTENTIAL ENCAMPMENT RESOLUTION DOLLARS, UM, THAT ARE OUT THERE. UM, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING BACK FROM CITY STAFF ON HOW WE MAY IMPLEMENT PORTIONS OF THIS, UM, IN THE NEAR TERM AND WHAT WE CAN COME UP WITH, UH, TO ADDRESS [03:35:01] THIS IN THE LONG TERM. SO THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RO, UH, THANK YOU, UM, AS A REPRESENTATIVE A OF A DISTRICT THAT HAS A LOT OF, UH, COUNTY AND STATE JURISDICTIONS IN IT, I I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS ITEM. MY QUESTION IS FOR CITY STAFF AND, UM, WHILE THERE'S A, A LENGTHY FISCAL IMPACT ATTACHED TO THIS ITEM, UM, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME HOW, HOW THIS INTEGRATES INTO THE BUDGET PROCESS? OR WHAT ARE WE APPROVING TONIGHT? BECAUSE, UM, I HEARD A RUMOR THAT WE'RE OUTTA MONEY, SO HOW ARE WE GONNA HANDLE THIS? YEAH, SO, UM, YES, THIS IS AN ITEM THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON, UH, WITH UPRR. IT'S BEEN AN ONGOING, UH, ISSUE OVER THE LAST, AT LEAST TWO TO THREE YEARS, BUT THEN EXTRA FOCUS IN THE LAST, UH, IN THE LAST YEAR. UH, SO WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO DO PARTS OF THIS AS THEIR JOB. YOU KNOW, IT'S PARTS OF THE GRAFFITI ABATEMENT, PARTS OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT. THIS IS ASKING US TO KIND OF TAKE THAT TO A, A HIGHER LEVEL AND WITH A LOT MORE FOCUS. UM, IT'S ALL REALLY GOOD IDEAS RIGHT NOW. WE ARE NOT BUDGETED FOR ANY OF THIS. AND SO PART OF OUR NEXT STEP IS TO GO THROUGH THIS REPORT AND BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT CAN WE DO WITH EXISTING RESOURCES? WHAT COULD WE MAYBE DEPRIORITIZE SOMEWHERE ELSE? WHERE WOULD WE NEED NEW RESOURCES? OR TO COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL AND SAY, IF WE DO THIS, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO STOP DOING INSTEAD? AND SO I THINK THE REPORT ASKED US TO COME BACK IN 120 DAYS. IF DURING YOUR BUDGET CYCLE YOU WANT TO PREEMPT THAT AND PUT MORE RESOURCES INTO THIS, THEN WE CAN, UH, RECALIBRATE AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE WOULD USE WITH THOSE RESOURCES. BUT THIS IS ALL REALLY GREAT STUFF, BUT WE DEFINITELY DO, UH, NEED, UH, NEED SOME RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE FULL PACKAGE. OKAY. THANKS FOR THE CLARIFICATION. THANK MEMBER, UH, . YES, THANK YOU. AND THANKS TO, UH, MY COLLEAGUE FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD UP. ALSO RUNS THROUGH DISTRICT FIVE IN TWO LOCATIONS AS WELL. UM, AND SO MY QUESTION IS ALSO FOR CITY STAFF. SO I FULLY AGREE WITH A PLAN AND A COORDINATED EFFORT. I THINK MY QUESTION IS SIMILAR TO COUNCIL MEMBER SUPER NAS IN TERMS OF RESOURCES UP IS PRIVATE PROPERTY. WE HAVE PROPERTY ADJACENT TO THAT. SO IN YOUR REPORT BACK, CAN YOU LOOK AT WAYS TO GET FULL COST RECOVERY? LIKE WE CHARGE FEES TO ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE FOR ALL KINDS OF COST RECOVERY FROM $58 TO THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. UM, AND SO IF WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT HOMELESS SERVICES, PD, GRAFFITI ABATEMENT, ALL OF THESE RESOURCES THAT ARE NEEDED IN EVERY OTHER PART OF THE CITY AS WELL, IF WE COME UP WITH A CHECKLIST OF IT'S THIS MANY HOURS OF THAT, WHAT IS A PLAN THAT WE CAN APPROACH UP WITH TO SAY WE NEED FULL COST RECOVERY IF WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THE WORK FULL COST RECOVERY, NOT, WE'RE HELPING YOU OUT. 'CAUSE WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN TAKING ON THE COST OF THIS FOR AS LONG AS WE'VE BEEN DOING SOME OF THIS REALLY INTENSIVE WORK. AND IF WE'RE GONNA USE ENCAMPMENT RESOLUTION DOLLARS, AGAIN, THAT COULD BE USED IN DIFFERENT PARTS FOR THEIR PROPERTY. THEY ARE A FOR-PROFIT COMPANY. LAST I CHECKED, PROBABLY MAKING A LOT OF MONEY. UM, SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US BE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY, NOT $8 BILLION I THINK WAS LAST YEAR. UM, THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT A WAY THAT WE ARE GONNA CLEARLY COMMUNICATE, UM, FROM THE CITY AND FROM THIS COUNCIL THAT WE HAVE AN EXPECTATION OF COST RECOVERY. LIKE IF THEY DON'T WANNA DO THE WORK, WHICH IT SEEMS THEY DON'T OFTEN WANT TO DO. SO IF WE'RE GONNA PROVIDE THE SERVICE THEY NEED TO PAY FOR IT. SO I WOULD HOPE THAT IN YOUR REPORT BACK, UM, THERE IS KIND OF A MODEL OF WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE SO THAT, UM, COUNCILMAN THRASH TOOK AND COUNCILMAN RTI AND MYSELF CAN, CAN TALK TO THOSE PEOPLE AND COUNCIL MEMBER, VICE MAYOR YANGA TO SAY, WE'RE DOING YOUR WORK FOR YOU AND IT'S TAKING RESOURCES THAT WE DON'T HAVE AND THAT'S EXTRA OFFICERS, THAT'S EXTRA HEALTH DEPARTMENT WORKERS, SO LET'S JUST HAVE 'EM PAY FOR IT. SO IF IN THAT REPORT YOU COULD TALK ABOUT WHAT A COST RECOVERY MODEL WOULD LOOK LIKE, WOULD BE GREAT. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. COPY. LOOK AT THAT. AND, AND THE ACTUAL NUMBER, UM, UH, FOR A-U-P-R-R REPORTED $7.1 BILLION WORTH OF NET PROFIT LAST YEAR. SO THAT'S NOT GROSS REVENUE, THAT IS NET PROFIT. THAT IS A POINT WE HAVE MADE TO THEM AT THE MEETINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, SAYING THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DO THIS. THAT JUST, YOU KNOW, THAT'S RIDICULOUS. THANK YOU. THAT'S A GOOD WORD. BECAUSE REMEMBER KERN, UH, MANAGING MANAGEMENT MOTIVATING THEM FOR BRINGING UP THAT ISSUE BECAUSE THAT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GONNA ADDRESS ALLY, BUT I DON'T NEED TO NOW. YOU GUYS DID A GOOD JOB OF DOING THAT. UH, ANY FURTHER COMMENT? AIN'T SEEN NONE. READY FOR THE VOTE? DISTRICT ONE? AYE. DISTRICT TWO? AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR. AYE. DISTRICT I. AYE. DISTRICT SIX. AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN, AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT. AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR A GREAT PRESENTATION [03:40:01] AND GOOD COMMENTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. ITEM [14. 26-55810 Recommendation to direct City Manager to work with City Attorney to prepare and return to City Council an ordinance prohibiting false or misleading advertising by pregnancy services centers concerning the pregnancy-related services they provide, offer, or arrange through referrals, and to report back to City Council within 45 days. For purposes of preparing the ordinance, “pregnancy services center” should generally mean a licensed or unlicensed facility, including a mobile facility, whose primary purpose is to provide or offer pregnancy-related services or referrals to persons who are or may be pregnant. “Pregnancy-related services” may include pregnancy testing or diagnosis, obstetric ultrasounds or sonograms, prenatal care, emergency contraception, abortion care, and referrals for those services. The ordinance must apply uniformly to pregnancy services centers regardless of their mission, religious or ideological affiliation, or position concerning abortion, and should regulate only false or misleading commercial advertising concerning the services a center provides, offers, or arranges through referrals. The proposed ordinance shall consider, and incorporate to the extent allowable under the law, the following enforcement and patient-safety provisions:  Private Right of Action and Civil Enforcement: Evaluate and, if appropriate, establish (a) a private right of action for any individual who relied upon prohibited advertising and suffered actual harm because of a violation, and (b) authority for City Attorney to bring a civil action for injunctive relief, civil penalties, restitution, and other appropriate relief;  Referral Practices: Evaluate whether and to what extent a pregnancy service center’s referral practices may be considered in determining whether its advertising concerning available pregnancy-related services is false or misleading; Civil Penalties: Evaluate a proportionate civil-penalty structure, not to exceed $10,000 per violation, that accounts for the nature, duration, willfulness, frequency, and consequences of the conduct and clearly defines the unit of violation; Administrative Enforcement Pathway: Evaluate whether existing administrative enforcement procedures provide an appropriate and legally sufficient mechanism for addressing violations, including appropriate notice, an opportunity to cure, evidentiary standards, and judicial review. In preparing the ordinance, City Attorney is requested to advise City Council on the scope of any affirmative disclosure requirement that may be imposed on pregnancy services centers consistent with governing First Amendment authority, and to structure each provision above so as to regulate only false or misleading commercial advertising, without discriminating based on a provider’s mission, beliefs, or viewpoint.       Office or Department: Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, Councilwoman, Eighth District; Roberto Uranga, Vice Mayor, Seventh District; Megan Kerr, Councilwoman, Fifth District         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] 14, PLEASE. UM, SO IF YOU COULD BEAR WITH ME, IT'S A LENGTHY ONE. SO IT'D BE A LOT OF READING COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCILWOMAN THH AND TOOK VICE MAYOR ORANGA COUNCILWOMAN KERR RECOMMENDATION TO PREPARE AND RETURN TO CITY COUNCIL. AN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING FALSE OR MISLEADING ADVERTISING BY PREGNANCY SERVICES CENTERS CONCERNING THE PREGNANCY RELATED SERVICES THEY PROVIDE, OFFER OR ARRANGE THROUGH REFERRALS AND TO REPORT BACK TO CITY COUNCIL WITHIN 45 DAYS FOR PURPOSES OF PREPARING THE ORDINANCE, PREGNANCY SERVICES CENTER SHOULD GENERALLY MEAN A LICENSED OR UNLICENSED FACILITY, INCLUDING A MOBILE FACILITY WHOSE PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE OR OFFER PREGNANCY RELATED SERVICES OR REFERRALS TO PERSONS WHO ARE OR MAY BE PREGNANT. PREGNANCY RELATED SERVICES MAY INCLUDE PREGNANCY TESTING OR DIAGNOSIS, OBSTETRICS ULTRASOUNDS OR SONOGRAMS, PRENATAL CARE, EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION, ABORTION CARE, AND REFERRALS. FOR THOSE SERVICES, THE ORDINANCE MUST APPLY UNIFORMLY TO PREGNANCY SERVICES CENTERS REGARDLESS OF THEIR MISSION, RELIGIOUS OR IDEOLOGICAL AFFILIATION OR POSITION CONCERNING ABORTION. AND SHOULD REGULATE ONLY FALSE OR MISLEADING COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING. CONCERNING THE SERVICES ACCENTURE PROVIDES, OFFERS OR ARRANGES THROUGH REFERRALS, THE PURPOSE ORDINANCE SHALL CONSIDER AND INCORPORATE TO THE EXTENT ALLOWABLE UNDER THE LAW THE FOLLOWING ENFORCEMENT AND PATIENT SAFETY PROVISIONS. NUMBER ONE, PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION AND CIVIL ENFORCEMENT EVALUATE AND IF APPROPRIATE, ESTABLISH A, A PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL WHO RELIED UPON PROHIBITED ADVERTISING AND SUFFERED ACTUAL HARM BECAUSE OF A VIOLATION. AND B, AUTHORITY FOR CITY ATTORNEY TO BRING A CIVIL ACTION FOR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF, CIVIL PENALTIES, RESTITUTION, AND OTHER APPROPRIATE RELIEF TO REFERRAL PRACTICES. EVALUATE WHETHER AND TO WHAT EXTENT A PREGNANCY SERVICE CENTER'S REFERRAL PRACTICES MAY BE CONSIDERED IN DETERMINING WHETHER IT'S ADVERTISING CONCERNING AVAILABLE PREGNANCY RELATED SERVICES IS FALSE OR MISLEADING. NUMBER THREE, CIVIL PENALTIES EVALUATE A PROPORTIONATE CIVIL PENALTY STRUCTURE NOT TO EXCEED $10,000 PER VIOLATION THAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE NATURE DURATION, WILLFULNESS FREQUENCY AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE CONDUCT AND CLEARLY DEFINES A UNIT OF VIOLATION. NUMBER FOUR, ADMINISTRATIVE ENFORCEMENT PATHWAY EVALUATE WHETHER EXISTING ADMINISTRATIVE ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES PROVIDE AN APPROPRIATE AND LEGALLY SUFFICIENT MECHANISM FOR ADDRESSING VIOLATIONS, INCLUDING APPROPRIATE NOTICE AND OPPORTUNITY TO CURE EVIDENTIARY STANDARDS AND JUDICIAL REVIEW. IN PREPARING THE ORDINANCE, CITY ATTORNEY HAS REQUESTED TO ADVISE CITY COUNCIL ON THE SCOPE OF ANY AFFIRMATIVE DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS THAT MAY BE IMPOSED ON PREGNANCY SERVICES CENTERS CONSISTENT WITH GOVERNING FIRST AMENDMENT AUTHORITY AND TO STRUCTURE EACH PROVISION ABOVE SO AS TO REGULATE ONLY FALSE OR MISLEADING COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING WITHOUT DISCRIMINATING BASED ON A PROVIDER'S MISSION, BELIEFS, OR VIEWPOINT. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND? SO MOVED. SECOND ONE. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THERE'S A VERY SHORT PRESENTATION. YES. THANK YOU TO THE CITY CLERK FOR READING THAT OUT. I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE IT BEING QUITE THAT LONG. UH, SO TO VICE MAYOR OF MY COLLEAGUES HERE ON THE COUNCIL, UM, WHAT WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT TODAY IS, UM, THE PROTECTING THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT THAT LONG BEACH RESIDENTS HAVE TO ENSURING THAT THEY RECEIVE TRUTHFUL, ACCURATE HEALTHCARE INFORMATION WHEN THEY ARE MOST VULNERABLE. BEFORE WE DIVE INTO THIS POLICY, I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO HAVE CHAMPIONED THIS EFFORT. THANK YOU TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN, GREATER LONG BEACH AND WEST ORANGE COUNTY. I SPECIFICALLY WANNA RECOGNIZE AMONG EVERYONE WHO IS HERE, SHERRY SOBEL AND CYNTHIA GORDON, YOUR FIERCE ADVOCACY IS WHAT BRINGS US HERE TODAY. I ALSO WANNA THANK NICK MERO WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FOR WORKING WITH US TO ENSURE THAT THIS, UH, ORDINANCE CAN BE READY AND ENFORCED, UH, MOVING FORWARD. AND, UH, NOT LASTLY, BUT I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES, VICE MAYOR, UH, ROBERTO YANGA, AS WELL AS COUNCILWOMAN MEGAN KERR FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP AND CO-SPONSORING ON THIS ITEM. COLLEAGUES, WE'RE [03:45:01] HERE TALKING ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, AND WHEN WE DO TALK ABOUT THAT, KNOW THAT TIME IS NOT A LUXURY. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY. IMAGINE IN OUR COMMUNITY, A YOUNG WOMAN IN OUR CITY FACING AN UNPLANNED PREGNANCY. SHE'S SCARED, VULNERABLE, AND IN DESPERATE NEED OF IMMEDIATE, LEGITIMATE MEDICAL CARE. SHE SEEKS OUT HELP. SHE SEES AN ADVERTISEMENT, SHE WALKS THROUGH A DOOR FULLY BELIEVING SHE'S ENTERING A LICENSED CLINIC. BUT INSTEAD OF CARE, SHE IS MET WITH A CALCULATED DELAY. ONCE INSIDE, SHE'S PLACED IN A ROOM WHERE HER AUTONOMY IS SYMPTOMATICALLY DISMANTLED. SHE'S FED MEDICAL MISINFORMATION, LIES ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL, BREAST CANCER, AND INFERTILITY. AND SHE'S SUBJECTED TO EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION AND MANUFACTURED SHAME, ALL DESIGNED WITH ONE PREDATORY GOAL TO RUN OUT THE CLOCK. IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, A PATIENT'S WINDOW FOR ACTION IS A MATTER OF WEEKS, SOMETIMES JUST MERE DAYS DECEPTION STRIPS AWAY HER BODILY AUTONOMY. IT STEALS HER TIME, AND WE CANNOT TURN BLACK THE CLOCK ONCE THE TIME RUNS OUT. BY THE TIME SHE REALIZES SHE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY TRAPPED, HER BRIEF WINDOW TO MAKE A CHOICE ABOUT HER OWN BODY MAY BE PERMANENTLY CLOSED. SO WHAT IS SHE THEN TO DO? MAKE NO MISTAKE, DECEPTIVE PRACTICES DO NOT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT. THEY ARE TARGETED. ONE COMMON DELAY TACTIC IS CO-LOCATION. SO PREGNANCY CENTERS ARE LOCATE NEAR FACILITIES NEXT TO ACCREDITED MEDICAL, UH, FACILITIES AND BUILD FALSE CREDIBILITY. ADVERTISING IS HIGHLY CONCENTRATED NEAR SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, AND LOWER INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS. THESE HARMS DO NOT FALL EVENLY ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY. THE CENTER OF GEN GENDER JUSTICE STATES THAT THE OBJECTIVE OF THESE CENTERS IS TO DELAY PRENATAL CARE AND INTERCEPT BLACK, BROWN, INDIGENOUS, AND LOW INCOME PEOPLE BEFORE THEY SEEK ABORTION CARE. FEDERAL PUBLIC HEALTH DATA SHOW, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT ON THIS, UH, COUNCIL BEFORE THAT BLACK INFANTS DIE AT MORE THAN TWICE THE RATE OF WHITE INFANTS. AND BLACK WOMEN EXPERIENCE PREGNANCY RELATED MORTALITY AT RATES THREE TIMES THAT OF WHITE WOMEN, WHICH IS WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE OUR BLACK INFANT HEALTH PROGRAM HERE IN THE CITY. SO TIMELY AND ACCURATE MEDICAL INFORMATION IS ESPECIALLY CONSEQUENTIAL IN FIGHTING THESE DISPARITIES. WE CANNOT CLOSE THE MATERNAL, UM, MATERNAL MORTALITY GAP WITHOUT, UH, BY ALLOWING THESE PREDATORS TO PRACTICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES UNCHECKED. I AM FORTUNATE AND I HOPE THAT MY FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS AGREE THE SAME THAT I SERVE ON A CITY COUNCIL, WHERE WOMEN ARE NOT JUST AT THE TABLE, WE ARE THE MAJORITY. BUT REPRESENTATION MUST BE MORE THAN SYMBOLIC. IT MUST ALSO TRANSLATE INTO PROTECTION. IT IS OUR DUTY TO ELEVATE OUR VOICES FOR WOMEN IN THIS CITY WHO MAY BE MISLED, SHAMED, OR MANIPULATED WHEN THEY SIMPLY SOUGHT MEDICAL CARE. IT IS OUR DUTY TO DECLARE THAT THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, UM, YOUR HEALTH IS NOT A TRAP AND YOUR AUTONOMY IS NOT UP FOR DEBATE. TODAY'S PROPOSAL IS MODELED AFTER ORDINANCES WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER MARKETS, INCLUDING THE CITY OF LA, WHICH PROHIBITS PROVIDERS OF PREGNANCY, HEALTHCARE FROM ADVERTISING FALSELY OR MISLEADING ABOUT THEIR SERVICES. WE CAN SIMPLY TARGET DECEPTIVE COMMERCIAL CONDUCT VERSUS TRYING TO IMPLEMENT CALIFORNIA'S FAILED ATTEMPT AT COMPELLED DISCLOSURE STATUTE. SO TO BE CLEAR, THIS ORDINANCE IS NOT ABOUT TARGETING ANYONE'S MISSION OR PERSONAL BELIEFS. IT IS ABOUT HOLDING EVERY PROVIDER TO THE SAME TIME SENSITIVE HEALTH SERVICES STANDARD, BEING HONEST AND ABOUT REPRESENTING WHAT THEY DO AND DO NOT OFFER. THIS IS MEASURED AND LEGALLY SOUNDED STEPPED TO ENSURE THAT WHEN A MOMENT IN THE MOMENT WHEN ACCURACY MATTERS, MOST LONG BEACH RESIDENTS CAN RELY ON THE TRUTH OF THE HEALTHCARE INFORMATION THAT IS PRESENTED TO THEM. SO LET US PROTECT OUR RESIDENTS, LET US PROTECT THEIR TIME, THEIR HEALTH, AND THEIR TRUTH. COLLEAGUES. UM, I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION, BUT I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE, UM, THE WAY THAT THIS MATTER IS WRITTEN, UH, SECTION ONE AND SECTION FOUR, UH, REQUIRE THE CITY TO BE INVOLVED FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE ENFORCEMENT AND CODE ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE, UM, WHICH COULD REQUIRE ADDITIONAL CITY RESOURCES AND TIME. I'M OPEN TO PROVIDING AN AMENDMENT, UH, TO THIS ITEM SO THAT WE MINIMIZE THAT IMPACT WHILE STILL MOVING FORWARD WITH THE PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION, UM, ON THIS MATTER. BUT I WILL QUEUE UP AGAIN REGARDING THAT AMENDMENT AFTER DISCUSSION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. UH, I SECONDED IT, BUT I WANTED TO, TO SAY THAT, UH, THESE ITEM WAS [03:50:01] LONG OVERDUE, SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED A LONG TIME AGO, AND AMERICA HAD TO JOIN, UH, ON THIS ITEM. UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION, CUSTOMER MCC OCCUR. THANK YOU, UH, COLLEAGUES FOR, UM, HAVING ME ON THIS ITEM AS WELL. AND TO THE ADVOCATES WHO I, I THINK I TALKED BACK IN 2025 WITH YOU AND THE WORK THAT YOU'VE CONTINUED TO DO, I'M PROUD TO BE A CO-SIGNER ON THIS ITEM WAS COUNCILWOMAN THRESH AND TOOK, AND VICE MAYOR YANGA. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE ACCURATE INFORMATION REGARDING THEIR HEALTH AND PREGNANCY RELATED HEALTHCARE OPTIONS. THOSE SEEKING PREGNANCY RELATED SERVICES DESERVE TO BE FREE OF COERCIVE AND OTHERWISE MISLEADING COMMERCIAL PRACTICES AND ADVERTISEMENTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN PRACTICES CAN DELAY ACCESS TO TIME SENSITIVE HEALTHCARE. PROTECTING AN INDIVIDUAL'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR OWN MEDICAL CARE AND SERVICE PROVIDERS IS RELIANT ON OUR ABILITY TO PROTECT THOSE WHO MAY ALREADY BE IN POTENTIALLY VULNERABLE POSITIONS FROM FALSE OR MISLEADING ADVERTISING THAT ULTIMATELY DENIES THEM THE ABILITY TO MAKE INFORMED DECISION. THIS IS NOT A NEW ISSUE. THIS HAS BEEN DECADES IN THE MAKING. I SUPPORT A FACT-BASED APPROACH IN CREATING THIS ORDINANCE THAT WILL ALLOW US TO ENSURE THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE ABLE TO FIND THE SERVICES, CARE, AND THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED WITH CONFIDENCE AND WITHOUT FEAR OF MISINFORMATION, CREATING LIFE THREATENING OR LIFE ALTERING DELAYS, OR CONTRIBUTING TO FURTHER HEALTH COMPLICATIONS. WE KNOW THAT THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION THROUGH PROJECT 2025 PRO PROPOSE PROPOSES TO MOVE FEDERAL FUNDS AWAY FROM LEGITIMATE COMPREHENSIVE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND CENTERS TO THESE CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS, WHICH, UM, DO NOT PROVIDE THAT SAME LEGITIMATE HEALTHCARE AS COUNCILMAN THRASH AND SAID SO ELOQUENTLY. THIS APPLIES THE STANDARDS TO ALL CENTERS, UM, TO FOLLOW THE RULES AND I URGE MY COLLEAGUE SUPPORT ON THIS ITEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN BUR WE HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT? YES, WE HAVE FOUR SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. ANDREW HAWKINS ON ZOOM. CYNTHIA GORDON, DR. SUSAN SKLAR, NCJW. WE HAVE ANDREW HAWKINS ON ZOOM. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. ANDREW HAWKINS, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YES, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. AM I TURN TO SPEAK? YES, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. OKAY. I'M SORRY. UH, YEAH, MY, UH, AGENDA ITEM MAY A LITTLE BIT OUTTA SEQUENCE HERE. UH, WAS CONFUSED ON THE AGENDA, BUT, UH, FIRST I'D JUST LIKE TO THANK THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE SUPPORTING STAFF, UH, FOR THE SERVICE. UH, I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS YOUR PROPOSAL TO ELIMINATE FIRE ENGINE 14 AND CRITICAL FIRE AND POLICE POSITIONS. NOW, THESE POSITIONS, UH, DO NOT SUPPORT DISTRICT THREE, UH, WITHOUT THIS FIRE ENGINE 14 OR THE LONG BEACH COMMUNITY. MR. HAWKINS. MR. HAWKINS, THIS IS RELATED TO ANOTHER ITEM. SO WOULD YOU LIKE, LIKE TO SIGN UP TO THE SECOND NON AGENDA? WE'RE GONNA SIGN YOU UP FOR THE SECOND NON AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. I, I'LL WAIT. THANK YOU, CYNTHIA GORDON. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. UM, I'M CYNTHIA GORDON. I AM THE CO-CHAIR ALONG WITH SHERRY SOBEL OF THE ABORTION JUSTICE AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS GROUP OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN, GREATER LONG BEACH AND WEST ORANGE COUNTY, WHOM WE REPRESENT HERE TODAY. I'M ALSO A CONSTITUENT FROM DISTRICT FOUR. , NCJW ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORTS THE PREPARATION OF THIS CITY ORDINANCE THAT WOULD PREVENT CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS OR CPCS FOR SHORT FROM FALSE ADVERTISING AND DISSEMINATING MISINFORMATION. WE, ESPECIALLY THANK COUNCILWOMAN THRESH AND TUCK VICE MAYOR URANGA AND COUNCILWOMAN KERR FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE. THESE FAKE CLINICS, ONE OF WHICH IS LOCATED IN LONG BEACH, USED DECEPTIVE METHODS TO DISCOURAGE WOMEN FROM PURSUING ABORTION AND THUS MADE TO DELAY CRITICAL PRENATAL CARE. AS WAS EXPLAINED, CPCS PARTICULARLY TARGET LOW-INCOME WOMEN OF COLOR. SEVERAL OTHER FAKE CLINICS ARE ALSO LOCATED IN NEARBY CITIES IN ORANGE COUNTY. AND THERE IS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY THAT MORE SUCH CLINICS COULD BE LOCATED IN LONG BEACH [03:55:01] IN THE FUTURE. AS WE'RE SURE YOU'RE WELL AWARE, THE SUPREME COURT'S DOBBS DECISION IN JUNE OF 2022 OVERTURNED ALMOST 50 YEARS OF ABORTION RIGHTS IN THIS COUNTRY. NCJW CONSIDERS REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM AND JUSTICE TO BE ONE OF OUR TOP ADVOCACY PRIORITIES. WHILE ABORTION IS LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA, THIS HASN'T STOPPED THE INCREASE IN CPCS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. IN FACT, A RECENT STUDY IDENTIFIED 179 CRISIS PREGNANCY CLINICS IN CALIFORNIA, WHICH IS 20% HIGHER THAN THE NUMBER OF ACTUAL ABORTION CARE CLINICS AT 144 CLINICS. THESE PREGNANCY SERVICES CENTERS OFTEN USE SUBSTANTIAL ONLINE ADVERTISING, HOPING TO MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR PATIENTS WHO ARE SEEKING ABORTION INFORMATION ONLINE TO TELL THEM APART FROM ACTUAL HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS. THIS PROBLEM HAS BECOME MORE WORRISOME AS AI HAS PICKED UP THIS MISINFORMATION AND IS SHARING IT MORE WIDELY. SO WHEN YOU GOOGLE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT ABORTION CLINICS, YOU'RE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT THESE PREGNANCY SERVICES CENTERS. WE AT NCJW ENCOURAGE THE COUNCIL TO PREPARE AND THEN PASS AN ORDINANCE THAT WOULD PREVENT THESE CLINICS FROM FALSE ADVERTISING AND DISSEMINATING MISINFORMATION. YOUR TIME HAS CONCLUDED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HI, GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. MY NAME'S DR. SUSAN SKLAR, AND I AM A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT TWO IN LONG BEACH AND A MEMBER OF THE REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON JEWISH WOMEN. I PRACTICE MEDICINE IN THIS COMMUNITY SINCE 1984, FIRST IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY. AND TODAY AS THE FOUNDER OF A CLINIC, TREATING CHRONIC PAIN CONDITIONS. FOR OVER FOUR DECADES, I'VE BUILT MY PRACTICE UNDER ONE NON-NEGOTIABLE RULE. EVERYTHING I TELL A PATIENT ABOUT MY SERVICES, MY CREDENTIALS AND MY FEES MUST BE TRUTHFUL AND NON DECEPTIVE. I DON'T GET TO CHOOSE WHETHER THAT RULE APPLIES TO ME. THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ENFORCES IT AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. THE MEDICAL BOARD OF CALIFORNIA AND THE CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL ENFORCE IT AT THE STATE LEVEL AND THE PENALTIES FOR GETTING IT WRONG ARE REAL. UH, VIOLATION OF CALIFORNIA'S FALSE ADVERTISING LAW FOR, UM, BUS FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS IS A MISDEMEANOR CARRYING UP TO SIX MONTHS IN JAIL FINES UP TO $10,000. UH, CIVIL PENALTIES, COURT ORDERED RESTITUTION, INJUNCTIONS, AND THE RISK OF LOSING MY LICENSE ENTIRELY. I SUPPORT THAT OVERSIGHT. IT PROTECTS THE PUBLIC FROM PRACTITIONERS WHO EXPLOIT TRUST. MY CONCERN IS THAT IT ISN'T APPLIED EVENLY AND THE PEOPLE FALLING THROUGH THE GAP ARE AMONG OUR MOST VULNERABLE WOMEN FACING AN UNPLANNED PREGNANCY, OFTEN FRIGHTENED, OFTEN WITHOUT THE MEANS TO GET A SECOND OPINION. I GOT A MANICURE AND PEDICURE LAST WEEKEND. CONSIDER THE DISPARITY. A NAIL SALON IN THIS CITY CAN'T OPEN WITHOUT PERMITS. STATE COSMETOLOGY, LICENSURE, SANITATION INSPECTION, AND A LICENSED TECHNICIAN AT EVERY STATION FOR A SERVICE THAT NEVER BREAKS THE SKIN. NOW CONSIDER AN UNLICENSED PREGNANCY CENTER WHERE A WOMAN MAY BE SHOWN AN ULTRASOUND AND STEERED TOWARD A DECISION BY SOMEBODY WITH NO MEDICAL LICENSE AT A FACILITY WITH NO HEALTHCARE LICENSE. SOMETIMES FUNDED WITH PUBLIC DOLLARS, SOMETIMES ADVERTISED TO LOOK LIKE A LICENSED CLINIC. NONE OF THIS ASKS THE COUNCIL TO TAKE A POSITION ON ABORTION. IT ASKS THE COUNCIL TO APPLY THE SAME STANDARD TO EVERY PROVIDER PUTTING A PROBE ON A PATIENT'S BODY OR A DIAGNOSIS IN FRONT OF A FRIGHTENED WOMAN. TELL THE TRUTH, HOLD THE LICENSES THE STATE REQUIRES AND ANSWER TO THE SAME OVERSIGHT A NAIL SALON ALREADY ANSWERS TO. I SPENT 42 YEARS PRACTICING MEDICINE UNDER THAT STANDARD, AND I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE CITY COUNCIL IN APPROVING THE RECOMMENDATION TO PREPARE AN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING FALSE OR MISLEADING ADVERTISING BY PREGNANCY SERVICE CENTERS CONCERNING THE PREGNANCY RELATED SERVICES THEY PROVIDE, OFFER, OR ARRANGE THROUGH REFERRAL SO THAT WOMEN IN THIS CITY ARE PROTECTED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. FABULOUS. HI, SHERRY SOBEL. UH, FORMER LAWYER, FORMER JUDGE. UM, I'M SUPPOSED TO DO CLEANUP. I'M IN THREE HIGH, UM, AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, JUST TELL YOU WHY THIS IS REALLY GREAT. SO NOW I LISTENED HERE AND I LISTENED HERE AND I LISTENED HERE [04:00:01] AND I LISTENED HERE. AND IT'S REALLY LATE AND I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS DO THIS EVERY WEEK. IT'S UNBELIEVABLE. THIS IS WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. , GO HOME. . THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMMENTS AND WE'RE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. I HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OKAY, THANK YOU VICE MAYOR, AND THANK YOU TO OUR LAST SPEAKER, UM, WHO, UH, DROPPED THE MIC, UH, ALL HAS BEEN SAID ON THE TOPIC. UM, SO AS I STATED JUST BEFORE, UH, I CLOSED MY COMMENTS, I'D LIKE TO SEE IF WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, UM, WITH, UH, CRAFTING THIS ORDINANCE, UH, JUST AS QUICK, QUICKLY, AND THOUGHTFULLY AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AS WE CAN, UH, MOST IMMEDIATELY. WITH THAT IN MIND, UM, CITY ATTORNEY, CITY MANAGER, I'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND THAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH, UM, FOCUSING ON THIS AS A PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION. SO ITEM ONE WOULD DROP THE CIVIL ENFORCEMENT EVALUATION FOR TODAY. I HAVE A SECOND PORTION OF THIS, AND, AND NUMBER FOUR, IN TERMS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE PATHWAY. WHAT I'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND IS THAT WE REVISIT, UM, THOSE ITEMS IN ABOUT A YEAR'S TIME. UM, REALLY SPEND THIS NEXT YEAR, UH, IMPLEMENTING OR SETTING UP THE ORDINANCE AND THEN MONITORING, UM, THE CPCS WITHIN OUR CITY LIMITS AND RETURN, UM, TO THE MATTER IN ABOUT A YEAR. I THINK THAT'D BE VERY HELPFUL. THANK YOU. DOES I WOULD MAKE, DOES THIS REQUIRE A SECOND? IS THERE ANY OBJECTION? HUH? YOU OKAY WITH IT? YEAH. OH YEAH. I'M OKAY WITH IT. YEAH, NO OBJECTION ON THE, ON THE FRIENDLY THEN IT IS NOW THE, UH, CURRENT MOTION ON THE FLOOR. OKAY. THANK. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? GO FOR VOTE. DISTRICT ONE. AYE. DISTRICT TWO AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR, AYE. DISTRICT FIVE? AYE. DISTRICT SIX? AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN, AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT, AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ITEM 15, PLEASE [15. 26-55729 Recommendation to adopt Plans and Specifications No. R-7291 and award a contract to Manson Construction Co., of Long Beach, CA, for the Alamitos Bay Entrance Channel Dredging Project, in an amount of $8,063,280, authorize a 15 percent contingency in the amount of $1,209,492, for a total contract amount not to exceed $9,272,772; and, authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into the contract, including any necessary amendments. (District 3)       Office or Department: Public Works; Parks, Recreation and Marine         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation.  ] REPORT FROM PUBLIC WORKS, PARKS, RECREATION AND MARINE RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS AND AWARD A CONTRACT TO MANSON CONSTRUCTION COMPANY FOR THE ALAMITOS BAY ENTRANCE CHANNEL DREDGING PROJECT FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 9 MILLION TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY TWO, SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY $2, AND EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO ENTER INTO THE CONTRACT, INCLUDING ANY NECESSARY AMENDMENTS DISTRICT THREE. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU MR. VICE MAYOR. UH, WE DO HAVE A SHORT PRESENTATION ON THIS, UM, AS THIS IS A REALLY SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT, UH, THAT, UH, THAT WE'RE PROPOSING TO DO IN A REALLY GOOD ENVIRONMENTALLY BENEFICIAL USE OF, OF, OF JUDGE MATERIAL TO HELP BUILD OUT THE BEACH. UH, SO FOR THE TEAM IN THE BACK, UH, WE DON'T HAVE THE CLICKER OUT HERE ANYMORE, SO IF YOU CAN ADVANCE THE SLIDES MANUALLY, UH, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO JOSH HICKMAN AND THE TEAM. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANKS FOR THAT ASSISTANCE IN THE BACK. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE FOR AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE FOR AN IMPORTANT PROJECT THAT SUPPORTS, UH, SUPPORTS BOTH ACCESS TO ALAMITOS BAY AS WELL AS BEACH NOURISHMENT. SO, AS SHOWN ON THE SLIDE BEFORE YOU, THE PROJECT DOES CONSIST OF TWO SEPARATE DISTINCT AREAS. THE ENTRANCE CHANNEL ITSELF, THAT'S HIGHLIGHTED, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UM, HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW, AND THEN THE BEACH NOURISHMENT AREA THAT'S HIGHLIGHTED IN RED. SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, THE BACKGROUND HERE. THE ENTRY CHANNEL PROVIDES ACCESS TO THE CITY'S MARINAS BOATING FACILITIES AND WATERFRONT DESTINATIONS, UH, OVER TIME NATURAL PROCESSES, DUE DEPOSIT, SAND AND SOILS WITHIN THE CHANNEL, CREATING IMPEDIMENTS DURING LOWER TIDES. SO THE DREDGING ACTIVITIES, THIS WILL HELP RESTORE THE DEPTH OF THE CHANNEL TO 20 FEET BELOW MEAN LOWER LOW WATER. A LITTLE BIT ON THE, UH, REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS. THE DREDGING DOES CREATE SPOILS, WHICH MUST BE EITHER RELOCATED OR DISPOSED OF PROPERLY. UH, THIS IS DONE VIA STATE AND FEDERAL RESOURCES, AND THEY DO PRIOR PRIORITIZE REUSING THE SOILS ON THE BEACH WHERE POSSIBLE. SO THE MATERIAL FROM THE ENTRANCE CHANNEL, UH, WILL IN FACT BE RETAINED LOCALLY AND BENEFICIALLY REUSED ON THE BEACH. AS YOU SAW ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, [04:05:02] ON THE SLIDE BEFORE YOU, UH, YOU'LL SEE WHERE THE BEACH WILL BE NOURISHED. REPRESENTED HERE IN HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW, YOU'VE GOT ABOUT 2300 FEET, UH, OF A ZONE THAT WILL BE WIDENED TO APPROXIMATELY 200 TO 250 FEET. UM, IN SOME OF THE AREAS, THAT'S SOME OF THE SMALLEST BEACH THAT WE HAVE ALONG THE PENINSULA. UH, THIS WILL ALLOW FOR THE, A WIDER SANDY BEACH AND SHIFT THE ACTIVITY WAVES FURTHER OFFSHORE. SO SOME MORE SPECIFICS REGARDING THE CONSTRUCTION. UH, WE DO HAVE AND ANTICIPATE A LITTLE OVER 400,000 CUBIC YARDS OF MATERIALS WILL BE, UH, EXCAVATED OR DREDGED OUT DOWN FROM THE SEA FLOOR. THAT WILL BRING THE DEPTH OF THE WATER DOWN TO 20 FEET BELOW, MEAN LOWER LOW WATER. AND THAT WILL, UM, UH, THAT WILL THEN ALLOW US TO DEWATER THE MATERIALS SHORTLY BEFORE GETTING 'EM ONTO THE BEACH THEMSELVES, DEPLOYING 'EM OUT USING EXCAVATORS AND OTHER HEAVY EQUIPMENT. IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE, THE OPERATION WILL BE RUNNING 24 7, MEANING THE MATERIALS WILL BE EXTRACTED FROM THE CHANNEL, UH, ON A 24 HOUR BASIS. BUT THE HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND, UH, AND THE EXCAVATORS USED TO MOVE THE SAND AROUND ALONG THE BEACH WILL TAKE PLACE OVER A 12 HOUR WINDOW, APPROXIMATELY FROM 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM I DID WANT TO TOUCH A LITTLE BIT ON RECENT EFFORTS. PRIOR TO THE MOST, UH, THE MOST RECENT BID THAT WE HAD BACK IN 2025, WE DID RELEASE AN RFP. THE BIDS CAME BACK SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE THE BUDGET AND THE 13 TO $14 MILLION RANGE. IT PROMPTED US TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD AND THEN REBID OUT THE PROJECT. THE, THE REBID WAS SUCCESSFUL. UH, WE WERE ABLE TO REDUCE THE OVERALL COST, UH, AS WELL AS THE TIME. UM, AND WE RECEIVED A SIGNIFICANT SIGN, SIGNIFICANT NUMBER MORE BIDDERS, UM, ALONG WITH THE REDUCED BIZ AMOUNTS THAT I HAD MENTIONED. SO WHAT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WHAT'S BEING APPROVED THIS EVENING, OR WHAT'S BEING RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL IS THE PROJECT ITSELF, AND THAT WE HAVE, UM, AS PART OF A, A FUTURE PRESENTATION THAT YOU'LL SEE IN A COUPLE WEEKS AS PART OF THE FY 27 CIP WILL HAVE THE $2.5 MILLION THAT'S NECESSARY TO CLOSE THE FUNDING GAP, UH, WILL BE RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL AS PART OF THAT PROCESS. SO A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE FUNDING. WE DO HAVE A ROUGHLY 11 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS TOTAL PROJECT COST. YOU CAN SEE THE SOURCES, UH, BROKEN DOWN ON THIS SLIDE, INCLUDING THE FY 27 PROPOSED MARINA FUNDS. THAT'LL BE BEFORE YOU IN THE COMING WEEKS AS PART OF THE CIP BUDGET, UH, WE ARE EXCITED TO WORK WITH THE CONTRACTOR TO GET THIS PROJECT MOVING HERE QUICKLY. WE ARE TRYING TO THREAD THE NEEDLE BETWEEN A COUPLE OF OTHER PROJECTS THAT THE CONTRACTOR HAS UNDERWAY. WE'RE ANTICIPATING GETTING THIS CONTRACT, UH, SIGNED AND EXECUTED EXPEDITIOUSLY SO WE CAN BEGIN THE WORK LATER THIS YEAR AND WRAP UP, UH, BY THE END OF 2026, EARLY 2027. THAT CONCLUDES STAFF REPORT AND I'M HERE WITH MY COLLEAGUES TO HELP ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, AND MR. MAYOR, IF I CAN ADD SOMETHING JUST FOR THE RECORD. UM, SURE. SO AS JOSH MENTIONED, THE UH, REMAINING FUNDING IS PROPOSED IN THE FY 27 BUDGET, BUT YOU WON'T BE TAKING ACTION ON THAT UNTIL AFTER TONIGHT. UM, SO I DO RECOMMEND THAT YOU APPROVE THIS TONIGHT AND IT'S CONTINGENT UPON THAT DOLLARS BEING APPROVED LATER ON IN THE BUDGET. IT'S ALL FUNDED, ALL HAS A PLAN. NO GENERAL FUNDS BEING SPENT ON THIS, UH, BUT YOU WOULD BE TAKING THAT ACTION TONIGHT. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER DUN. YES. THANK YOU VICE MAYOR, AND THANKS FOR THE, UH, EXPLANATION, CITY MANAGER. UM, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION, UH, DIRECTOR HICKMAN. THIS IS SUCH AN EXCITING AND VERY IMPORTANT PROJECT FOR A TIDELANDS AND MARINA. UH, AND IT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW ONE PROJECT CAN, UH, CAN ACCOMPLISH TWO VERY IMPORTANT GOALS WITH THE DREDGING OF THE ENTRANCE CHANNEL. UM, THIS IS CRITICAL TO MAINTAINING BOAT ACCESS TO ALAMITOS BAY. AND SECOND, ESPECIALLY WITH EL NINO COMING, UM, WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO USE THE DREDGE MATERIAL TO BUILD OUT PENINSULA BEACH. SO TOGETHER THOSE TWO PIECES ADDRESSED TWO OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITIES AS TRUSTEES OF OUR TIDELANDS, WHICH IS, UM, MAINTAINING NAVIGABLE WATERWAYS AND [04:10:01] PROTECTING PUBLIC ACCESS TO OUR WATERWAY. THE DREDGING WORK IS TIMELY WITH LA 28 APPROACHING AND FOR OUR CITY TO MAXIMIZE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACCOMMODATE LARGER BOATS IN ALAMEDOS BAY. BUT THE BEACH NOURISHMENT COMPONENT IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT WITH THE MAJOR SWELL THAT HIT OUR COAST, UH, JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO. WE COULD SEE UP AND DOWN THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA THAT THE BEACHES ARE NO LONGER PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE BECAUSE THERE JUST ISN'T ANY SAND LEFT ON SOME OF THESE BEACHES UP AND DOWN THE COAST. THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO BUILD OUT THE PENINSULA BEACH BY ABOUT 250 FEET, CREATING A MORE USABLE BEACH SO THE PUBLIC CAN CONTINUE ENJOYING THE PENINSULA. AND IT'S ALSO GOING TO PROVIDE THAT PROTECTION FOR HOMES ON THE PENINSULA FROM SEA LEVEL RISE AND FROM STORMS. I DO WANNA THANK THE PROJECT TEAM, UH, CHARLENE KO, SO MUCH WORK. TODD LELAND, UH, AND DIRECTOR HICKMAN. THIS IS, UH, WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP. SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE SPENT YEARS ON THIS PROJECT AND GETTING IT THROUGH THE REGULATORY PROCESS. SO, UM, IT'S MUCH APPRECIATED WHAT SEEMS LIKE MAYBE A BASIC MAINTENANCE PROJECT HAS REQUIRED THE YEARS OF WORK BEHIND THE SCENES TO GET TO THIS POINT. SO I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THIS PROJECT MOVING FORWARD, UM, HOPEFULLY BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN. OKAY, GOOD. THANK YOU. I SUPPORT THIS, UH, WANT ME TO COMMENT? WE HAVE FOUR SPEAKERS NEED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY FOR CITY OF LONG BEACH VIA ZOOM GRAY VIA ZOOM. ELLIE, WE'RE ALMOST FOUR HOURS INTO THE MEETING AND YOU WASTED SO MUCH TIME AND NOW YOU'RE ASKING FOR $9 MILLION. RESPECTFULLY. IT'S SO LATE. THESE, THESE TYPE OF PROJECTS REALLY NEED US TO TALK ABOUT 'EM EARLIER WHEN THERE'S MORE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM INSTEAD OF LIKE A FEW MONTHS AGO WHEN YOU WANTED $3 MILLION TO KEEP GOING ON, ON, ON THE LAGOON PROJECT AND IT WAS MIDNIGHT AND YOU GOT IT APPROVED DESPITE WHAT WE TOLD YOU ANYWAY. THIS LEADS ME TO ITEM NUMBER 15. WELL, HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF. RECENTLY, A SUMMER PROJECT WAS NOT MANAGED ADEQUATELY DURING THE PLANNING AND OR EXECUTION PHASE BY THE TITLES, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT DIVISION MANAGED BY CHARLENE AND GUKO. SORRY IF I THAT, UM, THAT REPORTS DIRECTLY TO YOU. TOM MOCA, CITY CITY DIRECTOR, IF YOU HAVEN'T GUESSED, IT'S THE LAGOON PROJECT. THE SIMILAR PROJECT IS NOW OVER FOUR YEARS BEHIND SCHEDULE AND MORE THAN $3 MILLION OVER BUDGET. CHARLENE AND TOM, DID YOU DO, DID YOUR DEPARTMENT PLAN THIS ADEQUATELY? UM, I'M HOPING THEY DID. DID YOU, DID YOUR DEPARTMENT DO A CONTINGENCY PLAN BASED ON LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE PREVIOUS PROJECTS? DID YOU DO AN OUTSIDE NON ADVOCATE CONSULTING TO AUDIT THE PROJECT TO UNCOVER ANYTHING THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT MIGHT HAVE MISSED? DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN WE ASKED, WERE YOU SURPRISED BY THE ASBESTOS? AND YOU'RE LIKE, WELL, THEY NEVER TOLD US. THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO KNOW BEFORE WE GO INTO THESE KIND OF PROJECTS. SO ANY SURPRISES THAT COULD BE UNCOVERED RESPECTFULLY, I SAY THIS OUT OF LOVE, NOT BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO PICK ON ANYBODY. UM, SO WE'RE REQUESTING $8 MILLION WHEN ANOTHER 1 MILLION AS CONTINGENCY, THE TAXPAYER IS TIRED OF SHELLING OUT MORE MONEY. WE CAN DO THAT SOME OTHER TIME. IF THIS IS TIED TO LA 28, THEN QUITE FRANKLY, I THINK OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT DESERVES BETTER. OUR LIBRARIES DESERVE THIS BETTER. WE'VE GOT MORE IMPORTANT NEEDS DONE, YOU KNOW, HAVING HEAVY BOATS GOING IN AND OUTTA THE CHANNEL. SO, UM, IN CONCLUSION, PLEASE REALIZE THAT THE TRACK RECORD HASN'T BEEN YET. GREAT. RESPECTFULLY, I SAY THAT AND I SAY THAT AS FEEDBACK AND CONSTRUCTION OF CRITICISM, NOT AS A JAB AT ANY OF YOU. UM, WE CARE ABOUT OUR CITY, WE WANT TO HELP IT. UM, I'M ASKING FOR A RE REVIEW OF THIS AND MORE NON ADVOCATE CONTINGENCY PLANNED REVIEWS AS WELL. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. TRANSPARENCY FOR CITY OF LONG BEACH, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. UM, WELL, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO HAVE THE, UH, THE HYBRID PORTION THAT ALLOWS ME TO CALL IN. UM, I GOT THERE AT CITY HALL AT 4 45 AND I INTENDED [04:15:01] ON STAYING THERE SO I CAN ADDRESS THIS ITEM AGENDA. UM, I DON'T NEED TO SAY ANYTHING MORE, MORE TRANSPARENCY FOR LONG BEACH. UM, AND I, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVE LOST FAITH IN CITY COUNCIL FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING BECAUSE HERE WE ARE AT 9:00 PM AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S IN THE BALLPARK OF $9 MILLION AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT AT NINE O'CLOCK AT NIGHT. YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I'M GLAD WHAT HAPPENS IS, IS THAT THESE CALLS ARE RECEIPTS TO HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE. NOT NOW, NOT TOMORROW, BUT IN THE FUTURE WHEN THESE CALLS WILL BE RECORDED AND SHOWED TO PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE BASICALLY AT THIS POINT, UM, YOU'RE STRAIGHT UP LYING, LYING TO THE PUBLIC, LYING TO THE COMMUNITY. AND TOM MOCA, ALL HE WANTS TO DO IS JUST, YOU KNOW, SNEAK THIS IN AT 9:00 PM SO THAT, UH, I LOOKED THIS UP ONLINE. THERE'S, THERE'S NO, UM, INFORMATION ABOUT HOW OUR CITY IS SPENDING THIS $9 MILLION AND YOU GOT SOME HALF-ASSED PRESENTATION AT EIGHT 30 WHILE YOU THANK EACH OTHER FOR THE PRESENTATION. THAT BARELY EXPLAINS WHAT, HOW, HOW IS THIS, WHERE'S THIS MONEY COMING FROM? FROM HOW, UH, HOW WAS IT? UM, UH, HOW, HOW, HOW ARE, ARE TAX DOLLARS BEING USED? WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THIS AT 9:00 PM AT NIGHT? YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S OUTRAGEOUS. IT'S AGGRAVATING. UM, YOU KNOW, THE REASON I DON'T HAVE RESPECT FOR YOU IS BECAUSE OF S**T LIKE THIS TOM MOCA WHO, UM, YOU KNOW, SLIPS HIS LITTLE, UH, UM, HOW WOULD YOU SAY WISHLIST TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THEM TO JUST BLINDLY APPROVE IT AT 9:00 PM I HOPE THERE'S A BUNCH OF PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP AT CITY COUNCIL OR AT AT CITY HALL TOMORROW ASKING, HEY, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TAKING OUT LIBRARIES, UM, FIRE, UH, UH, FIRE STATIONS, YOU KNOW, RUINING PE, LONG BEACH CONSTITUENTS JOBS, AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT $9 MILLION BEING SPENT AT 9:00 PM WHERE NO ONE KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON, WHERE THIS MONEY'S COMING FROM. UM, IT'S, IT'S DISGUSTING. YOU SHOULD ALL BE DISGUSTED. NO ONE SHOULD BE THANKING THEMSELVES. UM, PLEASE MORE TRANSPARENCY. YOU KNOW, PERHAPS GIVE THIS INFORMATION TO US DURING THE DAYLIGHT WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY, WE'RE NOT UNDER DURESS AND HAVING TO COME FROM A JOB THAT YOU SPENT EIGHT HOURS MYSELF, UH, WORKING AT FREE YOU YOUR TIME HAS CON CONCLUDED. GRAY, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. OKAY, , UH, CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME? YES. YEAH. SO YOU GUYS DO SERIOUSLY WASTE WAY TOO MUCH TIME THANKING EACH OTHER. LIKE, OH MY GOSH, THANK YOU MEMBERS, THANK YOU THIS, THANK YOU THAT YOU GUYS REALLY NEED TO CUT THAT S**T OUT BECAUSE THESE MEETINGS GO ON WAY TOO LONG AND IT'S NEVER BECAUSE OF US. UM, IN TERMS OF THIS ITEM 15. SO YEAH, WHERE IS THE TRANSPARENCY ON THIS? WHERE DID THIS MONEY COME FROM? I WAS AT ONE OF THE BUDGET MEETINGS THIS WEEK WHERE TOM MODICA WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW NOT EVERYTHING COMES FROM THE GENERAL FUND. THE GENERAL FUND IS ONLY $749.2 MILLION AND THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT'S NON-RESTRICTED. SO I GUESS WHICH FUND DID THIS COME FROM? DID IT COME FROM THE REFUSE FUND? DID IT COME FROM THE TIDE FUND? THERE WAS A LOT OF DIFFERENT FUNDS THAT I HEARD ABOUT AT THAT BUDGET MEETING. SO WHICH FUND, WHICH OF THESE SINCE, UH, GENERAL FUND'S THE ONLY ONE THAT'S NON-RESTRICTED, HOW DID, UH, THIS $8,063,280, LIKE WHICH RESTRICTED FUND DID THAT COME OUT OF? AND WHY THE HELL IS THERE SO MUCH DAMN MONEY IN THAT FUND? LIKE, WHAT, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? BECAUSE, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NOTICED WE GOT A LOT OF PROBLEMS AND YEAH, WE HAVE THIS MEETING, WE HAVE THIS, UH, PRESENTATION THAT YOU GUYS ARE SPENDING ALMOST $9 MILLION ON SAND. LIKE, IS THAT WHAT I HEARD? DID I HEAR THAT CORRECTLY? SO YEAH, WE'RE JUST KIND CURIOUS AS TO WHERE THIS MONEY, WHERE IT CAME FROM, LIKE WHICH POCKET DID IT GET PULLED OUT OF, BECAUSE THAT'S A PRETTY BIG CHUNK OF CHANGE. AND WHAT EXACTLY IS IT BEING USED FOR THAT ACTUALLY BENEFITS THE PUBLIC BECAUSE THIS, YOU KNOW, THE CITY'S GOT A LOT OF PROBLEMS INCLUDING HOMELESSNESS AND INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, ICE AND, UH, AND OVERINFLATED [04:20:01] POLICE BUDGET, ALL OF WHICH HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH F*****G SAND, AS BEST AS I CAN TELL. SO YEAH, WE'RE JUST, WE'RE GONNA NEED A LITTLE LESS FILIBUSTERING. THESE MEETINGS DO NOT NEED TO GO ON AND YOU DON'T, THERE'S NO EXCUSE FOR HAVING FIRST PUBLIC COMMENT TWO HOURS INTO A CITY COUNCIL MEETING. LIKE, THAT'S RIDICULOUS. SO YEAH, WE ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF MORE TRANSPARENCY ABOUT ALL OF THIS FUNDING, WHAT MONEY IS FROM WHERE AND WHERE IS IT GOING, AND WHY IS IT IN THOSE FUNDS TO BEGIN WITH. I'M LIKE, WAS IT A GRANT? BECAUSE BEST, AS I CAN TELL, GRANT IS LIKE A LONG BEACH, CITIZENS UNITED. IT'S JUST AN EXCUSE FOR YOU GUYS TO GET ALL THE TOYS YOU WANT. AND THEN THERE'S LIKE NO RESTRICTIONS ON IT THEN. YEAH, I GUESS, YEAH, THAT'S ALL WE WANT. MORE TRANSPARENCY. RE PALESTINE. THANK YOU ELLIE. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY MORE COMMENTS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL? YOU SEE NONE MOVE FROM VOTE. DISTRICT ONE, COUNCILWOMAN ES AYE. DISTRICT TWO? AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR? AYE. DISTRICT FIVE? AYE. DISTRICT SIX? AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT, AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY FOR YOUR COMMENTS, EVERYONE? UH, ITEM 16, [16. 26-55742 Recommendation to declare ordinance amending Title 10 of the Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC) to update definitions related to electric bicycles, prohibit Class 3 electric bicycles on sidewalks, delete outdated bicycle-related provisions, and make related cleanup changes; read the first time and laid over to the next regular meeting of the City Council for final reading. (Citywide)       Office or Department: City Manager; City Attorney         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] PLEASE REPORT FROM CITY MANAGER, CITY ATTORNEY RECOMMENDATION TO DECLARE ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 10 OF THE LONG BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE TO UPDATE DEFINITIONS RELATED TO ELECTRIC BICYCLES. PROHIBIT CLASS THREE ELECTRIC BICYCLES ON SIDEWALKS, DELETE OUTDATED BICYCLE RELATED PROVISIONS AND MAKE RELATED CLEANUP CHANGES. READ THE FIRST TIME AND LAID OVER TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR FINAL READING. CITYWIDE MOTION BY SUPER NA SECOND. OKAY, WE ON MOTION AND A SECOND. AYE SEAT. MAYOR, YOU ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS? NO. UH, THE COUNCIL HAD A LOT OF DELIBERATION ON THIS AND, UH, YOU GAVE US SOME DIRECTION AND THAT'S WHAT'S MOVED FORWARD. SO, UH, WE'RE GOOD TO GO. OKAY. ANY COMMENTS ON CITY COUNCIL? UH, JUST ONCE AGAIN WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND AND THANK COMMANDER SHALEENA BENSON FOR CREATING THIS ORDINANCE. OKAY. NO FURTHER COMMENT. CAN YOU GO FOR THE VOTE? WE HAVE ONE, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT. GERARDO GUERRERO. SORRY, GERARDO, THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY, THANK YOU. NOW WE CAN GO TO THE VOTE. DISTRICT ONE. AYE. DISTRICT TWO AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR? AYE. DISTRICT FIVE? AYE. DISTRICT SIX? AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN? AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT. AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, [17. 26-55682 Recommendation to declare Proposition "L" Ordinance, which pursuant to Section 1806 of the City Charter makes findings and determinations regarding contracting for light- and medium-towing services, read and adopted as read. (Citywide)       Office or Department: Financial Management         Suggested Action: Approve recommendation. ] ITEM 17TH, PLEASE REPORT FROM FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION TO DECLARE PROPOSITION AL ORDINANCE READ AND ADOPTED AS RED CITYWIDE. OKAY, YOU TURN MOTION IN A SECOND, PLEASE? I'LL MAKE A FIRST, SECOND. SECOND. OKAY. DO YOU WANNA TALK TO HIM ABOUT YOUR MOTION? UH, NO, I'M IN SUPPORT. THE SECOND, NO COMMENT. OKAY. ANY FURTHER COMMENT ON THIS? THERE'S NO PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. FOR VOTE? DISTRICT ONE? AYE. DISTRICT TWO AYE. DISTRICT THREE? AYE. DISTRICT FOUR? AYE. DISTRICT FIVE? AYE. DISTRICT SIX? AYE. DISTRICT SEVEN? AYE. DISTRICT EIGHT? AYE. DISTRICT NINE. AYE. MOTION IS CARRIED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, ITEM 17. THAT WAS 17. OH, THAT ONE. 17. YES, I THINK. OKAY, SECOND GENERAL COMMENT. [ PUBLIC COMMENT: Immediately prior to adjournment Opportunity is given to those members of the public who have not addressed the City Council on non-agenda items. Each speaker is limited to three minutes unless extended by the City Council. ] THIS IS FOR ITEMS, UH, NOT LISTED ON THE AGENDA. I HAVE 10 SPEAKERS, RU HIGHS TRANSPARENCY FOR LONG BEACH AND ZOOM. JOSHUA GONZALEZ, GRAY AND ZOOM. NEED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY? MS. PARIS AND ZOOM. JENNIFER C KAYLA, A LYNETTE AND ANDREW HAWKINS IN ZOOM. RU IS RU HERE. NO TRANSPARENCY FOR CITY OF LONG BEACH. THAT'S ZOOM. THEY'RE ON ZOOM. [04:25:01] TRANSPARENCY FOR CITY OF LONG BEACH. CAN YOU PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF? YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. OH, OKAY. UM, I GUESS MORE OF THE SAME. UM, THE CITY OF LONG BEACH IS ALLOWING FLOCK CAMERAS TO BE INSTALLED IN ALL OF OUR, UM, NEIGHBOR NEIGHBORHOODS. FLAW CAMERAS ARE BEING USED TO SURVEIL, UM, YOU KNOW, POLICE'S, UH, POLICE OFFICERS, GIRLFRIENDS, UM, THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACCESS TO THESE CAMERAS, UM, HAVE, UH, KNOW OUTSIDE GOVERNING BODY, UM, ADVISING WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE, THEY ARE ABLE TO ACCESS THESE CAMERAS. UM, YOU'RE BASICALLY ALLOWING US TO BE SURVEILLED BY, UM, A BODY THAT IS, UM, IT, IT'S INVASIVE. IT'S, UM, IT'S SCARY. AND AS A WOMAN, I FEEL EVEN MORE, UH, AFRAID, UM, THAN EVER KNOWING THAT THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, LIKE ANYONE CAN, ANYONE CAN GO INTO THESE SYSTEMS AND THERE'S NO REGARD TO ANYONE'S PRIVACY, UM, OR PROTECTION OR EVEN THEIR AMENDMENT. UM, THE OTHER THING IS, IS THAT PLEASE DON'T, DON'T CUT HOURS FOR THE LIBRARY. UM, DON'T TAKE OUT, UH, UH, FIRE STATIONS AND, UM, CRUCIAL, UH, SAFETY WORKERS. UM, REMOVE THEM FROM THEIR POST JUST BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET THE BUDGET RIGHT. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY, REALLY TIRED OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO THE CITY AND SADLY, YOU'RE MASKING IT AS YOU KNOW, A TUESDAY CITY COUNCIL. UM, ALL YOU DO IS BASICALLY STEAL OUR MONEY, UM, YOU KNOW, PUT A LITTLE MAKEUP ON THE PIGS AND SELL IT BACK TO US AS, UM, SAFETY. IT'S NOT, UH, WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN OUR BUILDING. A WE A WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION COMPANY LIKE ANDEL, UM, IN OUR BACKYARDS THAT CAN EASILY HAVE A CHEMICAL SPILL AND ALL OF LONG BEACH WILL BE AFFECTED BY IT. UM, I DON'T KNOW. I, WE COME EVERY WEEK WE TRY TO INFORM THE PUBLIC BECAUSE YOU APPARENTLY DON'T KNOW HOW TO, YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT OUR SAFETY, YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT WOMEN, YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT CHILDREN, YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THE HOMELESS, YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT BLACK WORKERS. AND, YOU KNOW, UM, AT THE VERY LEAST, YOU KNOW, ALLOW A LITTLE BIT OF TRANSPARENCY FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THAT YOU GUYS DO. UM, IT'S REALLY, REALLY HARD BECAUSE NO ONE SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT, HOW CITY COUNCIL OPERATES BECAUSE YOU'RE CONSTANTLY MOVING THE POST. UH, F**K YOU ALL FREE PALESTINE. F**K ISRAEL AND F**K ICE. THANK YOU. JOSHUA GONZALEZ. JOSHUA GRAY IN ZOOM. IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF, YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. ALL RIGHT. SO, UH, FREE PALESTINE UNTIL PALESTINE IS FREE. UH, SEE, YOU BUMPED UP LAST WEEK'S MEETING BY TWO HOURS. THAT WAS MESSED UP. YOU'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO SCREW OVER THE WORKING PEOPLE AND MAKE IT SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO HEAR ANY DISSENTING VOICES. AND, UM, WHY WOULD YOU BE DOING THAT? MAYBE IT'S 'CAUSE YOU WERE DOING THINGS LIKE CUTTING UNION JOBS AND CUTTING LIBRARY HOURS, THINGS THAT ARE PRETTY F*****G HEINOUS AND UNPOPULAR. OH, BUT YOU MADE SURE TO SHUFFLE AROUND YOUR COPS THAT THEY ALL CAN KEEP THEIR JOBS AND MONEY. YOU CAN'T FORGET THAT. GOTTA MAKE SURE YOUR, UH, TACK DOGS ARE FED, I SUPPOSE. AND, UH, YOU MOVE THE MEETING UP. WHY COUNCIL'S NIGHT OUT HAPPY HOUR? LIKE, WHAT THE F**K DO YOU ALL NEED A F*****G BREAK FROM NOT LISTENING TO THE PUBLIC'S COMMENTS? UH, YOU NEED A BREAK FROM HANDING OUT ALL OF OUR TAXPAYER MONEY TO THE POLICE OR WEAPONS MANUFACTURERS OR MASS SURVEILLANCE OPERATORS. LIKE, WOW, YOUR JOB JUST SOUNDS SO HARD. UH, CUTTING THE LIBRARY HOURS WHEN YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT'S USED AS A COOLING CENTER IN THIS HEAT IS TRULY DISGUSTING. DEMAND FOR THAT SPECIFIC PUBLIC SERVICE IS HIGHER THAN EVER AND YOU'RE CUTTING THE LIBRARY HOURS. LIKE THAT'S A F*****G HORRIBLE DISGUSTING JOKE. UM, WHY IS THERE A FENCE AROUND IT? HUH? BECAUSE IT'S THERE. AND WE HAVE ASKED WHY IT'S THERE, AND YOU ALL SAID YOUR STAFF SAID THAT IT WAS SO THAT WE COULD HAVE EXTRA SERVICES AT THE LIBRARY, OUTDOOR SERVICES AT THE LIBRARY. SO I GUESS THAT WAS A F*****G LIE BECAUSE ONE OF THESE EXTRA EVENTS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN NOW THAT YOU'RE CUTTING ALL THE HOURS, AND WE KNEW THAT S**T WAS ANTI HOMELESS ARCHITECTURE. WE KNEW, BUT FOR THE RECORD, YOU [04:30:01] GUYS SAID IT WAS FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES AND YOU F*****G LIED. AND DON'T F*****G TELL US THAT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH MONEY FOR THE LIBRARY, BUT YOU'VE GOT MONEY TO GIVE OFFICERS RAISES ALMOST EVERY WEEK TO PUMP OUT NEW RECRUITS FROM THE ACADEMY. EVERY YEAR. I WAS AT THE BUDGET MEETING, IT WAS ON THE BUDGET. NEW RECRUITS ALL THE TIME. LIKE, WHERE ARE THE OLD OFFICERS GOING? ARE THEY DYING? UH, THEY CAN'T BE BECAUSE I ALSO LEARNED AT THE BUDGET MEETING THAT CRIME IS DOWN. SO WHY DO WE NEED NEW OFFICERS FROM THE ACADEMY EVERY YEAR? THAT SEEMS LIKE A HUGE WASTE OF MONEY. AND WHY DO WE NEED A HELICOPTER? AND YES, TOM MODICA, I HEARD THAT THAT WAS FUNDED WITH GRANT MONEY, BUT AGAIN, THE GRANT MONEY IS SO F*****G UNREGULATED. YOU GUYS JUST USE THAT S**T FOR WHATEVER, BUT IT'S KIND OF A BAD LOOK TO HAVE A FREAKING HELICOPTER. AND WE CAN'T HAVE LIKE BASIC SERVICES LIKE THE LIBRARY WHERE PEOPLE ACTUALLY FEEL SAFE AND FEEL WELCOME AND DON'T HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO BE THERE. SO ALL OF THIS UNACCOUNTED FOR LOSS IS PROBABLY VERY LIKELY TO DO WITH ICE. AND AGAIN, THE POLICE ARE THE ONES THAT RAN SECURITIES PRICE. SO IT'S A HUGE SLAP IN THE FACE THAT WE'RE MISSING ALL THIS MONEY ON THE BUDGET AND YOU'RE SENDING MORE MONEY TO THE POLICE OFFICERS THAT HONESTLY CAUSE THE F*****G PROBLEM. AND WE KNOW THAT TAMIKA MAKES $380,000 A YEAR, BUT THEN HE IS BRAGGING THAT HE GIVES AWAY 20,000 PER YEAR. IT'S LIKE, YEAH, IF I MADE 380 KA YEAR, I COULD GIVE UP $300,000 IN CHARITY AND IT WOULD NOT CHANGE MY STANDARD OF LIVING. LIKE NOT EVEN ONE BIT. SO GET ANDROID INDUSTRIES THE F**K OUT OF OUR CITY. YEAH, WE'RE, WE HAVEN'T F*****G FORGOT ABOUT THAT F*****G WEAPONS MANUFACTURER THAT'S GONNA CAUSE PROBLEMS. F**K ICE FREE PALESTINE. THANK YOU. YOU NEED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. I GUESS MY TIMER STARTED FROM THE OLD POEM, THE GOOSE ON THE COMMON THE LAW LOCKS UP THE MAN OR WOMAN WHO STEALS THE GOOSE FROM OFF THE COMMON BUT LEAVES THE GREATER VILLAIN LOOSE. WHO STEALS THE COMMON FROM THE GOOSE? THE LAW DEMANDS THAT WE ATONE WHEN WE TAKE THINGS WE DO NOT OWN, BUT LEAVES THE LORD AND THE LADIES FINE, WHO TAKE THINGS THAT ARE YOURS AND MINE. THE POOR AND THE WRETCHED DON'T ESCAPE. IF THEY CONSPIRE THE LAW TO BREAK, THIS MUST BE SO. BUT THEY ENDURE THOSE WHO CONSPIRE TO MAKE THE LAW. THE LAW LOCKS UP THE MAN OR WOMAN WHO STEALS A GOOSE FROM OFF THE COMMON. AND GEESE WILL STEAL A COMMON LACK TILL THEY GO AND STEAL IT BACK. CITY OF LONG BEACH HAS DECIDED TO CUT LIBRARY STAFF HOURS. BY THE WAY, I STAYED HERE THIS LATE BECAUSE MY WIFE ASKED ME TO. UM, THIS FYI CITY OF LONG BEACH HAS DECIDED TO CUT LIBRARY STAFF HOURS. EVEN AS DEMAND IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH. THIS IS DONE TO BALANCE ITS BUDGET. I WANT TO REMIND THIS COUNCIL THAT YOU APPROVED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR DE FOR PROJECTS THAT ARE SO DELAYED VERY LATE AT NIGHT. RESPECTFULLY, I SAY THAT THIS IS THE SAME PROJECT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN PROFESSIONALLY AUDITED AND CORRECTLY PLANNED AND SCOPED. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT SO MANY TIMES, SO I'M NOT GONNA MENTION IT EVEN MORE EXCEPT ONE THING. UH, WHAT I DID FIND OUT IS THIS PROJECT FOR THE LAGOON WAS SOLD AS A, AS GOOD FOR DRAINAGE DURING, DURING THE TIMES OF, UM, OF HIGH TIDE. HOWEVER, DURING THE WINTER, ESPECIALLY IN DECEMBER, WHEN THERE IS HIGH TIDE, THE WATER'S GONNA BE FIVE FEET HIGHER THAN IT ALREADY IS AT THIS HIGHEST POINT RIGHT NOW. THAT MEANS THAT THE LIFEGUARD SHACK MIGHT BE FLOODED. IMAGINE WHAT HAPPENS IF IT WERE TO RAIN. MOREOVER, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE LAGOON NATURE CENTER AS WELL. THAT COULD ALSO BE FLOODED, BUT THAT'S ON A DIFFERENT DAY. SO BACK TO THE LIBRARY. KEEPING THE CURRENT HOURS FOR THESE LIBRARIES AS PEANUTS IN COMPARISON AS A COMMUNITY REALLY NEEDS IT. THIS WAS CUT BACK, THIS WOULD CUT BACK TUTORING, UH, IT WOULD CUT BACK A HEALTHY PLACE FOR YOUR YOUTH. AND WE CAN GO ON AND ON AND ON. I NEED IT FOR MY CHILDREN. MY NEIGHBORS NEED IT FOR THEIR CHILDREN, AND OUR CITY NEEDS IT FOR THEIR FUTURE. UM, THIRD TOPIC. THE CROSSING AT ZOW STILL SUCKS. THE ONE AT ZOW AND SIX, IT'S STILL DANGEROUS. CARS COMING DOWN TO HILL FROM OW GOING NORTH. DO NOT WANT TO STOP. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. CHRISTINA, I'VE ASKED YOU MULTIPLE TIMES, PLEASE. UM, IN CONCLUSION, WE CARE ABOUT LONG BEACH. WE LOVE IT GREATLY. UM, POWER OF THE PEOPLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. PEREZ ON ZOOM. CAN YOU UNMUTE YOURSELF? MS. PEREZ HAS LEFT THE ZOOM MEETING. THANK YOU. JENNIFER. C JENNIFER, [04:35:07] KAYLA, A KAYLA, LYNETTE. AND THE LAST SPEAKER IS ANDREW ON ZOOM. CAN YOU UNMUTE YOURSELF? AND THIS IS FOR NON-AG AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT. YES, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW. FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANNA, UH, THANK THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, FOR HANGING IN THERE AND, UH, REALLY, UH, UH, WITH THE ABUSE THAT YOU'VE BEEN GETTING, UH, REALLY TO STAY, UH, ORDERLY AND, UH, STILL LISTEN TO PEOPLE, UH, UH, YOU, THAT'S REALLY A GOOD SIGN OF, UH, LEADERSHIP AND I APPRECIATE, UH, YOUR LEADERSHIP, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITY. UM, I WANTED TO DISCUSS THE FIRE ENGINE 14, BUT I'M TOLD BY HAYLEY THAT THAT'S OUTTA SEQUENCE AGENDA, SO I CAN'T ADDRESS THAT ANYMORE. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I WANTED TO ADDRESS THE, UH, UH, UH, THE CITY BUDGET FROM A MACROSCOPIC, UH, LEVEL, UH, THE, THE CITY, UH, BUDGET SHORTFALL. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS THAT A LARGE PART OF THE CITY'S BUDGET SHORTFALL IS RELATED TO THE CITY'S FAILURE TO ALIGN WITH FEDERAL GUIDELINES. THE CITY HAS LOST CRITICAL FUNDING PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF LIBERAL SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES AND FAILURE TO ALIGN WITH FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS. IT SEEMS THE CITY HAS CHOSEN TO HARBOR AND SUPPORT ILLEGAL CRIMINAL ALIENS VERSUS SUPPORTING THE HARDWORKING TAX PAYING LEGAL CITIZENS OF THE COMMUNITY WHICH HAVE CHOSEN TO FOLLOW THE LAW. SOME EXAMPLES OF THE FEDERAL PULLBACKS INCLUDE H-I-V-S-T-I SERVICES, ABOUT 1.3 MILLION LOST AMERICORPS SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMS, APPROXIMATELY 9.5 MILLION YANK FOR PROGRAMS INCLUDING 79 PHYSICIANS AT SIX LONG BEACH SITES. UH, HEALTH ACTIVE, UH, LONG BEACH SNAPED NUTRITION PHYSICAL EDUCATION ACTIVITY PROGRAM, APPROXIMATELY 900,000 IN, UH, FEDERAL FUNDING ELIMINATED THE BROADER HEALTH DEPARTMENT. FEDERAL GRANTS INCLUDE LOSSES IN THE RANGE OF ALMOST $18 MILLION IN FEDERAL, FEDERAL, UH, GRANT FUNDING. AND THESE ARE ALL, UH, THE RESULT OF FAILURE OF THE CITY TO ALIGN WITH FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS. SO I'M ASKING THE CITY TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER RECONSIDER ALIGNMENT AND COOPERATION WITH THE FEDERAL BRANCH OF OUR UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT SO THAT WE CAN SECURE THE CRITICAL FUNDING THE CITY NEEDS TO SUPPORT THE CITIZENS OF LONG BEACH IN A SAFE, UH, AND GOOD WAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT, NON AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT. HEY, THANK YOU. WE ARE NOW AT ANNOUNCEMENTS. [ANNOUNCEMENTS] I'LL GIVE YOU A FEW MINUTES LIGHT UP. I'LL JUST GO DOWN THE ROAD. I DON'T JUST GO DOWN THE ROAD. GO AHEAD. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN. ALRIGHT. UM, THANK YOU VICE MAYOR. UM, I'LL BE VERY QUICK. UM, I'M JUST ASKING, UM, FOR PEOPLE TO JOIN THE LOS ALAMEDO BEACH NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION FOR ITS COMMUNITY MEETING ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 13TH, WHICH IS FROM SEVEN TO 8:30 PM AT THE BIXBY PARK COMMUNITY CENTER. AND FOLLOWING THAT MEETING, A BNA WILL HOST AN ICE CREAM SOCIAL WITH ITS NEIGHBORS. SO COME AND ENJOY. AND THEN, UH, ONE MORE ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT. A ROSE PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CLIMB CENTRAL LONG BEACH, FORMALLY A OC SEVEN IS HOSTING A COMMUNITY CLEANUP ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 15TH FROM EIGHT 30 TO 11:00 AM AT 1900 EAST 10TH STREET. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. THANK YOU CUSTOMER. THANK YOU VICE MAYOR. UM, I'D LIKE TO ADJOURN TONIGHT'S MEETING IN HONOR OF CHIEF DICK MILLER, WHO PASSED AWAY OVER THE WEEKEND. CHIEF MILLER, DEDICATED DECADES OF HIS LIFE TO LONG BEACH. AS A LIFEGUARD, A LIFEGUARD CHIEF, A MARINE BUREAU MANAGER, HE WAS A MENTOR TO SO MANY, UH, YOUTH AND ADULTS. HE WAS A LEADER IN OUR COMMUNITY. TOGETHER WITH PAT FLYNN, HE CREATED THE LONG BEACH LIFEGUARD JUNIOR LIFEGUARD PROGRAM, HOPING TO SHAPE GENERATIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE LEARNING LIFESAVING LEARNING WATER SKILLS, BUT REALLY LEAVING A LASTING IMPACT ON OUR CITY'S YOUTH, LIFEGUARDS AND OUR AQUATIC COMMUNITY. HIS LEADERSHIP, SERVICE AND COMMITMENT TO KEEPING OTHERS SAFE WILL CONTINUE TO BE FELT FOR GENERATIONS. I WAS GLAD TO BE ABLE TO SIT WITH DICK AND MELVA LAST [04:40:01] WEEK, AND OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH MELVA, DICK'S, FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND THE ENTIRE LONG BEACH LIFEGUARD COMMUNITY. THANK YOU CHIEF MILLER FOR A LIFETIME OF SERVICE TO LONG BEACH. YOU WILL BE SORELY MISSED. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. I HAD NUMBER TWO. MR. MILLER BACK IN THE A WHILE BACK, HE WAS PROMINENT AND HE SO MANY PEOPLE KNEW HIM AND APPRECIATED HIM AND CONDO THIS TO THE FAMILY. UH, ANY OTHER COMMENTS? WE'RE GOING DOWN. WE'RE GOING DOWN THERE. NO? YEP. UH, THANK YOU AND THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER DUGGAN, MY DAUGHTER AS A JUNIOR LIFEGUARD ALUM, AND HOW GREAT THAT YOU GOT TO DO THE NAMING CEREMONY WITH HIM JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO. SO OUR CONDOLENCES TO HIS FAMILY. UM, THIS WEEKEND, COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT THE HANGAR AT THE LONG BEACH EXCHANGE FOR TWO POPUP MARKETS. THE SUMMER STROLL ON FRIDAY NIGHT MARKET ON FRIDAY FROM FIVE TO 9:00 PM AND THEN ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 15TH FROM 12 TO SIX, THE ANNUAL BOOKS AND BOBBLES MARKET WITH A FREE REGGAE CONCERT STARTING AT 5:00 PM ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 15TH, YOU CAN SPEND THE AFTERNOON HANGING WITH THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY FOR A LONG BEACH HISTORY. HANGOUT IN CELEBRATION OF A HUNDRED YEARS OF WILSON HIGH SCHOOL. VISIT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF LONG BEACH AT 4 2 9 OH ATLANTIC AVENUE FROM ONE TO TWO 30 TO LEARN ABOUT THE CENTURY LONG HISTORY OF WILSON HIGH SCHOOL. FORMER BRUINS CAN SWAP STORIES WITH FELLOW ALUMNI IN THE COMMUNITY. FINALLY, I INVITE YOU TO JOIN NEIGHBORS AND BIXBY KNOWLES FOR THE MONTHLY CRITICAL MASS NEIGHBORHOOD BIKE RIDE THIS SUNDAY, AUGUST 16TH. SO IF YOU'RE MISSING OUR BEACH STREETS EVENT FROM LAST MONTH, YOU CAN JOIN US ON THE 16TH, TAKING OFF FROM BEHIND PIXIE TOYS AT 3 9 1 4 ATLANTIC AVENUE AT 11:00 AM FOR A FAMILY RIDE COUNCIL MEMBER. YEAH, UH, PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE VIP RECORDS WORKSHOP ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, UH, FROM 6:00 PM TO SEVEN 30. UH, WE WENT TO YOUR FEEDBACK ON THE FUTURE HOME OF THE ICONIC VIP RECORD SIGN AND YOUR IDEAS ABOUT, UH, THE NEW COMMUNITY SPACE IT WILL BE IN. UM, SEE YOU THEN. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER . THANK YOU SO MUCH. VICE MAYOR. OVER THIS LAST WEEKEND, DISTRICT EIGHT CAME TOGETHER FOR A DISTRICTWIDE CLEANUP. IT WAS EIGHT EIGHT AT 8:00 AM AND I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO BEAUTIFY OUR STREETS, CONNECT WITH OUR NEIGHBORS, AND TAKE PLACE, TAKE PRIDE IN THE PLACE WE ALL CALL HOME. WHEN WE COME TOGETHER. WE SHOW WHAT'S POSSIBLE WHEN NEIGHBORS TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THEIR COMMUNITY AND WORK SIDE BY SIDE. I WANNA THANK ALL OF THE VOLUNTEERS WHO ROLLED UP THEIR SLEEVES AND HELPED US ELEVATE THE EIGHTH. SO THIS COMING SATURDAY IS OUR SECOND ANNUAL BACKPACK GIVEAWAY. IT'LL TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 15TH FROM 10:00 AM TO 1:00 PM AT SHEAR PARK, 4,600 LONG BEACH BOULEVARD. WE INVITE THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY TO COME OUT. THIS EVENT IS ABOUT MAKING SURE OUR STUDENTS HEAD BACK TO SCHOOL, MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE PREPARED AND CONFIDENT. WE'LL BE PROVIDING FREE BACKPACKS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, HAIRCUTS, HAIR BRAIDING, AS WELL AS COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND LUNCH WILL BE SERVED. I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE AND WE'LL GIVE YOU A SHOUT OUT FROM OUR DJ. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. THANK COUNCIL. COUNCIL MEMBER RICK SONY. UH, THANK YOU VICE MAYOR. UH, I KNOW I WASN'T HERE IN PERSON LAST WEEK, SO I JUST WANTED TO EXTEND A HEARTFELT THANK YOU, UH, TO EVERYONE WHO JOINED US FOR THE INCREDIBLE 15TH ANNUAL UPTOWN JAZZ FESTIVAL. A HEADLINE BY MORRIS DAY IN THE TIME. IT WAS GREAT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO CAME, UH, WE ARE GRATEFUL TO OUR RESIDENTS, SPONSORS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, VENDORS, ARTISTS, VOLUNTEERS, AND CITY STAFF, UH, WHO HELPED MAKE THIS MILESTONE CELEBRATION POSSIBLE. THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THIS BELOVED UPTOWN TRADITION AND FOR CELEBRATING ANOTHER INCREDIBLE YEAR OF MUSIC, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY WITH US CELEBR, CAST MEMBER, CAST MEMBERS, AND SHE NOT. HI. THANK YOU VICE MAYOR. UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS TONIGHT, BUT THANK YOU. OKAY, WELL, I'D LIKE TO CLOSE THIS MEETING IN THE MEMORY A LONG TIME. SO, MR. RESIDENT GLORIA GONZALEZ, HAR GONZALEZ, WHO PASSED AWAY ON AUGUST 3RD AT AGE 89. GLORIA WAS A BELOVED MEMBER OF THE BABY AVENUE NEW COMMUNITY. SHE WORKED THE TREES AMONG EVERY DAY, HELPED WITH THE PARADE, AND OPENED HER HOME TO VOLUNTEERS WORKING ON THE LANE. GLORIA WAS RETIRED FROM THE LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE AND LIVED IN THE LEY AREA OF LONG BEACH. SERVICES WILL BE HELD THIS THURSDAY AND ALSO [04:45:01] CEMETERY ON BEHALF OF SEVENTH DISTRICT. WE EXTEND OUR NE MS. MOSES, GLORIA, HER FRIENDS, HER FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS, AND THANK HER FOR MANY YEARS OF CARE. SHE CAME TO OUR COMMUNITY. AND WITH THAT, LET BE NO FURTHER COMMENT. THIS MEETING'S ADJOURNED. [ADJOURNMENT] THANK YOU, ZACH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.