Who Gave City Manager Authority to Pursue Selling or Leasing the City Airport?
By Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske | January 5, 2009
Schipske Asks “Who Gave City Manager Authority to Pursue Selling
or Leasing the City Airport?”
January 2, 2009 – Moments after reading the City Manager has placed an item for the January 6 closed session regarding the lease or sale of the Long Beach Municipal Airport, Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, representative of the Fifth Council District in which the airport is located issued the following statement:
“The City Charter clearly states that only the City Council has the authority to direct the City Manager and so I would like to know under what authority the City Manager has contacted and discussed with financial investors, such as Goldman-Sachs, CitiGroup, and JP Morgan the potential sale or lease of the Long Beach Municipal Airport?
“With budget deficits looming, the idea to sell city assets – an asset by the way which was paid for by the residents of this city – is focusing on the wrong solution. The only discussion this City Council should be having right now is how we plan to live within our means and what steps we will take to reduce spending.
“The disposal of city assets is a decision that must be made by the city council in public, not behind closed doors. Moreover, a decision of this magnitude should have the approval of the voters because of the consequences this action will bring such as the lack of local control over the amount of flights. The financial investment community won’t be interested in a noise ordinance after purchasing our airport if it keeps them from making more money on their investment. What happens when the City can’t make a lease payment? We lose the airport. What if the investors of Goldman-Sachs decide to sell the Long Beach Airport? What about the extensive gas and oil reserves under the airport?
“The City of Long Beach just lost $20 million because we relied upon financial investors. The financial community, which just had to be bailed out because of its mortgage schemes has now found another sucker – local government. Don’t believe me? Take a look at a July 17, 2008 article from Bloomberg News on this newest scheme to buy public assets on the cheap:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aVVhg_jBNeA0&refer=top_world_news
Goldman Sachs’s Conflicts of Interest Convulse Chicago, Indiana
…Sales of public assets were contentious even without the question of conflicts. From the beginning, community activists and government officials wary of ceding control over public works have threatened to derail privatizations.
The administrations that pursue sales, such as Chicago, do so largely because higher taxes are the only other way to plug deficits, fund pension obligations and combat rising fuel costs.
’You need to fund all of these fundamental programs, and raising taxes is not very palatable,’ said Sujit CanagaRetna, a senior fiscal analyst in Atlanta for the Council of State Governments, a research association for legislators.
… Buying Cheap
Goldman is raising a $3 billion infrastructure fund. New York-based JPMorgan Chase & Co., the No. 3 U.S. bank, Morgan Stanley, the world’s largest securities firm by market value, are considering similar steps.
‘The objective of these funds is to buy assets on the cheap,’ Chicago’s Levenson said. ‘`We’re concerned, but it’s unavoidable. It would be a lot easier if there were no funds housed in investments banks, but that’s not going to be the case.’’
Credit Suisse spokeswoman Victoria Harmon, JPMorgan’s Brooke Harlow and Morgan Stanley’s Andrea Slattery declined to comment. More firms soon may find themselves in Goldman’s situation.
“We need to send a message that Long Beach is not for sale. The Council has a fiduciary responsibility that goes far beyond our limited terms in office, to protect the assets of the City. Once we sell the airport, we will never get it back and we will expose our residents to the expediencies of corporate profit instead of the exercise of local control.”
#30
Topics: City Council, Airport, City Manager | No Comments »
Internet Hell
By Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske | January 5, 2009
For those who read my blog in Internet Explorer you probably are complaining that you can’t find some of my past blogs. Two things happened: Yahoo deleted my database (third time this has happened) and I write these blogs using Firefox internet browser.
Seems like there is some incompatibility with Firefox and Wordpress.
Hang in there. We are trying to reconstruct the past blogs. And I will be blogging in Internet Explorer.
Topics: City Council, Internt-blog problems | No Comments »
Who Gave How Much To Whom In the Presidential Race?
By Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske | January 5, 2009
Want to know how much the people on your block donated in the last Presidential campaign? (Actually the website I am about to give you also gives you figures for 2004.)
Disclaimer: I am not on the list because my donation to Hillary Clinton was less than the amounts shown on the website.
But here are some very interesting facts about Long Beach fundraising: $1,819,184 was donated from Long Beach. $570,398 came from 660 Republicans; $1,248,786 came from 1,605 Democrats.
Big hitters:
- City Attorney Bob Shannon: $2300 to John McCain
- Mayor Bob Foster: $2300 to Barrack Obama
- Former Mayor Beverly O’Neil: $2,250 to Hillary Clinton
- City Auditor Laura Doud: $1,000 to Mitt Romney
- Former 5th District Councilmember Les Robbins: $1,250 to Barrack Obama
- LB Chamber of Commerce Ex. Director, Randy Gordon: $700 to Mitt Romney
- F&M Banker Charles Walker: $1,300 to John McCain
Check it out by zip code, address, city or name: http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=city&newest=1&city=long+beach&search=Search
Topics: City Council, Campaign contributions, Obama, McCain, Romney | No Comments »
Who Gave the City Manager Authority to Pursue Selling or Leasing the City Airport
By Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske | January 2, 2009
Schipske Asks “Who Gave City Manager Authority to Pursue Selling
or Leasing the City Airport?”
January 2, 2009 – Moments after reading the City Manager has placed an item for the January 6 closed session regarding the lease or sale of the Long Beach Municipal Airport, Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, representative of the Fifth Council District in which the airport is located issued the following statement:
“The City Charter clearly states that only the City Council has the authority to direct the City Manager and so I would like to know under what authority the City Manager has contacted and discussed with financial investors, such as Goldman-Sachs, CitiGroup, and JP Morgan the potential sale or lease of the Long Beach Municipal Airport?
“With budget deficits looming, the idea to sell city assets – an asset by the way which was paid for by the residents of this city – is focusing on the wrong solution. The only discussion this City Council should be having right now is how we plan to live within our means and what steps we will take to reduce spending.
“The disposal of city assets is a decision that must be made by the city council in public, not behind closed doors. Moreover, a decision of this magnitude should have the approval of the voters because of the consequences this action will bring such as the lack of local control over the amount of flights. The financial investment community won’t be interested in a noise ordinance after purchasing our airport if it keeps them from making more money on their investment. What happens when the City can’t make a lease payment? We lose the airport. What if the investors of Goldman-Sachs decide to sell the Long Beach Airport? What about the extensive gas and oil reserves under the airport?
“The City of Long Beach just lost $20 million because we relied upon financial investors. The financial community, which just had to be bailed out because of its mortgage schemes has now found another sucker – local government. Don’t believe me? Take a look at a July 17, 2008 article from Bloomberg News on this newest scheme to buy public assets on the cheap:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aVVhg_jBNeA0&refer=top_world_news
Goldman Sachs’s Conflicts of Interest Convulse Chicago, Indiana
…Sales of public assets were contentious even without the question of conflicts. From the beginning, community activists and government officials wary of ceding control over public works have threatened to derail privatizations.
The administrations that pursue sales, such as Chicago, do so largely because higher taxes are the only other way to plug deficits, fund pension obligations and combat rising fuel costs.
’You need to fund all of these fundamental programs, and raising taxes is not very palatable,’ said Sujit CanagaRetna, a senior fiscal analyst in Atlanta for the Council of State Governments, a research association for legislators.
… Buying Cheap
Goldman is raising a $3 billion infrastructure fund. New York-based JPMorgan Chase & Co., the No. 3 U.S. bank, Morgan Stanley, the world’s largest securities firm by market value, are considering similar steps.
‘The objective of these funds is to buy assets on the cheap,’ Chicago’s Levenson said. ‘`We’re concerned, but it’s unavoidable. It would be a lot easier if there were no funds housed in investments banks, but that’s not going to be the case.’’
Credit Suisse spokeswoman Victoria Harmon, JPMorgan’s Brooke Harlow and Morgan Stanley’s Andrea Slattery declined to comment. More firms soon may find themselves in Goldman’s situation.
“We need to send a message that Long Beach is not for sale. The Council has a fiduciary responsibility that goes far beyond our limited terms in office, to protect the assets of the City. Once we sell the airport, we will never get it back and we will expose our residents to the expediencies of corporate profit instead of the exercise of local control.”
#30
Topics: City Council, Airport, City Manager | No Comments »
Reviewing Long Beach Aviation History
By Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske | January 2, 2009
I am focusing upon two things right now: City Council work and writing a book on the early history of aviation in Long Beach.
It is amazing what I have found by researching the topic of aviation. Not only about how the early birdmen changed how we traveled (and made war) but how Long Beach was at the center of it all.
Not only did I find that Ameila Earhart had her first plane ride over Long Beach after seeing Earl Daugherty’s “air circus” in 1921, but I found that one of the City’s first Aviation Commissioners ( who served with Daugherty and AR Ebrite) — John Montijo — was actually the person who taught Earhart how to solo and to perform aerobatics.
Other tidbits include: Lindbergh stopping off in Long Beach on his way to New York for his trans-Atlantic flight; Navy planes being sent to Daugherty Field in 1924 because the airfield was considered to be the best by the Navy; four murals painted in our airport terminal by Grace Clements — a WPA artist in the 1940’s– that mysteriously were painted over in 2005; how “Wrong Way” Corrigan actually knew full well where he was flying but feigned being lost because he hadn’t gotten approval of his flight plan to Ireland.
The other amazing thing I am finding is the generosity of folks on the internet who by chance have historic photos of Long Beach related aviators and who are willing to share them with me, free of charge, so I can include them in my book which is due to be published in March 2009.
I am happy to report that my first book published by Arcadia Publishing; “Rose the Riveter in Long Beach” is doing well and I am about to donate some of my “royalties” to the Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Foundation, which I formed to help start a memorial and educational program celebrating the women who served on the war front during World War II.
Topics: City Council, Airport, Rosie the Riveter, Early Aviation in Long Beach | No Comments »
Requesting HUD to Give City Waiver on Homeless Accommodation Requirements Attached to Schroeder Hall
By Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske | December 30, 2008
Schipske to Request Council to Support Asking HUD for Waiver on Homeless Accommodation Requirements Attached to Schroeder Army Property –
Says ‘Long Beach Does More than Its Fair Share’
December 30, 2008 – After months of not being able to locate an alternate site for a homeless program to serve the mentally ill, Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, whose district contains the Schroeder Army Hall today announced that she is placing on the council agenda an item asking for the federal government to waive its requirement that in order to receive the property, the City of Long Beach must accommodate the needs of the homeless.
The City of Long Beach filed an application to reuse approximately 5 acres of land now occupied at Willow and Grand Avenue by the U.S. Army Schroeder Hall. If granted, the property will be used by the City of Long Beach for a much needed Eastside Police Substation to replace the current leased facility near the traffic circle on the condition that it accommodate the needs of the homeless.
“The City of Long Beach has historically provided a great deal of services and programs for the homeless,” said Schipske. “The City of Long Beach continues to lead the cities in Los Angeles County in addressing the needs of the homeless and this should be taken into consideration by the federal government.”
As a condition of the reuse, the City of Long Beach was informed that it was required to accommodate homeless services providers by either providing land on the site or another site that was approved by the selected homeless services provider. Mental Health America was the selected provider and it agreed to use a one acre lot adjacent to the City’s Department of Health and Human Services on Burnett, just steps from the Schroeder Hall site to provide a program aimed at the mentally ill homeless.
“It is clear that the City of Long Beach is already providing a high level of care and services for the homeless,” emphasized Schipske, citing several facts that support her case.
“In addition to having the only ‘multi-service center’ within 26 miles of Los Angeles that is specifically dedicated to providing a variety of services to the homeless, the City has a Mayor’s Taskforce on the Homeless which recently completed a 10 Year Strategy for Ending Homelessness in Long Beach.”
Schipske also noted that the City’s Department of Health and Human Services employs a Homeless Services Coordinator and the City provides shelters and vouchers for the homeless throughout the year and especially during bad weather.
The Long Beach Unified School District also provides a school specifically for homeless children. The City is also the site of the Los Angeles County Comprehensive Health Center which provides, among other services, health care services and treatment for the homeless. Long Beach is also the home of US Vets/Villages at Cabrillo which provides housing for the homeless.
“I am bringing this item to the full city Council because it was the full city council that approved the application,” Schipske said. “Also the residents who live adjacent to the proposed homeless services site and who are opposed to its location, are not convinced that the city really will find an alternative site for the homeless program and so we need a back-up plan.”
Schipske said she is also concerned that the homeless provider can turn down cash in lieu of property as an accommodation.
“We should be able to sell the Burnett and Grand acre, get it back on the tax rolls and use the money to accommodate the needs of the homeless in order for the city to receive the 5 acres from the Army. We’re not asking for a ‘bail-out’ just an accommodation of our needs,” concluded Schipske.
Schipske to Request Council to Support Asking HUD for Waiver on Homeless Accommodation Requirements Attached to Schroeder Army Property –
Says ‘Long Beach Does More than Its Fair Share’
December 30, 2008 – After months of not being able to locate an alternate site for a homeless program to serve the mentally ill, Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, whose district contains the Schroeder Army Hall today announced that she is placing on the council agenda an item asking for the federal government to waive its requirement that in order to receive the property, the City of Long Beach must accommodate the needs of the homeless.
The City of Long Beach filed an application to reuse approximately 5 acres of land now occupied at Willow and Grand Avenue by the U.S. Army Schroeder Hall. If granted, the property will be used by the City of Long Beach for a much needed Eastside Police Substation to replace the current leased facility near the traffic circle on the condition that it accommodate the needs of the homeless.
“The City of Long Beach has historically provided a great deal of services and programs for the homeless,” said Schipske. “The City of Long Beach continues to lead the cities in Los Angeles County in addressing the needs of the homeless and this should be taken into consideration by the federal government.”
As a condition of the reuse, the City of Long Beach was informed that it was required to accommodate homeless services providers by either providing land on the site or another site that was approved by the selected homeless services provider. Mental Health America was the selected provider and it agreed to use a one acre lot adjacent to the City’s Department of Health and Human Services on Burnett, just steps from the Schroeder Hall site to provide a program aimed at the mentally ill homeless.
“It is clear that the City of Long Beach is already providing a high level of care and services for the homeless,” emphasized Schipske, citing several facts that support her case.
“In addition to having the only ‘multi-service center’ within 26 miles of Los Angeles that is specifically dedicated to providing a variety of services to the homeless, the City has a Mayor’s Taskforce on the Homeless which recently completed a 10 Year Strategy for Ending Homelessness in Long Beach.”
Schipske also noted that the City’s Department of Health and Human Services employs a Homeless Services Coordinator and the City provides shelters and vouchers for the homeless throughout the year and especially during bad weather.
The Long Beach Unified School District also provides a school specifically for homeless children. The City is also the site of the Los Angeles County Comprehensive Health Center which provides, among other services, health care services and treatment for the homeless. Long Beach is also the home of US Vets/Villages at Cabrillo which provides housing for the homeless.
“I am bringing this item to the full city Council because it was the full city council that approved the application,” Schipske said. “Also the residents who live adjacent to the proposed homeless services site and who are opposed to its location, are not convinced that the city really will find an alternative site for the homeless program and so we need a back-up plan.”
Schipske said she is also concerned that the homeless provider can turn down cash in lieu of property as an accommodation.
“We should be able to sell the Burnett and Grand acre, get it back on the tax rolls and use the money to accommodate the needs of the homeless in order for the city to receive the 5 acres from the Army. We’re not asking for a ‘bail-out’ just an accommodation of our needs,” concluded Schipske.
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Topics: Public Safety, City Council, Schroeder Hall | No Comments »
Oversized vehicles — where public policy meets real life
By Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske | December 30, 2008
I attended at meeting the garage of Charlie and Kathy Evans who live at Kallin and Harco in the 5th District.
Charlie and another resident had blanketed every truck in the area to warn them of long-standing city law prohibiting the parking of vehicles over 6,000 pounds on residential streets.
By the time the meeting started at 6 pm, 50 people packed the garage. Ten of whom complained they had recently received several tickets for parking their trucks on the neighborhood streets.
They didn’t think the law was fair. They were upset they had never been ticketed before — why now when the economy is so bad and they need their trucks to make a living? Why can’t the council get the tickets dismissed? Why can’t the police stop writing the tickets? Who turned them in? Are the police really following the law? How can a truck used for work be a commercial vehicle? Why does the city of Long Beach make limits at 6,000 pounds?
The questions and concerns were fair. These are hard working men (and women) who make their livings with their trucks — and many had lived in the neighborhood for years without any tickets. They have cars which they park in their driveways (if the driveway is long enough) and so the only place to park their work vehicle in on the street.
At my request, the Police Department sent Sgt. Gerry Prieto and he and I tried to explain the current law that has been on the books in Long Beach for decades. I also tried to explain that while they want to park their trucks, some of their neighbors have complained repeatedly to the police that the trucks are illegally parked and so the police wrote the tickets.
I also explained that as a councilperson I will not and cannot interfere with police work. The police are following the law. The law may not be fair, but it is the law.
I also stated I do think the law is unfair. There are many vehicles over 6,000 pounds that are exempt. SUV’s for instance are over 6,000 pounds but are not included under the law. Vehicles not used for “profit” are exempt. Vehicles which tow RV’s and exceed 6,000 pounds are not included.
Yes, the purpose of the weight limit is to prevent serious damage to our streets by heavy vehicles. But it is not evenly applied and does not take into account the fact that larger trucks have been marketed to people for many years after the 6,000 pounds was selected as the bright line.
I encouraged the residents to circulate a petition asking that the municipal law be changed and that I would place this item on the council agenda for consideration. We have a problem and a dilemma: many residents complain about these vehicles as being a blight in their neighborhood while those who have these vehicles are dependent upon them to earn a living. We need to figure out a solution to this real life problem.
Topics: Public Safety, City Council, LB Police Department, Oversized vehicles | No Comments »
We Need to Look Where We Can Share Resources and Services With Surrounding Cities
By Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske | December 24, 2008
Governmental Budget Woes Mean Many Changes in Government —
Schipske Calls for a Long Beach area “Little Hoover Commission” to Identify Resources and
Services That Can Be Shared
The news coming out of Sacramento and the City of Long Beach’s Budget Oversight Committee is anything but good. Simply stated: there isn’t enough revenue to support the level of services expected by residents. Traditionally, two choices are given to solve such a problem: cut governmental services or increase revenues through raising taxes and fees. Neither choice will work any longer.
Why? Because, which governmental services do we cut? Right now, public safety consumes over 60% of the Long Beach budget. The 40% or so remaining must pay for every other service provided by the city: library, parks and recreation, public works (streets, sidewalks, trees, gutters, storm drains), planning and building, code enforcement, street sweeping, licensing, animal control, vector control, management of city government. Significantly cutting any or all of these services will negatively impact the delivery of services our residents have come to expect and will effect the quality of life in our city.
Raise taxes? Voters don’t want their taxes increased either as shown in the failure of Measure I to pass in November. So it does little good to argue for increases especially in this economy.
So what do we do? How about approaching the problem from a different angle? Every city surrounding Long Beach (Lakewood, Avalon, Signal Hill),the unincorporated areas of the County of Los Angeles and the Long Beach Unified School District are having the same problems and have the same demands for the same type of services such as – libraries, public safety, parks and recreation, animal control, graffiti removal, vector control. Yet each jurisdiction struggles to find revenue and resources to provide those services within their own boundaries.
Meanwhile, we know that in Long Beach crime doesn’t stop at the city boundaries. We know that people from other cities use our parks and recreational programs and that if the school fields were open after hours and on weekends we would be able to meet our sports demands. We know that our parks and recreation programs provide after school and vacation time care because our schools can’t afford them. We know that our libraries are the life-line for school age children and their parents and others of many cities because of our regional status as a quality system. We know that the County Vector Control covers some of our city, but not the eastern portion. We know that citizens call the city when they see graffiti in a flood control and the call gets referred to the county for its crew to respond.
The time has come when we may not be able to afford all these governmental jurisdictions going it alone anymore. We need to pull together revenues and resources to provide services that can be shared on a cost-effective basis. For instance, we need to coordinate library services with the cities, county and school district and put it all into a Library District that would serve all the areas in the Long Beach Unified School District.
To do this, we need to form a “Long Beach Little Hoover Commission” that looks at all layers of government in our immediate area and comes up with ideas on how we can share resources and make our common services more efficient. We need to keep elected officials out of the process because we all will try to protect our own turf and not much will result. However, if we don’t all get together soon and do something to pool our resources and streamline our services, we’re all in for a lot of trouble.
Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske represents the 5th Council District and is a former adjunct faculty member at the California State Long Beach Center for Public Policy and Administration.
Governmental Budget Woes Mean Many Changes in Government —
Schipske Calls for a Long Beach area “Little Hoover Commission” to Identify Resources and
Services That Can Be Shared
The news coming out of Sacramento and the City of Long Beach’s Budget Oversight Committee is anything but good. Simply stated: there isn’t enough revenue to support the level of services expected by residents. Traditionally, two choices are given to solve such a problem: cut governmental services or increase revenues through raising taxes and fees. Neither choice will work any longer.
Why? Because, which governmental services do we cut? Right now, public safety consumes over 60% of the Long Beach budget. The 40% or so remaining must pay for every other service provided by the city: library, parks and recreation, public works (streets, sidewalks, trees, gutters, storm drains), planning and building, code enforcement, street sweeping, licensing, animal control, vector control, management of city government. Significantly cutting any or all of these services will negatively impact the delivery of services our residents have come to expect and will effect the quality of life in our city.
Raise taxes? Voters don’t want their taxes increased either as shown in the failure of Measure I to pass in November. So it does little good to argue for increases especially in this economy.
So what do we do? How about approaching the problem from a different angle? Every city surrounding Long Beach (Lakewood, Avalon, Signal Hill),the unincorporated areas of the County of Los Angeles and the Long Beach Unified School District are having the same problems and have the same demands for the same type of services such as – libraries, public safety, parks and recreation, animal control, graffiti removal, vector control. Yet each jurisdiction struggles to find revenue and resources to provide those services within their own boundaries.
Meanwhile, we know that in Long Beach crime doesn’t stop at the city boundaries. We know that people from other cities use our parks and recreational programs and that if the school fields were open after hours and on weekends we would be able to meet our sports demands. We know that our parks and recreation programs provide after school and vacation time care because our schools can’t afford them. We know that our libraries are the life-line for school age children and their parents and others of many cities because of our regional status as a quality system. We know that the County Vector Control covers some of our city, but not the eastern portion. We know that citizens call the city when they see graffiti in a flood control and the call gets referred to the county for its crew to respond.
The time has come when we may not be able to afford all these governmental jurisdictions going it alone anymore. We need to pull together revenues and resources to provide services that can be shared on a cost-effective basis. For instance, we need to coordinate library services with the cities, county and school district and put it all into a Library District that would serve all the areas in the Long Beach Unified School District.
To do this, we need to form a “Long Beach Little Hoover Commission” that looks at all layers of government in our immediate area and comes up with ideas on how we can share resources and make our common services more efficient. We need to keep elected officials out of the process because we all will try to protect our own turf and not much will result. However, if we don’t all get together soon and do something to pool our resources and streamline our services, we’re all in for a lot of trouble.
Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske represents the 5th Council District and is a former adjunct faculty member at the California State Long Beach Center for Public Policy and Administration.< -->
Topics: Taxes and budget, City Council, Budget | No Comments »
Vehicles 6,000 pounds or more
By Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske | December 23, 2008
Several residents have contacted me regarding the fact they have received tickets for parking their trucks in front of their homes. Because their trucks exceed the limits for weight on non-trucking routes (6,000 or more) they are defined as commercial by the state and city vehicle codes and are not allowed to be parked on residential streets.
I have contacted the City Attorney, the Traffic Engineer and the Police Department to confirm this is the law. All confirmed it. Here’s an explanation:
The applicable LBMC section that sets forth the 6,000 pound weight limit is 10.40.
The issue is that pick-up trucks are classified as commercial vehicles by the State of California where SUV’s and RV’s are not.
All pick-up truck owners should be aware that their vehicles are classified as commercial vehicles because they pay an extra weight fee with their vehicle registration every year. There are some advantages to ones vehicle being classified as a commercial vehicle …….. such as being able to park in yellow zones for up to 20 minutes ……. but there are some drawbacks as well ….. such as the parking weight limit. We in Long Beach are not unique with the 6,000 pound weight limit and our limit has been in place for decades.
As a side note …….. F-250’s are big trucks ……….many F-250s (depending on their options) are also classified as oversized vehicles by our own ordinance ………. because they are typically either too wide, too tall, or too long. Conversely the vast majority of unmodified F-150’s are generally not classified as oversized vehicles.
The City cannot change the definition of commercial vehicle. That is set by the state. Unless the state changes the definition of what vehicles can be on non-truck routes, our Police have to follow the law.
Topics: City Council, Commercial vehicles | No Comments »
Medicare Rates Long Beach Nursing Homes
By Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske | December 21, 2008
Medicare has recently published its rating of nursing homes/convalescent facilities throughout the US.
The ratings look at health inspection records, nursing staffing and quality measures. Facilities are rated on a scale of 1 star being the lowest to 5 stars being the highest.
Let’s look at the factors:
- Health Inspection: A team of trained health inspectors conduct onsite health inspections, on average, about once a year. Inspectors look at the care of residents, the process of care, staff and resident interactions, and the nursing home environment. The data from the last three standard health inspections and all complaint inspections that have been conducted in the last three years were used to calculate the rating. When looking at the five-star ratings, more stars are better. Five (5) stars are the most a nursing home can get. One (1) star is the fewest.
- Nursing Staffing: This information is self-reported by the nursing home and gathered during the most recent health inspection. This star rating is for overall staffing hours, which include Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs), and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). Other types of nursing home staff such as clerical, administrative, or housekeeping staff are not included in theses staffing calculations. To calculate the rating, the number of staff hours per resident per day was used and then the information was case-mix adjusted. Case-mix adjustments take into account the different levels of resident needs (or mix of cases) in different nursing homes. When looking at the five-star ratings, more stars are better. Five (5) stars are the most a nursing home can get. One (1) star is the fewest.
- Quality Measures: This information is self-reported by the nursing home and comes from data that nursing homes routinely collect on all residents at specified times. Only a subset of the nineteen quality measures were used to calculate the quality measure rating. When looking at the five-star ratings, more stars are better. Five (5) stars are the most a nursing home can get. One (1) star is the fewest.
To find out how Long Beach area facilities were rated, log onto Medicare’s website at: http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/Include/DataSection/Questions/ProximitySearch.asp?PrevPage=%3C+Previous+Step&pagelist=Home&dest=NAV|Home&bhcp=1
Topics: City Council, Medicare, Nursing Homes, Convalescent facilities | No Comments »