I was glad to listen to the newly appointed “gang czar” in Los Angeles say that he thinks the term “czar” is inappropriate. Afterall, this isn’t Russia.
Gang violence is a problem. But we need to be honest. Not all the violence that is on our streets and in some of our homes, isn’t gang related. […]

While I am feeling the effects of being out in today’s sun for several hours — it was so nice to see so many people attend our Second Annual Rosie the Riveter Celebration at Rosie the Riveter Park.
More than 25 “Rosie’s” and their families attended the celebration and shared with the crowd of over 250, […]

Thanks to a list of people and organizations that I will acknowledge on Tuesday at City Council — the Community Baby Shower was a success.
90 newborn kits were assembled by volunteers who completed the task in 1 hour — filling diaper bags with diapers, hand made blankets and booties, baby clothes, baby wipes (we had […]

Ah politics can be so fun unless when it turns to “blood sport” and people decide to take something totally out of context and then “gotcha.”
Let me explain.
For instance, take the issue of the City’s proposed reuse of Schroeder Army Hall at Willow and Grand.
About two years ago, the City formed a citizen committee that […]

Fire Station 24 opened this week near the Port of Long Beach. It is the first fire station built in Long Beach in over 20 years.
It is modern and most importantly has the needed sleeping quarters that provide privacy for male and female firefighters.
I wish it had been built to LEED specifications so that it […]

Tonight, City Council voted to approve an agreement with the Firefighters Association and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) which are non-public safety employees, to increase their salaries over a 5 year period.
There was heated debate by Council members and the public — some of whom argued we should not be increasing […]

As you might recall, a few months ago I hosted a workshop on “Foreclosure Prevention” because I was (and am) very concerned about the impact the current mortgage industry is having on the economic stability of our City — particularly the 5th Council District which has the largest number of single family residences in the […]

Sidewalks on our residential streets can be damaged by tree roots uplifting them. Certain species of trees have caused more severe offsets than others and often require heavy root pruning in order to properly repair the sidewalks. Current practice is for these trees to be first evaluated by a certified arborist prior to sidewalk removal […]

Today at 9 am, we kicked off the 5th District Solar Energy Task Force’s Solar Energy Conference and Tour of homes and businesses in the area that are retrofitted with solar energy panels. The room was packed which is great for a Saturday.
Mayor Bob Foster joined me in welcoming those in attendance and discussed the […]