Gerrie Schipske for City Council.

Schipske Thanks Voters and Volunteers for Win

2006-04-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

SCHIPSKE THANKS VOTERS AND VOLUNTEERS – PLEDGES TO WALK REMAINDER OF THE 5TH DISTRICT BEFORE JUNE RUN-OFF – CHALLENGES OPPONENT TO FIVE DEBATES BEFORE JUNE.

April 12, 2006 – 5th District candidate, Gerrie Schipske, today thanked the voters and her volunteers for giving her a resounding win yesterday in the primary election for Long Beach City Council. Schipske won 24.8% of the votes cast for candidates appearing on the ballot. Termed-out incumbent, Jackie Kell, received 25% , placing both Schipske and Kell in a run-off on June 6th.

“I want to thank the voters of the 5th District who took time out of their busy lives to vote in this city election,” said Schipske. “I am very appreciative to have received the votes of over 2000 and thank these voters for their confidence in my candidacy. To those who did not vote for me, I hope that in the next 6 weeks I can earn their support as I continue walking door-to-door with a goal of completing the entire 5th District by election day.”

Schipske began walking the 5th District last June and completed 75% of the District prior to the primary election.

“I also want to thank my volunteers who worked countless hours helping with mailers, walking, neighborhood meetings and phoning voters. These are the behind the scenes heroes and heroines who make a campaign and candidate successful.”

Schipske also gave kudos to the precinct workers who operated the voting polls and the Long Beach City Clerk, Larry Herrera who had overall responsibility for conducting the election.

“The precinct workers and the City Clerk need special recognition for their hard work and professionalism. The election process went smoothly thanks to their efforts.”

Concerned that the voters did not have many opportunities in the primary to hear the candidates for the 5th discuss the issues facing Long Beach, Gerrie Schipske called upon her opponent to meet and to debate five times before the June 6th election.

“ I challenge Jackie Kell to join me in five public debates between now and June 6th,” said Schipske. “Each of these debates should focus on one specific policy issue facing the 5th District and the City generally. I propose that the topics of the debates include: 1) Fiscal Accountability; 2) Public safety; 3) Infrastructure; 4) Environment and Parks; and 5) Citizen/Neighborhood Participation.”

Schipske also called upon the local news media to cover these debates and to allow both candidates to submit articles on each of these important issues so that the voters can be informed about the candidates’ positions.

“We owe it to the voters to engage in this type of discussion.”
#30

Schipske Walks In 50% of 5th District

2006-03-03T17:56:00.000-08:00

SCHIPSKE WALKS IN 50% OF 5TH DISTRICT
Precinct Walks Continue Until Election

Two pair of shoes, six pair of socks, 22 ink pens, and several cases of bottled water later, 5th Council District candidate, Gerrie Schipske, today announced that she and her volunteers have walked in 50% of the 5th District precincts.

“I have been walking precincts since late June of last year and have talked to hundreds of voters about how I think we can make Long Beach better,” explained Schipske. “The response has been very positive. Voters are glad to see that a candidate will take enough time to knock on their door and many have given me an earful about what they see is needed to be done.”

Schipske notes that the most common complaint of voters is the damaged sidewalks and streets in front of their homes. “Homeowners are concerned about the liability of having a sidewalk in front of their home that is damaged. They are particularly concerned that when it rains or a neighbor washes a car, water is pooling – which is a perfect breeding place for mosquitoes.”

To date, Schipske and her volunteers have walked in 50% of the precincts in the 5th District and plan to continue walking until the April 11 election.

Schipske notes that walking door-to-door has other benefits as well. “I tell people that the only thing I plan on losing this election is more weight,” says Schipske, noting that she has already lost 16 pounds because of the walking.

Anyone wishing to join Gerrie Schipske in walking the 5th District, can contact her at: 562 201-1296. Walks are scheduled every Saturday from 11 am until 4 pm.

Kell Mailer Not Forthcoming

2005-12-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

Because the Quality of Our Neighborhoods Should Matter

Voters in the 5th Council District today received a slick 12-page “Special Report” from termed out incumbent 5th District Councilmember, Jackie Kell, that failed to explain her actions on the serious problems facing Long Beach, says Gerrie Schipske.

“Jackie’s slick report glosses over the stark realties that since she has been on the city Council the city has incurred an enormous debt resulting in the failure to fully staff and fund the police department and the cutting of such city services as library hours and crossing guards and,” says Schipske, a candidate in the 5th Council election set for April 11, 2006.

“What she fails to tell voters is that the airport is set to increase the daily amount of commercial flights from 44 to 52 plus 25 commuter flights and that this will seriously impact the quality of life for those residents living near the landing and take off patterns and near the parking sites planned for the expanded terminal and that the city has no plans whatsoever to help sound proof those homes that will be impacted; that the pollution generated by the ships in the ports and the freeways are causing cancer and asthma in our city at alarming rates; that she supports a special tax to fund libraries because the city spends its money unwisely and can’t meet basic governmental programs such as libraries and fully funded police; that she authored an ordinance that would allow pet breeding in our neighborhoods that will significantly add to the problem of pet over population and add noise in our neighborhoods; and that the 5th District had only 17% of its damaged sidewalks repaired since 2000 while Disticts 1, 2 & 6 which have had 40-46% repaired. Her lack of candor is alarming.”

Schipske says that what is also missing in Kell’s “Special Report” is any mention that the voters of Long Beach have twice overwhelmingly approved term limits for council members and that Kell has chosen to disregard the voters by launching a write-in campaign.

“Jackie certainly wants to take credit for many things that were in the works before she arrived at City Council. Sadly, she takes no responsibility for the current state of affairs – especially the large deficit which she has approved each and every budget year since she was elected.”

LB Must Protect Homeowners Near Airport

2005-12-07T18:22:00.000-08:00

52-25-65-60. Why These Numbers Are Important to Long Beach.

52-25-65-60. Quick picks for the lotto? No. although what Long Beach does about these numbers may have a significant impact on the financial future of this City.

These figures are contained in the recently released City of Long Beach’s Airport Proposed Terminal Area Improvement Project Draft Environmental Impact Report -- a long description for what is foreseen as the environmental impacts of expanding the outdated terminal at the City’s airport and the certainty that daily flights will be increased from 41 to 52 commercial plus 25 commuter flights even if the facilities go unchanged.

65 and 60 refer to the “community noise equivalent levels” caused by existing aviation noise and the potential for increased daily flights. Both 60 and 65 are considered to be significant levels of noise – so much so that the report recommends sound insulation for homes within the 65 CNEL contour and for schools within the 60 CNEL contour.

The report indicates there are a handful of homes within the 65 CNEL near Clark Avenue and the 405 Freeway. There are two schools in the 60 CNEL – south of the airport: Minnie Gant School on East Britton Drive and the Special Education Building located at 5250 Los Coyotes Diagonal. There are also hundreds of homes within the 60 CNEL contour – for which the report does not propose the city provide sound proofing or insulation to reduce interior noise levels to a livable 45 CNEL.

While State environmental standards hold that residential uses are considered “compatible with a noise level of 65 decibels” the courts have ruled that a citizen's personal observations about the significance of noise impacts on their community constituted substantial evidence that the impact may be significant and should be assessed in an EIR even though the noise levels did not exceed the general standards of 65 CNEL. Homeowners in the 60 and 65 CNEL contours will tell you that the constant barrage of commercial, small, cargo and military flights constitute a significant impact on their lives.

Long Beach homeowners living in the 60 CNEL contour should take note that while the draft EIR report does not propose providing sound proofing and insulation for your homes, the developers of new homes and condos in the Douglas Park project clearly understand that the impact of this level of noise can lead to lawsuits against the city and the airport because of the damage noise does to the value of the home, not to mention the health of its occupants.

Check out the Douglas Park Project website and you can read the statement for yourself: “Residents and businesses will be required to acknowledge their proximity to the airport. Property owners will sign an aviation easement that relinquishes the right to bring a cause of action against the city for airport noise.”

We know that Long Beach is struggling to build an economy that will decrease the staggering amount of poverty that exists in several areas of the city. Long Beach needs tourism, travel and trade. It is clear that each of these industries impact in both positive and negative ways. But the City Council should be very mindful not to sacrifice the quality of the neighborhoods and the lives of those who live nearest the airport. These are the very neighborhoods and residents that provide a solid property tax base upon which the city depends. Destroy these neighborhoods and you destroy the future of Long Beach.

It is well established in property law that when the government interferes with the rights of property owners to use and to enjoy their property, it is a “taking” for which the government must compensate the owner. Providing sound proofing and insulation for all Long Beach homes significantly impacted by the noise of the airport should be the minimal assistance Long Beach should give to these homeowners – but apparently is not even on the radar of the City Council.

Residents have until December 22, 2005 to respond to the draft EIR. Please join me in calling upon the City Council to implement a sound proofing and insulation noise mitigation program to help the homeowners of Long Beach who are impacted or will be impacted by the Long Beach Airport.
____________________________________________
Gerrie Schipske is a Registered Nurse Practitioner and an attorney representing the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB). She is a candidate for the 5th Council District.

Feed Back from Walking the 5th

2005-12-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

Schipske Continues to Walk the 5th

One hour to one and one-half hours. That what it takes each day to walk a full city block in a precinct. People are nice. They are thoughtful and they appreciate a political candidate knocking on their doors. That's what I have been finding since the middle of summer. 5th District residents know there will be an election in April. They know that the incumbent is termed out -- and they support term limits. They are concerned about the libraries, their broken sidewalks, not enough police, crime in the downtown area, the increase rates of poverty in pockets of the city, the bad image Long Beach gets on the news media because of frequent shootings, the libraries, crossing guards, the libraries, not enough police, cuts to the fire department...it doesn't matter which part of the 5th I walk..the concerns are the same.

I am struck by the warmth and friendliness of the people I am meeting as I walk and how much they love Long Beach and want the best...the best in leadership and the best use of their taxes.

Am bound and determined to walk the entire 5th District by next June..

Schipske Calls On Council to Act Now Before Flu Hits City

2005-11-16T01:19:00.000-08:00

Registered Nurse-Candidate Calls On Long Beach Council to Act
Now Before Flu Hits City
Says Flu Shot Clinics Should Not Be Stopped on November 17

November 16, 2005 -- Fifth District Council Candidate and Registered Nurse Practitioner, Gerrie Schipske, today called upon the Long Beach City Council to immediately direct the City’s Health Department to develop a detailed strategy on how the city will respond if the Asian bird flu hits California.

“Federal and international health officials are growing increasingly concerned that the Asian bird flu, called the H5N1 strain, may trigger an outbreak of a ‘super-flu’ that could hit California first, especially cities near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach,” notes Schipske, who served on the City’s Board of Health for 8 years. “Our local health department and our local medical community will be the first responders when this happens and we need to make certain that we have a strategy and plan in place for dealing with this potential disaster.”

Schipske suggests that the City Council call a public meeting to discuss how the public health department, local hospitals and doctors and the Red Cross can work together in the event of a massive infection. “It is extremely important that the Long Beach Unified School District which teaches more than 95,000 children also be included in this discussion and that the health department provide educational materials so that residents can learn the facts about the flu and flu vaccines.”

Schipske also urges the City not to stop its ‘flu shot clinics’ on November 17 which is the last day being scheduled for 2005. “Health officials know that while October or November is the best time to get vaccinated, getting vaccinated in December or even later can still be beneficial,” explains Schipske. “We need to make certain right now that our health department has access to adequate flu vaccine and that our most vulnerable – children, elderly and the chronically ill – receive flu shots.”

Duck'n Issues Isn't Leadership

2005-11-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

Three Council Members Duck Vote..and the Rest of Agenda

What's a city council member to do when it doesn't want to be on the record on a conversial issue? Quack..Quack...He (s) and she ducks out of the City Council meeting. Well, that's what termed- out council members Frank Colonna and Jackie Kell did last nite along with Val Lerch..they ducked out of the council meeting before the vote came up on a proposal to state the Council's opposition to several propositions in the up-coming special election called by the Governor. Instead of staying and deliberating (that's a big word for doing their job) the issue and then voting against it, they walked away from that vote and the rest of the agenda. What courage. What leadership. What a crock. If they didn't want to vote for the agenda item, they should have stayed and said so, voted "no" then continued what they were elected to do -- attend city council meetings and vote on the issues brought before them. Thank God the voters of Long Beach wisely approved (and re-approved) term limits.

Cut the Fat -- No New Taxes for Long Beach

2005-09-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

Yes. We Need More Police..and More Hours for Our Libraries..and..

The taxpaying residents of Long Beach need some answers, now:

How can the City Council sit with a straight face and discuss increasing the utility use tax or proposing additional taxes as a way of funding more police and our libraries while at the same time not uttering a word about how several of their colleagues are spending close to one-half a million on their own salaries, staff and expenses?

And only one Council person apparently even bothered to reduce her spending for the coming budget year?

How can the City Council fein concern about the financial straits this city is in and at the same time fail to direct the City Manager to consolidate several major city departments into a streamlined fewer departments? For instance:

· Establish a Shared Operations Services Department by consolidating Financial Management, Human Resources, Civil Service, and Technology Services departments. SOS Department would provide all performance management, financial management, information technology services, procurement and other functions on a centralized shared basis. Currently these 4 departments have 389 staff. Additionally, most city departments also have staff that perform personnel and payroll, budgeting and information technology functions which could be eliminated.
· Establish a Public Infrastructure Department by consolidating Public Works, Planning and Building, Gas/Energy and Water departments. A Public Infrastructure Department would provide all services related to construction, engineering, pipeline maintenance, street and sewer repair, gas, water and refuse utilities, etc. Currently the Public Works, Gas/Energy and Water departments utilize separate staff and equipment to perform similar functions related to the repair of streets and pipelines. These 4 departments together have 1334 staff.

When is the City Council going to establish a "fraud, waste and abuse hotline" so that employees can bring forth their concerns, ideas and complaints about how funds are spent?

When is the City Council going to stop the practice of offering pensions and not setting aside the funds to pay for them? The Council needs to adopt a City Charter amendment requiring the Council to at all times set aside funds to pay for pension liabilities.

Common sense should have told the Council that the “super funding” of PERS would not last and that by increasing the retirement benefits, eventually a higher amount of funds would be due to PERS. A Charter amendment would require that the Council set aside funds to pay for pension liabilities even if PERS determines that the City is “super funded” and is not required in a specific year to contribute the employers’ portion to the funds.

The City Council has a long ways to go before they should be proposing taxes.

That's why I've proposed "9 Reforms to Bring Accountability and Efficiency to City Hall." Check them out. Not one of the suggested reforms calls for increasing or imposing new taxes.

LET'S BE PREPARED FOR A DISASTER IN LONG BEACH

2005-09-07T00:54:00.000-07:00

Let's Not Wait. Critical Information To Prepare for a Disaster In Long Beach Is Readily Available.

The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina should be a wakeup call to those of us who live in Long Beach and to those who are elected to govern and protect our city should we be faced with a natural disaster such as an earthquake.

Let's not wait until something bad happens here before we alert residents how to prepare and to respond to a major disaster. A great deal of the tragedy in Louisiana and Mississippi might have been avoided if the people who live knew what to do or where to go to seek safety. Additionally, most of the areas were grossly unprepared to handle such a mass disaster and to assist thousands who because of poverty could not escape.

During my campaign for City Council I will be distributing information to residents on how to prepare for such as disaster. I urge readers to link to the following sites provided by the State of California Office of Emergency Services and download the information sheets.

More important than reading this critical information -- is actually doing something to prepare. Stock up on supplies. Organize your neighborhood. Get ready.

Critical links:
How To Organize Your Neighborhood

Emergency Supplies Checklist

How To Prepare Your Children

Tips for the Elderly

Tips for the Physically Challenged

Tips for Pet Owners

Preparing Your Family

Kell Increases Her Office Budget by $29,103 to $346,471

2005-09-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

Council Pork Report: KELL AGREES TO CUTS TO SERVICES -- BUT INCREASES HER OFFICE BUDGET TO $346,471

The City has a huge deficit. The City Council is strongly considering closing El Dorado Park Nature Center one more day per week in order to save $59,000; suspend the Discover Long Beach Parks program to save $56,947' and to close city libraries an additional day, including the North Neighborhood Library in order to save $56,924.

Do they touch their own budget? Only one of the nine -- Tonia Uranga -- actually cut their own budget. She cut her budget by $12,880.

Jackie Kell, who is termed out in 2006, increased her council budget by
$29, 103 to a total of $346, 471!! Let's see: $29,103 is more than 1/2 of what it would take to restore some of the programs that Kell agrees to cut.

Once again, I propose: that the City council's staff and expense budget be set by the voters every 4 years and adjusted for inflation; that each council member be given the same amount of money; and that the council and the mayor be restricted from out of state travel in their last 12 months in office.

The City Council together increased their budget by $281,647 for FY 2005/06. In other words it went from $3,288,986 to $3,551,533.

I guess those of us in the 5th District can be a little grateful. Council District 4 is seeing an increase in the Council budget of $58,024 to a whopping
$419, 120. While the grand prize winner in Council Pork is District 6 with an increase of $76,707 to an insulting $477,585!!

Imagine just what almost half a million (spent by just one councilwoman) could pay for in terms of public safety and neighborhood improvements!

Reaction to Kell's Announced Bid for Write-In

2005-08-18T23:46:00.000-07:00

What Part of "We Are Upset with this City Council" Doesn't Jackie Kell Understand?

Bill Peal, as usual, scooped all the other news outlets in the area and ran a story tonite that two termer Jackie Kell has announced that she would do a write in campaign for a third term on the City Council.

I posted a reaction to LBReport and am including it here for other readers:

The voters of Long Beach wisely gave their support on two occasions to the limit of two terms for members of the City Council. Jackie Kell's announcement to seek a third term not only ignores the will of the voters, but flies in the face of both recent polling and direct contact with voters in the 5th Council District that my council campaign has conducted.

Voters are angry at being ignored. They are angry that vital city services such as library hours are being cut while the City Council and Mayor continue to spend away on their own travel, cars, staff and other expenses. They are angry that the Chief of Police and the Police Officer Association have to come to council and to beg for funds to hire enough police for California's 5th largest city. The voters are angry that the city council is talking about raising the utility tax -- again ignoring the will of the same voters who told city council to reduce and eliminate the tax. The voters are upset that their city sidewalks are cracked and buckling -- trapping water and inviting mosquitoes. These same voters are tired of calling city hall and getting the run around instead of action to fix these problems. The voters are extremely concerned that the council is more interested in spending money on big ticket boon doggles such as the Queen Mary and the Pike Project (without the Pike) to attract visitors -- but are not interested in taking care of public safety and environmental quality for those who actually live here. Many are concerned that Long Beach will be severely impacted if the airport is expanded to allow more air traffic and an LNG plant is placed adjacent to our downtown.

Most seriously, we are hearing that voters are tired of the city council pretending that they had nothing to do with causing the current deficit; that they didn't know that spending money they didn't have would caused the current problems; they are very upset that the city council never questioned city management as to whether or not the city could afford expanding the pension system for public employees. Simply put, many voters don't believe city council is doing the job it was elected to do.

Bottom line -- voters are tired of being ignored and taxed. How then in good consciousness can Jackie Kell -- an incumbent who has served her two terms in office and who has participated in creating the problems this city faces and offers not one solid solution for dealing with any of the financial problems facing our city -- explain to these same voters that they should reward her by ignoring the limit on city council terms and give her a third term?

While the Cat's Away...the Council Plays

2005-08-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Mayor O'Neill Goes Out of Town..and Kell Changes Rules

With no disrespect meant toward Mayor O'Neill, it does seem funny that while she was out of town..and unable to run the City Council meeting...that Vice Mayor Kell would take it upon herself to change the rules regarding who could show "Power point" presentations during City Council meetings.

Seems as if Kell decided that she should allow pro-airport expansion types extra time (most of us lowly citizens are limited to 3...count them..3 minutes) to explain the slides on the screen (again which us lowly citizens are not allowed to do) about the need for airport expansion.

Then again, who said all is fair in politics..especially when you are trying to entice pro-airport expansion supporters into funding an independent expenditure for your campaign?

PC vs. CP

2005-08-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Whatever Way You Slice It...It Isn't Politically Correct To Allow Council Pork.

Where to begin? Front page of PT today explains that the City Council is planning on cutting $22 milion from the proposed City Budget so that the huge deficit doesn't continue to drain. So where does the Council propose to cut? From its own budget first you say? No way.

The City Council pork (herein after referred to as "CP") remains at @$4.3 million for travel, staff, cars, salaries for themselves and the Mayor.

What then is on the chopping block? Oh, just the usual "let's scare the voters into thinking we need to raise taxes" cuts. Like library hours, youth programs, the Municipal Band, school crossing guards, the DARE program...

Meanwhile the Chief of Police states that the City needs between 37 and 309 more police. (That's quite a spread and makes for a puzzling request.)

Bottom line. There's a lot of carnitas in this budget (that's pork for those of us who haven't yet enjoyed the pleasures of my favorite 5th District restaurant..Baja Sonora) and it starts at the top with the City Council and Mayor. Let cut their budgets to the bone before they start cutting services and programs that you and I and other tax payers already paid to have.

More on how to be CP ("Cutting Pork" later.) Meanwhile, please check out my 9 Steps to Bringing Accountability and Reform to City Hall in an earlier post.

Win a Chance for $25 Gift Certificate

2005-08-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

It's Time to Cut the City Council Pork.

No, we aren't making carnitas. We mean the pork the City Council spends on itself while at the same time calling for cuts in city services and higher taxes.

As I walk precincts in the 5th District, I am handing out a "It's Time to Cut the City Council Pork" card that gives 5th District residents a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate to Baja Sonora Restaurant.

By circling the correct answer below on the postcard and mailing it back to my campaign, you can get a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate from my favorite 5th District Mexican restaurant: Baja Sonora (on Clark and Spring).

The City Council & Mayor budgeted the following millions on their own staff, travel, benefits, salaries, while cutting city services and calling for higher taxes:
A. $4.5 Million in FY 02
B. $3.89 Million in FY 03
C. $3.9 Million in FY 04
D. $4.3 Million ni FY 05
E. All of the above.

The postcard must be mailed back no later than September 1. All correct entries will be placed in a box and a winner will be picked at random.

Join me in calling for my "9 Steps to Bring Accountability & Efficiency Reforms to City Hall."

The Term Limit and Tax Increase Two Step

2005-07-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

What Part of Term Limits and Reduced Utility Use Tax Doesn't the City Council Understand?

Ah, don't you just love the sound of hubris* playing down at City Hall? Listen carefully and you can hear it.

Okay, so we have a deficit. No, problema.We'll just cut out school crossing guards, close the libraries more hours, up all the fees we slap on business and residents, get rid of some park rangers and fire equipment and zippity doo we'll balance the budget. But that didn't balance the budget?

Well there's always taxes. So we'll just throw in an increase in the utility use tax and set up a new tax..let's assess property owners for the libraries. (Even though property taxpayers already chip in money for city services...) Wait. Didn't the voters of Long Beach vote to reduce the utility users tax a couple of years back? Silly us. Maybe if we scare the voters enough about this big bad deficit that we created they will forget what they told local government several times...ala Prop 13...to live within our means. How uncool is that?

Now we won't breathe a word about how much we spend on ourselves or the fact that since 2002, we have spent approximately $16.8 million on Council-Mayor salaries, benefits, travel, staff, offices, cars, etc. Ssssh! Not so loud. You wanna get the voters nervous...or angry?

Let's see. We got a deficit. We don't have enough police for a city this size. We all just got pay raises again. We can't keep our libraries open regular hours. We promised pensions to city employees and never put the money aside. That's pretty impressive and certainly grounds for snubbing our noses at those pesky terms limits.

C'mon. The voters didn't mean us when they passed term limits...two times. They mean the other councilmembers. Not the ones who created this mess. It's hard giving up a salary, benefits, travel, staff, city-paid car...after only 8 years. One becomes rather accustomed to being called by an elected name. So let's do a write in and hope and pray that next April 2006 the voters will be too exhausted from voting in a November special election and too distracted by a sharp rise in interest rates and skyrocketing real estate that they won't notice the deficit, not enough cops, fewer library hours, higher fees, and the same ole council members asking for their vote..you know..the same ones who started this whole mess to begin wtih.

So the chatter continues. Let's hope the voters hear it...soon.

*Hubris is the Greek word for feeling as good as the gods.

9 Steps to Bring Accountability and Efficiency Reforms to City Hall

2005-07-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

Candidates for public office should not just be another "pretty face." They should have substance and ideas. That's why I am putting together "9 Steps to Bring Accountability and Efficiency Reforms to City Hall."

The 9 steps are basic and common sense approaches to really dealing with the fiscal problems facing the City of Long Beach. They include:

Balanced Budget & Accountability Initiative.
Establish a Whistleblower Hotline to Expose Waste & Fraud.
Conduct an Independent Audit of City Enterprise and Special Funds.
Reorganize the City Government & Streamline Overhead Costs in Each Department.
Establish an Employee Incentive Fund to Encourage Ideas for Cost-Savings.
Prevent Unfunded Liabilities in City Pensions.
Reduce Corporate Welfare & Subsidies to Special Interests.
Cut the Mayor and City Council Expenditures and Staff and Stop Automatic Pay Increases.
Enact a TINCUP Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance.

I am putting the final touches on the details of each of these steps and will post them on this weblog and my campaign website.

Most importantly, I am encouraging residents of Long Beach to bring forth their own ideas on how we can make Long Beach even better!

One More Reason to Say No to an LNG Plant in the Port

2005-07-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

London, Long Beach and the world of terror

How horrible for the people of England. The recent terrorism in the UK defies any description or reasoning. It is important for Long Beach to re-think any possibility of painting a bright red target sign on this City by positioning an LNG plant smack dead in the Port (pictured to the right). Yes, there are other things in the Port that could go boom, but LNG is particularly dangerous and why add fuel to the fire (to use a bad pun in this case)?

Someone needs to convince me why we know better than the State of California which did a report on the siting of LNG plants and decided the Port of Los Angeles (inches away from Long Beach) was in an earthquake fault area and was not a good place to have something like an LNG plant.

Also, supposedly if we build an LNG plant our gas bills will go down? I think that only works if we then build a system to convert LNG (liquid) to gas because that's what our homes are piped for.

When it comes to safety, I say let's err on the side of caution. Sure, sure, some of you will say, well then we shouldn't have buses and subways and trains because that's what the terrorists went after. Yeah, that is true. But I say in response, let's not tempt them to try something different and more spectacular.

A Revenue Enhancer

2005-07-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Charging Non-Long Beach Residents To Park In & Adjacent To City Parks Could Raise Revenues

Living directly across from El Dorado, I have the wonderful treat of looking out on trees, lots of trees and open space. Long Beach should be very proud of its parks and how they are filled with families on the weekends and especially at holidays.

Today, El Dorado was filled up with families celebrating the 4th of July. BBQ's were blazing, kids screaming with laughter, and blankets spread out under the wonderful, large trees.

After sunset (during my usual walk in the park), I noticed mounds of garbage strewned throughout the park and the restrooms were filthy and the toilets clogged.

Now I am not suggesting that all of the aftermath was caused by non-Long Beach residents but it has struck me that anyone can use these parks, whether they paid property taxes in this City or whether or not they even live in this City. And afterwards, the City picks up the tab to clean and maintain these parks.

So why not raise a little revenue from those non-Long Beach residents who use our parks and facilities? That's right. Issue a free parking sticker to every resident of Long Beach (through the utility bills) which could be displayed on the back bumper. Then we could install parking meters on the streets adjacent to the parks and inside the parks. Residents with stickers would be exempt from paying for parking. Non-residents would have to pay for parking at the meters or could pay for an annual parking sticker with an appropriate annual parking fee.

The revenue raised from non-Long Beach residents could be used to defray the costs of park maintenance and park rangers.

A Moment of Campaign Zen

2005-06-30T00:48:00.000-07:00

Kurt Hein from the Grunion Gazette asked if I would be posting any inside, insights on campaigning for city council. I really want to use this webblog as a place I can explain in detail what my positions are on the many issues facing this city. Kind of a bulletin board for voters to check out to read more than campaign brochures and sound bites that we usually get in a campaign.

But I am willing to share some of the moments only a candidate experiences. Like just the other day when I happen to run into the other announced candidate for the 5th Council -- Ed Barwick. We both were scheduled for the same local cable tv program -- The Sonny Bozeman Show. I did not recognize him at first nor did he recognize me. Also on the same program was Peter Mathews, who I defeated in the Democratic primary in 2000 for Congress. Once I said "hello" to Peter, who by the way, is a very articulate, smart candidate and political science professor -- well, then Ed and I exchanged "hellos".

These can be awkward moments but I have always treated my opponents with respect because believe me when I say this, campaigning for public office is very hard and I do admire anyone who tries this. Ed was very gracious as well and we bantered about who else might try this exciting venture. Ed shared that he heard the incumbent, Jackie Kell, had hired an attorney to try and get the election law changed so that a write-in candidate could get their name on the ballot. (Am confused as to how this could be done, especially since Beverly O'Neill wasn't able to do it. We'll explore that a little more..a little later if it transpires.)

We both did our segments on the show: Ed went first and announced his candidacy. I followed him and talked about RXforLongBeach. com which is a website I set up to help Long Beach residents get free prescription medicine. (More about that in another post.)

The experience was pleasant. We noted that he already has printed business cards and I have a website..actually this webblog. He's planning on having a website too: www.edbarwick.com.

I came home and thought I had a brillant idea. I set up www.lbcandidateforum.blogspot.com. I envisoned that Long Beach candidates could post their positions on a number of issues and also allow readers to comment and ask questions. All candidates would have their own password in order to post their positions (so the other side couldn't "edit" it). I emailed my opponent, Mr. Barwick, and offered the webblog for him to post his positions.

I received the following email reply:

"Gerrie, thanks for the offer but I already have a web site. I am sure we will get together often during the next few months and have the opportunity to discuss our respective views with the voters."

Well, Ed. I hope so. I really hope so.

Be Careful Out There -- They're Biting

2005-06-30T00:34:00.000-07:00

Mosquitoes are out and biting in Long Beach. So be careful, especially at dusk and dawn. The Long Beach Health Department, which the city is very lucky to have and only one of three cities in California with its own health department (Pasadena and Berkeley being the others) is doing a great job monitoring where these pesky insects might be and also giving great advice about how to stop them from multiplying. These critters cause of lot of problems -- including spreading West Nile virus.

The following is some great information prepared by the City of Long Beach Department of Health on tips to prevent West Nile Virus:

City of Long Beach Public Health Officials are continuing to monitor and treat public areas to prevent the spread of infection in the City and urge residents and business owners to protect themselves and their neighbors by following a few simple guidelines:

Remove pools of standing or stagnant water. Debris piles, buckets, barrels, kid’s toys, and tire swings are some common sources of stagnant water. Mosquitoes need water to complete their life cycle and they are most active around stagnant water.
Clear gutters and drains of standing water.
Change water in birdbaths frequently.
Maintain swimming pools and spas with proper filtration and chlorination levels. Green or dirty pools can breed thousands of mosquitoes in a week’s time, unnecessarily increasing the population’s risk of contracting WNV.
Limit the watering of lawns and outdoor plants to twice a week to avoid run off to gutters and around sprinklers.
Limit your time outdoors when you notice mosquito activity (primarily at dusk and dawn). If you remain outdoors while mosquitoes are biting, wear clothing that provides more coverage of your skin (such as long sleeved shirts and pants).
Use mosquito repellents containing 10-30% DEET when outdoors and especially between dusk and dawn. The repellent should be sprayed on clothing and exposed skin. Residents should follow instructions on the label. Consult with your child's doctor.

Supreme Court Is Wrong About Redevelopment

2005-06-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

Lordy, what were they thinking when the Supreme Court by a narrow majority decided that cities can take homes if needed for redevelopment in a "blighted area"?

Does anyone remember when Long Beach declared the Marina Pacific mall as blighted so that it could help get a "rack" store into the mall? (I think that only former Councilwoman Jenny Oropeza objected to that non-sense.)

So now with the US Supreme Court firmly behind them, cities can take homes to turn the property over to developers. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor got it right when she stated in a stinging dissent, arguing that cities should not have unlimited authority to uproot families, even if they are provided compensation, simply to accommodate wealthy developers.

"Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random," she wrote. "The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process,including large corporations and development firms."

Right now, voters in Long Beach should start putting pressure on the City Council to enact a "home owners' protection" ordinance that carefully spells out that only under an extremely limited case, with careful attention to give the homeowner due process, could Long Beach ever "take" a residence. Otherwise, it may be open season.

The Biggest Little Airport in All of California

2005-06-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

It's Not Quantity But Quality
that Counts..or Should

Improve the LB Airport facilities...Without Increasing Flights.

First a disclaimer: I choose the Long Beach Airport to fly out of every time I have the chance. It is super convenient (less than 5 minutes from my home) and so easy to get into and out of. I also enjoy flying on JetBlue. They are efficient, on time and their staff have a wicked sense of humor. Plus their Blue Chips are the best.

Okay. So it is difficult some times to treck up and down the outside stairs. And on those few occasions when a cold wind blows through Long Beach, it does get a tad chilly on the run way and in the baggage area.

And while the guys probably don't care about the small, few toilets available, it can cause a panic situation for us females coming off a long flight.

Can we improve the Long Beach Airport? Of course we can and should in a way that maintains the quality of our neighborhoods -- all of our neighborhoods. Anything that opens the door to additional flights at the Long Beach Airport should not be undertaken nor approved by the City Council.

There is incredible pressure in the transportation community to do something about the overcrowding at LAX. Repeated reports show that Long Beach Airport's capacity could be increased. Whoa, there fellas! LB Airport's capacity cannot be increased without additional (and negative) impact upon our neighborhoods. Increased capacity means more traffic and more flights.

There is nothing wrong with the Long Beach Airport improving the facilities and parking capabilities...parking capabilites for cars...not more planes.

No New Taxes

2005-06-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

What Part of No Taxes Does the Council Not Understand?

Having a degree in history can be a curse sometimes. I kinda keep track of what has happened in Long Beach. Somehow I remember that the voters made it clear that they do not want a utility users tax. So why or why are several council members spending time..or actually asking city management to spend time..to determine if the utility tax can be increased to help make up some of budget shortfall.

Wrong. Wrong. Before we go about taking more of the taxpayers' money..are we all sure that we have cut every bit of excess and fat out of management and the council staff?

And please have the decency to call it what it is. It is not a utility tax -- it won't be used to improve the utilities in the city -- it will be used to pay for things the council isn't paying for. If it is for public safety --then call it that. I doubt the voters will go for a public safety tax because the logical question is: what are you spending my taxes on that you cannot afford to pay for public safety? Huh?

Stop the foolish talk about increasing the utility tax and get back to work cleaning your own house. Consolidating major departments to decrease the amount of duplicate administrative staff would be a start...but I am sure there is more.

Voters are historians too when it comes to taxes and those who tax. They don't forget even if council members leave the council and try to run for higher office.

2005-06-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

My parents, Mary and Norman Schipske.

Happy Father's Day

2005-06-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

Notes on My Dad.

My father, Norman Dudley Schipske, passed away from lung cancer in 1992 at the age of 62. He worked his entire life as a machinist but at home he was an incredible carpenter. After my mother died of Alzheimer's disease in 1999 (at 68), I found a box of letters my father had written my mother when they dated, married and during my mom's pregnancy with me.

They met at the Long Beach Pike in 1947 or to be more precise at the Chatterbox -- a place young people went to dance. My father was 18 -- having enlisted in the US Marines at barely 17 years of age. My mother was 17 -- a transplant from Pennsylvania. My grandparents had left the coal mining town of Dickson City (outside of Scranton) with 10 of their 11 children, so that my jack-of-all-trades grandfather could find work near the Long Beach Naval Shipyards and my grandmother could work as a nurses' aide at the Long Beach Naval Hospital (which is now the VA Hospital).

When my parents met in 1947, my father was a private first class in the Marines and stationed aboard the USS Topeka which was berthed at the US Naval Station. He and his two brothers had been raised by their grandparents on a farm in Maryland and then by their uncle in New Jersey. He tried to enlist at 16 but apparently didn't get into the Marines until he was 17 -- just one year shy of finishing high school.

Mom and Dad married in 1949 at St. Lucy's Catholic church over on the westside of Long Beach. They held their reception at Silverado Park nearby. Unfortunately, Dad was reassigned from Long Beach to Lakehurst, New Jersey, and he and his new bride took a bus across country. Several months later, Mom was pregnant with me and she returned to Long Beach to be near her family. Dad returned shortly before I was born at the Long Beach Naval Hospital and was discharged a couple of months later. We moved into Truman Boyd housing until my parents purchased their first home in the newly formed Lakewood.

The letters are sweet and gave me insights into both my parents. I discovered facts about my Dad that I never knew while he was alive: he earned his GED while he was in the Marines and used some of his scanty pay as a private to buy "Great Books" -- classic literature that he enjoyed to read and wanted to pass along to his new family. He desperately wanted to become a writer and planned on going to college after the Marines, but then met my Mom and then I came along...and well, life got in the way.

He kept those facts a secret. But made no secret about the importance of getting a college education..all three of his kids went to college..and he did for a semester or two in his 30's. He also passed along a passsion for finishing what you start..which probably came from his sadness of never having finished his schooling or trying a writing career. Most importantly for me, he told me I could do anything I wanted to do if I just worked hard enough. When I complained in high school about having problems with calculus, hoping for a shred of sympathy from my Dad, he remarked: "That's because you are not trying hard enough." He was right of course, but I didn't tell him that because I was having too much fun concentrating on being Student Body President.

I miss him and so do his grand kids.

Political Pet Peeve

2005-06-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

Just Why Are Politician's Names on Public Works Signs?

Ever look at the signs government agencies put up at the construction sites of public works projects? Ever notice that in addition to listing all the architects and construction firms that have won the bids to work on these projects, that there is always a listing of the elected officials?

Sometimes there will even be a little ditty like, "here we grow again" or "another project of the City or the County." And right below will always be the list of those electeds for that governmental entity.

Instead of listing the elected officials, wouldn't it be great and actually more accurate to indicate that the construction project was brought about by the taxpayers who paid the taxes that fund these projects in one shape or form?

Just a pet peeve of mine. It ranks up there with the time I was in Washington, D.C., being sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court Bar by Chief Justice Reinquist. Afterwards, I went to the Supreme Court gift shop to buy souvenirs and found several with the US Supreme Court "logo"...but had to pass on them because they were stamped on the bottom as having been "Made in China." Somehow it just didn't seem right.

Redevelopment and the Brown Act

2005-06-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

Comment in PT Suggests Brown Act Violation on RDA Study Vote

It is a violation of the Brown Act for a legislative body (i.e. the city council) to "poll" its members on their vote before the issue is discussed in a public session (where goverment business is to be conducted).

So what is up with the comment in the Press Telegram yesterday from a "City Hall insider that a council member told him that an informal poll before the meeting showed six council members were ready to vote against the takeover" of the Redevelopment Agency?

While we're on the topic of Redevelopment, I have to admit that I have changed my mind about who should run the Redevelopment Agency Board. I once believed that the City Council should be the RDA Board, as it is in most cities, because I believe in accountability. And since councilmembers are elected, they can be un-elected when they do dumb things. The threat of losing office keeps many an elected official accountable.

However....Long Beach has a part-time council and doing redevelopment oversight and conducting council business too, are just too much for part-timers. And I don't support the council going full-time unless we change the power and authority of the Mayor to match a full-time city council. Additionally, until the council can get the budget under control, it is just too tempting to raid the cookie jar of redevelopment funds.

One last thought on the RDA study recommendation that a full-time communications person be hired to do a better job at getting the word out to residents what redevelopment is all about. Way back in the olden days...circa late 1970's, a study was done by well-meaning citizens of Long Beach of what could be done to improve the city. One of the recommendations was to hire a full-time public information officer so that the City could communicate all the wonderful things it was doing.

Low and behold. Yours truly was hired by City Manager, John Dever to be the Public Informaton Officer (as I was then serving as a Legislative Press Secretary to a Republican Member of Congress). I came home to Long Beach and worked diligently to set up a communications office and to get the word out to the press..which back then was two news outlets: The Press Telegram and the Los Angeles Times. Despite press releases, press conferences, newsletters, you name it...if the news media chooses not to cover the City of Long Beach...and now..the Redevelopment Agency..you can hire a hundred "public information officers" and it won't get you much. (Actually, mini-newsletters in the utility bills work much more effectively.)

Yes, today we have the Grunion Gazette, the Long Beach Beachcomber, the View, and the Long Beach Business Journal and the instant reporting by websites of LBReport.com and thisland@yahoogroups.com, and local cable television, but unless they choose to cover redevelopment it will not matter how many press releases a redevelopment agency "communications officer" spits out.

Suggestion: put the Redevelopment Agency Board meetings on cable television and set up a website. Bring on a couple of college interns from CSULB and LBCC journalism and/or marketing departments to write press releases, press kits, newsletters and the website.

P.S. I know you are dying to find out what happened to me as Long Beach's Public Information Officer. Well, Prop 13 hit and the City Manager believed that the voters really meant that city government was to be streamlined. So he cut his office down to 5 people. My position was eliminated and I moved into an open upper middle management position.

The Other Side Regarding Public Employee Pensions

2005-06-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

There Is Another Side to the Pension Issue

Public employee pensions and the labor organizations that negotiated for these benefits are being made the scapegoats for poor financial planning done by many city governments -- including Long Beach. Frankly readers, if the City didn't have the funds to contribute to an increased and more generous pension system, then it shouldn't have agreed to it. But it did and legally it has to honor what it agreed to. And if in the future, you want to hold the City Council and City Management's feet to the fire about what they agree to, I suggest two things:

Stop allowing City Management to have a "me too" provision -- this means City Management gets whatever they give to employees. When the retirement percentages were increased for city employees, it was increased for management as well. Managers by the why who had in excess of 25 years of services on the books ready to be calculated at the newer, higher retirement rates they negotiated for non-managers.
Pass the TINCUP (Time Is Now to Clean Up Politics) ordinance I am proposing. This would require council members to disclose prior to voting on an issue whether or not they have received $500 in campaign contributions from any organization or person who is involved in the issue. They would also have to exclude themselves from voting on the issue if they had received more than $1200 in the past 4 years from any organization or person who is involved in the issue. (The $1200 level is reached by 2 terms in office and any contribution given to the council person for other political races -- i.e. Mayor, City Attorney, Assembly, etc.) Full and public disclosure each and every time before a vote is taken will put the public on notice who the council person has taken $$$ from on a particular issue.

Now. Let's take a look at some of the information not being provided out there for the general reader on public employee pensions. Before everyone piles on the public employees, remember, folks, these are the men and women who pay taxes, make our streets safe, put out our fires and respond to medical emergencies in less than 5 minutes, staff our libraries, clean our streets, pick up that nasty garbage none us want around, keep our water safe and clean, make sure our buildings are built to code, pick up that dead possum you saw in the street, and on and on...they provide thousands of public services that many of us never see being done but which make Long Beach one of the better cities in the State...and the Nation.

So let's examine some of the stuff being circulated out there about public employee pensions and the proposal to change the CALPERS system -- which the City of Long Beach has contracted for its pension system.

“Public employee benefits are bankrupting state and local government.”
Facts:

The market collapse is the primary cause of the fiscal woes. 70% of the increased employer costs to CalPERS between 2000 and 2004 is attributable to the market collapse – roughly $1.7 billion of the $2.4 billion difference.
Employee benefit increases are only a fraction of the problem. Only 20% of the pension increase can be laid to increased benefits.
Employer contributions may go down in future years. The pension fund’s return on investments rebounded to 17% in 2004. This rebound will be reflected in state and local budgets beginning in 2006. (CalPERS) CalPERS has also suggested “Smoothing” of the employer contributions, which will minimize the impact on the employers and lesson the wild swings experienced with market fluctuations.

“Taxpayers are footing the bill for public employee pensions.”
Facts:

Taxpayers pay only a fraction of the tab for public employee pensions. Seventy-five percent (75%) of CalPERS’ total worth comes from investment income. Only 12% of the CalPERS funding comes from state and local budgets. (CalPERS)
Employees are paying more of the tab than employers. Over the last two decades, the workers have paid 13% of the cost, vs. 12% that comes from state and local budgets. (CalPERS)

“Public employee pensions are too generous.”
Facts:

California is only slightly above the national average. In 2003-2004, the average monthly retirement check in California was $1,591 ($19,092 per year). The national average is about $1,500. (CalPERS). That’s only about $500 above the federal poverty line for a family of four ($18,500 in 2004).
No Social Security safety net for many. Unlike the private sector, many public employees do not pay into Social Security, and do not receive Social Security benefits.

“A two-tiered retirement system will mean more money for schools, roads and health care.”
Facts:

No impact on budgets for 10 to 20 years. The main legislative advocate for privatized pensions admits it could be decades before there is any budget savings for the state.
Little if any impact for years beyond. A CalPERS analysis concludes that, in a best-case scenario, the potential savings for the first decade would amount to $34 million -- 03% of the current $100 billion state budget. (CalPERS estimate)
No guarantee that taxpayers will benefit from savings. Nothing in the measure guarantees that savings will be used for schools, roads, health care, etc.

“A privatized retirement system provides fiscal stability for government.”
Facts:

Higher cost to manage the system. The overhead cost of the average defined contribution plan is 2% of assets. CalPERS’ average cost is 0.18%. (CalPERS). Over time, additional costs could run in the hundreds of millions per year.
Fees charged on investments drive up costs. Mutual funds charge, on average, $1.35 for every $100 invested. CalPERS’ rate is about 18 cents per $100 invested.
Cost of existing pension plan will rise. Without new, younger employees paying into the system, the existing plan will have fewer assets to invest, driving up costs.
Short-term costs will be higher. Cost of setting up system and two-tiered retirement system means higher costs in short term.
Potentially huge long-term cost to public safety net. The rise of defined contribution plans has created a gap between retirement income and projected expenses that’s expected to grow to $45 billion by 2030. (EBRI) There’s a big bill coming to the states to pay for under-funded retirements, and this will just make that bill that much bigger.

“Money paid into employee pension system benefits only the employees, not taxpayers.”
Facts:

Taxpayers benefit from higher-quality public servants. Public service pensions attract high-quality workers (police, fire, nurses, IT professionals, etc.), who would otherwise make more money in the private sector.
Taxpayers benefit from a more experienced work force. Employees under traditional pensions are less likely to go job-shopping, and more likely to continue growing within public service.
Taxpayers benefit from the pension system’s size and strength. CalPERS invests between $17 billion and $18 billion directly into the California economy.
Taxpayers benefit from pension clout. CalPERS and CalSTRS forces corporations to take California’s needs and values into account in financial decisions.

“The private sector is moving toward defined contribution plans.”
Facts:

Large employers still overwhelmingly offer traditional pensions. 83% of Fortune 100 corporations offer a traditional pension plan – only 17% offer defined contribution exclusively. 69% of corporations on the Standard and Poors 500 offer traditional, defined benefit plans. (Watson-Wyatt)
Trends show traditional plans on the rise among large employers. From 1985 to 2002, companies with 10,000 or more employees offering traditional pension plans went up, not down, even through an era of dramatic corporate mergers and market volatility. (EBRI)
Increase in DC largely among small companies. Virtually all of the shift away from defined benefit plans since 1992 took place among employers with fewer than 250 employees. (NASRA)

“The public sector is moving toward defined contribution plans.”
Facts:

The stock crash killed the DC movement in other states. Since 2000, no new states have enacted a defined contribution plan. (Governing Magazine)
Jurisdictions that tried DC plans are switching back. Nebraska recently dropped its 40-year defined contribution system. The City of Irvine recently re-entered CalPERS after trying DC.

“Individuals can do a better job of managing their money than the pension professionals.”
Facts:

All the evidence points the other way. An exhaustive study of Nebraska’s abandoned system showed a return of 6-7% for defined contribution vs. 11% for traditional pension plan (Governing Magazine)
Defined contribution plans produce lower rates of return. Over last 11 years traditional pensions outperformed defined contribution plans. The difference was especially marked during the 2000-2002 bear market (Watson Wyatt)
Move away from traditional pensions creating a retirement income gap. Gap could grow to $45 billion nationally by 2030 – a “demographic ticking time bomb.” (EBRI)

Sources: Santa Rose Firefighters Association, CalPERS, Employee Benefit Retirement Institute (EBRI); National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA); Watson-Wyatt Investment Surveys 2002, 2004. Governing Magazine, March 2004 – “Pension Pendulum”

Funding Public Pensions for Police and Fire

2005-06-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

A MODEST PROPOSAL THOUGHT OF BY SOMEONE ELSE

Firefighters and police deserve solid pensions.

It is important to give credit where credit is due. And so, I need to credit several others states who thought of this first: fund the pensions of police and firefighters through gross premium taxes levied on insurance premiums.

Clear the steam from your glasses over the mere mention of "taxes" because California already imposes a 2.35% tax rate on most insurers' gross premiums. That's because tucked into Article XIII, Section 28 of the California Constitution, the insurance tax is in lieu of all other state and local taxes and license fees, except real property taxes, motor vehicle license and registration fees and ocean marine insurance -- paid by the insurance companies. That's right. No corporate taxes for insurance companies. Gross premium taxes instead.

Most all states in the US have a gross premium taxes and like California, that money goes into the state treasury. Some states like Florida and Delaware allow cities to impose the gross premium tax on fire and property insurance policies sold in their cities and to use that revenue to fund pensions for police and fire (or in the case of Delaware to actually pay for volunteer fire department expenses).

Makes sense. Effective police and fire departments usually means lower crime (less auto theft, burglary, etc) and faster response to fires, resulting in less property damage = less payout by the insurance companies. So in essence the police and fire departments of local government are saving costs for insurance companies.

The relationship of insurance companies to fire fighters goes way back in our country. In early colonial days, fire insurance companies had their own private fire fighters. Obviously, there has always been an incentive for fire insurance companies to minimize damage and payout loss. Homeowners would purchase a fire insurance policy and the insurance company would place a plaque with the insurance company's insignia on the front of the house. Whenever a fire broke out, the private fire fighters would only respond to those homes bearing the insignia of their employer insurance company. These private fire fighters had no incentive to put out the fire of surrounding homes if a plaque was not displayed on those homes.

In 1737, Ben Franklin put an end to this absurd, dangerous practice and established our nation's first publicly funded and administered fire department: Philadelphia’s Union Fire Company.

Such a radical, was he, that Franklin went on to propose publicly funded libraries, post-offices and schools.

So now our publicly funded police and fire departments not only save property and lives, but millions of dollars in claims payouts for the insurance companies. Time for the insurance companies to pay up.

Are We All Just A Little Embarrassed?

2005-06-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Our Police Should Not Have to Beg

Doesn't make much sense that a City of almost 500,000 with major crime problems and a vulnerable international port would not want to do what it needs to do to fund and retain its police force. But here in Long Beach we have just the opposite.

The Chief of Police, Anthony Batts, came before the City Council not too many weeks ago and basically begged for appropriate funding. The Long Beach Police Officers Association is now engaged in collective bargaining agreements and is requesting that Long Beach Police Officers be brought to the median of what other police officers are paid in other cities so that the Police Department doesn't lose experienced officers and is able to attract officers. The LBPOA is also asking that its retirement and health benefits not be reduced. Fair requests considering the type of job we are asking these men and women to do.

Public safety is the number responsibility of local government and should be its number one budget priority. Period.

Consider for one moment the fact that the City of Long Beach budgets more to pay debt service on all the money borrowed than it does on the Police Department budget -- and actually includes some of that "debt" into the Police Department budget.

Now aren't we all just a little embarassed?

Alice in Wonderland Comes to Long Beach

2005-06-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

A view of the Port of Long Beach

Let's see. The Port of Long Beach's website proudly boasts: "Long Beach is the United State's second busiest port. Long Beach is the world's 12th busiest container cargo port. If combined, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles would be the world's third-busiest port complex, after Hong Kong and Singapore. East Asian trade accounts for more than 90% of the shipments through the port. The value of cargo through the port was $95.9 billion in 2003. 4,658,124 TEUs (twenty-foot-long cargo container units) moved through the port in 2003 Container throughput has increased by 175% since 1990."

The Port is obviously an economic engine that drives this entire region if not beyond. So what were they thinking when the Harbor Commission (appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council) starts the ball rolling on a proposal by Sound Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp. of Japan, and ConocoPhillips to build and operate a $400 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal on 25 acres at the southeast end of Terminal Island at the Port of Long Beach?

When cooled to minus 260 degrees, natural gas becomes a liquid. LNG would be shipped primarily from Pacific Rim countries to Long Beach, where the liquid would be gradually warmed until it is again a gas. The proposed terminal also would have a facility for distributing LNG in its liquid form.

According to a State of California Energy Commission report entitled: Liquified Natural Gas in California: History, Risks and Siting, "LNG is considered a hazardous material. The primary safety concerns are the potential consequences of an LNG spill. LNG hazards result from three of its properties:
• Cryogenic temperatures
• Dispersion characteristics
• Flammability characteristics

The extreme cold of LNG can directly cause injury or damage. Although momentary contact on the skin can be harmless, extended contact will cause severe freeze burns. On contact with certain metals, such as ship decks, LNG can cause immediate cracking.

Although not poisonous, exposure to the center of a vapor cloud could cause asphyxiation due to the absence of oxygen. LNG vapor clouds can ignite within the portion of the cloud where the concentration of natural gas is between a five and a 15 percent (by volume) mixture with air. To catch fire, however, this portion of the vapor cloud must encounter an ignition source.

Otherwise, the LNG vapor cloud will simply dissipate into the atmosphere. An ignited LNG vapor cloud is very dangerous, because of its tremendous radiant heat output. Furthermore, as a vapor cloud continues to burn, the flame could burn back toward the evaporating pool of spilled liquid, ultimately burning the quickly evaporating natural gas immediately above the pool, giving the appearance of a “burning pool” or “pool fire.” An ignited vapor cloud or a large LNG pool fire can cause extensive damage to life and property. Spilled LNG would disperse faster on the ocean than on land, because water spills provide very limited opportunity for containment. Furthermore, LNG vaporizes more quickly on water, because the ocean provides an enormous heat source. For these reasons, most analysts conclude that the risks associated with shipping, loading, and off-loading LNG are much greater than those associated with land-based storage facilities."

"My, this is curious!"

Is there a reason no other Southern California city is contemplating putting an LNG facility in a busy, active port, let alone near a city with a population of close to 500,000?

The State's report reminds us that in 1972, several cities were being considered for LNG facilities. One city in particular, Oxnard, took it upon itself to do a study that showed 70,000 casualities could from an LNG accident there. None of the risk assessments considered acts of sabotage or terrorism. Oxnard said "no."

The Feds didn't want the Port of Los Angeles (inches away from the Port of Long Beach) because of its nearness to earthquake faults. LNG costs were not competitive with natural gas, so all LNG projects were stopped in the 1970's.

Today, LNG prices are competitive and SES is salivating at the thought of putting its LNG plant in Long Beach. But wait, the Port of Long Beach is in earthquake country and yet we are considering an LNG plant.

Let's go back to the State's report again on this one: "Land-based events which could result in an LNG spill include equipment failure and site-specific events such as earthquakes. Terrorist attacks against LNG ships or storage tanks could release a large amount of LNG at once. The potential for earthquakes and related geologic hazards to occur will significantly influence the location and design of LNG facilities, especially in California. Typical earthquake and geologic hazards include potential for fault-related, ground-surface rupture; intense ground shaking; adverse foundational conditions, such as soil liquefaction and settlement; slope instability; and tsunamis."

You really have to check out Mitsubishi Corporation's website and read what they have done in Malaysia for the people who live near its LNG plant. Okay, here it is: "The Malaysia LNG Project has also made arrangements to protect the residents' welfare by opening up hospitals within the plant for local residents in the event of fires and other emergencies."

As Alice would say: "That is very curious." Not to mention, dangerous for Long Beach.

2005-06-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

Our Webblog Master...

Miss Manners Would Not Approve

2005-06-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

Miss Manners would certainly not approve how the Mayor and City Council have been treating the public lately who come to provide in-put on important issues.

Whose idea was it to schedule lengthy hearings on both the expansion of Memorial Medical Center AND the LNG issue on the same night...and to consider other council business as well.

I watched on cable TV the entire spectacle that unfolded last Tuesday night as the Council pushed through on these critical issues.

Really. Someone needs to figure out that working men and women in this City can't take time to come to a Council meeting to speak on a specific issue and then sit through a lengthy, lengthy agenda...also, I know it pains the Mayor and Council to hear this...but when people take time out of their busy, busy lives to come to a Council meeting, then they should be allowed to speak, even if it doesn't fit comfortably into plans to only allow a certain amount to speak from each side of the issue. That's what Democracy is about!

HOW A TINCUP ORDINANCE WOULD MAKE POLITICS 'CLEANER'

2005-06-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

Schipske Proposes TINCUP Ordinance to
Increase Campaign Reform in Long Beach

Community activist, Gerrie Schipske, today called upon the Long Beach City Council to enact an ordinance that would require council members to publicly disclose at the time they vote on an issue if they have accepted more than $500 in political contributions from any person or organization related to the issue during the previous four years.

The ordinance would also prohibit council members from voting on matters involving people and organizations from whom council members have accepted more than $1,200 in political contributions during the previous four years. Such political contributions would include those made to a council member for all their political campaigns during the previous four years.

The Tin Cup ordinance is patterned after a movement started by Shirley Grindle in Orange County to stem the influence of campaign contributions on the decision making of elected officials. TIN CUP stands for Time Is Now to Clean Up Politics.

“Local residents are becoming more concerned about who impacts the decisions made by the city council,” states Schipske. “Although Long Beach has done a great job in campaign finance reform by limiting campaign contributions, a TINCUP ordinance would let voters know exactly who is giving money to council members and for what issues. The ordinance would prove voters with a ‘conflicts check’.”

Schipske points out that while campaign contributions are limited to $300 for council members in the primary and $300 in the run-off, due to term limits, more and more council members run for other offices while sitting on the council or prior to winning a seat on the council. “In those races, the contribution limits are much higher and are often given by the same people and organizations that have issues before the city council,” Schipske observes. “Conceivably a council member could receive far in excess of $1,200 during four years depending on what political offices they seek. Voters would have to spend an inordinate amount of time tracking all these contributions to analyze the impact on a particular politician. TINCUP would make the politician do the work.”

Schipske proposes that penalties be assessed council members who do not comply with the ordinance, including perhaps a financial fine. She also proposes that the city clerk and city prosecutor be responsible for enforcing the law. The city clerk currently receives the campaign reports from each council member and would need to calculate the total contributions received by a council member from a single source. Council members who seek other offices or who sought other office prior to being elected to city council in the previous four years of the vote, would have to provide the city clerk with those campaign reports as well.

Schipske added that while enforcing the ordinance will be a time-consuming process, “ it will provide incredible accountability and a transparency that voters deserve to have. I hope that this concept can be adopted at state and federal levels as well.”

Long Beach Needs A Jacaranda Fest

2005-05-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

Taking Advantage of Those Lavender-Blue Droppings

The hugely financial successes of the Long Beach Gay and Lesbian parade and festival and the Grand Prix races prove that “if you build it they will come.” Tourists hunger for something different and fun and they don’t mind spending money to get it.

So why doesn’t Long Beach take advantage of the fact that it is home to one of the largest growths of the lavender-blue Jacaranda mimosifolia tree and host an annual parade and festival in celebration?

Long Beach wouldn’t be the first city in the world to host a Jacaranda Festival. Grafton, Australia has been throwing a giant party to celebrate the magnificent spectacle of their 6,000 trees in full bloom, since 1935. The week-long celebration brings thousands of people from all over Australia and the world to join in hundreds of activities that include: a carnival, music festival, a volleyball tournament, golf, crew races, gardening exhibits, pipe bands, foods, canoe races, quilting contests, antiques, car show, fun walk and fun race, arts and crafts exhibits, and the Jacaranda Ball.

Although the jacaranda is actually a native of Brazil, its blooming is also celebrated in the African capital city of Harare in Zimbabwe with an international Jacaranda Blues Festival. Pretoria, South Africa, whose nickname is “Jacaranda City” naturally boasts a jacaranda fest to celebrate its 68,000 trees.

In the United States, Southwest Florida has been hosting a Jacaranda Festival for 18 years. And this very month, Maui, Hawaii is putting on its first annual jacaranda celebration.

Come on Long Beach. While some residents bitterly complain about the lavender-blue droppings on their streets and lawns that appear each May and June from the jacaranda trees, some of us believe this wonderful annual event could be turned into something great. After all, folk-lore has it that if you are walking underneath the Jacaranda tree and one of the trumpet blossoms falls on your head you will be favored by fortune.

2005-05-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

Gerrie Schipske’s 3 R’s for A Great City Government.

Running a city should be like running a business or raising a family. First, you take care of the basics. Police. Fire. Code Enforcement. Streets. Libraries. Then you pay for the luxuries.

Long Beach has done the big-ticket spending to attract new corporations and tourists. The Aquarium of the Pacific. The Long Beach Convention Center. The Pike Project. Now it’s time to take care of the people who are already here.

Gerrie Schipske has a big vision of the little things that make a big difference in people’s lives. Streets without potholes that shake your car and sidewalks without cracks and bumps that cause you to trip. Libraries that are open because we should care as much about the people who use these services as we do the million dollar consultants that are constantly hired by the City. Hiring enough police officers because they keep our neighborhoods safe and we are tired of watching the news on television feature crime after crime in Long Beach. That’s how you run a great city…by taking care of business for the people and companies who make Long Beach great.

Gerrie Schipske is proposing 3 R’s to make Long Beach great:

· Reform Wasteful Spending. No more million dollar consultants to do the work City management is already paid to do. Investigate why Long Beach is currently spending more to service the debt of the City than it spends on the entire Police Department budget. Institute a pay-cut for the Mayor and City Council every year the budget has a deficit.

· Reduce Crime. Stop making the Police Department beg for the necessary funds to hire enough police to keep our neighborhoods safe. Fund public safety…without raising taxes. Do everything possible to drive the gangs out of Long Beach. Enforce “zero tolerance” throughout our city and in our schools.

· Restore the Quality of Life in All Our Neighborhoods. Make certain that our neighborhoods are free from noise and air pollution. Remove the blight that exists in several areas of Long Beach by strong Code enforcement. Assist residents with renovation grants.

The 5th Council District needs a Councilmember who’s not afraid to stand up for what’s right. Because a great city is worth fighting for.

Gerrie Schipske for Long Beach City Council.
5th District.
Putting Basics First.
http://www.schipskeforcouncil.blogspot.com/
schipskeforcouncil@yahoo.com
Telephone: 201-1296

Putting Basics First.

2005-05-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

Gerrie Schipske for City Council.

Putting basics for neighborhoods before big-ticket spending.

A big vision for the little things. Long Beach has done the big-spending projects to attract corporations and tourists. Now we need to take better care of the people who are already here. Gerrie will focus on the basics. Police. Fire. Streets. Parks. Code enforcement. Libraries. She’s the right Councilmember to fix the potholes, improve our parks, reopen our libraries, clean up our neighborhoods and hire enough police to keep our neighborhoods safe.

A strong leader who gets things done.
Gerrie was the coalition builder who brought the Police Department and the community together to strengthen how the crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence are handled. She raised $40,000 to save senior health care services and launched a non-profit organization called Long Beach Cares and a website called RXforLongBeach.org that helps residents obtain free prescription medicine.

A fiscal watchdog who protects taxpayers. Gerrie will work to cut wasteful spending on frills and luxuries to pay for more police and to restore our libraries…without raising taxes. She will be a tough budget hawk who does her homework, pores over the budget line by line, and stands up against excessive red tape and bureaucratic spending. She’ll work to cut expensive consultant studies and to reduce the City’s debt and use the savings for our priority…a safer Long Beach.

Gerrie Schipske for Long Beach City Council. 5th District.
Putting Basics First.
http://www.schipskeforcouncil.blogspot.com/
schipskeforcouncil@yahoo.com
Telephone: 201-1296

Schipske to Distribute Airport Questionnaire

2005-04-11T23:43:00.000-07:00

Gerrie Schipske believes that the taxpaying residents of the 5th Council District have the right to be heard about the important issues facing the City of Long Beach. One of the most controversial of these issues is the Long Beach Airport and what, if anything, should be done to upgrade the terminal and eating facilities.

The Schipske for Council campaign is distributing a brief post-card questionnaire asking residents of the 5th Council District to express their opinions on the Long Beach Airport. Completed post-cards can be stamped and returned to Schipske who will take them to City Hall.

The Airport post-card questionnaire can be obtained by emailing: Gerrie@schipske4council.com.