A quick update on the FIS city council study session for this Tuesday, December 13th.  As of Friday afternoon, the study session is planned to take place in the city council chambers at city hall.  It will begin at 5:00 p.m.

Both Jet Blue and other LGB non-commercial airline tenants will be there to fill the seats.  If you can be there by 4:00 - 4:30 we would suggest doing so.  Regardless, your presence is very important for the final outcome.

As confirmed by two studies (2013 and 2016) their is very little economic benefit to Long Beach for allowing this facility to be built. So why would this council continue to support something that could jeopardize our neighborhoods and our investment. 

According to our city attorney report, we could face a legal challenge either way.  That is absolutely correct.  However, would one choose to be challenged by one carrier, Jet Blue, because they aren't getting their way?  Or would a challenge by multiple carriers, that would then include international carriers, be a better legal battle to defend?

We will post the economics comparisons from the two studies tomorrow.

Happy Holidays!!!!!

Dear Long Beach Residents,
 
This past Tuesday, Dec. 6th, our mayor and city council voted 6-3 to hold the FIS study session on December 13th.  At the same time they voted to move forward with the city to begin negotiations with Jet Blue on sizing, financing and other specific details to build the JB requested customs facility.
 
They also instructed the city staff to communicate with our Governor Brown, who must provide a letter of agreement to the CBP (Customs & Border Patrol) with his approval for the FIS facility to be located here in Long Beach.
 
Both of these issues were violations of the Brown Act since this item was not on the agenda and in fact, has been posted to be on the Dec. 13th council agenda.  Mungo and Garcia did manage to confuse the discussion enough to get their 6 votes, but we expect they will have to redo their vote next week.  A complaint has been filed with the DA’s office for their review.
 
This is a POLITICAL choice!  There is not a bureaucratic force, this includes the FAA, that can demand that any airport proprietor change from municipal to international. 
 
The public, each and every one of us, can drive this decision to serve our best interests. How?  By bringing a thousand angry and concerned residents to the council chambers next Tuesday. 
 
We hope you will not assume that your neighbors will take care of it!  If you DO NOT want this council to put us in a compromising position, placing our home values and quality of life in jeopardy then plan to attend the city council meeting on Dec. 13th.
 If you are in need of transportation please call 562 423-1170 or email [email protected].
 
Thanks to Councilmembers Austin, Uranga and Supernaw for doing their best to redirect these disingenuous actions.  The remaining six members that did support taking these commitment actions prior to holding their “study session” next week should be held accountable. 
 
Visit lbneighborhoodsfirst.com for the meeting details and share the word with your friends and family across our city.  What happens in one district will eventually impact the others!
 
Stay Involved!
 
Rae Gabelich
LBHUSH2 &
Long Beach Neighborhoods First Team

UPDATED 12/5/16 - please click on button above to read the full Bob Joy Document entitled, Assessment of Jacobs FIS Feasibility Study.

There seems to be a problem with attaching the link to Bob Joy's FIS research post.  Please go to Hot Topics to access his points and use as you see fit. 

The public can take pieces of this document to read to the city council or use in your written arguments to the mayor and city council prior to December 13th.

Sorry for the confusion.....and thank you Bob for taking so much time to analyze the Jacobs study.

 Like most of us I have just returned to my "real life" after enjoying a Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.

I returned to read the community frustration on NextDoor from both sides of our airport and to see that not one council member thinks it is important enough to hold their own community meeting on the $350K FIS study they approved last summer.  Oh wait!  When I arrived home this Monday evening around 6:15 p.m. my phone was ringing...."Are you going to the FIS meeting in the 5th district?"  "What meeting I replied?".....

It appears that 5th district council woman Stacy Mungo decided to hold an FIS information meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m.  How was it communicated with her public?  It was not on her website along with her recognition of being a TOP 40 under 40 winner......it was shared via Next Door that does not spread across the city as one would hope.  It was not delivered via e-notify from our City of Long Beach staff.  It was not shared by the 4th, 7th or 8th district council offices (who by the way should be holding their own meetings....) nor was it mentioned in any of their online district communications.

So what is the public to do....I read the remarks from the 8th district side on Next Door and heard frustration, anger and pessimism...maybe even a bit of the Stolkholm Syndrome going on. 

Wake up Long Beach!!  You have a voice.  This decision, that appears will still be made during the holiday season, is strictly political.  How will their 9 council votes personally benefit them in their political future?  Is it best for them to stand up for the residents who voted them into office or side with a corporate request from one tenant?  Do these 9 elected officials who make decisions that effect each and every one of us every single week care about our quality of life?  Do they care about the impact that losing our noise ordinance could have on our city as a whole? Do they understand the history of how LGB got to where it is today? 

Call and/or write every council office and the mayor with your demands.  Their numbers are on the header of this lbneighborhoodsfirst.com website.  Nothing fancy or formal.  Simply state your position, your frustration and demand their attention.  I was privileged to serve in the city council position for 8 years.  I know that the public can truly rattle the electeds, your collective voices are heard.  Especially if their future is at stake.

This site is here to help you stay informed about citywide issues.  It reaches a small audience of the nearly 500,000 residents.  Do your part and tell your friends, family and neighbors to sign up.  Ask them to commit to attending the council meeting when they finally agree on a date. Even if that date remains in the 2016 holiday season. 

If you hear the airplanes of today, consider what that can mean for tomorrow as more and more are allowed.  Or worse, if our ordinance is challenged and we, the City of Long Beach,  does not prevail.  There is no FAA requirement  for any city to approve to move their city owned airport from municipal to international!!!  More fear mongering by Jet Blue, a month to month LGB tenant.

Stay Tuned....we'll update during the week as news becomes available.  In the meantime, make your calls, write your emails, talk to your neighbors and mark your calendars for December 13th 5:00 p.m at City Hall.

Jet Blue has formally asked their frequent flyers to write to our city officials asking to approve this FIS facility.  Even those travelers who have never been to LGB.  Get up, stand up and make the statement for your homes and your communities.

Need a yard sign?  Just ask.  We deliver.

Most Important....Stay Involved!   Rae Gabelich

p.s.  Our next post will be from Bob Joy who has dedicated hours of his personal time to review and compare the stats within the Jacobs Study.  Very interesting!

Decision time for the proposed FIS faciltiy for Jet Blue will be before the council in mid-December.  It had been scheduled for November 15th, but last week the public was notified that it has been changed to December 13th.

Our concern for this date change, with no apparent reason, is that it falls in the middle of the holiday season.  This was exactly what 4th District Council member Daryl Supernaw asked not to happen.  We are hopeful that the city manager will realize that such an important decision deserves not only to be scheduled so that the public can attend, but also to begin this council decision with a study session so that all 9 council members will receive the same information from the 697 page report.  We are aware that only 3 council members did attend the two commission meetings; 4th district Daryl Supernaw, the 7th district representative, Roberto Uranga and the 8th district, Al Austin who attended the second meeting.

If you will remember, several of the council supporters for this $350,000.00 study stated it was important to gather as much input as possible before making their decision.  Any wagers on how many actually read the 697 page report?  Another story for another time.  The council also approved an additional $20,000.00 to pay for Jacobs to present the study to these two bodies, the AAC and the Economic Development Commission. 

Why were the commissions and the public not simply invited to a council study session where all concerns could be flushed out?  Where questions could be answered and the council members could understand the concerns from all interested parties.  Instead the AAC members discussed why they even exist.  The public was told their questions would not be answered, until the uproar and vacating the room resulted in a change of heart.  Too late for true public participation.

Now this Thursday at 4:00 the AAC will vote to approve their annual report to the city council.  In that report, they manage to insult the HUSH2 group for the years of community advocacy and agendize approval for the FIS facility without AAC full discussion.  Who wrote this report?  What authority was given to speak for the entire body? 

Your HUSH2 team will be there to speak on behalf of all airport impacted neighborhoods.  Your presence is not critical, but may be of interest.  They will also receive a presentation from the FAA on the new Metroplex (GenX) system that is being introduced to southern California airways.  This system is being challenged in court by several cities nationwide on increased noise disturbances.  Our own airport director, Bryant Francis expressed his concern for several areas within the new departure flight path that will now be impacted.

We ask that you mark your calendars for the December 13th council meeting.  This will be the final chapter in this long, arduous discussion on the pros and cons for supporting the Jet Blue FIS request.  All other carriers stated they are not interested in international flights out of Long Beach. 

So, the question remains, should the elected city council stand by the concerns of their residents, their constituents, or should they support a corporate request for a business to expand; a business that is here on a month to month basis. 

We strongly urge you to email or call your mayor, city manager and all 9 city council members asking that they move this very important decision slated for December 13th to the other side of the holiday season.  This is the right thing to do..........

Stay Involved!!!!

As most are aware the FIS study has been released and was presented last week to the AAC and the public. According to the Gazette it was attended by nearly 200 people - some who had never attended an airport meeting before.  The public asked questions and the AAC panel and the tw0 Jacobs representatives advised they would not answer any questions.  That did change after most of the audience left out of frustration, but few were left to address the group.  Maybe tonight the format will be different?

The second meeting is scheduled for today at 6:00 and is being presented to the Economic Development Commission.  Both agenda items are to receive and file.  These two bodies are not being asked for their input or recommendations.  We believe the two meetings are being held to relieve pressure from the city council.

Very interesting that the study which 6 of the council members voted for, stating they valued having more information to help them make their best decision, did not attend the first meeting.  We shall see  how that holds for tonights meeting being held at City Hall in the council chambers.

We have requested that the city council hold a study session on November 15th rather than taking the vote without a full vetting in public - regardless of their decision it will important that the public demonstrate their opinions at that time.  Mark your calendars!  Jet Blue and other LGB tenants who will benefit from this action will be there en masse, so plan accordingly.

More details to follow.........

On April 20th over 150 residents attended the 2nd obligatory community meeting to display the scope of work for Jacobs Engineering.  Jacobs was selected to provide a study on the feasibility of international flights at LGB.  

It was clear after nearly three hours of public testimony that the majority of community members are not in favor of approving this enhancement to our municipal airport.

Mr. Peters, spokesperson for Jacobs Eng., made several comments that told us he was not clear on why the residents are worried about this approval.  

#1 -  Mr. Peters stated that the study will only define the impacts that fall under our Long Beach noise ordinance.  "The noise ordinance is a given."  That is the concern that most people have.  It is NOT a given!  It can be challenged at any time by any entity that may feel it could benefit from a change or elimination of the ordinance.  Our Long Beach history shows this to be a fact.  A fact as recent as 2003 when American Airlines suggested they were being left out and wanted 4 additional slots to not pursue litigation.  They got what they asked for.

#2 -  He continued to state that the study will address the regional economic impacts the FIS facility would bring to the southern California area.  The public reiterated that this is NOT a regional issue, first and foremost it must be a Long Beach issue!  They also asked that this study include both the positive and negative impacts on the residents and their quality of life, health, educational environments and property values should this move forward.  The audience was told that the scope has already been determined and does not include this specific.  They were also advised that the 2007 EIR would be used for assumptions made within this document.

#3 -  "The economic benefit will include the increase in jobs in the region".  The public again asked that it include the types of jobs and the pay scales.  Again siting that jobs versus property values must be considered in the final analysis.  

Mr. Curt Castagna of Aeroplex made the comment that the airport tenants provide $11M to the general fund.  This is misleading to the audience.  The $11M dollars arrives in the general fund as payment for both police and fire services that are required on the airport site.  It is not money spent to pave sidewalks and streets or improve  recreation programs for the citizens of Long Beach.

Our other concern is that they did not identify the charter market should this FIS enhancement be approved by the city council.  The charter industry is growing throughout the world and is worthy of being included in potential impacts to our communities.  Charter flights do have their own noise bucket.  

They did state they will be addressing the possible growth of general aviation.  Today the general aviation noise bucket is at 41% capacity showing much room for allowable growth.   This is especially important to the 5th and 7th council districts since general aviation primarily uses 25R and 25L that fly directly over these neighborhoods.  

The message to each of you is to educate yourselves on what is at stake.  Communicate directly with your council representatives and cc all other council districts as well as the mayor.  The mayor sets the tone and direction, the council votes to approve or deny.

We will continue to update on other airport related subjects.  We welcome any questions or opinions as well.  We are all in this together.  Remember, we agree, it is not about where the aircraft are flying to or from, it is about the peripheral results should Long Beach be approved for international travel.  Long Beach is A "City of Neighborhoods" and the health and well being of its citizens should always be the council's first priority.

 

On Wednesday, April 20th LGB will host the second mandatory community meeting.  It will be held at LB Gas & Oil located at 2400 E. Spring St.  6:00-8:00p.m.

The objective of this meeting is to educate the community on the scope of work to be done by Jacobs Engineering for the LGB/FIS Study.  It is also to gather the concerns of the public relating to this project.

At the March 30th meeting the council members representing districts 4,5 and 8 were present.  There were approximately 120 residents who clearly expressed their personal concerns for this enhancement to our municipal airport.  

The Jacobs team made it clear that most of the public concerns are outside of their approved scope of work.  They will not be addressing the impacts outside of what is currently allowed within our noise ordinance. That is the 41 commercial and 25 commuter flights and the noise bucket limits of the other categories.  They include general aviation (includes private jets), charters and industrial.

Of course the primary concern of the airport impacted residents is what protections they have should Long Beach be challenged and lose the coveted protection of the noise ordinance.  The most recent challenge was by American Airlines in 2003 when they demanded their share of flight slots.  They felt that Jet Blue was unfairly favored.  Through the efforts of the Long Beach city attorney's office Jet Blue relinquished  four slots and ended that challenge before legal action was taken.  

​It is critical that our decision makers (council and mayor) are proactive in their efforts to protect and defend all Long Beach residents.  To look ahead at the "What If's" before casting their votes for another enhancement at LGB.

We encourage you to reread the 2013 Frasca Study (can be found under LBHUSH2 city documents) prior to the community meeting.  The study highlights the economics of approving this Jet Blue request.   

Letters and emails to all nine council offices as well as the mayor are also a good idea.  If all nine representatives have the responsibility to vote on an issue that will impact thousands of residents they should be present to hear what the community concerns are. 

Carpooling is suggested.  Bring your families, your neighbors and your opinions.  Your presence and your voice are important in this process.

This is the slogan from our Long Beach City Clerk's office.  It speaks volumes in so many ways.

Tomorrow districts 2,6 & 8 will have the opportunity to redirect the leadership of Long Beach.  There will for certain be a new council member in district 2, but #6 & #8 incumbents have challengers for their seats.

The voter turn out in Long Beach is historically low.  A fact that I do not understand.  We are vocal on so many fronts, with complaints about city services (or lack of) or council votes or directions taken that are not compatible with our views.  Yet when it comes time for voices to be heard and the chance to elect representatives that may be more like minded, we sleep.

Set your alarm, tell your family, friends and neighbors....get up, get out and vote for the candidate that you feel will best represent you and yours.