1:00pm | The City Council last night voted to place a measure on the upcoming November ballot that would change the way that the Port of Long Beach transfers money to the City.
While the item passed 7-1 (O’Donnell dissenting, Johnson absent), the Harbor vote was far from smooth sailing.
Emotions came to a head during public discussion as Harbor Commissioner Nick Sramek accused Mayor Bob Foster and the City Council of moving forward with the ballot measure without consulting or discussing the issue with the Port. Sramek said the City is looking to simply make more money from the Port, and that he would have been open to discussions if they had been brought to him.
Mayor Foster and City Attorney Robert Shannon both responded sharply, pointing out that the issue had been debated by the Charter Amendment Committee several times and was even discussed by the Council in a recent meeting, but Port officials did not voice concerns then. Shannon also took issue with difficulties in having Port representatives meet with City Auditor Laura Doud as she attempted to form the measure.
In particular, Sramek was the subject of Shannon’s ire as the attorney said that when the commissioner was told to meet with Doud, he demanded an explanation about whether or not such a meeting would violate the Brown Act, which mandates that public officials must hold certain meetings in public.
Several councilmembers expressed shock over the public showing of frustration between both parties. Ultimately, they passed the item and the measure will head to voting booths this November.
What voters will be deciding on, essentially, is whether or not the Port of Long Beach should be required to transfer 5% of its gross revenues to the City of Long Beach. Currently, the Port transfers 10% of its net income to the City.
The City could stand to net much more money if the November measure is approved by voters. The Port determines its net income by first subtracting its expenses, leaving a much smaller sum from which to draw the mandated 10%. A requirement to transfer from the gross revenues before subtracting expenses would equate to a much greater sum, even at a reduced rate of 5%.
Transfers occur between the (Port-run) Harbor Revenue Fund and the (City-run) Tidelands Operating Fund, which contributes to renovations, staffing and projects along the coast and beaches of Long Beach.
Veterans Preference Ballot Measure Passes
The Long Beach City Council also added a measure to the November ballot that could assist disabled veterans in finding jobs.
If approved by voters, the measure would credit veterans with an additional fifteen points for passing Civil Service examinations that could lead to being hired. Currently, they are credited with an additional ten points. The credits would also be granted to un-remarried spouses of veterans who were either killed or disabled in service.
The measure would also change the definition of “disabled” for veterans. The proposed charter amendment states that a disabled veteran would be described as “a veteran possessing at least a ten percent (10%) service connected disability certified by the Veterans Administration.” Currently, the standard for determining a disable veteran is a thirty-percent service connected disability.
The measure passed the Long Beach City Council unanimously.
“Our men and women in uniform put their lives at risk every day to keep us safe and free,” said Councilmember Robert Garcia, who introduced the motion. “I am committed to ensuring that we do everything possible to show our gratitude when they come home.”
Garcia plans for a vigorous campaign to pass the November vote, and said that the Long Beach organization USVETS has endorsed the proposition.
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