Above, from left to right: Rex Richardson and Mineo Gonzalez.

In anticipation of the citywide election on Tuesday, April 10, the Post sent out questions to the City Council candidates from each district with seats up for election (districts three, five, seven and nine). In Part IV of Getting to Know your candidates, the Post finds out where the candidates stand on issues affecting the Ninth District.

Long Beach Post: What made you want to run for city council?

Rex Richardson: I’m running for re-election because I’ve worked hard during the past four years to help raise the quality-of-life standard in Uptown Long Beach, make city hall more responsive to our needs and keep public safety a top priority.

We’ve restored Rescue 12 paramedic services, reducing emergency response times in North Long Beach by three minutes.

We’ve transformed our corridors with iconic investments like the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library, the new Houghton Park Community Center (under construction), new coffee shops and new development on hand for Atlantic Avenue. We’ve improved our streets and sidewalks and added new murals, better lighting and bike lanes. North Long Beach is heading in the right direction and is better off today than when we started out.

I want to continue investing in public safety and infrastructure. I also look forward to fully implementing the #EveryoneIn initiative by ensuring everyone has a place in Long Beach’s economy. This means working to support small businesses and entrepreneurs, investing in the workforce of the future and finding a meaningful solution for the housing crisis in Long Beach.

Mineo Gonzalez: I have lived in North Long Beach for 35 years and have seen the same patterns repeat themselves over and over again. The Long Beach city council members that get elected immediately succumb to the power of the position and begin to take any and all donations in order to maintain that power if they didn’t already do it to get elected in the first place.  

When you visit their websites instead of having full transparency of the issues affecting their districts you get only positive self-serving press clippings and a big donation button. We have politicians running Long Beach, not leaders. Meanwhile the real core issue holding back progress in North Long Beach is never addressed.

If you want to change this district you have to motivate the people to modify. You cannot be afraid to confront people and call them out for the chaos they cause. The aspirations for higher political office keep the politicians here following the status quo in order not to lose votes for their next election. The only difference between this district and the other districts is knowledge. Knowledge in finances, reading skills, writing skills, job skills and civic duty. I want to make people aware of what having this knowledge can do for them.

This position could be used to inspire people to rise above their own expectations and positively change their lives forever. We can break the cycle of poverty, violence and give people the skills to help themselves. Electing politicians has not and will not help this district. Electing a leader that is not afraid to tell it like it is and point out our success as well as where we are failing is where we can start. I am not afraid to speak up for the people of the Ninth District and I am not afraid to speak up to the Ninth District to get it on the right track.

 

LBP: What is the biggest issue facing your district and how do you intend to address it if elected?

Richardson: In North Long Beach, our biggest issue is continuing to get our fair share of city resources.

We’ve already begun to shift that narrative.

We’ve started major projects such as the new Houghton Park Community Center, new developments on Atlantic and implementing our open space plan. I will continue to advocate for investment in every part of our city.

Gonzalez: The expansion of the 710 freeway and the increased pollution this will bring. This district has two major freeways running through it and a long history of air pollution. The cause of so much traffic is the endless tractor trailers that go back and forth to the port all day. Although the Port of Long Beach has made efforts to curtail traffic and pollution it still has not been enough to make an impact.  

The current council members on the I-710 Oversight Committee along with the mayor all have aspirations for higher political office in the future. Instead of standing up and fighting for the residents along the 710 they are more than willing to appease their political allies in hopes of a future political endorsement. The council needs to ensure that the people of their district have a voice in how they will be impacted by any decisions made by the Metro Board.  

The only real way to approach this is to fight expansion. The 710 extension going north through Pasadena has never been finished due to lawsuits. I always thought it was funny how certain communities are able to fight for their residents while here in Long Beach we have always had to sit here and take it. The city council needs to fight for us and stop planning their next jump up the political ladder.  

 

LBP: What do you think uniquely qualifies you to represent your district as a council person?

Richardson: North Long Beach is a great community with unique and vibrant neighborhoods. My wife and I are proud to raise our daughters in this community. That’s why I’ve worked hard as vice mayor to enhance our quality of life, make city hall more responsive to our needs and keep public safety a top priority.

I have the experience, as a former chief of staff and community organizer, and the vision to continue our community’s revitalization and create an economy that includes everyone in Long Beach.

Gonzalez: I know this city, I know the people and know what we are capable of with the right leadership. I have worked for LBUSD for over 15 years as a substitute teacher and college aide. I also have my degree in accounting. I have worked all over the district and different schools and grade levels. I have seen firsthand the differences in the neighborhoods and people from one side of the city to the other. It all comes down to involvement in family and community.  

We have to begin to stress education to our children. We have to get the parents involved in the children’s school work. This is what separates “good schools” from “bad schools”.  Schools are just buildings; the difference is who is inside them. Successful students have involved parents and help their students and prioritize work before play. If the parents can’t help with school work because of their limitations then we need to get them educated, too. An educated populace is a prosperous populace.  

My accounting degree is useful in reading financial statements and understanding the fund accounting used by the city. The city is expected to see shortfalls in the coming years and we are going to need someone who understands exactly how all the different funding works since there will be cuts that have to be made in many areas.  

 

LBP: In the past four years, what policy steps do you think could have been executed differently and how would you have amended them?

Richardson: I’m proud of a number of our policy efforts that have shifted the culture at city hall over the past four years.

We established an Office of Equity to place a greater focus on closing social, health and economic disparities in our communities.

We launched #EveryoneIn, an initiative to ensure all residents in our city are given a fair opportunity to thrive in our city. We provided second chances for our most vulnerable youth and young adults with the PATH young adult diversion program, which offers job training and education in lieu of criminal prosecution for at-risk youth.

We championed efforts to clean up our vacant lots, liquor stores and nuisance motels with our vacant lot registry, nuisance motel pilot, Alcohol Nuisance Abatement Program and Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones.

The one area that our city can do more is expanding our housing stock for all income levels, including affordable housing.

Gonzalez: The biggest and most important is the LUE.  I would have chosen to receive and file it.

 

LBP: What do you support/not support about the land use element and how do you see it affecting the neighborhoods that you hope to represent?

Richardson: In North Long Beach, we utilized the Land Use Element to accomplish a number of outcomes:

• Modernized outdated industrial space with the new Neo-Industrial place type, setting the standard for cleaner more modern industrial uses.
• Called for the creation of an Education Element, cementing our commitment to quality education from cradle to career.
• Preserved the character of contemporary and founding residential neighborhoods.
• Placed additional density only in areas best equipped for additional housing investment.

All of this complements an exciting new effort that we have launched in North Long Beach this year called UPLAN – Uptown Planning Land Use and Neighborhoods Strategy, which helps to establish a new vision for a healthy, safe and thriving North Long Beach community.

Gonzalez: I do not support it at all. North Long Beach is covered in duplex and multi-unit apartments that are currently one story. The LUE now would allow the areas that most of these are located in to have multi-story buildings now built there.  

It will lead to the residents of these buildings being displaced when developers come in and buy the one-story buildings in order to tear them down and build as high as possible in order to cram in as many people as we can here.  

We have enough noise, air, and trash pollution in North Long Beach as it is. Our schools are underperforming and lack proper resources. The freeways to get here are jam packed at rush hour already.  What possible benefit could come from bringing even more people into this already overcrowded and underfunded area.

 

LBP: How do you feel about the city’s efforts to combat homelessness, how is it affecting the Ninth District and what do you think can be done to improve conditions?

Richardson: Homelessness and housing is the crisis of our time. I’ve supported LA County Measure H, which provides millions of dollars to our Health Department to support our Continuum of Care. Our Health Department is among the top in the nation and is willing to step up to the challenge, should the right support and resources become available.

As Chair of our Long Beach Housing Authority, I’ve provided much needed incentives to landlords to encourage better adoption rates of Housing Choice vouchers, which keeps families off the streets. District 9 has been home to the Long Beach winter shelter for seven years, which provides a safe space during the winter months. But we still haven’t done enough.

Finally, I support identifying local sources of revenue to expand housing opportunity as well as identifying a permanent location for a high quality year-round homeless shelter within our city.

Gonzalez: Homelessness is a major issue in all of southern California right now.  Long Beach needs to address this epidemic while at the same time not becoming a destination for other cities to try to alleviate their responsibilities by driving the homeless towards us. This has been the case for many years here in Long Beach with many neighboring cities dropping off homeless people in Long Beach.

North Long Beach is seeing this firsthand due to the freeways that run through it. There are many homeless people panhandling at freeway off ramps and living along the edges between the freeway and homes that border them.  Small communities can be seen while driving north along the 710 freeway and on the sides of the 91 freeway. We also have a huge problem with mobile homes being parked all over our district in neighborhoods that are along the freeway or that have industrial areas nearby.  This is very concerning for residents here.

We need to have increased mental health facilities and drug rehab programs for the homeless. A major hurdle is that people with mental health issues are not getting the care they need and are forced to live on the streets. Drug addiction has also been a cause of homelessness and getting proper facilities to address this issue and helping to get these people clean and get their lives back will help alleviate the problem. The last hurdle is that even though we recognize this we will need to do it in the most cost-effective method.

The city does not have endless amounts of money that it can use to solve this problem. We must evaluate how exactly we are spending the money currently and find ways to make that money stretch even further. The coming budget shortfalls will not leave much room for additional spending on this issue. We will have to get more funding from the federal government.

 

LBP: With the city facing projected budget shortfalls, if those prove to be true, what public services will you defend and which ones do you feel should be subject to trimming to balance the city budget?

Richardson: Measure A has helped our city restore vital public safety services, repair our streets and improve our parks. While we’ve seen revenues increase and consistently come in over projections, I know that good times don’t last forever.

Last year, I worked with Budget Chair Stacy Mungo to propose a modest 2 percent general fund budget-saving target, without eliminating any jobs or programs. By making modest adjustments and reducing our spending over 12 months, we have been able to protect services residents rely on and limit the impact on our smaller programs that libraries and parks provide in our neighborhoods.

Gonzalez: The driving force behind the shortfalls is pension expense. The city is set to add $10 million a year for the next five years to this expense. Currently it is about $55 million and it will be about $100 million in 2023. That cost is just not sustainable. The city council knows it, the mayor knows it and the residents are the only ones without a clue thanks to them.

If you want to really address the budget shortfall then the pensions are where you will have to trim.  With the current city council that will be nearly impossible since many have taken money from the unions and PACs [political action committees] that represent the people who would have to take the pension cuts. Some of our city council members have even taken campaign contributions from unions and PACs from cities in Orange County.

 

LBP: Rent control may be on the ballot this year, and the only mayoral candidate challenging Mayor Garcia has a pro-rent control platform. Could rent control work in Long Beach, if not, how do you propose stabilizing housing costs to slow the displacement of residents who are being priced out of the city?

Richardson: I believe our city’s priority should be to do more to create new affordable housing options and protect the affordable housing stock we do have. Government should only regulate rental rates when it owns or subsidizes the property.

Gonzalez: Rent control does not work plain and simple.   

There is no simple solution to skyrocketing housing expenses. Low-income families are having to choose between food and paying the rent on time. The canned political answer is to increase the number of affordable housing units being built here. Developers typically shy away from building projects when affordable housing is included in their projects. The new federal tax bill that was passed only made matters worse by damaging the tax credit program that finances most of the affordable housing that is built in our country.  All of this has become a problem in recent years because corporate investors entered the market in order to turn huge profits.

The real challenge is determining the amount of affordable housing units we will try to make them include. Then what defines “affordable” is a challenge in and of itself. Gentrification of Long Beach has made matters only worse.

Young professionals who used to buy homes are now choosing to rent and can afford and are willing to pay higher rents. That has driven up the cost of renting for low- and middle-income families.  Developers are also eager to capitalize on this by only wanting to build higher-end housing that can turn a quicker profit.

This is a nationwide problem and the only way there will be a significant change is if Congress restores and creates new tax incentives for developers.  

 

LBP: A frequent remark from community members in North Long Beach is that their voice is not being heard at city hall. Do you agree with that statement, how would you improve on getting North Long Beach residents more engaged?

Richardson: Citizen engagement and participation has been a focus of mine while on the city council. Our office launched the Participatory Budgeting Project, a democratic process that gives local residents the power to decide how to spend city funds. Community members brainstormed ideas for community improvement projects and then any resident, business owner or non-profit located in North Long Beach ages 14 and older can vote.

This process not only engaged the community, but residents saw the projects implemented that they had the opportunity to vote on. Our district had the highest turnout per capita of any other Participatory Budgeting process in the nation at 4.9 percent.

We’ve also invested time and energy into building our Neighborhood associations. We have 12 in our district, which is among the largest of any council district in Long Beach, and they focus on leading projects ranging from cleanups, enhancing landscaping and pocket parks.

Our office has made a concerted effort to reach our constituents and increase our participation in civic events and spreading the word about our activities using contemporary channels such as social media and video.

Gonzalez: I absolutely agree that North Long Beach is not heard at city hall and it is our own fault. Our voting record in the 9th District is abysmal.

In 1998 2,298 votes, in 2002 2,208 votes, in 2006 2,848 votes, in 2010 3,212 votes and in 2014 2,772 total votes which is about 10 percent of registered voters. If you want city hall to pay attention you have to go out and vote and in this city most of the people do not even know when the elections are held. The 5th and 3rd districts have the best voter turnout and it is no coincidence that they get the best results from city hall.  

Our voter turnout is why politicians are eager to come to Long Beach and use it as a political stepping stone. With enough donations from lobby groups they can mount almost unbeatable campaigns. If people really want to have effective local government they need to pay more attention to these elections than they do to the national elections. We make it too easy for someone to buy a selected politician into a council seat.  

Engaging and educating voters on the power of their vote in local-versus-national elections is key.  It is not in the best interest of politicians to get more people out to vote. They are perfectly happy only having to spend money to engage a small percentage of the population in order to win and save that campaign money for the next political rung up the ladder they are eyeing. We need to let people know that local politics affect their day to day lives tenfold compared to national elections.  

I am also in favor of moving our elections to coincide with the dates of national elections. This would increase voter turnout and make politicians have to work harder to win votes and be held accountable to a larger number of constituents.  

Find out more about Richardson’s campaign here and Gonzalez’s campaign here.