Above, from left to right: Jared Milrad, Roberto Uranga, Kevin Shin and Chris Sereno. Not pictured: Oscar Delacruz.

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 III of Getting to Know your candidates, the Post finds out where the candidates stand on issues affecting the Seventh District.

Note: The Post only received responses from candidates Roberto Uranga, Jared Milrad and Kevin Shin. Candidates Oscar Delacruz and Chris Sereno declined to respond. The following responses have been lightly edited for formatting and clarity.

 

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

Roberto Uranga: I am running because I have been witness to and have contributed to a great amount of progress made in the last four years.

As a first term councilmember, I am a stronger and more effective legislator. The economy is up, unemployment is down, crime is down, and because of Prop A, we are able to balance our budgets and to fix streets and sidewalks at a faster rate than ever before.

I have lived, worked, raised a family, and held elected office in the district for over 35 years. I know the issues in the district: From port growth and transportation to river protection and water quality; from airport noise and growth to economic development and business support; from homelessness and related issues to public safety; from working for educational success to workforce development.

I know this city, and I know this district. At the end of the day, it is not just my experience that makes me the most qualified to continue my service as the Seventh District representative, it is my history here and my connection to this place.

I did not run for office to be in office, I got into this after years of advocacy and service in my community because I care about my neighbors and my family. I am running because I care and want to continue the progress.

Jared Milrad: I am proud to live and work in District 7 and have spent decades working to make communities stronger. After listening to neighbors who have lived in our community for years and even generations, it became clear that our district deserves better leadership.

Numerous city services have been neglected, including streets and alleyways that need to be paved, sidewalks that need to be repaired, trees that need to be trimmed, and traffic speeds that need to be reduced on residential streets. We have twice the national rate of chronic childhood asthma, few open spaces and well-maintained parks and recreational areas, a lack of walkable, thriving small business corridors, and a chronic homelessness crisis that is increasingly impacting our community.

Additionally, our city councilmember is the second most absent councilmember in the city, and we have numerous residents who do not feel heard or engaged with on fundamental issues affecting our community.

As an entrepreneur, non-profit leader, public interest lawyer, and filmmaker, I am ready to use my two decades of diverse leadership experience to serve our entire district.

From Cal Heights to Wrigley to the Westside, we need a new generation of leadership in City Hall who will make sure everyone is heard in our government. District 7 needs an engaged, innovative, and proactive leader who will promote thriving small businesses, protect the environment for our children and families, and support safe, affordable places to live and work.

We need new ideas, a fresh perspective, and a strong voice to serve our entire district. Now more than ever, our community wants a champion for our neighborhoods and a problem solver who will bring people together, ensure that every resident receives high-quality services, and chart a new direction for our children’s future.

Kevin Shin: About three years ago, I co-founded Walk Bike Long Beach, a local advocacy group dedicated to fighting for safe streets, transportation and disability access, and environmental improvements, especially in the lower-income communities of color of Central, North, and West Long Beach.

Through this volunteer work, I became involved in the West Side community—one of the city’s most underserved communities that is predominantly people of color and that suffers from severe pollution and poor infrastructure and services. The result is literally a matter of life and death: the West Side has some of the lowest life expectancy rates in the city.

Residents in the community encouraged me to run for city council, and I decided to do it to better represent the needs of our diverse district and invest in the long-term success of our neighborhoods. The residents of the 7th District deserve someone who will fight for them, who will hear their concerns and champion their needs. I’ve already been championing the 7th District as an advocate, and I will continue to do so as a councilmember.

 

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

Uranga: My focus is on the environment, economic development and public safety.

I continue to work with the Port of Long Beach (POLB) and to address the negative effects of the POLB and port-related businesses on my district, especially in the areas of Port traffic and Port pollution. I am also working on the revitalization of the LA River including the ability to capture stormwater run off for recycle use.

Another environmental issue that I am closely monitoring is the airport and its impact on the quality of life in my district. I am focused on developing the business corridors of Santa Fe Avenue, Willow Street and Wardlow Road. I have and hope to continue to shepherd in a new era of small businesses on these corridors that serve to enhance the surrounding neighborhoods.

Public Safety will continue to be a focus of attention, especially as it relates to the growing concerns around increases in the homeless population and the increases in traffic.

Milrad: Our residents are concerned about the lack of engagement and responsiveness from our current councilmember on the issues facing our community—which is why it’s time for new leadership to chart a new direction for our district.

After listening to thousands of District 7 residents, I am the only candidate with a detailed platform about the future of our community.

We have twice the national rate of chronic childhood asthma in our community, and we have a severe lack of open space, well-maintained parks and recreational areas, healthy food options, and walkable, bikeable corridors. We need a proven, engaged leader who has a clear vision to tackle these challenges.

Infrastructure repairs are needed throughout the district, including roads, sidewalks, and alleyways; tree trimming, removal, and replacement; and traffic speed reduction tools on residential streets, such as speed bumps, dips, and stop signs.

We have seen, and heard, the necessity of these taxpayer-funded services across the district and residents’ repeated efforts to obtain them.

We deserve a City Councilmember who is actively involved in our community—not only during election cycles, but everyday in between. If elected, I will use modern technology such as social media, and old-school technology, like walking the streets, holding meetings, and engaging with the community face-to-face, to ensure that our residents’ needs are being met.

We will use a pragmatic, evidence-based approach to solve problems and provide high-quality services in every corner of our district. Just as important, we will set forth a proactive, community-first vision to protect the environment, grow small businesses, alleviate chronic homelessness, and ensure that our neighbors have safe, affordable places to live and work.

Shin: Toxic pollution and the environmental health consequences are the most widespread issues of the 7th District, even if it is not top of mind for all residents.

The 7th District is the only district that suffers the severe pollution impacts of two freeways, the ports, railyards, refineries, and an airport. Residents living near freeways and exposed to air pollution have higher rates of asthma, heart attacks, strokes, and lung cancer. This toxic pollution, combined with inadequate green space and healthy food options, are a major factor why parts of the 7th District experience some of the most challenging health outcomes and lowest life expectancies in the city.

To address these environmental health issues, which disproportionately impact low-income communities of color, I will continue to fight for cleaner air through the phase-in and requirement of zero-emissions mandates for the ports and rail yards.

Doing so will help ensure a verifiable reduction in both greenhouse gas and particulate emissions, both of which have a significant impact on the health of our residents. I will also invest in the development and maintenance of our parks and green spaces, not just to have vital community spaces for exercise and play, but also to filter pollution, sequester carbon and capture and clean stormwater.

In addition, I will support further incentives to renewable energy adoption for homes and businesses, thus reducing the city’s overall dependence on fossil fuel energy and providing access to potential backup capacity during power outages. I will also support expanding electric vehicle (EV) charging networks to encourage the transition from gasoline-powered personal vehicles to zero-emission EVs.

By taking all of these critical steps, we can begin to dial back the environmental impacts of toxic pollution in our communities. However, many of these changes will take time, so in the near term, we must continue to optimize existing projects to prioritize for the greatest impact.

For instance, the current projects to help install air conditioning and air filtration in our schools needs to be updated to help ensure that the schools most affected by air pollution should get prioritized to receive the systems first as those students already suffer the most from the pervasive air quality issues. We should also continue to encourage tree planting in order both to help beautify the community, but also assist with carbon sequestration.

My background and track record of addressing environmental health has been recognized by the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters, which has endorsed my campaign.

 

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

Uranga: I have lived and worked in this community my whole life, dedicating myself to making it a safer, cleaner, healthier, prosperous, more affordable and more inclusive place in which to live. My roots in Long Beach are long and deep.

Long Beach is where I went to school, met my wife of 32 years, raised our three children, and started my community advocacy and service. I care deeply about the City of Long Beach and look forward to continuing my service in Long Beach. I am the only candidate who has lived in the district and actively participates in neighborhood associations.

I am the only candidate who has held and presently holds elected office, and who has a proven record of accomplishments that have brought improvements to the Seventh District. I am the only candidate endorsed by the LA County Federation of Labor and the California Democratic Party. Finally, I am the only candidate who has worked for the last 30 years for working families to promote education and economic policies that will make it possible for them to help them put food on the table, buy a home and send their children to college.

As of the latest campaign filings, I am significantly outraising all four of my challengers combined. I am personally knocking on the doors of every active voter in my district, and I am building a volunteer-driven grassroots campaign.

I am working very hard every day for every vote and every constituent and I would be doing that whether I had challengers or not. Voters have a choice, and I’m confident that at the end of the day, voters will vote for commitment, consistency, presence, tenacity and experience and cast their vote for Uranga.

Milrad: Our district needs a City Councilmember with diverse leadership experience and a track record of bringing people together to creatively solve problems. For years, I have worked with people across the political spectrum to solve problems and make communities stronger.

With my background as an entrepreneur, non-profit leader, public interest lawyer, and filmmaker, I am prepared to bring new ideas and a fresh perspective to the many challenges confronting our community. For two decades, I have advocated for numerous social causes – including human rights, workers’ rights, LGBTQ equality, healthcare reform, animal welfare, and environmental protection.

I served in numerous leadership roles for President Barack Obama, including field organizer, national fundraising co-chair, and voter protection director, and I also served in The White House for President Obama’s administration. I founded a national non-profit organization to help low- and middle-income families afford legal services, and I developed technology-based programs to help at-risk youth pursue their careers and higher education in Southern California.

As an animal welfare advocate and the founder of a socially conscious film production company, I am proud to live and work in District 7—and I’m running for City Council to make it stronger.

I am the only candidate with a Civic Fellowship Program to increase civic engagement and a detailed plan to empower the next generation of leaders. We deserve a City Councilmember who will proactively reach out to our community, rather than relying on our community to reach out to them.

We need a proven, experienced leader who will serve every member of our diverse community—including LGBTQ individuals, veterans, seniors, young people, and residents of all backgrounds—which is why I am committed to hiring staff that represents and serves all of our diverse neighborhoods.

District 7 needs a pragmatic, innovative and dedicated partner in City Hall who will ensure that our voices are heard in government. We share a love for our great city, and I know that our district’s best days are ahead.

It’s important that our residents know where I stand, which is why I’m proud to be the only candidate with a comprehensive platform about the future. I have a proven record of civic engagement, a diverse background in service, and a detailed vision for our district.

Together, we can achieve lasting, inclusive progress for our community—and I ask for your support and partnership to begin this important work.

Shin: My unique qualifications to represent the 7th District are my existing deep involvement and advocacy in the local community. Through my work spearheading Walk Bike Long Beach, I am seen as a trusted leader on traffic safety, transportation and disability access, walkability, bikeability and environmental health.

I have partnered with many other community-based organizations and have led or actively participated in various advocacy initiatives in the 7th District. Specifically, I:

• Started a coalition to to highlight overlooked neighborhoods and promote community-centered redevelopment along Willow Street and Santa Fe Avenue

• Advocated for housing and infrastructure improvements along the I-710 corridor as part of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments I-710 Livability Study
• Pushed for safe routes to school across the LA River as part of the Lower LA River Revitalization Plan

• Participated in the Clean Air Action Plan working groups to promote environmental health for all Long Beach residents

Beyond my steadfast involvement in the local community, I also have an MBA from George Washington University, which gives me a strong background in economics and fiscal management.

My deep community experience paired with my business and economics background uniquely qualifies me to represent the 7th District on City Council.

 

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

Uranga: Among the legislation we have passed and I supported have been: A ban on polystyrene products, restoring wetlands in the Los Cerritos and Willow Springs Park areas, enforcing and supporting strict bans and fines on late airline departures and arrivals and cleaning up our streets and alleys by having an illegal dumping ordinance.

One of the issues that I felt could have been handled differently was the hotel workers proposal to protect women against abuse. Council and the hotel industry should have pushed for more discussion and negotiation instead of a split council decision that in the end benefited no one and, eventually, led to a signature gathering effort for a ballot initiative.

Milrad: Many taxpayers and constituents in our community are deeply disappointed that our current Councilmember has repeatedly voted against environmental protection, including the Long Beach Energy Efficiency Plan to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and various finance programs to assist Long Beach in reaching our 2020, 2030 and 2050 emission reduction goals.

The Councilmember also voted against Energy Upgrade California and the “Do Your Thing” campaign, which encourages all residents and small businesses to become more conscious energy stewards and do at least one more thing to use less energy.

If elected, I will champion environmental protection. That is why we’re the only campaign with a detailed platform on this issue and many others. I am dedicated to ensuring that our children and families have access to clean air, open space, recreational areas and programming; walkable, thriving small business corridors; well-planned bike lanes and bike paths; the LA River; healthy foods; and well-maintained public lands that are both safe and enjoyable.

I support the creation of urban gardens and greenspace to reduce air pollution; zero emission trucks and reliable, safe public transit; energy efficiency programs that save taxpayers’ money; and energy choice programs that create good jobs and protect the environment.

There are many other issues on which our district needs proactive, innovative, and engaged leadership, including: improving city services in a transparent, cost-efficient manner; increasing civic engagement and empowering the next generation of leaders; reducing crime rates in our neighborhood through increased cooperation between law enforcement and residents; promoting small business growth; alleviating chronic homelessness; improving public safety and public health; and ensuring that our community members have affordable places to live and work.

Shin:

• I-710 expansion 

We should not have approved Alternative 5C and in fact, all of the alternatives provided were bad choices. The freeway definitely requires some changes in order to accommodate the volume of commercial traffic that will continue to grow with the Ports, so a no-build option was not realistic.

The cost of Alternative 7, the double-decked freeway option, was nearly double that of the already costly lane expansion and had even worse displacement numbers than the lane expansion.

Instead of selecting from a collection of bad choices, I would have recommended to restart the process with greater focus on providing alternative transportation options, increase use of already available and underutilized infrastructure (such as the Alameda corridor), and requiring zero displacement, zero emissions, and local hiring be included in the plan.

This would have at least given us an opportunity to include things that the community asked for and allowed us to focus on long-term growth and the future of our transportation network instead of acquiescing to an antiquated project that would have achieved none of its anticipated goals.

• Office holder account changes

The decision to allow office holder accounts to be used to support the political activities of other office holders was a mistake and should never have been allowed to happen.

Funds in this account are intended to be spent in the community on events and activities that benefit everyone, which paying for the campaigns of fellow legislators does not do at all.

I would never have voted to allow this change to take place and would have actively sought to kill any efforts to pass this change.

• Belmont Shore Pool project

To move forward on a $103-million dollar pool project for a location that already had a pool seems like an inequitable use of funds. It would have made more sense to invest those funds in a pool in another neighborhood in Long Beach where more residents would have benefitted from having access to such a facility.

Instead, we are once again concentrating investment into the same few neighborhoods, many which have seen much more development than others. I would have looked to site the pool in another Long Beach neighborhood to offer more opportunities to more residents.

 

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?

Uranga: I voted to adopt an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) policy for the city that provides guidelines for homeowners to build “granny flats” that will provide additional housing.

In our current Land Use Element (LUE) plan, my efforts will be to ensure affordable housing units along transportation corridors along with opportunities for economic development and growth.

I took action and supported a revised LUE that included district specific changes with a block by block analysis addressing the community’s concerns regarding historical districts such as California Heights, appropriate heights in the corridors of Wardlow Road, Willow Street and Santa Fe Avenue in West Long Beach.

Overall, my changes and recommendations were a lot different from what was originally proposed. After a multitude of community meetings, neighborhood pop ups, and one-on-one meetings with neighborhood leaders, we got us to where we needed to be.

Milrad: Having lived in urban, suburban and rural environments, I believe that we need a comprehensive plan for Long Beach’s future.

I deeply value the incredible diversity of our community, the well-being of our residents, the growth of our businesses and the protection of our environment.

However, I share many of our residents’ concerns about the lack of engagement by city officials when developing the current Land Use Element, the importance of proper planning and restricting any unnecessary density increases, and the value of local control over future land use decisions.

Therefore, I would support a Land Use Element with the following principles:

• Increased environmental protections, including improved air quality, clean water, open space, bike corridors, and recreational areas.
• Sensible transit-oriented development that incentivizes use of accessible and reliable public transportation, while also reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion.
• Low- and middle-income housing units that address residents’ concerns about affordability, density, and traffic, while also alleviating chronic homelessness.
• Reasonable measures that protect the character of historic neighborhoods.
• Walkable, thriving small business corridors that promote healthy lifestyles and local economic growth.
• Density and height restrictions that protect the character of surrounding communities.
• Consistent opportunities for community oversight and input on future changes.

Shin: I have been following the progress of the Land Use Element closely. I attended two community meetings in October 2017, and I attended the March 6, 2018 City Council meeting where they voted on and ultimately passed the final Land Use Element (LUE).

The LUE, while unpopular in certain parts of the city, is ultimately a necessary and state-mandated planning document to help frame the growth of Long Beach for years to come.

In general, I view the LUE as an important opportunity to guide the sustainable, responsible, long-term development of the city and a critical part of integrating housing, transportation, safety and health for all residents.

The LUE’s final iteration, however, heavily burdens the areas of the city that already have high density. Vocal opponents to density were able to get nearly all possibilities of height increases removed from East Long Beach, relegating new height increases almost entirely to the western part of the city, including the 7th District.

While the LUE is not intended to guarantee things like affordable housing or parking, it could have allowed us to spread out some of the inevitable growth that Long Beach will see. Instead, what passed on March 6 is a plan that will ultimately lead to further crowding in already crowded neighborhoods without a clear vision for how the city will actually and equitably address the ongoing housing crisis.

But as the LUE is now passed, we must work together to ensure that the community’s voice is heard on the critical issues of development and neighborhood investment without displacement.

A sustainable, responsible Long Beach will create complete communities that include affordable housing, green space, transit, access to daily amenities, and thriving small businesses in our commercial corridors.

 

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

Uranga: The Seventh District is unique in that it has a slightly lower rate of renters which means more stable neighborhoods; however, we are also affected by the homeless issue and the resulting problems it brings to neighborhoods and business districts.

The three things that will combat homelessness are:

1.) A good paying job, and that is why I have been an advocate for working families, local hire agreements and the $15.00 minimum wage increase by 2020;

2.) Additional or extended winter shelters, transitional housing and extended family housing. The seventh district has taken responsibility and addressed the housing of a majority of the homeless in our Villages at Cabrillo and other adjacent housing projects.

3.) Increased mental health services and support for our public safety officers are a must for the chronically homeless who have mental health challenges.

I recently approved the location of a walk-in mental health facility in my district on Long Beach Boulevard. This will go a long way in addressing the needs of our homeless population and because of its central location, it will get police back on the streets to protect our neighborhoods.

Milrad: As a lifelong renter and the son of a single mother, I’ve personally experienced the many housing challenges faced by tenants, particularly in an expensive real estate market such as Southern California. We have a chronic homelessness crisis in Los Angeles County, including in Long Beach, that demands an immediate increase in affordable housing supply.

Cities like ours spend approximately $40,000 per year per person experiencing homelessness—and it’s critically important that we implement humane, cost-effective strategies to reduce it. Therefore, I strongly support increasing low- and middle-income housing stock, which we can and should build in a pragmatic, reasonable, and sustainable manner.

After listening to thousands of neighbors, I understand that homelessness is of great concern to residents. Individuals experiencing homelessness are sleeping in public parks, living outside in residential neighborhoods, and in some unfortunate cases, experiencing severe mental illness and committing crimes.

Given the urgency of this important issue, we are proud to be the only campaign with a detailed, pragmatic platform to implement cost-effective, proven solutions to chronic homelessness.

If elected, I would champion the creation of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units using Measure H funding and partnerships with non-profit developers. Cities like Salt Lake City that have widely used PSH—matched with a proactive outreach program—have effectively curbed homelessness, saved taxpayers money, and improved public safety and public health.

With the use of specialized housing teams that build relationships with individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, those in need are transitioned into a supportive housing environment where they receive mental and behavioral healthcare, job training, and support to get back on their feet. This is a critical step in effectively reducing our homeless population.

Long Beach also needs a much stronger network of transitional support services, such as shelters and mental health resources, and these services need to be both well-planned and maintained. We need to do more to identify the warning signs of individuals who are likely to be chronically homelessness, and have a greater variety of tools available for policymakers to get vulnerable residents the help they need and keep our community safe.

Shin: Homelessness is a complex and unfortunately chronic issue that is directly tied to housing affordability and social services. Long Beach has only a handful of city employees who have responsibility for addressing homelessness in the entire city of nearly half a million people.

When it takes an average of 17 contacts at almost one hour per contact in order to encourage a homeless individual to accept assistance, it can be a daunting task for the city’s limited staff to be able to tackle the issue.

We must start by helping the city identify additional resources who can assist with contacting and engaging with homeless individuals. These resources do not necessarily need to come out of the city’s budget as there are community-based organizations and volunteers who would likely be willing to help reduce the workload of the city employees.

The other aspect of combating homelessness is housing affordability. Long Beach has a rental vacancy rate of only 2 percent, and with more than 60 percent of the city’s residents as renters, there is a dire need for more rental housing stock, especially affordable rental housing.

Oftentimes, when people think of affordable housing, they think of run-down properties surrounded by tall gates to keep the poor residents confined to their community. If this is the image of affordable housing, which really sounds more like the image of a prison, then I too would not want that in my neighborhood either. But the reality is that affordable housing no longer needs to look or feel like that.

We are fortunate enough in Long Beach to have a shining example of what an affordable housing community can be in the form of Century Villages at Cabrillo (CVC). A public-private partnership that has the support of over a dozen different organizations, CVC offers transitional housing for the homeless, affordable housing, treatment options for mental health as well as drug and alcohol addiction, along with access to VA services for formerly homeless or low-income veterans.

It provides a community to people who have struggled with homelessness and helps support them through their transition while giving them access to basic necessities until they can get back on their own feet.

By co-locating so many different services on-site with residents who are in need of such services, CVC provides a model of affordable housing that is not only effective at addressing the underlying causes of homelessness, but does so in a community setting that I believe many Long Beach residents would actually welcome to their neighborhoods.

I recently had a tour of CVC and was blown away by how well-designed, well-built, and well-maintained everything was. For those who have not had the opportunity, I highly recommend the experience as it will change your thoughts on what affordable housing can be.

In the 7th District, because we are bisected by the LA River, which many homeless use as a means of getting around and also seek shelter on its banks or in the adjacent right-of-ways, we often see the symptoms of homelessness more than many other parts of the city.

We are more impacted by the trash and sanitation issues and are subject to a higher percentage of homelessness-related petty crimes. Safety and perceptions of safety in our neighborhoods are critical, and by focusing our efforts to tackle the root causes of homelessness, we can help address the issue both reactively and, more importantly, proactively.

By dedicating resources to help city staff more effectively work with current homeless populations, we can get those individuals the help they need and want.

At the end of the day, we must tackle homelessness with compassion and ensure that everyone lives with dignity.

 

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?

Uranga: Like many cities in the region and in the state, we are facing increasing budget shortfalls when it comes to pensions.

We have been able, however, to address these shortfalls by creatively working with our labor unions in contract negotiations that both respect their needs and the need to have a balance budget that keeps services functioning with the goal of keeping all services working and functional.

Milrad: We need to deploy infrastructure funding in a smart, strategic and cost-efficient manner that prioritizes areas that have long been neglected in our district.

If elected, I will work with community leaders to restore timely services in areas of our community that need them the most.

As a founder of a non-profit organization with a limited budget, I know there are things that are “nice-to-have,” and things that are “must-haves”. As a City Councilmember, I will prioritize the “must-haves,” which include providing high-quality services to save taxpayers money and avoid duplicative inefficiencies.

Through the creation of Business Improvement Associations, hiring a dedicated Business Liaison in our office, and streamlining the process for a small business to get started, I will work to grow our tax base and provide more revenue for the city.

Providing more opportunities for our residents to live and work here, in addition to improving public transit, will reduce wear and tear on our roads and bring much-needed economic development into our community.

I also support regulating short-term rentals in our city, which will bring additional tax revenue for the city budget, help homeowners invest in their property, and boost tourism dollars.

We also need to take a close look at the city budget, including expenses in City Hall, and ensure that every district is receiving their fair share of funding and support.

Shin: Budgets are statements of values. What we decide to pay for is a reflection of what is important to us and what we care about most.

That is why I will absolutely defend education spending no matter the budget shortfalls. Our schools are already being short-changed significantly in their allocations for resources that are critical to the healthy development of our students, especially in light of recent national tragedies.

When a school is only able to afford to have a counselor on site for one day a week, students who may need or want assistance processing issues may find themselves struggling more than they would if they could get more regular counseling. Schools should not be forced to turn to parents to raise enough money to be able to afford a staff nurse to help provide basic medical care to students.

We should see every dollar we spend on students and their care as a an investment in the future of our city and country.

In order to ensure that education continues to receive the funding that it needs, I would review some of the below items and consider them for either outright elimination or reduction:

• New discretionary purchases such as street sweepers and associated staffing increases to deploy them
• The city’s website upgrades can be trimmed back and perhaps considered non-essential for another year
• The plan to do a fiber roll-out might be worth reducing areas of focus and limiting the scope of the project
• One-time fees for software upgrade and licenses should all be reviewed and reconsidered and only make required upgrades for security purposes
• New jobs that did not previously exist should be reevaluated for necessity and only added if there is a clearly defined need

 

LBP: How do you feel about the ongoing discussion about amending the city’s noise ordinance, and would you address the issue of late night/early morning flights out of Long Beach Airport?

Uranga: The Noise Ordinance must be protected as we are one of a few airports that have flight restrictions and a restrictive noise ordinance. We are presently addressing increasing the fines.

Moving forward with extreme caution, any change to the Noise Ordinance, even as slight as it might be, can trigger revisiting the ordinance as a whole which is an invitation to opening the door to possible elimination of our protections we receive from the ordinance.

My position is clear, any proposal that puts the noise ordinance at risk is a proposal that would be a non-starter with the 7th District.

Milrad: As a Cal Heights resident who lives and works in close proximity to the Long Beach Airport, I have personal experience with the noise and disruption caused by the airport.

While I appreciate the airport’s vital role as a leading domestic airport and a driver of economic growth, tourism, and business for our city, I strongly support monitoring engine noise levels and implementing the Long Beach Noise Ordinance in order to protect the character of our community.

Although constructing a Federal Inspection Service (FIS) facility for international flights at LGB is not currently before the City Council, I share many residents’ concerns that doing so could lead to increased traffic, air pollution, a drop in property values and increased pressure to remove our city’s existing noise limits.

I support enforcing and strengthening the existing curfew for late-night flights. To effectively enforce noise violations, I believe that our airport must have adequate fines and other effective tools to penalize violators, such as temporary sanctioning of airline slots.

Currently, most violators of the noise ordinance initially receive a warning letter and a nominal fine, hardly meaningful for a multinational, multi-million dollar company. As is the case at airports in Orange County and San Diego, I believe that LGB’s fines should be much higher to deter bad behavior and protect our community.

We can and should maintain a balance between residents’ legitimate concerns and continuing use of our Airport.

Shin:  As a resident whose home is near the take-off path for LGB, I strongly believe in ensuring that the city’s noise ordinance stays intact and that we are able to fairly enforce it.

The current fine structure of LGB’s noise ordinance penalties is much lower than many comparable airports in the region, so it is important to make sure we update the fines to have them be similar. However, we must also recognize that JetBlue, currently the most frequent violator of the ordinance, holds 35 of the 50 flight slots at LGB and is therefore a major contributor to the area’s economy, both in terms of bringing tourists into the city and basing its flight crews out of Long Beach.

Rather than only focusing on penalties, we should consider a closer partnership to work with JetBlue on determining how it can reduce its number of violations. This may include some special considerations for JetBlue around delays that are outside its control, but would still require payments of some fines for violations.

By creating an atmosphere of partnership, we can retain JetBlue as a strong contributor to the local economy, but still protect the rights of the residents who live on the flight path.

 

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?

Uranga: Affordable housing means different things to different people, but in Long Beach our job is to provide housing opportunities for every family and individual in the city regardless of economic situation. I support full funding for the Long Beach Housing Trust Fund that will fund the development and financing of new housing.

I have been a big supporter of new first-time home buyer programs and down payment assistance programs. In regards to New Development, we are exploring the viability of financial assessment districts as well as community benefits from larger developments in the city that will allow for inclusionary housing and one-for-one replacement housing and the expansion of density bonuses for qualified projects.

The City of Long Beach has more rental properties than owner occupied, and I advanced and voted for the security deposit assistance program for renters. This program extended the life of credit checks so as to reduce the economic burden on the home or apartment seekers who are often faced with duplicative fees and applications.

I will continue to work for more affordable housing options to keep people in their homes to deter homelessness; I support allowing the community to decide on the issue.

Milrad: As a renter and non-profit advocate, I support the rights of citizens to propose ballot initiatives. However, I personally do not support rent control because it does not address challenges faced by renters or confront the housing crisis in our city and state.

Unfortunately, rent control policies enacted in other cities such as Santa Monica, West Hollywood, San Francisco, and New York have led to condo conversion, reduced rental housing stock, and increased rental prices that fail to address the needs of renters or the community. From an evidence-based perspective, rent control clearly does not work and harms those most in need of affordable housing.

Instead, I support a sensible, demand-side solution to the housing crisis: building additional low- and middle-income housing stock with the help of proven tools, such as inclusionary zones, partnerships with non-profit developers, and set-asides.

Affordable housing is the most practical, effective solution to the rental housing shortage in Southern California. Additionally, we need to enact public policies that empower the middle class. Paid family leave, affordable healthcare and childcare, small business growth, a livable wage for our residents—these policies will help ensure that families can afford to live and work in Long Beach for years to come.

Shin: The city and the state are in a housing crisis. Long Beach doesn’t have enough housing that is actually affordable, and with skyrocketing rents, the city doesn’t have any renter protections in place to enable residents to stay in their homes.

In fact, as reported by the Press-Telegram in March 2017, Long Beach is among the top 10 cities in the country with the steepest rent hikes. Families are overly burdened by housing costs, and many are being displaced, either because they are priced out or because of unjust evictions. The city must do better to protect the housing rights of its residents.

Housing affordability and homelessness prevention are my top priorities. Housing is the cornerstone for many other issues of opportunity, including basic health, educational access, and wealth building. The fact is that 60 percent of the city’s population are renters, including a large portion in the 7th District, and yet the city has absolutely no renter protections that would prevent good working families from being displaced from their homes.

Rent control is not a silver bullet, but it is a necessary starting point for price stabilization. Rent control will eliminate some of the speculation in the market to help stabilize home prices for buyers too.

Most importantly, stabilizing prices through rent control would enable the city to aggressively pursue the necessary housing policy changes to increase housing inventory, especially affordable housing units. If we do it smartly, rent control need only be in place temporarily until the city can create enough supply to meet the growing demand.

 

LBP: How big of an issue is environmental justice for you, and how will you approach regional efforts to green the port and expand the 710 Freeway?

Uranga: In my first election in 2014, air quality and port traffic out of the Port of Long Beach were important issues for my district and continue to be. I am very supportive of the updated Green Port Plan and the Clean Air Action Plan.

The L.A. River continues to be a priority as it is a major part of the Seventh District, and I worked aggressively to ensure that the LB-MUST (Long Beach Municipal Underground Stormwater Treatment) Project becomes activated and functional to not only clean our river but also to secure recycled water for city use.

Environmental justice if one of my main issues. Our community is environmentally burdened, not just from the larger issue of climate change, but from unfair distribution of environmental risks mostly concentrated in the 7th District. The 7th District is bordered by the airport, the ports of L.A. and Long Beach, and is criss-crossed by two freeways (I710 Fwy. and I405 Fwy.).

This means that those of us who live along these corridors are at higher risk for the harmful impacts of air pollution than those who do not.

Milrad: Environmental justice is among the most important issues facing our district, which is why it is a cornerstone of my campaign’s detailed platform.

For two decades, I have been advocating for a variety of environmental issues. I made the decision to become a vegan at the age of 14, in part due to the negative environmental impact of factory farming, and I have publicly advocated for plant-based, sustainable food choices and policies since then.

In college, I founded an organization to promote sustainability and energy efficiency on campus, and I started an animal advocacy organization to highlight the intersectionality between factory farming and environmental protection.

I have been an outspoken leader on wildlife conservation and an environmental advocate for years, including while earning a graduate degree in Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University.

Additionally, I have written about the urgent need for Congress to combat climate change and the continuing global rise of carbon emissions.

Currently, I work for Mercy For Animals, an international non-profit organization that promotes compassionate food choices and policies. In this role, I have consistently advocated for a plant-based diet to reduce carbon emissions, increase sustainability and fight climate change.

The Port of Long Beach has supported our local economy for generations. However, it is critically important that the port abides by all existing environmental laws and regulations, and that we identify additional ways for the port to increase energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and protect our environment for future generations.

That is why I support the port’s (and the city’s) Clean Air Action Plan and their efforts to achieve zero emissions at the port by 2035. If elected, I will work with leaders at the port to identify additional opportunities for environmental leadership that support good, green jobs of the future.

As technology continues to advance, I am hopeful that the Port can identify new ways to reduce its environmental footprint, improve health outcomes for our neighbors, and make needed progress on environmental stewardship for the benefit of workers and nearby residents.

I am strongly opposed to any expansion of the 710 Freeway. The Westside of Long Beach has had a long history of air pollution that has damaged the respiratory health of children and families. Children in Long Beach have twice the national rate of childhood asthma, and some children under the age of 5 can only use 80 percent of their lung capacity.

Particulate matter and carbon emissions, in part from the 710 Freeway, have led to these adverse health effects. In our great city, a child’s zip code should not determine their future. We must solve this critical health crisis, and we can start by opposing increased congestion, traffic and air pollution on the 710.

Instead of an expansion, I support zero emissions trucks and transit, open space, tree plantings, and other ways to sensibly reduce air pollution and the negative impacts therein.

I am committed to ensuring that residents in Wrigley, the Westside, and other neighborhoods are protected from harmful air pollution, increased congestion, and damage to homes, businesses, and communities—and that we chart a more sustainable future for all of us.

Shin: I have a proven record fighting for environmental justice, which is why I have been endorsed by the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters.

As I stated in my answer to Question 2, environmental health problems due to toxic pollution are the most widespread issue of the 7th District and disproportionately affect low-income communities of color.

The 7th District is the only district that suffers the severe pollution impacts of two freeways, the ports, railyards, refineries and an airport.

The Port of Long Beach has been a strong ally in environmental improvement efforts and has frequently put up funds to help promote new green initiatives and education/outreach programs.

Even so, the Port should continue to focus on pollution and emissions reductions. As councilmember, I will work to:

 

• Enforce existing emissions reduction targets for both maritime vessels and commercial freight hauling vehicles

• Encourage further adoption of zero emissions technology for trucking, shipping, and rail transportation

 

The I-710 corridor is a vital connection for the transportation of goods and people. The freeway requires updating and maintenance, but expansion will only increase traffic and pollution in the long-run.

We need a responsible long-term approach, which is not the option that the Metro Board ultimately settled on.

Even though a decision has been made for now, I would still encourage a reboot of the process to take into consideration better alternatives that should include:

 

• Greater investment in public transportation to reduce private vehicle traffic

• Zero emissions vehicle phase-in period and eventual mandate

• Zero displacement where possible with strict requirements for payment and resettlement assistance when no other option is possible

• Local hire requirement where appropriate to ensure local families benefit economically

• Take advantage of existing infrastructure, such as the Alameda Corridor, which has gone severely underutilized

• Require phase out of diesel trucks for all trips shorter than 200 miles and replace with zero emissions alternatives

 

If we cannot get an alternative option to be considered, then we need to ensure that additional funds are made available as a part of the project for investment into the community to provide for greenhouse gas reduction and sequestration and particulate scrubbing technologies to reduce pollutants in the air.

Find out more about Uranga’s campaign here, Milrad’s campaign here, and Shin’s campaign here.

Editor’s note: The Post has learned that Mineo Gonzalez, who had previously suspended his campaign to challenge incumbent Rex Richardson in the Ninth District, has re-entered the race. Part IV of this series is forthcoming.