File photo of a recent public meeting on the LUE by Jason Ruiz.
People Post is a space for opinion pieces, letters to the editor and guest submissions from members of the Long Beach community. The following is a letter to the editor submitted by Mike Laquatra, a Long Beach resident, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Long Beach Post.
Dear Editor,
I am writing this in response to City Manager Pat West’s recent public comments regarding the update of the City of Long Beach Land Use Element (LUE). I would like to start by pointing out the hypocrisy of Mr. West composing a sentence ending with “makes us all proud to live, work, and play here”. This statement rings rather hollow as despite his long tenure as City Manager, Mr. West continues to live in a city other than Long Beach. Although he is employed by the City, he has far less skin in the game than residents of Long Beach.
I also take exception to his statement that the proposed LUE “preserves existing single-family neighborhoods”. As currently proposed the updated LUE will allow 4- and 5-story buildings directly behind single-family homes that back up onto some of our corridors. In most cases lot size will not allow for any appreciable setbacks or buffering. Imagine walking out to enjoy morning coffee and watch your children and grandchildren play in the backyard of your long-time home only to be overlooked by countless midrise dwellers.
Mr. West goes on to promise a significant density reduction in the soon-to-be-released revised maps. Well guess what, the maps are out, and it seems that Mr. West needs to consult a dictionary as to the meaning of “significant”. He asks for community involvement with regards to this issue, but thus far staff has responded to input with lip service and an outright dismissive attitude. I agree that discussions and disagreements should be handled in a respectful manner, but this is hard to reconcile with our being continually treated in a patronizing and/or downright rude manner, complete with personal attacks by some staff members.
City authorities keep stressing that the proposed update to the LUE is the result of many years and countless hours of work. While this is undoubtedly true, it seems to me that anything worth spending years on is also worth getting right, and getting it right must include being attentive and responsive to the concerns of the stakeholders. Staff might find the local citizenry to be more supportive if they remember that the true stakeholders are the residents of our fine City, not just developers and the politicians that they bankroll.
Mike Laquatra
6th District Long Beach