Victory Alert: We Won! Long Beach Rejects Ordinance Undermining Democracy!
Victory Alert:
We Won! Long Beach Rejects Ordinance Undermining Democracy!
By Janet M. Gagnon
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer & SVP Government Relations
On Tuesday, June 16th, the Long Beach City Council rejected an ordinance that would have severely damaged public engagement by a vote of 3-5 (Council Member Roberto Uranga and Mayor Rex Richardson were absent) with only Council Members Tunua Trash-Ntuk, Dr. Joni Ricks-Oddie and Suely Saro voting in favor. Democracy won in Long Beach thanks to local individuals turning out in significant numbers with AAGLA!
The public comment process for city council meetings is not sexy. However, it is the cornerstone for democracy by enabling local businesses and residents to be heard by their elected city council members before important policy decisions are made for the city. The draft ordinance presented by city staff was a direct attack on that democratic process, which residents understood and turned out to stop. It takes two city council meetings to pass a new ordinance specifically to give the community the opportunity to speak on it and the city council the chance to change or reject the ordinance.
What was remarkable is that this ordinance failed on its SECOND vote. Typically, a motion will fail or be changed on its first reading based on community input, if that is going to happen at all. The second vote is often treated by city council members as a mere formality. However, this motion passed on June 9th on a vote of 5-2 with only Council Members Kerr and Zendejas courageous enough to vote against it. What changed? The number of speakers DOUBLED from the first meeting to the second meeting (from around 10 to around 20) as well as over 30 emails sent in all speaking AGAINST the ordinance. As a result, the hearts and minds of 3 additional city council members were changed, namely Council Members Kristina Duggan (who amazingly was also the author and maker of the motion on Tuesday to adopt the ordinance as drafted), Cindy Allen, and Daryl Supernaw who changed their votes to NO this week. So don’t tell me that “you can’t fight city hall”, this is proof that Yes, You CAN AND You Can WIN!!! But it takes a TEAM effort of AAGLA AND OUR MEMBERS as local businesses and property owners in the community speaking out to do so!
We also thank the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce (LBCOC) for joining us in this fight as AAGLA and LBCOC were the ONLY business organizations to speak out against these horrendous proposed changes.
If the ordinance had passed, it would have done the following:
- Cap total speaker time for ALL agendized item (typically more than 50 items per agenda) at 60 minutes.
- Lump together ALL comments for ALL agendized items in ONE comment period (even though various items would be discussed by city council members hours later)
- Shorten individual speaker time from 3 minute to 90 seconds
- Move the meeting start time from 5:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The one positive adoption at Tuesday’s meeting is that the city council passed a new resolution (as a separate agenda item), as required under state Senate Bill 707, related to re-establishing audiovisual capabilities for public comment. When the city council returns from summer break, Long Beach will have technology in place for people to call in via Webex (or other audiovisual platform) to give public comments. By so doing any individual unable to physically attend a city council meeting will now be able to actively participate in city council meetings. This alternative is not reserved for only disabled individuals, but is open to anyone with scheduling conflicts, caregiver responsibilities (childcare or eldercare), lacking transportation or other reasons for not physically being present at the city council meeting.
We won in defending democracy in Long Beach. Now we need you to USE it by acting on Red Alerts and attending city council meetings either in-person or by Webex! Be aware that Long Beach is once again discussing removing the six-month waiting period for Just Cause requirements and increasing relocation fees for ALL No-Fault evictions. We won once and we can keep winning with your participation!!!
This article is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions regarding your property or specific leasing issues and the requirements of any legal changes described herein, please consult with an attorney.