Editorial follow-up: Seven Council Shirkers -- We Name Them -- Cancel Aug. 20 Council Meeting, Leaving Only Two Now-Scheduled Council Days To Fix Foster's Proposed Budget That Would Leave Police Levels Unrestored, LBPD's Field Gang Unit At Half Strength, A Paramedic Experiment Pending And ShotSpotter Not Funded

We are VERY interested to learn, along with you, which Councilmembers, if any, chose to schedule their vacations, offer some other personal excuses -- and fail to use the available teleconference system -- when they face a Mayor/Manager proposed budget that continues to shortchange the public on public safety. In our opinion, Long Beach Councilmembers should do the public's work they sought the public's votes to do, which in our opinion should include the following:

• Begin restoring police levels that this Mayor's previous budgets decimated and his proposed FY14 budget won't restore. LB's thin blue line is too thin; replenishment police academy classes will barely keep pace with ongoing retirements/exits, and in our opinion this "new normal" is simply unacceptable. Where's the plan to restore what taxpayers lost?

• Fully restore LBPD's field gang unit which a Council majority budget slashed in half last year and the Mayor/Manager budget proposes to keep at half strength. Cutting a gang field officers -- which a Council majority's budget did last year -- was in our opinon among the more reckless actions by this Mayor's Council allies.

• Fund the "ShotSpotter" gunfire location system, which is now in use in multiple other cities. We're beginning to believe that some inside City Hall are afraid to learn how many resident reports of shots fired really are gunshots and not pyros or "unable to locate."

• Prevent Long Beach residents from becoming test subjects for a lower budget paramedic system not currently allowed in any other L.A. or OC community. LBFD Chief Mike DuRee says it will be an improvement on the merits; the LB Firefighters Ass'n and other Firefighter groups say it will worsen patient care. Any volunteers?)

Apart from four Budget Oversight Committee meetings (which only include two to three Councilmembers), we only know of two ninety sessions now scheduled (7:00-8:30 p.m.) at which the full Council can take action to change what Mayor Foster and city management currently propose. The Mayor's office indicated to us that a budget presentation is scheduled from 3:30-5:00 p.m. on Sept. 10 but it's not yet on the City Clerk's schedule and it's unclear if it's another no-action "study session" or an opportunity for real voted actions.

Yes, the Mayor can call a special Council meeting on 24 hours notice if he wishes, but canceling the Aug. 20 meeting will already tilt the system further toward what the Mayor understandably wants (approving his budget recommendations without changes.)

As we noted last week, the Mayor can't cancel the Aug. 20 Council meeting on his own; he needs five affirmative Council votes on Tues. Aug. 13 to do that.

We urge Councilmembers to do their jobs, not cancel their Aug. 20 meeting and deal seriously with the public safety issues above.