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[LBPD Nixle text] On the evening of May 24th and into the early hours of May 25th, 2014, the Long Beach Police Department responded to multiple violent crime incidents. These incidents required a significant deployment of department resources and as a result response to calls for service were delayed. As soon as these violent crime incidents were handled, resources were allocated to handle the backlog of calls for service. The Long Beach Police Department would like to thank the public for their cooperation on this busy night of activity.

The words and opinions that follow are our own.

LBPD had to provide delayed service (if at all) to the LB taxpayers who called 9-1-1 and needed the police, presumably in a swift manner. We don't yet know how many callers there were, why they called, how long they had to wait or what happened as a result.

The backlog resulted after two people were shot at one location in Central LB and one of the victims died; a Wrigley area stabbing led to a pursuit that went into NLB and SWAT was called-out; and there was gunfire after midnight in the Zaferia neighborhood (no victims found; police heard additional gunfire, found a gun and arrested two suspects on other charges.)

LBPD has to respond to situations like this all too frequently, not always near the same time but often enough in some parts of town. This past weekend, Long Beach taxpayers needing a police response didn't receive it swiftly because Mayor Bob Foster, Vice Mayor Robert Garcia (Foster's chosen chair of the Council's "Public Safety Committee") and a Council majority left Long Beach taxpayers with a recklessly thin police level for routine citywide deployment. Long Beach residents now experience a budgeted sworn officer level that Los Angeles would have per capita if L.A.'s leaders lost their brains and cut roughly 30% of LAPD's officers. LBPD's anti-gang unit is now a skeleton crew, raiding LBPD's patrol officers and backfilling with overtime.

Other cities weathered "the Great Recession" and didn't do this...and then thumb their nose at taxpayers by handing out unbudgeted management raises and spending seven figure sums (to start, more to follow) to pursue a new Taj Mahal Civic Center.

In terms of police services for taxpayers, Long Beach isn't better off now than it was eight years ago.

Regarding fire services, Mayor Foster, Vice Mayor Garcia and Council majorities left Long Beach with ghost fire stations without fire engines to put out fires. In late January 2014, a home burned across the street from ELB Fire Station 17 until a fire engine arrived from a more distant LB site. Belmont Shore's Fire Station 8 has no fire engine. City management is poised to implement a cheaper, experimental paramedic response system that it says is better on the merits but LB Firefighters say it will mean worsened patient care and potentially damaging outcomes.

In terms of firefighter service for taxpayers, Long Beach isn't better off now than it was eight years ago.

Mayor Foster and his Council majority didn't produce a "surplus"; they cut core services. Prove this yourself at home. For the next month, don't spend money on core needs like food and medicine and we guarantee you'll have a surplus.

Long Beach's "surplus" is also the result of a multi-million dollar windfall from Sacramento's dismantling of Redevelopment (an action the Foster administration fought.) Without the windfall, LB would have a deficit (spending exceeding revenue) again...which is part of the reason why city management acknowledges City Hall will have a deficit in FY15 (translation: safely after the election.)

Long Beach as a Municipal Corporation may be in better shape after overdue pension changes (that taxpayers are paying for), but we say that in terms of core police and fire services, taxpaying Long Beach residents and businesses are clearly worse off.

If the City of Long Beach were on a firm fiscal footing, it would be able to restore core police and fire services that it previously provided. No one is seriously talking about this (beyond hopes for the future.)

Do you want to live a city where you or your family call 9-1-1 needing police and fire/paramedic responses...and you're told police and firefighters aren't available? Do you think that makes your neighborhood and home value more attractive to home buyers? Do you think shootings, sirens, hovering helicopters and crime scene tape are "business friendly?"

Whether filling out a vote by mail ballot at home now, or standing in an election booth on June 3, we urge LB voters to ask and answer an overdue fair question: are you better off now than you were eight years ago? And who put Long Beach in the spot it's in now?

Then vote accordingly.

Opinions expressed by LBREPORT.com, our contributors and/or our readers are not necessary those of our advertisers. We welcome our readers' comments/opinions 24/7 via Disqus, Facebook and moderate length letters and longer-form op-ed pieces submitted to us at mail@LBReport.com.