(Aug. 1, 2018, 5:40 a.m., add'l video added 6:50 a.m.) -- At a July 31 press event, City Manager Pat West unveiled a proposed FY19 City budget, and Mayor Robert Garcia offered budget recommendations, that would allocate two more citywide deployable police officers for "quality of life"/homeless related issues (details below) with two additional quality of life/homeless-related officers plus a possible Detective "pending" approval by Metro along the Blue Line.

The City Manager's proposed FY19 budget doesn't include, but Mayor Garcia asks the City Manager "to identify new revenue" to restore, Fire Engine 17 (Argonne Ave.) plus six LBPD bike patrol officers. In short written budget recommendations, Mayor Garcia says he's "confident we can make these restorations in 2019."

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When asked to explain this during press Q & A, Mayor Garcia likened it to what occurred in FY17 [when the Council pressed management to identify funds at mid-budget-year, after Nov. 2016 elections brought additional revenue, to restore Paramedic Rescue 12 in NLB and add nine police officers beyond eight initially budgeted.] To hear Mayor Garcia's explanation, see VIDEO clip below:

Mayor Garcia didn't offer a cost figure for his budget recommended items. LBREPORT.com (unofficially and very roughly) estimates the cost of restoring Engine 17 would be roughly $1.5-2 million at start-up, and restoring six additional police officers would cost over a $1 million (and both with ongoing costs.)

Engine 17 is a significant neighborhood public safety matter. In Jan. 2014, a residence burned across the street from Stn .17 which had no fire engine to douse the flames. This occurred before Councilman Supernaw was elected...and since taking office, he's advocated restoration of Engine 17 through several budget cycles. Supernaw attended the budget announcement and when asked for a quick comment after Mayor Garcia's recommended restoration of Engine 17, Supernaw indicated he's pleased.

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City management's proposed FY19 budget does include:

• Adding a full time position at Animal Care Services to increase animal adoptions

• $250,000 for one FY19 "Beach Streets" (open streets bike/pedestrian) event

• A pilot (test) program to use non-sworn LBPD Community Services Officers to respond to Priority 3 (non-emergency) calls for service (take a report, etc.) instead of a sworn officer

• Seven day access to at least one LB public library daily (meaning at least one library will be open somewhere in LB each day)

  Capital Funding to build a year-round homeless shelter (no location mentioned)

To view the proposed FY19 budget documents in detail, click here.

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The City Manager's proposed budget assumes oil revenue will come in at $55/barrel instead of the current, more cautiously budgeted level of $45/barrel. Oil is currently coming in at roughly $70/barrel.

City Manager West and Mayor Garcia both repeatedly credited (and thanked LB voters for approving) the June 2016 Measure A sales tax increase for budget restorations and infrastructure items funded to date. (The press event was held at the upgraded Rancho Los Alamitos facilities atop Bixby Hill which benefited from Measure A funding.) However despite Measure A's nearly $50 million annual cash infusion (and a local economy Mayor Garcia has said is "booming"), the City Manager's proposed budget would still leave Long Beach taxpayers without three fire engines and roughly 190 citywide deployable police officers, and Mayor Garcia's budget recommendations would leave LB taxpayers without two fire engines and over 180 officers that LB had and no longer has.

What's an LBPD "Quality of Life" officer? (City Manager's budget proposes adding two, and two more are "pending" if approved along Blue Line by Metro.) LBPD's Facebook page says LBPD's Quality of Life unit (founded in 2007) facilitates services, resources and protection for LB's homeless population.

At a July 13, 2017 meeting of the Council's Public Safety Committee, LBPD Deputy Police Chief Richard Conant indicated that Quality of Life officers have "primary responsibility or duty to reach out to homeless individuals that are spread out throughout our divisions and attempt to gain first the confidence of those individuals and provide them with some sort of wrap-around services that are available. If those services are not accepted and these individuals are engaging in criminal behavior, the individuals are then incarcerated based on their offenses." He added that "A quality of life officer is also responsible to our citizenry in the city as well, so it's not just what impacts people that are experiencing homelessness, it is also issues that impact our residents and their responsibility is to do the right things at the right times to take care of our residents as well, so it's not just one-sided...Our job is both sides of the coin."

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Standing in front of a graphic displaying a new City Hall and Port Administration building (on the cover of the FY 19 budget), City Manager West explicitly praised the Civic Center transaction: "Combined with the Downtown [high rise density increasing] Plan and soliciting development proposals for over 25 vacant Successor Agency properties from RDA parcels, this City Council's decision to proceed with the $1 billion Civic Center project that's 50% public investment, 50% private investment, will be looked upon as the most significant economic development decision in recent memory."

Asked during Q & A about the FY19 start of payments to the Civic Center's operator with FY19 occupancy of the new City Hall, City Manager West said those sums are already set aside in management's proposed FY19 budget.

The City Council can accept, reject, change or tweak the City Manager's proposed FY19 budget (with or without the Mayor's budget recommendations.) Council budget votes are scheduled the first half of September after public hearings (which include Councilmember) and Council district budget meetings in August (run by staff, not always with Councilmembers present.)

Further to follow on LBREPORT.com

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