Sustainable City Comm'n Member Gonzales Says He Said Opposite Of What Some In Los Cerritos Oil/Wetlands Project Team Was Said In Verbal (Not Physical) Encounter After Planning Comm'n Meeting '

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Sustainable City Comm'n Member Gonzales Says He Said Opposite Of What Some In Los Cerritos Oil/Wetlands Project Team Say Was Said In Verbal (Not Physical) Encounter After Planning Comm'n Meeting

We also include audio of Mr. Gonzales' testimony during the Planning Comm'n hearing

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(Dec. 7, 2017, 8:45 a.m.) -- Elliot Gonzales, a member of City Hall's Sustainable City Commission (at ten member advisory body to the City Council) has told LBREPORT.com that he said the opposite of what some members of the Los Cerritos oil consolidation/wetlands restoration project team say was said to them in a verbal (not physical) encounter as they exited City Hall following the November 30 Planning Commission hearing.

LBREPORT.com has learned that the City Commission member to whom the project team members were referring was Elliot Gonzales, a member of the Sustainable City Commission, who testified earlier that night in opposition to the company proposal during the Planning Commission meeting.

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On December 5, Mike Murchison (a professional advocate/lobbyist for a number of Long Beach clients, including BOMP) and Heather Altman (an environmental specialist retained by BOMP as project consultant) told the City Council during public comment on non-agendized matters that in addition to another man allegedly physically attacking one of their team members, a different individual -- who Mr. Murchison said was a City Commissioner but didn't mention Mr. Gonzalez by name -- allegedly followed them out of City Hall and verbally lambasted them. Ms. Altman likewise said an individual she didn't name had verbally wished her breast cancer and death. Mr. Murchison stated in his Council comments that he planned to speak with the Mayor about the matter.

In a Facebook text message last night (Dec. 6) responding to an LBREPORT.com inquiry, Mr. Gonzales told us:

I said the opposite. I said I wouldn't wish that to my worst enemy but that I hope that they know that oil is directly linked with cancer and that they will be pumping out oil which will be refined in the communities of Wilmington and Carson. I let them know that they're invested against our air and our future...

[To date, to our knowledge, no independent audio or video has surfaced of what took place outside City Hall.]

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Regarding whether he delivered his Planning Commission testimony in his individual capacity or as a Commission member, Mr. Gonzales said: "I went on my own accord but I did mention the need for projectsionf roc imate change which were missing from the discussion." Below in PODCAST form is an audio clip of Mr. Gonzales' Planning Commission testimony.