The report included "Recommended Conceptual Upgrades" including six specific measures to mitigate seismic deficiencies, and also provided sketches of the retrofits.

At a Feb. 1, 2014 public meeting, city management acknowledged that it hasn't issued a Request for Proposals seeking bids/proposals from firms that actually do retrofitting and stated its reasons for this [see transcript below]

Following receipt of the Sept. 2005 report, city management agendized an item for the Feb. 21, 2006 Council meeting, recommending development of mitigation designs, evaluation of alternatives and financing strategies, seeking $80,000 for the task (approved by the Council. In an accompanying Power Point Presentation, then-Public Works Director Christine Andersen stated: "While the probability of a sufficiently significant seismic event is still very low -- it is prudent to take next steps to evaluate retrofit strategies."

Mayor Foster took office in mid-July 2006, and on May 15, 2007 Public Works Director Andersen (who after being reassigned under new City Manager Pat West to run LB Airport left LB to become Santa Barbara's Public Works Director) presented a Power Point that indicated an outside firm had used three consultants (one for cost estimating) which estimated a structural update (without building code updates) would cost $78 million and with building code updates would cost $151 million (both estimates including $12.8 million to relocate during construction.)

The May 15, 2007 Power Point included a slide stating: "Given the current age of City Hall and likely code updates requirements, minimum costs for rehabilitation of City Hall are more reasonably tied to full Renovation. A new structure better able to serve well into the future becomes appropriate to consider." It mentioned a meeting coming up in two weeks (May 29, 2007) at which an advisory "Downtown Visioning" committee would suggest downtown area changes including at the Civic Center.

City management's May 15, 2007 Power Point recommended the following: "Include consideration of a new City Hall to address seismic deficiencies. Approve Main Library Roof project to allow full utilization of structure during planning permitting, design and construction period for New Civic Center Complex." The presentation didn't include a financing plan; a "public private partnership" wasn't mentioned.

In August 2008, Mayor Foster and city management and a Council majority (8-1, Schipske dissenting) supported placing a measure on the Nov. 2008 ballot proposing to levy a parcel tax (Measure I) on LB property owners to repair/replace items in categories that included "...fire and police stations and other public safety facilities, parks and recreation and community facilities...libraries and health facilities." The measure's text and ballot arguments didn't mention retrofitting City Hall or a Civic Center rebuild. The measure failed to receive the 2/3 voter approval level required for its passage.

On June 21, 2011, an item appeared as a 3:30 p.m. Study Session (no action) item "regardind the Civic Center." City staff presented the Power Point at this site.. There was no accompanying city management memo. LBREPORT.com reported what took place (text below):

(June 26, 2011) -- As reported earlier this week on LBReport.com's front page, the City Council held a June 21 study session (no action taken) regarding the Civic Center and a possible new City Hall.

Several Councilmembers indicated that they don't favor spending money or discussion time on a new City Hall...but Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal said a "public-private partnership" with development interests could avoid the use of public money and favored discussing the issue further...and Mayor Bob Foster introduced the item by saying it won't be the last Council session on the subject.

Public Works Dir. Mike Conway told the Council that after Hurricane Katrina, FEMA ordered local governments to assess their public buildings. Long Beach did so and found that while City Hall is seismically safe, it doesn't meet current seismic code standards.

Mr. Conway said the Council should decide if this is an appropriate time to "re-vision" its Civic Center and City Hall...and offered several options, including a "public-private partnership" financing arrangement.

Councilman Patrick O'Donnell asked rhetorically, "How can we afford this if we can't afford to fix out streets?" and says his vote on a new City Hall is "no."

Councilman James Johnson asked about current seismic safety at City Hall, and Mr. Conway replied that the building is safe but in a large earthquake, employees might not be able to exit the building (exit routes might be blocked). Councilman Johnson replied that his preference isn't a new City Hall and he'd like to look at a fire-escape type option to ensure employee safety in an earthquake.

Councilwoman Rae Gabelich said, without contradiction from management, Councilmembers or the Mayor, that the study session was brought forward at the request of Councilman Garcia (who didn't attend the meeting) and Vice Mayor Lowenthal. Gabelich said considering the issue of a new City Hall sends wrong message to the public, especially when the City has reduced police service and can't fix its streets...and said Lincoln Park (next to City Hall, in the 2nd Council district) isn't being properly cared for.

Vice Mayor Lowenthal said that although City of LB doesn't have public money to replace City Hall, a public-private financing arrangement might enable this without tapping public safety or public works funds. She said she favors examining public-private partnership option, saying City Hall is how City represents itself to the public.

Councilwoman Gabelich responded that Lincoln Park [unspoken: in Lowenthal's district, adjoining Garcia's district] is how City represents itself to the public now.

Mayor Foster responded by taking the focus off Lowenthal and Garcia, saying the Council will have opportunity to deal with Lincoln Park that when the FY12 budget is proposed in coming weeks.

Councilman Steve Neal said he's open to examining possible public-private partnership for new City Hall.

The study session concluded without voted action, just Mayor's statement at the outset that the issue of a new City Hall/Civic Center will come up again.

On February 12, 2013, the Civic Center project reappeared on the City Council's agenda. The agenda item summarized the September 2005 report's retrofit recommendations in four bullet points, then estimated the retrofit costs in 2013 dollars at $170 million. It also asserted the view that LB's current City Hall is "functionally obsolete." At the Feb. 13 Council meeting, Councilmembers directed staff to invite a Request for Qualifications from firms that might wish to respond to a Request for Proposals to build/finance/operate a new LB City Center...and the Council asked city staff to update the 2005 seismic report with either a peer review or a new study.

On Oct. 22, 2013, city staff sought Council approval to prepare a Request for Proposals for a new Civic Center. City staff's agendizing memo stated that it had commissioned a new study which "concluded that action must be taken immediately to either retrofit or construct a new facility." [emphasis added.] Staff's memo then went on to list cost figures with no data sources cited:

[City staff Oct. 22, 2013 memo by Mike Conway, Dir. of Business & Property Development and Ara Maloyan, Acting Dir of Public Works, initialed as approved City Mgr. Pat West] Given the original study was performed in 2005 and newer established criteria that assess building performance during a seismic event now exist, staff commissioned a new seismic report. The conclusions confirm the precarious stability of City Hall and the extensive renovations necessary to retrofit the building to perform in a seismic event. The study concluded that action must be taken immediately to either retrofit or construct a new facility. Staff will be presenting more details and information related to the new seismic study at the City Council meeting.

When seismically retrofitting a building, additional code and ADA required upgrades are triggered. Current deficiencies in the building systems (mechanical, electrical and plumbing), as well as ADA access and egress issues, have to be addressed as part of any. retrofit project. In addition, there would be a cost to relocate into temporary facilities while the retrofit and upgrades are underway. The current costs for additional seismic retrofitting and asbestos abatement are estimated to be $67 million; the current costs for building upgrades and deferred maintenance are estimated to be $65 million and the current costs for design, engineering, construction management, and temporary relocation and tenant improvements are estimated to be $62 million. Total current costs are estimated at $194 million or $685 per square foot...

In summary, given both the results of the original seismic report performed in 2005 and the new seismic report using more current established criteria, it remains clear that City Hall is at significant risk during and after a seismic event. With an eight year perspective on the alternatives, a decision must be made as to how best to address the seismic issues associated with the current City Hall building. Considering the investment that would be required to seismically retrofit City Hall, the additional costs related to code required upgrades, and knowing that even with that investment, City Hall would still be functionally obsolete and uninhabitable in the event of a significant seismic event, staff recommends proceeding expeditiously with the preparation of the RFP and selection of a development team to construct a new City Hall. Only construction of a new building to current seismic standards will provide for the continued use of a building after a significant seismic event.

On December 3, 2013, the City Council voted 7-1 (Schipske dissenting, Lowenthal absent) to approve entering into a contract with a firm to prepare the RFP for a new Civic Center for submission to three competing developer/operator teams. City staff has indicated publicly that it expects the RFP will be ready to submit to the three competing firms by late February 2014 and won't be shown to the Council before it's issued. City staff has also indicated that it aims to bring a recommended developer/operator to a Council vote on July 1, 2014. A new Mayor and Council majority [five new members] will take office on July 15.

On Feb. 1, 2014 city staff held a public meeting offering to provide information on the Civic Center project. Mike Conway fielded Q & A. LBREPORT.com asked one of the final questions at the event:

LBREPORT.com: ...Can you explain exactly why if the city had materials in its possession since 2005, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12 and 13, that raised seismic issues about City Hall, that it apparently never once put out for an RFP a request for proposals from firms that actually do retrofitting...and instead seems to have created, inferred, extrapolated figures internally from staff, whom we don't vote for, instead of bringing the result of that RFP to the policymaking elected City Council?

Mr. Conway: The firm that conducted the Tier 2 seismic study also presented costs to retrofit. Costs not only for retrofit but ADA upgrades and code required upgrades. Also relocation costs, FFE, all of it detailed, arrived at $119 million in 2006. Bringing that forward in 2014 at 6% is $194 million.

The expectation that building codes have changed since 2006 are obvious so that $194 [million] may not be adequate, but we do have a number and that $194 million equates to $118/sq ft. for an inefficient, substandard, subsized building.

LBREPORT.com...[M]y question was why wouldn't city staff put that out in the marketplace and see what other firms could offer to retrofit City Hall?

Mr. Conway: That hasn't been done. We've been looking at a new facility rather than retrofitting this facility because it doesn't seem to make economic sense to burden the taxpayers of Long Beach with additional costs if we can instead move our costs from one facility to another and get a new facility at no additional burden to the taxpayers.

LBREPORT.com: Could the City Council still make that decision now if there were a majority?

Mr. Conway: I can't speak for the City Council.

LBREPORT.com But they could, couldn't they? What would city staff's position be on that?

Mr. Conway: I don't want to speak to city staff. We haven't analyzed that [notion, audibility difficult]

LBREPORT.com: In what ways would it be inconsistent with what's been done so far if there were on a separate track pursuing an RFP in the marketplace bids from multiple firms on some kind of adaptive reuse for fixing City Hall?

Mr. Conway: So we've been directed as of Oct. 22 to proceed with an RFP for a design-build-finance-operate-maintain a new Civic Center and that's the process we're pursuing.