(Jan. 2, 2015) -- It's not transparent. One has to really read between the lines of one of Mayor Robert Garcia's spinning releases to figure out that Garcia's attempt to put City of Los Angeles' Planning Director Michael LoGrande (a Long Beach resident) on the Long Beach Planning Commission isn't going to happen, at least for now.

Mr. LoGrande confirmed this to LBREPORT.com this afternoon (Jan. 2). He told us he's withdrawn his name from consideration and asked Mayor Garcia not to delay appointing someone else. Mr. LoGrande noted that the process has taken considerable time as the City Attorneys in Los Angeles and Long Beach have worked to try and resolve legal issues raised by potential conflicts between his L.A. position and potential LB position

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When we asked Mr. LoGrande what happened, he gave us a straightforward response. What a refreshing difference from the hyperventilating Twitter tweets, Facebook dispatches, mass emailings and releases spun from Mayor Garcia's office today (Jan. 2). They seem to pretend Garcia's Oct. 2014 choice of Mr. LoGrande for the Planning Commission never happened. They don't even mention his name. They simply say incumbent Planning Commissioner Mark Christoffels has been reappointed to the Planning Commission.

Yes, it's accurate, but in our opinion it's silly to pretend something didn't happen regarding an important appointment to an important city commission when it so obviously did.

Instead, Garcia's release tries to divert attention to his choices for the "Technology and Innovation Commission," which is a purely advisory body to the City Council with no enacting powers of its own. It was created by the Council at then-Vice Mayor Garcia's behest, creating appointment opportunities for the new Mayor.

And no, it's not free. In September 2014, the Council voted (without dissent) to budget $100,000 from what management said were available non-recurring (i.e. "one time") funds for "start-up" costs for this new advisory Commission. Yes, the Council's budgeting of this sum runs counter to the principle of not using "one time" funds for what are going to become recurring (annual) expenses. In the FY15 budget materials, city management explicitly warned the Council: "There will be structural costs for this in FY16" [that could otherwise be used for police, fire, parks or libraries. Go Long Beach.]

Among other appointments today (Jan. 2), Mayor Garcia chose Gloria Cordero to serve on LB's Water Commission. Ms. Cordero worked under Mayor Foster at SCE and at City Hall and is the spouse of former LB Harbor Commissioner, now federal Maritime Commissioner, Mario Cordero.

The Mayor's appointments are listed on this City Hall release and are all subject to Council confirmation.

[Mayor's office release text] Mayor Garcia Appoints 14 New Commissioners

All 7 Seats on Technology and Innovation Commission to be Filled, Pending Council Approval

Long Beach: Mayor Robert Garcia today announced 14 appointments to city commissions, including two charter and 5 non-charter commissions. This round of appointments fills all seven seats on the newly formed Technology and Innovation Commission.

 

"I'm incredibly grateful that these outstanding citizens have agreed to serve Long Beach," said Mayor Garcia. "I'm especially excited to assemble an all-star team for our new Technology & Innovation Commission. They will be a critical group tasked with helping us create the government of the future."

 

The creation of the Technology and Innovation Commission, along with the restructuring of the Technology Services Department as the Technology and Innovation Department, were spearheaded by Garcia to support the City’s use of technology to increase efficiency and openness, and to attract technology businesses to Long Beach. These are the first appointments to that commission.

 

Mayor Garcia has prioritized civic engagement, and with these appointments will have named 75 commissioners since taking office 5 months ago.  The appointments for these non-charter commissions all come before City Council for approval this Tuesday, January 6. The charter appointments will be reviewed by the Personnel and Civil Service Committee on January 13 and referred to the full council for action.

 

The new appointments are:

 

Charter:

 

Planning Commission  

Mark Christoffels –  Mr Christoffels has been a resident of the City of Long Beach for more than 25 years, and a practicing civil engineer in local government for more than 30 years.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from University of California, Irvine, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Pepperdine University, and is both a registered Civil Engineer and Land Surveyor in the State of California. This is a reappointment.

 

Board of Water Commissioners

Gloria Cordero – Mrs. Cordero is a life-long Long Beach resident who has worked in public affairs and communication in the City of Long Beach, at Long Beach City College, at Southern California Edison, and as the Principal of her own consulting firm, ABC Advocacy, LLC. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s in Sociology from California State University, Long Beach. A former teacher, she is a prior recipient of the Junior Chamber’s Woman of the Year Award.

  

Non-charter:

 

Technology and Innovation Commission

Milton Arcos – Mr. Arcos works as a software architect and product developer for Integrated Rental Systems.  He has also founded and developed a voice over IP phone company and has extensive communications and networking experience.  He is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach.

 

David W Ferrell – Mr. Ferrell co-founded the Long Beach Code For America Brigade as a local chapter of Code For America, and serves on the board of Long Beach Tech, a non-profit focused on elevating the tech entrepreneur community in Long Beach.  He has served as a tech consultant and taught web marketing, UX design and other technology courses at Biola University.

 

Cindy Hanks – Ms. Hanks is the Deputy Director for Academic Computing and Multimedia and Broadcast Services at Long Beach City College.  She has more than 30 years of experience in using technology to improve education including the development of multimedia systems for classrooms and the large scale installation of technology infrastructure in public works projects.  She holds a master’s degree in Education Technology from California State University, Long Beach.

 

Robb Korinke – Mr. Korinke is a consultant on open data and government technology issues for California Forward, a non-profit group advocating for governance reforms in California. In this capacity he has worked with public agencies and private firms to promote broader adoption of data and technology driven tools.  Additionally, he has a strong background working with tech start-ups and creative, government-centered firms.

 

Juan Lopez – Mr. Lopez is the Special Assistant for the Los Angeles City Controller focusing on technology and open data.  Some of the projects he has implemented in Los Angeles include LA’s first civic accelerator, the Civic Innovation Lab; coordinated the Controller’s first web app to search for unclaimed property; designed the city’s first Community Financial Report, a condensed snapshot of the 400-page Comprehensive Financial Report.  As a member of the Controller's Data Team, he pioneered the City of Los Angeles’ first open data portal, Control Panel LA, which gives citizens free and unfettered access to the financial information of the City.

 

Andrew Schrock – Mr. Schrock is a Ph.D candidate in Communication at the University of Southern California, where he researches mobile communication, social media, and data, particularly their relationship to social cohesion and civic engagement. A particular area of interest is open government data; with Open Data LA he has helped survey how 88 counties employ OGD, and has written on the topic in the academic and popular press.

 

Gwen Shaffer – Dr. Shaffer is an Assistant Professor, California State University, Long Beach, Department of Journalism & Mass Communication.  Her research has included telecommunications policy and broadband advocacy.  She has crafted recommendations for local governments hoping to expand broadband adoption in low-income and disenfranchised communities, and developed policies for communities using technology to boost civic engagement. Additionally, she served on a task force that advised the city of Philadelphia on a successful $18 million federal stimulus grant proposal for information & technology initiatives.

  

Board of Health

Kelley Tenny – Ms. Tenny is the Health Curriculum Leader for Long Beach Unified School District.  She has been teaching for more than 15 years and holds a degree in Community Health Education form California State University, Long Beach.  She was nominated by Long Beach Unified School District for this seat on the commission.

 

Commission or Youth and Children

Jeremiah Jones – Mr. Jones is a student at Hughes Middle School.  He started his own clothing line, including operating a retail store at the Pike for more than two years, and in 2014 he was a guest speaker at the TEDX Reno conference.

 

Megan Kerr – Mrs. Kerr was elected to the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education in April of 2014 where she advocates for students, families, teachers and staff. As a member of Long Beach Council PTA, she was appointed as School Board Liaison and is currently the Director of Community Concerns. She was on School Site Councils at two schools and is the parent representative at the District Community Advisory Committee (DCAC) and the Superintendent Parent Forum for the last 3 years.

 

Human Relations Commission

Desmond Fletcher – Mr. Fletcher has been a Long Beach resident for more than 20 years and is active with many groups in his community. He is a founding member of the new Country Club Neighborhood Association, where he has made great strides in bringing information and events to the neighborhood. 

 

Long Beach Transportation Company Board Of Directors

Nancy Pfeffer – Ms. Pfeffer is the Founder and President of Network Public Affairs, an environmental and transportation consulting firm. She has served for 7 years as Director of Regional Planning for the Gateway Cities Council of Governments, and is a board member of both the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network and City Fabrick, a local nonprofit. Pfeffer holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Southern California.

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