So we chose a few topics of possible interest to residents and here's what we found on Jan. 9 (and double-checked on the morning of Jan. 10.):

[Scroll down for further.]

• We entered "crime" in the DataLB search device (hoping to find data beyond the primitive xerox-copied monthly pdf pages currently on LBPD's webpage, and data beyond the limited six month window in crimereports.com (a vendor provided system using LBPD data) on LBPD's page. We received the "no datasets found" screen view below. This is data that the City of Long Beach clearly has.

  
  

  Among other things, LBREPORT.com is interested in seeing crimes by Council districts, which was routinely provided to the public until 2004, when some person(s) inside City Hall ended the practice entering the 2004 election cycle.

• We entered "police" (seeing if the City listed the number of police officers it provides for taxpayers.) On Jan. 9, we received a link to a map of LBPD reporting districts, beats and divisions (already on LBPD's webpage.) When we tried again on Jan. 10 (10:45 a.m.) someone had added a list of LB police stations, plus planned FY17 Measure A capital improvement projects, the city's general plan, and a list of LBUSD school board districts.

Among other things, LBREPORT.com is interested in seeing a list of the City's budgeted police levels for taxpayers over the past ten years. This could enable residents to correlate the number of police provided by the City with crime data. This is data that the City of Long Beach clearly has.

• We entered "liquor" (seeking information on the concentration of liquor licenses in certain areas) we also received the "no datasets found" screen view. This is data that the City of Long Beach clearly has.

The issue of over-concentrated liquor licenses spans the entire city from 2nd St. in Belmont Shore to parts of Central and NLB.

• When we went to DataLB's front-page featured link ("Putting Your Tax Dollars To Work") re the Measure A sales tax increase, we found factually false text on the front page: "With the passage of measure A, the city is committed to implementing its '$150 Million Plan' over a period of roughly three years."

  
  

  Measure A is a general sales tax ("blank check") that doesn't include any legally binding commitment by the City on how current and future Councilmembers will spend its revenue. The Council could have put Measure A on the ballot with specific taxpayer guarantees (requiring 2/3 voter approval) but didn't do so, instead adopting non-binding resolutions reciting the Council's then-stated intent in general terms (no specifics) and added a City Hall-selected "oversight" committee with no legal power to change Council spending decisions. The materials we listed above would demonstrate this and Measure A's title and text would show what the City showed voters casting their ballots. We found information on planned infrastructure repairs/upgrades displayed on a user-friendly map but we found no data on the Council's Sept. 2016 voted budget actions allocating Measure A's first year revenue in terms of police officers (restored 10 officers out of roughly 200 erased since FY10), fire engines (restored Engine 8 but not Engine 17), paramedic rescue units (Nov. 2016 Council vote directed management to report on preparations to restore Rescue 12.)

• When we clicked on "Learn More About Measure A," we didn't find the text of Measure A or its accompanying Council resolutions, or its ballot title and text shown to voters. Instead, the DataLB page linked to a PressTelegram story on the election outcome.

UPDATE: In response to a Jan. 9 late afternoon email from LBREPORT.cominviting further information/context, the City's Public Affairs Officer, Kerry Gerot, responded on both points:

Regarding the DataLB inquiry:

"1. The goal of the portal is to be a centralized hub and is being "built" with datasets that currently exist, and new data as it becomes available. Please understand that this has just been launched and work continues to provide as much data as possible in a continual process. The open data portal includes data that exists both in textual as well as non-textual formats. Some of which may be existing data along with new data. The goal of this portal is to be a centralized hub for all city data, and for departments to continue adding new datasets as they become available. So, for any particular data search with keywords the data that is currently available should populate and more will be added continually."

Regarding the Measure A inquiry:

"The City is committed to implementing the stated $150 million plan as proposed in many Measure A documents and budget, and continues on that path in good faith based on policy set by the City Council."

And Ms. Gerot referenced this City of LB website link: http://longbeach.gov/citymanager/measure-a

Below is the full text of the Jan. 9 release issued by the City of Long Beach:

[Jan. 9 City of LB release text] Today, the City of Long Beach launched DataLB, the City’s new Open Data Portal. This new portal is designed to implement modern Citywide practices for sharing data with the public, staff, and policy makers as outlined in the Open Data Policy, adopted by the City Council on December 20, 2016.

"Long Beach’s DataLB portal is making the vast amount of City data useful for a wider variety of purposes," said Mayor Robert Garcia. "Not only will people be able to use DataLB and new apps available online to chart information like crime rates, but businesses can see the best areas to establish themselves and grow. This is a great tool for the City and the community."

Throughout the world, governments are making the collection of public data more readily available to communities and interested stakeholders. The type of data posted, called Open Data, is diverse and includes information and statistics on a variety of topics, such as where and how taxpayer money is being spent. This openness has enabled residents to have greater insight into the inner workings of their local, state, and federal agencies.

"Providing data online is not a new concept in government," said Bryan M. Sastokas, Chief Information Officer. "However, the City of Long Beach wants to drive beyond presenting data online and our DataLB portal is an innovative approach that allows the public to operationalize data, making it more useful to the community and building on the City’s commitment to transparency."

DataLB is the City’s public Geographic & Open Data Portal for exploring, visualizing and downloading data that has been made publicly available. Long Beach is one of the first cities to embrace Open Data in a more interactive, geospatial manner, and this portal allows users to analyze and combine Open Data layers using a map viewer, as well as develop new web and mobile applications.

DataLB was created in partnership with Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), an international supplier of geographic information system (GIS) software, web GIS and geodatabase management applications. With DataLB, the datasets published by the City will be centralized in one location, at http://datalb.longbeach.gov. The City’s DataLB portal and all public data posted on the portal are subject to the Terms of Use outlined in the City’s Open Data Policy.

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