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Gathering Storm: Neighborhoods First/LBHUSH2 Announce They'll Focus On Taking Political Action To Replace Councilmembers Who Vote To Advance Customs Facility/Int'l Flights At LB Airport


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(Jan. 24, 2017, 8:20 a.m.) -- For the first time since 2004, when voters in Council districts 4 and 8 replaced their incumbent Councilmembers, a grassroots neighborhood group has announced its focus will be to take political action to replace current LB Councilmembers whose actions they believe could create additional risks to LB's protective Airport ordinance that protects Long Beach from unlimited flights at all hours at all noise levels on all runways.

"If council members from District 1,2,3,5,6 and 9 (or at least two of them) don't join the efforts of Supernaw, Austin and Uranga to keep our airport "municipal", HUSH2 will begin staging for resident litigation efforts much like the 1700 residents did in the 80's. But more importantly our focus will be about building an army to go against all districts and the mayor who will be running for reelection in April 2018. The Mayoral position and Districts 3 & 5 are most vulnerable. Districts 3,5 and 8 have the highest number of voters and their support is crucial to win the mayoral seat."

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The text below appeared on Jan. 19 on the website of Neighborhoods First, a citywide grassroots group supported by LBHUSH2, in the wake of actions by six Councilmembers (over the dissents of three Council members) that have advanced a City Hall-driven process that could allow a JetBlue-sought federal customs facility at LB Airport enabling international passenger and/or cargo operations and couldn't be limited to JetBlue.

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In 2004, voters elected Rae Gabelich and Patrick O'Donnell in LB's 8th and 4th districts over Mayor-endorsed/establishment-backed incumbents, and roughly two years later Neighborhoods First and LBHUSH2 successfully persuaded the full Council not to expand LB's terminal facilities to nearly double the size that LB Airport has now (which had been recommended by an Airport-hired consultant and was supported by some of the same supporters of international operations now.) The grassroots groups effectively preserved the Airport's boutique features that travelers enjoy and wins awards and the groups support LB Airport operations at their current level.

Neighborhoods First carried the Jan. 19 dispatch below on its website about tonight's (Jan. 24) scheduled Council item. The item was scheduled for tonight's agenda as a result of a Dec. 6 motion by Councilwoman Stacy Mungo, seconded by Councilwoman Suzie Price (carried 6-3, Austin, Uranga, Supernaw dissenting) that could give city management authority to take a number of key actions prerequisite to installing a federal customs facility enabling international operations at Long Beach Airport. Mungo and Price made their motion to schedule a decisional vote before the Council had conducted its first [and to date only] city-staff run "study session" for the full City Council on an Airport-hired "feasibility study" for a customs facility.

[Neighborhoods First text]...This specific attempt to place additional risks on our coveted noise ordinance (only one of five in the country) has been ongoing since 2013. Our new terminal was officially opened in 2013. Shortly after the Grand Opening in 2013 was when Jet Blue initiated their request with then LGB Director, Mario Rodriquez. They met with CBP, communicated with the FAA, hired Frasca & Associates to complete an economic study, provided several blue prints of schematic possibilities and even presented LGB with a term sheet. All of this without receiving any direction from our city council! After the 2014 elections your HUSH2 team met with Mayor Garcia and all council members willing to talk with us. We provided them with the historical documents of LGB litigation history from 1980-2006. We offered to meet and help each of them in any way that we could. Unfortunately, not one individual thought it prudent to continue with our conversations.

This Tuesday, January 24th the city council will cast their final vote to either deny the Jet Blue request or grant JB and city staff to move forward on this project. The agenda item is worded to suggest their will be other points of approval, but the reality is "this plane will have left the gate....".

If council members from District 1,2,3,5,6 and 9 (or at least two of them) don't join the efforts of Supernaw, Austin and Uranga to keep our airport "municipal", HUSH2 will begin staging for resident litigation efforts much like the 1700 residents did in the 80's. But more importantly our focus will be about building an army to go against all districts and the mayor who will be running for reelection in April 2018. The Mayoral position and Districts 3 & 5 are most vulnerable. Districts 3,5 and 8 have the highest number of voters and their support is crucial to win the mayoral seat.

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