The item came to the Committee as a result of a May 23, 2017 item agendized by Councilwoman Mungo "to consider renaming the EI Dorado Neighborhood Library the "Ernie and Jackie Kell Neighborhood Library" in honor of the late Ernest Eugene Kell, Jr., City of Long Beach's first elected mayor; approve a deviation from existing policy and procedures for naming of City-owned land, buildings and facilities; refer this item to the Housing and Neighborhoods Committee for consideration; request the Library Services Department and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine to conduct further outreach around the renaming of the library; and authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute any necessary agreements and dedication ceremony if approved."
Councilwoman Mungo made the motion to approve; Vice Mayor Richardson seconded it; and after two public speakers, it carried 8-0 (Austin absent).
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Councilwoman Mungo's item had a noteworthy genesis. On May 12, 2017, over 300 people filled the LB Yacht Club beyond capacity for a Celebration of Life for former Mayor Kell. (LBREPORT.com reported his April 30 passing and followed-up (our latter story here) and covered the Celebration of Life event with extended video coverage here.)
Among those speaking at the May 12 event were current Mayor Robert Garcia, retired Mayor Beverly O'Neill, retired Councilman Evan Braude and retired City Manager Jim Hankla. Also attending the event were (not a complete list) Harbor Commissioner/retired Councilman Doug Drummond, retired Assemblywoman/retired Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal, retired City Attorney Bob Shannon, retired Harbor Commissioner Joel Friedland among other current and former city officials along with family friends.
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The final scheduled speaker was Mayor Kell's wife, retired 5th dist. Councilwoman Jackie Kell. "And now, we'll have our beloved Jackie," said the event presenter, and Mrs. Kell was on her way to the podium when the event's co-presenter whispered something to the presenter, who stated "And Jackie, right before you come, I'd like to introduce Stacy Mungo, the 5th district Councilperson." Mrs. Kell took a stage seat, shrugged her shoulders, shook Councilwoman Mungo's hand and Councilwoman Mungo delivered brief remarks that included this:
Councilwoman Mungo: Jackie and I have been talking a lot over the last little bit and many of you have also come together and made recommendations...[intervening remarks]...It's really inspiring to young people to know that his legacy will live on through all of us that he touched but that we also feel that we should name something in the city after Ernie. So over the next several weeks, but a few of us will be getting together regularly, we have a few things that we're considering. We hope to see you all again at a very, very important and appropriate naming ceremony in the near future...
For an LBREPORT.com video of this, click here.
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Shortly thereafter, a May 23 Council agenda item appeared, brought by Councilwoman Mungo and accompanied by a memo that stated in pertinent part:
Long Beach's first citywide elected mayor, Ernie Kell, recently passed away at the age of 88 after a lifetime of distinguished public service and lasting community contributions. Kell served as the City's mayor from 1984 to 1994, and ran for the Long Beach City Council for the first time in 1975 when he was elected to represent the Fifth District from 1975 to 1988. During his tenure in office, he earned a reputation as a consensus builder with a personal touch and an eye toward bettering the lives of all neighbors.Kell's leadership put into motion many efforts that have shaped today's Long Beach, including his work with convening the City's first Homeless Task Force in 1987, the creation of the Mayor's Homeless Fund, the expansion of the Long Beach Convention Center, and the start of the Long Beach Education Partnership, which grew into the Long Beach College Promise.
Administrative Regulations Number ARS-7, Issue 1, "Policy and Procedures for Naming of City-owned Land, Buildings, Facilities" establishes formal policies as a guide to the City Council in considering (1) appropriate names for City-owned land, buildings and facilities; and (2) whether, and under what circumstances, such land, buildings, and facilities should be named or renamed in honor of individuals.
A deviation from the policy guidelines is requested consistent with the particular consideration that "The naming of City-owned land, buildings and facilities in honor of deceased persons shall generally not take place until one year after their deaths, unless the City Council determines that there are overriding considerations for deviating from this policy guideline."
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Among individuals using the NextDoor social network site, the renaming proposal has drawn mainly negative responses on various grounds; when a City Hall release announced the upcoming July 11 Housing and Neighborhoods Committee meeting, they continued [we've anonymized a sampling below]:
I do not believe it is appropriate to rename anything after Mr. Kell. One has to wait a period of time before determining a legacy designation. And it should be discussed by the community as to the pro and cons of the matter. Mr. Kell was viewed both in a positive and a negative light during his mayorship. It is imperative to balance those opinions out before we "Honor" him. I am against the renaming. My experience with Mr. Kell was negative on more than one occasion. I agree. Ernie Kell is not on a level that would qualify. Neither was Michelle Obama. The library is so closely associated already with El Dorado Park that it seems inappropriate to change its name now. Few people are familiar with the Kells, but everyone knows where to find El Dorado Park. If someone is insistent that something be named for the Kells, then maybe they could find a facility that hasn't already got a great name. This issue is using up a lot of energy, and perhaps assets, that should be used for something more meaningful to area residents. City Hall "Encouraged " to actually do something Constituents want, and deal with Impacted parking. Anyone home In City Hall? ?? Hello Mayor Garcia? H E L L O LOL Mr Kell is honored with a lifetime pension and benefits thanks to the generosity of City Council and the taxpayers of LB. Why should we spend today's money unnecessarily for the honor of someone the future generation neither cares about nor wishes to pay for? It is egotistical to "rename" anything for anyone and just plain stupid. keep the name the same, el dorado. it is historic and identifies our neighborhood and that means more to all residents in the area. not to mention the added costs for renaming. give him a bench with his name on it, but not paid from tax dollars or any general fund. Like the streets in Douglas Park, most are not pronounceable and the person named not recognizable by most of the population. The library name should not be changed. Put up a plaque, supported with donations. That would be more than sufficient if need to somehow recognize the Kells. I'm not sure why the city feels a need to rename schools and libraries. If they feel that compelled to do so -- at least Ernie Kell served our city. I still don't understand why we have a Michele Obama Library. What did she ever do for Long Beach? I wish the people here felt as strongly about stopping illegal fireworks as they do about renaming something with the name Ernie Kell. No to renaming El Dorado library. Fix the streets and trim the trees in the 5th district instead. I thought that we had taken a poll and 98% was against changing the name. At least by keeping it El Dorado people will know where the library is located. I'm getting tired of the city feeling like they should change the name of any building they choose! I think it would be wise of them to spend their time fixing the city! Isn't that why we voted for these council people? They do love to waste our money don't they! No on renaming El Dorado Library. Clearly Mayor Garcia and City Council didnt get the memo! Lol. Like everything else that dosnt work For THEIR aganda, they just keep steamrolling over their constituents, like Congress and Our Current President. Enjoy the New "Kell Library" or whatever else it is THEY want to rename Remember: "We want to know your thoughts! Let your voices be heard" Just dont count on City Hall to listen to them ; ) SAD I remember him well, he acted like a typical crooked mayor. In town hall meetings he would table items that the crowd wanted,but he did not want until late at night when most of the people went home, then he would hold the vote on them and pass them, a real railroad job. This happened many times in the auditorium at Marshall Jr High. I do not want anything named after him. El Dorado Park is well-known and enjoyed far and wide by more than just our city's residents. It's name is associated with a point of pride for Long Beach. There's no compelling reason to change it! Why not name some part of city hall with Kell's name? Leave well-known and adored landmarks alone. The last thing I want is a city asset named after Kell. As far as I'm concerned he was incompetent and that is being charitable. I am responding to the survey. NO on El Dorado Library renaming But yes to recalling and renaming our 5th district council person. No to renaming the library! Spend the money on buying that library new carpet and refreshing the facility. I remember Ernie and Jackie Kell's reign. Even though city council has already made their initial affirmative decision, taxpayers - and voters - are saying no. Sure hope they listen. Add my no vote to others'. El Dorado Park is a known entity - the Kell family could have a plaque of recognition inside the library. Please - nothing more than that, if anything at all. I vote NO on changing the library's name to Kell. We can name a room in the library the Kell room or at the convention center a room name Kell. It will cost the city about $50 for a plaque and we don't have to spend thousands of $$$$$$ for everything needed to change a site including all books, letterhead, cost of putting up a new name and changing every thing else in the city that refers to the El Dorado Library. Why? Why is Mungo pushing so damn hard for this, when everybody except for her it seems is against this ridiculous idea? This is my reply in the comments section of the survey. During his term in office Ernie Kell was known for a...planning commission that dramatically increased the density in Long Beach without increasing the tax base to support Police, Fire and schools. Long Beach went from a city noted for it's single family homes to one known for it's crime and grime. Downtown was in a shambles and declining daily as porn peep shows and "adult" book stores proliferated. Kell is the example of the...old boy network mayor that none of us ever want to see again. I will take to the streets in protest if anything short of a cesspool is ever named after Ernie Kell. A note of thanks to my neighbors for their candid views of former Mayor Ernie Kell. I have long held him in disregard and I'm encouraged that so many of you feel the same. As far as I am concerned he was the first and worst Mayor of Long Beach. No, I know it as the El Dorado library -- stop wasting time, and energy on this. Take care of our parking situation! This is just another example of the type of disconnect by the current city council and mayoral office....there is an obvious connection between why the Kells and their values are being honored by the current city admin and related council members......the outcome is increased crime, a proliferation of monster sized RV's and commercial vehicle clogging our residential areas, increased homeless encampments, graffiti, pet city projects leaving other parts of the city in decay, broken down street sweepers and dirtied streets, slow to respond police dept..and the list goes on. Stacy Mungo, I respectfully request that you do everything in your power to put a stop to this insanity. We don't need to change the name of the El Dorado Library. I have lived in this area for over 55 years. It's always been the El Dorado Library and should remain the El Dorado Library. It's a waste of time and resources with no value for it's expenditure. So let's get ourselves focused on what absolutely DOES need to be done, will add value and make our expenditures accordingly. So my vote is NO.
Retired Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske (2006-2014), who defeated then-incumbent Councilwoman Jackie Kell (who was seeking a write-in third term) put up a separate Next Door dispatch that she titled "5 Good Reasons to Stop the Renaming of El Dorado Library":
- [Schipske text] 5. The library was specifically designed and named to match El Dorado Park on September 1970
- 4. Jackie Kell repeatedly voted to cut library hours while on Council
- 3. City code requires that a person be dead for at least a year before a public facility can be named after them [ed. note: for contra see final two paragraphs in Councilwoman Mungo's memo, above.]
- 2. It will cost the city money to change sign, website, maps, materials
- 1. The proposed name change was never posted at the library to ask patrons
Ms. Schipske is now contemplating a write-in campaign to challenge Mungo in the April/June 2018 election cycle.
LBREPORT.com is aware of at least two instances when the Council renamed or named city facilities for living persons.
In Sept. 2015, the Council voted to rename the Center Theater (in the downtown Long Beach Performing Arts Center) to honor former Mayor Beverly O'Neill. And in February 2016, amid some community controversy, the Council voted
A City release invites residents to provide their views via an online community survey at this link and states "All public comments will be submitted to the Housing and Neighborhoods Committee for review."
Public testimony is (of course) also allowed at the Committee meeting (speakers are usually allowed 3 mins. each although it can be shortened if there are many speakers). The Committee meeting will take place on July 11 with a scheduled start time of 2 p.m. in the City Council Chamber, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.
Developing. LBREPORT.com plans to provide LIVE video streaming of the Committee meeting on our front page at www.LBREPORT.com.
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