LBReport.com Lets You Hear It: Public Testimony -- Including LB Museum of Art Foundation Director Ron Nelson & Multiple Supporters -- Plus Comments By Mayor Bob Foster Prior To Council Closed Session On LB Museum of Art Foundation
(June 24, 2009) -- In the public interest, LBReport.com provides on-demand access below to extended, unedited audio of public testimony -- including LB Museum of Art Foundation Director Ron Nelson and multiple supporters -- and comments by Mayor Bob Foster prior to the City Council's June 23 afternoon closed session on the LB Museum of Art Foundation.
Screen save / Council video
Mayor Foster indicated at the outset that the session that public testimony would be limited to 15 minutes; it ran roughly 26 minutes. The Mayor indicated that another closed session is planned July 7, after which the issue could come to an open City Council meeting.
The item as agendized was:
a. Pursuant to Section 54956.8 of the California Government Code
regarding a conference with the City's real property negotiator:
1. Property: 2300 E. Ocean Boulevard
Long Beach, CA
City's Negotiator: Patrick H. West, City Manager
Negotiating Parties: City of Long Beach and Long Beach
Museum of Art Foundation
Under Negotiation: Terms and Conditions of Lease
Photo source: City of LB website.
[Note: The LB Museum of Art at 2300 E. Ocean Blvd. is unrelated to the Museum of Latin American Art on Alamitos Ave.]
As previously reported by LBReport.com, City Hall's Director of Technology Services, Curtis Tani, says that prior practice is being changed...and the city will now routinely provide recorded video of public testimony conducted under CA's "Open Meetings" law prior to the City Council entering closed sessions. This will be accomplished with the cost-saving system used for Council Committee meetings: the proceedings will be recorded using the single fixed-position camera in the back of the Council Chamber; it shows a wide-shot of the Council Chamber facing Councilmembers with public speakers seen from behind, usually with good audio clarity (but without the added cost of staffing multiple cameras used for other full Council sessions). For most Committee meetings, the recording is usually available online within a few hours of the event.
All but one of the speakers speaker at the June 23 proceeding was supportive of the Foundation. As previously reported by LBReport.com, the Foundation sent a mass emailing urging its members to attend the special afternoon Council proceeding.
Caveat: the copy of the video feed we received has some momentary audio drop-outs that occur (by especially bad luck) during Mayor Foster's closing remarks. However the lion's share of what took place is now available on LBReport.com...and if we subsequently obtain a clearer copy of the momentary drop-out sections, we'll digitally repair them.
LBReport.com welcomes readers' comments below. LBReport.com will continue striving to be the news outlet of record on this story...which we have reported in detail over two years ago (including archival coverage not available elsewhere) as significant potential taxpayer impacts became apparent.
