See Who Gave Sums Now Totaling Over $100k To LB "Measure A" Sales Tax Hike Campaign Committee AFTER June Election; Total Campaign Cost Topped $700,000...And Committee Is Still In Debt

LBReport.com

News / Follow-Up / In Detail

LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. Support independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.

(Sept. 23, 2016, 6:55 a.m.) --LBREPORT.com's continuing review of documents filed with the City Clerk's office shows that months after the June 7 city election, thousands of dollars have continued to flow to the political committee that ran the $600,000+ campaign for the Measure A sales tax increase to 10% (which takes effect Jan. 1, 2017), the revenue from which the City Council can spend for any general fund items it wishes.

Filings by the "Mayor Garcia, Foster & O'Neill Committee to Support Measures A & B to Protect Police & Fire and Repair Infrastructure in Long Beach. Major Funding by Long Beach Police Officers Association PAC and Long Beach Firefighters PAC, Local 372" -- which is an "officeholder controlled committee" whose officeholder is Mayor Robert Garcia -- indicate that the Committee had $9,319 cash on hand and outstanding debts (unpaid bills) of $170,938 as of June 30.

However it collected sums July 1 and Sept. 8 that has begun chipping away at its unpaid amounts owed. The Committee received $101,500 since July 1 from the entities and individuals we list below. By our reckoning, that brings its total received after the election to $118,000.

[Scroll down for further below.] .

So...how much did the sales tax hike committee ultimately spend to get Measure A passed? As of June 30, the sales tax hike Committee reported its campaign cost 751,311.08. (This sum includes, per FPPC reporting, $36,941 from non-monetary contributions.)

The measure had no similarly funded opposition and was given the following ballot title and text (shown to voters) by City Councilmembers (8-0, Austin absent):

[verbatim text, all caps in original] "CITY OF LONG BEACH PUBLIC SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE REPAIR AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES MEASURE. To maintain 911 emergency response services; increase police, firefighter/paramedic staffing; repair potholes/streets; improve water supplies; and maintain general services..."

The Measure A sales tax increase received roughly 60% support citywide (failing passage in the 5th Council district.) Its voter support level was less than the 2/3 margin required by Prop 13/218 (to give voters legally binding guarantees on how the City would use the tax increase) but was sufficient for the 50%+1 approval to enact a "blank check" tax measure.

Less than 90 days after the election, the City Council voted for a Mayor-recommended FY17 budget that restored 10 police officers out of roughly 200 erased in budgets since FY10, restored one fire engine and left three fire stations without previously staffed fire engines and will fund street and other infrastructure items (in the first year of a three year management plan.) The FY17 budget doesn't include raises although new contracts are currently being negotiated with LB's public employee unions (two of which -- police officers and firefighters -- were the two largest contributors to the Measure A campaign), meaning the anticipated raises will come from somewhere not publicly disclosed to taxpayers yet.

Below are the groups, entities and individuals that gave money to the Measure A campaign, in reverse order, starting with the most recent who gave money after the election.

iHeart Media, Inc. - Clear Channel Outdoor, and Affiliated Entities (San Antonio, TX)	$1,000 (Aug. 28)
City Light & Power, Inc.	$6,000 (Aug. 28)
Michelle Molina [Real Estate Developer, 6th & Pine Development, LLC. Ms. Molina is one of Mayor Garcia's appointees to City Hall's "Economic Development Commission," Managing Partner of Millworks (rehabbed/revived historic property b/w 6th-7th Sts./Pine-Locust; currently rehabbing/reviving a live music venue at 350 Pine Ave. Ms Molina is the spouse of John Molina, CFO Molina Healthcare; Mr. Molina contributed $10,000 to the Measure A campaign on June 1 (prior to the election.)]	$10,000 (Aug. 28)
Covanta Long Beach Renewable Energy	$2,500 (Aug. 5)
AECOM (Austin, TX) [on June 14, 2016, AECOM Capital (an AECOM affiliate), partnering with Ensemble Developments, received Council approval to purchase/develop former LB Redevelopment Agency owned property on Pacific Ave/3rd St.; on June 21, 2016, AECOM Technical Services received Council approval for two year contract extension that included $1 million increase for total sum up to $4.8 million through 2018 for as-needed city engineering design services; on Sept. 13, 2016, AECOM Technical Services received a Council approved contract extension for up to $1.6 mil to conduct groundwater monitoring at former City fuel sites.	$10,500 (Aug. 1)

Jacobs Engineering Group [currently completing "feasibility study" for City/LB Airport on fed'l inspection (customs) facility re int'l flights]	$2,500 (July 26)
Maverick Investments [principal is Kurt Schneiter; firm received 2015 Council approval to convert former "Yankee Doodles" (4101 E. Ocean Blvd.) into a fitness facility]	$1,000 (July 26)
Aeroplex / Aerolease Group [provides hangar space at LB Airport]	$3,000 (July 25)
Long Beach Firefighters Ass'n Local 372 PAC	$5,000 (July 21)
Advanced Environmental Group, Long Beach	$25,000 (July 20)
Sares Regis Group Operating [firm offers leasable business space at ELB's Douglas Park]	$5,000 (July 14)
Long Beach Police Officers Association Political Action Committee	$25,000 (July 6)
Doug Otto for LB Community College Trustee 2016 [re-elected April 2016]	$5,000 (July 6)
Waste Management and Affiliated Entities [Firm received June 14 Council approval (8-0, Lowenthal absent) for ten year contract (not to exceed $3.5 mil/year) for recyclable collection services	$5,000 (June 23)
Iron Workers Local 433, City of Industry	$7,500 (June 16)
Arman Gabay [Owner of The Charles Company, Excel Property Mgm't Services]	$5,000 (June 15)

Among contributions to the pro-sales-tax-hike Committee prior to the election:

June 6: Long Beach Firefighters Ass'n PAC	$20,000
June 6: DDM Operating Partners, Long Beach [LBREPORT.com note: bizapedia.com indicates DDM's principal is Ensemble Investments, LLC. CorporationWiki.com indicates Ensemble Developments LLC is an officer in DDM (and other companies.) June 14, 2016: Council votes 9-0 to approve $6 million purchase/sale agreement and development opportunity at Pacific Ave./3rd St. for Ensemble Investments, LLC.	$3,000
June 1: LB Police Officers Association PAC	$100,000
June 1: John Molina (CFO Molina Health Care)	$10,000
June 1: SMG (operates city-owned LB Convention Ctr)	$10,000
June 2: Grand Prix Ass'n of LB	$2,500
June 2: LB Hotel Properties	$2,000
June 2: P2S Engineering	$2,500
June 4: IBEW Local 11 PAC	$10,000
June 2: Live Nation, Houston TX	$2,500

May 26: Acebo and Associates, LB 90807 [2005-2008: Kevin Acebo was Deputy Mayor to then-LA Mayor Villaraigosa; 2001-2003, was Political Dir for CA Democratic Party]	$4,200
May 26: Noapara Enterprises, Arcadia, CA	$5,000
May 26: Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 426, Norwalk CA	$7,500
May 31: Plenary Group, USA Ltd., Los Angeles [LBREPORT.com note: Dec. 15, 2015 Council votes 9-0 to approve entering 40+ year Civic Center rebuild/operate "public private partnership" transaction]	$5,000

May 25: Firefighters for Better Government, Camarillo, CA	$2,500
May 24: Operating Engineers Local Union 12 Political Fund, Pasadena, CA	$5,000
May 23: JetBlue Airways Corporation, Rockville MD [LBREPORT.com note: Major LB Airport tenant worked quietly with Airport management through much of 2015, then in early 2015 publicly asked City to allow customs facility that would enable international operations and couldn't be limited to JetBlue. Council voted July 2015 (6-3, Austin, Uranga, Supernaw dissenting) to prepare "feasibility report" on action, LGB spokesperson tells LBREPORT.com (mid-July 2016) that study is tentatively set to return to Council in August-September]	$2,500
May 23: Orange County Professional Firefighters Ass'n, Santa Ana, CA	$2,000

May 17: Integral Partners Funding, Newport Beach, CA [Integral Communities is Riverwalk developer (former Will Reid Scout Camp site)]	$5,000
May 17: HDR, Inc, Omaha, NE [Firm providing engineering services for Port's Pier B railyard]	$5,000
May 17: All American Asphalt, Corona, CA [City contractor for Pine Ave. improvement project]	$5,000

May 5: Laborers Int'l Union of North America, Local 1309	$40,000
May 5: Southern CA District Council of Laborers PAC	$40,000
May 5: So. CA Pipe Trades District Council 16	$50,000
May 10: West Coast Arborists [on May 10, 2016, Council approved $1.8 million contract to handle LB tree trimming]	$ 500
May 20: District Council of Iron Workers PAC	$5,000
May 21: BYD America Corporation [LB Transit choice for electric bus contract]	$2,500
May 21: CRC Services, LLC [website text: "oil and gas operations...include THUMS Long Beach Company [operates offshore portion of Wilmington Field] and Tidelands Oil Production Company [operates onshore portion of Wilmington Field..."]	$5,000
April 6: Lyon Communities and Affiliated Entities [owns "Pumpkin Patch" parcel on PCH in SE LB and has various LB residential/apartment holdings]	$16,000 [May 25, 11:50 p.m. update: Committee campaign treasurer Mark Taylor indicates this amount is an in-kind contribution of office space]

May 17	Darren McElroy, President, Environmental Construction Group Signal Hill, CA [LBREPORT.com note: Contractor for demolition of old LB courthouse. Source: company website here.]	$5,000
May 17	The Long Beach Project Owners, LLC Newport Beach, CA 92660 [LBREPORT.com note: The Long Beach Project was among the listed litigation parties that prevailed at the trial court level against CARP [Citizens About Responsible Planning] which challenged the City's EIR for the 8th dist. Riverwalk project.]	$5,000
May 15	Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters Political Action Fund Los Angeles	$20,000
May 15	United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local Union 112	$3,000
May 12	CCE Consulting Group, LLC Hawthorne, CA [LBREPORT.com note: LinkedIn.com lists Erick Verduzco-Vega as a partner in CCE Consulting Group. Mr. Verduzco-Vega was one of Mayor Garcia's Oct. 2014 appointees to the LB Planning Commission.]	$1,000
May 12	The Gallos, Inc. Long Beach 90802	$1,000
May 11	Shooshani Fahrshad President Etc. Real Estate Services, Inc West Hollywood, CA [LBREPORT.com note: We found no LB connections to Shooshani Fahrshad (or Fahrshad Shooshani), but a prominent LB figure, Tony Shooshani is listed on Downtown LB Associates website as the owner representative for LB's downtown City Place and serves on DLBA's Board of Directors.]	$5,000
May 6	Mike Walter [title for ID], Exec. Ass't to CSULB President [and former LB Harbor Comm'r.]	$1,000
May 2	Int'l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 11 PAC	$10,000
May 2	James Callahan, chairman, Metropolitan Stevedore	$2,500
May 2	Frank Colonna, Real Estate Broker	$500