(April 13, 2021, 2:10 p.m.) -- Grudgingly, I have to hand it to the Long Beach mayor, the Honorable Robert Garcia.
While he patiently awaits a cushy position in the Biden Administration via his dear friend, Vice President Kamala Harris, he continues to blithely give the old middle finger to anyone who would dare take issue with any of his political stances even though so many of them inspire passionate dissent among many of his Long Beach constituents. In fact, to list all the audacious dissembling he employs in such matters should be left to those in academia deciding to do their doctorate papers on governmental duplicity. Indeed, there are times I swear Mr. Garcia is conducting his business from a tyrant's playbook with his clandestine maneuvers that have become such a sacred, if not scary part of his controversial mayoral tenure. I mean Mr. Garcia actually kept City Hall's decision to bring in more than 1,000 undocumented migrant minors for sheltering at the Long Beach Convention Center a secret until it was fait accompli. Why? That's what a lot of people around town want to know, and also a lot of people like the principled publisher of this publication, Mr. Bill Pearl, would like to know how the entire process unfolded. Natch, when Mr. Pearl sought such information from City Hall leaders---at least from the ones at the top like Mr. Garcia and his private marionette, city manager Tom Modica---he was met with only deafening silence. Where's the transparency? Why are Messrs. Garcia and Modica so paranoid about the public finding out who instigated---Long Beach officials or federal agencies---the proceedings that resulted in downtown Long Beach becoming a hostelry for more than 1,000 undocumented kids? Their reluctance to come willingly forward with the truth leads me to believe that they don't want those in Long Beach upset with the development to know that it was they who originally made overtures to the feds that LB gladly would be amenable to turn a vital section of downtown into a lodging sanctuary even though it would inevitably have a negative impact on long-struggling nearby hotels, restaurants, taverns and many other businesses. Of course, it's only a hunch on my part, and I could be completely wrong in my assessment even though Bill Pearl has been forced to resort again to using state and federal information laws in an attempt to dredge the veracity out our City Hall leaders whose media stonewalling has become so irritatingly routine. | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The ad space immediately above donated by LBREPORT.com |
Mr. Pearl also has gone that route in what seemingly was a well-orchestrated, if not illegitimate course in the April 6 aftermath of the special City Council meeting to give its preordained approval by the standard 9-0 vote ---in which, incredibly, almost all of the 20 available speaking slots on the matter were overwhelmingly taken up by people who thought Messrs. Garcia and Modica should be accorded the Nobel Peace Prize for their divine and compassionate actions. Alas, there's a strong suspicion that the fix was in, and that Mr. Garcia's political cronies, even his own brother, for crimneysakes, wound up with the first 13 slots, much to the delight of Mr. Garcia. It's the unfortunate view here that Bill Pearl will be waging a thankless, uphill battle in his brave, never-ending journalistic quest to unveil the truth in turning to the freedom of information laws, as, at best, he will face interminable delays. And, at worst, the bits of information he does secure might well be quite innocuous---I hope I'm wrong!---since those in charge of releasing it are almost certain to be aligned politically with Mr. Garcia. Clearly, Long Beach has become Robert Garcia's private fiefdom, as the founder of the Long Beach Young Republicans in 2005 who became a Democrat in 2007 seems to get everything he desires, from slashing the budget of the police department, to ordering his top cop, Robert Luna, to stand down his troops last Memorial Day that resulted in 210 LB businesses being looted, to turning control of the Queen Mary from the City Council to the Harbor Commission (inspiring still another Bill Pearl freedom of information move), to turning the LB City Council into a bunch of trained seals with its customary unanimous support of Mr. Garcia's agenda. You would think there would be one person in this group who would offer a contrary view to Mr. Garcia's---I wrongly thought the 3rd District's Suzie Price would offer vocal dissent on occasion---but no one dares cross Mr. Garcia. Clearly, the guy has a magical political knack, in light of the way the Nine Unworthies, aka the LB City Council, bend to all his whims, even the ones that are so often nonsensical. Viewpoints and op-eds on LBREPORT.com are proudly those of their bylined authors but not necessarily those of LBREPORT.com or our advertisers. We welcome our readers' comments/opinions 24/7 via Facebook and moderate length letters and longer-form op-ed pieces submitted to us at mail@LBReport.com.
Previously by Mr. Krikorian: Why Have ALL The Long Beach Leaders Been So Silent On The Feds Placing A Contingent Of Undocumented Kids In Downtown LB? A Talk With Jerry West And An Emotional Remembrance For Me Of Still Another Friend, Elgin Baylor, Who Is Gone Frankly, I'm Surprised Long Beach Chief Of Police Robert Luna Didn't Think A Contingent Of Extraterrestrials From Another Galaxy Was Responsible For The LB Crime Wave The Creator Of Two Iconic Long Beach Dining Establishments, Schooner Or Later and Tantalum, LB Bachelor Denny Lund Also Has Been A Creator Of Glad Times Krikorian Notes: From Cal Gov Gavin Newsom Keeping Long Beach Restaurant Diners Outdoors For No Plausible Reason To His Equally Despised Michigan Counterpart, Gretchen Whitmer, Actually Allowing Indoor Dining In Her State To Cock Of The Walk John Morris Speechless (!) To Dickie (Too Fast, Too Furious) Babian Turning Crow's Over To His Son To My New 7-1, 354 Bodyguard Aaron Gray Taking Over From The Undersized 6-0, 225 Mike (The Hammer) DiMarzo Krikorian Notes: From Gavin Newsom Praising Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia As Though He's Destined For Mt. Rushmore To Newsom Hoping The Rest Of California Follows The Jill Baker LBUSD Path (???) To The Tiger Woods Car Accident To Bad Stu Ledsam's Son Kyle's Big Award To Vons Pavilion GM Steve Carr Performing Cashiering Duty To My Watching the Amazing Emerzian Twins Next Week In Michigan Krikorian Notes: From A Most Surreal Development That Has Me In A State Of Giddiness---Our Beloved Long Beach Actually Now Serious About Building A New Swimming Pool After Coastal Commission Approval And Strong Endorsements From Such Local Leaders As Mayor Robert Garcia and City Manager Tom Modica and Their Political Accomplices To Mike O'Toole Doing a Solo, He-Man Rowing Act On A 32-Foot Gondola Carolina Filled With 14 People Around Naples Canals To Jill Baker’s Typical Back-to-School Delaying Tactics To My Receiving My Periodic SAG-AFTRA Residuals From My Once Flourishing Acting Career That, Sadly, Went The Way Of My Once Flourishing Radio Career Long-Time Belmont Shore Resident Dorcas Baldwin, 85, Endures Frightening Experience Of Homeless Man Breaking Into Her Bay Shore Avenue Home And Taking A Shower Before Long Beach Cops Come To The Rescue CIF Southern Section Commissioner Rob Wigod Hoping Gavin Newsom And His Health Department Toadies Come To Their Senses For Projected High School Sports Restart On March 19 Terry Antonelli Orchestrating Rise Of L’Opera After Its Tragic Fall In The Great Long Beach Memorial Day Pillage & Plunder Festival Krikorian Notes: From Mayor Garcia's Spineless Speech To Jill Baker's Passing The Buck Alliance With Gavin Newsom To A Positive Long Beach Vaccination Experience To Welcoming New Neighbor George Gascon To Mike The Hammer Bludgeoning Me About Boxing To The Amazing Tom Brady The Memorable Life Of Tommy Lasorda: From World Series Titles To Slim-Fast Diets To Obscenity-Laced Jim Healy Tapes To Pitching To Jack Clark To A Sacred Legacy Of Laughter And Success On The Ball Yards Of America "A Lady Shrieking "Wear A Mask!" On Bay Shore Ave. Results In A Mask-Wearing Epiphany For Our Columnist A Christmas Tale Of Reflections And Remembrances A Christmas Tale Of Reflections And Remembrances" Krikorian Notes: From New LA County DA George Gascon Moving To Naples To LBUSD Superintendent Jill Baker Continuing To Stunt Growth Of 70,000 Students To Distress Of Locked Down LB Entrepreneurs Jeff Cozart, Mike Neufeld, John Sangmeister To LB’s Very Own Kato Kaelin, Steve Folger, Squiring Kelly Clarkson In Nashville Krikorian Notes: From Joe Jost Owner Ken Buck Sounding Off On The Lockdowns To Big Ben Goldberg's Boat Parade Party In Huntington Harbor To Bob Ludlam Departing LB For Prescott -- The Leisure World of Arizona -- To LB State President Jane Close Conoley Not Faintly Resembling Her Esteemed Predecessors To Mike (The Hammer) DiMarzo Invading Miami For Nightclub Frolic To LB State Women's Soccer Coach Mauricio Ingrassia Suddenly Looking Like A Matinee Idol When Is LBUSD Superintendent Jill Baker Going To End Her Calamitous Lockdown That Has Caused So Much Chaos And Heartache And Disruption Among 70,000 Students? Krikorian Notes: From Councilman Rex Richardson Displaying Courage To Show Up At A Long Beach Restaurant Association Meeting To The Countless Millions Lost On Unoccupied LB Buses To LB Health Czar Kelly Colopy’s Latest Mean-Spirited Edict To the Irritating Silence Of LB City Manager Tom Modica To LB Mayor Robert Garcia Ignoring His Constituents For Political Reasons To Bob The Black Labrador Parading Down The Peninsula Boardwalk Holding A Large Palm Limb In His Mouth How Many Long Beach Restaurants Will Be Forced to Close After Latest Lockdown Lunacy? Where's Krikorian? Temporarily On "Injured Reserve List" Recovering From Shoulder Replacement Surgery Krikorian Notes: From Nico's George Mlouk Praising LB Mayor Robert Garcia For Working To Help LB Restaurateurs To A Plea To LB Health Czar Kelly Colopy To Restrain Her Overzealous Sleuths To Lakers Deserving NBA Title To LeBron James Turning Anthony Davis Into Passionate Competitor To Vital Contributions Of Lakers Coach Frank Vogel And GM Rob Pelinka To Sadness Of Passing Of The Great Joe Morgan And Its Impact On Maury Wills' Hall Of Fame Chances Famous Long Beach Restaurateur Phil Trani Days Of Joyful Memories And Pandemic Miseries Krikorian Notes: From The Irritating Silence Of The Long Beach Politicians In Not Supporting Their Citizens To The Whereabouts Of LB Mayor Robert Garcia To The Whistles Favoring The Lakers Against The Nuggets To The Greatness of Patrick Mahomes To The End Of A European Vacation Streak That Started In 1989 LBUSD Superintendent Jill Baker’s 70,000 Student Online Virtual Teaching Miscalculation A Disaster! Krikorian Notes: From The 9 Unworthies Of The LB City Council To The LB Upstick In Shootings And Speeding To Restauranteur John Morris Horseback Riding On A Wyoming Mountaintop To The Walking Adventures Of Earth Man Jeff Cozart's Time Of Torment: Will His Belmont Athletic Club Survive Gavin Newsom’s Latest Lockdown? Krikorian Notes: A Labor Day Elegy For Those In The Long Beach Business Community Who Were Violated In The Memorial Day Looting Frenzy To The Palm Tree Limbs Littering 2nd Street To The Scooters Littering The Belmont Shore Bridge To The Virtual On-Line Spectacle At Big Mike O'Toole's Household Krikorian Notes: From Long Beach Mayor's Ascent To Dem Stardom Because Of Lockstep Embrace Of The Party's Policies To The Enchanting Parklet Dining On 2nd Street To Tearing Down The Hoops in Belmont Shore To Greg Silver's LB Departure To Huntington Beach To Bob Rice Protecting Me From Isiah Robertson Don Kramer Was A Character Like No Other With His Zaniness, Goofiness, Joyfulness, Kindliness Who Left All Who Knew Him With Lasting Memories Of Slapstick Antics And Mirthful Anecdotes Krikorian Notes: From Majority Of LB Teachers Skipping Classrooms For The Comforts Of Home To Dr. Jill Baker Becoming Another Maria Montessori To Terry Antonelli Discussing Resurrection of L'Opera To Mayor Robert Garcia Touted By MSNBC's Brian Williams As A Future U.S. Senator To Kershaw's Magical Transformation Long Beach's Renaissance Man, Chuckie Miller, Reflects On His Entrepreneurial Life And On Racial Inequity Krikorian Notes: From LB's Elected Leadership's Reimagining Delusions To the Gaslamp's Outdoor Wall Video Band Show To The Ghastly USC Coach, Clay Helton FDR's Grandson, Delano Roosevelt, Talks Democratic Party, JetBlue, Long Beach And His Life LBPD Chief Robert Luna: Stand Up For Your Fifty Ousted Cops! What Next From Long Beach Health Boss Kelly Colopy, Hazmat Suits For Our Restaurant Servers? Sadly, Our National Pastime No Longer A Pastime For Me Parklets! Three Cheers For Long Beach Politicians! Memo To LBUSD Sup Jill Baker: Return The Kids To the Classroom! A Long Beach Politicians Once Again Fail Long Beach Is Long Beach Destined to Become the City That Never Sleeps? I Never Thought I'd Live To See These... Ben Goldberg Exits Long Beach, Now Nearby Refugee In OC Long Time Long Beach Resident Dave Lopez Climaxes Storied 48-Year TV Career From Krikorian's Notebook: When Will LB Police Chief Luna Come Clean About May 31 Downtown Long Beach Looting Frenzy? From Krikorian's Notebook: (1) LBUSD Mgm't Mulls Keeping K-5 Kids Indoors Without Normal Access To Playground, Cafeteria, Auditorium Activities; (2) And More... Will LB's New School Sup't Allocate Untimely Pay Raise To Serve Students? Awaiting Governor's Dictate To Decide Fate Of This Year's (July 3) "Big Bang On the Bay" Mayor/Council Sounds Of Silence After LB Cops Let Some Pillage Our Village Excuses By Long Beach Police & Politicians Dishearten Damaged LB Businesses Hallelujah! LB Mayor Pleads For Sac'to Permission To Lift Closures That Needn't Have Occurred Speak Up, Mr. Mayor, On Governor's Unwise Edicts. You Can Do That And You Should My Beloved Long Beach: A Victim Of Irrational Government Overreach Beyond Reasoned Response To Virus
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