Long Beach Accountability Action Group Warned LB Officials -- Including Councilwoman Mungo And City Mgm't. -- Of Chronic And Worsening Transient Presence And Previous Fires In Or Near Area Of April 3 Nature Center Blaze; LBPD Indicates A 43-Yr Old Transient Is Arrested/Booked On Suspicion Of Alleged Arson
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(April 4, 2019, 2:05 p.m., updated 10:15 p.m.) -- The Long Beach Accountability Action Group's website has published email communications dating back to November 2017 it had with Long Beach city officials, including Long Beach Councilwoman Stacy Mungo and City Manager Pat West (plus others who have exited), that described and urged attention to the risk of a fire due to a chronic and worsening presence of transients along the San Gabriel River bike path in or not far from the area where an April 3 fire broke out at the southern end of LB's Nature Center just north of the Willow St. bridge.
LBREPORT.com has separately confirmed that a 43-year old man -- described in an LBPD booking report as a transient -- was arrested yesterday (April 3) and booked on suspicion of violating CA Penal Code section 451(C) (a felony: arson: structure forest/land) in connection with that day's fire. Armando Vasquez Herrera is currently being held subject to $75,000 bail in LB's jail.
LBFD Public Information Officer Jake Heflin also separately confirmed to LBREPORT.com that a possible encampment was involved in yesterday's blaze, which escalated to a second alarm due in part to limited water resources in the area. LB Firefighters faced a challenging fight to knock down the blaze which sent a visible smoke plume over eastern ELB and snarled traffic along Willow St. and the nearby 605 freeway.
Earlier today (April 4) on its website, the Long Beach Accountability Action Group (LAAG) [until a few years ago its name and activities focused on Lakewood] published email interactions with Long Beach City Councilwoman Stacy Mungo and City Manager Pat West in which it advised them -- in some cases with photos -- of a transient/homeless presence in the area and detailed the risk of a fire at the El Dorado Nature Center.
Neither one ignored the emails; they politely responded...but the unfortunate April 3 outcome speaks for itself.
[Scroll down for further.]
LAAG published photos sent to the city in Dec 2017 "showing the destruction to the fence in the very area where the fire occurred on April 3 2019." On its website, LAAG states: "Tearing down the fence along the bike path is the only way really for the homeless to gain access to the area where the fire occurred. People are not supposed to be in this fenced off area. This is only visible to bike riders on the SG river trail. Weekly fence damage patrols need to be done in that area."
[LAAG text] FIRE 1: The first fire was around April 1 2017 and occurred at a homeless camp at the SW corner of the Carson St Walmart parking lot (photo) which was on SG River property (at the NW order of El Dorado park). It was 15 feet off the bike path. Fire and Police dept were on scene. As it was recent it was brought up at a Councilperson Mungo's public event on April 10 2017. Basically Mungo and the police (present) told everyone they could not do anything about it. You know legal stuff that none of you little people could understand.
FIRE 2: On or about November 30 2017. Again this was at another spot favored (prized) by the homeless: The east side of the Willow street bridge over the SG river just 100 feet from where the fire was on April 3, 2019. This fire was under the bridge itself, which I'm sure makes motorists feel comfortable as they traverse that bridge daily. The people living under this bridge were tossed out of there using the legal procedure Dec 13 2017 but within a month they were back again. We have talked to fire personnel in that area literally warning these homeless under that bridge of high water threats in the river but doing nothing to remove them. The problem at this bridge (like Carson St.) is well known. Every time the police and fire go down there to retrieve another dead body in the river they are reminded of the problem. The concern especially at Willow street is that gasoline generators are being used by the homeless. That's right. Gasoline. What could go wrong. No idea what "business" they are running under there but from talking with Seal Beach police in that area its mostly stolen bikes (chop shops for bikes).
FIRE 3: April 4 2019. This fire of course well documented by the media due to its size and location. the perfect place for a fire. hard to get to an no hydrants nearby (just river water which they failed to use)
And LAAG predicts that the "next problem that will be occurring is at the 405 freeway and the SG River."
[LAAG text]...This place is notorious for homeless. Seal beach and Caltrans have cleared out a large camp (Feb 2019) at the side of the SB 605 ramp to the 405 north. A few years ago they were literally living INSIDE the freeway bridges over the river accessing them thru panels cut by Caltrans to add seismic updates to the bridge. More recently they are using the holes to store (likely) stolen bikes! A photo from March 7 2019. I would hate to see what it now looks like up inside that bridge. Wonder what internal damage they have done to the bridge itself. I know for a fact many of these homeless carry large bolt cutters and other tools to gain access to non permitted areas. Lock and fence cutting is also occurring at Carson St bridge and SG River as we write this. City of Lakewood is well aware of it.
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In publishing the emails, LAAG writes: "Judge for yourself if the fire at the Nature Center was preventable by the city had they listened and taken appropriate timely action..."
From: Long Beach Accountability Action Group
Date: Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 3:23 PM
Subject: Homeless issues in Eldorado Park Nature Center
To: "Brad Futak, LBPD Quality of Life Unit", Chris Roth LBPD Quality of Life Unit, Jeanette Rowe [LAHSA], Robert Cerince, Homeless Services Long beach," "Tom Kirk, LA county dept Mental Health (LACDMH)," Elsa Ramos | homeless services long beach
Cc: "Stacy Mungo Councilwoman City of Long Beach, 5th District, George Chapjian, Dir Parks, Rec, and Marine Long beach, Marie Knight Dir. Long beach Parks, Recreation and Marine, Meridith Reynolds | Long beach parks dept , Byron Brno | LBPD Laura Farinella LBPD, Liz Griffin | LBPD East Division Commander, William Lebaron | LBPD
As you well know the homeless on the SGRT are becoming a bigger and bigger problem and now that OC has evicted all the homeless from SART we are going to get more on SGRT. So now that they are invading the Eldorado nature center (a place that is to
remain pristine and natural) and filling it with trash and debris what is going to be done? They need to be moved out. Anywhere. If you keep letting them infest that area as they are doing its only going to get worse. In the last few months it has gotten worse
and their numbers are increasing. This is the PARK not the river bed (different issue legally and substantively). Here is where they are at (see attached). Something needs to be done and done now. I have heard ALL the excuses from LBPD and the park Rangers...I dont need to hear the excuses any more. We are beyond that. Action needs to be taken now.
On Dec 13, 2017, at 10:47 AM, Long Beach Accountability Action Group wrote:
I am sending this email again with new info. I want to be on record of telling the city the problem so that when this issue blows up in your face you wont be able to say you did not know about it or were not told
There was a fire under bridge at Willow (right near nature park) on Nov 30 2017 as FD records will show. It was started by a long standing homeless camp under the east side of the willow bridge. There was another fire near wal mart at the carson st bridge in April 2017 that was brought up at the Mungo meeting on April 10 2017.
Why homeless are allowed to camp IN eldorado park nature center area is beyond me. The park rangers chase out bikes, dog walkers and cars at sunset but Homeless are exempt? This is sheer laziness on the part of the LB elected officials staff and the police. enforce the park ordinances. The park is closed to ALL at sunset. Those are the rules. And I want to go on record as saying there is a very good chance the "Nature" section of the park (along the river north of willow south of Spring) has a very good chance of catching fire reading the stories below and the fires we have already had very near that section. act now. before it's too late. This is not homelessness on public sidewalks or in the riverbed where APPARENTLY "different rules" apply. this is a park. I will bet that if I did not get a permit and let a bunch of boy scouts camped out in the park (esp the forbidden "nature section") the rangers would be all over us in ten minutes rousting us out of there via their vehicle loudspeakers. This is disparate enforcement of rules that favor the homeless!! Outrageous!
From: Long Beach Accountability Action Group
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2017 8:37 AM
To: Patrick West
Cc: Mayor; Council District 5; Christine Schachter; Marie Knight; Valerie Davis; Angela McGrath
Subject: Re: Homeless issues in Eldorado Park Nature Center
Thank you Pat for responding. You are the only one that did out of all the people below...
Let's hope Eldo does not become the place all the Santa Ana river and Santa Ana civic center refugees head to next.
And I really do fear a fire either under bridges or worse in the nature area. I bike past that area daily and see what is going
on. Go take a look for yourself. they are well hidden
On Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 11:17 AM, Stacy Mungo wrote:
Hi, just want you to know we followed up with staff and we'll get a response going. You bring up a good point about the fires. Thanks for your vigilance!
On Fri, Feb 16, 2018 at 10:49 AM, Long Beach Accountability Action Group wrote:
Sadly the fence has two new "holes" (just north of willow along river bed east side) and a sagging spot halfway between willow and spring. that sagging spot likely occurred as the fence installers did not properly secure the top of the chain link fencing to the top guide wire still in place between the poles (which you can still see in place in my blurry photo),
On Feb 19, 2018, at 9:46 AM, Long Beach Accountability Action Group wrote:
Just focus on the fence for now
From: Long Beach Accountability Action Group
Date: Wed, Dec 20, 2017 at 11:06 AM
Subject: Re: Homeless issues in Eldorado Park Nature Center
To: Stacy Mungo
Cc: Pat West LB city Mgr, Marie Knight | Dir. Long beach Parks, Recreation and Marine"
I ride by three 3-4 days a week. They are very well hidden from above and even from bike path. military grade camouflage. One thing that would help is keep checking the chain link fence between the nature section and the river bike path. They use the bike path to get in there and have damaged the fence in at least 5 paces to gain access. Keep that fixed and they likely will stay out.
...My retired cop capt friend said whenever they got a homeless person setting up they would move them out as they know more would follow and word would get out that it was a good place to camp. Next thing you know it's the Santa Ana river. Govt is good at kicking
the can down the road and putting off problems until they are huge and blow up.
On Wed, Feb 21, 2018 at 8:36 AM, Stacy Mungo wrote:
We will look Into this. I have added Councilman Supernaw as this is in the 4th and I know he'd like to keep an eye on it.
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LAAG opines:
There is a legal process to move the homeless out of camps and into facilities. We are not talking about that many people on the SG river, nowhere near the daunting task that faced the cities on the Santa Ana river. The problem is that it has become chronic and we suspect the same individuals are causing the problem over and over again. The city needs to step up and start tackling this problem where it is least seen, not just the visible homeless on the sidewalks around city hall. Problem is cleaning up the river does not garner a lot of re-election votes as so few voters are aware of the extent of the problem...
Time has come for some real action with respect to the homeless on the river. Hopefully this fire will draw more public attention to the problem that has been well known by the city for years
LBREPORT.com has invited responses from city management and Councilwoman Mungo's office to the foregoing. Developing.
10:12 p.m.: Headline and text amended to reflect that LAAG changed its name from "Lakewood" to "Long Beach" Accountability Action Group a few years ago; it says its activities still apply the same accountability principles.
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