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Long Beach Council Votes 9-0 To Let City Mgm't Negotiate -- Without Publicly Disclosed Terms, Responsibilities, Costs, Payments. -- Use of Convention Ctr To Temporarily House Roughly 1,000 Unaccompanied Migrant Minors

Unclear If Contract With Terms Will Return To Council For Public Discussion/Voted Approval



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(April 8, 2021, 3:50 p.m.) -- At a 24-hour notice Special Meeting agendized immediately prior to its regular April 6 meeting, the Long Beach City Council voted 9-0 to approve negotiating with Biden administration-run federal agencies -- -- allowing use of the Long Beach Convention Center to house until Aug. 2 roughly 1,000 unaccompanied migrant minors as they seek asylum with family or sponsor reunification.

The Council did so without publicly disclosing terms, responsibilities, costs, payments that will be negotiated with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Refugee Resettlement. It's unclear if the final agendized agreement's terms will return to the Council for public discussion

Immediately prior to the public Council session, the Council held a session closed to the public and press citing negotiation of terms (as well as an unspecified threat to public facilities, see LBREPORT.com coverage here and here.p>In the public Council session, Mayor Garcia and Councilmembers said their action is compassionate and moral, not political, and was focused on the children. Mayor Garcia said Long Beach should welcome the unaccompanied minors (mainly from Mexico and Central America) as it welcomed refugees from Cambodia [who fled/escaped the mid-to-late 1970's mass murderous communist Khmer Rouge regime ["killing fields"])]

Some LB progressive groups, including Long Beach Forward voiced opposition to continued child incarcerations, seek firm end date to LB Convention Center use and seek fed'l pro-immigration law changes.

An April 8 city release said "operation of the emergency shelter will cease on or before August 2, due to existing contracts in the fall of 2021 at the Convention Center."

City officials said all the temporarily housed minors have family or sponsors in the U.S. and will be united with them. Mayor and city staff said fed agencies will pay all costs but offered no written evidence of specific terms.

LB Police Chief Luna said it is his understanding federal agencies will handle security on site and LBPD will handle issues off site. .) .

Prior to the Council meeting, KTLA/5 ran a 3 p.m. recorded package within live shot showing Mayor Garcia making supportive points in a least four video clips compared to one short (poor digital audio) clip of LB Area Repub voice Ben Goldberg arguing City action will invite more illegal immigration.

Mayor Garcia (who has no legal authority to set city policy) and City Manager Tom Modica (non-elected who doesn't set city policy) didn't respond to a March 3 LBREPORT.com emailed inquiry asking if they or their offices offered federal agencies and/or.officials use of the Convention Center and if so to whom they made the offer and for what expected sums.

Prior to the agendizing memo and an April 5 City statement on the proposed arrangement, LB Convention/Visitors Bureau President/CEO Steve Goodling told LBREPORT.com he couldn't discuss the matter. Asked who was stopping him, he deciined a response. .

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An April 6 city management agendizing memo said the City of Long Beach "was contacted by the federal government" [Biden administration] "to assist in supporting the response to the influx of unaccompanied migrant children crossing the United States southwest border." It says "Working with FEMA" unidentified "City staff identified the Convention Center as the optimum temporary shelter site because of its size, accommodations, and security."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in conjunction with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and California Office of Emergency Services, will utilize the Long Beach Convention Center to house approximately 1,000 children for a period of up to 120 days.

Once operational, the shelter will provide the children with three meals a day, medical and health evaluations, recreational opportunities, and educational services. The shelter will be used as temporary housing while the children are reconnected with a family member or sponsor in the United States.

The federal government would be responsible for both funding and providing the major services needed to care for the children, with Long Beach playing a supporting role, providing the facility, and making connections to other appropriate nonprofit and government services.

With the activation of the temporary shelter site there is anticipated to be minimal impact to the COVID-19 vaccination services currently operating at the Convention Center.

Currently, there are several emergency shelters operating across the states, including Texas, Colorado, Washington, and California.

Regarding "Fiscal Impact," the April 6 agendizing memo said that "HHS will contract for essential services and partner with state and local governments as well as non-governmental organizations to establish and operate the temporary shelter at the Convention Center. The federal government would be responsible for both funding and providing the major services needed to care for the children, with Long Beach playing a supporting role, providing the facility, and making connections to other appropriate nonprofit and government services. This recommendation is expected to have moderate staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities. There is no local job impact associated with this recommendation."

In an April 8 follow-up release, the City said the Council "reviewed and discussed the information provided by the federal government during a closed session and special meeting on April 6, where they ultimately authorized the City Manager to begin negotiations with HHS for use of the Long Beach Convention Center." No documents were provided publicly by the City on April 6 showing "information provided by the federal government" to LB Councilmembers.

The City's April 8 release states in pertinent part:

At the request of the federal government, the City explored potential sites to utilize as the emergency shelter location, ultimately determining the Long Beach Convention Center would be the optimal site to provide housing, food, recreational and other services to these children in need. The Convention Center has the capacity to temporarily accommodate up to 1,000 children. The federal government will be responsible for both funding and providing services needed to care for the children. The City of Long Beach will play a supporting role through contracting for the use of the Convention Center, and making connections to HHS for other non-profit and government services. Once operational, the HHS shelter operation will provide the children with essential services, including meals, medical and health evaluations, recreational opportunities and educational services.

Operation of the emergency shelter will cease on or before August 2, due to existing contracts in the fall of 2021 at the Convention Center...

Regarding "Fiscal Impact," the agendizing memo states that "HHS will contract for essential services and partner with state and local governments as well as non-governmental organizations to establish and operate the temporary shelter at the Convention Center. The federal government would be responsible for both funding and providing the major services needed to care for the children, with Long Beach playing a supporting role, providing the facility, and making connections to other appropriate nonprofit and government services. This recommendation is expected to have moderate staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities. There is no local job impact associated with this recommendation."

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