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On Convention Ctr Migrant Minor Council Item, Civic Savvy Mayoral Appointees + Allies Swiftly Filled Public Speaker Slots, Created Echo Chamber Of Support, Effectively Blocked Opposition Speakers



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(April 7, 2021) -- City Clerk records show that within minutes of a 24-hour notice of a Special City Council meeting going online (to discuss/vote on use of LB's Convention Center to temporarily house migrant minors), over a dozen speakers -- some of them appointees of Mayor Robert Garcia or his political allies -- swiftly signed up for the twenty available public speaker slots.

They included Mayor Garcia's brother, Jaoob O'Donnell (now a field rep for state Senator Lena Gonazalez), and Sharon Weissman, a former "senior advisor" and "trnsportation deputy" in Garcia's City Hall office, whom Garcia has since appointed to LB's Harbor Commission.

By the 8 p.m. hour, seven of the twenty slots remained open, and by mid-morning April 6 they were filled by other Mayoral allies, electeds and appointees.

The result created an echo chamber of public support for the Mayor-Council supported action. Some media outlets marveled at how public testimony was uanimously supportive. Some of the Mayoral appointees didn't identify themselves as such, including Ms. Weissman, who simply said she was a CD 5 resident.

Opponents were either "asleep at the switch" or unwilling to sign up to speak publicly on the item.

Among speakers who successfully signed up was James Suazo of LB Forward (first to sign up) who (with allied groups) took a nuanced position opposed to continued child incarceration, urged a firm end date to the Convention Center use and sought federal immigrant enabling legal changes.

The City Clerk's office says the 24 hour notice of a Special Meeting went online at 4:44 p.m. Below is what happened in the minutes and hours that followed:

[Scroll down for further.] .




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/tr> /5/21 18:12:23/tr>
Date/timeSpeaker sign upContext [by LBREPORT.com]
4/5/21 17:17:57James SuazoHeads advocacy group LB Forward opposes continued migrant child incarceration, seeking firm end date to LB Convention Ctr use and urging fed'l pro immigrant legal changes
4/5/21 18:10:10Megan KerrElected LB School Board member, ally of Mayor Garcia
4/5/21 18:11:25Andy KerrSpouse of Megan Kerr, Mayor Garcia appointee to LB Homeless Task Force, Mayoral appointee to "Transactions and Use Tax Advisory Committee"
4/5/21 18:09:35Jessica QuintanaExecutive Dir. Centro C.H.A.
4/5/21 18:17:50Patrick Swymer
4/5/21 18:18:01Lukas Walczak
4/5/21 18:24:57Jacob O’DonnellMayor Garcia's brother, field rep for state Senator Lena Gonzalez.
4/5/21 18:26:42Melinda Lankford
4/5/21 18:32:48Gregory SandersPastor, ROCK Christian Fellowship
4/5/21 18:35:57Maricela de RiveraPublic Affairs, City of LB
4/5/21 18:39:27Sharon WeissmanMayor Gacia's former "senior advisor" and "transportation deputy" whom Garcia recently appointed to LB Harbor Comm'n
4/5/21 18:45:34Christopher Chavez
4/5/21 18:54:59Brad Paradee
4/5/21 20:46Gerardo Arceo
4/5/21 22:47Vivian MalauuluElected LBCC Trustee
4/6/21 0:44:36Charles SongLong Beach Cambodian community activist
4/6/21 5:47:17Tracy Fuentes
4/6/21 8:27:40Herlinda ChicoElected LBCC Trustee and Field Deputy for LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn
4/6/21 9:04:58Ron AriasRetired head of LB Health Dept., Mayor Garcia recently gave Mr. Arias "Key to the City" honor
4/6/21 10:49:02Mary Ellen MitchellExec. Dir, Womnen's Shelter of LB
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The cap on 20 telephoned public speakers isn't set in LB's Council-enacted Municipal Code; it's current COVID-19 City Clerk office practice.

As of April 7, "e-comments" aren't yet publicly visible online for the April 6 Council item (although the City Clerk's office rfoutinely shows them to Councilmembers before their meeting.) Submitted "e-comments" will become publicly visible when April 6 minutes are prepared and webposted.

Some Councilmembers (including Suzie Price) signaled in their Council remarks that their offices had received public pushback on the proposed Convention Center use.

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April 8, 3:45 a.m. Context added re Jacob O'Donnell (Mayor Garcia's brother.

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Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really 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.


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