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(April 21, 2021, 5:25 a.m.) -- Following up on a story (reported first again) by LBREPORT.com, the City of Long Beach contends it has no responsive records of communications (including texts, emails and the like) by or between Mayor Robert Garcia (or his office staff) regarding participation in public speaking slots re the April 6 Council agenda item on use of the Convention Center to house migrant minors"
"In response to your request for public records received on April 09, 2021, the City of Long Beach does not have responsive records," City Management's Public Records Center said on April 15. It said LBEPORT.com's PRA request "is now closed." As reported by LBREPORT.com on April 7, City Clerk records show that within minutes of a 24-hour notice of a Special April 6 City Council meeting going online, over a dozen speakers -- some of them appointees of Mayor Robert Garcia -- swiftly signed up for the City Clerk-limited twenty public speaker slots. They included Mayor Garcia's brother, Jacob O'Donnell (a field rep for state Senator Lena Gonazalez), Garcia advisory appointee Andrew Kerr and Sharon Weissman, a former "senior advisor" and "transportation 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 other Mayoral allies, electeds and appointees had filled the remainder. The result created an echo chamber of public support for the Mayor-Council supported action. Some media outlets marveled at how public testimony was unanimously supportive on a hot button controversial issue. With the exception of James Suazo of Long Beach Forward (who signed up swiftly, opposed on principle incarcerating migrant children and sought a firm Aug. 2 end to the Convention Center arrangement) other opponents were either "asleep at the switch" or unwilling to sign up to speak publicly on the item. The net effect of the action effectively blocked others from signing up to speak by midmorning April 6. [Scroll down for further.] . |
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LBREPORT.com publisher Bill Pearl commented: "In our view, the City's response simply isn't credible and appears to be contradicted by third party information." He said he has brought management's PRA response to the attention of City Attorney Charles Parkin's office and asked him to "attend to City Hall's shrugged response." "We believe the City's conducted an inadequate search to our statutory request for responsive records," said Pearl. "The public has a legal right to see documents showing the true extent of the City's involvement," he said, adding "the withheld records may also show city actions with Brown (open meetings) Act consequences."
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. During the April 6 Council item, some Councilmembers (in particular Suzie Price) signaled in their Council remarks that their offices had received passionate public pushback on the proposed Convention Center use.
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