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City Officials Cheer Their New City Hall; See Its $1 Million "Media Wall"

by Diana Lejins
Special to LBREPORT.com
Accompanying text re Council votes by LBREPORT.com


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(July 30, 2019) -- At least 500 people attended a July 29 event at which LB officials dedicated their new City Hall and adjacent Port headquarters.


Photo by Diana Lejins

Current and former LB area elected officials were present, filling several rows of seats. (Former Councilman/now-Congressman Alan Lowenthal is visible in photo below.) A sizable portion of the crowd consisted of city or port employees.


Photo by Diana Lejins

Mayor Robert Garcia's podium microphone failed during his remarks as did several wireless mikes. Shouting the remainder of his remarks, he described the new City Hall as open, transparent and welcoming and credited former Mayor Bob Foster and former Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal for the Civic Center project.

Former Mayor Foster also spoke without a microphone. A few months earlier, the City Council voted to place his name on the new "Bob Foster Civic Chambers." [Ed. note: The Council action came after a Feb. 28 letter signed by nearly three dozen prominent individuals (including former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown) suggested that the Council do so; a full list of letter-signers is in LBREPORT.com coverage here.]


Photo by Diana Lejins

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Following podium remarks, the public was allowed to enter LB's new City Hall.


Photo by Diana Lejins

After the public event ended, an invitation-only event was held inside the new Port administration building. It wasn't immediately clear who organized the event and paid for it.

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The new City Hall includes a $1 million "media wall," added by the City Council 7-0 on December 18, 2018 (motion by Mungo; Richardson and Pearce exiting earlier in the meeting.)] It can display City-desired static images or live or recorded video.


Photo by Diana Lejins


Photo by Diana Lejins

The million dollar "media wall" was part of a $4.3 million cost item for what city management called additional "critical technology needs infrastructure." The $1 million for the "media wall" came from the City's "Special Advertising and Promotion Fund" comprised mainly of hotel room tax. (Management told the Council that the "media wall" provides a "public art" component.)

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City Hall's dedication plaque dated July 29, 2019 lists Councilwoman Lena Gonzalez who exited the Council in mid-June 2019 (although she was part of the Dec. 2015 Council vote authorizing the project.) It also lists Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce who is a current Councilmember but wasn't part of the 2015 Council authorizing vote (her Council predecessor Suja Lowenthal was.)


Photo by Diana Lejins

LBREPORT.com has previously published a report on LB's new City Hall from taxpayers' perspective at this link.

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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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