(July 13, 2019, 3:50 p.m.) -- Within hours of 2nd dist. Council incumbent Jeannine Pearce issuing a statement on Facebook today (July 13) regarding the Broadway Corridor "road diet," two challengers seeking to unseat her in March 2020 issued the statements below. As we did with Councilwoman Pearce's statement this morning, LBREPORT.com reports the statements of candidates Fox and Barrera below.

Robert Fox for Long Beach Facebook text, noon hour:

The desperation of the renowned absentee councilmember, Jeannine Pearce, this morning -- as she posted on facebook a pathetic attempt to sound responsible -- was something to behold. Long after she caused the disaster on Broadway...she started her day by making a "little too late" attempt to do some damage control.

Being the last to wake up to an issue destroying one of our most precious small-business and through-traffic corridors in the 2nd District, suddenly she's in full 'pretending to do something' mode.

Livelihoods are being devastated, lives are being endangered, while she was utterly AWOL. NO outreach for TWO SOLID YEARS. (Don’t believe for one minute that this design plan was ever given to constituents. It was NOT) I guess she is finally, sweating & feeling the heat of my own challenge against her reelection.

Now she posts on facebook as if she's FINALLY shaking off her arrogant aloofness and legendary non-responsiveness. In classic Jeannine style, she takes no blame and blames others. Shall other scapegoats be discovered?. Rather than demanding bold action to tear out this disaster, go back to the residents for true outreach, and come up with a whole new plan that actually works for residents, business owners, and the safety of motorists, pedestrians, and two-wheeled (bike & scooter) vehicle riders alike, she only proposes absurdly inadequate, cosmetic and superficial color schemes.

Jeannine, we don't need a cosmetologist, we need radical surgery.

Jeannine has said about Broadway, "We never get things right the first time."

NO, YOU SURE DON'T JEANNINE!

Now you have cost the Citizens of Long Beach MILLIONS due to your lack of planning.

And those of us in the 2nd who elected you, were willing to give you a chance, despite your lack of community involvement (other than to disturb people at 6am with bullhorns and pots & pans on Ocean Blvd.) You have lost us all now.

People are not interested in a councilmember who only pretends to do her job and only wakes up when she sees her political career about to vanish before her eyes.

Elections sometimes do get someone off a bar stool. Suddenly the residents matter again.

It's time for real leadership to save businesses and lives, not just more strained pantomime Pearce BS.

[Scroll down for further.]

Jeanette Barrera [FB email response, 3:28 p.m.]:

It is nice that Jeanine Pearce is taking action to hear the concerns of the residents affected by the reconfigured Broadway Corridor. However, I was already walking the Broadway Corridor speaking to business owners and residents alike regarding the impact of this new configuration a month ago. I listened to the concerns of many businesses such as Merry's Fashion with Passion, which is struggling.

Other people complained about traffic safety, especially at Broadway at Molino and Wisconsin. I saw that there were two car accidents due to the blind spots when pulling out of a side street onto the main avenue. I also empathize with our older population who fear falling or tripping over the bumpers near the curbside, as I have parents who are Baby Boomers and can trip easily.

I believe that the Broadway Corridor is only a small piece of mass transit, Vision Zero plan - yes, bike lanes and all - that still needs to be fully realized. Doubling back or making fixes is not a plan. And for full disclosure, I use the bike lanes.

For the record, below is the statement by Councilwoman Pearce uploaded onto her Council office Facebook page in the 7 a.m. hour today (July 13).

[Pearce Facebook text, July 13, approx.7 a.m. hour] My team and spent all week on the broadway corridor. We talked to business we hadn't yet, we surveyed the changes and on Friday I had Pat West and Craig Beck join me on the corridor to see exactly how we could improve the corridor.

Here's what we heard this week:

1. There were spots in front of my business removed

2. Business went down during construction and after, but it's back up now

3. Loading zones are needed for restaurants

4. I watched buses not pull all the in the red zone, but stop well before where the bus bench was - meaning there is space for additional parking

Nothing we didn't already know. But I needed action, so I invited Pat and Craig to survey for themselves and to give me a plan on how they would remedy the challenges from this city project. What's going to happen next:

1. Red curbs at all bus stops will be reduced, the benches pushed closer to the intersection- this will create 1-2 spots at every intersection.

2. The new spots will be loading zones for a period of time and then will be overnight parking

3. The black parking blocks will be moved 18 inches to give more space for cars.

4. Where the intersections do not have a 4 was stop, signage or paint will indicate for the bike lane to watch for traffic

5. [drum roll icon] I will agendize an item to change trash pick up to 4am.

6. Cross walk at Esperanza

As promised changes are coming.

We also heard A LOT of miss [sic] understandings, false numbers, and questions on why the bike lane was on the inside. - this street is designed to save lives, slow traffic. We are still working to improve what the traffic engineers designed - to have it match with how we all move in corridor.

Thank you to those that reach out with solutions and work with us to improve our neighborhoods.

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