State Lands Commission Report Shows Total $15+ Million Will Be Drained From State Tidelands For Four Long Beach Shoreline Concession Stands, Including $9+ Million At Alamitos Beach Alone. Long Beach City Council Sought The State Tidelands Money; Lt Governor, State Controller + Governor Appointee OK'd It..
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(Oct. 23, 2021, 6:10 p.m.) -- Following up on LBREPORT.com coverage in real time (archival report below), an April 2020 report by CA's State Lands Commission (SLC) staff estimates that four Long Beach shoreline concession stands will cost an estimated $15,183,922 taken from CA state taxpayer' Tidelands funds.
The SLC staff report indicates one of the concession stands adjacent to downtown Long Beach at Alamitos Beach [a project Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia has labeled as related to LB's partial role in the 2028 Olympics] will eclipse the cost of three of the concession stands combined: a whopping $9,250,000 estimated by SLC staff last year for Alamitos Beach alone.
SLC staff indicates the City of Long Beach began conducting planning and preliminary design in 2016 for concession stand at Alamitos Beach, Bayshore, Granada and Junipero areas and the SLC previously approved spending a total of $13,032,933 for the four concession stands.
But the City requested $1 million more for the Alamitos Beach concession stand plus $1.5 million more for the Granada and Junipero concession stands, bringing the total estimated project cost (April 2020) to $15,183,922.
"The City states that an additional $1 million is necessary to complete construction at the Alamitos location...The total estimated cost for all four locations is now $15,183,922. The California Coastal Commission has approved the concession stand projects. The renovations will provide services for recreational visitors to the tidelands."
SLC staff recommended approval of the spending by the three-member State Lands Commission (Lt Governor + State Controller + Governor Office Appointee.) ["[B]ased on the information provided by the City, the proposed expenditures of tideland oil revenue...do not appear to be inconsistent with the uses set forth in sections 6(c) and (d) of Chapter 138, as amended," SLC staff wrote. The SLC vote was 3-0 to approve the expenditure.
Location
Current City Funding
Previous Tidelands Funding Reviewed
Current Tidelands Funding Review
Total Estimated Project Cost
Alamitos
$9,124,149
$8,250,000
$1,000,000
$9,250,000
Bayshore
$518,467
$633,922
$0
$633,922
Granada
$2,044,269
$2,023,039
$576,961
$2,600,000
Junipero
$2,152,324
$2,125,972
$574,028
$2,700,000
All
$13,839,209
$13,032,933
$2,150,989
$15,183,922
Map below shows concession stand locations as 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d. (Item 4 is a separate "Puff of Wind" art sculpture costing $150,000, described by SLC staff as "a proposed nautical-themed art installation to be located on Junipero Beach. The steel and aluminum sculpture will be installed adjacent to the Long Beach Museum of Art and will provide a unique destination for outdoor public recreation.")
[Scroll down for further.]
Source: SLC April 2020 staff report
On March 5, 2019, the Council voted 9-0 to approve a construction contract for the Alamitos Beach concession stand in the amount of $6,533,150 (including "construction contingency, consulting services, design, plan check and permit inspection fees, utility fees, construction support, project labor compliance, and related project support. With the approval of $1,500,000 appropriated as part of the FY 19 First Citywide Budget Adjustment on February 19, 2019, the Project is currently funded in the Tidelands Operations Fund (TF 401) in the Public Works Department (PW) at the full estimated cost.")
Sponsor
A city staff report described the Alamitos Beach spending item as follows:
The existing 2,200-square-foot concession/restroom building at 780 East Shoreline Drive (Attachment A) will be demolished to make room for a new modern beach cafe and concession building with a separate public restroom and recreational rental building (Attachment B). The Project is aligned with the existing pedestrian and bicycle paths east of the site, creating a
promenade area in front of the Project site, facing the beach. The main cafe and concession building will consist of a 4,240-square-footbuilding with a first floor and rooftop deck to maximize beach views and the visitor experience. A large outdoor deck will wrap around the south portion of the building where a concession window will offer more traditional "grab and go" type snacks or other food options. Adjacent to the concession area will be an outdoor play area and a separate playground for smaller children. Further west, new public restrooms and a recreational rental building will be built for beach visitors. The Project will also include onsite pedestrian
scaled lighting, drought tolerant coastal native plants, a shade structure, wayfinding signage, improvements to the public beach parking lot, and hardscape improvements.
Sponsor
Councilmember Jeannine Pearce made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Suzie Price, to approve the recommended expenditure (which the City would seek from state Tidelands Funds.) The motion carried 9-0 with Councilmembers Gonzalez, Pearce, Price, Supernaw, Mungo, Andrews, Uranga, Austin and Richardson all voting "yes."
Sponsor
Sponsor
The Alamitos Beach concession received recent City Council attention, not because of the magnitude of state taxpayer spending sought by the City from CA's Tidelands, but because the City said its chosen Alamitos Beach contractor failed to complete construction as specified. The City has now sought a replacement contractor with sums that should be covered by a City-retained construction bonding firm.
LBREPORT.com archival coverage
(August 2, 2019) -- Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and city officials broke ground yesterday (Aug. 1) on a downtown-adjacent beach concession stand/childrens' play area costing at least $9 million taxpayer dollars that will come from CA's shoreline Tidelands (mainly oil revenue.)
On his Facebook page, Mayor Garcia wrote (Aug. 1): "We are incredibly happy to have attended the Alamitos Beach Concessions Ground Breaking this morning. This new project is the first of three stands that will offer a new and improved beach experience to Long Beach residents! We cannot wait for it to officially open in 2020."
LBREPORT.com reported the expenditure in detail in March 2019 at this link (salient excerpts below),
The roughly $9 million cost will come from state taxpayers via Long Beach's "Tidelands," a strip of state-owned lands along/adjacent to the shoreline that the state lets the City administer "in trust" for state-allowed purposes. With state approval, the City can tap Tidelands revenue (mainly from oil operations) for purposes ranging from Port operations to beachfront/recreational items.
A three-person state agency, the State Lands Commission (SLC) oversees uses of state taxpayer money from the Tidelands. The SLC consists of CA's Lt. Governor, state Controller and the Governor's Finance Director.
Public records reviewed by LBREPORT.com show that on April 19, 2018, the State Lands Commission -- then consisting of Lt. Governor (now Governor) Gavin Newsom, state Controller Betty Yee and then-Governor Brown's Finance Director, Michael Cohen -- approved an $8.25 expenditure sought by the City of Long Beach for the Alamitos Beach (near downtown) concession stand plus three other less extravagant concession stands further away from downtown with no discussion (as a "consent calendar" item.)
The vote was 3-0 to approve with then-Lt. Governor Newsom, Controller Betty Yee and Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez as Alternate for then-Governor Brown's Finance Director Cohen all voting "yes."...
Image source: March 5 city staff agendized report
Image source: March 5 city staff agendized report
At the Council meeting, city staff presented Power Point graphics with additional artist renderings (at this link.) March 5 City staff PPT presentation
A city staff agendizing memo described the $9 million Alamitos Beach concession stand and kids play area as follows:
The Project is aligned with the existing pedestrian and bicycle paths east of the site, creating a promenade area in front of the Project site, facing the beach. The main cafe and concession building will consist of a 4,240-square-footbuilding with a first floor and rooftop deck to maximize beach views and the visitor experience. A large outdoor deck will wrap around the south portion
of the building where a concession window will offer more traditional "grab and go" type snacks or other food options. Adjacent to the concession area will be an outdoor play area and a separate playground for smaller children. Further west, new public restrooms and a recreational rental building will be built for beach visitors. The Project will also include onsite pedestrian scaled lighting, drought tolerant coastal native plants, a shade structure, wayfinding signage, improvements to the public beach parking lot, and hardscape improvements.
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.
