Conditions In/Around Bixby Park/Bluff Park/Beach Area
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(Latest update: August 18, 2019 from initial July 19, 2019, 3:10 p.m.) --LBREPORT.com launches our Taxpayer Impacts Project (TIP). LBREPORT.com will report neighborhood and taxpayer impacting conditions experienced by residents that they have brought to the attention of City of Long Beach elected officials and non-elected city management and staff. LBREPORT.com will report actions by the electeds and city staff in response to the issues raised by taxpayers and (very important) results achieved or not achieved.
LBREPORT.com invites LB residents citywide to email us photographs and emails showing conditions they've brought to the attention of LB elected officials and the results to date. We will publish successful outcomes as well as unproductive results. We hope initially unproductive results become succesful results but LBREPORT.com will report them either way. We will update our text to reflect changes after our initial publication.
Feel free to share your photos and information with us (and invite your friends and neighbors to do so) at: mail@LBReport.com. Please include phone number(s) so we can speak with you.
Our first TIP project comes from Michelle Baker, a 2nd Council district resident who owns a 3rd Council district business. Ms. Baker shared with us June and July photos and email she sent to City officialdom regarding Bixby Park and adjacent Bluff areas eastward.
[Scroll down for further.]
August 18 email from taxpayer Baker to Councilwoman Pearce, Mayor Garcia, City Mgr. West re Alamitos Beach: "There at least 25 tents on the beach, men smoking meth & used toilet paper scattered on the path next to construction. This is not sanitary & why isn’t the no camping ordinance being enforced? So disgusting to see this."
July 24 email from taxpayer Baker to Mayor, City Mgr, Councilwoman Pearce, Homeless Services Coordinator: "There Is homeless family with an 8 month old child on Junipero. Their car is filled with junk & the child is wearing heavy clothing. There are homeless families on 1st Street at the park with dogs & teenagers. There are men screaming by the bathrooms & the trash & stench are overwhelming. No child or animal should be in hot cars today. I’m begging for help for these people. There is a child that needs help. This is unacceptable "
July 17 email to Councilwoman Suzie Price's chief of staff Jack Cunningham: "This guy has been living on Ocean near Temple. He has trash piled up. He also has trash behind Alfredo's including a mattress & trash. This is illegal & not sanitary for Alfredo's who is trying to make a living. Can we address this? There is also a tweaker camp by Redondo on the Bluff who are stealing bikes." July 19 Cunningham response: "Sorry to see this Michelle, I will follow up on this."
July 16 email from Ms. Baker to City Manager West, Councilwoman Pearce and her chief of staff Estupian, Mayor Garcia, LBPD East Divisio Commander O'Dowd, Homeless Services Coordinator Parker, Parks/Rec Dir. Mouet: "Good morning, I am asking again for help in addressing the homeless living in their cars at Bixby Park. Most are living on 1st & 2nd St between Cherry & Junipero. The bathrooms are disgusting, there is trash everywhere & [suspected] meth addicts are chopping bikes openly. The people living in their cars are older men. I talked to a guy who is a nurse living in his car...He knew nothing about multi service center... I gave him the info. He was told by other homeless people to come to Bixby Park bc no one will bother you. My neighbors & I are begging for help. We pay taxes & want a clean, safe neighborhood."
July 12 email from Ms. Baker to Mayor Garcia, City Mgr. West, 2nd dist. chief of stuff Estupian, 3d dist. chief of staff Cunningham, Marine Operations Mgr. Hallinan: "Again. I'm asking the city to address the litter in District 2 & 3... It is a health issue. There is a huge dead rat on Junipero toward the Cherry Parking lot. We need a task force on how to address this. Someone please get that rat picked up. The homeless living in their cars at Bixby Park are dumping trash & human waste as well. If we are spending close to 200 million in overtime pay, we can come up with money to address this."
July 12 email from Ms Baker to City Mgr. West, Public Works Dir Beck, Councilwoman Price and chief of staff Cunningham: "There was trash thrown on the Bluff & also on grass. There is a homeless camp on Redondo/Bluff & parked homeless cars that are dumping trash. There is also broken glass on the walking path. Can we makes this part of Ocean from Junipero to Redondo, paid parking with meters? Would that help so people aren’t parked all night & leaving trash & human waste? The littering is a health issue."
July 8 email from Ms. Baker to Councilwoman Price office and chief of staff Cunningham, Mayor Garcia Sr. Admin Deputy Patton, Marine Bureau Mgr. Hallinan, 2nd dist. chief of staff Estupian, Public Works Dir. Beck:
"Good morning, I returned from a trip to see the litter ‘ trash on the Bluff & Beach by Junipero. We constantly bring this to your attention. People littering like this is NOT normal. We need the mayor to form a task force lead by public works. Most of us pick up trash daily, but people are throwing trash in the bushes & on the beach. Can we put an electric sign at the Junipero beach entry reminding people that littering is illegal? This is an embarrassment & there are razors scooters all over the beach. Please address this."
July 2 email from Ms. Baker to Homeless Services Officer Parker, Councilwoman Pearce, City Mgr. West: Titled "Brenda Needs Help": She is sleeping by the monument at Bixby Annex. I’m worried about her [and] the dogs, especially with the men roaming around who use drugs. What do I do to help her? Officer Rich has tried to help her, but her dog needs medical attention. Should I call Heart?" June 28, email from Ms. Baker to Councilwoman Pearce, chief of staff Estupian, City Mgr. West, Public Works Dir. Beck: "Good morning,
I finally spoke to street sweeping this morning because the streets have not been swept in over 2 weeks by Bixby Park. The leaves and trash are piled up and the stench of urine is horrible. I was told today that indeed, they have not swept streets because the old machines break down and now the new machines you bought with tax payer money don't work either. They also want tow cars that are still on the street and can't street clean. We have homeless parked in the area and we need those streets cleaned. I have received several tickets for street cleaning when you never did it...Local government is here to protect us and to provide services to keep our neighborhoods clean. It's very disheartening to know this isn't being done and the new machines don't even work. I was also told that officials know this... why isn't the public being notified and when will this be fixed? The mayor is asking for a permanent increase in sales tax and to see our money is not being spent wisely is really concerning. I want an answer to when our streets in my area where I pay high taxes will be cleaned."
June 12 email from Ms. Baker to Councilwoman Price's office, chief of staff Cunningham, East Div LBPD Cmdr. O'Dowd, Marine Bureau Mgr.Hallinan: "There are now groups of [persons I'm concerned may be] meth addicts living by Alfredo’s. They travel together & live on the beach, but come up at night. We went thru this last summer & we don’t feel safe. Can we have more patrols in this area?" [July 20, 9:55 a.m update: LBREPORT.com followed-up with Ms. Baker re the second photo; From a distance, the individuals appear to be well dressed and with very nice bikes. What other factor(s) prompt her concern that they may be meth addicts? Ms. Baker replied: "They live by the bathrooms... dealers come by & they come up & steal bikes. We find needles & one told me he smokes meth." Ms. Baker also referenced seeing bicycle "chop shops." That's an acknowledged issue as the City Council enacted an ordinance (proposed by Councilwoman Suzie Price) in 2018 that prohibits selling bicycles or bicycle parts on public property citywide. Although not everyone selling bike parts is a substance abuser or addicted to drugs, as Councilwoman Price put it at the time, a review of police reports indicates that bike parts are often used as currency for drugs.
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