The Daily Briefing

STREET TALK WITH BOB FOSTER AND LAURA DOUD

Theo DouglasThu. July 10
 

Mayor Bob Foster is expected to say more this morning about his $570 million plans to rebuild streets, sidewalks and alleys–plus the more bureaucratic-sounding storm water management systems–but already we know more than we did about what’s in store.

In this morning’s Press-Telegram, Paul Eakins reports on a 102-page streets audit City Auditor Laura Doud released Tuesday–before breakfast! (actually, I think it came after lunch) and the news ain’t good.

Streets here are in worse shape than streets in Santa Ana or Anaheim, Doud’s office found–though she praised the work of the city’s Public Works Department.

“I think overall they’re doing a good job, and they were certainly open and cooperative throughout the whole process,” Doud told Eakins.

“She said Public Works officials already have begun implementing some of the audit’s recommendations, such as a capital improvement plan that will be updated annually,” Eakins writes.

“Other recommendations include filling vacant key positions and contracting out work for positions that can’t be filled, providing regular reports to the City Council and city management on the Capital Improvement Program’s progress, and initiating repair on streets before they deteriorate.”

It all seems to set the stage pretty nicely for consideration of the construction bond that Foster and City Manager Pat West are due to debut this morning–and that’s not a knock on the city.

Some of our streets are pretty crummy, some of our alleys haven’t ever been paved, and this is one time when making parts of Long Beach–specifically, the streets, alleys, and whatever you call our storm drains–look exactly like Ladera Ranch would not be a bad thing. (We’re still keeping the Villa Riviera.)

Foster’s plan, according to another short piece from Eakins this morning, would also include fire station and library improvements (though how you improve upon Brutalism is anyone’s guess. Maybe you make it not leak?), and it comes with a schedule.

The mayor’s $570 million infrastructure investment plan–“needs-based” improvements, according to Eakins–would be paid for by a bond that would have to be approved by two-thirds of Long Beach voters.

This means the Long Beach City Council has less than a month–until Aug. 8–to approve the plan, in order to get it on the Nov. 4 ballot–alongside Congressional Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Long Beach), and the men who would be our next President.

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