Writing Shotgun

BREAKWATER BREAKDOWN

Jennifer StockdaleWed. January 30
 

Back to where we started…

Happy New Year! Here’s your recap:

In 2005, the city of Long Beach asked for a $100,000 federal appropriation to fund a reconnaissance study that would determine the cost-effectiveness of reconfiguring the Long Beach Breakwater — that two-mile wall of boulders capping the city’s coast and retaining swirley toilet water courtesy of the L.A. River.

For two years, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher — representing all of Long Beach’s coastal properties — refused to budget this request with the federal government because he thought the issue was local and undeserving of federal money. But it’s not “local” to him; he lives and surfs at Huntington Beach.

In July 2007, the city of Long Beach circumvented the Rohrabacher roadblock, voting to completely fund the $100,000 recon study alone, using only city and state resources. In December the California Coastal Conservancy donated an additional $50,000 toward the study. Money we’ve got, so now what?

Seven months have gone by with little action. Now, the city has found out embarking on this project alone, as “unprecedented” as it may be, is no longer an option.

Tom Modica, manager of government affairs for the City Manager’s Office, said that the city can spend all the money it wants on a recon study, but that the federal government will not recognize the study if it is not financially involved from the start.

This translates to: If the project has no federal inclusion now in the initial phase, there will be no later phases because the federal government owns the breakwater.

After butting heads with the Corps for half a year, Modica fleshed out an actual figure: $30,000 from the feds will be enough to get this study completed with the Corps’ stamp of approval.

However, this means another appropriation request will land on Rohrabacher’s desk in the spring, giving him another chance to ignore it and go surfing.

In the meantime, the city will try to find a consultant to start the study, giving the job to the lowest bidder. Modica estimates the recon process to be completed by January 2009, hoping to some higher power (a.k.a. Sen. Barbara Boxer) that the request for the pitifully small amount of 30K will be heard.

If you’re feeling faint, you’re not alone.

If you want to do something about it, contact your U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, representing the 46th Congressional District, at his district office:

101 Main Street, Suite 380
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Phone: (714) 960-6483

http://rohrabacher.house.gov/contact.htm/

Or talk to the higher power, California State Senator Barbara Boxer, at her Los Angeles office:

312 N. Spring St. Suite 1748
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 894-5000
(213) 894-5042 fax

https://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/policy.cfm

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COMMENTS

  1. 1

    Nothing would be better for Long Beach than to get better water and waves. Things like crime and poverty would be somewhat ameloriated by a waterfront that people actually want to use.

    Isn’t there a way for the City of Long Beach to sue the federal government for 50 years of water pollution and economic detriment? I’m semi-seirous here. That would at least be a way to get the feds’ attention. And while we’re at it, how difficult would it be to fund a study showing that the breakwater leads to water pollution in Long Beach which leads to water pollution (and wave destruction?) in Huntington Beach? It seems clear to me that it would, and then maybe Rohrbacher would wake up to the fact that not all of his consistency lives in “Surf City.”

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    Posted By Dave in Alamitos Beach on January 30th, 2008 at 10:22 am

     

  2. 2

    Oops, I meant constituancy, but consistency is almost appropriate as well. Freudian slip?

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    Posted By Dave in Alamitos Beach on January 30th, 2008 at 10:24 am

     

  3. 3

    Dave is right on. For those who care to try and find others who care, we put on a monthly cleanup at Alamitos Beach. Contact me–Josh–CleanAlamitosBeach@gmail.com

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    Posted By Josh on January 30th, 2008 at 12:16 pm

     

  4. 4

    Jesus says Dana Rohbacher is a no good Taliban loving SOB. Also my Dad told me he used to do certain things with certain people that Mike Huckabee would find offensive. Is it true the breakwater is in the shape of a cross?

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    Posted By jesus on January 30th, 2008 at 8:23 pm

     

  5. 5

    Rohrbacher is bascially just like the PV guys that will f#ck you up if you use their surf spot. Since LB is not part of his posse, he could not care less about LB issues as long as we stay away from his OC base. The photo ops are so much nicer down there, ’cause the people, I mean, the water ain’t so brown.

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    Posted By Andy on February 1st, 2008 at 11:25 pm

     

  6. 6

    Jennifer, Thanks for the clear concise and informative report. The red tape seems endless but sometimes we can cut through it with a little persistence. At your recommendation I’ve now written to both Dana and Laura. With any luck they may actually have a conversation on the matter and come to terms that will work for both of their Districts.

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    Posted By John B. on February 2nd, 2008 at 5:59 pm

     

  7. 7

    Rohrbacher sucks at surfing and he’s a dick…!.!!!.! Anyways who knows when some aging tojos or off course nazi’s in a u boat might slip through a rip in a black hole and end up in front of Long Beach harbor. Then you will fully appreciate the anti tojo/nazi shield we have!.!! Plus where would all the cholos play soccer in the summer and run through red tide?

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    Posted By kelly slater on February 2nd, 2008 at 10:05 pm

     

  8. 8

    Jenny, great work. Do you have Barbara Boxer’s contact information, too?

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    Posted By Dave Wielenga on February 3rd, 2008 at 10:03 am

     

  9. 9

    Dave in Alamitos Beach you hit the nail on the head, it seems Dana Rohrbacher could care less about the LBC’s beaches and wetlands. Look into the restoration of Bolsa Chica for example, it wasn’t the “Port of Huntington Beach” that paid for it, it was our port. With this in mind, compare Bolsa Chica with Los Cerritos, the LA river, the San Gabriel river.

    It would be so bad if our city got some of the port money… but we don’t. We are getting the shaft.

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    Posted By LBfamily on February 9th, 2008 at 1:40 pm

     

  10. 10

    In the grand scheme, it would be terrific if we could get all of these issues at least considered together: the breakwater, the “almost” wetlands, the river pollution, river recreation, water shortage, etc. What we need is true leadership and it seems clear that Rohrbacher can’t be bothered.

    Isn’t there some rising political star that wants to link their fortunes with that of the Long Beach waterfront and environment?

    Can we get the Natural Resources Defense Council to throw in the Army Corps of Engineers while they’re suing the Port?

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    Posted By Dave in Alamitos Beach on February 15th, 2008 at 10:35 am

     

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