Eighth District Long Beach Councilmember Al Austin shares updates during the Sept. 19 “Celebrate the Eighth” State of the District event at Rancho Los Cerritos.
Breezes cascaded through the leaves of a huge Moreton Bay fig tree and several Italian cypress trees in the back yard of Rancho Los Cerritos as steel-drum percussionist Shoy Phillip accentuated popular favorite songs for locals to enjoy while they dined on complimentary food and drinks. The only interruption of the idyllic scene were the airliners roaring overhead, compelling 8th District Councilmember Al Austin to pause momentarily during his address.
The event, the “Celebrate the 8th” State of the District, took place Thursday, Sept. 19, when the councilmember presented updates about public safety, infrastructure, special programs and homeless efforts.
In honor of Long Beach Gives, a 24-hour online fundraising campaign for local nonprofits that day, representatives from about a dozen of those organizations had set up tables with information on how residents can support them through volunteering or making donations.
Before Austin’s presentation, other elected officials addressed the crowd briefly, including: Tracy Egoscue, president of the Port of Long Beach Board of Commissioners; John Allen, Division 3 representative for the Water Replenishment District; and 3rd District Councilmember Suzie Price.
Austin opened his remarks by declaring that, “The state of the 8th is good– it’s better than good, it’s great.”
He first focused on public safety.
“Violent crime remains at levels not seen in 40 years,” he said. “Police-department response times– priority-one calls– continue to be at an average of five minutes or less, which is much faster than most major cities. This past year, the city council funded a quality-of-life officer for the north Long Beach division [who] is dedicated full-time to work and address public-safety issues related to homelessness in our community.”
He added that improved technology, such as body-worn cameras, is enabling police to become more accountable while helping the community be safer. He added that the police department also continues to use funding to have special teams of detectives target prohibited possessors, those who are not allowed to own firearms because of felony convictions, active restraining orders, court orders or certain mental-health statuses. He said that, so far this year, that team has already recovered 200 firearms from individuals who were in illegal possession.
Austin then discussed traffic conditions, indicating that “walkability and bike-ability” have improved while accidents have been reduced throughout the district, and he extended thanks to the individuals and community groups for their work in those areas.
“In terms of community engagement, we are more active and engaged than we ever have been,” he said. “We’ve helped activate neighborhood groups throughout the district, which have allowed my office to be more impactful and better serve our constituents because we are addressing issues and concerns through a collective prism and not by individual residents.”
Austin then spoke about the fact that senior programming at the Expo Arts Center is in its fourth year and has expanded to three days a week: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
“What started as a novel idea with my 8th-district Senior Advisory Committee has turned into a robust program led by many outstanding volunteers on the committee,” he said.
He then mentioned that parks and open space have been a priority of his and that, because of Measure A, two state-of-the-art playgrounds have been added to the district. Other areas that have been underutilized and that have fallen into disrepair are also being developed, and a pending grant is expected to assist with such projects.
Speaking on economic development, he said the small-business climate is “actually better than it’s ever been.”
“Dozens of new small businesses have opened throughout the district, receiving [much] regional and national acclaim,” he said. “And many of the small businesses in the district are owned by people who also live here in the community, and I’m very proud of that. They’re investing in their community, and they have stake in the community.”
He then said there is currently an unprecedented level of private reinvestment throughout the district, including several new retail developments. For example, the former sites of Nino’s Italian and Hof’s Hut restaurants are being reinvented with new tenants opening soon. Additionally, a new public parking lot will open at 53rd Street and Atlantic Avenue to foster a more business-friendly corridor.
He also cited his office’s relationships with the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association and the Uptown Business Improvement District as reasons for the area’s continued success, and that he has been working with owners of vacant properties to engender development at those sites.
“Hopefully, we’ll get some results,” he said, “because the status quo is not acceptable.”
Another challenge Austin mentioned was the 24-hour problem of addressing homelessness while keeping the area clean.
“We must balance the need to protect the quality of life of all of our neighbors and neighborhoods with the parameters set by the courts and the needs and rights of those experiencing homelessness,” he said. “Another key pressure of many families in our city is the dwindling supply of affordable housing. As a city council, we’re working to increase our housing supply and provide protections for tenants who are facing rising rents.”
An additional challenge, which was unexpected, Austin said, was the discovery of active mold at Fire Station 9. He said officials were able to secure $1.5 million to temporarily relocate services and up to $7 million for a new facility.
In discussing the conditions of streets and alleys, Austin said that, although there has been much work undertaken to improve road surfaces, many alleys remain in disrepair.
“Up until two years ago, the city did not have any money to repair alleys,” he said. “The council is now investing money to fixing our alleys, and we have allocated more money in the coming year to do so. It’s going to be a slow process, but we’re going to do it. But, again, it’s going to take several years to make a dent [after] several years of no investment whatsoever.”
