At its Oct. 15 meeting, the Long Beach City Council heard a presentation by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk about changes to the voting process, approved a lease agreement for Community Hospital, granted two entertainment permits and amended an ordinance to remove an exemption for No. 6 plastic lids.
The following are some highlights of the meeting.
Elections plan
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan presented information on the new voting system that will be implemented beginning with the 2020 election.
“I’m very pleased to share with you that, after 10 years of work and research and engagement with the public, we are ready to move towards a revolutionized form of voting in Los Angeles County, and, when I say ‘revolutionized,’ I’m talking about the voting experience,” Logan said, adding that voting procedures have not changed since 1968, when punch cards were first used. “Gone will be the single-day, single-location voting on a random Tuesday between 7am and 8pm, and we’re moving towards a vote-center model where voters in Los Angeles County can go to any vote center in the county over a period of 11 days to cast their ballots, which means we will have two full weekends of voting, and we will give voters the opportunity to choose to vote at a location that is either convenient or more significant to them.”
Logan explained that some polling places will be opened 11 days before the election and more will be available four days before Election Day. Furthermore, individuals will be allowed to show up at a polling location and register to vote that same day. Those who want to update their registration information or change party preference may also do so. These opportunities, Logan said, will drastically reduce the need for provisional ballots, which often extend the canvassing period in the elections process.
“The way that we will be able to do that is through the use of an electronic poll book,” he said. “So, when voters arrive at these vote centers, they will check in using an electronic tablet poll book. We will be able to access all registered voters in the county. This is also our security mechanism, so that if you do go vote somewhere close to work and then you try to go vote somewhere close to home, we will know that you have already voted, and we will be able to prevent any attempts to vote more than once.”
He added that the electronic method will replace the paper roster, which proved to be problematic in the 2018 election.
The city council voted 7-0 to receive and file the elections plan for the 2020 primary nominating and general municipal elections.
Community Hospital
The council voted 7-0 to execute a lease agreement with MWN Community Hospital for the operation and potential development of City-owned property at 1720 Termino Ave., 1760 Termino Ave. and 4111 East Wilton St., including the provision of an acute-care hospital, for a period of 45 years, with the option of two 10-year extensions. The council also voted to amend a grant-deed restriction to allow a for-profit healthcare organization to operate an acute-care hospital and allow for non-acute care health services upon the occurrence of certain conditions at the property.
With the vote, the council also authorized the acting city manager to reimburse the tenant up to $1,000,000 per year on an annual basis for the first five years and up to $2,000,000 per year on an annual basis for years six through 15 of the lease, to assist with seismic retrofit construction costs of the facility.
See related story on p. 1.
Marina Wine permit
The council concluded a public hearing and granted an entertainment permit with conditions to Relevant, Inc., doing business as Marina Wine, at 194 Marina Drive, Suite 101, for entertainment without dancing. The business will act as a restaurant with alcohol.
John Morris, a partner and general manager at the nearby Boathouse on the Bay, spoke during public comment and expressed concerns about a lack of restrooms and noise levels from loud music from the new establishment.
“I just want to make sure the conditions, whatever they may be […], they have to be followed up on,” he said.
He suggested a city committee be formed to check up on businesses with entertainment permits to ensure the conditions are being honored.
Staff indicated that one of the conditions of the permit is that a garage door at the new business must remain closed when music is being played.
Third District Councilmember Suzie Price agreed with Morris’s concerns.
“I will be watching this issue very closely and working with our acting city manager on making sure we have a swift response when we do have complaints,” she said, “because we also have a lot of live-aboards [on boats] in that area.”
Price added that, having met the new business owner at that location, she feels confident that he, unlike the previous owner, will abide by all expectations and conditions of the permit.
The new owner, Stuart Takahara, also spoke near the end of the discussion, indicating that he is attempting to address the restroom problem through clearly worded signage and by diverting foot traffic along a different corridor.
Concerning music noise, Takahara said he has constructed an area inside his establishment that will be reserved as a performers space. Additionally, he addressed concerns about the anticipated noise level by clarifying the nature of his business.
“My goal in this wine bar is not to be a rock bar or a club,” he said. “It’s a place where you can sit down, have a glass of wine or a beer, and not have to shout to be heard.”
Acapulco Restaurant permit
The council also concluded a public hearing and granted an entertainment permit with conditions on the application of FM Restaurants Acapulco Opco, doing business as Acapulco Restaurant y Cantina, at 6270 East PCH, Suite A, for entertainment without dancing.
Polystyrene foam ban
The City Manager’s Office provided an update on the implementation of the City’s ban on single-use food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene foam, rigid polystyrene No. 6 and non-recyclable and non-compostable materials. The ban, which was adopted April 17, 2018, was implemented in three phases targeting different types of food establishments.
Staff indicated that, so far, there is 100% compliance at all City facilities, but some challenges remain, particularly concerning food trucks that get licenses outside Long Beach.
Exemption removal
The council then voted to amend the aforementioned ban to remove the exemption for No. 6 plastic lids to encourage a transition to recyclable alternatives and include language that all straws be made available only upon request in any food establishment and that those straws must not be plastic or bio-plastic.
The council also requested that the city manager work with the Public Works Environmental Services Bureau and other appropriate departments to align implementation of the amendments with Phase 3 of the polystyrene-ban ordinance.
The Long Beach City Council meets at 5pm on Tuesdays, with the exception of the last Tuesday of the month, at City Hall, 411 W. Ocean Blvd.
