Message from Councilmember Steven
Neal
I hope everyone had a great Labor Day. Working
Families in Long Beach definitely deserve a day of
recognition.
Here is a brief legislative
update.
There has been a lot of angst in the community
about the issue of vacant foreclosures in our neighborhoods and
this was voiced by residents at the "Imagine the Ninth District"
planning session. At Tuesday's City Council Meeting, I submitted a
proposal, along with Councilmembers Schipske and Johnson to address
the issue of vacant, unmaintained foreclosures in our
neighborhoods.
I am happy to say that the action taken at
Tuesday's Council Meeting was a victory for all Long Beach
Neighborhoods. I submitted a proposal directing the City of Long
Beach to develop a Foreclosure Registry that will help hold banks
and lending institutions accountable for maintaining their vacant
properties. Doing so will provide city staff the tools to better
protect our neighborhoods.
We will be utilizing existing provisions within
the California Mortgage Relief Bill to strengthen the existing
"Vacant Building Monitoring Program". This will require banks and
lending institutions to register with the City whenever they
foreclose on a vacant home. The City will have the ability to fine
banks that fail to register, or fail to maintain their
property.
Our next step is to work together with the City
Attorney and City Manager to create a develop the registry
and ensure its success in keeping our neighborhoods safe from
crime, blight and vermin that unaccounted foreclosures attract. Our
goal is not to impact groups like Habitat for Humanity or to
adversely affect homeowners and/or the real estate industry. For
example, by developing a partnership with the local board of
realtors, in many ways we are assisting the industry with
tools that will sustain property value and allow vacant
foreclosures to sell faster.
This has the potential to decrease crime and
increase revenue. The city of Richmond that is two times the size
of the Ninth District assessed more than $1 million in fines within
a year of passing a similar ordinance. Chula Vista, a city that's
half the size of Long Beach levied more than $900,000 in fines and
fees in less than six months.
At the meeting I also co-sponsored an Independent
Expenditures measure with Councilman James Johnson to work with the
city clerk to have campaign-related independant expenditures
available online. We understand how important it is to hold large
corporations and other independent groups accountable to the same
degree as candidates.
Also, Special Notice from Long Beach Gas and Oil
Department:
Due to a detection of natural gas by one of the
Gas & Oil Department's Leak Survey personnel, the Gas & Oil
Department's Construction Division is planning to excavate a gas
valve on Cherry Avenue at the alley south of Artesia Boulevard,
tomorrow starting at 6:30 am to find the source of the gas. The
primary affect to residents in the area will be a lane closure on
southbound Cherry Avenue, south of Artesia Boulevard. There should
be no interruption of gas service to any of the residents in the
area. Work is expected to be complete by Saturday evening.
If you have any questions or concerns please
contact our office at 562-570-6137.
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