Bonnie Lowenthal 562.444.5266 Belmont Heights Community Association 375 Redondo Avenue #332 Long Beach CA 90814 BHCA Candidates Meet-and-Greet Mayor Questionnaire 1. Why do you support, or not support, reconfiguring the breakwater? I support looking at the options. The study is not back from the Army Corps of Engineers yet, and that will be the first step in evaluating any changes to the breakwater. Homes, the Port, the city s infrastructure, and beaches must be protected, and I support looking at ways to improve the San Pedro Bay water quality and increased recreation. As we look at the breakwater we must also be mindful of the new data on sea level rise. 2. Please list all PACs that your campaign has received monies from, directly or indirectly, through 12/31/13. I've received donations from many individuals including many small contributor PACs. 3. Where do you stand on rebuilding versus retrofitting the Long Beach Civic Center? Our process with the civic center cannot be rushed. We must ensure that whichever option we pursue, we do it with ample public participation and input. City hall needs to hear from every council district and give residents the opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns about the project.
Furthermore, we need to identify what we want from a potential new civic center. There are many civic centers around the world that incorporate central libraries, community centers and museums into their design. This is why we need proper community input to identify our resident s needs. As Mayor, I will open up the discussion regarding our civic center, create a realistic timeline and move forward with the community. 4. What do you believe is the single most serious environmental issue facing Long Beach and, if elected, how would you address it? Pollution of the environmental and ecosystems around us (air, water, land) is still a very serious issue. Even though the Ports have made serious strides in air pollution reduction, there is still much to do to decrease asthma and reduce pollutants in the air. Because of our proximity as the terminus of a huge watershed area, we continue to struggle with the impacts from the upstream cities as trash, debris, and chemical pollutants travel down our rivers into the Bay. I have been and will continue to be a leader in supporting reduction of pollution at all levels. I have received the South Coast AQMD Leadership in Government award for my efforts and I will continue to be a strong advocate. 5. What would be your top 3 priorities when elected to office, and how would you deal with each of them? I am running for Mayor to move Long Beach forward. I will put my experience and vision to work from day one to make our neighborhoods safer, make it easier for local businesses to create more good jobs, and invest aggressively in our city's infrastructure to fix our sidewalks, streets, and restore city services. As Mayor, my top three priorities will be: 1) Put more police on the streets to make our neighborhoods safer As Councilmember and Vice Mayor, I fought for more police on the streets, helping reduce crime to historic lows. In the Assembly, I worked to have the state return tens of millions of our tax dollars to Long Beach, allowing the city to reopen our Police Academy and invest in our city s
safety. As Mayor, I will use this money to give our police and fire departments the tools they need to protect our families. 2) Make it easier for businesses to create jobs and relocate to Long Beach I helped write the laws that make it easier for businesses to locate in Long Beach and hire more employees. As Mayor, I will restore the Economic Development Bureau to fight for more businesses to locate here, streamline the process for opening a business, and help our schools prepare students for the jobs in our community. 3) Restore city services and aggressively invest in infrastructure - In the legislature, I stood up to the special interests to get more than $31 million of our tax dollars returned to the City of Long Beach, allowing the city to balance its budget. I ll make sure these funds are used to repair our streets, build more parks, and reopen libraries. 6. In your opinion, what are the 3 greatest assets that the City of Long Beach has to offer? Long Beach s three greatest assets are: 1) Our Human Capitol: The people who live and work in Long Beach make our city one of the most diverse and innovative in the country. 2) Our Education: We have some of the best education institutions in the world. The Long Beach Unified School District has been named one of the top urban school districts in the nation and Long Beach Community College and Cal State Long Beach continue to produce some of the best talent our region has to offer. 3) Our location: Long Beach is ideally located between Los Angeles and Orange County to serve as a regional hub. From the major economic engine of our port to our distinct neighborhoods to our business corridors, we have the ability to attract new industries and serve as a model for innovation. 7. What are the 3 greatest problems facing the City of Long Beach? 1) Economic Development: We are on the road to recovery and economic development is how we insure a strong recovery for Long Beach. As Mayor, I will reestablish the Economic Development Bureau
and have its focus be centered around retention. We cannot grow if we are losing our current businesses. The bureau has to first assess our current business climate to understand those industries at risk, where we can grow, and where we are thriving. 2) Poverty: Long Beach continues to struggle with growing poverty. Twenty Two percent of our City lives below the poverty level, it will be essential for our next Mayor to take on this issue from head on. I dealt first hand with the issue of poverty as the Councilmember for District 1 and I will continue to do so as Mayor. 3) Neighborhood Services: As our Assemblymember, I stood up to special interests and as a result more than $31 million of our tax dollars were returned to the City of Long Beach, allowing the city to balance its budget. As Mayor, I will make sure these funds are used to repair our streets, build more parks, encourage continued development of all the arts and reopen libraries. We need to invest in these critical services to continue moving Long Beach forward. 8. How do you envision addressing the growing needs of the homeless population in our city? As a beach community, we are an attractive location for those seeking mild weather and those who are homeless. There are some facts to consider as we address the growing need of our homeless population. First, the homeless need housing. Many supportive housing programs offer help by providing job preparation courses and other resources to help individuals become independent once again. Second, it is important to note that many of the homeless on our streets are returning veterans. The Villages at Cabrillo, Veterans Hospital, and many local nonprofits are doing a wonderful job of connecting them with housing and resources. Those efforts need to be supported and reinforced, and the public can be brought into the solution. Lastly, the Long Beach Health Department is unique in that it offers homeless services to this population through the Multiservice Center. They provide outreach workers who know the areas in the city where homeless congregate, and the MSC offers showers, storage for personal items, a mailing address and other services to get people back on their feet. It is critical that we continue to fund and maintain our Health
Department so that we can continue to be at the forefront of public health issues that affect the people of Long Beach. 9. What is your opinion of re-opening a limited number of well-regulated medical marijuana dispensaries in Long Beach? I support patient s rights to the access of medical marijuana. The key with medical marijuana, as addressed in the question, is regulations. We can t deny the fact that there are patients who benefit from the use of medical marijuana, some who cannot eat a meal with its use. We must ensure that these individuals have access to their medicine. However, communities need to be involved in the discussion of where dispensaries are located and city regulation need to consider the safety and character of our neighborhoods. 10. What is your opinion of wetlands preservation as a critical element of long-term planning in the SEADIP area of Long Beach? The City of Long Beach has an historic opportunity to create one of the largest wetland ecosystems in Los Angeles County now that so much of the Los Cerritos Wetlands are in public hands. I support this.