september 2-15, section a

September 2-15, 2014 lbbusinessjournal.com

HealthWiseChoose WellDuring OpenEnrollmentSee Page 22

The College

Of Business

Administration

At CSULB

Long Beach

Small Business And

Digital Marketing

See Page 4

� By GEORGE ECONOMIDES

Publisher

D espite being dwarfed bythe number of hotels and

sleeping rooms found in citieslike Chicago, Dallas, LosAngeles, Miami, New York, SanDiego and dozens of others, LongBeach continues to impress meet-ing planners as a top destinationfor meetings, conventions, tradeshows and special events. Last month, Cvent, Inc., a

cloud-based enterprise eventmanagement platform with morethan 12,650 customers world-wide, released its third annual listof the top 50 cities for meetingsand events in the United States.Long Beach made it into the top50 for the third consecutive year.

In fact, the city climbed four spotsfrom last year, placing 44th – andthat’s out of more than 5,000 U.S.

The ‘$100,000 Club’City Employee Salaries Spike During Past Year As Contracts Take Effect

Corporate PresenceAnd 1st Annual Q&AWith Mayor Garcia

See 24-Page Section B

$100,000 Club Continues To Add Members

Total City % Who AreYear Employees Club Members2014 5,322 19.69%2013 5,268 17.48%2012 5,393 15.98%2011 5,569 10.65%2010 5,742 10.00%2009 5,822 9.95%Source: Calculated by the Long BeachBusiness Journal from data supplied by theCity of Long Beach. Total city employeesincludes everyone who received a paycheck,including part-timers, on August 1 of eachyear. The percentage of “Club Members” isconsiderably higher when examining full-timeemployees only. Currently, more than 25% offull-time city employees receive a base salaryof $100,000 or more.

Highest Paid Long Beach City EmployeesBase Salary As Of

Position Department August 1, 2014Executive Director-Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$351,201City Attorney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$270,771City Manager* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .City Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$260,849General Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$256,408Assistant City Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .City Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$246,252Chief of Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$243,039Fire Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$226,240Assistant Executive Director-Harbor . . . . . . . .Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$222,763Director-Long Beach Gas & Oil . . . . . . . . . . .LB Gas & Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$216,055Assistant General Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$215,053Assistant City Attorney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$213,586Managing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$212,943City Prosecutor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .City Prosecutor . . . . . . . . . . . .$211,795Director-Development Services . . . . . . . . . . .Development Services . . . . . . .$209,985 Director-Parks, Recreation & Marine . . . . . . .Parks, Recreation & Marine . . .$204,239Director-Public Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Public Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$204,239Director-Financial Management . . . . . . . . . . .Financial Management . . . . . . .$204,204 Assistant City Attorney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$202,728City Auditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Auditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$201,464Managing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$198,911Director of Business Development . . . . . . . . .Public Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$196,248Director of Health & Human Services . . . . . .Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$194,250Director-Human Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Human Resources . . . . . . . . . .$188,701Managing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$185,637Deputy City Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .City Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$184,743Principal Deputy City Attorney . . . . . . . . . . . .Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$184,299Deputy Chief of Police (3 positions) . . . . . . .Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$183,470Deputy General Manager-Business . . . . . . . .Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$182,773Director Technology Services . . . . . . . . . . . .Technology Services . . . . . . . .$180,563City Health Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$177,451Asst Managing Dir-Eng Design/Maintenance .Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$175,602Director of Library Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$175,381*City manager’s salary set by city council. Source: City of Long Beach

� By GEORGE ECONOMIDES

Publisher

A s of August 1, more than25 percent of the 4,125

permanent, full-time employeesworking for the City of LongBeach receive a base salary of$100,000 or more, with six in 10of those employees working in thepolice or fire departments.Since 2009, the number of city

employees joining the “100,000Club” – a term the BusinessJournal began using in the late1990s to examine city salaries –has doubled. In the past year, clubmembership jumped by 14 per-cent. The most recent spike is dueprimarily to the negotiated raisesfor management, engineers, con-fidential employees and others,most of whom had not received apay raise in five or six years. The number of club members is

expected to increase again on

October 1, but by a smaller num-ber, when these same individualsreceive a 4 percent increase – thesecond part of a two-step, 15 per-cent pay raise approved by thecity council a year ago. October 1marks the city’s new budget year. But the pay increases don’t fat-

ten employee wallets as much assome readers might think. Likepolice, fire and other employeegroups before them that receivedincreases, the managers and oth-ers agreed to pay their full shareof the employee portion of pen-sion costs. In fact, the savings inpension costs are huge.Other city employees received

pay increases in the past year dueto step increases, skill pay ormerit increases. The overall pay-roll of city employees rose about$9.2 million in the past year.Let’s dig a little deeper into

some of these areas.Pension Costs, Savings

The recession of 2007 broughtextra scrutiny by elected officials– especially then-mayor BobFoster and then-councilmemberGary DeLong – on the city’s pen-sion obligations.

Ethnic DisparityReThinking Greater Long Beach Report Could HelpDevelop Solutions For Problems Facing The City

DestinationFor Meeting Planners, Long BeachShows That Size Doesn’t Matter

� By BRANDON FERGUSON

Staff Writer

I n July, the community-basedthink tank ReThinking

Greater Long Beach released itsreport on ethnic disparities inLong Beach. While the authorssay the data, culled from the U.S.Bureau of Census, CaliforniaDepartment of Education andlocal sources, reveal no real sur-prises, the findings are stark –even as the white population inLong Beach has significantly

decreased over the years and theLatino population has increased,the prosperity level between thegroups remains lopsided in favorof whites. The data also showsthat the African American popula-tion, is struggling to achieve thesame prosperity as whites. Among the report’s key find-

ings: African American andLatino students are more likely todrop out of high school than arewhite or Asian students. Forty-four percent of adult Latinos donot have a high school education

compared to 11 percent ofAfrican Americans and 5 percentwhites. The median familyincome for whites is almost twicethat of African Americans andmore than twice that of Latinos.The report’s authors, William

Crampon and Alex Norman, are

Long Beach Business Journal2599 E. 28th Street, Suite 212Signal Hill, CA 90755-2139562/988-1222 • www.lbbusinessjournal.com

PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDLong Beach, CA

PERMIT NO. 254

Focus On TheCity’s WestsideIndustrial Area

Section A • Pages 25-36

(Please Continue To 6)

(Please Continue To Page 8)


JetBlueAirline ConfirmsIts Seeking OkayFor Int’l Flights� By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER

Senior Writer

J etBlue’s rumored interest inflying internationally out of

the Long Beach Airport hasbecome a reality. According to


1_LBBJ_Sept2_SectionA_LBBJ MASTER LAYOUT 9/1/14 4:21 PM Page 1

INSIDE THIS ISSUE2 Long Beach Business Journal September 2-15, 2014

3 Newswatch4-Long Beach City Budget Update4-City Auditor Releases Proposition H Report5-City Council Denies Appeal On Coal Exports From Port6-Long Beach City Hall News In Brief8-Report: Ethnic Disparities, continued from Page 110-California Legislature Takes Action On “Job Killer” Bills12-Destination Long Beach, continued from Page 114-International Trade News In Brief14-Long Beach Young Professional Launched By Chamber14-Can Sculptures Benefit Food Finders15-U.S. HealthWorks Relocates To 100 Oceangate Building15-Dignity Health St. Mary Trauma Recovery Center

16 City Salaries

22 PerspectiveRealty ViewsMillennials Hold Key To Housing By Terry RossEffective Leadership Are You Tough-Minded OrHardheaded? By Mick UklejaHealthWise Choose Well During Open Enrollment by Dr. Jay LeeTrade And Transportation Southern California’s Role AsA Major Trade Getaway By Tom O’Brien

25-36WESTSIDE INDUSTRIAL AREA•Westside Overcomes Historical Tension With CityAnd Keeps On Chugging

• A Tale Of Two Cities

• Westside Offers Diversity Of Services

Section BCORPORATE PRESENCE AND 1ST ANNUAL INTERVIEW WITH MAYOR GARCIA • Q&A With Mayor Robert Garcia• The Growing Corporate Presence In Long Beach

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NEWSWATCH4 Long Beach Business Journal September 2-15, 2014

City Council Hears BudgetReports From Three CityDepartments: Health,

Public Works And Water � By BRANDON FERGUSON

Staff Writer

Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) budget deliberations continuedat the August 19 city council meeting. Under review weresections of the budget relating to the departments of healthand human services, public works and water. A vote on thefull budget could be held by the city council as early astonight’s (September 2) meeting.During his presentation to the council, Long Beach Water

Department General Manager Kevin Wattier announced aplan to raise water rates four percent each year through 2018due to increasing rates imposed by the Metropolitan WaterDistrict (MWD) and Water Replenishment District (WRD).He explained that rates imposed by the two districts haveincreased 81 percent since 2008.“While we’ve absorbed in some cases these 81 percent

increases in costs from MWD and WRD, our rates, includingthe four percent rate increase we’re proposing for 2015, haveonly gone up 44 percent,” Wattier said.When asked by 8th District Councilmember Al Austin to

explain MWD’s reason for rate increases in light of theirfinancial reserves, Wattier said he was unable to explainMWD’s reasoning.“So as I understand it,” Austin said, “they have a pretty

robust reserve, yet they’re increasing rates?”Second District Councilmember Suja Lowenthal, who also

sits on the MWD Board of Directors, said Wattier has donehis best to understand the issue.“I want everybody to know that Mr. Wattier’s done a

tremendous job to point out the financial irresponsibility ofthat, but to no avail,” Lowenthal said.In addition to increasing water rates, the department also

plans to increase sewer rates four percent in FY15 and fivepercent each year after until FY19. Wattier told the councilthat the combined rate increase this year would cost the aver-age Long Beach family an additional $2.12 a month.Combined, all three departments considered at the meeting

projected expenditures totaling more than $386 million. Thelargest figures were given by public works, which projectedexpenditures of $145,519,936. Thirty-two million of thatcomes from the general fund and another $44 million fromthe department’s refuse and recycling fund. Health and human services meanwhile budgeted

$117,233,226, of which only $1,008,489 comes from the gen-eral fund. The lion’s share, $76,915,056, is comprised of thehousing authority fund, which relies totally on grants from thefederal government. The housing fund administers a housingchoice voucher program and provides assistance to low-income, elderly and disabled residents of Long Beach forhousing. Another $38 million of the health department’sbudget comes from the health fund, which generates revenuefrom licensing fees and sales tax.

During her presentation to the council, Kelly Colopy, direc-tor of the health and human services department, said heragency provides affordable housing to roughly 21,000 resi-dents and, in the past 10 years, has reduced infant mortality by44 percent. She explained that the department has added ahomeless initiative coordinator who will attempt to reducechronic homelessness. Colopy also noted that the departmenthas realigned positions to help more people enroll in healthinsurance under the Affordable Care Act.Following Colopy’s presentation, Councilmember Stacy

Mungo asked about the health department’s coordination withlaw enforcement. Colopy responded that she is currently indiscussions with Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey’soffice to begin a mental health diversion pilot program withthe County of Los Angeles. Councilmembers Dee Andrewsand Roberto Uranga both told Colopy they would like toeventually see more programs geared toward senior citizens.Also discussed was the issue of street sweeping efficien-

cies. Prior to leaving office, former Mayor Bob Foster recom-mended outsourcing street sweeping services in an effort tosave money. But Mayor Robert Garcia, who released his ownset of budget recommendations in July, argued against theplan to outsource street sweeping. (This subject is discussedfurther in the Q&A with the mayor in Section C of this edition.)Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell told Public Works

Director Ara Maloyan at last week’s meeting that he hopedthat public works was looking for ways to save money.“Around here we’ve had two extremes – we’re good at

contracting out and we’re good at cutting. But we’re notgood at finding efficiencies and innovation. That’s some-thing we need to work on as a city,” O’Donnell said, addingthat he’d like to see the current street-sweeping windowreduced from four hours to two.When approved, the new budget goes ino effect on

October 1. �

City Auditor Releases ReportOn Funding Of Proposition H


Staff Writer

On August 26, City Auditor LauraDoud released a summary report onfunds collected since the 2007 passage ofProposition H.The voter-approved proposition

assesses a 25-cent per barrel tax on thecity’s oil producers, which is then used bythe city to fund police and fire services. In 2006, Doud’s office reviewed the

city’s oil production tax and determinedthat the rate fell significantly below the

rate of neighboring cities.“[The auditor’s office] found that that the city’s oil produc-

tion tax had not been adjusted in 17 years. But in those same17 years, the price of oil had nearly doubled,” Doud said.A proposition was put on the ballot the following year to

increase the oil production tax. It received more than 70 per-cent of the vote.

Long Beach SmallBusiness And

Digital MarketingA recent survey showed

97 percent of Californiaconsumers first go online tolook for products and serv-ices offered by small busi-ness. To meet the needs oftoday’s consumers, smallbusinesses must therefore beonline and have an inte-grated Internet, social mediaand mobile presence. How is

Long Beach Small Business doing in reachingonline customers? The results of the latestCSULB-CBA Small Business Monitor surveyshow that many Long Beach small businesses arestruggling with digital marketing. The CSULB-CBA Long Beach Small Business

Monitor is a quarterly survey that provides anunderstanding of the challenges of Long Beachsmall businesses. The Survey Series is sponsoredby the College of Business Administration atCSULB and supported by regional businessesand organizations.The survey results show that many Long Beach

small businesses would benefit from help and sup-port with digital marketing. Consumer demand fordigital media is great. In the survey, 7 in 10 LongBeach small business owners and managers reportthat most of their customers use digital media tofind out about their business and to see where theyare located. In response, 89 percent of Long Beachsmall businesses have a traditional website.However, many report that their small businesswebsites are a simple home page that is not updatedregularly. Just half (51 percent) have a social mediapresence (such as a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram)and only 25 percent have a mobile website. Though they recognize the need, many small

businesses lack the expertise and time to managea digital marketing presence. 75 percent createand maintain their Internet presence by them-selves, solicit an acquaintance or family memberto do it, or assign an employee to mange it part-time. Just 25 percent hire professionals to developand maintain a digital marketing presence. In an effort to help local businesses the Marketing

Department at CSULB connects students with localbusinesses in need of an Internet presence. Studentteams develop digital campaigns that includeupdated Web sites, Facebook pages and integratedYelp, Instagram and mobile marketing. Thesemarketing campaigns are typically the first real forayinto professional digital marketing for many localsmall businesses. To view some of these CBA stu-dent digital marketing campaigns for Long Beachsmall business click this linkhttp://csulb.edu/~sflexo/CBAStudentDMCampaignsMore information on digital marketing and

Long Beach small business and other topics in theLong Beach Small Business Monitor can be foundonline at www.csulb.edu/colleges/cba/lbsbm(The College of Business Administration at Cal

State Long Beach is an AACSB accredited busi-ness school that provides undergraduates andMBAs with the knowledge and skills necessary tobe successful in their careers and to propel theeconomic development of our region.) �

By Dr. Scott W. FlexoAdjunct Professor ofMarketing, CSULB

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Long Beach CityAuditor Laura Doud

Total Proposition H Expenditures • Fiscal Years 2008 To 2013Salaries Materials

Fiscal Wages & Supplies Internal CapitalYear Benefits & Services Support Purchases Total

CityAuditorReport


NEWSWATCHSeptember 2-15, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 5

According to the summary report, as ofSeptember 30, 2013, oil companies inLong Beach have produced 82,330,175barrels of oil. As of the same date, a total of$21,901,103 in Prop H funds have beenspent on public safety-related uses – prima-rily police and fire personnel. On average, the report claims, the city

has been able to fund 12 police officers and11 firefighters annually. In 2009 the firedepartment used Prop H funds to purchasea new fire truck for station 14.Though the tax is assessed on all oil pro-

ducers across the city, Doud explained thatmost of the revenue is generated byTHUMS and the Tidelands Oil ProductionCompany (TOPCO). Asked about the findings of her report

and whether there had been any surprises,Doud said the money has been collectedand spent as expected.“I think it’s good news for Long Beach.

It was a huge victory when [Prop H]passed; it’s been a tremendous successsince its passage and the city as a wholehas received huge benefits from increasedpublic safety,” Doud said.During difficult budget years experienced

by the city recently, Doud added that themoney has been especially helpful. “It’s been like a shot in the arm,” she

said. �

City Council DeniesAppeal On Coal

Exports From Port� By BRANDON FERGUSON

Staff Writer

At its August 19 meeting, the LongBeach City Council considered an appealfiled by environmental groups challengingthe Long Beach Board of HarborCommissioner’s determinations over coalexports in the port. On June 9, the harborcommission approved two operating agree-ments affecting Metropolitan StevedoreCompany (Metro), which operates the PierG dry dock, and a coal shed operated byOxbow Energy Solutions. The port hascontracted with Metro to operate the drydock since 1962. The agreement is set toexpire in 2016. Currently, Metro sub assigns use of the

dock’s coal shed to Oxbow EnergySolutions. The harbor commission’s newoperating agreement would transfer controlof the coal shed to the port. The port wouldlease the coal shed directly to Oxbow tomaximize revenues for the city. As part ofthe approval process, the harbor commis-sion determined that the new operatingagreement is categorically exempt from theCalifornia Environmental Quality Act(CEQA) and the port is therefore notrequired to conduct a new review of thefacility. On June 23, the environmentalgroup Earth Justice, representingCommunities for a Better Environment andthe Sierra Club, appealed the harbor com-mission’s CEQA determination andrequested the port undertake a CEQAreview of the agreements. On August 19, the city council voted

unanimously to deny the environmental-ists’ appeal. During a presentation to the

council, Port Director of EnvironmentalPlanning Heather Tomley said there wouldbe no changes to the facilities under thenew agreements, and therefore the port wasexempt from conducting further review.“Under the new agreements there will be

no changes to the capacities of the existingfacilities. The operations of the facility arethe same today under the current agree-ments as they will be tomorrow under thenew agreements,” she said.Speaking on behalf of the environmental

group EarthJustice, attorney AdrianMartinez showed pictures of uncoveredtrain cars at the port, carrying loads of coal,a pollutant. He argued that previous portoperating agreements were commodityneutral, but that the new agreementsrequired a guaranteed throughput of coaltotaling 1.7 million tons, which he arguedlocked the port into 15-years of coalexport. But during council questions, 3rdDistrict Councilmember Suzie Price askedTomley if the throughput of coal would beincreased under the new agreement.Tomley replied that it would not.Prior to voting, 8th District

Councilmember Al Austin, who has servedas a health and safety representative forBoeing, said he toured the coal shed andPier G recently.“I have a trained eye for engineering and

health and safety standards. I found thatfacility to be top class,” he said.During public comments, several people

spoke about the issue, both in support and




opposition. James R. Callahan, CEO ofNautilus International Holding Company,which owns Metro, said the facilities atPier G contribute payroll and benefits inexcess of $20 million annually. ResidentLouise Flemming, however, said the oper-ating agreement didn’t take into considera-tion the future impacts of the project. “Ibelieve the port should not be in the busi-ness of supporting coal,” she said.

City Hall News In Brief� By BRANDON FERGUSON

Staff Writer

Budget Oversight Committee – Thecity council’s three-person budget over-sight (BOC) committee will continue todiscuss the FY15 budget at today’s(September 2) meeting. The BOC is com-prised of Councilmembers Suja Lowenthal,Patrick O’Donnell and Stacy Mungo.Budget Discussion – At tonight’s city

council meeting, members consider fund-ing for the department of financial man-agement and harbor department as part ofthe FY15 budget. The new budget goesinto effect on October 1.Budget Action – Tonight the council con-

siders approval of the FY15 budget. Thecouncil also considers adoption of MayorRobert Garcia’s budget recommendations(released in July) as part of the FY15 budget.

Assistant City Manager – Severalcouncilmembers are requesting, as a basisfor confirmation, ample time to review thecandidates being considered by city stafffor the position of assistant city manager. Aclosed session meeting is being requestedwherein councilmembers will review a listof candidates in order of preference.Assistant City Manager Suzanne Frickeresigned her position in June to take a jobin Ketchum, Idaho. Jyl Marden has servedas interim assistant city manager sinceAugust 2. By City Charter, the city councilhires the city manager but has no authorityover the hiring of other city personnel.Alamitos Bay Project –A recommenda-

tion by staff to authorize City ManagerWest to execute the ninth amendment to anexisting contract with Bellingham Marinefor continued improvements to theAlamitos Bay Marina was approved by a 7-0 vote of the council. Phase 5 of the proj-ect, which is expected to begin in the fall,includes reconstruction of Docks 11, 12,13 and 14, which are located in Basin 2.The work will include demolition of exist-ing docks, dredging and the installation ofnew concrete docks. The contract amountallows an additional $9,119,629 plus a con-tingency of $455,981. The revised contractamount is not to exceed $51,006,617.Councilmembers Andrews and O’Donnellwere absent for the vote.North Library – At its August 19 meet-

ing, the city council voted 8-0 to adoptplans for the construction of the NorthBranch Library, and awarded the contract

to Woodcliff Corporation of Los Angeles.The contract amount totaled $11,537,750plus a 10 percent contingency. Renderingsof the new library were shown during themeeting. The building is expected to total26,491 square feet and include the towerfrom the historic Atlantic Theater that wasdemolished to make room for the library.City Manager Patrick West said construc-tion of the project is expected to begin onOctober 1. Councilmember Dee Andrewswas absent for the vote.Belmont Pool – The council voted 8-0 to

authorize City Manager West to execute asecond amendment to an existing agree-ment with Psomas Corporation to providemanagement and inspection services for thedemolition of the Belmont Pool. The voteincreased the existing contract by $206,400for a revised total not to exceed $831,400.An 8-0 vote on a separate item by the coun-cil authorized the city manager to enter intoa contract with Exbon Development to per-form the demolition of Belmont Pool. Thecontract amount was increased by$2,850,000 for a revised amount not toexceed $12,850,000. CouncilmemberAndrews was absent for both votes.Women, Infants and Children – The

council considers authorizing the city man-ager to execute an agreement between thecity and the California Department of Healthto receive grant funding of $4,540,982 forthe Women, Infants and Children NutritionSupplement Program (WIC). Since 1974 thecity’s department of health and human serv-ices has operated the WIC program, which

provides nutrition education, counseling andfood vouchers to eligible families through-out the city. According to a city memo, theprogram serves approximately 26,000 fam-ilies per month.Airport Pavement – Tonight the city

council considers awarding contracts toKleinfelder West of Los Angeles, andKimley-Horn and Associates of Raleigh,North Carolina, to provide as-needed air-port pavement evaluation. The aggregateamount of the contract is not to exceed$1,500,000 for a period of two years.Maine Avenue Excavation – City staff is

recommending the council determine thatexcavation on Maine Avenue, betweenRoble Way and 6th Street, is immediatelyrequired and cannot be delayed. The LongBeach Water Department (LBWD) hasfiled for a discretionary permit to excavatethe area, which was slurry sealed inDecember 2013, and is currently under anexcavation moratorium. According to a citymemo, lateral water pipes in the area areexperiencing a high number of breaks.LBWD maintains that the proposed exca-vations are necessary for the generalhealth, safety and welfare of the city.

Meetings, Events“Chat With Pat” – Tomorrow,

Wednesday, September 3, 4th DistrictCouncilmember O’Donnell will host aback-to-school themed “Chat with Pat.” Themeeting will provide community membersan opportunity to meet the new president ofCalifornia State University, Long Beach,Jane Conoley and hear her vision for the

Coal ExportsContinue From Page 5)



university. Long Beach Police Departmentpersonnel will also be on hand to providetheir regular community updates. The eventtakes place at 4:30 p.m. at the Los AltosPublic Library, 5614 E. Britton Dr.Douglas Park – At its September 4

meeting, the planning commission consid-ers approving a site plan review for theconstruction of a 138,299-square-footautomotive trade school facility. The build-ing’s planned location is on Conant Streetbetween Worsham Avenue and BayerAvenue in Douglas Park. The facility plancalls for a total of 415 parking spaces andis expected to draw, on average, 225 peopleduring the day and 220 people at night.Staff is recommending approval of thefacility subject to commission conditions. SEADIP Meeting – Also this Thursday,

the community is invited to attend a planningcommission study session to be updated onthe Southeast Area Specific Plan (SEADIP).The meeting will take place at 5 p.m. in thecouncil chambers at city hall, 333 W. OceanBlvd. No formal action will be taken by theplanning commission at this meeting.Public Safety Committee – On

September 5, the public safety committeewill hear a presentation regarding a poten-tial park ranger program for city parks. Thecommittee is chaired by 3rd DistrictCouncilmember Suzie Price.Bixby Park Improvement – On

Saturday, September 6, ViceMayor/Councilmember Lowenthal invitesresidents to participate in the Bixby Parkcleanup day. Neighborhood groups and

volunteers will plant a drought tolerant gar-den under the Bixby Park mural, and willalso paint portions of the skate park, andcommunity center. Attendees are encour-aged to bring shovels, paintbrushes andbrooms. Students who volunteer canreceive credit for community servicehours. For more information contact MarkMagdaleno at 562/570-6684. Bixby Park islocated at 130 Cherry Ave. The eventbegins at 9 a.m. and continues until 1 p.m.Parking Meter Study – A public work-

shop will be held on September 8 regardingthe city’s recently released parking meterstudy report. The Belmont Shore Parkingand Business Improvement Area AdvisoryCommission will be holding the workshopto obtain public input on the recommenda-tions in the report, including installation ofsmart meters and potential rate increases.The meeting will be held in the concert hallat the Bay Shore Church located at 5100The Toledo. More information can beobtained by emailing 3rd district staff [email protected] Tour For 3rd District

Residents – On September 18, 3rd DistrictCouncilmember Price invites residents tojoin her on a sunset harbor tour. The freeevent is intended as a way for residents tobecome familiar with the port’s environ-mental, security and infrastructure proj-ects. Interested parties are required toreserve their seat with Kristina Dugganeither by calling 562/570-8756 or [email protected]. Be sureto include subject line: Port Harbor Tour. �



semi-retired professors who startedReThinking Greater Long Beach nearly 14years ago. Crampon, a Ph.D., taught man-agement and policies studies at theUniversity of Illinois at Springfield, andNorman, who holds a doctorate in socialwork, is professor emeritus of social wel-fare at UCLA’s School of Public Affairs.Since joining forces in the early 2000s,they’ve given public presentations on vari-ous issues from development in LongBeach to poverty along the Atlantic andSanta Fe Corridors.“Bill and I had been talking about doing

an ethnic disparities report. With all thistalk about inequality and income gap, wethought, why don’t we do something spe-cific to Long Beach,” Norman said.The resulting 50-plus page report fea-

tures a comprehensive series of colorcharts and graphs breaking down theLong Beach population across a widerange of dimensions – from educationlevels, to arrests and citations, to lifeexpectancy. In addition to examining statistics

detailing ethnic diversity, the report offersa series of short-term and long-term rec-ommendations, many of them related toeducation. “If we are going to end the poverty

cycle and other related problems, thefocus must be to ensure that all children

receive the education they need to suc-ceed in the current and future world envi-ronment,” the report read. Included in the short-term recommenda-

tions was a suggestion that the Long BeachUnified School District also establish anoffice of acculturation, “to assist with thetransition and integration of new residentsinto civic life of Long Beach.”Norman likened such an office to the set-

tlement houses and neighborhood centersof the early 1900s, which were a resourcefor Irish and Italian immigrants.“A sizeable part of our population are

immigrants. My belief is that, in the samesense that those settlement houses andneighborhood centers acculturated immi-grants so they could come into the fabricof our democratic society, we need thesame thing here, otherwise we end upwith a Bell or Commerce,” Norman saidreferring to cities where civic apathy cre-ated opportunities for corrupt politiciansto raid the public purse.But though the report offers sugges-

tions on how to tackle the problem of eth-nic disparity, both Crampon and Normansaid they were primarily interested in get-ting good data out for policymakers toconsider.“Don’t get me wrong, we’ve got wonder-

ful ideas for what the city should do, butour basic feeling is that no one can makerational decisions without having a com-mon set of valid, reliable, or at least thebest available, information,” Crampon said.To that end, the pair decided to float an

advance copy of the report to MayorRobert Garcia’s transition team.“It just so happened to come out at the

same time as the mayor’s transition team,”Norman said. “Bill had the idea ‘whydon’t we use this as an opportunity tocrash the party?’” Though the pair said the mayor has yet to

offer any feedback on the report, they’rehopeful it made an impression. During hisinaugural speech, Garcia mentioned thecity’s 20 percent poverty rate and the needto combat the problem. Ultimately, both Crampon and Norman

say they are fine with public officials usingtheir report, even if they don’t get recog-nized for their hard work.“I’d rather see something done and have

somebody else take credit for it than seenothing done,” Crampon said.To view Ethnic Disparities in Long

Beach, visit rethinklongbeach.org. �

William Crampon Ph.D., left, and Alex Norman, D.S.W, are pictured at Martin Luther King Jr. Park inLong Beach. Both semi-retired professors are active in the community-based think tank ReThinkingGreater Long Beach. The group recently released a report on ethnic disparity in the City of Long Beach.Among the report’s findings was that the white population in Long Beach enjoys a median family incomemore than twice as high as Latinos. Other findings showed that 44 percent of adult Latinos do not havea high school education. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

According to the Ethnic Disparities in Long Beach report, this chart “presents a comparison of the Long Beach population reported in the 2008-12 AmericanCommunity Survey, with the overall U.S. population, the California population, and the Los Angeles County population. It shows that Long Beach has amunch more diverse population than the rest of the U.S. and the State of California, and a similar population to the rest of Los Angeles County.”

Ethnic Disparities In Long BeachContinued From Page 1)



� By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER

Senior Writer

The California State Senate andAssembly were up against a deadline tovote on two bills impacting businesseswhen the Business Journal went to press onAugust 29 – one would ban certain retailersfrom using single-use carryout plastic bagsthroughout California, and the other wouldmandate paid sick leave for certainemployees. The legislature’s session endedon Sunday, August 31.The two houses made final decisions on

four bills impacting business during thelast week of August, including one allow-

ing employees to file liens on anemployer’s or third party’s property forunpaid wages, a bill expanding require-ments for developers under the CaliforniaEnvironmental Quality Act, a bill holdingbusinesses liable for the wages of con-tracted workers not under their employ, andlegislation prohibiting anyone from requir-ing another person to sign a contract, as aprovision of obtaining goods and services,that would waive the right to pursue litiga-tion based on civil rights violations.

Plastic Bag BanSenate Bill (SB) 27, which would ban

certain retailers in California from distrib-uting single-use carryout plastic bags to its

customers, was passed by the state assem-bly on August 28. At press time, the billawaited final approval of the assembly’samendments by the state senate. The billwas co-authored by Senator Ricardo Lara,representing Long Beach and other nearbycities, Senator Alex Padilla and SenatorKevin de León. Long Beach already hassimilar legislation in place.If passed, state retailers would have to

follow specific requirements for what bagsthey are allowed to distribute to customersand who they are allowed to procure thosebags from, to avoid civil penalties.The California Grocers Association

released a statement in support of the

assembly’s passage of the bill, explainingit backed the legislation “in an attempt toput an end to the growing patchwork oflocal ordinances.” The organization’sstatement explained, “Inconsistencybetween jurisdictions creates operationaland competitive challenges for grocers,and causes confusion for customers.” Thebill was also backed by environmentalgroups such as Californians AgainstWaste and Heal The Bay. The American Progressive Bag Alliance,

which represents plastic bag manufactur-ers, opposed the bill. The CaliforniaChamber of Commerce did not take a posi-tion on the legislation.On July 1, 2015, the bill would apply to

full-line retailers with gross annual salesof $2 million that sell dry groceries,canned goods, nonfood items and someperishable items. On July 1, 2016, the billwould apply to convenience stores, foodmarts or other entities “engaged in theretail sale of a limited line of goods, gen-erally including milk, bread, soda andsnack foods” and hold a Type 20 or 21alcohol license.If passed by the senate, retail businesses

would have to study the text of the billclosely to ensure compliance, as there is alengthy list of requirements associated withit. In place of single-use carryout plastic

bags, retailers would have to distributebags made from reusable plastic film, recy-cled paper or sewn fabric. Recyclable andreusable bags made from plastic film mustconsist of certain percentages of recycledmaterial and be able to carry 22 pounds fora distance of 175 feet. In addition to thesestandards, reusable plastic bags used byretailers must meet the standards of certainorganizations, including the AmericanSociety of Testing and Materials. Sewnbags would also have to meet specific com-position and weight-bearing requirements.Recycled paper bags would only be

allowed for use by retailers if those bagswere distributed for 10 cents and themoney collected from their sale was usedto comply with the bill, to provide morecompliant bags or to cover the costs of edu-cational materials associated with the bill.Producers of allowed bags would have

to receive certification from a third partyentity verifying their bags meet the state’srequirements and submit that certifica-tion to the state. Retailers would only beable to purchase bags from certified bagmanufacturers.The citation for not meeting the require-

ments of the bill would be $1,000 per dayfor the first violation, $2,000 per day for asecond violation and $5,000 per day forthird and subsequent violations.

Paid Sick LeaveAssembly Bill (AB) 1522, labeled a “job

killer” by the California Chamber ofCommerce (CalChamber), awaited a voteby the senate as the Business Journal wentto press. The bill would mandate employersprovide paid sick days “accrued at a rate ofno less than one hour for every 30 hoursworked” and allow employers to limit thenumber of sick days to three per year.In mid-August, the senate removed a

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California Legislature Takes Action On ‘Job Killer’ Bills




stipulation from AB 1522 requiringemployers to provide paid sick days, notonly for employees to attend to personalhealth matters, but also for attending tothe health of their family members and asleave for domestic violence, sexualassault or stalking.Before it was amended, the bill would

have required employers to roll overunused paid sick days from one year to thenext. Now, no carryover would be requiredif the full amount of leave were granted toan employee at the start of the year. Thecarryover of sick days had been a point ofcontention for CalChamber. The chamber’scurrent stance on the bill is to opposeunless amended, according to JenniferBarrera, a policy advocate for CalChamber.She did not specify what amendment thechamber was hoping for.A statement on the website of the bill’s

author, Senator Lorena Gonzalez, indi-cated the bill was intended to help work-ers. “Workers without paid sick days haveto go to work sick or stay home, lose payand risk job loss or workplace discipline,”the statement said. “Nearly one quarter ofadults in the United States (23 percent)report that they have lost a job or havebeen threatened with job loss for takingtime off due to illness or to care for a sickchild or relative.”

Two Job Killer Bills PassedOn August 28, the State Assembly

passed AB 1897, which holds businessesemploying a contracted entity liable forwage and hour violations made by the con-tracted business under their employ, afterthe senate passed an amended version ofthe bill the day prior. The bill now moves tothe desk of Gov. Jerry Brown.Amendments made by the senate on

August 22 exempt businesses with fewerthan 25 workers (including contractedworkers), businesses using five or fewercontracted workers, as well as state, cityand county governments. Other addedexemptions include cable operators,satellite cable providers, telephone cor-porations, motion picture payroll serv-ices and more.Despite the exemptions, CalChamber

remains opposed to the bill and has urgedits constituents to contact the governor’soffice to ask him to veto it.The bill’s author, Assemblymember

Roger Hernandez, released a statement onAugust 28 following the assembly vote.

“The bill protects workers from exploita-tion and abuses resulting from a new busi-ness model that we are seeing proliferateacross all industries as we begin to emergefrom the economic recession,” he stated.“AB 1897 is about saving good jobs, pro-tecting legitimate employers and preserv-ing our fragile middle class.”The other “Job Killer” bill opposed by

the CalChamber passed the assembly onAugust 28. The bill, AB 2617, prohibitsrequiring anyone to sign arbitration andsettlement agreements pertaining to civilrights violations as a condition of obtain-ing goods or services. Any contractrequiring someone to waive the right toseek civil action for the violation of civilrights must be signed voluntarily in writ-ing and not as a condition of obtaininggoods or services.“Forced arbitration is eroding an individ-

ual’s ability to protect themselves from dis-crimination, wage theft and other abusivepractices,” the bill’s author,Assemblymember Shirley Weber, said in astatement. “Nobody should be allowed toforce their workers to sign away their legalrights as a condition of employment.”CalChamber has argued the bill con-

flicts with the authority of the UnitedStates Supreme Court and CaliforniaSupreme Court, both of which have previ-ously upheld the use of such contracts inthe past. In a letter of opposition to thebill dated August 25, the chamber notedthat arbitration and settlement agree-ments help save businesses the cost ofgoing to court.

Filing Liens Job Killer Bill FailedA bill that would have allowed any

employee, or entity designated by anemployee, to f ile liens against anemployer’s or a third party’s property foralleged wage violations failed to pass theCalifornia Senate in the last week ofAugust.CalChamber had previously called AB

2416 an “outrageous ‘job killer’ bill”allowing “employer harassment.” Thechamber opposed the bill partiallybecause it would have allowed “an inno-cent third party” to be liable for wages notpaid to a contracted worker who hadworked on their property but who the thirdparty was not responsible for paying.The bill failed on August 28 with 15

senators voting no, 13 voting yes and 12votes not recorded. �

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cities featured on the Cvent Supplier Network,which connects event planners with venues. Theranking is a testament to the work of the LongBeach Area Convention & Visitors BureauAdaptability, flexibility, versatility and some

bold, creative moves, according to some meetingplanners, have kept Long Beach in the spotlight soit can compete with destinations that offer morehotel accommodations. Long Beach rings in with 32 meeting hotels and

5,051 sleeping rooms. By comparison, the city ratedjust ahead of Long Beach at 43rd on the list isColumbus, Ohio, which has 125 hotels and 15,704rooms, according to Cvent. Moreover, the only citieswith fewer rooms that ranked better than Long Beachare tourist-specific locations, including Coronado andCarlsbad, California (ranked 41st and 42nd, respec-tively); Hollywood, Florida (38th); National Harbor,Maryland (35th); and Grapevine, Texas (22nd).“Moving up four places from last year continues

to validate our decision to create the PacificBallroom at the Long Beach Arena,” said Steve

The staff of the Long Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is all smiles after learning that for the third consecutive year, Long Beach made the top 50 list of the best cities in the United Statesfor meetings and events. The city moved up four spots to number 44. The ratings were issued by Cvent, a cloud-based enterprise event management platform, which connects event planners with venues.Pictured in front of the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center are, front row from left: Bob Maguglin, director of public relations; Tammy Johnson, CMP, national sales director; Kelly DeSimas,sales coordinator; Steve Goodling, president & CEO; Lillian Olguin, sales coordinator; Claudette Baldemor, membership director; Cindy Robbins, controller; and Kathy Ford, sales coordinator. Center rowfrom left are: Sarah Nguyen Noh, executive assistant; Jennifer Kohatsu, national sales director; Blanche Campain, national sales director; Susan Valen, CMP, national sales director; Patricia Paige, vicepresident of digital communications; Julie Taber, senior visitor information specialist; Nicole Zylstra, digital communications manager; Loren Simpson, digital communications manager; and Pauline Taylor,sales coordinator. Back row from left are: Michael Mitchell, visitor services manager; Iris Himert, executive vice president; Paul Romero, national sales director; Jarrod Finley, vice president sales; GaryWatters, sales coordinator; Chris Zappia, national sales director; Jan Miller, membership director; Jeff Forney, vice president of marketing & membership; and Barbi Ajemian, CMP, vice president, conven-tion services. For more information about the CVB or to become a member, call 562/436-3645 or visit www.visitlongbeach.com. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia tapes a special video message urging the planners of a medical convention to bring their group to Long Beachfor 2018. Mayor Garcia’s assistance with videos and letters to high potential meeting planners helps the Long Beach Area Convention & VisitorsBureau book conventions worth millions of dollars to the local economy. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

The creation of the Pacific Ballroom at the Long Beach Arena as well as all of the renovations atthe convention center “is creating a tremendous buzz in the meetings industry,” says SteveGoodling, president and CEO of the Long Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.(Photographs provided by the CVB)

Destination Long BeachContinued From Page 1)



Goodling, president and CEO of the LongBeach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau(CVB) – the group charged with convincingmeeting planners to choose Long Beach.“The addition of the new ballroom as

well as all of the renovations at the center iscreating a tremendous buzz in the meetingsindustry,” Goodling continued. “Clientslove the innovation of the Pacific Ballroomin the Long Beach Arena. The lighting,sound and truss system integration createsa special events space that cannot be foundanywhere in the U.S. The uniqueness,vibrancy and cost savings of the venue arebeing extensively talked about in the meet-ing planning community nationwide.”The Convention Center makeover has

drawn rave reviews from meeting plannersthroughout the country. Here’s a sampling:• Joshua R. Dunn, director of sales at

Salt Lake City-based LiveVantage, says:“The Long Beach Convention Center isgoing to revolutionize the way conventioncenters do business. The Arena with itsbuilt-in rigging, lighting, and curtain sys-tem offers a huge cost savings and conven-ience factor that is unique to Long Beach.”• Daniel Clancy, vice president of sales

and event services for San Diego-basedVision Global Event Strategies, writes, “Ido conferences in most convention centersin the United States. Long Beach is theonly convention center that has this muchversatility within the center already builtin. I can use it in 10 different ways and I’mnot spending an extra $30,000 in décor.”• And Peggy Cusack, managing director

of Washington, D.C.-based RendezvousConsulting says, “I’ve heard some amazingthings about the renovations at the conven-tion center in Long Beach. It sounds likeyou guys have set the bar out there.”The high ranking by Long Beach com-

bined with testimonials from meeting plan-ners is important and rewarding to the cityand its businesses. As Cvent’s Senior VicePresident of Sales Bharet Malhotraexplains in a statement accompanying thetop 50 list, “Destinations are increasinglyjockeying for lucrative meetings and eventsbusiness which is an important generator ofrevenue for the cities and local businesses.”The CVB’s Jarrod Finley, vice president

of sales, tells the Business Journal that$55.4 million in estimated economicimpact (EEI) has been booked into thePacific Ballroom, and another $72.6 mil-lion in EEI is currently being held inprospective business. “Overall, in the

course of eight months, we have seen a 45percent increase in bookings into thePacific Ballroom or a $17.3 million EEIincrease since launch,” Finley says.The Cvent list is based on activity that it

tracked between July 2013 and June 2014.The following criteria determined rankings:• Unique request for proposals received• Total room nights• Awarded request for proposal• Awarded room nights• Percentage of qualified meeting venues• Number of profile viewIn a statement, Cvent reports: “The des-

tination's unique Cvent visits was added tothe criteria this year, designed to helpimprove the quality of the rankings and toprovide an even more accurate reflection ofthe most popular meeting destinations inthe United States.”The top 10 cities in the Cvent ratings and

their number of sleeping rooms are:1. Chicago (42,291); 2. Orlando

(118,000); 3. Las Vegas (144,497); 4.Atlanta (37,987); 5. San Diego (35,915); 6.New York (90,571); 7. Dallas (27,777); 8.Washington, D.C. (28,402); 9. New Orleans(24,529); and 10. Nashville (20,373).Other California cities included San

Francisco, 12th (30,497 rooms); LosAngeles, 19th (22,962); Anaheim, 25th(16,920); and San Jose, 47th (7,562). �

Rob Land, JetBlue’s senior vice presidentof government affairs, the company hasbegun talks with the city about its ambi-tion, which would require adding U.S.Customs services to the airport. “We’re hoping to make some progress

this year as far as the city asking the fed-eral government for permission,” Landtold the Business Journal last week.“That is our goal.”In February, Long Beach Airport Advisory

Chair Roland Scott told the Business Journalthat the airport has investigated adding U.S.Customs in the past, but to no avail. Aboutthree or four years ago, airport staffapproached the U.S. Department ofHomeland Security about adding agents tothe facility, but it would have been too costly,he said. Towards the end of 2013, JetBlueapproached airport administration about thepossibility of flying internationally fromLong Beach, Scott noted. He also indicatedJetBlue might be willing to foot the bill forthe cost of adding U.S. Customs services.Land stressed adding international serv-

ice to Long Beach would not mean addingflights above JetBlue’s currently allotteddaily number under a city noise ordinance.“Where we fly has nothing to do with howmuch we fly. There is a huge distinctionbetween JetBlue seeking to serve MexicoCity, for example . . . once a day or fivetimes a day versus looking to add flightsabove our 32 daily flights,” he said. “Weare not, I repeat, not looking to add flightsat the airport. We respect the ordinance andwe join the city and all of the citizens . . .in fighting to maintain the ordinance. It isimportant to the community and thereforeit is important to us. We are the commu-nity,” he emphasized.When asked where JetBlue hopes to fly

from Long Beach, Land said the companyis looking at Central America. �

JetBlueContinued From Page 1)



International TradeNews In Brief

� By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER

Senior Writer

Port Of Long Beach Raises The BarOn Its Commitment To Small Business –In late August, the Port of Long Beachannounced it was setting a higher goal forpurchasing goods and services from smallbusinesses and very small businesses aspart of its Small Business EnterpriseProgram. In the past, the port has commit-ted to and met a 25 percent small businessparticipation goal. The port increased itsgoal to 27 percent, with approval of theLong Beach Board of HarborCommissioners. According to a statement,30 percent of the port’s funds for contract-ing, amounting to nearly $300 million, hasbeen awarded to small and very small busi-nesses in the past 10 years. “The port’sefforts to do business with small and verysmall businesses are beneficial for the localeconomy,” Harbor Commission VicePresident Rich Dines said in a statement.“These smaller companies can increasecompetition for port contracts and alsooffer opportunities to nurture a morediverse business community in LongBeach and the Southern California region.”Longshore Union And Pacific

Maritime Association Agree On HealthBenefits, Other Negotiations Continue –The International Longshore andWarehouse Union reached an agreementwith the Pacific Maritime Association, thegroup representing port employers, forhealth benefits for longshore workers atWest Coast ports, the groups jointlyannounced on August 26. Negotiations onother labor contract issues, which beganin May, remain underway. The previouslabor agreement for about 20,000 long-shore workers expired July 1.

Long Beach Young Professionals Organization Formed By The ChamberThe Long Beach Young Professionals is a new program launched by the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce for professionals between the ages of 21and 40 who have come together to learn what it takes to be successful and thrive in their respective industries, according to Jeremy Harris, chamber seniorvice president who oversees the program. “The group is fun, innovative and committed, interacting in monthly networking breakfasts and social events,” hecontinued. “We honored our first 100 Charter members at our latest networking breakfast at the Long Beach Yacht Club on August 27 with special limited‘Charter’ labeled lapel pins,” he said. “The Chamber is pleased to host such elite young professionals and hopes to encourage their positive energy andmomentum as they develop into tomorrow’s leaders and business professionals. We are currently at 107 members and the annual membership fee is $150.”For more information, visit the chamber at www.lbchamber.com, or call Harris at 562/983-2141. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Can Sculptures Benefit Food FindersOn August 21, five locally based engineering firms competed in a canned food sculpture contest at the Mercedes-Benz Long Beach dealership, 2300E. Spring St., benefitting Food Finders, a food bank providing food to nonprofit organizations and impoverished children, families and elderly indi-viduals. Staff from Moffatt & Nichol, P2S Engineering, MHP Structural Engineers, Sennikoff Architects and Jeffrey Rome & Associates competed inthe event, building elaborate structures with canned food, cereal boxes and water bottles. The completed structures are on display through today,September 2, when a winner is to be announced. Residents voted on the structures by bringing in canned food for donation to Food Finders and placing the cans by their favorite creation. “Food Findersis excited to be the beneficiary of the very first CANstruction [event] in Long Beach,” Diana Lara, vice president of operations for Food Finders, said in a statement. “This unique event will heighten aware-ness of food insecurity in our community and will play an important role in helping to feed the hungry in our own backyard.” The canned goods structure at left is a replica of the Queen Mary. Pictured,from left to right, are: Wale Malah, sales manager for Mercedes-Benz Long Beach; Moffatt & Nichol employees Tonia McMahon, Theresa Richards, Monica Martinez, Veronica Chocholek and AriKonyalian; Diana Lara, vice president of operations for Food Finders; and P2S Engineering employees Daniel Sebastian and Steven Peterson. Above right, a sculpture made of canned food, water bottlesand cereal boxes by Sennikoff Architects prominently depicts Long Beach City Hall. (Photographs by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)




New Director Of EngineeringDesign – John Y. Chun, P.E., was recentlynamed the Port of Long Beach’s director

of engineeringdesign, overseeingroads, utilities andother infrastructureprojects. The engi-neering design divi-sion is responsible forgenerating “technicalreports, studies, plansand specifications for

port construction projects,” according toa port statement. In his new role, Chun isoverseeing 45 staff members, variousconsulting contracts and several projectsdesigned in-house. He replaces NeilMorrison, P.E., who was promoted toassistant managing director of engineer-ing design and maintenance. Chun hasworked at the port since 1996 and hasserved as its deputy chief harbor engineersince 2008, working on port capitalimprovement projects. He holds a bache-lor’s degree in civil engineering fromCalifornia State Polytechnic University,Pomona and a master’s in the same sub-ject from California State University,Long Beach. He belongs to the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers as well as theAmerican Public Works Association. �

U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group Relocates To 100 Oceangate BuildingOn Monday, August 18, national occupational health care and urgent care provider U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group moved its Long Beach center toa new facility at 100 Oceangate, Suite P245. The larger space is allowing the company to expand its services to include digital x-rays and a physicaltherapy department, according to U.S. HealthWorks. Soon, after-hours care is also going to be available. The facility also provides occupational medicalservices, urgent care and certain specialty care, and monitors medical exams for employers. U.S. HealthWorks specializes in providing employers withhealth care and claims management services. Pictured, from left, are: Keely Nunamaker, center manager; Stacey Perez, x-ray technician; Paul Anile,D.O., medical director; and Franz Leviste, medical assistant and physical exam reporter. (Photographs by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Dignity Health St. Mary Trauma Recovery Center Holds Open HouseOn August 21, Dignity Health St. Mary Medical Center held an open house for the Long Beach Trauma Recovery Center, which provides free mental health care to survivors of trauma and crime. LongBeach Police Chief Jim McDonnell, city councilmembers, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) President Jane Close Conoley and other local officials attended the event. St. Mary opened thecenter in conjunction with CSULB in April. The Long Beach Police Department, Los Angeles County District Attorney, Long Beach City Prosecutor’s office and Long Beach City Manager’s office are alsoinvolved in the center. Located at 1045 Atlantic Ave., Suite 801, the center provides outreach and educational services, clinical evaluations, therapy, crisis intervention, substance abuse counseling andpsychiatric medication consultations to individuals 12 years and older who have experienced traumatic events within the past three years. At left, Debora Luken, assistant director of the trauma recoverycenter and a licensed marriage and family therapist, gives Long Beach city officials and residents a tour of the facility. At right is Dr. Bita Ghafoori, director of the trauma recovery center and a professorof advanced studies in education and counseling at CSULB. (Photographs by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)


CITY SALARIES AND THE $100,000 CLUB16 Long Beach Business Journal September 2-15, 2014

At the time, taxpayers were picking upnearly 100 percent of the cost of pensions,which included the “employee fee” portionof either 8 or 9 percent, with the higheramount for sworn public safety personnel.(Through earlier contracts, some employeegroups were paying 1 or 2 percentagepoints of the employee fee.) The taxpayers also paid for all of the

“employer fee,” which is a fluctuatingnumber set by the California PublicEmployees Retirement System. That per-cent has ranged from the mid teens to themid 20s, with the higher number used forsworn personnel. As an example, on a basesalary of $100,000, the annual pension costto taxpayers could have been anywherefrom $18,000 to $25,000, or higher, withthe employee fee representing $8,000 or$9,000 of those amounts.Since 2007, city officials have negoti-

ated new contracts or renegotiated existingcontracts with city unions that have signif-icantly increased pension contributions byemployees, thus reducing the city’s expo-sure. Employees have received pay raises,but most of the increases have gone to payfor the entire “employee fee” of the pen-

sion cost. As one manager put it, “The bot-tom line is that all groups ended up divert-ing wage increases to pension payments,saving the city about $14 million a year inthe General Fund alone.”This table from the city’s financial man-

agement department, provided at theBusiness Journal’s request, shows hownegotiations with employee unions havetranslated into savings for taxpayers:

Number Of Pension CostsFiscal PERS-Covered Paid ByYear Employees* Employees**2004 4,780 $69,0002009 4,769 $7,008,0002014 (est.) 4,191 $27,409,000*As of September 30 for 2004 and 2009; as of August26 for 2014**Employee contributions had just begun in 2004.2014 projected based on data as of August 26, 2014

According to the financial managementdepartment, the PERS “employer cost” forthe current fiscal year is 15.6 percent fornon-sworn employees and 23.1 percent forpublic safety employees. As stated earlier,the taxpayer is paying all of this cost. Again,that’s $15,600 on a base salary of $100,000for non-sworn employees and $23,100 forpublic safety employees for this year.

Here’s the bad news and why elected offi-cials are concerned about the city’s financialoutlook – and why taxpayers need to payattention: The “employer cost” set by PERS“is expected to increase substantially overthe next six years, rising to 29 percent fornon-sworn and 45.7 percent for public safetyin Fiscal Year 2021, based on current projec-tions.” That statement is from John Gross,the city’s director of financial management.If the mayor and city council fail to

budget wisely today, the city will find itselfin deep trouble a few years down the road. Foster, in issuing his budget recommenda-

tions prior to leaving office, warned aboutthe pension issue. “While we have weathereda very great storm with the financial crisis,there is another very large storm brewingand that is coming starting in 2017 all theway through to 2021,” Foster cautioned.“The point of these recommendations,”

Foster continued, “is that, if the counciland mayor take action now and start doingprudent things now, and in some casessome unpleasant things now, you can fore-stall what would be very draconian meas-ures in the future.”The former mayor shared some tough

ideas that will prove unpopular with city

employees, including no pay increases,elimination of skill pay and having employ-ees pay more of the pension cost.It will be interesting to follow current

budget discussions to see if the city’s newleadership – a new mayor and five newcouncilmembers – heed Foster’s advice.

Full-Time Versus Part-Time City Employees

While the overall number of city employ-ees has declined – from 5,474 a year ago to5,204 this year – the number of full-timeemployees has increased, going from 3,948to 4,125. During the same period, part-timeemployees fell from 1,526 to 1,079. A yearago, part-time employees made up 28 per-cent of all city employees; the percentage isnow 21 percent.Most of the increase in full-time employ-

ees is a result of city departments fillingvacancies. For example, there are 38.9more full-time employees in the policedepartment due to vacancies being filledthrough Academy Class 86. The same istrue in the fire department, which added28.5 full-time positions from vacanciesfilled through Academy Class 2013. Theharbor department brought another 31.3

Aug 1, 2014 Total Aug 1, 2013 Total Aug. 1 2012 Total Aug. 1 2011 Total Aug. 1 2010 Total Aug. 1 2009 Total Number Of Payroll Number Of Payroll Number Of Payroll Number Of Payroll Number Of Payroll Number Of Payroll Employees 2014 Employess 2013 Employees 2012 Employees 2011 Employees 2010 Employees 2009City Manager Dept.-General 2,638 $138,570,521 2,604 $136,755,322 2,725 $138,225,819 2,838 $139,352,409 2,913 $140,182,293 2,965 $144,554,117

City Manager Dept.-Police/Fire* 1,769 183,269,710 1,768 $179,634,229 1,767 $179,245,250 1,864 $176,165,150 1,961 $181,442,542 2,016 $180,656,695

Non-City Manager Depts.** 915 $73,621,657 896 $69,843,021 901 $66,159,782 867 $63,897,838 868 $60,979,477 841 $58,359,291

Total 5,322 $395,461,888 5,268 $386,232,572 5,393 $383,630,850 5,569 $379,415,397 5,742 $382,604,312 5,822 $383,570,103Note: Employee counts are for everyone who received a paycheck, including part-timers, summer help, etc. in the city’s pay period of August 1

* Includes skill pays, but not overtime.

**Non-city manager departments include city attorney, city auditor, city clerk, city prosecutor, civil service, harbor, water and legislative (mayor and city council) Source: City of Long Beach

Payroll Comparison By Category – Based On Payroll As Of August 1 – 2014 To 2009

Payroll Comparison By City Department – August 1 Through July 31 – 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011Number Of Total Number Of Total Number Of Total Number Of Total

Department Name Employees 2014 Payroll 2014 Employees 2013* Payroll 2013 Employees 2012* Payroll 2012 Employees 2011* Payroll 2011Airport 87 $6,251,916 90 $6,488,785 98 $6,478,966 92 $6,018,642

City Auditor 19 $1,393,302 17 $1,397,370 17 $1,444,164 16 $1,492,374

City Clerk 17 $1,541,178 17 $1,150,487 20 $1,409,402 19 $1,273,158

City Manager 34 $2,948,766 30 $2,389,237 29 $2,323,487 29 $2,141,983

City Prosecutor 40 $2,942,268 38 $2,918,856 39 $2,887,552 37 $2,909,452

Civil Service 17 $1,173,069 18 $1,101,507 19 $1,077,574 19 $1,094,348

Development Services 161 $12,080,700 169 $11,667,900 163 $13,300,620 202 $13,385,990

Disaster Preparedness 4 $358,870 1 $76,013 -- -- -- --

Financial Management 123 $8,664,863 123 $7,939,280 119 $7,420,721 121 $7,411,215

Fire 585 $61,209,407 571 $60,905,295 544 $60,132,374 580 $59,565,745

Harbor 481 $39,854,693 468 $36,761,269 465 $34,071,641 447 $32,650,594

Health & Human Services 307 $18,329,053 308 $18,089,662 327 $18,371,249 367 $19,904,548

Human Resources 92 $6,395,931 90 $6,220,291 93 $6,672,715 101 $6,121,979

Law 61 $6,108,751 61 $6,128,973 64 $6,131,427 65 $6,053,228

Legislative (Mayor/City Council) 59 $2,827,326 51 $2,731,308 51 $2,744,826 50 $2,762,988

Library Services 158 $6,102,132 167 $6,146,806 162 $6,336,220 182 $6,484,467

Long Beach Gas & Oil 199 $14,595,275 199 $14,586,660 215 $14,735,792 215 $14,487,007

Parks, Recreation & Marine 867 $20,098,781 817 $20,103,029 857 $19,988,586 848 $18,695,189

Police 1180 $121,701,433 1197 $118,728,934 1,223 $119,112,875 1,284 $116,599,405

Public Works 496 $32,598,678 488 $32,370,898 532 $32,077,882 550 $31,842,101

Technology Services 114 $10,504,426 122 $10,676,761 130 $10,519,581 131 $10,314,616

Water 221 $17,781,070 226 $17,653,251 226 $16,393,195 214 $15,661,696

Total 5,322 $395,461,888 5,268 $386,232,572 5,393 $383,630,850 5,569 $379,415,398* Employee counts are for everyone who received a paycheck, including part-timers, summer help, etc. on August 1 of each year

(Continued From Page 1)


CITY SALARIES AND THE $100,000 CLUBSeptember 2-15, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 17

full-time people on board, primarily engi-neers, to help with infrastructure projects atthe Port of Long Beach. Other department vacancies that have

been filled include: 9.7 in public works; 8.4in financial management; 8 in the waterdepartment; 7.6 in parks, recreation andmarine; and 6.1 in development services.The city’s health and human services depart-ment added 16.2 full-time jobs that are grantfunded, and the city’s new disaster prepared-ness department created 3.3 new jobs.

The ‘$100,000 Club’In the 1996-97 Fiscal Year, the highest

salary in the city went to the city managerat $174,480, with the executive director ofthe port next in line at $154,500. Today, asalary of $175,000 is last on the list of 32city employee salaries listed on Page 1. Today, the port director is by far the

highest paid at $351,201. There are, ofcourse, few ports in the U.S. and evenfewer people qualified to serve as top exec-utive of a port the size of Long Beach. While the port director’s salary has shot

up 127 percent in nearly a 20-year period,the city manager’s is up only 49.5 percent.There are a lot more city managers in theU.S. than port directors, but the responsi-bilities of the city manager – especially ina city with a port, airport, water depart-ment, health department, etc. – far out-weigh those of any other city position. It’snot that the port director is overpaid; it’sthat, at a salary of $260,849, the LongBeach city manager is a bargain.

Back in 1996-97, fewer than 20 cityemployees out of a staff of more than 5,000earned a six-figure salary. Today, morethan 1,000 of the just over 5,000 employeesearn $100,000 or more.When the “$100,000 Club” was inaugu-

rated, data was taken directly from thebudgets being proposed for the new fiscalyear. That changed in 2009 when the citymanager’s staff began working directlywith the Business Journal to ensure accu-rate, up-to-date information was being pre-sented to readers. To provide a fair and accurate year-to-

year comparison on where city salaries wereheaded, the Business Journal decided tocompare salaries based on August 1 pay-checks. Skill pay is included, but overtime isnot. We now have six years of data that canbe compared, with some of that data sharedin the tables on this and adjoining pages.The 1,048 “Club members” include 208

within city manager departments exceptpublic safety; 636 in the police and firedepartments; and 204 in non-city managerdepartments such as city attorney, harbor,water, etc. All 1,048 positions are listed onthe following pages.Additionally, there are 612 city employ-

ees with a base salary ranging $90,000 to$99,999. Those positions are also listed. (Turn the page to see salary listings by

position.)

Aug 1, 2014 Number Of Aug 1, 2013 Number Of Aug 1, 2012 Number Of Aug 1, 2011 Number Of Aug 1, 2010 Number Of Aug 1, 2009 Number Of Number Of Employees Number Of Employees Number Of Employees Number Of Employees Number Of Employees Number Of Employees Employees $100,000+ Employees $100,000+ Employees $100,000+ Employees $100,000+ Employees $100,000+ Employees $100,000+City Manager Dept.-General 2,638 208 2,604 153 2,725 133 2,838 135 2,913 141 2,965 139

City Manager Dept.-Police/Fire* 1,769 636 1,768 598 1,767 581 1,864 317 1,961 292 2,016 299

Non-City Manager Depts** 915 204 896 170 901 148 867 141 868 141 841 141

Total 5,322 1,048 5,268 921 5,393 862 5,569 593 5,742 574 5,822 579

Note: Employee numbers are the total of individuals receiving a paycheck on August 1 of each year. * Includes skill pays, but not overtime.**Non-city manager departments include city attorney, city auditor, city clerk, city prosecutor, civil service, harbor, water and legislative (mayor and city council) Source: City of Long Beach

$100,000 Club Comparison – Based On Payroll As Of August 1 – 2014 To 2009

City Employes: Full-Time And Part-Time

City Department Total Employees Perm Full Part Time %Airport 94 81 13 14%City Auditor 16 16 0 0%City Clerk 27 13 14 52%City Manager 31 31 0 0%City Prosecutor 40 32 8 20%Civil Service 17 13 4 24%Development Services 162 150 12 7%Disaster Preparedness 4 4 0 0%Financial Management 122 110 12 10%Fire 605 459 146 24%Harbor 481 445 36 7%Health & Human Services 311 252 59 19%Human Resources 90 76 14 16%Law 61 61 0 0%Legislative (Mayor and City Council) 53 41 12 23%Library Services 161 74 87 54%Long Beach Gas & Oil 197 192 5 3%Parks, Recreation & Marine 683 186 497 73%Police 1,213 1,115 98 8%Public Works 497 449 48 10%Technology Services 119 115 4 3%Water 220 210 10 5%Totals 5,204 4,125 1,079 21%

Notes:• Part-TimeincludesPermanent PartTime, TemporaryPart Time, andSeasonal PartTime. SeasonalPart Timeaccounts forapproximately88% of all PartTime employees.• There are varia-tions in the num-ber of part-timeemployees forsome depart-ments, particu-larly during thesummer months(e.g., parks,recreation andmarine. fire/life-guards).• For theLegislativeDepartment, 9 ofthe 12 part timeemployees arecouncilmembersSource: City ofLong Beach.

City Of Long Beach Unions And Their Members (as of August 2014)

Employees Dues/AgencyUnion (Association) Name Represented Shop PayingInternational Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers 3,634 3,106Long Beach Police Officers Association 846 764Long Beach Firefighters Association 350 345Long Beach Association of Engineering Employees 282 280Long Beach Management Association 257 168Long Beach Lifeguard Association 186 20Long Beach Association of Confidential Employees 38 no feesLong Beach City Attorneys Association 29 no feesLong Beach City Prosecutors Association 17 no fees

Note: Some employees do not pay dues (by choice), though they are representated by a union. Source: City of Long Beach

The City Of Long Beach $100,000 Club Members(Based On August 1 Payroll For Each Year – Past 6 Years)

Number Of Club Members Club Members Club Members Club MembersChecks Issued All City City Mgr Depts Public Non-City Mgr

To City Employees* Depts. Non-Public Safety Safety Departments**2014 5,322 1,048 208 636 2042013 5,268 921 153 598 1702012 5,393 862 133 581 1482011 5,569 593 135 317 1412010 5,742 574 141 292 1412009 5,822 579 139 299 141Note: The August 1 totals are a true year-to-year comparison based on employee checks issued on that date. This data is dif-ferent than what is presented in the city’s proposed 2014 fiscal year budget – or other budget years – which are working doc-uments that may change during the course of the year.* Full and part-time employees. Historically, about 3/4 of city employees are permanent full-time**City Attorney, City Auditor, City Prosecutor, Harbor, Legislative (Mayor & City Council) and Water.Source: City of Long Beach.

Highest One-Year PayIncreases By PercentageListed are the position and the percentageincrease from the salary paid that position onAugust 1, 2013. An asterisk (*) indicates a newperson in the position. Two asterisks (**) indicatethat a merit increase is included in addition to thenegotiated increase. Only employees with a$100,000-plus base salary are included:POSITION PERCENTTreasury Operations Officer-Financial Mgt* 31.2%General Supt. Development Services* 30.0%Supt. Operations-Long Beach Gas & Oil* 27.8%Manager Facilities Maintenance-Harbor* 27.7%Manager Utilities/Fleet-Harbor** 24.3%Director Development Services** 18.8%Fire Captain-Fire 18.7%Civil Engineer-Harbor 16.6%Marine Safety Captain-Fire 16.5%Senior Civil Engineer-Harbor 16.5%Senior Civil Engineer-Public Works 16.5%Asst Dir Envir Plan/Air-Water Quality-Harbor* 16.0%Director of Security-Harbor* 15.9%Police Officer-Police 15.9%Director Public Works* 15.5%City Controller-Financial Management** 15.4%Mgr Infrastructure Maintenance-Harbor** 15.4%Admin Officer-Airport* 15.1%Mgr Business Relations-Financial Management* 15.0%Source: City of Long Beach



Notes:• Salary amounts were derived by multiplying the employee’s hourly rate as of August 1, 2014 by2,088 hours. • Salary amounts for police and fire department employees include skill pays, but do not includeovertime. • All employees now pay the full employee share of their pension costs (9% for Police and Fire, 8%for all others).• In some instances, positions have been grouped (e.g., police officers, fire engineers), althoughthere may be slight differences in their actual salaries.• “Neg Increase” – short for Negotiated Increase – refers to a general salary increase and/or a stepincrease per an existing memorandum of understanding (MOU).

City Manager Departments – Non-Public Safety$100,000-Plus Base Salary (Double asterisk indicates management position)

Aug. 1Position Department Salary % Change/ReasonCity Manager ** City Manager 260,849 11.0% Neg. IncreaseAssistant City Manager ** City Manager 246,252 13.2% Neg Increase,

Merit IncreaseDirector-Long Beach Gas & Oil ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 216,055 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector of Development Services ** Development Services 209,985 18.8% Neg Increase,

Merit IncreaseDirector of Parks, Recreation & Marine Parks, Recreation & Marine 204,239 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector of Public Works ** Public Works 204,239 15.5% New PersonDirector of Financial Management ** Financial Management 204,204 9.2% Neg Increase,

Merit IncreaseDirector of Business Development ** Public Works 196,248 0.0% New PositionDirector of Health & Human Services ** Health & Human Services 194,250 4.8% New PersonDirector of Human Resources ** Human Resources 188,701 11.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy City Manager ** City Manager 184,743 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector of Technology Services ** Technology Services 180,563 11.0% Neg IncreaseCity Health Officer ** Health & Human Services 177,451 5.0% New PersonDirector of Library Services ** Library Services 175,381 11.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy Director-Development Services ** Development Services 173,160 11.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy City Manager ** City Manager 172,049 0.0% New PositionDirector of Long Beach Airport ** Airport 170,000 0.0% VacantPublic Health Physician Human Resources 170,000 0.0% New PersonDeputy Director/City Engineer ** Public Works 168,000 0.0% VacantDeputy Director-Development Services ** Development Services 166,500 0.0% VacantManager-Gas & Oil Operations ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 161,455 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Budget/Performance Management ** Financial Management 160,000 11.9% New PersonDivision Engineer-Oil Properties ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 158,443 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Business Operations ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 155,398 11.0% Neg IncreaseSuperintendent-Building and Safety ** Development Services 153,501 8.3% New PersonPublic Health Physician Health & Human Services 153,340 0.0%Manager-Business Information Services ** Technology Services 153,073 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Public Services ** Public Works 152,844 11.0% Neg IncreaseDivision Engineer-Oil Properties ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 150,894 11.0% Neg IncreaseCity Treasurer ** Financial Management 150,070 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Property Services ** Public Works 149,851 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Electric Generation ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 149,538 11.0% Neg IncreaseDivision Engineer-Oil Properties ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 149,446 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Technology Infrastructure Services ** Technology Services 148,897 11.0% Neg IncreaseAssistant City Engineer ** Public Works 147,000 5.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Environmental Services ** Public Works 146,359 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Administration ** Human Resources 144,988 0.0% New PersonManager-Personnel Operations ** Human Resources 144,988 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Airport Operations ** Airport 143,850 5.0% Neg IncreaseMgr-Risk & Occupational Health Services ** Human Resources 143,591 11.0% Neg IncreaseGeneral Superintendent-Development Services ** Development Services 143,013 30.0% New PersonExec Dir-Regional Workforce Investment Board ** Human Resources 143,001 11.7% New PersonGeologist II Long Beach Gas & Oil 142,329 11.0% Neg IncreasePetroleum Engineer II (2 Positions) Long Beach Gas & Oil 142,329 0.0%City Controller ** Financial Management 141,993 15.4% Neg Increase,

Merit IncreaseTraffic/Transportation Program Administrator ** Public Works 140,970 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Engineering & Construction ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 138,749 11.0% New PersonManager-Business Relations ** Financial Management 138,002 15.0% New PersonManager-Commercial Services ** Financial Management 137,261 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager- Fleet Services ** Public Works 137,000 12.3% New PersonAssistant to the City Manager (Tidelands) ** City Manager 136,117 0.0% New PositionTreasury Operations Officer ** Financial Management 136,025 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Administration ** Disaster Pre/ Emrg Comm 135,420 0.0% New PositionManager-Financial Controls ** Financial Management 135,420 0.0%Treasury Operations Officer ** Financial Management 134,182 31.2% New PersonManager-Disaster Management ** Disaster PreEmrg Comm 132,195 0.0% New PositionManager-Recreation Services ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 130,325 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Maintenance Operations ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 129,868 11.0% Neg IncreasePetroleum Operations Coordinator II Long Beach Gas & Oil 129,587 0.0%Real Estate Officer ** Public Works 128,466 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Business Operations ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 128,409 3.6% New PersonBusiness Information Technology Officer ** Technology Services 128,409 11.1% New PersonTechnical Support Officer ** Technology Services 128,409 11.0% Neg IncreaseBusiness Information Systems Officer ** Technology Services 128,409 11.0% Neg IncreaseWireless Communications Officer ** Technology Services 128,409 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Structural Engineer Development Services 127,487 10.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy City Prosecutor III City Prosecutor 126,896 0.0% Vacant

Manager-Administration & Financial Services ** Development Services 126,539 11.0% New PersonManager-Marine Operations ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 124,536 0.0% VacantManager-Housing Authority ** Health & Human Services 124,506 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Administration & Financial Services ** Airport 124,321 0.0% New PositionManager-Animal Care Services ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 124,321 11.0% Neg IncreaseFinancial System Integration Officer ** Financial Management 124,099 0.0% New PositionHuman Resources Officer ** Human Resources 123,788 5.0% Neg IncreaseCapital Projects Coordinator IV (2 Positions) Public Works 123,567 5.2% Neg IncreaseTelecommunications Officer ** Technology Services 123,348 11.0% Neg IncreaseConstruction Services Officer ** Public Works 123,338 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Civil Engineer Airport 121,580 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Civil Engineer (2 Positions) Development Services 121,580 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Mechanical Engineer Long Beach Gas & Oil 121,580 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Traffic Engineer Public Works 121,580 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Civil Engineer (2 Positions) Public Works 121,580 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Traffic Engineer Public Works 121,580 11.0% Neg IncreaseHousing Development Officer ** Development Services 121,401 22.1%

Employee Serving in Acting Capacity (Additional 10% in Salary)Superintendent-Street Maintenance ** Public Works 121,000 11.0% Neg IncreaseGeneral Superintendent of Operations ** Public Works 120,898 11.0% Neg IncreaseAssistant City Controller ** Financial Management 120,752 0.0% New PositionAssistant City Controller ** Financial Management 120,752 0.0% New PositionPetroleum Operations Coordinator I (4 Positions) Long Beach Gas & Oil 120,562 0.0%Superintendent-Airport Security ** Airport 120,000 0.0% New PositionManager-Preventive Health ** Health & Human Services 119,879 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Environmental Health ** Health & Human Services 119,879 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Community Health ** Health & Human Services 119,879 11.0% Neg IncreaseGeneral Superintendent-Development Services ** Development Services 119,456 0.0% New PersonPlanning Officer ** Development Services 119,456 12.0% New PersonManager-Main Library Services Library Services 118,529 5.0% Neg IncreaseFleet Finance Officer ** Public Works 118,439 0.0%Manager-Gas Services ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 118,199 11.0% New PersonAdministration Officer-Public Works ** Public Works 117,437 0.0% VacantBusiness Systems Specialist VI (4 Positions) Technology Services 117,122 0.0%Communication Specialist VI (2 Positions) Technology Services 117,122 0.0%Business Systems Specialist V (3 Positions) Technology Services 117,122 0.0%Business Systems Specialist IV (2 Positions) Technology Services 117,122 0.0%Manager-Special Events & Filming ** City Manager 116,552 -2.1% New PersonCode Enforcement Officer ** Development Services 116,550 11.0% Neg IncreaseSpecial Projects Officer ** Human Resources 116,550 11.0% Neg IncreaseSuperintendent-Refuse & Street Sweeping ** Public Works 116,550 11.0% Neg IncreaseAdministration Officer-Public Works ** Public Works 116,550 11.0% Neg IncreaseOccupational Health Services Officer ** Human Resources 115,997 11.0% New PersonMgr-Customer Service-Technology Service ** Technology Services 115,684 0.0% VacantBusiness System Specialist V-Confidential Technology Services 115,519 11.0% Neg IncreaseCity Safety Officer ** Human Resources 115,438 9.9% New PersonBudget Management Officer Financial Management 114,864 11.0% Neg IncreaseRedevelopment Project Officer ** Development Services 113,221 11.0% Neg IncreaseSuperintendent-Traffic Operations ** Public Works 113,117 11.0% Neg IncreaseAdministrative Officer ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 112,391 11.0% Neg Increase

Negotiated SalaryIncreases TimetableLong Beach Management Association – 252 Employees

Negotiated Changes October 1, 2013: 11%salary increase, with employees paying anadditional 6% of Employee Share of PERS (fora net increase of 5%)Negotiated Changes October 1, 2014: 4%salary increaseContract Expires: September 30, 2015

Long Beach Association of ConfidentialEmployees – 36 Employees


Long Beach Association of EngineeringEmployees – 275 Employees


Long Beach Lifeguard Association – 180 Employees

Negotiated Changes October 1, 2013: 11%

salary increase, with employees paying anadditional 6% of Employee Share of PERS (fora net increase of 5%)Negotiated Changes October 1, 2014: 4%salary increaseContract Expires: September 30, 2015

International Association of Machinists&Aerospace Workers – 3,621 Employees

Negotiated Changes October 1, 2013: N/A*Negotiated Changes October 1, 2014: N/A*Contract Expires: September 30, 2014

Long Beach Police Officers Association – 808

Negotiated Changes October 1, 2013: 1%salary increase for Police Officers andLieutenants (effective April 1, 2014)*Negotiated Changes October 1, 2014: N/A*Contract Expires: September 30, 2016

Long Beach Firefighters Association – 340


Long Beach City Attorneys Association – 30


Long Beach City Prosecutors Association – 15


*Employees are entitled to salary adjustments associ-ated with step increases and/or special pays.Source: City of Long Beach



Neighborhood Resources Officer ** Development Services 112,109 11.0% Neg IncreasePurchasing Agent ** Financial Management 111,992 6.7% Neg IncreaseChief Construction Inspector Public Works 111,900 10.8% Neg IncreaseManager-Support Services-Health ** Health & Human Services 111,437 0.0% VacantCivil Engineer (3 Positions) Development Services 110,877 11.0% Neg IncreaseNutrition Services Officer ** Health & Human Services 110,460 11.0% Neg IncreaseNoise Abatement Officer ** Airport 110,249 0.0% New PositionManager-Branch Library Services ** Library Services 110,207 11.0% New PersonPetroleum Engineering Associate II Long Beach Gas & Oil 110,082 11.0% Neg IncreaseInspection Services Officer ** Development Services 110,001 0.6% New PersonSpecial Projects Officer ** Public Works 110,001 0.0% New PositionCivil Engineer (2 Positions) Public Works 109,834 11.0% Neg IncreasePlanner V Development Services 108,596 0.0%Laboratory Services Officer ** Health & Human Services 107,811 11.0% Neg IncreaseGas Supply Officer ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 107,669 11.0% Neg IncreaseNursing Services Officer ** Health & Human Services 107,473 11.0% Neg IncreaseSERRF Operations Officer ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 107,473 11.0% Neg IncreaseVideo Communications Officer ** Technology Services 107,473 11.0% Neg IncreaseHuman Resources Officer ** Human Resources 107,221 11.0% Neg IncreaseNeighborhood Improvement Officer ** Development Services 107,114 11.0% Neg IncreasePlan Checker-Mechanical II Development Services 107,085 10.8% Neg IncreaseAdministration Officer-Airport ** Airport 106,999 15.1% New PersonVeterinarian Parks, Recreation & Marine 106,511 0.0% New PersonPark Development Officer ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 106,323 11.0% Neg IncreasePhysician Assistant Health & Human Services 105,781 0.0%Capital Projects Coordinator III Public Works 105,781 0.0% New PersonBusiness Systems Specialist VI (4 Positions) Technology Services 105,781 0.0%Systems Support Specialist VI (4 Positions) Technology Services 105,781 0.0%Systems Support Specialist V Technology Services 105,781 0.0%Administrative Analyst III Technology Services 105,781 0.0%Superintendent-Operations ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 105,703 27.8% New PersonSpecial Projects Officer ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 105,458 11.0% Neg IncreaseAccounting Operations Officer ** Financial Management 105,311 11.0% Neg IncreaseFinancial Services Officer ** Financial Management 104,935 0.0% New PositionCivil Engineer Public Works 104,603 0.0%Facilities Management Officer ** Public Works 104,345 11.0% Neg IncreaseBusiness Systems Specialist IV Technology Services 104,332 11.0% Neg IncreaseAdministrative Officer-Development Services ** Development Services 104,103 11.0% Neg IncreaseBudget Analysis Officer ** Financial Management 103,984 0.0% New PositionRevenue Management Officer ** Financial Management 103,984 0.0% New PositionAssistant to the City Manager ** City Manager 103,896 11.0% Neg IncreaseAssistant to the City Manager ** City Manager 103,896 11.0% Neg IncreaseDevelopment Project Manager III Development Services 103,199 9.2% Neg IncreaseTransportation Planner III Public Works 103,199 0.0%Real Estate Project Coordinator III Public Works 103,199 0.0%Community Information Officer ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 102,804 11.0% Neg IncreaseSuperintendent-Pipeline Maintenance ** Long Beach Gas & Oil 102,353 11.0% Neg IncreaseSuperintendent-Fleet Maintenance ** Public Works 102,120 11.0% Neg IncreasePlanner IV Development Services 102,038 0.0%Nurse Practitioner (3 Positions) Health & Human Services 102,038 0.0%Financial Services Officer ** Health & Human Services 102,001 10.9% New PersonAdministrative Officer ** Health & Human Services 102,001 10.2% New PersonChief Building Inspector Development Services 101,487 0.0% VacantAssistant to the City Manager ** City Manager 101,402 11.0% Neg IncreasePlan Checker-Electrical II Development Services 101,381 0.0% New PersonAdministrative Assistant-City Manager ** City Manager 101,368 11.0% Neg IncreaseStorm Water/Environmental Compliance Officer ** Public Works 101,145 11.0% Neg IncreaseFacilities Management Officer ** Airport 101,009 11.0% Neg IncreasePlanner IV (3 Positions) Development Services 100,577 0.0%Development Project Manager II Development Services 100,575 1.0%Communication Specialist V Technology Services 100,527 0.0% New PersonSuperintendent-Personnel & Training ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 100,164 11.0% Neg IncreaseFinancial Services Officer ** Financial Management 100,097 11.0% Neg Increase

City Manager Departments – Public Safety$100,000-Plus Base Salary (Double asterisk indicates management position)

Aug. 1 % Change/Position Department Salary ReasonChief of Police ** Police 243,039 12.0% Neg IncreaseFire Chief ** Fire 226,240 12.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy Chief of Police ** Police 183,470 0.0% New PersonDeputy Chief of Police ** (2 Positions) Police 183,470 12.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy Fire Chief ** (3 Positions) Fire 172,550 12.0% Neg IncreaseAssistant Fire Chief ** (2 Positions) Fire 161,472 12.0% Neg IncreaseBattalion Chief Fire 155,667 0.0%Police Commander ** (11 Positions) Police 155,384 12.0% Neg IncreaseBattalion Chief (5 Positions) Fire 153,136 0.0%Marine Safety Chief ** Fire 151,264 12.0% Neg IncreaseBattalion Chief Fire 150,867 1.1% Neg DecreasePolice Lieutenant (7 Positions) Police 150,180 1.1% Neg IncreaseBattalion Chief Fire 149,212 0.0% New PersonPolice Lieutenant (13 Positions) Police 148,982 1.1% Neg IncreaseBattalion Chief Fire 146,081 4.9% Neg IncreasePolice Lieutenant (5 Positions) Police 145,048 5.9% Neg IncreaseBattalion Chief Fire 144,412 4.7% Neg IncreasePolice Lieutenant (3 Positions) Police 142,951 1.0% Neg IncreaseBattalion Chief Fire 141,746 0.0% New Person

Police Administration Bureau Chief ** Police 141,679 11.0% Neg IncreaseFire Captain Fire 139,515 18.7% Neg IncreaseBattalion Chief (3 Positions) Fire 139,215 0.0% New PersonPolice Lieutenant (2 Positions) Police 138,305 0.0% New PersonManager-Business Operations ** Police 137,639 0.0% New PersonManager-Administration ** Dis. Prep/Emrg Comm 135,420 0.0% New PositionManager-Disaster Management ** Dis. Prep/Emrg Comm 132,195 0.0% New PositionPolice Sergeant (29 Positions) Police 131,004 0.2% Neg IncreaseFire Captain (4 Positions) Fire 129,793 0.0%Manager-Administration ** Fire 129,259 11.0% Neg IncreasePolice Sergeant (26 Positions) Police 128,363 0.3% Neg IncreaseFire Captain (7 Positions) Fire 127,383 3.2% Neg IncreasePolice Sergeant (14 Positions) Police 126,617 0.2% Neg IncreaseFire Captain (8 Positions) Fire 125,592 0.0%Police Sergeant (3 Positions) Police 125,308 0.3% Neg IncreaseFire Captain (30 Positions) Fire 124,993 0.0%Police Sergeant (11 Positions) Police 123,774 0.1% Neg IncreaseEmergency Medical Education Coordinator Fire 123,567 0.0%Fire Captain Fire 122,021 0.0%Deputy Fire Marshal Fire 121,580 11.0% Neg IncreasePolice Sergeant (9 Positions) Police 121,484 0.0%Fire Captain (7 Positions) Fire 121,422 0.0%Fire Captain (7 Positions) Fire 119,725 0.0% New PersonPolice Corporal Police 117,360 2.2% Neg IncreasePolice Sergeant (3 Positions) Police 116,761 4.8% New PersonPolice Corporal (4 Positions) Police 115,853 2.1% Neg IncreaseFire Captain (3 Positions) Fire 115,525 0.0%Jail Administrator ** Police 115,500 5.0% Neg IncreaseMarine Safety Captain Fire 113,411 0.0% New PersonFire Captain (4 Positions) Fire 112,927 0.0% New PersonPolice Sergeant (2 Positions) Police 112,374 5.0% Neg IncreaseFire Engineer (3 Positions) Fire 112,019 0.0%Police Corporal (2 Positions) Police 112,011 2.2% Neg IncreaseFire Boat Operator (4 Positions) Fire 110,424 3.7% Neg IncreaseFire Engineer (9 Positions) Fire 110,349 1.1% Neg IncreasePolice Corporal (2 Positions) Police 109,821 2.0% Neg IncreaseFire Captain (3 Positions) Fire 109,558 8.5% Neg IncreaseFirefighter (6 Positions) Fire 109,410 0.0%Criminalist Supervisor Police 108,596 0.0%Police Officer (8 Positions) Police 108,523 1.3% Neg IncreasePlan Checker-Fire Prevention II Fire 108,129 11.2% Neg IncreaseFire Boat Operator Fire 108,045 0.0%Fire Engineer (21 Positions) Fire 107,776 0.0%Firefighter (2 Positions) Fire 107,538 1.1% Neg IncreasePolice Officer (16 Positions) Police 107,146 1.3% Neg IncreasePolice Sergeant Police 107,110 0.0% New PersonFire Captain Fire 106,885 0.0% New PersonFirefighter (9 Positions) Fire 106,634 0.0%Plan Checker-Fire Prevention II Fire 106,563 10.8% Neg IncreaseFire Engineer (4 Positions) Fire 105,987 0.0%Police Officer (5 Positions) Police 105,866 1.2% Neg IncreaseFirefighter (4 Positions) Fire 105,566 0.0%Police Officer (39 Positions) Police 105,211 4.9% Neg IncreaseFire Engineer (4 Positions) Fire 104,881 0.0%Fire Captain Fire 104,781 5.0%Firefighter (8 Positions) Fire 104,760 0.0%Fire Boat Operator Fire 104,679 0.0%Police Officer (9 Positions) Police 104,491 1.1% Neg IncreaseFire Engineer (16 Positions) Fire 104,205 0.0%Administration Officer-Police ** Police 104,199 11.0% Neg IncreaseMarine Safety Captain Fire 103,814 0.0% New PersonAdministration Officer-Police ** Police 103,785 0.0% New PositionFirefighter (2 Positions) Fire 103,570 0.0%Police Officer (46 Positions) Police 103,541 1.2% Neg IncreaseMarine Safety Captain Fire 103,213 16.5% Neg IncreaseFire Engineer (2 Positions) Fire 103,211 3.6% Neg IncreaseEmergency Medical Educator Fire 103,199 0.0%Police Officer (28 Positions) Police 102,821 5.7% Neg IncreaseFire Engineer (4 Positions) Fire 102,750 0.0%Police Sergeant Police 102,725 12.5% New PersonFirefighter (5 Positions) Fire 102,706 4.5% Neg IncreasePolice Officer (12 Positions) Police 102,201 1.1% Neg IncreaseFirefighter (11 Positions) Fire 102,068 0.0%Fire Captain Fire 101,809 5.2% New PersonPolice Officer (80 Positions) Police 101,729 1.1% Neg IncreaseFirefighter (4 Positions) Fire 100,834 0.0%Fire Engineer (4 Positions) Fire 100,801 0.0%

Non-City Manager Departments $100,000-Plus Base Salary(Double asterisk indicates management position)

Aug. 1Position Department Salary % Change/ReasonExecutive Director-Harbor** Harbor 351,201 40.1%

Prior Employee was Serving in an Acting CapacityCity Attorney ** Law 270,771 9.2% New PersonGeneral Manager-Water ** Water 256,408 11.0% Neg IncreaseAssistant Executive Director-Harbor ** Harbor 222,763 11.0% Neg Increase

(Please Continue To The Next Page)



Aug. 1Position Department Salary % Change/ReasonAssistant General Manager-Water ** Water 215,053 11.0% Neg IncreaseAssistant City Attorney ** Law 213,586 11.0% New PersonManaging Director ** Harbor 212,943 11.0% Neg IncreaseCity Prosecutor ** City Prosecutor 211,795 5.1% Increase by CharterAssistant City Attorney ** Law 202,728 8.9% New PersonCity Auditor ** City Auditor 201,464 5.1% Increase by CharterManaging Director ** Harbor 198,911 11.0% Neg IncreaseManaging Director ** Harbor 185,637 3.6% New PersonPrincipal Deputy City Attorney ** Law 184,299 11.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy General Manager - Business ** Water 182,773 0.0% Neg IncreaseAsst Mang Dir-Engineering Design/Maintenance ** Harbor 175,602 0.0% New PositionAssistant City Auditor ** City Auditor 174,400 9.0% Merit IncreaseAssistant Managing Dir-Program Delivery ** Harbor 169,580 7.1% New PositionDirector of Security ** Harbor 168,576 15.9% New PositionPrincipal Deputy City Attorney ** Law 166,034 0.0% VacantAssistant City Prosecutor ** City Prosecutor 163,242 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector of Operations ** Water 161,593 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector of Information Management ** Harbor 160,048 11.9% New PositionDirector of Engineering ** Water 159,358 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector-Program Management ** Harbor 158,731 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector-Human Resources-Harbor ** Harbor 158,731 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Deputy City Attorney Law 156,757 3.0% Neg IncreaseExecutive Director-Civil Service ** Civil Service 154,601 -0.6% New PersonDirector of Communications ** Harbor 152,775 5.0% New PersonDirector-Real Estate ** Harbor 151,781 11.0% Neg IncreaseCity Clerk ** City Clerk 149,899 5.1% Increase by CharterDivision Engineer ** (2 Positions) Water 149,627 11.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy City Attorney Law 148,903 0.0%Assistant Director Security-Homeland Security ** Harbor 148,630 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector-Environmental Planning ** Harbor 148,509 3.9% New PersonDirector-Master Planning ** Harbor 148,461 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector-Construction Management ** Harbor 148,054 3.5% New PersonDeputy City Prosecutor III City Prosecutor 147,778 0.0%Director-Government Affairs ** Harbor 146,325 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector of Trade Development ** Harbor 145,969 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector-Transportation Planning ** Harbor 145,520 11.0% Neg IncreaseAssistant Director-Security Support ** Harbor 145,499 0.0% New PositionDeputy City Attorney (3 Positions) Law 144,783 0.0%Chief Financial Officer ** Harbor 144,071 0.0% VacantDirector of Risk Management ** Harbor 143,591 11.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy City Prosecutor III City Prosecutor 143,439 0.7% Neg IncreaseDirector of Maintenance ** Harbor 143,001 0.0% VacantPrincipal Deputy City Attorney ** Law 141,283 11.0% Neg IncreaseExecutive Officer to the Board ** Harbor 139,999 0.0% VacantDirector-Engineering Design ** Harbor 139,000 0.0% VacantDeputy Chief Harbor Engineer II (3 Positions) Harbor 138,375 11.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy City Attorney (2 Positions) Law 137,914 6.1% Neg IncreaseManager-Network Operations ** Harbor 137,159 0.0% New PositionManager-Business Applications ** Harbor 136,969 0.0% New PositionCity Mayor ** Legislative 136,151 3.1% New PersonAsst Dir-Environmental Planning /Water Quality **Harbor 135,764 16.0% New PersonSenior Program Manager (4 Positions) Harbor 134,594 11.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy Chief Harbor Engineer I Harbor 134,594 11.0% New PersonManager of Rail Transportation Harbor 134,594 10.1% Neg IncreaseSenior Program Manager-Water Water 134,594 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Water Process ** Water 134,399 0.0% Neg IncreaseWater Treatment Superintendent ** Water 134,015 0.0% VacantManager-Internal Controls ** Harbor 133,959 0.0% New PositionAssistant Director-Human Resources ** Harbor 133,197 11.0% Neg IncreaseBusiness Systems Specialist VII Water 132,999 0.0%Deputy City Attorney (3 Positions) Law 132,947 0.0% New PersonDeputy City Auditor ** City Auditor 131,528 9.0% Merit IncreaseDeputy Director-Civil Service ** Civil Service 131,267 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Technical Security ** Harbor 130,446 0.0% New PositionExecutive Assistant/Mayor & Council ** Legislative 130,000 -3.7% New PersonManagement Information System Officer ** Water 128,393 11.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy City Auditor ** City Auditor 128,311 9.0% Merit IncreaseManager-Safety/Business Continuity ** Harbor 128,090 0.0% New PositionManager-Environmental Remediation ** Harbor 128,088 0.0% New PositionManager of Master Planning ** Harbor 128,088 0.0% New PositionManager-Sustainable Practices ** Harbor 128,086 0.0% New PositionManager-Contract Compliance ** Harbor 127,652 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Structural Engineer Harbor 127,487 11.0% Neg IncreaseDeputy City Prosecutor III City Prosecutor 126,896 0.0% VacantManager-Emergency Management ** Harbor 126,433 0.0% New PositionAssistant Director-Real Estate ** Harbor 125,763 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Security Operations ** Harbor 125,431 0.0% New PositionOffice Systems Analyst III Harbor 124,611 0.0%Manager-Air Quality Practices ** Harbor 124,427 0.0% New PositionManager-CEQA/NEPA Practices ** Harbor 124,319 0.0% New PositionDirector-Finance ** Water 124,114 11.0% Neg IncreaseAssistant Director-Information Management ** Harbor 123,601 0.0% VacantOffice Systems Analyst III (8 Positions) Harbor 123,567 0.0%

Aug. 1Position Department Salary % Change/ReasonAsst Dir-Communications/Community Relations ** Harbor 123,352 11.0% Neg IncreaseDirector-Planning/Water Conservation ** Water 123,077 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Civil Engineer (18 Positions) Harbor 122,624 0.0% New PersonDeputy City Attorney Law 121,985 2.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Electrical Engineer Harbor 121,580 0.0% New PersonEnvironmental Specialist II Harbor 121,580 0.0%Senior Traffic Engineer (2 Positions) Harbor 121,580 11.0% Neg IncreaseChief Surveyor Harbor 121,580 11.0% Neg IncreaseEnvironmental Specialist II (2 Positions) Harbor 121,580 0.0% New PersonAssistant Chief Financial Officer-Accounting ** Harbor 121,415 0.0% VacantManager-Transportation Development ** Harbor 121,163 0.0% New PositionDeputy City Attorney (2 Positions) Law 119,497 3.0% Neg IncreaseLegal Administrator-Attorney ** Law 118,577 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Commercial Trade-Import Cargo ** Harbor 118,406 0.0% New PositionManager-Commercial Trace-Ocean Carriers ** Harbor 118,406 0.0% New PositionPort Planner V Harbor 117,471 5.4% Neg IncreaseEnvironmental Remediation Specialist II Harbor 115,793 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Civil Engineer (2 Positions) Harbor 115,793 0.0% New PersonProgram Scheduler Harbor 115,313 0.0%Port Commercial Appraiser Harbor 115,306 0.0% New PersonDeputy City Auditor ** City Auditor 114,999 0.0% New PersonDeputy City Auditor ** City Auditor 114,999 8.4% Merit IncreaseAssistant City Clerk ** City Clerk 114,469 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Infrastructure Maintenance ** Harbor 113,284 15.4% Neg and Merit IncreaseManager-Utilities/Fleet ** Harbor 113,284 24.3% Neg and Merit IncreaseManager of Accounting ** Harbor 112,599 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Facilities Maintenance ** Harbor 112,384 27.7% New PersonPort Financial Analyst III (3 Positions) Harbor 111,478 0.0% New PersonPort Planner IV Harbor 111,478 0.0% New PersonOffice Systems Analyst II (2 Positions) Harbor 111,478 0.0% New PersonManager-Workers Compensation ** Law 111,255 5.0% Neg IncreaseWater Laboratory Manager ** Water 110,998 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Grants Administration ** Harbor 110,990 0.0% New PositionManager-Business Development ** Harbor 110,627 0.0% New PositionManager-Business Development-FTZ ** Harbor 110,627 0.0% New PositionWater Operations Superintendent ** Water 110,537 11.0% Neg IncreaseChief Construction Inspector Harbor 110,335 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Civil Engineer Harbor 110,072 0.0% New PersonCivil Engineer (12 Positions) Harbor 109,834 11.0% Neg IncreaseElectrical Engineer Harbor 109,834 0.0% New PersonCivil Engineer (2 Positions) Water 109,834 11.0% Neg IncreaseSenior Port Leasing Officer Harbor 108,596 0.0% Neg IncreaseAdministrative Officer ** City Clerk 107,603 11.0% Neg IncreaseChief of Staff-Prosecutor ** City Prosecutor 106,732 0.0% New PositionSewer Operations Superintendent ** Water 106,588 11.0% Neg IncreasePort Leasing Sales Officer V Harbor 105,781 0.0% New PersonCapital Projects Coordinator III (3 Positions) Harbor 105,781 0.0% New PersonCivil Engineer Harbor 104,603 0.0% New PersonSenior Civil Engineer Harbor 104,603 0.0% New PersonCivil Engineer (2 Positions) Water 104,603 0.0% New PersonSenior Civil Engineer (2 Positions) Water 104,603 11.0% Neg IncreaseAdministrative Officer-Water ** Water 104,418 7.2% Neg IncreaseManager of Port Projects ** Harbor 104,357 0.0% New PositionFinancial Reporting/Controls Officer Harbor 104,242 0.0% New PersonPort Planner III Harbor 103,199 0.0% New PersonWater Quality Organic Chemist Water 103,199 0.0%Capital Projects Coordinator III Harbor 101,988 0.0% New PersonTelemetry Systems Superintendent ** Water 101,009 11.0% Neg IncreaseBusiness Systems Specialist V Water 100,527 5.1% Neg Increase

Knocking On The “Club” Door

City Manager Departments – Non-Public Safety$90,000-$99,999 Base Salary (Double asterisk indicates management position)

Aug. 1Position Department Salary % Change/ReasonFinancial Services Officer ** Development Services 99,899 11.0% Neg IncreaseWorkforce Development Officer ** Human Resources 99,899 11.0% Neg IncreasePlanner V (2 Positions) Development Services 99,409 0.0% VacantPlan Checker-Fire Prevention (2 Positions) Development Services 99,239 0.0% New PersonCivil Engineer Airport 98,949 0.0% VacantWorkforce Development Officer ** Human Resources 98,624 11.0% Neg IncreasePetroleum Operations Coordinator I Long Beach Gas & Oil 98,432 11.1% Neg IncreaseDepartment Safety Officer ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 98,179 5.0% Neg IncreaseVeterinarian Parks, Recreation & Marine 98,096 0.0%Development Project Manager II Development Services 98,071 0.0%Development Project Manager II Human Resources 98,071 0.0%Development Project Manager II Public Works 98,071 0.0%Real Estate Project Coordinator II Public Works 98,071 0.0%Principal Building Inspector (6 Positions) Development Services 97,839 9.3% Neg IncreaseRecreation Superintendent ** (3 Positions) Parks, Recreation & Marine 97,125 11.0% Neg Increase



Aug. 1Position Department Salary % Change/ReasonPrincipal Building Inspector (2 Positions) Development Services 96,795 0.0% New PersonAdmin Analyst IV-Confidential (4 Positions) Financial Management 96,729 0.0%Airport Public Affairs Officer ** Airport 96,599 5.0% Neg IncreaseLibrary Youth Services Officer ** Library Services 96,599 5.0% Neg IncreaseSuperintendent-Park Maintenance ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 96,570 11.0% Neg IncreaseHousing Assistance Officer ** Health & Human Services 96,455 11.0% Neg IncreasePrincipal Construction Inspector Long Beach Gas & Oil 96,274 10.8% Neg IncreaseAdministration Officer-Library Services ** Library Services 95,771 11.0% Neg IncreaseSpecial Projects Officer ** Public Works 95,731 11.0% Neg IncreaseBusiness Systems Specialist V Technology Services 95,635 0.0%Business Systems Specialist V (3 Positions) Technology Services 95,635 0.0%Business Systems Specialist IV (2 Positions) Technology Services 95,635 0.0%Communication Specialist IV Technology Services 95,635 0.0%Systems Support Specialist V Technology Services 95,635 0.0%Department Safety Officer ** Public Works 95,462 0.0% New PersonHuman Resources Officer ** Human Resources 95,000 0.0% VacantPrincipal Construction Inspector (2 Positions) Public Works 94,708 11.0% Neg IncreasePlanner III (2 Positions) Development Services 94,689 0.0%Financial Services Officer ** Parks, Recreation & Marine 94,662 11.0% Neg IncreaseAirport Operations Officer ** Airport 94,351 11.0% Neg IncreaseWorkforce Development Officer ** Human Resources 94,351 11.0% Neg IncreaseSupt-Park Maintenance ** (2 Positions) Parks, Recreation & Marine 94,351 11.0% Neg IncreaseManager-Automated Services ** Library Services 94,349 11.0% Neg IncreaseAdministration Officer-Development Services ** Development Services 93,786 0.0% VacantSuperintendent-Towing & Lien Sales ** Public Works 93,241 0.0% New PersonCapital Projects Coordinator II City Manager 93,228 0.0% New PositionPlanner III (2 Positions) Development Services 93,228 5.2% Neg IncreaseCapital Projects Coordinator I Public Works 93,228 0.0%Capital Projects Coordinator I Public Works 93,228 0.0%Traffic Signal Coordinator Public Works 93,228 0.0%Traffic Engineering Associate II Public Works 93,087 10.9% Neg IncreasePlanner IV Development Services 92,068 0.0% VacantCivil Engineering Associate Airport 92,043 11.0% Neg IncreaseCivil Engineering Associate Long Beach Gas & Oil 92,043 11.0%Civil Engineering Associate (4 Positions) Public Works 92,043 11.0% Neg IncreaseTraffic Engineering Associate II Public Works 92,043 11.0% Neg IncreaseHomeless Services Officer ** Health & Human Services 91,995 5.0% Neg IncreaseAdministrative Analyst III City Manager 91,945 0.0%Department Librarian II (3 Positions) Library Services 91,945 0.0%Administrative Analyst III Public Works 91,945 0.0%Communication Specialist VI Technology Services 91,945 0.0%Plan Checker-Plumbing II Development Services 91,694 16.5% Neg IncreaseAdministrative Analyst III (3 Positions) Airport 90,901 0.0%Senior Accountant Airport 90,901 0.0%Community Development Analyst III Development Services 90,901 -1.1% Neg DecreaseCommunity Dev Specialist V (2 Positions) Development Services 90,901 0.0%Administrative Analyst III (3 Positions) Development Services 90,901 0.0% New PersonCommunity Development Analyst III Development Services 90,901 0.0%Senior Accountant (4 Positions) Financial Management 90,901 0.0%Administrative Analyst III Financial Management 90,901 0.0%Administrative Analyst III (2 Positions) Health & Human Services 90,901 0.0%Administrative Analyst III Human Resources 90,901 0.0%Community Development Spec V (3 Positions) Human Resources 90,901 0.0%Senior Accountant Human Resources 90,901 0.0%Department Librarian II Library Services 90,901 0.0%Administrative Analyst III Library Services 90,901 0.0% New PersonSenior Accountant Long Beach Gas & Oil 90,901 0.0%Administrative Analyst III (6 Positions) Parks, Recreation & Marine 90,901 0.0%Administrative Analyst III (10 Positions) Public Works 90,901 0.0%Real Estate Project Coordinator I Public Works 90,901 0.0%Community Development Analyst III Public Works 90,901 0.0%Senior Accountant Public Works 90,901 0.0%Communication Specialist VI Technology Services 90,901 0.0%Systems Support Specialist V Technology Services 90,901 0.0%Communication Specialist V Technology Services 90,799 0.0%Personnel Analyst III-Confidential Human Resources 90,701 0.0%Executive Assistant to City Manager ** City Manager 90,503 11.0% Neg IncreaseRecycling & Sustainability Officer ** Public Works 90,000 0.0% Vacant

City Manager Departments – Public Safety$90,000-$99,999 Base Salary (Double asterisk indicates management position)

Aug. 1Position Department Salary % Change/ReasonPolice Records Administrator ** Police 99,899 0.0%Fire Engineer (4 Positions) Fire 99,843 0.0%Police Officer (46 Positions) Police 99,607 1.0% Negotiated Increase

Aug. 1Position Department Salary % Change/ReasonCriminalist II-Miscellaneous Police 99,114 0.0% Negotiated IncreasePlan Checker-Fire Prevention Fire 98,718 10.8% Negotiated IncreaseFirefighter (4 Positions) Fire 98,496 0.0%Police Officer (35 Positions) Police 98,434 1.2% Negotiated IncreaseEmergency Medical Educator Fire 98,071 5.2% Negotiated IncreaseCriminalist II-Miscellaneous Police 98,071 0.0% Negotiated IncreaseFirefighter (17 Positions) Fire 98,016 0.0%Police Officer (32 Positions) Police 96,597 1.0% Negotiated IncreaseForensic Science Services Administrator ** Police 96,568 0.0%Fire Engineer Fire 96,272 0.0%Firefighter (2 Positions) Fire 96,236 0.0%Marine Safety Sergeant-BT-OP Fire 96,180 10.3% Negotiated IncreasePolice Officer (45 Positions) Police 96,169 1.0% Negotiated IncreaseFire Engineer (2 Positions) Fire 96,040 6.0% Negotiated IncreaseFirefighter (12 Positions) Fire 96,034 0.0%Nurse Practitioner Police 95,635 0.0% Negotiated IncreasePolice Officer (64 Positions) Police 94,500 5.9% Negotiated IncreaseMarine Safety Sergeant-BT-OP (6 Positions) Fire 94,249 10.5% Negotiated IncreaseFirefighter (11 Positions) Fire 93,736 0.0%Criminalist II-MISC (2 Positions) Police 93,228 5.2% Negotiated IncreasePolice Officer (48 Positions) Police 92,212 1.0% Negotiated IncreaseFire Engineer Fire 92,072 0.0%Firefighter (7 Positions) Fire 92,068 1.3% Negotiated IncreaseForensic Specialist Supervisor Police 91,945 0.0% Negotiated IncreaseAdministrative Analyst III Police 91,945 0.0% Negotiated IncreasePolice Officer (21 Positions) Police 91,784 1.0% Negotiated IncreaseFirefighter (10 Positions) Fire 91,671 10.5% Negotiated IncreaseAdministrative Analyst III (2 Positions) Fire 90,901 0.0%Administrative Analyst III (2 Positions) Police 90,901 0.0%Police Officer (25 Positions) Police 90,114 9.2% Negotiated Increase

Non-City Manager Departments $90,000-$99,999 Base Salary (Double asterisk indicates management position)

Aug. 1Position Department Salary % Change/ ReasonDeputy City Attorney Law 99,960 0.0% New Person in PositionCivil Engineer Harbor 99,394 0.0% New Person in PositionEnvironmental Specialist I Harbor 99,394 0.0% New Person in PositionWater Conservation Specialist Water 99,114 0.0%Senior Surveyor Harbor 98,173 0.0% New Person in PositionPort Risk Manager II Harbor 98,071 0.0% New Person in PositionCommunications Officer (3 Positions) Harbor 98,071 0.0%Port Leasing Sales Officer IV Harbor 98,071 0.0%Water Treatment Supervisor I Water 98,071 0.0%Investigator III Law 97,349 0.0%Legal Technologist-Prosecutor City Prosecutor 96,349 0.0%Office Systems Analyst II (2 Positions) Harbor 96,301 0.0% New Person in PositionWorkers' Comp Claims Examiner III (2 Positions) Law 95,979 0.0%Senior City Clerk Analyst City Clerk 95,635 0.0% New Person in PositionPort Planner II Harbor 95,635 0.0% New Person in PositionPrincipal Construction Inspector Water 95,439 10.9% Negotiated IncreaseWater Treatment Operator IV Water 95,284 0.0%Principal Construction Inspector (4 Positions) Harbor 94,708 11.0% Negotiated IncreaseEnvironmental Specialist I (2 Positions) Harbor 94,458 0.0% New Person in PositionCivil Engineer Water 94,458 0.0% New Person in PositionDeputy City Attorney Law 93,560 0.0%Senior Surveyor Harbor 93,354 0.0%Garage Supervisor II Water 93,172 0.0%Office Specialist-Prosecutor City Prosecutor 93,160 11.0% Negotiated IncreaseCivil Engineering Associate (2 Positions) Harbor 93,087 10.9% Negotiated IncreaseWater Utility Supervisor II Water 93,068 0.0% New Person in PositionInvestigator II Law 92,878 0.0%Water Treatment Operator IV Water 92,592 0.0%City Clerk Analyst (4 Positions) City Clerk 92,362 1.6% Negotiated IncreaseAdministrative Analyst III Water 92,362 0.0%Senior Surveyor Harbor 92,310 0.0%Water Utility Supervisor II Water 92,129 0.0%Civil Engineering Associate (5 Positions) Harbor 92,043 11.0% Negotiated IncreaseTraffic Engineering Associate II Harbor 92,043 11.0% Negotiated IncreaseCivil Engineering Associate (3 Positions) Water 92,043 0.0% New Person in PositionWater Utility Supervisor II Water 91,920 -3.5% Negotiated DecreaseAudit Analyst City Auditor 91,394 13.6% Merit IncreasePort Planner II Harbor 90,901 13.6% Negotiated IncreaseChief Wharfinger Harbor 90,901 5.3% Negotiated IncreaseAdministrative Analyst III (3 Positions) Harbor 90,901 0.0%Business Systems Specialist IV (2 Positions) Water 90,901 0.0% New Person in PositionSenior Accountant (2 Positions) Water 90,901 0.0%Administrative Analyst III (4 Positions) Water 90,901 0.0%Deputy City Prosecutor II City Prosecutor 90,864 0.0% New Person in PositionGarage Supervisor II-Harbor Harbor 90,668 0.0%

(To download a pdf copy of the city salary pages, visit www.lbbusinessjournal.com and follow the download instructions)


PERSPECTIVE22 Long Beach Business Journal September 2-15, 2014

EDITOR & PUBLISHER

George Economides

SALES & MARKETING EXECUTIVE

Heather Dann

SALES & MARKETING ASSISTANT

Cori Lambert

DISTRIBUTION

Conrad Riley

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

SENIOR WRITER

Samantha Mehlinger

STAFF WRITER

Brandon Ferguson

PHOTOJOURNALIST

Thomas McConville

COPY EDITORPat Flynn

The Long Beach Business Journal is a

publication of South Coast

Publishing, Inc., incorporated in the

State of California in July 1985. It is

published every other Tuesday

(except between Christmas and mid-

January) – 25 copies annually. The

Business Journal premiered March

1987 as the Long Beach Airport

Business Journal. Reproduction in

whole or in part without written

permission is strictly prohibited

unless otherwise stated. Opinions

expressed by perspective writers

and guest columnists are their views

and not necessarily those of the

Business Journal. Press releases

should be sent to the address shown

below. South Coast Publishing also

produces Destinations and the

Employee Times magazines.

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1st Class: $70.00(25 issues – 1 year)

Vol. XXVII No. 17

September 2-15, 2014

For many compa-nies, open enroll-

ment will be takingplace over the next fewmonths. Employers maybe offering a variety ofhealth plan choices forthe coming year: keep-ing the same plan,changing to new plansor opting to let employ-ees use individual plans. For retirees, Medicare’s

Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) also arrives Oct. 15and will end Dec. 7, 2014. With few exceptions, thisis the one time of year Medicare beneficiaries canchange their coverage for the following year.Regardless of whether people are choosing an

employer sponsored plan, a Medicare plan, or a pri-vate plan “on or off ” the Covered CaliforniaExchange, they should first review their currentplan in order to make informed comparisons to newoptions. Here are some questions to ask whenreviewing a current plan: • What did and didn’t work this year?• Do I anticipate any major medical needs for

next year, such as surgery, medical equipment,pregnancy, etc.?• Do I foresee any new medications and what tier

will they be on the plan formulary?• What were my out-of-pocket costs for this year,

(include premiums, co-pays, deductibles and pay-ments for non-covered services)?Once those questions are answered, new plan

options can be evaluated with these additionalquestions:• Do I want to keep my family physician and if I

do, can I?• What is the trade-off between possible premium

costs and out-of-pocket expenses such as co-pays,deductibles, etc.?

• Are the costs “up-front” or as I use the services?• Will this plan work better for me/us?Choosing the Right PhysicianAn equally important part of the process is

choosing a health care provider. Ultimately, thevalue of the health plan option selected is deter-mined by the quality of the physician who deliversthe care and administers the medical benefits.“They all say they’re good doctors, so how do I

know who the best is for me?”As with health plans, research and ask questions

about the physician being considered.Recommendations from family and friends are agood place to start. For objective fact-based infor-mation, look to un-biased sources.Independent, third-party organizations such as

Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA),California Cooperative Healthcare ReportingInitiative (CCHRI) and the Office of the PatientAdvocate (OPA) of California, among others, rou-tinely survey patients and publish service and qual-ity of care ratings on physicians and physiciangroups. Anyone can visit these websites to investi-gate the scores and grades given to the physicians.What Else Should You Look for From Your

Health Care Provider?Along with high ratings from independent

sources, patients can maximize their plan benefitsby looking at what the health care provider has tooffer in the way of convenience, services and bestpractices. Look for a great full-service health careprovider who provides: Access to Care: • Same day appointment availability • Urgent care access at the same co-pay as an

office visit and with no pre-authorization needed• Flexibility to be seen near work or home• 24-hour telephone access to a registered nurse

advice line• Onsite lab and x-ray

• Connectivity to award-winning hospital • Fully credentialed specialty physician networkUp-to-Date Technology and Practices: • Best practice, evidence-based medicine• An electronic medical record (EMR) system

connecting patient, physician, urgent care, hospitaland other services• Online (email) communication with physicians

and the office• Access to medical records and test results• Electronic transmission of prescriptions to

pharmacies• Specialty nurses to assist and follow patient

care whether in the hospital or at homeNot all health plans are created equal and neither

are medical providers. The actual value of the healthplan benefits selected may very well depend on thequality of care received and how the physician coor-dinates patient care within the parameters of the plan. Even if no plan change is made, having gone

through this review process can bring peace ofmind by knowing the right health plan was chosen.Being health wise means looking at health plan

coverage choices as well as personal health, espe-cially during the open enrollment period.Be health wise and choose well.(Jay W. Lee, M.D., is a family medicine physician

with the MemorialCare Medical Group and assis-tant program director at Long Beach MemorialFamily Medicine.)

We live in a worldthat is constantly

battling for our minds. Aweak mind is no match forthat kind of exposure.Mental fortification is amust if we are going tosurvive – let alone thrive –in today’s world.Is talent important? Yes,

but that’s not the key. Weall know talented peoplewho have charisma andother gifts, but who lack

tenacity and persistence. They aren’t tough-minded. They don’t follow their good intentions –often starting things without finishing them.The truth? People don’t receive rewards and

recognition, or personal satisfaction by how theybegan. It’s how they end. Beginnings are impor-tant. But endings trump beginnings. All is wellthat begins well. Yet even better is all is well thatends well.Persistence is really a term that means strong-

minded, or tough-minded. Persistence is abouthaving a strong mind that gives you the energyand endurance to face challenges. Being tough-minded gives you the courage to grow from thestresses you experience.A word of caution, though: tough-mindedness

is different than hardheadedness. Hardheadedpeople might at f irst appear tough-minded.Hardheaded folks cut themselves off from learn-ing. They are right, “and that’s the end of thedebate.” No learning or feedback takes place. Andmore than anything, the ego is in the way.Tough-minded people seek out feedback and

input. In fact strong-minded people do not have

weak egos. They will change if there is a betterway. They will openly embrace failures as valu-able learning tools. They aren’t interested inbeing right. They are interested in being better.Hardheaded folks are close-minded. The mentallytough are open-minded.Being tough-minded doesn’t mean we are

mistake-free. Some mistakes we even grieve.But being tough-minded means we don’t allowgrief to become our lifestyle. The mentallytough mourn, whereas the mentally weak moan.There is a difference between weeping and wal-lowing. A loss can deepen us, but should notdefine us. It’s an aspect of our maturity, but notour identity.Talent is a gift to us, but don’t rely on talent to

carry the day. Tough-mindedness includes . . .Tenacity – Commitment – Courage –

Conviction – Humility This helps connect your beginnings to your

endings. Tough-minded people learn along theway. And here’s a side effect. People always fol-low the tough-minded. This is a major quality ofa leader. They avoid hardheaded people. Having astrong mind lets people know you are serious.Are there failures and setbacks along the way?

Of course! But isn’t that the reason we need to betough-minded? It tells others you are a contender,and everybody loves a contender. It tells you thatyou are a winner. Finishing strong is the end, butplaying to win is the means to that end.Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president, put it

this way:Nothing in the world can take the place of

being tough-minded. Talent will not – nothing ismore common than unsuccessful people withtalent. Genius will not – unrewarded genius isalmost a proverb. Education will not – the world

is full of educated derelicts. Persistence anddetermination are alone omnipotent. The difference between a winner and a quitter

is that one has a strong will, and the other has astrong won’t.Are the winners simply lucky? We are all lucky

in so many ways. Acknowledge this fact, but donot embrace luck as your friend. Luck is a fair-weather friend that shows up once in a whilewhen it’s convenient. Yet it is quick to abandonyou. When it’s there, fine. But don’t count on it.It’s like the wind – here one minute, and blowingon someone else the next. Tough-mindedness isthe game changer, not luck.Tough-mindedness means that when you fail,

you fail forward. Failures become the fertilizerfor future growth. When we get to the threshold ofour comfort zones, we get tested. This is how welearn in the lab of life.Persistence breaks resistance. Yes, talent lights

the flame, but persistence keeps the flame burning.What is beyond your grasp that you need to

reach? Bring your personal self-beliefs to the sur-face so you can challenge them. Go ahead andstep over the threshold of your comfort zone.Expand your territory. The way you see your lifeshapes your life.Mental toughness elevates your game.Blessed are the persistent, for they shall be heard

. . . eventually!(Mick Ukleja has co-authored several books

including Managing the Millennials. He helpsorganizations create environments in which all gen-erations can thrive. He is a keynote speaker andpresident of LeadershipTraq, a leadership consult-ing firm. His clients have included Fortune 500 cor-porations and non-profit organizations. Check hisweekly blog at www.leadershiptraq.com.)

� EFFECTIVELEADERSHIP

By Mick Ukleja

Are You Tough-Minded Or Hardheaded?

Choose Well During Open Enrollment

� HEALTHWISE

By Jay Lee, M.D.

Even if no plan change is made,

having gone through this review

process can bring peace of

mind by knowing the right

health plan was chosen.


PERSPECTIVESeptember 2-15, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 23

I t seems like everyonein real estate these

days is trying to figureout who are the real buy-ers in today’s market andwhat segment of the pop-ulation is going to fuelthe next big surge inhousing in this country.For years we have

heard economists talkabout the impact of the

baby boomers (those born between 1946 and1964), generation X (born between 1965 and1984) and generation Y – also known as the mil-lennials (born between 1980 and 2000). There isalso generation Z (those born after 2000), butthey don’t figure in as an economic force just yet.With the significant shifts in generational

wealth and habits, predicting which of thesegroups is more likely to spend or not spend onhousing – and the corresponding influence onthe economy – seems to be constantly up for dis-cussion. It has been documented that the babyboomers – with many of them at or approachingretirement – represent the largest wealth amongthese groups and continues to be a driving forcein the housing market. But the fastest-growingsegment of the population, when it comes toconsumer spending, are the millennials. The big question is, will that spending spread

to homebuying as it did with the boomers andgeneration X? Because of what has happened tothe economy over the past seven years and towealth building in general, many are speculat-

ing that generation X and for sure the millenni-als will not park as large a percentage of theirfinancial assets in housing as did their parents,which could have long-lasting implicationsacross the economy in general.Millennials, who came of age about the turn

of the century, are an extremely fast growingsegment of our population. They’re oldenough to be buying houses on their own now,but too few of them are doing so. That is whywe have a first-time homebuyer ratio in thisgroup that has dropped from the normal 40percent level to below 30 percent. One of thetheories cited by many is that the industry –real estate and banking – hasn’t figured outhow to sell to this demographic yet.In about six years, by 2020, one out of three

adult Americans will be a millennial. By 2025,they will make up about 75 percent of theworkforce. They probably won’t be workingfor the same big companies their parentsworked for, however. In fact, about two-thirdsof millennials surveyed agreed with the state-ment that businesses make too much profit.That’s a higher level of agreement than anyother generation surveyed.In surveys, only 19 percent of millennials

agreed with the statement that most people canbe trusted. When members of older generationswere hit with the same statement, more thantwice as many agreed that it was true. When itcomes to the companies that millennials trust theleast, a recent Accenture survey found that finan-cial institutions ranked high on the untrustworthylist. And that’s a shame because this is the group

that has the money. Millennials keep more oftheir assets in cash and less in stocks, makingthem, as a group, the best savers we’ve seen ingenerations. The average millennial investor hasover half of their savings in cash, compared toabout 25 percent for other age groups. A UBSreport described them as the most conservativegeneration since the Great Depression.Worse, this group is actively moving away

from traditional banking. This should come asno surprise, given that nestled in among the 10least-liked brands for this demographic are fourof the nation’s most powerful banks. This is alsoa perception created by experience – after all,millennials were influenced by the storm ofmedia (traditional and social) about the finan-cial crisis. Many are left with the impressionthat banks get bailed out, that the mortgageindustry crashed the economy, and that the ideaof long-term employment is a bygone era.When it comes to financial advice, this tech-

savvy group will go to the Internet, social mediaand personal networks for financial advice andnot the bank branch or financial advisor.Whether this is just youthful naivety or a long-term value change for a new generation remainsto be seen but, for now, the shift in attitudes iscausing broad ramifications in the industry.With millennials representing the largest

demographic group in the country, their non-committal attitude toward everything from jobsto marriage is stifling the housing recovery.“The millennials will have a huge impact on

the housing market,” says Jed Kolko, chiefeconomist for the real estate website, Trulia.

“Whatever this age group does, whether it’shousing or jobs or consumer spending, will havea big effect on the economy.”Polls suggest that millennials haven’t given

up on homebuying altogether, but are simplydelaying the decision. Herb Tousley, director ofreal estate programs at the University of St.Thomas, said that the lack of job security is amajor factor.“Young people are reluctant to commit to pur-

chasing a home if they think there is a chancethat they end up in a different job across town orin another city,” he says.Research indicates that the recession was par-

ticularly hard on the millennials, who are morelikely to be unemployed than other age groupsand are more in debt. The number of millennialhouseholds in their 30s is expected to increaseby 2.7 million over the coming decade, boostingdemand for new and existing houses.More than 90 percent of millennial renters

say they’ll eventually buy, despite coming ofage during the worst housing crisis since theGreat Depression.“Ultimately,” says Daniel McCue, research

manager for the Joint Center for HousingStudies at Harvard University, “The large mil-lennial population will make their presence feltin the owner-occupied market just as they havealready have in the rental market.”.(Terry Ross, the broker-owner of TR

Properties, will answer any questions abouttoday’s real estate market. E-mail questions toRealty Views at [email protected] or call949/457-4922.)

REALTY VIEWS

By Terry Ross

Millennials May Hold Key To Housing

L ast week’sannouncement

that longshoremenand the PacificMaritime Assoc-iation reached a ten-tative deal on healthbenefits was wel-come news to anindustry still recov-ering from a nearlydecade-long eco-nomic buffeting. Anew contract willallow everyone to

get back to the business at hand: moving cargo.While that means tracking TEU volumes at theport, the health and well-being of the goodsmovement industry also depends on other tradesectors. This includes air cargo.Southern California’s role as a major trade

gateway is defined not only by our ports, but ourairports as well, LAX in particular. LAX is theworld’s 14th largest air cargo airport, movingsome 1.7 million tons of freight last year. It isthe 5th largest air cargo facility in NorthAmerica, trailing only Memphis and Louisvillewhich are hubs for small package operations,Anchorage – a major air cargo transshipmentcenter, and Miami. Carriers across the globe experienced

declines in business as a result of the recentglobal financial crisis. Currently, air cargo ismaking a rebound, but unrest in the MiddleEast, financial issues hampering Europe, com-plex security requirements, environmental regu-lations, and a need for greater collaborationwithin the industry are still holding air cargoback. As the most expensive mode of goods move-

ment, air cargo is particularly sensitive to shiftsin supply and demand as well as global finan-cial and political trends. But there are somebright spots. One of the greatest air cargogrowth opportunities in California is in the agri-

cultural sector. Maritime shipping can be unre-liable for value-added goods movement (such asfragile produce products), worldwide demandfor such goods is increasing rapidly, and moreliberal import/export laws are opening new mar-kets for California producers. However, as international passenger and

cargo volumes increase, a currently stressedCalifornia transportation infrastructure will beincreasingly burdened. LAX and San FranciscoInternational Airport (SFO) together handleclose to 100 percent of all airborne imports intoCalifornia and more than 90 percent of all air-borne exports from the state. Both airports facesevere constraints on their ability to handle sig-nificantly greater levels of additional cargo.LAX has little room for expansion and facesvery stiff political opposition from neighboringcommunities to any increase in flight operations.SFO suffers from high rates of weather-inducedflight delays and diversions and has been slow toupgrade its air cargo handling capabilities.Highway access to both facilities is increasinglycongested, posing a particular problem for ship-ments of perishable commodities.And then there are the planes. As ever

increasing ship size poses challenges for ports,the development of new airplanes challengesairports. New passenger aircraft types willrequire expensive improvements to airportfacilities, especially for major airports likeLAX, and impact overall airport capacity. As aresult, land acquisition will play a pivotal rolein future air cargo success as will creative fund-ing approaches, such as private venture capital,that make expansion possible. The ability ofairports to raise revenue from parking, retailoperations or passenger facility charges maydetermine, in part, how accommodating an air-port is to cargo operations.So both large scale infrastructure and opera-

tional improvements will need to take place. Butthere are a number of smaller initiatives that canalso be undertaken to streamline air cargo activ-ities and improve the outlook for the industry.

This includes facilitating risk-focusedTransportation Security Administration (TSA)air cargo screening which makes for a moreefficient and effective supply chain. The indus-try could also benefit from more inter-industrycollaboration. Far-flung networks are the hall-mark of the air cargo industry and help keep thesupply chain moving despite economic fluctua-tions. Technological innovation will help facil-itate information sharing as well as the develop-ment of new relationships from an operationaland security perspective. Traditionally strong aircargo markets like those in North America andAsia are important but so are rapidly growingmarkets in places like Latin America.Collaboration will matter there too.

Collaboration between the industry and localgovernment is also critical. Currently, airportdevelopment and planning is disjointed. Thecontinuing shift toward making transportationinvestment decisions from an intermodal per-spective will require increased attention to thebroader context of airport development.Increased coordination between airports andregions will achieve greater efficiency withinthe system while addressing major infrastruc-ture needs.(Dr. Thomas O’Brien is the interim executive

director of the Center for International Trade andTransportation at CSULB and an associate direc-tor for the METRANS Transportation Center, apartnership of USC and CSULB.)

Southern California’s Role As A Major Trade Gateway

� TRADE AND

TRANSPORTATIONBy Tom O’Brien

Long Beach International City BankMarathon Official Program . . .

Inserted Into The September 30 Edition Of The Business Journal And 22,000 Copies Of The Program

Given Out – One To Each Marathon ParticipantFor Media Kit, Call 562/988-1222

Ad Space Deadline: September 24


Tell Steel employee Lorenzo Armendariz cuts a piece ofmetal with a plasma cutter. Tell Steel was founded in 1959.(Photograph By The Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Focus On Westside Industrial Area

Focus On Westside Industrial Area

Inside This Issue• Westside Overcomes Historical Tension

With City And Keeps On Chugging• A Tale Of Two Cities

• Westside Offers Diversity Of Services

1_LBBJ_Sept2_SectionB_LBBJ MASTER LAYOUT 9/1/14 3:40 PM Page 1

WESTSIDE INDUSTRIAL AREASeptember 2-15, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 27


Staff Writer

D escribed as a critical “eco-

nomic engine,” Long Beach’s

Westside Industrial Area is a

world unto itself.

Though part of the city proper, the

region feels far removed from the patch-

work of residential neighborhoods and

trendy business districts found through-

out the rest of the city. In satellite photos

of the westside, densely colored housing

tracks encircle a faint, oblong sprawl of

industrial complexes stretching from just

east of the Los Angeles River to the

Terminal Island Freeway.

Here, container trucks idle along the nar-

row streets, which hum with forklifts

loaded with pallets and boxes. The

omnipresent thrum of heavy machines

stamping metal rings out from the gaping

double doors of aluminum-sided buildings.

Divided into two sections, approxi-

mately 700 businesses inhabit the area –

300 on the east side of the river, which is

represented by a property and business

improvement district (PBID) called the

Magnolia Industrial Group (MIG), and

400 west of the river, which is repre-

sented by the Westside Project Area

Council (WestsidePAC).

While local entrepreneurs tell the

Business Journal that, these days, the

westside is a good place to run a com-

pany, that wasn’t always the case. Deep-

seated mistrust between Westside busi-

ness owners and city hall boiled over in

the 1970s and ’80s – back before the area

had properly paved roads, gutters and

streetlights.

Fears that the city would aggressively

use eminent domain to force out existing

businesses led westside business owners

to sue the city in 1975. The suit was set-

tled in 1981 when the city agreed not to

use its eminent domain powers.

According to a September 1985 Los

Angeles Times article, as part of the set-

tlement, the city agreed to spend $23 mil-

lion to improve roads, sewers and utilities

on the westside. Those who remember the

era say progress was slow.

Pat Cullen, president of Dion and Sons,

told the Business Journal that in 1989 the

street where his business was located was

still largely a dirt road.

“Prior to that we did not have curb and

gutter. Prior to that we did not have storm

drains. Prior to that some of the busi-

nesses were still on septic system,”

Cullen said. “To save people from run-

ning into my building, I had staked tele-

phone poles to keep cars away from the

building.”

Much of the city’s neglectful attitude,

Cullen said, stemmed from attitudes left

over from the area’s navy days.

“There was a stigma that it was still old

navy property and the federal govern-

ment took care of everything,” Cullen

said, adding that the city held negative

views of the area’s former “swabby” res-

idents. “That carried over for a long

period of time.”

But things did slowly begin to improve.

In 1997 the westside welcomed a police

substation, and redevelopment brought

building improvements, sidewalks and

streetlights. While hundreds of businesses,

many of them family owned, operate in the

area, leaders representing the westside’s

two business districts, say concerns linger

over truck congestion and the need for

upgrades to roads and other infrastructure.

Yet, despite the ongoing concerns, Jane

Kelleher, who serves as vice chair of the

Westside PAC, explained the region con-

tinues to be a powerful economic force.

“We have some very old companies that

provide well-paying jobs. Some of them

have been around for years, so it’s a good

strong industrial base,” she said, adding,

“[The westside] keeps on chugging along,

whatever the circumstances.” �

The industrial areas of the westside include the Westside Industrial Project Area in the foreground and the Magnolia Industrial Group on the east side of the Los Angeles River and Long Beach Freeway. Thereare approximately 700 businesses in the two industrial areas combined, which stretch from Pacific Coast Highway on the north to roughly Anaheim Street to the south. Both industrial areas are close to DowntownLong Beach and the Port of Long Beach. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

(Please Turn To Next Page)

Westside Overcomes Historical Tension With City And Keeps On Chugging


WESTSIDE INDUSTRIAL AREA28 Long Beach Business Journal September 2-15, 2014

A Tale OfTwo Cities


Staff Writer

D epending on what side of the

river they fall on, businesses in

West Long Beach benefit from

one of two advocates. West of the Los

Angeles River (the lion’s share of the

industrial area) is represented by the non-

profit group, Westside Project Area

Council (Westside PAC). Originally

formed in the 1970s as a liaison between

the redevelopment agency (RDA) and the

community, Westside PAC now acts as a

conduit for the concerns of area businesses.

The project area is bordered by Pacific

Coast Highway, the Terminal Island and

710 freeways, and Anaheim Street.

East of the river, businesses are repre-

sented by the Magnolia Industrial Group

(MIG), which, unlike the non-profit

Westside PAC, is a property and business

improvement district (PBID). Originally

formed in 1996, the district is bordered by

Pacific Coast Highway, 12th Street,

Magnolia Avenue and the Los Angeles

River. A PBID is formed with the consent of

more than 50 percent of the area’s property

owners who agree to pay a fee to the PBID

based on the size of their properties for serv-

ices such as security. In July of 2013 the city

council approved a 10-year extension of the

MIG PBID, which was supported by more

than 77 percent of the area’s businesses.

Business Leaders Express Their Concerns

W estside PAC Vice Chair Jane

Kelleher explained to the

Business Journal that some of the concerns

on the minds of westsiders involve projects

that have yet to be approved. Chief among

them is BNSF’s proposed Southern

California International Gateway rail yard

project (SCIG). The $500-million project is

slated to be built adjacent to the westside in

the community of Wilmington on 156 acres.

“That’s a big concern for westsiders

because of the number of trucks. I think by

their own [BNSF’s] projections there are

going to be 5,000 more trucks [daily] com-

ing down Anaheim Street. We can’t handle

that,” Kelleher said.

In 2013 the Business Journal reported

that several entities, including the City of

Long Beach and the Long Beach Unified

School District, consolidated lawsuits

against BNSF and the City of Los Angeles

over the proposed rail yard, citing con-

cerns over increased truck traffic and pol-

lution. The state attorney general joined

the action in July on the side of the peti-

tioners. Long Beach Assistant City

Attorney Michael Mais said he expects a

trial date to be set in the spring.

Regardless of whether or not the project

is approved, truck traffic always has been

(and likely always will be) an issue on the

westside.

Greg Moore, president and CEO of Tell

Steel, half jokingly said that, with the cur-

rent flow of truck traffic and rigs parked in

the area, motorists occasionally take their

lives into their own hands when navigating

westside streets.

“You’ve got to go out into the middle of

[the street] to see around the truck and by

that time somebody is about to hit you,”

Moore said.

Mark Shutts, owner of Shutts Fabricators,

expressed frustration at idling trucks that

often park near his business. Once, he said,

a trucker left a rig double-parked in front of

his business, blocking him in.

“We were parked in, we couldn’t leave

until [the driver] got back,” Shutts said.

One project currently under consideration

that could potentially mitigate truck traffic

in the area is a plan by the Port of Long

Beach to build an on-dock rail system at

Pier B. The pier is located south of Anaheim

Street adjacent to the 710 Freeway.

Lee Peterson, a spokesperson with the

port, said the project would allow ships to

offload cargo directly onto trains (and vice

versa), which could then be shipped out

across the country.

“There wouldn’t be any truck trips

involved, at least not here at the port,”

Peterson said.

But while Kelleher said westsiders

would like to see the project move forward,

construction of the on-dock rail facility

could lead to significant traffic disruptions

for businesses in the area.

“One of the options for this Pier B on-

dock project was to remove the ramp con-

necting the 9th Street freeway access to

downtown,” Kelleher said. “That’s how we

get to downtown.”

Added Daryl Phillips, owner of Phillips

Steel, “We are highly affected by that

because it’s our egress and ingress to our

neighborhood.”

According to Peterson, the port is in the

process of drafting its environmental

impact report for the project, which he said

should be completed in spring 2015. The

report is expected to consider multiple

options for construction.

“We’re studying three alternatives,”

Peterson said. “Two of which do not affect

that [9th Street] connection.”

While Peterson explained that port offi-

cials don’t currently have a preferred alter-

native in mind, there will be public discus-

sion once the EIR is released.

“We’ll solicit comments from the public

and all of the stakeholders who want to get

involved, including the folks that have

businesses and live and work on the west-

side, of course,” Peterson said.

Life After Redevelopment

P roposed construction projects in the

area aren’t the only issue causing

growing pains for 2estsiders. Tony Rivera,

who chairs the Westside PAC, explained

that since the dissolution of redevelopment

agencies in 2012, businesses interested in

expanding are coming up against a wall

because of government bureaucracy.

Rivera sited the example of a westside

welding company located next to one of the

26 vacant lots currently owned by the city

in the project area.

“They want to grow, and they’ve been

trying to buy the property . . . they want to

get bigger, but they can’t. The dissolution

of the RDA and those issues, it’s been a lit-

tle tough,” Rivera explained.

According to Mike Conway, Long Beach’s

business and property development director,

the 26 properties in question were all for-

merly owned by the redevelopment agency.

He explained to the Business Journal that

under Assembly Bill 1484, passed in June

2012, the city was required to submit a long-

range property management plan to the

California Department of Finance. Conway

said the city submitted the plan in October of

2013 and added that, until the state approves

the plan, the city’s hands are tied when it

comes to selling the properties.

“The department of finance has the obli-

gation of reviewing and approving that

plan or modifying or recommending modi-

fications before the successor agency can

do any type of transaction with the prop-

erty,” Conway said. “It’s been a little frus-

trating because we’ve heard nothing back

from them since October 2013.”

While the city awaits Sacramento’s deci-

sion, Rivera said he’s concerned businesses

wanting to expand will leave for other

areas such as Carson, where there’s more

room to grow. He said business owners

have come to him inquiring about property

in the area, but have decided to locate in

other areas.

“I already have several, and they just

went to another place. They’ve been going

to LA, [and] Carson. Long Beach is basi-

cally out,” Rivera said.

Vacant lots aren’t the only reminder of

the loss of redevelopment. Back in 2010 the

agency began a storm drain improvement

project to deal with flooding during the

rainy season in the project area. Due to the

dissolution of RDA, the project was never

completed. Though the state is currently

experiencing a drought, the area is still

prone to flooding, which affects businesses.

“When you talk about subterranean

pumping stations, we see it every year,”

Phillips said. “The funds have been dwin-

dling and these projects are incomplete. I

think [the city] is doing the best they can,

but these are all critically important issues

to discuss for the welfare of the westside.”

Other infrastructure issues for the

Westside Project Area include an anti-

quated electrical grid.

“The electrical grid on the westside is the

Pictured on a 60-foot platform next to a diving tank is the team at Subsea Global Solutions, located at 1651 Seabright Ave. The company employs speciallytrained divers who perform underwater ship repair and maintenance services. From left: Operations Coordinator John Renaud, Operations Manager KarlLutz, Diver Bailey Logan, Diver Blake Riddle. Headquartered in Miami, the firm has operations in the Caribbean, Europe, North America and the Far East.For more information, call 562/436-2701 or visit www.subseaglobalsolutions.com. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville.)



only grid [the city] hasn’t upgraded,”

Moore said. “If you go across the street to

the industrial park on Pacific Coast

Highway, they have fiber optic right now.

We’ve got copper wire over here.”

Over on the MIG side of the river, infra-

structure remains a concern as well; how-

ever, crime, once a significant issue for

area businesses has declined since the

PBID was established. MIG President Bill

Townsend attributes this to quality police

services and the constant patrols of pri-

vately owned Platt Security, whose services

are funded by the PBID.

“When we first started we had graffiti,

prostitution, we had a metal recycling

company right in the middle of the dis-

trict, and [thieves] literally stealing metal

off of buildings in the area. It was terri-

ble,” Townsend said.

While crime has dropped, Mike

Zupanovich, who for nearly 40 years has run

Harbor Diesel And Equipment Incorporated,

said other problems such as illegal dumping

continue to be a problem. In recent years,

homeless people living in motor homes

parked along the streets were also a prob-

lem. About a year ago, Zupanovich said the

city put in signs in the MIG area restricting

parking between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., though

he added the vehicles have begun appearing

in other areas of the westside.

When asked about infrastructure,

Zupanovich said the streets are in a poor

condition and most haven’t been repaved in

the 40 years since he started his business.

“It’s just been pothole filling,” Zupanovich

said. “There’s been more and more industrial

and truck traffic in the neighborhood and

potholes are just going to keep happening.”

While he said that fewer incentives for

business, especially since the days of rede-

velopment, have led to frustration,

Zupanovich said the Westside is where his

roots are and any thoughts he’s had about

leaving the area are usually short lived.

“The council districts are friendly and

help us as they can, and listen. We have a

voice with them and with the [police].

Could it be better? Absolutely. I’ve stated

that I feel Long Beach leans too much

toward being socially friendly rather than

business friendly. They’ve got to find a bet-

ter balance because the businesses are what

create jobs and get people out of unem-

ployment and get the economy going.”

First District Councilmember Lena

Gonzalez, who has met with westside busi-

ness leaders since her days as a staffer for

former councilmember/now mayor, Robert

Garcia, said she understands the frustra-

tions of many businesses – especially when

it comes to the issue of expansion. She told

the Business Journal that she has discussed

the issue with Conway and hopes to make

expansion easier once the state approves

the city’s long-term management plan.

Gonzalez added that she also supports

Mayor Garcia’s recent recommendation to

restructure the business and economic

development department in order to more

strategically dispose of the city’s former

redevelopment parcels.

“We need to put more responsibility on

that department,” Gonzalez said. “They

were focused for so long on redevelopment

dissolution and the long-range manage-

ment plan. That’s going to end now. We

need to focus on expansion, attraction and

also business retention.”

She added, “I hope to give [westsiders]

more attention so they will know that they

have a partner in this city.” �

John Provenghi, owner of Bruno & Sons Cabinet, right, and his nephew Charles Provenghi, areworking on maple cabinets at the shop located at 1690 Hayes Ave. The company has been pro-viding cabinetry services since 1959. For more information, call 562/432-1720. (Photograph bythe Business Journal’s Thomas McConville.)

(Please Turn To Next Page)



The City’s WestsideIndustrial

Areas Offer A Diversity Of Services


Staff Writer

T ake a drive through the Westside

Industrial Area and one thing

becomes clear – businesses offer

an incredibly diverse array of goods and

services. Wholesalers, forklift repair,

architects, fabrication, manufacturing,

aerospace . . . and the list goes on. Many

businesses are family owned and have

been handed down for generations – some

are approaching 100 years in business.

Some are small, employing immediate

family, but have been contributing to a

global economy for years. A person could

spend a month wending through the

neighborhoods and streets here and not

scratch the surface of the work being pro-

duced. The Business Journal spent a sev-

eral days talking to some local busi-

nesses. Here’s what they had to say.

Watts New In Electric

E d Spotskey has owned Spot

Lighting Supplies located at 1200

Oregon Ave. for the past 15 years. His

uncle originally founded the company in

1974.

“We are primarily wholesale lighting –

bulbs, ballasts, commercial fixtures. Not

the stuff at Lamps Plus, we’re more

industrial fixtures,” Spotskey said.

With nearly 15,000 square feet of

inventory housed in two westside build-

ings, Spotskey stocks merchandise from

GE, Sylvania and Phillips. He explained

that between 30 and 35 percent of his

business comes from Internet sales, with

national distributors accounting for

another 20 percent. The rest, Spotskey

said, goes to local contractors.

“We sell to the Queen Mary, the con-

vention center, the downtown hotels,” he

pointed out.

When asked about where the lighting

industry is headed, Spotskey explained

that LED lighting, which can last between

50,000 and 100,000 hours, is revolution-

izing the business.

“With LED, you have no more mainte-

nance of the fixture. You don’t have to

buy light bulbs anymore. No mainte-

nance, no further purchase of light bulbs,

and you have significant energy savings.

That’s why this is such a popular light

source,” Spotskey said.

While most businesses struggled dur-

ing the recession, Spot Lighting Supplies

ironically managed to grow. Spotskey

explained because his business purchases

a lot of surplus, deals were plentiful at a

time when other businesses were liquidat-

ing their inventory.

“It was the best time in Spot Light’s

history. We increased business every sin-

gle year,” Spotskey said.

Though he does business on a national

level, Spotskey said he treats his workers

like family.

“We have a chef come in every day

and cook lunch for us. We sit down as a

family and eat. We shut the business

down. We shut the phones off and we

shut the door. We discuss business a lot

and we have vendors in. We started that

two and a half years ago. And it’s made

all the difference.”

Steel Resolve

G reg Moore has served as presi-

dent and CEO of Tell Steel,

located at 2345 W. 17th St., for the past

10 years. A 100,000-square-foot com-

pound, Tell employs 53 workers. The

business got its start in the same location

it stands today, back in 1959.

“We buy materials, finished products

from the mills. We sell them to the end

users – refineries, machine shops, even a

little bit to the City of Long Beach,”

Moore said. “We do a lot of saw cutting,

plate cutting, plasma cutting and water jet

cutting. We basically cut to the shape or

size the customer needs.”

While he expressed concern over west-

side truck congestion and lack of fiber

optic utilities, he said he’s noticed the city

has been more cognizant of the westside’s

business concerns as of late.

“In working with some of the city offi-

cials in the last year or so, there’s been a

sense that they’ve been more cooperative

than they have been in the past. It’s a pos-

itive approach,” Moore said.

Phillips of Phillips Steel, located at 1368

W. Anaheim St., said his company has been

in the same location since 1933. Family

owned since the beginning, the company

celebrates its centennial anniversary next

year. Phillips Steel employs 65 workers.

He explained that, though he’s been

active with the Westside PAC for years, he

hasn’t attended as many meetings lately

and added that, while the area has ongoing

infrastructure issues, he believes the city is

doing a pretty decent job.

Ed Spotskey has owned Spot Lighting Supplies located at 1200 Oregon Ave. for the past 15 years. The company, which was founded by Spotskey’s unclein 1974, is a wholesaler of industrial lighting products. Though his 15,000 square feet of inventory includes conventional light bulbs and fixtures, Spotskeyis most excited about the impact that advances in LED lighting – which is more efficient than other lighting sources – is having on the industry. For more infor-mation, call 562/437-1300 or visit www.spot-lighting.com. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville.)

Tell Steel employee Lorenzo Armendariz is pictured cutting metal with a plasma cutter. Tell Steel islocated at 2345 W. 17th St. and has been in business since 1959. The location features severalbuildings totaling 100,000 square feet of space, where a variety of cutting techniques provide endusers (including the City of Long Beach) with metal products cut to requested sizes and shapes. Formore information call 562/435-4826 or visit www.tellsteel.com. (Photograph by the BusinessJournal’s Thomas McConville.



“Really, the city manager is doing an

excellent job. He’s got limited funds, but

I think they’re doing the best they can,”

Phillips said.

“We’ve made do the best we can with

what we have to deal with. We’re all busi-

ness people, and you know we’re pretty

ingenious sometimes when it comes to

working around these issues,” Phillips

said laughing.

Fueling The Economy

T he Long Beach Travel Center,

located at 1670 W. Pacific Coast

Hwy., can get a little busy during the

week as truckers queue up along the

Shell station’s islands waiting to gas up

their rigs. Spread out across an acre and

a half, the center features a convenience

store, a Carl’s Junior, Green Burrito as

well as a check cashing service and

Western Union. Owner Gil Ficke

explained that the center as it currently

Brothers Gus (left) and Gil Ficke are owners of the Long Beach Travel Center, located at 1670 W. Pacific Coast Hwy. The one-and-a-half-acreproperty features a Carl’s Jr., Green Burrito, and a convenience Store, as well as money wiring and check cashing services. The center’s gasstation serves local truckers delivering goods to and from the port. On busy days, the station refuels its tanks as many as eight times. For moreinformation, call 562/983-7827. (Photographs by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville.)(Please Turn To Next Page)



sits was built in 1999, prior to which it

had been just a simple gas station.

“We bought the apartment building next

door and expanded some fuel islands, then

through redevelopment in the ’90s we

were able to purchase some property

behind us and ended up with three-fourths

of the city block and built a whole new

facility,” Ficke said.

He explained that most of the truckers

who buy fuel at his station are operators

delivering goods locally.

“The traffic here is local port traffic. We

do get a couple long haulers, but most are

the local business people who go home at

night,” Ficke said.

Being positioned so close to the port,

from which a veritable river of commerce

runs, has given Ficke a unique window into

the ebb and flow of the economy. As a

result, he was able to adjust his business

accordingly before the recession hit.

“We were anticipating it. Being associ-

ated with the port, we actually see what’s

going on with volume before the reports

come out in the news about retail sales,”

Ficke said. “We actually started seeing a

decline in 2007 and started making adjust-

ments accordingly, to try and limit our

overhead.”

Today, business is good. He explained

that Mondays are often busy days for the

Travel Center, requiring multiple refuels of

the underground tanks.

“On Mondays we actually don’t have

enough storage capacity. We actually have

to bring in truckloads during the day. On

some Mondays we have to bring in as many

as eight loads of fuel,” Ficke said.

The Sky’s The Limit

A rnie Puentes, owner and president

of A&A Aerospace Forming and

Fabrication Corporation, located at 1951

W. 16th St., got his start at another local

aerospace business, the family-owned Neill

Aircraft Company. He began there in 1979

as an apprentice running machines and

doing straightening work.

He founded A&A Aerospace about nine

years ago in a small building on 16th

Street. Today, he employs more than 30

workers and operates four buildings total-

ing 19,400 square feet on a block between

16th and Cowles Street. He said the com-

pany, which provides fabrication, forming

and deburring of aviation components, is in

the process of expanding. While the com-

pany currently serves other machine shops,

Puentes hopes to soon be interfacing

directly with the aviation industry’s prime

movers – Lockheed, Boeing and Northrop.

“Right now we are expanding. We’re

infusing some capital into the operation to

buy machines so we can go ahead and go

with the big boys,” Puentes said.

He explained that now is an exciting

time for the aviation industry with

unprecedented sales numbers in places

like Dubai, United Arab Emirates and

Toulouse, France. Puentes cited the

recent purchase by the Bank of China of

82 Boeing 737 planes – a deal reportedly

worth $8.8 billion.

“That’s just music to my ears,” Puentes

said.

Fabrication Station

M ark Shutts owns Shutts

Fabricators, located at 1632 W.

15th St., and went to grade school on the

westside. “I’m from this area. I moved

away and moved back. The building was

right. I thought the area was correct,”

Shutts said.

He added that he was drawn to do busi-

ness on the westside because it was a good

place to do noisy work without drawing too

much attention to himself.

“I started my business a long time ago in

my garage. Everytime I’d weld or cut metal

somebody would go, ‘Hey, what are you

doing in there?’” Shutts said.

Housed in a 3,500-square-foot building

with an additional 500 square feet outside,

a large portion of Shutts’ business comes

from the yachting industry. A former pro-

fessional yacht racer, he fabricates equip-

ment such as rails, anchor rollers and fuel

tanks. He also does work for port cus-

tomers. Projects have included fabricating

hydraulic tanks for port cranes, as well as

conveyor belts used to load grain from hop-

per cars onto ships.

A family-run operation that has been in

its current location since 2005, Shutts runs

A&A employee Fermin Anaya is pictured working in the deburring department. He’s seen here remov-ing blemishes from parts that will be used on a Boeing 737. For more information, call 562/901-6803or visit www.aaaerospace.net. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville.)

Arnie Puentes, left, is president of A&A Aerospace Forming and Fabrication Corp., located at 1951 W. 16th St. Puentes got his start in the aerospace business in 1979 at the locally owned NeillAircraft. A&A, which was started nine years ago, offers straightening, deburring and forming services for the machine shops serving aerospace companies. Puentes said he’s infusing capital into hisbusiness and plans to begin working directly with major industry players including Boeing and Lockheed. Nine years ago, Puentes explained he started with one small building on 16th Street. He nowruns four buildings in the area totaling 19,400 square feet. At right, Manufacturing Leadman Ignacio Ortiz is shown checking dimensional tolerances on parts that will be used for an F5 fighter jet. Formore information, call 562/901-6803 or visit www.aaaerospace.net. (Photographs by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville.)



the business with the help of his wife and

son, as well as occasional help from his

son’s friends.

When asked about the main issues busi-

nesses face on the westside, Shutts said he

had few complaints, adding that the police

do a good job of patrolling the area.

“The truck congestion – that would be

the only thing that would be a real bum-

mer. And there’s a lot of dust over here.

It’s ok, it’s an industrial area. I make

dust too. Our cars get dirtier over here,”

he said. �

Mark Shutts, who owns Shutts Fabricators, is pictured at left working on a piece of metal thatwill be used in a custom fabrication. The firm has been located at 1632 W. 15th St. for thepast nine years. Prior to opening a shop in the Westside Industrial Area, Shutts’s business waslocated in the Shipyard Marina for 16 years. The company specializes in fabricating parts forthe yachting industry, but also creates equipment for port and other industrial customers.Pictured above with Shutts are, from left, employee Greg Cain, son Luke Shutts and wife JudyShutts. For more information, call 562/432-4648 or visit www.shuttsfab.com. (Photographs bythe Business Journal’s Thomas McConville.)


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september 2-15, section a

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