Joint Meeting of the Public Safety Committee and Housing and Neighborhoods Committee

Agenda

1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. 1. Recommendation to revisit the discussion on the Code Enforcement process, cross training of city personnel, and enlistment of the community to report illegal living structures.
   Agenda Item
   Action: approve recommendation

   A motion was made by Chair B. Lowenthal, seconded by Member Gabelich to request a Declare a Smoke Alarm Day.

4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
5. ADJOURNMENT
6. I, Carolyn Harris, City Clerk Specialist, certify that the agenda was posted on January 3, 2008, not less than 72 hours prior to the meeting.____________________ Date: _______
7. NOTE: An agenda may be obtained from the City Clerk Department prior to the meeting or can be mailed if the City Clerk is provided self-addressed, stamped envelopes mailed to: City Clerk Dept., City Hall Plaza Level, 333 W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach CA 90802. You may view the agenda on the Internet at www.longbeach.gov. E-Mail correspondence can be directed to cityclerk@longbeach.gov. Agenda items may be reviewed in the City Clerk Department or the Plaza Level Information Desk at the Main Library. Communicate through the Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (562) 570-6626. If a special accommodation is desired pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, or if you need the agenda provided in an alternate format, please phone the City Clerk Department at (562) 570-6101 by 12 noon Monday. Inquire at the City Council Chamber Audio-Visual Room for an assistive listening device.
8. Corinne Schneider, Manager, Human & Social Services Bureau, gave a staff report. Dennis Thys, Community Development Director, continued with the staff report and responded to questions. Chair B. Lowenthal spoke. Chair Lerch spoke. Mike Garcia, Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal, spoke. Chair B. Lowenthal spoke. Councilwoman Gabelich spoke. Councilwoman Schipske spoke. Chair B. Lowenthal spoke. Reginald Harrison, Deputy City Manager, spoke. A dialogue ensued. Chair B. Lowenthal spoke. Dennis Thys, Community Development Director, spoke. A dialogue ensued. Chair Lerch spoke. Councilmember Gabelich spoke. Chair Lerch spoke. Mike Mais, Assistant City Attorney, spoke. Chair Lerch spoke. A dialogue ensued. Dennis Thys, Community Development Director, spoke. Chair Lerch spoke. Mike Mais, Assistant City Attorney, spoke. Chair Lerch spoke. Chair B. Lowenthal spoke. Chair Lerch spoke. Councilwoman Schipske spoke.
9. 07-1520 Recommendation to revisit the discussion on the Code Enforcement process, cross training of city personnel, and enlistment of the community to report illegal living structures.
   Agenda Item
   Action: approve recommendation Passed

   A motion was made by Chair B. Lowenthal, seconded by Member Schipske, to approve recommendation to request that the City Manager exam the following and report back to the Joint Committee with a status: Pending legal review of the City Attorney, Work with business partners, (e.g., SCE, Charter) to set up a procedure to allow front line workers to receive education in order to identify possible illegal living structures and report to code enforcement ; Request City personnel from all departments who visit residences as part of their routine job, (for example, paramedics, police, fire, etc), be cross-trained to identify possible illegal residential structures and report to code enforcement; Report to the Council on the effectiveness of current community code enforcement efforts; Request that code enforcement meet with neighborhood associations in the NIS areas to increase awareness about significant life threatening issue associated with illegal structures to identify and improve possibly expanding community code enforcement; Request that the City declare a “Smoke Alarm Day” during which code enforcement, fire personnel and the So Cal Apartment Association work on a proactive strategy to educate and raise community awareness on smoke alarms, including possibly going door-to-door to give out free smoke alarms and provide information on its proper installation and maintenance; Pending legal review of the City Attorney, contact the US Postal Service and set up a process whereby the City of Long Beach would be notified when a new address is added so that Planning and Building Department could check the records to ascertain when any work was done and determine wheither it was unpermitted; Request City Manager work with City Prosecutor, Code Enforcement, Police, and Fire, regarding an early warning system that might head off some of these problems; Examine the $3700 relocation benefits appropriate given the crime; and Examine garage inspections upon property sale, and the issue of space heaters. The motion carried by the following vote:

10. Chair Lerch spoke. Councilwoman Schipske spoke. Mike Mais, Assistant City Attorney, spoke. Chair Lerch spoke. Chair B. Lowenthal spoke. Councilwoman Schipske spoke. A dialogue ensued.
11. SECOND ROLL CALL
12. ROLL CALL