WHAT IS HAPPENING:
The Long Beach City Council will meet Tuesday, October 1, beginning at 5:00 p.m. On the agenda will be a recommended action to pass a resolution to support the “completion” of the 710.
This effort was initiated by 3 of the 9 Long Beach City Council
members. Their memorandum containing the proposed resolution is
attached. Also attached is a copy of the agenda. We apologize for the
short notice, but we were made aware of this only today.
Long Beach memorandum:
http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/26715411
Long Beach agenda (first pages are blank):
http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/26715348
CALL TO ACTION: We are asking all of you to send emails to the Long Beach City Council.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO:
STEP 1: Send a brief email to each Long Beach City Council member, the Mayor, City Manager and the City Clerk (same message to all). Our messages should be polite and concise. Remember, the goal is to get them to oppose or at least be neutral. Please
take action! It won't require a lot of your time, and the impact of
hundreds of messages could make the difference in swaying their votes.
The dozens of letters sent to the Monrovia City Council made a big
impact and were mentioned by the City Clerk when she introduced the
agenda item at the Monrovia City Council meeting on Sept. 3. Monrovia
failed to support the connection of the 710 tothe 210 via a freeway --
above ground or below ground.
Three
of nine City Council members initiated this resolution, and we are not
certain about the positions of the Mayor or the other City Council
members on this issue.
Some points for your messages to include:
- Be sure to tell what community you live in and what the impacts to your community will be.
- Discuss the completion of
the 210 to the 15 which resulted in the increase in traffic on the 210
we see today, turning the 210 into a parking lot a particular times of
the day. The additional 140,000 vehicles per day projected to use the
tunnel will not facilitate goods movement to the inland empire nor to
points north.
- Since the rationale in the proposed resolution hinges heavily on the connection of the 710 to the 210 as completion of a goods movement corridor, it goes against Metro's denials of this as a motivating factor for the SR-710 project.
- Point out that Metro has stated over and over again that they are evaluating the performance of the tunnel with and without truck traffic, and that if no trucks are allowed, it will not achieve the goods movement corridor.
- Point out that this will be, of necessity and by Metro's own admission, a tolled roadway and that trucks may avoid using it for that very reason.
- Discuss
the various other options for goods movement (for example, by clean,
quiet electric rail transport systems) that would benefit ALL the
communities of the I-710 corridor and prevent the communities of the 210
corridor from experiencing the same environmental and health damage
that the I-710 corridor has suffered.
Long Beach City Council officials:
District
1: Dr. Robert Garcia district1@longbeach.gov
STEP 3: Able to Attend? (Be sure to check the agenda at the City of Long Beach website and attached).
For those that can attend and speak, or just come and support those that will speak, here is the city council meeting info:
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
City Council Chambers
333 West Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
Meeting starts at 5:00 p.m.
Public Speakers are given up
to 3 minutes to speak. You do not need to complete a speaker card for
agenda items. According to the City Clerk's office, a line forms behind
the podium, and you just get in line.