Police Patrol Changes for Old Town
In preparation for the arrival of our two officers who will be assigned to Old Town, I did ride-alongs with the corporals who will be the supervising liaisons to executive staff. Based upon the feedback that I've received from many of you, as we patrolled the district we talked about problem areas that need attention and enforcement. With the new officers patrolling on foot at the pier area and Main Street, on bicycles and patrol cars around town, we should see quite an improvement in our sense of safety and crime prevention. I've met our new officers Victor Ruiz and Bruno Balderrama, and they are both very enthusiastic and look forward to getting started to know our residents.
Los Cerritos Wetlands
As your new City representative on the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority, I had the opportunity to tour the entire 500 acres, which extend from our own Hellman Ranch property all the way over to the area on the West side of Second Street. The recent rains and wildflower growth gave a hint of what the first 100 acres that are planned will look like. It was awesome.
Participating and serving on this Authority Board gives us the ability to pursue other items of importance to our city such as the pollution issues in the San Gabriel River.
Naval Weapons Station Tour
City Staff members and I got the grand tour of the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station the last week of April. We were reminded that as well as being a vital facility for national security, it is also home to a 5,000 acre National Wildlife Refuge. It was an interesting contrast to visit the missile service center, which is surrounded by acres of organic farming.
While on site, we met with Seal Beach residents who are members and leaders of the Friends of the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge Non-Profit. The group offers tours of the 965 acre tidal salt marsh, a nesting and stop-over for endangered migratory birds. They are always looking for more member and volunteers to work on projects, but I would highly recommend that you take a tour! Tours are only available to the public on the last Saturday of each month. You must reserve to come in advance. More information available at:
sealbeachnwrfriends.org
Pier Update
Exciting news! The pier is scheduled reopen before the end of the month of May. All of the heavy equipment has been removed, and the final detail work is under way. To insure finishing on schedule, crews will be working double shifts, working at night. This was pre-approved by the Coastal Commission, and should cause little or no disruption to residents. The decorative lights have all been repainted and powder coated, and new galvanized top railings have been installed along the length of the pier.
We will begin outreach via Town Hall meetings soon to solicit input from residents of all of our districts on what, if anything, should be at the end of the pier. The pier structure is engineered to support a single story building.
There will be a formal Pier Re-Opening dedication ceremony soon. Look for more information on a date!
2019-20 Budget Process Begins
I am looking forward to upcoming planning sessions for the 2019-20 City budgets. This process is vital to our ability to run our city efficiently and for the long term, remain solvent. Public input and participation has always been an important part of this process. Our fiscal year ends on June 30th.
The first budget session will be held on Wednesday May 29th - 5:30-9:00 PM at Council Chambers.
