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The [City]Beat Goes On

by Keith Higginbotham | City Beat | 01.28.10 |

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3:45pm | Many many moons ago, AIP Records put out a great series of compilation records (yes, vinyl) called Highs In The Mid-Sixties. Each of the records featured virtually unknown garage bands from, duh, the mid-1960s. The 23 album HMS series, as opposed to the more well known Nuggets and Pebbles series of 1960s compilations, featured obscure regional tracks from original garage groups like The Grim Reepers, The Starfires, Limey & the Yanks, and the Dovers to name but a few.

I've always had a soft spot for these great garage band compilation records--something about these amazing distilled-down 2:30 gems that at the same time are the very definition of the 1960s rawness that would boil over years later in the punk rock three-chord era.

I thought, after some recent comments about how my columns had seemingly turned into obscenely long 1970s supergroup rock opuses, that I might take the column back to basics with a few short tracks, so to speak, on various topics.

So here--with ample imagery of a pair of Vox AC30 amps, a couple of Rickenbacker guitars, and an old Ludwig drum kit--is this week's CityBeat.

Shoes on a Wire
A while back, Councilmember Dee Andrews' office let it slip that he was developing a motion to address one of the city's major problems: namely, shoes hanging from overhead utility lines. You see the city, according to Councilmember Andrews' office, doesn't have an efficient system in place to deal with this "blight on the community." The Councilmember's office went on to explain the "broken window" theory which purports that small quality of life issues, like shoes on a wire, lead to larger societal ills, like robbery and murder.

Criminologist and social scientists have effectively debunked the "broken window" theory, which first gained prominence in the early 1980s. Recent studies have shown no correlation between these "petty crime" abatement programs and a reduction in more serious crime. These studies have also failed to show that perpetrators of "petty crimes" graduate to more serious crimes. (Who would have thought that "tossing shoes" would be a gateway crime?) In fact, several studies have found that some petty crime abatement programs in certain parts of the country have been used as cover to mask the targeting of ethnic or social-economic groups by some law enforcement groups.

Is this the steeled-eyes of City Hall zeroing in on the real problems that face the city? How about some after school programs to keep kids off the streets, you know, where they might be reduced to playing a game of "toss the shoes?" Oh, wait, didn't City Hall slash those programs because of the budget fiasco? Hmm, the budget fiasco. Now, there is a problem City Hall might want to spend some time on.

Want it Out? Shout it Out
You want to know why business owners in this city talk about City Hall being "unfriendly" to business? It's because of situations like this:

K.C. Branaghan's Irish Pub & Restaurant at 5734 E. 2nd St. in Naples is seeking to modify its current wine and beer license to include serving liquor. The pub has already purchased the requisite license through a Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control lottery for $6,000.

Now, while serving wine and beer, the pub has had no problems. The Long Beach Police Department reported that there had been no calls to the business between Dec. 1, 2008 and Dec. 1, 2009. The ABC has inspected the pub six times in three years and found no violations. Councilmember DeLong, whose 3rd District covers the Naples area, said that he doesn't think the bar is a problem.

Even a group of Naples residents who live near the pub and showed up at Tuesday's City Council meeting, could not point to a single problem emanating from the pub. But, and here's the big but, the residents think the pub MIGHT become a problem if the pub starts serving liquor. This group of nearly two dozen residents asked the City Council to deny approving the license.

So the City Council, typically a rubber stamp for such requests, voted unanimously to send a notice to the state ABC asking that the state deny a license to the pub. Keep in mind that this motion came right after the Council approved three similar ABC license related motions with virtually no discussion.

Councilmember DeLong went one better, committing police resources to figuring out at what establishment the problems in the neighborhood originate.

So a small business that no one can identify as a community problem is being stymied in an effort to increase their customer offerings. And now it will cost the taxpayers additional funds to find out that the business is not a problem, as the council already knows.

Well, I guess it shows one thing. If you live in Naples and make noise, City Hall listens.

Pining For A Solution
In case you have wondered why so many shops along Pine Ave. in downtown are empty, City Hall thinks it has identified the culprits: narrow sidewalks and poorly paved roads.

Yup. According to a recent message sent out by Councilmember Robert Garcia "the City of Long Beach and our Redevelopment Agency have embarked on an ambitious new plan to renovate and reimagine Pine Ave. We have begun the planning process to widen the sidewalks, repave the streets, and install new lighting, landscaping and street furniture."

Now, I used to walk Pine Ave. every single day when I worked at the old Press-Telegram building at Sixth and Pine. There were viable Pine Ave. businesses all the way from Ocean Blvd. to Fifth Street. Given, that was nearly 10 years ago, but the one thing that really seems to be missing from Pine Ave. since then is... businesses. And your intrepid writer did not even have to convene a committee to figure this out. The empty storefronts kind of speak for themselves.

While City Hall may think that the above-mentioned improvements "will greatly enhance Pine Avenue and our whole Downtown," let's use some logic here. In the financial straights that our city finds itself, should we even be worrying about how wide the sidewalks are? Are businesses shying away from Long Beach because of our infamously narrow walkways? Should we be worried about the aesthetics of the street lighting when there is nothing to light?

Instead of re-imagining Pine Ave., we need to demand that City Hall re-imagine it own sense of priorities.

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Comments

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lbresident
If the city wants to bring businesses to pine, reconfigure the breakwater.

CHARLIE
I think lbresident about sums it up, with perhaps a few changes in City Council...

Pine Ave. Biz Owner
Goodness, gracious. The Pine Ave. streets, sidewalks, landscaping, and lighting are just fine. Use the money towards marketing downtown and/or rent incentives. Our Council's imagination is really lacking.

Reeverse
Great post!

Erin
Keith, this is great, but dare I take "Pining for a Solution" one step further. The PT and other outlets reported this summer that the residents and businesses along Pine actually signed a petition (nearly all businesses on Pine did) to remove the CEO of DLBA, the organization that is supposed to help the businesses and property owners in the downtown area. Yet the problem, according to the City, is the sidewalk width? This is similar to the Naples incident -- except when the residents and businesses of Pine spoke, people chose NOT to listen.

KCinLB
Exactly. Just imagine some "there" there.

Garry Bowie
Sorry, Keith. I couldn't disagree with you more on your analysis of the two examples you sited. Let's start with K.C. Branaghan's Irish Pub & Restaurant and the city listening to the voice of the citizens. I sat on the Board of the Belmont Shore Business Association. Every month we interfaced with the Belmont Shore Neighborhood Association. They are a powerful voice in all that happens at the shore. Like it or not, any proprietor wanting to do business in the shore must "play nice" with the neighbors...not just their customers. The BSNA is a VERY ACTIVE association and they make demands of Gary Delong and the city all the time. Not everything they want is business friendly...but they live there and that is their right to make requests to the city, as a dozen seem to have done so. Your second example about Pine Avenue is not about urban setting but has more to do with building owners and real estate. In 1999, I tried to open a store on Pine Avenue. The landlords held out for tenants with a bar/nightclub or restaurant. They wanted the highest rent in a market that couldn't justify that rate and triple-net on top. Additionally, if they were to rent to me, I had to take additional space I did not want or need, just to justify their loss of top dollar leasing. This is purely greed on their part. Pine avenue is absent retail today because of this. In 2000, I met with then city councilperson, Dan Baker, to put pressure on DDR Realty not to allow Walmart in at City Place in a market that could turn around within 5-10 years. DDR (an Ohio based company) thought they understood retailing in California. No, they understand real estate and REITs, and that is why their second project “The Pike” also failed. DDR Realty at the time, handed facts with Walmart about the volume of business and impact to the city. I also previously ran a $35 million dollar (1999 dollars) retail business and had the statistics to disprove DDR's/Walmart's claims. DDR wanted top dollar from it's other retailers promising a "destination center" and used the stats as a selling point. Funny, Walmart is not a destination store, nor have any of the other tenants DDR attracted as a result. Urban mix and destination that adds value to a community, provide economic boom to a city and creates a "destination" for residents and visitors must start with landlords, developers and real estate agents. For Pine Avenue to be successful, we need a mix of unique retailers, along with a small peppering of well known retail brands. To create a destination, one must have a truly unique experience they cannot find in another city down the road. Retailing has to be a GREAT experience. Pine Ave cannot be just restaurants. When you finish eating…you go home. That’s the problem. No window shopping, no unique shops to go to afterwards, no unique experiences to keep you there. That problem was created by the landlords, developers and the real estate industry. So instead of having buildings full of tenants that they eventually could raise their rent over those 10 years, they’ve had ten years of vacancies. Greed…they cut their nose off in spite of their face. For those reader’s who want to remember fondly of the unique destination store from 1999 to 2007, that Long Beach once had and Pine Avenue turned away, my store was Toto’s Revenge. No lie, our customers came from Santa Barbara to San Diego just to shop there. Three year’s later,literally hundreds of former customers wo run into me still fanatically yell out in public or walk through crowds to get my attention, “Toto’s Revenge! I miss you!”. There is an actual science to retail. It’s been studied by universities and strategically used by corporations. It appeals to basic human behaviors...pleasure. The retail experience is just one of those attributes. Realtors and landlords would do themselves good if they were to understand the science first, before the money. If that were to happen, we all would win.

Sleepless on 2nd
Maybe the Naples folks don't want KC's to have a liquor license because they are pals with whoever owns Crow's one door away... just guessing. If Gary wants to know where the rowdies are from, all he has to do is go up the street to the parking lot behind Belmont Station (now Evo) any Fri/Sat at 1AM. Ask the screaming drunks waking my family up which bar they staggared out of.

Julee
Wow! We REALLY miss Toto's. It really was a destination and a fun place to shop. Wish you would open it again.

lbresident
garry bowie, great post. please go to councilman garcia's office immediately and share your thoughts. He seems to be smart and a good advocate for downtown and would probably appreciate your insight.

Resident
Garry Bowie, any plans to bring your store back?

beachdude
Shoes on a wire: These have a purpose - to let drug buyers know where to go. Good research on that one////Naples Pub: The way the council works, the councilmember for that district pretty much gets to decide whether to protest an ABC license. The other councilmembers just went along with Gary DeLOng, that way he'll go along with them later. They never cross council district lines to mess with each other's stuff. PINE AV: You're right - what PIne needs is commerce, not benches and street repairs. So go to the meetings Garcia's having and have your say. L8R

jan
I'd go to Pine more often if I wouldn't be confronted by so many homeless.

Paul
Pine Avenue will never make it big as the City promotes itself as a homeless destination. If you disagree, look at the plans to bus in mentally ill homeless from County wide locations to Long Beach. These people will congregate along the LA River and other hangouts, such as the Ocean Av.Bridge. Then they will be in the Downtown area and the Multi Service Center. Robert does not get it, just as Bonnie Lowenthal did not get it. People with a few bucks to spend don't want to rub elbows with the down trodden. Make up your mind Long Beach. Both ways do not work and have not worked. So we will look everywhere, but not at the face of the problem.

Keith H
As always, thanks to everyone for the comments. First, to Mr. Bowie, your analysis of the Pine Ave. situation is as sharp as your eponymous knife. In the short space I had, I was merely trying to point out what I have for many years--that trying to deal with the Pine Ave. situation with ill thought out band-aid projects has only led to a massive waste of taxpayer money that could better have been spent on a well thought out strategy many years ago. And, I admit, I also miss Toto's Revenge. Second, to Mr. Beachdude, actually, I did do my research on the "shoes on a wire." Here's what you will find if you try to research it: a lot of comments from people saying that the shoes are there for a multitude of reasons, including drugs, pranks, etc., but not a single shred of evidence or official law enforcement comment that "shoes on a wire" mean drug dealing or gang activity. I did find statements from several local officials seeking to clean up this "blight" over the years, including former LA Mayor James Hahn, that simply repeats the correlation but offers no evidence. The unofficial word of some LBPD folks is that in some situations, this may be either true (and even then it may depend on the brand of shoe) or simply a coincidence (i.e., a drug dealing location just happens to have shoes hanging on a wire nearby). But beyond this, let's use some common sense. Shoes on a wire have been common since widespread electrification and telephone service was brought into cities. That's more than 80 years. That's a long time for the various (and competing) criminal organizations to use a single and easily recognizable symbol to indicate exactly where they are committing a crime. If it were truly this universal as a gang or drug signal (shoes on a wires seem to appear just as commonly in urban and rural areas), and so widely known by the general populace (do a google search on "shoes on a wire"), doesn't it also make sense that the police would know as well? And this little tell-tale clue would seem to be an easy way to focus police activity and nab all those evil shoe-throwing gang members and drug dealers. Show me some evidence and I'll buy it. And, honestly, I have no problem with removing the shoes--I only take exception when the citizenry's natural fears are played upon to sell them a bill of goods, without evidence. A bill of goods that is paid for by taxpayer dollars just so an elected official can cozy up to a podium at some later date to say, "I did something." There are real problems out there, friends--serious problems that should be much much higher on our elected officials lists of things to spend the taxpayers money on.

Ranzie Claxton
I think it is stupid to spend money on Pine Street Sidewalks at this time. LB should first complete even one of the many redelopement projects on the drafting table in the area first, such as "The Art Exchange." It would bring in more people and revitalize the image of LB far more than lip service about the "Art Community." Widening the sidewalks and putting in a few more trees to look at conjested traffic (while drinking cafe au lait) is not going to do anything to revitalize the image of LB as a bill board art community, with a boring Walmart Shopping aesthetic.

John Greet
Hi Mr H. With respect you oversimplify Wilson and Kelling's "Broken Windows" theory, the main thusts of which are: blight that is not addressed begets more blight, which begets crime and, that residents in any given community need to take greater pride in living there and assume a more active role in combating blight and, in doing so, fighting crime. The theory doesn't address petty criminals graduating to more serious crimes at all. Regardless of whether shoes-on-a-wire indicate specific drug or gang locations or not (and with now almost 30 years in law enforcement, I remain personally dubious on that) the fact remains that their presence contributes to blight in a neighborhood and should be addressed. They should be removed as soon as they appear for the same reason that graffiti should be removed as soon as IT appears, because some shoes attract more and those encourage littering and graffiti and building disrepair and those conditions begin to create a perception of fear and that cause people to withdraw from others in the neighborhood, which contributes to the perception that crime is increasing, which contributes to convincing good people to move away. Bad people replace them and eventually, if left unchecked, the entire sad momentum results in a sort of self-fulfilling prophesy of blight and crime that all had its beginnings with seemingly innocuous conditions like shoes on a wire. THAT's the main thrust of the Broken Windows theory and, to my knowledge it has never been academically disproven and, in my personal and admittedly anecdotal experience has proven itself to be very true, time and time and time again. Another aspect of this, though, is whether City government should assume the responsibility to remove these shoes-on-a-wire. The wires are owned by utility companies that, in my view, should be working together to underwrite the costs of shoe removal. As to who should do it...if a safe means can be devised to do so, we *all* should be remving them whenever they appear in our own neighborhoods. If we were all taking responsibility for this aspect of bligght in our own neighborhoods I think Wilson and Kelling would be very proud indeed!

lbresident
I don't think these improvements to the pine streetscape are a bad idea. They will make for a better experience. But they are incremental. To really get Pine moving we need to reconfigure the breakwater, find a way to get an anchor retail (preferably department) store to bring the east lb residents from el dorado park, etc into downtown to shop, and continue to attract people to the newly built higher end condos.

Dave in Alamitos Beach
As a general rule, I don't have a problem with a city fixing up the infrastructure/sidewalks because I think that is important. BUT I don't know if Pine Avenue is the place that needs it the most. I think it already looks pretty good, it's just empty. I would concentrate on filling the empty block of The Promenade, and then promoting the actual, well, promenading around there. I've lived in LB for a decade and have never been on that street. Pine Avenue should be more interested in actually giving away years of free rent (yes I'm serious) to anyone willing to give it a shot. Also, they should turn the movie theaters into art theaters or discount theaters, rather than the overpriced and, frankly, icky ones they are now. And to the people still complaining about Wal-Mart, well, yes it's tacky and cheap, but it works. And I like the fact that the downmarket stores are sort of tucked away from Pine & the Promenade. It allows those areas to go more upscale or at least boutique. You can't blame CityPlace for Pine Avenue I don't think. But ultimately? The solution is to fix the beach as best we can. Everyone loves a city by the sea where you feel safe AND clean, or at least not toxic.

Garry Bowie
Dave in Alamitos Beach brings up a great idea about Pine and giving free rent away. In fact, the world's most successful shopping center is nearly 60 years old. Run by the Segerstrom Family, it is studied extensively by urban planners, developers and cities around the world. The Segerstrom's support unique retail by sometime giving them free rent for a year but in return the retailer must be unique, able to pay the high rent, have experts to guide them to success and realize that their rent is limited to 5 years. Segerstrom also have name brand chains. But the mix and strategy has ensured nearly 60 years of endless success and billions of dollars of tax base to the city over those years. As far as Walmart, again, plenty of University studies to show cities suffer in many ways where a Walmart is built.

Joseph E
Unfortunately, Pine Avenue is not a private mall with only one landlord, so there is no incentive for the landowners to give away rent for free. It is quite true that one or two empty storefronts quickly drag down foot traffic and hurt the whole shopping district. That's why suburban mall work so hard to keep every spot full, and why they sometimes fail catastrophically. Urban areas with lots of residents and businesses within walking distance can better withstand a few bad years. But that means the landlords are apt to hold out for a better tenant, such as a restaurant able to pay high rents. With leases often 10 or 15 years long, letting a storefront stay empty for 5 years can be a better financial decision for one landowner than it would be to lease to a cheaper store in a down market. Unfortunately, such decisions made by many landlords lead to an empty shopping district. To solve this problem, the city government could offer tax incentives to landlords that actually leased to a tenant, even at a lower price. A better long-term solution would be to change from property taxes to land value taxes. Currently, if you build a nice new office building on an empty, garbage-strewn lot, your property tax goes up 100 times or or more. A land value tax would only tax the value of the land itself, not the buildings or improvements that business bring. So landowners would have every incentive to improve their property; why pay tax on empty land? The land value tax should be exempted for farms and rural areas (where it could be harmful) but would be great for downtowns and other areas needing redevelopment and investment, where property taxes can be a perverse incentive to sit on empty land or empty storefronts.

Downtown D
I don't understand the desparation to eliminate the breakwater. It isn't the answer to any problems and don't people realize that L.B. is a south facing beach which won't ever provide the breakers like Hungtington Beach? And a revenue generator? Surfers aren't big money spenders as they just want to surf and leave. Charging big bucks for them to park isn't going to help the general fund that much either because the ongoing waves won't be big enough to attract that many people.

Kenny
I think Garry's posts are some of the most intelligent ones I've seen in a while. I agree with LB resident you need to get in touch with Robert Garcia he needs your help. To Downtown D, reconfiguring the breakwater isn't about attracting surfers it's about attracting tourists and getting our beach back. Right now we have some sand and some water, but not a beach.

City Beat

Keith Higginbotham takes you inside City Hall and reports weekly on the decisions being made.

Keith Higginbotham is a freelance journalist and writer who most recently served as the West Coast editor for the trade magazine American Shipper, covering the shipping and logistics industries. Prior to this, he served as the Advertising and Multimedia Manager for the Port of Long Beach. He began his journalism career more than a decade ago as the Trade and Transportation beat reporter at the Long Beach Press-Telegram.