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 Already, at 8:00am on a bright Tuesday morning, it was a beautiful
day in Bob Foster's Long Beach. I waited at a bus
stop on 2nd Street & Marina for his
electricity-powered Toyota to come whirring by, so
we could hop on the Passport and spend the day
making Long Beach a better place.
Two years into his term, and with two more to go, Mayor Foster is
starting to face the issues and decisions that may
define his legacy when we look back, years from now.
He's aware of this but insists he doesn't spend time
thinking about it. His positions are based on the
good that can be done for the city, not himself.
When Mayor Foster and staff arrive at the bus stop, we're both clad
in black, and glad to escape the harsh sun. We board
the Passport that will guide us on the scenic drive
down Ocean Boulevard. I open up my bag of questions
for the day by asking about the initial decision to
run for Mayor over two years ago. He answers
sincerely and from the heart – the sense you get
whenever he's speaking – but gazes out the window
from time to time as his city rolls by, as if
searching for ways to improve what he sees.
The Mayor is at his best when discussing real, gritty city issues.
He does not enjoy fluffy questions and shies away
from talking about himself. This is not something I
knew, but it was obvious early on in our
conversation that he's most comfortable talking
about ways to help and improve the city.
Video:
A Day With The Mayor
We're not even to the Belmont Pier when the topic of the Mayor's
$571 million bond proposal to make necessary
improvements to the city's infrastructure comes up.
It's an ambitious vision – needless to say – to
better Long Beach as a whole, not section by
section. Improvements will be approved based on
need, he insists. One of Mayor Foster's grandest
visions is to change the culture of thinking from
district-to-district, to that of one large community
that works together.
"If there's a problem with crime above Del Amo, that's a problem
for the whole city," he gives as an example. "Not
just that area."
The point is that all Long Beach residents may not be the same, but
they all live in the same city. The bond may not
benefit everyone equally, but it will benefit
everyone.
The plan deserves a chance, he says,
acutely aware that it is probably the one thing that people will
point to when defining his work as Mayor. But Mayor
Foster insists that of greater concern to him is
that the plan changes Long Beach by making all
residents feel connected to each other, a part of
the same neighborhood. While a fixed pothole on
Anaheim Street may not mean much to a resident in
Naples, it will create pride in that community that
contributes to greater pride in the city. That's why
the plan is so expansive – and expensive – covering
everything from storm drains and sewers to streets,
building repairs, parks and recreation, community
centers, etc.
The city's "bones," he calls them.
He's still gathering support, but says positive feedback has come
from the community and the City Council, who hold
the bond's future in their hands. Mayor Foster is
optimistic but there's a hint of worry in his voice.
"All it needs is a chance to go to the voters," he says, looking
out the window at the city's skeleton.
A lovely older couple take the seats across from us, and wait
patiently for our conversation to end before
wondering if the Mayor has time for a question of
their own.
"I didn't do it," laughs the Mayor, throwing his hands up in the
air.
"Well," the woman counters, "Why not?"
Bested by an old lady on a bus, Mayor Foster lets out a hearty
laugh and commends her quip, plopping down next to
her.
"Do you have an opinion on the breakwater?" she wonders.
The Mayor and I had just gone over the issue as we gazed out at the
structure that has caused such a ruckus in its
lifetime, but he's glad to discuss it with her, and
does so with more energy and insight than he had
just a few minutes before.
He's often stopped on the street, he
later tells me, and is asked to attend this function or help that
cause. But more than he anticipated, people on the
street will press him on an issue and challenge his
stance. Like I said earlier, this is when the Mayor
is at his best, thriving when challenged to explain
his position.
And so the best interview of the day is
conducted by an older lady on the bus, on their way to
the art museum downtown with her husband. The
conversation is cut short when we reach their stop,
but heartfelt goodbyes are exchanged and Mayor
Foster looks out the window, watching as they walk
together down Ocean Boulevard.
Video:
A Walk Down Pine
We reach the bus stop on Pine and are exposed to the sunlight
again. It's grown more potent. The Mayor's Chief of
Staff, Becki Ames, is the day's sheepdog, corralling
us down Pine towards the opening of a new affordable
housing complex on 5th and Elm Street.
"Elm Street?" asks the Mayor. "You know that's several blocks,
right?"
Sweaty though we may be, the walk gives the Mayor time to explain
another of his visions for the city: its place in
the minds of Southern Californians. I recall a Los
Angeles Times story – coincidentally about the
Mayor's clean trucks plan – that referred to Long
Beach as "home to the Queen Mary for the past forty
years," and Mayor Foster winces.
Many people outside of Long Beach, he surmises, think of the city
as a Navy town overrun with tattoo parlors. Crime is
also a perceived issue. He worries that Long Beach
still exists in the shadow of Los Angeles, and
Southern Californians will always think of it as
such. They may not know about the downtown area
nightlife and other attractions. The city has to do
its part, the Mayor says, to change the perception.
We continue walking and are making surprisingly good time, so a
stop at Starbucks is in order. A young woman sits on
the bench outside with her puppy, which immediately
commands attention from everyone in the group.
Apparently a sucker for a pooch, Mayor Foster
quickly befriends the pair, who explain that a
downtown apartment can be a little too cramped for
an energetic pup.
The Mayor takes the opportunity to
talk about the new dog park that will be constructed
on the Westside sometime this summer. Neither the
dog nor its owner had knowledge of this, and
excitedly promise to pay the park a visit.
Video: Dedication of the Clifford Beers Housing Complex
A round of coffees later, we say goodbye to new friends – "That dog
is all legs!" Mayor Foster says – and continue on to
the Clifford Beers Housing complex that will provide
affordable apartments to low-income residents with
mental health issues. It's a soft spot for the
Mayor, who makes the desperate need for housing a
priority in his city – overrun by overcrowding.
The
complex is the second of its kind to be opened in
less than a week, the 17-unit Clifford Beers on Elm
joining the 64-unit Puerto Del Sol next to Cesar
Chavez Park.
Seventeen units may not sound like a lot, but we arrive at the site
to an enormous crowd that has gathered to witness
the Clifford Beers opening. New resident James Brown
talks about his struggles with homelessness, and
thankfulness that he is finally able to find a new
apartment that he can afford.
Another reads a poem
she wrote while homeless, dreaming of the perfect
place to call her own, that she can now point to and
live in. We take a tour upstairs of 52-year-old
Alberto Cano's apartment, which he still has trouble
believing belongs to him. "It's just about perfect
for me," he says.
Mayor Foster takes to the podium and calls the occasion a great day
for Long Beach.
"This reflects on who we are and what we want to become," he tells
the crowd. "We need to do a lot more of this,
because we know how difficult it is to find housing
in our city."
Between thanking sponsors and people who made the event possible,
the Mayor diverts from his script and once again
speaks genuinely and from the heart about Brown's
speech, calling it "a success story, a great story,
a heartwarming story and actually an inspiring
story."
"This is what people in cities need to do. They have to look
around, and there are people with special needs that
need a helping hand, and with just one little help
they can actually become self-sufficient."
Applause.
He takes his place next to Vice-Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal, among
developers and financiers, holding giant scissors to
cut the ribbon and announce the opening of the
complex as elated new residents gladly take us on
tours of their new home.
Smiles and handshakes, and
the Mayor retreats to attend a birthday party for
one of his staffers. It's not even time for lunch,
and the Mayor hops into the electric Toyota for what
will be his fourth appointment of the day.
Video:
A Roundtable Discussion
Awhile later, I meet three other LBPOST.com writers – experts in their fields –
on the 14th floor of City Hall, in a meeting room
directly adjacent to the Mayor's office, and across
the floor from all nine City Councilmembers' desks.
As Long Beach reaches the halfway point in Bob
Foster's term as mayor, there is much to reflect on
and much to look forward to. We've assembled a team
to discuss the major issues of his term with him.
Nancy Pfeffer
Author of the Moving Green column,
will ask about environmental issues, an impending
lawsuit against the city due to the Mayor's proposed
Clean Trucks Plan, and the ever-important Port of
Long Beach.
Brian Ulazsewski
Author of the Design in Place
column, will discuss design in the city both
aesthetic and functional, the integration of
sustainable resources in the Mayor's bond plan, and
ask the Mayor for his addition to the popular Worst
Decisions In Long Beach History list.
Dennis Smith
Author of the My Front Porch column,
will ask questions based on the same decision
process he uses when constructing his columns:
however he feels at the moment, with a focus on city
policy and finances.
The 14th floor provides a spectacular view of downtown Long Beach,
the Pike, Port, and Pacific Ocean. It also provides
a great view of the roof of the Civic Center and
library, which was designed to house a flourishing
rooftop garden and relaxing getaway, but is now
gated off and resembles a desert.
One symbol of the
untapped potential for greatness that the city
seemingly suffers from. A small scale symbol, but a
related one nonetheless.
The Mayor's office provides a grand view of nearly the entire city.
We join him as he returns from lunch and more
meetings, and he points to sports memorabilia he won
at auctions and shows us the correct way to shake
salad in a plastic container.
But, as I said
earlier, the Mayor is at his best discussing policy
and ways to improve the city.
This is what we've
come to discover, and he's happy to oblige. |
