Speaker 1: That's item 20. Communication from Councilwoman Gonzalez. Councilwoman Mango. Councilman Austin. Recommendation to direct public works to provide the City Council with various elements for a Safe Alleyways Improvement plan.
Speaker 0: So a staff report.
Speaker 6: We have no problem waiting to hear direction.
Speaker 4: That being me. That's okay. Well, hopefully they'll be a staff report that comes back very soon about this. So my intention with this, as many who live all over the city, this is a citywide plan, of course. Oftentimes you've heard of alleyways that have not been very safe in a multitude of different ways. So whether it's not having any pavement at all, having dirt alleys, having very bad shaped alleys, pavement is really bad. Lots of potholes or having areas where there is no lighting. And so in the First District, we actually were able to find a couple areas in the Wilmore City area that did not have any. They had Edison Poles, but no lights in them. So we were able to get lights there. And this is a plan that we've talked about. I know it's about six and a half years ago working in the Wilmore area, we walked the area is we were able to find ten quarts in ways that were in bad shape . And I remember we we were able to repave two of them, which is great. I know this is very costly. I know that the study when it comes back may be very costly. I also know that, you know, working with Edison, of course, getting a study back to find out which alleyways have in need, lights would be costly, but I still want the information. So we have some sort of plan to go off of. Should we have funding or should we have an opportunity for grants or what the opportunity may be? And so I really want to thank my council colleagues, Mongo and Austin, for jumping on board on this item. I think it's really important as we look at infrastructure holistically. I think our courts in ways that have often been forgotten and I know that we used to have funding for this back in 2006, I believe, of course, because of lack of funding. Now, we don't have that opportunity to look at our courts and ways or alleys as as we did before. We always pave sidewalks, streets. They're more highly utilized. But there are some areas that front some alleyways, that front homes. And so these are people's homes. This is they walk out into the alleyways, into the courts in ways and this is their what they see every single day. So I look forward to getting information back what we had proposed and what I had talked about with our public works director. We're very sad you're leaving. We're going to keep saying that. When I spoke with him, we had talked about a potential plan that could mean that it would be phased. So the first phase, looking at dirt alleys, so alleyways that do not have anything at all. Secondly, alleys that have very poor pavement, low PCI. And then thirdly, I proposed also looking at, as I mentioned, alleyways that need lighting. And so that's what I have here. I'll look forward to hearing back as to what we are. We can do what is possible for timeframe as well. I know this is a huge undertaking. It may take a year or so, but at least we have a plan in place. So again, thank you for your openness for for looking at this and of course, my council colleagues for jumping on board again.
Speaker 0: So Mr. City Manager, was there any comment from staff?
Speaker 6: We could certainly come back very quickly with a two from for a report to the city council to respond to that. How much things would what we can do immediately? I'll talk to the public works director on what he's been chatting with District one, what we can do immediately, but certainly things like a pavement management index, an analysis of poles that can accept lighting, those could be expensive and take some time. But we can also take a look at what we can do immediately and perhaps, you know, where our dirt alleys are and all that. So but we can definitely get a report back quickly and tell us how much this could cost and how long it could take. And also, I do want to point out that I believe next week it's December 15th. I believe we're coming back with an infrastructure report. And during that infrastructure report to the city council, we'll make sure we highlight alleys, causeways and lighting.
Speaker 0: Okay. And we have several council members that are queued up. Councilwoman Mongo.
Speaker 1: Yes. I am very pleased that we are going to look at this. I think it's really important that when we talk about our assets and liabilities that we take into consideration all components. Throughout history, there have been variances in whose responsibility certain things throughout the city are, be it our sidewalks and other types of community assets. And I think that knowing and understanding what options we have available will only be possible once we know those costs and have a full report. And I think that a study that brings that information to the council will then allow us to have the opportunity to potentially prioritize that over the next several years and or decades, depending on what that number comes back out. So I'm really looking forward to this and I think it's a great a great opportunity. There's definitely a variance. I know that when I lived in the seventh District, I lived on an alley that was a concrete alley, and all of the neighbors had back lighting and it worked out really great. But in the fifth District, some of the alleys that we have adjacent to Long Beach City College are. At one time asphalt, but on the near end of dirt at this point and have no lighting. And so and while we are doing everything we can in the meantime through coalitions of neighborhood associations that are working hard to help neighbors unite for motion detecting lights and the such, I think that a comprehensive review of what we have in what areas of the city and then for us as a community to be able to prioritize I think is great. So thank you very much and I hope that the Council will support this item.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Councilman Austin.
Speaker 15: Thank you. And I want to thank Councilmember Gonzalez and Mongo for bringing this forth. I was happy to sign on to this agenda item, as are many of my colleagues experience. I mean, we we hear from residents who are eager to get their alleys fixed. And it's we're we're in a very difficult position when we tell our residents or we have to respond that, you know, our allies are a lower priority than streets and sidewalks. It's a it's a matter of resources and a lack of resources to address our infrastructure needs in this city. And I'm hopeful that we can get to that larger conversation at a later time. I know the legislators in Sacramento are looking at funding options to bring monies for streets and sidewalks or streets and for local streets. I think it's a it's important for us to have this information to at least know that when we do have the opportunity, we can we can move forward. We have a plan. And I think it's reassuring to many of our residents that that we're not forgetting about these important issues that are important to them. Allies in the safety of our allies are extremely important. And I'm glad that you brought this forward. We look forward to hearing back from the city manager.
Speaker 0: Councilwoman Pryce.
Speaker 4: Thank you. I, too, would like to thank my colleagues for bringing this item forward. I think it's a very good conversation for us to have. I do expect that the study will be expensive and the alternatives will be expensive, but I think that it's important to have that data as we move forward and we plan, and I'm fairly certain that the study is going to reveal that we have a lot of work to do in the area of ALS. But again, having that data I think will help us be able to plan for the future and think a little bit more strategically about how we're allocating our resources. So I'm all in favor of it. And the third district, we have a lot of neighborhoods that have primary access to the homes through alleys. And we've done, although not very frequently just today, we have participated in the past and are currently doing some cost sharing measures with our residents to try to fix some of the most vital alley issues that have flooding and other issues that are associated with the alley. So I think this is an important area for us to study. And I want to thank my colleagues for bringing this forward. And I look forward to receiving the cost of a detailed study, but also some general data that can be provided to us through the infrastructure report that would give us some guidance in regards to what the potential costs associated with fixing some of our most critical alleys might be so that we can plan ahead. So thank you very much. I'm supportive of this item.
Speaker 12: Councilman Andrews Yes, thank you very much, Vice Mayor. I also want to thank Councilwoman Gonzalez for bringing this item forward to improve, you know, all areas. But this is a tremendous need in my district, especially, you know, along with paving. And and there are a few alleys that are so crime ridden that these alleys that have no purpose. So I would like to add an amendment to the plan to include some of the closure, some of these alleys, especially with those are ones with high crime situations. So ask of that, if you like. You know, Mrs. Gonzalez. If it's possible.
Speaker 4: I think this was more so just an inventory of the allies first. But I think that once we get that information back, I mean, I wouldn't I know closure of the alleys takes a little bit more. I think it has private property involvement. So there's a little bit more detail. But what I would suggest is that when it comes back, perhaps we could look at those specific alleys that you might be talking about and and see how we can fit it in the plan as to what we can do to close them if that is an option.
Speaker 12: I appreciate that very much. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Councilmember Durango.
Speaker 2: Thank you, base mayor. When it comes to alleys, I have one name that I need to throw out there. Kathy. Kathy lives in West Long Beach. Kathy has been is an 80 year old woman who has been struggling with her, Ali, for the last 40 years. It's a dirt alley. She gets a lot of infringement from people who just park out there and do their nefarious things. They have she has people who now are coming to create the homeless encampment in back in the back of her alley. And I know I spoke it with her, with Mr. Malloy and before about Kathy. He knows well about the situation, and the response has always been the same. We don't fund for Alice. So I want to thank Councilmember Gonzalez and Mongo for bringing this forward. This is a study that is long, long, long, long overdue. And I'm looking forward to the results of it, because as a consumer, Andrews has already stated these are magnets for crime. They're poorly lit. They're poorly policed, if at all. And we do need to look at ways that we can clean up that that part of our infrastructure to make it safer for our communities and for our neighbors. And I know that in the third district, it is true a lot of those alleys are used as entryways into house homes. So I think this would be a study that would be very welcome and I strongly support it as well.
Speaker 0: Thank you, Councilmember Councilmember Richardson.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Vice Mayor. And I want to thank my colleagues as well for bringing this forward. Alleys have always been sort of a sore point in each of our districts. And the answer to the common question of when my alley is going to be paved, the answer of we don't have an alley paving program isn't going to last much longer. I think I think it's smart to look at studying the issue first and understanding what that takes to evaluate it the right way. I think that's the right way to go and we'll figure out the resources later. We've taken things on before when we didn't have the resources, but we were able to really figure out a strategy to make it happen. Additionally, you know, we figured out how to get an alley paved here there. But you'd be surprised how many residents are willing to step up and figure out local strategies to get their their alleys paved. So I want to make sure that, you know, we after we do this study, we make we go ahead and complete that thought by having a conversation about innovative ways to fund infrastructure programs that we don't have resources for. So thank you again to my colleagues for bringing this forward, and I'll be in support.
Speaker 0: Thank you. And I have some comments as well. And I know we may have members of the public that might want to address council on this item. And I'd like to thank staff and I'd like to thank Councilwoman Gonzales especially for raising the issue. This is certainly something that affects all of us in our districts. I have to admit to you, I did not know we had dirt alleys in the United States until I ran for office in the second District. I have 14. I had 14 of them. And the reason for my shock is, as many of you know, I was born in India, where you are accustomed to seeing dirt alleys and chickens coming down the alleys. But that's the beauty of our democracy. We do hit the streets and walk our neighborhoods and we're able to see that. And so I think each of us is pretty intimately familiar with all of the alleys and corners and streets in our district. And so out of 14 over the years, with our one time funding, we've been able to, in the second district pave nine of them. And it doesn't seem like a lot. Why does it take that much time to do nine? And that's because it costs anywhere. And staff can correct me between 400 and $600,000. Well, actually, 400, $600,000. The cost to survey, I think the conditions. But paving alleys is very expensive. And so I have five remaining and I put that out there. Mr. Milloy, and I know you are aware of that, as well as all of the ones in each of our districts. And as it's been said here before, I think Councilmember Gonzalez and other councilmembers have mentioned the properties that are adjacent to dirt alleys or severely damaged alleys. It's an ongoing frustration to worry about for various reasons. You worry about your garage, flooding for improper drainage, the damage to your fence due to cars, the large potholes. And for some of our residents, their front door is right there. And so you are tracking in a lot of dirt. I don't know if those are the conditions that are in all of our districts where we may have dirt alleys. But when it's your front door, it's it's it's incredibly difficult to avoid tracking in what is in the alley into your home. So we've been fortunate enough to use one time funds to pave nine of the 14 dirt alleys a few years ago. We're looking at what we can pave this coming year, but there are five remaining. And I do think we need to be a city that is able to identify sources of funding for street repair, infrastructure repair. And as I have said, probably for the last several state of the second district, during the last several state of the district comments, it's a conversation that we really have to have with the larger community, the larger city, the residents. Here is how do we plan for infrastructure repair and restoration? Not so much new things, but repair and restoration of what we have. And that's that's a partnership and a conversation we need to have with the entire city residents, all our residents. And so I think that's something that we'll have to have an honest conversation about. I appreciate that. Our city manager indicates he will come back to us with what the cost of the survey may be and also what the sources of funding are. And and Mr. West, in doing so, I think we also need to give this Council an idea of what the entire city's cost is going to be. We're all representing individual districts, but truthfully, we're all concerned about how will we pay for the five in the second and however many may be in all of the others. It's our collective responsibility. We don't just limit ourselves to navigate our own districts. So I deeply care about how all of this would be taken care of across our city, not just in the second and not just in a few particular districts. And so I'm hopeful that this is the start of a larger, longer and very earnest conversation about what it will take to ensure that our infrastructure is able to sustain the activity that we have today, the residents that we have today, and perhaps the residents that we may grow to become as a city down the road. Thank you. And with that, I'd like to turn this over to the public. Any members of the public that would like to come forward and address council.
Speaker 12: Larry Kirk has the address. I want to make sure that we address the Peel Way and the southern half of payola away, i.e. that from the pay gate, the toll gate down to the end. It is that road is has long been on the list. It cannot be repaired. It must be according to the city and correctly so, rebuilt. Period. It is beyond repair. And I've always felt that a legal and moral justification could be used to using tidelands funds for that, since that road is heavily used by those that come to use the Marine Stadium by accident or by design. And right now it's cracked. I myself. That. Still myself, probably about five or six times on a bike. Tires getting caught in the in the cement cracks. But the residents. Houses get flooded when it rains so bad is the alley because they've got great big trees that are taking up or lifting up the concrete and the asphalt . And the city looked at it and it would be a sheer waste of money. The asphalt, it literally has to be rebuilt. Period. And that should be, I would hope, on the top of the list by virtue of the fact that he's used 365 days a year. By members of the public, bringing in their vehicles, the heavy trucks. They're the the towing vehicles. Sometimes by accident, sometimes times by design. So for us, I think it's it makes sense to do that. So make sure that's on that list. Thank you.
Speaker 0: Thank you. Any other public comment? Kate, seeing none members has been motion and a second for item 20. Please cast your vote.
Speaker 1: Motion carries.
Speaker 0: Thank you. And if we can go back to. Item 21.
Speaker 1: Communication from Councilwoman Gonzalez. Councilmember Ranga recommendation to join by signing the amicus brief prepared and filed by Cities United for Immigration Action.
Recommendation to direct Public Works to provide the City Council with various elements for a "Safe Alleyways Improvement Plan" with the following: 

·	Cost estimate of a potential plan that could be implemented, similar to Pavement Management Plan; 

·	Create a preliminary plan that would prioritize the worst alleyways in the city (for ex: Phase 1: dirt alleyways Phase 2: worst PCI alleyways, etc.); 

·	Include identifying lighting opportunities for existing Edison poles; and

·	Time estimate as to when the study could be completed.