Long Beach : Residents Argue to Keep Programs From Budget Ax

Agencies that serve the elderly or people with disabilities and the Office of Neighborhood and Historic Preservation should be spared the ax when Long Beach adopts its 1992-93 budget, residents told officials Tuesday.

In the second of three public hearings to discuss efforts to balance next year’s budget, about 12 residents appealed to the City Council to protect their special interests from the $8.3 million in proposed budget cuts.

The budget submitted by City Manager James C. Hankla proposed eliminating the preservation office and cutting $450,000 from social service agencies. However, Mayor Ernie Kell told residents he has since restored those programs in the budget being reviewed by the council.

“Preservation is a tool for building a humane city,” said Pam Seager, president of the Long Beach Heritage Coalition and a proponent of maintaining the preservation office. “We’ve got to preserve that older building stock.”

Other speakers protested the mayor’s proposed 3.6% increase in slip fees for boats docked in the Long Beach Marina, and the president of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce advised the council to nurture the local airport to help improve area businesses.