RPV Councilman Tom Long

At its November 4th meeting the council selected a new waste hauler, EDCO, that will result in a significant savings over current rates. In contrast, the current hauler had proposed a large increase even though service will be automated and once a week. The new hauler comes with the highest quality rating of all the bidders. Nonetheless, I won't sugar coat the decision. It was not the best decision the council could have made. The lowest bidder also had a high quality rating, was recommended by our staff and currently serves Palos Verdes Estates. Had we selected the lowest bidder residents would have saved another $1 million per year during the contract term. The 3-2 decision (Coucilmember Stern and I dissented) does not represent the council's best work. But the result is still a good one and residents will have improved service at a lower cost.

The election season is over and two new councilmembers, Anthony Misetich and Brian Campbell, will be sworn in at the first meeting on the first Tuesday in December at Hesse Park. As always the public is invited and encouraged to attend. Mayor Clark and Councilmember Dyda will be leaving the council at that time.

I have had a chance to speak with Mr. Campbell and I think he will bring great energy and enthusiasm to the job. He is an excellent listener and has a strong interest in the issues facing the city. I hope to speak to Mr. Misetich soon as well. In any event I remember as a new councilmember some difficulty getting good committee assignments. I am determined that our new members not face the same problem. In two years they will be the senior leaders on the council and therefore responsible for the policy direction of the city. We must start planning for this change now through committee assignments, among other things.

The election brought us quite a fragmented result, and admittedly a result I did not prefer. But none of the candidates campaigned on platforms seeking any significant policy changes from the council's current direction. Over the last 6 years since I was elected in 2003 (and starting before then as well), we raised the user fee, kept the utility users tax and dramatically increased spending on storm drains and streets, fixing things before they broke. The McCarroll Canyon repair is recognized as an award winning project among public engineers. We applied for and obtained large federal and state grants to buy and preserve a total of 2 square miles of open space, the largest coastal open space preserve north of San Diego and south of the Santa Monica mountains. We minimized the city's liabilities in suits brought by developers (no city money has been paid to developers in judgments or settlements) and we continue to defend those suits as appropriate. These steps helped our properties hold their value and preserved our way of life. I don't think anyone seeks to undo these steps.

Four of us on the current council have been together for the last 6 years. We have instilled a new set of values. Prior councils were often passive in responding to the city's problems. In contrast, we have been proactive and we asked what it would take to do the job right--e.g. keep our streets and storm drains in proper repair--and then tried to get there. A good definition of "leadership" is "getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve." (credit to Tom Landry). RPV's council has shown good leadership over the years and I hope and I am convinced we will continue to do so.

Tom Long
Councilmember, Rancho Palos Verdes

October 31 , 2009

RPV Update Election 2009

Dear RPV Residents:

I recently advised you about deceptive last minute mailers in our council election. Mr. Misetich appears on both of those mailers and is listed as paying for them. You can see the mailers at http://www.palosverdes.com/tomlong/index.cfm?go=election2009

Mr. Campbell appears on one mailer and is also listed as paying for it. Mr. Campbell called me and indicated that this is not accurate and that he did not grant his permission for that mailer to use his name and did not pay for it. Campbell told me that he agrees that these mailers are inappropriate. I appreciate Mr. Campbell providing this clarifying information and I take him at his word.

Tom Long
Councilmember, Rancho Palos Verdes

RPV Trash Pickup; Legalize Marijuana?

Dear RPV Residents,

Waste Hauling Contract

I just attended a meeting at city hall this morning (Saturday October 31st) to learn about the responses to the city's RFP for waste hauling. The council may decide the issue of who the waste hauler will be for 7 years starting July 1, 2010 at the next meeting. The next meeting will be 7 PM at Hesse park on Wednesday November 4th (council does not hold meetings on election nights). The bids range widely. Waste Management bid such a high increase that its price would be about double the price of the low bidder. The low bidder would save the average household about $130 per year off current rates. The low bidder is the current hauler for Palos Verdes Estates. There is a second hauler that also bid a significant decrease. All bidders seem to have good references, customer ratings and financial ratings. You can provide input to the council by attending the meeting or by e-mailing cc@rpv.com The waste hauling contract is one of the most important contracts the city enters into.

Council Election

Unfortunately misleading last minute mailers sometimes come out. People are tempted to send them and unwisely think (given e-mail) that there is no time for anyone to call them to task for doing so. Anthony Misetich has made just such a mistake and has done so more than once. Misetich and Campbell paid for a slate mailer sent to registered democrats that portrays them both as democrats. The same mailer advocates legalizing marijuana. Best of all the mailer urges us to "exorcize" our right to vote. (Sounds spooky doesn't it!) I have posted a copy of the mailer on my webpage with Mr. Misetich's paragraph enlarged for easy reading. See http://www.palosverdes.com/tomlong/images/misetich_campbell_democrat_.jpg

Mr. Misetich went even further with a mailer arriving this morning showing pictures of Predents Obama, Kennedy, Truman and FDR, encouraging the election of progressives, and describing himself as part of "The Team for Democratic Voters." See http://www.palosverdes.com/tomlong/images/misetich_democratic_02.pdf

Of course Mr. Misetich is sending out a mailer to republicans at the same time portraying himself as a good republican. That mailer is accurate I think, but who really knows? Only Mr. Misetich, and he is not telling a consistent story. I have also posted this mailer. See http://www.palosverdes.com/tomlong/images/Misetich_Republican_Mailer.pdf

I think candidates should take responsibility for the content of mailers they pay for. While the election is non-partisan, it's misleading for Misetich and Campbell to portray themselves as democrats. It may also be misleading for them to campaign with a petition to legalize marijuana, but I don't know their position on that issue.

In any event do remember to vote Tuesday November 3rd.

Please feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone who you think may find it interesting.

Tom Long
Councilmember, Rancho Palos Verdes

October 25, 2009

RPV Update Waste Hauling Contract Etc.

Dear RPV Residents:

PVP Watch has provided more thoughts on the upcoming council election. I won't provide a response here but you can click HERE to read my thoughts on this web site. I do appreciate their encouraging people to vote.

Other statements by PVP Watch do require a more direct response to keep residents informed.

Waste Hauling Contract

In its latest newsletter, PVP Watch has spread misinformation yet again. This time about the city contracting process for waste hauling. The city's contract with Waste Management is coming to an end. The city is going out to bid. That process involves writing a request for proposal (RFP) to solicit bids. Like most cities, RPV hires specialized consultants to help with this process. The RFP was approved and bids will be received and discussed at a public meeting of the council. I will be sure to give you notice of that meeting. Changes are likely in both services and costs and possibly in the company if the current company does not provide what the council majority thinks is the best bid.

The decision on waste hauling is one of the largest dollar contracts the council decides on. Our decisions are required to be made in public and they are. Whatever rumors may be circulating, there has been no decision and there is no one "working to change trash hauling from Waste Management." PVP Watch is simply making this accusation up, as it unfortunately often does when discussing "issues." PVP Watch also falsely states that there has been no public input into the idea of automated pickup and other possible service changes. Not true. The city has had two large test areas (including my neighborhood and Councilman Gardiner's) for years. Two surveys with high participation rates have shown a preference of over 85% for automated pickup. Moreover, reasonable bids (if any) for continued manual pickup are unlikely. Both Councilman Gardiner and I were among those who agreed that the automated service was an improvement. We got better containers for free and the trucks were off our streets more quickly.

I am pleased that PVP Watch has raised the waste hauling issue to prompt me to address the issue. What disappoints me is that they continue to provide inaccurate information. Stay tuned to learn more about when our hearings on the issue will be and how you can provide input. Indeed feel free to send input on waste hauling to cc@rpv.com at any time.

View Ordinance

PVP Watch has also mischaracterized issues relating to the view ordinance. The ordinance can only have minor amendments made to it by the council because it was adopted by the voters. The voters decided that the ordinance includes not only the preservation of existing views but also the creation of new views. This result is not the product of any improper decision by staff, the council or the planning commission but rather is the will of the voters. If PVP Watch favors repealing the ordinance or wants major amendments to it they should begin the steps necessary to place the issue on a ballot. There is no other means to fix any problem with the view ordinance. Of course if the majority remain satisfied with the ordinance the voters adopted in 1989 it will remain as it is.

Tom Long
Councilmember, Rancho Palos Verdes
Office: (213) 612-7871
Home: (310) 544-2978

October 18, 2009

RPV Update

Dear RPV Residents:

All three RPV city council candidates' forums have been held. The second one is still being broadcast on Cox Channel 33 (Verizon Channel 38) at 8 PM today. The third one will be broadcast 8 PM Monday the 19th through Sunday the 25th. You can also find links to internet broadcasts you can view at any time under the Election 2009 tab on my web site, www.palosverdes.com/tomlong. I have also gathered all of the candidates' web sites and the League of Women Voters guide all in that same place. I encourage you to learn about the candidates and choose two from among the seven. You should remember that by December 2011, RPV will have an entirely new council because of term limits and so the two you choose now will be the senior members of the council in 2011 even though they will have only 2 years of experience. I have endorsed Jeff Lewis and Paul Tetreault as have most of my fellow councilmembers. I think the two of them are best poised to carry forward the work the current council is doing.

I also encourage you to support the 2% increase in the RPV hotel tax from 10% to 12%. The increase is not opposed by Terranea and will bring us into line with other coastal cities. The amount is a small burden on the hotel guests but it will yield hundreds of thousands of dollars for the city.

Finally, whoever are your candidates of choice, I encourage you to reach out and help them with time and money. This has been a very hard campaign for the candidates in terms of getting their message across. Thanks should go to Linda Herman, Dave Emmenheiser and Jon Cartwright for organizing the three candidate forums and to Liz Swanson and Mark Doddy for taping and broadcasting. Also PV on the Net offered (and many candidates accepted) free web sites. These things help somewhat but each candidate needs dedicated supporters to walk precincts and help get the message out. I encourage you to join the process.

Tom Long
Councilmember, Rancho Palos Verdes
Office: (213) 612-7871
Home: (310) 544-2978
Cell: (213) 718-4484

tomlong@palosverdes.com

Oct. 23, 2009, Daily Breeze, Tom Long Letter to Editor "RPV needs Tetreault, Lewis"

October 5, 2009

RPV Update

Dear RPV Residents:

The first candidates' debate took place on October 1st and will be broadcast on Channel 33 at 8 PM tonight, Monday October 5th through Sunday October 11th. There will be additional debates at 7 PM on October 7th and 14th at Hesse Park. I will notify you of the broadcast times for those debates as soon as I have them. I encourage you to watch one or more of the debates and to visit the candidates' websites in order to learn about their experience and positions on the issues. The best source of information about the candidates is their own words and actions.

You can meet two candidates, Jeff Lewis and Paul Tetreault, this Sunday October 11th at 5 PM at the home of David & Cindy MacMillan (Attendance by RSVP only--space limited; call Nicole Alvarez at (310) 265-4490).

I encourage you not to choose candidates based on partisan labels. The California Constitution provides that city council races are non-partisan. True a federal trial court judge has held that California cannot prevent parties from making endorsements. And in this RPV election one party central committee, led by a San Pedro resident, has done so. But the California Constitution is still on the books and reflects the judgment of our state's residents that partisanship is not valuable on the local level. Given the problems we sometimes see in the state legislature and in Congress, one has to wonder why anyone would want to bring partisanship to the city council. This year, as in past years, I am pleased to endorse candidates from both parties. I simply don't find local issues to be partisan.

The candidates running in this election are an excellent group who deserve to be judged as individuals and not by stereotypes. If you take the time to learn about the candidates, you will learn that each of them would bring his own diverse experience to the council.

I also urge you not to vote for just one candidate ("bullet vote”). One candidate, Craig Mueller, has suggested that voters bullet vote for him, claiming that planning commissioners Jim Knight, Jeff Lewis and Paul Tetreault would necessarily be disqualified from addressing Marymount. This is not true. But even if it were true, Marymount is only one of many important issues that will face the council over the next 4 years. Voters should not abdicate their choice of a second candidate to fill a seat which will address those issues too. A candidate should not put his own ambition and an issue affecting primarily his own neighborhood ahead of the city's interests.

Finally, I would urge you to consider not only the issues of particular importance to you but also the city's best interests. On the matters that come before the council most voters will not have the time to come to a meeting and speak. Even on the most significant issues no more than 1% of the city's voters show up at council meetings. While some of those attendees have the best interests of the city as a whole in mind, some are there only to further their own individual interests. If all a councilmember does is count the heads in the room and decide the issue accordingly (and I am afraid that this method of deciding things has been used frequently in the past and sometimes even now), there is no need for a city council. We can simply have residents fill out speaker slips indicating their point of view and staff can count the slips and announce the result. I look for candidates who I am confident will have the courage of their convictions and who will make the decisions they think are best for the city as a whole. I urge you to listen to the debates and to look for that courage. I have found it in Jeff Lewis and Paul Tetreault and I think you will too.

Tom Long
Councilmember, Rancho Palos Verdes
Office: (213) 612-7871
Home: (310) 544-2978
Cell: (213) 718-4484

tomlong@palosverdes.com

September 30, 2009

RPV Update

Dear RPV Residents:

I have updated my regular e-mail list with the addition of those who have provided their e-mail addresses to the county registrar. I am writing to advise you of three upcoming candidates' debates for this November's election to the RPV city council.

Tomorrow October 1st is the first debate at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center at 7 PM. On both October 7th and October 14th there will be candidates' debates at Hesse Park, both at 7 PM. All three debates will be televised and shown later (probably not live).

I will provide information on the television rebroadcasts as soon as I have it of you can look at the candidates' websites for such information. You can find links to all candidates websites on my webpage (www.palosverdes.com/tomlong under the election tab). All candidates are struggling to get their message accross, most of them with very limited funding so I encourage you to visit the candidates' websites and watch the debates to get additional information. I have now endorsed two candidates, Planning Commission Chair Jeff Lewis and Planning Commission member Paul Teatrault, and will post my explanations behind my choices on my webpage in the near future. I feel that both of my choices are well qualified and will follow through on the work and achievements of the current council. We are actually fortunate to have 7 candidates to choose from for two seats. All seem to have a sincere dedication to public service.

Tom Long
Councilmember, Rancho Palos Verdes
Office: (213) 612-7871
Home: (310) 544-2978
Cell: (213) 718-4484

September 3, 2009

RPV Update

Dear RPV Residents,

The past 6 weeks or so since my last update to you have been busy for the city and the council. As you may know the council has appointed Ken Dyda as a replacement for Peter Gardiner. Dyda was the city's second mayor, has stayed active on city matters, has no apparent conflicts on issues coming up over the next few months, and will not himself run again. As a result I think the appointment was a good one.

Terranea's owners, Lowe Enterprises, continue to struggle financially and are now faced with foreclosure by two lenders. Some people are confused and thinks this means the resort may shut down. That is not likely. The resort brings a large cash flow (although not enough to pay the loans) and so any lender taking possession in a foreclosure will continue the facility in operation. Even though the primary lender Corus may soon be taken over by the FDIC, this has little to do with what may happen to Terranea. The second trust deed holder, Cascade, is controlled by Bill Gates and other investors and has the money and expertise to keep the property running and will do so to protect its interests. The current owners may well negotiate a solution, but in any event they were not able to qualify for the hotel tax loan the city had offered. The council has since repealed the ordinance offering that loan so that any new owner cannot take advantage of it since the likely new owner, Cascade, has no need of tax relief.

The election season for RPV city council has begun with 7 candidates running for the 2 open seats. All have websites and information available about their campaigns. I will post links to those websites on my webpage soon along with my own thoughts on the candidates for you to read (or not) as you prefer. The next two local elections will replace all 5 members of the council because of term limits so they are important elections. This election is the first time in decades that no incumbent is running for re-election.

The state budget crisis has passed for now with no immediate financial damage to the city. Indeed the lapse of the proposed loan to Terranea should mean that the city's revenues will soon begin increasing. This may allow us to address the many deficiencies that exist in the city's infrastructure, such as decayed arterial streets and medians, the Terrapaca landslide, city hall, storm drains, etc. It is a long list and we are continuing to build it as part of a capital improvement plan.

Finally we should all be grateful for the work of firefighters who saved homes on the south side of the city last week and who (as I write this) are putting down a fire near Chadwick that is within view of my own home. This fire season has again brought to the fore the importance of the County's fire department.

Tom Long
Councilmember, City of Rancho Palos Verdes

July 31, 2009

RPV Update -- Passing of Councilman Peter Gardiner

Dear RPV Residents,

Below is a press release about the recent passing of Councilman Peter Gardiner after a long struggle with melanoma. The memorial service will be tomorrow as described below. On August 4th the council has an agendized item at our regular meeting to consider whether or not to appoint a replacement. Any such appointee would serve only until the November election. The council could also elect to leave the seat vacant pending the election. The council is required to make this decision one way or another within 30 days of Councilman Gardiner's passing. Councilman Gardiner is the first councilmember to die in office in the history of the city.

Tom Long
Councimember, Rancho Palos Verdes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 26, 2009
Contact:
Gabriella Holt
310-833-5087
Dr. Peter C. Gardiner
Rancho Palos Verdes Councilman

Father, Grandfather, Dear Friend
1941-2009

Personal Statement from Peter Gardiner’s Family

The family of Peter C. Gardiner regretfully announces that Peter passed away on the evening of Saturday, July 25, 2009 after a long and courageous battle with melanoma. Peter loved life, his family and his community, and will be sorely missed. Peter joins his wife Tanda Kynette Gardiner, who passed away on December 11, 1994.

The family is both proud of and grateful for Peter’s eight years of public service on the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council and four years as trustee on the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education. Peter was also a man with a strong faith in God and was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, where over the years Peter served as Seminary Teacher, High Priest Group Leader, Sunday School President and Ward Missionary for the Crestridge Ward of the Church..

The family would like to take this opportunity to thank the many friends who offered their kindness and support during Peter’s difficult battle. Peter is survived by his son, Christopher, daughter, Christine and son in law, Karl Schmitz, his brothers Thomas and Jeffrey, sister Christine Novak; and his grandchildren, Benjamin, Aimee, Sean and Ellerbrook Schmitz.

Funeral services for Peter will be on Saturday, August 1, 2009, details yet to be finalized. In lieu of flowers, Peter had requested that donations be made to the Perpetual Education Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Those interested in making such a donation may make checks payable to: Perpetual Education Fund, 50 East North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84150.

June 19, 2009

RPV Update --Terranea and the TOT Tax

Dear RPV Residents,

I am reevaluating my prior support for increasing the transient occupancy or hotel tax (“TOT”) from 10% from 10% to 12% and I invite your comments. The increase to 12% would make RPV’s rate consistent with the rate charged by most coastal communities with resorts. However, the increase is proposed not only on its own merits but also as part of the package to assist Terranea. While the increase will flow to the city, we can expect requests for further aid in the future. In contrast to Terranea, small businesses and property owners in RPV face increasing burdens, many of them improperly imposed by the council through poor handling of planning appeals. This raises significant issues of fairness.

Terranea gets special treatment in the form of large tax rebates that were likely not necessary. Terranea’s developer Lowe inaccurately told us years ago that 65 acres of city land near city hall was needed in order for the resort to be developed. Had we given the land away, the future site of any real civic center would have been lost. I was the first to publicly oppose this when I was on the planning commission. Now the resort claims it needs millions in tax rebates to open. In my judgment this is not true. I understand and respect that others may have a different judgment, but I do not want to act in accord with that judgment. Perhaps a TOT tax increase stands on its own merit. The bailout of Terranea does not stand on its own merit. It is sensible in many cases to provide government assistance to save a business. But here the lenders on the property had a very strong incentive to operate the resort and would have done so quickly even if Lowe had been unable to open. Thus the council gave away millions of dollars in tax revenues on the strength of a bluff and did so even though its own staff and advisors recommended it not do so.

Voting for the TOT tax increase might be construed as an endorsement of the council’s inequitable treatment of businesses and property owners in the city. On the other hand, the city desperately needs the additional revenue. The final vote will take place at the council meeting on June 30th and 4 votes are needed for the TOT increase proposal to be placed on the ballot. I invite your thoughts as to what I should do.

Tom Long
Councilmember
City of Rancho Palos Verdes

June 14, 2009

RPV Update

Dear RPV Residents,

The last few weeks have been busy ones for RPV's city council. By now you have heard of the $8.2 million rebate of transient occupancy tax ("TOT") to the resort. The rebate will be 80% of the revenues for up to 34 months and was touted as necessary to assure that the resort would open. The TOT is a popular tax in most communities that have hotels because it is a tax paid by others. Many people, notably PVP Watch and Councilman Gardiner were counting on TOT revenues to pay for storm drain and other infrastructure repair and maintenance. Thankfully we did not follow that course because the revenues are now delayed even further and the rebate may never be paid back.

Many people have expressed the view that the rebate was not necessary. They claim the resort would have opened anyway because the lenders had an incentive to make sure it did to protect their collateral. I agree. But I had no say because of a conflict of interest because my law firm has scheduled a meeting at Terranea. But the city council had to carefully weigh the risks. Had the resort not opened all of the city's revenue, hundreds of jobs, and residents' property values would have been endangered. Now that the decision has been made we should all join together in helping the resort to succeed.

Some have complained that the city should not have provided a rebate to Terranea without also providing tax relief to them. Notably Mr. Trump has complained that his golf course is not getting relief. Of course Mr. Trump forgets that tax relief is properly directed toward the truly needy, not the truly greedy. Even with the rebate, Terranea will generate far more in property and sales tax revenues for the city than it costs the city to provide the services needed because of Terranea. No other taxpayer in the city can make such a claim, including Mr. Trump, whose golf course generates only a fraction of the revenues Terranea generates and does not cover the city's costs of dealing with him.

The city also faces potential problems with its budget because of the state's problems. But the scope of the problems is not yet known and may not be as substantial as many assume. The state's easiest way to raid local revenues is the sales tax, but RPV has almost no sales tax. The state can take some other revenues, but it can only "borrow" them. Right now the city has about a 1% estimated deficit in its budget, which does not in my view warrant dramatic cuts in services. Even if the state does worsen the city's problems we should consider using our reserves to close the gap. After all, the reserves are a "rainy day fund" and given the current state of the economy, it is raining. The city should not exacerbate the situation by cutting services, spending and employment particularly if it is not necessary for us to do so. Doing so would be working counter to everything the federal government is trying to achieve. (See http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/opinion/29krugman.html also published in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere).

Planning issues important to some neighborhoods in the city are also coming forward. The application to rezone the Valero property will be heard by the city council at our Tuesday June 16th meeting. Future meetings will bring forward the Marymount application as well.

As always feel free to share your thoughts on these issues with me or with the council as a whole at cc@rpv.com

Tom Long
Councilmember
City of Rancho Palos Verdes

May 7, 2009

RPV Update

Dear RPV Residents,

The upcoming state special election on May 19th (the 20th anniversay of my marriage to Laura Lee) poses an important set of issues for us. I have been asked my views on the pending propositions. If you prefer not to hear those views (they are likely to challenge and irritate you) read no further. Delete now! Otherwise scroll down.

Upon reflection I have decided to vote in favor of all the propositions. A YES vote will provide some possibility of balancing the state's budget. A NO vote will assure a large number of layoffs. We need to fight against all job losses.

Similarly the PVPUSD school district will be seeking another $165 per parcel tax per year (45 sents a day, less after you account for the ability to deduct the parcel tax on your state and feferal income tax returns). The PVPUSD is in the bottom third in state funding for districts in LA County. Yet we all know it is an outstanding district. The lead administrators and the board have all taken cuts. We must support them and the parcel tax and make sacrifices to match theirs.

I hear from some people who believe that layoffs in the private sector should be matched by layoffs in the public sector. I disagree for reasons best expressed by the Wall Street Journal:

"It’s true that the economy is currently shrinking. But that’s the result of a slump in private spending. It makes no sense to add to the problem by cutting public spending, too. In fact, the true cost of government programs, especially public investment, is much lower now than in more prosperous times. When the economy is booming, public investment competes with the private sector for scarce resources—for skilled construction workers, for capital. But right now many of the workers employed on infrastructure projects would otherwise be unemployed, and the money borrowed to pay for these projects would otherwise sit idle. And shredding the social safety net at a moment when many more Americans need help isn’t just cruel. It adds to the sense of insecurity that is one important factor driving the economy down. So why are we doing this to ourselves?" Why indeed! We can just say no to such self-inflicted injury.

See the full Wall Street Journal Article:

http://www.livemint.com/2008/12/29223445/Time-to-fight-off-Herbert-Hoov.html

If we exercise our will and refuse to fall pray to demagoguery we can restore our economy. We need only be willing to make a small sacrifice for the community as a whole. Like many people, I have lost income this last year. But if the economy needs more of my earnings to start up again then the answer is that I must lose more and I must just adjust.

We need to be less cruel to one another--less insistent on always driving the hardest bargain possible. We need to adopt a philosophy that we want other people to make a reasonable profit doing business with us to assure that we all gain.

Private enterprise has not gotten us out of the recession and will not do so on its own. If we continue to follow the advice of those who think government cannot do so either then our doom is assured. Instead we need to trust those who believe government can work and give it a chance to do so.

Please vote YES on the parcel tax and on all the propositions.

Tom Long
Councilmember
City of Rancho Palos Verdes

May 1, 2009

RPV Update

Dear RPV Residents,

This next week brings us three meetings of the RPV City Council to address various issues. A special meeting has been set for May 4th to address issues relating to Terranea. Unfortunately I will be out of town on business but there is likely to be some additional inreresting information relating to the upcoming opening of the resort.

We will have our regular meeting on May 5th at which time we will consider (at my request) whether or not to support the request of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District for an additional parcel tax of about 45 cents per parcel per day to support our schools. Even though my wife and I have no children we are supporters of this new tax to assist in the education of the new (and I think better) generation which will take care of us in our old age. Even if we viewed it from purely selfish motives, the tax is an easy decision. Why is my 1960s tract house worth so much (even now)? As one new neighbor told me --"I am saving $40,000 per year in tuition." The high quality of our schools adds a great deal to the value of our homes and protects our future as a society.

I realize a new tax is a difficult thing in times like these when many of us have lower incomes. But I am focused on the long term and I am convinced that this is the right path to follow. I urge you to do the same.

We also have a meeting on May 7th to address the City's budget. We will have some more difficult decisions to make to assure that the City's finances remain strong during these difficult times.

I encourage you to share your thoughts on the issues by writing to cc@rpv.com.

On a personal note my wife and I are approaching our 20th anniversary and we will be participating again in the Revlon Run Walk for Women in its 16th year to help riase money to fight breast and ovarian cancer. Laura and I have participated in this event every single time since two days after her first chemotherapy session. If you are interested in donating, Laura's website is at

https://www.revlonrunwalk.com/la/secure/MyWebPage.cfm?pID=498197.

Tom Long
Councilmember
City of Rancho Palos Verdes

March 15, 2009

RPV Update Capital Improvement Plan

Dear RPV Residents,

The city council will be considering the city's capital improvement plan at a Saturday workshop March 21 at Hesse Park at 9 a.m. This will be the first of a number of opportunities for the public to provide input on what the city's priorities in capital improvement spending should be.

Unlike many cities, RPV is not suffering a significant decline in its overall revenue. RPV never had much sales tax revenue. Property tax revenue remains stable because the declines in property values have not yet had a large effect on assessed values because of Proposition 13. The city is likely to enjoy increased revenues when Terranea begins operation later this year.

The economy offers an opportunity to RPV to get better pricing on some capital improvements than may otherwise be available. We have already seen some savings by accelerating some planned storm drain repairs. We should be looking for additional opportunities.

RPV should also take steps to implement capital improvements that help protect the property values of residents. Some things such as improved technology for law enforcement have an indirect but inportant impact. Other things like street improvements have a direct effect on our property values.

The council and staff are actively seeking public input on what RPV should atempt to do over the next 5 years. I continue to feel that the history of RPV is one of inadequate spending (sometimes by choice but mostly as a necessity. We are affected by poorly maintained storm drains, badly repaired major streets and run down and neglected public buildings. By cutting city expenditures because of economic conditions even though city revenues remain strong we would only compound many years of neglect. We should do exactly the opposite and redouble our efforts to improve the city. With some public support I think we can head in this direction.

Please provide your input either by attending the meeting on March 21st at Hesse Park at 9 a.m, by replying to this e-mail or by sending an e-mail to all councilmembers and staff by e-mailing cc@rpv.com.

Tom Long
Councilmember
City of Rancho Palos Verdes

January 28, 2009

RPV's Goals for 2009 Pennies from Heaven?

Dear RPV Residents,

The city council will meet this Saturday January 31, 2009 at 11 AM at Hesse Park to discuss the city's goals for 2009. This is your opportunity to provide your input on what the city should focus on for the next year. As we approach the opening of Terranea and the additional revenues it will bring this becomes more important.

Some--notably those at PVP Watch--have already provided their input--the city should have somehow spent the tens of millions of dollars needed to repair the Terrapaca landslide, but without new revenues. Perhaps we can meet this demand if only it starts raining pennies from heaven. Let's hope it does!

More realistically we need the public's input on what the city's priorities should be as we move forward. I invite you to attend and be heard.

Tom Long
Councilmember
City of Rancho Palos Verdes
Office: (213) 612-7871
Cell: (213) 718-4484
Home: (310) 544-2978

tomlong@palosverdes.com
www.palosverdes.com/tomlong

January 1, 2009

Dear RPV Residents,

The Palos Verdes Peninsula is apparently an area that has above-average levels of radon. Radon is a natural odorless radioactive gas that can substantially increaae cancer risk. If it is present in your home the situation can often be remedied for a low cost. Levels of 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) or more should be remedied. Levels of 2-4 pCi/L should be monitored and further action should be considered. Levels below 2 pCi/L require no action. Nationwide, the average is 1.3 pCi/L. My home just tested at 3.3 pCi/L so I am planning a second test to further evaluate the situation.

The California Department of Health is offering a limited number of free tests in the Palos Verdes area. When the free tests run out, subsidized low cost tests are available for $5. I recommend that you consider such a test. The link below takes you to a website form where you can order a free test kit. There is also more information on radon testing on the City's home webpage. Radon Testing

http://66.196.196.148/fmi/iwp/cgi?-db=Requests&-loadframes

Tom Long
Councilmember
City of Rancho Palos Verdes
Office: (213) 612-7871
Cell: (213) 718-4484
Home: (310) 544-2978

tomlong@palosverdes.com
www.palosverdes.com/tomlong