I recently learned that the City of Long Beach has a $34 million budget deficit! Consequently, the city has resorted to drastic cost-cutting measures such as curtailing public library hours at most locations and closing others. How did this come about? Does it have to be this way? Why should your quality of life be affected by budget mismanagement?
I am against further cuts to education. I am for streamlining the staff at City Hall. I am for the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Facility in my town. Not only will it be a large source of revenue, it will provide Long Beach with a lot of JOBS, i.e. construction, maintenance, protection. It bothers me that development in Long Beach is happening in some areas, but not all. Recently, I saw a model at City Hall that proudly displayed current development projects in the city. I was troubled because I did not see any development going on north of 7th Street. As far as I'm concerned, Long Beach reaches from the ocean all the way to North town, from the west side east to CSULB.
We live in a diverse city. This is evident in the 42 separate languages spoken here and in our varied neighborhoods. Little Cambodia-Laos, The Westside, the North End, Mid-City + all work together to contribute to our beautiful city. Are they not in "our" city? Do they not deserve the same attention? Development should be equitable.
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