Adopt resolution establishing a historic resources designation for the "VIP Records" sign, as prescribed by Chapter 2.63 of the Long Beach Municipal Code to be recorded pursuant to the authority of Government Code Section 27288.2 and Public Resources Code Section 5029.
Thank you. I'm going to please have. And guys, if we can just continue our meetings, we just have the conversations outside. Please, madam, quick, can you read the next item, which is 33? Kelly could you just the mike thank you. Communication from City Attorney Recommendation to Declare Ordinance Amending the Long Beach Municipal Code relating. To the designation. Of the VIP record sign as a historic landmark. Read for the first. Time and lead over to the next regular meeting of the City Council for Final Reading and adopt a resolution establishing a historic. Resources designation for. The AP record sign. Thank you. We have a believe a staff report on this short staff report. Christopher. A quick staff report. Good evening or morning. Council members that I am before you is strictly related to the historic preservation of the Pope record sign. So as a reminder to council members, this item does involve an agreement between the city and the owner of Pope Records, the owner of the sign. And that was a previous agenda item. There was a previous agenda item declaring the sign, a historic landmark and the way that works procedurally. Council gave that policy direction and then an ordinance was drafted by the city attorney. It's here for your first reading. So as this evening is just a procedural matter, there is no staff report beyond that. Okay. Thank you. There is a motion and a second. Councilman Andrews. Yes, I know. Councilwoman Pryce. I support this. Thank you. Okay. Public comment. Well. Good morning. Good morning. Good evening. By Mayor and city council. I'm exhausted, but not just from tonight, but from this whole year long journey. So on March 14th, a year ago, we extended an olive branch to the city. And it was an olive branch. Because to be honest with you, we could have filed a lawsuit against the city of Long Beach for civil rights breaches. When our sign that was built by Calvin Anderson. When someone behind the scenes worked to strip him of his rights of that sign. We move forward because sometimes mistakes happen. And when we met with you, Mayor Garcia, you assured us of your commitment to VIP records. And and as much as I'm fond of you, you have not met your commitment. You have allowed Councilman De Andrews. To completely block this process from moving forward. We have a historic landmark that increases property values by 15 to 20% in the city of Long Beach. It brings in block grants. It brings in jobs, in economic opportunities. And we were promised by the mayor that he would help us find a home to anchor that sign. First, we were promised he would you would never put an appraisal in on the property where the history was built. It didn't happen. You then promised us that you would do everything you can to ensure we secured our home and MLK and Pacific Coast Highway and that now we are in a bidding war against other developers. But we have a contract with the City of Long Beach to find us a home. Mayor Garcia, you were going to. And please communicate with me. I know you're tired, but I'm tired too, brother. I really am. If you want to talk about inequity, talk to a business that stood here for 40 years. And we have to go to petitions and to media in order to get a meeting with the city attorney, in order to get a meeting with our city councilman. So what I'm asking of you today and honestly, respectfully, because I do respect the majority, probably eight out of ten council members. And the mayor is I'm asking you to work with the city attorney as a family and put the political B.S. aside and find a way to secure our history on MLK and Pacific Coast Highway where it was built. This is in equity and we want equity. We are not here to play. We're here asking for leadership. Not I can't touch it because it's not in my district. As we get roadblocks from the sixth district. So I appreciate. I'm going to wrap up. I need to be cut off. I appreciate your time. I really do. And to every council member that has reached out, that supported us, it's taken meetings. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. But please know we've been through a lot, and I need you to come together as a family. Thank you very much. Thank you. As there any other public comment on this issue. Senior members, please cast your votes. Please cast your votes. Here's. Here's. Mr. Mayor, I think I think just in light of I know I know that there's been a few people that Shereen and Calvin have talked to. And I'm just wondering if someone can just update us on what the next steps are, just so we're clear on that. Mr. Castle, can you give us an update, please, on the next steps? Honorable mayor and members of the city council. Good morning. I can provide you with a quick update on the agreement between the city and VIP records. As you know, back in May of 2017, the city council authorized an agreement between VIP records and the city of Long Beach. And part of the agreement was to assist VIP records in the up to $80,000 in one time funds to to ultimately achieve five goals. One of them was the removal of the sign. One was transportation and storage of the sign. Number three was restoration of the sign. Number four was preservation of the sign. And number five in the agreement was relocation. Ultimately, a lot of progress has been made to this date, and that includes launching an online marketing and promotion campaign to raise funds, retaining the historic preservation experts to develop the relocation and preservation plans, as was mentioned. And the Cultural Heritage Commission adopted the recommendation on the 13th I'm sorry, November 13th of 17. And then in December, the city council asked the city attorney to draft the ordinance, which we're reading tonight. Also on January 11th, the contractor was selected jointly by VIP and the city to disassemble, remove and transport the sign. And on the 22nd of January, the sign was securely stored at a city owned location. And so we've really accomplished the first three objectives as part of the agreement. Now we have three to go. And in terms of progress and what comes next, we need to work collaboratively on the remaining terms, which primarily are the restoration of the sign and then the identification of a permanent home for the sign. And some progress obviously has been made. But although the city agreed to fund restoration up to $80,000, it was clear from from the agreement and upfront that that we both sides acknowledge that the true cost will probably be much higher for the restoration of the sign, and that VIP will need assistance in the fundraising process to ultimately generate the funds to to restore it. So we're hoping that the community will also help us out on that regard. And then in terms of identification of a permanent home for the sign, the agreement calls for the VIP and the city to work together to locate mutually acceptable permanent site for the relocation of the sign located within the city of Long Beach within the next two years. And so really, those are the three remaining objectives that we have as part of our agreement. Originally, the timeline was established to complete all of these tasks within two years, ten months in a lot of progress has been made and ultimately we've got a lot of work ahead, but I'm confident we're moving in the right direction. If there's any any questions. I'm happy to answer them. But thank you again for your support. This has been a fantastic project. Catwoman is. Was that okay? That's which is a. Just good question. And, you know, I don't like to you know, I don't know. The reference was like council members like to respect each other's districts. I personally, you know, believe in that that we should as late but something was raised so I'm going to ask maybe Dean wants to answer a john was answer what's the deal with the site in question the MLK and time. We are way beyond the Brown Act here getting I can understand a report on that was raised but we can't engage in a discussion of the merits of a property of MLK and PCH. When I the item. That was referenced in the report that was just. Yeah, that's correct. But that report wasn't part of the agenda either. The agenda this evening was on the designation of the sign as a historic, not it. Well, I'd like to know at some point what the deal is. So we would certainly ask for a report back and on the future agenda. Thank you. There is a second call for the vote. Please cast your votes. Motion carries. Okay. Thank you very much. And, Madam Clerk, please, the next item. We're off the radar. We're just getting on back to the just regular order for the agenda. So we just did 33. So I believe 36 is is 36 next?