Recommendation to approve the nomination of Councilman Al Austin to represent the City of Long Beach on the Lower Los Angeles River Working Group.
And that is our last speaker for this time of public comment. There'll be another opportunity at the end of the meeting for, again, items not on the agenda going to our regular agenda if we can take up item 19. Madam Clerk. Communication from Mayor Garcia recommendation to approve the nomination of Councilman Austin to represent the City of Light of the Lower Los Angeles River Working Group. Thank you. There's been a motion by Councilman Price and second by Councilman Gonzales. Councilman Price. Good luck. Thank you. Gentlemen. Both My congratulations. This is exciting and a really good person to be representing us, so. Great job. Thank you. Is there any member of the public that wishes to address Council on hearing on item 19? Councilman Austin. So first of all, I'd like to thank Mayor Garcia for the nominations. And thanks to our California Resource Secretary, John Laird, for the appointment. I'd also like to recognize our Assembly Speaker, Anthony Rendon, for his vision in creating the Lower Elwha River Working Group through his legislation 8530 last year. This working group will develop over the next year a revitalization plan for the L.A. Lower L.A. Working Group and the communities that it runs through. And that includes the District nine, districts eight, District seven, and, I believe District one. And I look forward to working with each and every one of my colleagues and communities and getting their input. The revitalization plan was prepared. A revitalization the initial revitalization plan was prepared in 2007 for the upper 32 miles of the L.A. River. However, the lower 19 miles of the river have no such plan. And through my work on the Gateway Cities Council of Government, we're working to identify and address the needs of communities along the lower L.A. River. This working group will be an important step in fully incorporating the river into recreational open space, educational, cultural and artistic opportunities . And I look forward to working with the mayor and other members of the working group over the next year. I'm honored to have this appointment. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Yes, my name is Richard Gutman. I live at 602 West 37th Street in the Wrigley Heights area of Long Beach. Anyway, I know of only two large parcels of undeveloped land along the Los Angeles River in Long Beach that would be suitable for creation of a park or open space. One is the former Boy Scout Park at North Long Beach. The other is the oil operators site in my neighborhood, Wrigley Heights. Councilmember Austin has been a big supporter of the community's development, developing that project and the Boy Scout camp. He spoke to the development glowing terms just before this council unanimously approved that project. The same developer now plans a very similar project, pardon me, on the oil apparatus property and that already and he already has that property in escrow for purchase. To expect Councilman Austin to now act on behalf of residents in obtaining this property for open space or parkland when he is clearly a big supporter of this kind of residential development by the same developer, it's too much to ask of him. It's a ready made conflict of interest. I would therefore ask Councilman Austin to recuse himself and allow somebody else to be appointed. Thank you. Next speaker, please. Thank you. My name is Regina Taylor. I live at 3206 Oregon Avenue and feeding off of Richard Guzman's comments. I would like to say to that I think. That he should recuse. Himself because of an. Apparent conflict of interest. I would also like to point out. That Abe FiveThirtyEight. Created the Lower L.A. River Working Group. This group is statutorily responsible for developing through watershed based planning methods, a revitalization plan. And I would think that the considerable amount of expertize to do. There are many people. In the community who attended the first meeting at Assembly Member Attendance Group in Lynwood. They had, they have vital direct interests in the river. And what happens to it? I would hope. That if you do. Not recuse yourself, that you would at least make use of this vital resources. That you have in the community. Who would love to participate. When we showed up at that meeting, I think there was about ten or 11 of us compared to. Any other city. We want to be represented. The people do. Thank you. Thank you. There's been a motion and a second. Members, please cast your vote. Motion carries. Thank you. Item 21 Report from Economic and Property Development. Recommendation to Increase Appropriations in the Tidelands Operations Fund in the Economic and Property Development Department by $1.7 million for a transfer of Queen Mary lease revenue to the Queen Mary Fund District two