RL NEWS Briefs: April 21, 2015

Suspects for Numerous Commercial Burglary Caught
LONG BEACH — The Long Beach Police Department arrested two suspects responsible for several commercial burglaries, officials said.
On April 15, officers arrested Nathan Favela, 19, of Covina near the Anaheim Street and St. Louis Avenue. Favela was connected through evidence to a commercial burglary at a bank on the 3100 block of Anaheim Street.
On April 1, police took Norman Mainville, 52, of Buena Park after finding him near 10th Street and Coronado Avenue. Police connected Mainville to nine commercial burglaries that took place in 2014 and 2015.
Through their follow-up investigation, detectives connected him to nine commercial burglaries that occurred in 2014 and 2015. Mainville was later given an eight-year sentence.
Officials suspect that both suspects may also be involved in other burglaries.

Smart Parking Meters Provide Added Convenience in Long Beach
LONG BEACH — On April 21, Long Beach installed more than 1,600 smart meters.
This past December, The Long Beach City Council approved the replacement with new, smart meters that accept credit/debit cards in addition to coins.
The smart meters will replace coin-only on-street meters in Downtown, Belmont Shore and The Pike. As installations occur over a four-week period, new rates will take effect immediately, including the city’s “First Five Free” program which will allow drivers to park free for five minutes, to conduct quick errands. New rates are posted below.
These new smart meters have a host of features, including large, backlit screens that can inform motorists when a meter is not enforced for a holiday or special event. Users can also pre-pay up time at a meter, up to two hours before enforcement begins. Users will also eventually be able to locate parking on a smart phone app that identifies open spaces.
Sensors will also be installed. Data collected from these smart meters will help determine whether the enforcement hours reflect the actual use of the space and if a meter’s placement or hours should be reassessed. These new meters can determine the availability of a space, the occupancy rate of the space, the length of time per occupant, and the turnover rate.
To learn how to use the meters, you can watch this video here:
English: http://www.longbeach.gov/https://vimeo.com/65824595
Spanish: http://www.longbeach.gov/https://vimeo.com/78631983
New smart meters will not accept Cash Keys. Smart meters will accept credit cards at no extra fee. Customers with remaining time on their Cash Keys may use it in city lots that have older, coin-only model meters. However, these lots will be also be upgraded to multi-space meters that accept credit cards in the near future.

Long Beach Unemployment Rate Hits Seven-Year Low
The unemployment rate in Long Beach has reached a seven-year low, dropping to 7.9 percent as of March 2015.
The unemployment rate is now at the same level that it was in June 2008, at the onset of the global financial crisis. The unemployment rate in Long Beach reached a peak of 14.6 percent in July 2010, and has dropped steadily since that time.
Total employment in Long Beach has grown by 19,000 new payroll jobs since July 2010 and now stands at 222,600, as of March 2015.
Economic development in Long Beach is getting a significant boost, with the recent approval of the city’s Long Range Property Management Plan. The disposition and use of real property of the former Long Beach Redevelopment Agency will help power our economy forward by enabling future investment and development opportunities.
The California Department of Finance approved the city’s plan, which was developed after the State of California dissolved Redevelopment Agencies four years ago. The Plan encompasses 259 parcels at 71 sites.
The city will begin to implement the plan by selling 31 parcels, and receiving a portion of the proceeds from the sale. The remaining properties include 61 parcels that will be transferred to the city at no cost for governmental use, and 161 parcels that will be retained for development and transferred to the City for disposition.
Economic activity in Long Beach continues to grow along with the number of jobs in recent years, especially at Douglas Park, a highly-successful mixed-use business district that was formerly the site of aircraft manufacturing. Recent activity includes:
• Virgin Galactic announced in February that it will manufacture its satellite launch vehicle LauncherOne in Long Beach.
• Mercedes-Benz is opening a 1-million-square-foot facility in Long Beach, which is believed to be the largest industrial lease in the Los Angeles area in the last 25 years.
• Universal Technical Institute is expanding into Long Beach, where it is building a new campus.
Other significant economic activity in Long Beach includes a $53-million, seven-story residential-retail complex coming to Broadway and Pacific Avenue; a $70 million, 17-story apartment tower under construction on Ocean Boulevard near Lime Avenue; and the ongoing transformation of Pike at Rainbow Harbor into The Pike Outlets, with Nike, H&M, Forever 21 outlet stores, going in near an enlarged Restoration Hardware outlet.
Further economic development initiatives include, Mayor Garcia’s recent appointment, with city council confirmation, of 11 commissioners to serve on the Economic Development Commission. Also, in December 2014, Long Beach was selected to receive up to $3 million over three years as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Innovation Teams program to create an “i-team,” which will initially focus on economic development, advising the City on how best to stimulate growth, create jobs, and leverage city resources particularly through online delivery of city services.

POLB Receives “AA” Bong Ratings
LONG BEACH — Long Beach’s Harbor Departments received “AA” ratings from two of the top three U.S. credit analysis agencies this month for an upcoming bond issuance and outstanding debt.
Standard and Poor’s Rating Services and Fitch Ratings reports stated that the Port of Long Beach’s strong market position, debt service coverage and guaranteed minimum payments by port tenants warranted the AA rating.
The rating agency reports stated that the Port’s efforts to repay debt from the ongoing capital improvement projects should remain stable due to its strong financial metrics and “considerable liquidity.”
The agencies assigned the AA rating to $194 million in bonds to be issued this year, and affirmed the AA rating to $860 million in senior lien harbor revenue bonds. Also, both agencies affirmed their “AA-” long-term ratings on the $325 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan.
Port of Long Beach continues to undergo a $4 billion capital improvement program this decade. The improvements include the Middle Harbor Terminal Redevelopment Program and the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project.

Immigration Heritage Week Focuses on Obama’s Executive Action
LOS ANGELES — Immigration Heritage Week took off on April 17 with a focus on a lawsuit temporarily delaying President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration.
A New Orleans court heard arguments of whether to lift a judge’s restrictions of on Obama’s actions. Earlier this month, as part of Cities United for Immigration Action, 73 cities and counties filed a friend-of-the-court brief that urged immediate implementation of Obama’s actions.
On that same day, Mayor Eric Garcetti highlighted the city’s work in preparation of the implementation of the president’s executive actions on immigration. These actions include sessions on Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals eligibility, citizenship workshops, roundtable events, voter registration drives and English as a second Language lessons.
Immigration Heritage Week, lasting until April 24, honors the millions of immigrants that have contributed to the city for generations. Other cities, including New York, Houston Boston and San Francisco, also began their Immigration Heritage Week.
April 17 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Hart-Cellar Act, which eliminated race-based quotas in the country’s immigration laws. The act is viewed as a major victory for civil rights.
Details: http://www.lamayor.org/moia_events

North Hills Man Indicted for Possessing Child Porn
LOS ANGELES — On April 14, a federal grand jury in Los Angeles indicted a previously convicted sex offender for possessing child pornography, officials said.
Warren Alec Johnson, 53, of North Hills was indicted on charges having a CD containing at least one image of child pornography of a minor under the age of 12. Johnson could face a maximum sentence of 20 year in federal prison, if convicted.
In November, Los Angeles police found the CD during a state search of Johnson’s home. Upon finding the CD, police placed him in state custody on a misdemeanor charge of child annoyance related to photographs he took at an elementary school fundraiser in the North Hills Mall in Granada Hills. He was also charged by the city’s district attorney with felony weapons and explosives charges.
In 2008, Johnson was convicted in Los Angeles Superior Court for possessing child pornography.
Authorities are seeking information from the public for their ongoing investigation and are requesting publication of Johnson’s photograph. If anyone has information about Johnson, contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.