Man Killed in Long Beach: RL NEWS Briefs Aug. 25

Man Killed in Long Beach

LONG BEACH — Officials identified a 23-year-old man, who was shot and killed Aug. 23 near Pacific Coast Highway and Pine Avenue.
Long Beach Police Department officers say the shooting may be gang related. Witnesses said Andra Berero arrived at liquor store, where an altercation took place between two groups of men. Berero had just gotten out of his vehicle when he was struck in the upper torso. He was pronounced dead at the local hospital.

Anyone with information should call (562) 570-7244 or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Long Beach Reaches Agreement with Labor Union

LONG BEACH — The City of Long Beach has reached a tentative agreement with its largest labor union – the International Association of Machinists.
The tentative agreement provides a non-pensionable, one-time payment, equal to 3 percent of the employees’ base salary from the 12 previous months. It does not include any ongoing obligations.
The Machinists membership is set to vote on the agreement Aug. 31. If approved, the agreement would go before the City Council for final approval on Sept. 1.
The agreement extends the current contract for a one-year period, retroactively from Oct. 1, 2014 through Sept. 30, 2015. It is the third amendment to the Machinists agreement, originally approved in October, 2007. The Machinists represent about 3,500 city employees who provide Long Beach residents with core city services, including trash collection, library services, water and gas utilities, public health services, and many more.
The one-time cost of the agreement in fiscal year 2015 is $1.9 million in the general fund, which will be funded by the general fund surplus. impact to special funds, such as airport, harbor, water, gas & oil, etc. totals $3.8 million.
For details about the city’s labor organizations, visit www.longbeach.gov/hr and click on “About Us.”

Garcetti Signs Directive to End Traffic Deaths in LA

LOS ANGELES — On Aug. 24, Mayor Eric Garcetti launched an initiative calling for city departments to pursue a goal of eliminating traffic-related deaths by 2025.
The program, called “Vision Zero,” is based on the fundamental principle that traffic deaths can be avoided through strategic, data-driven approaches to engineering, enforcement, education, evaluation and community engagement.  Adoption of the Vision Zero policy is a key facet of the Livable Neighborhoods focus of Mayor Garcetti’s Sustainable City pLAn.

Mayor Garcetti signed the 10^th executive directive of his administration, ordering multiple city departments to report back by Dec. 1, 2015 with specific recommendations for measures that would immediately reduce traffic-related deaths in Los Angeles by 20 percent by 2017. The directive also calls for the formation of a Vision Zero Task Force, as well as an Executive Steering Committee, led by city agencies in coordination with the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, which will work on proposals to eradicate deadly accidents on Los Angeles streets by 2025.
Citywide, 44 percent of persons killed or severely injured in traffic collisions are walking or using a bicycle. Children and older adults are particularly vulnerable, making up 30 percent of all people killed or severely injured while walking or using a bicycle. Vision Zero will focus efforts on improving safety on street segments with the highest numbers of life-threatening collisions.
Details: visionzero.lacity.org