Long Beach — On Dec. 3, the Long Beach City Council voted 8-0 to confirm the appointment of Lori Ann Farrell, to the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.

Mayor Bob Foster nominated the city’s former finance director to the seat vacated by Commissioner Nick Sramek. Sramek resigned on Nov. 19, two days after the removal President Thomas Fields, in a 6-3 council vote. Sramek said he quit because was tired of the board’s politics.

Foster said he had lost confidence in Fields and questioned his port-related travel.

Fields responded that his removal was retribution for disagreements with Foster related to the port headquarter moves and the executive director of the Long Beach port, among other things. Foster has not named a replacement for fields.

E-Cigs

The city council also voted 8-0 to have City Attorney Charles Parkin change the municipal code to give the same restriction to electronic cigarettes and vapor as apply to tobacco, including prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes in public places.

E-cigarettes are small battery powered apparatuses that heat a coil containing flavored water, vaporizing and allowing users to inhale nicotine. The liquids include propylene, ethylene and diethylene.

The ordinance would restrict new retailers of e-cigarettes to 1,000 feet of a park, school, church, government facility or other areas used primarily by minors.

Sounds familiar?

Civic Center

In addition, the council voted to hire Arup North American Ltd. to help with proposals to rebuild the Civic Center.

The CivicCenter rebuild includes City Hall and the Downtown Main Library.

The city council voted to put out a request for proposals for the design, finance and maintenance agreement for the project, which was precipitated by reports that the center would not be safe in the event of an earthquake. The management firm would help with public input in the preparation of the RFP.