Mayor Foster's State of the City Message

Welcome to residents from across the City who are watching from their homes and places of work as this speech is again streaming live over the web. Welcome all to the beautiful Center Theater in Downtown Long Beach.

The requirement to deliver the State of the City is part of our City's charter and I am proud to continue the tradition of a speech accessible to the entire City.

Because above all else, this speech is the annual application of democracy's demand that citizens be informed of how well their government is performing.

It is my pleasure tonight to tell you that we have successfully come through a very difficult time and fortunately emerged a stronger City for it. The experience reminds me of a sign I saw on a telephone pole recently. It read "lost dog, black and grey German Shepard,Wholesale various Glass Mosaic Tiles from china glass mosaic Tiles Suppliers. walks on three legs, blind in one eye, missing one canine tooth, neutered, answers to the name Lucky."

While the economy does not yet have the strength we all desire, growth has returned, employment is modestly up, business activity is increasing and this City continues on the road to better financial footing.

The increase in economic activity in the form of consumer spending, the rebound in the real estate market and the up tick in development projects provide an important barometer on revenue levels that have been unpredictable for the better part of 4 years.

I stood before you last year and made the difficult pledge to bring true reform to Long Beach public pensions. It was a difficult path but this much was certain: I was going to implement these reforms on behalf of this City even if that meant asking you the voters to take action when employee groups would not.

I am very proud to report that after much time and toil and with the great cooperation of our City employees, we now have substantial and meaningful pension reform across the City.

Employees gave up their contracted raises in order to pay a greater share of their pensions. They agreed to benefit reductions that are more in line with fiscal reality. These actions put our finances on a sustainable path; one that protects both the City and employee in the future. I am grateful to and proud of each of you who cast a ballot in support of the City's common good.

All in, these pension reforms will save this City nearly $250 million dollars over the next decade, sparing draconian cuts and maintaining the outstanding service levels that the residents of Long Beach deserve.

The time is now at hand for us to rebuild our essential assets and restore some much needed services. We are now poised to accelerate our investments in the future. We can advance the far more joyful work of rebuilding and catalyze the energy of this great City.

Having weathered the tempest we should also take a moment to reflect on the past. We must understand and learn the lessons of the last several years; what was done right and what was done wrong. We must also take time to celebrate our success and provide a path and a future vision for the city we love.

First the lessons: I believe providing for the future and creating a smoother and better path for those that come after you is the first moral principle in government. In short, our primary responsibility is to assure that opportunity is available for the next generation.

Yet, when you look at troubled governments, the most common element is spending beyond their means, beyond fiscal capacity, in effect, borrowing from the future. There are little or no reserves for poor times; no provision for emergencies; and little concern for the next generation. Abraham Lincoln said it best: "You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."

I know political forces, however worthy the cause may be, are always present to make it almost irresistible for elected officials to spend recklessly. There are always too many needs and not enough resources. There is always the next election, groups to satisfy, campaigns to win - the choices are rarely easy.

Strong character is needed to resist these temptations and prioritize the greater good over your own political benefit. The public deserves that you treat its money with more care than you would your own.

In Long Beach, during the flush period in the early part of the last decade, rather than reserve funds from the absence of pension payments or continue to make payments and create pension reserves, we increased benefits. It was the easy choice. We had the money and were assured we would never have to make another pension payment.

More recently, with the help of a majority of the City Council standing firm on fiscal policy, our City maintained its bond ratings. In an era when downgrades were common, Long Beach was a standout.

Indeed, the rating agencies noted that part of the reason was our policy of not using one-time revenue for on-going expenses. In a welcomed abundance of caution, Fitch's rating service reminded us that to deviate from that policy would trigger a negative action on their part.

With better times on the horizon, let us please not forget these lessons. Please let us not make the same mistakes. And let us hold fast to the disciplines we have adopted. We can do better, we should do better, indeed, we must do better. The well being of the next generation depends on it.

There were many enhancements to our economic foundation as well; none more apparent, more needed - and perhaps more overdue -- than the new concourse at Long Beach Airport.

If you haven't experienced the new LGB you will be pleasantly shocked. It's comfortable, has all the latest amenities, great concessions -- the food is terrific and all from Long Beach businesses.

On one Sunday afternoon before opening, several thousand citizens took a walk through the new terminal as part of Community Day - and they loved it. So I will say it one more time, then I promise I won't ever again: Yes, you can now buy a sandwich before your flight without fear of actually eating it.

I want to give special thanks to Mario Rodriguez and his entire staff, the design team at Long Beach's own Studio 111 and the rest of the project team -- kudos for a job very well done. You have made the prime gateway to the City beautiful.

The massive construction effort in the Port of Long Beach continues. The billion-dollar Middle Harbor project is on track to receive its first container in 2015 and having toured the site I can tell you it is a stunning display of engineering and logistics even before a single ship has docked.

Last week we officially kicked off construction to rebuild the Gerald Desmond Bridge, soon to be one of California's most iconic structures, complete with bicycle lanes for the intrepid cyclist.Shop the web's best selection of precious gemstones and gemstone beads at wholesale prices. Little known about the project is that it is financed through a unique partnership between the City and the State of California borne from necessity and a little creativity. I can tell you first hand it wasn't easy, but this design-build project is projected to cut 6 - 12 months from construction time and save an estimated 5 -10% in construction costs over original estimates.We offer a wide variety of high-quality standard ultrasonic sensor and controllers.

In all, over $4 billion of construction - and 4,000 construction jobs annually -- will cement our port as the place to send your cargo. We will move it faster,Our team of consultants are skilled in project management and delivery of large scale rtls projects. greener and in greater volumes than anyone in the country. And to demonstrate that point, this past December was the best in the Port's history, yielding the largest container volumes of any December ever before.

Thank you to the Harbor Commissioners and Harbor Department staff for their outstanding work providing employment to thousands and making sure the future is strong and prosperous.

Speaking of jobs,All smartcardfactory comes with 5 Years Local Agent Warranty ! our economic development moved at a brisk pace this year. The City's Small Business Enterprise program saw a 25% increase in registrants over last year. Getting your business registered is the first step in accessing City purchasing contracts and I am very proud to report that we again improved on that count as well. Long Beach-based businesses earned $82 million in sales through City purchasing contracts. That accounts for over one-third of the total purchasing dollars - and represents a 5% increase over last year despite reductions in overall City expenditures.

We welcomed numerous large businesses to our City: Ignify is now located downtown; Airgas, L.D. Products, and Rubbercraft in East Long Beach; and the RMD Group now calls North Long Beach home.

Boeing, our iconic and historic partner, added more than 150 engineering jobs right here in Long Beach. Despite a continuing transition of the C-17 workforce, Boeing's investments in other business lines within the company provide a real indication that the last aircraft manufacturer in California has a strong future in Long Beach.

Our City partners in business improvement districts across the City continued to do fabulous work to cultivate our commercial corridors. Just two examples: 70 new businesses opened or relocated in and around Bixby Knolls Improvement Area this past year and the Downtown Long Beach Associates report 552 new jobs in their membership area. Whether new restaurants, design and technology firms or manufacturing companies, each has discovered that Long Beach is a great place to live and work.