The District Weekly - Latest Comments in ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

Re: ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

Guest — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:16:08 -0000

I think Hankla's actions speak for themselves. There's more than one definition of "wrong", and if his actions were outside of any of those definitions, then why the withdrawal?

Look at the big picture . . . The Pike, the aquarium bond debt, the art museum bond debt, the Sea Fest deficit, etc . . . . how many albatrosses and fleecings have been put upon us from this style of backroom negotiation?

Re: ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

wrongbeachJohn — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:10:33 -0000

Oh, and thank you Will, Dave, Theo, Jenny and all the rest. This article shows EXACTLY why the DW is needed. I'd win the lottery before the press-telerag would ever print something important like this (and I don't buy lottery tickets).

Re: ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

wrongbeachJohn — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:06:35 -0000

Hankla shouldn't be too worried about the breakwater, he's old, could easily retire, and last I knew just rented his house on the peninsula.
What a douche-bag.
Mike Ruehle is spot-on about Delong-the other douche-bag.

Re: ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

Guest — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:33:56 -0000

You know what, John? All of this would have a lot less stink to it if Hankla would have offered a robust defense of his stance after Dave published this story. Instead, Hankla, "outed", decides to take his toys and go play elsewhere. I've seen him do this before.

Look at the bigger picture . . . this is just one deal where a long-time Long Beach power player got caught with his hand in the influence jar. All Dave did was put a light on it. Can you imagine how many other such deals happen here all the time that DON'T get caught?

Re: ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

Gordana — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:11:05 -0000

What we should be grateful for is the fact that the DW is now part of the 'new' Long Beach and shining a light on these issues. Our politicians and public servants should realize that folks like Dave Wielenga, Jenny Stockdale and others at the DW are paying attention and following this story (and others) in a way that didn't happen in the 'old' Long Beach. This town has changed BECAUSE of the DW's coverage of these stories. Keep up the good work.

Re: ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

Dave Wielenga — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:51:37 -0000

Hey John, I wasn't feeling defensive when I responded,but you were admittedly playing the DEVIL'S advocate. I kind of think you WERE making a case for the innocence of Hankla and DeLong, which seems unnecessary unless you thought the story was suggesting otherwise. I was simply pointing out how Long Beach government was working in this situation--and that, contrary to the sense that it's different than the way it used to work, maybe it's often exactly the same. I don't think there is anything wrong with council members and harbor commissioners and whomever talking among one another. Of course, Hankla did more than that....but, as my update reports, he's not doing it any more.

Re: ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

Dave Wielenga — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:42:45 -0000

My story did not report legal wrongdoing. Neither did it say that Bud Johnson's study is not valuable, nor possibly even the best option---that's why it is being included in the Moffat & Nichol study (and why it was before either Hankla or DeLong heard about it). My report was about governmental process and transparency, and if the minimums for those were reached, and if you consider that to be the epitome of what your local government should be, then by all means celebrate.

Re: ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

Not a good old boy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:02:35 -0000

Why on earth should we be mystified that a Councilperson is operating beyond the bounds of his office. This is not the first time this person has made a determination that his acts do not need to be transparent, that he can use City funds to promote those things of interest to himself--I have and still do ask where the funding came from to support his "secret" SEADIP committee, asking for records of overtime, comp time and the dollars spent to staff this committee. I attributed the non-response to the fact that I am just a citizen, but this looks like, smells like and appears to be a "modus operantdi".

Re: ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

Dave in Alamitos Beach — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:58:00 -0000

I wish I could say I found any of this surprising, but I don't really. It kind of confirms my worst fears about the breakwater problem - by pushing the Johnson report as the "best" report, the Port and the fatcats on the Peninsula get to have the mildest possible "solution" to the pollution/waves issue, namely a partial lowering of a small part of the breakwater.

If they get this accomplished, they will be able to silence, or at least muffle, the Surfrider foundation and the vast majority of Long Beach's population who would like a more radical reconfiguration of the breakwater, i.e. closer to what God/Mother Nature created in the first place. They'll be able to say "see, we improved the water and not much happened, so no reason to do any more."

And yes, this is exactly the way not to run a government: rumor, innuendo, usurpation of the process, grandiosity, backroom deals, etc.

Re: ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

LBFAN — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:37:56 -0000

When will they get it!! This City is in the death grip of by Elks Lodge douche bags. Take the Breakwater down and the money will flow and they can roll in it.

Re: ‘THIS IS OLD LONG BEACH’

Guest — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:54:46 -0000

Make no mistake about it, Old Long Beach is alive and well, as long as powerhungry hacks like Jim Hankla are still able to wield any influence at all. The only way to exterminate it would have been to bring in a city manager from way, way, way outside to do a total purge of every manager from the Hankla/Taboada/Miller era. Now we have the same agenda, but with a seductive veil of "transparency", (paradox intended), which the current budget process has revealed as just another buzzword. Now, instead of an effective city manager, we have this puppet Pat West, who was the choice of least resistance for a part-time, and therefore easy to obfuscate, city council.

You gotta admire Hankla's chutzpah . . . he is willing to ramrod a solution and cut through all the bullshit it takes to get anything done in this town. What we need, though, is a ramrod willing to work for the interests of all of Long Beach, not just its inner circle.