LONG BEACH CITY HALL DRAGS ITS HEELS OVER BANCAP PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST
By Greater Long Beach
Since it reported on an Oct. 23 consent calendar item that would give BANCAP Marina Center, Inc. up to $95,000 in rent credits, LBReport.com’s public records request for BANCAP’s current lease with the city has given way to another question — why isn’t it available? After all, the lease is public record.
BANCAP is the city’s master tenant under a 1994 lease to handle remodeling, renovation, and management of city-owned property and improvements at the Alamitos Bay Marina Center, located in the 3rd District. The BANCAP item piqued the publication’s interest because it was included in the Long Beach City Council consent calendar in the last city council meeting before the Nov. 6 election that will see 3rd District Councilman Gary DeLong either advance to Congress or serve out two more years on the city council.
Its placement in the consent calendar meant that it was up for approval without council discussion unless requested by the public or a councilmember. Which was what 5th District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske did, with the following exchange with Public Works Director Michael Conway:
Schipske: The City of Long Beach is the master landlord. Who is responsible for repairs?…Is it the landlord or the organization who is leasing this?
Conway: Councilwoman Schipske, Vice Mayor, members of the City Council. The Master Lessee is responsible for maintenance. The landlord is responsible for structural improvements.
Schipske: So that would be the roof?
Conway: The roof, the HVAC, the foundation, anything of a structural nature.
The item was approved 7-0, with DeLong and 9th District Councilman Steve Neal absent. The following day, LBReport.com requested a copy of the city’s current lease with BANCAP, setting off a week of vague responses from City Hall. Read LBReport.com’s perspective on the ongoing matter.
3 Comments
Even more dirt involving Gary DeLong, especially considering Bancap’s principal Steve Conley, was twice DeLong’s election campaign Chairman. What the heck, its just ANOTHER $100,000 of taxpayers money given to one of DeLong’s cronies.
What Conway told the Council could not be more wrong. Whatever BANCAP wants to improve is nothing like the roof or the foundation. BANCAP wants to improve the leasehold in some way that makes it better for them than it was when the City previously leased it to them. Otherwise this transaction makes no sense at all.
It is a scandal that this was put on the consent calendar. BAMCAP is given $95,000 in forbearance on its rent to the City and the public is kept in the dark as to what is being improved and why that benefits THE CITY to the tune of almost a hundred grand.
The con jobs never end in wrong beach.