Supreme Court Rules Against Unions In Dues Case
In a 5-4 vote today, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Illinois law that required fees to be collected from nonconsenting, non-union public sector employees for collective bargaining, and overruled its 1977 Abood v. Detroit Board of Education decision that allowed for the same practice. The decision in the case, Janus v. State, County, and Municipal Employees, stated that the policy violated the First Amendment. “This decision is yet another example of how billionaires rig the system against working people, but SEIU members won’t let the extremists behind this case divide us,” Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), said in a prepared statement. William Swaim, president of the California Policy center, lauded the decision. “Today’s decision corrects a 40-year injustice, restoring First Amendment rights to Californians who’ve been forced to finance the political perspectives of union leaders with whom they disagree,” he stated.
Another June 5 Election Update
The Los Angeles Registrar of Voters continues to count ballots from the June 5 election, including those from Long Beach voters. The latest numbers are from the most recent count released June 25. Here are the totals:
Measure M: Yes – 35,137 (53.70%); No – 30,296 (46.30%)
Council District 5: Stacy Mungo – 8,303 (55.54%); Rich Dines – 6,647 (44.46%)
Council District 7: Roberto Uranga – 4,626 (53.09%); Jared Milrad – 4,088 (46.91%)
School District 3: Juan Benitez – 5,632 (62.36%); Cesar Armendariz – 3,399 (37.64%)
As of June 25, there were 32,100 ballots to be counted for all of L.A. County. How many of those are from Long Beach voters is unknown.
Based on the latest voter registration numbers provided by the Long Beach City Clerk’s office, voter turnout thus far is:
Measure M (261,211 registered voters citywide) – Votes cast: 65,433; turnout: 25.0%.
5th District (36,312 registered voters) – Votes cast: 14,950; turnout: 41.2%.
7th District (31,141 registered voters) – Votes cast: 8,714; turnout: 27.9%.
School District 3: (49,975 registered voters) – Votes cast: 9,031; turnout: 18.1%.
Belmont Shore Businesses On The Lookout For Scammers, Graffiti
The Belmont Shore Business Association is warning businesses in the area to watch out for graffiti and scammers, after multiple local businesses and properties have been impacted by the issues in recent weeks. A woman has twice visited a Belmont Shore business and attempted to use $100 counterfeit bills to purchase items. Another scam involves fake calls from an entity posing as Southern California Edison demanding payments.
LBCC Cuts Budget Deficit By More Than Half
Long Beach City College (LBCC) announced today that it reduced the $10.7 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2017-18 by $5.9 million without resorting to layoffs or cuts to instructional programs. The reduction was achieved through cost savings and an aggressive enrollment push, as well as an early retirement plan for employees over the age of 50. The retirement plan was voluntarily accepted by 53 eligible employees. Summer session enrollment increased 21% over last year, according to the announcement.
Development Services Department Promotes New Planning Bureau Manager
Christopher Koontz, who has been serving as the advance planning officer for the City of Long Beach, is the new planning bureau manager for the development services department. In his tenure as advance planning officer, Koontz has helped implement projects such as the Southeast Area Specific Plan, Midtown Specific Plan, Climate Action and Adaptation Plan and the Land Use Element update. The planning department collaborates with community groups, residents, business owners and city leaders to improve neighborhoods.