The Seal Beach City Council unanimously approved a new animal contact with Long Beach. Concerned area citizens spoke for more than an hour about the LA Fitness project, most of them in opposition.
Animal Control contract
The city’s contract with Long Beach Animal Care Services expired in July. This week, the council approved a two-year contract for slightly more than $158,000—an increase of more than $7,500 from the previous contract. However, the increase is still $4,110 less than the city budgeted for animal control services in the current fiscal (financial) year.
The council last considered the contract in February. At that time, the council asked staff to explore other options for animal control services.
Seal Beach Police Commander Steve Bowles, presenting the staff report, said Orange County Animal Care Services currently has a moratorium on city services contracts. Bowles asked for 90 days staff time to report on all of Seal Beach’s animal control options, which would include restoring the city’s own animal control department.
Bowles said Long Beach was not interested in a short-term contract. According his written report to the council, Long Beach had advised city staff that the service might be terminated if the contract was not signed.
Stevens said that the contract can be canceled at any time with 30 days notice. He also said if requested, the agency could increase service to add a full time dedicated animal control officer to Seal Beach.
During public comment, Seal Beach resident Sharman Snow urged the council to not renew the contract. “We can do better,” she said.
Councilwoman Ellery Deaton said Seal Beach currently gets an animal control officer for about three hours a day.
“I do think that we’re getting what we pay for,” Deaton said. However, she said that what has worked in the past wasn’t necessarily working now.
Stevens said Seal Beach gets emergency services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
He also said the Animal Care Service phone system now has voicemail so callers can leave a message.
Deaton said she looked forward to the review of animal control options that staff would bring back to the council in 90 days.
In February, Seal Beach Finance Director/Treasurer Victoria Beatley confirmed that Seal Beach has been paying a 5 percent higher rate for animal control services since Seal Beach received a notice from Long Beach after the fiscal (financial) year began in July 2016.
LA Fitness proposal
Eighteen individuals spoke for roughly 90 minutes against the proposal to put an LA Fitness gym in the Shops at Rossmoor (which is in Seal Beach) during the public comment segment of the council meeting.
Two more individuals spoke in support of the project.
The LA Fitness gym wasn’t on the council agenda that night, so council members did not comment on the issue.
Shannon Brennan of Leisure World said she supported the LA Fitness Club because she will soon be 65 and eligible to enroll in the Silver Sneakers program.
Silver Sneakers is a program that provides eligible senior citizens with free gym membership to all participating health clubs. For more information, see silversneakers.com.
Brennan said none of the gyms in Seal Beach area are part of the program. According to her, LA Fitness would be the only Silver Sneaker gym in the city.
However, most local gyms did offer the Silver Sneakers, but stopped accepting new members. At Anytime Fitness, for example, there are no more Silver Sneaker memberships available.
John Baer of Rossmoor opposed the project. “Most of these gyms are not near a residential area,” he said.
Kevin Pearce, of the Coalition Against LA Fitness Project, said he had hundreds of letters in opposition to the project and 700 signatures on a petition against it.
The website supporting the project is: www.sealbeachproject.com. The website opposing the project is https://coalitionagainstlafitness.org.
