Long Beach may hire only companies that give equal benefits to ...

Robert is working hard for hispanics (his parade idea) and now gays. I'm not objecting to either but I wish he would focus on things he campaigned on like cleaner beaches and improved infrastructure.

Isn't this prefencial treatement. Does this mean is I am not "GAY" I won't be hired. If I was GAY does this mean I DESERVE MORE

Of course, let's not get the BEST Contractor for the best price. No wonder of economy is in the shape it's in! Personal Agenda's....and Political Correctness will be the downfall of us all.

Robert.........Please concentrate on the city's 48 million dollar deficit......Let's stop being social engineers until the Council 'MANS UP' and corrects it's MONUMENTAL FAILURE to service the City in a responsible fashion.

This is the most biased ordinance I have ever been witness too! If you are a man or a woman (gay or straight) and you employed with a company that offers you benefits, you should take them. If you have a significant other that does not work but is capable of doing so - they should get jobs that offer them benefits as well. I am a heterosexual female business owner and I do not want to be discriminated against because I refuse to offer equal benefits to all. This is my business and not the City of Long Beach's! The money I make pays my taxes to not have to be subjected to this particular type of discrimination and it is indeed discrimination on all levels.

As a Gay man myself, I believe his heart is in the right place, but his fiscal mind is not. Right now with Long Beach being in such dire financial straights , the city needs to go with the best companies and the best prices for their services. Long Beach could suggest that they offer benefits, but it really isn't the cities problem.

Summers End wrote:

This is the most biased ordinance I have ever been witness too! If you are a man or a woman (gay or straight) and you employed with a company that offers you benefits, you should take them. If you have a significant other that does not work but is capable of doing so - they should get jobs that offer them benefits as well. I am a heterosexual female business owner and I do not want to be discriminated against because I refuse to offer equal benefits to all. This is my business and not the City of Long Beach's! The money I make pays my taxes to not have to be subjected to this particular type of discrimination and it is indeed discrimination on all levels.

Avon doesn't count or Mary Kay or whatever a girl like you could run..

This plays into the hands of those who are afraid of outsourcing the city union jobs. Wake up everyone, it's a way to make sure we can't contract any city services. Further, this is a good example of reverse descrimination if I've ever seen it. Don't fall for the smokescreen. Pretty soon, you'll have to be a gay baby fur seal with military experience to get a contract with this city!

why should city law be any different than state and federal. they are not couples in the eye of our state. they should not be allowed to make this a city ordinance. this is totally rediculous.

"Robert.........Please concentrate on the city's 48 million dollar deficit......Let's stop being social engineers until the Council 'MANS UP' and corrects it's MONUMENTAL FAILURE to service the City in a responsible fashion."

WELL SAID

Yet another complete waste of city money. That is unless Garcia and Lowenthal are going to volunteer their time to oversee and completely run the enforcement of this policy at no charge to the city? As an owner of a small manufacturing company (and heterosexual female), I somewhat agree with Summers End and her feelings of reverse discrimination. Benefits are just that, they are benefits, given by the employer, at the employer's discretion. They are not rights. One more incentive for employers to not offer any benefits at all.

As I've said before, Garcia is a long-term local political wonk, with no significant business experience, and it shows.
He has no right to be mandating policy of city contractor's from his office. That's not his job. His job is to get the best contractor, at the lowest price.
This new measure adds up to the rantings of a sociopath, who only forwards ego-ridden personal agenda's at the expense of the city in gerneral.
Isn't Suja and DeLong enough? We need to import ANOTHER public waste of space?

Summers End wrote:

This is the most biased ordinance I have ever been witness too! If you are a man or a woman (gay or straight) and you employed with a company that offers you benefits, you should take them. If you have a significant other that does not work but is capable of doing so - they should get jobs that offer them benefits as well. I am a heterosexual female business owner and I do not want to be discriminated against because I refuse to offer equal benefits to all. This is my business and not the City of Long Beach's! The money I make pays my taxes to not have to be subjected to this particular type of discrimination and it is indeed discrimination on all levels.

Then, if you are business owner, and you do business with the city of Long Beach (not IN the City of Long Beach, read the article, please), you will be required to either offer NO health insurance to your employees at all, or offer it equally, or the city will no longer do business with you. I don't see where the discrimination is.

Yep, there is another Long Beach politician, always looking forward...when you can't think for yourself, this is the kind of copycat crap you come up with?

How about asking some questions:

Why are there no Home Depots in Long Beach, but 2 in Signal Hill, and one in Lakewood?

Why are Long Beach BMW and Mercedes Benz of Long Beach in Signal Hill?

Why is there a Costco in Signal Hill, but none in Long Beach?

So now you want to make sure businesses have business strategies that are only along your lines of social engineering?

Geez, how about focusing on getting business IN Long Beach, and worrying about Long Beach residents. Not all the workers employed in Long Beach live in Long Beach. Get a clue!

So many big problems in Long Beach, And nobody on the council has the courage to even address them. Every candidate in Long Beach will talk about cleaning up the beach, And becoming fiscally responsible and creating a vibrant downtown that people would flock to from a far, But it's always talk, And somethings get better, while most things get worse, And everyone is in denial because they have Long Beach pride, But pride doesn't pay the cities massive bills, And it doesn't make people spend their money in the city.

That's Gay !

I wonder how many of Garcia's 1st District Constituents thought they were electing a Council person who would REPRESENT them?

He is no more worthy of respect, and is showing as little common sense, as the ridiculous Suja Lowenthal.

lbresident wrote:

Robert is working hard for hispanics (his parade idea) and now gays. I'm not objecting to either but I wish he would focus on things he campaigned on like cleaner beaches and improved infrastructure.

Efforts to address parking issues are going forward, as is the revitalization of Pacific Avenue and addressing beach pollution. These are ongoing projects and they are in no way affected by the EBO. We are good at multitasking

RAE wrote:

As a Gay man myself, I believe his heart is in the right place, but his fiscal mind is not. Right now with Long Beach being in such dire financial straights , the city needs to go with the best companies and the best prices for their services. Long Beach could suggest that they offer benefits, but it really isn't the cities problem.

Sir,

Respectfully, do you really want to see civil rights subsumed to budget issues? Would you want The City to do business with a contractor that discriminated against a certain race or religion, if they offered a lower price?

I hope you will give this some more thought.

Dan Brown wrote:

Of course, let's not get the BEST Contractor for the best price. No wonder of economy is in the shape it's in! Personal Agenda's....and Political Correctness will be the downfall of us all.

Sir, would you say the same thing if we were talking about discrimination based on race or religion? Would you want us to do business with the cheapest contractor no matter what?

Thank you for your interest.

Respectfully,

DB