EPCC News

August 28, 2009

Coalition Files Suit Against City of Long Beach

LONG BEACH --On Friday, August 21, the Long Beach Coalition for Good Jobs and a Healthy Community filed suit against the City of Long Beach claiming the development of the 125-room Hotel Sierra at the Pike needs a new Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to assess the possible impact the hotel development will have on the environment and local communities.

“A few weeks ago, we spoke to City Council about this project with regard to the environmental, social, and economic impacts on our community. In response, a majority of the Council voted to postpone the vote to provide an opportunity for the community to voice its support for responsible development,” said CSULB Sociology Professor Gary Hytrek and Coalition Steering Committee Member.

The Coalition filed suit against the City on the grounds that Lodgeworks, the developer and operator of the proposed hotel, was permitted to use an addendum to the original Environmental Impact Report (EIR), despite the fact that the project is substantially different than the original plan.

The 7-year old EIR was modified to allow the construction of a single 275-room hotel at the Pike. Developers used that EIR to construct the 140-room Avia Hotel in 2005. In 2009, developers asked for an addendum to the EIR that would allow for the development of Hotel Sierra, their second hotel at the Pike.

The Long Beach Coalition( LBC) have spearheaded several mass actions and is ready to launch a living wage campaign and to support the upcoming boycott of the Hilton Hotel.

The Hilton Hotel has been conducting anti-labor practices against the hotel workers. The Justice for Filipino Veterans (JFAV) and the Pro People Youth (KmB) representing the Filipino American community in South Bay has been a part of the coalition since it inception last year.

************