Los Altos Neighbor

 From the District Weekly 12/03/2007

To music and lyrics played in a dead-on impersonation of the Beach Boys, a brand new website — www.solongdelong.com — is advocating the recall of Long Beach Third District City Councilmember Gary DeLong.

“Gary, Gary What Went Wrong?” asks the song in its high harmonic opening vocals, backed by the twang and rumble of classic 1960s surf guitar and bass. “You’ve been in office for too long, for too long.”

Actually, it’s been barely a year and a half since DeLong was elected to represent Long Beach’s eastside coastal district, which includes Belmont Shore and Long Beach only wetlands. But his aggressive stance on development immediately provoked controversy.

DeLong quickly assembled a hand-picked committee that held a series of closed meetings to revise the Local Coastal Plan (known as SEADIP), which has established the development-vs.-environment balance in the area since the 1970s. He entertained a proposal from homebuilding giant Lennar to construct a massive condominium project on site of the Seaport Marina Hotel — which, at Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway, is already one of the most traffic-congested intersections in the city. And he supported placing a Home Depot shopping complex at Loynes Drive and Studebaker, on the edge of the Los Cerritos Wetlands.

So far, none of DeLong’s plans has been a success, but opponents apparently aren’t content to play defense, anymore. The new website appears to be the opening fanfare for a recall. It includes letters to DeLong that outline various complaints, newspaper articles that itemize what are considered his transgressions, photos of the traffic congestion that plagues the area and a how-to guide for recalling public officials in Long Beach, complete with a printable petition form.

But the highlight is definitely the campaign song, which lays out the case against DeLong in perfect harmony, deft phraseology — and even a follow-the-bouncing-ball across the lyrics, for those who want to sing along:

Gary, Gary you’ve gone to far, gone too far.

With all your buddies at Lennar, at Lennar.

I can’t picture you with them, your future looks mighty dim.

Oh, Gary, Gary you’ve let us down.

Gary, Gary you’ve hit the wall, hit the wall.

Constituents are whispering recall, re-e-e-call.

The farthest thing from your mind

are the wetlands and congestion time.

Oh, Gary, Gary you’ve let us down.

Gary, Gary you’ve gone too far, gone to far,

with all your buddies at Lennar, at Lennar.

You’ve taken us on a bad trip

With your self-appointed SEADIP

Oh, Gary, can’t picture Home Depot there.

Gary, you’ve gone too far,

Gary, Gary you’ve let us down, let us down

Gary you’ve gone too far

Gary, Gary you’ve let us down